“Bullshit...” She hadn't meant to say it out loud. The slip-up brought their curious looks toward her before she tiptoed away.
Jenny entered the bathroom and pulled the shower curtain clear. Nothing but a few bottles of shampoo lined up and an old bar of soap hugging the tub's drain. She knelt, drew her mouth close to the faucet, and turned the knob. A few drops hit her tongue. Discouraged, she pulled away and tried the sink. No luck there either.
“You okay?” Danny's voice startled her.
“Yes...” She made eye contact with him briefly before turning toward the linen closet. Her fingers rifled through its contents. Another bottle of Tylenol, some deodorant, and a large box of Band-Aids were tossed into the sink.
“Not sure I believe you.” He leaned forward, feet planted, both hands gripping the door frame. A few cracks from his spine, then he straightened. “Don't take this the wrong way, but—”
Here we go...
“—I'm only asking because I worry about you. You've been a little sluggish lately. It isn't like you. Normally, you're high energy, joking around with us, but the last couple of trips...” He studied her, searching for some kind of reaction, but she had no intention of giving him one. “Just worried about you. That's all.”
You can go now. She grabbed a few wash rags and added them to her pile of keepers in the sink. If you want to help, you can give me some space. Give me a chance to prove myself. That's what I need from you. The floorboards began to creak down the hallway. Danny had finally gotten the hint.
Now's my chance. Jenny guided the door closed, locked it, and rushed back to the linen closet. “Come on, come on,” she whispered while rustling through the small boxes and bottles—a few toppling over onto the floor. “I know I saw women's clothing in the bedroom. Why can't I—”
A tapping at the door followed by Matt's voice. “Gonna be long in there?”
You too? She chose to ignore him. I've got to find this damn thing. Her feet clung to the edge of the lowest shelf, her eyes barely able to peruse the highest portion of the closet. “Damn it. Still can't find any. This is getting ridiculous,” she muttered. It took her only a minute longer to tear through the medicine cabinet and vanity, but she only came across more of the same. Damn it! She drove the heels of her hands into both eye sockets, wanting nothing more than to scream.
Another tap at the door.
Annoyed, she flung it open. “What?!”
“I just—I”
“What?” She crossed her arms while standing precisely in the middle of the narrow bathroom. Matt propped his hand on the door jamb and tried to look past her, but she mirrored his attempt with her head. “Can I help you with something?”
“I just needed to use the bathroom...” Matt gave an uneasy smile. “Did you leave any water in the bowl?”
“That wasn't what I was doing.”
“Well, then do you mind—”
Jenny yanked his hand from the jamb and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him with her foot. She locked her lips onto his. Her shoulders relaxed. Some of the pent-up stress dissolved within their kiss. She opened her eyes and exhaled. Matt's lips wanted more, still puckered. He opened his eyes. “Wha—” Matt looked from left to right, blushing, seemingly embarrassed from spectator's eyes that didn't exist. “What was that for?”
“I need you to listen to me.”
He nodded.
She took his hands. “I appreciate you wanting to take care of me, believe me, I do, but I'm not helpless, so quit treating me like it. Don't let your lack of confidence hold me back too.”
“Why would you say that?” His voice full of hurt. “I—I'm good at this too. I know what I'm doing.”
“I know you do. But sometimes I don't think you know you do. Ever since Xavier was”—she swallowed—“was murdered, you've changed. All of us have, but you've got to let it go or at least turn it into something positive. What happened wasn't your fault. Quit acting like it was.” She gave him a peck on the cheek and took a playful tone, “Or you're never getting any sex again.”
Matt's eyes went wide. “Yeah. Okay, yeah, I can do that.” He pulled her in closer, and she felt his hand snaking around toward her backside.
“Stop.” She smacked him on the back. “Maybe when we get home.”
Matt leaned in for another kiss.
“I said maybe. Don't push it.”
He chuckled and brought his hands in front of him, palms out. “I wasn't doing anything. I swear.”
“Mm-hmm.” Raising her eyebrows, she smirked and gave a coy smile before squeezing by him into the hall. “See how this works? I'm giving you your space.”
