Chatter behind me caught my attention. The women were sounding a bit cheeky. I had to check it out only because I was nosey.
My approach went unnoticed. “Find out what?” I asked.
Startled, Elaina turned around to see me standing behind them. “Cora said there was a church a couple miles further down. Peter was the pastor there.”
“Really? Well, let’s see if it’s still standing then.” I looked up at the sky. “We still have a few hours before sunset.”
“Let me grab a few things…,” Elaina said and walked toward the school.
“No,” I said, rather curtly, grabbing her arm. I wasn’t about to let her go traipsing into somewhere unknown. I wasn’t risking her life to go look at a church.
“Excuse me?” she balked. I let her arm go when she raised her brow.
We had come a long way in just a couple of weeks. We had been making love at least two times a day, and just simply talking and enjoying our lives together. I didn’t want to argue with her, but I was still going to be protective. She was my life and I wasn’t about to jeopardize that.
“I’ll take Nick with me,” I countered.
“Why not me? I’m perfectly capable. Why do you always do this to me? I’m not a helpless, wilted flower, unable to defend myself.” I quirked a brow at her, and a slight half-smirk appeared on my face. “Okay, I’m helpless occasionally. However, for the most part, I can bring the undeads down just as well you!”
Think fast, tosser. “I need you here, love. Nick and I can go. We’ll take my truck. There might be a car or two full of gas that way.”
Elaina sighed, disappointment in her eyes. I hated to dishearten her, but I just wasn’t comfortable taking her when I had no idea what we would be facing. If she stayed at the school, she had a little safety.
Quinn placed her hand on Elaina’s shoulder. “Elaina, now, now. Let the men take care of it. Us womenfolk have womanly duties to take care of here. You know, scavenging and undead killing is men’s work.”
“Oh, Christ. That’s not what I meant,” I snipped, irked at Quinn’s insinuation.
Elaina glanced at me, hopeful my angry side wouldn’t make another unwelcome appearance. I was doing my best to control it, but I was still fighting so many things inside my head.
“Don’t get your knickers in a knot, Henry,” Quinn retorted. “I was just kidding. Have you taught this man nothing about sarcasm?”
“Apparently not,” Elaina muttered. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and threw out her best pouty lip for good measure.
“What the fuck, Elaina? Fine. Grab Nick and gather what we’ll need. I’m going to talk to Gunther and let him know what’s up.”
I stalked off to where Gunther and Thomas were rounding up what they could from the demolished building. As I walked away, those birds were whooping it up. I could only shake my head while they acted like grand champions.
Elaina turned around and high-fived Quinn, Cora joining in during their brief moment of celebration. Henry turned around and glared in their direction, which only made them celebrate a bit more.
“Thanks!” Elaina exclaimed.
“I figured you would want to see if it was a place you would want your wedding.” Quinn winked at her. “Just be careful.”
Elaina took off toward her brother and explained to him what they would be doing. They both went inside and grabbed what they needed, including supplies for a draw, a rifle, extra bullets, and a few knives.
Then Elaina spotted the archaic, double-sided axe that she almost took Henry’s head off with ages ago. She smirked and grabbed it.
“You never know when you will need a double-sided axe,” she murmured with a chuckle. Nick joined her in her laughter.
They dashed back outside. Henry was standing with Ben, but it didn’t quite seem like they were doing much talking. It was more of a glaring. Worry washed over Elaina as she headed over, not giving much thought to the giant axe in her hand.
“Is everything all right over here?” Elaina asked as she stepped next to Henry. Jane looked at her, screamed, and jumped back. Henry glanced over at Elaina, then down at her hand. Putting the axe behind her back, she said, “Sorry.”
“Everything’s fine. I was just letting Ben know what we were doing. You ready to go?”
Henry grabbed the axe, put his pack on, and stalked off toward the truck. One minute more with that asswipe, Elaina was certain he would’ve taken him out.
