by Sarra Cannon
“Do you think Lily was able to actually talk to those things before we even got to the hospital?” Parrish asked, leaning forward, her eyes wide. “I never saw her leave the compound, and I don’t think anyone would have let her out alone. How did she do it?”
“She has some kind of mental ability,” Karmen said. “Like mine. I could feel it that time she helped me with that big group back near Baltimore.”
“Whoever she is, she has some of the Dark One’s power, I think,” Crash said. “She’s working for her, and she’s able to not only communicate with all the zombies in an area, but she’s also able to take normal Z’s and turn them into those super-crazy ones we’ve met along the way. She was the one I saw on the infrared that night on the rooftop in D.C., creating those zombie assassins, and she had that whole hospital ambush set up before we ever stepped foot out of the compound yesterday.”
“So, then why help us?” Parrish asked. “Why give us the stone or tell us about Zoe? Why explain the truth about the Dark One?”
Crash shrugged. “Maybe in the end, she felt guilty about betraying us. Maybe she had regrets.”
“Well, that or she’s just setting up the next trap,” Karmen said. “We were dumb enough to trust her the first time. I don’t think we should make the same mistake twice.”
The girl had a point.
If it hadn’t been for Karmen speaking up about her suspicions, they might have walked into that trap yesterday with no clue what they were getting into.
“Luckily you were smart enough to realize something was wrong,” he said, catching her eye in the rearview.
“I should have said something sooner,” she said, looking away. “I didn’t tell you guys this earlier, but back when we were still at Crash’s place, I accidentally opened Lily’s backpack. It was dark, and I thought it was mine, but she had this weird cape thing in there. I thought it was some kind of theater costume or something. I mean, what kind of person would forgo a fresh pair of underwear to make room for a giant black cape in their bag? I should have known better.”
“From now on, maybe we should make a pact,” Parrish said. “Whenever one of us comes across something strange or out of place, even if it seems insignificant at the time, we tell each other about it. Just in case.”
“Yeah,” Noah said. “Our best chance of survival now is being able to trust each other and work together. There can be no secrets.”
Crash cleared his throat and nodded, shifting a bit in his seat.
He was all for a truth pact when it came to pointing out suspicions or weird things happening around them, but there were some things he’d rather keep to himself, even now.
Like the thing he’d seen in his dreams last night before he woke up in a cold sweat.
He shuddered now just thinking about it.
Sure, he’d considered telling them all about it while they were up talking, but in the end, he’d decided that his darkest visions were his burden to carry. No one else needed to know what they were really up against.
Besides, he didn’t think anything would change Parrish’s mind about New York. Not even a scary dream from a guy whose dreams almost always came true.
And if he was being honest, he didn’t want to upset Karmen. She was tougher than she looked, but he felt a growing need to protect her and keep her safe.
Not that he’d ever admit that to her, of course.
“Well, that was the easiest drive of all time,” Noah said, shaking his head as the compound appeared around the corner.
“You don’t hear me complaining,” Crash said. “Hopefully, your theory is correct, and it’s just a case of cleared-out rotters.”
Noah muttered, and Crash got the distinct feeling the guy didn’t even believe in his own theory.
Oh well, they were safe now. This compound was probably the safest place on the east coast right now.
The guard at the gate jumped up so fast when the Humvee came into view, he nearly dropped his gun. He said something into his walkie and practically ran out of the guardhouse, waving them forward.
Crash slowed down as the guard yanked the fence open.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you guys back here so soon,” he said. “Stephen’s taken a turn for the worst. I don’t think anyone’s expecting him to make it through the day. Please tell me you got the meds.”
He said it more as a question than anything else, his expression tense.
The long-term survival of this entire compound likely depended on the medicines and supplies they’d managed to get from the hospital.
“We got ‘em,” Crash said.
The guard visibly relaxed his shoulders and sighed as he waved them through the gate. Crash pulled through quickly, and everyone jumped out of the truck, their packs all loaded down with supplies.
Crash’s muscles burned from carrying several heavy bags all morning, but his bags weighed almost nothing compared to Noah’s. It was only thanks to his amazing strength that they’d made it this far with everything. That guy could carry five times what anyone else could, but they had to be careful not to let anyone here know that.
Luckily, several men ran out from the compound to help them unload it all.
“Is this all medicine?” a guy named Quintin asked, his eyes wide as he took in the defibrillator and eight packed bags full of medical supplies and IV’s.
“Most of it,” Parrish said. “We grabbed as much as we could carry.”
“The antibiotics are in my bag,” Crash said. “I’ll head straight to Stephen’s room. You guys can take the rest of that to Tank and see where he wants to store it all.”
“I’ll join you as soon as I drop this stuff off,” Noah whispered as they crossed paths. “Maybe I can enhance the healing without anyone noticing now that we have the meds.”
Crash raced through the halls as fast as he could. Everyone he passed moved out of his way with a look of shock and admiration. He got the distinct feeling no one had expected them to come back.
