Countdown to Zero (Patient Zero Book 2)

by Adrianne Lemke

  Alex raised a hand timidly. “I can help with that,” he offered. “I had a summer job where I had to help hitch horses. You know… before all this happened.”

  “Okay, you switch jobs with Mike,” I said. “Everyone set?”

  They all nodded, and I went with Kate, Rex, and Alex to get the horses set up. “I saw some saddles in there,” I said, pointing to the smaller shed.

  “I’ll drive the wagon,” Kate offered. “At least to start. Jake will obviously ride inside. This is a one horse wagon, and we don’t want to overload it.

  I nodded. “We’ll have to have four people on the wagon, or else one or more of the others will have to ride double. Not sure how well that would work.”

  “If we put Lia and Shanti inside, it should be fine. They’re light, and that should make for an okay load for the horse.”

  “That leaves me, Rex, Alex, and Mike to ride,” I said thoughtfully. “Should be doable. And we can always rotate if we have to. The dogs may have to ride inside at times too.”

  Kate shrugged. “They aren’t overly big. The horse should be able to handle it.”

  Between the four of us, we got the leather gear all sorted out, found a lead rope, and got the big boy I’d talked to earlier out to get attached to the wagon. “We should call him something,” I said. “He’s helping us, so he deserves to be called something other than ‘horse’ I think.”

  “How ‘bout… uh… Chance?” Rex suggested. “Because he’s giving us a chance to get around the guards?”

  I smiled. “Sounds good. Those of us riding should give the other horses names too. It makes it more fun.”

  The other group had the wagon loaded with supplies, including a cushioned area inside where Jake would ride on one bench seat by himself. The other seat had a couple pillows on each edge, but I thought that was more of a storage thing than anything.

  They attached our small wagons to the back, and kept a few items strapped into them as well for more storage. Some of our weapons, for example.

  “This isn’t going to be as protected as a vehicle,” I warned. “There is space up front for a second person. Maybe we should only have two inside, and two outside, so one of the front riders can be armed and ready to deal with any threats. The dogs will need to ride inside too. At least part of the time.”

  Kate eyed the space, and nodded. “I’ll keep my gun,” she said. “But you’re right. It would be good to have someone whose hands are free to do that.”

  “Alright,” I said with a clap of my hands. “We’ve got Chance all set. Now let’s get the rest of them saddled and ready to go.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Mike

  Horseback riding was not my favorite method of travel. Although my companions seemed to adjust quite quickly, I felt off balance and awkward. Even at the slow trot we started at. We still made better time than if we were walking, but wouldn’t wear out the horses too fast.

  My little mare was a bit feisty. She seemed to want to take her head and go, but I pulled back, and she stopped with a sudden toss of her head that threatened my already precarious balance.

  “Careful not to pull too hard,” Zero called to me. “She has a soft mouth. It shouldn’t take more than a slight pull to get her to slow down.”

  I wasn’t one to complain, but I felt that they had all slowed their pace to keep up with me. “Would it be better to switch me into the wagon? I think Shanti or Al…Lia might do better than I am.”

  Zero looked at the others and nodded. “If you’re that uncomfortable, then yes. None of us are overly good at this either, you know.”

  I huffed. “Maybe not,” I agreed. “But you don’t seem to be almost falling off every couple minutes either.”

  “Alex, does your sister ride?” Zero asked.

  Alex was the most comfortable on horseback by far. He’d almost single handedly saddled all four horses, and had gotten on smoothly. “She does. It wouldn’t take long to switch. I’ll hold Mike’s horse while he gets off.”

  Zero pulled her mount over to the wagon. “Lia? We need you to switch out with Mike. Kate, stop for a minute, okay?”

  I climbed off awkwardly, and was extremely grateful to have the ground underfoot again. My gratitude overshadowed any embarrassment I felt. “Thanks guys. Sorry about that.”

  “No problem. I’m not trying to make anyone uncomfortable,” Zero said.

