There was no movement, nothing. Everything was as it had been until Jasper turned the car off the highway. “Wait,” she said, getting a little panicky. “Where the hell are you going?”
“We need gas,” he said quietly. Of all the things that Lena did not want to hear, perhaps this was the worst.
“Can’t we wait until we get out of town?” Lena shook a little. The sun had set, darkness was settling on them, and the last thing she wanted was to search for a gas station and stop to get gas. The mere act of getting the gas was no easy task and doing it in the dark would be even more difficult. Not to mention the fact that they were in a city that clearly had hostiles in it. There was no way of knowing what kind of danger they were getting themselves into.
“Don’t worry,” Jasper said. “I’ll try to stay as far away from the downtown area as I can.” She wasn’t relieved. Something about this place just felt wrong.
“I’ve stopped going to big cities,” Lena confessed. Even when things were normal, she hadn’t been much of a big city kind of girl. Much like on her small farm, she generally did better on her own. When the end had come, she had resigned herself to stay on that farm as long as she could. Things were uncomplicated there and she missed the simplicity of her solitary life.
Jasper wished he could comfort her in some way. He didn’t want to get off the highway, but he had no choice. It was a whole different ball game once they got off the highway. Most of the others seemed to avoid the major highways and stuck to the inner cities, one of the reasons he had avoided them as much as possible.
He had stumbled upon Lena because he needed to stock up on supplies. Farms sometimes had fresh fruits and vegetables and that was always a welcome surprise. Finding Lena must have been some kind of act of God because he hadn’t met other normal people in all of his travels. Because he was a drifter, he always assumed that if there were any other normal people they were probably just like him. Lena had proven to be nothing like he expected. Just meeting her had made him realize just how important it was to return to the O.A.S.I.S. and take care of what he had needed to do a long time ago.
As they drove further into Los Angeles, Jasper cursed himself for not noticing the gas gauge earlier. The last thing he wanted to do was put Lena in danger. Speaking of which, she ought to know what kind of danger he was getting her into. “Listen, Lena,” he said. She was already on the edge of her seat and he considered how to warn her without frightening her too much.
“Have you ever been here?” she asked tentatively.
“Once. Before things got bad,” he said, twisting the root of his dreadlock. “Listen, Lena,” he said again. “Big cities are really dangerous places.”
Lena tried to scoff, though she also looked at him in alarm. “You think I haven’t picked up on that already?” She got a little more nervous when he pulled the car onto the side of the road.
Turning towards her, he put his arms onto her shoulders, unconsciously rubbing his thumbs back and forth. “I just think you need to know what we are getting into before we go.”
She saw the concern in his eyes. “I understand.”
“Big cities mean bigger problems, okay?”
She nodded. They had already seen more of the others in one place than Lena had encountered in all the years at her farm, and she supposed this was what Jasper meant—that there would be many more of the others in a big city. Lena nodded again to let him know she understood. The danger of their predicament left little time for questions and even less time for answers.
Quickly he leaned forward and kissed her. His thumbs continued to stroke her arms and before Lena could lean into the kiss he pulled back. Neither said anything further as he pulled the car back onto the road and they headed down the dark street.
The streetlights were off and each building they passed
“We need gas,” he said quietly. Of all the things that Lena did not want to hear, perhaps this was the worst.
“Can’t we wait until we get out of town?” Lena shook a little. The sun had set, darkness was settling on them, and the last thing she wanted was to search for a gas station and stop to get gas. The mere act of getting the gas was no easy task and doing it in the dark would be even more difficult. Not to mention the fact that they were in a city that clearly had hostiles in it. There was no way of knowing what kind of danger they were getting themselves into.
“Don’t worry,” Jasper said. “I’ll try to stay as far away from the downtown area as I can.” She wasn’t relieved. Something about this place just felt wrong.
“I’ve stopped going to big cities,” Lena confessed. Even when things were normal, she hadn’t been much of a big city kind of girl. Much like on her small farm, she generally did better on her own. When the end had come, she had resigned herself to stay on that farm as long as she could. Things were uncomplicated there and she missed the simplicity of her solitary life.
Jasper wished he could comfort her in some way. He didn’t want to get off the highway, but he had no choice. It was a whole different ball game once they got off the highway. Most of the others seemed to avoid the major highways and stuck to the inner cities, one of the reasons he had avoided them as much as possible.
He had stumbled upon Lena because he needed to stock up on supplies. Farms sometimes had fresh fruits and vegetables and that was always a welcome surprise. Finding Lena must have been some kind of act of God because he hadn’t met other normal people in all of his travels. Because he was a drifter, he always assumed that if there were any other normal people they were probably just like him. Lena had proven to be nothing like he expected. Just meeting her had made him realize just how important it was to return to the O.A.S.I.S. and take care of what he had needed to do a long time ago.
As they drove further into Los Angeles, Jasper cursed himself for not noticing the gas gauge earlier. The last thing he wanted to do was put Lena in danger. Speaking of which, she ought to know what kind of danger he was getting her into. “Listen, Lena,” he said. She was already on the edge of her seat and he considered how to warn her without frightening her too much.
“Have you ever been here?” she asked tentatively.
“Once. Before things got bad,” he said, twisting the root of his dreadlock. “Listen, Lena,” he said again. “Big cities are really dangerous places.”
Lena tried to scoff, though she also looked at him in alarm. “You think I haven’t picked up on that already?” She got a little more nervous when he pulled the car onto the side of the road.
Turning towards her, he put his arms onto her shoulders, unconsciously rubbing his thumbs back and forth. “I just think you need to know what we are getting into before we go.”
She saw the concern in his eyes. “I understand.”
“Big cities mean bigger problems, okay?”
She nodded. They had already seen more of the others in one place than Lena had encountered in all the years at her farm, and she supposed this was what Jasper meant—that there would be many more of the others in a big city. Lena nodded again to let him know she understood. The danger of their predicament left little time for questions and even less time for answers.
Quickly he leaned forward and kissed her. His thumbs continued to stroke her arms and before Lena could lean into the kiss he pulled back. Neither said anything further as he pulled the car back onto the road and they headed down the dark street.
The streetlights were off and each building they passed
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