by Nikki Landis
“Is this safe?” Jessie asked as Maverick tugged her closer.
“Yes, babe. We’re going to exit the building and make our way to the new base.”
She nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
I forgot he was married. I never saw her around much.
Sawyer held up a hand as everyone stopped. He gestured for Razz to move forward and the two of them began to whisper. Razz shook his head a few times but Sawyer seemed to insist on something until he finally nodded, his expression grim.
I was about to ask what the hell we were waiting for when a loud screeching sound split the silent air. A combination of high-pitched scream and weirdly grating notes like an old out of tune instrument made everyone in the corridor freeze. The high frequency caused the fine hairs on my skin to stand up at odd angles.
I didn’t want to know who or what was capable of such noise.
“We’re splitting into two groups. Razz will lead one with half the team. I’ll lead the other with Jester. We meet at the rendezvous point. Everyone clear on what to do if we get separated?”
This information had been drilled into our heads numerous times by the Sawyer and the others. We all knew to lay low and find shelter and safety until we could meet back up again.
Splitting off, I waved to Charlotte as she was tugged by Razz’s side, heading toward the left. We veered right and approached the barricades as Sawyer held his finger up to his lips.
Undead were shuffling about as they filtered in and out of the busted doors. This part of the compound was where the explosions occurred. I knew Saw didn’t prefer leaving this way but he wanted to make sure the other team was safe and chose the more dangerous option for himself. I didn’t mind but this wasn’t going to be easy.
Another screech like the one earlier pierced the air and I resisted the urge to cover my ears.
“What is that?” I whispered as Saw frowned.
His lips were close to my temple as he answered, his voice so low I had to strain to hear it. “Not a word. I think it’s some kind of tracker.”
Tracker? The zombies were tracking and hunting us?
No lull in the crowd appeared as we awaited the H.I.M.S. to leave the building. Several minutes ticked by and Saw whispered into Jester’s ear. The two seemed to be in a heated exchange before most of the group turned around and headed back the direction we came.
“Too dangerous. Sending them to follow Razz.”
The decision made sense. Only a small stealthy group would be capable of leaving through the horde that shuffled about, bumping into parts of the barricade – mostly furniture and heavy metal cabinets – and dragging their limbs around the room. Sawyer gestured for us to follow and we slipped through a narrow gap.
The progress was slow. We couldn’t move more than a few inches at a time or we would alert the H.I.M.S. Darkness seemed to be our friend this night and kept us hidden. I was glad we didn’t have to worry about the wind blowing our scent around as no circulation of air could be felt. No wind. Just stagnant and stinky air from the undead.
Crouching behind a row of desks, we stayed low and hidden.
Sawyer squeezed my hand and ticked his head toward the front. I knew what he was saying without words. We had to take this slow. Inching our way along, we steadily crossed the room. He stopped to press another kiss to my forehead, breathing faster than his normal rate.
He was worried.
Placing my hands against his cheeks, I stared right into his eyes. The connection lasted for a long minute while neither of us spoke. It wasn’t necessary.
Reaching for my hand, he led us forward again, his strong shoulders stiff with resolve.
Twenty nerve wracking minutes later, we were finally outdoors, pausing to lean against the side of a school bus in the dark. My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to breathe as quietly as possible. My sweaty palms gripped the knives in my hands a little too tightly but there was nothing I could do to relax.
We were on high alert.
Sawyer gestured that we should move toward the parking lot and a row of school buses. I wondered why they were here but didn’t linger on the thought.
A sudden thud caught our attention and I nearly screamed as I glanced up and saw the Runner that had jumped onto the top of the bus above us. As I paused to stare, I could swear the silhouette was familiar. An inhuman screech launched from the throat of the Infected as she turned and my eyes widened with recognition.
Tonya.
No!
More Runners and H.I.M.S. began to turn in our direction. In total horror, I watched in disbelief. Was she signaling them our location?
Impossible. Right?
Sawyer yanked on my hand and we took off running toward the closest building for cover. The warehouse wasn’t much to look at, but a set of metal steps led upward and would keep the H.I.M.S. off of us while we tried to reduce the number of Runners on our tail. We didn’t pause as both Sawyer and I leaped up the stairs two at a time in desperation. We’d never outrun the Infected. They were too fast.
It didn’t take long to reach the top. Sawyer hoisted my body upward and I grabbed the smooth surface of a ladder’s side rails that were bolted to the exterior. I’d never moved so fast before in my life. Frightened for Sawyer and knowing he was right behind me, I kept climbing until I reached the top and catapulted my body onto the roof.
Seconds later he joined me, clutching my body close as he placed a kiss on my lips. “That was close.”
“No shit,” I agreed as we stood and peered over the edge.
The Runners were fast but they couldn’t climb ladders. We were safe for the moment. I sat down and leaned against the ledge, inhaling air and trying to calm my anxious heart.
“Did you see –?”
“Tonya, yeah,” he sounded off and I didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I should have looked for her and taken care of it. This is my fault.”
I wasn’t going to debate it with him. “Look, maybe it’s just the Marine in her that enabled that weird tracking and screeching ability. Don’t take the blame for her condition. It was a horrible tragedy, Saw. That’s it.”
