“Can we talk?” she said her hands balled up into tight fists.
I turned to Ryder knowing full well that somehow, he was behind the confrontation. But maybe it was time Charlie, and I had it out. It was time to discuss everything that was going on between us.
“Sure.”
Shawn looked at me with wide eyes. “I’ll just… walk with them.”
He dropped back with Logan and Ryder. None of them moved until Charlie, and I did. They stayed back, giving us our privacy.
Charlie let out a long sign. “I just wanted to apologize to you.”
“You don’t have to,” I said. Even though I was glad she was apologizing, it was probably only because Ryder told her to.
“I know we haven’t gotten along, and probably never will—”
“Nice.”
She blew out a puff of air between her pursed lips. “It broke my heart.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“That’s what he says too.”
“You know,” I turned to her. “You didn’t like me long before that happened.”
I was referring to the kiss she walked in on, but I didn’t want to say the words. It would probably only cause more problems.
“Because….” Charlie hesitated. “Because I knew the second he asked us to go after you how he felt.”
“Well, I can’t do anything about that,” I said, staring out at the horizon. The sun felt so warm I started to take off my jacket. “Are you hot? I’m hot.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s warm,” Charlie said scrunching up her eyes at me. “Anyway, I just wish you could see it from my point of view. I’ve known him my whole life.”
I straightened my spine. “So, I’ve heard. Several times.”
“You didn’t have to deal with girl after girl knocking down his door.” Charlie sighed. “It’s been everyone but me. It’s like he’s been torn away from me again and again and again. I just don’t know how much more of it I can take.”
“Maybe, you need to accept the fact that it’s never going to be you.”
She winced as though I’d punched her in the stomach. I wished I could take the words back.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That came out all wrong.”
Charlie swallowed. “Whatever. We’re stuck together, so let’s just make the best of it. How does that sound?”
“Fine by me.” My words spilled out much sharper than I had intended.
“So, we’re good?”
“As good as we can be,” I said doing my best to keep my words from sounding sour. I couldn’t imagine a time that Charlie and I would be anything more than fine with each other. And it seemed as though that was OK with both of us.
“OK,” Charlie said dropping back presumably to walk with Ryder and Logan.
Shawn was back at my side in seconds. At some point, he had taken off his jacket too.
“Warm huh?” he asked, before lowering his voice. “What was that all about?”
“She wanted to apologize. All is well.” I held out my arm and let the sun dance on my skin. “I can’t decide if it’s actually warm, or if it’s just slightly warmer and to us, it feels like a summer day.”
“Either way it’s better than snow, right?” Shawn asked.
I nodded enthusiastically. “You got that right.”
We kept walking, continuing to veer slightly to the east but still heading mainly to the south. The snow on the ground seemed to be diminishing before my eyes.
My mom had been right. It was going to be warmer in the south. Maybe my family should have made the move, and things would have ended differently.
Then again, we’d had so many supplies it would have been impossible to give that up to explore the world. My parents had done a lot of traveling, or at least that’s what they’d told me. They’d found their safe place and stayed put. That was what I wanted too. I wanted to find my safe place and stock it with everything we’d need to survive until our time was done.
“Hey! Look at that,” I said squinting as I pulled on Shawn’s arm. Ryder, Logan, and Charlie had fallen a bit behind. “Water!”
Shawn and I picked up our pace to a jog. When we got closer, I stopped and stared.
The sunlight hit the tiny little waves making them sparkle like little crystals. My mouth dried at the sight.
I dropped my backpack and inched closer to the water. I licked my lips and knelt down on the rocks to scoop up some of the water into my hand.
“It’s warm,” I said surprised by the temperature of the water. I slurped the liquid and closed my eyes. “This is amazing.”
Shawn and Ryder were next to me in seconds. Ryder let the water run between his fingertips and Shawn took a drink just as I had.
Shawn nudged me with his elbow. “How deep do you think it is?”
“I don’t know why don’t you test it out?” I joked.
“Yeah?” he asked narrowing his eyes at me.
I leaned closer. “Dare you.”
Shawn looked at the others before scanning the horizon. “OK. All right.”
He widened his stance and dropped his jacket to the ground. His eyes were focused on the water as he peeled off his shirt.
“What?” he asked with a smirk when he caught me staring.
I swallowed hard. I’d been busted admiring his physique. “Your arm.”
“Yeah, it’s much better.” Shawn kicked off his boots and pulled off his socks. I looked away, mostly, when he undid the button of his pants. “It still aches sometimes. Pretty sure I’ll always be able to predict when it’s going to rain.”
Shawn pulled down his pants and stepped into the water. Both Ryder and Logan laughed when he shivered.
“You’re nuts, man,” Logan said.
“It’s not that bad,” Shawn said cupping his hands in front of himself. “You should try it.”
I hadn’t tried very hard, but I couldn’t hold in my laugh.
“You think this is funny?” Shawn asked lightly kicking a little water in my direction.
“Hey!” I said wiping a few drips off of my cheek.
