The Brightest Darkness

by Kate L. Mary

  “You think he’ll take the bait?” Cade asked, nodding to the largest pillar of smoke.

  “Depends on how injured they are, I guess.” Kellan shoved his hand through his hair as he studied the sky. “I honestly can’t pretend to know how someone like Andrew thinks, though. He’s opportunistic, but how far will he go to get what he wants?”

  “It’s impossible to say,” I muttered.

  “Yeah,” Cade agreed.

  Kellan only nodded before he started walking again.

  The trek down the hill was easier, especially since this side was less rocky than the one we’d climbed up, and we didn’t run into anything dangerous. No zombies, and no snakes—thankfully.

  A flat stretch of land sat at the bottom where a small herd of buffalo stood grazing, forcing us to make a wide arc around them so they didn’t get spooked. They watched us with dark, weary eyes as we passed, some of them chewing mouthfuls of grass while others did nothing but swat their tails at the flies buzzing around them. The animals’ bodies were round and stocky compared to the longhorn cattle prevalent in this area, and up close their heads seemed massive.

  “What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison?” I huffed.

  Despite the lack of sunshine beating down on us and the wind sweeping across the field, a bead of sweat had begun a slow descent down the side of my face, but I didn’t bother wiping it away. There would be more. Sweat was an unavoidable result of being outside in Oklahoma during the summer months—not that we’d even reached the hottest part of the season yet.

  “I don’t know.” Cade’s shoulders lifted and fell in a quick shrug.

  “Those are bison.” Kellan waved over his shoulder to the animals, and I glanced back as he said, “American bison. People always call them buffalo, but real buffalo live in Africa and Asia. Or at least they did. Who knows what that part of the world is like now.”

  “You’re a walking dictionary, you know that?” Cade said.

  “Encyclopedia,” Kellan corrected.

  I rolled my eyes even though I was smiling. “A smart-ass, you mean.”

  “A smart-ass is someone who thinks they know everything.” Kellan shot a look my way, grinning. “I actually do know everything.”

  Cade snorted while I gave Kellan the finger.

  He chuckled and reached out to grab my hand, pulling me forward until I was walking at his side instead of behind him.

  The pond or lake—I wasn’t sure how big a body of water had to be to earn that title—came almost out of nowhere. We stepped through some trees, and it was in front of us, the surface smooth and undisturbed except where a handful of ducks floated, cutting their way through a group of lily pads and making the water around them ripple. A mass of trees surrounded the right side of the lake, blocking our path, so we moved left where the tree line sat a good eight feet from the water’s edge. Although the grass was tall, it was at least passable.

  The ground surrounding the pond was soft and damp, threatening to suck my boots into its depths with every step I took. Twice a frog jumped from the edge, splashing into the water and scaring the shit out of me with its sudden appearance. The first time I managed to bite back my yelp of surprise, but the second time it broke out before I could stop it, earning me a grin from Kellan. I ignored him and kept moving, pulling my boots from the mud that seemed to want to engulf every inch of me.

  We’d almost reached the other side when the moan broke through the silence, and Kellan dropped my hand so he could step in front of me like a human shield. Every time he did that, I wanted to remind him that I was the one who was immune. If anyone should have been putting themselves on the line, it was me, because I could survive a bite or a scratch, while if something happened to him or Cade, they’d most likely be dead. I mean, what were the odds of two people in our little group being immune? Pretty slim.

  “What do you see?” Cade, who had also moved so he was in front of me, asked.

  “Nothing.” Kellan moved forward, his steps light and his focus on the trees to our left.

  Another moan sounded, closer this time, and the crunch of something followed, like a stick breaking in half. In front of me, Kellan’s body stiffened, and both he and Cade froze.

  I was holding my breath, waiting. My palm was slick against the handle of my knife, but my arms and legs were steady. Immune or not, facing a big horde still scared the shit out of me, but one or two zombies didn’t—a side effect of learning it would take more than one bite to kill me.

