From Across Their Walls (Behind Our Walls Trilogy Book 2) Page 5

  A woman stepped out from the crowd and approached him. The first thing Heidi took note of was the hair, so red it almost hurt to look at, despite being in ragged strands, like it hadn't been washed in a long time. Her skin was so pale, it was almost translucent, with cheek bones poking out from her face as if they were trying to break loose. It was only at that moment when Heidi realized that she had also produced a pistol from somewhere. She coldly took aim, not even pausing before unloading multiple shots to the guy's head and chest until there was nothing left for her to fire.

  "Bitch," Heidi muttered, shaking her head. It certainly wasn't the first time she had seen someone die or be killed. But seeing an innocent so casually dispatched caused her anger to flare. Turning her head to the side, she wiped the sweat away from her eye and as she did so, she heard a woman's voice down there, screaming. There was no way to know who had done it, or why. For sure it couldn't have been that ice-cold princess who had just offed an innocent. She flipped the safety off on the rifle and again took aim through the scope. The bitch was still standing there, the one who clearly had no issue with murder, regardless the victim.

  Heidi felt her finger curling and slipping through the trigger guard without fully realizing that she was doing it. She felt the tension as she gently squeezed, sensing that it was nearing its final friction point. She took aim, just to the left of the eye. The slightest amount of pressure was all it would take and the world would be short one more murderer.

  Still, she paused.

  Heidi closed her eyes and eased the gun off the ledge. Killing that woman would accomplish nothing except increase her own risk. There were at least ten people down there and if the building was being used as a kind of shelter, there were substantially more. The likelihood of her being able to get away after killing one of their group was slim to none. And in the end, she simply wasn't willing to risk sacrificing herself, even for a lowlife like that.

  This was their world now. She was just an unwilling passenger. She said a silent prayer for the victim that had been executed in that parking lot. She wouldn't interfere. Those mindless thugs could have it all. Lifting her bag, she made for the opposite side of the ramp. She didn't want to risk being seen or pursued.

  When she had initially come across this area, she thought the houses could have good potential for scavenging. But sitting in the shadow of that stadium, it was likely that they would be well picked over at this point. Besides, knowing what kind of people were in there, she didn't think lingering would be the best idea.

  That woman's face would likely be etched forever onto Heidi's memory, the embodiment of how all of this had gone to shit. There was nothing Heidi could do, no way to pursue the kind of justice that so many people rightly deserved. She was only one person and she wasn't able to stand up to the tidal wave of decay that swept across what was left of the planet.

  She was the remnants, the dregs and scraps of debris that had been left behind in the wake of all this destruction. All that was left was to be grateful that she had survived and grudgingly prepare herself for everything that would be worse, and still yet to come.

  -11-

  Over a month later and still, any time she closed her eyes or went to sleep, she saw the face of that woman. She didn't understand why her subconscious was so hell-bent on staying in this space. The blood from him misting up into the air seemed to be a daily sight for her, even for as much time as had passed. It wasn't as if she had never seen death since all this had started but this was the one that had stayed with her.

  Every night, she saw the pistol leveled at this poor bastard whose only crime had been to wander past the wrong place at the wrong time. Could a person's life really hang in the balance of choosing to walk down one road instead of another? Heidi saw the gunshot, replayed in a morbid highlight reel, a cloud of particles of blood and matter perpetually raining down on the world around her. As soon as it started to dissipate, it fountained up again from the place where the clip from her memory had started fresh.

  Following each occurrence of the dream, she would wake in a fury. Her hands hurt for much of the morning because when she woke up, they would be clenched tightly into fists, the skin of her palms nearly lacerated from her own fingernails. And every morning, she had no one to turn to except herself, alone under the surface of the Earth. No one and nothing onto which she could vent her frustration and despair.

  There was no reason for any of this. That was what her anger kept returning to, that one essential point. There were more than enough supplies available to the people who had been left behind. There was plenty to go around. There was no point to all the fighting and scrambling to achieve dominance, the competition to possess things. It was like killing someone in a vast desert for control over another cup of sand.

  She would remain diligent and true to the tasks she had set herself to. She exercised as best she could, whenever she could. Somebody had to at least try and hold to the ideals that once made up the better aspects of this society. Let the monsters out there be monsters and roam freely upon the planet. The dark places in which they used to hide from the world had become the world.

  Still, she would remain true to what she believed.

  Her father's note for Lot was taped to the wall, across from where she sat on the bed. What had once been a crisp, new piece of stationary had now been torn in several places, taped together as best as had been possible. The paper had become so soft it fluttered at the slightest suggestion of air flowing through. Part of her wanted to know what he had written, what could have been so important for her to need to seek this person out. Another part of her wanted to simply throw it away.

