The Last Woman (All That Remains #1)

by S. M. Shade

  “How much longer?” I ask Steve.

  “Shut up.”

  “Always a pleasure to talk to you.” I turn to Micah. His teeth are gritted, and he hisses as he shifts his weight. Tiny drops of blood mix with his rice. “Maybe you’ll bleed enough to soften it up.”

  “Or I could piss on it.”

  “Always an option,” I reply agreeably.

  “My hands are numb.”

  “Mine too. If I could jack off, it would totally feel like someone else was doing it.” He shakes his head, but I get the laugh I tried for. “Why did you have to mention pissing?” I moan.

  Abraham shows up after twelve hours. We’re both in agony and trying not to show it. Our knees are a raw mess, and our backs and shoulders are screaming. After a quick conversation with Steve, Abraham approaches us.

  “Well, it seems you two aren’t taking this seriously,” he remarks.

  Thank you, Steve the tattletale.

  “How are you enjoying the rice?”

  “I prefer mine au gratin,” Micah replies.

  Abraham ignores him and turns to me. “Do you have anything you’d like to say?”

  “I really need to pee,” I state matter-of-factly.

  Abraham turns to Cole and Steve. “Untie them, let them use the toilets and bring them back to me.”

  Once I’m untied, the pins and needles in my arms make me want to scream, but I force myself to walk to the toilet. When we’re in front of Abraham again he nods to the boards in front of us. They no longer contain rice, but rock salt.

  “No, please.” I look him in the eye. “I’ll kneel, I promise.” They’re already tying Micah’s hands to the beam.

  “Kneel,” Abraham thunders. He bends to whisper in my ear while my hands are being retied. “You know why you deserve this, Troy. I’ll bet you enjoy being this close to Micah while he’s undressed, don’t you?”

  “What? No!” I stare at him in horror as I realize why I’m truly being punished.

  “God sees all, Troy. Twelve more hours.” Rising gracefully, he nods at Cole and walks away.

  The pain from the rice was nothing compared to the salt. It’s like kneeling on ground glass while the salt burns through any attempt to block out the pain. Minutes turn to hours, and all I can think about is the pain. Fuck, it hurts.

  If this is really about my sexuality, something I have no control over, what chance do I have? Cold tendrils of fear creep around my heart. What else is this monster going to do to me? When tears start rolling down my face, Micah speaks my name softly. I shake my head. I can’t. I can’t.

  “Hold on, we’ll make it,” he whispers, and I notice I’m not the only one crying.

  Abraham

  They will learn one way or another to obey me. Some just have to learn the hard way. Refusing to kneel! He’ll be sorry he ever resisted. My father often made me kneel on rice as a punishment. My knees still bear the scars, but I learned my lessons. The rock salt was Steve’s idea. When we were discussing punishments, he suggested we literally pour salt on the wound.

  We have many methods to choose from to force these sinners to see the light. We can withhold food or water, make them hold heavy bricks above their heads or possibly whip them. Steve brought me a slight wooden implement called a cane, which he assures me hurts far worse than it looks. I believe I’ll test it on the homosexual.

  The bible does say “spare the rod and spoil the child” after all. We’ll get them in line, Lord.

  They will obey.

  CHAPTER SIX

  We have a few days of much needed peace and quiet. Airen and Joseph begin to work on installing the solar panels in our house. They decide to finish the neighboring house afterward. Perhaps the kids will live in it when they’re grown. It’s just after lunch when I hear a motor, and Walker bursts through the door covered in dirt from playing outside.

  “People! Mom! There are people!” he shouts. Before I can make it to the door, Airen is inside, tucking a pistol in his waistband and handing me a rifle. It’s an RV and it appears to be full of passengers.

  “Stay in the house and keep the kids in too,” Airen orders. He and Joseph dart outside, both armed, to see what kind of people we’re dealing with this time. I watch out the window as an RV towing a car with a storage container on top pulls up and stops in front of our house. How many of them are in there? Joseph and Airen walk apprehensively toward a short chubby man and eventually shake his hand. They talk for a few minutes, and the man gestures toward the RV. Airen nods and the others pour out.

