The Becoming (Book 5): Redemption

by Jessica Meigs

  Chapter 12

  The sun had sunk below the tree line when Kimberly crawled out of the back of the SUV she and Ethan had taken shelter in for the evening, yawning and shoving her messy blonde hair out of her face. Her shoulders were sore, and her entire body felt stiff from being crammed in the back of a vehicle not meant to be slept in, let alone for two people to sleep in. She glanced at the SUV’s open back door at Ethan, who was still asleep, lying on his side with his head pillowed on his arm. She debated waking him up and decided against it. There was no need to interrupt what rest he was able to get. She stretched, grabbed her backpack, and shuffled her way through the grass along the highway’s shoulder, heading for the tree line. Her bladder was screaming at her, and she wanted to get her business taken care of before Ethan woke up and wanted to hit the road again. They still had a long way to go, and they couldn’t waste one minute.

  She and Ethan had been on the road for a week now, walking for hours during the day, navigating the back roads and county roads whenever possible to avoid the cleared highways. Once things had started to get more congested and the county roads started getting blocked up, indicating they were getting closer to a city, they’d started avoiding traveling during the day, resting in the backs of vehicles and trucks and moving during the night to maximize their cover. That was how they’d found themselves in the SUV they’d sheltered in earlier in the day, choosing the hotter part of the afternoon to rest.

  Now that the sun was set, they were going to start traveling again. First, though, Kimberly needed to figure out where the hell they were. She knew they were somewhere north of Charleston, but she was unsure how far north. Regardless of their exact location, just being north of Charleston meant they weren’t making anything resembling good time. She was going to have to figure out what was slowing them down and where they were at before they started walking again so they could steer around any heavily populated areas. The last thing she wanted was to walk right into a mess of infected and lose the cure and her life.

  When she finished her business and returned to the SUV, Kimberly found Ethan awake, sitting on the edge of the SUV’s cargo space under the shadow of the open back door. He looked exhausted. He yawned and leaned forward to scrub at his face with both hands.

  “You look tired,” Kimberly commented as she joined him at the car. “How do you feel?”

  Ethan grinned. “Tired. And sore, like I’ve been walking all day.”

  Kimberly rolled her eyes. “Smartass.” She reached past him to set her backpack in the cargo space and swatted at him. “Scoot over.”

  He shuffled over so she could climb up to sit next to him. She snagged the map out of a side pocket of her backpack and unfolded it enough to reveal the roads they’d been traveling on the previous night and most of the day. After finding Woodside on the map, she traced her finger along the roads they’d walked, frowning as she studied the small print closely.

  “What are you doing?” Ethan asked. He leaned to look over her shoulder so he could see the map for himself.

  “Trying to figure out where we are so I can figure out where we need to go from here,” Kimberly replied. She unfolded the map a bit more so she could see what was north of them.

  “Oh, that’s easy,” Ethan said. He pointed to a spot on the map about twenty miles south of Ridgeville, South Carolina. “We’re right here.”

  Kimberly raised an eyebrow. “You sure?” she asked.

  “Pretty damn positive,” Ethan replied. “I saw a sign earlier when we were walking, not long before we stopped to rest. It was fallen over sideways, but I could make out that it said Ridgeville, twenty miles.” He dragged his own backpack over and unzipped it, digging around inside and pulling free a small box of cereal, like the ones Kimberly’s mom used to buy for her and Avi when they were kids. He offered it to her with a smile. “Breakfast?”

  “Sure, thanks,” Kimberly said, taking the offered box. “Though you’re aware that it’s dusk, not dawn, right?”

  “I’m aware,” Ethan assured her with a soft chuckle. “If we’re going to be primarily traveling at night, then you could probably consider this our breakfast time.”

  Kimberly swallowed a mouthful of cereal and took a swig of water. “I know we’ve been doing it for a week, but do you think it’s a wise idea? Traveling primarily at night?”

  “We don’t have much of a choice, do we?”

