Eden Rising (Eden Rising Trilogy Book 1) Page 4

  “My mom used to say that people who kept their minds active, like playing Scrabble or doing crosswords” said Ben, “tended to be less confused as they got older. Maybe this is like that. As long as we keep doing something, we’re better prepared to survive.”

  The further west in Massachusetts they went, the less congested the highway was. That came as a relief to them, as the smell dissipated slightly. As much as possible they ignored the dead people in the cars. When they did sneak a glance, they were sickened by what they saw. Many of the cars had their windows closed—the occupants had been using their AC—and the heat from the sun had bloated the bodies badly.

  They came upon another service area. It took them close to an hour from the time they saw the sign telling them the service area was just ahead to the time they finally arrived. By car, it would have taken them a couple of minutes. Another reminder of how drastically their world had changed. They decided to check out the convenience store. Passing a car in the parking lot that had its door open and the driver lying on the ground, Ben picked up the driver’s keys and tried the ignition. Nothing. Just what he expected.

  “I still wonder what happened,” he said as they entered the convenience store. They put bandanas over their faces to help mask the smell. “What could have caused all this?” He picked up a five-day old Boston Globe. Lila was perusing the magazines and books.

  “I don’t know,” replied Lila. “Is there anything in the paper that would give us an idea that they were expecting something to happen?”

  Ben flipped through it. “Nothing that I can see.” He was quiet for a moment.

  “Anything wrong?” asked Lila.

  “Not really. I just got to the sports page. The Red Sox lost an important game the night before all this happened. I was watching it and was really disgusted with how they played. Can you believe they’re all dead now? It’s the little things that keep popping up, like baseball or my favorite TV shows. They’re all gone.”

  “I was just about to start driver’s ed,” said Lila. “I guess that’s out. But,” her eyes lit up. “I love baseball and was in a softball league. We should pick up a couple of gloves and balls. Maybe we can play catch sometime …” She felt oddly guilty at suggesting it, and dropped the subject. She scanned the magazines again. “I love to read, but nothing is real anymore. I hope someday I can pick up a good novel again and enjoy it without thinking of the past.”

  “Hey,” exclaimed Ben, who had wandered to the other side of the store. “Flashlights. The disposable kind. I wonder if they work. Nothing else seems to.” He grabbed one off the shelf and switched it on. A bright beam of light shone across the room. “Wow, it does. Okay, so why does this work when just about nothing else does?”

  “Don’t know, but let’s count our blessings. Flashlights will come in handy.”

  Ben grabbed four of them. They found some more chips and nuts, along with some cans of food, water, and soda, and a few more inhalers for the smell, then went to find a bathroom. To their dismay, the bathrooms were full of bodies. They knew it was time to stop thinking about using real bathrooms anymore.

  They headed back to the highway and continued west. Dusk had arrived by the time they found a good camping spot. They chose a place up a hill by the side of the highway. It was in a small copse of overhanging trees, surrounded by boulders, and the seclusion made them feel safe. They set up their tent to the sounds of thunder.

  “That’s kind of a nice sound,” said Lila. “Familiar.”

  “Some pretty dark clouds coming this way,” observed Ben. “Let’s hope the tent doesn’t leak.” He looked up at the branches overhead. “Although the trees should provide some cover.”

  They heated beef stew from cans they had taken from the convenience store, ate quickly, then crawled into the tent, exhausted from the day. They didn’t use the flashlights, as they were still cautious about who, or what, was out there, and didn’t want to advertise their presence. They settled into their sleeping bags, deep in their own thoughts.

  The rain came in sheets. The thunder and lightning was violent, accompanied by a strong wind. Ben hoped the tent would hold. They had their backpacks in with them to keep everything dry, but it made for a crowded space.

  The thunder and lightning eventually subsided, but the rain continued to pound on the tent, making it sag in places. So far there were no leaks. Ben was lying on his side, facing Lila in the pitch black.

