Page 14

What’s left of the museum vanishes in their rearview mirror as their plans crumble and spiral down the drain.

They head toward an unknown destination with no place to stay and no guarantee of safety.

Olivia should feel upset, afraid, and depressed, yet surprisingly, she’s happy.

It doesn’t matter that the Smithsonian is gone.

Her future still holds more promise now than it ever did before the virus took hold.

The end of the world, for her, marks a turning point that offers newfound freedom.

That’s something she can embrace now that they have officially decided to stick together.

She’s not alone in this anymore. So, instead of crying over the literal explosion of a good plan, she can’t stop smiling.

Probably looks ridiculous, all things considered, but she’s seeing everything with fresh eyes today and each mile they drive further from the city only stokes her excitement.

Cole’s been sliding her curious glances now and then, catching her mesmerized at the passing scenery as if she’s never set foot outside before.

Instead of waiting for the inevitable question, she offers up an answer.

But first, she rifles through the glove box, digging through oil change receipts, to victoriously yank out a few shiny disks.

She pops one in the old CD player and leans her head back against the seat when an upbeat, soft melody wraps around them like a hug.

He doesn’t comment on her music tastes. Despite her suspicion that this isn’t exactly his kind of song, he still taps his finger against the wheel.

“You know when I said I never did anything before all this?” she begins.

“Mhmm.”

“I didn’t just mean work. I never left the house much. Never saw anything new. Met anyone new or did anything exciting,” she pauses, wincing at her own words. “That sounds wrong. I know this is dangerous. I know people have died. Never mind. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Her explanation is falling flat, only making her sound frivolous.

“If it wasn’t for the army, I’d have never left the middle of nowhere town I grew up in.

A visit to that farm would have been it for me,” he replies evenly.

“Me and Wade would go hiking in the woods when we got older. Then hit up the bar sometimes. Him more than me when it comes to that. Wasn’t much else to do. ”

“How did you end up in the city?”

“A friend of his lived out here. Wade’s an ass but he’s loyal. Usually. This guy saved his life one time, so when the virus hit and he didn’t pick up his phone, we came to check. He didn’t make it. He was already rotting when we found him. How ‘bout you? Did you live in the city?”

“No. We only came this far in because Jason wanted to try the safe zones. Thought they’d offer a better chance.”

Cole snorts. “The only guy to go into the most populated areas to stay safe. ”

“I never said he was that bright. Would have been smarter to stay in the suburbs, but right about now I’m not regretting anything about how it all happened.

If we didn’t come out here, then me and Lucy would still be with him.

” Cole goes silent, and she realizes she’s doing that thing again, focusing on the past instead of the future.

“Sorry, I talk about him a lot. Too much. He doesn’t deserve to be remembered. ”

“Can’t forget that fast. This one here is still brand new.” He gestures to Lucy, asleep in her arms. “The rest of it is, too. The only thing that’ll get rid of that kinda demon is time and even then, they stick around.”

“Spoken like someone who knows from personal experience?”

He nods but doesn’t elaborate. She’s gathered that he had a hard time growing up in foster care, but Cole keeps his secrets closer than she does.

Then again, she’s the one who’s had all her wounds slashed open in the last week and he happened to be there to see it.

Maybe it makes sense the pages in her book are far easier to read.

“Anyway, I know what you mean about being excited to see new shit, even in all this.”

She raises a brow, her tone light and teasing. “You’re excited, huh? I dunno, kinda hard to tell.”

“This is my excited face,” he deadpans. “And this is the usual ‘ain’t got time for this shit’ face.”

Watching one corner of his mouth quirk up to break the stoic facade, she can’t help but laugh at the identical and emotionless expressions. “I see the difference. You should tone it down.”

“Too much?”

“Way too much. Your excitement is overwhelming me. ”

No one has ever possessed or tried to hone the skill of making her smile like he does, but he wields it effortlessly.

“I won’t let it be like that for her,” Olivia says, softly. “She’s going to see things. Not right away because I know it’s not safe, but one day, when we can teach her to protect herself, she can be a part of the world instead of sitting on the sidelines. She won’t be afraid like I was.”

We. That word slipped right out before she could catch it.

“You haven’t been afraid much since I met you.” Is all he says, as if she’s far braver and stronger than she actually is. They both know that’s not true.

