“God, Jade I’m driving”! She huffed. “I’m sorry alright”?! I clicked my tongue and plopped back down on my seat.
“Here”. Nika gave me the first-aid kit. Elise glanced at me a couple times as I tried to put the bone back. I’ve never done this before, and I’ve only seen it on T.V.
It took me a couple tries to put it back, the first; and I couldn’t even think it was possible...to bend it even more than it already is. And the second, I chickened out because of the pain. Thenfinally,
I bit down on a folded cloth and jerked the bone forward. “Geez...” Nika winced behind me. I groaned and took the medical tape, wrapping it around the now bruising pinky. “You gonna be okay? I mean, you able to use the katana with...um”. Well, Elise stuttering. This is very shocking. “It’s not impossible, but I’m sure I’ll be able to manage using only four fingers”.
“You’re very first broken bone”! Nika chirped. “Yeah, way to start the day off with a broken pinky”.
Chapter 12
It took about a half an hour to get down town. There wasn’t much to hear on the radio; more news feed about the epidemic. The military seems to be doing
a fine job of holding back those things. And so far, no safe havens have popped up. We knew that it would only take a matter of months for them to actually pull it off. Meanwhile, the human race is going extinct.
We passed by a couple of shops, and restaurants that looked like they were still doing business, aside from the constant bodies roaming head of the shop sand sidewalks, the town looked decent. I’m not sure what I really expected from this part of the town, for some reason it looked like the apocalypse hadn’t even happened at all.
“Kinda reminds me of a movie set”. I said to myself. Elise chuckled beside me and swerved the truck, turning a left corner.
“The heck...” My blood ran cold and the shivers racked my body so heavily that I felt I was going to vomit right there. “Well, now we know where all the people went”. Nika mum - bled from the back seat. The scene was too much for me to bare. I wanted to turn away from it all but, for some reason my eyes stayed glued to it. The space inside the truck fell silent; as we viewed upon the thousands of bodies lying on the heated cement. They laid unmoving and there was just so much blood that even I couldn’t handle it. Elise took a sharp intake of breath and pressed on through the sea of still Bodies. I counted at least hundreds of wondered who had the time to do all of that. Who could do all of this?
“It’s creepy how you know their all dead...and the fact that they won’t move at all”. Nika was oddly quiet when she said this, my ears strained on her voice.
“You think the military swept through here for Evac”? Elise gripped the steering wheel until the whites of her knuckles showed, it was strange against her already pale skin.
“I guess, I noticed some recent tire marks going off into the East”. She pointed towards a cleared path a couple blocks away from us. We kept heading straight. I tried to ignore the piles of flesh stacked into neat piles along the sidewalks. So many have died in a matter of weeks, it was unbelievable. I looked at the gas meter for a distraction and noticed that it was nearly gone.
“We need to refill the tank”. I mentioned to Elise who was, astonishingly very calm at the moment.
How utterly disturbing Stanford
“It’ll run for a few more hours, we’ll find a gas station and try to get some gas. If not, well siphon gas from other cars”. I looked at her oddly.
“You know how to siphon gas from other cars”? I asked. She turned her head and gave me an impish grin; that occurred so rare that I scolded myself for not taking a picture of it.
“Indeed I do”. She said matter of factly.
“I do too”! Nika shouted. As did I...and of course this comes from watching movies that involves such an act, and some info from websites on “How to’s”. Oh mother would be so proud to know that her little girl knows how to steal gas from other cars. Among other things...
We took a moment of stillness, all but our heavy breathing emit- ted from the silence. We took another left around the corner, and stopped at a small strip mall. Multiple shops lined the oval shaped space. Lots of cake shops and restaurants. I’ve come here a couple of times in the past, I’d like to call this the sweets and salts circle, again the place is shaped like an oval. No idea why I called it a circle. I’m guessing my little 8 year old mind wasn’t able to process things as clearly as I could now. Heck, it still takes a century for me to figure out something
Elise eased into a small parking lot. Lone cars sat idly, scattered on the pavement. They appeared to be in good use, nothing but some of the windows smashed in, some flat tires.
