by Jez Strider
His words motivated me and I forced myself to get on my feet. I sorted the items from both our bags into one backpack, keeping the most important. Two bags would have taken too much energy to carry. The small cans of potted meat and Vienna sausages he’d recovered from the store surprised me. I was sure the looters would have taken the food for sustenance. Perhaps the men had gathered other items. I had no way of knowing. A couple of candy bars were also in the bag. I thought of my mother and sister once again, surviving on their own. It was horrible how far I’d gone from wanting to take them chocolate home to being desperately alone.
“Goodbye, Dad. Thank you for teaching me to survive. I’m sorry for all the times I said I hated you over stupid things. I never meant it.” I let out a sigh and rubbed my eyes roughly with my sleeve. The sound of a vehicle in the distance interrupted my goodbyes and I took off running without looking back again.
For days I wandered in aimless despair. I had thought life had been bad before, but now I was suffering with solitude in the terrible world. The main roads were too dangerous even during the day. I’d seen that first hand with the looters at the gas station. The fields and farms seemed a much safer option. They almost seemed untouched by the vampires. I saw the occasional horse, cow, and even a wandering chicken. The sights made me smile, but then I began to notice how unsettling the area was. Sure, there were scattered animals, but there were no people. Not one. I shook away the thoughts, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of panic. I was scared and I knew the vampire would not stop trying to track me down.
When the sun began to lower into the western sky, I found a small ditch to hunker down in. I unrolled my dad’s old green military blanket and wedged my body into the crevice in the ground. Then, I covered up from head to toe and hid for another night. My stomach grumbled and I realized I had forgotten to eat anything. It was too late now. If I did so, a vampire might smell the food. I did not want to risk being found over a tin of canned meat.
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop the tears and sobbing as I lay in the cold dirt. Every caw of a bird and whistle of wind made me hold my breath. I had been lucky so far, but an angry vampire was after me. It could only be a matter of time until I was discovered.
Somehow, I managed to fall asleep at some point in the long night. A startling loud crow roused me and I opened my eyes wide, intent of fleeing before I recognized the strange sound. Slowly, I pulled down the blanket from my face and noticed the sun was shining. Another night and I was still alive. The rooster was nowhere to be found even though I looked pretty hard. A severe cramp in my stomach hunched me over and halted the pursuit of the bird.
“Arghh….” I groaned as I looked for a placed to sit that wasn’t the ground. There was an old fence fallen over in disrepair so I sat on the small wooden beam and unzipped my backpack. “Maybe I’m conserving too much food.” I said to myself as I dug out a can of potted meat and a bottle of water.
I pulled the ring on top and inhaled a deep breath. When I was a kid, I was grossed out by the stuff, but in that moment it was like smelling grilled steak. With my finger, I began gathering up the overly processed food and eating slowly. I wanted to savor it.
A small sound interrupted my fancy breakfast and I looked to my side. There was a kitten looking up at me with round, pleading eyes. It worried me. If the cat could track me down by the scent of food, I was doomed when it came to a vampire.
“Shoo.” I waved my hand at the cat. “I don’t have enough. Go catch a rat or something.”
Another soft mew came from the hungry creature and I let out a long sigh before lowering my finger. Immediately, the animal began licking the food off. My sister had a cat when we were younger, but I’d always been a dog person. He was great even when he would steal the baseball during the backyard games with my neighbors and we’d all have to chase him down. My eyes were quickly wet again and somehow I had lost my appetite. I left the rest of the can of food for the kitten and stood up. It would have been nice to take the cat with me so I would have a friend, but it was too dangerous…for both of us.
I continued on, moving more slowly than I had in previous days. Exhaustion and depression were beginning to take their toll. Why did I even keep going? Giving up had never been acceptable in my parents’ book. I guess I didn’t want to disappoint them even if I would never see them again.
As the day wore on and the sun began to lower again, I started making my way toward a big red barn in the distance. I wasn’t even sure if I would make it before dark. It was worth the risk to me. Another night on the ground seemed unbearable. When I got closer, I noticed an orange and yellow barn quilt hanging above the doors. It reminded me of the sun and I took it as a sign of safety. I was desperate for any sign of hope by that point.
Since I had seen no people in my travels across the farmlands, I pushed the barn door open without hesitation. I was promptly met with a shotgun in my face and I gulped as I stared down the barrel. At the other end was a teenage girl, who appeared to be a couple of years younger than me. It would have easier to see how beautiful she was if I hadn’t been afraid of my face being blasted off.
“What are you doing here? I don’t have any food and my parents are going to be back soon. It is almost dark.” Her voice sounded confident. She had an adorable amount of southern drawl that I hardly noticed since I was from the same state.
“Please don’t shoot! I attacked a vampire and it’s after me. I need shelter for the night and then I’ll move on.” Slowly, I lifted my hands in the air like the people I’d seen arrested on television did.
She circled around me and peered out the open barn door. The sun was almost set. It was probably dark enough for the vampires to begin leaving their bottomless pits or wherever they rested.
“Shut the door.” She said and I did as I was told with the gun aimed at my back. I reached for the long board to lock it. “Don’t. They will get suspicious if they find it locked.”
