The Seventh Day (14 page)

“He’s pissed at you.” She nods exaggeratedly as the
glow of the fire flickers in her dark eyes. She tries to pass me her bottle of
beer.

I shake my head. “No, let’s get you to a safe
place.”

She laughs. “My parents tried to eat me. This is
the safest place in Laurel. You just have to pay Danny the price for that
freedom.” There is a frightening bitterness in her voice. She looks at me and I
hate the lifelessness in her stare. “I thought the biters were the monsters but
I’m afraid I was wrong.”

“I know, but it won’t always be like that.”

She ignores me, bobbing her head to the song we
used to sing in the hallway, “Somebody to You” by The Vamps. The
song’s
beat really kicks off as the kids around the fire
start dancing even more excitedly. Everyone sings like we’re at a regular pit
party and not the last pit party ever. I search out Erin who’s smiling away at
Danny. She bats her lashes and I nearly roll my eyes. I suspect he’s about to
die and he
doesn't
even know it.

Everyone is mid-chorus when suddenly the music
cuts. People scream the lyrics for a whole ten seconds before they realize the
music has cut out. Gunshots ring out into the night. I grab Jamie’s hand and
run for the side of the house, dragging her with me. Kids scream and run around
the yard, trying to hide. Jamie throws up on the gravel at the side of the
house. I gag when the smell wafts up at me but the fear of who or what turned
the music off is stronger than the nausea.

“WHERE IS SHE?” A guy’s voice rings out over the
party. “WHERE IS MY SISTER?”

I glance down at Jamie and wonder if it’s her
brother, Miles. He graduated two years before us and has been in Boston at
school. The screaming voice sounds like his.

I would know it anywhere.

“JAMIE!” he screams again. I leave her at the side
of the house, scared but also desperate to see if it’s him.

And it is.

His dark-auburn hair stands out immediately—well,
after the huge machine gun in his hands. He sees me and points. “You okay? You
hurt?”

“I’m fine.” I nod, shaking slightly.

“Where’s Jamie?” His jaw flexes when he finishes
snarling. The cold hatred in his eyes makes them look like liquid steel.

I reach back and drag her from the side of the house.
He instantly softens. He looks like he hasn't breathed in a year, the way he
gulps his air.

He storms to us through the sea of frightened kids
and grabs her red head that is much brighter than his. He kisses the top of it,
snatching the bottle and breaking it on the fence. We all jump at the sound.

There’s another guy with him who holds his gun on
us all, moving slowly like he’s done this before, a lot. “Let’s go, Miles.
These kids are bait.”

Miles shakes his head. “Of course, the damned world
is ending and you’re drunk.” He kisses the top of her head again and shouts,
“You kids need to shut this shit down. There’s a herd of them coming this way.
They’re drawn to the noise, ya morons.” He nods toward the gates. Kids
scramble, running like each of them knows exactly what’s coming.

Danny steps forward, holding a gun in his hand but
not lifting it from his thigh. “What the hell, Miles? Who invited you? We’ve
been doing fine without you here.”

Erin doesn't hesitate. She lifts her gun, popping
it at the side of his head. Danny’s blood spays from the side of his head as he
drops to the ground instantly. She doesn't notice the guns lifted on her. She
doesn't care. She reaches down and grabs the gun from his limp fingers and nods
at me. “Let’s go.” I bend forward, fighting the urge to throw up everywhere.

Miles gives me a panicked look. “Who the hell is
that?” His gun doesn't move from being pointed right at her.

“She’s a friend.” I don't know how else to explain
any of it. So I just say the thing I think will keep him calm. “When your
sister is sober I’m sure she’ll be able to fill you in on what a great guy
Danny was and how he kept all the girls safe in this little brothel with him.
The rent wasn’t very cheap, apparently.”

Apparently, I was wrong about it calming him down.

