Love at the End of the World Read online

  The sign, now rusted into disrepair, proclaiming Cameronville, Population 10,083 had been vandalized, and a big spray paint line crossed out the number of people. The red zero drawn behind the official count was closer to the current occupancy. A few sicks and a scavenger or two probably lurked, so as she stood up, brushing her injured palms on her jeans, she remained alert.

  The ghost town stretched out unwelcomingly, and McKaye started walking toward the undefinable thing drawing her there—purpose. She didn’t allow herself to look inside the cars as she moved. Often abandoned vehicles were tombs for the dead. Passing a Ford Fiesta, her heart fluttered until she had trouble taking a breath. Cold ran down her back, and her throat constricted; she couldn’t swallow around the aching lump. She kept walking, gazing straight ahead, and fought tears.

  * * * *

  Reece Rogers stood on top of the rusted flatbed trailer, looking across the shipping yard. The early morning sun glinted off the glass of broken storefront windows in the distance. A once-picturesque main street stretched into the horizon, broken and blackened from long-ago fires.

  He remembered this town from before. His college roommate had lived here. That felt like a million years ago. Most of the shops appeared looted, but they weren’t there for what might still hold practical value in those businesses. They’d come for a bigger haul.

  Glancing back at the distribution warehouse he hoped was the gold mine of a score his scout, Max, claimed the place to be, his lips compressed. This area was thick with contaminated because of the hospital located here. The city had been uninhabitable almost from the beginning. They just had to hope the contaminated stayed away long enough for them to stock the truck. Even after a decade, the goods inside would still be consumable if the packaging wasn’t compromised. And he’d love to use real toothpaste again.

  Gazing out across the landscape with his binoculars, he saw movement. A single figure ran down the street. From this distance, he assumed it was a child, but he couldn’t tell if it was a girl or boy. The small form was really busting ass. Then he noticed the herd coming up behind the kid. The runner was coming in their direction and bringing danger.

  “Shit.” Reece glanced down at Max. “How close are we to having the door open? Don’t use explosives.”

  “We don’t have to blow it. Nella and James almost have the dock door open.”

  “Good.” Reece let go of a sigh of relief. “Really good. Tell them we need to get inside and secure the place. Now.” He jumped down from the trailer, which was tricky when he was holding binoculars and only had one arm—his right one. “Get everyone inside. I need to go do something.”

  “Where the hell are you going?” Max’s thick, dark brows scrunched together.

  “There’s a kid out there being chased by contaminated, and they’re coming this way. I’m going to try to divert the herd down to the river. Just keep a look out for me.”

  “Dude. That’s a hell of a risk. Let’s just get inside and wait them out. I swear there’s enough food and water inside that we could stay here for months. There’s no reason to go risking your life.”

  “That kid might not agree.”

  “We don’t know anything about this person. They could be contaminated or crazy. Just leave it be and come inside.”

  Reece didn’t try to explain to Max how scarce the resource of uncontaminated humans were these days. They needed to keep the group growing or they’d never make it long term. Too many people had died last winter from flu and malnourishment. He’d take the risk, for his people. Max was a good guy, but he never saw the bigger picture.

  “Keep a look out. Tell Nella she’s in charge until I get back.”

  “Damn it! You’re such a stubborn asshole, but I’ll keep a watch for you myself. Just stay safe or your sister will shoot me.”

  “Nella likes you too much. She’ll get over it.” Reece chuckled. His sister had suffered an on-again, off-again relationship with the tall, blond Viking-want-to-be for six years, ever since Max had joined their group. “I don’t plan to die today.”

  “No one ever does. Don’t forget you have a lot more people depending on you than one stranger. If the kid has made it this long, he’ll probably make it a little longer.”

  They’d wasted enough time arguing. “I’ll be back, just don’t lock me out.”

  Reece set the binoculars down, slapped Max on the back, and took off running down the alley that intersected with the main road. He’d be able to get to the kid without running into any contaminated if they didn’t change course. If they did switch direction, then he sure as hell hoped one of these old buildings had an easy way inside.

  Chapter 3

  McKaye weaved down a side street, desperate to escape the horde of sicks chasing her. She’d been fine, right up until she’d found her house.

  1025 Oak Lane. She gazed up at the one-and-a-half-story cape cod. So many memories flooded her that she stumbled back off the curb and would have fallen if she hadn’t grabbed the mailbox for support. With a squeak, the rusty door opened, and inside yellowed envelopes lay...waiting. She could almost hear her mother calling out the door for her to get the mail.

  She pulled the stack of papers out, disturbing a spider, and looked down at the very overdue bills and a menu for a new restaurant she’d never have the chance to try. The weathered papers were still legible, and this decade-old mail left her feeling sad and a little surreal.

  Her block of older homes built in the 1950s appeared undisturbed. This street was far enough away from the hospital and main street that the fires hadn’t reached the structures. Overgrown lawns and wild vegetation was the only thing that wasn’t in her memory. Even the tattered hummingbird flag on Mrs. O’Leary’s porch looked almost normal. McKaye let go of the breath she’d held and took a step toward the house.

  Memories. She’d come here to collect the memories that were slipping away.

