by Nord, K. C.
"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Norah asked angrily.
"Don't be so paranoid, Dear," Iris replied smoothly, brushing back her dark hair. "I just stopped by to see how Celeste was doing."
"That was kind of you, considering that it's been almost eight weeks since she broke her leg. And you're only now coming back to check on her," Norah said sharply.
"I've been a little busy lately," she answered, sitting her bag of supplies down on the counter. "But, my schedule just opened up a little, and I thought that it might be nice to stop by."
"You still haven't answered my question about eavesdropping on us," Norah snapped.
Iris gave a long-suffering sigh," We've already been over this before, but ok if you want to do this again. I am your aunt, and I have just as much right to be in this house as you and Celeste. Honestly, Dear, I have no idea why you are always so suspicious of me!"
Norah gave her a look of disbelief, "you know very well why I'm suspicious of you."
Ignoring her completely, Iris pulled out a large pot from under the counter, "how does everyone feel about chicken soup for dinner tonight?" She smiled brightly at me, "I heard that you'd been just a little under the weather lately, and a nice pot of chicken soup will have you feeling better in no time."
"What's that all about?" Nick leaned over and whispered in my ear.
"I have no idea," I replied.
Like always, everything that Iris said and did seemed sincere, but I was nevertheless left with the feeling that she was anything but honest.
THE NEXT MORNING I awoke in a gloomy mood, Nick's men had been unable to locate Bella, and I was no closer to figuring out her connection to my family. All of the secrets and uncertainty were starting to weigh heavily on me. This left me feeling frustrated and, at times, hopeless.
Because of all of this, I wasn't in the best of moods when I came down for breakfast, but I tried to put a good face on things; after all, it wasn't as if anyone else could help it."Just fake it until it's real," I whispered, and forcing myself to be my usual sociable self, I planted a friendly smile that hopefully didn't look too forced on my face.
Norah, who usually liked to sleep in, was already up and in the kitchen frosting a delicious-looking chocolate cake while Nick and Celeste were eating breakfast.
"Wow, that looks so good," I commented while pouring myself a cup of coffee and watching her place one candle in the middle of the cake.
"Your grandma told me that chocolate cake was your favorite," she replied and sat the cake down on the table in front of me.
Puzzled, I stared at the cake for a moment, "what's this for?"
Celeste and Nick smiled as Norah burst out laughing, "I can't believe that you forgot that today is your birthday."
"What, today's not my-" my voice trailed off when I realized that it was, in fact, my 17th birthday today. "Wow, I can't believe that I forgot about it!"
Celeste gave me a sympathetic look, "That's not so surprising given everything that happened to you in the last few months."
I looked down for a moment to disguise the tears in my eyes when I remembered that this birthday would be celebrated without my twin. We had shared everything for the last seventeen years, and it just seemed so wrong for him not to be here today.
Norah gave me a hug, "happy birthday, Kaley; my present to you is chocolate cake for breakfast."
"Wow, chocolate cake for breakfast. This is going to be a good day," I smiled and made a quick, silent wish that this would be my last birthday celebrated without my twin.
"I have a feeling that your wish will come true," Norah said with a mysterious smile. "Now, why don't you blow out that candle so we can have some cake."
"Happy 17th, Kaley," Nick said while helping himself to a large slice of the cake. "My present for you is a day of fun without any arguing."
"I don't know, Nick. A full day without any arguing seems a little difficult even for you to pull off," Norah said laughingly.
"Watch and learn," he replied with a smile.
"Especially since he always has to have the last word," I added with a grin.
Nick choked on his cake, "Excuse me, I'm the one who always has to have the last word?"
"That's what I just said." I laughed and thumped him on the back before asking, "So what does a day of fun entail?"
"Well, since you've been cooped up in this house for about a week now. I thought that it might be nice for you to get out today. Maybe the three of us could go into Sweet Springs and have lunch at the cafe. Also, I need to stop by the Red Rocket for some parts and maybe a root beer."
"I wouldn't mind visiting some of the shops in town," Norah replied.
"That sounds great," I agreed.
"KALEY, I'M SO GLAD that you stopped by today," Penny said while sitting down a couple of root beers on the counter in front of us.
"Why? What happened?" I asked, noticing the worried look on her face.
"Earlier today, some men in a big black SUV stopped for fuel and supplies. Anyway, right before they left, I noticed that they had a teenage boy with them, and from your description, he looked exactly like your brother, Lucas."
My heart skipped a beat," do you know where they went?"
"One of the men, a big bald guy, mentioned something about, "this being a long trip, and he would be happy to get back home to Barrenwood."
Norah frowned, "The only Barrenwood that I know of is on the Texas-New Mexico border."
"We have to find them!" I exclaimed.
"They already have several hours headstart on you," Penny said. "But I have to tell you that if that was your brother with them, it didn't seem like he was a prisoner."
"What do you mean?"
"Just that he was walking around out by the trucks, and nobody acted like he was a prisoner. There was a girl there as well, but I only saw her for a second."
"Was her hair the same color as mine?"
Penny shrugged, "Sorry, I don't know; she had a hood on the whole time."
