by Dziekan, PJ
“Don’t know. We’ll have to see.”
“What are you talking about?’ Austin asked.
“Just comforting my daughter.”
“I’ll comfort her for you.”
“Hey, quit with the remarks, OK?”
Austin whipped around; the pistol suddenly jammed under Dylan’s chin. “What are you going to do about it, Pops?” Austin asked, spittle flying into Dylan’s face. “I could blow you away and fuck her senseless right in the middle of the road. What could you do about it?”
“Dyl – Dad! It’s OK!” Sarah said. She couldn’t let this mullet headed asshole shoot Dylan. She needed him.
“Yeah, Dad,” Austin bit out the words. “Listen to your daughter.” He pressed the barrel into Dylan’s skin, whose eyes grew wide.
“Please don’t hurt him!” Fear leaked into her voice. “He’s – he’s just overprotective.”
“Well, he better shut his mouth.” Austin pushed Dylan away. The older man stumbled, but kept his feet.
Sarah ran over and steadied him. “It’s OK, Dad.” She stared up into his eyes. “Let it go.” Without a word, Austin turned and continued walking. Dylan and Sarah fell into step behind him.
Despite the fatigue that was dogging her, Sarah took close note of her surroundings. It was an empty stretch of road, nothing but fields and woods. After about ten minutes of walking, they came to another small town. It looked the same as the last town, vacant storefronts, smashed windows. Except for one. Austin led them to what was once a hardware store. They could see boxes and bags of supplies in the windows, everything from water to folded sheets to toilet paper. A dim flickering filtering through the dirty windows told Sarah there were a few kerosene lanterns inside.
Austin knocked on the door. A muffled voice called out; whether it said “come in” or “get out,” Sarah wasn’t sure. Apparently, Austin knew because he opened the door and pushed Sarah and Dylan inside. “Bill, got a couple wanderers,” he said, pushing the two of them against the wall.
The room was chilly, but warmer than the outside. Sarah wrapped her arms around her torso, willing herself not to shiver. Dylan took a step sideways, pressing his back to her front, his body heat surrounding her. She was really going to have to rethink her opinion of him.
“Bring them back here,” A gravelly voice called from the other room.
Austin pushed Dylan’s shoulder and he started walking. The younger man grabbed Sarah’s upper arm, pulling her along. When she looked at him, he leered at her.
I am so going to fuck this guy up, she thought. Her face, however, remained blank.
The room Austin led them to was so warm, Sarah actually moaned. It took all of her willpower not to race to the pot-bellied stove and revel in the heat it produced. Instead, she forced her gaze to the man sitting at a desk, his feet propped up on an ottoman.
His hair was salt & pepper, cut in a bristly buzz. He was clean shaven, none of the facial hair she was so used to seeing. He was stocky, built solid, no fat that she could see. When his eyes met hers, she could see cruelty and lust. She swallowed.
“What have we got, Austin?” Bill asked. His eyes slid slowly away from Sarah to land on Austin.
“They were walking up Route 8, looking for somewhere to get warm and dry.”
“Is that so?” He looked at Dylan.
“We just want to rest a bit,” Dylan said. “We’ve been walking –”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Bill said. “Austin, what do they have to contribute?”
“Just the usual stuff in their packs. But they did have this.” He swung his bag from his shoulder and dug inside, pulling out the carton of smokes.
“Well, that’s a nice find.” Bill held out his hand and Austin relinquished the cigarettes. “Top shelf, too.” He set the carton on the desk in front of him. “Who had them?”
“She did.”
He looked back at Sarah. “You a smoker?”
She pulled her gaze from the stacks of food along the walls, double and triple deep in some cases, and looked at him. She shook her head. “No, sir. My—my dad and I picked them up to trade.”
“Is he your dad?”
Sarah nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“You can stay; he’s back on the road.” Bill proclaimed. He opened the carton of cigarettes, pulled out two packs. He tossed them at Austin. “Give one to Harry. Take Dad with you.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “No, please, let my dad stay,” she said hastily. “I – we’ve been together – we’ve stayed together since the beginning.”
