Glory (Book 3) (6 page)

Chapter 6

Jane walked into the house. The little boy was standing there, waiting. He didn't move. He didn't say anything.

Charles came in behind her and closed the door. He pulled back the curtains and looked out of them. "I think we're okay," he said. "I don't see any of thos
e
thing
s
, yet."

Jane didn't say anything to that. She was happy that the creatures hadn't arrived, but she didn't want to spend too much time thinking about it at the moment. She didn't think that talking about it in front of the little boy would be fair, either.

She looked at him. "Hello."

He continued to look at her with his big eyes. Nothing more.

"What's your name?"

Again, no response.

Jane turned to look at Charles. She hoped that he could help with the situation, but he was busy looking out the window. His head swivelled from side to side. She couldn't blame him - he wanted to make sure that they'd be safe. She turned back to the little boy.

"My name is Jane," she said. "And this is Charles."

The boy looked from her to the old man.

She turned too look at him too. This time his hand was raised, telling her to be quiet.

"What's the matter?" she asked him.

"I think I see something," Charles whispered. "Over there. I'm not sure."

Jane thought about rushing to the window, but she didn't want to leave the boy. She needed to get through to him somehow and didn't think that leaving him to check on one of the creatures would help. She knew that Charles would warn her of any trouble.

She bent down so that she was eye level with the boy.

"Can you tell me your name?' Jane could tell that was scared. She reached out to put her hand on his shoulder. He pulled away. "I'm not going to hurt you." Her voice was soft, reassuring.

The boy didn't look so sure.

"Are you alone?"

No response.

Jane looked back to Charles. He looked more nervous now, as though the creature had gotten closer.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"There's two of 'em," Charles said. "But I don't think that they know we're here. They just keep wandering around over there on the other side of the road."

"Two of them? Together?"

"Uh-huh."

"They're not fighting each other?"

"No."

It was the first time that Jane had heard such a thing. And it shocked her.

"Do you see anything else?" she asked.

"No."

Jane didn't know what to make of it all. It would be horrible if the creatures had started to hunt in groups. It would mean that they would be harder to avoid, harder to escape. Their chances of survival would be…she didn't want to think about it. Besides, right now, she needed to concentrate on the little boy.

She turned back to him. "Is there anyone else with you?"

At this, the boy lowered his head and swallowed hard. After a moment more, he spoke. "He's dead."

Jane was taken back by his words. Even Charles turned away from the window to look him.

"Who's dead?' Charles asked.

"Petey," the boy replied.

Jane and Charles exchanged a glance.

"Who's Petey?" Jane asked.

The boy swallowed hard again. "My brother. He's dead."

Jane wanted to reach out and hug the child. Though she wasn't sure if that would scare him. She knew that this was a critical time. The boy had started opening up to them. She couldn't risk it.

"Is he in the house?" she asked.

The boy shook his head. "He's out there." He pointed out the door window.

Jane wondered if his brother had been one of the two bodies she had seen lying in the garden. She didn't think it necessary to ask. It didn't matter which dead body was this little boy's brother. All that mattered was that he was dead.

"So, you're alone?"

The boy started to shake his head, then thought better of it. He ran off down the hallway and disappeared into one of the rooms.

Jane and Charles exchanged another uneasy glance.

"Should we follow him?" Jane asked, standing up.

Before Charles could answer, the little boy came charging back into the hallway. He was holding something in his hand. A big, blue stuffed animal. A bunny rabbit. Its ears flopped around as the boy approached. He held it up for Jane and Charles to see.

"This is Mr. Baker," he said.

Jane forced a smile for the little boy's sake. She could tell that he was proud of his little toy. Though something about it saddened her
.
This little child had been left alone with nothing more than a stuffed animal to take care of him.

"It's nice to meet you," Charles said. He stuck out his hand and grabbed the stuffed animal's paw. He shook it a few times. "My name is Charles."

The boy smiled, pleased at Charles' introduction. Jane figured that she should follow suit.

"And I'm Jane," she said. She, too, shook the bunny's paw. Then she turned back to the little boy. "And what i
s
you
r
name?"

He looked up at Jane with his big, dark eyes. "I'm Robert. And I'm five years old."

