Before we exit Creekside, Ben puts a hand on my arm. “We need a way to signal each other if something goes wrong.”
I frown. “Like a code word?”
“Exactly.”
I think for a moment. “How about Five Leaf?” That was the name of the brewery we holed up in the night we rescued Susan and Gary. I think of that night more often than I should.
Ben nods, mouth set in a firm line. “Five Leaf. I’ll stay two steps to the right of your five at all times. You do the talking. You see anything off—and I mean anything, Kate—say the word.”
Taking a deep breath, I head toward the perimeter fencing. The morning is crisp, the asphalt damp from last night’s rain. The air smells fresh, cleansed of the dust and debris that’s hung in the air ever since we blew up College Creek and the library.
Ben keeps his rifle raised, barely making a sound as he dogs my footsteps. I stop when I’m ten feet away from the newly erected fence, grateful to have it between me and the strangers.
The man in the battered leather jacket stares at me, hands still raised. I don’t have to turn around to know Caleb and Ash still have rifles trained on him from the rooftop.
“My name is Kate.” I raise my voice to carry over the line of cars that separates us. I’ve become so accustomed to the quiet—of being quiet—that raising my voice automatically makes me glance around for zombies.
“I’m Leo.” The bushy man’s eyes dart from Ben to my people on the roof. “This—I—we saw the explosions. We—we came from—” He swallows. Even from twenty feet away, I sense the grief roiling off him.
My breath catches in my throat. I suddenly know exactly where this ratty band is from. Cold sweat beads my spine.
“You came from Eureka.”
He flinches, as though I’ve ferreted out a truth he was trying to hide. “Yes.”
A low growl of fury rumbles up from Ben.
“You led that horde straight to us.” Fury washes through me, making it difficult to breathe. I see my knife blade as it slams through Jesus’s temple. I see Lila fall.
I have a very strong urge to wrap my hands around Leo and strangle him.
“We didn’t mean to,” Leo whispers. “We were desperate. We’ve been living in in a condo complex in Eureka ever since the outbreak. We’ve been surviving, but we weren’t prepared for—for the zombies getting smart.” His voice is strained. “There were forty-seven people in our community before they hit us. We had no choice but to try and outrun them.”
Forty-seven.
Only seven people stand outside our home.
The thought makes me sick. A pang goes through my heart.
It’s an effort to keep my face impassive. “We’ve seen it, too. The zombies are evolving.”
“They’ve become goddamn hunting packs.” Leo’s voice twists with agony.
“You were in cars. You painted a big target on your backs with all that noise. Hell, we heard you from miles away.”
“They were everywhere,” Leo replies. “Our complex was overrun. The vehicles were our only options.”
“You got some of our people killed,” Ben snarls. “When you roared past campus, you brought them right down on us.”
Leo’s face ripples with anguish. “We didn’t do it on purpose. We didn’t know what else to do.”
“That doesn’t change the outcome.” Ben’s lips are pressed into a tight line.
What would I have done, had I been in Leo’s position? Zombies behind us, an impassible car maze in front ... I close my eyes and shake my head. Leo took the only road open to him. I would have done the same thing had I been in his position.
I stare at the other man, meeting his gaze. He licks his lips, looking back at me with hope.
“We saw the explosions and hoped to find other survivors on campus,” Leo continues. “It took us over a week to figure how to get here after we ran out of gas ... zombies are everywhere.” This last part trails off in a whisper. I have no doubt he lost people after they ran out of gas.
“What is it you want?” I need to hear him spell it out.
Leo stares at me. Seconds tick by.
“We want to live,” he says finally. “We came here looking for other people. We’ve lost everything ...”
He looks so lost and so tired it makes my heart ache. I know that look. There have been times when I’ve felt just how he looks. No one can fake that.
I can’t turn my back on it. Even if these people did inadvertently bring about the deaths of Jesus and Lila. Or maybe it’s because of their loss that I find myself wanting to help. As if doing the right thing can bring us all redemption.
I glance at Ben, my mind made up. He gives me a tight look.
“No one comes in without first getting checked for bites,” he says in a voice pitched loud enough for only me to hear. “And they surrender all their weapons.”
I nod, turning back to Leo. “We’ll be having breakfast soon. You can come in and share a meal with us if you agree to a few conditions.”
I don’t know what I expected his response to be. A smile of relief, maybe. A heartfelt thanks.
What I don’t expect is for Leo’s shoulders to slump, as if a giant weight has just slid off them. He puts a hand over his eyes, a quiver running through his body.
Ben stiffens, bringing the rifle up.
“Don’t.” I put out a hand, pressing on his shoulder. “Don’t. It’s okay.”
A single sob breaks out of Leo’s throat. It’s a sound of mingled sorrow and relief. He wipes his eyes and turns, beckoning to his tiny group of fellow survivors.
“Name your terms,” he says in a quavering voice.
“Everyone surrenders their weapons and agrees to a full inspection for bites. No one comes in here with a bite.”
“Or anything that looks like a bite,” Ben mutters.
“Or anything that looks like a bite,” I amend.
Leo is nodding before I even finish. “Yes, okay. Whatever you say.”
