Gaby wondered if “good guy” guard Howard was one of the men she had shot in the woods while Peter and Milly were fleeing. She said instead, “What did he say?”
“That I should stop asking about Jake.” Peter walked quietly for a moment before continuing. “The day after that conversation, Howard started avoiding me. I figured it out pretty fast that I was going to be next.”
“So you decided to escape.”
“It seemed like the thing to do.”
Gaby sneaked a glance back at Milly, then said quietly to Peter, “Why did you drag her with you?”
He shook his head, clearly offended by the suggestion. “I didn’t. But she wouldn’t stay behind. We’ve been together since all of this began, and I guess I’m the closest thing to family she’s got left. I tried to talk her out of it. Hours and hours of conversation.”
“He goes, I go,” Milly said loudly behind them, with all the confidence a teenage girl who didn’t know any better could muster. “Case closed.”
Peter gave Gaby an exasperated “See?” look.
Gaby almost smiled but managed to stop herself in time.
People die around you, remember? These two can die at any moment. Don’t get too attached.
Don’t get too attached…
The city of Dunbar, according to Peter, had a population of 10,000. That was twice as many as Ridley, Texas, where she had spent the first eighteen years of her life. She expected the city to look more impressive given its size, but it reminded her too much of her hometown — spread out and unspectacular and…country.
After passing the empty acres of unattended farmland, they moved through the suburban areas filled with old and new houses. The bulk of the city was in front of them, gathered around State Highway 190. The highway was flat to the ground and would have looked like any other road if not for the signs. One pointed south toward I-10.
And beyond that, Song Island…
They stuck to the roads, maneuvering around the occasional abandoned vehicle. Homes, businesses, and gas stations flanked them. The afternoon sun continued to beat down mercilessly, further soaking her in her own sweat. All of it just made her miss Song Island more.
For a city that 10,000 people used to live in, Dunbar was abandoned and empty and dead. They waited thirty minutes near the outskirts and listened for noise or anything resembling life but didn’t hear a single thing. The stillness continued as they made their way inside. Instead of making her feel better, the quiet only gnawed at Gaby, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched from the very first moment they stepped foot into the city limits.
“Ten thousand people?” she said.
“Doesn’t feel like it, does it?” Peter said.
“No, it doesn’t.” She walked in silence for a moment. Then, “Look for a place to stay the night.”
“Already?” Peter said, glancing down at his watch.
“We took too long to get here. And it’s harder to find a safe place than you think.”
Peter nodded. “What kind of place are we looking for?”
Gaby thought about the pawnshop. About Nate… “Something with a basement. Just to be safe.”
“I’m hungry,” Milly said.
“Can we look through the gas stations for food first?” Peter asked.
She stopped in the street as her own stomach growled. On cue, Peter’s and Milly’s joined in. The three of them exchanged smiles, and this time she wasn’t able to stop herself in time.
“Yeah,” she said. “We should probably find something to eat.”
Gaby took out the Glock and handed it to Peter. He took it hesitantly, as if he was afraid it would go off if he gripped it too tightly. She gave him two spare magazines and he put it in his pocket.
“Be careful,” she said. “If you run across one of them, don’t fight or shoot, just run.”
“Just run?”
“Shooting them will just piss them off. You saw what happened in the cave.”
He nodded and turned the gun over in his hand.
“Have you ever fired a gun before, Peter?”
He gave her an embarrassed look. “Is it that obvious?”
“Just point and shoot.”
“Where’s the safety? I thought guns have safeties?”
“Glocks don’t.” She held up her forefinger and twitched it in front of him, the way Will had done to her all those months ago back on the island during the first phase of her weapons training. “That’s your safety.”
“My finger?” Peter said, slightly confused.
“You don’t pull the trigger, and the gun won’t go off. Simple as that.”
“Oh,” he said.
“Here,” Gaby said, and took the Glock back and handed him Mac’s 1911 instead. “This one has a safety.” She showed him the switch, then took back the magazines she had given him and passed over two new ones. “Be careful.”
Peter felt a little better, and it showed on his face.
“Milly, stay with me,” Gaby said.
The girl nodded quickly. “Don’t gotta tell me twice.”
“Nice,” Peter said.
They settled on an Exxon gas station at the corner of Tripps and Meer and walked around a white pickup truck in the parking lot before passing two more vehicles frozen at the gas pumps. The convenience store was long and advertised “Beer Cigarettes Liquor.” They were just hoping for some nonperishable food.
Gaby went inside first, Peter behind her, while Milly stayed outside on the curb, looking worriedly back at the empty street. There was an auto body shop called George’s on the other side, flanked by two big red buildings, including a Mexican restaurant called Rosita’s.
Peter fidgeted behind her, and she prayed to God he didn’t accidentally shoot her in the back.
“Don’t shoot until you’re sure,” she said quietly.
“Okay.”
“I mean it.”
“Okay,” he said again.
For some reason she didn’t believe him, but she kept that to herself. “Let’s stick together, okay? You watch my back and I’ll take the front. Try not to stray too far.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She rolled her eyes. Was she being bossy? Probably. Then again, she was the one who had been out here for the last year. According to him, Peter went to sleep in one of those blood farms on the very first night of what Will and the others called The Purge and didn’t wake up again in one of the camps until two months later. He wasn’t exactly equipped to survive out here, especially dragging around a thirteen-year-old girl who had about the same experience as he did. Maybe that was a bit harsh, but she had no time to pussyfoot around when her life was at stake.
Gaby headed down the first aisle they came to, scanning and listening for sounds other than their own footsteps and Peter’s slightly loud breathing. There was enough sunlight that she wasn’t too worried about ghouls hiding behind the shelves. But there were other things just as dangerous as ghouls in the daytime.
The city’s too empty. So why does it not feel empty?
They went through the aisle and found nothing of interest except some melted chocolate on the floor, little more than puddles of black and brown spots now. The M4 she had taken off one of the dead guards felt more at home in her hands than the AK-47, and it moved in front of her as they finished up with the second aisle. Despite the comfort level, the fact that the rifle wasn’t loaded with the right ammo played havoc with her confidence.
“What’s that smell?” Peter asked.
“Rotten food,” she said.
“Oh.”
“The freezer’s at the back. They should have some water, too.”
“Good, because I’m thirsty as hell. I know I should have prepared something last night, but it never entered my mind. I guess I’m not very good at this.”