I raise my broken shovel, getting ready to stake the bastard back to hell, when it suddenly turns on me. A backhanded blow knocks me sideways and my stake lands several feet away. The infected returns to Quinn and punches him directly in the chest, seeming to sense where his weakness and pain is radiating. Quinn gasps and drops to the ground in agony. The smart infected turns back to me and slowly stalks forward, already having taken care of his other threat. Mason and Luke are fending off the last two infected, unable to make it to me in time.
I crabwalk away from the infected, hoping for some sort of miracle. A sharp poke jabs my hip, reminding me of the screwdriver in my pocket. Screeching cries echo around the house, signaling the death of the other two infected.
Luke attempts to creep up behind the infected stalking me, but it senses him, and backhands him into the wall. He sags to the ground immediately, knocked out by the blow. His effort gives me a moment to pull the screwdriver out of my pocket. The infected, now alone, turns back to me, a sadistic smile curling his lips. He thinks he’s won. Mason’s a few feet away, but still close enough for the follow-through.
“Catch!” I yell.
Mason’s eyes go wide as the screwdriver flies toward him. The infected watches the object sail through the air, not understanding, until Mason catches it directly behind him. Mason’s eyes are sinister as he locks onto the infected, raising the screwdriver and stabs down, over and over.
A screech unlike anything I’ve ever heard before emanates from the infected, echoing off the surrounding buildings. Mason continues stabbing until movement ceases and all life leaves its body. I flop to my back, breathing heavily, as an eerie silence surrounds us.
“Mase?” I say quietly, afraid to break the calm.
His golden eyes snap to mine as his breath saws in and out of his lungs. He resembles a feral animal, with blood covering his front, and white knuckles from the death grip he has on the screwdriver. “I’m fine,” he answers the wordless question.
Mason moves to check on Luke, and I do the same with Quinn. Groaning on my left tells me Luke is waking up. Quinn looks sick, his skin clammy and sweaty. I pull his shirt up to check for damage. The sight is still a shock. Four long claw marks run from his chest to under the waistband of his pants. The wound no longer holds stitches, but the scars are bulging, inflamed from the recent trauma. The coloring is bright, letting me know they’re still irritated from the original offense, but are now turning black and blue around the area the infected hit.
“Shit. Mase? Help me get him inside. He doesn’t look good.” Luke is on his feet and holds the door open for Mason and me to carry Quinn inside and lay him on the couch. We stand above him, looking at the angry wounds. Watching Michael over the years, I’ve picked up a few things, so I kneel and start to run my fingers over the injury. I search for any abnormalities, finding none. “I think he’ll be all right. Rest is probably the best thing for him right now.” Luke’s rubbing his head. “You should take it easy too. You probably have a concussion getting hit that hard.”
“Here, Luke, sit down.” Mason has Luke sit on the loveseat adjacent to the couch, then turns back to me. “We need to load this shit and get out of here. With the screech that thing let out, he’s probably drawn more in this direction.” He’s still covered in blood; the whites of his eyes are the only things untainted.
I nod. “We do. First, you need to get cleaned up and get that shit off your face.” I motion to all the blood. “Then we’ll check the perimeter and make sure there are no other infected surrounding us. Finish checking the shed and then load this shit up. These two are not going to be of any use to us. They need to rest. You up for the challenge?” I meet his gaze with my own determination, knowing Mason won’t let me down.
“What are we waiting for?” He steps out the front door. “I’ll check the perimeter before I wash off in the snow and change.”
“I’ll finish up in here. Check that shed when you’re done and I’ll meet you out there when I’m finished here. Stay on your toes,” I warn.
“Always,” he growls and walks out the door.
I turn back to Luke. “You can’t sleep. Keep an eye on Quinn. If you get too tired, call for me. I’ll come in and make sure you stay awake.” He nods, but doesn’t answer, letting me know he’s still affected by the blow.
