Simple (3 page)

“Head south,” Gizzard said.

“No, I don’t think so, buddy.  I’m not getting any closer to simp central.”

“I’m not trying to make you go there.  I know a place we can go.  Just take the next exit and make a right.”

“Where to?”

“It’s a building I’ve stayed at before, and we can get supplies.”

I didn’t argue. I needed supplies more than anything else. 

“How do you think he found us?”  Gizzard asked, his voice still squeaking.

“He probably tracked us from your computer,” I said bluntly.

“Nope. That’s not possible, I told you that.”

“Okay Gizzard, then you tell me.”

“Giz.”

“What?”

“Just call me Giz.  I don’t like the way you say Gizzard with so much condescension in your voice.  You might as well call me Leonard like my mother used to.”

“Okay Giz, you need to sack up.”

“That’s easy for you to say, that thing didn’t have you by the throat.”

“I’ve had my share of close encounters.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough,” Giz said.  We rode in silence until I made the right off the freeway.

“Turn in there.”  He pointed to a hospital.

“Are you serious?”

“Yep.  There’s not one simp in there and it’s safe – relatively comfortable too.  The power is supplied by generators.”

“How do you know that?”  I asked turning into the underground parking structure.

“Because my wife was a nurse and she worked here.”

“Oh.”  Now it was my turn to be silent.  He’d obviously lost his wife and that was pain I didn’t need to tap into.  I didn’t want another story haunting me at night. I had enough of those on my own. 

I followed Giz to an elevator and watched for simps until the doors opened.  We made our way down a long corridor and then up a short flight of stairs to the cafeteria.  The vending machines were fully stocked, and to my complete surprise, the coffee machine worked.  I ate two chocolate bars, a bag of stale pretzels, and drank a steaming cup of hot black coffee.  If I could get a shower I’d be as happy as a sailor in a whore house. 

Giz gulped an orange soda and clacked away on his keyboard. 

“So, my friend says there’s no activity to indicate my attempts to enter were discovered by the gateway.”

“English Giz, and what friend?”

“Fish, he’s a programmer, and the gateway is their network security.”

“Do you know this Fish person personally?  I mean, for all you know, Fish could be a simp setting you up.”

“No way.”

I rolled my eyes and took a sip from my coffee.  “And you know that because…?”

“Because Fish is a personal friend.  I knew him before.”

“Well you could have just said that,” I said with a yawn.

“We can sleep in the basement.  There’s an emergency shelter there with beds, and showers.  We’re safest there, but I can’t get a signal down there so I’m not coming until I get tired.  Just take the stairs and you’ll come to a set of double doors.”  He rattled off the security code to get in and then went back to his typing.  I found a change of scrubs, and just about peed my pants with joy when I found the hot water worked.  There was even shampoo and soap.  I flopped down on one of the beds and pulled my comb through my short dark hair.  I was exhausted, but it was the best I’d felt in a long time.  Maybe I’d wait a while before cutting ties with Giz.  He was proving to be rather resourceful, even if he was wimpy.

I never heard Giz come in, but I woke up completely agitated with his snoring.  The clock on the wall said it was almost noon, which was later than I’d slept since I was a teenager.  I felt completely rested, but it was still irritating as fuck to be woken up like that.  Giz still had his shoes on, and his bright red hair stuck straight up, reminding me of a rooster.  I couldn’t help but wonder what his pal Fish looked like.  Leave it to me to partner up with the geek squad.  I wasn’t exactly a people person, and I’d become accustomed to doing things my way, when I wanted to do them.  Still, Giz did have a certain charm.  I collected my things and went to the bathroom to change.  I decided another cup of coffee was an excellent plan, and closed the door behind me as softly as I could. It crossed my mind to slam it so that he woke up as frustrated as I had, but selfishly decided I’d rather have some time to myself to explore. The soft hum of the ventilation system seemed eerie in the light of day.  Despite the state of things, my mind still expected to see other people, actively going about their jobs in such a setting.  Instead, I observed rooms with dead flowers, wilted balloons, dusty counters, quiet nurse’s stations, and empty hallways.