"This is just so weird," I mused out loud. " If that was Lucas, why would he just go with them?"
"He might not be himself," Norah replied. "As far as I know, he only got the first two doses of the cure; most people need all three."
I stood up and paced around the room, "I'm just positive that the boy is Lucas and the girl was Bella. But what is her connection to my family, and what do they want with Lucas?"
"I wish that I knew," Norah said helplessly.
"Time is wasting, and every minute that we sit here just means that they are even farther away," I said, feeling the frustration boil up inside.
"We have to do this the right way," Norah replied. "Nick will never let you go, and if you try and take off right now, he'll find you within the hour."
"So what do you suggest?" I asked, taking a sip of my root beer.
"Tomorrow is Thursday, so that means Nick will be busy doing wellness checks on the surrounding farms until at least four o'clock, so that means he won't have any idea that we're gone until dinner."
"We're gone?" I questioned.
"You don't think that I'm going to let my best friend do this on her own, do you!" Norah said with an indignant look.
"Nick is going to be furious," I commented.
"Which is why we can't let him find out what we're up to until it's too late. Nick is too much of a boy scout. How else do you think that he reached the level of Captain at such a young age? He's by the book and follows orders to a T. That makes him a good soldier, but he would not be ok with what we're planning."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
We had been on the road for several hours now, and I kept fighting the urge to look over my shoulder. Logically I knew that it would be some time before anyone even figured out that we were gone. But then again, logic and emotions don't always go together, and after I'd sighed for probably the umpteenth time, Norah had finally had enough.
"You are acting worse than the dog when he has to go outside."
This su
rprised a laugh out of me, "somehow, you always know how to make me feel better."
"Then my job is done," Norah grinned. "But seriously, Kaley, what is bothering you so much?"
I grimaced and brushed a long lock of my hair that kept flying in front of my face behind one ear, "I guess I'm just feeling guilty, Celeste has been so nice to me, and we just took off without telling anyone."
Norah gave me a reassuring smile, "Don't be silly: besides, I did leave a note for Celeste. It's in her study, and, with any luck, she won't see it until tonight."
"But what about Nick?"
"Oh, he'll get over it, it might take a little while, but he'll get over it," Norah replied carelessly.
Slightly mollified, I nodded and settled back in my seat.
Norah was quiet for a moment or two before she spoke again, "You like him, don't you?"
"What, no," I protested halfheartedly. "We barely know each other, and besides, he's too old for me."
"Seventeen and twenty-one aren't that big of an age difference, and if it helps, I think that he likes you as well."
"Maybe, but all that we seem to do is fight whenever we're around each other for long," I replied.
"Well, you know what they say about there being a fine line between love and hate," Norah said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and thought about punching her but realized that it probably wasn't the best idea since she was driving at the time. "You might be right, but for the moment getting Lucas back is my biggest priority."
"Of course, it's important to find your brother. But, you can't just give up on life, Kaley!"
"I'm only seventeen; there will be plenty of time for living."
Norah shook her head, "you don't know that. The last nineteen years have taught us that life can be very short and brutal; Sometimes, you have to find happiness when and where you can. Because you don't know how long you have on this earth!"
I sighed, "I understand what you're saying, but for the moment, I have to put Lucas' needs first."
"OK, but just remember that he would want you to be happy."
I nodded, lost in my thoughts and never-ending guilt about my brother, as I looked sightlessly out my window at the passing countryside. Maybe he would want me to be happy, but that was a luxury that, at this point, I couldn't afford.
THE NEXT DAY I FELT a little less paranoid about Nick catching up with us and started to enjoy the drive. I'd always enjoyed traveling, and this was a chance to see a part of the country that I'd never visited before. And it was interesting to watch how the wet, swampy countryside gradually gave way to Texas's more arid and open landscape as the day went on.
We passed through yet another deserted ghost town, and I was thinking yet again; how sad it was to see the abandoned homes and schools. All those lives so senselessly lost because of a virus when the smell reached me, a disgusting mixture of rotting cabbage, sulfur, and dead skunk all mixed together in that unique blend that was a zombie.
"Oh my god, it's so strong!" I exclaimed.
Norah nodded grimly, "this can't be good."
We slowed to a crawl, looking around to try and get an idea where the smell was coming from when I caught some movement from the corner of my eye. Norah slammed on the brakes as a figure darted out from behind one of the abandoned cars parked along the street. Right behind him were three zombies, and they were moving incredibly fast.
"Wow," I breathed in disbelief. " I've never seen a zombie move so fast."
I grabbed for my shotgun and reached for the door handle when Norah grabbed my arm.
"What are you doing? He could be infected."
"What are you talking about?" Incredulous, I shook her off and climbed out of the jeep. I couldn't believe that she, of all people, would react that way. But, it would have to be addressed later because I had some zombies to kill right now.
