Zombie World (Zombie Apocalypse #3)

by Hoffman, Samantha

  I glance up at him, expecting to see a frown on his face. Instead, there’s the barest hint of a smile as he watches Todd and Madison dance. All around us, people are getting into the swing of things, some more coordinated than others. But they’re all having a blast, and I’m eager to join in. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to dance this way even if my life depended on it, and I don’t feel like learning in front of all these people. I don’t think my nerves could handle it. So I hang back by the wall, watching everyone else have fun for a little while.

  Eventually I head over to the buffet counter and grab a drink. I recall what Madison’s been trying, and I go for that instead of any of the others that sound too powerful for me. I sip at it slowly, trying to get a taste for the drink. It’s not as strong as I would have thought, and it tastes pretty overwhelmingly of pop. After taking a few more sips, I head back over to where Ryder was hanging out, but he seems to have wandered off somewhere. I scan the crowds of people but don’t catch a glimpse of him, so I lean against the wall and sip my drink, waiting for him to come back.

  “Do you like it?” he asks, startling me.

  I shrug. “It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. Pretty tame for my first drink.”

  His eyes crinkle with a hidden smile. “Tame is good. I see you as being a pretty big light-weight. Two drinks max and you’d be stripping on tables.”

  I giggle. “Give me some credit. I think I have a three drink max, not two.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Where did you disappear off to?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he asks, his voice surprisingly light and teasing.

  “Come on. Seriously, where did you go?”

  “To make a request,” he says softly.

  A new song begins, and from the very first note, my heart stops in my chest. It’s a song that would be impossible to ever mistake for another one, and this song just so happens to be one of my favorites, one of the most romantic songs I’ve ever heard. Heaven by Bryan Adams comes in through the speakers at the back of the room, and when I look back at Ryder, he’s holding his hand out to me, waiting for me to take it just like before.

  “Do you wanna dance?” he asks.

  Smiling shyly, I take his hand and let me him lead out into the throng of people in the middle of the floor. Ryder’s hands drop to my waist, pulling me close as I wrap my arms around his neck. The two of us are as close as we can get, and everything around me drifts away until there’s nothing but the music and the feel of Ryder’s body pressed against mine. As we begin to move back and forth, I close my eyes and lean my head against his broad chest, feeling safe and protected in his embrace.

  This might be the last chance we have to spend any real time together, and we both know it. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow—if we’ll succeed or if we’ll fail—but Ryder is the type of guy to make the most of our time left together. Despite everything that’s happened over the last few days, he’s putting it all aside for tonight and just letting it go, choosing to live in the moment. And I’ve never loved him more than I do right now because of it.

  Listening to this music, I think about the only other time we’ve ever danced. The warm candle light, the soft music playing from a beast of an old radio, and just the two of us. There was something between us even then, though he never would have admitted it. To this day, I’m still not real sure what caused the magnetism that pulled the two of us together. We were opposing forces and should have pushed away from one another. But we came together, perhaps due to our circumstances, or perhaps because deep down neither of us wanted to be alone at the end of the world. What ever the reason was, we’ve worked well together ever since, and we’ve both had a largely positive effect on the other.

  As the song nears its end, Ryder and I stop moving. We just stand in the middle of the floor, desperately clasping on to one another as if we might be ripped apart any second. I bury my face in his chest and inhale, trying to fight the tears that are building up inside of me. Ryder tightens his arms around me as he loses his struggle, and the two of us begin to cry together, not caring that anyone might see or judge us. Ryder and I hold each other with everything we have, wanting to preserve this moment.

  Chapter Thirty

  As the celebration draws to a close, Ryder and I head back to our house. We take our time, enjoying the peacefulness of the night, not really minding the cold anymore as we enjoy each other’s company. The others wander along behind us, watching us with obvious concern. I know they saw us together during the song, and I know they saw how it affected us so deeply, but none of them know why or what to say. So they remain quiet and just watch, looking for any sign that something is wrong.

  When we reach the house, everyone gathers in the living room, taking up every available seat on the couch, chairs, and the floor. Allen, Chad, and Roberts join us, and together we make a rough plan of attack. “Unfortunately, we don’t know the layout of this area where the lab is,” Allen begins. “and we don’t know the extent of the disease. So we’re going in blind and to an extent, we’ll just have to hope that things work out for the best. What we can plan for however, is what to do in the event that we get separated from one another.”

  “We should try and keep our group evenly divided, that way if something does happen nobody is left on their own to fend for themselves. Everyone will hopefully have a capable partner to help watch their backs. We’re going to move as one group for as long as we can, but be prepared to split off if the need arises. We might need a few people to go ahead and forge a path for us in order to ensure the cure gets to the lab. Everyone here needs to know what that entails, and the consequences.”

  Aaron’s words weigh heavily on us, and we all know immediately what they mean. If we do have to split up in order to clear a path, whoever goes most likely isn’t coming back. How does any leader decide who will be the ones to lay their lives on the line? What kind of affect will that have on a leader over time? He basically has to choose which of us will most likely die if the occasion calls for it.

