Empty World

by Zach Bohannon

  Caleb nodded and signaled Keon to follow him. Paul avoided Keon’s gaze as he passed by him. Instead, he merely nodded toward Katrina, and they headed toward the restaurant.

  When they had moved into the other room, Katrina said to Paul, “Sorry about that back there.”

  “About what?”

  “Keon being an asshole.”

  “And that’s your fault? I’ve been around him long enough and I know how he can be.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s still frustrating.”

  “I’m just glad he’s not my brother.” Paul smiled at her.

  The two shared a laugh as they made their way into the large dining hall. It was quiet.

  “The place seems really empty,” Katrina said.

  “Maybe too empty.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If there was anything worthwhile here before, I’m sure someone else who came through here already took it. We’re running too low on supplies in our camp.”

  “This is a big city, Paul. Don’t give up hope yet. We can use this building as our base camp and do some scavenging. There’s plenty of places around here to look.”

  Paul wasn’t so hopeful. Their group had traveled a long way since leaving Georgia. They’d suffered losses along the way, and he knew they needed to find medical supplies and food soon.

  They spent the next hour scoping out the twelve-story hotel, including going up through the first few floors. They didn’t find anything useful, which wasn’t a surprise. But they also didn’t come across any other Demons, nor find any people living there. When Paul and Katrina went back to the lobby, Keon and Caleb were already there.

  “Anything?” Paul asked.

  Keon shook his head. “Ain’t nobody here. And we didn’t find shit for food, first aid, or weapons.”

  “All right, well, we still need to check the rest of it, but it looks like we might have a good place here,” Paul said. “This building will make a good base camp, and we can spend the next week or so looking through nearby buildings. Then we’ll move on and keep heading west.”

  They walked outside, and Paul looked up at the sun.

  “Still got a few hours of daylight left,” Keon said.

  “Yeah, we need to go ahead and get the others back here.” Paul looked at Katrina and Caleb. “I want you two to go back and lead the others here. Head back the same way we came since we know it’s safe. You should have plenty of time to make it the two miles back to camp and then return here before the sun goes down.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see if this fat ass here can keep up with me on the way back.” Katrina laughed as she patted Caleb’s stomach.

  “Fuck you,” Caleb said, smiling. He was maybe a little overweight by the day’s standards, but the jab was Katrina’s way of keeping things loose more than anything else.

  Paul laughed and shook his head. “Look, you two idiots just get back here safe with everyone, all right? I’d like to see my wife tonight.”

  “Don’t worry, we will,” Katrina said. She hit Caleb on the arm. “Come on, Tubby. Let’s move.”

  They jogged away from the hotel and headed back toward camp. Paul and Keon watched until they turned the corner and moved out of sight.

  Then, Paul put his hand on Keon’s shoulder and the two went back inside the building to look around some more.

  11

  With dusk approaching, Dylan stopped. Shell looked off into a nearby field to see a barn, dilapidated and barely standing. Dylan pointed toward it.

  “We’ll stay there for the evening.”

  “That place looks like it could collapse any minute now.”

  “It’ll be fine.”

  “Why don’t we keep going?”

  He looked at her, his hat lowered over his face to where she could barely see his eyes. “Because I don’t travel at night when I don’t have to.” He started down the dirt path that led to the barn, and Shell and the boy followed.

  When they got close to the barn, Dylan held up his hand. Something inside banged on the doors so hard that they shook, their hinges squeaking.

  “I can’t sleep here with those things banging on that door,” Shell said.

  Without replying, Dylan drew his sword from his hip, the steel leaving its sheath with a hiss. He opened the doors and two Deads spilled out onto the ground. Startled, Shell jumped back. But the Deads didn’t faze Dylan. He stabbed the sword into each of their heads, then focused on the others exiting the barn. Four more Deads were lumbering into the light. Shell grabbed her bow, ready to use it.

  But it proved to be unnecessary.

  It took less than a minute for Dylan to slay the Deads. He wielded the sword with masterly precision, all with only one hand. His skill stunned Shell, and all she could do was look on with a slack jaw as each Dead fell.

  When it was over, Dylan kneeled down next to one of the fallen creatures. He grabbed its shirt and wiped the blade down with it, then looked at Shell.

  “We can sleep here now. I’m going to check the rest of the property and make sure it’s clear.”

  Shell was silent, merely watching the mysterious man as he walked away. She took another look at the Deads lying on the ground and she shook her head. She’d never seen anything like what Dylan had done, and he’d managed it all with only one arm.

  Shell came out of her daze and looked down at the boy. He was staring at the Deads, a blank expression on his face. Shell took him by the arm.

  “Let’s walk around the side of the barn.”

  Shell led the boy out of sight of the Deads, and they met Dylan who was walking toward them.

  “It’s clear,” Dylan said, returning to them. “There’s some wood on the other side of this barn. Enough for us to start a fire. Why don’t you both come help me gather some of it?”

  Shell and the boy followed Dylan around the other side of the barn to where pieces of the barn lay on the ground, having peeled away from the structure over time. They gathered as much wood as they could into their arms, then headed back to the other side of the barn.

