The Journey Home

by R J Murray

  She rolled her sleeve down and pushed herself to her feet, swaying a moment as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Nausea followed that and she clamped her jaw shut as she fought back the urge to vomit.

  In moments, it passed and she left the living room and headed for the bathroom. She wrinkled her nose as she opened the door and swore softly to herself. In her opinion, they were living like animals and she would have given anything just then for a hot bath to soak in.

  After relieving herself she turned the tap on the sink and sighed as she reminded herself that there was no water. IF she wanted to wash her hands, it would have to be with snow melt. She gripped the edges of the sink and looked into the mirror, not liking what she was seeing.

  While she had saved some of her makeup kit when they fled, she had left behind her favourite perfumes and all of her nail polish. She had her hairbrush at least, but as greasy as her hair was, there was little she could really do but plait it and keep it out of the way.

  She’d always taken care with her appearance, believing that the way you presented yourself to the world was important. It was almost a crime to go so long without any more than a quick rub down with a rag soaked in lukewarm water. More so, to be forced to wear the same clothes for days, even weeks on end.

  A quick look through the wardrobes in the two bedrooms hadn’t given her much hope. Whoever had lived in the house before they had arrived, had clearly been old enough to not care about such things as fashion or clothing that clung to the body seductively.

  With an overly dramatic sigh that she was annoyed no one was around to appreciate, she left the bathroom and zipped up her coat, lifting the hood to her head before grabbing her rifle and heading out of the door.

  She’d told the others she would wait but knew that so long as she was back before the three-hour limit, she would be fine. Besides, she would only be close by, checking out a few of the houses in the search for something resembling clean underwear.

  A lifetime of semi-luxury and ease hadn’t prepared her for the privations of an apocalypse and she wasn’t entirely willing to give up on those small luxuries just yet. Besides, she reasoned, if she was infected and going to change to one of those pitiful creatures, she would at least enjoy the time she had left.

  The door to the next house along the street was partly open and tracks led to it. No doubt the English couple she thought. With no intention of bumping into them, she moved further along the street, passing several dull little houses and coming to an intersection.

  With a choice of turning left or right, she chose left, since the tracks of Jacob and the scheming little chatte had gone to the right. Once again, she had no desire to bump into them. It still stung that Jacob had rejected her the night before and she was well aware of the girl’s feelings towards him.

  While there was no real competition there, she still had no desire to deal with that just then. No, she would seduce the man once again later, perhaps when she had found some more suitable attire.

  It didn’t take long for the homes to change to shops and businesses. She passed an open-air market, the stalls covered in a deep layer of snow but still visible beneath that were the items that had been for sale back before people fled.

  Everything was frozen solid of course, so she left the piled fruit and meats, the cheeses and the breads. She looked wistfully at the bags and racks of dresses, but all had been ruined by being left out in the elements for many weeks.

  There was a clothes shop on the far edge of the market. The glass door had been shattered and snow had blown into the entranceway, but other than that, the clothes inside were fine. She stepped inside cautiously, rifle raised before her.

  Nothing moved in the dim interior and she lowered the rifle as she moved further in, eyes taking in the racks of clothing and there, on the far wall, the lingerie. There was something about it that she loved. The feeling of the silk and lace against her skin, the desire in the eyes of a lover as he saw her wearing it. Just the way she felt when she wore it, sexy and desirable, powerful in a way. She knew that it enhanced her already attractive form and that when she was seen in it, few would deny her what she wanted.

  She lifted a bra from the rack, checking the size and holding it up against herself as she looked into the nearby wall mounted mirror. She pulled a face, absently chewing on her red painted lips as she considered whether Jacob would enjoy it.

  There came a sound from behind her. A soft slither of bare skin on tile and she dropped the lingerie, raising her rifle before her as she spun around. She scanned the shadows between the racks, noting her own breath misting the air and seeking signs of the same from some hidden threat.

  Nothing. The shop was still. The barrel of the rifle dipped lower as she shook her head, silently mocking herself for being so jumpy. Then it came again. The soft sound of movement coming from nearby.

  She took a hesitant step forward, the butt of the rifle pressed against her shoulder as she cocked her head to the side, listening intently. There! Again, the sound from nearby but muffled. Her eyes found the open doorway to the changing rooms and she swallowed hard as she glanced across at the open door.

  The sound came again, followed by a soft grunt and she realised that she needed to leave. She edged towards the door, eyes fixed on the changing rooms. Each step was taken slowly, the rifle held unwavering in her hands.

  Her hip brushed a rack and the metal hooks of the clothes hangers tinkled against the aluminium rail they hung from. She stopped dead still, breath held as she stared at the open changing room doorway.

  She released her breath slowly when nothing came barging through the door towards her and took another step, giving wide berth to the clothes racks. She could feel the cold breeze from the doorway on her skin and smiled to herself, sure that she was safe.

  A yelp escaped her as she turned to the front door. The infected man crouched in the snow, his head tilted to the side as he watched her with what she could only imagine to be a look of confusion on its face.

