They Walk (25 page)

We follow the group of people around into the room and to the line for waiting for the food, but the lines moves quick, and before I know it we each have a bowl of cool soup and a bottle of water. Gabe leads us back into the mass of tables and he searches for a place for us to sit. Eventually we stop at a table that is only hallway full, and place out trays down and sit. There are two older couples, a few kids, and a young guy our age sitting here, and they all greet us when we are seated. Gabe and I sit beside each other at the end of the table. Claire sits at the end right in front of me and beside her is the guy our age.

“
So what brings you all here to this fine establishment?” The guy asks as he glances between us.

“
Oh you know the usual end of the world stuff…You?” Claire retorts with a wide smile, before she scoops us a spoonful of soup.

“
More of the same stuff really. You guys just get here? I’m Hunter Wiebe, by the way.” Hunter says as he leans back and picks at his soup.

I watch him for a moment and can’t help to think that he could be a clone of my brother Dan.

They are both somewhat tall and stocky, but at the same time a little on the thin side. He has very accented cheekbones and they stand out as much as his deep green eyes. His hair is dark like Dan’s, but is on the short side with a little extra length at the top, which are slightly spiked. When he looks up and our eyes meet, the way his eyes darken sends chills down my spine and not the good kind.

I glance away to my own soup, and stir the stuff around while wondering if I’m even hungry at all, and try to ignore the fact that this new guy seems a little of kilter to me. Claire introduces us to Hunter and relays a reader’s digest version of what we went through getting here, and leaves out the people we have lost.

Just as well, it just hurts thinking about them. I can’t imagine having to explain the circumstances.

Hunter explains that he too is the new guy, having only just gotten there two days ago. He goes on to tell us that he was supposed to be starting training to be a police officer, but he doesn’t think that’s going to be happening any time soon. I happen to agree with that, and I only half listen to what they are saying and force myself to eat as much as possible. Gabe pitches in the conversation every so often, but mostly keeps quiet like me, and we let Claire take lead. When Hunter give me a strange look for the third time, I’m about to suggest to Gabe that we go back to lie down, when a woman comes up behind Claire. I glance up at her with wide eyes, and can already feel the tears building.

Claire turns and shrieks, I have to turn into Gabe’s shoulder, as she stands and embraces her mother.

Chapter Forty Four

The following morning quiet voices stir me into wakefulness, and everything that happened the night before comes crashing back into me. Claire’s mother Barb had found her while we were having dinner, and while I thought I was handling not finding my own parents well, seeing her sent me over the edge. Don’t get me wrong I’m happy that Claire and her mother are reunited; it’s just overwhelming to have it prancing before your eyes. Somewhere between the hugs and tears, I had to have Gabe get me out of there, and they didn’t seem to mind. In fact before we fled, Claire tells us she is going to be sleeping with her mother and not near us, so we shouldn’t worry if she doesn’t come back.

I only smile and nod, and act like everything is fine and perfect.

Somehow Gabe had managed to get me back to my cot, and I don’t really remember walking to it, let alone through the Stadium filled with people. My head is pounding now, and my entire body feels like is shaking. When he gets me to lie down and caress my cheek gently, I realize that I’m crying and this only makes me cry even harder until I’m sobbing into his arms.

He climbs into my small cot, and he wraps his body around me.

If it was any other moment, I might have blushed over being so close to one another, but at this moment I let him hold me while I sobbed. I think he might have been saying soft words of reassurance to me, but all I could hear was the roaring of my own ears as everything I’ve been through played before my eyes. Eventually though, the sobs subsided and my body stopped shaking, and all I was left with was a hollow feeling and a throbbing headache.

Gabe didn’t leave or let me go though, and sometime after that I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Now as I try to not wake up, the voices that woke me get a little louder and I know that they are Gabe and Noah. From the way their voices carry, I think they might be sitting on Gabs cot that is right behind my own. I’m facing the opposite direction, and I open my eyes and watch the little girls from yesterday sleep on either side of their mother, as I listen in to what they are saying.

“
After I left yesterday, I had quite the conversation with the Captain. Apparently he is the second in command, the Mayor is still alive and running the place.” Noah tries to say softly.

“
Serious? That’s lucky. Did he say anything about another location or anything?” Gabe asks.

“
He mostly went off about how most of his new recruits have to go out into the city and scavenge for supplies every couple of days. Not many return either and I had to turn him down before he asked me to go.”

“
Is that how they have all the stuff here? I thought they might have brought them over at the beginning.” Gabe says in a whisper, like he’s shocked.

“
Yeah well, they weren’t that lucky I suppose. He did tell me about the second location, but it’s not good news I’m afraid.”

I hold my breath in anticipation as I wait for Noah to continue about the second location. If my parents aren’t here, then they have to be at the other place. I really hope what he has to say isn’t bad, but from the way he says bad news like it leaves a bitter taste on his tongue; I know it won’t be good.

“
They have been working together with the survivors at Bates College, and communicating with a CB radio. But they lost communication with them yesterday, and any recon soldiers haven’t returned.” He says in a rush.

There is another pause where I’m relearning to breathe, before Gabe responds.

“
That could mean anything though Noah. Even if the place got overrun, there are so many outbuildings where people can run too.”

“
I know that, but the Captain doesn’t agree and won’t be sending out a search party. He’s still been in contact with other bases throughout New England though.” He says as I hear the shifting of his clothes, and I guess that he might be leaning his elbows on his knees.

“
In contact, what does that even mean?” Gabe asks in a raised voice full of disbelief.

