Arrival: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

16

“Don’t worry about what that guy said, Maya. It’s all lies.”

“Yeah, I know.”

But something about what had Jack said made sense.

Did it? Come on, Maya. Aliens?

What if it were true, though? Terrorists creating a dome to protect their city would be logical, but why encase an American city? And even if you could assume the dome was a weapon to be used against them, what about Jack’s beacon theory? How could anyone or anything get an object of that size and magnitude into the ground, and then raise it up with such destructive force?

Looking outside, Maya asked, “Where are we going?”

“My great aunt owns some land out this way in White’s Creek. It’s only a couple of miles from here. She’s in Florida living with my Uncle William for now, so I keep my eye on the place for her. It’ll be a good spot for us to regroup—catch a few hours of sleep. We can figure out what our next move is going to be.”

Maya smiled at Reno, sliding her hand inside of his. He glanced over at her, looking down at their interlocked fingers and then up into her face.

“Thanks for sticking with me,” Maya said.

“No problem. We’re partners. Right?”

She squeezed his hand. “Friends.” Then she let it go.

Reno smiled back at her, nodding. He cleared his throat and looked at the traffic, which had begun to thin out the farther they got from downtown Nashville. He drove a few more miles and turned onto several country roads before pulling into a dirt driveway. A quaint, ranch-style house stood at the end of the path, its lawn’s grass overgrown but with the windows and roof in decent shape—nobody had been living here for quite some time, but the house looked habitable. Empty fields stretched to each horizon, not another house visible. Reno pulled up next to the propane tank before shutting off the rig’s engine. Maya climbed out first.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Maya said. “Why don’t you live in this place if your great aunt and uncle are in Florida so much?”

“Too far from work. I stay here on the weekends sometimes, but that Monday morning commute is a pain. Plus, it feels a little weird. My great uncle, with some help from my grandfather, built this place with his bare hands. If the house is passed down to me when my aunt passes, which I hope isn’t anytime soon, I might move in. Until then, I’ll keep an eye on it for her.”

Reno unlocked the front door and they walked inside, breathing in air that was heavy with dust and the smell of old mothballs. It reminded Maya of her grandmother’s house in Birmingham, where she’d spent three weeks every summer until she’d turned fifteen.

“Make yourself at home,” Reno said. “I’m gonna check and see what kind of food is here. I usually stock some canned goods, but I can’t remember what I’ve got.”

“Would you mind if I took a shower? That’s all I can think about right now.”

“No problem. You want to wash your clothes, too? I’d let you wear some of my aunt’s, but I’d never be able to look at you the same way again.”

Maya laughed, blushing.

“Come on,” Reno said, blustering through the awkward silence. “I’ll show you to the bathroom.”

He led her to the master bedroom, where he went into the closet and grabbed a towel and a robe.

“You can put this on when you get out of the shower—while your clothes are washing.”

“That’ll work,” Maya said, smiling.

“Throw your clothes on the ground out here and holler at me before you jump in the shower. I’ll come grab ‘em and get ‘em in the wash.”

“Thanks again for doing all this—getting us out of the chaos for a few hours.”

Reno chortled. “Quit thanking me, all right? You’d do the same for me.”

Maya smiled and nodded as Reno left the bedroom. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Glancing in the mirror, she shuddered at her own reflection. Her white tank top had turned black with grease and dirt. Grime covered her arms and she had dark spots on her face. Even though she’d showered when they’d gotten off shift not that much earlier, she looked like she hadn’t bathed in weeks. She let down her hair and fluffed it.

“You’re a mess, girl,” she muttered as she stripped out of her clothes. When she took off her sports bra and panties, she suddenly realized Reno would be handling them if she dropped all of her clothes on the floor. It’s not like she wore sexy lingerie to work—but that level of privacy was usually reserved for married couples or people living together. Suddenly, she felt strange leaving her undergarments on the floor for Reno.

Maya put on the robe and walked out into the living room. Reno stood in the kitchen opening a box of pasta.

“I told you I’d throw your dirty clothes in the washing machine.”

“It’s okay. I said I’d do it, but you didn’t hear me,” she lied. “Where are the washer and dryer?”

“Go right through this door and you’ll be in the mudroom. Washer and dryer are in there. Take your time. I’ll do my laundry later.”

Maya got the washing machine going and then went back into the kitchen.

“Find the detergent and everything?” Reno asked.

“Yup. It was all right there.”

