Gabriele stared at her hands for a bit. "I'm not going. There's no way I could run if I needed to, and I don't want any of you risking your lives trying to protect me."
Josh didn't know what to say. She was right in thinking she would put them at risk, but she'd also pushed through insane pain to save Ethan. "If you want to go, we'll find a way. Shoot, Randi and I'll go find you a wheelchair."
Gabriele patted his hand. "You're a doll, but I'm tired. Running's not for me. Besides, if Darius decides to go with y'all, these people will need someone with some medical training. If he stays, Reginald's competent enough to take care of you."
Ethan laughed. "Not to mention, if we give your brother a medical book, he probably could perform open-heart surgery."
Gabriele rubbed her stump. "He's right. Mark's invaluable, and you know he's going with you."
"If you're sure." Josh didn't want her to stay behind out of a sense of duty, but he did have slight relief at the thought of not having to take care of her while trying to trek to the coast. Things were horrendous when he tried to make it from Austin to Houston, to the compound, and that was right after the fall. Who knew what they would encounter on this trip.
Randi and Mark headed out to look for large jugs of water. They planned to fill the tank on the RV with river water and add chemicals to the tank to clean it. Then they would fill as many jugs as they could find, treat them, and leave them for the people staying.
She pulled onto the highway. "Any idea where we should go?"
"Not sure. Do you remember where you got the barrels for diesel?"
"Yeah. They had quite a few of them. Do you think those would be good enough for water? I mean do they have chemicals or anything?"
Mark twisted his mouth. "Not sure. Do you know of any water stores around? They usually sell jugs and things."
"There's a Culligan in Kerrville and one in Boerne. Let's go to Kerrville first. They do water delivery, so even if the fresh water has all been taken, the empty water bottles may still be there. They might even have some of those hand pumps."
She headed to Kerrville. The brown landscape flew by. Soon the trees would start to turn green and by March or April, bluebonnets would cover the roadways and fields. Not to mention the Texas Paintbrush, Indian Blanket, and Greenthread. There were several other wildflowers that she didn't know the names of, but she could almost smell the Mountain Laurel blossoming. A part of her longed to see spring and the burst of colors blooming across the fields, but her duty was to get Reginald to USMARID, and a Marine never shirked her duty. Time to shake off the melancholy.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "Just a little nostalgic for spring. It's my favorite time of year. Even though it's a little warm, it's so colorful and full of promise." Randi laughed. "That sounded so lame."
"No it didn't. New life is always full of promise. In the spring, you'll start seeing foals with their mommas, trees budding out, and leaves forming." Mark shrugged. "If it's lame, then I'm right there with you. Spring's my favorite season."
Randi turned onto Water Street and pulled up to the store. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This cycle would never end. Hunting while being hunted. Maybe her mother, brothers, and brother-in-law were better off not having to fight to live one more minute. "Let's go clear the place and see if we can get water bottles."
She opened the door tried to push herself toward the water store, but her legs felt like lead. "Stay behind me."
"No." Mark pushed her to the side. "You always take the most risks. The rest of us know how to shoot, and we aren't your responsibility, Super Man."
She opened her mouth to argue. "I said, 'no'. If you don't like it, tough, and if something happens to me, it is not your responsibility. Got it?" Not giving her time to answer, Mark reached for the door.
Everything in her screamed for her to tackle him to the ground. Sweet innocent, injured Mark in the lead? No. Her heart lodged in her throat, and she moved as close behind him as possible. She had to make sure nothing happened to him.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as they walked through the door. Mark pushed forward but she grabbed his shirt. "Wait," she whispered. "Listen for any sounds before we move forward. If you're taking the lead, lead smart, and cautiously."
Mark stopped. They stood listening, but the building was silent. "Let's clear the building, and then hunt for the jugs. We don't want to start loading and have someone, infected or otherwise, come upon us."
The kid was learning. Not that he was much younger than her, but he was so naïve he seemed much younger. She let him take the lead through the room to the back door. "Before you open it, listen."
Mark put his ear to the door. "Groaning. Get ready."
"Open it. I'll cover the doorway."
Mark yanked it open, and they walked through. No infecteds visible from this angle, but groaning grew louder as they walked toward the back past all of the water treatment equipment.
Something grabbed Randi from behind and dragged her backwards. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst from her chest, but if she screamed and drew Mark's attention, whatever was groaning within the bowels of the room might take him by surprise. She clamped her mouth shut to protect Mark, and let the person drag her back a little ways, then she let her body weight fall backwards into the person pulling her. As the person lost his balance and hit the floor, she jerked around with her weapon pointed at his face.
He covered his head with his arms. "Don't shoot. I was trying to get you to stop. You don't want to go back there. It's overrun."
She'd just allowed Mark to wander into a bad situation without backup. Her stupidity knew no bounds. She spun on her heel and ran after Mark. She grabbed his arm before he could turn the knob on a storage room. "It's overrun."
"What?"
"Come with me." She led Mark back to the man she'd knocked down. He was standing now, but took one look at Randi and cowered. "Hey, I promise, I was trying to protect you, not hurt you."
"Why didn't you speak to me instead of grabbing me?"
