Survival (6 page)

Caddy nodded.

Noah sifted through the weapons on the counter. Among them was a six-inch kitchen knife. As he inspected the blade, he shook his head in disbelief. Just a few days ago, his biggest worry had been keeping the gas tank filled and paying his rent every month.

Now he was searching for the most dangerous weapon he could find.

But he had no choice. To fight back was to stay alive. That was why he’d killed Kendall back in Arizona; that was why he’d killed those men in the woods…

“Are you all right?” Caddy asked.

Noah snapped to attention, realizing he was staring absently at the knife.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just bad memories, that’s all.”

“I understand. I haven’t slept in days,” she confided.

He looked up at her. Despite the growing darkness, he could see dark circles beneath her eyes.

“I’m worried about my family,” Noah said. “I haven’t spoken to any of them in a week. The last family member I spoke to was my father, and I can hardly remember the conversation. It seems like a year ago that we talked.”

“Ever since the infection, the days last forever. And the nights—well, they’re even worse.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Things have to get better. That’s what I keep telling myself.”

Noah nodded and set the knife on the counter. “You’re lucky to have your mother here. It seems like having her here has kept you steady.”

“She’s the most important person in my life. And she’s also the most courageous. Every day she wakes up with a smile on her face, even though she has no idea what the day will bring…sometimes I think she’s better off not knowing.”

Caddy leaned over the sink, peering through the boards that barred the window.

“It’s getting dark outside. Do you want to watch the front or the back?”

“Why don’t you get some rest, Caddy? I can handle it. I’ll be lookout while you and your mother sleep.”

“But I should really—”

“I mean it.”

Hearing his insistence, Caddy backed away from the counter and thanked him. She handed him the rifle.

“There’re only three bullets left,” she warned. “Make ’em count.”

“Got it.”

Caddy smiled and exited the kitchen. He listened as she coaxed her mother from the chair, then led her upstairs and into one of the second-floor bedrooms.

Regardless of the violence and bloodshed she’d seen, Caddy had somehow managed to hold it together. Her resilience gave him a sense of hope, a sense that maybe Noah could see his
own
family again.

And at that moment, that was exactly what he needed.

N
oah stared out the window, watching the shadows deepen. For the past few hours he’d been roaming the house, keeping vigil over the neighborhood. His hands blanched from holding the rifle. Although he’d slept, exhaustion had slipped back over him, reminding him of the sleep he’d lost.

Up until an hour ago, he’d still heard Caddy and Theresa tossing and turning in their beds upstairs, but they’d since quieted. He imagined neither of them had slept much since the infection had hit. He couldn’t blame them.

These days, to sleep was to risk one’s life.

He’d been lucky Caddy had found him in the woods. In spite of the misfortunes he’d suffered, Noah was alive, and that was enough to give him hope. Having survived the ordeal of the past few days, he was one step closer to Portland, one step closer to his family.

He’d get there. No matter what it took.

In the meantime, he needed food. His stomach was hollow and empty. The growl of hunger had grown to a roar over the course of the day. The last time he’d eaten had been twelve hours ago.

That morning, he’d pulled into an open field and torn into a box of rice cakes. He’d been rationing his food for days, only eating when absolutely necessary. By his calculations, the food from the salvage yard would’ve been enough to get him home.

And now it was all gone. Or so he suspected.

But he’d find out in the morning.

His brow furrowed as he peered out the window. Across the street, he saw what appeared to be a possum. He clenched his hands around the rifle. For a split second, he contemplated stepping outside and stalking it down.

If it weren’t for the noise a gunshot would make, he might’ve killed it for food.

If there was nothing in his truck, they’d have to consider other options.

Noah sighed and stepped away from the window. He’d been watching out the front for several minutes, and it was time to change positions. He padded across the house and into the kitchen, gazing at the walls around him.

The last time he’d felt safe was in the salvage yard. He thought back to the RV he’d slept in and to the companions who’d kept him company.

He missed Delta most of all. He could still see her face clear as day, her blue eyes watering when he’d told her he was leaving. Ever since he’d departed, his guilt had weighed on his conscience, threatening to crush him. They hadn’t known each other long, but they’d shared a kiss, and he’d been thinking about her for days.

He hoped he’d see her again one day.

Noah took up residence in the kitchen. A few minutes later he switched positions to the front bedroom. The neighborhood remained calm and quiet. If there was anything lurking in the shadows, it remained hidden.

A few hours later, the sun crept over the distant hills, igniting the landscape with the promise of a new day.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind him.

Noah turned, holding the rifle against his shoulder.

“Good morning!” he said.

Caddy smiled at him as she walked into the living room. Her mother was right behind her. Theresa eyed him warily, brow furrowed.

“Who’s this, Caddy?”

“This is Noah, Mom. He’s watching over the house. Remember? I was telling you about him upstairs.”

Theresa looked unsure, but she smiled and extended her hand. Noah gave it a gentle squeeze.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

The older woman lit up. “Pretty well, thanks. I had the strangest dreams, though.”

“I’m glad you got some rest.”

“I was just telling Mom we were going to take a trip for food,” Caddy said, giving Noah a glance.

“I’m starving,” the woman said in response.

Noah nodded. “Me, too. Hopefully, we’ll all have a nice breakfast.”

After chatting with Theresa for a minute, he followed Caddy into the kitchen.

“How about you? Were you able to rest?” he asked her.

“A little,” she replied. “It was hard to relax, though.”

