Chapter 10
The door creaks as I open it, and I kick it shut behind me. I brush my teeth while looking in the mirror, thinking. I quickly wash my face and use the toilet, cleaning my stuff up before heading to the living room to say good night to everyone. When I walk in I notice all the couples holding each other and Liam has an arm over James' shoulders.
"Well, that's enough excitement for today." I chuckle in a sad tone and look to the others. "Xavier and I are off to bed. Did anyone hear anything from their parents?"
"Lee, Quiyl, and I did, but no one else has." Vi spoke up from her place in Idris' arms, who looks lost in thought as he leaned his head-on top of hers.
"Okay, at least we know something I suppose. Well good night all, as much as you can anyways." I wave, and walk back to my room, listening to the chorus of 'good nights'.
The door shuts softly behind me and I see Xavier already in bed, blankets pulled up to his chest. I join him in bed just as my phone vibrates and I check it, hoping for a good update. The screen brightens to reveal my Dad's name, and I select the message. Xavier pokes me, indicating he wants me to read it aloud.
Hey darling! Everything is okay here in London, but I heard about the chaos in Niagara. I agree with your Mom, stay where you are. If things start to go bad here your step-mom and I will leave to get to you. It's a good thing I watched so many of those crappy zombie horrors, eh? LOVE!
I smile at my Dad's words, putting the phone back on the side table after turning the sound on, putting it in stand-by. I roll back over and cuddle in Xavier's chest, soothing my troubled mind with the sound of his heart. He laughs softly.
"You really like listening to my heart, don't ya?"
"Only regular thing about this weekend." I mumble, and he begins to run his fingers through my hair.
"You really like brushing your fingers through my hair, don't ya?" I tease back, and I hear the chuckle deep into his chest.
"Oh, just maybe."
I drift off to sleep feeling his fingers in my hair and listening to his heart, his breathing slowing down as he fell asleep as well.
The morning came, the light waking me up through my eyelids. Xavier groans and yawns, I move myself, so I am leaning my head against his shoulder.
"Morning beautiful. How are you feeling this morning?" Xavier's deep voice is a welcome sound in the morning, I think as he says that.
"Better than last night, but still very worried. Do we have enough food to last here for a while?" I question, and he shrugs. "I am just thinking maybe we should stock up just in case, y'know?"
"That's a smart idea, maybe my wasted teenage years on video games will come in handy."
I groan and stand up, brushing my hair with the brush that I left on top of the dresser. My arms stretch towards the ceiling, hearing the pops and cracks of my bones. Xavier follows my lead, standing up. I don't hear any sounds from the living room, so I turn to Xavier.
"What do you say about tea, and sitting on the porch?" I check the time on my phone. "It's six o'clock in the morning, why the hell are we awake right now?"
He shrugs and opens the door, motioning me to go through first, and I smile and nod my thanks. We walk to the kitchen, him turning on the kettle as I find the tea we bought, placing two bags in two separate mugs. He brings the honey over with a smile and places it on the counter.
"Honey for my little bee?" He whispers to me, attempting to not wake the others.
"Cheesy, son of a bitch." I say as a blush tints my cheeks.
"Hey, you have met my mother like twice. Don't call her names!" He marvelled, poking my nose with a smirk.
The kettle begins to whistle, and Xavier grabs it, pouring the hot water in each mug. I add honey to each and stir it. After this is done, we each grab a mug and walk to the front deck, settling into the two Muskoka chairs out front. The sun is just beginning to rise over the lake as the mist burns off, sipping our tea.
"What if this is the last regular weekend we ever have? What if this is the end of the world?" I wonder aloud, and Xavier shakes his head gently.
