Soulless Wanderers: Soulless Wanderers Book 1

by Drew Strickland

  Outside, the warm air met him, almost like an old friend. Being inside the cold air-conditioned room made him forget about how good warmth felt. The street was empty, except for an older man on top of the makeshift wall. Paxton hadn’t met him yet, but his grey beard and the way he sipped his thermos made him seem like the gentle story teller at a campfire. He played out that scenario in his head to make the man seem friendly. Approaching him would be easier that way.

  He made it to the ladder on top of the semi and gave a loud throat clear to get the man’s attention. He quickly spun around with a jolt.

  “Jesus Christ, man. You scared the shit outta me,” the man said.

  “I’m sorry,” Paxton returned with a whisper. “Mind if I come up?”

  The man shifted to the side, giving Paxton ample room. “Be my guest.”

  “Thanks,” Paxton said as he put his feet on top of the semi. “You can see a lot from here. It’s Larry, I assume, right?”

  Larry stuck his hand out and Paxton took it in a solid shake. “How’d you know?’

  “I’ve already met Ben and Matt, and I heard Peter has teenagers. You look a little older than to have teenagers.”

  Larry chuckled, reaffirming Paxton’s gentle storyteller scenario. “Well, I suppose that’s true. My kids are all grown up and moved out.” He became sullen after saying it. “Wherever they may be.”

  Paxton winced a little, hating that he brought pain to a man who seemed as friendly as Larry was. Still, he supposed everyone had someone somewhere that they couldn’t know what happened to. It was inevitable in this new world. “Sorry,” Paxton offered, knowing the apology was a hollow offering.

  Larry smiled, a warmth coming to his face, allowing Paxton to be at ease, even if just for a second. “Don’t sweat it.” Larry took a deep breath and looked out across the empty dark road. “Things like this have been happening before, well, before things like this have happened. People die, kids go missing, people wonder what is happening. It’s the same gift in different packaging.”

  Paxton understood the man and was in slight awe of how he could handle this tragedy so well. He imagined a past that Larry had seen. One with trials and tribulations. Maybe he had seen war. Maybe there was a fair share of death and heartbreak. Perhaps he had been the cause of both at one point in time in his life. In a different life, Paxton would have wanted to sit down with the man and talk about it. He knew he could glean some insight into his own life from this man. Hell, that other life was just days ago. Still, he had no time to waste.

  “So, Larry. I was talking to Luke a few moments ago. He said he wanted to talk to you about something.”

  Larry looked at him without suspicion, only genuine curiosity. “Did he say what about?”

  Paxton shook his head. “Nope, just asked me to come up to take watch for a few minutes while you went and spoke to him.” Paxton added a shrug to sell the lie.

  Larry cleared his throat and rubbed his face. “Alright then. I could grab some crackers and peanut butter while I’m in there. The night shift tends to get a little long when I don’t plan well for it. Nobody comes to relieve me to get a snack.” He looked around as if there was anyone else around to hear. “I’d complain about a piss break, but I just drop trow and let loose. Off the outside, of course.” He gave Paxton a wink that he imagined he gave many young children when he told them to sleep well the after tucking them into their sleeping bags on a cold night in the tent.

  “Of course,” Paxton said, wishing the man would hurry up and leave. He wasn’t sure if he could stomach lying to such a genuine man anymore.

  “Alright, I’ll be right back.” Larry clapped Paxton on the shoulder before taking to the ladder. Larry stopped while heading down the ladder. “Paxton, right?” Paxton looked to the older man and nodded, hoping nothing was going to prevent him from leaving. “You’ll need this, just in case. I know it’ll be quick, but you never know these days.” Larry slid the rifle off his shoulder and held it out to Paxton.

  “Thanks,” Paxton said, with a slight smile. He hadn’t even thought about needing a weapon when he left, he was just concerned about getting the hell out of this place.

