He twisted his can open. “Corn,” He said, dissatisfied, “You?”
“Mmm… Potato soup,” His favorite.
He let out a whine and started to pout.
“You wanna half?” I offered.
“Yes, please.”
I ate half of my soup and gave the rest to James. He ate half of his corn and gave the rest to me. I knew he hated getting vegetables in his cans.
After we finished breakfast, I made sure the tank was full and we continued our drive to Oregon. The countryside here was beautiful. The mountains were so green that they appeared blue in the distance, the color of a deep ocean. Giant pine trees were scattered sporadically in places and grown into forests in others, accompanied by spiny shrubs, plants, and brilliant flowers. The weather during the day, without the cars air-conditioning, was uncomfortable. It was hot and sticky through the day, but when the sun descended, the earth began to cool, becoming a warm blanket wrapping around us.
I breathed in deep, devouring the fresh air the cool breeze carried. Every few miles, there were signs displaying miles to towns, lodgings that are no longer useable, and eateries that no longer serve food. Somehow, these leftover signs of the past were comforting, even though towns and places no longer held meaning. I pointed out wildlife and pretty flowers to Azami, who seemed so captivated by everything we passed, pressing her little face against the window.
We stopped only when we had to, which was to use the restroom and refill the car with gas. We agreed to eat without stopping, to save time. We couldn’t wait to get there―our anxiety building in the confines of the car.
Soon the sign for Oregon came into view, but some of the letters were smudged and spray-painted with the words, EAT ME.
James sat up straight in his seat. “We’re almost there!” He exclaimed.
Azami clapped and bounced around, copying James’s enthusiasm.
I looked over at James a few minutes later, expecting to find the same bright smile on his face, but instead, he looked deep in thought; his lips pressed into a thin, straight line.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, concerned.
“The people who were after us before…they looked Infected. Why haven’t they died yet?”
I thought about his question for a minute before I answered. “Honestly, James, I don’t know. I haven’t seen any Infected for years, but we can both agree that they were Infected.”
“Did you see their faces? They were deformed and blistered, like they fell in a fire without the burns, but they still showed all the signs that the Infected did, but they had welts all over their faces, and some of their skin was missing. You could see bone.” He sat motionless while he spoke, making what he described even worse.
I flashed back to our strong tree and the Infected we encountered there. James was right. There was something different about them. They looked and acted far worse than the original Infected did. They were wilder, like a pack of wolves hunting their prey.
“Subject change,” I said as the recreational sign came into view. I was thankful the subject of the Infected was dropped for the moment. “Alright, where are we supposed to go?” I asked. I already knew the directions by heart, because of how many times we’ve discussed it. I just wanted to keep the conversation peaceful for as long as possible.
He paused to look at me, already knowing my MO. “I have no idea.” He said, looking very serious.
Laughter burst from my lips. “Just go over the directions again. I like to hear you tell the story.”
He nodded, understanding. He started to retell his teacher’s accounts of the lava system we were going to find and all the natural elements that we could put to use. He talked about the times he and Ian pretended Aliens had taken over earth and they had to run to the springs to survive. If only they knew how close to reality they would come. Every story James told held a part of Ian. He was always involved in his little brother’s life. I wished I could have met him before all of this.
“We need to find gas. We’ve used all that we brought with us.” I told him. He looked at me, concern showing through his eyes. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” I reassured him, but I didn’t know how honest I was being. There should be a gas station on the highway somewhere before we exit off the main road.
Sure enough, we came to an exit with a Chevron station. “There.” James pointed out what I had already noticed.
I pulled in next to the pump just as Azami woke from her nap.
“Let’s hope they still have some gas.” I reached to unlock my door and paused. “Is it safe?”
He smiled at me from ear to ear. “Wouldn’t I have told you by now if it wasn’t? You’ll be fine.” He reassured me.
I unlocked the door and jumped out next to the pump. I opened the gas tank on the car and put the pump in. Nothing came out.
“Damn!”
James rolled his window down. “Are they all out?”
I nodded and walked up to the next pump. Nothing came out of that one, either. There was only one more. I walked up to the last pump and pulled the trigger down. Thank God! Gas flowed out thick.
“Yes!” I yelled. “Pull the car up here.”
He looked at me, still registering what I’d asked him to do. “You want me to drive the car?” He shouted out the open window, elation and worry both in his excited voice.
“Yes, come on.”
He didn’t hesitate this time; he jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car. It purred to life on the first try. I didn’t think a driver’s license was required anymore. He eased the car into drive and rolled forward at a slugs pace until he made it to the pump I was standing next to. The smile on his face was so big, I thought it might stick there permanently. He put the car back into park and shut it off.
“How did I do?” He asked enthusiastically.
“Great. Since you only drove about three feet.” I told him, laughing as I put the pump in the cars tank. It tinged when it hit the full mark, so I started to pull out the gas containers and filled them up too. My thoughts were it was better to have it handy than to not. I hung the pump up, put the gas away and walked to the driver’s side window. “I think that should cover us, so how about you pay me for my hard work?” He laughed and started to scoot back over to the passenger side, “What are you doing?” I asked, “You’re driving.” He eyed me as I walked around the front of the car.
