Lost World (12 page)

9

“WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT.” Winston’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, and he glances down at the dashboard for the hundredth time. “We’re running on fumes.”

Axl leans forward like it will change the outcome if he’s the one looking at the gas gauge. He shakes his head and sighs, and it’s one of the most defeated sounds I’ve ever heard. “We gotta stop. Try and stash the truck someplace so it ain’t out in the open.”

Winston nods. His lips are so tight I doubt he could talk if he tried, but he doesn’t even try to say anything. He just stares out the window at the passing forest, looking for a good place to pull off the road. We’re in the middle of nowhere.

I catch sight of a small opening in the trees just to our right and lean forward. It looks like an overgrown driveway, but it isn’t paved. It would be easy to miss if we weren’t looking.

“What about that?” I say, pointing to the break in the trees.

Winston nods again, then slows the truck. “It’s narrow, but it might work. Plus, we’re kind out of options here. We go any further and we’re going to risk running out of gas in the middle of the street. We can’t leave our only supplies out in the open like that.”

He turns the wheel, maneuvering the big vehicle onto the path. It’s so narrow that branches scratch against the outside as we move forward, reminding me of nails on a chalkboard. Winston drives until the path ends, then puts the truck in park. In front of us sits a crumbling house that was taken over by weeds decades ago. The roof has collapsed and the windows no longer have glass. The front door hangs open, swinging on the hinges. It sure as hell isn’t a place we can hide out in.

The three of us sit in silence for almost a full minute. Staring out the window at the house, thinking about our lost and missing friends. Wondering what the future holds for us next. I can barely breathe, and it doesn’t seem like Axl or Winston are either. We just do nothing. Like we aren’t sure where to go next.

When Winston finally exhales, it makes me jump. “Guess we should get out and let everyone know what’s going on.”

He opens the door and hops down, and Axl is right behind him. I don’t say a word as I slide out and slip my hand into his. Together we head to the back of the truck, and on instinct I pull out my gun and sniff the air. It’s clear and colder than it was when we left the hot spring. There’s a bite to it now that makes me think of snow. I’m not sure if it’s too early for that, but I do know we’re in serious trouble if it happens. We’ve been having a tough time finding warm clothes. Raiding houses has helped, but finding stuff to fit the kids has been a real challenge. The stores were still stocked with summer things when the virus hit, so going to a mall didn’t help. Other than a few lightweight jackets and sweatshirts, we don’t have a whole lot to choose from.

Angus is standing at the back when the door rolls up. He has his gun drawn like he’s ready for a fight, but he relaxes when he sees us.

He spits, then jumps down. “Shit. Don’t look like a town to me.”

“We ain’t gonna make it,” Axl says.

Parvarti hops down and Darla follows. Al and Lila come to the back of the truck, but they don’t get out yet. They’re all staring at us. Waiting to hear what we have to say. I hate that look. It makes me feel like I should have more answers.

“We’re about two miles outside of town,” Winston says. “We can send a few people out while everyone else waits here. Hope they’re able to find gas or another car. Or we can all go for a walk. Find a building in town and hang out. Get some rest while we look for gas and supplies.”

“What do you think?” Al asks, looking at Axl.

Axl purses his lips and glances toward Winston, but he’s staring at the ground. I’m not sure if he doesn’t know what to do or if he just doesn’t care anymore. Maybe a little of both.

“I think we all oughta go. We got no guarantee we’ll find gas in that town, and leavin’ everybody out in the open like this ain’t good. It’s gettin’ colder. Probably gonna snow.”

“What about people or zombies?” Lila asks, gnawing on her bottom lip as she clings to Al.

“The town was empty when we were there before. Nothing around,” Parvarti tells her. “I agree with Axl. I don’t know if there’s going to be any gas there, and that means we could be stranded for a couple days. It would be smarter for us to go now instead of having to walk back to get everyone.”

Angus spits again, then nods. “Yeah. Sounds like a plan. Be better to find a buildin’ than hang out in the back of this truck. We gotta pack up some shit, though. Blankets an’ stuff. Make sure we’re prepared in case we gotta stay for a day or two.”

“It’s going to be a tough walk with the kids. Especially with Jake being sick,” Winston mumbles. He still hasn’t taken his eyes off the ground.

“We’re gonna hafta carry him. Take turns.” Axl goes to the back of the truck and pulls himself inside. “We better get movin’.”

It doesn’t take us long to get everything together so we can head out. Joshua carries Jake while Sophia, Anne, and the kids huddle together in the middle. Parvarti and Winston take the lead. Angus and Darla walk to the right of the kids and Lila and Al take the left, which leaves the back for Axl and me.

We’re all armed with guns and knives. Parvarti carries her bow. The ammo we picked up back in California is running low, and conserving it is as important as conserving our food. If we don’t find a way to get more weapons soon, we’re going to be in real trouble.

I pull my quilted jacket closer to my body when a cold breeze whips across the road. My pack is loaded down with water and food. Plus I have a couple rolled up blankets attached to it. Axl carries his own bag, along with another bundle of blankets.

