Glory (Book 5)

by Michael McManamon

  "…and that's when I ran."

  "Uh-huh."

  Shelly hit his arm. "You're not listening to me!"

  Scooter grabbed where she had hit and rubbed it gently. "I am," he replied. "I am!"

  "Then what did I just say?"

  "Well…uh…you said that you liked running."

  She hit him again. "I didn't say that! I said that's when I ran."

  Scooter grabbed his arm again. This time it had actually hurt a bit. "I know," he said. "That's what I meant to say. That's when you ran."

  "And what was I running from?"

  "Uh…the creatures?"

  She raised her fist.

  "Your brother?"

  "I don't have a brother."

  "Then what?"

  "The mouse," she said. "I was telling you about the mouse I saw!"

  Scooter couldn't recall her speaking about a mouse, but nodded his head anyway. "Of course, the mouse!"

  Shelly grunted and lowered her arm.

  "So why do they call you Scooter?" she asked next.

  Again, Scooter missed what she said. His attention had shifted to Julie. She was walking over to the ladder with Marianne and Claire, going back downstairs.

  There was no denying that she was beautiful. She was kind as well. And braver than he had imagined.

  Yet, after all he had seen between John and Alice -and even more so after John's death - he had come to the realization that she wasn't the right person for him. He wanted something more from a partner.

  Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure what thatsomething was. But he was sure that he'd know it as soon as he saw it.

  Shelly punched his arm again.

  "Ow!" He couldn't stop himself from crying out. "Why did you hit me?"

  "Because I asked you another question and you didn't answer."

  "I didn't?"

  "No, you didn't."

  "What was the question?"

  "Why do they call you Scooter?"

  "Scooter?" he asked. "You want to know why they call me Scooter?"

  "Is it your real name?"

  He shook his head. "No."

  "So it's a nickname?"

  "One I've had my whole life."

  "What does it mean?"

  "It doesn't really mean anything," he explained. "My name is Scott. So I guess people thought that that 'Scooter' sounded close."

  Shelly’s head bobbed up and down as though she could relate.

  "What?" he asked.

  "I kind of have a nickname too."

  "You do? What is it?"

  "Shelly," she replied.

  Scooter didn't understand. "But that's areal name," he argued.

  "Well…yeah…I guess. But it's notmy real name. It's the short version. My name is Michelle."

  "It is?" Scooter had known another Shelly when he had been younger and he had never made the connection before.

  "Yeah, it is."

  "Well, Michelle," he said. "It's nice to meet you." He put out his hand for her to shake.

  "Well, Scott," Shelly said, mimicking his voice. "It's nice to meet you too." She took his hand and shook it vigourously.

  She really was interesting.

  Chapter 8

  Adam and Claire came back up to the roof a little while later.

  "What are you two doing up here?" Adam asked. Scooter could hear the concern in the man's voice.

  "Nothing," Shelly said. "Just talking."

  Adam and Claire walked over and sat down beside them.

  Although it was dark, Scooter could see Adam's shotgun. Like his axe, Adam probably never went anywhere without it. Adam placed it onto the ground and stuck out his hand toward him. He took it and shook.

  "I'm sorry that I took off so quickly when we met," Adam said. "Itis nice to meet you all, though."

  "It's nice to meet you too," Scooter agreed. "And you don't have to apologize. I know how tiring it can be out there. Howstressful."

  "Yeah, it can be."

  "And there was no sign of her?" From the little Scooter had gathered, the woman had lost her mind and had taken off.

  "Not that I could tell. I wasn't able to find her."

  "That's too bad."

  "I heard that you had a loss as well." Scooter knew that Adam was talking about John. "He sounded like a good guy."

  "He was agreatguy," Scooter corrected him. He could feel himself starting to get choked up. Most of the time it was hard to believe that the old man was dead…that he had been killed.

  "Yeah," Adam continued, "I'm sorry to hear about him."

  Scooter opened his mouth to tell Adam not to worry about it, but he was cut off by Shelly.

  "Is this how it's always going to be?" she asked. "Meet new people, talk about all of the death we've seen?"

  Everyone paused to look at her. She was right. It had been a morbid introduction. But then again, these were morbid times. They had all experienced losses. The subject was going to come up.

  But maybe it didn't need to. Not right now.

  "Sorry," Scooter said, cringing after he said the word. He had never apologized so much before in his life.And this time it was to people he didn't even know! "Maybe we should save these things for later."

  "Or maybe we shouldn't have to talk about them at all."

  It was a nice idea, but one that none of them believed could happen. Death was a big part of their lives now.

  But, no, they didn't need to talk about it tonight.

  "Shelly was telling me about a mouse," Scooter said to change the subject. "It's a great story."

  Shelly growled at him, knowing that he hadn't heard anything she had said about it. "Itisgreat story," she said.

  Scooter laughed jokingly at her frustration.

  "What mouse?" Adam asked.

  Shelly told them.