“Let’s see if we can scavenge some things here”. Elise said, she placed the truck in park and popped the door open. Both me and Nika got out, and eased the doors shut quietly. Just because there weren’t any Bodies nearby, doesn’t mean they couldn’t hear us slamming the doors.
“So, where would you like to start first?” Elise looked to us. I noticed that she was decked out in weaponry. If you could count a hand full of kitchen knives, two steal baseball bats, and an iron hammer acceptable weapons. I’d say I do, think they are...quite menacing actually.
I noticed a lone knife handle sticking out of her boots. As long as you don’t accidentally cut yourself with that sucker...
“The cake shop obviously”. Nika drawls. I look at her and then at Elise. She gives me a pointed look, I’m guessing you’d like to check out the cake shop out too?
“Sure why not?” I say finally. I can already hear the squeals from both of them. They needn’t express that openly, I’d fear for the worst. I highly doubt that there would be anything useful there, and I highly doubt there would be any sweets left. I mean c’mon, in any situation like this who wouldn’t grab all the sweets and run like heck away. I sighed, and followed the two idiots inside the store.
The door was left slightly ajar, I thought oddly about it, then looked up. Ah, that might have made some noise. Two silver bells hang loosely above the doorway. Elise must have noticed too before entering. A rolled up magazine is wedged into the corner of the door, allowing it to close softly and partly.
As I suspected, nothing remains in the glass cases. Shards of glass scatter the flooring, nothing but the crunching of my boots upon them in the tiny shop. Nika and Elise are nowhere in sight, until I hear a bit of noise coming from the back. Shuffling, then muffled giggles. I try not to roll my eyes when I enter the kitchen. Layers of flour cover the floor, carts and baking utensils are every- where. I found the two drawing on the metal table in the center of the room. Doodles here and there in the flour. “High life” is scrawled in cursive on one corner. Really Nika?
I walk over to them, Elise is crouching, her hands wandering inside a large pantry. Nika is to the side nibbling on something that might have been drenched in chocolate. I elbow Nika,
“What’s that ya got there?” I ask. Noting her chocolate covered hands and mouth. The scene looks somewhat unsettling. If that were blood, I think I’d vomit.
“Elise found some chocolate dipped donuts”. She said, I can already see the sugar taking effect in her bright eyes.
“When you mean some...” I looked around.
“I ate them all”. She shrugged sticking her tongue out slightly. “Didn’t think to share the treasure, huh?” I could be mad, yeah I could be. But I choose not to be. Why? Well, I’m assuming that if I’d gotten here sooner I’d be walking myself into a war zone. I could survive without chocolate for a while. As for the two idiots...give or take 10 hours. Although, I do need some sustenance every few days, I could go into withdrawal. Seriously. Health wise, I have to eat some sort of food that will keep my body from col- lapsing in on itself. It’s a scary thing.
“Nah, once I pulled them out of the pantry she swiped the donuts away from me. She was like, deadly fast”. Elise straightened up on to her feet, holding large white boxes in her arms. I eased a few from her and
placed them on the counter top. I think I hit my head a while back because the scene in front of me might as well have been due to a concussion. A full spread of all kinds of pastries line the counter. It’s like a freakin gold mine!
“W-what...” Whoever came here before us to scavenge, they sure didn’t look hard enough.
“What a spread!” Took the words right out of my mouth Nika.
“Don’t eat all of it! Take a few, then save the rest for later”. Elise gave a pointed look to Nika. Nika peeked over the pile of sweets in her arms and scowled.
“I should be the one yelling at you. Planning on eating all of those?” I turned my head back to Elise, she was stuffing packages of muffins and cookies in a black duffel bag.
“This a robbery or something? What’s with the black duffel?” I leaned a hip against the counter.
“Was’ the biggest bag I could find when we were at Walmart”.
Yeah, but a black duffel?
“All that food’s gonna spoil ya’ know?” I picked up a lone raisin oatmeal cookie and examined it. So much raisin...
