“Really? Do we dare waste our time?” Jordan asked.

  “We have to check,” she replied. “After coming this far, it doesn’t make sense not to.”

  They moved through the doors the teens had just come out of. The state of the waiting room was awful. It had been vandalized with spray paint, disgusting words sprayed on the walls and the floors. Chairs had been sliced open and dumped over.

  “Why?” Tonya gasped. “Why would anyone do this?”

  Amanda shook her head as they moved through the double doors that led into the exam and trauma rooms. Everything had been cleared out. The cabinet doors were either ripped off and hanging or gone altogether.

  “This is unbelievable. We’re not going to find anything here,” Drew said.

  Amanda thought he was right, but they had to look. “There should be a locked medicine cabinet here in the ER.”

  “Over here!” Jordan called out.

  Amanda took a step in his direction, glass crunching underfoot. She looked down and saw that it littered the floor. The glass for the medicine locker had been shattered, and it was completely empty. “Alright then,” she whispered.

  An elderly dark-skinned man wearing a blue denim shirt tucked into blue jeans ambled down the hall in their direction then, scowling at them. “There’s nothing here. Get out of here!” he shouted.

  “We’re looking for antibiotics,” Amanda said.

  He laughed. “You ain’t going to find anything here. The tweakers took the good stuff and the antibiotics were gone a couple weeks ago.”

  He walked closer, and Amanda noticed he had on a nametag. “Carl, did you work here?” she asked, not getting the feeling that he offered any threat. She saw no weapon on him, and her group was well-armed enough to stop him from trying anything if he did have some weapon hidden.

  He slowly nodded, eyeing their group. “I did. I was helping man this place until a few weeks ago when we got overrun. It’s a shame, a real shame. We was trying to help people, but they came in here and shot everyone or chased them off—all but me, anyhow. I’m too stubborn to leave, but they took everything.”

  Amanda sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing sorry can do to fix it. There’s no more medicine,” he said with real sadness.

  “Now what?” Drew asked.

  “I don’t know,” Amanda mumbled.

  “What made you think there’d still be supplies here? I hear lots of other places are helluvalot worse off than this,” Carl commented.

  “We met a doctor; he’s taking care of some really sick people the next town over. He gave us a note outlining what we needed, thinking this place was still in good shape,” Amanda explained.

  “Dr. Ashworth?” Carl asked.

  Amanda smiled. “Yes, Dr. Ashworth. He’s treating the entire town for typhoid. A lot have died, and he’s afraid they’ll lose more if he can’t get the medicine they need.”

  Carl hung his head, shaking it slowly. “What a shame. All of this is so pointless. And I know it’s only a matter of time before they come here and kill me, too. I’m tired of fighting. I’m done.”

  She hated to hear the sound of defeat in his voice, but could understand why he felt that way. He was an old man. He didn’t look all that healthy, and would be no match for people who thought there might be something worth stealing there.

  “We could take you back to Dr. Ashworth if you’d like,” Tonya said, stepping forward.

  Carl smiled at her. “Thank you, but my place is here. I’ve lived here my whole life; worked in this hospital for fifty years. This is where I’m going to die.”

  It was a grim prediction, but very likely. “Are there any other clinics or facilities in the city where we might find some antibiotics?” Amanda asked.

  Carl looked thoughtful for a second. “You know what, I’ve got an idea. Follow me,” he said, turning and shuffling down the hall, taking turns down corridors in the dark with an expertise that could only have come from years of working in the hospital.

  He opened a door to show several desks scattered around the room with tall filing cabinets pushed against a back wall. He walked to one of the cabinets and opened a drawer, pulling out a stack of papers and putting it on the desk.

  “What’s that?” Amanda asked.

  “Few people know there’s a warehouse in town—a medical supply warehouse. Looks just like a normal business building, so you’d never know it if you weren’t told. I know the address is on some of these invoices,” he said.

  Amanda smiled, resisting the urge to yell in excitement. “That would be amazing.”

