The Long Way To Reno by Michelle Mix Read Free Book Online Page A

hordes that
you stuck together. You don’t purposefully do stuff like that.
     
                “Huh,”
was all I said. I looked at him and wondered why he wasn’t part of any group.
     
                He
wiped his hands on his pants. I figured he hid, like me. Normal human reaction
for wimps. That part I understood, so I didn’t judge him on that. I wondered where he hid.
     
                “So,
what were you planning on doing?” I asked curiously. I cupped the light with
one hand and wondered if Jeff and his group was going to be another obstacle in
my plans to get to Reno.
     
                “Wait
it out,” he replied, scrunching his eyebrows. “Then go out. I unlocked one of
the doors – “
     
                “They
have them all locked?” I asked. It made sense, now, for the things on
the outside. But I didn’t want to be in here for very long. I needed to get to
my parents.
     
                “Most.
But I unlocked one of the doors in Orange,” he said, and I looked in that
direction. It was spread along the far wall beyond this section, and was a
straight shot from us. It opened towards the Walmart Superstore across the
street. Perfect. I needed to find my keys.
     
                “Do
you think it’s safe to go, now?” I then asked.
     
                He
shrugged. Jammed his hands into his jeans pocket. I wondered about the fitting
amount of time to wait out the aliens patrolling the grounds outside. They had
to get tired of the place soon. They have bigger places to conquer. Like L.A.
New York. Not stupid, butt-friendly Fernley.
     
                “Where
are you from?” he then asked. I noticed he hesitated on adding something to
that, watching his face shift to an uncomfortable scowl at the floor. Maybe he
thought I wanted to stay with him, or something. I didn’t want to – he
didn’t look manly enough to protect me. So I hoped he didn’t try to suggest we
continue on together.
     
                “Reno,”
I replied cautiously. “I need to get to Reno. I’m trying to find my car keys. I
dropped them when all this started.”
     
                “I’ll
help. Cold Springs,” he then added, gesturing at himself. I scrunched my own
face. Before I could comment, he said with a light chuckle, “I know, I know. I
live with roommates. Gay ones. I mean, I’m not gay, but they are.
Serious couple. Domestic partnership, or something. I don’t know. It was a
Craig’s List find. So…you?”
     
                After
that unneeded explanation, I said, “I live with my parents.”
     
                He
looked relieved for some reason. “I thought so. You’re – you looked
pretty attached to them.”
     
                I
didn’t really think into that statement because I was distracted by the thought
that if we were going to stick into this building situation together, he needed
to be armed, too. Our survival while searching for my keys couldn’t depend
entirely on me – I mean, I’m pretty useless without an X-Box controller
in one manicured hand.
     
                I
unhooked my Fubar and handed it to him. An expression of disapproval made
itself known on my features when he rejected it with a shake of his boring
head. He instead reached out toward the safety rail and pulled to him a fire ax
– the blade was wet with blood and gore, and he gave a smile as he
handled the weapon with some confidence. The way he swished it around to
dislodge some of the thicker substance on the blade made me reconsider his
strength – for a guy with stringy arms, he did have some muscle to him.
     
                “I
got this. Worked good so far,” he said, examining the blade.
     
                I
thought I felt reassurance in his manly abilities rush through me, but it
might’ve been the orange juice I drank earlier, replenishing what nutrients