Falling Together (All That Remains #2) by S. M. Shade Page B

“Stay put.
There’s bound to be clothing here somewhere.” After raiding three apartments,
I’ve collected a pair of sweatpants, socks, and a knitted winter hat. The only
sweater I can find will never fit across his wide chest, but I can wear it, and
give him my oversized sweatshirt.
    When
I return, he’s wrapped tightly in the blanket, his eyes drooping as he tries to
nod off. “Wake the fuck up. I found you some clothes.”
    “Can’t
move,” he murmurs.
    Jerking
my sweatshirt off, I quickly pull it over his head, topping it off with my
lifejacket. “You have to stand up. I’ll help you.” Even with my arms supporting
him, standing is difficult. “Lose the boxers. They’re soaked. I’ve got some
sweat pants.” Fully dressed and wrapped again in a blanket, he sinks back to
the floor. I’m never going to get him out of here at this rate. Taking him back
across the flooded area in the snow and wind is out of the question until I get
him warm.
    Another
ransack of the pitiful apartments produces two more blankets, some pots and
pans, and a half empty can of instant coffee. A rickety dining set is demoted
to firewood. It breaks apart easily and I stuff the wood along with some dusty
newspaper into two long metal roasting pans. Within minutes, two fires brighten
the room, throwing patterns on the peeling walls.
    “How
are you?” I ask, moving one pan on either side of him, surrounding him with
warmth.
    “Okay,”
he mutters. He’s barely speaking, and it’s freaking me out.
    “You’ll
feel better soon.” All the running around has at least kept me from feeling the
cold. “I’d better not hear any more shit about my survival bags after this.
We’d be screwed without them,” I grumble, digging out two bottles of water, a
large jar of peanut butter, and a baggie of deer jerky. The water goes into a
small saucepan over the fire until it boils. Adding the instant coffee
granules, I stir it up, and carefully pour the hot coffee into the water
bottles. “Voila,” I announce. “Shitty coffee. Drink. It’ll warm you up.”
    Gratefully,
Eric takes the bottle with both hands. After sipping most of the bitter mud,
and munching on jerky dipped in peanut butter, his color begins to return.
    “We
have a few hours before dark. We can stay right here for the night if you
aren’t up to the trip back. We’ll be all right with the fire.”
    He
shakes his head hard enough to snap his neck. “No. I need to get out of here.”
    “All
right. Let’s go.” When we return to the boat, the wind has died down, but the
sky is still spitting snowflakes.
    “Airen,
look!” Eric points to a fifth floor balcony as we row toward the shore. A
pitifully thin chimpanzee perches on the railing, watching us.
    “Fuck
me running, I can die now. I’ve officially seen it all.”
    “I
should’ve brought the camera.” Eric laughs.
    After
Eric’s little dip in the river, we’re too worn out to even consider searching
for Carson’s father. We return to the house where we stayed the night before to
rest, warming our frozen bodies by the heater, too exhausted to move.
    I
wake before Eric the next morning and put water on the tiny propane stove to
boil. Coffee and oatmeal, the breakfast of champions. “Holy shit,” I breathe, pulling
open the curtains to see a city blanketed in white. At least eight inches of
snow has fallen overnight. I realize it’s going to complicate our day, but I’m
in awe of the way it’s altered our surroundings, concealing the trash and dirt,
and I take a few moments to admire the beauty of the pure ivory powder.
    “Good
thing we have four wheel drive,” Eric says. “Your water is boiling over.”
    An
hour later we’re bundled up and on our way across town.

Chapter Six
    Joseph
     
    The
weeks following Airen and Eric’s departure are incredibly hard, especially for
Abby. Still, she pulls herself together admirably and everyone slips back into
their normal routines.
    Carson
and Troy spend the early