"It's six a.m. A little early for such serious questions, my dear." He responds, and sips for a few minutes, thinking about his answer. "Then I am glad we spent it here, with all of our friends and especially you. In terms of if this is the worst-case scenario, a zombie apocalypse, then we can hope and pray that the old myths accurately portray the things that are about to take over the world. We have a good chance of surviving; I mean we are all nerds with different strengths. Liam is very good in terms of hand to hand combat, Anthony loves anything sharp and knows blades, you know how to grow things, Violet can help you, and I know the human body inside and out. Lee and I both have moms who are nurses and have heard various stories. Hell, I used to read the medical textbooks for fun. We wait out the initial wave, then head back to Niagara and gather the things from our homes that we can use to survive."
I look at him with a smile, feeling reassured.
"You are right, we got this."
The door opens behind us and Vi joins us, a cup of tea in her hand.
"Morning you two. Don't worry, you didn't wake me up, I have been awake all-night drawing." Vi answers our unsaid questions with a wave, and she sits next to me on the chair's arm.
"Whatcha drawing?" I inquire and sip my tea with a content smile.
"Just Jafar from Magi, he's so cute!"
Xavier nods, agreeing with her. "He is pretty hot."
"Hey, eyes on me dude." I gently tap his cheek, and he smirks.
"Always my dear." He winks, and Vi looks mildly disgusted.
"You two are gross!" She tells us, a playful twinkle in her eyes.
"Honey moon stage, sorry love!" I reply with a wink, and she sighs, sipping her tea.
"Besides you two being gross, what's the topic of this early morning conversation?"
"What if this is the end of world as we know it?"
"Did you just quote R.E.M.?" Xavier asks, and I nod.
"Yes, but that's beside the point." I answer, turning back to Vi.
"I agree with Xavier, I heard it all before I came out." Vi motions to Xavier, who nods.
I turn back to the lake, watching the last of the mist burn off as the sun hits it, and shake my head slowly.
"I don't know if the world is ready for what is about to hit it, if we are talking end of the world here." I say to no one in particular, finishing the last of my tea.
"Maybe this is Mother Nature's way of taking out the cancer that has infected the world." Vi hummed, and Xavier turns to her with an eye brow raised.
"Humanity? Is that the cancer we are talking about?" He questions her, and Vi makes eye contact with him.
"It's roundabout way of saying it yes. Look at what we have done, the world is hurting more and more every day from factory emissions and drilling operations. The world was bound to fight back at some point, maybe this is how it is doing it." She replies with a look in her eyes, wise beyond her years.
I hum my agreement and place my mug on one arm, the other slipping into Xavier's hand, which he squeezes.
She places the mug beside mine and looks to me. "Well if this is how it goes down, we better be ready. How about we wake up the others and watch the news and see what the others think." She stands, grabbing her mug and we move to follow her, the door slamming closed behind us. Xavier looks slightly sheepish and I chuckle.
"I think we can wake them up a bit nicer than that, don't ya think?" I tease, and he shrugs.
Chapter 11
We three walk down the hall, banging on the doors announcing for everyone to get up. There are multiple complaints about how it is just past seven, which are shot down with sarcastic comments. Soon everyone is gathered in the living room with coffee brewing for the caffeine addicts and tea for the others. Idris turns on the television, and the room is filled with the sound of the news.
"Good morning Canada, and this is Amanda with an emergency bulletin! The disease has now spread to a total o
f forty cities, and now across continents. Asia and Australia and reporting an outbreak which is being contained for the most part.
Citizens are warned to be on the lookout for people who are not acting normally. The easiest visual way to tell these apart from others is the fact the infected's skin is dry and begin to flake off within the first three days of exposure. Their pupils will be dilated, but we wouldn't suggest this identification feature as that requires being within biting distance. Some scientists propose there is two strains of the disease, and aptly named them the Hunger strain or the Horde strain. The hunger strain will force victims to attack for food, that being brain matter or bone marrow. The Horde strain don't eat as much, choosing to infect more victims to add to their group.
The Canadian government is proposing that an international alert be placed for the infected, and there is no cure being developed yet. Citizens are being warned to stay inside, school's systems all over are telling children to stay home. Police ask you to call or text if you come across an infected, do not try to engage the victim, as they are non-responsive. Stay safe, this was Amanda with the emergency bulletin."