Day Six

I can’t help but follow him with my eyes as he
paces, lecturing all of us. Even Erin hasn't said much. Erin, Lee, Sasha, Jamie,
and me all sit with our backs to the wall at my cabin as he takes long strides,
ranting. His friend, Kyle, leans against the wall nodding at all the points
Miles is making. He has a cheeky grin on his smug face that doesn't ever seem
to fade.

“You girls could have been killed. You think it’s a
game out there? We’ve been driving across America since the day it started and
it’s bad out there. The little gang of hoodlums in Laurel is the least of your
worries. There’s no government. There are no hospitals. People see something
they want and they take it. And if it isn’t them, it's the biters. They don't
care that you’re a pretty girl.” His eyes meet mine as he rants on, but all I
see is Miles—the Miles I have had a crush on since I could say the word
boyfriend. His savage expressions and annoyances are nothing—nothing
compared to the relief I feel with him being here. He’s twenty, intelligent,
and fit. He was in judo our entire lives and used to go shooting with my dad
and his. He’s the perfect person to keep us all alive, well him and Erin. I
almost sigh as he goes on and on.

Finally Erin sighs, clearly annoyed. “Okay, look, I
drove across the friggin’ country too. I don't need this lecture. We have
survived this long, ass. We don't need to be coddled and lectured. We did what
we had to, to stay alive. End of file.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Who the hell are you?”

Erin stands, looking him right in the eye. “Someone
old enough to not
need
a lecture from a bratty older
brother.”

He leans in too, so close to her face he could kiss
her if he just puckered slightly but doesn't. Instead, he mutters savagely,
“Only a foolish person doesn't admit when they need help.”

She laughs, right in his mouth. “Takes one to know
one.”

He steps back, running a hand over his head as if
he’s frustrated with her. The glow of the candlelight almost loses the red in
his dark hair. His skin is ruddy and tanned and his eyes are dark blue. He and
Jamie look similar but their skin is the big difference. She’s always been pale
and her red hair is much brighter.

He gives me a look. “You know what I mean, right,
Stoddard?” He hardly ever calls me by my name. I hate it.

I shake my head, annoyed at the way his stare darts
at Erin, no doubt obsessed with how hot she is. “We’ve made it this long
without being told what to do.”

His jaw drops. “Damn, I figured you were my best
bet. You always agree with me on everything.”

Jamie snorts, giving Sasha a knowing look. My face
burns but I don't back down. “We need to get to the coast.”

Miles points a finger at Erin. “She blew Danny
Hillman’s head off right in front of everyone and you’re going to trust her
advice?”

Jamie and Sasha both look down. They know why Erin
blew his head off and Miles doesn't. His friend clues in pretty quickly. “Dude,
we don't know what’s been going on here, okay? She might have had a good
reason.” He gives Erin a wink, but she pulls her hand from her pocket like she
found her middle finger in there for him.

Kyle responds by lifting his hands in the air
innocently.

Jamie opens her mouth but nothing comes out. She
pauses and looks at Erin. “We go to the coast. The base is our best bet.”

Miles sighs. “This cabin is a great hiding place.
The snow is coming. We don't know what this all is. We just know the biters
need to bite. It’s the only thing they need to do. They die the moment they
bite down. That means they need to spread this.”

We all glance up at him, looking exactly the
same—confused.

He rolls his eyes, gripping to his short hair.
“Don't tell me you never noticed they don't survive after they bite down?
That's their only mission. They get bit, they change, they jerk alive with noise
like a robot, and then they bite which results in their death. Until they bite
they can’t be freed. Gunshots only work when they hit the head. They don't feel
pain. They are like little machines.”

He’s right.

Erin nods, giving Lee a look. “Yeah, we noticed
that too. I don't see the point though.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “This is a man-made plague.
The fog and mist in Europe were man-made and this plague is too. If the
government isn’t trying to stop it, we might have to consider maybe they made
it.” His dark-blue eyes seek mine out. “What did your dad say?”

I gulp. “He said they didn't know what it was.”

