“What’s that?”
Jay jerked his thumb toward the kitchen. “Minor flooding… want to see?”
“Um, sure.”
I followed Jay to the back door. He pulled it open and water splashed onto the linoleum floor.
“Are you kidding me?” I said staring into the flooded back yard. “You call this minor flooding?”
Jay shrugged. “The backyard always floods when it rains. Usually, not quite this bad, though.”
“This has to be like two feet,” I said as my eyes went toward the garage.
“It’s always worse right here,” Jay said. “Everything downstairs is probably destroyed.”
“Most of it seemed as though it already had been,” I muttered.
Jay chuckled and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Sorry, I know this isn’t funny.”
“It’s not funny at all. We’re trapped here,” I said as my shoulders bobbed with my rapid breaths. “We’re trapped.”
Chapter Seven
Jay shook his head. “It’ll start draining away. It probably already has.”
“It’s still raining,” I said throwing my hands into the air. “It’s so deep I could swim to the SUV. Oh, my God.” I brought my shaking hand to my lips. “What if the car doesn’t start?”
“It’s not that deep over there,” Jay said. “I’m sure your car is fine but it won’t be if you try to drive through all that.”
The water sitting on the driveway was nearly as deep as it was next to the back door. I’d never seen anything like it in all of my life.
“How many steps are there here? Two? Three,” I asked looking down.
“Three,” Jay replied as he closed the door. He reached over and held my elbow. “Careful, don’t slip. The floor gets slippery when wet.”
I lightly shrugged him away and walked back to the living room with my arms crossed. Blake wasn’t going to be happy and neither was Maddie. I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt other than the feeling of being trapped was making me feel claustrophobic. It was like being locked in the basement all over again.
I opened the front door and stared at the thick trunk of the tree blocking the exit from the front door. There was no way over it and there was no way under it but the flooding didn’t reach the top of the stairs.
“This town is pretty bad when it comes to flooding. There is a river not far that always overflows. A lot of the roads out of town would typically be closed after a storm like that,” Jay said reached around me to push at the tree. It didn’t budge. “This is going to sound crazy and I know that you can’t leave right now but I was wondering something.”
“What?” I asked. There was barely any sound behind the airy word.
“I was wondering if I could come with you guys. I’d offer to pay you but I don’t think money has much value anymore. I’ll get down on my hands and knees and beg you if it comes to that,” Jay said pushing uselessly against the tree again before closing the door. “I can’t do this. I can’t be alone here any longer. If you leave me, I’ll lose my mind.”
I swallowed hard, giving him a quick glance. It was enough to know that he was being serious.
“It’s not up to me,” I said.
“But you could convince them,” Jay said. “I can tell you’re a good person and I know that you believe me when I say that I am too. The worst thing I did in my life was steal a pack of gum when I was ten. Well, when I was seventeen, I smoked a joint but seriously, that’s a bad as I get.”
I drew in a breath as I walked away from him. Jay’s eyes were on me but I tried to ignore them.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said glancing up to meet his gaze. “But I can’t promise anything. Blake is very protective and apprehensive. I’m not even sure why you’d want to come with us when we don’t even know what we’re going to be walking into.”
“I guess that’ll be better than waking every day to the same old same old, not knowing which day will be the one I run out of food,” Jay said. “Maybe I just don’t want to die here.”
Our conversation came to an abrupt end as Blake came down the stairs. His hair was messy waves crashing against each other. At least he got sleep… or maybe it wasn’t disheveled because of sleep.
“Morning,” Blake said sitting on the second from last step. He pulled on his shoes and stood. “You guys see the damage out there? I think your neighbor’s house is completely gone.”
“Yeah,” Jay said scratching just behind his ear. “You probably couldn’t see it but there is a giant tree on my front porch. Take a look.”
Blake narrowed his eyes but pulled open the front door. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah,” Jay said. “Know how to use a chainsaw?”
Blake nodded as he looked at Jay out of the corner of his eye. “You have one?”
“No,” Jay said shaking his head. “And I’m not sure I’ll be able to get one for a day or two.”
“A day or two?” Blake asked, his nose wrinkling with confusion.
Jay told him about the flooding. I stayed on the couch while they went into the kitchen to look. Blake’s cursing caused me to shiver.
“Just guess,” Blake said as they walked back into the living room. “How long until it drains enough so that we can drive out of here.”
“A day or two,” Jay said. “Three at the most.”
“Three?” Blake roared.
I inhaled the chilly morning air deeply. “It’s not like it’s his fault it rained. Could have been worse if we’d been out there.”
“Could have outrun it,” Blake countered.
“Not if we wouldn’t have been able to lose James’s men. We lost them thanks to Jay,” I said.
Blake sighed as he studied me. “You’re right. There isn’t anything we can do. I mean, we could try to slowly drive through but if something happens to the SUV, then we’d have to try to find a replacement. Sorry, Kit.”
“It’s fine,” I said.
Blake wanted things to go quickly for Maddie and me. He knew just how badly we wanted to find Polly.
“Jay?” I said softly.