Ever.
And could he really blame them? To everyone else, they just looked like a group of regular teenagers—mostly girls—heading into a place groups of armed men hadn’t been able to clear.
Crash smiled to himself.
They obviously didn’t know the strength of the girls he had with him.
He finally pushed through to the area Tank and his wife, Kaya, had set up as the medical wing of the compound.
Stephen’s wife, Cheryl, was standing in the hallway talking to Kaya. She was crying softly.
A terrible knot formed in Crash’s stomach.
We can’t be too late.
“I’ve got it,” he shouted. “I’ve got the medicine. Is he—?”
Cheryl’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in a sob.
“Oh, thank God,” she said. “Maybe there’s still a chance.”
Her hands trembled as she pressed them against her growing belly. Kaya took the bag of penicillin from Crash’s outstretched hands and ran into the makeshift hospital room.
Crash followed her in and stood with Stephen’s wife at the end of the bed as Kaya inserted the IV and got everything flowing. The dude did not look good, but these meds were his best chance now.
Unless Noah was right.
Now that they had medication flowing through this guy’s veins, a little extra healing might just be chalked up to the miracle of pharmaceuticals.
He kept one eye on the hallway, hoping to see Noah turn the corner. Unfortunately, Kaya seemed to want them all out of the room to give Stephen some space and extra rest.
Crash hated to point out that the guy was so out of it, he likely had no idea if anyone was in the room or not. A few extra visitors weren’t going to disturb him, but Kaya wanted the room clear, which meant they had to go.
She was pretty much the boss around here.
They were all being ushered into the hallway when Noah finally appeared around the corner.
His eyes carried the question Crash
had asked when he first got here.
“He’s still alive,” Crash said, meeting his friend’s eyes. “Barely. He’s got the IV going, but I don’t know if it’s going to be enough.”
“All we can do now is wait and see,” Kaya said. “Hopefully you all made it back just in time.”
Noah and Crash shared a look. They needed to get Noah back in that room.
“I’d like to see him, if I could,” Noah said, slightly stumbling over his words. “I know he needs his rest, and I promise I won’t be in there long, but I just want to check on him.”
Kaya’s brow came together in a frown. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. He’s been through so much.”
Cheryl shook her head.
“For goodness sake, Kaya, look at them. They’re exhausted. They obviously risked everything to get back here as fast as they could. The least we can do is honor a small request to see him.”
She placed a hand on Noah’s arm.
“I know you guys haven’t been here long enough to get to know Stephen, but the fact that you all agreed to do this just to help him means the world to me. If you want to see him and say a few words, I think he would appreciate it.”
Crash let out a nervous breath and nodded to Noah, opening the door and motioning for him to go inside.
Luckily, the two women stayed out in the hallway while Noah went over to the bed. With a quick look at Crash, Noah placed his hands on Stephen’s arm and closed his eyes.
He half expected to see a glow of blue light surround the place where Noah touched the guy, but the only light in the room was coming from a heart monitor beside the bed. Still, Crash could feel the energy shift in the room.
He just hoped it was enough to save the guy.
It was funny how much it suddenly mattered to him that this stranger pulled through. They didn’t really know him at all, but the fact that this guy had a baby on the way made Crash anxious to see him live.
Enough families had been destroyed or torn apart during the past few months. It would be nice to see a family growing despite the destruction everywhere else. The idea of it filled him with hope.
After a couple minutes, though, Noah pulled away, slightly out of breath. Crash searched his eyes, but Noah just shrugged. He didn’t seem to know if it had even worked.
Crash nodded toward the door. They had done everything they could now, and Kaya was right. Nothing left but to wait.
Tank was waiting in the hallway with Kaya. He clapped a hand on Crash’s shoulder as they left the room.
“I can’t thank you enough, man,” he said. “ I saw what you guys brought back, and I almost can’t believe it. That’s enough medicine and supplies to last us for a long time, if we’re careful. I don’t know how we can ever thank you, other than to tell you you’re all welcome to stay here for as long as you want.”
Crash swallowed. God knows, he wished they could stay here forever, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards.
“There is something I think you can help us with, if you have a few minutes,” he said. He glanced at Kaya. “No offense to you, Kaya, but if you don’t mind, I’d love to talk to Tank for a few minutes alone.”
She smiled and squeezed Tank’s hand. “No offense taken,” she said. “Besides, I’ve been up all night with Stephen. I’m going to leave someone else to watch over him for a while, so I can get a little bit of rest.”
She raised up on tiptoes to plant a kiss on Tank’s cheek, nodded to Crash and Noah, and disappeared around the corner toward the main wing.
“What’s up?” Tank asked, brow furrowed. “Is this about the girl you lost? Jason told me one of your friends didn’t come back with you. The quiet girl. I’m sorry, I can’t remember her name.”
