Chapter 13 - Waverly
Walter and Barry didn’t let us leave after Hank was bitten. Their mission to pull the greyskins away from the school had worked, but they wanted to be certain that the undead were still moving far away before they let us drive through Foley again. We couldn’t risk leading the greyskins back to the school. The night seemed to go on forever and I drifted in and out of sleep, never getting the rest I desired. Thoughts of seeing the future plagued my mind and no one knew if Hank was going to make it through the night.
Now, the sun shines on my tired eyes as I sit next to Hank’s cot. There are others in the room watching over him. Walter stands behind me and Ethan and Gilbert sit separately on their own cots.
“He’s not showing any symptoms of the virus,” Walter says. “I think he’s going to make it just fine.”
There is more relief within me than there should be, I think. I have only known Hank for a day, but I feel the need to check on him.
Eventually, his eyes flutter awake and his smile beams at me. “You look very pretty,” he says. “When the sun hits your eyes it looks like the Pacific Ocean.
“Have you been there?” I ask.
Hank nods. “I used to live on the West Coast. My heart is there. I moved out here to pursue a career, leaving my family behind.” He lets out a long breath. “I just didn’t know I was going to be leaving them behind forever. Heh, it’s not like I can hop on a plane and go look for them either.”
“They’re probably still alive,” I say.
“Can you see that too?” he asks. “Can you touch my hand and see a future that I will be arm and arm with my little girls again? Will their mother be with them?”
I say nothing.
“I didn’t think so,” he says. “Strange business what you told me yesterday.”
“Tell me about it,” I say. “I don’t know what it is. It comes and goes.” As I want it to, anyway.
“Can’t say I’ve ever met a person like you, Waverly.”
“I hope to meet more like you,” I tell him.
“Likely we won’t be seeing each other again, but if we do, perhaps I will be used to fighting greyskins with just one arm.”
“I think it would be better if you kept at your cooking with just one arm,” I say. “Because that’s what I’ll be looking for when we meet again.”
He smiles at me and closes his eyes. “It was nice to meet you, Waverly.”
Walter leads us to our SUV and leaves us with blunt weapons, food, and a full tank of gas. He says his goodbyes and advises us not to take the interstate if we don’t want to get stuck twenty miles down the road. He also asks us not to mention the town of Foley to anyone. They don’t mind trades, but if raiders get wind of their stash, Foley would be in danger.
This time, I ask to drive and Ethan and Gilbert let me. Ethan sits in the back while Gilbert sits in the front passenger side staring at the map. I don’t look forward to spending hours in a vehicle with Gilbert right next to me, but it’s good to be on the road again. If all goes to plan, we should be at Crestwood in about five hours.
The first couple of hours are long and silent. When I look in the rearview mirror, I can see Ethan nodding off, fighting sleep for some reason. I imagine he doesn’t like the idea of being out in the open and dozing. Occasionally, Gilbert pulls the small canister from his pocket and examines the clear glass cylinder. He is certain that the red liquid is blood.
“Wouldn’t there be a way to open it?” Ethan asks.
Gilbert shakes his head. “Looks like something you’re supposed to break in the middle. Once you break it, you have to use it.”
“But for what?” I ask.
Gilbert shakes his head as he holds it up in the light. “I don’t know. Why don’t you lay hands on it and see what its future is?” He lets out a short laugh as I roll my eyes at him. I knew that once he found out I could see into the future he would find some way to give me grief about it. “Tell me, Waverly, what’s it like being a fortune-teller? I’ve always wanted someone to tell me the future.”
“Leave her alone,” Ethan says from the back.
Gilbert ignores him. I chew on my bottom lip, clearly not wanting to talk about it. He slouches in his seat and yawns. “You don’t need a crystal ball or cards or anything. You’re a palm reader is what you are.” He taps his fingers against the window like he’s playing scales on the piano. “Nah. I don’t believe it. Anybody could have guessed that. The fat oaf was lucky it was only his wrist and not his neck.”
I slam on the brakes and Gilbert lets out a curse as he smacks the front dash, steadying himself with his palms. “I don’t think we’re there yet,” he says.
“Get out,” I say.
“Waverly, what are you doing?” Ethan asks.
Gilbert stares at me and it’s the first time I’ve seen him look afraid.
“Get out!”
I unsnap my seatbelt and open the door, walking to the other side of the SUV until I open Gilbert’s side.
“What are you doing?” he says.
