The Seventh Day (22 page)

Day Eight

The smoke from the house makes me sick. I want so
badly to run back in and drag them out but it needs to burn, I see that. We
need to burn them all. There isn’t a house without a body in it. After we raid
them, we light them up.

By afternoon I step over the dead like I would any
other piece of furniture. The cold girl is back inside of me. We are
outnumbered so badly that I don't know if I see them as dead people anymore.
They don't look so human if you get close enough.

Kyle doesn't meet my eyes—he hasn't all day.
I have to assume it’s the bite. I don't know if I could get past that. All that
infection inside of me that is still sort of there, only dead now, makes me
less than human too. I’m sure if you look close enough, there are flaws left
over from being a biter. The burn mark from my father’s hand has already faded
but I swear I can still feel it. I can feel him holding me.

We load up the truck we took from a neighbor’s
driveway in silence. When I’ve loaded the last thing that’ll fit in the
backseat, I give him a look. “That's it.”

He nods, climbing in and starting it up. When I get
in, I reach for his arm. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” He scowls.

“Getting bit. When you said we should have looked
around better, you were right. I just felt safe there, in my house.” Our eyes
lower to the gash on my hand that's bandaged now and smothered in medicinal
cream.

He lifts his hand to my chin, tilting my face so
our eyes meet. “It’s me that's sorry. I tried to make your dad let me be the
one to do it. I tried to tell him my heart is younger and would have been
better to take the shock. He wouldn't have it.” His brow furrows. “I worked so
hard on bringing you back, like he told me to, that I ran out of time for him.
It took me five minutes to bring you back. I couldn't do both. There just
wasn't time.” His green eyes are bright with the emotion of it all. “I’m so
sorry, Lou. I know you were trying so hard to get to him.”

I shake my head. “My dad’s death is my fault. I
assumed my room was clear. I assumed I was safe. We don't live in a world
that's fit for assumptions. That's not the way my father taught me to survive.”
I sigh, hating that I have to explain it all to Joey still. “I should have
checked the friggin’ closet.”

He smiles, speaking with a chuckle, “I never
checked the closet either. I walked in, got some pants and a shirt on and never
even looked. The plush carpet and clean room had me captivated.” His eyes dart
toward the house, still burning up. “The worst part is that your dad was in the
backyard. He was getting a weapon to come and kill the guy in the closet. You
stole all the guns so he had to get a tool to do it.”

I sob a little. “Had we just gone through the
backyard or made some noise, like you said we should have, he would have told
us what was going on.”

He smiles distantly. “He told me he was never going
to live fully without your mother. He loved her.” Tears flood my eyes for the
hundredth time in the few hours since my dad’s death. His eyes come back to me.
“He loved you too. And Joey. He told me he would rather be the one to die for
you. That's love, Lou.
Just pure love.
Just like
your
mom being in the house with you—she never bit any
of you. She managed to fight it. That's strong love.” He leans over, wiping the
tears from my cheek. “When I told him I would be the one to take the shock, he
told me to be the one to keep you alive and take care of you and Joey. He said
he knew I loved you.”

I sob as he pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry.” I
shake my head, wanting it to be my fault—needing him to blame me.

He holds me and whispers to me, “Your dad said the
material inside of you was actually alive. It’s a bunch of nanorobots. They
enter the brain and control everything. He said the first prototype was a
soldier who was enhanced, a soldier who was perfect. The second one was a
cleaner, a nanorobot who could enter a terrorist cell and reprogram them all.
The nanos
those crazy scientist
used were a mix of
those two prototypes. He said that the bite was the easiest way to infect everyone
with the nanobots and it was the best way to spread the infection without
killing people. The robots were supposed to enter your brain and test you,
check for sins. If you were guilty of doing evil, you died the moment the
nanorobots were transferred to another person through a bite. If you were a
good person, you were supposed to wake totally fine. But something went wrong.
The only way to save people was to short them out with electricity. It’s the
craziest thing I have ever heard in my life.” He kisses my head the way my dad
always did and starts the truck. “I can’t look at these dead people anymore,
Lou. Let’s go home.” He puts it into gear and backs out of the driveway.

I don't have anything to add to it. I don't even
understand it all completely. It takes a couple seconds to fully kick in. When
I do understand it I get an intense visual of how I think it would have worked.

On the drive home we are the only ones on the road.
The truck handles the bumps on the streets like they’re nothing. At this point
they are nothing. Husks. Not that the rest of us are doing much better. We are
all a bit hollow, like the light fell out of us when the world went dark.

The difference between them and us is that we stand
a chance at redeeming ourselves.

When we get back up to the ski hill, both our jaws
drop at the same time. Trucks, cars, vans, and SUVs line the streets. The
cabins all have movement, people coming in and out, unloading vehicles and
talking on the roads. When Kyle pulls up to my cabin, Mr. Milson is in the yard
talking to Miles and another man I don't know. My insides are as clenched as
they can be when I don't see the girls.

I jump out before the truck is even fully stopped,
earning a shout from Kyle as I blow past the vehicles in our driveway and burst
through the door. “JO!”

She, Lissie, and Julia raise their eyes from the
pile of dolls on the floor. Each little face lifts in joy as they jump up and
run to me. Joey instantly sobs, making the other girls cry. I lower my face,
taking a gulp of the air around Joey’s head.

“We thought you d-d-died.”

“No, way.” I drop to my knees, hugging them all. I
don't tell them I did die. I don't tell them anything. I just hold them,
completely relieved.

The hug becomes a huddle and then a dog pile as the
rest of our group join in.

Crying, laughing, and labored breathing all become
part of the mess we are. Joey looks up, struggling to see me in the herd.
“Where’s dad?”

