Dark Inside (25 page)

Chickadee was crying. She tried not to let anyone hear, but a few sniffles filled the room. When Mason looked back at her, the tears on her face were as big as crystals.

“I’m such a girl,” she said.

“That’s okay,” he said.

“It was just a really sad story,” she said. “I can’t imagine what it would be like going through life without feeling. Or
feeling so much that you couldn’t stand to watch someone you love die.”

“Maybe he couldn’t bear to bury her,” Mason said, thinking of his own mother. “So that’s why he left.”

“Either way it’s just a story.” Paul yawned and went over to the couch and picked up a blanket. “I’m tired,” he said. “It’s time for bed.”

Mason wanted to ask him why he told that particular story, but Paul rolled over on his side, facing the wall, making it clear he had nothing more to say. Chickadee reached out and touched Mason’s arm, getting his attention.

“I’m tired too,” she said. “Can I still have top bunk?”

Mason gave her half a smile. “Sure. I’ll take first watch.”

“I’ll take second,” Paul said. “Wake me in a few.”

Mason went and used the bathroom and tried washing off some of the dirt and sweat on his face with a water bottle and one of the towels on the rack. It helped a bit. He rubbed his tongue along his teeth, deciding they’d have to remember to grab some toothbrushes soon. The face in the mirror was unfamiliar; it felt like years had passed since he last saw his own reflection.

Yawning, he returned to the room and sat down in the chair by the window. The air around him was quiet, but he knew no one was sleeping yet. When he roused Paul several hours later, he had the feeling Paul still hadn’t slept at all. They silently traded places and Mason crawled into the bottom bunk, pulling the covers up to his chin.

He lay in the dark, staring at the wood above him until his eyes grew heavy enough to close.

At the moment before he fell asleep, he heard Paul’s voice reach out through the blackness.

“I’m not strong enough.”

But he was too tired to respond.

When he woke the next morning, Chickadee was sitting in the chair by the window. Her body was stiff and she held her head in her hands as if she couldn’t keep her neck upright without the help. Her entire body trembled. How long had she been sitting there? Why didn’t she wake him up?

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“He’s gone.”

“Huh? Who, Paul? Where’d he go?”

“Just gone. He left me. Us.”

Mason pulled at the blankets wrapped around his legs. They clung to his body, refusing to let go. Eventually he freed himself and moved over to the window where Chickadee waited, tears streaming down her face.

“He can’t be gone,” he said. “Maybe he just went for food.”

“We have food.”

“Did you look outside?”

“He’s not there.”

“Why would he do such a thing? I don’t know Paul as well as you, but I can’t imagine he’d wander off like that. He cares about you.”

“That’s the problem.” Chickadee finally looked away from the window. She reached over and took Mason’s hand. “He cared too much to watch me die. Just like the story.”

Her fingers were soft and slightly damp from the tears. Mason didn’t know what she wanted him to do. She was seeking comfort, but there were no words he could use to make things better. There was something visible just behind her eyes, an answer to a question he didn’t want to ask.

“Are you dying?” The words hung in the air like a bad smell.

“We’re all going to die.”

“But are you sick? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I’m not sick.”

“Okay.”

A can of lukewarm Pepsi rested on the table. Chickadee reached for it and took a long drink. “I’m so thirsty,” she said. “I think I’ve cried all the liquid out of my body over the past few days. How much more before I shrivel up into a husk?” She squeezed his hand and pulled him closer to her, so their noses were almost touching. “Please don’t leave me, Mason. I don’t think I could stand it if you go.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

Her lips brushed his, a small kiss. It happened so quickly he couldn’t fully decide if it was actually real or his imagination. Opening his arms, he pulled her into him, wrapping himself around her and trying to keep her safe.

They stayed that way as the minutes passed and his arms cramped, but he didn’t let go. The front of his shirt grew wet and uncomfortable, but he barely noticed. Finally she pulled back, and he released her reluctantly.

