Glory (Book 5) (7 page)

Chapter 2

Charles didn't know what had happened. One moment he had been sitting in the library reading. The next he had heard Jane screaming and had gone out to see her. She had rushed toward him as though something were terribly wrong. But she hadn't told him what it was. Instead, she had told him t
o
stay bac
k
an
d
leave her alon
e
. He couldn't make any sense of it.

"Robert," Charles said, hurrying over to the little boy. "Are you okay?"

Robert was still sitting on the swing. He looked startled. "Did I do it?" he asked once Charles arrived. "Did I make her leave?"

"No. Why would you think that?"

"Because I told her to push me higher. Then I started to cough."

Charles bent down and hugged the little boy. "No," he said again. "It wasn't your fault."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know," Charles admitted. "But I think we should get inside to tell Adam and the others."Robert nodded his head and wiped away his tears.

"It'll be okay," Charles added as he led Robert back into the school.

Chapter 3

Adam was playing ball with Claire and Shelly in the gym when Charles burst in on them. The big red ball fell at Adam's feet. He knew immediately that something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's Jane. She's gone."

"Gone? What do you mea
n
she's gon
e
?"

Charles explained.

"She just took off?" Shelly asked.

"Yes."

"She left Robert on the swings Why?"

Charles shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"I think I do," Adam said. They all looked at him to continue. "It was her family. They came back for her."

"Her family?" Shelly said. "They're dead. They couldn't come back for her."

"It was…well…she had told me that they were haunting her, that she had seen them."

"She was seeing things?" Claire asked.

"She did look at me as though I was someone else," Charles said. "Someone who was going to hurt her."

Adam nodded. Then he turned and walked over to the far wall. His gun was propped against it. He picked it up.

"I’ve gotta go find her,” he said. “Can you tell me where she went?"

"She went out the back of the school, toward the trees." Charles replied

"Then that's where I'm headed." He took a step toward the door.

Claire put her hand on his arm. "You can't go alone," she said. "I'll come with you."

"There's not much daylight left. It'll be faster if I do this by myself. "

Claire wanted to argue, but didn't.

"I won't be long," he added.

Adam rushed to the door and left the group standing in the gym.

Chapter 4

Adam entered the library a while later. Everyone was there, waiting for him. They looked up as soon as he arrived.

"Any luck?" Charles asked.

"No, it got too dark to see much."

"I hope she's okay."

"I do too." Adam walked over to the group and sat down beside them. He could see how upset everyone was. "I'll look again in the morning. First thing."

"But she needs help," Robert said, his words filled with worry, not accusation.

Adam turned to look at the young boy. "I know she does. But there's no way that I can find her in the dark. I won’t be able to see her. And I don't want to shout out her name in case one of thos
e
thing
s
hears me."

Robert looked horrified at that thought. "I don't want you to get hurt. It's just…"

"I know. We're all worried about her. And w
e
al
l
feel responsible. But, really, there's nothing that I can do until the morning, when it's light outside." There wasn't much more he could say about it.

Actually, none of them had much to say after that. Jane was gone. And, at the moment, there was nothing that any of them could do to change that.

Day 23

Chapter 1

Adam woke early the next morning. He hadn't had a very good sleep. None of them had. He had heard everyone tossing and turning all night. He sat up and looked around.

Part of him hoped that Jane would be there. That she would have come back and would be lying down on the far side of the library. A larger part knew that this wasn't going to be the case.

Jane was still gone.

He saw Robert standing over by the window, alone. Adam got up and walked to him.

"What are you doing?" he asked the little boy.

"Waiting for Jane."

Jane had become an important figure in the little boy's life. And, to make matters worse, Robert felt responsible for her leaving
-
no matter how many times everyone told him that it wasn't his fault
.
He kept saying that he shouldn't have asked to go higher on the swing, that he shouldn't have coughed.

Adam felt responsible for Jane leaving as well. He had talked to her about her problems. He had known that she was seeing images of her dead family. But he hadn't pushed it after she had asked him not to.

He shouldn't have left it at that.

He reached over and patted the little boy on the head.

Robert turned away from the window. "Are you going to find her?" he asked, concern showing on his face.

Adam nodded. "I'm going to try."

He wished that he could have promised more, but the truth was that he didn't know if he was going to find Jane. He didn't want to get Robert's hopes up. He didn't want to get his own hopes up, either.

"You have to find her," Robert continued. "Please."

"I'll try."

Adam turned and went back to where he had been sleeping. He didn't know what more he could say. And he wanted to get searching. He reached for his gun.

As he did, he saw that Claire was awake. She had a similar expression to Robert's. "You going out now?" she asked.

"I am."

"I'll come with you."

Adam didn't take any time to think about it. He didn't want Claire out there with him. "I'd rather go on my own."

"But…"

He raised his hand to cut her off. "I know that you want to help. And I really appreciate that. But I'd feel better if I was on my own."

"On your own? Why?"

