The Amour series (Book 2): The Ashes of Amour

by Coushatta LaRue

  They walked up stone steps and over glass and then through the doorway. It was the science building. The place looked as if it had once been a very clean place. The walls were white and so

  were pictures of space and nature all around. A dying potted tree

  chairs close to the door, it was wrecked. There were bathrooms to their right and near the lobby counter there were two ways, right or left. Left was short and had a few doors while the right was much longer and ended with three hallways.

  Abby stared down the hallways and listened. The sound again. This time it was louder yet faint. She hurried down the right hallway and past the doors. Evan kept his pistol up and pointed it at the doors that were open. They looked like small labs yet they all were wrecked and ruined. Bodies lay inside some. They stopped at the end of the hallway where dry blood pooled.

  “Where are we going?” Evan asked in a hushed voice. “Quiet,” Abby glared at him.

  Evan groaned and they turned down the left hallway that

  seemed to narrow. It was dark down this hall. The building had

  swung above their heads. They passed a few more doors until they made a right turn and walked down a short hallway. There was a door open to a large bathroom and shower room to their right.

  it looked as if it had been used not too long ago. Evan looked at her and lowered his eyes. Abby pointed at a silver door in the back of the hallway. They slowly walked towards it. Abby picked up Pooch so she would not make a sound. Pooch’s ears pricked up again and Abby could hear breathing.

  They stopped by the door and she pointed at it. Evan nodded and aimed his gun. Abby heard two heartbeats and she put two

  tall, built with muscles, and his face was hard as stone. He wore a thick red jacket and he was bald. Even though his light brown eyes looked tired he looked young.

  “Who the fuck are you?” He growled at them.

  “Who are you?” Evan snapped back.

  “Wait please. We aren’t here to hurt you!” Abby shouted. She

  swallowed hard when the man glared at her, his eyes full of anger, and pain. “Please.”

  Pooch growled and Abby petted her head. The man looked at

  “How did you know we were here?” The man asked. “The same way she knew we were coming,” Abby said staring

  don’t want to hurt you.”

  Evan noticed the small girl and he loosened up some. Abby

  hand up as she tried to calm Pooch.

  “Please.” She begged.

  The little girl walked out from behind the desk staring at Abby.

  Her light brown curls hung below her neck and her little almond eyes were full of kindness and wonder. She had to not be over the age of ten. She wore a white facemask over her round face and had on a large pink jacket. The little girl walked towards them. The man who seemed to be her father stepped back and pointed at her.

  “No Jessie. Get back.” He ordered.

  Jessie stopped and frowned then looked at Abby.

  “You’re infected?” Jessie asked with a strong young voice.

  pointed at her face. Abby knew he would not shoot in front of the girl. Evan stepped into the room glaring at the man with his pistol raised. Jessie removed her white mask which made the man groan. Jessie walked slowly towards her and grinned when she spied Pooch in Abby’s arms.

  had a permanent limp ever since she had been bitten. Running

  Her bites were healed and scarred over. Yet sometimes they were bright pink and they were always sore. Sometimes they

  awake. Every now and then if she walked too much or put strain on the scars they split and cracked. Abby let Pooch go and she waddled towards Jessie. Jessie bent down and hugged Pooch and laughed. Looking up at the man Abby smiled softly and his face softened.

  Somehow, she knew the girl had been bitten. Something inside her mind told her she was bitten just as it told her when someone was around when she did not see them. Jessie walked towards her then slowly lifted her jacket’s right sleeve. The man stepped forward to stop her until Jessie smiled at him.

  Under the jacket sleeve was one large nasty bite scar. It was very old yet there was a tinted red color to it. Abby stared at it in awe. She was not the only one. There were others like her alive.

  “Mine is here,” Abby said in a hushed voice as she touched her left thigh, “It still hurts.”

  “Mine does too sometimes,” Jessie replied smiling kindly, “I thought all of you were dead.”

  Abby’s smile disappeared and she frowned.

  “They aren’t from Haven sweetie.” The man told Jessie as he

  from?”

