I moved past the bathroom and headed to the other part of the basement. Here it was cut in half, and to my right sat the seventy-inch television my dad had been so proud of and the cushy couches my mom had worked so hard to pick out, while to my left was the bar. That was where I found Miller, standing behind the counter with a glass in front of him, frowning toward me. The lantern sitting beside him was dim, barely illuminating a small circle of space around him, but bright enough that I could see his frown deepen.
“What do you want?”
“You need to ease up, Miller,” I said as I headed his way. “We’re trying to make the best of this situation, but being so antagonistic all the time isn’t helping.”
“What’s the point?” he asked and lifted his glass, his eyes intent on me as he took a big drink. “It’s not like any of you want me here.”
“If you tried getting along with people, that might change. Right now, though, all you do is bitch and complain. It’s a lot to take when everything is already so stressful.”
He only grunted before taking a second drink.
I sighed, shaking my head, and set the dog tag on the counter in front of him. “I came to tell you we’re going to head out in a minute and to give you this. I found it in Meijer and forgot about until now, but I assumed you’d want it back.”
His eyebrows jumped when he saw what it was. He set his glass down so he could pick it up, and to my surprise, he cradled the little piece of metal like it was a treasured possession.
“I thought I lost it.” He stared at it, tracing his thumb over the letters engraved on the surface like he was memorizing them, then looked up. His expression was different than I’d ever seen it. Softer. Grateful. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, not sure how else to respond. “I had no idea it would mean so much to you, but I’m glad I found it.”
He’d gone back to studying it. “It means a lot. More than I can express.”
I waited for him to explain, but he didn’t, and he didn’t look away from the dog tag. It was strange to see him looking so vulnerable, and it put me on edge. Made me wonder what I was missing about him.
“Your time in the Army must have meant a lot to you,” I finally said.
“It did,” he murmured.
Again, I paused, but he still said nothing, and he didn’t act like he had any intention of explaining anything to me. Not why a piece of metal with his own name on it meant so much to him, and not why his time in the Army had been so important. The guy was a closed book, even more so than Kiaya, because at least I’d gotten some idea of who she was as a person before she told me about her sister and her past.
“Okay, then,” I finally said, “I’m going to head up, but we could really use your help, Miller.”
He finally tore his gaze from the dog tag. “I thought I asked you to call me Marc.”
He had, but I still didn’t want to. It was too personal, too familiar.
“You don’t seem like a Marc to me,” I said instead of telling him the truth. “Plus, Miller seems more like the thing to call an Army guy.”
He nodded thoughtfully as he slipped the dog tag in his pocket, and I waited as he came around to my side of the bar. “I get that, but I’d really like it if you called me Marc.”
He stopped in front of me, his gaze intent now that the dog tag was put away. I squirmed, suddenly aware that we were alone in the basement and standing very close to one another, and that he was feeling oddly grateful to me right now. Maybe I should have let Devon give it back to him.
“Friends don’t call each other by their last names, do they?” he said, giving me a smile that seemed very out of place on him. “And I’d like for us to be friends…”
The way the last word hung between us made it clear what he was implying, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit. It was also crazy because he knew something was going on between Devon and me.
“Of course,” I said, sounding a little too chipper. “Like I said, we’re trying to make the best of this, and all we want is for you to be a team player.”
I gave him a little punch on the arm that was more awkward than his smile. It was something a father would give his son, or a teacher one of his students when he wanted to convey that he was proud of them. The pained expression that crossed Miller’s face said he felt it, too. Great.
“We should go up,” I said before he could make the situation any more awkward than it already was. “Everyone is waiting for us.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said with a sigh.
I practically ran for the stairs, but Miller dragged his feet. Great. Now that I’d rejected him, he was going to be even more fun to be around. I just wished he would grow up.
Upstairs, Buck was in the kitchen with Kiaya and Lisa. The older man gave me a tentative smile when our eyes met, which I returned without hesitation. He had a problem, but as long as it didn’t endanger our lives, there was no reason to be angry at him. And I liked the man. He was reliable and nice, and he didn’t corner me with professions of his infatuation, which I was happy about.
“Devon’s in the dining room,” Lisa said before I had to ask.
“Thanks.” I gave her a grateful smile, and she winked.
Either she suspected Miller would have taken advantage of our moment alone, or she was rooting for Devon and me. Maybe both.
The corporal stomped out of the basement just as I ducked into the dining room.
Devon was standing at the window with his back to me, looking out over the street, and I headed over to join him.
“Miller is upstairs now.”
“Good,” he said, nodding but not taking his eyes off the street.
The zombies had migrated back this way with our return, but the road wasn’t as packed as it had been before, and it looked like we’d have plenty of time to get out, but I didn’t blame him for checking on things. We had to be prepared for everything in this world.
“I think we should take your car,” Devon said after a moment of silence. “It’s smaller and isn’t packed with supplies, which means if for some reason we have to ditch it, we won’t lose anything.”
“Makes sense,” I replied.
