by M. J. Haag
The fey fanned out, checking out our temporary home. My eyes swept the large room again. With so much space, I worried about spreading out too thin. As we learned at the last place, a fence only provided so much protection if the infected found us.
I glanced up at the second-floor platform and saw windows with blinds. Likely an office.
“I think it’s safe enough for me to walk,” I said, glancing at Drav. “I want to explore upstairs.”
Drav grunted, put me down, and followed me to the old office. Our footsteps echoed loudly on the sturdy metal stairways bolted to the wall.
At the top, I looked out over the vast warehouse and spotted a couple of different entrances.
“You’ll want someone posted at each exit,” I said, pointing them out.
Seeing the fey try to find places to sit and rest, I realized not only would there be no showering, there would be no food or comfort either. Not until we went out to find some supplies.
We had all traveled extremely light, most with only the clothes on our backs. We needed food, water, warmer clothes for Timmy, clean clothes for the men, soap, towels…the list of supplies kept getting longer. I chewed my bottom lip, knowing we would have to head into Ardmore to get supplies.
On the way here, the glimpses I caught of the town showed it free from any bomb destruction. That meant an infected infestation. Although the fey had swiftly dealt with the infected on the road, the idea of going into any area where there would be even more infected worried me. As it should, I supposed.
Turning away from the view, I opened the office door. Paperwork still covered the desk, waiting for the manager who had probably assumed he would be back the next day to finish. It felt odd to see that there were pockets of the world I’d known still untouched by devastation. Quiet little pieces suspended in time. The thought left an open wound in my heart. Our old world was gone.
Drav moved behind me, reminding me of our task.
“This wouldn’t be a bad place to sleep. Some of those empty boxes from down below will keep us from getting cold on the floor. We could bring one of the chairs down for Timmy to snuggle in, too.” I rolled out the comfortable looking chair from behind the desk, and Drav took it from me, lifting it easily.
“We need to get supplies. It would be good to find some sunglasses for you guys if we are going to continue traveling during the day. We need food and some lightweight basics like soap and clean socks for Timmy.”
I frowned as I thought of what else we needed.
Warm hands framed my face, and Drav pressed his forehead to mine.
“We will find these things. Rest your mind.”
His words helped calm my rampant thoughts. In this new world, Drav was my anchor. My reality and my safety. I wrapped my arms around him, taking a moment to soak up the comfort I found simply in his presence.
He made a satisfied sound and held me close, his hands rubbing over my back. It felt heavenly, and I didn’t want to move. Part of me wanted to ignore the world and just steal as much quiet time as I wanted with Drav. But I knew better. This world didn’t give the unprepared any quiet time.
I sighed and pulled away.
Any thoughts of gathering supplies fled from my mind the moment I noticed Drav’s hungry gaze focused on my mouth.
Eight
“My Mya.”
The way Drav said the words set my heart racing. He changed his hold on me, reaching under my shirt so his fingertips brushed my skin.
I shivered at the contact.
He smiled slightly and lowered his head.
“Mine,” he said just before his lips touched my mouth.
He kissed me tenderly, and I basked in his attention and playfully nipped his bottom lip.
He growled against my mouth, and the kiss changed, becoming more demanding. The hot palm gripping my side trailed upward until just under the curve of my breast. His fingers traced the edge of my bra then lightly moved over the cup. He teased me, circling my breast before he deftly found my nipple. I groaned into his mouth as he toyed with it through the material. His free hand gripped my butt so he could press his hips against mine, a slow rolling grind that had me gasping for air.
Just as I gripped his shoulders to pull him closer, he withdrew his hand.
“Tell me what we need, and we will find it.”
I almost told him I needed him to finish what he’d started, but a burst of sound from below brought back reality. I exhaled slowly and wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him while letting my pulse settle. After a moment, I could focus on what we needed to do and left the office to go talk to Molev about our need for supplies. Drav carried the executive chair down the stairs.
Molev had remained in the open part of the factory, watching the fey explore the place while staying close to Byllo and Timmy, who was draped over his shoulder.
“Drav, can you break the backrest off of the chair? We can use it as a bed for Timmy.”
Drav snapped the chair in half like a twig and set the large, well-padded back on the ground. Byllo put Timmy down on it. The boy curled into a small ball and continued to sleep.
I stared at the child for a moment. At four, he shouldn’t need so much sleep. But, given what he’d been through, I could understand why he might want it. Still, it worried me. He needed proper care.
“I want to take a small group out and scout the surrounding area for supplies,” I said quietly, stepping away from Timmy.
“I will send out twenty men.”
“I need to go, too.” Not that I really wanted to go. I knew there’d be infected all over the place.
“No, Mya,” Drav said. Molev agreed with a nod.
“It would be better if you stayed here, Mya.”
“The men have learned some English, but they won’t know how to read signs or know what supplies they are looking for. I can read and know what we need.”
Molev looked at Drav. I did, too.
