Joshua slipped out of his hoodie and held it out to me. He was only wearing a T-shirt beneath it himself, showing his muscled chest and arms. I frowned at the offered hoodie.
“Take it,” he urged.
I shook my head. “You’ll freeze.”
“No, I won’t. Here, take it.”
I took the hoodie with a mumbled thanks and pulled it on over my T-shirt. It was still warm from his body and smelled of him. Like an autumn forest. I smiled at him shyly. He reached for my hand and clasped it in his again. It felt right. Perfect.
We strolled towards the small gate and walked through it into the garden. “Apple trees.” He pointed at a group of trees, then led me the other way. “And there’s the vegetable patch. Marie takes care of it. She’s very protective of her vegetables, so we’d better stay away.”
I tried to pay attention as he went on about the different vegetables, but his closeness was distracting. A few chickens pecked the ground, searching for food in the grass. The rooster strutted around them, his red comb wobbling with every step. He kept an eye on me, suspicious. Maybe he thought I’d kidnap his hens. His sudden crow made me jump and clutch at Joshua’s arm.
He snickered. “You’re jumpy.”
I scowled at him. “I didn’t expect the crow. I thought roosters only crow at sunrise.”
“Our rooster crows whenever he feels like it. He’s cocky like that.” A grin crept over his face.
I bumped my shoulder against his. “Like you.” I smiled, letting my gaze wander over the surrounding vineyard. “I’d really like to take a walk through the vineyard, if that’s okay?” I peeked up at Joshua. The wind kept blowing his blond hair into his face.
He stared into the distance.
“Is it too dangerous?” I asked.
He lifted his T-shirt, revealing a gun in his waistband – and a slash of tanned, taut stomach. The sight of the gun should have calmed me, but it didn’t. Instead, I suddenly felt sick at the thought of living in a world where we had to carry guns in our own garden. I sighed.
“When do you think all this will end?” I said. “What happens next?”
Joshua shook his head. “We can’t keep on living like this for ever. Searching for food and gas, hunting Weepers, it all seems so pointless after a while. There must be more we can do, other places we can explore.”
“You mean, leave Safe-haven?”
“No, not really. For a while maybe, to find out more about the rest of the country.”
“Maybe we could try to contact other survivors again.”
“Yeah. That would be an option, if we could reach them.” He paused. “Don’t you think it’s strange that the radios suddenly stopped working?”
“What do you mean?” I hadn’t thought about the radios before now.
“Our radio worked, we could communicate with other safe havens, and then suddenly we couldn’t. You said your radio worked and then, poof, suddenly it didn’t. It’s kind of strange. It’s as if someone doesn’t want us to communicate.”
“But who? There’s nobody around.” Apparently, I wasn’t the only one becoming paranoid.
He looked up and something in his eyes made me pause. “I’ve never told anyone about this, but a few weeks ago I noticed something strange during a hunt.”
My heart swelled with pride and something else I couldn’t identify – he trusted me. I moved closer, my body prickling with curiosity. “What did you notice?”
“Geoffrey had asked me to look for radios, because ours had stopped working. He wanted to get back in contact with the other safe havens. So I went to a hardware store that I knew still had radios, but they were all gone. A dozen radios, disappeared. As if they’d vanished into thin air.”
“Gone?”
“Yes. It was like someone had taken them.”
“Maybe it was other survivors?” But there didn’t seem to be many of us left.
“Maybe.” Joshua’s tone made it clear that he didn’t believe it. “But when I left the store, I saw something in the sky. It was moving.”
“A black dot,” I said. A feeling of unease swelled in my stomach.
“Yes.” Joshua’s eyes searched my face. “You’ve seen it too?”
“A few times, but I didn’t know what it was.” So it wasn’t my imagination.
Joshua’s expression became distant.
I touched his arm. He blinked, then his eyes focused on me. “What do you think it is?” I asked.
