Finally, Hattie’s body was completely still and I dropped the pipe to the floor. I just about threw up like Lucas had outside, but I was able to hold it in. I turned away from her body and made my way out of the restaurant. Lucas was still sitting in the parking lot. I knelt down next to him and handed him his mother’s ring.
“She won’t become one of them,” I said softly.
He didn’t say anything, but he let me hold him as he stared at the ring. Neither of us slept that night. We just sat in silence until the morning came.
Lucas and I were resolved to a life as travelers. We had tried to stay in one place for long periods of time but it never seemed to work out. Supplies would run short. A herd of greyskins would run us out. Any number of things would happen to keep us on the move at all times. Once or twice we tried to become part of a group or village. We made promises to pull our weight. We swore up and down that we would be worth the food it would cost to make us a part of their community, but we always got the boot. Groups had already decided upon their members. Villages were too careful about who they let in. So, we moved around for the next two years in no particular direction. For some reason, it worked for us. Sure, if we had come up on a town or group that was willing to have us, we would have gladly joined with them, but by this point, we were no longer looking.
On the road, we had become more skilled at avoiding the greyskins. We became better killers, better hunters. Lucas taught me everything he knew about stalking a prey for food. We would set traps and if we ever came across a rifle, we would hunt deer. Guns were few and far between and on a couple of occasions, the sound of the blasts got us in trouble, so we usually preferred not to travel with them. We made slingshots to kill squirrels and birds, and we carried sharp weapons to fend off the greyskins. We avoided the cities and towns so we wouldn’t come across raiders. That’s not to say we didn’t have some close calls.
This particular night was storming wildly. The winds howled and the lightening flashed, shooting out booms of thunder so loud that I had to cover my ears. It was imperative that we find shelter, but when we came across a shady cabin in the middle of the woods, it almost seemed safer to brave the storm. Lucas looked at me with rain dripping off his face, our clothes soaked to the skin.
“It looks small enough,” he said. “Shouldn’t be too many greyskins in there if any.”
I was more worried about the fact that it might have someone in it. The thought of greyskins didn’t scare me. We stalked toward the front of the cabin, the rain concealing our steps. Lucas held a crowbar in his hands and I had a long dagger I had found on a dead body.
At the front door there was a sign that said Frank Miller. I didn’t really like that I knew the identity of the cabin’s owner.
Lucas pressed his face against the window and peered in. “It’s just one room,” he said. “Doesn’t look like anyone has been here in a while.”
“Okay,” I nodded at him.
He stepped forward and tried the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. He stepped in quietly and I followed behind him. The room was dank and smelled awful. To our right was a small fireplace with wood chopped and stacked neatly next to the hearth. To our left was a bed with a dead, bloody corpse in it. It might have turned to a greyskin if it were not for the self-inflicted bullet hole in its forehead. A handgun was resting in the man’s limp hand.
Then I knew I didn’t want to know the name of the owner.
“I’ll start a fire,” Lucas said.
As he worked at the fireplace, I looked through each cabinet and closet in the cabin. I found plenty of food that had gone bad and rotten, but there were some nonperishable foods as well. In a closet, I found a bunch of blankets. I grabbed one and covered the corpse.
Out of sight, out of mind, I thought.
Once the fire was started, I poured a can of beans into a pot and cooked it over the flames. I sat in a chair next to Lucas and smiled.
“What?” he asked, smiling back.
I shook my head. “Nothing,” I said. “It’s just… I’m really happy to be in here right now.”
“Even with Mr. Miller behind us?”
“Mr. Miller isn’t here,” I said. “He’s out of town.”
“You grab the gun from his hand?”
“Nope. We don’t need it.”
Lucas looked back at the fire and raised his hands to warm his palms, but I continued to stare at him.
“I’m really glad to be with you,” I said.
He looked at me, this time his face much more serious. “The roads have been long, but I would choose to travel them with no one else.” He leaned his head in and kissed my lips tenderly. “I have something for you,” he whispered. He stood and pulled out a silver chain from his pocket. On the end, glittering in the firelight, was Hattie’s ring. “I got this chain off a… from someone,” he said with a smile. “I thought it could be a symbol of our connection together. You and me.”
I could feel the sting in my eyes as they began to water. “But it’s your mother’s ring.”
“And who would she want to have it more than you?” he said.
“It’s an engagement ring.”
He reached out for my hand and pressed the ring in my palm, the chain dangling off the side of my hand. “With it, I want to make you a vow.” His hands were still clutching mine. “I vow to protect you. To put your needs before my own. I promise to survive this whole disaster with you.”
“But how can you promise that?” I asked, looking down at the ring.
He took it from my hand and undid the chain. I leaned my head forward as he hooked it around my neck. “I just can,” he said. “We love each other. What greater force is there in the world?”
Chapter 15 – Remi
It has been two days and I have yet to be taken away from Crestwood. So far, I’ve been locked in a room with no windows and only a bed, and a tiny closet-of-a-nook with a toilet and sink… basically a prison cell. I can’t help but wonder why they haven’t sent me on my way yet. Even Gabe hasn’t come around, though I’m sure it’s because he’s afraid to face me after Paxton’s declaration of my murderous actions.
I spend my hours listening throughout the city. I really have been able to hone my sense of hearing. I map out the town in my mind and it feels like I can almost walk through the streets, listening to whatever I wish. I eavesdrop here and there, but I have yet to find any information about why I haven’t been taken away. I did hear about a new group coming in, though I’m not sure how many of them there are. It makes me think of my first time coming in. I wish I could have heard their entrance questioning, but by the time I found out they were here, they had already been inside a full day. I can picture Paxton now.
What’s your name? Why are you here? Why are you alone? Why are you in a group? How did you hear about Crestwood? Do you have any special abilities? Seriously what kind of question is the last one? Even to this day I can’t guess how he might have pegged me or if it’s just something he asks everyone.
Then there is this whole Elkhorn thing. What if he set me up just so I would go on some wild goose chase to find his daughter because he already knew I was from The Epicenter? Perhaps I had known her during my time there? Truth was, I did know her…or at least knew someone named Jessi Paxton. The girl I knew had been pregnant at the time. I asked Paxton if Jessi was pregnant when he last saw her and he said no, and he sure hoped she wasn’t. I was confused by this but quickly remembered that the reason he hadn’t seen her a year prior to the outbreak was because of the fight over her boyfriend.