I feel her smile against my lips as she whispers, “You stole a bottle of communion wine?”
Her hands make their way under my shirt, so that her fingers skim against my skin. I look at the woman standing before me, looking beautiful in the candlelight. I cup her face. “Of course I did. It’s a special occasion.”
Anna leans back a little and raises her eyebrow at me. “Don’t you think it’s a little sacrilegious?”
Chuckling as I pull her closer again, I growl, “No. The things I’m going to do to you on the other hand...now, they would make even the angels blush.”
I close the distance between us as I claim her mouth. She is my air in this polluted world, the light I didn’t even realise I needed as I hid in the darkness of my grief. She groans, the kiss deepening, and I don’t need words to show her how I feel.
Anna snores quietly beside me, her arm draped across my chest and her leg woven between mine. A light knock on the door has me trying to slip out from underneath her sleeping body without waking her.
I shove some clothes on and open the door, surprised to find Mia standing outside with a serious look on her face.
I step outside and close the door behind me. “What’s going on, Mia?”
“We need some equipment from the lab.” Her voice is low and hard, I know she’s already resolute in her decision to go back down there.
“What? I thought we were done with that?” I sigh, why was she always toeing the line? One day she was going to get in trouble. The other night, Avery had run a series of tests and printed all the data out. We’d done it that way so that we weren’t in the lab for longer than necessary, and so she’d spent the last couple of days going over it carefully. I had wondered if it would be enough, but I guess not.
“It has to come to Rosehill with us,” Mia explains, and I swear I can feel my eyes bug out of my head.
Shaking my head, I argue, “Kelp will refuse.”
She runs a hand through her hair and bites her bottom lip. “I know, that’s why we need to just take it.”
I step back, crossing my arms as I give her a long stare. “Are you crazy? They’ll know it was us!”
“He’s not going to come to Rosehill for it.”
“How do you know?”
Mia shrugs as a flash of guilt crosses her face. “I stole a list of the equipment from my father's old office.”
“You mean, Kelp’s new office?” I groan and bury my face in my hands, thank fuck we were leaving first thing or else Kelp would have us skinned just to make an example out of us. We'd definitely lose any support we had in the camp.
She nods. “They have multiples of the things we need, as a precaution.”
“And what do we need exactly?” I say, barely containing my anger. She was being reckless, and that was unlike her. She needed to step back and think, not just steal from the army and from the only ally we had, albeit a tenuous ally.
She begins to list things in one rushed breath as she grabs my sleeve and starts to pull me down the corridor. “A DNA sequencer, a centrifuge, and a few other things. A genetic analyser? I don’t know, but Avery does, and she says they’re on the list.”
“And how are you going to run all of those things at Rosehill?” I ask. Those fancy machines all required power, and currently, Rosehill had none. We had plans for solar panels and to use the river behind the Academy, but that would take weeks, if not months, to get set up.
Mia grins in the dimly lit corridor. “The generator Kelp is giving us, Lee can rig it up.”
Tilting my head, I ask, “Lee knows about your crazy plan?”
There’s that guilty look again as she bites her lip. “No, but I may have asked a few hypothetical questions.”
I grab her arm, and force her to look me in the eyes. “Is this essential? And I mean life or death essential, Mia.”
Her face is tight as she nods. “Yes.”
I sigh. “Then let me get my shoes on first.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Anna
“Anna, we need to leave now,” a voice whispers as I’m gently shaken. I open my eyes slowly, and grin, seeing Donovan above me. Frowning, I sit up as I realise he’s fully dressed.
“What’s going on?” I say, tilting my head as I watch him throw my clothes into a backpack. Something is off, and the way his jaw twitches tells me I need to move.
“I just did something stupid,” he hisses as he continues to collect my things, not that there’s a lot to pack. His face is a mix of guilt and fear as he zips up my bag.
“What? What did you do?” I ask as I clamber out of the bed and stretch. My body feels so much more relaxed today after the night we spent together.
“I helped Mia steal some things from the lab,” he explains as I start pulling on my jogging bottoms.
I stop getting dressed and look at him, the severity of his words sinking in. “Christ, Kelp is going to go nuts.”
If we are discovered, there’s nothing to stop him from banishing us or even killing us. He would take it personally, and even though I didn’t know him that well, I already knew his temper wasn’t something that could be controlled.
“That’s why we need to leave now.” His mouth is tight as he watches me, I can see the apology in his eyes, but this is survival. We do what we must. And if that means risking everything, then what choice do we have?
I glance out of the window and see the orange dusky morning light. “It’s barely even light out. We aren’t meant to leave until after breakfast?”
“There’s no time. The soldiers will be back in the lab in an hour, so we need to leave before they discover what we’ve done.” Fuck.
I grab my T-shirt and my jumper, shoving them on quickly before tying my hair up with an elastic band. “Is everyone else ready? How long will it take to get to Rosehill?”
“Yes, you’re the last,” he says as he waits for me to put my shoes on. “It’ll take about two hours, which is a lot easier than walking it—trust me. That took us almost three days and several zombies.”
Grinning, I clap my hands, trying to stay positive even though I know one wrong move will end everything right now. “Let’s go then.”
