Burn Our Houses Down [Book One]

by Kelsey Garmendia

  “I brought you coffee,” Hayley says from behind me.

  I grab hold of her arm and pull her onto my lap. “Coffee? I don’t even remember how it tastes.” She kisses me softly on the lips, and I can hear Aisley groan in response. I laugh and take a sip of the dark bitter drink—that isn’t bitter at all actually.

  “Lots of sugar, little coffee,” Hayley says when I frown. “You think I would forget something as little as that?” I gulp down the liquid feeling it’s warmth permeate through my skin.

  “Aisley wanted to ask us something together,” Hayley says when I put down the coffee mug.

  Aisley rises from the armchair as if on command and begins pacing the floor. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately,” she starts. She stops walking and looks out the door as if pondering what to say next. “My mom and dad are dead, but I don’t feel like an orphan because of you two.”

  She turns and faces Hayley and I and fiddles with her fingers. “Hayley, you gave me almost all of your food whenever Xavier went hunting. Food that you needed too. And all just to make sure I didn’t feel hungry or anything.” Hayley smiles, and I can see a slight reddish hint creep up her face.

  “And Xavier—you saved me. I would’ve been dead. You could have told me to beat it or good luck and left me at the store. But you didn’t—and you haven’t left me behind since then.”

  She sniffles and fingers something in her pocket. I see the edge of a photo sticking out—the photo her dad had. “I miss my mom and dad so much, but they’re gone. They didn’t make it. And as much as I wish they were here now, I couldn’t be happier because I have you two.” Tears fall down her face in thin streams. She removes her hand from her pocket and looks us both in the eyes. “I want you to be my parents. I want you to be my family now. I just want—I just want a mom and dad again.”

  Aisley cries next to the bed and falls to her knees. Both Hayley and I walk over to her and hug her in between both of us. Her body is shaking so much that I feel like all her bones are about to come loose.

  “Aisley, you already are part of our family,” Hayley says.

  Took the words right out of my mouth to be honest. I squeeze a little tighter around the both of them. “It’s true,” I confirm. “We wouldn’t want it any other way.” I pull both of them in closer and kiss the top of Aisley’s head. “I care about you, kid.”

  “I–care–about–you–too,” she says in between sobs.

  Hayley rubs her back, and I leave my head on top of hers until her sobbing calms down. “What do you say we watch a movie tonight?” I ask. Hayley smiles and looks down at Aisley who curled herself into her arms.

  “Can I pick,” Aisley asks. “I don’t wanna watch a boring grown-up movie.”

  I laugh. “Of course you can pick.”

  She smiles and runs over to the television and begins flipping through channels so fast that I don’t even think she knows what is playing before it switches. Wait a minute, where are the news channels?

  “Hold on a second, Aisley.” I grab the changer and switch it to what the hotel says are the “news” stations. All of them are playing news centralized around everywhere but New York.

  “What about New York,” Hayley asks.

  We sit and watch the news for three hours before we hear anything about New York. “And the weather today in the New York region is cloudy with a low of thirty degrees and a fifty percent chance of snow. Watch out New York, something big might be coming your way! This was the seven o’ clock news here at Fox. Thanks for tuning in.”

  “What the hell!” Hayley yells. “What the hell was that?”

  I sit waiting for more news to play, but it goes straight to a rerun of a show I’ve never heard of before. “It’s like we’ve been erased.”

  I can’t believe there’s nothing on what’s happening here. How is cannibalism not in bright red colors flashing on television screens across the world? Maybe that man in the woods was right. Maybe someone higher up is making us invisible, burning us down until we blend in with the dead leaves of winter. But why?

  I stay up for another six or seven hours flipping between news stations only to come to the same conclusion. It’s as if New York has fallen off the face of the earth. Every news station seems to slip over the fact that our state was burning and crumbling. After watching them all, there’s no doubt in my mind anymore—this was planned.

