All Is Silence - Deserted Lands #1

Chapter 12 - Part II

“SPIKE SAVED ME. I BROUGHT him home.” Lizzie managed a smile. “Can we keep him?”

“Spike?” Zach stared at her. Then his eyes bugged out as he saw the passenger in her backseat.

Lizzie let Zach help Spike out of the car. He was shifty and nervous with so many faces peering at him. “It’s okay, Spike. These are friends.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “He needs a bath.”

“The hot tub?” Nev said.

Zach shook his head. “What if we want to use it? Let’s try the shower next to it.

Lizzie coaxed Spike into the shower with dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. It wasn’t too long before he was naked and somewhat clean. Nev brought a big towel, they wrapped him up in it and took him inside by the gas fireplace.

“Okay, now what do we dress him in?” Lizzie asked. “He’s like a six-foot baby.”

No one came up with any answers so she went and found a man-sized bathrobe. She continued feeding him chicken nuggets until he fell asleep. Then she escaped to the bedroom, while Zach and Nev watched a movie.

Sitting on the bed, Lizzie reopened her mom’s box of memories, now squashed on one side. The old cigar box under the pretty contact paper showed through.

Lizzie picked at the paper, trying to figure out if she could fix it. As she pulled it back she saw her father’s name: Manuel Guerrero. She peeled it further back. And found an address: P.O. Box in Del Rio, Texas and a phone number with an 830 prefix. I can call my dad? Mama!?

She dialed the number quickly before she lost her nerve. It rang for a very long time. Then she got a voicemail box. Lizzie took a deep breath. “Mr… Manuel, uh, it’s Lizzie. Elizabeth. Your daughter. If you get this please call.” She said her phone number twice, slowly. “If you ever get this..., Daddy.”

The word sounded weird coming out of her mouth. She hadn’t seen him since she was too young to remember. But she loved the idea of him—his music, his movies.

She set the phone down. Don’t get your hopes up, Lizzie. He didn’t care enough to look her up when everyone was alive. Even if he was alive, would he want to see her?

                                                        *        *        *

Zach awoke early, his body still on farm time—time to get up and feed Gramp’s livestock. He didn’t want to wear the same dirty clothes he’d had on for days, but hadn’t thought to pack when he had made his rescue run up to Bellingham. Chad’s closet was full of clothes, ski gear, hiking gear, a wetsuit. But none of them fit. He found an unopened pack of boxers, pulled on a pair and decided the joy clean underwear brought was priceless.

After dressing he stuck his head in at the master bedroom. Lizzie snored softly with Saj cradled in her arms. Nevaeh was already up; her side of the bed was pulled together as much as could be without disturbing the others.

Maybe the dad’s clothes would fit Zach better. The mirrored closet doors slid silently on their rails. Zach grabbed a pair of flannel-lined hiking pants off a shelf.

With a quick glance to make sure Lizzie still slept, he shucked off his pants and pulled on the new pair. They were baggy, the way he liked them. He snagged a comfy-looking flannel, retrieved his belt and decided to go out for some fresh air. Nev had probably gone outside.

He slipped out the door into the cold, gray morning. The sun had risen, showing bright through clouds over the hills. He walked down to the lake past the once-manicured lawn that now looked a little ragged. Fog floated out over the water.

At the lake’s edge, he tossed a rock out into the glassy surface, then knelt to splash water on his face. The cold was bracing; he felt alive as a breeze swept past. He heard feet on gravel and turned to see Nev, oblivious to his presence as she jogged toward him. She wore neon green running shorts and a black running bra. Looking at her made Zach shiver and not just from the cold.

Canada Geese honked across the lake, forming a perfect V in the dawn’s light. At least they had one solid path to follow. He was torn, north or south? He’d go North—away from Nev. With her dressed like that, he wasn't sure what he might say. He liked her, but he had just been with Lizzie. They were all supposed to be friends. What a mess. He strode at a good pace along the shore path.

“Zach?” Nev called, “Wait up.”

He stopped.