Before I head back into the rooms, I grab a small shirt and fill it with snow from the front porch, placing it on Quinn’s warm forehead. I watch the two for a moment, before committing myself to packing again. I randomly check on them as I go. By the time I finish in the house, Mason’s already back in the living room, tending to the two on the couches. Luke is still awake but looks like he’s fighting sleep as hard as he did the infected.
“I’m all done in here,” I announce when I enter the living room.
“I’m finished with the shed. There’s garden tools that’ll help us, a few boxes of sealed clothes and snow boots. The sizes are random. None of them fit me.” He smiles at this, because he wears a size thirteen shoe. Nothing ever fits him. “There’s also a four-wheeler.” He lets this last bit sink in.
I watch him for a reaction. We’ve known one another for a long time, and I can read his emotions. I know what we’re both thinking, that we need a four-wheeler, but if we took it, we’d have to leave almost everything else. “Does it have gas?” A thought snaps in my head.
“Yes.” Mason is smiling as the word leaves his lips. “It’s cold out, but I can drive it back and follow you,” he offers, but loses his smile shortly after. “You’d have to watch them while you drive. Luke shouldn’t sleep for a while longer, and when he does, you’ll have to wake him every couple hours.”
“You should be more worried about how cold it’s going to get on that quad tonight.” Staying overnight here, where we were attacked, is not an option.
“Don’t worry about me. I plan on busting into some of the sealed bags. There was also a bit of hunting gear in the shed too. Big coat and thermals, a couple of face guards for wind. I’ll freeze my balls off, but it’ll be enough to get us to a checkpoint. I’ll climb in with you guys every so often. We’ll have to wake Luke up anyway. I can climb in and warm up then too.” Mason doesn’t mind the weather. He goes out daily for hours in the snow.
“Sounds like we have a plan. Let’s get this shit loaded,” I say, tapping Luke one more time to make sure he stays awake. “Stay awake for a bit longer, Luke, then you can sleep. You doing all right, man?” I kneel in front of him.
His eyes are confused. “Hmm?”
“Nothing. Stay here, okay?” It’s best he doesn’t wander.
“Okay,” he mumbles.
Mason and I start with the mattresses. We load both queens on first, then the baby mattress diagonally so we can fit the gas can next to them. We leave the mattress coverings on them to ensure they stay in excellent condition. Once we get those tied down, we open the back of the U-Haul. It’s not large, but it’s enough to hold the stuff we’re bringing. When we came to this house originally, we didn’t have the luxury of time to look around, and missed and entire pantry full of dehydrated food, all of it vacuum sealed. The people that lived here were exceptionally clean and tidy. I send a silent prayer to them, thanking them for their generosity. Lastly, we pull the four-wheeler out of the shed, happy to see it has a pull start and charging coils for the battery. Mason hops on and pulls several times before the four-wheeler fires up. He revs the engine to guarantee a purr of the machine. He pulls it next to the rig, leaving it running as we head back inside.
Loading with two people instead of four, proves even more tiring. After loading everything, the living room looks sparse. Quinn still hasn’t woken up or moved on the couch. The shirt of snow is melting over his forehead. Before Mason and I mess with the two on the couches, we do a final walk-through, satisfied to see we grabbed everything useful.
We return to the couch and wake Luke up again. He stands on sturdier feet than earlier, understanding better than before and re
membering what happened. He makes his way out to the rig and climbs into the front seat. We both wrap one of Quinn’s arms around our necks and grab a leg, lifting him into a chair carrying position. We place a blanket down before loading him in the back, then cover him with another. His forehead is no longer hot, but we want to make sure to keep him warm. I start the rig and let the heater filter through the vents.
Shutting the door, I turn back to Mason, who is now geared up for his cold ride. “You sure?” I ask.
He nods, his eyes the only thing visible through his mask and helmet. “I’m good. Pull over when you wake Luke up. I’ll hop in and warm up. That should be enough to keep me from freezing.” He chuckles without humor. “We need to get moving.”
“Right. When we stop again, I want to talk to you. I sensed the smarter ones. I thought it was me and my own mixed emotions because I knew it wasn’t coming from any of you. I figured it out when I saw the infected standing over Quinn.”
