EVOLVED

by Jessica Gomez

  Laughing, we climb onto the utility trailer and start down the mountain. Most of our cave family is still sleeping at sunrise, so there’s no one to say goodbye at this hour. At least I know Azami’s in good hands. Michael and the rest of the camp would fight to the death to protect her and the rest of the cave family.

  We calculate the mileage, and we’ll have to walk part of the way to Jubilee Lake. This way, we can ensure that we’ll have enough gas to get home. Lillie might have a hard time getting around in her condition, and walking several miles will take a toll on her. We’ll make camp tonight, a few miles out, and walk the rest of the way.

  Our drive is long and brutal, the process made slow from the terrain and snow. Granted, there’s not a lot of snow left in most areas, but where the pines are thicker, snow blankets the ground. We start the trip out strong, covering all our driving distance in the first day, stopping only to eat and use the bathroom. We keep an eye out for clues. We’ll enter their territory soon and we want to remain unnoticed. Mason stops at the next clearing. With the sun setting, we plan on making camp soon, and not a moment too soon.

  “Mason, disconnect the trailer over there and we’ll bury it with branches tomorrow before we head out. We’ll put the four-wheeler next to it and do the same before we leave in the morning,” I instruct.

  “On it.” He waits for us to unload ourselves, and then backs the trailer in like an expert. He starts using a small saw to cut down branches for the coverage in the morning. We’ll also use them as bedding tonight to break up some of the cold seeping out of the ground while we sleep.

  The rest of us set to unloading our nightly gear, and I hand out breakfast bars Sarah and Azami made for us. Everyone munches as they organize for the evening. James starts the fire, keeping it small as not to attract too much attention, while Jere and Luke collect the wood. I lay out our sleeping equipment and create a shelter that’ll provide a small reprieve from the weather. Mason and I put together the dinner items and pile the pine branches for sleeping. We cooked the meat before we left and only had to reheat. This way, we can keep the fires to a minimum to avoid detection. It’s the smartest thing to do while we’re this far away from home, and backup.

  We scarf down the potatoes and green beans while we wait for the main course. Conversation is light, each person stuck in their own thoughts about the journey.

  I break the silence, wanting to touch base on the plan. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll cover what we’re leaving behind and head straight to the lake, walk the perimeter until we find her.”

  “Remember, this may not be the right place. Don’t count on—” Luke starts, but I interrupt.

  “She’s here.” My words hold no room for argument. I know she’s here. My senses are tingling with electricity. I can’t sense her emotions, but my body understands.

  The group stares at me, probably questioning my sanity. “Ian’s right,” James chimes in. “All our dreams indicate this area. I’m getting an overwhelming sense of rightness. We’re on the right path.”

  After James makes his statement, the rest of the guys relax and smile. Everyone’s excited to have her back in the caves. “Don’t forget that Lil said Becky is still kicking. She’s gained followers with the lower-level infected. She’s able to order them around like a pack. They’re out there too and we want to avoid them completely. As much as I’d like to take them out and eliminate any threat, we’re here on a rescue mission first and foremost.”

  “Roger that,” Mason agrees easily, as Jere and James nod.

  “Are you sure?” Luke questions.

  His question causes my hackles to rise. “What do you mean?” Nothing is getting in the way of saving Lillie. She’s coming home with me in a handful of days and I’ll do anything to keep it that way.

  Luke raises his hands in surrender. “I’m laying it all out there. If we avoid Becky’s group, that leaves one more threat out there, one that also knows where we live. Do we really want a repeat of the last attack? I’m not saying we should confront them now, but once this is finished, that situation requires our attention.”

  Mason nods his agreement. “Luke’s right. We shouldn’t dismiss this so easily. I don’t think we should deliberately seek them out, that’s not our mission right now. Our priority is Lillie. If we encounter them after we’ve saved her, then that’s a different story.”

  James chimes in. “According to our dreams, we may encounter them during the rescue. If we do, we’ll eliminate as many of them as we can, including Becky. She knows where the cave is. She and Jeff both have to go.”