  The switch was done quickly, with a bit of excitement from Siren and King who seemed to think they wanted to get out and run. “Should we let them be loose? They don’t seem inclined to staying in right now,” I told Zero.

  “Yeah. They may want to run for a bit. We’ll slow down to let them in when they get worn out.”

  That settled, I watched as Lia gracefully pulled herself up into the saddle, and started to stretch a bit. She guided the horse’s head to each side and rubbed her face when the mare gave to the pressure.

  “You ready?” Zero asked. I noticed our leader mimicked Lia’s position on the horse, and she seemed to be more comfortable.

  Lia nodded, and we were underway once again. This time I rode inside the wagon. Shanti was up front.

  “How are you feeling, Jake?” I asked.

  Jake shrugged. “This isn’t the most comfortable way to travel, but the pillows and blankets definitely help to cushion the bumps. I’m okay. The wound isn’t bleeding, and I’ve been resting all day, so I’m feeling a bit useless.”

  I scoffed. “You’re not the one who just stopped the whole procession because he couldn’t handle riding a horse.”

  The older man chuckled. “Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, Mike. You aren’t a rider. That isn’t a problem. You tried, despite your discomfort.”

  I considered his words, and nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

  After a moment, Jake grew more serious. “Mike, I wanted to talk to you about your parents. I know you said you never saw them again, so does that mean you never saw bodies? Nothing to prove whether they were killed?”

  I shrugged. “I guess. I always figured the guards hid the bodies to cover up that they hadn’t been killed by the monsters.”

  “The same guards who told you they were dead?”

  “Yeah.” I narrowed my eyes. “What are you getting at, Jake?”

  He hesitated, but pushed forward. “I don’t know for sure, of course, but the way it sounds… I’m wondering if they’re still alive.”

  “Right,” I sneered. “They’re alive, and just happened to run away and leave me behind.”

  He shook his head before I finished talking. “No,” he argued. “I don’t think they ran away. You said they fought with an official looking person before they gave you shots?”

  He seemed to be waiting for some sort of response, so I nodded.

  “I think they were trying to fight to keep you out of it. Maybe that’s why everything happened differently for you.”

  “So, how does that mean they aren’t dead, or didn’t abandon me?”

  Jake frowned. “There can’t be many researchers involved in a project like this. The morals are… well, pretty much non-existent. If they were somehow blackmailed into helping, I think they might have been forced to leave, and continue their work.”

  “Wait… you think they might be with the so-called doctors Alex and Lia told us about?” Despite my doubts, I felt a sliver of hope.

  Maybe I could see my parents again! If Zero succeeded in stopping the outbreak, maybe they could be freed! Excitement stirred inside me.

  Then my more realistic side took over again. If they were even alive. Which still seemed unlikely.

  “I know it’s a stretch,” Jake said. “But if they are still alive, we will help them, okay?”

  I forced a smile and nodded tersely.

  He cringed. “Sorry. I don’t mean to bring up sore subjects. I’ve just had a lot of time to think things over today. It’s pretty much all I can do right now.”

  I chuckled and let him off the hook. “It’s all
you should be doing right now. You could have died, Jake. I think that would have been it for Zero if you had. She was pretty on edge for a while there.”

  His face softened, and he glanced out the small window to where Zero rode on her black and white mare. “Yeah. She’s a good kid, but there’s too much weight on her shoulders,” he said wistfully. “On all of you, really.”

  “All of us,” I corrected. “Not just the younger kids, but the adults too. None of us should have to go through this crap.”

  Jake gave a halfhearted shrug, and let himself sink further into his cushioned seat. “At this point it doesn’t matter much.”

  A depressing thought, but accurate. No matter our feelings on the situation, we were stuck in this world. All we could do was try to make the best of it.

  My gaze shifted back outside to Zero who seemed to handle the slightly faster gait pretty well. She wasn’t making the best of it. She was working to end it. A teenage girl working against the guard forces and the people behind the outbreak. Did she stand a chance?