  What would be the harm in reading it, anyway? It wasn't like she was ever going to actually find this guy, even if he was still alive. It required too many improbabilities at the same time. Not only would she need to find this person without any of the technological means to make that happen, but it also depended on him being one of the minuscule fraction of people to have survived the end of the world.

  She just needed one more dose of her father's words, a chance to hear his voice and reassurances one more time. A few stray sentences, even the fragment of a letter would suffice. Part of her had hoped to find a journal or something here in this place but there was nothing. All she had to cling to was this obscure puzzle piece he had pressed to her palm before descending to what he had to have known would be his own death.

  Pointless speculation. Anymore, she filled her cup with it and drank it in its entirety. Who cared if Lot ended up not being real? In the end, he was all she had.

  Heidi would walk the Earth until one of two things happened. Either she would track this Lot guy down or she would find out what his ultimate fate had been.

  She refused to acknowledge the third possibility, that she would simply die en route to one or the other. There was no need to dwell on that possibility. That was the road everyone was on, regardless. This was the only means she had left to make her life one of value.

  There was nothing left to hold on to.

  -12-

  The false cheeriness of the sunlight skewed her perceptions of the pointlessness of the week. She had decided to allow herself the luxury of taking the jeep for a longer excursion, driving south along the rural highway to seek out and explore a larger area around the bunker.

  It was rare that she encountered anyone on these outings. Either there was no one left alive in the places she was looking or people kept to themselves and left her alone. The landscape was barren and anyone who might still be around would likely be clustered together for safety in numbers. She would go on, seeking out what she could find and accept what was actually there. One half of her brain mocked her ruthlessly for having any expectation of finding her father's friend. But another part of her knew that she needed this task to keep herself focused past the desolation around her.

  Her hope was that there would be more of a chance of finding someone who knew this guy. The address her father had giv
en her wasn't far but it was enough of a distance that she didn't want to risk the gas, especially knowing what could lie between here and there. But if he lived around here, there could actually be a chance that someone could offer information. It was the best and, realistically, her only shot at finding him.

  Assuming he was still alive.

  Assuming he was even real.

  All she wanted to do was blast music from the stereo. There were a few CDs bouncing around on the passenger seat, and the previous owner clearly had similar taste to hers. Still, she didn't want to waste either the battery or the gas when they were needed for other things. She drove on in silence.

  It was nearly a half hour before she came across a small roadside diner. The wind was starting to pick up, howling outside as debris banged against the sides of the car. She was going through the motions of getting out, fully expecting this to be nothing but memories of what used to be. The sight of two men seated in the restaurant froze her in place. Her natural instinct was to bolt and she didn't think either one had seen her, but that hesitation stopped her long enough that one of them turned and spotted her. Immediately, the two of them were on their feet and walking out.

  "Where you headed?" The man walking slightly faster spoke first. His companion lagged behind, leering out at her from behind half-closed eyelids that looked like he could fall asleep any moment.

  "Looking for a friend," Heidi said, trying to hint that she wasn't interested in conversation. As starved as she was for human contact, both of these guys reeked of ill intentions.

  "What's your friend's name?" the first one asked again. "Maybe we know him?"

  Heidi smirked and shook her head, shifting her gaze to the horizon. "No, I doubt that."

  "Come on, give it a try. You never know."

  Heidi turned back to him. "You know what, guys? I doubt that you would run in similar circles. So what are you doing here, exactly?"

  "Us? We were resting at the diner there and saw you pull up in your jeep. Thought we might be neighborly. You find anything out here worth salvaging?"

  "Where'd you get that jeep, anyway?" The second man finally spoke, nudging up next to his friend as he did so.

  "Why? What difference does it make where I got it? It isn't yours."

  They both laughed at her response but Heidi didn't see anything other than veiled threats in their eyes. "No matter," he responded. "Just wondered how you were keeping it running and finding gas, that's all."

  "You got a place near here?" the first one asked, trying to steer the conversation back to himself. Heidi noticed that he was wearing a light blue work shirt that looked like it came from an auto garage. On the breast pocket, the name "Mel" had been neatly embroidered in cursive lettering. Mel and the other guy. It was all Heidi knew about them and was more than she wanted to know. She let out a frustrated breath.

  "Yes," she said.

  "You from the stadium?"

  "No! I have nothing to do with that place."

  Mel put his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, take it easy. Christ's sake. I was just asking."

  "Where is your place, then?" Other Guy burst in again, ignoring the glare fired at him from Mel.

  "Not too far. But it's far enough."

  "The hell is that supposed to mean? Don't want to tell us?"

  "Not really. Don't take it—"

  "Yeah, don't take it personally. We get it. Very sociable of you."

