The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10

by Lavati, Taylor

  “Just one.”

  “I’m twenty-nine. You?” He spun a knife around his knuckles, playing around. I liked this side of him.

  “Twenty-four.”

  He got quiet. An awkward tension filled the room as the knife weighed heavy in my hand. “So, is this the one?” I raised the knife, bouncing it in my hand.

  “I think that’s perfect for you,” he mumbled. He tore his eyes from me as he bent down and pulled out a few other knives, testing them all out. I started to walk away, not knowing what else to do, and he must have heard my movement. “Wait!” I turned at his voice. “I found these holsters.”

  “What do I do with them?” They looked like one of those old-fashioned cowboy gun holders from Wild West movies. That or a black garter.

  “Come here.” He waved me towards him, and I closed the space between us more eagerly than I wished. “Spin around.” I turned, holding the knife in my right hand, still as the balls on the shelves. I flinched when his hands grazed my ass by accident, reaching around me.

  The entire length of his arms wrapped around my body, circling me as he pulled one end through the buckle. My shirt rose and his fingertips trailed along my bare midriff, sending goosebumps up and down my skin. I leaned back at the comforting feel of his fingers on me.

  My head rested against his chest. His fingers rubbed my hip bones, pretending to adjust the holster, but I knew he was touching me to feel me. I could tell from the hesitant yet firm presses he craved more. I arched my back against him so we were flush against one another.

  “Lana,” Jim pleaded, his voice husky, deep and raspy, his breath warm against my ear.

  “That feels good,” I told him in a moment of weakness. I had told myself that I wasn’t going to entertain his moods. Yet here I was completely enthralled in his touches. He hypnotized me under his spell.

  I shut my eyes as I rocked against him, his light brushes sending me into a frenzy. His hand roamed higher, flirting with my ribs. His fingers trailed near my belly button, raising my shirt up. A tremor shook me from the inside out.

  “Hey guys!”

  I jumped at Scarlet’s screeching voice, the sexual trance between Jim and me completely shattered. I pulled a piece of mouse-brown hair behind my ear as Jim and I stepped in opposite directions. I adjusted my shirt to cover my bare stomach and erase any traces of what just happened.

  “We found some protein bars,” she said again. I smiled. Leave it to Scarlet to interrupt us with the one thing that sounded more appetizing than Jim.

  “Coming!” I whispered back to her, trying to keep my voice down. I doubted eaters from outside the walls could hear, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I turned and faced Jim. His head was in his hands, one raking over his short hair and scruffy jaw. I took his hands in mine and made him look at me.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured as his eyes found mine. “That was out of line, and I was taking advantage of you. I don’t know better. Don’t hate me.”

  “Hey,” I chided, while shaking my head. What had turned him into this insecure guy? He’d done nothing wrong, and I loved the way he felt. If anything, it was my fault. “I don’t hate you.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said again.

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” I told him. “I liked what just happened. It wasn’t one-sided, Jim. Don’t apologize for that.”

  “If it’s too much, just tell me and I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Why would you think it’s too much?” I asked him as I held onto his hands. They were shaking, a bit sweaty, but I clung to him.

  “I know myself. I have certain…tendencies. I can get out of control.”

  “What do you mean ‘tendencies’?” My stomach twirled, making butterflies spring up and fly into my throat.

  “Guys!” Scarlet yelled again. “Food!”

  “We better go,” I said, smiling up at Jim, the mere thought of food making my stomach gurgle.

  I turned and jogged towards where I suspected Scarlet was. I found her and a very perky Kev sitting against a covered rack. First thing I noticed was that Kev’s hand rested upon Scarlet’s knee. Their relationship had moved way too fast, especially since he’d been bitten and his fate was completely unknown.

  My jaw dropped as I looked past them, my eyes expanding.

  Food.

  I ran and grabbed a red bag off the shelf behind them, and popped it open. I dumped a palm full of the grains and nuts and threw it into my mouth, not even savoring the taste.

