by Max Lockwood
“Babe, that’s crazy.” He chuckled. “I really doubt she came here to murder you over someone she never even met. It’s just a coincidence that you all know Will. When you think about it, there aren’t that many people left in this half of the country. The odds of running into someone who knows other survivors isn’t that rare.”
“Oh, so you’re on her side?” Melissa asked, crossing her arms. “I’m not surprised.”
“What are you talking about?” he yelled. “I’m not on anyone’s side.”
“Well, maybe you should be. Why are you defending someone you’ve never met before today? Is it because she’s hot and exciting?”
Bobby Dean shook his head, quietly chuckling to himself. “Do you know what I liked about you? You were nothing like Ariel. You didn’t like to start crap just for fun. When you talked, you actually made some damn sense. Ariel used to always fight with me because she thought I was eyeing other women. I couldn’t stand the jealousy. Now, I realize that you’re more like her than I thought.”
Melissa gasped. “Take that back.”
“Not until you apologize to me for acting crazy.”
Melissa looked to Alec and Elaina for backup. They both looked like they would do anything to be able to leave the room at that moment.
“It is a little suspect,” Alec said, “but I don’t know if she’s here to hurt you. That’s why I wanted to take things slow and get to know her a little better. Now, it’s really just her word against yours. We have no evidence to support good character if she’s telling the truth. Why don’t we wait until she wakes up and then we’ll talk to her? We’ll all sit down together and get to the bottom of this.”
“Why is everyone taking her side?” Melissa cried.
“We aren’t taking her side,” Elaina said calmly. “We just need to get the facts before we do anything drastic. I’ll make some tea and we can sit down and discuss this rationally.”
“I don’t want tea and I don’t want to discuss this. I want her out of my house.”
“Calm down,” Bobby Dean said.
This set Melissa over the edge. No one was taking her concerns seriously. Bobby Dean was letting his genitals do the thinking for him, and Alec and Elaina were too caught up in their own lives to worry about anyone else. Melissa felt like she had been too good to people who only used her for her resources. She couldn’t stand to be around them anymore, not as they sat at her family table and ate food from her family’s farm.
“I can’t be here anymore,” Melissa said, grabbing her jacket. She slipped on her shoes and headed out the back door.
Bobby Dean put his head in his hands. He took a deep breath and stood up to chase after her.
“Is something wrong?” Bethany asked innocently from the entrance to the kitchen.
“Did we wake you?” Elaina asked.
“I heard angry voices. It’s a problem that I’m here, isn’t it?”
“No,” Elaina and Alec started to say, but their hearts weren’t in the fib. Bobby Dean stopped short of the door and turned around.
“She’s being a little crazy right now,” he replied. “I don’t really know what her problem is.”
“Maybe you should talk to her,” Bethany suggested. “Is it safe for her to be wandering around on her own?”
“Oh, she’s probably just going out into the barn,” Bobby Dean replied.
Alec frowned. From what he could tell, she was heading toward the road, not back to the barn. Melissa typically had the common sense to keep herself out of trouble, but she didn’t seem like herself. Alec was a little concerned that she would make the others sweat it out until she returned.
“Don’t you think you should follow her?” Alec asked. “I mean, you’re a lot closer to her than we are.”
Bobby Dean shook his head. “Nah, she just needs a moment to cool off. She’ll be right back. Besides, she just wants to pick a fight with me for stupid reasons.”
“Is it my fault?” Bethany asked.
“No, not at all,” Bobby Dean said in a comforting voice. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It seems like she was never very happy about my being here.”
“Oh, she’s just being a brat. She’ll come around, I promise. Don’t beat yourself up. Do you want a cup of tea?”
“I’d take coffee, if you have it,” Bethany said, walking toward the table.
Bobby Dean walked outside and filled the teapot with hot water. Then he mixed a teaspoon of instant coffee in the water and handed it over to Bethany before sitting back down.
Alec shot Elaina a look. It was unusual for Bobby Dean to do anything for himself, let alone someone else. In all the time they had lived there, he had seen Bobby Dean lift a finger to help Melissa just a few times. Other than picking up a few items she wanted from the store, he did nothing but sit around when it was time to help around the house.
Elaina raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement of Alec’s observation. It wasn’t that Bobby Dean wasn’t capable of doing nice things but how backward his intentions were. Elaina felt as though his loyalty should be with his girlfriend before the stranger who started the tension between them.
“Lainey, will you help me change the sheets in the bedroom?” Alec asked, changing the subject.
“I thought we just changed them a few days ago,” she said, not catching on to his cue.
“I think you’re mistaken. Come on,” he said, rapidly blinking.
“Oh, okay,” she said, quickly following him out of the room.
When they got to their shared bedroom, Alec shut the door behind them and pressed his back against the door.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“You can’t tell me that this whole situation isn’t raising a million red flags for you.”
“It is a little concerning,” Elaina said, frowning. “I think Melissa may be overreacting, but it’s not good that the group dynamic has been thrown off. We were doing so well for such a long time. Do you think Melissa and Bobby Dean will be able to work past this?”
