Snow & Ash: Endless Winter (15 page)

As scared as I was a few minutes ago is how happy I am right now seeing the pure joy on my baby’s face. I look over at Rex who is also smiling and wham! He’s got a pair of dimples to match his brother’s except his aren’t cute, his are like weapons that punch me straight in the gut. Holy crap! Where did that come from? Forget it, deal with motor mouth.

“Whoa, Benny! Back off a bit. Take a breath little man. This is Matty and this is his brother Rex. They’re going to be here for a little while until some bad weather clears up outside.”

Benny beams all the joy in the world from his eyes and claps his hands in excitement. “Can Matty have a sleep over? We can build a fort and sleep in it and use flashlights and…what’s that smell?”

My face goes red in embarrassment. The boys don't really smell bad, but they don’t smell great either. I try and stop Benny from saying anything else by cutting him off.

“Oh, I’m all sweaty! We had to run for the door and Rex hurt his leg so I had to help him so I really worked up a sweat! We should all have showers and get cleaned up before you guys go play and I start on dinner. Rex, can you manage on that leg? I have some fresh clothing I can lend you guys if you want?”

I bite my lip and feel like an idiot when Rex’s face turns bright red and he looks away with a nod but it’s too late now and really they probably would feel better if they got cleaned up. I discreetly look their clothes over as they hobble to the bathroom that I pointed out. They’re not dirty or stained but they are worn and have a few patches here and there.

All of a sudden I’m nervous. I don’t know why, except no one’s ever been here before and I don’t quite know what to do. Before the bathroom door closes behind them I catch a glimpse of Rex’s stormy face. Oh my God, I totally embarrassed him! Oh no, what if he’s mad at me? What if he doesn’t like…WAIT! What the frack was that? I start to shake my head, how did that happen? Two minutes with a boy that has amazing dimples and I start acting like, like…urrrggg…like a teenage girl!

I close the bathroom door and lean my back against it to take the weight off of my leg. My head is spinning with all that’s happened in a very short time. I need a minute to process the fact that Matty and I were just about to die in that dead forest, and now we’re in a place that was never touched by the bombs. Right, let’s not forget the gorgeous super hero girl that swooped in and rescued us and took us to her bat cave. I need a minute, but Matty’s caught the other boy’s question bug and he’s rattling them off a mile a minute, so I push off the door and hop over to the shower stall that’s stands beside a huge soaker tub.

“Why do all the lights work here? What’s a shower? Is it like a taking a bath? Where do we get the buckets of water? Will the water be cold or can we heat it up, cuz I'm still really cold. Who’s that boy, Ben? Can he be my friend? Rex, Rex, what’s pizza?”

I pull the glass shower door open and take a deep breath of the amazing smell that comes out. There are bottles of shampoo and body wash in there that smell like flowers so I’m guessing that the water will work. I turn away from the stall and look Matty over then take a sniff. Ok, compared to the flower smell, we don’t smell that great. Before we moved to the hotel and the well still had water we would all bathe every few days, but we had to haul buckets at the hotel so none of us had done more than a quick wash cloth wipe down since we moved. This was going to be heaven, especially if the water was hot.

“Alright squirt, pipe down and strip. There’ll be plenty of time to talk about all that after we get clean.”

Once I finally got the kid undressed and the water flowing, it was hard not to laugh at the way he squealed when he stepped in under the spray. You’d think he had never been wet before the way he kept dancing around in there. By the time I got him soaped from head to toe and rinsed off, I was half drenched myself and the throbbing in my leg was almost unbearable. I had to sit on the edge of the big tub with it off to the side while I wrapped Matty up in a massive, soft, sweet smelling towel.

Everything hurt. There was a knot on the back of my head where Bo hit me the first time and more tenderness where I had hit my head against the tree. I’m pretty sure my tailbone was bruised badly when he dropped me down from his shoulder as well. I wanted so badly to just lie on the floor of that shower and let the hot water beat against my aches and pains. A soft knock on the door brought me out of my pity party and back on my one good leg as I used the vanity to steady my progress to the door and open it.

Skylar was standing on the other side with a hesitant smile and a bundle of clothing balanced on one arm. In the other she held out a bottle of water and a pill bottle.

“Hey, I um, thought you might need something to help get the swelling down on your leg. They’re expired, but AIRIA says that they will still work if you take three or four of them. I also brought you both some fresh clothes. Ben’s stuff should fit your brother and my dad’s clothes might be a bit big, but they should work.”

I take the bundle of clothes from her and set them on the counter before taking the water and pills. I have so many questions I want to ask her, like how she has hot water, electricity and a talking computer. Not to mention, where is her dad? I just nod and mumble a quick thanks. I’m so exhausted and sore that I still need time to figure some stuff out before we talk. She nods back and starts to turn away before quickly turning back.

