A Safe Place

by Frost, Scott

  I searched the motor home and found two gallons of water, eight cans of food, a first aid kit, with no aspirin and two boxes of ammunition, the hand gun that had ended their lives, several blankets, and pillows. I loaded two grocery bags with everything I could and ran to the Jeep. I told Clyde everything else there was and he jumped out of the Jeep and helped. It didn’t take us long to pack the Jeep. It felt like we had hit the jackpot. The Jeep was packed. We had everything we needed to survive another week.

  The plan was to find a house that would keep us safe, a house with a well, and a generator. Once we had the house secure and safe, Clyde and I would take turns looking for more supplies. It was still summer, but we knew to plan ahead. We wanted to have enough supplies to last the winter. The motor home provided us a good start, but it was only a start.

  Once the Jeep was loaded we continued south on Route Fifty. We drove toward Bradley and as we got closer I became anxious. We were less than three miles out of the city limits when I saw the smoke. It was a thick black smoke that looked to cover the entire town. I rolled down my window and the stale smell of burnt flesh plastered my nose and found a way down my throat. Clyde and I exchanged looks. I knew what he was thinking.

  I don’t think we should bother trying to find your wife. Look at the smoke. This isn’t a good idea is what I’m sure he was thinking. I knew he wouldn’t say it.

  “Why don’t you just drop me off once we hit the city limits as close as we can get to Bradley without putting you guys in harms way. I can walk from there, or even hopefully find a car. I know I probably won’t find her, but I have to try. I can’t leave without trying. But I don’t want to put anyone else in harms way.”

  Mary was the first one to speak. She immediately said no way.

  “Listen Alex, I know you want to find your wife, but I don’t think we should separate. Look what happened last time. Manteno is one thing, but think about it. Manteno is a small town compared to Bradley. You would never make it on foot and you know that. We can’t separate. What if something happened to you? How do you think Emma would take it? You can’t do that to her. I think we should stick together.

  Clyde interrupted her and looked at me. His eyes looked warm and sad at the same time. He knew that looking for Natasha would be a mistake.

  “He is right, dear. I know it will be dangerous for him to try and find her on foot, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to put everyone in harms way.”

  Mary tried to speak, but Clyde’s voice over powered her voice.

  “Alex, you know I don’t think you will find her and I know I can’t talk you out of trying, but I agree with you. I think it’s best that you do this on your own. I promised you that I would protect Emma. I think it’s best this way. And I want you to know that Emma will be safe. I promise you.”

  Clyde turned and faced his wife. She gave him a disapproving look. She looked defeated. She knew she lost the battle.

  “I don’t like this anymore than you, but we have to remember that we have to protect not only Emma, but also Katie. They are the future. I’m sorry that I interrupted you, but you know that Alex is right. This is something that he has to do and I think it’s best that he does it alone.”

  Mary didn’t respond. She turned her head and looked out the window.

  “Okay, what’s the plan?”

  “To be honest I have no idea. I would say to keep driving south until you find a house, but then I would never find you guys. Even if I found a vehicle, I would be driving blind. If I knew I would be able to find a car I’d say we could meet in Clifton in a few days, but I might not find one and there is no way I could walk that far. And plus I have no idea how long it will take me to look. I don’t know. Now that I’m thinking about everything, I have no idea what to do. I only know a few places to check. And once I check them I’ll have no idea where to look.”

  “I don’t know. But I don’t like just sitting here. We need to figure something out. We’re sitting ducks. And keep in mind you don’t just have to worry about the infected, you have to worry about the crazies. I know I said I think you should do this by yourself, but maybe that’s not a good idea. Honestly, I don’t think you’d last a night.”

  We sat in silence for several minutes before Katie opened her eyes and spoke.

  “Why don’t I go with you? I can take care of myself and my leg feels fine. I can fire a gun. I mean I hate to leave Emma, but I agree with Clyde and Mary, I don’t think you should do this by yourself.”

  Mary stopped looking out the window and looked at Katie. I also looked at Katie.

