Sam Sisavath - The Isles of Elysium

“Did you see Gillian?” Jordan asked.

“Yes,” Keo said.

“How’d it go?”

How did it go? It went swell. She’s with another guy. And she’s having his baby. Couldn’t have gone better.

“That well, huh?” she said when he didn’t answer.

“You knew she was living with Jay all along, even before last night.”

Jordan sighed. She had apparently been dreading the question.

“Jordan…”

“Yes,” she said. “How’d you know?”

“You told Dave to go to her house. How would you know where she lived, or who with, unless she had already moved in with Jay before you escaped? Was the whole point of going there to get help from Jay or Gillian?”

“A little of both, I guess.”

“It was a smart move. Probably saved your life. Of course, if it hadn’t rained, they would have tracked you straight to her house. Dave didn’t exactly do a good job of hiding your tracks.”

“Hey, I did my best,” Dave said behind them. “I work in the cafeteria for a reason, you know.”

“You did great, Dave,” Jordan said.

“Thanks. Nice to be appreciated.”

Jordan looked over at Keo. “And I’m sorry. About Gillian. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

He nodded, surprised that he wasn’t madder at her. He should have known though. All those times when he asked her about Gillian and it always seemed as if she was choosing her words carefully. Too carefully.

“I’m sorry, Keo,” she said again. “I should have told you sooner. I always wanted to, but I just didn’t know how. I guess I was too much of a coward.”

“Water under the bridge.”

She nodded, but he wasn’t sure if she believed him. He wasn’t sure if he believed himself.

“How’s the eye?” he asked.

“My swelling will go down eventually, but your face isn’t going to get any prettier anytime soon.”

Dave chuckled behind them.

“Stop being a bitch, Jordan,” Keo said. “I saved your life last night, remember?”

She smiled back. “Sorry. Thank you for saving my life.”

He grunted.

With the docks almost within sight, Keo drew his Glock and handed it to her. She took it, along with the extra magazine that she slid into her raincoat pocket.

“Stay here,” he said, standing up. He glanced back at Dave. “Easy does it.”

“Hey, who got us through that snake of a river last night?” Dave asked.

Keo grinned. “Point taken, el capitan. ”

*

Keo hopped out of the boat and was on the dock before Dave even turned off the trolling motor. He moved inland, the M4 in front of him, hoping he didn’t see anything behind the red dot scope so he didn’t have to shoot.

It wasn’t the possibility of shooting someone that worried him; it was the fact that if he had to kill at all, that meant there were others already on the island. There was no telling who might have sneaked onto Santa Marie while they waited out the night. The bad guys, as he kept reminding himself, didn’t need to be afraid of the darkness.

Fortunately, no one was hiding behind one of the dozen trucks still frozen in the parking lot, or poked their head out from the ridges that flanked the marina.

He stepped off the docks and kept going. He would have moved faster if his clothes weren’t still partially soaked in last night’s rain and he wasn’t half-running and half-limping, the pain in his thigh reasserting itself this morning. The painkillers had begun kicking in a few hours ago, and though he had been tempted to down a couple more before sunup, he had resisted.

He swept the trucks and picked up the fresh, muddy footprints along the floors. Bare footprints.

Ghouls.

The storm system that had drowned T18 last night had been moving inland from the Gulf of Mexico. It had clearly hit Santa Marie Island first before moving on, and he was looking at the rain-slicked results. It also reinforced what he had seen back in town. The ghouls weren’t afraid of the rain, just the rivers, the oceans, and the lakes. Why? What was the difference? Water was water, right?

Apparently not.

He let himself breathe easier only after he had reached the marina entrance. Keo leaned out and looked left, then right, up the streets. Scanned the houses on both sides, and it was only when he couldn’t detect any signs of movement that he finally lowered the M4 and let himself relax for the first time since jumping out of the boat.

He turned around and waved to Dave and Jordan, the two of them still waiting in the boat. He watched as Dave hopped out with the line and tied it into place, then helped Jordan out. They carried Dave’s pack and what weapons they had brought with them and hurried up the docks. Unlike him earlier, they seemed to be moving fine, even Jordan.

Keo took a moment for himself and glanced up at the warm sun. The mid-November weather was becoming more prominent, the air getting cooler every day. For now, the sky was wide open in the aftermath of last night’s storm. He imagined this was one of those days that made owning a home in a place like this worth every penny.

Santa Marie Island, whether he wanted it to or not, would make a hell of a good last stand.

*

It was easy to find the two-story white house where Gene had taken him that morning when he first arrived on the island. All he had to do was find the hill again-not a hard task, since it was right in the center-and then walk up to the front door.

Like Gene had done when they were last here, Keo took note of the surrounding area-the unmowed front lawn, the sidewalks, and the doors and windows. Everything was intact, and unlike at the marina, there were no muddy footprints on the driveway or nearby streets. It was as if the creatures just knew there would be no one here so there was no point in raiding the place.

Even though he was certain the house hadn’t been touched since he was last here, Keo moved cautiously anyway. There was no point in taking risks now. He wanted what the house had, but he could also easily make do with what he had on hand. With that in mind, he left the door wide open, using a rock to keep it pried so a gust of wind didn’t push it close, and didn’t touch anything else as he made his way upstairs.

Everything was where they had left it a few days ago, including the stack of weapons in the master bedroom’s bathtub. Keo picked and chose what he thought they could use (and wished he had a few more hands).

He left the house and made his way back to Dave and Jordan, who were waiting for him at the ridgeline overlooking the western marina. Dave was crouched next to a large boulder, and Jordan was peering up at the sun next to him with her good eye.

“That bad, huh?” she said as he walked back to them.

“What’s that?” he said.

“I saw your reaction.”

“What reaction?”

She frowned. “The good news is, I still have one good eye.”

“That’s definitely good news.”

“The bad news…”

“There’s bad news?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Which would be?”

“I don’t know how to shoot with my left eye. I usually squint with my right when I’m aiming.”

“Most people do.”

He put the weapons down on the ground in front of her. The damned things seemed to have doubled in weight since he stepped out of the house and made the long walk back to the marina. Of course, it could just be his sore shoulder and thigh. Keo unslung his pack and pulled out boxes of bullets, stacking them next to the guns.

Jordan picked up a Colt AR-15 and turned it over. “Am I wrong, or do you expect this to go on for a while?”

He nodded. “If we’re lucky, yeah.”

“‘If we’re lucky’?” Dave said. “Your definition of luck sucks.”