by Bale, Sarah
Elijah
The mood leaving Lawton was sour, to say the least. Dave went between cursing Air and his men to wondering why he didn’t just turn around when they told him to.
“If I had fucking turned around, none of this would have happened. Rocco wouldn’t have been shot. And these fuckers wouldn’t be toying with us.”
I replied, “Dave, you can’t look at it that way. Those men have been doing this for a long time. If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else.”
“That doesn’t make this any better,” he said with a loud sigh.
Grey replied, “So they one-upped us on this one. Big deal. We’ll get them when it counts. We always have.”
Noah added, “There are other bases we can check out. Texas. Kansas. And I’m certain there are even a few more in Oklahoma.”
He was right, but if Air’s men had hit the Lawton base, chances were, they’d hit the other ones, too. I didn’t voice my thought.
Grey said, “Let’s just take it easy. When we get home, we can come up with a new plan.”
The ride back was fairly quiet. Dave decided to take a nap, for which I was glad. He’d always had a hard time seeing the bright side of things and I really didn’t need his sour mood bringing me down even more.
Noah leaned forward and said, “I was thinking. Are there any gun ranges around the hospital?”
I replied, “Two that I can think of. Why?”
“Most people don’t know this, but most gun ranges have secret stashes of ammo and weapons for high-end clients. Maybe we can check there?”
“That’s a good idea.” I glanced at the clock on the dash. “Tomorrow we’ll check them out.”
Noah’s cheeks flushed. Poor kid needed to learn how to take a compliment.
Grey asked, “There’s a gun range on the way home, too. Near Newcastle. We should stop there.”
“Just tell me when to exit.”
It was a few hours until Grey finally told me to exit. We drove through the remains of a small town, passing a casino.
Grey said, “There was a pawn shop and gun range next to the casino. Pretty smart of the casino, if you ask me.”
I’d passed the casino before, with its bright, flashing lights, but had never stopped. The doors were wide open and even from our viewpoint I could see slot machines lying on their sides.
Grey snorted. “Ain’t that some shit? The world is falling apart, and some fuckers decided to loot a casino. Now a smoke shop on the other hand…”
I grinned and pulled up to the building next to the casino. Dave woke up when the truck stopped and blinked, looking around.
“What are we doing here?”
“Going to look in this gun range.”
He was the first one out of the truck. The building had a musty scent that made my nose itch, but there weren’t any biters inside. Dave moved the flashlight around and all I saw were empty shelves. Well, shit.
Noah went around the counter, feeling. “Ah-ha. Here it is.”
He pressed a button and there was a clicking sound from the back of the room. I led the way to a bookshelf, filled with odds and ends. The bookshelf opened, leading us down a stairway. The only sound to be heard was an occasional drip of water. I still tapped the wall with the tip of my gun, just to be safe.
We entered a room and my mouth dropped open. There were guns everywhere, and not the kind you normally found at a gun range.
“Fuck,” Grey muttered. “I haven’t seen one of these babies since I was a kid.”
He picked up a single barrel shotgun.
Noah grinned. “This is more my style.”
He went to a gun that was bigger than he was.
Dave grinned at me. “This is good. Real fucking good.”
We loaded up anything worth taking. When it was all said and done, we had acquired a small arsenal. The base in Lawton might have been a dud, but this sure as hell wasn’t. It took three trips to get everything in the back of the truck. By the time we finished, the sun was setting, giving everything a golden pink glow. But, that also meant we didn’t have much light left.
“Let’s head home, boys,” I said with a grin.
We got into the truck, the mood already lighter. I’d just pulled onto the main road when Grey inhaled sharply.
“Fuck me! Look.”
I followed the direction he pointed. The blood drained from my face. It couldn’t be-
Dave asked, “What is it?”
Ahead, a group of biters walked. But one stood out. Someone I used to know.
“She… was a part of our group. She was bitten in Lawton, but didn’t tell us until we were back in Oklahoma City.” I shook my head. “We left a gun for her.”
Faith, or what used to be Faith, stumbled as she walked. Her shirt hung loosely on her slowly decaying body and chunks of hair were missing from her scalp. I parked the truck.
“What are you doing?” Dave asked. “We have to get back.”
“I can’t just leave her out here. What if she makes it closer to our home?”
Daisy already blamed herself for Faith’s death. She would never forgive herself if she saw Faith like this.
Grey said, “There’s too many to take them down by hand.”
I pulled my pistol from my waistband and aimed. Faith went down in one shot, but the gunfire drew the attention of the other biters.
“Let’s go, Eli,” Dave said. “If we hang around here, we’ll be fucked.”
With one last glance at Faith, I started the truck. It was time to go home and come up with a new plan. Seeing Faith was an omen of sorts. I just couldn’t decide if it was a good one or not.
When we got back to the hospital, I slammed the brakes. Air and his men were parked in front of the gates. Air stood outside his truck, a smile on his face. He waved his hand and two of his men went to the gates, opening them. A million thoughts coursed through my mind. What were they doing here? How were they able to just open our gates? Was it because our people were dead? I didn’t even care that he would be able to see the weapons in the back of the truck.
