Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “Elaina! Oh, my god!”

  We were both drenched in a matter of seconds. When I slid my legs back to the ground, he held my face, planting a passionate kiss on my lips.

  “I love you,” he said, pulling away. “I thought you were gone.” I sobbed. “Why did you leave without telling anybody? Don’t ever do that again!” He couldn’t decide if he were angry or relieved.

  “It was real. I felt her!” I raised my voice, trying to speak through my tears and over the storm.

  “What was real? What did you feel?”

  “My mother… It was real.”

  “Love, what was real?”

  “I dreamt about her searching for me. I felt her pain. I feel her.” I put my hand over my heart and continued sobbing.

  “Oh, love…” He pulled me close again as Claire came running.

  “Come on! Let’s get into Sophie’s truck.” She grabbed our arms, and we bolted for the truck.

  Nick hopped out so Henry and I could get into the back seat, then he ran to the back and opened the liftgate, climbing in. I shivered, my teeth chattering.

  “Nick, there’s a blanket in the bin,” Sophie said. “Grab it for Elaina.” He pulled out a thin blanket and wrapped it around me.

  “Thank you,” I said through my sobs and chattering teeth. Henry wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. Claire, sitting in the front, turned around and grabbed my hand, rubbing it with her thumb.

  “Elaina, you scared the shit out of us.” She spoke in a concerned tone, but lectured me at the same time. I couldn’t look at her. “Why did you go?”

  “I had a dream my mom was looking for me. I felt her. It was so real.” I was ashamed for what I had put them through. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s all right, love. We’re together now.” Henry rocked me, holding me tight. His arms were always a comfortable place to land.

  “I had a similar dream…”

  I whipped around to look at Nick. “You did? When?” I wiped my nose on my arm.

  “Last night. I didn’t want to say anything to you, though.”

  I gasped. I couldn’t believe it. I felt the need to convince Henry that we needed to look for my mom. “Henry, it has to be true. If we both had a dream—”

  He cut me off. “Listen, love, those are just dreams. It’s just your mind’s way of working out your problems.”

  “But what if she is out there, alone and scared?”

  “I highly doubt it,” he said, stroking my cheek with his thumb. Gazing down at my lap, I fiddled with my fingers. Henry pulled me to him again. “I want to believe she is alive, but the possibility is slim.”

  “If there is a slim chance, I want to try to find her!”

  “There’s no way. We barely have enough supplies to get us through the night, and we are severely low on gas.”

  I stared at him in disbelief. In my heart, I felt she was still out there. When I looked at Nick for some assistance, he shook his head. I pulled myself away from Henry. “There has to be a way! Please, Nick. Please help me convince him!”

  “Listen, I love Mom, but it’s far too dangerous to try to go get her…if there is even a her to get anymore.”

  “How is it any more dangerous than all of us leaving and trying to find that Gunther assface you two so desperately want to get to?”

  Everyone was silent, looking at one another. Finally, Sophie sighed.

  “Henry, take Nick and get into your truck. We are going to go look for their mum.” I was shocked. Henry looked at her, mouth open. “She has a point. Let’s just see if we can get to her home. If she isn’t there, then we leave to go find Gunther.”

  Henry glanced back at Nick, then opened the door and readied himself to hop out into the storm. He looked back at me for a moment. I could tell he wanted to say something. Nick put his hand on my shoulder.

  “I hope we find her, sis. I hope this is worth it.” Then they both hopped out.

  Henry turned and looked at me again before they both closed their doors and ran to Henry’s truck.

  Chapter 14

  The ride to my mom’s was uncomfortably silent as we followed behind Henry. Since we couldn’t get onto the highway from where I had stopped, Henry took us up to the next on-ramp. Luckily, there was enough space for us to squeeze through.

  The highway was congested, some cars abandoned and some with true deads in them, but we were able to push the vehicles out of the way. It was a slow process, but the storm eventually passed and the sun rose, which made it a bit easier.

