Since The Sirens Box Set | Books 1-7

by Isherwood, E. E.

  “I know it makes no sense whatsoever. Neither do zombies. Strange things happen at the end of the world.”

  Liam couldn't argue with that. In fact, many of the books he'd read on zombies resorted to magic or the supernatural to explain the goings-on of zombies. It seemed too far-fetched, even as he was immersed in the same zombie world he'd read about so many times. But his were just people infected with a disease. They weren't animated by the supernatural. It could not have been magic.

  While thinking, he looked at her surreptitiously as the truck plodded down the bumpy road, and was amazed once more how attractive she was and—

  “Your arm!”

  She looked down, not surprised. “Yeah, when we passed out, I fell to this side and my arm must have landed on something in a weird way.” A large and ugly purple bruise the size of a small apple was present on her upper arm just above the elbow.

  “Well, it complements your face.” He gave a taut laugh, not sure if she found it a laughing matter.

  “Ha! Very funny, pretty boy. How is it you have no bruises at all? You don't have a scratch on you. Are we on the same adventure?”

  Liam shrugged his shoulders with great exaggeration, but let it drop. He continued their conversation at a slightly lower volume. “I've been thinking about that vision and trying to recall my feeling while looking at the city I was seeing. I felt something—not an emotion exactly—but something close. I felt old.”

  A knowing look swam across Victoria's face. “Yes! And I think I know who the old person was, too.”

  They didn't bother saying the name out loud. They both arrived at the only logical conclusion given all the evidence.

  It was Grandma.

  3

  After parking the MRAP, everyone walked the short distance to the watchtower. They passed through a woodland construction zone as men and boys worked on a makeshift fence using downed trees. They hadn't built very far from the watchtower yet, but Liam was glad to see progress.

  He and Victoria decided to continue down into the valley to find his parents. The boys at the Endor tower felt confident they would have been taken to the makeshift infirmary in the same building where he met the council earlier.

  Phil and Mel offered to stay close to the MRAP, which Mr. Lee agreed was a great idea given the circumstances. He asked them to join their security rotations.

  Mr. Lee said he was going to stick around the watchtower and catch up on the fence progress. “Thanks for the tour, Liam. You've shown me how far we have to go on making this place safe.” He went off to his troop.

  Bo also stayed to help out the Scouts on the hilltop. “I have lots of experience helping my daddy build fences around our pastures. At the time it wasn't much fun, but it looks like these guys need the help. Not doing much anyway. Not like I'm going to walk back home on my own.” He smiled as he shouldered his gun and headed off to the tower.

  After they all broke up, Liam felt guilty for acknowledging he was glad to finally be alone with Victoria. They walked down the long singletrack trail toward camp, Victoria in the lead, when she stopped, turned around, and moved purposely back up the trail to meet him.

  His heart smashed the gas pedal as she approached.

  Yes!

  She talked in a conspiratorial tone, “Do you think Mel and Phil like each other?”

  No! Not at all what I was thinking.

  He humored her as he pretended to think about it, then found himself drawn into the question.

  “Well, I do know they hated each other that first night they met on my street. I think she used the word 'rapists' to describe me and Phil.” He was uncomfortable even saying that word. “Phil seemed to genuinely dislike her when they first met, too. But they fought together that night and have been fighting together in close quarters all the time you and I have been off doing our thing with Hayes and friends. Maybe they've reached an understanding?”

  “But didn't he just lose his wife last winter? Didn't his wife even say something through Grandma on that bridge when we escaped on that train?”

  It was true. Phil's deceased wife spoke through Grandma that day, though no one—herself included—could understand how it happened. His wife had been gone for six months. He had no frame of reference to know if that was enough time to move on.

  “I dunno. I'm uhh—” He wanted to say he was inexperienced talking about women, but he didn't want to paint himself too heavily into that corner. “—not sure what adults might think after losing a spouse.” Then he thought of himself and his realization earlier in the day. “I wouldn't blame him if he needed to share this with Mel. I think this whole disaster would be ten times worse if I didn't have someone to care for and worry about.”

  “Yeah, I wish my Grandma were still alive. Heck, I wish my parents were with me so I could take care of and worry about them too.”

  “I, uh, actually meant you.”

  Victoria gave him a big, gap-tooth smile. “I know, you big dummy. I'm just being silly. But I really appreciate it, and I'm also glad I have someone to care for and who cares about me. I'd probably still be sitting back at the Arch waiting for help to arrive if you hadn't come along.”

  Left unsaid was that she'd more likely be dead, since the Arch had been overrun with gangs, then zombies, then was bombed extensively by the United States Air Force.

  They stood there in close proximity for many seconds before Liam was brave enough to wrap his arms around her and pull her in for a hug.

  “Would it hurt your mouth if I kissed you?”

  He was halfway serious, since she had banged her mouth and lost a tooth during their explosive reunion, but he was also looking for an excuse to suggest he wanted to smooch. His instincts still weren't honed in interacting with her on a romantic level. Hell, the whole world of zombies was the exact opposite of romance, so being romantic was even more cumbersome. At least, that's how he justified his ineptness.