  Chapter 9

  Adam was lying down in the library. Claire beside him. Everyone else had settled down to go to sleep too.

  "Good night," Claire whispered to him.

  She grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it softly. He squeezed her hand back.

  "Good night," he said

  Adam wasn't sure how good of a night it was going to be, though. He turned to look around the library.

  On the far side of the room, he could see the newcomers. Adam was sure that he could trust them.Well, to an extent. He didn't know howmuch he could trust them. But at least he wasn't worried about being killed in his sleep.

  The real problem was Jane. He hadn't been able to find her. And he didn't even know if she was okay. That was one of the things that bothered him the most. He'd hate himself if she came to harm, especially since he still believed that he could have stopped it -if only he had talked to her more, told the others what she was going through.

  He let out a deep breath and rolled onto his back, then stared up at the ceiling. More images floated through his mind. More worries. And he knew that he was going to get to sleep anytime soon.

  Chapter 10

  Scooter grabbed hold of his axe to make sure that it was beside him. He knew that it would be, but it was always nice to check. He ran his fingers up and down its wooden shaft. He took comfort in the strength that it gave him, the confidence.

  The axe had become an important part of his life. And though it might have been a bit of a barbaric choice of weapon, it was the one that he felt best with.

  He couldn't deny that having a gun like Adam's might have been better. He had seen that they had a few hunting rifles too.This new group was definitely well equipped. But nothing could take the place of his axe.

  He continued to lay there, holding it. However, his thoughts quickly shifted from his axe to the library.

  He had never been much of a fan of school. Of course, he understood the importance of it, how it would help his future. The thing was the stuff they taught had never spoken to him, never grabbed his attention, never made him want to do more than the bare minimum.

  Lying here in the library now though, he felt different. H
e wasn't sure what it was, but it actually felt like a place that he could enjoy. The whole school did. As though he might actually pick up one of the books tomorrow and read through it, might head into a classroom and try his hand at drawing or some other thing he may have never thought about before.

  It was a chance at a new beginning.

  Most of all, he liked the people that he had met here. Charles reminded him of John. Robert was a smart kid who made him laugh. Even Adam and Claire seemed like good people.

  Then there was Shelly. She was…well…interesting.It was the only word he could use to describe her. He knew that she was a bit young, but that didn't seem to matter too much. He liked talking to her, listening to her ideas.

  And that story about the mouse…

  He felt himself beginning to chuckle, shaking his head while he did so.

  Chapter 11

  Marianne could hear Scooter laughing to himself. And though she was interested in finding out what was so funny, she didn't want to call out to him. She didn't want to wake the others. Or alarm them.

  She wondered if he had had another dream about her.

  No,she decided,he wouldn't have found that funny. She had slammed his axe into his face. After they had had sex. He wouldn't have found that funny at all.

  She, on the other hand,had found it funny. For a teenager to think about her that way - even if it was only subconsciously - was hilarious. She couldn't deny that it was also a bit flattering.

  But to slam his axe into his face?

  She supposed that there was a lot going on in his head for that to happen. Then again, there was a lot going on for all of them.

  Especially for Jane.

  Claire had told her a little bit more about Jane. From Charles, Claire had found out that the woman had seen her husband and daughter change into thosethings. Her husband had then thrown her daughter across the room and killed her.

  After that Jane had been seeing things,her family.And Marianne couldn't blame her.

  Though she had never had a husband or a child, - or really even had a boyfriend before - Marianne could imagine the toll it would take on someone. To make matters worse, there was something about her teenage neighbour and a girl strapped to a bed. Plus, Jane had had to shoot a couple of children in this very school.

  It was fuckin' horrible,Marianne thought. Unlike the times she had said that with Scooter, this time that expression didn't make her laugh. It spoke too truly to her.It was absolutely fuckin' horrible.

  It wasn't long before she got thinking about her own struggles - her mother's death, the pharmacist.Had she actually sat down beside him and held his hand?Then her mind settled on the bag of pills she had taken from the pharmacy. They were still in her purse. Waiting.

  She had been so close to swallowing them. They had touched her lips, her tongue. At the time, everything had been so difficult, so overwhelming, for her.

  But she hadn't taken them. And she was glad that she hadn't.

  She had found Buster. She had found a great group of people.

  Things had worked out. Or for the most part they had.

  She wished that she could tell Jane about it to give her some sort of hope for the future. And maybe she'd still be able to. Jane might come back. They might have a great chat about it.

  Maybe.

  One thing she did know for certain though was that she wasn't going to take those pills. She didn't want them in her purse anymore, either.

  Chapter 12

  Emily's eyes were open. She was looking at Alice, but it was hard to see her in the dark. The old woman's eyes were closed. She knew that much. She couldn't see much of anything else.

  She knew that on the other side of the room was her new friend, Robert. She was happy that she had found him. Or that he had found her. It didn't matter either way.

  He had told her that his brother had changed into one ofthem. Just like her father had. He hadn't known what had happened to his parents, though. They had gone out shopping and had never come back.