Jane's heart dropped when she heard the boy's age. She knew that he was young. She could tell by looking at him. But hearing it from him was something else. It made it more real somehow, made her realize the severity of their situation and how unfortunate this child had been. She couldn't speak.

Charles decided to speak for her. "You're five years old?"

Robert nodded his head.

"I don't believe it. I was sure that you were at least 6 or 7. You're such a big boy!"

Robert's smile widened. He stood up straighter. "Nope," he said. "I'm only five. Honest."

"Well, I believe you," Charles said. "But you're a big one!" He reached over and patted the young boy on the head. Robert didn't pull away from his touch.

Jane watched the conversation unfold. And, though she was still saddened by the boy's situation, she couldn't help but smile along with him. Robert looked so proud at Charles' words. Charles looked so proud that he had said them.

"Now," Charles continued. "Is there anything to drink around here? I'm thirsty."

"You bet," Robert replied. He turned and ran off down the hallway.

Jane looked at Charles. The old man smiled. Then he held out his hand in a gesture that sai
d
ladies firs
t
.

Jane turned to follow the boy. So did Charles.

Though, before he got very far, he turned back to the window to take another look.

Chapter 7

Jane followed Robert into the kitchen and placed her backpack on the ground. The little boy climbed onto the kitchen countertop as she did.

"What are you doing?" she asked, nervously.

"Glasses," the little boy said. "You need glasses."

At first, Jane wasn't sure what he was talking about. She thought that he was referring to her eyesight. But that didn't seem right.

She watched as the little boy raise his arm to reach for the cupboard
.
Oh, those glasses
!
"Let me help you."

She walked over to the little boy and reached over his head. She opened the cupboard and pulled out three of them.

"Over there," Robert said. He pointed to the kitchen table.

She made her way over to it.

As she put the glasses down, Jane couldn't help but notice the state of the table. On top of it there were two cereal boxes. Both opened. One was lying down. Cereal had spilled out from it onto the floor. There was also a bowl filled with cereal and milk. The milk had been spilled all over the table.

Jane looked at the little child. His expression conveyed guilt.

"I spilled them," he admitted.

She raised the corners of her lips. She didn't want him to think that he had done anything wrong. He obviously had had to take care of himself and had done a pretty good job. "That's okay. It won't take long to clean up."

Jane placed the glasses onto the kitchen countertop and grabbed a dish cloth. She tried to turn on the sink tap, but it only sputtered air and a few drop of water. The water had been turned off. Or had run out.

She turned back to face Robert. He continued to look guilty, as though he had been the one responsible for the water. She smiled again.

"Do you have any water?" she asked.

Robert shook his head. "
I
di
d
. But I drank it. Was that bad?"

"Of course not! I'm sure you were very thirsty."

"I spilled some of it too," he added. "Out there." He pointed to the living room.

"That's okay. Don't worry about it. But we'll need to find some way to clea
n
thi
s
up."

She looked back at the cereal and milk. Though only for a second. She turned and went to the counter to look under the sink. There she found a few cleaning supplies. She took them over to the kitchen table and began to clean up the boy's mess. Robert watched. He looked as though he waned to help, but Jane told him to sit down, everything was okay.

As she finished the last few wipes, Charles walked into the room.

"It's all clear," he said.

Again, Jane didn't understand. She thought that he was talking about the cereal and milk. But she had just cleaned it up. He couldn't have known.

"Outside," Charles clarified. "They've gone."

Jane shook her head
.
Oh
,
she thought, that'
s
clea
r
.

"Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Jane replied. "Just cleaning up a bit."

Charles didn't say anything more about it. He looked at the little boy and could see that he was embarrassed. He sat at the kitchen table. "So, where's that drink you promised me?"

"It's in the fridge." Robert replied. "Can I get it?" The little boy wasn't asking Charles. He was looking at Jane. As though she was in charge.

Jane took the soiled rag over to the sink. "I'll get it," she said as she went. "You can sit there and relax. You've done a very good job taking care of yourself. You need a little rest."

Robert didn't look too sure of himself, but he smiled when she said that he had done a good job.