I decided to scavenge the rooms, and that turned out to be a damn good idea because I scored a change of clothes in one, and a lighter out of a pocket in another.  Along the way, I stuffed as many bars of soap and mini-lotions in my pack as I could manage.  Then came my brilliant idea to check the lockers in the doctor’s lounge.  I found a can of mushroom soup, a razor, and a bag of peppered beef jerky.  I popped a small piece in my mouth and reveled in the flavor.  My armpits and legs were in dire need of that razor and I made a silent plan to grab as many showers as I could while I was here.  I smiled to myself as I closed the locker, and came face to face with a woman who looked twice my age, wearing a hospital gown.  She was holding a golf club over her head and was just about to take a swing at me.  How could I have been so stupid?  I had no weapons on me and nothing to protect myself with beyond a disposable razor.  I ducked just in time as she swung.  Abandoning my stash, I turned and ran for the door.  Crazy patient was right behind me, screaming like a banshee and swinging that club like she meant business.  I grabbed the handle of the door and did my best to open it, but it was locked.  Now I was cornered and she was coming right at me.  With nothing else to do, I hunched down in the corner and covered my head with my hands.  I felt helpless as random thoughts rushed through my head in that moment – thankfulness that it was likely the end of everything, disappointment in myself for not being on guard, and of course the fear of pain.

All at once, the screaming banshee stopped and dropped the golf club, sending it clanking across the floor.

“Oh my god, you’re human!”

I lifted my head and met her wide blue eyes.  She was extending her hand to help me up but I refused her offer.  She took a step closer and bent down, to show me her hands. 

“I’m not a simp,” she gushed.  In the back of my mind, all I could think was I’d just about met my maker at the hands of a deranged human.

I stood up and walked back to collect my stash.  “What are you doing in here?”  I said over my shoulder.

“I was a patient.  I came in with pneumonia and I never left.”

“You mean you’ve been hanging out here for the last two years?”

She nodded.  “I had no place else to go.  Besides, they don’t come in here, for whatever reason.”

“So I’ve been told.  What’s your name?” I asked.

“Barbara.”

“I’m Hailey,” I said with a grunt, as I stood up and brushed off my pants.  Is there anyone else here or are you all by yourself?”

“I’ve got a friend,” she said with a tight smile.  About that time a little boy with ebony skin appeared behind a row of lockers.

“Hey there,” I said in my best friendly tone.

“His name’s Jacob.  He doesn’t talk much.”  The shy child ducked back behind the lockers, safe from my prying eyes.

“His parents were murdered, and he was left for dead,” Barbara whispered.  I nodded.  Nothing else needed to be said about that.  I didn’t want to question her with the kid in earshot. 

“So, you take care of him, huh?”

“Yes, but it works both ways.  Jacob takes care of me too.”  Tears welled up in her eyes.  I could appreciate that, but I didn’t have the emotional strength to take on her tears.  I actually didn’t have the desire to get too close to anyone.  It wasn’t wise, and I’d learned that the hard way.  It was all I could do to change the conversation.  “So, what have you guys been eating?  Tell me it’s not the stale food from the vending machines.”  I knew it couldn’t be, but I was fishing for answers.  What was there would never have lasted for two years.

“We just take what we need from the kitchen.  There’s not much left now.  Canned goods mostly, but we’ll manage.”

“Well, that’s great compared to what I’ve had.  Where’s the kitchen?”

“It’s on the third floor,” said Jacob from his hiding place.

“Thank you Jacob. Maybe you could show me the way?”

“I could, but only if Barbara comes.  I don’t like going there without her.”  He’d crept around the corner and was now inching his way toward Barbara.  His small hands stuffed deep in his pockets. 

