After The End Page 15

  “I should be going.”

  “Where are we going?” she asks. She’s not joking this time, her face is completely serious.

  “I’m going to the beach. My friends are going to meet me there, so I have to get to them.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  Do kids always ask so many questions? “Because I’m going alone. You won’t be able to keep up with me. I walk a long way every day. So long my feet hurt when I go to sleep at night.”

  “I can do it too.”

  “I’m going alone.”

  I make a move toward the door and she skitters to it so fast I barely have time to blink. Sarah blocks the door with her arms and legs spread out like a starfish. “You’re not leaving without me.”

  “Yes, I am,” I insist.

  She sighs and seems to deflate. “Please don’t leave me here alone. I’ve been begging God to send me someone for so long and now you’re here. You have to take me with you. Please.”

  My heart contracts for the little girl. Desperation reeks from her and chips away at my resolve. But if I take her with me, she’s going to slow me down. Every day I don’t spend heading toward Charleston is another day where I might miss Garlind. I have to get there as quickly as possible.

  Or I might lose him forever.

  I shake my head slowly. “I’m sorry, Sarah. Maybe someone else will come along and they’ll be the person God sent for you.”

  She frowns. After a few moments of looking at the floor, she steps aside so I can get past her. Tears sit in the corners of her eyes but it’s a few more seconds before they fall down her cheeks.

  I take a few steps and get out into the corridor. Every inch I move, I expect her to follow and plead some more. But she doesn’t. The little girl just remains in the doorway and looks as sad as possible.

  Garlind would take her with him. I know it with every bone in my body. He couldn’t bear to leave her alone when she so obviously needs someone to keep her company, in the very least. She also needs to wash her clothes, hair, and every inch of her body if smell is anything to go off.

  I turn around. “You can come.” She squeals loudly but I continue anyway. “But you have to keep up with me. And you can’t go off hunting without telling me where you’re going first. You can’t slow me down at all. I have a very important place to go.”

  She runs to me and wraps her arms around my waist. Her smell is even worse close up. This little girl may think she’s invincible, but she needs to be taught how to take care of herself. I doubt she’s washed since her parents were alive—no matter how long ago that was.

  I breathe through my mouth to avoid the stench. “Do you have to gather your things before we leave?”

  “I have everything in my pack.”

  “Let’s go then.”

  I have to physically unwrap her arms from around me to extricate myself. She follows me closely—too close for my liking. The girl probably hasn’t heard the term ‘personal space’ before. Still, I can’t help but like her. She’s full of enthusiasm that I’ve never had.

  We step outside and I can finally take a full breath again. Every time I widen the gap between us, she closes it again. There is no way she’s going to let me out of her sight—or reaching distance. I feel so sorry for the kid. She’s obviously been starved for human contact for a long time.

  I lead us back onto the main road and continue through the city as fast as I can. Sarah keeps up with me but puffs at the city limits. I slow down slightly so she doesn’t have to exert herself.

  After I leave another message on a building for Garlind, we head into the wilderness of the countryside. Hopefully we’ll find somewhere to stay before it gets too dark. It’s not just me I have to consider now.

  “So how long have your parents been gone?” I ask her, partly to make conversation and partly to break the silence. I don’t want her to think I am totally mean toward her.

  “I don’t know. It feels like a long time.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “They went out hunting and didn’t come back. I went looking for them the next morning when it was light and…and I found them.”

  “An animal got them?” I hazard a guess.

  “I don’t know. There was a lot of blood and they wouldn’t wake up.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What happened to your parents?”

  She told me her story, the least I can do is answer honestly. “My parents got sick with a disease called cancer. My mom died and then a few years later my father got sick and died too.”

  “It sucks.”

  “It sure does.”

  After that we’re silent for a very long time. If Sarah is anything like me, she’s thinking about her parents. Both the good times and the bad times at the end fill my mind.

  A part of the road crosses over a stream and gives me an idea. Sarah really needs a wash—both for her sake and that of my sense of smell. She can’t use the stream water in case it’s contaminated with rain, but I have a good supply of fresh water in my case. I’ve been collecting it for a while, just in case. Garlind would be proud of me. As long as I keep some for drinking, we’ll be okay.

  “When was the last time you had a wash?” I ask as gently as possible. I don’t want to tell the girl she looks like she rolls in mud, but it has to be addressed sooner rather than later. It can’t be good for her being so filthy.

  She pouts while she thinks about it. “I don’t know. A while ago, I guess.”

  “I have some spare water. How about we get you cleaned up?”

  “You think I need a bath?”

  Oh my, how I think she needs a bath. “It doesn’t hurt to have one.”

  “Being clean is not good for hunting. Animals will be able to smell the human on me.” I think she’s joking at first, but she’s dead serious. Who is this little girl, and should I fear her?

  “It won’t take long for you to get dirty again. I’m sure it will be okay. It’s good for your health.”

  “I guess so.”

  With that little win to spur me on, I guide Sarah to the grassy area beside the creek and turn my back while she undresses. She doesn’t seem as bashful as I am, happily taking her clothes off in the middle of nowhere.