“I’m not sure.” The look on his face told me he had an idea but wasn’t ready to share it with me yet. His trust had a limit. “Let’s not think about it now,” he said abruptly, taking my hand. It was like he had suddenly shut himself off.
He led me back to the main building and across the courtyard towards the vineyards. Even with the cloudy sky, the sight was beautiful. It was easy to forget the horrors of this new world while looking at the beauty surrounding us. We strolled through one of the rows between the vines. The silence was calming, not unsettling like the one that hung over downtown.
Joshua slowed down as we turned back in the direction of the house. I glanced up at him.
He was looking at me with a strange expression, one I’d never seen on his face. I was unable to look away. Slowly, he leaned down, bringing his face closer to mine.
I was frozen to the spot.
He was going to kiss me.
My heart threatened to burst through my ribcage. Maybe I should have made it easier for him and stood on my tiptoes, or lifted my face towards his, but all rational thought had left my mind. He was so close.
His warm breath fanned over my skin and my eyes shut.
There was a rustling a few rows from us. My eyes shot open. We froze, stared at each other and pulled apart. My skin tingled with anxiety. There was something in the vineyard with us. Joshua grabbed his gun, his face and posture alert. Without warning, he pulled me behind him, shielding me.
You don’t have a gun, do you? You left it on your nightstand, a voice in my head taunted. I was an idiot.
More rustling made me tense up. I felt Joshua do the same. It came closer and closer. Joshua aimed his gun in that direction. Something shot out from behind the vine. A startled cry escaped my lips and I prepared to run.
Joshua shot but missed.
An alarmed chicken dashed across the row, cackling loudly. Just a chicken. Joshua and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. He lowered his gun.
“Paranoia!” he said with a grin, but I didn’t miss the lingering apprehension in his eyes. My heart was still pounding in my chest.
“Come on, let’s get back to the house.”
The incident with the chicken had been a good reminder: we were never safe.
I spread my arms, fingers brushing the moist grass blades.
A soft drizzle chilled the night. My lungs filled with air. Refreshing and cool.
A full moon. Small water droplets on the grass glittered in the silver light. It illuminated our garden. Everyone was asleep, the light in the neighbouring houses extinguished.
“Sometimes I wonder what our life will be like in ten years,” Izzy whispered.
“I don’t know. I hope I’ll work as a vet. That’s what I’d like to do.”
“Hmm. Sounds like a plan.” She yawned. “I’ve got no clue what I want.”
“Twenty-two, that’s kind of old, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I bet you’ll be married to Alex and have a bunch of kids.”
“You’re stupid.”
She grinned, but it faded. “Do you think we’ll still be best friends?”
“Of course. Best friends for ever.”
“Best friends for ever.”
I buried my face in the soft pillow, trying to return to sleep. A nightmare must have woken me. At least I hadn’t disturbed Mia. She was snuggled against my body, her face resting against my chest. My eyes felt heavy. It wouldn’t take long to fall back to sleep.
Tick-tick.
I turned my fac
e away from the pillow and opened my eyes.
Tick-tick.
What was that noise?
I held my breath and listened.
Tick-tick.
It sounded like someone – or something – was tapping their fingernails against the window.
I swallowed. The thud-thud of my pulse filled my ears, like a bassline turned up high. I shifted on the bed, careful not to wake Mia, and tried to get a look at the window. Moonlight streamed into the room and illuminated the floor. A moving shadow parted the beam of light. My heartbeat quickened and my mouth went dry. Something was in front of the window and tapping against the glass.
I didn’t need to see it to know it was a Weeper. The window wouldn’t stop it for long. With its strength, bursting through the glass wouldn’t be a problem. I had to protect Mia. I wouldn’t let anything hurt her.
Where was my gun?
I inched closer to the edge of the bed and the nightstand where the gun lay. Mia stirred, making me freeze.
“Sherry, wha’s up?” Her voice was muffled by my chest and her hold on me tightened.
