“Okay, okay,” I said batting Nick’s hands away as he fussed over the positioning of the gun.
Bronx grinned but quickly turned away as Nick walked by him and stood in front of the door. Nick’s shoulders rose and fell with a loud exhale. His brow shot up and instantly dropped back down.
“Ready for this?” Nick asked, pulling open the door.
No one said anything, and it was clear he hadn’t planned on waiting for a response. Nick stepped into the hallway followed by Blair. Bronx stood at the door waving Jamie and me forward.
“We’ll be there in no time,” Bronx said winking as I walked by him.
When I stepped out into the hall, my feet stopped working. Jamie bumped into me from behind and cocked his head to the side. He placed his hand on my shoulder as he looked into my wide, panic-filled eyes.
“I thought I could do this,” I whispered, but I wasn’t sure it was loud enough for anyone to hear.
Nick was at the stairwell looking back at us. His face was scrunched up. “Coming?”
My insides swirled, and I wondered if I was getting sick again. Maybe it hadn’t ever gone away.
“Gwen?” Bronx said. My name had floated so softly from his mouth I wasn’t sure I’d heard it at all.
I turned sharply and my eyes locked onto his. “Yes?”
“Everything okay?” he asked.
I felt dizzy from turning so quickly… or from everything and I was glad Jamie was still holding on to me.
“Yes,” I said, pressing my hand to my chest. It felt like I was trapped under the dirty water below, running out of air.
“Are you sure?” Bronx said with a smile. “You’re as white as a ghost.”
I let out a long exhale and closed my eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t sleep well. I guess I’m just more tired than I thought.”
“Maybe we should wait another day,” Bronx said concern thick in the tone of his voice.
Nick was still staring at us from down the hall. I shook my head when I noticed him watching.
“No… no,” I said forcing a smile. “I’ll be fine. Just need to get going.”
Bronx started shaking his head. I could tell he was seconds away from telling Nick we had to wait.
“I’m fine. I promise.” It felt like there was a twenty-pound weight tied to my foot as I lifted it and took a step away from my apartment.
My hand slipped down the side of my body and into my pocket. I was checking to make sure I had my keys even though I wouldn’t ever see my home again.
When we caught up to Nick and Blair, they started down the stairs. Every so often, Nick looked over his shoulder, checking to make sure I was still following behind.
At the bottom of the flight of stairs, the water was still. The second Nick stepped into the water ripples moved out from around his foot. I shivered as if I could feel the cold running through my body.
I hesitated when it was my turn to step down. Images of what happened the night we went out looking for Nick, Blair, and Maggie. I’d fallen into the freezing water, and I could still remember how it had felt when every last bit of oxygen left my lungs.
I needed to get out of my head. What had happened before was done. The men were gone. All we had to do was travel to my grandma’s house and make a few camping stops along the way. Once we were there, we’d have somewhere that was safe. Somewhere that had food, and of course, I’d know the status of my grandma.
My foot touched the water, and it wasn’t as cold as I had remembered. This wasn’t anything like that night.
We walked through the empty apartment that had the broken window. The water was up to my calves, but it was easy enough to walk through although I hated walking in wet shoes.
Nick and Blair climbed out of the broken window. I could see Blair’s head moving around as she tried to look in every direction all at the same time. She was far better at hiding her fears than I was.
I moved awkwardly through the window with the pack on my back and the gun over my shoulder. Jamie grabbed my waist and helped me through until my feet were steady on the ground outside.
“Thanks,” I said as he and Bronx made their way through after me.
Nick jerked his head toward the parking lot and started walking without a word. We all followed him, walking single file toward the road that would take us through the city. It would be the quickest way to get to the highway that would lead us to my grandma’s.
We were about a block away when I turned and looked back at the apartment building. The anxiety I’d had was no longer there. Seeing the broken condition of the building was enough to help me realize how badly we’d needed to leave. It was almost surprising that the building was even still standing.
As I turned away, I caught Bronx watching me. He smiled, but the ghost-white dead body floating behind him drew my attention away. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop the frown that instantly appeared on my face.
I turned back around and followed Nick and Blair. Even with all the debris, bodies, and stink, we were still doing the right thing.
Nick led the way through the town. Our feet splashed loudly through the water disturbing all the random things that had been floating aimlessly on the surface.
The buildings while familiar all looked different. Windows and doors were broken. There were stains on the exterior walls where the water levels had once been. The putrid smells in the air were a dreadful mix of rot and decay.
It didn’t seem as though there was anyone else around. The city seemed like a ghost town filled with the ghosts and spirits of those who used to live here.
We’d only walked about ten minutes but the water levels changed with each block we navigated. Sometimes it would be up to our ankles and sometimes almost to our knees. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long before we found higher ground and we could walk without trudging through the varying depths of stinky, oily water.
“Hope it’s not like this the whole way,” Jamie said stepping up next to me.
“Is that even possible?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t have thought it was possible for the sky to turn red.” Jamie chuckled. “Hell, I wouldn’t have thought any of this was possible.”
