“Liv?” Zack’s gaze darted back and forth across my face. “Liv, Please?”
“Fine,” I said, my shoulders slumping under the responsibility of yet another weighty promise.
“Oh, God,” he said, sighing with relief. “Thank you, Liv. Thank you so much. I owe you— everything.”
“Zack, let’s go!” Tara swung the door open so hard it banged against the concrete wall behind it.
“I have to go,” Zack said, flinching at the harshness of Tara’s tone. His eyes met mine, and the severity of his words hit home. He spun on his heel and made his way over to the door. Before he ducked through it, he turned back to me and nodded. “Stay safe.”
I stared numbly at the door, as it clicked into place behind them. I had tried everything I could think of to convince them to stay, but in the end it hadn’t been enough.
“You think they’ll be okay?” Riley slid her hand into the bend of my elbow.
“I don’t know,” I said, looking down into her tired brown eyes. “I hope so.”
“So, what happens now?” Riley asked, releasing her grip on me and turning her back to the door. “We need a plan.”
“She’s right,” Falisha said, suddenly appearing next to her. “As much as that sucked, and it did...we can’t really afford to just stand around here being sad and hope everything works out.”
“Agreed,” I said, taking a deep breath. “We should get to work.”
“Reporting for duty, Sarge,” Falisha said squaring her shoulders.
“Yeah,” Riley agreed. “What do you need?”
“Okay, you three,” I said, pointing to Riley, Falisha, and Micah, “grab anything you can find that will hold water. Set the full containers against the wall in the bathroom. I am hoping they will stay a little cooler in there.”
Riley nodded, grabbed Micah by the hand, and the three of them took off towards the storage closet. I slid the hair tie from my ratted ponytail and raked my fingers through my hair. It was so tangled and sweaty, I didn’t get far before my nails got stuck and the tugging made my eyes water. My brush was in my backpack on the other side of the room, but at the moment the distance seemed insurmountable and my appearance beyond unimportant, so I quickly whipped the gnarled mess into a twist and tied it away from my face. No way I was putting a brush anywhere near that gash on my head, anyway.
“It’s so damn hot,” I muttered to myself, frustrated that there was no way to escape the cumbersome heat.
“I think we need to insulate,” Zander said, stepping forward.
“Brilliant! I’ll just hop in the car and run over to freaking Home Depot, real quick,” my internal monologue spilled from my mouth, unfiltered by my stressed brain. “Shit, Zander, I’m sorry. I am just a little on edge, I guess.”
“Don’t worry about it.” The corner of Zander’s mouth quirked up, as he reached over and slid a loose hair behind my ear. His eyes locked onto mine and I felt my face heat.
“No,” I shook my head. “That wasn’t cool. None of this is your fault. I shouldn’t have bitten your head off like that.”
“Given our current situation, Liv,” Zander tilted his head, “I would be more concerned if you weren’t at least a little bit cranky. It’s all good, promise.”
His smile was warm and genuine and as his thumb slid lightly across my cheek, I suddenly forgot where we were and what was happening around us.
“Rubber,” Jake said, rushing over to us.
“What?” I shrieked, stepping away from Zander as if I had been caught in a crime.
“Rubber,” Jake grinned, gesturing around the room. “It’s an awesome insulator and it doesn’t conduct electricity.”
“Of course!” Zander patted Jake on the back. “That’s brilliant, Jake. You are brilliant.”
“Yeah, well,” Jake blushed, rubbing the back of his neck as he took a step back. “The answer was, literally, right under our noses the whole time.”
“Okay, I’m lost,” I said, shrugging at their excitement.
“The floor mats, Liv,” Zander said, gesturing down to our feet. “They are rubber, so we can use them as a thermal barricade on the exterior wall, to reinforce the windows, and fill in the cracks under the door. It will go a long way toward keeping out that insane heat.”
“Awesome,” I said, smiling as I wrapped my arms around Jake’s slender shoulders. “He’s right, Jake. You really are a genius.”
