Break Free The Night (Book 1) (14 page)

             
“
Sit with me
?”
Jack asked, stopping suddenly. He tugged on her hand as he dropped to the pavement. He sat in the center of an intersection, looking up at her expectantly.

             
“
In the middle of the road
?
”

              Jack turned his head from side to side, glancing down the traffic-empty streets, the wind blew lightly and scraps of long discarded paper were picked up and lifted, twirling aimlessly in the abandoned night
.“
I think i
t’
ll be okay
,”
he said, smirking up at her. Kaylee pursed her lips but knelt. His fingers squeezed hers in approval.

              The concrete was cold, holding no warmth from the sun. The spot Jack had picked was clean, just a dry patch of silvery road. But it had crumbled some over the years. Lack of maintenance combined with the continual pounding of bare feet had left it gritty, not uncomfortable, just noticeable. Kaylee was
n’
t sure if Jack noticed or not. He was laying back now, his free arm propped under his head. Kaylee had a fleeting desire to tuck herself into the crook of his shoulder, but she dismissed it almost instantly.

             
“
It still amazes me
,”
Jack said, staring up into the night sky.

             
“
What does
?”
Kaylee asked when he did
n’
t elaborate.

             
“
This
,”
he said
.“
The sky
.
”

              Kaylee craned her neck and looked up. She had no memory of the stars being so bright.  She always supposed they were somewhere, but never in the city.

             
“
I
t’
s pretty
,”
she said.

             
“
Pretty
?”
Jack scoffed, blinking up at her
.“
Yo
u’
re not looking correctly or you could
n’
t say jus
t‘
pretty
.’C’
mere
.
”

              He pulled gently on her hand and she lay next to him. Not on his shoulder, which looked warm and inviting, but on her own arm, bent back behind her head as his was.

             
“
See them? See how brilliant
?
”

              They were, Kaylee supposed. They were bright and numerous and yes, if she were pressed, she could admit that they were interesting. But, there was something tragic about them too.

             
“
I guess
,”
she conceded to Jack
.“
But the
y’
re so far away. Did you know that the stars we see could already have died? The light travels so far that by the time it reaches us, the stars could already be gone. Something about that seems so sad to me
.
”

             
“
Not sad
,”
Jack corrected gently, as though he was
n’
t talking just about the stars
.“
Amazing. Think of something that glows so bright and strong that it can reach us here and now from so far away. It can give us this moment. Ther
e’
s power there, in that little white light. I
t’
s beautiful
.
”

              Kaylee had never thought about it quite like that. Never thought of the stars as tiny, shining moments in time, as tributes to the very now. Put like that, they did become kind of beautiful.

              Jac
k’
s fingers squeezed hers with a now familiar kind of pressure, gently applauding her as he felt her change of heart.

             
“
What about their stories
?”
Kaylee asked, resting her cheek on the cold pavement as she turned to squint at Jac
k’
s profile.

             
“
Stories
?
”

             
“
Yeah, the Greek and Roman ones? You know, someone stole someone els
e’
s wife and killed their own brother and now the
y’
re trapped in the stars as punishment
.
”

              Jack laughed
.“
I know some of the Greek ones but if you mean can I point out constellations?
I’
m afraid I ca
n’
t. New York, remember
?
”

             
“
Right. We could never see them from here either
,”
Kaylee murmured, looking back to the sky.

             
“
But I could make some up for you
,”
Jack offered, a smile in his voice
.“
See that there
,”
he started, bringing up their combined hands to trace a diamond in the sky
.“
Tha
t’
s a large kite
.
”

             
“
And ther
e’
s a book
,”
Kaylee added, moving their fingers to another patchy, square cluster of stars.

             
“
Right, and how about a T.V. over there, see
?
”

             
“
You mean the one with the antenna
?
”

             
“
Obviously
,”
he answered
.“
Well, at least w
e’
re original. I do
n’
t think the Greeks wrote about television sets
.
”

              Kaylee rolled her eyes
.“
They could also see things that were
n’
t just square
.
”

              Jack laughed
.“
True, maybe w
e’
re not that original
.
”

             
“
I guess that depends on the story you come up with. Something epic revolving around a kite, a book, and a T.V
.
”

             
“
With an antenna
.
”

             
“
Right, of course, with an antenna
.
”

             
“
And there has to be a girl. No stor
y’
s complete without one
,”
Jack added in a low tone. Kaylee nodded her silent agreement
.“
And maybe a boy? Or two
?
”

             
“
On
e’
s enough
,”
Kaylee answered. Jack chuckled but nodded.

             
“
Yo
u’
re probably right
.
”

              Kaylee felt an involuntary shiver course through her from the prolonged contact with the pavement. She scooted closer to Jack but he was already getting up. He pulled her to her feet with him and started the walk back towards the firehouse.

             
“
So tell me honestly
,”
Jack started, giving Kaylee a sideways glance before turning his gaze back towards the pavement
,“
wha
t’
s with Andrew
?
”

             
“I…I’
m not sure
I
…
”
Kayle
e’
s forehead wrinkled as she frowned. His hand was still wrapped around hers and she was suddenly very aware of the constant press of his fingers
.“
What do you mean exactly? H
e’
s Andrew
.
”

             
“
What is he to you
?”
Jack clarified.

             
“
My best friend
,”
Kaylee answered honestly, looking sideways at Jack. His hand slid from hers and her palm felt instantly cold.

             
“
Ah
,”
Jack murmured, shoving is hands in his pockets and looking up into the starry sky
.“
And he wo
n’
t like it that yo
u’
re out here with me, will he
?
”

             
“
Probably not
,”
Kaylee conceded
.“
But
I’
m glad I came
.”
Jack grinned at her and stopped walking. She faltered her step before turning to face him.

             
“I’
m glad too
,”
he said and his voice took on a husky quality
.“I’
d like to do this again
.
”

             
“
You mean before you leave
?”
Kaylee questioned, ignoring the crushing sense of loss that overcame her at the thought. For the first time since she met him, Jack looked almost upset. His brow wrinkled and he swallowed roughly.

             
“
Right, yeah, before that
,”
he said.

             
“
So you are then
?”
she asked in a small voice
.“
Yo
u’
re definitely leaving
?
”

             
“I’
m with Quinton
,”
Jack answered in a tone that sounded rehearsed
.“I’
m not going to leave him
.
”

              So, that settles it.

              There was really no point in getting to know Jack any better than this. In a few days time, he would be gone. He was going north. He was never coming back. Kaylee blinked and was taken aback at the moisture that had collected in her eyes. She swiped at her face with the corner of her sleeve, removing all evidence of emotion.

              But, as disappointed and upset as she was, in a way, she understood. She knew Jack had been alone for six months at the start of the outbreak. He spent six long months foraging for food, running from the infected, living off the forest floor. He had been on his own, isolated, lost. Having to question whether you are the last human alive was a fear that was embedded in every survivo
r’
s mind. Jack had lived that terror for six months. He could
n’
t force that on Quinton, he would
n’
t.