“I don’t know,” Alec said, rubbing the side of his face. “I really don’t like how Bobby Dean is acting either. He completely neglected Melissa the second Bethany came around. I think Melissa had a right to be mad at him. He’s been drooling over Bethany.”
“This is a mess,” Elaina said. “I had no idea they would behave this way. Bethany seems pretty nice and polite, though.”
“Almost too polite,” Alec replied. “I don’t think she should stay for much longer. She’s gong to tear this group apart. I’d say we leave and let them deal with the mess, but this is the best place we’ve got. I don’t know if life would be as good anywhere else right now.”
“I know,” Elaina said. “I hoped I would be able to get back to work by now, but I don’t see that happening any time soon. Even the East Coast is a mess right now. I just don’t feel like we can kick Bethany out.”
“We don’t owe her anything.”
“Sure, but what if she really is dangerous? She’s not going to take to that well. On the other hand, she might be as safe as a newborn kitten and we’re kicking her out on the street just because she once met Will and Melissa’s freaking out. This isn’t an easy decision to make.”
Alec nodded solemnly. “You’re right. We have to keep our cool. If we overreact, then everyone else is going to think this is a catastrophe and it’ll cause more division. Do you want to talk to Melissa and convince her to come back so we can talk this through?”
“Me?” Elaina scoffed. “I don’t think I’m the right person for this job.”
“Why not? Do a little girl talk, use some rational thinking, and bring her back.”
Elaina didn’t know the first thing about girl talk. She liked Melissa, but she didn’t feel close enough to her to talk about their secrets and insecurities. Alec was better at dealing with people, but he seemed to think it was more appropriate for Elaina to talk about her problems with Will and Bobby Dean than him.
&nbs
p; “Okay,” she relented. “I’ll go. You’ll watch the other two, right?”
Alec smiled. “I might try out some interrogation techniques that I learned in school.”
Elaina was disappointed that she’d be missing out on all the new information while she was trying to connect with a younger woman. She would much rather watch Alec use psychological techniques on a tight-lipped person than discuss boy problems, which she knew absolutely nothing about.
She begrudgingly tossed on her shoes and pulled on a sweatshirt, ready to retrieve Melissa as quickly as possible so she wouldn’t miss out on all the fun. When she walked back through the kitchen to retrace Melissa’s steps, she saw Bobby Dean laughing at something Bethany said.
Elaina shot him a glare. “I’m going to bring Melissa back here. When we get back, watch yourself. We don’t need any more problems.”
“Elaina,” Bobby Dean gasped, taken aback by her sudden boldness. “Are you threatening me?”
“Not yet,” she replied. “Please don’t give me a reason to, either.”
Bobby Dean gave her a devilish grin, but Elaina didn’t have time to play games with him. She just wanted to bring Melissa home.
Elaina jogged down the dirt driveway, warming up her legs that had gotten considerably less exercise in the past few months. She saw a patch of trees up ahead and remembered one of Melissa’s famous stories about hiding in the trees. Elaina couldn’t remember if it was where she liked to play with her brother or if it was where she liked to hide from her mom when she was upset. Either way, it was a good place to start. As she walked through the remnants of old cornfields, Elaina wondered if Alec was faring any better at his task. Their ever-changing group of travel companions was unraveling just as effortlessly as they came together.
Chapter Seven
Melissa didn’t really have anywhere to go, but that didn’t stop her from stomping down the dirt road. She was really rattled by Bobby Dean’s behavior once Bethany came into the picture. Perhaps by muscle memory, or purely with her subconscious at work, Melissa found herself heading toward one of her favorite hangouts during her childhood summers at the farm.
Because most of the land in the area was cleared for agricultural purposes, there were few wooded acres in the area. But just a half-mile down the road and a short walk through the pasture lay a space so dense with trees, a girl could get lost in there while the world carried on without her. Needing a quick escape from Bobby Dean and the others, she strode into the little forest, surprised that she still knew where every twist and turn was.
When she reached a little clearing, Melissa knelt down on the ground on damp leaves and began to cry. It took a little force at first to release the bottled-up emotions, but once the tears began to flow, there was no stopping it. There was no reason to act tough or save face. Melissa was finally alone, left to deal with her own problems.
Doubling over, she bowed her head completely and let the tears drop onto her knees. She breathed in large, shuddering sighs until they created a steady rhythm.
She had been foolish. She fell for the wrong guy, against her better sense. She had let him convince her to defy instinct and let a beautiful stranger into the home she preserved in perfect condition in her family’s memory. She had been tough when necessary while also opening herself up to be nurturing to her houseguests. It had all been in vain, though. With the arrival of one single individual, her perfect sanctuary had been stolen from her. She was forced from her quaint, cozy life on the farm, back to the cold, cruel reality of the infected world. A thought ran circles through her head, creating a mantra of sorts. It isn’t fair!
A hand touched her shoulder. Warm and broad, it reminded her that she wasn’t alone and her feelings had to be kept inside to keep from burdening others. She immediately shrugged it off, not in the mood to talk to Bobby Dean—not after his sickening display of infatuation.
The hand returned, this time, firmly grasping her upper arm. She whipped around, ready to strike Bobby Dean in the face for being so rough with her, when she realized that the man grasping on to her was a stranger.
