Seeking Daylight

by Becky Poirier

  As the trees began to clear, I saw the first signs of water rippling against the shoreline. And as we drove in more, I started to understand how a lake could have a sixteen-acre island. The lake was so large I couldn’t even see where it ended. And in the middle of the water I could make out several small bodies of land.

  “Do you know which one it is?” I asked peering out the window.

  “I don’t think it’s any of those. They don’t look large enough. Besides, I think we need to actually drive out awhile on the water before we’ll be able to see it. Doc said you couldn’t see it from this shoreline.”

  Seth drove into the little village, that surrounded the lake. It was every bit as dead as the city. The only difference here, was that you weren’t likely to accidentally kick a scull while walking down the street. From what I could see, this town had either been completely evacuated during the initial crisis or it had been taken by the virus quickly. I hoped that it was the first. If the virus had swept through the town fast, then that meant we had a substantial hive living in the area, which would make leaving any supplies here very risky.

  I didn’t need to ask Seth to know he was thinking the same thing. We needed to get to work fast and unload as much as possible. It had only taken us four and a half hours to get here. But according to Doc’s information it would take a minimum of an hour to reach the island.

  Seth pulled over by the nearly full marina. There were boats docked as far as the eye could see. Several of them looked fairly large but whether they were large enough was the question. The other vehicles lined up behind us and we all slowly got out. I stretched out my arms and cracked my back as I released all the tightness in my body. The roads were slick with frost, which was going to slow down our progress further. Especially if we had to hand load most of our supplies onto a ship.

  “Okay first things first, we’re going to organize into two teams to search the vessels, to pick the best one. The rest will stay behind to protect what we have. Austin, Jane, Clark, you’re with me. Nina, Cletus, Kyle, and Helen you’re the second group.” I was readying my eye role when he turned to me. “Paige you’re in charge here. Make sure everyone is ready to roll out at a moment’s notice.”

  I nodded, in spite of the irritation I felt. He’d get an earful later. Now there just wasn’t time for arguing. While the others searched, Clara and I prepared a small meal for those of us left behind and a snack for the others when they returned. I hated sitting around twiddling my thumbs.

  “So on a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you?” Clara asked between bites of her canned pears.

  “Well seeing as this leaving me behind thing has been escalating for some time. I’d say I’m at a seven.”

  “Only a seven, that’s not bad.”

  “If it were any higher I would have ignored him and followed.” She laughed nearly choking on a piece of mushy pear.

  I almost laughed with her until I heard that old familiar sound, the same one that always caused my stomach to twist. “Seriously, we can’t catch a break,” I huffed under my breath, so that only Clara heard me. She quickly picked up on the fact that infected were nearby. Unlike me she didn’t get frustrated, she looked terrified. “Calm down,” I whispered to her. “Daylight, remember?” I pointed up to the sun as I pulled out my gun for precaution, even though I was positive we were safe. Wherever the infected were, they were taking shelter from the sun. But judging by the volume level of the grunts, I knew we were dealing with a significant hive. The grunts grew as the chatter amongst my group wavered. I could see the panic slowly spreading throughout.

  Leah’s oldest daughter Maggie started to whimper next to her mother. And I could see Leah was struggling to hold back her fear from her little girls. Matthew was right beside Maggie and he placed his hand in hers trying to reassure her, even though I knew he was every bit as frightened as she was. “We’re going to be okay. It’s still day and by night we’ll be in the safe place.” Maggie pulled out from her mother’s side, to look at Matthew. Matthew smiled then looked at me. “Right Paige, we’re safe?” He wasn’t just asking for Maggie’s sake.

  I nodded to both the children and to Leah. “We are,” I said firmly to them and to the others. The last thing we needed was to lose our heads in this situation. “But we need to make the other groups hurry up, so we can get a move on. Ginger would you go with…I’m sorry I’ve forgotten your name,” I said to the oldest of Leah’s sons.

  “Jake,” he replied. “Sure let’s go Ginger,” he said taking her by the hand. Her face turned three different shades of red. Jake’s brother Ethan got even redder as he glared after his brother.

  “Tell Seth one trip,” I yelled after them. Ginger waved her hand signalling she’d gotten the message. “As for the rest of us, let’s get the vehicles ready for loading up. Youngest kids in the R.V, the rest of us stand ready beside our vehicles, for when the others return.” I handed out a weapon to each vehicle’s main person, just as a precaution. Clara still wasn’t comfortable with holding a gun, so she passed it off to her sister Sandy.

  My watch told me less than fifteen minutes had passed, yet it felt more like an hour before Seth and his team rounded the corner with Jake and Ginger. “Sorry,” he huffed trying to catch his breath. “Just needed to make sure the vessel we chose was free from infected. Everyone hop into your vehicles we’re leaving now,” he ordered.

  I jumped into our truck sliding over to the passenger seat, Seth followed close behind me. “Is it big enough?” I asked once he started the engine.