  “You can look, I don’t mind,” she says.

  I turn around slowly and maintain eye contact. “Do you want me to help you wash? I have some soap but the water but might a little cold.”

  She nods. “Can you do my hair too? I haven’t been able to brush it for a very long time.”

  “Of course, I can.”

  I take my water and bar of soap and get to work. I start with her hair, figuring it would make sense to clean from the top down. Her hair is stiff and stuck together in patches. I try not think about what could be causing that mess.

  It takes a long time before I can run my hands through her hair and it resembles that of a regular person. I start on her face next and remove the layer of caked-on dirt and grime. My hands come away brown after the first go so I repeat the scrubbing until her skin is pink and clean.

  The first thing I notice afterwards is how ridiculously skinny she actually is. I thought she was tiny in her clothes, but naked is much worse. Her bones poke against her skin and create so many bumps it looks unnatural.

  I did a good thing taking her with me. I might not have much food myself, but I’m surviving. She might claim to be a good hunter, but her body is telling me otherwise. This little girl is malnourished and might not have lasted too much longer on her own.

  “I’ll wash your clothes too,” I offer. “That way you’ll have something clean to put on. Just give me a few minutes. You can wear this until they’re dry.” I shove my jacket into her hands and start on her clothes.

  I’ve used up most of my emergency water by the time I’m finished. Even then, her clothes could do with more work, but they will have to do. Maybe we’ll get luc
ky and be able to find some new ones in her size before too long.

  Washing her has taken much more time than I anticipated. The sun has dipped low in the sky without me noticing. We’re not going to get too much farther before it’s completely dark. I should have paid more attention.

  “We might have to stay here for the night,” I say.

  Sarah looks around as she holds the jacket closed around her. She looks even smaller in the adult-sized coat. Could she be shrinking? “There’s nothing out here.”

  “There are trees. And no buildings mean people can’t sneak up on us,” I reply. “I’ve been sleeping outside for ages now and it’s been okay.”

  As long as being attacked by that gang of boys doesn’t count. Or the time a possum ran over me while I slept and scared me half to death.

  “Okay, I guess.” She doesn’t look convinced by my reassurances. But waiting until we get to the next town isn’t really an option. It could be hours or days away.

  “Are you warm enough?”

  She shakes her head and then brightens. “I’ll build a fire. That will warm me up.”

  “Do you have matches? Because I don’t.”

  “I don’t need matches,” she says as if it should be obvious. She rolls up the sleeves of the jacket and goes about gathering some twigs and rocks. I can only watch on, impressed.

  When she’s built the pile of sticks and surrounded them with rocks, she gets down on her knees and picks out two more sticks. She rubs them together until they create a spark. Next, she blows on the spark until the whole pile of twigs comes alive with flames.

  “Did your parents teach you how to do that?” I ask. My parents never thought to teach me skills like making a fire. If I started one in the bunker, we’d all die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

  “Daddy said he was a boy scout. Whatever that is.”

  “I’m glad he taught you. Do you think you’d be able to show me how to do it one day?”

  “Sure.”

  Hopefully I won’t need her to teach me hunting too.

  The fire is warm and provides more than adequate lighting. I’ve become so accustomed to living by moonlight that it feels like a complete luxury to have actual light to see by.

  We sit in comfortable silence while I pass around some crackers. Sarah gobbles hers in no time. She must be starving, the poor thing. I would gladly give her every morsel of food I have but we need to ration. Otherwise we’ll easily starve before we get to Charleston.

  “Are you warm enough?” I ask.

  She stretches and yawns. “Yeah.”

  “Your clothes should be dry by morning.” I had placed them by the fire as soon as it was lit. Given a few more hours, they should be fine for her to sleep in. It wouldn’t take much for her to freeze to death with no fat on her little body.

  “What are we going to do tomorrow?”

  There is no way to make our plans more exciting. “We’re going to walk some more and get closer to the coast.”

  “That’s it?”

  “What were you expecting?”

  “I don’t know. Something a little…better.”

  “You can always go back,” I offer. Part of me wishes she would take it. Another part of me has already gotten used to her and knows I will miss her if she left.

  “I’ll keep walking,” she replies resolutely. The little girl is tough, I’ll give her that.

  “Maybe we’ll find some more food tomorrow.”

  “That—”

  Sarah never gets to finish her sentence. From the darkness of the night surrounding us, a large animal lunges for our camp. Its front paws are massive and it has to be twice the size of the bear I encountered the first night out of the bunker.

  A scream erupts from my throat and I make a dive to protect Sarah. But I don’t need to. She’s already on her feet with her fist raised ready to punch the animal.

  I know what kind it is. I’ve seen it in books before. The beast is a lion with a thick mane around its neck. There was nothing else in the books that looked anything like this distinctive creature.

  Having a name for it doesn’t make it any less scary. I can’t let Sarah take on the animal when it easily weighs at least ten times her weight.

