A Whisper in the Flame (The Ragers Series Book 1) Read online

  "We’re staying together this time," Jake says. He glances directly at me, but his eyes no longer burn me, and his voice is not as biting as it was before. After taking a lot of items from the market, including first aid supplies, jugs of purified water, toiletry items and food, we fill seven giant ten-gallon jugs with gasoline.

  Jake and Kye shift everything around in the back of the jeep, trying to make as much room as possible for our supplies. At the request of Jamie, Kye breaks the lock on the clothing store, allowing us all to go in, searching for undergarments and any additional items we may need.

  "Okay, let's take a quick look around the hardware store to see if there is anything we could potentially use and then head home."

  Ten minutes later, the guys come out with plastic bags filled with nails, electrical cords and tape, a hammer, screwdrivers, and a few other items. We make our way back across the street to the jeep when the sound of a garbage can falling over catches our attention. We all look around, Jake, Kye, and Jamie instinctively withdrawing their guns.

  "Hey!" Jake yells, sighting it first. I follow his gaze and see someone ducking behind the side of the gas station building near where we parked. Jake charges forward towards the figure but the person comes out from behind the building on his own.

  "Emma?" he says, looking at me as we all gather closer. "Emma Carson?"

  Everyone turns to look at me, except Jake who stays locked on the guy, gun still raised.

  "Thomas?" I ask back. Recognition dawns on me as I take in my former crush. I feel my mouth drop, shocked at running into someone from what feels like another life.

  He looks mostly the same, average height, curly dirty-blond hair and a kind, handsome face. He's changed as well. He wears Army pants and a tight green t-shirt tucked into his pants. The short sleeves of the shirt hug the more muscular shape of his biceps on his lightly tanned arms.

  "Yeah," he says, flashing a radiant smile. He walks right past Jake and pulls me into a tight hug. For a moment I am stiff in his arms, still confused. "I thought I'd never see anyone from home again," he finishes.

  "Me neither," and I fold in, returning his hug.

  "So, you're in the military?" Kye asks coolly. I remember what Jake told me about his time in and I abruptly break the hug, lasering into Thomas' face.

  "I was," he says, "until I realized what was going on there; they’ve got the means to stop this, Emma, to cure people who turn, but they aren’t curing anyone. I got out, as fast as I could. Been in retreat ever since. I keep the uniform on most of the time though, that way I can claim I'm on a mission if I ever come across any other officers or soldiers." He adds, at the look of incredulity he sees on Jake and Kye's faces.

  "So how did you end up here?" Jake asks.

  "Scavenging like you I suppose. I have a camp set up not too far outside of town and needed some supplies. What about you? Where are you all staying?" he asks, directing his question at me.

  Before I can answer, Kye does for me.

  "Doesn't matter," he says quickly.

  "I can't believe you're here. Last I heard, your mom pulled you out of school and you all left town." I jump in, before the guys continue grilling him.

  "Yeah, she got sick though. Not infected or anything. Actually, it was the flu. I ended up coming across some Army platoon and they got us to the base to take care of her. I'm sure joining up with them for the little while I did was the only thing that has kept me alive this long."

  We stand in silence for a moment before Jake says, "Well we better get going, nice to meet you, Thomas." Jake grabs my hand and pulls me towards the jeep as Jamie and Kye jump in.

  "Wait!" Thomas says, he draws me out of Jake's hand and back into another hug. Then he puts his hands on both sides of my face and kisses me quickly on my forehead.

  "I hope to see you again one day, Emma." He releases me and I stumble back clumsily towards the jeep, my cheeks turning red.

  "Me too," I return, climbing into the back seat as Jake huffs in front of me and slams his door closed.

  "See ya," Jake calls, throwing up a mock salute before speeding down the street. We drive for a few minutes in silence before I realize we are not going back the way we came.

  "Hey, where are we going?" I ask, confused.

  "Look, just because he claims he doesn't work for the military anymore, doesn't mean he's telling the truth," Kye spits. "He never said anything about what happened to his mom. If she's still alive, he could feel indebted to them. Plus, it's pretty difficult to escape the base, especially without any help."

