Waking Up Dead eodl-1

by Emma Shortt

  “Yeah, buddy,” Luke said as Jackson took his hand and squeezed. Telling Pete of Lily’s continued existence would help no one. Least of all the broken man he could see in front of him. “She’s at peace now.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Jackson awoke the next morning and automatically reached for Mandy. It was only as her hand moved across the soft comfort of the mattress that she realized and remembered. She was in a bed. An honest to God bed!

  Luke shifted next to her and let out what sounded like a satisfied sigh. His face was relaxed in sleep, his weapons laid down carefully on the side table next to him. Jackson shook her head and curved her fingers around Mandy’s worn hilt. She’d placed her under the pillow, ready to grab at a moment’s notice. Luke had raised an eyebrow at her action but said nothing. She knew that he assumed they were safe now, she suspected they might be, but suspecting and might were not definite and Jackson couldn’t even imagine sleeping without the familiar feel of the wood within her grasp. She imagined she’d sleep with Mandy under her pillow for the rest of her life.

  Jackson took several deep breaths as she ran her fingers up and down the hilt. The often-repeated action comforted her, made it seem like everything was normal. Though what the hell normal was, Jackson didn’t know.

  Carefully, so as not to wake Luke, she lifted herself up and looked around the room, marveling all over again at the cleanliness of it. After being introduced to Luke’s friend Pete, and then a bunch of other people whose faces blurred after a while, Nancy had shown them to their room. It made sense that they’d share a room. Space was limited and Jackson didn’t mind. Luke didn’t seem to either.

  Their room was in one of the smaller houses, off to the side of what seemed to be the main house, the place they’d eaten their dinner the previous night. A huge bed dominated one corner, the sheets crispy white and smelling of lemons. A dark blue couch and chairs grouped around a blond-wood table took up the other half, creating a kind of bedroom-living space. It was the most peaceful space Jackson had seen in a long time and she couldn’t quite get her head around it. It reminded her of the time she’d hidden in a huge library. She couldn’t even remember what city it had been, but it was on a university campus, and she’d ended up there more due to chance than anything else. The stacks, as high as the vaulted ceiling, had mesmerized her, and though Jackson had never done well at school, she did love to read.

  She’d wanted to stay in that library and devour all the volumes, probably because there was an innate peace to it. A sort of majesty that suggested it would endure long after the zombies, long after her. The atmosphere in her little room now was kind of like that. Sort of paused. Maybe it was because she could barely believe that they’d actually made it. Against all odds, they’d traversed the country and found the south, and survivors. An actual survivor’s camp. Just like Tye had promised.

  Jackson lifted a sheet and inhaled the scent. Basking in the freshness of it. Everything felt surreal and she knew it was going to take a little while for that feeling to fade. Her life had entered a new phase, a different phase, and once again, she was going to have to adjust.

  Luke shifted again, mumbling something, and Jackson smiled slightly before running a finger along the curve of his lower lip. He was damn hot and her body clenched as she remembered just what those lips had been doing last night. Another smile and she moved carefully, slipping out of the bed and padding over to the couches. She settled on one, tucked her feet underneath her, and placed Mandy on the armrest.

  “Here at last,” she whispered. “You made it, girl.”

  And damn, hadn’t it been tight? She’d thought there in the garage that it was the end of her road, and she’d gathered her strength to face it. She’d need her strength for something else entirely now. Not least, the prospect of sleeping without always keeping a part of her brain on the alert. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Luke that she had, at most, slept for four or five hours a night before the zombies had arrived, but at least that had been four or five hours uninterrupted. In the last couple of years, Jackson doubted she’d slept for more than a handful of hours straight through. Her body had wanted to but her brain hadn’t allowed it. Maybe it had been the constant flood of adrenaline, or the unrelenting terror. Regardless, she’d have to adjust all over again now. She suspected it was not going to be that easy.

  “Jackson?” Luke’s mumbled words caught her attention and she met his sleepy gaze.

  “Right here.”

  “What time is it?”