The tapping got louder, more insistent. I needed to get out of bed. My hand moved closer to the gun – centimetre by centimetre. Mia shifted and looked at me, then her eyes grew wide. “Tapping,” she mouthed. I put my finger against my lips.
A scream resounded in the silence, setting my teeth on edge.
Mom. That was Mom’s voice!
What if she was alone in the small cottage with Dad?
I jumped out of the bed and grabbed my gun from the nightstand. My eyes settled on the Weeper balancing on the window sill of my room. Its moist eyes stared right at me, its inhuman face twisted into an ugly grimace, showing off several sharp teeth. I shot twice, ignoring Mia’s scream. The Weeper pushed itself off the ledge before a bullet could hit it.
I rushed towards the broken window and shot a few more times at the Weeper fleeing across the courtyard. I couldn’t let it get Mom or Dad or anyone else. I had to stop it. The third shot brought it down. It lay unmoving on the ground.
Screams rang out in the house and more were coming from the cottage. The windows were dark but I could make out a commotion.
My eyes landed on Mia, who sat on the bed, shaking, tears streaming down her pale face.
I needed to help Mom, but I couldn’t leave my sister alone.
Shots sounded in the house. Roars and more screams followed. Panic swelled in me. I grabbed Mia and pressed her against my chest. She wound her legs around my waist and clung to me. I tiptoed towards the door and opened it a crack, gun at the ready.
I crept into the hall. Mia’s hands clutched at me and their grip tightened with every gunshot. It sounded like a war was raging downstairs – and I wasn’t there to help. I didn’t want to leave Mia alone, but her weight would only hinder me. And that would put us both in danger.
The screaming downstairs got louder. I needed to make a decision. Quick.
I prised Mia’s arms from my neck and lowered her to the ground. She clung to me, her eyes wide and fearful as she gazed up at me.
“Mia, I need to help downstairs. Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”
She wound her arms around my waist and shook her head frantically. “No. Don’t leave me alone!” Her sobbing tore at my heart, but she was safer here than with me downstairs.
I loosened her grip and opened the door of the linen closet. I pushed the heaps of towels and linen aside, so Mia could walk in. “Listen, Mia. I promise I’ll be back very soon. Just wait here. Be quiet and don’t move.”
She sank down to the ground and leaned against the wall, giving a small nod. I positioned the heap of towels in front of her and closed the door, before rushing towards the staircase. I froze halfway down the landing.
A Weeper cowered on the last step. Its yellowish eyes settled on me, tears pouring out of them, and it snarled, spit dripping from its lips. I wanted to run and hide, but I didn’t.
It pushed up from the step and propelled itself towards me. My heart pounding in my chest, I raised the gun and shot.
A bullet cut through its neck, blood flying everywhere, and the Weeper landed with a thud on the stairs below me. It twitched as if hit by electric shocks.
I caught my breath and moved closer. My body trembled when I leaned over to check if it was really dead. The way its skull was broken left me in no doubt. Shreds of skin covered the stairs.
Swallowing down my sickness, I stepped over the corpse and walked towards the commotion in the living room. A dead Weeper lay just in front of the doorway, bleeding all over the flowery carpet.
The house was silent. I glanced to the side and saw Larry and Geoffrey in the living room, armed with guns. Two Weepers lay at their feet. One of them was dead, the other still whimpering. They didn’t need my help any more.
Gunshots cracked outside and I whirled around. Without thinking, I stormed towards the front door and ripped it open. The scene outside nearly brought me to my knees.
Several Weepers lay sprawled in the courtyard, the pebbles surrounding them shiny red with blood, and amongst them was a human body. Or what was left of it. Not much. Bile rose in my throat.
I grabbed the door frame to steady myself, my vision swimming. Thunder rumbled over Safe-haven, lightning flashing across the sky. Joshua stepped out of the cottage and came up to me, two guns in his hands. He was only wearing pyjama bottoms, his chest bare. Sweat glistened on his skin. He’d been with Mom and Dad.
“You alright?” he asked, his eyes sweeping over me. It started pouring down on us, raindrops lashing against my face.