  It sniffed the air, searching for her scent and she lowered her head towards the rifle, staring down the sights at the infected man’s face. She would have one shot and didn’t want to miss.

  The infected gave a huff, foul breath expelled into the morning air and turned away. She stared at it in shock for a moment as it padded slowly across the snow-covered pavement. Her eyes dropped to her arm and even though the marks were covered, she could feel them pulsating beneath the material.

  She lowered the rifle, afraid to consider what it might mean, but unable to avoid it. She was infected.

  Chapter 8

  Clive’s large hands gripped Terri’s waist firmly as a low moan escaped her. She bit down on her lip, stifling her cries as her breath came in short gasps. Her hands gripped the back of the sofa and she rocked back and forth with each thrust of his hips.

  He tightened his grip with almost bruising force, his breathing heavy as he watched her ass moving against him. Too long in that cabin, too long around the others. They hadn’t had nearly enough time alone and he struggled to keep control of himself.

  “Almost there, babe,” she gasped out. “Keep going!”

  His eyes moved over her body, to her mahogany hair, tied up in a tight ponytail. He reached up one hand, tangling his fingers in her hair and gripping it tight like she liked. He wanted her, needed her so badly that it burnt within him.

  A cry escaped her clenched teeth, low but full of exultation. Her muscles tightened around him, body shuddering and knuckles whitening as she gripped the back of the sofa so hard she feared her fingers might break.

  He needed no further urging and released his hold, gasping out his joy with one final, hard thrust. He stood there a moment, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath his hand and enjoying the shape of her ass.

  “Fuck! I needed that,” she said, turning her head to look at him. “Thanks, babe.”

  “Anytime,” he replied with a grin, pulling himself out of her and stepping back.


  She grinned as she pulled her jeans up, ignoring the sting of the cold and pulled her jacket down from where it had ridden up as his hands moved over her body. Sex in the middle of winter with no heating wasn’t as much fun as it was in a warm bed, but it had its moments she had to admit. Especially after a day like they’d had yesterday.

  “We should get back to searching.” He leaned in for a kiss, taking a moment to enjoy the feel of her lips, the taste of her mouth, before pulling away. “No, really, we should.”

  She grinned as she reached up to grip his hair, pulling him closer as her tongue entered his mouth. She kissed him deeply, enjoy for the moment the normalcy of sex with the man she loved and forgetting the nightmare world they seemed to now live in.

  “I guess so,” she said when she finally released her hold on him. “How long do we have?”

  “Well,” he said, looking at his watch. “That was uncharacteristically quick of us. We still have a couple of hours.”

  “Good to know.”

  She reached for her rifle as he moved towards the door, pulling aside the chair he’d pushed in front of it to keep any unwanted visitors from wandering in while they were distracted and pulling it open carefully.

  A quick glance out into the hall and he nodded for her to follow him before lifting his rucksack from beside the door and swinging it onto his back. They’d actually found a little more food in the kitchen before taking advantage of the empty living room.

  “You think we should get some other stuff?” Terri asked as she settled her rucksack on her back.

  “Like what?”

  “Well, clean underwear and socks would be nice. I’m sure the others feel the same. Toothpaste too and not to sound indelicate but there are three women in the group.”

  “So?”

  “We’re gonna need some pads or tampons. Whatever we can find.”

  “Right, Yeah, didn’t think of that.”

  “No doubt,” she said with a smile that wasn’t unkind. “There’s something else too.”

  “What?”

  “I used the last of my birth control this morning.”

  “Crap!”

  “Yeah. Looks like it’s back to using condoms, babe.”

  “We better find some then,” he said with a serious expression. “Like, a lot of them.”

  She grinned at his mock seriousness and nodded agreement. He was only half joking, she knew that. They’d both discussed kids before and while they agreed they wanted them, it was sometime in the future. With the world as messed up as it was just then, that future seemed like a long way off.

  They left the house, stepping out into the crisp morning air. Both of them kept their heads moving as they walked, keeping a wary watch for any infected that might be near. The only sound to be heard was the crunch of the snow beneath their boots.

  “No dogs,” Terri said as Clive checked the door of the next house over.

  “Huh?”

  He gave up on the door when it didn’t open and returned to her.

  “I’ve not seen any dogs. Cats neither.”

  “Weird,” he said as he led the way to the next house. “People would have taken their pets with them though.”

  “Maybe.”

  The next door opened and he grinned back at her before stepping inside, rifle held at the ready. He wasn’t the greatest shot but at close range, even he couldn’t miss.

  Much like Jacob had the night before, he called out softly. When no answer was forthcoming he led the way further into the house. Terri followed, nose wrinkling at the odour that assaulted her.

  “Think they left some meat out,” she said.

  “Aye. Rancid as hell.”

  He nudged open the door to the living room and swept it with his gaze before moving on. The bathroom and kitchen were both clear and the first of the bedrooms was next. He pushed the door open with one foot and recoiled.

  “Fuck!”

  “What?” Terri asked, raising her rifle.

