Exodus: Soulless Wanderers Book 3 (A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Thriller)

by Drew Strickland

  "What happened? How did you meet?" she seemed to ask him very cautiously, as if he were a lion that could pounce at any moment. Is that what he was to this woman?

  Pax thought about it all and laughed. "It's actually funny. We were in a tight spot. Didn't think we were gonna get out. I prayed—" he looked at Courtney. "I actually used to be a pastor, if you can believe that."

  "We all were something else before this."

  "How true that is. But I prayed and thought my prayers were answered. This miracle came out of nowhere and saved us. A car, plowed straight into those things." He punched his fist against his open palm. "The dead. The soulless as we now call them, right?"

  "He saved me, too, you know that? He saved us all. There was a man, he was going to— I don't even know. But he was bad."

  "Even predators in the wild will kill each other," Pax said. "He wasn't the miracle. Sure, he had given us that moment. But then everything else, it got worse. I got back, and they were all dead."

  "You left?"

  He shook his head. He knew she would never understand. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is he was responsible for everything. Even if he wasn't, I can see it. You can see it. The evil in him."

  "He's changed."

  Pax smiled. "Maybe. Or maybe not. You're a good person, and I'm sorry that you have to be here. If it comes down to it, I will kill you if I have to. If it means that he also dies. I don't want to kill you, though. I just want you to know that."

  She opened her mouth to say something, but Pax heard a rustle and a snap in the forest on the outside of the wall surrounding the property. "Shhhhh," he hissed at Courtney. She stopped talking immediately when he put his finger to his lips, although, maybe it was the gun being pointed at her face that really did the trick.

  Pax stepped off the bloodstained porch and looked out at the wall across the open land. He couldn't see any movement, but he heard it again. The rustling. There was another crunch, like stepping on dry leaves. Pax lifted his lip into a half-smile and walked to Courtney.

  "Daniel. I know you're out there," Pax called out.

  There was no response.

  Pax pushed the barrel of his pistol against the side of Courtney's head. She trembled slightly but held her tongue. She was strong.

  "Do I really need to count?"

  Nothing.

  "Fine, but I'm telling you right now, I'm gonna count to two."

  Pax looked out and still saw nothing.

  "One."

  "Alright," the voice called out from over the wall.

  Pax smiled. He wasn't sure it would work. He was worried Daniel would have no problems letting Courtney die just to try and kill Pax. That's the kind of person he was after all. Only out for himself, wasn't he? For a brief moment, Pax realized that was exactly what he was doing but quickly turned his attention to the wall when he saw Daniel hop over.

  "Now what?" Daniel asked. He stood against the wall. Pax needed him closer.

  "Drop any weapons you have. I see the shotgun on your back. I see the pistol. And I know you've got a knife, right?"

  He watched and waited. Daniel dropped the two guns in the dirt, then he pulled the knife from behind his back and left it, too. "Alright," Daniel said.

  "Now slowly walk here."

  Daniel began to move just as Pax had asked. This was very good.

  "Come on up," Pax said to Courtney. He pulled her up by the arm and pushed her in front of him. "Let's go meet your boyfriend."

  Daniel was halfway to the house, and Pax could begin to make out his features. It was the same man he saw back at the church. "That's far enough," Pax said. "Is that all the weapons you got?"

  Daniel lifted his arms and slowly turned around. "You're running the show here. Just let Courtney go."

  "When the time is right, I will." Courtney and Pax got closer to Daniel. There was probably ten feet between them when Pax pulled back on Courtney's arm, signaling to stop.

  "Dan, I'm so sorry. I was trying to help. I thought that—"

  "It's okay, Courtney. Pax is someone that's confused about me. I think we can work it all out, can't we, Pax?" Daniel stared down at Pax.

  "You really don't remember, do you?" Pax said. There was no recognition in those dark, empty eyes of Daniel's. There was only determination, hatred, and apathy.

  Daniel shrugged. "I think something may have happened and maybe you have me confused with someone else. I don't know who you are."

