Thanks to all my readers! This chapter is very... strange. But not as strange as the next...
“Have you seen anyone else?” I asked Zach to interrupt the silence. We were huddled in the shelter, a warm fire spitting up smog at us as we watched the storm erupt outside. I knew the storm wouldn’t be as bad as before, but seeing it rain and the wind stir made me cringe.
“No. But, we heard something a few blocks away. It sounded like some man talking, but I didn’t want to stay and find out.” Zach rubbed his hands together. Turns out Zach was eleven, same as my sister, and Abigail was eight.
I could tell Joe didn’t like them or didn’t want them around. It was going to be hard enough surviving with just me and him, but with two younger kids to look after… And we didn’t even know the dangers yet. Things that I never imagined to be dangerous could be hunting us right now.
Suddenly Joe stood up, “We need to go and find out.”
He looked down at me, but I shook my head.
“For the safety of us all…”
I rolled my eyes. He already knew my weak spot, and I had only developed it last night when the children arrived.
I stood up and stepped over to the exit of our hut. Joe walked out, but I turned back at the children who were staring at each other with blank expressions. “Stay here. Abigail needs to heal before she walks anywhere.” I looked down at the young girl’s ankle. It was swollen, but will probably heal quickly. She wasn’t crying, and it only hurt when she stepped on it, so it was just sprained or she twisted it wrong.
Zach nodded, “Alright. That’s for the best. What do we do if someone comes?” The little boy had stayed strong for so long, not letting on any sign of fear, until now.
I looked around the shelter and found Joe’s knife on the dirt floor in the corner. I picked it up and handed it to him so Abby wouldn’t see. He smiled and tucked it into his jean pocket.
“See you later.”
“So, was it around this area, you think?” I looked around, waiting for Joe to respond. By the looks of it, we were in an old residential neighborhood. I couldn’t pick out any furniture, except for a broken television, but there were still some walls up, so the storm must have not hit that part of town as much as it did mine.
Joe bent down behind a pile, I couldn’t see him, but he said, “Come here.”
I walked over to a pile of broken glass and fallen trees. Joe was holding a hand. A hand that’s owner was buried under a pile. A hand whose fingers were peeling from the wet air, whose nails were painted a soft pink color, and whose color was white, and whose person was dead.
I ran away and gagged in a corner. I heard Joe move around some pieces so the hand was buried. Then he walked over to me and laid a hand on my shoulder.
“You are going to see worse things, Mary.”
“You know what, Joe? For once can I just cry without you criticizing me for it?”
“I am not criticizing you…” He looked to either side of him as if he had heard something.
“Whatever you are doing, stop! I never even got to cry for the loss of my family, just-“
He held his hand up and crouched down. He mouthed “listen.”
“Hello?” a small voice said. “Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?”
I turned around to the pile where the hand was and ran to it, but Joe grabbed my hand to stop me. He pointed to what used to be a house. There was one wall still standing, and that wall had a broken window. Joe walked over to the wall and I followed.
“Do you still hear it?”
He ignored me and continued to search around. As we got closer to the wall, I started to hear a scratching noise.
Joe, being in front of me, heard it, too. He followed the noise to the back of the wall that seemed to crumble more as we walked closer to it.
“If anyone is out there, I am at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Believe it or not, it has withstood the crash. I am here with a few other survivors. We just want everyone alone to know there is somewhere they can go.”
I looked at Joe. His eyes were wide open and his arms were shaking.
“Joe? What’s wrong?” I thought this was good, but the expression on his face made it seem like a death sentence.
He looked at me, then shut his eyes. I could see his muscles tense up as he spoke, “We have to get there.”
“Yes, I know, but what’s the problem?”
“The problem is-“ He kicked some wood that was jabbing into his skin where he stood, then rubbed this forehead. “The problem is that it… the children, Mary. Will they be able to make it? I was only panning on you and me.” He looked frusterated, but at the same time calm. And I could tell there was something I didn’t know, but was too afraid at the moment to ask him.
“Joe,” I walked over to him and looked up to his big brown eyes. “I’m not going to leave them.”
Joe stared at me, then sat down, allowing his skin to be penetrated by wood. I knelt beside him and stroked his back while he contemplated our options. “I know.”
He sat there with his head between his knees. I kept on with my soothing strokes until he rose.
********
So I really need help from you all on this one. I am not sure if I should reveal this much yet... Please tell me if you think this is okay or totally random. Thanks!
Edit:
I took a big chunk out of the story. I was going to reveal something large and stupid, but have decided to save it for later. So sorry to Fix-ed and Crazy, but the last part about future Mary has been deleted. Happy reading.
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It was great, really. I guess I should review it... I should warn you, I'm in a rambunctious mood and wish to show it, so if you don't understand something I say, it's probably random and you just need to roll with it.
...It may be just me, but I had to re-read it.
It's truly something I would buy and read, if it was published. I can't wait for the next chapter!