  I crawl into bed next to Hayley. She nestles into the curve of my body and Aisley turns over on the other side of her. Hayley stirs in her sleep—I wonder if it’s a nightmare.

  Winter

  “Wake up sleepy heads!” Aisley says jumping up and down

  on the bed. “It’s time for breakfast!”

  My stomach growls in response. Guess I am hungry.

  Hayley stretches and lets out a groan.

  “I’m starving!” she says.

  “Can I cook you both breakfast! Please, please, please!” Aisley squeaks.

  “Ok, go ahead,” I laugh. Aisley fist pumps and runs out of our room into hers. I smile and look down at Hayley’s mess of brown hair. “Good morning, sunshine—”

  “Oh shut up,” she mutters and drops her face into a pillow.

  I lean back against the headboard of the bed and turn on the television skipping past the news stations.

  “So, are we not going to talk about what happened the other day?”

  I look down at Hayley. She peeks out of the corner of her eye with the majority of her face still in the pillow. “We can talk,” I respond. “That is, if you want to.”

  “I just wanna make sure that were on the same page and everything,” she says pushing herself onto her side. “I think we got most of it out in Pine Bush, but now things have obviously changed.”

  “Yeah,” I say nodding my head. “Yeah, they have.”

  “Is this thing we have together—a thing?”

  I laugh at her conclusion. She nudges me in the chest.

  “Stop laughing at me! I’m serious.”

  “I’m sorry,” I respond clearing my throat. “The only person that I love left in this world is you. Aisley falls under that umbrella, but you’re all that I have left of my old life.”

  “So,” she says frowning. “You don’t regret sleeping with me?”

  “God, no,” I respond. I kiss her lips as commercials for day-after holiday shopping specials fill in the silence—it’s Christmas time already? We both turn towards the screen.

  “We missed Christmas?”

  “Has that much time really gone by,” Hayley asks glancing over her shoulder at the screen. “Oh my god, look.” December 26, 2012—by one day we missed it.

  “Ta-dah!” Aisley says wheeling in her computer chair with two waffle syrup—uh, soups?

  “Aisley, you went downstairs by yourself!” Hayley says.

  “Yeah, I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed,” Aisley says biting her bottom lip afterwards.

  “Aisley, just because everything seems safe doesn’t mean you can wander off by yourself.”

  “I know,” she responds. “But I wanted to show you I can handle myself.”

  It’s true. I mean, I’ve never met another nine-year-old who can handle a semi-auto rifle with ease. “Thank you for breakfast, but next time let one of us know that you want to go downstairs,” I say grabbing my plate from the chair. “Deal?”

  Aisley nods her head. “Deal.”

  We eat together and watch cartoons at Aisley’s request. She finishes her breakfast first and rushes to the window in our room. “It’s snowing,” she says in a high-pitched voice. She pulls the curtain back a little, and I watch the beginnings of flurries fall gracefully from the sky.

  Fuck, that’s not good. None of us have winter jackets. “That’s great,” I lie.

  I look over at Hayley and watch her smile at Aisley running around like a wild child. “Well, I’m going to go take a look out there,” I say pushing myself from my spot on th
e bed. “I’ve gotta see if there’s any winter clothes in the store. We’ll freeze before we get to the fort.”

  Aisley stops dancing, and Hayley spins around in her seat.

  “What?” Hayley asks. “You can’t go out there by yourself!”

  “Yeah Xavier!” Aisley chimes in.

  “I’m sure they’re pretty well stocked at the fort. There’s no need to go and look out there,” Hayley adds. “You do remember it was fall when this all started. Do you really think there will be any winter things there?”

  I sigh and throw on my jacket anyway. “We need warmer clothes, and I want to grab some extra supplies from the stores—”

  “We don’t even know if there’s anything out there!” Hayley says cutting me off.

  “Everything that guy told me in the forest has been true thus far. He didn’t seem the type to lead us in the wrong direction.”

