Infinity's Reach Read Online Free PDF Page B

path.
    “Let’s just take it slow,” she said. “First sign of trouble, we run.”
    “Without the packs?”
    “Without the backpacks,” she agreed.
    I nodded in agreement, and fell into step behind her.
     
    The sign coming into town said “Harmony, Tennessee, Population 2,248.” We followed what was apparently the main drag through town, trying hard not to look like little kids in a playground full of bullies. The first thing we realized was that our clothes were too clean and too new for us to fit in. But the fact that we were still severely underweight helped, because everywhere we looked we saw scarecrows looking back at us.
    The main street was lined with burned-out buildings. A couple of thin men were using hammers, nails and a saw to repair what they could.
    A woman sat on the steps of an old church and watched her two children playing in the dirt. One of them, a little girl with scraggly blonde hair, held a doll made from rags. The boy played with wooden blocks as if they were vehicles. Neither one looked old enough to remember what a real vehicle was like.
    Three men stood on the other side of the street, apparently trying to sell odds and ends for whatever they could get for them. They had stacks of hubcaps, bicycle parts, farming tools, stacks of firewood, and a variety of odds and ends. But no customers.
    As I stared at them and the other oddities of the small town, an aroma caught my nostrils. Immediately my mouth began to water.
    “Hamburgers!” I almost shouted, looking desperately around for the source of the smell. Infinity was a second behind me, but apparently her nose was able to locate where it was coming from. She pointed farther down the street.
    A hefty woman in a gunnysack dress sat on a stool behind a makeshift grill, burgers sizzling above hot coals. Any thought of being tired left us as we ran over to where she was grilling.
    “Morning, girls,” she said brightly. “Hungry?”
    “You have no idea,” I responded back. “How much?”
    “Twelve each,” she said.
    “Twelve?” I said. “Twelve dollars?”
    She cackled. “Dollars? Where you two been hiding out? Twelve caps . That’s the only cash that’s good around here.”
    “Caps?”
    She laughed again. “Bullets, ladies. Caps . Some are worth more than others. Twenty-two ain’t worth much, but depends how desperate you are. Forty-fives is good, but nine mil is the best. Pretty much accepted anywheres.”
    Infinity stepped up. “Well, we don’t have dollars, and we don’t have bullets— caps . But maybe we can barter something.”
    The fat woman’s tone changed. “Bartering’s always a possibility. What do you have?”
    Infinity and I began rummaging through our backpacks. Finally we pulled out a few items.
    “No, no, no… those are nice. Hey, what about those?” She passed up all our pots and pans, clothes and other items to look closely at the opera glasses.
    “Those aren’t for sale,” Infinity said, pulling them back.
    “How about a few of these?” I offered, holding up a big bag of multivitamins.
    The big woman’s eyes lit up, then she reached out and pushed my hand down.
    “I wouldn’t go flashing those around if I were you,” she said. “Vitamins are almost as valuable as antibiotics. Tell you girls what,” she said, reaching in and grabbing a small handful of the pills. “That makes us square.”
    Infinity and I put our items away while she brought out a spatula and flipped our burgers onto some very rough bread.
    “You wouldn’t have any cheese for that, would you?” I asked.
    She smiled slightly. “No, but I might be able to find a tomato for it.” She reached behind her and pulled out an overripe red beefsteak tomato and began cutting it into slices. Tomato juice went everywhere, but we didn’t complain. She wiped her hands on her dress and handed each of us a sandwich.
    “Thanks.” I grabbed my burger and stuffed it into my mouth. The meat tasted sharper than I remembered, but I was