“OK. Visits over.” He hiked his pants off of his hips and up to his waist. “Get off my property.”
“Your property?” Charlie asked with a smirk. She jerked her thumb in my direction. “Remember her gun?”
The man chuckled. “She ain’t going to use that gun. I ain’t worth the bullet. Now go on.”
Charlie looked back at me, her mouth dropped slightly when I shrugged. He was right. I wasn’t going to waste my bullets on him. There was nothing to gain by threatening the old man that just wanted to be left alone.
“We were just about to leave anyway,” I said with a small nod.
“Nice meeting you,” the man grumbled as he walked behind his wall. He knelt down next to his bucket and dipped his hand in the mud.
As we walked away, I couldn’t help but look back at his wall. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was planning to do with it. He couldn’t close it up because he wouldn’t be able to go in and out. Maybe he had planned to make a door. Or maybe he was just a crazy old guy keeping himself busy as the world around him fell apart.
“That wall was pretty solid,” Logan said glancing down at his boot.
“Did you break a toe?” Ryder asked grinning at him.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so, but any harder and I bet I could have.”
“What did you think was going to happen when you kicked it?” Charlie said tartly as she scrunched up her nose.
“A small part of me thought it was going to crumble,” Logan said answering her with a chuckle. “I was curious to find out.”
Everyone was quiet as we trekked through the nearly melted snow. It seemed to have happened so gradually that I hadn’t realized until I noticed all the mud and mashed down dead grass.
As the sun lowered in the sky, the chill came back into the air. I pulled on my jacket, spotting the nearly flattened city in the distance.
“Another city,” I said gesturing with my chin.
“Should we go around?” Shawn asked.
I pressed my lips together as I weighed our options. “We’re running low on food.”
“We probably won’t find anything there anyway,” Charlie said with a loud sigh.
I nodded. “Probably not but we won’t know if we don’t look.”
“We haven’t seen anyone in miles and miles,” Ryder said. “Except for that man back there.”
“That doesn’t mean there isn’t someone in the city,” Charlie said. “There could be a lot of them… hiding.”
I didn’t miss the shiver that made her body tremble.
“Just have that thing ready then,” Charlie said.
“Of course,” I said, patting my hip.
As we approached, water gathered forming somewhat deep puddles on the crumbled and cracked concrete. There wasn’t much snow to be seen to the front of us, but when I looked back over my shoulder, there were still patches scattered about.
I nudged Ryder and pointed back. “So weird,” he said. “Hey guys, look behind us.”
“Maybe south was the right way to go,” Logan said, and Charlie’s eyes shifted quickly to the side.
“Maybe staying home was the right thing. I don’t think we’ll ever know,” Charlie said, turning around.
We continued down the road stopping in front of a building that looked as though it had once been a store of some kind. There was a large plastic sign with faded lettering that read “Miller’s Grocery” hanging down from the top of the brick wall.
“Maybe there will be something in there,” I said looking around. “Everything else is pretty damaged.”
“This one is pretty damaged too,” Charlie said.
“I’ll go check,” I said tightening my grip on the gun. “Stay here and keep an eye out.”
Ryder crossed his arms and snorted. “That was a joke, right?”
“No?” I questioned, cocking my head to the side.
“We’re coming with you,” Ryder said. Shawn was just behind him nodding in agreement.
“Whatever. Stay behind me,” I said ducking down under a wooden beam that looked as though it was supporting the front half of the building. “Careful.”
Inside the store was a complete an utter disappointment. It was completely trashed. The shelving units had been pushed to the ground, and there was broken glass scattered all over the floor.
“Kind of what I expected,” Charlie said pulling her shoulders back.
“I’m going to look around. Just in case,” I said.
“In case of what?” Ryder asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe something was missed. Who knows?”
“After all this time… I doubt it,” Logan said, but his eyes started moving around the room. He tried to lift one of the shelving units to have a look underneath, but he quickly dropped it back down to the floor. Logan pushed open a door and stuck his head inside. “Closet is empty.”
“Eww,” Charlie said opening another door and plugging her nose. “Bathroom is disgusting.”
I headed toward the back of the room where there was a door with a small window at the top. I tried to peer in through the window, but there was far too much dust and dirt caked onto the glass.
My heart thudded as I turned the knob and slowly pushed open the door. Inside, the room was just as much of a disaster as the rest of the place.
As I was about to leave, something caught my eye. There was another door.
I stepped into the room, and it wasn’t long before I heard someone come in after me.
Ryder coughed. “What are you—”
He stopped talking when I opened the door. I looked at him over my shoulder and flashed him a half-smile.
“Stairs,” I said as I stepped down onto the first step.
“Hey guys, in here,” Ryder called out before coming into the room behind me and following me down the stairs.
I walked slowly, and carefully as if I was afraid someone might be hiding, waiting to pounce. But there wasn’t anyone down there. The only thing in the space were boxes, and boxes of God knows what.