“Yes?” he replied instantly.
“Could you get me some water?” I asked.
Jay hesitated. He was worried about his supplies but if he was going to be coming with us, he was going to have to learn how to share.
“Sure,” Jay said.
When I heard movement in the other room, I stood and looked into Blake’s eyes. My nerves twitched but I blurted out what Jay had asked.
“No way,” Blake said. He lowered his voice and stepped an inch closer. “We don’t know anything about that guy.”
“Look around,” I said keeping my voice low. “He’s just a guy who lost everything. Jay isn’t any different from you or I. He just didn’t have a neighbor that saved him.”
There were pictures of his family on the wall. The house looked like a bachelor pad but once upon a time, it had been a home he’d shared with his wife and kid.
“We can’t just leave him here to die,” I said with a heavy sigh. “At least I can’t.”
There was a long moment before Blake spoke. “Are you sure about this?”
“I am,” I said firmly. “Not everyone can be bad.”
“Whitney’s not going to be thrilled,” Blake said letting a small smile grow on his face.
I huffed. “Whitney isn’t ever thrilled about anything.”
Blake laughed.
“Can I come back into the room now?” Jay called from the kitchen.
I laughed before bringing my finger to my lips to chew the nail. “Yeah, come on back. But only if you have some water for me.”
Jay came back into the room, handing me a small cup filled halfway with water. “Oh, I have lots of water for you but you probably shouldn’t drink it. Or bathe in it. Or really even walk through it. Who knows what’s lurking below the surface?”
I smiled but my mind went elsewhere. I imagined the arms of the sick, reaching up to pull us under th
e water. It was a terrifying thought.
Blake’s voice telling Jay he could join us whisked me away from my dreadful thoughts. Jay was smiling as he patted me on the back like I was his best chum.
“Thanks, Kit,” Jay said with a big, toothy smile. “I’d hug you but you don’t really strike me as the hugging type.”
“Yeah, I’m not,” I said. “But you’re welcome. Don’t mention it.”
Blake walked over to the front window and peeked out. His eyes shifted back to Jay over his shoulder. “Pack up whatever supplies you have left.”
Jay nodded nervously. “It’s all I have left.”
“If you’re with us, you’re with us,” Blake said. “Which means we will work together to find more. You don’t have to come.”
“No,” Jay said holding up his hand. “I don’t have much but I’ll pack up what I can. I’m grateful for this, I really am.”
It was two slow, boring days before the flood water retreated enough for us to leave. Driving away from the house looked as though it was painful for Jay but there was a glimmer of hope in the corners.
But it wasn’t long until the sparkle vanished.
Chapter Eight
“There is so much that’s just gone,” Jay mumbled as we drove away from his house. “This doesn’t even look like my neighborhood. It’s like my house was just picked up and placed somewhere completely different.”
Whitney gave Jay a comforting pat on the shoulder. It was apparent that driving away from Jay’s house was painful for him but it would have been regardless.
Water still covered sections of the road but it wasn’t so treacherous that the SUV couldn’t make it through. The rain had stopped but everything was a mess.
Parts of buildings were strewn about… some of them completely obliterated. Jay would point to an area and say what store or business had been there but we didn’t know the town.
Even though we didn’t know the area, I think we all knew exactly how incredibly lucky we’d been to be inside Jay’s house during the storm. It was one of the few that only suffered minor damage.
“I can’t believe all this,” Whitney said.
“Maybe it blew all of the sick away,” Maddie said.
“Maybe,” Jay said brightly.
Blake’s eyes flicked to the rear view mirror. “Too bad that’s not enough to kill them.”
“Oh, right,” Maddie said. “Still, maybe it blew them all far away from us.”
“That would be nice,” I said turning to give her a smile over my shoulder.
Maddie wasn’t looking my way. Her chin was rested on her balled-up fist and her eyes were glued to the surrounding destruction.
“I should have peed before we left,” Whitney said.
“Oh my God,” Maddie groaned.
Whitney squeaked out a small laugh. “Only kidding. Of course, I went to the bathroom. It was a sad attempt to lighten the mood.”
“Oh.” Maddie paused. “Not bad, actually. I totally believed you.”
“I’m not stopping,” Blake said sternly and fatherly. Both Whitney and Maddie giggled. Blake smirked at their response. “At least not any time soon. We need to put a lot of time in to make up for staying at Jay’s.”
“Don’t blame me for the weather,” Jay said attempting to join in the conversation. But it hadn’t worked. It killed it.
It was going to take time for everyone to adjust to our new traveling companion. I’m sure it didn’t help matters that he was sitting where Dax usually sat.
“This is just so sad,” I said looking out of the window, scanning our surroundings. It seemed like something out of a movie.
Off to the side of the road, in the middle of an empty lot, there was a car rolled over onto its side. The siding was dented and the front end was crushed. It looked as though the whole thing had been gripped in a giant’s hand and thrown for miles.
“Look at that,” I said pointing at the car. “That could have happened to us if we would have been out here.”
I stopped talking the second I realized what I was looking at. There was no mistaking that it had been the car that had been following us. They’d given up. They were about to leave town.
