Gage raised a brow. “This one really suits me, sorry.”
“Dammit,” I said knowing it wasn’t a battle I was going to win.
We filled the pack with the rest of the usable goods from the pantry. I hated sparkling water but I packed as much as I could into the pack.
Once it was full, I put the pack on and sighed. I couldn’t even see what I looked like but I knew it wasn’t good.
“I look ridiculous,” I groaned.
“It’s not that bad,” Gage said. “A little bold. Cute, though.”
I glared at him and he laughed as if my reaction was amusing. I couldn’t even find a little humor in the situation.
“Fine,” Gage said. “I’ll carry it.”
“No,” I said appreciating the offer. “It’s fine. You’d look even more ridiculous.” I cocked my head to the side. “Maybe not more ridiculous but equal.”
Gage laughed. But his laugh dropped as he looked outside the front window.
“Dang,” Gage said. “Getting dark fast.”
I exhaled slowly. I hadn’t even considered what we’d do once it was night.
“Do we want to get caught out there at night,” Gage asked.
What he was really asking was if we should stay in the stinky house. I had no idea what we should do but somehow, I’d become the one Gage turned to for answers. It probably had something to do with his vision because I didn’t know the first thing about this kind of thing. I’d never even gone camping.
“Probably not,” I said. “We’ll stay.”
Gage took the pink unicorn bag from me and walked over to the table. He set both packs down before going back into the kitchen. He started opening the drawers and cabinets.
“Looking for something?” I asked sitting back down at the table.
“Matches,” Gage said.
“Even if you find some, they won’t work,” I said.
Gage shrugged. “Still want to try.”
He reached up into the last cabinet above the refrigerator and pulled out a light blue lighter. Gage looked at me before holding down the button and quickly rolling the spark wheel.
Nothing happened.
He tried again… still nothing.
Gage shook the light forcefully. After a second, he pressed it down on the counter and rolled it vigorously back and forth.
He looked at me before quickly rolling the wheel again. When nothing happened, he frowned but he didn’t give up.
Gage continued to rub the lighter back and forth on the counter. He did it for so long the sound became irritating.
I was about to beg him to stop when he rolled his thumb on the wheel again. A medium-sized flame popped up like Gage had performed some kind of magical spell.
“Are you kidding me?” Gage said laughing as he hit the counter. He stared at the flame-like it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen.
“Now what?” I asked. “We can’t just sit around that little flame.”
“I wonder if I could start a fire in the oven,” Gage said.
I shook my head. “I doubt that would be safe. Besides, all the wood is waterlogged.”
“Maybe out front?” Gage asked.
“That won’t keep us warm in here,” I said. “And what about the rain?”
“You’re going to shoot down every idea, aren’t you?” Gage asked.
I looked away from him. “Just the bad ones.”
“Whatever,” Gage said. “You can sit at the table while I try to find some wood.”
He reached into one of the opened drawers and took out a serrated knife. I kept my eyes on him as he started shaving one of the wooden cabinet doors.
I must have drifted off at the kitchen table because when I opened my eyes, Gage was no longer in the kitchen. My blood boiled, not because I was afraid but because I was angry at myself for being so careless.
“Gage,” I called out and for a split-second, it felt as though my heart had stopped.
“Yeah,” he called back. “Out here.”
I walked out of the front door to find Gage under a little wooden shelter he’d built. He’d used the front door as a roof and another two pieces of wood as two sides of the wall. The siding of the house formed the third wall.
“You got it to work,” I said, my voice saturated with surprise.
“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “I wasn’t sure if I would be able to but I managed to get to some wood that was dry enough. Took forever to chisel my way to it with that stupid knife, though.”
“I’m impressed,” I said. “But you should have woke me.”
Gage shook his head. “You need to sleep too.”
“You managed all this without being able to see very well?” I asked.
“Yeah, maybe I’m getting used to it.” Gage gestured for me to sit next to him on a blanket. “Yeah, I know it’s wet but it’s better than sitting in the mud. I squeezed out as much water as I could. It’s not too bad.”
I sat down and instantly felt the heat on my cheeks. My insides were so cold that it felt like I was a pig on a spit roasting over an open fire.
“Nice, right?” Gage asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
And it was. It was just a big change from feeling like I was walking around in a refrigerator. It was going to take a little getting used to.
Smoke from the fire rose up through a large crack left at the top of Gage’s little shelter. The wooden door kept the rain from falling onto the fire and putting it out.
“Where did you learn how to do all this?” I asked.
Gage shrugged. “TV, videos, and just trying stuff.
“I’m impressed,” I said.
“Thanks,” Gage said. “But don’t get used to it. I just got lucky.”
“I wonder if we could dry our clothes next to the fire.”
Gage tapped his chin. “We probably could. Worst case, we start them on fire.”
“Well, we don’t want that,” I said. “Not sure it’s even worth attempting it when we’ll just get soaked again the second we step out from under your shelter.”