  Larry nodded and offered a smile back before disappearing from view below. Paxton headed to the edge and watched the silhouette of Larry walk across the street and enter the house.

  Paxton quickly jumped into action. He didn’t have much time before Larry would realize Luke never asked for him and both of the men would be out here. Paxton quickly slid down the ladder and underneath the semi. In front of it was the perfect car to make his getaway. It was a small two door coupe that had some oxidation on the roof but looked to be in decent condition. Best of all, it had a clear path in front of it.

  Paxton made it to the door, hoping it would have gas and keys in it. He assumed they had to move it to that position somehow, but would they have left the keys in it? He would find out soon enough. He pulled the handle to the driver’s side door and it clicked open. He sat inside and looked up at the sun visor. He pulled it down, to have nothing drop in his lap. Of course, he thought, it was too good to think that what happened in old movies would work now.

  He looked around and couldn’t find anything in the seat next to him. Shit. He rested his hand next to the wheel and felt the keys graze against his knuckles. He laughed inside. He didn’t need to go searching, the first place he should have looked was the ignition itself. The keys hung there, waiting to be turned. He shook his head as he turned the car, sparking it to life with a low rumble.

  Paxton shifted to drive and took off, leaving a large gap in the makeshift wall. He watched the rearview mirror and convinced himself that the opening in their wall was going to be very temporary. Besides, nothing was headed this way for a while. It was plenty of time to grab another car and drive it to the same spot, plugging up any leaks so the soulless couldn’t get in.

  He made himself better with that thought. That Luke and Larry would be out there in minutes to figure it all out. Ahead was the turn he needed to make. It was a dark road, but all roads were dark now. With the streetlights out completely and the headlights only reaching so far, there wasn’t much he could see in front of him. What he did see was a clear path directly in front of him. He pulled up to the road and took one last look behind at the compound. It was just a tiny sliver of light. Luke had made sure not to make it a large beacon of light at night, which only added to Paxton’s reassurance.

  Paxton headed down the new road, just shy of seeing what was lurking down the road in the darkness. If he only waited seconds more, he would have seen the horde of soulless peek out of the darkness and realize they would make it to the fort much sooner than he had anticipated. It was a decision that would haunt him years to come, and he would discover that very soon, but for this moment, his head was clear and he was headed for Stacey.

  21

  Growing up, Daniel had never had a problem with food. He definitely wasn’t considered a picky eater. If it was time to eat and someone put a plate in front of him, he would eat it. Most kids would balk at the type of things he was fed as a kid, but since he ate it, his parents never had reason to make anything kid specific. There were no special meals of chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But there was never anything too extreme that he was fed. There were lots of salads, roast beef was one of his favorites, and there were always casseroles. On occasion, there had even been cake, which in the case like any other kid, he enjoyed.

  As he got older, Daniel never missed a meal. He definitely wasn’t overeating and didn’t have any type of emotional relationship with his food. There was no eating to compensate for missed love or to drown his worries away. It was just a process. He needed to eat to stay alive, he needed to eat to get his nutrients and vitamins. If given a choice to just take a pill instead of eating, he wouldn’t take it. He still enjoyed the flavors and feeling of eating.

  A lot of people at his job were what they’d call foodies. A term Daniel hated whenev
er he heard it. Everyone had to be special and show how much they enjoyed eating sushi on Wednesdays, or those fancy tacos that were an Asian fusion. What a bunch of bull. He liked tastes, but also had no confusion as to what he was doing it for.

  Now, he sat staring at the cheeseburger in front of him on the counter. He hadn’t even touched the bun. It looked delicious and one of the best burgers he had seen in a while, but still, he didn’t think he would be eating any of it. The juices ran from the burger and onto the lightly toasted bun, as if taunting him to take a bite. He looked down the bar of the diner and saw everyone else greedily eating their burgers. His ears were filled with the sound of his group chewing, their hands clinking around the plates and glasses as they gulped down water, and even the sounds of pleasure. They obviously were enjoying the meal.

