by Tahnee Fritz
I leer at him for a second then let my hair drop back to my shoulders. I look at myself in the mirror one more time and realize he’s right. It does look really good today. I wrap the hair tie around the base of the brush and carry it out of the bathroom. I toss it back in my bag then look around the room.
Our old, dinghy clothes are still strewn about on the floor. The carpet is a little wet from the French doors being left open during the rain storm. Just another reminder of how awesome everything was last night. I run my fingers through my hair, then start picking up my clothes. I fold my jeans neatly and set them on the bed. Ryder throws my shirt at me and I fold that as well. I stuff everything back in my bag, including the soap we left on the balcony all night. Then I zip the bag up and set it on the bed.
Ryder finishes packing his things up as well, looks around the rest of the room, “Not gonna lie, I will miss this place when we leave.”
“Me too.” I say.
“When should we leave? Should we stay for a few more days or should we get going again and keep heading north?” he asks.
I shrug, “I don’t know. My dad and I have only ever stayed in a town or city for one night, then gathered whatever we needed and kept going.”
“Yeah, but what if we choose to stay for more than a day?” he asks.
“It doesn’t matter to me if we stay or leave. This is the cheesiest thing I’m ever going to say, but I want to be wherever you are.” I say and instantly feel my cheeks blush.
“Not too cheesy, because I’m thinking the same thing.” He says. “Let’s just go get some breakfast, then we’ll figure out what we want to do after that.”
“Great idea.” I say.
We hide our bags in a tight spot under the bed, then head for the door. With any luck, no one will go in that room and take what little belongings we have. I do bring my gun with me, tucking it safely in my jeans and hiding it with my shirt. Even though my shirt is pretty tight, so there really is no hiding it. Hopefully that isn’t a problem.
We walk out into the hallway and head for the stairs. We pass a few other rooms along the way, each door is wide open. Last night they were closed. I peer inside as we walk by and see no one inside. Each one just as empty as the last. This hotel must be meant for only traveler’s.
My feet carry me down the five flights of stairs and both of us are out of breath when we get to the bottom. There’s a familiar face sitting on a chair in the lobby and she lights up when she sees us.
“Bridget, I’ve been waiting for you all morning.” Sherry rushes over to us.
“Really, why?” I ask.
“I told you, I have to tell you something. It’s really important.” She says.
I smile, “I have something to tell you too.”
“Believe me, my news is far more important than anything you...” she pauses and her eyes dart back and forth between me and Ryder, “Wait a minute, did you two do something last night? Something naughty?”
I shrug and Ryder shakes his head. He starts walking away from us, heading for the exit. He’s obviously not the gossiping type of guy. Sherry and I follow him outside, staying close behind him.
“You have to tell me everything that happened, Bridget.” Sherry says as we walk through the doors. “Was it as amazing as I tried telling you or did you cry like a big baby? I know some girls do that because it hurts or some other dumb excuse like that.”
I shake my head, “No, it was pretty amazing. But it wasn’t just that. Something else happened and I know this might sound weird, seeing as how Ryder and I just met, but I think I might really like him. Like really, really like him.”
Sherry smiles and her eyes grow big, “Like you’re in love with him? He is pretty hot, I’d go for that.”
I shrug, “I don’t know. Haven’t you ever met someone you just don’t want to live without? Like even after one day, you can’t imagine what life would be like without them?”
Sherry thinks for a moment, then quickly shakes her head, “No, never felt like that before. I’m more of the love and run away type of girl.”
The two of us laugh as we follow Ryder down the street.
I notice something strange after we ate breakfast at a little restaurant a few blocks from the hotel. First off, the people who served our food weren’t very friendly. They didn’t care how long it took for our meal to get to us and they didn’t care that it was burnt. Of course, we didn’t mind the eggs being slightly over cooked, but it’s the principle of the matter. We paid them more than the food was worth and they treated us like garbage. Sherry seemed like she knew what was going on. It probably has something to do with whatever she keeps trying to tell me.
Even after we left that small restaurant, what were extremely happy people yesterday, suddenly transformed into not so nice people today. Snarls and horrible glares were tossed our way everywhere we went. I could hear them whispering about us as we walked through the city. A few even shouted terrible names as we passed them. The warm welcome we got must have expired because I feel all but welcome.
Sherry couldn’t go all morning without checking in with her father, so Ryder and I are left alone to wander the city again. We’ve been trying to keep our distance from as many people as we can, but every now and then, we can’t help but cross the path of someone else. Like this older man, he got really mad when Ryder stepped out in front of him. He even went so far as to push Ryder out of his way and curse all the way down the street.
“I don’t think I want to stay too much longer.” Ryder says, holding my hand as we turn the corner away from the tall buildings.
“I’m feeling that way too. It doesn’t seem like anyone wants us here anymore.” I agree. “It’s just so weird. When we got here yesterday, everyone was all happy and excited we were here. Now it’s like they hate us and want us to leave.”
“Maybe that’s what they do. They embrace visitors for a day, then go about hating them the next. Pretty drastic mood change for a city this big though.” Ryder says.
