Dodging through the infected, Woody reached the porch without getting caught. He flipped the panel as Mace had instructed and smiled when he saw the exposed switch. He pushed on it twice and immediately turned to run back before freezing in place.
He hadn't squirted through without being unnoticed. A crowd was now moving in unison towards him on the front porch.
Realizing he wouldn't be able to get by them, Woody looked around in a panic. Propane was already pouring into the living room and would ignite in a matter of seconds.
Trying to stay low, Mace jabbed several infected in the face as he made his way to the back of the bus. An infected suddenly turned the corner, reaching for him. Mace pushed it off and shoved the spear through its skull, sending it toppling over. More were already moving towards him. There was no way he could make it any farther. He pulled the pin on the flash grenade and chucked it towards Angela.
Spotting the movement, Angela swung the sniper rifle in Mace's direction. His face came into the cross hairs and she pulled the trigger just as the grenade blew. The flash made her turn her head away, and the bullet pockmarked the metal an inch to the left of Mace. He dove to the ground for cover.
Woody jumped at the flash and then immediately sprinted towards the mob of infected, who were now cowering or covering their faces. He was moving through them swiftly, trying to pick his way around them, when the timer went off inside the house.
A massive explosion instantly blew out the front of the house. Glass shards went flying as windows shattered, and Angela tried to turn away as glass and debris sprayed her body.
A massive fireball lit up the sky as the flames spread and a second house caught fire. Angela's body was covered in red splotches as her body rolled off the top of the truck, landing with a dead thump on the ground. Her eyes stared up at the sky; hollow, lifeless, and almost completely red.
Mace yelled for Woody to run as Woody caught up to him and passed him, getting back on the bus. Mace boarded as Woody dove into the driver's seat, firing up the bus.
Mace held onto the pole by the driver's seat as blood leaked down his arm, dripping on the floor. Woody put the gears in reverse and hit the gas again. The bus struggled but moved steadily backwards.
"Head to the front gate," said Mace. "We need to get out of here."
Looking up at him in disbelief, Woody couldn't believe it. "Pirates never win!" he yelled. "We can't leave!"
Not about to lose another life, Mace wasn't about to back down. "We're not giving in to them. We need to leave and regroup."
Rising from her seat, Jade said, "We need to pick up Lisa and Chelsea. They're in her cellar. We can't go without them."
Peering out the front of the bus, Mace knew they wouldn't be able to come back. Too many lives lost once again. Too many infected to battle.
"Let's go get them," he said. "And then get the hell out of here."
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
Inside the cellar, Lisa could hear a dull boom from the house explosion. It felt like the shelter shook a little, but she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.
"What was that?" asked Chelsea, still hovering over Buster, checking regularly to make sure he was still breathing.
"I don't know," Lisa answered quietly. Staring at the roof of the shelter, she began to feel claustrophobic. Sweat dripped off her brow from fever, and she didn't like the thought of being locked down all alone with Chelsea. She wasn't sure what she might do or become.
All of a sudden she heard another sound. Faint at first, it grew stronger until she understood it to be a car horn. "That's for us," she said, turning towards Chelsea. "It's gotta be. We gotta go."
"Not without Buster!"
Flustered for a second, Lisa said, "Ok, hold on," before opening the shelter door. The bus rolled up and she waved. "We need help! Quick!"
The bus door opened, and Mace and Jim ran towards her. Lisa saw the bite wound on Mace's back as he passed. "Oh no, not you, too!"
"We're still breathing," he said. "Where's Chelse?"
"Down the stairs. You need to get Buster, though. He's hurt bad."
"Okay, we'll get him. Get on board."
As Lisa boarded with Chelsea, the kids all stared at the blood that covered Lisa's clothes. Jade handed the baby to Melissa and stood, moving forward and giving Lisa a long, warm hug. "My God," she said quietly in her ear. "I thought we were goners."
"Me too." Lisa tried to hold back a sob. "What do we do now?" she said weakly.
Jade pulled back and locked eyes with her. "We survive and carry on."
"But how? I'm bit. You know that."
"We'll figure out a way. We have to." Pausing for a second, Jade tried to muster a smile. "Someday our grandchildren will tell stories about us."
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
The street was dark and quiet. It had been four days since the breach at the compound. Holed up in an abandoned house a few miles from the compound, Mace and Lisa had survived the worst of the fever. Sitting around a dining room table, they quietly discussed their options as everyone else slept. The kids all stayed on the bus, feeling more comfortable. All except for Maya, that is, who now slept with Melissa.
Because of their shared affliction, Mace and Lisa had grown closer. They shared a burden and leaned on each other for support.
"How can you still have faith in anything?" Lisa asked inquisitively, trying to understand where Mace's strength came from. "After everything that's happened? I mean, it seems like it's only a matter of time before our luck runs out."
"Maybe," Mace said, seriously contemplating the question. "But the minute you give in to fear, you're lost. Faith is just the rejection of fear, even when its everywhere around you."
"Yes, but you can't reject what's happened. Look at us. We're both infected. Just because we won't turn doesn't mean we won't become dangerous."
