Before I could even think of a response, he tugged me off the wall and into the barn. My mind spun now, no longer pacified with the drugging effect of Nelson’s presence. I tangled in circles as I worked to sort out my feelings for Nelson. Did I even want this? Him? Was I prepared to be as serious as he was about the whole thing?
Could I let him kiss me if I wasn’t?
The inside of the barn was dark and cooler. Streams of light filtered in through windows near the roof and sprinkled light on the hay covered rafters and dirty floor that stretched out in front of us. This wasn’t a barn for animals, just mostly farming equipment. Instead of stalls and feeding troughs, the barn opened into one big room, with an office of sorts, or maybe a little apartment in the back.
We stood silently for a few moments, just listening to the rustle of birds or creaking sounds as the cool breeze whipped around the structure outside.
There was nothing in here. We could tell immediately. At least not a Zombie. There could be a human hiding anywhere within, but the dust on the floor appeared untouched and the cobwebs surrounding rafters screamed solitude.
Nelson let go of my hand and started walking around the border of the barn slowly- probably looking for anything useful. His steps kicked up dirt as he went, but he seemed focused on perusing the remains of someone’s former life.
It was eerie to be in a place like this. Somehow this farm had remained untouched by looters and Zombies alike. It seemed frozen in time, just waiting for the mystery owner to return and pick up where he left off. I imagined everything remained exactly where the farmer left it at the end of his last day of work.
Nelson picked up a huge metal can off the ground and seemed to struggle with its weight as if he were surprised by it. I heard liquid slosh around inside and my ears instantly perked up.
“Gas?” I asked in a quiet voice, still not entirely trusting the barn.
Nelson opened the lid and took a whiff, “Yep. This is a good find.”
“Definitely,” I agreed. And then we continued in our separate directions.
I wandered around the outskirts of the barn, picking up random tools, wondering if they could be used for anything. I made a pile of the ones I recognized on a work bench and then decided to let the boys pick through the rest.
After a while I slipped off my backpack and set my gun to safety. I hadn’t heard any shots fired from outside and no scuffling of feet or heavy breathing from inside the barn- yes, those were my intruder-alert indicators.
Nelson worked quietly from the other side of the barn, but his presence felt invading, even from over here. Had he really meant what he said about me? How could he possibly even know that he would want me when he barely knew me?
None of this made sense to me.
The Parker brothers were good allies to have when fighting off Feeders. But they were too intense for my love life.
I wanted something light and easy- something I didn’t have to put a whole lot of effort into. This had been my thing my whole life. And I was happy with it.
In fact, the only thing I’d ever really tried at had been surviving. And even though I was doing alright at that, I didn’t feel like the results were conclusive enough yet, for me to want to translate those efforts into other parts of my life.
If Nelson wanted something with me, he was going to get the flaky, lacking-substance Haley. I would save the real me for a different time, a different less-Zombie-ish place.
One where there wasn’t a real fear of falling in love just to lose that love by a well-placed Feeder bite.
At the back of the barn, I peeked into the apartment-ish room and let out a breath of relief. There wasn’t anyone in here, no one hiding out in fear that we were looters, or in anticipation of capturing us and then enslaving us. Light filtered in from two windows, revealing a private apartment that seemed cozy and comfortable.
A musty single bed lay out against the back wall, with a small but practical night stand next to it. A tall dresser stood on the adjacent wall with a few dusty knickknacks scattered on top. A counter stretched along one side with a hotplate, toaster oven and small sink. A dorm-sized refrigerator nestled underneath humming and buzzing with life. And there was a bowl, a plate and a coffee cup stacked on a dish towel above it. A tiny bathroom, almost hidden in the corner, was all that was left to make up the room.
My eyes zoomed back to the purring refrigerator. It was on. There was electricity!
Without pausing to think anything through I ran back to my pack, yanked out my iPod and charger and then barreled back into the apartment. I tore through the room until I found an available outlet and then immediately plugged it all in.
I stared at it impatiently until the red bar and battery appeared. It would still take a moment to turn on, but this was a very good sign.