  “We heard it was safe,” Evan said loudly and with annoyance,

  “I had met someone in a group I was in. He spoke of Haven and

  how it was safe.”

  “You came too late.” The man said.

  had canned goods on it. Evan did not put his pistol away. He still looked very alert and worried. Abby stood up and the man put the white mask back on Jessie mouth.

  “What happened?” Abby asked.

  The man stopped and stared at her with such a tense look that she was scared to hear his answer.

  “Does it really matter now?” The man asked as he pulled Jessie behind the table and sat her down on a chair, “Sorry you found it like this. It was beautiful. But, all good things must come to an end, right?”

  The man laughed. It was a sad laugh. Abby looked at Evan. Evan was close to tears as he rubbed his face. Jessie was staring at Evan’s scars and it made Evan turn away from them. He paced around the room. The man had also noticed the scars yet did not say anything.

  “It does matter,” Abby told him stepping forward then placed

  did the same, “Please what happened here?”

  For a long time, the man stared at a blackboard at the other side of the room. It was covered in children’s drawings. In the corner near it were makeshift beds. Pots and pans and more

  and supplies. It seemed that they were packing. Jessie leaned forward and picked Pooch up onto her lap and laughed as Pooch pawed at her chest.

  be used as a weapon.” The man said groaning loudly, “Then shit hit the fans.”

  “What?” Evan twisted around, he looked at Abby, and then back at the man, “What did you say?”

  The man laughed and sat down then said, “Sorry my name is Kevin and this is my daughter Jessie.”

  “I’m Abby and that is Evan,” Abby said quickly, “What do you mean as a weapon?”

  Kevin’s eyes dropped and he placed both hands onto the table. He looked very tired. It was clear he had no interest in talking about it. Kevin rubbed his face again. His eyes were very tired and weary. Kevin leaned forward and took in a very long breath.

  “I don’t really know. I was not a scientist. My husband was. But,

  looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. “He was working on it. So much that he really told me nothing. All because Bryan had found a note, a man that killed the Undead with one bite, a weapon.”

  “What note? What do you mean?” Abby asked walking closer to the table as Evan paced the room, “What do you mean by weapon?”

  “They lied to us, they lied to us, they lied to us, it can be stopped, there is a way to cleanse the world of the virus and its carriers,” Kevin paused and glared forward then said in a hushed voice, “they lied to us, but I am scared, I don’t want to die.”

  Kevin looked up at Abby and his eyes lowered.

  “That is what it said.”

  “What does that mean? What are you talking about?” Evan growled. He was shaking.

  “I don’t know. It was some note a dead person had and then the Undead that chowed on him all died. That same day some crazy people were using the infected blood to get the Undead away from them. A lot of crap happened after that. It’s not important really. It is gone and that is that.” Kevin breathed and closed his eyes as

  Autumn Haven up North to work on what- “

  Kevin became very quiet f
or a few moments as the realization of another Haven sank into Abby’s mind. Her heart pounded and her stomach twisted in knots. Another Haven? Is that what he had just said? Abby stepped forward not sure of what to say. Her limp caused her to stumble forward and he looked up at her with wide eyes.

  “Jerome my,” Kevin cleared his throat, “My husband did some bad things.”

  Kevin eyed Jessie who played with Pooch absentmindedly.

  “The Scientist that came over picked up on his research and created a weapon.” Kevin rolled his eyes and shrugged, “It was supposed to kill all of the Undead. And it did mostly. Though it is working at a very slow pace. It will take a few more months to get overseas. Maybe a year or two to kill them all. It was doing what it was supposed to and more.”

  “Evan.” Abby snapped then looked at Jessie who was still playing with Pooch, “Did it cause the Husk?”

  Kevin leaned backwards and crossed his arms. His brown eyes studied her and then he smiled.

  “That is an interesting name for them,” He pressed his lips together and nodded his head, “Yes. Husk. Because they are just shadows of who they had been. Just an empty Husk now.”

  “So this weapon which was meant to kill the Undead made these new monsters?” Evan asked more calmly.

