The old, green truck puttered down the dirt road as the sun began to set on the valley. The four men that had left the safety of the valley returned unharmed and eager. Leah, Najia, and the rest of the women in the fields left the farm for the day, walking passed John, Lewis, Linus, and Harvey, who were in the process of setting up a large, canvas tent.
“It will do until we can build a good structure for ya,” John said as they hoisted up a long pole. He turned to Najia and winked to her. “You should see all the stuff this guy grabbed. It’s like he was in Doctor Heaven.”
“I have an IV!” Harvey said excitedly.
“We’re sure ready for anything,” Lewis muttered. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Where’s Haley?” Leah asked, turning to Emily as they continued on to the community center.
Emily rolled her eyes. “Probably snuck off somewhere with Alex,” she said.
“We should have put money on that,” Sandy said. “I called it when I saw him. Just her type. Dumb, jerk, jock.”
“I’ll kick his ass,” Emily muttered.
“Well, they’re not the only two shacking up,” Leah said, looking over her shoulder. “Najia and I have money on Lewis and Marnie.”
They all looked over their shoulders at Lewis, who had their backs to them.
“You know who’s totally into Emily?” Maru said with a smirk. “Clint.”
“No way,” Najia said. Emily scoffed.
Maru nodded. “He thinks your hot.”
“Girl,” Sandy said, elbowing her friend in the ribs.
“He’s not really my type, anyway,” Emily said.
“How would you know? You haven’t even talked to him,” Sandy said.
“Okay,” Emily started. “Well, how about Harvey? He’s totally into Penny.”
“I thought Sam was into Penny,” Najia said.
“She’s cute,” Leah said. “I bet they both are.”
“You think so?” Maru said.
Leah nodded. “Definitely.”
Penny was outside with Jas and Vincent when they got to the community center.
“Just in time,” she said to them. “The guys aren’t here yet, and food is fresh and hot.”
They made their way inside, helping themselves to the dinner in the kitchen. They chatted loudly until the guys took over the kitchen, pushing them out as they reached for their own plates.
When dinner was finished, the group stood around the fire once more, beer in hand as they capped off the day’s work. Najia wandered away from the fire, finding Lewis, Linus, Harvey, and John back at their make-shift hospital tent, moving the equipment inside.
“Quite a sight, ain’t she?” John said at his granddaughter’s side.
“As long as he doesn’t have to perform any emergency surgeries,” Najia muttered.
“I think he could do it,” John said. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t have to, hm?”
“Hm.”
“Why aren’t you enjoying yourself at the fire?”
Najia shrugged. “I’m with them all day,” she said. “And have been for the last couple of months. They’re exhausting.”
“You’re twenty-six years old,” John said. “You’re not supposed to be exhausted by people your own age.”
“They talk too much sometimes.”
“What’s on your mind, Rōśanī? You’ve hardly talked to me.”
“What do you want me to say?”
John hesitated. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“You want to know what happened.”
“What happened?”
“The same thing that happened to everyone else,” Najia hissed. She avoided his gaze. “They attacked and I escaped.”
“Is that all?”
“You think I’m hiding something.”
“I know when you’re avoiding something.”
Red lights flashed up and down the long corridor. Her footsteps echoed loudly off the walls, her heart beat even louder in her ears. She forced her breathing to slow into a steady rhythm and her mind to focus. She remembered an open window in the next corridor. She could jump. She was on the forth floor, but she could do it. She would do it.
Angry voices shouted to one another as they rounded the corner, their hands on their guns, still pointed at the floor. Her feet slipped as she neared the end of the hallway and rounded the corner. The open window neared quickly.
She stopped in front of it and stared down at the concrete below. It couldn’t be possible for her to survive a jump like that. But maybe falling to her death wasn’t the worst solution in the world.
The men rounded the corner, this time their guns raised, and Najia jumped.
“I’m not avoiding anything, Nanaji.”
*****
Najia let her legs swing under her. She sat on the tailgate of the truck with a cold beer in hand. She stared at her feet as they disappeared and reappeared from under her.
