Page 38 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

“Jeremy. He was a chef before, a farm-to-table chef. So he knows a lot about food, how to grow it, raise it, cook it. The perfect fit for the job.” My mom smiles at her wit in describing The Valley as one big business venture. And I guess it sort of is. The Valley is in the business of keeping humans alive.

“Amos seems to be a military leader of sorts,” I guess. “Training warriors, organizing patrol squads, and leading missions.”

“Right on the money there. Amos is our general. Though he has no military experience, Amos is a natural leader. The men and women who have joined his ranks listen to him without question. And the other leaders respect him, even though he is young and inexperienced. Though how can one have experience with an apocalypse?”

My mom takes a moment to breathe as we climb the steps over the train tracks. “Amos put in a lot of effort to make The Valley what it is today. His patrol units guard the surrounding farmland we use for the crops we can’t grow on campus. He’s even set up trades with nearby communities.”

“There are other survivor communities?” I ask.

“Yes. Not all as big as ours. But there are many communities near The Wall.”

“The Wall. Amos had driven me through The Wall to get here, but I haven’t heard mention of it since.”

“It’s literally a giant wall that surrounds the main highways from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and manned by the U.S. military. They offer us intel and safe passage. In return, we provide them with resources.”

“Do you know if Doctore and his men have access to The Wall?”

My mom stills at the mention of my captor. “I honestly don’t know, but I hope not.”

I honestly don’t think I want to know. So I shift our conversation. “What about Norman? What’s he in charge of?”

“Norman is our Head of Education. He organizes classes and enlists anyone who wishes to share their knowledge. I know he seems rather harsh, but he is a brilliant man and does an amazing job of keeping an important part of our humanity intact.”

I nod, not having any words to give my mother at the moment. In truth, I’m a bit scared of Norman. Afraid of how similar to Doctore he could turn out to be. If they had worked together, I’m sure not everything Norman has done was…humane.

“Mom?” I pause in the middle of the bridge leading to the residential and educational buildings.

“Yes, Lori.”

“It’s okay. I consent to testing. Maybe not all of it right now and nothing invasive. But if Norman agrees to go slow, I will give him consent.”

My mom grabs my face, forcing me to look at her. “Lori, are you certain?”

I nod again, not trusting myself to stay strong if I say anything more. My insides quiver at the thought, but I remind myself that I have my mom. Mina and Cal. And Amos. They won’t let anything bad happen to me. As my mom pulls me in for another one of her warm hugs, I let one tear through the barrier of my eyes. Just one. The tear feels like ice on my cheek, disappearing as I wipe my face with the back of my hand before my mom can see.

“Let’s go get you some clothes. You’re shivering!”

Chapter 26

Afewweekslater,that checklist has become my new routine. And honestly, I’m kind of loving life here. I train with Amos’ patrol units four times a week. Even on my off days, I still go to the sports center to either workout in the gym with Amos or participate in a yoga class. After an hour or two at the gym, I shower, then head to Alison for my daily therapy session. Twice a week after lunch, I head over to the health center, where I meet my mom and Norman for medical analysis. Sometimes Amos is there for extra moral support.

Today, Norman asked to use an ultrasound machine. I didn’t realize they had such tech at The Valley, even in the well-equipped health center. My hesitation makes my mom begin to answer for me, but I interrupt her, giving Norman a sharp nod as I try to conquer my fear.

Norman hums as he examines the screen while moving the lube-coated wand along my abdomen. The sound of his humming and the uncomfortable movement on my abdomen cause me to feel nauseous. So I shift my mind to think of something else. And what comes to mind? Katie.

My third roommate and I sparred for the first time together earlier today. It wasn’t the first time I’ve sparred though. It’s required training for anyone who wants to join a patrol unit because out there, it’s not just zombies we will be fighting.

Every time Amos looked away, Katie would throw an aggressive punch. Most times, I was able to block her or roll out of the way. But she was relentless. I know she hates me. At first I had no idea why. But now I’m pretty sure it’s because of how much time I spend with Amos. It’s not like we are dating or anything close to having a romantic relationship. Amos is helping me strengthen and tone the muscles in my body that have been ripped and torn to shreds and misused during the four years of my captivity. Though he can be cold with me, especially on the training mat, I know he cares for me.

Perhaps that is what Katie sees too and is jealous that all she gets from Amos is his coldness. But she tries too much. Amos is the kind of guy who enjoys conquest. Katie doesn’t challenge him. Everyone can see he isn’t interested in her. Yet she still throws herself at Amos every chance she gets.

Katie landed a punch to my nose, making it crack loud enough to turn Amos’ attention our way. He didn’t do anything though. Cold. That’s his only mode at the gym. And he has to be while training a battalion of zombie killers. There’s no warmth out in the world, not even from him. I took the punch like a champ, knowing it would heal in the next few minutes. Katie seemed to have forgotten that fun fact about me.

I bounced back quickly and had her pinned under my elbow in no time. Instinctively, I looked up at Amos. His glacial face melted ever so slightly in approval of my win. Like Amos, I didn’t show my elation at his distant praise. A moment later, Amos called us all over in a circle to hand out patrol assignments. Assignments he didn’t include me in. Again.

Every time I confronted him about my lack of assignments, he would give me the same answers. I might know how to fight, but I need to learn how to work in a team. How to protect my unit. The world outside is not like the arena I fought in, survived in, probably died in. Like I don’t know that.

Amos and I might get along, but not when we have this discussion. I didn’t want a repeat of our weekly fights today, so I just stormed away from him instead. I’m sure that made Katie smirk to herself.

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