  By way of an answer, she stood on her toes so she could reach his face from lower on the trail, and for the first time since they'd met, they engaged in a long passionate kiss. By the time it was over, Liam's head spun in delight and his initial nervousness seemed a remote distraction.

  It ended much sooner than Liam would have liked, but Victoria apparently couldn't stay on her toes any longer. She dropped down to her normal height, then quickly spun and resumed walking down the trail.

  With her back to him, she spoke to no one in particular. “So, there's this boy I met at the end of the world. A handsome young lad. He's very shy for some reason. But I think that makes him very sexy. I'll have to tell you about him someday.”

  Liam was somewhat embarrassed to be described as shy, but she looked back with that same big broken smile and it dawned on him she was playing with him. He followed her down the trail, unconcerned with any of his perceived shortcomings. He knew he wasn't perfect, but with his charming feminine friend by his side, he felt invincible.

  Despite the hormones flushing through his system, he was able to hold on to an important piece of his brain during their walk down.

  This is where you were attacked the last time you went down this trail. Danger!

  Rather than catch up to Victoria and swoop her up and profess his love—

  Do I love her?

  —he pulled out his pistol and was at the ready. They carried their rifles over their shoulders, along with several magazines each, but somehow the little pistol gave him more confidence.

  He wasn't going to let anything happen to his girl again.

  A vow he knew was impossible to keep.

  4

  Nothing happened on the way down. He holstered his gun as they approached the outer ring of tents and people. He didn't think it would be out of place to be carrying a gun there, but he didn't want to cause any commotion. Guns often scared people, even after everything they'd seen.

  “Let's head for the admin building and find my dad.”

  In a few minutes they had wound their way through the
tent city and stood at the front doors.

  “Liam, I'm going to hang out here and wait for you. I need some time to clear my head from the past few days of chaos and going in that crowd is just too much for me right now. I'll be right over there by the creek. Come get me when you're done?”

  A strange emotion zipped across his mind as he wondered if she wanted to be away from him, but he tried to remain pragmatic and understand her needs, too. He pushed the doubt aside. “Sure thing! I'll find you when I'm done.”

  They traded smiles and she walked off; he pushed through the doors of the stuffy building.

  It was still a chaotic mess, but it was late in the day and it wasn't nearly as crowded as it was earlier. He had no problem finding the infirmary, as a pathway of sick and injured pointed the way down a small hallway to a set of double doors. His dad was among those in the hallway, sitting with his bound leg out in front of him.

  “Hey, Dad. How you doing?”

  He expected a warm greeting after being separated for so many hours, but he only got a weary nod. “Tired as hell. They set my leg and got me squared away, but they don't have much in the way of painkillers.”

  His leg was wrapped in a decidedly makeshift-looking cast. More like a couple sticks bound together with some belts. Better than most people had it “out there.” Jerry had the look of a man in a lot of pain, including the beads of sweat and the taut facial features.

  He sat down next to him. “I'm sorry you're in so much pain. If it makes you feel any better, I'm also sorry for causing so many problems the past few months. Getting myself kicked out and all that. If I'd known this was coming, I think I would have done a few things differently in how I handled myself with you and Mom.”

  Jerry strained a laugh. “Thanks, Son. I think if any of us really knew what was coming, the last few months would have been entirely different for us all. Weapons training. Stockpiling food. Defensive plans. Bugout locations. Backups of backups. I can think of a hundred things I planned on doing but never got around to because they never seemed urgent. Now we're well into it and here I am doing nothing at all to help you or your mom.”

  Liam was hoping for some sort of reciprocal apology, but took it in stride. It was better than any discussion they'd had this year. Instead, he moved back to a subject he had asked his dad days earlier. A subject he pointedly avoided answering straight.

  “Dad, how did you know to stockpile all those guns? You knew something was coming, didn't you?”

  Jerry leaned his head back against the wall behind him as he sat on the floor, apparently thinking. Liam waited patiently. Several moments later, he popped his head back up, looked both ways in the hallway at the other injured folks, and then returned, “I've always done all I could to protect you and your mother. The less you knew about my sources the safer I thought you'd be. But now that everything has gone to hell, I really don't think government agents are lurking about listening in on conversations like this one.”

  Liam looked around, suddenly self-conscious that he could be the subject of surveillance by one of Hayes' men. But no one nearby played the part. Most looked positively sick or dying.

  His dad noticed him looking intently at those nearby. “What?”

  “It's just you said something about government agents. I've been dealing with them a lot lately. They took Grandma. They shot Victoria. They destroyed your house. They took my picture on a bridge. I'd say the odds are pretty good we are being spied upon right now.”

  His dad managed a real laugh. “Congratulations, Jerry. You've raised a son even more paranoid than you are.”

  Both smiled at the joke. “No offense, but if you'd seen that medical camp over in Lone Elk Park when it was in operation, you'd have no doubt what the government was capable of doing. Paranoia is a survival trait nowadays.”

  “Well, suffice it to say that yes, I did know something was coming. Someone in our family called me—don't ask because I swore to not tell anyone, save your mother—and gave me information that something big was coming and that I needed to be prepared to leave home on a moment's notice.”

