“Perfect,” he said.
He must have already loaded the batteries, because when he flipped the switch on the pump, it roared to life. We sat side by side on the floor, watching as air rushed in, filling the plastic bed a little at first and then more and more. It expanded, filling the small space, and once it reached the point of near-bursting, Devon flipped off the switch.
I eyed it. “Not bad.”
“Want to try it out?”
Before I could respond, he scooped me up and practically tossed me onto the bed. My body bounced, and I laughed, and a second later he was on me. His mouth covered mine again as he pulled me close, his arms around me, his chest pressed against mine. I could feel his heart beating when I put my palm against his pec.
We made out for a few minutes, my leg around his hip, his body moving against mine in a delicious way. It was as unrestrained as it had been in the command center, and a million times more intimate. Just like then, I found it hard to hold back. I’d never wanted anyone like this, never felt so close to someone so fast.
Devon moved his hips in a circle, and I groaned. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“I’m trying to,” he said against my neck.
He did it again, this time eliciting a gasp of pleasure from me.
“You keep doing that, and I’m not going to be able to stop,” I whispered.
“Good.” He kissed my neck, then my chest. “I don’t want to stop.”
“But we can’t. Not here. What if one of the kids walks in?”
Devon groaned. “Why the hell didn’t we do this last night?”
“Because we’re stupid, stupid people.”
He kissed me one more time, drawing it out, tracing his tongue across mine. Savoring it. Then he pulled away.
I opened my eyes and almost screamed.
“Hank!”
The teen was standing at the opening of my cubicle. Watching us.
“Sorry,” he said, backing away. “I just came in to get my comic.”
He didn’t look embarrassed or uncomfortable at all, and his eyes were still on us. It was like something out of a scary movie.
“No worries,” Devon said.
Hank nodded, his gaze moving over me again before he turned and walked away.
I could hear him moving around, so I couldn’t bring up any of my concerns right away, but after this, there was no way I could stay quiet. There was something very strange about that kid.
Devon pulled me over so my head was resting on his chest and took my hand. He started to thread his fingers through mine but stopped and turned my hand so he could see it.
“Where’d you get this?”
He was referring to my mom’s wedding rings.
Devon was the only thing that could have distracted me from the horrible events of the day, but he had. Now, though, I felt like I was transported back to my yard, to watching Doug roll my mom’s body into that hole. To watching her slowly disappear as he dropped shovelful after shovelful of dirt on her.
“It was my mom’s,” I whispered. “Doug took them off her for me.”
I hadn’t even asked him to. Hadn’t even thought about it. How had he known I’d want them?
“That was nice of him,” Devon said.
“It was.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.”
“It’s okay, really. Doug was the one who knew her, anyway, so it made sense that he was the one to help me.”
“Did it?” His voice was stiff, and I realized he’d gone rigid under me.
I twisted so I could face him. “You know there’s nothing to worry about, right?”
“From him, there is,” Devon said. “He still has feelings for you.”
“It doesn’t matter, because I don’t have feelings for him.” I crawled up his body, planting a kiss on his lips. “It’s all you, Devon.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
He kissed me again, and I melted into him, loving how secure I felt in his arms. Loving that he could help chase away the horror of this new world just by being next to me.
“I’m going to sleep well tonight,” he whispered against my lips. “I can already tell.”
“Me, too,” I said. “And not just tonight. Every night from here on out.”
Devon’s grin lit up his eyes. “I’m going to hold you to it.”
15
As predicted, I slept like a rock. I slept so well, in fact, that by the time I woke, everyone except Devon had left our room. He was still lying next to me, but he was wide awake. Just staring at me.
“You do that a lot,” I said as I stretched, turning my head when an early-morning yawn broke out of me. The last thing I wanted was for him to get a whiff of morning breath.
“Do what?” he asked.
“Stare at me.”
“Don’t you know why?”
I arched eyebrows. “It’s too early for guessing games.”
“It’s because you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Rowan. I thought you knew that.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to mask the flush that had moved up my cheeks. “You are a dork.”
His grin widened. “Maybe, but I’m not lying. You’re—” His gaze swept over me. “Breathtaking.”
“Stop.” I shoved him, trying to hide my face when heat flamed across my cheeks.
He caught my hand in his and pulled me closer. “Never.”
Despite my earlier apprehension about morning breath, I didn’t resist when he pulled me in for a kiss, and I didn’t even care that neither of us was minty fresh.
Knowing it was late, we dressed quickly so we could head out, and after a quick stop at the bathroom to brush my teeth—the toilets were useless, but thanks to the jugs of water, we could use the sinks—we headed down. I braided my hair as I walked, wanting to make sure it was out of my way, and when the hum of voices greeted us, I started walking faster.
People were gathered by the front door well before ten, and just like yesterday in the cafeteria, Gabe was front and center. Lisa and Kiaya were standing off to the side, leaning against the wall and watching as the fearless leader gave orders. Brian was next to him, and Doug was there as well. When my ex spotted me, he nodded in greeting, which I returned. Devon moved closer to me.
