Lifting my throbbing head, I focused on Heath. At his side, Michael stood glaring at me, making it obvious he’d like nothing more than to pummel me a few more times.
“That’s all, Ms. Summers,” Heath said. “One hit for twisting Michael’s balls, another for the elbow to his stomach. An eye for an eye.” He grinned. “Or something like that.”
My body still shaking and pain still throbbing through me, I forced myself to sit up. I didn’t want to give Michael the satisfaction of seeing how much he’d hurt me.
“Now, back to the point of all this.” Heath turned his back on me once again. “Gabe!”
His voice rang through the air, bouncing off the building and trees and coming back to taunt us. It was followed by a chorus of moans.
“Gabe!” he called again. “I know you’re out there. Probably hiding like a coward. I only want you. Everyone else is free to go.” He paused, waiting, but there was no response. “If you do not turn yourself over, I will kill them all.”
Still there was no response.
Acting like the thought sickened him, Heath turned to face us, fake regret twisting his expression. “I gave him a chance.” He glanced toward Hank. “I believe you wanted to do the honors?”
The kid grinned. “Yeah.”
He eyed us as he moved forward, the knife gripped tightly in his hand, his gaze bouncing around like he couldn’t decide who to focus on. He looked at me, then Devon, and my heart beat harder. Was he going to kill someone? I glanced from Hank to Heath, who was watching the teenager appraisingly, his expression curious and thoughtful. It was like he wasn’t sure if Hank would be able to go through with it and was testing him. Based on the gleeful light in the kid’s eyes, I didn’t have a doubt. Hank was about to kill someone.
Who?
He paused in front Devon, and I almost threw up.
“You wanted to kill me,” Hank said, lifting the knife just a little. “Didn’t you?”
Devon didn’t blink. “You tried to rape a seventeen-year-old girl, so, yeah. I still do.”
Who’s being impulsive now? I wanted to yell, but I felt certain if I opened my mouth, I’d vomit.
Hank took a step closer to Devon, his expression growing harder. His shoulders rose in a half shrug, letting everyone know he wasn’t sorry. Then he lifted the knife higher, waving it in front of Devon. Teasing him.
“Please,” I whispered, barely managing to find my voice. “Don’t do this. I’m begging you.”
The teen’s gaze flicked to me, and I wanted to shrink away from the darkness in his eyes. How had I ever thought they looked innocent?
Hank was still staring at me when Buck called out, “He ain’t the only one who wanted you dead!”
The teen’s focus shifted, his eyes narrowing on the older man.
“That’s right,” Buck said, a grin just visible through his scraggily, gray beard. “I got your attention now, don’t I?”
“Don’t,” Lisa hissed. “Be quiet.”
Buck ignored her, his smile widening, his gray eyes seeming to twinkle. “I voted to kill you, too.”
Hank took a step toward the older man.
“Don’t,” I said, pleading for Buck’s life now. “Don’t do this, Hank.”
“Just look at me,” Buck said, goading him. “Remember how hard I hit you when I pulled you off that little girl? Think ’bout that.”
“Buck,” Devon said. “Stop it.”
“I gave you that black eye,” Buck said. “Me.”
“Think about this, man,” Matt said, his eyes wide as they moved from the knife in Hank’s hand to Buck. “He’s going to gut you. Look at him. He’ll do it.”
Buck didn’t look away from Hank.
“Wanna know why I voted to kill you?” The old man’s grin widened. His Texas twang was thicker than usual, but there was a slight slur to his words, too. He must have been drinking when the fire started. “’Cause you’re a sick little shit who don’t deserve to live. That’s why.”
The only warning was the slight flex of Hank’s fingers on the handle of his knife. Then he brought it forward, driving the blade into Buck’s stomach, and I screamed. My hands went to my mouth, covering it as I watched. I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t look away from the sight of Buck slumping forward. He let out a pained gasp, then grunted a second later when Hank yanked the blade free. The kid grabbed the older man by the hair then, forcing his head back so Buck was looking him in the eye. Then, as if it were no different than cutting open a package, Hank slid the blade of the knife across Buck’s throat.