  “Well, technically, we do,” Kimberly said. “We could walk during the day and sleep at night.”

  “We could, but then we wouldn’t have the darkness for cover,” he said. “This time of the month, we have a full moon, so there’s plenty of light to see by without having to worry about using flashlights to make ourselves more easily noticed.”

  “Which brings me to my other nagging thought,” Kimberly replied. “Who exactly are we trying to avoid? Other survivors, I’m sure, because they might try to take the samples away from us if they find out that we have them. I think it’s safe to assume that the military is still partially operational, if the helicopters and the bombing were any indication. Are we trying to avoid them too?”

  Ethan scowled, rubbing a hand over his short beard, thinking it over. “I don’t know,” he said. “They’re obviously up and running. We don’t know what sort of mindset they’re in and what kind of parameters they are operating under, though. They could be under orders to shoot on sight, which would run the risk of us getting killed before we’ve handed the samples off and explained what they are and what they’re for.” He sighed. “Then again, if they’re not under those kind of orders, they could help us.”

  “So what do you think?” Kimberly asked. “Avoid and observe until we know for certain?”

  “I think that would be the wisest course of action,” Ethan stated, “if only to preserve our own safety.” He lifted his head, suddenly alert, his green eyes narrowing as he stared down the line of cars parked along the shoulder of the road. “Kim, grab your bags and get into the trees,” he said brusquely. “There’s something out there.”

  “Shit!” Kimberly swore and obeyed, scooping up both her bag of supplies and the bag full of Derek’s research. She hopped off the edge of the cargo space and slung the bags onto her shoulders, then hurried toward the tree line, pulling her machete free from its sheath. She ducked into the darker shadows under the trees and slid around behind one, gripping her machete tightly, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

  She counted to thirty, pressing against the tree, feeling its rough bark dig into her skin through her clothes. She heard Ethan moving somewhere behind her, back the way she’d come. When he didn’t join her, she eased to the edge of the tree and peered around it to see where he was.

  It took her a second to spot him. He was lying on his stomach in the tall grass on the shoulder of the road, his feet braced in a way that would allow him to get up quickly if necessary, his backpack beside him within easy reach. His machete was in his right hand, the blade flat in the grass where it wouldn’t be noticeable. Kimberly wondered what he was doing until her ears picked out the sound of a low rumble, like a diesel engine running somewhere down the road. The sound got louder, accompanied by the occasional, confusing sound of metal against metal.

  “Ethan?” Kimberly hissed. He glanced back at her. “What are you doing?”

  He waved a hand at her to signal for her to stay put, then returned his focus on the road, waiting for whatever was making the noise to pass. She gritted her teeth, tempted to crawl out there and join him, but she knew that wouldn’t go over well with Ethan. She knelt down behind the tree, set her backpacks down on the damp underbrush, and waited from her vantage point in the trees.

  It didn’t take long before the source of the noise came into sight. It wasn’t one vehicle; it was several, and they appeared to be military, some type of cargo-like truck with the back end covered in a thick, heavy-duty canvas. Kimberly could see four of them, trundling in a line down the road, stopping whenever they encountered a bl
ockage and disgorging several dozen soldiers in MOPP4 suits to move vehicles and clear the roadway of debris before continuing on. The nearer they drew to her and Ethan’s hiding place, the tenser her shoulders got, the muscles drawing tight to the point of pain, and she realized she was clenching her teeth when a sharp dart of pain shot through her jaw. She forced her jaw to loosen, likewise relaxing her grip on the machete’s hilt when her knuckles began to ache. She had a sudden, terrible fear that they were going to find Ethan and do something horrible to him, and the thought was enough to draw bile up her throat. She swallowed hard to quell the nauseous feeling in her gut and resisted the urge to call out to Ethan again.

