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 Nine
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, unable to keep the question to herself. 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 do they do?” 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 just escape from quarantine in the city or anything?”
“I’m safe. I didn’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, his 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, just 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 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’m choosing to 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, though.”
“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 and 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 from 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 som
ewhat 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.
“Thank you,” 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.”
Travis wrapped his arm around Claire’s shoulders and pulled her close. Sara eyed him. Seemed he was just 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’re able to 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 today, 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 from the day 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.
“Why don’t we get you over to the fire, and I’ll find you the things you’ll need for tomorrow?” He stood from the table and took her arm, helping her to her feet.
Walking the short distance to the fireplace in the corner of the room hurt just as much as she feared it would, and she sagged with exertion by the time Travis lowered her to a chair. She didn’t have a clue how she’d manage walking the rest of the way to the bookstore the next day, but at this point, she didn’t see any other option. She had to get to her goal and could only do it on foot. Somehow, she’d have to tough it out.
She hated to even admit it, but a small part of her wished she could stay here with these nice people and their warm fire and supplies for the rest of the apocalypse. But she couldn’t. Knowing her family might be at the bookstore waiting for her meant she could never live with herself if she didn’t make it the rest of the way to find out for sure.
And if Dane might still be alive out there, then she had to hope he’d attempt to find the bookstore, and maybe, by some dumb luck, she’d find him there. She couldn’t even imagine what it would do to her if she never saw him again, never knew what happened to him…never got to kiss his lips or be in his arms again.
No. He’s alive. He would meet her at the bookstore. And she would make it there on her own, no matter how much her feet hurt, even if it meant crawling on her hands and knees.
As Travis gathered supplies, Sara looked around the room. Everyone seemed so at ease and comfortable with one another. No fighting. No one had threatened her the entire time she’d been here. Based on her last several run-ins with people, she’d been sure the world had gone to shit, but these people seemed to be an exception. Maybe there were still good people in the world, working together and not against one another. Maybe the world would go on in some kind of new-normal way if there were people like this willing to collaborate to survive.
Maybe her family’s idea of hunkering down and keeping their distance from the rest of the world wasn’t the only option.
Travis returned with an armful of clothing and a backpack. “It’s not as much as I’d like to give you, but it’ll have to do.”
“I thought you were getting me shoes.”
He laughed. “I did. But you can’t walk around in a bloodstained shirt. So, I grabbed a few things. Hopefully something in this pile fits, but take whatever
you need.”
“One shirt will do.” Sara held up a blue T-shirt that looked about the right size and then grabbed the pair of sneakers. They were a little big, but would do well enough.
“Wherever you’re going, and I’m not asking, sounds like it will be great.” Travis settled cross-legged beside her.
“I hope so.” She forced any doubt out of her mind. She’d find her family or Dane or everyone waiting for her at the bookstore. Believing anything else would make leaving the safety of this place impossible.
“Well, if it isn’t, you can always come back to the colony. We’d be happy to have you here.”
Sara couldn’t get over how welcoming they were. She felt as if she were in an implausible movie not a real-life situation. “Why? Why would you all want another person to share your food with, to take on as a burden, to trust not to rob you of your precious supplies?”
“Do you plan to rob us?” His eyes twinkled as they crinkled a little around the edges. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was flirting with her. But he already knew she had a boyfriend waiting for her. And he’d been the same way with Claire.
“No, of course not.” Sara felt indignant even though she’d brought the line of questioning on herself.
Travis sighed, the lightheartedness falling from his expression. “There are two kinds of people out there. Those who have and those who want. We all came together here and started the colony because we believed the goodness in people can still shine through in times of complete despair, and sometimes, it’s the only thing to save you. So we made a choice, to be here, to work and live together, to welcome all who wanted to join us, and to believe one day, the world will heal itself and we’ll be there to start over when it does.” He shrugged and chuckled. “Maybe it’s a hippie way of thinking about it, but it works for us.”
Travis got to his feet. “Well, I’ll leave you to get some much-needed rest. I’ll be around to see you off in the morning if you want.”
Survive For My Love Page 7