  I couldn’t be sure.

  What I was sure of, is that she was worth following. Her ability to connect to and control the horde did give her an edge. Enough of one to win?

  I guess we’d have to wait and see.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Zero

  Horseback riding was definitely an enjoyable way to travel. At least for the first hour or so. Then it became a bit uncomfortable. I stood in the saddle for a minute to stretch, then let my feet hang out of the stirrups to rotate my ankles. We stayed at a steady trot for the most part, and it was growing tiresome.

  “Guys, we need to adjust our route again,” I warned. “There’s a horde about a mile up this road.”

  Kate closed her eyes for a moment. “If I’m remembering correctly, there’s another turnoff that should take us around the last of the safe zone. We need to backtrack a bit to get to it. Is it still safe that way?”

  I pulled my concentration from the creatures in front of us to feel out our way back. “Seems clear.”

  We slowed to a walk, and turned the horses. Mine, who I’d decided to call Freedom, tossed her head a bit as we turned. “I know girl,” I said, giving her a pat on the neck. “We have to keep going for now, but we’ll stop for a break in a little bit. You guys need some water, huh?”

  She calmed as I spoke, and the riders got out of the way so Kate could get the larger wagon pulled around. “The horde is moving pretty quickly,” I warned. “I think they might have smelled us already.”

  The breeze would have blown our scent right at them. “We’ll pick up the pace for now then,” Kate said. “It may be a bit rough on the horses, Chance especially, but necessary for survival.”

  “We’ll give them a break as soon as we can,” I agreed. “But we need to go. Now!”

  I urged Freedom to a faster gait. Her hooves skidded on the pavement, so I steered her toward the side of the road to ride on the grass. Once more certain of her footing, she eagerly picked up the pace. A quick glance showed me the others now kept pace with me.

  Chance lagged a bit, but there was no help for it. He had a heavier load, and couldn’t be pushed quite as fast. His ears pricked forward and he tossed his head as he saw the other horses pulling away.

  Kate’s voice carried over the sound of hoof beats. “Turn right at the next road! And keep those horses under control!”

  She was right. It would do us little difference to go faster except to lose control and end up falling off. That in mind, I tugged gently on the reins to slow a little.

  This road turned toward a thicker wooded area again. The safe zones all seemed to be bordered with woods. We slowed a bit more to allow the wagon to catch up. A quick check showed that we’d gained some distance on the horde, but they were still coming.

  “Keep going!” Kate urged. “We stay on this road for quite a while. I’ll let you know when we get to another turn.”

  I felt Freedom’s quick breathing, but she started running again willingly enough. “Good girl,” I said.

  For a few minutes I allowed myself to revel in the feeling of flying as we raced down the road. Like the name I’d given my mount, it definitely felt like freedom.

  When she began to slow down, I felt behind me for the creatures. When I couldn’t feel them, I slowed even more. “We lost them for now,” I said. “We should let the horses walk and cool off before we stop. It will let them relax a bit while still getting us further from danger.”

  Rex nodded, and we slowed. “It will give them time to catch up too,” he said with a nod behind us.

  A glance back showed that we’d put quite a bit of distance between ourselves and our wagon. Chance still trotted gamely, but even from here, I could see he was tired. “Yeah. Then we really need to stop and let the horses rest. We need to find them some water too.”

  “We may be in luck there,” Rex said after a moment. “Do you see what I see?”

  A smile crossed my face. “I do. That is perfect. The horses can get some water, and we’ll have a nice spot to relax for a few minutes.”

  We followed the road out of the woods, and what we’d spotted through the trees was now clearly visible. Even Lia had a smile on her face. “A pond. It even looks pretty clean, although I wouldn’t recommend we drink from it. The horses should be fine with it, though.”

  Rex grinned. “Do we still have our fishing supplies with us?”

  I thought back to what we’d grabbed for supplies recently, and regretfully shook my head. “I doubt it. At least, I don’t remember taking any.”

