Lost in the Apocalypse (12 page)

Neil and Butter built a fence. It took them the better part of three weeks, but it looked damn fine when they were done.

“At least we’ll have some sort of warning if someone comes,” Neil said, wiping sweat from his brow. The weather was already starting to turn cold, but he still felt hot and sticky from the work.

The wall around the property didn’t cover everything, but encased the house and a portion of the yard and one of the sheds. There was ten feet of driveway before the fence started and encircled the house and yard. They put in a gate in the front, but none in the back. They kept a ladder near the back fence in case they needed to make a quick escape, but neither one of them wanted to make it easier for an Infected to get in.

“Think it’ll draw too much attention?” Butter asked, hands on hips, but Neil shook his head. They had never seen another vehicle, much less any survivors. The fence was primarily to keep the Z’s at bay, but even those were few and far between. They got wanderers every few days, but they were always low in number and easy to put down.

The fence project had taken a lot of time, and Neil’s muscles were sore and tired. He was ready for a break. He was ready for anything that might take his mind off of things. He was ready to be able to relax with his friends, have a beer, and read a damn book.

He hauled his hammer and extra nails to the shed within the wall and shoved it inside. He thought they should include the other sheds within the walls, as well, but Butter had argued against it. The other sheds were larger, but they were closer to trees, and if they had any survivors try to come jump the 5-foot fence, having trees nearby would make it easier.

“We need some traps,” he commented to Butter as he slammed the shed door harder than he meant to. The walls shook, but Butter just shrugged.

“We’ll come up with something,” he said. They stared at their work and for a brief second, Neil wished he could take a picture and post it online. His homesteading buddies would love to see him go fully domestic like this. They’d love to see the wall he built with his bare hands. And to keep out zombies, nonetheless.

Kari and Cody walked out of the house just then, hand-in-hand, and took a look at the fence.

“You guys,” Kari said, running her hand along the wood. “It looks amazing.” Neil grinned. It did. They had worked their asses off, but it had all been worth it. No, the fence wouldn’t keep out a horde of zombies, but it didn’t have to. It just had to give them a little bit of protection, enough so they could escape out the back if they needed to.

“We need some traps,” Butter pointed out, and Neil shook his head as Kari began pelting out ideas about barbed wire and bells and bear traps. When she started describing the traps she’d seen in her favorite movie,
The Goonies,
Neil knew it was time to quietly duck out.

Giant boulders, indeed.

He hurried up the steps and went into the house to find Emily. He wanted to tell her what had happened. He wanted to tell her they were done.

He wanted to celebrate with her.

They didn’t have a name for their relationship. Their lives were too messy and complicated to have a title like “boyfriend” or “dating,” but they were sharing the same room, and the same bed, and everything. He told her everything. She knew everything there was to know about him: Neil Swift, the staff sergeant. Neil Swift, the loving son. Neil Swift, the devoted leader. Neil Swift, the survivor.

She was lying across the bed, her nose engrossed in a book. He had found it for her the week before when he and Butter had gone for more supplies. They’d gotten another truck – one with plenty of gas – and the house they’d searched had a nice miniature library.

He’d brought almost all the books back for her, and Emily had rewarded him with a hug and a kiss before pouring over the books. She arranged and rearranged them on the shelves in their bedroom, then moved them all the living room, then put them back in the bedroom.

“We’re done,” he said, kissing her forehead. She kissed him back on the mouth and ran her hands through his hair. It was long and shaggy now. He thought about having her cut it, but wanted to see what it would look like when it got really long. He’d never imagined he might have long hair one day.

If his mother could see him now, what would she think? Neil pushed the thought away as quickly as it had come. There was no place for ghosts here.

“What is it?” Emily asked softly, her eyes searching his. “What was that thought?”

“You’re so perceptive it makes me sick,” he said jokingly.

“I’m a writer,” she said softly. “It’s kinda what I do.”

“Do you ever think about your parents?” He asked before she pressed him further. She had never talked about them: not once that he could remember. Why not? Did she miss them? Did she wonder about them?

“No,” she shook her head. “I only think about Melanie. How messed up is that?” She scoffed, as if the thought disgusted her. “They died when I was 18. I became my sister’s legal guardian and that was it for me. Isn’t that strange, though?” She asked, eyeing him carefully. “Isn’t it weird that I don’t miss the people who gave birth to me?”

He shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“That’s just a lie.”

“It’s a good one.”

“Maybe I’ll try to believe it.”

He kissed her again and took her hand. He pulled her to her feet and out the door.

“Where are we going?”

“I want you to see my fence.”

He practically dragged her outside and when she saw the fence, she was just as thrilled as everyone else. Kari had pulled out some alcohol and everyone was passing around the whiskey, enjoying it, celebrating their new safety measure that had been secured in place.

They still needed traps, and they would still need to keep the house secured, but it gave them a little bit of a barrier between them and the outside world. The fence wouldn’t protect them from everything, but it was a damn good start.

Emily and Neil went out one day.

Someone went out almost every day. They used up gas, but switching vehicles was easy enough, and sometimes little farmsteads had gas pumps they could take fuel from easily enough.

Quick, little trips out meant a good supply of food, water, and tools. It meant bullets. It meant guns. It meant bats and clothes and blankets and winter jackets. The weather was already turning cold. Emily said the first snow would come soon, and Neil hated to think she was right.

He’d always been garbage at figuring out what storm patterns there were.

They took off in one of the pickups. It was rusty, but it was quiet, and that was what Neil cared about the most these days. They didn’t have to be in the fastest car. They needed to be in a quiet one, though. He didn’t like the idea of drawing attention to themselves and although they hadn’t seen anyone else, Neil was forever paranoid after his escape from Forrest AFB.

