“Anything for you,” he said with a slight curl at the ends of his lips.
“Good.” I smiled and kissed the top of his head.
By the time I got the bowl of cold rice off the table and made my way back to the window, Shawn was asleep. He was curled up on his side with one arm tucked under his head, and his other flopped loosely over the side of the sofa.
I stared out the window as I scooped up the grains of rice. Even though it felt like I was starving, I ate slowly.
The clouds had completely blocked out the moon, and the yard was significantly darker, illuminated only when there was a flash of lightning. It didn’t take long for the raindrops to start tapping against the window, slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed. When the wind blew harder, it slammed the rain into the window in noisy, massive sheets.
The sounds were harsh, and the thunder so loud I worried it would wake everyone in the house. I was afraid the window was going to break, and each little shard would slice into my skin.
The good news was that there wouldn’t be anyone traveling in this weather. If anyone were out there, they’d take shelter, even if that meant curling up into a ball and laying face down on the ground.
I set the bowl down on the small table near the window and glanced back at the chair. My legs were sore and tired from all the walking Shawn, and I had done, but I was afraid that if I sat down, I’d fall asleep.
I paced the floor, alternating between watching Shawn sleeping peacefully, and looking out of the window. It felt lonely in the darkness of the house, and the noisy storm didn’t help ease my mind.
I stopped at the window and watched the storm rage through the yard. The bits of grass and weeds that had managed to grow back after the long winter, whipped around vigorously. The trees at the back of the property near the lake tipped so far to the side they looked as though they were about to snap in half. It was actually quite surprising they hadn’t considering they had already appeared to have been more than half dead.
Abby’s voice broke through the silence. “It’s OK,” she said calmly, moments before I heard the sounds of Logan losing the contents of his stomach… which couldn’t have been much. “You’re OK.”
I walked into the hall and stood in the doorway. Abby glanced up at me, but quickly returned her attention to Logan. She was struggling to hold him up and hold the pail in front of him.
I entered the room and stood on the other side of Logan. My palms pressed against his back using nearly all my strength to hold up his weak body.
“Does this happen a lot?” I asked seconds before Logan slumped forward. His whole body tensed, but nothing came out of him except for a noise from deep inside.
“A couple times a day,” Abby said, dabbing a gray towel at his mouth. “There’s just nothing inside him except for the small amounts of water I’m able to get him to drink.”
“Ugh,” Logan groaned, and Abby’s eyes widened.
She looked at me and then moved the pail away from Logan. “Logan?”
“Yes,” he responded, but his voice was thin.
“It’s the first time he’s spoken in days,” Abby said wrapping her arms around his neck.
Logan drew in a deep breath. “Down.”
I realized he wanted me to stop holding him forward. I did my best to ease him back slowly onto the bed.
“Stay with him. Keep him talking,” Abby said grabbing the pail. “I need to clean this.”
She rushed out of the room. I could tell Logan was trying to look at me through the darkness inside the room.
“Sick,” Logan said, his lips looked as though they were stuck together.
“Yeah,” I said leaning closer. “Are you feeling better?”
“Not really,” he said letting out a moan. Logan tried to move his arm, but it looked as if it weighed too much for him to lift.
“Can I get you anything?”
Logan’s head inched upward slightly. “Water.”
I looked around and spotted the glass on the nightstand. It wasn’t easy, but I helped him take a small drink.
Abby walked back into the room and clapped her hands. “That’s the most I’ve seen him drink since he’s been in that bed.”
She crawled into the bed and pressed her cheek against his chest. Logan winced slightly, but there was also a hint of a smile.
“Sorry,” Abby said unable to hide her excitement.
Logan groaned and closed his eyes. We both watched as his breathing slowed.
“That was a good sign, right?” Abby asked, all hints at happiness dissipated before my eyes.
“I hope so,” I said, patting her arm. “I really hope so.”
She rested her head back down, and I left the room to go back to my post at the window. Shawn was still asleep on the sofa. The only thing upstairs with Ryder and Charlie was an eerie silence.
The storm was still going as strong as ever. I rested my head against the wall and watched the lightning flicker and flash. Maybe if Logan was taking a turn back toward the land of the living, Charlie would follow soon enough. She’d seemed worse off, so perhaps it would just take her a bit longer to fight away the poison. Not that Logan seemed to be out of the woods, but I think Abby was right that it was a good sign. At least I hoped it was.
Morning came quickly. The storm had finished, but the rain hadn’t. Most of the yard was flooded, and I was sure most of the surrounding land was as well. Hopefully, that would keep the natives and The Evolved away for another day. Of course, I hoped they’d stay away forever.
Shawn sat up and stretched his hands over his head. He rubbed his eyes before walking over to me and wrapping his arms around me.
“Morning,” he said kissing my cheek. “I’ll assume all was well through the night since you didn’t wake me.”
“Nothing outside, but Logan was up briefly,” I said turning to stare into Shawn’s sparkling eyes. They seemed even more brilliant in the pale morning light. “He said a few words, but then drifted off back to sleep.”
