Strays Read online

  He’s right there. I can see him from the basement window, tying his shoe by the bus stop. His pungent blood smells like sweet yogurt. If I wasn’t locked in this basement, I could go to him… I could have some. If I wasn’t locked in this basement… the door opens enough for my mother to peek inside. The crack between the door and the wall isn’t big enough for her to put her hand through, but I can see her wild, blonde hair and some of her face. She squeezes the plastic pack of blood inside and it patters to the floor like a wet rag. She slams the door after her without a word. I run to the blood because I can’t help it. I need it. I want it so much. I don’t want this to hurt anymore.

  This is what my life has been reduced to, sucking down packs of blood and waiting. Waiting. I can hardly remember what for…

  Dakota opened his eyes to the quiet house. It was still dark outside, but the moon would become a lightly shaded reflection soon. He had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor. Curly had fallen asleep at the table, using his bag as a pillow. Dakota was tempted to close his eyes, but Max’s thin figure forced him to keep them open. That was what had woken him up. She stood in the doorway, squinting, trying to see him in the dark. He saw her turn her head to look at something down the hall, but her eyes were back on him in a second. He could smell her fear.

  “Kota?” she whispered. “Are you asleep?”

  “I was.”

  “Can I sleep in here?”

  “What?”

  “It’s cold in the living room.”

  The entire house was cold, so Dakota doubted that was the reason. Watching her head snap from side-to-side and over her shoulder, like she was afraid someone would sneak up on her gave him all the answers he needed. She had had another nightmare, probably about him. Most likely about him.

  “I don’t care where you sleep,” Dakota said, turning over. He did care. He cared where she slept. He thought she might have been more comfortable with her brother, since they had fought so hard to get back to him, but she felt safer with him and Curly. She had her boots on, he noticed when she walked around and stood in front of him. She never slept with her boots on. Her nightmare must have been pretty scary this time, because she was ready to bolt at the first sign of anything. She dropped in front of him, catching him off guard, and scooted her body close to his until her back was pressed to his front. When she had asked to sleep in there, he hadn’t thought she meant snuggled up beside him. What would Curly think? Dakota scooted away slightly, but every time he moved away she moved closer.

  “Maxxy, stop.”

  “I found this.” Max reached into her pants pocket and pulled out something squishy, wrapped in silver paper. She tore the sticky paper off, picked off pieces of lint and broke the melting chocolate in half. She handed Dakota the bigger piece without looking at him and popped the smaller piece into her mouth. “Mm. Do you know how long it’s been since I had chocolate?” She licked her fingers.

  Dakota looked at the gift. It was old and would probably get him sick, but smelled heavenly and nostalgic. His mother was a fan of chocolate. He missed her, wondered what she was doing in that very moment. He put the chocolate into his mouth and closed his eyes when it started to melt on his tongue. A sensation similar to only one other, drinking blood. He must have dozed off, because when he woke up Max was fast asleep beside him and sunlight was beaming in through the kitchen door. The chocolate had dried on the tips of his fingers.

  Max had fallen asleep facing the other way, but now she was facing him and so close that he felt her warm breath on his lips. Curly would kill him! For a moment longer, he watched her sleep. There were two random brown freckles by her right eye and one on her bottom lip. Her black hair hung in greasy strands over her shoulder and cheek. He went to brush them away, but thought better of it. If Curly saw… It was bad enough that he already thought Dakota had feelings for her… as if they hadn’t hated each other just a few days ago. He moved away from her and stood up, but he hadn’t realized that her arm had rested on his hip. So when he moved, her hand hit the floor.

  He looked at the table where Curly had been asleep, but he wasn’t there. It was pointless trying to hide anything now. He had already seen.

  “Kota!” Max screamed, jerking up. “Dakota.”

  “Relax,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

  “Oh my God.” She slapped her hands over her face and ducked her head low. “My-gaaaa!” She rubbed it until it was bright red.

  “What on earth do you dream about?”

  Max sat up. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face, and smacked away her tears. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “At first I dreamed about just me… but now… now it’s the same thing over and over again. The Strays… taking you.” She shook her head with closed eyes.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Curly said, without looking at either one of them when he walked into the kitchen. He was geared up and ready to go, with his bag on his back.

  “Nothing,” Max responded. “A bad dream.”

  Dakota admired her sense of entitlement, like she could do whatever she wanted with whomever she wanted. While she sat there without a sense of having done something wrong, Dakota felt guilty as hell. He hadn’t kissed her or had sex with her or even held her, but she had slept right beside him, with her body pressed close enough to give him an erection, and it hadn’t bothered him. In fact, he had enjoyed it. He had slept more comfortably than he did on most nights.

  “Ah.” Curly looked at her finally. “Well’re you ready? Everyone else is just about ready.”

  “Are they?” She looked at Dakota, like she was checking to make sure he was still there. “Then I’d better put on my jacket.” She stood up. “Thanks for last night, Koty-Kota! I meant. Ha, I said Koty. That’s funny.” She giggled. Red rushed beneath her skin as she went to the living room.

