“Stop,” I called out. “Go left.”
Kate turned from the front of the group and shook her head. “That’s going away from where we want to be, Z.”
“Only if we want to be in the middle of a horde. Go left,” I ordered sternly.
It had been easier with just the kids. They followed my lead without question. Most of the time, anyway. Kate looked to Scout before following my order. Meanwhile the horde was getting closer.
“Did I stutter?” I yelled. “Left! Now!”
My kids all turned to the left, and Scout and his people reluctantly followed. “You’ve gotta be kidding,” Rex grumbled softly. He raised his voice angrily. “You people know what she’s capable of, right? If she says to switch directions, do it! Or go on your own. Your call. Stay with us and follow Zero’s orders, or move on.”
We moved in uncomfortable silence while Scout and his group considered Rex’s order. He was serious. It was nice to hear after his own doubts about my plans lately. We’d been off-kilter for a little while, but it seemed like we were evening out again.
After about an hour, I called out another change in direction. This time, no one argued. Eventually we ended up heading in the desired direction again. Though my pace kept slowing as time went on.
Jogging earlier and walking so far now was not helping my ankle. I couldn’t wait to find a place to stay for a while, so it could start to heal. Kate held up a hand to halt the group. I kept going until I reached her. She gave me a sideways glance, but didn’t say anything. No creatures were near enough to be a threat at the moment, and it seemed unlikely the guards would venture this far into the infected zone.
My breath caught at what we saw beyond the trees. A huge city. Skyscrapers and other tall buildings made for a nice cityscape, even in the dim moonlight. Some lights were visible, even from this far up, and I wondered how many uninfected were left. A city this size had people living so close to each other… the infection could spread like wildfire. The lights indicated there could still be a decent number of uninfected. Or they had been left on by those who turned. Either way, we needed to move cautiously.
“We need to get there and find a place to fortify and spend the night,” I said. “Everyone is tired. We’re safe to move, for now. No creatures are nearby.”
“That seems odd, right?” Jake asked as we slowly trudged out of the woods.
Going from walking on the soft ground in the woods, to the unforgiving concrete, was hard on my ankle. I tried to hide my wince of pain, but Jake noticed.
“We should try to find something to use as transportation,” he suggested. “Or at least something to help carry all the supplies. This city is immense, and it would be easier on everyone if we could rest a bit as we travel.”
“We’d need a semi to fit everyone,” Scout argued mildly. “But we could probably find another cart or something that could work for the supplies.”
“Or we could grab one of the many abandoned vehicles just sitting in the middle of the road,” Rex suggested. “A pickup truck would allow some of us to rest while one of the adults drives slowly. It would also fit all of our supplies with no problem.”
“We could do a rotation, just like we did with the cart,” Aly added. “It would be nice to have a bit of a break.”
Scout nodded, but said. “I know it would be nice. I just don’t think a vehicle is going to be overly practical. Look more closely at the roads.”
I examined the area, peering closely at the long highway we were about to get on. The main highway was blocked by massive traffic jams, and the few side roads I could see were blocked by apparent accident scenes.
“You’re right,” I agreed. With all the vehicles on the road, driving through would be nearly impossible. “We’ll put a pin in that for now. Maybe it’ll be possible later. For now, let’s keep moving.”
We carefully made our way down the hill at the side of the highway. A tumble here would end with an impact on cement or into the side of a car. Not ideal if we wanted to keep our pace and make it into the main part of the city before nightfall. As it was, we’d have to move quickly.
Once we started walking along the road, I studiously avoided looking closely into the vehicles. Not all of the people in them would have been infected. And not all of them would have escaped. I’d seen enough death, without having it staring me in the face as we slowly picked our way through the vehicle graveyard.
“Keep your eyes in front of you,” Jake ordered. “None of you kids needs to look too closely at the vehicles. They aren’t of use.”
Scout’s people apparently felt differently, as they scavenged in a few of them and came up with bottled water, more first aid supplies, and a couple emergency blankets. All helpful, but I wouldn’t make my kids do the scavenging.
I called to Scout and offered. “Give some of those things to the kids. That way we can get more as a group.”
He nodded in understanding. I assumed he knew we wanted to help, but that I was unwilling to risk my kids having to see more death.
“Guys, we need to get off the road,” I said. The rancid odor in the breeze told them why. We would be sitting ducks if a horde came across us now.
Rex looked around before throwing his hands in the air. “There’s nowhere to go, Z. What should we do?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Concrete barriers kept us from leaving the highway. Stalled and dead vehicles prevented us from being able to run. And we weren’t near enough to the city to escape into one of the seemingly abandoned buildings.
“The vehicles.” I closed my eyes, reluctant to make the suggestion. “I’m sorry. Everyone just try to find empty cars and close yourselves in. Quickly and quietly. Then stay down until the horde moves on.”
I spotted Prati, pleased to note that Jake had taken her with him. Everyone managed to slip into a vehicle of some sort. I just saw the first of the creatures before Rex pulled me into a sedan and shoved me down to the floor. He laid on the seat and covered both of us with one of the emergency blankets Scout’s people had found.
