Gabe slowed and turned onto a long, unpaved driveway, and I shifted, trying to get a look at the place. The farmhouse was white and stereotypical. Two stories with a wraparound porch and a swing rocking in the breeze. Behind it, two big, red barns sat, which was where the other cars were parked, and to the left of the first barn, I spotted our people.
The second Gabe pulled to a stop, I shoved my door open and hopped out. Devon was right behind me, and he grabbed my arm when I started to stomp off.
“Hey,” he said, forcing me to face him. “I do want to help. You know that, right?”
“Do you?” Tears burned at the back of my eyes, and I had to blink them away. Frustration at being unable to control my emotions, as well as the situation, scorched my insides. I hated crying at the drop of a hat.
“Hey,” he said again, his voice lower this time. “You know I do.”
I forced myself to nod. I believed him, but that didn’t make the situation any better, because he hadn’t promised he’d help, he’d only said he wanted to, which wouldn’t help my dad at all.
The pop of gunfire drew my gaze that way, and I watched as Kiaya squeezed off a shot. Twenty feet or so in front of her, bales of hay were set up at different heights, and cans and bottles sat atop them. A can went flying, and my friend smiled triumphantly, while beside her, Doug nodded in approval.
Doug.
In the car when I’d threatened to ask my ex for help, I’d only been trying to hurt Devon, but now it seemed like a viable option. Doug knew my dad. There was no way he’d walk away and leave him as a prisoner if there was something we could do.
I looked back at Devon, who was still watching me closely. “Let’s go practice. We can talk about this later.”
Devon nodded.
I kept space between us as we headed over, still hurt and angry and not ready to give in even though I eventually would. Deep down, I understood why Devon had reacted the way he did, and I even respected it. He was trying to be smart about this. The problem was, I didn’t think he would be reacting the same way if one of his parents were still alive and he had a chance to save them. Not that I was going to rub salt in a wound by pointing that out.
Like he understood that I needed space, he chose to go over to Lisa rather than follow me to where Doug and Kiaya stood, which I was thankful for.
Kiaya looked from Devon to me, frowning. “Everything okay?”
“Perfect,” I said, and pulled out my gun.
I lifted it to take aim, exhaling as I looked down the barrel, trying to line the sights up the way Devon had showed me. The sun was high above me and bright, and the sky crystal clear. The only sounds were the rustling of trees and the occasional sound of an animal—mostly birds, although there was the odd scurry of feet that indicated other creatures were around as well. They were hidden, though, as if they knew the world had changed and it was best to stay in the shadows and out of sight.
A slight breeze blew, picking up a few tendrils of loose hair and brushing them across my face. It tickled my nose, but I ignored it, instead focusing on the cans lined up a good twenty feet away. I forced my brain to picture zombies as I took aim, tried to imagine how it would feel to have one stumbling toward me as I worked to keep myself calm and take aim. It wasn’t hard. I could remember how it had felt in the parking lot of Meijer. How my heart had beat faster, the way my arms and legs shook, the sweat that had collected on my palms.
“You got it?” Doug said from behind me, startling me and nearly making me jump.
I would have scolded him, but the interruption actually helped me feel more like a zombie was right in front of me. My heart started beating faster, and I felt shaken. I had to refocus my aim before pulling the trigger.
The crack of my gunshot echoed through the air, and hay splintered underneath and just to the right of the can.
“Shit.” I gritted my teeth and took aim again.
This time when I pulled the trigger, the bullet hit the mark. The can went flying, and I immediately took aim at a bottle on the bale of hay above it. I exhaled and pulled the trigger, and the glass shattered into dozens of brown shards that glittered in the bright sunshine.
I shot two more cans, missing only once, then lowered my gun and blew out a deep breath.
“What is it?” Kiaya asked.
Doug was beside her, and they were both watching me with concerned expressions.
I focused on my ex. “Gabe told me about the hospital. Why didn’t you?”
