by Bale, Sarah
Nodding, I went back to Kat, filling her in.
She said, “I just hope we’re not making a mistake. Traveling at night is risky.”
She was right, but Elijah was determined. After dinner, everyone packed up and got into their vehicles. Jo’s car had run out of gas, so we were leaving it behind. Jo, Norm, and Faith packed their belongings into cars that had room. Jo ended up in our car, sitting next to Cooper. They played a card game while Elijah and I sat in silence.
I was reminded of the first time I’d rode in a car with him. He had just found me and took me back to his home. Though I didn’t know him, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. There was something in his eyes that confirmed this. And now we’d been together for over a year. It was hard to believe that it had been that long. I snorted softly to myself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just thinking about the day you found me.”
This made him smile. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Remember what a dick you were?”
He laughed. “I don’t recall it that way. What I remember is how a silly girl was walking around without a weapon.”
Jo leaned forward and said, “I don’t think I’ve heard this one.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “It’s a long story. Short version is Elijah found me in the loft of a barn and took me under his protection.”
“I’d like to be under him.” Coop coughed. “I mean, his protection.”
Elijah shot him a grin.
I went on, “He is right, though. I shouldn’t have been out there without a weapon, but the group I was with at the time wasn’t very good at surviving.”
Jo said, “Sounds like the last group we were with before we met up with y’all.”
Elijah replied, “Sadly a weapon can mean the difference between life and death these days.”
“Guess it’s a good thing we’re with an expert,” I replied, kissing him on the cheek.
He smiled, but said, “You should try to get some sleep.”
Before the apocalypse, I had a strict rule that the passenger in the car had to stay awake to make sure the driver was okay. I thought about mentioning this, but he gave me a look. Sighing, I leaned my seat back.
Driving at night was different. Before, lights from street lamps would cast shadows into the car. Now, it was just darkness. Elijah dimmed the interior lights so they barely glowed. Cooper and Jo fell asleep pretty fast, but I couldn’t.
Elijah whispered, “Sleep while you can, Daisy.”
“I just want to make sure we’re okay. You seemed distant today.”
I could barely see him nod. “We are.”
I reached out and found his hand. Holding it against my cheek, I finally gave into sleep.
The car slowed and the grinding breaks woke me. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up in the backseat. We’d changed spots around one in the morning and Jo and I had used each other as pillows while Cooper drove and Elijah slept. I glanced at the clock on the dash. It was only seven. The sun was barely even out.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Cooper parked the car and Elijah got out. I followed him as did the others as they came to a stop.
Grey called out, “What’s going on, Boss?”
I walked up to Elijah. It was then that I saw what the issue was. There was a massive hole in the middle of the bridge, making it impossible to cross. It was amazing the bridge was even standing. And even more amazing that Cooper had seen the hole in the morning light.
Elijah cursed. “Mother fucker. When in the fuck are we going to catch a break?”
I touched his arm, but he jerked and walked away from me. Trying to hide my hurt feelings, I looked down. The drop below had to be at least twenty feet and there was no way we could jump over the hole.
Grey came to my side.
“There’s no way we can get across this bridge. Gap’s too big.” He called out to one of his men, “James, check the map. Where’s the next crossing?”
James replied, “About twenty miles to the west, if it’s still there.”
He was right to question if the other bridge would be there. This looked very suspicious.
I asked in a low tone, “Do you think this was intentional?” At Grey’s look, I went on. “Do you think someone took the bridge out on purpose? To stop people from getting into Oklahoma?”
“Thought crossed my mind.” He pointed. “Looks like something landed over there. Maybe a cannon.”
“That is insane. Where would someone get a cannon?”
Grey replied, “There’s a military base in Lawton. About fifty miles north of here. And, I think there’s a base in Wichita Falls, too.”
Oh. Well, a cannon was definitely possible then.
I peered down and said, “Maybe we don’t have to go to the next bridge. The water doesn’t look very deep. I bet we can drive through.”
Grey called out to Elijah, “Boss, we want to run something by you.”
Elijah came over to us looking frustrated. “What?”
“Daisy just pointed out that the water doesn’t look deep. Maybe we can drive down the banks and through the water. Might be better than going out of the way-”
“Out of the question.” His words were clipped.
Grey held up his hands. “Just a thought. I mean, there’s a good chance the other bridge is out.”
I said to Elijah, “What if I drive one of the cars down there and test it? If it works then the others can follow. If it doesn’t then we’ll only be out one vehicle.”
His gaze landed on me. “I said no.” He called out to the others. “Everyone take a break. We’re going to head out to another bridge in a bit.”
He went back to our car, ignoring the groans of some of the men.
I turned to Grey. “He’s being ridiculous. He should let me try.”
Grey nodded. “Agreed.” He leaned in. “Keys are in my jeep. Four-wheel drive should get you across. Don’t gun it or you’ll bury yourself in quicksand. Don’t look back, either. It ain’t going to be pretty over here.”
