Trevor raised a brow at her. “You told Hatcher that I raped you.”
Her cheeks reddened and she looked away. “Actually, I think I told him that I felt that way when we were together.”
“Same thing.” Trevor crossed his arms and glared down at her. “And I told you that we didn’t HAVE to be together. Not…like that.”
Donna nodded and looked away. “Trevor, I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” He glanced back to Patricia and gave her a tight lipped smile. “But we really are about to hit the road.”
“Maybe…” She stepped back and exhaled audibly. “Maybe,” she continued slowly, “if you didn’t mind some company…” She looked to him expectantly.
Trever gave her a cautious stare. “You’d leave all of this? To be on the road with me and Patty?”
Donna swallowed hard and glanced through the door to the little girl sitting deep in the shadows. She looked back to Trevor and slowly nodded. “Yeah.” She smiled broadly and shrugged. “Yeah, maybe I would.”
Trevor seemed to deflate slightly and glanced at Patricia. “What do you say, Peanut? Want a little company for this trip?”
Patricia simply stared at him, her face a blank slate.
“Is she usually like that?” Donna asked quietly.
Trevor shrugged. “Sometimes. Sometimes you can’t shut her up.”
He stared down at Donna and remembered the early days when he thought things were good between them. He nodded slowly. “It will take me about an hour to get this thing disconnected and the water tanks filled. If you seriously want to come with us, pack what you want to bring and meet us out here.” He glanced at his watch then tapped the dial. “One hour.”
Donna gave him a quick grin. “I’ll be back.” She reached out and took his hand. “Don’t leave without me.”
He watched her step lightly from the stoop and walk quickly back to the compound. He turned to Patricia and gave her a knowing look. “If you think this is a stupid idea, you should probably say something now; we’re in this together, right? And I ain’t worth a shit at this stuff.” Patricia simply stared back at him.
Trevor hitched his pants up and stepped out of the RV. “Okay, fine. She’s coming with us. But if this goes south, I’m definitely blaming you.” He gave her a wink before closing the door.
Trevor sighed heavily and shook his head. “Lord, help me…give me a sign, lord…is this the right thing to do?”
Carol carried the last box to the lab and kicked the door shut with her foot. She grunted as she dropped the box of canned goods on the counter and bent backwards, stretching her lower back. “Good heavens. I never thought I’d live to feel this old.”
She chuckled at her familial joke then began to put her supplies away. She would periodically glance around the posters taped over the windows to make sure there was no activity in the courtyard that she should be aware of.
Once everything was put away, she stepped back and nodded approvingly at her haul. “Not bad for a single trip.” She clapped her hands together, wiping away some of the grime. “Tomorrow will be an even better haul.”
She stood by the counter, warming a beaker of water for tea, when a metal crash from outside caught her attention. She rushed to the window and peeled back a corner of the poster.
In the courtyard below, a single infected person rifled through a toppled trash can. Carol’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the person, unable to discern if they were male or female. It took a full thirty seconds for her to realize that the infected was out in daylight.
She stepped away from the window and held a hand over her mouth. “Is the cure working?” She stepped closer again and carefully peered out. The person was sifting through the remains, sniffing at things before tossing them over their shoulder. She watched as the infected shoved something into their mouth only to spit it out a moment later.
Carol felt her breath escaping shakily as a myriad of thoughts raced through her mind. If the cure is working and this person needs help, shouldn’t I be the one to offer it? What if the infected hasn’t been exposed to the cure and is going against its nature due to starvation?
She tried to get a better look at the person digging through the trash but with their back to her, she couldn’t be certain of anything.
Carol swallowed hard and slowly peeled the poster away from the window. She stood in full view of any who happened to look her direction. She took a deep breath and tapped on the window.
The person’s head snapped up and jerked side to side, looking for the source of the sound. The infected hunkered in a quick launch posture, ready to make a break from any threat, and Carol still wasn’t sure how to read its body language.
She closed her eyes and muttered a silent prayer. Before she could think, her hand reacted and tapped on the glass again. When Carol opened her eyes, the creature was staring straight at her, something that resembled a rotten banana peel hanging from the corner of its mouth.
Their eyes locked for a moment and even then, Carol couldn’t be certain if the creature below was still under the effects of the rage virus or not. She made a motion with her hand, urging the person to come up.
The grey skinned creature snapped its head side to side, searching for threats before slowly standing. It looked at her again and through the filth covered, tattered clothing clinging to its bone-thin form, Carol was almost certain that it was a female.
She motioned again for the woman to join her. She made an eating motion with her hands and watched as the infected pulled the loose black object from her
