“Thanks.”
Which is when something bursts into flames on the horizon. Far away from us, fortunately. Judging by distance and size, it’s probably a building in the city. What is strange is how I am not even particularly surprised by the inferno. How quickly this sort of thing has become the new normal.
Life post-apocalypse sure is something. When the only lights left in the city are the fires raging out of control. Goodbye technology. So long law and order. Farewell government and commerce. Though to be fair, some of those things were fucking awful at times.
“The people doing this are the same ones you want us to try and live with,” he bitches.
“You know perfectly well not everyone is like that. I think you’re right about there being a second round of deaths, though. The careless and the callous and those who are just shit out of luck.”
His response is a grunt.
“Sweet dreams, Dean.”
And so ends our first day out in the wilds. With me in the bed, him on the couch, the dead all around us, and the world on fire.
CHAPTER SIX
TUESDAY
We bid adieu to Aunt Betty’s and head south the next day. I make the bed and leave the dishes clean and packed away in the kitchen cupboard. Ready for any other visitors. Dean probably thinks it’s a waste of time. But being respectful feels right, even if we’re not burying the bodies.
Both of our future plans require a more temperate climate. Somewhere we can grow fruit and vegetables. California makes sense. We need a moderate winter and a long grow season. There are plenty of canned goods for now, but they won’t last forever. It may not be an issue for a decade or two; however, lack of fresh food is bound to get old sooner or later. And I know next to nothing about gardening, so we’re going to need to read a library full of books.
Dean says the coast isn’t a great option due to tropical storms. Like floods and fires don’t happen in other areas. Any place we pick will have positives and negatives. What we can agree on, however, is that we want to settle somewhere with good access to water. And I know just the place.
I woke to find him doing push-ups and sit-ups on the front patio. He sure is determined to face the apocalypse at peak personal fitness. Breakfast was another emergency rations bar and a cup of coffee. Thank fuck for caffeine. I need something to combat the nightmares waking me up every other hour. Mom calling to me from somewhere out of sight. Rooms full of rotting bodies closing in on me. Empty cities echoing with my calls for help. So delightful.
I pop another couple of Advil to combat the lingering headache. From a hangover or crying my heart out—who knows?
One thing I will say, I am getting to see some of the countryside. There’s no ticking clock on this adventure. No rush to get anywhere. And no distractions apart from the ever-present existential crisis that is the fear of death. Which has actually sort of loosened up after seeing so much of it. With no hospitals or doctors, we could die at any moment from things that would have been deemed a nonevent a fortnight ago. Hiding isn’t the answer to this new threat. So many people didn’t get to live. We need to make our days count.
But back to the scenery. They say the world seems different from the back of a bike. It’s certainly a nice way to experience the open road. More immediate. Like you’re part of the landscape instead of just moving through it. I don’t know. Spring wildflowers are starting to appear in all the colors of the rainbow. It’s good to see beauty in the world. For the cycle of life to be playing out across the land no matter what nonsense is happening with the human race.
Lunch requires a small camp stove. Dean boils water in a collapsible kettle to make two packets of freeze-dried mac and cheese. You add the water to the pouch, stir it well, seal the packet back up and wait for the magic to happen. And we’re doing this underneath a tree in the middle of nowhere.
I can now officially say that touching grass in the middle of an apocalypse doesn’t particularly help. However, set aside the grief and stress for a moment, and the peace and quiet sure are something. They do help to soothe the soul.
My traveling partner keeps an eye on the horizon, constantly checking both directions. The man is not the least bit soothed and remains on high alert. His military past is more evident in the way he moves now.
I watch him from behind my black sunglasses. He interests me for some reason. I don’t know why. Apparently, as he proved to me yesterday, my awful taste in men has sadly continued oninto the end of the world. Life would probably be easier if he were less appealing. Had any and all of my feelings for him truly fucked off into the wide blue yonder. There’s still time for them do so, however. Got to be positive.
So far, we’ve stopped to siphon gas from other vehicles and to pee behind both bushes and a tank. An actual Army tank. Not something I ever imagined myself doing. The way my traveling companion eyed up the tank with such longing… But sporadic signs of the military are to be found even this far from the city. Dean helped himself to some of their guns and other equipment. Stealing from the dead is supposed to be unlucky. Though everything we do from now on will probably involve taking from the dearly departed in one way or another.
I take a sip of water. “Fewer people today.”
“Back roads are safer. Just not dirt ones. We don’t want to kick up dust that someone could see and use to track us.”
“You’re still wearing the gun.”
“That’s probably going to be a permanent thing from now on.”
“Should we risk a grocery store?” I ask. “Seems an unlikely place for dead bodies. We could see if there’s any fresh produce left while it’s still edible.”
“I know this stuff isn’t great. It’s not what I had planned, but we had to leave my place in a rush.”
“We have food, and I’m grateful. Really. Just trying to figure things out,” I say. “No doctors and nurses means we need to be mindful of our health, right?”
He sits with his back against the trunk of an elm tree. “Given the rate at which this virus works, we should be mostly safe from it within another day or two. By then, anyone who has it should be dead.”
