Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

“Soon as we’re packed,” Winston says. “Let’s get a move on.”

  Everyone gets back to packing. Emily opens her eyes just as Axl stands. He stops and brushes his hand against her cheek so gently it makes my heart twist. Emily barely reacts. She turns her face toward Axl, but she doesn’t blink or smile or talk. He swallows and gets up without saying anything.

  I move Emily so she’s lying on the couch with her head on a pillow. I need to help pack. She doesn’t make a sound. Sophia darts a worried look her way, but I ignore it.

  Winston pauses on his way through the room. “How is she?”

  I stare down at my daughter. “She’s awake, but seems to be in shock. She still hasn’t said a word.” I have to stop when my throat constricts. Reality has never been my friend, but this is almost too much to bear. Emily has to be okay. She doesn’t have a fever, but I don’t like how pale her face is or the lethargic way she stares at the ceiling.

  Winston pats my arm, but there isn’t an ounce of hope in his eyes. “She’ll pull through.”

  “We’re headed down,” Angus calls.

  Winston shifts the box he’s holding and pats my arm again, then heads to the door. He, Axl, Angus, and Mike start making trips to the car while the rest of us get the room packed. I help, but I stay close to Emily. Just in case she needs me. Or in case she gets worse.

  Mitchell doesn’t move from the chair. Doesn’t offer to help get things ready or take things down to the car. He even has the nerve to ask Sophia to get him a drink like she’s his maid.

  He watches Emily. Every time I look up he’s staring at her with narrowed eyes, chewing on his lip. My body is tense. I know what’s going through his head.

  “Is she sick?”

  I give him a cold stare. “She was bitten.”

  “She’s not coming,” he snaps. “She could be infected and it’s too big of a risk. You have to leave her.”

  Emily looks at him with wide eyes. She turns to look at me. It’s the most responsive she’s been since she was bitten. I give her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, honey. We’re not leaving you.”

  “Yes, we are.” Mitchell stands up. He’s still hugging that briefcase.

  “You got a problem?” Axl says from behind me. I’m not sure how much of the conversation he’s heard, but I do know this is not going to end well for Mitchell.

  “She’s been infected.” Mitchell points a shaky finger at Emily. “She’s not coming with us.”

  “We don’t know nothin’ yet,” Axl says. “It might not even work that way.”

  Mitchell squeezes the briefcase tighter. “We’re not risking it.”

  Axl takes two quick steps forward, getting right in Mitchell’s face. “You listen here. You ain’t in charge and you ain’t callin’ the shots. We ain’t leavin’ that little girl behind, so you can just get over it.”

  Mitchell doesn’t even blink, and he doesn’t back down. “I won’t be going if she does.”

  “What’s going on?” Winston comes in from the other room.

  Everyone has stopped what they’re doing. They watch us. Silently. Whose side will they be on?

  “He wants to leave Emily behind because she’s been bitten,” I say. Emily’s eyes are still wide, so I hold her hand.

  Winston turns toward Mitchell. “That’s not happening. We’re taking her and if you insist on making it an issue, the deal’s off. You can find your own way to the shelter and we’ll go somewhere else.”

  “You’d give up a chance at shelter for her?” Mitchell sneers. He clearly thinks Winston is a moron for making the decision.

  Winston stands up straighter. “It can’t be the only safe place in this country, so we’ll just find another.”

  Mitchell chews on this bottom lip while he studies Emily. She looks terrified, so I sit down next to her and pull her into my lap. She snuggles her face up against me and I squeeze her tighter. If only I had been able to keep her safe.

  “What if she turns? What will you do then?”

  “We’ll take care of it,” Axl says. “But till then, she’s with us.”

  “Can you live with that?” Winston gives Mitchell a challenging look.

  Mitchell swears under his breath and throws himself back in the chair. “Guess I have to be. But I won’t ride in the same car with her.” He turns and looks at me. “And you keep her away from me. Understand?”

  “Fine,” I say, hugging Emily tighter. Her little fingers curl around a chunk of my hair.

