Okefenokee

Yancy didn’t immediately respond. He picked up a comic book off the desk and looked at it for a while. Then he blurted out, “They were all dead within a week. That horrible disease killed my parents in two days once it reared it’s ugly nature here.” Yancy seemed to tear up, “I miss them so much.” He glanced at them showing he had some human feelings.

Cyndi seeing his demeanor change asked, “Have you encountered people like us before? What are they planning to do with us?”

“No, we have been alone here. The elderly were requiring too much assistance so we stopped helping them. So I don’t know what their plans are.”

Cyndi, “You allowed them to die?”

“Bart says only the strong survive. We are the strong. We were not killed by the virus. If you get the sickness it is not our fault that you are weak.”

Junior learned from his Dad about finding leverage, “Why are you left out of their decision process. Are you weaker then the rest?” He was stoking a response from Yancy.

“I don’t care what they decide. I let them think they are smarter and stronger. If mistakes are made it will be on them not me.”

Cyndi, “Is there a chance they would harm us?” She had put the revolver in her bag without the holster when they were at Rob’s home concealing it from view. Listening to these kids was convincing her that she may have to use it. It wouldn’t do any good in the locked cell, but if they get out things would be different. She wasn’t skilled with the use of it. Junior was but could he actually use it against them? She removed it from her bag and it slipped out of her hand and thumped on the floor. She put her hand to her mouth and Junior’s eyes grew wide, both wondering if Yancy heard it. He was reading the comic book and slouched in a swivel office chair.

She bent down carefully, picked up the heavy revolver and stuffed it under her mattress adjacent to Junior’s cell so he could get it as well through the gap in the bars. Junior watched her move it while Yancy was looking the other way. Then she gave him thumbs up and he acknowledged nodding his head.

Cyndi, “I’m surprised you can read Yancy. I thought Bart said you were all entering the first grade when the evil struck. Where did you learn to read?”

Yancy, “Oh we went to school. There was one teacher who was still at the school everyday. Mrs. Young taught us up through the seventh grade in reading, writing and arithmetic. When our parents got sick they still sent us to school. There was only us four attending. Some kids left with there families. She loved books and literature. She would read stories to us everyday. The town was dead in three days from the first infection.”

“What happened to her,” said Junior.

“I’m not sure. Bart said he found her on the floor one morning before anyone else arrived. He disposed of her somehow. I don’t think he buried her.”

Cyndi, “So you never actually saw the body?” She was getting bad vibes about Bart.

“Come to think of it no. That was like six months ago.”

The others were in a conference room resting in well cushioned chairs discussing what they were going to do with the captives.

Bart, “I think we should keep them around and have some fun with them. The mother is pretty. I think she needs a boyfriend. What do you think Beach?”

Beach, “Yeah, I’ll take her.”

Bart, “No stupid, I meant for me.”

Beach, “Why do you get her?”

Bart, “You’ve got Surfer girl there.”

Surfer, “Hey, wait a minute. I have a say in what I do?’

Bart, “What, you complaining about being with Beach? You want the kid instead?”

“No,” She looked at Beach and smiled.

Beach, “Yeah, I guess.”

Bart, “It will be date night at the solar house. I’m gonna go invite her. The four of us will watch a movie together.”

Surfer, “What about the boy?’

Bart, “This is for mature audiences only. He stays in the jail cell.”

Surfer grins as Bart leaves the room.

Yancy is falling asleep with his feet up and the comic book opened on his lap like a blanket keeping him warm when Bart crashed through the door disturbing Yancy from his nap and making him lose balance and fall backward to the floor.

Yancy, “Darn Bart, why did you startle me? One of these days.”

Bart, “Yeah, one of these days what? You are supposed to be watching them not sleeping.” He brushes by Yancy and struts up to Cyndi’s cell door. He motions he wants her ear. She moves close knowing that a dangerous chess game is beginning which she has to win. He says to her in a low voice, “I’m inviting you on a date to see a movie with me tonight and it would be healthy for Junior to see you go voluntarily.”

