“This is a cave system,” Jake added softly. “Some have multiple entrances. Is there a back way out?”
Wide-eyed, Mike nodded. “Get everything and follow me,” he sounded unsure, but we didn’t hesitate.
There was grunting and complaining coming from the opening we’d come through, so we gathered everything Mike had, and packed it. Jake and I hadn’t even unpacked anything yet, our packs just sitting on the ground.
“Where does this lead?” I asked as we made our way through another small opening. We held hands—one of mine in Mike’s, the other in Jake’s—to avoid losing each other in the darkness. We’d put out the lantern, not wanting the guards to see even a hint of our presence.
Mike’s hand tightened over mine. “Not sure you wanna know,” he admitted.
The noises behind us were now softer. We’d gone through some twists and turns in the narrow path, so we couldn’t see if the guards had made it into the cavern yet.
“I do,” I answered. “I need to know if we’ll still be able to find our friends tomorrow.”
His arm lifted slightly, I assumed in a shrug. “If we backtrack from where this comes out, we may find them tonight. We’re heading in the same direction.”
With all the twists and turns, I had no way to know what direction we were going. Mike seemed certain, and I shuddered a bit. “So, we’re—”
“Heading the same direction. Right into the infected zone. This cave goes right under the fence,” the older boy interrupted.
I smiled in the darkness. Finally, something that could be useful. If we could be sure the guards didn’t know about this system of caves, we could potentially use it as a safe spot. Somewhere the others could hide, and a place easily defended from the enemy. Whether that enemy was human or monster, it didn’t matter.
We walked in silence for what was probably a couple hours. Some areas opened into small caverns, some were so tight I worried Jake wouldn’t get through.
There was tingling at the back of my mind as we neared a lighter section of the darkness.
“We’re almost out,” Mike said, his whispered voice startling in the quiet of the cave.
I paused and gripped Mike’s hand hard. Jake bumped into me from behind. “What’s going on?” he asked softly.
I leaned back toward him and whispered, “We’re not alone.”
“In the cave, or outside?” he asked.
I could hear him pulling his weapon with his free hand. I had mine ready to grab once I was able to get a hand free, but didn’t want to risk losing the boys in the dark caverns.
“Not sure. I think outside.”
“We should wait here until morning,” Jake suggested loudly enough for Mike to hear. “Mike, is there another cavern near here?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I don’t come this direction often, for obvious reasons. This area is wide enough to sit in. Maybe we could rest here for a while.”
We agreed. With relief, I let go of their hands and rested one hand on my gun. The other I let rest in my lap as I allowed my focus to drift. My backpack—stuffed with clothes, bedding, and cans of food—was heavy, but soft enough to rest against the wall fairly comfortably. The boys, with their longer legs, shifted around a bit more before they settled.
After the last few eventful days, all I wanted was a place where I could fully recline to sleep. Although, I knew it would be nearly impossible to sleep decently until I knew where the others were.
I drummed my fingers nervously on my leg until Jake’s hand rested on my shoulder. “Until there’s something we can do, try to relax. I’m sure they’re fine. Trust Rex.”
“Who is Rex?” Mike asked.
“Z’s second in command,” Jake answered. “He’s the one who was leading the others through the woods.”
“Hope he’s good at his job,” Mike said.
He skipped over the reveal that I was the leader, but he actually sounded concerned. Points in his favor if he decided to join us.
I nodded firmly in the darkness. “He’s very good,” I acknowledged. “He’s our main scout, and will definitely keep the others safe.”
“And he won’t go far once they realize we aren’t with them,” Jake added. “They’ll find a place to hide, and set up a guard rotation. Don’t worry.”
He was right. But this was a taste of how I would feel leaving the others behind once we embarked on our quest. And would Mike want to come with a group that was about to split up? Even if it was meant to be a temporary split, it would affect the group dynamic.
“You’re thinking very loudly, Z,” Jake said with a sigh. “Just relax, would you? Things will work out eventually.”
I forced myself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. As I exhaled, I allowed my tense muscles to relax.
“Better. See you in a bit. I’m gonna get some sleep. You guys should too.”
From the deep breathing on my other side, I guessed Mike was already asleep. Apparently, he’d decided our conversation wasn’t interesting enough to stay awake for. Or that it wasn’t his business. Whatever. It wasn’t something I should worry about, right? The leader of a group wasn’t supposed to worry about the others when they became separated? Or be concerned what a possible new addition might think of her? It was nearly impossible for me to not worry about them.
Jake was worried too. He was better at hiding it, but I could tell. His insistence that I let go of my worry was an unspoken offer to worry on my behalf. By all rights, he should be the true leader of our group. Sure, I could tell when the enemy was near, but he was the oldest. He had the most fighting experience of anyone, other than perhaps Scout’s people. Their histories were unknown.
I shivered, and it wasn’t just the cool night air to blame. If I listened carefully, the moans of the creatures outside were audible. They’d gotten closer to our hiding place. Although—from what I could sense from them—they were unaware of our presence.
Refusing to give up on my attempt to rest, I kept my eyes tightly closed. The sooner I slept, the faster this night would pass. And the sooner we could find the others.
