Ever since my parents had died, I refused to get close to anyone. I had friends, but how close was I to them? I didn’t talk about my feelings to anyone. I lashed out at Liet, but he deserved it. Somewhere at the back of my brain, a voice told me not to get too close. It was supposed to be easier that way. Make it simpler if they were ever turned into zombies.
It didn’t make it simpler. In fact, it made it worse. There was so much I could learn from Quinn. If he turned into an undead, I’d spend the rest of my life regretting that I didn’t get to know him better. And what if he was the one? What if he offered me complete happiness? We decided in the truck to start a relationship, but why didn’t we talk about it sooner? Why did we have to be so stubborn and shy?
Night crept in, and I stared at the sky. All the lights from the other houses turned off, and the faint moans of zombies carried on the wind. I shivered and stood to go back inside. Someone had started a fire, and I sat on the couch next to it. I stared at the flames, my eyes growing heavy from the heat, and I eventually fell asleep.
***
Boots clumped on the hardwood floors and jerked me out of my slumber. For a brief second, I thought I was in the lookout tower with my parents. The smell of bacon bombarded my nostrils, and I turned, expecting to see my mother. When I looked over the couch and saw Bill, realization of where I was sank in. I sat up and asked about Quinn.
Bill smiled. “He’s fine. Like I suspected, they were scratches.” He let out a sigh. “Tell you what, that had to be the scariest night of my life.”
“Yeah, but it hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet. There still might be the possibility that he could change.”
“Nah. There weren’t any of the warning signs like with the others. He’s fine.”
My stomach unknotted and a weight lifted from my shoulders. I suddenly realized I was very hungry. I stepped into the kitchen and looked over Bill’s shoulder as he cooked. I made short work of the eggs, bacon, and coffee I was handed.
After I finished, I went outside. Work on the ranch continued as if nothing ever happened. Quinn stood by the corrals, and I walked to him. His left wrist was wrapped in a brace, and cuts and scratches covered his face. He smiled as I approached. Without saying a word, I grabbed his face and kissed him hard on the lips.
As I pulled away, I expected to see surprise on Quinn’s face, but he just smiled. I felt my face flush and I went to turn away, but he gently wrapped one arm around my waist and the other around my neck and kissed me passionately. My knees buckled, and I threw my hands around his neck to keep from falling. Once he pulled away, I couldn’t catch my breath.
“I, uh, I…” I took a deep breath. “I wanted to let you know that I’m glad you’re all right.”
“I don’t go down that easily.”
“I’m glad.”
We kissed again.
One of the horses whinnied and nudged Quinn on the shoulder. He turned and chuckled.
“I should probably feed them.”
He released me, and I placed a hand on the fence to steady myself. He reached for the pitchfork and studied it, trying to figure out how he was going to throw the hay.
I smiled. “Here, let me help you with that.” I reached for the tool, but he moved it out of my way.
“I can figure out how to do it.”
I grabbed his arm and playfully jerked the pitchfork out of his hand. “We don’t have a year to wait. We need to head back out and fill the trucks. Hopefully the zombies have left the area so we can get the other truck running.” I scooped up some hay and tossed it into the horse’s feed bucket. “Will you be coming back out with us?”
Quinn leaned against the fence and watched me work. “Of course. I want to make sure you’re going to be okay.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can take care of myself.”
“I know.”
After we finished feeding the horses, we headed to the house and gathered our supplies. Bill insisted Quinn stay behind and heal, but he wouldn’t hear it. The four of us climbed into the semi to head to the other truck.
The area was clear when we arrived, but we hesitated getting out. A group of them could be over the hill, in the ditches, or hiding inside the truck. I shuddered as I thought about the creatures climbing inside. Part of me wanted to leave the vehicle there, but Liet would be extremely angry if I did. I’d already run away—even though I planned on going back—and I didn’t need to add anything else to his mood. The thought ran through my mind that Quinn and I could disappear and never return, but then who’d help the workers?
