Shore Haven

by Reynolds, Jennifer

  I looked down at my leg, flexing it to see how much pain I was in that second. “I could walk around for a bit, but not enough to tour this entire complex,” I said, feeling ashamed and feeling like a burden.

  “I can get you a wheelchair. We have everything anyone could ever possibly need. There are storerooms upon storerooms under this level,” Jason said, pointing at the ground. That’s another job for you, all of us, when we come back from getting your parents. We can begin clearing the city of all useable items and storing them for future use.”

  “Future,” I said, thoughtfully. “Do you really think we’ll have one of those?”

  “I do.”

  “But you can’t know for sure.”

  “No, but that was the case before the zombie apocalypse. No one ever knew how long they’d live. We could both die tomorrow of something completely unrelated to the zombies, but we can’t live our lives with that kind of mindset.”

  “I wish I could be that optimistic.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I have to be, or I’d be sad and depressed all the time. I don’t want to live a life like that.”

  “What kind of future do you see for the survivors out there?” I asked.

  He leaned against the wall and said, “I don’t know, but we have to ensure that it’s a good one.”

  Chapter 16

  ~~~Samantha~~~

  —Inside the decontamination room.—

  With no clock in the room, that I could see, I didn’t have a sense of time. My body told me it was too early when I woke the following morning both ready to get out of the confines of the room we were in and unwilling to no longer have Jason all to myself. I lay there, trying not to move too much so that I didn’t wake the man softly snoring next to me. He had turned away from me to face the room, but I studied the back of his head, dreaming of a life I could never have with him.

  Later, I don’t know how much later, he rolled over and looked at me. My face flushed in the darkness at being caught watching him sleep.

  “Are you hurting,” he asked, assuming my leg had woken me.

  “No. I just couldn’t sleep. I guess I’m anxious about the day. I know I’ve met all of your people, but I’ll be officially doing so in a few hours. What if no one wants me here?”

  “Everyone here will want you. And it won’t matter if they don’t. They don’t get a say in who comes here unless the person wanting entrance seems unsavory. You don’t mean any of us harm, do you?”

  “Of course not,” I said indignantly. After a bit, I asked, “Where will I stay once we’re free?”

  “Anywhere you like. Shore Haven is full of apartments.”

  “Where do Kayla, Tera, and Russ stay?”

  “We’ve all made ourselves at home on the second floor. That’s where most of the residential apartments start. The rooms on this floor are mostly for decontamination.”

  “Did your uncle know the outbreak was coming? Is that why he has these rooms?”

  “He didn’t know a zombie apocalypse was on its way, but he suspected something would happen, so he planned for as many different scenarios as he could think of. After the floods and quakes, various diseases popped up. These rooms were set up for that reason.”

  “How did he know something was going to happen?”

  “He isn’t psychic or anything like that—that I’m aware of, that is. I know some of the genetic mutations did some bad and strange stuff to people, but creating a being with that type of power, I doubt it. I think he feared it would happen more than he knew it would. He feared it and so many other things so much that he convinced our family and his friends and their friends to invest in the project. There were enough people left who remember the aftermath and the stories told by survivors of the floods and quakes and who are afraid of something else happening that they willingly bought into the place with assurances that they could live here when it was finished.”

  “How many were here when the virus hit?” I asked, though, from the way he talked about Keisha’s death, I didn’t think it could have been many.

  “Just a few medical families. None lived here yet. Those who were here in the beginning were just visiting. Jasper wanted the medical wing up and running first. More were supposed to arrive the week after.”

  “No one showed up during the outbreak?”

  “Nope. After the C.D.C. came in and took the bodies and personnel we had here, and the rest either died or left, Jasper and I were alone until Kayla showed up at the door.”

  “If this was supposed to be their safe haven, why didn’t they come here when they were in danger?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I hope those people were just so shocked or the virus took them so suddenly that they didn’t have time to think about coming here.”

  “There were some rumors that the virus started at Shore Haven,” I said, yawning.

  “You said that the other day. Where did you hear that?”

  “From Sadie. She said she heard it from a few survivors in the days after the initial outbreak. She said some terrible stories were going around about this place. I guess someone saw the C.D.C. leaving with the bodies or something and made assumptions.”

  “I shouldn’t be surprised. Ever since Jasper bought the land the compound sits on and started building, people have talked. The biggest rumor for the longest time was that we were some strange cult, creating our Mecca in the middle of the island to take over the country.”

  “Well, I can understand the suspicion and talk. I’m currently grateful that Jasper built this place, but seeing it through the mind of the person I once was, I’d have thought him insane and would have been scared of his motives.”

  “I understand that. Because I know Jasper, and I have been in on the plans from the beginning, I’ve never been able to see this place the way others have. He’s always been open and honest with the media and anyone else who’s come inquiring about what he’s doing, so people’s suspicions seemed ridiculous and unfounded.”

