Find Me (Life After the Outbreak, Book 2)

by Baker, LJ

  "Absolutely. And we had filet mignon and fresh veggies every night for dinner and slept on fluffy clouds that floated down rivers of caramel. It was awesome."

  "I figured." Dan nudged me with his elbow and motioned with his head toward two flesh eaters walking past some cars up ahead. They were in bad shape, stumbling and bumping into one another. It wasn't even possible to tell if they were male or female at that point. Their clothes were ripped to shreds, and what little skin was left on them was falling off in hunks as the bounced off each other.

  "Put them out of their misery?" I asked and pulled the knife from my belt.

  Dan nodded. "Assuming they even feel misery."

  "I'm not sure whether I hope they do or don't. I want to think they do. They deserve to feel something for all the misery they cause, but then, well, they don't. Ya know?"

  "Yeah." Dan sighed. "It's not their fault what happened to them. I would like to get my hands on the ones who are responsible for it though. Now that's who deserves misery."

  Dan stopped and held his arm in front of me to keep me there while we waited for our approaching friends to catch up. The one on the right tripped over a pothole in the road and fell, losing one of its legs in the process. It looked confused, then tried to push itself along with its arms. The other didn't seem to notice and kept hobbling in our direction.

  Dan dropped his arm and stepped ahead. "I got two-legs. You take the other?"

  "No problem." I walked over to the thing, almost completely devoid of flesh from scraping along the asphalt. It looked up at me and moaned. The pathetic sound seemed to beg me to finish it off. I kicked at it, and the jaw came unhinged. It wouldn't be able to bite me if it tried, but it still had one working arm and I didn't need to get scratched by that thing.

  "Are you playing with it or killing it?" Dan called over, finished with two-legs, as he called it.

  "I was thinking we could use it for kickball, but it's a little deflated. What do you think?"

  Dan walked up and glanced down at the thing. It hissed and tried to reach out for his leg. "I think you need to ditch those Converse for some steel-toed boots first or you're going to be joining the opposing team."

  “Oh, fine." I huffed. "Ruin all the fun." I bent down and pushed the knife into its brain. Thick black sludge oozed onto the road. I stepped back to avoid getting any on my sneakers. Not that I hadn't had zombie guts on me before, but I preferred to avoid it when possible.

  Dan took the knife from me and wiped it off on a scrap of old flannel shirt he had with him, then handed it back. "I would think Janet would have you in boots and camo by now, after what you told me."

  "Not like she didn't try. I can live without hot showers, refrigerated food, and no sense of a future, but no one is going to take my sneakers and hoodies. A girl has got to have limits, ya know."

  "So everything else can go then?" He glanced down at my pants and smiled.

  I knew exactly what he was thinking, and of course, my cheeks flared with heat at the realization. Dan was a flirt. It was nothing unexpected, but it still caught me off guard. I was used to dealing with high school boys and their pathetic attempts at flirting. Dan was no high school boy.

  "Don't be an dork." I punched him in the arm and started walking again.

  "I might be an dork," he said, letting his full accent through. "But, you are adorable."

  I rolled my eyes, more to myself than him because I knew he couldn't see me. That accent would get the attention of any girl, and I was no exception, but it wasn't the time to flirt. "Something about zombie killing that gets you hot?"

  "Nope." He jogged ahead and matched my faster than usual pace. "It's just you."

  "I do not get hot killing zombies, I can assure you of that." I huffed.

  He laughed. "Good to know."

  We spent the next few hours covering a section on the map we both decided would be best to start with. Dan knew a place we could spend the night that was about twenty-five miles out. It would be a long day, but a few days like that and we would be able to cover any likely areas Will could have gone, or even wandered if things hadn't turned out so well.

  Flesh eaters tended to hobble around aimlessly, unless they heard or smelled food, and even then, they didn't get far fast. If that was Will's fate, he probably didn't get very far. I hated to think about Will being dead, but I had to face that it was a very real possibility. I had to find him, no matter what it was I found.

