Hi, guys. I know I've been away a while, but life got a little hectic, and I just couldn't seem to write. But I've been bit by the bug again, and I bring an all new story that I really do hope to keep going. So, please let me know what you think.
I'll be home in a little while
Lover, I'll be home
"Wren?" Heavy footsteps thudded through the apartment. Their owner could hear music playing softly from a room, and the soft rustle of paper moving- most likely pages being turned. "Wren!"
"Bedroom!" A voice sang back, and the footsteps rushed down the short hallway to the room at the end. Their owner pushed open the door.
Wren looked up from her book and smiled as Max filled the doorway to her room. "Hi!" She greeted brightly, "I missed you. Patrice called and said I didn't need to come in; that she wasn't opening the store today. That's the third day in a row. Guess the stuff on the news about the virus and everything had her spooked. You know how paranoid she is. And then we lost power, which sucks because I was going to make brownies, because I had a major chocolate cravi…" Wren trailed off as her boyfriend yanked open her closet door and dug around, tossing the duffel bags she used for travel onto her floor. He pulled out the milk crates she used to house her belts and purses and overturned them to empty them. "What are you doing?"
"Look, baby, I need you to start packing stuff up. Everything you absolutely can't live without. Try to keep it light. Only pack clothes you can move in- jeans, shirts, boots, maybe a couple jackets and sweaters." He glanced at her closet and grimaced at all the dresses and skirts that hung there before leaving the room. Wren heard another door open, and what sounded like boxes hitting the floor. Putting her book down, she got off the bed and moved to the doorway, watching as Max pulled the empty boxes she stored in the hall closet out. He was freaking her out.
She came to stand beside him and put a hand on his arm. "Max, what is going on?"
Her boyfriend stood and gripped her arms tight, staring at her. "Go do what I said. Please."
Wren stared up at him. He'd left early in the morning two days ago, saying he had been called to base, but couldn't tell her why. She assumed it had something to do with the virus that had been all over the news. It was the only thing being talked about, and the last report had said conditions on the streets were getting worse, but Wren just assumed that meant the hospitals were getting low on supplies, or the looting and riots were worse, or something. But today, her entire apartment building had lost power, and her neighbor told her that their super had left last night, along with a couple other people. When Patrice had called, she had told Wren that people were packing up and leaving Atlanta, and that the army had set up a checkpoint for them. Wren didn't understand why a checkpoint was needed, but assured her worried boss that she'd be careful and stay safe. Max had insisted she stay inside and wait for him, and she did what he said because she trusted him. So, she'd trust him again.
Wren nodded at him and he let her go, turning toward the kitchen with the empty boxes. Wren moved back to her bedroom and looked around; trying to decide what she couldn't live without. Grabbing an empty milk crate, she began packing up her absolute favorite books. When the crate was full, she emptied her desk and shoved her journals and sketchbooks into the bottom of one of the duffels. She dumped out her portable makeup bag and refilled it with pens and pencils, and a mini sharpener. A photo album was dumped on top of her books. She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen, cabinets and drawers being opened, things being removed and thrown into boxes.
Wren grabbed her iPod and headphones, winding the cord around the headpiece, and tossed them in the bottom of her leather backpack. Her phone went in as well, more out of habit than anything, along with their various chargers. She left her laptop, although it pained her, because she was sure it wouldn't be needed. She rushed to fold shirts and pants, shoving them in the duffel as quickly as possible. She grabbed a couple bras, and all of her underwear. Most of her cardigans, a couple of her scarves, and the leather jacket she'd stolen from Max went in the bag. She cinched it shut and picked up the other bag. Although Max wouldn't like it, she pulled a couple of her favorite dresses off their hangers and shoved them in before hurrying to the bathroom. Grabbing her overnight case, she grabbed her toothbrush, paste, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and floss and tossed them in before throwing that in the duffel, too. Running back into her room, she looked around to see if she was missing something. Spying the framed picture of her and Max that sat on her nightstand, she quickly pulled it from the frame, folded it, and tucked it in the pages of a book in her crate. She slung the duffels over her shoulder and hefted the crate up in her arms.
There were three cardboard boxes by the front door, full to almost bursting. She could see her extra blankets poking out of the top of one. Her cabinets and drawers had been left open, everything useful stripped from them. Max wasn't there, but she heard movement in the spare room they had used to house whatever didn't fit anywhere else. A few moments later, Max came hurrying out, a bag slung over his own shoulder. Wren saw the muzzle of his rifle poking out the top.
