“They’re just behind you there,” I say, pointing at the towels and ignoring his remarks.
Beck doesn’t move his gaze from me.
“Just one drink,” he says as he steps closer, effectively pinning me in the corner.
I look down and try to ignore the sweat that begins to gather at the back of my neck. I swallow hard and inhale, trying to keep myself calm, but I only end up smelling the whiskey that’s already on Beck’s breath.
“You can relax, hon,” Beck says quietly. “Big brother isn’t here to stop us.”
“I’m not thirsty,” I say.
“You aren’t, huh?” He moves even closer, and I can feel his heat against my face. “Well, what are you then?”
“I’m just me,” I respond quickly. “I’m just getting the…the paper towels.”
“Just you.” Beck snorts out a laugh. “What the fuck does that mean anyway?”
He narrows his eyes as he stares me in the face, his nose just an inch from mine as he glances up and down. My skin still crawls as I stand perfectly still and refuse to meet his look.
“Who are you, Hannah? I know you lo
ok familiar, but I haven’t been able to put my finger on it. Where do I know you from?”
“We never met before all this,” I tell him. “Now, really, I have to get back.”
Beck slams the bottle back on the shelf, causing the whole thing to shake. I gasp and take a step back, almost tripping over the items behind me on the floor. Beck pushes his body up against mine and grabs my hair at the back of my head.
I gasp and push my palms against his chest, but he doesn’t move.
“Why don’t you tell me who you are, huh?” He growls right into my face as I close my eyes and try to turn my head, but I can’t move. His grip on my hair is too tight. “I know Caesar knows who you are, but he’s keeping his mouth shut. You can tell me, too. I’m not gonna tell anyone else.”
“I’m not anyone,” I insist. Panic is surging up inside of me. In my mind, I can feel hands grasping at me, holding me down. “Just…let go of me.”
“Now why would I do that?”
“I need to get back to Falk,” I tell him. I can hear my heart pounding, and my throat feels like it’s closing up on me. “He’s waiting for me.”
“Falk went off to check up on those survivors,” Beck says. “He’s not here. Now why don’t you just go ahead and fess up, baby? You know more about what’s going on than you’re saying, don’t you?”
“I have no idea what’s going on!” I twist, yank my hair from his grasp, and duck under his arm. He stumbles forward, nearly taking the shelf down. I turn to face him. “You’re drunk! Now stay the fuck away from me!”
I yank open the door, listening to him laugh as I run out. I scamper up the stairs to the apartment, forgetting all about the paper towels. Once inside, I race to the bathroom and close the door behind me. It’s dark inside, and though I know there’s a battery-powered lantern on the counter, I don’t switch it on. I just sit on the toilet with my head in my hands, shaking and trying not to cry.
*****
Just as the sky gets dark, Falk and Caesar return with four new additions to our group.
I had remained in the apartment until it was time to eat and now sit on the ground with a plate on my lap. I’ve barely touched the food. My stomach is too queasy to eat. I haven’t seen Beck since our little encounter, and I’m afraid of what he might say when he returns.
I watch as Caesar introduces the newcomers. They are also from the Atlanta area and had taken refuge in the basement of a church when the attack occurred. I only catch the names of two of them—Owen, a short, freckled guy of barely twenty years with bright, red hair, and Brett, a stocky guy in his mid-twenties with a toothy smile and a scar just below his right eye. I miss the names of the other two.
Outnumbered eleven to two now.
I swallow and wonder if Christine even counts since she’s married to Chuck. I look around for her, but they must have already retired to their own place, leaving me the only woman in the area.
I guess it’s really ten to one.
I don’t miss how the four newbies look at me. Brett taps Caesar, leans close to say something to him, and they both look over at me. It’s unnerving, especially considering my earlier encounter with Beck. He still hasn’t appeared, and I figure he’s sleeping it off somewhere.