  The silence was broken with the sounds of gunfire. Emma woke up. I turned around and looked out the front window. I didn’t see anyone. But I knew it was pretty close. So did Clyde.

  “We need to get out of here.”

  The sound of gunfire broke the silence again.

  “I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I can’t ask you to help me. Clyde is right; I might not even make it a night. And Emma is going to need you. It will be bad enough if I’m gone, but if she wakes up and we’re both gone, well, that will be too much for her. Maybe I should just forget about it for right now. . And plus I don’t know how many crazies are out there.”

  I watched the smoke filled sky. I looked at over turned vehicles, and dead bodies. The bodies littered the street like empty beer cans. The infected had wiped away a large percentage of the population, and after them, the crazies had wiped away everyone else. I had seen them rape, and torture women. I had seen them shoot people at point blank range. I could outrun the infected, but not the crazies. They were heavily armed. I had a rifle and a handgun. I wouldn’t be able to defend myself against them. And then I thought that maybe the crazies have moved on, or better yet, were dead. It was hopeful thinking.

  Emma had opened her eyes and Katie’s soft voice filled the Jeep as she sang to help keep Emma calm. I closed my eyes and listened to her voice. It was calming. And as I listened to Katie sing I quietly said goodbye to Natasha, tears rolled down my cheeks. Clyde put his hand on my shoulder and we started to drive.

  “Thank you for everything. We’re lucky to have you with us. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you,” I looked at Mary,

  “I’m thankful Emma and I found all of you. Emma needed someone besides me. You all have shown Emma so much love and for that I’m forever in debt. I’ve tried to be the best father I could, but she needs more than me.”

  My voice trailed off. Katie started to speak, but stopped as she started to cry. Mary put her arms around and Katie and hugged her. Emma‘s eyes were once again closed and her soft snoring filled the jeep; her ability to fall asleep so fast and no matter the situation always surprised me.

  We drove past Northfield mall. We drove past the place where Natasha and I had met. The parking lot at Barnes and Noble was packed with vehicles, most had been burned. Bodies littered the parking lot. The windows at Barnes and Noble were shattered. We took a left onto Interstate Fifty Seven and drove south.

  I tried to stop crying, but as we left drove south, I felt as though I had failed Natasha. Katie put a hand on my shoulder, and gently rubbed.

  “Alex. I’m sorry.” Clyde said.

  “So am I.”

  “You made the right decision.”

  “I don’t know if it’s the right decision or not. But I can’t let anything happen to Emma It’s bad enough that she doesn’t have her mom. I don’t want to be the cause of her losing both of her parents. I just don’t think I’ll be able to live with myself for not even looking for Natasha.”

  “She is in your heart and hopefully she is with God in heaven.” Mary said.

  “God doesn’t exist.”

  We drove past Kankakee. The interstate wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but we had to drive very slow to avoid hitting any cars. We drove for nearly two hours until we decided to exit. We got off at the Empire Exit. We had less than a quarter tank of gas. The sun was in the western sky and we knew we only had a f
ew hours before it would set. And we wanted to find shelter before the sun took away our light. We didn’t speak much during the drive. The only sounds came from Katie as she softly sang to Emma.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It didn’t take us long to find shelter. Clyde drove on winding country roads and the dust from the gravel nearly choked us. We gladly accepted the smell of the country and dust, instead of the smell of death. After ten minutes of leaving the interstate we were surrounded by nature. The first house we stopped at was in poor condition and didn’t have a generator. We searched the entire house and found several items worth taking. After that we drove another twenty minutes until we found suitable shelter.

  The doors and windows were intact and it even had a generator and water in the well. We searched the house for bodies and thankfully didn’t find any. The house didn’t show any signs of a struggle. No blood. No smell of death. The two car garage was empty. And in the bedrooms, piles of cloths were piled on the bed. I didn’t see any luggage.

