Carla’s eyes light up at the thought of that, and she even gets a hint of a smile on her face. The others in their group haven’t said so much as a single word in my presence, and they turn away without changing that. Bear leads his group across the parking lot, shrugging on their thick leather jackets over their sweaters. I doubt that’ll be enough to keep them warm on those bikes, but hopefully they’ll make it to the city before it gets worse.
“Think they’ll make it?” I ask Ryder once Bear and his group are out of sight.
“Yeah. They’ll be fine. Bear’s a good leader, and he’ll take good care of his group. I hope they make the kind of difference Tuyen needs. Otherwise she has a really hard winter ahead of her.”
“Are we finally leaving, too?” Reese asks.
“Yeah, let’s get going. We’re burning daylight. We probably should have been on the road an hour ago.”
“Yeah, we should have,” Reese mutters under his breath, glaring at Ryder’s back. “Too bad you were busy having a quickie.”
Ryder’s shoulders tense, and I know he heard what his brother just said. Everyone in our group stops what they’re doing to watch Ryder and Reese, wondering whether Ryder will confront his brother or just let it go. I don’t know what Reese’s problem is, but I hope Ryder takes the high road and ignores it, refusing to feed into Reese’s anger.
“If we’re all packed up and we finished siphoning gas from the cars in the parking lot, we should get going,” Ryder says, never looking back or even acknowledging his brother.
Chapter Seven
We ride in total silence. Reese refused to sit in the front and help navigate, so he’s in the back seat with Naomi and I’m up front with the unfolded map across my knees. I don’t know a whole lot about using an old school map—my mom’s old car had navigation and we still managed to get lost—but Ryder is patient and explains anything that I don’t fully understand.
He and Reese haven’t said a word to each other since the parking lot, and I don’t expect that to really change anytime soon. I know Reese has always had the biggest problem with our plan to chase after the cure, but he’s been taking things way too far. He’s now undermining Ryder’s authority, even if that’s not what he’s meaning to do.
I’m glad Ryder didn’t confront him, because that would have just wasted even more time and could have started a fight that may have split our group apart. Even though Reese is being unreasonable at the moment, he’s still an important part of our group. He’s our best long distance shot, and he’s a good fighter and provider. Without him, I would have lost Ryder back on Beaver Island, and I never would have survived this long.
But this animosity isn’t good for the group or our morale. Someone’s going to have to talk to him the next chance we get, no matter how uncomfortable that talk might be. It’s been almost three hours since we left the highway motel, and we’ll probably have to make a quick stop any time now so we can have a quick snack, use the bathroom, and have a chance to go over the map and plan out the rest of our journey to Montana.
Sure enough, not even fifteen minutes later, Ryder signals to Aaron behind us, and we pull both vehicles off to the side of the road. The snow has been coming down again on and off, but not much of it has been sticking around. It’s melting almost as fast as it comes down, which is good for us as long as it doesn’t freeze overnight and leave the roads all covered in ice.
We unload out of the car, and Reese immediately takes off with his rifle strapped across his back to find a tree he can easily climb that will let him see in every direction. Ryder frowns as he watches his brother take off, but he doesn’t say anything in case he makes it worse. He catches me watching him with a worried expression on my face, and he shrugs. “I’ll deal with him later. Whatever he has to say to me, I’m sure neither of us wants an audience. Some privacy might do us some good.”
While Ryder digs out some supplies for a quick lunch, Daisy, Naomi, Madison, and I all head off into the trees to find a suitable place to use the bathroom before we eat. It’s a little awkward trying to go in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by your friends, but it’s far too cold to worry about shyness. We drop our pants, finish our business in pairs while the others stand guard, and we head back to the road without making things too weird.
Ryder and Aaron have a map stretched out over the hood of the truck and are busy tracing possible routes with their fingertips. Madison opens a can of sausage gravy, snags a bag of dried cherries, and she and Todd head off a ways to have some privacy. Daisy, Naomi, and I eat huddled together for warmth near the back of the truck. Our thick sweaters and winter coats keep away some of the biting winds, but we’re way up north near the Dakota’s, and the winter weather is harsher up here. Coats can only do so much.
After I’m done with my food, I head over to where Ryder and Aaron are examining our map. They’re talking in hushed whispers, and Ryder looks up and gives me a tiny smile when I approach. “Have you guys figured out where we’re going next?”
“Well, we should reach the Montana state border in the next couple of hours. But I’m not sure what to do from there. Montana is such a huge state, and there are so many places to hide some kind of government base. We have to decide where the most likely places are, and plan out a search grid of some kind so we don’t waste our time and resources chasing our tails.” Aaron sighs. “This could take a while.”
“There are a lot of lakes and woods and streams. This base could be anywhere. And we may have to search every inch of Montana to find it,” Ryder says. He leans forward and squints at the map. “If I were planning some top secret government base, I would put it somewhere near a body of water, surrounded by woods. Somewhere off the beaten path, where not a lot of hikers, campers, or hunters would stumble across it.” He jabs his finger down on the map. “My bet would be here, Fort Peck Lake.”
“Why?”