The television clicks off and everyone looks at each other wordlessly, shocked about what they just heard. Idris gets off the couch and turns to us all, taking in our expressions.
"Okay. I am going to propose we go and gather as much food and medicine as we can fit in our cars. Agreed?"
In unison, we all say 'yes!' and rush off to change, emptying back packs and bags to carry it all in. Once Xavier and I are ready we take a moment in our room, just hugging each other.
"We stay beside each other, constantly." Xavier looked me in the eyes as he caressed my cheek, and I nod.
He captures my lips with his for a quick kiss and pulls open the door, noticing everyone waiting by the front door. Anthony quietly hands us a knife he brought in case we went fishing, six inches long, and Xavier slips the case on a belt loop.
"Okay, Lee, you take everyone you had with you and go to the closest pharmacy. It is ten minutes up the main road on your right. We are going to go to the grocery store and buy as much as we can fit in our car. If you have time, hit another pharmacy. Keep your phone charged and we will text with ten-minute updates. Let's be back to the cabin for noon, call if you have any trouble." Idris announces to the group, who nod, and we head to the respective cars.
Liam snaps his fingers when a thought crosses his mind, and he rushes to the shed. He grabs red gas containers and Lee throws two in his trunk and we take three. Idris starts the car and begins driving. Lee follows until the pharmacy and turns into the driveway. We continue to the closest grocery store. When we get there, we notice the lot is almost deserted, and push through the front doors with questioning looks between each other. No one stands at the tills so we each grab a cart and begin stocking up on preservatives, water and whatever else we think we might need.
My phone vibrates with a message from my mom, and I stop stocking, reading the message. Xavier stops and walks back to me, placing an arm around my waist. I read it aloud, and our friends in the store come to listen.
Hey honey, I told you I would update you. Niagara is chaos, almost half the population has been infected. We are gathering all the camping stuff we can find and placing it in the crawl space for you to come get when it is safe. Give me a call tonight and I will update you further, or you can call now. Love you, stay safe.
My hand shakes as I hit the call button, and Xavier tightens his hold, letting me know without words that he has me.
"Hello darling! Are you safe?" My mom's voice comes from my phone, sounding slightly shaky.
Our other friends walk away to continue gathering, Idris mouthing to me that we need to keep moving, I nod as I answer my mom.
"Yes, we are. What's happened? Are you and Will okay?" I ask, the words coming out quite fast.
"Well honey, we are okay for now, but we have had to barricade our house. The neighbours across the street turned and won't leave us alone. I don't know how much longer we can survive here, so we are hiding all the stuff you could use so no one can find it."
"Oh my god." I mumble, and I picture my mom in the kitchen, the windows boarded up.
"Also, when I said we I meant Will is gathering it for you. At the conference I was bitten Hun, it's been a day, and I can already feel it. I am so sorry that I can't see you again, but Will has promised he will take care of me when the time comes."
My eyes tear up, and my voice becomes shaky. "What? You were bitten? Damnit! I don't know if I can do this without you, Mom. What does he mean by take care of you?"
"It's okay my love, you will do this! You are a strong young lady. And he means what you think love."
"No…" I sob out, realizing he means he's going to shoot her.
"All those cliché zombie horrors say shoot them in the head, right? It's for the best, love. He is going to try and survive until you come here. So, do me a favor darling, live for me. Find love and live out this apocalypse. I have watched you grow up into a beautiful young lady, that's more than I could have ever asked for! I wish I could see more but I can't become one of those things Geneva, especially if I had the chance of hurting you."
"No Mommy! No this can't be happening!" I sob out, and Xavier catches the phone when I accidently drop it.
"Hello Mrs. Post. It's Xavier….mhm…yea..." He begins to converse with her as my hands grip his shirt and I cry, the realization hitting me that this will be the last time I ever hear her voice.
I look up to him and motion to hand the phone over to me, and he complies.
