Of course, it might have been happening unconsciously. Or at least part of it.
The jobs had seemed meaningless. He’d always sold tires or hotdogs or even insurance. And in the back of his mind, he’d known that none of it really mattered.
If he hadn’t sold the goods, someone else would be happy to step in and fill his shoes.
But now, things were real.
People relied on him.
Jim relied on him. Jessica relied on him. And Aly too, probably more than any of the rest.
If Rob failed, the other three might not make it.
What Rob did mattered.
He had a purpose.
And that was why he’d pushed himself harder than ever.
There’d been moments, sure, where he’d almost caved. There’d been moments where he’d found himself alone in the kitchen with all the food. He could have easily snuck a few hundred extra calories.
But he’d somehow stopped himself. He hadn’t given in. Just thinking about them all starving in a few weeks was enough to stop him.
He’d continued to work on his firearms training after the Carpenters had shown up.
When they came again, he wouldn’t feel like he couldn’t shoot. He’d remember everything that he’d been taught and put it into practice. He could almost see Mr. Carpenter lying on the ground already, a bullet in his chest.
He wasn’t someone who liked to hurt people. But that cheap shot, the way they’d shot Ally when driving away, well that was too much. It made his blood boil.
Rob was standing outside the lake house, watching the end of the driveway intently.
It had only been a few hours since Jim had left.
The door behind him opened, and Jessica stepped out.
“How’s Aly doing?”
“Same as before. Doesn’t look good.”
“I hope Jim gets back soon.”
“Me too. I hope he gets back. Period.”
“He will.”
“How do you know?”
“I know him. I’ve seen him once he puts his mind to something.”
“Let’s hope that’s true.”
“What are we going to do about the shifts?”
“With just two of us, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll rest when we can. A couple hours here or there. Should be enough to keep us going until Jim gets back.”
“You look like you’re going to pass out right now.”
“I’ll be fine. You should get some rest, though.”
“I’m fine, too.”
Rob grunted. “Why don’t you make us some coffee, at least, if we’re both too stubborn to take a break.”
Jessica nodded. “Sure,” she said. And after a pause, she added, “Do you think they’ll come in the truck?”
“You say that like they’re definitely going to come.”
“I thought that was a given.”
Rob said nothing for a couple moments. He was thinking. His eyes scanned the driveway and moved to the evergreens that surrounded the lake house, shielding it from view. “If it was me,” he said. “I wouldn’t come barreling down the driveway. I’d sneak up. Maybe split up.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” said Jessica. “Because that’s the same thought I had.”
“So how do we defend against that?”
“Keep an eye out,” said Jessica.
“That’s it?”
“What else can we do?”
Rob groaned. “I think I’m going to need that coffee to be a double. Maybe an extra tablespoon of instant in mine?”
Jessica shook her head. “Rations, remember? They even apply to coffee.”
Rob groaned again as Jessica disappeared inside the house, the door closing behind her.
The seconds turned into minutes, and Jessica didn’t yet return with the coffee. He wondered if she was expecting him to go into the kitchen. But on the other hand, she knew one of them had to be outside at all times.
His mind was tired. Of course she’d come back outside.
Thoughts came and went in cloudy swirls, disappearing and reappearing without any apparent order.
He was vaguely aware that he was losing track of time.
How long had it been since he’d slept?
What was he doing?
Oh yeah, he was patrolling around the house. Where had he been last? Maybe out to the road.
It was time to check on the lake.
By the time he was walking towards the lake, through the trees, he’d completely forgotten about the coffee and Jessica.
Rob knew that sleep deprivation affected short term memory. But that knowledge didn’t help him remember anything.
It was only a few minutes walk down to the lake. Rob stood on the edge and stared out across the calm waters. There was a slight breeze that had been blocked by the trees around the house.
Rob took deep gulps of the air, and it seemed to make him feel more awake.
The lake looked beautiful. The sun, when it peeked out from behind the clouds, glinted across the ripples on the water.
It would have been a nice place to visit on a vacation, if Rob had ever really had a vacation. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d held a job long enough to have a vacation.
What was he doing down here?
Patrolling.
He needed to keep it together.
People relied on him, after all.
Where was the reliant Rob? The hardworking Rob? The Rob with a purpose?
He was fading away. Sleep deprivation and exhaustion were eating away at him.
But he’d push through. Just like he knew Jim would, out there in the nearby town.
Suddenly, Rob realized that something was out of place.
There was a canoe on the edge of the lake. The bow had been pulled up and it rested on the rocky shore. The stern of the long, green, canoe bobbed slightly with the tide.
That canoe shouldn’t have been there.
It wasn’t there before.
Even Rob’s muddled brain could understand that.
His heart started to pound.
Adrenaline started to course through him.
He started to wake up out of his stupor. His brain understood the danger. It was telling his body to marshal all available resources.
So that he could be ready for a fight.
Rob’s hand went to his gun. He got it out. Got it ready. Finger on the trigger.
He sunk down to a crouching position, getting himself closer to the ground.
His eyes scanned the area, moving rapidly.
So the Carpenters had decided to come. And some of them had come across the lake.
But where were they?
Had they already made their way toward the house and Rob had somehow missed their path when he’d come down to the lake?
Or were they there, hiding among the trees? Waiting to ambush him?
Rob felt his hand getting sweaty as it gripped his gun.
It was completely silent, except for a lone bird off in the distance and the gentle lap of the water against the short.
The only thing Rob could hear was his own heart thumping.
25
Jim moved cautiously but swiftly through the abandoned pharmacy.
As he’d suspected, the place had been ransacked. Probably days earlier.
Everything that could be eaten or drunk was gone. The shelves were empty, and many had been overturned.
There was trash on the floor. All sorts of things, from papers to wrappers. There was even a street sign that had been graffitied, torn off, and dragged into the store for some unknown reason.
Maybe it was the work of a mob. Maybe it was just a few people, desperately looking for something to feed their families with.
Who knew.
What mattered to Rob was whether or not there were antibiotics left.