  Winston turns toward the door. “Good. Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s head out.”

  24

  I sit in the back of the Nissan with Emily cradled in my lap. She’d be safer in a booster, but there aren’t any other cars on the road, so the chances of us getting into an accident are slim. Having her against me like this makes me feel better. She’s getting more responsive by the minute. Her face isn’t as pale and she twists a few strands of hair around her fingers. Maybe things will turn out okay.

  Axl drives and Angus sits in the passenger seat, spitting into his can while he reads the atlas. Trey’s behind us, driving the Cadillac with Parvarti, Al, and Joshua, so we now have plenty of space. Everyone else is spread out between the minivan and the Explorer.

  “It’ll be ‘bout five in the mornin’ when we get there if we drive straight through,” Angus says. “Should probably stop somewhere to sleep. Probably ain’t safe to drive with no streetlights.”

  “Yeah,” Axl says. “I was thinkin’ the same thing. Gonna be hard to convince moneybags, though.”

  “Don’t matter ‘cause he ain’t in charge.” Angus spits again and stares out the window.

  “We’re out of the city,” I say. “He can’t complain about that, can he?”

  Axl scoffs. “I got a feelin’ he can complain ‘bout pretty much anything.”

  I roll my eyes and look down at Emily. Her brown eyes meet mine, but she doesn’t smile. A dark, red spot about the size of a quarter shows through her white bandage. We need to change it soon. It shouldn’t still be bleeding, should it?

  Getting out of the city wasn’t hard, not with the cars. Only a few bodies were lumbering around in the parking lot of the hotel when we came out, and getting by them was simple. The roads out of the city were clear of cars, and we only had to maneuver around a few bodies. It really didn’t take us long at all.

  We’ve been driving for a little over two hours now, and it’s getting close to seven o’clock. I’m tired and hungry, and Emily has to be, too. She didn’t have lunch and she refused any snacks. I’d like to stop soon. The problem will be finding a good place.

  “Holy shit!” Angus suddenly yells. “You see that? Turn the damn car ‘round!”

  My heart races and I squeeze Emily tighter, like I’m trying to protect her. Too little too late. By the way Angus is yelling, I expect to see a fire or an accident or a horde of bodies walking across the road. But there’s nothing.

  “What?” Axl asks, slowing the car but not turning around.

  “That store! I shit you not. It was called Gun World!”

  Axl slows even more and does a U-turn right in the middle of the interstate. He’s in the lead and all the other cars follow him. I lean forward, craning my neck in search of the sign that has Angus so excited. Sure enough, right in front of us is a huge store with a red sign that says Gun World: Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Gear. There’s even an indoor shooting range.

  “Good. This’ll give us a chance to load up.” Axl maneuvers the car onto the exit ramp from the awkward angle. “Need to teach some people to shoot, too. Get in some practice and make sure everybody’s prepared. Especially with a bow. Bullets ain’t gonna last forever.”

  “Good thinkin’,” Angus says.

  We pull into the parking lot and I can’t believe it. The front windows are intact and the doors are shut.

  “I can’t believe no one has broken in.”

  Axl pulls to a stop in front of the store. “Yeah, you’d think somebody would
a busted in by now.”

  The sun’s shining when we climb out, and the parking lot is empty. An overwhelming silence looms over us. The clear sky and sunny day are at odds with the desolation that lurks around every corner. There’s been too much death and tragedy for things to look this cheerful. It should be overcast and raining.

  “Seems quiet,” Axl says.

  “Most people probably died in their homes,” I say, but a shudder runs through me. “Not going to be a lot of bodies on the streets if they’re locked in.”

  Angus spits into his can, something that I’m starting to get used to. “Yeah. Maybe a smaller town like this ain’t so bad. If they can’t get out, then there’s no problem.”

  The other cars pull in and everyone climbs out. No one even has to ask why we’re here. Sophia and Jessica start pulling boxes of food out of the car to take inside. Everyone looks pretty tired.

