Page 5 of Purgatory
“Ok... Ok... We’re ok...” Inhaling deep through my nose and out of my mouth, those yoga sessions are at least good forsomething nowadays.
I decide to sit down in the grass, knees to my chest and repeat my mantra as I stare off at nothing and breathe deeply.
“I’m ok... It'll be ok...”
Chapter 4
Hawk
“Fuck, if we’re gonna look for antibiotics, we might as well look for some booze... We could use some booze.”
He’s not wrong. We need to unwind... I need to unwind. Normally, I’m the one suggesting we get shit faced so if Doc is bringing it up, you know it’s getting bad. Cole has always been quiet but he’s never been grumpy. Looking over at him, that’s exactly what he is right now. It’s understandable, though. This shit is getting to all of us and we just need an outlet. But this is what I was always good at: toning down the tension, and these days are no exception.
“Yea, well, let’s just run to the liquor store on the way home. Then we’ll stop at BK, order the left side of the menu and get fat on some Whoppers while playing Call of Duty till 3 A.M.”
I side-eye him, huge obnoxious smile on my face while I wait for my sarcasm to smack Cole in his. When he finally busts out laughing, I know I’ve done my job well.
“Fuck you!” he says while laughing and pushing me away playfully. I push him back as he points in front of us.
“Hey, maybe this next house will be full of liquor. We haven’t seen anything so far in the other ones. Statistically speaking, eventually we should come across something.”
We turn to go up to the front porch of the 2-story green ranch. It's our third from the last house today and I can’t waitto be done. It's been a long, fucking day. Every day, it’s the same damn thing, day in and day out. Cole’s right, we need an escape from the monotony of just simply surviving. If I've said it once, I'll say it a million times again - Surviving is not living and I want to live.
We push through the front door, not even knocking anymore. There’s no one left in this town. Hasn’t been for a while now, besides us that is. Cole looks back to me.
“I’ll get the kitchen if you get the bathrooms”
“Got it”
We’re about to separate and search when a door slams above us. We both stop, pull back into the kitchen and grab our Glocks. Years of training and use coming on instinct. We crouch behind the island, listening to the footsteps above us with curiosity.
All of a sudden someone goes rushing past us, and into the living room, racing outside. Cole and I look at each other, stunned at what just happened.
“What the fuck?!”
“Was that a girl?” We speak at the same time. Our confusion and sudden awareness clearly evident on each other's faces.
Slowly, we walk to the French doors she ran through. Cole plasters himself to the wall to the left of the doors, myself to the right, mirroring his position. I peek through the window, keeping myself hidden behind the curtain and there she is. It wasn’t a girl running past us but a woman. Long blonde hair that’s been tied up, she’s a petite little thing... twenty-four maybe twenty-five years old? She’s staring at the clouds talking to herself, her entire body shaking.
“I’m ok.... It’s ok...”
You sure about that, sweetheart?
“Oh my God, man, I thought we were the only ones left here? Where’d she come from?” I whisper shout at Cole. My eyes practically bugging out of my head at our discovery.
He pushes his side of the curtain to look out and shrugs, shaking his head. “You got me. How the fuck should I know? There hasn’t been anyone living here in months. What Idoknow isthat--” he points out the window to her withering state. “Doesn’t look like she’s ok.”
Cole takes another moment to observe our little Goldilocks, his eyes squinting in contemplation. “Should we take her back?” He looks at me expectantly, as if I have all of the answers in the universe. What the fuck do I look like? A fucking Zoltar? Magic 8 ball?It shall be so. The odds do not look good in your favor.Sheesh. Shake your own balls and see what they tell you.
Looking back to the shaking flower amongst the weeds, I take a deep breath and focus my mind on Cole’s inquiry. Should we take her back? Now that’s the question of the century. On the one hand, I would say yes. Look at her. She's having a nervous breakdown or something and is obviously in need of some sort of help. Cole seems a little more than concerned at her current state and if Doc is worried, we should probably be worried. On the other hand, it’s not my place to bring her back. It’s Jax’s place. Jax’s home. Jax’s compound. Jax’s sanctuary. And he doesn’t like, doesn’t trust and doesn’t accept outsiders. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Then, of course, there’sherhand. Would she even want to come with us? How long has she been on her own? Where the fuck did she come from and what is she doing here in bumfuck nowhere? Too many questions and not enough answers.
I shake my head. “Let’s pull back and wait. Watch her a little bit. She may not be alone and I don’t want to bring new people down on us if we don’t have to.”
He nods back.
“Recon. Let’s go.” He flips his thumb back towards the entrance.
We quietly head back outside the front door and into the house across the street to wait for any sign of others arriving.