I was aware that Norah had stopped the jeep and was now standing just behind me, but my immediate attention was on the boy and the three rapidly approaching zombies behind him. I aimed at the one that was closest to the boy and blew its head off with the first shot. Norah took out the second one, and by then, the last one moving, which was moving unbelievably fast, was almost on me. I dropped my shotgun with no time to spare and slid my hunting knife from the sheath on my right leg. Facing a zombie with a knife, even a large one, was far from ideal because you never wanted to let one get close enough to bite you, but at this point, I was fast running out of options.
Luckily for me, this zombie, despite being incredibly fast, was still as stupid as the typical zombie. And as soon as he noticed a new target (me), he uttered a low guttural sound and veered toward me, forgetting entirely about the boy. I lunged to the side, and, unable to stop because of the momentum, he ran right past me and pitched forward, bouncing off the side of the jeep before landing on his stomach beside the back tire. I started to reach for my handgun but changing my mind at the last minute, I pulled my hatchet from its loop on my backpack, and before he had time to regain his feet, I smoothly launched it at his head, where it lodged right in the middle of his skull.
"Wow, I've never met a good-looking chick who could fight before."
A mocking voice rang out behind me, and I turned to see the boy who had earlier almost become lunch for the zombies. Regarding me with a mocking grin and something that looked suspiciously like admiration. Up close, I could see that he was a little older than I initially thought and was probably closer to Nick's age than mine.
"And I've never met a boy before who could walk and talk at the same time," I sniped.
"She's got you there." Norah burst out laughing before remarking, "Chick, what year are you from?"
Unabashed, the boy grinned at us, "I'll have you know that I'm a man and not a boy."
I looked at him in silence for a moment, "And I'm Kaley Black, not a chick."
"Point taken," He said and extended his hand for a shake. "I'm Ethan Carter. You can call me Ethan or Hey You, but let's take this elsewhere if you don't mind. Because in about five or six minutes, we're going to be overrun with zombies. This town is full of them, and I'm sure that they all heard the gunshots."
"Wait a minute," Norah stepped in front of Ethan when he made a move for the jeep. "How do we know that you weren't bitten?"
Ethan shrugged and extended his arms, "I'm perfectly fine; see, there's not a mark on me."
"We don't have time for this," I stated anxiously, looking around.
"OK," Norah replied to Ethan. "Take off your clothes and let us see if you're fine."
"Wooo- No way, Lady, we just met." Ethan stuttered.
"It's your choice," Norah said firmly. "You either disrobe, or you stay here with the zombies."
"I'm sure that Moose would know if he's infected. Now, let's go before we all die," I shouted; at this point, I was completely fed up with the way that Norah was acting. I had never seen her act so obstinate or unreasonable before. And I was seriously starting to worry about our safety, as the road behind us was starting to fill up with zombies.
"OK," she conceded. "Do you have anywhere to go?"
"Yeah," he said and slid into the backseat with Moose, who looked at him curiously but didn't seem unduly concerned. "We can hole up at my place. It's just another five miles down the road."
"That sounds great; now step on it!" I shouted to Norah as several more zombies ran out into the street, effectively boxing us in.
Norah hit the gas, and I braced myself with one hand on the dash as we slammed into two zombies that were running down the middle of the road. The first one was flung over the hood of the jeep, the second wasn't so lucky, and I heard the crunching of his bones as we ran right over him. The third grabbed the passenger side mirror and attempted to force his way in through the partially open window. I could hear Moose snapping and snarling from the backseat as I pulled out my handgun and shot it neatly between the eyes.
"You're probably going to want to wash the jeep," I remarked as the zombie slipped from
the window and fell to the roadside.
"You think!" Norah muttered with a disgusted look at all the gore that smeared across the front of the hood.
Ethan leaned forward, "Just take that rock road up there to the left, and my place is just about four miles down the road."
"So you live in a garage?" I asked a few minutes later when we pulled up in front of an oversized garage just sitting out in the middle of nowhere.
"You'll see it's perfect," he said as he jumped out to open the overhead garage door for us to pull inside.
Once inside, I got out of the jeep and looked around curiously; it looked just like any other garage but way nicer. Obviously, the original owner had plenty of money to spend when he had it built. There were enough stalls for at least six more vehicles, plus the jeep and a pickup that was already inside.
"Come on upstairs where it's more comfortable," Ethan said.
We followed him up a staircase in the back of the garage that led to an upper level that had been converted into living quarters.
"The bedrooms are over there," he said, pointing down a hallway when he reached the top of the stairs. "And on the other side of the kitchen is the balcony. You'll have to check it out later, there's a telescope, and you can see everything for miles in any direction."
"This is nice," I commented, looking around the large open living room that overlooked the garage below.
"Thanks; I just moved in last month."
"Do you live alone?" Norah asked curiously.
"Yeah, I've been alone for a while now," he replied quietly.
Almost everyone living in today's world has a story, and for most, that story usually tends to be tragic. It's just a fact of life; because of this, neither of us asked any more questions about his situation. Sooner or later, he would feel comfortable enough to tell us, but if not, it was nobody's business but his own.
"You're living awfully close to a town full of zombies," I remarked in an attempt to change the subject.
"Yeah, that's not ideal," Ethan replied, "Up until a week ago, there wasn't a zombie around, but now the whole town seems to be infected."