by Angel Lawson
“Are you serious?” His eyes are wild and I know I’ve started something I can’t take back. A small smile plays on his lips and he plants a hand on either side of my hips. I can’t take my eyes off of his mouth.
A knock at the door interrupts any response.
“What?” he says, not moving.
“Meeting in five minutes,” Davis says. “Downstairs.”
“We’ll be there,” Wyatt replies.
“Five minutes?” I ask, cheeks burning.
He leans forward and kisses me softly. “Five minutes.”
The kiss intensifies and I sink into the moment, feeling the weight of this man and all the emotion we’ve carried for months and over miles. It’s the kind of kiss that clings to a sliver of hope when we’re surrounded by nothing but fear and death. I never dreamed of a kiss like this as a girl. I never knew it existed. Such desperation and so much hunger. Wyatt Faraday makes me feel, which is like fuel to my soul.
Any nagging questions or worries or questions get lost in the way his hands bunch the hem of my shirt and the consuming warmth of his lips. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this life, it is to bask in the sun while I can. Darkness and all the bad stuff that comes with it is never far away.
Chapter 19
Wyatt carries me down the stairs, stopping once to press my back against the plaster walls and kisses me breathless. Then, like that, we’re in the living room with the others and he deposits me with little fanfare on the couch. I rest my foot on the ottoman. He sits on the fireplace hearth. Game face on.
The shift is understandable. Down here is work. Upstairs, pleasure. I have no doubt whatever exists between us isn’t concrete. What in this world is? I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. There’s a shelf-life to everything including relationships. You have to take what you can, when you can. I’m running the entire scene from upstairs in my head when the cushion next to me sinks as Jane sits down.
“Can you move over a bit?” Jane asks.
“Huh?”
“Move over, Alex, I’m falling off over here.”
Wyatt fights a smile and I gather my wits.
“How’s Green?” I ask after shifting over to give her space.
“Sleeping. We moved him to a bed last night. He still has a fever but it seems manageable. I think he’ll be okay once the vaccine fights off the infection. How about you? How’s the ankle?” She touches my cheek with the back of her hand. I’m sure they’re red, but not with fever.
“I’m fine. Thank you for the medicine.”
She checks my injury, which has already started to bruise. “I really don’t think it’s a break. The swelling already looks better. A couple more days rest would be preferable.”
“Wouldn’t it?” She smiles at my joke. We both know I’m not getting a full two day’s rest.
The rest of our group settles into a circle and blankets are passed around and shared. It’s cold in here and it was decided no one had any interest in messing with a fire right now—not after the inferno last night. Finn and Mary huddle close together in a faded arm chair, looking more worn and shell-shocked than the day before. Walker stands and brings the group to attention.
“Wyatt, can you tell us what happened yesterday? Were those rocket launchers?” she asks Davis.
“Yeah those were awesome, right?” Jude replies.
“We left Savannah about a month ago,” Davis says. “We captured some horses from the Hybrids and it made the ride up here a lot easier. We didn’t have to worry about gas or getting through the stalled-out traffic jams. Most barns are still full of feed. The mountains and the snow slowed us down a little. By the time we got out of the Appalachians, we were beat.”
“I thought I had hypothermia. Like, I was pretty sure I was going to lose at least three toes,” Parker says from her spot on the floor. “Good thing Erwin gave Wyatt a list of people that could help when we needed it.”
“What kind of list?” Walker asks.
“Military bases. Fall-out shelters. People he knew all over the Northeast before the Crisis hit. Names, addresses, passcodes,” Wyatt explains. “We were in no-man’s land and a few days from starvation when I figured out the coordinates for a bunker just outside of West Virginia. It was disguised as a utility building, but in the basement we found a fully stocked bunker—just like the one at the Vaccine Center in South Carolina.”
“So they’re all over the place?” I ask, wondering how many we passed on our way up here.
“Yes, I guess it’s just a matter of the right person, with the right information, surviving long enough to use them,” Davis says. He’s sitting on a small wooden chair I’m convinced will snap under the pressure of his weight at any moment.
Wyatt says, “We spent a few days recovering—”
Parker snorts and rolls her eyes. “That’s what Wyatt calls defrosting.”
“And,” Wyatt continues, “finding the closest armory. Our ammo was low and we were headed toward civilization. Erwin listed a National Guard post a couple hours from here. It was still manned—mostly with a skeleton crew—but they gave us what we needed, as well as a bit of local information.”
Jude, who has been so quiet I thought he may be asleep, chimes in, “They told us there was a small community to the west that had the vaccine and that they were planning on taking them, once the roads melted.”
That little detail caught all of our attention.
Walker asks first. “What community and how did they hear this?”
“The Mennonites. As for how they heard it? I don’t know. Even now, gossip travels from group to group,” Jude says. “I mean, some of the small communities in the Appalachians had heard about the war down South. It’s all a little mythological sounding, but there’s enough truth.”
I look at Finn and Mary. “Any idea how this would get out?”
“Maybe the hunters that ended up infecting the whole community? They often traded animal meat and skins with other areas,” Finn replies.
Those men had doomed the community in more ways than one.