I sped through the gates. The second set were wide open, which wasn’t normal.
Grey said, “I don’t fucking like this.”
Dave replied, “He’s just fucking with us. There’s no smoke, so the building and homes are okay.”
Ahead, the hospital came into sight. Dave was right, nothing looked out of place. But where were the men in the towers? How had they let Air and his group get so close?
I parked and jumped out of the truck, rushing toward the front doors of the hospital. Daisy came rushing outside and threw herself into my arms. Her body shook as I held her, but she didn’t cry. I leaned back to get a better look at her. When I did my breath caught in my throat.
She touched her bruised cheek. “It looks worse than it is.”
I didn’t believe her for a moment. Rage swirled in my stomach like hot lava about to erupt.
“What in the fuck happened?”
She shook her head. “We need to talk. All of us.”
Grey grabbed Daisy’s arm. “Is Kat okay? Please, I can’t-”
“She’s safe. We all are.”
She led the way back into the hospital and I noticed she was limping. Inside, I was surprised to see Andrews and his wife, Nancy, there. Andrews was bruised, too. What in the fuck happened here? When we were almost to the cafeteria, baby Hilly let out a wail. Grey mirrored the sound and rushed past us into the cafeteria.
Daisy stopped and said to us, “Just remember this is worse than it looks. They’re trying to fuck with us to get us to do something rash.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. Dave gave me a look of worry as Daisy opened the doors. Grey was holding Hilly, but it was Kat who got my attention. She had a black eye and a large gash on her cheek. Nikki was next to Jeff, Harper, and Rocco. They each had bruises their faces and necks. Dave and Noah rushed to Nikki’s side.
I asked Daisy, “What happened out there?”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Marshall never came for us.”
My eyes widened as she pointed. Marshall sat in a chair on the other side of the room. His leg was propped in a chair and I could tell by the unnatural angle that it was broken.
“Elijah, they knew what we were up to before we even left. Andrews said they were within the gates an hour after you went toward Lawton.” She paused. “There was a fight here when we were gone. People were hurt.”
I scanned the room. “Where’s Amos?”
She replied, “They took him. We’ve seen him at the gates. He’s hurt.” Her eyes misted over. “Cooper is beside himself.”
“Did anyone die?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
I didn’t like the way that sounded.
Andrews came over. “I’m so sorry I let you down, Boss. This is my fault.”
“No. This isn’t anyone’s fault.”
Except for mine.
I walked around the room, checking on my people. Most were just bruised, but some had broken bones. When I got to Marshall, he cried.
“I think they got to one of my guys. I haven’t seen him in a week or so. It’s the only thing I can think of.”
“Marshall, this isn’t your fault.”
“You’re wrong, Boss. It is.” He pointed to his leg. “And now I’m useless.”
“Did anyone check your leg out?”
When he shook his head, I raised his pant leg. The skin wasn’t broken, but the bone clearly was.
I said, “We need to take an x-ray and then I’ll have to put you under to fix it.”
Marshall’s eyes widened. “Do you have the resources to do that?”
Since the doors to the OR required a special code no one had ever raided those rooms. We didn’t have a ton of supplies, but I knew there was enough to fix Marshall’s leg.
I nodded. “I do. Give me a few minutes and then we’ll go back.”
I was going to need help with this procedure. I scanned the room, but didn’t see Daisy. Kat caught my gaze, motioning me over.
“How are you feeling? Is anything broken?”
“It’s not me you need to be worried about.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Boss, they roughed Daisy up pretty good out there. Kicked her in the stomach and ribs.”
Her eyes searched mine as she finished speaking.
Surely Daisy would have told me if she were in that much pain?
“She didn’t mention it.”
Kat let out a huff. “She doesn’t mention a lot of things. Just – just check her over, will ya?”
I would talk to her after I fixed Marshall’s leg.
I nodded and went to Dave. “Want to help me fix a leg?”
Dave’s eyebrows lifted. “Sure.”
He kissed Nikki on the head before following me to the OR. I unlocked the door with my key. Sometimes it was strange being in here. I spent years in these rooms, never caring what was going on in the real world. Since the outbreak, I’d only been in here a handful of times, none of them good.
I gathered the supplies I thought we’d need and grabbed a gurney to push Marshall on. Daisy still wasn’t in the cafeteria when we went back, but I tried not to dwell on it. She was probably resting.
As we went back to the OR, Marshall said, “Boss, this is my fault. I should have known something was up.”
“You can’t think like that.”
He shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Air and his men enjoy hurting people.”
“We’ll talk more after I fix your leg, Marshall. For now, all you can do is focus on healing.”
I took one of the last bottles of Propofol from the shelf and sent Marshall to a land of deep sleep.
When he was out, Dave said, “Nikki said the same thing. Said they were fucking with them and even lured them into a trap.”
My chest felt tight. “Dave, I really need to focus on this right now.”
