by Brant, Jason
After a few more minutes, Greg called for everyone to stop. “Hold up.”
Brandon stopped and hurried back, his chest barely rising and falling.
Adam wretched, but nothing came up.
“Something’s going on with Adam.” Greg knelt beside his friend. “What’s up, bro?”
Lance illuminated Adam’s wounded shoulder with the flashlight. “He’s bit.”
25
Cass stared at the ceiling above the bed while the sun rose outside the window. She’d slept off and on for a few hours, but had struggled with nightmares about Lance and Megan. The urge to get up and pace, to wake the others and come up with a plan to escape, nagged at her all night.
Lincoln slept beside her, his head resting on her arm.
Having her boy with her again kept her in bed, the covers pulled up to his chin. Nearly two days had passed since she’d seen him. Lincoln was exhausted when they’d finally reunited the night before, and he’d cried himself to sleep while she held him.
The men who’d kidnapped them hadn’t injured the children, at least not physically. Both Lincoln and Finn had tearstained cheeks and filthy clothes. Neither had eaten anything since their abduction. They’d been near hysterics when Cass had finally reunited with the others. The adults were clean and had been fed, leading her to believe that the children had refused to cooperate. That didn’t shock her.
Emmett had tried consoling Lincoln while cradling his own child, but struggled to do so. Lilith attempted to help, but she’d been inconsolable since Higgins had left Adam behind. Even now, Cass thought she could hear Lilith sobbing somewhere outside.
No one could blame her for that.
Cass had struggled to keep her thoughts away from Lance for as long as possible. Even as she stayed in bed, waiting for her sweet little boy to wake up, she tried to concentrate on their current surroundings.
They had to escape from wherever they were first.
Finding Lance would come later.
Sorrow still crept up on her as she watched dust flit through the air in the sunlight beaming in through the window. The other side of the bed was empty, cold. She’d shared a bed with Lance for years now.
The absence of his smell, his little snores, made her heart ache.
Cass kissed the top of Lincoln’s head.
Closed her eyes.
Fought against forming tears.
Lincoln stirred against her. He rolled over and snuggled against her arm for a moment before opening his eyes. “Hi, Momma.”
“Hey, buddy.” Cass breathed in through her nose. “Hungry?”
Lincoln shrugged, then yawned.
“Did you see all the toys outside?” Cass asked.
Bill and a few other armed men had escorted Cass and her group to two RVs down the road from the office building. They’d given them food, water, and clothes. The temporary accommodations had furniture and appliances, running water, and electricity.
All the clothes and other personal belongings of whoever had owned the vehicle were gone. Everything else remained, such as bedsheets, pots, and pans. It felt as if someone had up and left the home, packing only the bare essentials.
Cass figured that was exactly what happened.
Whoever had lived there before the end had children, too. Milk crates outside the front door had piles of toys in them. That or their current captors had placed them there when Cass and company had arrived the day before. The toys would provide a welcome distraction for Lincoln and Finn while she plotted their escape.
“Aye-Aye?” The sleep drained from Lincoln’s eyes.
“I don’t think Aye-Aye is down there, buddy.” Cass hated seeing the disappointment in his eyes. Aye-Aye was a plastic triceratops Lincoln had carried everywhere back on the island. They’d lost it as they’d fled their home during a massive storm. The poor boy had asked for it ever since. How he’d managed to turn triceratops into Aye-Aye remained a mystery. “But I did see some dinosaurs outside.”
Lincoln squirmed to the edge of the bed, then slid down to the floor. “Go potty.”
Cass nearly broke down. Lance had worked hard, particularly before they’d left the island, to potty train Lincoln. The task had proved monumental since Lincoln had a lot of Cass’ stubbornness.
She thought the boy sometimes whizzed in his pants just to annoy Lance.
Hearing Lincoln mention the potty would have had Lance dancing around the room like a loon. He should have been there with them for this. Instead, those bastards had left him behind.
After she helped Lincoln in the bathroom, they tiptoed through the RV, being careful not to make too much noise and wake anyone who was sleeping out front. Everyone had reached exhaustion long ago, and they needed all the rest they could get.
No one had slept well since they’d left the island.
Every single night proved a struggle to find a safe place to sleep.
Food was scarce.
The kids made noise at the most inopportune times during the night.
For the most part, they’d left the children on the boats with an adult or two while they scavenged for food and supplies. Until that night in Baltimore. Two other boats had followed them up the coast for hours, and no one felt comfortable splitting up from the others. They would have kept moving, but they were in desperate need of food and fresh water.
Cities were more dangerous than the countryside, but they also provided more supplies.
So they’d dropped anchor in the Chesapeake Bay with the plan to head into Baltimore.
Everything had gone perfectly fine while Emmett and Cass watched the children play in an old McDonald’s playground. They loved the slides and the tunnels. Eifort and Lance had gone deeper into the city in search of canned goods and bottled water.
The bastards in the van had come for them shortly thereafter.
The aroma of frying eggs wafted from the front of the RV as they passed the kitchenette. Cass felt her stomach flutter at the smell, realizing just how hungry she was. Eating a few eggs would be a little slice of heaven.
