Alive (Sundown Series Book 3)

by Courtney Konstantin

  The irony was not lost on Rafe that he was being lectured about a leash in the woods, while dead people walked the streets. He cocked his head at the man, waiting for him to answer his first question. When it seemed like the man was planning on staying silent, Rafe decided to continue.

  “You don’t look like you were prepared for the woods. What are you doing out here?”

  “Hiding. What else would we be doing?”

  “Hiding, dressed like that? That doesn’t seem smart. You ran quickly I’m guessing. You don’t camp much either or you would have the equipment to bring instead of what you probably grabbed at Walmart,” Rafe explained.

  “Well, it was all we could think to do, with those things wandering the streets. After we ran into the first ones, we knew the town wasn’t safe,” the woman said, her voice low and wheezing.

  The sound of the woman caused Rafe to take another closer look at her. At first glance, he hadn’t noticed the pallor of her skin, pale and gray. She seemed to hug herself in the large jacket she wore. When she spoke, the man shot her a glance as if to tell her to shut up. He didn’t want Rafe hearing her speak.

  “Are you sick?” Rafe asked, not one to leave the situation unaddressed.

  “That’s none of your business,” the man said without hesitation.

  “If she was bitten, which I am about ninety percent sure she was, she will die soon.”

  “You son of a bitch! How are you going to come here, into our camp, and tell us who’s going to die,” the man yelled, as his hand reached behind him.

  Rafe didn’t hesitate, he took the safety off of the shotgun and leveled it at the man. Storm started a low growl, easily realizing his new master was going on the defense.

  “See, my dog here,” Rafe said, nodding his head toward Storm, “doesn’t like the infected. He reacts the way he did because she’s infected and he knows it. I’m sorry for that. I really am. But unfortunately, a bite is all it takes. You need to be prepared.”

  The man’s hand came back to his side, a small revolver held there now. He made no move to point it at Rafe, just let it hang as if to show strength. Rafe knew he would let off a shot before the man could raise the revolver. He didn’t want it to come to that. Killing living people, scared people, wasn’t something Rafe could stomach. He wanted all living people to survive. But hiding away wasn’t going to help the woman not turn. She was the same as Aiko, Charlie’s friend. One bite was all it took before she died, turned and attacked.

  “I don’t want to hurt you. We will head back the way we came. Just be careful,” Rafe said.

  The couple didn’t speak as Rafe slowly backed away. He didn’t believe the man could aim his small gun, but he wasn’t turning his back on the chance he was wrong. Twenty feet away, Rafe whistled for Storm. The dog also backed away without turning, keeping his eyes trained on the infected woman. She was crying openly now. Rafe felt guilt for blurting out what he did. The attitude wasn’t something Rafe handled well. The short man pressed the buttons that turned off Rafe’s filter.

  Once they were out of direct eyeshot of the pair, Rafe finally turned and ran back the way they had come. He didn’t need to worry about knowing the way, Storm led them right back to Charlie. She sprang up from where she sat.

  “What happened? What was out there?”

  “We need to go, now,” Rafe said as soon as he had his breath back.

  He started pulling on his bag and guns. Charlie watched for a moment, before following his lead and getting her gear back into place. She closed up the medical bag, realizing there was no time for a fix on Rafe’s wounds.

  “Rafe, what happened? What spooked Storm?”

  “The woods won’t be safe, the infected will be here soon.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Home sweet home.”

  Rafe’s flashlight beam crossed walls of stone and floor that was covered with dirt and debris. The shallow cave didn’t leave room for animals to hide, but he kicked around some of the sticks and leaves just to make sure. Small animals may have used the space for hiding at one point, but now it would become a refuge for Rafe and Charlie. He turned to her now and watched the determination on her face as she looked at the cave in the waning sunlight.

  The hike took them the full two days, longer than Rafe had anticipated. He knew it was mostly because of his injury. After they hiked away from where Rafe found the sick woman and her male friend, they had gone well into darkness. Rafe had wanted to put as much distance between them and the soon to be infected. Once they stopped for camp, Rafe had collapsed from exhaustion. Charlie fussed over him, butterflying his injury closed where he had pulled stitches. She would have spoon fed him the soup they warmed over a small fire if he had let her.