A man jumped in front of the SUV and Blake slammed on the brakes. My head jerked forward sharply at the unexpected movement.
“Everyone okay?” Blake asked. “People have to stop doing that.”
The man placed his hands on the hood as if he’d used a magical power to stop the SUV. There was dried blood streaking down both cheeks and coating his hands.
“Is he sick?” Jay asked.
“Don’t think so but put on your masks anyway,” Blake advised as he cracked the window. “Step away from my car.”
The man grinned. There was even blood staining his teeth.
“I’m not moving,” the man said. “You have to help me.”
“There isn’t anything we can do for you,” Blake shouted out the cracked window. “Did you forget it wasn’t that long ago you were trying to capture us?”
“It wasn’t my idea,” the man said shaking his head and slapping his palms down on the hood.
Blake grabbed the gun off the dash. His fingers wrapped around the handle of the gun, tightening until his knuckles were as white as snow.
“Please move,” Blake warned.
“They’re dead. It’s just me,” the guy said. “I’m not going to do anything to you guys. I never was.”
Blake laughed. “You were going to try to bring us back, though, weren’t you?”
“Man, I’m just trying to survive out here,” he said.
Blake kept his eyes on the man. His voice was low. “I’m going to have to shoot this guy.”
“You can’t just leave me here,” the guy begged. “I’m bleeding. There’s a gash on my thigh and another somewhere on my back.”
“Run him over.” Whitney’s voice was soft and shaky. “He could be sick.”
“I don’t think he’s sick,” I mumbled.
Whitney huffed. “But you don’t know. He could be.”
Blake let off the brake and the car rolled forward an inch before he stepped on the brake again. The guy took a small step back in surprise but he didn’t move out of the way.
“I can’t just run him down,” Blake said.
“Let’s switch spots,” Whitney said.
Blake ignored her. Whitney talked a big game but it was likely because she knew Blake wasn’t going to give her the driver’s seat.
“Shit!” Blake said hitting the wheel. “If he were sick, I could do this easier.”
I knew exactly what he meant. There is no way I could do it even after everything the guy had done. He hadn’t succeeded and things had changed… he was standing in front of us, looking as though he’d climbed out of his own grave.
“I’ll do it,” Jay said.
“Holy crap!” Whitney said backing away from him.
I twisted sharply and saw the gun in Jay’s hand. “You’re armed?”
“Yeah,” Jay said with a shrug. “Shouldn’t I be?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” I asked.
“I didn’t think it mattered,” Jay said. “You guys have one.”
The guy pounded his palms on the hood hard. “Please, just help me. Take me to a different outpost where someone can help me. Don’t let me die out here.”
Jay looked at the man and then down at the gun his hand. I heard the door open but Jay didn’t push it open.
“Huh,” he said with a barely audible laugh. “Guess this is harder than I thought. I can’t do it either.”
“Great,” Blake said. “So, what do we do?”
“Someone’s going to have to do it,” Whitney said.
“I’ll do it,” Maddie offered.
“The hell you will,” I responded instantly.
The guy at the front of the SUV didn’t stop begging. His voice got softer with each word.
His eyes widened in surprise. He stopped begging and looked at his bo
dy as if something was wrong with it. Like it suddenly didn’t fit him any longer.
His body started shaking violently. He reached out, holding onto the hood as if he was afraid of vibrating away from his only chance at help.
“Oh, no,” Blake said.
The guy put his head down and vomit poured out of his mouth. I covered my eyes but opened them again when the door behind me opened.
“Jay! No, he’s sick!” I said but Jay was already outside. The gun popped twice and the guy dropped to the ground.
Jay came back into the SUV, closing the door with a loud exhale. Blake looked at him over his shoulder.
“I could have done it now,” Blake said.
“You get the next one,” Jay said. “Wonder if it’ll get easier.”
“I doubt it,” Blake said shifting the SUV into park. “But there’s more work to be done.”
“Let’s just go,” Whitney said.
Blake shook his head. “We have to finish this. Jay, I could use your help. Everyone else stay put.”
“I wish I could stay put,” Jay said.
“Fine,” Blake said. “I’ll take care of it myself.”
“I was only kidding,” Jay said his voice muffled by the mask. “Might as well see how this is done.”
Blake nodded.
They stepped out of the SUV. Blake’s gaze scanned every direction before he reached the front of the car.
I should have offered to help but my stomach was swirling and my head was throbbing. Whitney maybe had the right idea… that we should have just left the guy to pop up again and be someone else’s problem. Hell, he probably would have made his way back to James’s outpost.
Blake and Jay each had one of the guy's legs. They worked together to drag him over to the car where I could see the blur of his dead buddies’ heads pressed against the ground.
They left him next to the car. It looked like Blake and Jay were discussing something as they stood there with their hands on their hips.
“What are they doing?” Whitney asked.
Jay knelt down and it was only a few seconds before I realized what they’d planned. Blake and Jay were walking quickly away from the car.
What Remains Series (Book 3): Infected Page 4
