The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10 (50 page)

“What the hell?” I whispered.

“What are you doing out here?” Jim ground out, his face shaking with fury.

“There are people in that house.” I pointed across the road.
 

“Why are you even out here?” Gabe asked as he crouched behind an oak tree. A visible sheen of sweat swept across his forehead, dripping onto the collar of his long-sleeved shirt. I knelt beside him.
 

“We’re having dinner. I came to find you, but when I didn’t, I turned around. A big herd of eaters was in the road so I was going to wait them out. But these four guys came out, killed them fast, then went inside.”

“Was it John?”
 

“I didn’t recognize any of the guys,” I told Jim as he stood behind Gabe and me, surveying the land.
 

“Did they see you?” Jim asked.

“No. I doubt they know we’re here, just like we didn’t know they were.”

“I hope you’re right.” His eyes looked down at me and averted, like he doubted himself. “Let’s get back to the house. Don’t say anything, okay?” I nodded, like usual, as we all began to move along the tree line.
 

Jim clasped his hand with mine, our fingers intertwining. I glanced up to see his face, but he didn’t give me anything, just stared straight ahead, not acknowledging our touching fingers. I would take it for what it was worth.
 

We ran, dodging the low limbs and maneuvering over roots and rocks. We made it to the house fast, the front clear with no eaters in sight. It was that weird, ominous quiet again. I hated it.
 

I never knew silence was actually a sound. It was low and cringe-worthy, goosebumps worthy—even more so than a gravely, evil voice. It held a sense of unknown. The silence vibrated in the air, making it heavy against my chest. Even the slightest movement and my nerves shot up. I could hear my heart pounding and feel it throbbing in my throat. I bit my lip to stop my emotions from bubbling over, the paranoia and nerves rendering me weak.

Jim helped me over the barricade, lifting me over the wood. I reached for Gabe on the other side. His fingers wrapped around my waist. My face heated as I walked past him. A faint murmuring floated in the air from the backyard to us. They were being too loud, attracting attention.
 

I found the group in the backyard, sitting around the patio, not eating yet. The mood had shifted from something quiet, more somber, to jovial. I walked towards the laughter with my face pinched together in confusion.

“Miss Lana!” Marcus jumped up from the table and ran to me. His arms wrapped around my waist as he tackled me backwards. Jim grabbed me from behind to hold us both up as I stumbled.
 

“What’s going on?” Jim asked, his voice hesitant and withdrawn.
 

“We got the booze!” Scarlet yelled over her shoulder. She raised a bottle of amber liquid and shook it, spilling a little over her own head. I was way too sober and hungry to deal with this.
 

I walked over to the table with Marcus clinging to my side. Four cans were scattered across the tables, forks poking in and around them. I guessed they already ate.

So much for waiting…I didn’t want to cause a fight so I held my tongue and grabbed the ringed pineapple slices. The can was lighter than it should’ve been. My blood boiled as I shoved the ring into my mouth.
 

“Oh, Gabe!” Scarlet squealed. Gabe leaned over the back of the chair and wrapped his arms around her neck. “I love Gabe,” she drawled as she tilted her head back. He kissed her cheek and pulled back. I widened my eyes at Gabe, trying to get him to stop playing along. She couldn’t have her heart broken again, even if she was drunk.
 

“Where’s the alcohol?” I glanced around the table. I had to catch up. I couldn’t sit back while everyone else let go. They ate my food. I needed to drink to curb my anger.
 

Gavin grabbed a bottle from the ground beside him and handed it across the table to me. I lifted it to my lips and took a quick sip of the whiskey. It wasn’t sweet as it burned a trail of fire down my throat. The bitterness stayed.
 

“Where’d you all go?” Sandra asked as she took a bite from the can of beans. Her fork had a mound of beans on it, more than I would take. I took another swig from the bottle and sat down.

“Checked some houses for food and supplies,” Gabe answered as he sunk into the seat between Sandra and Scarlet. He took a can of corn and kicked his feet up on the table, dirt dropping from his treads.
 

“Find anything?” Sandra asked.

