Survive (Sundown Series Book 2)

by Courtney Konstantin

  "Shit," Max exclaimed, looking closer at Sarah's waist. The woman was bleeding profusely from two large bites on her side. "Son of a bitch," Max breathed.

  Without saying another word Max wheeled toward the infected. Sarah wasn't someone she particularly liked, nor did she really consider her part of her group, but she was someone Max should have tried harder to protect. And these infected killed her the moment they sunk their teeth into her flesh. Now you are going to pay, Max thought to herself. No longer was she thinking about how she was doing them a favor, doing the right thing by ending their ever-walking lives. Now all she felt was hate and anger. Two emotions she felt she needed to take out on someone.

  Her tomahawk was in one hand and her bowie knife in the other. She had her gun in a holster on her hip, but the noise would be too great. There was no way of knowing if this group of six was part of a larger horde. Her adrenaline filled veins knew she could handle them hand to hand. The first infected reached her and she brought her tomahawk down in a swift arc, sinking it into the skull of the being. She allowed its fall to free the blade, as she turned to fight the next.

  She knew that the infected didn't feel pain. Causing any injuries didn't stop them unless they couldn't use the body part any longer. Muscles and tendons still functioned the same, which meant Max could disable an infected with a slice to the hamstring. She tested this theory on the next infected that came her way. She quickly knelt and sliced deeply through the back of the thigh, continuing to move forward to avoid being grabbed by the infected. As she thought, the infected's leg buckled without the needed muscles. She swiftly turned back to the infected and thrust her bowie into its skull.

  This process continued until all six of the attacking infected were down. As Max stood in the middle of the road, infected bodies everywhere, she saw movement in her peripheral vision. She spun in time to see Griffin and Turner running up to Sarah. Max waited a few more moments, to catch her breath, and ran to meet them. Griffin had knelt in front of Sarah, where she had slid to the ground by the motel sign. He had just lifted her shirt on her side and by the way his face went white, Max knew he realized Sarah's life was over.

  "Max...you killed them all?" Sarah croaked as Max approached.

  "Yeah, I got them, Sarah. Was the one that bit you, one of those?"

  "Two of them," Sarah said.

  "Well I got them for you," Max replied, trying to be as reassuring as she knew how.

  Griffin stood, bringing Sarah to her feet. When she was unsteady, he bent and swept her up into his arms. They walked back to the motel and headed back into the room Max had slept in. Griffin laid Sarah out on the bed and covered her up, as she was shivering from head to toe. Max followed with Jack, joining Griffin and Turner in the connected motel room. Griffin looked pointedly at Jack as if the conversation they needed to have wouldn't be appropriate for her. But Max just shook her head slightly and had Jack sit down on one of the beds.

  "The bites, they are going to kill her," Max said quietly. "Does she know?"

  "I don't know. Turner and I had been at a few of the shelters. We had seen other attacks. And saw how people turned. I don't know what Sarah saw since the plague started," Griffin replied. Max felt pity for the woman.

  "We should stay here, until it happens, moving her would be rough. And leaving her would be cruel," Max said.

  "Do we have enough supplies for the day and night?" Turner asked.

  "I have MRE's. We don't all have to stay while she sleeps. Jack and I will go and see if we can find more food and water. Maybe I can find a pharmacy that isn't already trashed. They might have some strong pain meds that will make things easier for her," Max said. She gestured to Jack that they were gonna go.

  "By yourselves?" Griffin asked. Max paused at the tone of his voice. He sounded unsure, which was odd for him.

  "Dude, didn't you see what she did to those walkers out there? I think she can handle herself," Turner said with a gruff laugh. The laugh was forced, his usually jovial personality dampened by the situation.

  "Yeah, I just....ok, Max. You're coming back, right?" Griffin asked seriously.

  "Uh, I came all the way to Raleigh to get you. Why am I going to abandon you on the side of the road now? I mean you're annoying, but not that annoying," Max said.

  "Yeah ok, she's coming back," Griffin said.

  "Here," Jack said, approaching Griffin. She held out a deck of cards she always had in her go bag. It was the deck of cards Max and Jack had used a number of times over the years while camping. Griffin took the cards gingerly, looking at the little girl with a smile. His smile put a vice around Max's heart. She almost felt the words “She's your daughter” spill from her mouth. She choked them down though. A no-tell motel with a dying woman in the next room wasn't the appropriate environment to tell him something this big.

  "Something to do while we're gone," Jack continued as if she figured Griffin was confused. Max laughed a little and shrugged when Griffin looked at her for help.

  "Thanks, Jack," Griffin said and ruffled her hair a little in thanks. Jack beamed at him.

  Max and Jack drove around the small town that the motel sat outside of. It was one of those towns that sat on the outside of something larger, but people had probably loved living there. The streets were lined with trees and grass. There seemed to be one main road that cut through the town. Sadly that road told a large story of how the town was run down by the infection. Windows were busted out of businesses along the road. Cars were crashed all along the roads, some still smoldering from the fires that must have erupted. Blood smeared windows and asphalt where the infected had their way with the living.