“Obviously,” he said, prying himself awkwardly from my embrace. “Anyway, we have lots to do and we are running out of time. If you guys have anything that need to be charged, now would be the time to do it. Once your gadgets are all juiced up, shut them down and take out the batteries. You know, just in case.”
“Why,” I asked, honestly curious. “Will they, like, blow up or something?”
“No, I don’t think the pulse will affect our mobile devices as directly as everyone thinks,” he said, “I mean, ground communications, yeah— we are basically screwed there. They depend on satellites and electricity, both of which will be non-existent soon, but cell phones function independently.”
“So we might still be able to use our cells?” I asked.
“Not for communication, unfortunately,” Zander said. “Once the grid goes down, all of the cell towers will be inoperable, which means our phones will not be connected to a network. Plus, we will be limited to the charge in their current battery— assuming their cores survive the surge, that is.”
“Okay, so you are saying my iPhone will be a high-res paperweight?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I guess you could look at it that way,” Jake laughed, shaking his head, “but try to remember that your phone does have more than one function that could come in handy at a time like this.”
“Psshhht, yeah,” I said, suddenly upset at the loss of a phone I rarely even used. “Like what?”
“Like pretty much any phone produced after 2010 has a flashlight function,” Jake asked, putting his hands on his hips. “I don’t know about you, but I would rather not spend the next few hours in this stinky hell-pit sitting in the dark.”
“I guess that’s true,” I relented.
“Yeah, and I have like a thousand songs on mine, maybe even a couple movies, that could help us kill time,” Zander offered.
“How often did you use your phone to make calls, anyway? I used mine as an alarm clock, music player and a camera more than anything else. This thing is full of pictures of—” Jake’s smile fell and he looked suddenly stricken. “Liv, my mom, my little sister. What if they didn’t—?”
“Stop right there,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. “Don’t even think like that.”
“But, what if—?” Jake’s chin trembled.
“No, Jake,” I ground out. “We can’t afford to lose our shit right now, okay, so let’s just focus on what needs to be done. I promise you as soon as it’s safe, we will go find them, okay?”
“Okay,” Jake sniffed, swiping at his eyes as he cleared his throat. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Jake. Just be brave and be your genius self,” I said, patting him on the back. “We’ve got your back.”
“We are all in this together,” Zander agreed, chucking him lightly on the shoulder. “Besides, if your mom and sister are half as smart as you, I am sure they will be just fine.”
“Thanks,” Jake said, sniffling as he squared his shoulders, “but it’s not likely that anyone is half as smart as me.”
“Smart-ass,” I said, laughing as his sarcasm force field slid back into place.
“Okay, enough of that,” Jake said, sniffling. As he walked away, he yelled over his shoulder at us. “I am going to go plug in my phone, that dinosaur laptop, and the iPod I snaked from locker room. Throw your phones on the floor by the pile and I will swap them out once the others are charged.”
“I like that kid,” I said, shaking my head as he trotted away.
“I think he likes you, too,” Zander la
ughed, bumping my hip lightly.
“Shut up,” I laughed, smacking playfully at his chest.
He clamped his hand down on top of mine, lacing our fingers together against the soft cotton of his t-shirt. After hours in this maddening heat, the fabric was completely saturated, the dampness causing it to cling to the solid curvature of his muscles. His heart pounded rapidly beneath my hand, his amber eyes drinking me in as his tongue absently moistened the contours of his lips. My legs felt suddenly heavy; my head felt inexplicably light, as he closed his eyes and leaned closer.
Part of me really, really wanted him to kiss me. That normal seventeen-year-old girl living deep inside of me wanted nothing more than to lower her defenses, close her sad blue eyes, and just let it happen. She might have even wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and run her fingers through that wild hair of his as his soft lips finally pressed against hers.
My eyes closed of their own volition and I felt myself leaning closer until his warm breath whisked across my face. His fingertips lightly brushed against my cheek. I opened my eyes at the contact and suddenly found myself pulling away.
