"Here," Sarah said, setting the stack of towels on the table. "We will replace the blankets over the window with them too."
Jeremy nodded and grabbed one of the towels. He dried the kids’ and his own face and hands with it and then grabbed another towel. He moved over to the window that Sarah had removed one of the blankets from.
"We're probably going to have to use two," he said, returning to the table to grab another one. He then hung it next to the first one. It works, but it just isn't as good as the blanket, Sarah thought.
"I will stay in the bedroom, and you guys can sleep out here tonight." Sarah put the two blankets on the couch.
"Thank you again for letting us stay here," Jeremy said. "Right, Matt and Zoe?"
"Thank you," they both said together.
Sarah didn't know what to say, so she went to the kitchen and grabbed the camping backpack and put it in the bedroom. She then walked back to the kitchen and grabbed a few cans of food and a canteen. Sarah didn't know if it would bother Jeremy or not, but she didn't know him or really trust him. He seemed like a nice guy, but she didn't want him running off with all her food and supplies. Sarah returned to the kitchen one last time and picked up a chair.
"Please don't build a big fire if you add more wood. I don't want a lot smoke," she said as she headed toward the bedroom.
"Okay," Jeremy said and then added, "Good night."
"Night."
Sarah shut the door behind her and turned the lock. She then put the chair in front of the door. Sarah looked around Liam's bedroom, a little uncomfortable about being here. She wondered if she would be able to sleep at all in his bed. Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around his room. She hadn't really been in here much.
Tux leaped up onto the bed and curled up on the far side of it.
"Sorry again, Tux. I wish Liam was here, too."
Sarah didn't get a lot of sleep, much like the nights before. It wasn’t just because she had strangers sleeping in her living room, but her sleep was filled with nightmares. When she awoke, part of her hoped that the Bakers had stolen the rest of her supplies and ran off. But when she slowly opened the door, Jeremy was sitting there, reading to the kids. Sarah let out a sigh and opened the door the rest of the way, leaving the rifle in the bedroom.
"Morning," Jeremy said, looking over at Sarah.
"Hey."
"I hope you don't mind. We had another can of corn for breakfast."
"No, that's fine," Sarah replied as she walked over to the kitchen. She picked up the bag of half-eaten crackers she had started the day before and sat down at the table.
"You guys sleep okay?" she asked. "Wasn't too cold or anything?"
"We were good. Best sleep we’ve probably had in a while," Jeremy replied, handing the book to Matt. "Why don't you finish reading this to your sister?"
"Okay," Matt said.
"But I want you to read to me," Zoe cut in.
"Now, Zoe, let your brother read to you, okay?"
"Okay," Zoe said in a long, drawn-out okay.
Jeremy walked over to the table and sat down across from Sarah. She just looked at him, not saying a word and making the moment turn awkward. They both just sat there looking at each other before Jeremy finally spoke.
"You sleep okay?"
"Yeah," Sarah said before adding, "why?"
"You screamed a few times and kept saying sorry to someone named Liam."
Sarah bit the inside of her cheek and turned away from him. She wasn't sure if she was embarrassed that he heard her or that he brought up Liam. She didn't say anything and let the silence go from seconds to minutes.
"It's hard to lose a loved one," Jeremy said. "When I first lost my wife to cancer, I stopped sleeping, and when I did sleep, it was endless nightmares."
Sarah turned to look at him. She had wondered where the mother was, and she had worried that the men who had tied Jeremy up had taken or killed her.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"It's all right. It was almost two years ago. Plus, I wouldn't want her to have to go through all this," Jeremy said as he played with a napkin on the table. "It's why we moved up here—to start over."
"It's a good place to pick," Sarah said.
"Yeah. I came here once as a kid."
"Me too. I would come up every summer with my grandmother," Sarah replied and then added, "This is Liam's house."
"Didn't think it was really yours," Jeremy said. "Looks like an older man's home."
"Yeah, I saved him on one of the first days of all this."
