Daisy and the Dead (Book 4): Elijah and the New World

by Bale, Sarah

  “You went on a cruise ship and you can’t swim?” I laughed. “Brave man. Okay… my next tidbit is that I was the president of the book club at my junior high.”

  Elijah said, “I’m picturing you as a sexy librarian now.”

  “Gross.” Cooper fake gagged.

  “Hey! I’d make a super sexy librarian, thank you very much.”

  Coop grinned. “Now Theo on the other hand…” His smile faded. “Sometimes I forget he’s not here. It feels like he is.”

  I replied, “Maybe he’ll catch up to us.”

  We both knew the chances of that happening were slim, but it didn’t hurt to hold onto a little piece of hope.

  Elijah pointed ahead. “There’s the base.”

  I was sad that our game was over, but glad that he had at least played. Even though I hadn’t learned anything major about him, it was still nice. Maybe we could work up to the big things.

  We exited the highway.

  Elijah made a sound. “There should be a gate here.”

  I replied, “Looks like it’s been removed.”

  I prayed that wasn’t a warning for us. We drove until the base came into view. There wasn’t anyone in sight. We parked and got out of our car.

  I asked Elijah, “Shouldn’t there be someone here?”

  “Not if they all bailed.”

  Bailed. Died. Same difference.

  Elijah called out, “Stay with your groups. Don’t get cocky and take it slow. We don’t know what’s inside.”

  Grey added, “If someone open fires, get to safety.”

  I fell in step next to Elijah. Our group consisted of Norm, Jo, and Faith. Grey’s group was most of his men. And Coop and Kat stayed behind with the vehicles. We slowly made our way up the gravel road.

  Elijah said in a low tone, “See those burned buildings over there?”

  To the right was what was left of two multi-story buildings. Each was covered in black soot and all of the windows were blown out. I nodded.

  Elijah went on, “Those were the soldiers’ barracks.”

  “Wonder what happened?”

  “There’s no telling.”

  We made our way up to several single-story buildings. A charred Humvee sat in front of a sign that read Sergeant Major. As we passed it, there was a groan from the vehicle. Inside, where the driver’s seat should have been, was an equally charred biter. There were bits of his army fatigues that could be seen. I shuddered.

  We reached the first building while Grey’s group went to the other.

  Elijah said, “Guns up.”

  Everyone got their weapons ready. He tapped on the door before going through. We entered a lobby that smelled moldy. It actually reminded me of the way my grandparent’s house smelled. Mold and mothballs. Magazines lined a table and there were a few toys for a child on the floor. Elijah went through a swinging door and we followed. There was a long hallway with several doors on each side.

  “Norm. Jo. Take the doors on the left. Daisy. Faith. Take the ones on the right. I’ll check the one at the end.”

  Nodding, I went to the first door, tapping on the frame. When I didn’t hear anything, I opened it. The room was literally empty.

  Faith said, “On to the next one.”

  She tapped on it before opening it. It, too, was empty.

  I went to the last door on our side and tapped. When I opened it, a huge biter stumbled toward us, knocking Faith into me. Faith pushed at it, but it lunged again. I’d never seen one so big. Regaining my footing, I kicked it backward, grabbing my knife from my belt. Before it could get up, I stabbed it in the head, right through the eye.

  Faith said, “You’re being reckless, Daisy! You should have just shot it! Why didn’t you have your gun ready?”

  Her face was pale and she looked stunned. I couldn’t blame her. The thing had to weigh at least four hundred pounds! It was amazing the biter was mobile!

  I shrugged. “Why waste a bullet?”

  I wiped the blade on the rug covered with alphabet blocks. And then I looked around.

  “Holy jackpot.”

  One wall was lined with baby cribs, bedding and all. There were also diapers, clothes, and powdered formula.

  Faith went to a cabinet, opening it. “There’s some pediatric medicine in here. And it’s not expired!”

  “Kat’s going to be so happy.”

