by Kate Morris
“Is anyone in there?” he asked Stephanie, who shook her head. Then he and Roman left them by the truck.
“Looks like you’ve sealed the deal with Roman,” Stephanie commented.
Jane leaned back against the passenger door of the truck and looked at her dirty gym shoes. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Nailed him down. Banged his brains out. Whatever nerds like you call it.”
Jane grimaced at her crude metaphors and language.
“Whatever,” Stephanie said as if disappointed that Jane wouldn’t argue with her. “He’ll eventually dump you like he dumped me. He’s like that. He won’t settle down with anyone. He’s screwed like half the girls I know and a whole lot more from other schools.”
Jane shook her head, wishing they would’ve left her at Roman’s house. “That’s not any of my business.”
“When are you gonna grow up?”
Jane sighed, “I’m really sorry about your mom. Is your step-dad still alive or…”
Stephanie looked away swiftly as Jane’s father came back out for them. He glanced up and down the street before leading them inside.
“Work quickly. Gather what you can. I want out of here in ten,” he ordered.
He went straight for the kitchen, and Jane followed Roman and Stephanie to the upstairs where they went into the master bedroom.
“Oh, my goodness!” Jane exclaimed at the sight of the dead man on the floor. He was naked. Blood was on the ground near him.
“Yeah, that’s Earle. Earle, meet my two best friends, asshole and spineless,” she insulted them.
Jane rushed over to the bed, pulled the top blanket off and covered the man.
“He deserves a little bit of modesty in death,” she said in a clipped tone. The girl was horrible to her in school and apparently to her family, as well.
“When he climbs on top of you for two years every night when your mom’s passed out drunk again, you tell me what he deserves, dumbass,” Stephanie berated and stepped over her abusive step-father’s dead corpse.
“Oh, my,” Jane whispered. She looked over at Roman who was closer to the connecting bathroom door. His expression mirrored hers. He truly felt sorry for Stephanie. “I’m so sorry, Stephanie. That must’ve…”
“Boo-hoo, bitch. Cry me a river,” she said. “Let’s loot whatever I didn’t already stuff in my purse. They always kept the good stuff in the safe in the wall anyway.”
They followed her into the adjoining bathroom where articles were strewn all over the floor from under the cabinets. Then she went into a connecting dressing room that was the size of the entire first floor of her grandmother’s farmhouse. Built into the back wall was a massive safe. She spun the combination and opened it. Inside was a plethora of drugs from prescription bottles to bags of marijuana, several guns, lots of ammunition, and envelopes full of cash. Her mother’s jewelry was also there.
“Fine, it’s a deal,” Roman said and callously turned to retrieve a piece of luggage from the top rack of a closet shelf.
“Wait, I don’t think we should take those drugs,” Jane said as Roman picked up a nearly full sandwich bag of what looked like cocaine.
“Don’t be such a fucking prude,” Stephanie said. “If I’m gonna die, I wanna’ go out higher than a kite and not remember it.”
“Jane, we can use these to negotiate with people if we need to. I’m not taking any of it to use,” he assured her.
She frowned and looked away. Roman walked over to her, leaving the bag with Stephanie to continue loading. He led Jane away and laid his hands gently on her shoulders.
“I don’t like this,” she said. “That stuff’s all illegal. That’s the stuff my mother…” She didn’t want to finish. He already knew it all now anyway.
“Me neither, but if we’re ever in a bad situation with people who would want these drugs, we may be able to negotiate our way out of it if we have a bargaining chip.”
Jane still didn’t like it. Drugs were wrong. They hurt people.
“Vicodin! Awesome!” Stephanie said chipperly as her step-father who’d molested her for years lay dead in the other room, apparently by her own hand.
“We need this stuff,” he said. “And the jewelry and guns and prescriptions. If they’re pain pills and stuff like that, we may need them if one of us gets shot or badly injured and are in a lot of pain. Just go and help your dad, okay? Let me and Stephanie handle this.”