Ethan is out of the car now. “Waverly, we don’t have time for this.”
“Are you really trying to throw down right now?” Gilbert says.
“I’m going to prove to you that I can see the future,” I say.
He rolls his eyes.
“Give me your hand,” I say. “Now, I can only see a few moments ahead, but maybe I can predict something you’ll do or say.”
“Impossible,” Gilbert says. “If you tell me what I’m going to say, then maybe that will be why I say it.”
“Then I’ll tell Ethan, and we’ll both watch for you to do what I see.”
Gilbert looks at Ethan and shakes his head. “Fine. Whatever.” He holds out his hand to me. “Please tell me my immediate future,” he says sarcastically.
I hesitate, but I don’t know why. This is my first time to try this without fear of imminent danger, and I don’t know if it will work. I can’t bear the thought of having to listen to Gilbert the entire way to Crestwood, babbling about how I’m a fake. I shouldn’t let him bother me so much, but everything he says just gets under my skin.
I reach out and grab his hand and the bright light flashes.
I expect to see the three of us riding in the SUV together. I thought that maybe I would see him cough, or sneeze, or maybe he would tell an off-color joke to Ethan, but what I actually see terrifies me.
There is the other me, standing next to Ethan in what looks to be a giant warehouse. She’s cold and shivering, and there is another man there. He looks like he’s in his twenties, but I can’t see him that well in the darkness. The sound of greyskins all around them grows louder.
“There needs to be a distraction,” the man says. “or we’re all going to die.”
There is a long pause. It’s storming outside. The rain falls heavy and the lightning flashes every couple of seconds. They are all cold and full of fear. Each of them looks tired.
As I watch my other self, I see her fingers clutch to Ethan’s clothing. He leans his forehead into her cheek and whispers. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” she says.
His hand reaches for hers and he holds it tenderly, and a blank stare falls on the other Waverly’s face.
I watch from my out-of-body distance as Gilbert stares at the group. I expect him to be angry, but instead, I see him wipe away a tear.
“Give me the gun,” Ethan says. “I’ll distract them. You all run.”
The man hands Ethan the rifle.
“No,” Waverly says.
Gilbert steps forward and snatches the rifle from Ethan. “I can’t let you do that.” He looks from Ethan to Waverly. “I’ve been here before. Last time, I didn’t make this choice, now I have to. I’m already dead. That’s why I'm so cold and bitter.” Another tear falls down his face. “I loved her so much. Now, I can be with her.”
“Who?” Ethan asks.
“No time,” Gilbert answers. He pulls the cylinder from his pocket and tosses it to Ethan. “Use this to your advantage somehow.”
Waverly clutches Ethan and tries not to make eye contact with Gilbert. It’s too painful to watch. But he lowers his head to force it. Through tears, she looks at him.
“This is what you saw, isn’t it? When you stopped the SUV?”
She swallows and nods.
“I don’t know if you can change what you see,” he says, “but I don’t want you to, regardless.” He looks at the others. “Sorry I’ve been such a jerk to you all,” he says. “It’s not who I really am.” He takes a deep breath. “This is who I really am.”
He steps away from them and runs to the other side of the warehouse, screaming and shooting the gun in the air all the way. The greyskins sense him and converge on him. The rest seems like a white blur. I don’t know if they get out. All I hear is the screams of Gilbert and the groaning of the greyskins.
The white light flashes and I find myself standing in front of Gilbert and Ethan with my mouth hanging open. I can feel wet cheeks as the tears begin to flow down them. I quickly turn away and try to wipe them, but Gilbert is already berating me with questions.
“What in the world did you just see?” he asks. “What would make you start crying? I didn’t even think you liked me that much. What could seriously happen to me in the next few minutes?”
But I know that none of what I just saw will happen in the next few minutes. It seems to be the first time for this, but what I just saw could be tonight, the next day, the next week. I look up at the sky and see a perfectly clear, cold day with the sun shining bright and high. There are no storm clouds. There is no lightening.
I look at Ethan. In the scene before me I had seen myself holding his hand - a blank stare across my face. Was I seeing another vision. How far ahead did I see in this one? Months? Years? Who was that man that was with us?
“Waverly,” Gilbert says softly. “Tell me what you saw.”
I rest my head against the side of the SUV, trying to hold back tears. I don’t like this ability that has surfaced. I don’t like knowing what is supposed to happen. There is no good coming from it if I can’t change anything. Or can I change something but I just don’t know how?
