A frown pulled down his lips, but in a second it was gone, and he was smiling once again. It was the classic Doug smile, meant to win over everyone he met. It usually worked, but I doubted it would this time.
“We’re pretty well armed, so if anyone does come knocking, they’ll be in for a big surprise.”
“You think you’re the only people who are armed?” Kiaya persisted.
Again, Doug frowned. “I think we’re pretty safe right now.”
She only lifted her eyebrows in response.
“Why don’t we go in so you can show us around?” I said, ready to get out of this car and settled. And to let the others—especially Devon—know we were okay.
Doug nodded enthusiastically and shoved his door open. “Definitely.”
Kiaya and I exchanged a look but said nothing, and I could tell we were on the same page. These guys were either overestimating their strength or underestimating other people. Maybe both. It was a dangerous situation to be in.
I studied the school as Doug led us toward it. Like we’d noticed yesterday, all the windows had been boarded up from the inside with what looked like sheets of wood, but the glass in the front door was covered with something else. Overlapping street signs, I realized as we got closer. A stop sign was visible next to a sign that announced the max speed as fifty-five miles per hour, and there was even a sign from Interstate 75 South wedged in there. At first, I couldn’t figure out how they’d done it, but then Doug opened the door, and I got a better look. They were welded together and bolted to the metal frame. Smart.
“This looks pretty secure,” I said, indicating to the door.
Kiaya was nodding in approval. “Yeah.”
“Thanks,” Doug said, pride ringing in his voice as we stepped in. “Wood seemed good for the windows, but we wanted to make sure it was a little tougher to get through the doors. We did this to the couple that aren’t blocked completely.”
“Smart,” I said, but my attention had already turned to the interior of the building.
I’d gone to elementary school here, so I’d been in the building hundreds—or maybe thousands—of times in the past, but it had been years. It was still familiar, though. The same type of motivational posters hanging on the walls, and announcements from the PTO tacked to bulletin boards. It was different, too, though, and not just because of the boarded-up windows and lack of electricity. Gone was the school smell I was used to—dust and books and kids—replaced now by an underlying stench of decay. It had probably been brought in on clothes and shoes, but it still made me look around as my heart beat faster.
No one was in sight at the moment, but there were distant sounds that told me we weren’t alone.
Doug waved to our left. “We set up the living quarters in the older part of the building, upstairs so it’s more secure.” He waved the other way, down the hall that led to the newer parts of the building. “The food is set up in the cafeteria, of course, and we have an armory down that way, as well as a command center. We have maps of the area set up so we can mark off the streets we’ve searched.”
“Smart,” I said once again.
“Want to see where we set you guys up?” Doug asked, grinning. “We got it ready last night, including moving beds in.”
At the mention of a bed, a sudden exhaustion came over me. “That sounds phenomenal.”
I’d tossed and turned all night, worrying about how I’d take care of my mom, but now that it was done, my body seemed ready for rest. It was still early, though, and it would be hours before I could turn in.
“Great.” Doug started walking, waving for us to follow. “This way.”
Kiaya and I walked behind him as he led us through the school, pointing out little things here and there as we went.
“That hall leads to one of the few unblocked exits,” he said waving down a short hallway as we passed. “The courtyard is blocked outside, and we have port-o-potties set up.” He shot us a grin over his shoulder. “Not exactly luxury, but we had to improvise.”
“Not a bad way to do it,” Kiaya said.
“We got a bunch of trashcans from Lowes and have them set up out there as well. The plan is to collect rainwater, but we’ll have to get some rain first.” He shook his head. “That’s not looking promising right now.”
“The sky’s pretty clear,” I agreed. “I’ve been watching that fire across town, hoping it will rain before it spreads much farther.”
Doug’s mouth turned down. “We think someone set it intentionally, although we don’t know for sure. It started over by the Kensington and Edgewater subdivisions off Interstate 55 and has spread as far as the big Clopay factory. It’s even hopped over the road thanks to the wind.”
