Dead Of Winter - A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Novel (Enter Darkness Book 2) Read online

  Brad walked closer, listening for the sounds. Now that he was really focused on it, he could hear the echoing pings, thuds, and creaks of the freezing water. There was a brief crunch as a ripple forced one sheet of ice against another, and he turned to watch the water that was still liquid run up the cleft in between. With a sigh, he grabbed a few of the buckets he’d left on the pier and began filling them up while he still could. Lugging them back to the house didn’t improve his clamminess.

  “If you want to wash up, I heated some water for you,” Anna said as Brad put the buckets down in the kitchen and pulled off his gloves so that he could unzip his coat.

  “Thanks,” he said in surprise. Even though the chili smelled delicious, after skinning a bear, starting a fire, digging a grave, and hauling up half-frozen water, he didn’t want anything more than to feel clean again.

  He jogged up to the bathroom and discovered to his extreme shock that “some water” had been a massive understatement on Anna’s part: she’d filled the tub for him. It had probably taken her nearly all the time he’d been gone to heat that much water. He tested the temperature and found it still on the hot side of warm, which was perfect for how cold he was.

  He dropped into the tub gratefully, took a deep breath, and ducked down under the water. Brad closed his eyes and stayed where he was, simply enjoying the warm quiet for as long as his lungs would allow it. When he came back up, wiping the water out of his eyes and shaking it out of his ears, he took a deep breath and noticed that Anna had added lavender and chamomile to the water.

  She’d been so happy to find those things in the stock at the cabin and, she’d admitted that she’d been a big fan of essential oils in the past. The fact that she could have saved these for herself and she’d used them for him made him smile as he began to soap up. She was probably simply grateful for the fact that he’d shot that bear, but he allowed himself to imagine that it might be something more. That maybe, one day, she’d look at him the way he was careful not to let her catch him looking at her.

  He didn’t want to make things awkward by telling her how he felt about her. Especially with winter coming in. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable when she was already freaking out about the season itself. But he also knew that he wasn’t going to be able to talk himself out of the way that he felt about her. He’d always thought that she was beautiful. Now, he knew that he liked her defiance and determination, as well. He liked how she picked up new information quickly and was always willing to help.

  Well, he thought as he ducked under the water again to rinse his hair, unless it involves skinning an animal. At least that was a weakness that she acknowledged about herself. He admired that, too. Knowing one’s weaknesses was just as important as knowing one’s strengths.

  A rumble from his stomach interrupted his line of thought, which was probably for the best. The water was starting to get a little chilly, and thinking about what he couldn’t have wasn’t going to do him any good. He stood up and reached for a towel, drying himself vigorously to combat the chill in the room.

  Once he was dry and dressed in clean clothes that didn’t smell like burned bear, Brad headed down the stairs to find Anna just dishing up the chili. She handed him the hot sauce before he even had a chance to ask.

  “Here you go,” she said. “And I—”

  He put his hand on her arm to stop her flow of words. “Anna.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Thank you.”

  Her cheeks went pink and she looked down at the bowl of chili she was dishing up for Sammy. “It’s no problem.”

  “It’s a huge pain in the ass,” Brad corrected. “And we both know it. And I appreciate it.”

  “Oh,” she said, sounding a little awkward. “Well, you know. You’re welcome.” Then she cleared her throat. “Okay, well, we better get in there. Sammy says he’s starving and I know you must be too.”

  Brad helped her carry the bowls, the hot sauce, and the glasses of water into the living room. The three of them took their usual places: Sammy on the couch, Brad and Anna in the armchairs closest to the fire. Brad dumped in some hot sauce, stirred his chili, and took the first bite. Then he simply closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment he’d been waiting for all day.

  Actually, this was the moment he’d been waiting for for weeks. Everything that could conceivably be done had been done. Everyone was safe. The fire was crackling and Anna and Sammy were talking about the records, debating jokingly about what to listen to first. He was clean and warm and in a few minutes, he wouldn’t be hungry anymore. The adrenaline that had fueled him through killing, skinning and burning the bear had faded, leaving him pleasantly tired.

  He had had his moments of doubt a few hours ago, but they had vanished now. Now, sitting like this, he was sure that he’d made the right choice. Bears or no bears, this was where he belonged and this was where he would stay to face whatever life threw his way in the future.

  Chapter 6

  “Just one more song,” Sammy said from his place on the couch two hours later.

  They had eaten until they were stuffed, and then they’d begun going through the records in earnest, listening to entire albums that they each remembered, even if they didn’t remember every song that played. It didn’t matter. It was so nice to hear something other than their own voices. He’d discovered that Anna sang fairly well and she had returned the compliment.

  Sammy and Anna had danced to a few records when they’d first cranked up the gramophone, but as the heat of the fire and the comfort of a full belly sank in, Sammy had taken his seat on the couch again. Brad didn’t blame him. He didn’t blame the kid for being half asleep right now, either. He was close to it himself.

