We Are Always Forever

by Campbell, Jamie

  “Sure.”

  The silo was something we found on our last trip out. Liev had tipped us off about it. The three large silos were located on another abandoned farm, further into the country than anyone dared to travel. They were almost full when we found them, brimming with grains for cooking. Now, they were about half empty.

  They were the only reason the city was still alive.

  Another forty-five minutes and we were pulling up in the middle of nowhere. The trio of silos stood tall like proud buildings. They were our beacons of hope, full of nutrition and sustenance.

  “Stay here while I look about and make sure nobody’s around,” Jet ordered before hurrying out of the car.

  He should have known better.

  I opened the door and followed.

  Chapter Three

  Jet heard my footsteps and whipped around but didn’t say anything. He kept going, realizing it was pointless trying to order me around.

  He really should have known better by now.

  We skirted around the full perimeter but we were alone – nobody else was stupid enough to come this far outside the city even if they did have the means.

  “I’m going up. Do you want to take another one?” Jet asked, already starting the long climb up the ladder fixed to the side of the silo.

  I was already moving. “Race you to the top.”

  He shook his head and started climbing. I made it to the next one over and started on the rungs. The climb was harder than it should have been, I was puffing and panting by the time I reached the top.

  Jet beat me.

  He flashed me a smug smile before pulling open the manhole cover on the side of the roof. I did the same, needing to put all my weight behind the movement just to get it to budge.

  The sunlight shot a round beam down into the depths of the silo. It hit the grains right where I expected it to – about halfway. They looked okay, as far as I could tell. It wasn’t like I was an expert or anything close to it.

  “See anything?” Jet yelled.

  I shrugged and replaced the cover. “Looks okay.”

  “Mine too. Careful getting down.”

  I rolled my eyes and took the rungs one by one. By the time my feet were back on solid ground, Jet was already at the top of the third silo. I inspected the bottom of the structures, making sure they weren’t rusting away from such little use.

  Again, I wasn’t an expert but everything looked like it had done on our last visit.

  Jet’s feet thudded on the ground as he jumped from the bottom few rungs of the ladder. “Third one’s all good too. Looks like we’re okay for a while longer. I have sacks in the car, we’ll take some grain back with us.”

  I followed him to the car and carried half the empty sacks over to the silos. It always fascinated me watching Jet fill them. His muscles worked together like a symphony, flexing and stretching as he moved the machine and held the sacks.

  I suspected he enjoyed the physical work out on the farm. He wouldn’t say as much, but he always seemed right at home when we were out of the city. If he was anything like me, he probably realized the city was suffocating while the open fields were uplifting.

  Out here, we could breathe.

  Jet finished with his sack and moved on to fill another one. As he did, his hand slipped and the pipe attached to the silo spun to the side.

  Right toward my head.

  My brain screamed at me to move but my body was frozen. It paid no attention to the signals pulsing its way.

  If the heavy steel smacked into my skull, it would shatter it like a jigsaw puzzle. It would probably be painless, considering it would likely kill me.

  All of a sudden I was moving. In less than the breadth of a second, Jet lunged. Our bodies collided as we crashed to the ground.

  I was still frozen as I pressed into the dirt underneath my back. Jet was on top of me, his body shielding me from the rest of the world. My heart raced, both from the shock of what just happened and the close proximity of his body.

  “God, Everly, I’m so sorry,” he whispered. His face was less than an inch away from mine. I could feel his breath on my cheeks.

  “It was an accident,” I managed to stutter out. Every word was an effort, choking out from the lump in my throat. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I could have killed you.”

  “You didn’t mean to.”

  His hand reached up to brush the hair from my face. He gently pushed it back, looking deep into my eyes without breaking contact.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s already forgotten.” I didn’t know what more I could say to convince him. It could have happened to anyone, it wasn’t like he did it on purpose. Accidents happened.

  “If anything happened to you…” His words trailed off, left to linger forever unsaid.

  My skin was alive with every touch.

  And I hated it.

  “You’re on top of me,” I pointed out.

  He took his hand away from my hair and stood quickly in one swift movement. “Sorry,” he muttered, extending one hand to help me stand. His eyes moved up and down my body, checking for injuries.

  “I’m fine, really.”

  “You should wait in the car while I finish.” He picked up the half-filled sack and scooped in the grain that had spilled in the accident. Nothing could be left wasted these days.

  I refused to let him do all the work but I did stand back a safe distance, enough to satisfy the over-protective. I willed my heart to slow its rhythm, certain the beats had nothing to do with the near-death experience.

  Feeling anything for Jet was the worst kind of betrayal imaginable. I loved Oliver, I loved him with all my heart. Just because he was gone, it didn’t change how I felt. He was a part of me and always would be.

  I would not cheat on him.

  Which is exactly what my traitorous thoughts were doing. My body reacted to Jet in a way in which it had no business doing. He needed to stay the hell away from me, otherwise my conscience would never let me forget about it.

  Even if Oliver did make me promise to let someone else love me.

  It was a promise I would have to break.