Jane walked over to the fridge and opened it. There wasn't much inside. It had been several days since everything had changed and the little boy must have rampaged through the food in his fear. She pulled out a small box of grape juice and took it over to the table.

"You don't have much left," she said. "You must've been very hungry to eat all of that."

Robert looked at her and shook his head. "No, I didn't eat a lot. There wasn't much food in there."

"There wasn't?"

"No. My parents went shopping. That's where they were
-
getting foo
d
."

"They left you alone with your brother?" Jane tried not to sound angry, but she couldn't believe that people could have left their five year old son alone.

Of course, if he had gone with them, he might have been killed.

"Not for long," Robert explained. "They do it every week. It's always been okay."

Charles reached out and put his hand on the boy's arm. "It's fine," he said. "No one is angry. We were just wondering." He glanced at Jane.

She knew that she shouldn't concern herself with it
.
What's done is done
.
She didn't need to upset the boy. She opened the juice box and poured three small glasses. She handed them out.

"Thank you," Robert said, softly

Jane reached out and put her hand on the little boy's head. "You're welcome," she said. "Now, don't worry, I'm not mad. I'm just a little tired tired."

Robert looked up. "They never leave us for long. And Petey is a very good babysitter. He's ten."

Well
,
Jane thought
,
ten might be old enough to be left alone. But to take care of a five year old child
?
She wasn't all too sure about that.

She raised her glass to her mouth and took a sip. The juice was warm. The refrigerator didn't work because the power in the house was out. Just as it had been everywhere else.

Chapter 8

Rick walked along behind Joe. Carl and Big Mike were up far ahead of him. They had left the camp a while ago
.
Left his prize…

Rick couldn't stop thinking of the young girl. For some reason, she made him feel important. Like he had come through with something in all of the shit that had happened. Something that h
e
owne
d
.

He wanted to call out to Joe and tell him that he was going to turn around. He had no more intention of following Carl and Big Mike to find more supplies. He already had what he wanted
:
the young gir
l
.

At that, he realized that he didn't even know what her name was. He hadn't asked. That would be the first thing he did when he got back.

He also didn't trust Carl. The man was insane. The way he had killed that man a few days ago
.
Smashed his head in with a boulder
.
That was too much.

Plus, there was the way he had talked to hi
m
when he had arrived back at camp. Carl had no right. The young girl was Rick's. No question about it.

Shi
t
, Rick thought
.
What had he gotten himself in to
?

He picked up his pace to catch up to his friend.

Once there, he reached out and slowly touched Joe's arm. He didn't want Carl and Big Mike to notice.

Joe turned to look at him.

"What the fuck are we doing?" Rick asked. His voice wasn't much more than a whisper.

His friend shrugged his shoulders.

"Then why the fuck don't we get out of here? We could go back to camp or something? Take the girl and start a crew of our own?" The wor
d
cre
w
sounded funny to Rick as soon as he said it. It was something out of a bad 50's movie.

"I don't know," Joe said uneasily. "You think it's a good idea?"

"Sure, it's good idea. We don't needed these guys. We can survive fine on our own."

"Yeah…but I don't know."

"Fuck," Rick said a little louder than he felt comfortable with. He shot a look up at Carl and Big Mike. They hadn't noticed. "I don't know, I don't know. Do you know anything?"

Joe looked hurt by Rick's comments. And, for some reason, Rick felt bad about saying them. He didn't want to hurt his friend. Joe was one of the only people left in the world that he trusted. Him and Jim. But Jim's face had been blown to bits.

"I'm sorry, man," he said. "I didn't mean that. It's just the situation, you know? It's driving me crazy."

Joe accepted his apology with a nod of his head and a smile on his lips.

"It's you and me, pal," Rick continued. "We're in this together."

"Yeah…but I still don't know if it's a good idea to leave."

Rick didn't, either. Actually, he was pretty sure that i
t
wasn'
t
a good idea. If Carl and Big Mike saw them walking away, they'd probably come after them and beat the shit out of them. Or worse, kill them.

Yet, he wanted to leave anyway. "We've gotta get out of here. You with me?"

Joe thought about it for a moment. Then he nodded his head.

But before they could make a move someone shouted at them from the front of the line.

"Hey!" It was Carl.