For now, I just had to trust that we were safe.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After a few hours of fretful sleep, we awoke to a slightly brighter cave. The entrance was nearer than I had thought the night before, but there was a slight turn and a small cavern between us and it. We gathered up the few things we’d dropped on the ground and made our way out of the cave.
“We alone, Z?” Jake asked as we approached the exit.
There was still a tingling in my mind, but it was mild. It seemed that—while there were creatures around—they were at least not right near the cave.
“I think we’re good. For now, anyway.”
Mike waited just inside the entrance, and didn’t comment on our pause before leaving. “You ready?” he asked when we approached him.
Jake nodded. “We should move quickly and quietly. We have to find the others somehow.”
We emerged from the dark cave into a gorgeous wooded area. Wind rustled through the branches, and birds were singing. Nothing here seemed any different than on the opposite side of the cave. But I tingled with anxiety, and I knew the creatures were nearby.
Nothing was new in our lives this past year. I figured the anxiety was less about the creatures, and more about our lack of knowledge about what happened to Rex and everyone else. Best case: we’d avoid the enemy and find the others quickly. Worst case: we’d get surrounded by the enemy and not be able to find the others.
Okay, fine. I could be more honest with myself than that. The true worst case would be finding out the others had either been captured by the guards, or had unexpectedly run into a horde they were unprepared to face. And the discovery of their capture or deaths would be shortly followed by our capture or death.
“You okay, Z?” Mike asked. His narrow-eyed stare appeared more annoyed than worried. Of course, I didn’t know him well, so it was hard to say for sure.
/>
“Good. Why?” Annoyed or worried, I was curious as to what had gained his attention.
The older boy shrugged a narrow shoulder. “You’re shaking.”
I held one trembling hand up briefly before forcing it back down to grip my gun. “I’m fine,” I said with a shaky grin.
“Worried about your friends?” he asked. “You don’t need to be ashamed of that.”
“Keep it down back there, guys,” Jake called softly. He paused, which allowed us to catch up. “Listen.” He looked around, his hand pointing toward the tree branches above us.
“I don’t hear anything,” Mike whispered.
There weren’t any creatures near enough to cause a problem. I would know if there were. But there was something off about the woods surrounding us. “The birds,” I whispered, suddenly realizing what Jake had noticed. “They’re quiet.”
“We’re near the border,” Mike whispered. “Maybe they’re reacting to people on the other side.”
Remaining still and quiet, I tried to focus all my senses on the area surrounding us. The creatures were coming closer to us, but were not an imminent threat. However, the voices now audible from upwind, might be.
“Someone’s coming,” I warned, keeping my voice low.
I allowed my pack to drop to the ground slowly. My sword was in my hand almost before I realized I’d drawn it, the hilt smooth and comfortable in my grip. We each took cover behind some trees. The bark rough on my back as I leaned back on it.
The boys remained silent as well. Jake stood to my left, one of our guns in his hand. Mike stood to my right… well, more crouched, I guess. He was unarmed, unless you counted the long flashlight he held as if it were a club. Useless against the creatures, but if we were facing a more human element it could potentially help.
Leaves crunched and a twig snapped as footsteps drew nearer. I was grateful to the low brush around the trees. Especially when the voices we’d heard earlier got close enough for us to hear what they were saying.
“Might be around here,” a male voice said. “Boss thinks there were people in that cave.”
Not good. The cave wouldn’t be as useful to us as I’d hoped. Mike’s eyes were wide, and his mouth dropped slightly. Apparently, he’d been under the impression the guards had been unaware of his hiding place. Would have been nice if he’d been right.
A new voice chimed in. “They could be anywhere! We don’t know exactly where the cave comes out, only that it’s somewhere in this area. How does she expect us to find two people in such a large area?”
At the whining tone, I smirked. Not even the kids in my group whined so much when asked to perform a specific task. I guessed this particular guard was sent away so the boss wouldn’t have to hear his annoying voice.
A quick glance toward Jake’s also smirking face told me he was just as amused at the grown man’s whining. The way they clomped through the woods was also amusing. A true hunter would remain silent. The prey should remain unaware of the predator until it was too late.
Their ineptitude was enough to potentially turn the tables on them. If there was any benefit to an attack, I would have pursued it. As it stood, they would swing just past us shortly. Letting them proceed would allow us to continue on our way. The noise of a fight had the potential to bring more guards our way.
Jake seemed content to sit and wait them out. A slight loosening of his shoulders when I signaled to stay put confirmed my decision. For his part, Mike seemed frozen in place. His hands gripped the flashlight like it was his lifeline as he trembled against the tree.
For all his tough talk, he was simply a scared boy. I shared a soft smile with him, and tried to remain relaxed as the two noisy guards made their way past. After this, I figured his chances of agreeing to stay with us were pretty good. Especially knowing his former safe spot was known to the border guards.
The inept guards didn’t even glance behind the bushes as they ‘searched’ for us. If their boss could see how poorly they were doing in their hunt, they would surely lose their jobs. Several more minutes passed before their voices were barely audible. Even as they moved away, Jake signaled to me to hold my position.
