Feeling the bus moving again even though it was slow going was more calming than staying in the middle of the road. Sam kept his eyes scanning the road making sure he was driving carefully. Sydney stayed in the living room with us splitting her attention between watching out the windows for more trouble and checking on all of us.
Tone’s ability to figure out the map he had got us to the garage. There was a tall guy with dark hair standing with two boys. One had brown hair and the other was a blonde. They were outside working on boarding up windows to the house. They all stopped and turned when they heard the bus. When we pulled up, the oldest of the three waved at us and came over to Sam’s window.
“Well how are y’all doing?” the guy asked, “I’m Jeb and these here are my boys, Jacob and Jesse.”
“We need a new tire, ran into some trouble on the road a ways back.” Sam answered. “Would you be able to help us get her all fixed up?”
“You didn’t lead that trouble to my door did ya?” Jeb asked.
“No sir, we left it in a ditch.” Sam answered. Jeb nodded.
“We can probably fix it up, but it won’t be free.” Jeb said.
“Am I right to think that money means very little anymore?” Sam asked.
“It don’t do much right now.” Jeb agreed.
“We have food and medical supplies.” Sam offered.
“That would be an acceptable payment seeing how I do have family here to take care of.” Jeb agreed. “Go ahead and back her into the garage. You and yours can go hang out in the house while my boys and I get her up and running again.”
“Sounds good, it will sure be nice to sit in a house for a bit.” Tone called back to Jeb.
Sam went ahead and got the bus all backed into the garage. We followed him into the old farm house. There was lemonade laid out on the table with cups, so Tone poured everyone a glass and we sat to wait. I was beginning to feel on edge about being off the bus and in a stranger’s house.
“Sam, I’m going to go find a bathroom.” I told him as I stood and made my way to the nearest hallway.
The first door I opened was not a bathroom. It reeked like an outhouse and there was a blonde woman chained to the wall by a collar around her neck. It looked padlocked. She turned when the door opened and I could see bald spots from where she had pulled her hair out. She had ice blue eyes and was foaming at the mouth; there were claw marks on her face and neck.
Her clothes were torn and there were more claw marks on the wall where the chain was securely bolted. She was watching me while moving her head side to side before she growled and ran at me. The chain stopped her but the force threw her onto her back as her legs came out from under her. I quickly backtracked out of the room and closed the door.
I tried the next door but this room was much the same only there was an old man sitting in a chair. He didn’t have much hair left but he also didn’t look like he had clawed himself up at all. The room had the same smell as the first one, but the guy in the chair didn’t respond much to my being there.
He was watching me but not the way the woman had been. He started to growl slightly and I left him, shutting the door between us.
I tried one more door. It was the last one in this hallway. There was a blonde girl, who looked close to my age, in this one. The room smelled cleaner. She turned around to look at me and a look of surprise filled her ice blue eyes, the same eyes the woman in the first room had.
She had some claw marks near her neck, like she had tried to pry the collar off.
“Don’t leave.” She said when I turned to leave the room.
“Who are you?” I asked her, “Why are you chained up?”
“I’m Hannah, I’m Jeb’s daughter.” She answered.
“Why are you chained up?” I repeated.
“Three days ago when I was trying to feed Mama and Grandpa Archie, Mama bit me.” Hannah explained, “Daddy is afraid I’ll turn dangerous and take off like Mama did.”
“You were bit?” I asked taking a step back.
“Wait! Don’t leave! I’ve been in here three days.” Hannah said as she took a step forward, the chain stopped her. “I haven’t shown any symptoms like Mama and grandpa Archie did.”
“If you’re not showing symptoms why are you in here?” I asked.
“Daddy won’t let me out; it took Mama and grandpa Archie less than two days to start showing symptoms.” Hannah explained, her eyes kept darting back to the door.
“Why does he keep you all chained if he thinks you’re dangerous?” I asked her.