“Sorry. I was just–”
In annoyance, Ben interrupted her, “It’s fine. Jane is just jumpy around him. He tends to be a little overbearing and he lacks trust.”
“He’s been through a lot, Ben,” Elaina pushed back.
“Seems like the trend here.” He tucked his hands in the pockets of his dingy pants and rocked back on the heels of his boots. “Everyone else has been through a lot. Apparently, we haven’t.”
Elaina clenched her fists at her sides. “If you only knew…,” she gritted out.
“Knew what? What could you enlighten me on? Please. I would love to know what I’m missing here because you all are an odd bunch.” A devious grin spread across his face. “Or maybe I already have your dirty little secret figured out.”
His arrogance made Elaina want to gouge his malevolent, dirty brown eyes out. Thankfully, Henry had taken the axe from her because she wasn’t sure if she would’ve been able to control herself.
To keep Henry from hearing the conversation, Elaina lowered her voice and bit out, “How dare you, you ungrateful bastard. All I have to do is tell Henry I want you gone and he will force you to leave. But I’m a decent human being. I suggest you keep your fucking mouth shut or you will find yourself out on your ass.”
Ben laughed at Elaina which, of course, infuriated her even more. It was a struggle for her not to attract attention. “Your fearless leader? The one who throws tantrums like a two-year-old? The one who thinks the bottle will cure what ails him? Maybe you ought to seek out someone who is a true leader.”
“Don’t you dare say a fucking word against him,” she growled.
Jane grabbed Ben’s arm. “Ben…stop.”
“No, Jane. I won’t. There’s something bizarre going on here. They sneak off together. Three of them have the same color eyes, which often change color. Gray to green, green to gray. Nothing I have ever seen before…” His lips twisted into an evil smile. “Or perhaps I have.”
Elaina swallowed hard, but before she could say something full of great wisdom and the perfect amount of cuss words, someone cleared his throat behind her. Nick. Son of a… Stupid overprotective men.
“Is there a problem with my sister? I surely hope not.”
“Actually, yes, there is,” Ben challenged.
She felt Nick stiffen when Ben took a step closer to her.
“Ben, please…,” Jane pleaded.
“If there’s a problem, maybe we can discuss it…man-to-man,” Nick pushed. “We can clear up any misunderstandings, or anything you have obviously misconstrued.” A rather sarcastic smile lifted Nick’s lips, with the slight tilt Sophie used to get Elaina’s goat.
Well-played, Elaina thought, but she knew she had to put a stop to the brewing situation. “Maybe we should get going before Henry or Gunther take notice of this slightly overdramatic moment,” Elaina muttered. She took Nick’s arm and dragged him away.
“What the fuck is his problem?” Nick grumbled.
“He was saying shit about Henry. Pissed me off. I think Henry was right. We need to keep an eye on him. He played off like this innocent man, but I believe he’s up to something.”
“What was he saying?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
As Gunther worked, he watched Ben and his crew, as well. He noticed the small exchange between Ben, Elaina, and Nick. Henry was busy putting supplies in the truck and didn’t spot the angry threesome, nor was Gunther going to tell him. He would just keep an eye on the situation like Henry asked him to do. Henry was worried
Ben would try to do something.
“Hey, lover.” Gunther jumped when Quinn came up behind him. “What’s wrong?”
“Sorry.” He kissed her on the forehead. “My mind was wandering, I guess. There was a small exchange between Ben, Elaina, and Nick.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to keep an eye on them. How are things going over there?” He looked down at the bucket in Quinn’s hand.
“This is it so far. Just some odds and ends, but we can use everything. I was just telling Cora we should build a firepit. Then we can heat up those nasty canned veggies, and roast meat if we run across an animal.”
“Sounds like a brill idea, beautiful.” He used his thumb to wipe off the smudge of soot on Quinn’s cheek.
She looked down with a little embarrassment. “I’m going to take this inside. I need to rest or something. I’m not feeling great.”