Something moved in the cab and everyone froze. Our breaths came in soft puffs. If we breathed too loud, the zombies would hear us. At least that’s what I thought. As if they could hear our breathing over the idling diesel engine. After a few minutes, when nothing else moved, we relaxed a bit.
“Too bad we can’t cut our losses,” Kyle said.
“Yeah, too bad they aren’t our losses to cut. A lot of good people are waiting on these supplies.” I swung my legs into the front seat. “We’ve procrastinated long enough. I’m going over there.”
Quinn grabbed my arm. “It only takes one moan to sound the alarm. If there is one still in the truck, you’ll be a sitting duck.”
“Sitting here isn’t getting the zombie out of the truck or it fixed. We need to get moving. I don’t see anyone else volunteering.” I glanced at Bill and Kyle.
“We’ll give you support from the top of the truck.” Bill opened his door.
Kyle opened the door and climbed onto the roof. I slid down into the dirt, my gun drawn, and cautiously walked to the other truck. My heart pounded in my ears. I did a quick sweep of the trailer, making sure nothing was on top or beneath, then stepped around to the passenger side door. The truck was covered in blood, puss, and body parts from the road, so I didn’t want to lean against it. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, then turned so my gun pointed into the cab. Nothing. Skin flakes and bits of tattered clothing that had fallen off the creatures coated the interior. The smell of rotting flesh bombarded my nostrils, and my stomach jerked. I covered my nose to block out some of the smell and keep from puking. A breeze stirred some papers that had been scattered, and I assumed that was what we’d seen from the other truck.
Cautiously, I climbed the stairs and parted the curtain to the sleeper cab. Nothing. The zombies had moved on. I jumped out of the cab and holstered my weapon. Walking around to the front of the truck, I signaled the all clear to the others. Bill and Quinn refueled the vehicle while Kyle stood watch.
“With any luck, this will be all the semi needs.” Quinn squinted at the sun, keeping his eye on the horizon for undead.
After they finished, Quinn climbed into the driver’s seat. “Oh, my god!” He cried. We all ran to see what was wrong. He looked at us, his nose wrinkled. “Are you sure there aren’t any zombies in here? It stinks!”
I chuckled silently and turned my attention back to the hills.
“Eww, there’s something gooey on my seat.”
I tried to refrain from laughing, but I couldn’t. When I searched the truck, I noticed a layer of clear fluid covering the seats, and I’d succeeded in covering my jeans with the stuff. I didn’t feel sorry for Quinn.
The truck roared to life, and I pushed Quinn into the passenger seat. “You really should rest your wrist,” I explained. “Just tell me where we’re going.”
He pointed toward the highway. “Get back on I-80 and head west. When we hit I-25, we’ll head down into Colorado and see what we can find.”
I pulled the truck onto the highway and followed his directions.
***
By nightfall, both trucks were loaded with supplies, and we camped in Fort Collins’s jail. Several propane-powered lanterns were distributed throughout the room, and our camp stoves were lit so we cooked canned vegetables and chili. Quinn kept readjusting, arching his back and rubbing his shoulder. More than likely he was stiff and sore from sitting in the truck. Even though his wrist
was the most serious of his injuries, he had bumps and bruises from the fall.
“Are you all right?” I eventually asked him.
He rubbed his shoulder. “No, my shoulder is killing me.”
Bill reached into his bag and pulled out a first-aid kit. “Here, take a couple Ibuprofen.” He handed the pills to Quinn.
“Thanks.” He popped them into his mouth and chased them down with bottled water.
“If you need any more, let me know.” He grabbed a lantern, stood, and looked at his brother. “C’mon, Kyle, it’s time for bed.”
Kyle bid us good night and followed Bill into the cell.
I looked at Quinn. He still rubbed his shoulder. “Would it help if I massaged it a little?”
“It might.”
