“I know,” I said, frowning. “But, I still don’t like it. Besides, how are you going to make it into Omaha, raid a store, and make it back here in one day? The squadron is too small to unload a store. You need more help.”
“We’ll be fine. The squadron is heading out first thing in the morning. We’re taking all three haulers. We’ll be gone for two nights.”
“You need more hands,” I said. “Jase and I—”
“Have to stay here,” he interrupted. “Without the squadron, New Eden only has the police force to protect it. And, Justin mentioned there’s a flu bug going around. You and Jase need to be careful.”
“You’re the one who needs to be careful.”
His smile widened. “I always am.”
Chapter IX
The temperature hovered at ten degrees Fahrenheit the morning the squadron headed out. An inch of fresh snow covered the ground. I went with Clutch and Griz to see them off. Marco had stayed the night with Deb, and I could see he was reluctant to leave her when he dragged his feet to the gate at dawn.
As the squadron loaded up, I grabbed Clutch’s jacket, pulled him down, and kissed him solidly on the lips. He wrapped his arms around me. Someone whistled, and I ignored it. When I let go, Clutch looked rather pleased with himself. Typical guy expression. I held up three fingers. “Three days. You better be home in three days, or else I’m coming to get you.”
He chuckled. “We’ll be back with time to spare. I don’t plan to get on your bad side.”
I stuck out my chin and tried not to smile. “Damn straight.”
“Where’s my kiss?” Griz asked, holding out his arms.
I grinned and walked into his embrace. I kissed his cheek as he squeezed me half to death. When he let me go, I scolded, “Be careful out there.” Without waiting for an answer, I spun on my heel and walked away, though once I was around the building, I stopped and then watched them drive through the open gate from my relatively hidden place.
After the gate closed behind the loud trucks, my heart pounded. While I’d grown accustomed to Clutch heading outside the fence every day, worry chewed at my nerves when he wasn’t home at night. Since the outbreak, I could count on two hands the number of nights we’d spent apart.
The first few times, I’d worried about how I could possibly get by without him. Then, my fear had switched gears. Somewhere along the line, my feelings for Clutch had morphed into something deep and tangible, and I constantly worried about what could happen to him out there. I wanted to be there to protect him, even though he was more than capable of taking care of himself.
After the gate closed behind the trucks, I hustled into the force’s HQ, a small brick building that had once been Justin’s insurance office.
It was freezing inside. It was New Eden policy to not use precious energy to heat any building no one lived in. Even then, the force checked out every house every week to make sure energy wasn’t being wasted. With the exception of the medical clinic, thermostats couldn’t be set higher than sixty degrees, which felt balmy to me after being outside most of every day.
“Just the two of us so far?”
I jumped and turned to see Zach. “Jase caught the flu.”
He frowned. “Rich, Steve, and Jack all called in sick. I haven’t heard from anyone else yet. That flu is spreading fast.”
“It makes sense. We’re all working long hours in cold weather and not getting enough nutrients. And, we’re all in a relatively enclosed environment. Any virus that passes through is going to hit us hard.”
“You’re starting to sound like a doctor.”
I shrugged. “My dad was one. My mom was a nurse. I guess it’s in my genes.”
“Why didn’t you go into medicine?”
“I didn’t like dealing with people, and I used to get queasy at the sight of blood. So, I went the actuary route, though it wasn’t exactly the best career to prepare me for all this. Justin said you were a state trooper before the outbreak”
He chuckled. “I was a volunteer reserve officer. For my day job, I worked in a factory. I assembled modular components for wind turbines.”
“That’ll come in handy if we can put up a wind turbine in New Eden.”
He shook his head. “Afraid not. I’m in the same boat as you. My skills are pretty much worthless nowadays. I worked on the RF module housing. The other ninety-nine percent of a wind turbine’s components is beyond my expertise.”
“Well, aren’t we the pair?”
He grinned. “Yeah. The fate of New Eden is in the hands of a number jockey and a windmill monkey.” He motioned toward the door. “Shall we?”
I glanced at the icy window and cringed. “Let’s go defend the hapless citizens of New Eden against…well, the hapless citizens of New Eden.”
