Bloody Sunset

by Gwendolyn Harper

“Cae!” Booker shouted from outside the barn. “Cae, you in there?”

  Inhaling, Caitlin tugged her sleeve back over the bite.

  “I’m here,” she called. “I’m okay.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The news of Seth’s death at the hands of the undead was met with relief.

  Relief he was gone and relief they didn’t have to be the ones to put him down.

  As rattled as Desi was, she bounced back quickly, quipping with Booker over warmed oatmeal and canned OJ.

  “Caitlin, your jacket is bloody,” Nicole said, starting to pull at her sleeve. “Is that…”

  “Oh, I’m okay,” Caitlin said. “It happened in the barn.”

  Nicole eyed her but didn’t say anything.

  “I’m just going to get cleaned up,” Caitlin added, offering a weak smile.

  Stepping into their trailer, she gingerly pulled her coat off and tossed it aside, examining her wound. Poking at the bruised skin around it, she winced.

  Rinsing it with what was left in a plastic water bottle, she hissed under her breath.

  There was no doubt it was a bite. The teeth marks were even more prominent in the light streaming in through the kitchenette window.

  She waited for the tears to come, but they never did.

  She waited for the grief and anger, but instead she was suspended in a neutral territory of acceptance.

  Maybe she knew the day would always come.

  Maybe Seth had been right, that they’d all been living on borrowed time.

  Hell, Caitlin should have died months ago, crushed to death in the rubble of a plane crash.

  Everything beyond that had been a loan.

  A loan that was now being called up for repayment.

  Vaguely, she wondered if amputation would be possible, but the odds of her surviving that kind of operation without sterile instruments or anesthetics were slim.

  No, she’d reached the end of the line. At least she got to see everyone, got to say goodbyes like she wanted.

  Maybe Alonzo would even break out the flask he thought no one knew about and offer a sip of whatever whiskey he’d been squirreling away.

  It would be okay. She’d greet her end with dignity, head held high and shoulders back.

  Nothing would snuff Caitlin Meadows out while sniveling and railing against fate.

  She hadn’t broken yet, she wasn’t about to crumble now.

  Finding a patch of gauze and a few band aids in her bag, she covered her wound and changed shirts, pulling on one of Booker’s heavy fleece sweatshirts and her cold weather coat with the hood.

  “Songbird, y’alright?” Booker called, heavy boots approaching the door.

  Taking a deep breath, she held it in her lungs for an extra beat.

  She wouldn’t get many of those left.

  Opening the door, she smiled at him. “Just changing out of those dirty clothes,” she said.

  He reached for her, gently cupping her jaw and leaning down to kiss her.

  Caitlin melted into him, letting every inch of her feel him as he swept her mind clean with his touch.

  “That was a brave thing y’did for Desi,” he murmured, pulling back a fraction to stare down at her. “Still, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

  She kissed him again, sinking her fingers into his hair.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “It won’t happen again.”

  Caitlin memorized his smile. The way the corners of his eyes crinkled, the way his brown irises glittered with gold in the mid-morning light, the shadow his growing stubble made along his jawline and throat.

  “You know, I probably would have fallen in love with you no matter what,” she said, finger combing his lengthy hair off his forehead. “But I sure got lucky that you look this good.”

  Booker’s ears flushed pink and he ducked his head.

  “Tryna make me blush and it ain’t even noon,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her close. “Gonna get me in trouble, darlin’.”

  “After the day I had, I figured I’d take advantage.”

  When his hand drifted lower, gripping her ass appreciatively, Caitlin hummed against his bottom lip.

  Maybe a quickie, maybe if they didn’t take all their clothes off…

  “Hey Booker, I found you a better ax for—” Max faltered, finally seeing them fully. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

  “’S alright, Max,” Booker said with a smirk. “Y’can leave it by the wood pile.”

  Saluting him with two fingers, Max strode over to set the tool down.

  Caitlin took it as a sign, withdrawing a bit from Booker.

