When We Were Human

by Kate L. Mary

  “What does Tom Hanks have to do with volleyball? Did he play?”

  “No, buddy,” Walker says, slapping Ben on the back. The poor kid stumbles a little, but he doesn’t seem to mind. “He just loved talking to sports equipment.”

  Ben’s eyebrows pull together, and he shakes his head. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would someone talk to sports equipment?”

  The three of us laugh, and Walker nudges me. He wiggles his eyebrows and I don’t have the faintest idea what’s on his mind, but I know that I like it when he looks at me like that. It doesn’t bother me as much that his icy blue eyes seem to see straight through me or that he acts interested in everything I do, because for once my insides don’t feel black or broken. It’s like the old me is awake after years of hibernating, and she’s feisty and ready to conquer the world. To start over and allow hope to lead her somewhere safe.

  I love the feeling.

  The further we walk, the darker the sky gets, until I start to worry we’re walking straight into a huge storm. There isn’t much around other than fields, but just as night starts to close in we come to an overgrown driveway that leads to an old farmhouse. Behind it is a crumpled heap that used to be a barn, and in the distance more fields as far as the eye can see. Even from the road the house doesn’t look like it’s in much better shape than the barn, but since it looks like the clouds are going to open up at any second, we don’t have much of a choice.

  The house is set far enough away from the road that it takes us a good five minutes to reach it, and when we do, I have the urge to cuss. The steps leading up to the porch have crumbled and the porch itself sags dangerously. The front door is wide open, and all the windows are broken. It isn’t going to provide us with much cover if the storm gets bad.

  “Looks pretty crappy,” Lilly mutters.

  Walker exhales and rips off his hat. “Nothing we can do about it.”

  He shoves it in his back pocket before climbing onto the porch, then turns to help my sister. Ben is tall enough to do it on his own, and I don’t wait for Walker to get done helping Lilly. The porch goes to right below my chest, but it only takes me a little effort to hoist myself up. The boards creak under my weight when I sit, and it gets even worse once I’m on my feet. They sag like they’re going to give at any second. With all four of us standing here together, I wouldn’t be surprised if the thing collapsed.

  “Let’s get inside before this thing breaks,” I mutter, heading for the front door.

  My knife is out before I step inside, and I instinctively pause on the threshold to listen. The only audible sound though is the wind. It whips through the broken windows, blowing ripped curtains back and forth. With as dark as it is and all the cobwebs that are hanging from the ceiling, it reminds me of a haunted house.

  “Creepy,” Lilly says from behind me, echoing my thoughts exactly.

  “No kidding.” I move inside and the others follow, and even though I’m pretty sure the place is clear, I keep my knife out.

  The front room is dusty and mildewed despite the fresh air blowing through. It probably has a lot to do with the moisture and humidity that has soaked into the furniture over the last few years. The couch looks like it was probably off-white at one point, but now it’s a sickly black color. If we sat on it, we’d probably die of mold poisoning.

  Walker steps around me, and even though I like having him near, it irks me. I know he’s about to take charge, and it makes me feel like he doesn’t think I’m capable.

  “Let’s make sure the place is clear and then figure out the best room to hunker down in. I have a feeling that storm isn’t going to hold off for long. There was a chimney, so it would be nice if we could start a fire, but we’re going to have to move fast if we want dry wood.” His words drip with authority, just like I knew they would, and he heads for the stairs like he’s on a mission.

  I put my knife away and resist the urge to roll my eyes. “We can burn the furniture.”

  Walker grins my way. “You’re so smart.”

  Even though there’s a little bit of sarcasm in his words, they’re genuine, which eases my annoyance. Maybe he knew I was irritated and said it to smooth things over. Anything is possible.

  “Ben, why don’t you come with me?” Walker calls as he moves back toward the stairs.

  We walk through the house in twos, Lilly with me downstairs while Ben and Walker go up. Once we’re sure it’s all clear, we meet back in the main room.