“I thought it was in that direction,” I said, shaking my head.
We reached the steps that led into the older part of the building and headed up, Doug still leading the way. Here, the banisters and railings were old, the dark wood worn down in places from the thousands of young hands that had run over it throughout the years. The stairs were marble and cracked in places, dipping a little where they’d also been worn down over time.
Voices became audible as we reached the second level, making Doug smile, and he headed toward the first open door, stopping just outside. “The kids.”
I peeked my head in to find Lexi sitting with another little girl. She was grinning from ear to ear as she pantomimed walking the doll I’d gotten her across the floor to her new playmate. Randall was with her, sitting in a chair with Hank’s comic book, but Mike was nowhere in sight. He was probably following Devon around.
The room had been a classroom, but to my surprise, it had been completely transformed. All the desks were gone, and in their place sat cots, nearly a dozen of them in a line. There was also a good collection of toys and books off to the side, all of them looking brand new.
“Just the kids sleep here?” I asked, turning my gaze to Doug.
“And some women,” he explained.
Kiaya, too, was studying the room, and she didn’t look at him when she asked, “Their moms?”
“Not most of them,” he said, his voice sad. “There are a couple kids with moms left, but mostly the women who sleep here had kids of their own that didn’t make it through the virus.”
That got Kiaya’s attention, and her gaze snapped to Doug.
“That’s awful.” My thoughts turned to Buck as I replayed what he’d told me the night before.
“It is.” Doug turned away from the room. “You guys are on the third level.”
Lexi and Randall hadn’t noticed us, so I took that to mean they were having a good time and followed without hesitation. Kiaya, however, stood watching the little girl for a few seconds longer before joining us. By then we’d made it to the stairs, where we climbed higher, not stopping until we’d reached the third and final level.
“This is it,” Doug said, waving to an open door.
It was brighter up here, as if not all the windows had been covered, and the light streaming in through them illuminated a welcoming sight when I stepped into the room. Like the other one, the desks had been removed. The room had also been partitioned using the kind of dividers you saw in office buildings, creating little cubicle rooms. I moved deeper, Kiaya behind me, and peeked into the first one. A bag I recognized as Buck’s was on the cot, along with his cowboy hat. A bottle of whiskey sat on the floor.
Across from it, I found Lisa’s stuff sitting on the bed, and more belongings in the others. Each living space only held one bed, but there was room to squeeze two in, which I knew some people would appreciate. I wasn’t sure Randall or Lexi would be okay without each other, and Zara would probably want to sleep with Kiaya.
Then there was Devon…
I thought about how I’d almost asked him to stay in my room the other night, and how he had last night, but how we’d done nothing but sleep. Suddenly, I regretted not taking advantage of the privacy when we had it. There wouldn’t be much here. Almost none.
“It’s great,” I lied when I turned to face Doug. “Exactly what we need.”
He beamed under the praise. “Glad you like it.”
I found the little cubicle where my own things had been deposited and took a moment to dig through them, pulling out the family picture I’d packed.
Kiaya had walked to the other side of the room, quietly surveying all the cubicles, and was now heading back. She’d said nothing, but she didn’t look displeased by the setup. There was no reason for anyone to be unless they’d been secretly thinking about squeezing in a little alone time with the sexy ex-cop who couldn’t seem to keep his hands—or lips—to himself.
Sigh.
“Where did the beds come from?” Kiaya asked, nodding at the cubicle to her left.
“The Red Cross was in the process of setting up a refugee center at Hobart Arena,” Doug replied, turning his gaze on me since I was the only one who knew the place he was referring to. “They never got to use it, though. The virus moved in too fast. We were able to get a lot of supplies from it, at least.”
Kiaya lifted her eyebrows. “Why not set up there, then?”
“It’s in the middle of town, and we decided this would be easier to fortify the school since it’s more secluded.”