I didn’t lower my gun as I walked over to one of the boxes. A smile grew on my face as I read the printed words on the box.
“It’s food,” I said placing my hand on my forehead. “Oh my God, it’s food!”
Chapter 9
“Breakfast pastries,” I said as I dragged my fingers over the lettering on the box.
“This one says beans,” Charlie said.
“Potato chips,” Logan said using his small blade to cut open the box.
“And this one says potato flakes,” I said placing my hand over my mouth trying to hold in my excitement.
Shawn stepped closer to one of the boxes. “I’m sure it’s all expired.”
“I don’t even care,” I said.
“You will if you get sick,” Shawn said, pressing his lips together.
I stepped up next to him and lowered my voice. “Don’t be a party pooper.”
“I’m not,” he said swallowing hard. There was no doubt about it, he was just as hungry as I was. “But we can’t just eat stuff if it’s going to make us sick.”
“The potato flakes are fine. I mean, I’m sure they are. Jacob had a ton of it stored up too,” Ryder said.
We all turned at the muffled crunch that broke through our conversation. Logan was sampling a bag of chips.
“Taste fine to me. A bit stale perhaps,” Logan said shoving the bag in Shawn’s direction. “Want one?”
“I’ll pass, thanks,” Shawn said.
“This is insane. There is so much here,” Ryder said slamming his palm down on one of the boxes.
Charlie’s eyes widened. “Can we stay?”
My eyes darted up toward the small windows at the top of the walls. The room was dark, and it would only get darker as daylight faded.
“It’ll probably be pitch black down here,” I said looking around. “Any chance we have a box filled with candles?”
Ryder shook his head. “I still think we should stay.”
/>
“Well,” I said with a sigh, “if everyone wants to.”
“We want to,” Charlie said walking over to Logan and snatching a chip from his bag.
Logan jerked the bag away from her teasingly. “Get your own bag.”
“I will,” she said reaching into the box. “So, we’re staying right?”
“Whatever. Don’t complain to me when it gets so dark down here you can’t see the person next to you,” I said opening the box of potato flakes. I reached in and pulled out a smaller box. “Hey, Ryder?”
“Yes?”
“How do we make these up?”
Ryder raised his eyebrows and smiled. “My favorite.”
We’d ate so much I’d actually had a stomach ache, but I couldn’t help but have a big happy smile on my face about it. I was almost certain it was better to have eaten too much than it was to continue eating so little.
“Ughhhhhh,” Logan groaned. “I’m so full.”
“Me too,” Charlie said spreading out her blanket and lying on the floor.
Shawn was sitting on the bottom step picking at his fingernails. He hadn’t eaten nearly as much as the rest of us had.
I walked over and kicked his boot with mine. “Everything OK?”
Ryder glanced over, but I pretended not to notice.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m good,” Shawn said, but his knee that was bobbing up and down told a much different story.
I squeezed myself down next to him and leaned closer. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Wish we could lock the door.”
“Did you check to see? Maybe we can.”
He shook his head. “I checked.”
“We haven’t seen anyone in forever.”
“It’s just weird all of this was down here. After all this time. Completely untouched.”
I shrugged. “No one found it.”
“You’re telling me that after all this time, it’s been sitting down here, and no one stumbled upon it until we just happened to come here?” Shawn asked biting a hangnail. “Maybe. I’m just worried that’s not the case, and that someone will be back for it.”
“If someone was aware of it, why weren’t they using it. There wasn’t a single box that had been opened.”
Shawn shook his head. “Maybe they’re bringing it somewhere else.”
He blew out a heavy breath from between his lips. Shawn’s hand moved through his hair before he turned to look into my eyes.
“Maybe I’m just really paranoid. Worried, you know?” he said.
God damn those sparkling eyes. I shook my head quickly, shaking away my drifting thoughts.
“Yeah, you’re right. We should be,” I said scratching my head. “But everyone wanted to stay.”
“We should have packed up what we could and left,” he said turning to look up at the door.
The basement was dark, just as I had predicted, but my eyes had adjusted better than I thought they would. I could see everyone although not in very much detail.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Shawn said.
“We’ll leave in the morning,” I said placing my hand on his arm.
My mind flashed me an image of Shawn standing in the crystal clear little river in nothing but his underwear. He’d looked so good, even with all the markings The Evolved had given him. I hadn’t thought about it at the time, but when we were in the river, I had noticed he had white scars on his torso and abdomen. Shawn must have had a rough life with The Evolved. Much harder than he’d let on.
Shawn placed his hand over mine, causing a ripple of warmth to wash over my entire body. I looked over to see if Ryder was watching us, but he was lying down near Logan and Charlie.
I yawned realizing just how tired I was too. There probably wouldn’t be a time when I wasn’t tired. Finding sleep was hard, maybe even harder than finding food.
“I guess one of us is on watch,” I said feeling as though I should pull my hand away… but I didn’t.
“I can do it,” Shawn said, taking his hand away. “You should get some rest.”