I couldn’t deny how amazing Shawn looked. The curves of his solid muscles, but mainly it was his eyes that had me. There wasn’t anything I could do about the magic in his eyes.
When the water came up to his knees, he started washing himself.
“Oh!” he said. “It feels amazing to get clean. I’m not even joking you guys should jump in, if only for a second.”
Ryder looked over at me and then at Logan and Charlie. He pulled at his shirt. “Fuck it.”
In a matter of seconds, he was wearing nothing but his boxers. He shrieked as he stepped into the water.
“Holy shit!” Ryder said. “How can you stand this?”
“You’ll get used to it,” Shawn said.
Ryder looked amazing. When our eyes locked and his smile faded, I knew he’d been able to tell what I’d been thinking. The only problem was it frustrated him that there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
“OK,” Charlie said standing up. “I can do this.”
“Go wash your hair,” I said smiling at her.
She tugged on her pigtails and raised her eyebrows. Charlie quickly undressed. “It really needs it. Come on you two don’t be party poopers.”
“Someone should keep watch,” Logan said with his hands on his hips.
“Don’t be silly. We can see for miles!” Charlie said placing her foot in the water. “Ahhh! Oh my God!”
“Go on,” Logan said glancing at me before spinning in a slow circle to check our surroundings. “If you want.”
I blew out a puff of air between my lips. “I’m not sure I want.”
“Who knows when you’ll get to do this again?” Logan said.
I looked out at the others cleaning themselves. Charlie squeaked when she sat down so she could try to wash her hair.
“Anyone have any soap?” Charlie asked.
I straightened my spine, and Logan grinned at me. He looked s
urprised.
“You’re doing it?” he asked.
“Yeah. You should too,” I said pulling off my clothes and folding them into a neat pile. “There’s really only one way across.”
“Shit,” Logan said. “I don’t want to get my boots wet.”
I cocked my head the side and took several quick steps into the water. Holding back the noises that threatened to escape.
“Then you better take them off, huh?” I said.
I made my way closer to Shawn and Ryder where the water was a little deeper. They both stopped and looked at me at the same time.
I ignored them as I splashed the clean bubbling water over my skin. It felt as though I was washing away everything that had happened. A fresh start. Other than being chilly, it felt good.
“What are you thinking about?” Shawn asked as he splashed me to get my attention.
“Is that how it’s going to be?” I asked splashing him harder.
He laughed and cupped his hands to scoop up some water. I tried to get away, but before I knew he was pouring the water down over my head. My hair flopped down over my eyes, and I shivered. The water dripping down my neck reminded me that it wasn’t summer.
“Oh God!” I said hugging myself.
“I’m sorry,” Shawn said standing next to me. He was laughing as he put his arm around me. “Are you OK?”
“I’m fine.” I shivered again. Ryder was watching us. “It was a bit of a shock apparently.”
Shawn chuckled. “Apparently.”
When I shivered again, I became more aware of how close our bodies were. Shawn’s wet skin against my wet skin. I could feel both how warm and cold he was at the same time, and it made my pulse race.
He looked deeply into my eyes, and it felt like I’d forgotten how to breathe.
“We should get our stuff to the other side,” I said clearing my throat as I stepped back toward my stuff.
Logan was already dressing back on the other side the of the river. I hadn’t even realized he’d washed up in the river.
I grabbed my things and held them over my head as I waded to the other side.
“What? Party’s over already?” Charlie said with a small frown. Her pigtails drooped down over her bony shoulders.
“We should get going,” Logan bellowed.
Everyone started moving, but I could still feel Shawn’s eyes on me. The others grabbed their things, and in a matter of minutes, we were all dressed on the other side of the small river.
I hadn’t noticed the strange structure when we’d been in the water, but after I took several steps forward, there was no way I could miss it. My eyes narrowed as my head tilted side to side, trying to determine what I was looking at. In the distance, hidden by several large rocks was a strange curved wall.
“What is that thing?” I asked.
Ryder took several careful steps forward. “Looks like dried mud.”
“We should keep moving,” Logan said, taking a step in the opposite direction.
I nodded and started to follow him when I heard something sloshing in the water behind us. My hand went for my gun as I quickly turned around.
Before the guy could say anything, my gun was aimed at the hairy spot between his heavy eyes.
He held up his hands. “Don’t shoot!”
8
I could see the fear in his eyes, but I didn’t lower the gun. The hairy guy’s fingers shook as he held them up for me to see.
“Don’t see many people around here,” he said forcing a smile. There was a bucket near his feet, but I couldn’t tell what was inside. “What are you all doing out here?”
“Passing through,” I said, shifting my eyes down to his bucket. “What’s in there.”
His hairy eyebrows pressed together. The muscles at his neck tightened, and I caught a glimpse of his barely noticeable marking.
Renegade.
“Mud,” he said, grimacing as he lowered his hands. “Ah, shoot me if you want. I’m too old for all this shit anyway.”
“You alone?” I asked, not that I was about to believe him.
