“Yes, you can. You have my blood, my saliva. You don’t need me anymore. You’ve had all afternoon to prepare for an attack on the infected. Any warning I could give them won’t give them much of an advantage. If I can’t make them surrender, I’ll be just another one of the daywalkers you want to kill so badly, anyway. So, in all honesty, I don’t think you give a fuck whether I go or not.”
Shit, swearing feels good. I should do this more often.
I hadn’t taken my eyes off Moore and nothing seemed to have changed. Nevertheless, there seemed more depth of emotion in his eyes than there had been before. It was almost as if he admired me. He didn’t think about what I’d said for long.
“Fine, you get your wish. But the doctor stays.”
You wish.
“Hell, no. He’s coming with me until I’m well out of Bullsbrook as insurance you’ll keep your word. I’ll let him get out, unharmed, on the highway. You can pick him up after I’ve gone.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” Moore asked, still as calm as if we were making an appointment for a coffee later on.
“Because you have Charlie.”
Chapter 59
I was given the keys to a car, and I made the doctor get in the driver’s seat first. I kept my gun on him while I walked around the front to the passenger’s seat. As I faced the building where they kept Charlie, I saw him in one of the classroom windows. My heart sank. He was slamming his hands on the window, and I could hear his muted voice calling out my name.
He wouldn’t know what was going on, but it didn’t matter. I wanted him safe, which meant I had to leave him behind. His face was an image of fear. A memory flashed by, and I relived the climax of our union while the pain of leaving him ripped through my body. The combination felt like butterflies and razor blades dancing together in my stomach. Leaving him now was like throwing myself into the deepest pit of hell after visiting paradise, but I had no other option.
The things we do for love.
Moore followed my every move. I tried to keep it together. Rhona had been taken outside too, to be reunited with Harry. I assumed he was in another building as I didn’t see him in any of the windows. I put one foot in the car and hesitated.
“Tell Charlie I love him,” I said to Rhona. “Please take care of him when I’m gone.” Tears welled up in my eyes, and my voice went funny on the last word. I didn’t want to cry in front of Moore, so I quickly got into the car and told the doctor to get going.
When we had left the school grounds, the doctor spoke out of the blue.
“It wouldn’t have worked.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your friend holding the needle to my jugular; it wouldn’t have worked. The vacuum in the tubes suck the blood out. She wouldn’t have been able to pump air in. It doesn’t work that way.”
I glanced for a moment at the doctor.
“Then why did you co-operate?”
He smiled.
“I had what I wanted from you. The lab work had begun. My life has been rather boring these last few years, and I must admit I rather enjoyed the excitement of these last few weeks. I thought, what the hell, I could do with some more.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. After I let his words sink in, I began laughing, and the doctor laughed with me.
Once we were well out of Bullsbrook, I asked Dr. Hayley politely to get out. He had been a good hostage and hadn’t tried to escape or attack me. I moved into the driver’s seat but didn’t drive away immediately. This fear of being incredibly stupid took a hold of me. I needed to know if I wasn’t going on this escapade for nothing, so I lowered the window.
“Doc, please tell me, how far from making the vaccine are you?”
He smiled, took a step toward the car again and leaned forward.
“We were getting closer, but not very fast. Your blood was the key we needed to speed things up.”
“Keep at it, doc,” I smiled back at him and drove off.
I continued driving to the little village where Charlie and I had nearly been lynched. As with everything I’d done in these past few days, I had no idea what to expect and hadn’t really thought through what I was going to do.
What if Julie’s long gone from the area? What if she doesn’t want to get vaccinated? What if they never find a vaccination?
So many ‘ifs’ again.
For now, I had to focus on finding Julie.
While driving through the countryside with its beautiful colors, I saw Charlie’s face before me. The face of the funny man who’d made me laugh so much during the last few months. The man I’d hurt so often during these last few days. The man I now wanted to be with every single moment.
I had no idea if there was going to be a next day for me, and the thought of never seeing Charlie again constricted my throat. My eyes filled up with tears making it difficult to see the road ahead. I didn’t need to talk to anyone, nor did I have to be ashamed to let the tears flow freely, but I still tried to keep it together.
For Charlie.
Chapter 60
As I got to the village, the sun had already set, and the world was that of the infected again; gray and gloomy. When I arrived at the square, I had no choice but to stop the car. In front of me was a huge crowd of the infected. There were more infected here than I had ever seen together before.
Where did they all come from?
I assumed Caleb and Sasha had used motorized transport to make it to Duncan’s pack and gather the other packs so quickly. They must have used darkened vehicles and used unbitten humans under threat to drive. I couldn’t think of any other way they all could have gotten here so fast.
What the hell was I thinking?
I scanned the crowd and recognized several faces. Most were from Duncan’s pack, some had to be from Caleb’s pack, but I also saw girls from Julie’s pack.
Julie must be here!
The thought elated me at first. I then realized that this meant it would be harder to get her out of here, to safety. Before I got out of the car, I tucked the army gun into the back of my pants. ‘Just in case,’ I told myself.
