I Am Never Alone

by Campbell, Jamie

  The boy, in his mid-teens by the looks of him, stepped out from his hiding place too. He held a shotgun pointed directly at our chests, switching his aim between us. His wide eyes and raised eyebrows betrayed his fear.

  He thought we were going to kill him.

  Of course, everybody thought the same thing these days.

  “I’m Everly,” I said by way of introduction. I tried to match Jet’s friendliness. I had no intention of being the reason we got shot.

  He surveyed every inch of our bodies, his eyes skimming over us from head to foot. He was probably scanning for weapons, sizing us up and deciding who would win in a fight.

  Considering he was the one with the gun, I already knew the answer to that quandary.

  “Everyone back up,” he said. I didn’t have long to wonder what he meant before a dozen kids emerged from the shadows.

  We had been surrounded.

  They had been hiding in the bushes and behind their own trees. They blended in with the earth in their brown clothes, like they were somehow part of the landscape. Even knowing they were there, they were hard to spot.

  The boy turned his attention back to us. “I’m Liev. You’d better come inside if you want to talk.”

  I exchanged a relieved look with Jet and followed them at a safe distance. Every one of our moves was slow and deliberate, making sure to give them no cause to be nervous. We meant what we said when we declared we didn’t want any trouble. We were trying to make an alliance, not enemies.

  At the end of the dirt road was the farmhouse we had seen from the main street. It was a single story bungalow with a balcony wrapped around it. A few bench seats and rocking chairs were dotted around, probably nice places to rest during the day.

  Inside the old house, it appeared just as I imagined it would have looked as a family home before the Event. Open doors along the corridor led to bedrooms, we passed a bathroom that looked clean and tidy. Liev led us into a living room in the middle of the house, chairs littered the floor.

  “Take a seat,” Liev said, settling on an armchair. He kept his gun resting on his lap, ready to use it at a moment’s notice.

  Jet and I shared the sofa, not keen to be too far apart in case we had to move quickly. The air was full with crackling tension, like a storm ready to be unleashed. The smallest thing could light a fuse and detonate something explosive.

  “Jet? Jet Lucas?” Our heads all snapped up to see the girl standing by the doorframe. Behind her, the kitchen was empty. “It is you. I thought it was.”

  Jet stood, actually smiling. “Kendall.”

  She ran at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as they embraced. “When they said we had intruders, I suspected only you could do something so stupid.” She smiled in the way only someone who knew another person really well did.

  Jealously stabbed at me.

  I pushed it away.

  “Well, you know me,” Jet replied. I really wished he would step away from her. It was dangerous being so near one of these people. They could turn on the edge of a coin.

  “How do you guys know each other?” Liev asked. I’m glad he did, I really wanted to know the answer to that question too. As much as I was putting on a nonchalant appearance.

  They finally stepped apart and Jet resumed his seat. Kendall sat on the edge of another armchair. She didn’t wipe her grin away. “Jet gave me food when I really needed it. He looked after me when I was ready to give up.”

  “So he’s not going to murder us all then?” Liev joked but there was a layer of truth to his question. He was nervous, even if he was the one holding the gun. It obviously wasn’t the kind of reassurance he needed.

  “Jet wouldn’t harm a fly,” Kendall said, looking at Jet through batting eyelashes.

  I held in a laugh, knowing exactly what Jet was capable of. Perhaps Kendall didn’t know him as well as she thought.

  “So,” Liev started, moving on, “Say what you came here to say. We don’t have all day to sit around and reminisce.”

  “We heard rumors you were running a self sufficient farm out here. We are running out of food in the city and I thought you might have some tips for us. Perhaps if we can learn to grow enough food for everyone, we can save some lives,” Jet explained as simply as he could.

  And that was the crux of our mission.

  Grow food, save lives.

  Freeing the spirits would have to wait for another day. Like tomorrow.

  Liev nodded in quiet contemplation. He was weighing up how much to share with us, his eyes were calculating and thoughtful. “We are completely self sufficient out here. But there are only twenty of us. Feeding the entire population of the city is a whole different ballgame.”

  “There’s a lot less left than you would think,” I mumbled. I hadn’t meant to speak. The plan was to let Jet do all the talking but I couldn’t stop myself. It was the truth, after all. Liev probably hadn’t been to the city in a while.

  And in the city a while was a very long time.

  He spared me a glance before returning his attention back to Jet. “I don’t know how we can help you.”

  “You have a lot of farming land,” Jet started carefully. “Maybe we could strike some kind of a deal?”

  Liev openly laughed. “You’ve got nothing I want. Which is important to making a deal. We’re happy here, we don’t need anything.”

  “I notice you are working the land by hand. I bet some farming equipment would come in handy.”

  I had no idea if Jet was making empty promises or not. But he was certainly more attentive to our surroundings than I was. All I saw outside were trees. And more trees.

  Kendall watched the exchange, her head moving back and forth between the boys like she was viewing a tennis match. She chewed on her lip like Jet did when he was nervous. I hated that they had the same anxious habit.