Bill shook his head. “I got enough mouths to feed around here. I’m only letting you stay because we’re short on women.”
Sarah felt Austin’s gaze like a burn on her back. “I’m – I’m not interested in guys. I just want to be someplace where we can be safe.”
“You a lesbian?” Bill asked.
“No, no. I – I just lost my husband.” She bit her lip and looked down at the floor. She took a deep breath and looked back up, hoping her eyes looked suitably devastated. “The – the last place we were at, someone got bit and didn’t tell us. My – my husband was just trying to help and they turned on him, they killed him.” She bit the inside of her mouth, the pain reflected in her eyes. Dylan might not like that she was improvising, but she had to get Bill to let them both stay. “My dad is all I have left, sir,” she whispered. “Please don’t separate us. If – if he can’t stay, then we’ll both just move on.”
“No, you stay here.” Dylan understood what she was doing. “I’d be very happy to know that you’re somewhere warm and safe.”
Sarah turned and faced Dylan. “No, Dad. I can’t do it without you.” She forced a shudder and turned back to Bill. “Thank you for your offer, sir, but I’ll just be heading off with my dad.” It was a calculated risk. She figured Bill wanted women in his camp. Maybe he even wanted her. She would just need to fend him off until they found Ryan and escaped.
“Wait, now.” Bill got to his feet and walked around the desk, stopping to stand directly in front of Sarah. She flinched when his hand pushed back her hood. After staring at her in silence for a few minutes, he said, “Why should I let you both stay? What can you do for me?”
“We’re both good fighters, good scavengers,” Sarah said quickly. “We’ve had to be to live so long.”
Bill shook his head. “I got plenty of those already.”
“We’re strong, we’ll work hard.”
He shook his head again. “Sorry, doll, I got hard workers.”
“I was an Army mechanic,” Dylan finally said. “I can fix anything.”
“Really?” Bill arched an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you say that before? Why’d you let your daughter do all the talking?”
Dylan shrugged. “I thought you’d maybe do the right thing and just take us in.”
Sarah’s breath caught. That probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say.
Bill laughed, but his eyes remained cold. “There is no more ‘right thing.’ There’s only what helps you to survive.” He looked at Austin. “Take her to Donna’s, him to Ray’s. They can rest up there ‘til we figure out what to do with them.”
“We’re keeping them?” Austin asked. His eyes slid over Sarah.
“For now.”
“Thank you so much, sir,” Sarah babbled. “You don’t know what this means –”
“As long as you know what it means,” Bill interrupted. “I’m in charge. You do what I say, when I say. No exceptions.” He walked around the desk and opened a drawer, pulling a notebook with a pen fastened to the front from the depths of the drawer. “What’re your names?”
“Dylan Crane.”
“Sarah Louis.”
He wrote their names in his book. “Dylan and Sarah. Welcome to Sugar Creek.” He closed the book and dropped it back into the open drawer. “Go on.”
“Let’s go,” Austin said. He nudged them both out the door.
CHAPTER NINE
They stepped ou
t of the building and Sarah immediately started to shiver. She hugged herself, the feel of her damp clothes setting off another round of the shakes. “We’ll get warm soon,” Dylan said. He put an arm around her shoulders as they followed Austin through the deserted town.
He headed up the sidewalk of a one-story house. It needed some maintenance, but was in better shape than many of the houses they had seen in their travels. Austin pounded on the door. “Ray!” He yelled. “Get your ass out here!”
“What the fuck, Austin?” The guy that opened the door was old, stubble covering his face, a ring of dirty grey hair around his head.
“Bill wants this guy staying here.” Austin pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Dylan.
“Dammit, I already got three guys here!”
“You tell him no.”
Ray glared at Austin, who held his gaze, a smirk on his face. Ray finally looked away, clearing his throat. “Get in here,” he growled. “You can sleep in the den.”
“Thank you,” Dylan said.
“Don’t thank me, jackass. I don’t want you here.” Ray turned and disappeared into the house.