“Upper Valley?” Doug’s frown deepened. “What about it?”
“The group there, Doug,” I said impatiently. “Gabe said they’re holding doctors and nurses hostage. You should have told me.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head. “Explain.”
I exhaled again, blowing out my frustration so I could form a coherent thought. “My dad, Doug. You knew he worked there.”
“You said he was dead. I don’t see what—” Understanding dawned on him, his eyes growing wide. “Wait, are you telling me he isn’t dead? Was he at the hospital?”
“We thought he got sick and died because he stopped calling my mom, but we don’t know anything for sure. He could be alive. He could be there.” I’d said all of it in one breath, so I paused to fill my lungs then whispered, “Will you help me find out if he’s there?”
“Shit, Rowan.” Doug started to reach for me but stopped himself like he’d forgotten we weren’t together anymore and suddenly remembered. “Of course, I’ll help. If he’s there, we’ll get him. Somehow.”
It was something I’d always liked about Doug. How dependable he was. Even though I wasn’t a fool and I knew he might not be able to fulfill that promise, I appreciated it anyway because right now, it was what I needed to hear. I needed the assurance so I could get through this moment in one piece.
“Devon didn’t promise to help,” Kiaya said, and it wasn’t a question.
“He said he wants to help, which isn’t a promise.”
Her head bobbed as her brown eyes studied me thoughtfully. “Gabe said no.”
“He said it was impossible.”
“Shit,” Doug said, shooting a glance toward Gabe. “I’ll talk to him, okay? I promise.”
It wouldn’t matter, but that was okay, too. I hadn’t lied when I’d said I’d go alone if I had to. I’d walk up to the hospital with my hands up and let them take me if I had to, but there was no way in hell I’d walk away until I knew for sure what had happened to my dad.
“Incoming!” someone shouted.
I turned, expecting to see zombies, but instead found a group of vehicles headed our way.
“Weapons up!” Gabe shouted. “Stick together and be prepared for anything.”
My gun was already out, but I took the opportunity to check my ammo. A flick of a switch released the magazine, which I checked, then I slapped it back into place. Kiaya was already at my side, and Lisa had headed over with Devon. I was still upset, but having him with us made the situation seem less dire, so I was grateful.
There were six vehicles. Four trucks, each pulling trailers behind them, and two SUVs at the front of the pack. Dust trailed behind them as they drove, growing thicker the closer they got, and by the time they came to a stop only ten feet from where our group stood, it looked as if a sandstorm was barreling down on us.
We waited in tense silence to see what would happen next, but at first nothing did. Then, all at once, the car doors were thrown open, and people hurried out. Men and women, all of them armed. They were shouting, yelling for us to put our weapons down and calling out other orders. Our people responded by yelling back, but no one, not a single person, lowered their guns.
Adrenaline pulsed through me, allowing me to keep my gun steady even as my fear built. We were outnumbered. It took seconds to register that, but it took longer to realize these people were also armed with automatic weapons. There were some back at the school, locked away in the armory, but we’d come for target practice and had
only brought handguns with us. It had been shortsighted, and it might cost us dearly.
A man stepped to the front of the group and raised his right hand, and his people fell silent. He was in his thirties and stocky, but muscular, just like the men in our group. Nothing else about him really stood out, though. He was average-looking, with buzzed hair and brown eyes that wouldn’t have looked innocuous if not for the hard expression in them. He had a pistol in his left hand.
“Put the weapons down,” he called.
“Not a chance,” Gabe replied.
“Let me rephrase that,” the man said, turning his gun on our leader. “Put the weapons down and leave, and you’ll get to live.”
Devon glanced at me then back to the man. “What do you want?”
“We’re here for the animals,” the man replied simply.
“Like hell you are,” Brian said.
The animals?
I looked past the man to the trailers, registering for the first time that they were the kind used to transport cows and horses.