Dave glared at me, but didn’t say another word as I went to setting the bone back in Marshall’s leg. He was lucky. The break was clean and meant it would heal quicker.
By the time I closed, my shoulders ached, and my stomach rumbled in hunger.
“Guess it’s like riding a bike,” Dave said with a grin.
“I don’t know about that. My nerves were on edge the whole time.”
“Could have fooled me.”
I said, “You should go. I’m going to stay with him until he wakes up.”
Dave shook his head. “Not going to happen. I’ll go grab us some food.”
When he was gone, I sat on the floor right there in the OR. Everything was going to be okay. It had to.
Thirteen
Daisy
I laid on my bed until the cramping in my stomach passed. Was this because I’d been kicked or was it something else?
There was a knock on the door and Jo came in a moment later.
“How are you feeling?”
I smiled. “I’ve been better.”
She sat next to me on the bed. “Kat told me what happened out there. She told me everything.”
My eyes watered, but I didn’t reply.
“How far along were you?”
“Not very. I wasn’t even sure-”
She asked, “Why didn’t you say anything when I told you my news?”
“I didn’t want to take that moment from you, especially in the world we live in.”
“I understand that.” She paused. “Kat said Elijah doesn’t know.”
This time a tear escaped and I wiped it away. “I was waiting to tell him until I was sure.”
She grasped my hand, giving it a squeeze. “We’ll get through this together, no matter the outcome.”
Sometimes, all you need is for someone to sit there and cry with you. And that’s what we did.
Fourteen
Elijah
When Marshall came to, he grinned at me.
“Fuck, I’ll take some more of whatever you gave me. I feel great, Boss.”
I laughed. “Go easy on it. There’s only enough for two more doses.”
Marshall nodded, eyes fluttering shut.
Dave grinned. “Must be some good shit.”
I replied, “He’ll be hurting in a bit. Let’s get him moved into a room.”
We picked one of the empty rooms near the OR, just in case something happened overnight. Marianne came out of her room and said she’d sit with Marshall.
Dave asked, “Do we want to talk to everyone tonight or wait?”
My head ached just thinking of telling everyone that our trip to Lawton was a bust.
“Let’s sleep on it. Not going to change anything either way.”
Dave nodded. “I’m going to find Nikki. I’m going to make love to my woman tonight.”
He left with a wave. I decided he had a good plan and headed toward my room when Norm stopped me.
“Can we talk?”
I swallowed the yawn working its way up my throat. “Sure.”
He led me to the old conference room.
I let out a laugh. “Why do I feel like I’m going to the principal’s office?”
Norm grinned. “Have a guilty conscious?”
“Hell yeah, but that’s not the point.”
When I entered the room, I stopped. “You’ve been busy.”
“It was Jo’s idea. Something we had to do with another group after we Houston.”
The whiteboard was filled with several lists. Who lived at our home. Who lived with Marshall. Who was with Dave. And who might be a mole.
“Jo was worried that someone was working against us. We’re not accusing anyone, of course, but after Daisy came back it was clear that might be the case.”
“You’re right. It would explain how Air has been one step ahead of us.”
Norm nodded and explained his lists and thought processes.
“Obviously Daisy, Grey, Kat, Cooper, Jo, you, and me aren’t on the list. We all came from Fo
rt Worth together.”
“Good points.” I tapped one of the names. “Why do you suspect him?”
Norm frowned. “I hate to even say it.”
“No, I want to hear.”
“Amos had a bad attitude when we came back. What if he wasn’t really a part of our team? And why did they take just him? There were others here that would have made an impact.”
I replied, “I don’t like it, either, but you’re right, it makes sense.”
Norm said, “It’s just a theory. For all we know they could be using listening devices.”
That made me grin. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had military training.”
Norman let out a laugh. “No training. Just the perks of working on a television show for eight years.”
I sat in the chair at the table. “Ever miss it?”
He sat, too, and replied, “Sometimes. Definitely in the beginning.”
Norman
“You said you were in Houston when it started, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I was at comic convention.”
My day had started pretty normal. I’d landed in Houston the night before the event and went right to bed. My filming schedule kept me busy, so I took every opportunity to sleep when I could. My handler came to get me the next morning, taking me to get a large coffee before heading over to the convention center.
“The convention was one of the biggest ones in Texas, so there were thousands of people there, ironically dressed like zombies and other supposedly mythical creatures.”
I went right to my autograph booth, where I signed various objects for fans. Mid-way through the morning, my handler reminded me that I was one of the judges in a costume contest. I hated getting in front of fans sometimes, because they couldn’t separate me from the character I played. But, this costume contest ended up being different. They brought the contestants out one by one. When Jo came out, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
She was dressed like a queen from my favorite TV show, Warrior Queens, but it was her natural beauty that took my breath away. She looked uneasy to be in front of so many people and I felt this urge to go up to her to reassure her. Her cheeks had turned bright pink when I came up to inspect her costume. She had paid attention to every last detail, even weaving colors from her character’s house through the hilt of her blade.