  I yank her by the arm. “Run!”

  She doesn’t have the strength to fight me. She allows me to pull her along as we attempt to flee from the beast. I have no idea where we can go that will be safe. There is nothing but trees and grass around here. The creek definitely isn’t an option.

  All we can do is go up.

  I run for the nearest tree and help Sarah grip onto the lowest branch. “Climb as high as you can.”

  She scrambles upward as I jump for another branch. My hands slip and I fall back to the ground. I can hear the lion padding up to the tree, confident enough not to have to run after us. He knows he could easily have us for dinner if it wants to.

  I can’t become someone’s meal.

  I quickly wipe my hands on my jeans and jump again. This time, my hands find purchase and I swing my legs up to grip the branch. It sways under my weight but holds.

  Sarah is already up in the higher branches before I jump onto the next highest one. I continue to move while my heart stays lodged in my throat.

  Finally, I reach the top of the tree which doesn’t seem very high when looking down at the lion. All it needs to do is have a good stretch and it can swipe us from our spot.

  “If I had my bag, I could kill it,” Sarah says with a touch of anger in her voice. Is she really mad at me for saving her life? She had no chance against that massive beast.

  “You’ll just get yourself killed. It’s too big,” I rebuke. I’m not going to apologize for getting her to a safer place. She can sulk all she likes.

  “I can use my size to my advantage.”

  “I’m sure the lion can too.”

  We both watch the animal in silence as it paces at the base of the tree. Its paws are easily as big as my head. Its hind legs are made for jumping. Being a part of the feline family, I’m coming to the realization that it can probably climb this tree faster than I can blink.

  We’re not safe up here.

  A clap of thunder rumbles the sky.

  Chapter 16

  “It’s going to rain,” Sarah says. As if that fact isn’t starkly apparent to me already.

  We’re completely exposed up here. The leaves that cling to the branches aren’t going to provide any shelter. The contaminated rain will probably just burn right on through them. And then through us.

  I’m going to have to choose between the lesser of two evils. Do I want to die by being burned to death? Or mauled and eaten by the lion? Either way, it’s going to hurt.

  “Maisy, I’m scared.”

  I reach for her and place my hand on her shoulder. “I’m scared too. We’ll find a way out of this.”

  Every second that passes brings us closer to the inevitable. The lion doesn’t seem to care about the impending rain. He’s still pacing and watching us. He knows he has the upper hand here and he doesn’t need to do anything but wait for us to come to him.

  The sky is filled with clouds. I didn’t notice them accumulate while my focus was on the fire. The light hid the dangers in the dark from me for too long. If I was alone, I never would have missed them. I would have seen them gathering and known to take cover much sooner.

  It’s too dark for me to see what is beyond our campfire. If we did manage to make it past the lion, we could be running for ages before finding somewhere to safely wait out the rain. We could run and never find anything and still die from being covered in the deadly water.

  No decision is a good one and all I want to do is panic.

  What would Garlind do?

  He never would have found himself in this position to begin with. He would have seen the clouds or heard the animal or done something to make sure we’d be safe for the night.

  This is why I need Garlind with me. He’s the sensible one. He knows what to do
in any situation. But he’s not here and I have Sarah who I need to take care of. I’m not going to let her die the first night she’s with me.

  We can’t stay in the tree.

  We have to get away from the lion and the rain.

  If we run fast enough, perhaps we can find a bridge for the creek and hide underneath that. The lion might not follow us. He might decide to find shelter for himself to avoid the rain.

  We have no choice except to go.

  “Sarah, we have to get to the ground and then run,” I start. My plan sounds ludicrous even to me. “I’m going to distract the lion and you go first. Run in a straight line and I’ll catch up with you. Find a place to hide from the rain.”

  “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “You’re not. I’m going to be right behind you.”

  She’s not convinced but we both know we have no choice right now. I’m going to give her the best chance of escape I can and then I’ll go if the lion doesn’t kill me first. It’s the best I can come up with right now.

  “Sarah, go. Before the rain starts.”

  She reluctantly starts climbing down the tree branches. I take the ones closest to the lion as it watches my every move. I’m sure it’s aware of Sarah too, but I’m closest and the easiest target. It may as well just wait for me.

  I don’t really have any plan except to run really fast once I hit the bottom. Hopefully the lion will stick with me instead of chasing Sarah so she can get away and hide. Maybe I’ll fill the lion’s belly so he won’t have a need to eat her too.

  Garlind would hate this plan.

  I can’t hear Sarah anymore so she must have made it to the ground. My feet hit the dirt and I face off with the beast. It’s even bigger up close. Whatever it has been finding to eat, it’s never had a day hungry. The thing is stocky and solid.

  “Good lion,” I try to soothe. “You don’t want to eat me. I don’t have enough meat on my bones to make you happy. Run away and hide from the rain. Just like what we’re going to do.”

  It lets out a growl that is enough to make my knees shake. I can see all of its teeth in the light from the fire. They are long, pointed, and sharp. Ready to tear my flesh off in seconds.