The men began to run toward us and then a woman followed. Mom stayed on the roof and aimed the rifle she was holding.
Something is wrong.
Mom began to panic, shrieking words I couldn't understand. I slowed down, pulling Halle to a stop, and I looked around. The wheat was swishing. Mom could see something we couldn't. There were infected in the field. They were heading toward us.
"Run!" Mom screamed.
I looked behind me, tightened my grip on Hall's hand, and began sprinting toward the farmhouse. The men were running toward us, weapons in hand. They must be friends of Mom's. They were just as invested as she was to get us to her, just like Joey had been.
The men called to us, motioning for us to run to them. I could run faster, but Halle's legs were going as fast as they could, and I wouldn't leave her behind.
Halle began to cry, the sound carrying every bit of her fear and relief, knowing that we were at the end of our journey either way.
A shot popped, echoing across the waving wheat. After a few seconds, I heard it again. It was Mom. She was shooting the infected in the field. The popping came steadily, each time cracking through the air, rumbling like thunder.
The first of the infected emerged from the wheat. I stopped and leaned back so hard that I fell, taking Halle with me.
The gunshots continued while I scrambled backward. A wall of tattered, rotting bodies formed between the men trying to save us and Halle and me. There were so many. It was as if the entire town of Shallot had followed us just to stop us right before we got to Mom.
The men and a woman began yelling to get the attention of the huge group of infected, but they kept coming at us. I could hear the wheat swishing behind us, and I knew we would be surrounded at any moment. I grabbed Halle and held her close.
"Mommy!" A shrill scream I barely recognized as my own emerged from my throat. "Mommy!"
A pop went off, and the closest infected fell, his brain matter spreading out and mixing with the red dirt. Another infected fell, and I knew Mom was taking out anything getting too close.
A man appeared from the field on the other side of the road and grabbed my arm. Halle and I screamed, but then the man pulled us up and pushed us behind him. Mom picked off another infected with her rifle, but there were more behind it. The man shoved one away from us, and it stumbled back, falling to the ground. Then another shot went off, this one much closer.
Our neighbor was standing at the end of the gun that had gone off.
"Go, Nathan!" our neighbor said to the man holding my arm.
Nathan looked down at us. "We're going into the other field and around, okay? Follow me. Stay close!"
We ran into the tall stalks, hunkered down like before. Nathan stopped for a moment and listened, and then he pulled me as I dragged Halle along.
"Just a little bit farther," Nathan said, guiding us through the wheat.
We stepped out of the field and onto red dirt again. This time, we were right in front of the driveway. We crossed the road and went through the yard toward the porch. A woman with long blonde hair opened her arms wide and guided us into the house.
Halle reached behind her. "Mommy?"
The woman's eyes were wide and worried, but she offered a comforting smile. "She's just going to help the others. You're safe. You're safe."
Two other girls were inside, warily watching us. One was my age, and the other was closer to Halle's age.
More shots rang out over and over. Halle covered her ears, and I pulled her into me.
She shook her head, sobbing. "Where's Mommy?"
"She's right outside. She'll be here soon. Do you remember me, Halle? I'm Ashley, the doctor's daughter. We've met before."
Halle nodded, and buried her face into my neck. Now that we were here, the wait was agonizing.
After a few minutes, the crack of gunshots slowed down, and then they stopped altogether, both from the roof and the road.
"I think it's over," Ashley said. Then, her shoulders shot up to her ears when two more pops sounded.
Ashley rushed outside, and I followed.
There she was, our mother, standing on the front porch, seeing us but not truly believing. I collapsed into her arms, pressing my face into her chest. Only by hearing her cries did I know that Halle had done the same. We all fell together in a heap on the porch, and Mom's body began to tremble and then shake as she cried right along with us, like I knew she would.
Mom lifted my chin and then cupped my cheeks, looking into my eyes in awe. She looked down at Halle, too, and then we began to laugh before crying again.
Nathan and our neighbor guided the blonde back to the house. She was bawling hysterically, reaching for the road, until our neighbor finally resorted to forcing her inside. The walls barely muffled her wails.
