Ping - From the Apocalypse (8 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Out on the Bench

(April 17th, Year One, PA)

Kate yawned, stretched, and reached for her bottle of water. The cottage air was sultry as it usually was in the afternoons.

“
Time for a swim Snowy.”

N
udging him onto her finger she started over to his cage while glancing out the window at the ocean view. She kissed his beak, lifted him to the gate of his cage and he obediently stepped inside. “I'll be back in a while darling.”

She
headed to the kitchen cupboard and found a bag of caramel candies hidden behind some cans of soup, unwrapped one of them and plopped it in her mouth.

“Yum!” she
cried, exaggerating her rapture for Snowy's benefit; the chewy sweetness swathed her tongue.

Maybe Ping would actually locate
her one day, Kate thought as she pulled the front door open and squinted into the stark daylight — her sunglasses were with her diary, on the swing. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she gazed out at the beckoning waters enjoying the slight breeze wafting around her bikini. The complex scents trapped within the humid air of the wooden veranda made her sneeze.

She pranced barefoot across the
hot deck and down the three steps, while a blur of denim and dark hair slipped past her peripheral vision. Her feet hit the sand just as what she’d seen registered.

She couldn’t look.
The image of a man sitting on her swing had instantly transformed her from a malleable, breathing being, to a fragile glass sculpture which was about to be shattered. He had to be an illusion, another one of her desperate fantasies, but if he wasn’t…

Th
en, the deep voice. “I was surprised to find your car.”

Her eyes were
glued to the vast horizon — fixed by pure terror. If he was real — she would need to face the truth, that Ping and the boy were pathetic inventions of her subconscious mind. She didn’t want to know. And if he wasn’t real, this would be her proof that she was completely delusional — it would put an end to all of her recently acquired hopes, steal away her courage and destroy her will to go on.

S
he had finally pulled herself together after months of not knowing and a journey through hell affirming the worst of her fears. Her talks with invisible people were easier now, as was her ability to shut out the bloated corpses washing up on shore. The horrors surrounding her everywhere were almost imperceptible.

These
fantasies were all she had holding her together. They were the reason she had survived. To lose them now would be her certain end. She wanted to run and to dive into the waves — away from the threat that could pull her to pieces again, and not come out until it was gone. But he was walking from the swing in front of the white veranda through the sand toward her.

He stopped
just before the steps. “I guess I know how you feel,” he said when she didn’t face him. “Sorry if I startled you.”

Kate turned to see his
dark sunglasses, his stiff smile, and his almost black hair brushing his shoulders. She swayed against the railing and then staggered onto the bottom step. She covered her mouth, and gaped at him.

“Are you okay?” he said.

She nodded, but her racing heart was making her ill. She gasped. “I thought you weren’t real for a second.”

“
You look pale,” he said. “Put your head between your legs for the blood to flow back into it.”

She
rested her head on her knees and mumbled. “I didn't expect anyone—”

“
Sorry… I startled you.”

She lifted her head
and gazed up at him. “Where did—”

“
I just got into town. Your fresh car tracks were out on the main road, in the sand,” he explained. “I could barely believe it.”

“I thought
…” She blinked at him. “Man! You
are
real.”

His
brow lifted and he extended his arm. “I'm Jack… so sorry I—”

“Kate,
” she said, allowing him to embrace her hand in his large palm. “It’s been four months since…” she said.

He sat down on the step beside her.
“I know. Four and a half. Feeling any better?”

S
he nodded. “I’m fine now, really. It was just the initial shock but, you know… I didn’t think it would affect me like that… I mean I was hoping to find people. And not after everything else.” She supported her head in her cupped palm and gazed at him. “I’m in pretty good shape, relatively speaking, considering the plague nearly did me in. What about you?” She could already see the scars on his skin.

He looked out at the ocean and with almost a grimace, sighed.
“Nope. I didn’t expect to survive it either. Looks like a decent place you’ve found here, by the ocean.”