"Books. Wren…" He set the bag on the couch and ran a hand over the back of his head. Dazed and confused, eyes still on the gun, Wren swallowed a lump in her throat.
"You said what things I couldn't live without." She replied in a small voice, shaking her head and looking back at him. "Are we in danger?"
Max glanced at the bag and then at her. She could see in his eyes that he was worried, but he just shook his head. Setting the crate down, Wren wrapped her arms around herself. "Max, you're scaring me. What's going on? Why are we leaving? Where are we going?"
Max came to her and wrapped his arms around her. He was so much bigger than her 5 foot frame, and he enveloped her completely in his hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. "It's gonna be okay, baby. I promise. Just trust me. You're gonna be fine." He kissed her forehead and let her go, pulling a handgun from the back of his waistband and holding it out to her. "It's loaded. You remember how to use it?" Wren nodded and he smiled. "Good. Look, I know you're scared. I'm sorry I freaked you out. This virus is worse than everybody thought. They called us to try and keep control, but things are getting out of hand. We got Intel that they're gonna neutralize Atlanta in the next day or two. Too many people are sick, and we don't have the manpower to keep going. So you're leaving, tonight." He picked the gun bag back up and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing the boxes by the front door. Wren picked the crate of books back up and followed him as he grabbed her car keys and left the apartment. She made sure to shut and lock the door behind her. As they walked toward the stairs, her neighbor's door opened, and Mrs. Nakamura stuck her head out.
Wren loved her neighbor. Mrs. N was an elderly Korean woman who'd moved to Atlanta with her Japanese husband when they were younger. Her husband had passed away five years ago, but Mrs. N was so friendly with Wren. They had tea together every afternoon. The woman had taught her how to make traditional Korean food and how to play Baduk. Wren wasn't very good, but she had been getting better.
Wren stopped. "Mrs. N, we're leaving. I don't… I don't think we're coming back. Max says things are getting worse. Pack a few things. Come with us."
Max backtracked and shifted the boxes he held, taking Wren's arm. "Baby, come on."
She shook her head, looking up at him. "But we can't leave Mrs. N."
The old woman shook her head and smiled. "You go with him. I'll be fine here."
"No, please, Mrs. N. It isn't safe anymore."
Max leaned close and spoke as quietly as possible to her. "Wren, I only have clearance to get you out of the city. Even if she came with us, they wouldn't let her past the checkpoint."
As Wren stared up at Max in horror, the woman nodded and made a shooing motion to the couple. "Go, jag-eun sae. I'll be fine." She reached out and patted Wren's cheek. "You're a good girl. You have a big heart. But I've lived here 10 years. I wouldn't know how to leave."
Wren's eyes filled with tears, but she let Max tug her along. As they reached the stairs, Wren heard Mrs. N's door close.
They hurried down the stairs, Wren's arms and back aching from all the weight she carried. Her eyes stung, and she was out of breath. Max explained that everyone at base had been given clearance to get their families out of the city, but only their families. Too many people leaving without having to go through the checkpoint would cause chaos.
Two military jeeps sat on the curb in front of her pickup, a soldier behind the wheel of each. Max whistled as they came out of the door, and the guys got out, drawing theirs guns. They stayed near and looked around as Max ran to her truck, dumping everything in the back. He took the crate from her and secured it in the bed with a bungee cord. She tossed her duffels in, and Max handed her the keys.
"Get in and follow Green." He gestured to the younger soldier, with dark brown hair. "He's going to take you out of the city."
"Where am I supposed to go?" Wren asked. She heard a growl and turned to see a couple people shuffling toward them. A young woman's ankle was turned awkwardly, and an older man's head was half off his neck. Wren gaped and Max turned to look.
"Waters! Incoming!" The other soldier turned and began firing on the people, and Wren shouted in horror. Max wrenched open the door of her truck and picked her by the waist, turning and depositing her in the driver's seat. He took her face firmly in his hands and forced her to look at him. She brought her hands up to cover his and stared back with watery eyes.
"Max…"
"Look. The world's fucked up now. We don't know what happened, but something's wrong with people. You remember all those zombie movies we watch?" Wren nodded, remembering late nights with the lights off, cuddling on the couch and watching as people got eaten by reanimated corpses.
"Green's going to get you out of the city. Then, you're gonna go to the cabin. Up in the mountains, okay? Less people; plenty of animals to hunt. You remember how to get there?" At her nod, he continued, "I need you to be strong. I know it's terrifying, and you're gonna be scared, but I need you to be strong, baby. You need to be tough, and think smart, and keep going. Can you do that for me?"