Mason places a hand on my shoulder, the weight heavier with the extra gear. “We’ll talk about it on the first stop. Right now, we need to get going. I don’t want to take the chance of more infected coming. It’s only us two.” He turns away and climbs onto the four-wheeler.
Shivering from the cool winter air, I climb back into my warm suburban. My adrenaline is wearing off, making all the aches and pains more prominent, twisting my muscles into knots. I groan when I’m comfortable, relaxing back into my seat.
“How you doing?” Luke asks, startling me.
Being able to sense emotions doesn’t always work when you don’t pay attention. Chuckling at myself, I look over at him. “Tired, but I’m good. How are you?”
He looks tired, half asleep already. “My head hurts like a bitch. Sorry I couldn’t help.” He gestures to the back of the rig.
“No worries, man. We got it all,” I assure him.
“How’s Quinn?” He glances over his shoulder.
“He hasn’t woken up, but I didn’t find any new injuries. He’s going to have some nasty bruises.” I put the vehicle in drive and let Mason take the lead.
Chapter 16
Lillie
Several days later and there’s no sign of Big Bully. Farmer Joe is also coming back to the cave less and less, seemingly disappearing out of our world. Jeff never leaves the caves anymore, sending Mr. Mom and the unintelligent out for our food, water, and wood. Jeff doesn’t tell me the reason behind this, but I suspect he doesn’t want to leave me alone in case Big Bully does come back.
Abbey hasn’t eaten much, let alone talk to any of us. Wendy and Mr. Mom behave the same as any other day. Jeff is more diligent, sending his minions to check the outside perimeter several times a day for intruders.
The bedding that Jeff brought me is heavenly. Nothing compared to a mattress, but better than the rocky ground. I crawl in, happy to relax for the night. My consciousness slips the second I lay my head on my arm.
The sun flickers its rays across my body, tickling my skin with its warmth. Before I open my eyes, I know I’m still in the forest, the smell of pine everywhere. When I finally crack my lids, the cold deep blue of the lake greets my vision, sparkling with the sun’s reflection. Birds sing in the trees above me, happy that the snow has finally melted and the flowers are blooming. I move down to the lake’s edge, finding a large boulder to sit on. I’m lost in the simplicity of the mountains, the fresh air, and the blessing of nature. The clear blue sky is bright enough to reflect a picture of the scenery, mirroring the mountains and snowcaps in the crystal water.
A twig snapping pulls me from my reflection. A large silhouette stands a few feet from me. I raise my hand, blocking out the sun to see. Before my eyes focus, I know it’s him. His shape. His stance. I sense him. “Ian?” I ask as my eyes adjust.
“Lil?” His voice is hopeful.
I stand quickly, holding my stomach. “You’re here,” I say breathlessly.
He rushes to me, stopping short of touching. “How are you?” He looks me up and down, checking for injury. “The baby?” He looks around. “Where are we?”
Realization slaps me. “Ian? Are you here with me?”
He turns back to me, confusion in his eyes. “Of course, I’m right in front of you.” My heart plunges. “Wait…” He pauses, trying to breathe through the fog.
“Come on. I need you here with me.” I lean in to kiss him, knowing our passion is like a wildfire. My longing to come home consumes me. This is the only way I know of to find help.
“Lil,” he whispers against my lips. “I miss you.” His hands draw up and down my back, pulling me closer. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” I whimper. “Are you here with me?”
“I’m always with you.” His words inflate my hope, enough to give me the strength to pull away and meet his eyes.
“Ian, listen to me.” I’m serious for the first time, stopping him in his tracks. It’s then, in that moment, that he realizes we’re dream walking.
“Lillie.” My name is a plea in his shaky voice. His grip tightens around me, clutching my arms, understanding we’re really together.
“Yes,” I say.
Before I can continue, he asks, “The baby…how is the baby?”
I smile brightly. “He’s perfect. Strong. Feel him.” I place his hand on my belly and Sweet Pea begins a kicking match. “He might play soccer with his strong kicks.” I giggle.