Nathan watched Ashley and our neighbor until they disappeared behind the door, and then he looked down at us in awe. "You have some incredible kids there."
"Miranda?" Mom asked.
Nathan sighed. "Bryce was attacked. She tried to save him. I couldn't get to them in time."
Mom's shoulders fell, and then she kissed Halle's face, which was buried under my arm. Her dirty fingernails dug into my skin. I kissed her head.
"Come on, girls. I've got you. Let's go inside."
I hadn't heard Mom's voice in so long, but it was still as soft and strong as I remembered.
Nathan helped us up, and we walked inside together. Mom, Halle, and I kept looking at each other and smiling.
"We saw your message," I said, my voice breaking.
Mom shook her head in disbelief. "Where's your dad?"
"He was bit," Halle said in her small voice.
"He made us leave him," I said. "He made us."
I meant that he'd made me shoot him, but I couldn't say it out loud. Even if it had to be done, it sounded awful, and everyone in the room was listening.
"Shh...shh..." Mom said, hugging us. Her body slightly rocked, and I instantly felt at ease. "How long have you been alone?"
"I don't know," I said. "A week? I think."
"Wow," our neighbor said. "Tough like their mama."
I smiled and rested my cheek against Mom's chest. "That's what Dad said, too, when we left him. He said we could do it because we were tough like you."
Mom looked at Nathan, who was holding the other two little girls close. I could tell Mom was unhappy that we had been alone.
"If you hadn't cleared the way for them, it would have been tough for them to make it past Shallot alone, if not impossible," Nathan said. "You were right. It wasn't for nothing."
Her eyes glossed over, and she hugged us again.
I was wrong. She was more slender than I remembered, but she was still our mom. She hadn't changed so much. I hadn't realized how afraid I was that she wouldn't be the same person I knew. But now, in her arms, the past months fell away. It felt like a lifetime since she had dropped us off at school, but at the same time, it also felt like yesterday.
"Come on, babies. Let's get you cleaned up," Mom said. Halle whined, but Mom kissed her hair. "You're safe now." She looked to me. "When is the last time you've eaten? Or slept?"
My eyebrows pulled in, thinking about the small bit of rice we'd eaten two days before. "It's been a while."
She hugged me. "Okay. Okay, that's all over now. Nathan?"
"I'm on it," he said, leaving the room.
After a couple of minutes, he returned with two sandwiches. Halle and I grabbed them from his hands before immediately chomping into them. I thought that I would have to ask for another one, but by the time I took the last bite, I was full.
Nathan handed us each a glass of water, and we gulped it down. Halle wiped her mouth with her wrist.
"Okay," Mom said. "Time to wash."
We stood outside and peeled off our clothes. They were so dirty that they were stiff. Mom was on her knees, using rags and a basin to scrub Halle, and I washed myself. I was more concerned with getting clean and washin
g the awful summer off of me than being undressed outside.
Several graves were under the tree, and Mom glanced behind her.
"Dr. Hayes, his girlfriend, and our friend Cooper," she said. "He was Ashley's boyfriend. Remember her? She's Dr. Hayes's daughter."
"Her boyfriend died?" I asked.
Mom pulled her mouth to the side. "Saving Zoe. That's the little girl in there. She's Nathan's daughter. And Elleny is the other little girl."
"Is she Nathan's daughter, too?" Halle asked.
Mom poured a little water over Halle's head and then lathered bar soap in her hands. She scrubbed Halle's hair until it was blonde again. She shook her head. "She found us."
"The big guy was our neighbor in Shallot," I said, pulling an oversized but clean T-shirt over my head
"Skeeter?" Mom said, her eyebrows shooting up.
"That's Skeeter? I wish I'd known. He lived a few houses down from us in Shallot."
She paused. "Wait. What do you mean?"
"I saw you," I said as I dried off. "Your whole group, the day you left with Skeeter. I didn't know it was you though."
Mom shook her head, her eyes falling to the concrete patio we were sitting on. "You were right there?"
