Apartment 905, Sahin, Ned [black female authors .TXT] 📗

“I will help you.” I follow her to the kitchen.

“I got it, Matt. You go back to your movie.” Kathleen says, stopping me on the way. She either doesn’t want me to spend time with Sunshine or she wants to talk to her alone.

“Sunshine, what do you remember from last night?” I ask before going back to the window to check out the street.

“We played a few more rounds of the game. Then I remember us dancing and singing. You and Toshi have interesting moves,” she says, cackling. I have no idea what moves we did but they were probably the silly ones.

“Do you want to see my Odori?” Toshi raises one leg while looking up to the ceiling.

“Oh no, no… Thanks! Maybe another time!” Sunshine chuckles. I guess it’s a Japanese dance Toshi performed last night.

We continue to watch people on the street. A lady is wiping the windows of the deli across the street. Two boys are chatting while leaning against an old model convertible car in front of the deli. There are a few people pushing handcarts filled with food, clothes, and small furniture.

I see only a few cars parked on the street. They look like models from the 90s. I wonder if they still work.

“Matt, I think I will stay here... If they are fine with it,” Toshi says. He said I, not We. I wasn’t expecting a decision like this from Toshi.

“What do you mean?” I ask. I wonder why he even brought this up out of the blue.

“We both know that I have one or two weeks left,” he says. This was a conversation I was afraid of having with Toshi. I am not ready to lose my best friend. I am not ready now; I won’t be ready for it ever.

“We will find more Oxyrica and antidepressants for you. If those elderly lived that long, you can too… Hey, these Herington Rebels might help us find medicine,” I say. We don’t have anything to offer them, but we can try the sympathetic way.

“This is a perfect place to spend my last days. I am not sure if I want to continue this trip...” he says. This doesn’t sound like him. Toshi has always been an optimistic person. The pills must be messing with his head.

“Once we find a car, we can get to San Francisco within a week before you run out of the pills. There must be someone to help us in the West,” I say.

He seems like he has already made his decision. I don’t want to leave him behind even though I know that he will be happy here before he turns to a Rica. He probably won’t even notice the change in his behavior when that time comes. I don’t want him to be in that situation by himself. I also don’t want to risk the lives of the good people in this town and this house with Sunshine, Rowan, and Harmony.

While eating our toasts, I ask Sunshine if she knows anything about the situation in the West Coast. Getting reliable information is harder than finding food in this world. Hopefully, they are in touch with the people in Kansas City.

She tells me that there is a network of survivors who contact each other over HAM radios. I should have bought a HAM radio and stocked up on batteries before the electricity and cell phone coverage went out.

She says California is now called the Highland Republic. Their flag is symbolically the same. There is still a bear figure on a white background. However, the bear is not happily walking on grass now. He is roaring on his back feet in front of crossed shotguns.

The Highland Republic is ruled by a man called Weck Highland. He is an ex-military who keeps the order by enforcing martial law. It seems to be working as the entire state is intact and people live relatively in peace. At least that’s what the word is around here.

I ask Sunshine what she heard about the East Coast. She knows about Saviors. She is aware of what they are made of—gangs and mobs—but she doesn’t know anything about their management techniques. It looks like there is information pollution in the survivor network. I hope we don’t find California ruled like the East Coast.

I can’t stop thinking about my family in San Francisco. Are they still living downtown in the small condo? How are they making a living? Both of my parents were depending on their retirement salary. Since the government collapsed, they would need an income. I hope my brother can take care of the entire family. He lives in San Francisco too.

Sunshine tells us about the rest of the country as well. The communities that survived in the South came together and named themselves Los Dorados. Their leadership is represented primarily by Hispanics and Native Americans. There is not much information about their population or life standards as they prefer to be a closed territory.

The rest of the country is either deserted because of the virus or overrun by Ricas. There are a few local communities spread out to bridge states. They visit Kansas City for trading items.

We decide to spend another night in Purple Haze.

In the afternoon, we go to Rowan’s farm to help them collect the harvest and plant new seeds. I feel good about being able to return their kindness for opening their house to us.

In the evening, we walk on the street lighted with gas lamps and candles. We meet the other residents of the town. They are excited about seeing new folks around. The band we have been hearing even plays “California Dreamin’” just for us. Kathleen joins them as a drummer while Toshi and I sing along with the new shoulder moves we learn from the teens dancing with us.

There are a few boutique shops open. They don’t use money anymore. Everyone takes what they need, and they either give something