  Christ! It’s more people than I’ve seen since the plague. Three men, three women, and two children stand in the yard, talking animatedly. I’m done watching from the damn window.

  When I come out the door, Airen meets me. “They seem all right, but don’t let your guard down. They outnumber us,” he mumbles under his breath. His face is tense as he slips his arm around my waist and introduces me to the group.

  “This is my girl, Abby.” Oh, his girl. I love the sound of that.

  They all introduce themselves. The short chubby man is Jim, and he shakes my hand with a grin. A skinny guy with glasses introduces himself as Danny. The last guy is a big African American man, standing at least six foot four and heavily muscled with a chest like a barrel.

  “Pleased to meet you,” he says in a rich deep voice, showing a mouthful of amazingly white teeth as he smiles. “I’m Gary.”

  Danny puts his arm around a petite, dark haired lady. “This is my girlfriend, Hope, and our boy, Tommy,” he says. An adorable little boy peeks out from behind his leg. “He’s three,” he adds.

  “I’m Lacey,” the little girl pipes up, tired of waiting to be introduced. “I’m eight.”

  “Monica,” volunteers a blond, blue-eyed woman holding Lacey’s hand. She’s very pretty. Finally, an older lady, maybe forty-five or fifty, steps up and introduces herself as Julie. Gary explains they have been traveling and picking up people as they go along.

  “We’re headed for Owensboro next. I have, or had, some family up there. I realize the odds aren’t good they’ll be alive, but...” He shrugs.

  “You never know. There has to be some genetic link when it comes to being immune. My son survived, and so did Joseph’s.” His wide, beaming smile is contagious.

  We invite them to stay for a few days and camp out in the yard. We just don’t have room for all of them to sleep in the house. Walker is thrilled to have another child near his age to play with, even if she is a girl. Jayla, Carson, and Sara are polite but distant, even standoffish. After their experience with Mandy, it’s hard to trust anyone. We warn them not to tell these people about Mandy, not to mention her at all.

  We grill and eat dinner outdoors. Airen and Joseph agree to sacrifice a few chickens, and the smell of barbecue is mouth watering. Everyone is in good spirits, happy to get together with new people and swap stories.

  Carson and Joseph set up additional chairs around the bonfire pit as it gets dark, and we build a huge fire. I get out a pack of glow in the dark necklaces I keep for Walker. They’re a big hit with the younger kids, and we can see exactly where they are in the dark. It’s country dark tonight with no moon, which makes the scattering of stars seem brighter.

  Someone starts a bottle of whiskey going around, and there is such a lighthearted party atmosphere, I can’t help but smile and relax. Airen seems to be enjoying himself as well, although I notice he passes on the whiskey. He’s absorbed in a conversation with the blonde, Monica. I try to suppress the jealousy that surges through me when I see her laugh and touch his arm. I know it’s irrational and childish, but I can’t help it.

  “Hey, girl.” Gary approaches me and pulls up a chair.

  “Hi.”

  “We appreciate the way you all have welcomed us here. We’ve met some...well...let’s just say not so nice people in the past year. It’s great to know there are still normal people around.”

  “I don’t know how normal we are.”

  He
laughs a deep booming laugh, and I notice Airen staring at us with interest.

  “I noticed your son was practicing some katas earlier. What type of martial arts training has he had?”

  “Six years of Shotokan Karate,” I reply, surprised he’d recognized it. “Do you know karate?”

  “I hold a black belt in karate and jujitsu. What belt is he?”

  “He was months away from testing for black.” I sigh. “He knows everything he needs to know, but he was too young. His karate teacher didn’t believe in awarding a black belt until her students were at least thirteen.”

  “He still practices?”

  “Karate is his thing, and he loves it.”

  “I taught karate and some mixed martial arts for years. I’ve awarded a few black belts. Would you mind if I worked with him tomorrow? If he wants to show me what he can do, maybe he can still get his black belt.”

  “That would be fantastic!” I cry happily. “He’ll jump at the opportunity. Thank you.”

  “It’s my pleasure. It’s an art form I’d hate to see die out.”

