“Why would I want to do that? Do you have food? Shelter?” she asked.
He shrugged, grinning the whole time. “Maybe.”
She nodded her head. He was smart not to reveal what he had. That was a good sign.
“Why would I go anywhere with you? How do I know it’s not a set-up?”
“You don’t. I’m Cameron, by the way.”
She eyed him up and down, and made a snap judgment. He had probably been an all-American boy and found himself alone and fighting to survive. She’d encountered his kind before. Usually, someone with this look was a kid who had run away or been kicked out for not living up to his parents’ expectations. Either this kid’s parents were the head of the cooperative he’d mentioned, or they had died.
“I’m Regan.”
“Come back with me. I’ll introduce you to some of the others.”
“Who are these other people?” she asked, still not moving toward him.
He shrugged. “A couple of the guys I know from school, and others we met up with.”
“High school?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, we came down here for the weekend from Atlanta. Spring break. It was supposed to be our last trip together before going different ways after graduation. We were on our way to the airport when everything stopped.”
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Eighteen.”
She couldn’t help cringing at the injustice. She felt bad for the kid. He wasn’t a street kid. It was surprising he had survived this long. She realized it was the group he’d found that had probably kept the kid alive.
“Okay, so who else have you and your buddies hooked up with?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. All kinds of people. We’re trying to create a cooperative of people with different skills. We’ve got a couple guys that know all about farming. We have a dentist and, I don’t know, a bunch of different people.”
Regan nodded, understanding a little better. “Are you in a house or something?”
He shook his head. “No, we have an apartment building. It’s ours. We each have our own apartment.”
Regan was instantly on alert at the realization that there was a significant ‘we’ and not a couple of people. The way he said it suggested more than a couple guys like he’d mentioned earlier. “How many people are in your cooperative?”
“Maybe twenty or so. We’re all out trying to find a few more people right now. We could really use someone like you. I bet you’re good at scavenging. You’re small enough, you can move around easy enough and you’ve got some decent moves,” he said with a wide smile.
Regan raised an eyebrow. “Moves?”
“Yeah, you know, like, kind of badass,” he clarified.
She nodded her head. “Great.”
“So, will you come? One of the farmers killed a pig. He’s serving it up for a big dinner tonight. You should come by, meet everyone and see what it’s all about.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little risky to ask a complete stranger to come over for dinner?” Regan asked.
“I know we could use someone like you. Like I said, we’re all out looking for folks who can help our group survive all this shit. I’m guessing you could teach some of the other people at the cooperative how to fight. You seem like you know how to handle yourself but you shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said. “It’s dangerous. There are some major bad guys running around these streets. Women are getting raped and murdered, left and right.”
Regan flinched. She had expected that, but having it confirmed was harsh. And somehow, it was worse coming from a kid who looked like him. Her heart went out to the young girls who were too naïve and didn’t know how to protect themselves. It wasn’t fair to them. Their safe world had collapsed around them and left them vulnerable and exposed.
“I have some things to do first,” she hedged. “Why don’t you show me where your apartment building is and I’ll meet up with you later tonight?”
The kid seemed nice enough, but she didn’t let her guard down for anyone.
He thought it over a few seconds, and then nodded his head. “Fine. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this. There’s going to be a lot of food. It isn’t like we can stick the leftovers in the fridge. We scored some of those giant cans of vegetables from a school cafeteria, too. Another one of our members hijacked some dehydrated potatoes, as well.”
“Hijacked?” Regan questioned.
“I guess he looted a camping store or something. I don’t know,” Cameron said.
Regan moved in to begin walking beside him, but kept an arm’s length away. She still didn’t trust him not to reach out and grab her. She could tell he had lied just then. She wasn’t sure why, considering he’d been talking about potatoes, but it reminded her to keep her guard up.
“So, what’s your specialty in the group?” she asked casually.
He smiled. “I’m an excellent pickpocket.”
She laughed. “Pickpockets tend to be a little quieter on their feet. You were like a bull in a china shop back there.”
He chuckled. “Well, I wasn’t trying all that hard. I didn’t think you were a real threat.”
“That was your first mistake. Always assume everyone is a threat. Kids, women, old ladies, they are all threats,” she said seriously.
“See, this is why we need you. You could teach us a lot.”
“I’ll think about it. Show me your place, and then I need to get going.”
“Where do you have to go?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I have things to do. People to meet and all that. Do you happen to have any medicine, antibiotics specifically?”
“I don’t know. I’m not in charge of the inventory. I go out and get whatever I can. Why? Are you sick?” he asked, concern showing up in his voice for the first time.
“Something like that,” she murmured, stuck for an answer.
“Are you contagious? They’ll kill me if I bring you in and you spread some kind of illness,” Cameron said, coming to a halt.
“It’s nothing for you all to worry about. I’ve got a cut on my foot that’s infected. I need some antibiotics to clear it up,” she lied.
