The Black Tide I: Remnants (Tides of Blood) Read online

  He smiled and scooped them out of my hand, shoving the box of cigarettes at me. I pocketed them with a satisfied smile until I noticed Andy watching me with an incredulous look.

  “What?” I asked, a defensive note creeping in.

  “No wonder you can't run,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Now you sound like my dad.”

  “Maybe. Doesn't mean I'm not right.” He pursed his lips. “You could have bartered for more food, instead.”

  I pulled a face at him and turned my back. Wasn't I allowed anything? Not even once? Did I always have to put my needs last? But I knew he was right. I simply wasn't ready to admit it.

  Though our street was nearby, we were the last to be dropped off. That meant we got a good idea of what was happening around town. Barricades had been set up at all roads leading to town and shops and garages were commandeered, all supplies going to the army.

  Soldiers were going from street to street, processing people. As they finished with each house, they spray painted a blue check mark on it. At one house, the family was forced into the back of a truck while soldiers cordoned it off with yellow tape. It looked like a crime scene.

  “Infected,” Andy whispered.

  “Where are they taking them?” I asked.

  He glanced at me and sighed. “They'll be quarantined until the disease runs its course then their bodies will be burned.”

  A picture of a mass grave billowing black smoke flashed through my mind and I shuddered. Andy wouldn't meet my eyes, however. I stared at him through slitted lids. “You're lying.”

  He looked away. “I'm not.”

  “Yes, you are. You heard something, didn't you? In the truck?”

  He closed his eyes and I gripped his arm. “Tell me, Andy.”

  “All right. Let go.” He looked down and mumbled something so low I could hardly make out the words. “They'll be shot. Shot and burned.”

  “How...how do you know that? What did you hear?” Even though it was what I had been expecting, it was still a shock to hear it out loud.

  “The soldiers joked about a group of men they executed earlier, and some...some were disappointed we weren't next.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “Not everybody who wears a uniform is a good guy, Ava.”

  I found that hard to believe. Soldiers? The very same people who had sworn to defend their fellow citizens were now disappointed they couldn't murder them?

  A vision of Lexi being driven off and shot flashed through my mind, and I gripped the metal sides. What would I do? Would I let them take her?

  I'd rather die than let that happen.

  Pressing my lips together to keep from screaming in frustration, I leaned into Andy's side. Funny how he'd become my rock over the course of the day. He patted me on the back with those ham fists of his, almost coaxing a smile from me. Almost.

  The truck turned into our street and I noticed the houses sported spray-painted check marks. No yellow tape or crosses. The driver pulled into our driveway and my eyes found the blue check.

  Lexi was safe.

  My knotted muscles relaxed somewhat, and I turned to Andy. “Guess this is goodbye.”

  “Guess so.”

  “Say hi to your mom for me.”

  “Will do.”

  He smiled and gave me a wave as the truck reversed then rumbled off. Turning back to my house, I flung open the front door and rushed inside.

  “Lexi, I'm back.”

  Silence.

  “Lexi!”

  More silence.

  “No. No, no, no, no.” I ran through the house, checking each room as I went, calling out every few seconds. No answer. The house was empty. Lexi was gone.

  Where was Jacob? He was gone too. I ran around, searching the yard, becoming more frantic with each passing second. Where was she? Did they take her? Was she sick? But no, the house had a check on it. Maybe they took her because she was alone. Maybe they thought she was an orphan.

  I turned in a circle, hands on my head, at a complete loss. I'd lost her. I couldn't believe it. Refused to. “Fuck!”

  Guilt rushed in, a warm acrid tide suffusing my body. This was my fault. Once more, I'd failed her. After everything. Why had I left her here alone? Why hadn't I stayed? Tears flowed down my cheeks and I fell to my knees.

  Ten minutes later, I was still sobbing on my knees in the backyard, oblivious to the creeping cold in the air as the sun set behind the horizon. A warm hand gripped my shoulder, startling me. “Ava. Stop.”

