by Jez Strider
She was already on her way when I gathered the items and ran after her. “We’re going to cook it!?” It had been a long time since I had a warm meal. My dad had often forbidden fires, even during the day. He said it would bring the vampires down on us.
“I think we both need it. You’re scrawny and look like crap warmed over. I haven’t wanted to go far enough away from the house to cook since my parents disappeared either.”
I was all agreements and nods, even though it stung slightly to be compared to crap and told I was too skinny. “Where was the food at? I looked everywhere.”
“There is a closest near the back of the house. When people started disappearing and then the vampire warnings went out, my dad started digging a place to hide food.” She pointed north from us. “In the summer we manage to grow a few potatoes and carrots since they’re mostly underground. So far we have been lucky enough to get away with it. The cities were hit much harder and faster than us folks in the rural areas.”
We walked for about an hour before finally stopping. I didn’t see anything special about the area except for a crate and an old ladder leaned up against it. A few homes and barns stood in the distance. Darcy placed the food basket on the ground and bent down, lifted up the crate, and pulled out some kindling that was hidden inside. She seemed to know what she was doing so I stayed out of the way while she gathered some rocks and made a small circle.
“Start cutting up those vegetables into the skillet.” She said.
“It must be hard to be a girl and do all this.” I told her as I cut a potato into pieces with my knife.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She looked up and was glaring at me. “Women have been taking care of their families since the beginning of time.”
I stumbled over my words. “I…I didn’t mean anything by it. You’re just young and kids don’t build fires and cook….”
Darcy was shaking her head. “I’m a quick learner. I can do anything you can and probably do it better.” She started blowing softly when the wood began smoking and a small flame flickered soon afterward.
“Probably….” I mumbled. “I grew up in a suburb near the city so the only fires I made were with a lighter.”
“What were you like then?” She asked, taking a seat on the ground beside me and cutting up a carrot with her own pocket knife.
“I barely remember. The same I guess.”
My answer didn’t seem to satisfy her curiosity so she asked a more specific question. “What were you good at?”
“Sports, games, anything competitive really.” I told her.
“I was kind of like that. We had horses. I had my own. Barrel racing is what I competed in.”
“That’s cool. I went to the Dixie Stampede once. I was more interested in the meal than the show.” I gave a chuckle which sounded weird to me.
This made her burst out laughing. “This lifestyle must be hard on you, then.” We had finished cutting up the two potatoes and several carrots, so Darcy placed them over the fire.
“It was, it still is, but I am sort of used to it now. You seem alright, though. All this and you still put on lipstick.”
Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red. “It’s just lip balm, not makeup.” She turned her head slightly and I think she was wiping her mouth on her sleeve. “My lips chap in the winter.”
“Oh. Right.” I smirked, but left it at that. The scent of the frying potatoes was too intoxicating.
Darcy pulled out two forks and a bottle of water for us. “I hope you don’t mind sharing a drink. I just didn’t want to carry too much.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine.”
“Good.” She handed me a fork and we began digging into the vegetables straight from the skillet.
It was the best food I had ever tasted or have tasted since. There was no salt, no pepper, just the refreshing taste of nourishment grown from the earth.
I closed my eyes and savored the flavor. Darcy spoke with a mouthful. “I wish we had ketchup.”
“Nah. It’s perfect just like this.”
She started grinning. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it. I was afraid you’d starve to death before we got out here.”
“Yeah. Me too.” I told her and it was only a minor exaggeration.
“Are you going to stay with me?” She asked abruptly.
“Do you want me to? It could be dangerous. I should probably leave tomorrow at first light.” I wanted to stay, I really did. The terrifying visage of Monserat filled my mind. He wouldn’t stop. “I can’t stay.” I decided.
She didn’t speak again and we finished our meal in silence. The air was growing cooler and clouds were moving in. The sunlit day was gone and some bad weather on its way. Darcy noticed it, too. She poured some water into the skillet to speed along the cooling.
“Can I take a picture to remember you by? You may be the last person I ever meet.” She pulled out one of those old disposable cameras that had been popular before all things digital had taken over the market.
I turned away and bowed my head. Slowly, I wandered over to the ladder and crate, leaned against it and stared into the distance. “Don’t say that. You’ll be fine.”
A flash made me turn toward her. She had snapped the picture. We both knew she had no way to develop the photo, but neither made any mention of it. The wind whipped through her hair, blowing the delicate ribbons and she put the camera in her bag.
“Feels like snow.” She said and we hurried to gather up our things. We also covered evidence of the fire with dirt. Darcy tossed me a granny smith apple. “Dessert.”
I bit down into the tough skin and the sour juices assaulted my taste buds. It had been a long time since I had anything like it. “Did you grow an apple tree, too?”
“No. We had friends with an orchard. Haven’t seen them, but the trees still grew. The vampires torched the field at the end of summer.”
The first flakes of snow started falling about halfway through our trek. It would be hard to travel the next day if the snow was significant, but I refused to put Darcy Rose in further danger. In a short day, I had grown to like her. It would be selfish to put her in harm’s way just because I was lonely.
