The engine shut off and Freddie slammed the truck door. I peered out the window, watching as he turned toward the house. Instantly I could tell something was wrong.
I yanked one of the masks Blake had given me down over my nose and mouth. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop Freddie from getting inside the house considering his keys were hanging off his finger.
A stream of curses flowed out of his mouth as he walked toward the front door. His steps were heavy and oddly paced. I opened the door and Freddie cocked his head to the side.
“Shit,” Freddie said. “I forgot.”
“Freddie,” I said trying to keep my tone calm. “You need to get back inside your truck. Look over there,” I said pointing at the people down the road. “It’s for your own safety.”
I glanced again over my shoulder to see if the crowd had noticed us. Thankfully they were distracted by the other houses.
“Hell no. I’m not getting into my truck. What the fuck are you wearing that stupid thing on your face for?” Freddie’s eyes locked onto the crowd as if he’d only first noticed them, even though he had to have driven by them. “What are those idiots doing anyway?”
“I don’t know how many times I need to tell you this,” I said shaking my head. “Something bad has happened all over.”
Freddie held up a finger and I snapped my mouth shut. He turned toward the shrubs and vomited violently.
“Oh my God,” I said. “Shit, shit, shit. Are you sick?”
He shook his head. After a long moment, he turned toward me with puke coating his chin.
“Just drank too much is all,” he said.
Freddie rarely talked about how much he drank. It was even weirder that I couldn’t recall the last time drinking too much had made Freddie puke.
His eyes were wide and the whites were a shade of pink that seemed to be getting darker as I watched them. I held up my palms.
“Don’t come near me.”
“How did you get out of the basement anyway?” he asked. Vomiting seemed to help sober him up rather quickly.
“Please get back into the truck,” I begged.
Freddie smiled but then he started shaking so much he fell to the ground. His whole body shook and contorted in ways I’d never seen a human body move before.
His body stopped and he reached out his hand to me. There was a look of confusion stretched across his face.
“Kit,” he groaned. “Something’s not right with me.”
“I’ve been trying to tell you about it,” I said as my eyes centered on his set of keys. They were a foot away from his left hand.
I took a step but he reached out and snatched them up before I could take them. He started to get to his feet. I had to try something to stop him from getting inside.
“Wait out here,” I said. “I’ll call for an ambulance.”
“Don’t you dare. I need to get to bed and sleep. Guess I didn’t get enough rest last night,” Freddie said.
“That’s not a good idea.” I shook my head. “You should sleep it off in the truck.”
“I’m not sleeping in my truck.” Freddie pointed to the mess he made. “Hose this down.”
I spun on my heel and ran back inside the house. My hand shook as I slammed the door closed and locked it behind me. I looked around for something heavy to place in front of the door but there wasn’t anything except the small, ratty sofa I wouldn’t be able to move on my own.
I leaned back against the door, firmly planting my feet on the ground. It wasn’t going to be enough to keep him outside but I had to try.
I should have gotten inside my car and drove off into the country. But now I was stuck.
Freddie’s keys clanked against the doorknob. It seemed as if he were having trouble inserting the key inside the lock.
I hoped and prayed he’d give up. But, of course, he didn’t. He kept wiggling the keys as he shouted at me through the door. I couldn’t move from my spot to check what was happening outside. The group of people had to have heard him screaming down the block.
“Go away, Freddie,” I said.
His fist slammed against the door. “Just let me in. I’m not mad you’re out of the basement. I’m not even mad you won’t let me in. I just want to lay down.”
“I can’t do that. I can’t let you in.”
“Let me inside or I swear to God I’ll fucking kill you, Kit,” Freddie said. It sounded like his voice came from a dark place deep inside him. A voice I’d never heard before and I’d seen Freddie at all of his darkest times.
The key slipped into the lock and Freddie chuckled with joy. I pressed all my weight back and squeezed my eyes shut.
“You again?” Freddie said. “Get the fuck off my property.”
Who was he talking to? One of the people with the sickness?
“I think you should leave,” a voice said. Who was talking to him?
“This is my house. You’re the one trespassing. You need to leave before I kick your ass again,” Freddie said in a voice filled with boiling rage. He was further from the door. I could tell by the sound of his voice.
“Don’t take another step,” the voice warned.
Freddie wasn’t going to listen. I knew that even though I was unable to look out the window.
When a shot rang out, I froze.
Chapter Ten
The thud of something heavy falling to the ground chilled my bones. I knew without looking what had made the sound even though it wasn’t like anything I’d ever heard before… Freddie’s body.
My breaths were short. The back of my neck felt numb.
I squeaked at the gentle taps of a knuckle against the door. “Kit? It’s Blake. Can I come in and talk to you for a minute?”
It wasn’t like I could leave him out there with the contagious people. I slowly opened the door.
Our eyes slowly met.
There wasn’t any vomit on him and his eyes weren’t bulging out of his sockets. I was also ready to slam the door in his face but considering he was armed, it probably wouldn’t have done any good. If he wanted to get inside… he would.
