by Shandy Jo
Ryan sat back down next to her. “I think we should try to get some sleep so we can get an early start.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. He was close, his dark eyes searching her face. Indie could smell spearmint and Irish spring as he leaned closer. Her eyes fluttered close as his lips brushed hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He didn't try taking the kiss any further, pulling back slightly away. Indie looked up at him. There had always been chemistry between them, but neither had acted because she had been with Todd. Indie pushed her fingers into his still damp hair, tugging him toward her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed movement by the front door. Without thinking she yanked Ryan down on top of her.
He chuckled. “If you were this forward with Todd, I understand why he didn't want to let you go.”
“Shh,” she whispered, pushing him off her. “I... what?” She frowned at him and shook her head. “Never mind, I saw something by the door.” Slowly and carefully she rolled over and belly crawled to the steps leading into the living room. Due to the depressed floor she knew no one could see them if they looked in the front door windows. They'd closed all the blinds. Peering over the steps she saw a silhouette of a person through the curtain on the front door. Whoever it was weaved back and forth, for a few seconds then turned and shambled away.
Letting out the breath she didn't know she was holding, she turned and crawled back to where Ryan lay.
“So what was it?” he whispered.
“You mean who. I don't know, but it looks like they went away.” Indie settled down next to him. “Let’s get some sleep and get the hell out of here in the morning.”
****
Indie shut the garage door behind Ryan as he pulled out into the driveway. It seemed silly but she wanted the house in lock down, just in case they could ever come back. She locked the door to the garage and left through the front door. As she turned the key in the deadbolt, she heard the slow shuffle. Turning she watched Ms. Weltner's face distort, moving toward her in a fast shuffle. Indiana took a step toward the stairs and the old woman lunged at her. Acting on impulse, she yanked her gun from the hostler and shot.
As Ms. Weltner stumbled backward, Indie dodged around her. When she reached the truck, she ripped open the door and jumped inside. “Go!”
Ryan stared at her, then out the window. Indie turned her head to look as well. The old woman had regained her balance and was now shuffling toward the truck. Indie felt her stomach fall to her feet. The bullet to her shoulder hadn't even phased her. “Please Ryan, go.”
Finally he turned forward and put the truck in gear. The empty street they had driven down yesterday was gone, now every shadow had a lurking figure. As the vehicle roared passed they moved forward as if to follow.
“They're everywhere.”
“We have to get back to the school,” Indie murmured, holstering her gun.
After several miles of driving in silence, Ryan glanced over. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just...” She swallowed, a ball of tears in her throat. “I've never shot at...”
“…a person,” he finished for her.
“Yes.”
Ryan reached over, taking her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Chapter 6
“Damn it!” Ryan slammed his fist on the steering wheel as the engine sputtered and died. He used the last of the vehicle’s momentum to pull over to the side of the road.
“We're out of gas, aren't we?” Indie asked, closing her eyes.
“Yeah.”
She turned on the hand held radio. Nothing happened. “Oh, for crying out loud.”
“Radio's dead.”
She nodded. “Okay, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to get out, have a mini breakdown, then we'll go through the supplies and come up with a game plan.”
Before Ryan could reply, Indie climbed out of the cab and let out a huge scream. Since this outbreak she'd been almost eaten by a bear, threatened by two infected women, shot someone and now, of all things, the truck full of stuff runs out of gas. To top it off, the radio, their one connection with the school, had died. How could they have been so stupid as to not get gas? Anger bubbled up inside her, and she lashed out, kicking the truck. Which only served to hurt her toe. “FUCK!”
Tears streamed down her face as she leaned against the truck.
“Feel better?”
Indie looked across the hood at Ryan's smiling face. “Yes and no. Bet I looked pretty funny.”
He shrugged. “Let's just say, you should be glad my cell isn't working.”