“Cool. How’s pasta and frozen veggies sound? I know it’s not much, but it’s about all we got.”

“That’s about what I’d expect from a single guy in his 20s,” Maya said, smiling.

Reno laughed and focused back on the pasta before him.

“Seriously. That sounds great.” She walked past him. “Now, I’m really going to shower.”

When Maya was finished showering, she stood in front of the mirror and brushed her hair in the still steam-filled room. The warm air relaxed her aching muscles even as the aroma of warm olive oil filtered through the vents and forced a rumble from Maya’s stomach. Leaving her hair down to let it dry, she put on the robe again and walked out to the kitchen.

“It smells delicious,” Maya said, smiling as she entered the living room and turned the corner to see Reno setting the table in the dining room.

“Like I said, it isn’t much, but it’s something. Maybe we can go out later and check the stores nearby.”

Maya walked into the kitchen.

Along with the pasta, Reno had prepared sautéed green beans and baked potato wedges. A bottle of red wine sat in the center of the table, and he had already poured a glass for each of them.

“Little Penguin,” Maya said, looking at the bottle. “Nice.”

“I know it’s cheap, but it’s all we’ve got for now.”

“It’s all right, I’m teasing you. I’ll drink any merlot. Why do you have wine here, anyway? Is this where you bring all your girlfriends?”

Reno snorted. “Yeah, exactly. You caught me.”

Maya laughed and kept her eyes on him as she took a sip from the glass.

Reno stood up. “I’m gonna turn on the TV so we can see what’s going on,” he said, but Maya grabbed his arm as he walked toward the television.

“Please don’t. I’m really enjoying the serenity here. Let’s eat and relax for a little while without thinking about what’s going on.”

“What is going on, Maya? What are we doing?”

She cocked her head to the side, mindlessly cutting a potato wedge with her knife.

“We’re saving people. Doing our jobs.”

“Not anymore. Things aren’t like that now.” Reno raised both hands and let them slap against his legs before continuing. “Whatever is happening is beyond normal. We need to focus on us, get you to your kids.”

Reno returned to his seat and sat down. They started eating, and neither spoke. As much as Maya didn’t want to think about the obelisk, and the dome, and all the crazy stuff Jack had said, she couldn’t help it. She was worried about her kids and her mom. Every thirty seconds or so, she glanced at her phone, and no matter how many times she looked, the cell signal didn’t return. Finally realizing it might not return anytime soon, she slammed her elbows onto the table and buried her face in her hands.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t reconcile my guilt. There are so many people out there that need our help.”

“And we’ve done what we can. We’ll continue to do what we can. But we have to take care of each other, and you have to get to your kids. Nobody cares more about them than you.”

She smiled, knowing who he was talking about. Reno knew her better than she wanted to admit.

“I know.” She ran her fingers through her hair, nearly pulling it out, and then placed her hands on the table.

“And I’m going to help you get to them. We’re partners.” Reno wiped his mouth and moved into the chair next to Maya. He took her hand in his.

“Hopefully, It won’t be long before the government figures out what’s going on, and then that dome is going to come down. Everything is gonna be all right and we’ll be back on our regular shift—helping people. But until that happens, I’m not leaving your side.”

Maya smiled, gazing into Reno’s brown eyes. “I can’t thank you enough. For sticking with me. Bringing me here to this house and cooking—all that.” She gripped his hand. “I’m really lucky to have you, Reno.”

Reno smiled and Maya could see his eyes alight from more than just the wine. He slowly leaned forward until she could almost taste the merlot on his breath. Maya felt a flutter in her stomach and she squeezed his hand.

She closed her eyes and then opened them, standing up so quickly that the chair almost fell back onto the floor.

“I-I’m so sorry,” Reno said. “I wasn’t thinking. That was stupid.”

“No. It’s okay.” She raised her glass and let out a forced laugh. “Probably just the wine talking.”

“Yeah, probably.” Reno averted his gaze.

Maya ran her clammy hands together and stood. “Thanks for cooking for me. I’m gonna go and get my clothes out of the dryer and head to bed. You should probably do the same. We need to rest while we can.”

“Yeah.”

Maya considered telling him not to be embarrassed about what had just happened, but knew that would only make things more awkward. Instead, she went to the mudroom and grabbed her clothes. And although he wasn’t that much younger than her, Maya did take a moment to revel in the fact that he had been attracted to her, older as she might be.

She walked to the bedroom then, but with so many thoughts running through her head, she didn’t think she would be getting much sleep.