Alex looked at Easton, and she could read the determination on his face. Alex looked into the truck really quick and let Margaret know she and Easton were going to check it out, and she nodded quickly. Alex ran to the alley, Easton quick on her heels. They didn’t encounter any infected on their way, and once they exited the alley onto the next main street, Alex could see why.
On the top of the cab of a Ford pickup truck was a man swinging an axe wildly. The shouting was his, and now that they were closer Alex realized he was shouting AT the infected, not to a living person. Easton looked at the man like he was crazy, and then looked at Alex for direction. The infected were starting to notice them at the edges, and some decided they were an easier meal and moved forward toward them. Alex nodded to Easton and they started in.
Alex slid to the side of two infected that were coming at her at the first time, and they collided with each other trying to change direction for her. She chopped the first in the temple, and ripped the machete free quickly to dispatch the second. The crack of Easton’s bat could be heard over the moans of the infected, and Alex kept him in her vision to make sure no infected snuck up on his blind side.
The man from the truck, jumped down into the bed of the truck, smashing infected still with the axe he held. Alex could admire the fight the man was putting up, but she figured him for a moron immediately once she found him on the top of a truck. She wasn’t sure what made him think that was the right place to run when a horde was tracking him. As she fought, Easton backed up to her, working together to cover their backs. They moved fluidly after the few fights they had been in together.
The stranger jumped to the ground and came toward the infected that Alex was fighting. He smacked one infected in the head, but instead of killing it he sent it sprawling for Easton. Alex screamed and threw herself and her machete in the way of the infected. Her machete landed with a thunk into the skull of the infected just as its fingers grabbed Easton’s shirt. Easton dispatched the last of the infected in front of him, and the three of them stood gasping for breath, looking at the bodies littering the area.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Alex yelled at the stranger, taking a threatening step toward him. The man stepped back at the same time, holding his hands up.
“I’m sorry,” the man said.
“I’m sorry? I’m sorry? You don’t say I’m sorry when you put someone’s family in jeopardy. You could have killed my boy!” Alex yelled, not backing down.
“Alex, I’m ok,” Easton said behind her.
“No, really I’m sorry. I’ve been fighting them for a while. My arms are jelly. I didn’t mean to hit that one like that,” the man said, genuinely seeming sorry.
Alex took a deep breath, spinning around looking at Easton. He looked at her with a question in his eyes. She shook her head at him, and checked him over for bites anyway. He stilled her hands, making her stop checking him for wounds.
“Alex, seriously, I’m ok. Nothing touched me.”
“I’m Marcus, Jonathan Marcus Kline. But everyone calls me by my middle name,” the man stammered behind Alex. She hung her head for a moment, steadying her frayed nerves and turned back to the man.
She had to tilt her head to look him on the eye. They were dark, and filled with sorrow. Sorrow she could accept, they all felt that right now. But stupidity wouldn't put her children in danger. He had close cropped hair, black as night that was getting too long for the cut.
“Were you walking? How did you end up on top of that damn truck?”
“I was in a car with some neighbors, there was an accident….” Marcus trailed off.
“You were in those cars on the main road? We didn't think anyone got away,” Easton commented. Easton was nearly the same height as Marcus and he wasn't giving him a break, siding with Alex and her distrust of the man.
“Four of us got out to run. I'm the only one that made it away from the infected. Before I ran into this group. I was losing ground. That's how I ended up on the truck,” Marcus said.
“Not the smartest move I've ever seen,” Alex said with a dirty look.
“Maybe not, but my choices were limited,” he replied defensively.
“ALEX!!!” Candace's scream came down the alley way. Before Alex could even react Easton was sprinting for his sister. Alex wasn't far behind, pulling her gun as she ran. She heard the footsteps pounding behind her but she decided to worry about the stranger later.
Alex skidded to a halt on the next street. The bronco was becoming surrounded by infected. Billie and Henry were stuck inside the truck, Alex could hear them crying inside. Margaret was with them, trying to keep them hidden from the infected. Candace was beating infected back with a shovel, and Easton was to her in a few long strides.
