Page 104 of His to Burn
Asia stared at me with raised eyebrows. “Are you setting an alarm?”
“Yeah. I am,” I said.
She chuckled. “Shouldn’t one of the plusesof a fucking apocalypse be not having to worry about alarms anymore? I mean, it’s not like you have to clock in.”
“Forty-five minutes,” I repeated.
She gave another small laugh, and then said, “I’ll take this corner, and take the opposite. That’ll give us line of sight in the whole building.”
“Line of sight, Counselor?”
“Go to sleep, Jackson. Your clock is ticking.”
She sobered, apparently realizing the implication of her words.
“It always has been,” I said as I headed to my corner.
I didn’t like the distance, but it was a smart play.
I settled in the corner and quickly dropped off, hoping I didn’t dream.
What felt like seconds later, a gentle vibration started pulsing at my wrist.
I was awake almost instantly, and looked over at Asia
“Any excitement?” I asked as I stood, stretching my muscles, though I hadn’t slept long enough for them to tense.
“Thankfully, no,” she responded.
“What’s that?” I asked, looking at the small pile at her feet.
“Found some water and some food. A couple of knives and a revolver. Small caliber. A .22 I think.”
I tilted my head as I stared at her.
“Don’t look surprised,” she said.
“I’m starting to learn I shouldn’t be,” I said.
“Meaning?” she responded, her lips in a gentle smile.
“Lawyers talk and read. You’re dropping line of sight and weapon caliber like it’s second nature,” I said.
She waved me off. “What can I say? I contain multitudes.”
“Something I discover every day,” I said.
“Come eat some stale taco shells and cold refried beans,” she said.
“Sounds delicious,” I said.
She laughed. “Well it tastes terrible, but the warm, flat soda is divine.”
I chuckled and then quickly scarfed down a couple of taco shells and some beans. “You’re right. This soda isn’t half bad.” I took another sip.
“You’ll learn not to doubt me, Jackson,” she said. She smiled quickly but then went serious. “I was thinking…”
I shook my head. “Asia, this topic is closed. We don’t need to talk about it anymore.”
