by Snow, Jenika
Seconds later, Sasha ran in to follow her sister.
The stench of decay was heavy in the air. Covering her mouth, she found her sister standing in the living room, staring at two dead and decaying bodies on the sofa. Covering her sister’s eyes, she pulled her out of the house.
“Don’t you ever do that, do you hear? Don’t you ever run off like that. It’s not safe. Not for you. Not for me. We’re not safe. What if that had been a man, Lucy, or something else? What would you have done?”
“There’s no one, Sasha. No one.”
She pulled her sister into her arms, holding her close.
“There are people, Lucy. We know there are. We’ve just got to be careful about finding the right ones.”
Chapter Seventeen
Survival of the fucking fittest
The sound of the fire crackling kept Malachi company. He scooped out a pear from the old can he’d found when he’d been scavenging and stared at the fire in front of him.
He was alone, had been for so long now he didn’t know anything different.
But he welcomed it.
Malachi had never been a “people person,” not even when he’d been on top of it all.
He’d expected to at least see someone in his travels, but it was probably best he hadn’t.
The world now wasn’t good, and men like him were dangerous. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone, not then, and certainly not now.
But this life now meant everyone was out for themselves, only took care their own skins, and that was how it should be.
That was how it always should have been. That’s how he had always known who to trust.
He kept going, moving higher up the mountain, away from the city, from civilization. He’d been on the road for weeks, the reserve of his food and water gone, and now the only thing he had to rely on was himself. This was a far different world than what he’d grown up in, than the one he’d ruled. But it was the same as well.
A wasteland.
Feral.
Survival of the fittest.
If you’re weak you’re dead.
Easy as that.
The same world but different.
He reached in and grabbed another pear. In the distance the sound of twigs snapping came through the air. Far too close for comfort. Malachi stood instantly. He scanned his surroundings, the shadows thick, the darkness not able to be penetrated with his gaze.
He set the can down, reached for his gun, cocked it, and continued working his gaze in all directions.
For long moments he saw nothing, but he felt it. Someone was out there.
Watching.
Waiting.
And then he saw him, a man emerging from the tree line, his beard long, his eyes wild. Malachi tensed, this feeling off, one he knew well.
He reached behind him to the waistband of his jeans, pulled out his hunting knife, and stared at the man, never taking his focus off him.
“There’s nothing for you here,” Malachi said.
The man smiled, his teeth brown, his eyes still fucking feral looking.
“You have food,” he said, his voice scratchy. He took a step closer and Malachi lifted the gun, aiming it at the stranger. He felt no fear. Malachi only felt resolve and the will to survive. He knew this cat and mouse game well enough. He’d grown up fighting for what was his.
And all of this shit was his.
He was out in the middle of nowhere, and this fucker was about to realize he’d messed with the wrong guy.
“Last chance to leave while you’re still alive,” Malachi said, not retreating, not feeling anything but cold hatred. This man would die tonight, and Malachi would have no trouble sleeping.
“I need your food,” the man said and came closer, grinning, the rusty knife in his hand the only weapon Malachi could see.
“You come closer and I’ll put a bullet right in your fucking head.” Although he’d prefer to save his bullets because anymore they were hard to come by, he’d end this sooner rather than later.
But then again, he had his knife.
“We’re all dead anyway,” the stranger said and lunged forward faster than Malachi had anticipated.
He slammed into Malachi. They both stumbled backward, and without thinking, because this needed to end now, Malachi thrust his arm forward. The knife went into the man easily, like a hot knife through butter. There was a moment where the man looked stunned, opening and closing his mouth as if he were a fish out of water.
He shoved the stranger away and the man fell to his knees, looking down at the wound on his side.
And yet Malachi felt nothing.
No remorse.
No sadness.
Nothing but the feeling that the world still moved forward despite the shit thrown his way.
And once again, he realized how much he was made for this new world.
The man fell forward, the life fading from him as he stared up at Malachi.
Malachi stared at the corpse in front of him, the blood covering his ratty, dirty clothes, the scent of death in the air.
Then he tucked his gun in the waistband of his jeans and cleaned his knife off on the coat sleeve of the man on the ground.
Death wasn’t a new concept to him.
He lived it, embraced it.
He felt nothing but resolve.
The night and the heavy trees around him made it impossible for him to really see the once living man.
Malachi turned without giving it another thought, knowing that he’d pack up in the morning and find another place to set up camp. He’d been staying on the mountain for this reason …. to stay away from others. But he had to keep moving, had to keep scavenging to stock up on more supplies.
He pulled out the map he carried in his coat pocket, stared at the small town that was only a few hours walk north, and knew that’s where he’d hit tomorrow.
