by Lauren Algeo
Brewer saw a hint of emotion on her face that he couldn’t quite read but it was gone in an instant.
‘What’s the plan for after lunch then?’ she asked. ‘It won’t take me long to pack some things. How much do I need?’
‘I’ve got about eleven weeks left in the country before I have to go home,’ Brewer said. ‘Mitch will probably be with me for a couple of those, so I guess you could do the same?’
‘We’ll be staying in motels,’ Mitch added. ‘Scott keeps picking crappy ones so maybe you’ll help us find better places.’ He rolled his eyes before Brewer could chastise him. ‘I know, they’re cheap though.’
‘I’ve got money to pay my own way,’ Ellen said. ‘I can draw out some cash this afternoon. Where are we heading?’
Brewer filled her in on their plan to head inland, stopping off in numerous towns in the state on their way. He tried to warn her again that the first hiker they found might not be her one, that it could be anywhere in the world by now. Ellen wasn’t discouraged in the slightest.
‘I saw the gun case by the door,’ she said. ‘Do you want to get me up to speed on your actual plan for killing one now?’
Mitch’s eyes lit up and he ran to get the bags from the hallway. Brewer took a back seat as he excitedly told Ellen about his diabetes and the insulin.
‘So, we’re going to shoot this in one of its arteries and make it overdose!’ He practically cackled.
‘Oh my.’ Ellen looked decidedly shocked. She turned to Brewer. ‘Is that really the only way to kill one?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ he said. ‘Until we’ve got other virus options to test, this is our best bet.’
She nodded but put the crust of her pizza down, as though she suddenly wasn’t hungry any more.
‘We’ve got the tranquiliser gun so we won’t have to get too close to it,’ he added.
‘I’m a pretty good shot,’ Mitch boasted. ‘I used to practice on cans and stuff.’
‘We can do a dry run to check,’ Brewer said. ‘I’m not the best with a gun, and my aim’s always off, so it might have to be you.’
‘I’m a member of the local gun range,’ Ellen said quietly. ‘I can shoot on target from 500 metres away with a rifle.’
Brewer’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘Really? Maybe you should be our sniper then.’
Ellen smiled modestly. ‘I mean, I’m not the best at the club or anything, but I have won a couple of competitions. I’m decent enough with handguns too.’ She fetched a small box from the living room and showed them the Glock 9mm that was stashed inside.
Mitch whistled through his teeth. ‘That’s just like mine. Go Mrs Mac!’
She laughed. ‘It’s not that big of a deal. I just always thought it was something I should learn. It was just me and Lucy here so I wanted to be able to protect us.’ Her mood darkened instantly. ‘I never imagined there could be anything like a hiker in existence. I guess there’s no training I could have done to protect us from that.’
‘No, you couldn’t.’ Brewer found himself placing his hand gently over hers on the table. ‘I can teach you how to handle them now though.’
He felt the warmth of her soft skin underneath his cupped palm and quickly removed it, embarrassed. He hoped she hadn’t registered it as anything other than a comforting gesture.
‘Would I be immune to their power now?’ she asked.
‘No. I can train you to block them out though, there are techniques to push them from your mind if one ever does get in again.’
‘I see.’ She picked up her pizza crust then put it down for the second time. ‘I’m not looking forward to hearing one in my head again. The sensation was so odd, like someone was ransacking through my thoughts.’
‘It is horrible,’ Brewer agreed.
Mitch was staring at them blankly. ‘Will I ever hear one?’
‘Only if one chooses to enter your mind, but you should hope that never happens.’ Brewer took another mouthful of his pizza. ‘If you can get through this completely unscathed, you’ll be very lucky.’
He and Mitch polished off the last couple of slices then Ellen cleared away the plates.
‘I’ll go and pack.’ She disappeared upstairs.
Mitch put away the guns then fidgeted impatiently on the chair.
‘We’re going to have to make sure we keep those hidden wherever we go.’ Brewer nodded towards the case and Ellen’s box. ‘Guns make people nervous.’
