The Other Life

by Susanne Winnacker

  “I can take care of her. I’ll keep her safe,” Karen said, extending her arms. After a second I handed Mia over. It felt like a part of my body was ripped off.

  I chased after Joshua and caught up with him at the ladder that led to the attic.

  He glared at me. “Sherry, I mean it. Go back to the others. I don’t want you up there.”

  “Forget it.” I pushed past him and climbed the ladder. I wouldn’t let him fight the Weepers alone. I had to protect my family. And Joshua, even if he didn’t want my protection. He cussed as he followed me.

  The attic was dark and dusty. Only the moon shining through a small window gave any light. Furniture and paintings covered with blankets filled almost the entire space and the aisles in between were narrow, making it difficult to navigate through them.

  The noises on the roof grew louder, as if a Weeper was jumping to gain our attention.

  Joshua’s steely grip around my arm stopped me. He whirled me around so I faced him. My anger crumbled under the look in his eyes. Fear and worry. “Sherry. It’s too dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “And I won’t leave you alone.”

  He must have seen my determination because he reached out and stroked my hair, tucking it behind my ear. His touch felt desperate, as if he expected it could be our last.

  A bang filled the attic. My hackles rose, an icy chill shooting through my veins.

  Not again. One of them was in here with us.

  The trapdoor had fallen shut. I strained my eyes, but the furniture blocked my view of our only escape route. There was scratching, as if someone was pushing a heavy piece of furniture around. God, it was a trap. They were barring the flap, keeping us here. The shuffling came closer.

  Joshua grasped my hand and dragged me towards the window. It was open.

  “I go first,” Joshua said. He leaned out and checked his surroundings, then he climbed up. I hoisted myself out after him and crouched on the roof. Cold wind and rain lashed against us. Slowly I straightened, my arms outstretched to keep my balance. This side of the roof was deserted. One of them was in the attic, but there was at least one more – the one we’d heard walking around up here. Where was it?

  I looked at Joshua, but he was staring at the other side of the roof. With the rain, it was impossible to see that far.

  A scratching noise to one side startled me. I whirled around. Nothing. My breathing filled the air, loud and raspy. The clouds parted and revealed the full moon, its beams of silver light making Joshua’s hair glow.

  “Sherry!”

  Joshua’s scream set my teeth on edge. I raised my gun and fired at a shadow darting out of the window. Fur brushed my arm and a foot or paw kicked into my stomach. The air rushed out of my lungs and I staggered backwards. My feet slipped on the wet tiles and my body collided with the roof. Hard.

  Pain shot through me. Hot and searing. Something was definitely broken. I tumbled down the roof, the sharp edges of the tiles biting into my skin, ripping and tearing. My hands slid over the slippery surface. I tried to hold onto something – anything – to stop my fall. Suddenly my fingers clutched the guttering, though my arms screamed at me to let go. I felt my body dangling like a marionette from the roof. The fall would be deadly – and then I wouldn’t be able to help Joshua.

  Two Weepers circled him in a wide range. He shot, but missed. Hell, they were fast. I tried to pull myself up, but I barely had enough strength to hold onto the gutter. Something wasn’t right with my shoulder. I groaned, spasms seizing my body.

  Both Weepers lunged at Joshua. A scream ripped from my throat. “No!”

  Shots rang out. A Weeper dropped to the tiles, unmoving. Relief burst through me, but the other Weeper flung Joshua across the roof. He landed on his back with a sickening crack. His gun slipped from his hand, down the tiles and dropped to the ground. He groped around for his hunting knife, but it was also gone. He was unarmed, against an opponent who was impossible to defeat without weapons. Our eyes met and the apology I saw in them sent a new wave of determination through me. I wouldn’t let the Weeper hurt him.

  “You ugly beast! I’m here!”

  The Weeper glanced over its shoulder at me, hollow eyes full of hunger. It was going to eat me. Its teeth would sink into my skin, its claws would rip me apart. But then I saw something. Joshua’s hunting knife lay in the gutter a couple of metres away. I couldn’t reach it, not with my loosening grip. But Joshua could. Realization filled his eyes.

