Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “You’re telling me.”

  We get to the pharmacy and Joshua heads back to dig through the drugs. There’s something I want to look for, plus I don’t want to wander around the store alone, so I get Emily out and carry her behind the counter with me. It’s dark back here. The emergency lights aren’t quite enough to make it possible to read the labels on the bottles, so I dig a flashlight out of my purse and search the counters.

  “What are you looking for?” I ask him.

  “Ampicillin, Keflex, Zithromax. Any antibiotic, really. I also wanted to grab some painkillers in case we had an issue, although I think we should keep that between us. I have a strange feeling Angus would think they were for recreational use.”

  I snort. “Nothing would surprise me.”

  “Are you looking for something?”

  I try to decide what to tell him. He is a doctor, and I guess he’s my doctor now since I don’t have any other options. “Nuvaring.”

  Joshua steps over to where I’m standing. He tilts his head to the side and his eyes narrow on my face. “You planning a romance?”

  My cheeks get hot, but I roll my eyes and try to play it off. No way do I want him to think Axl has anything to do with this, because he doesn’t. Not even a little. “Yeah, right.”

  “I saw how cozy you and Axl were acting when you were sick.”

  Joshua may have been on to something yesterday, but I’m not feeling very cuddly after Axl’s betrayal. “Yeah, let me know where that guy disappeared to.”

  “His moods are pretty much all over the place, aren’t they?”

  “No. I know exactly where his moods are. When Angus is around he’s an ass, when Angus is gone he actually decides to be a decent person.”

  Joshua shakes his head. “Whatever. Nuvaring isn’t going to work for you. It has to be refrigerated.”

  “Dammit.” He’s right. It’s been a few years since I was on it and I’d forgotten that part. “I remembered you could use one after the other and not have a period. I thought it would be convenient. You know, no running water, being on the road, not knowing where we’re going to end up.”

  “Okay.” Joshua walks away and I grab Emily so I can follow him. “This one may work then. You can take it every day and have no periods at all, at least until you run out of pills. They only have five packs here.”

  “Thanks.” That’s one worry out of a thousand off my mind, at least.

  “Remember, it’s not effective as birth control for thirty days…” He raises his eyebrows and shrugs.

  “Please.” I shove them in my purse. He has to be joking. Sure, I can’t deny I’m drawn to Axl when he’s being sweet, but that doesn’t happen very often. And Angus seems pretty determined to make sure Axl and I do not end up together.

  We continue to raid the pharmacy. Joshua has our cart almost full, and he gets everything from antibiotics to Ace bandages and even some crutches. I keep joking that he’s opening his own clinic, but he just says he wants to be prepared.

  Axl and Angus show up before long, both with their own carts full to the top.

  “What the hell are you two doin’ over here?” Angus growls.

  “Getting supplies,” Joshua says without even glancing his way.

  “What’s takin’ so long?” Axl’s voice is just as tense and annoyed as his brother’s.

  I give him a cold look, but he just returns it. He doesn’t even bat an eye. Jerk.

  “It takes a bit longer sorting through drugs than it does grabbing some food off the shelves,” Joshua says. “You want to do this?”

  Neither one of the brothers says a thing, and Joshua goes back to the pharmacy. I’m actually impressed with how he’s handling himself. He seems to have pulled his act together. I guess Axl’s little lecture helped.

  I lean against the counter. Emily is asleep in my arms and she’s getting heavy.

  Angus walks over to a shelf and grabs a couple boxes. He tosses them into his cart with a smug look on his face. I glance down and roll my eyes. Condoms.

  “We might need to repopulate the Earth,” he says, grinning like a chimpanzee.

  “Yeah, and condoms are the way to go.”

  Axl actually cracks a smile, but Angus just glares.

  “All done,” Joshua announces, tossing a few more things into the cart. “Let’s head out.”

  The drive to San Francisco is a quiet one. I sit in the passenger seat next to Axl, looking behind me every couple minutes to make sure Emily is okay. Angus snores his head off in the third row, and Joshua leans up against the wall next to the booster seat, not snoring but out cold.