Not part of the plan!
“T—tape,” I stammered, forcing an awkward smile. Our hands were still joined and my arm stretched out between us as I stepped back. “That is, umm. I’m going to go see if I can dig up some tape. Like, duct tape…you know, for the mats.”
“Sure,” Zander smiled, gently squeezing my hand before releasing it. “Good idea.”
Damn it!
“I’ll be right back,” I said, back-peddling, as he continued to smile at me. “Why don’t you see if you can figure out how we are going to peel up these rubber tiles? Be careful with your hand, though okay?”
“You got it.” Zander saluted me with his injured hand, still grinning as he shook his head and marched off.
It took all six of us to get the work out equipment shifted around, but eventually we were able to strip the entire floor of its two-foot by two-foot, rubber workout mats. The process was simple enough; each piece of one-inch foam rubber would connect to the adjacent mat, fitting together on all four sides like a giant puzzle piece. We easily separated them and stacked the squares in a neat pile by the exterior wall of the weight room.
Unfortunately, the system was very clearly not intended for a vertical installation. Every time we would get a few connected and upright, they would crumple like a house of cards. After a series of frustratingly failed attempts, we finally figured out a system that worked. The only way, the pieces would stay together, was to lie out an entire row on the floor and tape each mat to its neighbor. Then, the six of us would slowly carry the completed row to the wall and link it in with the row below it. Micah, Riley, and Jake held it in place, while the rest of us secured it to the wall using copious amounts of tape.
The process was grueling and time-consuming, but with each row that went up, we grew more efficient. We were all sweat-soaked and exhausted, but we were determined to conquer the wall. Though he didn’t complain once, I could tell Zander was having a hard time. His skin was growing paler by the minute and he had to pause, more than once, to get his bearings and catch his breath. His hand was clearly causing him a lot of discomfort, but he seemed more irritated by his injury slowing him down, than he was by the pain.
When the last of the rows was secured in place, we rolled up four of the long yoga mats and crammed them into the two small windows alcoves, near the ceiling. The windows had been painted over many times over the forty years, but they were far from energy efficient. They leaked heat in like water through a sieve, and the air around them was considerably warmer than the rest of the room. After the window cushions were in place, we walled right over them with the last of the rubber puzzle mats and taped them down with the remaining scraps of duct tape.
Jake tossed the empty cardboard roll to the side and we all stood back to admire our handy-work. The entire installation looked like a dirty patchwork quilt and smelled like old tires, but with any luck, it would buy us enough time to get through the worst of it.
“Not bad,” Zander said, his hand shaking as wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Not bad at all,” Falisha agreed, clasping her hands behind her head.
“Let’s hope it’s enough,” I whispered, rubbing at my throbbing temples.
There was a lot riding on these next few hours. We didn’t know how bad things were going to get, but we had done all we could to protect ourselves against the unknown and there was something to be said for that effort. Now came the hardest part—waiting.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I am totally wiped,” Riley smiled, yanking up the bottom of her t-shirt to wipe her face. “I vote we hose off and settle in for lunch. Who’s with me?”
We pushed the last of the weight lifting equipment against the wall to hold the mats in place, then gathered our meager rations and settled in for some much-needed rest. Aside from the old laptop, the pile of locker room booty, and the large red fold-out mat we had set up, the room looked virtually empty.
“You coming, Liv?” Riley asked as she plopped down next to Micah on the mat.
“In a sec,” I said as I slipped into the unisex bath to clean up.
After I washed my face a second time, I hung my head upside down and let the water run over my head. I shut off my thoughts and focused on rivulets of water that trailed across my scalp, saturating it from root to tip. I had a feeling this was as close to a shower as I would get for a while, so I took full advantage of the temporary reprieve. When I finished, I stopped up the sink with the old steel plug, and filled it as far as it would go so we would have an emergency supply for washing and such. Worn out and hungry, I finally emerged from the sanctuary of the tiny bathroom and dragged my tired body over to the mats.