"What a nice you boy you have found Geneva." She tells me, her voice less shaky. "I always knew you two would end up together."
"Wait, really?" I ask, a slight smile on my face.
"Now I must go darling; my phone is almost out of battery and there is no electricity here anymore. If you need to contact Will he will have his cell phone on. I love you, keep living for me. And promise you won't come back until Will says it is safe. Promise me!"
"I promise Mom." I reply in a shaky tone.
"Be nice to Xavier, I will see you again one day!" She tells me, and I begin to shake with tears again.
"I love you, thank you for being the best mother a girl could ever ask for!"
"You say the sweetest things darling. Now put me on speaker."
I comply, my fingers almost selecting the wrong thing, and hold it out between Xavier and me.
"You take good care of my little girl, or I will come haunt you!" She threatens, and Xavier smiles sadly.
"Of course, ma'am. Always." He says solemnly and squeezes me gently.
"Love you Geneva, now and forever." She tells me and hangs up, and I collapse into Xavier's arms, who holds me tightly.
Violet comes back from outside, where they have loaded up the car and hugs me from behind. She lets go and her and Idris grab our carts, bringing them to the car to unload. Xavier gathers me in his arms bridal style and leaves a bit of money on the counter, bringing me to the car. I focus on the softness of his shirt as he tells the group what happened on the call. We get into the vehicle, Xavier pulling me onto his lap and I continue sobbing, realizing that was the last conversation I would ever have with my mom. Idris starts up the car and heads to the hardware store as Vi texts the other group then focuses on me, whispering words of comfort from her place in the passenger seat. The group falls into silence except for my crying as we continue driving.
Chapter 12
The tires crunch over the gravel as we reach the hardware store, and I slip into an emotionless state, choosing to feel nothing so I can get through the rest of our scavenging mission. Xavier notices my state of being and rubs my shoulder gently, taking my left hand in his right one. Idris turns the car off and faces us.
"Okay so this hardware store has a small hunting section, so we are going to head there. As this is a seasonal town not many people have been here yet, most probably choosing to live out the chaos in their cottages.
The owner of the store and my family go way back." He informs us before hoping out, the rest of us following him.
Liam opens the door and holds it for us all, my hand still tightly held in Xavier's as I enter the store. Idris goes over to talk to the owner, who gives him a warm smile. Xavier pulls me over to where the knives are and begins to look through the glass, looking at the ones on display. Idris comes over with the owner and introduces us.
"Guys, this is Mr. Russel, or Gordon as he prefers."
"Hello ladies and gents!" He gives us a warm smile, his deep voice echoing through the store. "As I have known Idris for a long-time, you all can pick which knife you want, and I will give it to you half price. You guys came in a good time; I was an hour away from shutting down business and heading home to my family."
"Thank you, sir." Xavier says formally and goes back to picking a knife.
My hand tightens around Xavier's as he chooses a knife for him and I. He points to one in the glass and askes Gordon a question as I zone out, lost in the memories of my mom.
Violets hands snap me out of my thoughts as she hugs me, and I rest my head-on top of hers, just enjoying the human contact. Xavier laughs at something Gordon said as Idris grabs other needed survival stuff. We finish our shopping quickly and the group walks back outside, Xavier leading me by the hand. Idris opens the trunk and adds everything in, walking to the driver's side. The car rumbles to a start and we all strap ourselves in, Xavier's gentle hand grabbing my head and pressing it to his shoulder.
The cabin comes into view and the car slows to a stop, Lee's car pulling in very soon after. We all get out and I go stand by the front door, wordlessly showing that I just want inside. Everyone gathers their spoils and follows me, Idris opening the door. They all go and unload in the kitchen, then bring the hardware store bags to the living room where I have sat on the couch. Xavier sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leaning down to whisper in my ear.
"Vi told everyone while we were in the kitchen. They promised to only help if you asked for it. Only Lee can get a hold of his parents now, I called mine on Idris' phone to no answer."
Friends Against The World (Book 1): Bite Me Page 4