  Elijah said from the doorway, “Found some canned baby food in the room I checked. This must have been a daycare.”

  Norm and Jo joined us emptyhanded.

  Jo said, “The rooms we searched were bare. Looks like someone raided it pretty good.”

  I replied, “We found baby supplies.”

  Elijah came further into the room, going to a pink metal cart. He lifted a small box. “We found more than that. This is portable ultrasound machine!”

  I grinned and said, “Let’s start packing stuff up to take back.”

  Jo and Faith gathered clothing and diapers. Norm packed the food up while Elijah and I found a crib that had decent wheels on it. At the last minute, Elijah tossed in an army issued cot. We loaded everything up and made our way outside. Grey and his team waited for us, a few items in hand.

  A large grin spread across his face. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

  I shook my head and he let out a laugh.

  Elijah added, “That’s not the best part. Look.” He held up the box. “I can give Kat an ultrasound.”

  Grey’s eyes watered and he nodded, unable to speak.

  James, one of his men, said, “Want us to look at the other building while you take that stuff to the cars?”

  Elijah nodded. “Thanks, James.”

  James’ cheeks turned pink and he nodded, telling the men to head out.

  I fell in step next to Elijah. “Looks like someone has hero envy.”

  He chuckled. “He’s a good kid. It’ll be nice to have a third, for when Grey can’t help with things.”

  We reached the vehicles where Kat and Cooper waited.

  Kat asked, “Find anything good?”

  Grey went to her, pulling her into his arms. “Look.”

  She gasped, putting her hand over her chest. “A crib? Diapers! Oh my gosh, look how cute that blanket is!”

  We sat the crib down so she could examine it.

  Elijah said, “We also found a portable ultrasound machine.”

  She turned to face him, eyes wide. “Let’s do it. Now.”

  Elijah said, “I’ll set up the cot.”

  Ah. So that’s what he had grabbed it for. He unfolded it and helped Kat as she sat. Her lips trembled and she fought to keep her composure.

  I turned to the others. “Let’s give Kat and Grey some privacy.”

  Norm asked, “Want to help the other guys search?”

  Elijah met my gaze, nodding.

  To the others I said, “That sounds like a great idea. We’ll cover more ground that way.”

  I prayed that Elijah would be able to give Kat and Grey the news they were looking for. We went toward the building where the men were.

  Jo asked me, “What’s wrong with Faith? She’s acting pissed off.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, Faith had a scowl on her face and she walked several feet behind everyone.

  “We took down the biggest biter I’ve ever seen in my life. She was mad that I didn’t shoot it, but it was easier to just stab it through the head.”

  Jo nodded. “She has no right to tell anyone how to take down a biter. I bet she’s only killed three her entire life.”

  I replied, “Well, she can get glad in the same pants she got mad in.”

  “That’s an… interesting expression.”

  I laughed. “My grandma used to say it. Guess she was on my mind.”

  Jo said, “I feel ya. I’ve been thinking about my old life a lot. Mostly I’ve wondered if my best friend would be alive now if we had stayed home instead of going to that comic-con in Houston.”

  I touched
her arm. “You can’t think like that. There’s no going back.”

  “I know. It’s just hard not to wonder sometimes.” She smiled. “But, I have Norm in my life because of that comic-con, so I can’t regret my choice.”

  James and the rest of the men came from the building.

  Norm asked, “Find anything?”

  “Nah. Let’s head to the next one.”

  We followed his lead. Our search was looking bleak until we found a kitchen with dry goods in it. Coop was happiest of all about this.

  He picked up a bag of brown sugar, pressing it to his cheek. “This might be the best day I’ve had in a long time.”

  One of the guys said, “Dude… you need to get laid if that’s true.”

  I looked at the goods and said, “I’m with Coop on this one. There’s coffee!”

  This made the men change their tunes real quick. I opened a can, inhaling. God. When was the last time I’d had a cup that wasn’t watered down?

  Jo poked my side. “Hand it over. I need a whiff!”