“We’re going to head out in three vehicles,” Gabe was saying to the group. “Brian will drive the first one, and seven people can go with him.”
Lane was the first to step forward. “I’m going.”
Gabe didn’t react, almost like he knew it was coming, but Brian scowled at her. It made him look even more like a villain. That guy gave me the creeps.
“Who else?” the leader called out.
A couple other women I hadn’t met stepped forward, and to my surprise, Hank did as well. I hadn’t noticed the kid before, and seeing him volunteer was weird. He’d been so quiet and withdrawn, only interacting with Zara for the most part, and every other time we were faced with the dead, he’d acted too scared to do anything.
He had been, however, very excited to see the M16 when we first got it, which might have explained why he was here now. Teenage boys were often enamored with firearms, and this was a relatively safe trip we were going on. Heading to the middle of nowhere, we probably wouldn’t run into many zombies, and even if we did, there were plenty of people to pitch in. It was low risk.
Brian and the people traveling with him headed out, and Gabe shifted his gaze to Doug. “Phillips will be driving the second vehicle. Who’s going with him?”
“We will,” Lisa said, grabbing Kiaya’s arm and pulling her forward.
I glanced at Devon, but he shook his head.
“I want to ride with Gabe, so I can get a better feel for him.”
Good idea.
Other people quickly volunteered, and soon they were heading out as well, Doug leading the way. I didn’t miss the way he puffed out his chest as he called for everyone to follow him.
“See
you in a bit,” I said to Lisa and Kiaya before they headed after him.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Devon added, nodding to Gabe.
Lisa snorted, her focus on me. “Have fun with that. The guy is a sexist ass.”
I nodded in agreement.
Once the group traveling with Doug was gone, Gabe turned to Rick and Ari, who were staying behind. “We shouldn’t be long, a couple hours at the most. I want people to learn to shoot, but I don’t want to waste a lot of ammo.”
I had a hard time not rolling my eyes at that.
Until Devon mentioned it, Gabe hadn’t wanted to teach anyone anything, and now he was pretty much taking credit for the idea. He was pompous on top of sexist.
“We’ll keep an eye on the place,” Ari said.
Gabe nodded once and slapped him on the shoulder then turned to us. “You ready for this?”
“Always,” I said with more confidence than usual.
I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down about heading out since we had no clue what to expect, but I was ready to learn to shoot, and odds were good that we wouldn’t run into a lot of trouble out there.
“Okay.” Gabe’s brown eyes studied me for a moment, and he let out a resigned sigh. “Let’s get this done.”
He headed out the door, nodding for us to follow. Devon did, grabbing my hand without even looking my way. He was too focused on the other man, studying him like he was a puzzle just waiting to be solved.
“Before we join the others, I want to head toward the fire,” Gabe continued. “We’ve been keeping tabs on how far it’s spreading, so we aren’t caught off guard, but it’s been a couple days.”
“Good idea,” Devon said.
It really was, as much as I hated to admit it. Seemed like Gabe wasn’t totally stupid.
We reached a pickup truck with an extended cab, and he climbed into the driver’s seat. I got in the back, knowing Devon would want to be up front, and also because I had no desire to sit next to the sexist man in charge.
Max was outside, waiting by the makeshift gate. It was already open since he’d let the other two cars out, but once Gabe had driven through, the other man hurried to get it shut.
We were silent as Gabe drove, all three of us focused on the pillar of smoke in the distance. It was definitely closer now, and bigger. Dark plumes billowed into the otherwise clear sky, leaving a black cloud hovering over the area on fire. When we got closer, the flames became visible, burning across an open field. Beyond it, the earth had been scorched to nothing.
The fire was bigger than I’d thought. From my house, the black cloud had seemed big, but as we drew closer to it now, the full impact of the devastation hit me. Two entire neighborhoods were already gone, a couple fields as well, and even more beyond that. Even worse, the fire showed no sign of slowing, and there was still no indication that rain was on the way. With each whoosh of the wind, the flames spread farther, too, meaning if something didn’t change soon, it could potentially reach us in a matter of days.
“Shit,” Gabe said as he slowed the truck in the middle of the deserted road. “It’s out of control.”
“There’s no stopping it unless it rains,” Devon said, leaning forward so he could look out the windshield and up at the sky.
He must have reached the same conclusion I’d already come to, because he frowned.
“With our recent luck,” Gabe said, unfolding a paper map, “it will be weeks.”
Using his teeth, he pulled the lid off a red Sharpie and started scribbling on the map. The tip squeaked as he moved it, making an X over the areas that had burned since the last time he was here. When he was done, he replaced the lid and tossed the map aside, not bothering to refold it.
“We should come up with a contingency plan,” Devon said as Gabe did a U-turn, preparing to drive back the way we’d come. “Figure out where we can evacuate to in case the fire continues to spread.”
“Yeah.” Gabe grunted out his displeasure. “Although I hate the idea of leaving behind all the work we’ve already put in.”
Devon only nodded.