She glanced around the vehicle, impressed at how nice the thing was. There were two sleeping areas, a bathroom with a shower, a kitchenette, dining table, and an entertainment area with a flat-screen television. They weren’t in an el cheapo RV, but a damned nice one that a band could have lived in while on the road.
Emmett sat at a small, U-shaped table against the left wall, his back to them. He worked at a plate of fried eggs in front of him.
“You’re up early,” Cass said.
“Couldn’t sleep.” Emmett stuffed a forkful of food into his mouth before gesturing to a second plate across from him. “I made extra. Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Unc Emt!” Lincoln ran over to Emmett with his hands up.
“Big man!” Emmett reached out, picked Lincoln up, and then squeezed him tight against his chest. He closed his eyes as he rocked Cass’ child back and forth before putting him down. “Finn is playing with some dinosaurs outside. You want to join him?”
Lincoln nodded vigorously.
“Eat some food first, bud.” Cass took a fork from the table and stabbed at a clump of egg.
Lincoln barely chewed before swallowing it and running from the table. Cass followed him. After she opened the outside door, the boy stopped at the stairs leading to the ground and locked his puppy-dog eyes on her.
“Dada play?”
“Dada—” A lump formed in Cass’ throat. She tried to swallow it down, but couldn’t. Her voice cracked. “Dada is with Aunt Megan.”
Lincoln watched her for another moment before hugging her leg and then hurrying down the stairs, calling for Finn.
Cass wiped at her eyes and closed the door, leaning her forehead against it. She struggled to regain her composure as she listened to Emmett placing his dishes in the kitchenette sink. Everyone had gone through so much the past few weeks. They needed strength from her, not weakness. Especially the kids.
Without
Lance around, everyone would need someone to lean on.
Someone to guide them through the darkness.
Cass couldn’t be weak now.
She had to pull herself together.
For Lincoln.
For all of them.
Straightening her back, she squared her shoulders. She dabbed at the corner of her eyes, ran shaky fingers through her hair, pulling it back. When she felt together enough, she turned back to the kitchen and found Emmett standing a few feet away. Red rims encircled his eyes. Tears dripped from his chin. His shoulders hitched in silent sobs.
Cass went to him, burying her face in his broad chest.
They cried together.
They cried for a long time.
26
Shivers rattled Lance’s teeth as he huddled against Eifort, trying to stay warm. They sat under an expansive tree, backs against the wide trunk. Their damp clothes made the cold morning biting, consuming. Light had finally seeped through the forest canopy a short time ago.
With the emergence of the morning, the laments of the Vladdies had died.
The beasts had chased them all night, searching for the fresh meat that had evaded them at King’s camp. Though the vampires had never gotten close enough that Lance thought they might be discovered, they weren’t far enough away to allow anyone to rest.
It wasn’t until they found and crossed a river that they felt confident enough to park their weary bodies under a tree. Wading through the water had hidden their scent. Provided a boundary between their position and the Vladdies. The river stretched at least fifty feet wide where they’d crossed, and the speed of the current had proved difficult to manage. The water was too deep to wade across in the middle and Lance had struggled to swim while towing Adam at the same time.
They’d made it eventually, but the water had chilled them to the bone. Their teeth chattered and their muscles spasmed as they clung to each other for warmth. None had much in the way of body fat, and they all shivered uncontrollably.
Greg and the kid sat shoulder to shoulder, arms crossed over their chests. The kid’s teeth chattered in almost cartoon-like fashion.
Only Adam wasn’t pressed against anyone else. He lay flat on his back, mouth working as he rambled to himself quietly.
His lucidity had eroded through the night as they fled the Vladdies.
He remained cognizant for extended stretches of time, but would randomly slur his words or utter something incoherent. It wasn’t until they reached the river that he began stumbling over rocks and mounds of dirt that were clearly illuminated by Lance’s flashlight. When they asked him if he was okay, he’d ignored their concerns and pushed on.
Lance had seen the way his gait had changed from an exhausted, but confident stride to an unsure, staggering one. He remembered the symptoms of the infection well.
They all did.
It wouldn’t be long until their friend faded, all coherent thought replaced by the Hunger.
Adam’s eyesight had begun to fail him.
His mental faculties slowly slipped away.
Confusion overwhelmed him.
Eifort wept silently as she leaned into Lance, her body wracked by shivers. Together, they listened to their friend mumble. Her hand found Lance’s, squeezing it. They both sat in silence, wishing they could do something, anything, to abate the infection.
Greg broke away from the kid to crawl over to Adam. “How you feeling, bro?”
“Where’s Lily?” Adam turned his head toward the sound of Greg’s voice. “I need to talk to her about baby names.”
“Oh, Lance.” Eifort squeezed his hand to the point of pain. “I can’t take seeing him like this.”
“I know,” he whispered back, struggling not let his voice hitch.
“We’re going to see Lily now.” Greg sat on the forest floor and slid his leg under Adam’s head, providing him a makeshift pillow. “You’ll see her soon.”
