“That’s awful,” Leah said slowly approaching the girl. She held out her arms and the girl leaped into her arms. “I’m so sorry.”
“I went into the house,” Heather said. “I shouldn’t have gone back inside. I knew it was too late to do anything.”
Leah gave her a quick squeeze before stepping back. “Let’s go inside. I’ll give you something to eat and drink.”
“Really?” Heather asked.
“Yeah, of course,” Leah said.
I followed them back inside the trailer. Heather sat down at the table and Leah gave her a bottle of water.
“Did you ever see those men again?” Leah asked.
“No, thank God,” Heather said. “I wish I could ask them why, though. My parents were good people. They would have shared anything we had with them. They didn’t need to kill them.”
“People do crazy stuff,” I said.
Heather’s head bobbed. “My parents and I were going to eventually make our way to my uncle's place.”
“Why?” Leah asked.
“He has a place in New Mexico. I’d only visited a few times but he was always wanted to show us what he was building,” Heather said.
My eyes narrowed. “What was he building?”
“Long before all this happened, he was working on one of those bunker things. He’d send pictures and links to my dad of all the things he was doing.” Heather chuckled softly. “My uncle was always trying to convince my parents to do the same.”
Leah’s eyes brightened. “That’s where you’re going? To your uncles?”
“I’m trying but I can’t say I’m doing a very good job,” Heather said.
“You said you’ve only been there a few times?” I asked.
“That’s right,” Heather said. “Which is partly why I’m doing such a bad job. When I get closer, I’m sure I’ll be able to find it.” Heather clasped her hands together. “Is this New Mexico?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure. It might be Colorado.”
“But it could be New Mexico?” Heather asked.
“Could be,” I said. “Everything kind of all looks the same now.”
“It sure does.” Heather frowned.
Heather started crying. She hugged herself while her shoulders bobbed.
Leah looked at me as if she wanted me to do or say something. I was almost sure there wasn’t anything I could say that was comforting.
“There, there,” I said awkwardly patting the top of her head.
Leah sighed.
“I’m not going to make it on my own,” Heather said. “I barely even made it this far. Where are you two going?”
I opened my mouth but Leah spoke before I could squeeze out a word.
“We’re just looking for somewhere safe,” Leah said.
“You guys aren’t going to kill me, are you?” Heather asked.
Leah narrowed her eyes. “Why would we do that?”
“I don’t know,” Heather said covering a small giggle. “I haven’t slept in a couple days. You have to forgive me. But if you are going to kill me, would you please get it over with?”
“We’re not going to kill you,” Leah said both trying to sound reassuring while the question seemingly irritated her.
“Okay,” Heather said sucking in a breath that made her bottom lip quiver. “Good. Can I come with you then? I promise I won’t be any trouble.”
Leah sat down next to her and placed her hand over Heather’s. “We don’t know where we’re going. We’ve had our own struggles and prefer to go on our own way.”
There was a long pause. Heather sobbed but she nodded.
“I understand,” Heather said.
“I’m sorry,” Leah said.
“No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked,” Heather said. “Still, it was very nice to talk to actual people. Unless, of course, I’m dreaming all of this. Either way, it’s still nice.”
Leah stood. She pulled some food out of her backpack and set it on the table.
“We should go,” Leah said meeting my eyes. “I hope you find your uncle.”
“Good luck,” I said wanting to roll my eyes at myself.
I didn’t feel great about leaving the girl. Maybe we should have tried to help her, although I didn’t know how we’d be able to do that when we were barely able to take care of ourselves.
I gave her a little wave before stepping outside into the rain. She smiled and waved back.
“Are we doing the right thing?” I asked after we’d walked in silence for at least a mile. I glanced back but I couldn’t see the trailer… just a few trees and dead shrubs scattered about in the mud.
“I hope so,” Leah said. “But I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Me too,” I said. “We could go back.”
Leah glanced over her shoulder. Her lips pressed together.
“We don’t need to,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
Leah raised a brow. “She’s about a quarter of a mile back. Running from tree to tree. She’s been following us since we left.”
6
Stevie
The rain poured down on us. Thunder rumbled in the distance to our west.
I stood there with my arms folded as I stared at the house. My lips allowed a slow breath to escape.
“How did this happen?” I asked staring at the hole in the roof.
The only bright side was that it happened to the smallest house on the property. If it had happened to the main house, it would have disrupted our daily life.
It was one of the buildings we used for storage but that hadn’t meant that no one had been inside.
I looked at Shawn and then around the area. “No one got hurt, right?”
“Stevie, seriously.” Shawn raised a single brow. “If someone had been hurt, don’t you think I would have started with that?”
“Probably,” I said running my palms down the back of my soaked hair. “Dammit. We need to get everything out of there before the whole thing collapses.”
“I’ll gather the others,” Shawn said.
Ever since the men from the town had come to our home, I was anxious anytime we were outside for too long. Not just for myself but for everyone who lived at the compound.