“What? Are you serious?”
I opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, nodding. “Let’s go.”
“Mama, I have to go to bafroom” Azami said before we could pull away.
“Alright, darling,” I pulled her out of the car and helped her take care of her business, while James impatiently waited to drive for the first time.
He paused, staring out the front window as we climbed back in, with the same smile on his face. He started the car again and put it in drive. At first he drove at a sluggish pace. “You can go faster,” I told him, motioning with my arms to go faster.
We lunged forward in one swift, hard motion. I laughed and grabbed the Oh-Shit handle as he glanced at me, laughing at my reaction.
“Sorry.” James said, his cheeks turning crimson.
“You’re fine. There’s no one to watch us.” I patted his shoulder and urged him on.
He finally got to a good pace and drove down the road in a straight line. He was doing rather well, but I guess with no one else on the road, it was easy.
“There’s the turn!” James yelled, pointing at the Lava Park signs we were waiting to see. “Lava tunnels, yeah-yeah,” He sung to himself. James slowed next to the sign and stopped. “Where should we turn?” He asked.
“Do you remember if your teacher said anything about where to go in at? Or where the best parts of the tunnels were?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well keep your eyes open for different entrance areas.”
We both looked out the window and scanned the area for roads. Azami sat on my lap and
helped me look, even though she only pointed out pretty flowers.
“There.” I pointed at the marks in the ground, showing a road that was very overgrown and almost invisible.
James turned slowly onto the overrun road and pressed the gas down, wanting to get there as soon as possible. We weren’t even sure if this would be the entrance we would need, but it was there to take.
The day passed behind us, taking our hope with it. The cave system was more complex than we thought, and the unkempt road conditions were a bit harsh for a station wagon. Observing the ground from a distance makes it look like a flat, perfectly smooth road, but not so. Driving on it showed me it was the complete opposite to what I thought. Not to mention, it slowed us down dramatically.
“What if there are no sustainable places here?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Let’s just hope it’s here.” He continued to drive ahead. It was getting late, the sun was beginning to set and we had already stopped at several cave systems.
“Let’s stop at this last one, then we’ll call it a night.” I yawned. Azami had already fallen asleep in my lap an hour ago. I rubbed her little head in my lap, wishing her life could be more fun. She was the quietest child I had ever seen and the most aware for her age. She had kept to herself most of the day.
James pulled to a stop beside a road sign, which explained the tunnels route. “Should we check it out?” He asked.
“Sure. I don’t think there’ll be any Infected out here. You don’t see any, do you?”
“No, we’re good.” He said after closing his eyes and thinking for a minute.
“Alright, let’s go.” I laid Azami down in the seat. I could see her from the entrance area so I decided not to wake her. I grabbed a Flashlight and jumped out of the car. “Race you!” I shouted.
James jumped out of the car and raced me to the entrance. He rushed through the open hole before me and looked around. The hole went back about twenty yards and ended abruptly. We walked slowly, studying the wall, hoping something would show us the way. We needed to get somewhere besides these dead ends.
“Hey, look at this.” James said as he bent to pick up some jug off the cave floor. There was one still sitting on the ground, which resembled a milk jug. He lifted the one in his hand to his mouth and took a big swig.
“James!” I shrieked.
He gagged on the water and coughed, startled by my protest. “What?” He asked, gasping for air through his constricting lungs.
“You should have let me try that first. What if it was poison, or something that could hurt you and make you sick?”
He laughed and shook his head, “You worry too much.” He took another big swig from the jug, “But that’s what makes you so great.” He smiled and handed the jug to me next.
“Thanks. I kind of like you too.” The water tasted alright I thought. The jugs couldn’t have been out here long. That gave me hope until it brought up the question, who would have set these jugs out? Was this here before the Flash? Or does someone already inhabit this area? The last thought caused me to look around a little more cautiously. “We should sleep here tonight. It’s getting dark out and I think we should be able to see while we look around, since we’re not even sure what we’re looking for.”
James agreed and we got things ready in the wagon for sleep. The back seat laid down perfectly to fit our mattress. I laid the blankets out and put our pillows in place.
“You know, this is almost like camping.” James said.
I smiled at him and grabbed the food bag. We had a good amount of food, at least a weeks’ worth, maybe more. I went through the canned goods and shook them. After eating canned food for years, you begin to get a feel for what’s in them by shaking them. It was a nice instinct to have since most of them had no labels. The first few I picked up were light soups, then a few vegetables. Finally I found what I was looking for; heavy cans. Heavy cans were usually good soups, like chunky stew or potato soup. They were the most filling and after finally making it here, I thought we should celebrate a bit.
I held up both hands, a can in each one. “Which one do you want?”
“This one,” James picked his can and I handed him the can opener. “Mmm…” He groaned, “Its vegetable beef!” He grabbed a spoon out of the bag and dug in. “Here,” He mumbled through his mouthful of food, handing me the opener.