  Pax shook his head. "I guess I don't know why that surprises me. Someone like you probably doesn't give any thought to those you killed, to the others you tried to kill, to the many lives you ruined."

  "Who are you? Why do you think you know me?" Daniel demanded.

  "We met when this all began. We were just a group of people who needed help. And you were there. Danny showed up to help."

  Pax watched Daniel's face closely. He wanted to make sure to recognize the moment when it clicked for him.

  "The church?" Daniel finally asked.

  Pax grinned. "The church. The beard might make it a little harder."

  Daniel shook his head. "No. Nobody there—"

  "Survived? Lived? Almost nobody. Except for me. You left me there for dead. Bleeding out. Still surrounded. If it wasn't for some kid, I'd be dead right now." Pax remembered Kyle saving his life. Then he remembered how Kyle ended up dead in an alley with his father crying over him.

  Pax watched Daniel's eyes. They were trying to make sense of it all. They were trying to recognize Pax.

  "What happened at the church, Dan?" Courtney finally asked.

  "It was right before I met you." He looked at Pax, and that's when Pax finally saw it. It all clicked. "Pax. Wait. It was Paxton, right?" He asked it as if he wasn't sure if he was saying the name correctly or if he was right on his guess.

  "That was me. That was who I was before it all."

  39

  Eden

  Eden pedaled her bike harder down the road when she saw the car up ahead. She had run fast and hard to get to her bike, knowing she would never make it fast enough without it. Her knife was tucked into her belt, just like she had seen Daniel do with his. The car was empty. The only sign anyone was around was the dead soulless body next to the car. Fresh blood pooled around the body and began to create a trail down the road from the decline.

  She looked at where the car was parked and knew it was close to the house. Daniel must have gone on foot, possibly to sneak up on whoever his target was. She set her bike down next to the car, knowing she was going to need to continue on foot. The last thing she wanted to do was make too much noise and get Daniel caught. Or worse, get caught herself.

  This was why she was out here, right? To learn. If Daniel wasn't going to teach her, to spell it all out for her, then she figured she would learn by watching and doing. The student would learn in secret. Sometimes, adults had no idea how much kids could pick up from them. Always observing while the adults were in their own worlds.

  Eden took out a hair tie and put her hair in a quick ponytail. She liked having her hair out in the wind as she rode her bike but needed to make sure it was out of the way if she was to be sneaking around in the woods. She stepped off the road and began to hike to the house.

  It was oddly quiet out. There weren't many soulless around, but it wasn't completely unusual. When she had gone to the small town nearby, there were always more soulless there. Still, not seeing any other than the one Daniel had taken out earlier was a bit unnerving. It was like she was on her own, hiking in the woods, as if no apocalypse had happened.

  She could see the wall in the distance and picked up her pace, making sure to keep her footsteps light. Not crunching any leaves, not breaking any twigs. She reached the wall and could hear the voices. It sounded like Daniel, another man, and Courtney. She needed to get closer, but she couldn't just pop up over the fence. No, they would definitely see her. She was going to have to walk around and find a better way.

  40

  Dan<
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  Courtney was crying now. Of course, she was. It was a rational response, he supposed. Finding out the person you loved, the one you placed all your faith in, was more of a monster you thought he was.

  But she said she knew who he was.

  "What happened? You killed his wife?" she asked.

  Dan remembered that night. How could he not? It's when everything changed. It's when the world fell apart for most people. Not so much for Dan. It was just another mess of hoops to jump through. A different way to present himself. It didn't fall apart, it only changed. But he didn't kill anyone's wife.

  "No, I don't know what he is talking about." Dan looked into Pax's eyes and across his face. The beard threw him off. He wondered if he had been clean shaven if he would have recognized him. Possibly, but there was also something else in Pax's eyes. Something he recognized because he had seen it in other men, he had seen it in his own eyes. It wasn't there when he had first met the man on that night. It was a certain determination, it was the look of someone who would do whatever it took.

