Running on Empty (12 page)

Her eyes blinked. ‘Huh’

‘You heard me’

Tom was on the last rung of the ladder, and he just felt like letting go.

‘Well, city boy, you’ve come to the right place’ she answered.

‘You’re the sorriest looking mother I’ve seen’ she continued, ‘and I’ve seen some sights, let me tell you. Can’t you go home to mamma, or to your city-boy friends?’

‘The train stops here’ he answered, ‘no return ticket, I’m afraid’.

‘Well sonny, if you’re that desperate, I suppose you can crash here. Much longer, and you’ll freeze to death. Don’t want a dead city boy on my conscience. Mamma used to always say ‘Sally, will you stop bringing them stray dog’s home, you can’t save ‘em all. Just pretend you didn’t see em’. But I couldn’t pretend, because I did see them’.

Just what I need, another stray fucking dog
, she thought.

Tom part walked, part crawled, into the dimly lit chamber. He could make out a duvet, of sorts, some black sacks, and other assorted odds and ends. It didn’t smell great.

‘Home sweet home’ she said.

‘I have to get some shut-eye. You’re barging around outside has affected my beauty sleep’

She gave him a long, hard inspection. Her eyes were weighing up the options. She had to admit, he looked a sorry sight, pitiful almost.

‘Look, she said, ‘I’ll give this to you straight. You can get under this duvet, before you’re sorry ass freezes to death. But I’m letting you know, up front. I have a six inch blade with me, and if you try anything, anything at all, I’ll gut you like a fish. Are we clear?’

‘Crystal’, answered Tom.

‘Right boy, climb in’.

‘The name’s Tom. I’m most likely older than you, so I don’t know why you keep calling me boy’.

‘Well Tom’ she answered, ‘you’re in my world now.

And in this here world, you aren’t nothing but a wide-eyed little boy’.

Head still throbbing, he drifted off.

Tom awoke the following morning as the half-light of daybreak entered the cavern. The throbbing had stopped. He was still alive. That was a bonus, he thought. He could hear a voice outside. It was, what was her name?.. Sally.

‘Wilson, come out’ she called. ‘Wilson Jones, get your sorry ass out here’

An elderly black man, with white wavy hair and a white beard, emerged from a nearby opening.

‘What the hell do you want, Sally. Don’t you know I like my rest, and you hollerin’ and shoutin’ before the birds even start singin’. You young folks ain’t got no consideration’.

‘ Ah, quit complaining you old coot. Listen, I need a favour. I’m looking for a man’s jacket, a clean, warm jacket, couple of sizes bigger than you’.

‘I ain’t got anythin’ like that, Sally’

‘Why you lying piece of shit. Wilson Jones, you go in and get me that jacket from those bags of yours. Everyone knows you’ve got more clothes in there than they got in Wal-Mart’

Sally arrived back just as Tom emerged. In her hand she had a bottle green ski jacket, about Tom’s size. She tossed it over.

‘That’ll keep you alive for today anyhow’

She also had a plaid check shirt in her hands.

‘Might as well put this on too’ she said. ‘That t-shirt looks a bit iffy, nice and all as it is’

Tom had a strange feeling removing the top. It contained copious amounts of Christine’s blood on it, not readily visible, red on black. It seemed like he was removing a link to the past, a past he wanted to forget, yet a past he felt he must remember. She went back into the cavern.

‘Now, let’s eat’ said Sally, emerging from the cave into the light. She held two tins of tuna, and a packet of crackers.

‘Where do you get this stuff?’ asked Tom, curiously.

‘Ha’ she said, ‘tuna’s good, packed with protein. A girl has to look after herself out here, no medical in this job. The food’s fine, just don’t look at the date, that’s all. Dates are only put on things so’as the good folks out there will throw’em away, and buy more. Y’know, they found tins of food, from some guy, an explorer I think, in the Arctic or somewhere. Those tins were nearly a hundred years old, yet when they opened them, the food was fine’.

‘How do you know that?’ asked Tom, surprised.

‘I read!’

Tom sat on the edge of a dis-used sleeper, eating his tuna and crackers, deep in thought. He stopped, then turned to Sally.

‘Why did you take me in’ he began. ‘I mean, you took me into your bed, not in the sexual sense, but literally, into your bed. I bet if I went knocking on a thousand doors in Boston, they would’ve either slammed those doors in my face, or called the police. So, why didn’t you do the same?’

‘That place of mine doesn’t have a door’ she said smiling.

‘You know what I mean, seriously though’

Sally thought for a moment.

‘I had two choices’ she said finally ‘take you in or leave you out. If I left you out, you’d possibly be dead this morning. You’d have frozen to death. So, not much of a choice, really’.

‘Yes, but how did you know I was ok, I mean I could’ve been any one of forty different kinds of psycho. What made you take that risk?’

‘The Boss’

‘Huh?’

‘That t-shirt you wore. I figured, if you liked Springsteen, there’s a good chance you’d be ok. Just a hunch, I know, but there wasn’t a whole lot else to go on. And besides, I didn’t want to be having my breakfast out here this morning, sitting down beside a stiff’ she said, half joking.

A hunch, thought Tom, pretty flimsy information to go on. But I guess down here, at the sharp end of the stick, you live and die by your hunches.

‘Where did you hear Springsteen?’ he asked, puzzled.

‘Well, like I said, people throw out all sorts of things. Too much money, I suppose. I have a walkman, and a whole heap of cassettes inside. People are told ‘cassettes are no good any more, throw them away and buy these shiny new discs instead. CD’s are the future, and cassettes are the past’. Now they’re being told ‘CD’s are the past’. But, music is music. All I need are a couple of AA’s, and I have music. Born To Run is good alright, but if I was to choose, Darkness would be my pick’.

