White Dust - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Red Sky Series Book 4) Read online

  “Tom seems really worried about it,” I said as a cold chill entered my body.

  “You’re not?” Blair asked.

  I shook my head. “We’re with the bad guy. He’s the one I’m worried about.”

  Nina turned and looked at me. I wasn’t sure if she had heard what I said, but if she had, she was choosing to ignore it.

  There was no doubt she’d tell Tom later, but he’d probably just laugh. To him, I was a pesky little mosquito that wouldn’t go away.

  Good.

  I wasn’t going to make anything easy for him. Why should I?

  We hung around the church for what felt like far too long before we headed out. This time when Nick looked out the door, he was a bit more cautious, and Tom took several minutes verifying that there was, in fact, no movement.

  Tom and Nina led the way, with Milo following close behind them with his cars clutched tightly in his hands. Nick and Blair were behind them with Bronx and me at the rear.

  “I hate thinking that other people out here are bad,” I said keeping my voice low. “There are bound to be other people like us that just want to find a safe place to stay… food to eat… water they can drink.”

  “How can one tell the difference between the good people and the bad people?” Bronx said with a shrug. “There are definitely people out here that would kill their best friend for a drink of water.”

  “If we can’t tell the difference, we’ll just have to assume everyone is bad,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t like it, but it is what it is, right?”

  Bronx swallowed. “And everyone out there is probably doing the same. If they see us, they’re not going to think so kindly of us.”

  “There probably aren’t that many people left after everything that’s been thrown at us,” I said looking down at the muddy ground. It wasn’t that long ago it was completely covered in a strange black, oily goo. “We’re lucky to be alive. If being alive is good.”

  “Better than the alternative right?” Bronx asked with a half-smile.

  I couldn’t think of how I should respond, so I just focused on the road ahead.

  We’d probably walked most of the day when a small house came into view. Nick slowed his pace, but Tom and Nina kept charging forward.

  I knew what Nick was thinking without having to ask. He wished he would have been armed because, for all we knew, those inside were.

  I wasn’t sure how far from grandma’s we were, but it wasn’t a house I recognized. Not that I probably would have recognized all that many houses from the area in the first place.

  “How far do you think we walked from the church?” I asked Bronx.

  He touched his chin with his thumb. “Three miles?” Bronx’s eyes darted to Milo before landing back on mine. “We’re moving a little slow.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. Not that Nick would ever admit it, but the speed was probably ideal for his injured leg. He hadn’t used his stick cane, and he’d been able to keep up without any trouble as far as I could tell.

  What I didn’t know was how many more miles Tom would want to put in. There was still plenty of daylight left, but was there a need to push it?

  I kept my eyes on the small house as we approached. It was a strange house. Somewhat out of place considering it was out in the country and it didn’t have a barn or silo to go along with it. It was just as though someone wanted to live out in the middle of nowhere just to be left alone. Hopefully, that means there wouldn’t be anyone inside.

  As we got closer, I saw a bit of black goo on the corner of the roof near the eavestrough. It was a reminder of how unsafe things were without a shelter.

  “We really need to come up with a plan,” I said under my breath.

  Bronx nodded.

  We cautiously made our way up to the house. If anyone is inside, they didn’t do anything to try to stop us from coming closer.

  Tom looked around the house before knocking on the front door. “Anyone in there?” he called out as he ducked his head to try to see inside of the small window. “Hello? We’re in need of help.”

  There were no sounds of movement inside, and no one was telling us to leave their property. The diseases had probably gotten the owner of the property just as it had gotten nearly everyone else.

  Tom tried the knob, but it was locked. His eyes started scouring the ground. “Gonna have to break the window.” He jerked his head to the side of the building. “Maybe that one.”

  I lifted the small flowerpot at the side of the door just as Tom found a sizable rock. There was a shiny key that looked as though it hadn’t ever been used.

  “Wait!” I said holding up my palm.

  Tom was just about to launch a rock into the window. He shrugged and set down the rock.

  As I started to insert the key into the lock, a hand grabbed mine and pulled it back. I looked up at Nick just as he pulled the key from my fingers.

  “Let me,” he said pushing his way in front of me.

  I rolled my eyes but let him open the door and shove past me into the silent house.

  I followed him inside. My eyes darting around the room as if I expected zombies to crawl out from the shadows trying to eat our brains, but of course, there wasn’t anything there.

  “Anyone home?” Tom called out as he stepped in after us.

  I watched him as he moved into the kitchen, and then down the short hallway. He paused at the last door and shook his head.

  Tom let out a heavy sigh. “They’re home, but they’re dead.”

  Three

  We all huddled shoulder to shoulder in the small hallway peering into the bedroom. After a second, Nina moved back, pulling Milo along with her. It was like it took a moment for her to register it was not a child appropriate scene.

  “That’s more than enough,” she said, practically dragging him down the hallway.

  “They just look like they’re sleeping,” Milo said as he kept trying to take another look.

  “Yeah, well, they’re not,” Nina said sitting down with him on the floor. She was using her body as a wall to block the entire hall from his view. She pointed at his cars and then at the floor. “Play.”