  “You don’t know that!” Hayley yells. “He could’ve been a freaking murderer for Christ’s Sake!”

  Breathe deeply, Xavier. Think of something she won’t be able to fight you on. Come on—anything.

  “I care about you both too much to risk you not being prepared for—”

  “And you think we don’t!” Aisley shouts. “Please Xavier, don’t go.”

  I grind my teeth and start slipping my feet into my boots. “I promise that I’ll be right back. I’ve got to get out there before the snow sticks,” I say lacing my boots tight. “I don’t want anyone knowing where we are. There’s no way in hell I’m gonna risk it by bringing all of you out there too.”

  Hayley glares at me with her nostrils flared. She knows everything that’s out there. She has the right to be pissed, but I know she’ll understand—maybe, eventually. If we do end up having to hike to the fort, we won’t make it three hours without freezing to death.

  “I’ll be back soon,” I say and make my way to the door. “If I’m not back by sundown, take the Four Runner and get to the fort. Be safe.”

  Hayley latches onto my wrist. I look down at her and feel her anger burn through my skin. Her palm is sweaty, but there’s isn’t an ounce of anxiousness in her eyes. She glares at me practically screaming, if you don’t come back, I’ll come and kill you myself. I’m glad I’m on her good side.

  After a few seconds, she releases my wrist. “Hurry back,” she says.

  Untouched

  The wind isn’t too bad, but the cold is enough to make my ears fall off. I walk fast through the December air towards the buildings that I see hundreds of feet away. There doesn’t seem to be much movement apart from the falling snowflakes and the plastic bags that roll across the parking lots. I listen to the wind passing by as I cut in front of a Walmart.

  This is the closest place to the hotel. Most likely it will have everything that we need. Even if there are people in here, it would take a long while for anyone to find me in the winding aisles. I look behind me and can barely see the dot of the hotel. Damn, I guess I walked a lot faster than I thought.

  What if someone watched me walk all the way from the hotel? They could stay hidden anywhere out here, and I wouldn’t even know it until I made it back to our rooms. They could be waiting there in ambush, holding Hayley and Aisley hostage for all I know.

  I look to the Walmart—why is it farther away now? I must have been walking back to the hotel in my moment of panic. This was such a dumb idea. We were completely safe in there, and I have to come out here and try to what? Grab winter jackets? That’s not even a necessity at this point.

  I can’t go back to the hotel now. If someone is watching me, I’ve gotta make it look like I’m just going into the store. They must think I’m half stupid watching me walk around in circles.

  I march towards the Walmart and pull apart the front doors. It’s completely dark inside except for the dull light that bleeds through the tinted front doors. I pull out my flashlight and let it illuminate everything in front of me. I listen for a minute—nothing. I let out a cough and listen again just in case someone is holding their breath like I was. I can barely hear my own breathing.

  I walk towards the produce section and immediately turn around from the smell. It makes my eyes water so bad that I can barely see—I should probably look to see if there’s canned foods.

  I figured that everything in this town would be untouched—I mean it was like heaven at the hotel. So far we haven’t run into any scavengers like the man said we would. And to top it all off, there’s food. The first food I’ve seen that I haven’t had to shoot or gather.

  I shine my flashlight on the aisle signs looking for anything that I can grab and lug back. Beans, check. Soups, check. Pancake mix, juice, candy—I guess this is the reason they tell you not to go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.

  I walk through the aisles biting into a Milky Way. Oh my god, I can actually taste the amount sugar they put in these things. All the years of the dentist warning me about the dangers of eating sweets make sense now—yet, I still don’t care.

  I walk through the clothing and grab socks, two jackets that could pass as a winter coat and somehow end up at the jewelry section. I let the light from the flashlight refract off the diamonds in the rings. Maybe Hayley would like one? Diamonds are a girls best friend, right? I wonder if Hayley has the same taste as Cassie. Cass really loved the ring I got for her.