  As she stepped around him, he reached for her arm, just barely hitting her bite hidden beneath her clothes.

  “Where y’runnin’ off to?”

  She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Just going to check on Desi.”

  Caitlin wanted to spend as much time with the girl as possible while she still could.

  Walking back towards the group, she recounted the symptoms Carolina had as she faded.

  Fever, delirium, vomiting…

  Once the whites of her eyes were completely bloodshot and her gums darkened, it wasn’t long after that.

  Hours. That was all she had left.

  She wanted to enjoy them to the fullest.

  * * * * * * *

  Dusk drifted peacefully into night, and despite the cold, Caitlin and a few others lingered by the fire, sipping watered down fruit punch and telling stories.

  The tensions that had built up since the school fire had dissipated, hurt feelings put aside now that the culprit had met his end.

  Sandwiched between Nicole and Booker, Caitlin watched the group laugh and carry on with a watery smile curling her lips. She even found herself locking eyes with Nathaniel as Brooke dozed off on his shoulder and giving an approving smile and nod.

  They were a good couple. Maybe not exactly who she pictured him with, but they were kind to each other and solid. Really what more could a person ask for in a world like theirs?

  As Scott told one of his classic ER stories, Booker leaned closer and whispered, “This ain’t gonna end with somethin’ gettin’ lodged in a fella’s ass, is it?”

  Caitlin laughed. “Why? Not your brand of body humor?”

  “If I got a choice, no,” he said with a lopsided grin.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve heard it before,” she said. “They get the LEGOS out.”

  Booker cringed and cursed under his breath, making Caitlin giggle.

  Normally she would have swallowed her glee down, but she couldn’t deprive herself.

  Not anymore.

  “Well don’t spoil it, Caitlin,” Scott teased.

  It only made her laugh harder. “Sorry, sorry.”

  After a moment she felt Nicole watching her and Caitlin turned to look.

  “Can we talk?” Nicole asked, jerking her head towards hers and Scott’s trailer.

  It sobered Caitlin immediately.

  “Uh, sure,” she said, handing Booker her plastic cup. “We’ll be right back,” she told him.

  Once inside the single-wide, Nicole closed the door behind her and crossed her arms.

  “Let me see it,” she said.

  Caitlin blinked. “See what?”

  Nicole’s stare was level but stern. “The bite you got.”

  For the second time that day, the bottom fell out from under her.

  Only this time, she didn’t fall ten feet to the ground below.

  Caitlin swayed a little, reaching out to grab the kitchenette counter edge for support.

  “I saw your coat sleeve,” Nicole continued. “Noticed how you refused to tell anyone what happened, or even look at it. And you changed immediately after—”

  “I was just—”

  “Getting rid of evidence,” Nicole cut in. “Making it even less suspicious so no one would ask.”

  “Nicole, it’s not what you think,” Caitlin urged.

  “Really? ‘Ca
use right now I’m thinking my best friend lied to me—to everyone—and is a walking timebomb.”

  Caitlin sucked in a deep breath.

  “I just wanted to spend my last night with as much normalcy as possible,” she explained. “I didn’t want to see people sad or afraid of me. I didn’t want anyone to panic or try to save me.” She glanced to the window where she could see the firepit and the silhouettes of her loved ones. “I wanted to drink watered down Capri Sun and listen to Scott tell the same story for the fiftieth time. And I wanted hug everyone and tell them I loved them, and then…”

  The tears she thought would never come finally welled, spilling down her cheeks.

  “And then what, Caitlin?”

  She sniffed, trying to hold herself together.

  “I thought I’d do it near the grain silo,” she whispered. “The field is pretty, and you can see the stars for miles…”

  Nicole scowled. “You want to kill yourself?”

  “It’s better than wasting away and having one of you put a knife in the back of my skull once I turn.”