  Henry slowed down and pulled off onto the shoulder. “What’s he doing?” Claire asked.

  “I don’t know.” Sophie pulled up behind his truck. “Both of you stay here, until I figure out what’s going on.” She glared at me, then hopped out. I had a feeling she was sending me a message. I had no idea why she thought I would do the opposite of what she wanted.

  “Nick, stay in the truck. I need to speak to Sophie.”

  Nick nodded, looking off into the distance. Exhausted, he just wanted a few minutes of peace within the madness.

  Henry jumped out and closed the door. He and Sophie walked a distance away.

  “What’s up, darling?”

  “My head… It’s raging.” Cringing, he tried not to show his pain.

  “Are you feeling a little bit of nausea?”

  Henry swallowed hard, rubbing his temples. “Yeah.”

  “Maybe a hangover?” Sophie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “I’m sure your drinking isn’t helping, Henry. It’s probably causing it to come on faster.”

  “Please, Sophie.” He groaned in annoyance.

  “You need to stop with your boozing. We talked about this ages ago. Remember?”

  “Leave it alone,” he growled. He rubbed his temples again, then pressed his palms into his eyes, trying to alleviate some of the pressure.

  “Shit, Henry. We need to get you a proper supply, or you are just going to continue to crash.”

  “I know.” He looked at Sophie and took a deep breath. His eyes had started to gray again. It happened faster than usual, and he knew Sophie was right. His drinking was probably causing him to crash harder and faster. He needed to do something.

  Sophie narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you thinking?” He didn’t respond. “Henry… You’re not thinking…? No. Absolutely not!”

  “I have to do something, Sophie!” he pleaded.

  “We can’t!”

  “What do I have to lose?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Your life! My life! They will kill us both!”

  He laughed without humor. “I do believe we lost our lives ages ago.”

  Sophie looked down and kicked at a rock. The silence was uncomfortable. He rubbed his tired, achy eyes.

  “Heard, but we can’t. Not yet.”

  “This is so fucking frustrating!” he yelled, then grabbed his head. “I hate this. I really do.”

  Sophie rubbed his shoulder. “I know. We’ll think of something. See if Nick will drive for a while so you can rest.”

  Henry nodded. “We need to get gas. You’re probably nearly empty, too.”

  “The low fuel light came on when I put it in park.”

  “The cars around here look virtually unscathed,” he said, looking around.

  “Okay. We’ll check them out.”

  “Right.” They both headed back to their trucks.

  “What do you think they are talking about?” Claire asked.

  “I don’t know, but something isn’t right.” My skepticism was out in the open, speaking for itself, as usual. “I saw Henry grab his head a few times, like he were in pain. I don’t want to see him hurting.”

  “I’m worried,” Claire uttered.

  “Me, too.” I took a deep breath.

  We sat in silence until Sophie walked back and opened the door. “All right, ladies. We’re going to drive to those vehicles and see if they have gas in them. I want to check them out for any supplies, to
o.”

  “Aye, aye, captain,” I said, staring out the window. Sophie sighed as we drove to the three vehicles blocking the highway.

  Henry walked around the cars, securing them. Once he cleared the area, he waved for us to come out as he checked the tank on the first car.

  “Bloody hell. This one is nearly empty.” He stood straight and rubbed his neck.

  “Henry! This one seems to be about half full,” Sophie yelled.

  “Of course it has to be the one in the middle. I can’t even squeeze myself between them to get to the gas door.”

  Nick stood next to Henry, his hands on his hips, surveying the situation.

  “We’ll just push this one out of the way.” Nick pointed at the car to the right. “Let me see if it’s unlocked. If not, I’ll get it open.” Nick smirked as he held up his fist.

  Henry chuckled a little. “I can get it open. I can pick the lock.”