  He half nodded. “It’s not as big as I would have liked. We’ll only be able to load one of the vehicles aboard and we’ll have to leave the rest behind and hope for the best. But we’ll be able to get our people and supplies in one trip.” I’d never really thought we could get the vehicles to the island. When Seth had suggested it, I thought he was dreaming. If we’d had time to make more than one trip today, it might have been possible.

  “We should take the van,” I replied. “It can hold the most people and supplies and is lighter than the R.V and this truck.”

  He nodded in agreement. Within a few minutes Seth drove right up to the boat, we were going to be loading our supplies onto. It was docked next to a large heavy-duty loading dock, the kind you’d expect to be transporting huge crates of material. The boat looked more like a barge from the outside. Apparently, the inside was cozier, but only a little.

  We each tended to our own vehicles to unload our supplies. Smaller materials were taken inside, while the larger stuff was to be left on top of the boat with the van. Ginger was put in charge of the younger children inside the ship, so the rest of us could work. She only complained a little about babysitting duty. I think she was trying to avoid looking too whiny in front of Jake.

  Even with all of us working together quickly, with the sounds of the infected pushing us along, we still took far longer than we wanted to. By the time we were finished loading it was half past two in the afternoon. We were all hoping we had enough time to make it to the island and check it out before the darkness came. I highly doubted there’d be enough time to unload everything, but if we could at least spend the night in the cabin, that would make up for the long day.

  I’d never been on a boat before and the sensation of rocking on the water as the waves crashed against the boat, was more than my stomach could tolerate. The wind had a bite to it, which wasn’t helping anything. Seth only had to tell me once to go rest inside. Clara was there with me, feeling just as lousy. At least she was the only one to throw up. She was so embarrassed, especially because it was right in front of Kyle. He’d been so sweet, even offering to clean up the mess she’d made.

  The time drug on while we were below, without any way of knowing how long it would be until we were finally home. I almost fell asleep on the floor as I waited. The only thing that kept me awake, was the sound of the children playing a card game Jane had found in the R.V. I didn’t mind the laughing. It was kind of sweet.


  I was drifting in and out of near sleep when Seth gently rocked me fully awake. “We’re here,” he smiled.

  I yawned as I stretched my arms out. My stomach was still a little queasy but improved. “How long until we know it’s safe?” I asked.

  His smile grew bigger. “We’ve already checked it out fully. We’re just unloading a few essentials for the night. We’ll come back for the rest in the morning. Come on, let’s get you a more comfortable place to sleep,” he offered.

  I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself a little more before taking his hand. The boat still felt too uneven for me, but according to Seth we’d dropped anchor at the end of a long dock that lead to the island. We’d never be able to unload the van but we could at least keep it safe here, by the island.

  Up on deck everyone had something in their hands to take on shore. I felt guilty with my hands so empty. “What do you want me to bring?” I asked Seth.

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll help tomorrow. Clara didn’t take anything either. Kyle made sure she was off the boat, the moment the island was deemed safe. She’s resting by the fireplace in the cabin.”

  The idea of feeling real warmth took away any sense of guilt. I couldn’t wait to take up a bed by the fireplace and drift off for an actual decent night’s sleep. I wasn’t the only one with that idea on their minds. Everyone was in a hurry to do their part so they could rest for the night, by the cozy fire.

  The cabin looked huge from the dock and absolutely massive as I approached. It was maybe a quarter of the size of our old factory home. The outside was all log cabin and solid stone. It looked like something out of an old travel magazine. We’d been told it was mostly a complete shell and that we’d have to finish the inside. I think the Doc must have been misinformed. From what I could see, it was really just a lot of finishing touches that needed to be completed.

  The large kitchen was already set up, with tattered style white cabinets. The large fridge and stove were plugged in, the plumbing worked. We had safe water coming in from both a well and a water catchment system. The only thing left to do in the kitchen, was install the countertops and flooring. The massive living room was pretty much complete with exception of some fixtures and trim work. The gorgeous stone fireplace was burning brightly in the middle of the room.

  Of course Clara had the best spot, Kyle had made sure of that. He was being really sweet to her, bringing her fresh water and making sure she was feeling better. He kept asking if she needed anything. From what I could remember, I’d never seen the two of them have much interaction before, but now it was like they were really good friends, maybe more. When Kyle took off to find her something to eat, I raised my eyebrows at Clara to ask the question. She shrugged her shoulders shyly. It was the first time she’d been so quiet.

  Seth got a mattress as close to the fire for me as possible. The kids had been settled in near Clara and I got the next best spot. I could still feel the warmth of the fire without overheating. The rest of the group moved quickly to get their beds set up.

  That night we made a quick meal out of some canned soup from our old home. It was nothing special, but we really didn’t care. All we wanted to do was sleep. It was strange how quickly we all relaxed as the sun set low. There were infected nearby but none of us were worried. We should have been. This place was still unknown to us, yet none of us were afraid. Even when the first faint howls sounded through the crisp night air, not one of us shook. The kids actually fell asleep amidst the noise. Of course we also had the beautiful sound of the water lapping up against the shoreline.

  Wherever the infected were, they were at a safe distance from us. So after a little discussion about tomorrow’s schedule, we settled in for the night. Seth tucked up snuggly with me on the twin mattress we shared. With his arms wrapped around me and my head on his chest I drifted off quickly.