“Not, if we preserve it the correct way”. She huffed, zipping the bag shut and balanced it over her shoulder.
“Preserve as in...You’ll eat everything in a matter of minutes”. I took a bite from the oatmeal cookie, and made a face at the consistency. I gagged and spit the chewed up crap into the garbage.
“I thought you liked that kind”. Nika was perched atop the counter opposite me, nibbling on a muffin from her stash.
“Yeah, these people obviously have no idea how to make it the right way. The heck was with the flavor?” I threw the rest of the cookie into a corner. “It was crunchy, the thing irritated the heck out of my teeth”. Like freakin sand paper.
“Not everyone is as good a baker as you, Jade”. Elise tossed a few chocolate covered almonds in her mouth. She spoke, “Times are touf mow, woo can’t be picky wif food anymore”.
I glared at her, “What did I say about talking with your mouth full?” She stopped and stared at me for a few seconds. Then began chewing again.
“Sorry, mom”. She flung an almond at me, I managed to dodge in time before it was able to hit my eye. I frowned. She smirked and walked back into the hallway.
“And no mocking!” I shouted back. Geez, was that too loud? I turned back to Nika, who by the looks of things was finishing her pile of sweets.
“You done in here, or are you still searching?” I asked her. She shook her head slightly and hopped off the counter. She jogged into the hallway leaving a trail of crumbs on the floor.
I paced the kitchen, looking into the other pantries they haven’t looted yet. Nothing of use, a few boxes of sweets mostly decorations and fondant. I walked into the very back of the shop and checked the office. It was compact yet comfortable. A thin black Mac desktop filled the space of a small mahogany desk. Sheets of paper litter the floor, some information left pinned to the walls. A couple of pictures scattered here and there, of perhaps the people that ran the shop. I only glanced at their faces, no use trying to remember how they looked. They may be dead.
I shook my head in frustration and exited the room. I checked the back entrance and found it locked. Nothing has been disturbed. Walking back towards the front I heard the shuffling of feet, maybe a few feet away from where I stood. They were heavy and weary. Not at all like Elise’s has who stridden with purpose or Nika’s light footfalls. My heart began to hammer against my chest. It couldn’t be one of those things either.
I took a couple breaths in and exhaled through my nose. Silent. I took my time, my fingers skimming the wall beside me. The shuffling stopped. I stood there for a good while, listening to the sounds echoing against the cream plaster walls. The air was stifling, it got hotter and it irked me somehow for not noticing until now.
A scrap sounded ahead of me, I eased one foot in front of the other, careful not to make a sound of my own. The element of surprise.
I reached slowly behind my back for the katana. The black leather hilt held firm in my grasp. Once I got to the corner of the hall, I crouched down low and waited. An eerie silence stretched across the space. My still panting breathe the only sound.
Scratching, shuffling
Quiet voices filled the silence. Their murmurings too soft to make out. But their definitely human. Doesn’t mean they ain’t dangerous. I nodded to myself and bent my knees. In a mid- crouch I drifted towards the voices.
“-were here. The place is cleared out already”. A small voice rang out.
“Let’s check the back then”. Another, deep and sure.
“What about the Hummer in front?” This person sounds tired, his voice is scratchy. Is he sick?
“If you’re so hyped on the Hummer then get to it, we ain’t the only ones lookin’ for a ride”. He sounds... well, pissed. And the kind of guy I’ll most likely hate upon meeting. I groaned inwardly, just what I need... inconveniences. I sighed, and loosened my grip on the handle. They seem like trouble, especially the men, but maybe...If I played it out right-
“Who the heck are you mongrels!?” Nika’s high pitched voice boomed into the shop. Oh great. Just great!
She could have let me handle this my way. I stood up and walked into what I would call, a freakin mess of all messes.
Four people stood in a circle in the center of the shop. They all had make-shift weapons in their hands, their clothes dirty, dried blood splattered against them from their killings. They stood in formation, their bodies turned towards Nika. She already had her own weapons on display. Two knitting picks in each hand and a somewhat threatening glare in her eyes. This is not good. Do some- thing you nitwit!
