Days 5 to 8

  Copyright 2015 Amy Cross

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, entities and places are either products of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, businesses, entities or events is entirely coincidental.

  First published: April 2013

  as part of Mass Extinction Event: The Complete First Series

  This edition: July 2018

  Trapped in a ruined city, Elizabeth and her brother Henry try to avoid the dangers that seem to lurk on every street. But even when they manage to get home, they face an entirely different kind of threat.

  Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Thomas struggles to keep his brother alive. First, though, he needs to find out what happened to his father, and he also has to make a difficult decision about his ailing mother.

  Days 5 to 8 is the second book in the Mass Extinction Event series, continuing the story of a worldwide apocalypse seen from the eyes of two very different people in two very different parts of the US.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Day Five

  Day Six

  Day Seven

  Day Eight

  Epilogue

  Days Five to Eight

  (Mass Extinction Event book 2)

  Prologue

  Manhattan, one week ago

  "Your brother's over there!" says Sofie, pointing across the park. "Lizzie! Look, your brother's right over there!"

  Turning, I see that she's right. My little brother Henry is sitting on the grass with a couple of his friends. My first reaction is that something seems strange about the scene, as if it's somehow impossible that he and I could end up hanging out in the same place. After a moment, however, I realize that this isn't so weird after all. Henry's getting older; he's only a few years younger than me, and it's only natural that I should start seeing him out and about, especially on such a gorgeous summer's day.

  "So can I ask you a question?" Sofie continues, nudging my knee as she offers me some more potato chips.

  "What?"

  "Your brother. Sometimes he seems a bit weird. Is he, like, alright in the head? I don't mean that in a bad way, I just mean that sometimes he has this look in his eyes, like..." Her voice trails off for a moment. "I don't know how to describe it. I'm sounding like a bitch, but do you know what I mean?"

  "Um..." I pause, feeling a little confused. "He's not weird in the head," I say eventually. "He's my brother. He's cool. Annoying, but cool".

  "Okay," she replies. "That's cool. Sorry. I didn't mean to say anything".

  Lost in thought, I eat some more potato chips before looking back over at Henry. He and his friends are standing up, and they start walking across Central Park. At the last moment, Henry glances back at me and we exchange an awkward smile. "He's growing up," I say quietly.

  "My brother's a dick," Sofie says. "Like, the other day, I caught him in my room, just going through my stuff like he had a total right to be in there. Does your brother ever do that?"

  "No," I say, still watching as he disappears into the distance. "No, Henry's kind of cool. He just plays video games and stuff". The problem is, now that Sofia has mentioned her thoughts about Henry, I can't help thinking that maybe she's right; every so often, I catch a glimpse of something in Henry's eyes. Something dark, as if there are undercurrents in his personality that don't show on the surface. Maybe it's just because he's growing up, but I feel like he's changing in loads of different ways. "He's cool," I say again, as much to convince myself as to convince Sofie.

  "So are you coming out next Saturday?" Sofie asks. "We were thinking of trying to get into that club near your place. You know, the one with the neon palm tree over the door".

  "You want to go there?" I ask, shocked. "That looks like the tackiest place in the world. It's a total dive!"

  "Exactly," she replies with a grin. "We're thinking they're so desperate for customers, they'll have no problem letting us in, even if one or two of us don't quite have the necessary I.D., if you know what I mean".

  "Speak for yourself," I reply. "I'm old enough to go into a bar. I just don't want to". I pause for a moment. "You're old enough too".

  "But my little sister isn't," she says. "I really just wanna take her out and show her a good time, especially..." She pauses, and finally she lets out a huge sneeze. "Sorry," she continues, "I just wanna show Naomi a fun evening. You know, so she doesn't get overwhelmed when she's old enough to go out for real. So are you in or are you out?"

  "I don't know what I'm gonna be doing," I reply. "A week's a long time".

  "But you'll try?"

  "I'll try," I say, "but don't hold me to it, okay? The last thing I want to do is go to some ass-crack club and spent the night standing in a corner while dumb-asses dance all over the place".

  "It won't be like that," she says, grabbing my arm. "Come on, Lizzie! Lighten up a bit! It's gonna be fun! You, me, Naomi, maybe some other people. We might even meet some guys. You could even invite your brother, but I don't think there's a fake I.D. in the world that'd get him through the door".

  "I'll be there if I can," I say. "If it's at all possible, I'll come with you, okay?"

  "You'd better," she replies, before sneezing again.

  "You okay?" I ask. "You're not coming down with something, are you? You'd better not have dragged me out here just so you can infect me!"

  "I'm fine," she says. "I've kind of felt for a while like I might be about to get some massive cold, but it never actually happens. I guess I've just got the most amazing immune system in the world. Probably all the juice I drink".

  "Yeah," I reply, rolling my eyes. "That'll be it".

  "So do you wanna come shopping this afternoon?" Sofie asks. "I mean, just window-shopping. I don't have any actual money, but we could take a look around. Unless you've got anything better to do".

