by Dziekan, PJ
Sarah nodded as she took a piece of jerky. It really wasn’t so bad. But she had lost her appetite. She dropped it back in the bag and zipped the closure. Her day caught up with her and she yawned loudly. She just needed a nap. “Is there somewhere I can get some rest? We walked a lot today.”
“You can sleep in my room for now,” Donna said, swallowing the last of her jerky. “We’ll make arrangements later.” She stood. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Sarah swept her belongings into her bag and stood. Slinging the pack over one shoulder, she gathered the blankets in her arms. She followed Donna through the house, past a closed door to a small room with a single bed. Posters of presumably dead pop stars adorned the walls. Stuffed animals gathered dust in the corners. Sarah tried hard not to imagine the young girl who had made the room her own. She mostly succeeded.
“It’s not much,” Donna said. “But it’s mine.” She picked up a pair of pants that were discarded at the foot of the bed.
“It’s fine, Donna, thank you.” Sarah sat on the bed, dropping her pack onto her lap. She unzipped the pocket and reached inside, pulling out the half-eaten bag of jerky. “Here,” she said, holding it out to the older woman.
Donna’s eyes widened. “I can’t take that!”
“Yes, you can. I want you to have it.” Sarah shook the bag. “I have more.” Sarah thought she had more.
“Oh, wow, thank you so much!” Donna took the bag, immediately hiding it in the sleeve of her sweater.
“You’re welcome.” Sarah began to unlace her boots.
“Sarah?” She looked up at Donna’s whisper. “Don’t trust the other girls.” Donna’s eyes darted left and right. “Don’t trust anyone.” She left the room before Sarah could respond.
Sarah pulled her feet from her boots, wiggling her toes to warm them up. She wrapped herself in both blankets and curled up on the bed in a fetal position. This town is poison, she thought. We have to find Ryan and get the hell out of here. She closed her eyes, wishing she was back with her friends. Wishing Mick was beside her. Missing him.
CHAPTER TEN
“What do you think they’re doing?” Mick asked as he and Becca sat around their meager fire. They were sitting on the cold concrete floor of the garage, the fire barely giving off any heat.
“Same as they were when you asked five minutes ago.” Becca sighed, leaning back against the wall.
Mick shook his head. “Sorry. I’m just worried about her. I should have gone in.”
“You couldn’t and you know it.” Becca pulled a sleeve of crackers from her pack. She popped one in her mouth, grimacing at the stale taste. You would think I’d get used to this, she thought as she washed down the crumbs with a swig of water. She swallowed, rubbing the back of her hand over her mouth. “She’ll be fine. Dylan will take care of her.”
Mick snorted. “I don’t think anyone can take care of her.”
“He’ll watch out for her, then.” She took another couple of crackers and handed the bag to Mick.
They ate in silence. Mick threw another piece of wood on the fire. It was wet and smoldered quite a bit before flames finally licked up the sides. “We should see if we can find some supplies while it’s light,” he said, looking out the grime covered windows. “Probably not much here, but we should check anyway.” He handed the crackers back.
“It’ll pass the time,” she said, taking the crackers.
“I’m sure the Sugar Creek group took everything,” Mick said, leaning into the warmth of the fire. “But you’re right, it’ll pass the time.”
“Do you think they can do it?” Becca’s voice was barely a whisper. “Do you think they can get him out?”
“If anyone can do it, it’s Sarah.” He let out a sigh. “If he’s alive.”
“If he’s not, I’d hate to be the one who killed him.” Becca smiled softly. “Angry Sarah is a scary sight.”
Mick laughed. “Don’t I know it.” He sobered. “But he’s my brother. I should be there.”
“For Pete’s sake, Mick, enough already!” She exclaimed. “It’s done, you’re not there, and whining about it isn’t going to change it.” She instantly covered her mouth with her hand. She couldn’t believe she said that.
Mick was stunned as well. He looked at Becca, wide-eyed, her hand covering her mouth, and laughed. The first good laugh he had in days. After a moment, Becca joined in.
