Break Free The Night (Book 1) (13 page)

“
Andrew
is just looking out for me
.
”

“
How old are you, Kaylee
?”
Jack asked suddenly, turning to face her as he walked backwards, his hands now shoved in his pockets. He was smiling down at her and Kaylee found it difficult to meet his gaze.

“
Why
?”
she asked, immediately on the defensive
.“
Are you alluding that I should be old enough to take care of myself? Because there is nothing wrong with being a part of a community and watching out for each other, in fac
t
—”

“
Hold up
,”
Jack interrupted with a laugh
.“
I was just curious. Not implying anything
.”
Kaylee frowned. He turned back around and kept walking, just ahead of her, and she followed mutely.

It was true that she did
n’
t leave the building. And there were many days where the feeling of containment and claustrophobia was overwhelming. Kaylee jumped as Jack kicked a nearby can that had been discarded years ago, the rust had stained the concrete and red flakes were jarred loose from the metal surface. She drew a deep breath to steady herself before taking a good look around.

The shops and storefronts were as she remembered them: broken windows, random graffiti, trash and litter being blown about by the light breeze.

And the bodies. The bodies were everywhere. Barely breathing, chests rattling, they had fallen wherever they had been standing when the sun finally lowered. Most were curled into themselves in the fetal position; some were sprawled over each other. A sickly sweet odor of rot issued from their gaping mouths, air forced out over broken, yellow teeth. Kaylee shuddered.

“
You do
n’
t like them
,”
Jack observed. Kaylee had
n’
t noticed that he was now keeping pace besides her. She shook her head
.“
But you think killing them is wrong
?
”

“
I
t’
s not my place
.
”

“
Whose place is it then
?”
Jack persisted, watching her as he continued to walk. They came to the corner, three directions spread out before them. Kaylee paused.

“
I
t’
s no on
e’
s place, I guess
,”
she answered, her eyes kept on the road
.“
Which way
?
”

“
Le
t’
s keep west
,”
Jack said, turning left and walking in the direction of the hazy, deep purple sky. From behind them, the sounds of gunshots followed by the shattering of glass echoed into the night
.“
But what about Emma
?
”

“
What about her
?”
Kaylee asked, feeling defensive again.

“
She would have killed me in the cornfield with that rock. Would that have been wrong
?
”

“
She thought you were trying to eat me
,”
Kaylee said, her lips twisting in irritation.

“
So, self-defense is acceptable
?”
he pushed.

“
I do
n’
t know, okay
?”
Kaylee said, the volume of her voice rising with her frustration
.“
What do you want me to say: if it came down to them or me, would I pick me? Probably. That
I’
d kill to save Emma or Dad or Andrew if I had to? Well, I probably would. But I hate it, all right? I think i
t’
s wrong. What if w
e’
re not all tha
t’
s left? What if ther
e’
s a cure? What if the
y’
re supposed to live? I could
n’
t stand there and pull a trigger when anyone of them could b
e
—
”
she broke off, angry that her eyes prickled with unshed tears and her breath was coming far too rapidly.

“
You mean her
,”
Jack said in a soft whisper
.“
Your mother
?
”

Kaylee had
n’
t noticed before but somewhere during her rant she had stopped walking. Jack was standing three feet from her in the middle of the crosswalk. She nodded quickly and stepped past him. He followed her lead.

They walked in a comfortable silence. Storefronts and restaurants came and went, windows long shattered and debris littering the sidewalks. It did
n’
t feel odd any longer to see the city in this permanent blackout. Kaylee knew not to expect the streetlights and neon signs, the stoplights and the glare of oncoming traffic. Instead, at night, it felt as though she was cast in a 195
0’
s sitcom; everything was drained of color, black and white. Dark, empty windows stared down at them now. Shards of glass, like teeth, still clung in some, occasionally reflecting the bright and scattered stars. The moonlight made the pavement glow silver and cast dull shadows across their path. Even the bright red of Jac
k’
s tee shirt darkened to a charcoal.

He was whistling lowly, a cheerful tune, as he walked with her. He seemed at ease, his hands swinging loosely by his side, fingers occasionally brushing Kayle
e’
s. He did
n’
t attempt to grab her hand again. His demeanor invaded the space around them and it was impossible to feel upset, even in this wasteland of industry, this walking graveyard, even as thoughts of her mother flashed inconsistently through her mind.