He noticed she’d changed her clothes, and he could smell the faint scent of deodorant and perfume. Noah looked down at his tattered outfit.

“I almost forgot. I have a T-shirt you can borrow.” She grinned. “No offense.”

“I’ll probably take you up on that.”

“So where’s your truck?”

Noah described the location where he’d been run off the road.

“It sounds like you were on Iron Street.”

The name sounded familiar. He’d originally been on US-50W, but after seeing signs of danger, he’d detoured to another road. It was then that he’d run into the men in the black pickup.

“How far is that from here?” Noah asked.

“A few miles.”

He remembered the battered sedan they’d jumped in the day before.

“Is there another car we can take?”

“Most of them have keys, but if not, we could probably locate them in one of the neighbor’s houses.”

Noah nodded. With the infected in the area, the last thing he wanted to do was to travel on foot. Caddy began walking into the other room.

“I’ll scope out our options,” she said.

Before she could get far, Noah called her back.

“I was thinking, Caddy. You should probably stay here with your mother. After what happened yesterday, I don’t think you should leave her alone.”

He sensed that Caddy was trying to concoct an argument, but words failed her. He could only imagine what her life must’ve been like. For years she’d shouldered the burden of taking care of the both herself and her mother. The prospect of assistance must’ve become foreign to her.

Before she could speak, he cut her off.

“I mean it, Caddy. I can do this. I’ll just drive out and take a look. If there’s nothing left in the pickup, I’ll come right back.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’ll need directions.”

“I’ll write them down. There aren’t many turns.”

He crossed the kitchen and joined her at the doorway to the living room. They watched Theresa for a moment as she flipped through the pages of a magazine. Caddy tapped his arm.

“Noah?”

“What?”

“Thank you.”

He followed her upstairs and into Theresa’s bedroom. From there, the two of them inspected the vehicles in the neighborhood. There were several cars in the road—an SUV, a station wagon, and a sedan. All three were dented and battered, the windows smashed. None appeared to be in great shape.

He continued searching. After a few seconds, he noticed the neighbor’s garage open across the street. A car was still in the bay.

“What about that one?”

“That’s Mrs. McDonald’s new hybrid.”

“It looks nice.”

“She barely drove the thing. I guess she won’t have much use for it now.”

“It looks reliable.”

“It is.”

Noah glanced at the girl next to him. Her hands were folded on the windowsill, the rifle between her legs. She gave him a grim smile.

“Do you know where they went?”

“The McDonalds? I saw them wander off a few days ago. All of them were infected.”

“I’m sorry.”

“They were nice, but I didn’t know them too well. They just moved in.”

“Was it always just the two of you? You and your mom?”

“Yep. I never knew my father. He left when I was a little girl, and I barely remember him.”

“Is he alive?”

Caddy shrugged. “I have no idea. He’s never tried to contact me. It doesn’t bother me, though. It’s hard to miss something that was never there.”

“That makes sense. You’ve held things together pretty well.”

“What choice do I have? My mother needs me.” Caddy turned her glance from the street to the sky. “I’ve always wanted to get out of Chester, but after all this, I don’t see much point. Everything I’ve ever needed is right here.”

“Your mother?”

Caddy nodded. He could see tears in her eyes. She leaned back from the window to look at him.

“There are so many people who lose their parents at a young age and never get to see them again. But I get to see Mom every day, and that’s enough to make me happy. Things could be worse.”

“That’s a good point,” Noah said.

“Even when times are tough, I still get to spend time with her, and that means a lot.”

Caddy wiped her face. Noah thought back to his own childhood, to his parents and Ricky, and felt a pit in his stomach.

Although they’d had rough times, their lives seemed so easy in comparison. They’d always had food on the table, a place to sleep—things Noah had taken for granted. If he made it back, he’d never take those things for granted again.

Caddy cleared her throat. “So what’s the deal? Have you decided on a car?”

“I think I’m going for the hybrid.”

“Good choice.”

Noah scanned the McDonald residence. For the most part, the building was similar to Caddy’s. With the exception of the attached garage, the structure was identical. He just hoped the keys were accessible and easy to find.

“I’ll keep a lookout from the window,” Caddy said. “If I see anything, I’ll yell.”

“Thanks.”

“You got it.”

Noah got to his feet. As he started toward the door, he hesitated. For the first time in days, he felt some semblance of normalcy, the illusion of being safe. It was a welcome change from the uncertainty of the road.

He was halfway through the doorway when Caddy tapped him on the shoulder. He spun to find her holding out the rifle.

“Take this. You’ll need it.”

“Are you sure? That’s the only one we have. I was going to take the knives from the kitchen.”

“We’ll manage, Noah. We always have.”

She smiled and walked back to the window.

Noah clutched the rifle as he left the bedroom. Since leaving the salvage yard, he’d avoided all human contact, both with survivors and the infected. It felt good to have found Caddy and her mother, two normal people in a world that seemed to have flipped upside down.

At the same time, it filled him with a sense of worry. What if he were to lose them too?

As he walked down the stairs, he tried to dispel the image that he was descending into the pits of hell, and that leaving the house would mean saying another goodbye.

B
eing in the open was liberating and terrifying.

Noah pointed the rifle in front of him as he crept through the sunlit yard. Because he’d slipped out through a back entrance, the door closest to him was blocked and barricaded. The house might as well have been miles away.

There would be no getting back inside easily.

He glanced behind him at the windows. True to her word, Caddy remained in the upstairs bedroom, watching him through the screen. He gave her a half-hearted wave and returned his focus to the yard.