“Oh, you could take a bath instead of a shower if it’d be easier on that leg. It might help to soak it. I have ice too, for after. Um, and it’s ok if Matty wanted to come out if he’s done. Ben’s climbing the walls in excitement.”

She’s different now than the hard girl that yanked me to my feet and put a gun in my face, softer and a bit uncertain so I give her a better smile.

“Thanks, I think a soak in hot water would help a lot but I’d like Matty to stay with me until I’m done. We won’t be too long.”

She nods her head quickly. “Right, right, of course. He should wait for you! Umm, I know you don’t know me and I was a little harsh at first but he’s safe. I mean, both of you are safe, here, with Ben and I.” She rolls her eyes and huffs a curl of hair away from her face. “Right, ok, I’ll um, see you in a bit then.”

I close the door with a grin. I make her nervous which is ok because she sort of makes me nervous too. There are other girls at the hotel and Sasha’s always under my feet but this girl’s something else. She’s so tough the way she handled herself outside and in the airlock and the way she looks, wow, just wow. Her hair is seriously like waves of gold that flow down her back and her eyes are a reminder of the prettiest summer sky. I don’t know her or her story but I’m really interested to find out.

After downing four of the ibuprofen pills, I get Matty dried off and dressed while the big tub fills with steaming water. Matty’s still gabbing on about what he thinks video games and pizza are, so I just tune him out and slowly lower myself into the tub. I can’t stop the whimper that slips out - half pain, half pleasure. I settle in after I wash my hair and soap up, close my eyes and try and make sense of everything that’s happened today. I hear Matty talking and talking until I don’t.

A cold shiver brings me back and I shoot up in the tub. The water’s gone cold. I must have fallen asleep but even worse, Matty’s gone! I curse under my breath and pull the plug before getting out. I feel better, the chill is gone from my bones and the pain in my knee is softer unless I try and put any weight on it. Thankfully, the clothes Skylar gave me are soft, easy on baggy sweats. I give my hair a good rub with the towel to get it close to dry and then try and clean up the bathroom as best I can. Judging by the clean smell of the towels, she’s got a washing machine that works somewhere in this magic mountain, so I gather up all of our clothes and used towels before opening the door. One step out of the room and I walk smack into a smell from my childhood. I’m not ashamed of the tears that prick at my eyes. I mean, come on…PIZZA? I didn’t really believe the kid when he said pizza!

I can’t help but smile at the laughter coming from the two boys as Ben tries to teach his new friend the ins and outs of car racing in video games. I’ve seen Benny happy before but not this kind of vibrating, bust out of his skin in excitement happy. He needs this. He needs to be around other kids and if I’m honest, maybe I do too. An hour ago I was going to walk away and leave these boys to die. What kind of person does that make me? Yes, Ben and I have been safe here all alone but was that really enough? I’m starting to change my mind again. Maybe Dad was wrong. Maybe he should have tried to help people. I can’t believe everyone out there is as bad as the people who shot him in the back and left these two boys in the woods to die.

I glance over at the bathroom door and wonder if I should check on Rex. He’s been in there a long time. His brother said to leave him but…no, he’ll be out when he’s ready.

I look down critically at the finished results of my first pizza making. Mom and I used to make pizza all the time before she died but it was always from a kit. This looks like pizza but I’m sure it won’t taste like the ones we used to make or have delivered. I made the crust from scratch following AIRIA’s instruction and it looks like pre baked pizza dough, but the pepperoni and cheese are another matter. We have so much meat in the walk in freezers that I’ll never be able to eat it all. It still tastes like the meat I remember, just less somehow. AIRIA says it’s because it’s been frozen for so long. She says it’s safe to eat but that the longer it’s frozen the less flavor it will have. It’s better than the dehydrated meats we have in storage though. The pepperoni still tastes like pepperoni but it’s like chewing on flavored leather after it was dried, smoked and then frozen. The mozzarella is homemade so it’s softer and doesn’t shred up as well as the cheese we used to buy in a grocery store and of course, the sauce was made from tomatoes we’ve grown and then canned with spices. So, it’s definitely NOT delivery pizza but I hope Benny and the other two will still like it.

I pop the two pizzas in the oven and start making a dressing for the salad I plan on serving and glance at the bathroom door again. I have so many questions to ask him about what it’s like out there. Funny, he’s barely spoken ten words since I let them in here but I just have a feeling he’s a good guy. I guess it’s because of the way he takes care of his little brother. I’ve just finished setting the table for the first time in forever, after clearing mounds of schoolwork off of it, when the bathroom door finally opens. I spin around and see a very clean looking Rex standing just outside of it with his arms filled with dirty clothes and towels and a really weird look on his face.

“Oh, hi! There’s a hamper right there beside the door you can put those in and I got you a crutch. I thought it might help you get around until your leg feels better. Dinner’s almost ready if we can peel the boys away from their game.”