“
Have you noticed the smiley faces
?”
he asked after a time. Kayle
e’
s irritation had dissipated and she started out of the comfortable silence with a confused humming.

“
Hmm
?”
She pulled her gaze from the line in the center of the pavement to look at him. He was walking towards an old deli, one Kaylee remembered particularly for their Italian combo sandwiches. On the glass of the storefront, directly over the old neo
n‘
Ope
n’
sign; someone had spray-painted a large smiley face, a tongue hanging off it
s’
stick mouth
.“
Oh, those. Andrew does them after the
y’
ve cleared out a store. It means ther
e’
s nothing left worth scavenging
.
”

“
Interesting choice in graffiti
,”
Jack mused, chuckling as he stepped back towards Kaylee. She laughed.

“
Yeah, well i
t’
s unique in i
t’
s own way. Nobody else thought to use that when they were predicting the apocalypse
,”
Kaylee joked. It had been common practice as people fled their homes to loot, raid, and steal. And then when the infection had really taken hold the mass hysteria gave way to religious fanatics that stood preaching among the masses their apocalyptic visions. So it became common practice for buildings to get marked with passages from the Bible or warnings that condemned every race, religion, and lifestyle with the blame for starting this plague.

Jack hummed and nodded, his lips still curled into a smile. Kaylee saw a dimple she had
n’
t noticed before mark the right corner of his mouth.

“
I think I like you better out here
,”
Kaylee mused, watching him as she spoke her thoughts aloud
.“
Yo
u’
re not nearly as obnoxious
.”
Jack barked a laugh.

“
Thanks, I guess
.
”

“
Why is that, do you suppose
?”
she continued, watching him closely. He continued to grin but there was a nervous set to his jaw now.

             
“
Yo
u’
re not nervous
?”
Kaylee questioned as Jac
k’
s fingers once again brushed hers and he withdrew them for the fifth time. He chuckled lightly.

             
“
You caught me
,”
he admitted freely
.“
Have
n’
t been on a date in a while
.
”

              Kaylee snorted
.“
This is not a date
.
”

             
“
If you say so
,”
he continued lightly, now teasing again
.“
But
I’
m not so sure. I mean,
c’
mon, I am taking you to the movies
.”
He gestured grandly to the cinema across the street. The glass cases that once held movie posters were covered in old spray paint. Kaylee raised her eyebrows at the trite saying covering over an old Sandra Bullock movie poster: The End is Near.
Typical.

             
“
Hmm, classy
,”
Kaylee remarked, staring pass Jack into the broken down movie theatre. Over a pile of barely breathing infected that blocked the doorway, she could see glass shards and garbage scattered over the lobb
y’
s carpet. Popcorn that had once been yellow and fluffy was shriveled and black, smearing against the glass case that contained it.

             
“
Would you prefer dinner
?”
he asked, finally linking fingers with her and pulling her further down the street
.“
I thought I saw, ah yes
,”
he said in triumph, pointing down the road
.“
Italian
?
”

             
“
Hmm
,”
Kaylee hummed, delicately extracting her hand again and putting one finger to her chin. The corner restaurant front had once boaste
d‘
New York Style Pizz
a’
though with the broken glass it now rea
d‘
York e Pizz
.
’

             
“
No
?”
Jack continued, spinning on the spot and pointing again
.“
French
?”
Kaylee laughed as he picked out a little bistro.

             
“
Maybe
I’
m not that hungry
,”
she said, shrugging.

             
“
Well, ther
e’
s always the mall
,”
Jack continued undeterred
.“
Or, I think I saw a museum a few miles away
.
”

             
“
And if we could
n’
t find anything we agreed on to do
?”
Kaylee asked, following Jack as he steered them around an obese infected man who was lying prone in the street.

             
“
Then yo
u’
d finally let me hold your hand and w
e’
d just walk
,”
he answered simply, grabbing her hand again. She did
n’
t protest this time, just rolled her eyes and followed him. The roads were in far worse a condition than the last time she had traveled them, though admittedly that was a long time ago. Jack steered them west and Kaylee followed blindly, trusting in the weight and pull of his fingers.