We huddled under the blanket. I felt oddly comfortable. The blanket made the already warm car almost too hot, but being off my foot felt like heaven. I let the leg rest against the inside of the door, and looked up at Rex.
“We’re good to whisper,” I informed him. “I’ll let you know if the creatures get close enough that we shouldn’t.”
He scoffed lightly, eyes rolling. “I think I’d hear the moaning once they’re that close. I’m just glad they never remember how to open doors. This car is still solid. No broken windows or anything.”
“We’re going to have to fortify something in this zone for the others,” I said. “I was really hoping to leave them in a zone where they don’t need to worry about the creatures.”
Rex let his hand rest on my arm. “I don’t think such a place exists. Just look at this city. It used to be part of the biggest safe zone we’re aware of. Now it’s practically deserted. The infection can get through anywhere. They’ll be just as safe in a fortified building here as they’d be in one of the uninfected zones.”
Thinking of what had happened with the guards I nodded. “Safer, probably. Here, at least we have the option of picking an abandoned building we can claim. There, we couldn’t do that without drawing too much attention to ourselves.”
He hummed in agreement. “Once we find a place, we should sit tight for a couple days. Let your ankle heal up before we set out on our next mission.”
“Quest,” I corrected automatically.
He raised his eyebrows at me, and his lips quirked in amusement. “I’m sorry?”
“It’s a quest,” I answered, somewhat self-consciously. I had been calling it that in my head for long enough that I hadn’t even thought about it before correcting him. “We went on a rescue mission back at the town. This is a quest to stop the big bad. Right? It makes sense to me, anyway.”
He laughed softly. “Yeah. We can call it whatever you want, Z. It�
��s our quest. That does make it sound more adventurous.”
“Shh,” I warned. The creatures were almost on top of us now.
We waited silently, only the sound of the monsters moaning and the occasional clanking of metal broke the silence. No screaming. No yelling. Nothing to indicate anyone in our group had been discovered. The best thing we could do was wait them out. I hoped they wouldn’t hang around long if nothing held their attention here.
If worse came to worse, I would use my sword and slice my way through. “They won’t escape my wrath,” I whispered almost inaudibly. I glared up at the blanket that separated me from the objects of my anger.
A hand caught mine before I could throw the blanket back, and folded over it. “Settle, please?” The boy pleaded softly. “Z, please fight it off. Don’t give us away.”
Give them away? No. I would drive them off. Cut them and bleed them until they were no longer a threat. A low growl escaped my throat, and I was about to spring out of my hiding place.
Before I could, a weight was suddenly holding me in place.
Chapter Thirty-Six
I growled and shifted, trying to dislodge the weight holding me to the floor. It wouldn’t budge, and a low murmuring was coming from it. Once I’d calmed enough to listen, the murmuring seemed soothing. Relaxing.
After what seemed like hours, the weight and murmuring transformed into Rex and soft speech. “Stay with me, Z. We need you. No going off and getting yourself killed. Settle, please. Stay with me,” he was speaking in a low tone.
I gripped his arm. “I’m good. I’m back. They’re still out there, but I’m back in control.”
He sighed in relief. A strange emotion while still surrounded by monsters. Although, it was one I was feeling as well.
“That’s been happening a lot lately, Z,” he whispered. “What’s going on with you?”
A good question. And one I didn’t have a good answer for. Both the horde’s influence on me, and mine on them, had been stronger in the last few days. Why? I had no idea. It simply was.
“Z?”
“I’m sorry, Rex,” I replied. “I’m not ignoring you. I just… I don’t have an answer for you.”
He shook his head. “At some point, we’re going to have to figure this out.”
I couldn’t disagree. For now, however… “I think the horde is moving on. Which means they haven’t noticed any of us yet.”
Other than the moans and shuffling sounds of the enemy moving around the roadway, I hadn’t heard anything. No one from our group had been discovered so far. There was also nothing to indicate any other uninfected people nearby.
Sitting around while so many of the enemy were nearby was hard to do. Keeping my mind to myself was also difficult. More so than it should be.
I felt the bloodlust creeping in again. “Distract me, Rex,” I urged. “Now, before I do something that gives us away.”
“What do you want me to do?” he asked. His soft voice was frantic, but I couldn’t focus on him anymore.
The creatures were still too near. I needed my sword. I had to fight through them. To destroy.
I was shocked back to myself by the feeling of Rex’s lips on mine. Dry, but warm. Not harsh, but firm enough to keep me in the here and now.
He pulled back, face reddening. I felt heat rising in my cheeks as well. “Sorry,” he muttered.
It was my first kiss. Not exactly how I’d pictured it happening, but clearly it had done the job.
“I couldn’t think of anything else to do. You were leaving again, and my voice wasn’t having enough impact.”
He was still apologizing. I could have slapped him. “Don’t,” I said, tightening my grip on his arm. “You did what I asked you to do. You distracted me. Thank you. It worked. It worked, and I don’t want you to pull away from me in any way because of it. No more apologizing.”
“Right,” he said, face still a bit red. “Done with that.”
