The girl looked at Sonia, mouth working without producing words.
“Does it speak?” Sonia asked. “Parlez-vous talk-talk?”
The girl nodded.
Darius wagged his head. “Once I met a pretty little freak,” he sang tunelessly. “Stole my heart and bit me in my sleep…” He revved his bike loudly, and the girl nearly jumped out of her socks.
“Shut up,” Sonia said, more forcefully. “Think of what she’s been through.”
“Join the club,” Dean said.
The girl with the cocoa skin folded her arms across her chest, hiding herself. “I can talk,” she said, in a tiny voice. “But some of them can too. Like a regular conversation, almost. It fools you and then… it’s too late. There’s one just up the road, walking north. But I’m not bitten.” She paused, as if trying to remember words. “My name is Kendra.”
Terry had heard the cop in Seattle speaking but hadn’t come across other talking freaks. Vern hadn’t said a word, and neither had the gaggle they’d run into near Centralia. Or run over, to be more accurate; the snowplow was coated with dried blood. Terry liked the girl already. She was smart, or she never would have survived so long on her own. He would lose sleep if he left her behind. It would be kinder to shoot her.
Terry glanced at Sonia and knew she was thinking the same thing. Piranha’s face was harder to read, but he might have a soft spot for her. It’s not like there were that many “colored kids” wandering around the Pacific Northwest, as Mom would say. With Piranha on his side, he’d have three votes even if the Twins were against it.
Terry gave Piranha a look that said Well?
Piranha shrugged. “Another mouth. But I guess I’m cool if she passes the sniff test.”
The girl squirmed uncomfortably, her arms folded across her chest.
“You want a ride?” Terry asked her.
The girl studied their faces one by one, lingering on the Twins. Darius winked at her. Slowly, the girl nodded.
“Time for the test,” Darius said.
Dean whistled and Hipshot bounded out of the bus. He ran straight for Kendra, circling her, sniffing with furious deliberation. At first, his tail curled firmly between his legs, and Terry’s heart caught. He hadn’t thought about what they would have to do if it turned out she was infected!
Then Hippy’s tail wagged.
When the girl extended her hand, Hippy licked it.
“Well, all right,” Darius said. “Clean, fresh meat to feed the freaks.”
“You are such a jerk,” Sonia said.
The girl by the side of the road seemed to relax, realizing that the Twins weren’t as menacing as they seemed.
“They’ve got to catch me first,” she said, staring at Darius with steel in her eyes.
They all laughed.
“That’s right, girl,” Sonia said. “Tell him to kiss your ass. That’s what I do.”
“Where I come from, princess,” Darius said to Sonia, “that’s called an invitation.”
“Lay off,” Piranha said in his end-of-the-conversation voice. He didn’t like the Twins flirting with Sonia, even in fun, and they flirted more each day. Even Terry found himself staring at Sonia sometimes, seeing in her angular features a softness he hadn’t noticed before Freak Day. It would be good to have more than one girl in the bus. Might lighten the tension.
Terry took a step toward the girl, gestured with his head. “Come on, Kendra,” he said with his best smile. “Hippy can smell a freak a mile away, so you’re officially sterile. Welcome to our dysfunctional family.”
The bus barely made it past the overturned truck Kendra had warned them about and the Twins had confirmed after their recon. They saw no sign of the pirate Kendra had mentioned, but a dead freak in a business suit confirmed her story. Kendra said the pirate had been badly bitten, so he’d probably fled in panic… or fallen asleep nearby. If sleeping, he wouldn’t wake up before a couple of hours, but none of them wanted to linger.
They all climbed out of the bus except for Terry and Kendra, who didn’t want to leave the safety of her seat. Piranha drove her little Toyota out of the way, and Terry inched past the truck without overturning, although there was a nasty scraping sound against the undercarriage. Ugh. Terry tried not to think about it, but the bus hadn’t been in great shape before their road trip, and survival prospects weren’t improving.
The Toyota was a find, with more than half a tank’s worth of gas. Too bad it wasn’t an SUV, but all gas was good gas. It didn’t make sense to add another vehicle to their caravan, but Terry hoped they wouldn’t wish they’d kept the car.