“I’m going to tell you the same thing you told me the day I showed up at the hospital, Heath,” Gabe said. “Get your own supplies.”
The man, Heath, smiled. “That’s what I’m doing.”
My heart thudded harder, and my pulse quickened as Gabe’s words sank in. He knew these people, had interacted with them before. At the hospital.
They might know if my dad was alive.
It felt like a twist of fate, as if God had delivered them here at this exact moment just for me, and I didn’t stop to think about it, didn’t pause long enough to consider the consequences of my actions. I simply tossed my gun to the ground and raised my hands. Then I stepped forward.
“Rowan.” Devon reached for me, but he was too late.
“I’m unarmed,” I called.
Heath’s eyebrows jumped in curiosity, but he said nothing.
I was between the two groups now, which meant Devon couldn’t make a move or these men might shoot me. I only had a vague idea of what I was risking if they didn’t have my dad, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do this. How could I?
“Is there a Dr. Washington at the hospital?” I asked, raising my arms higher so they’d know I wasn’t a threat. “He’s Asian. Has a mustache. In his sixties.”
Heath glowered but didn’t lower his gun. It was still pointed at Gabe. “Who wants to know?”
“I’m his daughter.” I took a tentative step closer, my heart thudding like the hooves of a dozen horses. “I just want to know if he’s alive.”
“Son of bitch, Rowan,” Devon called. “Don’t do this.”
It was too late, and he knew it.
“Rowan.” Doug’s voice came next, and it sounded just as tortured. “You’re making a mistake. We can figure this out.”
I didn’t look back, didn’t look away from Heath, pleading with him. Praying there was a part of him that was decent and that he would take pity on me. “Please. I need to know.”
Heath’s gaze swept over me, taking me in. “You don’t look like you could be his daughter.”
A sob burst out of me, shaking my body. Was that a yes? Did that mean he was there?
“He’s alive, isn’t he?” I asked, blinking back tears.
“Is he really your dad?” Heath asked, once again evading my question.
It made me want to scream.
“Yes,” I said instead, and I took another step toward him. “He is. I’m adopted, but he’s my father. Please, I have to know if he’s alive.”
Heath finally lowered his gun, but only a little. It didn’t help my group any, though, because the rest of his people still had their weapons aimed at us. “He’s alive.”
Like a pinata bursting open, joy exploded in my chest. My dad was alive. I couldn’t believe it. I’d thought for sure I’d never see him again, thought he’d died before Mom had, and yet he was only a few miles away from me at this very moment.
“Take me to him.” The words were out before I could think about them, and already I was moving. My hands were up, and tears were streaming down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. My dad was alive. It was more than I could have hoped for.
Heath walked forward to meet me, his gun once again up but aimed at my group. People were shouting now. Devon and Doug, Lisa. Even Kiaya called out. I didn’t care. Couldn’t care. Hell, I couldn’t even focus on what they were saying, because all I could think about was seeing my dad.
When Heath reached me, he grabbed my arm and spun me around, so my back was to him. Then his arm was around me and he had the barrel of his gun pressed against my temple.
My heart stopped beating.
“I want all of you in your cars. Now. You will drive off and not look back, and when you’re gone, we are going to load the animals into our trailers. If you do not comply, I will make her pay, and I promise it won’t be pretty, and it won’t be fast.”
I was gasping for breath as panic swept over me, and the expressions on my friends’ faces only made it worse. Kiaya’s eyes looked ready to pop out of her head, and she had her gun up. Her hands shook as she pointed it at the man holding me. I’d never seen her lose her cool, but she had, and it was my fault.
Beside her, Lisa’s face was red with fury, and Doug looked ready to rip this man apart with his bare hands. It was Devon’s face, though, that really had my attention. His blue eyes shimmered with fear and anger, but his gun was steady when he took a step forward. His jaw tightened when Heath pressed the barrel more firmly against my head.
“I’m going to rip you in two,” Devon said, his voice low and menacing.
