Chapter Thirty-Two
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OAKLIE SLEPT MORE SOUNDLYthan she’d expected.Dawn arrived and birds woke her up.It was strange to hear something other than crows.They’d left Tennessee and the animal plague far behind by now.Arkas was downstairs.She could sense him in the kitchen.
Glad to have a few minutes to herself, she grimaced at how greasy her hair felt.“I need to wash it, but I don’t have enough water to spare,” she grumbled.She joined the knight downstairs, carrying her gear.His backpack was already waiting near the front door.
“I made breakfast for you, female,” Arkas said, gesturing at the steaming bowl of soup.
“Thanks,” she said in pleased surprise.“You made tea, too,” she added.
“I filled a thermos, so we can take it with us,” he said.
Oaklie smiled at him and he grinned back.He sat down across from her and took the lump of wood out to resume carving.“It’s coming along nicely,” she said, examining the delicate flowers he’d finished.
“I have an excellent teacher,” he joked.“It’s good to see you’re in better spirits today.”
“It was a rough day yesterday,” she said.“That little girl was the first kid I’ve seen since the Rapture.It’s hard to believe someone so young could be a killer.”
He nodded in response, clearly unhappy that he’d had to end the girl’s life.“The weather looks clear,” he said to change the topic.
“We’re about two thirds of the way to New York now,” Oaklie figured.“We should make it the rest of the way there by this afternoon, depending on how bad the highways are.”
“We’ll need to be extra wary,” Arkas said, studying his carving critically before shaving another tiny piece of wood off a petal.“Things will be worse in the city.”
“In what way?”she asked, spooning soup into her mouth, then sipping some tea.
“Food production shut down along with everything else,” he reminded her.“There won’t be any wild animals to hunt, or clean water to drink in the city.If Rahab and his squad are here, then they’ll already be gathering humans to join them.They’ll no doubt hoard supplies for their minions to keep them loyal.”
“And if food isn’t coming in, then they’ll have to find it in warehouses, stores and apartments,” Oaklie said, feeling a sick sense of dread.“How many people will die from starvation or thirst?”she asked.
Arkas looked at her gravely.“Too many,” he replied.“The Rapture was just the beginning of the torment the survivors will go through.You’ve already seen disease sweep through your home state.Worse things will be likely to happen elsewhere.”
Eating her breakfast, Oaklie had lost her appetite, but finished it anyway.She drank her tea, then left the dirty dishes on the table.The former owners were no longer around to care and she didn’t want to waste any water washing them.“We should head out,” she said.“I’ll take the first driving shift.”
Arkas didn’t argue.He tucked his tools into the kit and placed them and his carving in his bag.He’d stashed their new supplies in the truck already, so they were good to go.
Oaklie followed the warrior’s directions, but it was mostly a straightforward route.She had to detour around pileups and backtrack a few times.It was slow going, since the roads were becoming more clogged the closer they drew to New York.
Stopping for lunch, she checked the map.“We’ll be there in maybe three more hours,” she gauged.
