Thicker than Blood

by Madeline Sheehan

  His rifle still raised, his body poised and ready to fire, Alex shook his head. “Can’t!” he shouted. “She’s blocking me! I might hit her!”

  A full-body shudder racked through me, leaving my lips quivering and my hands trembling. I found myself frantically fumbling beside me, searching for the gun Alex had given me the night before. For what reason, I didn’t know. I’d never fired one, had never even held one; Lawrence hadn’t allowed me the liberty.

  When I found it on the floor of the truck, I snatched it up and kicked my way out of the passenger side door, then rushed to the front of the truck. I reached Alex’s side just as Evelyn had begun letting loose a barrage of bullets. Amid her screams, one crack after another rang through the air. My breath stuttered to a stop while my heart made up in beats what my lungs couldn’t seem to produce.

  One of her bullets finally found purchase in the knee of an infected, causing it to stumble and fall firmly on its backside. Another took a shot to the shoulder, the chest, and the side of its face, and yet it kept on coming for her, unfazed.

  Then Evelyn, a mere kissable distance from the still-standing infected, finally hit her target. The bullet sliced through its forehead, blowing the back of its head wide open. Like a papier-mâché piñata, the prizes inside—bone and brains and various shades of indistinguishable sludge—all exploded into the air like confetti.

  “Oh my God,” I breathed, watching as the creature crumpled to the ground. But my relief was short lived as the remaining infected had somehow managed to get back on its feet. And Evelyn, looking victorious, was oblivious to the danger that was now nearly on top of her.

  I screamed at the top of my lungs, frantically waving my arms in the air. “Eve! Eve! Behind you!”

  Evelyn spun around just in time to catch the infected as it was reaching for her, its jaw open wide, ready to take a bite out of whatever piece of her it could manage. As she struggled to keep it at bay, shoving her hands into its chest, her gun fell from her grip. Screaming, Evelyn staggered backward under its dead weight, barely holding the monster off of her.

  “Do something!” I cried, pleading with Alex. “She’s going to die! Do something!”

  “I can’t get a shot,” he muttered, still squinting into his scope.

  Frustration and fear had me grabbing his arm, gripping tightly to the thick material of his canvas jacket and twisting. “This can’t be for nothing!” I screamed, tears in my eyes. “And if I lose her, this will have all been for nothing!”

  Evelyn continued to scream, barely managing to remain upright as she tried again to push the infected off her. But it wouldn’t relent.

  Lowering his gun, Alex turned to me, his calm gaze finding my hysterical one. It took only a split second, this strange look he gave me, and then he was shoving his rifle into my arms and running out into the field. Pulling a large hunting knife free from the sheath strapped to his thigh, Alex ran a circle around Evelyn and the infected, catching the infected’s attention and allowing Evelyn the distraction and space she needed to give the thing a good shove. They both stumbled in opposite directions, Evelyn backward and the infected straight into the waiting arms of Alex.

  With a swiftness that only came from experience, Alex laid the creature out flat on its back, and in the space of a heartbeat had sunk his blade into its skull.

  Still cradling both the rifle and my gun, I sank to the ground, desperately trying to catch my breath. It was over now, everyone was safe, but…

  This was life outside the walls, wasn’t it? This was my supposed freedom. Tears burned behind my eyes, tears of both relief and regret. Had we only traded one hell for another? And what would the cost of this new hell be?

  “Lei!”

  I lifted my eyes, watching as Evelyn came quickly down the incline, a small smile on her face. Incredulous, I stared at her, wondering how she could smile at a time like this. But I already knew the answer. Simply put, she’d been built this way, able to find a light when everyone else around her saw only darkness, able to hold herself together when everyone else was falling apart.

  She’d lost Jami only hours ago and yet here she was, looking fresh faced, exhilarated, and…free.

  “Are you okay?” she asked when she reached me.

  Unable to answer her, so caught up in my own self-pity, I could do little more than bob my head once for yes.

