NINE
Standing with her legs resting against the balcony railing, Kate cupped her opposite elbows with her hands and hugged her arms tightly to her body. She gazed down at a squirrel skittering over the forest floor and watched as it perched atop a rock and wrapped its tail around its body. A moment later, the wind kicked up, the squirrels tail fluttered, and it jumped down and ran off behind some trees out of her view. With a sigh, Kate tilted forward and leaned more heavily against the railing.
Though it was difficult to believe, that night, her one hundred and nineteenth night in the treehouse, would be her last. Were she leaving the treetop home to return to her apartment back in the city, Kate doubted she would be sad about the departure; however, given that their future came with so many unknowns, not to mention no small amount of danger, the prospect of leaving their safe haven weighed heavily on her heart.
Kate remembered her arrival nearly four months earlier quite well. She'd been on high alert as she had been for weeks, ever since separating from Esposito. She'd been sleeping very little, but trying to stay as vigilant as she could, a task made exponentially more difficult by a lack of coffee or other caffeinated substances. She felt exhaustion through every inch of herself and knew she'd soon burn out from constantly using up all her adrenaline reserves since she sprang into action at every small noise or hint of movement.
At that point in time she'd had two bags with her: one a cross-body, messenger bag style purse, and the other a more heavy-duty backpack. Both were sufficiently stocked with goods. In fact, she had even left some of her haul behind for the next unfortunate traveler. She carried with her all she felt comfortable with; she did not want to be too bogged down and unable to fight or flee if necessary.
Despite her comfortable level of supplies, Kate was continually looking for a new reserve or, more importantly, a safe, easily securable area she could stay for a day or two and take a break. As she wandered through the brush that day, she'd favored a safe haven over a jug of water quite heavily. Then, as if for once fate was working in her favor, she'd spotted the rope ladder and thus the treehouse.
When she'd climbed up inside and discovered just how elaborate it was, she had been initially afraid it was a trap. How could such a perfect hideout exist? Furniture, a bed, electricity! Surely, it was all a mirage somehow. Yet, it was quite real and quite safe, as she discovered after thoroughly searching the area.
In hindsight, Kate had not realized at the time quite how drained and exhausted she really was. As her profession regularly required her to operate in high-stakes situation while on reduced sleep, she knew she could have continued on for another week, perhaps two, but beyond that the weariness surely would have taken a toll if in no other way than to cause her to make a serious—and possibly deadly—mistake in judgement.
The treehouse provided a respite and an opportunity to step back and appreciate life again. She could not exactly say she enjoyed life before Rick's arrival, but she certainly was content enough. The arrival of the writer, however, changed all of that.
While Kate certainly appreciated the treehouse's lifesaving qualities, she found herself reluctant to leave not because of its safety and security, but for nostalgic reasons. The treehouse was the reason she met Rick. The treehouse was the place she fell in love with Rick. The treehouse had given them each other and while they would remain together after leaving it, exiting the place they'd shared together came with a certain amount of sadness.
Kate felt a pair of hands grip her hips and then slide across her belly as a figure hugged her from behind. Lips pressed against the side of her neck and she hummed out an acknowledgement of his presence. As he squeezed her a little bit tighter she spun around in his embrace and buried her face against his chest. Despite the day having temperatures in the nineties she didn't mind snuggling against Rick; it would always feel like home.
He dropped a kiss into her head and asked, "Ready to watch our last sunset from the treehouse?"
"Not really."
He skimmed his fingers down her back and up again. "We could always postpone. Stay another week or two."
She wanted to stay yes and easily could have; the words were perched at the edge of her tongue, but she wouldn't let them out. As much as she wanted to spend another few days living in their now clothing-optional abode, she knew doing so would merely be postponing the inevitable. They had to move; they had to find suitable shelter for winter—on that point they had no choice and she knew it would be best if they stuck to the plan they'd already committed to.
"We shouldn't. Hard as it will be, we need to leave."
"Hard? Nah!" He insisted. HIs tone turned casual as he suggested an alternative term: "An adventure!"
She smiled into his chest. Left to her own thought she probably would not have come up with such an optimistic term, but she was glad her companion could take on that role for her.
Five days earlier—the day after their almost discovery by the weapon-toting strangers—they emerged from their treehouse to do some cautious reconnaissance. After observing the main house from the tree line, they ventured closer to discover two key things. First: the two men Kate saw or the group they were traveling with had broken into the home and ransacked it quite thoroughly. Of course, there was nothing of value for them to find there as Rick and Kate had stripped it and stored their haul elsewhere, but it was painfully apparent how comprehensively they had searched. Second: the group had, thankfully, vacated the area and did not appear to be returning.
