by Chelsea Luna
“What?” Lindsay squeaked.
Selena defensively cradled her injured palm. “No.”
Adam fell to his knees beside her. His eyes were wild. “Selena, it’s the only way. Maybe I can stop the infection. Please, we have to try.”
Something passed between Cage and Rachel, but Selena couldn’t tell what. Did they agree with Adam?
“Nicky! Give me the goddamn axe!” Adam shouted over his shoulder. “Selena, we have to do this quickly.”
The desperation in Adam’s eyes was more frightening than when the zombie had grabbed her from behind.
Sweat beads appeared on Adam’s forehead like a can of cold soda sitting in the July heat. He reached for his backpack and wildly flung items onto the concrete. “I’ll cut off your hand and then we’ll treat the wound. You’ll be okay. I can do this. I have pain medicine and antibiotics. We’ll have to keep the wound clean. Maybe I can cauterize —“
Cage stepped forward. “Adam.”
“Nicky, if you don’t give me that axe now —” Adam threatened.
Nicky had retreated from the circle. He gripped the axe handle like it was his lifeline. He shook his head back and forth. His eyes searched the others for help.
“Adam, we can’t cut off her hand,” Rachel started.
Adam thrust his finger at Rachel. “Don’t! Not you. Don’t tell me you won’t help me! Find a belt or something that we can use as a tourniquet.”
Rachel glanced nervously at Cage.
Selena touched his hand. “Adam.”
He stopped his frantic search through the backpack.
“Adam,” she repeated softly. “It’s too late.”
“No,” he moved closer. “No, it’s not too late. I can do it. I can save you. We have to do it now.”
Selena moved her hand to his cheek. Rough stubble scratched against her palm. She wanted to remember the feeling of it — the prickly sensations against her skin, just like when he kissed her. “Adam, it’s too late. I can feel it inside me.”
“What?”
“It’s hot inside my veins. I feel it everywhere. In my neck and stomach. Even in my feet.”
Adam’s face fell. “It’s in your head. You know you’re infected and your mind is tricking you into thinking that’s what you feel. If we cut off your hand, we can stop the infection before it spreads.”
She shook her head. “It’s too late.”
He buried his head into her chest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you behind. I should’ve kept you by my side.”
Selena ran her hands through his thick hair. “It’s not your fault.” She gently raised his chin so he had to look her in the face. “Don’t do this, Adam. I don’t want the time that I have left with you to be like this.”
The others gave them some distance. The once suffocating circle around her had collapsed the moment Adam had started talking about cutting off limbs.
“I love you, Adam, but you have to do it soon.”
The burning sensation moved through her body. It reminded her of when a doctor would give her a shot — the flush of medicine into her body. Except this time, it was much stronger, like the delivery system was a fire hose instead of a tiny needle. Selena felt the virus flooding into her organs. Invading her insides.
“I can’t.” Adam shook his head. “I can’t do it.”
“Please,” Selena pleaded. Real fear began to set in. She didn’t want to become a zombie. “Don’t let me turn into one of those things. Please.”
They locked eyes until Adam finally nodded. She kissed him lightly on the lips, trying to store the taste of him into her eternal memory. Would she go to Heaven? Was there a Heaven? Or was it just the end?
Adam’s back straightened. He swept his arm under her knees and the other behind her back. He lifted her from the concrete.
“Adam? What are you doing?” Selena asked.
“Let’s go!” Adam barked. He started jogging down the street with Selena in his arms.
“Wait! Where are we going?” Nicky asked, running behind him.
“To Manny’s house.” Adam looked down at Selena. “I’ll do it,” he whispered. “I promise, I’ll do it, but not out here on the street. Not like that. I’ll get you to Manny’s.”
Selena didn’t argue. If taking her to Manny’s would somehow ease Adam’s pain, then she didn’t care. She didn’t have long. She could feel it. Despite the heat radiating through her organs, she suddenly felt chilly. Like a gust of cold air had surrounded her skin. Goosebumps erupted over her arms.
