The Last Woman (All That Remains #1) (3 page)

“But he’ll never get his black
belt, and he was so close. I know in the grand scheme of things it isn’t
important, but it was to him...and to me. I just wish I could have one more
normal day. I want to watch my kid in his karate class and talk to the other
parents. I want it back. I know it’s ridiculous. I should be grateful we’re
alive, fed, and not alone.” My tears are coming faster again.

“Shh, it’s not ridiculous.” He
pulls me closer. “It’s okay to grieve for the things you’ve lost and for the
life you had before. It’s normal. I feel the same way.”

“You had a glamorous life,
Airen. You lost so much more than I did. Yet, I’m the one crying and
embarrassing myself,” I mumble, shaking my head.

He sighs again and leans back
to look at me. “My life wasn’t glamorous or any more important than yours or
the kids. Look at me, Abby.”

My cheeks flare, and I shake
my head again. I can’t look at him after crying all over him.

“Look at me,” he orders in a
stern voice. Tears shine in his eyes and trickle down his face. Oh, Airen. My
heart breaks all over again. “You aren’t alone. We’re all grieving. We’re all
hurting. Please, don’t be embarrassed.”

I gulp and nod. “You should go
to sleep. I’m okay, and I’ve already kept you up too late.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m not tired,
and you’re not okay.” He emphasizes his words by wiping away the tears still
running down my face. “But you will be. Come with me.” His hand closes over
mine, and I’m led inside to the living room. “I’m going to put a movie on for
us. Any requests?”

“Whatever you want.” While he goes
outdoors to start the generator, I blow my nose and wipe my face even though
I’m still crying. Damn! Get a grip, girl! I feel so heavy, like I’m sleepwalking,
just going through the motions. I can’t think. All I can do is cry. I’ve had
enough humiliation for one night. I’m going to bed.

Airen will hear none of that
talk. He carries a blanket and pillow to the sofa and orders me to lie down. I
could almost laugh at his attitude if I could quit crying long enough. After he
starts the movie, he surprises me by sitting on the end of the sofa and placing
my head in his lap.

“I’m not going anywhere
whether you like it or not,” he asserts. “Try to sleep.”

I can’t help but giggle. “Yes,
sir.”

“Hush.” He smiles and rubs my arm
as he focuses his attention on the television. I give up. I have never been so
tired in my life, so emotionally and physically drained. I turn onto my side
and press my forehead against his firm stomach.

“I’m sorry. You know this
isn’t me, Airen. I’m stronger than this. I’ll get it together.” Things are
tough enough without having a hysterical woman to deal with.

“Stop apologizing. You don’t
have to handle everything alone, Abigail. You don’t give yourself enough
credit. No other woman would have lasted two minutes in that hospital, and you
were going to go in alone.”

“I’m glad you were there,” I
murmur, relishing the sound of my name on his lips.

“Me too.” The last thing I
remember before falling asleep is feeling his fingers run gently through my
hair.

I wake to the sound of Jayla
and Carson laughing. They’re eating cereal and challenging each other to a game
of rummy. The memories of the night before invade, and I bury my face in the
pillow. How am I going to face Airen today? What did he tell the kids? I’ve
never slept in the living room.

As if in answer to my unspoken
question, Carson asks, “When can we stay up all night watching movies?”

I miss Airen’s response as I
realize this is his explanation for my sleeping on the sofa and probably his
exhaustion.

After they head to Carson’s
room to play cards, I get up and dress. I still look like hell after brushing
my hair and teeth, but it will have to do for now. Airen’s knocking on my door.
So much for avoiding him. I suppose it’s better to get it over with.

He smiles at me. “Hey.”

Oh, that smile. “Hi.”

“I just wanted to see how
you’re doing.”

“I’m good, and I’m sorry I—”

“Stop,” he interrupts, holding
up his hand. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Abby. Don’t apologize.”

I force myself to meet his
eyes. Damn, they’re so dark. Impulsively, I throw my arms around him and hug
him hard, closing my eyes when his arms tighten around me.