I was confused until I heard a soft footfall just beyond our hiding space. Not as inept as I’d thought. The first guards must have been decoys. Meant to lull us into a false sense of security, so we would emerge from our hiding place. This unknown guard was the true hunter. My hand twisted on the hilt of my sword. I closed my eyes and took a deep cleansing breath. At the next soft sound, my eyes snapped open.
If we were discovered, I would be ready.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next several minutes were filled with more nervous tension than I’d felt in a long time. The hunter guard who was after us hadn’t yet moved past. There could be many other guards just waiting for this silent scout to make a sound, indicating our presence.
My hand was cramping after gripping the sword so tightly. I knew better, but I couldn’t seem to relax my grip.
The abnormal tension I felt almost prevented me from realizing another enemy was coming up on us from back near the cave mouth. Almost. I gripped the sword even tighter. I sent a panicked look toward Jake, and pointed back the way we came.
He glanced in the direction I indicated, and closed his eyes wearily. The silent hunter was right there. The deadly creatures were a little ways off still. I wished I had my small crossbow. I could deal with the hunter quietly, and we could continue on our way.
Of course I didn’t have my crossbow, so wishing for it was pointless. The nearly inaudible footsteps moved past. We remained crouched and silent. Mike was still visibly trembling, but Jake sat still as a stone.
Screams suddenly filled the air from the direction the noisy guards had gone. I cringed against the tree, now sensing the bloodlust from the small group of creatures approaching. Those guards didn’t stand a chance. Which didn’t deter the silent hunter. He was suddenly running past us, no longer hunting. Several other people rushed by shortly after the hunter. If we would have moved once the hunter passed us, we would have been caught by the others.
They must have been eager to capture us. It seemed like a lot of trouble to go through. They must have thought it was worth it. I understood that some blamed me for the outbreak. What was done to me did start it. What I didn’t understand was what they wanted with me now. How could capturing me further their agenda?
Jake waved toward me, indicating it was time to move. I rose slowly and backed through the bushes. Jake and Mike moved forward. This time, the guard’s noise wasn’t a feigned attempt to draw us out. They were legitimately trying to save their comrades.
I almost felt bad for them. Any other group of people, I would attempt to save. These people were trying to capture me in order to deliver me to the people who were actually responsible for the outbreak. Not people I wanted to save.
Jake took a startled look back at the next scream. He even took one step toward the melee.
“Jake, no,” I warned. “It’s too late for them. We need to find the others.”
With one more regretful look toward the screaming, Jake followed. Mike cast a confused look between the two of us before joining in our quiet retreat.
Once we were a safe distance from the fighting, Mike stopped. “I don’t understand. Why did you want to help them?”
Since his question was aimed at Jake, I remained silent. Jake sent a look my way, and I waved a hand toward Mike.
“They’re people,” he said simply. “No one deserves to be turned into one of those… things.”
His answer was like a slap in the face for me. He was such a good person. All I could think about was that they would have tried to take me. He worried because they were being turned into inhuman monsters.
“And you, Z?” he asked.
I looked at him, head cocked. “Me what?”
“Why didn’t you want to rescue them?” he asked. “You two seemed like you were always on the same page. Wh
y not now?”
“Let’s keep moving,” I said. “We can’t spend too much time in one place.”
Mike and Jake just looked at me. Neither moved. “Fine,” I snapped. “I simply see no reason to help the people who only want to capture m—us. They wouldn’t hesitate to take us to whatever prison they have in mind. I can’t put us at risk of capture in order to save their lives.”
Jake sighed. “And that is why I didn’t argue leaving.”
“Speaking of…” I let my voice trail and waved toward the border.
Another sigh from Jake. “You’re right. Time to go.”
Mike followed, a confused frown still on his face.
“What?” I snapped. This time we kept walking as we talked.
He cleared his throat. “Just a bit lost. Which of you is in charge? I thought Jake, at first. I know he called that Rex kid your second in command, but it didn’t seem possible that a kid your age would be in charge. It also seems he’s always looking to you before you do anything. But you’re just a kid, so you can’t be in charge.”
This time I looked to Jake for advice. We didn’t normally share too many details with outsiders. Despite Jake already sharing Rex’s role, I still hesitated to give him the full answer. Despite my reservations, however, I thought he might be more willing to join if we were upfront with him. Jake seemed to agree with that thought. He nodded once.
“I’m in charge,” I admitted. “There are quite a few factors as to why.”
“And one of those is why the guards want you?” he asked.
“Pretty much all of them, actually,” Jake answered with a sad smile.
As we walked, I explained my connection to the creatures. Also that I was considered patient zero, and was to be apprehended on sight.
Jake, of course, pointed out that my connection to the horde was part of what helped keep everyone safe. That we could avoid the creatures better than any other group.
By the time we finished, we’d reached an outlying section of the border fence. The three of us were able to make a hole underneath to climb through. Since we didn’t have Kane along to bypass the electricity, under was our only option.
Ground Zero (Patient Zero Book 1) Page 9