I follow him out to the hangar, where Avery is sat in the front of the truck with Fischer, who’s behind the wheel, the baby, and Luke, who waves at me as I clamber into the back. Mia, and a woman I recognise as Lee’s girlfriend, Katrina, are sat in the backseats beside me. Lee, Donovan, Alex, and Pete are all on the trailer with the supplies as the engine starts up and we leave Litchfield. No one is talking as we all keep checking over our shoulders, praying no one comes out of the bunkers unexpectedly. The plan is to have more survivors join us, once Rosehill is set up, but first we have to get there in one piece. We have to escape Kelp.
The tension eats me up as we drive up to the large main gate, the truck creeping slowly forward, every crunch on the gravel making us wince as we try not to wake anyone. Even the gentle hum of the engine feels too loud in the dawn air, it practically screams ‘Thieves! Thieves escaping!’ with every inch we crawl closer to the gate.
I don’t know how Mia and Donovan even managed to steal the equipment without getting caught, but I was praying to every god and deity I could think of that we could leave in one piece. I didn’t come this far to be stopped at the gate, not when things had finally started looking up.
The truck rolls to a stop, and everyone holds their breath. Peering over the seats, I see Galen and a few other figures blocking the way through the front windscreen. I feel Mia stiffen beside me as Katrina grabs my hand and squeezes, terrified, and she doesn’t even know what we’ve done, but she is still afraid. I swallow and it's louder than I anticipated as Mia shares a look with me, letting me know she feels the same.
Donovan jumps down finally and heads slowly towards Galen, his cocky saunter overcompensating for his nerves.
“Open the gate, we’re ready to leave,” Donovan calls, his voice filling the quiet morning air.
&n
bsp; Galen crosses his arm. “You aren’t supposed to be leaving yet, what are you up to, Donovan?”
We all freeze inside the truck, as we wait for Kelp to jump out from somewhere. Mia hasn’t explained to Alex, Lee, Pete, or Katrina why we needed to leave early, they still don’t know what we’re risking if we stay here too long, but they’re on high alert regardless.
Donovan laughs, trying to act casual. “We’re just getting a head start.”
There’s silence for a moment, before Galen steps forward and asks, “Do you have room for anymore?”
Donovan crosses his arms and looks at the five people blocking our way. “Who?”
A female soldier steps forward with her Bergen ready as Galen explains, “Sonia and I want to come, we think you could use some backup.”
“What about Kelp?”
“You know what he’s doing here, and I don’t want any part of it when it goes wrong.” Galen’s voice trembles, he’s afraid. And he has every right to be. Kelp was still experimenting on zombies, still collecting them and trying to study them regardless of the growing number of humans on the base. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and even his own people were beginning to realise it.
Donovan looks back over at Alex, who shrugs. “Fine, but if we’re going to survive, you need to be on our team. No running back to Kelp when you don’t like how we handle things.”
“Deal.” Galen shakes Donovan’s hand and grabs his own bag from one of the other men.
“Get on!” Alex calls as Fischer starts moving us forward again. The rest of the soldiers open up the main gate and watch us as we roll past. Donovan, Galen, and Sonia all jump onto the trailer as we leave. Mia takes my hand in hers as we watch the army base get smaller in the distance until it fades into the sunrise.
It only takes us an hour and a half roughly to get to the Academy. The largest hurdle were the coaches blocking up the country lane right before the school. Mia hadn’t let go of my hand the entire drive, and as she saw the coaches, she tensed, her hand becoming clammy in mine. I thought back to what Donovan had told me and how this is where they’d found her. She must have lost so many friends and teachers that day. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and rub her arm. The bull bars on the truck come in handy as we slowly push our way past the rusted shells, driving into the hedgerow for a small portion of it too, but eventually, we get past the vehicles.
Donovan, Galen, and Alex had been taking out any zombies that come close the entire journey, but luckily, it was fairly quiet. We had been expecting more rotting creatures, but they must have wandered closer to the villages and towns in search of meat since it had been deserted here for a while. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
When we pull up to the school, I can’t help but wonder how much it would have cost to go to school here. It was a large building, with a huge stone wall enclosing it. I could see the pretty arched windows in the attic and first floor, and I was willing to bet the doors were a similar style. There was a lot of space surrounding the building, so there must also be a courtyard and gardens inside. I can see why Rosehill would be the perfect base. It was easily defendable. Alex jumps out and disappears around the side of the wall.
We all wait in silence. Everyone is tense. It’s like all of our hopes are inside those large stone walls, and until we’re within them, it’s still not safe. Donovan and Galen keep watch over the sprawling fields in front of us, in case anything emerges from the woods, but nothing does.
“Come on,” I hear Mia hiss impatiently under her breath, and she watches the front gate. “I should’ve gone with him.”
“He’s a big boy, he’ll be fine,” Fischer says with a chuckle. “This is one hell of a school, Mia.”
“It was my home and my prison,” she says sadly. “Until Alex came.”
As if he could hear his name being uttered, the main gates squeak open, and Alex stands before us grinning. “Come on! Get the truck inside so I can lock up again!”