  "Nope," I reply, "I actually have absolutely nothing better to do. Sad, huh?" Sighing, I glance across the park again, but this time my brother is way out of sight. It's weird, but I didn't like the way he kind of ignore me just now. I'd have thought he'd at least come over, but he basically ignored me. I guess he's growing up and he thinks I'm not cool. That's his choice, but I hope he grows out of it soon. I'm already barely speaking to Mom, and Dad's almost never around. The last thing I need is to be on bad terms with another family member. Taking a deep breath, I decide to make an effort to spend a little more time with Henry over the next few weeks. After all, it's not like we have a big family. We need to stick together.

  Day Five

  ELIZABETH

  Manhattan. Today.

  "Elizabeth!" a voice calls out in the distance, and I immediately tense up. "Elizabeth! You down here?"

  Closing the book, I hurry through to the hallway and double-check that the bolt has been slid across on the door. At least this way, my brother Henry won't be able to get into the apartment, even if he's got Bob's master-key for the whole building. I'm in Harrison Blake's old place, thanks to the key he left behind for me, and I've spent the morning - since sunrise, anyway - reading a book about infectious diseases. So far, Henry and Bob have no idea that this library exists, but it's clear that I'm gonna have to work a little harder to make sure the situation doesn't change. Right now, this apartment is a kind of sanctuary, and it's the place where I come to get away from the others. It's mine, not theirs.

  "Elizabeth?" Henry calls out, suddenly sounding much closer. After a moment, the door handle turns and he tries to get in, but the bolt remains in place. There's a pause, followed by the sound of some keys jangling, and finally he tries to unlock the door. Again, the bolt keeps him out. "Assholes," Henry mutters, before starting to walk away. "Elizabet
h!" he calls again, getting further away until I hear him go through to the stairwell.

  Relaxing, I turn and head back through to the front room. I guess it was dumb of me to think that I could just hide away in here and not be bothered. Given the state of the world right now, it's inevitable that Henry and Bob are gonna start questioning my movements. After all, it's not as if I can just go wandering out the door and go visit friends. Making my way over to the window, I look down at the empty Manhattan street, where a couple of abandoned cars sit next to the sidewalk. This is the fifth day, and it's looking less and less likely that anyone's coming to rescue us. In another two days, we'll be coming up on a week since this disaster struck. Whatever happens, I'm starting to think it's permanent.

  Although my plan was to read all morning, I soon find that my head is elsewhere. Henry's attempt to get into the apartment has left me jumpy and skittish, and I can't relax. Deciding to try a new strategy, I grab the book and head out into the corridor, making sure to lock the door after myself. I head to the stairwell and make my way down to the lobby, figuring I should probably show myself and ensure that Henry and Bob don't start asking too many questions about my whereabouts. As soon as I emerge from the stairwell into the lobby area, I can already hear animated discussions taking place in the little office. Henry and Bob have formed a tight little duo over the past couple of days, and it's no surprise to find them chattering away.

  "Well, here she is now!" Bob says with a broad smile as I wander through to join them. "Your brother here was getting all panicky, Elizabeth. Seems he was worried you'd maybe gone outside by yourself, but I told him there's no way you'd be so foolish".

  "That's right," I say quietly.

  "Where were you?" Henry asks, eying me with suspicion. He's got his rifle slung over his shoulder; I swear, he even sleeps with that thing these days. I never thought an inanimate object could give someone such an immediate boost of confidence, but the rifle has transformed Henry from a lazy teen to a tense, over-confident little soldier.

  "I was up on the roof," I reply. "Reading".

  "And what's that you've got in your hand?" Bob asks, still smiling as he cranes his stumpy neck to see the book.

  "Something about viruses," I say, holding it up for him to see. "I found it in our apartment, so I figured I'd give it a read. I just figured, you never know when it might be useful to know something".

  "That's not from our apartment," Henry spits at me.

  "Yes it is, dumbass," I reply.

  "Where?"

  "It was in Mom and Dad's room".

  "Where in Mon and Dad's room?"

  "In the closet".

  "Where in the closet? Mom and Dad didn't keep books in the closet".

  "Well they kept this one in there," I say, failing to hide my annoyance at his constant stream of questions.

  Henry frowns. He clearly doesn't believe me.

  "Come on, you two," Bob says, grinning as if he finds us amusing. "Let's not descend into an all-out family squabble here. Henry, your sister's got a right to read a book, okay? Might even come in useful if one of us knows about that kind of thing. And Elizabeth, it'd be courteous if you could perhaps let other people know where you've been, so as to avoid the need for everyone to get worried. I'm sure you'll understand why we were slightly concerned, especially given recent developments".

  "Huh," I say, turning and looking over at the door that leads through to the back of the building. "How's it going with the girl?"

  "Not bad," Bob replies. "We're still not at the point where I'm comfortable releasing her, but we're making progress in getting her to trust us. Why, we even managed to find out her name. Mallory".

  "Mallory?" I take a deep breath, feeling a growing sense of unease. Ever since Henry and Bob captured that girl, they've been acting strange, as if their conspiratorial relationship has been taken to a whole new level. Bob's convinced that this Mallory girl is a spy sent by some other survivors to find out what supplies we're hoarding, and it's pretty clear that the process of interrogating Mallory is giving both Bob and my brother a real kick. It's tempting to think that they're actually enjoying the whole thing, although I shudder to think that my little brother might actually be involved in something so dark. Ever since Bob gave him the rifle, though, Henry has been a little different. He seems so easily seduced by the semblance of power and responsibility.

