Chapter One

1

"Here it is safe." I tried to tune the rest of the droning radio out, its shiny green exterior was washed out from years at the beach. It had been easy to find, there was always a spare radio at the local lake. Although lake really wasn't the right term, it was about 20 feet wide and could easily be walked through, there wasn't even enough room to host fish. But it was a great place for frogs in the summer. The thought made me smile as my mind panned through the blurry memories of summers spent there with my family and friends. I heard another soft sputter come through the radio, here it is safe. We had created a radio broadcast that would transmit this message, so any survivors could come find us. Creating the broadcast was all succubus' idea, he didn't seem like the type to pay attention in school but he was actually very smart. If i'm honest neither me or luka would have come up with the idea of a radio message.

 Luka waited patiently by the radio day after day, as if her family would hear it, yet no one had responded to the call. Sometimes when she sat there I would watch her, not in a weird way but it intrigued me how far away she seemed. The radio was only a slow hum, like a hive of bees, but it seemed to take her somewhere else entirely. 

We all knew the truth but no one could bring themselves to tell her to give up. We assumed her family had all died from the virus but the way she sat there, sparked a small bit of hope in me as well. I knew my family was gone but maybe hers was still out there somewhere. Succubus had gotten close a few times to telling her to give up but I always made sure to interrupt him. If the hope that her parents were still alive kept her going, I didn't want him or anyone taking that from her. 

I knew they were all attached to this old dingy warehouse, it had been our only constant since everything changed so much. But For the last three weeks I had made it my personal mission to try and convince them it was time to move on and find others. I mean we couldn't just wait here and hope someone would find us via our radio. There had to be others, others that were hidden safe away in a bunker somewhere. A team of scientists, or researchers who will find a cure- or know the answers to questions we keep asking. The last I had known there was a scientific research base in Texas, which was halfway across the country. If it was already hard to convince them it was time to leave, it was a billion times harder to make a 1000 mil trek across the country to a supposed science base. I wasn't positive it still existed, or even existed at all. 

It also didn't help that Luka and I had already spent over two years in the same place. She would never want to leave, when she found somewhere she was comfortable she stayed there at all costs. But really could I blame her? Everything had changed so quickly in a matter of months, why wouldn't she cling to some sort of stability. Somehow I would need to convince her, if she got on the plan everyone else with us would be too. My chest bubbled with the anxiety of leaving, if we did manage our way to texas and there was no one there it would've been a waste. We would've left our only home for nothing. How was I supposed to convince them if I didn't even believe it myself?

 I looked at myself in the dusty mirror, the bright red dress filled the dark space with a scent of home. It was the only dress she had been able to take from her house before leaving. She thought she looked dingy, but Jacob watched her twirling in front of the mirror with awe. She looked absolutely stunning, a burst of colour in a world of darkness. The dress was a bright red with a puffy skirt that was covered in glitter. The glitter would have been a nuisance at a different time but now it was welcomed. Sometimes the sun would catch the floor just right and it would light up, it was amazing how beautiful it looked. 

She twirled again and he was brought back, he hadn't always looked at her like he did now, when they first met out in the city- glass littering the streets and burning buildings emitting plumes of smoke into the bright blue sky. It was blissfully Beautiful, the cold crisp air making him nostalgic. Had everything been normal, this exchange might have happened differently. He would've seen her, maybe asked her out for coffee. He had never actually gone out on a date with someone but he knew exactly where he would go. There was a beautiful french coffee shop on the corner of main and sixth. And across from it was a vintage music shop where you could get an assortment of records and tapes. My best friend Skyler had always taken me there, every Sunday after church.

 Our parents forced us to go but after that we could go out to town and hang out. Sometimes we would go to the skate park but one September it was particularly cold and Skyler complained about the long walk to the park and said she would rather go get coffee and watch the birds. I had complained relentlessly but it hasn't turned out so bad after all. So every Sunday after that, she pulled him to the coffee shop and dove deep into all of the books she had just read, flirting between expressing her exasperation at his lack of reading and complaining about the many plot holes her books seemed to have. I have no idea why she would purposefully read terrible books but she never wanted to elaborate. She hadn't survived the disease, though she tried to stay with me as long as possible. I remember how her face had gradually become more sunken and her clothes began to hang from her frame, she could barely walk. She was the first one to go, and then only two weeks later my mother died. My mom's death was the final straw, I had lost everyone at that point. I really had no plans after that, well besides surviving, I basically went on autopilot, wandering the streets and avoiding anyone and everything at all costs. you could never tell who's three shades deep into the sickness. And it wasn't worth the risk to attempt to find anyone. At least until the day he saw ruby. 