Knowing just how close they had come to being discovered, their decision to leave the treehouse behind had been solidified for Kate. Yes, they could run into a group like the one that caused their close call anywhere on the road, but their treehouse was no longer as isolated and secluded as they'd thought either. That afternoon, after checking on the chickens and discovering Hannah and Shelby had stuck around but Clara was still nowhere to be seen, Kate and Rick returned to the treehouse to make a plan.
Rick informed Kate that after her the two ladies in his life and joined up with another group, they spoke about a survivor's camp just west of Philadelphia. None of them had been there, but they talked about possibly going to see if such a safe haven really existed. If the camp was still there, Rick said, maybe it was the place for them to be. Still safe and secure but possibly with the aid of government provided supplies and shelter.
To this, Kate responded with a laugh. "I hope you're not seriously relying on the government to save us."
"Of course not," Rick replied. "They're probably the ones that started this whole mess. But if they're providing food, water and shelter…why shouldn't we participate?"
They continued to discuss it as Kate's secondary concern was that wintering in Philadelphia was probably only marginally better than wintering in New York, if it was better at all. The main purpose for their move was to get to a southern and thus warmer climate where they might not actually freeze to death during the coldest months of the year. While Rick agreed on this point, his logic was too sound for her to argue with.
"If this place doesn't seem like it'll be long-term we don't have to stay, but we have to pass Philadelphia on our way south anyway, so why not check it out?"
And thus their plan was set.
Knowing their travels would be far easier with a vehicle, the first thing Rick and Kate decided to do was search for a car that would be usable. Despite having sat around dormant for five to six months, they were able to get several of the vehicles remaining in the cul-de-sac started once keys were located. Rick suggested a black SUV just in case their trek required going off road to avoid abandoned cars or other debris blocking their path. While Kate understood his reasoning, she also knew that they had limited gasoline and SUVs were not always the most fuel efficient, so they compromised with an emerald green Subaru hatchback sitting in the garage of the house with the chickens.
With their car chosen and all the gas siphoned out of the remaining vehicles and stored in the three gas cans they found, their transportation was secured, which meant they needed to begin assessing their food, water and supply needs. If they were able to find the Philadelphia safe haven then they would only need to bring a few days of supplies with them, but considering how big of an area "west of Philadelphia" encompassed and what little direction they had to go on, Kate feared they would ultimately not discover the safe place—or find it was no longer secure—and thus need to travel further, so she recommended packing up nearly everything they had—just in case.
One of the first things Kate created when she decided to make the treehouse her semi-permanent new home was off-site supply storage areas just in case her treehouse was ever invaded by unwelcomed people or she needed to vacate for some other reasons. She had three storage areas around the cul-de-sac which she and Rick emptied as they were no longer needed. They did, however, agree to leave a small amount of food behind in the treehouse should anyone else need to seek refuge there.
Standing on the balcony with Rick's arms wrapped tightly around her, Kate knew they were making the right decision, but as was often the case with reality: the right decision was not the easy one. As the sun began to disappear over the horizon, she stood on her toes, kissed him, and then grabbed his hand to lead him to the bedroom, where they would spend what she hoped was not their last peaceful night together.
"Well, I think that's everything." Rick concluded as he slammed shut the back door to the Subaru. They had water, food, all their medical supplies, and one screaming feline pacing back and forth in the dog crate they'd found for him.
They had driven the car as close to the treehouse as they could get it to make their packing as easy as possible, but the edge of main house yard was as close as was feasible due to the density of the trees. They had still had to haul their goods several hundred yards, but it was better than nothing. Rick walked towards his companion standing midway between the car and their tree sanctuary, her teeth grazing over her bottom lip, a large wrinkle in her brow.
Rick stopped beside her and pressed his lips to her forehead. She had been atypically quiet so far that morning and he imagined it was due to her confliction on leaving their aboveground space. He understood, he really did, but with her at his side he wasn't concerned about their next adventure; he looked forward to it. Skimming his hand up and down her back he asked softly, "You okay?"
She nodded and looked once more back over her shoulder. "Yeah, I think so I just… for the first time since everything started, I'm afraid."
The hairs on the back of Rick's neck prickled from her tone of genuine concern. He did not imagine that this woman, a trained cop who had regaled him with many a tale of life-or-death situations over their time together, spooked easily. He found her statement somewhat surprising because even he was not all that concerned with their situation. "There's no need for that, Kate. We'll be together this whole time," he said with a reassuring smile.
She turned back to him, her eyes deep pools of worry. "But…I have something to lose now."
Ah, well, there was that. He brought his hands up to cradle her face and gave her a long, sweet kiss. Seeing as he had lost two very important things in the past, her concern made perfect sense to him, but her near death experience had taught him that in that world they could not dwell too much on the 'what if.' They simply had to live day by day the best they could.
"We're going to be fine, Kate. Even if we don't find this place in Philly we'll find our next treehouse somewhere."
She laughed. "I think this treehouse might be one in a million."