When they finally stopped, Becca spoke. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”
Mick shrugged. “No, it was true. I have been pretty whiny and miserable. Thanks for setting me straight.” He shook his head. “What happened to that sweet girl we found?”
“The apocalypse.”
They waited until the fire burned to coals then banked it with bricks they found behind the garage. They hid the contents of their packs in an old metal locker and headed outside, armed only with empty packs, flashlights and their weapons. The day was overcast, with a bit of a breeze. They zipped their jackets as they walked to the business district.
Most of the shops were very nearly empty. Their best find was a pair of old handguns and a stack of gold coins, hidden behind a wall in an antique shop. If it hadn’t been for an owl flying at Mick, causing him to slam into the wall, they never would have found them.
“Can we use those?” Becca asked, indicating the guns.
He looked over at Becca. “I have no idea,” he answered, looking down at two revolvers, one looking like something from an old Western. “I don’t even know what caliber they are. But I’m not leaving them here.” He nodded at the coins. “Those either. If this world ever gets back to something resembling normal, gold will be worth something.”
Becca began putting the stacks of coins in her pack. “This is all well and good, but we need to find food and water,” she said softly. “What we have in our packs will be gone tomorrow.”
“We still have a bunch of stores to check.” Mick moved his flashlight around the room. “If we don’t find anything, there’s always that owl.”
“Ugh!”
They checked the rest of the storefronts on that side of the street. The antique store yielded the best booty. They did manage to find a few edibles and a can of Pepsi that had rolled under a desk. Nowhere near enough to last them a week. They headed back to the gas station, the sun going down, the air cooling rapidly.
“We’ll check the other stores tomorrow,” Mick said, pulling their haul from the packs.
“Hope we find something,” Becca said, taking the gold coins and hiding them in the locker with their other items.
“If not, we can drive up the road to some of those houses, see what’s there.”
“You really think these people left anything?” Becca took the guns to the locker.
“There has to be something.” Mick set their food on the tool bench. From their packs: a can of pears, two cans of stew, a can of beets, two bags of raisins and two bags of deer jerky. The day’s spoils consisted of two bags of pretzels, a can of tuna and a sleeve of crackers. The four bottles of water they had packed and the can of Pepsi they found sat next to the food. “What do you fancy tonight?” Becca laughed. “I want April’s spaghetti.”
“Damn, she does make good spaghetti.” Mick grabbed a can of stew and a bag of pretzels.
“Wish I was there now.”
“I wish we all were there.”
♦
April walked into the house and plopped down into a chair. “I don’t know how she does it, walking the perimeter.” She sighed, leaning back and closing her eyes. “And I have to do it again in a couple hours.”
“I can do it,” Jack said from his perch on the couch.
April eyed the bandage on his leg. “In a couple days.”
“I’m not that hurt, I can do it now.” Jack swung around, his feet on the floor. April caught the wince he quickly wiped away.
She laughed. “When you can walk from your room to the couch without limping or wincing, you can do it. I’ll gladly let you. Th
at damn sensor near the logging trail is acting up.”
“I’m not a kid, you know.”
“I know, Jack.” April’s voice was soft. “But you can’t go out there hurt. It won’t do any of us any good. Hell, I’m in fine shape and it takes everything in me to just make it around once.”
Jack knew she was just protecting him, just like she did to everyone else. He smiled slyly. “Can’t be in too fine a shape if a pregnant woman can do it with ease.” April didn’t want to tell Jack about Sarah’s pregnancy, so he wouldn’t worry, but Julianne was eager to share the news.
April groaned in mock indignation. “Why, you little whippersnapper!”
Jack laughed. “This whippersnapper’s gonna run rings around you when this damn leg heals.”
She laughed. “I have no doubt, Jack.” Taking a breath, she stood up. “I’m going to check in with Dominic, make sure the kids are doing OK.”
“I think he took them down to the lake.”
