by Cross, Amy
"This isn't your building," I point out. "You're not in charge."
"Am I not?" he asks, smiling.
"You can't throw me out!" I turn to Henry. "Come on, stop messing about. You know this is insane!"
"You know what?" Bob says, walking over to me. "You're right. This isn't my building. I don't have the authority to throw you out. But then... What are you gonna do to stop me?" He grabs my arm. "We can do this the easy way, Elizabeth, or we can do this the unpleasant way. It's entirely up to you."
"Henry -" I start to say.
"We can't trust you," Henry replies.
"You heard your brother," Bob says.
"Get off!" I shout, trying to get free of his grip. Suddenly, Bob reaches around and puts me in a headlock, before dragging me across the lobby. I push against him, trying to get free, but he quickly gets me out onto the sidewalk, where he throws me down onto the street before hurrying back inside and locking the door.
"Henry!" I shout, getting up and finding that I'm covered in dust and soot from the sidewalk. "Henry, for God's sake, you can't do this!" I walk over to the door and try to push it open, but the lock is in place. "Henry! Let me in!"
"You're not one of us anymore," Henry shouts back at me. "You made the decision to join the others. So go and join them."
"I'm your sister," I point out.
"All the doors are locked," Bob says, before Henry has a chance to answer. "There's no way for you to get inside. If you think you can indoctrinate your little brother and make him feel sorry for you, you're wrong. That's simply not going to happen. I'd suggest you go to your new friends, Elizabeth, because you'll get nothing from us. We don't give second chances to traitors. If you think our resolves will soften, you're mistaken."
"I'm not going anywhere!" I shout at him. "You can't just throw me out like this! This isn't your building, to decide who's allowed inside and who isn't. It's as much mine and Henry's. There's no way I'm going anywhere until you open this door!"
"Then you'll be stuck out there for a long time," Bob replies. "Looks like rain's on the way, too. If I were you, I'd accept the situation and try to find my pals. Then again, maybe they won't be so interested in you anymore, not when they find out that you can't help them get to us. You've burned your bridges here, Elizabeth. There's no amount of shouting and banging you can do to get back in. When trust is lost, it's lost and there's nothing you can do to win it back." He turns to Henry/ "Boy, I reckon it's time to go and make some new plans. There's been a big of a shake-up and we need to make sure we adapt to the new situation. That's one of the key aspects of this new world. We have to adapt and make sure we meet the current threat. This door's secured. Let's get into the office and work out where we're gonna go from here."
Obediently, Henry turns and walks across the lobby, heading for the office at the back of the building.
"Come back!" I shout as Bob goes to join him. "You can't leave me out here! You can't just toss me out like this!"
Ignoring me, they disappear from sight and I'm left standing alone in the empty street.
"Hey!" I yell, banging on the door. "Henry! Let me in!"
Chapter Eight
Oklahoma
"What the fuck?!" I shout as Joe races past me, trying to catch up to the truck. "Joe!"
"Fuck!" Joe shouts as he trips and falls to the ground, bouncing along the dirt until he comes to a halt. By the time I've caught up to him, the truck is long gone, and we can hear it getting further and further away.
"Were the keys in the ignition?" I ask, stunned.
"Of course the fucking keys were in the ignition," Joe says, trying to catch his breath. "How was I supposed to know someone was gonna come along and steal the fucking thing?"
"Did you see who took it?" I ask.
He shakes his head.
Turning, I look along the dusty, empty street. "Now what?" I ask. "What the fuck are we gonna do now?"
"Don't panic," Joe says. "We'll be okay. We'll just have to find another vehicle, and then I can -."
Suddenly he stops as we both hear a distant sound. It's like the motor of a vehicle, in fact it's like the motor of our vehicle, except instead of getting further away, it seems to be getting a little closer. We stand and listen as it seems to pass a few streets away.
"Come on!" Joe says, racing off along a short alley that leads away from the main part of town. We spring along a couple of smaller side roads until Joe pulls up short and grabs my arm. "There," he says, pointing down another street to where our truck is sitting outside a small house. "Son of a bitch," he says, starting to march over there, just as a guy runs out of the house and shoves some boxes into the back of the vehicle.