  He looked around before continuing in a quieter voice, “So when the sirens went off, your mom and I were totally prepared to hop in a car, go to Marty's where we knew you were safe and sound without access to a car, and we'd all be on our way to somewhere out in the country to safely watch it all blow over. What I didn't count on was that the world would fall apart everywhere at exactly the same moment. I counted on being the first guy out the door. Instead, I was the one millionth person out the door. Your mom and I barely made it onto the highway before things broke down. Crashes. Gunshots. Running people. We knew where you were, but it was days before we could get there...and by then it was too late.”

  Liam had so many questions, but for some reason he was most troubled by one of the most mundane. “So can you tell me if you sent me to live with Grandma because of TEOTWAWKI?”

  “Tea ought what key? What are you saying?”

  “Sorry, I figured you'd know that one. It means the end of the world as we know it. Did you know the world was ending? Is that why you sent me to Grandma's?”

  A more strained laugh.

  “No, Liam. I really did send you to Grandma's so your mother and I wouldn't kill you.”

  He paused to reflect on the past six months leading up to his exile at Grandma's. The arguments over responsibility. About time management. About doing what you said you were going to do. All the little details he so often got wrong in the eyes of his parents. All the things that seemed to drive his parents crazy. All the things he always felt were unimportant. He had to admit he often made things worse by yelling, slamming doors, and generally being an unreasonable punk.

  Why was I acting young and stupid?

  “Young and stupid” and “just being a kid” were allowable two weeks ago, just before the sirens took down the world. He'd been forced to mature or die. Maybe he'd have done it no matter what, but he was thankful once again Victoria had come along and helped him man up during those early difficulties. Sure, he thought, he did cry in front of her a couple times, but to be fair all of society had come unraveled. Everyone was crying at some point; she cried and talked in her sleep and he thought no less of her.

  Somewhat satisfied at his answer, and wanting to give his dad some time to rest, he excused himself.

  “Where's mom?”

  Jerry had leaned his head back against the wall again. This time he answered without opening his eyes.

  “She took that bag of rice to the council as payment for my medical services. I tried to stop her, but she's as stubborn as you are sometimes. Or you're as stubborn as her. I get them confused.”

  In the Old World, this might have been a jumping off point for some sort of argument. In the New World, it was just taken as the joke it was meant to be.

  5

  He left his dad to rest. He thought about trying to find his mother, but didn't want to tangle with the leaders again. He wasn't even sure he could get up there by himself with all that security. Instead, he hovered near a window facing the creek where Victoria had gone to rest.

  Should I give her more time?

  He easily spied her a hundred feet away. She sat on the bank of the creek, and was talking to someone—a young man—a bit further away. He seemed filthy, even from this distance. His first instinct was to run out there, but he knew that was stupid. They were just talking. So, he waited.

  He quickly bored of watching them. He surveyed the huge camp and saw only tents as far as he could see from his window. The narrow valley was filled to capacity.

  One area where the Boy Scouts were able to keep control was the judicious use of the water from the creek. With so many people living so close to the waterway, boys patrolled up and down the bank to make sure no one poured chemicals into the water or tried to use it as a latrine. Liam saw the boys actively walking up and down both sides of the creek even now. Water was a precious resource, though he knew the real key t
o this valley was the large artesian well further up the creek. They didn't have much food to spread around, but with clean water, it gave them an edge most people probably didn't have in the wider world.

  A few minutes later, he returned his gaze to his girlfriend—he loved saying that—and saw her arguing with the guy.

  What the!

  She tried to grab him by the arm, and he shook free immediately, took a few seconds to observe the vicinity, and then pushed Victoria hard enough she fell down the steep creek bank out of Liam's view. He ran from the building in a flash.

  The young man ran away from him along the creek, but his first concern was Victoria. He dashed to her in time to see her struggling to climb back out of the creek bed. She appeared dry and in one piece, though her clothes were still soiled from the previous creek she'd been in.

  “That new guy needed to check in to camp but refused. I tried to pull him over there as a joke, and he pushed me down here. I guess he ran away?”

  She peered up from the rocky slope, trying to see left and right. “I didn't see which way he went.”

  “I did.” Liam took off, knowing she would be fine.

  He was sure someone else had to have seen the incident, but no one joined the pursuit. He felt a surge of anger that no one helped and it doubled with his burning desire to have words with the fleeing suspect. Liam, a natural runner and the slightly-above-mediocre star of his below-mediocre track team, kicked into overdrive running in pursuit.

  It didn't take long and he could see the man ahead. He wore a filthy white t-shirt and brown cargo pants with white sneakers. He wasn't a very large man, so his stride was about equal to Liam's.

  The man realized he was being followed, which both sped him up and changed his trajectory. Instead of moving down the creek corridor, he made his way into the thick of the tents on the valley floor. The advantage of speed was lost immediately. Instead, with ducking and weaving in random directions through the myriad of tents and tarps, Liam steadily fell behind.

  He considered calling for help, but didn't want to cause a commotion over a situation he still didn't understand.