  “Here it is—this place, right here. They don’t advertise what they are, but I’ve been around long enough to know people. I know they’ve got all kinds of stuff in that place, assuming it hasn’t been looted already,” he added. “It’s rough in that part of town, though. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get in there.”

  “We’ll check. Thank you, Carl. Are you sure you don’t want to go to Dr. Ashworth’s? I know he’d love the company, and he could use all the able bodies he can get right now,” Amanda said.

  Carl looked tired. “I’m okay here. I’ve got a nice warm bed, and I can’t bring myself to leave. I still have a few friends around, too.”

  Amanda understood his reluctance to leave. The fear of the unknown was hard to deal with.

  “Good luck,” she told him simply before he handed her the address and they turned to head out of the hospital.

  26

  Malachi watched Savannah sleep with Andy tucked against her in the small space of the tent. The little boy hadn’t said much in the last two weeks. He did talk to Savannah, but his sentences were stilted. The kid had been extremely traumatized, and Malachi felt completely inadequate to help him. Savannah had expressed to him that she felt the same way. They were kids themselves, not all that much older than Andy. They didn’t have witty anecdotes to impart or years of wisdom to help them know what to say or do. All they could do was talk to him… when he was willing.

  Savannah stirred in her sleep, her eyes opening and looking directly at Malachi. “Hi,” she said with a smile.

  “Hi.”

  “How long have you been awake?”

  He shrugged. “Not long. I’ve been thinking.”

  “About?”

  “We’ve been moving too slow. I think we need to pick up the pace and head straight to Boise.”

  “What’s in Boise?” she asked.

  “Your dad’s final destination, where we’re supposed to head if catching up seems unrealistic. It’s been two weeks, Savannah. Two weeks of wandering. It’s time to follow the plan,” he murmured.

  “It’s not my plan!”

  “You’re right. It wasn’t. But it is now. It’s time to go.”

  She looked away, first into the tent’s ceiling and then at Andy, before speaking. “I’m sorry. I know running away was stupid.”

  “Hey, it’s okay. We’re past that now. Or, rather, your dad is probably still going to be furious, but I’m okay,” he said with a laugh.

  She groaned. “That’s not all that comforting.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Are we going home today?” Andy asked, waking up slowly.

  He asked the same thing every morning. Malachi wasn’t sure if it was because he was confused or if he really thought there was a home to go to. He imagined it must be difficult for a little boy to understand his original home was gone. Almost all homes were gone.

  “We’re going to ride the horses some more today,” Savannah said, stroking the boy’s hair.

  Andy grimaced. “Again.”

  “Yes, again. Pretty soon we’re going to meet my dad and Malachi’s mom. They’ll be so happy to meet you,” Savannah told him. “And then we’ll find a home before you know it,” she said, though Malachi could hear the lie in her voice—both of them, anymore, had a pretty hard time believing in the idea of a permanent or real home.

  Andy didn’t look convinced, but he’d proven to be a real trouper. He got up and rubbed his eyes before they all crawled out of the tent to peer around the meadow they had made camp in the night before. “I’m ready,” he said bravely.

  It didn’t take long to take care of morning rituals and get the horses tacked up. They had so little to pack up, moving on happened quickly.

  Savannah helped Andy onto Raven’s back and handed him a bottle of water. Andy drank a few sips before handing it back. Climbing up behind him, she gathered the reins. “Ready,” Savannah said with a sigh.

  Malachi mounted Charlie, giving him a light kick once he’d settled, and together the horses ambled out of the meadow and onto the road nearby. “I think we have to move faster and longer today,” Malachi said.

  “I know,” was Savannah’s reply.

  He squeezed Charlie’s sides, getting him to pick up the pace, and Raven followed, moving faster as they made their way over the flat pavement. It was dry, barren land. He’d struggled to find them food with no time and little to hunt for.

  “Did you guys eat a lot of fast food when you were on the road?” Savannah asked Malachi.

