The Girl in Red

Red twisted her mouth, because she didn’t see any reason for Tall to know that. But it had probably been an automatic response from Adam. She pulled her right foot forward so she could brace on it and then put both hands on her knee and pushed off until she got her prosthetic foot safely underneath her.

Tall caught the flash of metal at her ankle and said, “What happened? Accident?”

“Clearly,” Red said.

Tall gave a short laugh. “Suspicious little thing, aren’t you?”

“Yes, she is,” Adam said.

Red gave her brother a sidelong look that was meant to convey Shut the hell up, but he didn’t get the message.

“Well, you are,” Adam said. “Suspicious of everyone and everything.”

“I can’t say I blame you. It’s safer to be suspicious of everyone, especially now,” Tall said, and for a moment he seemed less Intimidating Military Guy and more Tired of Everything Guy.

That little flash of vulnerability made Red feel sorry for him, just for a half a second, because probably he was getting told to do XYZ by someone who ranked higher than him and that person was getting told by someone who ranked higher than him and so on and so on.

Although Red didn’t know who might be handing down orders from On High anymore. Was the president even still alive? Or the vice president?

“Who’s in charge if the vice president is dead?”

She didn’t realize she’d said it out loud until Taller responded.

“The Speaker of the House,” he said. His voice matched his body, a deep low rumble that rose up out of his chest. It seemed like it had a long way to go to reach his mouth.

He was quite a bit younger than Tall. They both had an assortment of stripes and patches and ribbons, although none of those things made any sense to Red so she had no idea of their actual rank.

“Is the president still alive?” she asked.

Tall’s face reverted back to his military mask. “No.”

“How about the vice president?”

“I answered one of yours, you answer one of mine. What’s your name?” he asked.

“Seriously? We were just talking about The Silence of the Lambs like an hour ago,” Red said.

She could feel Adam rolling his eyes. She didn’t even need to see him. Tall gave her a blank look, but Taller snorted.

“Quid pro quo,” Taller said. “It’s a thing the FBI agent and the serial killer do in the movie.”

“I don’t watch movies, but I did study Latin in military school,” Tall said. “Fine. Quid pro quo.”

“My name’s Red and his name is Adam,” she said. No need for last names. And since he wanted to play along she’d give him some information. There was a lot that she wanted to know.

“Red?” he said. “That’s your name?”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

Tall looked at Adam, but Red snapped her fingers under his nose.

“Don’t you look at him for different information,” she said. “It’s me and you here. My name’s Red and his name is Adam.”

The left corner of his mouth turned up, just a little. “All right, Red. It’s you and me, then.”

“Who’s in charge now if the president is dead?”

“The secretary of state,” Tall said.

“That means a lot of people must have died, right?” Red said, trying to remember the order of succession. She’d seen it once in high school social studies class, but social studies was never her best subject. “Because he’s pretty far down the list, I think. That’s not a real question—just a rhetorical one, so don’t answer it.”

He seemed amused by her attitude. She knew it was because he didn’t see her as a threat, and he was likely humoring her because she was a very small woman with an oversized personality. Normally she’d be pissed because she couldn’t stand men who acted that way, but she wasn’t above using it to her advantage. Like now.

“What are your names and ranks?” Red asked.

“I’m Lieutenant Regan and this is Sergeant Sirois. What are you and your brother doing in this sector?”

“Looking for food,” Red said. “And we didn’t know it was a special area.”

“This whole sector has been evacuated and closed off to the public,” Regan said.

“She got you, Lieutenant,” Sirois murmured. “That wasn’t a question.”

“Tricky, aren’t you?” Regan said, and she heard a little touch of admiration in his voice.

Red shrugged. “If you say so.”

“All the roads leading into this area are clearly marked,” Regan said.

Red just gave him a bland look. She wasn’t going to tell him where they came from or how they got there. Surely he could see their backpacks and do the math, and she wasn’t a dummy to be tricked by a statement. Anyway, it was her turn to ask a question.

“Why is this sector closed off?” Red asked. “And what’s a sector anyway?”

“Two questions,” Sirois said.

“Who made you the referee?” Red asked, giving him a filthy look. “Fine, just answer the first one.”

“I’m afraid that information is—” Regan said.

“Don’t say ‘classified,’” Red said, cutting him off. “Let’s not turn this into any more of an apocalypse movie cliché than it already is.”