Edge of Survival Box Set 1

by William Oday

  That Mason didn’t have a perfect record.

  And that the one blemish that he knew about had resulted in the loss of his father.

  He didn’t hate Mason for it. He barely remembered his father. He wasn’t even sure if the memories he did have were real or manufactured from old pictures and home videos. He went through a phase when he was younger of endlessly watching the videos, as if that would somehow bring him back.

  They didn’t.

  While he didn’t blame Mason, he also didn’t forgive him. For his mother. Maybe his life would’ve been better having a father all those years. Probably. But for his mother, there was no doubt. He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to forgive Mason for the suffering she’d endured. Even a decade after losing her husband, she awoke every morning and kissed his picture that sat on her bedside table.

  No. For his mother, Elio didn’t know if he could ever completely let it go.

  It hadn’t been easy for her. And he was honest enough to know that his poor choices sometimes added to her burden. Elio chewed the inside of his cheek and felt strings of flesh tear away.

  Was she still alive? Was she right this minute waiting for him to come rescue her?

  Maria Lopez had always been the strong one. The one who never let Elio give up. She had to be alive. He knew in his heart that, somehow, she was. She wouldn’t leave him alone in this dark, new world. As close as he’d grown with the West family, and especially Theresa, over the last many days, they still weren’t his family. His family consisted of one person.

  And she was out there, alone and waiting for him.

  One way or another, Elio had to find her. And despite what Mason might say, he wasn’t going to wait much longer.

  Where were they anyway?

  “Do you think something happened?”

  The words spilled out before he could stop them.

  And so the thoughts chased each other in an endless circle of anxious distraction. He sat there with his muscles rigid and his foot tapping out the beat of his frantic mind.

  Something interrupted the pattern and he froze to figure out what it was. He jumped up and ran to the front window when he recognized the low rumble of the Bronco approaching. He parted the curtain and watched the big truck creep toward the house with its lights off. He ran out into the backyard and opened the side gate so they could pull through. He secured the gate and then raced to the passenger door just as it opened and Theresa hopped down.

  He grabbed her waist as she wobbled and fell into him. Her head dropped to his shoulder and she broke into tears.

  Mason came around the bumper and pulled them toward the house as Beth ran into his arms. He hugged her tightly as she fought to control her emotions.

  “I was so worried you wouldn’t come back. That something had happened and I’d never see either of you again.”

  “We’re okay,” Mason said.

  “Why are you so late then?”

  “Something did happen. We’ll talk about it inside.”

  Elio’s heart swelled with his arm wrapped around Theresa’s trembling body. The relief at finding her safe, but also something else. Something unfamiliar. He wanted to do something, to act, to release the surge within his chest.

  He wanted to protect her.

  Mason secured the kitchen door behind them while Elio guided Theresa into the living room.

  Iridia kissed Theresa’s cheek. “I told him there was nothing to worry about.” The softness of her voice betrayed the uncertainty of her words. “I’ll get you some water.”

  Elio helped Theresa sit on the couch and then took a seat beside her. He pulled her close. Mason and Beth walked in with Iridia following behind. The LED lantern on the coffee table gave out just enough light so they could see who was who. He intertwined his fingers with Theresa’s. She squeezed so tight it hurt.

  Iridia handed the water over. “Here honey. Drink some. You need it.”

  Theresa accepted it and took a tentative sip. Then she took another drink which turned into her downing half the glass. She carefully set it on the table before leaning back into Elio’s embrace.

  “We ran into some surprises out there,” Mason said. He said it so matter-of-factly that you’d think he was talking about what was for breakfast tomorrow morning. Mason launched into the story of what happened.

  As Mason described how they escaped the store, Elio didn’t know what to think. It sounded ridiculous. Like a big-budget Hollywood zombie movie. But he knew Mason wasn’t given to exaggeration and he could feel the memory of terror emanating from Theresa’s body.