  When Jet had filled all the sacks, we carried them to the car and loaded up the trunk. When that was full, we placed the excess sacks over the back seats. It seemed a crime to dirty the Audi but now wasn’t a time to be precious.

  We headed back onto the road, ready for the journey to be over and done with already. The atmosphere in the car was awkward. Jet had barely spoken a word to me since being on the road and I didn’t know what to say to him either.

  Which was good. If we didn’t speak we couldn’t say the wrong thing. I could keep him away from me as I silently vowed to keep away from him. There would be no more sleepovers. No more help. No more close proximity.

  I had been careless.

  And it wouldn’t happen again.

  After an hour without a word being said, Jet shifted in the driver’s seat. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Perfectly fine.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Stop saying that.”

  “I didn’t mean it.”

  “I know, can we talk about something else?” I asked, managing to keep all the pleading out of my voice. I wanted to erase the whole incident from my mind, including the feel of Jet’s body pressed up against mine.

  The brush of his fingertips on my skin.

  The feel of his breath.

  The look in his eyes.

  “So what was with the questions about the barn?” Jet said, changing the subject like I had asked.

  Finally, a safe topic. The relief was palpable as it rushed through my veins.

  “I don’t know. I just found it weird, that’s all. He showed us everything else except the shed.”

  Jet chewed on his bottom lip as he mulled it over. The nervous habit was now more familiar to me than my own face. “It’s a big barn.”

  “Too big to just be
empty. The farmers that were there before would have kept something in it.”

  “You think he’s hiding something from us.” There was a statement, not a question in Jet’s words.

  I shrugged. “I think it’s odd, that’s all.”

  “His reaction was a bit extreme.”

  “A bit? He looked like he wanted to kill me and bury my body at the back of the barn.”

  Jet chuckled, letting out a breathy laugh. The awkwardness was dissolving with every word uttered. “Kendall probably would have helped him.”

  “Don’t get me started on her,” I moaned. I didn’t realize Jet had noticed the way she shot me daggers at every opportunity. “Were you always that… close?”

  “We’re not close.”

  “It didn’t look that way. She-”

  “We’re not close,” he repeated.

  “Does she know that?”

  No answer.

  Which was exactly what I thought.

  Jet sighed, the noise loud in the silence. “Kendall’s a nice girl. I’m sure she’d warm up to you if she really knew you.”

  “I don’t think-”

  My words were cut off as Jet slammed on the breaks. We both lurched forward, my hands automatically going out in front of me to cushion any impact I was about to have.

  The car came to a stop with no collision. Thankfully the airbags didn’t have a reason to shoot out. My heart was racing as I looked up to see what the hell had stopped Jet so suddenly.

  A kid stood in the middle of the road.

  She was about twelve, tall but with the delicate features of a child not quite grown into a teenager yet. Her skin was ghostly white, her clothes had seen better days but weren’t rags yet. Her mousy brown hair hung limply around her somber face.

  If Jet hadn’t stopped I would have sworn she was a spirit.

  “You can see her, right?” I asked, needing the confirmation. I still wasn’t convinced she wasn’t already dead.

  “Of course I can see her. What the hell is she doing standing in the middle of the road? She gave me a freaking heart attack.” His fingers were still gripping the steering wheel, white-knuckled.

  The girl was staring at us, unmoving.

  I tugged at my seatbelt, trying to get some relief from the tightness it was causing. After a few pulls, it gave. I undid it and reached for the door.

  “What are you doing?” Jet asked quickly.

  “What do you think I’m doing? I’m going to talk to her.”

  I was out the door before he could ask any more stupid questions. The girl was only little, she could barely hurt a fly let alone either of us. The driver’s door opened and closed before I reached her.

  “Hi there,” I said softly, gently. She looked like she might skitter away with any sudden movement. “My name is Everly. What’s yours?”

  “Ruth.”

  So she talked. That was a good sign.

  “What are you doing all the way out here, Ruth?” I glanced at Jet, he was leaning on the side of the car, still calming himself from the shock.

  “We need help,” she said, her eyes darted off to the left for just the briefest of moments.

  “So you’re not alone? How many of you are there?” If we were going to be ambushed, I wanted to know what we were up against. Now.

  “Five.”

  We could probably take on five of them.

  Not very well, but maybe.

  The girl was talking again before either of us could say anything. “She fell over and hurt her belly. We don’t know what to do to make her better. I saw your car before and I thought you might come back this way. I’ve been waiting here, just in case.”

  “Is she far?” I asked. Looking around, I couldn’t see anything but trees on one side of the road and open fields on the other. There were no signs of humans anywhere.

  Unless you counted the spirits.

  Which I didn’t.

  “She’s through there.” Ruth pointed to the tree side. “Will you help?”

  I looked at Jet, he was already locking up the car. “Of course we will, honey. Come on, take us to her.”

  Her face showed the first sign of emotion since we pulled up as she smiled. She nodded dutifully and started walking for the trees. Jet was at my side quickly, his hand resting on the small of my back. I got the feeling he wouldn’t easily let me out of his sight.

