“I can’t even guess,” Jamie said. “But I do think it’s best if we just stay inside. They’ll let us know when it’s safe to go out again.”
“Exactly who will let us know?”
“I don’t know.” Jamie shrugged. “Whoever is still out there. There has to be someone, right? The police… or maybe the military.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said not feeling any amount of confidence in my words. If whoever was out there had things figured out, they would have been able to warn us before it had gotten to this point. I combed my finger through my hair as the reality of the situation set in. “Jesus. What are we going to do?”
Jamie stared at my shaking fingers before I could hide them behind my back.
“That lady,” I said as visions of her popped into my head. “The way she died… that was… that was just—”
“Horrific? Try not to think about it.”
“How can I not?”
Jamie swallowed. “There wasn’t anything we could have done for her. Besides, I’m the one that closed the door.”
I let out a heavy sigh as I walked past him and into my living room, lowering myself down onto the sofa. My legs were still too weak from whatever I’d gone through.
“I hope you’re right,” I said shaking my head. “Of course, you have to be right. But what do we do in the meantime? You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”
It was crazy to offer, but I was scared out of my mind, and I didn’t want to be alone.
“Thanks, I’d like that.” Jamie smiled as he sat down in the chair. “You must think I’m the biggest wuss in the world.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What? Of course not. Why would you say that?”
“Because I’m too scared to go back to my own apartment.” Jamie flashed me a bright grin that was almost comforting. In fact, it would have been if his skin tone hadn’t been tinted red.
“If it makes you feel better, I’d be totally freaking out if you weren’t here.”
Jamie chuckled. “It doesn’t, really.” He sucked in a deep breath, and with it, his eyes darkened. “This is just beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I mean, I never really thought anything like this would happen.”
“Me either.”
“Do you know anyone else in the building?” Jamie asked.
I shook my head. “This is going to sound pathetic, but you’re the only one I know.”
“Yeah, you kept to yourself, didn’t you?”
“That’ll be on my headstone.” I swallowed and tasted a bit of that sourness I’d experienced earlier. “Which might happen sooner than expected.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Sorry.” I pressed my lips together and twisted my fingers. “Did you know anyone else?”
Jamie shook his head. “Not really. There was a guy on the first floor I met a few times, and another woman I knew a little.”
“Do you have any family that lives in the city?” I asked.
“No, other side of the country.” Jamie looked down at his hands. “Hopefully, they’re all okay.”
I nodded, not knowing what words I could offer that might help ease his worries. If he was worried. I couldn’t tell by his blank expression. Maybe he didn’t know how to feel considering we had no idea what our own futures held.
We sat there in silence. Both seemingly lost in our own thoughts. I was thinking about my brother even though I wasn’t sure why. He’d separated long ago from the family, making it clear he hadn’t wanted anything to do with us.
But why had he called? Did he know what was going on? Maybe he’d been trying to check on me, to make sure I was okay, but I hadn’t answered.
If we ever got to leave, I’d go to his place and check for him. Although I wasn’t sure why I even cared since he hadn’t given a shit about me the last couple years.
He’d cared enough to call. That had to count for something.
“Did you hear that?” Jamie asked breaking the silence with a sharp whisper.
I shook my head.
Jamie stood up, his shoulders moving up and down as he stared at the door. “Someone’s out there.”
Four
Jamie grabbed my hand and led me into my bedroom. He stood in front of me and pressed his index finger to his lips.
I could hear whoever was out there knock on the door at the end of the hall… Jamie’s door. His body was rigid as he listened.
“Any survivors in there?” the voice called out after knocking on another door. It wouldn’t be long before they were knocking at my door.
I could hear the hallway floorboards creak as they came closer. Everything was so quiet I could hear their voices through the wall.
“Oh my God, Mrs. Philips,” a woman said. “She was such a nice lady.”
Even though I knew it was coming, my body jerked when they knocked on my door.
“Anyone in there?” a man’s voice bellowed. “We’re looking for survivors!”
I turned to Jamie. “Maybe they know what happened. Maybe it’s help.”
“Maybe, but I remember what happened last time we opened the door.”
“I’ll look, stay here,” I said touching his shoulder as I stepped around his tensed body.
He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment before shaking his head. I could feel him following close behind me.
“I can hear you in there,” the man’s voice called out, and I froze. “We’re not sick.”
I looked at Jamie over my shoulder, but all he could offer me was half of a shrug.
“We just want to talk,” the voice said, followed by three soft taps at the door.
I drew in a breath and walked over to the door. Out of the peephole, I could see three of them standing there, alternating between staring at the door and nervously looking up and down the hallway.
“They don’t look sick,” I said. “At least not any more than you or I.”
“Okay,” Jamie said taking a step back. He stepped into the kitchen and grabbed my broom. “Just in case.”
My eyebrows squeezed tightly together. “I have steak knives.”
“Let’s hope it won’t come to that,” Jamie said, and I wasn’t sure if he was joking.