I gave a weak nod. “Mom? Dad?” My voice quivered.
“They’re okay.”
I swallowed down a bitter taste and nodded towards the body.
Joshua followed my gaze and his expression softened. He cupped my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I was too late. Your grandma ran out of the house to get to your grandfather’s grave before we could stop her. The Weepers killed her instantly.”
Grandma was dead. Killed by Weepers. If there was anyone who wasn’t scared of death, then it was her.
Karen appeared next to us. She’d also come from the infirmary cottage. “Any injuries?”
I shook my head.
“Larry? Geoffrey?” she called out, and the two came up behind me.
“We’re fine,” Larry assured his wife. “Tyler and Rachel are with Emma and Marie in their room on the upper floor.”
“Where’s Bobby?” I looked around, the familiar tremor coming over my body.
“I’m here!” He leaned out of the window of the small cottage and Mom stood behind him.
My heartbeat calmed. We’d survived. Not all of us, I reminded myself. Grandma was gone. But it could have ended worse. So much worse. It was a miracle that more of us hadn’t been killed.
“That’s the first time they’ve ever attacked,” Geoffrey said with a puzzled look.
Joshua’s expression darkened. “It won’t be the last time.”
Safe-haven wasn’t safe any more. That too had been taken from us.
“Where’s Mia?” Karen asked.
“Upstairs. I thought she’d be safer there.”
Joshua’s face changed. “Alone?”
“Yes.”
He ran past me without another word. I followed him, stumbling in my haste to keep up.
“Joshua?” I screamed.
He took two steps at once, pointing his guns ahead. Footsteps rang out behind me, but I didn’t check who it was.
I reached the first floor a second after Joshua.
“Where is she?”
I opened the door of the linen closet and pushed the towels aside. “She’s…” I trailed off. She wasn’t there. I ran into our bedroom, with its broken window and the shards on the ground. “Mia?”
Nothing but silence.
Joshua stood beside me, his face paler than I’d ever seen it. “Not again.” Despair rang in his words.
“Mia?” I called, louder
this time. Panic corded up my throat and I began to gasp for breath. Oh God, they’d taken her.
“She’s gone?” Karen asked from behind me.
“We’ll search for her,” Joshua ordered. He pushed past me and stormed into the corridor. I stumbled towards the wardrobe and ripped it open. Mia wasn’t in there.
“Mia?” I cried. Hot tears burned in my eyes and trailed over my cheeks.
My eyes settled on the bed and I fell to my knees to check the space beneath it. She wasn’t there either. Please not her. Please.
“I have her!” Joshua’s shout went right through me. I shot up and was out of the room within a second. Please let her be alive.
“Joshua?” I screamed.
“I’m here.”
Bathroom.
I rushed into the room. Joshua stood in the shower and held Mia. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and he pressed his cheek against her hair. His eyes were moist, as if he’d been crying.
My legs shook so much that I thought they’d give way.
“Mia.”
She raised her head and looked at me. I took her from Joshua, though he seemed reluctant to let her go. I held her to me tightly while she wrapped her legs around my waist.
“She was hiding in the shower.”
“Thanks.”
Our gazes seemed glued to each other. There were so many emotions in his eyes, so many things I didn’t understand.
Mia stirred and I looked at her.
“Why did you hide in the shower? Why didn’t you listen to what I told you?”
Her answer was muffled by my chest. “I saw one of them.”
“One of them?” I exchanged a look with Joshua and his eyes clouded with worry.
“I saw it through the keyhole.”
They’d gotten upstairs.
A crunch startled me. I stared at the ceiling. Another crunch. Like footsteps above us.
“They’re on the roof,” Joshua said, wild determination and hatred flashing across his face. “Stay here, Sherry.” He was out of the room before I could blink.
No way.
Yet I hesitated, torn between my wish to follow Joshua and my fear of letting go of Mia. What if I wasn’t there to protect her from another Weeper in the house?
The Other Life Page 15
