“No. No one,” Cade confirmed.
A spasm of emotion crossed Ethan’s face. He quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression. The twitch wouldn’t have been noticeable to most people. But to someone who’d known Ethan as long as Cade had, the look was obvious.
“It’s getting late,” Ethan replied simply. Cade looked at her watch, a frown crossing her face. The others were already an hour late. This didn’t do much to help settle her mind.
She knew exactly what—or rather whom—Ethan was thinking about as she looked away from her watch: Remy Angellette. Ethan was likely wondering where she was, if she was okay, whether she’d make it back to the safe house alive. There was always the risk that someone would leave and never come back. Ethan never failed to play the nonchalant, I’m-not-worried game whenever Remy walked out the door. It didn’t matter how simple her tasks were; he did it every time. He did worry about the others—especially Nikola, because of her youth and how close the two had become over the past year—but for some reason, he fixated most particularly on Remy.
It was nice to see Ethan care for someone again, to see him let someone in after the death of his wife. Cade had seen the pain of Anna’s death truly hit him following his return from Memphis. Ethan had shut down and shut off from the rest of them for the better part of a week after they’d gotten themselves sorted in Biloxi. After that, he became an automaton, almost emotionless and robotic, tough and uncompromising. It was a relief to see the façade begin to crack, but she worried that Ethan was considering something for which he wasn’t ready.
Cade eyed the front door for a long moment. Truth be told, she was worried, too, despite her attempts to pretend otherwise. Before Remy, Gray, Nikola, and Brandt departed the safe house in search of much-needed supplies, they’d planned to return by six. But seven in the evening now fast approached, bringing darkness with it, and the only person they’d seen was Avi Geller, who was even now upstairs, presumably resting.
Cade sank into a chair and put her back to the door to face Ethan. It was a position she normally didn’t like; the training she’d undergone in the IDF and the experience she’d gained in the past year had taught her that putting her back to an entrance that could be breached was the fastest way to die. Disregarding her personal protocol, she did it anyway, simply to study Ethan’s face more clearly. She asked the question that had niggled at her mind since Avi’s arrival.
“What are we going to do?”
Ethan sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair. He was going to need another haircut soon, she thought fleetingly. “What do you think?” he asked, moving to the front door and peering through the peephole again. “Are you willing to go into Atlanta of all places, even knowing how dangerous it is?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, turning her chair to face him and propping her head against her hand, watching him as he lurked by the door. “I mean, maybe a year ago, before we really heard all the stories about how bad it was, I might have said yes. But now?” She studied Ethan’s back before adding quietly, “And I really don’t think she’s telling us everything.”
Ethan straightened his shoulders and looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean just that,” Cade said. She, too, straightened and glanced at the ceiling, as if she could see through the wood, paint, and plaster to the woman above. “She seemed, I don’t know, evasive. Like she’s not telling us the whole truth.”
Ethan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside the door. “So you think she’s hiding something?”
“I think that, at the very least, Avi Geller isn’t telling us the entire truth,” Cade confirmed. “I don’t know if it’s intentional or not. But something about that woman makes me uncomfortable. Call it instinct or woman’s intuition or whatever you want to call it. That’s just how I feel.”
Ethan’s green eyes met her blue ones. “Do you think we should tell her no?”
She hesitated then shook her head slowly. “No. I think maybe we need to get more information from her before considering it either way,” she said. “A really long discussion with her as a group would be beneficial.”
Ethan nodded, but before he could reply, a noise on the porch drew their attention back to the front door. He pushed off the wall, and Cade retrieved a Glock from the bag hanging on the back of her chair, checking to make sure it was loaded. Her collection of weaponry had more than tripled since the Michaluk Virus began making its rounds; if she wasn’t mistaken, the gun she held was one she’d “liberated” two months prior from the police station’s evidence lockers. The lockers had been a goldmine of weaponry that people hadn’t thought to search. She raked in a significant haul that day.