My fingers trembled as I turned the lock. I wasn’t even sure why I felt so afraid, after all, we were all going through the same thing.
I opened the door, just a crack, setting my foot on the other side locking it into place. The man and two women stared at me with wide eyes.
“What can I do for you?” I asked working to keep my voice steady.
“We’re going around the building, checking for survivors,” the man said. “So far, it’s just us. Well and you.”
He couldn’t see Jamie from where he stood, and I didn’t bother to mention he was there.
“I’m Bronx, and this is Blair and Maggie.”
“Hi,” the one he’d pointed to when he’d said Blair raised her hand.
She was a bombshell. The woman seemed doll-like with her perfectly styled platinum blond hair.
The other woman stayed tucked away behind Bronx. Her hair was not quite shoulder length, hot chocolate brown, and disheveled. There was so much fear and uncertainty in her eyes it made me uncomfortable.
Bronx was a broad-shouldered man, carrying himself with a confidence I couldn’t even comprehend. His dark eyes smiled at me.
“Are you here alone?” he asked. My eyes shifted. “If you’d like, you can come with us.”
“I’m fine here,” I said answering quickly.
“We all live here,” Bronx said as if he could tell I was uneasy. “In this building.”
I studied their faces, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen any of them before. That, of course, wasn’t their fault it was mine for only leaving when I had to.
“Can we come in? We just want to talk,” Bronx said.
I pressed my lips together, my shoulders sinking slightly as I stepped to the side. Their eyes all seemed to settle on Jamie at the same
time.
“Oh,” Bronx said looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh my God!” Blair said pushing past me and throwing herself at Jamie. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “You’re alive. We knocked on your door. I thought you were dead!”
Jamie glanced in my direction as he hugged her back. He slowly tried to ease himself back, but she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and stepped back, his eyes darting around the room nervously. “Yeah,” he said with a chuckle, “I’m alive, although I was a little nervous that wouldn’t be the case.”
“You got sick too?” Bronx said stepping forward as he stretched out his hand. “Bronx, and you are?”
“Jamie,” he said taking his hand. The men exchanged a brisk shake, and when they released, Jamie was able to step around the counter and back into the living room. It seemed as though he wanted to put space between himself and Blair. If she noticed she didn’t care, considering she was still smiling at him.
“What’s your name?” Bronx asked looking me over.
I swallowed, wishing I was better at hiding my nerves. “Gwen.”
“You were sick, weren’t you?” Bronx hadn’t taken his eyes off of me.
I nodded.
He turned toward Jamie. “How about you?”
“Earlier. Seems to have passed,” Jamie said. “How about you all?”
Bronx and Maggie nodded.
“It was terrible, Jamie!” Blair said twisting her finger into her hair. “I thought I was going to die.”
“Yeah,” Jamie said, scratching the side of his head. “It was bad.”
“So,” I said crossing my arms. “Do any of you know what’s going on out there?”
Bronx shook his head. “Some kind of attack. Stay indoors.” He hesitated. “Do either of you know anything beyond that?”
Jamie and I both shook our heads at the same time. I glanced at Blair who was staring at the bottle of water on my counter. She smiled at me when she caught me watching her.
“How do you know Jamie?” she asked, and my clothes suddenly felt scratchy.
“Just from the hall,” I said.
“Okay,” she said keeping the smile pasted to her face. Blair turned to Jamie. “You were here when this all happened?”
Jamie looked as though he was chewing his cheek. “No,” Jamie said shifting his weight back and forth. “I came here after the attack or whatever it is that’s going on.”
“I see,” Blair said.
“Well, we’re going to keep looking for others, if you guys want to join us,” Bronx said his eyes slightly narrowed.
I shook my head. “I’m just going to wait here.”
“Me too,” Jamie added swiftly.
Bronx nodded as he looked back and forth between Jamie and me. “You mind if we stop back later? You know, to touch base.”
“Um,” I stammered. I bit my lip nearly too hard as I shook my head. It just felt weird having strangers in my apartment, but I didn’t know how to explain without offending anyone.
“We understand,” Bronx said stretching his hand out once again toward Jamie. “I didn’t mean to intrude or anything like that, but with the shit that’s going down, we should probably stick together.”
Maggie’s eyes were red as she nodded. “I watched my boyfriend die.”
She seemed to be in some kind of state of shock.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
Bronx placed his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get out of your hair. Hopefully, we’ll find others who managed to survive whatever the fuck this is. Maybe some answers.” He turned to me and grinned. “Excuse my French.”
“Right of course,” I said following them as they walked toward the door. Bronx gave me one final look before stepping out into the hallway. “Thanks for stopping by.”
He chuckled and dipped his head before leaving my apartment. The second I closed the door and locked it, I sucked in a long breath.
“Are you okay?” Jamie asked.
“I’m not good at this. I need to sit down.”
“Good at what?”
I lowered myself down softly onto my sofa and pressed my palms against the sides of my face. My breaths quickened, and I could feel my anxiety rising.
