Kody Boye - Sunrise

“In the boat, or out there?” she gestured outside the window.

“The boat.”

“I have no idea. You tell me.”

“It’s been two months since everything happened,” Jamie said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Two months seems about right,” Rose said, standing. She stripped her torn, bloodied T-shirt over her head and started toward the sink, but stopped before she could make it there. “What’s with the stares? You boys ain’t seen a girl with her shirt off?”

“No,” Jamie said. “It’s not that.”

“Pray tell, officer.”

“Corporal,” Jamie corrected. “And I don’t consider myself to be part of the army anymore.”

“Why’d you introduce yourself as such then?”

“Because I wanted to seem important,” he said. “Because I wanted you to feel safe.”

“I haven’t felt safe since the day Mary’s boyfriend came in and shot her in the face,” Rose said, lifting a bottle of water from the counter. “I’ll get you another one to replace this.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m not.” Chuckling, she uncapped the bottle and poured a few drops in her palms before she began to scrub the dirt off her hands. “You got any disinfectant?”

“Soap will work,” Erik said.

“You a doctor?”

“Nurse. Medic.”

“Ah. Another Army boy.”

“You said you didn’t know how long you were at sea,” Jamie said, stepping aside as Erik started into the kitchen. “How long have you been here?”

“I washed up into Long Island, New York a week or so ago.”

“It wouldn’t have been New York.”

“Why not?”

“They blew it up.”

“That’s why they cut the broadcasts from the States,” Rose laughed. “Anyhow, as to how long I’ve been here: a week, I guess. I found a car with the keys inside and took it. There was some sort of broadcast saying there was a safe zone in Rigby, but I couldn’t find it.”

“That must have been the city hall,” Jamie sighed, closing his eyes. “You have any trouble getting here?”

“Your roads are long and covered with junk, the cities are filled with the dead, the convenience stores have no food in them—sure, I can say I had a little trouble.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No.”

Desmond jumped from his place on the couch and scurried into the kitchen. Dakota fell into place at Jamie’s side just as the boy handed the Englishwoman a plate with the scarce remnants of last night’s cake.

“Cake,” she smirked.

“I made it last night,” Desmond said, offering her a spoon.

“Thank you.” She parted the cake’s luscious, vanilla folds with the blade of the utensil and slid it into her mouth, tilting her head back the moment the spoon left her lips. “God,” she moaned. “Who’d have ever known it would taste so good?”

“Guess you take things for granted,” Jamie said. “You’re all right then?”

“Doctor boy fixed me up here.” Rose dropped the spoon onto the plate. “I’m tired and sore as hell though.”

“Can I ask what happened to your car?”

“It broke down up the road. I was just about to break into one of the houses for the night before one of the deadfucks snuck up on me.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re safe, ma’am.”

“Don’t call me ma’am. It makes me sound like an old bitch.”

Dakota chuckled. Jamie elbowed him in the side, but that only made it worse, as he only laughed louder than he initially had.

“It’s nice,” she said. “To hear someone laughing, I mean.”

“You’ve been alone for a long time,” Jamie sighed. “Haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Rose said, closing her eyes. “I have.”

“Where’s the girl?” Steve asked.

“In the guest bedroom upstairs,” Jamie said, offering Dakota a smile when their eyes met.

“It’s not very often you hear about someone drifting at sea for months on end, especially not all the way from England to the States,” Dakota commented.

“She’s lucky she’s alive,” Steve said, seating himself beside Dakota.

“Why were you asking where she was?” Jamie asked.

“Just wondering. We’re starting to get our own little colony here.”

“The founding fathers!” Jamie cried, raising a fist in the air. “This is our country, gentlemen! The greatest country on Earth!”

Dakota exhaled and leaned into his boyfriend’s side. “I’m glad she came with us willingly.”

“I highly doubt we could have forced her here, babe.”

“I know. I mean, Erik could have scared her off.”

“He has a short fuse, and is apt to act irrationally.”

“I was going to say he’s a bit reckless, but that too.”

“He’s been going through some shit. He’ll snap out of it thought.”

“His headaches acting up again?” Steve sighed. “I feel bad that we’re not doing anything more for him.”

“There isn’t much we can do, Steve. Erik’s been dealing with these headaches his whole life. It’s not a problem that pills can fix.”

“I figured as much.” Steve leaned forward to look out the living room window at the snow that continued to fall, now returning from its brief absence. “Was she wearing shoes?”

“I think so,” Dakota replied.

“I didn’t see her take any off,” Jamie said. “Then again, I wasn’t paying attention to her feet. I don’t think anyone was.”

“I wasn’t.”.

“All I know is that it’d suck to be walking around in the cold without shoes.” Steve drew his feet up onto the couch and tucking them beneath his thighs. “Not much we can do about it though. At least she’s safe.”

“And that’s all that matters,” Dakota said, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, imagining how the snow would taste.

His mother used to tell him it was full of dirt.

But it falls from the sky .

Even now, looking at the ceiling, he wondered how freshly fallen snow wouldn’t be clean.

It was so perfect.

“I want to go with you,” Rose said.

“What?” Steve asked.

“I said,” she repeated, “I want to go with you. On the supply run.”

“You’ve only been here for a day,” Jamie said. “Are you sure you’re fit to go?”

“I’ve been fit to go since I got off that boat. I’ve got my land legs now.”

“Who all is going, Jamie?” Dakota asked. “If it’s me, you, Kevin and Rose—”

“That makes four of us,” Rose finished, sliding a hand into her fresh pair of jeans. She reached up to swipe a hand across her mouth before continuing. “There’s, what? Us, which makes three, then Steve and that kid, which makes five, then the guys in the other house, seven.”

“And Kevin and his two kids,” Dakota said. “Ten.”

“Four people leaving isn’t going to hurt anything. I say we go now before the snow starts up again.”

“She’s got a point,” Steve said. “You guys don’t want to get caught out in a snowstorm.”

“We also need something to heat the house with,” Rose said, stretching her arms over her head and starting toward the threshold. “That is, unless you plan on wearing long sleeves all winter.”

“What’s wrong with shirt sleeves?”

Steve’s stupid grin inspired a smile of Rose’s own. She stopped in midstride to turn and face him. “Nothing,” she said, her smile not dimming in the least, “but I’m sure you know they only go so far.”

“Trust me. I know.”

“Corpor—I mean, Jamie. When do we leave?”

“As soon as Kevin’s ready,” Jamie said, looking down at the map before them.

Dakota leaned forward to see it better. Circled in bold red ink were six individual stores, including what had once been one of the United States’ most famous superstores.