There was a rusted wagon at the side of the walkway. In the yard at the side of the house, was a swing set but it didn’t have any swings.
Peter walked up to the door and knocked three quick times. He hesitated for a moment before knocking twice more, pausing before doing a final knock. There was no doubt it was a secret knock of some kind.
Three. Pause. Two. Pause. One.
“Peter!” the woman said as she opened the door. She took a step back when she saw he wasn’t alone. She looked at us nervously before running her fingers through her disheveled hair. “Did you find some?”
“I did,” Peter said. “Can we come in?”
“Who are they?” she asked.
Peter held up his hands. “It’s okay, Marnie, they’re good people.”
She gasped slightly at her name. It seemed as though she wished he wouldn’t have said it to us. The strangers.
“Well, if you say so,” Marnie said. I wasn’t sure if there was a tinge of sarcasm to her tone. If there was, she hid it well.
Marnie stepped to the side and allowed us into her small home. The place was a mess. There were dirty plates on the table and clothing scattered all over the floor.
Marnie scratched the back of her neck as she looked at us. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting company. The kids… you know.”
“Don’t worry about it, Marnie,” Peter said digging into his pocket. He pulled out a plastic baggie filled with both pink and white pills. Peter grabbed Marnie’s hand and tucked the bag inside. “Don’t put it where the kids can get it.”
“No bottle?” she asked worry wrinkling her forehead.
Peter shook his head. “No bottle.”
“I hate when you don’t have a bottle,” Marnie said.
“Just put them in the old bottle,” Peter said with a shrug.
“Maybe,” she said taking a pill out of the baggie before shoving them into her front pocket. She swallowed it down without a drink of water. “Are you leaving right away?”
Peter shook his head. “We’re going to rest a bit.” He hesitated. “If that’s all right.”
“Of course, it is,” Marnie said hugging her small body. “Who are your friends?”
Peter introduced us and the woman nodded. She chewed her fingernail before grabbing her hand and pulling it away from her mouth.
“Survivors, huh?” Marnie asked.
“Yes,” Peter said. “Maybe you should come with us this time?”
Marnie shifted her weight. She looked like she wanted to turn and run away.
“No, no I couldn’t,” Marnie said twisting her fingers so hard I thought she was going to break one of them. “Too much to do around here since you left.”
Peter took her elbow and turned to us. “If you’ll excuse us.”
Kellan smiled as they left the room. Nick leaned back against the wall and jerked his chin in the direction Peter and Marnie had disappeared.
“What’s up with those two?” he asked. “If she doesn’t want us here—”
“No,” Kellan said waving his hands like he was surrounded by a swarm of mosquitoes. “Nothing like that. He’ll kill me for telling you but that’s his ex-wife.”
“Oooh,” Nick said dragging out the word as if everything made sense.
“Uncle Kellan!” a young girl said running out of one of the rooms at the back. There was an older boy dragging his feet behind her.
Kellan picked up the small girl. She had dirt smudged on her cheek and her clothes were faded. He spun her in a circle and hugged her tightly.
“You got bigger since I last saw you,” Kellan said.
“That’s because you don’t come here enough,” the little girl said moving her head back so she could look at Kellan’s face. She placed her small palms on the sides of his face. “You got cuter.” She touched his chin. “And less itchy whiskers.”
“I shaved,” Kellan said smiling from ear to ear as he put the girl down. The boy had stopped in the hallway, his hands tucked into his pockets. “There’s my little man.”
“Don’t call me that,” the boy said grumpily.
Kellan held up his hands. “Sorry, Flynn. Sometimes I forget how grown up you are now.”
“Where’s dad?” Flynn asked. It sounded as if he were almost afraid to ask.
“With your mom,” Kellan said.
“Let’s go find them, Aleah,” Flynn said tugging on her shirt as he glanced at us quickly. He turned his back dragging her along. “We should say hi before he leaves again.”
“Okay,” the girl sang as she broke loss and gave Kellan another hug. “Don’t leave yet, okay?”
Kellan pressed his lips into a tight smile. “Yeah, not yet.”
“I wish you could stay forever,” she said stomping her foot as she frowned at him.
“Me too,” Kellan said.
The girl looked at us. “I know, I know, you have to help the people.”
“That’s right,” Kellan said. “Go on now, go see your dad.”
Aleah ran off passing her brother on the way to see her father. His feet scratched against the floor as he moved his big, clunky shoes away from us.
I could hear their happy reunion filling the rundown home. It made the gloomy darkness suddenly seem brighter. The only voice I didn’t hear was Marnie’s.
It wasn’t long before the children came back into the living room. They both had their heads down, looking as though they were leaving a funeral. Neither of them said anything as they went back down the hall, locking themselves in one of the rooms.
“Where’s the bathroom?” I asked crossing my arms as I looked at Kellan.
“Down that way. Let me show you,” he said.
He led me down the short hall and jerked his thumb toward an open door next to the one the kids had just gone into.
“She doesn’t trust us, does she?” I asked before stepping into the bathroom.
“Don’t take it personally,” Kellan said.
