Sunshine

by Wenner, Natalie

  The house really was the perfect place to be right now. There was a boy’s nursery up stairs full of infant toys and supplies. He was having a blast. I had already read him all of the children’s books and he wore a new outfit every day.

  We had yet to see a Jack. Marcus went out everyday hunting for them, but only ever came back with wild animals. He was an odd character. I hadn’t yet gotten his story and he always avoided my question. There was an extreme amount of mystery surrounding him and being one inclined to gossip I was very enticed. I knew it would be a good story; definitely would be worth the wait.

  Today I planned on exploring the house a bit more, while Marcus was out hunting. He didn’t want me to go out. Not because he worried, but he said he didn’t want me getting any kills. It would ruin his fun.

  There was a huge library on the third floor that I had yet explored. The house had obviously been decorated by a woman, because the main theme of the house was flowers. Every knock and cranny was covered with them not to mention the wallpaper, but I liked it.

  There were pictures of relatives everywhere, but I didn’t want to find out the story of the people that had owned this house. It seemed too personal and they would be dead. No point in getting attached to a family if it wasn’t necessary. I especially didn’t want to know what had happened to the boy who should have been sleeping in the nursery.

  I had found a walker for Sunny so I set him in it and let him attempt to walk in it. He was just happy to stretch out his legs. There were so many books to choose from in here. I could travel to so many places from this room. But I wasn’t looking for leisurely reading. I wanted information.

  I found the atlases and world travel books. Most of the books had writing in them and it was evident these people had seen the world. I knew that someday we would have to leave this happy home, so I needed to find out what was next. Marcus didn’t think living on a boat was a horrible idea, but he also thought it would be a last resort option. I figured I would just learn as much as I could, while I had so many books at my fingers.

  With Marcus travel would be quicker, so we could still head along the coast looking for a boat. He hadn’t yet agreed to coming with us when we leave, but I’m hopeful. I also had a new plan, mountains. If we could find a secluded area up high in the mountains like the Andes in South America, then maybe we would be safe from the Jacks. I know there were large protests from the natives in that area, so most didn’t get the implants. Marcus hated this idea. To him the others were just as dangerous as the Jacks and they were to be avoided.

  “Emma, Emma.” I heard him scream from downstairs.

  “Emma, where are you?”

  I ran out to the stairs with Sunny. “I’m on the third floor with Sunny. What’s wrong? Do you want me to come down?”

  “No, stay where you are. I’m coming up we need to get in the attic. I’ll bring up your gun.”

  I wondered what was going on and why I needed a gun. I couldn’t see anything out the windows. He was at my side before I knew it.

  “Will you please tell me what’s going on?”

  “There’s a Jack. I think it’s only one. I could hear him just as I was coming in. He should be getting close now. We can hopefully shot him from the attic. The windows up there have some good sight lines.”

  “Ok how do we get up there?”

  “Follow me.”

  He led me into the one of the spare bedrooms and up the ladder. The attic was full of antique furniture. But I could see the windows he was talking about. They were beautiful stain glass. Each one was a different flower design. He opened them all and peered out. Sunny was anxious in my arms.

  “Come here. There it is.”

  “Oh yes, I see it.” It was coming down the driveway running at full pace. It looked terrifying. If it got into this house he would destroy it. We were nowhere near the panic room so it was useless to us.

  Marcus was sighting in on it.

  There’s no way he was going to make the shot he was still a good 600 meters away and increasing his speed. I would never have been able to make the shot. I was good enough to stay alive, but I didn’t see this as a sport like Marcus did.

  He took in a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The Jack stood there for a few seconds. I thought he had missed and then it toppled over.

  Over an hour later Marcus came back and got us from the panic room. We both wanted to be sure the danger was gone.

  “It’s safe now. He was alone. I buried him and covered him with some bleach. It helps cover the smell. Actually the weather is gonna help us the most. There’s a big storm brewing out there. It will wash away any evidence of it.”

  “That’s good news. You’re a pretty good shot. I would have missed horribly. Where did you learn to shoot like that?”

  “Thank you. I’m ok. I used to be in the Army, but it was short lived. I showed potential so they trained me to be a sniper. I didn’t make it through much training though. I got kicked out, because I have problems with authority. Namely I’m a jerk.”

  “Oh, well, I guess you learned enough.” Sunny was sitting in my lap and reaching for him.

  “I think Sunny wants to come visit. Would that be ok?”

  “Sure. Come here little monster.” I handed him over.

  “I’m gonna go grab some food. I’ll be back.”

  I was starving. I really wanted something warm and home cooked, but I didn’t dare start a fire now. So I grabbed some of the jerky and canned pineapple. I also made a bottle up for Sunny.

  “Do you want anything to eat?”

  “Naw, but pipsqueak does.”

  “I’ve got him a bottle. Here.”

  Man he was hungry. The bottle was half gone in less than 30 seconds.

  “So are you ever gonna tell me your story, Marcus?”

  “You share first, then maybe I will.”

  “My father was a dentist and my mother was a lawyer. I’m an only child and good thing, because they never had time for me. We had money though so I was a spoiled brat. I had just graduated from college and had an internship training elephants when the devices went wrong. I have an implant, but mine’s defective.

