“The Hoover Dam is a long way from here. Where did you start?” He reached behind her seat, grabbed a sweater and pulled it over his head.
“Portland.”
“You managed on your own without getting bit in that big of a city for two months?” He shook his head. “You’re good.”
She never said she hadn’t been bitten, but that was a snippet of information she planned to keep to herself.
“It’s going to take you a lifetime to walk to Hoover Dam.” He pointed out, as if she didn’t already have the blisters to prove it.
“You do know there is more to it than just a dam. They’ve built up a city with reinforced borders to keep the zombies out. The dam has enough power to keep the city running indefinitely so long as Lake Mead keeps it powered. The last news bulletins said everyone should head there.”
“I’ve seen what can happen with all those people in tight quarters. It’s snack time for the walking corpses and no way out for us live bodies.”
“What do you propose…we all just wait around to be eaten?”
“No. I propose we fight back. Kill them before they kill us. Show them we are higher up on the food chain.”
“What makes you so sure we are?”
He gaped at her.
“Goodnight.” Megan turned in her seat with her back to him and gazed out the window. Most of Megan’s students had died. She could only imagine what became of the rest. Her mother died during the first month of the epidemic from an infected bite. The antibiotics the doctors gave her didn’t touch the infection, and by the second round she’d developed pneumonia. She never showed symptoms of becoming a monster, just the infection. When it became too dangerous to go to the doctor’s office, Megan sat helplessly by her mother’s bedside and watched her slip away.
There was nothing left of her world, and if this car was any indication, there was nothing left of his. Las Vegas was all they had. She just couldn’t tell him why.
****
Sam woke with a kink in his neck, and he rubbed the sore muscles while he yawned. His gaze fell on the empty seat next to him. The blanket lay neatly folded, and his chest ached a little. No sense in getting attached.
He’d been alone for a long time. Nothing new about that. He shook his head. Walking to Las Vegas.
Then it occurred to him, maybe his sister had gone to Vegas too. He’d forgotten about that newscast Megan mentioned. It called for any scientists left to make their way there to help. At twenty-four, his sister carried a Masters in two fields, and she’d been working on her Doctorate. Even though he told her to come home as soon as the chaos started, it’d be just like Summer to ignore him completely and do whatever the hell she wanted.
Summer had a way of getting around him like no one else. Probably because she’d pretty much been the center of his universe since the day she was born. Who needed a puppy when he had a little sister who looked up into his face as if he were Superman. He even wore a cape made of her baby blanket and a safety pin. And when their parents died, that universe became all about making sure they had enough to feel secure again. There was never enough.
He chased that carrot for ten years, and then the world went mad. He worked his ass off right up until the day she didn’t step off that plane, then the money and security no longer mattered. He couldn’t eat it, and it sure as hell didn’t tell him where Summer was.
His last contact from her had been a text that said she was on her way. But the next day, air travel had been suspended. He drove all the way to Irvine and back that weekend to find her. Each day that passed, things spun faster and faster into chaos, and he nearly went insane waiting at the cabin in case she showed up. His only choice was to head south again.
Megan rounded the corner of the building with a huge doe-eyed smile. She held out the bottom edge of her shirt like a basket filled with something, and he sucked in a ragged breath then blew it out hard. He pretended not to be relieved to see her and repeated his earlier sentiment, aloud this time for emphasis. “No sense in getting attached, Sam.”
She’d be a complication he didn’t need. Trouble was he liked her.
She approached his side of the rig as he stepped out. “Look…apples. They have a tree. Take one, take two for that matter.”
Her joy infected him, and he smiled despite his effort not to let her under his skin. Sam reached in, took one and watched her while he bit into it. Sweet juice filled his mouth. He closed his eyes and relished in the flavor.
“It’s been a while, huh?”
He opened his eyes and swallowed hard. The woman was far too perceptive. It made him uncomfortable. Part of doing business involved not tipping your hand too early. Sam was accustomed to being the one in control of any given situation. Megan threw him off balance, and it was not just because he hadn’t had sex in decades. Okay, maybe only months.
“You have no idea.” He wasn’t talking about the fruit anymore, but she didn’t seem to notice.
Megan brushed past him and dumped the fruit in his seat. Then she picked up one shiny apple, rubbed it on her worn cargo pants, and bit into it with a huge smile allowing the juices to run down her chin.
Sam clenched his hand in an effort not to wipe her chin with the pad of his thumb.
She was naturally beautiful and seemed completely unaware of it. Her thick honey brown hair hung in a ponytail that bounced between her shoulders when she walked. Loose strands framed her face in a way that made him want to reach out and push them back behind her ear. Her soft, brown eyes shone bright and playful while she enjoyed the simple pleasure of eating a piece of fruit. Her stained T-shirt clung to every bountiful curve and his body stood at attention in response.
Suddenly too warm, Sam turned away and reached behind his head to pull his sweater off and courted the thought of changing into a less dirty shirt.
He chided himself. Would he even have noticed her eight months ago? He had always leaned toward refined beauty, exotic women with accents and models in towering heels. Habits that allowed him to live an independent life. Sam always surrounded himself with women he had no danger of forming an attachment to.