“So you went to the town and found it overrun.” I cut my eyes to Wyatt. “And decided to clean up the mess with rocket launchers.”
“Yep. They were half-starved and frozen. It was more a mercy killing than anything else.”
“Unfortunately, we didn’t know you guys were in the target zone,” Davis admits. “Sorry about that.”
“So what do we do now?” Finn asks. He and Mary look young and scared bundled together.
“I need to get back to Catlettsburg with my findings about why the vaccine failed as well as the new information Wyatt delivered about mixing vaccines,” Jane says. It’s the first time she’s spoken and I note the wariness in Jude and Parker’s eyes.
“You mean the Mutts,” Jude says.
“Avi won’t like it, but I’m going to have to reopen his lab and start experimenting.”
I look at my sister. “What’s your theory?”
She picks up the notepad on the table. Lines of furious writing cover the page. “I have a few. I’ll let you know when I’ve singled one out.”
Tension rises in the room—no one plans on allowing Jane to work unsupervised, but now isn’t the time to fight about it. I rest my hand on top of her scribbled words and say, “We’ll talk about this more, okay?”
“Yes. That’s fine.”
I glance at the others. “Besides getting Jane back to the lab—any ideas? How long do we have before the Hybrids arrive?”
Wyatt thinks, running his hand over his hair. “I think we can anticipate them arriving at any point. They were close to Savannah when we left, I doubt it took long for them to conquer the base. It just depends on what happened with Erwin and how long it takes for them to capture civilians to add to their army on the way.”
“Then we need to build our own,” I admit. “Be ready when they get here.”
“That’s why Erwin sent us.”
Walker stands and does the pacing
thing that means she’s thinking. “We’ll have to split up. Two teams? Maybe three?”
Davis nods. “One takes Jane back to Catlettsburg.”
“And Green.” I interject. “To recover.”
All eyes look at my ankle propped on the table. “Nope. I’m not sitting this one out.”
“You should consider it,” Wyatt says. “You’re not a hundred percent and you could injure yourself further.”
I glare at him and he holds it. “No. I’ll be fine.”
Walker rolls her eyes, familiar with our bickering. “Three teams. One to Catlettsburg, one to round up whatever military is left out there using Erwin’s notes, and one to scout for the Hybrids. We’ll work out the specifics later.” She grabs her coat off the back of a chair. “I’m going out to patrol. Someone make breakfast.”
Jackson follows her, grabbing a shotgun on the way out the door.
“I’ll fix breakfast. I think there’s some stuff still in the pantry,” Parker says, standing from her spot on the floor and taking her blanket with her. Finn and Mary follow her—I think just looking for something to do.
“I should check on Benjamin,” Jane says. She looks at me. “I’ll let you know when he wakes up.”
“Thanks.”
Wyatt and I are left alone in the room. A wide gulf separates us but his eyes are set on me. I shake my head. “You’re not talking me out of it. I’m going.”
“Since when have I talked you out of anything?”
“True.” But he’s tricked me more than once.
He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “I learned a long time ago that it is an effort in futility.”
“Wouldn’t want to waste your time,” I agree.
“No. I wouldn’t want to do that.” He stands and grabs his heavy military grade jacket, along with the gun resting at his feet. “I’m going to take a look around outside. You rest.”
“I will.” The throbbing has started again but I’m hesitant to ask for more medication. Benjamin needs it more than I do.
He starts toward the door, but pauses, gun clutched in his hand. He turns back to me, reaching behind his back. A moment later he’s offering me a small silver gun.
I take it. “Thanks.”
He leans down and kisses my mouth quickly before heading back to the door. Without another look back, he’s gone.
Chapter 20
“Do you see how the wound is clearing? More red than the purple from before?” Jane holds up the bandage and makes me assess Benjamin’s injury. It’s certainly not the worst thing I’ve seen in my life, but the ragged wound still turns my stomach.
“Yeah, that means it’s getting better?” I ask. I’m leaning on a tall stick Davis brought me to use as a crutch.
“Yes. A normal Eater bite leaves the injured area decayed as the infection travels through their system to the brain. It’s still disgusting at the moment but it will keep healing,” she replies, glancing at the wound once more before covering it with a clean bandage.
“I’m right here, you know?” Benjamin says, looking between us. He’s awake and able to sit and even consume a little of the soup Parker made. She found some dried bouillon cubes in the pantry to boil with water.
“You look better.” I give his hand a squeeze. “You were a little pale for a while.”
“Thought I was a goner?”
“I have faith in Jane’s vaccine, but we’ve all lost enough people. I didn’t want you to be on that list,” I admit.
“I’m glad you don’t find me expendable,” he says. The tone of his voice makes me look at his face and crap, he’s staring at me in a way I don’t want. The way he looked at me in the kitchen two days before. I slowly extract my hand from his.
“You’re part of the team,” I clarify. “We need you. I don’t know if you heard but we’ve got some heavy battles coming our way. We’re going to need your skills.”
He nods and I know he absorbed all the ’we’s’ I tossed out there. He shifts a little, adding to the distance. “Jackson gave me a briefing. I haven’t heard the finer details, but yeah, I do know your infamous Wyatt saved our asses the other night. If I’ve learned anything from the legend, conflict follows him like a black cloud.”