They ran down the abandoned street and turned onto another. She could hear the others behind them, racing to keep up with Adam’s athletic stride. The jostling of the run jarred her bones. Selena bit down on her lip, not wanting to scream out in pain. Her body was sensitive to everything. Movement. Smells. The worst was her sight. The sunlight burned her eyes. Her vision had clouded, like she was looking through a muddy pair of contacts.
“What happened?” Nicky asked.
Selena exhaled, the movement sending aches through her lungs. She swallowed. Her throat felt dry and scratchy.
“It snuck up from behind,” Lindsay said. “We had the kids in front of us and we were looking into the store. None of us heard it.”
“Only one?”
“Yeah, it grabbed Selena and when she pushed it away, it bit her hand. It brought her down to the sidewalk, but Finn knocked it off with that metal rod.”
Selena squeezed her eyes at the memory of the nasty decayed body snatching her from behind. The smell of rot still filled her nostrils.
“We’re almost there,” Adam whispered, breathing heavily.
Selena opened one eye, ignoring the painful sunlight. The abandoned warehouses had given way to an urban neighborhood. The houses were in disrepair, many of them abandoned. Most of the windows were boarded, but Selena wasn’t sure if they were like that before the zombies arrived or not. Adam raced across the cracked sidewalk. They passed an abandoned lot where the grass had grown higher than Finn and Morgan.
Adam came to an abrupt stop in front of a blue house enclosed by a chain link fence. The old structure was built on a slope. Every visible window was boarded with wood. An enormous plywood sign was propped against the wraparound porch with black spray-painted words that read: We Shoot Trespassers.
“Is this Manny’s house?” Cage asked.
“Yes.” Adam handed Selena to Cage, hopped over the chain link fence and then extended his arms out as soon as his legs hit the grass on the other side. Cage handed Selena to Adam over the fence.
“Come on, get in. Let’s not attract any zombies.”
“Did anyone else see the no trespassing sign?” Nicky asked.
Adam raced up the creaky steps, holding Selena tight against his chest. “Manny’s my cousin. We’re not trespassing.”
Nicky looked down the street. “Yeah, whatever you say, man.”
“Knock on the door,” Adam said.
Cage opened the screen door and pounded against the wood.
The burning sensation that had invaded Selena’s muscles and organs was gone. It was replaced by a frigid coldness. It was like she was in an icebox, despite the July heat. Her teeth chattered.
“Are you sure anybody’s home?” Lindsay asked. “I don’t see a car in the driveway.”
“I doubt they’re out for a joyride,” Cage said. He knocked harder.
“Maybe he went to Ford Field?” Rachel scanned the street. “It’s not far from here.”
“Manny would never leave his house,” Adam said. “Selena, how do you feel?”
“I’m okay,” Selena lied.
I’m dead.
She didn’t have long. Her body was dying. The virus, or whatever it was, ate away at her organs. It would consume her from the inside until she died — and came back.
Adam couldn’t hide his anguish. “Knock again, Cage. We have to get Selena inside.”
Cage pounded on the door.
Nicky moved to the wind
ow and peered inside the house. The glass was missing and two boards crisscrossed against the window frame.
“I don’t see anyone in there,” Nicky said.
A whistling pierced the air.
The arrow blasted through the small opening between the boards in the window, soaring out of the house and sinking with a wet squish deep into Nicky’s shoulder.
Chapter Thirteen
Cage knew it was an arrow the moment it whistled through the air. Only an arrow made that sound — light and quick. Cage had heard that sound a hundred times hunting in Michigan’s northern woods with his father.
The sleek metal arrow plunged into Nicky’s shoulder. He looked down at the two-and-a-half-foot arrow protruding from his body and unleashed a string of profanities.
“Everyone on the floor!” Cage yelled.
Rachel was already in motion, shoving Morgan to the porch. Cage grabbed Finn and yanked the boy to the ground. “Nicky, how bad is it?”
Nicky lay on his back, holding his injured shoulder, cursing. His face scrunched up and he rocked back and forth in pain.