  I took another handful and swallowed fast. The taste made me drool, saliva dripping out of the corner of my mouth onto my shirt. I shoved more down my throat. I sat down beside Kev and dropped my head back against the rack. Each bite of the salty nuts made my taste buds scream with joy. It was the best thing I had ever eaten in my entire life. After a bag, my stomach began to feel full.

  “That good?” Jim joked as he sat across from us.

  “Where’s Gabriel?” My eyes roamed along the different aisles, but he wasn’t within sight. And I didn’t have the energy to get up. I took another bite from a new bag of goodies.

  “He went to gather a tent and some other supplies for tomorrow.”

  “That’s smart.” I nodded. “I should do that before I go to bed.”

  “I can help you,” Jim offered with a raise of his shoulder. I smiled to myself as I stuffed another handful of nuts into my mouth. We saved most of the food, but ate the rest in one sitting. I took most of the yellow bags since they were my favorite—honey and oats with caramelized pecans.

  After I finished off the pecans and licked my fingers clean, Jim reached down and helped me stand. Most of the survival supplies were long gone. The entire flashlight area, including batteries, had been ransacked. But we kept walking.

  Empty shelves and broken plastic met us every way we went. We gave up hope for lights and went to the camping section to get me a tent.

  “Oh my God!” I said as I saw the lanterns. I ran past Jim and lifted one up, pulling it out of the box. By the time Jim caught up, I had opened it and was messing with the on switch. It glowed to life.

  “Nice find,” Jim said with a smile. We put a few of them in a pile on the floor while Jim helped me find a small tent. Next we found a sleeping bag that said Guaranteed warmth down to -30 degrees! Whether that was true or not, I’d find out.

  Jim grabbed my hand as we walked down the aisles together, lacing our fingers. As he rubbed a circle on my palm, I pictured this being a normal day before the bombs were dropped: Jim and I were coming here to shop, get some new workout clothes.

  I laughed to myself.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. I noticed we had paused in the golf section. Fake green grass replaced the tile, and little tees were stuck in the floor. I looked up at him.

  “I was just imagining this being a normal day. You know, going to the store to shop. Not to survive. Stupid, right?”

  “It’s not stupid, Lana. You have hope. You’re lucky.”

  “You really don’t think we’re going to live?”

  “I just—” He let go of my hand, using it to wipe his chin. “It’s hard when you see some of the shit I have. Even if some sort of civilization pops up, there’s always going to be disorder. Power struggles. I’m not saying it can’t happen; I just won’t live in Wonderland pretending.”

  “You know you’re kind of an ass, right?”

  I spun around and walked without Jim towards the guns. The shelves sat bare. I assumed that once the bombings began, people looted whatever they wanted. Instead of gathering supplies for the downfall of society, people thought short-term: let me get what I’ve always wanted. Something rustled in the aisle next to me so I walked around the side to the next aisle.

  Since I was alone, I went back into the hunting section and grabbed two more knives, just to make sure I had extra. I shoved them in my pocket and then ran back to my sleeping bag, stuffing the knives into my new backpack with many pockets.

  By early m
orning, we were all packed and ready to go. I had a large black bag on my back, heavier than I was used to carrying. Jim and I rolled the orange tent so it fit on the top of my bag. The sleeping bag wrapped around it and was strapped down so they were held on tight. Inside the bag, I had a large lantern, three of the yellow protein bags, a sports bottle of water, and two extra hunting knives, plus some warmer clothing.

  I changed out of my ratty, torn jeans and put on a pair of clean stretchy black pants. They had a pair of hiking boots in my size, which were much more supportive for my swollen arches. I didn’t know if we’d find another store anytime soon, so I tied a brown jacket around my waist.

  It wasn’t cold enough to need winter jackets, but soon enough the time would come. I had extra socks and pants in my bag in case I really needed them, but honestly, clothes were the least of my worries, and I used the space for food instead of warm clothes. If we were moving south, I hopefully wouldn’t need a snowsuit.

  Unlike Scarlet. Who took enough clothes to last the entire winter. She ran off in the shoe aisle to find exactly what she was looking for while I watched over Kev and made sure he had what he needed.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked Kev as I helped him up. It seemed like this was our only conversations, but I was genuinely concerned. He too had new clothes on. He pushed his back against the wall and used it to hold himself up.

