Free Out of the Dark: An apocalyptic thriller by Ashlei Hawley Page B

as Amy now was surreptitiously every now and then, both hoping to avoid tripping over anything else and hoping to keep her gaze from landing on more nasty things.
         “Well, that’s not creepy or cryptic,” Amy said sarcastically.
         They stopped talking and started walking in silence. Though it was mostly companionable, Amy felt herself easing now and then toward suspicion of Ray’s thoughts and intentions. Nothing was as it seemed now, not even friends. Even as she thought this, however, she found herself unwilling to leave Ray’s company before absolutely necessary. Out here, he was the only thing she had.
         The cold air made Amy’s chest hurt, but she was in fair physical shape. She walked for an hour and a half every day; rain or shine, hot or cold. Carrying her pack made the walk slightly more strenuous, but she was happy to find it was nothing she couldn’t handle for the time being.
         “What about that car?” Amy suddenly asked in an excited tone.
         The door to the black Ion was ajar, the emergency lights flashing. It was a newer model, but not brand new, and the only problem with it was that it had recently suffered a minor collision. The passenger side was slightly crumpled inward, and resting against it was the blue minivan that had crashed into it.
         Neither vehicle retained the drivers or passengers they may have had. Amy and Ray cautiously approached, checking in all available windows before even daring to open the door of the Ion.
         The keys were inside, along with luggage and hastily packed canned food, bottled water and a red medical kit in the backseat. Whoever had been in the Ion seemed to have been planning on leaving the city for another location, perhaps a less populous area, and had brought the necessities for a stay away.
         Amy didn’t like that both vehicles were empty. She got in the driver’s seat, anyway, and turned the key. The engine turned over with no protest, and Ray slid into the backseat, pushing the black duffle back that had been pressed against the driver’s seat on top of the other supplies in the back. The heat, which had been left on, blasted out of the vents, and Amy appreciated the warm air on her face.
         “Wait,” Ray said suddenly as he opened the door back up and got out. “Open the trunk.”
         Without arguing the necessity of it, Amy hit the remote release that was hanging from the keychain with the ignition key and two others. She was actually glad Ray had thought of it, and silently counseled herself to think more about things like that in the future.
         Ray stepped back into the frigid air, hoping the car would heat up quickly while he checked the trunk. He’d never been a fan of the cold, even though he was a Michigander through and through.
         He looked discreetly around and even though he didn’t see the eyes on him, he felt them. Though he was not their main item of interest, they observed him nonetheless. The sun was all that stood between them and the girl in the car he was hoping to protect. At least until night came. He wished the sun would never leave the sky, because at that point, he would need to leave Amy’s side. The inevitable obligation of it was making him more nervous than the eyes he knew were on him.
         The trunk was as ajar as it would get without outside help from him. There was a faintly repellent smell emanating from within, and before he even touched it he knew he wasn’t going to like what he was about to find inside.
         “Stay inside the car, Amy,” Ray said in a voice he raised only enough to be heard. As the silence was penetrated only by his voice, he didn’t have to raise it very far.
         Amy’s sharp intake of breath was enough to let him know she’d heard him, but she followed it up with, “what’s in there?”
         Even if Ray had been willing to shut the trunk without looking inside, Amy’s question