  Walker doesn’t look happy. “Most of the windows are broken upstairs too, and it looks like the only real option we have if we want to be in a room without a window is the bathroom. Which is small and smells like…well, shit.”

  “We can go back here,” I say, motioning for him to follow me.

  I head into the other living room with the others right behind me. There are two windows, and only one is broken. Plus it’s the room that has a fireplace. The house is old, which means we’re in luck. It’s wood burning, not gas.

  “We can shut this door and close off the room from the rest of the house, which should help with the wind. This window is good, so we don’t have to worry about that, and this one is only missing this one small panel. We just need to find something to put over it and we’re in the clear.”

  “Looks good.” Walker glances out the window toward the dark clouds, frowning even more. “We need to get a move on, though. Any ideas for the window? The place is pretty bare at the moment.”

  “The barn,” Lilly says from behind me.

  Walker and I turn, but she’s already heading for the door. I hurry after her, knowing she’s headed out to the pile of wood that was once a barn. It’s a good idea. In all that rubble, there has to be something big enough to cover the window.

  I step outside only a few feet behind Lilly, and already the wind is intense. It whips my short hair around my head, and suddenly I’m more grateful than ever it isn’t long enough to get in my face. Lilly’s hair is everywhere as I jog to catch up with her, and I have to wonder how she can see anything.

  We reach the barn just as a bolt of lightning lights up the dark sky. A boom of thunder follows only seconds later, meaning the storm is right on top of us.

  “We have to hurry!” Walker yells over the rush of the wind as he comes up beside me.

  Lilly is already treading her way through the rubble, and I follow behind, my eyes moving over the pile of wood in search of something that will help us. Lilly points to my right, holding her hair down with her free hand, and I turn to see a wood panel that just might work.

  “There!” I call to Walker, who nods and heads that way.

  The three of us work together to move a few boards off the panel, and as soon as it’s free, I see that it was once a door. It’s perfect, if we can get it to the house through all this wind. Walker and I each take a side, and Lilly comes over to join me. A gust of wind blows across the open field, hitting us with its full force and threatening to take the door with it. I dig my fingers into the wood and hold on tighter as Lilly lets out a grunt. Walker grits his teeth as he treads his way across the pile of wood.

  We make it to solid ground, but the wind hasn’t eased up, so the walk doesn’t either. Lightning shoots across the sky a second time. It’s a jagged bolt that causes a scream to bubble up inside me. I bite down on my tongue to keep it inside, then count. One, one thousand. Two, one thousand. Three— Thunder echoes through the darkness, sounding like the earth has split in two.

  We’re only four feet from the porch when the clouds decide they can’t hold out any longer. Rain thick enough that a person could get lost in it pounds down on us, soaking me from head to toe within seconds. It runs down my hair and into my eyes. I blink, but it doesn’t help. Even though I can’t see more than six inches in front of me, I keep walking.

  My feet hit the steps, and I move my legs up automatically while Walker does the same on the other side. The rain pounding on the door makes it feel about a hundred pounds heavier than it actually is
, and my arms begin to shake. I move up to the next step. Then the next, gritting my teeth as I do. Lilly is beside me, and I keep a firm grip, knowing if I drop the door she’ll have to take up the slack.

  Finally, I reach the top step and duck under the safety of the porch. Pools of water run down my face and body and legs. It collects in my boots until they’re so full they feel like they’re going to burst. I want to take them off, but I’m still holding the door.

  “We can’t stop now!” Walker calls over the pounding rain. “We need to get this inside and cover that window before the whole room is soaked.”

  He’s right. I know he is, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Lilly has let go of the door, and when I turn I see why. Her long hair is matted to her face, making it impossible for her to see.

  It doesn’t matter, I can do it without her.

  “Let’s go!” I call to Walker.

  Getting it through the door requires us to flip the thing and try to maneuver it in sideways. My back scrapes against the frame as I squeeze through, but I keep up the pace Walker has set for me. Each second that goes by allows more water to soak our only shelter for the night.