  “She seems to be takin’ all this pretty well,” Axl says.

  “I don’t think reality has hit her quite yet.”

  “Ain’t sure it has for any of us,” he mutters.

  “True, but hopefully we’re all better equipped to deal with it than a four-year-old. Although, I’ve had my doubts about Joshua a couple of times. Not sure if he’s really up for this end-of-the-world shit.”

  “Yeah, the Doc is havin’ a rough time.” He looks at me and clears his throat. “You can stop being pissed. I didn’t take Angus’s side just for the fun. I think this idea is dumb as shit.”

  I shrug and look away. I have no interest in discussing this with him, I agree but I also don’t agree. We should do whatever it takes to make sure Trey and Parvarti are okay; it’s the right thing to do.

  We only see one other car driving on the road, and it’s headed in the opposite direction. Other than that we pass a few abandoned vehicles, but no people. When we reach the tollbooths just outside the city, they’re deserted and the gates are down. Axl doesn’t hesitate. He drives right through, breaking the wooden board in half and waking up everyone else in the car.

  “What the hell?” Angus growls from the back.

  Emily whimpers. Joshua starts to comfort her. I turn around and join in, whispering soothing words and telling her it’s okay.

  “Mommy.” Her eyes are barely open. I’m not sure if she’s dreaming, but her cries make my heart ache. I can’t think of a single thing to say that will make her feel better.

  I’m having a tough time really connecting in my mind that she belongs to me. In theory it sounded great, and driving across the country it was all I could think about. But I didn’t get that warm fuzzy feeling that I expected to when I found her alive. I was relieved, but there was none of that motherly love I’ve heard so much about. Now I’m not sure what to do with myself, or her.

  We drive over the bridge and I look out toward the bay. During the day, when it isn’t foggy, you can see Alcatraz from here. It’s pitch black now, and it gives me the chills.

  “It’s gonna be rough, driving through the city with no lights. We’re gonna have to take it slow, make sure we don’t run into anyone,” Axl says as he follows the directions the GPS gives him.

  The car is as deathly silent as the city as we make our way through the narrow streets. Axl curses and slows down repeatedly when we go up and over hills. It’s difficult to see anything without streetlights, but the hilly and narrow streets of the city make it even more complicated. It doesn’t take long to reach the hotel without the normal bustling traffic, though. I’m relieved when it comes into view, even if it’s just as dark and silent as every other building in the city.

  “Penthouse?” Angus leans close to the window and stares up at the top of the hotel.

  “Hell, yeah,” Axl replies, pulling to a stop in front of the hotel.

  “We should get as much out of the car as possible,” Joshua says. “We don’t want anyone breaking in.”

  Axl shoves his door open. “Yeah. First let’s get inside and find us a key.”

  I climb down and open the back door to get Emily. No electricity is going to make this rough. “Will those little cards they use still work with no power?”

  “The locks run on batteries, so they still work if there’s a power outage,” Joshua says. “I worked at a hotel in college
. But we’re going to have to find a master key somehow. At the front desk or off a cleaning lady.”

  The hotel lobby is pitch black, but we all have flashlights so we can see a little. A slight smell of decay makes my nose wrinkle in disgust, but it’s nothing too strong. Just enough to let us know someone died here. Hopefully, there’s no one in the penthouse.

  I sit on a couch in the lobby with a sleeping Emily, while the men head off to find a key. Even Joshua goes, though he would normally hang back, because he has a better idea of where to look for a master key.

  They’re only gone for about five minutes, and when they come back Axl holds a card up. “Found it on the cleanin’ lady. She was dead in the employee break room.”

  I get to my feet and shift Emily a little on my hip. She’s heavy. I take two steps before I stop. We’re going to have to use the stairs. “How many floors are in this building?”

  Axl glances my way, and by the expression on his face, I’d guess he’s about to tell me to quit my whining. Then his eyes land on Emily and his expression softens.

  “Give ‘er here.” He tosses the key to Angus and holds his arms out.