My heart missed a beat. “Keep him distracted.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I casually made my way to where Coop was. He was busy moving things around in the car, so I quietly kept walking. Jo and Norm were talking and didn’t acknowledge me as I passed. The jeep was in my sight. Kat leaned against it, staring off into the distance.
As I got closer she said, “That man of yours is going to be pissed at you. You ready to face the consequences?”
I replied in an even tone. “I think once I get across he’ll see that I was right.”
“Brave girl.” Her lips twitched. “Try not to sink the jeep. It’s the next best thing since we traded in our bikes.”
I nodded. “I’ll do my best. Is anyone looking our way?”
“Nope. You’re good to go.” She moved to the side and said, “If I were you I would go down the east bank. Looks less bumpy.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled. “This is going to be awesome. Good luck.”
I waited until she took one more step before opening the door of the jeep. It smelled like leather and a little bit like weed, which was totally the way I’d imagine Grey’s vehicle smelling like. Shaking my head, I climbed in.
Kat said, “Be ready. The engine is going to get some attention when you start it.”
I closed the door and started the jeep. It roared to life and did indeed get everyone’s attention. Elijah, who was thankfully the furthest away, lifted his head. When our gazes met I could see the curse words leaving his lips. I threw the jeep into gear, backing up. Some of the men ran toward me, but most of them just watched. Grey gave me a thumbs up when Elijah rushed past him.
My heart pounded as I drove off the bridge, onto the road. Kat had been right – the east bank was definitely the way to go. I shifted the jeep into first gear and drove down the bank gripping the steering wheel as I bounced around. When I reached the bottom, the tires glided across the sand an
d over debris that lined the area.
I thought I heard Elijah yelling my name, but I ignored him.
I needed to do this.
I had to do this.
There was a slight drop as I drove into the water. The jeep swayed as the current pulled around me. I gripped the wheel so tight that my knuckles turned white as I plowed through the water. I’d never been more thankful for a dry summer and fall than I was at that very moment. The jeep dipped as I hit a low spot, but no water seeped in. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out the sound of the water.
I reached the middle and let out a sigh of relief. I could do this. I was half way there. Ahead, I could see a biter floating in the water. Its arms and legs thrashed as it tried in vain to gain its footing. Fuck. At the rate it was floating down the river I was going to hit it. But I didn’t want to steer in a different direction. What if the waters were deeper or what if I got stuck?
Gritting my teeth, I braced for impact. The biter hit the bumper of the jeep and then went under water. There was a moment where I thought I’d gotten lucky. And then the jeep jerked as the tires spun, trying to climb over the biter.
“Come on!” I said the words like a prayer.
Finally, the jeep lurched forward. I cried out in joy as I reached the other bank. There was more quicksand on this side, but I was able to keep moving forward until I drove up the other side and onto solid land. I let out a sigh of relief, driving onto the other side of the bridge.
When I got out of the jeep Grey and Kat cheered for me. And then Elijah spoke.
“What in the fuck was that?”
I’d only seen the look on his face once and I shivered in remembrance. Because the last time he’d looked at me like that he’d fucked me until I couldn’t see straight. This time he looked a little angrier. And I was probably going to pay for it later, but that was a hill I was willing to die on.
Shoving my horny thoughts aside, I called out, “Just showing you that it’s safe to cross.” I amended, “Well, some of the vehicles probably won’t make it, but the majority of them can.”
Grey said, “Works for me. Boys, you saw how she did it. Follow her path. Take it slow and don’t be a dick out there.”
Elijah turned to Grey. “Convenient that she drove your jeep across.”
Grey shrugged. “What can I say? When I believe in something I support it one hundred percent.” To Kat he called out, “Come on, woman. Let’s get one of the cars across.”
Elijah turned and stared at me, a scowl on his face.
I blew him a kiss. “Don’t be mad at me. Finding another bridge was going to take too long and this worked out just fine.”
He sighed. “You could have been hurt.”
“But I wasn’t. Now get your ass in a car and get over here.”
He replied, “We’ll talk about this tonight.”
I nodded. “Yes… Sir.”
He shook his head, but couldn’t hide his smile. I went to the end of the bridge and watched as everyone drove over one by one. When Kat and Grey came across, Kat leaned out of the window and waved at me. I waved back. Norm, Jo, and Faith looked as scared as I’d felt, but they made it. Last, Elijah and Cooper came across.
Elijah came to a stop and got out of the car. “Since we made it across sooner than I thought, let’s keep going. If we’re lucky we’ll reach Lawton today.”
I went to him. Anger rolled off him in waves and his jaw ticked as he stared at me. Honestly, he had never looked sexier.
“What?”
I grinned. “Just observing how sexy you are.”
“You’re not going to sweet talk your way out of this one.”
I leaned forward, kissing the tip of his nose. “Guess you’ll have to teach me a lesson then.”
“Daisy.” The way he said my name was a mixture of a groan and a prayer.
I took a step back. “Elijah, I know you’re mad that I took a risk, but it paid off. I promise we can talk about it when we get to Lawton.”
He nodded his head. “Then let’s go.”
I climbed into the passenger seat as he got behind the wheel. I’d barely closed the door before he took off. Cooper held onto the oh-shit handle in the back.