  “What time is it, do you know?” I asked, changing the subject. My bladder was telling me I needed to pee, and if it was close enough to seven, I wanted to go ahead and get up. I hadn’t showered, that I knew of, since the decontamination shower, and I wanted one before formally meeting the others.

  He turned over and grabbed his watch. “Nearly five.”

  “Is there another set of clothes I can put on for the day? I want to shower.”

  “Yeah. Um… Do… Uh…” he stammered, helping me out of bed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he said, following me to the bathroom. I was walking better, but I was still more than a bit unsteady.

  “I was just wondering if you thought you needed help showering, but wasn’t sure how to ask without sounding like a pervert,” he finally said.

  I chuckled, thanked him for offering, but told him that I was sure I’d be able to wash without a problem.

  While I showered, he straightened up the room, gathered all the clothes we’d worn, bed sheets we’d slept on, and anything else that would need washing and slid them down the laundry shoot. He washed our dishes, set aside something for us to eat for breakfast, then bagged the rest to take with us.

  Tera, Kayla, and most likely Russ would come later to give the place a deep scrubbing to get it ready for the next people who would need to go through decontamination.

  I came out of the bathroom in a robe Jason had given me before going in because all I had clean to put on was a jumpsuit, and once I got that on, it would be difficult for me to get out of it for him to change my bandages. I’d wrapped that portion of my leg in Saran Wrap to keep water off it, but I could see where I’d bled through the dressing a bit.

  Under the robe, I had on panties, a bra, and a tank top, but nothing else. The longer I spent time with Jason the more comfortable I became with him and the more self-conscious I became. He didn’t do anything to cause me to be self-conscious of my body. He didn’t seem to care that I was fat, tha
t I had dimples, that my thighs touched, and that I hadn’t shaved my legs in a long time. I had planned to try while in the shower, but there wasn’t a razor.

  There was no look of disgust on his face when he touched me to change my bandage a few minutes later. He was careful, tender, and if I wasn’t misreading the situation a bit flushed for reasons I hoped were due to him being turned on by the feel of my flesh under his skin.

  “The wound looks pretty good,” he said, removing his gloves and closing my robe. “I don’t think you should walk on that leg today, though. I’ll request a wheelchair when we get ready to tour the complex.”

  “Why not? I’m tired of being so immobile,” I said, pouting.

  “Because I think if you do that much moving around so soon, you’ll reopen the parts of the wound that have already started to close. That will delay your recovery and delay your return to your family,” he said, standing and discarding the old wrappings.

  “Fine. When you put it like that.”

  “I’m going to shower real quick then make us breakfast. By the time we’re done, we should be able to leave.”

  I nodded and began to shift off the bed to put on the jumpsuit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him watching me, poised to come to assist me if I showed any signs of not being able to dress.

  “I’ve got this,” I said, not turning to look at him. “Go, take your shower.”

  Once he’d locked himself in the bathroom, I removed the robe and slipped on the jumpsuit. I’d lost weight since the outbreak, but by looking at the unflattering suit, you wouldn’t be able to tell it. I sighed before sitting and picking up the shoes he had for me. Putting them on wasn’t easy, and I almost waited for Jason, but I didn’t want to appear helpless, so I fumbled through it.

  Jason was emerging from the room by the time I’d dressed and taken a tentative, slow lap around the apartment. He was right. I wouldn’t make it through a tour of the compound. My wound was already starting to burn.

  “Save your energy for today,” he said, motioning for me to sit back down.

  When he’d emerged, I’d been disappointed that he hadn’t been in a towel or at the very least shirtless, but he too wore a jumpsuit. That disappointment showed on my face, and he took my expression to mean that his order had upset me.

  “I didn’t mean to sound harsh or anything. I’ll be able to push you in a wheelchair throughout most of it, but there might be places you’ll want to walk around yourself. I don’t want you to be too exhausted to do so.”

  “I know. I didn’t take offense,” I said, plopping down into a chair. I was sick of the bed.

  He gave me a puzzled look before going over to the hot plate to make us another quick breakfast of Cream of Wheat. We sat in silence while he cooked and while we ate.

  Jason was finishing the breakfast dishes when a loud siren-like noise came from the exit. I stood and limped toward the door as it opened. He sat down the bowl he’d been rinsing and came to my side to give me something to lean on as I moved toward the people waiting at the other end for us.

  “Hi,” I said, as we crossed the threshold.

  They each gave me a tentative greeting while Jason helped lower me into the wheelchair. We all stared at each other while he went back into the room to get our remaining things.

  “I know we’ve all kind of already met, but I’m Samantha,” I said, sticking out my hand to anyone who would take it.

  Tera reluctantly reached out, telling me her name. Russ and Kayla didn’t shake my hand but did say their names. Kayla was too busy resisting the urge to jump into Jason’s arms. Russ was too preoccupied with studying me for any signs of the virus. I didn’t take offense to either.