He’d picked up the map and was scanning it, and I scooted forward so I could look at it over his shoulder. Some areas had been crossed out while others had been circled, and still others had boxes drawn around them. It took a moment to familiarize myself with what I was looking at, but once I had, I was able to get a better idea of the areas this group had already searched. The high school, junior high, and a few local restaurants had an X drawn over them, and there were notes next to Kroger and Meijer, while Walmart was circled.
Devon shifted the map, revealing more of the area north of Troy, and my gaze was drawn to the square that had been drawn around a section north of us and just off Interstate 75. The sight of it made my heart pound faster, because I immediately knew what it was. Upper Valley Hospital. Where my dad had worked. It brought to mind the things Mr. Ito had told me before he died.
“What’s this?” I asked, tapping my finger against the map.
Gabe ventured a look my way before focusing on the road again. “The hospital.”
“I know,” I said, tapping it again, more emphatically this time, “but why did you draw a square around it?”
The car slowed as he prepared to turn right, and once he had, he shot a quick glance my way. “The squares are the areas we need to avoid.”
“Because they’re overrun,” I said, almost to myself, and it wasn’t a question.
It made sense. So many people had flocked to the hospitals after getting sick, and if they’d all died there and come back, the building would most have likely been overrun with the dead. Even though it made my heart sink, it was also why I’d dismissed the things my neighbor had told me.
“Actually, no,” Gabe said. “A group took over the hospital right after the dead started coming back. Cleaned out part of it and set up a perimeter. It’s pretty secure.”
Again, my heart started pounding. Was he saying what I thought he was?
“Why avoid it, then?” Devon asked.
“Because they’re not friendly,” Gabe replied. “We went out there one day hoping to get some medical supplies. I didn’t think there would be a safe way to do it, because, like Rowan, I’d assumed the hospital would be overrun. The people opened fire before we could get close.”
My heart had started beating faster at the news that there were people at the hospital, but my excitement was short-lived. There was no way my dad would be involved with a group like that. Plus, if he was alive, he would have done everything in his power to make it home to Mom. He wasn’t the type of person to put his own safety first.
“Did you see anyone?” Devon was asking Gabe.
“We put up a white flag to let them know we came in peace and managed to make contact. Unfortunately, the asshole had a gun and told us to leave. Said he wasn’t interested in sharing, and if we wanted our own medical supplies, we were just going to have to find them somewhere else.”
The little hope I had left inside me deflated like a balloon that had a hole in it. There was no way my dad would be a part of something like that. He didn’t have a selfish bone in his body.
“Sounds like a nice group,” Devon said.
“You don’t even know the half of it,” Gabe said with a grunt of displeasure. “I’ve bumped into other people who claim they’re holding some doctors and nurses hostage. You know, so they’re covered if they need medical help.”
“Doctors? Hostage?” The words popped out of me on their own. “Who? What else do you know?”
Devon had turned to face me, his eyes wide with alarm. “What is it?”
“My dad.” I had to force myself to focus on him. “That’s the hospital where he worked.”
I had Gabe’s attention now, and he used the rearview mirror to focus on me. “Your dad’s a doctor?”
“An ER doctor,” I clarified. “He was at work and stopped calling my mom. She assumed he’d gotten sick.”
“Shit.” Somethin
g flashed in Gabe’s eyes. “What’s his name?”
“Dr. Washington.”
I focused on Devon, pleading with my eyes before I even said a word. “We have to find out if he’s there. We have to save him.”
“Rowan…” He ground his teeth like he was trying to decide what to say. “I understand how you feel, but I can’t promise we’ll be able to do anything. I mean, we have no clue how many people they have or how armed they are. There aren’t very many of us.”
Anger boiled up inside me. “Am I going to have to get Doug to help me again?”
He jerked away from the venom in my words. “Don’t do that. You know I’ll help if I can. I’m just trying to tell you that I can’t promise anything.”
“Well, I can,” I said. “I can promise that I won’t just walk away from this if I think there’s even a chance my dad is alive. How could I?”
“Devon’s right,” Gabe said. “I’m sorry if your dad’s there, but we’ve been there, and we’ve seen the place, and there’s no way in hell we’re going to risk all our lives for one person. That might make me sound like an ass or heartless, I don’t know, but it’s the reality of this situation.”
“You don’t have to,” I said. “I’ll go by myself.”
Devon turned so he was facing me completely, fear in his eyes. “Don’t do this, Rowan. Promise me.”
“I already gave you a promise, and I meant it.” I didn’t blink as my gaze held his. “If my dad is there, I’m getting him out. Somehow.”
Gabe glanced back at me and shook his head but said nothing. Not that it mattered. He could think I was a fool or stupid all he wanted. It didn’t matter. If my dad was alive and being held hostage, I couldn’t walk away. No one in my position would.
Devon was still staring at me, but he didn’t speak. He was thinking it through, trying to figure out what he could say to make me change my mind or maybe even how he could help me.
The rest of the drive to the farm was coated in tense silence. We had the windows down, allowing cool air into the car, and I knew we were close before the other cars came into view when the pop of gunfire floated in with the wind.
Far Series | Book 2 | Far From Safe Page 30