Finding Home - A Post Apocalyptic Novel (The Ravaged Land Series Book 2) (30 page)

None of us probably felt hungry, but we hadn’t eaten since before we had set out for the HOME camp almost twenty-four hours ago. We would need food even if we didn’t feel hungry. It was the only way to survive. We’d need it for strength. We’d need it to live.

As we walked through a grouping of trees that were getting sparser with each passing mile, we heard a car drive by not far from where we were. There must have been a road close by, and if there was a road, maybe there would be a town. With houses. And cars. Food. Water.

Chapter twenty-six.

We walked over to where we had heard the car and spotted the road not too far off. Penn thought it would be best for us to stay off the road. But we stayed close enough to keep it in sight. We just knew it had to lead somewhere.

I wanted to go back and tell Ryan what had happened to Owen. It seemed as though it was something he should know about, but I knew better. He probably already knew. HOME had probably found his body. If he really hadn’t remembered us, he wouldn’t have even cared that Owen had been murdered in the middle of nowhere. He wouldn’t care that we had to leave him there, sprawled out on the ground, staining it red with his blood. I couldn’t shake the images in my head of the dogs finding him first and feasting on his body. If I didn’t stop thinking about it, these visions would torment me forever.

Now here we were, only the three of us left from the original group. Sure we had Penn, but it wasn’t the same. While he had a lot of useful skills, none of us would ever have that same bond with him that we had with Ryan or Owen. Maybe that was wrong to say, but it was true. We had all gone through something together and would forever be connected by that, except in death.

It had been hard on us when we lost Seth, and now we had two more to add to that list. Was it only a matter of time before the rest of us would be gone from this world? Would we just be taken one by one until none of us were left?

We had nothing. No water. No food. No shelter. The only thing we had was our weapons and only one of us really knew how to use a gun. We didn’t even have our bullets to reload them with. Unless Penn had some hidden in his pockets, which knowing him he probably did. But that would mean that for now, we had a limited amount.

Anything that Ryan and I had together was gone. I didn’t even have to make a choice. A small amount of weight had been lifted knowing that it was truly over. It was easier to accept it this way. I could move on and no one would be hurt. Not that I really even wanted to think about any of that.

“It’ll be OK,” Dean said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “We’ll figure this out, just like we always do.”

I smiled weakly at his attempt to make me feel better. We continued walking near the road and eventually we saw a driveway sprout out away from the road. My feet hurt. We were all beyond exhausted and sick of walking, so we agreed to check out whatever was at the end of the driveway.

The house that stood at the end of the drive seemed like it had to be a mirage. It seemed too good to be true since it appeared to be in decent condition. Penn and Dean worked to open the door on the attached garage. Inside was an extended cab pickup truck.

Dean opened the driver side door and reached around to feel if the keys were in the ignition. “That would have been too easy,” he said as he raised his empty hand. He lifted the floor mat and pulled down the visor but the key wasn’t inside the truck. “Dang,” he muttered as he closed the door gently.

We followed Penn around the rest of the house making sure no one was inside. It seemed to have been abandoned long ago based on the amount of undisturbed dust that had settled. The carpet squished under my feet as though the house had been flooded at some point. There was a waterline along the wall that seemed to suggest the house had held a couple feet of water. I pushed a finger down into the recliner and water beaded up around my finger. Everything was soaked but at least it wasn’t still under two feet of water.

In the kitchen we found several cans of fruit and baked beans in the cabinets. Penn found a handheld crank can opener in the drawer. He handed the cans to Sienna and the can opener to me so he could go through the drawers looking for spoons. When he found them he took out four and wiped them on the inside of his shirt. He shoved them into his pocket and readied his gun again, even though I think we were all fairly certain there wasn’t anyone in this house.

“Let’s check out the upstairs,” Penn said as he walked over to the staircase. I cautiously followed him up worried that the stairs under my feet would snap. They squished at first but they held up. Penn picked a bedroom and told Sienna and I to wait while Dean and Penn went back down to lock all the doors and windows they could find.