Alex was done with this. She had hit her limit of being able to handle people she loved being in danger. The anger pulsed through her, lava in her veins. It caused her to flow into action without much thought, just reacting on instincts.
Using her gun she shot the infected around the teenagers, giving them room to move and fight. Her anger helped dull the fear she was feeling for the kids. Not feeling that fear made her move in a different way, reactionary to the events near her and not to the fear in her heart. Behind her she could hear Marcus dealing with his own infected and she didn't even spare him a glance. The bronco was her goal, and that was where she began to head, her machete leading the way.
The sound of her machete hitting bone was rhythmic, a thud followed by her grunt of effort to remove it. She moved toward the children until she could turn her back and protect them. Alex kicked something and heard metal on the ground. Taking a moment she glanced down and saw the shotgun, dimly the idea of Fred entered her mind. Where was Fred? Not sparing too much thought on it, Alex swooped down and grabbed the shotgun. Pumping it once she pulled the trigger and was answered with satisfying boom, and the head of a nearby infected flew apart.
No longer seeing the dark haired stranger in front of her, Alex wasn't careful with her aiming. She splattered heads at every turn. After 4 rounds, the shotgun clicked empty, as an infected came rambling at Alex. She dropped the gun and was just pulling her bowie when an ax appeared and landed in the infected skull with a sickening crack. Alex stood stunned for a moment, confused where the ax came from. Marcus suddenly appeared and ripped the ax free with little effort.
Overwhelmed and her anger giving away to the fear she had in her stomach, Alex whirled and threw her arms around the teenagers. They hugged her fiercely in return. She could see over Candace's shoulder, and the sight of Henry and Billie caused tears to prick her eyes. She pulled away and looked at Candace, checking her over for signs of injury.
“Why were you outside the truck!?” Alex asked.
“Fred….”Candace trailed off.
“Where's Fred?”
“They got him,” Candace replied quietly.
“Oh god,” Alex breathed.
Margaret opened the passenger side door, once she realized they were in the clear. She looked all around them, and beneath the bronco, she found Fred’s body. Alex got to her just as she began to wail, the site of her lifelong friend sending her over an edge into a black abyss.
“THIS IS YOUR FAULT,” Easton roared, and he grabbed an unsuspecting Marcus by the neck.
Chapter 20
“East!” Alex and Candace cried at the same time. Alex motioned to Candace to stay with Margaret, who was openly weeping over her friend. They didn’t have time for the delay, Fred would turn soon. And so would the others from the crash, one street over. Alex lunged for Easton’s arm that held Marcus.
In the back of her mind, she was well aware that Marcus had 3 or 4 inches on Easton, and definitely more body mass. If he wanted to fight back, he could, but he didn’t strike at the boy. Marcus had both hands on the fingers around his neck, trying to pry them away. His face was red and Easton shook him slightly, anger tightening the muscles in his arm.
“East, you can’t do this,” Alex
said, pulling on his arm, standing between him and Marcus. Easton’s angry eyes wouldn’t leave Marcus’s face, and Alex wasn’t tall enough to put herself into his line of sight. So she continued to tug on his arm, pulling his attention to her. When his eye met Alex’s she could see the anger, but also the sorrow and pain. They didn’t know Fred, but Easton was too sensitive to loss.
“It’s not his fault East. It’s the fault of the infected,” Alex said softly. “We don’t know this guy, but we didn’t save his ass so you could end him now.”
“But if we hadn’t, Fred wouldn’t have been outside waiting for us,” he said.
“I know. But we all take risks now. There’s no way around it. Choices are made, people die. I’m sorry,” Alex said, pleading with the teenager. Abruptly he released Marcus, and the man stepped back, coughing slightly. Easton’s head hung and he seemed so defeated. Alex hugged him tight and tried to infuse him with any strength she had to spare.