"I would never hurt my son. I would never hurt Jade. And I would never hurt you." Staring at her with focus and intensity, Mace wanted to make his point clear. "I have faith that I can keep my humanity in check around those I love. I am not going to hurt anyone unless they threaten our safety."
"I'm sure John thought the same thing. Have you forgotten what he did to Maria?"
"Forgotten?" Mace asked, surprised. "There's not a day I don't remember everything about it. I can still picture that hospital room like it was yesterday. That is exactly what is going to keep me from acting on anything. That memory." Mace paused for a second and thought how to add emphasis. "I am no longer fit to lead this group. You know that. You know what goes on inside you now. I am not going to reject what has happened to me, though. I am going to embrace it. I thought I had anger issues in the past, but what I feel now inside puts those to shame. All of my focus and all of that energy will go into protecting us. That will be my new role. I will be our protector and enforcer."
Lisa couldn't help but smile. "It sounds like you've got it all worked out. I just wish it was that easy."
"It's not about being easy. It's about channeling in the right direction."
"But what about sex? You can't tell me you're not thinking about that now as well."
Looking at her like a sister, he could understand the question. "I'm not sure if Jade is going to like the new me, but she may have to get used to it."
"That works for you, but what about me?" Lisa joked.
"I guess we'll just have to keep you stocked up on batteries and some alone time."
Lisa couldn't help but laugh. "Gee, thanks."
Growing serious again, Mace continued talking about their future. "For now, Jade will have to carry the leadership burden, but it will eventually fall to Woody."
"Woody? Are you crazy? He's just a kid. What about Jim?
"Jim is a good man, but he's not a leader. The kids won't react to him the same. Right now those kids are our army. The torch needs to be passed, Lisa, and it will eventually be Woody's responsibility. The kids all look up to him, and he's proven himself in most ways. I just
need to groom him a little."
"But he's reckless. He got his friends killed."
"And that's what I'm talking about when I talk about memories. I guarantee you there won't be a day in his life when he won't remember their deaths. Every little detail. And that is what will make him a great leader. He'll never want to feel responsible for another death again. He'll be more careful. He'll be more mature."
They sat in silence for a while. Mace's thoughts turned to his past and all the death that surrounded him. It was a burden he would be happy to pass on. Woody had the character needed to move them forward. He was confident in that.
His thoughts then drifted to the moment at the hospital after he'd been shot and seen Father McCann. He'd experienced such love in that place. It went so far beyond human capacity. He couldn't reconcile himself to it now, though. It seemed so foreign.
"I experienced something once," he said barely above a whisper, staring into his past. "In the midst of all the madness it was just there." Turning his gaze towards Lisa, he said, "You asked me about faith. I don't really know for sure what is out there or what awaits us. But for some reason I'm just okay with it."
Closing his eyes, Mace allowed a small smile to gradually spread across his lips. He felt at peace.
"Where to next?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know. I'm thinking Texas. Woody could use a new hat."
EPILOGUE
The sun was burning hot, even in the shade. Mace wiped his brow with the back of his fingers, feeling the sweat drip down his face. It had been three years since they'd arrived in Texas, yet he was still having trouble dealing with the heat. It was part of the side-effects of the toxin.
He wasn't sure how much longer he had. The infected had inexplicably started dying off earlier that year, and he questioned whether the infection within him had an expiration date. No one was sure what the cause was. While their passing made life easier, it also raised the threat of militias or gangs.
They'd made it to San Antonio safely. Looking out over the grounds of the Alamo, he once again felt momentarily safe. He loved the stucco walls and historic feel of their new safe zone.
"Hey Mace," yelled Chelsea as she walked towards the training area. Woody had dubbed it the Samurai center. Using old historic swords and bows, they worked on their skills everyday. Mace waved as she disappeared around a corner. The children had all grown considerably, he thought, and Woody had evolved into a competent leader. Mace no longer considered any of them children. They were soldiers, and competent ones at that.
Continuing to walk serenely through their vegetable garden, a part of him still desperately itched for a fight. He'd acquired a small arsenal of weapons over the years and cleaned them regularly. He struggled daily with his anger but for the most part was able to keep it in check. Jade was pregnant with their third child, but neither of them knew what to expect because of Mace's condition. Their second boy, Shawn, was barely a year old and fussy.
Lisa was waiting for him by a picnic table. They met everyday for lunch. It was their ritual, and their bond had become unbreakable.
"A scout came back about an hour ago," Lisa said as Mace plopped down across from her. Her personality had changed right along with his. They were both more serious, more ready for battle, more willing to risk for the good of the camp.
"Anything good to report?" he asked. A smile appeared on her face. One he didn't see too often. "What are you grinning about?" he teased.
"There's a small army heading this way. They're about three miles out."
Small tingles ran up Mace's spine. His heart started beating faster, and he could feel the excitement building. "Time to play?"
"God, I hope so," she said.
~~~
The End.
If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review on Amazon. Reviews are very imporant to an author. Legend of Mace, the fourth and final book in the series, is now available.
Children of the Apocalypse (Mace of the Apocalypse #3) Page 19