I was staring at the street as well, only I was focused on the dot of red near the intersection. My mom.
“I also think we should leave it on another road when we get back,” he continued, “That way, we always have a getaway. I mean, if we’d done that earlier, we wouldn’t have to worry about opening the garage door right now. We could just jump the fence in the back and cut through yards until we got to the car.”
“That’s actually a genius idea,” I said. “Even if we decide to move to the school, it’s nice to know we have a vehicle stashed somewhere just in case.”
“Yeah.” He let the curtain drop and stepped back, sighing. “We should head out before it gets any later.”
“You look tired,” I said before he could move, reaching up to run my hand down the side of his face. His cheek was prickly against my palm. “You need to get some rest tonight.”
“I told you. I can’t get my brain to shut off.”
“Well, you need to try. Okay?” I did my best imitation of the stern look my mom used to give me. “I’m serious. Promise me you’ll try.”
His dimple deepened. “You twisted my arm. I promise.”
“Right.” I laughed. “Like I could force you to do anything.”
“I seem to remember you getting the best of me during self-defense lessons,” he said, his smile growing wider.
“One time,” I argued, “and I doubt I’d be able to do it again.”
“Well,” Devon replied, his voice growing low and husky, “there are other ways to talk me into doing things.”
My heart sped up at the way he was looking at me, and at the implications behind his words. “Is that right?”
“That’s right,” he whispered.
He grabbed my belt loop the way he so often did and pulled me closer. My breath caug
ht in my throat and my heartrate doubled when he licked his lips. He leaned down, his gaze intent on my mouth, and I held my breath. Waiting.
Someone cleared their throat.
Devon released me and stepped back, and heat flamed across my face at the sight of Buck standing in the doorway, a smirk just visible through his beard. “Thought I’d let you know the others are ready.”
Devon let out a little laugh. “You have impeccable timing, Buck.”
“Never been accused of being tactful,” he said, lifting the glass in his hand. “If my ex-wife were still around, she could vouch for that.”
“I guess we’ll have to take your word for it,” Devon said, heading his way.
Almost as an afterthought, he grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.
Just like Buck had said, the others were waiting in the garage. Kiaya and Lisa in the car, and a very perturbed looking Miller standing by the garage door. He must have seen Devon and me before he came out, because even at his worst moments he hadn’t looked this pissed off. Wonderful.
We repeated what we’d done earlier. Me waiting behind the wheel, Kiaya and Lisa in the back seat, while Devon, Buck, and Miller worked to get the door up. With three of them, it was out of the way in no time, then I was backing out. By the time I’d come to a stop, Devon was already on his way to the car, and the garage door was once again shut. We were getting good at this.
“Let’s go,” he said without even a hint of panic in his voice even though every zombie on the street had started stumbling our way at the sound of the garage door.
I backed out, swerving to the left to avoid slamming into a zombie. It lunged when I came to a stop, but I was already turning around, and all it managed to do was bang its hand against the hood before I sped off, leaving it in my dust.
“There’s a neighborhood behind the school where I can park, and we can walk from there,” I said as I swerved between zombies, making sure to avoid them. “Should be pretty easy to find a place to hide out.”
“Good,” Devon said, nodding.
I caught a brief glimpse of my mom as I drove past a pack of the dead, and my gut clenched. Yes, I was going to have to take care of that. It would be brutal and gut-wrenching, but once it was done, I could maybe find a place to bury her. Maybe.
We sat in tense silence as I drove through my neighborhood, me alternating between looking at the road and watching the zombies in the rearview mirror as they stumbled after us. Their existence still shocked me, and I wasn’t sure how long it would take to wrap my brain around the fact that they were real. Which brought up another good question. How long would they be around?
“They’re rotting,” I said out loud.
I’d turned out of my neighborhood and headed toward the school, which wasn’t that far, barely registering what I was doing. I’d made this trip hundreds of times in my life, so much that it was almost second nature.
“What?” Kiaya asked, sitting forward.
“The zombies.” I ventured a glance over my shoulder. “They’re rotting, right?”
A series of nods followed my question.
“Does that mean they’ll eventually decay enough that they—” It was difficult to come up with a word to describe what they were, so I said, “Die again?”
“You’d think so.” Devon’s expression was thoughtful.
“I’ve had the same thought,” Lisa agreed. “The problem is, there’s no reason they should be able to move around now, so it’s impossible to guess what will happen next.”
I was still thinking about it when the school came into view but quickly switched gears. We’d have plenty of time to hypothesize about if or when the zombies would waste away, but right now we needed to focus on the school and what was going on there.
I slowed but didn’t stop and nodded out the window. “That’s it.”
The building had been totally transformed. Boards covered the windows, and the doors we passed were blocked from the inside, making it impossible to get a look in, while cars had been used to create a barricade of sorts. They were parked bumper to bumper, forming a semicircle around the main door to make it more difficult to get close. It was a decent solution, but only a temporary one. While zombies might have a difficult time climbing over the cars, people would be able to. Still, it was better than nothing, which was what we had.