  “You can barely keep your eyes open,” Anna said with a laugh.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m not tired,” Sammy lied, rubbing his eyes. “Let’s do one more. We don’t have to listen to the whole thing.” A massive yawn interrupted the boy’s pleading for a second, and then he continued, “Just one more song.”

  “Nope,” Anna said firmly, standing up and holding out her hand to her son, who was snuggled into the side of the couch. He took the hand reluctantly and she pulled him to his feet. “The gramophone has lasted this long. It’ll still be here in the morning. Let’s get you into bed.”

  Sammy followed without too much complaint and Brad went back to flicking through the massive collection. His father had either had an insanely wide taste in music, or he’d purposefully bought a little bit of everything. There were movie soundtracks and country albums, piano concertos and early-millennium electronic rock. Truthfully, Brad wanted to listen to it all, he just didn’t know where to start. He’d allowed Anna and Sammy to pick every record that evening.

  He looked up when the floorboards creaked, surprised to see that Anna had come back.

  “Everything okay?” he asked. Usually, she went to bed at the same time Sammy did.

  “One more?” she asked with a smile.

  “Sure,” Brad said. “Any requests?”

  “Nope,” she said as she dropped down onto the floor near the fire. “Just something lower-key, I guess, so Sammy doesn’t wake up.”

  He flicked through the records quickly until he got to the soundtrack of a movie that he remembered as being dramatically romantic and insanely popular. He put the record on and the first song began, slow and sexy. Anna leaned back against the chair behind her and closed her eyes. Brad watched her as she listened. She was beautiful all the time, but in the firelight, with the shadows playing over her face, it was all he could do to remember why he didn’t want to make a move.

  “I wanted to ask you something,” she said, opening her eyes.

  He quickly averted his gaze. “Okay, go for it.”

  “Are we really okay on food?”

  He nodded. “We really are.”

  “Even meat?”

  “With all that fishing you did?” he asked. “We’re especially good on meat, Anna.�
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  She gave a slight smile and took a deep breath. “Then, will you do me a favor?”

  “Of course,” he said readily.

  “Will you stop hunting?”

  “Why?” he said, slightly confused.

  She raised her hands and then let them fall in a slightly helpless gesture. “That bear really freaked me out,” she admitted. “I keep thinking of what would have happened if you’d run into it out there in the woods.”

  “The same thing that happened to it today,” Brad said firmly. “I’m not scared of bears.”

  “How?” she asked. “How can you not be scared of something that big and mean?”

  “They aren’t usually mean,” Brad said. “It was just hungry.”

  Anna shook her head, but she didn’t argue. “So?” she pressed. “Will you stick close to home?”

  “If it’ll make you feel better, I will,” he said. “The hunting is going to dry up soon, anyway.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly, leaning back again, clearly relieved.

  “You’re welcome.” Just the thought that she wanted him there warmed even more than the bath and the fire combined, but he kept that to himself, letting their conversation lapse into silence as the song played out.

  “It’s so good to hear music again,” she said when the first song had ended and the second one had begun. “I had music playing all the time before this, you know. Even at work.”

  “What did you do?” Brad asked, realizing that he didn’t know.

  “I kept the books at a diner,” she said. “Sometimes, I picked up shifts as a waitress, too, when we needed extra money. It wasn’t the most fun, but it was pretty easy money and the hours were good. I was able to be there when Sammy got out of school since it was all morning work. My neighbor let me drop him off at her house when I left for work, and he usually went back to sleep on the couch. Then, he waited for the bus with her daughter.”

  Anna’s face clouded over as she finished that sentence and Brad wondered if this was the same little girl that she had told him about when they’d met. The one the soldiers had gunned down for no other reason than to show that they could.

  “I’ve got one more surprise,” he said, wanting to take her mind off of her memories. “This one’s for you.”

  She turned to look at him. “For me?” she questioned, her tone curious as a smile flickered over her face. As Brad stood up, he made a mental note that Anna seemed to like surprises.

  “Well,” he had to admit, “I guess it’s actually for both of us. You’ll see.”

  He walked upstairs quickly and grabbed the bottle that was still stashed under the new winter gear. He jogged down the stairs and into the kitchen before going back to the living room with the bottle and two glasses.

  “Would you like to have a late birthday drink with me?” he asked, holding up the bottle.

  Her mouth dropped open in both surprise at what he held and dismay at her own forgetfulness. “I totally forgot it was your birthday yesterday!”

  Brad shrugged and sat down beside her. “I consider the bath and the afternoon off my present,” he reassured her. “So no worries there.”

  She shook her head. “No way. I’ll have to figure out something else to do.”

  “Well, if you’re determined,” he said. “You could have some fifty-year-old Scotch with me.”

  She took the bottle, turning it in her hands. “Where did you get this?”

  “I found it in the attic,” he told her. “My dad kept some weird stuff,” he said, gesturing at the gramophone and the liquor. “But he sure knows how to boost morale.”

  She handed the bottle back to him with a laugh. “I can’t argue with that. I’d love to have a drink with you, Brad.”