  I lived by myself for a long time. I went to look for my parents but their house was empty. I don’t know what happened to them. I think the only reason I survived was luck. Being a spoiled brat doesn’t prepare you very well for life on the run.

  I meet Rosa, Sunshine’s mom, when she was about seven months pregnant. She became like my sister. We hoped to become a sort of family. She died giving birth though. Since then I’ve just been trying to keep the both of us alive.”

  “What happened to the kiddo’s dad?”

  “Rosa was raped.”

  “Oh. Well he certainly is a cute kid. He’s a pain in the ass and I still say we should dump him to lighten the load, but he is cute.”

  “That’s not very funny. Now what’s your story?”

  “It’s not that important.”

  “Please I’m intrigued.”

  “Fine. I grew up with alcoholic parents who were on welfare. My dad was abusive and my mom didn’t give a shit about me. I grew up how I wanted to. I didn’t care about the law. I stole old women’s purses and I robbed the rich houses in my town. I even sold drugs for a while. I never got caught. I learned how to manipulate people. Finally when I was older I discovered I could get whatever I wanted from women. So I preyed on a few cougars. They gave me everything I asked for.

  One day I decided I wanted to change. I joined the army, but like I said that didn’t work out. When I got home I again went back into the same life. I never got any implants didn’t care enough about myself to. Once the Jacks took over I taught myself how to survive. I was use to taking care of myself. There ya go, that’s it for my story. Here take your kid. I’m going to go up in the attic.”

  “Wait. Don’t you want to talk a little more?” I wanted him to tell me more, his favorite color and does he like to take long walks on the beach?


  “No I don’t. I shouldn’t have told you that. I can see you pity me. Don’t pity me. I don’t need your pity.

  He handed over a very sleepy baby and vanished. I had imagined he was an ex spy or assassin, but no he was just a kid that had had a shitty childhood and did everything he had to survive. I now had a new found respect for the mystery man.

  Chapter 13

  Silent Treatment

  Marcus avoided me for the next week. He was now sleeping in the attic. I didn’t know why he was so mad. I didn’t pity him. He had a shitty childhood so what. Sunny was having a worse one than he had. The person he was now was the only thing that mattered and he seemed fine to me.

  The house was starting to feel like a prison in the silence. I didn’t want to ask Marcus to watch Sunny, so I never went outside. I couldn’t risk his safety. Sunny didn’t seem to mind the house. He was really starting to grow. He could now sit up by himself and he was eating like a horse.

  I really wondered how long we could stay here. Marcus hunted so we always had fresh meat and he came back with canned goods and other supplies. I had no idea where he got them and when I asked he acted as if I wasn’t there.

  Our biggest problem was gasoline, though. I really didn’t know how much we had to keep the generator going. Plus we needed a stockpile for the truck. I wish this place had solar power. Then I wouldn’t have to worry.

  “Sunny, it’s so nice out. I wish we could go outside.”

  The sky was a perfect blue, no clouds in sight. There wouldn’t be many of them left. I could see the trees starting to turn red, orange, and yellow. I looked out the window and realized there was still one place I hadn’t explored. There was a very large greenhouse just off the sunroom.

  “Let’s go explore. Doesn’t that sound like fun? We need some fresh air.” He perked right up and smiled at me with excitement.

  I grabbed a bag and packed it with some of Sunny’s toys and tucked a rifle into my waistband. I sure hoped there were some flowers alive in the greenhouse. I could only see green from the window.

  Marcus had left this morning and I had no clue when he would return. This was really getting old, he needed to get over himself soon and talk to us.

  The door to the greenhouse was locked so I had to set down Sunny and break in using a rock. The inside was absolutely amazing. It reminded me of the Secret Garden, it had been abandoned for many a moons yet it still thrived with life. I could see many of my favorite flowers; pink azaleas, yellow roses, and lavender. The flowers had lost their pruners so they had grown wild. There were vines weaving in and out of the rows. I decided it would be smart to check the area for danger first. It had been so long since I’d done this.

  I pulled out my rifle and with Sunny on my hip we explored the greenhouse. The coast was clear. So I headed for the gazebo in the center. It was absolutely beautiful. There were flowers of all kind carved into the wood and painted over by a very talented artist. I ran my hand over it feeling every stroke of the chisel. I could live in this little slice of heaven forever.

  I laid out a blanket and sat down with Sunny. I held him up, while he tried to stand.

  “Look at you my big boy. You are truly a miracle.” He smiled back, so proud of himself.

  “Yes, Mamas very proud of you.”

  We played like this for hours. I even saw Marcus walk past carrying a few squirrels over his shoulder. He looked very worried. I wonder what had gone wrong. Maybe I would confront him about the silent treatment.

  There was suddenly movement in a bush just beside the gazebo. I grabbed my gun and put Sunny behind me. He started to cry right away. I prepared myself for a Jack. It must have snuck in somehow. Or it had been hiding this whole time. The bush shook again and I braced myself for a fight, and then out popped a small brown rabbit.