She stared at him, waiting to see what he would do, or maybe even figuring out the best way to kill me. She was almost as tall as I was and had dark brown hair, It was curly and looked almost gold in the sunlight. She was bright eyed and wary as she stared at me down, asking a silent question; are you one of them? What i hadn't realized at the time was that the intensity in her stare was fear, it took a long time to learn her face but in the moment it looked like steel cold rage.

I slowly backed away from her with my hands raised, the dragging of my feet spit up bits of broken glass. I really did not want to start a fight with this girl, I had no doubt she would finish it. 

 I was finally far enough away that I took my chance and escaped. I could hear the slap of her feet on the pavement, which only gave me incentive to run faster. I thought I was finally making distance when I felt her twisting my arm and pulling me, her skin was hot on my back and I could hear her breathing heavily. I was running so fast that the sudden stop made me trip over my own feet and my face scraped into the ground without my hands to take the fall. 

 She put her hand against the back of my neck pushing my face further into the gravel. I shifted my face over so i could open my eyes without the threat of glass, i could already feel the small cuts on my face. Maybe she really was infected. I braced myself to feel the pain that would come when the sickness took over her brain and decided I would make a good dinner. But it never came. Instead a small voice, not something I would ever have associated with her, said, "Who are you? Where are you from?" How old was she? She looked about seventeen but her voice made her seem even younger.

I turned my head slightly and said, "I'm Jacob. Jacob Sinclair." I could barely move my mouth to talk and when I did I felt the glass shards drive deeper into my left cheek. 

 "Okay, Jared Simon. Why are you here? I haven't seen you around this side of Echoes- and I've been here a while." she drawled, almost sounding bored. I tried to move my arms and protect my face but she saw the movement and grabbed my hands with more strength than I thought she had.

 "Its Jaco-"

 "Okay, Jackson"

"Nevermind. Well I'm here because I'm looking for others who have not been affected by the disease. I know I can't be the only one." Her voice shook for a moment but she covered it quickly.

She flipped me over onto my back, and sat back down on my stomach leaning closer to my face. I could feel her breath on my face as she looked me over. Her eyes were a deep green, the sort of color you would think is only saved for the forest but her eyes captured it beautifully. she stared at me for a moment longer then seemed to come to a decision. 

"You're right, there are others. There's a few of us who have been living in one of the abandoned warehouses for some time now. I'll let you come with me but if you try anything I will stab you in the neck." she said it with such authority I knew she wasn't just playing the part. She started walking towards a section of the city I still hadn't been to much and that's when I saw the silver glint of the knife she kept in one of her belt loops. It was perfectly clean, it made me wonder if she had ever had the need to use it. She turned her head back quickly and saw me looking at the knife. She removed it from the loop and walked towards me and cut the hem of my shirt in one clean cut. "Yes it's real."she said, laughing at my dumbstruck face.

That night she took me to the warehouse and introduced me to the others, well one other at that time. Her name was Luka, she had dark hair that reminded me of my mothers, she had always taken great pride in it and spent hours braiding it in the most intricate designs. Luka had a deep tan and Freckles covered her face, but were almost invisible as she was mostly covered in dirt. She looked at me surprised, but her face immediately changed to anger as her eyes landed on the girl behind me. I hadn't been here long but I already knew this fight had been going on long before I got here.

 "Really Ruby? You had to bring a stray? Did you even check to see if he was healthy?" 

The girl behind me, Ruby, rolled her eyes and pulled me over to a chair in the corner of the room. It was made of dark gray leather and was covered in a light layer of grime. It seemed the whole place, even the girls had this layer of dirt. The ground was cement and oddly had red glitter covering the floor, maybe they had tried to decorate?

 "Obviously, how stupid do you think I am Luka? And I can check him for symptoms right now. Besides, we're both immune anyway." her voice held a hint of underlying anger.

"Fine. While you're over there you might as well check him for bugs." Luka sighed.

"Bugs? You know I can talk right? What's going on? You could at least tell me what's going on!" I said, frustrated that they weren't even acknowledging me. 

Ruby hit me with the brush, "shut up jackson." she continued to take the brush through my hair, she seemed to be pulling it through even more aggressively than she needed to.

"It's Jacob and I think you should try to be nicer considering you're the one holding me captive."

I looked over across the dark dingy room and Luka was trying to hide her smile, "come on Roo, cut the boy some slack."