  "What happened to your wife, Paxton? What happened to you?" Dan asked.

  Dan watched the tears begin to form underneath Pax's eyes. "What do you think happened to me? You happened."

  "Not to your wife. I may have caused a lot of pain that night. I know I did." Dan said it unashamed. He always knew he was a bad man. He looked at Courtney, her eyes wide open, as if asking why? He wished Courtney didn't have to hear it all come out now, but there was no changing it. He did what he did. He killed those men. He killed, or tried to kill Paxton. But then he changed. He helped people. If he wasn't that person, then those people wouldn't have lived. "What happened to your wife? Did you not find her? Or did you, and she was turned?"

  "Oh, I found her alright. She was even alive, for a moment. But I wasn't quick enough. If I didn't have to suffer, if I didn't have to be on deaths door, just to come back, maybe I could have been there sooner. Maybe she would still be alive. But I have you to thank for that not happening." He pointed his gun at Dan.

  "I understand. Look, I did those things. I know it. But Courtney didn't. She's just as innocent in this as you were before."

  "As if you care about her."

  "I do, okay? I do care about her. I know it may not make any sense to you, but something has changed."

  Pax seemed to take in what Dan was saying, and then smiled. "If you care about her, then maybe I can help you out. Do you the favor you did for me." Pax turned the gun and began to point it at Courtney.

  "No!" Dan shouted. He quickly lifted his foot and pulled the knife from it. He lunged forward with it, nailing Pax in the shoulder. The gun went off, but Dan couldn't be bothered to worry about where it went. He grabbed his arm and lifted, pointing the gun in the air. The gun went off two more times in the struggle. Pax looked at Dan, baring his teeth, and headbutted Dan right in the nose.

  Dan's nose exploded in blood, and pain seared through his face. Dan threw a headbutt right back. Once. Twice. Three times. Finally, Pax released his grip from the gun and stumbled. Before Dan could take full control and point the gun at Pax, Pax was diving into Dan's midsection.

  Dan fell to the ground on his back, Pax on top of him. Before Dan knew it, Pax was wailing on him. Punch, after punch, after punch. Dan could feel his face being pummeled, blood flying, the pain swelling into his face so much that it began to go numb. Dan brought his hands up, but it was no use. Pax had the advantage and was taking full use of it. He had definitely gotten stronger in the past six months.

  This was not the same man he left for dead in the bathroom.

  "Stop it!" Courtney screamed. Before any more punches could come, Dan felt Pax's weight shift and fall to the side. He opened his eyes and saw that Courtney had kicked Pax in the side of the face. Dan climbed to his feet, unsteady. Pax had really beaten the shit out of him. But now, Dan had the advantage. He pointed the gun at Pax as he watched him stand up.

  "You're definitely not the pastor I met on that night." Dan's mouth filled with blood, and he spit it on the ground.

  "He died a long time ago," Pax said. He looked at the knife embedded in his shoulder and shook his head. "One more scar from you, is it?"

  "You won't be around long enough for it to heal up," Dan said. He held the gun firm, even though the rest of his body was exhausted. Taking a beating was more of a workout than he cared to admit.

  Courtney stepped slightly in front of Pax, but not enough to get between the two. "Dan, you don't need to do this."

  "Courtney, get out of the way. It's not safe. This man hates me, for whatever reason, wrong or right. He won't stop until I'm dead, and maybe you, too."

  She shook her head. "You've changed, Dan. You don't have to be Daniel anymore. Whatever you did before, that's a long time ago. Things are different. You have to do what you have to these days, but you've changed. You are better that this. Don't let your past define who you are."

  Dan thought about it. Courtney was right. He didn't need to kill Pax. He didn't really want to kill Pax. He just wanted to save Courtney. That was what was important to him. "Maybe you're right, but what about him?"

  Courtney turned to Pax. "What about you?"

  Pax shrugged. "I came here knowing one of us would be dead."

  "You are no different than that man who did this to you. You took me, put a gun to my head, and told me you'd kill me if it meant he would die, too."