  Jason touched the side of Kayla’s face and promised her that he was all right before handing her our bag of stuff. She beamed up at him and happily took the bag. Her behavior was adorable. I could tell he cared for her very much, but he also wanted to keep his distance. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to make her stronger, more self-sufficient, or if he didn’t want to form any deep attachments to her because the world we lived in could take her from him. If he felt the latter about her, he would definitely feel that way about having a romantic relationship. The thought saddened me. I knew that meant we couldn’t ever have anything, not even a sexual relationship. I’d become attached too quickly to merely have a physical relationship with him.

  I jerked myself from my thoughts as we entered a large elevator. I dreaded elevators because they always made me a bit light-headed. Our three companions told us that they’d meet us on the second floor, as they pushed the door to the right of the elevator open.

  At my questioning look, Jason said, “They’re a bit skittish about being in something powered solely by electricity.”

  “Are you?” I asked, having just realized that I should be as well.

  “Only a little. I know Shore Haven has its own power source, so the chances of the elevator shutting off mid-floor are slim, but also knowing that the electricity is out pretty much everywhere else makes me feel as if ours could go out at any time.”

  “I could climb the stairs if you’d prefer,” I said, moving to get out of the chair.

  He placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed me down. “No, I’d rather take the elevator. We’ll be fine.”

  And we were. The ride up was short. I barely felt it. Our door opened into a long, wide hallway with the occasional door on the left and the random window on the right. I had Jason stop at one of the windows so that I could look out it. They were standard size windows, but there were so few of them.

  “Why aren’t there more windows?” I asked. “This hall is so drab without light and color. I don’t see what makes this so appealing in comparison to a real home.”

  I stood and stared out at the apocalyptic world beyond. At the moment the world inside Shore Haven was more appealing than what was outside of it, but before the outbreak, it wouldn’t have been. I couldn’t understand why someone would choose the compound over what was out there.

  “The apartments are bigger and nicer than the hallway. I promise. Come on, I’ll show you mine.”

  I sat back down, and he wheeled me down the hall a bit further until we came upon Kayla, Tera, and Russ waiting for us. Jason opened his apartment door and ushered everyone inside.

  He wasn’t kidding when he said his apartment was lovely. Jason’s looked like a large loft apartment with only two rooms leading off from the main one, which was basically the living room, dining room, and kitchen in one with furniture separating each section. Two of the three doors in the apartment most likely led to the bathroom and bedroom. The furniture was sparse but beautiful and neutral in color. Large double doors on the other side of the room opened to an equally large patio.

  The patio was my goal the second I saw the windows and the bright sunlight pouring through them.

  “Take me out there, please,” I said, turning to look at Jason pleadingly. “If it’s safe.”

  The apartment was lovely, but I’d been cooped up for too long. I wanted to be outside, breathing in real air.

  “It’s safe. That’s the interior of Shore Haven,” he said, wheeling me to the double doors.

  I couldn’t see much through or over the decorative, concrete balustrade from my low position. The sun that shown in a clear blue sky was all I really wanted to see, though.

  Russ opened the doors for us. I blinked a few times trying to adjust to the bright light. In doing so, it took me a minute to understand what lay before me. When I did, I was amazed.

  The circled interior of the complex was huge. In the center was a beautiful park with a playground, a fountain, and footpaths. Surrounding the park were sections for vegetable and herb gardens.

  “He thought of everything,” I said, standing from the chair and looking out at the grounds below me.

  “Mostly. Jasper had seeds to start the gardens, but we don’t have room for livestock. He added more gardens, chicken coops, and the like for small ani
mals up on the roofs, but small animals were all he planned to keep on the premises because he knew he wouldn’t have enough room for anything larger than that to roam the compound.

  “We have some meat frozen below in the storage levels, and it will last the few of us who are here a few years, but if we fill the complex, it won’t last a year. The same for a lot of dry goods.”

  “Can that be the first thing you show me? Will you wheel the chair out there?” I asked, pointing to the park.

  “I can, and I will.”

  I turned to see that he and I were the only ones on the balcony. I wondered why the others had left us but didn’t ask. I was a bit grateful. I felt silly being in awe of the place and was glad no one but Jason saw my behavior.

  “Thank you for letting me see this first,” I said. “I’ve missed being outside and seeing something so beautiful. The world out there,” I motioned toward the other side of the wall, “is so ugly.”

  “It’s my pleasure. You want to go inside a moment and finish looking at the apartment before I set you up in one, then I’ll take you outside for a bit.”

  My thoughts about being alone must have shown on my face because he immediately asked if something was wrong.

  “Nothing,” I said, shaking my head and turning to sit back in the chair.

  “Tell me. That look tells me that I said something that upset you.”

  “It’s nothing. It’s stupid. Let’s go back inside.”

  “No, tell me,” he said, grabbing the handles of the chair and stopping me from moving it.

  “Fine, but don’t make fun of me.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I don’t want to stay by myself. I’ve never lived alone. I’ve always had someone in the house with me, especially overnight. I know that I shouldn’t be silly. I’m a grown woman. I should be able to be by myself, but now more than ever, I don’t want to be alone.”

  “That isn’t silly. I understand, and you can stay with me if you want or with Kayla or Tera if you don’t. I doubt they’ll mind.”