The Lost And The Wicked

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

------

After an hour of tinkering with my communicator, trying to restore communication with the Driftwood, I throw up my hands in defeat.

Zhane sighs. “Mandy, we’ll figure out what to do tomorrow. It’s getting late. We have to find shelter.”

The top half of the sun descends on the horizon; it will be completely gone in a few minutes. It’s going to be a cold night, especially if we stay by the ocean.

“There’s plenty of shelter,” I say pointing at the dozens of abandoned shops that run in a straight line. “Any will do.”

We make our way to a beat-down, brick building. The words Ultraworld Bar and Grill faintlyflicker in neon lights above a decaying door. It’s absent of any windows where we can peer inside. The last thing I want is to stumble into more corpses.

The door squeaks as Zhane pushes it open. We creep in. I make it a point to remain close to Zhane. I’m not scared, but being close to him puts me at ease.

The inside of the club has seen better days. The lights are dimmed, as if they are about to give out, which would make sense. Neophyte lights have about a seven-year life cycle. There’s a large dance floor that, judging from the excessive grime, hasn’t been used in years. Flyers, empty bottles, and red plastic cups lie scattered everywhere.  

“Hello, anybody here?” Zhane asks.

As I expect, no one answers. I turn on the flashlight from my wristband communicator and move it throughout the room. It doesn’t provide much lighting, but enough for me to make out a pair of booths at the end of the room. “Over there.”

I smile inwardly. It’s shaped in an L-shape, so there’s enough room for both of us to sleep in it. But as soon as I sit on it my happiness turns to sour disappointment. Someone has gone through the trouble of removing most of the foam filling from inside the booths.

I sigh. “Great.”

Since we don’t have many other options, we lay on the hard benches. At least we don’t have to sleep on the dirty floor.

“Can’t sleep?” Zhane asks, after an hour of silence.

“What gave it away?” I turn to him. I can barely make out his facial features through the darkness. “Was it the heavy breathing or all the sighs?”

“Both. What are you thinking about?”

“About my sisters and the crew. I don’t know what I’ll do without them. They’re the only family I got left. Well I still got my dad, at least I hope I do. After what I’ve seen, I’m not sure anymore.” I pause for a second as I try to find the right words. Zhane and I have been friends for a long time, but there’s a lot I don’t know about him. “What about you, Zhane? You have anyone here on Earth?”

“Before my mother passed, she occasionally spoke of some uncles she had from some place called Utah. I don’t consider them family. I don’t even know their names.”

“What about back in the colony? Did you leave any family back there?”

“No one who is alive to miss me. My mother and both my sisters died from a disease outbreak. They were twins, barely three years old.” His voice falters.

“I’m sorry,” I say surprised by his honesty. I’ve known him for years, and he’s never mentioned any sisters. Perhaps our situation has put him in a sharing mood.