The trip from beginning to end is about 2000 miles. We want to get to New York within a week, but we have to plan for obstacles. Missing road, horde attacks, Outsiders. They can all slow us down. Luckily, between Wolfe and me, we have more than enough travel experience to get around the obstacles.
We try to stop in abandoned towns or Sanctuaries along the way. We hit the Sanctuaries for information. Have they seen a blond woman, about 5’4”, within the past few days? So far, no one we’ve asked has seen her. And sadly, we discover an abandoned Sanctuary.
On our third night, we decide to stop at the Indianapolis Sanctuary. As we approach, we realize right away that something is wrong. The gate is hanging open and sections of the wall have collapsed. As we drive through the gates, we see destruction everywhere. Buildings have fallen, bodies rot on sidewalks and the natural flora is rapidly taking over.
As we drive slowly through, I am both awed by the beauty of a concrete city taken over by nature and saddened by the fall of a once thriving city.
Wolfe stops the car, and I look at him.
“We’ll spend the night here.”
I nod.
It’s as good a place as any.
I climb out of the vehicle, my hand on the hilt of my knife. The rear vehicles pull up behind us, stopping in a row.
I shade my eyes against the dying sun and look around.
Next to my booted feet is a body. I crouch to look it over.
Female by the looks of the tattered clothes and the length of the brittle blond hair. I imagine what she could’ve looked like in life and an image of the doctor leaps into my mind. I swallow the nausea that threatens to rise up and reach out to touch the vines that are slowly swallowing the dead woman.
“Rest,” I whisper before standing.
Wolfe is behind me, giving orders to our people.
“Scout the buildings. Make sure there’s nothing inside. Choose one that looks habitable.”
His orders never change, and his men know what to do, though he repeats them every time. He wants them to know that fuck-ups aren’t acceptable, and that there is no lee-way in his commands.
“How much longer until we reach New York?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Can’t be sure, but we’re about halfway. Might get tripped up in Harrisburg.”
I nod my agreement. We were told by travellers headed in the opposite direction that the main bridge in Harrisburg had been taken out to slow down the horde attacks. We were told that if we go south, we would find another bridge, but it’s difficult to cross.
Our group scouts the area in search of useful supplies and a place to bed down. I see a wall of unbroken glass and move closer, curious. Windows aren’t something we can manufacture yet. They’re a luxury. And though many buildings, especially high rises, still have their original glass, ground level buildings are almost always boarded up.
Not this one, though. I cup my hands against the glass and look inside. It’s dirty, but I can still see through. There are bolts of bright cloth and debris scattered across the floor. I nearly have a heart attack when I see the torso of a woman, but then I realize it’s headless and armless. A mannequin.
This must be a women’s clothing shop. I’ve heard of them, but have never seen one before.
“I’m going in here,” I tell Wolfe, who has stopped behind me.
He grunts an acknowledgment and reaches for the door. It’s locked, but the lock has rusted. Wolfe forces it open, keeping the glass intact. I smile my appreciation. Most of us remaining survivors are hesitant to break glass. Even though we’ll probably never be back here, it would hurt to smash something that is such a rarity.
He opens the door wide enough for me to slip by. Before I can go inside, he grabs my arm. “Be careful.”
“Always.” I kiss his jaw and enter the shop.
He stands guard outside.
I’m awed by what I find. The humidity that’s allowing this city to creep back to nature hasn’t touched this place. It’s well-insulated. Like a time capsule.
Before the fall of this Sanctuary, this must have been a thriving shop. Clothes litter the floor and shelves. I walk slowly through, touching fabric and checking items. My heart beats a little faster at my discovery. Like finding a hidden treasure.
When I lived in the harem, my clothes were custom designed and beautiful. During the horde attacks that caused the fall of Santa Fe, I was forced to leave everything behind. Clothing that wasn’t a basic necessity became unimportant. As Warlord, I can have clothes made for me, but my time has been precious and new clothing hasn’t been on the top of my list of things to do.
Here, in this shop, I’m surrounded by all the beautiful things my heart could want.
I quickly check the rest of the store to make sure I’m alone. Not even a rat stirs.
I strip off my clothes, allowing them to hit the floor one at a time until I’m completely naked. Then, I try on all the outfits that look like they’ll fit me and check myself in a full-length mirror, which has also miraculously survived.
I set aside a few outfits I intend to keep for myself, then gather up everything that’s still in good condition, intending to take them back to Sanctuary for distribution. We can never get enough supplies, especially things like this. Essential for protecting our bodies.
I open the door a crack and say to Wolfe, “Found some supplies.” I shove them through the door, letting them land on the pavement.
“I’ll bring the car,” he says.
“Thanks.”
I turn away and make my way back through the shop, careful to go slowly this time, picking up anything that might be useful. A pair of scissors, some hair accessories, gloves, a couple of belts. I pile all of it on the pavement for Wolfe to put in the car.
I’m about the leave the shop when I hear something behind me.
I pull my knife in one hand and gun in the other and turn.
I barely breathe as I listen.
Again, something moves.
“Hello?” I call out.
It could be anything. An animal, a human, a Primitive.