"Joe -" I start to say.
"Hey!" Joe shouts as we reach the truck. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
As soon as he sees us, the guy gets back into the truck. Before he can get going again, however, Joe pulls the passenger-side door open and leaps inside, grabbing the guy and dragging him across the seat. They struggle for a moment, before Joe finally hauls the guy out of the truck and dumps him down to the ground.
"You like our truck?" Joe shouts, pressing his foot against the guy's face. "Huh? You like our truck? You want our truck, do you?"
"Joe, don't hurt him," I say.
"Don't hurt him?" Joe laughs. "You hear that, pal? My little brother wants me to not hurt you. He wants me to be all nice to you, despite the fact that you tried to steal our vehicle." Turning, Joe walks a couple of paces away, before coming back and kicking the guy hard in the gut; the guy curls up into a ball and tries to toll away. "This is what we do to people like you," Joe continues, kicking the guy hard in the back.
"That's enough!" I say, pushing Joe back.
"You're lucky my brother's here," Joe spits at the guy, "or I swear to God, I'd kick your fucking head off." He climbs back into the truck, switches the engine off, and removes the key from the ignition. "Do you get this guy, Thomas?" he asks, getting out of the truck and walking around to the back of the vehicle. "Thinks he can just come along and take our property. Now let's see what we've got here." He opens the boxes that the guy placed on the truck. "Food. Some water. Not bad. I guess you had it all figured out, huh? Only problem is, you didn't keep going. If you'd just kept your foot down, you'd be long gone and we'd never have seen you again. Unfortunately, that's not what you did." He comes back over to the guy and, before I can stop him, he kicks him in the back of the head.
"Stop it!" I shout, pushing Joe away. "You're gonna kill him!" Turning, I see that the guy is trying to get to his feet, although he seems dizzy. After a moment, he collapses back onto the side of the truck, and he seems to be having trouble getting his bearings.
"What's your name?" I ask.
The guy blinks a couple of times, as if he's a little spaced out.
"You'd better answer my brother," Joe calls over to him, "or he'll stand aside and we'll go back to doing this my way!"
"Clyde!" the guy shouts over at us, sounding as if he's having trouble breathing. "Clyde Langman, okay? My name's Clyde Langman!" He leans over and spits some blood onto the ground. "I think you fucking broke a couple of my ribs!"
"Did I?" Joe asks. "Shit, I was aiming to so much more fucking damage. Maybe I should try again?"
"Why did you try to take our truck?" I ask.
"I'm sorry," Clyde replies, standing up straight. He's a middle-aged guy, slightly overweight and with a receding hairline. "I swear to God, I just panicked. You're the first people I've seen for days. I just really needed to get out of here, and when I saw your truck with the key still in the ignition... I didn't know if I could trust you, so I just decided to take it."
"Why didn't you just come over and talk to us?" I ask.
"I didn't know who you were," he says. "I didn't even know if you were normal or not."
"Why wouldn't we be normal?" I say.
"Where have you been?" he asks. "Seriously, have you been living under a fucking rock? Where'd you
come from, anyway?"
"We live out of town," I tell him. "It took us the best part of half a day to get here."
"How are things out there?" Clyde continues. "Is it like it is here?"
"People are dead," I say. "Lots of people. Everyone's dead, apart from us. They got sick. That's why we came here, 'cause we thought maybe we could find out what's been going on."
"I haven't got any answers for you," Clyde says. "It all started almost a week ago. People started getting sick, and then it all happened really, really fast. Like, first a couple of people were ill, and then within an hour it was almost everyone. I swear to God, I've never seen anything like it. I thought I was the only one left."
"And why does that give you the right to take our truck?" Joe asks.
"It doesn't," Clyde says. "I swear, I've never taken anything before in my entire life, but I just wanted to get out of here. And then I thought I should swing around and get some more supplies from my house, but you..." He pauses for a moment. "Well, I guess the game's up. You got me. I'm sorry."
