“Bring the chain and lock as well, we can make use of them,” I said, as she ran to keep up. “Those shoes are probably not going to be any good out here,” I said, looking down at the flimsily made leather strapped around her feet.
“Why not?”
“We are going through the great sand sea to the south-east. Trust me you will need better shoes.” I made a note of doing some scavenging once we reached one of the nearby homesteads, I knew a few that were still more or less intact, and figured we could find some shoes for her in one of them.
“When will we reach it?” she asked.
“About a day’s walk south-east, then it’s about another four or five days through the desert.”
“Why go that way then? Aren’t there are more settlements south of here?” she asked curiously.
I sighed, looking back at New Alice in the distance before detouring off the road following the creek, which tailed off to the left of the highway. “Just in case we are tailed. It happens a lot out of New Alice, it’s a rougher walk, but it shaves a day off the trip, and not many other people go this way.”
“Okay!” she agreed. “But don’t most people travel at night through the desert?”
“Exactly why we are walking now!” I explained, “We have water, and we will have a day head start on any would-be slavers.”
“Oh!”
Hours had passed, and I noticed the shoes on her feet appeared to be falling apart, the thread coming apart at the seam. But without an inch of shade anywhere nearby, we could not afford to stop, it would be a waste of water and energy in the heat of the day. “How are your feet doing?” I asked, concerned.
“They hurt like hell, but I’ll be fine for the moment!” she said, trying desperately not to show she was struggling, but I could see the slight wince that each step caused her.
I sighed. “There is nowhere to stop for at least another few hours. There is another settlement south about four hours walk, but that will take us off course and probably lead us to anyone that might be tracking us. There should be a lagoon up ahead, which we should come to in about half an hour and a house that we should reach just after dark if we push on.”
She nodded, understanding my point. “Fuck people, the creek sounds good.”
As we walked on, I clarified, “It’s a good spot, and the old homestead is in relatively good condition. It has a well that still worked last time I came through. We can stop for a day or two if need be to rest your feet and get some supplies, I know there is a ruined old-world town to the south a few hours from there.”
The thought that I would stop for her bought a shy smile to the girl’s face. We walked on having long ago left the highway heading south-east, stopping to take in some water a few times before continuing at a good pace, slowing just a little as her feet began to visibly cause her pain. Eventually, we came across the lagoon surrounded by a few trees as the small flowing creek ran into the small body of water. “Can we stop for a few minutes; my feet are burning.” she pleaded.
I nodded, and took off my backpack, pulling out an old tin of beans that was likely decades old and a bottle of water, sharing both. Ashe took off the useless shoes she was wearing, revealing the damage the desert was doing. The skin was literally burning and blustering, and the sand was wearing away the layers of skin. She hissed with pain as I helped her removed the now ruined shoes. “Come on, we need to clean your feet,” I said as I picked her up without thinking, causing her to flinch again before carrying her down to the creek, washing away the dying skin and burning flesh. “If I had known your shoes were this bad, I would have got some decent ones before we left.”
She winced from the pain but stopped herself from crying out. Once I was satisfied, I pulled out a small first aid kit from my bag, applying a generous amount of alcohol from a bottle of whiskey I had purchased the day before to help prevent infection before taking a sip from the bottle, then strapped her feet with a thick bandage cover to prevent infection. “Thanks!” she said as she took in several deep breaths.
“Do you think you can carry my bag on your back!” I asked, teasing her.
“Fuck off!” she said with a serious face, then noticed that I was only joking, causing her to laugh slightly through the pain.
“Actually, that might not be a bad idea!” I said as my mind went into planning mode.
“Wait! What?” she said slight anxiety in her voice, “What’s not a bad idea?”
I picked up my backpack and took it down to where she was still sitting by the creek and held out the bag. “Put this on your back, I want to try something.” She hesitated a moment, then put the backpack on as I had asked, I then helped her up, turned and pulled her up into a piggyback carrying her back up to the shaded area where we had stopped. “Perfect, I think I can manage that for a few hours at least.” She had almost no weight to her, which helped, but I could feel her bones jutting out through her clothes, which concerned me. She truly was raked thin.
She smiled warmly, thankful, I think, that I was not abandoning her in the desert. We finished the rest of the beans and almost a whole bottle of water before packing everything away in the backpack and heading off into the desert, continuing as before. This time following the creek for several hours until the sun started to approach the horizon behind us. “If you need to rest, let me know!” she said warmly, her arms wrapped around my neck. It was honestly the most human contact I had had in years, and frankly, it was a little awkward, but nice, even if it was incredibly warm.
“I’ll be okay, but if you need to stop, just let me know.”
“Actually, I need to pee!”
“Okay, break time it is.” Realising that the same feeling was now causing pressure on my own bladder.
I put her down by a tree a few meters from the creek and turned around to give her some privacy while finding a tree of my own. I took the opportunity to check for signs we were being followed, scanning the horizon for rising dust and watching for any sign of movement. The silent reverie of the landscape was broken by the sound of our urinating on the ground. After nearly thirty seconds, the stream came to a stop, and I turned just a little too quickly, catching sight of a little more than I had intended just as she stood up. She didn’t say anything, as she straightened up and said in a tone that almost sounded almost happy, “Okay, ready to go.”