  "Why is it so hard to believe that someone else escaped? You did it, how hard could it be?" I fire back sardonically.

  "Look, the fact of the matter is that regardless, we don't know him, therefore we don't trust him. I'm not taking the chance of him following us back to home base. We're taking the long way around," Jake states authoritatively, properly ending the conversation.

  Kye and Jamie pour over the map again, searching for the roads and routes to take us home. Turning left here, right there and there. Speeding up, making a U-turn and going back the way we came before turning left again. We finally make it back as the sun is starting to set.

  "It's been a long day," Jamie says, sounding exhausted. "I say we should all turn in for the night. We can get all the supplies tomorrow."

  "Agreed," Kye replies.

  Jamie rises from her chair and bends to kiss Kye in the seat beside her, "I love you," she tells him, sealing it with another kiss. She then grazes my hand on the sofa armrest as she passes and gives a quick peck kiss on the forehead to Jake, who sits next to me, before ambling off down the hall towards her room.

  "Night man," Kye yawns largely. He lifts himself from his own chair and walks down the opposite side of the trailer towards his room.

  Jake and I remain on the couch, me with my arms wrapped around my legs and Jake with his hand rubbing his face wearily.

  "So, you and Thomas go way back then?" he asks, making small talk.

  "Yeah, I knew him in high school. But, honestly, until my last day in school, I had no idea that he remembered my existence. "

  "Why?"

  "We didn't run in the same circles. He was cute, popular; I was just your average girl. Outside of my chemistry teacher and a few friends, no one ever took much note of me..."

  "Well, you’re wrong about that one, he saw you, Emma. Can’t blame him. If we went to school together, I wouldn't be able to forget a girl like you easily either." He jumps up to his feet as my cheeks flush. I think I catch a bit of red in his face as well. He grabs a folded blanket off the counter and walks back towards the couch.

  "Why don't you go ahead and take my bed for the night. It's been a long day and I'm sure both you and Jamie could use a good night's sleep instead of having to share a bed with each other. I'll sleep out here on the couch."

  "No, Jake it's fine, honestly I'm sure you are a lot more exhausted than I am."

  "Go," he says, pulling me off the couch. He plops down, extending his legs out, blocking me from sitting back down.

  "Fine. Night, Jake."

  Entering his room, I climb straight into his bed, face still burning after his comment. I pull the covers around me tightly, inhaling his comfortable, now familiar scent. I close my eyes, happy for one brief moment.

  Then, today's nightmare at that house replays itself in my mind. I was stupid and reckless. A few weeks ago, I nearly got myself in trouble with the living and today with the dead. I can't defend myself at all and could have caused Jake to get hurt trying to save me. I could have gotten every single one of us killed. I can't do this anymore. I can't be that naïve girl.

  Leaping out of bed, I run back into the living room.

  "Train me," I say with force.

  "What?" Jake asks sitting up on the couch to look at me.

  "I said, train me. I want to learn how to fight, how to defend myself and how to help you guys out. I'm tired of being a burden."

  "Okay," he retur
ns. "We'll get started tomorrow. But now, you need to sleep."

  I nod my head, grateful, ready to close my eyes for slumber.

  "Oh, and Emma," Jake says softly, "you're not a burden."

  Chapter 26

  "Alright, Emma!" Kye calls loudly in my ear in a mock military voice. I almost jump right out of the bed, feeling heavy lidded as I try to open my eyes.

  "What the hell, Kye!"

  "It is O-six-hundred, time to rise and shine!"

  "Are you kidding me? It's still dark outside!"

  "Get out of here, Kye," Jake laughs as he enters his room. With the door opened wider, the smell of sweet creamy oatmeal wafts in, lifting my head slightly up off the pillow to take in its aroma.

  "Have fun training today, Ems." Kye's voice is full of haughty sarcasm as he steps past Jake and out of the bedroom.

  "Oh, we're starting so early?" I ask nervously, flushing, as I lower myself back into bed, hoping to disappear.

  "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

  "Great! So, I can go back to sleep then?"

  "Nope. I expect you dressed and in the kitchen within the next five minutes."