  Rain pours in through the windows in every room we walk through. It echoes through the house, sounding like a thousand drumbeats, and I start to wonder how in the hell we will ever get any rest if the rain keeps up. I swear, it’s louder than a rock concert.

  Walker and I finally manage to make it into our chosen room and over to the window. The small panel of glass that’s missing means some water has pooled on the floor, but thankfully it’s not as bad as the rest of the house. We set the door on the ground, but before Walker can put it in place, I yank the curtains off the rod and ball them up. I shove them into the jagged hole, hoping they will help block the water a little better. Once that’s done, Walker tilts the door up and pushes it against the wall.

  “Hold it here for a second,” he calls out.

  I lean my back into it, and Lilly rushes over to help as Walker moves to a large wooden desk. It’s old, so it’s a heavy piece of furniture, which makes it tough for him to scoot across the wood floor. But it will also mean it should be enough to hold the door over the broken window even with the wind pounding against it from the other side.

  Lilly and I move out of the way when Walker gets closer, then we help him shove the desk against the wall. The second that’s done, I let out a deep sigh and turn to face the room. That’s when I notice the crackling fire already going in the fireplace and Ben kneeling in front of it.

  “You do this, buddy?” Walker asks from behind me.

  Ben doesn’t look up. “You said we needed a fire and I’m good at making fires. Mom taught me. We used to camp because she said it was important to spend time outside, not in front of video games all day. It was fun, but not as fun as Minecraft.”

  Walker chuckles and goes over to join Ben. He slaps the kid on the back like he always does, and as usual, Ben barely reacts when his whole body jerks forward. But I get the feeling Walker’s praise means a lot to Ben.

  “Nothing was as fun as Minecraft,” Walker says, sitting on the ground next to Ben.

  26

  The sight of Lilly’s wet clothes clinging to her skin brings me back to reality. We’re all soaked. It may be summer in Georgia, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to get dry.

  “Did you find any clothes upstairs?” I ask, not taking my eyes off my sister.

  Walker turns from his position on the floor and frowns. “I didn’t look, but there wasn’t much up there. May be some blankets, though.”

  “I’ll go look.” I head for the door without waiting for a response, but I’ve only taken two steps before he’s up and after me.

  “Wait!” Walker crosses the room in three quick strides, grabbing my arm before I can go any further. “I’ll go with you.”

  Lilly is on her way to the door but stops at Walker’s words. She presses her lips together like she’s trying to hold in a smile. It reminds me of all the teasing moments from childhood and warms me more than a soft blanket ever could right now.

  “Find something for me, will you?” she says with a little smirk on her face.

  I’m not sure if Walker wants to go because he’s worried I won’t be safe or if he wants to be alone with me. Either way, it’s obvious by the expression on my sister’s face what she thinks. Joke’s on her, though. Doesn’t matter how much I like Walker, I’m too freaking wet and uncomfortable to even think about sneaking in a little make-out time.

  “Sure,” I say, fighting the urge to stick out my tongue before heading out of the room.

  The house is so damp with rain that it magnifies the mugginess of the night. I wrap my arms around my body as we head to the stairs, and Walker moves wordlessly at my side. He seems more alert than playful, so I’m thinking Lilly was wrong about his motives. But it’s hard to tell with Walker sometimes. He can switch moods faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.

  The stairs creak so loudly on our way up that it can be heard even over the pounding rain. Upstairs, water pours in through the windows. The first room we pass has a collapsed bed and a dresser with the drawers hanging open. It sits right under a window and is totally soaked, so I don’t even bother checking it out before moving on to the next room. This one isn’t much bigger, and the large bed takes up most of the room. It’s drenched from the rain, but the dresser is far enough away that it probably hasn’t gotten wet.

  “Let’s try this one,” I say, stepping inside.