"It's just something I feel I have to do."

Claire cocked her head and glared at him from the corner of her eye. She obviously didn't understand - or accept - his reasoning. He thought about how he could tell her again.

"I should have helped her when I had the chance," he said finally. "I need to make up for that."

"We all need to make up for that! We're just as guilty."

Claire was right, they all had a part to play in it. But…

"It's more than that," he explained. "I..well…I want to know that you're safe. I don't want to have to worry about yo
u
an
d
Jane out there. I want you safe…in here."

"It's bright out," Claire argued. "You'll be able to see me. We won't lose each other."

"And if we get separated? If those creatures are out there?" He shook his head. "No, Claire. I need to do this on my own."

Claire breathed out slowly. "Just make sure that you're safe," she said.

"I'll try.
"
He had said the same thing to Robert.

Claire stood up. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

On their way to the door, Claire grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him. From the look of the sun, it was going to be another hot day. Adam was happy that she had thought of it.

"Do you want to take any food?" she asked.

Adam shook his head. He didn't say it, but he didn't think that he'd be gone all that long. "I'll be all right."

They walked to the back of the school.

"Now make sure that you're safe," Claire said again. Then she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

Adam smiled to try to reassure her. "I will."

He began to walk away.

Before he got very far, he heard someone call to him. "Bring her back!" the voice said. It was Charles. The old man's head was sticking out of the library window. He was waving. Robert was beside him.

"I'll try," Adam said once more. That was the best he could offer.

Chapter 2

Adam walked away from the school. Claire, Charles and Robert watched him as he went, their eyes on him until he reached the small ditch where he and Jane had disposed of the bodies. He stopped at the top of it, unsure of where he was going to start his search for her.

Toward the trees
,
Charles had said.

His search last night had turned up nothing. But the trees still seemed like the best place to go
.
After tha
t
, he didn't know.

He turned back to face the school. Everyone was still there. Shelly had joined them now too.

He waved to them. They waved back.

Then he turned around and walked down the small embankment.

As he came upon the bodies that laid at the bottom of it, Adam could see flies buzzing around them, could smell their decay.

He tried his best not to look, but couldn't help himself
.
The children. The janitor. The librarian. The teachers
.
He wondered if Jane had seen them on her way
.
It wouldn't have helped her any if she had
.
She had killed some of these people…thes
e
things
.
It wouldn't have helped her at all.

He turned away from them and walked into the forest. There wasn't much in way of a path, but the trees were spread far enough apart for that not to matter. It also helped the light to shine through and illuminate everything around him.

He’d easily see Jane now. He’d see if there were any creatures around too.

But which way to go
?
he wondered.

He wished that there was a clue of some sort to lead him in the right direction
.
Maybe she had dropped something. Or broken a branch. A footprint would do.

There was nothing.

Fine
,
he decided
.
Go forward…and hope for the best.

As he took his next few steps, Adam started to think about Shelly and he how he had managed to find her after she had been taken from him. He had ridden his bike up and down roads with nothing more than one of the shoes she had left for him to fine. He had been attacked in a town by two men, and had had to kill them. But, in the end, he had found her.

He figured that the same thing might be true of Jane. It gave him hope. Only a little. But more than he had had.

He kept walking.

After a while, Adam could feel the sweat building on his forehead. He opened the bottle Claire had given him and took a sip.

With his throat wet, he thought about calling out to Jane to see if she was anywhere nearby. He wasn't sure whether that was the best idea with those creatures running around, but it could be worth a shot.

He took a deep breath.

Then let it out slowly. Quietly.

Even though he had his shotgun, he didn't want to run the risk of having a bunch of creatures come out and attack him.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued on his way.

*

Though Adam's focus was on finding Jane, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering.

The guilt he felt toward not helping Jane when he had had the chance played heavily on him. It didn't matter that she had pleaded with him to let her work it out on her own
.
He should have talked to her more. Should have told the others.

Then there was Claire. He liked her a lot. And now he knew that she liked him.

But he also knew that he'd have to take it slow. All of the stuff that had happened to her since the world changed wouldn't be easy for her to deal with. It would take time.

He only hoped that the same thing that happened to Jane wouldn't happen to Claire
.
Don’t let it build up, Claire
,
he thought
.
Don’t lose your mind.

He wouldn't let it
,
he told himself
.
He'd make sure she was okay.

Shelly popped into his thoughts as well. The young girl had been such a great friend to him. So helpful. So intelligent. He couldn't imagine having done any of this without her. And while he knew that there were times when he didn't have a clue as what they were supposed to do, he hoped that she felt the same way about him.

He remembered their time together in the house in the city, trying on those fancy clothes, dancing. He thought about how happy she had been on her bike as they rode along the country roads. How sad she had been when they had left Woody behind in his house. There were all of the horrible things that had happened to her as well, but he tried to push those out of his mind.