“I hide it well. Usually.”

“Like my excited face?”

“Exactly.”

“Hey check that out.”

She follows his pointed finger to a small strip mall at the edge of a park before he pulls into the lot in front of a posh storefront boasting fancy baby items.

A lone rotter scratches at the glass. Strips of skin hang from her teeth and blood coats her mouth, all clear evidence that she bit someone before getting stuck in here. After finding the door unlocked, Cole carefully stabs his knife through a small gap and leads the way inside.

It’s like Disneyland for new parents. Rows upon rows of clothes and carriers, creams and blankets. She stands still, uncertain of where to start, with everything she needs at her fingertips.

“Whatcha waiting for? Let’s go shopping.” He nudges her with a gentle elbow.

“Some of this would have been impossible to afford before the virus. ”

“Now it’s all free. Everything is. The only price we pay is survival.”

She aims for a rack of clothing first, picking up fluffy coats and tiny outfits in different colored stripes and patterns. Lays Lucy on a wide display table and holds one up to check the sizing.

“Heads up!” he calls out, tossing her a piece of clothing. “Gotta take that one.”

He tosses her a onesie with a fluffy white kitten on the front playing with a ball of yarn, the perfect visual representation of his nickname for the baby.

No time like the present to try it out. Olivia stuffs Lucy’s tiny arms and legs into it on the spot, happy to see it fits and impressed at how patient her daughter is about all this fussing.

“What do you think?” She waves Cole over, showing off the new outfit with a proud smile on her lips.

Cole isn’t often expressive. That joke about all his faces looking the same was spot on back at the car, but sometimes, if she pays close enough attention, she can see the difference. Like when he’s worried and does that scowling squint, or now, when he’s trying to hide his smile.

“Looks good. You got an opinion on this?” He directs that question to the baby, who faintly squeals in response, wrinkling her nose. “I’ll take that to mean it’s her favorite.”

“Clearly so. She has good taste.”

He’s got the attention span of a fruit fly when he’s shopping.

He grabs a new item every five seconds, constantly fiddling with them.

Olivia’s busy stuffing diaper creams in her bag when she spots him wrapping a proper sling around himself, testing the weight it’ll hold by pushing on the hammock with both hands .

He hadn’t noticed she’d been staring at him the whole time. Watching this man, she’s definitely not growing attracted to put on a baby sling like he’d be happy to cart around her child.

“This is a good one,” he grunts, unsnapping the straps to shove it into his bag before handing her a second sling. “Not flimsy. Could put a bowling ball in this thing. We should get two in case we lose one.”

She tries it on right away, gasping in blissful approval. “Oh my god, it’s amazing. Look! No hands!”

He flashes her a thumbs-up in return.

Lucy is little, but carrying around this small bundle for hours on end can get heavy. Now, she can let her arms rest while the baby is safely nestled against her chest.

“I’m gonna see what they have in the back room,” she calls out. “Maybe a car seat that’ll fit her. Everything out here is too big.”

“Wait!”

Her hand already brushes the door handle when he yells out for her to stop and all at once she knows exactly what her mistake was.

“Check first.” He taps on the door, pressing his ear to the wood. “Hear ‘em?”

Sure enough, the groan of the dead percolates on the other side when she leans in close to listen. Olivia was about to walk right into that with Lucy like a complete fool. She was too lost in her head and it’s a costly mistake that could have risked their lives.

Cole cracks the door an inch, stabbing the first rotter easily, but the next one takes him by surprise. It’s barely knee-high, and he almost gets a child-sized bite to the leg before ending it. Matching blonde hair, nearly platinum, confirms who the little one belonged to.

The silence that follows is eerie like the room revealed to them. Several employees lay mauled on the ground, a party banner tangled in one’s arms and the intestines of another strewn across the floor.

“Must’ve been hiding from the one out there, and then someone turned.” He pulls out the knife tucked into the waistband of the woman’s pants, hefting its weight. “Try this one out.”

It’s silver and small, but with a blade long enough to do the job. Her fingers wrap around the handle easily, a perfect fit.

“I wasn’t thinking,” she whispers, gripping the knife tight. “I almost walked right in here.”

“No one got hurt. You made a mistake, but you won’t make that one again. Right?”