Reconquest: Mother Earth

Chapter X

Chapter X

Mitch and Ron Ezrin, the other proprietor of the casino, buried Andy McCoy's body in the desert not far from the Strip. He had three bullet wounds, one of which pierced his liver. A teary-eyed Ginger accompanied them. The kid had no family, all of them having died in the alien invasion. He did odd jobs for some of the casino owners, including Sam and Ron.  

They returned to the casino at four in the morning. Although fatigued, Mitch still wasn't sleepy. He had experienced the loss of colleagues, but this death deeply disturbed him. How could people kill each other at a time like this? In New Las Vegas, apparently it wasn't uncommon.  

As they were taking the elevator to Ginger's suite, she sighed. "Every week or two, you see or hear about someone going down. Usually by gunshot or knife wounds. The problem is we don't have any law around here no more. Sometimes the folks get riled up, and you get some vigilante justice, but I'm not so sure that's such a good thing." 

"Wonderful. So this is basically an outlaw Wild West town." 

Ginger turned away. "You might say that." 

"I don't understand why you don't organize better. How can you have a society without laws and a police force?" 

Ginger tried to change the subject to some popular culture topics from before the invasion, but Mitch wasn't interested and his concentration waned. As they both got ready to sleep, he discovered the stage wasn't the only place that Ginger felt comfortable walking around without clothing. 

He was staring at the Las Vegas skyline when she came from behind and began massaging his back and neck.  

"You're all tense," Ginger said. 

Mitch smelled her perfume. It smelled like an expensive one, probably pilfered from one of the casino stores. He closed his eyes as her hands sunk into his skin. It felt good. She pressed close against him. He could feel her breath on his neck. "You know, there's plenty of room in my bed for you. I wouldn't mind sharing it with you." 

Mitch turned and opened his eyes. She was now wearing a robe. "Ginger, this has nothing to do with you, believe me. You've been nice to me, and I appreciate it. You're a beautiful woman. Although it was almost six years ago since I last saw my fiancée Deborah, it seems like yesterday. I don't know whether she's alive or dead. She was with me at the time, so she was probably killed in the attack." Mitch paused and took a breath. "But since I woke up, I haven't stopped thinking about her. Every day, her memories linger in my head." 

Ginger put her finger to his lips. Tears had formed in her eyes. "Don't say any more. I don't know what it's like, since I never felt like that about someone, but I can tell you truly love her. Maybe someday you might feel that for me, but I'm willing to wait. I've never met a guy like you. If I had met someone like you when I was younger, things may have been different. You don't have to worry about me. I won't come on to you again." 

Mitch smiled. "Thanks, Ginger." 

When Mitch's head touched the pillow, he had no problem finding sleep. 

***

Mitch woke to the smell of sausage and pancakes. He propped himself up as Ginger put two trays on a table in the living room. 

The food smelled great. Before he even inquired, Elizabeth told him that the kitchen downstairs made food for her upon request. Amazingly, the hotel still offered many of the same services the old MGM Grand used to offer, minus the extravagant stuff.  

Mitch's stomach growled. He put on a pair of shorts and joined Ginger at the table.  

After they finished eating, they took an elevator downstairs, bringing their trays along with them. When they reached the lobby, people were gambling, drinking at the bar, smoking and having a good time. It was as if the death of Andy McCoy meant nothing to them.