  “Where the hell—” Kellan’s words were cut off when the zombie stumbled into view.

  He was fresh, only weeks or even days old. His sickly gray skin had ripped in a few areas, but black blood wasn’t yet oozing from every orifice, and his clothes were miraculously intact—although not clean.

  “He’s going to be fast,” I said.

  Kellan had already stepped forward to meet the man, his knife out and ready. “I’ve got him.”

  Cade and I moved after him as backup, although, after nine years of killing zombies, I doubted Kellan would need it.

  The dead man reached out, his hands swiping at air, and my heart thumped harder when Kellan ducked away from his grasp, spinning so he ended up behind the zombie. The creature let out a moan, either irritated by Kellan’s refusal to allow himself to get caught or frenzied from the fresh meat in front of him.

  At the dead man’s back, Kellan was ready, poised with his weapon up. He grabbed the zombie’s shirt with his free hand and jerked the creature back while thrusting his knife up at the same time, sending the blade into the back of the man’s neck and then up into his brain.

  The zombie dropped to the ground.

  Kellan pulled his knife free and wiped his blade on the dead man’s shirt, his head up and his gaze sweeping the area as he did it. Like him, Cade and I stood ready and waiting in case another zombie or two showed up, but other than the wind, everything was still and quiet.

  “Looks like he was alone.” Kellan shoved his knife back into the sheath on his hip. “Let’s keep moving.”

  4

  We were halfway up the mountain when a slow rumble of thunder drew my gaze to the sky. The clouds above us had thickened, becoming gray and menacing, but they were nothing compared to the darkness looming in the distance, threatening not only to rain down on us, but also to destroy our chance of escape.

  “We need the rain to hold off,” Kellan muttered as he pulled himself over a boulder twice as big as he was.

  My feet slipped on the smooth surface of the rock when I tried to scramble up after him, but Kellan had my arm before I could fall. He hauled me up, this time keeping hold of me while he moved on.

  We moved faster after that, spurred forward by the incoming storm. Cade was behind us, expertly climbing from rock to rock as his blond hair was blown around by the wind, while Kellan did the same, somehow still managing to keep a grasp on my arm even as he pulled himself over massive boulders.

  He finally let go when we reached the top, lowering his body to a crouch when the Holy City came into view, and a sense of déjà vu came over me. My heart pounded harder as I followed Kellan, copying his stance so I was sure to stay out of sight, while behind us, Cade did the same as we moved forward, heading for one of the buildings to the right of the chapel. The day was silent other than the occasional rumble of thunder and the howl of the wind, which whipped across the mountains and blew my ponytail into my eyes, forcing me to hold it back as I moved.

  We made it to a set of stairs behind one of the random buildings, and Kellan charged up, motioning for us to follow. When he reached the top, he dropped to his stomach so he was out of view, and I stretched out next to him while Cade did the same on his other side.

  Last time we were here it was the middle of the night, and although it wasn’t pitch black this time, the clouds hovering over us made it feel later than it was. They were thick and gray, puffy and angry-looking, and in the distance, bolts of lightning flashed through the darkness every
now and then, and the gray streaked across the sky told me that not too far from us it was already raining. I could smell it in the air, too, the moisture that always preceded a storm, like wet earth or a warm spring day.

  “Look.” I pointed to the pillar of dark smoke in the distance, rising from where we’d set the first fire.

  Next to me, Kellan shifted and brought his rifle forward, using the scope to get a better look. “We’ve got a few guys out front.”

  “What are they doing?” Cade asked while he, too, brought his rifle forward.

  “Talking,” Kellan said. “There’s a truck in the parking lot, along with a couple cars.”

  “The one they keep the zombies in?” I asked.

  “No.” Kellan lowered the rifle but didn’t look my way, his focus instead on the pillar of smoke in the distance. “It’s not there.”

  “Maybe they went to check out the fire?” Cade suggested.

