Free After the Ending by Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue Page A

Jason? Well, there’s this one Air Force chick (everyone else is
Army Special Forces, aka…badass), who was super pissed when Jason announced the
search partners. Something’s going on between them. It’s not surprising—she
(Cece) looks like a perfect, curvy little Inca princess. Well, she would if she
didn’t have “I’m a perma -bitch” stamped on her face
all the time. Whatever. The point is, I’m now on her shit list. Awesome.
     
    Want to hear something scary? After our little incident with
the hostiles today, Jason has decided I need to learn how to use a gun. This
has DISASTER written all over it. He’s waiting for me right now. I’ll let you
know how it goes when I write to you tomorrow.
     
    Ciao,
    Dani

10
    Zoe
     
     
    The graveyard of snow-capped, motionless cars made driving
along the highway eerie. Where were they going? Home? The hospital? Did they
know they were dying? The air was heavy with silence. We all knew many of
the vehicles scattered along the road weren’t abandoned—they were tombs for
their unfortunate inhabitants.
    “We’re almost there. It’s only another twenty miles or
so, I think.” Dave smiled back at us through the rearview mirror, patting his
chocolate lab on the head with his spare hand. I watched him playfully tug on
the dog’s ears; Sammy’s tail thumped excitedly.
    Thinking of my own situation, I grew apprehensive. How
long before Dave realizes I’m avoiding him ? The sporadic, unwanted emotions
I’d been feeling around him had intensified, becoming incessant and
overwhelming. I’d been trying to keep my distance.
    Why Dave? I wasn’t sure why his presence seemed to
affect me so much, but the foreign feelings seemed to fit his mood far better
than my own.
    Are these his feelings? The thought was
absurd.
    Does he know he’s doing this? I wished I could ask
him without sounding completely crazy. Shit, this is crazy!
    “Zoe, are you okay? You seem…fidgety.” Sarah was looking
at me with narrowed, very watchful eyes. She seemed to do that often, and I
couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.
    “Sure, I just wish we were there already. I’m starting to
feel claustrophobic,” I said nonchalantly as I reached for the map in the seat
pocket in front of her.
    Shrugging, Sarah started to open her book but sneezed all
over my arm in the process.
    Irritated, I looked at her. “Really, Sarah?”
    “I’m sorry.” She sniffled and wiped my sleeve with hers.
    Grossed out and annoyed, I pulled away from her, but she
grabbed my wrist anyway. “I hardly think—” But before I could finish my
sentence, I felt a surge of embarrassment warm my body, bringing a flush to my
cheeks.
    “Nice one, Sarah,” she chided herself, but I barely heard
her; I was lost in my own thoughts.
    It’s not just Dave . I suddenly felt nauseous. It’s me.
     
     
    Date: December 16, 3:30 PM
    From: Zoe Cartwright
    To: Danielle O’Connor
    Subject: Here at last!
     
    Hey D,
     
    It sounds like there’s a lot happening over there. I’m sorry
you’ve had to see all those disgusting, horrible things. It’s like a nightmare we
can’t wake up from. I hope being with Jason makes you feel safe enough to get
some rest. You’ve been through a lot this past week. I’ve been pretty lucky so
far, in terms of disgusting, horrible things. There’s so much snow on the
ground that it’s hard to see much of anything. As much as I hate this weather,
I’m grateful I’ve been spared seeing what’s underneath.
     
    So that Air Force chick you mentioned sounds like a real
gem. I guess personality isn’t much of a priority for Jason. Surprise. I know
it’s probably hard, but try to ignore the bitchiness. It means nothing, I’m
sure.
     
    We finally arrived at Dave’s cabin today, thankfully. It’s
actually quite homey. It reminds me of summer camp back in the day. It’s
nothing fancy, just an old summer fishing spot his family used when they wanted
to get out of the city. It’s too