  Dakota watched Curly, but he didn’t feel like trying to guess what the expression on his face entailed.

  “She’s making her own nicknames for you and dreaming about you and sleeping by your side. A true romantic if I’ve ever seen one.”

  Dakota snorted. He brought up his jacket and put it on. He didn’t have time to worry about his brother’s jealousy. What he wanted to worry about was cleaning up, getting a warm shower, some food and possibly some more ammunition. If he had spent the end of the world thinking about some chick he would have been dead already. Feeling less guilty, he stood up. “I thought you said everyone else was ready.”

  “Maybe it’s her eyes that’re so charming,” Curly went on, reaching behind him like he was going for a sword. He made sure his backpack was zipped tightly. Then he brought his arms back and crossed them firmly on his chest. His eyes were like pointy darts, picking at Dakota’s skin as he scanned his younger brother up and down. “Or her hair. You can tell she took care of it when the world was right. It’s long.”

  “It’s filthy,” Dakota said, checking himself to make sure his weapons and everything else were intact.

  “She liked when I pulled it, though.”

  Dakota bit his lip, wanting nothing more than to punch his disrespectful brother, but trying so hard to keep his place.

  “Maybe you dig her personality. You seem like more of the personality over beauty type, though I’ll give her that one. She is a pretty girl. Her eyes are a little big for her face, but that’s okay and I like something I can grab onto, you know, a little cushion. But that could be fixed. Get some meat on those bones and she’ll grow right into all that.”

  “Listen.” Dakota stopped him with a wave of his hand and a half-smile. “I don’t know what you’ve got going with this chick or why you think I give a flying fuck about your sex life, but save it for a rainy goddamn day. If you want her, I’m sure you two can work something out. Either way it goes, I don’t have time for this every day.”

  Curly nodded. He stepped aside to let Dakota go. “I haven’t said anything about sex. If I’d’ve wanted to talk about sex I would’ve told you how flexible
she is. The girl can get her leg this high.” He demonstrated with his hand, laughing when he said it, as if it was some bar joke he had just learned.

  Dakota couldn’t express how angry that made him, or why it made him so angry. All he knew was that he couldn’t let his irritating brother see him so disconcerted. He ran his tongue over his dry bottom lip. “Dante, what’re you doing?”

  “Just talking.”

  “No, you’re trying to create a triangle out of a line.”

  “Maxxy”—

  “I don’t want her. Got it? So keep me out of your shit. My God. You’re like a teenager.” He was stronger than his anger. Besides, he was sure Curly would make him even angrier before the day was done. He would save his aggression for later. Checking the rounds he had left in his gun, he stepped out into the hall. Everyone had gathered at the front door. Max’s hands rested on Eric’s shoulders, gripping tightly. When she spotted Dakota at the end of the hall, she smiled and nodded him over. He didn’t know what it was or where it had come from. Maybe it was her eyes. Maybe he had a thing for dark-haired chicks with blue eyes, or maybe he was captivated by her smile, which was too big for her face just like her eyes were. She looked like one of those weird, foreign dolls when she smiled, like she was trying too hard to impress someone. Dakota sighed, approaching her. No, it wasn’t any of that, although he admired those things, too. It couldn’t be her personality because he hadn’t gotten to know her very well. He was attracted to something else about her. She reached for something on his face, but he instinctively pulled back, thinking that Curly might be watching.

  “Do you mind?” he said, rudely.

  Max looked hurt and confused. “You have chocolate… right there.” She pointed to the corner of her mouth.

  “Yeah, well I have hands too. I’ll get it myself.” He stepped out onto the porch with the others, wiping his mouth. He welcomed the sunlight, but it deceived him into thinking it would be warm. It was colder than it had been yesterday. He shivered involuntarily.

  “All right!” Taddy yelled. “Store’s this way. Stay together just in case we get some surprises. We’re going for food and medical supplies.”

  “I’m going for feminine products,” Ginger said, shrugging her right shoulder. Taddy raised an eyebrow at her. “What? You wouldn’t understand. You don’t have to bleed every month.”

  Taddy rolled his eyes. “And Ginger is going for feminine supplies.”

  “Ammunition,” Dakota said.

  “Of course.”

  “Then why are we just standing here?” Curly pushed his way past Dakota and went to stand by Max’s side. He grabbed her hand quickly. “Let’s go.”

  This is what my life has been reduced to…

  Taddy had been right about it being right up the street. Once they had cleared all the houses to get to the interstate it stood tall across from, only fifteen minutes had passed. Technically thirteen minutes and eighteen seconds. Dakota’s eyes deviated from the abandoned turmoil of traffic to Curly’s hand around Max’s. Max seemed tense and uncomfortable, but maybe that was just his emotions talking.

  “What’re we all standing here and waiting for? A light to change?” He stepped out into the street. He had gotten used to seeing cars around, but the stench of decayed bodies was something he would never get used to. The world produced new smells and sensations every day, but it was a smell that shouldn’t have belonged to this world.