  Jackson shrugged, struck by the silliness of his question. Time meant nothing anymore beyond the length of a day and the reach of a night. “Time? I don’t know. Does it matter?”

  He sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “Yeah, it does. I promised Pete I’d check out the garage this morning.”

  Jackson pulled the curtain aside, running the fabric over her fingers, and looked out onto the courtyard. A couple of people were walking past, obviously on their way to do something, but all in all it looked pretty quiet. “It’s early, I think. The sun looks weak, probably five or six or so.”

  “I should get up then,” Luke said, stretching. “Don’t want to keep him waiting.”

  “When did Pete ask you this?”

  “Last night during dinner. You know when I went to get us some water? He collared me there by the taps and asked if I could help out. If I’d be happy to be the designated mechanic. Apparently there are a couple of people who know the odd thing or two but no one who can fix the in-depth stuff. They have a whole bunch of vehicles but some of them no longer run. It makes sense to keep the fleet here in good shape rather than replace them. Batteries go flat, rust kicks in etc. Looks like I’ve got a whole bunch of work on my hands—if I want to do it, that is.”

  “So you’ll be useful here then?”

  “Looks like it. It’s what I used to do. It makes sense for me to help with it here if I can.”

  Luke the camp mechanic. It suited him. “That’s good to hear, Luke.”

  “What are you planning to do this morning?” Luke asked. “Maybe you could go back to bed for a bit? God knows you deserve the rest. Or you could come with me to the garage?”

  Jackson paused, suddenly startled. She hadn’t even thought about what she’d do. The previous evening at dinner she’d simply marveled at the food, the people, the laughter. Taking it all in, Jackson had simply let it wash over her. It had felt weird to do that. No need to plan the next step or worry about the next move. And then she and Luke had taken the obligatory tour—seeing pretty much the entire camp. After that they had each showered before falling into bed and practically ripping one another’s clothes off.

  Zombie-free sex. That was something she could get used to very easily.

  Afterward she’d drifted off for an hour or two, waking at intervals to do a security sweep and be reassured by Mandy’s presence. Everything was good, or rather everything would be once she got herself settled in and used to the oddness of it all. And the first step would be finding something to do, because clearly she’d have to do something. In a camp this size everyone was expected to have a role. To contribute. And it certainly wasn’t the place to laze around, even if she had been that sort of person, which she wasn’t.

  “No that’s fine,” she said slowly, considering. Last thing she wanted was to get in Luke’s way.

  “Fuck. I didn’t even think,” he said, jumping out of bed, his face scrunched with worry. Jackson took just a moment to enjoy his muscles moving as he walked. He was a fine specimen of a man, that was for sure, and already she was wondering if she could drag him back into bed. Maybe being in the camp would turn her into a sex maniac? She’d exert all her energies between the sheets. The thought made her smile and she held her hand out to him.

  “Are you okay with me doing this, Jack?” he asked, taking her hand. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m abandoning you or anything. Pete asked and I just said yes. I didn’t think. If you’d like, I could go to the gar
age this afternoon or even tomorrow. We can spend the day just here, just the two of us.”

  “Don’t be silly. There’s no reason to put work off if it needs doing.”

  “You sure?”

  He looked unhappy, clearly thinking he’d fucked up and Jackson was quick to reassure him.

  “Totally.” She didn’t want him changing his plans to babysit her. The very thought horrified her. Their time in this camp would be decided by their actions over the next few days. She couldn’t allow the people here to see her as Luke’s woman and nothing else. Like she needed looking after. She was bad-ass and it was important that the other survivors got that from the get-go. Quickly she came up with a list of possible activities. Anything to keep Luke from insisting on keeping her company. “I’ll be fine. There’s a whole bunch of stuff I want to do. I need to explore properly for a starters. Scope out the lay of the land. See if there are any weaknesses in the security.”

  “They have guards, babe, and it all looked pretty good when we looked around last night.”

  “I know this, on the surface, yeah, but a zombie got in and took Sammy,” she reminded him.