  I looked up into Andy's dark brown eyes, confused. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be at home? “Andy?”

  “Get up, Ava. You'll freeze to death.”

  I shook my head. “I don't care. Lexi's gone.”

  He squeezed my shoulder. “It's okay. She's fine.”

  “What?” I asked, his low baritone breaking through the haze. “What do you mean?”

  “She's at our house.” I stared at him, uncomprehending, and he continued. “She went there with Jacob.”

  “What?” I screeched. Andy winced and stepped back as I jumped to my feet. “You're only telling me this now?”

  He raised both hands, shaking his head. “Whoa there. I had no idea. Just found out when I got home.”

  “Duh, but you let me sit there and bawl my eyes out for half an hour first.” Humiliation filled me. I whirled around and stalked towards the house, grabbing my keys and jacket where I'd dropped them earlier. “Let's get going then.”

  I marched out the gate, walking as fast as I could. Andy followed with a lost expression on his face, keeping back a step or two while I muttered beneath my breath.

  To have Andy see me like that was not cool. Crying like a damn baby, face all red and scrunched up with a snotty nose. Gross. What must he think of me? Asshole. He should have told me she was fine the moment he got there.

  And Lexi.

  How dare she scare me like that? Couldn't they leave a note? I was so worried. One day she was going to give me a heart attack. After everything, I'd done for her. “Ungrateful little cow.”

  Andy jogged up next to me. “Uh, Ava. We'd better hurry. There'll be a patrol along soon. We don't want to get caught outside.”

  “Patrol?” I asked, then remembered the army. Everything that happened earlier flooded back, and I realized the most important fact of all. Lexi was safe. She wasn't sick, she hadn't been kidnapped, and she was waiting for me down the road.

  Maybe I'd overreacted.

  Maybe.

  I wiped the tears off my face and shrugged on my jacket. “Sorry, I wasn't thinking.”

  With furtive glances over our shoulders, we sped up to a jog. I kept imagining an army truck appearing around the corner, and my heart bounced in my throat until we reached Andy's driveway.

  “Thanks for coming to get me, Andy,” I said, pausing for a moment.

  His brow furrowed as he looked down at me. “Sure. No problem.”

  I flashed him a winning smile, painfully aware of the fact that I must seem like a complete nutter, screaming one second then grinning the next.

  “Ava. You're back!” Lexi cried, rescuing me from the awkward moment.

  A tiny whirlwind flung herself into my arms and I crushed her to me, planting a kiss on top of her head. “Yes, sweet pea. I'm back.” I held her at arm's length and examined her. “Are you okay?”

  She grinned. “I'm good. Jacob and I played games all day long. It was fun.”

  I glared at Jacob standing behind her and he averted his eyes, trying to look innocent. “I thought I told you not to talk to him? To stay inside the house?”

  Her face fell. “I know. It was just so boring without you there.” She shrugged. “Then the power went off and I couldn't watch my stories. What was I supposed to do?”

  “You were supposed to listen to me, Lexi,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. God, she was going to be the death of me. “Then what happened?”

  “The soldiers came and they made
us do a test to see if we were sick or not. That was scary!” She smiled at Jacob. “But Jacob protected me. He was awesome.”

  “He did?”

  Jacob shot me an embarrassed smile, toe shuffling in the dirt. “It was nothing. After they tested us, the guy said we shouldn't be alone and that they'd take us to a place for kids with no parents.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yeah but I told them where I stayed and that Lexi could stay with us too. He was okay with that.”

  “Well, you did good, Jake. Thanks for looking after her.”

  Mrs. Peterson appeared in the doorway. “Would you like to come in, Ava? I've prepared supper and you're welcome to stay.”

  “I don't know. It's getting kind of late.” A rumble from my stomach put the lie to my words.

  Andy nudged me in the back. “Stay. I'll walk you two home after. It's better to leave after dark, anyway. You don't want to be caught out on the streets.”

  “That's true.” I hesitated, biting my lip.