I shook my head. “I can’t say I blame her. I don’t trust anyone either. We should probably leave.”
“Nah, it’s okay,” Kellan said. “Peter has it under control.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I don’t want to make her uncomfortable in her own home.”
Kellan placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face the bathroom. “She’ll be fine. Don’t give it another thought.”
“It’s not a big deal, though. I want to get back on the road anyway,” I said looking at him over my shoulder. “She has kids to take care of… to worry about.”
“Peter’s kids,” Kellan said. He lowered his voice. “Peter gets a say too. If he was worried, he wouldn’t have brought you here. He’s a good dad… a great dad.”
“Why doesn’t she go to Winnipeg? The kids would be better off there wouldn’t they?” I asked.
Kellen’s eyes widened. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”
“Yeah, sorry,” I said turning to face him again. “So why doesn’t she go?”
“She has a condition,” Kellan said.
I swallowed hard and remembered the pills Peter had given her. “A condition?”
“She doesn’t trust it out there,” Kellan said chewing on his cheek as he looked down the hall nervously.
“None of us trust it out there,” I said.
Kellan sighed. “It’s different for her.”
“How so?”
“Jesus!”
I shrugged but held my ground as I waited for an answer.
Kellan sighed. “She’s agoraphobic.”
Seven
After I finished using the bathroom, I made my way back to the living room. Peter and Marnie were sitting there with the others.
Kellan looked at me and then down at his feet. The look on his face told me he regretted telling me about Marnie. Peter looked over his shoulder and I could tell by his expression that he knew that Kellan had told him.
“Why don’t you join us?” Peter asked. It sounded more like a demand than a request.
&
nbsp; Nick and Molly were cozied up on a love seat. My choices were a child’s chair or a broken recliner. I selected the recliner, cautiously lowering myself down. The chair squeaked as I put weight on it but quickly settled.
“Is that for us?” Marnie asked noticing the bag Nick had at his feet. It had been the one we’d filled with a few supplies from Ellsworth’s house.
“Oh, sorry, this is ours,” Nick said putting his arm around Molly.
“We bring Marnie supplies when we pass through,” Peter explained. He turned to Marnie and shook his head. “I’m sorry to report ours were stolen.”
Marnie sighed. “Again?”
“Do you have enough?” Peter asked.
“Enough to get by for a few months,” she said. I wondered how often the kids got to see their father? With all the traveling he did, it must not have been often. “Peter,” Marnie said clasping her thin, bony hands, “can you help me with something?”
“What is it?” Peter asked.
Marnie looked up at the ceiling. “The leak is back.”
Peter stood. He placed his hands on his hips as he looked up at the water-stained ceiling. “In the kid's room?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Marnie said.
“Dammit,” Peter said. “I’ll take a look.”
Kellan took a step closer. “Want some help?”
“Yeah… yeah. Nick, could you lend me a hand too?” Peter asked.
“Um,” Nick said looking at Molly. Her shoulders bobbed quickly. The shrug had been so minuscule that I had almost missed it. “Sure.”
Marnie looked small on the sofa by herself. She cleared her throat and looked back and forth between Molly and me as she shifted her weight. The silence was making her uneasy.
“You’re heading to Winnipeg,” she asked. She looked relieved she’d thought of something to say.
“Yeah,” Molly answered.
Marnie leaned forward with interest in her eyes. It was clear she wanted Molly to continue filling the silence.
“Have you been there?” I asked.
“No,” Marnie answered. “I don’t want to leave my home.”
“How long have you lived here?” I asked.
The booming thumps on the roof caused Marnie to look upward. Her rough hands sounded like sandpaper as she rubbed them together.
“Um, several years. This is my home, you know? It’s the place I know. It’s what my kids know,” Marnie said.
She pulled her hands away from each other as if she’d first heard the sounds they’d been making. Marnie tucked her hands under her thighs as if she wanted to heat them up.
The house was warm although it was probably cooler inside than it was outside because of the shade the house provided. Even with the heat, Marnie seemed like a woman that was always cold. Her small size probably had something to do with it.
“Besides,” Marnie said with eyes so wide it looked as though she was trying to see through the darkest of nights. “I don’t want to go anywhere he is.”
“Where who is? Peter?” I asked wishing I would have kept my mouth shut. I lowered my voice. “Is there something we should know about him?”
Marnie’s jaw tightened but then she let it relax. “No. He’s done nothing but help us. I’m just bitter.”
“Bitter?” Molly asked suddenly interested in the conversation.
“Our marriage had many rifts… I’m still trying to get over what happened,” Marnie said looking down the hall. “We have kids together, so I have to bottle it up… for them.”
Marnie’s lower lip started to tremble. She quickly covered her mouth, holding her hand there for a long moment before letting it fall heavily to her lap.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…,” she said. Marnie stood. “You’ll be safe with him. He’ll get you where you want to go. Excuse me.”
She started toward the hall but stopped and placed her hand on the wall as she looked at us over her shoulder. I could see the aching sadness in her profile.
“You should stay the night. Get some rest,” Marnie said before walking down the hall and disappearing into her children’s room.
