Chapter 4

      Days pass since we decided to settle near the remains of the bridge. Zach’s leg seems to have mostly healed. He can walk by himself now.

      “Do you think we have been in one place for too long?”

      “Josh, I don’t know.” I try to hide my depression that’s started to engulf me. “We should be fine.”

      “We have been here for almost a week.”

      “I know. We haven’t encountered anyone yet have we?” He quiets down. Why is my life so boring? I think. I don’t think I want it to be not boring though. Not boring here consists of trouble.

      “Zach, will you stay here while Josh and I go off and scavenge around?

      He sighs, “Why not?” Before he even answers, I grab my backpack and knife. I tell Josh to hurry up, and Zach gets farther out of sight.

      I keep my ears open. My noisy brother decides to drag his feet every step he takes.

      “Will you please stop?”

      “Why should I?” Although he asks this, he stops. We trudge over debris. Buildings in pieces and few in slight disarray. I hear a rock move and turn to see Josh on the ground.

      “Are you ok?”

      “Yeah, just fine.” He sighs and gets up.

      “That’s going to bruise.” I say

      “Oh, Joy.” I laugh at his response. The first time I’ve laughed in a week. He notices and smiles to himself. My eyes keep straight, and we keep moving. What are we even doing? I’m not even sure. Looking for stuff? Finding what? I find higher ground. I crawl up the large concrete slabs stacked on each other to get a better look. I turn all the way around and every angle the view is similar. Broken concrete, no people, trash, and blackness is all I see. Most of the people reside in Black Homes. The gangs live in abandoned building around the food supply. The only area not paved over grows fruit trees, wheat, potatoes, along with other things. They try to keep a close eye on it, but some brave people sneak in when they take their unauthorized breaks. That is how Josh and I survive. We go by once a month and stock up as much as we can. Some months we get short and just have to space it out. Some people in Black Home attempt it too, but if you are caught the results are not good.

      “What are you doing?” Josh shouts up at me.

      I lose my balance and slide down the tilted slab. “Holy crap. That could have been bad.” I stand up and dust off the dirt. “I was just looking. Let’s head back.”

      Where we stationed out “camp” was approaching in view. Zach is asleep. I sigh. “Wow, he is great at watching the place.” I comment to Josh. I look again and see a figure getting closer. “Who is that?!” Josh looks frantically.

      “I don’t know! Zach!” Josh yells to wake him. Zach startles and looks at us. We point to his left, and he sees what we saw.

       Did he just start talking to that person?

      Josh and I run up to him to see him in a conversation with this woman. She must be in her thirties, at least.

      “Hello guys.” He seems calm.

      “Hi, baby dolls!” Her voice shatters the quiet with a scratchy and quite frankly annoying sound.

      “Hello.” Josh and I exchange look with each other than Zachary. We sit. The woman dressed in a skin tight leather top, bikini-like bottoms, and knee-high boots, maneuvers herself onto the ground. Her shoulder-length, worn out brown hair lays lifeless on her face. The make-up caked on her face makes her look orange.

      “Who is your friend?” I ask.

      “This is Rose.” He says. “She is a….uh es- uh, an escort” he whispers to me.

      “Oh, hi Rose.” I take a deep breath. “How do you know Zachary?”

      “The gang.” Her voice sends shivers up my spine. “Of course.” I think to myself.

      “How lovely.” I think I am obviously being rude and sarcastic, but Rose seems to think I am being seriously nice.

      “It was amazing getting to meet this amazing piece of strong male body.” I glance over at Zach and see him avoiding my eye contact. “He is such a sweet boy. He is the only one that ever treated me nicely.”

      “Huh, really. How so?” I ask Rose. Even though I don’t want to hear her voice, I still want to know as much about Zach as I can learn. She may be the only person from his past that we will ever encounter. So I better ask the questions now.

      “Oh you know.” I tilt my head in acknowledgement that I do not. “He actually talked to me. He didn’t use me like the others, even though I offered a few times. He is so great.” Her voice got squeaky on “great”, and she clears her throat.

      I smile at her.

      “The offer still stands.” She winks at Zach and I pretend to not notice.

      “How nice that is, I still have to say no thank you.”