  Lexi turned a pleading face to me. “Please, Ava. Let's stay.”

  There was no way I could say no those puppy dog eyes. “Alright.”

  “I'll set the table,” Mrs. Peterson said.

  I helped Mrs. Peterson with the table while Andy locked up the house. The power was out again which was no surprise. It turned out to be a good thing, though, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming beneath the glow of flickering candles.

  The food was amazing. I don't know how she did it, but Mrs. Peterson made meatballs and spaghetti out of two-minute noodles and corned beef. The sauce, thick and creamy, was redolent with the flavors of garlic and oregano. “Wow, this is great.”

  Lexi nodded, her face smeared with the stuff. “Better than yours.”

  “She's right,” Andy said. “Remember those cookies you baked? You tried to feed them to us while we were visiting your house. They were awful.”

  I smacked him on the arm. “Hey, I was fourteen. What do you expect?”

  “Have you improved since then?”

  “Sure I have.” I turned to Lexi. “My food's not that bad, is it?”

  She giggled and shook her head. “Dad cooks much better than you do.”

  I slumped in my seat, deflated.

  “Don't be sad,” she continued. “You're banana bread was pretty good.”

  “See? Told you so,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at Andy.

  After supper, Andy and I washed the dishes while Jacob entertained Lexi with a game of scrabble. For once, I was relaxed. None of us had to worry about infection. No gloves or masks. We were all clean. All we had to do was stay that way.

  The fact that the tests weren't a hundred percent accurate was one I pushed aside for the moment. I wanted to believe we weren't sick. Needed to believe it.

  We even had food again. The soldiers had given Mrs. Peterson rations for Lexi and a coupon booklet for the following week, so we'd be okay in that department if we were careful. The only problem that remained was our missing fathers. I looked at the soapy water covering my fingers. “Andy.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you think they're okay?”

  He didn't need to ask who I was talking about. With some reluctance, he said, “I don't know. It's hard to say.”

  My hands clutched the sponge, scrubbing the dirty plate until it shone.

  “They could be fine. The army could have taken them somewhere in Welkom for processing.”

  It was possible. Yet, somehow, I didn't believe it. “It's been two days.”

  “I know.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “I don't know.”

  Silence fell between us. We both knew what the other was thinking. What if 'processing' turned out to be an execution? A brief image of my father lying by the side of the road with a bullet hole through his head, made me flinch.

  I dropped the plate into the scummy water and pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. It didn't bear thinking about. Andy draped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against his side, comforting me.

  We stood like that until Lexi's squeals rang through the air. “You cheated.”

  “I did not.”

  “Ava, Jacob is cheating.”

  “Am not. Obscure is a real word,” Jacob protested.

  “No, it's not. It's a made up one.”

  I sighed, dropping my hands. “Think we can ignore them?”

  “Ava!”

  Andy grinned. “Not a chance.”

  “Damn.” The joys of sisterhood.

  I rubbed my hands dry on my pants as I walked, reflecting on everything that had happened that day. Nothing was certain and tomorrow looked like a scary place but right now, I was the referee in a scrabble match and in the home of friends.

  And that was enough.

  9

  Chapter 8

  The days following that night were a blur, all melting into each other with tedious similarity. The army stayed true to their word―no one was allowed to leave their homes after that first day.

  Daily patrols made sure of it and the consequences for disobeying were severe. I witnessed one beating in the street and that was enough. Few people were willing to risk it after that.

  Except for Andy.

  The idiot sneaked over every night after dark to exchange whispered news and speculations. Sometimes, he'd bring us something to eat too. A cool drink, a chocolate, even chips. I never asked where he got it from. Scared to hear the answer, I guess.

  Much as I feared for him, I couldn't bring myself to stop him from visiting either. Besides Lexi, he was the only company I had now.

  My father did not return during this time.

  Neither did Andy's.

  Every time we had the chance, we queried the soldiers for news but never got any. Lexi asked after him all the time. Eventually, I ran out of reassurances to give her, resorting instead to a sad shake of the head.