  “That was fucking amazing,” she said breathlessly, shifting from one foot to the other. “Fucking amazing.”

  “You need to learn how to use that gun.” Alex had strolled up casually beside Evelyn, his eyes on me.

  Still on the ground and feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and attempted to get to my feet. Suddenly Alex was by my side, taking his rifle from my hands. With one arm around my waist, he pulled me upright.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, moving quickly away from him and trying to subtly inch closer to Evelyn.

  “She does,” Evelyn agreed. “But first we need to figure out where we’re going.”

  “Cold weather is coming,” Alex said, still watching me. “We could head south, wouldn’t have to worry about freezing to death.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Evelyn turned toward me. “Lei?”

  “The cold weather slows them down,” I said softly, knowing I had nothing to offer and feeling silly because of it. “Doesn’t it? Wouldn’t that make it safer here?”

  Alex continued to stare at me, his hard expression giving nothing away as to what he was thinking. “Don’t know how safe we’re going to be when we’re freezing to death and can’t find shit to eat.”

  “Hey!” Evelyn snapped. “She made a good point!”

  “No,” I said quickly, reaching out to grab her hand. “He’s right, I wasn’t thinking. We should head south.”

  Evelyn gave my hand a conciliatory squeeze but said nothing. However, it was hard to miss the fire in her eyes as she glared at Alex.

  “South, it is,” Alex muttered. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Eight

  Evelyn

  The fire in my belly burned long after the kill had ended. True, the kill had been messy and reckless, and I knew I needed more practice, but it had been glorious. To sink bullet after bullet into the infected, to watch them die…again. It had been a bitter ointment for my fractured heart.

  The ache in my chest was a constant reminder that at some point I would have to stop and think about Jami. I’d have to think about the loss I had taken, the life he had given up, both for me and for the chance at freedom. His death was another reason I wouldn’t let this all be in vain, another reason why we had to survive.

  But not now. I couldn’t think about it now.

  Gritting my teeth, I jutted out my chin as we all climbed back inside the truck, willing myself to stay strong. We continued down the vacant road, and Alex turned onto the first highway we came across. It was a dusty graveyard, a never-ending obstacle course of cars, skeletons, fallen trees, and debris. There was no sign of any infected for miles, but even after several hours had passed, I found myself still longing to kill more of them. That last encounter had lit a fire in me, and I found myself itching to sink a bullet or a blade into another, and end it.

  He’d kissed me good-bye.

  My breath snagged in my throat, Jami’s face coming to the forefront of my mind. Leisel squeezed my hand, and startled, I glanced at her, giving her a reassuring smile.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked her. “You need to eat. No point starving yourself, you’ll get weak.”

  “There’s some food in the bag, but it’s not much,” Alex said, not bothering to take his eyes off the road.

  Climbing over Leisel’s knees, I found Alex’s backpack wedged behind the bench seat. There was some bread and fruit, apples and berries mostly, and some meat. I scowled at the meager supplies, knowing we needed to ration our food and water; this wasn’t going to last us more than a day, two at most.

  “How did you get the meat?” I asked Alex.

  Meat was a rarity
. In Fredericksville, only once a month would there be a culling of our livestock. The majority of it was cured so that it lasted longer. But this meat was fresh, and still unsalted.

  “I stole it,” Alex said, his voice as blank as his expression.

  I nodded once, my mouth flattening into a thin, determined line as I began to divide the food between us, giving us equal amounts of meat, bread, and fruit. Alex ate while he drove, one hand never leaving the wheel, while Leisel picked at hers for a long while before falling back to sleep.

  “How you doing?” Alex asked quietly, glancing at me.

  “Fine, you?” I retorted cockily.

  I could tell he thought I was just a feeble woman, that I’d break down anytime and soon he’d have to care for two broken women. But I wouldn’t break down. I had to be strong for Leisel, and that thought gave me enough strength to keep my tears at bay.

  A small smile curved his lips. “Pass me the water,” was his only reply.

