Stay Together Chapter 14 by Maira Dawn

Chapter 14

(COPYRIGHT©2024 MAIRA DAWN)

Emily’s grip tightened around the strap of her backpack strap as she trailed behind her family down the dimly lit parking garage ramps and out onto the road. Her heart thudded in her chest, each ragged breath she took threatening to choke her.

She did her best to avoid looking up at the looming airport windows. She’d already made that mistake once before. It had been unsettling enough to realize everyone was watching them. But when a teen girl had started frantically waving at her, as if begging them for help, Emily had almost lost it.

Everything in her screamed for her to run back in the building and rescue the girl. 

Emily hauled in a large breath and started to turn toward her father, ready to beg him to help the girl. But before she could utter a word, a man who looked as if he could be the girl’s father walked up and put his arm around her and turned her away from the window and back inside. The girl turned to send Emily a long, sad look, as if uneasy over the decision to stay at the airport.

Emily agreed. She couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that their decision to stay put was a mistake. But then again, nothing had felt right since the plane crash.

“Weird, huh?” her brother said as he walked beside her. He tipped his head toward the airport windows. “You’d think they’d all want outta there. And he’s dragging her back in.”

“You saw that too? Yeah, it was strange. But everything seems weird right now,” she replied with a heavy sigh.

“It sure does,” Mike said, as he rubbed his back. “Including my back, especially after sleeping in the car last night.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Emily mumbled. 

“I know what ya meant,” Mike said. “Don’t worry. We’ll get used to it.”

“Oh, god. I hope not.” She only half-listened as Mike launched into a story about one of his classmates. Apparently, the boy’s family had RV’d across the United States for a couple of years. It has seemed unusual at first, but soon it was just a way of life.

“I hear you,” she offered, though she couldn’t imagine ever getting used to this world they were facing. “I just hope it never becomes so normal that I stop striving for what we had—well, what we had yesterday.”

She broke down in tears as she said it out loud. Yesterday, just yesterday, the morning had been normal. Now . . . she couldn’t even wrap her mind around all the changes that had occurred overnight. 

And every small thing seemed intertwined with so many bigger things. Like the butterfly effect. Every time she tried to imagine even the smallest change, it spiraled into something larger and more overwhelming. 

Like her stupid shampoo and conditioner — her favorite. It was now the cargo hold of a burned plane. What if she never found another bottle? Worse yet, what if there were no hair products left and even basic items like soap got all used up? 

How would they stay clean without them? Would they get sick from being dirty all the time? How ill would they get? Her heart raced. Could a person die from no soap? 

Stop it! She scolded herself with a deep sigh. 

But she soon found she could spiral over anything.

Pop-Tarts. No food. Everyone dead.

Utilities. No heat. Freezing winter. Everyone dead. 

And a big one, contaminated water. She knew for a fact people could die from that.

Emily shook her head, trying to chase away the dark thoughts. They weren’t dead yet. Far from it. 

Focus on the now. She spotted a cracked piece of asphalt with a single weed growing through it. Its small white flower brought a glimmer of joy to her heart as she walked on.

An hour later, the sun was warmer, but not much higher in the sky. The pack on Emily’s back seemed heavier than it should, and she imagined it would only seem like more of a burden as the day wore on. 

Last night, she had imagined the roads to be crowded with people desperately trying to get home if they lived close enough to attempt it.

But for as far as she could see, it was only her family, along with Ian and Nancy. 

Maybe it was just her. Or perhaps because of the trouble they’d had the last twenty-four hours, but there seemed an eeriness to the morning. 

It was dead quiet, except for a few birds calling to each other. And the slap of their feet on the pavement.

Emily was almost relieved when Mike began chattering about something else, this time to their mother. Liz nodded at his story, but her eyes scanned the road — back and forth, back and forth.

Mom felt it too.

She glanced at her father and Ian. Both men seemed tense and on high alert for any signs of danger.

But it was her mom who saw him first. Liz grabbed her husband’s arm, nodding toward the lone man emerging from behind an abandoned car.

Emily’s gaze shot from her mother and dad to the man, and she froze as they did.

Her heart raced as the tall, unsteady man stumbled toward them. 

“Dad,” she whispered urgently.

“It’s okay. I see him.” His hand drifted toward the weapon she’d seen him holster on his side.

Tension crackled as the man drew closer, his movements erratic. James exchanged a quick glance with Ian, who nodded in silent agreement, ready to act if needed.

When the stranger paused a few feet in front of them, he stopped. He eyed them all as if as uncertain of them as the group was of him.

His clothes were disheveled. There was a long tear in his jeans and stained with what looked like blood. 

There was a wild look in his eyes. And though he had empty hands, he tightly clenched them. Emily wasn’t sure if he was ready to fight or flee.

Elizabeth moved closer to Emily and Mike, placing a protective hand on each of their shoulders.

James took a few steps forward toward the man, with Ian right beside him. “Hey there,” he said to the stranger, his voice steady and non-confrontational, even if his hand rested on his waist. “You okay?”

The man eyed the group warily. After a tense moment of silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Food . . . water . . . please,” he mumbled. 

Empathy washed over Emily. Clearly, he was struggling.

Her dad slowly reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water and a protein bar, offering them out to the stranger.

“Here,” James said in a kind voice. “Take these.”

After a moment of hesitation, the man reached out and gratefully accepted the supplies, gulping down the water and tearing into the protein bar with trembling fingers.

“Thank you,” he said between bites. “I haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon. I know it’s not that long, but it seems like it. Name’s Will.”

The tension in the air eased a little.

“No problem,” Emily’s dad replied, a relieved expression on his face. “You need help?”

Will shrugged, swallowing the last bite of the bar. “I was on my way home from work - quite a drive for me. But then something happened to my car...and all the other cars on the road. They just stopped working. Drivers lost control and there’s a huge pileup on the highway. I got caught in it when I got slammed from behind. The crash gouged my leg pretty badly. But I’m hoping to make it home today. I pray my wife and kids made it there safely.”

“Where you headed?” Ian asked.

“Over to the Southeast side of the city. You headed that way?”

James and Ian exchanged a glance, then looked at the women, who nodded their heads in agreement.

Ian shook his head. “Not really. But we could share the road for a while, if you’d like.”

Continued . . .

Please remember this is a developing story and in a rawer state than what I publish. As such, it has only been self-edited and you will see some errors.

In addition, some changes may occur between now and publishing, including major storylines. I try to avoid this, but it sometimes happens.

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