Until I know for sure, I’ll give them a chance to communicate who they are.
No one answers, so I move carefully back through the shop, this time crouching to look in all the nooks and crannies. Behind the counter, leading to the back of the store, I find a small cabinet.
I re-holster my gun, shift my knife to my right hand, and pull the cupboard open.
At first, I only see a pile of rags, but then it slowly turns its head to look at me and I see a pair of bright blue eyes glowing in a dirty face with a mop of dirty hair swirling around the head. A child. A girl maybe.
She’s small and from what I can see, underweight. But she appears to be healthy enough, so despite the destruction, it’s clear she’s scavenged for food and water.
“Hello?” I say softly, trying not to move and startle the child.
Her eyes drop to my hand and then widen in fear.
I don’t want to scare the child, but I can’t put my knife away until I know it’s not a Primitive. Children rarely survive the Turn when bitten, but it’s possible. I can’t let my guard down just because my heart is crying out for me to gather this pile of rags in my arms and comfort her.
“My name is Skye.”
She blinks at me.
“What’s your name?”
No answer.
I move slowly away from the cupboard and sit on the floor, moving my knife to the side of my thigh where the child can’t see it. I try to look as unthreatening as possible.
“Will you come out of there?”
Still nothing but big, terrified eyes blinking at me.
“It’s okay,” I tell her, wiggling until I can lean back against the cabinet behind me. “I have all night. You take as much time as you want.”
I realize, as the thundering of my heart slows to a normal pace, that the child is breathing rapidly, her tiny chest rising and falling so fast I wonder if she’
ll pass out. Her pupils are enlarged, and she looks on the verge of panic.
“You need to calm down, sweetheart,” I say gently. “Can you breathe with me?”
I take a big breath in and then noisily let it out, nice and slow, showing the child what I want her to do. I’m surprised when she complies, breathing slowly in and then letting the breath out until she’s no longer taking in small, panicked breaths.
“Do you want to come out now?”
I place my knife on the floor, certain now that she’s not a Primitive, and hold my hands out to her, low with my palms up.
She cringes further back, but I wait, unmoving. Slowly, like a fearful wild animal, she creeps toward my outstretched arms. Just as she’s about to come to me, a bang at the door startles us both.
She lunges back, her arms wrapped around her head, her small body shaking so hard she rattles the cubby.
“You in there?” Wolfe calls through the door, his gruff voice laced with worry.
“I’m here,” I call back as softly as I can, my eyes on the child. She peeks at me from under her filthy hair and I give her a big smile. “I found a friend.”
“Who?” Wolfe demands, his voice hardening.
Wolfe sees anyone and everyone as a threat until he’s determined otherwise. I feel the same, but there’s nothing to fear in this tiny pile of rags.
“A child,” I call back. “Maybe five or six years.”
“Leave it,” he growls.
I sigh and shake my head at my new little friend.
“Ignore him. He’s all bark.”
Not true, but the tiny human doesn’t need to know the fearsome warrior on the other side of the door is a prolific killer.
I hold my hands out again, this time reaching right into her hiding space. I talk to her gently, coaxing her out. Gradually, she inches toward me again, finally allowing me to lift her from the cupboard.
She’s so small and underweight, it feels like holding onto a pile of bones. Her smell hits me and it’s everything I can do not to gag. It’s not her fault she hasn’t had a bath in who knows how long.
I hold her with one arm and reach back to pick up my knife, sheathing it. I slide my arms beneath her and lift as I stand up, cradling her against my chest. She clings to me, gripping the front of my shirt in a death hold.
I make my way to the door where Wolfe is watching with suspicion.
“I’ll have to hand her to you,” I instruct him, ignoring his sceptical look. “Take her carefully and don’t scare her.”
But when I try to pass her off to Wolfe, the child takes one look at him, lets out an ear-piercing shriek and wraps her arms around my neck in a death strangle.
It takes a minute to calm her down, and I do my best not to laugh at the look of consternation on Wolfe’s face. He can’t seem to decide if he’s insulted by her reaction or gratified that he’s still a fearsome figure.
Sometimes I forget that my love is not an easy man to look at. To me, he is beautiful. His golden eye strokes my soul when he gazes at me. His scars are marks of pride, of battles won. But a child might see him as something closer to the beast that lurks in the shadows, ready to kill any who come too close.
“New plan,” I say. “Push the door open as much as you can, and I’ll try to squeeze through with her. She’s pretty small.”
“Won’t work,” Wolfe says impatiently. “Cover her ears.”
I wrap my arm around her head and step back as he takes his shotgun from the holster on his hip and hits the glass with the butt. It shatters, falling to the ground in pieces.
The girl shrinks against my chest. Another wave of her stench hits me, and I vow to find her a bath as soon as I can.
I walk through the now empty doorframe; the glass crunching beneath my boots. The shop was well-sealed and comfortable. There’s probably a way out of a window or something that she used to find food.
As I step out into the street, I realize it’s almost night. The sun has gone behind the wreckage of the surrounding buildings, leaving a light glow of purple and red on the horizon.
