When We Were Human by Kate L. Mary

Author:Kate L. Mary [Mary, Kate L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisted Press, LLC
Published: 2015-08-03T05:00:00+00:00

By the time the first few houses of Valdosta come into view, my legs feel like they’ve been replaced by cooked noodles. I’ve walked a lot over the last year, but never like this. Never with such determination. It was always random wandering. No purpose to it. This has been different. Exhausting.

Walker nudges me with his elbow and flashes me a grin that stretches across his face and looks out of place in this desolate world. “We’re almost there.”

I nod.

“You alright?”

It feels like my stomach is in knots, so I don’t know how to answer him. “I should be more excited about it, you know? But I’m just…terrified. For the past few days I was able to tell myself we would find her, even though there was doubt. Now I’m going to find out if it’s true, and it scares the shit out of me.”

Ben stops walking and turns to face us. He’s so quiet that most of the time it doesn’t even feel like he’s here. “Mom says you should face the things you’re afraid of.”

He never talks about her in past tense, which makes me wonder if he’s in denial. It’s hard to tell with him because he’s unemotional, but it seems like his mom was his whole world. The person who kept him connected to others, who helped him adjust and understand how to fit in. I think he might feel a little lost without her, which makes me sad. I don’t have a lot of experience with Asperger’s, but I do know routine is important. This kid has had his whole world blown apart just like the rest of us, but he might not be capable of adjusting the same way the rest of us are.

Walker slaps Ben on the arm like they’re old friends. “That’s a good tip, buddy.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Ben starts moving again, and we follow.

The closer we get to the houses, the more intense the pain in my stomach gets. Each step feels like my insides are being squeezed tighter and tighter. Pretty soon, I’m going to pass out from it if I’m not careful.

Walker grabs my hand, and I squeeze his like it’s the difference between life and death. I’m thankful I’m not alone right now. So glad Walker and Tara found me. He makes me feel stronger, and it isn’t just because he’s a guy or because I kind of like him. It’s because I have a friend, someone to lean on if all this turns out bad. I’ve missed that.

We reach the neighborhood that signals the start of Valdosta, but the center of town is still a few miles away, and the house I grew up in beyond that. I know these houses, though. Had friends who lived in this area. Now, it’s like a cemetery. The homes that were fairly new when the creepers came now look old and run-down. Abandoned. A lot are missing windows, and some have boards over every visible opening. Shingles have blown off of roofs, and weeds have taken over once neatly manicured lawns.

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