  The second day was a little easier on Rafe, the pain in his side diminishing daily. He still wasn’t moving as fast as he wanted. When the sun started to set, he was determined to make it to the campsite before the light was completely gone. He almost cheered when the cave came into sight. It was a sweet thing to see after all those years. Though he hiked in the woods often, he never found a reason to come back to the spot where he and Max had camped for so long. It was like visiting a family member’s home, a place you only wanted to swing by for a little stay, not permanently live.

  “Well, it’s manageable,” Charlie finally said, setting her bug out bag near the back wall.

  “I think so. We will hang the tarp and a camo net I have in front of the entrance. That will give us protection from the elements. We should also be safe to use some light and fire if we keep the tarp down well.”

  “Very homey. Where do we start?” She said, rolling up her sleeves.

  Together they pulled the tarp tight across the entrance of the cave, using paracord tied to trees on either side. The tarp was cut to hang like curtains. Then Rafe used rocks at the bottom to anchor it, testing it for when they wanted it closed. Next, the net was hung as well, woven with the paracord to hang with the tarp. It didn’t slide easily but all they needed to do was be able to duck under when they wanted in or out.

  It will have to do, Rafe thought to himself. He pictured getting back into town and bringing a tent back out. If he could pitch that in the cave, Charlie could have privacy whenever she wanted. Rafe was sure this was well below any standards she had, but Charlie never complained as she used a branch as a makeshift broom. After a few minutes, the inside was fairly clear of any debris and Charlie was proud of herself. Rafe smiled, thinking of the next task he could give her.

  Storm wandered in and out, pushing the tarp out of the way with his nose. Rafe knew the dog was just insulting his makeshift door. They didn’t worry about Storm running off. The dog hadn’t been put on a leash yet and he had always chosen to stay close to them. It was both comforting and frightening. Rafe worried they would wake up one morning and he would be gone. The worry was odd to Rafe, he didn’t even realize he liked the dog. He also knew that Charlie was quite attached, and he didn’t want her upset by the dog disappearing.

  Rafe decided to put their beds at the far end of the cave. That way if there was a storm, rain and wind wouldn’t bother them greatly. He explained to Charlie that they needed branches, that had just recently fallen, to make beds.

  “Trust me. It will be better than a sleeping bag on the rock.”

  “Makes sense. What about cooking? Are we going to do that in here?”

  “Mostly. If it’s safe we might be able to have a bigger fire outside sometimes. But mostly everything needs to be small inside. When I go into town, I’m going to see about getting a small camping stove or barbecue,” Rafe said.

  He ducked under the tarp and swung his light around. He didn’t see anything while Storm stood calm next to him, tongue lolling out and relaxed. Charlie quickly followed behind him and she grabbed his arm before he could walk away.

  “Go to town? Why are you going into town?”

  “We’re going to need supplies if we are staying out here for a while. I can hunt and fi
sh. There is moving water not far from here that can be sanitized. But we need more than that, in case there are problems,” Rafe explained.

  “Why do you make it sound like you’re going alone to town.”

  Rafe knew he was in for an argument by the way Charlie’s fists went to her hips. He couldn’t clearly see her eyes, but he knew from experience they were looking greener than before.

  “I am.”

  “Rafe Duncan, you must be the most stubborn man on this planet. Hell, you would rival the most stubborn animals,” Charlie said, exasperated.

  Rafe looked at her as if she had lost her mind. He had no idea what stubbornness had to do with keeping her safe. As he thought about it, he decided leaving Storm with her was also a good idea. But Charlie wasn’t done with her argument.

  “You just got shot, I had to stitch you up. Remember that? You are still recovering. And yet, your macho attitude isn’t diminished at all is it?”

  “Whoa. Ok. So, enlighten me here, since you clearly know me so well, what is it I’m doing that is so macho?” Rafe said, his sarcasm apparent.

  “Leaving me behind. Always trying to protect me. Thinking I can’t do anything.” Charlie used her fingers to punctuate and count each of her issues.