She nodded, and Roman kissed her forehead. As she left the room, Jane glanced once over her shoulder at the two of them foraging the safe and tried not to feel a pang of jealousy.
“If our group gets any bigger, we’re going to need a lot of food to keep us all alive,” her father told her and handed Jane two boxes of dried spaghetti noodles. Outside somewhere in the distance, a noise that sounded like an air raid siren went off again. It creeped her out.
She told her father what Roman said about the drugs, and he agreed with the plan. If her father agreed, then she’d go along with it, even if she didn’t think it was right.
“Jane, listen to me a minute,” he said and paused to turn and look at her. “This Roman kid, I don’t know him, but he seems like a good kid, smart, able to handle himself. If anything were to happen to me…”
“No!” she stated firmly and vehemently shook her head.
“Listen, baby,” he said and cupped her cheek. “If anything happens to me, you try to stay with Roman. He seems to care a lot about you. Don’t let anything come between you. Stick together. Stay by his side no matter what. Don’t let people separate you if you’re ever in a situation like I was in the quarantine. I think the military is gonna set up housing and camps for people. They could try to detain you. They’ll separate you from him most likely. Don’t let it happen. Don’t go to one of those encampments if you can avoid it. He likes you. I can see it in his eyes. Now, I know you were never really into boys and chasing after boys, and hell, I was damn glad for it, but if he’s sweet on you, then I’m okay with that. At least I know if something happened to me, you’d be taken care of.”
Jane nodded, felt tears spring to her eyes at the thought of losing her father, too, and hugged him around the waist. He was so big and strong and capable. Nothing could take him down. Not an infection. Not the night crawler freaks. Not bad people like the one who’d tried to rape her. He was her dad, and she’d be with him for a long time to come. She’d make sure of it.
They finished at Stephanie’s house twenty minutes later, going over the allotted time given by her father, but there was so much to forage. They packed it into the back of her father’s truck and some on the floor in the back seat and drove to Roman’s house again. They worked for hours, packing and organizing and getting everyone ready for the big move in the morning. All of this took place while Roman set up his little brother in his bedroom to play video games, while the television in the living room played the repeating messages from the CDC, the President of the United States, and other world leaders and health officials about the infection, the state of the world, and the new evacuation plans. It would occasionally switch automatically to local news stations to replay the maps of the cities in each state and surrounding states according to the audience of the news channels. There were marked areas in red where the evacuation sites were located. Their feed showed them Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. There were blue ‘safe zones’ that had apparently been established already by the government and were being run by the military. The video crew had filmed what some of them looked like up close. Some were public schools switched over into housing. Roman said that was probably why they’d done a massive cleanup job of all the schools using industrial cleaning services and workers in hazmat suits. Other safe zones were commercial office buildings outside of the city limits in the less congested areas of the state. Each safe zone had fencing with razor wire around the top and armed guards, military vehicles, semi-trucks that looked like they were supposed to be going to grocery stores, and temporary green A
rmy tents set up. It did look safe. But for how long, Jane wondered. She also wondered what was happening to her mother. She hadn’t heard from her, nor had she expected to. She hadn’t had a single word of contact with her since she was arrested. They weren’t going to let her out. She was definitely a violent offender being listed as a convicted murderer. Had she already contracted the virus? Was she still alive? Were there any guards even still able to run the prison? She figured she’d never know.
Noah showed up just after dark, and they all sat down to a final meal in Roman’s huge home. He and her father made everyone hamburgers and steaks on the grill. It was the last of the fresh meat in his fridge. They were planning on taking a lot of frozen meat with them in coolers to her father’s house. He kept a freezer in the basement where it was usually full of venison, which Jane didn’t like. He hunted every fall with his buddies close to where he lived out in the boonies. He also poached when he wanted to because there was no one around for miles and no one who would even care who lived there.