“I’m not sick,” Blake said pointing at the white mask covering half of his face.
I didn’t want to look down but I couldn’t stop my eyes from landing on Freddie’s body. “Oh my God,” I said with a sharp gasp. My hands were shaking. “Oh, dear God.”
The only other times I’d seen a dead body had been at my grandparent’s funerals. This was much different, though. Blood was covering the sidewalk. His eyes, even though they didn’t seem like his anymore, stared blankly toward his truck. Freddie was gone.
Blake pulled me inside with him and closed the door. “Your asshole husband was contagious. I couldn’t let him get to you.”
“You killed him,” I muttered.
“I didn’t have a choice.”
I shook my head as I crossed my arms. My thoughts were a jumbled mess.
“You should come stay with us,” Blake said. “We’ll be safer together.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I couldn’t stop thinking about how only seconds ago he’d pulled the trigger and killed my husband. “I’ll be okay here.”
“We have more than enough supplies,” Blake said.
I bit my cheek as I looked into his crystal blue eyes. “I’ll be okay.”
“Okay,” he said holding up his hand. “If you change your mind, we’ll be there until this blows over.”
“How will you know when it’s over?”
Blake chuckled. “I’ll know.” He pointed at the mask. “If you come over, be sure you’re wearing that, okay?”
I nodded and he turned back toward the door. He opened it slowly and looked around.
“Good luck,” he said over his shoulder.
Blake stepped outside and closed the door. I stood there, staring at the wall, feeling very alone.
There was only one thing I wanted to do and that was to get to my daughter. With the contagious people wandering
around, I couldn’t leave. At least I didn’t think I could. It was also still a possibility that I wouldn’t be able to get to Chicago if they were still keeping everyone inside their homes.
How would I know when I could leave town?
How would I ever get to her?
My throat felt like it was filled with sand. What if I wouldn’t ever see her again?
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at the sliver of red remaining. That’s when I remembered Blake had mentioned he’d had a generator. If he had power, I could charge my phone.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I pulled open the door and ran down the yard looking in both directions. Luckily, I hadn’t run out into a crowd of the sick.
“Hey,” I called trying to shout but also keep my voice down. “I changed my mind.”
Blake smiled and gestured for me to catch up. “Awesome.”
I couldn’t exactly read his tone. At least he didn’t seem annoyed that I’d changed my mind. Freddie would have been groaning and rolling his eyes.
Dammit.
Why was I even thinking about Freddie? He’d been nothing but a thorn in my side for years. It had been a bit of a shock to see him laying there lifeless but I didn’t have any tears to shed for him. I should have been thanking Blake for saving me.
I sucked in a sharp breath, shocked that I’d even allowed myself those kinds of thoughts.
“You okay?” Blake asked. His mouth was hidden by the mask but his eyes showed concern.
“Yeah, I think so,” I said. “This is all so crazy.”
“Sure is,” Blake said stopping just before his front door. There was movement on the other side. “I’m really sorry about what I had to do back there.”
I swallowed. “He really was an asshole but I never wanted him dead… just out of my life.”
“He was sick,” Blake said. “I don’t think he wouldn’t want to be like one of those people. I know I wouldn’t.”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “He probably wouldn’t.”
Blake cleared his throat. “Sometimes I could hear him across the street here. There were a lot of times I wanted to march over. He should have been picking on someone his own size.”
“I think you’re actually a little bigger than he was,” I said. Blake was a couple inches taller and his shoulders were broader.
“Anyway,” Blake said knocking three knocks with a long pause between each.
“Who is it?” a male voice sang.
Blake’s jaw stiffened. “Open the damn door.”
The door opened and a man with a chiseled face opened the door. His almond-shaped green eyes landed on me.
“Come in, come in,” he said. “Who’s your friend?”
“I’m Kit,” I said sticking out my hand awkwardly. “From next door.”
“Well, hello Kit from next door, I’m Dax,” he said taking my hand and slowly shaking it. “Blake’s handsome brother.”
I forced a smile. He was handsome but it wasn’t like I could think about any of that after everything that had just happened… and everything that was happening.
Blake and Dax stood next to each other. I wouldn’t have ever guessed that they were brothers. Or for that matter, even related. They looked nothing alike.
Blake was tall, rugged, with messy, dark brown hair. Dax was not quite as tall but even more muscular with dark blonde hair. There wasn’t a single feature they shared.
“Make yourself at home,” Blake said.
I walked into the living room. I almost missed the slender woman sitting in the recliner. She looked up at me with wide, frightened eyes.
“This is Whitney,” Blake said.
“Hi,” I said stuffing my hands into my pockets. “I’m Kit.”
She nodded but didn’t open her mouth to offer me a welcoming greeting. I took two steps toward the couch before I stopped and shook my head.
“Never mind,” I said. “I can’t stay here.”