  My guess was that the former inhabitants of the house packed whatever they could and took off. They probably thought if they made it to a bigger town they’d be safe. If only they had known that they were already in a safe place. I saw a picture on a nightstand. I assumed it was the family, father, mother, two young girls, and a young boy. I tried not to think what had most likely happened to them, but my mind refused to let go of the images of them being attacked while stuck on the expressway.

  Clyde helped me check the surrounding area for signs of infected, but we didn’t see any. Katie and Emma explored the cabin and claimed their room. We quickly moved everything into our new home. I checked the water pressure. I turned the kitchen faucet, but didn’t expect anything to happen. Drops of water trickled out of the facet and then it stopped, made a chocking sound and then water poured out at full speed. It was a beautiful sight. I let my hands full with water and splashed it onto my face. It felt like heaven. Clyde got the generator working. We figured we’d have enough gas to last a month, hopefully two.

  We boarded up the windows and secured the doors. That night after we had settled into our new home, we had dinner. We had an actual dinner. It was the first cooked dinner any of us had had in months. After dinner, we each took a shower, though to save water, we limited each shower to five minutes. Five minutes was plenty. I felt like a new man. All I needed was my wife, a cup of Alterra Coffee and a Camel Light. Yes, that would’ve been heaven, but I take what I can get.

  The cabin only had two bedrooms, so I let Katie and Emma take the smaller of the two, and Mary and Clyde took the other. I slept on the couch, which was okay by me. I wanted to be close to the door. The first night I barely slept. I kept my eyes on the door and listened for movement, waiting for the pounding to begin. I had my rifle and a hand gun. I was prepared. Nothing happened that night.

  We went outside the next day. Emma and Katie played tag,and the rest of us sat on the front porch and enjoyed the fresh air. We carried our rifles with us at all times. But after the first few days it didn’t seem like we would need them. The cabin was a good distance off the main road and we were shielded by trees. We had only seen the mailbox from the main street. Actually it was Mary who had spotted the mailbox. And so Clyde turned and we slowly made our way toward the cabin. The driveway was gravel and roughly a block long. Once we knew we were going to stay I drove the Jeep back to the road and removed the mailbox.

  Emma was in good spirits. She loved sharing a room with Katie. And I often heard them giggling late into the night. One sleepless night, Clyde kept me company. Neither of us could sleep. We sat on the couch and shared a bottle of water. We would’ve preferred Scotch, but we were thankful we had water.

  “Listen to them girls in there. It’s so good to hear laughter. If I didn’t know any better I’d say they were sisters. It’s amazing how well they’ve connected.” Clyde said as Emma’s laughter filled the cabin.

  “Yeah, I think it’s great. I can’t imagine how Emma would be handling everything without Katie. I mean don’t get me wrong. I would do everything I could to make her laugh, but I’m her dad, and, no offense, but you and Mary could be her grandparents, so we’re just the old farts. She needs to be around someone closer to her own age. Not that I’m much older than Katie, it’s just she has such a sweet personality, and is so good with Emma.

  I paused and listened to Emma.

  “Stop tickling me, oh my God, I’m going to pee my pants.”

  After her laughing stopped she opened the door and ran to the bathroom. Katie walked toward us, still laughing, with a full smile.

  “She is exhausting me.” Katie said in between her laughs. She wiped her hair from her eyes.

  The toilet flushed.

  “Em, did you wash your hands?” I asked in my best fatherly voice.

  “Duh of course I did.”

  She came out of the bathroom and rushed at me with open arms. Her hands were in front of her and she jumped onto my lap. She put her hands in front of my nose.

  “See. They smell like soap.”

  “Yes they do. They smell good. Are you girls going to get any sleep tonight?” I said looking from Emma to Katie.

  Emma answered first.

  “Why it’s not like I have to get up for school tomorrow. Why can’t I stay up like you and Mr. Clyde? I’m not tired daddy.”

  She stopped smiling.

  “Sweetie, I know you don’t have school, but that doesn’t mean you get to stay up as late as you want. You’re still a kid and kids need their rest. I don’t mind if you stay up a little while longer, but not that much later.”