Jeremy sat there, looking at Sarah. He wanted to ask her where Liam was now but figured it would be best if he didn't.
"You guys don't have to leave," Sarah said, changing the subject.
"You sure? We don't want to cause you any trouble," Jeremy said, letting the other topic go.
"Yeah. All I ask is you put in your fair share of help."
"You can count on it," Jeremy said with a smile. "If you don't mind watching the kids for a little while, I can go out and look for food and other supplies."
"Sure," Sarah replied before realizing what she just agreed to. She wasn't bad with kids, but she hadn't really taken care of any. That wasn't even the worst of it. What if Jeremy skips out on his kids and leaves her to take care of them? Jeremy had already gotten up and walked over to the kids, leaving Sarah sitting there. She thought about saying she would go instead, but would that be any better, leaving him here in Liam's house? That idea she didn't like either, but it was too late.
"I will be back as quickly as I can," Jeremy said, standing in the doorway.
"Okay," was all Sarah could say. Jeremy closed the door behind him, leaving Sarah sitting there looking at a closed door. Her eyes moved to look at the two kids sitting on the couch.
"Hi," Sarah said. The kids said nothing and just looked at her. She started to feel uncomfortable by their never-ending staring. "So . . . what book do you have there?" Sarah asked as she walked over. Time to make the best out of this, she thought. At least she knew books. She had been able to read to herself for as long as she could remember. Her grandmother was always working, and she didn't remember if her parents ever read to her.
"The Cricket in Times Square," Matt said.
"Oh, I don't believe I have ever read it," she said and then it struck her. She hadn't seen any books with them last night. "Where did you get it?"
"Over here," Zoe said, walking to a bookshelf. She bent down and pulled out a few more books. She read the name of each one: James and the Giant Peach, Gentle Ben, and A Wrinkle in Time. She looked at the books. Each of them looked to be well read. She wondered if it was Liam or his wife who read to their child.
"Have you guys ever read James and the Giant Peach?" she asked, picking it up.
"No," Zoe said, pulling her arm down to look at the cover.
"No," Matt added from the couch.
"Would it be okay if I read it to you?" she said, trying to remember last time she read it.
"Yeah!" Zoe said with a shout and ran over to the couch. "Sit next to me." Zoe's cheerful joy made Sarah smile. Matt, on the other hand, seemed a bit more down. She wondered if it had to do with the whole “end of the world” or the loss of his mother. Have they seen a zombie? Sarah wondered as she sat down. Matt got up and sat by the fire, playing with his GI Joe.
Tux came wandering out of his hiding spot and sat down in Liam's chair. Zoe caught sight of him and jumped to her feet, but before she knew it, Tux was gone again. Clearly he isn't a fan of kids, Sarah thought.
"Why don't you leave Tux be. He still needs to get used to you guys."
"Okay," Zoe said with sadness in her voice. She returned to her seat next to Sarah.
"James and the Giant Peach," Sarah read before continuing on.
Sarah sat there reading to the kids, not realizing how much time had passed. Only when she felt her stomach ache with hunger did she look over at the two kids. Both had fallen asleep at some point. She wo
ndered how long she had been reading to herself. Sarah worked herself free from Zoe, trying her best not to wake either of them. She opened the door and looked out. It was past noon. Jeremy has been gone for a few hours now, she thought as she closed the door.
She moved to the kitchen and opened up a can of chili. She only ate a small amount, leaving the rest for the kids. She sat at the table for a while, hoping Jeremy would walk in at any moment, but seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. The kids had woken up in that time and eaten the remainder of the chili.
Sarah had gone out to the shed and found a few of the toys Liam had made and a box of blocks. She brought them in for the kids to play with. As they played, she sat there going over the events of that morning. Why did I let him leave? I should have gone, she thought over and over. She was dumb to believe he was a nice guy.
She returned to the door and opened it again. The sun was starting to set. Her gut twitched with the thought that she was left with two kids to take care of. She turned to look at them. Matt was moody but still a polite kid. Zoe was too cute for words with her dimples in her checks and her long black hair. Sarah’s brain started to hurt as she thought of everything.
