They Walk (12 page)

Hitting the guy in the face with the knife, he falls away.

When we’re finally free, I know we have to be a couple miles down the road already. I notice though that the truck is still speeding down the road. Not that I blame Claire though, the further away the better. I see Sam turn to her and whisper something but I can’t hear what it is, but I do hear Claire tell him to shut up. He must have told her to slow down, because we stop going at breakneck speed.

I sit back in the truck and try to gain control of my breathing. Leaning against the door, I lay my head against the headrest behind me. I look out at the woods through the window as we drive down the road. I can see the night is already getting lighter, and the trees are becoming more green now than black. It doesn’t seem possible that it’s only becoming morning. It feels like it’s already been a lifetime that has passed. Not just two days. None of the things that happened the last two days even seem real.

I feel like I’m trapped inside a nightmare that I can’t wake up from.

I take a moment to look around at everyone, and almost overwhelmed with relief that we made it out of there. Beside me Dan switches spots with Emily, so he can sit in the back with Maria. She’s sobbing by the time he’s beside her, but she’s smiling and laughing. She grabs onto him and squeezes tightly, and he does the same. He pulls back from her and I realize he’s crying too. Smiling he wipes her tears from her cheeks. As he leans in to kiss her, I turn away. Emily is leaning against the window with her eyes closed, and I can see her chest heave as her silent tears run down her face.

I notice then that Gabe is sitting on the other side of me. He’s sitting so straight, as if he’s afraid to relax. I understand that, we’re all waiting for the next bad thing to happen. The muscles in his jaw are clenching, and I wonder for a moment what’s going through his mind. He always appears so in control, like nothing gets to him at all. He’s turned looking out the window and I take in his appearance. I realize that he’s covered in blood. His face, arms, and his clothes are the worst.

Startled, I glance down at myself.

Matt’s blood is no longer the only one covering me.

My hands are soaked, and I start to wipe them on my jeans. Gabe noticing my frantic hand washing turns and glares at me. “You’re an idiot, you know.”

I stop my frantic scrubbing, and take my turn to glare.

“
Excuse me?”

“
I distinctly remember telling you to stay in the truck. You could have been killed, or worse.”

I stare at him, and I’m sure my mouth is hanging open. Who does he think he is? He can’t just assume I’ll do whatever he says to.

“
You needed my help, and you know it. They had you surrounded, and who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t come to help.”

I’m leaning toward him preparing to yell at him some more, when he stops me with his hand on my arm.

“
Maggie, relax. I only meant, you shouldn’t have risked it. But I’m glad you did. So, thanks.”

“
Oh.” I lean back in my seat, and try to swallow all my anger. I can feel my face reddening, and now I really do feel like an idiot.

Gabe leans away to sit back and I can see the small half smile on his face. He’s shaking his head, but he appears more relaxed now. Not so tense. I’m about to go back to staring out the window, wondering where we are when Claire clears her throat.

“
Where are we going by the way?” she asks.

Who she’s talking to I have no idea. We never got as far too where we planned to go, only how we would get there. We all remain silent, not sure where to start. I catch her eye in the rearview mirror, and I see for the first time how upset she is. I can see the trails that the tears have made down her cheeks, and I remember that Brian and she were starting to get close. I instantly regret not noticing right away, that I’m not the only one feeling loss now. I lean forward to her seat and place my hand on her shoulder.

She gives me a ghost of a smile, and with a squeeze I lean back.

I look behind me at Dan, with Maria curled up to his side. He almost seems at peace just being near her. Like nothing is wrong outside of their cocoon. I yearn for that mirage of safety. With a sigh, I know where we should go. The only place we all know we can be safe.

Or at least begin to start looking for it.

I look back at Claire and say, “Home. We should go home.”

Chapter Twenty Three

By the time we reach our street, the sun is high in the sky. The streets are empty, no cars driving around, no kids playing, and no animals running loose. It’s like we stepped into another world, and we don’t have the directions to get back. Claire pulls the truck in her driveway and lets it idle for a minute before turning it off. Usually her driveway has two cars, but it’s empty. It has to be unnerving for her to see it this way. I glance to my right, where my house sits beside hers.

My mom’s car is parked in the driveway, but my dad’s isn’t.

“
So, how are we going to do this?” Claire asks, as she turns to face us in the back.

“
What?” Dan asks.

“
Do we all stay together, or do we split up? But it has to be said, splitting up didn’t work so well last time.” She’s looking right at Dan when she says this. I can actually feel Dan flinch behind me, from his guilt over Brian I’d guess.

“
Not that splitting up is ideal, but we do have weapons and we can just have smaller groups.” I say. They all glance at me questioningly, but I only hold Claire’s gaze.

“
That might not be a bad idea, but we are an odd number. Who decides about the extra person?” She says.

“
Someone should stay with the car. That way if we do get into trouble, we have a quick out.” Gabe cuts in, as he’s already going for the door.

He gets out of the truck, and I squeeze out behind him. When I close the door, I see Emily getting out on her side. Dan and Maria get out through the back door, and stands beside Gabe and I. Claire and Sam get out next, but I notice Sam going to the driver’s side door.

“
I can be the getaway driver, if that’s alright?” But he’s already opening the door and hopping in.

No one argues, it’s not like he’s ever been to one of our houses before anyway. We all walk over to the fence that separates our houses and stare at one another, not sure where to divvy up the group.

“
Maggie and I have to go to our house, and I’d like Maria to come with us.” Dan says.

“
That leaves me with Gabe and Emily then. Let’s go before I lose my nerve.” She turns to walk away but Gabe stops her.