“Think of it like an early warning system,” Jake said, holding up the iPod he had filched. “I figured we would need a way to know when the electromagnetic wave hits. Since the entire playlist is nothing but Garth Brooks and John Denver, this little baby can be our sacrificial lamb.”
“Makes sense to me,” I said, grabbing a cup of warm water as sat I down heavily. My head was pulsing and my muscles were no longer up to the challenge of keeping me on my feet. “Besides, wouldn’t be the worst thing, if country music didn’t survive the apocalypse.”
“Amen to that,” Falisha agreed, shoveling a hand full of Cheetos into her mouth.
“Here you go,” Riley shrugged, tossing me a flattened honey-raisin granola bar. “Sorry, it was the last one,”
“Thanks, Ry,” I said as I crossed my legs in front of me. “What time is it?”
“Two Thirty-seven,” Jake said, staring up at the old wall clock. “Ninety minutes and counting.”
“Awesome,” I said dryly, as I tore into the plastic.
The granola was bland and mushy and crumbled into my hands as the wrapper peeled away. The water I washed it down with was warm enough to soak my feet in and smelled a bit like I already had. It had a metallic bite to it, too, and I felt like I was sucking on a penny as I drank. Fortunately, I was so exhausted I barely registered the whole process. Before I knew it, my hands were empty, and my belly half full.
“I wonder what’s going on out there,” Micah said quietly.
“I’m trying not to think about it,” Riley said, sliding her hand into his as she scooted even closer.
“I tried the laptop again. I got nothing but script and static,” Jake said. “Looks like we are on our own, for now.”
It had been only a matter of hours since we’d lost contact with the outside world, but somehow it felt like much longer. Time passed differently down here; painfully slow, but too fast to feel as if you were in control. The chatter continued around me, but I had switched to autopilot. I was barely aware of my surroundings as my thoughts spiraled.
The killshot message felt like an old injury, the implications of which were now an infection festering below the surface. We had no idea what was happening bey
ond those walls or what would await us when—no, if we got out. For me, not knowing was tantamount to torture and it had me was scared to the point of numbness.
When I was little, my dad used to tell me that my imagination was capable of creating far greater horrors than nature or science, combined. But this was no closet monster we were dealing with and I was sure my dad had never seen anything like what I had seen on that rooftop.
Were there others out there that had suffered as Blake and Sara had? Had things gotten worse since we had retreated to the relative safety of the school’s basement? Would there be anything left beyond these brick and concrete walls? What about Tara and the others; had they made it to safety? The Tates, Mrs. Proud, and…oh God, what about my brother?
“Earth to Liv,” Riley jabbed her pointy shoulder against mine. “Where’d you go?”
“What,” I said, dazed.
“You were a million miles away, just now,” she said, a look of concern replacing her sarcastic smile. “Hey, you okay?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m just tired,” I said, not wanting her to know the dark directions my thoughts had taken. “Where’s Zan?”
“Zan?” Riley raised an eyebrow.
“Zander.” I rolled my eyes, too tired and annoyed for her good-natured teasing. “Where is he? I need to look at his hand again.”
“Supply closet,” she mumbled around a mouthful of Doritos. “No clue what he’s looking for, but it must be buried, because he’s been in there for a while.”
“Thanks.” I slowly pried myself from the floor, groaning as my limbs protested each movement. My muscles ached and my head was pounding, a sure sign I was dehydrated. I made a mental note to drink more water and headed off toward the storage closet to check on Zander.
The door was open part way, so I slid into the room soundlessly. Zander was sitting on a bucket in front of the old desk, his head lying across his arm. His shoulders rose and fell silently, and his hair was draped carelessly across his closed eyes. He appeared to have simply fallen asleep so I considered sneaking back out before he noticed my presence, but my gut was telling me something wasn’t right.
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