  “I’m better, I guess. My leg just fucking hurts.” He panted.

  “Mind if I peek?” I asked, gesturing down to his leg. He shook his head, so I bent down and lifted the clean pant leg to check out the wound.

  I covered my mouth with my hand as I stared at the growing wound. The bite took up half of his shin, extending right below his knee almost to his ankle. The swelling made it look worse than it really was, at least double the size of what used to be there. The coloring had changed overnight, from reddish to more yellow and purple. It looked as if it was spreading, the color now over his kneecap.

  “It doesn’t hurt as much to put pressure on it.” Kev shrugged as I tucked his pant into his boots.

  “Kev, that’s really bad,” I said as I reined in my emotions. He wasn’t going to make it. From the look of his leg, it was going to fucking fall off. Holy shit. He was going to die. I knew it. My chest tightened.

  “Lana, shut up. Don’t scare, Scarlet.”

  “Has she seen this?” I asked him, glancing over my shoulder.

  “No. I won’t let her.”

  I reached my hand towards his face and pressed the back of my hand to his forehead. He was warm, but not so hot that I thought he had a fever. That was a good sign at least.

  “Have you been taking the medicine?” I asked him through a hushed whisper. I looked around again, paranoid she’d walk up behind us.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t be fucking standing if I wasn’t. Lana, I’m not kidding. Don’t tell her. It’ll kill her.” His face paled, sweat dripping from his neck into his already darkened shirt.

  “Why are you being nice to her? If anything happens to you, it’ll crush her.”

  “What am I supposed to do? I like the girl. She’s sweet. I’m not going to be an asshole on the chance I might die.”

  “That leg is fucking dead already. We have to do something.” I paced in front of him, running my hand through my hair. “I have to tell someone. Oh my God,” I cried as I stared at the ceiling.

  “Lana.” Kev reached forward and grabbed my wrist, making me stop and face him. “They’ll kill me. Gabe and Jim. You know it.” His dark eyes widened, the pupils heavily dilated.

  “Jim wouldn’t kill you,” I gasped out, furrowing my brows.

  “Of course he would. And if I was in his position, I’d kill me too.”

  “Stop.” I held up my hand and turned away, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Please. I’m not ready to die yet, Lana. Give me a little longer. The second I get a headache or fever, I’ll tell you. Promise.” He pulled my hand against his chest and pressed it against his weirdly thumping heart.

  “What are you guys doing?” Scarlet’s high-pitched voice broke the hold Kev had over me. I squeezed my lips together and stepped back, his hand falling beside him. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing, babe,” Kev said as I backed up. I spun and sped away.

  “What’s her problem?” I heard her ask behind me.

  I turned the corner of an aisle and pressed my back against the shelving as I caught my breath. He was going to die. Seeing the veins of his leg popping out and snaking around the wound made my stomach heave just thinking about it.

  He was right, though. Scarlet would fall apart if she knew how horrible his leg looked. But I didn’t want to protect her only to have him die later. At least she’d have a chance to say goodbye. But it wasn’t my decision to make. What was I going to do?

  After I composed myself, I walked back to where my bags were. Scarlet and Kev stood side by side with Gabe talking to Kev. Jim came over as I positioned the large bag over my shoulders.

  “Are we all set?” Jim asked. He wore a similar backpack to mine, only his was almost double in size. I nodded as Scarlet hiked her bag up and nodded too. She smiled at me, and my heart knotted.

  Her red hair tumbled out of a black ball cap. She appeared younger than she really was, innocent even. The shadiness from the hat made her nose seem larger. She’d be crushed and I couldn’t make eye contact with her.

  Gabriel touched the small of my back as we followed Jim back out the way we came the night before. I jumped a little and wriggled away. He had never even touched my hand before, I didn’t think. His hand near my ass felt way too intimate. I smiled politely and put some distance between us, running forward to catch up with Jim.