"Damn it, where are you, Jeremy?" she said aloud, turning back to close the door. As if on cue, Jeremy was riding up the driveway on a bike, a few small bags strapped to it. He smiled when he saw Sarah, but as he came closer, his smile soon faded.
"Sorry," Jeremy said as he pulled up to the door. "The nearest houses are not really that close, it turns out." Matt and Zoe both heard his voice and came running out.
"Daddy!" Zoe squealed and Matt shouted.
"I'm just glad you’re back," Sarah said with a note of relief in her voice.
"Were the kids bad?" he asked, looking down at the two of them hugging him.
"No. I just was getting worried that something happened to you," she replied.
"Sarah read to us," Zoe said. "She also found us toys!" She held up a wooden train.
"Oh, that's really nice of her," he replied. "Can you guys let go of me now? I need to get off this bike sometime before nightfall." The two of them backed up, letting him off. He leaned the bike against the house and undid the two bags.
"There wasn't really a whole lot of houses around this area. There are a few by the coastline, but they had been looted already," he said as he moved by Sarah. The two kids followed in behind him and returned to playing with the wooden toys.
"I found a few cans of food and some other random things," Jeremy said as he set the bags down on the table. He then took off a backpack. "I went to my house and got some clothes for the kids and myself."
Sarah was looking at the cans of food, sorting them into two piles. Jeremy looked at her, not sure what she was doing. Sarah looked up after the last can to see Jeremy looking at her.
"Was checking the dates," she said.
"Even if they are past due, we could still eat them," Jeremy replied, looking at the two piles. One was much smaller than the other.
"It's not that. Didn't you read or listen to anything that's been happening over the past few months before all this happened?"
"No, what?" he asked, looking at her. Sarah told him everything she knew, which wasn't a lot when it came right down to it. Jeremy wasn't sure why there were zombies, but over-processed food did sound like a passable reason. He packed the bigger group of cans into a bag and set it by the trash can.
"Sorry," Sarah said, watching him.
"It's all right. Better safe than sorry, you know." Jeremy smiled softly and turned to look at the kids. "I was wondering if tomorrow you would be okay with keeping lookout at the lake. Kids need a bath, and I could use one too."
Sarah didn't reply right away, making Jeremy wonder if he said something wrong. When she finally answered, it was just a single word.
"Okay."
"Thanks. I'm going to put the bike in the shed." She watched as he went out the front door.
They spent the rest of the night sitting around the fire. Jeremy played with the kids, building castles out of blocks and continuing to read James and the Giant Peach to them. Sarah would listen herself or read her own book she had started. Even Tux had warmed up to the family and lay there, letting Zoe pet him.
Sarah felt herself growing tired, so she excused herself and went to bed. She fell asleep quickly, not worrying about Jeremy murdering her in her sleep. From talking to him and his interactions with his kids, he seemed like a good guy. She only hoped she was right.
She awoke the next morning from a night with only a couple bad dreams. Sarah found Jeremy and the kids already sitting at the kitchen table eating.
"Hi," she said, waving at Jeremy.
"Hey, did you sleep any better last night?" he asked, already knowing she had had nightmares.
"Better than normal," she replied as she sat down.
"Would you like me to make you a can of green beans?" Jeremy asked, starting to get up.
"No, I got it," Sarah replied. She set about warming them over the small fire. Even though they could make another fire, she liked to keep it going. It was nothing big, mostly a few glowing embers, but it made breakfast so much better when it was warm. The house was a nice temperature too. After a while, she spooned herself a small amount, and the rest she split between the Bakers. They each thanked her in turn. She smiled back and sat down at the table.
"So about noon we can go to the lake. Hopefully the water won't be too cool," Jeremy said. Sarah let out a small laugh. "What?" Jeremy added.
"It's going to be cool no matter what time of day it is," she said with a smile. Jeremy was happy to see Sarah smile. He hadn't seen her smile in the few days they had been there.