  We slipped back into silence, the low hum of the engine lulling me, making me drowsy. I was just on the edge of sleep, about to slip over into oblivion, when Alex called my name. I was instantly alert, sitting up straight in my seat and searching for threats, only to find Alex pointing to an upturned car in the middle of the road up ahead, blocking our path. Heavy steel guardrails boxed us in on either side, leaving us little choice but to somehow move the vehicle.

  Leisel was still sound asleep, and I decided to leave her be. She needed her rest, a chance to calm and gather her thoughts, find a way to accept everything that had happened over the past several days, and hopefully wake up ready for this new world.

  After Alex pulled the truck to a stop, I followed him out to the road, tightly gripping my gun as I scanned the area for any infected. When we didn’t find any signs of others, living or dead, we proceeded toward the car. It was little more than a rusted-out shell, with bits and pieces of mangled metal strewn across the road.

  As we drew closer, we noticed something odd, some sort of movement coming from within. We got closer to the vehicle, squatting down on our heels to look inside, only to find the driver of the vehicle, or what was left of him, was still seated behind the wheel, pinned in place by the broken steering column. Hearing us, it turned toward us, its jaw snapping, a raspy hungry noise erupting from its decaying throat.

  I raised my gun, ready to shoot it and put it out of its misery, but Alex placed a hand on my arm, stopping me.

  “We need to save our bullets,” he said, and handed me a knife. “Straight through the head. He’s an old one, should be soft.”

  I knew why he wanted me to do it, instead of him. He was testing me, determining whether I would be of any use to him out here. Taking the knife from him, I purposefully stalked closer to the car. As I reached the driver’s side and bent down to look inside again, the infected became frantic. It reached out an arm weakly for me, flailing against the door to get to me as its neck strained, its jaw still snapping wildly.

  I raised my knife, my gaze flitting to the backseat of the car to find the skeletal remains of the rest of the family. Oddly, I found myself giving each skeleton a name—Mary, Jack, and sweet little Katie—and suddenly wished I could give them a proper burial, not leave what was once probably a happy loving family out here in the middle of the road like a circus sideshow.

  The infected groaned, drawing my attention back to its snapping jaw. Without hesitation, I raised my blade and brought it down swiftly, burying it deep within its head, and the infected stilled instantly. With an easy tug, the knife pulled free, dripping black sludge that splattered against the pavement. Wrinkling my nose at the gory mess, I stood up and turned to Alex, offering the knife back to him, but he shook his head at me.

  “That’s yours now,” he said, handing me the sheath that had been strapped to his thigh. “Now help me move this thing.”

  It only took us a few minutes to realize we couldn’t move the car; it was too heavy and too mangled. Deciding to use our vehicle to push it out of the way, we made our way back to the truck.

  Leisel was still sound asleep, softly snoring, yet I decided to wake her so we wouldn’t scare her senseless with the sound of metal rubbing against metal. When I shook her gently, she bolted upright, her hand immediately reaching for the gun resting between her thighs.

  Standing just outside the truck, Alex glanced from me to Leisel with his ever-present scowl firmly in place. His gaze finally landed on me, and he pointed to the driver’s seat. “You drive, I’ll push.”

  Putting the truck into gear, I began slowly driving the truck forward. With Alex as my guide, I brought the truck head-to-head with the car and began to nudge. The noise was truly awful; the screeching metal on the blacktop was louder than I’d anticipated, the pop of glass resonating as one headlight exploded. I winced, hoping we weren’t going to break our own in the process.

  Mercifully, after fifteen minutes we were able to move the car enough to give us the space to pass through.

  “You okay?” I asked Leisel as I slid across the bench seat, giving Alex back the driver’s side.

  “Yeah,” she said quietly, and let her head fall to my shoulder.

  “Promise?” I asked her.

  Lifting her face, she offered me a small smile. “Promise.”

  I studied her for a moment before planting a kiss on the top of her head, and fell silent.

  • • •

  “Town up ahead,” Alex announced loudly, the sound of his voice making me jump.