"I'm stupid, okay? I thought I could drag you back a little ways, and then talk to you. Figured if I said anything, you might turn and shoot before we could talk."
He was younger than she originally thought. Probably in his early twenties. "What's your name?"
"Blade Andrews."
"Blade?" Mark asked.
"My mom was a little different." He shrugged. "My older sister was Sunni."
"I'm Randi and this is Mark. Are you armed?"
He shook his head. "No. Lost my gun when I got jumped. I ducked in here and found a break room to hide out in."
"Then how do you know the back room is overrun?"
"You heard the moaning." He raised an eyebrow and looked at her like she was missing a few bolts. "That's a lot of groaning."
"Dude, it could be two people." Mark shook his head. "You've not had to survive on your own for long, have you?"
"No. We got attacked a couple of days ago." A shadow of intense pain flashed in his eyes. Randi had seen that pain so many times. "Lost my parents and sister to a bunch of jerks who wanted our ranch."
"How did you escape?" Randi wanted to know more about this man before she trusted him.
He blinked his blue eyes a couple of times. Probably trying to stem the flow of tears. "Mom shoved me out the back door, handed me a gun and a backpack, and told me to run."
"Okay. Wait here while Mark and I clear the back room."
"No!"
"What?"
"I'm...I'm afraid for you to open the door."
"Then go hide in the break room with the door closed."
"What if you die in there?" His eyes were wide and he swiped his long, stringy blond hair out of his eyes. "It would be my fault."
"Not at all." Randi motioned to Mark. "We make our own decisions. It's on us if something happens to us. You have no reason to feel any guilt."
Mark gave her a pointed look. Thankfully. T
hey waited until Blade was locked in the room, then Randi led the way to the storage area. She grabbed the doorknob. "You ready?"
Mark nodded.
Randi opened the door, but no infecteds waited. Her heart rate increased as she walked through the room toward the groaning. The thought of killing even more people made her want to turn and run away as quickly as she could.
Mark yelped and a gunshot sounded behind her. She spun around, and he pointed at an infected on the ground. "He came after me."
She pressed forward toward the groaning at the back of the room. They passed a cage filled with empty water bottles. Pay dirt. Now, if they could just get out of here in one piece.
The hair lifted on the back of her neck and her gut clenched as they continued the short distance toward the very back. It seemed to take forever, and everything in her screamed for them to run away as quickly as they could.
They reached the back, and still didn't find the source of the groaning. Where was it coming from?
"Help," a very weak, soft voice called out.
Randi motioned for Mark to help her move the barrels. The groaning continued. They moved all but two barrels and Randi caught a glimpse of an arm. "Hold up." She peered behind the barrels. A kid, maybe fifteen, had curled up behind them.
She hid her face in her hands. "Please don't shoot me."
Her clothes hung on her frame, her cheeks were sunken and dark circles rimmed her blue eyes. "We aren't going to shoot. How long have you been hiding there?"
"Days."
"Have you had any water or food?"
She shook her head.
"Can you stand?"
She tried to pull herself up, but was too weak. "Mark, grab her and take her to the break room. Get her something to drink while I find the infecteds we can hear groaning."
"There's a door to the break room in that corner. That's where the diseased hang out."
"I'll take her the long way, but you be careful."
Randi gave him a nod and eased toward the infecteds. She slowed as she neared the door. There were five leaning against the door drooling and groaning.
Why Lord? Ethan said I could talk to You. Why am I in this position? I have no choice but to kill them. Or did she? Maybe she could get the bottles without attracting their attention. That way, she wouldn't have to add another life to her tally. She walked back to the container with bottles. It sat on pallet, and she'd seen a pallet jack near the large double doors in the back.
She ran to the break room. "Keep making noise. The infecteds are at the door because they hear y'all. I'm going to move the truck around back and load the water bottles then I'll be back."
"You found water?" Blade asked.
"No. We're loading empty ones to fill from the river." She frowned. "Why doesn't she have something to drink?"
Mark pointed to the Coke machine. "Empty, and all of the water here's been cleaned out."
"As soon as I get the bottles loaded, we'll get her some water." She pulled the truck around to the back of the store and loaded the bottles. At least now, they could leave water for the group that stayed behind. She closed the double doors and drove around to the front. Thank You for giving me a way out of killing still more people.
She walked into the break room and handed the young girl a bottle of water. "What's your name?"
"Lainey."
"Lainey, I'm Randi, and those guys are Mark and Blade." Randi smiled at her. "Do you have any bites or scratches?"
"No."
"What about you, Blade?"
He shook his head. "I hid out here." His head hung. "I didn't know she was in there. No way I'd have left her there."
"I believe you. If you two would like to come back with us, you're welcome to." She held up a finger to stop them from answering. "But there's a catch. You have to agree to let us check for bites or scratches. We won't take anyone into our group that hasn't been checked."
"I'm fine with doing whatever to not have to be on my own anymore." Blade rubbed his face. "Much more time alone, and I won't survive."
"Same with me." Lainey pointed to herself. "Can we go, now?"