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” Shell said.

  Dylan looked at her for a moment, then nodded without saying anything more.

  They dropped the wood in the dirt, piling it tightly together. Dylan found a piece of paper lying near the barn and dropped it on top of the stack, as well. Then he took two sticks from the ground and kneeled next to the fire, rubbing them together.

  “Oh, hold on,” Shell said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a box of matches. “Allow me.”

  She struck the match and promptly lit the paper on fire. Even without the help of gasoline, the dry wood soon caught. Dylan scoffed.

  “You’re welcome,” Shell said to him.

  Dylan then reached into his own bag and pulled out something wrapped in a cloth. When he unwrapped it, he unveiled the remains of a small animal.

  Shell coughed and put her arm over her nose. “That’s what that smell was.”

  “I just caught it yesterday,” Dylan said. “Along with some of those vegetables you brought, this should make a fine meal.”

  A grin formed on the boy’s face, which managed to push Shell into smiling despite the sight of the dead creature.

  Dylan had already skinned and cleaned the animal, and now he cut it into pieces. He found three sticks and distributed the meat evenly before handing one each to Shell and the boy. The moon rose as they sat around the fire, roasting the meat.

  Shell had already fetched a jar of carrots and some fresh lettuce from the cart.

  “Rabbit with carrots and lettuce,” Shell said, thinking of some of the comics she’d read. “A little ironic.”

  Neither the boy nor Dylan apparently got the joke, and Shell shook her head. She set the vegetables down, and when their rabbit had finished cooking, the three ate.

  The boy tore into his food like an animal.

  “I know you’re hungry, but you don’t need to eat so fast,” Shell said. “It’ll mak
e you sick and you won’t feel as full.”

  They ate in silence after that. Dylan sat on the other side of the fire, his hat covering his face. A gentle breeze blew through their camp, but the air was mostly warm. Shell thought of how relieved she was that winter had passed. If she had been forced away from her home when it had been cold, she couldn’t imagine how she would have survived.

  When Dylan finished eating, he removed his hat and ran his hand through his long black hair. “I can’t remember the last time I had fresh vegetables.”

  “How long have you been traveling?”

  The man hesitated, staring at the inside of his hat. “A long time.” He set the hat down beside him. With the glow of the fire illuminating his face, Shell could see the scars on his cheeks that his beard failed to hide. She could also see the wear in his eyes.

  Shell swallowed as her eyes went to his missing arm. Dylan caught her gaze and narrowed his eyes.

  “How did it happen?” she asked.

  “You know, you ask a lot of questions.” Dylan looked over at the silent boy. “You should consider being more like him.”

  Shell bowed her head, moving her bangs from her face. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been alone for a very long time. It’s not often that anyone passes through this small town.”

  “Get some rest, because we’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” Dylan said.

  With that, Dylan laid down flat on the dirt, using his hat to cover his face. The sword lay under his arm in a position where he could grab it easily in case something, or someone, approached them in the night.

  Running her hand through the boy’s hair, Shell said, “Rest.”

  He laid down, curling up into a ball.

  Shell did the same, lying on her back and looking up to the stars. She kept her knife and her bow nearby in case she needed them. Having never been away from home, her eyes remained wide open. She didn’t know how she would sleep outside. All she could think about was a Dead approaching during the night and attacking them. It seemed unsafe for all three of them to sleep. She was about to ask Dylan if one of them should stay up when he let out his first snore. And when she looked at the boy, she saw that he was also breathing heavy, fast asleep.

  She sighed, lying back down.

  It would be a long night, and she wasn’t sure if sleep would find her.

  12

  Paul paced back and forth in front of a second story window. The clouds partially blocked the moon and a breeze blew in through the open window, but it wasn’t enough to keep the sweat from collecting on his brow.

  “You’ve gotta sit down, man,” Keon said.

  “They should be here by now. The camp was only like two miles away. It doesn’t take that long to get there and back.”

  “Everything’s cool. Trust me.”

  Paul turned around. “How do you know that for sure?”

  “‘Cause my sister’s a survivor. She ain’t gonna let nothing happen to herself, and she sure as hell isn’t gonna let anything happen to the others.”

  Paul turned back to the window and looked outside again. He wanted to believe Keon. And it wasn’t that he didn’t trust Katrina. If that had been the case, he would have gone back himself to get the others and bring them to the King Edward. He trusted Katrina and Caleb with his life.

  But what if something had happened? There’d be no way for Paul and Keon to know. The others could have run into a pack of Demons or even a gang of raiders.

  “Seriously, dude,” Keon said. “Just come sit down. You’re making me all antsy and shit, standing in front of the window like that.”

  Paul ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

  He’s right. You’re doing yourself no good by staring out this window.

  There was a worn sofa on the other side of the room, and Paul took a seat on it. Dust filled the air in response to his weight and he coughed, covering his face.

  “Damn,” Keon said. “How long do you think it’s been since someone sat in that damn thing?”