“Hey,” she yelped, noticing she was much further away from the house than she would have liked to be when confronted by a stranger in uniform.
“Don’t make this difficult,” the soldier said, his voice muffled by the bandana covering his face.
Melissa squirmed until she broke free. She sprinted toward the entrance to the forest, only to slam into another body and crumble to the ground. She wheezed, trying to force air back into her lungs, but her diaphragm had taken a painful blow.
“You knocked the wind out of her,” a third soldier said, jogging to catch up with the other two. “Let me see her face.”
The short and stocky soldier took her face in both of his hands and turned it until the light hit her visage just right. Dirt covered her face and leaves stuck to her hair, but ultimately, the soldier shook his head and let go of her jaw.
“Do you hear that?” the soldier holding onto Melissa’s arms asked.
Everyone was silent. Melissa thought about yelling for help, but it was more likely that an Infected had stumbled into the forest than one of her own coming to rescue her. She cursed herself for being so childish. If she had kept a cool head, she wouldn’t have been in this position to begin with.
The tallest soldier ran through the trees, light on his feet to investigate the rustling leaves toward the road. Then, a smothered scream broke through the chilled air, causing the hairs on the back of Melissa’s arms to stand straight up. He returned swiftly with Elaina thrown over his shoulder. He cackled as he returned to the clearing, ignoring her pleas for help.
“Oh, now what do we have here?” the disguised soldier said, pulling his bandana down under his chin.
“Let go of me,” Elaina whimpered, kicking her dangling legs. The soldier let her rest on the ground but kept both arms pinned behind her back. She winced as she tried to break free, her arms coming dangerously close to being ripped out of socket.
Melissa looked at the ground. She could not bear to watch Elaina struggle. After all, she had come to her aid and Melissa had unknowingly led her into a trap. If anything happened to Elaina, Melissa didn’t know what she would do with herself. Of course, she would have to survive the ambush herself to find out.
“I like this one,” the soldier said, covering his slimy smile back up with his bandana.
“Me too,” the tall soldier said, squeezing her arms a little tighter. “She’s cute. How are we ever going to decide who gets her?”
Elaina’s eyes widened in horror. Melissa began crying again, absolutely sickened by what was being suggested.
“Come on,” the muscular soldier moaned. “Why do you have to say it like that? You make it sound so perverted.”
The tall soldier shrugged. “I think she’s pretty. The other one isn’t bad, either.”
“Remember, we have a job to do. I don’t think the others will like it if we don’t get the result we were ordered to get.”
The masked soldier rolled his eyes. “You’re a little wimp—always scared about getting into trouble with the big dogs. We’re going to be fine. I think we should forget about the other girl for now. She’ll turn up eventually, and if you ask me, I’d rather not be the one to catch her. We have two lovely ladies right here in front of us. Why don’t we just take them with us and figure out what to do with them later?”
Elaina shuddered. She looked toward Melissa, who had completely collapsed onto herself and appeared to be hyperventilating. Next, she turned her head toward the road, in hopes that someone heard the commotion and had gone looking for her. Unfortunately, the others were too far away, and with the way the wind rattled the farmhouse windows, there was a slim chance they would be able to hear her loudest screams if she tried to call for help.
As Elaina turned her head back toward the soldiers, she saw a few figures lying underneath a tree in the distance. The individuals looked dead as far as she could tell, but they were
too far away to confirm deceased. If these soldiers were Infected hunters, then it would make sense to see bodies lying in the foliage. But by looking at their relaxed expressions and fresh faces, she got the feeling that they had not killed recently.
“What are you doing out here?” Elaina asked after working up the courage to speak to her captors. “What is your mission?”
The masked soldier furrowed his brow. “What difference does it make to you?”
“I was just wondering if you were tying to catch the Infected,” she said, her voice quivering. “We haven’t seen many Infected in this area. Maybe you’d have better luck elsewhere.”
The soldiers laughed at this response, making Elaina even more uneasy.
“We’re not after Infected,” the man holding her arms said. “We’re looking for the healthy people. I think you two fit the bill.”
Elaina glanced back over at the bodies near the large oak tree. Was her mind playing tricks on her, or had one shifted in the minute it took for her to get the response she was after?
While the men were armed, it appeared as if they were not interested in seeking out Infected to kill or collect. Elaina also didn’t remember hearing gunshots on her walk into the woods. As much as the prospect of being in company with a hoard of infected people scared her, she was far more afraid of the three men with incomprehensible ideas.
“Let us go,” Melissa moaned from the ground without lifting her head.
“I don’t think so,” the soldier said, mocking her. He knelt down beside her and caressed her mud-caked cheek. “You know, if we got you cleaned up, you might not be half bad either.”
She looked up, glaring at him with all of the hatred she could muster. He began to laugh at her, so she spat directly between his eyes.
“You little bitch!” he roared, wiping his face before kicking her in the ribs. He pulled her to her feet and pinned her up against the nearest tree.
“Oh, you like it like that, do you?” he sneered, reaching his hand into her jacket. “I didn’t take you for a dirty girl.”