I laid down and stared at my ceiling. It was the last time I was going to see the water stained tiles over my bed. My apartment hadn’t ever been anything special to me, just a place to stay while I figured out my life, but it had felt like my home. It had, up until recently, felt like my safe place in the world. Hopefully, I’d feel the same once I reached my grandma’s house.
Nick and I had spent lots of time there in the summer when we were growing up. At least a week every year for as long as I could remember. My mom would bring us there, and we’d spend the days wandering the farm, doing whatever the hell we wanted to, but that was a long time ago. It almost felt as though it was a story from another person’s life.
I smiled at myself remembering that it was behind the barn that I had my first kiss. I’d never told a soul because if I had, my grandma would have fired the slightly older boy who helped out on the farm, and likely his father too.
For a second, I wondered what had happened to him… where he’d gone, what his life had been like, but then the smile that had been tightening the muscles in my face vanished. I could make a pretty good guess as to what happened to him. The same thing that had happened to nearly everyone else.
I sighed and rolled over onto my side noticing Jamie standing in the doorway. I pushed myself up abruptly, and he cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” Jamie said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay,” I said with a smile, wondering how long he’d been standing there.
“I just wanted to see how you’re….” His voice faded as he looked over his shoulder into the living room. “Can I come in?”
My lips pressed tightly together forming an awkward smile as I nodded. “Of course. What’s up?”
Jamie stepped into the room leaving a small space between the door and the frame as he closed it. The small amount of light created a stripe that stretched across the floor and up the side of the wall.
I crossed my arms as Jamie walked over to the window and peered out. He slowly turned, and the light from the other room made his eyes glow like magical blue orbs.
“I just wanted to make sure you’re ready for this,” he said shaking his head as if the words hadn’t come out right. “I mean, it feels weird to be leaving our homes behind with everything that’s going on out there, right?”
“Yeah, it does,” I said, but it was probably worse for Jamie than it was for me. He was leaving his home to walk seventy-five miles to an unfamiliar place. “But there isn’t anything for us here. Besides, it’s not safe here. The building could collapse with a strong wind. We probably shouldn’t have even stayed here as long as we have.”
Jamie’s head was bobbing up and down, but his eyes were still focused on something outside. “You’re right… of course, you’re right, but it still feels weird.”
“I know what you mean,” I said, as Jamie made his way over to the bed. It squeaked as he sat down next to me. He turned and looked at me for a long moment before he smiled. “We’ll be okay.”
I smiled back. “Yeah, we will.”
“I always thought when I left this place it would be because I was able to afford something better. It was my dream to buy a two-story house with a fenced in pool in the backyard.”
“Well, we kind of have a pool in the backyard now,” I said trying to lighten the mood even though my attempt at humor kind of made me feel like an ass.
Jamie was sharing something with me. He was opening up about his hopes and dreams, and I was making a joke.
“I’m sorry,” I said wishing I would have said it quicker.
“No, it’s fine,” he said patting the back of my hand as he stood. He leaned closer, brushing my hair away from my cheek, and tucking it behind my ear as he placed his lips closer. “I’ll just have to figure out something else I want.”
My heart was pounding. I turned slightly, our faces inches apart. My lips parted, but before I could whisper his name, he stood.
“I should let you get some rest,” he said over his shoulder as he walked to the door. “Good night.”
“Good night,” I murmured.
I stared at the door for several minutes waiting for my heart rate to return to normal. With a heavy breath, I flopped backward onto my mattress and returned to staring at the ceiling.
In a few hours, the sunlight would filter through the blinds and stripe the walls. And when it did, we’d be gone.
Chapter 2
Out of the five of us, I was noticeably the most nervous. It felt like there was a volcano about to erupt inside my stomach. I couldn’t even hold my fingers straight.
I’d slept terribly. My body already ached, and we hadn’t even stepped outside of my apartment.
Nick kept looking at me every forty seconds, but he didn’t ask me what was on my mind. The last thing I wanted was for him to talk to me about my nerves in front of everyone else. I was trying to appear brave, but no one was probably buying it anyway.
The others were all calm and ready to go trudging through several inches of water. I could still remember in the back of my mind exactly how cold the water had been. I was probably lucky I hadn’t gotten hypothermia when I’d fallen into the icy water over my head. Hell, maybe I had and just hadn’t realized it at the time.
No one said much as we slipped our backpacks on. In a way, it felt very ceremonial, especially when Nick passed us each our own gun.
“No thanks,” I said holding up my palms as I shook my head.
“What are we going to do? Leave it here?” Nick asked, squeezing his eyebrows together as he thrust it toward me.
“I have no idea how to use that thing and knowing me, I’ll probably end up hurting myself of one of you,” I said with a frown. “It’s not a good idea.”
Nick smiled brightly and pushed the gun against my body. “You’ll be fine, and first chance I get I’ll show everyone who needs to know, how to use them properly.”