  The SUV continued to roll through the small business area. Max slowed when they came to a car crashed through the front of a small shop. She stopped completely and studied the awning that now hung at an awkward angle. It read "Docs Pharmacy".

  "Well, crap. That's what we need," Max said. She pulled the SUV over toward the crashed car. She hit the horn once, twice, and then a third longer time. Then she waited. As she guessed, infected were hiding inside shops and in the small alleyways between them. She counted four that had shown themselves so far. She had her goal in mind, get into the pharmacy and see if she could find painkillers for Sarah. The infected were only a speed bump in that plan.

  "Stay in the truck, with it running, until I signal. When I do, turn it off and bring the keys with you. We need to get into the pharmacy," Max said to Jack. The young girl nodded, her eyes sweeping the street as the infected approached the truck.

  In the road, Max easily dispatched the few infected that showed themselves. She continued to keep her eyes moving, keeping a lookout for anything additional that might come at her. After the fourth infected fell to the concrete, no other infected showed themselves. Feeling safe, she signaled to Jack to join her. Her daughter was fast in meeting her mother in front of the pharmacy.

  Max looked inside the crashed car and saw an old man lying on the steering wheel. The closed door and intact windows of the car seemed to have protected him from the infected. But the crash must have killed him on impact. Jack's eyes misted over as she looked at the old man. Max took her chin in her hand and made her look into her eyes.

  "This is the way things are now, Jack. I know it's rough, but I need you with me on this ok?" Max coached. They truly didn't have time for emotions when they were out in the open like they were now. Jack nodded at her mother and swiped at the offending tears that threatened to spill over onto her cheeks.

  The pair slowly stepped into the pharmacy, walking loudly across glass spilled inside from the front windows. Max stood just inside, watching the store as well as the street for any additional attacks. None seemed to be coming. She walked slowly down the first aisle they came to. The pharmacy had some things missing, but it wasn't general looting. The items were neatly taken by people that were just trying to survive.

  Behind her Jack had found plastic shopping bags and was pulling things off the shelf she felt
they needed. Before they reached the back for the medications, she had 3 bags stuffed full of necessities. Since actual looters hadn't broken into the pharmacy, Max found the medical area mostly untouched. The door to the area behind the counter was locked, so Max climbed over it. On the other side she could see where people had again taken the basics, but not everything.

  Sorting through medications took time, as Max didn't know the set up the pharmacist used. Eventually, she found a case that was under lock and key. She knew that had to be the place with the hard medications in it, maybe even a form of morphine. Inside the pharmaceutical area, Max couldn't find anything to pop the lock. So going back into the store area, she moved around until she found a small hardware department. She grabbed a hammer and headed back to get the meds.

  Back in the truck, Jack sorted through her goods. She had made two trips to the truck with plastic bags hanging from her arms. She had all different types of snack foods that the store sold. As well as toiletries, socks, batteries, small towels, matches, and a large organization box that unfolded and fit into the back of the truck. As Max drove she sorted her items into the organization box. She had also found men's undershirts that she figured would work for Griffin and Turner. Jack's heart was gold and she always thought of others before herself.

  When they finally pulled back up to the motel, Max saw it was close to noon. They had taken quite a bit longer than she had meant to. But the search for meds took time, and she didn't want to get anything wrong or leave behind what they needed. Jack had a bag of food ready for lunch and she was proud to bring her haul back to the guys.

  The tone inside the rooms was somber. Griffin and Turner sat in the room with Sarah, both staring at her as if she were all of a sudden going to try to kill them. But Sarah's chest still rose and fell with breath. When Max checked her pulse, she found it be fast, but not weak. She was strong and had time yet to go. Max laid out the medications she found on the small motel table. Griffin turned to see what she had found.

  "They had prescription morphine. I grabbed the liquid. I thought that might be best to get it into her,” Max said, showing Griffin. He just nodded and looked back at Sarah.

  Max read the dosage chart that was inside the box with the bottle of morphine. Measuring out an adult dose, Max went to Sarah's side to pour the liquid down her throat. Before touching her mouth, Max pulled open one of her eyelids. Her eyes weren't black yet, so Max didn't feel scared. As she let her eyelid close, Sarah moaned slightly and opened both of her eyes to look at Max. She stood still, nervous about what Sarah was going to say, and unsure of how she would answer.

  "Hi, Max," Sarah said softly.

  "Hi, Sarah."

  "I know," Sarah said.

  "Know what?"

  "I'm dying. I saw it happen before," she said, her voice catching. Max couldn't say anything, so she just nodded slightly. Griffin came to her side then, hearing Sarah awake. The sight of his face had Sarah's eyes brightening just a bit. Max handed the medication to Griffin and stepped away. She didn't know what the relationship was between the two of them, but Sarah had some sort of affection for Griffin. If him being close gave her comfort, Max wanted to be well out of the way.

  The two of them had a whispered conversation. Max could see tears glistening on Sarah's face before Griffin softly wiped them away for her. He looked back once at Max, who looked away when she was caught watching their private moment. She saw Griffin pour the medication into Sarah's mouth. She smiled at whatever Griffin said after that. Feeling like she was spying, Max needed to get out of the room. Quickly she exited into the adjoining motel room.