* * *
Two days later
Justin, Zach, myself, and five other people stood around Charlie’s bed. Sarah sat in a chair next to him, biting back tears while she held his hand and crooned her love for him.
I fidgeted. I’d never been any good around the dying. Probably because most of the time, the dying had been bitten, and I needed to be there to bring them permanent death after they’d died the first time. Today was different. Charlie had caught the flu, and it wasn’t even a bad flu as flus went. Only the run-of-the-mill flu that made its victims achy, sniffly, and coughy. Jase, Vicki, and Hali had all returned to work already. But, to the weak and infirm, the flu was always dangerous.
Charlie had been still healing from his gunshot when the flu struck. It had knocked him down hard, and he’d quickly become bedridden. Earlier this morning, the doctor announced Charlie had pneumonia, and there was nothing that could be done. After that, Sarah had demanded the doctor return to the clinic to help those who could be saved.
Charlie’s breaths rasped in lungs filling with fluid.
Zach and I stopped during each of our daily rounds. A line of people cycled through the house, giving their regards to Sarah and their final good-byes to Charlie, though both seemed oblivious to anyone in their home.
As a coughing fit wracked Charlie and Sarah let out a sob, I swallowed the lump in my throat. Charlie was a good man. My lip quivered. “It’s not fair,” I said softly, turned on my heel, and walked from the room.
Inside the hall, I took a deep breath. The cool air helped, but still a weight pressed upon my chest. Everyone died—that was a part of life—but the world had become nothing but death. Picking us off one by one. What hope was there if we were going to die, anyway?
I leaned against the painted wall, and stared blankly at the picture at the end of the hall. It was a print of a famous painting—The Birth of Venus. It fit in with the tapestries and clay pots, all that remained of the house’s original occupants.
A wail erupted from within the bedroom, and I clenched my eyes shut.
Footsteps entered the hallway, and I heard the door quietly close. “It’s over,” Zach said softly.
I opened my eyes and rested my head against the wall. Everyone who knew Charlie loved him. I couldn’t fathom him ever having an enemy. “Losing Charlie will be hard on New Eden.”
The corner of his lip curled almost into a smile before dropping again. “It will be hardest on Sarah.”
I remembered her swollen, red eyes, brimming with loss. “Yeah.”
We stood there for a long minute before I pushed off from the wall. “We should continue our rounds.”
Zach thought for a moment and then nodded. “I could use some fresh air, anyway. We’ll check on Sarah later. She’s got plenty of company right now.”
We headed outside and continued our long, cold walk around the western half of New Eden. Even wearing my arctic coat, ski mask, stocking hat, and gloves, the cold bit at our fingers and noses, and we took indoor breaks every thirty minutes to prevent frostbite. As we did every day, we took a full hour to walk through the first floors of the silo. Our job was to make sure everything was secure, but truthfully, there was an inherent security to the silo, and the more stairs I descended, the safer I felt. Especially when Clutch was still away. He’d be home soon, probably even before I was off duty.
Knowing Clutch would be safe within the New Eden fences tonight, the heavy weight on my chest began to lift. Justin was right—a Thanksgiving feast would be a perfect event for New Eden—symbolic of making new friends and a new life together. Everyone was excited to see what Clutch’s squadron would bring back from Omaha. Even though half of the town was still recovering from the flu, the impatient excitement in the air was palpable.
By sunset, my muscles trembled with adrenaline. I had to force myself to slow down to keep with Zach’s casual pace.
Zach fought back a smile. “The squadron will be back before too long. Why don’t you head home?”
I glanced at my watch. “We still have twenty minutes left on our shift.”
He shrugged. “I can handle the daily log. Go on, I’m sure Clutch, Griz, and Marco will be starving by the time they get back.”
I eyed him for a moment before pulling him into a big hug. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
Zach headed toward the HQ, while I turned and headed the opposite direction. The nightly howls had begun, and I could see many pairs of eyes reflecting moonlight from the other side of the fence.
My pace picked up with every block, pausing only when I passed Charlie and Sarah’s house. I stood there for a long moment before deciding to check in on Sarah to see if she needed anything. I bounded up the steps and didn’t bother knocking. Inside, the house was nearly empty. On the table sat a variety of food and gifts dropped off by various friends and neighbors throughout the day. I continued down the hallway and into the bedroom. The bed now lay empty, and I suspected Charlie’s body was now at the clinic, which also served as the town morgue.