My mind was still on Devon, and I had to force myself to focus on Doug when I asked, “What did you do with all the desks?”
“Stacked them in front of doors. We boarded up everything but wanted to make sure getting in was really tough, so we moved all the furniture we didn’t need. It’s secure.”
“Smart,” I said, even though part of me was wondering if they’d made it too secure. What if they had to get out in a hurry, and the only available exits were blocked by zombies or, God forbid, people who wanted to cause trouble? Would we be trapped?
“Where do you think everyone else is?” Kiaya asked before I could voice my concerns.
“Probably the cafeteria, or maybe even the command post. Not many people hang out in the rooms during the day. Not only is there too much work to do, but it’s also better to stick together.” Doug turned, heading for the door. “I’ll show you the way.”
We headed down, but when we reached the room Lexi and Randall were in, Kiaya stopped. “Are they okay here?”
“Sure.” Doug shrugged like it was a silly question. “The kids wander back and forth throughout the day.”
“What if something happens and they’re here alone?” she asked.
She had an excellent point.
“We have a barricade, and people keep an eye on the parking lot. They’ll be fine.”
Kiaya and I exchanged a look but followed Doug when he started walking. I’d kind of expected this group to be a little more militant.
We went back the way we’d come, passing the front door and heading deeper into the building. Like Doug had said, every exterior door we passed had dozens upon dozens of school desks stacked in front of them, and teachers’ desks, too. It definitely wouldn’t be easy for someone to get in, but like I’d thought, getting out in a hurry would be a pretty challenging as well.
The voices I’d heard when we first stepped into the building got louder as we neared the cafeteria. Lunch tables were set up around the room, but only a handful of people sat at them, most of them kids. Hank and Zara were at one of them, but no one else I recognized was present.
Spotting us, Zara jumped to her feet and rushed over.
“Kiaya!” She threw herself into her sister’s arms, hugging her tightly. “I was starting to get worried.”
“No need to worry,” Kiaya said, her voice softer than usual. “We’re okay.”
The girl pulled back and looked at me. “Did you take care of your mom?”
“I did,” I said, once again having to blink back tears. “We buried her in the back yard.”
“That’s good.” Zara’s eyes lit up. “Devon will be happy to see you. He’s been going crazy.”
“I’m sure,” I said, laughing.
“Do you know where they are?” Kiaya asked her sister.
“That way,” Zara waved out the door. “The room with all the maps.”
“Command post,” Doug corrected, puffing out his chest.
“Whatever.” The teen rolled her eyes.
Hank hadn’t moved from the table, but he was watching our exchange. I gave him a little wave, and he returned it, not smiling, and I had to force mine not to fade. Something about that kid was starting to really bug me.
“We’re going to head over and see what everyone else is doing,” Kiaya said. “Do you think you can go check on Lexi? She was on the other side of the building with Randall and another kid, and I don’t like the idea of them being so far away.”
“Yeah.” Zara took a step away from the cafeteria, then stopped and looked back at Hank as if trying to decide what to do.
They’d been spending so much time together that I expected her to ask him to go with her, but she turned away without saying anything to him and headed off. Alone. Maybe he was starting to bug her, too.
Doug was frowning as he watched her walk away, then he turned his focus on Kiaya. “I told you the kids wander over there all the time.”
“I can still worry,” she said.
On the other side of the room, the window leading into the kitchen was open and a few women were visible. The quiet sound of chatter was accompanied by the banging of metal against metal, like they were preparing a feast or something.
“The ladies are making lunch,” Doug said as if reading my mind. “I’ll introduce you later, though. After I’ve shown you the rest of the place.”
“Thanks,” I said, although I wasn’t in a rush.
The way he’d said it made it sound like he expected us to start working in the kitchen, too. Since it seemed like they had more than enough hands in there at the moment, I didn’t see the point. Plus, I wanted to learn how to live in this world, and while figuring out how to cook without electricity would help me, it wasn’t my number one goal right now.