  She quickly said okay, gave me a quick kiss on my cheek and ran back into her bedroom, making sure to grab Katie’s hand on the way. Katie quickly gave me an apologetic glance. As they ran into the bedroom, Emma turned around.

  “I love you daddy.”

  “I love you too sweetie.”

  “Have fun. Goodnight.”

  They both replied in unison.

  “Goodnight.”

  After they were inside the room and the door was closed I explained my plan to Clyde.

  “Tomorrow before Emma wakes up I’m going to take the Jeep and drive back to Bradley. Now that you guys are safe and have some supplies I need to find Natasha. I’ll only need to take a can of food and a bottle of water. And even if I don’t find Natasha at least I’ll be able to find more supplies. How much gas does the Jeep have?”

  “Not much, less than a quarter. You will need to find more gas.” He paused before he finished. “Honestly I’ve been waiting for you to leave. I knew you would. And I won’t talk you out of it, neither will Mary. She understands.”

  “Thanks. Is Mary okay? She has been sleeping more than usual.”

  “She’s just a little under the weather, but nothing to worry about. See if you can find aspirin, or for that matter any other medical supplies you can.”

  “Not a problem. I’m hoping to be gone only a day or two. I’m not going to tell Emma. I will wait until she is asleep, and I will talk to Katie. I think Emma will take it better coming from Katie.”

  Clyde nodded and we sat in silence until Clyde excused himself.

  “It’s getting a little late for me. I don’t know how early you’re leaving, so if I’m not awake when you leave make sure you wake me up so I can lock the door. I expect to see you in a few days. And don’t worry about Emma we will keep her safe. You just worry about finding your wife and getting back here in one piece.”

  “Thanks.”

  I sat on the couch, going over my plan, trying to figure out where I should begin to look. I knew it was pointless, but I had to try. I waited an hour before I went into the girl’s bedroom. Emma was sleeping on her side, using her hand as a pillow. Katie was on her back. I couldn’t tell if she was asleep. I walked toward the bed, and walked to Emma’s side. As I leaned down and kissed her goodnight, Katie looked at me. She smiled. As I stood up, Katie carefully got out of bed, adjusting her t-shirt
that had exposed her stomach. She walked with me out of the bedroom and we both sat on the couch. She sat very close to me and I could feel the heat from her body.

  “Is everything okay?” She asked.

  I looked at her, and tried to keep my eyes from wondering around her body. Her shirt was nothing more than a loose fitting tank top. Her shorts were short, too short. I kept eye contact. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I was looking at her like I had once looked at Natasha. There was something about her that mesmerized me. As I sat there, I looked at her in a way that I shouldn’t.

  “Everything is okay, but I need to talk to you.”

  Her smile faded and her body tensed.

  “Tomorrow I’m leaving. I didn’t want to tell Emma. I was hoping you would. I think she’d take it better form you. You two have connected extremely well. Would you tell her for me?”

  She quietly sat next to me, her eyes remained on mine and before I know it she leaned closer to me and our lips softly touched. My lips were dry, and her tongue gently licked round my lips, in sweet slow motions. I didn’t pull away, though I knew I should have. But it had been so long since I’d felt so alive. I pulled her closer and our tongues touched. My hands wrapped around her body, pulling her on top of me. We slowly explored each others mouths, and bodies and with her body on top of mine, I found myself getting excited. I started to push her off of me, but she only kissed me harder.

  “It’s okay. I don’t want to stop. I know you don’t want to either, I can feel that you don’t.” She whispered.

  I didn’t reply in words, my reply was physical. I slid my hands under her shorts and felt her skin. She softly moaned as my hands traveled up her body, reaching under her tank top feeling her bare breasts. Her nipples were hard and when I let my fingers lightly touch them she moaned louder. Her hand started on my chest and found its way to my pants. She let her fingers lightly tease me, as she slowly slid her fingers under my pants, and then under my boxers, and slowly gripping what she wanted. She let her hand slowly move up and down, as our tongues moved faster and faster in each others mouths.