Taxi M'Koo and the Helium Drive (Post-Apoc) by John Argo

= Taxi M'Koo and the Helium Drive =

Punk Post-Apoc SF

by John Argo

27.

From there, it was just an hour of dragging and carrying before they got the helium bottle back to the hummer. Luckily, hummers after 2005 came with a small lift crane in the engine compartment, so they got the bottle in place. By then, the sun was a red ball in mid-sky and sinking fast.

While Sam installed the new bottle, Taxi patched up Moira as best she could. Taxi gave her some of their remaining antibiotics and a painkiller.

Moira sat in the back, amid piled equipment in green Army canvas, including the big machine gun. She held one hand on Taxi’s shoulder and the other on her lap.

Sam gave a funny look, and Taxi winked at him, leaned over to peck a kiss on his lips. “It’s a long story. Just don’t get rattled.”

Moira eyed the passing dunes, the distant ocean, the waving reeds, the seagulls fighting for morsels. “The sky is so big, and the sun never shone like that in our compound. Everything smells so fresh out here, like the world is being born again. If I only life a day more, I don’t regret breaking out.”

“I wanna get back on the freeway and maybe make Santa Ana before nightfall,” Sam said.

Taxi sat back tiredly. “You go ahead and drive. I believe I’ll take a rest.” And oddly, as she dozed off, her mind kept wandering back to that dorm. That cozy electric light in that peaceful space where it seemed no harm could intrude. She realized that she longed for that safety and tranquillity. She almost felt like turning back. Let Moira and Sam go on. But no, the Toons would kill her, because she was bad genes, like poor Johnny Smith, who had to have been part dove. A bird of peace. “You know what,” she told Sam and Moira, “when we get set up, we’re going to build a big wooden house, and in it will be a lot of electric lights. Little soft ones. And beds. Lots of beds. We’re gonna have lots of kids, Sam, extra kids when we’re ready, and you won’t feel any pain in it, believe me.”

Thank you for reading. If you love it, tell your friends. Please post a favorable review at Amazon, Good Reads, and other online resources. If you want to thank the author, you may also buy a copy for the low price of a cup of coffee. It's called Read-a-Latte: similar (or lower) price as a latte at your favorite coffeeshop, but the book lasts forever while the beverage is quickly gone. Thank you (JTC).

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