“You, uh, you mind,” he stammered while scratching the back of his head. “You think you could take over searching the bedroom, so I can do what I need to do? Only that closet's left back there.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
...
Jenny kept Sherman's lead tight in her hand while they hid within a row of hedges alongside the old Tudor house they had just cleared. “He'll be back, boy,” she whispered, patting his side. Only five minutes had passed since Danny took to the street for a quick assessment. But minutes in the bitter cold felt like hours, and despite two layers of wool socks, her toes felt every second. Come on, Danny. Vigorously, she rubbed her pants, warming her thighs, her calves. “He coming yet?” Jenny asked, anxious to get moving again.
Posted at the corner of the house, but still concealed by the bushes, Matt clutched the pistol. “Not yet.” He leaned forward and bent his neck to the left. “He's still working back the other way.”
“Where we came from?”
“Yeah.”
Ten minutes passed.
Finally, Danny broke the corner. “We're good to our rear. Doesn't look like anyone's tracking us. Only one more house and we call it a night. It's starting to get dark anyway.” He propped his rifle against the brick before taking out a map and kneeling in the snow. Jenny and Matt circled around to observe him mark the Tudor house as ‘searched’ with a quick scratch of his pencil. “The next one's just a block over.” He flicked that one with the pencil too. “The transport crew is gonna be busy by the time we're done with this round.”
“How many have we done this month?” Jenny asked.
“Next house will be forty-one,” Danny answered after counting the tick marks across the map. “Pretty good run, I'd say.”
“Doesn't feel like that many,” she said, thinking back on what Danny had mentioned earlier about her being a little sluggish lately. I’ll show you sluggish. “You sure we can only do one more tonight?”
Danny folded the map neatly into his ruck, then stood, squinting into the distance. “This house took longer than I thought it would.” He lowered his kerchief for a second to spit. “There might only be an hour or two of decent sunlight left before it gets too cold. It's not worth the risk. At this rate, I'm not sure we'll even make it home tonight.”
“Camping out in the next house?” Jenny asked.
Danny nodded, still watching the sun slink off in the distance.
“All these houses have fireplaces, right?” Matt asked.
The question broke Danny from his gaze. “You two...” He closed his eyes and shook his head, sighing.
“I already know what you’re thinking,” Jenny gloated. “Any amount of smoke like that will give our position away.”
“Yep, just like this.” Danny pushed the air from his lungs, letting out a long stream of condensation. “You’d notice that from miles away. I swear you guys must've come from some sort of paradise or something.”
Paradise... The comment gave Jenny pause as his lecture continued in the background.
Jenny figured at some point River's Edge could have been viewed as a paradise when comparing it to what others experienced shortly after the Almawt virus struck. Life had certainly been much easier within those walls. Working maintenance in the town had been safe—made even more so once the Second Alliance moved in. Their int
entions were well hidden, but it wasn't long before their facade crumbled. Sam's death. Xavier's death. Haverty's letter. All those things revealed the truth.
Now, the idea of River's Edge being a paradise seemed laughable. Watching all their hard work snatched from them had hurt. Still hurt. Often, she had dreamed of going back. Not because she longed for that life, but because it deserved to be liberated. All her friends. The people she considered her family. Free again. But how? With what army?
Danny's words began to register again. “…The two of you need to start framing your thoughts around survival. Always think of what the enemy can use against you. Always.
“Now, are you two ready?”
They nodded.
“Okay. Matt, you watch our six. Jenny, I need you to keep control of Sherman while I lead.” He slung the rifle’s strap back over his head. “Let's hope this doesn't become the opportunity to fire a few live rounds,” he kidded with Matt.
Leveling his rifle toward the street, Danny posted at the corner and waited for Matt and Jenny to fall in line. “Stay in my footprints if you can.”
As Jenny neared the corner, she could hear the howling wind whip through the trees, their branches scraping against brick, scratching across parked cars. She took in a deep, crisp breath and followed Danny out into the open. Although she’d been witnessing it through the entire endeavor, the pristine snow seemed to grab hold of her. It had been years since the last “good” snow. She couldn’t ever remember seeing such a pure, white landscape before.