  He poured and they both sipped slowly, letting the taste linger on their tongues as they listened to the music play softly behind them. The song had changed again; this one was sung by a woman with a low voice filled with longing. He remembered this being the song they’d used in the advertisements. He’d been damn near sick of it by the time the fervor for the franchise had died down. He didn’t mind it now. Maybe all he’d needed was a twelve-year break.

  “I’m really sorry that we didn’t do anything for your birthday,” Anna said after a moment. “I feel really bad about it.”

  “It’s okay,” he said again. “We never did much for my birthdays, anyway.” When she looked sympathetic, he wished he hadn’t said that part. “It was fine,” he went on. “I didn’t have a lot of friends to invite over.” Well, that hadn’t made it better, either.

  He sighed, feeling more awkward than he had in a long time. “My mom usually baked a cake and took the day off. We’d order pizza and watch movies. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

  He cast her a glance and saw that she looked interested. That was much better than pity.

  “I’m enjoying this too,” he said. “And really, what is there to do, anyway? If I’d reminded you that it was my birthday, what would you have planned?”

  “We could have…” She trailed off and then gave a soft laugh. “Okay, I don’t know.”

  “See?” he said. “This is the perfect party for a person who doesn’t party. And I never really did that, even in college.”

  “I did,” she admitted. “Not in college, because I didn’t go. But before Sammy.”

  “So, what did you do at parties?” Brad asked.

  Her mouth curved in a smile that made his whole body heat up. “All kinds of things,” she said slowly, running her fingertip over the rim of her glass. “But what I really miss is dancing.”

  “We could still do that,” he said suddenly, standing and holding out his hand to her.

  Maybe it was the Scotch that made him both brave and forgetful. Maybe it was the fact that he had wanted to know what it would be like to have her pressed against him for weeks now. Either way, he was relieved when she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

  A new song began to play as she leaned in against him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. He figured that she would probably be able to hear his heart pounding, but he didn’t care. It felt unmistakably right to have her against him like this.

  Brad wasn’t a great dancer, but Anna didn’t seem to mind. In the end, they simply stayed near the fire, swaying together until the crescendo of the song. As the music crested, majestic and romantic, she looked up at him. Her green eyes were dark in the low light of the room and her mouth had curved into the same kind of smile she’d had as she reminisced about her partying days.

  He didn’t worry. Hell, he didn’t even think. He just kissed her the way that he’d been dying to for weeks on end.

  She startled briefly, her body going tense against his, and he had a moment to wonder if he’d made a mistake. Then, as he was starting to pull back, Anna relaxed into the kiss, going onto her tiptoes to twine her arms around his neck as she moaned against his mouth. He raised one hand to caress the back of her neck, tilting his head to slant his mouth over hers. It had been way too long since he’d done this. From her enthusiastic response, he thought that it might be the same for her.

  “Brad,” she sighed when he pulled back to look at her. “Don’t stop.”

  He traced her lower lip with his thumb, looking down into her eyes. “You’re sure?” he asked. “This is what you want?”

  She stretched up again, kissing along his jawline and down his neck. He felt her hands sliding down his chest, sending tingles through his whole body. He mirrored the gesture, his own hands moving down her back.

  “Kiss me again,” she said.

  He was more than happy to oblige her.

  This time, the kiss stole his breath. Anna pressed herself against him more fully, and when he pulled back this time, she didn’t even ask before she yanked his head down, devouring his mouth as he stumbled back to the couch. Brad sat down, pulling her with him.

  Anna buried her fingers in his hair as she straddled him, kissing him
nearly frantically. He pushed her jacket off and she pulled back to tug his shirt up and over his head. The feel of her hands on his skin was heaven and his head fell back as she began kissing her way down his neck again.

  A scream jolted them apart.

  Just as she had earlier that day, Anna moved a second faster than Brad. She was already on the stairs before he was out of the living room, but he caught up in time to be the one to open the door of the room that she shared with her son. Another scream rang out as he did so.

  The oil lamp was still burning; Sammy didn’t like to sleep in total darkness. They could see that he was still alone in the room and Brad’s heartbeat slowed just a bit at that knowledge. The sheets were tangled and twisted around him as he flailed in his sleep. A sheen of sweat coated his forehead.

  “It’s a nightmare,” Anna whispered in relief. “It’s just a nightmare.” She walked over to the bed and pulled Sammy into her arms. He woke slowly, glancing around the room frantically.

  “Where is it?” he mumbled. “I saw it over there.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Anna said soothingly. “It’s okay. There’s nothing here. You were just dreaming.”

  Brad started to go in and then realized that he was only half dressed. He didn’t want to raise any questions from Sammy, so he went back downstairs and scooped his shirt off of the floor where Anna had dropped it. Then, he took a second to simply breathe before he stepped back out into the hallway to wait. It was nearly half an hour before Anna appeared again, closing the door softly behind her.

  “I shouldn’t have left him alone,” she said, sounding almost angry with herself. “I should have known that he was still scared.”

  “He did really well for the rest of the day. You couldn’t have known that would happen,” Brad said, putting his hands on her upper arms and drawing her closer. “And it might have happened even if you were there.”