“Nah, the wife’s inside taking care of the youngins.” He dismissed my gun with a shake of his head and picked up his bucket. He rolled his eyes as he hobbled closer. “Put that thing away unless you plan to use it.”
My nose twitched, but I lowered my gun nonetheless. We followed him as he walked toward the structure.
“Of course, I’m alone. Wish that wasn’t the case, but it has been for quite some time. Years now I think.” He stopped and tapped his lower lip with his finger. “Come to think of it, I can’t even remember the last time I spoke to anyone besides myself.”
“Where did you come from?” I asked.
The man shrugged. “Hid upstream a bit when I saw you coming, but you all seemed harmless.”
“What are you doing out here?” Ryder asked nodding at the structure.
“You like it?” The man asked looking proud. “Working on a wall. It’s working pretty well.”
The odd wall was in the shape of a semi-circle. It was about three feet tall at its highest point and at least a foot thick. I could tell it was a work in progress.
“What’s it for?” I asked.
“Protection,” the man said squinting at me. “Keep my home safe.”
“Your home?” I asked looking around.
He clicked his tongue. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”
I remembered how Jacob had used the basement of an old building for his shelter. Perhaps this man had done the same.
The man stepped up next to Logan and looked him up and down. “Go on, kick it.”
“Me?” Logan asked.
“Yeah, you. Right there,” the man pointed at the middle of the wall.
“I don’t really feel like I need to,” Logan said looking confused.
The man rolled his eyes. “Just try it, you big lug. Kick the wall.”
Logan groaned and stepped up to the wall. He pulled back his foot a bit and gave it a half-hearted kick.
“Well, I’m probably twice your age, and I can kick it harder than that. Give it a real go.” The man waved at him.
Logan let out a heavy sigh before kicking the wall significantly harder than he had the first time. He grabbed his foot and started hopping backward.
“Ha-ha!” the old man said jumping in place. “It’s like cement!”
“Yes. Very nice,” Logan said aiming his dark eyes at the man.
The man slapped him on the back. “You’ll be fine.” He laughed. “Rub some dirt on it. Ha!”
“Very funny,” Logan muttered.
The man started making his way back toward his home. He stopped and turned around, looking at each one of us carefully.
“OK. Visits over.” He hiked his pants off of his hips and up to his waist. “Get off my property.”
“Your property?” Charlie asked with a smirk. She jerked her thumb in my direction. “Remember her gun?”
The man chuckled. “She ain’t going to use that gun. I ain’t worth the bullet. Now go on.”
Charlie looked back at me, her mouth dropped slightly when I shrugged. He was right. I wasn’t going to waste my bullets on him. There was nothing to gain by threatening the old man that just wanted to be left alone.
“We were just about to leave anyway,” I said with a small nod.
“Nice meeting you,” the man grumbled as he walked behind his wall. He knelt down next to his bucket and dipped his hand in the mud.
As we walked away, I couldn’t help but look back at his wall. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was planning to do with it. He couldn’t close it up because he wouldn’t be able to go in and out. Maybe he had planned to make a door. Or maybe he was just a crazy old guy keeping himself busy as the world around him fell apart.
“That wall was pretty solid,” Logan said glancing down at his boot.
“Did you break a toe?” Ryder asked grinning at him.
He shook his head. “I
don’t think so, but any harder and I bet I could have.”
“What did you think was going to happen when you kicked it?” Charlie said tartly as she scrunched up her nose.
“A small part of me thought it was going to crumble,” Logan said answering her with a chuckle. “I was curious to find out.”
Everyone was quiet as we trekked through the nearly melted snow. It seemed to have happened so gradually that I hadn’t realized until I noticed all the mud and mashed down dead grass.
As the sun lowered in the sky, the chill came back into the air. I pulled on my jacket, spotting the nearly flattened city in the distance.
“Another city,” I said gesturing with my chin.
“Should we go around?” Shawn asked.
I pressed my lips together as I weighed our options. “We’re running low on food.”
“We probably won’t find anything there anyway,” Charlie said with a loud sigh.
I nodded. “Probably not but we won’t know if we don’t look.”
“We haven’t seen anyone in miles and miles,” Ryder said. “Except for that man back there.”
“That doesn’t mean there isn’t someone in the city,” Charlie said. “There could be a lot of them… hiding.”
I didn’t miss the shiver that made her body tremble.
“Just have that thing ready then,” Charlie said.
“Of course,” I said, patting my hip.
As we approached, water gathered forming somewhat deep puddles on the crumbled and cracked concrete. There wasn’t much snow to be seen to the front of us, but when I looked back over my shoulder, there were still patches scattered about.
I nudged Ryder and pointed back. “So weird,” he said. “Hey guys, look behind us.”
“Maybe south was the right way to go,” Logan said, and Charlie’s eyes shifted quickly to the side.
“Maybe staying home was the right thing. I don’t think we’ll ever know,” Charlie said, turning around.
We continued down the road stopping in front of a building that looked as though it had once been a store of some kind. There was a large plastic sign with faded lettering that read “Miller’s Grocery” hanging down from the top of the brick wall.
The Last Remnants Page 5