I frown. “My Wyatt?”
He laughs. “You talk about him. A lot. I just figured he was gone and you’d eventually move on.”
I glance at Jane, who studies her notebook. She does take the time to look up and say, “You do mention him often.”
“I do?” I’m not even sure I noticed. I thought I’d done a really good job of pushing him out of my mind. The odds of us seeing one another again were slim—or so I thought before yesterday.
“It’s okay, Alex. I’m glad someone from your past returned. Like you said, we’ve all lost too many people.” His eyes turn serious. “What I am worried about is where he wants to lead us.”
“Wyatt isn’t leading us anywhere,” I say. “He’s making sure we survive what’s coming.”
“Are you sure he didn’t just reveal our location to the enemy.”
I shake my head. “You underestimate Chloe, which, frankly, is the worst thing you can do. She’s usually two steps ahead of us anyway.”
“He came up here to find you on the word of your mutant ex-boyfriend. You think that’s on the level? That Wyatt didn’t get played, just because he was so desperate to find you?”
“No. That’s not what happened.” But doubt forms a seed in my head.
“Cole and Chloe probably knew that he’d do anything to get information about where you and Jane were hiding. Like you said, the worst thing you can do is underestimate Chloe.”
“Wyatt is ruthless. And smarter than any Hybrid or other soldier. There’s no way he made a mistake like that.”
“All men have a weakness, Alex.” He gives me a hard but sympathetic look. “Including Wyatt.”
Jane is watching our exchange with deep interest and my head is reeling. This is the paranoia I didn’t miss over the last few months. The feeling of drowning in quicksand. I swallow the lump in my throat and point down at my foot. “I should get off of this.”
Benjamin catches my hand before I can step away from the bed. “I’m not trying to hurt you. I just need you to be clear-headed—to understand what’s coming our way.”
I jerk away. “Don’t worry about me and my capabilities. And I’m more aware of the dangers of Chloe and her Hybrids than anyone else.”
“Alex—” he calls but I’ve already left the room, slamming the door behind me.
Chapter 21
“Hey,” Walker says. “What the hell are you doing?”
I’m staring out the bedroom window. Wyatt and Jude are on guard duty. They’re circling the house and every five minutes or so I see their hat-covered heads pass by.
“Do you think Wyatt has a weakness?” I ask.
“Uh, I’m going to need a little more context.”
The guys disappear around the side of the house and I turn to face Walker, her red hair looking brighter than normal in the dim candlelight. “Do you think Wyatt ever makes the wrong decision about things? Like, does he allow his feelings or personal opinions to get in the way?”
She steps in the room and shuts the door behind her. “You’re not supposed to be on that foot. Sit down and we can talk about it.” I get on the bed and she takes the chair.
“You told me not to trust him and to let that part of my life go. I did, but now he’s back and when I say he’s back…well, things have changed between us.”
Walker shakes her head. “You two have had this undercurrent since the day I saved your ass from Erwin’s underground torture chamber. Pure UST.”
“UST?”
“Unresolved sexual tension. You both have it in spades and you probably would’ve handled it months ago if Cole wasn’t in the picture.”
“No,” I shake my head. “It has nothing to do with Cole. Wyatt hasn’t always been truthful with me. It’s taken a long tim
e for me to trust him.”
She leans back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “Is that why you’re asking me about weaknesses? Because you trust him so much?”
I bury my face in my hands and groan. “Stupid Green. He got in my head.”
“What did he say?”
“He thinks Wyatt has led the Hybrid army right to us. That Cole is using him to find us and picked Wyatt in particular because of his feelings for me.” I fidget with a loose thread on the quilt—feeling dumb. Wyatt is nearly unshakeable. Who am I to consider being the one that knocks him loose?
“So you’re his weakness?”
“According to Green.”
“Wyatt’s many things,” she says carefully. “More often a mystery than anything else, but in all the time I’ve known him he’s never thought with any body part other than his brain.”
“Nice image,” I say, cheeks hot.
“Thanks.” She laughs for a quick second before growing serious again. “Green is probably just jealous or even more likely, intimidated.”
“Wyatt is pretty intimidating,” I agree.
“Have you told him about being in Butch’s trading post yet? Because I wouldn’t want to be around when he finds out the guys let us walk right into that one.”
I shake my head. “No. I haven’t told him.” It seems like a terrible secret we share together. The idea of Wyatt finding out that I was caged like an animal doesn’t sit well with me. “It wasn’t entirely their fault, you know.”
Walker smiles. “Oh, I know, but do you think Wyatt would accept that?”
“No. He would have burnt that whole place to the ground first.”
“Exactly.” We share a knowing look.
“I better go. I was on my way to the bathroom to check for any supplies we can take with us.”
“Thanks for talking me off the ledge.”
She stands and squeezes my shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think love is a weakness anyway.”
I swallow. “Love?”
“A year ago I would have kicked my own ass for saying that.” She shakes her head at herself. “But now? You gotta hold on to what you can to get through the day, you know?”