“That’s for sure.”
The street we’re on is pretty much empty. We pass a young girl roller skating who is still nice enough to smile as we walk by. The buildings are getting smaller, going from office type buildings to houses and apartments. They look a little less occupied and a lot more run down. Most of the windows have been broken out and the doors are broken off the hinges. All of them are dark and give off an eerie feeling. They remind me a lot of that burnt town my dad and I found. These house might not have caught fire, but they are just as dead as the ones in that town.
We keep going, getting further away from the populated part of the city. Even the trees are pretty much dead in this neighborhood. My eyes dart from house to house, half expecting to see a horde of zombies bursting outside one of the houses. That would definitely add quite a bit of excitement to this already weird day.
All of the houses are big, two-story homes complete with an attached garage. They look like they would be the perfect place to raise a family and spend the rest of your life. The perfect kind of life with the perfect kind of family. The two kids who always listen to their parents and the big golden retriever running lose in the backyard. The husband who works all day and spends every night at home with his family. The wife who takes excellent care of the home while selling makeup on the side so she feels like she contributes something to the family. The kind of life girls only dream about having nowadays. I’m glad to say that I’m not one of those girls with that kind of dream.
I’d rather not have any kids with the way things are today. They would be just another thing in your life to worry about getting killed. As for the house and the dog, well, I’m not much for dogs and I don’t really mind living on the road, walking day in and day out. It’s definitely more exciting and I do feel like I contribute to the world without having to find a meaningless part time job while my husband brings home the cheese. I never want that kind of life.
I stop walking and stare at one of the houses. It’s a
white, one-story home with a red front door hanging wide open. The garage door is busted down and sitting in a metal heap in the driveway. The garden by the front porch is filled with dead flowers and sticks poking up from the ground. The grass isn’t green anymore and is stained a familiar shade of red in a few places. I’m sure at one point in time, this was that perfect house for that perfect family most girls will never have.
“What are you doing?” Ryder asks as he spots me staring up at the house.
“Don’t you ever wonder sometimes who used to live in some of the houses we see?” I ask.
He shrugs, “I guess I do sometimes. If you really wanna know, why don’t we just go inside and check it out?”
I start walking toward the front door of the house and say, “Okay.”
He goes along with me and we hop up the two stairs leading to the concrete porch. The last time I went wandering off in some random house, I got cornered by a vampire and dad had to come to my rescue. There’s always the chance of those damn things hiding in the dark corners of the house, but we are willing to take that risk. This life wouldn’t be much fun if we just hid away from everything and didn’t explore every once in a while.
Ryder walks inside the house first and I follow close behind. The air is musty and smells of mold. I can see it growing on the walls in the corner of the foyer. The brown carpet has been stained with either mud or blood, it’s too dark and old for me to tell. We walk into the living room first and take in the scene. Everything is exactly where this family left it. The TV is still hanging on the wall with the entertainment stand right underneath. Grey dust covers everything and a cloud of it fills the air when Ryder smacks his hand against the white couch. An even bigger brown stain has ruined the couch and this one was most likely made from blood.
There are photos hanging on the wall above the fireplace. Pictures of the family that used to live here. A mom and dad with one child, a baby boy. The mom and her long blonde hair and bright red lips, the dad with his combed over brown hair that has too much product in it, and the baby who is much too innocent with that adorable, toothless smile on his face. They all look so happy and carefree. They are probably all dead right now or worse, they could still be wandering the world as mindless monsters trying to eat everyone who crosses their path. My mind can be so morbid sometimes.
I keep moving, away from the fireplace. The dining room is next with a small round table in the middle of the room. Two chairs on either end and a highchair on a side by itself. This family must have just begun when the cure was developed. They probably didn’t even see it coming when bad things started to happen here.
“Hey, come look at this!” Ryder shouts from the kitchen.
I turn away from the dining room and enter the kitchen. Everything is dirty and dust covered. There are old fingerprints covering the stainless steel appliances and the sink is overrun with moldy dishes. I see Ryder standing by the refrigerator with a smile on his face as he blocks my view of what’s inside the fridge.
“What did you find?” I ask.
“Something amazing. Something neither of us thought we would ever see again.” He takes something out of the refrigerator and my jaw drops when I see the familiar packaging. “It was stuffed inside a bag with moldy bread. It’s expired, but I’m pretty sure chocolate is one of those things that doesn’t taste too horrible no matter how old it is.” Ryder says with a smile.
I snatch the Hershey’s bar from his hand and my mouth waters at the mere sight of it. I find the expiration date on the back. It’s only been bad for about two years now so there’s a decent chance it’s still okay to eat. As long as there’s no mold or nastiness on the wrapper, which that still looks brand new, then we should be okay. I think I’d still tear into the package regardless what it looks like.
That’s just how much I love chocolate.
“It’s seems like it’s been forever since I’ve had this.” I say.
“Me too,” Ryder says, then snatches it back, “that’s why we’re going to share it. Also, if it is bad, we’ll both be sick.”