      She sighs, “Okay, although it wouldn’t have just been for you.” I can see out of the corner of my eye Zach’s face getting pinker every word Rose says.

      “So Rose,” I interrupt her moping about being denied a good time, “Where do you come from?”

      Her eyes light up. “Oh, wherever business is, you know?” I think to myself, “I guess.”

      “I’m here, I’m there, I’m where they are, you know?” Well, I’ve found her catch phrase.

      “That must be tough.”

      “Oh, definitely. Very tough. They just want me for, well, you know.”

      “Yes, I know.” I look at Zach for guidance.

      “So, why are you here, Rose.” He saves me from an embarrassing silence with this stranger.

      “I’ve decided to take a vacation. My body needs some rest. I’m tired.” She sighs. “Life isn’t easy.”

      “No, it’s not.” Zach says as I think it. My saying that would have sounded much more sarcastic than his sincere response.

      “She must be privileged.” I whisper to Josh who has stayed quiet for the entire conversation. He just kind of awkwardly smirks.

      It gets darker as the sun sets.

      “Would you like to stay here to sleep?” Zachary asks before asking me or Josh.

      “Oh, baby! You know I would!”

      We settle down. Josh makes a fire, and Zach finds some food we have in our bags. I sit next to Rose. Perfume radiates off her body. It smells of strong citrus and liquor. I hide my distaste, and I don’t say a word. I’m not very good at hiding my reactions or feelings very well though.

      She just sits there unzipping and zipping her boots.

      Zipppp Zipppp Zipppp Zipppp

      I finally get up. She looks at me and I smile.

      “Zach would you like some help?”

      “Why not.” I grab my bag and shuffle through its contents.

      Shirt, shoes, blanket, lighter, knife, water, slice of bread, apple, and another slice of bread is what I find in my backpack’s many compartments. Zach finds an orange and another bottle of water in Josh’s backpack. Luckily, when he left the gang awhile back, he brought a bag full of food with him. He still had some left over, but we decide to save it until our guest has left.

      “Do you think this will do?” I shrug.

      “Who wants some bread, fruit, and water?” Josh starts the fire, and we let it get larger in the night. Zach hands Rose some food for her.

      “This isn’t what I eat back home with the boys.” She complains. That is all she seems to be good at.

      “I know Rose, but it is all we have.” Zach explains. I nod. Josh has already scarfed down his bread and half an orange by the time I grab mine. We haven’t eaten today. We ate last night. Noticing my stomach, I grab it to quiet its roars of hunger.

      The bread tastes so stale, yet satisfying. I sit there and try to savor it as best as I can. My half an apple has slightly bruised being tossed around so much, but it is still extremely sweet, and my teeth chomp every bite, absorbing the juices.

      “I think it’s time to call it a night.”

      “Kristen is probably right. We all should get some sleep.” Zach agrees.

      I begin to settle myself onto my area with Josh. We give Rose her own blanket and Zach his own. Once an hour or so has passed, I wake up Josh.

      “Hey, Josh.” I whisper. He stirs and looks at me.

      “What now, Kristen?” After I get over being offended, I reply.

      “It’s time….”

      “To?” he interrupted in a drowsy tone.

      “To leave.” This catches his attention and makes him keep his eyes open for more than two seconds at a time. “We need to pack up and leave.”

      “When?” He asks, but I know he doesn’t want to know the answer.

      “Tonight.” He half glares at me, but I think he was hoping it would just look like he is still tired. After a minute of silence, he turns over.

      “Wake me when you’re ready.”

      I sigh. “Okay.” I stay awake the whole time waiting for it to be late enough that everyone is asleep but not so early in the morning that everyone will awake soon. I hear Rose snoring, and I hear Zach breathing. I listen a little longer.

      When I think it is the right time. I shake Josh and get up. I begin to retrieve most of our belongings, except the ones that are being used or if moved will awake the others. Josh gets up and walks. I guess he expects me to grab everything. I do, not wishing to argue.                                

      Silence is golden, but not in this situation. I look at him, and I see him with his chin up and eyes fixed forward.

      “We had no choice. You know that right?”

      “You always think that, but, sis, we do.” I look down.

 

 

 

Author's Note

Still in progress.