The choice was simple when it came down to it for a few reasons. First off, Aby didn’t trust Peaches to be left alone with Tex. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but the thought made her feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was because she seemed so charmed by the tall stranger, or maybe it was because she seemed to have a complete lack of common sense. Either way, Aby felt it was her job to keep an eye on the older woman.
The second reason was much more personal. She couldn’t stand the idea that if she didn’t strike up a friendship with Tex that she might miss out on an opportunity to find Megan and Jake. Peaches had been right to point out that with a car they were going to cover much more ground, and Aby was still weak from her injuries. Her best chance was to hope that Tex would drive her around and help her find her friends.
Things just hadn’t been the same without them. She hadn’t known Megan for very long, but her presence always made Aby feel like she was in good company. Sure, Megan could be a pessimist and she was almost always causing one issue or another, but she had a kind heart. Peaches wasn’t a bad person, but she was a lot more selfish than anyone Aby would usually associate with.
And then there was Jake...she missed him with all her heart. She wished she hadn’t spent so much time fighting with him in recent weeks. All she had wanted was to be respected a little more by him. But now, she missed their power struggle. She missed fighting to be taken seriously by him. She missed schooling him on how bad his attitude could be. She even missed his ridiculous hero complex and his insistence on always being top of the food chain. She’d give anything to hear him condescend someone now just so she could roll her eyes at him. She’d give anything to be able to put him in his place just one more time.
But time was slipping away from her like sand through her fingers. Every passing minute it felt like Jake was getting further from her grasp. She wasn’t sure she could cope if she lost hope of ever finding him.
Aby still didn’t feel good about going anywhere with Tex. As nice as he seemed on the surface, she had no idea of the man he was inside, and that scared her. But she had to try. She realized that now. When Peaches woke up, Aby was ready to go. She had strapped a knife to her ankle and put another in the deep pocket of Peaches’ cardigan, just in case. She had decided it was the only way she’d feel comfortable getting in the stranger’s car.
“So you’re coming with me?” Peaches asked, raising a smug eyebrow. Aby suspected that Peaches had known she would all along, or at least since she mentioned the possibility of finding Jake. Aby sighed.
“Yes…but I want us both to be prepared.” She showed Peaches the knife strapped to her ankle. “I want you to do the same, just in case we get into a bad position. That’s my condition for coming with you.”
“And what on earth am I supposed to do with a knife? I’m not stabbing anyone. Especially not a nice young man like him. It’s just not in my nature,” Peaches said, folding her arms. Aby sighed.
“You’re going to have to get used to this. You’ll thank me if things turn nasty. Just do it.”
Peaches rolled her eyes, but obliged. As Aby taped the knife to her ankle for her, Peraches used the opportunity to complain.
“Your insistence on thinking the worst of everyone is exhausting,” Peaches declared. “Poor Tex. If he could see us right now…”
“He never has to know if he behaves himself,” Aby insisted. “On the surface, it looks like we trust him if we don’t take any weapons. But this way, we’re prepared.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Tough,” Aby said bluntly. She felt like she was acting as Peaches’ mother, but she knew it was with good reason. She didn’t want to risk either of them getting hurt. Besides, Peaches should consider herself lucky that Aby wasn’t trying to take the shotgun.
Aby made preparations for them to leave the house. She ensured all of their supplies were secured and that the house was near impossible to get inside without brute force. She closed the curtains and bolted the back door. By the time she and Peaches were both standing on the driveway, waiting for Tex to pick them up, Aby was a bundle of nerves. Something just didn’t feel right.
But it was too late to turn back now.
When Tex appeared, driving with his arm casually slung out of the window, he was smiling a little too brightly. Aby never trusted a stranger who was overly friendly. But like a gentleman, he parked up and opened the passenger doors for Peaches and Aby to climb in.
“You both decided to come? Excellent,” he said cheerily. Aby felt like a child as he closed the door behind her and she sat on the musty backseat, waiting anxiously. Tex seemed eager to get off because he started the engine without even strapping his seatbelt in. Aby watched the safety of the house disappear behind her and wondered if they’d ever make it back.
“You girls are in for a treat!” Tex shouted over the roaring of his old engine. “The neighbors around here are lovely. I really think things are going to work out with this trade deal. And hey, it starts out with trading, but maybe someday, we can all trust each other enough to gather together and make some kind of community. We can build up our defenses so it’s safe...we can invite women and children there so that they can be safe…”
“Women and children?” Aby said, an edge to her voice. “Don’t you think that’s a little old fashioned? Women can take care of themselves.”
Tex met her eyes in the rearview mirror and grinned at her. His smile seemed too wide, too fake, too wrong. Or maybe it was her paranoia getting the better of her again.
“Sure they can,” he said. “But it’s biology, right? Men are built stronger...they’re made to lead the way.”
“I sure agree with that,” Peaches simpered. “Every woman needs a strong man to guide her way.”
“I don’t,” Aby muttered, even though she’d been pining for Jake for days. But that was different. She didn’t need him to survive physically. She just missed him.