  Abby looked at him. His eyes were red and his lips quivered.

  Kevin nodded.

  “So what,” Evan’s voice cracked, he cleared his throat, “What happened here?”

  Jessie stood up and walked towards their makeshift beds in the corner to play with Pooch and her toys. Kevin watched her carefully with a blank expression.

  It has been horribly cold this winter. I have never seen this much snow in Texas, then again I am from South Texas.” Kevin swallowed hard, “But the gray started. People were starting to get violent very quickly. People were getting sick all throughout Haven. It happened so quickly within a few months.”

  Kevin stood up and rubbed his palms on his shirt and then walked over to Jessie. He stared down at her sadly then turned back towards Abby and Evan folding his arms with a grim look on his tired face.

  “There were more sick than not sick. I was just one of the Marines here. I did not really know what was happening. But, I did hear from someone that the virus we were trying to kill mutated and somehow turned on us and was killing us. Decaying their minds… it is like horrible dementia or something. They just forget their humanity and snap. And that is what they did. Haven was lost and people ran.” Kevin walked around the table and then leaned against the table, “So that is the short version. Haven is gone. I am sorry you came all this way for this. I truly am.”

  Kevin paused and clicked his tongue.

  “You’re too late.

  “Mother fucker,” Evan snapped, Abby turned towards him as

  damn it.”

  He screamed. He was crying. Abby hurried towards him wobbling then reached out towards him. He slapped her hand away. With tears streaming down his red face he moved past her cursing. He walked around her and kicked a chair out of his way and rushed through the door they had come in. Abby listened to him sob as he stormed down the hallway.

  -Chapter two

  Abby stood there in silence as her face reddened. Swallowing hard she kept the tears back. Turning around she looked at Kevin who was still leaning on the table. Jessie was wrapped under a blanket staring at her with sadness in her little eyes. Abby wrapped her arms around her body and chewed on her bottom lip. She knew there was nothing else to say about it. They had come this far and Haven was ruined. It hurt.

  Then she remembered he mentioned another Haven. She feared to ask about it. Worried it would be ruined as well. Abby stared at Kevin who was rubbing his eyes. Looking over at Pooch and Jessie Abby felt her knees shake.

  “You said Autumn Haven? There is another safe Haven?” Abby asked with a tight throat. She walked to the chair Evan had kicked over and picked it up and sat down, “Is that true?”

  Abby hated how weak she sounded. Kevin nodded and pressed his lips to the side and sighed.

  “Yes there are actually a few around the United States and some overseas too.” He stood up and walked around the table to a small black desk with paperwork. He moved around the paper. “There are about forty something. Six have gone down in America. Autumn is the main Haven. The last we heard from them they were asking people to go to them. So they can regroup and try to left for Autumn.”

  He walked back over to her with a map laying it down. She saw many red dots around America. Kevin pointed at Michigan.

  “It is near the Boyne Mountain. It is the largest Haven. We were getting ready to leave.” Kevin told her, “We didn’t leave with the others because it was not safe out there. We’ve been in here since the Husk, as you call them, got worse. We’ve just been waiting them out. They don’t like to stay in the same place for too long.”

  There was another Haven. Many more Havens. As happy as she felt it was drowned by the feeling of weariness and disappointment. She was so tired and worn out. Abby just wanted to rest and yet now they had to travel again. Even farther this time and it was making her head spin.

  “We are in Summer Haven,” Kevin moved his hands around the room then said, “I am hoping we can restore it. But, for now, it is a loss.”

  Kevin walked over to Jessie again and kneeled down to pet

  wired hair on her back. Kevin smoothed Pooch’s hair down and he smiled at the little dog. Abby’s eyes glassed over and she smiled weakly.

  “I know I don’t know you two but I can tell good people from bad,” Kevin said, then breathed, “You both can come with us.”

  Abby stared at him.

  “Listen,” Kevin looked up at her then pointed towards the

  and the hot water is good for now. You two can clean up and we will sleep here tonight. Then leave in the morning.”