“Let’s move!” Terry said once the bus was clear. Darius and Dean chained their bikes to a rack on the back of the bus, and they continued their journey south.
Once they were back on the road, Dean hunched over the seat behind him. “We’re pretty clear for the next five miles,” he said. “But there’s a messed-up accident after that.”
“Messed up how?” Terry asked.
“Messed up in the usual way everything is messed up. More time. More hassle.”
The Blue Beauty’s wheel vibrated under his hands. The alignment was off, and if the whole world hadn’t gone to hell, he might have found a truck repair place and put her up on the rack. But that wasn’t possible anymore, and all he could hope for was that Blue Beauty would get them somewhere safe before laying down life’s weary burden.
Kendra stayed far in the back, near the supplies, giving them all mistrustful glances as she clung to the seat in front of her as if she were on a roller coaster.
Based on the Twins’ report, Terry drove three miles, creeping along at twenty miles an hour, weaving through the dead cars, and then found a turnout far enough off the road that they couldn’t be seen easily from the interstate.
Time to camp.
No one prodded her, but Kendra finally emerged from the back of the bus after they’d been parked for about a half hour. Terry’s first impression had been correct: she was quite pretty, with huge dark eyes, even though they were filled with all the terrible things she had seen.
Darius stood guard while the others ate.
“It’s hot dogs tonight, before they turn,” Terry said.
“Sounds delicious.” Sonia made a face. Then she winked at Kendra, trying to make her smile. Didn’t work, but Kendra looked less likely to bolt at the first sneeze. Kendra was staring at them as if she was sure one of them had been bitten. How many people had she lost, and how? How much had the talking freaks fooled her? Terry wanted to ask her more, but decided to let her recover from her brush with the pirate. They would have time to talk on the road. He hoped so, anyway.
Kendra finally sat on a stone, knees up to her chest, arms around her knees, gazing into the fire. “So,” Terry said, “where are you headed?” A safe subject.
“Hot dog?” Sonia asked, putting a paper plate and a swollen, sizzling dog before her. They had enough paper and plastic for a landfill.
The girl took one bite, looked as if she was about to cry, and then took another. “Portland,” she said. Then took another bite and reconsidered. “Maybe Southern California, if I can get that far.”
Terry felt a pang. He’d suggested driving to L.A. in his secret wish to find his sister, but the group had responded by vetoing him. None of the radio rumors about L.A. were good, and since he didn’t have a clue where Lisa was, he had to admit it would be a foolish plan. But maybe Kendra knew something.
“What’s down in SoCal?” Terry said.
“Devil’s Wake.”
“Devil’s what?” Dean asked.
“Devil’s Wake,” Piranha said. “One of the California Channel Islands. Might as well be Mars. Why so far, girl?”
“Supposed to be a colony,” Kendra said. “Safe. I have an aunt there. My grandfather said if I could make it there, she’d be sure they took me in.” She said “grandfather” as if the word hurt. A story for later, perhaps.
But a colony on an island and a ticke
t in? Terry’s heart jumped, and Sonia hitched her eyebrow with an I’ve heard worse ideas expression. They’d all agreed that Vancouver Barracks was their destination, that the promise of guns and ammo outweighed any other plans, since any other plans would require more guns and ammo. During all of the hours he’d spent driving the Blue Beauty, lines blurring together on the interstate, he hadn’t asked himself: And then what? None of them had.
“Well, Southern California is a long way,” Terry said, keeping his voice neutral. “Tomorrow we’ll make it to the Barracks, if we get lucky. And I feel lucky.”
Whether or not he wanted to admit it, their original plan had seemed like a fantasy. Now that they were so close, Terry didn’t think he would be able to sleep. He was sick of being afraid, and with more guns they could leave fear behind.
“Where’s the Barracks?” Kendra said.
“Vancouver. Near Portland.”
Kendra’s eyes dropped to her food. “Portland wasn’t lucky for me,” she said. “I was there… when it started.”
Piranha slapped off crumbs of his stale hot dog bun. “I make my own luck.”
“Where do you guys sleep?” Kendra said. She shivered again, perhaps wary of his answer.