Sherman’s consistent tugging against his lead brought Jenny from her daydreaming. “Settle, boy,” she told him, but the eager police canine still possessed his drive. She knew any expectation of him shedding his instinct and the training that had been ground into him through countless tracks and building searches was foolish. Sherman was invaluable. Even more so now than before the virus.
“Matt, you good?” Jenny asked, bouncing her attention between him and the footsteps Danny left in the snow.
“Yes.” His voice gave the impression he was concentrating. It must have been difficult to maintain watch over their surroundings while walking backwards, lining his boots up with his companions’ tracks that led the way.
The little things… Danny’s always thinking survival. He's always saying not to leave any advantage for the enemy. I never would have thought of walking in each other’s footprints. Keep them guessing on how many people are in your group. He's got this down. Maybe he is right. Maybe River's Edge spoiled us, but it doesn't matter now. We're getting where we need to be. We have to.
Jenny worked to keep Sherman close, but found it difficult as his paws seemed to glide across the snow. Only when the slack came out of the lead did he become bogged down in the deep layers of snow. “You want him, Danny?”
“I gave him to you. You've been training with him, act like it!”
He's right...
They neared the intersection, and Danny directed the two of them to take cover on the porch of the last house on the block. Cautiously, Jenny peeked through the windows, checking to make sure they hadn't chosen an unfortunate vantage point. Everything sat untouched inside. It didn't appear as a squatter's refuge. Moving into a corner, Jenny hunkered down with Sherman while Matt drew his pistol across the railing. “Why'd you tell Danny you've never fired a gun before?” Jenny asked.
“Of course, you were listening… You know I have, but what I meant was that—just not here with them. Griffin’s always talking about saving this and saving that. He’s convinced some—” He broke from the conversation and took to the other side of the porch.
“What is it?” Jenny begged.
“Danny’s spotted something. Can’t tell what yet. Must be further down the street.”
“Well, what’s he doing?”
“Behind a car, watching…” he trailed off, his eyes squinting, leaning further over the edge of the railing. “He's just kind of watching right now.” Matt brought the pistol, muzzle up, by his face and pressed his shoulder against one of the porch's columns.
“Who the hell taught you that move?” Jenny scoffed. “Who are you James Bond?”
He shushed her, his attention remaining on Danny.
“Fine, do what you want.” I will too. She shimmied over to the porch railing. Other than Danny's footprints leading toward the small sedan he hid behind, nothing else seemed out of place, worthy of any attention.
Danny slid along the vehicle, then stopped, bracing himself against the door frame while he stole glances over the top of the cab.
Jenny pointed out his tactics. “See how he keeps his muzzle pointed downward? Takes cover at the door frame?”
Matt didn’t respond, but from the corner of her eye, that pistol he held gradually crept into a low ready position. “Danny's on something.”
Danny's rifle now lay across the vehicle's hood. He made minor adjustments to his scope. What’s he seeing? She leaned forward. From behind, Sherman nearly knocked her over as he sprung up and landed with his front paws on the railing next to her. “Get back, boy.” She forced him back from the railing. Whining, he began to pace, tangling Jenny within his lead. “What the—” What's the damn word. “Platz! Platz!” Sherman tried to sit but couldn't with his legs wrapped.
At her outburst, Matt turned his attention away from the street. “Jenny! What the hell are you doing?”
Jenny and Sherman were bound together with the lead. “Just—damn it, Matt. Just help me out here.”
He couldn't hide the smile from his face as he holstered his weapon and stepped toward her. Chuckling, Matt slid the pack off her shoulders, then began unraveling the lead back through itself. “And you want to get on me, huh?”
She scowled at him, but within seconds, Jenny had freed a leg and the lead dropped to the ground. “Thanks.” But the look she gave him showed no sign of gratitude.
Matt's eyes shot back over the railing. “What? What is it?”
“Shut up you two!” Danny forced a hushed order over the crunching of the snow below his feet. “Pull that storm door and hold it!”