  Oh how stupid I had been. I took this as a sign we needed to head inside. Sunny’s tears only intensified the farther we got from the gazebo.

  “Don’t worry little one we can go back again.” My smile soothed him.

  When I walked into the living room Marcus was making a stew with the squirrel and some veggies. I decided it was time to be the bigger person.

  “I saw you got some squirrels today. They smell good. Thank you.”

  He kept stirring.

  “Sunny and I saw you come in from the greenhouse. He really enjoyed himself.”

  He still stirred.

  “There was a rabbit in there that nearly gave me a heart attack. Oh but maybe I shouldn’t tell you that. You’ll cook it up for dinner tomorrow.”

  I was laughing to myself.

  Even Sunny tried, “Gooobabbaaadddmamam.”

  Still nothing.

  “Look Marcus this silent treatment is stupid. Please let’s just forget the past. I don’t care about your story. I appreciate everything you’re doing right now, but I would like to help too.”

  “Fine. I’ll watch the pain tomorrow and you can go looking for food and fuel.”

  He walked away and I didn’t see him again till the morning.

  He was in my room shaking me awake.

  “Wake up already. I don’t have the patience for you. Here’s a map of the area. I haven’t made it to this place yet. It will take you almost the whole day. Your packs right here and it has everything you will need. I haven’t seen any Jacks, but still be aware. Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want to have to raise the little shit by myself.”

  “Wow. You definitely aren’t a morning person, jezz. Ok I’ll get dressed and head right out. When Sunny wakes up he will need…”

  “I know how to take care of him. Now get going.”

  He stomped off and down the hall. The sun was barely up so I don’t really see what the big hurry was. I looked down at the map. He was sending me about seven miles away to an old gas station.

  Chapter 14

  Glow

  I sure hoped Marcus could take care of Sunny. He seemed competent enough and for some reason Sunny liked him. I still didn’t know if we were on talking terms or not and I didn’t know if I cared. He really was a jerk. I found it most odd that he didn’t call me honey, sugar, or sweetie. He must not be trying to get in my pants anymore. No that was rude. He never acted like he wanted me. Really I didn’t know why he hung around. We were really a burden to him.

  For whatever reason I didn’t want him to leave. It was easier to keep Sunny safe when he was around. So I would put up with his attitude problem. It’s not like I was a saint either. Anyone that knew me well enough knew I could be a stubborn witch and I was very good at winning verbal fights. A real fight between us would be very interesting.

  Now where was I going? Oh yes, I had to go right, and then follow that road for a mile. I had to remind myself this was dangerous. It was yet again a glorious day outside and I was lost in thoughts about Marcus.

  His blue eyes kept popping into my head. It was annoying.

  What really bothered me was the last thing he had said, “I don’t want to have to raise the little shit by myself.” That implied that he would take care of Sunshine if something were to happen to me. It was very nice to know he would have someone to take care of him, but Marcus didn’t seem to care much for him. Why would he take on such a burden that was not his?

  It was nice to be outside getting some exercise. I could tell that I had lost some of my muscles and I was breathing a little harder then I use to. This would be a problem if I had to run. Thankfully I didn’t hear any Jacks. I finally came to the gas station.

  It looked really rough from the outside. It was coated with a layer of grim and it looked like it could fall down at any minute. There was also an odd smell in the air. It wasn’t a place I wanted to go in, but I couldn’t let Marcus know I was a coward. So I walked in.

  The place was destroyed. There was nothing salvageable in the main store. I decided to check the back area. There was still an odd smell. I opened the door and it was as if I had just walked into a horror show.

  The floor was co
vered with old blood and in the corner were pieces of human bodies. I could see a half-eaten arm and a thigh. Off to the side was a gun and backpack. I nearly fainted this was a Jacks shelter. I had to get the hell out of here.

  I quickly ran from the station, but as I walked out the door I could hear them screaming. They must have been sleeping. I wouldn’t be able to outrun them. So I did the only other thing I could think of. I climbed a tree. I was now putting my life in Marcus’ knowledge.

  On the way up I dropped my gun, but there was no time to turn around. The second I made it under the cover of the leaves they came into sight.

  There were six of them. Six.

  I’ve never seen this many in a pack. I wouldn’t be able to shoot them and live even if I hadn’t dropped my gun. There was no way I was going to get out of this. They were surely going to smell me or hear me. I should have picked a bigger tree. This one was the maple tree version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree.

  They went back inside and the sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bones filled the air. I didn’t dare leave the tree out of fear.

  They didn’t do much over the next several hours. They fought, broke some of the gas pumps, and continued to eat. They still hadn’t noticed me.

  I had no idea what I was going to do. I was hoping they would move on, but that could be days or weeks feeding on the bodies. I couldn’t live in a tree for more than a couple of days if that.

  I started to get really worried when the sun started to set. I soon wouldn’t be able to see where they were and how was I going to stay up in this tree once I got tired. I was already having trouble not falling out.

  Marcus must know something had gone wrong. I should have been back before dark. I hoped he didn’t come looking for me, because he would have to bring Sunny into this horrible place.