He gave a conceding nod. "Fair enough, but there are other shelters we can find; ones we can secure. We're going to be okay."
She shut her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and then pushed it out slowly as she looked up at him once more. "I might need you to tell me that a few more times."
"I'll tell you as many times as you need." Then, grabbing her hand he asked, "Ready?"
"Ready." She echoed.
"Dear god, you have to let him out of that cage if it'll stop that racket." Rick grunted from his positon behind the wheel. For the prior twenty-five minutes Tux had been screaming at the absolute top of his lungs with very little break. Rick tried to ignore it, but the cat was just so damned loud! He honestly did not understand how the cat wasn't getting hoarse.
Kate reached her arm towards the back seat and hesitated. "But he could get under the pedals and cause an accident."
"Risk it." Rick concluded.
The topic of whether or not to take or leave Tux on their trip had been a heavily debated one over the prior few days. On one hand, traveling with a cat was completely and entirely impractical. On top of that, they were running low on his food and cat litter. Due to these reasons, Rick recommended they leave the feline behind. Not in the treehouse, of course, but to just let him go in the forest and hope for the best.
Kate, who clearly had more of an emotional attachment to the pet than he did, disagreed. She feared doing as he suggested was sentencing Tux to death as he was an indoor cat who surely was not used to hunting for his own food. She understood the impracticality of traveling with the cat and accepted the fact that it was possible the safe haven would now allow pets assuming they even found it, but in the end she said she couldn't live with herself if they didn't at least try to bring him along, so Rick had agreed.
A minute after his request, the howling ceased and a few seconds after that a black and white feline appeared on the dashboard just in front of the steering wheel and Rick was forced to slam on the breaks due to his line vision being completely obstructed. "No! C'mon! What are you doing?"
Kate merely laughed. "You told me to let him out."
"But this isn't what I wanted!" Rick grumbled.
"Apparently you can't have it both ways."
Signing, Rick put the car in "park" and turned to his companion. "Then we'll let him sit there for a few minutes while we enjoy the silence and check the map."
Rick had actually laughed when Kate proudly presented the Pennsylvania/New Jersey map she'd discovered in the glove box of one of the cars from which they syphoned gas. How long had it been since he'd used a paper map while traveling and not a map on the internet or his smartphone? Granted, as a New Yorker he did not often have a need for any sort of large area map owing to the fact that he did very little driving. The most frequently place he traveled to by car was to his own beach house, which he did not need directions for.
Though his initial reaction was to laugh, Rick was actually glad for the maps. As it turned out, his mental geography was actually quite poor. When thinking about Philadelphia in respect to New York he actually thought it was much further south and west than it actually was. Granted, the point at which they were reviewing the maps had been several days earlier while sitting in the treehouse and at that time they were not certain where exactly they were in New Jersey, which Kate immediately decided that was the first thing they needed to work on.
As their Subaru set off on the neighborhood streets they began reading signs hoping for any major landmark they could find on the map. Rick was actually glad to see her sense of geography wasn't much better than his, because when they were able to determine their location, she commented it was significantly more towards the west than she originally thought.
The cul-de-sac turned out to be closest to Hackettstown, New Jersey, which conveniently was almost directly north of Philadelphia by approximately eighty miles. Rick's initial response was to say, "Perfect! We'll be there in two hours or less," but Kate had responded with skepticism. They had only been driving for ten minutes and had to reroute twice because of blocked roadways, which did not bode well for their journey. Rick told her she was being too negative. As it turned out: she wasn't.
While traveling southward, they found themselves on a very country-type road lined with farms and not too many houses. This initially seemed to be to their advantage because there were no stalled or abandoned cars in their way either. Then, they came upon a herd of cattle that had evidently escaped their fencing and were standing in the middle of the road. Rick began to honk his horn in an attempt to encourage the bovine roadblock to dissipate, but Kate stopped him, fearing they would attract zombies or, worse, other humans.
Rick turned the car around and doubled back to the prior cross street, made a turn and continued on his way only to come upon a group of wandering zombies. There were about a dozen of them shuffling their way down the street, bumping into the few cars abandoned along the side of the road. He slowed down and hoped to creep through them, but evidently they were attracted by either the sound or movement of the vehicle. The mob began pounding on the car windows and clawing at the doors, which was frightening however as they knew the mob posed no threat, Rick and Kate were able to slowly and steadily pass their way through.
"Okay so—really?" Rick groaned when Tux hopped off the dash and directly on to the part of the map he was looking at. Kate scooped him up and pulled him into her lap so she could scratch his ears and Rick could examine the map in peace. "Okay, I'm pretty sure we're still going in the right direction. We should be able to confirm that in about five or six minutes when we cross over 78."
"Sounds good. I will try to keep Tux off the dash."
Rick gazed at her and winked. "Key word being 'try.'"
She nodded. "I make no promises."