“Ah, okay, got it. I think we do have a stash of medical supplies. The dentist guy can probably treat you.”
“That’s awesome.”
Coming to a stop once again, he pointed out a non-descript, brick, four-story building. “That’s us.”
She looked toward the area and could see people hanging out around the building that had a parking lot in front and fences jutting out from the front edges of the building, holding in what she assumed was a courtyard surrounded by a tall privacy fence. She had a feeling the people she saw milling about the front entrance and the gate at the side of the building were there as guards, just not so obviously as the ones she’d run into earlier. That was a smart way to do things. It impressed her.
“What time is dinner?” she asked.
He laughed. “I don’t think anyone actually uses time anymore, do you? Show up. I’ll introduce you to some of the other members.”
“Okay, Cameron, I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Be careful out there,” he said.
Nodding, Regan went in the opposite direction of the hotel where the rest of the group was staying. She zig-zagged up and down a few streets, making sure no one followed. She was bummed she’d been unsuccessful in finding Geno any medicine. However, if she checked out the cooperative and they were as nice as Cameron, maybe they’d be willing to trade if they had any.
If she could get the meds, she felt like she would be paying a debt to the group for helping her get out of the swamp alive. She could hand over the drugs and say goodbye. She liked the idea of still doing for herself, living in her own apartment, moving around alone and as she pleased without worrying about what Wolf would say or what Tabitha would think. She liked the freedom that suggested, and she liked not having to worry about what everyone else wanted to do and what
everyone else needed. She wanted to worry about herself. If she wanted to sleep in, she could. If she wanted to go out scouting the city, she could.
The cooperative would give her a safe place to sleep at night, and all she would have to do was contribute a few supplies she gathered along the way. It definitely sounded like the ideal situation. Now, she needed to figure out how to say goodbye to the people she had been slowly getting to know over the past few weeks.
This was why relationships sucked. Goodbyes were inevitable, and goodbyes really sucked.
18
Thankfully, the guards at the front of the hotel recognized Regan and let her pass. She had half-expected them to demand some kind of payment. She made sure to say hello to their host also, desiring to stay in his good graces.
“Any luck?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m going out again.”
He flashed his gold-toothed grin. “You’re persistent. I like that in a woman.”
She winked. “Good to know.”
Regan headed up the eight flights of stairs, hating that she had to return empty-handed even as she knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Wolf asked from the other side.
“Regan.”
The door swung open, and his relieved face was the first thing she saw. “You’re okay,” he said.
She nodded, smiling at his expression despite her worries. “I’m fine but I didn’t get any medicine.”
“That’s okay,” he answered, standing aside to let her in.
Regan walked in and immediately noticed Geno sitting up in bed. He looked remarkably better. On the other bed, Fred was taking a nap, snoring lightly, and Wolf reclined back in the desk chair as she turned again to examine Geno’s complexion—he looked like a different man.
“You’re better?” she asked.
He grinned. “Tabitha fixed me up with some nasty, bitter tea.”
Regan looked to Tabitha.
“Willow bark,” she said simply.
“Willow bark?”
Tabitha smiled. “Wolf remembered passing some willows on our way in. It was one of those epiphany moments,” she said, looking at Wolf with a great deal of admiration. “When you’re dealing with natural remedies, it can be difficult to keep everything straight, especially when we can’t Google what we need to know. Wolf went out to retrieve it, and this is the result.”
“So, what did it do?” Regan asked, still stunned by the transformation the tea had caused.
“It’s broken the fever, which is making Geno feel better,” she said, reaching out and rubbing her husband’s shoulder affectionately. “The white willow bark has salicin in it, which is basically aspirin; plus, it’s a natural anti-inflammatory, which is giving the coughing a break. I don’t know if he has pneumonia, and if he does, I don’t know if it’s bacterial or viral, but I hope the latter. For now, he gets a break.”
Regan blinked and took it all in, taking a seat where there’d once been a television. “Why does it matter what type of pneumonia he has?” Regan asked.
“Viral will get better without antibiotics.”
“Oh…. How will we know?”
Tabitha shrugged. “We won’t. I guess it will be a wait and see. I still want to look for some garlic or other antibiotics. We have to learn from this. We’ve got to be better prepared to deal with illness. This caught us off guard and I don’t like that.”
Regan smiled. “Me, either. I don’t think anyone does.”
“What was it like out there?” Geno asked. “Is it violent? People shooting each other?”
She shook her head, glancing to Wolf. “Not exactly. People have established their territories. There will be turf wars eventually, I guess. I found a medical warehouse, but I didn’t have a chance to search it. It’s already under the control of a couple of very nasty men. There was no safe way to get in.”
“Did they hurt you?” Wolf asked.
“No,” Regan answered firmly, meeting his eye. “I can take care of myself.”
“Any food?” Tabitha asked.