I can’t stop thinking about Jon and Hadley. They have nothing. Even if the Nissan hadn’t been destroyed, we didn’t have any supplies stored in it. Just in case it got stolen. They left with almost nothing, and it’s gotten a hell of a lot colder since then. I’m not sure Hadley was dressed warm enough.

Then there’s the mystery of the box I found. If it’s hers and she’s out there, she’s even more at risk. Part of me wants to talk to Darla so I can confirm exactly who the owner is, but another part of me doesn’t want to know. Both alternatives sound horrible. If it’s Darla’s that means Angus is going to be the father of my half-sibling—shit—but if it’s Hadley’s…. Just thinking about that makes me nauseous. I never thought there would be a scenario where my mom getting knocked up by Angus was the best alternative, but after what Hadley’s been through, it is.

“You think they’re okay?” I ask Axl.

We’ve been walking in silence for ten minutes or so. It’s slow going since we’re all loaded down with supplies and we have the kids to worry about. At this rate, it’s going to probably take us an hour to get there.

“Hard to say for sure, but I’d put money on Hadley. She’s a survivor.”

“You going to tell me what was really going on between you two before she left?”

Axl glances my way briefly before focusing on the road ahead of us. “Don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re a shit liar. Something was so far up Hadley’s ass she couldn’t wait to get away from you. What happened?”

Axl sniffs, then shakes his head. “Can’t say.”

“Because you don’t want me to know or because you don’t know?”

“Both.”

I force all the air out of my lungs and watch as it rises in front of me. He’s lying, but I don’t know why. Sometimes Axl is still a mystery to me. Even though we’re together almost twenty-four hours a day and I’ve gotten to know him so well I feel like we’re the same person at times. Maybe there will always be a part of him that’s blocked off.

My nose feels like an icicle by the time the first building comes into view. Winston slows down, and Axl and I jog to join him and Parvarti. Just like she said, the place seems deserted. It’s silent and the air is fresh, which is always a good sign.

“What are you thinking?” Winston asks.

Axl looks back at the group behind us, then down the street. The place is one of those single-stoplight towns. There are a few old houses, then the main square with some ancient-looking stores that probably went out of business twenty years ago. A small grocery store is the only thing that looks like it still might have been open when the virus struck. A gas station sits at the end of the street, but it’s small. One pump. Probably wasn’t even set up for credit cards. Other than that, the only thing I see is a post office.

“Wanna avoid the grocery store,” Axl says. “Gonna smell like shit in there and chances are the windows are busted out anyways.”

“They are,” Parvarti says.

Axl moves forward, and everyone shuffles after him. The further into town we get, the easier it is to see why Parvarti and the others weren’t able to find anything useful when they came here before. The place looks like it was deserted a long time ago. Probably only had a few inhabitants to begin with.

“Post office,” Axl says.

He picks up the pace, and I jog after him. I can hear Parvarti’s heavy breathing at my back.

“Was the other town you went to bigger than this?” I ask Parvarti.

“Yeah, but not by much. I think if we want to find anything useful in this area we’re going to have to go east. There’s a small college town out that way. Trouble is, it’s going to be overrun.”

“Could be our only chance, though.”

Her eyes meet mine, and she nods. “Yeah.”

We come up behind Axl, who has stopped outside the post office. He’s studying the building, and right away I can see it’s a good place to hide out. If we can get in. There are no windows and the front door is solid.

“We gotta break the lock,” Axl says.

He jiggles the door, but I can tell he’s only doing it out of curiosity. It rattles but doesn’t budge. There’s no real way to break in since there aren’t any windows.

He steps back and surveys the building, then turns to Angus. “Let’s head on back, see if we can get in that way.”

“Sure thing.” Angus nods and spits, then heads to the side of the building.

“Everybody stay here,” Axl says, following his brother. “We’re gonna check out back.”

We stand in a huddled mass outside the post office, trying to keep warm. No one talks. Ava shivers, and Sophia hugs her daughter close, rubbing her little arms to try and keep them warm. Jake is still in Joshua’s arms, his head leaning against his chest. The little boy doesn’t even open his eyes, and there’s worry etched in every line on Joshua’s face. There’s a blue tint to the little boy’s lips that makes my insides constrict until it feels like they’re being crushed. We found antibiotics, but it may be too late for Jake. If he dies, it will be a major blow to our group. Worse than what we just went through. Zombie attacks we expect, but death from an illness is something we should be able to prevent. It’s terrifying to know that something so small could take one of us down.

I pull my eyes away from the sick child and focus on the town. Keeping my eyes and ears open. It’s silent though. Like every living thing has been sucked off the Earth except us. It’s the silence that gets to me more than anything, I think. I’ve never known such emptiness. There was always noise before. Cars or planes, people yelling or laughing. Living. This nothingness is something I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to.

The door rattles behind me and I jump, spinning to face the building. My heart pounds even though I know with almost a hundred percent certainty it’s Axl and Angus. Something clicks, and the door is shoved open.