‘We could attach the case to one of the packs and cover it with a jumper or something?’ Mitch suggested.
That would be difficult. Brewer went for a wander around the downstairs rooms. Perhaps Lucy had played an instrument and they could use the inconspicuous case. He found a large, navy duffel bag in a cupboard under the stairs. It was big enough for both guns and looked fairly ordinary. They could add some clothes to pad it out and no one would be any wiser. He took his find back to the kitchen and gave it to Mitch.
‘Sweet!’ Mitch immediately put the gun case inside. ‘I’m not carrying this the whole time though.’
‘We’ll take it in turns.’
Ellen came down ten minutes later with her own rucksack. It was a light purple colour with thick, padded straps and it bulged with all her belongings.
‘I think I’ve got enough,’ she said breathlessly. ‘I should be set for a couple of weeks and I guess I can always buy anything else I need. I’ve got my cards so I can make withdrawals on the way. Oh, hang on… do I need a sleeping bag?’
‘No, we’ll stay indoors each night,’ Brewer reassured her.
‘Good.’ She glanced around the room and seemed to remember other items she wanted.
Brewer watched as she fetched a torch from the utility room and spare batteries from a kitchen drawer. She also took out a Swiss army knife, which she tucked carefully into the side pocket of her pack.
‘Just in case,’ she said.
This was his kind of woman. She was so practical compared to Mitch.
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Brewer said. ‘We’ve borrowed a bag to store the guns in.’
Ellen eyed the duffel bag at Mitch’s feet and he saw her swallow hard.
‘That’s fine,’ she said quietly. ‘It was Lucy’s bag for school trips and things, but I guess that doesn’t matter now.’
She left the room abruptly and Brewer rushed after her, worried they had upset her again.
‘Ellen?’
She went straight to the living room and picked up the framed photo of Lucy from the mantelpiece. She was on a sunny beach, in navy shorts and a white top, and beaming for the camera. Ellen carefully removed the picture from the frame.
‘I’d like to make sure she’s with me,’ she whispered.
Brewer thought of his own photo of Karen, tucked in his wallet alongside the one of a young Georgie with her mum and dad.
‘It’s the most important thing,’ he said gently.
He wanted to tell her about his pictures however this wasn’t the time. Instead, he led the way back to the kitchen. Ellen zipped the photo in the pocket of her pack then put on a pair of lightweight, white trainers that had been sitting by the back door.
‘I’m ready,’ she announced.
‘Great!’ Mitch hopped to his feet and picked up the bags.
‘Are you sure you don’t need to let anyone know where you’re going?’ Brewer asked, concerned.
There had to be some loose ends for her to tie up, a relative to let know that she would be out of contact for a couple of weeks?
Ellen considered his question. ‘Work won’t be expecting to hear from me anytime soon,’ she said. ‘Some neighbours might worry if the papers stack up even more outside but I don’t care. There’s not really anyone else to tell. I’ve kind of been shut off for weeks so my friends won’t think anything of it. Most of them aren’t close enough to just drop by and unreturned phone calls are a common occurrence at the moment.’
‘What about family, or Lucy’s dad?’ Brewer asked te
ntatively.
A hint of a grimace passed across her face. ‘No. My parents are both gone and I haven’t spoken to my sister in years. It’s fine.’
She didn’t mention Lucy’s dad. Brewer didn’t want to press her on it any more; it was clearly a topic she wasn’t comfortable sharing with them.
‘Ok then.’ He picked up his own pack. ‘Let’s hit the road.’
Chapter 10
They made it to the end of the driveway before Ellen stopped them.
‘I’ve been completely stupid!’ she exclaimed.
Brewer wondered if she’d finally remembered someone she should tell that she was leaving town. Maybe she’d forgotten a pet that had to be fed, although he hadn’t noticed any sign of one in the house.
Ellen pointed at the garage attached to the right-hand side of the house. The grimy white door was closed.
‘I have a car!’ she laughed. ‘Heaven knows why I was just going along with the idea of taking the bus and train everywhere. We can drive my car across the state. It’ll be much more convenient and we can hide the guns in the trunk, out of sight.’