  “Well yeah…”

  “Exactly. I won’t be able to relax here properly unless I know that everything is okay. Speaking of which, I’d like to go find Sammy, too. Make sure she’s okay. And then maybe I can speak to whoever’s in charge around here, find out as much information about this place as I can, then maybe see what I can contribute.”

  “There’s plenty you can contribute.”

  “Serving dinner?” The moment the words left her lips Jackson wanted to take them back.

  “What?”

  She shrugged and ran a hand across Mandy’s hilt, annoyed with herself for betraying her insecurities. “That’s what I used to do isn’t it? Serve food and drinks. I’m not qualified to do anything else, not like you are.”

  “Don’t be silly, Jack. There’s loads you can do. You’re bad-ass.”

  “Everyone here is bad-ass, Luke.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “They wouldn’t be alive if they weren’t.”

  Luke squeezed her hand. “You don’t need to do anything at all right now, Jack,” he insisted. “Why not just enjoy being safe for a few days. Relax and rest. God knows you need to! You’ve been running on nonstop energy for years.”

  Jackson’s fingers ran up and down the hilt—familiar, comforting strokes. “You’re going off and contributing.”

  “Yeah, because I was asked. To be honest, I’d have preferred a day or two to get used to everything. Only I can hardly say no, can I? And besides, it’s only this morning and I had all that time in the bunker when I was okay. Not having to look over my shoulder constantly. It was different for you.”

  “I suppose…”

  “But seriously, if you want me to stay with you, I will.”

  “No.” What was wrong with her? Jackson paused and let Mandy be, trying to figure out exactly what was making her nervous. Because something was, she realized. Despite the loveliness of the room, the food, the obvious lack of snarling zombies, and the feeling of safety battling with her usual feeling of doom, something felt…off. She’d made it to Camp Laredo, actually done what she’d spent so long trying to do—so why did it seem like now, when she’d reached her destination, that something was unfinished?

  “No. I’m fine,” she insisted, pushing away the questions nagging her. “Just because we’re together, Luke, does not mean we have to live in each other’s pockets.”

  “Are we then?” he asked.

  “Are we what?”

  “Together?”

  Jackson tilted her head and looked into Luke’s eyes. “Well, we just spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms, and neither of us said anything when we were given one room so I kinda assumed so…”

  “Not the entire night. It was a few hours. I heard you get up on and off.”

  “Sorry, I just…”

  “I don’t mind,” he said quickly. “It’s you, I get that, and I wanted us to have the same room. I loved sleeping with you, Jack—even just for a handful of hours. You know that, don’t you?” At her nod, he continued, “I just wanted to be sure being here doesn’t change that. Because you know I’m not the only choice now.”

  She laughed. She couldn’t help herself. “Luke, don’t be silly. You’re still the only choice. What I said stands. I like you, I like you plenty.”

  He smiled and leaned forward, capturing her mouth in his. His lips were supersoft, and she sighed as her own lips moved with them. Kissing Luke was addictive. The feelings it aroused in her had no name as far as she could tell, not yet at least, but feelings they most certainly were. Delicious ones.

  He pulled away after a moment and peppered the side of her face with kisses. Each a little peck and goddamn it, she nearly giggled. Giggled! Jackson was fairly certain she’d never giggled, not even before the zombies.

  “I like you, Jack,” he whispered. “A whole load of lots.”

  Heat pooled throughout her body, like everywhere. “I guess really the only difference between us now is that we get to explore whatever this is between us without being on the alert for dead people trying to chomp down on us. At least I hope so.”

  “I already know what this is,” he said, gesturing between them, settling next to her and taking her hand.

  Her heart gave an odd little thump. “What do you mean?”

  He laughed and squeezed her hand, the whole thumb-rubbing thing happening again. “Nope. Not saying a word. Not until you know, too.”

  Panic bubbled and her eyes widened…could Luke be saying what she thought he might be saying?

  “I—”

  He leaned forward and planted another kiss, effectively silencing her. Minutes later when they came up for air, he whispered against her lips. “We can go out holding hands.”

  The panic subsided a little and Jackson took a deep breath. “You are so sappy,” she said, deliberately lightening the moment. “But I guess I did promise. Believe me, though, Mandy stays strapped to my waist and the Glock in my jeans. I’ll never go anywhere unarmed no matter what.”