“He thinks we’ll get better so long as he feeds us and makes us take whatever medicines he gets his hands on.” Hannah answered.
“Do you think he’s right?” I asked.
“I’ve seen those monsters, that’s what bit Mama. I don’t want to be that. If there’s really no hope for me I want someone to end this not only for me but for mom and grandpa Archie.” She answered.
“I don’t know if I can help with that. Your dad and brothers are fixing our tire and I don’t think they wanted us to even see you guys, let alone kill you.” I told her.
“I really haven’t shown any symptoms; maybe you can get me out of here? Take me with you? You’ll do what should be done if I do start showing anything right?” She asked and she sounded desperate. “Please, I know dad loves us and that’s why he’s doing this but it’s cruel.”
“Let me go talk to the guy who’s kind of in charge of my group.” I answered as I backed out the door.
“Just hurry, I can sneak into your vehicle without my dad or my brothers seeing me.” She pleaded as I shut the door to go to Sam about what I had seen in the rooms and what Hannah had told me.
Sam took one look at my face and he got up to see what was wrong.
“Ashlyn?” Sam asked.
“Sam, Jeb has his daughter locked in a room and chained to a wall.” I told him, “Her mom and grandfather are in other rooms and they’re crazed. She got bit three days ago and hasn’t shown any symptom. She wants us to get her out and to go with us.”
“How long did her mom and grandfather take to show symptoms?” he whispered back.
“Less than two days from what she said.” I told him.
“She knows if she goes with us and starts that we have no choice but to kill her before she can hurt us?” He asked.
“Yeah she said that’s what she wants; she doesn’t want to be a monster.” I told him, “But the collar on her neck looks metal and there’s a padlock on it. Can we get her out?”
“Last room down the hall?” he asked and I nodded. “I can see if I can pick the lock than if she can make it onto the bus without her family knowing we’ll take her. Go sit with everyone else and don’t say anything about this till we are on the bus and away from here.”
I did as Sam told me to and went to sit next to Aaron. He looked at me before he leaned over.
“I heard what you two were saying. You’re a good person Ash.” He whispered and said nothing else.
I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Sam to come back. He returned just as the other door opened with Jeb walking in, followed by his sons. Jeb saw where Sam had come from and I could see the blonde boy looked mad.
“What were you doing back there?” Jeb asked.
“You know they’ll turn and when they do they won’t be them anymore. You’ll be putting your boys at risk.” Sam said instead of answering.
“No, you see my wife and dad got bit when they ran to the store. My daughter, Hannah got bit a few days ago but I can fix them, all they need is medicine and they’ll get better.” Jeb said explaining to Sam. “I had to chain them up, they aren’t well and they aren’t thinking. That’s how Hannah got bit.”
“He didn’t have any right to go back there.” the younger son, Jesse, screamed as he hurled a glass of lemonade he’d picked up.
It hit an old shelf that had a canister and a burning oil lamp on it. The shelf broke on impact sending its contents to the floor. The can
ister apparently had oil in it. Once the gas around the flame of the oil lamp broke the oil ignited into flames.
“Boys go get your mother, grandfather, and sister, now.” Jeb screamed at the boys and they ran into the hallway. Before they emerged from the first room the fire consumed the mouth of the hallway. Leaving no way for them to come back out that way. The boys saw this and ran back into the first room.
Sam got everyone moving, running out of the burning house and towards the bus. Jeb was still standing waiting for his family, he wouldn’t leave without them. Outside we saw that the window to that first room was boarded up from outside.
The boys wouldn’t be able to get out that way. Sam made it to the bus first and got it started as the rest of us piled on. Hannah was sitting at the dining room table though nobody said anything to her yet.
“Everyone on?” Sam called out and Tone looked over us all doing a head count, his eyes stopped and stayed on Hannah.
“We’ve got everybody. Get us out of here.” Tone responded. “You the daughter?”
“Yeah.” Hannah answered.
“You go crazed I will shoot you.” Tone told her and Sydney shot daggers at him with her eyes.