She
peered at his profile.

“Where
did you come from?” she said, hearing her tone of surprise.

“
Well, I’ve been on the road about two months, weaving my way out here. Started out in Florence,” he said soberly, turning to nod at her and then gazing back at the ocean. “Colorado. Nothing but corpses out there… Everywhere you go.”

“I
—I was planning to get more supplies again tomorrow. The Publix isn’t too bad you know. Up the road,” she said. “Hardly any bodies in there.”

“
The outskirts are the only way to go,” he agreed. “Tolerable compared to the cities. Disaster zones… every one of them.”

“
Was there any wildlife out your way?” she asked. “I didn’t see anything at all.”

He
frowned, glanced at her briefly and drew together his dark brows. “Seems to have wiped out the entire country’s livestock, as far as I’ve seen. Cows, pigs, horses, poultry — all dead. As for the wildlife?” He covered his eyes and sighed, as if he was trying to remember. “Not many birds… a few here and there, some fish in the rivers; I did see squirrels though, now that I think of it, two of them, not far from here.”

“
I haven’t noticed a decline in insects though,” she said. “And I seem to have three seagull comrades. Always around when I’m out on the beach.”

H
e gazed at her. “I noticed you got lucky with your pet. What is it, a parrot?”

Kate
blinked. “Oh, you mean Snowy. No he’s a cockatiel, belonged to my neighbour, Wendy. But how did you—”

“
He’s loud. I heard him singing from down the road.”

“When was that?”
she snapped, immediately wishing that she hadn’t.

His eyes shifted
. “A few hours ago. I knocked.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.”

“
I was on the beach. And then I was sitting on the swing for a while, and then I had a nap.”

“Look, when
you didn’t answer I decided to go for a walk. Got back a few minutes ago. I was going to knock again but then you came out before I could.”

“Oh,” she said, unsure of what to think.

He bit his lip, took off his shades and peered into her eyes with a dark, strained look. “You were telling me about Snowy.”

“
Oh, right. Well, it was certainly inspiring, let’s say, to discover he’d survived. He keeps me company. You know… a pair of ears to listen to my troubles — not to mention my screams — especially on the way down here. We were stuck, snowed-in up in Ontario… no heat, lights, phone… nothing. It was cold.”

She paused. T
here was something in his eyes. He’d definitely been watching her out on the beach earlier… that was it. He remained quiet and so she continued.

“
I wasn’t planning to stay too long here though,” she said. “Was going to be heading west in a bit.”

Jack looked confused. “
Err… do you have family out that way?”

“
Not that I’m aware of. No… Just want to continue my search for more survivors,” she sighed. “I had a feeling there were others and it looks like you’ve just proven me right.”

“Here I am,” he said soberly.

Chapter Sixteen

Hot on the Beach

(April 22nd, Year One, PA)

Kate fluffed her pillow, flopped back down and gazed out her bedroom window at the stars. Jack had been there for two whole nights now and she could not get him out of her mind. She hadn’t exactly realized it at the time, but the electricity — even during that first, bizarre conversation — had been present; a flowing current when he was near her that was difficult to ignore.

S
he’d been alone far too long. He claimed to be a doctor, a pediatrician. And surprisingly, it wasn’t his intelligence or even his tall, dark and handsome looks that she found so appealing. He had other qualities that were strangely compelling; his disposition was sober, with a mysterious depth that seemed impermeable, yet alluring. She found herself sitting closer, touching his strong arm and gazing with fascination into his dark, unreadable eyes when she spoke to him.

He’d seemed terribly shocked each time she laughed at his words and then a tiny amount of pleasure would seep into his eyes, revealing a hint of repressed humour. That would make her smile as she continued to talk to him.

But sometimes when he looked at her, with those obscure eyes, she felt her stomach churn slightly. She was certain he had secrets… but then, so did she.

“What?”
he had asked earlier. She had been peering inquisitively at him.