  McKaye opened the bottom of the hollow rock that hid the spare key. Even after all these years it was there. When she slid the key into the lock and turned it, her heart thundered in her ears. Here she was. Home. She should be happy, but strangely, dread filled her.

  She pushed the door open, and the first thing she noticed was the mostly evaporated and algae-laden fish tank against the wall. The second thing that caught her attention was how quiet the house was. The old clock didn’t hum anymore, and she couldn’t hear the refrigerator running. This house was as dead as the rest of the town, and somehow that made her feel empty.

  The day was warming up, and the room was stuffy. Instead of smelling like Pine-Sol cleaner and her mother’s favorite lilac-scented candles, the house smelled musty. Cobwebs covered the cracks scattered across the walls that hadn’t been there a decade ago.

  In the kitchen, the ceiling was brown where the roof leaked now. One of the windows had blown out, maybe from a storm, and there were dried leaves scattered across the floor. Something had built a nest in the sink. The rooster curtains ruffled in the breeze, tattered.

  When she turned the corner to go into the hallway she saw it. Her whole reason for coming—the family photos. Smiling, she took off her backpack and started removing the frames from the wall. She opened them and took out the pictures one-by-one. Her vision blurred. Seeing the beloved faces made her cry. She’d done it. She’d found her family again. The memories wouldn’t fade now. She could hang onto what she had left. She shoved the photos into the front pocket of her backpack.

  McKaye glanced at the door at the end of the hall. Her bedroom. She’d come all the way home, so she should at least take a final look at the room where she’d had so many slumber parties and wrote in her diary about her secret crush. She wasn’t that girl anymore, but saying goodbye to her seemed like the right thing to do.

  She put her hand on the knob. It squeaked, but turned. Opening the door, she saw her purple butterfly chair in the corner and noticed her light string still hung around the canopy over the bed, but what she hadn’t expected was the sicks
gazing into the window, looking right at her. Her goodbye was cut short as she sprinted toward the front door she’d carelessly left open.

  McKaye’s lungs burned and her legs ached as she ran. She’d stayed in good health considering most of her life she’d lived in the apocalypse, but she’d never exactly been a marathon runner. Her endurance hit the wall and her mortality rushed at her like a freight train. She would die.

  Terror gripped her—and so did a hand. Shrieking, she fell helplessly through a doorway. Gazing up, she stared into the gray eyes of a dark-haired male. His graying beard was dark against his gaunt but beautiful face. He was gorgeous. Thick lashes framed his eyes. He held her around her waist with one arm, and she realized his other appendage was missing below the elbow. His clothing was tattered, but clean.

  Slack-jawed, she lay like a mindless fool as he pulled her inside the building and closed the door. He let her go, and then held his finger to his lips as the sound of sicks running past the building made her breath catch. She lay in his lap, still stunned, while the loud rumble outside began to lessen.

  “Who are you?” McKaye whispered.

  He held up his finger again, and she waited with him until the rabble outside had moved farther away.

  “I’m a friend. I have to lead those contaminated in another direction. Follow me, and trust me.”

  It took her a second to realize he was talking about the sicks. Trusting a stranger seemed as stupid as messing with that herd of trouble that just passed by. “Why?”

  “I have people at the warehouse. I need to keep the contaminated away long enough for them to get away and go home.”

  “Home?” She felt like a parrot, and not a very smart one.

  “Yes, we have a safe place. You’re welcome to come with us if you haven’t been touched by the contaminated.”

  “I haven’t. Besides, if I was, you are too now.”

  “Fair point. Do you have people?” he asked.

  “Not anymore.”

  “I’m sorry.” His condolences sounded genuine.

  She nodded. “Thanks. It was a long time ago.”

  “When I noticed you at a distance I thought you were a child.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “No offense meant. I have a lot of questions for you before I take you to my people, but those will have to wait until that herd you’ve brought are taken care of.”

  She didn’t like how it sounded as if he was blaming her. She wasn’t someone who would have brought danger to strangers purposefully. “I wasn’t trying to endanger your people.”

  He shrugged. “Of course. Come on.”

  He stood, and she followed him. Her body still ached from her dash from her house. Home.

  He looked outside, then motioned for her to follow him out the door. She didn’t even know the man’s name, but she went with him across the street, and she noticed they were a few blocks behind the sicks.

  He rushed to the old bank building and grabbed the fire escape ladder, pulling himself up and climbing. Arm strength wasn’t one of her survival skills, but she took a running jump and managed to pull herself up enough to get her foot in the bottom rung. The guy climbed with one arm, so she could at least try since she had two.

  Something about this guy made her trust him. She’d stopped playing it safe the moment she went home. At this point following a stranger seemed like as good a plan as any. So she climbed.

  The guy pulled himself onto the roof. McKaye didn’t look down. She hated heights. She wanted to climb down, but curiosity made her follow him to the roof. He was all the way across by the time she made it up. He wasn’t even winded, and she was totally out of breath.

  “What are we doing?” she asked.

  He took off his backpack. “You’ll see.”