Alex releasing Easton, who turned toward Margaret, whispering he was sorry, before herding both she and Candace back into the truck. Alex turned back toward Marcus and watched him for a moment. He was rubbing his throat, but was watching her warily. Alex was at a total loss of what to do with him. She knew leaving him in the town, assuming he’d find a working vehicle, would be a possible death sentence. But could she risk her family to help a strange man?
“Do you know anything about mechanics? Engines?” Alex asked.
“Some,” Marcus said.
“Fred,” Alex’s voice hitched in her throat, thinking of the older man who was now dead under the Bronco. “Fred was going to replace a belt in an engine for us. The vehicle is an hour away from here. We could take you with us. If you say you’ll replace the belt?”
“I will do the best I can,” Marcus agreed.
Alex nodded, and motioned for him to get into the front passenger seat. She didn’t want him sitting with the kids, just in case. She went to the driver’s side door and climbed in, knowing Margaret was in no condition to drive. When she climbed in, Marcus was looking in the back of the bronco.
“Eyes forward Jonathan,” Alex put emphasis on his legal first name, refusing to be on a friendly basis with the man. He turned around and flopped into the seat looking at her. She could feel his eyes moving over her, and it gave her goosebumps. She ran a hand over her choppy hair, feeling self-conscience. She decided to be on the defense, shooting him a dirty look and saying “Something I can help you with?”
“How many kids do you have?”
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Alex said.
“It’s just conversation Alex, I don’t mean anything by it,” Marcus said.
Alex sighed. She didn’t like the guy. He made stupid decisions that they had to save him from. And then the close call with Easton, she couldn’t just forget that, even if he readily had a reason for why he didn’t strike the infected correctly.
“I have four kids now,” Alex answered.
“Four? The older boy is yours?” Marcus asked.
“Now he is,” Alex said, looking up into the rearview mirror. Easton was sitting with Henry, heads bent in a whispered conversation in the trunk area of the truck. Candace and Billie were sitting on either side of Margaret, her tears dried up. She stared out of the window blankly, and Alex felt sick guilt for Fred’s death.
Marcus was saying something else to Alex, but she didn’t hear him. She was too busy stopping the truck, and looking at the horde of infected that blocked the road. She hit the steering wheel, wondering if they were ever going to get a break and get out of the god forsaken town. Alex backed the truck up, and was about to turn down an alleyway when Marcus cried out. He pressed his hand against the window and looked into the crowd of infected. Alex knew without him saying anything that his companions were in the group.
“I can’t leave them like that,” Marcus said.
“You can’t fight them all,” Alex replied.
“Give me your gun,” Marcus said, holding out his hand.
“My gun? I don’t think so,” Alex said, getting ready to hit the gas again. Marcus turned to look at her, and grabbed the wheel before she could turn. Alex pulled back, as if she’d been burned and was ready to throw a punch, when she saw his face. He was devastated, his dark eyes searching her face were full of sadness and regret. Alex stared at him for a moment, her mind screaming the question can we trust you?
“Alex, please. I can’t leave them like that.”
“Can you even shoot?” Alex asked.
“Would I be asking for your gun if I didn’t know how to use it?”
“Well I don’t know, so far your decisions have been questionable,” Alex shot back.
“Not this one. Alex please,” Marcus said.
“Alex, we need to go. There are more behind us,” Easton called from the back of the truck. Alex checked all her mirrors, and Easton was right, they were about to get blocked in. Alex quickly pulled her 9mm and handed it to Marcus.
“Don’t make me regret this,” Alex said. Marcus gave her one short nod and rolled his window down. He leaned out and took aim. His first target was a middle aged woman near the front of the pack. His first shot went straight into her forehead stopping her dead. Lucky shot, Alex thought to herself, as Marcus lined up his next shot. The gun went off and a second infected fell in a crumpled pile. Two more shots sounded, and two more infected fell. Marcus ducked back into the truck, rolling up the window.