Mitch gave a loud whoop. ‘All right Mrs Mac! That beats walking miles back to the bus stop.’
He appeared to be sticking to his new nickname for her and she didn’t seem to mind.
‘That’s great,’ Brewer said. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind us using it?’
It would be a hell of a lot easier driving everywhere, and cheaper than the numerous other transports they’d need to take from town to town.
‘Not at all,’ Ellen said.
‘I’m not insured over here but I can phone up to get cover so you don’t have to do all the driving,’ he offered. ‘I’m sure Mitch can help if needed.’
‘I, umm, don’t drive,’ Mitch said. ‘Never really had the need for a car in Philly.’
‘That’s settled then, I’ll get insured on your car and we can share the load.’
Ellen disappeared back into the house to get her car keys. Five minutes later, the automatic garage door began to hum open. It slowly revealed a large, silver car parked inside. It looked a bit like an SUV, only smaller.
‘What is that?’ Brewer asked.
‘Looks like a Subaru.’ Mitch jogged over to the garage. ‘Sweet ride!’ he exclaimed to Ellen, who was sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine running.
She smiled back at him. ‘All aboard the family wagon.’
Brewer walked around to the boot to load the bags, checking the car make as he went. It was a Subaru Outback, whatever the hell that was. It looked powerful and sturdy so that suited him fine.
Mitch grabbed the handle to the front passenger door, before glancing back at Brewer and rethinking his decision. He slid himself into the back seat instead. Brewer closed the boot and got into the front of the car, next to Ellen. The interior was clean and warm, and he noticed the heating and air conditioning buttons on the dashboard. Much better than public transport.
‘All set,’ he said.
Ellen pulled slowly out of the garage then stopped to shut it behind her with the touch of an electric control. She rolled down the driveway and turned left onto the road without looking back at the house. Brewer knew all too well how places you’d once loved could hold so many painful memories. He stole a glance at the side of her face. Her jaw was tensed and he could see the muscles in her cheek working. He found himself wanting to comfort her again however he couldn’t think of anything to say.
Mitch was sitting in the middle seat in the back, directly between their two chairs, and looking at the road ahead.
‘We need some driving music!’ He was overexcited again.
Brewer knew he was twenty-five years old but his manner always seemed so much younger. Maybe he was destined to be a perpetual man-child, starting to look older yet never seeming to mature.
Ellen turned the radio on. It was tuned into a local station and a random country song was playing. A woman, whose voice he didn’t recognise, was mid-warble about her ‘cheatin’ man.’
He didn’t need to turn and look at Mitch to know the screwed up expression he’d encountered several times already would be plastered on his face.
Ellen glanced in the rear view mirror. ‘Why don’t you choose something?’
Mitch didn’t need to be asked twice and dove forward eagerly between the seats. Brewer didn’t know if that was a wise suggestion – they might be stuck with rap music for the foreseeable future. Mitch amazed him by tuning the radio to a classic rock station. They were playing Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones.
‘I love this song!’ Mitch began to tap along behind him and Brewer shook his head in disbelief. This kid was full of surprises.
‘Who’s this?’ Ellen asked.
‘What?’ Mitch screeched. ‘How can you not know this song? It’s The Rolling Stones! Only one of the greatest bands ever.’
‘Sorry,’ Ellen shrugged. ‘I’m not that in to music.’
‘Well your education is about to begin.’ He started to rattle off random facts about Mick Jagger and Co.
Brewer settled back in his chair and listened to their banter about what counted as a good song. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the dull ache in his heart. Being around other people was comforting but it made him miss home, and everyone who had once been there.
He must have dozed off as he was suddenly jolted awake by Ellen tapping his arm.
‘Hey!’ she laughed. ‘We’ve only been in the car for ten minutes, you’ve got to be more entertaining than this.’
Brewer’s face flushed with embarrassment and he sat up straighter. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘I haven’t been sleeping much lately.’
