Ignoring the house, Beth unlocked the mandoor and furtively stepped from the garage out to the dew-covered grass. Pulling the door shut behind her, Beth stopped to listen for any of the looting sounds from the night before. Why did people cause problems only at night? As if the dark was the only time to misbehave.
She hadn’t brought any bags to collect necessities when she’d left her house, but maybe there would be options at her neighbors.
Going east, Beth already knew her neighbor that way was dead. She wouldn’t have to face him as she dug through his things. She approached his front lawn, prepared to see his body still lying there. As she crossed the driveway, she slowed. His body was nowhere in sight. Had he come back to life or something? What had she missed?
His house no longer seemed a smart option. His disappearance left her with more questions. Unwilling to go past his front door, she turned back to the drive. Was that woman still there? The one who had rammed herself repeatedly into the back of Beth’s car? Maybe she was injured and she needed help.
Approaching from the rear left Beth speechless. How was it possible that the second body was also missing? There was no evidence anywhere of where the body had gone. A blood stain had leaked into the lines of the driveway, stretching out like a black stain in the dark night and lack of light.
An ache in Beth’s chest and pain running down her left arm startled her. It came on like a lightning bolt, sharp and immediate and lingered. She couldn’t feel her fingers and she had to lean against her car. Looking inside, she winced. She clutched at the spot where the pain originated. Was she having a heart attack?
If she weren’t in so much pain, she’d struggle inside and grab keys to her car and just drive away.
What was wrong with her? She wasn’t old enough for a heart attack, was she? She wasn’t old enough for her children to die. Stumbling back to her garage, she rummaged through her medicine bag, pulling out a bottle of aspirin. Dry swallowing the white pill, she sank to the floor, staring at the still-open mandoor.
Her options had limited themselves. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t do anything. All Beth could do was hope something changed so she could close the door and lock it. The open hole would be too much temptation for anyone walking or driving by.
If the aspirin didn’t work or if someone came in the door, she wouldn’t have to worry about finding a way to join her children.
She could very well die right there.
Chapter 13
Scott
Someone raised the blinds in his room and Scott rolled to the side, groaning. That someone wouldn’t be Cady. He’d told her the light hurt his eyes. Who was in there now?
“Oh, sorry. Is it too bright?” Bailey set a tray on the nightstand with a clunk and lowered the blinds back to their original position. “I’m not… I mean, how are you feeling?”
Scott cautiously rolled back to face her, his eyes adjusting to the previous onslaught as he focused on her. He couldn’t talk very well, but he could still try to communicate. He shook his head, motioning toward his neck and shoulders where the majority of the rash had localized his pain. Oh, what he would give if that was all that hurt.
His pain. He’d started to cling to the reminder that he was still alive. Even as unbearable as it was, he could fight it. He could take each wave between the application of the oils as they came. Except when they came when he was sleeping. They seemed to attack with a brutal savagery in the quiet of his rest with his defenses down.
Scott flicked his gaze toward the door and motioned toward Bailey. Why was she in there? Where was Cady? He didn’t need words for Bailey to get what he was saying.
She nodded, pulling out a roll-on tube and taking off the lid. “Mom… well, she’s in her room. She came down with the virus and she’s starting to get weaker and weaker. She came in here last night but that will probably be the last time.” Bailey avoided his gaze as she leaned over and carefully tugged his collar to the side. “I’m not sure how much to put on. If I roll it on, can you rub it in?”
Scott nodded, carefully. Any head movement was giving him an attack of nausea and he had nothing in his stomach to eject.
Cady had come in the night before, but the dark had hidden any red-rimming of the eyes and any other sickness signs she might have had. He was so engrossed in his own debilitating situation, he hadn’t even considered where she was at with everything.
If Cady had come down with the sickness, then he’d been in that room for roughly three days or so. That was long enough. It was time to get up and start contributing.
Bailey wouldn’t be able to take care of him and the baby, even with help from Jason.
Scott took a deep breath and opened his dry lips to try to speak. His throat cooperated but haltingly. “How… Ja-"
“He’s good. Don’t try to speak. It looks like it hurts.” She bit her lip and leaned back, grabbing the other tube of oil.
Scott narrowed his eyes. Jason was good? Bailey wasn’t telling him everything. He held up his hand before she could apply the other one and he wagged his finger at her.
She sighed, blowing the air out with a puff. “Okay, so, I’m going to vent for like a minute and then suck it back up, okay? Mom is sick and last night when she was explaining to us what could happen, she discovered that the baby is sick, too. She showed us how to apply the oils and stuff, but it felt almost like a weird goodbye? You know?” Bailey reached up and wiped tears off her cheeks with the tips of her fingers. “You were crying out last night because of the pain. I didn’t realize it hurt that badly.” She pressed her lips together, then scrunched her nose. Her next words came in a whisper. “Jason’s eyes are red. I’m not sure I can take care of everyone by myself. I’m scared, Scott. Someone is going to die because I’m not doing my job right.”