  I handed her the can. The look on her face was pure bliss as she inhaled. Soon, the can was passed to everyone, leaving huge-ass smiles on their faces.

  I said, “Let’s take what we found back to the vehicles.”

  I hoped that Elijah had enough time to do the ultrasound. And, I prayed the news was good.

  When we reached the vehicles, I could see Grey and Kat hugging each other. Kat’s body shook as she cried and my stomach felt heavy with dread.

  I went to Elijah’s side.

  “Well?”

  He smiled. “Baby’s fine. Heartbeat was a little slow, but that could be because Kat’s not eating enough.”

  “Oh, thank God.” I hugged him and said, “As for the food, we found canned goods, so hopefully that will help. We also found coffee.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “That’s damn good news.”

  It was silly that something so simple could make everyone happy. I just hoped our good luck could last.

  Five

  DAISY

  After our haul at the base everyone was more than ready to get back on the road. It felt like things were finally working in our favor.

  Elijah held up his hands, quieting everyone. “This might be our last chance for a good night’s sleep where no one is wanting to kill us. When we get back to the City we don’t know what is waiting for us.”

  The men murmured amongst themselves. It was still early afternoon. If we waited then we might be inviting trouble. Plus, we were going to face the same thing in the City no matter how long we put off our departure.

  I said, “I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’d rather go now. One night isn’t going to change what’s waiting for us.”

  Elijah gave me a look. I’m sure that’s not what he wanted me to say, but that’s how I felt.

  Grey cleared his throat. “I agree with Daisy. It’s now or never, Boss.”

  Elijah nodded. “Then let’s go. If the road is clear we should get there in two hours.”

  Two hours. That’s all the separated us from our home. It was a crazy feeling after everything that we’d been through.

  We got into our cars. I laughed as Grey strapped the crib onto the top of his jeep before hopping into his own vehicle. Elijah led the way as we got onto the highway. We passed what was left of an old gas station that sat on the west side of the road.

  Elijah pointed to it and said, “That’s where I used to get all my junk food before going to the Wichita Mountains.”

  Coop laughed. “Me, too. And a drink from Sonic.” He paused. “God, I’d give anything for a cup of their ice.”

  It was strange what you’d randomly miss in the apocalypse. Like a cup of ice. But, I totally understood how he felt. Because I would probably pass out if I stumbled across a pumpkin spice latte.

  We sped down the highway. The Wichita Mountains came into view and I laughed.

  “That’s a mountain? Seriously?”

  Elijah grinned. “It’s our version of one.”

  It was more like a big hill, but I didn’t comment. Instead, I took in the view before me. The mountain, or hill, sat to the west. The grass grew high on both sides of the road and bits of red and yellow peeked through the grass.

  “Are those sunflowers?”

  Cooper said, “Aren’t they beautiful?”

  They really were, but it also made me sad for some reason.

  We sped along the road, passing tiny towns with unusual names. And then a sign came into view that made my heart pound. Oklahoma City: Twenty Miles.

  Reaching out, I took Elijah’s hand.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  He rolled his shoulder. “No.” He paused. “But you’re right. There’s no sense in putting this off.”

  “Do you have a plan?”

  He let out a laugh. “Well, I don’t think we can just drive up to the hospital.”

  I didn’t take his tone personally. I knew how hard this was for him. And he had to be worried after everything he’d gone through at their hands. He’d be crazy not to be concerned.

  “Didn’t they used to have their own camp?”

  Elijah nodded. “Yeah, but I imagine they’re living at the hospital now. Wyatt’s men were never good at taking care of their home.”

  “But I’m sure someone still lives at their old home. Wyatt doesn’t seem like the type of person to let a piece of property go.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that, to be honest.” He thought for a moment. “That might work.”

  He put his blinker on and pulled over. The rest of the vehicles did the same. Everyone gathered. The tension in the air bounced off everyone.