Megan was different. She was…effervescent. In a dead and decaying world, she was a lighthouse drawing him into safe harbor.
“Well, it’s time to get moving again. Thanks for dinner and the blanket last night.” She interrupted his thoughts.
He turned to face her, fresh shirt…flannel of all things…in hand. Heat surged in his veins while he pretended not to notice her eyes sweep down his chest and pause at his belly button before she met his gaze again. He shoved an arm into his sleeve.
“Do you intend to stay on this highway?” He worked the buttons mostly just to keep his hands busy and off her.
“Yep, I’ll follow it south.” She pulled her pack on and looked at her watch. “Then eventually turn left.” She smiled at him and lifted her arm. “GPS.”
He opened his mouth to comment about the comedic value of her giant watch, but snapped it shut when he heard multiple engines bearing down on them at a high speed. She took a step closer most likely subconsciously, but the trust in that gesture wasn’t lost on him. He leaned down into the car and set his .22 rifle in the seat where he could reach it if necessary.
“Stay behind me.” Would she listen to him? Sam had no reason to expect her to, but was relieved when she moved even closer.
As the first truck crunched to a stop in the gravel drive, a man jumped off the running board and pointed. “I told you I saw a girl.”
“So you were right for a change. You see girls everywhere we go. Most of the time, they turn out to be ugly men.” One of his companions in the cab of the truck teased him and the others laughed at his expense while two more cars pulled in.
“What can I do for you gentlemen?” Sam made an effort not to let it show, but he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
“It’s all good, brother. We’re just here to see the girl,” one of them chirped.
&nbs
p; Sam felt her move even closer. He stepped back and sheltered her between his body and the open door of the Suburban.
“To what end?” He bent over casually into the car and picked up the gun with one hand so all interested parties could see it.
“No need for that. We just haven’t seen a woman with blood flowing through her veins in some time.” The leader stepped forward and explained while the others fell back a step. But, Sam built his fortune on the ability to read people better than most. It was what made him so successful, and it was what made his hand tighten around the gun.
“Let alone touched one.” The first guy off the truck chimed in. Sam ignored the tiny gasp behind him, along with the fury that flooded his senses at the suggestion anybody would be touching anyone. He needed a clear head for this negotiation considering there were more of them than he could take out in a blind rage. When Sam leveled the gun on the leader’s chest, he heard the sound of the guns he’d suspected they concealed being cocked.
Chapter Three
First rule of business, state your position. Sam cleared his throat and collected his calm as if he’d stepped into a board room.
“I can’t take all of you out, but which one of you is willing to die for this little endeavor? Because at least one of you will die if we continue along this course.” His gaze never left the leader’s face. “I’m thinking you for a start. How committed to this path are you?”
Sam held perfectly still, barely breathed and waited for an answer. God bless her, Megan followed his lead and stood still as a statue behind him.
Ten seconds passed. Sam didn’t blink.
Thirty seconds passed and he felt her start to tremble against his back.
Sam would bet a good minute went by before the man in his sights finally spoke up.
“I just need gas. We saw the sign and pulled off the highway for gas.” The man’s voice was nearly a plea.
“What? No! You said—” The troublemaker started to throw a fit, and the leader in all his wisdom lifted a gun to the man himself, who stopped mid sentence and took a step back.
“No electricity, no gas,” Sam interjected. The leader turned and looked at Sam for a second, then pointed his gun at the Suburban.
“But you have gas.” It was a statement, not a question. Sam recognized this man wasn’t stupid. Pointing at Sam’s rig with the gun was not an accident, but a calculated threat. “Seems we have a stalemate. You have all the goodies, and we have the majority of the guns.”
“Again, I ask how committed are you?” Sam stood his ground unflinching.
“That depends on what exactly you are willing to share.” The man leaned his head to leer behind Sam at Megan.
“Not that,” Sam ground out.
“What then?”
Sam leaned into the car and pulled out another gun.
“Take this.” He flipped the safety off and handed a Browning, 9MM semi-automatic handgun to Megan. Then loud enough so everyone could hear he added, “Don’t squeeze the trigger unless you mean to kill someone, darlin’.” She nodded and lifted it with both shaking hands. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “That’s a girl.”
Sam opened the second door and leaned his rifle up against the side of the Suburban, then reached in over the middle seat. He could part with two of his three gas cans and survive. Without the third, he’d be dead in the water. No storage meant no reserve. Sam set the two cans down at the end of the Suburban then reached back and picked up his gun.
“Now go.” Sam backed up until his body made contact with hers.
“What about the girl?” the troublemaker whined.
“That’s all you get,” Sam reiterated.
“George, grab those cans.” The leader made his decision, and Sam felt some of the starch leave her body.
Hold on just a little longer, he silently urged. He pressed against her to lend her some of his strength. Megan must have gotten the message because she stiffened up a bit while they loaded the cans into their truck. Any signs of weakness, chances were they’d turn and circle like vultures.
