by Tara Brown
I feel every word she says and I’m a little sorry for her. I would never say Lee isn't pretty, but she just clearly isn't Erin. I can’t imagine a life spent measuring up to that—that being the bar for me.
She smiles bitterly. “I could have hated her. It would have been easy but in truth she is the best sister in the world. And it is never her fault that all the guys fall for her. They can’t help it. She’s a pretty perfect person. All round.” She doesn't say another thing but I know at least once there has been a guy—one Lee must have loved and Erin never knew. I can hear the rest of the story there, in the silence.
“I think you’re prettier than she is.” My words are soft. She laughs, not believing what I’m saying so I look her straight in the eyes and nod. “You are pretty in a way that people don't see right away. It’s the kind of beautiful that's still there, even when the looks fade. The kind of pretty that when you do see it, it shines brighter than anything.” And it’s true. Her vulnerability, and yet strength, make her who she is. The way she laughs and cares and befriends everyone with a pulse. She’s easygoing, and yet complicated in the right ways. The kind she doesn't share with other people. She is pretty in a way that I can see is attached to who she is. She carried her sister when she was sick. She begged for her life. She risked her own life and didn't even consider that’s what it was. I could have shot her or turned them away. Or worse. Had I been Danny Hillman she would have suffered trying to save her sister. But she still would have done it. She has come all the way across America looking for her father. She is exactly the sort of person you want to love you. And, unfortunately, I suspect Erin is as well. They are both good people. They would die for each other and to me that's the mark of true love and loyalty.
“If he is only interested in her for her looks, you don't want him anyway.” She leans in and hugs me. “Now let’s go see if this place is safe.”
Forcing Miles out of my head, I nod. I need to be excited about the possibility that my father might be there on the island.
I saunter behind Lee down to the water, focusing on the important stuff. The boat is large, allowing all five of us in the cab. Kyle starts it up, grinning as the engine roars. “I have always wanted to drive one of these.”
“Watch for deadheads.” Miles slaps him on the back but his eyes never leave Erin. I don't know what that is but I assume it’s bad. Deadhead sounds like a shark or something.
Kyle scoffs. “Please.” He backs the boat away from the dock slowly and then guns it, staring right at Miles with a smirk.
Having only been on small boats, I’m not prepared for the jostle or unease in my stomach as we get out into the middle of the ocean. I slump into one of the chairs and watch out the window. My stomach gurgles as Lee drops into a seat next to me. “I hate boats, unless I’m wakeboarding, and even then I prefer lakes.”
I nod, shuddering. “The water is really rough compared to the lakes back home.”
“This isn’t so bad. I’ve been on worse. After a hurricane on the East Coast is pretty intense.” Kyle glances back, grinning until he sees our faces. “Ohhh, you girls look bad. You are both green—really green. Man, that was fast.”
When I look around, my eyes fuzz a little. My ears are drawn to the back of the boat, following a muffled laugh. Out on the back of the boat Erin smiles wide, dazzling even me, and says something to make Miles grin in anticipation. I wish, just once, he would look at me that way. Just once.
Warmth encases my hand as my attention snaps back around to Kyle gripping and tugging me gently. “Come up here.” He pulls me from the seat and puts my hand on the steering wheel. “Hold it tight and watch the waves.” His arms encircle mine, making my entire back shiver with heat. “See that dark spot, right there?” He lifts one hand and points in my line of sight.
I let my feelings all fall away, all of them, and nod. “Yeah.”
“That's a deadhead. Like a log or some kind of debris. We need to move to the right and avoid it.” He puts a bit of pressure on the wheel with me, making me turn it slightly. The boat leans to the right, avoiding the dark spot I can tell is a log when we get close enough. My stomach starts to feel a bit better being distracted so I look back and nod at Lee. “Come help me steer. It’s making my seasickness go away.”
She jumps up, ignoring Kyle’s hands and stands next to me. Cool air rubs against my back as he steps back, leaning against the wall as we drive. “You ladies got this?”
“Don't go too far. I don't swim as well as one would need here.” Lee smiles weakly at him, looking ever so slightly less green around the gills.
I give her a look. “We got this—” Kyle’s body is instantly around mine as he swerves the boat and grins at Lee. “Yeah, we got this.”
She laughs but I look out the back at the thing I nearly hit. Just as my eyes land on Erin and Miles, Kyle steps in my way. “What’s the plan, once we get to the other side, champ?”
I lift my face, seeing a mocking spark in his stare. “Why am I the champ?”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Jamie said you kept those little kids alive and saved Sasha. That's pretty intense. She said the heavy artillery was yours too. That's badass for such a little girl.”
“I’m not a little girl and the guns aren’t mine. They were my dad’s. I stole them from his gun locker.”
The gleam brightens in his green eyes as they dart from me to the water as he helps Lee steer. “But you can shoot? And you can drive.”
I shrug. “Most kids around where I live can shoot, and everyone has to know how to drive.”
He laughs softly. “You just can’t take a compliment, can you?”
“I don't think I’m a champ, and I think you’re mocking me so the compliment is less than sincere.”