The giant arrow with fake red feathers poked out awkwardly from Nicky’s flesh. Lindsay crawled to him. She was crying again, her hands flapping in the air like she was drying a manicure. Lindsay had only one reaction to a crisis — frantic meltdown mode.
Adam, with Selena in his arms, was the only one who remained on his feet. “Manny, open the damn door! It’s Adam!” He kicked at the door.
Voices sounded from within the house, followed by furniture dragging across the floor. After a few moments, the door flew open. A muscular man with an inky black crew cut filled the doorframe. “Adam?”
“Manny, she’s hurt.” Adam’s voice wavered.
Manny’s dark eyes stopped on Nicky withering on the porch. “Is he with you?”
Adam nodded.
“Sorry.”
“Sorry?” Nicky yelled. “You freaking shot me with an arrow, dude! An arrow! Who does that?”
“At least it wasn’t a bullet to the head. I didn’t know you were with Adam.” Manny stepped aside so they could enter. “In all fairness, my sign says I shoot trespassers.”
Nicky cursed.
Cage bent down to help Nicky stand, not wanting Manny to kick them off his property because of Nicky’s mouth. Once they were inside, Manny bolted the door and pushed a stack of furniture in front of it.
“Take her up to my room, Adam,” Manny said.
Adam raced up the staircase and disappeared down the hall. Two other people were in the room with them — a lady with long dark hair and another guy covered in tattoos. He had a bandana tied around his head and his jeans threatened to fall off his ass. He glared at them like they had personally insulted him by being alive.
“I’m Manny Guerra, Adam’s cousin. This is my wife, Carmen, and my friend, Jorge Muñoz. We go way back. He’s like my brother.”
Nicky grumbled something.
“I’m sorry about your arm,” Manny said. “I’ll show you to the kitchen. Carmen can remove the arrow. She’s a nurse.”
Carmen nodded at Nicky. “Kitchen’s this way.” Nicky, Lindsay and Carmen disappeared down the hallway.
Cage extended his hand. “Thanks for letting us inside, I’m Cage Vance.”
Manny shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“This is Rachel, Morgan and Finn. The guy you shot is Nicky and the girl that went with him is Lindsay.”
Manny nodded. “And Adam’s girl?”
“Selena.”
“She’s hurt?”
Cage shifted his feet. He didn’t want to lie to Manny, but he didn’t want to get thrown out of the house if Manny found out Selena was infected. Cage decided to tell the truth, figuring Manny would find out anyways. “She was bit about ten minutes ago.”
Jorge, who had been standing motionless, visibly tensed. His mouth curled into a snarl. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a red-crusted machete.
Cage reacted and grabbed his tire iron. Who the hell was this guy?
Manny raised his hand, holding Jorge off. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?” Jorge balked. “She’s bit, man. She’s going to turn just like Lucia did. You know it.”
“We can give Adam some time to say good-bye.”
“How do you know he’ll do it?” Jorge challenged.
“Because he’s my cousin and I said he will. Are we going to have a problem?”
Jorge’s chest puffed out, but he didn’t challenge Manny. He glared at Cage and then stalked out of the room.
Manny exhaled. “I apologize. Jorge can be intense sometimes. He lost his sister a few days ago.”
“Don’t worry, Adam will do what needs to be done with Selena. When the time comes,” Cage added. He felt Rachel relax as soon as Jorge left the room. She’d put herself in front of the kids when Jorge pulled out the machete.
Manny motioned to the couch. “Please sit. I’ll get drinks.”
Rachel led Morgan and Finn to an overstuffed couch, but she kept her baseball bat in her hand.
Cage sat beside her. The rough fabric itched against his skin. “You okay?”
“I’m not a fan of Jorge,” Rachel whispered. “He’s trouble.”
After a few minutes, Carmen appeared with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of lemonade. She smiled at the kids. “You all must be thirsty.”
“How’s Nicky?” Rachel asked.
Carmen met Rachel’s eyes. “He’s okay. A little angry still, but I pulled out the arrow and bandaged his arm. It was a flesh wound. He’ll be sore for a few days, but he’ll be fine.”