  “Let’s hope,” Kellan muttered.

  We lapsed into silence as we surveyed the area from our hiding spot. We were in a different position than last time, which gave us a decent view of both the parking lot and the area in front of the chapel. Like before, it struck me how strange this place was, like the leftover set of a Biblical movie. The chapel we’d rescued Kellan from sat to our left, and was no doubt where they were keeping Harper, while to our right stood what looked like a stage, as well as a few walls that, although crumbling a little, were still standing despite years of neglect. There were some other small buildings, too, and three crosses, only two of which were still standing.

  Jasper had told us they used to do live Easter performances here, and I was suddenly struck by the frivolousness of it all, by how strange that old world seemed compared to the one we now lived in. These days we didn’t have the luxury of putting on shows or wasting energy building elaborate sets like this one. We couldn’t afford to focus on entertainment, not when there were zombies and evil people lurking around every corner.

  “What do you want to do?” Cade asked.

  Kellan lowered his rifle as he let out a deep breath, his gaze moving across the scene in front of us, slowly taking it in, and then over to where the pillar of smoke still billowed. The sky was darker now, the storm closer, and if we waited too long it would start raining and possibly ruin our only chance of getting Harper out alive.

  “There are three guys outside right now.” Kellan raised his rifle again. “We start with them.”

  “You’re just going to start shooting?”

  It seemed reckless and premature at first, but when I stopped to think about it, I realized it was the best shot we had. The truck was gone, meaning some of the men had left—maybe to check out the smoke—and if the three men standing outside were the only ones here, this might be our only chance.

  Kellan closed one eye and brought the rifle up so he could peer through the scope. “If there are more inside, they’ll come out when they hear the shots.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Cade said.

  He already had his rifle raised when Kellan pulled the trigger, and even though I knew it was coming, I jumped from the crack of the gunshot.

  In the distance, one of Andrew’s men fell to the ground.

  “Got him,” Kellan said, still looking through the scope.

  My hands were over my ears when Cade took a shot, but the faint sound of the cry that followed the bullet ripping its way through the second man’s arm was still audible.

  Cade swore.

  “Thought you were better than that,” Kellan said as he took aim again.

  The comment was light, but the tone wasn’t. He was shooting people, killing them, and bastards or not, Kellan didn’t take murder lightly.

  “Not everyone can be as perfect as you,” Cade mumbled.

  Kellan fired again, and the man Cade shot went down.

  The third man took off, running not for the building, but for the vehicles in the parking lot.

  “He’s on the run!” I said.

  “I’ve got him,” Cade replied.

  No one had come out of the building at the sound of gunfire, telling me they were either too injured or there was no one else inside. Meaning our way to Harper was clear.

  “I’m going.”

  Another gunshot rang out as I got to my feet, and even though I already had my gun drawn, I pulled my knife as well. Behind me, Kellan swore and grumbled something to Cade, but I was already heading down the stairs, already on my way to get Harper, and I didn’t bother pausing to see what he was doing.

  “Son of a bitch, Regan,” Kellan called after me.

  Footsteps pounded on the stairs at my back, but I didn’t stop, not even when I reached the bottom. I kept moving, pausing only when I made it to the corner of the building so I could make sure the coast was clear. Two of the men who’d been in the parking lot were down, but the third one was nowhere in sight.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Kellan said when he caught up with me.

  “Getting Harper.” I scanned the parking lot again but didn’t see him. “Where’s the third guy?”

  “Made it behind the car.”

  As if on cue, the sound of a car door slamming echoed through the night, followed seconds later by an engine roaring to life.

  “Shit,” Kellan said.

  “Who cares? Let him run off like a coward if it means we can get Harper.”

  I waited to see if the car would drive off, but it sat idling in the parking lot like it was waiting for a signal. What that signal was or who it was from, I didn’t know, but I did know we had to move fast. We didn’t know how long the rest of the group had been gone or when they’d return. For all we knew, they were already on their way.