  “Daisy just gave me a good idea.” He shot me a smile. “When we get to the City, we’re going to the old building Wyatt lived in.”

  Grey raised his eyebrows. “Huh. That’s actually pretty clever. Plus, they won’t be expecting us that way.”

  Elijah nodded. “Exactly. We get there and tell whoever is around to get Wyatt. That we want a meeting.”

  Grey glanced at Kat. “We can leave Kat and a few people at an undisclosed location with the vehicles and supplies until we know it’s safe.”

  “Great idea. Anyone want to volunteer?”

  Cooper raised his hand first and I bit back a smile. Faith was next. She’d been acting strange since leaving the base. Jo and Norm also raised their hands. Finally, Kat raised her hand, glaring at Grey.

  “I’m only doing this to keep my little monkey safe.”

  Grey closed the distance between them, pulling her into his arms for a kiss.

  Elijah waited to see if anyone else was going to volunteer before saying, “Let’s go. Be alert. If anything feels off then we get out of there.” To the ones staying behind he said, “Where we’re going is only twenty minutes away. If we’re not back by nightfall then you’ll know something bad has happened.”

  Jo’s face paled. “What do we do then?”

  Elijah replied, “Get the fuck out of Oklahoma.”

  It wasn’t the best speech he could’ve given to boost morale, but it was an honest one. Part of me wanted to say goodbye to the ones staying behind, just in case, but I didn’t. That’s not the vibe I wanted to put into the universe.

  We loaded up into two vehicles leaving our friends behind. Kat waved until we couldn’t see her in the mirrors anymore.

  Grey dabbed his eyes and said, “Hopefully Wyatt will want to talk.”

  I patted his shoulder over the seat and he gave me a grateful smile.

  Elijah replied, “Not getting my hopes up.”

  We pulled up to a massive building that looked like an old warehouse. Just glancing at it, it didn’t look ominous. But looks could be deceiving.

  We got out of our cars, guns out. The air was still, as if the wind was holding its breath.

  Elijah said, “I’ll knock.”

  I wanted to stop him, but Grey touched my arm. “This is how it has to be, Daisy. Elijah is t
he only one who can do this. The rest of us are just bait.”

  He was right, but I didn’t like it. All I could think about was that these people were the same ones that had hurt him. Twice. Took our home. And killed our friends.

  Elijah reached the very normal looking door and knocked.

  Nothing happened for what felt like forever. And then the door opened. A man, who I’d never seen before, stood there, gun pointed at Elijah’s chest. A million different thoughts crossed my mind, none of them good.

  Elijah said, “I’m here to talk to Wyatt.”

  “That so?”

  “Yes.”

  The man stared at Elijah and finally said, “Step off the porch and I’ll get someone for you.”

  The door closed and Elijah came over to us.

  “That was strange,” I said in a low tone.

  Before, I hadn’t felt like anyone was watching us. Now, it felt like there were at least a dozen eyes zoned in on us. Elijah glanced around, nodding.

  “He’ll let the others know we’re here.”

  The door opened and I gasped. There before my very eyes was Marianne, the bitch who had betrayed us. She stepped outside with several women behind her. I glared as she sauntered toward us, figure still curvy. Only she would manage to stay fed in the apocalypse. The other women didn’t appear to be faring as well.

  “Boss! Didn’t think we’d ever see you again.” She smirked. “Heard you met some trouble in Texas.”

  Elijah asked, “Where is Wyatt?”

  She pouted. “Aren’t you going to kiss me hello, lover?”

  My jaw actually ached.

  Grey touched my arm. “Don’t crack a tooth on that bitch’s account.”

  He was right. Marianne and Elijah had been together a very long time ago, before I was in the picture. This was just a mind game, much like the one my own cousin had tried to play.

  I stepped forward, putting myself between her and Elijah.

  “No. He’s not kissing anyone except for me.”

  She needed to know he was still taken. By me.

  She looked me up and down. “I’m really surprised to see you. Thought for sure your cousin would have killed you on sight.”