“It would be nice to take a shower with fresh water and dry off,” Gage said with a sigh.
“Nice? It would be amazing,” I said picking up a pebble and rolling it between my fingers. “It would be life-changing.”
Gage laughed. After a long moment, he looked over at me. He drew in a long breath.
“Maybe we should stay here,” he said.
My eyes narrowed.
“I know,” Gage said. “Terrible idea.”
“We can’t stay here,” I said. “The water could come back.”
“Yeah,” Gage said. “I’m just not thrilled about the idea of walking for miles. My feet are sore. Everything is blurry.”
My lips curled downward. “It’ll be safer inland.”
“I know.”
“You should get some rest,” I said.
Gage sat for a moment before rolling over onto his side. I watched the rain fall as Gage slept and the second the sky brightened with the grayness of daylight, I shook him awake.
“What?” Gage groaned. When he saw me standing, looking down at him, he popped up. “Forgot where I was.”
My eyes shifted north. “Time to go.”
19
Joss
I had no idea how long we’d been walking but it had been hours. My feet squeaked inside my shoes and my calves ached. We hadn’t stopped for a break since we’d left town.
Caleb grunted every time he switched the bag from one shoulder to the other and declined each time I offered to take a turn. He claimed he was fine.
I hid it from Caleb but tears rolled down my cheeks quite frequently. It was too hard not to think about what had happened to my family and friends. I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to be able to go on without them.
My family had been close. Sure, I’d wanted to move away but that hadn’t been because I didn’t love them with every ounce of my being. That was because I thought I was ready
to be on my own. Desperate for privacy.
I was lucky to still have Caleb but it wasn’t the same. When it came to my family, I’d known them my whole life and I needed them. I never thought I’d be without them, at least not so soon in my life.
My heart was shattered into a million pieces and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be okay. There were times I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to keep going. What was the point? The heaviness inside me was a boulder I wouldn’t be able to carry along with me forever. The pain was too much.
The tears blended in with the raindrops so Caleb had no idea exactly how sad I was. It was better that way because I didn’t want to talk about it. He was probably going through similar things, having lost his family too.
Clover, however, nuzzled me when the sadness overtook me. She could somehow sense it.
The fact that we hadn’t seen anyone else was distressing. Panic inducing. How would Caleb and I have a chance if no one else had? Everything was a mess and neither of us knew the first thing about surviving a disaster like what we’d been through and what we were still experiencing.
Clover let out a loud meow next to my ear. When I ignored her, she turned toward Caleb and called out again, louder and longer than the first time.
“Is she okay?” Caleb asked. “That sounded like a painful noise.”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “Maybe she’s just hungry.”
“Oh. Right,” Caleb said coming to an abrupt stop. “Are you hungry too?”
I shrugged. My stomach rumbled to indicate that I was but the sadness filling my heart said I wasn’t.
“I was just trying to cover as much ground as possible,” Caleb explained as he reached into the bag and pulled out a can of dog food. “The more rain that falls, the quicker I want to move my feet to get there.”
“Get where?” I asked.
Caleb looked down. “I don’t know.”
Clover’s eyes were half-closed as if she knew what Caleb was about to offer her wasn’t her favorite. He opened the can with a sharp pop. The sound excited Clover and she almost leaped off my shoulder to get to the food.
“Whoa! Hold on, kitty,” I said grabbing her and gently lowering her wiggling body to the wet ground. She moved her paws as though the ground was made of hot coals. Apparently, standing on the soggy earth was uncomfortable for her.
“Any special requests?” Caleb asked digging around in the bag.
I shook my head. It didn’t matter. Hell, I didn’t even know what my choices were. I hadn’t done a great job helping to pack the bag. Sadly, I was a useless traveling companion.
Caleb handed me a bag of chips and a chocolate bar. I liked chocolate as much as the next person but I craved something more substantial. Something like a cheeseburger with everything and a large side of seasoned fries.
“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked. He must have noticed my scrunched-up nose.
“Sorry, nothing. I just wish this was a cheeseburger with everything. Even mayo and I’d even leave the onions on it,” I said swallowing as if I could taste the cheesy juiciness. My body was about to be very disappointed with what I was about to put inside it.
“What kind of monster would take the onions off anyway?” Caleb asked with a smirk. “Is it even a burger if it doesn’t have onions?”
I swallowed again and frowned. “I think we have to stop talking about burgers unless you plan on finding a cow.”
“I wish we’d see a cow. Any sign of life would be nice right about now,” Caleb said.
“Yeah, maybe we should have gone back to Earl’s place,” I said.
Caleb shrugged. It wasn’t like we’d been invited to stay. Earl and his family probably hadn’t even realized how bad things were.
“Well, we can’t be the only ones to have survived,” I said. “I’m sure there are others. We just have to find them.”
“Where is this positivity coming from all of a sudden?”
I shook my head. “Trying something new.”
“It’s kind of freaking me out,” Caleb teased.