“Fine by me.  Let’s go find that kitchen.”

I followed my two guides to the kitchen and suppressed my excitement over the cans of peaches, boxes of oatmeal, and powdered milk.  Neither of them seemed the stingy type, but it was clear they weren’t overjoyed with the concept of sharing their stash with me.  I tried to tell myself to be sensitive to their concerns, but frankly it was tough for me to do.  I’m not an insensitive bitch, but I am slightly egocentric.  If you want to survive, you kind of have to be self-absorbed. 

I took a can of peaches and told myself I would come back later without them.  That way, I didn’t have to deal with the nice-nice game that I just didn’t feel like playing.

“You could have some of the chicken from the freezer if you want,” said Jacob.  You would have thought the kid had just said the F word in church.  The look that Barbara threw him said a thousand words.  People are ultimately selfish.  They’ll share to a point, but eventually they get tired of being generous and feel they’re being used.  Regardless, I wasn’t going to give up an opportunity for chicken.  Other than the bite of beef jerky, I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had any meat beyond what came in a can.

“I’d love that Jacob.  Lead the way.”  I ignored the look on Barbara’s face and followed the boy to a walk-in freezer.  Inside were boxes and boxes of frozen treasures, and it was all I could do to keep from jumping up and down.  Barbara stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, doing her best to keep that polite expression pasted on her face.  I didn’t dislike her, I just didn’t really care what she thought about me grabbing a few frozen chicken breasts and a bag of hot dogs.

“This is really great,” I said as I closed the door behind us.  My left arm holding the goodies.  “I really appreciate you sharing with me.”

“It’s no problem,” said Barbara with forced enthusiasm.  Sensing it was time to go on my way, I headed toward the door with them trailing behind me. “Well, you can’t imagine how hard it is out there to forage for food, so it’s a big deal to me.”  Okay, it was a jab, but seriously if she’d been cocooned in this safe harbor, I had to at least fill her in on how rough it was out there in what was left of the real word.  We reached the elevator doors and when they opened, Giz was standing there.  His fiery hair was sticking straight up, and his shirt was a wrinkled mess, but his expression was even funnier. 

“It’s okay Giz, they’re human,” I said with a laugh.

My geeky friend tried to regain his composure, and hugged his laptop to his chest as he stepped out of the elevator.

“This is Barbara, and that one hiding behind her is Jacob. 

“I’ve seen you both around here.  I’m Gizzard.  Please excuse me. I have work to do.”  Without so much as a smile he tootled down the hallway in search of a power source and a connection.

“He’s not rude, just weird,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I’ve seen him before too.  He used to come to meet his wife for lunch.  She was a nurse here,” Barbara said softly.

“I know, he told me.”

“So where are you two staying?” she asked.

“Down in the basement.  You?”

“Intensive care unit.  The doors lock, and we feel safe there.  I mean, even though they don’t come in here, you never know.  Besides, that’s where I was before, and I just stayed put.”

“So why do you suppose they don’t come in the hospital?”

“I have no idea.”  She shook her head, her short grey hair staying in place.

“I know why,” Jacob said.

“You do?”

“Uh-huh.  They don’t come in here because of the math.”

I tried to keep my facial expression neutral.  Why had I expected something logical from a kid?  He stared at me, waiting for a response.

“Oh, that makes sense,” I said, nodding.  The frozen chicken was making my hands numb, and I was over trying to talk to these two.  The kid was cute, but he wasn’t my problem and I didn’t want him to become my problem.  He smiled genuinely.  “Yep, that’s what my dad said.  That’s why he brought my mom and me here.  We drove our car right up to the parking lot, but it ran out of gas.  We were running to get to the doors, and my mom fell down.”  Barbara rubbed her hand on the little boy’s back.  His words choked in his throat.

“That’s okay Jacob, you don’t have to tell me the rest.  I know it’s hard to talk about.”  He raised his trembling chin.