“Not too much, but enough for a few more days. We’ll go again tomorrow,” Gabe said as he finger spooned some corn into his dirty mouth. I turned so I didn’t have to see it. I wanted some corn, and now it had been ruined for me.
 

“Are we staying here?” Scarlet slurred. Jim touched my shoulder, and I jerked away. I glanced back and saw him nod towards the chair. He pulled me back down on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he cradled me against his chest.
 

“We have enough equipment to stay for the winter. We’ll need to get more food, but we can secure the house.” Gabe took a swig from the whiskey bottle and then chased it with the juice from the pineapple can. That was actually a good idea. I reached across the table and grabbed both, mimicking Gabe.
 

“Take it easy,” Jim whispered as he brushed my dark hair off my forehead.

“Do you know any places we can go if the house were to fall?” Gavin asked. He rested his head on the back of the chair, looking like he was about to doze off.
 

“My parents actually have a boat in the marina,” Sandra said. “If we had to I guess we could get on it. Although I don’t really know how to navigate. I can start it up and that’s about it. Scarlet’s even more useless.”

“I’m not useless!” Scarlet leaned towards her sister and slapped her arm. Her entire body sprawled across Gabe’s lap. He slapped her ass since it popped in the air. She yelped. The loudness of how everyone was being started to make my heart race, my nerves on edge.

“We’re still in danger. Can you not be so loud?” I asked, making sure I didn’t look at anyone in particular. The alcohol had the opposite effect I wanted. I started to become more irritable than normal. It shot straight to my head, my empty stomach not strong enough to absorb it.

“Can you not be a bitch?” Scarlet growled at me. She maneuvered over Gabe, sinking down into her seat with her shirt half up her stomach. A glimmer shot off her sparkling belly button ring. She looked like a fucking mess. Her eyes had the signature drunk droop to them, accompanied by the glassy blank stare.

“So, where’s this boat?” Jim asked, steering the conversation away. His hand rubbed lightly down my arm, making goosebumps spring up.

“Down about a mile or two at the marina. It’s a small boat. Only fits eight people. But they usually kept it full of gas. The key’s down there, so I’d have to make sure they left it in the office. I don’t have one here. My cousin owns the place.” Sandra reached forward and took a palmful of corn nuggets, popping a few in her mouth.
 

“You think you could show me tomorrow?” Jim asked.

“I’ll show you the boat, but not the key.”

“Why not?” This time it was Gabe who asked.
 

“If my sister and I have to get out of here, we need to use it.”

“Fair enough,” Jim said, nodding his head in understanding. “We should go south if we have the chance.”

“Where?” I asked. He squeezed me tighter as I clung to him.
 

“My family has a house down in Virginia. We could go there. It’s not far from the coast. I think I’d be able to navigate from one of the beaches I used to hang out at. It’s warmer,” Sandra explained.
 

“Let’s do it!” Scarlet muttered. It sounded more like,
Lez do wit.
A peaceful silence permeated the air, filling me with coolness.
 

“Do you guys have any more siblings?” Jim made small talk, being polite. I kissed just under his hair-covered jaw and settled in his arms, wanting to hear about their past. But all I could hear was the constant thumping of his heart as my ear pressed against his chest.

“It’s just Scar and I.” We all cut a glance to her. Scarlet had completely passed out in her chair, her mouth hanging open to catch bugs. Marcus was in a similar position beside Jim and me, and if I had to guess, Gavin would be next to fall.
 

“What did you do?” Gabe asked. He switched his legs, putting his left over his right now on top of the table. More dirt fell onto the otherwise clean table.
 

“I was a mid-wife at the hospital just two towns up until seven months ago. It worked out great since my daughter was in elementary school. She died about a year ago of leukemia. Husband divorced me right after. Kind of just been finding myself the past few months.”

“That’s really rough,” I told her. I would never understand what it was like to lose someone to cancer. I didn’t have a family or children. The pain in her eyes spoke volumes.
 

“It’s strange, but it’s not so bad. I mean, I miss Samantha more and more every day. But I’m happy she doesn’t have to grow up in this. She never suffered. She was never fearful of these monsters.” Her words made me look at Marcus. I leaned over and brushed my hand across his forehead.
 