His eyes weren’t meeting mine, and I started to wonder whether there was more to the kiss than a simple distraction. That was impossible though, right? We were just friends. Close friends, yes, but just friends.
Somehow my musings distracted me enough that I almost missed the horde moving on. “They’re leaving. For real, this time,” I said. “We should wait a while for them to get far enough away that any noise we make won’t draw them back to us.”
“You seem tired, Z,” Rex said softly. “You should rest for a bit. I’ll keep an eye on the horde.”
He shifted and pulled his body back up onto the seat. His movement from the seat to the floor had been a risk. If the car had shifted, or if one of the enemy had been looking toward this vehicle, we could have been discovered.
My bloodlust was a much bigger problem. It had the potential to get all of us killed. My job was to protect all of these people. The kids, and now Scout and his people as well. They counted on me to protect them from the deadly creatures, and prevent them from becoming infected. The risk of me contaminating them was high enough. Now I also had to worry that the bloodlust would blind me to the point of turning my sword against the people I was meant to protect.
“You aren’t resting, Z,” Rex observed. “Stop thinking. Just close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Try to relax a bit. We’re as safe as possible for now, and I’ll make sure the others are safe too.”
He kept speaking in low tones. By now his eyes were peering over the bottom edge of the dirty window. While he should have only been worried about watching the enemy, he also found time to worry about me. To keep murmuring assurances that everything was fine, until I finally relaxed against the floor, and fell asleep.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
A hand shook me awake. “Z, we should be good to move,” Rex said.
It was dark and warm under the emergency blanket. Sleep was slow to let go, but I shook off the grogginess and sat up. “How long was I out?” I asked around a yawn. Rubbing my eyes, I looked up at Rex, who was now sitting up on the car’s seat.
“ ‘Bout an hour,” he answered. “There’s been no other sign of the creatures, so I think we’re okay to move.”
“Good. We need to find a safe building to stay,” I answered, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep. I folded the blanket, and climbed up onto the seat next to Rex.
A quick look outside showed a still sunny day, and no creatures in sight. Not that I didn’t trust Rex’s report. I simply liked to see it for myself. It was a nice change from earlier in the day. The deserted car graveyard seemed less creepy now than it had before. I wondered if the earlier creepiness factor had to do with my ability to sense the creatures.
Or maybe it was that a road full of dead and deserted vehicles, which may or may not have dead people inside, was inherently creepy. Definitely the more likely scenario. That it seemed less so now could be attributed to the appearance and disappearance of the enemy horde.
We slowly opened the car door, still not wanting to make a lot of noise. I felt the horde as a distant threat, but nothing indicated that they had heard our movement.
Some of the others must have been keeping an eye out too, because once Rex and I left our car, some of them emerged from their vehicles.
“We good?” Scout asked. He cast his gaze around, his gun raised and ready to use.
I nodded. “You can lower that,” I pointed to the gun, “and help get the others out of their hiding spots.”
He moved and started tapping on car windows. More of our group emerged slowly, until all of us were gathered in the space between the lanes. “Alright, time to get moving again. We need to find a place we can protect,” I ordered.
“Like the old prison?” Prati asked.
The last place we could call home. We’d stayed at the old prison for a couple months. It had been our safest home, at least until our last confrontation with the enemy there. It was probably the last place Prati had felt safe. If we could find another place we could fortify similarly, I would feel comfortable leavi
ng them.
I smiled at her. “Yeah, Prati. Like the old prison. A nice safe place the creatures can’t get into.”
She grinned brightly at me, and I couldn’t help tugging her in for a quick hug. “We’ll get safe again, pretty girl. Don’t worry.”
I released her and called out, “Scout, are you and Kate willing to lead for now?”
Both nodded, and he spun a hand up over his head. “Let’s move, everyone,” he called.
Our procession grew, and Mike made his way toward me.
“You okay, Mike?” I asked.
Surprisingly, he seemed less nervous now than he had earlier. “I’m good. You guys seem pretty decent at avoiding the monsters. And, this far into the zone, we don’t need to worry as much about the guards.”
The guards. Apparently more of a phobia for him than the flesh eating monsters. It was an interesting insight into his character. The reaction also made me wonder what exactly the guards had done to him. Why would he be so afraid that he only went into town in the dark of the night, through an old woman’s window?
Before I could even consider asking, Rex had clapped the other boy on the back. “You’re an interesting guy, Mike,” he said. “More worried about humans than the horde. But yeah. We’re pretty good at dealing with these things.”
He smiled at the obvious acceptance Rex was offering. “You and your friends are an odd group. Were those people guards?”
“The good kind,” I said. “The kind who wanted to truly help. They left the border guards, and now they’re helping us.”
Left unsaid was the attempt to kidnap me and return me to those who’d started this whole thing. It was water under the bridge at this point, but I was afraid Mike wouldn’t see it that way.
From the sideways glance Rex sent my way, he certainly didn’t. From his outward actions, he’d seemingly accepted the former guards into our group. Apparently, their attempt to take me away was going to be a sore spot with him. I shook my head in warning.
Ground Zero (Patient Zero Book 1) Page 13