  "You wanna come and see her?" Bob asks. "Maybe a woman's touch might help".

  I pause for a moment. Although I want to go and see if the girl's okay, I can't bring myself to go through and see how she's doing. "It's okay," I say. "Maybe later". Pausing for a moment, I realize that I'm too scared to go and see this Mallory girl. After all, I'm still slightly worried about what Bob and Henry might be doing to her, but I'd rather not confront that particular problem head-on. Not now, at least. I guess I'm a coward.

  "Well," Bob says, slowly rising from his chair and wincing a little as his bones creak, "I guess I'm gonna get back in there. I think we're really getting close to the truth. Just need to keep the pressure on, and she's gonna tell us the truth about why she's here. In the meantime, I was hoping you two could go down to that little convenience store on the corner and see if they're got any painkillers. My old hip's playing up". He limps over to the doorway, before turning back to us. "Could you do that for me?"

  "Yes, Sir," Henry says, with military seriousness.

  "Actually," I say, looking down at the book, "I was planning to -"

  "It's fine," Henry says firmly. "I can go alone". As if to prove the point, he takes the rifle from over his shoulder and starts loading it with a couple of cartridges.

  "No," I say, "it's okay. I'll come with you".

  "You don't have to".

  "I want to".

  "That's the spirit," Bob says, still grinning. "Brother and sister, working together. Just keep an eye out for any sign that we're being watched. I still think there's a danger Mallory was sent to keep an eye on us, and the last thing we need is for some slick bastards to give us the jump. If you two aren't back in an hour, I'm gonna start worrying, okay?" He pauses for a moment. "No detours. No excursions or adventures. Just get down there, find anything that's useful, and then get back. We'll go on a more exhaustive trip later". With that, he turns and limps away to the back of the building, where I guess he''s going to continue with his amateur-hour interrogation of that poor girl.

  "You coming, or what?" Henry asks, holding his rifle as if he expects to use it at any moment.

  "Sure," I reply, following him through to the lobby.

  "Where'd you really get that book?" he asks as we make our way to the front door.

  "I told you, Mom and -"

  "Bullshit," he says. Pushing the door open, he leads me out onto the sidewalk. It's still so strange to be out here: the ground is covered in a fine white powder from the thick debris cloud that erupted when the plane crashed a few blocks away, while the deserted streets looking completely unnatural. New York's a city that was built to be noisy and fast and full of people; to see it like this is one of the strangest things I can imagine.

  "Stay close to me," Henry says, making a big show of looking both ways to see that we're alone. He's like a kid who's been given a gun and told to go and play like a soldier, except the gun is real and I'm pretty sure he's long past the point where he understood that he should be careful. "Come on," he continues after a moment, making his way along the sidewalk.

  "Is this really necessary?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder to see the empty street behind us. "There's no-one around".

  "You don't know that for sure".

  Stopping suddenly, Henry turns to me. "It's so easy for you, isn't it?" he says with a slight sneer. "You can just stand back and make stupid little comments, while the rest of us have to do all the hard work. Like with Mallory. Do you think Bob and I want to have her tied up while we find out why she's here? Of course not, but we have to do it, so that we all stay safe". He pauses for a moment, staring st
raight into my eyes with an expression that seems to border on contempt. "Me and Bob," he continues eventually, "we'd love to stand back and make sarcastic comments while someone else does the nasty work, but we just can't afford to let that happen. We're the ones who have to do the dirty stuff, the hard stuff, the painful stuff. You get to stand back and pretend you're still a nice person. That's real lucky of you, Elizabeth. I hope you're grateful".

  I swallow hard. While I guess Henry has a point, none of that little speech sounded like it came from him directly. In fact, it sounded like something Bob would say.

  "See?" Henry continues, turning and walking toward the convenience store.

  "See what?" I ask, hurrying after him.

  "You haven't got an answer," he replies. "You know I'm right. People like you, with your morals and stuff, need people like us to do the dirty work".

  "People like me?" I ask, shocked at how suddenly Henry seems to have developed this very definite, very rigid view of the world. "People like you? Henry, what are you talking about? It's me! It's Elizabeth!" I wait for him to reply, but he just keeps on walking. "Okay," I continue eventually, "let's just cool it. Let's just agree to disagree, and try to get things back to how they were before, yeah? Don't you remember what things used to be like, when we actually didn't hate each other?"

  "It's like with Mallory," he continues. "You let me and Bob do all the hard work, so you don't have to get your hands dirty".

  "What hard work?" I ask, starting to get worried. "You haven't hurt her, have you? You're feeding her and stuff, right?"

  "Of course we are," he spits back at me. "We're not monsters. We're just two men, doing what has to be done".

  As we reach the convenience store, Henry stops and peers through the broken window. He and Bob have been here before, but there's still plenty of stock left on the shelves.