“Girl, please.” Lee smiles, no longer green at all. “You are. You’re totally champ worthy.” She gleams at Kyle. “How do you know how to drive a boat?” She bats her lashes and I realize she has a look in her eyes.
“My family has a summer house on the water. We drive boats all over.” He lays it on thick. If she didn't know his family was incredibly rich before, she does now.
The conversation is making me like a weird third wheel, so I settle back into the seat, watching as we draw closer to the island. The clouds in the sky are a bit darker as we get closer to the other side of the sound. The waves get worse as we approach land. Lee takes her hands off the wheel and lets Kyle steer us into a dock near a rocky beach and a large house. There’s a small sailboat already moored there so he goes to the far side of the dock. When he slows and pulls up, Miles jumps off and ties us to the dock. He walks up the wooden planks, scanning the area for biters or anyone else, I imagine.
He waves a hand for us to join him. Erin hops off, helping Lee. Kyle pockets the key and waits for me to climb off. My legs feel weird on the floating dock and they don't improve as we get onto the huge lawn leading to the large house. Each step is a little bouncy.
“If there are no biters here, where are the people?” Lee asks and instantly I have to wonder the same thing.
Kyle glances around. “Maybe everyone is on the base.”
It sounds logical but deep inside of me my tummy magic disagrees. It tells me to get back on that boat and leave. It tells me to go home. But the desire to find my father is so much stronger than the instinct that tells me I am not safe here.
The lawn is manicured, the house is pristine, and the smell in the air is salty and freeing, but I do not feel safe. Nothing moves. No one snaps their teeth and there is no rustling in the woods, but I cannot get past the fear it’s bad here. It’s bad everywhere.
Miles and Erin walk ahead, rounding the corner first. I hurry to catch up, wanting to see what the front yard looks like. Miles holds a hand up, halting me as he looks around with Erin. She crouches and creeps through bushes and around a minivan. She waves her hand at Miles, giving him a thumbs up. He stalks to the windows, peering in and tests the front door, without knocking. When it opens he nods at us
and walks in, peeking and leaving the door ajar.
Erin waits but Kyle follows him inside.
Lee gives me a look, and I realize then that we are the only two who don't know what the heck they’re doing.
Kyle comes back out, jingling keys. My eyes draw to the minivan but my feet don't move. My jaw drops when he climbs in. “We can’t steal this one too. Was the house okay? Was there anyone in there? These people might be alive still.”
Lee points at it. “They might come back any second. If the bridge was blown, the biters might not have come here. This is stealing if these people are alive. We only take from the dead.”
I nod. “If they have martial law here we could be shot for this.” Kyle ignores us.
Miles comes out, wrinkling his lips as he closes the door. “The power, phones, Wi-Fi, and cell service are out here too.” He runs a hand through his dark hair and points at the van. “Get in.”
Erin nods at Lee and me before she jumps in the back, leaving the door open for us. Lee shrugs and follows her sister into the back of the van. I climb in, not completely sure what I was expecting, but more running wasn't it. I expected something far different when we landed.
When I sit in the back with Lee, she leans in, whispering, “This is a bad sign.”
I whisper back, “I was expecting military or people or something. That house is empty. If we are taking their van, where are they? Why didn't they take it when they left? Why didn't they take their sailboat?”
When Kyle pulls onto the road from the long driveway, my stomach sinks. Cars line the roads, blocking it in some places. Biters are frozen on the streets and in the middle of lawns. They jerk to life, chasing us immediately. “Uhhhh, guys, this doesn't look so different from my town,” I mutter. “Only the biters here are faster. Warmer temperatures and all.”
Miles turns from the passenger side. “I don't think I need to say I told you so—you three know that, right?”
Erin shakes her head, looking tense again. “We need to see the base. My dad might be there.”
“Yeah, our dad and Lou’s might both be there. We need to just see the base. Maybe it’s better there,” Lee agrees.
Kyle’s jaw tenses as he maneuvers through the vehicles. Biters line the roads, standing frozen on lawns, driveways, middle of the roadway. They’re everywhere. Each one jerks to the right three times before springing to life. They slam into the van, smashing on the glass as we sail by.
We’re the only vehicle on the road and I don't see people, not normal ones. Just the biters who are frozen in their yard, looking emaciated and windblown. There are no people in the windows, waving us down. Or people in the streets, fleeing for their lives.
As we leave the quiet streets of the residential area we are in, we enter a little town called Coupeville. It’s small, with waterfront pubs and restaurants. The people of the town who have left their houses all stand, looking ragged and homeless, and possibly made of wax until we get near enough that they hear us. Then they become enraged, moving faster than I have seen biters move. The speed of them here on the coast is alarming.
Kyle drives around the town, which reminds me of a calendar I saw once, muttering to himself about bad ideas. I don't listen to him. I’m trying to appreciate the quaint fishing village and how the look of it makes me almost feel serene. It lasts but a second before the biters take the impression away.
“Shit, we’re almost out of gas.” Kyle slaps the steering wheel.
Miles laughs. “You rich people are always the most reckless.”
“They weren’t that rich. You see how small that boat was? And rich people don't buy minivans.” Kyle mutters some more while lifting his middle finger and still scanning for something, maybe a gas station.
