Gone (Gone #1)(86)

Albert Hipped the burgers and settled the burger press in place to speed cooking.

The fry timer went off. He lifted the basket, shook it to throw off extra oil> and tossed the fries into the bin. A quick pass with the salt shaker. Then up came the nuggets.

Albert enjoyed the balletic moves he had practiced and perfected over the last—how many days had it been? Eight? Nine? Nine days running the McDonald's.

"Cool" Albert said with quiet satisfaction.

Since the incident everyone now referred to as "Albert's Cat" Albert had stayed in, or at leas: close to, the McDonald's. There were no supernatural, teleporting cats in the McDonald's.

He assembled the order onto two trays and carried them out to the only occupied table. "Thanks" Mary said gratefully.

"We ran out of our regular promo," Albert said. "But I got some toys, you know, little stuff from Ralph's or whatever. So there is a toy in the Happy Meal. Ji-st not the regular one."

Isabella pulled a tiny plastic doll with bright pink hair from her bag. She did not smile. But she did hold on to the doll.

"So, how long can you keep this place open?" Mary asked.

"Well, I have lots of burger patties. The day of the FAYZ there was a delivery truck coming through. You must have seen it plowed into that old house up behind the muffler place, right? Anyway, when I got .here the engine was still running, so the cooling unit was still on, I have my walk-in packed. Plus I have burgers stashed in freezers all over town* He nodded in satisfaction. "I have sixteen thousand, two hundred and eighty patties—including Quarter Pounders. Km selling about two hundred and fifty a day. So I'm good for about two months, give or take. Fries will run out sooner" "Then what?"

Albert hesitated, like he wasn't sure if he should get into it, but then, glad to have someone to share his worries with, he said." Look, we can't live forever on the food we have. I mean, okay, we have all the food here, all the food at the grocery store, and a bunch of food in all ihe different houses, right?"

"That's a lot of food. Sit with us, Albert"

He was uncomfortable doing so. "It says in the manual we don't sit down with customers. But I guess I could take a break and sit at this next table."

Mary smiled. "You're into this"

Albert nodded. "When the FAYZ comes down I want ihe district manager to come here and say, *Wow, good job,

Albert/*

"It's more than a good job. You make people think maybe there's some hope, you know?"

"Thanks, Mary, that's coo! of you to say that." He thought it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him and it gave him a nice glow. Lots of kids just came in and complained that he didn't have exactly what they wanted.

"But you're worried about what happens next?" Mary prompted.

"There's a lot of food now. But already there are shortages.

You almost can't find a candy bar or chips anymore. Sodas will run out before too much longer And eventually we'll be out of everything."

"How long is eventually?"

"I don't know. But pretty soon people will be fighting over food. We're using food up. WeYe rot growing more food or making or creating new things"

Mary had taken two bites of the Big Mac. "Does Caine know this?"

"I've told him. But he's got his mind on other things"

"This is kind of a major problem ," Mary said.

Albert didn't want to talk about sad things, not while someone was enjoying his food. Bat Mary was the one asking, and as far as Albert was concerned, Mary was a saint just like the ones in the church. He shrugged and said, "I'm just trying to do my thing here"

"Can we grow food?" Mary wondered aloud.

"I guess that's up to Caine or.. .whoever," Albert said cautiously.

Mary nodded. "You know what, Albert? I don't really care who is running things, but I have to look out for my kids."

"And I have this place," Albert agreed.

"And Dahra has the hospital" Mary added. "And Sam used to have the lire station."

"Yeah."

It was a weird moment for Albert. He admired Mary, he thought she was the most beautiful person he'd ever known aside from his mom, and he wanted to trust Mary. But he didn't know for sure that he could. He was troubled by what was going on in Perdido Beach. But what if Mary felt differently? What if she told Drake that Albert was complaining, maybe without even meaning to?

Drake could order him to shut down. And Albert didn't know what he would do with himself if he lost the restaurant. The work had kept him from thinking much about what had happened. And for the first time in his life, Albert was an important person. At school he was just another kid. Now he was Albert Hillsborough: businessman.

All things considered, Albert would want Caine and Drake gone. But the only other person who might step up and run things was off somewhere, a hunied person.

"How's the burger?" he asked Mary.

"You know what?" She smiled and licked ketchup from her finger. "I think I actually like it better With the bagel bun "





THIRTY-ONE


100 HOURS, 13 MINUTES

THEY DROVE WITH maddening slowness from Perdido Beach to Coates. Panda at the wheel, even more nervous than usual, terrified, it seemed to Jack. It was dark, and Panda kept saying he had never driven in the dark. It had taken him five fumbling minutes just to find the lights and figure them out.