RecruitZ (Afterworld Series) (3 page)

I locked the basement door behind me and did a double jiggle of the lock to ensure she didn’t accidentally wander down there. I was sure it would just be another bit of gossip that my friends would toss around for awhile before approaching me to perform an intervention. That was something I could really do without.

“Hey,” my voice sang out as I flung open the front door. “So good to see you.”

I hoped my acting skills were up to par.

Abby sailed through the door and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. She was dressed in grey yoga pants and a navy sweatshirt. She had straightened her normally wavy, blonde hair, and she looked really nice and healthy. That was a look of progress I enjoyed seeing. Most of us had gone without for so long during the outbreak, a gaunt appearance was the norm.

“Ready for dinner?” Abby asked, holding up two brown bags.

“Sounds good to me,” I said, realizing I wasn’t even sure when I’d eaten last. “Let’s spread out in the family room.”

“You look amazing, Becky,” she complimented me. My brown hair hit just below my shoulders, which helped to hide how skinny I’d become, or at least I hoped it did.

“Thanks. You’re not looking so bad yourself,” I said.

“It’s amazing what a constant food source can do for a person. I’m filling out again in all the right places.”

“I’m sure Caleb is happy about that,” I laughed, following her down the hall toward the family room. I turned my eyes away from the wall where all of the photos of Gavin and me hung. After the outbreak, anywhere we went I made him take a picture of us. I was just so excited to be participating in life again—even our first trip to the grocery store was documented. I was grateful to have those photographs. Nevertheless, I usually avoided this route to the back of the house.

The family room was one of the first rooms Gavin painted when we got back in my family’s house. A gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach crept up as I thought about that day, how much fun we had. I glanced around and saw the bright, cheery yellow walls. Back then it seemed fitting somehow… Now, not so much.

Once I flipped on the lights, I noticed that every surface had a thick coating of dust. I never really came in here unless I was grabbing a book off one of the shelves.

Oops!

The ivory curtains were closed along with all of the drapes in my house. After seeing the dust on the furniture, I could only imagine what a good shake of the curtains would release.

“What do you have to drink?” Abby dumped the bags on the coffee table, ignoring the tiny dust particles that floated around. That’s what good friends were for.

“I’ve been specializing in beer, coffee, and more coffee.”

“Sounds good and in that order.” She plopped on the couch and began looking around the room as I went to the kitchen to get our drinks.

“Where’d all of your art books go?” she yelled from the family room.

Shoot! I didn’t expect her to notice that.

I grabbed a bottle opener and walked back to where I’d left Abby. She was staring at the farthest bookshelf, which now overflowed with books and manuals on weapons, surveillance techniques, tactical planning, and nano-technology. Nothing like what I used to enjoy reading, but these gave me a purpose. And to wake up every morning, I needed a purpose.

“I put them all up in the attic. I can always pull them out when I need them,” I muttered, sitting next to her on the couch. I handed her a beer and the bottle opener, hoping to distract her enough to move on.

“Kind of a sudden switch of interests,” she mused, raising a brow at me.

“Meh.” I shrugged, taking a sip of the beer. I turned on the television, and she grabbed the remote from me and began channel surfing.

“Not that I don’t trust your wonderful taste,” she said, before I could object.

Okay, so the twenty-four-hour news channel wasn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but I liked it.

“What’s Caleb doing tonight?” I asked.

“He’s at the library doing research for some paper.” She gave me a pouty face. “I think they should give us all a pass and an honorary degree for all we’ve been through.”

“Ditto.”

She took another chug of her beer, and I noticed a flicker of sadness in her eyes. Like everyone, her family wasn’t what it once was. We all managed to think we had put the savagery behind us, as if we could pile the grief somewhere. What we were all coming to realize was that sorrow couldn’t be ignored, and we could never predict when a piece from the pile would come tumbling down for others to witness.

We ate our teriyaki, catching up on things about her and Caleb and our other mutual friends. Caleb and Abby were finally planning on getting married. I think Gavin’s death had something to do with the sudden change of plans for them. Previously, neither of them had any interest in marriage until after they finished school and started their careers. It was hard to think we might start living in a world with careers again. That seemed so far off.

I melded into the rhythm of our conversation, answering some questions and dodging many more, as I attempted to suppress the restless energy that was beginning to fill me. I had a place to be in less than an hour and I didn’t want company.

“You seem like you’re doing better. More focused,” she offered.

“I’m beginning to see my purpose in the world again,” I confirmed, feeling the ghost of a smile surface on my lips. I didn’t really want to divulge what I thought that purpose was.

“Hey, are you coming back to school?” she asked, folding her legs under her.

“I don’t think so. Not yet.” I shook my head and glanced at the television.

“I think Gavin would want you to keep going,” Abby said quietly.

My stomach clenched as soon as I heard his name.

“I’m going back. Just not yet. I’ve got some stuff I need to take care of,” I replied.

Abby brought her beer to her lips and slowly sipped. I could tell she was going to start the lecture again. It was the one conversation I could count on with her whenever we got together. It also explained why I didn’t get together with her very often.

