Complete Chaos

068

After a few minutes, Steve was able to find a big empty field.

Julia carried Melody on her hip and with her free hand, grabbed a red can of Kerosene Fuel.

Nancy opened the door and got out first. There was determination in the girl's eyes; she wasn't scared of anything. Julia admired that.

They all got out with their supplies. They worked with a partner to make a different weapon.

Eddie and Dustin were hammering nails into trash can lids.

The Sinclair siblings were making spears with knives and tree branches.

Nancy and Max were on the far left side.
Steve, Robin, and Julia, with Melody, stayed near the RV.

The door of the RV was wide open. Julia sat on the last step. Melody sat on the grass between Julia's legs. Melody was pulling on the long grass, and her extended legs were moving like windshields on the ground.

With his left hand, Steve was holding a glass bottle, and with his right hand, he was holding a funnel.

Carefully Robin poured the gasoline in. Having the glass filled with gasoline Julia stuffed a white piece of fabric inside the bottle. She kept it out of reach from Melody's curious hands.

Steve grabbed another bottle as he said, "It just doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense," Robin asked him, confused. "That was Dan Shelter. He graduated, like, two years ago," he responded.

Julia didn't know Dan very well. They had a class together her senior year, but that was it. Julia didn't know why he was the topic of conversation.

"So," Robin asked, not sounding interested. "So he's in college. Which means he was visiting on spring break. Fast Times was returned, like, I don't know, a week ago?"

Hearing more about the conversation, Julia was able to connect the dots. The discussion was about Vickie, a girl in Robin's band class. Also known as Robin's current crush.

"Unless she's got some horndog brother we don't know about." Steve looked at Robin. "Which is possible," he added quickly.

"Or she's just really into Judge Reinhold?" In his own way Steve was trying to make Robin feel better. He was sure Vickie was into girls. He was thinking of a reason why Vickie would be dating Dan.

Robin, on the other hand, didn't want to hear any of it. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened to her. She didn't have a lot of luck in the lady department.

She shook her head "Steve," Robin said, getting the attention of Steve.

Robin looked tired of the conversation. "I don't care. I don't understand why you do either with everything that's going on. Marshmallow doesn't even care." Robin pointed at the young girl who was trying to grab the empty can of Kerosene Fuel. Julia moved the can in a fast motion before Melody even noticed. Hearing her name, the baby looked up at her friend. "Ah ah," she responded.

"See, and honestly, this feels like a perfect time for that little pull of the rug because...in the face of the world ending, the stakes of my love life feel spectacularly low." Robin looked back at Steve. "Yeah. I get it, but I still have hope," Steve said as he passed her another bottle.

"Not everything has a happy ending," Robin said gloomy. Julia looked up at Robin and said, "Robin, I'm sure you're going to find someone great. If Vickie is not the one, someone else will come and will make you feel so loved." Robin smiled fondly at Julia.

"Thank you, but I'm not talking about love. I have this terrible, gnawing feeling that." Robin stopped pouring the gasoline into the funnel. "It might not work out for us this time," Robin said, sounding sad and defeated. Julia had never heard her talk this way. Robin was always talkative and optimistic.