The flurries had turned to a full on snow shower by the time we reached the farm. In a hurry, we stored the items away safely and covered our tracks as we took shelter in the barn. Safety was most important, even if we were freezing.
“Should we shut the barn door?” I asked.
Darcy hesitated. “If those same vampires come back and it’s closed they might get suspicious. Then again, it could have blown shut and I doubt they’ll come back anyway. That was only the second time vamps have come out this far since they searched our house.”
“Okay….” I pushed the door shut. “It’s too cold to leave the door open, too.”
“I hate how weather changes so fast.” She said as she hugged herself and rubbed her arms.
“Good ol’ Tennessee weather.” I told her and sighed with frustration.
We climbed up into the loft. Darcy sat down with her back against one of the large hay bales. I grabbed one of the books and my thick military blanket before sitting down beside her and wrapping the cover around us both.
“I’m not allowed to take things from the house unless they’re necessities.” She told me when she saw the book.
“Hmm.” I flipped open to the first page of Pride and Prejudice since I’d never read it or saw the movie. Also, I was pretty sure it was a chick book. “Well, I took it, you didn’t.”
She cuddled against me for warmth. “If my parents somehow return and find me with a boy, I’m in trouble anyway. Especially since you’re an older one. The books will be the least of our concerns.”
“We will just tell them how harmless I am.” I said and put an arm around her shoulder as I began reading from the book. She told me about how her mother had named her after a character in the novel. It was their secret. Her dad didn’t even know where the name came fro
m.
I read until the light of day was too faint to see the text anymore and I could hear the gentle breathing of a sleeping Darcy Rose beside me.
Darcy was still sleeping when I awoke the next morning so I slid out from under the cover and wrapped it more snuggly around her body. Then, I grabbed my backpack and climbed down the ladder. The snow was swirling around and blew inside when I cracked the barn door. Several inches had fallen. It was going to make my journey harsh, but hopefully the new accumulation would hide my footsteps. I had no idea where I was going.
I reached into my pocket and remembered the beads that I had gathered from Darcy’s bedroom floor. With focused effort, I was able to string them. They were tiny and my larger hands made it difficult. I secured the string with a knot I’d learned from the times I’d gone fishing. She had said her birthday was coming up and every girl needs something for her sweet sixteen. Besides, it would be a little gift to remember me by. I retrieved the chocolate bar in my backpack, too. It was for my sister, but I was not going back that way. Darcy would surely like it so I climbed up the ladder and placed the bracelet and candy bar on top of the open book.
Gently, I kissed Darcy’s forehead and softly said goodbye. She gave a low mumble, but didn’t wake up. I was afraid to leave her alone because I knew her family was most likely not going to return. She was strong and brave, though, so I hoped she would be okay. As okay as any of us could be in such dark times.
The wind cut through me when I exited the barn, but I forced one foot in front of the other. I was hungry again and still weak. It didn’t matter. I had to get away. It seemed like I had walked for miles after only a few minutes. I heard a faint yelling and turned around so quickly my head began swimming. For a moment, I thought I was going to pass out, but then I saw the figure coming closer. Darcy was running toward me through the snow.
“Preston!” I heard her call. “Don’t go!”
“Dammit.” I grumbled, but inside I was relieved to see her again even if it hadn’t been long. I had thought it would be forever.
She was more energetic then me, healthier, so she crossed the distance with less effort. “You can’t leave in this, you will die.”
“Maybe I can find the place your parents were looking for.” I told her.
“No. I’m not losing anyone else. If you want to go, I will share what I know in the spring and we will go together.” She reached out and entwined her fingers with mine before trying to pull me back toward the barn. The bracelet I had made was around her wrist.
If I had been stronger or older, maybe I could have resisted. I was just too worn out and she was so nice. So pretty. And…so warm. I stumbled forward at her urging, but managed to keep up.
This time when we were back in the loft, she was the one to wrap the thick blanket around me. “I told you that you were a dumb boy. Stubborn like a mule.” I laughed a little and she smiled. My eyes fluttered heavily. The entire night I had barely slept for keeping watch over her. In the comforting warmth of the familiar blanket, I drifted to sleep.
Darcy woke me up by shaking me. She had a plate full of apples with some sort of jam spread across and placed them in my lap. There was also a glass full of a thick red liquid. I accepted it and sniffed before lifting it to my mouth. Tomato juice.
“Your family was much better prepared than mine.” I told her, pausing only briefly before taking another gulp.
“Easy there. You don’t want to get sick from eating too fast.” She fell into a cross legged sitting position in front of me. “We can a lot of our food ourselves. The two of us will be able to eat well until spring. Then, we will be able to find and grow more food if we’re careful.”
It seemed like a permanent solution and my best option. If I still wanted to leave when the weather warmed, at least I would be healthier. So I agreed.
“Did you eat your candy bar?” I asked. “It’s for your birthday.”
A light red blush returned to her face and I thought about how fitting it was for her middle name to be Rose. “I’m not even sure what day of the year it is anymore, but we will share it when we do celebrate.”