I don’t even think he’s listening to me. I could probably ask for his right foot and he’d hand it over.
“Come on,” Leo calls to his people. “It’s all right. They’re going to help us.”
His people creep forward. They’re filthy and hollow-eyed. They look like they’ve barely eaten. Their clothing is torn and caked with grime.
When they look at me, my throat tightens. I may have failed Jesus, and I may have failed Lila. Hell, in some ways, I even failed Frederico.
Maybe, just maybe, I can begin to make up for it by helping these people. There’s room in Creekside for new family members.
35
Newcomers
BEN
He watches the newcomers devour their food like starved dogs. They smell like death. They don’t look much better.
Ben is trying to sort out which he dislikes more: having an alpha zombie and two regular zoms locked up in Juniper for observation, or having strangers in Creekside. He’s still undecided.
He personally made the men strip down and let him check them for bites. They had their fair share of bruises and scrapes and cuts, but he’d found no bites.
“We don’t hang onto the bitten,” Leo told Ben when he inspected the man. “We’re not stupid.”
Ben didn’t ask him to elaborate on those statements. He tried not to look too long at the sunken ribcage and clear signs of hunger that clung to the members of the group. Besides a few small backpacks with bottles of water and some candy bars, they appeared to have nothing other than the clothes on their backs.
Even so, Ben keeps his guard up. It could all be a ruse. He prefers to err on the side of paranoia.
They had few weapons, mostly knives. A few had short spears of rebar. No firearms of any kind. They surrendered everything without argument.
The seven newcomers now sat in a tight cluster on the floor, eating spaghetti that Gary made for breakfast.
Ben wants to blame them for Lila and Jesus’s deaths. It would be easy. But h
e’s been in enough battles to know shit happens. It’s not their fault.
There are two kids in the group. They scarf their food down like ravenous animals, not even bothering to use their silverware. Ben hasn’t see kids like this since he served in Africa. The sight grinds away at his intrinsic hostility to strangers.
Kate tries to keep an impassive expression, but she’s no good at it. Or maybe it’s just because Ben watches her so often he’s become good at reading her. The plight of these people picks at her heartstrings.
She’s going to let them stay. He sees it in her eyes. These half starved, half dead strangers will fill the part of her that’s been empty since Lila and Jesus died. They could not have picked a better place to come calling.
“We have some spare rooms you can use,” Kate tells them when they finish eating. “You can freshen up and get some rest. We have running water. It’s cloudy today so it probably won’t be warm, but you can at least wash up. We’ll get everyone new clothes.”
“Will you let us stay?” asks a woman with gray-blond hair. Her name is Stacy.
“We can talk about that tomorrow,” Kate replies. “If you stay, you have to pull your weight.”
“We can work.” Leo sets down his empty bowl. “We can help. We can help with whatever you need. I worked on a farm before all hell broke loose.”
“What kind of farm?” Carter asks.
“Marijuana farm.” Leo shifts, unease suddenly in his eyes. “It was a legal one for medicinal cannabis. I managed the grow beds. I saw your indoor garden downstairs. I can help with that. Expand it.”
They could use an indoor gardening expert. Especially after the loss of the library. They could use anyone who knows anything about growing things.
“We’ll talk later,” Kate says. “First, we’ll take you to a spare dorm suite. You can freshen up and rest.”
Ben takes up a rearguard position with Caleb as the newcomers file into the hall after Kate. The two of them exchange glances. For once, Ben feels no animosity toward the other man. From the look on his face, Caleb is as wary of the newcomers as Ben is. Good. That means he’ll be vigilant. They need vigilance with so many strangers in their home.
Kate doesn’t take them to any of the empty suits on the second floor. Instead, she leads them up to the third floor. Ben approves of this. All the food and weapons are stored on the second floor. He knows Kate wants to give these people the benefit of the doubt, but at least she’s being sensible.
The small group of survivors enters the empty suite with a look of awe and appreciation. The plain kitchen and living room with its band posters must feel like a safe haven after the hell they’ve endured.
“Did you clear out this place yourselves?” Leo asks.
“Yes,” Kate says. “This is our home. It’s called Creekside.”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” he replies, clearly not missing the way Kate leaned on the words our home.
Jenna and Carter bring in two black garbage bags stuffed with clothes we’ve gathered from the dorm rooms.
“Hope there’s something in here for everyone,” Carter says. “If there’s a size missing we can take a look in some of the other rooms.”
“It’s perfect. Thank you.” Leo wads a dirty hat in his hands. “Look, I’ll be honest. There’s nothing left for us outside these walls. If you guys throw us out, my people are as good as dead. I know we’re on probation. We don’t want to waste any time trying to prove ourselves. Put us to work now. We know you guys are working on fortifications. Let us help.”
Kate shakes a head. “You guys are exhausted. Take a day to sleep and restore yourselves. We can talk tonight.”
“We don’ t need to wait. Let us help with the fortifications and prove ourselves. Believe me, every last one of us knows there are worse things than being tired.” Leo raises his eyes to Kate’s.
Ben sees a man close to breaking from the pains of the world. He knows what that feels like. Something in him eases as he watches Leo. The man’s people gather behind him in a tight knot, every last one of them looking to Kate with hope in their eyes.
