grooming.
“Justin is one of us. I won’t leave
him either.”
Dan scoffed. “Left your wife and kid
behind though, didn’t you?”
Faizel rounded on him. Anger flashed
on his face, blood flushed his cheeks. He took a breath and it seeped
away. “You either come with us, Dan, or you walk back to Vasey alone.”
“Moe’s going to be pissed at you.”
“Then let him.”
Adrenaline shot through my veins. I
put my hand in my pocket, gripped my watch. Every minute we wasted was time we
could spend looking for Justin, and I could feel the seconds slipping away.
“I’m leaving now. Faizel, Alice, if
you come with me, I’m grateful. But don’t feel like you have to. You’ve both
got enough to lose, and I’ve got nothing.”
Faizel put his hand on my shoulder.
My back sagged underneath the weight, as though everything was catching up with
me and my body couldn’t bear the load.
“You’ve got Vasey, Kyle. You’re
trying to build something for us all, and it’s a higher calling than most.”
Dan scowled and shook his head.
“Decided what you’re doing?” I said.
He looked at the window, and then
spoke through gritted teeth. “Guess I don’t have a choice.”
“Everyone has a choice,” said Faizel.
“Time you made the right one.”
My left leg ached and energy seeped
out of me. Outside the black sky spat darkness onto the streets. I needed to
sleep, but there was no time for that. I wanted to sink into the bed so badly,
but I walked to the door instead.
“I’ll get our stuff together. We
leave in thirty minutes.”
“Shouldn’t we wait until morning?”
said Dan.
Soon, the stalkers would be leaving
their nests. They would slink through the streets, sniffing at the pavement
hoping to catch the scent of prey. It would be safer in the morning, but
Whittaker could be long gone by then. I didn’t know what he planned to do with
Justin, but unless we left right now, we would be abandoning him.
“We don’t have time to wait,” I said.
“If we’re going to find Justin, check out the wave and get back before Moe
leaves, we can’t waste any time.”
Faizel stretched his arms above his
head, let his joints crack. “We’ll need a car.”
I shook my head. “No chance. Do you
know how hard it is to find one that works?”
Alice nodded. “I used to check every
one we passed. Gave up after the hundredth.”
Faizel smiled. “It’s lucky you
brought a mechanic along with you, then.”
“You’re a scout,” I said.
“I’m a scout now. But scouting the
ruins of post-apocalyptic villages wasn’t a job before the outbreak, Kyle. I
used to own a garage with my brother.”
I’d known Faizel for a year, and I
never realised he worked with cars. It showed just how little I really knew
about the people of Vasey. Everything I did was for them, and I wasn’t even
sure that they wanted it.
“You’re full of surprises.”
Faizel nodded. “We all used to be
something else,” he said.
“Even so, working cars are thin on
the ground.”
“Finding a working one isn’t a
problem,” said Faizel. “It is getting the keys that is tricky.”
I realised I’d been here before. This
was the second time Justin had been taken by someone. The second time I’d found
myself needing a car. How did the same shit happen to the same guy twice?
14
We left the silent streets of
Stowmouth behind. Darkness lingered black and angry in the sky, and a chill in
the air licked at our faces. My shoulders sagged under the pack on my back and
my leg ached, but I pushed through it.
A few years after the outbreak, when
things got really bad and the population wasted away, I travelled back into a
town after months spent camped in the Wilds. One thing that stuck out was the
absence of noise, as if every sound had been sucked away and we walked through
a vacuum. It was like that
“Justin is one of us. I won’t leave
him either.”
Dan scoffed. “Left your wife and kid
behind though, didn’t you?”
Faizel rounded on him. Anger flashed
on his face, blood flushed his cheeks. He took a breath and it seeped
away. “You either come with us, Dan, or you walk back to Vasey alone.”
“Moe’s going to be pissed at you.”
“Then let him.”
Adrenaline shot through my veins. I
put my hand in my pocket, gripped my watch. Every minute we wasted was time we
could spend looking for Justin, and I could feel the seconds slipping away.
“I’m leaving now. Faizel, Alice, if
you come with me, I’m grateful. But don’t feel like you have to. You’ve both
got enough to lose, and I’ve got nothing.”
Faizel put his hand on my shoulder.
My back sagged underneath the weight, as though everything was catching up with
me and my body couldn’t bear the load.
“You’ve got Vasey, Kyle. You’re
trying to build something for us all, and it’s a higher calling than most.”
Dan scowled and shook his head.
“Decided what you’re doing?” I said.
He looked at the window, and then
spoke through gritted teeth. “Guess I don’t have a choice.”
“Everyone has a choice,” said Faizel.
“Time you made the right one.”
My left leg ached and energy seeped
out of me. Outside the black sky spat darkness onto the streets. I needed to
sleep, but there was no time for that. I wanted to sink into the bed so badly,
but I walked to the door instead.
“I’ll get our stuff together. We
leave in thirty minutes.”
“Shouldn’t we wait until morning?”
said Dan.
Soon, the stalkers would be leaving
their nests. They would slink through the streets, sniffing at the pavement
hoping to catch the scent of prey. It would be safer in the morning, but
Whittaker could be long gone by then. I didn’t know what he planned to do with
Justin, but unless we left right now, we would be abandoning him.
“We don’t have time to wait,” I said.
“If we’re going to find Justin, check out the wave and get back before Moe
leaves, we can’t waste any time.”
Faizel stretched his arms above his
head, let his joints crack. “We’ll need a car.”
I shook my head. “No chance. Do you
know how hard it is to find one that works?”
Alice nodded. “I used to check every
one we passed. Gave up after the hundredth.”
Faizel smiled. “It’s lucky you
brought a mechanic along with you, then.”
“You’re a scout,” I said.
“I’m a scout now. But scouting the
ruins of post-apocalyptic villages wasn’t a job before the outbreak, Kyle. I
used to own a garage with my brother.”
I’d known Faizel for a year, and I
never realised he worked with cars. It showed just how little I really knew
about the people of Vasey. Everything I did was for them, and I wasn’t even
sure that they wanted it.
“You’re full of surprises.”
Faizel nodded. “We all used to be
something else,” he said.
“Even so, working cars are thin on
the ground.”
“Finding a working one isn’t a
problem,” said Faizel. “It is getting the keys that is tricky.”
I realised I’d been here before. This
was the second time Justin had been taken by someone. The second time I’d found
myself needing a car. How did the same shit happen to the same guy twice?
14
We left the silent streets of
Stowmouth behind. Darkness lingered black and angry in the sky, and a chill in
the air licked at our faces. My shoulders sagged under the pack on my back and
my leg ached, but I pushed through it.
A few years after the outbreak, when
things got really bad and the population wasted away, I travelled back into a
town after months spent camped in the Wilds. One thing that stuck out was the
absence of noise, as if every sound had been sucked away and we walked through
a vacuum. It was like that
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