“So, this is where you’re hiding,” Shane’s voice said from behind her. He pushed himself up onto the tailgate beside her.
“Obviously not hiding well enough,” Najia muttered.
“Hiding from me?”
Najia sighed. “Everyone.”
“Why?”
Najia shrugged. “Just needed some alone time, I guess.”
“All right,” Shane said, pushing himself off the tailgate.
“You can stay,” Najia said quickly. “If you want.”
Shane leaned against the truck. “Okay.”
“I gossiped today,” Najia said after a quiet moment.
“I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“The last time I gossiped with anyone was in high school.”
Shane smiled. “Anything juicy?”
“Alex and Haley are hooking up.”
Shane nodded. “Yeah, I caught them at the beach.”
“Everyone thinks Harvey and Sam are into Penny.”
Shane seemed to consider this possibility for a moment.
“I think Maru likes her, too.”
Shane turned to her. “Really? Why do you think that?”
Najia shrugged. “A hunch.”
“And,” Shane started. “Do you find this gossip interesting?”
“Not really,” Najia admitted. “I just find it funny that in the midst of all this, we have found a way to take comfort in gossip.”
“A sense of normality.”
“Leah lectured me today on the irony of everything.”
“Irony?”
“Yeah. She got way too philosophical for me.” Najia forced a smile. “I have enough to think about.”
“Mhm.”
“There’s nothing going on between us.”
Shane met her gaze. “Looks like it.”
Najia turned back to her feet. “I mean it. Everyone else may find comfort in hooking up, but I don’t.”
“Sure.”
“Shane, do you know how long it has been since I’ve had sex?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m practically a virgin again. I’d be terrible at it. I’ve forgotten it all.”
Shane laughed. “I doubt that.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “Getting involved with someone would be the worst thing ever.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because we could all die tomorrow.”
Shane drank from his beer. “Remember when you were Miss Optimistic?”
“Being here,” Najia said, hesitant. “This sense of safety and community… it will take some adjusting to, I suppose.”
“Well,” Shane said. “It’s definitely not as exciting as running for our lives. But I can’t complain.”
“Because you have family here.”
“So do you.”
“I have a crazy ass grandfather who I hadn’t seen or spoken to in years. And suddenly, we’re about to be invaded, and I get a call from him telling me to come to Stardew?”
“Why is that so odd to you?”
Najia sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess it’s not.”
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This was like the only thing intersting driving thru the back roads of Indiana. I have never seen turbines up close before. The things are huge. And there are so damn many of them. I wouldnt even try to count. But i def. Don't care for indiana. Coming out of kentucky the scenery is super bland in indiana. I should have stopped someplace like a major city . Ut thays out the way. #us41 #alternateenergy #windturbines #roadtripusa #roadtrip #arewethereyet #no (at Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz24LgShOG_/?igshid=wkf26lqkw09b
“Almost Live!” by US41 is a live performance recorded at Alder Arts Walk in Tacoma, Washington. Filled with hypnotic and slow evolving textures that speak deep into existential philosophy and multi-dimensional approach to life. Released on Jungle Gym Records. This tape is sold out.
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#Summer Garden. #iPhone #photo spectacular #Florida #weather in my area. Stopped by the establishment that built the #waterfall at my #ApolloBeach home and saw this gorgeous scene to capture. . #palmtrees #realestate #nature #pond #water #clouds #landscape #landscaping #green #lifestyle #US41 #iphone6splus #iphoneography #rocks (at Apollo Beach, Florida)
Road to a pot of Gold under #rainbow #cloud? #iPhone #photo #Florida #weather. 2nd rainbow of the day is actually a twin. #US41 at #ApolloBeach. I had to pull over again, park the car, cross the sidewalk into the grassy patch ong the highway to avoid the construction equipment parked to the right of this scene. Then I had to wait for there to be no traffic on either side. Through zooming in I could cut out the orange construction zone cones but then the photo didn't show much difference from the previous lbs over trees and a sailboat mast. So I felt this real life vision was better to share. What do you think? . #IMRAN #thunderstorm #magic #lifestyle #iphoneography #iphone6splus #highway (at Apollo Beach Area)