The meal was great, the company pleasant with the exception of Stephanie, who glared or complained most of the time, and Jane tried to find comfort in the fact that she was alive another day. Dez’s mother, however, was still in a wakeful yet near comatose state. Everyone tried to walk on eggshells and be careful of what they said. She was having a tough time of it. Dez forced her to eat.
After the meal, everyone was exhausted and got their showers. There was plenty of hot water because his parents had a tankless heater, whatever that meant. Then people started hitting the sack, splitting up or sharing rooms, and knocking out on couches. Brian slept on the floor in a sleeping bag outside of the guest bedroom where Dez and her mother were sleeping. Stephanie went to a guest bedroom in the basement, as did Noah. However, her dad touched her arm and requested to speak with her in private. He gave her a box of silver and the letter from Nana Peaches. She wept again.
“Don’t tell anyone about this, okay, baby?” her father requested, to which she nodded. “This is only for you to choose what to do with. Roman knows, but I told him not to tell anyone, either. This is yours and yours only. You use it if and when you choose.”
Jane furrowed her brow but didn’t question her father. She figured he knew what was best and trusted him. She also trusted Roman, and it surprised her to what extent and depth that went. He kissed her forehead, touched the top of her head gently, and went to bed on the living room sofa again so that he could make sure nobody came through the French doors from the patio.
In the distance, the sirens went off again followed by loud booms. Jane climbed the stairs and was met at the top in the hallway outside of Connor’s room by Roman.
“Is he asleep?” she asked.
He nodded, “Yeah, finally.”
“Did you tell him about your mother?” she whispered.
Roman took her hand and led her to his bedroom where he closed the door quietly.
“No, don’t tell him, okay? He still thinks she’s in the hospital. He’s been through enough…”
“It’s okay. I understand. I think that’s the right call for now,” she said, standing in front of him.
Roman looked down at her with a pained expression and simply said, “Jane.”
She didn’t know what he meant by that and rose her eyebrows with a quizzical look.
“You never cease to surprise me,” he said and pulled her close.
She had no idea what he meant. Roman tipped her chin back and kissed her on the mouth. It took her breath away. She slid her hands up his chest and into his thick hair. He groaned into her mouth and moved his hands from her waist to her back. Everything on her was bruised and beaten and tired and sore, but his hands felt nice anyway. Jane leaned closer, pressing her chest against his stomach. Roman sucked in a deep breath and pulled her up against him, her feet leaving the floor slightly. Then he set her down, stepped back, and ran a hand through his hair.
“That-that’s not a good idea right now,” he said, confusing her again.
Jane bit her lip and frowned. Had she disappointed him? Her fatigued brain began racing. Maybe Stephanie was telling the truth, and he’d slept with a ton of girls, and she was a complete imbecile. She’d only ever kissed one other boy, and that was in the sixth grade on the playground and really didn’t count anyway because it had been a peck and he’d tattletaled on her for it, and she’d gotten a time-out.
“Sorry,” she muttered with embarrassment, feeling her cheeks ripen.
“Sorry?” he asked in a high-pitched tone and chuckled. “No, not sorry. You shouldn’t say you’re sorry for making me want you.”
He stepped closer and wrapped his arms more gently around her this time. Jane rested her cheek against his chest.
“Don’t ever say you are sorry for that,” he said and kissed the top of her head.
“I just,” Jane started and swallowed hard. “I’ve just never had a boyfriend before, Roman. I don’t exactly know all the rules and what you expect of me and…”
He chuckled and pulled back to look down at her. He swiped his hand across her cheek, pushing her hair back behind her ear. “I don’t expect anything. Every single day I’m with you is a gift, and that was before all this happened. You, Jane Livingston, are a gift.”
She offered up a shy smile.
“So, you’re agreeing to be my girlfriend?” he asked as if he hadn’t been sure before.
She nodded.
“That’s worth fighting another day for,” he said and pulled her tightly to him. After standing there a long time, Roman finally pulled back and said, “You should get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“I just need to shower,” she said.