  “Let me get this straight,” Liev said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His gun was pulled back to make room. Perhaps he wasn’t going to kill us today. “You want to trade machinery for land?”

  “Not just land, but a working farm. I can supply you with machinery and labor, everything you need to make a real production out here. In exchange, we get a cut of the fruit and vegetables you grow.”

  “We have chickens too,” Kendall interjected, earning a scornful look from Liev. He probably didn’t want us to know about the animals. She continued on in a small, defiant voice. “We eat their eggs.”

  “Kendall,” Liev angry-whispered. It would have been funny under other circumstances.

  Jet stepped in before it got out of hand. “We have no intention of taking anything from you that you need. We only hope to expand your operations in order to have the excess.”

  He shook his head, the gun tapped on the edge of the armchair with his movement. “If people know about us, there will be trouble. I don’t want all you city monsters coming out here and messing with the good thing we have built. I’ve got people to think about.”

  “We don’t want that either,” I said. Perhaps the two boys weren’t the best negotiators and it was time for a new voice in the fray. “And we are telling the truth when we say nobody knows about you except us. We will keep your location safe, it would be in our best interest too. We wouldn’t want anyone coming out to help themselves.”

  Liev’s gaze fell over me, as if just remembering I was still there. “And who are you, anyway? I know nothing about you two and you expect me to risk everything.”

  “Jet is the leader of the city, everyone knows him,” Kendall offered helpfully. “But I don’t know who she is.”

  She.

  How lovely.

  “I’m helping Jet,” I said. “That’s all. I’m nothing in the whole grand scheme of things.”

  Jet suddenly snaked his arm around my shoulders, letting his hand fall to my waist and pulling me closer. “We’re the leaders. Everly is my girlfriend.”

  Did I miss something?

  Girlfriend?

/>   I really wanted to squirm out of his hold.

  But whatever ruse he was up to, I trusted him more than the guy with the gun and the girl who so obviously had a crush on Jet. I plastered on a smile to grin and bear it. It was a good thing Oliver wasn’t there.

  He continued on like it wasn’t the most bizarre thing in the world. “We have a lot of people that rely on us in the city. We are trusted as the leaders and take our positions seriously. You have my word I would keep your existence a secret. The only ones who would know about this farm would be the laborers I would send to help you.”

  Liev snorted. “And you would trust them to keep their mouths shut?”

  “I would only send those I trust the most.”

  “I’d have to put it to a vote. Majority rules around here.”

  Hope started to tingle deep down in my gut. Perhaps we hadn’t wasted a whole day in driving to the country and then being shot at. Maybe we could strike a deal after all. I didn’t dare move for fear it might change his mind.

  Jet shifted so we were even closer. I was highly aware of every point where his body was touching mine. “Give me ten minutes to state my case and I won’t take up any more of your time.”

  Kendall looked like she might pee herself she was so excited by the prospect. Until she looked at me, and then every ounce of happiness turned into hatred as her eyes narrowed. If looks could kill I would have been nothing but cinders.

  It was shallow and silly, but there was a real satisfaction in having that effect on her.

  Liev stood. “You’ve got five minutes. I’ll round up the group. You can talk to them out back. With the chickens.”

  We scrambled to follow him through the rest of the house. Outside they had a campfire area set up with outdoor tables and cooking facilities. It wouldn’t have surprised me to find them sitting around singing Kumbaya.

  Liev called out and bodies started assembling around the area. The oldest kid couldn’t have been more than sixteen, the youngest barely five. They each had the muscled physique of those that undertook manual labor. I was convinced each of them earned their place on the farm. Even the littlest ones.

  I stood next to Jet while he said his piece. Not because I was comfortable in front of the crowd but because we needed to show a united front. Jet needed their trust, and if I could do anything to boost that, I would.

  He spoke with passion, showing off his leadership skills that came to him so naturally. If he thought the Event brought him alive, I couldn’t imagine that kind of ability lingered far beneath his skin beforehand. He was born to lead, born to shoulder responsibility, and born to instill inspiration in others.

  I was convinced of this, and I wasn’t the only one.

  He enraptured the small crowd, not just Kendall who hadn’t even blinked in case she would miss a moment of Jet’s speech. By the end of his allotted five minutes, he had them eating out of the palm of his hand.

  Liev stood up at the end. “With a show of hands, who wants to team up with Jet and expand the farm?”

  Five hands went up instantly, followed by another two. One by one, they were raised until only three remained resolutely by their side.

  “Majority wins. We’re expanding,” Liev announced.

  Jet found my hand and gave it a squeeze, a silent victory that we shared. We had succeeded in our mission. Soon, we would have food for the population back in the city.

  The shelter could thrive again.

  After that win, Jet and Liev disappeared into one of the rooms to work out the details and fine print. I was happy to leave them to it, negotiations weren’t my thing. Jet would get the best result for the city, I was certain of that.

  I looked for anyone in the group that might be friendly to speak with while I waited. Glancing Kendall’s way, she quickly turned her head and found someone else to talk to.

  She was a bitch.

