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3
Tessa
“Where are we?” Robin slid the sunglasses down her face. Tessa held Arthur’s letter pressed against the steering wheel and reread the instructions to make sure she hadn’t taken a wrong turn.
“Are we at Grandpa’s house yet?” Emily piped up. Her cheeks were a healthy rose-shade of pink after a long and restful nap.
“Grandpa doesn’t live here.” Mason climbed to his knees to look past Robin as they passed a colorfully painted mountain with the words “GOD IS LOVE” molded into the hillside.
Tessa slowed the truck when she reached the sign for Low Street and turned down the road that led to a cluster of trailers and repurposed trash that had been worked into crude art.
“The sign says we’re in Slab City.” She swallowed hard, wondering where the hell Arthur had sent them. The sun was already dipping low in the sky and this wasn’t the type of place she’d ever bring kids to after dark. Get the gas and leave. She could drive all night if she had to, but she couldn’t do it on an empty tank. The red dial on the gauge dipped even lower. A reminder of another thing she was powerless to control.
Chained dogs barked at Old Blue as the beast of a truck rumbled by. Dirty faces, worn and leathered from years of abuse in the harsh desert sun, glanced at them with mild curiosity as they passed. Tessa came to a stop in front of the purple painted shack and the tarp covered frame structure behind it. Even if Arthur hadn’t left detailed instructions, this would be hard to miss. She turned off the truck, but left the keys in the ignition.
“You guys stay here for a minute while I figure out if this is the right place.” Tessa inhaled a shaky breath, steeling herself for what was to come.
“But Mom, I have to go potty.” Emily crossed her legs as she bounced on the seat.
“You should have gone when we stopped,” Mason told her. “Just hold it for a minute.”
Tessa reached over, pulling them both towards her as she pressed her forehead against theirs and closed her eyes.
Robin coughed to clear her throat. “Is your mom instinct tingling right now by any chance?”
“I don’t know.” Tessa broke away from the embrace. “Why?”
“No reason.” Robin pressed herself against the seat, giving a clear view of the bare-chested man with painted toenails and wearing a heavy black skirt who came walking out from under the tarp while waving at them.
“If anything happens, meet me at the painted mountain.” Tessa opened the door and jumped out. Robin climbed over the kids to get into the driver seat, slamming the door shut behind her.
“Hello there, friend.” The man had a short lisp and spoke through a gumline with a few missing teeth. “You must be Tessa.” Windchimes rang around the compound, mixing with the sound of barking dogs and people laughing.
Tessa paused with her hand still on the truck. “Are you KI7PIL?” He fast walked the distance between them, throwing his arms around her in a hug. The stench of unwashed body and lack of deodorant with the strong hint of marijuana skunk enveloped her as well.
“The one and only,” KI6PIL laughed. “But you can call me Caterpillar. Arthur radioed me a few hours ago and said you were coming. I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”
Tessa exhaled as her shoulders relaxed. “Oh, good. So, about the gas…”
Caterpillar waved his heavily ringed hand in the air. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you all fixed up. But the show is about to start so why don’t you let the kids stretch their legs and we’ll get you some food before it begins.”
“Show?” Tessa took a step back. Caterpillar was quick. He slipped away on his bare feet and had already opened the passenger door.
“I need to go!” Emily squealed as she bolted outside to freedom. Moose wasn’t far behind her and lifted his leg on a twisted iron sculpture made to look like a cross. Tessa’s eyes widened in horror.
Caterpillar laughed as he clapped his hands together. “Welcome, welcome. Make yourselves at home.”
“I feel like that if I had mom instinct, it would definitely be tingling right now,” Robin leaned down to whisper in her ear.
Tessa held both of her kids’ hands tightly as they followed Caterpillar down the dusty road. They’d already been given a tour of his humble abode; shown the solar panels for the lights and the misting water system he’d set up to combat the desert heat along with the hydroponic growing station. And he’d only offered a single joint that Tessa had politely turned down. She hadn’t smoked since high school, back in those dark days, and she wasn’t about to start again now.
Then he fed them fresh baked bread from his solar oven and a plate of beans. The kids were mesmerized and Moose had claimed a nice spot in the shade under the light water mist where he settled down to wait for their return.
“A show?” Robin continued, fear making her voice squeak. “What if he’s bringing us to the Thunderdome?”
“I don’t think we’ve reached that level of apocalypse yet.” Tessa laughed, turning to look over her shoulder to make sure no shadows were waiting to attack.
“What do we have here?” A woman in denim overalls with no shirt underneath clasped Caterpillar’s forearms with her hands as he kissed her cheek.
