Blue Through the Grey

Part 6: Sea of Evil

Ryan.

I’ve left home before, ran away, never looked back. But this is different. Leaving my house now seems perilous. I’ve never been afraid of the dark, but now that everything is dark...it scares me. Two weeks into the invasion, the world just beginning to crumble apart, I hid under my bed and hoped that they’d go away. They didn’t.
I lean up in bed, stretch, and scratch my bare chest. My mouth has a taste, the morning taste. I toss off the blankets, swing my legs over the bed, and press my feet to the cold hardwood floor. My body shivers at the cold. I walk into the bathroom attached to my bedroom and flick on the light. I don’t want to leave here because I have solar power and a warm shower, but supplies aren’t looking too well. I look at myself in the mirror, my body keeps getting skinnier every passing minute. I run my fingers through my dirty blonde hair and sigh. My once muscular arms gather the strength to reach for the knob to turn on the shower. Today is the day I leave, I can’t afford to be this weak. I swing one leg into the clawfoot tub, and then the other. The water burns my fragile skin but I don’t mind it. I like the warmth.

“Kiss me” He says, a crooked smile on his beautiful face. “Ryan. Kiss me”
I peer into his eyes, they look so innocent, and he is...he’s innocent. “Nah, make me” I giggle.
“I hate you, Ry. Seriously”
“Do you? Because if you hated me, you wouldn’t want a kiss” I grab his hands and smile. He’s so much taller than me, so much more handsome. I must be the luckiest guy on the planet.
“Okay. I’ll kiss you. On ONE condition” I smile.
“What’s that?” He asks.
I put something in his hand. “Keep this forever, Reid. Don’t look at it until I leave. Keep it to remember me...incase the aliens kill me”
“Ry” He says. “Don’t say that. They’re just gonna hover there”
I pull him into a kiss, a kiss that lasts for what seems like forever. I’ll never forget the taste of his lips, the smell of his body, the twinkle in his bright blue eyes. “I love you”
“I love you too, Ry”

I lean my head against the wall and let the water run across my body. I drips down the bridge of my nose, makes it’s way to my lips, and onto the floor of the tub. It was only a few weeks ago that I lost him, I lost Reid in a battle between looters and survivors. I didn’t see him die, but I have the feeling he’s still out there. After our battle, there was only five of us left, then four, then three, then two, and now it’s just me. I push open the shower curtain and step out onto the fuzzy carpet. I soak the floor as I quickly run across the hall and into my room. Red flannel, grey beanie, jeans, combat boots, thick jacket, and all the supplies I need. I run my fingers through my small but luscious beard and head down the stairs. I stop at the front door, my hand already grasped around the doorknob. I take a deep breath and smell the crisp air. I’ll miss this place, I’ll miss the memories, the sounds. I don’t know what I’m going to do out in the open, but I’ll figure it out when I’m out there. The door opens with a loud “CREEEAAK” I close my eyes and hope nothing heard that. The cold air grasps onto my skin and doesn’t go away no matter how much I try to fight it off. The smell of dead bodies from Cincinnati finally went away and the air is somewhat fresh. The clouds are thick today, storm clouds...meaning it’s about to rain. I at least have an hour or two before the clouds decide to cry on me. I follow the long dirt road that eventually leads to the asphalt. I haven’t really been out much, I had food and water here, so there was no need, which means I haven’t truly seen the carnage. The highway is littered with cars, some doors open and bodies hanging halfway out, like they tried to escape before their annihilation. I stand out in the open, pistol in hand, I could end this right now. All the pain and suffering, I could end it all. I have to shake the thought from my brain, I can’t think like this. I have to find Reid.

A bullet grazes my bare arm and I fall to the ground in pain. A man grabs my hand and pulls me to safety. He’s part of our little group of survivors. Reid takes a piece of glass and slices some of his shirt then ties it around my arm. I try to smile through the pain, but it’s not working. We’re in an alley, hiding from some bandits. Outside, cars explode, buildings burn, and there’s no end to the screams of terror.
“We need to get moving” Marlene says, holding her rifle close to her body.
“Where?” David asks.
She shakes her head. “Do you think I know? We just need to get the fuck out of here”
I take a few breaths and grab Reid’s hand, squeezing it tight. I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. There’s another explosion outside of the alley and we all duck our heads, startled. Marlene stands and signals us to follow her. She runs out onto the street and fires endless bullets. We make a run for it, but it’s short lived. A baseball bat meets my skull and my body falls to the ground. My vision blurs but I can faintly make out Reid shooting a few people. He screams as I’m being dragged away from the scene.
I wake up I don’t know how many hours later. My body thrusts upward, making me dizzy. I’m in a bed, but we’re moving. We must be in an RV. I come out of the room and examine the passengers. Marlene, David, Jones, Sarah...but no Reid.
“Where is he?” I ask. “Did he die?”
“We’re not sure” Sarah says. “He was taken”
“And you left him behind?!” I try to slam my hand down on the table next to me but it’s put in a sling. “Why?”
“We were being slaughtered out there, Ryan. We couldn’t do anything” Marlene says, watching David steer the RV.
I launch for Marlene, my hand extended, reaching for her throat. She called the shots, she could’ve went back for him. She could’ve saved him. The love of my life, lost in a sea of evil.