“On the bus,” Terry said. “The seats are pretty wide, if you hang your feet off the side. The back is jammed up with food, but it’s not too bad. And we close the door.”
“I…” Kendra’s eyes flew back and forth between them, helpless. She was willing to ride with strangers, but apparently not ready to close her eyes among them.
Sonia gripped her shoulder. “They look rough, but they’re gentlemen. If they aren’t, I’ll kick their nuts up into their throats. You’re safe.”
Sonia’s reassurance softened Kendra’s face again. “I’d like that,” Kendra said. “I’d like a little of that luck too.”
Kendra seemed so young, so lost, that for a moment Terry was horrified at the new responsibility he’d just accepted. If he had driven past her, none of them might have objected, not even Sonia. They had driven past so many people already. They’d looked like people, anyway.
He had stopped. He had decided to pick her up.
Terry surprised himself by leaning forward to kiss Kendra’s forehead, the way he would have kissed Lisa’s if he could. Her skin was cool and smooth beneath his lips. “I’m your luck, lady,” Terry said, and the others groaned and rolled their eyes. Darius threw his paper plate at Terry Frisbee-style and bopped him on the forehead.
For the first time, Kendra smiled.
SIXTEEN
December 17
Kendra awakened slowly, hearing snoring. Her dreams had been… almost peaceful, but her waking body stiffened. Where was she?
No bed. Rows of narrow windows above her. The bus, she reassured herself, nearly breathless. She was on a bus.
The dawn was creeping west toward Idaho; darkness and night ruled. Once her surprise at her new surroundings passed—and the inevitable wave of sadness when she remembered why she wasn’t at Grandpa Joe’s cabin, or back in Longview—the peaceful feeling came back, stronger than before. What right did she have to feel peace?
She didn’t know these people. Grandpa Joe had loved her like only family could, willing to kill or die to make sure she was safe. Strangers wouldn’t do that.
Yet…
She hadn’t seen other kids since the outbreak shut down her school, and now she and a bunch of kids were all on their way somewhere. They were taking action, not just hiding in the woods with the Dog-Lady, waiting for the world to shift back to normal while she ate Doggy Chow chili. Won’t you come over and wait with me, dear? And have a nice bowl of Rover while we listen to the shortwave?
The kids’ dog, whose name was Hipshot, lay on his side in the center aisle, almost inviting someone to step on him. The mutt slept with his head very near her dangling hand. As soon as Hipshot had accepted Kendra, the others had too. She owed him. Darius and Dean were curled up on seats opposite each other in the third row; she didn’t trust them yet, and didn’t think she would, no matter what Sonia said. Behind them, Piranha and Sonia were curled up together against a stack of boxes that filled the back of the Blue Beauty. Both asleep, snoring softly.
Sonia wasn’t stupid, Kendra mused cynically; she’d landed her insurance policy. Kendra almost felt envious, wishing she’d found Piranha first. He looked strong, sounded smart. But what would you have to do to keep him? Kendra thought. She was a virgin, and she’d never known the secret to rocking a guy’s world. Good for Sonia, then.
Kendra’s eyes stopped on Terry. She could just see him from where she lay curled on his seat, just make out his tousled hair. He had a way of looking at her that got on her nerves, some combination of pity and amusement, but her irritation was a revelation. At least it was a feeling, and she hadn’t allowed herself feelings since everything had gone wrong in Longview a lifetime ago.
She felt… hopeful.
I think I’m okay for now, Grandpa Joe. She tried not to see the terrible stranger with the red, hungry eyes. Instead, she imagined Grandpa Joe standing over his stove, scrambling a pan of eggs. Breakfast.
Kendra’s heart stuttered, then peace came again. She rolled over and went back to sleep.
The next time Kendra opened her eyes, the morning was upon them, as Dad used to say. Daylight filtered hazily through the evergreens, giving the site Terry had chosen a dreamlike luster. Three abandoned cars were parked in the spaces, one empty sixteen-wheeler with a Foster Farms logo emblazoned on the side, parked sideways across several spaces. She tried not to imagine the driver slewing into the rest stop with something hanging on to the driver’s side door from the outside.