  Since we were armed with food and water, we were able to cover a lot more ground. The sun beat down on us as we walked along the side of the highway going south. I glanced up at the noon sun, scalding me with its punishing rays. The heat was better than cold, though for many reasons—one being the eaters appeared slower, more tame. I just peeled off a layer of clothing to cool down.

  Our destination hadn’t changed, and hopefully we would be able to make it there in a day or two. I had trouble believing that Scarlet’s sister was still alive, but I knew that until we could prove it, Scarlet wouldn’t give up. And once we made it to her sisters, we could focus on the greater goal: south and safety. When the weather was no longer an issue, we could rebuild.

  “Shit,” Jim said as he pulled his knife out of his back pocket. Gabe ran from the back of the group, his long sword in one hand and a new knife in the other. I copied them.

  A herd of about seven eaters shuffled towards us. The red eyes connected with me, like I was their singular prey. They stumbled over each other’s feet as the front one moaned. I put my bag down next to Kev and stepped behind Jim and Gabriel.

  “What’s the game plan here?” Gabe asked Jim, clenching his jaw.

  “I’ll circle and get them from behind. You stay and keep them away from Kev. Cover the girls.”

  “What about me?” I asked from behind.

  “Go hide,” Jim growled.

  “No.” I shook my head as I frowned. “I can help.”

  “You’ll only distract me.”

  “Jim—”

  “We don’t have time for you two to bicker. Lana and I will cover the front. Hurry up,” Gabe said as he pushed Jim’s shoulder forward. Jim jerked his shoulder out of Gabe’s hand and left me with a look of disappointment.

  “He doesn’t let you do much, huh?”

  “He’s not my keeper,” I told Gabe as I erased what Jim had said from my mind. I couldn’t focus on how negatively he thought of me. I wanted to help, and I’d kill some of these eaters, too. I could do it. I wasn’t weak anymore. I had to be strong. I had to prove this to myself.

  Three eaters all in line with each other moved closest to us. Gabe went to the left, and I went to the right. I watched as he grabbed an eater by the back of its hai
r and shoved it to the ground. The thought of grabbing its hair made me gag, so I reached around the eater and pulled at its neck.

  He didn’t even put up a fight. As he fell, he knocked me back with him. I protected my head so it didn’t hit the pavement and scrambled up, holding my knife in the air. The eater crawled for me, its navy blue pants coated in something wet. I got onto my knees, and with both hands on my knife, I shoved it through its bloody eye.

  Another eater came forward but tripped on the fallen eater. The woman eater wore a floral dress with a high-heeled shoe dangling from her ankle. The setting sun glared right into my eyes. I had to squint to see the silhouette of the woman. I sliced her, both of my kills falling on top of one another. I panted as I craved more. The adrenaline fueled me.

  I used my hand as a visor and glanced around for the men. Gabe had three bodies around him; Jim had two near his feet. That was it? The three of us took out the seven eaters better than I expected. It wasn’t difficult, just hard to maneuver since their movements were so erratic and without purpose.

  Jim stomped over to me and pulled me up by the elbow. He didn’t say a thing, but then again, he didn’t have to. From his squinted eyes, pursed lips, and drawn together eyebrows, I knew he was pissed.

  “Let’s pitch our tents in the woods.” He grabbed his bag from the top of a Mini Cooper and walked off the highway into the nearby woods. He disappeared behind the line of trees.

  “You did good,” Gabe said as he lifted his hand. I flinched, my heart racing. “High-five, you know?” He cocked his head to the side.

  “Sorry.” I shook my head and slapped his hand. I had to get myself in check.

  We all pitched our tents in silence. Our small camp wasn’t too far off the highway, just enough that nobody would see us or hear us from the lanes of cars. We were shadowed by the trees, so eaters hopefully wouldn’t be attracted to our very-dimmed lights.

  I moaned as I dropped my backpack onto the ground for the night. My shoulders spasmed from the misery of wearing that heavy thing all day. My lower back ignited in fire. I pressed my fingers on a particularly large knot that had formed at the small of my back, trying to massage it out. It was pure anguish. As I rolled my neck, every single joint cracked.