“Looks old,” Lisa said from behind me.
“It’s going on a hundred years old now. At least the main building, anyway.” I pointed to the newer section to the right, which stretched out from the original part of the school. “They added on to it years ago, as you can see.”
Devon was leaning forward, peering out the window. “We have movement.”
I risked taking my eyes off the road so I could see what he was referring to and watched as a couple guys came out the front door. The same truck we’d seen at Meijer was parked out front, the back doors open. The men, who I recognized as Gabe and Max, headed toward it. Probably to unload the supplies. They paused as we passed, and I turned my gaze back to the street, hoping they wouldn’t realize we were checking them out. Not that I was sure it mattered. If anything, it would illustrate that we weren’t dummies.
Devon waved. “Gabe spotted us.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.
“Not a clue.”
I slowed at the next street and turned left, turning again only a little way down the road. The houses here were bigger and newer and tended to be immaculate, but already this world was taking a toll on them. Lawns were overgrown, and here and there a weed was visible in the typically spotless yards. It wasn’t that different from my own neighborhood. Empty with an abandoned feel to it despite the occasional movement in the distance.
“I’ll park in the next cul-de-sac,” I said. “We can cut through yards from there.”
Again, my words were met with nods.
There were three houses in the cul-de-sac, and I did a quick turn before pulling to the side of the road and putting the car in park, wanting to make sure we were pointed in the right direction just in case we needed to make a quick getaway. Like when we went into the store, I shoved the keys in my pocket when climbing out but didn’t lock the doors.
The others had exited the car as well, and we took a moment to get organized. Devon had one of the walkie talkies clipped to his waist, and Lisa had the other, while Kiaya and I carried the binoculars. When he’d picked them up, I hadn’t imagined needing them, but now I was thrilled to have them in our possession.
“We’ll work our way around the back if you two want to stay close to the front,” Devon said as we walked. “Try to keep communication to a minimum so they don’t hear us, and watch your back. You never know when one of these assholes is going to sneak up on you.”
As if Devon’s words had summoned the dead, footsteps scraped against the ground at our backs. I looked over my shoulder and found two zombies stumbling into the street. They were slow, though, and we’d be well on our way to the school and out of sight before they got too far.
“What are we looking for?” Lisa huffed as she jogged to keep up with Devon’s steady pace.
“Anything that gives us an idea who these guys are.”
“That’s specific,” I mumbled.
“I don’t know what else to say,” he replied, his tone apologetic. “I just think when you see something suspicious, you’ll know it.”
He had a point.
We hiked between two houses then through some trees before the school finally came into view. We were on the newer side of the building, and once we got close, Kiaya and Lisa branched off to the left, heading toward the front, while Devon and I continued right, moving around to the back of the school. Here it would be more difficult to find cover since the playground stretched out in front of us, but we stuck to the trees that lined the property and crouched down once we reached a group of bushes. It put us pretty far away from the school, but the binoculars would help.
We sat in silence, trading
them back and forth, but nothing moved. Not at first, and not ten minutes later. Everything looked pretty innocuous. Even the three cars parked on the playground. They were bumper to bumper just like out front, only this time they blocked a small courtyard. At first, I wasn’t sure why they were there, but then I got a glimpse of something blue, and it hit me.
“Port-o-potties,” I said, nodding to the cars and handing the binoculars off to Devon.
He lifted them to his face so he could see what I was talking about. “Other than that, it doesn’t look like they’re using this side of the building for much. The windows are all blocked, so that’s good. It means they’ve done their best to think of any possible way into the building.”
“They definitely seem organized,” I agreed.
Devon lowered the binoculars, handing them to me without glancing my way.
I took them even though there wasn’t really anything to see other than the courtyard, which at the moment was empty. Starting at one end of the building, I scanned every inch, looking for clues about what might be going on inside. Like Devon had said, though, there was nothing. No movement and no indication they ever used this half of the building.
“Should we check out the rest of the place?” I asked as I once again lowered the binoculars.
He nodded slowly. Thoughtfully. “Yeah. We’ll head to the other side and see what we can see, then move back this way. Need to keep to the back so no one spots us. If they’re good guys, they’ll get why we’re doing this, but they could mistake us for a zombie or someone out to infiltrate their place. Don’t want to risk that.”
“Me neither,” I agreed.
We stood, me once again carrying the binoculars, and headed right. We had to hug the trees lining the playground just in case someone was looking, but there was no indication that anyone was. Which, to me, seemed like a problem. Wouldn’t you want someone on the lookout at all times? The building seemed pretty secure, yes, but what if a horde as big as the one we ran into in Amarillo showed up? It was a longshot since we were in a more rural area and the population of Troy wasn’t nearly what it had been in a big city, but with eighty-five percent of the population dead, anything could happen. It was something I felt totally unprepared for. If only I’d been a fan of zombie fiction, so I had at least some idea of what to expect.
Far Series | Book 2 | Far From Safe Page 20