  He was an odd one, going for hours without uttering a single word, then out of nowhere he would speak, scaring the shit out of everyone. I turned to frown at him, but his eyes stayed on the highway as he slowed down in front of an exit sign.

  “Keep going?” he asked, rubbing one hand over his short black hair. “Or check it out,” he added, answering his own question. He spared a glance in our direction, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

  I shrugged. “Check it out?” I said, unsure, my gaze skimming over the town’s welcome sign.

  Welcome to Covey

  Population 1,600

  Have a Nice Stay!

  “Why wouldn’t we check it out?” Leisel asked, her voice timid and laced with worry. “We need supplies, right?”

  “Women like you are currency,” Alex answered, his expression still infuriatingly blank.

  Leisel’s sharp intake of breath resonated through the cab of the truck. “Then keep going!” she cried out softly. “Keep going!” Leaning forward in her seat, she looked at me, staring at me, willing me to agree with her.

  Biting down on my bottom lip, I didn’t answer right away, instead thinking of our options.

  “Eve,” she whispered, sounding desperate.

  Pressing my lips together, I shrugged my shoulders again. “We don’t even know if anyone is there, Lei. And we need supplies. We’re not going to make it much farther with what we have.”

  “We’re going to need gas,” Alex said, glancing toward the fuel gauge. “Soon.”

  “Eve!” Leisel whispered harshly, grabbing for my hand and squeezing it hard.

  I knew what she was afraid of; I was afraid of the same thing. Running into people much like the ones in Fredericksville, who thought themselves entitled to whatever the infection had left behind.

  Or worse. And when it came to worse, the possibilities were endless.

  “It could be abandoned,” I continued. “Maybe some infected roaming around, but nothing we won’t be able to take care of.”

  At least, I was hoping that was all we would run into. A few infected would be easy enough to get rid of. Unless the town was overrun.

  “There’s too many possibilities,” she said, homing in on my thoughts.

  “We need to make a decision.” Alex pointed toward the sky. “We’re running out of daylight.”

  Scowling at him, I turned back to Leisel. For someone who’d been so uncommonly helpful, he was largely insensitive to Leisel’s fears.

  “Let�
��s check it out,” I said, not entirely sure of my decision, but needing to make one regardless. And Alex was right, night was coming and we needed somewhere to spend it. Somewhere safe, and a car with no gas was not a safe place to be.

  “Please, no! Eve, please.”

  Leisel was crying again, and I felt like shit that I was the one who had caused her tears. But I was doing this to protect her, to get us somewhere safe. Pulling her into a hug, I planted a kiss on the top of her head.

  “We’ll be fine. I promise,” I said, with far more reassurance than I should have been allowed to dole out.

  Nodding against me, she attempted to stop her tears, but I was still left feeling awful. Leisel had known nothing but fear for the past four years, and I would do anything to ensure she’d never have to feel unsafe again.

  Alex drove on. As we drew closer and the small town came into view, the niggle of worry already fluttering inside my stomach only worsened. There was no movement, nothing alive or dead that I could see, but looks were always deceiving.

  Take Lawrence Whitney, for example. The threat that lay behind closed doors, lurking in the shadows, was always far more deadly than the danger in plain sight.

  Chapter Nine

  Leisel

  The town of Covey was small, even smaller than Fredericksville, and it appeared to be utterly abandoned. As Alex turned slowly down what was probably once the main drag, I stared out the window in shock at what I was sure was once a quaint little village. Mom-and-Pop-type shops lined the street, a wooden sign boasting an apothecary hung haphazardly from a broken post, and there was an honest-to-God barber shop, complete with a candy-cane-striped pole.

  I continued staring, trying to imagine what this place had looked like back before the infection, picturing happy people strolling the sidewalks. It was a place I would have gladly visited. I would have forced Evelyn to come along with me, dragging her into shop after shop, smiling as she laughed at my purchases and good-naturedly teased me for being so easily amused by simple things.