Dead America - Ground Zero

CHAPTER TWELVE

6:00PM

Thick black smoke covered most of the Austin skyline in the evening sun. Fires raged out of control, swallowing buildings with no regard for the living or the dead. Brandon ran his hands through his hair. He had no fucking idea where they were going to go from here. If there hadn't been a rescue yet, there wouldn't be one in the dark.

How long was it going to be? Would there even be one? Had this thing happened in multiple locations, and the whole country—or even the whole world—had descended into this, leaving nobody to do and rescuing?

"How are we looking, big guy?" Matt asked quietly, approaching him.

Brandon shrugged. "Same as before, just with about twenty percent more smoke."

"Another fire?" The young man furrowed his brow, leaning against the railing next to him.

"One of the condo high rises on the west side," the Officer explained, pointing to the general area that was now hidden in smog. "Started going up about an hour ago."

"Candace found a butane grill," Matt said, forcing cheerfulness into his voice. "She's doing her best to heat us up some dinner."

"That's mighty nice of her," Brandon replied sincerely.

The young man clasped his hands in front of him, eyes downcast. "Hey, Shelton? Can you level with me?" He raised his gaze to fix on the side of the Officer's face. "Do we have any chance of getting out of this alive?"

There was an awkward silence in which neither of them even took a breath. The older man hadn't wanted to say it. Hadn't wanted to think it. Otherwise he could keep pretending it wasn't real.

Brandon shook his head. "No, we don't really have much of a chance of walking away from this," he said quietly, and then paused. "Well. I take that back, we do have a chance. If this is as bad as it looks—and given that half of downtown is currently on fire, it leads me to believe that it is—then the military might get involved. So yeah, it's pretty grim, but don't give up hope just yet."

"Thanks for being honest with me," Matt replied, picking at a loose thread on the sleeve of his shirt. "Just... can you do me a favor?"

His older companion raised an eyebrow. "What's what?"

"If Candace asks, can you give her the more positive version about the military coming to our rescue?" Matt avoided his gaze, cheeks flushing a bit with having to ask for dishonesty. "I know she's a strong girl and all-'

Brandon snorted. "That's an understatement."

"You ain't kidding," Matt confirmed. "But I just... I don't want to cause her any undue worry. Her hearing what you just told me isn't going to change our situation... so I'd rather spare her if I can." He sighed. "Does that make sense?" He turned his eyes helplessly on his companion.

"It does," Brandon replied gently. "Besides, it'll be nice to know that at least one of us will get to sleep soundly tonight."

As if on cue, Candace opened the balcony door and headed over to them.

"Speak of the Devil," Brandon teased.

She smirked. "You boys talking about me?"

"Yeah, your boyfriend was just telling me what a wonderful cook you are," Brandon told her.

"Well I am," she breathed on her nails and then pretended to polish them on her shirt. "But let's get one thing straight, fellas. Only reason I cooked tonight was because I knew that if I didn't set that kitchen up just right, you boys would fuck it up. So tomorrow, one of y'all is fixing breakfast. I'm not doing to be doing his housewife bullshit all the time."

The two men chuckled and nodded like bobbleheads.

"Good," she replied with an indignant raise of her chin. "Now that we're in agreement, come inside and get yourself something to eat."

They filed inside, sitting by the windows to keep watch as they ate.

"At least we have some nice dinner music," Matt joked, inclining his head to the freestyle drumming of zombie hands on the door.