I smile and watch him tear the package open. He carefully pulls one side of it off and the dark colored food of my dreams is revealed. It looks just as good as the last time I had a chocolate bar. He tosses the wrapper on the floor and breaks the candy in half so we each have an equal share.
He hands my half to me and, before taking a bite, I inhale the beautiful aroma. I let the scent of that simple treat fill my nose. This is one of those foods that is absolutely impossible to describe the taste of it because it is just that damn good. It’s like every amazing taste all balled up into one amazing treat and, before everything went to hell, I couldn’t get enough of it. I’m really surprised I didn’t end up being overweight by how many candy bars I used to get from the gas station down the street from my house.
“I know I should savor this, but I can’t help it.” Ryder says, then takes a decent sized bite out of his half.
I take a smaller bite and really take in the miraculous taste as it hits my tongue. Something I thought I would never have again, and I probably never will after this, and it still tastes just as amazing as I remember. There might be a bit of an old chocolate taste to it, but that doesn’t stop either of us from enjoying this moment.
It takes us a few minutes to completely finish the last great thing we remember from our childhood. I walk back to the fridge and pull the door open hoping to find another treasure like the candy bar. There’s a gallon of milk, half-empty and disgusting, the moldy loaf of bread in the plastic bag, and a few other things that are too old to be any use to us. Before I close the door, we hear a noise coming from one of the back rooms. Out of instinct, I grab my gun and prepare myself for anything.
Ryder goes to the second doorway of the kitchen and pokes his head around the corner. He looks back at me and shakes his head. Then we hear the noise again, a loud bumping sound. My heart starts pounding and the two of us step into the hallway. There are three closed doors down this way and the sound came from behind one of them.
Ryder goes to the first door on the left and presses his ear to it. He shrugs, then turns the knob and pushes it open. Both of us glance inside and see a grimy old bathroom. The walls are stained yellow and the bathtub is black with mold. He closes that door and we move to the next one. We can definitely hear something moving around behind this door. It sounds like shuffling and quiet, high-pitched moans. I hold the gun up and let Ryder open the door.
The baby’s room is empty, other than the crib and a few toys strewn about on the floor. I can still hear the shuffling sounds coming from somewhere in this room. I take a few steps into the dimly lit area and look around. The closet door is wide open and there’s nothing hiding inside. I glance under the crib and see nothing but empty space. Same with the toy box. I turn back to Ryder and shrug.
“Maybe we should just get out of here then. This place is starting to get a little creepy.” He suggests.
I nod, “Sounds good to me.”
I take another long look around this room. It seems like this little baby was going to have a great life with great parents. They didn’t spare any expense to buy him the good toys and a really nice looking crib. Too bad all of that was stolen away from him before he even knew what happened. Good thing he was too young to realize anything.
I keep my eyes on Ryder and notice something happening behind him. The third door, the one we haven’t checked yet, is slowly being pulled open. There’s no wind in this house and it’s not on a slope to where the door would open and close on its own. Something is causing it to move and it makes my heart pound even harder as I stare at it.
It doesn’t take long for Ryder to notice the horrified look on my face. He spins around, then backs into the baby’s room with me. The door opens the rest of the way and we are standing just a few feet away from a six foot tall vampire. Blood stains the corners of his pale lips and down the front of his green shirt. The room behind him is completely dark, the perfect h
iding place for a vamp. He steps into the hall, getting closer to us. My hand is shaking and I find it hard to lift the gun to aim.
The vamp sniffs the air and opens his mouth to speak, “Fresh...blood. It’s been...awhile.” it seems like he has to force the words to come out.
I guess this thing doesn’t bother leaving the house at night. He’s skinny and frail, his hands are shaking as he moves. Not sure why he wouldn’t leave the house at night when he has a whole town to devour right in front of. But, I’m not a vampire and I really don’t care how they think.
He takes another step closer.
“Shoot the damn thing, Bridget.” Ryder says quietly.
My hand is still shaking and my eyes are glued to the vamp. It’s just like that night at the tent with dad. That young vamp coming after me and I was too afraid to raise the gun to shoot it. I was alone that night. Ryder’s here with me this time and I feel his hand gripping my free one. He holds it tight and the fear begins to fade. My shaking hand raises the gun and aims for the vamps heart. He stops walking and cocks his head to the side.
“Kill me.” He says. “You humans...still die.”
Ryder squeezes my hand, “Don’t listen. Just shoot.”
Excellent advise. I perfect my aim and pull the trigger. The vamp lets out a deep grunt, stares at the gaping hole in his chest, then falls limp to the floor. His black blood spews from the wound and I lower the gun.
“I think we should head back.” I say.
Ryder nods, “I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Something doesn’t feel right about this city anymore and I think the sooner we get out of here, the better.” I suggest.
We get back to our room at the hotel and dig our bags out from under the bed. Luckily no one decided to “borrow” our things. That could have been bad considering as how my father’s gun is still in Ryder’s bag. We are going to need as much firepower we can get in order to make the long trek to the next city. I can only hope Des Moines will feel much safer than this place.