Read Sometimes We Ran (Book 2): Community for Free Online Page A

sliced through the steak. It was perfectly done: slightly pink on the inside, but well cooked on the outside, with a hint of seasoning for taste. The smell brought back memories of Fourth of July cookouts, and trips to steakhouses before the end came. I only hoped it was cow, not some fellow survivor.
    “That’s it, John. Not exactly a five-star steak house, but the chef knows his New York strip. That’s real one-hundred-percent American beef you got there,” Wallace said.
    I started to bring the fork to my mouth, but paused. I turned the fork around and handed it to Wallace. “You first.”
    Wallace’s expression turned to shock. “This is ridiculous, sir,” Odegard said. “He’s paranoid, or…,”
    Wallace held up his hand to silence Odegard. He smiled at me, saying “ If I wanted to harm you, I could have done it a lot easier. Why would I poison you?”
    I moved the fork closer to his face. “Maybe not poison, but you could drug me again. Humor me.”
    Wallace pointed at me. “You’re a very smart man. A little paranoid, but smart.” He took the fork and put the steak into his mouth. When he swallowed and didn’t keel over, he said, “Satisfied?”
    “Almost. I want you to sample everything else.” I glanced at Odegard. “You, too.”
    Wallace and Odegard clearly looked annoyed, but they indulged me. They both took little bites of all the food. After they were finished, and didn’t die or anything, I was satisfied the food was good.
    “Satisfied we’re not trying to kill you?” Odegard said with annoyance. Wallace shot him a look.
    I took up knife and fork. “Yeah, I guess. You could still kill me later.”
    Wallace laughed, but then he turned very serious. “I don’t want to kill you. You’re a survivor. You and that little girl in the other room are the future of our society. I don’t want to want to hurt you. In fact, I need your help.” He reached out his hand. “You’re going to have to trust me, okay?”
    My gut was still churning with uncertainty. Something still didn’t feel right. Despite my doubts, I shook his hand.
    Wallace’s smile returned. “Great. Now, me and Odegard are going to leave you alone to eat. We’ll talk later.” With that, he turned and walked out the door, with Odegard trailing behind him. The door closed and the lock snapped shut.
    I began to eat. I forced myself to eat slowly. If you eat too fast after near-starvation, you could get sick. Not to mention that I didn’t want to seem too eager to any watching cameras. It might be construed as a weakness. I cleaned all the plates. They were so clean, a dishwasher wasn’t needed. I hoped Claire was eating this well.
    After my most satisfying meal in weeks, I lay back on the bed to relax. Wallace had called me and Claire the future of society. He had also said he needed my help. I wondered what help I could offer.
    My eyes began to get heavy. My road-weariness was returning. I hoped Wallace and Odegard weren’t cannibals. I didn’t want to become food served under little metal domes. That kind of help I wasn’t prepared to give.

Chapter 5
Not Safe
    My nap was short. At least, it seemed short.
    Without a clock, I couldn’t tell if it was night or day. I also couldn’t tell how many hours had passed since I ate. I sat up and looked at the table. The empty plates and the cart were gone. Two unopened bottles of water had been placed on the table.
    I sat down, opened one of the waters, and took a drink. The cool fresh liquid went down smoothly. The bottles were still cold. It hadn’t been very long since they were placed on the table. I must have been tired. I didn’t hear a thing. I passed time by reading the water bottle label. It was nice to have plenty to drink after so many weeks of rationing.
    This place still bothered me.
    It was too perfect. They had food, lights, and even computers. It also looked like they also had plenty of fuel and ammunition. I wondered what this place was really about. I kept