  This was something they’d been doing the last few days, talking about the days before the EMP and what their lives had been like.

  “No. Not really. Sometimes it would be a real luxury if we got to stop for a burger, but my parents preferred to go to grocery stores. My mom always made our lunches and, at night, we either had the potlucks or something my mom would cook. What about you?” he asked.

  “We ate out—a lot. I got really tired of it towards the end of our year on the road, but right now I would kill for a Big Mac,” she said and laughed.

  “And a Slurpee. That was something we did have a lot of,” he said, practically tasting the icy drink on his lips.

  “Ice. I miss ice,” Savannah chimed in. “I wonder if we’ll ever have ice again,” she said with a sigh.

  “Your dad thinks so. It’s why he’s doing all this. He really loves you, Savannah, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you have a normal future,” Malachi said.

  “I don’t know if ‘normal’ is realistic,” she replied.

  They passed a driveway, not bothering to venture down it. They had learned the hard way that it was too risky. They’d been met with more guns than Malachi cared to count. Despite the fact that they were three kids in need of food, people preferred to shoot first and ask questions later—except that they didn’t ask questions. They just ordered them to go away. Thankfully, they’d been able to hold on to the horses, which had been surprising enough in itself, but none of the regular folks they’d met along the way were interested in more mouths to feed. Not while they were busy protecting what little they had.

  “I’m hungry,” Andy whined.

  “I know, buddy,” Malachi said, hating to see the boy starving.

  “We need to hunt or fish,” Savannah said.

  “Tonight. We’ll find water and we’ll do some fishing,” he stated, feeling like he was the man in charge and not entirely liking the responsibility of keeping a little kid and a girl alive. It was a lot to handle, and he wasn’t doing a great job.

  “I think we’re nearing another town,” Savannah said, her voice hesitant.

  The last town they’d been through had not been kind. “We’ll go around if you want,” Malachi offered.

  She shook her head. “No, it takes too long to do it that way. We can do it.”

  The houses were a little closer together as they moved west, heading into another small town. Malachi saw a grocery store, one of the huge ones, to his left. It was too tempting to resist.

  “Do we dare?” he asked.

  Savannah was staring at the massive building, cars scattered around the parking lot. “Malachi, it’s going to be empty.”

  “But what if there’s something small left, something we could use?”

  She grimaced, but finally gave a slight nod. “Okay.”

  “I’ll go in. You stay here with Andy and the horses,” he said.

  “But what if you run into trouble?”

  “Then run. Get on the horses and ride hard,” he ordered.

  She scoffed. “Like I’m going to leave you. We should all go in.”

  “We can’t take horses in a grocery store!”

  She burst into laughter. “Why not? Who’s going to stop us?”

  He thought about it then, and realized there were no rules. Rules had gone away when the power had gone out. Indeed, there was nothing stopping them from taking the horses into the grocery store. “Alright then. Andy, we’re going to find you something to eat!”

  Savannah scowled at him. “Don’t get his hopes up.”

  “I will get down on my hands and knees and look under every shelf. We’ll find something,” he insisted.

  The horses’ hooves made a resounding clippity-clopping as they crossed the paved parking lot. The store appeared empty, but Malachi knew looks could be deceiving. Andy hugged Raven’s neck as they passed through the double-doors that had been pried open.

  “Holy cow!” Savannah exclaimed.

  Malachi’s eyes went wide as he looked at the disaster. There were boxes, garbage, and even money strewn about the store. The shelves were empty, absolutely cleared out as far as they could see. Yet, Malachi wasn’t going to give up.

  “We go down every aisle, kick over every box, and then we’ll go in back and check the stock,” he said confidently.

  Andy made a gesture, indicating he wanted off the horse. Malachi reached up and helped him down. The little boy darted towards the end of an aisle and picked up a plush stuffed animal. He held it close, hugging it to him and murmuring incoherently. Savannah and Malachi exchanged a look as they watched the little boy.