The deviants drove away in a cloud of dust and mayhem. Sam kept the gun trailed on them, and Megan behind him, until they were out of sight.
Huge sobs escaped her like a pressure valve, and when he turned Megan buried her face in his chest. He reached down and slid the gun out of her hand setting both weapons in the driver’s seat on top of the forgotten apples. Sam wrapped his arms around her and let her have her cry. After all, she’d earned it.
“They were gonna…” She sobbed into his shirt.
“Don’t finish that thought.” He held her and let her regain her composure in his arms.
“Thank you.”
She looked up at him with huge watery eyes. The raw mixture of fear and relief on her face transfixed him. He couldn’t answer her.
“Thank you,” she whispered once more before burying her face in his shirt again. She wasn’t crying anymore. She just clung to him and he rubbed the small of her back until she stopped shaking. When she pulled away, he felt the loss so deep that his bones ached for her.
Over a woman…really? What the hell was wrong with him? He decided it best not to explore that particular question right now.
She busied herself with wrapping two apples in paper and placing them in her pack.
“You okay?” It was dumb question, but he didn’t know what else to say.
She nodded with her back to him. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually fall apart like that. Say what you want about zombies. At least they don’t try to rape you.”
“This the first time?” He steeled himself for the answer.
She turned toward him, lowered her eyes and nodded again.
“You’ve been lucky.”
“It hasn’t been a problem ‘til now.” She folded her arms across her chest and stared off into the woods. “At first, everyone seemed so helpful. Mostly just figuring out what to do next. Then as things got worse, people got nasty.” She reached down and busied herself with her pack again while she spoke.
“As time goes by people seem to be getting worse and worse. Now, I guess it’s every man for himself. Welcome to ‘Thunder Dome.’“ She waved her arms in the air.
Sam smiled at the old movie reference. One of his favorite B-flicks, a guilty pleasure he would admit to no one.
Some of his more messy business negotiations popped to mind. He’d once seen a man offer his daughter’s “companionship” to the Chairman of the Board in a vie to keep majority control of his business. Sam dropped him as a client. Back in the day, Sam’d do just about anything to turn a buck, but even he had his limit. Pimping out family members definitely crossed a line. One Sam didn’t even know he had until that day. “People tend to use adversity as an excuse to behave badly.
She shrugged and then zipped her pack. “The thing that really gets me is these were good people once.”
“Maybe.”
“Probably.”
“There she goes arguing again. At least some things don’t change.” He turned his back to her and put the guns away when an apple hit him between the shoulder blades. “Hey, I might want to eat that later.”
He was a smart-ass. A cute smart-ass, but a smart-ass, nonetheless.
“Why are you going to Vegas?” He organized his car while he spoke, but his tone warned her he had something on his mind. She’d worked for a principal once that used that very same tone to gather one’s attention before she spoke. It grated on Megan’s nerves then. Now was no different.
“I told you last night—”
“No, you told me about Vegas. You didn’t tell me why.” He pinned her with a look that meant he was being serious now and she squirmed.
She hated lying. Only lowlifes and thieves lied. Oh, and grade school teachers trying not to get shot.
“That’s where society will rebuild itself. I’m a teacher. Don’t you think I should be a part of that?” Ha! Argue with that answer.
His stare told her he knew
there was more to it and he was waiting for the rest of the answer. Well, let him wait. She’d done battle with fourth graders too many years to be taken in by a boyish smile and clever repartee.
He shrugged and finally ended their staring contest “Okay, that’s your story and you’re sticking to it. But it’s a dangerous plan.”
Megan tried not to sigh out loud in relief. No sense in letting him know he had the upper hand. “Yes, it is dangerous.”
He threw his arms up in the air.
“I’m confused. How is this your problem?” Boy, you give the man an apple, he starts getting all bossy on a girl.
“After today, you would ask me that? I can’t just let you wander off into the sunset with a thousand mile hike ahead of you.”
“What did you have in mind, giving me your car?” Megan teased.
“No. I was thinking more along the line of an escort.”
She laughed, but he continued to glare at her.
He’s serious. He intended to take her to Vegas. Oh, bad idea. Her hand automatically went to the watch with no direction from her.
People did not react well to her bite mark. They either freaked out or drew a gun on her. Sometimes, both. She’d learned to keep the scar hidden at all times. And she traveled alone. Much easier than trying to point out the bite mark had healed and the fact she still had a pulse, unlike her creeping counterparts. No one ever wanted to listen. Mostly, they just wanted to shoot her.
The last group she’d traveled with actually accused her of luring them into the infested building as food. No one cared that the jerk who’d been leading them ignored her protests and barged right in the nest without planning an escape route first. The handful who survived the encounter actually discussed tying her to a pole before they settled on binding just her hands and feet. Had the vote gone the other way, she would have been unable to run the next morning when they all turned into monsters. They would have eaten her alive.
Megan shuddered at the memory. As it was, she only managed to get her feet loose before they awoke with fevers. It was all she needed to escape. She spent two days with her hands tied before she finally found a broken window and cut herself free.
Only Love Survives (Love and Zombies) Page 3