I looked up when I heard the calls of the birds overhead. They circled around as if they were looking for somewhere to land. The small group of black birds eventually decided to land on a nearby roof. It didn’t seem as if they even noticed we were there, and if they did, they didn’t care.
“They’re probably looking for food,” Jamie said when he noticed me watching them.
“Hopefully they aren’t so desperate that they think of us as food,” I said swallowing down the thought. “I don’t like birds.”
“Me either,” Jamie said. “But I’m not really an animal person in general.”
I turned to him, my mouth dropping open. “What about kittens?”
Jamie shrugged.
“Everyone loves kittens,” I said clicking my tongue.
“A goldfish,” Jamie said keeping his eyes forward. “I could probably handle a goldfish.”
“What if it jumped out of the bowl?” I asked with a wide grin.
He turned to me. “They do that?”
I was about to respond when I heard something moving behind us. Everyone stopped walking at nearly the same moment. Nick caught my gaze as he looked behind us.
“Maybe it was a bird,” Nick said locking eyes for just a second longer than he should have. Something was up. Had he seen something? “Let’s keep moving.”
We walked less than a block before I heard the noises again. I quickly turned and looked over my shoulder.
At first I thought nothing was there, but then I noticed the water. Several buildings away the water rippled outward from one of the doorways.
There was no doubt in my mind about what was happening. We were being followed.
Three
Nick stepped out of view, wedging himself between two of the buildings. We kept walking as if nothing w
as wrong.
I was tempted to turn around after we’d walked several blocks to check, but I fought the urge with everything I had. If anything had happened to Nick, he would have alerted us somehow, or perhaps we’d have heard his gun go off.
I followed close behind Blair. It wasn’t long before I heard several loud splashes.
When I turned, Nick was pushing someone against the wall of the dirty brick building they were next to. The guy was squirming to get free, but Nick was stronger without even utilizing the intimidating power of his gun.
I blinked twice before realizing who Nick had up against the wall.
“Please!” Danny cried out.
Nick turned for a second in our direction before yanking Danny along. Danny’s feet dragged through the water as Nick pulled him closer to the group.
“Look who I found,” Nick said between his teeth. “And he’s fresh out of get out of jail free cards.”
“Come on, man,” Danny begged. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Nick threw him backward roughly. Danny stumbled and fell backward, landing on his butt in the water.
“What do you think you’re doing? Why are you following us?” Nick asked pointing his finger at Danny as if he were threatening him with a knife. “I mean you have to be pretty stupid to follow us all things considered.”
“I’m not stupid. I’m scared,” Danny said with wide eyes. His eyes shifted as he looked at each one of us. Danny’s voice softened. “I don’t have anyone else. My family is dead.”
Nick’s jaw stiffened but the longer he stared at Danny, the more relaxed it became. I wondered if he was seeing the young man I was seeing. A defeated, helpless soul that looked as though he felt dreadfully alone.
And if there was one thing that would make everything that was happening to all of us any worse, it would be to navigate all alone.
“I hate you for what you did to my family,” Danny said, and Blair practically growled at him. “Not that they didn’t deserve it, but they were my family.” He sniffed. “How am I supposed to make it on my own?”
“Just go back to your house and wait for help,” Nick said sounding somewhat fatherly in his tone.
“We both know help isn’t coming,” Danny said, looking up at Nick.
Blair shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Do we know that?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. Did she suddenly have hope that we’d be rescued? Maybe she always had.
I shook my head mostly to clear it of all my thoughts. Danny met my gaze.
“I think you guys owe it to me,” Danny said.
Nick laughed. “Owe what to you?”
“Letting me come with you.” Danny shrugged as he looked away.
“We don’t owe you anything,” Nick spat.
Danny tried to pull his shoulders back to look tough, but they quickly sagged and his head lowered. His shoulders shook as he sobbed uncontrollably.
“I just don’t want to be alone,” Danny said not even bothering to hide his tears. “Please, I’m so scared.”
“Did you even have time to be scared?” Nick said with a sneer. “We weren’t apart for all that long.”
“You can try all you want to make me look pathetic—”
“I don’t really even need to try,” Nick mumbled. “You do that just fine yourself.”
Danny sniffed. “That’s right, you don’t. And I don’t even care. I’ll do anything you want, just please let me come with you.”
“You know why we can’t do that,” Nick said looking around the area. Danny’s loudness was making him uncomfortable.
“If you leave me, I’ll just follow you again,” Danny said gulping down his emotions as best as he could.
Nick walked back and forth in front of Danny causing small waves to splash against his middle. I chewed my cheek, tempted to say something. But then Nick stopped.
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to do what we were going to do originally,” Nick said pulling out his gun. “I guess we’re going to have to kill you after all.”
“Fine!” Danny shouted as he got to his feet. “Do it then,” he screamed in Nick’s face. “Let’s get it over with once and for all!”