  Ethan was watching the soldiers work with rapt attention, his head turning this way and that, observing their movements. When they started drawing closer to him, he slithered backwards through the tall grass, easing toward the bottom of the embankment, dragging his machete and his pack along with him. The grass swayed with his movements, and Kimberly was terrified that the soldiers would notice, but the cool evening breeze that was blowing over the entire scene thankfully masked Ethan’s activities, and he reached the bottom of the embankment without incident.

  Kimberly blew out a breath of relief. It was short lived when Ethan rose into a crouch to break for the trees to join her and one of the soldiers spotted him. The gas mask the soldier wore muffled the shout he let out, but it was audible and clear enough for his comrades to understand. Three of them raised rifles to their shoulders, and Kimberly shouted, “Ethan! Look out!”

  Ethan snatched his bag off the ground and sprang to his feet in one movement, dashing for the tree line as the soldiers opened fire. The initial volley of shots missed him, peppering the trees and making Kimberly duck for cover behind the one she was already sheltered behind. Bits of bark broke loose from the trees and pinged off her, and she instinctively shielded her head with her arms. Ethan dove into the tree line and skidded behind the tree three down from Kimberly’s, pressing against it and slipping his machete back into its sheath. He drew his Glock out then, holding it in an experienced, two-handed grip, and waited for the shooting to stop. He had a look of intense concentration on his face, and Kimberly easily imagined him as a police officer again, a mental image that was quickly banished as her terror at being shot at nearly overtook her.

  There was no time to think about that, however, because the soldiers had quit shooting. Ethan took the opportunity in the break from the flying bullets to rush to her and grab her arm.

  “Come on, we’ve got to go, now!” he said.

  He barely gave her enough time to grab her backpacks again before he hauled her deeper into the trees. Kimberly stumbled over the underbrush, quickly gaining her feet, matching his longer stride as best she could as he raced through the trees, dodging around the flora, his hand still locked around her wrist in what could only be described as a death grip.

  It didn’t take long before Kimberly was struggling to keep up with him, and she snapped, “Ethan! Slow the fuck down!”

  “Can’t, Kim!” Ethan said. He didn’t even sound breathless, which made her want to kick him in the shins as hard as she could. “Unless, of course, you feel like dying today.” He ducked below a low-hanging tree branch, narrowly avoiding hitting it with his head. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been through and survived enough that I don’t feel like dying now, not after all of that.”

  Before she could utter a response, something lurched out of the shadow of the trees to her right and grabbed her arm, jerking her out of Ethan’s grip. Kimberly let out a startled shriek, staggered sideways, and fell onto the pine needle-strewn ground. Her machete skittered out of her grasp and out of reach. Then her attacker was on her, scrabbling at her hair and face, its stinking breath invading her nose. She thrust a hand up into her attacker’s throat, jamming it there to keep its mouth shut while she tried to get her knee up to drive it into its gut. Her backpacks were squashed underneath her, and she had a horrible thought of the vials of samples crunching under the pressure.

  “Ethan!” Kimberly yelled.

  A pistol shot echoed out in the gloom. A second one followed it, and the body on top of her jerked and toppled sideways.

  Ethan loomed over her. He kicked the body the rest of the way off her and grabbed her hand, hauling her to her feet. He scooped up her machete and handed it to her. “Let’s go. They probably heard that.”

  “Are they even chasing us?” Kimberly asked.

  Ethan grasped her hand again, hurrying her through the trees, keeping the pace a fraction slower than he had before, much to her legs’ relief.

  Ethan slowed enough to point back behind them. She glanced over her shoulder to see three of the MOPP4-suited men slogging through the underbrush with their rifles in their hands, pursuing them as rapidly as their suits would allow.

  “That answer your question?” he asked.

  “How far do you think they’ll follow us?”

  “I don’t know, and I sure as hell don’t want to find out,” Ethan said. He pulled her behind a tree and drew her to a stop. Finally, she could see him breathing a modicum heavier than he’d been at the outset of their run. “We can’t run forever,” he said. “We need to do something about them. Now.”