  Stepping forward, Nicole shook her head. “Caitlin what about Booker? And Desi? And… all of us? Were we just supposed to wake up tomorrow to find you missing? Go looking for you only to find your body in some cow pasture?”

  “I already made Booker promise,” she muttered, unable to hold her friend’s stare.

  “Made him promise what?”

  “That I’d get to die while I was still me,” she said. “That he wouldn’t let me become one of those things, even for a second. He’ll understand why I did it this way.”

  “Like hell he will,” Nicole snapped. “Caitlin, it’ll kill him.”

  “It’s not like this is easy for me,” she shouted. “Do you think this is how I wanted to end up? How I wanted my story to end? Of course not! But I didn’t get a say in getting bit, so I’m getting a say in how I die.”

  Nicole glowered. “You have to tell him.”

  “I will not let the last memory I have of my husband be one of heartbreak and grief,” she told her. “I’m going to remember him just as he is out there.” She pointed out the window. “Happy and full of love, for me and everyone around him.”

  Pushing past Nicole, Caitlin reached for the door.

  It was only a beat before stepping outside that she noticed how the conversation at the fire pit had died down.

  The group all stood in a loose semi-circle, staring at the trailer that clearly had very little soundproofing.

  She found Booker’s gaze instantly, and even in the dark she could see his shattered expression.

  She’d been wrong. This would be her last memory of him.

  Caitlin’s breath left her in a rush, a condensation cloud appearing in front of her face.

  “Cae?” Booker’s voice cracked and so did her heart.

  Closing her eyes, she fought the fresh tears threatening to fall.

  “I’m sorry, Jack. I’m so sorry.”

  * * * * * * *

  The table in Nicole and Scott’s trailer had never seemed that small to Caitlin, but with so many people crowded around it, she was starting to rethink her assessment.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Why wouldn’t you tell us?”

  “You kept it from us for so long?”

  “When did it happen?”

  The questions and voices bled into each other.

  But all Caitlin could do was stare straight ahead at Booker.

  “Can you all give us a minute, please?” She asked, barely looking over to the rest of the group.

  It took some urging from Nicole but finally the trailer cleared out, and she and Booker were alone.

  The silence however was deafening.

  “Jack… Jack, look at me.”

  Slowly, he dragged his gaze up from the table, locking eyes with her.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she murmured. “I just couldn’t bring myself to break your heart like that.”

  “Guess your plan didn’t work out, huh,” he muttered, voice more gravel and pain than she’d ever heard from him.

  Caitlin swallowed, trying to force down the knot in her throat.

  “I understand why you’re mad,” she said. “I mean, after everything…”

  Booker shook his head. “Nah, I ain’t mad,” he said. “I’m just thinkin’… Maybe this is it for both of us.”

  She thought she’d misheard him.

  Caitlin blinked, frowning. “What?”

  “If your ticket’s gettin’ punched…” He shrugged. “Don’t see why mine can’t too.”

  Horrified, she gaped at him.

  “Booker, no.”

  He looked up at her. “What, you think… I’m just supposed to put you in the ground and then, what? Carry on?”

  “That’s exactly what you should do.”

  “Nah,” he drawled, shaking his head. “I’m done, Cae. You go, I go. Simple as that.”

  “It is not simple,” she snapped. “What about the others? Nicole loves you like a brother, and Desi…” She leaned forward. “She adores you, Jack.”

  “She’s got Nicole and Scott.”

  “She called you ‘dad’. You can’t turn your back on her like this.”

  He slammed his fist on the table. “And you can’t expect me to live without you,” he yelled.

  Putting his head in his hands, Booker muttered incoherently for a moment before dragging a breath down his raw windpipe.

  “Songbird, you’re the only thing keepin’ me goin’ in this world,” he admitted. “If you ain’t in it, I… I just don’t see a reason to be either.”

  Sliding her hand across the table, she couldn’t quite reach him.