I turned back around to face her and nodded slowly. “Right. Of course.”
“We don’t have time to get to know each other. No movement or noises allowed at night in this barn.” Her eyes were slanted at me and she blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face than had fallen from her pony tail. She was wearing a camouflage jacket that was too big for her frame. After another moment of studying me, she leaned the gun against the wall.
Then, she was picking up handfuls of dirt from the floor and rubbing it all over me. It smelled of manure and I immediately stepped back. “What are you doing?”
She grabbed one of my arms and lifted it over my head before slapping a palm of dirt into my armpit. “If they show up, we don’t want them to sniff us out.” Our eyes locked and I understood. I bent down and started smearing handfuls of dirt across my face.
“What’s your name?” I asked when she pointed to a ladder leading up to the barn loft.
“Darcy.” She told me. “Get up there and don’t say anything else until morning.”
This was her shelter, so I did as I was told. She had decided to help me instead of shooting me in the face. Darcy had earned my respect in a flash of moments. I watched as she grabbed the shotgun and began kicking away our footprints in a haphazard fashion as she backed up toward the ladder. When she reached the top, we made eye contact again. I opened my mouth to say something, but she put her finger up to her lips. Then, she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a row of hay bales. I followed her lead and lay down behind them. We burrowed against the straw on the flooring. Despite being close together, I made the effort not to touch my body against hers.
There were so many questions I wanted to ask the girl, but it would have to wait. Dangerous night was upon us. I could see only blackness through the small windows that were nearly covered by the hay. This left me plenty of time to think. Where were the parents she had mentioned? Were they really supposed to be home or was she all alone?
Several hours later she rolled her head over to face me and I expected her to be lo
oking at me. Her eyes were closed and she was sleeping. I smiled to myself and risked reaching out to brush the stray hair out of her face that was irritating her earlier. It was dumb. I could have startled her, but she seemed to relax into a deeper sleep.
I had dosed off myself, but the creak of the barn door had us both wide-eyed in fear. We stared at each other silently. My mind was racing, but I was strangely relieved that hers would be the last face I saw before death. Darcy was visibly shaking so I extended my hand slightly and entwined my fingers with hers.
“Why must we search for Monserat’s attacker? The blind fool was the one who let a vampire hunter get the better of him.” A voice came from below us. The accent was thick, but I had no idea where it could be from. Definitely not the U.S.
Darcy raised an eyebrow at me when the intruder mentioned vampire hunter. My chest swelled with pride at the title. I was hardly one, but at least I had caused worry within the vampire community.
Another vampire responded. “We cannot let rumors be spread that rebellion goes unpunished.” I heard the slamming of a few items as the vampire searched the ground floor. “There is nothing here. Let us depart. The empty food can was our last clue. Head back there and search?”
“Yes. He will not survive long if he is leaving a trail.”
Darcy shook her head at me and rolled her eyes. I gave the tiniest hunch of my shoulders in response. They were right, though. It was stupid to leave evidence like the can, but I had been tired. The vampires left the barn door open and cold wind blew up through the rafters. After a while, Darcy and I risked breathing normally. She was hesitant, but curled up against me to keep warm. It was hard to tell if she was shaking from the cold or from fear of the enemy trespassers. I was strangely protective of the girl, as I would have been my family members. The last thing I wanted was to fail another person.
Neither of us moved even when the first light of morning began to flood the barn through the cracks between the old wooden boards. We were afraid so we waited longer than either of us probably would have to venture from our relative safety. I removed my arm from around Darcy and she scrambled away. Her eyes held fury as she stared at me from an opposing wall.
“Vampire hunter? Ha! You’re just a dumb boy. How could you leave evidence for them to find?” She was frowning deeply at me.
My pride was hurt so I retaliated with anger. “What do you know about it? You’re just a tween.” I pointed at myself. “I haven’t been safe in a barn. Sure, I made a mistake.” The tone of my voice softened and the reality of my lack of energy hit me again. “I just wanted to feed the cat and I forgot to bury the can.” I stopped looking at Darcy and rubbed my face in my hands.
“I’m not a tween. My sixteenth birthday is coming up.” Neither of us had the strength to fight. “What’s your name?” She asked.
After rubbing my eyes for moment and making sure I wasn’t going to cry in front of her, I met her curious brown eyes. “Preston.” I thought of my family. “Mitchell.” I added. “Mitchell is our last name.”
She stood up and walked closer to me with an extended hand. “Darcy Rose Sanderson.” I reached out to shake her hand and she gripped mine. With a tug, she helped me off the floor. “You need to eat before you pass out.”
“I have a few things in my bag we can share.” I told her and she started laughing. My eyes widened in surprise.
“Real food. I’ll show you.” Darcy said, giving me a small smile as she picked up her gun and then climbed down the ladder.
I left the burden of my backpack near the hay and descended to the ground floor. My knife stayed sheathed on my side. I’d have much rather had the shotgun for protection, though. Outside, the sky was clear and the weather a bit warmer than on the previous days of my travel. We were heading toward the farmhouse. It had not crossed my mind to hide there the night before. I knew the vampires would check any type of housing first.