I positioned myself behind him and placed my hands on him. His muscle was hard and sinewy with a small bulge at the base of his neck. I rubbed, and he flinched away from me.
“Sorry.” I started again more gently.
The muscles loosened as I worked on them. The room was eerily silent. It made me slightly uncomfortable—and I wasn’t sure why. It was probably because of the change in Quinn’s and my relationship status. I was nervous. Was that why Bill and Kyle had left? Were they purposefully trying to give us some time alone? I was sure my nerves stemmed from the fact that I didn’t really know how to act. Or give a massage. It was all so new to me.
Quinn gently touched my fingers, and he looked at me over his shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know. I’m still a little nervous about you and me. To tell you the truth, Quinn, I’ve never had a boyfriend before. I’m not sure how to act.”
Quinn turned to face me. “The last girlfriend I had was in first grade. I’m not really sure what to do either.” He placed his hands on my knees. “We can figure it out together, but one thing is for sure, I’m still your friend. That doesn’t have to change.”
“Except now we’re friends who get to kiss.” I smiled.
“Mmm, speaking of…” He leaned forward and our lips connected.
We kissed for several moments before Quinn pulled away. He arched his back.
“I hate to break this up ‘cause I’m really enjoying it, but I think I need to get an ice pack from Bill.” He stood and gave me one last kiss. “Good night, Krista.”
“Good night, Quinn.”
I lay in bed for a long time thinking about him. Part of me was relieved that he ended the night when he did. I was anxious about massaging and kissing him, even though I enjoyed it. Anything beyond would have totally freaked me out. But in time, I was sure I would get more comfortable. I was thankful we were taking it slow. Just as I was about to drift to sleep, disappointment enveloped me because I didn’t have anyone to tell about my new boyfriend.
CHAPTER 20
After we filled both trucks, we headed to the ranch to hide the guns in the supplies. Then we went to North Platte where Liet waited for us.
His gaze was hard and directed at Quinn as we approached. I prepared myself for his wrath.
“What the hell happened to you?”
“I fell off the top of the truck.” His voice was tense, but I could tell he tried his hardest to be cordial—and he was doing a great job.
“You fell off? How did you fall off the top of the truck?”
“We were up there cleaning off some zombie blood, and I didn’t know there was one behind me, so as I wrestled with it, I rolled off the side.”
Liet’s gaze flicked up and down. “At least you didn’t turn into a zombie. I guess you should be thankful you didn’t get more hurt. That’s a pretty long fall from the top of one of those.”
“Tell me about it.”
The breeze changed direction, and Liet wrinkled his nose. He glanced at Quinn and me. “You guys stink. Didn’t they make you shower before you came in here?”
“Yeah, but they don’t wash our clothes. We had some issues with zombies.” Quinn rubbed the back of his neck. “If you think we’re bad, you should smell the truck.”
“I’ll pass.”
Liet turned on his heel and headed into the courthouse. The four of us followed. He went to his desk and glanced at a file.
“We’re going to need medical supplies. After that little debacle with the zombies in town, we’ve depleted most of our resources.”
“What did you find out about that?” I expected Liet to explode in anger at any moment. In fact, I would have preferred it. His calmness creeped me out. I thought back to the hug he’d given me. I couldn’t endure another.
Liet leaned back in his chair. “Apparently, one of the workers who’d had corpse cleanup duty stepped on a zombie that wasn’t quite dead.” He paused for a moment. “That’s probably not the right choice of words, but you get my meaning. From what I could gather, he stepped on its torso, and it flipped up and bit him on the thigh. Since he was covered in blood and guts from moving bodies, no one noticed his leg was bleeding. The soldier on duty that day decided to forego the mandatory strip search because it was beginning to rain, and he waltzed right into his home. Obviously, he turned and sought out other victims.”
“How many people were turned?”
“About forty.”