  “Jack, that’s extreme,” she said. “And it isn’t healthy—”

  “This world is extreme,” he snapped. “And it’s broken and deadly and without reason.” He titled forward, pegging her with a hard glare. “If you can just go wander off into a field somewhere and put a bullet in your skull, why can’t I?”

  Tears fell from Caitlin’s lashes as she stared at him.

  “Because I don’t want to die knowing I brought you down too,” she whispered. “Jack, my time’s up and it wasn’t my decision. But you… you have a choice.”

  He nodded, making a noise at the back of his throat.

  “And I choose now.”

  Caitlin’s grief was proving to be too much, tearing her apart from the inside.

  “Together or not at all,” Booker continued. “’S whatchu said.”

  “I didn’t mean like this,” she choked out.

  His expression was grim but resolute.

  “Yeah, well… it’s where we’re at, ain’t it.”

  A sound behind them brought both their heads around.

  “We just need another minute,” Caitlin said, wiping under her eyes.

  Entering the trailer, Scott wasn’t deterred. “Caitlin, when were you bit?”

  The question felt so out of place after everything she and Booker had been discussing.

  “This morning,” she said, frowning. “Why?”

  Coming in behind him, Nicole tried to pull her husband back. “Scott, they’re not done—”

  “No, I know,” he said, waving her off gently. “But this is important.”

  Pulling out a folding chair, Scott took a seat at the table.

  “You said you were bit this morning? At the barn with Seth?”

  Caitlin felt dizzy.

  “Yes,” she said, leaning on her uninjured forearm.

  “That was over twelve hours ago,” Scott said. “I’ll grab my kit to be sure, but just from looking at you, I can tell you’re not fevered. You’re not sweating, you don’t have any discoloration around your eyes or lips—”

  “Scott, what are you saying?” Nicole interrupted.

  He glanced up at her before turning back at Caitlin. “Back at the Iowa camp, when we were making the vaccine, we learned a lot about the virus,
” he said. “We learned how fast it attacked the system, how rapidly people fell ill.” He shifted forward, urging her to look at him. “And we also learned that point zero one percent of the world’s population was immune.”

  Caitlin started to roll her eyes. “Yeah, like everyone kept at the Iowa Ark.”

  “No, we have higher immunity against the virus,” he corrected. “But we aren’t immune.”

  She felt like she was missing the punchline.

  Nicole tapped out the math on her fingers. “Point zero one percent of eight billion people is… eight hundred thousand.”

  Scott nodded. “Eight hundred thousand people all over the world who are completely immune to this virus. And if I’m right…” He held Caitlin’s gaze. “You’re one of them.”

  Caitlin felt numb, unable to process everything being said to her.

  “What if…” She swallowed. “What if I’m just slow to show symptoms or something?”

  “I’ve never seen a person with or without higher immunity last more than three or four hours before starting to show signs of infection. You’ve lasted twelve, going on thirteen,” he said. “We’ll keep you under observation just to be certain, but… Caitlin I think you might be one of the immune.”

  Her skin began to tingle, and warmth spread over her, like she’d just drank a glass of champagne too quickly.

  Immune.

  She’d never considered the possibility. Never had a reason to.

  Suddenly the luck she thought had run out came back at full strength.

  Her stare dropped to the bandage on her arm.

  Immune.

  Caitlin looked up, directly at Booker.

  Tears rolled over his cheeks, catching in his stubble.

  Inhaling, she tried to steady herself.

  She thought she’d break down, too overwhelmed to hold her bruised and broken heart together any longer.

  “Cae?”

  “Immune,” she breathed, and a smile spread across her face.

  Chapter Seventeen

  New Mexico

  One Year Later

  Fumbling with the buttons on her purple plaid over shirt, Caitlin wandered from their bedroom down the long corridor.

  Voices hummed in the kitchen downstairs, and she squinted out the picture window, trying to gauge what time it was.

  Everything was brighter in the desert. Morning felt like noon, noon felt like the surface of the sun, and dusk lingered for much longer than she thought possible.