“You’d better.” Hannah told him and looked out the window. The house was collapsing and the fire continued on to the garage as Sam made it to the end of the driveway.
Sydney was seeing to the cuts on Hannah’s neck from the collar. We heard honking outside. Looking out of the window we saw there was a guy in an old pick-up truck flagging Sam down. Sam stopped and rolled his window down.
“Where’s that fire at?” the guy asked, sounding panicked.
“The garage. Son, you don’t want to go that way.” Sam told him.
“Did they get out?” The guy asked.
“No son, they didn’t make it.” Sam told him.
“What happened?” The guy asked as his face paled.
“Jeb’s youngest threw a glass and hit a shelf holding a lamp and oil. The whole house went up. It happened too fast.” Tone told him.
“That was my family.” The guy said.
“Look there’s nothing for you that way, why don’t you join us?” Sam told him.
The guy agreed and Aaron helped him unload the supplies he had been bringing back home with him on to the bus. He came on looking shell-shocked and gripping a lucky rabbit’s foot in one hand. He had brown hair and ice blue eyes that were taking in all the faces on the bus. They landed on Hannah and he did a double take.
“You said they didn’t get out.” He said.
“They didn’t, she was already on the bus when the fire started.” Sam told him.
“You freed her?” he asked.
“Yes we did.” Sam said and the guy walked over to Hannah and hugged her, lifting her off her feet.
“Well how bout we all do introductions?” Tone said, “I’m Antonio Varqez. Call me Tone”
“I’m Hannah Collins and this is my brother Hunter Collins.” Hannah said.
“Sam Simon.” Sam added.
“Micah Hender and she’s Sawyer Raide.” Micah said pointing to himself and Sawyer.
“I’m Ashlyn Glass and these two are Axel Bishop and Aaron Pierce.” I told him including Axel and Aaron.
“Sydney Tyme.” Sydney just waved.
“I’m Daisy Duke.” Daisy said last.
“Wait like Dukes of Hazzard’s Daisy Duke?” Hunter asked, “Seriously?”
“Yeah my mom was a fan. My brother’s name is Luke Duke.” Daisy responded, “My nana always said mom fell for my dad for his last name.”
“Did you have a car named General Lee?” Hunter asked.
“Sam, did you have to pick up the backwoods garage boy?” Daisy asked as she gave Hunter a dirty look.
“Don’t mind Daisy, she’s a rock star and they can be moody.” Tone laughed.
“No problem.” Hunter said, “But Daisy, what kind of hair color is green?”
“What kind of name is Hunter?” she shot back as she went to her room and slammed the door behind her.
“Oh yeah, they’re getting along great.” Tone said to Sam. Sydney shot them a look that screamed ‘shut up’. It was good to have some new faces with us again. I was glad we could get Hannah out of that house and it seemed that she and her brother were close. He cheered up when he saw her, I was thinking he may be sad about his family but he was worried more about his sister.
Chapter Fifteen
Daisy was pacing in her room when I went to check on her. She was staring at her feet as she took each step. I noticed she was holding on to a see through blue glass shoe. She glanced up when I closed the door behind me. I sat on her bed and watched her take three steps before turning around to take three more. She sighed before she finally sat down.
“Did Sam really have to pick him up?” she asked me as she fiddled with the shoe.
“Hunter?” I asked her, wondering why he had her so riled up.
“Yes Hunter.” She practically growled, “Not only is he frustrating and annoying he had to be cute on top of that. Why are you smiling?”
“I didn’t realize I was.” I said as I put my hand over my mouth.
“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” She asked, watching me.
“Maybe a little but mostly cause I don’t get why he’s getting to you.” I told her and she put her head on my shoulder.
“Well the only guys we have to choose from at this moment are three adults. One of which is gay. The other two are just a bit older than I like. Micah is with Sawyer. Axel is a bit young,” She said, “Then we pick up Hunter and I don’t know, he’s good looking and he’s picking on me.”