  I smile gratefully and pass her over, taking the bags he was carrying instead.

  The climb is going to be awful. We head up right away, but no one utters a word. My legs would ache even if I wasn’t still getting over being sick. As it is, I’m shaky and weak. We’re all huffing and puffing by the time we make it halfway. I power through though, using the railing to pull myself up. The stairs come to an abrupt end at the eighteenth floor. We’re not at the top though, and when we walk out into the hall we don’t find the penthouse. Just a door marked California Suite.

  “Ain’t the penthouse,” says Angus as he sticks the key in the door. “But I ain’t climbin’ no more.”

  No one argues, and I start to feel really grateful that I don’t have to go down and get supplies out of the car with the others. Not that I think I’d make it. I’m pretty sure I’d collapse after one floor.

  The suite is twice the size of my apartment in Kentucky. It has a dining and living room, plus two huge bedrooms. Everything is elegant, like a palace or something. It’s incredible.

  “There’re candles in that bag,” Axl says, laying Emily on the couch.

  Right, candles. I drop the bags to the floor and dig through them, then set the candles all over the room, lighting them as I go.

  “You stay put and we’ll head down, grab more shit,” Axl says.

  Angus grumbles but heads to the door. Joshua follows, dragging his feet. I don’t blame him. None of us have gotten much sleep in the last twenty-four hours. I’m exhausted.

  16

  I wake up in a king size bed with Emily curled up next to me, clutching her dog. How did I get here? Axl probably. He must have had another mood swing.

  The room is dark and the curtains are drawn, but small rays of sunshine peek through the cracks. It’s light out. It’s impossible to tell what time it is. I don’t own a watch, and my phone died a few days ago. Charging it in the car seemed pointless.

  Then it hits me. Does it even matter what time it is anymore? What difference does it make if it’s two o’clock on a Saturday or five o’clock on a Monday? Everything’s the same. I don’t have anywhere I need to be, and chances are I may not again for a very long time.

  The thought makes me feel both depressed and exhilarated at the same time. It sucks that the world has gone to shit, but it’s nice not to have to worry about bills and work anymore. It’s slightly freeing.

  I crawl out of bed, careful not to wake Emily, and stumble across the dark room to the bathroom. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the faucet still worked? It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try. I turn the knob and smile when water runs out. I should take this opportunity to get clean. Who knows when I’ll have a chance again.

  I flip the shower on and strip down. Before I step in, I take a deep breath. This is going to be cold, and it’s going to suck big time.

  But when the liquid runs over my body it’s warm. Why? There’s no logical answer and to be honest, I don’t care. I turn the temperature up and let the near-scalding water pour over me. I wash my body and scrub my hair, even taking the opportunity to shave my legs, which I haven’t done in a while. Being clean is something I’ve taken for granted. Never again.

  When I’m dressed I head out to the main room. Angus and Axl sit at the dining room table talking. Axl is eating a bag of chips. Angus is holding a beer in one hand and his empty soda can in the other. Why doesn’t he just spit on the floor? It seems like something he would do.

  The lights are on. I have the sudden urge to jump up and down and squeal like a cheerleader at homecoming. “We have electricity?”

  “Found a generator,” Axl says.

  I smile and grab a handful of chips out of the bag in front of him.

  “Mini bar’s stocked if you feel like getting trashed,” Angus says.

  Suddenly, I have the urge to get drunker than I ever have before. I grab a couple small bottles of wine and plop down in the seat next to Axl. Then I take a big swig without even bothering to get a glass. Maybe if I drink enough I can forget all the dead bodies lying around the city. Pretend I’m on vacation instead.

  “So how long do we have to sit here?” Angus asks, spitting into his can.

  I grab a bag of cookies and rip them open. “Until Sunday.”

  “It’s Thursday!” Angus glares at me.

  “So? You have somewhere to be? We’re in a nice hotel with electricity. Enjoy yourself and shut up for a change.”

  Axl shakes his head and gets to his feet. “Where’s that spray paint we took from Walmart?”

  “In the green bag,” Angus says, still giving me the evil eye.