“Fine, I won’t apologize, but
at least let me say thank you.” I have to say it because I know how similar we
are when it comes to hiding our emotions, and how hard it must have been for
him to let me see him cry. Yet, he had, so I wouldn’t be as embarrassed.

“You’re welcome, darlin’.”
Oh
.

His face is pink when I let
him go and...oh hell. He’s so breathtaking standing there in only sweat pants,
bare chested, and bare footed. I
have
to stop staring at him.

“You know, your accent sneaks
in sometimes.”

“It’s worse when I’m drunk,”
he replies with a laugh.

“I really do feel better. Can
we just pretend I didn’t have a meltdown last night?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Abraham

Is he one of the faithful,
Lord, or is he one that needs to be brought into your light? He appears to be a
normal man, but it’s so difficult to separate the innocent from the heathens. I
have watched the man named Cole for over a week, and I’ve observed no deviant
behavior. When I searched his home I found a bible, although I can’t be certain
it belongs to him and not the house’s former occupant.

I observe him through his
bedroom window as he prepares for bed. He kneels at the end of his bed to pray.

“Thank you for getting me
through another day, God, and for Katie. I was going crazy being alone all the
time. I pray there are more of us out there. Humankind isn’t going extinct, are
we? Please, don’t let that happen to us. Please, let us find more survivors.
Please, watch over my wife and sons since I can longer do it. I hope they’re
really with you. Amen.” He sighs and crawls into bed alone.

I think I can trust him. The
woman, however, I’m not as confident about. They sleep in separate rooms, and I’ve
witnessed no fornication. Yet, I haven’t observed any signs that she speaks to
God nor reads his word. Woman has always been the downfall of man. I intend to
watch her closely.

I think it’s time we all meet.

Troy

“Hey, buddy! What are you
doing up there? You aren’t going to jump are you?”

The man looks down at me as if
I’m a figment of his imagination. He’s sitting on the edge of a metal beam high
above the bridge. I don’t know what river I’m currently crossing, but the water
is fast moving, and I doubt that he’s contemplating a swim.

“Have a heart, man! I’m tired
of my own company! All of this solitude is boring as hell! Come down the slow
way and I’ll buy you a beer and a new car!” I call up to him. I’ve been totally
alone for almost six months, and it’s enough to turn the most stable person
into a raving lunatic. I’m not at all surprised this guy was ready to take the
high dive. He looks confused and unsure of what to do next.

“You don’t want to swim in
that water, man! Unless you want to glow in the dark or grow a third nipple!” I
add. He begins to work his way down. Whew! I’m dizzy just watching him. Heights
are not my friend. He approaches me carefully. What do you say to someone who
was probably seconds away from offing himself?

“Hi, I’m Troy.”

“Micah,” he replies, shaking
my hand as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened.

“Do you mind if we move off of
this bridge? I’m not a fan of heights.”

He laughs. “Sure.”

We spend the next few hours
talking. Well, questioning each other. After about four thousand questions get
tossed back and forth we have a general idea of what the other person has
experienced. It comes to the same end, of course. Everyone we cared about has
died. Everyone we’ve ever known is dead. At least neither of us had children.
Micah had a live-in girlfriend of two years. I lost a group of friends who had
become my family. We’ve both been completely alone since the plague. Oh, and we
both have nice hair.

Micah doesn’t even blink when
I tell him I’m gay. I have a few seconds of hope that he may be also before he
responds.

“That’s cool. I’m straight,
though.”

“I saved you for nothing,” I say
with a grin.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” he
replies sarcastically. We’re sitting on a porch of a small house facing the
river.

“Why did you pick this house?”
I ask.

“It’s close to the river.”

“That it is. I’ll bet when the
wind blows just right you can smell all of the sewage in Illinois.”

“Seemed like a smart idea to
live near the water.”

“Yeah, it probably is. So, you
intend to live now, do you? Do I need to watch for you to wander off in the
middle of the night? Maybe I should remove your belt and shoelaces?”

He snorts and shakes his head.
“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. That water was probably
cold. I’m sure there are worse ways to go, though. Like diving head first into
a wood chipper.”