“Great, another hike,” she muttered as she headed back out.
♦
April watched as Mikey and Elizabeth laughed at Dominic’s attempt to cast the fishing rod. Despite the fact that their parents were gone and the world was full of the walking dead, the kids were resilient. They laughed, they played, they had fun. They were still taught how to live in the strange new world – an hour of survival instruction each day – but the adults made a conscious effort to let them be kids for as long as possible.
“Any luck?’ April called as she walked the last couple yards to the lake.
“If I could get the line in the water and not in a tree, we might get something,” Dominic said, reeling the line back in.
“You realize that most of the fish are huddled in the center of the lake?’ April smiled down at the kids. “It’s still a little too cold for them.”
Dominic shook his head. “I thought it would be a good field trip.” He looked at Mikey and Elizabeth. “At least it was funny, huh?”
“He kept getting it tangled,” Elizabeth said, giggling.
“He said some words that we’re not supposed to,” Mikey added.
April looked at Dominic, who shrugged. “He won’t say them again, will you, Dominic?”
“No, I won’t say those words anymore.” He picked up the tackle box. “Ready to head back?”
The kids gave their assent and started up the path to the cabin. April and Dominic followed behind. April watched as he limped his way over the uneven ground. “Are you OK?”
Dominic shrugged. “Same as usual. I’ll just have to rest later.” He watched the kids running ahead, giggling and laughing. “You know, you’re the only able-bodied person here,” he said. “Do you think that was smart?”
“They had to go get Ryan,” April replied. “We couldn’t leave him out there.”
“But you’re stuck here with two kids, two guys with bum legs and a girl who’s pretty much lost her mind. What if something happens?”
April looked up at the sky, spying a hawk cruising above. “If something happens, we deal with it.” She knew better than to say nothing would happen. “You don’t give us enough credit. We survived for a week on that roof, with no one else.”
“Until we were rescued by Sarah and Mick, starved and nearly out of water.” He grimaced as his foot came down on a rock, twisting his bad leg.
April shook her head. “Were you always a glass half empty kind of guy?”
He laughed. “Yeah, I guess I was.” They had reached the top of the path. The kids raced to the house, where Jack and Julianne waited on the porch. Jack held the rifle in his hand; the other held the banister as he slowly made his way down the porch step. His face was full of concern.
April looked at Dominic. “Are you OK?”
“Yeah, go. See what’s going on.” April jogged to the porch. Dominic gritted his teeth against the pain and moved a little faster.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A loud pounding startled Sarah awake. She opened her eyes, disoriented. She propped herself up on her elbows. The faded pop star on the wall stared at her and she remembered where she was. “Yes?” Her voice was low and raspy. She cleared her throat. “Yes?” She said again.
“You Sarah?” A female voice called. “Some guy’s here to see you.”
“Thanks.” Sarah sat up and swung her feet over the side of the bed. It must be Dylan, she thought as she slipped her boots on. She grabbed her pack and opened the door.
A young woman with dyed black hair and multiple facial piercings sat on the sofa, leafing through a magazine that was six months old. Sarah had picked up that issue when she got the Nyquil for her flu. The girl glanced up at Sarah, snorted, and looked back to the magazine. “Hi,” Sarah said softly. “Are you Lacey or Pam?”
“Pam,” she muttered without looking up.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Whatever.”
Sarah sighed, crossing the room. She opened the door and saw Dylan stamping his feet, blowing on his hands. “Close the damn door!” Pam yelled. Sarah stepped over the threshold and closed the door.
“You look a little better,” Dylan said as they walked away from the house.
“I got a little sleep. You look about the same.”
“You try to sleep on a lumpy couch that smells like cat piss.”
Sarah laughed. “I got a cushy twin bed. And blankets.”
“Of course, you did.” Dylan looked down the street, saw a guy wearing a baseball cap walking towards them. “Did you find out anything?”