  “Yes, get me, you stupid beast!” I screamed, hating how my voice rang with fear. The Weeper took a step in my direction, nostrils flaring. Could it smell my panic?

  Joshua shot to his feet and slid down the roof. His feet bumped against the gutter, stopping his slide. He grabbed the knife and scrambled to his feet. The look in his eyes scared me.

  My fingers loosened. Not much longer and I’d be spattered on the pebbles. Cold sweat and rain covered my forehead and dripped into my eyes. I heard voices beneath me. Frantic and scared. But I didn’t look down.

  Joshua pounced on the Weeper. Their bodies collided. Growls filled the night. Claws ripping, teeth flashing, spit flying.

  Joshua would die. My shoulders and arms screamed at me, but it was nothing, absolutely nothing, in comparison to the thought of losing Joshua. I bit down on my lip so hard I drew blood. My arms burned and my palms were slick from blood and rain. I whimpered, but I pulled until I thought my muscles and tendons would rip. My feet searched for footing, but they slipped.

  Joshua.

  My toes dug into the rough brick. The pain was fierce. Unimportant. I pushed myself up and managed to get my heel on the gutter. It hurt like hell. Worse. Like razors slicing my shoulders, acid burning my soles, needles boring into my fingers. A tremor went through my arms as I hoisted myself up. For a moment, I lay on the roof, my face pressed to the tiles, wet hair sticking to my skin. My body screamed at me not to move.

  I stumbled to my feet, disorientated for an instant, and afraid. So damn afraid of what I would see. Joshua dead, ripped apart, lifeless eyes accusing me.

  But the fight was in full swing. The Weeper had forced Joshua to the edge of the roof. One more blow and Joshua would fall.

  I wasn’t sure how I managed to run on the slippery tiles, but I did, and I threw myself at the Weeper. It was crazy. Dangerous. My fingers grasped for its neck.

  The Weeper roared. I’d surprised it. It lashed out but missed. I clung to its back as if I wanted it to give me a piggyback. I wouldn’t let go, wouldn’t let it hurt Joshua. I wouldn’t let it get off the roof to kill my family.

  “Sherry, let go!”

  My hands loosened, taking strips of skin with them, and I landed on my butt, a stabbing pain shooting up my spine. The hunting knife flashed in Joshua’s hand, like lightning. He swung it around, slicing the Weeper’s throat. A gurgled roar died in its mouth, blood pumping from the wound, covering its chest. The flow from its eyes worsened and the milky tears mingled with red. It staggered backwards and fell off the roof.

  Wind tugged at my hair and pressed against my ears. The Weeper was gone – dead. And we’d survived, had protected our family and friends. For a moment I’d been so sure we’d die, but we lived.

  We really lived.

  Warm arms enveloped me in a crushing hug. Slowly, I leaned against Joshua’s chest. It was sticky with blood. I felt his lips against my ear, whispering or kissing, I couldn’t tell. I was still so damn dizzy. His hands cupped my cheeks. So gentle, and yet so relentless when they killed. He pulled my face up. Blood was streaming from a gash over his right eyebrow, covering his face. Moonlight reflected in his eyes, made them sparkle silver.

  His lips moved, but I didn’t hear him over the whooshing in my ears. His hands pushed my hair back from my face, caressing and searching for injuries. Blood kept dripping into his right eye. He just blinked it away.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  He smiled as if I should know better than to ask. His lips brushed
against mine, his palms warm against my cheeks. Our kiss tasted of blood and tears. Of rain and dirt. Of pain and relief. But more than anything, it was a promise. An oath to never let anything happen to the other.

  Neither of us returned to bed, though it was the middle of the night. I didn’t think I could fall asleep even if I tried. I wasn’t sure if I ever could again. The tapping of fingernails against the window chimed in my head. The brightness of fangs and knives flashed in my mind, the taste of blood lingered on my lips.

  Cleaning the house, removing the destroyed furniture and burning the dead Weepers took us the morning and early afternoon, but at least it kept us busy – in body and mind. It stopped me from thinking about Grandma.

  But in the evening, the smell of charred flesh hung in the air, burned in my nose and eyes. We buried what was left of Grandma next to Grandpa. Finally they were reunited.