‘Darkness On The Edge Of Town’, very apt, thought Tom.

He studied Sally. She was actually quite pretty. Looking at her in the daylight, he guessed her to be early twenties, twenty two or twenty three maybe. Her skin was pale and clear. She had high cheekbones which framed her full mouth, and soft brown eyes which lit up when she smiled. She could scrub up pretty nice, he thought.

‘What are you doing here, Sally?’ he asked.

‘I’m having tuna’

‘No, seriously’ he pressed, ‘what brought you here?’

‘I’m afraid I don’t know you well enough for that, Tom’ she answered ‘after all, we’ve only met’ she replied.

‘She could see Tom was perplexed.

Look’ she answered, ‘I’m no whore, and I don’t do drugs. That’s all you need to know for now’

‘And what about you’ she asked, ‘how come you’re here?’

‘Well, I’m no whore either’ he answered, smiling ‘but I’ve been known to take the odd reefer’

It was his turn to be a wise-ass.

When they had finished, Tom stood up.

‘I have to go to the bathroom’ he said, sheepishly.

‘The bathroom, ok’ said Sally grinning. ‘Well it’s right over there’ she said, pointing to a large concrete plinth, ‘just behind that concrete beam. Do you need paper? I reckon the Herald’s softer, but Wilson there, he recon’s he gets more culture from the Globe’

She obviously found Tom’s embarrassment a great source of amusement. As he walked up the hill towards the plinth, her voice followed him.

‘And watch where you step in there’.

When Tom returned from his business, Sally stood up.

‘Right’ she said, ‘let’s go for our bath’

‘Huh?’

‘Well, judging from last night, now don’t take this to heart, but I recon you could do with a bit of personal hygiene. And before you say it, I know I’m not one to lecture’. Then Tom noticed the white, or what had once been white, but was now various shades of grey, bath towel in her hands.

‘Where are we going?’ asked Tom, confused.

‘To a large bath over there’ she gestured, ‘It’s called the bay’

Tom found himself standing on the edge of the dis-used pier, nobody in sight apart from Sally and himself.

‘Right, don’t be bashful’.

Tom stood there, unsure of what to do next.

‘Look, there’s no-one here but you and me, and seeing as how we’re sleeping together’ she said playfully, ‘a little nudity shouldn’t be a problem, should it?’

She then proceeded to strip off in front of Tom, placing each layer of clothing in a neat pile beside her, until she stood naked before him. He felt he should be averting his eyes, yet couldn’t help but take in the curve of her pert breasts and the shape of her hips, his eyes finally setting on the triangle of dark pubic hair. He was embarrassed and aroused, in equal measure.

‘Well, what are you waiting on’ she said, ‘this isn’t a free show, y’know’

‘I can’t swim’ he muttered.

‘What? A big boy like you. Well, see those steps over there? Over you go and dunk yourself, and make sure you do a good job. Otherwise, you won’t be getting in my bed tonight. With that, she dived straight into the icy water of the bay. As Tom undressed, he watched her swim gracefully back and forth. He stood on the pier, naked, shivering in the harsh sunlight.

‘Maybe big boy was the wrong term to use’ she shouted, amused, as she looked back.

When they returned, Tom sat back down on the old sleeper, while Sally entered the cave again, returning with a white plastic bag.

‘Brunch’ she announced, opening the bag revealing an assortment of fruit, some bruised, but edible.

‘I’m not very hungry’ said Tom.

‘Eat your fruit, it’ll keep you regular’ responded Sally

Tom was clearly in a state of contemplation.

‘Look’ he said, ‘I feel that I owe you an explanation’

‘Not really’ she answered. ‘Well, if you want to, fine. But, if not, that’s fine too’

Anyone he’d ever met would want to know, what, when, where, how? They’d have asked a million questions. Not Sally. What a strange creature, he thought.

‘Look’ he continued, ‘You took me in, no questions asked. You gave me food, shelter, clothing. You never even asked if I’d any money. I think I owe you something’.

‘Have you got any money?’

‘No, well, three dollars, not really money’

‘Three dollars is money’ she replied.

‘I work, worked, for the Government’ he began. ‘I had a job analysing data, a good job. I have a nice little condo in Alston. Everything was fine. Yesterday, I witnessed something, someone being murdered. I shouldn’t have seen what I saw. Now, the people who killed that guy want me dead too.

They killed my girlfriend when they tried to get me. I had to run. I left with nothing. That’s where you came in’.

‘What was her name?’

‘Who?’

‘Your girlfriend’

Oh, Christine’ he said flatly.

‘Did you love her?’ she asked, looking into his eyes.

‘What? Yes, maybe, I don’t know’ he answered truthfully. ‘All that seems like a million years ago’

‘So, what happens next’ she asked, ‘what’s your plan?’

‘To stay alive’ he answered truthfully.

The rest of the day was taken up with nothing in particular.

Tom decided to go walking the area. His excuse was to see if anything suspicious could be spotted.

What he really wanted was some time alone, to think. Some bad things had happened over the last couple of days, but also one good thing. No matter how much he tried to concentrate on the events revolving around the murder of the Chinese man, and subsequently Christine, his thoughts kept reverting back to Sally. She was the one good thing that had emerged out of all of this. She was what was keeping him afloat. He owed her a lot, he knew, maybe everything. He felt captivated by her. He felt enthralled. He felt…..in love?