  He waved his hand before his face, fanning the air as he stepped back. He shook his head when she moved forward but she ignored him and pressing one hand over her mouth and nose she stepped into the room.

  “Damn,” was the only thing she could think to say.

  They lay side by side on the bed. A man and a woman in their thirties. The cold had preserved them enough that she could see their faces. A good looking couple, both wearing just their pyjamas and between them, a little boy.

  He lay awkwardly, nestled in the small gap between their still forms, his little body broken and twisted. There was blood around his mouth though someone had tried to wipe it clean. The mother had a bandage wrapped around her hand and Terri could guess what had happened.

  She crossed to the bedside table and lifted the piece of folded paper that had been propped against the lamp. On it, in simple letters was written, ‘que Dieu pardonne.’ She looked back at Clive and lifted the paper for him to see, but he just shrugged. Neither of them could read French.

  Terri placed the note carefully back down and lifted one of the pill bottles and looked at the label before dropping it back down with the others. She wasn’t familiar with it, but there had been enough for the man and woman both.

  “We need to check the last room,” she said as she closed the door behind her.

  Clive grimaced but nodded and led the way. Terri pressed her head back against the door and said a silent prayer for the family inside. She wasn’t particularly religious but figured it wouldn’t hurt.

  “Clear,” Clive said after checking the last room.

  “Let’s see what’s in the kitchen then.”

  “Should we?” he asked. “I mean, it seems disrespectful.”

  “We need it more than they do,” Terri said. “I think the time for being respectful of the dead is past. We need to put the living first.”

  With that in mind, they went through the kitchen cupboards, pulling out everything that they could use. Unlike the other houses which had been left abandoned, this one had a pantry that was well stocked.

  In the cupboard beneath the sink, Clive found a number of carrier bags that they filled with tins and packets of foodstuffs when their rucksacks were overflowing. He also found a well-stocked first aid kit. Terri, meanwhile, pulled several sharp carving knives from a wooden block and slid them carefully into the bag.

  When Clive looked at her questioningly, she shrugged and said, “we’re short on bullets.”

  “Fair enough.”

  They left the house leaden down with bags. Each of them carrying their rucksacks on their backs, rifles over their shoulder and several carrier bags apiece. They were almost back at the house when they met Mandy. She walked in a daze, carrying a plastic bag full of clothing, her expression distant.

  “Hey, you okay?” Terri asked.

  “Oui, fine.”

  She shook her head and looked at the two as if seeing them for the first time. A slight smile formed on her lips as she noticed the bags.

  “You have done well, non?”

  “Aye, not so bad. What did you find?”

  “Clean underwear,” Mandy said with a wider smile.

  “Oh, now that is something to celebrate.” Terri flashed a smile of her own and then paused as a thought occurred. “Hey, what does, que Dieu pardonne, mean?”

  Mandy gave her a strange look as though wondering why she would ask such a thing, but lifted her shoulders in a small shrug as she replied.

  “It means, may God forgive.”

  Chapter 9

  Jacob crouched low and waved his arm, gesturing for Elise to do the same. She dropped immediately, no hesitation as she followed his command. He leant out just enough that he could see around the corner of the building and watched silently.

  “What is it?” Elise asked in a hushed whisper.

  “Birds,” he said. “Lots of them.”

  “Birds?”

  “Crows.”

  “What does that mean.”

  He t
urned to look back at her, his expression unreadable.

  “Death,” he said softly.

  In one smooth motion, he rose to his feet and vanished around the corner of the building. Elise followed hurriedly. Her nose was numb and she was pretty sure she was losing feeling in her ears, but she was glad she’d gone with him.

  He moved purposefully like he always had a destination in mind. There was never any aimlessness to his movements. He was always so self-assured. That was undeniably attractive to her and she didn’t mind the touch of grey in his hair either.

  Sure, there was a good thirty years or more difference between her nineteen-year-old self and him, but considering the state of the world, it may well be that her choices were him or Clive. Even if she was interested in the other man, he was besotted with Terri.

  “Watch yourself,” he said, breaking her from her reverie.

  She stepped carefully over the naked woman lying dead in the snow. Jacob barely glanced at her, his eyes fixed on the larger pile. When Elise saw it, she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her.

  There were hundreds of them. Spread all across the common land in the centre of the town. Men, women and children. All naked or wearing bits and pieces of clothing as though killed in the act of undressing, all very dead. Whatever smell there might have been was muted by them being frozen solid.

  “Bloody hell!” was all she could think to say.

  “Aye, lass.”

  He crouched down once more, fingers hovering over the bloody wound on the torso of a middle-aged woman. He counted softly to himself, moving his hand to hover over each hole in turn.

  “Assault rifle,” he said softly and she blinked.

  “What?”

  “I’m guessing military,” he said, ignoring her question. “Yeah, I’m sure of it.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He glanced at her and smiled. It was the sort of indulgent smile a man would give a child and not one for a prospective lover. She hated the way the heat coloured her cheeks at the thought.