Micah laughs and runs his hand
across his forehead. “I think feet first would be worse, actually.”

“I suppose you’re right. How
about doing a cannon ball into the mouth of a volcano?”

“Or hanging yourself with a
bungee cord. That would be time consuming.”

“Seriously though, would you
really have jumped?”

“Since I’ve climbed up there
three times now, I doubt it. I wanted to. There just didn’t seem like there was
any point in being the last guy alive.”

“Loneliness is a bitch,” I
agree. “I say we get drunk.”

“Hell of an idea.”

The rainy weather finally
breaks, and we have a brief respite. It’s a beautiful sunny day. The
thermometer on the kitchen window reads eighty degrees at ten in the morning.
What more could we ask for at the end of October? We can’t wait to get
outdoors. For once, we all agree on an activity, a hike in the woods.

Jayla has recently become
obsessed with photography. Airen found her a photo printer and a digital camera
at Radio Shack for her birthday. She photographs everything. Prints are scattered
throughout the house, and she has countless memory cards full. Of course, she
brings her camera along on the hike.

“Do you know where we’re
going?” Jayla asks Airen as he leads the way through the woods.

“We’re wandering aimlessly
through the forest. Did you bring your bread crumbs?”

“Ha ha.”

“There’s a place Carson and I
go when we’re hunting. It’s a good place for a picnic, as long as you don’t
mind the poison ivy or a few snakes.”

He’s in such a playful mood
today. It’s nice to see him so cheerful.

“Don’t forget the mountain
lions and bears,” Carson adds.

“Yeah, and tigers and gorillas
and hippos,” Jayla mocks, smiling at me.

“Boys,” I scoff.

“Uh um.” Airen clears his
throat. “I believe you mean
men
,” he corrects, grinning at Carson.

“I stand by my initial
statement.”

“Good to know the battle of
the sexes lives on in an apocalypse.” Airen grins. He is all smiles today.

I put my arm around Jayla.
“Women have to stick together.”

“That wouldn’t happen if you
showered more often,” Carson retorts.

“I wonder where you get that
smart mouth from.” I laugh.

Airen winks at me. “It’s one
of life’s great mysteries.”

Oh, why does he do that? Is he
so completely oblivious to how sexy it makes him? When he points those radiant,
dark as night eyes at me I’m drawn in, helpless. I have to drag my gaze away
from his. My mind wanders back to the night he found me crying. I remember how
his arms felt around me, his hard flat stomach against my forehead as I lay
with my head in his lap. None of that had felt sensual at the time because I
was so upset. Since then, I can’t stop dwelling on the sensation of his fingers
running through my hair, his hand stroking my back while he murmured
soothingly. He treated me with such tenderness.

What the hell is the matter
with me today? I know better than to let my thoughts stray in this direction.
It’s pointless and only leaves me aroused and frustrated. I need to remind
myself of who he is and who I am. He is a beautiful, talented man, and any
woman would chop off a limb to be with him. Hell, just to be noticed by him.

I, however, am an unattractive
ex-librarian who just happened to survive a horrible sickness that destroyed
most of the population. Chance alone brought us together as friends, and at
some point he will move on. As I told Carson, we aren’t the last people on
Earth. I have to get a grip. We hike for about an hour before we come to Carson
and Airen’s favorite spot.

“It’s lovely here,” I exclaim.

We are in a small clearing
beside a stream that gurgles pleasantly. On one of their past trips they have
placed logs in a semicircle around a small fire pit. Scattered patches of
yellow wild flowers grow where the sun penetrates the canopy.

“Can we wade in the stream?”
Jayla asks.

“It’s shallow, they’ll be fine,”
Airen says, nodding at me.

“Just stay close,” I warn, and
they sprint toward the water. I’m left alone with Airen, and I suddenly feel
shy and self-conscious. We are both quiet for a few minutes while he starts a
fire. We can hear the kids laughing and splashing, their giggles echoing
through the forest. I can’t stand the awkward silence between us any longer.