  “We have to go,” I told Kellan.

  Cade scrambled up behind us. “Andrew’s still here.”

  Distracted from my previous plan, I spun to face Kellan, my heart suddenly pounding harder. “Andrew?”

  “The guy in the car. It’s him.”

  Just hearing his name thrust me back to yesterday at the farmhouse, to having my shirt stripped off while that asshole’s calloused hands moved over my skin, and my heart pounded faster while heat moved through me and the world began to sway.

  I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, willing my body to calm down but unable to force it to obey.

  “Regan.” Kellan’s voice was soft, pain radiating in his tone, but when he touched my arm, I jerked away.

  “Sorry,” I said, my eyes still closed. “I just—” I swallowed. “I need a second.”

  Neither of the guys said a word.

  I inhaled through my nose, blowing it out through my mouth, willing the memory of Andrew’s hands to fade so I could stay in control. It didn’t happen, but somehow I managed to conjure up a sense of determination. We had to get Harper and get the hell out of here. Screw Andrew and his men. They weren’t going to have a say in how we lived or died, and they couldn’t control me now.

  I opened my eyes to find Kellan staring at me, concern twisting his expression into a grimace.

  “I’m okay.” I gave his hand a quick squeeze. “And it’s time for us to get Harper and get the hell out of here.”

  Kellan nodded, and like he had flipped that internal switch again, his focus changed, only this time the worry and pain stayed in his brown eyes. Those emotions were accompanied by others, though. Rage like I had never before seen, and hate, both of them directed at the man who’d threatened to violate me.

  “I’ll go first,” Kellan said, stepping around me. “I’ll keep my focus on Andrew while you two head inside. Stay alert. There could be men who are too scared to come out.”

  “Got it,” Cade said.

  Kellan’s gaze met mine, and I gave a brisk nod. “We’ll be fine.”

  He blew out a long breath. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  He ran out, keeping his body low and his focus on the car Andrew was hiding in, and I hurried from our hiding spot only a few steps behind him, with Cad
e right on my heels.

  Kellan paused behind one of the crumbling walls, his eyes never once straying from the idling car as we rushed over to join him. Andrew made no move to get out, though, and he obviously wasn’t trying to flee, which said something about his determination. What, though, I wasn’t sure. Maybe he was hoping his men would come back, or maybe he was waiting to see who’d opened fire on him. It was impossible to know for sure.

  Thunder rumbled, and a drop of rain splattered against my forearm. Another hit my head while more pinged against my back, and I looked up, half expecting to find a tornado barreling down on us, but there were only clouds. Dark and thick, they looked like they were trying to warn us that something very bad was about to happen.

  The rain picked up just as the thought entered my head.

  “Go,” Kellan said, raising his voice to be heard over the pounding rain.

  Cade took off. I was a half a step behind him when Andrew revved the car’s engine, causing my heart to jump to my throat, but I kept my focus on the chapel, knowing Kellan was on it. Knowing he would sooner risk his own life than put mine in danger.

  Still, the asshole didn’t drive off.

  “What the hell is he waiting for?” I muttered to myself as I splashed through the rain.

  It didn’t matter when we reached the chapel and Cade pulled the heavy wooden door open, waving for me to move. I ran past him, rushing into the small entryway, where I paused in front of the other set of doors, both so I could catch my breath and so I could listen for any sign of movement. There was nothing, though. No talking or scraping of feet against the floor. No sounds at all.

  “Ready?” I asked Cade.

  All he had to do was give a tiny nod, and I had the door open. I moved quickly but silently, keeping my steps light and my gun up and ready. Like before, I was struck by how musty the room smelled. It wasn’t dark this time, but was instead illuminated by a few lanterns, casting shadows across the images of angels hanging over us, painted on the white walls and ceiling. The old wooden pews were in the same position as yesterday, facing one another so they formed beds, only this time they were all empty. As was the room.