“I want to ask Avi some questions as soon as everyone is back,” Cade said, moving swiftly to join Ethan by the door. As she touched the knob, three short raps came from the other side. The muscles in her shoulders instantly relaxed. It was a signal from one of the others, a sound for which she and Ethan had waited on pins and needles. She lowered her gun, and Ethan unlocked and pulled open the door.
As the door swung open, Ethan’s disappointment was palpable. Nikola weaved around his thin frame, hauling in a bulging green messenger bag. Cade nudged Ethan aside, looked out the door to make sure all was clear, then fastened the bolts and locks, securing the door once more.
“Have the others gotten back yet?” Nikola asked without preamble. She dropped her bag on the floor with a thud. Then she went to Ethan and wrapped her arms around him in a quick, tight hug before retreating back to her bag, massaging her sore shoulder.
Ethan returned the hug, but he didn’t look at Nikola as he let go of her and started prowling back and forth near the door again. “Not yet,” he answered shortly. “You hurt?”
“No, I’m fine,” Nikola assured him, giving the older man’s back a fond smile.
Cade shook her head at Nikola and took the girl’s elbow, scooping the bag off the floor and leading the teenager to the dining table. “Did you see anything we need to know about?” she asked, starting to paw through the bag, eager to see what Nikola managed to scavenge on this trip. She was glad to see the fifteen-year-old uninjured, but she and Ethan alone knew how desperately the supplies were needed. She hoped Nikola had found some useful things.
“As far as I saw, none of the infected are within three blocks of here,” Nikola replied, pushing Cade’s hands away from her bag. “I think we’re okay to stay a little longer, but we might want to think about moving sometime soon. Based on the ones I did see, they’re starting to get a little closer.” Nikola withdrew a small cardboard box from the depths of her bag. “I found us somewhere to get gas if we need it. There’s a station with manual pumps about two blocks away that might have some. The store was a total mess. I found this. I don’t know if you can use them, but it’s something.” She handed Cade the box with a huge smile, obviously pleased with herself.
Cade frowned and took the box in both hands. She didn’t like the idea of the teenager roaming Maplesville alone, regardless of her athleticism and enthusiasm. She had repeatedly asked Ethan not to send Nikola out on resupply. Ethan never listened, of course; his philosophy was that everyone should pull their weight and it wasn’t fair for Nikola to remain at the safe house while the others risked their lives to put food in her mouth. Besides, he liked to point out, Nikola was far more capable than a lot of people still alive, considering she’d managed to survive in Memphis, Tennessee, by herself for over a month. Cade had to admit that his observation was true, though she still didn’t like it.
Cade refocused on the box she held, rolling it between her palms to test its weight. It was oddly heavy for a box so small. She opened it, and her frown spread into a grin as several bullets rolled into her palm. “At the gas station?”
“Yeah. The gun was missing, though,” Nikola said regretfully. “I looked under the counter for it, but then I heard something in one of the back rooms and got out of there.”
�
��Good job,” Cade said appreciatively, examining one of the bullets. “I think these will work for Ethan’s gun just fine.” She set the box on the table, dropping the loose bullets back into it, then glanced at the man in question. Ethan still paced near the door and glared at it periodically, as if it caused him some great offense. “Remy isn’t back yet,” she murmured to Nikola. The teenager leaned forward to look inside her bag again.
“I figured as much,” she said distractedly. “Anything interesting happen while I was out?”
“Yeah, actually,” Cade answered. Nikola’s head jerked up in surprise. “A woman showed up, said she’s been looking for us for about three months,” she explained.
“Looking for us?” Nikola repeated. She paused in her retrieval of a dented can of tomato soup from her bag, her eyebrows going up. “You mean us specifically?”
“Exactly. She needs us for something, and Ethan’s going to discuss it with everyone as soon as they’re all back.” Nikola opened her mouth, and Cade shook her head. “Don’t even. Ethan will get into it when they’re all here. You know he doesn’t like repeating himself.”