“They’re having fun.”

“This was a good idea.” He
smiles.

 “You were bound to have one
eventually,” I tease.

“Thanks.” He shakes his head,
still grinning. “I should set some traps before we head home. This would be a
good place to catch rabbits and possibly squirrels.”

“I like rabbit, but squirrel?
I don’t think so. It’s like eating a rodent.”

“Have you ever had squirrel,
Miss Picky?”

“Once. It was dark, greasy,
and nasty. Of course, you’re from Louisiana so I suppose I shouldn’t be
surprised. Don’t people down there eat anything with eyes?”

“There are a few exceptions.”
He laughs and adds a log to the fire. “I’ve had alligator before.”

“And?”

“It was a little chewy for my
taste.”

We laugh together. “What other
southern delicacies have you tried?”

“Let’s see. I’ve had possum,
raccoon, crawfish, snake, beaver, guinea pig...”

“You did not eat guinea pig!”

A charming little grin tilts
his lips. “You caught me, but the rest are true.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Eating critters I ran over
with my truck?”

I roll my eyes at him. “Louisiana.”

“Sometimes, but I spent a lot
of time working in New York the past few years. My mom used to call and tell me
to get my oversized head back home.” A nostalgic look softens his features.

“Did you lose your parents to
the plague? Or before?”

“Mom and Dad died during the
plague on the same day. They were together for almost forty years so I reckon
that was a blessing.” His accent shows its face again. “My girlfriend Samantha
died two days later.”

“I’m sorry. Were you together
long?”

“Only a few months. What about
your family?”

It’s amazing what we still
don’t know about one another. These are questions we’ve been afraid to ask for
worry they will reopen barely healed over wounds.

“My mother died of a heart
attack a few years ago. My father died last year of lung cancer. I have, or had
a brother who still lived in Indy. I assume the plague took him. I was too
afraid to travel that far and into a major city to check on him.”

“I don’t blame you. We avoided
the large cities when we were traveling. Did you have a husband? Boyfriend?”

“No.”

“And Carson’s father?” I shake
my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to interrogate you.”

“It’s not that. There just
isn’t much to tell. We lived together for three years. He kicked me out when I
got pregnant and refused to have an abortion. He never had anything to do with
Carson.”

The kids burst into the
clearing before he can respond. Jayla is taking pictures. “Carson! Sit by your
mom so I can take a photo,” she orders. Carson rolls his eyes, but acquiesces.
After shooting about ten photos from different angles, she stops. “Now Airen
and Abby.”

We’ve learned it’s easier to
humor her when it comes to her new hobby. Airen sits down beside me, and we
smile for the camera.

Jayla shakes her head. “Well,
move closer together! You look like you’re mad at each other. Honestly,” she
huffs, exasperated. Airen slips his arm around my shoulders, and I put mine
around his waist. She snaps away, as happy as any child with a new toy.

“One more.” Airen turns and
presses his lips to my cheek.

“That’s more like it!” Jayla
exclaims as the camera clicks and clicks.

I know I’m blushing, and I
hope it won’t show in the photo. How does he do this to me? Just a kiss on the
cheek and I’m overcome by him. I’m immersed in his smell, and his masculine
musky scent throws my hormones into overdrive. He removes his arm from my
shoulders, and his fingers travel lightly down my spine leaving a trail of
tingling skin in their wake. His gaze meets mine, and I can’t look away.

“You’re blushing,” he murmurs.

“It’s warm out here.” I
quickly remove my arm from his waist. One glance at his arrogant grin and I’m
tempted to push him off the log.

“I’ll need a copy of that
one,” he calls to Jayla, smirking.

“Now, let me get a photo of
you, Carson, and Airen,” I suggest, as though my heart isn’t trying to escape
my chest.

We have a lot of fun, and it’s
a relaxing day. We have a picnic, and the afternoon seems to fly by. After we
pack up our things I walk to the stream to wash my hands. The water is
shockingly cold, and I’m surprised at how clear it is. Hmm, I wonder how long
it will take for the Earth to rid itself of our pollution. Will it ever
completely recover from the damage humans inflicted upon it? Will there ever be
a time when we won’t have to filter and boil the water from the stream? We have
found truck loads of bottled drinking water so that hasn’t been an issue yet.