  “If you want to I mean,” He added quickly.

  through her greasy hair then nodded.

  “That sounds very nice,” Abby said not sounding excited at all. After a couple of hours going over the long drive with

  Coushatta LaRue

  Kevin and what supplies they each had Abby had become very exhausted. Evan still had not shown up but she knew he was not far. Abby learned that Kevin had been a Marine before the world ended. When they had found Haven, he stayed a Marine. His job was to protect those inside and when needed to go outside Haven

  His husband Jerome was their head scientist. Kevin would not speak much about him. Whatever had happened was too painful for him. Abby stood wobbling and yawned. She felt dirty and very tired. The sun had to have sat by now. Kevin glanced up at her as he pulled two more sleeping bags from bags in the corner of the room. He brought them near the table and laid them on it and looked up at her.

  Abby nodded then looked at the door and back at Kevin. “Can I take a shower?” She asked.

  “Of course,” He replied, “There are fresh towels in the changing

  room,” then he added, “Take as long as you like.”

  Abby swallowed hard and nodded. She felt as if it was safe to trust him. Jessie was running around the room while Pooch chased her. Jessie laughed as she passed by Abby. Kevin noticed her staring and cleared his throat.

  “Don’t worry,” Kevin said, Abby looked at him, “We will keep her safe.”

  Abby entered the hallway. It was darker than before yet

  room and the lights were already on. The entrance had benches, lockers, and clean towels on large wooden racks. Next to the wooden racks were shelves of shampoos and soaps. It seemed well stocked. Abby walked over to the towel rack and grabbed one then walked to the shelves.

  Abby eyed the scents and wanted to smile yet felt no will to. She grabbed a small sample bottle of shampoo and conditioner then some soap. She started to walk around the large wall to the open doorway when she saw other bathroom supplies. Abby grabbed a hair brush, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and then looked at the razors. She went to reach for one then frowned. It
did not matter if she shaved or not. Those things did not matter anymore.

  Abby walked around the corner and entered a small shower room. There were small benches in front of the stalls. Each shower had a wooden wall and door with a small space under them. They were tall so no one could see over them and Abby liked that. Each stall had a box to put your belongings in and Abby opened the

  clothes.

  and dark walls, she frowned. The room was well lit and even neatly designed yet the smell of ash was thick in the air. Abby stepped into the large stall and locked the door. She was frightened in all honesty. Anxiety was drowning her in negative thoughts.

  Abby turned the hot and cold knobs then stood outside the

  then Abby stepped into it. The burn felt wonderful on her cold skin. Her last bath had been at the cabin. There had been a large

  water. It did not stay warm very long yet she remembered how wonderful it felt.

  Abby let the water shower over her face for a moment as she let the day sink in. The hope that she had felt when she had seen the walls of Haven was great. Even when she had seen the smoke. Abby pressed her hands onto the cold tile wall and looked down

  the water. Looking down at her scars she placed a hand over the rough jagged scars.

  bumps and lumps. The scars were redder today and hurt from all of the walking. She had to make sure not to put too much strain on

  Coushatta

  Abby’s lips trembled and her vision blurred as tears streamed down her face. She opened her mouth to let out a sob and then

  her legs and pressed her head into her knees and sobbed. Evan and she had talked so much of Haven back at the cabin. Evan had even been hopeful unlike his normal negativity. Everything had been looking hopeful. Abby had believed. Now everything felt broken.

  It felt as if her lungs were about to collapse on themselves. Her mind spun and she choked on her cries. She cried until no more tears came out. Then weakly she stood, her legs shaking badly, body wrinkled. Abby washed her hair and body and face. Then

  moment the hot water stopped.

  Abby listened to the water draining and stared blankly at the soap at her feet. She turned around and noticed that there was an opening inside her stall to the box she had placed her supplies in. Abby opened it, pulled the towel out, and then wrapped it around her body. She stepped out of the stall and looked at the emptiness around her. It was cold again and goosebumps traveled up her thin legs. Abby had gained some weight since staying at the cabin yet she felt it was not enough.