Kick at the Darkness (9 page)

Parker could only hack out a cough in response, and his heart rate soared. He was sick, there was no question. It felt like the flu, but what if it wasn’t? What if this was how it started? What if—

“You’ll be fine, Parker. You need to rest, and we’ll get you some medicine.” He guided Parker’s head under the stream of water and gently rinsed the conditioner from his hair.

Parker closed his eyes, reveling in the touch of Adam’s fingers on his scalp. He was used to being around other naked guys—at an all-boys boarding school, there wasn’t a lot of modesty—but by all rights it should have felt awkward as hell to be showering up close and personal with a man who had been a stranger two days ago. Especially a man who looked like a Greek god come to life, but with chest hair.

Had it only been two days? It seemed like another lifetime. Now it was the only thing keeping him going, having Adam there with him. If he was alone…the thought sent his pulse soaring. He’d lose it.

As if reading his mind, Adam spoke. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Parker shook his head. “But why would you stay with me? I’m a loser. I never do things right, and I’ll slow you down. You’re so fast. How are you so fast?”

“You’re not a loser. You’re annoying as hell sometimes, but you’re brave, and you care about people. I wanted to leave Carey behind. Cut our losses.”

“It didn’t matter anyway. She’s still…” He shuddered as he thought of her bulging eyes and that awful noise coming out of her.

“It matters.”

Parker wanted to collapse against Adam’s broad chest and weep, but he had to keep it together. “I really didn’t mean what I said before. I’m glad you’re calm. If we were both freaking out we’d be in serious trouble. Not that we aren’t already in serious trouble.”

Adam squeezed Parker’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out together.” He peered intently. “I don’t want to be alone either.” Then a ghost of a smile lifted his lips. “We’re stuck with each other.”

In the kitchen, Parker rested by the windows, watching drying leaves skitter across the lawn as the microwave whirred quietly. He’d sat on the shower floor until the water had gone cold, and then blown his nose for, like, five minutes. Now he was changed into some new underwear, jeans, and a pullover hoodie. Adam hadn’t been able to grab his pack from the store, and had been scavenging through the house for clothes and whatever else might come in handy.

The
ding
when the microwave finished sounded too loud. Parker put in the second plate and brought cutlery, napkins, and cold cans of cola to the breakfast nook.

His phone continued charging on the counter, and he checked it one more time before sitting down. Dark hair dried now, Adam came in wearing a brown Henley and carrying a tote bag of clothing. He joined Parker at the nook and popped the tab on his cola. After a sip, he sighed.

“Damn, that tastes good. We better drink up while we still can.”

Parker swallowed a sugary gulp. “Yeah. I guess so.” It hurt his throat, but Adam was right that they should enjoy it while they could. The thought that it might be a long time before they had cold soda again led to other thoughts he tried to block out.

They ate in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The hot food tasted better than Parker could have imagined considering he hadn’t felt hungry. His stomach gurgled as he shoveled in the first few desperate bites. Then he slowed down, picking at the leftovers with his fork. He stared out the window at the clouds moving in, obscuring the brilliant blue of the autumn sky. It seemed wrong somehow that nature wasn’t reflecting the chaos unfolding.

“Why did you say you were a loser?”

The swings swayed in the growing breeze. Parker shifted uncomfortably, feeling Adam’s scrutiny hot on his face. “I screw up a lot.” He ate another bite. “These are good mashed potatoes. My mom’s were always lumpy. Not bad, but just not this creamy.” He had no idea why he was saying this. “What about you?”

Adam chewed and swallowed. “Me?”

“Did your mom—” Parker remembered too late that Adam had said he didn’t have any family. “Um, nothing.”

But Adam didn’t seem upset. “She was a good cook. I’ve never had red sauce that could come close. She grew her own tomatoes, and she’d let it simmer on the stove for two days. When I first came to the Bay, I tried a bunch of Italian places. Really expensive restaurants. I thought they must have a marinara that was half as good.” He scooped up the last bite of butternut squash. “But after a while I stopped trying.”

“Where did you grow up?”

“New Mexico. Near Albuquerque.”

Parker wanted to ask about Adam’s family, but instead he asked, “How did you end up here?”

“I always wanted to live by the water, and Stanford has a great MFA program.” He rubbed a hand over his face and put down his fork, his plate clean.

“So. What are we going to do now?”

“What do you want to do?”

Parker tried to think of a plan, but his mind was blank. “Barricade the doors and windows and sleep.”

“Sounds good. You should take some cold medicine. I found some cough syrup and stuff upstairs. And before you say it, don’t worry. You’ve got a cold. If you had whatever’s causing this chaos, you’d be one of them by now.”

Parker nodded. He had to believe that was true, because…well, if it wasn’t, before long it wouldn’t matter anyway. So he might as well believe it.

They ended up in the living room with bookcases dragged in front of the picture window and the sheer curtains drawn. Parker curled up on the love seat with a fluffy pillow and blanket, and Adam stretched out on the overstuffed couch. They piled their gear and weapons on the floor between them.

“Where is everyone?” Parker asked quietly. “Why haven’t we seen more survivors? Do you think they’re hiding like us?”

“Probably. Or they’re dead. Or…”

In the dim light, Parker blinked at a framed picture on the side table. A smiling man, woman, and little girl with dark curls sat together in front of a mottled blue background.