As predicted, five minutes later the bridge for Interstate 78 came in to view. Rick slowed down the vehicle as it was obvious there were several abandoned cars lining the road. He had to weave a bit between the lanes, but it appeared their car would be able to fit across. Keeping the speedometer below ten miles an hour, Rick moved the car forward while Kate gazed out at the road below with no small amount of amazement.
The main artery below them was positively littered with abandoned vehicles. Most of the traffic appeared to be on the westbound side, which made sense if people were using the road to escape the more heavily populated Manhattan and northern New Jersey areas, but there were still a significant amount of vehicles in all four lanes. Had it been eight months ago, before society began to crumble, the scene might have made sense at rush hour or during a busy pre-holiday travel time, but now it was simply eerie.
"Do you think," Rick began, stopping their car a hundred feet from the end of the bridge, "the people are still down in their cars?"
"Dunno." Kate replied. "It's kind of hard to see from up here, but I'd imagine some might be."
From his vantage point, Rick could see movement down on the road. From its slow, stumbling progression, he assumed there were zombies, but there weren't many; perhaps a dozen or so on each side of the concrete barrier dividing east from westbound. The writer inside him began to compile a scenario that might explain what he was seeing.
Due to the excess and flood of people, traffic had inevitably backed up on the highway, as it often did. Perhaps there was an accident further down the road they couldn't see. Perhaps an exit was closed. Perhaps it was just a product of volume. Whatever happened, the snarl went on for hours on end. Cars started to run out of gas. People became tired, hungry, restless. Ultimately, they had to start abandoning their vehicles and progressing on foot as it was the only way out. Once enough people did this, no more cars could pass though, thus they ended up with the classic post-apocalyptic highway scene.
"Let's just keep going, okay?" Kate suggested once they'd been idle for several minutes.
Rick nodded in agreement and, without thinking, reached down to turn on the car's air conditioning due to the sweltering atmosphere. Almost the moment his finger touched the button, he felt a smack on his fingertips and whined, "Hey!"
"AC wastes gas." Kate reminded him.
"Two minutes—you can even time it," he said before pressing the AC ON button and waiting for the sweet relief of the cool air to hit his face.
It had been ridiculous—upon entering the car he had forgotten that the vehicle came equipped with a select amount of things they'd been going without due to the lack of electricity so the blast of cold air had almost shocked him. Subsequently, he was amazed at just how accustomed to their stone-age-style world he'd become. In addition to brief times of respite from the heat, Kate and Rick tried the radio, hoping that maybe there would be someone broadcasting a message of aid or assistance, but after going through every FM and AM station available, they disappointingly discovered nothing but static. On the bright side, they were able to listen to the Bruce Springsteen album left in the car, which was certainly better than silence.
At almost exactly the one hundred and twenty second mark, Kate reached over and turned the air conditioning off again. Rick grumbled, but after nearly three months of sweltering temperatures he would still take two minutes of air conditioning over none at all.
"On the bright side," he said, turning up The Boss's music again, "Only sixty-five more miles to go."
Kate let out a breathy laugh. "Great."
"Oh god not this again," Rick grumbled as they rounded a corner only to find the road completely blocked by a fallen tree.
The previous forty minutes of their trek had not gone well. After coming across a traffic circle so snarled with abandoned trucks and cars there was no way they could get through they had to double back twice to avoid similar situations, leaving Rick to curse the entire notion of traffic circles for a good ten minutes.
Frustrated, they'd veered off the main road in favor of more neighborhood-like ones in hopes of finding a smooth pass. Their plan worked and they hadn't been blocked, but they also had no real concept of where they were due to the smaller roads not appearing on their map. Ultimately, they had to go back to the main road and found it thankfully clear until their large oak obstruction appeared.
Grumbling again, Rick put the car in park. "Let's look at the map before we double back this time. Maybe we can find a better way…"
While he smoothed the map across the steering wheel and traced a path with his finger, Kate gazed absentmindedly at the tree before them. Her mind immediately went back to the storm during which she'd been attacked by the zombie, thinking perhaps the heavy winds had been its demise, but as her eyes grazed back and forth across the tree, she came to a sick realization and her stomach flipped in her gut.
"Rick, oh my god, back up."
Barely paying attention he asked, "What?"
"Rick! The car! Back up!"
He looked over at her, his brow wrinkled. "What? Why?"
She pointed towards their left. "The tree roots—they're not still attached to the end of the tree. It had a clean cut. This is a trap."
"What? A trap? What are you…"
But the words died out in Rick's lips as two men with shotguns appeared in front of the green Subaru, one gun trained on each of the vehicles occupants.
As his heart sunk deep into his belly, Rick could think of only one response. "Shit."
A/N: A cliffhanger and you guys don't get an update until NEXT saturday because i'm on vacation! Let the speculation begin :)
