I didn’t stop, but I did take a quick peek into Hank’s cubicle as I passed. He was lying on his side with his back to the opening, but I couldn’t tell if he was awake. He was one person I wasn’t going to bother waking, however.
Zara was awake and sitting up when I reached the cubicle we shared.
“Hey,” I said, stopping at the opening. “You ready for breakfast?”
“Yeah.” Her ponytail bobbed as she got to her feet. “Are you planning to leave soon?”
“Yes. As soon as breakfast is over. I’m afraid if we wait much longer Lane is really going to be in trouble.”
Zara sighed but nodded.
“Come on,” I said, waving for her to follow me. “Let’s get something to eat.”
We went down as a group—with the exception of Hank—but no one said a word. Randall seemed to still be half asleep, his shuffling footsteps scraping against the floor as we walked, and I was pretty sure Buck was hung over. Lexi and Zara looked like they were dreading the day, but Mike, as always, was more contemplative than anything.
When we reached the nurse’s station, I poked my head in just to let Lane know we would be leaving soon, but her eyes were closed. Since Lisa was nowhere in sight, I could only assume she’d gone to breakfast as well. I dropped my duffle bag on the floor before moving on.
The school seemed deserted until we neared the cafeteria and the sound of voices finally greeted us. It was soft and more subdued than usual, but welcome, nonetheless.
“Morning,” Grace called when we stepped into the room.
I nodded in greeting, already crossing to the table we usually occupied where Devon, Lisa, and Doug were sitting. Miller was with them as well, listening but oddly enough, not scowling the way he usually did.
“Sorry I didn’t wait for you,” Devon said when I slid into a seat across from him.
“It’s fine.”
Grace had already hurried over, a stack of plates in one hand and a bowl of eggs in the other. She set them on the table between us with a flourish. “We’re cooking up more sausage as we speak. I’ll bring it over when it’s done.”
“Thanks,” I said even though I really wanted to tell her I thought the idea of her serving everyone like this was a diner was silly and pointless.
She gave me a dazzling smile before hurrying off. Maybe she liked doing it.
“How’s Lane this morning?” I asked Lisa as I began piling eggs on Lexi’s and Mike’s plates.
“Not great.” Lisa blew out a long breath. “It was a rough night, and I’m not sure either of us got much rest.”
“You can take a nap today after we leave,” I said.
Lisa shrugged like it was no big deal.
I’d just taken my first bite of eggs when a whistle sounded. Chewing, I turned and found Gabe standing on a table at the other end of the room, his arms lifted to get everyone’s attention.
“I have a few things to say,” he called when most of the chatter had died down.
The room went silent.
“Thanks.” Gabe gave a tense smile. “I know everyone is already aware of what’s happening today, but in conjunction with that, I wanted to tell you about some measures we’ve taken. Just in case.”
“In case of what?” Grace called, her face a mask of concern. She was standing behind her daughter, the pixie-looking girl with blonde hair, gripping her shoulders enough to make the girl wince away from her. As if just realizing what she’d done, Grace jerked her hands back.
“In case Heath decides to come here and cause problems,” Gabe said, not even trying to cushion the blow.
The woman’s face turned two shades lighter. “We just want to live what’s left of our lives. Won’t he understand that?”
“I can’t predict what he’s going to do,” Gabe said calmly.
“Then maybe we shouldn’t go.” Grace’s fingers once again tightened on her daughter’s shoulders. “If it’s going to put us at risk, we shouldn’t go. Surely if we just ignore him, he’ll understand we aren’t a threat and leave us alone?”
A few people around the room nodded in agreement, but there was a fair amount of head shaking as well. Not that it mattered. This was not a majority rules kind of situation. I was the one going, the one risking my life, and I wouldn’t be told what to do.
“Unfortunately,” Gabe said, this time clearly choosing his words carefully, “that’s not an option. Lane needs a doctor, or she’ll die.”