Indie smiled, wiping her face on her sweatshirt sleeve before limped to the back of the truck and hoisting herself into the bed. For once she was glad her dad was survival crazy. Pulling the top off a tote she pulled out two backpacks, which were extra bug out bags. Each contained enough supplies to live for a week or more in the wilderness. At least it did if you knew what you were doing. As she went through the boxes and totes she went over in her head what they would need to do and how to get there.
“The way I see it, we really only have two options. Head back to Eagle Bay and see if we can find some gas or follow the road back up to the school. When Dad realizes we haven't checked in, he'll coming looking for us.”
She glanced over at Ryan. He was watching her intently. “If we go back to Eagle Bay we might run into those things.” A chill traveled down Indie's back at that thought. He continued, “We might not find any gas and we'd be screwed. If we don't run into those things, and we do find gas, the truck might not be here when we get back. So I think we should just say to hell with it and head for where we know we'll be safe.”
“If someone doesn't come along we may need to overnight it. It's a long drive. It'll be an even longer hike.” She handed him one of the packs.
“I know. Grab that tarp. We'll cover everything so at the very least it won't get wet and maybe won't be as enticing to steal.”
After shrugging on her own pack, she picked up a blue plastic tarp and helped Ryan secure it over everything. Pulling open the door to the cab, she grabbed the gun case they'd put behind the seat. It contained a rifle and shotgun from her dad’s collection. She handed Ryan the shotgun and took the rifle. The bullets had been in a tote in back which she'd already tucked into their packs. With the exception of a couple she'd pocketed. Pulling the shotgun shells out, she handed them over to Ryan. Removing the clip on the rifle she filled it and shoved it back in the gun.
“I'd ask if this was overkill, but seeing as you've had three near misses and there are scarier things than bears walking around, I guess not.”
Indie gave him a tight smile and shut the cab door. “Let's get going.”
Ryan caught her arm. “Hold on.” He stepped closer, his hand moving from her arm to her cheek. “I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”
Indie grinned up at him. “And I won't let anything happen to you.”
He pressed his lips to hers. She gasped when his tongue swiped her lips, and as he pulled back, he winked and grabbed her hand. With a quick tug they were walking away from the truck.
****
Susie stood back, watching as everyone hovered around Ted. Tera stepped over and wrapped an arm around her. “It'll be all right.”
Dan and Ted had returned from their expedition, with more bad news about what was going on outside and Ted had been bitten by someone. Overnight he'd gotten worst, the bite wound looked infected and he was running a fever. It reminded Susan of her mother. The virus spread quickly. She knew what was going to happen and it wasn't going to be pretty. Tera gently guided her out of the bunk house and up to the cabin.
“Do you think Indie and Ryan will be back soon?” Susie asked as they crossed the grounds.
“Of course, they said they were on their way this morning. And they’ll check in if anything goes wrong.” Tera gave her a one armed hug. “Come on, you can help me get lunch started.”
Sighing, Susan let Tera lead her into th
e kitchen. At least she was good for something. She had discovered a surprise talent for cooking. Her own mother had spent very little time in the kitchen, but she was learning a lot from Tera.
“What would you like me to do?”
“Cut up some potatoes.”
Susie went to the wooden box in the pantry and grabbed an armload of potatoes. Setting them on the cutting board, she went to work. As she sliced and diced, she glanced out the window. Huge black clouds were gathering in the distance.
The front door banged open, causing her to jump. Dan entered the kitchen, his brows drawn in what were becoming permanent worry lines. “I just tried to get Indie and Ryan on the radio, and nothing. If I don't get a reply in an hour, I'm going to go look for them.”
Tears threatened in Tera's eyes, but she blinked them away, composing herself. “All right. How's Ted?”
“Getting worse.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don't know what to do with him.”
Chapter 7
Indiana glanced at the sky then looked at Ryan. “We need to find a place to camp. If that storm catches us, we’re screwed.”
He nodded. “Do we have a tent or are we roughing it?”