  “Jeff brought his group with him inside the caves. If we can, we need to take them all out. This way, the ones that know where we’re located are gone. It’s a temporary fix until we can get home. We’re going to have to change the way we live. After knowing the infected are growing in intelligence, we have to prepare for the worst. Build a wall around our home, block it off from all access points. The cave walls protect us the most, but the bathing area and front exit are still weak,” Luke adds.

  “One problem at a time. Let’s save that conversation for home and concentrate on finding Lil,” I redirect. “I think we’re on the same page. Rescue Lil, kill as many infected as possible in the process, and not engage Becky’s group unless they encounter us, correct?” I look to each of them, silently asking if they have anything to add. “All right, let’s get some sleep. Dawn always comes too early.” I stand before the others and make my way over to the shelter.

  We layered the ground with several pine branches, padding the cold hard ground, then added our sleeping bags. With the clothes that each of us will wear to bed, the weather won’t be too bad. We have a small fire to warm us as well.

  The others are eager to continue tomorrow and lay down for the night. Luke volunteers for first watch. James takes second watch, leaving Jere with the last shift. They split the night up between the three of them, allowing Mason and me to get a full night’s rest.

  My sleep is restless at best, catching only a glimpse of Lillie in my dreams throughout the night. She’s so close, yet just out of my grasp. Her emotions tickle over my senses. We’re getting closer.

  When the sun rises, Jere wakes us to begin our walk. We stash the quad and trailer, using the pine branches we slept on as camouflage. I hand out another round of breakfast bars and down plenty of water. We have about eight miles, depending on which side of the lake their cave is on, and how long our search stretches.

  Since the infected last attacked, when they took Lil, our ammo’s ran low. We chose to bring one gun with eight rounds, leaving the other half of our weapons at the cave. Our next mission for supplies and weapons is already planned for after our arrival. We were running on minimal supplies, probably the lowest we’ve had in years. We couldn’t afford to leave the cave defenseless, but walking into this rescue without any protection is ludicrous.

  Luke holds the gun since he’s in the front of the group, tracking. He’s picking up on random trails, but they’re all results of wild game.

  “Do you even know where you’re going?” Mason asks, being a smartass.

  The rest of us laugh when Luke glares over his shoulder. “Fuck off. We’re going in the right direction,” he declares.

  I’m buzzing with anticipation. “We’re going in the right direction. It’s as if I sense her already. She’s around here somewhere, I just can’t pinpoint her,” I offer, backing Luke’s words.

  James nods. “Same. I don’t sense her like you do, but this place is familiar, and I think that’s because of our dreams.”

  Jere nudges James. “You do know that we’re in the forest, right? It all looks the same. How can you be sure?”

  “I don’t know. Intuition?” He arcs a brow, a smile stretching his face, until his features freeze. His smile slowly slips, a premonition stealing our happiness. He’s projecting his emotions, relaying the urgency while he’s stuck motionless.

  “Be ready. He’s seeing—” My warning is cut off whe
n a snarl rips from the trees to our right.

  Three infected lunge from the brush. They must’ve been stalking us as we walked, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The warning system that’s built into James is the only reason their plan didn’t succeed. Luke fires off a round to stop the closest infected, clipping it in the side, slowing its pursuit. Jere pulls James behind him until he recovers, stabbing the wounded infected in the side of the head. Mason and Luke fight off the second infected. Mason pins its arms behind its back, while Luke plunges his blade into the soft tissue under its chin. The third infected comes right for me. I slip my blade from its case and slice him across the stomach, pouring his guts to the ground. It howls in anger and steps over its innards, continuing the attack. Flipping my blade around, I follow Luke’s lead and slam it under his chin, effectively ending the creature’s life.

  Yanking my blade free, I turn back to the fight behind me, where two more come through the trees. The infected are fast, each going for their own prey. One cuts to Mason in seconds, snapping its teeth in his face, too close for him to stab. A shot fires off to my left, freezing me in place. Luke drops the other infected fighting Jere to the dirt. He raises the gun once again and fires at the infected attacking Mason. The forward momentum pitches the infected forward, smearing Mason with its bile.