“I just have a headache,” I lie. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Then why are you crying?” he presses.
“I miss Lucas,” I say. I do miss Lucas, but I’m afraid I’m more transparent than a clean window.
“I don’t believe you,” he says.
“Gilbert,” Ethan says. “If she doesn’t want to answer you, then let her be. Come on, we should get into the car before someone or something sees us out here.”
“Can you drive?” I ask Gilbert.
He steps away from me slowly. “Sure,” he says under his breath.
I pull open the back door of the SUV and get in. Ethan hesitates, but he makes his way to the front seat. Before Gilbert gets in, he turns to me. “Hey. You all right?”
“I’ll be fine,” I say. I don’t look at him. I know it sounds dumb, but I don’t want to see his sympathetic blue eyes. I don't want to hold his hand later. I don't want these visions anymore.
Gilbert glances at me in the rearview mirror and shakes his head. I know he won’t leave it alone. I know he won’t forget that I saw something. I just can’t bring myself to tell him what it was.
The vehicle ran out of gas only a few miles away from Crestwood. Several long, silent hours have passed since I saw what will happen to Gilbert in the future. He hasn’t asked me again, and I haven’t told him. But at dusk we are in sight of the walls and our hearts feel light, and whatever happened earlier is old news. Perhaps what I saw wasn’t what I think I saw. Or maybe it is just one of many random possibilities. In my heart, I know this isn’t true, though, but I have to focus on the present instead.
Right now is the defining moment of our lives. If the people of Crestwood allow us to stay, then we might just get to live out the rest of our days in peace. Though, I can’t say that for Gilbert.
The guards at the wall stop us with guns pointed. Gilbert is the one to do the talking. He tells them that we are travelers and we were told that Crestwood was friendly to people who wish to be a part of a community.
As we wait for someone to come out and meet us, I look at Ethan and Gilbert and ask them not to say anything about what I claim I can do. I didn’t even want to tell them about it, but it just came out. They agree, though not without a snide comment from Gilbert that I don’t fully hear.
We wait for about ten minutes before a man comes out and meets us.
The man from my vision!
I try not to let my face betray my feeling of shock as the man comes near us. He has shaggy hair and a few days of stubble on his face. He carries a rifle over his shoulder. He greets us with a curt smile. He almost seems upset by something.
“Hope you will forgive the delay,” he says. “Today has been quite eventful. My name is Gabe. I’m here to take you inside for questioning.”
After Gabe asks me a few questions about myself, I sit in a small room alone for several long hours. There is no clock, but I would guess that it’s at least nine. I am tired and I wish they would just let us in already.
I reflect on what I saw earlier and I can’t get the images out of my mind. Everywhere I look, every place I go, I search for the surroundings that somewhat resemble the warehouse where all of us will soon be huddled together. The presence of Gabe makes me feel uneasy. It is a confirmation that I am not ready for, but it’s not like I can just blurt out that I’ve seen him in a vision. Everything in me wants to get away from him. I think that if I can keep him away, then I won’t find myself in that situation. But it seems impossible. I feel that if I try to push him away, then me trying to push him away might, in fact, bring me to that situation. But I also feel that if I do nothing then events will inexorably take me down the road to Gilbert’s doom.
After what seems like forever, Gabe finally opens the door to my room and leads me to another where there is a chair and table waiting for me. I expect to see Ethan and Gilbert, but they are not here. Gabe tells me to have a seat and that a man named Paxton will be with me shortly. He leaves the room and I sit here alone.
I hate the feeling of being alone. I hate being in this room. I don’t know why, but part of me would rather be on the outside, taking my chances with the greyskins. But I tell myself that if they let me in, everything will be better. I will be able to start something that resembles a life.
After a few minutes, Gabe and another man, who I assume is Paxton, walk into the room. Gabe stands on the other side of the room waiting and the man sits across from me. The dark, short beard on his face only tells me that the people here have no hardships. Whenever I see a man with a neatly trimmed beard, I know he must have a good life somehow because if he has access to razors or clippers, then he has access to other things. Trimming a beard is one of the last things a man would think about if he were trying to survive day-to-day. Yes, it seems Crestwood will be very nice indeed.
With one hand he holds a manila folder and a pen, and with the other he reaches out for me to shake. I look at his hand and bow my head low instead.
“Pardon me,” I say, “but I haven’t had a chance to wash my hands. I would like to do that before shaking your hand.”