Grace’s mouth scrunched up, but thankfully she chose not to argue.
“Okay,” Gabe said, switching his focus back to the group. “I wanted to let you know about the measures we’ve taken to ensure everyone stays safe. First of all, we’ve cleared out two extra exits. One at this end of the building, and a second by the sleeping area. Both are secured from inside with a combination bike lock.” He paused, looking everyone over. “It’s important that you remember the combination. Okay?” Heads bobbed as he scanned the room, and once he was sure he had everyone’s complete attention he said, “Eight-Four-Three-Nine.”
He repeated it a few times as all around the room people committed it to memory by repeating the numbers. Since I had an excellent memory, I wasn’t concerned about being able to recall four digits, but I did take the opportunity to focus on Zara and Mike.
“What are the numbers?” I asked, pinning both of them with a serious look. “Repeat them to me.”
“Eight-Four-Three-Nine,” Mike said, his brown eyes serious and attentive.
“Good.” I looked at my sister. “Zara?”
She repeated them not once, but three times, and once I was satisfied, I said, “If something happens, I want you to get Randall and Lexi and get out of here. Understand?”
Mike nodded.
“Where do we go?” Zara asked.
“Gabe will tell you that next.”
She turned her attention back to Gabe.
“Okay, now that we’ve dealt with that, it’s time to discuss an escape plan. First, however, I want to make sure everyone takes this next statement to heart. If you leave this building, even if it’s in a hurry, make sure you’re armed. If you’re not comfortable with a weapon, try to find someone who is. Be alert out there. Understand?” More heads bobbed. “Good.” Gabe sighed. “We’ve taken the time to gas up and park several cars in the neighborhood behind the school. At some point today, I want everyone to go over to the command center and look at the map, so you’re prepared. They are unlocked and the keys are in the glove compartments. We’ve put some supplies in the trunks as well. Not a lot, but enough to tide you over.”
“Where do we go?” a woman called. “If we have to make a run for it, where do we go?”
“The gym,” Gabe said. “It’s temporary, but it will do as a meeting point. If you’re not sure where that is, don’t worry. We’ve put a map in each glove compartment as well. We don’t want anyone to get left behind.”
Knowing Gabe had made a plan helped some of my unease melt away, but more than that, I was happy to learn he could be flexible and listen to someone else’s ideas. Especially a woman’s.
Once again, I focused on Zara and Mike. “Did you get all that?”
Two heads bobbed.
“Okay. I don’t know if anything will happen, but I want to make sure you’re ready if it does. I won’t be here to help you, but the others will be.” I waved to the other adults at our table. “Understand?”
“Yes,” Mike said firmly. “And I’m going to make sure I check out the map.”
I gave him a smile. “Good. Thank you.”
He responded by giving a firm nod.
With that taken care of, I turned back to my now cold eggs.
They were rubbery, and my stomach was uneasy, but I choked them down anyway and even managed to eat one of the sausage patties when Grace delivered them. Despite the greasy saltiness, it was like a boulder in my stomach. I hoped I managed to stay in control of my nerves, and they didn’t make an unwelcome reappearance.
; When we’d finished eating, we gathered our plates and silverware and carried them to the kitchen. Lisa had already headed off to get Lane ready to go, and once I’d cleaned up after myself, there was nothing left to do but say my goodbyes so I could join them.
I knelt in front of Lexi first, who was staring at me with big, terrified eyes. “It’s going to be okay,” I said. “I won’t be gone long, and you have plenty of people to look after you. Okay?”
The girl nodded, but still, she said nothing.
“Mike is here, and Randall. And there’s Lisa and Devon. You’ll be okay.”
My hands were already on her shoulders, which meant pulling her against me for a hug was both easy and natural. Well, natural for most people. I wasn’t much of a hugger myself, but with this scared little girl in front of me, it seemed like the most logical thing to do, and once she was in my arms, it felt right.
She hugged me back, her tiny hands holding me like she was afraid to let go, and for the second time recently, I got choked up.