  Everyone else seemed to return to the tasks Liev had pulled them away from. I was left alone, standing awkwardly on the balcony and completely lost.

  I found my way back to the living room and waited there.

  By myself.

  Except for the two spirits.

  I was never fully alone.

  They were hunched in the kitchen – a man and a woman. They were dressed in casual work clothes, favoring denim. I would have put money on the fact they were the owners of the farmhouse. They probably died right there in that kitchen on the evening of the Event.

  I only looked at them out of the corner of my eye, refusing to look at them directly. They spoke amongst themselves quietly, worrying about being able to eventually leave. I guess that was the topic of choice amongst all spirits, no matter where they haunted.

  They never realized I could see them.

  Which was exactly how I liked it.

  It was a relief when Jet finally joined me. Both he and Liev were smiling. I took that as a good sign for the agreement. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a house of cards and fall over just as quickly as it stood.

  We didn’t speak until we were down the dirt path and back in the Audi. The luxury car felt a world away from the old fashioned farmhouse. Another world away again from the city.

  Jet started the car and we turned back onto the main road. “They’ve got a huge stockpile of seeds. We can start planting as soon as the snow melts and the ground is ready.”

  That certainly was good news. It was the kind of news that sounded too good to be true.

  “What’s the catch?” I asked, knowing there would be one. Nobody was that amicable anymore.

  Jet smirked. “Who said there’s a catch?”

  “Are you saying there isn’t?”

  He chuckled to himself. “Not at all. He wants anyone I send out to help him fix the house too. Apparently it’s overdue for some repairs and too small to house everyone.”

  As far as catches went, that wasn’t so bad. In fact, if that was all Liev asked for in addition to the farm machinery, we’d gotten out of it lightly. Jet would have had more deal sweeteners up his sleeve, no doubt.

  “He gave me a lead too, on a store of grains he saw a few months back. He thinks it hasn’t been touched since the Event so we might be able to salvage enough to get through the winter.”

  “That’s fantastic,” I exclaimed, meaning every word.

  “Thanks for helping me today,” Jet said suddenly, all the humor gone from his voice. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here with me.”

  “It was actually kind of fun,” I confessed. Being outside the city gave me a chance to breathe. There were far fewer spirits in the country and it was easy to pretend I didn’t see them. They never hassled me.

  “Yeah, it kind of was.” He made it sound like he had expected medieval torture and was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t so bad after all. There was probably an insult in there somewhere.

  I gave him a slap on the leg. “What was with the girlfriend thing? You almost gave me a heart attack when you said it.”

  He pretended to be hurt but I could see the amusement written all over his face. “You know, some girls would be happy about being called my girlfriend.”

  I didn’t doubt it.

  Kendall, for one.

  Perry, for two.

  The list could go on and on.

  “Then they should play the role,” I replied, nonchalant.

  Jet shook his head. “Nah, it wouldn’t annoy them as much as I knew it would annoy you.”

  “You only did it to annoy me? Great, thanks, Jet.”

  “That… and I thought it would be better for them to see a couple rather than some guy and a random girl. Psychologically speaking, it installs more trust. Thanks for playing along.”

  I slapped him again. “I’m not random.”

  “You are totally random,” he laughed. He was enjoying this conversation way too much.

  And we still had a long way to go before we were home.

  “Well, I’m glad we achieved something anyway,” I conceded, keen to move
on from my impending embarrassment. “I take it we’re going to keep this from everyone else? A need to know basis only?”

  “Yeah. If people know we’re growing food, they’ll come after it themselves.”

  “Will you tell the shelter we’re working on something?”

  Jet nodded slowly. “I’ll keep them updated so they know what to expect. I won’t give them any of the finer details, though. The only ones who will know everything will be us.”

  “And the laborers.”

  “They won’t know everything.”

  In the city post-Event, knowledge was everything. It was power. It was survival. And I was now in on it. There was something reassuring in that.

  “Nobody will know your role if you don’t want them to. I want you to be safe,” Jet continued. “I’ll keep quiet about it.”

  If Jet had said those words to me a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have believed him. Now, his word was golden. Things certainly had changed.

  “You’ve taken on a lot in the city,” I started. “You know you don’t have to be responsible for everyone, right?”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “You could just be like everyone else, fend for yourself and stuff the rest.”

  “I could… but I need to do this.” His eyes were fixed on the road. He wasn’t saying anything, he always did that when he was scared he would tell me more than he intended.

  “No, you don’t,” I repeated. None of this was Jet’s responsibility. Everyone could only promise to look after themselves. He was going above and beyond.

  And he had been doing so for some time.

  “Yes, I do. Can we talk about something else, please?” His tone was so sharp it took me by surprise. He didn’t normally talk to me like that. He usually kept his voice quiet and level when I was with him.

  I could have pushed him further. I could have asked him a million questions to find out what secret he was hiding deep inside. But I didn’t. It was none of my business and I respected that. He hadn’t pushed me on anything and I would reciprocate equally.

  “So tell me the plan for the farm,” I said. He released the breath he was holding and we spent the rest of the journey discussing the future.