His jaw pumped a few times in anger before he joined me and reached for my hand. “I hate that I was unable to help her. She died on my watch, Bailee. Can you understand how that makes me feel?”
“Yes, but we can’t worry about this right now. We’ve got to meet up with the others.”
He nodded, cupping my cheek before he placed a quick kiss on my lips. “I’d be devastated if it were you so stay close as we find a way off this roof and away from the Runners.”
Saw led me across the roof to the opposite edge. We spotted the same type of ladder on the other side. It led to another metal staircase that descended into the dark abyss. Who knew what awaited us below?
“Maybe we should wait for sunrise,” I suggested, entirely sure the last thing I wanted was to be caught by the Runners or Tonya again.
“Relax. I’ll go down first and if it seems unsafe at any time I’ll have you go back up to the roof. Alright?”
I hoped I wouldn’t regret the decision to follow him.
We made it down the ladder without incident and stepped onto the metal staircase. The whole structure moved underfoot and began to sway as Sawyer held out his arms and tried to balance his weight. The metal creaked but didn’t shift any further.
“It’s fine. The metal has probably rusted over time. We’ll just be careful and take it slow.” He offered a small smile. “I really want to reach a vehicle as quickly as possible.”
I was glad he was confident because I was ready to freak out. If the Runners or H.I.M.S. came after us now we’d be totally screwed. What if they heard the light creaking noises?
I really wished I would have stayed on the roof.
About half way down, the metal creaked again and issued a series of quick pops and snaps. We pitched off to the right as I fought back a scream a
nd held onto the metal rail with a death grip.
“Bailee, don’t move.”
He never heard my reply as seconds later the entire structure buckled underneath us and we landed in a crumpled heap of metal, dirt, and debris. The fall was only about ten feet from the ground but it was loud and painful. I slammed into a set of steps and groaned as Sawyer landed on his side, his leg pinned underneath at an awkward angle.
My breath came in quick frenzied gasps as I sat up and turned to Saw. Fuck, I hated being right. That stairway was unstable and he should have listened to me. It collapsed like a tent of matchsticks.
“You okay, baby?”
Hell no! “Yeah,” I lied, sitting up as I heard the moans and snapping jaws of H.I.M.S. “We’ve got company.”
“I’ve injured my ankle. We have to be smart about this.”
I was about to tell him to shove it up his ass and get moving when something fell on me from above. Make that more than one. Undead had found us and were now falling into the hole we’d created when we fell. There must have been an underground storage area next to the warehouse. We busted straight through the wooden doors and landed below ground level.
I fought off the first zombie and stabbed him in the eye, gagging when the eyeball popped out with the blade of my knife. More bodies landed with a thud as I pushed, shoved, and kicked in desperation. We’d be overrun and dead in minutes if we didn’t move.
“Bailee!”
Sawyer’s agonized cry met my ears about two seconds before I felt the horrendous pressure of a thousand knives piercing my skin all at once. Pain radiated down my shoulder and across my left arm as I screamed in agony. Warm fluid trickled down my chest and I knew it was my own blood.
Seconds ticked by like hours as I watched Sawyer stab and shove the H.I.M.S. out of his way in an effort to reach me. Not one was spared. The carnage unfolded like some sick horror movie as I stood there, unable to move.
The jaws of the undead snapped with a loud crack as they dislodged from my shoulder, ripping the skin from my flesh. I’d never felt such horrendous pain in my entire life.
In horror, I met Saw’s gaze.
He twisted the neck of the undead that bit me as the body flopped to the ground and shook his head, reaching for me at the same time that I grabbed his gun. He clearly didn’t think I would react so quickly because his surprise was evident. I pressed the end of the barrel to my temple, ready to pull the trigger.
My eyes met the cool blue stare of the man I loved. Always a soldier first, either he didn’t know how badly I was hurt or he wasn’t treating this as a big deal. Either way, we were fucked.
I blurted the words before he could intervene and answered the silent question in his eyes. “I’ve been bitten.”
SAWYER COULDN’T BELIEVE his ears. “What?”
“I’ve been bitten,” Bailee repeated softly.
He shook his head, panic pushing down on his chest until he couldn’t draw a deep enough breath. No, please, he thought, not when I just found her, not now.
How could this happen?
Sawyer shoved the material of her shirt aside and gasped at the distinct and deep bite mark on her shoulder. Blood dripped from the wound and soaked into the pale aqua color. “No,” he exhaled, tears filling his eyes as he felt his legs give out from under him.
“I love you, Sawyer. It’s okay, I know what you have to do but this is easier. I’ll just do it myself.”
His eyes met hers swiftly, the depth of his anger causing her to flinch in surprise. “That’s not what this means, not yet.” He yanked the gun from her hand. Bailee tried to fight him but she was too weak. Their tumble down to the ground was a brutal one thanks to that staircase collapse. “You’re not doing shit.”
“Saw,” she whispered and he blanched at the sadness in her tone, “You told me once before this was a death sentence, remember? I’m not any different than anyone else. You’ll have to take me out before I change and hurt someone.”