“No!” Lisa cried, her shoulders shaking, her eyes closed, and her face turned away so she didn’t have to witness what was happening.
My own gaze was fixed on the scene as Buck’s hands went to his throat, covering the wound, trying to staunch the river of blood flowing from it. Failing. Hank didn’t release his hair, and he didn’t look away. He held Buck’s head up, watching as the blood soaked into his shirt and the life left his eyes. It seemed to go on forever, but in reality, less than a minute passed before Buck’s hands dropped to his sides. That was when Hank finally released him, and Buck dropped to the ground. Dead.
“You son of a bitch,” Devon growled, his body trembling with rage.
Lisa still had her eyes closed, and silent tears were streaming down her face, while Matt patted her back awkwardly, his own face a mask of anger and regret and sadness.
I was crying, my body aching with every shaking sob. My hands were still over my mouth, and I couldn’t look away from the lifeless lump that had been Buck. He’d sacrificed himself to save Devon, possibly to save us all. He was a hero, and he would be missed.
Hank turned his back on Buck, acting as if what he’d just done had been nothing.
“Nice work,” Heath said.
The kid was staring at the bloodstained blade in his hand. “I’ve never killed a person before.”
At that, Heath tilted his head, studying Hank. “But you’ve killed animals?”
The teen lifted his gaze. “There were a lot of strays in Amarillo.”
“Interesting,” Heath said before turning his back on Hank. “One down! Come on, Gabe, I know you’re watching. I know you saw what happened! Who will be next?”
Hank turned, his eyes on Devon, and smiled. “You.”
19
Kiaya
I watched from the shadows as Hank stared down at Devon, the knife in his hand, the blood coating the blade bright red and glistening in the trucks’ headlights. Zara was behind me, her breathing heavy as she fought back sobs. The quiet whispers of Grace trying to comfort her were barely audible. She and nearly all the other women, along with most of the kids, were keeping to the back where they were hidden by the darkness. Max and Doug were to my left, and the other men to my right. Gabe among them.
“I have to go,” he said yet again.
“He will kill you,” Brian, who had been the most adamant about Gabe staying where he was, hissed. “Keep your ass here.”
“He’s going to kill all of them.” Gabe pointed toward my friends. “I can’t just sit here and let that happen.”
“Your solution is to commit suicide?” Ari asked.
Rick looked panicked. “Think it through, man.”
“My solution is to go over there and stop that crazy little fuck from killing anyone else,” Gabe shot back. “You guys think it through and figure out what happens after that.”
“Gabe!” Heath yelled again. “Two more minutes!”
Gabe started to stand, but Brian grabbed his arm. “No.”
Gabe focused on his friend, and a silent exchange passing between them that I couldn’t account for. “Would you watch people die if you knew you could stop it?”
Brian’s Adam’s apple bobbed, he said nothing, but he didn’t release his friend.
“That’s what I thought.” Gabe ripped his arm from his friend’s grasp and got to his feet. “Come up with a plan.”
Before anyone could protes
t, he darted away from where we were hiding, moving deeper into the shadows and disappearing from sight. Only a few seconds later he reappeared about twenty feet from where we sat crouched, stepping from the dark tree line with his arms raised.
“Heath!” he called as he walked. “I’m coming. Don’t hurt anyone else.”
Even from here I could see Heath’s smile. “Finally!”
Hank had turned away from Devon, shaking his head. He said something to Heath, who shot the kid an irritated look and responded, but I couldn’t hear a word.
When he turned back to face Gabe, Heath called, “Anyone with you? Zara, perhaps?”
My sister whimpered.
“I’m alone,” Gabe said.
“Too bad. The boy had some unfinished business with her.”