  Dan was his usual talkative self the whole time. He caught me up on his adventures since I last saw him. Apparently, he met some people in a small group that were living in some shipping container bunker. They had been there since the beginning and were doing okay. They hadn't gone without losses, like the rest of us, but all things considered, they managed better than most.

  "Why didn't you just stay with them?"

  Dan smiled and elbowed me in the side. "I promised you that I'd find you again."

  He did. The last time I saw him, that was what he said. Of course, that was something people said, but no one really believed anymore.

  "Will promised me he'd be back before he left." I sighed and leaned back against a tree.

  "I know, love. I'm sorry. If he had any choice, you know he would have come back. That boy definitely loves you."

  "Exactly, so that means he didn't have a choice. So, he's probably …” I couldn't bring myself to say the word just then. I knew I had to face it, but until we found actual evidence one way or the other, a part of me held on to hope.

  Dan took a step closer and leaned his hand against the tree next to my head. "I'm not saying his chances are good, but crazier things have happened. Look around at the world we live in."

  The corner's of his lips turned up into a gentle smile. How he managed to stay so sweet and positive after all that happened was beyond me. He just lost his cousin and found out about Janet, who he said was like a sister to him, yet still, he tried to comfort me.

  I gave him a small nod and pushed off the tree. "How much further for today?"

  He pulled out the map and scanned over the area. "Not too much, actually. We should probably see if we can catch something for dinner though." He motioned his head in the direction of a jack rabbit staring at us from about ten yards away.

  I hated the idea of killing cute little animals, or anything else still breathing for that matter, but I hated starving even more. If I was with Will or Janet, they would have made me help kill the thing. A learning experience, they'd call it. But with Dan, I knew I was in the clear.

  He eased the bow off his shoulder and took aim. The rabbit twitched its ears and looked as if it were about to bolt. Dan released the arrow before it had the chance. His aim was dead on. It would be rabbit for dinner. A twinge of guilt surfaced as Dan pulled the arrow from its lifeless body, but I shoved it down with the rest of those feelings I learned to ignore.

  "Too bad we don't have any potatoes and carrots. We could make a nice rabbit stew." Dan smiled and held up the catch, proud.

  I tried to show my appreciation with a smile, but wasn't so effective. "Yeah, rabbit stew. Yum."

  Dan laughed, a little too loud for being out in the open. "You really are adorable."

  I wasn't sure what about my semi-disgusted look said adorable to him, but I couldn't help but smile. Even if I did roll my eyes at the same time.

  Dan pulled a sack out of his backpack and shoved the dead animal inside. At least I wouldn't have to see the thing. I didn't need those sad bunny eyes staring up at me in accusation.

  We walked on the last couple miles until we came to what seemed like a normal house. It was a light blue cape cod with a small covered porch. A simple little house that looked a bit small and too close to its neighbors.

  “Home, sweet home." Dan smiled and extended an arm toward the little house.

  "Here? Seriously? It's just a little house. How is this a good place to stay?"

  "It's bigger on the inside." Dan chuckled to himself.

  I r
olled my eyes at his Doctor Who reference. Dan was kind of a geek. A tall, muscular, panty-droppingly hot geek.

  My feet ached, and as much as I wanted to argue the logistics of the choice, I trusted him. If Dan believed we were safe there, then we were. I walked up the front steps but waited for him to open the door and enter first.

  We entered into a small living room. The sofa and television still sat in their place. Everything looked normal, like the last two years hadn't happened and the owners would be home any minute.

  "Does someone live here?"

  Dan looked around, as if noticing the place for the first time. "Hmm, yeah. People live here."

  He led me through the house to a stairway that went to the basement. Instead of opening the door, he pressed a button that hid under a child's drawing of a goat on a hill. There was a pause, then a loud buzzing sound and click before he opened the door.