  With Emily clutched in my arms, I follow the brothers toward the store. When they smash the window, the sound of shattering glass breaks through the silence and my heart speeds up. I can’t stop myself from looking around. I expect bodies to appear and rush toward us. But there’s nothing.

  The store is pitch black. I stay with the other women at the front while all the men except Mike and Mitchell head toward the camping gear in search of lanterns. Mike pushes a shelving unit in front of the window to block the hole. Mitchell stands off to the side by himself, glaring at me occasionally.

  A soft glow starts at the back of the store, growing brighter as more and more flashlights and lanterns are turned on. In no time that section shines with artificial light. They must have turned on every lantern in the place.

  “Come on back!” Axl’s voice echoes through the building.

  I head back with the other women and find camp chairs and tables already set up. We eat a quick lunch and I try my best to coax some food into Emily, but she won’t take a bite. She lies on a small cot Axl set up for her, curled up in a sleeping bag and clinging to her stuffed dog. I’m getting more and more worried about her as the day goes on.

  “Does she have a fever yet?” Joshua kneels next to her.

  “No, she’s cool and I cleaned the bite not that long ago. It finally stopped bleeding, and it’s not red or swollen. It doesn’t look that bad.”

  Joshua’s eyes are full of worry as he listens to her heartbeat. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s just in shock.”

  “Maybe,” I say. But I’m not convinced.

  Axl comes out from the shooting range where he’s been busy setting up lanterns and lighting the room so he can teach people to shoot. It’s a good idea. I’d like to get some time in with a bow. I’ve never shot one, and Axl’s right. We’re eventually going to run out of bullets.

  “Everybody’s gonna learn to shoot,” he says firmly, looking around the room.

  His authoritative attitude makes me smile. It’s kind of hot.

  People head back to the shooting range, some excited like Al, and some a little reluctant like Jessica. Angus and Axl giving shooting lessons? This should be interesting.

  Before long, I’m alone with Sophia and Ava. I haven’t spoken to Sophia since Emily disappeared, and I don’t know quite what to say. I don’t blame her really, but I’m still angry and I need to direct it at someone other than myself or I’ll go insane. She’s a convenient target.

  “I’m sorry,” she says suddenly.

  I squirm in my camp chair while gunshots echo through the store, and I say the first thing that comes to mind, “It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” Saying it out loud actually makes me feel lighter. Blaming her was wrong.

  “At first I thought so. But Arthur told me what he said to you and I realized he was right. We need to look out for each other.” Her eyes shimmer in the soft glow of the lanterns. “I thought you were a bad mom, running off like that. I shouldn’t have judged you. I didn’t realize you had just been reunited. What you did was brave.”

  I stare down at Emily. Her eyes are closed and she’s so tiny. Helpless. “I should have done more. Obviously.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re still learning. I had six years to figure out how to be a mom, and there have been plenty of times when I had no idea what I was doing. I can’t imagine jumping into it in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. As if it isn’t hard enough.” Sophia stops talking. She puts her hand to her mouth and looks away.

  This is about more than just Emily. “What’s wrong?”

  She glances over her shoulder. When she looks back and her eyes meet mine, she exhales. “I haven’t told anyone yet. I’d just found out, right before the virus hit. Only my husband knew.”

  My throat tightens. Deep down I know what she’s going to say, but I don’t want to acknowledge it because it’s just too scary and awful.

  “I’m pregnant,” she whispers, and I can barely hear it over the sound of gunfire.

  “Oh my God,” I say before I can stop myself. Shit. That probably wasn’t the best reaction. I put my hand on top of hers. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I should have said congratulations.”

  “No, you were right the first time,” she replies. “I just don’t know what to do.”

  I have no idea what to say. No matter what I say I’m going to make it worse, so I just stay silent and let her talk.

  “I didn’t get to see my husband before he died. He worked at the hospital and got sick in the first wave to hit the West Coast. He refused to come home because he didn’t want to expose Ava and me. We still thought they were going to be able to control it then.” She shakes her head, and a tear slides down her cheek. “I was so mad at him for not coming home, and when I couldn’t get in touch with him two days later, I knew. It was devastating, knowing we weren’t going to be able to see him. But after I found out about the bodies coming back I was so grateful. What if he had died in our apartment? What if he had attacked me or Ava?”