  The kids are all in bed when Danny pulls something out of his pocket and lights it. I assume it’s a cigarette until the smell hits me. He sees the expression on my face and offers me the joint. It’s been so long since I’ve smoked weed. It was never a habit, but I enjoyed burning one occasionally. I grin at him and take a draw.

  “It’s kind. Be careful, it doesn’t take much,” he warns, smiling.

  Joseph and Airen are staring at me, awestruck. “What?” I demand.

  “Your girlfriend is a pothead.” Joseph laughs, shaking his head.

  Airen gazes at me expectantly, as if I owe him an explanation. Everyone gets quiet, watching to see my reaction. My eyes never leave his as I take another slow draw before handing it back to Danny, who passes it to Hope.

  “I take it you don’t smoke pot?” I ask sarcastically, as everyone resumes their conversations and pretends not to listen to us. He takes a seat beside me.

  “Actually, I did from time to time. I just didn’t expect it from you, I guess.”

  “I’m full of surprises.” I smile, already feeling the effects. Sliding his arm around my shoulders, he gives me an amused look.

  “I’ll leave you some,” Danny offers. “I have plenty.”

  “Some seeds would be great if you can spare them.”

  “Sure, I’ll sort you some out.”

  I smile as Airen and Joseph shake their heads at each other. It’s after two in the morning when Airen and I finally drag ourselves to bed.

  “Gary was a karate teacher, and he’s going to work with Carson tomorrow. Maybe he can still get his black belt.” I yawn.

  “That’s nice of him,” Airen replies stiffly.

  Did I miss something? “You don’t like him?”

  “I don’t know him.”

  “Well, I thought it was nice, and it’ll make Carson happy.”

  “I’m not saying he shouldn’t do it.”

  “You’re saying something,” I accuse.

  “Are we arguing?” He sighs. “I’m really tired.”

  “I don’t want to argue. It just seems like you have something you want to say.”

  Sighing again, he pushes my hair out of my face. “He really seemed to like you,” he murmurs.

  I have to laugh. “Airen, have you seen the girls he’s traveling with? He was just being nice. Besides, I noticed you and Camper Barbie hit it off,” I pout.

  Rolling his eyes, he wraps his arm around me. “Fine. Truce, let’s go to sleep.”

  “I love you,” I murmur, settling against his warm body.

  “Love you too, sweetheart.”

  Airen and I pick up arguing when we wake in the morning, although the topic has changed. Someone has to take food and water to Mandy, and it has to be done surreptitiously since we don’t want the others to find out about her.

  “I can do it, Air. She’s locked up. She can’t touch me.”

  “No.”

  “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  “I believe that covers it,” he replies.

  Sometimes I could choke the arrogance out of him. “Fine. Let me go with you. We can act like we want some time alone.”

  “Why do you want to go so badly?”

  “Why are you so determined to keep me away?”

  “Abby! She tried to kill you!”

  “Are you really feeding her?” I ask, catching him off guard with my blunt suspicion.

  “That’s your issue? You think I’m starving her to death?”

  I shrug. “She tried to kill me.”

  “All right,” he capitulates, exasperated. “Come with me so you can see she’s alive.”

  I wave at Carson and Gary as we pull out of the driveway. They’re doing kicks across the front yard. Airen is quiet most of the way to the jail.

  “Are you pissed at me?” I finally ask.

  “No, I’m just thinking. I don’t know what we’re going to do with her. We can’t keep her locked up forever.”

  “I know.” We arrive at the jail, and Airen pulls two large jugs of water from the truck bed. I carry the box of food and follow him inside. The box is heavy, we really loaded it down. She has enough food for a week at least. It stinks of piss inside. Mandy jumps up from the cot as soon as she sees us.

  “Aw, the love birds come for a visit,” she mocks.

  She looks terrible. Her clothes are dirty, her hair is a mess, and her voice is hoarse from calling for help. “There are clean clothes in here, and Airen will bring you a couple of buckets from the creek across the street so you can wash up and flush the toilet,” I inform her calmly.