  We walked down an old set of stairs that creaked under our feet. Dan held out a small LED flashlight to light the way enough so we didn't fall. I wasn't sure what we were walking into, but I could hear voices in the dark.

  "By the way, if you ever need to come here without me," Dan whispered. " Never touch that doorknob unless you hear that buzzing."

  "Why?" I whispered back.

  "Let's just say, it will be a shocking experience."

  At the bottom of the stairs, we went through another door into a lighted room. A handful of people stood waiting, armed.

  "Who's your friend, Dan?" The only man in the group asked.

  "This is a very good friend of mine, Andi. Okay if we spend the night?"

  "Andi?" He stepped forward and shined a light on me to get a better look. "Wait, the one you told us about?"

  "The very one." Dan smiled, and I felt at even more of a disadvantage.

  The guy stepped back and smiled. "Of course you can stay." Dan pulled him into a quick hug, like they were old friends and hadn't seen each other in ages.

  One of the girls, probably about my age, practically jumped into his arms the second he let the guy go and squealed with delight.

  He hugged the girl then set her back on her feet. "Nice to see you too, Crissy." He smiled but I could tell it made him uncomfortable. I wondered if he slept with her too like Rose.

  Poor Rose.

  "Since your guy is clearly rude, I'll introduce you to everyone. I'm Tony." He reached his hand out for a shake. "This rather excited one is Crissy, and that's her sister Sandra." Sandra smiled and finally took her hand off the knife in her belt. "And the smaller one is Isabelle."

  I smiled at each one and tried to commit all the new names to memory. "Nice to meet you."

  “Well, come on in and get comfortable. You missed dinner, but there might be some leftovers if you check with Alex."

  "We brought our own, so just the use of your kitchen will be great." Dan held up the sack with the dead rabbit in it.

  "Anything you need, brother."

  Dan headed off to cook the rabbit and left me with Tony and the girls. They led me into another room that was just as small but had a few couches crammed into it.

  "I've got some work to do, but make yourself comfortable. Just let one of the girls know if you need anything." Tony disappeared into another room and I settled down on one of the couches.

  "So how long have you four lived here?" I directed my question at Crissy, since she had been glaring at me since I sat down.

  Sandra almost immediately answered for her. "A while, but it's not just the four of us. We have a group of about ten. A few are sleeping, some are out patrolling, and Alex is probably in back with Tony."

  "Oh. That's a lot of people in this small basement."

  Crissy laughed. "It's bigger than it looks. So how long have you been with Dan?" She continued to glare and I realized she was jealous.

  "I'm not with Dan."

  She narrowed her eyes, probably trying to decide if I was lying. "What exactly does that mean?"

  I tried to hold back a laugh, but was unsuccessful. "It means, we are not together. We are friends. I actually have a boyfriend …” I didn't want to talk about Will, certainly not with some girl I just met who looked like she wanted to slit my throat in my sleep.

  "Oh." She stopped her glare and thought for a minute. "So then, he's single?"

  "Uh, sure. I guess." Dan didn't seem the least bit interested in her. After the way he treated Rose the day after, my guess was they already slept together and he was done with her.

  She jumped up excited and went to find Dan. Sandra moved closer and put her feet up on the coffee table that sat way too close to the couch.

  "So where's your boyfriend?" Sandra asked, not really looking interested.

  "Not sure. You got a bathroom here?" I was just trying to avoid the conversation, but it was good information to have.

  "Sure, I'll show you." She got up and led me down a dark hallway to a small bathroom that looked like it was put together by someone who had no clue what they were doing. "Paper goes in the bucket on the floor or it will clog."

  She padded back down the hall and left me there. I wondered how long I could hide out before someone came to check. I made it about five minutes before I heard screaming and glass breaking. I wasn't sure whether to stay put or go check it out at that point.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Like an idiot, I left my pack on the couch and the only weapon I had on me was the knife I carried in my belt. With no way of knowing what the commotion was, and in a place I wasn't familiar, my first thought was to wait it out. I thought about what Janet would have done and I knew it wouldn't be hiding in a bathroom.