“We have a tent, but it'll be a tight fit. I think it's only made for one.”
“Guess we'll be warm, then.” He grinned at her.
She gave him a small smile. “We need to find a flat area, preferably near the road so if anyone is looking they might see us. Some tree cover might help with not getting totally soaked.”
“Probably shouldn't be at the bottom of a hill either since water tends to run down,” Ryan added, walking beside her.
They walked in silence for awhile, then Ryan pointed slightly off the road. “What about there? Not a lot of tree cover but it's close to the road.”
“Let's check it out.” Indie said, heading in the direction he pointed. They had to climb a small ditch and rise to get to the area. It was covered with dead leaves, and sparse trees, but was flattish. Indie glanced at the darkening sky and shrugged off her pack. “It'll have to do.”
Pulling a small bag from her pack, she began to assemble the tent.
“So, how come you get the tent in your bag?”
She glance up at him then back to what she was doing. “You have the food.”
“That makes it even?”
“Sure. I can find food, but don't like making shelter.” Indie smiled. “I gave you a tarp to make a shelter, but figured you'd need food more if we got separated.”
“Really?”
“Hey, you coulda climbed up there and filled your own bag,” She muttered, shoving the last plastic rod through the top of the tent. Stepping back she looked over her handiwork. “Help me secure it, then let’s get inside. Those clouds are moving fast.” Grabbing a couple rocks, they hammered in the tent stakes.
After a moment, Ryan spoke. “I let you pack the bags, because you know more about this stuff than I do.”
Indie glanced at him, then pounded her stake in the ground. The drops began to fall just as they finished up and climbed inside.
Ryan shifted, bumping into Indie. “Sorry. This is cozy.”
“Yeah, cozy and hard.” Tugging her pack closer, she dug through the contents and pulled out a wool blanket. “Here, we'll put this one down and use yours to cover up.”
With a lot of shuffling and bumping, they got the blanket to cover the bottom of the tent. Indie lay down and closed her eyes. This was much more fun when you knew there was a nice warm house and shower waiting for you at the end of the weekend. Her stomach grumbled, and she placed her hands over it, peeking at Ryan.
He grinned, grabbing his pack and digging out the food. “Ugh, MREs,” he muttered, pulling out the olive drab bags. “There wasn't any Spaghetti Ohs? Or, I don't know, something that tastes good?”
“Stop complaining. You've got something to eat.” She tugged a bag from his hand. “Besides, cans are heavy and these have warmers. So we can have a hot meal, without a fire.”
“And yet you aren't using it,” Ryan pointed out as she ripped open the bag of food and began eating.
Indie shrugged. “It's good this way too.” The thoughts that had been dogging her steps since they'd left the truck filled her head. How could a bullet not have brought Ms. Weltner to the ground? Even if it had been a shoulder wound, it should've left her on the ground in pain. The food tasted like ash, but she forced herself to eat since she knew she'd need the calories tomorrow. “Do you think we're safe out here?”
Ryan shrugged and swallowed. “As safe as we can be. Right now I'm more worried about regular threats than those things, since they move pretty slow and there aren't many places up this way.”
Indie paused between bites. “You know what's really creepy?”
“Other than this whole situation?”
She ignored him and continued. “How quiet they are. They don't make any noise other than the shuffle. You'd think they'd growl or groan.”
“Once again, you've watched too many movies.”
“After everything we've seen, and what's been on the news, you really think I've watched too many movies?”
“Yes.” He grinned at her. “But seriously, this is life, not a movie.”
“I know but...” She shook her head. “You're right. I'm just trying to wrap my head around something that's way beyond my scope. I'd rather be worrying about graduation, prom, and what my parents are going to do when I tell them I was accepted to Potsdam. Not how much my mom will freak when I tell her I shot the cranky old lady across the road in self-defense.” Sniffling, she rolled up what was left of her food and set it aside.
“Hey, it's natural for you to be upset for shooting someone, even if she was already dead.”