“Thanks. Oh, look at that. I got the same thing you did. What are the odds?” I laughed and grabbed a spoon. Silence filled the air while we ate, except for the satisfied moans we couldn’t hold back with every bite.
“This is so good. Are you going to wake up Az to eat?” He asked as he licked his spoon.
“No. She should rest. I’ll make sure she eats a little more for breakfast. We should get some sleep if we’re going to investigate these tunnels tomorrow.”
He nodded in agreement.
I laid Azami next to James and they curled up with to each other. I covered them, and myself, with a blanket, but before I could get comfortable, I leaned up and locked the doors.
Within moments, James fell asleep. I could tell by how his breathing turned heavy and slow. I loved to listen to him sleep. He was more to me than just a kid I met, I felt responsible for him, like he was my own. I stroked the side of his cheek and tucked his hair behind his ear.
I finally fell asleep with my arm over Azami and my hand touching James’s shirt, assuring myself that they were still next to me and safe. I slept without dreaming and the day came too soon.
The sun started to shine on my unopened eyes. As I stretched awake, I felt Azami stir next to me.
“Hey there, baby girl.” I said, finally opening my eyes to see her smiling little face next to mine.
“Hi, Mama,” She said, stretching out long.
“Do you want to eat breakfast?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay. Why don’t you wake up James?”
Her smile stretched impossibly wider. She instantly turned around and jumped straight onto his sleeping body, laughing with her high-pitched squeal.
James’s “Oomph,” pulled a laugh from me.
He started tickling her, causing her to laugh and squeal even harder. I smiled watching them roll around together. It was so nice that they had each other to play with, no matter how big their age gap.
James turned toward me and asked about breakfast. He was always hungry, and he was growing bigger every day. In one year of meeting him, he looked more like a man instead of a boy, his hair darkening to a medium blond. His face was losing that baby type look, and his features were becoming sharper. Watching Azami with him made me realize how big she had gotten also. How many years had it been since the day she was created?
The man named Ryan advanced on me. I had nowhere to run; they had me surrounded on all sides. The remaining people he had come with whooped and hollered in the air and my stomach sank; I knew what they wanted―what he wanted. I had avoided this before, but now I knew I wouldn’t make it out of here the same person, if at all.
Ryan grabbed hold of my arm. I expected him to yank and jerk me around, throw me down and have his way with me right there, but instead, his touch was soft, almost compassionate. His eyes were the most beautiful, yet horrible things I had ever seen. He began to pull me off to the side where a large tree and shrubs would block us from view.
“Where do you think you’re going with her, Ryan?” The other man asked. I assumed he was the leader of this group.
Ryan turned a glare towards the man who had spoken. “I can’t really do my business if all of you are watching me.”
“Then how will I know you kept your end of the bargain? She sure is a pretty piece. I may just change my mind and take a turn after you.” He smiled, showing his disgusting yellow teeth as he glared at me.
Ryan’s grip tightened on my arm. “That wasn’t the agreement. You said if I did this, you would let her go.”
“Maybe,” He paused for a moment, “Fine. A deal is a deal.
However, I will be watching. You can take her over there, but I’ll be watching to make sure you do what you’re supposed to do.”
Before he reached us, Ryan turned to me with sad eyes and quickly said, “I’m so sorry about this. I would take you and run if I thought we’d get away. This is the only choice there is if you want to live.”
“Please don’t hurt me.” I whimpered.
“I’ll be as easy with you as I can, but if I don’t do this, then all of them will. Once they’ve all had their fun with you, they will kill you. I’ve seen it, and I don’t want that for you.” I stared at him with wide eyes. He thought he was doing me a favor. Tears started pouring down my cheeks; I wouldn’t give them the pleasure of begging. “I’m so sorry.” he whispered again as he pulled me behind the tree.
He laid me down gently. He may have said that this was the only way to save me that he didn’t want to do this, but he was. He was going to rape me. I had no choice, so I stayed where I was. There was no way for me to escape all these people. Even if I did and what Ryan said was true, I knew what would happen to me. If they said I had to do this to survive, then I would. Even though life as we know it now is not much of a life, I still wanted to live, so I didn’t move. I didn’t protest when he pulled my pants from my body. He left all of my other clothes on, including my underwear, and just pulled them aside. He tried to keep me covered from the prying eyes of the leader, who was already fondling himself while watching us. As stupid as it sounded, I appreciated Ryan giving me that small courteous gesture, even with the horrid act he was committing against me.
I let out a startled gasp and painful whimper when he entered me. Still being a virgin, I knew it was going to hurt. After he was in, he paused as the realization hit him.
“Fuck!” He growled. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Get on with it, boy.” The other man said, kicking Ryan in the ass, while still fondling himself.
Even though Ryan was my abuser, I knew he was the safer choice and I could see that he was trying to save me from something far worse. There seemed to be something going on with the two of them, something I wanted to remain separated from.
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