  “Who showed up on who’s doorstep wanting help?” Rafe knew it was a low blow, but he had enough of the argument.

  “I....well ok. Sure. I needed some help. It’s ok to ask for help. Did you know that, Rafe? You can ask for help. People can help you. I can help you. Watch your back. Like I did back in that alley. Remember me braining an infected as it tried to come up behind you?”

  Rafe did remember and he held back the wince realizing she had a decent point. His instinct was to protect her. To do that he believed he needed to leave her behind, keep her away from the infected. And away from any mercenaries that may come calling. However, he now had a different idea.

  “What if I teach you?” Rafe suddenly said.

  “Teach me what?”

  “How to fight? How to shoot? How to survive?”

  “So, you will show me how to handle myself on my own?” Charlie asked.

  “Well, I hope you won’t be on your own. We are a team right now, so I need you to have the skills to watch my back,” Rafe said.

  Charlie seemed to mull that over. She bent to pick up a branch that was at her feet. As she turned it around, Rafe couldn’t see her face in the darkness. He was about to shine his flashlight on her to get an answer when she finally spoke up.

  “Deal. You teach me. We watch each other’s backs.”

  “Deal. Now can we make our beds? I’m exhausted,” Rafe said.

  Rafe carried a small ax as they looked for green branches nearby. When they didn’t find as many as he wanted, he started to chop younger branches. Storm picked up sticks around their feet and ran them back to the cave, working his wood collection trick again. After a few trips to the makeshift homestead, Rafe had enough branches to build two small cushions. He showed Charlie to interweave them some, so they didn’t just spread out after you laid down. Then he used a little paracord to tie it into a bed at the foot and head. Charlie laid down to test hers and sighed quietly as she found it to be comfortable enough.

  They ate by lantern light that night. MREs were eaten quickly in exhaustion. With the light turned out, Rafe worked on getting comfortable in his sleeping bag. He felt around remembering where everything was. His knives were nearby, his 9mm at his head, his hunting knife on the other side with his flashlight. He wanted to move quickly if anything came near their them. Storm was curled up by Charlie, his normal chosen sleeping place. Rafe was confident if anyone was to come within his senses, Storm would be up and waking them immediately.

  With these thoughts, Rafe fell into a deep sleep. The fresh air, the quiet sounds of the woods, and Charlie’s deep breathing, seemed to lull Rafe. His body was still fighting to mend itself and gain back the blood loss from the days before. He wasn’t allowing it the time it needed and part of him knew that. But the rest of his mind knew that they had to get to safety. His body won out now, dragging him deep away from consciousness, allowing the black of dreamlessness to keep him.

  Rafe wasn’t woken by the morning sun, but instead by the lick of a dog to the face. He sat up faster than he intended and hissed as his side woke up in pain as well. Storm sat next to him, head cocked to the side, waiting. Rafe glared at him and then at the woman that was sitting against the wall trying to not laugh. She had a book in her lap and was watching Rafe with a smile on her face. He gave in and leaned over to pet the dog. This was all the invitation Storm needed. He practically climbed into Rafe’s lap to get his love. Charlie’s laugh was now audible, echoing lightly in the cave.

  “Afternoon, sleepy head,” Charlie finally said, once Rafe fought his way out from under the fur ball.

  “Afternoon? Are you kidding me?” Rafe said. He looked out the small opening in the tarp that Charlie must have left. The lack of shadows nearby told him she wasn’t kidding, it had to be around noon.

  “Yup. We’ve been awake for a few hours. I think your body finally decided to have its own way and make you rest.”

  “Guess so. What have you been doing?”

  “Reading. Storm has collected some more firewood. I figured wandering far wouldn’t be a great idea, since I’m not sure I would find my way back yet,” Charlie explained, putting the book on her bed and standing up.

  “Smart. How about we head to the stream and clean up a bit?” Rafe asked.

  “Oh, I would love that, even though I’m sure it’s freezing.”

  “Snowmelt tends to be cold,” Rafe said ruefully.