Nick pressed the barrel of his gun to Danny’s forehead. He was calling his bluff.
“Oh, God,” Danny whimpered.
“Ready, Danny boy?” Nick said between his teeth. “You really ready to go see your family?”
Danny started crying harder, and it made Nick laugh. I couldn’t stand there and watch him torture Danny, and I definitely couldn’t stand there and let him shoot the poor guy in the head.
“Nick,” I said softly. He jerked his head to the side as if only remembering I was there at that very moment.
“What?” Nick growled.
I tried to find the words, but all I could do was shake my head. There was a distant look in his eyes, and after a moment he lowered the gun.
“Maybe we should just let him come with us,” I said forcing myself to keep my eyes locked with his.
“Are you kidding?” Blair said throwing her hands into the air.
“I’m not,” I said without looking away from Nick. “You both said Danny never did anything to either of you.”
Blair took a step forward. “He didn’t stop them either.”
I wanted to remind her that she was the one that gave away the information that led the gas mask wearing men right to us, but I couldn’t. We all would have done the same in her shoes after what they’d done to them. And after seeing what they’d done to Maggie.
“I’m sure he was afraid,” I said, and Danny was nodding vigorously. “I’ll bet you can understand that because I sure as hell can and I didn’t go through anywhere near what you both endured.”
“You’re putting words into his mouth,” Blair huffed as she crossed her arms.
“She said it, but it’s true,” Danny said finally wiping at his tears with the back of his hand. “I’ve been afraid of my dad since I was five, probably even earlier.” Danny shook his head. “That wasn’t even our house. It was a buddy of my dad’s. That morning when the sky was red, we drove there… my dad knew he had supplies.”
Nick turned his back to Danny.
“The car stopped working,” Danny continued. “We put on the masks and walked the rest of the way. When we got there, my dad’s buddy was sick… he sped up the inevitable.”
“Jesus Christ,” Nick said, turning back to Danny. He was inches from his face. “Your dad was a lunatic.”
Danny’s head bobbed up and down. “The red sky pushed him over the edge.”
“You should have pulled his mask off,” Blair muttered.
“Maybe I should have,” Danny said with a shrug, but after a moment the tears started back up. He looked at Blair with eyes redder than the sky. “He was my dad.”
I grabbed Nick’s arm and turned him toward me. It took a minute for the words to find their way out, but I was sure the look in my eyes had already convinced him to let Danny tag along.
“No one should be alone in this,” I said. “He shouldn’t be punished for what his dad did.”
“And his brother,” Blair muttered.
“Who’s going to watch him? What’s he going to eat?” Nick asked.
“I will,” I said narrowing my eyes. We had enough, and we could easily find more. “I’ll share until we find more.”
Blair sighed loudly. “We aren’t really going to allow this are we?”
Nick looked at her for a long moment before turning back to me. He raked his fingers through his messy hair.
“I guess it’s your lucky day,” Nick said staring into Danny’s eyes. “Don’t make me regret this, because next time I won’t hesitate to pull that trigger.”
“I won’t. You won’t regret it. I promise,” Danny said. “If there is anything I can do to help out, just let me know.”
“You can help by staying out of the way,” Nick said bumping him with his shoulder as he walked past.
“For now,” Nick said.
“I don’t like it,” Blair said flashing a sneer over her shoulder in Danny’s direction. It didn’t seem as if he noticed, and if he had, he probably would have ignored it anyway.
We started back on our journey through the city, and Danny stepped up next to me. He flashed me an apprehensive but thankful smile.
“Thanks for letting me come along,” Danny said. “He would have killed me if it weren’t for you.”
“Nah,” I said pressing my lips together. I wanted to tell him that Nick’s bark was worse than his bite, but decided not to. Perhaps Danny fearing Nick would be a good thing.
“Well, thanks for speaking up. I appreciate it,” Danny said. “It’s scary out there by yourself. It feels like everything is haunted. I barely slept.”
I nodded. Sadly, I could relate. Both to the lack of sleeping and the feeling of the ghosts that haunted the city.
But after everything, I still didn’t want to have a conversation with Danny. Just because I didn’t want Nick to kill him, didn’t mean I wanted to be friendly with him either.
We’d made it through downtown and nothing had changed. The city was a disaster, and there was no end in sight.
To our left was a large flooded parking lot in front of a grocery store I’d stopped at once or twice after work in what had felt like a past life.
There were abandoned cars and rusting carts scattered about the lot. Trees were broken at the base of their trunks, laying on their side blocking the way toward the entrance.
“Maybe we should just keep going,” Blair said.
“There could be more inside that we could use, not to mention we save our supplies if we have our lunch inside,” Nick said with a half-shrug. He elbowed Blair lightly and flashed her a smile that made her bat her eyelashes. “We’ll be quick.”
“Okay,” she said. Blair would have done anything my brother asked, and it made me want to puke.
Jamie nudged me and leaned in close. “Are you sure you two are related?”
The Red Sky Series (Book 2): Blue Cloud Page 2