As I walked toward the center of the square, the crowd parted ahead of me. I wondered why they were doing this. I wasn’t a threat to them. At the other side of the square stood Duncan, Julie, Caleb, and Sasha. I focused on my breathing at the sight of them. Despite my fear, I forced myself to continue to walk toward them until I was close enough to communicate, yet at a safe distance. From the look on their faces, it was clear Caleb and Sasha had told Duncan their news and possibly knew about the army’s plan to annihilate them.
Caleb’s problem with Duncan doesn’t seem to be big enough to stop him from forming an alliance with Duncan, and vice versa.
Duncan called out.
“Are you joining us again?”
I couldn’t tell if he was happy about that prospect or not.
“No, I am not. I’m here to warn you that the army is preparing a major attack, and I ask you all to surrender, so no lives will be lost.”
A wave of laughter went through the crowd including Duncan, Caleb, and Sasha. I noticed Julie wasn’t laughing.
She’s probably wondering what the hell I am doing.
“You must be joking,” Duncan said. “Why would we surrender? We are the superior species. We’re gathered here to crush the army’s resistance and bring in a new era!”
The crowd cheered.
This guy is a raving lunatic. No wonder Julie didn’t want to join his pack. So, what’s she doing here with him again?
I looked at Julie. She looked shifty, seeming none too happy with the whole situation at all. It was almost as if she didn’t want to be here.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Duncan wasn’t holding Julie’s hand; he was holding Julie’s wrist.
Shit, shit, shit! How could I have been so stupid?
I realized they had known I would come and look for her.
They still don’t know how to beco
me daywalkers and they need me. She’s the bait, I’m the prize. And I walked straight into their trap.
There was no way I could get out now. My only chance was to try to make the others see this man was insane. They didn’t stand a chance against the army, especially as they weren’t daywalkers yet, and I knew the army was coming with UV-lights mounted on their trucks and rifles. It would be a massacre.
Sasha addressed the crowd this time. She pointed at me.
“She’s the key. She can walk in daylight. When we get the secret out of her, we can all walk in daylight.”
Another cheer went through the crowd.
For heaven’s sake, is there a sale on idiocy?
“Listen, we don’t have time for this!” I yelled at the people. “The army is coming, and they have UV-lights, lots of lights. They’re going to wipe you out before the night is over!”
I looked around but didn’t see a single rational-thinking being. What I saw instead was a crazy mob. I knew what they looked like as I had some previous experience. At the exact same spot, come to think of it.
Almost like I’m having déjà vu.
These infected weren’t single individuals anymore; they were a mob with mob mentality. They weren’t an aggressive mob yet, but they could easily become one and Duncan knew it.
“You will tell us your secret,” Duncan commanded. The tone of his voice suggested he thought he already had me under his control.
“No, I will not. When I do, I’ll seal your fate, and you will all die.” I was still hoping I could convince them to give up. “Everybody, listen, please! They’re working on a vaccine and will soon be able to turn you back into normal humans again. You can have your old lives back!”
The crowd roared with laughter. I knew it had been a long shot of course. I didn’t know what the army would do with these people who had killed over and over again. And what made me think they’d want to return to their previous feeble selves? I had doubts about it myself. Being physically fit felt great.
The crowd kept on yelling, growing angrier.
All of a sudden, Duncan let go of Julie’s wrist and grabbed her by the neck. With his other hand, he held a gun to her head. Julie yelped. This fueled the mob even more.
“You will give us your secret!” Duncan yelled over the top of the crowd.
In an instant, I had my gun out and aimed at Duncan. It didn’t seem to scare him as he probably knew I wouldn’t shoot as long as he held the gun to Julie’s head.
Caleb, who had been watching the whole situation silently, must have been thinking the same thing as without an order he came jogging toward me.
I knew it was now or never. If he reached me, he would take the gun from me. That would be the end. I had to pull the trigger. I had to stop him.
Caleb slowed down halfway and continued walking toward me. He had a smile on his face. It was a victory smile as he knew they’d won. He knew I couldn’t pull the trigger.
He’s still a human being. If I kill him, I’ll be as bad as they are. I, myself, will be the reason why I hate guns.
I dropped my arms, defeat written all over my face. Caleb’s smile became a smirk. Seeing this smirk on his face fueled a simmering fire in me and a sudden, hot anger welled up in me. This guy had caused me so much pain, so much misery. I had thought we had something together, something special. It appeared, however, that he only wanted to hurt Sasha in a bid for revenge and, as a result, I had hurt Charlie again and again. I had put so many lives at risk. I had no idea how much I really hated Caleb, but in that moment, I knew. I raised my arms and shot him.
I feel so much better now.
Caleb went down on one knee. He put his hand under his jacket to his right shoulder, and when he took it out again, it was covered in blood. Sasha screeched with rage. I began walking in Julie’s direction with my arms outstretched, holding the gun aimed at Duncan.
I’ve got a gun, and I’m not afraid to use it.
I was about to pass Caleb. I thought I had warned him enough to let me be. Unfortunately, he was as tough as they portrayed him in the stories. He jumped up and dove at me, grabbing my upper arms. We flew in an arc through the air. When we hit the ground, the sudden impact made my finger move the trigger. The gun went off.
