– we call him Tyler because the
name’s tattooed on his wrist.” She dropped my hair and clapped her hands. “Done.”
“Why don’t you know if it’s his real name?”
Karen walked around the sofa and sat on the armrest next to me. “Tyler doesn’t speak. I don’t think he remembers much. When Joshua found him, he was in a very bad way.”
She swallowed hard and looked out of the window. The sun was setting beyond the hills.
“Do you have other wounds I need to tend to?” Her eyes searched over me.
I nodded. “I’ve got a few bruises, but they’ll probably heal. My right foot hurts though. I stepped on broken glass when I ran away.”
Guilt burned through me. If I hadn’t run away, would Dad be with me now?
Karen got down on her knees. Carefully, she slipped off my sneaker and blood-sticky sock. I winced as she pulled away the sodden cotton. She inspected the sole of my foot with a deep frown.
“More stitches,” she said with an apologetic smile. I took a deep breath through my nose and leaned my head against the backrest, my eyes squeezed shut.
Karen was careful and fast, but the stitches still hurt like hell. Much worse than the stitches in the back of my head.
“Are you the only survivors? Has the military contacted you?” I was scared of the answer.
Karen shook her head. She bandaged my foot and then lowered it gently to the ground. I relaxed.
“No, the military only sent their warnings, but we’ve had contact with two other safe havens in California. Sadly, our radio receiver didn’t allow long-distance broadcasting,
so we don’t know about survivors in the rest of the country. And now that our radio has stopped working, we can’t communicate at all.”
There were other survivors. I felt my shoulders relax. “Do you know if the rabies has spread beyond North America? Is there any way for us to contact the military?”
She looked at me. “Oh, Sherry. There isn’t any military left. The rabies destroyed everything.”
Someone was shouting outside. I glanced up from my homework. More shouts. A fight. One of the voices was Bobby. What was he doing outside so close to curfew? We’d get
into trouble because of him. I walked towards the window and looked out. Bobby stood on the sidewalk, surrounded by older boys. Pushing him. Laughing at him.
The tallest boy pushed Bobby’s shoulder. He lost his balance, fell to the ground. His eyes were wide, his lips trembling.
My steps resounded on the asphalt. The boys looked up. Smirks. They thought they were cool. Idiots.
“Leave him alone,” I told them.
Snickers. “The little boy needs a girl to protect him. Is she your girlfriend?”
What a dumb-ass.
Bobby’s face turned red, his eyes moist.
“I’m his sister. Now get lost.”
I pushed into their circle and stood in front of Bobby. The boys were older than me. Taller. Stupid wannabe machos. Trying to intimidate me.
“Get lost, bitch.”
I froze. My fingers curled, forming a fist.
I really liked the way my knuckles collided with his chin.
A short, thin man with shoulder-length hair stood in the doorway, smiling at me. When our eyes met, his smile widened to reveal yellowish teeth. A front tooth was missing.
Streaks of grey in his black hair, and his wrinkled, worn-out clothes added to his messy look. I couldn’t help but smile back.
Joshua appeared in the background, towering over the man. He squeezed past him into the living room and sank down in an armchair. “That’s Geoffrey.” He nodded towards the
door.
Geoffrey shook his head as if Joshua had committed a serious crime. “That isn’t a proper introduction,” he said as he walked towards me. Holding out his hand, he bowed his
head. “Geoffrey Hall. Back in my day, men were taught proper conduct towards women.”
Joshua’s face darkened in a scowl. “Those times are over. No one cares about manners any more. They’re too busy surviving.” He swung his legs over the armrest, as if to
prove a
name’s tattooed on his wrist.” She dropped my hair and clapped her hands. “Done.”
“Why don’t you know if it’s his real name?”
Karen walked around the sofa and sat on the armrest next to me. “Tyler doesn’t speak. I don’t think he remembers much. When Joshua found him, he was in a very bad way.”
She swallowed hard and looked out of the window. The sun was setting beyond the hills.
“Do you have other wounds I need to tend to?” Her eyes searched over me.
I nodded. “I’ve got a few bruises, but they’ll probably heal. My right foot hurts though. I stepped on broken glass when I ran away.”
Guilt burned through me. If I hadn’t run away, would Dad be with me now?
Karen got down on her knees. Carefully, she slipped off my sneaker and blood-sticky sock. I winced as she pulled away the sodden cotton. She inspected the sole of my foot with a deep frown.
“More stitches,” she said with an apologetic smile. I took a deep breath through my nose and leaned my head against the backrest, my eyes squeezed shut.
Karen was careful and fast, but the stitches still hurt like hell. Much worse than the stitches in the back of my head.
“Are you the only survivors? Has the military contacted you?” I was scared of the answer.
Karen shook her head. She bandaged my foot and then lowered it gently to the ground. I relaxed.
“No, the military only sent their warnings, but we’ve had contact with two other safe havens in California. Sadly, our radio receiver didn’t allow long-distance broadcasting,
so we don’t know about survivors in the rest of the country. And now that our radio has stopped working, we can’t communicate at all.”
There were other survivors. I felt my shoulders relax. “Do you know if the rabies has spread beyond North America? Is there any way for us to contact the military?”
She looked at me. “Oh, Sherry. There isn’t any military left. The rabies destroyed everything.”
Someone was shouting outside. I glanced up from my homework. More shouts. A fight. One of the voices was Bobby. What was he doing outside so close to curfew? We’d get
into trouble because of him. I walked towards the window and looked out. Bobby stood on the sidewalk, surrounded by older boys. Pushing him. Laughing at him.
The tallest boy pushed Bobby’s shoulder. He lost his balance, fell to the ground. His eyes were wide, his lips trembling.
My steps resounded on the asphalt. The boys looked up. Smirks. They thought they were cool. Idiots.
“Leave him alone,” I told them.
Snickers. “The little boy needs a girl to protect him. Is she your girlfriend?”
What a dumb-ass.
Bobby’s face turned red, his eyes moist.
“I’m his sister. Now get lost.”
I pushed into their circle and stood in front of Bobby. The boys were older than me. Taller. Stupid wannabe machos. Trying to intimidate me.
“Get lost, bitch.”
I froze. My fingers curled, forming a fist.
I really liked the way my knuckles collided with his chin.
A short, thin man with shoulder-length hair stood in the doorway, smiling at me. When our eyes met, his smile widened to reveal yellowish teeth. A front tooth was missing.
Streaks of grey in his black hair, and his wrinkled, worn-out clothes added to his messy look. I couldn’t help but smile back.
Joshua appeared in the background, towering over the man. He squeezed past him into the living room and sank down in an armchair. “That’s Geoffrey.” He nodded towards the
door.
Geoffrey shook his head as if Joshua had committed a serious crime. “That isn’t a proper introduction,” he said as he walked towards me. Holding out his hand, he bowed his
head. “Geoffrey Hall. Back in my day, men were taught proper conduct towards women.”
Joshua’s face darkened in a scowl. “Those times are over. No one cares about manners any more. They’re too busy surviving.” He swung his legs over the armrest, as if to
prove a
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