  However unlikely, Mason was telling the truth. He was describing their new world.

  A world Elio’s mother might’ve already encountered.

  20

  They sat around the coffee table quietly discussing what happened. Beth kept going back to the possibility that those people were desperate and mentally unhinged by what they’d experienced. Mason wasn’t convinced. He and Theresa kept saying how their attackers somehow didn’t feel human.

  “The bottom line is,” Mason said, “things are getting more dangerous. The looters this morning broke into the house across the street. It had a red triangle painted on the door. They’re getting more desperate or more bold. Add to that there are people out there behaving in ways I’ve never seen. Both threats lead us to the same conclusion. We need a defensible position.” He paused. “And this house isn’t it.”

  Beth sucked in a sharp breath. “You want us to leave our home? Where would we go?”

  “Not far, hopefully. I want to check out the house next door tomorrow morning. Two stories surrounded by a six foot concrete wall. Made of concrete blocks.”

  “What?” Beth said. “Are we just gonna bust in and kick out the family that lives there?”

  “I haven’t seen the father or the daughter in weeks,” Mason said. “Not that we ever spoke, but I’d occasionally see them pulling in or out of the security gate.” He looked from Beth to Theresa. “When was the last time you saw them?”

  “Not recently,” Beth said.

  “I think you’re right,” Theresa said. “It’s been a couple weeks, at least. Maybe they were on vacation when all this happened.”

  “Maybe,” Mason replied. “I’m gonna find out tomorrow. That’s my best idea for the short term. We don’t have the supplies or manpower to defend our house against a determined assault.”

  Beth shook her head. “We’re going to abandon our home?”

  “I’d rather lose this house than lose one of you. Listen, it’s late and we all need rest. Starting tonight, we’re instituting night watch duty.” He looked at the glowing watch on his wrist. “I’ll take the first shift until four. Beth, can you take over from there?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. We’ll continue this discussion in the morning. If anyone comes up with any better ideas, I’m all ears.” He helped Beth up and escorted her to their bedroom. Iridia trailed behind to her room.

  Elio pulled Theresa up. She leaned heavily into him. “Will you walk me to my room?”

  “Uh, sure.” Elio’s heart skipped a beat. A longing ache in his chest drew him towards her like rare earth magnets. The kind that are the size of a pencil eraser and yet pull like a tractor beam.

  He walked to her room in a trance with his arm around her shoulder. He prayed that somehow their steps would never end, that the future would always find her at his side. With Theresa beside him, Elio knew he’d have the courage to face anything.

  All too soon, they arrived at her door. He squeezed her shoulder and desperately wanted to go in for a kiss, but the roiling in his gut and the knowledge that her parents’ room was right down the hall kept him in check. “Good night, Theresa. I’m happy you made it back safely.”

  “Can we talk for a few minutes?”

  The bubbling cauldron in his belly flared fire into his chest. His fingers tingled and he swallowed hard through the dryness in his throat. “Okay.”

 
As they sat on the bed, the curled ball of black, fuzzy hair snuffled and coughed. Theresa leaned over and stroked Clyde’s head with the softest touch imaginable. The cute little chimp settled and his breathing became regular. She sat up next to Elio and slipped her hand into his.

  Elio sat quietly trying to think of something to say. The booming of his heart didn’t leave space for ideas. His mind was blank. He literally couldn’t think of a single thing. It was like his brain was unplugged from his body.

  “Elio?”

  He turned to respond and her lips touched his in the darkness. The soft contact blasted tingling echoes down to his toes. He stared in euphoric shock at her closed eyes. Tasted the salty sweetness on her lips. The tingling waves bouncing around his body concentrated lower and he felt his excitement stir.

  She blinked her eyes open and paused mid kiss. She pulled back a fraction. Their lips smacked apart as the contact broke. “Are you just gonna stare at me?”

  She smelled like summer sunshine. Her scent warmed his lungs and added to the pressure building in his underwear.