“I keep playing it over in my head and wonder if I could've run or something.”
Setting his food down, Ryan put his arm around her shoulders. “I saw the whole thing. You made the right choice. If you hadn't, you might have been infected, and I really don't want a zombie for a girlfriend.”
Indie's head jerked up, she looked at him in the dying light. “Girlfriend?”
“Yeah, girlfriend.” He leaned toward her. She moved to meet him halfway, but miscalculated in the dim light and they bumped noses. A giggle bubbled out of her. He chuckled and kissed her. Her worries slipped away under the onslaught of his lips. His hand cupped the back of her head, tangling in her ponytail. His intensity left her breathless. She'd never been kissed like this before.
The sound of something rubbing against the outside of the tent caused them to jump apart. Reaching behind her, she grabbed the rifle while Ryan snatched the shotgun. They heard voices and lights flashed outside, then the zipper began to open. As the tent flap fell open, a light momentarily blinded them.
“Indiana?”
Holding her hand to her eyes, she squinted into the light. “Dad?”
The light moved out of her eyes, and she could see her father in rain gear squatting next to the flap. He turned yelling over his shoulder. “Found them, guys!”
****
Susie stepped out of the kitchen as Indie stormed into the cabin, followed by Dan who slammed the door. Smiling she started toward her friend, relieved that they'd found Indie safe, but stopped when Dan growled at his daughter.
“Why didn't you stay with the truck, young lady?”
Indiana whirled on him. “Because there was more of a risk staying than leaving.”
“We would have found you faster.”
“So could those things, hillbillies, animals...” Indie clicked things off on her fingers.
Dan shook his head. “Sweetie, you guys would have been safer in the cab. Also, how could you forget gas?”
“We're not all super survival guys, Dad.”
Susie blinked and stepped back into the kitchen. She'd never heard Indie talk to her parents like this, it was kind of a shock.
Indiana continued. “I weighed the risk vs. reward. We didn't know if
you would or could come get us. We didn't know if those things were following us. We didn't know if there were scavengers around who would kill us for the supplies. We did everything right as we saw it.”
Tera appeared from the bedroom. Walking over to Indie, she slid her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “I'm sure you did, honey, your father has just been worried. Like the rest of us.”
Indie shook her mom's arm off. “I'm sorry for making you worry. But I am able to make the right decisions on my own when needed. You two can't hover forever.”
Susie watched her stalk down the hall, then walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a couple chocolate bars Tera had stashed.
As she started to follow Indie, she heard Tera ask, “What in the world did you say to her?”
“I have no idea. I just mentioned what they did wrong.” Tera sighed, crossing her arms. “I might have also commented on how them making out in the tent wasn't part of survival.”
Susie smirked and continued down the hall as Tera chewed Dan a new one. Pushing open Indie's door, she found her friend lying on her bed. Tossing one of the bars over, Susie kicked the door shut behind her.
“I guess you heard all that.”
Susie nodded, sitting on the bed. “And then some, but you shouldn't be hard on your parents. It's crazy right now.”
“I know.” Indie shook her head. “You have no idea what it's like down there.”
Susie was quiet, picking at the candy bar in her hand. Actually, she probably had a better idea that most.
“Indie, I lied. My mom never made it to the hospital.”
A puzzled look crossed Indiana's face. “What do you mean?”
Tears pricked the corners of Susan's eyes. “Mom refused to go to the doctor when she got sick. She said it was just food poisoning and she'd be fine. Then she just kept getting worse and worse. By the time AJ got home, she was gone. I called nine-one-one, but before the ambulance could show up Mom was back up. At first we thought she was better, that we'd screwed up. Then she attacked AJ.” Susie shook her head. “I freaked and smashed her in the head with a lamp. The EMTs arrived and took them both away. The hospitals weren't letting family in, just sick people.”
“Wow. So that's why you flipped when you saw...” Indie looked away and bit her lip.