Then There Was You

by Heather Thurmeier

  The duffle bag gave off a pungent smell of something familiar yet strange. Inside, she found gym clothes. The shirt resembled the size of a blanket. If it hadn’t been for the stench of old sweat and a gym locker room, she might have even considered using it. But the smell of filth spoke of too many possible germs to risk using the shirt for any purpose.

  Tossing the bag and all its contents to the floor, she closed the car door, curled up on her side on the seat, and cried. She was screwed. She couldn’t walk on the scratchy pavement with feet this cut up, and going into the forest again wouldn’t help, either.

  She couldn’t even bring herself to look at the condition of her feet. By the throbbing, she knew they were bad. Bad enough she risked infection if she didn’t get them cleaned and protected soon.

  A knock against the glass window sent her bolting upright. She looked around frantically. Every window had a person staring at her. She reached for her knife.

  “Get away from me. Leave me alone,” she shouted.

  “We can help you,” the person in the driver’s side window said.

  Yeah, sure, right. She almost believed him. None of the people she’d run into so far had wanted to help her. She wouldn’t fall for their trick.

  “You look like you need help,” the one behind her added, her eyes flickering down to the stickiness making Sara’s shirt cling to her body. Blood. She’d been trying to ignore it, but it probably made her look gruesome. She didn’t want to think about how it’d gotten there or whom it belonged to. Hers... Chris’.... She prayed the cut on her chest had stayed clean.

  “I said leave me alone. I don’t need your help.” Sara scooted into the middle of the seat, trying to stay out of grabbing distance of any of the windows, even though she knew she was trapped.

  The door opened.

  “I’m not afraid to use this!” She thrust her knife out in front of her, swishing it side to side in jerky movements she hoped would scare them off.

  A man with a gentle smile and dark hair reached out to her. “I’m a doctor, and I can see your feet are in serious need of medical attention. I assure you, my friends and I mean you no harm.”

  “I don’t believe you. What do you want from me? I don’t have any supplies.” Her voice broke, giving away vulnerabilities she didn’t want to confess. “I have nothing you could want.”

  Another person poked his head into the door. “We just want to help you. We don’t need anything from you. We have enough already.”

  Sara eyed them suspiciously. If they wanted to attack her, wouldn’t they have done it already? Was it possible she’d found people who hadn’t lost their minds when their society started to collapse?

  The guy claiming to be a doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of bandages still in their packaging. “I only have a few things with me, but you’re welcome to them. At least they will help a little. Or if you want, you can come with us to the colony. It’s not a far walk, and I’ll be able to clean up your injuries with sterile water and ointments.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek, debating. It seemed reckless to go with strangers, but also impractical not to take the opportunity for medical help she desperately needed. What would Dane do if he were here? What was the smart choice?

  “If I go, I can leave whenever I want?”

  His brow creased as if he was surprised and a little disturbed she’d think anything else. “Yes, of course. You can stay as long as you need to or leave as soon as you want.”

  Sara hesitated a moment longer before shifting toward the open door. At this point she had nothing left to lose. Her feet needed medical care, and these people, whoever they were, had offered some. She had to trust their intentions were good.

  She still held her knife at the ready, just in case.

  She cringed, wobbling unsteadily and leaning against the car for support, when her feet touched the pavement. Her body felt heavy, weighted down by injury and stress. Hunger gnawed a hole in her stomach as she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since sometime the day before. A lot had happened since then, and she felt as if she’d expended all her stored energy.

  The doctor put his hand on her arm, but she jerked away from him, forcing herself to stand upright despite the agony.

  “We can carry you.” His voice was so kind it almost brought tears to her eyes. How long had it been since she’d heard someone other than Dane speak this way to her?

  As much as she wanted to trust them, to allow them to carry her, provide her with help, comfort, and caring, she couldn’t. Medical care might be a necessity, but trusting these people wasn’t.