It takes the rest of the day to unload the trailer and work out which rooms we need to use. For the first night, we decided that everyone should stay in the main hall, it was safer that way, and then tomorrow we could pick sleeping quarters. With the dormitories and the staff rooms, there was plenty of space, but the building needed to be explored properly as there was some minor damage, a few leaks in some of the rooms, and birds nesting in the chimneys. Donovan, Alex, Galen, and Pete go through all the rooms and check the windows are locked, repair any that are smashed the best they can, and then lock the doors behind them. It’s easier if there’s less space to roam to begin with, and they want to make sure nothing has found its way inside. I’m surprised that there are no zombies here, but I guess they couldn’t find a way past the huge stonewall to begin with. It makes me feel safer to know that we might actually be able to defend this building and create some sort of a life here.
Avery and Fischer have been inseparable since they first met in the woods, so it doesn’t surprise me that they go into the science classrooms and set up the equipment for testing Abigail’s DNA. They needed answers, and I could tell that Avery was becoming more anxious with every passing day. This was their priority, and I wasn’t going to be the one to complain about that.
Donovan sees them carrying the large machines inside and gives Mia a pointed look, and my chest tightens as her face drops. The guilt on her face is clear. She still hadn’t told Alex. I don't understand why she is keeping it from him, but I also don’t understand why he didn’t ask more questions about us leaving earlier either. Did he trust her that much?
Mia grabs things from a cupboard in the dining hall and gives me a small smile. I see her clutching some tins, some string, a box of what sounds like bells, and some glass vases.
“Are you okay?” I ask, nodding at the random collection of crap she’s hugging like it’s the only thing holding her together.
“Yeah, I’m just going to set some boobytraps up.”
I raise a brow. “Boobytraps?”
“It’s how I survived when it was just me. Any warning is better than no warning.” She shrugs, and I can’t imagine being here for a year all alone. Every creak, every rustle would be setting alarm bells ringing. It would be torture. A slow torture.
Luke runs over excitedly. “Can I help?”
Mia laughs, “Yeah, sure.”
I watch as they head out into the courtyard, I should have known the second she said ‘boobytraps’ that my son would emerge like a meerkat, eager to get stuck in.
Lee begins to set up the generator, which is only to be used for necessities, and most things aren’t, so we put candles and lanterns around the place for when the darkness creeps in. Katrina and Sonia gather up bedding and a few mattresses to create a sleeping area in the corner of the hall while I take stock of the kitchen and the food supplies. By the time the evening rolls around, we’re all exhausted, but I feel optimistic. We have a home base. This is the first step in rebuilding our lives, and our society. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
After dinner, I follow the others outside to the courtyard, where someone has built a small fire, and we sit around it as we unwind. Pete is keeping an eye out, perched on a fire escape that overlooks over the stone wall and the fields beyond while Galen does patrols around the building at half-hour intervals.
It’s strangely peaceful compared to the army base, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s a fresh start. Tomorrow we can worry about setting up more defences and get to work on repairing and cleaning out the rooms we want, but tonight we just want to enjoy the quiet. We want to languish in the safety of the little bubble we’re in, this safe haven in the crazy, crazy world we live in. I smile as Luke plays a card game with Fischer and Avery rocks the baby to sleep. I want to give him a better life, and here we might have a shot.
Mia takes a seat next to me, her face serious as she watches Alex across the fire from us. They had barely even looked at each other while we’d eaten earlier. He shoots a quick glance our way, his
expression cold before turning back around. I guess things were still rocky in paradise.
She’s sat with her arms circled around her knees, while I’m on a small stool of some sort as I lean into her. “I take it you told him then?”
“Yes,” she grumbles as she presses her forehead to her knees. It was time to tell him, especially if Kelp was going to come here looking for his equipment, demanding to know what we needed it for.
Laughing, I say, “It went well then…”
She glares at me.
It was only looking at her in the firelight that I saw her for who she was, a young girl who’d lost everything and was still trying to navigate love. Alex was probably her first serious boyfriend, and it wasn’t like the situation was exactly normal. They were the saviours of a band of rag-tag survivors, who were putting everyone else’s needs before their own in the hopes of securing a better future. Those were pretty big responsibilities for two kids who in another world would have probably just wanted to watch Netflix, get naked, and forget about tomorrow.
“He tore you a new one, didn’t he?” I say softly, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her. I don't know how I’d slipped into a mother role with her, especially since I wasn’t actually old enough to be her mother, but who else did she have?
“Yes.” She looks up at me, green eyes full of worry, and I stroke her hair.
“Why didn’t you tell him sooner?” I ask, it would have saved a lot of hassle if she had just explained the situation to him. Like Donovan, he probably would have to have been persuaded that Abi wasn’t a risk and it was necessary to look at what it meant for our future.
I watch the flames dance, and through them I see Donovan laughing with Alex as Luke joins them. It shouldn’t be so easy to be with Donovan, but it is. My son leans against Donovan, and my heart melts, they are my world.
I feel Mia tremble beneath me as she lets out a small, strangled sob. She whispers, voice so low I barely hear the words, “I think I may be pregnant.”
The Survival Games (Book 2): Hide & Seek Page 19