When the pack seemed satisfied with the search, they scurried into the middle of Orange Drive only a few yards down the street from where Scarlett and Justin hid. The pack loitered about in the middle of the flippin’ street, and Scarlett watched in horror as each one tilted its hideously disfigured face to the sky, sniffing the wind. And
they
stood in the middle of the road, between the hotel and Scarlett and Justin: as if waiting for the two of them. As if
they
were expecting Scarlett and Justin to return to the hotel.
Scarlett caught Justin’s apprehensive glance, and they both instinctively retreated, ending up in a Burger King’s parking lot. The creepers gained ground as Scarlett, and Justin retreated in sneak-mode.
They couldn’t have seen us?
Justin pointed to a fenced-in area. “To the dumpster,” he whispered.
The gate to the fenced dumpster area screeched when Justin opened it, causing both of them to flinch at the same time. They backed their way into the over-piling trash. The dumpster lid was open, and trash spilled over onto the pavement, the stench nearly unbearable. Scarlett tried holding her breath, but that didn’t work for very long.
“Don’t worry,” Justin said, “they’ll forget about us in a couple of minutes and scramble off at the next sound they hear.”
But she heard the anxiety in his hoarse whisper. After a few minutes, Justin edged out of his hiding place to peer into the street and then crouched back to Scarlett.
He didn’t say a word. “Are they gone?” Scarlett asked. She noticed that his olive complexion appeared to have faded to a pale-ashen color.
“Not so good, counted twenty. They’re like just gawking in the middle of the freakin’ road—like they know we’re close by.” He seemed close to panicking.
“I’m thinking that too. Our scent must be in the air,” she whispered.
“Must be this reeking trash that’s throwing them off. It super-stinks in here,” Justin whispered, plugging his nose with his fingers.
The Burger King’s rear parking lot was enclosed by a tall, cinder block, security wall similar to the hotels. They were trapped. The only way out was by way of Orange Drive. They waited.
A few minutes later Justin dared to leave the rank safety-zone of the dumpster to view Orange Drive again. He hunched back over to Scarlett, shaking his head.
“Now there’s like over thirty of them, and they are coming this way!” he lamented.
“All right, so we go to plan B,” Scarlett encouraged.
“You never told me we had a plan B?” Justin looked bewildered.
“Ye-ah,” she teased. “We can jump the back wall, and make our way to the back of the hotel, staying off the main road,” she said, hoping it made perfect sense to him.
“Uh, Scarlett, we don’t know what’s on the other side of this wall,” he started to argue in a barely audible murmur when a sound of gurgling-groans came from the Burger King parking lot.
“Amazing idea! Let’s make a run for it,” he was on his feet and nearly to the eight-foot wall with Scarlett right behind him.
Now they were both in plain view of the growing pack of creepers. Their dreadful moans intensified when
they
saw food within their grasps.
“We need something to hop the fence,” Scarlett shouted, no longer needing to be silent.
“The pallets by the dumpster,” Justin yelped.
“Shit!” Scarlett screamed, “We can’t go back—it’s too late.” Justin dropped his fully-loaded backpack and ran back to the dumpster. Scarlett gaped in utter horror as the pack of creepers erratically scurried towards the dumpster.
“I got this . . .” Justin yelled back.
He grabbed two of the wooden pallets just as three creepers stormed the dumpster area. Justin shoved them back with the pallets, knocking them down to the pavement.
“RUN!” Scarlett screamed. She grabbed his backpack and ran for the wall. She threw the two stuffed packs over the cinder block wall while Justin precariously turned the pallets into a makeshift ladder.
“You first,” Justin gasped.
She didn’t bother to argue and pulled herself to the top of the rough cinder blocks. “It’s clear on this side,” Scarlett announced with relief.
Scarlett jumped down to the empty field, her heart pounding so loudly that she thought her eardrums would burst at any second. Justin practically flew over the wall letting out a frenzied, “Totally Awesome!”
Scarlett glanced back at him, his eyes wild with exhilaration and a tinge of red blushed his cheeks.