“I’ll be safe with you, right?”
Drav sighed.
“Very well.”
I snagged my bag and searched until I found the snack packs of applesauce I’d tucked inside.
“Here,” I said, handing the containers to Byllo. “If Timmy wakes up, have him just sip this from the container. One should be good for now, but I will leave the rest for you in case he wants more. We’ll bring back some better food for him. Oh, and make sure he stays in sight at all times. Little kids can get into trouble quickly without even realizing it. They are as clueless about this world as you guys were when you first came up. Only they don’t learn as fast. Be patient, kind, and gentle with him. If you think I’m fragile, children are even more so.”
“We will take good care of him, Mya,” Molev said. “The sun is starting its descent. You should go now.”
I nodded.
Molev called out for volunteers; and, within seconds, Drav and I walked outside with our group. Although the sun still floated high in the sky with no clouds in sight, I knew daylight wouldn’t last much longer. The men’s eyes watered as Drav picked me up and took off south, heading back the way we’d come.
The surrounding area to the left of the highway had more abandoned and ransacked buildings, so the men moved quickly, running alongside the road.
Cars, some with doors still hanging open, littered the long stretch of blacktop. The fey kept their distance from the vehicles, which I appreciated.
The highway billboards didn’t help as much as the store signs towering far above everything.
“Drav,” I said, careful not to speak too loudly. “Go that way. We need to follow that road.”
The fey ran past several fast food restaurants, heading further into town. After seeing the home goods store to our left, the buildings slowly began to thin out again as if we were already heading out of town. Only the signs indicating a hospital ahead kept me from telling the fey to turn around. I couldn’t help but look back, second guessing myself though.
Behind us, something moved. The
steady cadence of the fey’s running had attracted attention.
“Infected,” I said to the fey behind Drav.
A couple of the fey separated to take care of the infected. The rest of us kept going until the buildings grew thicker again. We passed more restaurants, but I ignored them. Most would have had fresh or freezer food that had long ago spoiled if the buildings had lost power.
A pharmacy on the corner of the next intersection gave me hope.
“Which way, Mya?” Drav asked.
“Go left. We’ll run that way for a little bit, and if we don’t find anything promising, we can turn around.”
Within another block, I saw a bright blue sign that belonged to a huge chain super-center in the distance.
“There,” I said softly, pointing.
Cars waited in the parking lot. Only a few had their doors open. I scrutinized the complete stillness of the surrounding area. The well-spaced business buildings remained quiet. Where were the infected? Probably near their homes. If this area had been struck at night, like everywhere else, I doubted there would have been many people in the shopping district.
Despite the logical explanation, I still felt nervous as we made quick time to the front entrance. Broken glass covered the ground, both doors smashed by looters. I hoped we’d still be able to find what we needed.
The fey’s deer hide boots crunched on the debris as they stepped inside. The opaque panels in the ceiling gave just enough light to see. Other than the glass on the floor and missing items from the nearby shelves, the store seemed normal enough. The fey were cautious, though. As a group, they paused and listened. Nothing moved or made a sound as they waited.
“Check the store,” Drav said. “Shax and three others stay with me.”
“If there are healthy humans in here, please don’t hurt them,” I added.
The rest of the fey nodded and quietly moved into the store’s interior.
“Can you put me down?” I asked, looking around.
I could see the produce section to our right but doubted there’d be anything worth saving there.
“Do you think it’s safe to start looking for things?
“As safe as it will be.”
I nodded and started forward. Shax and Drav walked beside me with the others loosely spread around us. I explored the food aisles closest to the entrance, disheartened by the sight of so many nearly bare shelves.
A sudden commotion came from further back in the store, and I looked at Drav.
“We will keep you safe. What do you need?”
“We need bags to carry the supplies in,” I said.
I made my way further down the aisles toward the center of the store. The weak light from overhead caught on three carousel displays of mostly untouched sunglasses.
“We need to grab all of these. You guys should each pick out a pair to wear now and bring the rest back for everyone else.”
Drav went over to the first rack of sunglasses and pulled off a pair of reflective avatars.
“Very dashing,” I said sincerely.
Drav gave me a toothy smile and slipped the glasses on. Shax grunted and pulled off a similar pair to try on.
“You can use the mirror to see what you look like,” I said, pointing to the reflective triangle.
He ducked down and caught sight of his reflection. He grinned and moved aside so the rest of the guys with us could try some on, too. The men who'd checked the back of the store joined us before we moved on.
“We removed a few infected. The rest of the store is quiet,” one of the men said.
Drav nodded, and I watched with growing humor as the newcomers tried on several pairs of sunglasses each, checking their reflections often.
Knowing our limited time, I turned away from the fun and started toward the other side of the store.
“Where are you going?” Drav asked.
“While you guys do that, I’m going to grab some other necessities.”
“Necessities? What do you need?” He removed his glasses, ready to retrieve whatever items I might require. The driven way he wanted to take care of me made me feel cherished beyond belief. It also made him even more adorable in my eyes.