I’m lost in my thoughts when I
hear a whimper so faint I think I may have imagined it. Standing as still as
I’m able, I listen hard. There it is again. It almost sounds like a baby. It’s
originating at the far side of the stream. Although I’m terrified of what I
might find, I follow the sound.

It’s not a baby, thank
goodness! A tiny puppy looks up at me with pleading fearful eyes. It appears to
be a few months old, but it’s hard to tell. The poor thing is so emaciated I
can see every bone in its little body. He’s caught in a wire twisted around his
leg. Oh! My stomach turns as I realize he has tried to chew through his leg to
escape. My voice wavers when I yell for Airen, and he comes running, splashing
through the stream.

“What? Abby! Are you all
right?” I show him the pitiful little pup. “Christ, Abby! You scared the shit
out of me!”

“Sorry.” I glance at him,
surprised by his reaction. “We need to help him or put him out of his misery.
He’s the first dog I’ve seen alive since the plague.”

“Me too. He’s caught in my
rabbit snare.” A guilty expression flits across his face. Ever so gently, he
unwinds the wire from the pup’s leg, and it’s little pink tongue darts out to
lick his palm. “I’m sorry little guy. I didn’t mean this for you,” he murmurs.

Carson arrives just in time to
see it. “We have a dog!” he shouts to Jayla. They are both overjoyed.

“I guess that decides it,”
Airen mumbles, wrapping the shivering puppy in his shirt. “Let’s go home.”

The puppy is in bad shape, and
I try to prepare the kids for the likelihood he won’t survive. It appears to be
a black lab mix, and he’s friendly despite his miserable condition. His leg is
infected, but fortunately it’s not broken. Airen watches me clean and bandage
the limb.

“Don’t,” I warn, taking note
of the dismal expression on his face.

“Don’t what?”

“This isn’t your fault.”

“You told Jayla it was caught
in a fence.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Carson knows it was a snare.
He saw it, but he didn’t tell her.” That makes me smile. “Perhaps he didn’t
want her to blame me…or him. He may feel responsible because he set some of the
traps.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Let me.”

I raise my eyebrows at him. “Sure.”

The puppy heals quickly, and a
week later he’s limping through the house after Carson and Jayla. Their giggles
are a delight to hear. A long debate over what to name their new friend follows.

“Rabbit?” Carson jokes, glancing
at Airen who quickly tries to hide a smirk.

Jayla is oblivious to the
inside joke my smart ass son just cracked. “I’d like to call him Uno. You know,
because he’s the only one left,” she explains.

“We don’t know that he’s the
only one,” Carson argues, “but I’m fine with Uno.”

Uno fits right in and becomes
one of the family. Airen and Carson spend an afternoon building a doghouse,
which appears to be a waste since Uno usually ends up sleeping with Carson or
Jayla.

* * *
*

With Thanksgiving approaching,
Airen is determined to shoot a turkey. He and Carson are up before dawn and in
the woods. I’m making pancakes when Carson bursts through the door holding a
huge turkey in front of him as if it’s a trophy. It’s dripping blood
everywhere.

“Mom! I got him! I got him on
the first shot!” He’s beaming from ear to ear, so proud of himself.

Airen steps in behind him. “It
never had a chance.” A smile stretches across his face as his deep laughter
fills the room.

“That’s fantastic, honey! He’s
huge! You did a great job.”

“Come on, let’s take him
outside and pluck him,” Airen says. He glances at the blood on the floor and
gives me an apologetic look, but I smile and shrug. If Carson’s happy, then so
am I.

“I’ll heat some water so you
two can shower.”

“Thank you, give us an hour.”

Airen found these fabulous
camp showers and modified them to hold ten gallons of water. We always keep
them half full and when we want to shower, add a few gallons of boiling water
to the tanks. Hot showers in the winter are such a luxury.