“No,” the man at my back replied. “You are going to drive away, because if you do not, I’m going to instruct one of my associates to bring me the wire cutters, and then I’m going to remove her pretty little fingers one at a time.”
A sob shook my body.
What had I done? Heath had obviously lied to me. My dad wasn’t alive, he wasn’t waiting for me to save him. He was dead, and this man had used my vulnerability to get me right where he wanted me. My friends would leave, they’d lose their animals, and then who knew what would happen to me. Would Heath kill me? Or worse?
I thought about the things Angus James had told me, thought about the things Devon had said when he was teaching us self-defense, and real fear swept over me. This was bad.
“Devon,” Gabe said. My gaze snapped to the other man, who was already backing away, his gun up but not aimed at anyone. “We have to.”
Others had started moving toward our vehicles, but Devon stayed where he was. He was watching me with a tortured expression, and more than anything, I wished I could take back my actions simply so I didn’t have to see that pain on his face. Whatever I faced was my fault. I did this, made this impulsive decision that had put me in this position, but Devon was innocent. He didn’t deserve to hurt the way he was right now.
“Go,” the man at my back ordered.
Kiaya moved to Devon’s side and put a gentle hand on his arm. “Devon.”
He ground his teeth but allowed her to pull him back. His gun was still half-raised, but I wasn’t sure he even noticed. He was too focused on the man at my back.
“You will regret this.”
“I seriously doubt it,” came the reply.
Devon took two more steps before pausing, focusing on me this time. “I’ll come for you.”
“I just wanted to save my dad.” I blinked as tears filled my eyes, obscuring his face. They dripped down my cheeks, hot like lava, and a sob nearly burst out of me. “I’m sorry.”
Devon acted like he couldn’t get any words out.
Lisa had joined Kiaya, and together they urged him to move. The cars were already full, everyone waiting for Devon so they could leave. Doug was the only other person who hadn’t gotten in, but he stood beside an open door, watching me. Like Devon, his expression was pained.
Less than a minute later, everyone was inside the cars. The engin
es started, and they pulled away one after the other, driving in a line. The man holding me turned, allowing me to watch as they drove away. The last thing I saw before the cars moved past us was Devon’s face in the rear window of the truck. Then they were gone.
Heath’s hold on me relaxed, and a few seconds later, he let go of me completely. I stumbled away, gasping as I tried to fill my lungs, as I tried to fight back the sobs that were threatening to take over.
“You’re okay,” Heath said then turned to his people. “Let’s get the animals loaded up so we can move out.”
By the time he’d turned back to me, I’d caught my breath enough to stand upright, and I glared at him. “Did you lie? Is he really alive?”
Heath frowned like he was disappointed in me. “He’s alive. I didn’t lie, I just used the situation to my advantage.”
My mouth fell open, and I blinked.
He hadn’t lied. My dad was really alive. These men would take me to him, and somehow, Devon would figure out a way to save us. He wouldn’t leave me, wouldn’t turn his back on me no matter what happened. I knew it with every fiber of my being. Heath and his men may have me, may have been holding both my father and me against our will, but hope was far from lost because we were still alive, and there were people out there who knew where we were. I trusted my friends to be able to figure out a way to help me. Somehow, they would save us.
To be continued in Far From Lost, Book 3 in the Far Series…
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Acknowledgments
As always, I want to thank the people who helped polish this novel. Jan Strohecker, Courtnee Mcgrew, Laura Johnsen, Julie Dewey, and Karen Atkinson. Thanks for reading and finding typos. I appreciate all your hard work more than I can say. To Lori Whitwam for your editing skills, to Amber Garcia for your PR help. Thank you, as always, to everyone involved with The Walking Dead who inspired me to write about the zombie apocalypse to begin with, to Dean Samed of Neostock for the great stock images as well as the video tutorials that have helped me improve my skills.
Far Series | Book 2 | Far From Safe Page 31