  Scowling, she watched him take something out of his pack that looked a lot like a grenade. He pulled the pin and heaved the explosive, hard. McKaye scooted farther away from the edge of the roof and covered her ears as the boom shook the building under her.

  “Are you fucking crazy?” she hissed.

  He turned to look at her, grinning. “I’ve been told I am, more than once, but right now I’m totally sane. Trust me.”

  This guy was asking a lot from her. More than he could possibly know.

  He pulled out another explosive. “Ready?”

  Before she could say no he pulled the pin. She covered her ears as he tossed the danger away from them. The roof shook. She sat there, uncertain. This guy was crazy! She tried to stay calm, but it was hard. She was at the mercy of a stranger—a stranger with grenades!

  Another blast shook the world. She pressed her hands tighter against her ears, waiting.

  The maniac seemed pretty happy as he pointed. “It’s working.”

  “The explosives?”

  “Yes. The herd is moving toward the river.”

  “Water won’t kill them. They’ll walk on the bottom.”

  “That doesn’t matter. They’re getting away from my people.”

  She restrained her urge to freak out at him. Her hermit-like existence left her out of practice at being human. “Your people aren’t the only ones left. Don’t you know how many families are out there?”

  “What?” His brows drew together as his lips compressed. He blanched.

  “Yes, a bunch of boats are floating together in the center of the river. You’ve just sent sicks out there that will walk on the bottom of the water and could sink the boats.”

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I had no idea there were people out there.”

  “There are. What are we going to do now?”

  He paused. “I have a few more of these.” He held up another explosive.

  She shrugged. “What good will those be?”

  He grinned. It made his rugged face appear younger. Struck by how handsome he was, her breath caught, and she looked away from him. Biting her lip, she hated herself for sparing a moment for attraction. There was no time for nonsense. She looked at him to study his expression.

  He scowled. “We’ll fix this.”

  She was glad he hadn’t understood her reaction. “How?”

  “The same way we caused it. Are you a good jumper?”

  “A good...jumper?”

  He grinned again. She didn’t know if she should sigh or roll her eyes. That grin of his was getting under her skin and fogging up her mind.

  “Follow me.” He swung his pack over his shoulder and took a running leap off the building and onto a lower roof.

  She gazed into the blue space where he’d leapt. She’d been ready to give up last night, but the tingle of fear at the base of her neck that made the hair raise told her she wasn’t ready to die. Goosebumps peppered her forearms. She let go of the breath she’d been holding and sucked in a quick breath, tainted with the stench from the sicks, a reminder of why she had to find her courage.

  McKaye ran. When she jumped she didn’t think she’d make it, right up to the moment her feet hit the ledge and she propelled herself forward, stumbling. Exhilarated, she looked up to see respect on her strange savior’s face. She’d just risked her life to follow this man, and she didn’t even know his name.

  Chapter 4

  Reece watched the woman sail across the gap. There was a terror in her expression that fled the moment she landed. Her smile sent a sucker punch to his gut, and he stood stunned. She was beautiful.

  He’d mistaken her for a child from a distance, but up close there was no doubt she was a grown woman…one who happened to be very attractive. He realized he was drawn to her. Even in the middle of chaos, looking at her reminded him he was still a man.

  She gazed at him with her odd combination of determination and innocence. “What’s your name?”

  He’d expected her to say any number of things, but that question took him by surprise. She made him smile. He’d done more smiling with her in minutes than he’d done in months.

  “Reece. Reece Rogers.”

  “McKaye
.”

  “No, Rogers.”

  She rolled her eyes. Even annoyed she was cute. “I’m McKaye.”

  “McKaye?”

  “Yeah, my mom thought it was clever to give me her maiden name as a first name. She was wrong. I’m McKaye Tanner. I thought we should know each other’s names since we’re going to run around chasing sicks while blowing stuff up.”

  And that dumb smile stayed plastered on his face. If she didn’t stop being so damn adorable, he was going to strain something. “You’re not wrong. It’s good to meet you, McKaye.” He pulled out a grenade. “Two more jumps and I’ll let you pull the pin.”

  “Oh, goodie.”

  He shoved the explosive in his pack and took another running leap. He didn’t look back to see if McKaye followed. She would. Some magnetism between them made him sure.

  On the second building, he skidded to a stop at the edge, and McKaye stopped right behind him. He pulled out the grenade and turned to her. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was panting hard, but her expression was full of excitement.

  She blew the bangs out of her eyes and shook her head. “No way. We can’t afford me wasting one.”

  She was right, but strangely, he was a little disappointed that she hadn’t taken him up on his offer. He shrugged and picked a good spot. The store he chose to use, about two blocks away, had a bunch of crystals hanging in the window. Somehow all that delicate beauty had survived, and he was going to destroy it. He should feel ashamed, but he didn’t.

  “Ready?” he asked her.

  “Hurry, some of them are already down by the docks.”

  He pulled the pin and threw the grenade, hard. It landed short. The explosion was loud, but not as big as he’d hoped. He wanted to save his last grenade, but not all the contaminated turned from the water. He pulled the pin on the last one and hurled it harder. This time it hit the window, smashing it. The grenade landed inside the building, and a second later the place blew.