Sitting in the rain, trying to eat my snack was a challenge. Each little drop that hit my skin was both frustrating and annoying. Maybe even a little torturous.
“If this rain keeps up, we’re going to need to find higher ground soon,” Caleb said stepping into a puddle next to him. “Look at how quickly these puddles are building up. That’s gotta be at least an inch, right?”
“Maybe more,” I said. “Two?”
Caleb got to his feet. Clover was licking the empty can, making sure she got every last drop of the strong-smelling brown mush.
“Cleaned that right up, didn’t you?” Caleb asked as he bent down and picked up the kitten. He scratched her chin and handed her to me. “Let’s get moving. We’re going to need to find some kind of shelter for the night.”
“Shelter? There hasn’t been anything standing in miles,” I said. I glanced over my shoulder. “How far do you think we’ve walked?”
Caleb placed his hands on his hips as he turned around. He scratched the back of his neck and exhaled. “Five miles at best.”
“And at worse?”
“Three,” Caleb said. He met my eyes. “It doesn’t matter how far we’ve come… what matters is how far we’ll go.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“That wasn’t motivational?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Wherever you go, there you are?” he said with a smile. “No? Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
I didn’t look away from him. It was nice to see him smile, even though it was different from how he smiled before everything happened.
“Anyway, onward,” Caleb said.
“And upward,” I added.
It was at least another mile or two of walking in the rain before Caleb spotted something near some trees. In the middle of what had probably once been a cornfield was a small shed-like building made of stone.
As we got closer, I noticed there was no door and there was no glass in the windows. Bushes and weeds were growing around the sides of the building. The inside was so dark it sent a chill down my spine.
“It looks haunted,” I said.
“It’s not haunted,” Caleb said. “And even if it is, at least it’s still in one piece. We’ll be able to get out of the rain, at least for a while.”
I was still in wet clothes but it would be nice not to feel the rain tapping against my body. I scratched Clover’s ear.
“How does that sound?” I asked her softly. She rubbed the side of her face hard against my fingers.
We made our way across the field and stepped into the square-shaped building. It was a dirt floor but at least it wasn’t as wet and mucky as it was outside. And for the time being, there was no flooding inside the little hut.
I set Clover down and she stood there staring at me as if I’d done something to offend her. Caleb let the bag drop to the ground and he stretched his hands over his head while Clover made herself comfortable on top of the bag. She walked in a circle three times before sitting down and resting her head on her front paws.
As the sky grew darker, the air became colder. I wrapped my arms around my body, hugging myself and wishing I would have done more to find a change of clothing or a blanket.
“I found this when I was digging through stuff on the ground.” Caleb held up a pink lighter with a skull printed on the bottom. “Maybe I can get a fire going or something.”
“That would be nice,” I said. “But not sure how it’s possible when everything is so wet.”
“It’s not going to stop me from trying,” Caleb said.
I sat next to the duffel bag, watching him as he walked around the outside of the building. He stacked pieces of wood in the shape of a little tee-pee several feet outside of the doorway.
I watched him click the lighter over and over. He’d curse, move the wood around, and try again. And again.
At least two hours passed before he gave up. Everything around us was pitch
black. All I could hear was the sounds of the rain hitting the top of the building and the gentle rustling of the leaves of the nearby trees.
My feet were so cold it felt like they were being repeatedly stabbed by little pins. Clover had crawled onto my lap but she was trying to warm herself, not help me get warm.
Caleb sighed as he sat down close to me. Our bodies touched but there was no warmth radiating from his body.
“Here,” he said wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“Thanks,” I said, my teeth chattering.
“I know it’s not much help,” he said. “Sorry, I couldn’t get a fire going.”
I exhaled a deep breath on my fingers, trying to warm them. “It’s not your fault. Everything is just too wet.”
“Yeah, but if I knew what I was doing maybe—”
“You tried,” I said. “That’s what matters.”
I wasn’t sure if Caleb and I would make it until morning with how cold it was in our wet clothing. We were lucky that it was warmer than it would have been any other year but still, it was too cold at night.
I rested my head on his shoulder and he rested his head on the top of mine. I stared out of the doorway, hoping I’d see a light coming toward us. Hoping I would see someone coming to help.
But all I saw was darkness.
20
Adam
The inside of the pub was a disaster. Chairs, tables, and wooden barstools had been tipped over on their sides by the earthquake. Bottles had fallen off shelves and shattered into tiny pieces. Windows were broken… glass was everywhere.
“Careful where you step,” I warned.
“Obviously,” Eva said stepping over one of the stools on its side as she headed behind the bar. “We’ve struck gold!”
Eva set a bottle of wine and a corkscrew on top of the bar. She raised her brows and I shook my head.
“I’d hardly call that gold,” I muttered.
“He’s never any fun,” Eva said flicking her eyes at Chloe.
She popped the cork and took a rather long drink straight from the bottle. Eva held it out to Chloe. Chloe looked at me, which caused Eva to groan before taking another drink.
The Reset Series (Book 1): Flood Page 10