An unexpected scent made Kendra sit bolt upright. Bacon? Eggs? It was almost as if visualizing Grandpa Joe could bring him back to life, just as Mom and Dad had claimed.
A face appeared in the bus’s stairwell, the big bright-eyed brother they called Piranha. He reminded Kendra of her uncle Willie, only without the raucous laughter. She didn’t let herself wonder where Willie was. “Wake up, Little Miss Thang,” he said, his smile wide. “Powdered eggs, canned bacon, Kool-Aid. Let the wild rumpus begin.”
Kendra’s back was as stiff as a plank, but Piranha’s enthusiasm was contagious. She checked her bundle of belongings and tucked them away under her seat. Everyone else was already off the bus. Her new companions had let her sleep in.
Kendra’s mouth tasted like she’d gargled with pond scum, and she had an almost overwhelming urge to comb her hair before anyone else saw her. She figured that if she could survive what she’d been through, a morning of disarray wouldn’t kill her. Without a toothbrush, maybe her breath would be bad enough to drive the freaks and pirates away.
Outside, the others were busy with breakfast. Darius, or perhaps Dean (she couldn’t tell the difference between them yet), walked the outer edge of the circle, holding a rifle. He would walk a bit, then pause, rest perhaps, and then continue walking, scanning slowly left and right. He never really stopped looking out for anyone, or anything. Once, distantly, she heard the burr of a gasoline engine. Other than that, nothing. The quiet was eerie. Surreal.
“Where is everyone?” Kendra said.
“A lot are dead, I figure,” Piranha said, as if it were a casual conversation about unimportant things. “Lots of the ones left went to camps. Must be some little towns, places the locals know about that are easier to fortify. They aren’t gonna wave flags for us, that’s for damned sure. They’re keeping their profile way low.”
One of the Twins laughed. Kendra noticed a pale vertical line through his right eyebrow; soon she would learn that his name was Darius, and the scar was a souvenir from a skateboarding accident. “I can see it, right?” He waved a shirt above his head. “ ‘Hey, here we are! Come take a bite or kill us to steal our crap.’ ”
Still laughing, he shoveled eggs into his mouth.
Sonia handed Kendra her plate. Sonia’s goth black hair was brushed into a ponytail, and
her mouth didn’t reek, so she was grooming herself somehow. Kendra made a note to get a girlfriend’s guide later.
“Here,” Sonia said. “It’s rotten, but there’s plenty of it.”
“Plenty and good are the same to me,” Kendra said, and Sonia pounded her fist.
Kendra took the plate and sat, not knowing whether to sit farther away from them or closer, not knowing what the rules were, desperate not to violate one unwittingly. She avoided all eye contact with Piranha so she wouldn’t give Sonia even an imaginary reason to get jealous. What if one wrong move got her voted off the bus?
The eggs were lumpy, with a few coarse nuggets where the water hadn’t soaked into the dehydrated powder before heating. The consistency of bad oatmeal, perhaps, but the taste was glorious. Kendra hadn’t known how hungry she was until she realized she was scooping the food into her mouth from the plate. The bacon was even better, even though it wasn’t bacon at all, but strips of fried SPAM. She decided that SPAM was her all-time favorite meat, that if pigs knew how delicious they were, they’d all turn cannibal. Having an armed guard nearby made the meal go down more smoothly.
“More, please?”
“Coming up,” Terry said. He was having fun playing cook, dishing out scoops of steaming eggs while Sonia sliced and fried the SPAM over the other half of the fire. Kendra realized they hadn’t merely found a barbecue pit; they’d dug the hole, filled it with wood, built their campfire. “How long have you been doing this?” she asked.
“Few months,” Terry said. “All summer we were teaching kids how to survive in the woods. Came in handy.”
“What happened at the camp?” she said.
They all exchanged looks, and Kendra almost told them to forget the question.
But Terry sighed. “Real nice couple ran the camp, Vern and Molly Stoffer…”
They told their stories, and listened to hers. About Portland General. And her parents. Grandpa Joe was too fresh, but she told a little about him too. The others mentioned family members they hadn’t heard from, or didn’t know how to reach. Everyone had a story, except the Twins.
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