Chapter 43

  The sun finished its descent while they walked up the driveway. Adam's heartrate climbed with each step, settling into an uncomfortable gallop behind his sternum. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, but the street remained still, the wind dying as the light faded.

  "Am I the only one creeped the fuck out right now?" Natalie asked. Her tone was light, but she couldn't hide the edge from her voice.

  "No, no you are not." Adam swallowed hard, his throat feeling like it was full of gravel. "Alright. So-"

  The front door flew open, smashing against the side of the house hard enough to leave a dent in the siding. Adam froze, the darkness of the doorway looming in front of him. His vision tunneled and he tensed, sensing movement in the empty space.

  "Adam?" A dark-haired figure said, stepping out of the doorway and brandishing a crowbar like a sword.

  It took Adam a second before recognition hit. "Amir?!"

  Amir stepped forward, the crowbar dropping a fraction of an inch, but still interposed between them. "What the hell are you doing here?" He shot a glance over Adam's shoulder. "And who are your friends?"

  Adam put his hands up. "Stephen text me before the network went down. I can show you if you want. He dropped his location and said I should come if I could." He motioned to his pocket with his hand.

  "You good up there Adam?" Natalie's voice drifted up from behind and he raised his hand a bit higher, waving her off.

  "I'm good. This is Amir. We worked together,” Adam said, fighting the urge to turn and put his back to his ex-coworker. "Amir, this is Natalie, Hector and Samantha."

  "Alright," Amir said. Adam watched him step forward and look them over. "You said you could show me? How's your phone still charged if the power's been off for days?" Amir's eyes twitched between the four, never lingering on anyone for more than a few seconds.

  "Solar charger." Adam wasn't sure why he lied to the man, but a voice in the back of his mind told him now might not be the best time to discuss their abilities.

  "Damn, that's a good idea," Amir admitted, finally lowered the crowbar and motioning for Adam to come closer. "You'd better come inside. It's really not safe after dark."

  Adam breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his hands. He couldn't blame Amir for being twitchy, but he seemed especially on edge. Just as he’d started to relax, movement behind Amir caught his eye and he reflexively stepped back. "You've got more people in there?"

  Amir's eyes flicked to the side for a moment and he nodded. "Yeah, a guy from work, my brother and his wife. If you want to talk you need to come inside. I'm not standing out here in the open with the sun down."

  Adam made a mental note that he didn't mention Stephen or his wife. "Alright." Adam fished his phone out of his pocket and held up the text for Amir to see. He watched him scan the message and scroll down to look at the pin. After a moment Amir nodded, apparently satisfied.

  "Do you mind if your people poke their heads out and say hello?" Adam asked, motioning for his companions to join him. "I think we'd all feel better after some introductions."

  Hector stepped up, extending his uninjured hand. "Hector."

  Amir hesitated just a moment too long before briefly clasping his hand. "Amir," he said, motioning his companions forward before flicking his eyes up at the darkening sky. Two men and a woman shuffled out of the doorway. One man looked like a slightly thinner version of Amir, his hair graying at the temples. The woman was strikingly short, with a solid build that made Adam think of a lot of time spent working outdoors.

  The last man made Adam's eyes go wide. He was at least a head taller than Adam, with a rail thin build. The last time Adam had seen him he'd been in a wheelchair, working at a cubicle a few rows down from his.

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  "Oh... Hey Marcus." Adam's eyes dropped instinctively to the man's legs.

  "Hey Adam," he said, offering a small smile. "Like them? They're new." He tapped his thighs, his smile growing into a full-fledged grin. Adam remembered the man had lost both legs in a car accident as a teen, but now he was standing on brand new legs. Even after everything else he'd seen, the sudden recovery still shocked him.

  "This is my brother Rashid, and his wife Layla," Amir explained, seemed to grow jumpier by the moment. "I'm going inside before something decides to say hello. You coming?"

  Adam hesitated for a heartbeat then nodded and the two groups filed in. Amir shut the door behind them, turning the deadbolt with a loud clack.

  The interior was lit by a single candle burning weakly on the kitchen counter. He had never been to Stephen's house before, and the stark minimalism surprised him. The walls were barren, save for a painting above the television, and the couch looked barely used. He remembered Stephen saying Jessica liked to keep things neat, but this was a little extreme.