One of the girls across from me stirs in her sleep, and there is a pause in the conversation, where I know they are waiting to make sure they are not overheard. When Noah continues, he’s talking more softly, so much where I have to strain to hear them.

“
It means Gabriel, that we are not the only State where this is happening. It’s all across the US, and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. We might be stuck here for a while, if nothing changes.”

“
How can something like this just happen and spread so fast?” Gabe says in a quiet shock.

I know how he feels; it just doesn’t want to make any sense in my mind. But it’s only a close second on my thoughts though, since I can’t stop thinking about Bates College. What if my parents are there right now, trapped and hiding waiting for help to come that never will. I know deep down I have to do something, or I really will lose them forever.

While they sit there in silence, I slowly roll over to face them with a yawn.

They both look up in alarm, when I’m completely turned over. I just give them a sleepy yawn and try not to let on that I heard anything they said.

“
Hi guys, who’s hungry?” I say with a wide yawn, as I sit up on the cot.

Noah gives me a small smile, while Gabe grins full out and comes to sit beside me.

“
Morning beautiful, you finally slept all night.” He says softly as he wraps me in a hug, that leaves me breathless.

Now I actually smile for real, and enjoy the feeling of being in Gabe’s strong arms.

I know then that before I go tearing out the front doors after my parents, I have to include him in on it. After all, he is my rock and after everything he is the one thing I can’t lose. And I’m going to be damn sure to hold on to him as tightly as I can.

No matter of what gets in my way.

Chapter Forty Five

For the last couple of minutes I’ve been staring down at my bowl of fruit, and still can’t find the nerve to really want to eat. Gabe and Claire are on either side of me, but are too wrapped up in the table’s conversation to notice if I eat or not. Which is fine, I just wish they would talk quieter or that everyone in the Stadium would for that matter. After getting out of the cot that morning, my head has been throbbing even worse with every breath I take and hasn’t even started to subside.

I know I’m probably being rude by not joining in with the others.

We have a full table with new people introduced, but it takes everything I have to just keep moving.

When Noah, Gabe and I arrived at the rec area for breakfast we ran into Claire and her mother, and we all sat at a table together. The guy our age that we met last night, Hunter, was already at the table when we sat down. After just sitting down, Noah’s sister and her boyfriend joined us. He introduced them as Hanna and Logan, and the first thing I noticed beside the way Noah’s face lighted up at seeing her, was that she was very pregnant.

I can see the family resemblance between them right away, and it makes me miss my brother.

She has Noah’s features but is slightly more delicate than defined, and her hair is slightly darker. Her boyfriend Logan is a tall guy and a little on the skinny side for my tastes, but from the way he hovers over Hanna I can tell he is a decent guy. When they sit down with us, he keeps fidgeting with his glasses and messing with his short dark hair, and I can tell it’s a nervous gesture of his. If it was any other normal day meeting new people, I’d probably do everything I could to make them comfortable, but not today.

Today, I’m having trouble being comfortable in my own skin.

I’m just placing my spork down on the table, and leaning over to place my head on Gabe’s shoulder, when Noah asks Hanna and Logan how they ended up here.

“
Believe it or not, we were already on our way into the city when things went south.” Logan says as he places his arm around Hanna and gives her a sad smile.

“
I was having labor pains and we were heading for the hospital, when we heard the reports on the radio. It turns out it was only false labor thank goodness.” Hanna tells Noah, who had looked worried when she said labor.

“
What did you do?” Claire asks leaning her elbows on the table and stares at them with wide eyes.

“
We pulled over in a pharmacy, and waited it out with some other people. After a while though, we got overrun and we drove here after a day or so.” Logan says with a haunted look on his face.

I can sympathize with that, we all hid out before having to leave for someplace else. It’s crazy how we are all brought back together while experiencing more of the same things. It makes things seem more real to me, and while I try to block out reality, it’s starting to cave in on me.

“
I’m just glad you guys made it here all right. When I got to your apartment and you weren’t there I was out of my mind.” Noah says, as he reaches across the table and grabs from Hanna’s hand, which she reaches for his at the same time and they share a smile.

It breaks my heart seeing them like that, it should be a good feeling, but it’s not. All I can think about is my parents and now my brother, who is still at said apartments. I just hope they are still there. Gabe, who is finished with his own fruit, places his arm around me and holds me close to him.

“
You’re lucky to make it here before the horde got the place surrounded.” Hunter says on the other side of Logan.

We all look at him, and know he’s right. My friends and I had to fight through the dead and we even lost someone to it, but they got here early. It’s more than luck, a good thing since she is pregnant.

“
There was more to my group when I got here, but now it’s just me.” Hunter says, as he glances around the table at us and sends us all into a reserved silence.

“
It’s certainly a rough time we are all in that’s for sure.” Gabe says beside me.

As everyone else talks about theories about what the outcome of all this will be, I keep going back to my plan to leave here. I know I have to do it soon; otherwise I might lose my window of opportunity. Communication was lost yesterday from Bates, and anything could be going on there. Gabe said that the place has a ton of buildings for people to hide out in, and he’s right. It’ll make for a hard search party, but I’m willing to look over the entire property if it means my parents are there.

I wonder if Noah would let us use his car, or if he would come with us?

I know I shouldn’t even ask anything from him, he’s already done enough by getting us here, plus he has his sister to look after now. Then there is Claire, whose spirit has lifted since finding her mother. I know I can’t ask her to come with me, it wouldn’t be fair. I mean what if she got hurt and could never see her mother again; I wouldn’t ask her to give up something I’m trying so hard to search for.