Free The Life Beyond by Susanne Winnacker Page A

late.”
    I leaned over her and kissed her forehead. “I’ll miss you,” said, forcing myself not to cry. Joshua hugged Rachel gently and whispered goodbye. Then we both got up and moved away, as Tyler went to Rachel’s side. After a few moments, he too, moved away.
    We three stood together. The first sunrays bloomed with pinks and purple in the sky. At least Rachel would go with that image in her mind. She met my gaze and pressed the barrel against her temple. Her finger on the trigger tensed. I closed my eyes.
    A shot rang out, echoed in my ears and sliced through me. I stiffened. Slowly I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t look. I felt Joshua’s arms around me, and I folded myself into him. His embrace tightened around me; his breath caught in his throat. He buried his face in my hair and took a few deep breaths.
    Tyler stood frozen, his wide eyes on Rachel’s body. For a moment he was very still as though the life had drained from him when she’d pulled the trigger. Then he staggered past us and fell to his knees beside her.
    “Tyler?” I whispered, every word like shards in my throat.
    Joshua shook his head and turned away. “He wants to be alone.”
    And so we gave him the time he needed to say goodbye.
    The dry earth resisted our gravedigging. We had only our hands and soon my skin was scraped and my nails broken off. The sun beat down on us and I could already smell the acidly sweet stench of decay.
    The hole wasn’t deep enough. A fox or coyote could dig the body out without difficulty. But there wasn’t time to do more, to make sure Rachel had a good resting place. And how could this place, in the middle of nowhere, be a good resting place anyway? She should be in the graveyard, with people who knew and loved her. I hated the thought of leaving her here alone.
    Joshua and Tyler lowered Rachel’s body into the ground. I didn’t look at her until they’d covered her head, then I helped them push the remaining earth over her. Not more than a layer of two inches of dirt protected her from the greedy ravens already monitoring us from a safe distance. I felt like we should say a prayer or give a speech but I didn’t know what to say.
    Tyler hadn’t spoken since the shot. He’d had barely even looked at us.
    2 hours and 26 minutes since Rachel had pulled the trigger. 22 hours and 15 minutes since we lost Bobby..
    Tyler turned away from the grave and started walking. Joshua and I followed. The sweat from digging the hole turned the dirt on my body back into a film of mud. Now the sun was drying everything again and the grime grew into a tight armour of dust on my skin and clothes.
    Tyler took one step after the other, moving mechanically, his face slack and emotionless.
    “Do you think he knows where we’re going?” I asked.
    Joshua blinked. “I’m not sure. He seems kind of out of it.”
    “If we don’t drink something soon, we all will be,” I said.
    Joshua nodded, determination flashing across his face as he sped up. “Hey, Tyler!”
    No reaction.
    “Tyler!” Joshua touched his shoulder and Tyler stopped, causing us to almost bump into him. For a moment it looked like he didn’t remember us, but then he rubbed his eyes and recognition settled in them.
    “Are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?” I asked.
    A small shrug was the answer and my heart sank into my shoes.
    “Look, we have to find water first,” said Joshua. “We can find the way to the laboratory later.”
    A highway parted the monotone landscape, broken-down cars littering its sides. Shrubs bowed under the sun’s glare. I’d thought there’d be more people, more signs of life on this side of the fence. But it was deserted.
    Then, like a mirage rising from the sand, an old farmhouse came into view. Flickering heat smudged the contours of the building. My heart leaped in my chest. Could this really be it? Could this be our chance to finally make contact with people beyond the fence?

“Are you sure this isn’t