Ruby had moved over to face me, checking my temperature with the back of her hand. It was hot against my head and I could only wonder if she had a fever. Maybe she should have checked herself for the disease.I saw the hint of a smile cross her lips when she glanced over at the other girl. Luka was busy with a pad of paper and a pen, scribbling out something. She didn't seem to notice the looks Ruby kept giving her. It was the kindest expression I had seen on her all day. I had hoped for the longest time that Luka and Ruby were just friends. But it took only three weeks for me to realize that was hopeless. I saw it in the way Ruby watched Luka when she thought no one was looking. I heard it in Lukas' voice when her tone changed from sour to sweet. They didn't outright say it but anyone could see it. Their hidden smiles and cute gestures reminded me of middle school when they would pass the check yes or no boxes. It was sweet but I hoped it would last about as long as the middle school ones did, give or take a week.

I smiled at the memory, it was when I first realized I might actually be able to make it through this atrocity. I looked back at Ruby who was frowning at her reflection. The mirror she looked into was covered in dust and was almost impossible to clean. The edge was rimed with golden twists and fragile flowers. We had gotten it from Ruby's old house, and the trek there had left her sobbing. 

She shook her head walking away from the mirror and back to the storage closet where she had left her day clothes. He saw how graceful she walked, almost perfectly balanced, yet Ruby thought she was too sloppy. Always working to improve her silent tread, be better. She chanted in her head, almost like a mantra. Her dad had always taught her to be the best she could, there was always room for improvement. 

 She closed the door behind her, sliding down to the floor. The concrete was cold against her thighs. The only room in the entire building and it didn't even have carpet. Her dress filled up the tiny room, engulfing herself in the thin satinay fabric. It smelled of home, and her mother. 

She remembered the day she had gotten it, her parents had argued about even getting her one. Finally her mother had dragged her out of the house, her face stained in mascara and eyeliner. They sat in the driveway for an hour as her mother gave her advice about men, over and over. Ruby had never even considered dating a guy until her mother had pressured her to get a date to the winter formal.

I watched as my mom wiped away the makeup, and it left no marks, as if it had never even been there in the first place. It was as if what just happened was only in my mind. I watched as she redrew the lines on her face and wondered if one day I would be in her place. Erasing the marks of an argument with my husband with my daughter sitting in the car next to me. She picked up her purse and looked through her wallet, there was a 50$ bill and bit her lip in worry. "It's okay if I can't go, mom." She looked at me sharply.

"No you're gonna go. Even if I had money problems they dont concern you," she stared at me, I saw my own green eyes reflected in her face. Her eyes were intense, "do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am, I understand." Even though I said I understood, I really didn't at the time. She was protecting me from our money troubles. Not many people get the luxurie of being unaware of it but I'm thankful she did.

 I rested her face in her hands, taking a deep breath. Moments like this, when I was on my own I could finally relax. I didn't have to constantly worry about taking care of others. It was the first time I had even slightly understanded the responsibility my mom felt for me. And yes, I wasn't the oldest but I was the best at scoping areas out and getting food without being noticed. 

As I changed back to my day clothes my thoughts shifted to Luka. We had gotten into a fight recently. I stood in the door of the dressing room, the red dress balled up in my arms, the red fabric stood out against the warm tan of my arms. Its silk overflowed from my tight grasp. I looked out into the room, my heart swelled when my eyes landed on her dark hair, it was up in a messy bun. She sat with her head down in a book, she was as always next to the plasticy green radio. The book was torn and dirty, on the cover was a small boy in a yellow rain jacket holding a balloon. It had the word, It, inscribed across the front in blood red letters. I had heard of the book before but never felt the need to pick it up.

 The feeling went away with a moment of anxiety. We had gotten into a fight after I had brought another one home; Succubus.

 Luka tapped me on the shoulder shocking me with her cold fingers, I looked up to see her face in a frown. I sighed, getting up slowly and following her outside the warehouse. "What?" I asked, annoyance creeping into my voice. I folded my arms to my chest feeling hyper aware of the roughness of the sweater I wore. I looked out at the fields and saw rows of houses in the distance. I felt a moment of grief for them, There were probably families once. Who knows if there was anyone else left to mourn them. I looked back at Luka and met her stormy brown eyes. 

"We really need to talk about you bringing anyone and everyone home. I mean there is a literal virus going around and you're bringing home strangers? God Ruby!" she said running her hands through her dark wavy hair, agitated. She turned away from me and spoke through her fingers. "I can't lose you!" this was the closest Luka had ever gotten to showing her emotions. 

"And you won't! But they needed help! How am I supposed to just ignore that!"

"Do you not remember Rosalynn?!"

"Of course I do! Why do you think I keep bringing people here? So they don't go through the same thing she did!"

She turned around to face me, her eyes shining.she walked slowly to me and hugged me tighter than she ever had, I fell into her tight embrace. I let out tears I didn't even know I had been holding. She held me out and wiped the tears from my eyes and softly said, "Please Ruby, no more. I can't lose you-"

"I know. I need you too."