  “I don’t think I want to know.”

  “A-fuckin’-men to that.”

  Paul leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and looked at his friend. “I never thanked you for earlier.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Covering for me out in the street when we were fighting those Demons.”

  “Ah shit, Rowland, we’re way past ‘thank yous’ and all that. You’d have done the same for me. Hell, you’ve saved my black ass more times than I can count.”

  “Well, it’s a nice ass.”

  Both men laughed, but Paul’s smile quickly disappeared. He looked towards the window again.

  “Seriously, dude,” Keon said. “They’ll be back soon.”

  But that wasn’t why Paul was looking out the window now.

  “How much longer do you think we’re gonna have to run, man?” Paul asked.

  Keon shrugged. “As long as it takes.”

  “You’d think by now we’d have found somewhere to settle.”

  “Demons have been occupying these lands for thirty years. That’s a long time to contaminate shit. We’ll find somewhere eventually, but we’ll just keep heading west until we do.”

  Paul shook his head. “We should have never had to leave Georgia.”

  “But we did. It’s time that you accept that and quit blaming yourself for what happened.”

  “I’ll feel a lot better when we find a permanent home.”

  Keon scoffed. “What the hell does ‘permanent’ mean nowadays, anyway?”

  Paul bowed his head.

  “I’m sorry, man,” Keon said. “But you know what I mean.”

  Paul shook his head. “I can’t raise a child like this. I already have enough guilt bringing one into this world.”

  “We’re going to find a good place to raise your little one. And don’t ever feel guilty. You and Brooke are going to make great parents.”

  “Yeah,” Paul said, looking away again.

  It had never been his and Brooke’s intention to get pregnant. It had just happened. The only birth control left was abstinence. Paul had run out of condoms a long time ago—it had been over five years since he’d even seen one. Since then, he’d just had to be more careful. And, most of the time, he was. Just not that one time.

  Paul stood up and started into the hallway, but a noise drew him back over to the window. Keon stood, too.

  Through the dark, Paul could see the silhouettes of over a dozen people. A smile spread across his face. He turned and rushed out the door, Keon following him.

  It was so dark that Paul nearly fell down the stairs, but he managed to stay on his feet to run out of the lobby and through the open door leading outside.

  Katrina and Caleb were at the front of the group. Keon ran to his sister and wrapped his arms around her. She laughed as she hugged him back.

  “Damn. It wasn’t like we were gone that long.”

  “What the hell took so long?” Keon asked. “We thought you’d be back before dark.”

  “We hit a small pack of Demons on the way there and another on the way back. Also thought we’d come across a gang of people on the way and had to hang low for a few. Turns out it was a false alarm. Your boy Caleb here just heard something in his damn head. But we’re here now. It’s all good.”

  Paul searched the fourteen person group until he found his wife.

  She stood in the back of the crowd and smiled as she made eye contact with him, and then swiped the bangs out of her face as Paul hurried over to her.

  He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. Then he cupped her face, kissing her on the lips.

  “I missed you, too,” she said, letting out a small laugh.

  “I was just getting a little worried because it took so long. But I’m so glad you’re here. Both of you.”

  Paul squatted and kissed Brooke’s blue dress on her pregnant belly. He then put his hand there and moved it around. By their calculatio
ns, she was at a point where the baby could come any day now. Standing, he kissed his wife again.

  “So, this place is good?” she asked.

  Paul nodded. “Should be for the next few days while we scavenge the area for supplies.”

  “Well, my legs hurt. You can kiss me more inside.” Her grin grew.

  He smiled back and kissed her forehead. Then he turned to the others.

  “All right, let’s go ahead and head in. We’ll get some candles lit and show everyone where they’re staying.”

  13

  Shell awoke when something hit her in the ribs. She opened her eyes and immediately shielded them from the sun. Through the blotches of her sight clearing, she saw Dylan standing over her.

  “Time to go.”

  Shell sighed. “You didn’t have to kick me in my ribs.”

  “I only nudged you. Now get up.”

  Shell sat up and rubbed her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she saw that the boy was already awake and standing. The campfire had been extinguished, likely having died down during the night.

  “I’ll want to try to catch another animal later on,” Dylan said. “For now, we can have some of the vegetables for breakfast, but I want to get going. We can eat while we move.”

  Slowly standing as she tried to wake up, Shell said, “Yeah, I get it.”

  When she made it to her feet, Shell stretched. Dylan grabbed her bag off the ground and stuck it into her stomach while her arms were in the air. Shell exhaled, nearly putting out her back from ending her stretch early.

  “Really?” Shell took the bag.

  “We need to get going.” The enigmatic stranger walked to the road.

  Shaking her head, Shell threw her backpack over her shoulder and moved next to the boy.

  “Did he wake you up like that?”

  The boy shook his head.

  “Lucky you.”

  Dylan arrived at the road, and he stared down the highway. He didn’t look back, and Shell wondered what was going through his head. She had so many questions about the strange drifter. For now, she shook them off and took the boy by the hand.