Wish Us Luck Read online

Jake is getting supplies from the abandoned houses so we can try and leave. We aren’t sure how much to bring so the more we can find the better. We did hear something move outside the garage earlier in the day, but Jake hasn’t seen anything yet.

  He does have a theory on why everyone is gone though. Earlier in the journal, I mentioned hearing someone knock at the door and then screaming. What if that was the military evacuating the neighborhood. What if it was our last chance to get out safely?

  I’ll be back later to tell you more of what Jake found, now it's time to start packing the Jeep for our trip tomorrow.

  Catherine got up from the kitchen table and yelled for Mitch. “Are you coming to help me sort this stuff before Jake gets back?” She walked into the garage again and opened the back of the Jeep. Mitch came running out of the house and skidded to a stop next to her. “Let’s get rid of the stuff we don’t need to take with us and then start on the boxes. Sound good to you?”

  Mitch didn’t reply but grabbed his baseball bag. “I don’t know if we can play baseball again anytime soon, so this can stay behind.” Catherine turned away so he wouldn’t see the tears fill her eyes. He was taking everything in stride. It was unfair he had to grow up so fast. After a few minutes, Catherine turned back to the Jeep to see Mitch had taken everything out. “Mom, I left the spare tire and jack stuff inside. Just in case we need it. Did I do okay?”

  Catherine leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “You did great. Do you remember where our cooler is? I want to put the food in it so the smell doesn’t attract any animals or if Jake finds us some cold stuff we can keep it fresh.”

  Mitch scrunched his face up in concentration, and Catherine held back a laugh. He was a combination of innocence and maturity.

  “I think it's in the shed in the backyard,” he said, “I can get it if you want?”

  Catherine’s initial reaction was to say no, absolutely not. The more she thought about it. Why not go out there together. Jake said it was a ghost town and the backyard was fenced. Maybe it would be safe, and Mitch could see the sun again finally.

  She smiled down at Mitch. “Come on, let’s get it and enjoy the sun for a few minutes together.”

  Mitch’s smile was the biggest Catherine had seen in months, the sight made her tear up once more. Eight years was not enough time to live. She had never thought she could love someone as much as she did Mitch. The love of a child was the purest kind of love. It could smother you in despair, warmth, anxiety, and worrying. It’s a love she wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

  She only hoped going outside was not the biggest mistake she will ever make. For that smile, she would take a gamble though.

  Mitch led the way into the house and up to the door that led to the laundry room and the only exit to the outside world from the back of the house. When they had boarded up the house, they moved her stackable washer and dryer in front of the door. It opened inside, so it was an effective blockade.

  “All right, big guy, help me push the washer/dryer to the side so we can go out. Me first though, okay?” Catherine took a deep breath and placed her shaking hands toward the top while Mitch did the same on the lower. “On the count of three, we push. One, Two, Three...” Mitch grunted as he pushed, putting his whole body into the shove. With too little give, it slid across the floor. “Shit, that moved easier than I hoped. I guess we are lucky no one tried before now.”

  Mitch grabbed Catherine’s hand as she reached for the door. “Mom, if you are scared I will go first. Jake said it’s my job to protect you and I’ll do that.” Catherine took a moment to relish his small hand in hers.

  Catherine squatted down. “Soon I won't have to bend so low to hug you, but for now I’m going to enjoy this.” She hugged him tightly. “It’s also my job to protect you to the best of my ability, so why don’t we protect each other? I will go first, and you watch that nothing comes up behind me, okay?”

  Mitch scrunched his face up again. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

  She noticed the last few weeks he switched from mommy to mom and back depending on the situation. She never thought the simple changing of a term could hurt and elate her at the same time. Her baby was growing up, and while she wanted to see it, she wished he would stay her baby boy forever.