That was all I needed to hear.
I turned my back on the scene and focused on my sister. “You’re leaving. Now.”
“What?” she asked, her wide eyes full of alarm. “Where will I go?”
I looked toward Max. “I want her out of here.” My gaze moved over the women and children huddled in the darkness. “All of them need to go. There’s less potential for collateral damage that way.” Again, I focused on Max. “Get them to the getaway cars and drive to the hospital. Ask for Ryan. He’s a friend. Do you understand?”
Max wore a determined expression when he said, “Yeah. I can take care of it.”
“Kiaya,” Zara gripped my hand, her fingers digging into my flesh, “come with us.”
“You know I can’t leave the others. Think about how scared Lexi, Mike, and Randall are right now.” I didn’t mention Rowan, but I was well aware of how terrified she had to be. Especially with the threat of Hank killing Devon hanging over her head. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“What if you never come?” Zara asked.
I paused, knowing it was a possibility and also knowing I couldn’t lie to my sister about it. “I will do my best to get there, Zara. That’s all I can say.”
She swallowed, looking at me like she wanted to say more, then finally threw her arms around my neck. “Be careful.”
“I will.” I hugged her back, emotion clogging my throat. “You be careful, too.”
“We will,” Max said.
When Zara released me, he grabbed her arm and urged her to stand. Around them, the others got to their feet. Some of the kids were crying, and many of the women—Grace among them—looked on the verge of losing it as well. They clung to each other as they hurried off, slipping into the darkness and disappearing from sight only seconds later.
Once they were gone, I turned to the others. “Now we need a plan.”
Rick glanced to where Heath now had Gabe kneeling in front of him and frowned. “I don’t know what we can do. We don’t even have the element of surprise at this point, because Heath has to know we’re out here somewhere. If we attack, he might just start killing prisoners.”
“Do you think he’s telling the truth about letting everyone go now that he has Gabe?” I asked.
“Not for a second.” Brian tapped the side of his square head. “He’s messed up in the brain. Gone mad.”
“Yeah,” I replied, thinking it through.
Behind the barricade, Heath’s men paced as he spoke to Gabe, his voice too low for us to hear from this far away. I scanned the area, trying my best not to focus on Buck’s body. Smoke was pouring from several windows at our friends’ backs, as well as a few others. In the older part of the school, the section that had been used as sleeping quarters, flames were visible in a couple windows. The building was going to burn to the ground.
A moan broke through the night, and one of Heath’s men called out, “Walker!”
I spotted it a moment later, stumbling from the shadows on the other side of the school. Another followed, and then two more, all of them headed for the group gathered in front of the school.
Heath motioned toward them, saying something I couldn’t hear, and three of his men detached themselves from the group and jogged out to meet the zombies. I recognized Dan and Jose but didn’t know the other one. Now that they were gone, only Heath, Hank, and Michael remained.
An idea began to form in my mind, but I needed to see what happened next to know if it would work.
Heath moved, momentarily distracting me, and I watched as he brought the butt of his gun down, slamming it into Gabe’s face and sending the man sprawling to the ground.
“Son of a bitch,” Brian hissed.
“We have to do something,” Rick said.
“I’m working on it.”
I refocused my attention, watching as the three men headed over to kill the dead. Holding my breath. Waiting. Hoping.
Dan made his move first, grabbing a zombie by the shoulder and slamming his knife into its skull. The thing went down, and he moved to the next one while Jose and the other man took care of the zombies nearest them. All three of the men used knives. No guns.
It might just work.
“We need to go,” I said, taking out my knife as I climbed to my feet.
“What?” Brian hissed. “Are you nuts?”
“No.” I nodded to where the three men were jogging back to join the others. “We go around the back of the school so we can approach the barricade from the same direction the dead did just now. Hopefully, if we’re lucky, we’ll even be able to get some zombies to follow us.”
“You want zombies to follow you?” Brian asked doubtfully.