  “Give me your hand,” said Lila quietly.

  “You going to read my palm in the dark?” asked Ben.

  He could sense her smiling. She took his hand, put it under her shirt and placed it on her left breast. A shot of excitement coursed through Ben’s body.

  “You came to my defense when Richie made fun of my small breasts.” She spoke in a breathless whisper. “I wanted you to feel them for yourself.”

  Ben’s hand explored the area. He moved over to the other breast. Finally he had enough air to speak. His heart was pounding. He felt as if he was going to pass out.

  “Th … they’re perfect. They’re like peaches. They’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “In a real short time I’ve developed some pretty intense feelings for you. I feel like we’re a part of each other, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Maybe that’s what they mean by ‘soulmates’. I just wanted you to touch me. I want to touch you. We’re all we have. We might be all we ever have.” She was quiet for a moment before continuing. “But, as much as I want to feel your touch, I don’t want to have sex yet. Is that okay? I know it’s probably not fair to you, and I’m not trying to tease you. I’m just not quite ready. We may be two of the last people on earth, but I’m still sixteen. All the things I’ve ever looked forward to are gone. The future I imagined doesn’t exist anymore. Maybe I still want or need something to look forward to. Does that make sense?”

  “Uh huh,” answered Ben, feeling a little dizzy.

  “But don’t worry,” said Lila, squeezing his hand. “When I am ready, you’ll be the first to know. Just please be patient as I work through it.”

  Ben finally found his voice. “You’re amazing. That’s all I can say. I have the same feelings for you. I think that’s pretty obvious, but I also respect you deeply—your strength as we make this journey, your common sense, and your courage. I want to make love to you, but I’m willing to wait until you’re ready.”

  He realized that his hand was still resting on her breast. He retracted it. She reached over and took his hand back, replacing it where it had been. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. He hoped he wasn’t too awkward. She responded tenderly. She slipped her hand under his shirt and hugged him. Then they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  What can I say about that moment? The old clichéd line in books when two people are in love is: ‘the world ceased to exist around them’. In our case, the world really had ceased to exist. But I wasn’t so sure anymore that I wanted to find civilization. Could we build our own world? A world without the noise, without the petty problems? Or was I just basking in the feel of Lila’s body? No, a change was happening within me. Of that I was sure. Here we had been on our journey for only a few days, and I was beginning to appreciate the peace that had come over the world. We hadn’t yet talked about it, but I think Lila was feeling it too. Maybe that’s why we were so disturbed by George and Bunny; they reminded us too much of the life we had left behind. Unfortunately, we were brought back to reality the very next day.

  They woke up to bright sun, still in each other’s arms. They had barely moved all night. Despite the devastation around them and all they had witnessed since that day in the freezer, they had smiles on their faces. They were determined to take any small joy they could find.

  “Have you ever wondered about us ending up in the freezer together?” asked Ben when they had been on the road a few hours.

  “All the time,” answered Lila. “I think of Richie and what motivated him to have me help you at the las
t minute. Was it some divine intervention that he had no control over, or was he being his usual slimy self and he just accidently did a good thing? Sometimes I break out in a sweat when I think of how close I came to being one of ‘them.’”

  They had been trudging up a long incline for the last hour, and finally reached the top. They sat to catch their breath and drink some water. Below them, the trees of central Massachusetts were beginning to show their color. The expanse of highway cut through the hills like a long gray scar. Cars littered the road.

  "It looks like time just stood still, doesn't it?" asked Lila. "In the movies they would all be wrecked, but here it looks like people just parked their cars in the middle of the road."

  Ben couldn't speak. At that moment he was overcome by the silence. Other than a slight breeze scattering some leaves, there was nothing. It seemed that even the birds had stopped singing in reverence for the dead. There was a sudden lump in his throat and he felt tears trickling down his cheeks. He thought of his parents and his brother. The loss consumed him every day.