“Uh. Is it safe to be going this fast?”
Elijah glanced at him in the mirror. “Yup.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned to face Cooper. “You doing okay? You looked pretty green crossing the river.”
He replied, “Yeah, that’s not my cup of tea. I can’t swim, so of course every bad scenario crossed my mind.”
That made me feel bad.
He went on, “But I’m glad we’re on our way now. I used to love visiting Lawton as a kid. My grandparents would take me to Medicine Park and the Wichita Mountains.”
Elijah said, “I used to go there as a kid, too. Pretty fun.”
Cooper nodded. “I especially loved seeing the prairie dogs.”
“Prairie dogs?” I asked.
He replied, “They have colonies of them in the Wichita Mountains and they are just adorable. You won’t see anything and then all of a sudden they start popping their heads from the ground.”
Elijah snorted. “Don’t mention them to Grey. He’ll want to try to catch them for dinner.”
Cooper’s mouth dropped in horror.
I swatted Elijah’s arm. “Don’t be a dick.” To Cooper I said, “Just to be safe, don’t tell Grey. Elijah’s right – he’ll want to eat them.”
Cooper nodded and I turned back around. The road was mostly cleared of debris, totally unlike I-35.
“Think someone moved the stalled cars off the road on purpose?”
Elijah tapped the steering wheel. “I was just wondering that. Could have happened when the military came through.”
I asked, “What makes you think the military was here?”
He pointed to the west. “Saw some tents with red crosses on them. Figured the military had been here at one point in time. Looks like they’re long gone now.”
We drove in silence. It was eerie not passing a single car. I didn’t want to say it, but I had to.
“What if there’s some kind of group in this area?”
He replied, “Daisy, everything is fine.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Easy for him to say. The last time we’d traveled on a major highway I had been injured… by a freaking group in the area. Plus, we now knew there were people who used the highways to network and find out information. What if the news of our group had spread?
Elijah touched my leg and I jumped.
“It’s going to be okay. Look, we’re officially in Oklahoma now.”
To the right of us was the pathetic remains of a Welcome to Oklahoma sign. The flowerbed around it was overgrown. And right in front of it three walkers ate what was left of a deer. I really hoped that wasn’t a sign of things to come. Because it kind of felt like an omen. A bad one.
Four
DAISY
The drive from the state line to Lawton was a breeze. I’m not sure how we managed to stay so lucky. I still couldn’t believe that this section of the highway wasn’t crowded like I-35. Soon, signs for Lawton came into view.
Elijah said, “There used to be two hospitals in this area. I know one was hit early on by looters.”
“How do you know so much about the area?” I asked.
He tapped on the steering wheel, a gesture that stemmed from nerves.
Finally, he said, “I had a family member who was stationed here at the base, so I came to town to see him on the weekends.” He smiled, remembering. “The bars around the base were always a lot of fun.”
“I imagine so.”
In all my time with Elijah, he hadn’t talked about his former life very much. I could count the things I knew about him on one hand. Any time I mentioned it he would reply that those things didn’t matter now. Maybe he was right. But I still wondered.
“Was it a cousin?”
He shook his head and replied, “I’d rather
not talk about it.”
Cooper asked, “Did he die in combat?”
Elijah said, “I lost touch with him right before the outbreak, so it’s very likely that he died. His unit was deployed overseas.”
Ah. I guess I could understand not wanting to talk about it then. An idea crossed my mind.
“I want to play a game.”
Cooper asked, “Like i-spy?”
“No. We each say a tidbit about our lives before the apocalypse. Our goal is to learn five new things about each other before we get to the base.” Both men frowned, so I rushed on. “I’ll go first. As you know, I was an only child. I was supposed to be a twin, but the other one didn’t make it.”
Elijah’s lips twitched. “Two of you? God help us all.”
I poked him. “I am a delight. Now it’s your turn.”
He said, “I hate hotdogs.”
My mouth dropped. “Seriously? But… why?”
He shrugged. “They just gross me out.”
Cooper laughed, “That’s a good one. I used to figure skate in high school.”
I could see him doing that. He moved in a very graceful way.
I said, “I always wanted to enter a wet t-shirt contest, but was too scared. And underaged.”
Elijah wiggled his eyebrows. “I can help you with that.” He thought. “I went to Europe on a class trip when I was fourteen and got wasted with the chaperone.”
“I went to Europe, too, but went to the Vatican.” Cooper said. “And then got drunk on communion wine.”
We all laughed.
“Y’all seemed to have more fun than me. The craziest thing I did was smoke a cigarette behind the barn when I was sixteen.”
Elijah replied, “You’re making up for it now, living your best life in the apocalypse. My next one is that I didn’t want to be a surgeon. I did it to piss my dad off.”
“How did becoming a surgeon piss him off?” Cooper asked.
“He was an attorney and expected me to follow in his footsteps.”
Cooper said, “I understand that. My dad had a construction business. When he found out I was going to culinary school he flipped out.” He shook his head. “It was worth it. And, I was able to travel on a cruise ship as a sous chef.”