"Come on." Randi ushered them all out the truck and headed back toward the campground. "There are a lot of us staying in some cabins. A small group is leaving in the next couple of days, but you'll learn more about all that when we reach the camp. After you're checked for bites and scratches, Darius will check y'all over, and if he gives the okay, you'll be expected to help on the fencing project we're working on."
As the morning sun peeked through the trees, Josh divided all of the workers into teams to build the fences. They'd decided to place a fence unit around each cabin.
Adriana, William, Nia, and several of the new people that he didn't know the names of were on his team digging post holes and seating the poles for the fencing. Luckily, they'd found the post hole auger and taken it when they took all of the extra fencing materials.
"Is it right to leave all of these people behind?" Adriana wiped the sweat out of her eyes as they dug another hole. "I mean, it's not like they can all go with us, but I feel guilty leaving them vulnerable here."
"It's hard knowing what the best plan of action is, but I think letting them choose is the fairest way to do this."
"Have you gotten an answer from everyone?"
"No. None of them in fact. We're gathering everyone after finish we fences. It's time for them to make a decision one way or another."
"Good. I assume we're still leaving in the morning?"
He bumped her shoulder with his. "Guess this means you're coming with us?"
Adriana laughed. "You big goof, of course I am. I don't want to stay here without you, Mark, and Randi."
"What if your dad decides to stay?"
"That's okay. He's a strong man and can help these people, but Randi needs me." Adriana shoved her hair out of her eyes. "She won't admit it, but she's a little vulnerable. We need to make sure she eats and takes care of herself."
"You need her, too. She's the one who makes sure you take care of yourself."
They moved on to the last post hole as sun shot red and gold streaks through the sky as it dipped below the horizon. Josh's arms and legs ached. He could only imagine how Adriana felt. After all, she had to deal with Lupus in addition to working hard all day.
He gathered everyone together outside. "We need to have your answers, now. We're leaving in the morning and need to know how many people are staying and how many are going so that we may make the appropriate plans."
They went through everyone who waited outside questioning whether they would stay or not. Josh pointed to the women Bryan had rescued. They didn't bring any of the teens or children with them. One of the women stepped forward. "Son, it's so sweet of you to include us in this, but with all of these little ones we're taking care of, we'd slow your group down and put all of us at risk. I think we'll stay in these nice cabins you've found for us."
"Yes, ma'am. We will ensure there is plenty of water and food for all of you. I'll be around later to get a head count."
She kissed him on the cheek, and the two women left.
The leader of the group Randi and Mark rescued came forward. Darius had his arm around a little old lady he called Granny. "We appreciate the offer, but we're tired of running. Besides that, those two women will need some adults to help protect all those younguns. Granny's had her share of child rearing, so any of the children who stay behind, we'll look after them as if they're our own." After he said his piece, they turned and left.
Cooper walked forward next. "Man, y'all have been so good to me, but I don't want to run any more. We're safe from Vixen, I'd rather stay here and help build a life here." He stared at his feet. "I hope there're no hard feelings."
"Coop, no way. We hate leaving a large part of our family here, but we know some people need to stay behind and build a life here. God willing, we'll see each other again, brother."
"I'm staying, too." William gave him a shy grin. "Whe
n you found me, I know I said I wanted to run, but this has proved to me I need to stay. I'm a good shot. I'll help keep people safe."
"Sounds good, William. You're responsible and smart. I know you'll be an asset to the group that stays behind."
Keshanna raised her hand. "Thanks for taking us in, but Kayde and I will be staying, too. We need to continue to work on Kayde's education. I'll be happy to work with the other children, also." She shrugged. "The world may have fallen to pieces, but that doesn't mean we need to stop their education."
Santiago, Luz, Desiree, and Atticus all declined to go. Once they'd all left, Josh rejoined the others inside. Nia, Bryan, Xever, and Adriana sat at the table sat at the table.
Adriana motioned to him. "Josh, we need to talk to you."
He joined them in the kitchen and leaned against the cabinet. "What's up?"
"Son, I'm not going." Xever clasped his hands together. "I'm trying to convince Adriana to either stay with me, or to leave the children. If you have only adults on the journey, it will go easier. Not to mention, the children will be safer."
Tears streamed down Adriana's face. "I don't want to stay, Dad. Randi needs me, whether or not she'll admit it."
"Think about Tommy and Lori. If you go, let them stay with me, I can help work on their education. I'll protect them. There is no reason you cannot return to us."
"Let me pray about it." She brushed away the tears. "Neither option is good."
Josh rubbed her back. "Bryan? What about you?" Josh asked.
"I'm staying. Since Daniel died, it's my responsibility to take care of his babies. Not to mention all of those children Alton and I left homeless."
"I'm going." Nia stood and stretched. "Randi's been my girl all my life. I'm sticking with her."
"Okay. Adriana, let me know what you decide on the children. I'm going to talk to Ethan, Randi, and Uncle Reg." He walked to the bedroom. Randi had stretched out on the floor again and was sleeping. Ethan was in bed, but he had much more color. "Hey man, you still going with us?"
"If you're willing to have me." He grinned. "I'm ready to be a productive part of this family again."
"We want you, but you have to promise to take it easy."
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