A lone woman sat in a chair reading a leather-bound book. She looked up when I entered. “Hello, Cash.”
I couldn’t remember her name. I knew she worked with Vicki, but I’d never talked with her before. “Where’s Sarah?”
She motioned to the bathroom. “Taking a bath. She wanted some alone time.”
“Oh,” I said. “I guess I can stop back later.”
“She should be out any time. She’s been in there ever since they took Charlie away.”
“Okay,” I said. I stood there, twiddling my thumbs, and waited for Sarah. After a minute or two, I sensed a gaze on me, and I looked at the woman. “What?”
“Is Marco your brother?” she asked.
“What?”
“Someone said he was your brother. I was wondering. I think it’s pretty cool he found you out there. What are the odds?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s not my brother. He’s Mexican. I’ve never even been to Mexico. Just because we’re both of Hispanic descent doesn’t mean we’re related.”
She shrugged. “Sorry.”
I glanced at my watch. “How long can Sarah stay in there?”
She laid the open book down on her lap. “I don’t know, but she’s been in there for ages already. Two, maybe three hours? Everyone else left a long time ago. It seemed wrong to leave her alone, so I stayed.”
“I’m glad you did.” As minutes passed, a sense of foreboding formed in my gut. “Any sounds?”
She thought for a moment. “She ran a bath when she first went in, but after that…no, I can’t say I’ve heard anything.”
I walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. “Sarah? It’s me, Cash.” No response. I knocked louder. “Sarah, open up.”
When I heard nothing, I tried the handle, but it was locked. My heart pounded at the silence on the other side. I ran my fingers along the woodwork above the door and found a long, hexagonal-shaped key. I slid it into the keyhole, and the lock clicked. “Sarah, I’m coming in.”
Still nothing.
I glanced back at the other woman who was now standing, her eyes wide.
I took a deep breath and opened the door. Sarah lay in the bathtub, staring at nothing. The water was murky with red. One arm was in the water, the other strewn over the side of the tub, a still river of blood puddled on the floor below it. It took several seconds for the scene to register in my brain, and my lips quivered. “Oh, Sarah,
no
.”
A gasp behind me. “Sarah!”
I turned in time to barely catch the woman as she collapsed.
She pressed her face against my chest and cried. “I should’ve known,” she whimpered. “I sat out there while she…she…”
“You couldn’t have known. No one could’ve known,” I said, stroking her hair while staring at Sarah’s lifeless body. I didn’t bother checking for a pulse. The amount of blood and her pallor told the entire story. Sarah had chosen not to live without her Charlie and taken matters into her own hands.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Sarah couldn’t hurt a fly. Why would she do that to herself?”
I didn’t answer.
“It’s not right,” she mumbled and continued crying.
When her sobs slowed to a simmer, I helped her up, walked her down the hallway, and sat her on the couch.
She shook her head. “I’ve lost two husbands. One to cancer, the other to those creatures outside the fence. It tore my heart out each time, but I survived. If only Sarah could’ve seen that things would get better.”
The front door opened, and I turned to see Zach step inside. He grinned. “I figured you were heading home.” His smile dropped abruptly. “What happened?”
“It’s Sarah,” I said. “She—she’s in the bathroom.”
Zach headed down the hallway with intent and returned a minute later. Somber, he looked across our faces. “Cash, can you go get Justin and Doc Edmund? I’ll stay here with Izzie.”
I nodded and turned as though in a haze. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be right back.”
I barely remembered running to Justin’s house or to the clinic. But, I ended up back at Charlie and Sarah’s house with both men a few minutes later. They quickly took control. Justin made calls on the portable radio he always carried, and the doctor went immediately to check on Sarah.
I didn’t stick around. I numbly walked to my house. I could no longer find the quick walking pace I had before. All the excitement I’d been harboring had been muted.
I shut the front door, and the shrill howls were muffled by the walls. I was glad to find the living room empty, with everyone else in bed still recuperating. I sat down in a recliner and leaned back.