  Mason tosses the body away from him and wipes his hands on his pants, trying to clean himself. “Dammit! Why can’t we kill them without touching them?” he grunts his displeasure. “They’re fucking foul. I’ll be lucky to get the smell off me.”

  “Shut up, you crybaby,” I tell Mason, before walking over to where Luke stands next to Jere. “Hey, Jere. You okay?”

  “Yeah, man. The damn thing slammed into me and caught my arm wrong. I thought he broke it for a minute.” He gingerly opens and closes his fist, flexing his muscles.

  I pat his back and look to James. “How about you, bro?”

  “Yeah. Sorry I didn’t warn you sooner.” He rubs the back of his neck. “That one snuck up on me. Everyone’s okay?” He looks around, assessing the situation.

  “Everyone’s okay. Don’t stress about the timing. Some time is better than no time.” I rub his shoulder for a second, running a scan of his emotions, making sure he’s truly fine.

  “Now that we’ve established that everyone’s okay, we should get going. Those gunshots are going to attract attention and we don’t want to be here when it does.” Luke picks up the imaginary trail he’s been following, leading the way again.

  I pull up the rear, keeping an eye on James and Jere, both for different reasons. Mason and Luke chat softly in the front of the group, stopping periodically to listen to our surroundings. The gunshots can draw unwanted company, and double checking our trail is mandatory.

  My heart picks up speed when the waterline of the lake breaks through the trees. The sun is twice as bright, as the rays reflect off the rippling surface of the water. Jubilee is not a large lake, spanning roughly three miles around its perimeter, but it’s gorgeous. I’ve read about the area and know there’s a campground on part of the lake’s edge. I expect the infected to stay clear of that area, possibly setting up their den farther inland, but close enough to fish in the lake.

  The weather in our area is steadily growing warmer, unlike Jubilee. The altitude of the lake keeps the temperature much colder year-round. Even during the summer months, the night air is chilly. Our only reprieve is the clear blue sky that allows the warmth to penetrate every surface.

  “Let’s stop here and eat.” Mason unstraps his pack and sets it down in front of him.

  The rest of us follow suit with no objections. My stomach growls, signaling its eagerness for lunch. Our location doesn’t permit us the luxury of a fire to warm our bodies, but with the hike we’re on, fire isn’t required to stay warm. Body heat it working quite well.

  Sarah cooked the meat before we left for this kind of predicament. All the food we pack for hikes is precooked in case we’re unable to start a fire. Since we believe the infected are housed somewhere in the surrounding hills, starting a fire to tip them off to our location isn’t smart. They more than likely already heard the gunshots.

  After the food is handed out, we tuck ourselves between two large pines, using them to block us from view. We use the downtime to finish going over our plan, which basically consists of winging it.

  Luke begins to draw a large circle in the dirt next to us with a stick. He waits to speak until he finishes chewing his mouthful of food. “We’ll move around the perimeter.” He places an X where we’re sitting and draws another line around the lake, describing our path. “I don’t think the infected will settle up against the lake, so we’ll move in about twenty yards. I’m hoping your senses can guide you, but we should stumble across a few trails if this is where they’re living. Either way, we’ll search every inch before we leave.”

  He looks to each of us for our approval, pausing on me, giving me a moment to object. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Good. Let’s finish this up and we’ll keep going. Is everyone doing good? Jere, how’s your arm?”

  “Still sore, but nothing I can’t handle.” He rubs his offended limb.

  Mason and Luke check our surrounding areas, plotting alternate routes for escape if all hell breaks loose. Jere stands off on his own, staring off across the lake, giving James and I a moment to speak.

  “How are you doing?” I ask.

  “The vision left me lethargic, but my strength’s returning. A little more of this and I’ll be good to go.” He holds up his jerky.

