“That’s Grady for ya,” George said, smiling. He clapped me on the back. “Friendly and fun. Now, I’m not your mother, but I’d suggest you get some sleep too. We’re heading out in eight hours.”
“Speaking of fun,” Sam said, “you ain’t, Georgie.”
“Yeah, yeah, I hear it all the time. But your mom says otherwise.”
Julius shook his head, fed up. He crossed the room and plopped down on an old ratty couch. From beneath it, he pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels. It was about three-quarters of the way gone, and he tipped it back and finished the rest in one swallow. Damian sat by him and pulled out his own bottle. His was much fuller, but he was experienced in slugging back whiskey. Most of the bottle was gone in two or three gulps, and the guy hardly even grimaced. He left after that, looking glum about what Zoe said, most likely.
“Take it back, George,” Sam said amicably enough.
George replied, “Nope, but I’m off to bed. If you need me, don’t.”
Sam muttered, “Asshole.” He rattled the dice around in his fist and looked at me. “Well, c’mon. If you wanna play, let’s do it. Just don’t cheat, okay?”
I nodded. “No problem.”
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure how you could cheat at backgammon, especially without it being obvious.
“Mind if I watch?” Ell asked. “I’m not too tired.”
“I don’t mind,” I said.
“Guess not,” Sam echoed. “You can be my second set of eyes. If he starts playing sketchy, you let me know.”
“Of course.”
Pretty soon, the three of us were all who were left in the big room. I played Sam a few games of backgammon, got my ass kicked at first, and then came back and held my own during the last game. I lost that one too, but hey, I was proud of myself.
It’d been about a dozen years since I’d last played. My grandma taught me. She loved backgammon, and I was glad for the reminder of all the summer afternoons we spent on her front porch, just the two of us and her one-eyed cat, throwing around the dice and moving our chips while the breeze drifted through the screen door.
Those were simpler times, better times. God, I miss them.
Ell played Sam next and, unsurprisingly, she whooped him twice. Sam was fuming after the last game. He snapped the backgammon set shut, stuck it under one arm, and bolted from the room.
After that, we eventually found our way to the spare beds. Everyone else was fast asleep. George’s snoring put Chewy’s to shame. I found the sounds comforting in an odd sort of way and fell asleep soon after.
We woke up right when George said so. Damian and Sam helped load the fuel into the tank, six big barrels of it.
Julius stopped me and pulled me into a hug. He still smelled like his tobacco, but that was now mixed with a faint scent of whiskey too.
“You take care of yourself, Grady. It was so nice meeting you.”
“I will, and thank you. For everything.”
“Not a problem. If you ever need anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d loved to take in as many people as we can here.” He shivered. A few snowflakes fell on his beard and stayed frozen. “I don’t like the thought of you all up there—never did—but especially not after the attacks.”
“I think we’ll be okay. The fuel helps.”
Julius smiled. “I will pray.”
I thanked him again, thinking we’d need more than prayers.
Then we were on our way. The trip back to the City lasted another few days, and they were a long few days.
I remember as we crested a mound of snow, I expected to see the lighthouse’s lantern shining in the distance. My heart had swelled, but then it popped.
George slowed the tank to a stop. The engine rumbled and growled. It was somehow louder idling than it was when in motion. I was wide awake. Ell, her head on my shoulder, kept on sleeping. So did the others, Zoe in the middle seats, Chad in the front next to George.
“Why isn’t the lighthouse on?” I asked. Had the fuel already dried up?
I leaned forward over Zoe and put a hand on George’s shoulder, looking at the side of his face. He was as pale as the snow. The glow from the dashboard instruments made him look eerie.
“I-I don’t know,” George answered in a soft, raspy voice.
“What?”
The dark had consumed our beacon, like it consumed everything else.
We were all on alert now.
“What the hell do we do?” Chad asked. “If those crazy bastards got in, the place’ll be crawling with shadows.”
“Then how about we leave?” Zoe offered.
George clenched his jaw. His eyes turned flinty as he twisted and looked at her. “Not a chance. We’re Scavengers, for God’s sake. We don’t back down from anyone. Those people in there are our family and friends. We won’t leave them behind.”
I heard them speaking, but my mind was far away. It was like they were talking at the far end of a cave, and their faded echoes were all that reached my ears. Next to me, Ell had begun crying.
Mia, Stone, Monica, Chewy—all those left in the world I cared about, their fates were unknown. They could’ve been dead, but they were definitely in danger.
I tried to stay positive, but there was no denying the malice hanging in the air. Have you ever been near a place that’s been struck by lightning? If you have then you’ll know of the metallic tang that lingers for a few moments after. You’ll know how the hairs on your arms and the back of your neck stand up if you get too close. You may not have been there to see or hear the strike but, evidence or not, you know it happened. You sense something off, something wrong. That’s how it was for
