Page 27 of The Last Man on Earth
“Water, though…” I trail off. “Maybe twenty more bottles until we’re out.”
She blows out a soft sigh. “That’s not good.”
“I know.”
There’s a long pause, then she speaks again, her voice small as hell. “What if this is it for us?”
My jaw clenches. I don’t wanna think about that. At all.
“Think positive,” I snap, reminding her.
But she opens her eyes and stares me down, tears glistening. “I’m starting to worry.”
I look away, staring out at the wall of green beyond our shelter. My voice is rough when I answer, rougher than I mean it to be.
“Me, too, but ain’t shit we can do except wait.”
I say that, but there actuallyissomething we can do. Something that’ll get our minds off of possibly dying out here. Something my body wants real bad. Something that would definitely make the waiting easier. Something that would feel good and satisfy both of us. But I know she ain’t goin’ for it. Not yet anyway.
So I swallow it down and shut the fuck up.
Chapter 14
Ariana
I lay inside ourlittle shelter, staring up at the ragged patchwork ceiling of branches and leaves Villain rigged together. I feel grateful, and somewhat safer. I breathe in heavy air that’s full of salt and moisture, closing my eyes to let the quiet pull me under.
But I don’t fall asleep just yet. The sun is still blazing, and the heat has crept into the house. My thoughts wander, drifting across the faces of the people back home. My sister. My nieces. My parents.
I wonder what they’re doing right now. I’m sure they’re panicking. I can see Ashara and the girls giving my brother-in-law the blues, begging him to call in a favor with somebody—Tariq works for United Airlines. My parents are frantic, probably hounding the police and the airline. Knowing my daddy, he’s probably trying to charter his own helicopter to come find me himself.
Then again, they may think I’m dead. I squeeze my eyes shut and put myself in their position. Would I be resigned to the inevitable, or would I keep hope alive until they were found?
I don’t know.
I suppose you can never really know until you’re in a situation.
As long as I’ve been flying, I’ve never, ever thought I’d be in this situation.
I miss them so much. I miss the girls’ little arms wrapped like anacondas around my neck, refusing to let go. Or the way my daddy cooked me and Ashara’s favorite meals on alternating Sundays; I got spaghetti and fried catfish. She got cornish hen and cabbage.
God, just the thought of either one of those is making my mouth water. I feel like it’s been weeks since I’ve had a real meal, but time is making a mockery of me. It’s only been two days. Three days?
Jesus, I can’t even remember.
I hope I see my family again. The thought that I won’t is making my chest hurt. I let myself drift off, finally, falling into the dark abyss of sleep.
In my dreams, I’m surrounded by fire. Burning alive. Screaming in agony, lungs burning from smoke, eyes melting and teeth shattering as the fire consumes me.
My eyes snap open and I sit up fast, heart hammering, mind still scrambled.
I smell smoke.
My first thought is that the plane caught fire again. My pulse spikes as I scramble out of the shelter, my bad leg protesting a little.
But no…it’s not the plane. It’s closer, and it’s not fuel wafting through the air. It’s just a few yards away. I follow the sight of white smoke until I see Villain standing over a fire, tossingsomething into it. He looks up when he hears my footsteps, sweat streaking down his temples.
“Hey. You got any trash you need to burn?”