  No one bothered searching the cars as they walked through them. The smell was too great and they almost never found anything useful anyway. When they got to the store, they could only enter through the Home and Pharmacy doors since the other doors were boarded up. The windows had been boarded, too. They stepped through the holes in the closed doors. Shattered glass rested at their feet. Curly helped Max over, even though she didn’t need the help. She gave him a polite smile and walked on. The group piled together, everyone looking cautiously around them. The store was quiet, but none of them knew what hid in the dark.

  It wasn’t lit by candles like the houses they slept in. In fact, it wasn’t lit at all. All around them was darkness. The only light they saw was the light that came in through the broken doors.

  “It’ll be safer to stay together,” Darcy said, quietly. “We’ll get everything one at a time.”

  “That’ll take too much time,” Curly said. “We’ll just take partners.”

  “I don’t care what anyone does,” Taddy said. “I’m a vampire, so I can see in the dark.”

  “Good.” Max nodded. “We’ve got four vamps right here. Darcy, go with Hank. Ginger, go with Mariana. Curly, go with Taddy and Eric and I’ll go with Kota. That way we’re not spending so much time in here and we’re getting everything we need.”

  “I’ll get ammunition,” Dakota said.

  “Looks like we’re getting feminine products,” Mariana said, rolling her eyes.

  “Food!” Darcy raised his hand up high.

  “Don’t get any of that nasty, vegan shit you eat.” Ginger pointed at him. “I swear I’ll snap your neck.”

  “And then what would the vampires eat?” Darcy said, laughing and walking off with Hank.

  “Can I go with Darcy?” Eric asked. “I just don’t want him picking out the gross stuff.”

  Max wanted him with her where she felt he was safest, but she relented. “Sure.”

  “We’ll look for some clothes,” Taddy said. “Ginger might need some extra panties for her monthly bleeding problem.”

  “You could kiss my ass now or later, Taddy, you decide.”

  “Later,” Taddy said, walking off. “When I have the time.”

  Ginger and Mariana went off in another direction. Curly looked from Max to Dakota. Dakota laughed out loud.

  “Guess they like her better,” he told his brother.

  Shaking his head, Curly ran off to catch up with Taddy. Max and Dakota went in the opposite direction. She didn’t know if anyone lived there, but the place was dark and gigantic so she doubted it. The chances of anyone living there were slim, but that didn’t make her any less afraid. Even with Dakota there, she had a hard time adjusting to the dark. She could hardly see anything. She felt something squish beneath her boot and prayed to God it wasn’t someone’s organs.

  “I can smell your fear,” Dakota said, bringing up his rifle and clicking on the flashlight. It lit the path in front of them in bright white.

  Max slouched as relief poured into her. “That’s so much better. Thank you.”

  The path before them was marked by clothes and toys. She wondered if they were headed in the right direction. The scent of rotten fruit was what stung her nostrils the most.

  “Strays could be in here, right?” Max said, her head snapping to her left. “It’s dark and those boards keep the light out.”

  “Obviously,” Dakota said. He wanted the kid to be quiet. He didn’t want to think about Strays. He wanted to get his ammunition and dodge the hell out of there. Max had dropped her gun the time Curly was attacked, so he needed to get her something to shoot too. “We’ve got to get you some artillery. That little knife isn’t cutting it, no pun intended.”

  “Of course,” she said, looking for a moment up at him. He was quiet after that, but Max could barely stand the quiet right now. She needed to think of something to say, and fast. “Do you think it’s possible to smother a teenager these days?”

  “What?” Dakota shrugged. “How should I know?”

  “I don’t ever want Eric out of my sight again. I can’t… I can’t bear to lose him I can’t even stand the thought.”

  “He’s fine. If you had anything to do with raising him, he’s smart. He’ll be okay.”

  She looked far off, as if his words had been thought-provoking, as if what he had said to her was some ancient wisdom. “You know, Kota, you’re a pretty cool guy when you’re not hating me for no reason.”

  “Isn’t that how it works? Isn’t that how all great relationships start? Don’t all the famous romance no
vels say that we have to hate each other first and then love and marriage and babies and happy ever afters?”

  “Romance novels?” Max laughed. “Is that what this is? You know what that means then, right?”

  “Insert something awkward here, please.”

  “It means you’re going to love me, eventually is what it means.”

  “Ah. Okay. It’s good to have an imagination.”

  Max laughed, although she couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. They walked quietly on, dipping down aisles and avoiding others. They must have been close to Ginger because Dakota could hear her laughter echo from where he was.

  “How’d you get your hair like this?” She wove her fingers through his dreadlocks, expecting them to be hard and rough. She was surprised by how soft they were.

  “I don’t remember.” He swiped up a pink pony backpack from the floor and threw crumbled brown paper from it.

  “That must be your defense to everything, huh?”

  “Put this on.”

  “Saying you don’t remember?”

  He grabbed her, stopped her. “Could you put the book bag on, please? I’m being nice.”

  “Yeah, how rare for you.” She snatched the bag and put it on her back. Then they walked on.

  “Well, you don’t make it easy.”

  “How?! Are you serious? I literally give you the benefit of the doubt every chance I get. Like literally. I gave you some of my chocolate last night! And I love chocolate.”