“Hey, Darcy. Thanks for everything. Most people at the end of the world are only looking out for themselves. I’ve seen some bad deeds out there.”
“I figure we found each other for a reason. I like to think that whether it’s true or not.”
Our eyes were locked for a moment and then we both looked away shyly. We were both a little inept at socializing for our ages since we had spent the last two years of our lives without contact with our peers.
In the following months, Darcy and I fell into a comfortable routine. With each passing day we also grew closer. Neither of us acted on our growing feelings. I think she may have been waiting on me to make a move and I was too worried about the problems a deeper relationship would cause. She was younger and trusted me. I couldn’t jeopardize that faith in me. It was too important.
The comfort of our day to day life began to wane as the days grew longer and warmer. Grass and flowers sprouted to signal a new beginning. I was strong and healthy which instilled the need for me to venture onward. A curious itch about the refuge Darcy’s parents had searched for wouldn’t go away.
“Dar, we can’t just stay here and play house in a barn. We barely made it through winter because rats got into the cellar!” I regretted it as soon as it came out of my mouth, but I refused to take back the truth.
“Play house? We are surviving! If we leave we run the risk of dying by a million ways, not the least of which would be vampires!” She retaliated and I could see she was trying to hold back tears.
I paced back and forth before giving a frustrated kick at the barn’s dirt floor. “For all we know, vampires may not even be in power anymore.”
“Come on, Preston. You believe that?”
“I don’t know!” I threw my hands in the air. “That’s the point. You said you would help me find the place your parents spoke of.”
“But I’m scared.”
“Then tell me where to go and I’ll come back for you.”
She crossed her arms. “I’ve heard that before. Have you seen anyone come back for me? They’re dead. You’ll be dead.” And then the tears came. Darcy started crying.
I bowed my head in defeat and stepped forward, hugging her to me. “I won’t leave you. Okay? Don’t cry.” It broke my heart to hurt her, but I knew the time would come when we had to leave.
One day Darcy came up to me while I was working on crafting weapons and tools. The spear in my hand, which could be used to attack as well as fish, was almost complete.
“Pres. I want to show you one of my favorite places since it’s such a warm, nice day.” When I hesitated because I was busy, she flashed me a sweet smile.
“Alright. Let me put these things away.”
She clapped her hands together and followed me around. “You’re going to love it.”
“Then why don’t you just tell me what it is?”
“Pfft. What fun would that be?”
I shrugged. “I dunno.” My frustrations of late had left me irritable and impatient. Darcy either didn’t notice or ignored my attitude.
We walked for a while, even hiking over some rocks. It was easy for me now. I jogged and worked out every day. There was no way I was going to end up in the weak state I had been in during the early part of the winter.
As we closed in on our destination, I begin to realize why this was her favorite place. There was a small waterfall that emptied into a pool of still water. Darcy ran forward and climbed up on a rock that I guessed had often been used for diving.
“Hey, be careful.” I called out, running to catch up.
“I’ve done this a bunch of times as a kid.” She said, so I gave a reluctant nod. I was still concerned.
My worries were overridden by a feeling more primal and instinctive when she lifted off her t-shirt and pulled down her blue jean shorts to reveal a tight one piece bathing suit. It was th
e first time I had realized just how much more womanly she had become in recent months. The suit was a bit too small in all the right places. I lowered my hands over my crotch to cover my body’s involuntary response. Luckily, she didn’t look back and instead dived into the water.
“Darcy!” I called out when she didn’t surface fast enough for my liking. In a flash, I was out of my shirt. In my hurry, I left my pants on and dived off the rock after her. As soon as I did, I saw her lift her head out of the water and run her hands back through her wet hair.
I was a decent swimmer. My family had a pool in our backyard in Nashville. I swam to the top of the water and looked around for Darcy. That’s when I was met with a splash of water to my face.
“Cut that out.” I said, but splashed her back in response. We were both laughing and playing. It was the first time in years that I completely forgot how bad everything was and felt like a teenager.
“Told you it was awesome.” She said. Not only was she smiling, but her eyes held a genuine sparkle that showed how happy she was to be there.
“This is a great place.” I looked up at the waterfall as the water and sunlight made tiny rainbows. Without thinking about it, I found myself moving closer to Darcy. “I’m sorry for how I’ve been lately. I get…restless.”
Casually, she placed one hand on my chest and gave a hunch of her shoulders. “I understand.”
“You do?”
“Yeah….” She whispered softly.
That’s when I leaned in and pressed my lips softly to hers. I placed one hand on her cheek tenderly. It took every ounce of effort I had to keep it from shaking. The kiss was the greatest moment of my life. Terror, pain, and loss couldn’t kill my heart or my desire.
I was careful not to push her too far, so I broke the kiss short only to have her come at me for another. Of course, I didn’t protest. Night, on the other hand, would be upon us soon. This time, she pulled away.
“Wow. About time you made a move.” Her face was blushing now to match her slightly reddened lips. It hadn’t seemed like I had kissed her that hard.