I nodded.
She closed her eyes tight. "So, you were there this whole time? And last night when we spent the night?"
"Joey came into our house," Halle said. "When he found out it was us, he was going to bring us to you, but he got bit, so we stayed inside."
Mom covered her mouth and listened while Halle recounted our entire ordeal--from the moment Dad had picked her up from school until we'd reached the top of the red dirt hill.
"Jesus," Mom said, shaking her head, her hand trembling. She closed her eyes and then took a deep breath, willing it away. "Joey was a good man. It makes sense that he tried to save you. I'm so sorry about your dad."
"Mom?" I said. "We didn't leave him."
"What do you mean?"
"He was bitten. He got really sick, and..." I trailed off, unable to say the words.
"Oh no. No, no, no..."
At first, I thought she was disappointed in me, and then she wrapped me in her arms and squeezed.
"I'm so sorry you had to do that, Jenna. My God, you are so brave." She sucked in a faltering breath. "You're here now, and we're together. I know that your dad would be so proud of you for that."
Once Halle was dressed in her own oversized T-shirt, Mom walked us to the table and let us eat again. This time, it was canned peaches. We practically inhaled them, and then we each drank another glass of water.
With full bellies, we were guided into Mom's room, and she turned down the covers.
"You've had a long day."
We climbed into bed and settled in.
Halle gripped her fingers tightly around Mom's wrist. "Don't leave, Mommy."
She shook her head, brought Halle's hand to her mouth, and gave it a kiss. "We'll never be apart again."
"You promise?" Halle asked.
"I promise. You are so brave," Mom said before kissing Halle's forehead. Then, she looked into my eyes and touched my cheek. "So brave."
Mom sat in a chair in the corner of the room while Halle and I lay quietly, waiting to fall asleep. She stared at us as I stared at her. I was almost afraid to close my eyes. I was afraid I would wake up in Shallot, and it would all be a dream.
I had spent the last four months with one goal in mind. Now that we were finally with Mom, after fighting so hard and surviving so much, the fear that it would never happen was replaced with the fear that it would be taken away.
Soon though, my eyes grew heavy, and I drifted off to sleep. The last forty-eight hours replayed, swallowing me, and then spit me out into the halls of Bishop Middle School where I was giggling with my classmates and teachers and then waving to my dad as he arrived to pick me up after school in his dress blues. This time though, Mom was with him, and I knew everything would be all right.
My eyes peeled open, and I blinked. The sun was pouring in through the top half of the window, and I reached over for Halle, feeling nothing but wrinkled sheets and a pillow.
I sat up fast, my heart slamming against my chest in a panic. My shoulders relaxed when I saw Mom watching me from her chair with Halle curled up asleep in her lap.
"Good morning," she cooed.
I sighed and then lay back down, my head propped by the pillow. "Oh, thank God."
Mom smiled. "I know. I woke up afraid it was just a dream, too. But you're here, and I'm here, and we're all okay."
"Is everyone still asleep?" I asked.
She shook her head. "The boys are outside, burying Miranda and Bryce. We're going to have a little funeral when Ashley feels up to it."
"Miranda was her sister," I said, more of a statement than a question.
"Yes," Mom said.
"Do those cars outside have gas?" I asked.
"A little. Why?"
"We left people behind in Fairview about a month ago. They have little kids there, toddlers, younger than Halle. I was hoping, if we had enough gas, we could go get them."
"I'll talk to the others. I bet we can."
I breathed out a long breath of relief. "Things have been bad for so long. It feels strange for it to be okay."
"I know."
"I just wish Dad were here."
"I know you do, honey. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how hard that was for you, how hard it's been for you being alone and taking care of Halle."
"I can't explain it."
"If you ever want to try, I'm always here to listen."
"I know," I said.
A quiet knock sounded on the door.
"Come in," Mom said softly. "Hi, Elleny. This is Jenna, my oldest."
"Hi," Elleny said with a reserved grin. "I've heard a lot about you."