  They walked slowly today, with no emergency on their heels. Rafe was still armed with his knives and gun. He didn’t want to become too comfortable. It was unlikely the government mercenaries could follow the path they took. Rafe had covered spots where their footprints may have showed too deeply. The rest of the forest floor was hard and covered in natural debris from the surrounding trees. As unlikely as the event may be, or for the infected to find their way there, Rafe still need to be prepared.

  Charlie chatted about the forest and how they never camped when she was a child. Rafe listened but didn’t need to say much. Charlie liked to talk, and he didn’t mind letting her do it. It was interesting to hear about how a person grew up that wasn’t raised by someone like Mitch Duncan. The trees were a second home to Rafe, had been since he was young. Yet, seeing it through Charlie’s eyes he realized some of the beauty he had forgotten about. His view was always looking for things that were useful. She saw an adventure and pretty things, as she pulled a flower from the ground and smelled it before putting it behind her ear with a small laugh.

  Getting to the stream was easy. It was swollen this time of year with the snow melt flowing down, creating more of a small river. Charlie scooped water and splashed her face, sighing as the cool water cleared away some of the grime that had collected during the last few days. She then dropped the pack she was carrying and pulled out a piece of cloth she had found. She soaked it and turned to Rafe with it in her hand.

  “Let’s see your stomach and back. This is cold enough that if there’s any swelling, it could help a little,” she instructed.

  Rafe took his shirt off and let her remove the bandages. She inspected her work, muttering under her breath about sutures and lack of infection. The cold compress caused Rafe to jump and goosebumps to break out across his skin. Charlie laughed, a little too happy to torture him with the cold. He sat and held the compress as she instructed. The cold seemed to help with some of the pain as well at the stitch site and Rafe enjoyed the reprieve.

  Charlie kicked off her boots after approval from Rafe. Setting them and her socks aside, she pulled her pants up to wade a little into the water. The weather was bright and clear, but in the mountains where they were, a chill still hung in the air. Charlie proceeded to give herself a small sponge bath without removing any of her clothes. Rafe pulled out a l
arge empty water bottle he had in the pack they carried down. He filled it with the cold water. He was sure the water was clean but decided to boil it for safety when they got back to the cave.

  He found himself thinking about the animals back on the compound. He knew the cows would be miserable without someone there to do the milking. On any normal day, Rafe could never sleep beyond his normal dawn wake up. Chores had to get done, animals relied on him, the compound was his to maintain. But out in the wilderness with an injury, his body just wanted to rest. He leaned against a tree, letting his eyes droop closed again.

  This time, he didn’t find darkness behind his eyelids. He was back in the grocery store, with the volleyball player that he hadn’t ended. The pretty woman was now starting to decompose, no longer holding the youthful look of life as she did before. When Rafe came up behind her, he found that she wasn’t alone. No, the infected woman had found a meal and she was relishing in the fresh meat. When she sat up from her kill, Rafe was able to see the face of the now dead person. Charlie’s green eyes stared dead at the ceiling. Rafe found himself screaming no over the sound of cackling. In his dream, he couldn’t understand where the laughing was coming from. But when he looked at the infected volleyball player, he realized she watched him and laughed. Laughed at him making the mistake of leaving her to live her dead life.

  A cold feeling on his face brought Rafe abruptly out of his dream. He sat forward too fast, hurting his side and smacking his head into Storm’s nose. The cold sensation on his face was Storm nosing at him, trying to wake him from the nightmare. Rafe’s heart continued to pound as his eyes searched for Charlie. She was still in the water, looking at her feet as she walked to the far side. Only Storm seemed to be wise to Rafe’s troubled mind and the dog pressed against Rafe’s side in a moment of comfort. Rafe hung his arm over the dog, hugging his warm body as he willed the nightmare to drift away.

  Later that afternoon, the trio sat inside around a fire. Rafe had used the wood that Storm seemed to collect and created a small enough fire to boil the water he had collected. He watched it, waiting for the roiling boil to start so he would know how long he had before pulling it off. They had six small water bottles between the two of them, plus two hydro flask bottles that could hold hot or cold beverages. During their hike from the compound, they had used most of their water for cooking and drinking. Rafe wanted to make sure they had some stocked up in case they couldn’t get back to the stream for a day or so.