  Emily thought that maybe they had changed. From what she had seen, most of the world had. But a part of her wished that they would return to him. It would be nice for him to have his parents back. She was sure that she missed them. She knew that she missed her own father so much!

  And her mother.

  She had no idea what had happened to her mother. She had thought a lot about asking Scooter to go and look for her, but she had never actually done it. She knew that he wasn't going to let them going back into the city, to where her mother would have been. Emily wasn't all that sure that she wanted to go back there, anyway. When they had flown over it, she hadn't seen much other than those creatures.

  Another big problem was that she didn't know how to get to where she lived. She had never needed to know before.

  But one day, she might find her mother. Just like Robert might find his own parents.

  It was possible.

  Until then, Alice would take care of her. And Julie. And Marianne. And Scooter.

  John had taken care of her too. Until he had died. She had seen it happen, the creature rushing out of the grass. She had tried to scream, but it had been too late. She missed him.

  There were new people also. They'd take care of her too.Bothher and Robert.

  Robert. They were around the same age. Almost the same height. Though she was a little taller. He was always talking, something she rarely did. Yet, he didn't seem to mind that about her. He'd always ask her questions and she'd try her best to answer. Not that she always could.

  Yeah, she liked him.

  He had told her that there was a swing set outside, and had promised to take her out there in the morning. Well, not him. He was going to ask Charles, or the pretty girl Shelly. Maybe even both.

  She hadn't been on swings for…she didn't know how long.

  How long had she been walking?She had no idea.

  "Time to sleep," she whispered to herself. She didn't think that anyone was awake to hear her but Alice opened her eyes and turned to look at her.

  "Good night then, darling," the old woman said.

  "Good night."

  As Emily closed her eyes, Alice put her arm around her and held her tight.

  Chapter 13

  Over time, everyone fell asleep. All of their minds had raced, but tiredness had won out. Their bodies gave way. There was nothing any of them could do to stop it.Not that any of them wanted to.

  As the night wore on, the moon outside continued to shine. Though most of the time of it was hidden behind the clouds.

  Day 24

  Chapter 1

  Claire woke up the next morning. Adam was beside her, sleeping. He grunted something and rolled over. She smiled, knowing she was falling for him.

  After all that had happened with her and Big Mike, her feelings for Adam came as a surprise. For a time, she didn't think that she'd ever want to be with a man again.

  She had also thought that no one would have wanted to be with her. They would have kept their distance. Branded her asdamaged goods.

  But she knew that Adam didn't look at her that way. If anything, he tried to be supportive.

  She reached over and kissed his cheek.

  As her lips pressed against his skin, she felt her desire for him stir. Not enough to go much further than a kiss. But it was something. And that felt nice.

  He didn't wake.

  When she pulled away, her eyes fell on Adam's shotgun. That was one thing shedidn't like about him. It reminded her too much of Big Mike, how he had strutted around with his gun propped over his shoulder; how he had shot her brother in the face with it, not caring at all who the creature had been.

  But Adam was nothing like Big Mike, she told herself.

  She thought back to the first time she had heard his name. Shelly had just been captured and thrown into the cage with her. The young girl had said that her friend, Adam, was going to come and save her. She had dropped her shoes alongside the road to make sure of it.
>
  At first, Claire didn't know what to make of that. Her thoughts had been anything but optimistic. Aside from it seeming next to impossible to track the young girl, Claire had wondered what the man's motivation could be to come and find her.

  Yet, things had worked out. Adam had come for Shelly and had freed them both. Claire had found out what a great guy Adam actually was. And the two were growing closer each day.

  But that gun.

  She thought about telling him how much she hated it, then decided against it. It gave them protection, and comfort. And, at the moment, that was what they needed.

  Claire turned away from the gun and sat up. She looked around the library. The others were sleeping. Except Robert. He was looking out one of the windows.Probably hoping to see Jane. She got up and walked over to him.

  Robert didn't turn his head when she approached. He was too deep in concentration. She put her hand on his shoulder.

  "What are you doing?" she whispered.

  "Waiting for Jane. She's coming back today. I know it."

  Claire didn’t know how to respond. She didn't want to discourage him, to frighten him. But, on the other hand, she also didn't want to give him false hope. "We don't know that for sure," she said.

  "Oh, I do. And if she doesn't come back, Adam is going to find her. I know it!"

  Claire offered him a smile, though there wasn’t much happiness in it. She wanted Jane to come back as well. And yesterday she may have thought Jane would have. But now she wasn't all too sure.

  She looked out the window.

  “Adam will do his best,” she said. “But that doesn't mean that he'll find her."

  "Oh, he will," Robert said.

  Claire decided to leave it at that. Of course the boy thought that Jane was going to return. She had been like a mother to him. Maybe one for only a few weeks. But a mother, nonetheless.

  She reached over and patted his hair.

  Then she turned around. She could hear someone else getting up.