There’s just enough light to see the horde descending on us, probably drawn by the sound of the breaking glass and the scent of humans in their city. It’s becoming quickly clear why the Indianapolis Sanctuary was abandoned.
“Wolfe,” I say.
“I see them,” he growls, cocking his rifle and pulling his knife. “Put her in the car and get ready to fight.”
She crawls into the car as I shove her through the door. I close the door and she presses her hands against the window, looking at me with wide-eyed curiosity before her gaze moves to the Primitives hurtling up the street toward us.
I stand next to Wolfe and pull my weapons, taking my battle position, gun up and aimed, protecting my center while my knife hand remains low. I toss a grin at Wolfe as the blood pumps faster through my veins. “No mercy?”
He chuckles at my excitement and crouches, preparing to fight. “No mercy.”
Thirty
It doesn’t take us long to take out the horde. They’re bigger than we usually see, 20-30 strong, and are well-fed, likely feeding off this Sanctuary’s survivors and Outsiders.
Our men fall in around us as we cut down the zombies that launch themselves at us, teeth glistening and claws curled threateningly. I worry about the child in the car and stick as close as I can. The windows are still intact so that offers some measure of security for her.
When the last body hits the ground, I fling the door open. The little girl is in the back seat peering out the window. When I call to her, she turns to look at me.
I expect to see fear after that gruesome display, but she looks only relieved to see me. I pull her from the vehicle and hold her close, trying to keep her gaze from the bodies spread across the road. She seems indifferent to them, though. My heart aches as I imagine what this child must have gone through.
“What’d you find there?” Tabitha asks curiously, moving forward to see her.
“She was inside that store.” I nod toward the clothing store.
Tabitha smiles kindly at her, but the child hides her face against my neck. So, it’s not just Wolfe that scares her. She’s probably learned to be wary around everyone and everything.
“Let’s get off the street,” Wolfe says, his voice gruff. “Bed down for the night.”
“We found a couple of buildings back that way.” Kingston points up the street with a bloody knife, joining us. “They’ll be good for cover. I’ll organize rotations since we have positive confirmation of Primitives.”
Wolfe nods his agreement, and Kingston turns to the rest of our people. There are ten of us in total.
I look at Wolfe to find him gazing at the child in my arms. I tighten my hold. “She’s coming with us.”
He knows I mean for more than just the night. She’s coming with us to New York, then back to our Sanctuary.
“It’ll be dangerous.”
“More than if she stays here?” I point out.
He continues to look at her. “She’ll slow us down.”
“Wolfe,” I say sharply. “We’re not leaving her and that’s final.”
I turn my back on him because I can’t argue this anymore without my emotions getting in the way. I’m doing the right thing. It would be inhumane to do anything but take her with us, and Wolfe knows it. It’s his job to point out all the risks and I can’t fault him for it.
Kingston escorts us into the building we’ll bunk down in for the night. It’s ramshackle appearance of crumbling structure and encroaching vegetation reminds me of the abandoned hotel where Wolfe and I first had sex. The moment was so explosive, so exhilarating, it’ll be burned into my memory until the day I die.
We climb up to the third floor and choose a room with a sturdy floor and relatively little mess. The windows have been smashed out, but the evening breeze is warm.
I fuss with the girl until I have her settled on some blankets. She doesn’t want to let me go, but I manage to un
wind her arms from my neck with the promise that I’ll be right next to her.
“Can you speak?” I ask gently, handing her some deer jerky and a jug of water.
She eats eagerly and drinks almost the whole jug. I wonder when her last decent meal was. I hand her some dried fruit, and she quickly devours my offering.
When she’s finished, I ask her the question again. She stares at me with big luminous blue eyes. Then she tilts her head in a nod.
“So, you can speak?” I ask again, just to make sure.
Again, she nods.
“Do you want to speak to me?”
She shakes her head.
I smile. “That’s okay. You can talk to me when you’re ready. It’s good enough that you know how.”
She nods eagerly, smiling back at me. Even through the dirt smudging her face, I can see the beauty of her smile, and it tugs at my heart.
“Do you know how old you are?” I ask, holding my hand up.
I show her four fingers, then five, then six. When I reach six, she nods emphatically and holds her own fingers up. She shows me seven fingers, then changes it to six.
“Are you six?”
She nods.
We sit looking at each other. I want to ask her more questions, but her eyelids are drooping and she’s slumping back against the wall. I slowly reach out, so as not to startle her, and help her lay down on the bedding. She goes down easily and snuggles against the blanket as I pull it over her.
When I try to move back, she grabs my hand in a death grip, her eyes flying open.
“I’ll be right here, sweetheart,” I assure her. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Her eyes move past me and grow wide again.
I glance over my shoulder to find Wolfe coming through the door. He drops his pack onto the floor with a thunk. He kneels to unroll his blanket and lays it out on the floor next to me.
“We’ll share,” he says gruffly.
I nod and sit on the blanket when he’s done spreading it. I’m close enough to the girl that she can still hold my hand. She watches Wolfe warily, but gradually tiredness overcomes her and her eyes drift closed. Soon, her small chest is lifting and falling in an even rhythm.
Skye's Sanctuary (The Sanctuary Series Book 5) Page 17