I turned and knelt again as she pulled the backpack on before crawling up into a piggyback once again. I said nothing as we continued with twilight falling on the desert landscape. We found the homestead several hours later than I had planned, but it meant we could finally stop and take the opportunity to find some better shoes for the poor girl's feet. I set her down by the front door, before opening it and walking in carefully, drawing my pistol as I entered. “Wait here!” I whispered, before advancing ahead, quickly checking through each room and cupboard of the homestead for any sign of threat. I doubted I would find a zombie this far from the coast, and it was unlikely that another traveller would have found this place at just the same time as us. But it was an old habit I had long ago become accustomed to, and one that I would have to teach my new companion, especially as we neared the coast. I soon finished searching the single-story homestead, a four-bedroom house that stood miles from the nearest town ruins. Its original occupants had long ago abandoned this house as with the dozens of other homesteads I had found in my travels over the years. “All clear!” I said as I helped the girl into the house. Her feet had obviously swollen making walking difficult. I led her to an old lounge that was covered in a thick layer of dust. I brushed it clear with my hand before she sat down with a loud sigh of relief from the pain. “We will stay for a couple of days while your feet heal up. In the meantime, I will head into the nearest town tomorrow and see if I can find some suitable shoes.”
She just stared at me, the thankful look in her eyes quickly turning to anxiety at the thought of being left alone. I quickly looked down, checking the size of her feet, before heading into the bedrooms t
o see if any old shoes had been left behind by the former occupants. Sadly, no such luck on the shoes, but I did find some socks she could use and an old-world map in the kitchen of the homestead. I laid it out on the benchtop and began searching the area for our location. Thankfully the former occupants were kind enough to circle the location of the homestead, which made it easy. A small town, which was likely little more than decaying ruins was located about four kilometres south. Assuming the place had not already been picked clean by scavengers, I might get lucky and be there and back in just a few hours. The full moon out meant it would actually be a good trip to make before dawn, so I opted to get some sleep early, checking the house was secure and lying down on the floor near the couch Ashe had claimed for the night. Few words were exchanged between the two of us that night, though I had to admit her presence had eased my anxiety a little. Having her around seemed to calm me, and although she did not strike me as a threat, I forced myself to continue my habit of sleeping with my Glock under my pillow just in case.
“Good night!” the girl whispered, her eyes looking down to meet mine, her expression a mixture of anxiety and relief. I supposed she too still held onto a sense of anxiety with me around, which calmed my own fears a little. Her anxiousness meant she was unlikely to try anything, especially this far from any settlements. I sat up momentarily pulling out a bottle of water from the bag, placing it on the ground between us. She smiled warmly, as a thankful expression swept across her face. “Thank you, Jack!”
I offered a nod of acknowledgement, then replied calmly, “Good night,” before pressing my head onto the backpack, using it as a pillow before drifting off into one of the better night’s sleep I had enjoyed in a very long time.
Chapter 2 - (Baggage)
I woke up several hours before dawn as planned. Ashe was still asleep on the lounge, and I really didn’t want to wake her. She had tossed and turned much of the night thanks to the throbbing pain in her feet and had finally managed to drift off in the early hours of the morning. However, I thought it best to let her know my plan, especially since I strongly doubted that she could read, so leaving a note was likely pointless. I unpacked a bottle of distilled water and some food for her, before heading into the kitchen and unpacking the unfiltered water placing it on the counter to give myself plenty of room in the backpack for scavenging. When I returned to the lounge room, she was sitting up and staring at me with a confused expression on her face. “What’s going on?”
I slung the bag over my back and picked up my rifle, as I explained, “Scavenging run, there should be an Old-world town a few kilometres south of here. There is no telling what state it’s in being so far out of the way, but there are a few things that you will need if you are going to stay with me. I’ll try to get some shoes for you to walk in and some more protective clothing if I can. In the meantime, you stay put and rest your feet. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Her expression changed from confusion to apprehension. I supposed the idea of being left alone almost felt like abandonment to her, especially in her current condition. But the town was only a few kilometres away, and I wanted to get there, scavenge, and be back before the heat set in. There was a slight tremor in her voice when she spoke. “O-Okay, I’ll filter some water for us. Is there anything else that I can do to help?”
I gave it some thought, then returned to the kitchen and began searching through the cupboards. There wasn’t much left, but I did find some pots and pans along with some plates before returning to the lounge area. “You can probably rig something together with some of the kitchen equipment to filter water,” I said as I returned to the lounge room. “But if you’re not sure that’s fine, I’ll have a look when I get back. I just want you to rest your feet, I need to upright and able to walk as soon as possible.”
She forced a smile, still obviously not comfortable being left alone. “Okay, I’ll have a look and try to have something set up before the sun comes up.”
I nodded my thanks, then paused by the front door, realising she was completely unarmed. I unclipped the pistol in its holster from my hip and handed it to her. “Ever fired one of those before?”