  “What are you proposing?” Kimberly asked. When his eyes met hers, she read his intentions loud and clear in his gaze. “No, Ethan,” she said. “No. We are not killing those men.”

  “We have to do something,” he said. “The fact that they’re chasing us suggests they’re doing so because they want to kill us. They shot at us! They wouldn’t have done that if they wanted us alive.”

  “We can’t kill them,” Kimberly protested. “We’re not like that. We’re not that kind of people. Besides, there are more of them on the road. We kill them and they don’t come back, their buddies will come after them, and then we’re up shit creek without a paddle or a canoe, because we don’t have that many bullets.” He stared at her, and she clutched his hand. “Please, Ethan. Don’t kill them.”

  “Fine,” Ethan said, jamming his pistol back into its holster. “Incapacitate only. Just leave it to me.”

  Chapter 13

  The majority of the group departed from the safe house at dusk after having spent most of the week foraging for supplies in the surrounding areas. By the time they’d finished, they had a new vehicle to use for the trip to Atlanta, and they’d kept the barest minimum of food and water for themselves, leaving most of it with Derek and Isaac. On Sadie’s suggestion, they’d moved the ambulance to the backyard where it wasn’t visible from the street. Now that the preparations were complete, they all congregated in the front yard to say their farewells and pile into their newest vehicle to head to Atlanta and, hopefully, find out where Brandt had been taken.

  That was where Dominic found himself, standing in the front yard while Remy and Derek hugged, trying to quell the spark of jealousy that burned in his gut at the sight. Jude was already in the seven-seater SUV that Keith had found. Sadie stood by the open doorway, checking over her shotgun, impatient for the show to get on the road. Dominic couldn’t blame her. He was ready to get moving too.

  Cade had already said her goodbyes to Olivia. Dominic had witnessed a fragment of the emotional parting, and he knew it was something that would haunt him for some time to come. Isaac stood by the front door holding the infant, but Cade didn’t make a move towards them. Perhaps she thought that a second goodbye would make the separation more difficult.

  “Let’s move out, guys,” Cade called, her voice loud enough to carry across the yard to everyone there. “We’re burning time we don’t have, and I want to be in Atlanta by dawn.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” Keith said. He headed for the SUV and climbed into the back alongside Jude. Sadie gave her a single nod and circled around the front of the vehicle to climb into the passenger seat. Remy pulled away from Derek with clear reluctance, swiping at her eyes discreetly with the back of her hand. She didn’t say anything to Domini
c when she passed him, though she took his hand for the barest of seconds and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “You okay?” Dominic asked, his voice low. He walked with her, hitching his backpack higher onto his shoulder. She nodded curtly and slung herself into one of the middle row seats. He slipped in on the same row beside her.

  Cade had moved to the driver’s door and opened it, though she hadn’t gotten in yet. She stood grasping the door, staring back at Derek, Isaac, and Olivia, her forehead creased. She looked longingly at the trio. “Take care of my girl!” she called to them, not waiting for an acknowledgement of her order before she slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door. She started the vehicle, glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure everyone was in the vehicle, and pulled away from the curb, accelerating down the street.

  When Cade turned onto a different block and the house disappeared from view, Dominic scooted forward in his seat, leaning to address her. “Are you—”

  “Don’t ask me if I’m okay,” she cut in. “If any of you ask me that question, I swear to everything that’s holy I’ll pull this car over and beat the shit out of you. And afterwards, I may or may not leave you on the side of the road. I haven’t decided that part yet.”

  “Duly noted,” Dominic said. “Though that’s not what I was going to ask. I was going to ask you if you’re sure you’re okay with doing this.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Going back into Atlanta,” he said. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

  “Doesn’t matter if I can handle it,” Cade said. She grasped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles blanching with the force of her grip. “If I expect to get Brandt back, I’ll take on anything I have to.”

  “Even the entire U.S. military?”

  “Especially the entire U.S. military.”

  Dominic sat back in his seat. “Okay, just so we’re clear on what our limits are.”