"Where were you gonna go?" I ask.
He shrugs. "I was just gonna keep driving until I found somewhere. I swear, this was all just a sudden rush for freedom that went really, really wrong. I should've spoken to you. I should've just come right out with it all, instead of trying to steal your truck."
"So you're the only one here?" I ask, still suspicious of his motives.
"There were some others," he says. "Not many, but a few. They died. They got sick and they died. I ended up hiding out, hoping someone might show up. I tried hot-wiring some vehicles, but I didn't really know what I was doing. I was starting to think I'd have to try hiking to the next town, and then I heard your truck."
"We can't stay here," Joe says, sounding impatient. "This place is dead. We have to keep going."
"I want to come with you," Clyde says.
"No way," Joe says firmly.
"We can't just leave him here!" I say, turning to see that my brother is already getting into the truck.
"He's not our problem," Joe replies. "An extra person is an extra mouth that needs extra food and extra water. He's extra weight, too. He'll slow us down."
"I have my own supplies," Clyde says, hurrying around to the boxes he placed on our trucks. "I have enough to share. I mean, it's the least I can do after the mis-understanding earlier." He pauses for a moment. "Listen, guys, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I hope you can see past my mistakes and accept my apologies for what happened. I really think we can work together. After all, three heads are better than two, right? And if we're all going in the same direction, why not pool our resources"/
"Give us one good reason," Joe says, clearly not buying the idea for a second.
"Well, I can drive," Clyde says, smiling eagerly. "I can share my resources, like I said. And I've got a plan. At least, the beginning of a plan. I can't do it without you, but I don't think you can do it without me, either."
"What's the plan?" I ask.
He opens his mouth to reply, and then he seems to change his mind. "It's not something I can really explain," he says eventually. "It's more something I have to show you. Basically, would you guys be interested if I told you that I know where there's a classified military base less than a hundred miles from here? If we're looking for answers, I'm pretty sure that's where we should be headed."
Coda
Manhattan, one week ago
"Your brother's over there!" says Sofie, pointing across the park. "Lizzie! Look, your brother's right over there!"
Turning, I see that she's right. My little brother Henry is sitting on the grass with a couple of his friends. My first reaction is that something seems strange about the scene, as if it's somehow impossible that he and I could end up hanging out in the same place. After a moment, however, I realize that this isn't so weird after all. Henry's getting older; he's only a few years younger than me, and it's only natural that I should start seeing him out and about, especially on such a gorgeous summer's day.
"So can I ask you a question?" Sofie continues, nudging my knee as she offers me some more potato chips.
"What?"
"Your brother. Sometimes he seems a bit weird. Is he, like, alright in the head? I don't mean that in a bad way, I just mean that sometimes he has this look in his eyes, like..." Her voice trails off for a moment. "I don't know how to describe it. I'm sounding like a bitch, but do you know what I mean?"
"Um..." I pause, feeling a little confused. "He's not weird in the head," I say eventually. "He's my brother. He's cool. Annoying, but cool."
"Okay," she replies. "That's cool. Sorry. I didn't mean to say anything."
Lost in thought, I eat some more potato chips before looking back over at Henry. He and his friends are standing up, and they start walking across Central Park. At the last moment, Henry glances back at me and we exchange an awkward smile. "He's growing up," I say quietly.
"My brother's a dick," Sofie says. "Like, the other day, I caught him in my room, just going through my stuff like he had a total right to be in there. Does your brother ever do that?"
"No," I say, still watching as he disappears into the distance. "No, Henry's kind of cool. He just plays video games and stuff." The problem is, now that Sofia has mentioned her thoughts about Henry, I can't help thinking that maybe she's right; every so often, I catch a glimpse of something in Henry's eyes. Something dark, as if there are undercurrents in his personality that don't show on the surface. Maybe it's just because he's growing up, but I feel like he's changing in loads of different ways. "He's cool," I say again, as much to convince myself as to convince Sofie.
"So are you coming out next Saturday?" Sofie asks. "We were thinking of trying to get into that club near your place. You know, the one with the neon palm tree over the door."