“Nothing
. You just seem cut-off somehow though. I—I’d love to see what’s going on inside that complex brain of yours. But, I guess we have plenty of time for that,” she’d snickered.

T
hat evening after a swim, he heated some oil in a frying pan over the barbeque grill and sautéed some fresh onions - they had discovered them earlier, growing in a nearby backyard garden — with a can of mushrooms. When they were caramelized, he threw in some canned chicken and doused it with red wine and lots of spices.

They
had eaten the meal out on the veranda and were finishing the rest of the wine when he said quite seriously, “I’m glad I found you Kate. Of course I’d like to stay around — but only if you want me to. You’re not stuck with me or anything.”

She was sure that she’d
blushed. With the edge of her thumbnails she had been making an ornate design in the wine cork and examined it as she replied, “Don’t be silly. I’m happy that you’re here too.”

Later, s
he’d yawned, “Well, all that swimming has made me exhausted. I'm hitting the sack. Goodnight.”

I
t felt safe having him there, just outside her bedroom in case she wanted to talk, or something.

S
he drifted off to sleep. Jon was now in bed beside her with his tousled blonde hair and concerned brown eyes. “Get away from here as fast as you can Katie — that man is dangerous,” he urged.

“I know what I'm doing
Jon. I’m the one who’s still alive. It's my decision.”

Jack was
rapping on her door. “Kate?” She could see him peering through the crack at her. “Can I come in?”

He didn't wait for an answer. He sat on the side of
her bed and frowned. “Did you have a nightmare? I heard you screaming.”

“I don’t remember.
”

He pulled his legs up
on the bed and lay back against the headboard. Then he gazed down into her eyes. “Do you mind if I lie down? I just want to be close to you for a while, nothing else.”

“
No, I don’t.”

He
shuffled down, slipping his arm under her and pulling her close until her head rested on his shoulder. But neither of them had any words. She stared up at the ceiling with her thoughts whirling around. What kind of a life was waiting for them?

Soon
all of the manufactured food and bottled water would be toxic. They’d have to start over — anything similar to the civilization they’d known could never be recreated. All of that was lost. It was too much to fathom.

S
he felt comforted, but uneasy at the same time. They had been thrown together by catastrophe and if they couldn’t make it work, they’d be entirely alone. Enough of that. They both suddenly peered into each other’s eyes and sighed.

The s
oft ocean air puffed in through the window screen with the sound of it breathing in the distance. She drifted off to sleep in Jack’s arms.

(May 2nd, Year One, PA)

In the morning he was still beside her, asleep. She studied his straight nose, wide forehead, the dark stubble on his handsome jaw. He appeared agitated. His eyes twitched beneath their lids, long wisps of hair falling across his tensed brow. A vein pulsated beneath the skin on his hot, moist neck.

Her gaze skimmed
his tanned arms, broad shoulders, and his wide firm chest — nipples visible through a thin, black t-shirt. She was almost disappointed he hadn’t tried something last night.

But
she didn’t know him. He’d shared so little of his life with her — even when she’d not so subtly encouraged him to open up; their conversations were restricted to the present.

I
t would not be good to start anything yet. God, he was good looking though.

She
couldn’t possibly tell him about the boy and Ping. It seemed ridiculous to even consider it. Why would he believe such things? Not having had a single conversation with either of them since Jack’s arrival, she was back at square one again anyway, suspecting they were figments of her imagination.

Usually,
they would be thinking about each other at the same time when their minds linked. That hadn’t happened, but of course she’d been too busy with Jack.

Now, while he was still sleeping, she tried
to reach them. But just as there was a feeling of connection Jack inhaled a deep breath, opened his eyes and gazed over at her. The sensation floated away.

His eyes seemed even gloomier when they were sleepy, but he made an honest attempt at being cheerful.

“You’re awake,” he mumbled, stretching out his arms with a yawn.

“Good morning,
” she said.