"Aren't you coming with me?" The moment the question passed her lips, Wren realized that he wasn't. He hadn't packed his own bag, and had left all of his things in the apartment. Tears started spilling down her cheeks, and she shook her head. Max pulled her to him and held her as she sobbed into his uniform.
"You're gonna be fine, baby."
But she wasn't. Max was all she had. Her parents had died years ago, and she didn't have any other living family, except for some great-aunt on her father's side who she never spoke to. She'd been with Max for four years.
Max let her go, and she clung to the front of his jacket. "Why aren't you coming? You have to come." But Max just gently removed her hands and pulled the gun bag off his shoulder. He reached over her and tucked it on the floor of the truck, forcing her legs into the cab as he did. She shook her head as he covered the bag with the blanket she kept draped across the seat. She was clutching the keys in her fist so tightly that she felt her skin break and blood run down her fingers.
"They're all there. All the ammo. Hunting knife, too. Some rope, a few emergency glow sticks, canteen, water filter, lighter, a few other things. You remember everything I taught you? Everything?" He didn't wait for a signal, but instead took the keys from her and stuck them in the ignition before shutting the door. The gunfire had long since ceased, and Waters and Green were both back in their respective jeeps.
"Here." He pulled a chain put from under his jacket and over his head. It had his dog tags and his class ring on it, and he looped it over her head. "You're gonna be fine." He repeated one last time, kissing first her forehead and then her lips. Wren slid a hand up into his hair and gripped it tight, refusing to let go.
The kiss ended when the military jeeps roared to life, and Max stepped back, Wren's hand sliding from his head numbly. He smiled at her one last time and then he was gone, getting in the jeep at the very front. Belatedly, Wren realized no one was going anywhere because she hadn't started her own truck, and she turned the key. Green pulled his jeep away from the curb and Wren followed. She heard Max's jeep follow.
They drove straight until they reach a throng of people near the edge of the city. Through the crowd, Wren could see fences and gates. The group filtered into lines the closer to the fence they got, where people were stopped by soldiers with guns, checked over, and then sorted. Wren stole a glance at the rearview mirror and realized Max's jeep was gone. Crying again, she blinked to try and clear her eyes, and followed Green's jeep to an empty lane at the end of the checkpoint. He stopped to talk to the man guarding the gate, and then the fence swung open. Wren tailgated the jeep out; half-worried and half-hoping she'd be stopped. She didn't want to be leaving the city with some random soldier. She wanted Max.
As they drove down the highway, Wren looked over into the other lane and saw nothing but cars, people desperately trying to get into the city. Probably hoping to find loved ones. Wren entertained a fleeting idea of turning around and joining them, but the concrete barrier between lanes stopped her. Instead, she followed Green down their near-deserted half of the highway, until he put his turn signal on and pulled over. She turned off the truck and got out, breath unsteady and heart in her throat.
Green came back to the truck with a map of Georgia and laid it out on the hood of her truck. "Lancaster said you'd know how to get where we're going." He said, handing her a sharpie. Wren nodded, everything filtering into her ears on a two-second delay as her brain thought of nothing but Max.
"Is he… did he say he'd be there? Eventually?" She asked in a choked voice, not looking up from the map.
"He just told me I was supposed to help you get out of the city, and take good care of you. He didn't say anything beyond that." Green paused, and then added, "I'm sorry. He talks about you all the time."
Wren attempted to smile and nodded in thanks. She leaned over the map and drew out the route to the cabin. There was little noise around them beyond Green's breathing and the insects, but Wren became aware of people on the other half of the highway getting out of their unmoving cars and talking to each other, asking if anyone knew what was going on.
The sharpie in her hand blurred as her eyes unfocused. She heard a man tell a woman to stay with the car, and an older man talking to two young women. Dropping the pen, Wren turned suddenly and began striding to the barrier. When Green called to her to stop, she simply ignored him.
'These people need to know. Someone needs to know.'
"Hey!" She hollered as she leapt over the barrier. "HEY!"
A couple people turned to look at her, and she cupped her hands over her mouth to be heard better. "They aren't going to let you into the city! No one's coming or going! They're gonna neutralize it!"
A few people shouted questions back, about loved ones or the CDC. A young woman with long brown hair near Wren gripped the boy with her tighter, and looked to a man with dark hair. "What does neutralize mean?"
Before he could take a guess, there was a loud boom, and a cloud of fire rose up over the city in the distance. Wren stared, horrified. Through the faint ringing in her ears, she heard someone sobbing, and then realized it was her.