“It looks like a mostly isolated area. And it’s not too far from our current position, right near the Montana and North Dakota border. We could be there in like three hours or so if we don’t stop.”
Aaron chews his lip. “I highly doubt a top secret base will have an open access road that leads right up to the front door. We’ll probably have to make a portion of the trek on foot, and carrying all of these supplies on our backs won’t be easy. If we’re wrong and the base isn’t there, we’ll have one very long and disappointing trip back to the vehicles.”
“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Ryder says confidently. “We’ll make sure to stay together, take care of one another, and keep watch for any sign of danger. Our group is strong enough to get this done, I’m sure of it.”
I hand Ryder an open can of ravioli and a plastic fork. He gives me a quick kiss on the forehead and digs in, never taking his eyes from the map. I think he’s trying to memorize some of the layout so we don’t have to worry about stopping to find our way once we’re in Montana. The faster we can get in and out, the less chance we have of getting caught up in a zombie ambush.
Madison and Todd come back from their private cuddling time and start checking to make sure all of our supplies are still packed away in the back of the truck. Daisy and Naomi are already in the vehicles, trying to stay out of the cold. Ryder folds up the map and hands it to me. “I think I know where we’re going from here.” He smiles. “We’re close, Sam. We might actually be able to do this.”
I’m glad Ryder is feeling optimistic about our situation now. For a while, I was worried that my entire group thought finding this cure was the wrong thing to do. But now that Ryder is on my side and feeling good about this, it’s given me even more hope that we can come together and find this scientist, because there’s nothing Ryder can’t do once he sets his mind to it. He’s an unstoppable beast.
“Let’s get back on the road,” he says, heading back for the truck. He whistles shrilly, and the sound carries easily over the silent stretch of road. He waits tensely for a second, and when Reese whistles back, he relaxes and cl
imbs into the truck. It starts right up and he cranks the heat for Naomi who is shivering in the back, glowering at us impatiently.
Reese jogs out from the woods. His cheeks and nose are red from the cold, and I can see his misty breath with every heave of his chest. He slides his gun off his shoulders and hops into the back of the truck next to Naomi. He doesn’t say a word; just clips his buckle into place and stares out the window while he tries to get warm. He rubs his hands together, and the sound of his gloves scraping together and the heater running are the only sounds in the truck.
Ryder’s hands clench on the steering wheel, but he doesn’t say anything as he pulls onto the road. Reaching over, I snag one of his hands and hold it tightly in mine, wishing I could help him fix things with Reese but knowing I’d probably just make it even worse. So I squeeze his hand tightly, silently offering him my full support and the promise that things will get better. When he returns the squeeze with a grateful smile, I feel my heart begin to race.
Things between Ryder and I aren’t as bad as I thought they were. We just weren’t on the same page, but we’re better now. We understand one another, and just needed a chance to reconnect and relax. We need to remember to take the time to unwind and show our love for each other whenever we get the chance, cause those peaceful moments don’t come around very often, and I’d hate to miss any of them. You never know when one might be your last.
After awhile of sitting in silence on the road, Naomi leans forward and fiddles with the radio. She has a small black case with several CD’s in it that she and I lifted from libraries and stores. She pops in a CD by some country artist I don’t really recognize, and I almost sigh. I don’t really mind the silence from time to time, especially if Ryder is beside me and enjoying it as well. But if Naomi wants to listen to music, I’m fine with that, too. I just wish she had better taste.
Surprisingly, Ryder begins to sing along to the CD, and I glance over at him, a half smile on my lips. He stops singing just long enough to look at me and give me a lopsided smirk. “What? Reese and I grew up in Texas, around guns and country music. You think we’re not redneck country boys at heart?”
I laugh. “Well, thank God for rednecks.”
He returns my laugh lightheartedly, and so does Naomi. Even Reese cracks a smile from the backseat. The entire atmosphere of the car shifts, and I can feel a weight slide off of my chest. Things are going to be okay. They have to be.
*****
The road ends abruptly four hours later. Ryder puts the truck in park, and stares at the end of the road. Our last turn took us away from anything resembling a highway, and while on one of the back roads, we hit a dirt road that wasn’t on our map. After talking it over, Ryder decided to take it, hoping that a hidden dirt road not on any map might be the one to lead us to our destination.
The road ends, but a tiny dirt path winds its way through the trees. It’s blocked off by a thick chain, but we can easily lift it and slide under it. The only other sign of human activity here is a bright orange triangular sign tacked to a nearby tree warning anyone passing through that trespassers will be shot on sight. Just the sight of the brightly colored sign has my stomach clenching.
“Can they really do that?” I ask Ryder as we distribute the backpacks to everyone in the group. Each has enough supplies to tide someone over in the event we get separated and lost, but they’re a little on the heavy side, and I hope the trip isn’t too long. “Can they just shoot people on sight?”
He laughs. “Of course they can,” he says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “We’re most likely on private government property—property the US government might not have even fully known about—which they would wanna defend at all costs. But I doubt there’s anyone left who would be worried about a handful of survivors. If there’s anyone left at all,” he adds quietly, for my ears only.