“But that’s good, right? Maybe if we can get him up… eating and drinking more,” Shawn said, abruptly letting go of me and walking toward the kitchen. He was back in the living room in a matter of seconds. “I need to boil more water.”
Shawn peeked out the window before opening the door. A cloud of humidity floated in making the air feel so thick I could have cut it with a knife.
“Be right back,” Shawn said before closing the door behind him.
I watched as he walked through the deep puddles making his way to the lake out back. Some of the puddles looked deep enough that he could have just scooped water out of them, but he kept walking until the storage building and dead shrubs blocked my view of him.
The floor above creaked, and Ryder appeared at the top of the stairs. His eyes were dark and empty.
“Did someone leave?” he asked in a monotone voice.
“Shawn went to get more water. Did the door wake you?”
Ryder chuckled. “Wake me? Don’t be silly.”
“When is the last time you slept?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Who needs it?”
“Everyone. I could sit with her if you’d—”
“No need,” Ryder said holding up his palm. His fingers shook ever so slightly. “I want to be here when she wakes up.”
I pressed my lips together and sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll bring you up some food soon. Shawn’s going to make some more rice.”
“OK,” Ryder said, staring at me for a moment before turning to walk back toward Charlie.
I made up my mind that when I brought up the rice, I’d make sure he got some sleep. He’d probably also be happy to hear about the small improvements Logan had made.
I turned back toward the window, but Shawn must have still been at the lake. Soft words that I couldn’t make out drifted toward my ears from down the hall. It wasn’t just one voice, it was two. Logan was awake again.
I moved the curtain out of the way unable
to take the smile off of my face. I was excited to share the news with Shawn, but he still wasn’t on his way back. What was taking him so long?
Just as I was about to open the door to go out to the lake, something outside caught my eye. There was movement.
It was the man. He was back, and he wasn’t alone.
Chapter 14
I hoped that Shawn had spotted the native man and was staying out of view. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t coming back, maybe he’d seen them coming long before I had.
The man was dragging along another man who had a ripped piece of dirty fabric tied over his eyes. His hands were bound in front of his body, and it was more than obvious he wasn’t tagging along with the native by choice. The blindfolded man was his captive.
He turned his head around frantically as if trying to figure out where he was, but since he couldn’t see he was in a state of panic. The markings on the sides of his face were bold, and he had far more of them than Shawn did. There was no doubt in my mind that he was one of The Evolved.
“What’s going on?” I whispered to myself. Maybe I should have gone up the stairs to inform Ryder, or down the hall to warn Abby, but I kept my feet firmly planted in place. I didn't want to look away, not even for a second.
The man walked straight toward the storage building just as he had when he’d had the bottle hostage. This time the man hadn’t looked drunk. His face was puffy, but for the most part, he walked a straight line.
He glanced toward the house but seemed uninterested. I pulled out my gun just in case he decided to change his direction.
It wouldn’t be hard to take him out. In fact, I may not even need my gun, unless of course he was carrying a weapon and I just wasn’t seeing it.
Once the man was inside the building, I saw Shawn sneaking up on the other side. He was moving slowly, carefully looking around for the man. I waved at him to come to the house, but I wasn’t even sure if he could see me.
He looked around the corner of the storage building, and when he didn’t see the man he ran toward the house, but he didn’t come for the front door. It took me a second to realize he was running toward the back of the house.
I took one quick look at the storage building before darting through the house to the back door. Shawn was already standing there before I pulled back the curtain to make sure he was alone.
I opened the door, and Shawn stepped inside, soundlessly closing the door behind himself. He bent in half at his middle, placing his hands on his knees as he held himself up. Each breath he took in was quick. Shawn straightened himself, stepped around me, and walked back into the living room.
I checked the lock on the backdoor before following him into the other room.
“Have you told the others?” Shawn said still working to catch his breath.
“No. Not yet.”
“Maybe you should.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need to bother them. If he comes to the house,” I said holding up my gun, “I’ll take care of it.”
Shawn looked at me and then up the stairs. His eyebrows squeezed together for a moment before the wrinkles in his forehead relaxed, and he nodded.
“OK,” Shawn said turning his focus back to what was going on outside the window. “Be ready.”
I was ready, but I also didn’t think that the man was going to come to the house. For whatever reason, the only thing he cared about seemed to be that storage building.
The minutes ticked by turning into hours, and nothing seemed to be happening. We’d spent most of the day taking turns staring out the window.
Shawn couldn’t make any rice because we were out of water. The small amount of water we had left had gone into Logan’s glass. He would have split it between Charlie and Logan, but Charlie’s glass was still full from the last refill. She’d stopped drinking.
I’d updated Abby and Ryder, but neither of them seemed to care. Ryder was completely on board with shooting him if he came near the house, in fact, he’d even suggested going out there and taking care of it, so we didn’t have to worry about whatever he was doing.
But I didn’t want to use the bullet if I didn’t have to.
Beads of sweat dripped down the sides of my face. The house was warm even though the fire had gone out at some point earlier in the day. I hoped that once the rain stopped, the humidity would disappear. The cold winter had been terrible, but this wasn’t any better.