Matt yanked it open and stood to the side while Danny bounded up the stairs. Without stopping, he charged, centered on the door, kicking it straight through its frame.
“What's going on? What did you see?” Jenny asked as they scrambled into the house.
Danny ignored her while he unclipped Sherman from the lead. “Seek!” The canine started through the ranch-style home. Danny followed with his rifle. “Matt, post up at the window, don't shoot unless you have to. Jenny, get that door back in place, hold it.”
“Seriously, what the hell, Danny?” Jenny shoved the door back into place, but it wouldn't catch. “What's going on?” she asked again, but Danny was gone, trailing Sherman through the back of the house.
Jenny sat against the door, silent, waiting for Danny and Sherman to give the all clear.
Eventually, after several minutes, they returned. “House is good.”
“So!” Jenny looked to Danny with anticipation. “What the hell is it?”
Chapter Two
“Pickup truck coming,” Danny said, his chest still heaving. “Lots of guys. Every last one armed to the teeth.”
“Who?” Jenny asked, eyes wide with fear. “Black uniforms? Any kind of banner?”
“I don't know.”
“They haven't made it this far yet.” Matt said, stealing an occasional peek from his position at the window.
Jenny stormed off toward Matt, almost knocking a floor lamp to the ground in her haste. Is it them? A vision of Second Alliance Soldiers haunted her. It can't be them, right? There's no way they're up this way.
“You think it's the S.A.?” Matt whispered.
“I hope not...”
Mindful of being discovered, she peeled a sliver of the curtain away from the window, allowing her just enough space to catch a glimpse of the pickup truck chugging through the street—four men in the bed, a rifle poking out the passenger side wind
ow. Crack! Crack! Immediately, Matt threw Jenny to the ground, falling with her, shielding her from the unexpected gunfire. His chest pressed against hers, his breaths in her ear. Close. Safe. Crack! Crack! A breath trembled from Jenny's lips. Matt squeezed her tight, comforting her through the chaos. Crack! Crack! Crack!
“Stay down!” From across the room, Danny low crawled toward them, dragging his rifle by its sling. He kept his eyes fixed on theirs.
Another volley of gunfire broke out. To Jenny's horror, Sherman started toward them from the kitchen, out of view of Danny. “Platz!” she shouted. He lay, his ears twitching from the gunfire, confused, but stationary.
“You two okay?!” Danny shouted.
“Yeah!”
“Is Sherman?!”
“Yeah!”
A few more shots rang out, closer than before. “Hang in there!” Danny shrank into the floor as low as he could while the barrage continued. In a brief reprieve, he skittered within inches of the windowsill, settling into the wall next to Matt and Jenny's feet. “Hier!” Sherman broke for Danny.
“What the hell they shooting at?!” Jenny called out.
Danny braved a look, but another shot convinced him to put his face to the floor. All four of them forced to wait. Catching a stray was the last thing they needed.
Two more shots echoed down the street, then a long howl of laughter faded into the distance. Silence followed. Then more. Jenny remained still, unsure of how much faith to place in the lull. Danny said nothing. Matt, the same. At some point, someone would have to confirm they were indeed clear of any threat. But with Matt still on top of her, Jenny being the one seemed unlikely.
Finally, Danny crept to his feet then helped Matt and Jenny to theirs. “Looks like they're gone,” he said, pulling the curtain clear for Jenny too, both of them now studying the street for any signs of life. Or death.
“Any idea who they were?” Jenny asked, relieved she hadn’t seen the black uniforms, the flag, any sign of the Second Alliance.
“Never seen them or... shit, anyone like them since the early days. You'd think the novelty would’ve worn off by now. Reckless morons. Pretty sure they're not from around here. Loud idiots like that don't go unnoticed. We definitely would've run into them before. Everyone else out this way has moved on or joined up with us at the Depot.” He leaned into the bay window, double-checking the far end of the neighborhood. “Pretty sure we're good now.”
Almawt Virus Series (Book 3): Days Since...Jenny [Day 986] Page 2