As his body pinned me down, we looked each other in the eyes. I saw love, surprise, and fear in his. These were the eyes I’d instantly fallen so deeply in love with. The eyes I’d come to hate. And now, in this final moment, I couldn’t help but love them again. Again, a wave of eternal love washed around us, engulfed us, connecting us forevermore.
Then he collapsed on top of me.
Chapter 61
At that exact moment, a bright flare dropped in the middle of the village square. The infected closest to it fell to the ground, unable to control their seizing muscle movements. The rest of the mob scattered in all directions.
I pushed Caleb’s body off me. As I got up, I saw the infected donning all sorts of hoods and masks and sunglasses as they fled. They gathered in groups. Duncan may have been a lunatic, but he knew warfare. I scanned the crowd and spotted him dragging Julie away from me.
Oh no, you don’t.
I sprinted after them. They disappeared into the supermarket. From all sides, the army surrounded the square with trucks, tanks, and helicopters. They had enormous lights mounted on them, shining in all directions.
The infected didn’t seem to have a chance, but they didn’t seem afraid either. As one, the group fell upon the soldiers. It was a proper battle scene as all hell broke loose with flashes, shots, light explosions, and screams everywhere. Some screams came from the infected being hit, others came from soldiers being bitten. The lights cast horrible moving shadows on the walls, making it all look even worse.
I made it halfway to the supermarket when I heard someone call out my name. I turned around. My heart stopped when I saw Charlie, and I felt blood drain from my head.
No, no, no! Not here, not now!
Charlie stood in an open Jeep with Moore. There was chaos all around. Moore’s car was being attacked by the infected. Fearing for Charlie’s life, I sprinted back as fast as I could and threw two of the infected from the car. Charlie was now on the floor of the vehicle, being protected by the soldiers and Moore who fought off masked infected in close combat. Some of the face masks looked like skulls.
Where the hell did they get those from?
I grabbed two of the infected by the scruff of their necks and bashed their heads together. They fell unconscious to the ground. I grabbed Charlie’s hand and pulled him from the fight. With Charlie safely behind me, I turned back and yanked the remaining infected off the car, hitting them unconscious. One of the soldiers was being bitten. I jumped on the infected, yanked his head back and knocked his teeth out. I threw a glance at Charlie, to check if he was still okay, before grabbing Moore by his jacket.
“Why did you bring him here?” I yelled, pointing at Charlie. It was hard to be heard over the screams, helicopters, and gunfire.
“I thought I could use him as leverage,” he said. He sighed, and I took it as an acknowledgment that he’d misunderstood me.
You’re an idiot. I wanted Charlie safe.
I had to control my anger and not insult Moore for being so stupid as I had no time for it. I glanced at the carnage happening all around us, then turned back to Moore.
“They don’t know how, Moore. They’re not daywalkers. They have no idea how to do it,” I yelled. I didn’t spend any more of my precious time explaining. My words were clear, and I hoped Moore would use the information to save as many lives as possible. I turned around to leave, but Moore grabbed me by my arm. I pulled myself loose.
“I’ve got to go save my sister, Moore. I’ll be back after that.”
I turned back to Charlie and grabbed his hand. Together we ran to the supermarket.
Chapter 62
Charlie and I ran into the supermarket, into what seemed like an oasis of calm compared to the village square
. I motioned for Charlie to keep low as we positioned ourselves behind a checkout.
“Julie!” I shouted out.
“Kate!” she yelled back, and I heard Duncan smack her.
I am so going to hurt that bastard.
“Duncan, let her go. She’s of no use to you.”
“Oh yes, she is, Kate, and you know it. You give me the secret, or I’ll blow her head off.”
My nostrils flared, and I clenched my fists. Charlie indicated he was moving to the next checkout. I didn’t want him to, but he was out of my reach before I could stop him. I had no choice but to keep Duncan focused on me.
“Okay, I’m coming out. Don’t shoot!” I yelled.
I emerged from behind the checkout. Walking into the middle one of the three aisles, I saw Charlie duck into the third aisle on the left.
Part of the shelves’ contents had been thrown on the floor by looters, and I had to take care where I put my feet. I took my time to walk the length of the aisle, hands held at shoulder height. I had heard Julie’s and Duncan’s voices come from the end of the first aisle. I tried to keep Duncan talking while I racked my brain to come up with a plan.
“Promise me you’ll let Julie go as soon as you have me.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, shall we?”
The bastard’s not going to playing fair.
Suddenly, I heard a snicker. My eyes squinted, and a wave of hatred washed over me.
Sasha.
Although I hadn’t seen Sasha enter the store, it appeared she had followed Duncan and Julie. I glanced toward the end of the aisle where I had heard the sound come from and could see her black, fake-leather boot sticking out. She was right at the end of the first and second aisle.
My eyes spotted an item on the floor near her, and I smiled. After another two steps, I grabbed a lighter from one of the cardboard displays hanging from the shelf posts.
“Okay, I’m nearing the end of the aisle,” I said as I walked on slowly.
“Stop!” Duncan shouted. His voice wasn’t far from where I knew Sasha was.
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