I can’t fight the feeling of loss or sadness but I
manage to not cry again. “With Mom.”

“No!” Her expression pinches up as tears roll down her
cheeks. She cries for a long time, shaking, and I think in some way denying it
all. I imagine that's what I would do if I were
her
. I
have kept them from seeing it all. They have been hidden away up here so they
don't understand, not completely. After a long time, when I think she’s fallen
asleep from crying in my arms, she looks up at me and nods. “At least they
aren’t alone.”

I nod. “Like us.” I realize Furgus has joined us and
is licking the cheeks of the other little girls. I rub his wooly fur, gripping
to it almost.

Joey hugs me tighter, her little body shaking and
heaving as she is dealt what I pray will be the last serving of grief. We are
all orphans. The circle of hugs gets smaller and smaller until it’s just Joey,
Furgus, and me.

The door opens and closes as everyone empties the
truck while the three of us continue to hug in the middle of the room. Sasha
strolls over, nudging me. “Erin and Miles?” she whispers in my ear. “Seriously?
We taking her out or what?”

A smile crosses my lips. Jamie nods at me from
across the room. She knows what we’re talking about, I can totally tell. I
shake my head subtly.

“You were there first. She can have any dude she
wants. Let’s be real. She isn’t exactly hard to look at. Even the ladies can
see that.”

I turn back, shrugging at Sasha. “He’s just not my
type anymore.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “Really? You expect us to
believe that?”

Jamie comes and joins the circle, tucking her red
locks up into a bun. “Girl, we got your back. You say the word and she goes
missing on the slopes. You were supposed to be my sister and marry him.” The
twinkle in her eyes is back. Thank God, she and Sasha both seem to be back to
normal—threatening other girls is a good sign with them. I think being up
here with the littles has been a good thing for them both. They aren’t nearly
as strong as I imagined. But then again I don't think I’m nearly as weak as I
thought I was.

When I see neither of them is going to give up, I
lift my right hand. “I solemnly swear to the gods of hot dudes, I do not find
your brother attractive in the same way I used to. He’s like a brother.”

Kyle walks in carrying a box of food. His eyes
narrow when he sees the three of us surrounding Joey and Furgus. He pauses,
looking a little apprehensive. “What?”

A smile cracks across my lips. “Nothing.”

“Okay.” His cheeks flush as he places the box down
and nearly sprints from the house.

Sasha whacks me in the arm. “Dude, what was that?”

Jamie rolls her bright eyes. “Oh my God, you spent
a couple days in a car with him and you think—” She pauses. “Wait, did he
ever join your guild?” she asks, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “He asked me
about you and WOW a while ago. Did he tell you that?”

I nod. “We’ve been friends for about a year and a
bit. I didn't know. He knew who I was and I figured he was some Internet weirdo
that I randomly got on with.”

Sasha cocks her other eyebrow in surprise. “Stalker
much?”

It makes me grin. “Yeah. Total stalker.”

Joey lifts her face, shaking her head at me. “I’m going
to help. You guys are weird.”

We laugh, watching her leave the cabin.

“I’m glad you don't like Miles anymore. He’s a
sucky boyfriend. Ever since that Sabrina bitch broke his heart, he’s been
shallow and crappy.” Jamie plunks down on the rug my mom bought just before we
sold the place. Pieces of her are everywhere. I almost look up and thank God
for that.

Sasha nods. “Yeah, and me and him made out last
winter and I couldn't tell you ‘cause I didn't want you to think I was moving
in on your man.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “He’s never been my man.”
I can’t deny the sting of her words but it doesn't matter. As easy as it was to
turn on the feelings I had for Miles, they seemed to turn off just as quick. I
never loved him. I loved the feeling of being saved. I loved the feeling of
being safe. I told myself he was that. But after seeing how much work and pain
and anguish love is, I know now that love isn’t about being safe. When you love
someone you aren’t ever safe.

My father wasn't saved by his love for my mother. I
was saved by his love for me but he died for it. Love is pain. You just have to
decide if it’s worth being in that much pain for someone. To me Miles will
always be a safe person and a safe place, but he won’t ever be worth loving the
way my mom and dad loved us.

“So did anything happen between you guys?” Sasha
flashes me the baby blues, batting her long lashes.

I shrug. “Not really.” I wince. “I mean, apart from
him telling me he loved me.”

Her jaw drops as Jamie’s lips turn up into a grin.
“Awwwwww.”

Sasha shoves me. “Oh my God.”

I nod. “Then he told my dad to electrocute him to
save me. He knew he would die and he said it anyway.”

“Holy shit.” Sasha’s eyebrows draw together.
“That's intense. I don't really understand but that's intense.”

“What happened?” Jamie asks, leaning in.

“My dad loved me more.”

They both start to cry, completely confused, as I
sit there and explain how it all happened. I peel back the bandage, showing
them the bite. Both gasp, cover their mouths, and cry. Lee finds her way into
our circle as the truck is emptied. She too cries when she hears the sad story
of finding my father. I finish the tale pleading for secrecy, “Please don't
ever tell a single soul what happened to me. You and Kyle are the only people
who know.”

They all nod, sniffling and agreeing.

Erin and Miles come in, smiling until they see us.
Erin scowls. “What happened? Are you guys okay? Who we killing today?”

They snort but Lee and I know she actually means
it. Even in her twitterpated state with Miles, she has not softened at all. She
will shoot someone in the face again. It’s not a big deal to her.

Lee shakes her head, wiping her nose. “Lou was just
telling us how she found her dad and how he saved her.”

Miles tilts his head. “Kyle said a biter got him
before the expiry.”

“He saved me from the biter.” I nod, also wiping my
face.

Erin offers me a sympathetic smile. “He was
probably grateful to be able to save you.”