Miles turns back and I expect his doting eyes to find Erin’s and maybe they’ll kiss some more. But his blue stare searches out mine. He looks as if he’s asking me if I’m okay. I nod subtly but he doesn't turn around. He gives me a look that I have seen him give Jamie a bunch of times. I inwardly sigh while outwardly returning the same look, pretending it’s cool that he sees a little sister and not a girl. He’s checking on me because the area is terrifying. I get that.
“Ha, look! We’ve lost them!” Kyle gets excited. “And we found a gas station.” He drives in, stopping at the pump like it’s any other road trip. “It might be our lucky day.” He winces. “I shouldn't have said that. It was cocky.” He looks up. “I take it back. Please don't make me pay for that.”
It makes me laugh. He thinks the same way I do.
Erin opens the door, getting out slowly. She grips to her gun, not making a sound as she crosses the still parking lot. Miles follows her as Kyle jumps out but waits at the pump in case they find a generator in the back.
I hop out and lift the cover off of the hole in the parking lot where the gas is stored in the ground. I never knew that gas was stored like this before.
In the silence of the parking lot a noise starts low—a hum like a car. As it gets louder we all stand, bracing ourselves for what is coming.
Across the way at a strip mall, a small white car drives through the parking lot and across the road to the gas station. It looks weird seeing it, all alone and noisy in this suddenly quiet world.
The lady driving pulls up in front of us, and gets out with her hands up as if we are dangerous criminals. “Are you getting gas?” she asks tearfully. Before any of us speaks, she starts to sob. A child climbs out cautiously, giving us the apprehensive stare down.
Kyle lifts his hand, speaking calmly. “We are getting gas. Are you okay? Is she okay? Is she your mom?” he asks the little girl who ignores him.
The woman shakes, twitching and sobbing. Kyle walks to her slowly, taking her in his arms like he’s the crazy-woman whisperer. She doesn't fight him on it; she collapses onto his broad chest and lets him hold her, a perfect stranger. The child starts to cry but stays, gripping to the door.
Lee glances back at me, her eyes are filled with a knowing look. We both realize it instantly: the military base is clearly not a safe zone or this local woman would be there.
A loud hum starts up as the lights flicker and the pumps all begin making a clicking noise. I cover the hole in the ground as Lee jumps up and starts filling the van before the generator stops.
Erin squeals inside, clearly finding something akin to the Twinkie on Zombieland.
When I look back, Kyle is filling the lady’s car and some jerry cans for her.
The woman holds her child, both still visibly shaking. When her eyes meet mine, I smile, not sure what to do. “You from here?” she asks me, starting the small talk because our eyes accidentally met.
“No, we’re from everywhere. How long has it been since the island went?” I don't want small talk. I want my dad and to go home to my sister.
“Six days.” She sniffles. “We watched the news a week ago and saw all the footage but nothing was happening here. On our local channel they said they were taking the bridge out to prevent anyone bringing it on the island. We heard the naval base was a safe zone, but when we tried to go there, the lineup was insane. They checked everyone in the line. People started screaming and when I looked back, people were trying to hurt other people. I assumed a riot had broken out. I left the lineup and drove across a field. We went home and locked up the house, like my husband told me to.” She pauses, reliving something. Her eyes narrow as she continues, “Before things got bad, my husband called in a panic from Boston. Told me the city was going nuts and to batten down the hatches so I had some supplies. He said it was some kind of sickness. But when we got home, what we saw was people attacking other people in the streets. One of our neighbors bit the other one.” She kisses her daughter’s head. “We left the house today because we wanted to see if the base was really a safe zone. We saw some of them falling down, the biters, just dying on the spot. The ones in the yard were dropping like flies. We thought it might be safe but there’s still so many. I just wonder if anywhere is d
oing well.”
I wince, completely overloaded and not sure what to add to the epic tale. I like that she skipped the small crap and went straight for the answers I wanted.
Lee looks into the gas station and nods. “No. Me and my sister have driven from coast to coast and it’s bad everywhere. We thought the base was safe too. We came from Bangor.”
The woman sighs, looking defeated. She tucks her dark hair behind her ear and folds her arms over her child. “I don't know where we’ll go from here.”
“We’re going to check the base now, if you want to follow us,” Kyle offers as he puts the lids on the jerry cans. “You can ride with us if you want. If the base is going strong you’ll be safe, and if not, we can get you to the mainland.”
She shrugs and carries the jerry cans to the back of the car. “I guess we can try that but we’ll bring our own car.” Her eyes dart to her daughter.
Miles strolls out of the gas station with a tray of hot drinks. “Coffee anyone?”
Lee raises her hand. “I’ll take one of those.
He passes her one that seems specific. “Erin made yours.”
Lee cocks an eyebrow after the first sip. “It’s the frikkin’ z-apoc and she’s finally got my order right.”
“Oh, that's funny.” The lady stops crying and laughs. “I’ve been saying that for years. Z-apoc.”
I raise my eyebrows. “I always say Shaun of the Dead.”
“Yeah, you do.” Kyle snorts, shaking his head. I don't remember saying it in front of him but I guess I have.