She smiled, and hugged me again for a few more moments before pulling away and leaving the chilled air to take her place. Far away I heard the distant sounds of geese making their way back south for winter. She walked back to the warehouse sitting once again by the humming radio. Sometimes I wondered if the constant buzzing coming from it was almost a comfort for her. Maybe some long ago memory of a different time, but if so Luka had never told me. I looked back to the city and closed my eyes, I could almost imagine what it looked like, long ago when the lights were bright and the city was alive with movement. Now it stood still, except for the occasional pack of the infected chasing an old house cat. I sighed remembering all of the dreams I had, had for the future. I was going to go to California, my grades were good enough to get me into Berkeley, and I would be as far away from this city as possible. I smiled at the thought, when my biggest worries were SAT scores.

I shook my head coming back to the present. I walked over to Luka and tapped her on the shoulder, "Hey, I'm gonna go out today, do we need anything?" 

"Not really, just some canned vegetables or fruit. Don't forget- No strays. No more."she barely lifted her head to acknowledge I was there, still absorbed into her book. I wish she would be outwardly mad at me and not just pretend everything was okay. I hated how passive she was about it.

I shook my head, annoyed. "Yeah. I remember."

...

I started out looking through one of the old abandoned supermarkets filling my bag with pears and green beans. Jackson had said that if he had to eat another green bean he would feed himself to the mutts, with that thought I made sure to put a few more cans in. The next building I went to was an old music store, the glass windows were somehow still intact and it looked about as good as any store could in this situation. I looked across the road at the old cafe, it served the best mocha lattes and had been where my first date was with my old boyfriend Jared. I hadn't actually liked him much but it just seemed normal to date him after he asked me out to the winter formal. 

The music store hadn't been opened in at least three years. I still had fond memories of coming here as a kid, getting to pick out a tape for my birthday. But today I wasn't here for me, I was here for Luka. She had told me once she loved old indie music, even singing some of her favorites when I try to sleep. Really I wasn't much of a fan, but I guess I could suffer through for her, and then we wouldn't have to listen to the unsettling hum of the radio. I picked out one that was wrapped in shiny orange plastic, though it might have just been from how long it sat there. Honestly I don't think anyone had touched this section, even when the business was open. 

On the front cover was written the words video games. By some artist named Lana El Rey. I slid it into my pouch, looking around to see if there was anything else I could snag while I was here. I walked through the aisles grabbing whatever cds and tapes I could. Everything seemed to have a layer of dust. If there had ever been any food here, it had definitely gone bad by now. I looked around one last time in case I had missed anything and then I opened the door, the bell rang. It came out all warped, it definitely had lost its shape due to the heat. But the loud sound sliced through the silence like a knife. I hadn't realized how quiet it was till now. Not even the birds dared to make even a whisper of sound. 

Why hadn't I been more observant! I heard the heavy footsteps of hundreds. Thudding down the road and sidewalk. If Luka had been here she would've known. She would have been more careful. I took in a quick breath, judging the scene. I could either try to outrun the mutts or find another way out of here. I bit my lip trying to figure out the best way but nothing was making sense. They were getting closer and I could hear their heavy panting, why a bunch of undead humans needed to breathe was beyond me. I turned around racing back into the store, and climbing up the ladder that led to a hatch in the ceiling. Please, please, please, I chanted in my head, begging for it to lead to the roof. I was halfway up the ladder when the bag I had wrapped around my chest got caught on a large piece of metal that poked out from the wall. I pulled my bag harder, the metal piece ripping through the bag and cutting my arm in the process. The blood began pouring from an open cut on my arm drenching the deep grey bag. I finally got free and scrambled up the ladder, my foot slipped once or twice but my first patch of good luck seemed to come. When I opened the hatch a breeze of warm air hit me in the face, almost knocking me off the ladder. I stood up on the gravel roof and quickly slammed the hatch closed behind me. I looked out at the city, how long would I have to stay here? Would they come looking for me? I knew they would, I felt unsettled with the idea of them coming out to look for me and coming to face this pack of humanoids. I closed my eyes, taking in a breath of cold air, it made my throat hurt for a moment and that was enough to relax me. I would just have to wait up here and they would be smart enough to wait for me to come back. They would be okay. 

The sky above was the colour of summer, bright blue and full of clouds. Even though the city was falling apart this little bit of peace surrounded me. I could almost pretend that there wasn't a hoard of the undead chasing me, that everything was normal, that later tonight I would be going home to have dinner with my family. 

She sat up there, above the world, watching the sun fall down below the horizon. Lost in dreams of the past. While she was there, barely aware of the world, Jacob paced around the warehouse with worry.