“Thank you for the lemonade.”
“You’re welcome.” Carmen disappeared into the kitchen.
Manny returned to the living room and sat in a beat-up lounge chair. “Your friend has a lively mouth.”
“I apologize,” Cage said.
Manny shrugged. “I’d be the same way, too, if someone shot me with an arrow. I can’t be too careful. Zombies aren’t the only threat out there, especially in Detroit. There’s no police presence, so gangs are wreaking havoc.”
“Gangs? You’ve seen them?”
“They come out at night. Scavenging from house to house. It doesn’t matter if the house is abandoned or full of people. They don’t care. They take what they want. When they want. Killing at random. I suppose that’s what happens when there’s no one left to enforce the law.”
Cage held Rachel’s hand. “You seem to be doing well.”
Manny shrugged. “I get by. How is it out there?”
“Bad,” Rachel said. “It’s getting worse each day.”
“You came from Flint, too?”
Cage nodded. “We went to Ann Arbor before we headed here. We’re going to Ford Field next.”
“The safe zone?”
“Yeah,” Cage said. “Do you know anything about it?”
“Some of the people from the neighborhood went as soon as it was established. Packed all of their stuff and walked over a few days ago.”
“And?”
Manny shrugged again. “I don’t know. Cell phones don’t work anymore. Something’s wrong with the towers, but I assume my neighbors made it. They haven’t returned to their homes.”
“Why didn’t you go?” Rachel asked.
“I play better by myself.” Manny rested his forearms on his knees. “I don’t need the government telling me what to do and when to do it. We’re making out okay here and we’ll stay until we have no other choice. I’m surprised Adam’s going to Ford Field.”
“We don’t have anywhere else to go,” Cage said. “They say there are major safe zones down south. Is that true?”
“I’ve heard this and that. I’m not sure what’s true or not. I still have trouble believing those things are zombies.”
“They are,” Rachel said.
“Oh, I know. I’ve seen them up close and personal. But it’s hard to wrap my head around and I’ve seen some crazy things in my life
. I almost didn’t make it home that first day.” Manny cracked his knuckles.
“The first day the zombies attacked?”
“Yeah, but I mean I almost didn’t make it back to America. I was in Canada looking for some parts up in Windsor for my auto body shop. All these crazy reports came on over the radio. Then Carmen called and told me that the neighbor across the street attacked his wife. She said there was blood all over the driveway. Crazy shit. You know?”
Cage nodded.
“I hung up with Carmen and headed back, but the customs line at the border was backed up. I just wanted to get into Detroit and put my feet on American soil, if you know what I mean. But then I heard this weird noise. Splashing. I turned my head and, you’re not going to believe this, but I saw people in the water. Swimming.”
“Zombies?” Rachel asked.
Manny shook his head. “Humans.”
“What?” Cage asked.
“People trying to get out of Detroit,” Manny said. “They were swimming across the Detroit River to Canada — like this was the damn reverse Mexican border. Can you believe that? These people weren’t crazy or homeless. They had on nice clothes. Business suits. Upper-class suburbanites that were stuck in Detroit and wanted the hell out.”
Manny poured a glass of lemonade. “There was my dumb ass trying to get into Detroit. A few cars started honking when they saw the people in the water. It was chaos. You could feel the panic in the air.”
“Were they letting people through the border?” Cage asked.
“I don’t really know what happened, but there were shouts coming from my line at the customs booth. A guy was arguing with the immigration agent. People started screaming from their cars behind me. Then I heard three gunshots. Pow. Pow. Pow.” Manny pointed his fingers like a gun.
Morgan tensed. Cage wondered if she should be listening. The girl didn’t need any more fodder for nightmares. Finn didn’t seem disturbed by the story. He leaned in, holding onto Manny’s every word.
Manny downed the lemonade. “The next thing I knew, my line was moving. I followed the car in front of me, went with the flow of traffic, you know? I just drove right through the border without stopping to look at that poor customs agent shot to death in the booth.”