“I do.” I pointed to a shadowy area on the other side of the school. “We moan. Like the dead. Only we do it a lot sooner and more frequently. I want them to think it’s a bigger group, so they come out earlier. We’ll make sure to stay in the shadows, but really, after being in front of those headlights, their eyes won’t be adjusted to the darkness so I don’t think it will matter. If it does, we’ll be ready with guns. If not, we take them out using knives. That way we can still take Heath and the others by surprise.”
All four of the men looked at me like I’d grown a second head.
“What?”
“You came up with that on your own?” Rick asked.
“I’m not going to dignify that.” I waved toward the back of the school. “Now, can we go save our friends?”
Doug was the first on his feet. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”
The others stood, not as enthusiastically as Doug, but they didn’t argue, either. I took it as a good sign.
“Stay low until we get around to the back.”
I led the way, sticking to the trees with my back hunched as I ran. Once we’d made it behind the school, I straightened and moved faster, my gun in one hand and my knife in the other. A couple moans rang through the air, coming from the other side of the playground, and I smiled. Perfect.
The dead came into sight when we were halfway across the playground. Three. All of them stumbling our way. I ran past, easily dodging their efforts to grab me, and the men mimicked me. Once we’d put some distance between us and the dead, I slowed and looked back to make sure the zombies had changed their course. I wanted to keep some space between us, but I also wanted them to follow. Thankfully, they were.
“This is a good idea,” Doug said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m smart.”
“You’ve said that before.”
I glanced back again. The other three men were a couple steps behind us and the zombies four feet behind them. When we got closer, I would need to close the gap a little.
When I looked back at Doug, I said, “I’m very smart. Okay?”
“Like genius level?”
“I’ve never been tested, so I don’t know for sure. I just know I grasp certain things better than most people.”
“You’re a good planner. That’s for sure. We’re lucky to have you.”
“Thanks. Although I’m not sure the others would agree. I think they’re feeling more than a little threatened.”
“They’ll come around.”
/> “Honestly, I don’t care.”
We reached the corner of the building, and I slowed even more, allowing the zombies to gain on us. They moaned excitedly in response, and I mimicked the sound, trying to match their tone. The result was surprisingly good.
“They’re awfully close,” Brian said.
“I want it that way.”
I moaned again, and Doug did as well. The zombies followed suit.
We kept it up, the other men joining in as we turned the corner and the trucks came into view. We were moving slowly, staggering, and doing our best to mimic everything the dead did. Everything inside the barrier was exactly the same as when we’d left except Gabe was on his knees again. His face was a bloody mess.
Heath nodded, and a few seconds later, the same three men started jogging our way. I tensed, readying myself for the coming altercation, and that was when I realized I was about to kill another human being. The thought gave me a start. I’d voted to kill Hank, and I’d even thought I’d be happy to do it myself, but now I wasn’t so sure. Could I take a life? Did I have what it took to do something? Even more importantly, how would it affect me?
I slowed and shifted, trying to act like I had stumbled, and Rick passed me. Ari did as well, but neither man seemed to notice that I’d fallen back. Maybe I was being a coward, I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t do something so huge and life-altering without thinking it through. It wasn’t like me.
The plan went exactly how I’d imagined. Heath’s men jogged right up to us, either too distracted to realize we weren’t dead, or their eyes too used to the bright light to be able to see us clearly. Brian grabbed the first one—Jose—while Rick went for the man I didn’t know, and Doug got Dan. Three knives, three throats, and only one little yelp of surprise.
I turned to the zombies then, grabbing the nearest one and plunging my knife through its eye. It dropped, and I spun around, watching as Ari took another one out. Brian shoved his blade through the skull of the third one, and it, too, fell to the ground. Then it was over.
“Now what?” Doug hissed.
I pulled my gun. “Now we make Heath and Hank pay.”
Far Series | Book 3 | Far From Lost Page 32