“Let’s go find the others,” I said, nodding the way Zara had indicated.
Doug started walking, but he was looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “How long have you known this Devon guy?”
Kiaya let out a little snort, and I had to resist the urge to elbow her.
“Almost two weeks,” I replied, keeping my voice as emotionless as possible.
“Only two weeks?” he said thoughtfully. He was still watching me. “You seem pretty close already.”
“Fighting for your life as you travel the country will do that to a person.”
Once again, I worked at keeping my voice level and unconcerned. It wasn’t easy, because I wanted to snap at him. The jealous bit wasn’t cute, especially on someone who dumped me, and while I’d decided to let go my bitterness go and start over, that didn’t mean I was going down that road again.
“I guess.” Doug acted like he didn’t believe it.
It didn’t matter. He hadn’t been there, so he couldn’t understand.
“It was a long trip,” Kiaya said, “and it felt like a lot more than a few days.”
“It did,” I agreed, and this time I didn’t try to hold in my sadness. “It felt like years.”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
“Must have been tough.” Doug let out a long sigh. “I had to come from Michigan, which still felt way too far. And there hadn’t even been any zombies. Just armed guards at all the checkpoints.”
“We saw some of that,” I said, “but the farther east we got, the more civilization seemed to have slipped away.”
“I’m sure.” Doug’s frown deepened.
My focus shifted from him when a voice I recognized made my heart leap in my chest, and I started walking faster. Doug didn’t have to tell me which room the command center was in, because the door was already wide open and artificial light was streaming into the shadowy hallway. I stopped just outside when I reached it, my gaze moving quickly over the r
oom. Like the others we’d seen, the furniture had been moved or rearranged, and now only a huge rectangular table—probably from an art class or something—sat in the center. Maps had been taped to the walls and written on, some areas crossed off while others were circled, and papers were spread out across the table. The room was packed. Gabe, Max, Brian, and a few other men I hadn’t met were present, along with the rest of our group—Mike included. Unsurprisingly, Lisa was the only woman. I was starting to think Devon had been right about this group. They thought the big strong men should be in charge while the women stayed home and cooked and cleaned for them. No, thanks.
“There you are!” Lisa cried when she saw us.
Devon turned, and the second he saw me, his eyes lit up. “Thank God.”
He crossed the room in two long strides, grabbing my wrist and pulling me against him. I expected a kiss, but instead he wrapped me in a hug. His arms were heavy around me, his grip tight and his body warm, and it was probably the safest I’d felt since this whole thing started.
“I’ve been going crazy,” he said in my ear, his lips right against the lobe.
Tingles shot through me, and I had to resist the urge to let out a sigh of contentment.
“We got here as soon as we could.”
Devon pulled back but didn’t let me go. “You got it taken care of?”
“We did,” I said, the words choked with emotion. “Doug was a big help.”
Devon nodded, and something flashed in his eyes that I didn’t like. Doubt. Uncertainty.
“Good,” was all he said.
“Glad you’re back, Phillips,” Gabe said, patting Doug on the shoulder.
“Glad to be back.”
Devon finally released me and turned to face the room, but he didn’t let go of my hand. “This is Rowan and Kiaya.” He nodded to the two men I hadn’t met. “Rick and Ari.”
Rick was a few years older than Gabe, probably close to fifty, but good-looking. His olive skin suggested he was of Mediterranean descent, possibly Greek, and gray dotted his dark hair at his temples. Ari was darker, definitely Indian, and younger, with a boyish face that defied his broad shoulders. Both men were as beefy as the rest of the guys, which made me wonder if that was some kind of prerequisite for joining this group. Did they have auditions? I couldn’t even begin to guess how these men had met, but they made Miller look positively scrawny in comparison, and the way he’d slinked to the back of the room, clearly keeping his distance, said he felt the disadvantage.
Far Series | Book 2 | Far From Safe Page 27