  I turned back to the bedroom and looked at the couple lying on the bed. It was clear they hadn’t been gone long.

  Their bedroom was neat and orderly. They both laid on top of the perfectly made bed.

  There was a quilt with an intricate decorative pattern spread at the bottom of the bed. It was something that looked as though it had been in the family for ages. The woman was still clutching the corner of it in her hands.

  “This is disturbing,” Blair said softly.

  Tom moved quickly toward the bed and grabbed something out of the man’s hand. “Looks like he smothered her, and then shot himself.”

  “Like I said,” Blair said with a shrug, “disturbing.”

  “So sad,” I said, but I could understand why they might have done what it looked like they’d done.

  Tom gestured at the door. “Let’s check out the kitchen.”

  He was cold. Heartless.

  Tom, Nick, and Blair went down the hall leaving Bronx and I standing there. Bronx placed his hand on my shoulder.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said chewing my cheek as I cocked my head to the side. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the couple. “If he smothered the woman, who killed him?”

  Bronx gestured with his chin. “Gunshot wound on the side of his head.”

  “Yes, I know, but where is the gun?” I was shaking my head as I tasted the sourness at the back of my throat. “So much blood.”

  Bronx tried to turn me away, but I only took a baby step back. The gun had to be here… it must have fallen to the floor.

  I was about to drop down to my knees to search under the bed when a soft thud filled the air. Bronx and I both turned toward the closet, my fingers digging into his bicep.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I heard that,
” Bronx said positioning himself in front of me.

  “Maybe it was a cat,” I said swallowing hard.

  Bronx took another step forward at the same time I heard heavy breathing. I reached out and tried to grab his arm, but I missed. He pulled the closet door to the side, and we stared into what appeared to be an empty closet.

  Only it wasn’t empty.

  When I looked down, I saw a pair of dirty shoes that were connected to legs. I pointed, and Bronx nodded.

  He crouched down slowly with his hands out in front of himself. His voice was soft and soothing. “It’s okay.”

  One of the legs starting kicking toward Bronx. It wasn’t even close to hitting him, but nonetheless, they tried hard.

  “We’re not going to hurt you,” Bronx said trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. “What are you doing in the closet?”

  “Go away,” a shaky voice that belonged to a female said. “Get out of my house.”

  “We’re sorry,” Bronx said. “We thought it was empty.”

  “Yeah well it’s not,” she said, her voice cracking.

  Bronx was holding up both palms. “Will you please come out and talk to us?”

  “No!” she said.

  I lowered myself down next to Bronx. Maybe if she saw me, she’d be less worried.

  “Hi,” I said reaching out my hand. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

  “You’re lying,” she said sniffing hard.

  “I promise. We’re not even armed,” I said.

  The girl laughed. “You stole my dad’s gun. You’re armed.”

  “What? You know I didn’t take it, I was looking for it,” I said.

  “It was next to his hand,” the girl said scooting forward just enough that I could see her shadow covered face.

  Her cheeks were sunken in, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She placed her bony hand on her knee as she looked up at me.

  “It’s not there now,” I said. “Look for yourself.”

  She pushed herself upward slightly, mostly keeping her eyes on Bronx and me. Her eyes locked with mine. “Well, one of you took it.”

  Damn Tom. That’s what he’d reached for when he first stepped into the room. He’d taken the gun, and he hadn’t told us about it.

  “Tom,” I muttered to Bronx, and he nodded. He must have had the same thought.

  The girl sighed as she came out of the closet. When she stood, I noticed that she wasn’t a girl. She was a woman.

  “What happened here?” I asked, wishing I could take the words back.

  “My parents,” she said, her jaw stiffening. “They couldn’t cope. They gave up.” She turned away and pressed her palm to her face.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  The woman looked at me, and for a second, I thought she was going to crawl back into the closet. But then her shoulders relaxed with a heavy exhale. “Molly.”

  “I’m Gwen, and this is Bronx,” I said. “You’ve been here the whole time?”

  “Yep. I’d been visiting from California when the sky turned red,” Molly said. “I’d gotten my first major role… a paying role, but I came here to celebrate, and this is what happens. They never wanted me to leave in the first place.”

  “You’re an actress?” Bronx asked.

  Molly chuckled. “Was. I’ll never get another job now.”

  “Well, for all we know this is happening in California too,” Bronx said, and I glared at him. He shrugged. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine. I hope you’re right because I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep living if it is, and I blew my only chance at my dream,” Molly said.

  “I hate to ask,” I said swallowing hard, “but what happened to them?”

  Molly shook her head and looked down at her feet. “Like I said, they couldn’t deal. Food was running out. They made a deal when they thought I wasn’t listening. Mom asked what about me, but dad told her he couldn’t do it. He said he wouldn’t be able to save me from this world.”

  Molly closed her eyes.

  “I was outside when I heard the gunshot.” She drew in a long breath. “Still can’t believe they’re gone.”