He looks at me strangely as he pulls his hand back, but I don’t care. I don’t want to accidentally see his future too. I don’t want to know. All I can do is hope that he accepts my feeble attempt of respect.
“You’re name is Waverly?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say.
“What do you know about Crestwood?” he asks.
I clear my throat. “I know that you are a town that has reportedly accepted many people within your walls. I came here in hopes that I can be one of your citizens.”
He nods at me and stares at the table with his cheek resting in his palm. “Tell me about the other two you are with. Ethan and Gilbert. How do you know them?”
“I met them only a few days ago,” I say. “I don’t know much about either of them, but they have been very helpful. Ethan tends to watch out for me. Gilbert can act a little brash, but he only wants to survive like the rest of us.”
“How old are you?”
“I am seventeen.”
“Where are you originally from?”
“Oakridge,” I say.
Paxton’s face turns suddenly serious and he stares at me for a long moment. After a while, the moment starts to become uncomfortable.
“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.
“No,” Paxton says. “It’s just… Nothing. Never mind. Uh…” He looks down at his manila folder and opens it then closes it, dropping it to the table. “I’ll just move along. Do you have any special abilities?”
I can feel the blood drain from my face. Gilbert must have said something to him about it. I’m taking too long to answer, I know it, but I don’t know what to say. If I tell him yes, who knows what he will do with me. If I lie and tell him no, he might count me and Gilbert as liars and throw us out into the street.
My heart beats faster. I can feel sweat drops beading at my brow. Finally, I blurt out, “You mean other than tap dancing?” I ask. I feel so dumb. I’ve never tap danced in my life, but this seems to make Paxton happy. He lets out a snort and picks up the folder from the table as he stands.
“We have room for you and your friends, though we are steadily running out.”
Paxton and Gabe lead me to the next room where Ethan and Gilbert wait for me. Gilbert looks annoyed but Ethan smiles widely.
“You made it through,” he says.
“We made it through,” I answer.
And then he does something that makes my heart flutter, yet sends a wave of terror to my spine. He puts his arm around me and holds me close. It feels…secure.
Gabe leads us through the dark city streets of Crestwood. It looks bleak and empty, but I’m positive it is more lively during the day. He takes us to an apartment building where we must share a room for the night.
“It’s only for the night,” he says. “I’m sure that tomorrow there will be some other living arrangements made, but you have plenty of blankets and room to sleep for now.”
“Thank you so much,” I say. “This is wonderful.”
Gabe looks at me and takes a deep breath. “Yes,” he says. “I’m sure it is.”
Gabe starts to leave the room when Ethan asks him another question. “Do you enjoy it here?”
“It’s safe,” Gabe says. “For some of us, anyway.” He looks away and scratches his head when he says this. “It’s hardly a city. There are only a few things for people to enjoy, but at least you are safe. Do any of you have any more questions?” When none of us say anything else, he gives us another curt smile and walks out of the room.
There is only one bed in the room and a couch. Gilbert claimed the couch the moment he saw it and Ethan gave up the bed for me.
“There’s room for us both,” I say. “You shouldn’t have to sleep on the dirty floor.”
Ethan smiles at me as he looks over at Gilbert, his snores echoing off the empty walls. “This world may have gone to hell, Waverly,” he says as he lays out a blanket on the floor, “but my principles haven’t.”
“Your principles?” I ask.
“That’s right,” he says.
“Chivalry has no place in a world where the dead walk,” I say. “This bed is large and the floor is disgusting.”
“I’m not being chivalrous,” he says. “I just feel weird about sharing a bed is all.”
“In this world, you take what you can get, and I’m offering a spot next to me. That’s all.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “Goodnight, Waverly.”
I try to sleep, but nightmares consume my mind. All I see is Lucas’ head shattering from the bullet impact, his body falling to the ground next to me. I wake up crying out in my sleep, but I calm down when I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around me.
“Lucas,” I whisper.
“I know, I know,” a voice says to me. “It’s hard. I know it is.”
It’s Ethan.
“Cry as much as you need to,” he says as he rocks me, my head resting against his chest.
He sets his cheek on the top of my head. I don’t know if he kisses my hair or not, but his embrace is enough to make me feel safe. He somehow makes the pain lessen.
I feel for the chain at my neck and follow it down to the diamond ring at the end. I fall asleep in his arms, but even his warm embrace cannot keep me from the nightmares that fill my mind.