When All is Lost

Chapter 42

Gertie wouldn't change my mind. She couldn't. I still planned to drag my group across the country. There was no time for self-reflection. There was only moving forward.

Seeing my expression, Gertie let out a frustrated sigh. "You and your group can stay here through the storm. Jaquan also said he promised you supplies." She said the word as though she found it distasteful. "I looked through what you have and it seems to me that you really don't need much."

"So, what does that mean? You have nothing to give us?" I knew that I was pushing my luck, but Gertie had managed to put me in a terrible mood and I wasn't about to make anything easy for her.

Gertie almost snorted a laugh. "I didn't say that. We keep our promises. What I noticed you're missing is a map. Won't your group need one at some point?"

My heart skipped a beat. We had people like Carlos who had known a lot of the nearby areas, but the further we traveled, the more guesswork was put into which roads we had chosen to take. I had planned on looking for a map as we went.

"We could use one," I said, trying to hide my excitement.

Gertie smiled readily at my pathetic attempt, releasing some of the tension between us. "Well then, you really did come to the right place. If there is one thing we have too much of, it's maps. Helps to be next to a gas station, don't you think?"

"I guess so."

"Hopefully the storm won't last more than a day or two. Does your group already have a plan or were you just moving to move?"

I hesitated before answering, but I didn't think telling Gertie a hint of our plans would cause any harm. "We're headed east."

"Hmm, how far?" Gertie looked pensive as she almost began to pet one of her plant's leaves.

"Why?"

"You don't want to go anywhere near Chicago. Nothing out east can make traveling through there worth it. I've heard it's hell on earth."

I wasn't going to let her words scare me. After everything we'd faced, I was confident that so long as my group was smart and careful, we could skirt around the worst of it. I also had no plans of taking us through the heart of the city. We would take the longest way around that wouldn't also completely derail our trip. The last thing we needed was to run out of food for our journey by wasting time and energy on avoiding Chicago altogether.

"We can handle it," I answered as good-naturedly as I could.

"No, you can't." Gertie shook her head at me as though she once again found me disappointing. "But who am I to stop you? Let's change the subject – what can you tell me about what's going on in the north?"

Deciding to not rile up our host further, I indulged her, telling her everything from my time in Milwaukee to the thieving and looting I'd seen – and sometimes partook in. She was an avid listener, constantly asking questions and wanting more details. At first, I'd thought that I must have been doing a good job storytelling, but that was only because of how charming Gertie's responses were. Her enthusiasm was contagious and her ability to focus on my every word tricked me into almost having bolstered my own self-importance.

Frankly, the woman was brilliant. It took me a while to catch on, but it suddenly occurred to me where Gertie's real power was – in information.

By letting transients stay, she was not only able to trade goods but information as well. In doing so, she had a bird's-eye of the world around her that I had thought was a thing of the past. She knew what was coming long before it arrived. For her, guns really could be a secondary measure.