Last Supper

With all of Jordan’s clothes torn and soaked, she was thankful Grey wore the same sizes that she did. Though it meant she was wearing some stuff that she never thought she’d wear.

Jordan pulled on a pink croptop that revealed her midriff and some shorts. With a blush on her cheeks she admitted, “I’ve never done any of that before. What’d you think?”

Grey giggled. She’d claimed the more modest set of clothes – a black t-shirt for a band Jordan had never heard of and jeans. “I think we proved I was wrong earlier.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” She leaned in and kissed Jordan one last time. “You’re not into women’s clothing. You’re just super, super gay.”

Jordan and Grey shared at laugh as they finished getting dressed and headed down the stairs. Only for their laughter to die when they got to the bottom.

Frank was there waiting for them. “Ladies. We are in deep trouble.”

---

Frank explained the situation while Jordan started rechecking frequencies on the ham radio.

Some of what he mentioned was what they’d already heard at city hall – that he was effectively being run out of town before sundown.

But before he could explain further, Jordan snapped her fingers. “Found the frequency. November Zero Bravo Uniform Zulu Mobile, this is November Zero Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. You are five-nine.”

“Roger that.” DeVon’s voice carried out clearly for everyone to hear once Jordan adjusted the volume. “Is everyone accounted for?”

“I’m here,” said Frank. “And we’ve got some new problems. With Elijah dead, the powers that be have told me to be out of town by sundown or else.”

“Can you still get Grey out?”

“Negative.” Frank shook his head while Grey stifled a gasp. “There’s half a dozen police cars parked out front and they’ll be watching me pack my car. I try and get her out, they’ll be all over us.”

Jordan held up a hand. “I’m sorry. What the hell is going on?”

The radio went silent, then DeVon spoke. “Frank, I did promise her an explanation.”

“I’ll take lead, you pipe in when you think it’s needed.” Frank sighed. “When FELP came to town, there were a bunch of us who tried to find any way we could to resist. Lawsuits, muckraking, getting people under threat out of town… Elijah had connections all over the place thanks to that radio. But the stronger FELP got, the more we had to smuggle our own people out. By the time you came back into town, Jordan? It was just Elijah and me left.”

“Dad was supposed to skip town with me,” DeVon pointed out. “We knew we were under the gun and Grey was coming. Frank would make sure she’d be the last one we got out. And then Jordan showed up. He always did have a soft spot for you, Jordan.”

Jordan bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry, DeVon.”

“Don’t be. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he knew you were trapped in town. Or anyone else he thought wanted out. I’m just thankful you ended his suffering.”

“Which brings us back to the problem at hand.” Frank circled back to the point he’d been making earlier. “We’ve got until sundown before everything kicks off and I can’t get Grey out of town safe.”

Grey spoke up. “Hold on. They’re moving tonight? Frank, I can’t stay here.”

“And I can’t get you out safely. I’m sorry.”

Jordan saw a solution no one was talking about. “I’ll take her.”

Grey turned to Jordan while Frank raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Frank, my family had me on drugs to forget things. And they’re pushing me to crank out children for Lyre.” Jordan shook her head and took Grey’s hand. “Grey’s right. It’s dangerous for me to stay here.”

Grey squeezed Jordan’s offered hand.

Frank looked at the two women for a long beat before turning back to the radio. “I’ll be out of here in an hour. I’ll see you around.”

“Right back at you, Frank.”

----

The conversation shifted to the dining room not long after.

Jordan finished packing the ham radio parts back into her backpack. Then she joined Frank and Grey at the table where Frank had served leftover steak and noodles.

Something everyone had been talking around had stuck with her during the disassembly. This might be her only chance to get an answer. “Why is it so important that we go tonight?”

Grey and Frank shared a look before Frank dipped his warmed noodles into a bit of ketchup. He’d already run out of tomato sauce. “It’s the last stage of a FELP takeover,” he explained. “When they’ve assumed enough power in a town, they muster their forces against their enemies. People who’ve held out. People with integrity. People who’re different. And people they’ve held grudges against, even if it's among their own. And the Party won’t rest until they’re all dead.”

“They’re going to turn this town into a war zone.” Grey stared at her plate. “It’s hell on earth. There’s nowhere to hide. It’s you or them. That’s what they did to my hometown. I was lucky to get out.”

A look of horror swept across Jordan’s face. “There has to be something we can do. People are going to die.” She looked to them both, desperate for them to say that there was.

But that relief never came. Frank made sure of it. “Elijah, myself, everyone else, we’ve done everything we can. There’s no cavalry. No hero coming to save the day at the last moment. It’s just us.” He put down his fork and looked right at Jordan. “Since it’s just us. You need a plan to get out of town. Because you’ll never get out of town on foot.”

Jordan had a plan. Or at least the inklings of one. “I’ll take a car from the family.”

Frank was not impressed. “You think they’re going to just give you the keys?”

“No. But I know that they’ll be watching some rerun of a TV comedy tonight. Sneak in, get the keys, grab the car before they have a chance to stop us.”

This was not the most well-thought out plan and Jordan knew it. But what was she supposed to do, risk going through the storm sewer again?