  Are diamonds even worth anything anymore nowadays? Or is the amount of body fat you have the new currency? Too soon, Xavier. Too soon.

  Or maybe I’m trying to make her a promise? I do love her, and it’s not like she has a guy waiting for her back in Pine Bush. But I don’t think either one of us are thinking about anything other than making it to tomorrow.

  It was Christmas the other day though. I should get her something.

  I use the bottom of the flashlight to break the casing. I grab the ring with the most amount of diamonds and try it on my pinkie finger; that should fit her. The light from my flashlight sends rainbows shooting outward from the diamonds that encircle the entire ring. It’s perfect.

  A crash from my right makes me jump. I flick off the flashlight and crouch low moving through what I can feel are cash registers.

  “I swear man, I saw someone come in here!” a voice whispers.

  “Well, thanks to you, he knows we’re here,” another voice says.

  I can see the other exit to the store probably around fifty feet to my right. If I make a dash for it, I’ll get there faster, but I’ll probably just alert them as to where I am. All I have is my 9MM and my hunting knife on me. I’ll just walk slowly and make sure my boots make absolutely no noise. Besides, the lights are off; it’s not like they can see me.

  I stand and start tiptoeing over the other exit when the lights come on dim at first before illuminating the entire store. Fuck.

  “Over there!” I’m running before I hear anymore. My bag makes it hard for me to be quick though. I’m tackled soon after I make it out of the exit. “Got you now, you shit head,” a man’s voice says.

  I pull my gun from inside my belt loop and fire it over my shoulder. I can tell I hit him because his body rolls off and slumps on the ground next to me.

  I stand up and run the opposite direction from the hotel along the storefronts. I hear shouting, but I don’t look back. I cut around the corner of the stores and run down an alley typically for delivery trucks. A red ladder alongside one of the buildings sticks out. I pull myself up onto it and climb to the roof. By the time I reach the top, the men from inside the store run past the alley and keep going.

  I stand and watch them turn down the next alley. Thank god. I jog across the rooftops and make my way to another ladder on the rear of the Walmart. I look behind me to see if the men double backed, but they are nowhere in sight.

  I climb down the ladder and sprint a wide circle towards the hotel.

  Demons

  The sun is beginning to set behind the trees that surround our hotel. I open the emergency
exit door with one of the master key cards and climb the concrete stairs three at a time. When I reach the top, Hayley and Aisley are out in the hallway with a duffle bag filled with muffins from the lobby. The metal door slamming makes Hayley jump and turn with her handgun pointing at my head.

  “You weren’t leaving to go out on the town without me were you?”

  “Xaiver!” Aisley shouts and flings herself at my knees. “I thought you were dead! Like my mom and dad, but you’re not! You came back!” I hug her head and kneel down.

  “And look what I got,” I say handing her the giant bag of candy. Her eyes light up like it’s Halloween.

  “Yeah!” she says and runs back into the room.

  Hayley storms up to me and slaps me across the face. “I thought you were dead!” she yells. She punches me in the chest knocking the wind out of me. Jesus that hurt. “Don’t you dare do that again! Do you have any idea how pointless this all would have been if you died out there while on your mission to get us warm coats!” she says poking me in the chest each time she refers to me. “What would I have done if—”

  I plant my lips hard on hers. I can feel her muscles loosen one by one until she’s no longer tense.

  “Better,” I ask.

  “Yeah,” she responds nodding her head.

  “Since it was Christmas and all a couple days ago, I grabbed something for you,” I say and hold out my pinkie finger. She covers her mouth with one hand, and her eyes dart back and forth between me and the ring.

  “That’s an engagement ring,” she says.

  “It’s not supposed to be that,” You sound like an idiot, Xavier.

  “Oh,” she responds. She holds out her hand, and I slip the ring onto her finger. Shit, it’s kinda loose.