That probably was all of us, with maybe the exception of Bronx. Not that I had any reason to suspect Bronx knew how to shoot.
“And in the meantime?” I asked.
“Just act like you know how to use it,” Nick said adjusting it on my shoulder. “And how to carry it.”
I sighed, and Blair rolled her eyes. I wanted to roll mine right back at her, but there wasn’t much of a point considering she was already looking away.
“Okay, okay,” I said batting Nick’s hands away as he fussed over the positioning of the gun.
Bronx grinned but quickly turned away as Nick walked by him and stood in front of the door. Nick’s shoulders rose and fell with a loud exhale. His brow shot up and instantly dropped back down.
“Ready for this?” Nick asked, pulling open the door.
No one said anything, and it was clear he hadn’t planned on waiting for a response. Nick stepped into the hallway followed by Blair. Bronx stood at the door waving Jamie and me forward.
“We’ll be there in no time,” Bronx said winking as I walked by him.
When I stepped out into the hall, my feet stopped working. Jamie bumped into me from behind and cocked his head to the side. He placed his hand on my shoulder as he looked into my wide, panic-filled eyes.
“I thought I could do this,” I whispered, but I wasn’t sure it was loud enough for anyone to hear.
Nick was at the stairwell looking back at us. His face was scrunched up. “Coming?”
My insides swirled, and I wondered if I was getting sick again. Maybe it hadn’t ever gone away.
“Gwen?” Bronx said. My name had floated so softly from his mouth I wasn’t sure I’d heard it at all.
I turned sharply and my eyes locked onto his. “Yes?”
“Everything okay?” he asked.
I felt dizzy from turning so quickly… or from everything and I was glad Jamie was still holding on to me.
“Yes,” I said, pressing my hand to my chest. It felt like I was trapped under the dirty water below, running out of air.
“Are y
ou sure?” Bronx said with a smile. “You’re as white as a ghost.”
I let out a long exhale and closed my eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t sleep well. I guess I’m just more tired than I thought.”
“Maybe we should wait another day,” Bronx said concern thick in the tone of his voice.
Nick was still staring at us from down the hall. I shook my head when I noticed him watching.
“No… no,” I said forcing a smile. “I’ll be fine. Just need to get going.”
Bronx started shaking his head. I could tell he was seconds away from telling Nick we had to wait.
“I’m fine. I promise.” It felt like there was a twenty-pound weight tied to my foot as I lifted it and took a step away from my apartment.
My hand slipped down the side of my body and into my pocket. I was checking to make sure I had my keys even though I wouldn’t ever see my home again.
When we caught up to Nick and Blair, they started down the stairs. Every so often, Nick looked over his shoulder, checking to make sure I was still following behind.
At the bottom of the flight of stairs, the water was still. The second Nick stepped into the water ripples moved out from around his foot. I shivered as if I could feel the cold running through my body.
I hesitated when it was my turn to step down. Images of what happened the night we went out looking for Nick, Blair, and Maggie. I’d fallen into the freezing water, and I could still remember how it had felt when every last bit of oxygen left my lungs.
I needed to get out of my head. What had happened before was done. The men were gone. All we had to do was travel to my grandma’s house and make a few camping stops along the way. Once we were there, we’d have somewhere that was safe. Somewhere that had food, and of course, I’d know the status of my grandma.
My foot touched the water, and it wasn’t as cold as I had remembered. This wasn’t anything like that night.
We walked through the empty apartment that had the broken window. The water was up to my calves, but it was easy enough to walk through although I hated walking in wet shoes.
Nick and Blair climbed out of the broken window. I could see Blair’s head moving around as she tried to look in every direction all at the same time. She was far better at hiding her fears than I was.
I moved awkwardly through the window with the pack on my back and the gun over my shoulder. Jamie grabbed my waist and helped me through until my feet were steady on the ground outside.
“Thanks,” I said as he and Bronx made their way through after me.
Nick jerked his head toward the parking lot and started walking without a word. We all followed him, walking single file toward the road that would take us through the city. It would be the quickest way to get to the highway that would lead us to my grandma’s.
We were about a block away when I turned and looked back at the apartment building. The anxiety I’d had was no longer there. Seeing the broken condition of the building was enough to help me realize how badly we’d needed to leave. It was almost surprising that the building was even still standing.
As I turned away, I caught Bronx watching me. He smiled, but the ghost-white dead body floating behind him drew my attention away. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop the frown that instantly appeared on my face.
I turned back around and followed Nick and Blair. Even with all the debris, bodies, and stink, we were still doing the right thing.
Nick led the way through the town. Our feet splashed loudly through the water disturbing all the random things that had been floating aimlessly on the surface.
The buildings while familiar all looked different. Windows and doors were broken. There were stains on the exterior walls where the water levels had once been. The putrid smells in the air were a dreadful mix of rot and decay.
It didn’t seem as though there was anyone else around. The city seemed like a ghost town filled with the ghosts and spirits of those who used to live here.