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way,” she said, backtracking as she looked at Marcus and me, with softened eyes.
 

“He’s not mine,” I explained. “We found his family a few days ago and let them travel with us. He had both parents and a sister. But the house we were staying in was overrun, and they died. He’s with us now.”

“That’s really awesome of you to take him on.” Sandra nodded as she put the beans down on the table. She wrapped the too-large jacket around her body and leaned back in her chair.

“We’re happy to have him. He’s a good kid. He didn’t deserve to be left or ignored. No kid does.” I didn’t know if it was the alcohol or my past creeping up on me, but I swallowed a lump in my throat and buried my head in Jim’s neck. It pained me to talk about Marcus and how his father all but left him. And it killed me inside that we still hadn’t told him the truth.

“You were a foster kid, right?” Gabe asked, glancing at me. I nodded. “When did you get out?”

“I emancipated myself at sixteen so I could get out of the system.”

“You did?” Jim pulled my head back so he could look into my eyes. I widened them and faked a smile. I nodded.
 

“What was it like?” Sandra asked. “I don’t mean to pry. But I see so many children from the hospital be placed in homes. I always wonder what it’s like for them. But I can’t save them all, so it just feels like being stuck.”

“Do you want the happy or honest answer?”

“Honest,” they all said at once.

“It sucked. I mean, sure, some families are better than others, and it just depends on where you’re placed. But in my experience, it was terrible. I was always in homes that were overfull with parents that were neglectful. Most families need the paycheck from the government. That’s all you are to them.

“I had one foster parent who really wanted to help me. But it didn’t work out. The other kids were worse than the parents. I mean, I can deal with being ignored. I actually liked it when I was younger. But when you sleep next to a horny teenager who just wants to get a hand job, it gets a little seedy.” Jim tensed beneath me, his fingers stilling on my shoulder.
 

“How are you so calm about it?” Gabe asked. His put his feet firmly on the ground as he stared across the darkened table at me. The lantern was lit low so it wouldn’t draw attention to us. He steepled his hands and stared at me with curious eyes.
 

“Getting angry won’t change my experiences. They happened; I’m at terms with them. I had a lot of friends in the system who had it worse.”
 

Jim ran his hand up my back and into my hair.
 

“Were you ever beaten or abused?” Gabe asked.

“Stop asking questions. She answered everything. Drop it now,” Jim said as he sat up straight. His entire body went rigid beneath mine. His hand fisted in my hair.
 

“It’s okay.” I shook my head because I was used to it. The first thing people ask when I tell them I was in foster case was if I had been raped. While it always came from a supposed genuine place, I found it rude and offensive. I was immune to it by now.
 

“You ready for bed, Lana?” Jim asked. I nodded despite the fact that I wasn’t tired. I just wanted to get inside and away from the conversation. My head fogged from too much whiskey and pineapples. In one swift movement, Jim lifted me up and placed me on my feet.
 

I went to grab Marcus, but Jim snuck around me. He bent down and pulled Marcus against his chest. In a fireman hold, Jim carried Marcus towards the house. I said goodnight to Sandra and Gabe and followed behind Jim. I pulled open the back door for Jim as he sideways slid into the house, careful with Marcus.

I didn’t realize Gavin followed right behind us. He muttered a quick goodnight as he limped to his sleeping bag in front of the dying fire. He groaned as he bent down and fell right asleep, a light snore echoing in the room. Jim chuckled as he tucked Marcus in beside Gavin.

“Need me to tuck you in, too?” he asked as he stood in front of me.
 

“I’m not tired,” I said with a pout.
 

“You’re not, huh?”

“Let’s explore the upstairs.” I trailed my finger along his angular jaw, tugging at the long strands of hair from his beard. His breath hitched as I grabbed his hand and pulled him around the back of the house. I ran up the stairs, him on my heels. He patted my butt with each step, making me move faster and faster to get away.

When we reached the top, he grabbed me from behind. Jim spun us around and pinned me against the wall using his hips and arms. His mouth was on mine before I could even take a breath. I wrapped my arms and legs around his hard body as his mouth explored my own. I dove my hands into his hair, pulling his head back to get a better angle.