Wish Us Luck Read online

  Jake went through a few houses, and they were just abandoned. Food left on tables, lights left on like they left in a hurry and had no forewarning. It gives more credibility to our earlier theory.

  Not much more to tell you. We leave in a few hours, we are well stocked, and since the houses are all empty, we can stop anywhere and get more supplies. We don’t know where everyone went or how many towns in the area were evacuated so we will keep stocking up as needed. Wish Us Luck.

  Eighteen

  “All finished updating the journal?” Jake stood next to the table and watched Catherine.

  Catherine closed the book and glanced to Jake. “I am. I think I will head to bed. I want to take one last hot shower before it’s gone.” She stood up and walked towards Jake. He didn’t move from in front of her. “Is everything okay?”

  Jake smiled at her and leaned forward. “Would you mind if I kissed you? Just once, before we leave.” Jake hoped he wasn’t being too forward by asking, but who knew when they would feel safe again or let their guard down enough for something as simple as a kiss. Not that a kiss with Catherine would ever be just simple. He had a feeling it would rock his world.

  After a few moments that felt like lifetimes, Catherine smiled. “I would like that very much.”

  Jake didn’t know what to do with his hands, should he put his arms around her? Just lean in for a peck or cup her face. He didn’t think he had ever been this nervous before. Catherine apparently got tired of waiting on him to make the first move and leaned into him, rested her hands on his shoulders and kissed him.

  Jake wasn’t afraid to admit to himself he froze, because her soft lips pressed against his was heaven. He wanted to take it a step further but didn’t want to push her. Before he could decide Catherine leaned back and removed her hands from his shoulders. “Good night, Jake. See you in the morning.”

  He watched her walk away, then sat down on the couch. Tomorrow they were finally going to leave and see how far this spread, he really needed to get some sleep, but he feared he wouldn’t be able to shut his head off.

  ***

  He must have dozed off faster than he thought. A quick glance at his watch showed it was morning already. He might as well get the show on the road. From down the hall, he could hear movement, so either Mitch or Catherine was awake. Should he check on them or let them say goodbye alone? He couldn’t imagine leaving behind everything he owned and hoping one day he would be able to come back.

  When neither emerged from their rooms, he decided to check on them. He tapped on Mitch’s door and waited to see if he replied. When he heard nothing, he cracked open the door and saw him sound asleep still. Catherine must be up then. Should he check on her or leave her alone?

  While he was debating what to do, she walked out. “Good morning Jake, did you sleep okay?”

  Jake nodded. “Good morning. Are you ready to go or do you need more time?” Jake realized he forgot to check on Lucky, so he opened Mitch’s door again. “Lucky, come here boy, let’s go outside.”

  While he called the dog, Catherine had walked up next to him. “I was actually coming to take him out back too. I’m ready to go after that. Why don’t you take Lucky out and I will wake up Mitch and get him moving?”

  “Sounds good to me.” Jake walked down the hall, and Lucky followed him. He could hear Catherine behind him calling Mitch’s name to wake him up.

  At the laundry room door, Lucky started to whine, and Jake laughed thinking he was ready to go outside, so he opened the door. Lucky walked through and started growling at the outside door. Something was wrong, maybe taking Lucky outside wasn’t a good idea after all. Jake shifted the washer machine just a bit and cracked the door to see if he could tell what upset Lucky. At first, he saw and heard nothing. Lucky continued to growl, so Jake opened the door a bit farther and stuck his head out. To the right of the backyard was an animal, he thought it was a cow, but he really couldn't tell anymore. Its body was mutilated and covered in blood, it walked around, and at first, Jake thought he wandered in to die. It didn’t appear possible to be able to survive in that condition.

  Mitch came barreling into the laundry room yelling, “Morning Lucky!”

  The creature outside must have heard him because it turned quickly and charged at the door. Jake yelled and slammed the door shut. Just in time, Lucky was charging the door and growling like he was going to attack too.

  “Mitch, quickly, help me shove this washing machine in front of the door and then get inside quick!” It only took a moment to push the appliance in place, but they could hear the mad cow pushing on the door. Jake grabbed Lucky and shoved him into the kitchen and slammed the door.

  Catherine had just walked into the kitchen. “What happened?”

  Jake leaned against the door with his back. “Pull the kitchen table over here. Let's stand it up flush against the door and then push the chairs around it.” He only moved away when the table was in front of him. “Help me lift it please.” Catherine and Mitch helped maneuver the table in place and then the chairs. Jake realized how after a few months they had gotten so relaxed and started moving furniture around, so they were comfortable. It only took a month before they moved back into the bedrooms to sleep instead of all of them together in the living room. It was a rookie mistake, and it could have cost them their lives. They were lucky no infected animal found them until now.

  “Mom, there was an animal out back. It charged the door, and Jake slammed it shut fast. It was so cool!”

  Catherine gave a startled laugh. “Cool, I am sure is one way to describe it.” She looked over to Jake, and he took that as a silent request to elaborate.

