Defensive Instinct (Survival Instinct Book 4)

by Kristal Stittle

  “Put her with the others we managed to grab,” the mystery man continued.

  As Abby felt herself get roughly bound, she hoped that the kids had made it back to the apartment, that they would be all right.

  23

  Danny’s Hurt

  Danny was leaving impressions on the tough scrap of leather between his teeth. First there was the stinging of the antiseptic, and now it was being followed by the bite of a needle and thread. Knowing others may be injured worse than him, he had refused any sort of painkiller or numbing agent. He was determined to tough it out, although he was beginning to think that was a terrible decision. Just as he was about to give in, the doctor finished up, securing a bandage over the wound.

  “Thanks,” Danny spit out the leather, sweat rolling down his forehead and cheeks.

  Looking around the community centre, he spotted Bryce being administered to. Getting up from the plastic chair, he made his way over.

  “How’re you doing?” Danny asked as he gingerly sat down beside him.

  “Great,” Bryce said sarcastically, having to peer at Danny through swollen, wincing eyes. All of his cuts were being dabbed with antiseptic. “You?”

  “Getting shot is no picnic either. Have you seen Riley around?” Danny was surprised it wasn’t his sister-in-law who patched him up.

  “I’m not seeing much, but she wasn’t one of them, sorry.”

  “Where are Becky and Larson?” He thought they’d be by Bryce’s side.

  “I think Larson is currently helping to monitor that other group coming in. Becky is sitting with one of Misha’s dogs somewhere. She’s not keen on watching this.” Bryce gestured to the careful application of a bandage to his head.

  Danny noticed that someone had retrieved a chunk of ice from the freezer container they kept running with a crowded array of solar panels placed on top. “Shouldn’t you be holding this to your eye or something?” he commented.

  “Not until I’m done,” the woman tending to Bryce glowered at Danny.

  “All right, sorry.” He attempted to raise his hands in a calming gesture, but succeeded only with one hand. His injured muscle didn’t like any movement from either his shoulder or neck, the pain quickly interceding.

  “Riley went to the Black Box with some patients a few days ago and they’re not back yet,” the woman told Danny, her voice taking on a more sympathetic tone. She probably hadn’t meant to come across so snappish; the stress of the situation was weighing on her.

  Danny looked around the community centre again, twisting his body but not his neck to do so. Strangers were entering the centre, predominantly little kids and elderly folk, along with a few adults who looked like parents. They had all been stripped of gear and weapons and were being herded along one wall. The people from Evans’ party clumped fearfully together, their eyes constantly darting about, studying the people of the container yard while also trying to avoid eye contact. Danny felt sympathetic towards them, having been a captive to strangers so recently himself.

  “I’m going to go see who else is around. I’ll come back and check on you later, okay?” Danny spoke to Bryce as he rose from his seat.

  “Sure, whatever,” Bryce mumbled, his words imprecise as the woman gently cleaned his split lip.

  Danny walked through the crowd of the container yard’s non-combatants, saying hi to those he knew. He found Becky with one of Misha’s dogs where Bryce said she’d be, her friend Adam perched on a stack of chairs against the wall. His friendship with Bryce and Larson, as well as being Hope’s uncle, ensured that he knew this entire group of young friends.

  “Hope go with Riley to the Black Box?” he asked as he approached the duo. The dog that lay on the floor was Trigger, the one Danny mentally thought of as the happy breed.

  “Yeah,” Becky nodded, running her fingers through the dog’s shiny fur. Was Trigger fatter than last time Danny had seen her? “Dakota’s there too. Cameron and Brunt took her this morning. You don’t think they were running away, do you?” The look in Becky’s eyes as they met Danny’s suggested this idea had been worrying her.

  “I sincerely doubt that,” Danny told her, although it was strange. Why would Cameron and Brunt leave? From his understanding, they had known Evans’ party was coming since the middle of the night, and neither of them was the kind of person who shied away from any sort of fight. There must have been something else going on that no one had bothered to inform him as yet.