  Adam settled into a high-top chair by the kitchen while everyone else found seats, the two groups separating like oil and water, a wide gap stretching between them.

  "Okay, now for the elephant in the room," Adam said after a long moment of awkward silence. "Where’s Stephen? How’d you all end up here?" He did his best to keep the interrogative tone out of his voice, but he knew how it must have sounded.

  "I have no idea,” Amir said, digging his phone out of the pocket and turning it on. The screen came to life a moment later and he tossed it to Adam. The phone was reading critically low battery and the symbol was blinking rapidly. Adam clicked the text message button and scanned. [We still have water, but the power is out. Our street seems safe, but I don't know. You guys are welcome if you can make it. We're staying put. Jessie is already stressed and we're worried about the baby. Good luck man, we'll keep an eye out for you.]

  The message was dated five days earlier.

  The phone died the moment he stopped feeding it power. "It's dead, but I saw the text. Five days..." He tossed the phone back to Amir. "They were gone when you got here?"

  "Yeah. The door was open when we arrived" Amir's brother said, drawing Adam's attention. "The whole neighborhood is like that. Open doors and empty homes."

  "You've checked the other houses?" Hector leaned forward, hands on his knees, glancing at the sliding glass door that led to the back of the house.

  "We did," Marcus said, pointing toward the street. "We checked up and down. Every house was just… empty. It looked like most people just got up and walked out. They left everything behind, clothes, food, medication. All of it."

  Adam's stomach growled at the mention of food, and he realized how long it had been since any of them had eaten. "Not to show up and start asking for a hand out, but you mentioned food. We don't have much, but maybe we could trade for it?"

  Natalie shook her head so subtly he almost missed it. Her eyes locked onto his for a brief moment, and then she pulled her pack into her lap and retrieved a large white bag. "I have a giant bottle of ibuprofen, but I'm not sure where that ranks on the barter system yet."

  Marcus waved her off with a brilliant smile. "We have plenty, and there's still more out there. If anything you can help us search the houses. You were out there; it's safer in groups."

  Adam couldn't disagree, but Marcus' smile unsettled him in a way he couldn't put his finger on. "I don't mean to be ungrateful... but are you sure?

  Amir perched on the arm of the couch, looking ready to bolt at the slightest sign of trouble. "Of course. Marcus is right, we have plenty." The calm in his voice was a sharp contrast to his appearance.

  "That’s a relief. The last people we saw shot at us," Samantha said, finally speaking up. Adam half-expected the others to react, but no one so much as blinked. Natalie put her hand over Samantha's.

  "It's bad out there. Really bad. We were lucky to find this place." Layla got up from her place on the couch next to Rashid. "I'll start on dinner."

  "Would you like help?" Samantha asked, standing and starting for the kitchen, but Layla shook her head politely.

  "No, it's fine. It gives me something to do. Thank you, though." She pulled a book of matches from her pocket and lit the stove. "The gas still works, and there's still some water pressure. No idea how long either of those will last, but make use of them while we can, right?"

  "I didn't think I could ever get tired of spaghetti, but here we are," Marcus said with a shrug, and Hector chuckled. "So, you're at risk of the water cutting off, and I mean no offense, but you guys can shower while we get dinner ready.

  "Alright. I’m sold." Hector slapped his hands down on his thighs. "Natalie, you smell awful, but I'm taking the first shower."

  "Thanks asshole,” Natalie said, crossing her arms, but Adam could see her fighting a smile. "The power's out. Your shower's going to be cold."

  "Not if it's gas!" Hector shot back, already heading down the hallway, then paused and glanced back.

  "End of the hall on the right," Layla offered.

  Hector made a mock bow, mouthed a ‘thank you,’ and disappeared into the dark hallway.

  "Try not to get any water in your mouth or eyes. The power's been out for a while and we can't guarantee it's not contaminated," Natalie called after him.

  For the first time in days, Adam let himself breathe. It felt good to see more survivors, particularly ones not trying to kill them. Maybe, just maybe, they were safe.

  Even if just for tonight.