Chapter 72
Arizona.
That's where we've ended up. It was an antagonizing three days to get here, but the new surroundings give me some hope. The landscape is not what I'm used too at all. Woods, fields, tall buildings and monuments are all things that Virginia made me familiar with. But the desert, I'm new too. It's hot as hell here, even though the nights back East are dipping almost to freezing. The air here is dry, like how the inside of a dryer feels when you open it after a load of laundry is done. The heat is almost like a wave, each second feels hotter than the first and it doesn't stop.
I've only seen cacti planted in gardens or small pots in stores, but here, they grow out of the dirt naturally. They caress the barren landscape like the foam coming off an ocean wave. Some of them are as tall as me. Most of the ground is red clay or golden sand; both hot to the touch and annoying when your shoes get full of it. The sun seems to shine brighter here, casting the heat on the terrain like it's a punishment from hell itself.
The reason we stopped here wasn't for the difference in scenery. It was because there's no one here. We haven't seen an infected in the last ten miles. That's a good sign. However, the only places that are livable are either standalone buildings in the middle of nowhere that are completely plucked clean or the scattered small towns surrounded by infected. If we're going to find a place here to stay, it's going to have to be the right mix of secluded and infected-free.
The car we took from Moen lasted a good day and a half. Then we had to find another car, which wasn't too hard. We stumbled upon an old warehouse in Oklahoma that had a couple of cars tucked inside. We chose the biggest one, which was a company van with bright green letters on the door saying Mason Automotive. It had a half a tank of gas still left in it. That tank of gas is almost empty now, and if we don't find a new car soon, we're stuck for the vultures.
How is everyone doing? Well, better than three days ago that's for sure. Naomi is still recovering from Darren's death. She mostly hides her feelings though. I did wake up one night when we stayed overnight in a bar near Santa Fe, and she was looking out the window while the moonlight illuminated her, and all I saw was crystal tears rolling down her face. She was silent, but I could tell she wasn't hurting any less.
The one person that's probably feeling worse is Layke. His wounds aren't getting better. We've practically run out of medical supplies since we've had to change his dressings multiple times a day. I'm rationing the antibiotics we have left because I know that once those are gone, any bacteria that get into his wounds could be fatal.
Scooter hasn't said much. I know Robbie's death has hurt him more than it's hurt anyone else. I can tell that it's still numbing his brain since he hasn't eaten a thing or gotten much sleep this whole trip. I know those are normal symptoms of an apocalypse, but he's gotten close to nothing to eat or sleep. The person that's "taken charge" ever since Scooter's shut down has been Cameron. And honestly, he's the one that's most sane right now. He's picked places for us to hide out for the night, found us some food to eat, (even though it was just a can of carrots we all had to share), and directed us on where to go with our best interests in mind.
Me? I'm fine, I guess. My back is still cut to hell, and it's been getting more painful as each day goes on. I'm trying to leave all the painkillers for Layke, but I managed to steal a couple when I felt like my skin was peeling off. The small cuts on my face from the broken window have finally turned to scabs. I was tired of them stinging every time I touched them. The one thing I've hated is the fact I smell like a barn. Everyone does, but it bothers me that we haven't had a chance to wash all the blood, sweat, and mutant goo off us.
I can't figure out how Brianna's taking in all this. She's been at Layke's side the entire trip, catering to him like a baby. She's also been doing the same to Wilbur. I mean, I understand it's stressful for a cat to be locked in a car but making us stop and letting him "get some air" every couple of hours has been annoying. We should have left that cat in Moen.
A slight breeze is going through my hair, and the small strands hitting my face make my skin twitch, but in a good way. The same way your body tenses up when someone's gently scratching their fingertips across your back. My mother used to do that to me when I was younger all the time. The thought of her warms my heart.
Oh man, the sun. I would say that right now, it is more of a threat than the infected are. I've only been outside for collectively an hour and my skin is already burnt. The sweat dripping down my back feels more like someone poured a bottle of water down my shirt. That sounds nice right about now.
My feet dangle below me. I catch myself swinging them back and forth, the backs of my heels hitting the boulder I'm sitting on. Below my feet are many other rocks, but they cascade down the cliffside about fifty feet. The valley in front of me puts Virginia's landscape to shame. The canyon goes for as far as my eyes can see. I can catch the glimmer of water flowing down a narrow channel a couple of miles down the canyon. Throughout the rocky terrain are many different types of shrubs and cacti. All the greenery surrounding and inside the canyon isn't green, per se. Most of the shrubs are a crunchy brown that looks like they would cut you open if you touched them. But with all that in mind, it still looks breathtaking. The bright oranges of the clay and rock contrast the bright blue sky in the greatest way.