  “Chad and Roberts have volunteered to clear a path if we get trapped. I’ll remain with your group to offer any assistance I can.”

  “You guys understand what it means to volunteer for this?”

  “Of course,” Roberts says. “I spent the majority of my time hiding alone like a coward while everyone around me either died or left to take their chances. It’s time I take a chance myself. It worked out for me well enough the first time when I took a chance on you lot.”

  Aaron smiles, but it’s more of a relieved look than a happy one. “I’m really grateful to all of you,” he says, looking around the room. “None of us would have made it where we are today without each other, and that’s something I’ll never forget. No matter what happens tomorrow, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all made a lasting impression in each other’s lives. I’ll never forget any of you, and I hope none of you will ever forget me and everything we’ve been through together.”

  Madison hugs Aaron, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around him. “Oh, Aaron! I could never forget you. You know that. We’re going to be fine, and you and I are going to grow old together.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he says, pulling away from her. “I’m just so worried. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. Or any of you for that matter. We’ve already lost so much to get here. I don’t think I can take another death so soon.”

  “Try not to think about the things that might go wrong tomorrow,” Ryder advises. “Stay positive. If you don’t, it just makes it more likely that you’ll screw up and something bad will happen.”

  “Sounds like some cliché advice,” Todd says.

  Ryder shrugs. “It is, but it’s true. We were taught to never think about the bad things that might happen, like losing friends, or being hurt or killed. Cause if you worry about that kind of thing, you’re not focused one hundred percent on the job at hand, and you’re likely to
screw up. Important missions like this can’t be half-assed. Give it all of your attention or don’t do it. We can’t worry about who we’re going to lose tomorrow, or we’re going to lose everything.”

  I don’t like how morbid this discussion is getting. I’m glad to know that Aaron cares deeply about everyone and doesn’t want to lose us, but his tone makes me think he’s already trying to accept our deaths. Maybe even his own. I know Ryder and Aaron are similar in that they’ll do anything to keep us safe, perhaps even at the expense of their own lives. Is Aaron preparing himself to say goodbye to some of us, or is he preparing us to say goodbye to him?

  “Well talking about our feelings isn’t going to get anything accomplished,” Todd says. “We’ll have time to say our goodbyes to those we care about most in a little bit. But for now, we should be planning. We don’t wanna leave anything up to chance tomorrow.”

  Madison stares at him, her eyebrow raised. “And since when have you become such a tactician?”

  “Since I don’t plan on dying tomorrow,” he says dryly. “Now let’s get back to the plans.”

  “He’s right,” Allen says. “We’ll have plenty of time to say our goodbyes. It’ll be a long drive from here to Detroit. Our time now is best spent working on a plan to keep as many of us alive as possible.”

  The talk turns back to our strategy. It’s mostly dominated by Ryder, Aaron, and Allen while the rest of us sit quietly around the room and listen, taking mental notes to keep things straight. But Chad and Roberts both offer up valuable thoughts, making the others reconsider something once or twice. I remain quite throughout the discussion, knowing that I don’t have any training or experiences in planning that will benefit the conversation.

  Eventually, Allen’s watch beeps, signaling the hour. He looks down at it and runs his hand over his thick goatee. “It’s midnight. We should all probably turn in for the night and try to get some sleep. Today is the biggest day of our lives, and it’s going to be a long one.” He gets to his feet, and Chad and Roberts follow him to the door. “Meet us early tomorrow by the front wall. We’ll have the bus stocked with what we’re gonna need. We won’t hang around here for too long.”

  The door closes behind them, and the rest of us quickly begin to disperse. Ryder and I are the first to get away from the living room, and we shut ourselves in our bedroom. He looks ready to object, but I silence him with a quick look, a look that begs him not to take this last night from me. Without a word, he gives in, letting me close the door and crawl into bed with him. I snuggle close, draping myself across his chest while he wraps his good arm around my waist, holding me tight.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Nervous,” he says.

  “I don’t mean about tomorrow, Ryder. I mean you. How are you feeling?”

  For a minute, there’s no sound in the darkened room except for the lightness of our breathing. “Tired. I feel really, really tired,” he finally says. And I hear the truth of it in his voice. It’s tight and quiet, like it kills him to even speak. “And I’m scared,” he admits. “The bite itches really badly, and I took a peek at it a little bit ago and it was turning a really dark purple color, almost black. Soon it’ll start leaking pus. Not to mention I have a killer headache that won’t go away.”

  I feel around for his forehead, my movements clumsy in the dark, and place the back of my hand against it. “You’re feeling a little warm to the touch,” I say, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. “You’ll be alright though.” I’m not sure which of us I’m trying to convince more, but if he calls me on my bluff, he doesn’t let me know.

  “This could be our last night together,” he says quietly, his breath warm against my face.

  “Don’t say that.”

  “But it’s true. Any number of things could go wrong later. I might lose you, or you might lose me. I don’t know what I would do if we came all this way, just to trip at the finish line. If you were taken from me…”

  I kiss his cheek, feeling the scratchy bristles of his unshaved face graze my skin. “Tomorrow night, you and I will both be right here, in this bed, together. Nothing is going to separate the two of us.”