“Yeah, Why?”
“Keep it on you just in case.” She accepted the gun and competently checked it over before placing it next to her on the lounge.
“Thanks Jack,” she said sheepishly. “I appreciate this. I really do.”
I moved a little closer to the girl, causing her body to stiffen slightly as if expecting some sort of violent response. Instead, I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” I said warmly, trying to reassure her of my intentions. “We will be okay.” Internally the logic of helping the girl made little practical sense to me, but I liked her. She was good company and she had strong survival instincts, both of which could be useful. “Besides, those clothes are completely useless out here,” I teased, trying to get her to smile.
She just glared and replied, “Like I had a choice!” Her retort came as something of a shock, this girl not only had fire in her, she had courage.
Realising I had touched a nerve, I apologised and headed out. “I’m sorry, that was a poor attempt at humour from me.”
Her face turned instantly from anger to worry as she realised, I had been joking, “I-I’m sorry, it’s just…”
I held a hand up to stop her. “It’s no problem, just rest here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The air was quite refreshing outside, and a much nicer walk this time of the day. It was an uneventful walk, offering me time to think about my next move. I was quite confused about the girl, considering what I was going to do about the girl that seemed to have burrowed her way into my life. I had to admit the company was a fascinating distraction, but it also meant a higher risk and a need for more resources. There were a lot of questions I needed answers to before I could make a final decision on the matter. She had to be aware of the kind of life I was living, mostly nomadic, and mostly out in the wilderness. Then I caught myself, most of my questions focused on her welfare and making sure she had the best chance of survival. The idea of taking her east appealed to me, but the idea of her death because of my lifestyle did not – I would have to try to engage in a frank conversation over the next few days. There were a few more settlements between here and the mountains where she might be able to make a life for herself – so there was no need to make any rash decisions.
The ruined town was a little further than I thought, which meant that either the map was wrong, or the former owners of the homestead were wrong about the location of the homestead. I made a mental note to check when I got back in case the map was pointing to something other than the homestead. It may have been an accident, or they may have been pointing to something else.
The town was much like any other Old-world settlements at this point. Most of the houses laid in ruins, with anything built out of wood collapsing under its own weight as the wood rotted and decayed over time. I walked along several ruined streets, passing a few brick homes that still seemed to be mostly intact, and decided to check them out for supplies. Not having my pistol on hand meant going in with my rifle drawn a little too far from my body, which was not ideal, but then again, given my location, it was unlikely to cause a problem. I pulled out the hunting knife and held it under the rifle just in case anything jumped out and proceeded to clear the first house, performing a search and coming up mostly empty-handed besides some old tinned food in the kitchen and a box of ammunition in a bedroom closet, but any sign of a gun was long gone. The box was in was too faded to determine the exact calibre, but they looked very close to .44. I would have to check them with the Glock when I got back to be sure.
The houses turned out to be something of a decent score, all things considered. I gathered several more tins of preserved foods of various kinds as well as some jewellery, tobacco, and in the last house, an old bottle of Bushmills whiskey. Suitable clothing for Ashe, however, was seemingly much more difficult. It was made mo
re difficult for the fact I was searching for suitable footwear in a relatively small size. Most of the women’s shoes were thoroughly unacceptable around here, with one pair containing a strange narrow platform on the heel. I had read about high heels before and how they were supposed to make a woman more attractive. They looked thoroughly impractical.
Moving on from the streets, I advanced closer into the town centre, coming across a handful of old stores which appeared to have been looted long ago. I doubted I would find much until I found what looked like a hiking store. It had been heavily looted as with all the others, but when I peered in through the window, I noticed most of the women’s apparel was still there. Typical! I shrugged. The old clothing store once sold heavy-duty outdoors equipment for the locals that lived here, and if I was going to find anything suitable for Ashe, it would be here. I cleared the store the same as I had done for the houses, before turning my attention to the mostly bare shelves. There were still some useful items around for sure, I supposed women’s clothing and boots were not as highly sought after as ammunition and food these days. It was lucky for Ashe I supposed, as I gathered a pair of heavy-duty work pants and steel-capped leather boots, which would be most suitable for the road. I packed them away in the backpack hurriedly before moving back to the front of the store, my eyes and ears still on high alert when the sound of voices echoed in the street.
“Sam? Why the fuck are we in this shit hole?” a male voice said far too loudly.
“Hunting,” a familiar deep voice croaked. If they are hunting, then they are surely terrible at it. I thought to myself, then realisation struck. Surely the asshole from the bar hadn’t followed us this far out of New Alice.
“Yeah, but it’s way too early for this shit. The sun’s barely even up yet!” the first man replied. I ducked down in the store, waiting as their footsteps drew closer. They seemed to be walking along the road, barely paying attention to their surroundings, or at least they were not terribly familiar with the utilisation of stealth and tracking. If indeed they were hunting, they were not particularly proficient at it as they clumsily stepped over rocks and crushed glass.
Desolation (Book 1): Aftermath Page 3