As he listened to Adam’s deepening breathing, Parker stared at Ashley Henderson and her parents, and wondered if they’d ever come home again.

Parker blinked as the dark shapes of an unfamiliar room came into focus, barely illuminated by whispers of street lights through the thin curtains.
Where did
— He bolted up to sitting as he remembered.

“It’s okay,” Adam said quietly. He squatted by a cabinet beside the fireplace.

“What time is it?”

“Just after two.”

“In the morning?” Parker rubbed his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“We both needed the rest.”

Parker nodded blearily and blew his nose. How was it possible to have this much snot in his head? It hurt to swallow, and his mouth was dry. He unwrapped a cherry lozenge from the package Adam had found. “Have you seen anything? Heard anything?”

“Some infected were on the street earlier. I think there are more of them now. You were definitely right about the lights—they’re drawn to it. They swarmed a house at the end of the block. I think it had motion sensors, and the lights keep blinking on and off. That really seems to attract them, the flashing. But I think even if they came across you in the dark, they’d still bite. Once you’re in their sights, if something else doesn’t distract them, they’ll keep on you. But I didn’t hear…I don’t think anyone was home. Didn’t seem to be, anyway.”

“What’s the deal with your hearing? It’s freaky.”

Still squatting, Adam didn’t look at him. “I don’t know. It’s genetic.”

“But like, how?”

“I
don’t know
.”

“I was just asking, dude.” He blew his nose again. “What are you doing?”

“Looking at their movies.”

“Anything good? Maybe we should watch something before the power goes,” he joked. “We might never watch a movie again.” As he said the words, Parker’s stomach twisted. Surely order would be restored. They just had to wait. “But I guess that’s a bad idea since they might see the light outside.”

Adam reached for a Blu-ray case. “You won’t believe what they have.”

“How am I supposed to know? Wait—no way they have
Laura
.”

Adam chuckled. “No, but they have
The Asphalt Jungle
. It was next on the syllabus.”

“Hey, it’ll give me a head start on the assignment. You can tell me what’s so great about it.”

“I thought you were dropping the class.” Adam straightened up and returned to the couch, where he sat with his elbows on his knees.

“Maybe I’ll reconsider. I wouldn’t want you to have only brown-nosers in your class.” He stretched his neck one way and then the other. He’d slept, but had had strange dreams that he remembered now in snatches of imagery. It was surreal, waking up in someone else’s living room in the middle of the night. The world seemed utterly still. “I feel like I’m sleeping. Like this is all some horrible dream. I was studying, and went for coffee, and then…this.”

“I was on my way home to clear a couple episodes of
The Amazing Race
off the TiVo.”

“I guess we’re doing our own race now. Except if we lose a leg, we might actually lose a leg.”

Adam laughed, and then peered at Parker quietly.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re just…”

“An idiot? I know, believe me.”

“Funny. I was going to say you’re funny.”

“Oh. Um, thanks.”

“You make me laugh. I don’t…not many people do.”

“What about Tina?” The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

Adam smiled softly. “It’s all right. And no, she’s not really funny. She’s kind, and generous, and she loves to laugh. But she’s not funny. Unless knock-knock jokes are your type of humor.”

The tender expression on Adam’s face sent a surge of sticky jealousy through Parker.
Jesus, get a grip. He’s not even gay, and she’s probably dead. I’m such an asshole
. He coughed and reached for another lozenge. “How did you meet?”

“In undergrad. I took a women’s studies class, and I was the only guy. It was intimidating, but she sat right beside me and talked to me. I thought it was because she felt sorry for me, but later she said it was because she thought I was hot.” He smiled faintly.

She wasn’t wrong
. “Um, is your place around here? Do you think she would be there?”

“No.”

“But maybe?”

With a sigh, Adam closed his eyes. “She went into San Francisco that night for a concert. I’d texted her earlier to say enjoy the show, and I saw her reply right before I ran into you. It was from an hour earlier, and there was nothing after it. She said there was something weird happening in the crowd, and she was going to go find out what the holdup was.”

“Oh.” Parker didn’t know what to say, so he started babbling. “It must have been pretty bad downtown. So many people, and it all happened so fast. And if she were in a crowd inside a building, and the infection spread…”
Stop talking immediately
.

“Yeah.” Adam’s sorrow was palpable as a faint smile flickered over his mouth. “That was Tina. She’d march right in with her hands on her hips and demand answers.” He opened his eyes, blinking away a hint of tears. “That
is
her. I can still hope, I guess.”

“I’m sorry,” Parker whispered. It wasn’t enough, but it was all he had. “And you don’t have any other friends or family?”

He shook his head. “No close friends here. And my family died when I was nine. My parents and two sisters.”

Jesus. Parker couldn’t even imagine. Although now
he
might be the sole survivor. He pushed the thought from his mind. He didn’t know that. Eric was in a bunker, and the Cape house might be safe. And there was always the boat, if they’d been able to get to the marina. “That must have been terrible.” He wondered how it had happened, but didn’t want to pry.

“Yeah.” Adam sat back against the floral couch cushions. “I guess I learned that’s the way the world works. Nothing’s forever. We think it will be. It never is.” He peered around the dark room. “I wish I could film this place.”