He still had nightmares about it, still fought the insomnia, still was scared that somehow, he’d wake up and be back there, hearing the screams of the airmen dying on base.

He shook his head. He needed to snap out of it.

“Where to today?” Emily asked. She didn’t bother looking out the window. She’d seen everything a million times before and there would be nothing new. Neil wondered if she missed traveling, if she missed seeing the world, but he didn’t think that she did.

She was a writer through-and-through, and while Emily liked to explore, she could do so in her books. She wasn’t like most ordinary girls. She didn’t have to even leave the house to have an adventure. She could do all of that in her head.

“Somewhere new,” he commented. He pulled out the little map they’d made of the area. They’d looked in convenience stores for detailed maps of the area, but everything was state or county-sized. There were no small, rural maps, so they were making their own.

He pointed to an area that was mostly blank.

“Let’s see what’s over here.” It was further east than they’d wandered, but maybe they’d find something interesting, something new. He wasn’t hoping for a band of survivors or a gang or anything crazy. He just wanted to get some new juggling balls for Cody and cooking equipment for Kari and maybe a book for Emily.

And Butter, maybe Butter would want a new hammer or some shit. Neil didn’t know. He just knew that he was ready for something different and today was the day they got that.

They had almost a full tank of gas.

“Almost enough for a real road trip,” he motioned to the gas gauge, and Emily smiled brightly.

“I wish,” she said. “I miss camping sometimes, getting out, hiking. You know,” she winked. “All the things I’m afraid to do now because I might get hurt and we don’t have a doctor.” He knew what she meant because he felt the same way. They were alive, but sometimes just being alive was a scary thing to be. Any little thing could turn into a nightmare.

It hadn’t yet.

But it could.

They drove for almost 20 miles and saw nothing. Houses, but no little towns. Just fields and nothingness, as far as they could see. Then gravel road turned into pavement and they kept driving.

“Slow down,” Emily said suddenly, and pointed up ahead. There was a car on the side of the road with the top popped.

“Fuck,” he said, but Emily pressed her face to the glass of the window.

“Someone’s hurt,” she said, and Neil pressed on the gas and sped by.

“Hey!” She shouted.

“Look in the mirror,” he said, but she could hear the bullets before she even peeked. Four men and two women were firing at the little truck. Luckily they were horrible shots.

“It was a trap?” She whispered, almost in disbelief. He hadn’t seen the people hiding in the ditches, but he had immediately suspected.

“Fucking city folk,” Neil muttered, even though he had been “city folk” until very recently.

“What did they want?” She asked, but it was a stupid question and they both knew it.

“Everything.”

“They didn’t even know us.”

“They didn’t want to, love.”

He sped on down the road and turned off on the first dirt side road he saw. Neil sped, kicking up dust and hopefully, concealing their tracks until they could make a few more turns. He wasn’t sure if the men on the highway would follow them, but if he was a betting man, and in another life he had been, he would bet they would.

A few more turns and they passed a house, but Neil kept driving.

“What about the house?” She asked. “When Butter and I-”

“These aren’t cows, baby,” he said gently. “These are dangerous men who are going to suspect we’re hiding there and they won’t stop at anything to get us.” He paused, then added, almost as a whisper, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She turned and stared at him, but then faced the road again. Emily’s body was rigid and she gripped the dash tightly.

“Just get us out of here,” she said through gritted teeth, and Neil nodded curtly. He would do anything for her, he realized. He had never been particularly good at relationships and he didn’t know that was any good at this one, but he’d get her out of there. He’d keep his girl safe.

A few more turns and they were back on a paved road. He turned right and headed down the road.

“Recognize this one?” He asked. Emily just shook her head.

“I’m completely turned around,” she said, and Neil didn’t want to admit it, but he was, too. They had gone out to explore, to maybe get some new toys, and now they were coming up on “lost.” He wouldn’t say it yet, but soon they would be, and it wouldn’t look good when they were.

How were he and Em going to survive the apocalypse in the middle of nowhere? How were they going to find their way back when they risked bringing the wrath of the strangers with the guns? How were they going to get back to the safe house when they ran out of gas?

Out of water?

Out of food?

They’d brought extra rations, but only enough for two days. They hadn’t expected to be gone longer than an afternoon. He tried to keep his mind from going to worst-case scenario, but Neil wasn’t known for being an optimist. He was a dreamer sometimes, sure, but he tended to keep his dreams realistic. Years in the military taught him that dreaming could get things done, but only if you kept a tight rein on those dreams.

They passed another house and made another turn onto another gravel road. This one they followed for two miles. They turned onto another side road and stopped.

“We had to have lost them,” Emily said breathlessly, and Neil nodded. This area was wooded and thick with trees. Though many of them had lost their leaves, there were enough pines to give them some coverage. There was enough to keep them from being seen. “What are we going to do, Neil?”

The question hung in the air. He had been leading the group for months now. He had been the one in charge. He had been taking care of everything.

And he wasn’t done yet, would never be done. Not that he minded. He didn’t. It was just a lot of pressure for one man and suddenly, the cab felt very small and hot and the windows were closed and-

“Neil!” Emily’s voice brought him out of his daze.

“What?”

“Are you okay?” She looked worried. “You kinda started to wig out there for a second.”

“I’m fine,” he breathed. Deep breaths. “I’m fine. We’ll stay here tonight and go home at first light.”

“Why not just go at dusk?” She asked. “Wouldn’t they be gone by then?”

“Maybe, but I’m not driving without headlights.” He hesitated before adding, “And driving with them on would just be a beacon.”

She nodded slowly, then reclined her seat and closed her eyes.

“Guess I better get comfy, then.”