The kids finished their food and went to play by the fireplace. Jeremy finished up his and went to go fix his bike, even though to Sarah, it seemed fine when he rode up last night. She then moved to Liam's chair and continued to read her book. Jeremy came in a little before noon and helped the kids get a few things. Sarah went and grabbed a few of her own things: a bottle of shampoo, a change of clothes, and a bat. She returned to the living room to find Jeremy and the kids ready and waiting. She held out the bat for Jeremy.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, you seem like a pretty nice guy," Sarah replied. Jeremy smiled and took the bat from her. Sarah quickly went back to the bedroom and grabbed an axe she had left there.
The four of them made their way down the trail to the lake. The water sparkled as the sun glided off it. She let the Bakers go first, setting her stuff down by the dock and moving around the outside of the cove till she could see most of the lake in all directions. She heard the faint sound of laughter as the kids played in the water.
Sarah sat there looking out at the lake, glad not to see any boats. Her mind drifted back to that night.
" Is there anyone else?" a muffled male voice asked.
"It's just me." Liam replied. Then a pop of a handgun going off.
"No!" Sarah screamed as she watched Liam fall backward onto the deck. She let out another scream, the shouts of the men from the other boat drowned out by her. She rushed over to Liam and grabbed ahold of him.
"No, no, no," she shouted at him, not seeing him mouth words to her. She heard the men say something, and then a few shots cracked into the boat around her. She squeezed Liam's hand one last time and started to crawl toward the front of the boat. She waited a moment after the shots stopped and then jumped over the side. Her arm had a sudden pain shoot through it as she was in midair.
"Sarah? Sarah?" Jeremy said as he shook her on her shoulders. Sarah snapped out of it and looked up at Jeremy, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Matt, take your sister to the clearing over there," Jeremy said, looking at them. Matt took his sister by her hand and walked down the small hill.
"Why did they have to kill him?" she said between small sobs. "We didn't do anything." Jeremy sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. He didn't say muc
h and just let her talk. Sarah told him how she met Liam and what happened. He felt angry for what had happened to Liam and Sarah. It had to have been the same guys that had tied him up. He was lucky to have made it out alive. The two of them sat there for a while. Sarah’s crying soon subsided after a while.
"I'm going to wash up myself if you don't mind keeping a lookout," Sarah said as she got up.
"Sure," Jeremy replied.
Sarah walked back down the small hill and around toward the dock. She kept an eye on Jeremy. Sarah didn't think he would look, but she still wanted to make sure. She stripped down to nothing next to the dock and slid into the cold water. Sarah shivered for a few moments and then began to clean herself. She grabbed the shampoo bottle from the dock. Sarah watched Jeremy the whole time, making sure he didn't try and take a peek, but he didn't try or even look back. He kept his eyes fixated on the lake.
Sarah didn't take long to bathe, and soon, she got out. She dressed in the bushes and called out to Jeremy, making sure only to be so loud that only he would hear. He turned and gathered up the kids, and they headed back to the house. It wasn't long till they had made it to the front of the house when Zoe pointed and squealed.
"Look, another kitty!" Both Jeremy and Sarah turned to look at where she was pointing. Near the shed, a large raccoon stumbled about. It hissed and clawed the air.
"Shhh," Sarah said as she moved in front of the kids. "It’s most likely a zombie," she added.
Jeremy didn't say anything, but he moved forward a little bit at the ready.
"Get the kids inside," Jeremy finally said. Sarah nodded, and then she moved the kids along the forest line and toward the back of the house and around to the front. Sarah quickly got them inside and followed in after. She set down her axe by the door and went into Liam's room and grabbed the rifle.
It wasn't long before she was back outside with the door closed behind her, leaving the kids inside, scared.
She watched as Jeremy slowly moved closer and closer. The raccoon never seemed to notice him. Then, just before he swung, it stopped, turned, and let out a screech that made Jeremy jump back and swing. The raccoon easily moved out of the way.
Lake Yixa Page 6
