There were no longer choppy lawns or trimmed sidewalks.
Now the city consisted of sparse portions of grass, ragged weeds and random flowers jutting from the cracked asphalt. The sidewalks were covered in paper garbage, clothing and forgotten belongings. Buildings were in considerable disrepair with bricks missing or scattered about. Multiple window ledges were falling apart, air conditioning units dangling precariously close to disaster as they tottered on the ledges, and most of the doors to the once beautiful residences were missing all together.
The large reinforced bus traveled across the city, the driver deftly maneuvering the sunlit roads. All remained empty but for a random critter here and there. Dogs and cats immediately sought shelter, fleeing from sight as we rounded corners. The few people I saw were hidden behind heavy curtains.
All I could see were tiny glimpses of their eyes.
Our stops were sporadic, mostly trips to restock supplies from storage facilities scattered across the decaying city. A majority of the food we collected was of the canned variety, and each label was oddly pristine. I noted there was little dust or grime, indicating the non-perishable market continued to thrive despite the change in the infrastructure. I wasn’t entirely sure how that was possible. When I asked Carter about it, he informed me humans had to be fed and vendors were always willing to make arrangements for the right price.
We stopped once to eat, smack-dab in the center of a place I once loved.
The meal should have been pleasurable. It wasn’t.
It felt as if I’d entered some surreal version of New York Hell as I sipped on a small canteen of water—eating crackers, meat and cheese—while sitting in front of the New York Public Library. Pigeons were long gone, migrating to better locations to scrounge for food. I didn’t really blame them. There were no crumbs left behind by messy eaters for them to scavenge, or overfull garbage cans to investigate.
The entire area was as vacant as the roads we’d passed.
I studied the stairs leading to the library. So when Carter exited with several books in hand, I was able to make a hasty departure. I fisted my reusable plastic baggie and jumped to my feet to retreat to the bus parked on the curb. It wasn’t hard since my path was clear. I’d kept myself distant from all of the men throughout the day—and they’d done the same—which meant I had a direct exit to safety.
Safety, I thought, how laughable.
One thing—and one thing only—had been consistent throughout the day.
Ugh.
I recognized the look Carter had given me before we left the building now. Granted, I hadn’t noticed it at first due to my circumstances. However, as I’d caught him peering in long possessive stretches in my direction over the hours, I’d grown to understand what he wanted. I’m not sure how I missed it before, but I contributed my substandard attention span, as well as my completely non-existent sexual interest in other men thanks to a vampire I got horizontal with on a regular basis.
Carter wanted more than quality time to show me the light.
A lot more.
He called out for me halfway to my destination, but I pretended not to notice.
I made haste to the empty bus and rushed for my vacant seat near the front. I plopped down and lowered my entire body until I was practically invisible. Then I brought my knees up and arched my back into an upright fetal position. Maybe I’d get lucky. Maybe he’d go away.
If I could have made myself disappear, I would have.
“It’s no use, Rhiannon.” His deep voice resonated inside the bus, and I listened as he climbed up. “I saw you. Come on out.”
I mentally steeled myself, determined to keep my face blank.