  “I’ll walk.” She took a shaky step to prove her point. Fisting her hands, she pressed her fingernails into her palms to distract herself from the pain in her feet.

  The doctor nodded then started off toward wherever they were going. Sara counted to ten in her head again. She’d made it this far. She could make it farther.

  She’d make it as far as she had to until she reunited with Dane and her family.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sara eyed Travis, the doctor. He smiled up at her from his place at her feet. He’d been working on them for a while, longer than she’d expected. Seemed her feet were in worse shape than she’d realized, or maybe worse than she’d wanted to admit.

  He’d cleaned her cuts, removed a few splinters, applied ointment to help prevent infection, and applied a thick layer of bandages, hopefully allowing her to walk with more comfort than pain. She doubted it would.

  Sara looked around. They didn’t have any kind of medical facility set up, just a bed in the corner of the room and a table with supplies. The rest of the warehouse was divided into other areas: blankets and pillows in rows to make a sleeping area, a table and chairs near a wash basin, and a collection of canned goods for a kitchen.

  She looked at the other people in the room. “Why isn’t anyone wearing masks or gloves?” she asked. She hadn’t been able to find out much information about the infection but maybe these people could give her some. “Is it true the infection only spreads through bodily fluids? Shouldn’t people here still be careful?”

  “The virus is only spread through blood, which is why I’m wearing gloves. Otherwise, you’re safe.”

  “Then why hasn’t life gone back to normal yet? Why is everyone still acting like it’s the apocalypse?”

  “Because it sort of is. If you get the virus, you almost always spread it before you die. You start bleeding from your mucous membranes, coughing up blood. It looks like something out of a horror movie.”

  Sara’s head swam with the new information. “Disgusting.”

  “The problem is they haven’t figured out what to do once the person has it.”

  “So what happens?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “Quarantine them until they bleed to death. And if that isn’t sad enough, the mess they leave behind is the very thing to infect the next person. Clean-up is a bitch without the right precautions.”

  Sara shuddered. “Have, um, have you had to clean up the mess here?”

  “No. We’ve been lucky so far. You’re the first stranger we’ve seen in a long time and you’re bleeding. I know it’s made some of our people nervous, which is why you’re down here with us instead of with the rest of the colony.”

  “You guys down here are immune or something?”

  “I wish. We’re just not as afraid. We’re the ones who go out on runs, do medical and security. Basically, we’re the ones who are exposed to the possibility of the virus all the time, so the threat seems less...threatening, I guess.”

  “But I’m bleeding from my feet because of cuts, not because of the virus.”

  Travis nodded. “I know. I’ve told the others you’re safe and they don’t have to worry about you. I hope I’m right.” He paused while getting the gauze and tape ready. “You are safe, right? You didn’t escape from quarantine in the city or anything?”

  “I’m safe. I di
dn’t come from the city. And I haven’t been near anyone infected. If I had, I’d know what happens, wouldn’t I?”

  “True, but the first symptoms show up fast, within an hour or two. After that, it takes at least twenty-four hours for the really gruesome stuff to start. Any fever, blurred vision, or confusion?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. I feel fine.”

  “How long ago did that happen?” he asked, pointing at her bloody hands.

  She shrugged, trying to calculate the time in her head. “A few hours at least.”

  Travis nodded looking satisfied then secured the last bandage on her foot. Reclining in his seat, he rolled his shoulders as if they were stiff. He eyed her shirt, not for the first time.

  She looked down at her blood stained hands. She didn’t know if the men who’d taken her had been sick or not, but she had to assume by their strength they weren’t. “I’m pretty sure it’s okay. None got in my mouth or anything. But maybe we should burn the shirt, to be safe. I need to wash my hands, check for cuts that could get infected.”

  He nodded as if approving of her answer. He motioned for her to come to a makeshift sink and handed her a pitcher of water, soap and something that smelled like hospital antiseptic.