“Very gentlemanly of you, but I don’t mind. I hate being woken after I finally fall asleep.”
Shawn chuckled. “Maybe I do too.”
He looked over his shoulder at the others and then back at me. His eyes glowed in the darkness.
“Tell me I’m crazy. Tell me you don’t feel whatever this is between us?” Shawn’s voice was as soft as a cloud.
I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come out. As much as I wanted to deny it, I felt it too. I’d felt it since the moment I looked into his eyes. But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t had the same feeling with Ryder too.
I had no experience with this kind of thing… relationships. The only couples I knew anything about were those I’d read about in books and my parents. I’d already accepted long ago that in this world, I wouldn’t ever find anything like what my parents had.
Did it even matter what I felt when it came to Ryder? He’d made his choice. It wasn’t like I had forever to sit around and wait for the day Charlie would give us her blessing. And probably she never would.
“You’re not crazy,” I said my voice barely audible. “It’s complicated. I was isolated my entire life.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” Shawn said. “None of that matters to me.”
“Then what does matter?”
He shook his head. “I’m not even sure. All I know is that when I think of you and I being apart it feels like my heart is being ripped in two.”
“You barely even know me,” I said with a small frown that was probably hidden by the darkness that surrounded us.
“I know enough.” Shawn wrapped his fingers around mine, tightened his hold. “When I was laying there in the snow trying to decide if I should let go, or keep fighting, it was your face that helped me decide. You were like an angel.”
“Oh, please,” I said feeling the pink warmth as it flooded my cheeks.
He looked down at his boots and smiled. “I know it sounds so cheesy, but it’s true. Don’t you believe in love at first sight?”
Did I? I had no idea. I’d never considered the possibility. I wasn’t even sure if I had thought I’d ever find any love at all, how could I have considered experiencing it at first sight?
“I don’t think so,” I said.
He placed the tip of his finger on my chin and turned my face, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“Well, I do.”
My heart pounded inside my chest so hard it felt like my body was shaking. I couldn’t deny my feelings for him, and more importantly, why should I? At any moment there were probably a hundred things that could take away my life. Why shouldn’t I get to have someone at my side until the end?
Shawn moved toward me, inching closer. I didn’t pull back. I didn’t want to.
When his lips pressed against mine, it was like I could hear music playing. The beat was fast. Each note strummed quickly to match the rhythm of my pounding heart.
His lips lingered, softly pressed against mine as if he was waiting for me to back away. Afraid he might scare me off with the slightest movement.
When his fingertips grazed my neck, sliding back and into my hair, my whole body warmed. His touch was just as overwhelming as his eyes.
The song started to play faster. It was like we were spinning as our mouths moved faster. Passionately hungry for one another. A craving we couldn’t satisfy.
Shawn’s lips were perfectly silky. His tongue smoothly slipped against mine.
I felt lighter than air.
Shawn’s fingertips slid to my chin, each finger dropping away one after the other until only his index finger was left. His mouth paused for a second before he pulled away.
He stared into my eyes as his finger touched my lower lip. Shawn was looking at me as if he wasn’t sure the moment had happened. That maybe it had all been a dream, and he wanted to remember it from now until eternity.
If it was a dream. I wanted to
remember it too.
Chapter 10
In the morning, Logan was sitting on the steps. It was the crunching of chips that had woke me up initially, but it was Shawn’s eyes looking into mine from across the room that made sure I didn’t fall back asleep.
I smiled, but he didn’t smile back.
“Good morning, sleepy head,” Ryder said, and my body jerked. “Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s OK. I’m fine,” I said sitting up and running my fingers through my hair.
“Sleep well?” Ryder asked, glancing over at Shawn and then back at me.
I narrowed my eyes at Ryder, but the smile on his face didn’t fade. His head cocked ever so slightly as if he was suddenly worried about me.
“You sure you’re OK?”
I nodded slowly as I pressed my palms to my face. “Yeah, yeah.”
“Dreams?”
“I’m fine, really,” I said flatly.
Ryder took a step back, his forehead wrinkled like a piece of old fruit. He leaned back against the wall as he pulled a package out of a box and ripped it open.
I stretched my arms over my head, unable to stifle the noisy yawn I released.
“Hard floor,” Shawn said standing several feet away with his hands in his pockets. I stared at him as if trying to remember if our kiss had really happened or not. The look on his face gave no indication whatsoever that it had been real.
“It is,” I said standing up, and folding my blanket. As I stuffed it inside my backpack, I looked at each one of the boxes packed with food.
I couldn’t decide if I should suggest staying another night. We could fill up on food and get more rest. Even though I wanted to get going, maybe it was smarter to stay back and take time to refuel.
I straightened my spine, unable to take my eyes off the boxes. There was so much food inside the room. Far more than we could take with us.
My right fist tightened as my other hand ran through my messy hair. I started to pace, only to stop when my stomach clenched.
“Should we stay another day?” I said spitting out the words.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at me. I started to pace again.
Ravaged Land: Divided Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Books 1-3 Page 20