  Nick waved Henry off. He walked to the passenger side and pulled on the handle, the door opening. Looking in, he smiled. “I’ve got keys!” He climbed through the car and tried to start it. It took a few tries, but he eventually got it to turn over. There was enough gas to drive over to the side of the highway before it sputtered and died.

  Claire and I ran over to the car and searched it for supplies. I popped the trunk. “Water!” I jumped up and down. There were three unopened cases. Claire came running back and jumped up and down with me, clapping her hands.

  “Oh, my god! That’s wonderful!” It was the little things, like not dying from dehydration, that made us excited. We unloaded the cases of water and put them in Henry’s truck.

  “Nice score, ladies.” Henry smiled as he siphoned gas out of the abandoned car. I smiled back, elated. We were so low on water that we had to ration it out.

  “This isn’t it. Just wait and see.” I felt like a kid in a candy store. Claire pulled out cases of different snack food items. There was even a huge pack of quilted toilet paper. I was so excited to see that. What girl wouldn’t be?

  “Someone must have hit up the warehouse store before they decided to take off,” Claire said as we cleared out the rest of the car, finding tissues and clean blankets in the back seat. I definitely needed those tissues since I was in touch with my psychotic, hyperemotional, crying side. We headed to the car Henry was siphoning from, finding nothing in that one or the last one.

  Henry sat on the road, rubbing his temples again. Grimacing, he looked like he was in horrible pain. No matter what lies he told me, I loved him. I couldn’t shut it off like a switch. Although it would be much easier on the both of us if we could. I walked over to him.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Uh, yeah. I will be.” His eyes looked cloudy. I knew there was something seriously wrong. Kneeling in front of him, I brushed the hair off his forehead.

  “Do you need water?” I whispered.

  “Uh… Yeah. That would be fantastic if you could grab me one.” He managed to give me a small smile.

  Standing, I spotted Sophie watching our exchange. “I’ll be right back.” I rubbed my hand over his hair again. He sighed and leaned into my touch.

  I headed to the back of the truck, Sophie following. “What’s going on with him, Sophie?” I wanted answers.

  “I think he’s just dehydrated. He’s been boozing it up quite a bit lately for some unknown reason.”

  She was implying his binge drinking was my fault? I felt the urge to smear that snarky bitch’s face all over the pavement.

  I gave her my best “fuck off” look, but decided to keep my thoughts to myself. I knew if I said anything, there would be a battle to the death. I grabbed a bottle of water, then walked back to Henry.

  “Here.” I opened the bottle for him, kneeling to meet his eyes again. I gently touched his cheek. “Henry, please tell me what’s happening to you.”

  He looked away, as if he were ashamed. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me. Thanks for the water, love.” He gave me another little smile.

  I stared at him for a moment. “I can’t help but worry. You’re scaring me. I don’t know if you are sick or what, but I know it’s something. One way or another, I will get it out of you.”

  “Elaina, love, please. I’m begging you. Don’t worry yourself over me. I will be fine. We just need to press on.” He reached up and put his hand on my cheek. He was cold…like Arctic tundra cold. I jumped back a little.

  “Why are you so much colder than usual? Are you sick? Are you coming down with something?”

  “No, no… I’m fine. Trust me.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t lie to me. I just want the truth from you for once.” I knew he wanted to tell me what was wrong, desperation in his eyes, but something stopped him. I wondered if he didn’t want to say anything because he was afraid of how I would react.

  “Please, I’ll be fine. Let’s just get rolling, shall we?” He stood, grabbed my hand and pulled me up. He took me by the shoulders. “How about you and Nick switch spots?”

  I missed my Henry so much. I really wanted to be with him, but I was so unsure of everything right now.

  “Please, love? I’m desperate for time alone with you.” He pouted, complete with his bottom lip sticking out.

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine.” Sometimes he could really get to me, and he knew it.

  I walked over to Nick leaning on one of the abandoned cars, his feet crossed, enjoying an old magazine he found. “Hey.”

