Gone

right?”
    “That’s a lot of food. Sit with us, Albert.”
    He was uncomfortable doing so. “It says in the manual we don’t sit down with customers. But I guess I could take a break and sit at this next table.”
    Mary smiled. “You’re into this.”
    Albert nodded. “When the FAYZ comes down I want the district manager to come here and say, ‘Wow, good job, Albert.’”
    “It’s more than a good job. You make people think maybe there’s some hope, you know?”
    “Thanks, Mary, that’s cool of you to say that.” He thought it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him and it gave him a nice glow. Lots of kids just came in and complained that he didn’t have exactly what they wanted.
    “But you’re worried about what happens next?” Mary prompted.
    “There’s a lot of food now. But already there are shortages.You almost can’t find a candy bar or chips anymore. Sodas will run out before too much longer. And eventually we’ll be out of everything.”
    “How long is eventually?”
    “I don’t know. But pretty soon people will be fighting over food. We’re using food up. We’re not growing more food or making or creating new things.”
    Mary had taken two bites of the Big Mac. “Does Caine know this?”
    “I’ve told him. But he’s got his mind on other things.”
    “This is kind of a major problem,” Mary said.
    Albert didn’t want to talk about sad things, not while someone was enjoying his food. But Mary was the one asking, and as far as Albert was concerned, Mary was a saint just like the ones in the church. He shrugged and said, “I’m just trying to do my thing here.”
    “Can we grow food?” Mary wondered aloud.
    “I guess that’s up to Caine or…whoever,” Albert said cautiously.
    Mary nodded. “You know what, Albert? I don’t really care who is running things, but I have to look out for my kids.”
    “And I have this place,” Albert agreed.
    “And Dahra has the hospital,” Mary added. “And Sam used to have the fire station.”
    “Yeah.”
    It was a weird moment for Albert. He admired Mary, he thought she was the most beautiful person he’d ever known aside from his mom, and he wanted to trust Mary. But hedidn’t know for sure that he could. He was troubled by what was going on in Perdido Beach. But what if Mary felt differently? What if she told Drake that Albert was complaining, maybe without even meaning to?
    Drake could order him to shut down. And Albert didn’t know what he would do with himself if he lost the restaurant. The work had kept him from thinking much about what had happened. And for the first time in his life, Albert was an important person. At school he was just another kid. Now he was Albert Hillsborough: businessman.
    All things considered, Albert would want Caine and Drake gone. But the only other person who might step up and run things was off somewhere, a hunted person.
    “How’s the burger?” he asked Mary.
    “You know what?” She smiled and licked ketchup from her finger. “I think I actually like it better with the bagel bun.”

THIRTY-ONE
    100 HOURS , 13 MINUTES
    THEY DROVE WITH maddening slowness from Perdido Beach to Coates. Panda at the wheel, even more nervous than usual, terrified, it seemed to Jack. It was dark, and Panda kept saying he had never driven in the dark. It had taken him five fumbling minutes just to find the lights and figure them out.
    Caine sat beside him chewing on his thumb, quiet, but preoccupied. He had cross-examined Jack repeatedly on the procedure for recording Andrew’s big exit. Somehow what had started out as Caine’s brainstorm had become Jack’s responsibility. If it worked then Caine would reclaim it as his own. But if it failed, Jack would no doubt take the blame.
    Diana, who sat beside Jack, for once had little to say. Jack wondered if she dreaded the return to Coates as much as he did.
    Jack was wedged in between Diana and Drake. Drake was holding a handgun, an automatic, more gray than black, in his lap.
    Jack had never seen a gun up close. He had certainly never seen a gun in the hands of a boy he thought was probably crazy.
    Drake could not leave the gun alone. He kept thumbing the safety on and off. He rolled down the window and aimed it at stop signs as they passed, but did not fire it.
    “You know how to shoot that thing? Or are you going to shoot yourself in the foot?” Diana finally asked.
    “He’s not going to shoot it,” Caine snapped before Drake could answer.