He sat back down, picked up the can of pears he’d set down, and started eating them again. And once again the only company he had was that of the crackling fire and the corpse lying a few feet from him.
Chapter Eighteen
There’s no one
After Sasha got her sister back to the house, she was so tired. Exhaustion was eating away at her and it wasn’t a good look, not even close. In fact, her entire life was really starting to suck big time and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she blew out a breath and stared up at the ceiling.
Compared to the rest of the world, the ceiling looked in pristine order. It was kind of crazy to be thinking this, especially with everything going on in her life.
Lucy lay beside her, fast asleep.
The world was no longer harming her sweet sister.
Turning her head, she looked at her, and wished she could protect her better. The time in the cabin had been good for her at least. She had that. But for how long?
Being in a town sounded great but this was quite a large place compared to the cabin, and they would encounter other people.
Tears filled her eyes as she tried not to panic.
She didn’t know how much she could take.
Not now.
This wasn’t her job.
She had been in her final year of high school, or would have been if the entire world hadn’t been plunged into this shithole.
Sasha couldn’t believe she even missed school.
What kind of kid missed going to school? Missed being in classes with smartass teachers who knew all the answers?
“You’re crying,” Lucy said, startling her.
“You should be asleep.” She quickly brushed the tears away.
“I was but now I’m not. What’s wrong, Sasha?”
“Nothing.”
“Is it because I wanted to find people?”
“No, of course not. But we’ve got to be careful.”
“I hope we can find you a prince.”
Sasha chuckled. She turned on her side, giving her sister her f
ull attention. “A prince?”
“Yes, and then we could all live happily ever after. A prince will protect you.”
Sasha thought about the men she’d killed already. “I don’t need a man to protect me.”
“I know. Do you remember Dad always telling us that we had to learn to do things our way and not expect a guy to do it for us?”
This made Sasha smile. Their father had believed that even though they were women growing up in a male dominant world, females could still be the stronger sex.
Now in the world where craziness ensued, what was she supposed to do?
Could she match men in a fight?
So far, she’d been able to get lucky, and that was because of a weapon. Would she be able to fight them off in any other circumstance?
“You’ve gone sad again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you miss the cabin?”
“Not so much.” The men who’d invaded the cabin had pretty much confirmed for her it was time to move on.
She only wished they’d gotten out sooner for Lucy’s safety.
“It had some good memories for us though, right?” she asked.
“Yes. So what’s the plan?”
“You’re sounding all grown up and in charge, young lady.”
“I want to help. I know you’re worried and I don’t want to worry you.”
She reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her sister’s ear. “I’ll always worry about you, sweetheart.”
“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
She thought about the men again.
The blood.
The death.
“I know you can but Dad told me to take care of you. You wouldn’t want him to be upset with me, would you?”
Lucy shook her head. “We’ll stay together. Explore together and survive together.” Lucy held out her pinkie finger and Sasha took it.
“In that case, I think we should stick around this town for a couple of days.” At least while it was deserted, but she didn’t let Lucy know that. “We need to find some way to wash.”
“We both smell,” Lucy said.
“We do. We can’t stay here forever. We’ll have to gather some supplies, and then we’re going to have to leave as well.”
Lucy nodded. “Do you think we’ll ever be in the same place?”
“I don’t know.”
“I hope we find people that are not mean and don’t want to hurt us.”
Sasha quickly wiped her eyes again. “Me too. So much. Believe me, I want you to be able to play again.” She hoped to find a sanctuary of some kind.
“You’re sad again,” Lucy said.
“I’m just thinking about our parents.”
“You miss them?”
Sasha giggled. “Yes. Do you?”
“All the time. I try not to think about them. It makes me sad to know they’re not here and we know they’d love to be.”
She cupped Lucy’s cheek, pressing her head against Lucy’s. “I know. I know.”
“I’m happy with you though, Sasha.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. You need to get some sleep. We both need to be fit and ready for tomorrow.”
“Okay but you’ve got to sleep as well.”
“Already on it.” She closed her eyes, waiting.
She wasn’t going to be able to sleep.
Not tonight.
Time passed and she felt Lucy finally relax and fall asleep. When she heard the first snore, Sasha opened her eyes and stared at her sister.
“I love you, Lucy, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” She took a deep breath and slowly expelled it.
The night was so silent, too silent.
She was used to falling asleep with the noise of animals and the occasional passing car, or even people walking past.
Nothing.
Zip.
Nadda.
Just another sign of the world not being the same.
Of it being a scary place.
One filled with men who had rape on the brain.
The death that surrounded them she had to protect Lucy from.
This time, when the tears started, she didn’t wipe them away. She let them fall down her cheeks and land on the bed beside her. Each one was a clear sign of the misery she felt.
Of the heartache.
Whatever happened, she would protect her sister and keep her alive.