  Pax wiped the tears from his face. Before he could respond, the ground rumbled.

  Dan looked around, trying to see what was happening. Before they knew it, the gates at the front wall busted off its hinges. A semi rolled in and turned to the side. Three vehicles drove behind it and revved in front of the three of them. Another semi came after. The yard was packed with vehicles that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

  "What the fuck is this?" Dan asked.

  That's the point that Dan lost his concentration. He wasn't being careful. He wasn't being vigilant. He left Pax in front of him, unwatched. Pax, however, took advantage of the moment.

  He turned his attention back and saw Pax pull the knife from his shoulder. It was covered in blood, but it didn't seem to bother him. Pax lunged forward.

  "Dan!" Courtney screamed. She had seen it happening before Dan did but wasn't prepared.

  Dan didn't think. He just did. It was a startled reaction, and he pulled the trigger. Pax stopped in his tracks when the gun went off. He looked down, unhurt. That's when Dan saw it.

  "No, no, no, no," Dan said. Courtney dropped to her knees, the blood seeping from her chest where the bullet had pierced. Dan grabbed her and fell down to his knees with her in his arms.

  41

  Dan

  Courtney opened her mouth. Her voice was garbled and light. It looked like she was trying to smile but couldn't. "It's okay, just…just don't—"

  And she was gone. The light in her eyes was extinguished. She fell limp into Dan's shoulder. Dan's hands were covered in her blood, and he set her down. What had he done?

  He turned his attention to Pax, who stood there, holding the knife. He was no longer coming at him. He only stared down at Courtney. "I'm— I'm sorry. I didn't. She didn't deserve—"

  The surprise and confusion turned into rage inside of Dan. He took his gun and pointed it at Pax. That's when the explosions went off.

  The house behind them went up into a huge flame. But Dan didn't see it happen. Instead, he was pinned down on his side, dropping everything. He saw Pax fly a few feet away, landing on his face. Dan turned to the house, seeing the front porch on fire and crumbling. What the hell was that?

  Dan turned around and looked to the vehicles that had distracted him long enough to create the tragedy. Men with guns surrounded them, pointing automatic weapons at them. He hadn't seen an army this big before. Usually, there were a couple of people who thought they were bigger than they were, but this, this was different. The men acted organized when they surrounded Pax and Dan.

  It didn't matte
r to him. Courtney was dead. Whatever the men wanted would have to wait. Dan had unfinished business with Pax. He crawled over Pax, who rolled around. Dan grabbed Pax's throat with his hands. He didn't know where the gun had gone. He was too focused on Pax to think about trying to find it.

  Pax slapped at Dan, but it was no use. Dan was on top and was too strong for the still confused man.

  "Holy shit. You'd think an explosion would have stopped all of this, but I guess not," a man said from behind Dan. Dan didn't care who was talking or what they were saying. They could kill him for all he cared, but right now, Pax was going to die.

  At least, that's what he had hoped. Before Dan could finish the job, he saw the butt of a gun coming at him from his peripheral vision.

  "That's one determined motherfucker," was the last thing Dan heard before it all went black.

  42

  Pax

  Pax gasped for breath. Daniel had really gone for it. But now, he wasn't there.

  What the fuck was going on?

  Pax looked around, seeing the men with guns. The house was on fire and the front door was blown to bits. "What's happening?" Pax finally managed to ask.

  "Holy shit. You know, the beard, it really threw me off, Paxton," the man's voice said from above him.

  Pax looked and saw Daniel on his side, bruised, bleeding, and passed out. Pax looked up and saw the man who had helped him. "Who are you?"

  The man smiled. His face was disfigured, and he wore dark sunglasses. "I guess I'm not so recognizable either."

  Pax shook his head, squinting in the sun. The smoke from the house was clouding his vision, but he thought he recognized the voice. Although, it was a bit gravelly.

  "You'll never believe the shit I've been through to get here. But from the looks of it, maybe you will. You don't look so good yourself."