Amber
I woke to the strange sensation of something hurting my eyes. I moaned and turned my head to the pillow as everything came back to me—the stinging in my hands, the feel of the bed beneath me, sunshine coming through the blinds. Wow . . . we hadn’t been underground that long, but I’d nearly forgotten how it felt to be naturally woken by the sun.
Wait, what time was it? I sat up, feeling groggy and sore all over. Rylen was gone. I spied a piece of paper on the desk, and got out of bed buck naked to read it.
Wanted to let you rest. When you’re up, we’ll go on a scouting run with the crew.
Really? He must be confident in the area’s safety if he’s inviting me on the run. The idea of driving through Alaska was thrilling. Of course we’d have to be on guard the whole time, but still. It brought a smile to my lips, which was quickly wiped away when I caught sight of my pile of filthy clothes. Surely there were other clothes on base that I could find, but I loathed the idea of climbing back into those things. With a groan, I did just that.
I found Carmen going through a pile of uniforms when I got to the hall, and she pointed at me.
“You’re up! Everyone’s gone to check out the Exchange. Fite said to bring you when you got up.”
“Yes!” I nearly clapped my hands like Remy used to do when she got excited. The Exchange was like a mini mall found at a lot of military bases. They sold everything from clothes to makeup to electronics, and usually had a food court. I followed her out to a car. It was just a regular car, not a military vehicle, and I had to wonder whose it was before the war.
“How far is it?” I asked, buckling my seatbelt.
Carmen looked at the strap across my chest and laughed. “Click it or ticket?”
I blushed. “Yeah, old habits and all that.”
“It’s about two miles. We could walk it, but this base is fully loaded. They’ve got vehicles, gasoline, electricity in most of the buildings. It’s crazy.”
Amazing. There was one thing, besides clothing, that I needed, and my mouth was watering just thinking about its fresh-brewed goodness. We pulled up in the parking lot, and despite the other vehicles parked at any old angle, Carmen pulled neatly into a spot.
“Look at you parking all perfect.” Now it was my turn to laugh and her turn to blush.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said. When we got out, we literally ran to the doors of the Exchange. Then we stopped in the doorway and just laughed. It was filled with our men and women, running around like they’d been given a shopping spree. My eyes went straight to the food court, and when I saw that emblem, the one for the famous strong roast, I ran.
At least ten other people were there, trying to figure out the machines, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit me, nearly bringing me to my knees. Oh, if Mark could see me now in all my dramatics. The first person I recognized was Tex’s big, shaved head. He turned at the sound of my running, and pointed at me, holding up a cup.
“Taaaate!”
“Amber, here!” Matt was behind the counter wearing a green barista apron. I let out a cackle and accepted the paper cup. All refrigerated items were long gone, but there was sugar. I took a sip and closed my eyes as the flavor burst all of my senses. I think I even made an embarrassing noise and danced a little.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Rylen’s quiet voice against my ear made me warm all over. I turned to him with a smile, and he grinned back at me.
“For Mahalchick!” Tex shouted.
I turned and held up my coffee as we all shouted. “To Mark!”
Rylen twined his fingers through mine. “Come on.”
You would have thought we were all at Disneyland by the way we ran around the store, smiling like a bunch of kids. Rylen took me straight to the Ladies and Juniors clothing section. I threw shirts and jeans over my arms, then started grabbing undergarments and socks.
Rylen grabbed a loose cart and I lugged everything inside, happily sipping my coffee. He chuckled at me, which made me giggle.
“How about shoes?” he asked.
We both found ourselves boots and sneakers. Then I raided the toiletries section for shampoos, a razor, and soaps that smelled girly and made me happy. It was so weird to bag our own items at the checkout desk without paying.
J.D. and Sean came up behind us carrying armfuls of items.
“Not exactly Saks,” said J.D. with a wink. “But it’ll do.”
I held open a large bag for him. J.D. lifted his nose and sniffed.
“Oh, my God, is that coffee?!”
“Yes!” I said. “Come on, let’s get you some!”
Yeah, J.D. and I totally ran off to the coffee shop, leaving our stuff with Rylen and Sean. I think I heard Ry laugh and say, “Dude!” as we sprinted away.
My stomach was not very happy about the first cup I’d downed, but I would survive. J.D. bent at the waist and laughed uproariously when he saw Matt in the apron.
“What can I get you, sir?” Matt said. “We had to 86 our latte menu, because no milk, but you have your choice of all these fine flavored syrups.”
I felt a bump against my bottom and turned to see Rylen pushing the cart like Mr. Mom or something. I mouthed sorry for leaving him in the dust, and he shrugged. Matt handed me a vanilla coffee. J.D. stood in front of Sean with his cup and did a little happy jig. Sean rolled his eyes, but couldn’t hold back a smile. Then J.D. caught sight of the darkened barber shop and gasped, running.
“It shall be mine!”
As he ran his hands over the black and white chair, then the silver scissors, Top and Colonel Latham came into the Exchange. Both looked as satisfied as cats who’d just moused a barn.
“Enjoy,” said Top to everyone in earshot. “But don’t get too comfortable. This place is only temporary for us. We’ve got a meeting tomorrow morning at 0800. Everyone’s got their orders between now and then. Otherwise, enjoy your day.” He looked at Matt and smirked. Everyone else laughed at how Matt suddenly stiffened, at attention in his apron.
“At ease, son. And gimme one of them caramel espresso thingies, would you?”