Staring at the comforter for a minute after she finished talking, Bailey then shook her head and wiped the rest of her tears from her face. She forced a brave smile. “Thanks for listening, not that you had a choice. I just… needed to be heard, I guess?” She leaned over and took advantage of Scott’s silence to apply the last coat of oils to his rash. “Okay, you can spread that around, if you can reach.”
The relief from the oils was almost immediate and he welcomed the faintly aromatic smells like flowers and corn silk.
He could lift his arms after she applied it to further rub in the oil and he winced as he realized just how pox-like his rash was becoming. In some instances, the bumps had an almost sharp point to them. There would be a point that no one would be able to touch his rash – not even himself. The oils would be useless at that point.
Did he have enough strength to get to that point? Right now, the ebbing of the pain as the relief from the oils held his sanity in place. He could count on it, but when the oils were no longer available or accessible, what then?
Bailey left and Scott leaned back on the pillow. As the pain disintegrated, he could focus and think more clearly.
He couldn’t burden Bailey any more than absolutely necessary. The vitamin C, helichrysum, and ravintsara had gotten him through a huge part of the terror the virus imparted, but they were temporary.
He had to relive Bailey’s burdens somehow. She deserved better. He’d already put more pressure on her by bringing a baby and Jason back with him. In all honesty, he hadn’t needed to come back. He should have just stayed down at his parents, taken care of them and dealt with his fate there.
He’d planned on staying at his house, recuperating at his home. Maybe he could return there. Go back to his place. After he ate, he might have enough energy or strength to walk out of the house. Maybe after a nap.
With the relief from the pain, he felt himself sink into sleep. It was inevitable and not something he even wanted to try to fight. Plus, he didn’t want to leave when everyone was up and would try to stop him.
~~~
The dark brought with it a whole new level of agony as the oils wore off. Scott grimaced as the first wave of pain drove him fr
om his sleep.
He hadn’t been able to drink in a while and going to the bathroom had become nonessential, but he still longed for the ability to walk from bed with ease.
The pain was enough to rip a scream from him, but he shoved his face into his pillow before that could happen. He wasn’t certain on the time, but he didn’t want to wake anyone, least of all Cady, as he prepared to force himself from the house.
After he adjusted to the new level of pain, Scott threw the blankets off him and pushed his sweating body to the edge of the mattress. His head felt like it swung from a chandelier while the rest of his body was being dipped in acid. Hold it together. He had to focus.
He would never get his boots on. It just wasn’t going to happen. He looked forlornly at his boots and jeans sitting beside the chair. Who was he kidding? The pants weren’t happening either. He glanced down at his boxers and t-shirt. Fine. He could make it to his house in that. He wasn’t that far away. A few hundred yards at most. He could struggle along. He could do it.
He had to.
Pushing himself to his feet took concentration a new wave of pain was determined to shatter.
Pulling open the bedroom door may or may not have happened. Scott had to pause and gather his bearings before he could be sure.
Only having gone roughly five to ten feet, Scott wasn’t sure if his original plan was going to work. He gritted his teeth. It didn’t matter what he thought. He could do it. Go, Scott.
He pushed to the top of the stairs, wincing at the television light streaming through the door to the stairs from the living room.
Someone was up. How was he going to make it down the steps without falling head first and crashing to the ground, waking everyone?
Lowering himself to his rear, Scott scooted down one step, pushing his legs out in front of him, and then dropping quietly to the next one. He used the rail above his head to keep him from pitching forward and he chewed on his tongue to make sure he didn’t scream from the pain mounting along his back and neck.
He closed his eyes and took one step at a time until his bare feet hit the smooth, cool floor of the first level. He snapped his eyes open and searched for any possible witnesses. No one had seen him. Yet.
Pulling his body upright, Scott winced as the railing creaked.
“Did you hear something?” Bailey’s voice was clear and easy to hear.
Jason’s reply was less coherent and more like a mumble.
“I’ll check anyway. Just a second.” Her stable voice sounded like Cady’s with its steady cadence and motherly security.
Scott pushed himself around the corner of the stairs, hiding behind the wall separating the stairs from the front hallway. Hopefully, the lack of light on that side of the house would keep him hiding from Bailey’s search. He didn’t have to worry as she only checked the stairs and the front door, locking the deadbolt to make sure.
From back inside the living room, Bailey’s voice came cheerfully back to him. “Nothing there. We need to stop watching these scary movies.”
“Journey to the Mysterious Island is not scary.” Jason’s voice rose enough for Scott to hear.
Using the cover of their giggling and conversation, Scott made himself reach for the front door and slowly, slowly twist the deadbolt open and then turn the door knob to escape.
He closed the door behind him and just wanted to stop right there and rest. He could curl up on the deck and sleep, no one would know. The cool air soothed his neck and he leaned his head forward as if to allow it more access.
But Scott wasn’t stupid. As soon as they knew he was gone, they would start searching for him. Hopefully, he hadn’t made more work for Bailey this way. He was truly trying to alleviate the stress of having so many people to take care of. Plus, he wanted an escape plan. He needed one. Things were coming to a head and if Cady had a backup plan with her gun, he needed one as well.
Moonlight lit up the front yard and the loop of the driveway. Scott wasn’t sure how he was going to make it home. The short distance he’d traveled so far had taken more energy out of him than even the pain did.