  Catherine reached for the doorknob and turned it, slowly pulling the door open and listening for anything. All she heard was the wind rustling the trees and bushes. She opened the door all the way and took her first step outside in six months. She was too afraid earlier when the garage door was open. Jake being there gave her the opportunity to be afraid. Now that it was just her and Mitch, she couldn't be afraid. She had to show she was fearless.

  The sun beat down on her face, and for a moment she froze in place, enjoying the heat and fresh smell for the first time in too long. “Oh Mitch, I didn’t realize how much I missed the sights and scents of the outside. Come next to me, let’s enjoy it for a minute before we go any further.”

  Mitch stepped outside and grabbed Catherine’s hand again. She could feel him shaking, so she let go and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “I missed the sun, Mom. I didn’t realize how much. It feels good on my body.”

  “Are you ready? Watch my back and follow behind me slowly.” Catherine took a step away and realized she should check the gate leading to the backyard. If it were closed, they would be safe. She couldn’t imagine anyone breaking in and shutting it nicely behind them. “Mitch stay there one second, I want to look at the gate.” Mitch watched her with a frown on his face but didn't reply.

  When she got to the side of the house, only three steps from Mitch, she peeked her head around the side. The fence was closed, and the latch looked like it was fine. If someone broke in, they would have busted it… at least she hoped it would have taken that to get in.

  She sighed in relief and turned to Mitch. “It’s good. I am heading to the shed now. You follow behind me slowly, okay?”

  She was afraid to have Mitch behind her, but in front of her was even scarier. At least she knew what was behind her and that provided a bit of safety. She glanced back as she walked to the shed. Mitch followed along, looking from side-to-side and turning to watch behind him. Catherine smiled to herself at how seriously he took his job of protecting her.

  When she reached the door of the shed, she glanced back at Mitch. “Wait one sec, let me check the inside before you come closer.”

  Catherine grabbed the handle and depressed the lever to open it. With a creak, it moved, and she stepped back to open it all the way, letting the sunlight reach into the corner. Thankfully it was a small shed so she could see all of it. “It’s clear, Mitch, I am going to grab the cooler.”

  She walked inside and started moving the paint buckets and lawn equipment off the lid and out of the way. Once the ice chest was free, she pulled it out and set it by the door. Then she turned back to the shed to grab the gas cans and to see if there was anything else they could use on their exodus. On a shelf in the back, she spotted their old camping gear. A big tent, two sleeping bags, and a lantern. She didn’t know if they would need them, but she was happy they could be used again.

  She put the camping items on the cooler and turned around to survey the shed one last time. Nothing else popped out as usable. If she filled the cooler they could carry everything easier.

  “Mitch come help me carry this cooler please.” He didn’t reply to her or come running, so she jumped over the cooler and ran out of the shed. When she heard him giggling, he sighed in relief until her eyes adjusted to the light and she saw what made Mitch giggle.

  Terror like she had never felt flooded her body. She wanted to vomit and scream at the same time.

  Fourteen

  Jake breathed through his mouth to avoid the stench as much as possible. He glanced around the living room to make sure he wasn’t missing anything before walking into the kitchen. The smell was stronger in here, probably since the food was on the kitchen table. He was afraid the f
ood in the fridge would’ve expired by now, but maybe the freezer would contain something usable.

  When he grabbed the door handle, he could feel the heat coming from it. That didn’t make sense, but he was unwilling to open the door in case the food had rotted. No reason to release the rancid smell and make the house smell worse. He turned to the pantry and found some canned goods. Not as much as he expected or hoped though. He opened his backpack and put in some canned fruit, the few bottles on the shelf, and a package of hot cocoa. Mitch might like that treat. He walked out of the kitchen and turned towards the hallway. Might as well check the bedrooms and bathrooms. The first bedroom he came to was the master, everything looked normal at first. It was neat and tidy. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but the smell was too strong in here.