Forty? That was a lot. No one had noticed one or two people getting sick? The disease spread fast, but it was odd that no one had reported it sooner. The carrier wouldn’t say anything. I hadn’t when I’d had to go through the line and all I had was scratches.
“Who was the soldier?”
Liet smirked. “You don’t need to worry about that. It’s been taken care of.”
I shivered. The incident led to the soldier’s death, perhaps even a little bit of torture. I’d witnessed how mad Liet had been when we’d left, so I doubted the man got off easily. Knowing Liet, he’d probably fed him to the zombies.
“I suspect you’ll want to leave first thing in the morning.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
I breathed an internal sigh of relief. Liet hadn’t said anything about me running away and he was letting me go out again. I wasn’t going to question it. I was going to let it ride.
The four of us headed up to the apartment, and I was never happier than when I took off my jeans and t-shirt. I thought about throwing them in with the other dirty clothes, but then tossed them into the fireplace. I shampooed and soaped up twice in the shower.
After dinner that night, I snuck into the storage yard where the trucks were parked. Most of the supplies had already been unloaded, so I set to work recovering the guns we’d hidden. I stashed them in a storage shed, and was about to head back, when I ran into Liet.
“What are you doing out here this time of night? Are you planning on running away again?” He glanced over my shoulder as if looking for someone.
My heart leapt into my throat. I should have known he wouldn’t let this go. And there we were—alone, secluded. He could do anything to me. I shook, so I folded my arms across my chest to keep the spasms under control.
“I thought I left my sweatshirt in the truck.” There. Even if he saw me shaking, he’d assume I was cold.
Liet frowned. “Why would you want it if you did?”
“It’s my lucky sweatshirt.”
Liet walked past me to the truck. He opened the door and closed it just as quickly. “Was it in there?”
I shook my head. “No, I must have left it somewhere.”
He leaned against the truck and placed his right foot on the step. “I’m sure this truck will have to be cleaned before you take it out again. How did you stomach that smell?”
“We rode with the windows down.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
What game was he playing? I eyed him suspiciously, but wasn’t going to question anything. He was being civil. If I wanted to get away from him, I needed to be civil too.
I shrugged one shoulder. “Not any more so than heading into the West.”
Liet pushed himself away from the truck and a
pproached me. I tried not to jerk away, but I did flinch. He moved a piece of hair from my shoulder and slid his hand down my arm, resting it above my elbow. It didn’t make me comfortable to have him that close. Was he going to hit me?
“I’m relieved you came back. You had me worried sick.” He hugged me tight. “I think Quinn has served his purpose.”
I pulled away from him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we don’t need him anymore. He taught you what you needed to know. You know how to survive in the West. You can train others.”
Panic gripped my chest. If I said that I still needed Quinn, Liet might figure out that we were actually together, but if I said it was fine, I might never see Quinn again. I could always visit him on the ranch, but then I risked other soldiers knowing how to find it. The only reason Liet had brought this up was to punish me. I needed to think of something fast so I could still gather supplies with Quinn.
“Look, I know I’m not your father, but I’m older and the only family you have. You’re still young. Someone has to protect you.”
The shaking worsened. I tightened my muscles to keep it under control. I had to get away from him, and there was only one way to accomplish that. “You’re right, Liet, and I’m sorry I ran away. I promise it won’t happen again.” I forced a smile. The words were like acid on my tongue, and I suddenly felt as if I needed another shower. “You know, I’m kind of tired, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I think I’m going to go to bed.” I squirmed out of his grasp and headed to the courthouse.
“This is the last time, Krista. The very last time,” Liet called behind me.
I cringed.
I didn’t sleep well that night. I worried that Liet would change his mind and make me stay behind. I also worried he’d show up in my room again. There was also the fear that he’d hurt Quinn, who slept on the couch in the living room.
A sense of relief washed over me as the pink hue of morning shone through my bedroom window. My eyes felt like sandpaper, but I was going to leave in a few hours. I got up and went to make a pot of coffee.
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