“You don’t have a man, hmm?” Tex asked Peaches, ignoring Aby. Peaches shook her head.
“He up and left me.”
“What a foolish man,” Tex replied, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. Peaches blushed and giggled like a schoolgirl, leaving Aby to roll her eyes. She couldn’t believe that Peaches was falling for his act. She felt like she saw right through him. There was something sinister about him...she just couldn’t put her finger on it. They hit a bump in the road and Peaches giggled again, gazing at Tex like he was the only man in the world. Aby felt sick. The more trust Peaches gave him, the more danger they’d be in. But how could she stop her? She couldn’t admit aloud that she didn’t trust Tex or things could go south very quickly. She kept her mouth firmly shut, even though she was desperate just to leap out of the car and take her chances to get away from Tex.
“I really think we’ve got a bright future ahead of us,” Tex called to the women in the back. “If the compound works out...well, we might just pave the way for the next generation. There ain’t no going back on the damage done by the EMP, but we can learn a new way of life. If we get ourselves some useful people...people who know how to farm the land, a doctor and midwife, perhaps, some fighters to defend us...then there’s no reason we can’t create a new normal, right?”
“Right,” Peaches breathed, hanging on to his every word. Aby couldn’t deny that Tex’s vision of the future uplifted her a little. Wouldn’t it be so much better to have someplace safe to call home instead of running all the time? It had been less than a fortnight since she’d left Pittsburgh, but she already missed that sense of having somewhere safe and ordinary to reside every night. She wanted a place to live where she could lay her head down and rest easy. Was Tex really interested in that kind of future? Did he really have such a vision for them? It seemed like he did, but Aby still felt so uncertain.
“Hey, Tex?” Peaches hollered. He tilted his head toward her.
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if you could do something to help my friend here...she’s looking for he
r fiance. They got seperated a few days back and she could sure use your car to take a look around for him.”
“Peaches,” Aby hissed, but Tex waved her away.
“It’s alright! You don’t ask, you don’t get! Of course, I’m happy to help in any way I can. I have a few things I need to get done first...but then the car is all yours. I wouldn’t deny you that, now, would I?”
Aby wasn’t sure what to make of him now. Every instinct she had was telling her that something was off, but she had no proof. He’d been nothing but nice to her. Peaches nudged her arm.
“Well, Aby? Say thank you to the kind man,” Peaches said in a condescending tone. Aby gritted her teeth.
“Thank you,” she muttered. Tex smiled as he started slowing the car down.
“Not a problem. Now, we’re about to reach our first destination…”
“We are?” Peaches asked, glancing out of the window. “But we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“I know, right?” Tex said cheerily. “Isn’t it just beautiful out here? So quiet and calm...no one else around...seems like the perfect place to stop first.”
Aby’s heart dropped to her stomach. She couldn’t be imagining how creepy Tex’s words were. He smiled at her again in the mirror and she felt familiar dread come rushing back to her. She should’ve trusted her instincts. She should’ve made Peaches stay home with her. She never should’ve opened the door for Tex…
And now they were in real trouble.
Fourteen
Jake
Am I dead? Jake asked himself. He felt close to death, at least. His lungs shuddered with the effort of trying to breathe as smoke clung to them from the fire. His ribs were the most painful part of his body now, but every single inch of him hurt. He’d never experienced anything like it. As he tried to sit up, the pain sent him crashing back to the ground again.
The only thing he seemed able to move without it hurting were his eyes. He opened them and glanced around, trying to make sense of what had happened. The fire seemed to have burned itself out, which was the only reason he’d survived, clearly. If it had spread it would’ve consumed him and Megan by now. Black smoke tendrils were lifting themselves from the wreckage toward the dark night sky and Jake coughed, wincing as the action made his body spasm with pain.
Jake looked around to find Megan. She was lying close to him and she was still unconscious. It was like deja vu of waking up in the truck bed only a few days earlier. Jake had thought that things were bad then, but things were so much worse now. Not only were they without food, water and weapons, but they were also injured so badly that Jake doubted they’d be able to walk.
He tried to sit up again and managed it with a loud yelp. If anyone was nearby then they’d certainly find him, but what could he do about that now? Besides, he had nothing to offer anyone. All he had was the clothes on his back. Unless they wanted to finish the job that the gang had started on him then he wasn’t of much use to anybody.
He waited a while for Megan to wake up, not wanting to exert himself or hurt her by trying to shake her awake. When she finally came around, she whimpered quietly, tears clouding her eyes the moment she opened them. She was in a bad way too, clearly. Jake was patient as she moved herself into a sitting position, breathing hard at the effort. Neither of them seemed to know what to say or do, so they sat in silence for some time.
Jake wondered what was going through her head. Did she regret staying to help him? Was she angry at Jake for not listening to her gut instinct when she expressed it? She must be. There was so much unsaid between them, but Jake didn’t have the energy inside him to explain to her how sorry he was for the way he’d treated her. His life now just seemed to be full of regrets and mistakes that he couldn’t fix.
“What now?” Megan whispered. Jake shook his head.
“I don’t know. Maybe we just give in, Megan. Where are we supposed to go from here?”