He shrugs but his face screams disbelief. My
attraction to him is fading rapidly.

“The coast will have answers.”

He looks at Erin, shaking his head. “We’ll wait
here for you to come back and tell us how wrong you were.”

My stomach drops. He doesn't plan on coming with
us?
So much for the brave and amazing Miles.
He points
at the ceiling. “The little girls can stay here with us.” He looks at Jamie
with daggers in his eyes. “And you are staying.”

She opens her mouth but closes it in defiance.

Lee grabs my hand. “One day of driving to get
there, we find out if it’s real, and I’ll come back with you to get the girls.
We’ll be three days at the most.”

I shake my head. “I don't want to leave my sister.”

Miles’ lips part but
it’s
Kyle who speaks first, “Miles will protect them with his life but taking them
out there is a type of cruelty. You shouldn't leave here, but if you do, they
should stay. They’re what—ten you said? No, that's evil. I’ll come with
you and keep you safe, but they don't need to see that, and trust me, no one is
getting in this cabi—” His words are cut off, interrupted by a knock at
the cabin door.

My head jerks to the door. Miles looks at me, confused.
“Does anyone know you’re here?”

“My da—” I shake my head. “The neighbor. You
remember Mr. Milson?” My dad doesn't know. He never got the note.

Miles walks to the door, holding his gun to the
side and opening the door slowly. He nods. “Mr. Milson, how’s it going?”

“Miles, what in the bloody hell are you doing
here?” Mr. Milson pokes his head in. “You okay?” his eyes search me out.

“Yup.”

“Excellent.” He looks around the room and nods. “So
I see you’ve been multiplying.” His joke is weird, like his tone.

Erin smiles, holding a hand out. “Erin March. This
is my sister, Lee. The rest I assume you know.” He shakes her hand, smiling
helplessly at the pretty girl.

“Lovely to meet you.” The sparkle returns to his
eyes for a half a second but then the weird look on his face returns.

I grin at Lee, remembering how he acted around her.
She rolls her eyes at me. I assume the response is one she is accustomed to.
Everyone must trip over
themselves
when they meet
Erin.

“Where are the littles?” Mr. Milson’s eyes lift to
the loft rooms.

“Sleeping.”

He gives me a grin. “You went into town? Did you
get more food or just more mouths to feed? We don't have enough for winter as
it is.”

My brow furrows but Miles defends me. “It wasn't
her fault. She went to find my sister at the exact same time I did.” He doesn't
mention the tank because Erin and I have kept that mission under wraps. We may
still go for it.

Mr. Milson sighs. “Well, you’ll have to go tomorrow
and get more food.”

I nod at Erin and Lee. “We’re going to do that. Erin
wants to make certain we’ve got all the antibiotics too.”

He seems to be okay with that plan but the lost
look returns to his eyes. The one that tells me he’s still rolling with the ‘kill
or be killed’ mentality. So I ask, “Where’s Mrs. Milson?”

He cracks—it’s instant. He looks so hard and
determined, but the moment I say her name, he loses it. He drops to his knees
in the entryway and sobs. He holds himself, shaking and bawling. Instantly, I’m
up. I don't even care if he killed her in a fit of madness. I hold him.

Warmth surrounds me as Miles hugs
me and Mr. Milson,
who shakes us both. He cries for several
moments before he sniffles and wipes his eyes. “I’m sorry, kids. I just don’t
know what to say.” His trembling words break my heart, but there is still a
fear inside of me that he has murdered her.

Finally, he sits back, but Miles doesn't remove his
arms from wrapping around me. Mr. Milson gives me a teary look. “She just
couldn't take it.” He stammers again, “She didn't want to live in this
w-w-world. She left me h-h-h-here alone.”

The brave man who killed someone over canned goods
is gone, and in his stead is a blubbering mess of a broken man.