“Do you have ammo?” He asked, as he popped out the half empty magazine. Alex just looked at him dumbfounded. He glanced up her, and gave her a cocky grin, “I said I could shoot. But maybe we should go, and we can talk about that later?”
“East, ammo for the 9mm,” Alex called, as she hit the gas and sped down an open alley. The truck burst onto the next main road and she turned sharply toward the highway, causing Marcus to slam into the passenger side door. Alex glanced at him, as he rubbed his shoulder and looked at her.
“Oh, sorry,” Alex said.
“Calm down there Earnhardt, we need to get where we’re going in one piece,” Marcus said.
“Relax Jonathan, I know how to drive.”
They rolled onto the highway, and the truck stayed quiet. Alex continued to check her mirrors, keeping an eye out for infected, but also any thieves that could be with Marcus. She wasn’t sure they could trust him yet, and his aim was something to be admired, and maybe feared. Alex had debated not taking him to the RV, but if he was telling the truth and he could help fix the engine, that would get them out of the situation they were in. Alex wasn’t so sure how to change the belt on the engine.
“So what’s your story?” Marcus asked.
“You talk a lot you know,” Alex replied. She just didn’t have it in her to talk. She was tired, and upset and still angry.
“Yeah, I’m sure it seems that way, with no people around. But you have a nice group here. Where are you from?”
“Vegas.”
“Oh wow, that must have been hard to get away from. I’m from outside of Salt Lake City.”
“Ok,” Alex answered, eyes on the road.
“So….” Marcus said, trailing off as he realized Alex wasn’t keeping up with the conversation.
“We’re almost there,” Alex said, directing the comment into the cab of the truck.
A lump had formed in Alex’s throat, as she let the fear and worry of the RV being gone take hold. She knew it was very unlikely, the engine would run without the belt. But their entire survival was in that vehicle. Very few vehicles had been near them on the highway the entire day, so anyone going behind the strip mall was in the low end of possibilities. When they circled the building to where the RV was parked, Alex almost didn’t see it herself, but let out a huge sigh of relief when she was able to see beyond the camouflage.
Alex parked the Bronco near the RV as they had the night before, and then waited for movement. When she didn’t see anything, she instructed everyone to stay put, while s
he made sure no uninfected had found the RV and were inside. She closed the driver’s door quietly, and then heard a slam from the other side. She was annoyed to see that Marcus had climbed out of the truck, wielding his ax. So the guy was a moron and didn’t listen to direction, fantastic. He looked over at her and gave her that lopsided grin that made her want to smack him.
“This isn’t a game you know,” Alex hissed at him. When all he did was shrug at her, she was sure she was going to at least throw a rock at his head. She took two deep calming breaths that really did nothing to wipe the irritation away. Deciding he wasn’t her responsibility, she turned toward the RV to get her family back to safety.
The RV was still covered as they had left it. Alex had painstakingly set up certain items near the doors, to make sure she would be aware if anything had come near. All of her handmade motion detectors were right where she had left them. That gave her a huge sense of relief, and she opened the door with the keys. A quick run through the inside, and she saw that things were clear and she could get her people inside.
With the kids inside the RV getting resettled, Alex unloaded the supplies she had in the truck. She instructed Candace to repack things in the RV. Margaret stood near the bronco, looking lost, and Alex knew she needed to talk to her. Dealing with loss was something Alex was becoming too familiar with, and frankly she didn’t like it one bit. She came up to Margaret, and put her hand on her arm to get her attention. Margaret’s sad eyes came to her face, but she said nothing.
“I’m sorry Margaret.”
“It’s not your fault Alex. I know you think it is, but this one isn’t on you,” Margaret said sadly.
“I feel responsible. We shouldn’t have left Fred out to protect the truck,” Alex said sadly.
“Fred knew the risks. So did I. And helping that man was the right thing to do,” Margaret replied.
Sundown Series (Book 1): Prepared Page 20