"Enjoying the view?" I swing my head around and see Cameron standing behind me with his hands in his jean pockets and his curls clinging to his sweaty forehead.
"You could say that," I say through my smiling teeth.
With a plop of his body, he sits down next to me. His shoes dangle off the edge of the rock next to mine, and I accidentally hit one of them with my shoe. I apologize, but after hearing nothing from him, I quickly turn my head and see him staring at me.
My heart skips a beat when his familiar green eyes peer into mine. The sunlight is illuminating them just in the right way, making them look more like emeralds than irises. "Why are you staring at me?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
The ends of his lips curve up into a smile. That smile. Oh, how happy I am to see that smile. The last couple of days could have ended differently and I'm just happy I still get to see that smile. Cameron breaks eye contact and looks out over the valley. That's the last thing I wanted because looking into his eyes gives me so much peace.
I don't know if it's the "excitement" from the past three days, hell, week, but all I wanted him to do was take my face into his hands and press his lips to mine. Nothing would be more perfect. This view alone could send someone to swoon another, but the fact that we're sitting here, alone, makes my stomach fill with butterflies.
"I'm just happy we're all okay." Cameron finally says.
"Me too."
"Summer! Cameron!" I hear Brianna's voice echo across the canyon.
So much for some alone time...
Cameron and I both turn around and see her wobbling towards us with my duffle bag in her arms and her backpack on her shoulders. Her face is concentrated in keeping the bag off the ground. The sack of mesh fabric sways back and forth, periodically bumping into her little legs. When she finally stumbles her way over to us, she drops the bag into the sand with a thud.
"Why'd you take our bags out of the van?" I ask, giving her a playful look.
"Scooter's doing some rearranging and he wanted everyone to get their stuff out. I think he found something for Layke to lay on in the gas station. He's trying to make him as comfortable as possible."
"Oh okay." My hand moves across my neck, and I feel my necklace hanging from its usual spot. Almost like a flash of lightning, the memory comes back into my head. "Oh my gosh, I almost forgot." I carefully stand up off the rock, wary not to fall over the edge.
"What?" Brianna asks.
"Since you've got your memory back," I stumble my way to the duffle bag, "you'll remember that your birthday was a week or so ago."
Brianna's face lights up. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."
I unzip my duffle bag. "Well, do you know the reason why we never came home?"
Brianna shakes her head.
I continue to move things around in the duffle bag. "It was because I was getting you a birthday present."
"Really?" Brianna says excitedly.
"Do you think I would forget to get you a birthday present? Ah– Here it is." I wrap my fingers around a metal chain and pull it out of the bag. The pink stones that are embedded into the wings of the butterfly charm sparkle in the harsh sunlight. I reach back to my necklace and feel the green gemstones that cascade down the center of its body. "Do you like it?" I hold it out in front of me.
Brianna takes it into her hands and examines it like it's the most expensive piece of jewelry she's ever held. A smile is plastered across her face. She looks up, and I see a tear stroll down her cheek. "Just like Mom's." She says and looks at my necklace. At that moment, any doubt of her lying about getting her memory back is gone. She remembers Mom, and that in itself is the best present I could give her.
"Happy Birthday Brianna." I smile. I have to take a deep breath to keep the tears from strolling down my face.
"Can you put it on for me?" She asks.
I take it from her and gently wrap it around her neck. Once I get it clasped, I step back and see how it looks on her. The butterfly gently rests in between her collar bones. It looks great on her.
"I love it." She says as she gazes at it.
"Alright you two, no more crying," Cameron says. He stands up off the rock and jumps down. "Let's get ready to go." He says and walks up next to me. As Brianna picks up my duffle bag, Cameron rests his hand on my lower back. My body freezes, and my breath is caught in my throat.
"You ready to go back on the road?" He says while looking down at me. His mouth is stretched into a cheeky smile.
All I can do is nervously nod my head. Cameron laughs, and he starts to walk towards the van where everyone is waiting.
...
The Colorado River, with its baby blue waters that twist and turn through the clay canyon like a snake, and its ability to provide even the harshest of desert with a continuous water source, is the most beautiful thing I've seen throughout this cross-country road trip, if that's what you want to call it.
The van's back windows make the scenery look like a moving painting. I've been starring at it for the past hour, and I cannot take my eyes off it. Sadly, Layke is laying on a cot right under the window, and every time I look down, I'm reminded of how much pain he's in. His clothes are trashed. I don't think even the cleanest water could remove the enormous bloodstains from his shirt. Brianna's sitting next to him on the van's very thin grey carpeted flooring, with her cat in her lap. Layke's petting the damned thing. I'm guessing to either take his mind off how he's feeling or to show Brianna that her efforts to soothe him are appreciated.