“Do you want me to go look for him?”

She sniffled and shook her head.

“What do we do now?”

“We move on.”

Mason nodded. It sounded like the right thing to do.

“Daniel?”

The figure on the floor rocked back and forth, but his eyes remained closed. Aries moved around to the side, trying to get a better look at his face. Daniel’s eyelashes were fluttering, but he didn’t wake up.

From behind her she heard the sounds of people. Nathan hissed her name. She could see their flashlights from across the store.

“I’m over here,” she half whispered, half shouted.

Aries turned her attention back to Daniel, still sprawled out across the ground beside her. She couldn’t believe it was him. She’d spent countless hours remembering their brief conversations, playing his words over and over in her head like a broken record. She never thought she’d see him again.

But here he was.

Serendipity?

There was a deep cut on his forehead. He was no longer bleeding, but his hair was matted from where the blood had drained out while he slept. A small red stain spread out like an
inkblot on the yellow tiling. His face was pale with the exception of a bruise on his cheekbone.

She picked up the flashlight he’d been holding. It was small and blue. The same one she’d given him. He’d kept it. Not just kept it; he’d been holding it. Did that mean he thought about her, too? This was an entire store filled with better flashlights—why did he still have this one?

She smiled, even though she knew it probably wasn’t anything worth getting excited over. But still, it might be a sign. A good one.

The black jacket covering his body didn’t look very warm. The corner of the sleeve was torn. Something shiny stuck halfway out of the pocket. Without thinking, she reached over to touch it. The object was metal and cold to the touch. She pulled it out, a small switchblade with blood on the blade. Shuddering, she dropped the knife on the floor.

He moaned and his eyes fluttered again. She was worried that he might be sick, so she placed her palm against his forehead. His skin was boiling.

“Aries?”

She jerked back in surprise. Daniel’s eyes stared up at her, dark brown and piercing but still rather dazed. He looked past her as if she wasn’t really there.

“You remember me,” she said. Her stomach gave a little leap, as if she’d just gotten on the roller coaster at Playland.

“Aries, but you’re a Gemini.”

She nodded.

“I’m happy you’re alive. I thought you might be dead.” He tried to hoist himself up on his elbows but winced instead, his head resting back on the cold ground. All his strength seemed to drain out over the tiles.

Yes, she was alive. Anger flared through her, if for only a
moment. He’d left her after making a promise. For the past several weeks she’d thought about all the things she’d say to him if they crossed paths. Why did he help her and then disappear? How come he knew so much? He’d told her this would happen—he knew people were attacking and that the world was ending. How did he know? How come she knew? She remembered her conversation with Ms. Darcy before she left.

Something bad is about to happen. It’s already started. I know you’re feeling it too. It’s like an electric charge. I can’t explain it. I’ve been sensing it for weeks.

She
had
been feeling it. At the time she didn’t know what it was. It started small, a strange sensation in the back of her brain that swept across her nervous system, like receiving dozens of small static shocks. She’d thought she was coming down with something. When the earthquake happened, she’d been too distracted with Sara to fully understand it. But afterward, trapped in the abandoned apartment, she’d had plenty of time to work through the details. Her thoughts always returned to Daniel. He was the key. He knew something that she didn’t.

But now, with him lying on the floor, looking so wilted, she couldn’t bring herself to verbally attack him. Her concerns and fears changed to whether or not he was dangerously ill.

“Looks like I’m doing better than you,” she said, reaching out to touch his forehead again. “You’ve got a fever. How long have you been sick?”

He shrugged. “It’s nothing. Comes and goes.”

“Do you think you can be alone for a few minutes? I’m going to get you some Tylenol from the pharmacy section. I should get you up on one of the bed displays. It’ll be warmer.”

He smirked and started coughing violently. She waited for him to finish.

“I’ve been alone for a long time. I can handle a few more minutes.”

“That’s right. You don’t care much for company.”

