Humanity's Hope: Book 1 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 17

Jan took Caleb to a basement apartment two blocks from the pizza place. The walls were drab concrete, and the small, square windows barely let any light in. Caleb couldn't readily see another exit aside from the front door, but he convinced himself internally he didn't need one. No one knew he was here so they wouldn't be looking for him so he wouldn't need a way to escape. That didn't rid himself completely of the feeling of unease, but it took the edge off. Besides, Jan had been kind enough to help him, he couldn't complain about his accommodations.

An elderly woman sat in a recliner in the far corner of the living room when the pair entered. Pink yarn was intertwined around her thin fingers, and the needles she held clinked rhythmically as she looped the yarn around itself.

Jan turned to Caleb. "Marjorie doesn't hear very well. And her memory is slipping a bit, but she won't mind that you're here, and you'll be safe." She turned to Marjorie and raised her voice to just under a yell. "Hi, Marjorie! How are you today?"

Marjorie looked up from her knitting and smiled. "Why hello, dear. I'm doing well." Her gaze shifted to Caleb. "And who is your friend?"

"This is Mike. He's sort of in-between places at the moment. I was hoping maybe he could stay with you a few days."

Caleb's gaze darted to Jan with a questioning look, but she shook her head slightly, so he let it go. He really appreciated what she had done. Failing memory or not, it really was safer for everyone if Marjorie didn't know the truth. A pang of guilt ran through him, but he pushed it away. Both of them would be safe because no one would know he was here. He decided he shouldn't be rude and waved at Marjorie. She smiled at him.

"Of course he's welcome here. You may stay as long as you need." She set the yarn and needles down and placed her hands on the arms of her chair as if she was about to push herself up. "I'm sure you're starving. Let me get you something to eat."

Caleb shook his head. "No, ma'am, you don't have to do that. We ate some pizza." He hesitated using Jan's name just in case she used a different one also. He glanced at her again, hoping to see the answer to his silent question on her face, but she didn't meet his gaze. She stepped farther into the apartment and closed the door behind them.

The part about the pizza wasn't a lie. Jan ordered them a large supreme—and insisted on paying for it—and Caleb had never had a pizza that tasted so good. The green peppers and onions tasted so fresh, and they crunched when he bit into them. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a vegetable that wasn't mushy, and it made him wonder if these things had always been here but he hadn't noticed. More often than not, he lived in his own world and rarely paid attention to things outside his own mind. How much was passing him by doing that? The world could possibly be changing for the better, and he was missing it.

Marjorie folded her hands into her lap and sat back in her chair. "Well, that's lovely. Please, make yourself at home."

Jan pulled Caleb through the living room through a door that opened into the kitchen and had a short hall to the left that led to the bedrooms and bathroom. The kitchen was barely large enough to hold the table with two chairs and the one counter with appliances. The cupboards were painted a light pink and matched the counters, which were covered in white laminate with small pink flowers. The stove only had two burners, and the fridge was shorter than Caleb, but the place was clean and had a cozy, homey feel to it. It could have been his imagination, but Caleb swore he smelled the faint scent of fresh-baked cookies. He smiled.

It had been a long time since he'd felt that at home in a kitchen. The kitchen in his apartment was just a place to make food. It was functional. This place, though, felt different. It felt like it held memories like people did more than ate here, like they lived here. It reminded him of his home and parents.