  “Got a good view from up there?” Danny redirected his attention to Adam.

  “Yeah, I can see all the bastards as they come in,” the boy answered.

  “They’re not bastards, not all of them.”

  Adam gave him a serious and confused look.

  “They’re not that much different than us; they just made a mistake is all.”

  “You guys were kidnapped, beat up, got shot, and now a mega zombie horde is coming after they shot at us. I’d call that something more than a mistake.” Adam could be an angry little thing at times.

  “Even so, most of them weren’t involved in any of that. Certainly none of the people that have been led in here. As for the zombies, that might have happened anyway. Hell, me and the others out scavenging could’ve ended up bringing them here.”

  Adam’s lips pinched together in a tight line. He was still angry, probably still angry with Evans’ people, but had decided that Danny wasn’t an ally in this and couldn’t be converted.

  “Just keep your distance and everything will be fine,” Danny said as he left. He meant that both for the kids’ safety, and for the safety of Evans’ party. If Adam went over there, he’d surely find a way to start a fight with another kid his size, with Becky probably more than willing to back him up after what had happened to her brother.

  Wandering through the community centre, he spotted Lenny against one wall, his eyes half-closed. Danny recognized the posture as one Lenny used when he was tired, but too nervous to completely fall asleep. His body was resting while his mind was not. Danny couldn’t say for certain, but he thought the older man hadn’t slept at all when they were locked in that gym storage cupboard. He hadn’t slept much himself, but was younger and continued to keep alert with a combination of pain and adrenaline. At no point did Danny spot Larson, Shaidi, or Jon, so he figured they were outside somewhere. Danny had heard through the grapevine that the man who warned them of the mega horde had known Jon from before. Danny wondered if he knew the person as well, since he and Jon were foster brothers way back when.

  Eventually, Danny found himself over by Evans’ people. There was a clear gap separating them from the container residents, no one daring to cross the self-imposed, no-man’s land. Only a few of the container residents were among the others: medical volunteers checking for injuries or running infection tests, plus a handful of guards. Two more of Misha’s dogs threaded around legs, checking out all the new people. As Danny stepped out into the empty space, he was aware of several people on both sides watching him. Evans’ people were especially wary, recognizing that he was their former captive and could be holding a dangerous grudge.

  Danny looked at the group, his eyes finally settling on a woman close to him who wouldn’t look away. She had the fierce gaze of a protective mother, ready to fight against overwhelming odds for her brood.

  “Is everyone treating you all right?” Danny asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible without overdoing it.

  The woman was wary about answering, carefully thinking through what she should say. She simply nodded in the end.

  “Good, I hope we can get past everything that’s happened. I don’t know if our two groups could ever become friends, but we’ll get through this and go our separate ways, no hard feelings.” Danny hoped the container residents behind were listening, as his words were meant for them as well. He found he felt partly responsible for Evans’ people. Had their paths never crossed, they would never have found themselves in this situation, relying on the kindness of people they had s
hot at.

  A ripple ran through the community centre. Apparently, the zombies had been spotted at last; everyone fell completely silent. Without the constant surrounding chatter, it was possible to hear the moaning, despite the community centre’s thick shell, its fair distance from the wall, and the sound having to compete with the nearby water slapping against the container yard’s concrete sides. The noise continued to grow as the mob neared the wall, the groaning of corpses constantly escalating. People were tight with fear on both sides of no-man’s land. Danny did his best to appear calm, while his heart was actually galloping in his chest. Several others were attempting the same, hoping their calm exterior would soothe others. As Danny watched, some of these people began sitting down, either on nearby chairs, cots, or the floor itself. Danny did the same, right in the middle of no-man’s land, an attempt at being a bridge between the two communities. It was working; other people started sitting down as well. Their postures remained rigid, ready to spring back up at a moment’s notice, but it was less nerve wracking than having everyone stand around as if about to bolt. Tiny children were clutched on their parents’ laps, being taught the heavy importance of silence, while slightly bigger tots bunched at their sides. Older kids, like Adam and Becky, huddled together with their friends, trying to show they were brave enough not to need their parents. A few gave up quickly, hurriedly seeking the safety of trusted adults. Roughly a dozen teenagers, those not quite old enough or trained enough to have been helping outside, had a perversely eager look in their eyes, as though they wanted everything to turn to Hell. They weren’t so stupid as to do anything no one else was doing, but they were feeding off the fear and turning it into their own energy, many of them skulking about the centre, unable to keep in one place.

