That was why he’d been so distracted.
Gun up, he charged after the dead man staggering toward me. I was safe behind my fence of concrete and metal, but my heart still beat faster, and I still took a step back. Staying totally calm was impossible because the scenario was just too terrifying, and the thing too grotesque. Having been trapped in a hot car for days, he was now bloated and swollen, and his skin was a shade of gray that would have made it impossible to mistake him for a living, breathing person. His was definitely more decayed than Kyle had been, and seeing him lumbering toward me made my stomach convulse.
Thankfully, he wasn’t very fast, and Devon caught up in no time. I expected him to shoot the dead man, but instead he grabbed the creature by his shirt and shoved him to the ground. Like he’d done with the woman a little bit ago, he put his foot on the dead man’s chest to hold him down, then pulled a knife.
Where’d he get a knife?
A second later, the blade entered the dead man’s skull, and the thing stopped moving.
Devon pulled the blade free, pausing to wipe it on the man’s shirt, then looked my way. “Did he come out of that car?”
“He opened the door,” I said.
“Shit.” Devon looked around again, frowning.
He had the knife in one hand and the gun in the other. I wasn’t the least bit familiar with guns and never thought I’d be thrilled to see one, but the sight of the weapon made the future seem a little less bleak than it had a few minutes ago.
“Where’d you find the gun?” I called to him.
“Car.” Devon reached behind him and shoved it in the waistband of his pants, then lifted his other hand, showing me the knife. “There was a hunting knife, too.”
The sun glinted off the long, pointed blade, reminding me of the way jewels in television shows sparkled. At this moment in time, the knife was about a million times more precious than any gemstone, and I couldn’t possibly be happier to see it than I was.
“I was thinking,” Devon said, looking back to where Kiaya stood, her wide eyes focused on us, “we might want to go through all the cars. Just to see what we come up with.” He looked back at me. “The person who owned this car couldn’t have been the only one who planned ahead.”
“Good idea,” I said.
It hadn’t occurred to me that we might find weapons in any of the cars, but like Devon, now all I could think about was what else we might find. Most people traveling across the country had probably been like us—totally unprepared—but there were bound to be others. Again, I thought of Angus James and the things he’d said to me. Asshole or not, I couldn’t decide. Either way, I was willing to bet he’d been prepared for this and so much more.
“What about your stuff?” I asked Devon, thinking about the list of things Angus James had told me to get. “You said you were camping. Don’t you have gear?”
He let out a deep sigh. “A little, but not a lot. I flew out here, so I rented all the big gear I used. What I didn’t rent, my buddy brought down from Nevada. Obviously, he wasn’t traveling with us.”
“Damn,” I said, under my breath.
Devon only nodded.
My hand was still pressed to my back, and there was fresh blood on my fingertips when I pulled it away. Every move hurt and probably made me bleed more, but doing nothing was driving me crazy.
“I want to help,” I said, focusing on Devon.
He shook his head as he took a step back. “Stay there. You can be our lookout.”
“That’s stupid,” I called as he turned and started jogging back.
He ignored me.
That guy was too irritating for words.
Being the ever-obedient person I was, I didn’t leave the safety of the fence. I didn’t sit down either, though. Staying where I was, I watched Devon and Kiaya work. She siphoned gas while he went through the vehicles, and soon they’d returned to my car and not only added more gas to the tank, but carried supplies over as well.
Instead of putting them in the trunk, Devon started a pile on the ground next to the car, and from where I stood, I could see bottled water and snacks, and even some canned goods. I was praying we’d make it back to Ohio with no issues, but since we had no idea what we were going to face once we got on the road, we needed anything and everything we could get our hands on.
Even after they’d filled my car and both the gas cans—which they added to the ever-growing pile of supplies—they didn’t stop going through cars. It was when they were searching what was probably the fifteenth vehicle—a big, yellow truck—that Devon passed Kiaya something. At first, I couldn’t see what it as, but she held it up as he talked and pointed to it, and the thing came into view. A second gun.
Now I was the only one not armed.
I ground my teeth together as I looked around, double-checking that nothing was moving. The occasional thud echoed, telling me there were zombies trapped in rooms and cars still trying to figure out how to get free, but none of them had figured it out like the others had. At least not yet. If they did, we were at least a little more prepared. Well, Kiaya and Devon were. I was still trapped in the fence like a toddler in a playpen. It was infuriating.
Probably fifteen more minutes passed before Devon and Kiaya headed my way, talking as they went. They paused when they passed my car so they could add a few more things to the pile, but Devon was still carrying something when they started walking again. It was small, fitting in the palm of his hand, but I couldn’t see what it was from this far away.
“You found another gun,” I said when they reached the gate.
“A 9mm,” Devon said—as if that meant anything to me. “Also, this.”
He raised his hand, waving the item he’d carried over. A sewing kit. What were the odds?
Relief swept over me at the sight of it even as my stomach dropped. I wasn’t an idiot. I needed stitches, but with nothing to numb the area, it was going to hurt like hell.
I swallowed, trying to control my voice, and said, “Good.”
The word still trembled.
“I’m sorry,” Devon said as he opened the gate.