Ellen gestured to the glove box. ‘I need you to navigate us. There are some maps in there. We’ve got to go old school, I’m afraid, I didn’t get the model that came with a sat nav.’
Brewer opened the glove box and took out a couple of thick atlases. There was a detailed book on the East coast states and he opened that one first.
‘I’m on the Wilbur Cross Parkway, just passing Hamden,’ she said. ‘I know my way roughly to the I-91 and can follow the signs, but you might want to pick specific towns to hit.’
Brewer began to flick through the pages until he found Connecticut. The Stones had given way to Free Bird and Mitch was whistling quietly. Brewer passed one of the other atlases through the seats.
‘Here, you can help me look.’
He studied his map and found West Rock. They were heading west and could pretty much keep going straight across the state on the route they were on, taking the I-91 all the way to Hartford then crossing into Massachusetts. He saw names that were familiar to home again: Manchester, Windsor, Coventry.
‘The interstate is a good plan,’ he said. ‘We should stop at every large town along the route to check for signs of hiker activity.’ He paused to consult the map. ‘I guess Meriden is the next one then, where we leave the Parkway?’
‘Sounds fine to me,’ Ellen said.
Brewer glanced back at Mitch. ‘We’ll get you some food and drink to keep in the car, just in case.’
Ever since he’d found out about Mitch’s diabetes, he felt more protective towards him. Like he should be keeping an eye on him constantly.
Mitch rolled his eyes. ‘I’m fine. I’ve been living with this for a long time so I know how to look after myself. I have my insulin and I feel a-ok.’
‘Good.’
It felt odd to be slipping back into that fatherly role again. Not that Mitch was as young as Georgie had been, and he certainly didn’t think of him as a son. There was just a strange paternal instinct that made him want to look after these people. He couldn’t imagine ever feeling a bond as strong as he and Georgie had shared with Mitch though, the kid was too annoying.
‘It must have been tough for you growing up,’ Ellen said.
Mitch shrugged. ‘It was ok. It was harder when I got older and all my friends started drinking and smoking. I try to avo
id all that.’
Brewer remembered him only having that one shot in the pub a couple of days ago, for courage. He hadn’t really registered that Mitch wasn’t drinking otherwise; he had been consuming more than enough for the both of them. He made a mental note to take it a bit easier for a while. Jack Daniels couldn’t solve all of his problems.
‘Good for you,’ Ellen said. ‘Your parents must be proud that you’re looking after your health.’
Brewer’s ears pricked up. Mitch had gotten very cagey about his dad before.
‘My mum is,’ Mitch nodded. ‘My dad left when I was a baby so I doubt he cares much.’
He said it matter-of-factly with no trace of bitterness. Obviously he didn’t mind answering questions if they came from Ellen.
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ She reached behind and gave him a sympathetic pat on the knee. ‘At least your mum is supportive.’
Brewer found himself wishing that Ellen had patted his leg instead. His eyes kept glancing towards her with a mind of their own. He noticed how tight-fitting her jeans were, hugging the shape of her thighs as she drove. He saw the tanned skin of her forearms as she pushed up her jumper sleeves to get a better grip on the steering wheel. The silver watch fastened around her slender wrist. The stirrings of attraction he was having confused the hell out of him. There was no room for feelings like this in his life.
Yet his eyes drifted over to her face again. They settled on the curve of her lips and he wondered what it would be like to kiss them. She smiled across at him and he looked away quickly, praying she hadn’t realised he’d been staring.
He felt insanely guilty at what was going through his mind right then. He knew it was stupid, Karen had been gone for years, but it still felt as though he was betraying her. He should never be attracted to another woman like this. He didn’t want to be. No one could compare to his beautiful wife.
His eyes flickered shut briefly and he pictured her coming down the aisle on their wedding day. Her brown hair swept up from her face and her eyes shining. Remembering how he’d loved her so much in that moment that he’d wanted to burst. He would put aside any romantic feelings for Ellen before they developed. He owed it to Karen. Besides, she would never have seen him in that light anyway. He was better off forgetting all about it and concentrating on the huge task ahead.