“That was weird, right?” Molly said her voice softer than a duckling feather.
I nodded but I wasn’t sure Marnie’s pain from losing her husband was all that weird. It was clear that something had happened. Something that had upset her deeply.
But Peter was returning to take care of her. I couldn’t even guess as to what had happened between them but whatever it had been couldn’t have happened all that long ago. If I had to guess it probably had happened just before the red sky appeared.
“Didn’t Peter say he was from Winnipeg?” Molly asked.
“Hmm, yeah I think he did. Why?” I asked.
Molly leaned toward me and took a quick glance at the hallway. “You don’t think he lived with his wife?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he lived in Winnipeg longer than he lived here.” I shrugged. “She said she’d only been here a few years.”
“I guess that’s all it is,” Molly said. Her eyes widened. “Maybe he lived in Winnipeg the whole time.”
I sighed. Molly was trying to find more drama but it was clear there already had been enough in their marriage.
“Does it matter?” I asked with a small frown.
“I guess not,” Molly said. “I just wonder what happened between them. She was so—”
The hallway door creaked open and Marnie came back down the hall. She didn’t stop in the living room, she turned the corner and went into the kitchen.
I could hear dishes clanking and water splashing. I stood but then sat back down. The chair wobbled and I felt like I was going to crash down to the floor.
“What are you doing?” Molly asked.
“I was going to offer to help,” I said, and Molly shook her head as she sat back. “Can’t you tell she just wants to be left alone. Maybe that’s why he left her,” she said mouthing the words.
I rolled my eyes. The back door opened and seconds later Nick appeared. He sat back down next to Molly, looking her up and down as if checking to make sure she was still in one piece.
“Everything good in here?” Nick asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Good,” Nick said his muscles in his neck relaxing. “Peter thinks we should stay the night.”
I shook my head unable to hold in my frustration. Nick held up his hand.
“It’s your call, Gwen, but it’ll be night soon,” Nick said. “This place seems as good as any.”
“When did you get so trusting?” I said between my teeth. I tried hard to keep my anger deep inside but I could feel it climbing up my insides begging to get out.
Nick’s mouth dropped slightly. “There are kids here.”
“So?” I said.
For a second, it looked like Nick didn’t recognize me. After a long moment, the look in his eyes softened.
“We’ll find him,” Nick said.
“You keep saying that but it’s a lie. We won’t find him because we’re never going to make it there at this rate.” My throat instantly dried. It felt like there was a grapefruit lodged in the middle of my esophagus.
“We can’t travel at night, Gwen, you know that,” Nick said.
I exhaled slowly. “We have. We can.”
“That was before. Molly needs the rest now,” Nick said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned back. “Look, Gwen, we’ll do better with some sleep. The rest helps us move faster.”
“Whatever, Nick,” I said turning to leave the house but I stopped in mid-movement not knowing where I’d go.
My head lowered and my shoulders dropped. I sat back down in the chair but I wasn’t going to look at him. My leg started bobbing up and down rapidly making the chair squeak. He might be in the same room as me but I was going to pretend that he wasn’t.
I was sick of putting off getting to Bronx. It had been so long… too long.
If he was out there, he’d probably given up on me. My
stomach swirled. Maybe he even had moved on.
Bronx was an attractive man. There would be hundreds of women in Winnipeg, at least I assumed there would be and they all would be wanting to sink their claws into his muscles.
I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. If we were stuck in Marnie’s house, I might as well try to get some rest because it might be the last time I get some.
If we didn’t start moving faster, I was going to strike out on my own.
Eight
Peter assured us that we would be safe inside Marnie’s home. He told us about the wire alarms he’d set up and that they’d know if anyone came near. Peter looked proud as he pointed at the large bells that hung from the ceiling near the front door.
He tried to convince us that no one would need to keep watch but Nick wasn’t on board. And even though Peter insisted that no one had come around since Marnie had been living here, Nick wouldn’t budge. It was up to Nick and me to take turns during the night if we wanted to keep watch.
Peter then informed us about the basement even though Marnie looked annoyed with every word that came out of his mouth. If someone came, they’d have a place to hide. There was also a secret exit from the basement in case of an urgent need to escape. It only relieved my worries slightly.
It was probably pointless considering we couldn’t see in all directions at the same time from inside but Nick believed that some eyes on the surroundings were better than no eyes. He was probably right.
Marnie had tried to back Peter up by telling us he wouldn’t have allowed the kids to stay if he didn’t truly believe the house was completely safe. If it was safe enough for their children, then it should be safe enough for us. Eventually, when they saw Nick wasn’t about to change his mind, they gave up trying to convince us it was unnecessary.
It was during my shift when I realized why they had wanted us to get some sleep. The reason hadn’t been anything sinister… it was simply because Marnie and Peter had business to discuss. Actually, it was more like an argument.
I tried not to listen. Their soft, yet harsh words had made it hard to hear but my curiosity wouldn’t let me tune them out even though that was what I should have done.
“I can’t believe you lost the supplies,” Marnie hissed.
Yellow Heat - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Red Sky Series Book 6) Page 4