  To the right of the room was bifold doors, and he assumed they lead to a closet. On the other side of the room was another door, a bathroom most likely. Jake walked to the closet doors and opened them. He didn’t see anything unusual, so he checked the sizes on the clothes, he could use some more. He hadn’t had anything with him when he showed up on Catherine’s doorstep. Thankfully she had some clothes leftover from her husband stored in the attic.

  Luck was with him, and he found a couple of pairs of jeans, shirts and even a pair of boots on the floor. On the shelf above where all the clothes hung he found a duffel bag to carry them in. After searching the rest of the closet, he found nothing helpful. His next objective was the bathroom. It couldn’t hurt to see if there was anything useful in there.

  As he neared the door, the scent grew worse. What could possibly be in there to cause the stench to worsen? He gingerly pushed open the door and inside was the remains of what appeared to be a dog. Probably a family pet at one point. The snout, or what was left of it, appeared to be snarling. It was a good bet he was infected. Could that have been what caused the two of four to be written on the house? No human remains yet, so maybe they were infected and not killed.

  Jake didn't bother examining the rest of the bathroom, so he exited the master room and did a quick scan in the other bedroom and an office. By the posters on the wall, the bedroom was the home of a teenage boy. He decided to look around a bit to see if there was anything he could take to give to Mitch. Under the bed, he found a small switchblade, but that was all.

  Jake decided to check the garage and then one more house before heading back to Catherine and Mitch. He retraced his steps to the living room and spotted a door he hoped led to the garage. Once he opened the door and stepped in, he sighed in relief. The stench was less out there, and he could almost take a full breath of fresh air.

  Jake started exploring the garage and found two gas cans full of gas. Nothing else was of use sadly. Instead of going through the house again, he opened the door that lead outside and inhaled the fresh air. With his arms loaded with supplies and two gas cans, he walked across the street to Catherine’s house to leave everything by the door. No sense carrying it with him.

  He turned around and scanned the area again for any kind of movement for anything to have changed, and nothing had. He shook his head in disappointment and resignation. He hadn’t expected to see anything, but he had hoped for some sign of life. But they seemed to be on their own because there didn’t appear to be anyone left in the area. He decided to check out one more house, the one on the other side of Catherine’s and be done for today. If the town was this empty, they could hit any house they wanted as they traveled.

  He crossed the front yard and just as he reached the house he heard Catherine’s scream and took off running back to the house. It didn’t occur to him until he got to the door he shouldn’t have heard her from in the house.

  “Catherine, where are you?” He yelled at the top of his lungs, more afraid of not finding her than anything finding him.

  “Backyard, come quick please,” Catherine yelled out, and he could hear the panic in her voice.

  His heart was beating so fast, fear for her, for what he would see when he got there and fear for Mitch. Where was he?

  Jake didn’t even try to open the gate, but instead, he just climbed over it. His military training had some extra perks, and he landed on the other side and immediately saw Mitch sat on the grass in the middle of the yard.

  In front of him was Catherine. She stood in front of the shed. He couldn’t see any reason for her panic though, so he calmed down a little until Mitch giggled and Jake froze in place. What caused that laugh? “Catherine, what is going on?”

  Catherine didn’t take her eyes off Mitch. “He’s holding a puppy, and it’s licking his face. Please tell me that means he’s not aggressive or his saliva isn’t dangerous.”

  Jake sank to his knees in the grass. “I don’t know. The animals I saw were rabid. Foaming at the mouth, snarling and didn’t hesitate to attack. He’s either immune or not infected.”

  Catherine slowly walked towards Mitch. “Honey, where did he come from?”

  Mitch laughed again and fell on his back. Catherine dove forward as if to yank the dog away and Jake went from kneeling to running before he knew it. He slipped on the grass as he tried to rush to save Mitch. He didn’t know what was happening, but he wasn't taking a chance.

  Catherine reached them first and grabbed the puppy, she stared down at Mitch with her mouth agape. Jake dropped on the ground next to him and started checking him over for bites, scratches, anything that would indicate he was hurt.