  Sara twisted her hands in the basin, scrubbing them. When she was finished, Travis poured water over them, rinsing away the blood. Once clean, she rinsed her still bloody knife in the sink then wiped it dry.

  “So, where did you come from?” he asked as he inspected her hands for cuts.

  Should she tell him the truth? Could she trust him with it? What if he was being nice to find out if she had supplies stashed somewhere?

  “It’s fine. Forget I asked. I’m not trying to pry. If you tell me you came from somewhere safe, then I’ll believe you.”

  She nibbled on her lower lip as her eyes threatened to tear up, unaccustomed to people being so nice. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”

  He shrugged and got up from his chair. “It’s fine. Like I said, forget I asked.” He took off his gloves and placed them inside a covered garbage bin, then sanitized his hands with liquid cleaner. “Hey, you hungry? I haven’t had anything since breakfast, and dinner should be almost ready. Want to join us, or are you heading out again?”

  The empty pit in her stomach roared to life as if a monster lived inside of her. “I would love some dinner, thank you. I’m sorry, I don’t have anything to trade you for it.”

  “Not a problem. We have food for anyone who sits at our table.”

  Travis held her arm with one hand and grasped her around the waist with the other, guiding her from the bed to her feet. She fought a cringe as she took a step, but a little whimper still escaped from her pursed lips.

  She tried to pull her arm away from his grip, but he held firm as she took tentative steps. Stumbling after a few, she decided to give in and accept his help. Dane was the only man she’d been close to in a long time, and getting cozy with Travis was the last thing on her mind, but she leaned into him more anyway, needing his strength and stability.

  The path to the dining table seemed longer than she’d expected. The warehouse appeared small but, in fact, sprawled the length of a football field. Of course, for the other people heading toward dinner, the walk didn’t take more than a minute from even the farthest corner. Travis glanced at her during her long, slow walk, smiling in a way that lit his whole face. The handsome doctor, with his dark hair and eyes, probably had a line of girls waiting for a chance in his bed anytime he wanted.

  He walked her to the end of the table, introducing her to some of the others as they passed by. They were Jacob the banker, Lila the hair stylist, Benji the pizza delivery boy, and Ralph the teacher. Or at least, they were in their former lives. Here, they were scavengers, inventors, handymen, and tailors.

  Sara tried to smile as every head turned to gawk at her, except for one, the oldest man of the bunch who sat at the head of the table. He continued to eat, head bowed, ignoring the chatter going on around him as if nothing could be more important than the food in his dish. Maybe nothing should be more important than a good meal in the company of strangers who’d become friends in the oddest of situations.

  Travis returned and set a bowl of steaming food and a chunk of crusty bread in front of her. She hadn’t even seen bread in weeks, and these people were offering it to her without asking for anything in return. Everything tasted so good, she could be dreaming.

  “Beef stew and stale bread, cuisine of the gods.” He dug into his meal with fervor.

  “Thank you. It smells delicious,” she said, meaning it.

  “It’s from a can. And thinned out with boiled water from a nearby well, but it’s warm, and it’s somewhat filling, so we can’t complain.”

  “Have you guys been eating like this the whole time?” She hoped her voice sounded curious and didn’t imply her dietary intake had been more or less than theirs. She and Dane had grown accustomed to their freeze-dried meals in the weeks since the outbreak—fine dining compared to this fare, not that she’d tell her host. She appreciated their hospitality.

  “Yes and no. At the beginning, we ate a lot more since we didn’t realize how hard it would be to get staples later. Then, as the food supply started to dwindle, we began conserving more and consuming less. How we eat depends on how well we’ve scavenged. You?”

  She swallowed her bite and shrugged, flickering her gaze up to his before looking at her bowl. She didn’t like to lie to anyone, but telling the whole truth wouldn’t do her any good. “I did the same thing. Ate a lot at the beginning then started rationing.”

  “Did you come from somewhere nearby? You didn’t have any supplies with you when we found you.”