  I took a deep breath and gripped the handle of my knife, then stepped from the bathroom. I got maybe three feet before someone grabbed my hand and pulled me into a dark room.

  "What the—"

  "It's Tony, chill out." He flipped on a small lantern, and light filled the small room.

  I pulled my hand from his. "What's going on out there?"

  "Crissy doesn't take well to rejection. Just give them a minute. She will calm down." Tony leaned against an oversized metal desk that was too big for the room.

  "What are you talking about?" I was confused and not ready to take the word of a total stranger.

  "Look, I know you and Dan are together now, but when he was here—"

  "Hold on. Why does everyone think me and Dan are a couple? We are just friends. Hell, we are out here looking for my boyfriend."

  "Oh. Well, then this conversation will go a lot easier." He chuckled and patted the desk next to him for me to sit. I shook my head and stayed put. There was no way I was moving from that door until he told me what was going on.

  "Dan and Crissy hooked up before he left here last time. My guess is that she wanted to pick up where they left off."

  "And he didn't."

  "No." Tony shook his head. "From the sound of her out there, it was a one-time deal. She likes to yell and throw things, but she always calms down. Real hot temper, that one."

  That didn't exactly make me feel better. "How hot?" People killed each other over less.

  “Oh, you don't have to worry about Crissy. She's all talk. Anyway, I warned her Dan was a dog. She should have listened to me."

  Dan was a great guy, but when it came to women, Tony was probably right.

  "So, I had a room made up for you and Dan, I guess I'll move him to the couch." Tony got up and headed for the door.

  "No, that's fine. Dan can stay with me."

  Tony raised an eyebrow and smirked before leaving the room. He probably thought there was something going on between us anyway, or maybe that I was hoping there would be. It really didn't matter what he thought. Dan and I had spent the night in the same bed before. It was no big deal. I would rather have him there when we were in a basement full of people I didn't know, regardless of what anyone thought.

  I followed Tony out of the small room and back down the hall to another room that I would be staying in. It was just big e
nough to fit a small mattress on the floor with a narrow path to move around it. He showed me how to feel the front of the doors to tell which room was which. The room I was in had a star on the door.

  Tony flashed the lantern around the room so I could see it. My pack was sitting on the bed along with Dan's stuff. Someone must have moved them in there already. I didn't like the idea of anyone touching my stuff, but I wasn't going to complain. They were giving us a place to spend the night, so I'd keep my mouth shut.

  "I should help Dan with the rabbit." That was really the last thing I wanted to do, but I was feeling very uncomfortable in the tiny space with Tony.

  "I'm sure Dan can handle one little rabbit." He laughed and took a step toward me.

  Living in a world where all the rules and moral ideals got tossed out along with the dead bodies, you learned to be on high alert. Everything and everyone could be a threat. Tony may have been a really nice guy, but something inside me told me to flee.

  "I think I'll check anyway." I grabbed the door handle and slipped from the room before he could object.

  Dan was in the kitchen sweeping up broken glass. He looked up and gave me an apologetic smile.

  I took the dustpan and held it as he swept up the last bits. "You okay?"

  "Yeah." He didn't elaborate, but I was sure he could tell I knew what the argument was about.

  "You need help with the rabbit?"

  He laughed. "Are you really offering or you just want to hang out here with me?"

  I batted my eyelashes a few times to be dramatic and smiled. "I'm uh … offering?"

  "Is that a question?" He returned the broom and dustpan to their place on the wall and went back to cooking.

  "Okay, so maybe I don't want to see that dead thing until it resembles something like chicken on a plate." I took a seat at the table and tried to ignore the fact that he was cutting Thumper into pieces a few feet away.

  He stopped for a moment and turned to look at me with a serious look. "Did someone bother you out there?"

  "No." Not really anyway. "I just feel more comfortable in here with you than out there with people I don't know."