  Did she say something?

  She giggled and it sounded like the refreshing burble of a waterfall washing over him. Another part of his brain recognized that she was giggling at him, which sent him into a blind panic.

  “Hello?”

  A sliver of air separated their lips. Her breath brushed across his skin sending shivers down his spine. He realized with a start he was still in a stupor. He had to say something! He was acting like a total idiot!

  “Earth to Elio.” She giggled again and it again splashed over him with equal parts ecstasy and terror. “Is this some new technique I haven’t heard about?”

  “What?” he managed to squeak out.

  “You keeping your eyes open. If you ask me, it’s a little creepy.”

  Her words finally filtered through the chemical haze.

  He forced a laugh that sounded ten times more ridiculous than it should’ve. “No, sorry. I was just surprised.”

  “Good surprised or bad surprised?”

  He leaned forward a fraction of an inch, closed his eyes, and returned a kiss that communicated a small part of the clawing need in his chest.

  After a deep kiss, he pulled away and opened his eyes to see her reaction. Her eyes were still closed and her lips still waiting for his.

  He realized at that moment that he wanted to be with Theresa forever. That he was meant to be with her forever. Like two halves of a whole. Two puzzle pieces shaped only for each other. He wanted to devote the rest of his life to taking care of her.

  Only, he had responsibilities that required his attention first.

  His mother.

  Her welfare was always in his thoughts. How could it not?

  Theresa opened her eyes and watched him. Her brows lowered and pinched together. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s not true. Tell me.”

  Elio pulled away and turned to stare at the floor.

  “Please, I want to know.”

  “My mother. She’s all alone out there.”

  Theresa wrapped her arm around him and pulled him into her soft warmth.

  “I have to get home to check on her. I’m her only hope.”

  “I understand.”

  “I know your dad doesn’t want anyone leaving, especially not after what happened tonight. But I don’t have a choice. I won’t be able to live with myself if it turns out I could’ve helped but didn’t.”

  “How far is it to your apartment?”

  “I don’t know. Seven miles maybe.”

  “How are you going to get there?”

  “Steal a car I guess.”

  “I’ll go with you,” she said.

  “I can’t let you do that, Theresa. It’s too dangerous.”

  “You’re still healing, Elio. And even at a hundred percent, you’re not some badass Rambo type.”

  “You mean like your dad?”

  “Something like that.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I have to do it. You don’t.”

  “Elio Lopez, this is not a discussion.” The words came out hard and unassailable. “You will agree to my helping you or I will walk into my parents’ room right this second and tell my dad what you’re planning to do.”

  He had no doubt she would do exactly that. The tone of her voice offered no concession.

  “Are we agreed?” she asked.

  As much as he wanted to say no, two things made him say yes. One, he had to find his mother. And two, he never wanted to be apart from Theresa again.

  A figure appeared in the doorway. “You’re not on the injured reserve list anymore, Romeo,” Mason said. “Back to the couch for you. And no middle of the night meetings either because I’ll be watching all night.”

  “Dad, we’re not doing anything.”

  “Good. I showed up in time then.”

  “Dad! You’re embarrassing me!”

  “Better that than grounding you, am I right?”

  Elio rose still holding Theresa’s hand. He squeezed it. “Yes,” he said as he left the room under Mason’s watchful eye.

  He landed on the couch floating on air. It may as well have been a cloud. His lips tingled where hers had touched them. She liked him. She really liked him.

  Right?

  They kissed. People didn’t kiss if they didn’t like each other. A tiny voice tried to ask him why she would ever like him in a million years.

  She kissed him. First!

  His palm was still warm from her touch. He’d agreed to let her go with him. It was crazy. He was crazy for allowing it. Maybe she’d change her mind. Be too afraid to go back out and potentially run into more of those crazy people. He wouldn’t blame her. For her sake, he hoped it turned out like that.