  Lila reached for his hand, sensing his thoughts. "I don't know if there's a heaven or something else, but I know they are looking down on you. They know how much you love them. It goes beyond this world, I know it does."

  "I don't know what I would do if you weren't with me," answered Ben quietly. "I've never been very brave. I'm trying. I'm really trying. But if it weren't for you, I don't think I would make it. I feel like such a coward even saying that to you."

  "You are anything but a coward," said Lila. "Maybe you do need me, but I need you just as much, and you've been there for me. We're not going to get brave overnight, but each day we're going to get a little stronger."

  They sat there for an hour, hand in hand, getting used to the new silent world before them. Finally they started back on their way, still unsure of what to make of it all.

  A little while later they rounded a long bend and Ben's attention was suddenly taken with something in front of them. “Lila, stop. What’s that?”

  About a quarter of a mile ahead, the road was strewn with what looked like rocks. It was so out of place, it had an ominous feel about it.

  “I don’t know.” They started walking again, but a bit slower. They finally got close enough to see more clearly. “Omigod! It’s body parts,” cried Lila.

  Without thinking, they both covered their faces with their handkerchiefs and got out their nasal inhalers. There was really no way to avoid the mess—parts were everywhere. The source of the bodies became apparent when they saw a school bus stopped in the road. Its door had been pushed open and out of every open window hung entrails. It was most likely a school sports team headed for a game. Arms, legs, heads, and every body part imaginable lay in heaps all over the road and embankment. As if on cue, Ben and Lila heaved up their last dinner and breakfast. The smell was overwhelming and the sight was the worst either had ever seen.

  “Dogs?” asked Lila.

  “Or coyotes,” answered Ben.

  A moment later, from out of the woods bordering the highway, came a dozen coyotes, warily eyeing Ben and Lila.

  People out west figure they have the market cornered on coyotes, but anyone in Massachusetts who has had a cat snatched off their porch can tell you that we have a surplus of Eastern Coyotes. They could often be seen at night walking down the town roads. I had always heard that coyotes didn’t usually attack humans. But there was something scary about these. Like they hadn’t heard that bit of news.

  Ben slowly opened his holster and took out his Sig. It still felt unfamiliar in his hand. They hadn’t even had time to practice with their guns. He cocked the gun by retracting the slide. Lila followed suit. For the first time, they felt they were in real danger.

  “We should try to scare them off,” whispered Ben. He held his pistol in the air and fired. He was surprised that the recoil was less violent than he was expecting. The animals scattered, but only for a moment. They quickly reformed their group, this time closer to the road.

  Lila reached around for her rifle, putting the Sig back in her holster. “I think instead of shooting in the air, we should shoot at them.” She aimed and shot at a coyote. She missed, hitting the concrete in front of the animals, scattering them.

  “Let’s keep moving as we shoot,” shouted Ben. He wasn’t watching where he was going and tripped over a pile of remains. He landed within inches of a severed and fairly mutilated head.

  The coyotes attacked. Lila shot her last three rounds, surprisingly hitting two of them. Ben quickly got up with his rifle in hand and shot all four of his rounds, hitting one. They set down their rifles and pulled out their pistols and started firing.

  They weren’t very good, but with all the rounds they somehow managed to hit half the coyotes. The other half retreated to the edge of the road to regroup. Ben set down his backpack and opened it, pulling out rifle and pistol bullets for each of them. He handed Lila hers and they reloaded. He put his backpack on and they started down the highway. He didn’t think the coyotes would attack again, but they did.

  With fewer animals to shoot at, their hit count went way down. They managed to hit two between them with their rifles. One reached Lila and jumped on her. The others shifted direction toward the downed prey. Lila was momentarily managing to hold off her first attacker with her rifle between her hands, which he had in his teeth. With the animals bunched so closely, Ben took out his pistol and fired into the group, hitting two more. One took off, with the remaining animal focusing its attention solely on Lila. Ben ran out of bullets. He picked up his rifle and swung it like an ax, hitting the coyote at the base of its neck, killing it instantly. It fell into a heap on top of Lila.