  I don’t know how long I slept for before I woke up. The warmth of Seth’s body against mine was gone. My hand searched the mattress for him, but he wasn’t there. I sat up searching the dim light of the room. The fire burned low, giving off little heat. I could see several others in the dark beginning to shiver under their meagre blankets. We hadn’t had the time to unload all the bedding. We hoped the fire would be enough. I got up as quietly as I could and with as much stealth as I could manage with my walking cast, I meandered through the crowd of sleeping children until I reached the fireplace. I pulled out another log gently placing it on top of the burning embers. I pushed it deeper in with the poker and watched the fire slowly catch bringing with it more light and warmth.

  “Thanks,” Clara mumbled. “I was too tired to do it myself.” I chuckled silently to myself not looking back at her. With the heat slowly filling the room again I searched through the bodies for Seth. Even with the improvement to the fire I couldn’t see very well. All the bodies looked the same. “He’s outside,” Clara mumbled. “He left shortly after you fell asleep.”

  I wanted to ask her why, but decided Seth was the best person to answer that question. Clara sleepily handed me a flashlight she had beside her. Leah had given it to her, just in case one of her girls woke up. Like all children, and most adults in our world, they feared the dark. I promised to bring it back as soon as I could.

  Awkwardly, I made my way back through the crowd of bodies trying very hard to make sure I didn’t step on anyone. I had to tuck the flashlight in my pants in order to pull the heavy wood door open. It was probably the biggest door I’d ever seen.

  The moment the door opened a cold draft filled the room. I heard a couple of people behind me begin to rustle in their spots. Quickly, I closed the door behind me as I turned on the flashlight. The whole place looked so much different in the dark. When we first arrived, I’d been so dazed, that I hadn’t really paid attention to the layout of the island. Now I was wishing there’d been time to explore. This was a big place and I had no idea where Seth could be. I didn’t like the idea of him being outside here, in the cold all alone.

  I moved the flashlight across my path as I walked, waving it in every direction just hoping to pick up a trace of Seth. The water lapped up against the beach gently as I walked by its edge. He was the one to spot me first. I’d caught his attention with the flashlight, even though I hadn’t found him. “What are you doing out here?” he asked, making me jump. I turned toward the dock and there was Seth seated on a large boulder right at the edge of the water. He gave a half-hearted smile, at seeing me jump. I didn’t like that look on him. He shouldn’t be worrying anymore.

  “I came out here to ask you the same question.” In the emptiness I could hear the low howls of infected in the distance. They were still very far away. It almost sounded like they were spread out, which didn’t make much sense. I thought they always congregated. The howls as well as the chilly night air, caused my whole body to shiver.

  Seth made room for me on the boulder and I sat down beside him pulling my sleeves down to cover as much of my hands as possible, while the flashlight shook in them. If I hadn’t been so worried about waking the others, I would have grabbed a coat. “You’re freezing. You should go back inside.”

  “Not until you tell me why you’re out here,” I demanded.

  He sighed taking off his coat and wrapping it around me. I pulled it tightly around me as I waited for Seth to answer. He looked every bit as drained as he had when we arrived. “I can’t sleep until I know for sure we’re safe. My mind just wouldn’t allow it, so I figured it was a better use of my time for me to be out here watching for any problems, than keeping you awake.”

  “You need rest, just like everyone else. And if you won’t go to sleep then I’m going to have to freeze my butt out here with you, all night.” He shook his head and sighed. “Come on,” I said offering my hand, “we’re safe. If we were in danger, those howls would be getting closer. They’re not. So let’s just take time to recover. We all need that, especially you.” He took my hand in his, but it was more to hold it, than to allow m
e to lead him back inside. I was beginning to question which one of us was really the stubborn one in this relationship.

  “That’s just it though. Now that we can take time to think, my mind won’t stop. I keep thinking about Wes, Doc, Frank.” My mind flashed back to the last time I saw him. He was being bandaged up by Kyle, neither man said anything. The guilt hit me again. I should have said goodbye. Seth didn’t seem to notice my change in mood, which was only another sign that he really wasn’t okay. He continued speaking and I tried to focus back on him. “Any time I try to stop, then I start worrying about everything we need to do to make this place work for us long term and then I feel guilty for letting go of those we lost, so I start thinking about them again.” I needed to change his negative train of thought, but how? “It’s a vicious circle that won’t…”

  I stopped him before he could finish his sentence by placing my lips on his. He often used the same tactic with me, so I didn’t feel the least bit guilty about using it on him. It worked. He slowly relaxed into the kiss as he moved in closer towards me wrapping his arms more tightly around me. I only hoped it was having the same effect on him as it was me. The longer we kissed the more I let go, of everything. When we came up for air I asked, “Better?” He smirked at me.

  “Not really. Now I can’t stop thinking about you naked.” I laughed, but he gave me an idea of how I could really distract him, maybe even ware him out enough so he could sleep. Besides, it would be fun. The kind of fun we hadn’t been able to find time for, in days.