  “As soon as we went into the laundry room, Lucky started whining.” Jake realized they had another reason to be thankful for Lucky. “He growled as I got to the outside door, so I opened the door slightly to look out and saw a cow. I guess you could call it that. It heard us and charged the house.” Jake reached down and pet Lucky, his name fit in many ways. “We should probably just get in the Jeep and go. If there is one out there, more could be around. No more time for scavenging.”

  Catherine and Mitch stood in the kitchen for a minute, Jake wasn’t sure what was going through their minds right then. “Grab anything else you need from the house and meet me in the garage. Okay?”

  They both nodded and walked off, Catherine almost aimlessly. Jake walked into the garage and checked to make sure everything was packed and ready to go. It wasn’t long before Mitch walked out, he seemed to be taking this move well. He wasn’t upset by leaving everything behind, or if he was, he hid it well.

  “Are you ready, Mitch?” Jake asked.

  Mitch looked behind him before he replied. “Yes, it’s scary to think we are leaving everything behind but is it wrong to be excited too?”

  Jake assumed he didn’t want Catherine hearing he was excited and scared. “Of course, new things are exciting, but it’s bittersweet to leave all you know behind. Especially going into a world, we don’t know how has changed.” As a soldier, he knew he signed up for adventure and experiencing new situations. Nothing like this though, he couldn’t imagine an eight-year-old child having to go through this. Mitch was handling it well, and it was a testament to Catherine and how she raised him.

  “Want to hop in the Jeep and get Lucky settled? I will check where your mom is and if she needs anything.” Jake walked to the door leading into the house and glanced back to see Mitch opening the door for Lucky who waited patiently at his feet. In the kitchen, Catherine stood looking around. “Are you okay?”

  She glanced at Jake with a small smile, but he could see a tinge of sadness in her eyes. “Yes, just remembering all the good times we had here. I locked up though and made sure the doors and windows were all barricaded again. Maybe one day we can come back, and everything will still be here.”

  Jake reached out and took her hand. “One day, together, we will come back.” He gently pulled her into the garage. “Hop in the Jeep, and I will cl
ose this door and barricade it from the outside to keep any animals out. Or at least make it harder for them to get inside.”

  Jake grabbed garbage cans, old cans of paint, boxes full of miscellaneous stuff and even lawn equipment. He figured if they couldn't move it easily they couldn’t get near the door. He walked to the Jeep and climbed in. “Everyone ready? Lock the doors, keep the windows up and it’s okay to be scared.”

  With one last deep breath, he turned the Jeep on, put it in reverse.

  Nineteen

  Leaving everything behind was harder than she thought. Her memories would always be with her though. Rory carrying her across the threshold when they got married, Mitch’s first steps, coming home from his first day of school and even saying bye to Rory one last time. That was a memory she both cherished and was relieved she wouldn’t be reminded of each time she went into her bedroom. She walked into the kitchen and glanced around one more time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and that Mitch hadn’t left anything behind.

  Jake walked in behind her and paused. “Are you okay?” He was thoughtful and always checking on them, she couldn’t imagine this adventure with anyone else.

  “Yes, just remembering all the good times we had here. I locked up though and made sure the doors and windows were all barricaded again. Maybe one day we can come back, and everything will be here still.”

  Jake reached out and took her hand. “One day, together, we will come back.” She let him pull her gently into the garage. “Hop in the Jeep, and I will close this door and barricade it from the outside to keep any animals out. Or at least make it harder for them to get inside.” Catherine was relieved he thought of that, as she walked to the Jeep and glanced inside at Lucky and Mitch. They were curled up in the backseat and seemed happy. She climbed in and leaned over the seat. “Did you buckle up?” Mitch nodded. “Lock your door and make sure Lucky’s door is locked too.”

  Mitch unbuckled and climbed across the back seat, hit the lock button and then plopped in his seat. Catherine stared at him for a moment. Mitch got the message and buckled up again. She laughed and turned around to put her seatbelt on.

  Jake climbed in, and it was time to go. Catherine turned in her seat to watch the garage door open, then remembered she broke the control to open it. “Jake, I forgot to tell you I smashed the controller so nothing could get in easily. Why don’t you open it and I will back the Jeep out.”

  Catherine was eager to get her first view of the neighborhood.

  “Ok, be ready because I am dropping the door quick and jumping in the Jeep. You slide over right away, okay?”

  Catherine nodded and got out to walk around the Jeep to the driver’s side and watched Jake walk to the door.

  “Please be careful.” She climbed in and shut the door, placing the car into reverse. In the rearview mirror she watched Jake strain to lift the door when it was high enough she backed out fast and threw it in park. Then she jumped across the seat as Jake sprinted to the Jeep door to climb in.

  “Are you okay, you didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” That door had to be heavy.

  Jake smiled at her. “I’m good, let’s get out of here.”

  Catherine finally took her first look around the neighborhood. Like Jake said she could see the dirt and dust that coated the cars. The cow in the backyard must have heard the noise because they could hear banging sounds coming from the back. She wondered if it was trying to get through the fence, it must have broken it somewhere while they slept. And it must not be smart enough to go through the original hole it created and was now trying to create a new one.