Regan grimaced. She felt like a complete jerk for not telling them about the cooperative and their invitation already, but something was keeping her from doing so. They were headed to Wolf’s, right? While she felt like she could trust Cameron… asking the group to do the same, and asking him to welcome them in, both felt like tough asks.
“We’re a little late to the survival party,” Wolf said on a long sigh. “Everything has been looted or claimed. We don’t stand a chance of taking anything from anyone. These people have dug in. They’ve made alliances. I don’t see anybody welcoming us with open arms.”
Regan shifted on her feet, looking down.
Fred rolled over to face the group, having stopped snoring as the conversation went on. “We can’t even hunt for food. I don’t think there are a lot of wild animals running the streets of the city, and I’m not ready to eat a dog,” he said, scrunching up his nose.
“Definitely not,” Tabitha said, putting a hand in the air as if to protest his even mentioning it. “Don’t any of you think about asking me to eat Fido.”
“Why can’t we fish?” Geno asked.
“We can, but that means we leave the safety of this room and expose ourselves to a lot of danger. I know we’re all hungry, but we can make it a couple more days. I promise, once we get to the island, I’ll fill your bellies,” Wolf said.
Fred turned to Regan. “Are you sure there’s nowhere we can scrounge up some food? I could go with you.”
“Everything is for sale,” Regan hedged. “Imagine walking through the mall with no money in your pocket. That’s what it’s like out there. We could try and buy some stuff with the supplies we have, but I don’t know what it will get us. Prices are high. I don’t know how much we can part with,” Regan added, hesitant to say more. Part of her was even wondering whether she herself planned on walking back out that door to head to the cooperative herself.
Wolf was watching her too closely, too. She knew he could tell she was holding back. She hated that he knew her so well. Seeing how hungry they were was killing her. Watching Tabitha lean back against the headboard in defeat decided her. She couldn’t let them sit in this room and starve when she had a way to fix the problem.
“Is there something else you’re not telling us?” Wolf asked, not letting her look away.
She cleared her throat. “Well, there is an option. Something for us to… talk about.”
“An option?” Tabitha repeated. “What do you mean an option?”
“I ran into someone in a clinic I was searching. We got to talking.”
“And?” Wolf pushed.
“His name is Cameron. He’s part of something he called a cooperative. There are about twenty people living in an apartment building they control—he showed me where it is, and it looks secure enough. It’s maybe a mile from here, or a little less. They have a pig. I guess they’re having some kind of pig roast tonight. He said there would be plenty of food. He’s young, but I got the impression he had the confidence of his group enough that he could open up an invite; I’d been thinking about going to see if I could trade for medicine for Geno,” she hedged, “but with him better….”
Wolf nodded his head in apparent understanding. “You don’t like them?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know them.”
“I say we go,” Geno chimed in. “I’m starving. I could eat the whole damn pig.”
“I agree with Geno on this one,” Fred said slowly, sitting up. “We need the calories to make the final trek out of the city and to the island. We’re all dragging. If we’re going to have to row a boat, we need every ounce of strength we can muster.”
Wolf looked at Regan, waiting for her to give the final okay.
“I trust your judgment,” he said. “If this feels right, we’ll do it. If it doesn’t, we’ll stay here. We’ll survive either way.”
Put on the spot, and with Tabitha staring at her, she shrugged. “W
e’ll go.”
“When?”
“I don’t know. I think we should wait a little. I don’t want to show up too early. Isn’t it fashionable to be a little late?” she joked.
“Not when we’re hungry,” Geno growled from his place on the bed. Tabitha, sitting next to him, shot him a look. “I don’t want to show up late and find out all the food is gone.”
Swallowing down her nerves, Regan left it up to them to decide. She knew they would be mad if she up and left. They had this weird sense of loyalty that she hadn’t completely bought into. She sat back and watched as they cleaned up as much as possible, and then they left the hotel together, taking their supplies with them. They couldn’t trust their hosts not to go into the room and take what they had, though they left the heavy water they’d been given behind beneath a stack of discarded sheets.
They navigated the city streets together, a clear pack set apart from other little crowds. Regan hated to admit that being with them did make her feel safer than she had when traveling the same streets alone. Strength in numbers was the only real bonus to sticking with a group.
When they arrived at the building, Regan approached one of the men who was casually sitting on a brick wall outside the building.
“I’m looking for Cameron. We met earlier today,” she added when he sneered suspiciously.
The man looked at her and then the others, who were waiting across the street-side parking lot.
“Yo, get Cameron!” he shouted.
Cameron emerged from the front of the building a minute or so later.
“Regan!” he said, walking down the steps. “I knew you’d come back.”
She held her hand up, pausing him before he could say more. “I’m not alone.” She turned to look at the others. “They’re with me,” she said, gesturing at her small group.
“You brought others?” he asked, a look of anger on his face. “I didn’t tell you to bring anyone else.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t say not to. You said there was plenty of food. They’re with me,” she reiterated.
Surviving the Swamp (Survivalist Reality Show Book 1) Page 18