She reminded me of Chloe, and I remembered how much I missed my friend.
"Nate said Ashley's ready."
Mom nodded and then shook Halle gently awake, kissing her temple. "Baby girl, it's time to wake up."
"What?" Halle said, looking around with wide eyes.
Mom helped Halle put on her glasses. "Hi," Mom said, smiling.
Halle threw her arms around Mom's neck. "Mommy!"
Mom closed her eyes tight and hugged her back. "We've got to go outside and say good-bye to our friends. Will you come outside with me?"
Halle climbed down off of Mom's lap, and then we followed her and Elleny outside in our bare feet. The T-shirt I wore was nearly to my knees, and Halle's shirt almost dragged against the ground. Our clothes were still drying from when Nathan had washed them the night before.
Ashley, Nathan, Zoe, and Skeeter were standing next to two fresh mounds of dirt.
Ashley's eyes were swollen and red, but she smiled when she saw Halle and me. "Hi, girls," she whispered.
I mirrored her expression, but I knew exactly how she felt, and I questioned how she could do anything but cry. Then, my eyes drifted to the other graves. Her father was buried there, and so was her boyfriend. I wondered if there was a point when loss stopped hurting so much. Maybe she was just used to the pain, or maybe we were a distraction.
Nathan spoke about Miranda and Bryce and about how they'd died saving Halle and me, and then everyone told funny stories about them. Ashley, Nathan, and Zoe put flowers on each of the graves, and then we walked to the porch, everyone finding a seat.
"It feels strange to sit out here and not watch the hill for the girls," Mom said. She was sitting between us and hugged us both to each of her sides.
The wheat waved in the cool morning breeze, hissing gently in harmony with wind blowing through the trees. Mom rested her cheek on my head as Halle climbed onto her lap. A peaceful expression on her face hinted at utter bliss. We had finally found her. When she reached over and intertwined her fingers with Nathan's, I knew that we had completed the happiness that she'd somehow found at the end of the world.
The End
RED HILL
There are two kinds of authors--those who make plenty of time for a release, gliding in with everything in place weeks prior, and then those who are flying one hundred miles per hour toward release day by the seat of their pants with windblown hair and a missing earring. Thank you to my publicist, Autumn Hull; editor/formatter, Jovana Shirley; and cover designer, Sarah Hansen, for not quitting on me for being the latter.
Thank you to Danielle Lagasse, Kelli Spear, and Jessica Landers for leading one hell of a good group of strong women (and three men). The MacPack is an enormous group, and you three manage to keep it clean, keep it positive, keep it real, and keep it focused even if that means you have to be the bad guys once in a while. I am forever grateful to you and the members for being so supportive and keeping a smile on my face on the tough days.
Thank you to author Eden Fierce for inspiring and consulting on the character of Jenna and for helping me with some of the teacher's names. I know you included them because they mean something special to you.
That said, thank you to Mrs. Stuckey, Mr. Hilterbran, and Mrs. Siders for making a difference.
Thank you to Chloe-Beth for the use of your name!
Thank you to Miss Katy for keeping Babyspawn busy while I'm writing and wearing the many hats of a writer.
Thank you to my husband for being understanding about sleeping alone most nights when I'm writing against a deadline.
Thank you to author Teresa Mummert. Some days, quite honestly, I feel like you've kept me sane. You keep me strong. You keep me smiling. You keep me focused on what is important. Thank you for being a best friend.
Jamie McGuire was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended Northern Oklahoma College, the University of Central Oklahoma, and Autry Technology Center where she graduated with a degree in Radiography.
Jamie paved the way for the New Adult genre with the international bestseller, Beautiful Disaster. Her follow-up novel Walking Disaster debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Beautiful Oblivion, book one of the Maddox Brothers books, also topped the New York Times bestseller list, debuting at #1. She has also written apocalyptic thriller Red Hill; the Providence series, a young adult paranormal romance trilogy; and several novellas, including A Beautiful Wedding, Among Monsters: A Red Hill Novella, and Happenstance: A Novella Series.
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