  Jack followed her, setting out lunch in the guys' room. Turner joined them shortly after. They all sat around the room with food, though none of them ate anything. Max couldn't seem to get the sandpaper taste out of her mouth. Jack sat across from her looking sad. And Turner sat on one of the beds looking outside as if he were searching for answers to all the unknown right now.

  When Griffin entered ten minutes later, Turner jumped to his feet. Griffin shook his head at his friend and motioned for him to sit down. Turner sat and looked outside again. No one really had words for the situation. Having the need to take care of people, Jack brought food to Griffin who sat on the other bed, staring at the wall. He took the items without looking up at her. She stood for a moment and then as if she made a decision, she sat down close to Griffin.

  Max watched the two of them, sitting together, staring at the wall. She wasn't aware that while she watched father and daughter, Turner watched her. He looked at Max and followed her gaze to where she watched Griffin and Jack. They sat similarly, something that only people close to them would realize. Max found herself wondering if Jack was imitating Griffin's posture on purpose, or if it was natural, and only was noticeable because she was with her father now. Turner turned back and looked at Max again. This time she felt his gaze burning into her face. He motioned toward the outside and Max's insides turned to ice.

  Turner excused them, saying Max had promised him a clean shirt. He requested Max to come with him. On wooden legs, Max followed Turner out to the truck. Without saying a word he climbed into the front passenger seat and waited expectantly. Max surveyed their surroundings first. The bodies from the infected she had killed still littered the street. Sarah's blood could be seen dripping across the ground. While Max noticed these little things, she realized she almost wished there were infected to fight. She knew what Turner was going to say. And she wasn't ready to face it.

  "So," Turner said.

  "So," Max said, as she settled into the driver's seat. "Did you need a clean shirt? Jack picked up some..."

  "She's his, isn't she," Tuner said, cutting Max off from rambling further. Max sat staring at him, trying to keep her face blank.

  "I'm not sure what you mean," Max hedged. Her mind was screaming, but she kept her body and face completely still. Denial was all she had left.

  "Jack. Your daughter. Griffin is her father," Turner said, spelling it out.

  "I..." Max said, trailing off, wilting under the scrutiny she was under from Turner.

  "The first time she looked at me, her eyes threw me off. They were so familiar. But we were racing away from the walkers, so I didn't put much thought into it. But the day or so since then, I've seen other similarities. The way they sit, their posture. They both have a quick wit, but that could be credited to you too I suppose," Turner said. He finally looked away from Max, and she sagged back into the driver's seat. The things he mentioned were just a few things Max had noticed with Griffin and Jack being in the same physical space.

  "Did you tell him what you thought?" Max asked quietly.

  "Why haven't you?" Turner shot back.

  "Does it seem like it's been the right time at any point since we came to the shelter?"

  "What about the rest of her life, Max? Where was the notification then?" Turner demanded, obviously defensive for his friend. Max didn't blame him. She had kept Griffin's daughter from him for eight years. It took the world falling apart for her to drive the short distance to find him.

  "He left me. I didn't want him coming for me because I had his kid," Max replied. It was the only defense she had and it wasn't wrong.

  "The story he tells is much different."

  "Well for you it's a story. For me it was my life and the plan I had that disappeared as soon as he decided to leave and never look back," Max said finally. "Are you going to tell him?"

  "No. That's something you need to do. I'll give you that chance. But if we make it to Montana and you haven't said anything, I will."

  Max didn't say another word. She didn't react well to threats. Slamming the driver's door shut after her, she paced the parking lot. Again, she found herself wishing for something infected to fight, anything that she could kill.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Sarah had awoken one additional time since lunch. In the breath she had, she had explained she had meant to go to the bathroom and come back. She wanted some
cover to go, so she went to the weeds across the street. Somehow in the dark, she had gotten turned around. She realized she was in trouble when she bumped into an infected that was also in the weeds. She had turned to run, but another infected had grabbed her.

  Max didn't verbalize her shock, but she couldn't figure how Sarah had fought off two infected on her own. The fight, her screaming, and maybe the smell of her blood had attracted the other infected that were in the weeds. She had wandered and hidden all night, at one point falling asleep. Max almost laughed at the absurdity of falling asleep when you're being hunted. However, she stopped herself, remembering that Sarah was going to die. And she did what she could to make it back to the motel.

  Griffin had administered an additional dose of morphine to help her fall back asleep. Max was sure it was too much, but they just wanted her to make it through her last hours with no pain. There was no risk of her dying of an overdose in the short time she had left. Her skin was burning to the touch. The bites on her side were still oozing blood, no clotting happening in the area. Griffin came in to watch as Max changed the makeshift bandages around the wound.

  "It won't stop bleeding, will it?" He asked quietly.

  "No, probably not. My theory is the illness is in the saliva. And once it makes contact with a wound on the body like this, it affects the way the blood works. That's just a guess though," Max said. She pulled the information she had from watching the same thing happen to Denise in Charleston. Sarah's symptoms were almost exact to Denise's.

  "It's a decent guess. The best I've heard so far. It was strange, but there were no real military doctors at the shelters I was at," Griffin said.