She placed the bottle back down on the table and I waited for it. Abby narrowed her eyes at me and took a deep breath in and exhaled.

But she didn’t say anything.

“So what classes did you sign up for?” I asked, hoping to dodge an unpleasant conversation.

“Environmental Chem, an English Comp class, and Globalization in the Afterworld,” she said flatly. She was pissed. She didn’t even look at me when she answered.

“The Afterworld? Is that what the academics are calling it now?” I shook my head. Gavin would’ve gotten a kick out of that. “Sounds like a heavy load.”

She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the television.

“I can’t even pretend to imagine what you went through,” Abby started.

I turned and stared at Abby. Her blue eyes connected with mine. I arched a brow and leaned back on the couch waiting for what she really wanted to tell me. I knew all my friends were thinking it, but it was only Abby who had the balls to say anything to my face.

“But you’ve gotta let go. Quit pursuing something that doesn’t exist,” she said.

“So now you don’t believe me? What I saw?” I whispered, leaning over the table.

“The other witnesses never saw any vans pull up, Becky. I just think with everything that you experienced, you may’ve thought you saw something like that, but…” her voice trailed off as her eyes filled with tears. She looked over at the bookcases and then looked back at me.

That wasn’t like her usual lecture. Nope. It was completely different. She was dropping me off in the crazy bin and possibly not planning on picking me up again.

“I know what I saw.” My words steadied. “It was a planned attack. I’m not the only one who’s experienced something like it, either.”

Her gaze dropped from mine, and she crumpled a napkin in her hands.

“Don’t you see what you’ve become?” Her mouth pursed together disapprovingly, and I wanted to shake her. Snap her out of whatever delusional fairytale she was living in. I wasn’t the one with the problem.

“What’s that?” I questioned, watching her fingers tear through the napkin.

“You’ve become completely obsessed with conspiracies and things that aren’t true. I mean look at your reading material.” She pointed at the bookshelves.

“So you think I’ve become some wacko?”

She just told me everything I needed to hear. I now knew I had to walk a fine line, even with my friends. There were places for people like me, and no matter how much I hoped my friends wouldn’t volunteer me for one, I was no longer sure.

“It’s not that. I just think that you’ve become obsessed with a possibility that’s unrealistic.” She looked away. “The government’s trying their best to capture the rogue zombies, but their first mission was to get everyone vaccinated. We all know that a zombie floating around here or there isn’t that abnormal, and unfortunately, they can still rip us apart.”

“So Gavin was just another casualty of war?” I questioned, ignoring her statement about a rogue zombie. We had a horde attack us, not a straggler.

Her eyes softened and she reached for my hand.

“I think you know the answer to that.”

“I know what I saw.” I pulled my hand away from hers and wrapped it around my beer bottle that was unfortunately empty.

“You’re wasting your life. He never would’ve wanted this.”

“Then tell me… why wasn’t I killed? Why did the zombies leave me alone?” My pulse was racing. “Why was there a horde of zombies and where did they all go?”

“Sometimes bad things happen, and it doesn’t mean anything beyond the obvious.” She turned her face to look back at me. “I’m only telling you this because I care about you.”

“Our histories are being constructed right now, and I want to ensure my story is heard,” I said, kicking my legs out in front of me.

“And what story is that?” she asked.

I glared at her.

“It’s the story of truth. Not just what some want represented. If we don’t start acknowledging the things that are going on around us, history will repeat itself, and the next time, it might not be possible to stop. What I witnessed was unstoppable. They were on a mission. It didn’t matter that we were vaccinated. They used their strength, not their disease. I lost my best friend, my world, Abby.” I gulped away the tears. They wouldn’t help. Only the truth would help.

She shook her head and moistness formed on her lower lids.

“I care about you. We all do.”

I needed to watch my step. I had to maintain control and that was even more evident with every one of her pity glances. I had to change my tactic.

“I get it.” There was no point in arguing. All I could do was discredit the naysayers. It was unfortunate I had to add my friends to that list. I nodded and plastered a pretend smile on my lips.

“I’ve upset you. I can tell. I’m just so happy to be able to visit with you. I didn’t mean for it to go this way.” She patted my knee and let out a sigh. “How about if I take off…if you promise to meet with me again soon.”

“Sounds perfect. Are you busy Friday?” I asked.

A huge grin spread across her face. “Really?”

“Yeah. Totally.” I stood up and tossed the pillow I had been holding back onto the couch. “You’re right. I need to start participating in life a little again. It’s what he would’ve wanted.”

I was surprised how easily the lies slipped out.

“Maybe a little of the old Becky is coming back,” she said, hopping off the couch, hugging me.

Impossible
.

“So does the afternoon sound good on Friday?” I asked, smiling.

“Absolutely,” she said, and gave me one last hug.

We walked to the front door and with every step the anxiety began turning to excitement. I was ready to start my evening.

I waved goodbye as she climbed into her car and drove off. Closing the front door, I locked the deadbolt and ran to the basement door, almost giddy with the prospect of tonight’s adventure.

Let the games begin.