“Any movement?” I asked for probably the thirtieth time. I rested my head back for a moment before uncrossing and re-crossing my legs.
“No,” Shawn said in the exact same way he’d answered the last time. He was about to tell me he’d let me know if there were any changes like he had the twenty-nine times before. “I’ll le—”
“I know,” I said holding up my palm. “You’ll keep me informed.”
Shawn’s head moved up and down slowly. “That’s right.”
I could hear Abby whispering in the other room. When Logan answered, I stood up. “I’ll go check on Logan.”
I stood up and walked into the hallway, but I didn’t walk into the room. Instead, I did what I shouldn’t have done. I eavesdropped.
“She said he’s hiding in the storage building,” Abby said.
“They should take him out,” Logan said, his voice seemed to be filled with more life, although it did seem as though he was limiting his words. “If I was better, I would do it.”
“I know you would,” Abby said, I could tell by her tone she was smiling. “You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
Logan released a loose, but small cough. “Why?”
“Because you’re getting better.”
“I shouldn’t have done it. I deserve to be the one up there struggling.”
Abby clicked her tongue. “Don’t talk that way. It wasn’t your idea.”
“I knew better. And I didn't stop her, I joined in. I'm so fucking stupid.”
“You wouldn't have been able to stop her anyway.” Abby sniffed. “She'd already devoured half the can before you came down.”
There was a long silence. I peeked around the corner and saw them hugging. Instead of intruding, I slowly backed away, trying my hardest not to make a sound.
If Shawn noticed me flopping back down on the sofa, he didn’t say anything. I opened my mouth to ask if there had been any changes but quickly snapped it shut.
Shawn and I spent the rest of the day taking turns at the window. Once the sun went down, and darkness enveloped the yard, I had to call Shawn over to see.
“What is it?” Shawn asked peering out of the window. I knew he’d already spotted it.
“A lantern?” I asked. There was an orange glow coming from the small window that faced the house.
“Seems like it.”
I chewed my lip for a moment. “What if he’s been staring at the house all day through that window?”
“I guess he could have been.” Shawn rubbed his thumb on against his chin. “But he’s not now, or we’d see a shadow.”
“Does that mean he can see our shadows?”
“I sure as hell hope not.” Shawn glanced back at the candle on the table. “Probably shouldn’t light it tonight. Think Abby and Logan have enough light?”
I shook my head. The rain had yet to stop, and there was little light from the outside environment.
“Could bring it into their room. Make sure the curtains are closed,” Shawn said looking into my eyes. I swallowed as I felt the magic from his gaze, but I quickly pushed away the power they held over me.
I grabbed the candle off of the table and carried it to their room, but I stopped just outside the doorway. There was enough light for me to see that Abby was curled up in Logan’s outstretched arm, and they were both sleeping.
Rather than disturb them, I brought the candle back. If I heard them wake, I’d bring it in for them.
Ryder hadn’t come downstairs for more than a few minutes all day. I was terribly worried about Charlie, but I was almost just a
s worried about Ryder, only for him, I was worried in a different way.
I stood next to Shawn and wrapped my arm around his waist. He smoothly slipped his around my back, so his hand was resting on my hip.
“Maybe I should go out there?” Shawn said breaking the silence.
“What? Are you crazy?”
“To get the water.” Shawn looked at me, and I could tell he was seriously considering it. “We need it. And we need food.”
I stepped away from him. “No way. No freaking way!”
“Are you really that worried about me?” Shawn said flashing me a smirk. “You don’t need to be. I was trained by The Evolved remember?”
“So?” I said with a shrug. “That guy he has with him was too.”
Shawn raised his eyebrow. “Perhaps, but he might not have been trained in the same things as I was.”
“I’m not sure I want to know what that means.”
“You probably don’t, but I can take him out, and I wouldn’t need your gun.” Shawn rubbed his palms together and couldn’t hide the excitement that filled his eyes. “I’m going to do it.”
“No, you’re not.” I put my hands on my hips and shifted my weight to the side.
His head was bobbing up and down quickly. He’d made up his mind, and there probably wasn’t much I could do to stop him. Maybe I could beg him, get down on my knees, and that would be enough. But I didn’t do it.
“Shawn, I just don’t know. I think this is a terrible idea.”
His smile seemed to imply he’d sensed that I wasn’t fully determined to stop him.
“I’ll slip out the back door, go around back, just like I did when he first arrived here.” Shawn was already walking to the back door. “I can do this.”
“Let the record show, I was against this.”
“What’s the worst that could happen? That I have to kill the man who brought a hostage into our building?”
I shifted my weight to the other side. “Our building?”
“Yeah! Our building,” Shawn said, his nose wrinkling with his smile.
“I’ll tell you the worst thing that could happen.” I took several steps in his direction and wrapped my arms around his neck. I looked up into his glowing eyes. “The worst that could happen is that I lose you.”
Ravaged Land: Divided Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Books 1-3 Page 36
