The Restoration Project

2.04 - Skillet

Skillet stomped along an overgrown path through the brush. Midges clustered in front of his face, circling his eyes and open mouth. He swatted at them with meaty hands to no effect. At least he had the pleasure of walking behind Charley. When the moment was right, he could look up and get a good view of her ass. It made him smile.

"Are we there yet?" Righty voiced from behind Skillet.

Charley consulted a paper—a crudely drawn map, courtesy that rude Junkie. Spending the night at the gas station with him was bad enough, but he kept gawking at Charley which made it even worse. Skillet was glad to leave him behind.

"Once we get through this brush the station's on the other side of an open field. Apparently," Charley replied.

"I still don't know why he drew you a map and didn't come along himself," Righty mumbled.

"Would you want him tagging along?" Charley asked.

"Hell no!" Righty replied. "I guess he prefers to hang out in bathrooms, shitty place to be if you ask me." He burst out laughing.

Skillet forced a chuckle after Righty slapped his back and looked up at him expectantly. He hoped it hid the shock of seeing Righty's arm in the daylight. The skin around the stub was an angry red, with dark lines running up to the elbow. Skillet hoped it was from cleaning it.

"And there it is," Charley said as she crashed through the remaining brush into an open field. She paused to point at a grey stone building on the other side. Skillet had to squint to see it.

"That's still so far!" Righty said. "Gimme a piggy back Skilly, I'm tired." He reached for Skillet's shoulders and Skillet bent his knees, until he caught Charley's gaze.

"Grow up guys," she said.

Skillet straightened his legs and brushed Righty off.

"You're no fun," Righty mumbled, but followed in the rut behind Charley.

Skillet fell in line at the back, wishing he had started walking sooner to keep his spot behind Charley. They made it halfway across the field when Charley stopped and Righty bumped into her.

"Jeez Charley, gotta tell a guy when you're stoppin'. If I was Skillet I'd a bowled you over," Righty said.

Charley held up her hand, signaling for Righty to shut up. Then she shrugged her shoulder and the duffel bag fell to the ground. When she crouched to search its contents, Skillet saw what she was looking at. Three Baldies stepped out of the brush to their right and were heading in their direction.

"Oh shit!" Righty said when he saw them. He slipped off his backpack and rummaged through it as well.

"You guys know the drill," Charley said, handing a Jammer to Skillet. "Wait until I say so. No need to waste the batteries."

Skillet cradled the Jammer in his left hand, hovering his right thumb over the on/off button. Righty now used his stump to hold a stack of papers against his chest, his good hand hovering above them, prepared to flip through.

"Who do we got?" he asked.

"One's still fairly fat, means he's fairly fresh. Has a birthmark on his left arm, by the hand," Charley described.

Righty flipped through the papers at a pace that made Skillet wonder whether he even registered each picture. He must have, though, because he said, "Nope, nothing on him."

"K, there's a female, only thing I can see is that she's wearing a Penn State Sweater," Charley called out.

Even Skillet could see that now; the three Baldies were less than a hundred feet away. He lowered his finger to the power button on the Jammer, but didn't press it. Charley didn't say so yet.