  Lila was screaming. Ben pushed the animal off, pulled her up and held her. But it wasn’t enough. She was in sheer panic mode. She pushed away and looked around, wild-eyed. She wasn’t focusing on anything in particular, but was walking in circles. Ben tried to talk to her.

  “You’re okay. You’re okay. They’re gone.”

  She tried to pull away, but Ben held on tightly. Finally, Lila collapsed in his arms, shaking so badly that Ben didn’t know what to do. He began to wonder if the coyote had injured her.

  “Did he hurt you? Are you bleeding? Look at me. Look at me!”

  Lila looked at him through tear-soaked eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded weakly.

  “Okay, we need to get out of here. Can you walk?”

  Again she nodded.

  Ben collected their things. He put her Sig in its holster and strapped her rifle to her backpack. He put his backpack on and held onto hers with his left hand. It was extremely heavy, but he had to carry it or drag it. He helped Lila up with his right hand and supported her as they walked. She was barely conscious, but was somehow able to move her legs, allowing Ben to keep her moving down the road. He didn’t know if it was emotional or physical trauma. They walked that way for more than an hour. When they were long past the carnage and, Ben assumed, past the danger, he moved Lila to the side of the road.

  “I’ve got to set you down,” he said gently. His back was killing him and his arms felt like lead weights.

  Lila was nonresponsive. How she had walked that distance, Ben couldn’t fathom. He turned and stretched, and found himself looking at a small lake on the opposite side of the highway.

  “C’mon, just a little further. There’s a lake over there. That’ll be a good place to camp.”

  Ben helped her up and half carried her across the four lanes of highway to the edge of the lake. He let her sit against a rock while he scouted out a good place to camp. About 300 yards around a bend in the shoreline, far from the highway, Ben found a secluded spot. They needed a break, so he made the decision not to move from the spot the next day—maybe longer if Lila didn’t come out of her private hell.

  He went back for Lila and helped her along the water’s edge to their new home for the next couple of nights. While she sat staring at the wate
r—or nothing in particular—Ben set up the tent. After what they saw today, he knew neither of them would be hungry, so he helped Lila into the tent. He took off her boots, helped her off with her pants and slipped her into the sleeping bag. He thought about changing her shirt—the one she had on might have the smell of the coyote on it—and decided that she needed to wake up in something clean. He found the last clean one in her backpack, propped her up and pulled off her shirt. Replacing it was a bit more awkward, but he maneuvered her arms into the new shirt. She slept through the whole process. Ben knew that if she could wake up in something fresh and clean, it would make a big difference.

  We had made it through our first life or death situation of the journey. I just hoped Lila would be able to see it that way. I was really worried. Maybe a night’s sleep would help her come out of it. How many more of these were ahead of us? We had only been on the road four or five days—I had already lost track—and we had a long way to go. That’s why we needed the next day to rest and regain our strength.

  Chapter 5

  The morning that greeted them was warm and sunny. Lila had woken up once during the night screaming and thrashing about. Ben calmed her down and held her til she once again fell asleep. He crawled out of the tent. Lila was still asleep. He took out the propane stove, the collapsible pot, some water, and made tea. He sat looking out at the calm lake.

  “Any tea for me?”

  Ben jumped at Lila’s voice. He turned to see her head sticking out of the tent. She looked exhausted, but at least had the makings of a smile.

  “Good morning,” Ben replied, relieved to see her up.

  “This is beautiful. How did we get here?”

  “What do you remember?”

  Lila frowned and looked down as she tried to recall. “I don't know. Not much. Fragments really. Like a bad dream, but I know it was real. Coyotes everywhere. A big one on top of me. I think he was drooling.” She shuddered and looked down at her shirt, ready to rip it off. She looked up with a crooked smile. “This isn’t the same shirt.”