“Well?” Austin said after Dylan made no move to follow Ray. “What are you waiting for?”
“I’ll come back after I see where Sarah’s staying.”
“No, you’ll go in there now.” Austin moved in front of Dylan until they were nearly touching. Despite Dylan being at least six inches taller, Austin did his best to intimidate the older man.
“Dad?” Dylan glanced over at Sarah, who shook her head slightly. “I’ll be fine. We’ll catch up in a couple hours.”
Austin laughed but they both ignored him. “Are you sure?” Dylan asked.
“I’m sure.”
Dylan turned back to Austin. “Where is she going to be?”
“Donna’s house.”
“Where is Donna’s house?”
Austin snorted in disgust then pointed down the street. “See that brick house with the porch swing?” It was about a block and a half away. “That’s where she’ll be.”
“Thank you, Austin.” Dylan held out his hand. Austin made a rude noise then took Dylan’s hand. His eyes widened as Dylan gripped tight, the pressure grinding bones together. “Take care of my little girl, OK?” He released Austin’s hand and pushed him back. Austin stumbled, looking at Dylan through new eyes.
Sarah moved between them, throwing her arms around Dylan. “I’ll see you soon, Dad,” she said before she pulled him down for a hug. She moved her lips to his ear, looking as if she was kissing his cheek. “Was that smart?” She whispered.
“Probably not,” he whispered back just before Austin pulled Sarah’s arm.
“Let’s go.”
Sarah released Dylan. “See you in a little bit, Dad.” She walked down the steps and out to the street, Dylan watching from the porch until Ray called out for him to shut the damn door.
♦
Her hands stuffed in her pockets; Sarah walked briskly down the street. “What’s your hurry?” Austin called, moving quickly behind her. “You don’t even know where you’re going.”
“The red brick house with the porch swing,” she said.
“That’s Donna’s house, but who said you’re going there now?” Austin's gaze wandered over Sarah's body. She wasn't conventionally pretty, but there was something in her eyes. Something that he wanted to break, just like he broke so many others, so many women like her who wouldn't give him the time of day before the world came to an end.
Sarah’s head turned sharply at the leer in his voice. “Bill said to take me there,” she said slowly.
“He didn’t say I had to do it right away.” Austin grinned, showing surprisingly white teeth. “You can come to my place.”
When hell freezes over, she thought. “I just want to get warm, get some rest then see what I can do to fit in here. My dad and I would really like to stay.”
Austin laughed. “Only one job for women in Sugar Creek. So, I’ll see you at my place soon enough.”
Sarah shuddered. “Not likely,” she muttered. She was only a house away from her destination.
Austin grabbed her arm and spun her around. “You’ll be there, bitch.” His fingers dug into her arm and she knew she’d have bruises.
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. The meek and mild shit was done. She tensed to fight back, but then she thought of Ryan. “Please, don’t,” she whispered, fighting her every instinct. “I – I just lost my husband. I can’t…” She looked down at the ground, biting her lip, hoping he bought it.
Austin squeezed her arm a little harder and she bit back a wince. “You better be ready soon.” He released her arm and pushed her away. She stumbled, breaking her fall by latching onto a sign post. He turned and walked away from her, headed back the way they came.
“Shit,” she muttered. She took a breath and walked to the house Austin had pointed out.
It was another ranch, brick this time, with soft blue trim. She could see where there once was a welcoming patch of wildflowers, now just a riot of dull brown weeds. She walked up onto the porch, the neglected swing swaying softly in the breeze. She rapped on the door, the sound loud in the quiet streets.
After a minute, the door cracked open. Sarah could see half a woman’s face, looking tired and haggard. She was a few years older than Sarah, and taller, but not by much. “Who are you?” She asked, her voice soft and tremulous.
“Are you Donna?” At her nod, Sarah continued. “My name’s Sarah. Bill said I could stay with you.”
“Oh.” The door opened quickly. Sarah stepped inside and the woman closed the door behind her.