  “I’ve been traveling for a couple of days. But then....” Her voice caught in her throat as she choked on her words. How could she verbalize everything she’d been through? “But then...I was....”

  “It’s okay,” Travis said, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “You don’t need to relive it, whatever it is. And you don’t need to worry about your supplies. We don’t have an excess of things, but what we have you’re welcome to. Within reason, of course.”

  His smile reached all the way to his eyes, reminding her of how Dane’s smile did the same thing. Thinking of him made her chest seize up. Had they hurt him and left him for dead in the ditch? Should she have tried harder to find her way back to the road?

  The last night she’d been with him had been one of the best of her life. She couldn’t remember another time when she’d loved someone so deeply, so fully, without hesitation.

  “Thanks,” she managed. “I won’t need much. I don’t have much farther to travel.”

  “You’ll stay the night and rest, at least, won’t you?”

  His eyes were kind and caring, easy to gaze into. He was her type, tall, dark, and handsome, and if her journey had brought her here first instead of to Dane, she might have let him continue holding her hand all night.

  “I’m not sure I should. I need to be on my way.”

  “Your feet could use a night to heal. And it will give me time to find a pair of shoes for you. We’ll have a warm fire and an extra couple of blankets for you if you decide to stay.”

  After sleeping in the truck, the thought of a cozy blanket and a warm fire sounded wonderful. And with every passing second, she could feel the exhaustion seeping into her bones. The day had been long and grueling, and she needed rest to be able to make the final push to the bookstore.

  “Okay, you’ve convinced me.” Sara broke her bread into pieces as an excuse to take her hand from under Travis’. He might be trying to comfort her, but his touch made her feel like she was cheating on Dane. Not something she ever wanted to do.

  “Where are you off to, if you don’t mind my asking?” the woman next to Travis asked. “I’m Claire, by the way. I thought Travis here would be polite and introduce the rest of us, but apparently, he lost his manners in the apocalypse.”

&
nbsp; Travis wrapped his arm around Claire’s shoulders and pulled her close. Sara eyed him. Seemed he was a touchy-feely kind of guy. Claire didn’t look like she minded much. “This is Claire. She’s a bit of a ball-breaker. And a fine scavenger. She has a way of knowing what place will still have supplies but no people. And the girl next to her is Ruby. She used to run a hotel in the city, but now we’re the recipients of her fine hospitality. And the two across from them are Joseph and Bill. If you need anything fixed or invented, these are the guys to see.”

  Sara nodded and said hello to each of them. “I’m trying to find my family. They didn’t meet me where I thought they would, so I’m trying to get to another location where they might be.”

  Claire looked down at her food as she stirred it around in her bowl. “I hope you find them,” she said. Something about the tone of her voice made Sara sad for her, as if she’d lost touch with her family, too.

  “And you’ve been out here alone with no supplies or anything for days?” Joseph asked.

  “Not quite. I had someone traveling with me.” She paused to swallow her bite of bread. “My boyfriend, Dane. We had a truck full of gas and supplies. We were almost to our destination when our truck ran dry and we were...separated from each other.”

  Sara forced a deep breath into her lungs to steady her nerves. She didn’t want to talk about what had happened, or even think about it. But she couldn’t very well take food and shelter from these people without telling them a little bit about herself and how she came to be with them. She looked up to find Travis and Claire watching her, concern and interest equally written on their faces.

  “Well, at least you made it this far, right?” Claire continued eating, appearing lost in her own thoughts. Maybe they had more experiences in common than she’d guessed.

  “I’m glad we found you when we did. Sounds like you had an exciting day.” Travis pushed his empty bowl away and sipped his water.

  “Exciting is one word for it.” Sara shivered as the memories flooded her mind. No matter how hard she tried to push them away, she still saw the scenes playing out in vivid detail every time she closed her eyes. She took the last spoonful of her stew, not the least bit hungry anymore, but unwilling to waste even a single drop when she didn’t know when she’d get another warm meal.