  But whatever she ended up deciding, he knew one thing for certain.

  He had to leave tomorrow.

  21

  MASON rolled onto his side and winced at the stabbing ache in his back. He forced an eyelid open and saw dim light slipping in around the edges of the heavy curtain covering the bedroom window. Beth was already up. He didn’t have to look over to verify her absence. If she was still in bed, her warm body would be glued to his backside. He cracked open the other eye and stared at the ceiling. He’d had better mornings. His body complained from a hundred places at once. He pinched his eyes shut and rubbed life into the puffy lids. How long had he been asleep?

  Not long enough.

  He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. It hadn’t had power in days but the habit of checking it yet remained. He checked his watch.

  Half past six in the morning.

  He pivoted around and dropped his feet to the floor. Feeling more like rising from the dead than getting out of bed, Mason levered himself up to a standing position.

  Clyde broke into a hacking, coughing fit from somewhere in the house. The little Bili chimp sounded almost human. Beth was supposed to have slept last night while Mason took the first, and longest, watch but she was awake fussing over Clyde every time he came in and checked.

  Mason slowly rotated each arm, feeling out the various aches to see if any required immediate attention. He did the same with his legs and torso. There was plenty of hurt, but nothing torn or broken.

  The faint smell of roasted coffee tickled his nose. His body demanded he either fall back into bed and pass out or go investigate the scent. He lumbered into the kitchen and found Beth seated at the breakfast table holding Clyde in her arms. The cute, little ball of black fur snuggled deeper into her arms. He glanced over at Mason with large, brown eyes, and then broke into a silly, toothless grin.

  “He likes you,” Beth said.

  Clyde reached out with tiny, slender fingers and then drew back quickly as another coughing spell hit him.

  Beth turned to Mason with a worried look on her face. “Coffee should still be hot.”

  A camp stove hooked up to a five gallon propan
e tank was one of their emergency cooking methods. The other was the solar oven but it didn’t work until the sun climbed high into the sky.

  It was an old survival maxim. Two was one and one was none. And the important part of that credo was that the two duplicated capability, not SKU codes, meaning they had two different methods to achieve the same result.

  He poured himself a steaming cup and took a slow, deep breath. The aroma alone reminded him the world wasn’t a complete disaster. He took a sip and liquid heat poured into his belly. Yes, maybe today wouldn’t be such a terrible day after all. “Did you sleep?”

  Beth twisted her mouth up. “Not really.”

  “How’s the little guy?”

  “Worse.” Her bottom lip trembled and she turned back to her week-old patient. She was a fierce mama bear. And, being the Chief Veterinarian at the LA Zoo, she was that way with every animal in her care. Mason wondered at the seemingly endless wellspring of love in her heart. She always had more to give. More care. More compassion. More space to love.

  He wasn’t the typical fifties father—the type that bottled up his feelings and then keeled over a week after a retirement party that earned him a gold-plated Timex. His emotional intelligence was more modern than that. Heck, he’d even read a book on how to raise a happy toddler way back to give him insight for Theresa.

  That said, he wasn’t on the same level as his wife.

  “Mason, he needs antibiotics. The respiratory infection has progressed. His lungs are bubbling with fluid.”

  “We checked three different places and there was next to nothing. Totally cleaned out. Actually, we found something at Fernando’s. Let me get it.”

  Mason retrieved the brown prescription bottle from his backpack and read the label. “Sildenafil citrate. That something that might help?”

  Beth laughed. It was short and tight, and contained only shadows of the usual mirth. “To help you maintain an erection? Yes. To clear up an acute respiratory infection? No.”

  “It’s Viagra?”

  Iridia stumbled into the kitchen looking like this might’ve been the earliest she’d ever risen in her entire life. “Viagra? My old boyfriend took stuff to get bigger muscles but it did a number on his Johnson. Total wet noodle. He got on Viagra and whoa! Let me tell you.”