Instant worry and panic hit Gunther. He grabbed her shoulders. “Why? What’s wrong, love?”
“I don’t know. I just feel…off.”
“You have me frightened.”
“Don’t get all crazy. I’m fine. Probably just a little bug or something.” Quinn smiled and gave him a kiss, then walked off. He kept a close eye on her as she made her way back into the building.
Ben glanced in her direction, then looked back, noticing Gunther watching him. His lip curled into a snarl. If Ben even thought about harming her, he would drain him in broad daylight without hesitation.
It would make the Mitch incident look like child’s play.
Chapter 11
All morning, abdominal cramps had left Lauren uncomfortable in any position. Shifting her weight back and forth, she watched Gunther methodically dig a hole in the ground for a firepit. He was zoned in and working like a machine, each movement precisely tuned for speed and accuracy.
Absentmindedly, her hand rubbed her belly as she focused on the steady rhythmic sounds the shovel made as it was jammed into the ground.
Hurrying over to her, Jane approached Lauren when she heard her let out a long sigh. Doing as Henry instructed, Thomas’ eyes tracked her and listened in.
“You feeling okay?” Jane asked as she tucked Lauren’s dirty blonde hair behind her ear.
“Yeah, just tired and achy. I think I should go in and lie down,” Lauren murmured. She didn’t want to worry her mother over the cramping.
“Well, let’s go then. Eli? Come with us,” Jane ordered.
“I don’t need his help, Mom. I’m fine.”
“He needs to take care of you, and you need to let him.”
“It’s fine,” she retorted.
Eli approached, looking as disheveled as the rest of the group, filthy clothing and soot covering every part of his exposed skin. “What’s up?” he asked.
“She’s not feeling well.”
Panic welled in his eyes while reaching his hands toward her stomach. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”
Lauren sighed again, pushing his hands away. She didn’t want to cause any more drama. “Honestly, I just need to lie down for a while. My body is achy. It happens.”
“Well, let me help you. I’ll rub your back. Or your feet. Whatever you need.”
“What I need is for you all to stop acting like this. I’m fine.”
“Please, Laur. Allow me to help,” he pleaded. “I want to.”
Eli wanted to try to prove he was worthy of Lauren and the baby. With his sharp tongue and attitude that didn’t quit, he felt he needed to show her he would be a good father to their baby.
Ever since his episode with Gunther, he had been offering to help out around the community when Henry needed a hand. Then, of course, there were so many things he did to help Lauren. Eli knew he was on her last nerve, but he wanted her to see he had finally started growing up. He guided Lauren inside, an arm wrapped around her waist, Jane following behind.
Lauren’s pregnancy was unexpected. Eli crushed on her for years in school, but she wouldn’t give him the time of day, always telling him she wasn’t interested in dating and would rather focus on her schoolwork.
A short while after the virus hit, Eli left his family in the middle of the night to take off to see if Lauren was still alive. Did he miss his family? No, not really. Eli was the black sheep and, because of his behavior throughout his teen years, it was well-deserved.
After stealing his father’s gun and a hatchet from the garage, Eli hopped in his mom’s SUV, figuring it wouldn’t be too much of a loss for society if he didn’t make it. A gore-filled five day, ten-mile drive later, he showed up on the front porch of Lauren’s home.
Eli was relieved to see she was alive. Lauren, on the other hand, had no idea why he would come after her. It took quite some time for Eli to convince her parents to allow him to stay. The lie that he was the only survivor from his family, plus offering the gun and hatchet and whatever gas was left in the SUV, was what did it for Ben.
Day and night, Eli lusted after Lauren, catching her father scowling at him on many occasions. When Ben and Mara went scavenging for the family, and Jane was resting, Eli cornered Lauren and pressured her into having sex with him. She was leery, but relented. About a month or so later, they realized she was pregnant.
Ben and Mara watched as Eli escorted Lauren inside. “Wonder what’s going on with them?” Mara asked.