I relaxed my body, and leaned against the glass case. The sheath of my katana knocking lightly against it. The four jumped and turned towards me. This way I could get a better view of who I might have to go against. There were three men and a women. She might be a little older than me, but it’s hard to tell with all the dirt on her face. Wow, they look so worn. I wonder how I must look to them.
The smallest of the three men, was indeed scrawny. I was almost concerned for him. His limbs were willowy, his complexion pasty. Sweat dribbled down his hallow face and lazy brown eyes peeked from long frayed black bangs. He does look sick...did they notice?
Maybe I’m being paranoid.
I looked to the right of him, and there stood a heavy set man. Late thirties I would assume. That with the thick beard on his face, tiny gray hairs were visible. And might I add, he was bald. Does he like polish that thing? Lord! It’s totally winking against the sunlight.
I mentally slapped myself not to stare for too long at it. And that I didn’t need to thanks to his beady black eyes literally staring holes into me. I crossed my arms against my chest and gave them all a steady look. Alright you can do this.
Chapter 13
“Good afternoon”. I nodded to each of them. They looked at each other and back to me puzzled. “Be at ease, we
don’t want any trouble. We’re just a couple of gals looking for some food, no harm done there. We’re already done searching, so we’ll be on our way. Hm?” I gave them my best comforting smile. Which works wonders
They all eased a fraction, weapons still in hand. I sighed and motioned to Nika.
“Put those things away, there’s no need for them”. With that, I gave her a look. The look which says, ‘I’m not messing around, I’m totally serious, so you better listen to me or I’ll do something to right you’.
She physically shook and placed her weapons back into her belt strap.
“We’re all just trying to survive here, surely you must under- stand the precautions”. I swear it took them at least an eternity to nod in agreement and tuck away their own weapons. Thank...you I glanced to the wall, and found the final member of their little group. As he leaned casually against the wall, he stared right at me. His arms crossed over a... let’s see, wide chest. I
Took my time looking over this mysterious being. He’s old
er, maybe by a few years. I started at his shoes, black track boots perfect for running and hiking laced tightly around well-muscled calves. Like all the others his clothes were dirty with dried blood and dirt. What... I tracked upwards, loose fitting dark jeans hung... perfectly around narrow hips. Oh...
Before I knew what I was doing, my eyes roamed over what his sweat soaked short sleeve shirt could provide, defined abs peeked through the thin cotton. Toned arms flexed once, twice. My...
Finally, my eyes made it up to his face. God! A strong square jaw jutted out of a tanned face. His nose pointed and even. Not like that crow like muzzle the pasty dudes sporting.
Thank goodness I had something to lean against for support because I would have ended up sprawled on the floor unconscious. Surrounded by full lashes, his eyes—good lord his eyes. A light shade of storm gray. I’ve no way else to describe the color. Clearly I lack in vocabulary skills...again. What have I just walked into? And how the heck has this Greek god not shown himself to me until now? Is this fate playing with my life again? Because this ain’t fair! I wasn’t prepared!
“Do you use the same old line every time you come across someone?” He spoke. Jeez, even his voice sounds sexy. Keep it together!
I switched positions and settled my weight on the other leg. “No, I just want to assure you guys, that my people aren’t trouble, that I’m not trouble. Unless, you give me a reason to be”. There!
He nodded slightly. And smirked. Holy mother Mary, why have I not noticed those lips sooner? I’ve only ever seen lips like those in magazines. He’s gotta be a model or something, I mean c’mon. Okay, enough gawking, focus.
I noticed Nika still standing in the doorway of the shop, her gaze locked on Mr. Man.
I cleared my throat, and Nika snapped her head back to me. “Where’s your sister?” I asked. Making sure not to look at...him.
She shrugged, “Dunno, She told me to wait in the truck while she looks at the store next door-”.
“She did what?!” I really hope my eyes weren’t about to pop out of their sockets.
Staying Alive: New Addition Page 9