"You want to go there?" I ask, shocked. "That looks like the tackiest place in the world. It's a total dive!"
"Exactly," she replies with a grin. "We're thinking they're so desperate for customers, they'll have no problem letting us in, even if one or two of us don't quite have the necessary I.D., if you know what I mean."
"Speak for yourself," I reply. "I'm old enough to go into a bar. I just don't want to." I pause for a moment. "You're old enough too."
"But my little sister isn't," she says. "I really just wanna take her out and show her a good time, especially..." She pauses, and finally she lets out a huge sneeze. "Sorry," she continues, "I just wanna show Naomi a fun evening. You know, so she doesn't get overwhelmed when she's old enough to go out for real. So are you in or are you out?"
"I don't know what I'm gonna be doing," I reply. "A week's a long time."
"But you'll try?"
"I'll try," I say, "but don't hold me to it, okay? The last thing I want to do is go to some ass-crack club and spent the night standing in a corner while dumb-asses dance all over the place."
"It won't be like that," she says, grabbing my arm. "Come on, Lizzie! Lighten up a bit! It's gonna be fun! You, me, Naomi, maybe some other people. We might even meet some guys. You could even invite your brother, but I don't think there's a fake I.D. in the world that'd get him through the door."
"I'll be there if I can," I say. "If it's at all possible, I'll come with you, okay?"
"You'd better," she replies, before sneezing again.
"You okay?" I ask. "You're not coming down with something, are you? You'd better not have dragged me out here just so you can infect me!"
"I'm fine," she says. "I've kind of felt for a while like I might be about to get some massive cold, but it never actually happens. I guess I've just got the most amazing immune system in the world. Probably all the juice I drink."
"Yeah," I reply, rolling my eyes. "That'll be it."
"So do you wanna come shopping this afternoon?" Sofie asks. "I mean, just window-shopping. I don't have any actual money, but we could take a look around. Unless you've got anything better to do."
"Nope," I reply, "I actual
ly have absolutely nothing better to do. Sad, huh?" Sighing, I glance across the park again, but this time my brother is way out of sight. It's weird, but I didn't like the way he kind of ignore me just now. I'd have thought he'd at least come over, but he basically ignored me. I guess he's growing up and he thinks I'm not cool. That's his choice, but I hope he grows out of it soon. I'm already barely speaking to Mom, and Dad's almost never around. The last thing I need is to be on bad terms with another family member. Taking a deep breath, I decide to make an effort to spend a little more time with Henry over the next few weeks. After all, it's not like we have a big family. We need to stick together.
Day Seven
Chapter One
Manhattan
Walking along 5th Avenue at 5am, the only sound I hear is my footsteps on the empty sidewalk.
The sound of the city at night used to be: sirens blaring; traffic roaring; horns honking; people talking and laughing and arguing; phones ringing; adverts screaming for attention; the distant boom of airliners; hundreds of other little noises that you never even noticed and that you couldn't have explained anyway.
Tonight, the sound of the city is this: nothing. Just my footsteps, and occasionally the fluttering of a gentle breeze.
An empty city is a terrifying thing. It immediately says: something's wrong. Something's happened. I keep looking up at the dark buildings and wondering where everyone went. Are their bodies inside, rotting in office that used to be air-conditioned? Or did most of them run away in some kind of overnight evacuation that a few of us missed? It's hard to believe that the citizens of New York would have tidied themselves neatly into their office and homes to die, but I guess it's not impossible. Either way, I feel like I'm the only person in the entire city right now.
I'm not, though.
I'm not alone.
As I reach the edge of Central Park, I immediately spot a light in the distance. Flickering behind some trees, it's the light of a small campfire, and right now it's the greatest thing I've ever seen. I glance over my shoulder, somehow unable to shake the feeling that perhaps Henry will have changed his mind and come after me. After all, he's my brother and he has to realize eventually that he's made the wrong choice. But there's no sign of him. The empty street yawns out of the darkness, and I feel a cold shiver pass through my body.