  Daniel looked up and saw Howard staring at him. It wasn’t an evil stare, but it was stern with just a hint of curiosity. “Not hungry?” Howard asked.

  Daniel shook his head slightly, keeping his eyes locked on the man. “Just don’t see the point. Where’s the end game in all of this?”

  Cole slammed his glass down and cleared his throat. “Danny—”

  “It’s okay, friend,” Howard said, waving his hand. His smile seemed to disarm Cole, who went right back to eating, still glancing Daniel’s way. “What’s the end game? Well, I thought I’d feed some people who seemed to need it.”

  “Why?”

  “You don’t get far in life keeping it all for yourself. If you don’t share, if you don’t let people in, then sure, you may live a while, but what kind of life is that?”

  “A healthy one where people don’t kill you.”

  Howard laughed. The bellow from his voice was deep enough that he might have made a good Santa Claus in a mall at some point in his life. “That’s true. But why would I do anything like that? I can tell you, my intentions are nothing sinister.” Howard pulled a knife out and grabbed Daniel’s plate, scooting it closer. He cut the burger in half and looked Daniel in the eye. He took a huge bite from the half he held. The juices ran down his chin, and he wiped it with his sleeve. “You’re really going to regret not eating this burger. It’s the best one you can get for at least another hour and a half’s drive, and that was before the apocalypse. Who knows now.”

  Daniel’s belly grumbled, as if confirming everything Howard had just said. He knew he was right, and now he knew there was nothing in the burger. He was being paranoid and had no idea where the end goal to this was, but still, it had kept him safe, alive and in the shadows for so long, so he had to trust it when he felt it. He wasn’t stubborn just to be stubborn and had no issues with pride, it was just a matter of survival. He grabbed the burger and sunk his teeth into it, now knowing it was safe. It was the best damn burger he had ever had.

  Howard gathered all the plates from the counter as everyone stretched and rubbed their stomachs. “I hope everyone got enough?”

  “That was amazing, thank you,” Courtney said, letting out a low burp. “Excuse me,” she said, only slightly blushing.

  “So, it’s just you here?” Cole asked.

  “You got it. I owned this place before, and I have no intention of leaving it. Hell, I’ve got it nearly set up that I have no reason to leave.”

  “What do you mean, nearly set up?” Alan asked.

  “I mean just that. You can obviously see the lights work. It’s all solar. I’ve got a reservoir to fill up with water. Some rain collection, some scavenging. I’m nearly done with the well. I wish I had moved a little faster before all of it happened, but what can you do? Preparing is great, but sometimes things take just a little longer than you can expect. So, I mean, this place is set up. I just need to get a better food source, and I’ll be good to go.”

  “This place? You don’t want to be near a city or anything?”

  “What for?” he laughed. “Cities are filled with the dead. Besides, there’s no land to grow. I’ve got my garden set up around back, and I plan on expanding it. I’ll get a fence going to keep out the dead and other unwanted visitors.” He winked at Daniel.

  “Wow, but like you said, isn’t it going to be bad being alone?” Courtney asked.

  “That’s the truth, darling. That’s why I’m hoping to meet some good people who are interested in staying.”

  Daniel thought about it for a moment. Maybe Howard wasn’t up to anything. Maybe he really was telling the truth. It did make a little bit of sense. He had a big place here, and he needed the help. Whether or not it was so he wasn’t alone was still up in the air. But at least it gave Daniel a sense of security knowing the man’s motives. He needed the help. Still, it wasn’t anything Daniel was interested in. He had his own slice of paradise set up in the apocalypse, ready to go. He just had to get there and was already so close. Daniel was ready to protest but was suddenly cut off before he even started.

  “No way in hell. We’ve got road to hit. Places to go,” Alan’s voice broke through loudly.

