Bennie took Malachi's hand and shook it. "Bennie, but I prefer Big Ben," Bennie answered. "Richard, Nice to meet you, sir." I also answered while shaking the man's hand. I kept looking at his injured hand though. I hope it's not from a bite. "I'm Abigail." Abigail lastly added.
"Why don't you young ones take a sit while I prepare some food, how small they maybe." Malachi offered. "Thank you," I said offering my thanks. "I'll help you sir." Abigail offered. "Thank you kindly missy." Malachi smiled a bit.
As they walked towards the corner with snacks, Abigail looked back at me while Malachi was going forward. I don't trust the guy but he's offering us a temporary shelter so at least I could offer sincerity with his offer. Just in case, I pointed my 2 fingers to my eyes, gesturing to Abigail to watch her back. It would be rude for us to show that we suspected him so I let Abigail go alone. Bennie took a chair and moved closer to the hallway where he could see the snack corner just in case the old man turned out to be a thug or something. In this situation, it's best to be prudent.
"So, how did you young ones end up in this hell," Malachi asked. "If I was in your position, I could've just driven away into safety. Wherever that is. Instead of going here, in this hell as you can see." Malachi inquired.
I pointed at my hand where Malachi was injured and Bennie nodded. That's good. We are on the same page. Figure out if it's a bite or a wound. "We worked at the mesa," Bennie answered. " We got riots the night before. We got lucky we dodged that bullet before it went to hell." I added.
"That's a long way from here. Few kilometers give or take?" Malachi bellowed. "Without transport no less." Malachi walked back to us carrying a few plates of sandwiches and cookies as he put them on the table. "That's maybe the reason why the power and water were out the night before." Malachi sat back to his chair and looked at a distance at the window.
"Here's some soda and water," Abigail added and took a sandwich and soda from the pile. She ate with relish. Well, who could blame her? With all the mayhem we suffered this morning. I am hungry myself too. Bennie and I took sandwiches ourselves and some beverages. We ate while keeping our guards up but man! Eating properly was like ages ago.
"Take your time eating. You are safe here at least for the time being. I would like to offer a cup of coffee but as you can see, the power is out." Malachi said while taking his book back and reading it while putting his glasses on.
I laid back to my chair and heaved a sigh. It's been 2 days? Maybe 3? Fuck. All this chaos just disrupts my sense of time. I checked my phone. The battery is out.
"Why don't you sleep on the couch missy? By the looks of it, you're the most exhausted out of the three. I bet you need the energy in whatever you young ones are gonna do after you are well rested." Malachi offered. Abigail looked at us.
"Don't worry, we'll wake you up in case of emergency. No worries. We won't leave you behind." I reassured her. Malachi raised an eyebrow. "Uhm. Thanks." Abigail answered.
A few minutes of relishing the meal. Abigail went over to the couch and turned over. She really was exhausted. I was too but I think Malachi put her to sleep because of his request specifically to us men. Another few minutes when we could hear Abigail breathe heavy with sleep, Malachi set the book down and looked at us.
"Let me talk to you both man to man. It's rare for people to take responsibility for another's life, especially in these dark times. Based on how the girl relies on you both. I'm guessing you saved her?" Malachi asked.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"It just ended up that way," I answered Malachi.
"I'm only getting the bits and pieces here, but I'm guessing you're looking for a vehicle? To drive away from all this madness?" Malachi stood up in front of the window and looked down. Bennie and I also looked down. Fuck! I grimaced. We were so relaxed that we forgot that hell was only 2 floors down. They're not that many, maybe because we are still in the edges of the border town but there isn't a space where you can see that it is clear of the unclean. A few meters or so, a group is standing stock still then a few meters an unclean is just sitting down. Few corpses laid bare in the streets. A few buildings are still on fire. Car wreckages strewn about. I can see some inside the buildings. Men, women, and .. children. Maybe even babies. I grimaced as I remembered the former occupants of our former haven yesterday. It was chaos.
" I don't know when this all started but finding the solution to your predicament carries certain risks," Malachi added. "One, even if you find a car out there in the streets, who knows if it's totaled or would it still run? Two, You need to check every viable car you can find while making sure you won't get chased by those.." Malachi paused.
"Unclean," I added. Malachi looked perplexed at me but nodded in agreement with my term. "Yes. That term would be more appropriate given the circumstances. Those unclean. While also making sure the missy is safe. Either she is a risk or an asset, I would never know. But doing those would give you lesser chances of survival in this situation. Am I right?" Malachi expects us to agree.
"Right, you are," I answered. "Good. At least we are on the same page. I could offer you a better alternative but you must hear me out first and heed my request before I hand over .. uhm shall we say the keys to your salvation?" Malachi emphasizes the key part.
Bennie and I perked up after hearing those words. He is offering us a key to a vehicle. This is too good to be true. But if there is a god out there. I would thank you for the favor but I'm sure if things are too good to be true there must be a catch.
"There must be a catch," Bennie questioned. " No worries there Ben. my good man." Malachi sat down again and looked at us square in the eyes. "I just explained the situation so that you'll have a hard time ignoring the offer I'm about to tell you," Malachi explained.
"Before we listen to your request, at least answer a question from us too," Bennie asked. "Perhaps that is fair," Malachi answered.
"Your injured hand. What caused you to injure your hand?" Bennie asked seriously. I tensed. This is it. Bennie laid the M4A1 on the table a while ago but that is just a distraction. From my angle I can see Bennie holding the M9 Baretta pistol on his thigh holster already had the safety off. But on Malachi's side that should be a blind spot. Probably that's good to fire already. I was holding the chair with both hands making sure I could kick the table with force towards Malachi in case he gets violent and when he stumbles, that would give Bennie the window he needs to fire accurately. We had never used a gun before but we airsoft geeks have orr way of doing things. I need to create the space Bennie needed to fire and not miss.
Malachi chuckled. "That's the thing, boys," he explained while unwrapping the bandage. He lifted his injured hand and showed us a nasty bite, with the veins popping with a bluish-green color.
Fuck! How strong would a bite be to be able to chew off a finger? His pinky finger to be exact, is missing.
"I want you to kill me," Malachi said stoically.