  Danny began counting people he could see. It wasn’t a practical exercise. He lost count a few times, and probably counted people moving about more than once, but it was a distraction. It was something to do that wasn’t thinking about what would happen should the zombies get over the walls.

  ***

  Minute after minute ticked by, and the sounds of rotting corpses hadn’t slackened in the slightest. A new kind of nervousness started to spread through the community centre. The longer this went on, the more edgy people became. Even the teenagers’ attitudes changed; no longer excited, they became more fearful by the second. People who had been standing sat down to clasp their knees, preventing themselves from overreacting. Others who had been sitting, Danny included, found they could no longer keep still and got to their feet to pace and wander. Danny walked up and down no-man’s land, the space giving him a significant amount of room. His shoulder ached, and he held his sore arm with his good one, thinking he should’ve gotten a sling for it.

  After a couple of laps back and forth, Danny discovered all three of Misha’s dogs hanging out around the door.

  “Go on, shoo,” he patted their rumps with a quiet word, gesturing for them to go elsewhere in the centre. The dogs clumping by the doors would only make people more jittery, thinking that they knew something the humans didn’t. The dogs should be among them, helping keep the people settled.

  When they didn’t move, Danny cracked open the door and peered out, using his body to keep the pooches from worming free of the centre. Through the slit he created, he spotted Misha talking to someone who had his back to the building. Their quiet voices weren’t nearly loud enough to cover the distance, but Danny bet Misha’s dogs could smell him and that that’s what they were reacting to.

  “They know Misha’s outside,” Danny told the nearest container resident, knowing that she could inform anyone else who was concerned about the dogs. “I’ll go see what’s going on.”

  Inching the door open just a little more, Danny squeezed out and shut it behind him.

  “Get back inside,” a guard outside the centre hissed at him.

  “It’s fine,” Danny told him.

  “You’re injured,” the man pointed to his shoulder, “you need to stay inside.”

  “It’s not that bad. Look, I’m just going to go talk to Misha over there. Some of his dogs are inside and have become aware he’s out here. The way they’re bunched up by the door is making people more nervous than they need to be. I’m going to ask Misha to either go somewhere else, or come inside.”

  The guard hesitated. Clearly, he was under orders to let no one leave the centre, at least no one who needed to be in there, such as the injured, the young, and the very old.

  “Your name’s Lee, right?” Danny had seen him around, as he had seen everyone around the container yard, but had never had an opportunity to interact with him directly.

  “That’s right,” he nodded.

  “I’m Danny, one of the scavengers who got kidnapped.”

  “I know who you are.”

  “Then you should know I’ve gotten first dibs on a lot of good stuff. I’d be willing to trade you something if you let me break the rules just this one time. Just so I can help calm down the people inside.”

  Lee glanced warily around the yard. They couldn’t have everyone just running around, as that would certainly draw the attention of the zombies, but letting out just one more man? One who was a scavenger, used to dealing with this kind of thing?

  “All right, we’ll trade,” Lee finally acquiesced. “After all this is over, I’m coming to look at what you have.”

  “Deal.” Danny shook the guard’s hand, glad that his bribe had worked instead of getting him into more trouble. There were advantages to being a scavenger.