“What’s taking her so long?” Adam asked.
“She’s helping Cass.”
“Oh.” Adam stared up at the tree canopy, his eyes already milky and blind. “I’m so hungry.”
“Lily is bringing food.” Tears coursed down Greg’s cheeks. “Lots of food.”
Adam’s speech dissolved into incoherency again.
The sun rose through the trees. Warmth crept into the forest, their shivers easing as the morning finally took hold. Lance struggled to keep his emotions in check. He watched hopelessly as his friend slipped away.
Desperation wormed through the entire group.
Lance’s family waited for him in the north. Every moment that passed put them in more danger. More than anything else, he wanted to hop to his feet and haul ass toward his wife and child. But he would die before abandoning Adam like that. The emotional turmoil threatened to pull him apart.
“What should we do?” Eifort asked in a hushed tone. She stared into her lap. “We can’t leave him here, but I couldn’t bring myself to… ease his pain. We can’t do that to him.”
“We have to. Not yet, but soon.” Lance grimaced as he uttered the words.
When they’d reached the island so long ago, the entire group had sat around a fire one of their first nights, divvying up chores and tasks for the week. Doc Brown had stood. Given them a grave look. He’d made everyone promise if he ever became infected that they wouldn’t let him turn into one of the beasts.
They’d protested at first, but a sinking realization gutted the lot of them. No one wanted that fate. One by one, they’d all risen and sworn an oath to each other.
None would ever turn.
Not while a single member of their group survived to prevent it.
While that idea felt noble, strong, by the light of a fire so long ago, the harsh reality of it had Lance questioning his ability to follow through. It was one thing to say he’d shoot his friend to ease their pain, but something else entirely when the time came.
“Lance?” Adam called. “Are you there?”
“I’m here, buddy.”
“Remember what you promised me.” A tear slid from Adam’s eye, meandering down to his ear. “You promised you’d watch after Lily and the baby. You promised.”
“I will.” Lance took Adam’s hand, gave it a small squeeze. “I’ll take care of them. You have my word.”
“Thank you.” Adam weakly clasped his back. “They’re all I’m leaving behind. Without them, I’ll just be another whisper in the wind.”
Lance felt all the strength drain from his body. He slumped beside Adam, fighting back the sobs that threatened to overtake him. Adam was one of the good guys, a man who would do anything for anybody. No one deserved his fate, let alone someone of his character.
Poor Lily.
Lance couldn’t imagine her reaction when she found out.
“I’ll take care of them too, bro.” Greg put a hand on Adam’s chest. “I’ll watch over them until the day I die, swear to God.”
“I know you will.” Adam actually smiled. “Bro.”
Eifort let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a choked sob.
“Where’s Lily?” Adam asked, the smile sliding from his lips. “I need to talk to her about baby names.”
Lance’s head hung low.
He whispered a goodbye to his friend.
Took a deep breath.
Stood up.
The deed had to be done.
He held his hand out to Greg. “I’ll do it. The rest of you head north along the river. I’ll catch up.”
The kid groaned behind him.
Greg stared at his hand for several seconds, blinking away tears. He finally reached behind his back. Pulled a pistol free of his waistband. Both inspected it as he rolled it over in his hand, the metal catching the sun.
“He’s my best friend,” Greg said softly. “It has to be me.”
“I’m so hungry.” Adam groaned. “Where’s Lily?”
“She’s coming.” Greg gazed up at Lance. “Go.”
�
�You don’t want to do this. It’ll haunt you forever.” Lance motioned for him to hand the pistol over. “I’ll handle it.”
“No.” Greg straightened his back, set his jaw. “I know I’m a fuck up. You guys take care of me even though I’m an idiot. It’s—”
Eifort cut in. “Greg, we don’t—”
“Yes, you do. And you’re right. You guys are the only real friends I’ve ever had. Adam took me with him when anyone else would have left me for dead back in the city. I owe him everything. I have to do this.”
“You’re talking like I’m not here.” Adam coughed. “Give me the gun and go.”
Lance watched the weapon waver in Greg’s hand. They needed the pistol if they were going to have a chance at rescuing the others. Without firepower of any kind, they would have little hope of pulling off the miracle they needed to free everyone.
But that meant one had to stay behind to reclaim the gun.
Even if Adam did the deed, someone would have to see the aftermath.
“Lily?” Adam sighed. “Where are you?”
Eifort stood and turned away from the group, her shoulders hitching. The kid joined her.
Greg’s face hardened. “Go. I’ll catch up.”
Lance took a long look into his face, saw a resolution there he’d never seen before. Greg was right—they all viewed him as a bit of an idiot. A good guy, sure. But an idiot nonetheless. In another world, they wouldn’t have put up with his annoying ass.
Even now, most kept him at arm’s length, afraid they might blow up on him. Greg meant well, but he drove everyone a little nutty at times.
Adam handled him better than the rest.
They’d grown close over the years, often performing the day’s tasks together or sitting beside one another during meals. Adam seemed to have grown fond of the lug, in spite of his annoyances.
“Go,” Greg said again. “It has to be me.”