“Any of this. I hate not knowing, yet I’m terrified to know.”
“Yeah,” Jamie said sitting down on the chair. He stared at his fingers as he twisted them against one another.
Everyone out there was in a different situation than I was. Like Maggie, for example, she’d watched her boyfriend die, whereas I didn’t have anyone. I didn’t have anyone to worry about, or anywhere to go.
My brother may have been out there, and my grandma, but she lived miles away. Hopefully, she was safe from whatever had happened.
But when I thought of my grandma… I started to worry. Maybe this wasn’t just something happening locally. What if it were widespread? She could be out there scared. Suffering.
The urge to go to her was overwhelming. My pulse quickened, and I stood up. I could feel Jamie’s eyes on me as I walked from room to room.
At some point, I’d have to find a way to go to her. If I could make it to my car, maybe I could get to her.
My grandma might need me. She’d been there for me all my life. I was all she had left. It wasn’t like she could count on Nick. No one could.
For now, the sky was still too red. If I went out there, it could kill me, assuming that whatever was out there was what had made me sick. It had to have been. What else could have done it?
Maybe Jamie would come with me. I couldn’t even tell him about it yet. He’d think I’d lost my mind.
“Want something to eat?” I asked as I stopped abruptly in front of him. I wasn’t the least bit hungry, well, maybe I was, but I didn’t feel hungry.
“Not really,” Jamie said, gently patting his stomach. “Not sure I could keep much down.”
“You kept the bar down,” I reminded him.
Jamie nodded. “And that’s about all I need at this point. If you’re hungry, go for it. Don’t let me stop you.”
“No, I’m fine. I just wanted to be a good hostess.”
Jamie chuckled. “I can’t imagine having a better hostess in the middle of a disaster.”
“Thanks, I think.”
I sat down on the sofa, pulling my knees up to my chest. Even though I could see the redness coming through the window, it felt as though I was trapped inside of a dream. How could this be real? Why wasn’t I freaking out, screaming and shouting for help?
Maybe because there wasn’t anyone left to hear me.
The rest of the day ticked by slowly. Jamie and I took turns pacing. At one point I tried to read a book, but after I read the same sentence ten times, I gave up.
“Do you have any candles?” Jamie asked as the sun started to go down and the redness lighting the apartment started to turn to black.
“Yeah, I think so.” I pushed myself off of the sofa and opened the drawer in the kitchen filled with junk. I pulled out two long taper candles and two small glass holders.
I set one down on the kitchen table and the other on the coffee table in the living room. The yellow glow from the candles mixed with the slight reddish hue still coming from outside gave my apartment an odd orange glow.
“Let me get you a pillow and a blanket,” I said walking past Jamie and disappearing into my bedroom.
The flimsy faux wood closet door squeaked as I opened it. I stood on my tiptoes and pulled down an old pillow and a blanket I wished I would have washed recently.
I hugged them close to my chest as I turned to my bed remembering how sick I’d been. My sheets had been soaked when sweat had been pouring out of me and the trash bin… oh God, the trash bin.
I walked into the living room and placed the blanket on the sofa. Jamie hadn’t turned away from the window.
“Sorry, I don’t have anything nicer,” I said.
“I
t’s perfect. Thanks.” Jamie sighed. “Shit. I should probably leave and just go back to my place.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, if you want to obviously I can’t stop you, but I like having the company. Having you here might just be keeping me from entirely losing my shit.”
Jamie nodded. His mood had seemed to change ever since he’d seen Blair. I wasn’t about to question it. Maybe it had nothing to do with her, whoever she was.
“Well, I’m going to go tidy up. Please make yourself at home.”
“Thanks,” he said finally turning from the window to offer me a small smile.
“Yeah, no problem,” I said giving him an identical one back.
I checked the lock on the door and grabbed my bottle of water before heading back to my room. It wasn’t long before I heard the sofa squeak from Jamie’s weight.
That’s what it was. He was tired. I couldn’t blame him.
Five
After I finished cleaning up and changing my sheets, I took one last look out of the window hoping that things would look like normal again. But they didn’t.
There were no streetlights, in fact, there was no light at all. If the moon was out, either clouds or whatever created the red sky was blocking it from giving off any light. Everything outside the window was pitch black.
And quiet.
If it hadn’t been for the candles, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see my way around my apartment at all. At least with Jamie in the other room, I was a tiny bit less afraid than I would be if I’d been alone.
There weren’t any sounds outside the window. No sounds of the city running as usual. There were no cars, no horns, no soft hum of electricity. The silence chilled my still slightly feverish bones.
As I stared out into the darkness, I had an eerie feeling that someone was standing behind me. I quickly turned expecting to see Jamie standing there, but there wasn’t anyone there.
My finger trembled as I brought it up to my lip to gnaw on my fingernail. A nervous habit that I’d had since I was five.
As I was about to step away from the window, something caught my eye. There was a light.
The Red Sky Series Box Set Page 3