He waved for Kiaya to go first, which she did, then he stepped inside and pulled the gate shut. The clang of metal against metal echoed through the courtyard.
“I’ll be okay,” I said. “I’m tough. Plus, don’t they say women have a higher tolerance for pain?”
I wouldn’t know for sure since the most pain I’d ever been through at this point in my life was when I got a bikini wax before spring break last year.
Not that I was about to tell Devon that.
“So I’ve heard,” he said, shooting me a grin that was almost disarming in its warmth. “If you want, I have some vodka in my room.”
I snorted. “I don’t think getting drunk at a time like this is the best idea.”
“Probably not,” Devon said, nodding to the nearby table. “So, we should just get it over with?”
I exhaled. “Yeah.”
11
I leaned forward, holding on to the table in hopes it would keep me grounded. Behind me, Devon was cleaning the wound while in front of me Kiaya was sanitizing the needle and thread. I watched alcohol drip to the tabletop as she poured it, collecting in a little pool that reflected the sunlight. My legs were already trembling, and Devon hadn’t even started. Maybe a couple shots of vodka would have done me good. I’d seen people in movies do it, after all.
“Ready?” Devon asked, and the sound of his voice made me start.
“Just a sec,” Kiaya replied.
Devon put his hand on my shoulder, his touch gentle, and leaned forward. “You need to relax. I know it’s going to be tough, and I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll make it as fast as possible.”
All I could do was nod, and when my head barely moved, it occurred to me how tense my muscles were.
I exhaled, working to ease the tension in my body. “I’ll try.”
Devon gave my shoulder a little pat before moving his hand
.
Something behind me rustled, and I looked back to find him pulling gloves on. Once he had, Kiaya passed him the needle, which now had black thread dangling from it. Then she moved so she was standing next to me. When she slipped her hand into mine, I looked up. Her smile was tight and didn’t reach her eyes, but she was doing her best to reassure me, so I returned it with a tense one of my own.
A hand touched my back, and I stiffened. “I’m going to start. Try your best to hold still.”
I nodded but said nothing.
The first poke made me jerk, but Devon’s firm hand on my back reminded me to hold still. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on my breathing as the string pulled tight, tugging at the throbbing cut. Another prick came a second later, and I had to bite back a scream. My grip tightened on Kiaya’s hand until her bones were grinding together, but I couldn’t relax because every inch of me was preparing for the next jab of pain. It came fast, and even my closed eyes couldn’t hold the tears in. They rolled down my cheeks, hot against my skin, and more forced their way out with the next poke of the needle.
“One more,” Devon said, his voice low, “you’re doing great, Rowan. Just hang on.”
I nodded, bobbing my head faster than necessary, and ground my teeth. One last poke, and I let out a deep breath, my body slumping against the tabletop while Devon tied the stitch off. A second later, he grabbed the scissors and a snip followed, then he let out a breath as well.
“Finished.”
I opened my eyes but didn’t move. Kiaya’s hand was crushed in mine, and I had to force my grasp to relax so she could pull it free. She flexed her fingers, wincing.
“Sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay,” Kiaya assured me.
She wiggled her fingers again.
“I’m just going to clean it up and put a bandage over it,” Devon said from behind me.
“Okay,” I mumbled.
After the pain of the last few minutes, the cool alcohol almost felt soothing against my cut when Devon wiped it down, then Kiaya passed him some gauze and the medical tape, and a few seconds later, he was done.
I finally sat up.
“You okay?” Devon asked when I turned to face him.
His expression was softer than usual and filled with sympathy and concern, which was a relief. I’d really been afraid he’d tell me to stop being a baby.
“I’ll be fine,” I said and forced out a smile. “Thank you.”
“Sorry I couldn’t do anything about the pain.”
“It’s not your fault.” I let out a deep sigh and looked around.
It had to be midday by now, and in the midst of everything else going on, I hadn’t thought about food. Now, though, my stomach growled, reminding me that I needed to eat.
“We should grab some lunch before we load the car,” I said, looking back and forth between my two traveling companions.
Devon’s gaze moved past me, focusing on the diner. “We could see what they have that hasn’t gone bad. The electricity hasn’t been out that long, and they could have a gas stove.”
Again, my stomach rumbled. “That sounds amazing.”
Devon got to his feet and held his hand out to me, and I took it without thinking. A throb radiated across my back when I stood and the stitches pulled tight, but at least I wouldn’t start bleeding again.
We gathered the few things we had sitting around before heading across the street.
I walked between Devon and Kiaya, who both held guns, all three of us keeping our eyes open as we went. The silence that had fallen over the world was still foreign, but even worse were the sounds breaking through the quiet. A clatter in the distance that was impossible to identify or a thud that sounded like a door. Hell, even the distant bark of a dog made me jump.
“The world has turned into a horror movie,” I muttered.
We slowed as we approached the diner, and Devon let out a snort. I shot him a look, thinking he was making fun of me, but he was nodding when he looked my way.
“I couldn’t have said it better.”
“I’ve always hated scary movies,” Kiaya said.
“I used to like them,” I replied. “Not anymore.”