“Who knows,” Ben replied, bothered. He ran his hand over his thick gray hair and smiled. “I suppose we should go check on them.”
Ben had ulterior motives in mind, and checking on Lauren was the perfect diversion.
Even though he was worried about Lauren, Ben also carried heavy suspicion around with him. There was something off with Henry, Gunther, and Nick. Being a former SEAL and a government official who worked closely with disease control, he had an idea of what it was.
Having overheard a discussion between the head of the organization and the second-in-command about a virus made overseas with the help of the US, Ben’s curiosity peaked and he investigated without anyone else’s knowledge.
After several weeks of working through the evening, he was finally able to break into the main computer system and track down all the information he needed to secure in his mind that trouble was brewing.
Ben decided to purchase a prepaid cell phone and call a reporter in another state under the guise he was an anonymous tipper. He felt the media should be alerted to such an atrocity so the people could take the necessary precautions. Maybe his actions would shut down the program. He knew the government held secrets and knew, at times, they were up to no good, but to endanger entire populations? Ben wasn’t down with that.
Ben and Mara headed inside, catching Gunther’s and Thomas’ attention. Thomas tossed his shovel down, wiped his dirty hands on his thighs, then started to follow.
Gunther lightly whistled. “Hold up, lad. You always tailing them would look suspicious. Josie, you go. I’ll keep an eye on the kids. Just nose around and listen in. You have your gun?”
“Yeah,” she responded.
“Come running if you need help.” Josie nodded, jogging into the school, trying to look inconspicuous.
Ben opened the door and marched into their room, Mara on his heels. He glanced over at Lauren. She was lying on her side curled in a ball, Eli rubbing her lower back. “Is she okay?”
“She’s just achy and tired. It happens,” Jane replied.
Mara, being her usual miserable self, plopped down on her bed, and mumbled something nobody could understand.
“I’m going to go exploring a bit while everyone is busy.”
“Ben?” Jane rushed up to him with furrowed brows.
“It’s fine. I’m just going to look around the building.”
“After your accusations outside, you have me worried.” Ben swiped his hand through the air. “Tell me what’s going on right now!” she demanded.
That got everyone’s attention. Ben sighed and paced. He worried if he should just blurt it
out or leave them in the dark.
“Have a seat. We have a few things we need to discuss.” He waved Jane toward a chair, as he leaned back against the whiteboard, his arms crossed. Lauren sat up and Mara stopped her incessant discontented mumbling. “It’s a man-made virus.”
“What are you talking about?” Jane asked.
“The virus… The zombies… It was an injection.”
Shaking her head, confused, she said, “What? How do you know this?”
“I found out after I overheard a conversation between the big wigs. I didn’t believe it…until I broke into the system. I read document after document about testing over in the UK. They tested the virus on various troubled teens. They were testing it for immunity because they wanted soldiers on the ground equipped to deal with the walking corpses. The two governments wanted to wipe out and take over specific countries.”
“This just seems–”
“It’s true. Why would I lie?”
“I don’t know, Ben. It sounds like some conspiracy theory crazy talk.”
Shocked his own wife would think of him in that way, he threw his arms out. “So you think this is just a hoax?”
“No…,” Jane mumbled.
Ben yelled, “Look around you!”
“I saw what happened, Ben. No need to shout.”
“I have reason to believe those three jackasses are involved. I’m quite sure El Drunk-o and Musclehead are involved. The other one… I’m not so sure what the deal is with him. The descriptions from all the documentation I read match. The eyes… Their physique… Their uncanny knowledge and fighting abilities… They’re British… It all fits, for fuck’s sake.”
Eli grimaced when Lauren elbowed him for chuckling.
“So because there happens to be British people around, that means they’re involved with this preposterous theory? How can you say this?” Jane questioned. “They didn’t have to, but they helped us with food and shelter. They’re even protecting us.”
Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three) Page 12