We paused near a well. Darcy tossed me a bucket. I held it under the spigot and she began pumping with the handle. Clear fresh water spilled into the pail. It had been days since I’d bathed and I was suddenly very self-conscious about it. I was also still covered with manure laden dirt from the barn. When she finished, Darcy filled a bucket of her own and we headed into the house.
Her home had been ransacked. My first impression was that everything valuable and edible had been taken or destroyed by the vampires during the night. Darcy didn’t appear to be shocked or concerned by the sight.
“I’m sorry about your house.”
She turned to look at me over her shoulder. “My house was looted a long time ago. That much isn’t your fault.”
“Oh….” I wasn’t sure what to say so I just followed her up the stairs quietly. We stopped in front of a bathroom. She sat her bucket on the floor and started stretching to reach something on the top of one of the shelves.
I stepped forward and easily grabbed the two small wrapped packages for her since I was at least a half a foot taller. “Thanks. This is the last of the unscented soap. You can clean up first. It will make you feel better.” She placed her hand on the antique door knob and pulled the door nearly shut behind her.
“Darcy?” I called out and she paused.
“Yes, Preston?”
“What’s the point?”
She gave a small shrug. “My mom said maintaining some sort of routine would keep us from going insane. Most of the time she’s right even if I don’t always listen.”
“Makes sense. I never listened before all…this.”
“I bet.” She said with a smile and closed the door. I was left alone.
Splashing the cool water on my face did make me feel better almost immediately. I leaned against the sink and stared at my reflection in the cracked mirror.
“I look homeless.” I said to myself before scoffing. “I am homeless.”
After freshening up to the best of my ability with what I had to work with, I left the bathroom and searched for my new friend.
“I’m done.” I peered down the hallway. “Darcy?” I heard a few sniffles and headed toward the open door a short distance away. Darcy was sitting on a bed with a torn purple bedspread. The matching canopy was across the room. Teddy bear stuffing was spread across the floor. Miniature horse toys were thrown about. Broken costume jewelry crackled under my feet as I stepped toward her.
“I am not crying.” She wiped at her eyes.
“I know.” I said and moved closer to sit down beside her.
We sat without speaking for a few minutes. Once again, I didn’t know what to say, but I felt like I should stay there for support.
“My parents aren’t coming back, Preston.” She said.
“Where did they go?” I asked.
Darcy glanced at me and the welling tears in her eyes hurt my heart. “My dad went to look for a new place to live. He had heard rumors of a safe refuge. After a month, when he didn’t return, my mom went to look for signs of him. She hasn’t come back yet either. S…she said she would be back before dark. That was weeks ago.”
It was too hard to meet her gaze, so I looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” Sharply, she drew in a deep breath as if to bolster her strength and stood up. “I wish you really were a vampire hunter.” I gave a half nod and she pointed to the door. “See if you can find the cellar while I clean up. It will be fun.”
“Sure.” I said and managed to smile as she left her old bedroom.
Before beginning my search, I gathered a handful of the multicolored beads scattered across the old hardwood floor and put them in my pocket. I even found a nearly intact plastic string. Then, I headed downstairs with no small amount of excitement to find the cellar. A cellar meant fresh food. I hoped.
My search was in vain. There was no sign of the cellar even when I went outside and circled the house. I had thought most storage units had an entrance from outside. I wondered if she had been playing a trick on me. Giving up, I went back inside and found an overt
urned chair. I righted it and sat waiting for Darcy to come downstairs.
It seemed like she was taking forever. Most things had changed in our new world, but a woman taking forever to get ready sure hadn’t. Eventually, my impatience grew unbearable and I went to the living room to explore. A fallen bookshelf caught my eye along with the glimpse of squashed books underneath. With a little effort, I was able to push the bookshelf aside. Then, I took a seat on the floor and began looking through my discovered treasure.
The first book I picked was by Judy Blume. After flipping through a few pages and reading about the trials of menstruation and bras, I tossed it aside in horror. My hope was to read out loud to Darcy if she didn’t run me off and those topics were at the bottom of my list for a new acquaintance.
Many of the other books were farmer’s almanacs, cookbooks, and western novels. I was desperate for entertainment, so I was about to gather those up to read when I found some classics. I had Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Pride and Prejudice at my fingertips. Truthfully, I hadn’t read any of them, but for some I had seen the movies and that was enough to get me excited. So I gathered them up and returned to the barn with the small stack.
When I made my way back to the house, Darcy started waving at me from the front porch. Her hair was in two braids, one on each side, and tied with blue ribbons. She looked younger than when she had been dirty and brandishing a shotgun. In her arms was a round woven basket and inside was fresh food.
I rushed closer, picking up one after the other in disbelief. “Potatoes, carrots, and apples!”
Darcy started grinning and I noticed how pink her lips were. Was she wearing lipstick? Was she wearing it because of me? I wanted to ask, but my attention was still mostly on the food.
“Carry that iron skillet. It’s heavy and we have to walk a good ways from the house to cook. Grab the gun, too.” She ordered.