  Music blared in the background. Some kind of rap.

  My foot moved in rhythm with it. I didn’t even like the song. The beats went right through me, making my body buzz.

  I closed my eyes and tipped the bottle, the rim chilled against my lips. The Coke slipped down my throat, cooling me. Clanking – glass on tiles – brought me back.

  Light flashed on the bottle. Spinning. Everyone watched it. Waiting. Excited and nervous.

  My eyes followed the tip of the bottle. It slowed.

  Don’t point at me. Don’t point at me.

  It stopped. Izzy groaned.

  “Truth or Dare?” Brittany asked.

  “Dare.”

  Brittany would use her chance. Stupid cow.

  “You have to kiss someone on the lips.”

  Her eyes rested on Eric – “the freak”, as he was known. I gave Izzy a sympathetic look.

  “Alex. Kiss Alex.” Brittany smirked. Izzy stared at me. I clutched my Coke. Avoided her eyes.

  I didn’t want to see how they moved into the circle, leaned towards each other and…kissed. I jumped up, Coke bottle smashing on the ground. My feet carried me out, tears blurring my vision. I hated Brittany.

  The chirping of birds and the occasional chirring of a cricket was the only sound around us.

  6 days and 4 hours since the Weeper attack.

  8,880 minutes – but it felt much longer.

  Joshua and I had escaped to the vineyard. It had become the place where we could spend time alone, holding each other and kissing. It was our personal safe haven, though nothing was really safe any more, least of all Safe-haven itself. We could never let our guard down. At least Dad was getting better. Karen told me he was doing fine.

  Discussions about abandoning Safe-haven dominated every day and worry kept us awake at night. But where could we go? We’d found a home here and that was something hard to come by in this world. Weepers were everywhere. Should we let them drive us away? We’d end up as nomads, travelling from one place to another, searching for safety that no longer existed.

  Joshua’s arms around me tightened, bringing our bodies even closer together.

  “Sherry! Joshua!” Bobby’s shout sounded in the silence.

  Joshua pulled back with a groan. I opened my eyes, wanting to strangle my little brother. We had so little time alone – every minute was precious. Mom always made sure there was someone with us. I bet she’d sent Bobby to check on us.

  “Sherry! Joshua!” The shouting came closer.

  “If we duck down, he won’t find us,” Joshua said with a wicked smile. It was an appealing thought.

  I laughed. “You don’t know Bobby, he won’t give up.”

  “Sherry!”

  “We’re here!” I shouted.

  “Where?”

  I rolled my eyes, causing Joshua’s grin to widen. “Here!”

  Bobby appeared in our row, his face alight with excitement. Then his brows furrowed. “Why are you hugging my sister?”

  Joshua and I took a step back from each other and dropped our arms. Joshua handled the situation much better than I could have. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  Bobby scowled and opened his mouth, but I held up a hand. “What do you want?” Annoyance crept into my voice. I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t sure when Joshua and I would be close to each other again, and Bobby just had to come and ruin the moment.

  Bobby blinked at me, then the excitement returned to his face. “Geoffrey managed to get the radio receiver going. He even managed to make it work over a longer distance. There were voices!”

  Joshua and I exchanged looks. Voices? Other survivors?

  Bobby whirled around and headed back the way he’d come. Joshua and I ran after him.

  I was out of breath by the time we arrived in the living room, where Geoffrey had put Dad’s radio receiver on a table.

  He looked up when we burst in and smiled proudly. “It works. I pushed the buttons like I always do and suddenly there were voices, but I lost them before we could exchange information. We just need to wait for the voices to return.” He turned the knobs, but all that came from the radio was a swishing noise.

  Then suddenly warped voices rang out, overlaid by the constant hissing. I strained my ears to hear what they were saying.

  “Hello?” Geoffrey said into the little microphone, moving the aerial back and forth.

  “Geoffrey?” A man asked.

  “Yes, it’s me. I lost you for a moment.”

  “Geoffrey, this is important.” The man sounded hurried and frightened. “We must warn you. They betrayed us. There’s—” The hissing returned with full force, cutting the words off.