“I’ll be all right, and when I come back, Rowan will be with me. Okay?”
“Okay,” Lexi whispered.
I had to blink back more tears.
I stood and cleared my throat, allowing the little girl to go to her uncle.
Randall looked as unsteady as she did, but I didn’t give him the same kind of goodbye. I simply patted his arm and said, “Take care of Lexi and Mike.”
“I will,” he said. “I promised Bethie.”
“I know you did,” I said then focused on Mike. “Ask for help if you need it. It’s not all up to you.”
“I will.”
“Good.” I gave him a shaky smile. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
Then I turned to Zara.
“Come here.” I didn’t even hesitate to open my arms to her. She threw herself against me, sniffling, and I wrapped her in a hug, pressing my face against her ear as I said, “I’ll come back for you just like I did before. Like I always do.”
“You better,” she said.
“I will.”
We stayed like that for a few seconds longer before I extracted myself.
When I turned to Devon, he said, “I’ll walk you out.”
I said nothing as he and I left the cafeteria, leaving the others behind.
“You doing okay?” Devon asked once we’d reached the hall.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m worried about leaving the kids and concerned Heath will turn us away, but otherwise I’m okay.”
“You’re not even a little worried about yourself?” he asked, watching me out of the corner of his eye.
“Yes and no,” I said. “I know what I’m risking, Devon, I’m not stupid. I also happen to think Heath won’t kill us for no reason. He let Gabe walk away from the hospital, and he hates him. He doesn’t even know me.”
“But he knows Lane,” Devon pointed out.
“Yeah, but she’s already dying. If he really wants to make her suffer, the most he’ll do is not lift a finger to help her. Why shoot her when letting her slowly bleed to death internally would punish her more?” I shuddered, hating that I could rationalize a psychopath’s thoughts so easily but knowing I was right.
Devon snorted. “You have a point there.”
We reached the nurse’s station to find it empty. Knowing Lisa had probably already helped Lane outside, I grabbed my duffle bag off the floor and headed that way.
Like I’d thought, we stepped outside to find Lisa and Gabe waiting beside the truck, and Lane in the passenger seat. She was slumped against the door, her eyes closed and her face pale, and the sight of her had the nerves bubbling up inside me once again.
The morning was bright, but to my relief there were some clouds in the sky today. A few in the distance even looked ominous. Gray and puffy as if fat with water.
“It could rain,” I said, wanting to focus on something else for a few seconds.
“Let’s hope so,” he said as we crossed the parking lot. Then he sighed. “Listen, I want you to be careful in there. Don’t take risks, and if something seems off and you can get out of there, do it. Don’t be stupid.”
“I won’t.”
Devon focused on the fire in the distance as if he was having a difficult time looking at me and said, “Tell Rowan—” He broke off, swallowing. “I don’t know. Tell her I miss her. Tell her I’m worried.”
“I will,” I said.
“And tell her I’m pissed as hell that she did this.”
“I’ll definitely tell her that,” I assured him.
He looked at me, shaking his head and giving me a bitter smile. “Tell her I can’t wait to see her.”
We’d reached the truck by then, and I only paused for a second before climbing in. Just long enough to give Devon a small smile.
“I’m sure she feels the same.”
Then I climbed into the truck and pulled the door shut.
10
Rowan
Acting like a much too chipper tour guide, Ryan led me through the hospital, pointing things out as we went. It was nice to be out of my room—and to not have the threat of being shocked hanging over me—but I was acutely aware of the collar around my neck, and it made me feel more like a dog than a person. Seriously, I was surprised Heath hadn’t insisted Ryan attach a leash.
