All the Empty Houses by Alexander Fedderly

Author:Alexander Fedderly [Fedderly, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alexander J. Fedderly

“This is you,” Jordan said.

She and Christopher stood in a breezeway in front of the door marked 1404. It was a plain door, painted an inviting shade of teal blue, no different than any of the other teal blue doors in the hall.

Jordan nodded reassuringly.

He took a calming breath, then pursed his lips and exhaled slowly through his nose.

This was it. Soon this door would be opened and he would cross the threshold to a new life on the other side. It was like the opposite of Caesar crossing the Rubicon. A moment of weakness and failure rather than one of strength and will. Some unquantifiable part of himself would be lost, and there would be no way to recover it. He wondered if wild stallions miss running free once they’ve been tamed. Or do they blissfully forget the liberty of the open range, the prairie wind blowing through their manes?

He, a trained soldier, an expert survivalist, was accepting charity from a radical black hippie running some sort of post-apocalyptic commune. It was a cruel twist of fate, a cosmic joke of some kind. But he wasn’t laughing. The people here didn’t have his knowledge, his training, his skills. Who the fuck were they? And yet, they had somehow thrived while he had failed. There was no getting around that. He dropped his head in shame.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said. “You gonna give me the key?”

“All the units are unlocked,” she said. “Simone has all the keys in the leasing office, but we all agreed there was no need for them anymore.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “No need for them? You don’t want to keep people from taking your things?”

“No one here is going to take your stuff. Besides, in case you hadn't noticed, the world has changed. In a way, there is no more your things and my things. Here in New Concord, at least. Take a look around. We’re all in this together, man. If you need something, just ask.”

“How ‘bout my gun?”

“You’ll get it back. But not today.”

“When?”

“When you’re ready.”

His chest tightened and his fists clenched. “When I’m ready? What exactly does that mean?”

“Look, don’t worry about it, okay? You’re safe here. So get settled in and we’ll see how it goes.”

He unclenched his body and took a breath.

Jordan smiled. “I’m in 1016. Don’t be a stranger.”

He nodded.

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” Jordan said, pointing at the door with her head, “your roommate’s name is Sean.”

A surge of anger flashed through him. “My roommate? You waited until now to tell me? No. I can’t—”

Jordan raised her hand. “Relax. Sean’s a good guy. You’re very different, but I think maybe you’ll be good for each other.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just give it a chance, okay?”

He took another breath. A roommate. Not what he thought he was signing up for. But what choice did he have about any of this? He had no leverage. He was still thin and weak, not ready to take off on his own.

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