  "Ugh!" I toss his pillow at him as he exits the room in laughter.

  Fifteen minutes later, after a quick breakfast, the four of us make our way outside. The stars are still glimmering dimly above, and the birds are quiet in their nests.

  "Good luck, Emma! We'll meet you at the jeep." Jamie squeezes my hand, smiling, before disappearing into the woods with Kye.

  "Jake, shouldn't we be helping them with the supplies?"

  "We'll get there," he tells me as he walks backwards away from the woods. "But first, you say you can run, so let's put that to the test."

  "What do you mean?" I ask, eyeing him as I peer up through my lashes.

  "Less questions, more running." He flashes me a teasing smile before adding, "Try to keep up," and taking off.

  I follow him as we skirt around the edge of the forest, watching the ridges of his shoulders rise and fall as he runs. We run away from the river, toward the denser portion of the forest where Jamie and I came in from when I first arrived.

  I do keep up. Jake peers back at me and I cannot tell if he was expecting me to be so close to him or further back by his expression.

  Five minutes in, he dives into the forest and I swerve swiftly to keep up with him. A thin path winds us into the thick of the forest and I can no longer keep my eyes on him. There may be a path, but it is so rough and tight that my focus shifts to the ground in front of me.

  Everything is so loud. I wasn't expecting it. In the open field my steps were quiet on the soft grass and dirt. Here, the earth crunches beneath my feet as I run over roots, veins and leaves. Still, I cannot tell if the noise is coming from myself, Jake, or animals scurrying away from us.

  As I run, I can feel the cool sweat on my arms and face. My chest is heaving so hard I feel like I've ran a marathon already. Keep going, I tell myself as I try to quiet the annoying voice telling me that maybe I'm not as good of a runner as I thought.

  Are we running in circles? Every last God forsaken tree out here looks the same. If it wasn't for the sound of Jake's footsteps in front of me, I would be completely lost.

  How long have I been running? I can feel myself shaking as my mind goes empty. I no longer have a clue where Jake is. I try to tell myself to keep going, push a little harder but I can no longer make out the sounds I am hearing.

  Fog settles in on my head and my eyesight goes fuzzy.

  "Ugh!" My foot catches on something beneath me and I lurch forward onto my knees. My hands catch my upper body, keeping me from face planting.

  Don't cry. Don't let him see how weak you are. I tell myself as the pain settles in and I struggle to catch my breath.

  Jake is in front of me in an instant. He pushes my hair out of my face meeting my eyes with his.

  "Are you okay?" His hand glides to my knee, checking the scrape. It's minor, but dirty and bleeding. He blows a soft stream of air on it to remove some of the debris.

  "Impressive, Emma. You made it further than I thought you would." I snap my head up to see Kye and Jamie only about 20 yards away at the jeep. Kye really does look thoroughly impressed and my heart feels lighter realizing how close I came to the jeep.

  "Really," Jake starts, grabbing my hand to help pull me back to my feet, "that was great for your first time."

  "Thanks," I smile before walking past him to meet Jamie and Kye.

  "That took her, what? Less than 30 minutes?" Jamie asks putting her arm around my shoulder.

  "26 minutes and 44 seconds to be exact," he replies, looking back up from his watch. "Now get this girl some water."

  "Damn, that was better than Jamie," Kye tosses me a jug of water and leans back to look at me as if he is re-evaluating me.

  "Don't be too impressed, I didn't even make it to you guys. I honestly thought I was about to lose consciousness." The water jug feels slippery in my sweaty hands as I slop some down my front before making it to my mouth. I feel insatiable as I gulp the water, cooling the fire in my throat. My eyes close, relishing in the relief I feel.

  When I finally open my eyes again and drop the water jug dully to my side, they are all staring at me.

  "What? I was thirsty."

  "Clearly," Jamie chuckles.

  After catching our breath a bit longer, Jake and I begin helping move supplies from the jeep to the wagon and backpacks.

  "Okay, are you ready for part two of your first day of training, Emma?" Jake has his hands extended with a full heavy backpack.

  "Ugh, sure," I reply, taking the bag onto my back.

  "And this." He lifts the handle of the wagon to me.