He sat up on the edge of the bed.
“Wait right there,” he said stumbling to his feet and out of the room. In a moment he came back handing her a box of orange juice. She sipped through the straw, watching Jack disappear with a bottle of water and a tube of toothpaste. She heard the backdoor and realized he had gone outside to brush his teeth.

His face appeared from the other side of the window behind the cottage.
“Are you up for a swim?” he said, through the screen.

Kate followed him outside. “Jack, I need to talk to you about something
.” She pulled on a light sweater over her bathing suit.

H
is vigorous brushing came to a halt, and the suspicious look in his eyes almost made her want to giggle. He spat, rinsed, spat again and wiped his entire face with a dampened cloth. “What?”

“Do you remember me telling you
that I intended to go searching for more survivors?”

“Of course
.”

“Well, I
have a very strong feeling there are people out there who need our help desperately. I just can't get it out of my mind. I'd like to leave here fairly soon and I was hoping you’d—”

Jack gave her a look that was difficult to re
ad. “Come with me,” he said, resting his toothbrush and water bottle on a rock.

“W
here are you going?”

“Come o
n. Try and catch me.” He was jogging away from her.

“Jack
… not this early. I'm not awake yet!”

I
t was their new game apparently — he’d started it the day prior, forcing each other to exercise and get stronger. Jack was adamant that what they needed more than anything was lots of physical activity. He
was
the doctor; and he seemed to have assumed the role of her personal trainer.

Undeterred, h
e formed his hands into fists and teased her with boxing gestures. She swung at him and then he ran.

“Jack
,” she called. “Wait! Now I'm mad.”

By the time they reached the sho
re they were both out of breath. He fell laughing onto the sand and she collapsed beside him, waiting for her lungs to calm down and staring up at the clouds. When she gazed over at him he combed his fingers through her hair.

“
The cold water is just what we need,” he huffed. “It will increase your stamina.”

“I'll
wait ‘til the sun comes out, thanks.”

“Oh come on,
don’t be a coward.”

“Jack
… I wanted to talk—” He put his finger to her lips; on an impulse she kissed it, holding his hand close, mesmerized by his intense eyes — behind their brooding darkness she saw sparks and a delicious chill ran down her spine.

“Come here,” he whispered
, gently guiding her chin toward him.

Their lips
came together and the taste of him made her breathe deeply, her hand grasping the back of his neck, pulling him closer, her fingers spreading out and then roaming through his hair. She wanted more of him.

Her other hand came around, both palms sliding down to his shoulders,
feeling his warm flesh. Her lungs were filling with his masculine smell which was making her weak; her mouth fell open wide and she sighed, yielding to his tongue, her hunger growing.

S
he pulled him down and climbed on top of him, feeling his body, firm and beautiful against hers. As her bare legs straddled him, her hands explored. She gazed down at his dark locks, stroking them back from his forehead. His tragic eyes penetrated her and her body began to quiver.

She tore his top over his head.
Gazing up at her now with a look that seemed almost lethal, he skillfully loosened a clasp of her bikini top and it dropped away from her body into the sand. He paused, his eyes greedily taking her in.

T
hen he peeled off her bottoms, guided her back down in the sand and mounted her. She felt drunk from the sight of him and exhilarated by his gaze skimming her nakedness. Heart thumping, she helped him rip his shorts off.

Jack
pressed himself against her, running his fingers over her flat belly and up over her breasts, grasping them firmly with both hands. She could feel the thunder of the rolling ocean rumble through her.

“Stop!”

But he was forcing her legs apart.

“Jack! I
can't…”

He
moved his body slow, breathing heavily, his face flanked close to hers with eyes wild like a leopard and yet in control. She inhaled his intoxicating scent.

“
It’s okay,” he mumbled, unravelling a condom.

She
moaned and pulled him closer, aching for more of him, burning and then igniting as he heaved — her body bursting into weightless fragments that floated like the mist above the sea.