“You can use mine,” he offered, to which she nodded.
She showered and changed in his bathroom and came out to find him asleep on his bed. He hadn’t slept much lately, so she let him go. She didn’t think her dad would like it if she slept in Roman’s room, so she went down the hall to the next available guest room and slept there. It was hard to go to sleep with the sounds of bombings and shooting guns and sirens in the distance. This must’ve been what it was like living in war-torn countries in Europe during WWII. How frightened they must’ve been. Jane pulled the soft blanket higher to her chin and forced her eyes to close. She thought of her grandmother and how wonderful a person she’d been, how touching her letter was to Jane. Then she thought about her brutal murder and the disgusting man who’d done it. She rolled to her other side and tried to sleep to the muffled sounds of war. Horrible images of monsters that used to be men filtered through her brain. What if they all became infected? What if there really wasn’t a cure and never would be? Were they all doomed, living on borrowed time and false hopes? Would her father become one of those night crawlers? Would Roman? Would she?
Chapter Twenty-seven
November
“Everyone got the directions?” her father asked, to which anyone who was driving answered to the affirmative. “Remember, I’m the lead truck. If you don’t see me pull over and stop, don’t do it, either. If you get lost, use your phone and call me. If you can’t get through, stick to the directions and stay on the course I’ve mapped out. If you don’t, you might find yourself where you don’t wanna’ be. All clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Roman answered him as did Noah and Brian. Stephanie was standing by the truck brushing her blonde hair, which was now considerably shorter, not even shoulder length. Had she cut it last night? Maybe she had extensions in and took them out. Roman wasn’t sure, nor did he care.
Jane was right by his side, stuck there like glue. He was upset because she was riding with her father in the lead truck, and he was driving her grandmother’s truck third in line behind Brian, who was driving his own truck. Noah was bringing up the rear with the horse trailer. He could read a map, but Brian couldn’t, and GPS did not understand her father’s directions or even the location of his home to which they were going. He was stuck with Steph.
His little brother, of course, was also riding with him, which helped his mood slightly. He just wished Jane was going to be with him, too. Brian was taking Dez and her mother. Noah was riding by himself, and Roman didn’t care. He didn’t like the guy too well. He had a sneaking suspicion about Noah and the real reason he broke it off with his fiancée.
It felt strange leaving his home. He wondered if he ever came back here if it would still be standing there. Would air raids destroy it? Would looters burn it to the ground? Would he ever want to return to it or the life he had here? All that mattered now was keeping Jane and Connor safe and alive.
They drove in a caravan going southeast at a steady pace. Buildings were on fire in the distance, housing developments destroyed by bombs or fire or something else. The most dangerous part of the trip was still coming up. They were skirting the freeways, which he could see as they drove under an overpass. They were a congested mess. Broken down vehicles, military trucks and Hummers, emergency responder vehicles and people on foot were crowding them out. It was a dangerous situation up there, especially with trucks full of supplies and the horses. However, they had to drive through some unsavory neighborhoods to get to the main road that would take them to her father’s home in the woods an hour south.
He’d found out that her father was originally from Texas, after all, thus the accent. When he’d met her mother, he’d been in the Army near the end of his service. He’d repeatedly fought in the court systems to take Jane from her, and it had cost him every cent he had. He’d finally taken a good job about five years ago on an oil rigging operation that traveled a lot when he’d finally won custody, so he’d had to give her to Peaches to raise until he could build up enough money to find a lower paying job in order to keep her with him. He was supposed to move closer and quit the oil rig in the spring. He’d also told Roman this morning as they’d checked over the vehicles and loaded jugs of oil and cans of gas into the beds of each truck that he’d worked so hard on that ‘shit job’ so he could afford to pay for Jane to go to college. He hadn’t wanted her to struggle, but he’d meant it to be a surprise at graduation. She was like that. Jane was so small and innocent and vulnerable that people just wanted to take care of her. He certainly did, too.