  He looked up and smiled. “Hey, sis.”

  “I just talked to Henry. He wants me to ride with him for a while. Would you mind riding with Claire and Sophie?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Only if that’s what you want.”

  “It’s fine.” I crossed my arms over my chest. Apparently, he didn’t think I could make my own decisions. He had obviously never met me before.

  “Okay then.”

  At that point, Henry spoke up. “All right, ladies and gentleman. Time to take off. Sophie, Nick is going to ride with you for a bit. Elaina’s going with me.” Claire gawked at me, and I shrugged. When she shook her head, I looked down at the road, admiring all the little pebbles. “We’re going to continue until the next exit. It’s about ten miles. Hopefully, it won’t take us long. Depends upon what we run across. Once we get off the exit, we will pull over somewhere that looks safe. Clear?”

  “Got it.” Sophie turned and headed back to her truck, Nick hot on her heels. Claire glared at me for a few more moments, then followed. I felt like I needed a shower after all of the dirty looks. Henry grabbed my hand and led me to the passenger side of his truck.

  “Hop in, love. Buckle up. It might be a bumpy ride.”

  “Great,” I said with not much enthusiasm.

  “That’s my girl.” He started to give me a peck on the cheek, then stopped himself. I could see the pain in his eyes. I reached up and brushed my fingers down his cheek. He closed his eyes, exhaling as I slid my fingers over his stubble.

  When he opened them again, they swam with tears. His gaze wandered about my face, searching for the answer to the question lingering between us. He looked down, his jaw trembling. He looked up, like he was about to say something, then just stepped back and closed the door.

  I had broken his heart. I had absolutely crushed this already broken man. I wasn’t sure if we would ever be able to get back to what we had, and the doubt radiating from him told me he felt the same.

  He had secrets. Secrets he desperately wanted to share, but felt that he couldn’t. I didn’t know if it were a trust issue or what. But one thing was certain. It was killing both of us.

  It was killing us, period.

  My hands shook as I clasped them together in my lap. He climbed into the driver’s seat and rested his head on the steering wheel, trying to gather himself. His pain was not only emotional, but physical. I needed to help him through it.

  “Henry—”

  “Not now, Elaina. I can’t handle it.” His voice cracked.

 
“But—”

  “Just leave it!” he shouted. I just wanted to help him, offer him some sort of assistance in his time of need. Whatever that need may be, I would do it for him.

  Henry jammed the key into the ignition and started the truck. I thought the whole point of me riding with him was so we could talk about everything. It was apparent that talking wasn’t going to happen.

  I let out a loud sigh and turned toward the window. I heard him hit the steering wheel in frustration. He put the truck into drive, and we continued on to Unhappyville.

  The highway was relatively open after the on-ramp. We still had to weave in and out of lanes, dodging abandoned vehicles, but it wasn’t that bad. I was surprised. Looked like most of the people trying to flee became stuck at the on-ramp.

  We were almost to our exit when I turned and looked at Henry. He sensed me staring and gave me a sideways glance, then refocused back on the road. He cringed and rubbed his temples again, grabbing his aviators from the visor and pushing them onto his face. The tension between us was obvious, but I still cared about his well-being.

  “Still have a headache?”

  “Yeah, still have a headache.”

  “Do you have any pain relievers in here? Is it a migraine?”

  “No and no.” He rubbed the back of his neck. I was worried. Something was seriously wrong. I worried he had some sort of illness or was about to stroke out. Then I remembered the vials and needles in his pack.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What are the vials and needles in your pack for?” He stiffened.

  The seconds ticked by. Henry chewed on his scarred lip as he wrestled with his thoughts. When he took a couple deep breaths, I thought he was about to let everything out.

  I sat silent, but not patient. I decided to add a few more words to that tangled web of thoughts wrapping around and choking his mind. “My thought is anything in your pack would be for use in the moment. I can’t see why you would carry needles unless you were sick or something.”