“Well maybe he’s picking on you because he doesn’t know what to do about you. Maybe he thinks you’re good looking too.” I told her. She looked like she was going to say something but changed her mind; she was smiling now, though.
We were both thrown on to the bed as the bus jolted and shook.
“Sorry for the rocky ride guys. If I would have stopped, they would have swarmed us so everyone hold on and try to keep each other from getting hurt.” Sam said as we started going faster and there were even more bumps.
I forced myself up and out to the main living area.
“What happened?” I asked as Aaron kept me from flying into Hunter’s lap.
“Red Eyes. A whole horde of them started coming at the bus. All we could do was try to go through them but we are running a lot of them over.” Aaron told me as he grabbed Hannah before she hit her head on the table.
“Whoa hey now.” Hunter said to Daisy as a particularly rough bump sent her into the air.
He pulled her down on to his lap and had his arms around her like a seat belt.
“Thanks.” She said to him and stayed where she was.
“Do you think the fire is attracting them?” Sawyer asked as Micah kept her from bouncing around by keeping his legs over hers.
“Maybe, all I know is that there is a bunch of them.” Tone answered, “Sam do we have a plan if we can’t get through?”
“The plan is to get through.” Sam answered.
Everyone got quiet and was holding on to each other. With every bump there was more banging noises around the bus.
“Don’t worry we are also on a dirt road so not every bump is a Red Eye.” Aaron told me as if he had read my mind.
“What?” I asked him.
“Sorry was thinking out loud.” He responded as the bumps were becoming fewer and farther between each one.
“We’re through.” Sam said and everyone cheered, Daisy kissed Hunter. She pulled away and he looked like he was lost in her eyes before she got up and went to her room. She winked at me as she walked by.
“Whoa.” Was all Hunter managed to say. Micah looked between him and Daisy’s closed door and started laughing. Hunter looked at him and I noticed he was blushing a bit, guess he did think Daisy was good looking after all.
It started to storm outside. A few fat raindrops hitting th
e windshield hard as the wind kicked up rocking the whole bus. Sam kept driving, determined to get us to someplace safer than this. Tone was watching out the window, as it felt like the bus tilted off the ground on one side.
“Sam we have to find shelter to park in or this wind will tip the bus.” Tone told him as he held the dash for dear life.
“Where Tone? Do you see any place?” Sam yelled at him.
“There’s a hotel up ahead.” Tone told him, “Could just drive straight into the lobby, park as close to the back as we can. Looks like one has a glass wall to show off how nice it is.”
“What if there are people in there?” Sam asked, reluctant to stop.
“Well without the bus we’re up shit creek with no damn paddle.” Tone told him.
“Tone’s right Sam, we have to take the chance of dealing with people. We can’t stay in this storm it’s only going to get worse.” Sydney said as she held on to the dining room table.
Sam didn’t argue he just changed the direction the bus was going and aimed for the huge glass windows. We crashed through and could see pieces of glittery glass raining down all around us. Sam kept going till he got to an area big enough to turn the bus around.
“Anyone hurt?” Sam said.
“Think everyone is good.” Sydney answered.
“We may have another problem.” Aaron said.
I looked over to where he was standing. He was holding one of the open cabinet doors.
“What?” Tone asked.
“We’ve been cleared out.” Aaron answered.
“What do you mean?” Sydney asked.
“Food is gone.” Aaron responded.
Sam and Tone joined Aaron in the kitchen.
“That bastard.” Tone said.
“What?” Sydney asked.
“Jeb. Him and his sons were alone with the bus.” Tone answered.
“Shit. Search the bus and take inventory of what else is missing.” Sam directed.
Sawyer and I went to check our room.
Nothing looked out of place at first. Sawyer discovered that our panties were missing.
Disturbed we headed back to see what Sam wanted us to do now.
Survival Ties (The Outbreak Chronicles Book 1) Page 10
