Stay Together Chapter 16 by Maira Dawn
Chapter 16
(COPYRIGHT©2024 MAIRA DAWN)
Emily froze. Her heart racing. The entire group turned toward the store, and like her, braced themselves for whatever may come.
“Did you see who did that?” Will asked as he stepped forward and peered into the store.
“No, but earlier I heard someone inside,” Nancy replied, her voice trembling.
“Will and I will go check it out,” James said. “The rest of you stay here and keep watch.”
James and Will were on high alert as they entered the store. Emily was amused to find that regardless of her father’s instructions, most of the group followed him. Everyone scanned the inside of the store for potential danger. It didn’t take long for them to find the source of the noise - a shelf had collapsed near the back of the store.
She frowned. Something like that rarely happened by itself.
Something to the side of it moved. A young man stood. The sun hit her eyes and even when she shielded them, she couldn’t clearly see his face. Knowing it was safe, she turned and walked the few paces to where Ian and Nancy were keeping a lookout.
From there, Emily could still hear some of the conversation, even if it was difficult to hear the boy’s answers. And although the sun wasn’t in her eyes, the people in the store seemed as if they were in shadow.
“Who are you?” Will demanded as they approached cautiously.
The young man stood and faced Will. “Andrew. What is yours?”
James and Will exchanged a glance. “I’m Will and this is James. Do you work here?”
“Of course not. I was just trying to find some bottled water. I didn’t know what kind of people you were, so I waited to come out until you were gone.” He glanced down and shook his head. “Stupid thing got in my way.”
“Happens to everyone,” James said. “Are you by yourself?”
Andrew frowned. “How is that any of your business?”
James held up his hands. “Hey, I’m a good guy. I’m only asking because we’re headed to our home. If you want to walk along with us so you aren’t alone, you’re welcome to.”
“That might be okay. I’ll get my water first.”
James and Will walked back outside. Her dad shrugged and said to the others, “Can’t leave the boy on his own.”
All the adults nodded.
As Andrew sauntered out of the store, Emily’s heart fell. She couldn’t believe he was there, standing in front of her. In school, he had always given her a sense of unease, with his piercing eyes and smug grin. She wanted to flee from his presence, but that would only make things more awkward. So she forced a tight smile and greeted him.
“Hi, Andrew. What brings you here?”
He seemed surprised to see her too, but Emily couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had been expecting her.
“I was trying to meet some friends at that new restaurant near the airport last night. But my car stopped working, like all the others, and I’ve been stuck here ever since.” He gestured towards her dad and Will. “They kindly offered to let me hang out with them instead of being alone.”
“Yeah. Well, I wouldn’t want to be by myself either,” Emily replied, quickly walking away to join her mother, hoping to distance herself from Andrew’s unsettling presence.
Of all people, why did it have to be him they ran into? She glanced back to find him staring at her. A chill ran down her spine.
As morning wore on, the sun’s intensity grew until it beat down on the cracked pavement, creating shimmering waves of heat. Emily’s legs felt like lead, each step a monumental effort. She could hear the ragged breathing of her companions, see their slumped shoulders ahead of her.
“You okay, Michael?” Emily asked, glancing at her brother. His face was flushed, sweat beading on his forehead.
“I’m fine,” Michael mumbled, but he clearly didn’t mean it.
Emily’s heart clenched. He was trying so hard to be brave. “We’ll rest soon,” she promised, even as doubt gnawed at her. It really wasn’t up to her.
Michael stumbled, his sneaker catching on a fissure in the asphalt. Emily’s hand shot out, steadying him. “Whoa there, buddy. I’ve got you.”
“Thanks,” Michael said softly, leaning into her touch for a moment.
“Remember that time we hiked up to Miller’s Ridge?” she said, forcing cheer into her voice. “This is just like that. One foot in front of the other.”
Michael managed a weak smile. “Yeah, but that had ice cream at the end.”
Emily laughed, the sound startling in the eerie quiet. “Tell you what, when we get home, I’ll make you the biggest ice cream sundae ever.”
“Promise?” Michael’s eyes lit up, a glimpse of his old self shining through.
“Cross my heart,” Emily vowed, ruffling his hair.
As they trudged on, Emily scanned the road ahead, alert for any threat. But there was nothing - no movement, no sound. Just the relentless sun and their labored footsteps.
Just when she thought it was impossible to continue on her dad pointed out a patch of green in the distance. A park?
“Let’s take a break there,” he called out, voice gravelly from thirst. The words caught in his throat, and he coughed, trying to clear it.
Emily and Michael perked up. “Really?”
“Yeah.” James nodded, already moving towards the green oasis. “Over there.”
The group practically stumbled onto the grass, collapsing with audible sighs of relief. Emily lowered herself to the ground, muscles screaming in protest.
“Oh, man,” Michael groaned, sprawling out. “I forgot grass could feel this good.”
Emily laughed weakly. “It’s like a five-star hotel bed.”
Her Mom and Dad stopped and sat beside them. “How’re you two holding up?” James asked Emily.
She shrugged. “I’ll manage. Michael’s the one I’m worried about.”
“I’m doing fine,” Michael protested.
James tossed the hair on the top of his son’s head and Michael giggled. “I know it’s a hard hike, but we’ll all get home safe,” he promised as he grinned as his children.
Emily met his gaze and smiled back , a silent thank you passing between them. Her father’s brief words had been encouraging to Michael and her.
Her mother leaned back against a gnarled oak that stood near the children. She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. The rustle of leaves overhead whispered a lullaby, soothing everyone’s frayed nerves.
“You okay?” James’s voice cut through their momentary peace.
Elizabeth cracked one eye open. “Just resting.” She gave him a weak smile. “Don’t worry so much.”
James snorted. “Can’t help it. It’s my job.”
“Your self-appointed job,” she corrected, reaching out to squeeze his hand.
He intertwined their fingers. “Someone’s gotta do it.”
Silence fell, broken only by the wind’s soft sighs. Elizabeth dozed off.
Emily knew a lot of teenagers would hate overhearing a conversation like that between their parents, but she thought it was rather cute.
It seemed only a minute or two later when her dad’s voice jolted her awake. She hadn’t even realized she’d been dozing.
“We need to keep moving.” He was already on his feet, scanning the darkening sky. “Storm’s coming.”
Emily rose. “I really hope we don’t get caught in the rain.”
“It might be better than this sun.”
Andrew’s voice gave her a shock. She hadn’t expected him to be this close—overly close—to her.
She quickly took a step away. “That’s true. It might be.” She turned away, catching his displeasure as she did so, and hurriedly jogged up to her mom.
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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