“Tell me what you know!” Jake snarled. The man shook his head desperately.
“Please...I’m just here to try and get gas. I don’t know anything.”
“Tell me where she is!” Jake cried out, his hands balled into fists. The man shook his head.
“I’m sorry...I don’t know where your fiance is! I haven't seen anyone in nearly a whole day, I swear…”
Jake slammed his fist into the man’s nose and Megan cried out in horror. She was getting used to seeing senseless violence, but not from her friends. Not from Jake. The man clutched his nose with a whimper while Jake attempted to advance on him once again.
“Don’t hit me, please! I don’t know anything about her...but i know a place nearby. A lake. I know there’s a makeshift hospital there...injured people are being found along the road and being taken there. Please, please don’t hit me again…”
Jake finally backed off, wiping blood from his knuckle onto his shirt. He stalked toward Megan, but passed her by without trying to get her to follow. Megan shot the man a fleeting glance, praying he’d be okay, praying that he understood how sorry she was for him to be bullied by Jake. Then she ran after Jake and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to slow down .
“You can’t do that!” Megan insisted urgently. “You can’t just attack innocent people! We’re not like that...we’re some of the good ones!”
Jake’s eyes were filled with a familiar heat that Megan knew all too well. It was the look that men wore after the thrill of a fight. It was the pleasure of coming out on top, of feeling invincible. She’d been on the receiving end of that look too many times, but never did she expect Jake to look that way at anyone. It was like looking into the eyes of a stranger.
“Are you on my side or not? Do you even want to find Aby?”
“Of course I do!”
“Then make your choice fast, Megan. You’re either with me or you’re against me. And I’m not stopping until I find Aby. I’ll do whatever it takes.” His eyes were full of malice. “You’re either with me or against me.”
Five
Aby
The scream that filled the air as Aby’s body connected with someone else’s was deafening. She immediately recoiled, unable to tell if the scream was coming from her own mouth, or from the woman in the bed. Maybe it was both of them. Aby stared at the woman sitting up in the bed. She was at least twenty years older than Aby, possibly in her early fifties. The woman’s shock seemed to subside quickly and the pair of them stared at one another in confusion.
“What are you doing in my house?” the woman asked shakily after some time. Aby swallowed.
“I...I thought no one was here. I...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to break in...the door was ajar.”
The woman sat up straighter. Aby gasped as she saw how thin she was. It was like she’d been wasting away, her prominent bones pressing against her paper thin skin. Maybe Aby had found her at just the right time. If she hadn’t, she might simply have wasted away.
“I left the door open?” the woman asked, blinking several times. She brought a hand to her forehead like she was feeling for her own temperature. “I don’t know how long I’ve been out…”
“Do you...do you want me to leave?” Aby asked. She prayed that the answer was no. As much as she didn’t want to stay with this strange woman that she’d only just met, she also didn’t want to go back out into the wilderness. She’d surely die if she did. The woman observed her carefully, clearly trying to gauge whether she was safe with Aby. She made a small noise with her mouth which sounded disapproving, but as she swung her legs out of the bed to stand up, she didn’t seem in any rush, and the fear in her eyes was gone.
“You don’t need to go,” she said, sliding her slippers on from beside her bed. The room smelt stale and Aby tried not to wrinkle her nose at the woman, who was clearly not particularly hygienic in that precise moment. “You might even have saved me, young lady...I haven’t been out of bed in some time...I fear maybe I was slipping away. But I’m awake now. I’m not giving up so soon.”
Aby wanted to ask what had happened to the woman. It hadn’t been that long since the EMP began. She didn’t think it was long enough for anyone to get so skinny, to become so ill, to starve to death. Even Aby, who hadn’t eaten in some time, knew that she’d be okay as long as she had water. But the frail woman seemed to have slept through the whole thing. Still, maybe Aby could help her and get some help in return. They just needed to be able to trust one another.
The woman seemed like she was pretty trusting as she hobbled toward Aby and outstretched her hand for her to shake.
“I’m Peaches.”
“Peaches?” Aby asked, taking her hand gently. She was almost afraid of hurting her if she gripped too hard. Peaches frowned.
“It’s a nickname. There’s no need for you to know more about me. What’s your name, girl?”
“I’m...I’m Aby. I want to apologize again...I didn’t realize there was anyone here…”
Peaches waved the comment off. “It doesn’t matter. I’m used to people coming and going as they please. Just like my good for nothing husband.”
“He’s gone?” Aby asked carefully. Peaches sniffed, looking bitter.
“The second the power went out, he was out. He said he was finally given some kind of release...a way out of the life we were living together. He had a job he hated, a house he loathed...and a wife he couldn’t stand, from what I gather now. I only wish