I turn my attention back to the window. We must be increasing altitude since I can see miles out over the canyon and the glimmering streams flowing at the bottom of them. Oh, how I'd give anything to swim around in that. I'd kill to wash all this blood off of me and give my wound a real nice clean.
"Hey, don't you think we would be safe if we were able to make it down the canyon?" I ask.
"It depends," Scooter says from the driver's seat. He flashes his eyes into the rearview mirror, "We'd be safe from infected for sure, but not from the wildlife. Plus, it would be hard to find food."
"Hmm." I bring my hand to my chin and give it a rub.
"We'd be able to do it. Don't you think?" Cameron says from the passenger seat.
"You want to get bit by a rattlesnake or eaten alive by a mountain lion? Because that's what would happen if we set up camp down there. It wouldn't be easy to transport Layke in terrain like that, we all know we wouldn't be able to get a car down there, and I'm not being stuck in the wilderness miles away from transportation." Scooter says while keeping his eyes fixed on the road.
"He has a point," Layke says. He stops petting Wilbur on Brianna's lap and pushes himself up into a sitting position. I can see his jaw clench when he rests his wounds against the back of Scooter's seat.
"Summer," Brianna turns around to face me. Her shoes scratch across the carpet. "I have an idea."
"Okay?" I say.
Brianna raises her eyebrows like she's trying to hint at something. When she sees I have no clue what she's trying to tell me, she takes her finger and taps on her arm. She points to the small scar that's leftover from when we dug an implant out of her skin.
Then it clicks.
"No!" I say. My raised voice startles Naomi, who's sitting beside me.
"Whoa, what the fuck. There's no need to yell." She says and rubs her temples.
"It could work," Brianna says eagerly.
"What are you talking about?" Cameron says and turns around in his seat. "What could work?"
"Don't tell them, Brianna," I say in a hushed voice.
"Don't tell us what?" Naomi huffs.
I put my face into the palms of my hands. "It's nothing."
"What are you not telling us?" Layke asks.
"Remember when you took the implants out of me?" Brianna speaks up. "Look, they're already healed." She holds out her arms to show everyone.
"So?" Naomi says.
Layke's eyes widen. "They are." He says in disbelief.
Naomi shrugs her shoulders, "I don't get it."
"Those cuts were deep enough to need stitches. It should have taken them a month to heal, maybe more."
"There's something special about me," Brianna says. "Summer wouldn't let me tell any of you because she was worried you would kill me or something, but I can heal myself faster then I should."
"I just wanted to keep her safe," I try and justify my secretiveness to Layke.
He sighs. "No one else knew about this?"
"I did..." Cameron says.
"Of course, you'd tell him." Layke rolls his eyes.
"Guys, it doesn't matter! Maybe we can use this to help Layke heal faster." Brianna says enthusiastically.
"How would we do that?" Naomi asks.
"I don't know. Maybe I can take my blood and put it all over his cuts."
"Hell no." Scooter slows the van down to a stop.
"Why not?" Brianna's voice is stern.
"What if it turns him into whatever you are? We can't risk it." His body is fully turned around in his seat now, and his eyes are staring into Brianna's with intensity.
"I'm not a monster." I can practically see the self-esteem leave Brianna's body. Her shoulder's droop like twenty-pound weights hung from them. She quickly looks down at her hands as they start to nervously play with themselves.
"We don't know what you are." Scooter's words cut like daggers. I can feel my face growing red as each second goes by. I know screaming at Scooter to leave Brianna alone won't do anything good in this moment. But, is being silent the best option? Maybe Brianna has a point. Maybe this could help Layke get better faster.
"What if it helps him?" Brianna says with a soft voice.
"What if it kills him?" Scooter keeps bickering despite obviously hurting her feelings.
"But–"
"It's not happening. End of discussion." Scooter ends the conversation with a huff of air.
I watch Brianna shrivel into herself. She grabs her necklace and tugs on it for reassurance. Her eyes squeeze shut and her head falls to her chest.
Layke senses her humiliation and reaches his hand out to her. He places it on her shoulder and when she looks at him, he gives her an empathetic look.
The next second, the van jolts forward like Scooter slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The van increases speed until it finally steadies out.
Jeez. Scooter has a lead foot.
Hi everyone and Happy Halloween! I know I haven't posted in a while and I want to apologize for that! Just letting you guys know that I'm nearing the end of the book! I'm so excited to finally finish my first book! If you guys like it don't forget to vote and add it to your reading list!