“That was like super-hecka amazeballs!” he whooped.
“Uh, that’s one way to put it,” Scarlett gasped, trying to slow down her rapid breathing.
“Ye-ah, I’m thinkin’ we’d better not tell Dean about this,” Justin chimed.
“As if—” she responded. And they both laughed very nervous laughs. “Never thought I’d actually die for a cup of coffee,” she joked and swung the backpack over her shoulder, thinking how stupid and lucky they both had been.
“Next time we’ll be better prepared,” Scarlett said defiantly.
“Uh, did you say
next
time . . . are you
cray cray!”
Scarlett felt an impish grin take over.
I can’t wait to see Dean’s expression when he sips his tea tomorrow morning. Won’t he be surprised
?
***
Scarlett dashed down the stairs and practically ran to the dining room, hoping she had made it there before Dean. Ella and Justin were already sitting at the table giggling about something as usual.
“Is he up yet?” Scarlett asked, panting. Her mini-alarm clock decided to stop working this morning. She noticed it had been in need of a fresh set of batteries, but batteries were quickly becoming a rare commodity.
“Any moment,” Justin replied, a smile hinting at the corners of his mouth.
“Ella, did you make the coffee yet?” Scarlett asked.
Ella nodded an exuberant yes.
“Remember what we talked about. We don’t say a word. Ella, serve him his morning tea as usual and—” Justin stopped in mid-sentence looking like a guilty kindergartener.
“Why’s everyone up so early?” Dean entered, obviously surprised to see them.
“You know, we’re busy with the CFO project,” Justin said.
Dean nodded in approval, “Like my ole granddaddy used to say, ‘the early bird catches the worm.’ Ella what’s for breakfast this bright and cheery morning?” Dean asked.
As if Dean needed to ask.
It was boxed cereal every flippin’ morning.
At least he seemed to be in a good mood, Scarlett thought.
“By the way, what’s the status of your CFO project,” Dean asked as Ella nervously placed his favorite over-sized Gone Fishin’ mug in front of him.
“Oh, that, ye-ah, it’s going,” Justin said anxiously.
Scarlett knew they were all eagerly waiting for Dean to take his first sip of the French Roast. Scarlett was surprised that the coffee’s aroma hadn’t given itself away, then she realized why. Apparently, either Justin or Ella had just overly-doused the room with the familiar fake smell-of-clean.
Is that Lysol
? Scarlett caught a big whiff of it and wanted to gag.
Finally, Dean lifted the mug to his lips, “What’s the scuttlebutt? You all seem to be acting mighty peculiar.” He sat up straight and looked around the room, setting his Gone Fishin’ mug back down on the table.
“Like, I wanted to ask your opinion about something,” Justin started to ramble.
Jeez Louise, Justin’s
sooo
bad at lying.
Scarlett was becoming impatient but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to spoil the surprise.
Ella placed several cereal boxes in the center of the table, and everyone automatically started reaching for their favorites.
“We’ll talk when I get back,” Dean promised, and he once again held the coffee mug to his lips.
“What in blazes? Ella, real coffee? Where’d you find it?” Dean took another sip. “It’s fantastic!”
Ella’s rather comical, crooked-raised-eyebrow expression made both Scarlett and Justin burst into laughter. Ella dropped the stack of napkins she’d been about to place in the center of the table and ran into the kitchen.
Uh-oh, here it comes. Get ready, might need some ear plugs for this.
“All right, who’s the culprit?” Dean paused, glaring from Justin to Scarlett then back to Justin. “Justin, where’d you get the coffee?” Dean accused.
But Scarlett was ready, ready to face Dean’s anger, and she responded a bit too casually. “Oh that, it’s nothing, just a little something Justin and I picked up in town yesterday,” she chatted while pouring a splash of evaporated milk over her berry-bran granola cereal.
“What in tarnation?” Dean’s voice boomed. “Thought I made myself perfectly clear. No ones to leave this place without my escort. It’s dangerous out there.”
