“Then I really hope he’s been able to make something good of it. That he doesn’t think about me anymore. That he’s moved on. ‘Cause I dunno if I’m ever getting those memories back.”
“You might. It’s still so early in your recovery. Anything can happen, Wade.”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “Yeah, you’re right. But in the meantime, I think we should head to that other place soon.”
He needs to prove to Kara and to himself that he’s not completely useless. He can walk out of here and take up a roomin a safe community like a normal person. Options are limited yet one thing is increasingly clear, they can’t stay here.
* * *
“We don’t have to go today. We can wait,” Kara tells him as they stand on the front porch with their bags packed and the dog at their side.
“No. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
He is not fine. He can’t hide anything from her, but this isn’t something he can back out of. It’s the right thing to keep her safe. Maybe the only way he can be something other than a burden. Some part of him hopes a change of scenery will spur him into another phase of this recovery, even if it feels like scaling a mountain.
At first, it’s not as bad as he thought it would be. The weather is decent, and the road is desolate. They watch the dog race forward and ping-pong back to check on them, playing with sticks twice the size of his head.
Kara laughs at his antics and he gazes at her, struck by how much he loves that sound and how beautiful she is when it happens.
“What?” she asks curiously, having caught him staring.
“Nothing,” he lies, looking away quickly enough to give himself whiplash.
Without horses, it takes them until midday to reach Greenbriar. He’s more grateful than ever that it’s overcast to spare his eyes the bright sun.
“They’re gonna be okay with this, right?”
“They’ll let us in,” Kara replies confidently.
When the gates open, their welcome is anything but warm, judging by the guns pointed in their direction. He bristles at thethreat but manages to stay still until a stern woman appears, wearing the same scowl as he is. It vanishes when she lays eyes on them, transforming into a brilliant smile as if he’s a resurrected ghost. Somehow, she knows exactly who he is, and that makes him wonder just how accurate Kara’s description must have been, or how much she shared with this person.
“I knew Kara would find you. I never had a doubt.”
“Actually, I didn’t find—”
“It’s good to meet you,” he cuts off Kara’s objection.
“It’s so good to meet you. You have no idea. I needed something good right about now and damn if this isn’t it. I’m Juliet. Welcome, make yourself at home here.”
He nods. “Thanks.”
“How long are you planning to stay?”
“We were hoping for a room for a while,” Kara replies. “Not sure exactly how long yet. We need somewhere quiet to lie low.”
“I can do you one better. We’ve got a whole house up for grabs. Don’t ask me what happened to the former residents, some freak accident. You don’t wanna know.”
There was security in the solitude of the blue house that they won’t find here.
Children play on the sidewalk, and people stare as they make their way through the streets. He wonders if they can see everything that’s been done to him. Is it written all over his face? Is that why they can’t look away?
This new place is fancy and clean, with its giant houses and white fences, solar panels, and manicured lawns that could convince him the dead don’t walk the earth outside these gates.
“Just a little further,” Kara whispers, not commenting on how he’s close enough to cling to her if he tries.
His resolve chips away little by little until he begins to crave her touch in a way that’s urgent and new. She’s the only safe place in a cavernous world.
Thankfully, the house isn’t far, and he slumps against the front door in relief after Juliet leaves them alone again.