Before she can start to yell at him, he holds a knife out to her. Grimly she takes it and walks away. Emily gives Maria a small smile and goes to catch up. Gabe lingers for a minute and just watches me. It would be really creepy under different circumstances, but I know what he’s thinking.

“
We’ll be fine, don’t worry. You’d better hurry; Claire will have the whole house cased before you even get through the door.” I say.

He flashes me a dark smile, and smacks my arm lightly.

Nodding to Dan, he runs over to Claire’s house and disappears through the door. Sighing, I turn to Dan and Maria. They are both looking up to our house, as if they expect it to sprout legs and walk away. With our luck, it probably will. I reach out and take my brothers hand and he glances at me. Together, the three of us make it to the door and Dan is the one to reach for the handle. Just before the tips of his fingers touch the knob, it opens on its own. We all jump back for a second, and Dan and I share a look before we rush inside.

It’s dark inside even though it’s still early in the day. We walk in through the living room, so I automatically shove the drapes open. Dan and Maria follow suit and the first floor is flooded with light. Once my eyes adjust, I wish I was still in the dark. The house is a mess, like it was ransacked or something. Walking around numbly, I take in the knocked over furniture and the way the spare linen closet is open and that things inside are missing.

“
MOM, DAD!” Dan rushes out of the living room, and runs up the stairs.

I can hardly move my legs, let alone to remind him to have a weapon.

The ax in my hands feels heavy, but I don’t put it down. I try to think back to my Sunday school days and remember a prayer. Nothing comes to mind though, and I can only hope that my parents are alright. They just have to be. Beside me, Maria is just watching where Dan went with sad eyes. She reaches to me, and I don’t even feel her hand touch my arm.

“
Maggie, I’m sure they are alright. We should go check on Dan okay?” She pulls on my arm gently and I blindly follow her up the stairs.

On the landing, I can already tell the upstairs is in the same state. The bedroom doors are open, and closets look half empty. I can hear Dan shuffling around in his room, so I leave Maria and make my way to mine. I walk in cautiously, and the curtains on my window have been pulled down. Making my way to the only window on the back wall, I grab for the cord and pull them up. I have to close my eyes from the light, but I open them again when I turn to my room.

I gasp at what I see.

Everything is just as I left it, before leaving the other night to go to Austin’s. My bed is still rumpled, and the magazine Claire was reading is still lying by my pillows. I can hear Dan talking to Maria from his room down the hall, and by the sounds of things his room is the same. Our parents aren’t here, and judging by the mess, they must have left awfully quickly.

I turn away from my bed and go to my dresser for some clean clothes. Grabbing whatever in on the top of the clothes pile I make my way to the bathroom to clean up. There are no lights, so I leave the door open. I rinse my face and hair with cold water. The sink gets stained red from all the blood. But I don’t care anymore. I just change into a fresh pair of socks, underwear, bra, shirt and a one of the warmest hoodies I have. Leaving the dirty clothes in a pile on the floor, I leave my room.

Before I go downstairs I go to my parent’s bedroom, but I can’t make myself go inside. I don’t think I could handle it seeing what they took when they left, or if they didn’t. So I walk away.

Meeting Dan and Maria downstairs, and I notice he cleaned up a little too. He’s carrying a backpack, and I wish I would have thought of that. But Maria is holding a second backpack, and I realize that it’s mine.

“
I figured we’d need some extra cloths and food, so I swiped your bag when you were in the bathroom. Cool?” Dan says with a smirk.

I step towards him and pull him into a hug. “Yes, cool. Thanks.”

He gives me another squeeze then lets me go, so he can take Maria’s hand. They go out the front door, and with one last glance at my home hoping it’s not the last, I follow them.

Chapter Twenty Four

By the time we get back to the truck Claire and the others are already waiting for us. They all look pretty grave, and I almost don’t want to ask. But it’s Claire, and I have too.

“
Was anybody home?” I ask, as I climb into the back with Dan and Maria.

Claire doesn’t say anything though, she’s sitting in the front with Sam and just gazes out the window. She did clean a little bit though, and I notice a small bag at her feet.

“
It looked like they might have packed up in a hurry. We did have to fend off something though.” Gabe says.

I have to turn around to look at him; he and Emily are sitting in the very back. By the look on his face, I swear he’s going to say one of her parents was turned.

“
It was Whiskers.” Claire whispers.

“
Claire, I’m so-“I start.

“
Can we just go now; it won’t stay light out forever.” She says.

Sam starts the truck, and he drives away. Nobody says anything as we drive down the deserted street. I can feel Gabe tense behind me though, because we’re going to his house next. He must have told Sam where to go while we were inside, because he drives straight there.

Our subdivision splits before Gabe’s house, and the lawns get wider and more cars are lined in the street. Some of the cars have movement in them, but by the blood covering the windows we don’t stop. The houses on this end don’t look untouched like ours did. Some of the doors are wide open, and others have broken windows with blood dried on them.

We pull up in his driveway faster than we usually would, and I can tell no one is looking forward to what we might find. At least I know I’m not. Gabe is silent, and I wish I could think of the right thing to say. I can’t do much, but we can support him.

“
You don’t have to go in alone you know. We’re going with you.” I say as I turn to him.

His head was facing down, and he raises it enough to look at me. It looks as scared as the rest of us, so I reach for his hand and hold it tightly in mine. Offering him an encouraging smile, I get out of the truck before anyone can even think to argue with me.

After I get out, the other’s slowing get out as well. I walk to the back of the truck, gripping my ax in one hand, I open the door. Emily hops out first, and I offer a hand to Gabe. Taking it, he gets out too. With Gabe and me in the lead, we make our way to his door. Just as we get close, we can hear a shuffling noise from inside and we pause briefly. Letting go of my hand, he steps in front of me and then turns back with his hands outstretched.