Chapter Eight
M y hand ran over dust that had collected on the kitchen counters of the abandoned house we currently hid out in. We had made it into town by walking throughout the entire night, never once stopping, only taking a rest now that the sun was out.
Sasha was down the hall, resting in one of the bedrooms. Warner had urged me to do the same while he kept watch, but my mind was too wired, my body tired of lying around.
I had already peeked in all the cabinets and pantry, but to no avail, everything had been emptied. Who knew if it was by the owners of the house or the corrupt government that had corralled this town into that camp like cattle.
Moving from the kitchen, I walked down the short hallway into the living room. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Warner, leaning against the front door, his eyes cast out the nearby window. He stood still as a statue, his chest moving subtly with each breath.
Letting him be, I took in the living room. Quilts were haphazardly thrown across the couch, a singular pillow resting next to the couch, as if pushed off in a hurry. I sat on the couch, imagining the family that had been here.
I didn’t have to imagine too hard, from this spot, not only was the television directly in my line of sight but also a large canvas photo. Six smiling faces stared back at me. The older man in the photo had his arm wrapped around the woman to his left, his other hand resting on the oldest boy's shoulder. Two young girls stood in front of their mother, her hands holding both of theirs.
Their smiles blinded me. In another world, the photo may have made me smile. But now, an ache formed in my chest. Rubbing the spot, I stood back up, turning away from the photo, my gaze falling instead on stern features.
Warner’s blank stare penetrated through me, but he didn’t say a word. The silence stretched between us until I could take no more.
“Do you think they’re dead?” I asked him on a whisper.
He didn’t need to ask who I was speaking about. “If they aren’t, they will be in a few months.”
He said it so simply. As if there was no other option. The ache in my chest blossomed, spreading to my head. How could we just accept this?
“Is that what you’re planning on doing? Dying in a few months?”
None of us talked about it. Besides the solemn conversation I had with Aiden, not a single word was spoken about the fate that awaited us. Was everyone content to accept that fate? I couldn’t imagine a world in which the people around me were okay with giving up. Where they didn’t fight for their survival.
“What would you have me do?” Warner took one last glance out the window before stepping toward me.
“Do you know how to stop a meteor?” Another step.
“Do you know where these bunkers are?” His feet touched mine.
“Or how about how to get to the bunkers?” His breath fanned over my face.
Standing my ground as he did against Rainer, I tilted my chin. “I don’t have the answers.” Taking my own step closer, I climbed on my tiptoes, our faces inches apart. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t find them.”
Warner arched a brow, huffing out a mix between a scoff and a laugh. “And how do you suppose we do that?”
This time I arched my own brow. He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what I was insinuating. But if he needed me to say it out loud, I would.
“There were thousands of files of information in those rooms. Probably more so on the computers. All the information we need is right there.”
The thought of entering that camp, that basement, sent a shiver up my spine. But I steeled the bone, refusing to back down from the idea now that it was out in the open. What other choice did we have?
Warner looked down his nose at me, that blank stare shielding me from his thoughts. “Your plan is to break into the place we escaped from?” His eyes wandered over my arms, dropping to my thighs, to the scars that I would carry for the rest of my life. “Back to the place that gave you those?”
I knew what he was trying to do. From the outside looking in, it would seem like he was trying to get me to back down. But even though I knew next to nothing about this man, I knew who he was. He wasn’t trying to get me to back down; he was trying to get me riled up.
“My plan is to survive.” I met his stare head on, letting him see the determination in my gaze.
I had taken a back seat to survival for too long. And it nearly cost me my life. I would never do that again.
The blank stare was no more as Warner continued to stare at me. Now, there was no mistaking the heat in his gaze. The stare warmed my entire body, and I found myself inching closer, unable to break from the hold his eyes had on me.
Warner leaned even closer, his lips a breath away from mine. Those lips brushed softly against mine as he said, “Good luck convincing the others.”
Several hours later, once the sun was beginning to set, the three of us made our way out of the house. After Sasha had woken up, I took the opportunity to rest myself. I had nothing more to discuss with Warner. I knew he would help, as long as I could convince the rest of the group that my idea wasn’t insane.
Sneaking out of the house, the three of us quietly made our way through the streets. Unfortunately, we quickly realized we had no clue where to go.