  “We’ve been through too much for you to still be this naïve,” he says, but I hear a change in his voice as he says it, a change that makes me think my naiveté is exactly what he needs right now. He turns and kisses my forehead, his lips lingering against my skin. He finally pulls away and I almost whimper at the loss of contact. “Get some sleep if you can.”

  We both lie in the darkened room, neither of us speaking, but unable to fall asleep.

  *****

  In the morning, we get out of bed as the sun starts to come up. I don’t wear a watch, but I’m sure it’s not even seven in the morning yet, and I almost groan at the thought of starting our day already. Even though both Ryder and I managed to fall asleep sometime during the night, I don’t feel refreshed at all, and neither does he. I can tell with just one look that he’s getting worse, and he flinches away from me when I reach for his arm.

  He almost fights me over it, but he finally relents and lets me clean the wound. I don’t feel like starting a fight with him on what might be our last morning together and I get the feeling Ryder feels the same way. Leading him into the bathroom, I unwrap the wound and get my first good look at it in hours. The sight of it is enough to break my heart, but I try to keep my face expressionless so he thinks I can be strong today.

  I clean the wound and put a fresh bandage on it. When we’re done, we head downstairs to grab the rest of our stuff. Everyone is already downstairs and ready to go, so we hurry to get our stuff together. Finally, we’re out the door and making our way to the front gate to meet with Allen. The bus is ready and waiting for us in front of the gate, and I can’t help but notice how secure and badass it looks, splattered with blood and guts and with a deadly snow plow on the end.

  Chad and Roberts are chugging what smells strongly like coffee while talking with Annette. She has a big smile on her face and is clearly a morning person, even though nobody else looks like they want to be here this early. They nod in our direction as we pass by but don’t offer any other greeting, which I’m sort of thankful for. I want to get out on the road as soon as we can to ensure Ryder has the best chance of getting to Detroit before turning. I don’t want us to be kept here by well-wishers who don’t understand the magnitude of the situation.

  “Everything is ready to go,” Allen says calmly, motioning to the bus behind him. “We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”

  “We’re ready now,” Aaron says. “Ryder doesn’t have long until he starts to turn, and we’re going to need his skills to get through to the lab. We can’t afford to waste any time.”

  It’s eerie to hear someone else voicing similarly morbid thoughts about Ryder’s condition. He gives my hand a comforting squeeze, and I try to put it to the back of my mind for now.

  “But before we go, I have to ask. What’s going to happen with Hannah? After her reaction yesterday, it’s not safe to bring her along with us, but I don’t wanna leave her alone in an unfamiliar place with people she doesn’t know. It’d be awful if she woke up and we were just gone.”

  “Annette is making sure Hannah is very well taken care of. She’ll be getting one on one care from Aniyah until she wakes up, and then she’ll be offered a place here in the community. Annette is incredibly interested to see what we can expect from her in the future. I’ll admit, I’m a little hesitant to have her after what you’ve told me, but at the end of the day, she’s still just a young girl that’s been through a horribly traumatic experience. She deserves any help we can provide her with.”

  “Hannah will be fine,” Madison says, putting her hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “She’s safe here and with good people. That’s better than most people can hope for. Besides, I think she’ll thrive here, especially if we’re not around right now. When she wakes up and someone tells her what happened, I think she’ll be grateful for a little
alone time without us judging her. She can begin to piece herself back together without us interfering.”

  Aaron sighs. “You’re right, Maddy. Some time apart from us might actually do her some good. She might still be asleep by the time we get back, so I shouldn’t worry about her so much, but I feel like she’s our responsibility. We brought her back to life without knowing how it would affect her, and we all decided to bring her with us on this dangerous trip.”

  Ryder snorts. “We all didn’t decide on anything, and you know it. I hate to say I told you so, but if we had just left that time bomb behind like I wanted to, my brother would still be alive right now. And that’s a fact. So you all think about that while you’re worrying over how poor Hannah will feel when she wakes up. Because I can tell you something, Reese won’t ever wake up. There’s nothing left of him, all because of her, and everyone that insisted I bring her along.”

  He turns his back on us and gets on the bus before anyone can say a word. He misses the look of regret that twists Aaron’s face and the pain in his eyes, but I see it. We all do. But it’s not Aaron’s fault what happened. He couldn’t have possibly foreseen that Hannah would have such a bad reaction to being around zombies, none of us could have. Even though it turns out Ryder was right about not wanting to bring her along, it’s not fair to blame anyone for the way things turned out.

  Is it okay to blame Hannah?

  The thought crosses my mind, but I can’t bring myself to answer it. The truth is I do blame her for Reese not being here with us. I don’t know any sane person that wouldn’t. But that doesn’t make the way I’m feeling right now okay and deep down inside I know that. I know she didn’t purposely freak out and flip the vehicle. I know she didn’t intend for anyone to get hurt. She’s not evil, she’s just messed up. But I’m sure there will always be a part of me that blames her for what happened yesterday. And a larger part of me will never blame Ryder for the way that he’s feeling right now.