  “That would have been awful,” I say. “He was a good man to protect you like that.”

  “The best.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “What if the baby isn’t immune?”

  My vision blurs and I blink away the tears. I hadn’t thought of that.

  “At least we’re with a doctor,” Sophia whispers.

  The birth control pills I got the other day at Walmart come to mind. I haven’t started taking them yet. Sex hasn’t exactly been on my list of priorities, except that brief moment with Axl, but Sophia’s story scares me. I need to start taking them.

  People wander out of the shooting range and Sophia leans toward me. “Don’t tell anyone about the baby, okay?”

  I squeeze her hand. “It’s between you and me. But I do think you should tell Joshua soon.”

  She looks away. “I know. I will in a day or two. When I’ve been able to process everything a little bit better.”

  Emily moans and I turn toward her. She’s still cool. Almost unnaturally cool. She keeps whimpering in her sleep. Hopefully, she’s just dreaming and she’s not in any pain.

  “She’s going to turn,” Mitchell says.

  My head snaps up. He stands over me, and a dark shadow looms across his face. He has a new toy in his hand, and he flexes his fingers around it. A big shiny handgun that he no doubt learned how to use.

  “Stay away from her,” I warn him.

  He shrugs. “I will, as long as you can assure me you’ll be willing to do the right thing when it happens.”

  “I won’t let her suffer and I don’t want her walking around like that.”

  “Good.” He walks away.

  I look at Sophia, and she frowns at Mitchell. “That man is trouble.”

  I’m becoming more and more worried about him as the day goes on. Maybe Angus was right. Maybe we should have let the dead eat him.

  It’s getting late. People begin laying out air mattresses and sleeping bags. There isn’t any more gunfire coming from the shooting range, but Axl is still back there with Angus, Trey, and Winston, so I can only assume the
y’re shooting bows.

  “Arthur, would you mind watching Emily while I go back to the shooting range?”

  “Of course,” he says, smiling at me.

  “You can come get me if she wakes up.”

  He pats my arm. “It will be fine. I’ll stay with her.”

  I smile and get up, then head back to the shooting range. I almost bump into Angus and Winston as they come out.

  “You gonna learn how to shoot, Blondie?”

  “I wanted some time with the bow.”

  “Axl’s a good shot,” Winston says.

  “He had a good teacher,” Angus grumbles as he walks off.

  I roll my eyes.

  Winston just laughs. “He’s not used to such mixed company.”

  “Well, he’s going to have to get used to it.”

  Winston nods and walks off, and I head back to the range.

  Trey’s shooting the bow and Axl stands off to the side. “Nice shot.” He looks over at me. “You wanna learn?”

  “Yeah, I thought it would be useful.”

  “I’m about done here,” Trey says. “Thanks, Axl.”

  Axl nods and Trey walks out, patting me on the back as he goes by.

  “He’s good with the gun.” Axl puts the bow down and picks a different one up. “Guess his brother was a cop, taught him how to shoot. Picked up on the bow pretty fast too. He’s tougher than I thought.” He motions for me to come over. “Let’s do it.”

  A thrill goes through me. Bad choice of words on his part. It makes me think of last night. His mouth on mine, his hands on my body. I try not to focus on it, but we’re alone and it seems to be all I can think about. He moves closer and his arm brushes against mine. I shiver, but he doesn’t react.

  “Try this.” He holds out a compound bow and our hands brush when I take it. His touch is like fire. “How’s it? Not too hard?”

  I shake my head while I do my best not to focus on the desire coursing through me.

  Axl hands me an arrow. “Go ahead and try to shoot it, let me see what you can do.”

  I’ve never shot a bow, but I’ve seen it done, so I try to mimic what I’ve seen other people do. It’s awkward. I have to be doing something wrong. I wait for Axl to correct me, but he doesn’t. He stands silently off to the side and watches.