  “Good.” I sit next to him before I ask my next question. “Do you sense her anywhere?”

  My heart leaps in my throat, waiting for his response. “No.” He breathes out heavily. “I mean, I do feel different, almost like I’m on high alert, but I don’t know why. It’s got me edgy and looking over my shoulder often.”

  I chuckle at his analogy and nod, because his description mirrors mine. “Same,” I confirm.

  “I think the weirdness that we’re feeling means we’re going to find her, especially since we’re both sensing it.” James is adamant, which ignites a flame of hope.

  “We’re on the right track, I’m sure of it.” I reach over and squeeze his shoulder reassuringly.

  “We good here?” Mason asks, looking between the two of us.

  “Yeah, we’re fine.” I smile up at him, the wicked seed of excitement twisting through my veins.

  “Then let’s get going, we’re burning daylight.” Mason is just as determined as we are to find Lillie. He’s spent more time than any of us searching and he’s eager to achieve his goal.

  We hike for a couple hours before I begin to pick up blips of emotions through the air. The sensation is eerie, like ants crawling under the skin. They trickle in and out, triggering my warning system.

  “Heads up,” I caution the group. “I’m picking up flickers of emotions that aren’t Lillie’s. They’re brief glitches, like when I sensed the infected at Palomino Drive.”

  “Keep the voices quiet and our ears open,” Luke relays.

  Only a handful of steps later, a familiar tingle starts to warm me, and James stops in his tracks, a vision blinding him to his surroundings. A ghost of a smile flashes across his lips, and before I can ask him where she is, a tsunami of emotions hit me. They’re so strong, I’m almost knocked back. Lillie’s projecting her anxiety, fears, and plea for help.

  “Lillie!” I yell at the top of my lungs. Her emotions are so strong, she should be right on top of me.

  “Ian!” she hollers in return, her desperation sounding through my shouted name.

  I sprint in her direction, climbing the hillside in record time. Partway up the hill, wildflowers are blooming. My heart expands, remembering the premonition of spring flowers. We crest the top at the same time, slamming into one another. After wrapping my arms around her, she goes limp, her large belly pushing against me.

  “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.
You’re safe now. You both are.” I hug her close and place a hand on her stomach protectively.

  She takes a moment to collect herself, then stands back up on her own. “They’re coming. They’re chasing us, Becky and Jeff. Both are coming.” Her sentences are clipped and short, having trouble catching her breath.

  I watch the forest behind her, noticing the man that’s standing to her right. Branches crack and rustle as the infected race toward us, trying to recapture their runaways. There’s no time for questions, those will wait until later. I softly push Lil behind me and farther down the hill toward the group.

  When they catch sight of her, they smile and shout out her name. James is in her arms seconds later. She hugs him tight once and pulls away. The rest of the crowd gauges the situation by the serious expression on her face.

  “Run,” she says to them in greeting. “They’re coming.”

  Chapter 20

  Lillie

  The air outside is light and magical compared to the sweating, rotting smells the cave possesses. There’re small patches of snow hiding underneath the low hanging branches of the pines lining the forest’s walkway. Trailing my fingers across the tall grass strands, I continue to walk, my body leading the way without cue.

  Moments later, I’m overlooking a ravine. At the bottom snakes a small river, surrounded by large rocks. The height is causing my focus to zoom in and out, throwing off my equilibrium. My heart picks up speed, partly scared, and partly because I sense someone behind me. There’s no sound, no rustle of clothing, but I can almost feel their warm breath on the back of my neck.

  Reaching a hand under my belly to support my Sweet Pea, I pivot and attempt to escape. My pursuer anticipates my move and blocks my exit. Snapping teeth strike forward, searching for warm flesh to sink into and devour. I’m able to elude the infected for a moment, until I step in the wrong direction, putting my back up against the open air of the ravine.

  It’s as if she senses it. Becky eats up the final step between us, lunging for me. Her teeth are about to tear into me, when my fight or flight kicks in. Unfortunately, my flight steps backwards, into the open air.