  I stop mid-chew. “What are you doing with the spray paint?”

  “Gonna go down and leave Trey a note, so he knows where to find us. I don’t wanna hang out in the lobby. Do you?”

  Axl digs through the bag and pulls out a can of neon orange spray paint, then heads toward the door.

  “I’ll go with you,” I jump to my feet, then pause and look around. I shouldn’t leave Emily. “Emily’s asleep.”

  “Angus is here,” Axl says.

  I frown and study Angus. He does not seem like a reasonable alternative. “Where’s Joshua?”

  “Sleepin’,” Angus mutters. “Go on, I ain’t gonna scare the girl. I can play nice.” He flashes me a grin that is anything but nice.

  I look at him doubtfully, but Axl grabs my arm and pulls me toward the door. “She’ll be fine with Angus. Come on.”

  “Hey, check out that shop downstairs. See if they have any cards. And more booze!” Angus calls after us. “Shoulda got some at Wal—”

  The door shuts, cutting him off.

  Axl heads down the hall and I’m right on his heels. Was leaving Emily with Angus the mom thing to do?

  I turn toward the stairs, but Axl takes my hand and leads me to the elevator “Electricity’s on, remember?”

  “Thank God.” He doesn’t let go, and something in me flutters. I pull my hand out of his grip and do my best to focus on the task at hand. We need to go downstairs and leave a note.

  The door opens and we step in. “Are you sure Emily is going to be okay with Angus?”

  “She’s good. Believe it or not, Angus lived with a woman for a while that had two little girls. He was actually good with ‘em. He can be a hard ass, but he likes kids.”

  “Seriously?” Angus likes kids? I don’t buy it.

  Axl shrugs. “Maybe he just likes girls. He was tough as shit on me, but he treated them girls like they was his own daughters.”

  Sure, he’s been nothing but sweet to me. But I trust Axl, and he sure seems to like Emily. Maybe Angus has a soft side too?

  The elevator opens in the lobby and we head toward the front. Axl pauses and looks through the glass, out into the parking lot, before opening the door. I flex my hands. They feel uncomfortably emp
ty. Why didn’t I bring my gun? The image of that man charging Parvarti and me at the car dealership goes through my mind. I shudder. At least Axl came prepared.

  We walk out and I look around nervously. The metal ball inside the can rattles when Axl shakes it, making me jump. I shift from foot to foot while he sprays a message across the sidewalk. Right in front of the stairs. Vandalizing the hotel doesn’t exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but I have to learn how to let stuff like that go. This is a different world and I need to get used to the way things are now.

  “There,” Axl says, stepping back.

  Tray- 18th floor, California Suite.

  I don’t have the heart to tell him he spelled Trey wrong, so I just nod.

  Movement catches my eye. My heart goes into double time when my head jerks up. There’s a man across the street, walking slowly up the hill. He has his head bowed and he stares at the ground.

  “A man,” I say, pointing at him.

  Axl looks over and we both stand quietly for a few seconds, just watching him. He’s alone and unarmed, but my heart still pounds. We should just walk away. Leave him alone.

  Axl cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Hey!”

  The man stops and lifts his head, but he doesn’t look around. He just stands there. I hold my breath while we wait for him to respond, to acknowledge us in some way. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t do anything. After a few seconds he starts walking again. The same sluggish pace as before: his head down, his arms slack and swinging at his sides. It’s creepy.

  “Guess he don’t want company,” Axl says.

  I nod, but something inside me tightens. It makes me think of that man we saw in the field a few days ago. He was walking the same way. Aimless. Defeated. There’s something unnerving about it.

  My scalp tingles and the sensation of being watched sweeps over me. “Let’s get back inside.”

  We walk into the lobby and both freeze in our tracks at the sight of a woman standing there. She’s wearing a uniform—looks like housekeeping—and stands perfectly still, staring at the ground. She slowly raises her head and I suck in a deep breath. She’s sick. Her face is pale and gray, her skin droops and her eyes are cloudy. She looks awful. Death can’t be too far away.