Cough

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Authors: Jacqueline Druga
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slapped to the back of his neck. He thought at first he was bit by something. “Son of a bitch.” And then he saw Emir with an air injector. “What the hell did you do?”
    “Showing our appreciation,” Emir stated.
    “You gave me the virus.” Stokes said,
    “No, I gave you the antidote slash vaccine,” Emir stated. “Just in case the reason they didn’t find the virus on Aldus is because he already dropped it.”
    “High and mighty over Las Vegas,” Stokes said. “Fortunately, the feds aren’t totally dismissing that scenario. Without any virus on him or indication that he had one, it’s tough to prove.”
    “Oh, I beg to differ,” Charles said. “Unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to view it. We’ll know for sure in seventy-two hours.”
     
    <><><><>
     

Littlefield, AZ
June 26
     
    The Dollar Barn was hopping, then again it always was busy on Wednesday. It was senior citizen day. Macy didn’t get why they did that. While it was nice to give ten percent off, it was an ‘everything is a buck’ store, things were already pretty cheap.
    Macy knew better than to only grab one of those carry baskets. After it got too heavy, she had to go back and grab a push cart. Thomas was pretty good about being in the store for as long as they were and how crowded it was. He clung to that dollar action figure, like it was a grand prize.
    Macy didn’t mind grabbing him a toy, after all, she looked it as a freebie. That and that cute patriotic bag she got herself. The one with the cartoon Uncle Sam’s. That was a freebie too. She was getting that discount. Not that she was a senior citizen, but when she asked Lila to keep an ear out for Clay, Lila said she would, then asked if Macy could take her older sister Clementine with her.
    Clementine was eighty and pretty sassy. She’d add a little time to Macy’s trip with getting in and out of the car and browsing the Dollar Barn at the insanely slow pace, but Macy didn’t mind. Especially since it meant that discount.
    The wait in line made her second guess the value of the discount. The line was backed up and they barely moved in ten minutes.
    “Do you want those?” Clementine asked Thomas as he eyed the candy bar pack. “Put them in my cart.”
    “Thank you!” Thomas was excited, then shifted his eyes to Macy. “But no thank you. I don’t need them.”
    “You’re a growing boy,” Clementine argued. “Of course you need them. Here.” She grabbed the candy. “I’ll get them because you’re so good.”
    Again, Thomas glanced at Macy. “No, really, I don’t need them.” He took them from the cart.
    “Hmm,” Clementine stared at the boy then gave a cross look to Macy. “Is it because your mom thinks you’re fat.”
    Macy immediately blurted out a shocked. “Oh my God! No!”
    “Mom?” Thomas peeped out her named with a cracked voice. “Do you think I’m fat?”
    “No! You said you didn’t need them,” Macy argued.
    “Because you were giving me the look.”
    “I was giving the look because I didn’t want you to take advantage of Clementine. Oh my God. Here.” She grabbed the candy and tossed it in the cart. “Take advantage. Wait.” She grabbed another. “Really take advantage.” She gave a ‘take that’ look to Clementine, then remembered she had forgotten something. “Oh, shoot, I didn’t get paper towels and foil.”
    “All this time in the store and you didn’t see them?” Clementine asked.
    Macy was speechless. She didn’t know how to respond. She looked at the line and hated to ask. “Clementine, can you watch my cart. I’ll be right back. Come on, Thomas.” She reached for his hand.
    “I’m good enough to watch your cart but not your kid?”
    “This discount totally isn’t worth this abuse,” Macy said. “I’ll be right back.” Leaving Thomas, darted though the massive line to retrieve the items she missed.
     
    <><><><>
     
    “Four hours and counting,” Charles said. “We’ll pull over after

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