  Maybe Joshua was right and there was someone who didn’t want us to communicate.

  Joshua looked as clueless as I felt.

  “Who has betrayed us?” I asked as we sank down on the sofa, exchanging panicked looks.

  Larry occupied one of the armchairs, leaning forward and watching Geoffrey with rapt attention. “Yes, what does that even mean?”

  Joshua pointed at the speakers. “Who was that guy anyway?”

  Geoffrey worked on the back of the radio with a screwdriver, concentration written across his face. “Simon. He told me his name is Simon. He lives with others in a safe haven in Arizona. That’s all I know.”

  I slumped against Joshua, feeling exhausted, and waited for something to happen.

  I awoke with a start and my eyes fluttered open. I must have fallen asleep. My head leaned on Joshua’s shoulder. Marie and Emma sat on the ground in front of our feet, talking quietly.

  I sat up, blinking away the sleepiness. “How long have I slept?”

  “An hour,” Joshua replied in a drowsy voice. “But you didn’t miss anything. Only swooshing.”

  I rose from the sofa and stretched my tired muscles. “I’ll check on my father. If anything happens, call me.”

  Joshua nodded, eyes half-closed. Larry was fast asleep in his armchair, snoring with his mouth open. I dragged myself towards the front door. Cold wind whipped against my face when I stepped outside. It woke me up.

  I crossed the courtyard with hurried steps. Even with Joshua’s sweater on, I was freezing. Where had the heat gone?

  I walked into the cottage, where Karen sat on a chair, reading a book. She glanced up briefly and smiled at me before returning her attention to the pages. Mom was perched on the edge of the bed, talking to Dad. My heart leaped – he was finally conscious!

  Dad’s eyes darted towards me. A weak smile curled his lips.

  “Sherry,” he said in a croaky voice. Some colour had returned to his face, but he was still on the drip. I rushed towards him and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. His touch seemed to burn my skin; his fever still hadn’t lessened. He laughed hoarsely and stroked my back. Tears prickled in my eyes. A few brimmed over and ran down my cheeks. I pulled back and wiped off the tears with the sleeve of the hoodie. He was awake and he looked better. I was so happy.

  Mom gave me a teary smile while she held Dad’s hand.

  “I’m proud of you,” he said.

/>   I stared at him. “W-why?”

  Dad rolled his eyes. “And I thought you were clever,” he joked in his weak voice. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. I hadn’t noticed them a minute ago. The fever, the sweating. Signs of rabies?

  “You are very brave, Sherry,” he said in his proud-father voice. But there was no reason for him to be proud of me.

  “It was my fault the Weepers captured you. I should’ve stopped them. I came with you to keep you safe and I failed.” My voice broke at the end.

  “Don’t be silly, Sherry,” Mom admonished with a shake of her head.

  “It wasn’t your fault. I had the shotgun and I should have defended us, but I dropped it when one of those beasts jumped in front of me.” Dad shuddered at the thought. He took a deep breath before he continued. “I thought they’d killed you when they didn’t bring you to the harbour. I thought I’d broken the promise I’d given to your mother.” He glanced at Mom with an apologetic look.

  I gave them their moment of silent understanding and stared down at my hands. Without Joshua’s help the Weepers would have ended my life. I’d never forget it.

  “How did you manage to survive? It’s a miracle,” Dad said in wonder.

  I glanced up and smiled. “Joshua saved me.”

  “You’re wearing his hoodie.” Mom searched my face.

  I felt myself blush. “I was cold.” What a lame lie. I just liked the smell of it. Mom and Dad exchanged a look I didn’t even bother to analyse.

  The door was thrown open and banged against the wall, making us all jump. I expected a Weeper to be standing in the doorway, but it was only Joshua who stepped into the room.

  Karen scowled at him as she picked up her book, which she’d dropped. “For God’s sake, Joshua, do you want to give us all heart attacks?”

  Joshua didn’t react. “There’s a helicopter circling over Safe-haven!”

  “What?” Karen and I asked at once.

  “I heard a noise and suddenly it was there!”

  My heart leaped into my throat.

  “Come on!” Joshua urged. He ran out of the room as if the devil was chasing him.