  "Look, I've just got to look out for myself here. I don't know you guys and the best thing for all of us is to just play it safe, so why don't we just go our separate—"

  "What about your friend?" Mel asked. "Thought you needed help."

  She had been turning away from them but something about his tone made her stop. Looking back, she saw that he had produced a gun and was now pointing it at her, a wide grin plastered across his face.

  "Let's see if maybe we can't help you after all."

  -13-

  She barely stopped herself from lashing out at the guy. Still, she couldn't ignore the threat that the gun represented. From the tremors in his hand, there was a good chance he wouldn't be able to get a shot off cleanly, let alone hit her, but she couldn't afford to take that chance. It wasn't like she could drive to the nearest trauma center.

  This had quickly escalated from an irritating situation to one that was now deadly. The other one hadn't produced a weapon but Heidi had to assume that he had one as well, but saw no need to brandish it.

  "So how about it, then?" Mel asked. "How about we all get in that jeep of yours and see where we end up going?"

  "Why the hell would I get into a car with the two of you?"

  He laughed at her. "Don't get too full of yourself. It isn't what you think. Let's just say that I think you might have access to some supplies and resources that would be better in our pockets."

  "I'm not taking you back to my place."

  "No? I think we might be able to talk you into it. How about we get in the jeep and see if maybe I can convince you. I'm pretty good at bringing people around to my way of seeing things."

  She didn't want to, but at the moment couldn't see any other options. Slowly, she nodded and turned away from them. She had to create a situation that would allow her to get away. For the time being, she would have to be patient and follow along until that window opened.

  "Fine," she said, glancing back over her shoulder. "Be my guest."

  She stepped behind the wheel as the others got in. As she twisted around for her belt, Mel reached over and grabbed her arm.

  "Uh uh," he said. "Don't want to worry about you crashing the car or some crazy shit. Leave your seat belt off."

  "Are you kidding me? You think I would actually—"

  He held a hand up. "Spare me the indignation. We aren't as ignorant as you seem to think we are. Just drive more careful. Besides, it isn't like you got to worry about the cops pulling you over and giving you a ticket, right?"

  "So where is all of this headed?" Heidi asked, keeping the jeep in park. "I take you back to my place, you take whatever you want and then what happens to me? Do you think I'm stupid?"

  "I don't think you're stupid, lady. But I can't say anything else that's going to put your mind at ease and frankly, I'm not really too inclined to do it anyway. So let's just drive. We don't even have to talk any, just get us there. Okay?

  Heidi put the jeep in gear and stomped on the accelerator, listening to the gravel thrown out behind them as they fishtailed. Mel was jostled against his door and the other one reached out to grab both seats in order to keep himself upright.

  "Christ's crackers, that's what I'm talking about!" Mel snapped at her. "Knock it off with the cute shit. You think you aren't going to get out of this alive? The one thing I can guarantee is that hero bullshit will get you killed, for sure. So how about we play the odds and just knock it off?"

  She looked in the mirror at the other one who was still gripping the seats as if the car was about to fall apart. She again saw the tell-tale drooping of his eyes, the sign that severe fatigue was driving out what little mental process was left. These guys had been pushing it on their own for a long time. It wasn't malice causing this confrontation. This was driven by desperation. It was hard to not feel sorry for them a little but she managed anyway. She just had to wait them out.

  "I'm probably going to regret this," she said. "But I'm going to give the two of you another chance. I will pull over to the side and let you out. No questions asked and I won't do anything to you. Just get out and we all walk away. Insist on sticking with this and you'll just have to accept the consequences of what happens. What do you say?"

  He stared at her for several seconds before responding with peels of high pitched laughter.

  "You're hysterical, I'll give you that much," Mel said, tears streaming down his face. "Hell, make me crack up like that and maybe you really will get through this all right."

  "And what is it you think I have?" Heidi asked. "Really, what? A few cans of food? S
ome drinking water? Maybe some toilet paper? What is it you think you're going to find that is so great?"

  "Doesn't matter. All I care about is making life a little easier for the two of us. We take some things and then maybe we can start over somewhere. Just think of this as an investment. If our road's got to go through you, well, I'm sorry I guess."

  She glanced over at him and he caught her glare, laughing at her as he did so.

  "Okay, you got me. I don't really give two shits, one way or the other."

  -14-

  "Where the hell is this place?" Mel snapped at her. "You trying to hero up on our shit again?"

  Heidi shook her head. "Why would I do that? You wanted me to take you to my place. What were you expecting, a Hilton high-rise?" She had driven in the exact opposite direction in order to get them even farther away before finding the perfect location. Pulling over, she led them on foot into a thick patch of woods with the promise that her safe room was hidden away within the trees.

  All she needed was time and opportunity.

  "How much farther is it?" the other one asked.

  "It's about a mile walk from here."

  "A fucking mile?"