“Aries?” Joy appeared with Nathan by her side, staring down at the unconscious boy in surprise.

“This is Daniel,” Aries said. “Remember? I told you about him.”

“The guy who helped you after the bus crash,” Joy said. Her eyes lit up immediately. “I’m Joy. This is Nathan.”

Daniel blinked a few times, trying to hold back the pain. “I’d shake your hand but I’m not sure I have the strength.”

“Are you okay?” Nathan asked.

“He’s got a fever. Maybe you can help me get him onto one of the beds.”

Ignoring Daniel’s protests, the three of them managed to get him over to one of the displays, where Aries helped him lie back on a bright pink bedspread. She grabbed a blanket off the shelf and covered him.

“We should check the pharmacy,” Aries said. “Maybe we can find something that’ll help.”

Joy nodded. Nathan looked a little uncertain. Aries grabbed his sleeve, pulling him along whether he liked it or not. “We’ll be right back.”

Daniel didn’t say anything. Closing his eyes, he relaxed into the pillow. It wasn’t like he’d be going anywhere soon.

“Sorry we’re late,” Nathan said once they were out of earshot. “Had a little bit of trouble. Took us a while to shake them. Man, those psychos can run.”

“I lost my bike,” Joy said. She was bleeding from a cut on her arm, but aside from that they seemed fine. “Nathan had to double with me. Not fun.”

“Good thing you’re light as a feather,” Nathan said. “Otherwise we might not have gotten out.”

“They brought me down,” Joy said. “Pulled me right off my bike. One of them tried to bite me. Can you believe it? Just like a bloody zombie movie. I would have been toast if it hadn’t been for Nathan. He’s my new hero.”

“We were lucky,” he said. “I managed to knock one of them out. It felt amazing. I haven’t been in a fight since I was a little kid. What happened to you?” He’d noticed Aries’s torn jeans leg.

“Took a spill,” she said. “Cornered too fast. My own fault. Luckily I’d already lost them.”

“We’d better find something for you, too,” Joy said. “That might get infected. Does it hurt?”

“Yeah, it stings but I’ll live.”

“We’d still better be careful,” Nathan said. “Do you think you can trust that guy? I mean, how well do you really know him?”

“I can’t believe you found him,” Joy said. “What are the odds?”

“It’s weird,” Nathan said. “Why is this guy here of all places? And he’s just sleeping in the store when the back door was unlocked? Does he have a death wish?”

“He’s sick. Maybe he just got desperate. And he doesn’t like groups,” Aries said. “He’s got this idea that people are safer being alone.”

“Not me,” Joy said. “I don’t think I ever could have gotten this far by myself. But aren’t you mad at him? He left you, right?”

“It’s not important,” she said. “He’s here now, and he needs help.”

In the pharmacy department, they found the fever medications, but there were a lot to pick from and she was momentarily overwhelmed.

“This one’s good.” Nathan handed her a bottle filled with burgundy liquid.

“How do you know?”

“My mother was a nurse. She always kept this stuff on hand. It tastes disgusting. But it works.”

“Okay.” She opened the box and slipped the small bottle into her pocket. “Anything else? I mean, what if he needs more?”

“Give him some Tylenol.”

Joy grabbed the closest red-and-white bottle from the shelf. “Got it.”

“And you’re going to need this,” Nathan said, pressing a bottle of saline solution and some gauze bandages into her hand. “For your leg. You’re bleeding.”

She’d forgotten about her own problems. They seemed so unimportant compared to everything else. But Nathan was right. She’d have to clean herself up or she might find herself with a nasty infection. Such things could be fatal in this new world. A clean pair of jeans would help too.

“Look.” Aries glanced back toward the housewares section, but of course she couldn’t see anything from where they were. “We’ve got to change our plans. I can’t leave him, and I doubt he’s strong enough to travel. I think you guys should get the stuff we need and head back without me for now.”