  The boy squealed with laughter. “Stop, Jake, you’re tickling me!”

  Jake pulled his hands away, and it took a moment to realize Mitch was fine. He had been playing with the puppy. Jake looked up at Catherine, and she was staring at the puppy. The puppy’s tongue was hanging out of his mouth, and his whole little body wriggled. He was extremely thin though, so the dog must have been on his own for a bit.

  “Jake, I think he is healthy. Well, not infected, but he needs a bath and food at least.” Catherine nuzzled her nose into the pup’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Mom… Jake... Can I keep him? He can be my birthday present.” Jake didn’t have the heart to say no, especially when he saw the look of hope on Mitch’s face. “It’s up to your mom little man, but seeing her with the puppy, I would say you have a new pet.”

  Jake laughed as Mitch and Catherine started walking towards the house, completely ignoring anything else.

  “What were you two doing out here by the way?”

  His question stopped Catherine in her tracks, she spun around laughing. “Mitch, take him inside and see what you can find to feed him please.”

  Mitch eagerly took the puppy from Catherine and rushed inside.

  Jake walked up to her, wanting to shake her for scaring him and kiss her because she was safe, but he couldn’t do either. “You scared me to death when you yelled. I had no idea who was hurt or what was happening. Why did you come outside without me?”

  Jake grabbed Catherine in a tight hug, he could feel himself shaking.

  Catherine wrapped her arms around him. “I'm sorry, we wanted to help. The cooler was in the shed, so we came out to look for it. I also found some camping gear and grabbed the gas cans.”

  Jake stepped back from her. “That was good thinking, but please wait for me to cover your back next time, please. I can’t take another scare like that.”

  Fifteen

  Catherine walked toward the shed and the supplies she had left behind. “I’m sorry we scared you. Once you said it was a ghost town I thought we would be safe in the enclosed backyard.” She glanced at Jake and saw him frowning at her. “I honestly thought we would be safe and neither of us had felt the sun in six months.” Catherine stopped and tilted her head up at the sun that had begun to set. “I missed this. Honestly, his giggles scared the hell out of me, but they were also a very welcome sound.”

  Jake sighed moving up next to her. “I understand, I really do. Just please wait for me next time. I can’t lose the two of you. It’s more than me caring for the two of you.” He paused, and Cat
herine turned to him. “What if we are all that is left? What if this was bigger than we thought and we are it?”

  Catherine gasped as the enormity of what he said registered. This couldn’t be the end of civilization, they had heard voices on the radio once, right? She had to hold onto that hope, the only other choice was insanity.

  Catherine looked Jake in the eye. “No, I refuse to believe that. There are more people out there, and we will find them. They couldn’t have just disappeared. Now come on and help me get these supplies into the house.”

  Catherine turned around and marched to the shed. She grabbed one side of the cooler and watched Jake walk up, shake his head and pick up the other handle.

  “The new puppy has probably kept Mitch from snooping around for his presents, but while I was out, I did find a small switchblade. Would you mind if I gave it to him?”

  Catherine stared at Jake for a moment, debating if it was a good idea. Normally she would say absolutely not, he wasn’t old enough or mature enough. Sadly their new reality changed that, and she feared he would mature a lot faster once they left the safety of their home. “I don’t mind, Jake, I think it would be a good present for him.”

  As they neared the house, they could hear Mitch laughing. The sound brought smiles to both hers and Jake’s faces.

  Just inside the laundry room, Catherine paused and let the tears fall. “I wasn’t sure I would ever hear that sound again.”

  Jake took the cooler from her hand and set the ice chest on the laundry room floor. She blinked the tears away and felt his arms come around her. Catherine leaned into the hug, taking whatever comfort she could.

  “We will make sure he has reason to and the chance to laugh out loud frequently,” Jake said against the top of her head. “No matter what happens, we will show him joy is still out there.” Jake stepped back and bumped the cooler.