  Danny didn’t get far before he watched Misha and the other man head toward him and the community centre. The man Misha had been talking to was a stranger, although there was something vaguely familiar about him, even at a distance, which made Danny guess he was visiting from the Black Box. Not wanting to waste his bribe, Danny continued to walk out to meet them.

  What’s going on? he signed to Misha once they were close enough. He knew sign language was going to cause pain in his shoulder, but he vastly preferred it over speaking with the zombies so close.

  Where’s Boyle? Or Karsten? Misha replied instead, emphasizing his mouth movements around the names. They inside?

  No, I didn’t see either of them in there. Danny kept glancing over at the stranger who was openly staring at him. What? he finally asked the young man.

  “You’re Danny,” the stranger stated in a whispered voice.

  Danny nodded, resisting the urge to add a what of it?

  “Do you remember me? Mark Green?”

  It finally clicked why this man looked so familiar. Mark and Jon had been best friends before the Day, and Danny could recall memories of the two of them sitting on the couch in the living room, or hanging out in the garage with the radio turned up. He must have been the one who showed up to warn them of the mega horde.

  Danny clasped his hand in a shake. “Of course I remember you,” he whispered, realizing he must not know sign language. He had to be careful to control his enthusiasm and keep his voice down, although the constant droning moan that filled the air helped. “I’m surprised you’re alive.” Over time, Danny had learned what had happened to everyone in his tightly knit group during the Day, including Mark’s disappearance. “You knew Abby too. She’s living in our other camp, with Claire.”

  “Yeah, Jon told me.”

  Danny nodded, because of course Jon would tell him that. He then returned to Misha, remembering that more important things were happening despite having a million questions for Mark.

  What do you need Boyle or Karsten for?

  I’m not going to repeat myself. Help us find them and you can figure it out then.

  Danny nodded and pointed toward the wall, figuring they were somewhere near it. If a breach was going to happen, the former military lieutenant and former submarine captain would want to know about it right away, first hand, before it got worse.

  As they headed toward the wall, all the tiny hairs across Danny’s body began to stand
on end. He found himself moving slower, his limbs not wanting to carry him along their present course. Turning his eyes toward Misha, he saw that he seemed to be reacting the same. Mark appeared more relaxed than either of them, perhaps more accustomed to the sound after following the mega horde for so long, but he had matched his step to the others. All of them tread lightly, not daring to let their shoes make even the slightest scuffle, despite the fact that there was no way they could be heard over the wall amongst the racket the zombies were making.

  Danny had been partly right. Karsten was standing near the wall with two others, one a stranger and the one named Tommy who had spoken with Evans, while a few other brave souls were scattered along its length, weapons in hand. Boyle was nowhere to be seen, but it was possible he was at the other end of the wall, around the corner, keeping an eye on the shorter section near the bay.

  The female stranger spotted them first and raised a hand in greeting. Mark waved back, and the other group of three came toward them. The girl kept patting the top of a fist into the palm of her other hand as she walked, seemingly following a pattern that made no sense. Danny wondered if it was a nervous tic, or if she was listening to music within her mind to help cope with the unnerving soundtrack with which the container yard was being bombarded. Karsten held a notebook and pencil, the pages covered in lettering from more than one hand. Apparently, not even whispering was allowed this close to the wall.

  Misha signed something that Danny hadn’t been able to fully catch out of the side of his vision. Whatever it was, Karsten agreed and pointed in a new direction for all of them. Maybe he was taking them to Boyle.

  They moved between the containers of residents until arriving at Karsten’s. He opened the door and gestured for everyone to enter. Once a kerosene lamp was lit, Karsten not having a bottle light, the doors were then sealed behind them, blessedly dampening the horrid noise.

  Danny took a quick look around Karsten’s container, never having had an opportunity to do so before. It was very neat and tidy, not filled with clutter like his own. Karsten also had more personal items than anyone else, having moved everything from his captain’s quarters on the German sub before a storm had forced it to sink permanently.