The Plague

Chapter seventeen

Lucy lay on top of the car, looking at the stars with tears in her eyes. It was a few minutes past midnight and the stars were the only source of light.

Miles of road stretched out into the night. The face of Tyler was clearly seen in front of her as tears flowed out of her eyes.

Her eyes were reddened and swollen. It ached but the sobs couldn't stop. The cold pricked at her skin as she shivered.

It had been a week of depression for her. The thought of losing Tyler wasn't forgettable. She had episodes of weeping and spacing out. Her mind was clouded with his death and she paid no attention to Ruby.

The wind grew colder and unbearable each day but they didn't have any other covering apart from the clothes on their backs. Their supply of fuel was almost finished. They had run out of water with only a few rations of food left.

Lucy began to think about life again, as she had done for the past few days. What was the point of living when they were going to die soon.

Ruby sat in the driver's seat, looking down the road. She wasn't able to sleep well as she heard Lucy's soft sobs.

She could relate, she felt the same emptiness at times but nothing she tried to say helped.

After a few moments, she stepped out the car, like she always did, and walked over to Lucy.

Lucy stared straight up into the sky. Her eyes looked dead and her mind was millions of miles away.

"Lucy" she said, putting her hand on Lucy's shoulder. She was ignored as usual. She shook her but every position she was left in was where she remained.

"Lucy, you need to stop this. I need you more than ever. We need each other. It's just the two of us now. We can't appear weak or we'll die." Ruby pleaded but Lucy only blinked.

"Look, I know how you feel. I also felt this way" Ruby hugged herself as she shivered " but if we die, then all our sacrifices will be for nothing. We've been through so much already that we can't back down anymore."

Lucy didn't answer but a tear emerged from her eye again.

"Lucy..." she wiped the tear from her face " I know you probably hate me, considering all I've done. But even if you don't do this for me, do it for Tyler. He died so you could live. Don't let his death be for nothing. "

"Don't talk about Tyler " she sharply said.

Ruby was stunned but something in her knew she had that coming. She sighed and backed away, entering the car again.

That was the routine, every day.

***

Ruby slowly drove down the rood. Her breath was shaky due to the cold. Lucy sat in the back, resting on the door.

They both looked out the window, searching for a place where they could find warm clothes.

Not long after, a pastry shop was seen off the road. It was a duplex but the first floor looked like a home.

"Lucy" Ruby said pointing towards the building. She stepped out of the car and Lucy followed behind her as they quickly walked over to it.

When they reached the glass doors with a 'closed' sign on it, Ruby tried to open it, but it was locked. She searched around the ground for something to break it and she found a rock.

With a heave, she smashed the door into millions of tiny pieces of glass and they shielded their eyes from pieces of it.

They both walked into the the pastry shop, the glass crunching under their feet.