“I don't have it in me to do the same. I came over
to see if maybe you would g-g-g-give m-m-me a hand with it.” He shakes but I
can barely see it through the tears flooding my eyes.

I wrap around him again, holding him tighter than I
should. Miles comes with me, holding us both. Sobs fill the room. I whisper in
his ear, “I c-c-can’t do that. We can’t. You're not alone. We’re here with
you.” Furgus stalks down the stairs, licking us both and resting his huge head
on our shoulders.

Mr. Milson nods into me. He pauses his sobbing to
grip to me. “You have to get out of here. Find a safe place, Lou. Somewhere
where the girls will be safe. Teenagers have taken over the Campbell’s cabin
and the one the city folk own but never use. You have to leave. The anarchy is
going to start and it’s
kill
or be killed. Take or
starve. Steal or die. You must see that?”

Miles leans in, whispering to him and making me
feel like an intruder in their sudden conversation. “I will take care of them.”

Mr. Milson’s gaze lifts to mine and he smiles
softly and nods. “Now, if it’s not too much to ask, Miles, I would very much
like to join my wife.”

I am about to protest when Miles stands, lifting me
with him and holding me still awkwardly. “Of course, sir.” His tone is hollow,
so hollow I swear I hear an echo. “We’ll go to your cabin.”

He stands, nodding and waving at everyone else in
the room. “I’m sorry I brought my troubles over here.” He hugs me once more,
whispering into my ears, “You are the bravest girl I have ever known. I’m sorry
I can’t be here for you.” He backs up and turns away, leaving me standing
there, shaking. Miles walks from the cabin with him, not looking back at us.
Kyle wraps an arm around me, squeezing once and leaving to follow Miles.

I have never been so cold in all my life.

Erin encircles me with a thin arm around my
shoulders, holding me but not speaking. There is nothing to say in a moment
like this one. We all wait in terrified silence, moving only when we jump as
the noise from the gunshot blasts across the mountain. Silent tears stream my
cheeks. Jamie and Sasha join the huddle, all of us holding to each other,
gripping even.

We stand there in the glow of the fire for quite
some time. Finally, Furgus lifts his face from the fireplace, furrowing his old-man
eyebrows and growling. He saunters over to the door, sniffing it and jumping
back when it opens. Mr. Milson comes in, carrying a box of food. I leap into
his arms, making him topple the box of cans, sending them everywhere. He closes
his eyes and sighs. “I think that maybe God wants me to stay alive for you
girls. I think that maybe you might need me before all this is over. I’m so
sorry I faulted in my resolve and responsibility. I failed you and Joey.”

And there it is, the reason I hate myself
for ever
doubting him.

“I’m a coward. I don't like killing and hurting. I
don't like the person I have become—a side of myself I haven’t seen in a
long time. A person I swore I would never be again.”

I shake my head against his chest. “You aren’t a
coward. You didn't fail us. You saved me.”

Miles and Kyle walk to the door carrying the boxes.
Kyle keeps looking behind him. His dark-brown hair and wide smile remind me of
a friend of my dad’s, but the green eyes are not the same. He’s more handsome
than my dad’s friend. He scowls. “Those kids at that cabin are having a party.
They have their generator going. Bunch of idiots.”

Miles sighs his response, “And when they get hungry
they’re going to be a problem.”

I let go of Mr. Milson and pick up the cans with
him. When Miles goes out the door for more stuff from the other cabin I jump up
and follow him out. “What happened? What was that shot?”

He doesn't look back at me when he talks, “I
couldn't do it. I couldn't hold the gun on him, and when we were walking back
to the house and he was trying to convince me, I went and I tripped. The gun
went flying and spent the only bullet in his gun, so he took it as a sign from
God. Damned lucky too—I couldn't do it.” His broad shoulders slump a bit
when he looks back. “He’s a stronger man than I am. He buried her this morning
after he found her dead in bed. She overdosed on sleeping pills and vodka.”

“Why didn't he come get us to help him?” I hurry to
catch up.