  The trees were only a small pocket of forest. They were spread out, not really trying that hard to conceal anything on the other side. A small house was soon visible in an open field. It was only a fraction of the size of the farmhouse, but probably housed a family before the Event.

  Ruth led us confidently inside where another two children were curled up on the living room floor. Like Ruth, they were shabby but well cared for. Someone looked after them. And they were doing a good job.

  “She’s through here,” Ruth said as she led us down a narrow hallway.

  A boy stepped out of the room before we could reach it. He was about the same age as us, the same solid build as Jet. He glanced from Ruth to us, his eyes opening wide with panic. “Ruth, who are these people?”

  “There were in a car. They’ve come to help.” It was the simple explanation of a child, one who didn’t fully understand the dangers the world posed.

  “The kid said someone was hurt,” Jet said before the alarm bells could really be set off. We didn’t want to be attacked for our deed of goodwill. “I’m Jet and this is Everly.”

  He relaxed slightly. “I’m Brett. My girlfriend is injured, know any first aid?”

  “A little.”

  He nodded once and led us through to the room he had been blocking. It was a small bedroom. A girl was lying on the bed. She was covered with a sheen of sweat and writhing as if in pain. Her skin was even paler than Ruth and one glance at her face said she was out of it, lost in a world of hurt.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “Ruth, why don’t you go look after your brothers?” Brett said kindly to the little girl. She wanted to protest but swallowed her words with obedience and left. Brett closed the door before speaking again. “She was working the well out the back and tripped over a stand. The rusted metal broke, going right through her abdomen.”

  I winced. No wonder she was in so much pain.

  “Is it still… in her?”

  “No.” He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled back the covers. Gently, tenderly, he lifted her T-shirt and showed us the wound. The blood had stopped oozing but the entire area was red and raw. “I cleaned it up best I could but she’s not getting any better. She’s so hot.”

  “May I?” I asked his permission before I approached. It wasn’t wise to sneak up on anyone anymore. Brett nodded and I knelt down beside the bed.

  The heat radiating off the woman’s body was apparent, confirmed when I touched her forehead. Her temperature had to be far above a safe level.

  She moaned, moving her head from my touch as her eyes briefly met mine. I had a closer look at the wound, it was rife with infection.

  “She needs antibiotics,” I said flatly. There was no use beating around the bush. Any idiot could see the woman didn’t have much time remaining. “Would there be any left in the city?”

  Jet shook his head sadly while Brett’s eyes went back and forth between us. “The hospitals have all been cleaned out. We tried to salvage some a while ago but we were too late.”

  “The shelter?”

  “Empty.”

  She was going to die.

  I couldn’t meet Brett’s eyes. In the few minutes we had spent there, I could already tell they had created a family. The teenagers had taken the children under their wing and cared for them like they were their own. The death of the ‘mother’ was going to shatter them.

  I hated the world sometimes.

  “There’s a first aid kit in the car,” Jet said suddenly in the silence. “There might be something we can put on that wound. I’ll go get it.”

  He silently quest
ioned whether I would be okay to stay without him and I gave him a small nod to confirm I would be. These people weren’t going to hurt me, they were in enough pain as it was. Jet left us alone.

  “What’s her name?” I asked, trying to distract us both from the unspeakable truth.

  “Daisy.”

  Such a pretty name for a dead girl.

  “Have you been together long?”

  “Almost three years. We went to school together when… you know. We ran from the city and found this place. The kids were almost dead when we arrived.”

  “You are a family.” A statement, not a question. I could feel the sense of caring and love dripping from the walls, encasing everyone in this house like a warm blanket.

  “We are.” Brett’s eyes were watery, even though he was trying to stay strong. “Do you think your friend can fix her?”

  “I know he’ll try.”

  His sad head nodded with resigned acknowledgement. If there was truly a god, he would not take Daisy from these people. He would perform a miracle and let her live so they didn’t have to suffer any more death.

  The door creaked open as Jet emerged with a small first aid kit. He laid it out on the floor next to me before rifling through it.

  He grabbed at a white bottle. “This is an antiseptic, it should kill any germs. Do you want to…”

  “No, you do it,” I said quickly. I wasn’t good at all the blood and gore stuff, but Jet was. He had tended to my wounds on more than one occasion and barely winced once.

  I quickly stood and backed away to rest against the wall while Jet got to work. Brett watched on, his eyes never even blinking in case he missed something happening to the woman he loved. He looked so much older than he could possibly be.

  Jet dabbed the ointment onto a sterile pad he tore from a packet and pressed it into the raging red wound. Daisy hissed with the pain, momentarily bringing her back to reality. Her hands went to push him away but Brett intervened and pinned them to the bed. He felt the pain just as much as she did.

  “Sorry,” Jet whispered to the girl. But he didn’t stop, he worked swiftly and efficiently to clean the hole in her side as best he could. Finally, he covered it with a pad. “Everly, can you please break off some tape for me?”