“Lily,” Crash said, trying to make his face look sad, despite his anger toward the girl. He could, at least, be sad about her betrayal and the fact that the fifth was still out there alone. “She didn’t make it, Tank. The hospital was so much worse than we imagined.”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes darkening. “And here you are trying to make sure one of our guys is doing okay. How are you and your friends all holding up? I know how it feels to lose someone you love.”
“We all know that type of loss now,” Noah said. “We hadn’t known her very long, but for a while, we thought of her like family. I think we’re all still in shock about it.”
Tank nodded.
“There’s been too much loss,” he said, glancing at Stephen’s room. “Hopefully her sacrifice can make a difference here today. There’s no doubt all that medicine is going to save a lot of lives.”
“Let’s hope so,” Crash said. “While he’s resting, though, is there someplace you and I could go to talk? In private?”
“Of course,” he said. “But are you sure you don’t want to rest up and get a shower first? No offense, but you boys look like hell.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Crash said with a laugh. “And while the idea of a shower is just about the best thing I’ve heard all day, there’s something we’ve got to do that can’t wait. We could use all the help we can get.”
Tank studied him for a second, then finally nodded.
“Come with me back to my office,” he said. “No one will bother us there.”
Crash turned to Noah. “Go get Parrish,” he said. “She’ll want to be part of this conversation.”
Noah nodded and jogged back down the hallway.
Tank started heading the opposite way back to his office, and as they passed by Stephen’s door, Crash couldn’t help but look in on the guy.
His wife sat in a large chair next to his bed, her eyes closed and her hands resting against her belly. Stephen was still asleep, but Crash could have sworn that even though only a few minutes had passed since they’d started up the IV, Stephen’s breathing had already evened out and the color had started to return to his cheeks.
“You coming?” Tank asked.
With a smile, Crash closed the door and followed Tank down the hallway.
He had a feeling that despite everything else that had gone wrong in the past few months, this was one time when everything was going to be alright.
Four
Parrish
Parrish headed toward Tank’s office, and as she walked through the compound, everyone turned to stare or stopped to say thank you. Word of what they’d done had traveled quickly.
It was obvious most people had thought their trip to the hospital was more of a suicide mission than anything else, and they were probably shocked to know a group of teens had survived it.
Parrish normally might have been annoyed at the fact that they’d sent them out never expecting them to return, but the truth was she was glad they could do it. The five—four—of them were obviously more capable than anyone here knew. If it hadn’t been for Lily and her betrayal, the trip would have been easy.
No one here, despite their looks of surprise and awe, had any clue what they had just been through yesterday, or how close they had all come to dying.
And Parrish had a feeling deep down that if the four of them died, it wouldn’t matter how many compounds there were like this in the world or how safe they all seemed to think they were. Eventually, the witch Lily had called the Dark One was going to have enough power to break free, and this entire world—perhaps all of humanity—would be over.
The weight of that realization made every step feel heavy.
She agreed with Karmen. She hadn’t asked for this kind of responsibility. At least not in this lifetime. And she wanted to save Zoe more than anything else.
But the fate of this entire world rested on their shoulders. That truth was starting to become more obvious by the day. How could they ignore it?
They simply couldn’t, and no matter how tired or scared that made her feel, she knew they still had a long way to go before this was over.
She knocked on the door to Tank’s office, and he told her to come in. Both he and Crash were sitting by the
desk, waiting for her.
“Where are Karmen and Noah?” Crash asked. “Didn’t they want to come?”
Parrish shook her head. “All Karmen cares about right now is getting the zombie guts off her arms,” she said. “And I don’t know about Noah. He said he had something to take care of.”
He’d seemed a bit anxious to her, but she didn’t have time to stop and question him. She’d have to catch up with him later.
Crash waved her over toward the desk where he’d set up a few chairs and opened up a large paper map of roads in the area.
“Okay, so now that you’re both here, are you guys going to tell me just what crazy shit you’re thinking of doing?” Tank asked. “Because in my mind, if you’re wanting to do anything but stay here and put your feet up for a while, you’re stupid.”
“I guess we’re stupid, then,” Parrish said with a smile as she took a seat in the chair opposite Tank. “What did Crash tell you so far?”
“Nothing, except that he wanted to know if I had a map of Philly and surrounding areas,” he said. “What’s this all about?”
“I’m just going to put this bluntly,” she said, already anticipating this guy’s reaction. “We need to get into New York City as fast as possible. What do you know about the state of the roads between here and there? And what about the bridges leading onto the island of Manhattan? Is any of it passable? Are the bridges still standing? Has anyone come this way who fled from that area that we could talk to?”
Tank sat back slowly in his chair, his jaw hanging slightly open. At first, he didn’t say anything at all. He just looked at Parrish like she had just completely lost her mind.
Whatever he’d imagined they were up to, it apparently had not even touched the crazy that was NYC.
“I don’t think I heard you right,” he said finally. “Because it sounded like you said Manhattan.”
“I did. We have to get up there as soon as possible,” she said. “What do you know about it?”