  Walker follows but doesn’t say anything. I watch him out of the corner of my eye as he surveys the room, and something about his serious expression makes me want to giggle. When he’s like this, it almost feels like he’s acting.

  I pull open the top drawer, and my heart almost stops when a group of mice scurry under the clothes. I let out a little yelp and jump as a shiver that has nothing to do with my wet clothes wracks my body. When I turn away from the dresser—no way am I trying any of the other drawers—Walker is grinning.

  “You think that’s funny?” I snap, scowling. Of course he would find it funny that I just had the shit scared out of me.

  “Of course. You should have seen the look of terror on your face. I’ve seen you skin an invader, but a couple mice scare you?” He chuckles and shakes his head.

  “Yeah, well, the mice surprised me. It’s just part of everyday life to see creepers walking around.”

  I push my way past him and head into the next room. Walker doesn’t follow, but that doesn’t stop me from jerking the dresser drawer open. Thankfully, no rodents occupy these drawers. Too bad the clothes in here aren’t any better than they were in the other room. So much for putting on something dry.

  “How about a blanket?” Walker calls from behind me.

  I turn to find him digging through a small closet. The bottom shelves I wouldn’t touch, who knows what’s been in there, but the stuff on the top might be okay.

  “That could work,” I say.

  Walker pulls out a blanket and unfolds it, shaking it out. Dust flies up around us, but no animals or bugs fall off the thing, which is a good sign. He tosses it my way, and I catch it midair as he turns to grab another.

  We find three decent blankets before heading downstairs. When we get back to the room, Lilly is sitting so close to the fire that I’m worried she might burst into flames. I’m also worried she’ll get sick, even if it isn’t cold the thought is slightly neurotic. We don’t have Tara’s magic book of spells to help out if something happens, so I don’t want to risk it. We need to be careful.

  I unfold the blanket and hold it up. “Lilly, come over here and strip. We’ll lay your clothes out in front of the fire so they can dry off.”

  My sister doesn’t hesitate. She scrambles my way, stripping the second she’s behind the outstretched blanket. When she has her wet clothes off, she pulls on a clean pair of underwear and flannel shirt, hurrying to the fire before it’s even buttoned.

  Ben watches her
for a second, curiosity shimmering in his brown eyes. “It looks like the flag.”

  Lilly looks down at her shirt, but before she can say anything, I laugh. “You’re right,” I say, studying the red, white, and blue pattern of the shirt. “It does look like the flag.”

  I turn to find Walker grinning as he holds a blanket up in front of him. “Your turn.”

  “No way. Not happening,” I say halfheartedly, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You’ll peek.”

  “Never,” he says in mock hurt, but his blue eyes twinkle.

  I shake my head and back away from him, looking around the room until my eyes land on my sister. “Let Lilly do it,” I say, pointing at her.

  “I’m still getting dressed.” She dramatically buttons her shirt, moving slower than an old lady with arthritis. The traitor. “Plus, Walker’s a gentleman, he won’t look.”

  I press my lips together and glare as I head toward Walker. When I stop in front of him, I narrow my eyes on his face and give him my most serious expression. “You keep that blanket up and your eyes on the floor. Got it?”

  Walker smirks, and my cheeks immediately heat up. “Nothing I haven’t already seen.”

  Lilly’s mouth drops open and her eyes snap toward me. I’m not sure what the look she’s giving me means, but right now I wish I could sink into the floor and hide.

  “Shut up.” The words hiss their way through my teeth, which I’m positive makes me sound scary.

  Walker just grins. Of course.

  I roll my eyes and decide to just get the whole thing over with. Walker is determined to do this and Lilly seems to be on his side, so unless I want to go in the other room to strip, it looks like I’m on my own.

  I step behind the blanket and kick off my boots. My shorts follow, and I toss them toward the fire before pulling off my shirt. Walker behaves, keeping his eyes down, but the smile on his face stretches wider when I throw my shirt across the room. Then Walker wraps his arms around me, engulfing my body in the blanket.