“Why not?” Blake asked pulling the mask down and letting it hang around his neck.
My heart sank into my stomach. “My daughter is out there. I can’t just sit around and wait. I have to go to her.”
“Where is she?” Blake asked.
“Chicago,” I said biting my cheek to stop the tear that was starting to form.
“Oh, you can’t go there,” Blake said shaking his head. “That’s not going to be a safe trip. If you head there, you’ll catch the sickness before you’re halfway there.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know that. It’s not like there are going to be crowds of sick people wandering around in the country. It’s probably safer out there than it is here.”
“Maybe but to get to the country you have to leave the city. And what are you going to do once you get to Chicago? Can you imagine how many sick people are wandering around the streets?” Blake asked.
“Even with the mask on you’re not completely safe,” Dax said. “I mean maybe you are but all those people… if they descend on you, it won’t take them long to pull it off you.”
I touched the mask that was still covering my mouth. I drew in a breath as if it might be my last before pulling the mask over my head.
“Things are probably a thousand times worse in Chicago,” Blake said.
“You don’t know that though, do you?” I asked.
Blake ignored my question. “All we can do is wait until this all passes. Those who are sick will die and eventually it’ll be safe to leave again.”
“How long will that take?” I asked.
Blake shrugged. “A few weeks. Maybe a month. But everything is going to be a lot different when it does.”
“How do you know so much about all of this?” I asked.
“We don’t know that much. Maybe just a bit more than the average person,” Dax said as he widened his stance and crossed his arms. At first, he’d seemed playful but suddenly he was all business. “Our step-father worked for one of the locations that was running the test that started this all. Apparently, the second things went wrong, he gave my dear brother a call.”
Blake shot him a look. “He knew I’d let you know.”
“Right,” Dax said. “Our dear step-dad doesn’t give a shit about me and we both know that. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be out there like one of those possessed-looking sick fuckers. Pardon my French.”
I nodded. I’d lived with Freddie for years. Cursing was one of his favorite hobbies and something I was quite used to.
“After I got the call from Blake, I had to spend twenty minutes trying to convince Whitney to come with me. At first, she didn’t believe me but now, after seeing all this she does,” Dax said with a soft chuckle.
“So, where your step-dad worked, was that in New York?” I asked.
Blake shook his head. “Out on the west coast.”
“If they knew this was happening, why didn’t they do more to stop it?” I asked.
“It was too late,” Blake said. “It spread from person to person so quickly. People were coming and going, not to mention that this drug they were testing was used all over the country. Even in other countries.”
Blake shook his head as he looked down at his feet. It seemed as though he was struggling to find words.
He sighed. “When I talked to our dad—”
“Step-dad,” Dax said holding up an index finger. It was like he wanted to make sure I understood it wasn’t their biological father.
“When he called,” Blake said keeping his eyes glued to mine. “He was sure he was contaminated. He said he wouldn’t have long. They tried to contain it but it was a futile effort. Those were his words. He said the same thing was happening in Chicago, New York, London, and a few other places I can’t recall.”
Dax’s head was bobbing along to each city. “It’s not good.”
“How did it get here so fast?” I asked.
“I imagine someone from Chicago came here,” Blake said. “Our dad—”
“Step dad,” Dax
interrupted.
Blake glared at him. “He told us—”
“He told you,” Dax said. Blake’s eyes darkened and the veins in his neck popped outward. “What?”
Blake rolled his eyes. “He told us what to watch out for. He also said that eventually, it would die out.”
“Yeah, once there was no one left to spread it too,” Dax said shaking his head.
“My sister was in New York. She told me a bit of what was going on, it’s been hours since I’ve heard from her. I’m afraid she won’t survive,” I said digging my fingernails into my palms.
Blake nodded. “Sorry, if she stays inside and is prepared, she’ll be okay.”
“But what if she wasn’t even a little prepared? She was in a hotel,” I said swallowing down the hard lump that had formed in the back of my throat. “She was out on the streets when it first started.”
“Oh,” Blake said. He didn’t have to say anything more. The single word had said it all. He didn’t think her chances were good. “There is always a possibility that some are naturally immune to whatever this is.”
He was only trying to make me feel better. Unfortunately, it was a wasted attempt because it hadn’t worked.
Blake gestured at the couch. “Things are going to be a lot different. Even after this is all finished, our world is going to be completely changed.”
I could live in a changed world… but only if I had Maddie with me. I exhaled slowly.
“All I know is that I have to get to my daughter,” I said.
“When this is over, I’ll help you,” Blake offered. I wasn’t exactly sure why he was offering considering he didn’t know me. Perhaps he thought he owed me a favor for having shot Freddie.
I shook my head. My leg bounced up and down rapidly. “I’m not going to wait a month to go to her. I’m not even sure I can wait a day.”
Chapter Eleven
All three of them were staring at me with their mouths hanging open. It was clear they all thought I was insane. They were probably having deep regrets about inviting me to stay with them.
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