Since I was the only one not armed, I hung back while Devon pushed the door open a couple inches. My heart was already pounding, and when a bell chimed, it beat faster. I’d forgotten all about the bell above the door.
“Shit,” Devon muttered, looking first behind us and then into the restaurant.
Kiaya had her gun out but not up, and I found myself suddenly mesmerized by it. The thing looked so out of place in her hand. So out of place in the world I was used to. But this wasn’t that world, was it? This was something new and scary, and in this reality, weapons were a necessity.
Too bad I didn’t have one.
Devon had stepped inside, but stopped as if waiting for something. Kiaya was behind him, one hand holding the door open while the other gripped her gun. I moved so I could take her place as the door holder, and she gave me a tense smile. None of us spoke, and no one stepped farther into the diner. It was dark and as silent as it had been outside, and while there was an underlying scent of rot in the air, it wasn’t very strong, and it didn’t make me think of death. It was more like spoiled food.
“I think it’s clear,” I hissed, keeping my voice low just in case.
Devon’s back stiffened at the sound of my voice, but he nodded to indicate he thought the same thing. He didn’t look back when he said, “I’m going to do a quick sweep. Stay here.”
He took off, and I stepped in but didn’t shut the door. The bell was mounted above it, and I didn’t want it to ring again if I could avoid it, only I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get it down.
“Kiaya,” I hissed, drawing her attention. “Grab a chair and pull it over. See if you can get that bell down.”
Her nod was stiff, but she didn’t hesitate. I kept my focus on the open door while I waited, just in case something had heard the bell and decided to check it out. The coast stayed clear, though. Nothing moved as Kiaya set the chair in front of me and climbed up then messed with the bell. I couldn’t see what she was doing, I was too focused on keeping watch, but in a matter of minutes she’d climbed down.
“You’re good,” she said as she moved the chair.
Despite her reassurances, I glanced up. The bell still hung above me, but the little piece inside had been removed. Smart. I released the door, and it swung shut with only a small clang that didn’t even make my heart beat faster. I threw the deadbolt.
I smiled when I turned to face Kiaya. “Nice.”
“It was bolted in pretty good, so I figured this was the next best thing.” She waved the little metal piece.
Footsteps banged against the floor, heading our way, and we both turned.
“Clear,” Devon said, looking a hell of a lot more relaxed than a few minutes ago. “You hungry? It looks like they have gas.”
“Thank God,” Kiaya said while I answered, “Yes.”
We found meat in the freezer, barely thawed out, and plenty of buns. Kiaya and I munched on dinner rolls while slicing tomatoes and chopping lettuce, and Devon warmed up the cooktop. I tried not to think about how this might be our last hot meal for a while. It was too depressing, and too terrifying.
“So, what’s next?” he asked as he pried the frozen hamburger patties apart. “Do we head out tonight or get some more rest before taking off?”
“Leave,” I said. “There are too many zombies trapped in rooms, and after seeing that one open a door, I don’t want to risk it.”
“I agree,” Kiaya said.
“Sounds good to me,” Devon said, his gaze focused on his task. “If all goes well, we’ll be in Ohio tomorrow.”
“We have to stop in Indiana first,” Kiaya said.
I froze in the middle of sliding a knife across a tomato. “What do you mean? You said you didn’t have anyone there. You said you weren’t even sure why you were going back.”
>
“I lied.” She didn’t look up.
I set the knife down and turned, grabbing her arm so she was forced to face me. “Talk. Now.”
“I have a sister,” she said, still not looking at me. “I haven’t seen her for a few years—she’s in foster care, too—and we haven’t been on great terms for a while. It’s why I hesitated to head back, but I decided I needed to find her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that to begin with?” I couldn’t keep the hurt out of my voice. I’d thought Kiaya had opened up to me, but it turned out she hadn’t, and it stung.
She ventured a look up, and even the guilt swimming in her eyes couldn’t ease my pain. “It’s nothing personal, okay? I don’t share anything about my life with other people. In my experience, other people will only hurt you, so it’s just easier to keep your distance.”
I released her, dropping my arm to my side. “And you think I’m going to hurt you?”
“Rowan,” she said, “it isn’t like that.”
“I don’t know what else it could be like,” I replied before turning back to my tomatoes.
This time when I started slicing, the action was violent, the blade slamming into the cutting board and the thud ringing through the silent room. Kiaya returned to what she’d been doing as well, not trying to comfort me or defend herself, and I brought my knife down harder.
“I take back everything I thought about you,” Devon said, breaking the silence. “Based on the way you’re butchering those tomatoes, I have a feeling you could handle yourself pretty well.”
I shot him a warning look, and when he responded with a wink, it occurred to me that he was only trying to break the tension. Or at least redirect some of my anger so it wasn’t aimed at Kiaya. It was kind of a sweet thing to do, but I only rolled my eyes before going back to my tomatoes.
My annoyance was short-lived, because deep down I knew I had nothing to be upset about. Kiaya didn’t know me, and she didn’t owe me anything. Especially not the darkest details of her life. I was being unfair.
Far Series (Book 1): Far From Home Page 14