Trying to be reasonable, Scarlett said, “Dean, you can’t keep us in here forever. I know—we all know your intentions are good, but—”
“What I say goes,” Dean interrupted.
“Be reasonable. Really now, we’ve all managed to survive on our own before you came along . . .” Scarlett tried to explain.
“Do not—I repeat, DO NOT leave this place again without me. END OF STORY!” Dean stood up abruptly, glaring at them, his face turning a purplish-red.
Suddenly Ella rushed into the room. Scarlett, deeply embroiled with anger wondered why Ella had entered the room, for she always avoided trouble and always left the room whenever the group had a heated discussion.
Dean stood there, fuming. “Well, for Pete’s sake Ella, don’t tell me you’re in on this too?” He seemed disappointed in her. “You all don’t know what it’s like out there. It’s far too dangerous. Hell, it’s beyond dangerous it’s, it’s . . .”
Scarlett happened to see Ella tugging on Justin’s arm, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“I forbid any of you to leave without me. And that’s final!” Dean’s words reverberated throughout the room.
Scarlett slammed her cup on the dining table. “Like hell . . .”
“It’s—it’s for you,” a tiny voice chirped.
Scarlett heard an unfamiliar voice from somewhere, but the words were muffled due to the increasing volume of their conversation. Scarlett thought Dean was about to explode and hoped the hotel’s defibrillator was half-way charged, noting it had needed a new battery the last time she had checked it.
“Now Ella, you’ll stay out of this if you know what’s good for you,” Dean scolded.
Then it registered.
Was that Ella?
“Ella?” They all shouted, almost sang—like some off-the-wall scene in a wacky sitcom.
“It’s for you,” Ella said calmly and handed the cell phone to Justin. It was the purple iPhone Justin carried with him everywhere; he must have left it in the kitchen.
Suddenly the room went completely silent as anxious eyes darted around at each other. Scarlett didn’t know what surprised them more: the fact that Ella had spoken for the first time, or the fact that Justin actually had a phone call. Justin grabbed the phone with shaking fingers.
“Hello?” Justin questioned as if it was the first time he’d ever talked on a cell phone.
Justin shook his head, “Yes, this is Justin, who the heck are
you
?”
Everyone else remained silent. Scarlett held her breath, clutching her chest and ignored the unreasonable notion that breathing might cause the call to disconnect.
“Ye-ah . . . uh-huh . . . ye-ah . . . OK . . . ye-ah. We’re at the Sweet Suites hotel. Off of Orange Drive, past Nut Tree Road,” Justin paused. “Ye-ah, OK . . .” Justin handed the phone back to Ella, which she returned by placing it in his shirt pocket with a giggle.
“Son, don’t hang up—” Dean frowned.
“He, he had to go—” Justin’s voice drifted. “That was some guy named Luther. He wants to drop by tomorrow for a friendly visit.”
“Well, Twinkle Me Mary!” Dean elated. “Justin, your CFO project did the trick,” Dean said, clapping him on the back, almost knocking Justin over.
Scarlett glanced about the room; it was as if the argument had never happened. They enjoyed their breakfast and hot coffee, everyone giving kudos to Justin for finally making “contact” as he called it. They had finally connected with someone from the outside world. It made her think of Carl Sagan and how he might have felt after finally making
Contact
after all this time.
“I knew he’d do it,” Ella gushed. For once Justin seemed speechless.
“Well, everyone let’s get to it, we’re expecting company. Is my lunch ready?” Dean asked, brushing his hands off on his pants.
Ella disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two coolers. Ella handed the blue cooler to Dean and gave the red cooler to Scarlett.
“I’m coming with you today, Dean. No getting out of it this time. We need to talk,” Scarlett’s tone was dead-serious.
Dean shrugged, “Come on then, it’ll be light soon.”
Dean paused in the doorway, “Do me a favor, how’s about we don’t mention anything about this Luther fella to Paxton and Nate. Or, LuLu for that matter. Let’s keep this to ourselves—until Luther shows up,” Dean said politely, and no one argued.