“Not too many,” I called after him.
We needed to work quickly to salvage whatever we could but too many people could slow us down. Not to mention, it felt like it would put too many of the others in danger.
“That doesn’t look fixable,” Gage said.
“No, no, it doesn’t,” I replied.
“Doesn’t mean I won’t try,” Gage said pulling in a breath that shook his arms.
I twisted my fingers together. “Of course, it doesn’t. But first things first. How can we prevent this from happening to the other buildings?”
“I’m not sure,” Gage said. “It’s not like the weight of the water caused this, I think it’s because it’s just too waterlogged. There isn’t anything we can do besides praying for the rain to stop.”
“If praying stopped the rain, it wouldn’t be raining anymore,” I said.
Shawn was already on his way back with five others. Ella and Noah looked concerned.
“We kept all the good stuff in here,” Noah said as he approached. I noticed that Shawn and Noah were holding the shotguns.
“Two stand guard while the others work. We’ll all take turns,” Shawn said.
I offered an approving nod. “Good thinking.”
“Where do you want us to put all this stuff?” Shawn asked.
“Some in the basement, I guess. Some in the main house and….” A frustrated sigh escaped from between my pursed lips. “We’ll just have to put it wherever we can find space.”
Gage pressed his lips together and pointed at the two houses closest to the one Jack Quinn stayed in. “Those two have room upstairs and on the first floor too.”
“Let’s start there then,” I said.
The water dripped down
inside the house. It didn’t fall in little drops, it poured in like it was coming from a filthy, broken faucet.
I worried about climbing the drenched carpeted stairs. The last thing we needed was someone getting hurt if the stairs collapsed.
“They seem sturdy enough,” Gage said hopping a bit on each step while holding onto the banister.
“It’s like you read my mind,” I said.
“We’ve been together for quite some time now, Stevie,” Gage said with a smile. “I can read your expressions.”
I cocked my head slightly. “So, we don’t have to talk?”
“Should I be offended by that comment?” Gage asked with a laugh. His playful mood instantly vanished when he reached the second floor. Gage looked up, placing his hands on his hips. “Well, shit.”
I wasn’t an expert in anything but I knew the roof was unfixable. “Wow. Now I’m worried about the other houses.”
“Let’s hope this was due to faulty construction,” Gage said shaking his head. “I don’t know but we should work fast.”
“Agreed,” I said.
We moved the stuff to the closest house first. It didn’t take us as long as I had expected.
“Let’s get these last boxes over to Jake’s house,” I called.
I led the way. Shawn and Gage held the shotguns as they escorted us down the road.
My eyes scanned the horizon. I couldn’t see far because of the mist the rain created. I kept blinking, afraid I was seeing shadows of people watching us in the distance.
“Everything okay?” Shawn asked.
“I thought I saw something,” I said.
“Where?” he asked adjusting his grip on the gun.
I waved my hand in the air. “It was my imagination.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I think so,” I said.
“That doesn’t reassure me.”
I turned, looking at the horizon again. “It’s just rain.”
“Could be animals,” Shawn said.
I shook my head. “It’s nothing. Relax.”
“You’re telling me to relax?” Shawn asked with a soft chuckle.
I rested the box against the door frame. I raised my hand and knocked on the door.
My eyes shifted back toward the horizon and Shawn followed my gaze. He opened his mouth but I spoke before he could say anything.
“It’s just rain and shadows, okay?”
I knocked again. It felt as though we’d been standing there for a long time. The others shifted their weight impatiently while holding the heavy boxes. It was odd that Jake hadn’t answered the door.
“Maybe he’s using the bathroom,” Gage said.
“Jake?” I called as I knocked again.
He didn’t come to the door. I shook my head as a heavy worry filled my stomach.
“Do you have a key?” Noah asked setting down the box he was holding.
“I have it,” Shawn said stepping forward. He unlocked the door and stuck his head inside. “Jake? Are you here?”
Every once in a while, he walked over to the main house for one of Kieran’s warm meals. He ate quickly and he never stayed long but he enjoyed her cooking.
No answer.
I pushed past Shawn and entered the room. I set the box down and moved through the house nervously.
“Jake!” I called as I headed from room to room. “Where are you?”
My heart pounded harshly. It felt like I was being stabbed with razor blades on the inside.
I passed the partially opened bedroom door and stopped. Something had caught my eye.
A pair of boots, Jake’s boots, pointed up toward the ceiling. I pushed open the door.
He was lying on the floor… not moving. “Jake!”
7
Joss
It wasn’t more than a few days before I broke down and told Jenna. I couldn’t keep it a secret when she’d asked about why I hadn’t made more of my infamous watered-down oatmeal.
“We’ll just ration,” Jenna said. “I’ll be okay.”
I paced the floor. “No, we can’t do that. You’re pregnant. You need it.”
“You’ve been giving me too much the way it is,” Jenna said shifting on the sofa to get into a more comfortable position. “There’s still a chance the bear will come back.”