  What was in it for Alan to not stay? Daniel had thought that maybe it was good for the others to stay here. Hell, he had even begun to not think about killing them all and, instead, didn’t mind seeing them all make it out of this whole thing alive. Well, everyone except Alan. He still didn’t like that guy. And here he was, the one protester of staying. Although, he hadn’t really given the others a chance to voice their opinions either. He looked down the counter and watched the other’s faces.

  Cole was deep in thought. It was obvious he needed some place safe to keep Eden. This place could be it for them. He didn’t have much of a plan more than head up north with the others. Daniel could tell this was the place he wanted to stay.

  Alan still had that smirk on his face. It was as if he knew a secret nobody else was in on. Daniel didn’t like it and was really just waiting for it to get someone else killed. He had to find a way to get rid of Alan, and maybe this was it. Maybe the rest of them stay. Maybe Alan goes off on his own. But Daniel knew that wasn’t going to be all there was to it. Alan didn’t seem the type of person to leave it alone. He’d be back sometime. To do what? Daniel wasn’t sure.

  Jennifer didn’t seem to care one way or another. She had seemed strong when Daniel first met her, and he was sure she was, but there was now definitely something lost in her. Miles’s death had affected her more than he thought it would have. She may have bossed him around and belittled him, but he was there for her. Maybe she didn’t know how to show him her love the best way, not that Daniel was one to criticize, he didn’t think he could even know what love was, let alone how to show it. Still, looking at Jennifer being so down and lost, he didn’t think she was going to make it much further in this world.

  Courtney was a bit of a mystery to Daniel. He figured she could make it in this world, and probably thrive here at Howard’s. But something inside him was telling him that she was what they would call a free spirit. She probably wouldn’t want to be tied to one spot and with as little as he knew about her now, that was probably the case before the apocalypse. She seemed to be alright wherever she was, and that was something Daniel could appreciate.

  Eden was the last one, and probably the one who would benefit the most from being in a stable location. Not that she would have much of a say in things, Cole was there to do that for her, but she didn’t seem to care. She was always in thought. Obviously, she should stay here for her own good. There was nothing up north for her. Daniel was going to bail as soon as he was close to his compound, and he was sure that Alan wasn’t one to trust with his plans.

  Dammit. Why did he care what these people thought or wanted to do anyway? He needed to be on his way, and that was with or without them. At some point, he was sure they would get in his way or try and stop him from leaving, and sure, they’d been useful to help him out of the city. But there was something else. A new feeling inside him that he didn’t like at all. It was as if he’d had something and lost it. Deep down, in the pit of his stomach. He would do his best to push it off.
Whatever the group decided, he was headed out. They could go with him for a while, or he could go alone from here. It didn’t matter, at least, that’s what he told himself.

  “I’m sure we all need to discuss it, but we did promise Alan we’d find his family and friends. Maybe once we get there, we can come back down and take you up on the offer, though,” Cole said, gritting his teeth.

  Alan smiled. “Absolutely. Hell, maybe we’ll all join you then.”

  Howard nodded, watching the faces of everyone at the counter. “Well, I can definitely appreciate that. You are all welcome to come back. In fact, I’d really like it if you did.”

  Everyone slowly got off their stools, as if their bodies were trying their hardest to stay. It was hard to get up, with the supply of food, the safety, shelter, and electricity all set up here. But they had made a promise.

  Daniel had no idea why it mattered to any of them to help Alan out, but they did it. He supposed it was the same way he didn’t trust Howard, but Cole did. Cole turned out to be right about Howard, even if it was just an hour ago they had met. Daniel knew it.

  “I do have one last thing to show you all, though,” Howard said, waving them to the back of the kitchen.

  They all followed through the used, but still clean kitchen. They walked through the back, down a hallway and outside. It was bright, and Daniel saw the tables and pots, filled with plants. Each of them produced different fruits and vegetables. Howard wasn’t lying when he talked about having things set up here. He even seemed to know what he was doing with the plants, each of them showing fine growth of produce. Daniel saw the look on everyone else’s faces, as if pleading to stay.