The reunion with my dad had been disastrous, and part of me wanted to just go back to my room so I could be alone, but I was also curious about what this group had done—and interested in getting more insight into Heath. I’d walked the halls of Upper Valley Medical Center dozens of times over the years, but now it was as foreign as the rest of the world. No men and women in scrubs rushed by me, and I didn’t pass a single person in a wheelchair. Instead, I was stopped over and over again by regular people—all of them armed—who wanted to meet the daughter of Dr. Summers. It made me feel slightly famous, and even though I hadn’t thawed toward my dad, the pride I’d always felt when I thought about him saving lives did return full force.
“Your dad stitched me up when I got here,” one woman in her forties told me, my hand clasped between hers as she beamed up at me. “I’d gotten cut running from what used to be my next-door neighbor and was bleeding something awful when Heath found me. He brought me back here, and your dad fixed me right up, and he was so sweet that I don’t even care if it scars.”
Looking at the jagged half-healed cut on the left side of her neck, I almost told her it was good that she didn’t care, because the thing would most definitely scar.
“He’s such a good doctor,” she continued.
I didn’t even have to force out a smile in response. “He is. And I’m so glad he could help you.”
That made her grin widen.
She patted my hand two more times before releasing it. “Well, I’m off to check on the tomato plants. Be sure to say hi when you get to that part of the tour.” She hurried off, waving over her shoulder as she called, “Never a moment’s rest!”
“You’re lucky she had somewhere to go,” Ryan said when we were alone again, “or you would have never gotten away. Faye can talk your ear off.”
“That’s okay,” I said as we started walking again. “I’m a talker.”
At that, Ryan frowned. “Could have fooled me. You’ve barely said a word.”
“I’m a little preoccupied, I guess.”
“Is it because I didn’t tell anyone what you said about Heath?”
That wasn’t why, but I still gave him a disapproving look. “Why didn’t you?”
“Honestly?” He didn’t turn his head, but I could tell he was watching for my reaction, so I nodded. “I’m not sure he’s wrong.”
I stopped walking. “What?”
Ryan stopped, too, and turned to face me. “Your dad and I have had a lot of conversations since all this started. We’re doctors, we took an oath to help people, but that was an oath written for the old world, and I’m not sure it fits into this new one.”
I’d never heard anything
so stupid in my life.
“How do you figure?” I put my hands on my hips, and a sudden image of my mom popped into my head. Her standing on the porch calling for me as the sun set, shaking her head in frustration because she’d told me to be home before it got dark.
I pushed it away.
“How do zombies change whether or not you help someone who needs it?”
“It doesn’t, not in that sense.” Ryan paused like he was trying to find the right words. “It’s more about what we do when faced with someone who doesn’t deserve to live. Before, if a criminal came into the hospital, we fixed them up and handed them off to the police. It was a no brainer. A guy killed his wife but got stabbed in the process? Your dad stitched him up and let the police do their job. A drunk driver killed someone but needed surgery to save their life? I did it, and once he was healed, he went to jail to serve his time. We don’t have that luxury anymore. There are no cops, no jails, no lawyers. There are just people and a hell of a lot of limitations, including limited resources. Do we waste time and medication on people who don’t deserve to live?”
“So, Heath gets to decide who deserves to live? That’s what you’re telling me?”
“No, I’m not saying that, but he hasn’t done anything yet, and based on what I’ve heard about this Gabe person, I’m thinking the world might be better off without him.”
He had to be kidding. Ryan and my father—and probably most of the other people here—were willing to let Heath play executioner based on his word alone. They hadn’t met Gabe or Lane, and they didn’t know a thing, but they were willing to look the other way and let Heath exact his revenge. It was insane.
“Look, I’m not a huge fan of Gabe,” I said. “He’s a sexist asshole, but I haven’t seen anything that would make me think he’s evil. Not the way Heath is making him out to be. He’s saved close to a dozen kids, and he didn’t put a shock collar around my neck when I got to the school.”
I tugged at the leather to emphasize my point.
“School?” Ryan’s eyebrows jumped in surprise.
“Shit.” I could have slapped myself. “Forget I said that, okay?”
Far Series | Book 3 | Far From Lost Page 18