“Just tell me this,” Nikola requested. She let go of the bag’s flap and looked up at Cade with wide blue eyes. “Is it something major?”
“Very.”
“Wonderful.” Nikola rolled her eyes and set the can down with more force than necessary. “I was really hoping for a nice, peaceful winter here before we had to worry about moving. I like it here.”
Cade nodded in agreement, but before she could speak, Ethan lunged for the front door. She snatched her gun from the table and whirled around, hurrying to join Ethan as he fumbled frantically at the deadbolts that held the door closed, aiming the weapon at the door in a precautionary measure as Ethan flung it open. He hauled in a young man by a fistful of jacket, swinging him into the room.
Cade recognized Gray Carter and lowered her weapon. Gray twisted out of Ethan’s grip and looked out the door; the wind blew his dark hair into his eyes as he scanned the street outside. Then he slammed the door shut and locked it, sagging against it and wheezing faintly. Ethan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Where the hell is Remy?” Ethan demanded. “I sent you two out together for a reason. Your job was harder, and I—”
“We got separated on Pineview Drive,” Gray interrupted. His chest heaved, and his breathing still had a wheezing gasp to it. He retrieved his inhaler from his jacket pocket and jammed it in his mouth, drawing on it deeply, closing his eyes as he dosed himself with the medication. “We were doing the usual, checking houses and shit for anything we can use. There’s not a lot left around here, by the way.”
“Who the fuck cares?” Ethan snapped, clenching his fists, and Cade tensed. She didn’t want to break up another fight between the two men. Yet again. “Get the hell on with it.”
Gray’s jaw tightened, but he continued regardless of the anger building inside him. “Remy kept trying to go track down some of those bastards on her own, but I kept her distracted for a while. We got attacked by a group of them, a dozen of them sheltering in a house about halfway down the block. We tried to put down as many as we could while we got out of there, but we got overwhelmed and separated.”
Three short raps interrupted Gray’s narration. Cade pushed Gray aside to open the door, letting out a slow breath of relief at the sight of the tall, muscular man standing on the porch, gun in hand.
“Jesus, Brandt,” she grumbled as Brandt Evans stepped inside. She shut the door and took a moment to examine him. Brandt’s clothes looked as if he’d crawled through dirt, and his dark hair stuck to his forehead and the sides of his face. He looked terrible, the worst she’d seen him in a while. “Are you okay?”
Brandt nodded and swept Cade into a tight hug. She made a face as she was mashed against his sweat-dampened shirt. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he assured her. She didn’t totally believe him; she could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He finally released her, and she took a step back. “I got back in as quickly as I could. I ran into some trouble near Pineview and had to haul ass.”
Ethan tore away from his interrogation of Gray. “Pineview?” he repeated hopefully. “Did you see Remy?”
“Remy?” Brandt blinked. His dark brown eyes widened, and he looked from Cade to Ethan. “She’s not back yet?” His gaze shifted to Gray. “I thought she was with you.”
“Yeah, well, now she’s not,” Gray bit out. “She’s still out there somewhere. I ran out of ammo and got away, just like she told me to.” He paused to tuck his inhaler into his jacket pocket before adding quietly, “I don’t know where she is now.”
Cade crossed her arms and began a mental countdown until Ethan blew up at Gray. The two men had fought almost since day one, once the dust had settled after Remy’s rescue in Biloxi. The tension had only escalated since then. She normally would have attributed it to an excess of testosterone and personality conflicts. But in this case, there was a two-legged, dark-haired, brown-eyed reason for their constant bickering. Now that Brandt had arrived, though, she couldn’t care less if Ethan and Gray fought; Brandt was bigger than she was and was much more adept at physically breaking up their spats.
Cade’s mental clock barely made it to “one” before Ethan began yelling.
“Remy was in trouble and you just left her?” he exploded, shoving Gray against the nearest wall. Gray squared his shoulders as his back hit, his silvery blue eyes narrowing as he glared at Ethan. He took a step forward and pushed the older man in return.