We’d only walked about ten minutes but the water levels changed with each block we navigated. Sometimes it would be up to our ankles and sometimes almost to our knees. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long before we found higher ground and we could walk without trudging through the varying depths of stinky, oily water.
“Hope it’s not like this the whole way,” Jamie said stepping up next to me.
“Is that even possible?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t have thought it was possible for the sky to turn red.” Jamie chuckled. “Hell, I wouldn’t have thought any of this was possible.”
I looked up when I heard the calls of the birds overhead. They circled around as if they were looking for somewhere to land. The small group of black birds eventually decided to land on a nearby roof. It didn’t seem as if they even noticed we were there, and if they did, they didn’t care.
“They’re probably looking for food,” Jamie said when he noticed me watching them.
“Hopefully they aren’t so desperate that they think of us as food,” I said swallowing down the thought. “I don’t like birds.”
“Me either,” Jamie said. “But I’m not really an animal person in general.”
I turned to him, my mouth dropping open. “What about kittens?”
Jamie shrugged.
“Everyone loves kittens,” I said clicking my tongue.
“A goldfish,” Jamie said keeping his eyes forward. “I could probably handle a goldfish.”
“What if it jumped out of the bowl?” I asked with a wide grin.
He turned to me. “They do that?”
I was about to respond when I heard something moving behind us. Everyone stopped walking at nearly the same moment. Nick caught my gaze as he looked behind us.
“Maybe it was a bird,” Nick said locking eyes for just a second longer than he should have. Something was up. Had he seen something? “Let’s keep moving.”
We walked less than a block before I heard the noises again. I quickly turned and looked over my shoulder.
At first I thought nothing was there, but then I noticed the water. Several buildings away the water rippled outward from one of the doorways.
There was no doubt in my mind about what was happening. We were being followed.
Chapter 3
Nick stepped out of view, wedging himself between two of the buildings. We kept walking as if nothing was wrong.
I was tempted to turn around after we’d walked several blocks to check, but I fought the urge with everything I had. If anything had happened to Nick, he would have alerted us somehow, or perhaps we’d have heard his gun go off.
I followed close behind Blair. It wasn’t long before I heard several loud splashes.
When I turned, Nick was pushing someone against the wall of the dirty brick building they were next to. The guy was squirming to get free, but Nick was stronger without even utilizing the intimidating power of his gun.
I blinked twice before realizing who Nick had up against the wall.
“Please!” Danny cried out.
Nick turned for a second in our direction before yanking Danny along. Danny’s feet dragged through the water as Nick pulled him closer to the group.
“Look who I found,” Nick said between his teeth. “And he’s fresh out of get out of jail free cards.”
“Come on, man,” Danny begged. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Nick threw him backward roughly. Danny stumbled and fell backward, landing on his butt in the water.
“What do you think you’re doing? Why are you following us?” Nick asked pointing his finger at Danny as if he were threatening him with a knife. “I mean you have to be pretty stupid to follow us all things considered.”
“I’m not stupid. I’m scared,” Danny said with wide eyes. His eyes shifted as he looked at each one of us. Danny’s voice softened. “I don’t have anyone else. My family is dead.”
Nick’s jaw stiffened but the longer he stared at Danny, the more relaxed it became. I wondered if he was
seeing the young man I was seeing. A defeated, helpless soul that looked as though he felt dreadfully alone.
And if there was one thing that would make everything that was happening to all of us any worse, it would be to navigate all alone.
“I hate you for what you did to my family,” Danny said, and Blair practically growled at him. “Not that they didn’t deserve it, but they were my family.” He sniffed. “How am I supposed to make it on my own?”
“Just go back to your house and wait for help,” Nick said sounding somewhat fatherly in his tone.
“We both know help isn’t coming,” Danny said, looking up at Nick.
Blair shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Do we know that?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. Did she suddenly have hope that we’d be rescued? Maybe she always had.
I shook my head mostly to clear it of all my thoughts. Danny met my gaze.
“I think you guys owe it to me,” Danny said.
Nick laughed. “Owe what to you?”
“Letting me come with you.” Danny shrugged as he looked away.
“We don’t owe you anything,” Nick spat.
Danny tried to pull his shoulders back to look tough, but they quickly sagged and his head lowered. His shoulders shook as he sobbed uncontrollably.
“I just don’t want to be alone,” Danny said not even bothering to hide his tears. “Please, I’m so scared.”
“Did you even have time to be scared?” Nick said with a sneer. “We weren’t apart for all that long.”
“You can try all you want to make me look pathetic—”
“I don’t really even need to try,” Nick mumbled. “You do that just fine yourself.”
Danny sniffed. “That’s right, you don’t. And I don’t even care. I’ll do anything you want, just please let me come with you.”
“You know why we can’t do that,” Nick said looking around the area. Danny’s loudness was making him uncomfortable.
The Red Sky Series Box Set Page 17