  Andy and I never spoke about it. What was the point? We couldn't go looking for them and the army was no help at all. In fact, as the days passed, they changed from saviors to foes. We hated them.

  They gave us food once a week. That much was true. Their strict policies prevented the Black Tide from spreading. That was also true. The crime rate dropped. True if you turned a blind eye to what they did for fun.

  The memory of the first time I had to stand at my gate and wait for our rations to be dropped off remained seared into my brain. According to their instructions, as given to us over a loudspeaker, our rations would be delivered once a week by truck. We had to present our coupon booklets to be stamped and would be tested once more to ensure we remained free of the disease.

  Our area was earmarked for eight in the morning and after waiting for two hours, my patience was wearing thin. Finally, two trucks rumbled around the corner. After another fifteen minutes, one pulled up to my house.

  The driver eyeballed me through the window before getting out, walking over with an arrogant swagger. He smirked as he took the two ration tickets from my hand, fingers lingering on mine for far too long. My cheeks burned as his gaze swept over my chest then traveled down the rest of my body. It was beyond humiliating.

  “So it's just the two of you then, Miss?”

  I nodded, reluctant to answer him.

  He leered at Lexi. “Aren't you a pretty little thing?”

  My insides froze and I shifted, blocking her from his view. He frowned and gestured to the medic waiting in the passenger seat. After Lexi and I tested negative once more, our booklets were stamped and we received our rations.

  I took the two bags of food, eager to get away from the creepy driver but he had other ideas and leaned forward, eyes drilling into mine. “For a girl like you, I could make an exception. Add another bag of rations, if you know what I mean?”

  “No.”

  His eyes narrowed and he grabbed my wrist, squeezing hard. I whimpered, staring up at him in fright.

  “Think about it. It co
uld be a cozy arrangement. I'd look after you real nice.” Before I could answer, he released me and sauntered back to the truck. “I'll be seeing you.”

  He left me with a bruised wrist and a mortal fear of the following week's delivery. That night, I couldn't sleep. After Andy left, I sat alone in the dark, staring out the window at the stars, wondering where my father was. If he were here, that driver wouldn't touch me. Or so I liked to think.

  I hugged my knees to my chest, hating the fear that kept me up and robbed me of my security. The minutes ticked past, my mind in turmoil as I weighed my options. We could move in with Andy and his family. They wouldn't mind, but did I really want that? This was our home, and I still held out hope my dad would return. I wasn't ready to give up yet.

  Then I remembered my father's gun. He kept it in a safe in his room. I was up in a flash, searching for the key. Why hadn't I thought of it earlier? Stupid, stupid.

  After thirty minutes of searching, I found the key and stuck my hand in the air, wielding it like a sword. “Yes!”

  Inside the safe, I found a 9mm parabellum with a holster and a box of bullets but now I was faced with a different problem. I had no idea how to use it.

  The following night, I asked Andy to teach me how to load it. We practiced in the backyard and though I never fired it, I felt safer with the gun riding on my hip. I daren't tell Andy what it was for, though. He might do something stupid like confront the soldier and get himself beaten up. Or worse.

  I waited for the next delivery with trepidation. When it came, I was ready, armed with the gun and as much determination as I could muster. Turned out, I was worried for nothing. It was a different driver, one who didn't have time to waste on the likes of me.

  Two more weeks passed, spent in a blur of cooking, cleaning, and gardening. Andy got me vegetable seeds and I was determined to try my hand at growing food again. It kept me busy, at least.

  The power was off more than on, and the water pressure decreased to the point where washing became a luxury. In a fit of worry, I filled every container I could find and stored it in the garage.

  According to the news, the army had the situation well under control. Our Government was still in effect and the tide of migrants from the rest of Africa had slowed, deterred by the troops manning the border. The spread of the Black Tide had all but ceased, and the death rate had decreased by at least eighty percent. We were lucky compared to the rest of the world. Or so we were told.