  “It’s different here, babe. You don’t need to be on a constant guard. Just keep the gun on you and let’s hope they have some more ammo.”

  She sighed, her worries rushing back all over again. “Everything is different now, Luke, only not in the way you mean. It’s going to take some time to get used to it all. For me maybe more than you. I’ve wanted this for so long, hoped for it. I fantasized and imagined, and now…” She shrugged. “I’ll need to find a place here. You’ve found yours.”

  “You’ll settle in. You’ll be settled in before you know it. And I’ll only be gone a few hours. We’ll meet back up here at midday, okay?”

  He took her in his arms and ran fingers up and down her back. Jackson closed her eyes and allowed the sensations to settle over her. Both comforting and exciting her all at once. But underneath that, prodding her from deep inside, the feeling of safety battled with the nagging unfinished thoughts.

  And even as Luke’s hands made their way down her body and tugged at the waistband of her pants, Jackson couldn’t help but wonder what the hell she was going to do next.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  The survivors had an excellent fleet of vehicles, and Luke whistled as he walked up and down between the rows. “Where the hell did you get the Hummers from?”

  Pete laughed. “There was a guy in a town over. He fixed them up for some big security firm. His son ended up here and told us about them.”

  “And the guy?”

  “Dead probably,” Pete said. “Like all the others. His kid’s doing well though. He helps out in here.”

  “So does everyone have a role here, then?” Luke asked, thinking of Jackson. He knew he’d fucked up royally this morning by not considering what she was going to do with herself. He’d just been so excited at the prospect of fiddling with cars again—something so
normal, and she was so fiercely independent he didn’t consider her in those terms. Jackson did what the hell she wanted when she wanted. She’d find her place, he didn’t doubt it, but the more information he gathered from Pete, the more options he’d have to suggest to her. “People are given stuff to do?”

  Pete handed him a tool bag and together they bent down to start separating everything out.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Nancy pretty much runs the place. She started all this in the first place. Building the towers, looting supplies. I think she used to be a cop and she led most everyone here. Anyway, she comes up with the strategic plans, which are then put to a sort of rough vote. Hands-in-the-air style. Mack kind of backs her up. We have people who do the cooking, some clean, some look after the kiddies, others make stuff. We’ve got techie people who spend their time trying to get shit running again. Sebastian is our doctor, total geek, and then there’s Layla, she’s the midwife—though, as you can imagine, there’s none of that happening. Who the hell wants to bring kids into this world?”

  “And you?”

  Pete shrugged. “There’s a bunch of us who are, well, for all intents and purposes, the army I guess—ironic huh? Considering my former profession? We man the boundaries of the camp, go out foraging, killing off any zombies who come too close. It’s the tough bastards in our group. The ones who’ve nothing left to lose and can’t quite accept this place.”

  “What do you mean?” Luke asked. “Isn’t everyone happy to be here? Somewhere safe?” He was a fair way to accepting it already, overjoyed to finally find himself in the mix with so many people again. He was almost annoyed with himself for leaving it so long to strike out. If Jackson hadn’t been there to push him…

  As he’d made his way to the garage, he’d spun all sorts of fantasies. They’d grow, gather more people, maybe even have a fortified city someday. More than that though, he was delighted that Jackson was safe. After that moment in the garage, when he’d thought the end had come for both of them, something had clicked inside of Luke. His protective tendencies had been pushed to the back by her natural take-no-shit attitude. Now they came roaring to the fore again. It had felt so amazing last night to settle into bed with her. To brush her spiky hair and plant a kiss on her cheek without having to worry that a zombie was going to come barreling in at any moment. Now, he knew there was no need for her to constantly look over her shoulder, to spend all her time so stressed out. Waking up to see her this morning relaxing on the couch had filled him with a happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time. Obviously, things weren’t completely normal. The zombies were still out there, and she was still twitchy. But here in this camp, he and Jackson could have a little bit of ordinary, and the thought filled him with pleasure.