into. "Okay?"
Her smile disappeared, and she suddenly kicked the smaller guy on the floor right in the face. "Don't ever touch me."
Holy...
"Uh…" I said intelligently. "Uh, you got it, miss ... sorry, what was your name again? I'm lousy with names."
A small smile. "It's Erin. It means 'protection.’"
"Protection, huh?" I said as I opened the door to the house for her. "Like you need protection, or others need it from you?" I winked at her for my own joke, but remembered not to chuckle.
"That part you get to guess." She stopped before going out the door. "You first."
"Okay." We walked down the steps of the house, but she stayed a little behind me. "So what are you doing wandering the mean streets?" Once we were down the steps, she moved up beside me, an arm’s length and a half away.
She looked at me but didn't say anything. I get it, don't trust the big old black guy yet . Thinking about the last five minutes or so, I couldn't blame her.
"I'm thinking of heading to San Diego Bay," I said. That got a response from her, a quick look, but it told me a lot. She was heading there too. "There's a Marine base there, and of course the Navy base, and I thought I might be of use in this crisis." I looked sideways at her as we neared my home. "What do you think happened?"
"EMP," she answered immediately, to my great surprise. "Or a solar mass ejection, a big one." Stunner number two.
I tried to keep the "Holy bleep you're a genius kid or something" out of my voice, "Yeah…" My voice crackled. "Me too."
I turned on my sidewalk and went up to the door. I hadn't locked it since I figured what the heck, it'll just get broken into if I don't. Might as well leave the light on, metaphorically speaking.
No more Motel 6 commercials for a long time , I thought sadly. Oh well, Super 8 was two better than Motel 6.
Yeah, my nieces never laughed at that joke either, not even when I used my best Yakov Smirnoff voice.
Erin stood at the bottom step as I held open the door. "Come on in," I said, then belatedly saw that she didn't want to come in. "You can stay out here if you want. It'll probably be safe for a while." I emphasized the "probably.”
She looked down the street and up the street, and I leaned out and looked as well. There were people shambling about, and at least one guy running pell mell down an intersection.
She walked up the steps and took out her baton at the same time. "Alright," she said, then gestured toward the open door. "You first."
I smiled and did as she asked, walking in and away from the door. I unclipped my rifle and set it on the countertop, then shrugged out of my ALICE pack, leaving on the vest. I could have kept my rifle with me, but I figured it might put her more at ease if I just left it on the counter.
"I'll go get a medium ALICE pack for you," I said, then walked toward the hallway leading to my two bedrooms. I opened the extra room and pulled out a pack and a frame, then walked back into the living area. She was standing right next to my rifle, watching me.
Smart girl.
I sat on the sofa and started assembling the pack. The frame was separate on an ALICE pack, and this one had been configured for shoulder carry without a frame. It was just a matter of unclipping and running straps and clipping them back again.
"Nice place you have, Camo Joe," she said. "Looks like you live alone."
I could tell she was just making small talk, and it wasn't something she normally did, but damned if I didn't like the nickname she’d just given me. I smiled big.
"Yes, ma'am," I said, "it's just me. The pictures are my nieces, but they're all grown up now, mostly. I had a wife, but she died."
"I'm sorry," said Erin, clearly uncomfortable with this turn in the conversation.
"It was a long time ago, but as they say, truly love once and you'll never love again."
Her smile brightened again. "Who says
Her smile disappeared, and she suddenly kicked the smaller guy on the floor right in the face. "Don't ever touch me."
Holy...
"Uh…" I said intelligently. "Uh, you got it, miss ... sorry, what was your name again? I'm lousy with names."
A small smile. "It's Erin. It means 'protection.’"
"Protection, huh?" I said as I opened the door to the house for her. "Like you need protection, or others need it from you?" I winked at her for my own joke, but remembered not to chuckle.
"That part you get to guess." She stopped before going out the door. "You first."
"Okay." We walked down the steps of the house, but she stayed a little behind me. "So what are you doing wandering the mean streets?" Once we were down the steps, she moved up beside me, an arm’s length and a half away.
She looked at me but didn't say anything. I get it, don't trust the big old black guy yet . Thinking about the last five minutes or so, I couldn't blame her.
"I'm thinking of heading to San Diego Bay," I said. That got a response from her, a quick look, but it told me a lot. She was heading there too. "There's a Marine base there, and of course the Navy base, and I thought I might be of use in this crisis." I looked sideways at her as we neared my home. "What do you think happened?"
"EMP," she answered immediately, to my great surprise. "Or a solar mass ejection, a big one." Stunner number two.
I tried to keep the "Holy bleep you're a genius kid or something" out of my voice, "Yeah…" My voice crackled. "Me too."
I turned on my sidewalk and went up to the door. I hadn't locked it since I figured what the heck, it'll just get broken into if I don't. Might as well leave the light on, metaphorically speaking.
No more Motel 6 commercials for a long time , I thought sadly. Oh well, Super 8 was two better than Motel 6.
Yeah, my nieces never laughed at that joke either, not even when I used my best Yakov Smirnoff voice.
Erin stood at the bottom step as I held open the door. "Come on in," I said, then belatedly saw that she didn't want to come in. "You can stay out here if you want. It'll probably be safe for a while." I emphasized the "probably.”
She looked down the street and up the street, and I leaned out and looked as well. There were people shambling about, and at least one guy running pell mell down an intersection.
She walked up the steps and took out her baton at the same time. "Alright," she said, then gestured toward the open door. "You first."
I smiled and did as she asked, walking in and away from the door. I unclipped my rifle and set it on the countertop, then shrugged out of my ALICE pack, leaving on the vest. I could have kept my rifle with me, but I figured it might put her more at ease if I just left it on the counter.
"I'll go get a medium ALICE pack for you," I said, then walked toward the hallway leading to my two bedrooms. I opened the extra room and pulled out a pack and a frame, then walked back into the living area. She was standing right next to my rifle, watching me.
Smart girl.
I sat on the sofa and started assembling the pack. The frame was separate on an ALICE pack, and this one had been configured for shoulder carry without a frame. It was just a matter of unclipping and running straps and clipping them back again.
"Nice place you have, Camo Joe," she said. "Looks like you live alone."
I could tell she was just making small talk, and it wasn't something she normally did, but damned if I didn't like the nickname she’d just given me. I smiled big.
"Yes, ma'am," I said, "it's just me. The pictures are my nieces, but they're all grown up now, mostly. I had a wife, but she died."
"I'm sorry," said Erin, clearly uncomfortable with this turn in the conversation.
"It was a long time ago, but as they say, truly love once and you'll never love again."
Her smile brightened again. "Who says
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