When they returned, Dean paced back and forth in front of the window. “I wish I still had my bow,” he said as he stopped and stared out the window at the surrounding land. The house was hidden fairly well by the surrounding trees, but I figured Dean probably would have felt more comfortable with a weapon he actually knew how to use.

I opened the cans and passed them around. We all gulped down the syrupy fruit, and the cold baked beans as if it had been the greatest meal we had ever had. Our need for food took over and overrode the sadness we all felt in our hearts. My body moved awkwardly, slowly, mechanically as if it just did what it had to do. I had so many emotions running through me, it made me numb.

“Drink the juice,” Penn suggested to Sienna when the can of peaches she was eating was empty. She slowly tilted the can and started sipping the liquid, but then she began pouring it and gulped it down eagerly. “We’ll need to find water soon.”

The bedroom we were in had a connected bathroom so the boys decided to push the dresser in front of the bedroom door. We wouldn’t need to leave until we wanted food, or when we were ready to go. I actually felt somewhat safe in the little room. As safe as one could with HOME trying to hunt you down. It was almost as if we weren’t part of the world down below. It was just us up here.

We had only heard the one car earlier and then nothing again after that. There were far fewer people out here in Washington than there had been in other places we traveled through. My guess was that those that had survived here didn’t stay here long because of all the rain and soaked living conditions. Even Alaska had been better, but it seemed as though no matter where you were, HOME was somewhere nearby too.

After we finished our food, I checked the closets and dressers for clean clothes. I found a new shirt but unfortunately no pants that fit me. I changed in the bathroom in record time because I didn’t like being alone. It gave my thoughts too much freedom to wander. Sienna changed her shirt after I finished, but the boys didn’t even bother. When she emerged she sat near Penn who was on the floor hugging his legs to his chest. I just knew he was replaying what had happened to Owen in his head trying to pinpoint all of his mistakes.

“Get some rest,” Penn urged barely bothering to look at any of us. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was pale. Out of all of us, he looked like he needed to rest the most.

Penn looked at Dean as if he was waiting for him to say something, give us our instructions, but Dean just ignored the look. Dean hadn’t said much of anything after we had left Owen. The only time he spoke was when he needed to, or when he had been trying to comfort me.

It was as if Penn expected him to take over the lead now that Owen was gone, but Dean made no effort to assert his authority, or lead the group. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it, so I was glad Penn was with us or we’d be an even bigger mess than we already were. We probably wouldn’t have even made it this far.

Everything upstairs had been dry and thankfully that included the bed. I laid down next to Sienna, and we listened to Penn talk to Dean about potential ideas of what to do and where to go. Dean stared out the window and nodded as he listened. It was the best he could do for now.

The best plan was that we’d rest, and when we were ready we’d take the truck. We’d pack the truck with whatever food and supplies we could from the house, then seek out water and drive somewhere warmer. Or at the very least somewhere less rainy. Something further from anything related in any way to HOME. I wasn’t sure how the others felt but I hated the idea of putting so much distance between Ryan and us. Maybe if we would have had more time we could have helped him remember. But we had to leave him behind. What choice did we really have? There was no way we’d ever get close to him again. I wouldn’t get the chance to help him remember. It felt as though the Ryan we had known was dead.

The tears dripped out of the corner of my eye and soaked the pillow below my head. I didn’t want to close my eyes and see Ryan or Owen, but I could only fight it so long.

Soon we would leave here and try to find a way to live. There was no other option but for us to mourn our losses as quickly as we could and go back into survival mode.

I would survive. I would fight to live with everything I had. I’d do it for Seth. I’d do it for Owen. And for the Ryan I had once known. But mostly, I’d do it for the people in this bedroom with me who were still alive, and would be fighting right by my side.

Together we could survive.

***

Books By Kellee L. Greene

Ravaged Land Series

Ravaged Land - Book 1

Finding Home - Book 2

Book 3 - Summer 2016

About the Author

Kellee L. Greene is a stay-at-home-mom to two super awesome and wonderfully sassy children. She loves to read, draw and spend time with her family when she’s not writing. Writing and having people read her books has been a long time dream of hers and she’s excited to write more. Her favorites genres are Fantasy and Sci-Fi. Kellee lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two kids and two cats.

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