  “Ya come with him this time to make sure he ain’t cheatin’ on ya?” She cackles. “Don’t worry, I ain’t fucked him yet. Just gave him a blow job last time.”

  Airen looks at her in disgust and starts to say something.

  “Don’t engage her. It’s what she wants,” I advise. He agrees, glaring at her. “Will you get the water, please?” He looks anxious about leaving me alone with her, but finally nods, cautioning me to stay well back from the cell. She starts ranting as soon as he’s gone.

  “Ya think this is over? Ya just get to live happily ever after with your Prince Charmin’? Ya ain’t that stupid, are ya? Even if I never get outta here, another woman will find y’all. Someone better’n you. Ain’t like that’s hard to be, though, is it?” She throws her head back, cackling.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Airen barks as he returns.

  She laughs and ignores him. “Oh come on, Abby! Admit it! The plague was the best thing that ever happened to you. Ya went from bein’ an ugly bitch that guys wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole to fuckin’ a gorgeous model. Well, ya just get all you can while the gettin’s good, bitch. Ya know it’s a matter of time until he wises up and finds a woman he can fuck without closin’ his eyes and picturin’ me. Even you ain’t dumb enough ta think he loves ya. I know that. It’s all over your face,” she rails hatefully.

  “I’m going back to my family now and have a nice lunch. Maybe take a nap in my soft bed with my gorgeous model boyfriend,” I brag. “He kept me up too late, fucking like a champ all night long.” Hate glints in her eyes as I return her words about Airen. “You enjoy those cheese crackers, and you may want to make them last. We won’t be back for a while.”

  Airen takes my hand as we walk out into the fresh air. “You’re shaking. I knew you shouldn’t have come.”

  “I’m fine,” I lie.

  “Sit with me. We have plenty of time.” He leads me to a bench in the small park across the street where we watch the creek gurgle pleasantly.

  After a few moments of silence, I whisper, “She’s not completely wrong.”

  “What?” I can feel his glare.

  “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, other than Carson. You, Joseph, Jayla, and Sara, you’re all the best I could ever hope for, but the whole world had to die for me to get it,” I declare
in dismay.

  “Sweetheart…” he begins.

  “I think that’s why Mandy is so fucked up, Airen. Things are so completely opposite right now. She’s always been able to count on her good looks, and she can’t accept they may not be as important any longer. Now we’re living in a new world where we have to be able to count on each other to survive. Smart people, people who are willing to work hard and stick together are more valuable. It’s not just a fucking beauty contest anymore.”

  A slight frown settles on his face as he gazes at me. “Everything wasn’t just handed to me, you know,” he says in a low voice.

  “Oh, Air, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not trying to hurt your feelings. I know you worked hard, and you still do, but you have to admit good looking people had an advantage.”

  “Sure they did, but there were down sides. Just as there were disadvantages to being rich.”

  “Like?”

  He hesitates, pressing his lips together.

  “You do owe me some deep dark secrets, remember?” I smile and squeeze his hand.

  “Okay,” he reluctantly agrees. He slips his arm around me and tucks me against his side. “You think no one has ever loved you, and I understand why. I didn’t have the unfortunate upbringing you did, but I know how you feel when you doubt people’s motives. I started modeling at ten years old, and acting at twelve. Everyone said I was handsome, older girls wanted to go out with me, and I thought I had it made.

  “I’d already made a lot of money by the time I was eighteen and allowed access to it. I’d traveled through Europe and lived in New York City. Women were throwing themselves at me, and I admit it was wonderful for a while, but everyone wanted something from me. They wanted to be seen with someone who was famous, or they wanted me for my money or looks. I didn’t have any real friends. I’m not sure if either of the women I loved really loved me. They were too happy to move on to the next big star.”

  He tilts my head up until our eyes meet, and there is sadness in those dark depths. “You aren’t the only one who feels the plague improved your life. I have a woman who loves me and won’t take any shit from me no matter how I look.” His soft lips meet mine before he looks away and continues, “I have a brother in Joseph and these great kids. It feels wrong, though, to think that way. Like you said, the whole world had to die for me to find happiness,” he confesses.