Cyndi’s mind was churning. She couldn’t let on how revolting the possibility was. “What movie? There is no power anywhere.”

“Wrong. We are going to the solar house. That’s what we call it. We found it while searching homes for resources. When the battery system is fully charged we get power for a couple of hours. There is an incredible collection of movies there. We have seen many of them. They help teach us what civilization was like at one time. His library includes tapes and disks.”

Cyndi, “VCR tapes, really?”

“I thought that would impress you. You probably had a VCR when you where younger didn’t you?”

“Not personally, but my parents had one when I was young.”

Bart steps back and raises his voice to normal volume. “OK. So I will be back tonight after dark in a couple of hours.”

Yancy followed him outside the room, “Hey, what is going on? I couldn’t hear what you told her.”

Cyndi used the opportunity to fill in Junior on her plan. She wanted him to play dumb. She was going to make a move to free them. He was worried that things were getting out of hand. She said, “We don’t have a choice now but wait until I make my move. Be ready.” He nodded to her and watched her place the revolver in her bag. She continued, “I’m starting to see how dangerous this group is to us. They have grown up without supervision and have learned much of what they know from watching movies. This is a bad recipe. They don’t seem to have any remorse about the things they have done.”

Yancy returned to the room and sat in the chair again then he looked at Cyndi and grinned before resuming his comic book.

Hours past and the sky grew dark, she noticed from the cell window. Cyndi was shaking from fear. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do or whether she had the nerve. She would only get this one chance. They had to get back to Rob in case he needed the antibiotics soon. The clock was ticking and she could not risk being locked up again once the door was opened.

The door to the room crashed open again with Bart making is usual entrance. He had put on his best clothes for the occasion. “Give me the key,” he said to Yancy who tossed it over to him not wasting energy to get off his rump. He looked at Cyndi and she saw a horror in his gaze. He unlocked the door and opened it. “Let’s go Babe,” he motioned with his hand.

She moved toward the door opening reaching her hand into her bag. She was shaking and her heart was pounding blood so loudly near her temple area that she worried that he could hear it. She immediately thought about waiting for another time, not taking the risk now. Maybe they would not harm them and let them go.

Bart, “You are trembling. You have nothing to be worried about,” grinning from the power he felt over her.

She pulled the gun out as soon as she cleared the jail cell door and pointed it at Bart, “Now you listen to me,” she said but before she could finish Bart tried to grab the gun from her. She didn’t want to kill him so she pointed it down toward his feet and pulled the trigger. A loud bang went off with a flash in the darkened room. Bart let go of her wrist and fell to the floor screaming in agony. “What have you done to me? You bitch.”

Her eyes changed there view on to Yancy who immediately stood and put his hands up. He said, “Don’t shoot!”

“Unlock the other door,” she said pushing the key on the floor in his direction while Bart was quieted with a painful look on his face on the floor holding his foot while blood dripped to the floor. “OK,” Yancy picked up the key while nervously shaking. He fumbled to get the key into the lock. As soon as the door was unlocked Junior rushed through, turned and pushed Yancy into the cell. Cyndi pointed the gun at Bart on the floor, “Get in.” He crawled into the cell and Junior locked the door. “I’m going to leave the key somewhere on my way out. Your friends will have to find it.”

Yancy spoke, “You can’t leave us. He needs help.”

She said, “What did you tell me earlier?”

He thought for a minute.

“Let me refresh your memory. It is not our fault if you are weak. Only the strong survive. I gave you a good chance of survival by lowering the gun. I could have killed you out right.” They left the room.

Yancy grabbed the sheet from the bed while Bart removed his shoe and blood soaked sock painfully. Yancy tore off a piece of the sheet and mopped up the blood on Bart’s foot revealing the damage.

Cyndi and Junior stepped out onto the street. It was dark but there was no mistaking the bikes on the ground where they were abducted. Before they could get mounted Beach and Surfer came out of another building and saw them free.

“Hey, where do you think you are going,” he said as they started toward them apparently not hearing the shot that was fired inside the police station.