“You know...socks, undies, tampons. Things that will probably save my life someday,” I said, unable to resist a little teasing.
His expression of idle curiosity changed to one of complete seriousness.
“I'll help you find these tampons.” He strode forward with a determined gait while I trailed behind him.
“Will you carry my tampons for me?” I asked with barely contained amusement.
“I will not let them out of my sight.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him they wouldn’t actually save my life.
Drav and I navigated through the untouched greeting card section to the slightly raided health and beauty area. The mangled mess of what remained of the pharmacy shelves gave me little hope we would find much in the section. However, the items available surprised me. I found children's pain reliever, vitamins, and toothbrushes. Near the pharmacy, I also found some reusable shopping bags. While Drav held one, I stocked up on the things I thought we’d need. Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, razors, and tampons.
“This is good,” I said. “Go ahead and set that by the front doors, and I’ll check out the clothes.”
“No. We stay together.”
“They checked the store.”
He continued to give me a “not happening” stare.
“Fine, but we need to hurry. I want to be safely in our building by dark.” I started walking toward the front doors with Drav following closely behind.
“What are some of the names of the fey who came with us?” I asked.
“Tihr, Bauts, Gyirk…”
“Okay, how good is your hearing?”
“They will be able to hear you if you need them.”
“Tihr, Bauts, Gyirk, Kerr, and Shax, could you guys join us when you are done?” I couldn’t help but raise my voice a little. Almost as soon as I finished speaking, the men joined us.
“Yes, Mya?” Shax said.
“Can one of you find us a couple more bags like these?” I lifted my bag holding my spoils. “Or better yet, find some duffle bags or backpacks. Something you guys can carry on your backs as we travel.”
They nodded and took off. Drav and I set the first two bags by the doors then walked further into the store. I found the toys and stopped short. The shelves remained fully stocked. Of course they would be. Who would think of toys with infected and hellhounds running around? Me. I couldn’t help but recall the sad look in Timmy’s eyes as he lay his head on Byllo’s shoulder.
“Can you go just a few more aisles down and look for blankets?” I asked Drav. “I just want to grab a few things for Timmy.”
“No, Mya. We stay together.”
Shaking my head at his protectiveness, I started down the aisle.
I ignored all the toys that made noise or lit up and found a box of eight crayons, a coloring book, and a small stuffed animal. It wasn’t much, but for a boy who had nothing, it might just mean the world.
Turning, I handed everything over to Drav then paused to look at a brightly colored ball. Timmy would probably like it. But runaway balls led kids into streets with cars, or in this case, with infected. It would also make noise when bounced. Our new world sucked.
With one last regretful look, I moved away from the ball and led Drav to the bedding.
I loaded up his arms, and my own, with any non-bulky blankets I could find. Hopefully, the guys had located some decent bags to carry everything because the further north we traveled, the colder it would get.
Thinking of that, I moved off toward the clothing section. We crossed paths with the men. Each carried some kind of bag.
“Those are perfect,” I said. “Can you go back to the food section and load up on whatever is left in cans?”
“Yes, Mya,” Shax said.
“Would two of you be wil
ling to run this stuff to the front of the store?” I hefted what I held, and two of the fey jumped forward to relieve me of my burden. They took the blankets stacked in Drav’s arms, too.
“Thanks, guys. Just a few more things then we’re done.”
As they ran off to gather the food, Drav and I veered toward clothing.
“Timmy needs everything,” I said. “He said he’s four. I’m no expert on kids, but he seemed kinda small to me for that age. So I have no idea if that’s actually right or not. To be safe, let’s get clothing that says 5T.” I showed Drav the marking on the hanger as I spoke. “He can always grow into them and have room to layer to stay warm.” I held up a shirt and studied it for a moment. “Yeah, I think this will work.”
“Grab five shirts and three pair of pants,” I said, moving away.
“Mya,” Drav said with low warning.
“I know, I know. Stay together. I’m not going anywhere. Just looking at jackets.”
I found a jacket, then socks, and cute little superhero underwear. Before I knew it, I had drifted further away to grab an armful of bras for myself from the women’s department. Drav stood in the men’s department, stocking up on the large shirts there. I was glad he’d thought of that. Most of the men were messy from the infected run in on the road. A clean change of clothes—
Something moved quickly across the floor toward my foot. My first thought was a rat, and I jumped a little before focusing on the red toy ball.
Frowning, I bent down and picked it up. The cold wetness coating the toy surprised me, and I jerked my hand back. I turned my wrist to look at my palm. Blood covered my hand.
Nine
Heart hammering, I straightened, searching for Drav. The semi-milky, pale gaze of an infected met mine over the top of the clothing rack. It lifted a hand to its mouth and began chewing on its pointer finger. The way it tilted its head to study me, like a cat toying with a mouse, sent a shaft of terror through me.
Where the hell had it come from?