“It doesn’t seem right. How can they do that?”
“Every government in the world gave itself that authority, with nobody to keep them in check. They don’t have to abide by the same rules and morals that we do.”
Aaron holds the thick chain up for all of us to pass underneath it, and he makes sure that he’s the last one to come through. He drops the chain with a jingle and raises his weapon, scanning the woods carefully for any sign of movement. Ryder takes the lead of the group, forging a safe path along the dirt track. I follow closely behind him, per his orders, with Madison and Todd following along beside me. Naomi and Daisy are between us and Aaron, while Reese hangs off to the back and side a bit, keeping watch on our surroundings and trusting Ryder to take us down the right path.
Our boots crunch over the thin layer of freshly fallen snow that covers the ground, and I hope there’s nothing in the area that will hear our movements and come running. We’ve seen several zombies wandering aimlessly along the roads, even the back ones, but they’ve been in very small groups and haven’t shown any interest in our vehicles as we went by. Hopefully the cold affects them some, and we can sneak through these woods without being attacked.
Madison drifts closer to me, switching spots with Todd. “Are you and Ryder okay?” she asks quietly, not bothering to beat around the bush. Her voice is soft, but the woods around us are dead quiet, and I’m sure Ryder can still hear everything she and I are going to say.
“We’re fine,” I say, as equally quiet as her. “We had a bit of a misunderstanding, but we’ve patched things up for now. Ryder and I have different ways of doing things, and it’s only natural to clash when we disagree on the best course of action. I believe I was right this time, but next time I might not be, and I just had to keep that in mind.”
Madison nods her head but doesn’t say anything.
“Do you and Todd ever fight?”
She laughs, earning a glare from Ryder. “Of course we do. Todd’s like a bear with a thorn in its paw. He’s always so irritable and quick to judge. Not to mention he’s not real big on authority,” she says, giving Ryder’s back a very pointed look that only I can see.
Her words confuse me. It almost seems like she only sees the bad qualities in Todd. Of their group, he’s the person I’ve gotten to know the least since we found them stranded in the woods, and what I do know is exactly what she’s just described to me. “If he’s all those bad things, then why are you with him? Does he have a secret soft side he shows only to you?” I ask half jokingly.
“Not really,” she admits. “He can be nice—I’ve definitely seen it, even if the others haven’t yet. But honestly, Todd and I are together because there was nobody else. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. When things are as dark as they are for us, you’ll take any light you can, even if it comes in the form of a self-obsessed prick that never truly outgrew his high school emo phase.”
I almost crack a smile, but I can’t help but think about what she’s telling me, and I’m left feeling even more confused about Madison and Todd’s relationship than I was before. She sees all of these really annoying qualities in him, and yet they’re still together. Why?
Because there was nobody else…
Her own words. Madison and Todd are only together out of basic necessity. If it weren’t the end of the world—if there had been anyone else—Todd and Madison probably would never have given each other a second glance, and they certainly wouldn’t have fallen in love. But horrible circumstances forced the two of them together and they grew close because of it.
Does that forge the same kind of bond that Ryder and I have? Ryder and I went through many of the same things as they did, but there was an obvious attraction between us, even from the start—even if I was the only one to see or admit it. But my “choices” were nearly as limited as Madison’s had been. Would I still have been interested in Ryder if our own set of circumstances hadn’t forced us closer together?
I’m not so sure. In the old days, Ryder’s unflinchingly awful attitude probably would have turned me off right from the very beginning, and I probably woul
d never have taken the chance to get to know him. Just thinking about all of the times he’s been dismissive or downright mean to me in the past has me doubting.
Is that really love? If Ryder and I never would have gotten together without undead intervention, could I really and full-heartedly say that we were meant to be together? Especially when I knew that we weren’t each others normal types? Or did all of the harrowing experiences give us something stronger than normal every day love, something that would last through the ages, withstanding any test thrown our way?
Madison must see the expression on my face because she puts her and on my shoulder. “Don’t think too much. Those thoughts will eat you alive just the same as a zombie. Trust me, I know.”
“Quiet!” Aaron snaps.
Madison rolls her eyes. “We haven’t seen a zombie since we got off the main road. We’re fine.”
“I don’t care,” he says. “Stop talking.”
“Especially about boys,” Naomi mutters, just loud enough that I know we’re meant to hear the disgust in her voice.
“Someone’s jealous,” Daisy says, surprisingly coming to our defense.
Naomi turns on her and Daisy withers beneath her glare, just like the flower she’s named for. “I am not jealous! Why would I be? Madison’s boyfriend is a total loser and Sam’s isn’t exactly boyfriend material in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Who are you calling a loser?” Todd asks, clenching his hands at his sides. He narrows his black-ringed eyes, actually managing to look threatening for once instead of just apathetic.
“Guys, stop it,” Madison says, clearly unaffected by Naomi’s surprise attack.
“Oh, so now we’re being too loud?” Naomi asks, hands on her hips. “But you two and your stupid ass girl talk were just fine, wasn’t it?”
Zombie World (Zombie Apocalypse #3) Page 10