Then there were Charles and Robert. The old man was funny, liked to tell stories, seemed like a good guy. The little boy was inquisitive, and so brave with how he dealt with everything. Adam couldn't imagine how he would have dealt with all of this at such a young age.

Images of them all swirled through his mind.

Then he tripped.

*

He hadn't seen the root of the tree. Which wasn't a good thing. He should have been paying attention to what was happening around him. Been staying alert.

As it was, he dropped to the ground, his gun flying out in front of him.

He quickly grabbed at it and listened to hear if anything had heard him. His head shot from side to side, looking for any sign of danger.

Nothing. Not even wind rustling the leaves. Everything was silent. Unmoving.

He pushed himself to his feet.

He could see that the palms of his hands were scratched, though it wasn't anything to worry about. He wiped them off on his pants.

Next, he noticed the water bottle. It was lying on the ground, the cap popped off. Water was spilling onto the soil.

Damn
,
he thought.

He rushed over and picked it up. There was a little water left, which he drank.

After a quick check to make sure that he actually was okay, he threw the bottle to the ground and continued on his way.

*

There was no sign of Jane anywhere. At least, not that he could see. He was sure that a tracker would be able to find something to help, but he wasn't trained in that type of thing
.
He'd have to try something different.

He thought about calling out to her
.
But what if the creatures were around?

He decided that it didn't matter
.
If he was going to find Jane, it’s what he needed to d
o
.

He made sure that his shotgun was ready in his hands. Then he took a deep breath.

"JANE!" he called out.

His voice reverberated through the woods. It wasn't so much that he heard an echo, but he could make out his voice as it made its way through the trees.

He waited for a reply. Then he called out again.

"JAAANNNNEEE!"

Though he hoped Jane would reply, he kept expecting to hear something from one of the creatures instead.

There was no response from anyone.

He lowered the gun and kept going.

*

It wasn't long before Adam questioned what he was doing. He kne
w
wh
y
he was doing it, but he wasn't sure that it made all that much sense to keep trying anymore.

He could walk around the forest all day, calling out for her, searching. And he might never find her. He was also putting himself in danger.

He didn't know what to do.

*

Before he made the decision to stop, Adam walked out of the back of the forest. He stood at the edge of a field that stretched out in front of him. Aside from grass, he couldn't see much else.

Jane wasn't there.

"Jane!" he called out. "Are you out here?" He had hoped that maybe she had fallen asleep in the grass and would lift her head at his call.

Nothing.

"JANE!"

He turned back to look at the forest
.
Should he go back?

He decided against it.

Just a little further
,
he told himself
.
He owed Jan
e
tha
t
much.

*

Adam walked through the field. The sun was much hotter out here than it had been in the forest. He wiped the sweat away from his forehead and wished that he had had some water.

Though there was nothing he could do about that.

*

It wasn't long before Adam came to a road. There were a few cars crashed into one another in the middle of it. He walked over to them.

He kept his gun ready, just in case he was attacked. But he couldn't hear anything that gave him cause for alarm.

He looked into one of the cars. There was a dead couple in it. He could see that they had attacked each other, ripped at one another's face. There was blood spattered everywhere. It had covered the seats, had dried in a pool on the floor.

Adam went to turn away. Yet, before he did, he saw something that caught his attention.

"Water!"

There was a bottle sitting in between the dead couple. It too was covered in blood, but that didn't stop him from reaching over and taking it out of the car.

He twisted the cap open and rubbed the the edge of his shirt against the nozzle. He put the bottle to his mouth and drank. He could taste something metallic, something salty, and was sure that some of the blood was getting onto his lips.

He tried not to think about it. He was thirsty
.
That was all that mattered.

He took a few more sips.

*

When Adam lowered the bottle, he looked around again. There was still no sign of Jane, but that didn't mean that she wasn't close by. If anywhere, he figured that Jane would have come to the road. She probably even stopped at the cars.

"Jane?" he called out, gun readied.

There was a rustling from one of the other cars. His eyes shot toward it, the gun following suit.

"Jane, is that you?"

There was no reply, but he heard more rustling.

He took a step toward the sound. Then another.

"Jane?"

He stopped and tried to look around the back of the car. Something was definitely there. He could hear it. But it wasn't responding to him.

"Jane?"

He took another step closer.

The rustling stopped.

He held his gun out in front of him, expecting to be attacked by whatever was there
.
He took a deep breath and readied himself.

He waited.

Then he heard the pitter-patter of feet as fox scurried out from underneath the car and ran off into the field.

*

Adam turned to look back in the direction toward the school. He had lost the little confidence he had had of finding Jane. He also didn’t have much more time to search before the sun set.

"Jane!" he cried out. "If you're here, answer me!"

As he had expected, there was no reply.

He sighed, defeated.

"Jane," he called a final time.

This time, his voice wasn't all that loud. He wasn't really trying to reach her anymore. He was apologizing for not being able to find her, for not helping her when he had the chance. He was asking for forgiveness.