“I did what she fucking told me to!” he shouted, his fair skin flushing with anger. “I was out of ammo! What else was I supposed to do? Start punching them? Ask them nicely to go away? There were more of them than there were of us, and they were getting back up faster than we could put the second bullet in them!” He jabbed an emphatic finger at Ethan. “It’s better to lose only one of us than two, and you fucking know that! You’re the one who’s hammered it into our damned heads over the past year! Or does the philosophical bullshit you like to spout about this war not apply to Remy, too?”
Gray’s reasoning was logical but didn’t make Cade feel any better about one of them being out there alone without ammunition or backup. Especially not Remy. The woman had no concept of her own mortality, and she threw herself into situations where certain death was avoided only by the width of a hair. Her stomach felt unsettled at the thought.
The situation between the two men was deteriorating; Ethan’s fists were clenched at his sides so tightly that his knuckles were bleach white. Realizing that Brandt was too exhausted to act on the impending fight, Cade stepped between them and put her hands up, bracing a palm flat against each of their chests.
“Okay, guys, cool it. Now,” she ordered. “The last thing we need is you two at each other’s throats.”
A floorboard creaked, and Brandt’s outstretched hand appeared in her line of vision. “Give me more ammo,” he demanded, beckoning with his fingers.
“What for?” she asked suspiciously.
“So I can go after her,” Brandt said. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the cuff of his dirty jacket. “You know none of us are going to be any use to anybody unless we know whether she’s alive or dead. And if she’s infected, she’d want us to find her and put her down. She wouldn’t want to live like that.”
“No,” Cade said with a firm shake of her head, lowering her arms slowly from Gray and Ethan’s chests.
“Cade, we all had an agreement,” he persisted. “If one of us gets infected, the rest of us will—”
“I know that, Brandt,” she interrupted. “You’ve been out today already. You’re exhausted.”
“I’m fine. I’m not tired.”
“Bullshit,” she said mildly. “The last thing you need to do is head out there feeling okay and end up collapsing in a fight. Theo and I will go. We haven’t been out in two days. Ethan needs to stay here in case the infected find us. I’ll see if that chick upstairs wants to help, too
.”
“What chick?” Brandt asked. His question went unanswered as Ethan spoke up.
“Maybe she’ll get herself killed while you’re out there and we won’t have to consider her asinine idea,” he muttered. This comment only earned him a painful smack on the back of the head from Cade.
“Don’t even,” Cade warned. She turned to face Nikola. The teenager still stood by the table, unmoving and silent, watching the action with wide eyes. She never seemed to know how to react when Ethan and Gray went at each other’s throats, and Cade didn’t blame her for staying out of the arguments. “Nikki, go upstairs and wake our guest,” she instructed. “If she wants to be a part of this group, then she can very well come help out.” She moved to the table and started gathering the essentials she and Theo might need as Nikola started for the stairs. “And get Theo off the roof,” she added. “We’ve got some infected to hunt.”
Chapter Two
When Gray’s gun ran dry of ammunition, Remy had told him to get out of there. She’d forced him to leave her behind and go back to the safe house for help. She’d insisted that she would be fine, that she would finish this, and that she had plenty of ammo left. She also had her bolo knife. What more could she possibly need?
That was, of course, before Remy lost her bag. She hadn’t so much lost it as had it physically torn from her shoulder. The desperate wiggle she made as she slipped out of the strap, as cold hands grasped at her, tore at her hair and clothes, was the second-most terrifying moment in her life.
And now, rather than facing off with the infected, Remy was running down the street, her boots pounding the cracked pavement. She dodged crookedly parked cars and scattered luggage and toys and other debris, the remains of a long-gone neighborhood. Her heart raced, and her lungs heaved, stuttering in the cold evening air. Remy wanted desperately to stop, catch her breath, and calm her heartbeat. But she couldn’t stop, not with what followed her.
The infected.
Ground Zero Page 3