“Any chance one of you are from here?” Warner whispered, constantly glancing from left to right.
I shook my head in unison with Sasha. “I was driving through the area when the fires started. I’m not even from Montana.”
I looked at her curiously. It was the first I had heard about her past. She was as forthcoming as the rest of us, not sharing much.
“Where are you from?” I asked her, ignoring the look Warner gave me. I was whispering; no one was going to find us from my hushed voice alone.
“California. Right on the coast.” Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes. “God, I miss the ocean.”
“I’ve never even seen it,” I told her.
Sasha smiled. “It’s beautiful. And nothing beats swimming in the water during a hot summer day. Maybe one day you’ll see it.”
The words slipped from her mouth before she could think, her hand covering her lips a moment later. “Sorry,” she added, but I only shrugged.
It had always been a dream of mine to visit the ocean, hell, to even leave the state of Montana. But those were all they would be now, dreams. And it didn’t do me well to dwell on them.
“What about you?” Sasha asked Warner.
“What about me?” He returned, not even bothering to look back at us as he continued to lead us through the dark.
“Where are you from? Why were you around here?” Sasha elaborated.
“I’m from the East Coast. Here for a business trip.” Warner peeked into a building as we passed it, but when nothing caught his eye, he continued on.
“What kind of business?” I added on, curious to know more about the man who seemed to blindly follow my plans.
Finally, he turned toward us, stopping us all in our tracks. “You two can chat about your lives all you want. But the answers don’t really matter. So, are you going to help find supplies, or are you only here for a stroll?”
Warner pinned us each with a stare and my neck prickled with the embarrassment of his chastising. Sasha must have felt the same because she closed her mouth, miming zipping them up.
I couldn’t hold back my chuckle and Warner squinted in annoyance before spinning on his heel and walking ahead. Sasha and I shared a look, laughing quietly, but continuing to follow behind all the same. He was the one with the gun, after all.
What felt like hours later, nearly every store, restaurant, and home we passed empty, we stumbled upon an outdoor equipment store. I recognized the name as a popular outlet chain throughout Montana, one that used to be in my hometown.
“Let’s check in here,” I said, already making my way through the door.
The first sign that we may have luck was that the glass of the doors wasn’t broken. Warner followed behind me, but Sasha stopped at the door, glancing at the building to our right.
“You guys go ahead. I’m going to check in here.” She tossed a hand over her shoulder.
“Should we really separate? What if someone comes?” I asked her, worrying my lip between my teeth as I glanced to the empty street.
Sasha shrugged. “I’ll yell for help. Can you get to me fast enough?” She raised her brows at Warner.
“I guess we’ll find out,” he responded.
That seemed like a good enough answer for Sasha as she made her way into the other building. Worry settled heavy on my chest, but Warner pushed us inside the store. “She’ll be fine. No one is out here.”
I wanted to tell him that we had thought the same before the three guards found Aiden, Rainer, and me. But I also knew there was no arguing with him, or Sasha, for that matter. It seemed I was surrounded by incredibly stubborn people, no matter which way I turned.
The moonlight barely lit up the inside of the store, my eyes adjusted to the dark but still struggling to see. However, from what I could see, it seemed that nearly the entire store was still intact.
Shelves upon shelves were filled with outdoor equipment, clothing, and more. My eyes were immediately drawn to the clothing section. As the weather began shifting, we all desperately needed some warmer clothes, especially after we had torn up our shirts and pants. And selfishly, I really wanted more underwear. Although, I doubted I was the only one who felt that way.
Warner and I met each other’s gaze. “I’m going to go look for clothes. I have no clue what ammo to look for anyway.”
He needed in agreement. “Scream if you’re in danger.”
With those lovely parting words, he started toward the back of the store, confidence in his steps. Making quick work of heading toward the clothing, my excitement grew at the possibility of getting out of these dirty clothes.
Browsing through the numerous coats that lined the shelves, I wondered why these were left behind. Surely, the government would have taken them, given how frigid the winters got here.
But as I grabbed multiple sizes, the realization dawned on me why so many of the winter clothes were left behind. It wasn’t because they thought they could survive the winter without them. It was because they had no intention of being here once it came. Which meant that they were leaving for the bunkers much earlier than I had anticipated.