  “And you’ve just been hiding in the closet?” I asked.

  “Mostly,” Molly said.

  “When was the last time you ate anything?” Bronx asked.

  Molly scrunched up her nose. “Haven’t had much of an appetite.”

  Maybe she was finding her own way out of the world. She didn’t want to put the gun to her head, but if she didn’t eat, eventually she’d join her parents.

  “Let’s go in the other room and find something for you to eat,” Bronx said gesturing toward the hallway.

  Molly shook her head. “There’s really nothing left.”

  “We have a little we can spare,” I said with a smile.

  Molly followed silently behind us. She moved so quietly I had to look over my shoulder to make sure I hadn’t imagined her.

  “So, a little news,” Bronx announced as he stepped into the living room.

  Nina was still sitting on the floor next to Milo who was driving his cars. Blair was sitting on a chair with her hand against her brow.

  Nick and Tom were in the kitchen staring into the empty cabinets, but both turned instantly, freezing solid when they saw Molly behind us.

  “We found her in the closet,” I said. “Those were her parents on the bed.”

  “Jesus,” Nick muttered before pasting a smile on his face. “Shit, sorry.”

  I turned to Nina. “Think we could spare a ration for her?”

  “Of course,” she said quickly digging through their bag.

  They all must have instantly seen how scrawny the poor woman was. The family must have been having very small amounts of food for quite some time considering Molly looked like a skeleton.

  Nina handed her a breakfast bar and what was left of her bottle of water.

  “Thank you,” Molly said looking at the bar as if it were the most precious item she’d ever seen.

  Molly delicately opened the foil packaging. She turned the bar in her fingers several times before smiling and shaking her head.

  “To think of all the times I starved myself in the hopes of getting a role,” Molly said before taking a small bite. “If only I would have known it was this I was really training for.”

  Molly swirled the water inside the bottle watching the little tornado it made inside the plastic. After she finished savoring the small amount of water, I introduced everyone to her.

  She gave little waves and nods but mostly stayed behind Bronx eyeing everyone suspiciously. Molly wasn’t trusting, and I didn’t blame her one bit because if she was right about someone taking her dad’s gun, that someone quite possibly could have been Tom.

  “There’s nothing here,” Tom announced with his hands on his hips.

  “Yeah, things were bleak,” Molly said. “Must have been for all of you as well considering you’re roaming about looking for food.”

  “Things are bleak everywhere,” Nick said.

  Molly stared at Nick for a long moment. “Where are you all from?”

  “Different places,” Tom answered quickly. “This was your home?”

  “This was my parent's house. I was just visiting,” Molly said. “I was an actress living in California.”

  Blair perked up for a second. There had been a flash of jealousy that washed across her face, but it left just as quickly as it had appeared.

  “We’re not going to be able to stay here,” Tom said glancing at Molly as if he hoped she’d have a suggestion, but if she would have had somewhere better to be, she probably wouldn’t have been there hiding in the closet.

  “We should rest up,” Nina said. “Give Milo’s little legs a break.”

  “I’m fine, mom,” he said keeping his eyes on his racing cars.

  Nina clicked her tongue. “Fine, then I need a rest.”

  “Fifteen minutes,” Tom said opening the door that would take
him into the garage.

  “He’s not going to find anything out there,” Molly mumbled.

  I walked over to Nick and elbowed him lightly. He took his eyes off of Molly for a second to look at me.

  “What’s up?” Nick asked.

  “Need to talk to you for a minute,” I said stepping in front of him when he shifted his gaze to Molly again.

  “About what?” Nick asked.

  I swallowed hard quickly looking at the door to make sure Tom was out of earshot. “It’s about a gun.”

  Four

  Nick’s eyes narrowed, but he grabbed my arm as he led me down the hallway. Molly watched us as we stopped in front of her parent's bedroom door.

  “A gun?” Nick asked confirming what I suspected. If he would have been the one to take it, he wouldn’t have been playing dumb with me.

  I kept my voice low. “Molly said there was one on the bed by her dad’s hand. It’s gone now.”

  “You think—”

  “Yeah, I think he took it. I saw him reach for something. He had moved so fast,” I said shaking my head.

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “Why wouldn’t he tell us?”

  “Because he’s a bad guy. He’s not dumb.”

  Nick rubbed his thumb on his scruffy chin. He snorted before he started to walk away.

  I reached out and grabbed his arm pulling him back before he was able to escape.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “I’m going to get the gun,” Nick said.

  “You can’t just take it away from him.”

  Nick snorted. “Why on earth not?”

  “It’s not like he’s going to just hand it over,” I said as we stepped into the living room. Tom was back in the kitchen leaning against the counter. He cocked his head to the side knowing something was up.

  “Anything you want to tell us?” Nick asked stepping up to him. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and even though he was several inches shorter than Tom, he didn’t look the least bit intimidated.

  “No,” Tom said. He was acting like he had no idea what we were talking about but I was sure that he did.

  Nick folded his hands behind his back and puffed out his chest. “Find anything? Like oh, I don’t know, a gun?”