  "Great." I begin walking away from them heaving the wagon along behind me as I struggle to pull it over the roots.

  "Oh, and Emma..."

  What? I think as I swing back around to look at Jake's gloating face.

  "Run."

  My mouth hangs open in disbelief and my slack drops on the wagon. I can feel my face growing warm as frustration seeps through.

  "Are. You. Freaking. Kidding me? I just ran for 26 minutes and now you expect me to do it again while carrying and pulling all of these supplies? This is my first day of training. I asked for you to help train me, not kill me!"

  Jamie, Jake and Kye all break into a full-on boisterous laughter at my outburst as I gawk at them, feeling flustered.

  "I'm only messing with you, Emma," Jake finally gets out, trying to reign in his laughter. He pulls the backpack from my shoulders and hitches it to his own arm, "You only need to run with the wagon."

  "What!?" I cry, punching him lightly in the arm as they all begin laughing again. "Ugh, I hate you," I add jokingly.

  "Sure," he winks back.

  The sun is beginning to peek up over the horizon when we make it back to our clearing. We carry our findings this way and that, to the bunker, to the house, and to the generators. The rest of the morning ambled on in the same pattern and we grew increasingly tired as it did so. It took us four trips to unload everything.

  "Oh my gosh, I'm so hungry," Jamie exclaims, stumbling backwards on the steps of the house. Clipping the final t-shirt to the clothing line, I stand back to appreciate all of our arduous work. Our new clothes are all washed and hung to dry, all of the food has been divided between the house and the bunker. The nails and the hardware have been stored away, along with the extra gasoline. It took us six hours of back and forth and sweating to finish.

  "We're done right? I mean, that's the last for us to do?" I ask, pointing to Jake and Kye who are in the midst of refilling the generator.

  "Yup, we are all done. And thank God, because it is well past lunch and I'm beginning to feel a little hangry! Come on," she leaps off of her seat and jumps the last step to clamber inside the house.

  While she goes straight for the kitchen, my eyes catch the guitar we found perched next to the couch.

  "Do you mind if I play a
bit?"

  "No, not at all, please do."

  I migrate to the couch, lifting the guitar to my chest, feeling the long slick neck of the guitar in my hand. Without thinking about it, I work the strings, tightening and loosening, humming as I go to get it in tune.

  "Nice, Emma," Kye says, walking in through the front door, "I thought Jamie wanted the guitar for Jake. Didn't realize you play too.”

  Jake follows Kye in, closing the door behind him and eyeing the guitar in my hand.

  "Uh, I know a thing or two," I tease. I strum out an old song, resisting the urge to sing along.

  "You're pretty good."

  "Thanks."

  "Mind if I try?" Jake asks, sitting beside me. I can feel the warmth of his skin on mine.

  "By all means.” I pass the guitar to him and watch as he strums his fingers across each string. His hands glide up and down the neck, playing a familiar folk song.

  “Cause, we are meant to be, my sweet. Yeah, we are meant to be, my sweet love.” I sing to his song. He joins in harmony, a low, beautiful tone.

  We lock eyes with each other, I feel heat rise into my cheeks. The warmth saturates into my sweaty palms, so I rub them briskly against my jeans. I feel it from him too. An intense electric charge passes between us.

  How can I feel so connected, so locked into someone as I do him?

  “Hey, you two still there?” Kye asks smugly. He snickers, his almond eyes dart back and forth between us and Jamie, laughter highlighting the dark undertones of his irises.

  My already warm cheeks brighten in embarrassment, breaking eye contact with Jake as I stare down into my lap.

  “Well, I think they sounded great,” Jamie says. “I think y’all should keep this up. Give us something to make us feel good.”

  I lift my head to her, seeing a sweet smile on her beautiful face.

  “Yeah. Maybe. If we have time,” Jake replies.

  ****

  Every day for the last month has been increasingly more strenuous than the last. Jake has me running each morning with a new twist every few days. First, he added jumping obstacles in the forest, then he made me run with buckets of water, followed by pulling the wagon with a small load. This last week it feels like the wagon is getting heavier every time I pull it while I'm becoming much slower.