  Catherine glanced at Jake to see him studying the area. She assumed he was looking for more animals. Jake put the car into drive and started forward slowly. Mitch screamed, and Jake slammed on the brakes.

  “What’s wrong, baby?”

  Mitch pointed out the window and Jake swore under his breath. “Hold on.”

  Catherine looked to where Mitch pointed and saw a horse in front of them. It too was covered in blood and stared at them. “Infected you think?”

  Catherine wasn’t really asking more than stating her opinion, but Mitch answered anyways. “Duh, Mom.”

  Jake slammed on the gas pedal, and they took off, veering around the horse and the cow that had made it out of the backyard. Catherine glanced back to see the two animals attacking each other. At least that gave them a chance to get away. Jake slowed down, and they looked at the houses they passed. Like Jake said some had lights on, one even had the front door wide open. Nobody was around though.

  Up ahead was a small convenience store, and Catherine wondered what happened to it. Was it boarded up? Was it ransacked or left like the rest of her neighborhood?

  When they reached the store, Catherine could see inside through the windows and was surprised to see the shelves empty. The place wasn’t trashed, but it appeared like someone simply closed down. None of the signs that were in the windows were up anymore. Even the neon sign that said 24 hours was gone, that isn’t something someone would take in an emergency. It was strange and kinda scary. Did that mean they had forewarning?

  “Jake, did you look at the store we just passed?”

  Jake glanced around as if he could still see what she was referring to. “No, I wasn’t looking, should I turn around?”

  Jake slowed the car down even more, and Catherine quickly explained what she saw. “What do you think?”

  Catherine stared at Jake waiting on his response, while he appeared to consider what she said. “I don’t know honestly, it’s very strange. Could they have packed up before this happened? When was the last time you were there?”

  Catherine didn’t need to think about that answer. “The day before we were quarantined. Mitch had gotten an A on a test, and we stopped after school to get him a special treat. We chatted with the owner, and he mentioned getting a new truck the next day. It had a new flavor of slushie drinks he thought Mitch would like.” She realized that had to mean the owner hadn’t planned to leave suddenly, so something had to of changed or he lied to them. “Do you think he knew what was coming and lied to us or was tipped off suddenly? The store isn’t big but for him to be able to empty it that fast and that cleanly… He would have had to have at least 24 hours’ notice and lots of help, right?”

  Catherine was shaken, not so much that he left but that he wouldn’t have tried to warn anyone else. He was always such a nice man, and good to the community. Between their stopping there and the first notice of quarantine, it’d been roughly 36 hours. That could have been enough time, but how could someone do that? Catherine decided this needed to be added to her journal. Maybe one day it would be a clue to help them figure out what happened.

  Day 153

  We left the house early today. An infected cow found its way into the backyard, and when we pulled out of the garage, we saw an infected horse. They attacked each other, so we aren’t sure if either survived. More importantly, we passed by the small store down the street from our house, and it’s empty. Completely empty, not ransacked but neatly taken down. There was only 36 hrs between my last visit and the quarantine announcement. He must have been warned ahead of time. It might be a good place to look into for details of what happened.

  Catherine closed her book and looked out the window. The town they lived in wasn’t very big. Once you left the residential neighborhood, it consisted of farms and ranches. She wasn’t sure how much of the area was quarantined, so she kept looking for signs of people and healthy animals. The first few places they passed showed signs of neglect, overgrown fields, no animals grazing, and no people. Then came the carnage.

  “Mitch, baby, maybe you shouldn’t look out the window right now.” On both sides of the road, the fields were covered in animal carcasses. They looked like they had been attacked, whether they had been infected first or not, she wasn’t sure.

  “I guess we know it started out here. There is more carnage here than closer to town. You were right, the one farmer was
telling the truth it seems.”

  Catherine nodded at Jake. “Do you think because we are so far between towns out here that others weren’t infected?”

  Catherine considered what she asked. She imagined the animals would head towards other animals and there was quite a bit of distance between the last farm in her town and the first farm in the next town. It had to be four or five miles at least. It would make sense they would head to the populated area. But then why wouldn’t the military or anyone come looking for them? If it was localized like she hoped that didn’t make sense at all.

  “It’s too hard to tell,” Jake said. “We don't know how the infection was spread. Was it through a bite, in the air, or in the water? Too many possibilities to be able to answer that with any accuracy.”

  From the backseat, Mitch started yelling and pointing. “Look a fence!”

  At first, Catherine couldn’t understand what he was referring to because the farms all had fences. She glanced directly in front of the car and saw it. A six-foot chain link fence stretched as far as she could see in either direction. The closer they got, the more she worried. When they reached the fence, they saw a sign that read: ‘Quarantine Zone Do Not Enter”. To the right of the road was a small hut and a soldier stood next to it. He stared at the car and watched them approach.

  Twenty

  Jake was relieved to see a soldier and worried at the same time. The military hadn’t abandoned the town after all. They must have thought it was empty but watched to make sure no animals escaped. He turned to Catherine and Mitch. “Stay in the car, don’t get out, don’t yell or make sudden movements. We don’t want to make him think we are infected.”