Megan pursed her lips. “That’s not like you, Jake. The only way is up, right? Things can’t get any worse.”
“I’m sure I’ve heard that before,” Jake muttered. Even the effort of talking was hurting him. They needed a miracle if they were going to make it any further. Jake thought that maybe their luck had finally run out. There were no more miracles reserved for them.
“I’m not giving in,” Megan said with such force that it shocked Jake. Timid, quiet Megan was changing before his eyes. It was like they’d swapped their roles around. He watched as she struggled to get on her feet, wincing in agony. Towering over him, breathing hard, she offered him her hand to take.
“You need to get up now. We’ve had enough time feeling sorry for ourselves. We have to carry on. If we can make it to the lake, they can fix us up.”
“And how are we meant to make it there when we can barely walk? We’ll starve before we get there. We’ll die of thirst, or of some injury those bastards gave us…”
“Only with that attitude,” Megan said. “Besides...I think we should make a detour before we go there.”
Jake’s eyes flashed with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Megan grabbed Jake’s hand herself and pulled him up with a grunt. “Those men took our dignity...they tortured you, Jake. It’s time we take something back from them. We’re going to find them and steal their supplies. It’s like you said...if we don’t find food and water soon, we’re going to die. We know that they have what we need. We don’t need to feel guilty for taking from them after what they did. It’s the perfect solution.”
“We’re outnumbered, Megan. They have over double the manpower, or have you forgotten that? What if they catch us and beat us again?”
“Then at least we tried,” Megan replied darkly. “Every outcome could end with us dead. If we at least fight for our lives then we can die knowing we didn’t give up.”
Jake stared at the ground. He didn’t like the plan. He preferred the idea of sitting by the wreckage of the house and waiting for natural causes to take him. He didn’t want to fight bad guys anymore. He didn’t want to be humiliated any further. It would be so much easier just to slip away quietly, alone in the woods…
“This isn’t up for discussion,” Megan told Jake. Her hand was tight on his wrist, so tight that it felt like she was bruising his already battered skin. “This isn’t like you, Jake. You haven’t been in your right mind since we lost Aby. But I’m not letting you give up now. I know Aby wouldn’t want that, wherever she is. I ran into a burning house for you. Now do me a favour and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Let’s take back some control.”
It was the last thing Jake wanted to do, but she was right. He owed her this. She risked her life for him. Now he had to be willing to do the same, at least one more time.
He followed her as she began to walk uphill. He watched her examining the muddy ground, but he was too exhausted to figure out what she was looking for. Then he saw the deep shoeprints in the ground and understood. She was figuring out how to follow the gang. He shook his head. He’d overlooked entirely how resourceful she could be.
“Let’s follow these and see how far we can get,” she said. Jake managed to fall in step with her. His body hurt more with every movement, but some part of him felt numb to it. He was so disconnected from reality at this point that it almost didn’t matter that he was on his last legs. Adrenaline kept him going, his trusty friend. Megan seemed to be in a much better shape, marching fast with her teeth gritted. Jake wondered if she had always had such resilience in her or whether he was watching human adaptation right before his eyes. He guessed she was just more determined to survive than he was.
“Megan…”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to say…I’m sorry.”
Megan pursed her lips. She obviously felt that she was owed an apology from the look on her face, but she was about to make Jake work for it. “For what?”
“For not trusting you. For acting like I’m superior. For bullying you into doing things my way. For everyth
ing. I know that I’ve been hard to handle. I know that I’m lucky that you stayed to help. I know that you deserve so much better than the way I’ve treated you...especially since we were split up from Aby.”
Megan sniffed, looking irritable. “Yes, well. You’ve been going through a lot.”
“You don’t have to defend my actions...I know that’s your default because you’re a good person. But Megan...you’ve put up with people treating you badly for too long. You should be angry. You should be questioning whether you even need me. I’m dead weight now.”
Megan looked pained as she glanced at Jake. “Don’t say that, Jake. You’re not dead weight. Just because you’re heavier to carry along now, it doesn’t mean I should drop you. How many times have you carried me on your back these past few weeks? That’s what we do for one another...through thick and thin, we keep one another moving. And I know what you’ve been thinking...you’ve been wondering when I suddenly grew a backbone. You’ve been wondering how I’ve changed so much. But you’ve changed too. We all have. No one can predict how this new life is going to change us. It’s taking strength away from the most resilient people and making the rest of us rise from the ashes. We just have to make sure that no matter how our lives change that we keep one another going. Maybe in a few days you’ll need to drag me along again. Who knows. Let’s take it one day at a time, okay? And maybe we can learn to appreciate each other more for the things we do for one another.”
Jake knew that he meant that she deserved more respect, and she was right. He had been wrong to treat her like she was just a burden. Not just now that she was showing her strength, but before too when she was crying half the time, always shying away from the fight. How could he blame her? She was only human. She was only acting like any normal person should when their world was turned upside down and they were forced to fight for their life twenty-four seven. Now he understood that really, she was the sanest of them all.
The End of the World Series | Book 3 | Survive The Destruction Page 8