I groaned. “That bear isn’t going to come back. It’s probably out there dead somewhere.”
Jenna stood, stomping her way to the kitchen. I followed her, watching as she pulled open every cabinet.
“Look,” Jenna said holding out her arms to each side. “We have plenty. You’re overreacting.”
“I’m not overreacting,” I said my eyes shifted toward her belly. It somehow looked even bigger today, which was a good sign. It meant the baby was still growing.
Jenna waved her hands. “You really are. We have week’s worth of food left.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked shaking my head.
“Not even a little,” Jenna said. Her eyes widened. “And I still have hope that bear will come back.”
I exhaled as my eyes rolled.
“Let’s go sit outside a while,” Jenna said.
“Jenna,” I groaned. I hated getting wet. We didn’t have a large selection of clothing to choose from. The owners of the house we were in hadn’t left much behind and what they had left didn’t fit particularly well.
Whenever we went outside, we’d have to undress and wear something ill-fitting until our clothing dried. It was uncomfortable, not to mention it made me nervous to not be in my own clothes. If someone came… or if something happened… well, I wanted to be in my usual outfit.
“Okay,” I said.
We went outside and hid under a blue tarp at the side of the house. The second I sat down, my pants were soaked. Mud seeped in, staining the fabric.
“I kind of miss the store,” Jenna said. “All those clean clothes. I could wear something new every day.”
It was the first time she brought up something from when the guys were alive. My stomach swirled. It suddenly tasted like I’d swallowed an entire lemon wedge.
Jenna turned to me. “What do you think happened to it? Do you think it’s gone? Flooded?”
“Probably,” I said. I didn’t want to talk about the store. It brought back all the memories of Caleb and Robby. Good memories. Something really close to happy memories.
At the time, I hadn’t felt entirely safe but it had been the closest I’d come… since after everything. I desperately wanted to change the subject but couldn’t think of a damn thing to change it to.
“I slept so much better at the store,” Jenna said. “And it would have been a much cleaner and safer place to have a baby.”
“The store is gone,” I said sharply.
Jenna hesitated. “I know that duh. Sorry for wishing things weren’t so shitty.”
“They could be worse,” I said getting to my feet. “I need a break. We’re not going to catch anything in this rain.”
“You’re leaving me?” Jenna said.
“I’m going inside,” I said.
Jenna sighed. I felt bad but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t reminisce. It would only remind me of everything I’d lost.
She followed me inside. We didn’t talk the rest of the night except for when Jenna needed to use the bathroom.
We went upstairs to sleep, locking ourselves in a bedroom like we did most nights. It didn’t take Jenna long to fall asleep but I sat there staring at the window for what felt like hours.
My eyes abruptly popped open at the sounds coming from downstairs. Jenna must have gotten up to get something to eat. She didn’t want me to know.
I started to roll over but my body stopped when I rolled into Jenna. My eyes widened. The noises were real and I most definitely wasn’t asleep.
“Jenna,” I whispered as I lightly shook her body.
“Shh,” she said pulling the blanket over her shoulder.
“Did you forget to lock the do
or when you came in?” I asked.
She must have heard the sounds. Fear saturated her face.
“Of course, I did,” Jenna whispered. “Must be Clover.”
Clover was curled up at the bottom of the bed near my feet. She didn’t seem to care about the noises one bit.
“It’s not Clover,” I said.
“The bear?” Jenna asked.
I shrugged but it seemed unlikely. “It sounds like someone in the kitchen. Are you sure you locked the door when you came in?”
“I didn’t come in last. You did.”
“No,” I said shaking my head. “It was you.”
“Well, then, I’m sure I locked it,” Jenna said.
I grabbed the knife from the nightstand but I didn’t get off the bed. I didn’t want to make even the slightest of noises.
“What are we going to do?” Jenna asked mostly hissing the question.
“I guess we’ll wait until they leave,” I said.
“What if they don’t leave?” Jenna asked. “What if it’s the bear?”
We fell silent at the distant sound of someone using the bathroom. I slowly turned to Jenna.
“It’s not the bear,” I said.
A cabinet closed in the kitchen. Seconds later, creaking sounds of another opening.
“They’re taking our food, Joss. We need that food.” Jenna sighed. “We have to do something.”
I waved my hand frantically while I silently shushed her. My fingers squeezed the knife handle.
Slowly, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I slipped my feet into my still soaked shoes, hoping the squishing was only something I would hear.
“Put your shoes on,” I said over my shoulder.
“Why?” Jenna asked.
My mouth was as dry as a desert. I winced as I swallowed hard.
“In case we have to run,” I said.
Jenna repeatedly nodded as she put on her shoes. There wasn’t much light in the room but there was enough from the candle to show me the fear on her face.
She held onto my arm as we moved toward the staircase. We didn’t make a sound. We also only made it halfway down the stairs when we had stop.
My hand was shaking. My muscles were frozen in place.
The Reset Series | Book 6 | Striking Page 3