Carl's hand was raised his hand, but Rick didn't know what it meant. It looked like a sign from the army or something. Except Rick had never been in the army. For all he knew, neither had Carl. Maybe the guy just lifted it from a war movie. He wouldn't put it past him.

"You two, get up here," Carl continued. "There's something that I want you to see."

Rick swore. He didn't want to take any more orders from this guy. He wanted t
o
giv
e
orders. Unfortunately, he didn't think he'd be able to do anything about it at the moment.

"Let's go take a look," he decided. "We can take off later. Sound good?"

Joe nodded his head and the two ran up to catch up with Carl and Big Mike. Carl with his tattoos. The one of the snake on his fuckin' arms. And Big Mike with that big shotgun.

Fuck, these guys were crazy.

Rick slowed down and as he approached them. "What's up? There a problem?"

Carl glared at him, annoyed, but he gathered himself and pointed out over the distance. "See that?"

Rick looked. He couldn't see much of anything.

Then he noticed them. It looked like a group of people. Maybe three or four. They didn't look very appealing, though. They weren't carrying any bags. It didn't even look like their clothes were very nice.

"What about 'em?" Rick asked. "You wanna attack 'em or something?"

Carl laughed. "No, we're not going to attac
k
the
m
. Those are the creatures."

"The creatures?"

"The creatures!" Carl slapped Rick on the back.

"I thought they killed each other," Rick said, ignoring the man's touch.

Carl raised up his finger as though he were about to teach an important lesson. "That's why I called you up here. It seems that our competition has changed. They seem to like each other now. Isn't it sweet?"

Carl smiled. It made Rick sick.

"No, it's not sweet," he said. "It's fuckin' scary."

At that, Carl's smile dropped.

Rick knew that he shouldn't have said anything. He simply couldn't help it. It wasn'
t
swee
t
at all that they creatures were working together. That meant that the creatures could hunt in groups.

Carl moved his face closer to his own. Rick could smell the man's breath. Surprisingly, it smelled like mint. Rick had expected something foul.

Their leader tilted his head and  brought one of his eyes closer to Rick's. "I
t
i
s
sweet," he said. "It means that they've evolved. You know what that means, don't you? It means that they're trying to survive. Like us. They're trying to work together. Like us. They want to live
.
Like…u
s
."

Rick couldn't say anything to that. Nor did he didn't want to. He was sure that anything he said would either leave him with a bullet, or a boulder, in the head. He simply nodded.

"Good," Carl said. "You understand."

Rick nodded. "So, what are we going to do?"

Carl raised his hand and looked as though he was going to strike Rick. But, before he did, he composed himself and flattened his shirt with the palms of his hands. He turned back toward the creatures walking across the horizon. "We're just going to sit here for a while and watch."

Rick didn't argue. None of them did. If that's what Carl wanted to do, then that's what they would do.

*

They waited until the creatures had gone.

"Beautiful, wasn't it?" Carl asked.

Only Big Mike shook his head.

Carl turned to look at Rick. "What di
d
yo
u
think?"

Rick wanted to say it was stupid
.
So fuckin' stupid
.
They were wasting time. They had was
t
e
d
time. And it had been dangerous. If the creatures had seen them...

"I don't know," he muttered. "It was okay, I guess."

"You guess? Do you understand what you've just seen? It's survival. It's how a species comes together. It's how they bond. How they thrive."

Rick wanted to shou
t
big fuckin' dea
l
. But he didn't. He just shrugged his shoulders.

That got him a cold stare from Carl. So much so that Rick thought that this was the end.

He watched anxiously, his heart beating heavily.

Carl didn't move. And he didn't attack. "Let me get this straight, you didn't see anything beautiful in that?"

Rick knew that he should just sa
y
yeah, it was fuckin' great. I can't wait to see it agai
n
. But the words wouldn't come out.

He saw Carl twitch.

This was it. He was a dead man. He knew it.

Yet, it didn't happen. Carl's twitch turned into a smile. "Think about it a little more," was all he said. "We can talk about it later." Then he screamed, a great yell over the landscape.

Rick cast a look at Joe.

Yeah, no doubt about it, this guy was nuts. And he and his friend needed to get out of there.