Now, though, he had to keep his recliner in the forefront of his mind as his motivation. He could get home and fall into his favorite chair. That wouldn’t’ be so bad.
Off in the distance, the faint yip and high-pitched howling of coyotes confirmed the three or more days he’d been in bed.
The coyotes traveled a monthly route which took them right through the neighborhood and they stuck to the area for a week or so before getting back on their trail. The smart dogs would return that way in another month.
Hopefully, Scott was still alive to hear them again. If Ranger were with him, he’d be circling warily and watching for any dogs. With his hulking presence, Ranger always liked chasing the coyotes. He was significantly bigger and liked to show his dominance, even though he was just a large puppy.
Scott wasn’t holding his breath that he’d see Ranger again or live long enough to hear the coyotes again.
Taking the first step was going to be the hardest. He moved forward, placing one foot in front of the other, his arms outstretched as he sought for balance. If he was lucky, the virus wasn’t going to kill him. Falling face first into a puddle and drowning would.
Chapter 14
Margie
Margie had frozen with her shoulders hunching at the sensation of the barrel on her skin.
“Um, get up slowly.” The gun holder couldn’t be older than fifteen or sixteen judging by his voice. The gun shook in his hand against Margie’s skull. Hopefully he didn’t have his finger on the trigger as he shook, or Margie wouldn’t have a chance to figure out what was going on.
She stood, slowly, leaving her duffel bag on her back where it bumped into her spine for the hundredth time.
Fire burned into the night sky from the gas station and Margie didn’t have time to grieve her friend. Was that what Kelsey was? A friend? Or just someone Margie was passing in the night?
Margie turned, holding her hands at chest level. The fire illuminated much more than the lights did.
She’d been right, just a kid. Terror held his eyes wide as he looked at her and then blew out a breath. He tucked the gun back in his pants. “Thank goodness. You’re just a grandma.”
Eyes wider than before, Margie gasped. “What? I’m just a grandma?” Wait, she was supposed to be intimidating and a threat. “There’s no reason to be rude.”
“You know what I mean. You can’t hurt anyone. You’re old.” He moved to stand beside her and stared at the fire, his eyes forlorn. “I need to get into the store. I think I can save my sister… they should have the Cure in there, right?” He chewed his bottom lip, glancing at her as he rounded the car and headed toward the front of the store. “Those guys always watch the store, but this is a good distraction. I don’t even see any of them.”
Margie whispered loudly, “Hey, come back here. Hey!” But the boy didn’t stop as he loped quickly out of sight toward the front of the store. She couldn’t let him go alone and she certainly couldn’t let him get that Cure, not when she’d heard such bad things about it from Cady’s messages. If Cady thought it was bad, it was probably worse.
Ducking into her hunched over walk, Margie followed him as fast as she could. Maybe the fire was enough distraction that she wouldn’t have to go into the store all the way. She almost ran him over as she bumped into him. He stared at the front doors from the protection of a collection of carts lined up haphazardly along the front.
Margie hunkered onto her knees beside him and tapped his shoulder to get his attention. “Hey, the Cure is only going to make it worse. Maybe I can help your sister. Show me where she is and I’ll take a look at her.” Anything to get him away from the store and plain view of whatever was going on.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, his eyes dim with lost innocence. After a long handful of seconds, he nodded and turned, disappearing as fast as he’d come that way.
Inhaling – lik
e a backwards sigh – Margie took off after him, crouching low as she ran. Hopefully they hadn’t given their locations away. Even though they were in plain view, the rest of the parking lot and the other stores clear to Burger King and beyond to the hardware store were lit up as well.
Margie glanced at the fire with it’s billowing cloud of heat before turning the corner and following the boy past the car and into the woods. If there hadn’t been anyone there before, the fire would bring them.
The kid slowed, waiting for her and then their speed stabilized to a more manageable stride. They swung their arms to keep going fast, but Margie could have been with her speed-walking group for all she knew. His pace was hard as he took her toward the woods and she wondered if he would try to kill her at some point.
Down a slight incline and then suddenly, an entire residential area spread out before them. Cul de sacs and cookie cutter homes claimed the moonlight. Street lamps glowed with a semblance of normalcy but the homes had black windows and many didn’t have their porchlights on. The moon reached out to the neighborhood with soft fingers, bouncing off rooftops and highlighting the lighter colored porch railings, driveways, and window frames.
The boy led her to a house not far from the path in the woods. He turned to her before opening the door. “I’m Ryker. I figure you should know who I am before I introduce you to my mom.” His smile was sad as he tried to crack a joke.
Margie reached out and shook the hand he offered her with a solemn nod. “I’m Margie. Yes, I’m a grandma, but you don’t need to know that.” She winked and smiled.
The street lights on the far end of the street flickered, went out, then flickered back on again.
Ryker stared toward the lights, worry wrinkling his brow. “They’ve been doing that for a little bit. My house lights, too.” He turned toward the door and pushed it open.
Look Away: an apocalyptic survival thriller (180 Days and Counting... series Book 5) Page 7