  He shrugged. “I doubt it matters. Looks like there’s a boat shed. We may still be in luck.”

  If the pond even had any fish in it. Still, the chance of something fresh was awfully tempting. “There’s a garden too,” I pointed out.

  “I can help gather from the garden,” Alex offered. “Unless you prefer I remain with the horses to make sure they’re taken care of.”

  I considered our options. We had five horses to deal with, and we would need to unhitch Chance from the wagon so he could relax properly for a while after his exertion. We’d have to loosen the girth straps on the other horses as well. “Yeah, we need you with the horses. You and Lia seem the most comfortable with them.”

  After another moment of thought I added, “We’ll have Kate, Shanti, you, and Lia work with the horses. Mike can help gather fresh food from the garden if there’s any to be had, and Rex and Jake can attempt to get us some fresh fish. We don’t have much time to stop. Maybe an hour or so. If you catch anything, you’ll have to keep them in a bucket for travel before we stop for the night. This is just supposed to be a quick rest stop.”

  Rex cringed. “Right. I somehow managed to forget we were working on a deadline. We don’t have to waste our time with fishing, Z. We can see if there are fishing supplies in the shed, and take them with us in case another opportunity presents itself.”

  “There’s opportunity now. We have to give the horses a break anyway. Just go.”

  We rode up the driveway and stopped by the boathouse. Kate was behind us, but should have been able to see where we turned.

  Climbing off Freedom felt great. I stretched and led the horse to the edge of the water. My muscles would definitely yell at me for this later. Riding awakened aches in muscles I didn’t even know existed.

  Some part of me felt better when I saw the others get off and stretch the same way. Even Lia let out an audible groan. One of the only noises I’d heard from the girl since she’d joined us.

  “I guess experience only helps when you’re able to ride regularly,” Alex said with a wry smile as he worked the kinks out of his back.

  Rex chuckled. “Yeah. Guess so. Anyway, we should get started with our tasks so we can get back on the road ASAP.”

  All in agreement, I stayed with Alex and Lia to help with the horses while Rex went to the boatshed. We’d already loosened the girths and led the horses to the water when we heard the crunch o
f gravel and clopping of hooves on the driveway.

  None of the horses seemed interested in leaving the patch of grass near the water, so I motioned toward the wagon. “Alex, go help unhitch Chance. His halter and lead rope are hanging from the back of the wagon.”

  He nodded and let the rope on his horse drop to the ground. After a couple minutes, I allowed the ropes to be loose enough for the horses to wander a bit. They moved to the edge of the water and drank deeply.

  Jake slowly climbed from the wagon, and I rethought my idea of having him help with anything. Even riding inside seemed to be hard on him. I walked towards him quickly.

  “We should check your bandage, Jake,” I said.

  “Yeah.” He pulled his hand away from his side, revealing the bloody bandage. “I think you’re right about that.”

  Twenty-Two

  Thankfully Jake’s side wasn’t as bad as it first appeared. While the wound had seeped enough to soak the bandage, a few minutes of firm pressure was enough to stop it.

  Kate huffed. “Even with the padding, the ride was too rough. I’m afraid there’s not really a good way for him to ride without risking this problem again.”

  “I’m fine, Kate,” Jake argued. His color had already improved. The horses were ready to go again, and Rex had even managed to catch a couple decent sized fish we would make into a meal later. Jake’s condition was the only holdup. I wished we could find some kind of red meat, or iron supplements or something to help restore his blood cells.

  Jake took Kate’s hand. “You have a thicker bandage on it, and I’ll stay more reclined so I’m not putting as much pressure on it. We need to go.”

  While clearly unhappy about the situation, Kate was smart enough to realize we didn’t have a choice. She huffed, but gently helped Jake get situated in the wagon. I groaned when I realized it was time to get back on my horse. My muscles were definitely unhappy. But, like Kate, I knew we didn’t have another option.