No matter what.
Tomorrow, she’d find more weapons. This town had to have some, and she was going to make sure no one hurt her or Lucy.
Chapter Nineteen
Quiet before the storm
After using the cold water in the house, Sasha and Lucy were washed. She could start a fire and heat the water, but it took time and patience, both of which she didn’t have right now. A little cold water never hurt anyone and she and Lucy were clean now, if a little cold.
They’d found some clothing left by the owners of the house. They were admittedly a little on the bigger side, but they were better than wearing their dirty ones or going naked.
“I feel like an old lady,” Lucy said, spinning around in the dress that fell to her ankles.
“Don’t, Lucy. It’s not nice.”
“I don’t mean to be mean. I just … it’s a nice dress. Like Mom used to wear.”
“Mom wasn’t old.”
“To me she was. I didn’t mean to be mean.”
“I know. I know. It’s just me.” She hugged her sister. “So you want to go and explore?”
“Yes!” Lucy yelled.
“Shh, I know we’re alone for now but I don’t want to risk it, you know. Please.”
Lucy’s arms went back to her sides and she looked so sad.
Sasha hated herself for doing this. It was like she’d become the queen of refusing to have fun.
“I know I suck right now as a sister.”
“It’s fine. We’ve got to be careful.”
Sasha nodded. “Ready to go?”
“Yes.”
They’d already gone through the rules and she didn’t feel the need to repeat any of them, at least not right now. Not after she’d already scolded her sister for having fun.
Leaving the house, Sasha held Lucy’s hand, keeping a firm grip on the gun she’d hidden in the waistband of her jeans. She’d been practicing for some time now and was a fast draw.
If she didn’t kill the person outright, she’d at least cause some damage, hopefully allowing her sister to run far and to run fast.
They stepped out into the town, and Sasha moved them close to the wall. She made sure Lucy was behind her at all times. She chanced a quick look around the wall, saw it was clear and stepped out.
She stayed still, looking everywhere as they made it past the first building. The glass was broken and it looked like bricks had been thrown through the windows. On closer inspection, she saw money on the ground. It was a bank.
People had tried to rob a bank. But money was useless in this world. It had to be. Who wanted money to buy things that didn’t have a purchase price?
“That’s weird, right?” Lucy asked.
“Just a little, you know. Strange.”
“It’s a lot of money. Should we take some?”
“Nah, we don’t need it.” Money was useless.
Holding on to Lucy, they stepped past another shop, this one a clothing store. Glancing back at Lucy, she knew they had to make a stop.
“Come on,” Sasha said.
“I don’t need new clothes.”
“You’re getting some. I don’t want you tripping and hurting yourself.” The store was closed but it also hadn’t been broken into.
Going against all of her teachings for her entire life, Sasha used the butt of the gun to smash the window. She made Lucy step back as she did this.
Once it was safe for her, she let Lucy through, and they stepped into the shop.
“This is really creepy. I don’t like it, Sasha.”
> “I know. I know.” She went to the first stand and found some jeans in Lucy’s size and a shirt. “Come on, try these on. They’ll be better for you.”
Next, she grabbed some socks and sneakers. Both of which would be better than the clothes she was wearing. When Lucy was dressed and looked so much better, Sasha looked for herself.
She went for a pair of combat pants, a shirt, and a large bag for when they were ready to move on.
Once they were outfitted, she grabbed Lucy’s hand and headed back out into the street. Their next stop was the supermarket.
The windows had been smashed in and trash lay all over the place. Cars burned out. The entire place was empty.
“You think this is weird?” Lucy asked.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about how weird everything is.”
“Okay, so it’s good for me to be a little freaked then?”
“Yeah.” Sasha didn’t like that her little sister wasn’t happy.
This was not the kind of life any young girl should have to face. Keeping Lucy behind her, she entered the supermarket and paused, looking out of the door, across the town.
“What is it?” Lucy asked.
“I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“How?”
“Like someone’s watching us.” She looked across the town but there was nothing unusual. Everything was in the right place, nothing out of the ordinary.
Putting a hand on Lucy’s back, she urged her sister further inside the supermarket. Once they were as far from the windows as possible, she let go of her sister and looked into the bag. “We need to get food and stuff, just fill this bad boy up.”
Lucy laughed. “Got it.”
They walked up and down the aisles getting things they’d need. Cans of fruit, beans, and everything that had a shelf life. There was no fresh food as that already had mold growing on it.
“I miss Mom’s cooking,” Lucy said.
“I do too.” With the bag full, she did it up and placed it on her back. “We’ll make the most of it.”
Taking her sister’s hand again, they walked out of the supermarket and Sasha paid careful attention to her surroundings. Something felt off to her, and she didn’t like it.
