Page 25 of The General's Captive
“I don’t know where the hell they sell wheelchairs! Look, the point is, I need to get you to your car, and those great big metal bollards at the front kind of prevent me from being a taxi service. So, it’s getting your ass in a cart or…”
“What about that?” He pointed to something sticking out at the end of an aisle near the TV’s. It appeared to be a flatbed cart for bigger items.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Yeah, that should work.” Which swiftly put an end to our first fight.
I rushed over to grab it, steering it over to him and knocking a few empty displays over in my haste, making him grip the bridge of his nose.
“Seriously, and I am going to let you drive my car.”
“Seriously, and I am going to steal your car and leave you here,” I mocked, making him roll his eyes again, which seemed to be his favorite habit around me.
Our natural banter continued, with a lot of groaning from him, as I helped him lie on his side. Then I had to try and suppress a giggle when using a big Squishmallow stuffed unicorn to prop his injured foot on.
“Really? You couldn’t find anything else?” he grumbled.
“Sorry, they were all out of Camo shit,” I drawled, making him sneer at me. I smirked to myself as I grabbed his shotgun and handed it to him. But then as I was wheeling him out, I stopped and looked back at all the stuff still left in the store. Then I asked him,
“How big is your trunk?” To which he too looked back at the store, then with a smirk said,
“Pretty fucking big.”
“Excellent.”
************************
Shortly after stocking up the truck, we found ourselves driving down Interstate 84, heading toward the town of Jerome. The same one I had been heading to after the couple I met had told me about it. Although, what they hoped to find there I didn’t know, because Riley had made it clear that they weren’t yettaking just anyone in. However, he did also make it sound like this was something they were hoping to change in the future.
And honestly, part of me understood it. I didn’t like it, but I understood it. More mouths to feed, more people to protect, more resources taken up, it was a lot. But that didn’t stop me from wanting to be a part of it. It also made me wonder what to expect when we got there. I was really hoping that after what we had been through, Riley was going to vouch for me. That I wouldn’t just get turned away at the gates, with a pat on my back and a good job, now piss off, kind of deal.
When we did our bit of shopping before we left, I had wheeled him around the different aisles, listening to all the things he wanted me to pile into another cart. One quickly filled with bottles of water, food, (mostly cans), a few items of clothes Riley told me were needed at base. Oh, and the raised brow I gave him when this included a few packets of underpants, was hilarious. Especially when what came after was a stern warning.
“Not a word, chuckles.”
I shrugged my shoulders and muttered, “I think I prefer Cute Girl, but whatever.”
However, I didn’t miss the grin he was trying to hide at this when I went back to my shopping. Suppressing the urge to hold up a small and an X-L and asking him which ones, had been the hardest battle.
After that we grabbed some more of the essentials, like toiletries. Which I made sure to include for my own sake, because let’s just say that periods in an apocalypse were a bitch to say the least. I also managed to find a few extra things for myself, one in particular that made me smile, knowing they would be the first thing I was opening in the car.
And I couldn’t wait to see his face when I did.
I kept nervously looking out to the front, keeping an eye on the daylight, knowing we would be running the gauntlet if we leftit too long before getting on the road. The last thing we wanted was to be travelling at night and with Riley injured, I knew that I would have no hope in keeping us both safe.
Hell, I had been nervous when he handed me the keys, told me where to look, and had me drive the car around to the front of the building. I also thought it was smart the way he had made the car look like all the rest, because an unvandalized car would easily stand out. Not that I would tell him this… he seemed like he already had that overinflated macho man ego that didn’t need adding to.
Although I had questioned why it was a cop car, making him smirk and tell me, a cryptic, “You will see.”
As for the scratched up, spray painted car, with its busted taillights, I had quickly filled the trunk with all our goods, as well as the car batteries he had already put by the front door. Then came the mammoth task of trying to get him in without injuring him further. Just getting him to sit up was a challenge, let alone getting him to his one good foot. He looked at me with a sweaty eyebrow raised, and a glazed look, telling me the pain meds were somewhat doing their job.
“Come on. Let’s get you in,” I said, putting my shoulders under his arm and taking some of his weight. “Jeez, what have you been eating during the apocalypse? Dumbbells?” I teased, making him smirk down at me and wink. I rolled my eyes to hide the fluttering in my belly and how attracted I was to him. But then again, I would have to be blind not to be.
Thankfully, we didn’t have far to go, because I had wheeled him right next to the car door. Although, he didn’t look impressed when I nodded to the back seat.
“You have to lie down, or it will aggravate your wound,” I had argued, and he gave in with a grumble.
As soon as his ass was inside, he heaved himself along the seat, and I stuffed the unicorn stuffy under his ankle. He wastoo big for the space to fully lie down, but it was the best we were going to get. Then after I had dumped my own stuff on the passenger seat, along with my walking pharmacy, I slid behind the wheel.
“Right, Mr. Google Maps, where to?”