Slowly, Kate nods. “Okay. If you insist.”
THEY TROOP OUTSIDE. Even the little kids come, stoically refusing to leave the side of the woman—Margie—with her silver hair in a bun. Ben follows at the rear where he can keep an eye on everyone.
Clouds cover the sun. It smells like more rain is coming. A dozen zombies have gathered outside the north side of the wall. No matter how many they kill, there are always more that replace them.
“We can take care of those for you.” Leo gestures to the milling undead.
“Thank you.” Kate smiles at Leo. “That would be very helpful. What do you need to get it done?”
Leo shrugs, eyes flinty. “Just about anything will do the trick.” He walks over to the pile of rebar from the ruins of College Creek. Leo extracts a piece and hefts it in his hand like a spear.
The others join him, even the two kids, all of them grabbing weapons. Rocks. Chunks of concrete. More rebar. Judging by the way they look at the zombies on the other side of the cars, Ben can tell they’ve done their fair share of killing.
As Leo leads his people out of the compound, Carter pulls out the screwdriver and hammer he always wears at his belt. Jenna and Susan are right behind him, also drawing weapons.
Kate, of course, has to join them. Ben edges up behind her, staying vigilant.
“What do you think of them?” she whispers to him.
He recalls the broken look he’d seen on Leo’s face. “I think they’re good people.” He takes half a dozen steps with her, watching the back of Leo’s head. “But you shouldn’t take my word for it. I’m not the best judge of character.” He’d misjudged Johnson, after all. “One slip out here and people die.”
Even though she’d been drunk, he wonders if she remembers the things he told her about College Creek. About the kids he’d failed to keep alive.
“I don’t want this to be one of those times when I make a mistake.” Kate draws in a long breath, her gaze taking in the dorm buildings that surround them. “But I want to help them.”
This is one of the things Ben admires most about Kate: she gives a shit. She gives a shit about perfect strangers she hears calling for help from a charter boat in Humboldt Bay. She cares about strangers who show up hunted and half starved on her doorstep. Shit, there isn’t anyone she doesn’t care about.
“Trust your instincts,” he says. “The rest of us will back you up.”
“Thanks, Ben.” She gives him a small smile before jogging away to join Carter, Jenna, and Susan. They slip through the front gate after Leo and his people. Ben follows, keeping watch as he promised.
Twenty feet in front of them are Leo and his group. The two little kids are armed with big rocks. Something about the sight of their small hands wrapped around weapons makes his stomach clench.
He’d seen child soldiers in Somalia and Uganda. It was no less disturbing in Africa than it is now. Still, in the zombie apocalypse, the defenseless person is the dead person. Arming these kids wasn’t the wrong thing to do.
The group of zombies outside the compound has grown to eight. With Leo’s people, we number eleven. Maybe the kids won’t have to fight.
Leo wields a piece of rebar in one hand, a rock in the other. He sprints forward, breaking away from the group.
He’s fast and silent. He reaches the foremost of the zombies as they begin to rotate in our direction. He drops it with a swift strike of the rebar. As a second zombie closes in, he leaps toward it and smashes it with the rock.
The rest of his people rush forward, each of them silent and vicious in their attack. The little kids dart after them. Ben watches in fascination as the kids bring their rocks down on the skulls of any zombie that hits the ground, making sure the dead stay dead. Kate sprints into the battle, leading Ben and the others.
It takes their combined force no less than two minutes to bring down the eight undead.
Spattered with blood and surrounded by bodies, Leo’s people survey one another, checking for wounds and bites. The little kids compare blood splatter.
Ben sees the moment when the Creekside crew adds seven new members to the ranks. It’s when Kate looks at the kids. She takes in their little hands and the blood flecked all up and down their arms. It’s all over after that.
Ben doesn’t blame her for a second. It’s over for him, too.
“Your people are skilled zombie hunters,” Kate says.
Leo looks like he might collapse from exhaustion, but he straightens his spine. “We’ve had enough practice for a lifetime.”
Kate nods. She and Leo exchange a long, silent look. Leo radiates earnestness. Kate is helpless to turn away from it, though she pretends to weigh it.
“There are a few things all new members of our group have to agree to,” she says.
“Name your terms.”
She draws in a breath and launches into the same speech she gave Ben when he joined her. “Cars are no longer a safe mode of transport. Even bikes are questionable. Anything that draws the attention of zombies is dangerous.”
Leo and his people nod. None of them speak, so Kate continues.
“My people rely on endurance for survival. Anyone who joins our community agrees to six days a week of endurance training.”
“What’s endurance training?” Leo asks.
“Running,” Carter explains. “We train at the track.”
“Every member of our group can run for four hours at a time,” Kate says. “It’s an essential survival tactic.”
“That training has saved my ass,” Ben pipes in. “When the alpha swarm hit Arcata, Kate and I had to run like rabbits to get away.”
“You guys run?” Another man in Leo’s group, a pale-haired fellow, looks intrigued. “I am—was—a PE teacher. And I ran track in high school.”
Undead Ultra Box Set | Books 1-4 Page 78