The house was barely warmer than the outside. Sarah shivered. “Is there somewhere I can dry out? Get warm?”
“Sorry, we use our wood allotment at night. We won’t get any more until later this afternoon.” She crossed the room. “I can get you some blankets.”
“Wood allotment?” Sarah shrugged off her pack and it fell to the floor. She dropped down into a green easy chair that had seen better days.
“Yeah.” Donna’s voice came from another room. “Bill sends one of his guys with food and wood every afternoon.” Her voice was getting closer. Sarah saw her coming with an armful of blankets. Sarah reached for one, wrapping it around her shoulders. Donna shook out another one and wrapped it around Sarah’s legs.
“Thank you,” Sarah said softly. Food and firewood allotments? She thought. What kind of place is this?
Donna sat on the sofa opposite Sarah. She tucked her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. “How’d you come to Sugar Creek?”
Sarah pulled the blanket tighter. “My dad and I were in a little community and we got overrun. We drove ‘til we ran out of gas, then we walked.” Sarah shrugged. “We ended up here.” She looked around the room. It was a standard middle-class living room, with a sofa, loveseat and easy chair facing a now useless big screen TV. Photos on the wall of a family, one that didn’t include the woman sitting in front of her.
Donna noticed where she was looking. “I never took the pictures down when I moved in,” she said softly. “I figure someone should look at them, remember them.”
After a moment, Sarah asked, “Do you live here alone?”
“No, it’s me, Pam and Lacey. Lacey’s out and Pam’s still asleep.” Donna picked at her ragged nails.
“Do a lot of people come to Sugar Creek?” Sarah asked innocently.
Donna shook her head. “Oh, no. We can’t afford to feed a lot of people,” she said. “We barely have enough food as it is.”
“But…” Sarah shut her mouth. She’d seen the cases of food in Bill’s office. She didn’t know how many people were in town, but there was plenty of food there. And why weren’t they starting gardens? Why wasn’t someone hunting game? “How many people are here?”
Donna shrugged. “Fifteen? Twenty?”
The food in that room alone could feed these people three meals a day for a couple weeks, Sarah thought. Who knew what else he had
squirreled away? “That doesn’t seem like many,” she said hesitantly.
“It’s all we can handle,” Donna replied. “I’m surprised he let you and your dad in. We usually only let women in, but it’s been a while.”
“Why not?”
“Women have…a certain role here in Sugar Creek.”
“What do you mean?” Sarah asked, hoping Donna didn’t verify what Austin insinuated.
Donna turned away. “I’m thirsty. Do you want some water?”
“No, I have some in my bag.” Sarah worked an arm out from under the blanket and hooked her backpack. She brought the soggy bag to her lap and unzipped it. She pulled out a bottle of water and uncapped it, taking a long drink. Donna came back with a bottle of her own and sat back down on the couch.
Sarah’s stomach rumbled loudly. It had been some time since breakfast. “Sorry, I can’t offer you anything to eat,” Donna said, looking away.
Sarah rummaged in her pack, cursing Austin for disorganizing her supplies. She ended up taking everything from the bag and setting it on the table next to her before remembering that the side pocket held what she was looking for. She unzipped the pocket and pulled out a bag of deer jerky. She felt Donna’s eyes upon her and looked up. Donna was staring at the bag, her eyes wide. “Would you like some?” Sarah asked, handing the plastic bag to the woman.
“Oh.” Her voice was soft and full of reverence. “Thank you. It’s – it’s been a while since I’ve had any meat.”
Sarah bit back her immediate response. “I can’t guarantee how good it tastes,” she said, accepting the bag back from Donna minus a few pieces of jerky. “Julianne made it and her cooking skills are pretty non-existent.”
“It’s wonderful!” Donna exclaimed around a mouthful of jerky. “Who’s Julianne?”
Shit! Sarah inwardly cursed. “She – uh – she was at my last camp.” Sarah looked down at the jerky in her lap. Impulsively, she crossed her fingers. “She’s gone now.”
“Sorry about your friend.”