  “I guess it was worth it to come in here,” Savannah whispered.

  Malachi agreed, walking towards Andy and scanning the shelves. The only thing they were finding was a lot of trash. He wasn’t going to give up, though. He wanted to provide, and kept praying as they meandered up and down the aisles, excitedly picking up boxes and then tossing them to the ground.

  “Oat cakes,” Malachi said, pointing to a bag that had been left on a top shelf in the very back.

  “It’s food. We can add some water if they’re really stale.”

  Malachi grabbed one of the empty boxes and used it to pull the bag forward. It wasn’t a lot, but it gave him hope. Andy was walking alongside them, clutching the plush toy that Malachi was sure was some kind of horse. It was black with a patch of white on the nose and vaguely resembled Raven.

  They moved into the condiment aisle, found a bottle of mustard to add to their stash, and kept walking. “I’ll check the back. You two stay right here,” Malachi said.

  Savannah was holding her nose. “It stinks really bad,” she grumbled.

  Malachi looked at the dead refrigeration units that lined the entire back wall. Milk, cheese, and other refrigerated products had been picked through, but a lot had been left to rot. The products put off a sour, putrid smell that turned his stomach, but he ignored it.

  “I’ll hurry,” he said, pushing open the wide swinging doors and moving back into the huge store room.

  “Is it bad?” Savannah called out.

  “It looks like it did out there,” he replied, his eyes scanning the dark space. He didn’t see or hear anyone. “It’s clear. Go ahead and come back.”

  The doors pushed open, flooding the area with faint light. Savannah grabbed a few empty boxes and some of the spoiled containers from the dairy section to put in front of the doors, propping them open to offer more light. Together, they did another sweep of the area, finding an open case of pickles that was half-full. The jars were heavy, but Malachi insisted they take them. The jars would prove useful to carry water once the pickles were gone.

  “Look,” Savannah called out, pointing to several boxes.

  Not food, but cheap little grocery store toys. They grabbed a few for Andy before moving around the area. They managed to score salad croutons and seasonings, but nothing else.

  “This is better than nothing,” Malachi said as they walked out of the grocery store.

  “Andy’s happy,” Savannah said, looking up and smiling at the boy who still clutched his new stuffed animal close to his chest.

  “That’s a huge plus,” Malachi agreed.

  They walked back to the road, each of them gnawing on a stale oat cake, jars of pickles weighing down the saddlebags. Savannah was already planning to make a mustard and pickle sandwich with the oat cakes when they settled in for the night. Malachi wasn’t quite as thrilled by the thought of that, but the idea of eating a sandwich was exciting.

  “Do you hear that?” Savannah asked, stopping and cocking her head to the side. “Someone is shouting for help!”

  “It’s a woman!” Malachi said, his natural instinct pulling him to help the unseen voice.

  “It’s coming from over there.” Savannah pointed ahead.

  They walked faster, Raven and Charlie led behind them. They could hear the screams of a woman mingled with men’s voices. Malachi had no idea what they were walking into, but it sounded like a desperate situation.

  “I hear water,” he said, picking up his pace.

  There was the sound of splashing, and men hollering at one another to help someone. Malachi looked back at Savannah, silently asking her permission to rush into the situation. She nodded and he took off, pushing through the trees.

  A woman was thrashing around in water that didn’t look all that deep, but she obviously didn’t know how to swim. She was crying out for help and heading deeper into the lake. There were three men, as well, one of them following her deeper into the lake while the other two stood on the bank, shouting at him to get her.

  “I can help,” Malachi shouted.

  The men turned to look at him, surprise on their faces. The man in the water didn’t look happy to see Malachi. “I can’t reach her,” he grumbled.

  Malachi kicked off his shoes and socks, hating the idea of getting wet, though it was a hot day and it would cool him off. He walked into the water splashing and holding his arms up as he passed the first man, who had stopped his pursuit of the woman. Malachi ignored him and kept moving.

 

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