Sarah bit her lip. Should she tell him? “Nothing good,” she finally said. “Appears that food and fuel deliveries are highly regulated. I shared my jerky with Donna and you would have thought I handed her the world.”
“But Bill had all that food in his office. Probably a hell of a lot more that we didn’t see.”
“I know.” Sarah noticed the man down the street. She hoped it wasn’t Austin. “Donna said they almost never let new people in.” She looked up at Dylan. “Think he’s dead?” She hated that her voice broke.
“I don’t know,” Dylan admitted. “It’s likely, though.”
“We need to find out. And we need to find out who did it.” The anger in her voice alarmed Dylan.
“We can’t do anything stupid. I promised Mick I’d bring you back.”
“I can’t – won’t—let his death go unpunished,” she said softly, the anger gone. “I owe him.”
“He wouldn’t want you to get killed avenging his death.”
The guy was closer. Sarah was glad to see it wasn’t Austin. He was someone she hadn’t seen yet, a beard and moustache covering his face. “Did you find out anything?” She asked, changing the subject.
“No. Ray let me in, threw a threadbare blanket at me, told me to take the couch and went into his room. He slammed the door and I never saw him again.”
“Shit.” Sarah pushed her hands deeper in her coat pockets. “We might have a little problem.”
“What?”
“There’s only one use for women in Sugar Creek.” Her voice was without emotion. “I’ve heard that from two different people.”
“What?!?” Dylan stopped walking and looked down at her.
Sarah stopped and shrugged. “Austin told me and Donna implied it.” From the corner of her eye, she saw the man was only a couple blocks away. “She also said not to trust anyone.”
Dylan snorted. “Like I trust anyone in this place.” He touched her arm. “That won’t happen, Sarah. You know that, right?” She swallowed and nodded. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“Hello!” A voice called. Dylan and Sarah turned to see the man who had been walking toward them just a few feet away. “I’m Ken,” he said, holding out his hand. “Who might you be?” He was in his forties, red tufts of hair peeking out from his hat, darker red hair on his face.
Dylan shook his hand. “I’m Dylan and this is my daughter, Sarah. We just got in today and we’re taking a look around town.”
“You the army mechanic?”
Dylan nodded. “That’s right.”
Ken turned to Sarah. “And what do you do, Sarah?”
She flicked her eyes at Dylan, then back to Ken. “I can do what’s needed. Cook, clean, fight, build.”
“I see.” His gaze ran up and down her body, but she didn’t feel the same revulsion she did when Austin or Bill looked at her. It was as if Ken was taking her measure. “You both look well fed.”
“We were in a settlement, got attacked,” Dylan responded.
“Is that so?” He waited for them to say more, but both Sarah and Dylan remained silent. After the silence became uncomfortable, Ken clapped Dylan on the shoulder. “Why don’t we go see Bill, see what he has in mind for you?”
“We were going to check the town, see what’s here,” Dylan said.
“You’ve pretty much seen it,” Ken replied, his hand putting pressure on Dylan’s shoulder, subtly turning him. “We have most of the town closed off because the buildings aren’t safe.”
“Aren’t safe how?” Sarah asked. They looked fine to her.
“Some aren’t structurally sound; some still have creatures.” He looked down at Sarah. “You wouldn’t want to run into one of those, would you?”
“I’ve killed them before.” She held his eyes. She had to force herself to break his gaze. This meek and mild act was getting harder and harder to maintain.
“I’ll bet you have.” He looked up at Dylan. “Town is off limits past the police station, OK?”
Dylan nodded. “We’ll stay away from there.”
“And you, Sarah?” He didn’t look at her, but kept his eyes on Dylan.
“Yes, Ken. I don’t have any reason to go down there, anyway.”
“Good!” Ken said with false humor. “Let’s go see Bill.”
♦
“How do you like our town so far?” Bill asked. Sarah and Dylan were led to his store, but kept out of the back office. They met in the showroom, Bill leaning on the counter, waiting for a reply.
“It’s quiet,” Dylan said. “I like it.”