Tears are in his eyes when he looks back up. “Has anyone hurt you?” His question’s expected, but the meaning is different.
His fingers flex over my stomach and I finally understand. “The baby’s yours. He hasn’t touched me in that way.”
Ian comes alive, a thousand pounds lifted with only a few words. His relief is palpable. “Thank heavens.” He clears his throat when his voice cracks, and then asks, “Where are you?” He looks around again, trying to gain the location from our surroundings.
“I don’t know. This dream is fabricated from what I think it looks like.” Before he can ask, I continue. “All I know is that we’re in a cave, close to a lake. They said ‘over the embankment,’ which makes me think we’re hidden. I’ve been outside the door and can see trees, but not very far, another mountainside cuts off the view.” The next part is going to be a shock. “Becky’s alive. Dane didn’t kill her.” I wait to see his reaction.
“What!” he shouts. “How do you know? Did she hurt you?” He does another sweep of my body.
“She…” My words trail off, not wanting to disclose that she tried to kill me. He doesn’t need to know anything else until I’m home. He’s worried enough already. “No. I’ve not been harmed.”
He gives me a cut-the-shit look, but I stick to my guns. “Really, Ian, I’m okay.”
He doesn’t believe me, but moves back to the topic of my rescue. “Do you know what direction they took you in? Anything else that we can go on?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m sorry. I was knocked out when they brought me in. What I’ve told you is all I know, but there are two smart infected here, including Jeff. There’s seven unintelligent ones here too. There were two other smart ones, but one was exiled, and the other didn’t come back the other day. So, when you come, make sure you’re prepared.”
He leans in and pulls me against him, tucking his face into my neck. “No one’s hurt you?” he whispers, still struggling with the possibilities.
I pet the back of his hair. “I’m okay.”
“I’m coming for you,” he growls.
I smile against his skin. “How’s Az?”
Now it’s his turn to smile. “Getting big.”
I laugh—a true laugh that I haven’t felt for months. “Is she okay, though?”
“Yeah. I’ve talked to her about this. James had a premonition that we found you when the flowers begin to bloom, so she can’t wait until spring. She has complete faith that you’re coming home.”
My chest loses its weight, knowing my daughter is healthy. I can’t wait to get back
to her and the rest of my cave family. I glance up to tell him I’m happy that she’s doing well, when I notice the sky is no longer blue, but gray and cloudy. A loud clap of thunder sounds in the distance, above the mountains, and heading in our direction. We both turn to watch the storm head for us at a rapid pace.
“You have to go,” I say urgently. Somehow, I know Jeff is here.
“What’s going on?” His eyes are searching mine with questions I don’t have the answers to.
“He’s coming.” That’s all I know.
“No. Don’t leave.” Ian pulls me tighter, but I can feel my body dissipating. “Lillie, please,” he begs. His desperation is heartbreaking. I lock eyes with him, sending all my love his way. “Don’t look at me like that,” he growls. “You’re coming home. I’m coming for you.”
His last words fade into the darkness as the storm surrounds me and pulls me from my paradise. I sit in limbo, not dreaming, but not awake either. Floating around on clouds of nothingness.
Moaning, I roll onto my side, fully waking with the movement. I glance around the silent room and watch all the sleeping forms. My eyes latch onto Jeff standing on the other side of the fire, glaring at me.
“Mine.” he growls through our connected minds.
I cock my head to the side, trying to understand. Can he see my dreams now that we’re connected? One thing’s for sure, he’s warning me with the one word. He’ll never let me go.
~~~~
When I wake up the next morning, the room is buzzing. No one is speaking, but they’re hustling around, as if we’re gearing up to leave at any moment. I see Wendy and Abbey still sleeping, but Asher is wide awake and carefully watching the activity. Jeff is nowhere in the cave, so I take the chance and see if Asher has any information.
“What’s going on?” I whisper.
Asher turns to me. “I’m not sure. They’re leaving and coming back randomly. Jeff has been outside most of the morning. The unintelligent are collecting food and piling it over there.” He points to the large pile of fish in the corner, packed with snow to stay fresh.
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