He shook his head so hard he was dizzy. “I said no, Bailee. Don’t fucking argue with me about it either, I mean it. I’m not in the mood.”
She sighed and leaned forward, her warm forehead pressed to his cooler one. Already she was flushed as the virus contaminated her blood and wreaked havoc on her cells. He could see her complexion becoming rosy as a light sheen of sweat covered her flawless skin. “Help me up. We have to find the others as quickly as possible.”
At least they agreed on that point.
He helped Bailee to her feet and wrapped one arm around her protectively as they left the interior of the warehouse basement to join the others. A sloping incline led upward as he held onto Bailee and forced his mind not to concentrate on the pain in his ankle.
Sawyer hated to become separated from his team. That’s how accidents and injuries happened. Case in point – Bailee was now bitten.
Fuck.
He should have been more cautious. She was too important for him to lose. He wasn’t about to let this bite ruin everything. He would find a way to help her survive. There was no way he was going to give up. Not now.
His heart ached painfully as he walked, limping along and holding her tightly against his side as he hobbled on his right foot and hoped she didn’t try to run. That’s what he would do if he was the one bitten but he didn’t voice that aloud. His first priority was her safety and medication. He knew of several drugs that could slow the process down.
The delay could provide them with crucial time to come up with a decent plan.
It was this moment he remembered that her uncle had given her the experimental cure. Of course, this was only conjecture. There was no proof she had any immunity which explained the reason the military needed her found. They wanted to run tests and treat her like a lab rat. He didn’t want that for his Bailee, but it seemed now there wasn’t much choice. She was reacting just like the others when they were bitten. In twelve hours, she’d either succumb to the virus or she’d recover.
Maybe she would be alright. Hope blossomed in his chest as he stopped and pressed his forehead to hers, hoping to convey all he felt for her. Words just weren’t enough but he would try.
“All I need,” he rasped, clutching her close as his heart broke and shattered, “is you needing me.” She tried to speak but he silenced her with a finger on her soft lips. “I just need you beside me, baby. That’s it.”
A fierce determination lit up her eyes and he couldn’t tell what she decided in that moment. Fear licked up his spine was a sensual aggression and he knew he couldn’t leave her alone. Any chance she had to leave him must be cut off. No way were they going to be separated.
No matter what happened next.
Alert and watching for Crawlers or Lurkers, Sawyer moved quickly. He led her across the parking lot to a vehicle that he knew had gas and keys under the driver’s seat. It was one kept here in case of emergency. As he hopped into the front seat and gestured for her to join him, Sawyer pretended to be busy consulting the compass he always kept in his pocket.
He ignored the Rotters and several Runners that headed in their direction as he pressed the gas pedal to the floor and sped away into the dark night. She sighed softly as her eyes closed and her head fell back against the seat. He knew she was exhausted. As he reached for her hand and squeezed, his heart thumped in his chest. Terrified of what the future held, he didn’t say a word. There was nothing that could change what happened so the only option was to figure out how to proceed and save her life.
Nothing was guaranteed and it would be just like the government to conceal the truth. They had hidden so much, from the beginning. There was no way he could trust the Intel completely. Sawyer needed a backup plan in case she wasn’t immune.
Bailee might be bitten . . . but it wasn’t the end.
He’d make sure she survived even if it killed him.
Epilogue
I left Sawyer before the sunrise as the first streaks of dawn broke across the dew-covered horizon. He tried so hard t
o stay awake all night but finally fatigue won over and it wasn’t hard to slip away. Leaving a pillow in my place within his embrace, I fought against the urge to wake him and confess my plan. I didn’t. I couldn’t.
He wanted so desperately to help me, but what made the most sense was leaving him and the others behind. I wouldn’t place people who were innocent in danger. Either I was going to die and become Infected – or I was part of the cure. Since I had no idea what was happening in my body, I chose to leave my new friends behind.
Saw would have to understand. I loved him and his alpha protector personality but he couldn’t change the inevitable. If he was thinking clearly, he would agree with me.
Stick to the mission.
He taught me to focus on what was needed and now I was doing exactly as he asked.
That’s all that mattered now. My blood held a possible cure, I knew that much, even if I hadn’t actually seen any case files on the subject. My uncle would never inject any substance into my body unless he was absolutely certain I wouldn’t be harmed.
Sawyer and his team were given one important task once the outbreak occurred – find and secure the niece of the infamous Mark Schroeder. Nobody thought I would end up living alone for an entire year, believing I was the only survivor of a terrible and ruthless zombie plague. Maybe they gave up the idea that I could be found. Maybe no one really believed the stories or the possibility that I could end it all.
Perhaps all hope was truly lost.
As I breathed in the cool morning air, I knew I had to find this military base and turn myself in. Sawyer would never agree with my decision. His feelings clouded his judgment. As endearing as that was, I couldn’t run and hide when I had a chance to save the world from the brink of destruction.
My heart raced in my chest as I thought I may never see him again. He’d quickly become my everything. He was the breath that filled my lungs. The purpose that gave me direction. Hell, he was the love that saved me from my own destruction. He was a part of me, etched into my soul with razor blades of love that permanently scarred my heart.