I stand there like an idiot just watching him nod, dump the clothes and grab the crutch that I had left. Is this guy ever going to speak? The timer on the oven goes off so I turn away and get busy getting the food to the table after I call Benny and Matty over. Once we’re all seated and the food is ready to be dished up, we all just sit in nervous silence for a few minutes before Rex speaks.

“Is your dad going to be joining us?”

I feel my face pale and look quickly to Ben before shaking my head.

“He, he died a few years ago. It’s just Ben and I here.”

Rex looks down at his plate before meeting my eyes again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I umm…” He looks around the table and picks up his glass. “You have milk? Is this real milk? Like from a cow or is it from a box?”

I’m grateful he’s changed the subject. I don’t want to talk about Dad and what happened in front of Benny.

“Oh, yes it’s real! We have a cow.”

He points to the salad with a raised eyebrow and I give a little laugh.

“Yes, we have a garden too.”

Rex shakes his head in wonder. “This, this is incredible. Can I ask how? How do you have all this stuff? Running water, electricity, all this…food?”

I open my mouth to tell him about my dad and Uncle Bill but I stop. Dad’s words ring through my head about how if anyone knew where we were and everything we have that we’d be overrun. Rex already knows the area where we live and now he knows we have lots of supplies so what’s the point in keeping everything else from him?

He sees my hesitation and waves his question away.

“Hey, it’s ok! You don’t have to tell me anything. We’re just grateful that you took us in and fed us. This pizza is so awesome! And hey, Matty, how great is it to not to have to eat sprouts for dinner?”

Matty’s mouth is full of cheese and pepperoni so he just makes his eyes really big and nods exaggeratedly in agreement.

I’m thankful he doesn’t press his question so I try and joke.

“Oh well, we have sprouts if you want some! They’re very good for you, you know and they grow super-fast!”

Both Matty and Rex groan.

“Yeah, that’s been one of our main food sources for the past seven years! Belle puts them in everything we eat. It got old really fast! This meal? This is like a dream meal, even the salad is amazing. I never thought I would ever eat pizza again.”

He’s opened the door to how they live outside and I can’t resist asking about it.

“So, you live with other people? You have more family out there? Do you live near here?”

His face clouds over and he shoots a glance at his brother but him and Ben are whispering to each other so Rex turns back to me and lowers his voice.

“We do have people, a family, sort of. Our Mom died on the first day but a lady, Belle, and her daughter found us and looked after us. We joined up with another family shortly after that and have been together ever since. They’re really good people, we’re a family now.” I can tell he wants to say more but another look over at the boys stops him.

There’s not much left of the pizza and the boys are fidgeting so I send them back to their game and start clearing the table. Rex gets up and helps me carry plates to the sink and I can’t help but remember how normal this used to be, Mom and Dad cleaning up dinner while I flopped in front of the TV in our old life. I wash and while Rex dries he continues what we were talking about at the table.

“We had a really great place we lived in all together for seven years but a few weeks ago we lost our water source. We were forced to move in with another group that still has water in one of the big hotels. Most of the people there are nice enough but the people who run it aren’t. The leader of that group, Ted, was the one who ordered his men to get rid of Matty and me but from what I overheard it wasn’t supposed to be Matty but me and Marsh. Matty was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

I hand him the washed pizza pan to dry with a frown.

“Why? Why does this guy want you and uh, Marsh, dead?”

“Yeah, Marsh is part of the other family we joined up with. He’s the same age as me. He has two dad’s named Lance and Ethan. Lance is sort of our leader because he was in the military and knows all kinds of survival stuff. Ethan’s a doctor but he was also in the military as a field surgeon. Those guys saved our lives. There’s no way me, Matty, Sasha and Belle would have lasted so long without them.

Anyways, I don’t know why for sure but Ted doesn’t like us very much. Lance and Ethan being gay was strike one in his and his men’s book, then Lance wouldn’t bow down to Ted and be under his control which is strike two. I think the biggest reason though is that he wants our supplies and the girls. He made a few…suggestions about them that wasn’t very pleasant and Lance shut him down hard. We’ve done pretty good by apocalypse standards and Ted wants the supplies we have, probably more than he wants the girls. He sent Lance off on a scouting mission with some of his men a few days ago, so I’m really worried he’ll try and take him out too.”

Rex looks over at the boys when they whoop and yell at something from the game before turning back to me with a hard look.

“Listen, I need a huge favor from you. I know you don’t know me or know what kind of guy I am but you seem like a really decent person and I’m getting pretty worried. I need to get back to town to the rest of my family and warn them or try and help them if Ted’s already made his move. I need, no, I’m begging you to keep Matty here where he’ll be safe. I know it’s a lot to ask with us just meeting but I can’t have him in danger!”