“Thank you Alex,” Easton murmured. He then quickly released Alex and turned to grab more full bags.
“You’re welcome,” Alex whispered after Easton was gone.
Margaret and Candace arranged and rearranged the new items in the RV. Easton had Henry out of the RV, just walking around the area. They had their own private hushed conversation that Alex couldn’t pick up on. She asked Henry once what he and Easton talked about. Henry told her quite firmly that it was their secret talks, and he couldn’t tell her. She trusted Easton, she didn’t worry much about what they were talking about.
The Bronco’s gas tank was now topped off after Marcus and Alex finished siphoning gas from surrounding vehicles. She had been shocked when Marcus was already well educated on how to siphon gas, and was pretty good at doing it without getting a lot of gas on himself. Unlike Alex who was now air drying her just washed hair, after getting doused by gas. She sat in the open door of the Bronco brushing her short hair into some semblance of control.
“I can also braid hair,” Marcus said, walking up from behind the Bronco.
“I don’t think I need that, thanks. But I’m real glad you’re educated on the important survival skills.”
“I can also trim your bangs if I have the right tools,” Marcus said. Alex just shot him a withering look, sure his comment was to poke at her uneven hairstyle. “I grew up with two sisters, one that turned out to be a talented hairdresser.”
“I thought I picked up on some feminine traits,” Alex said.
“Oh, Alex you wound me,” Marcus said, a glint of humor in his eyes.
“If I was wounding you, you wouldn’t have a chance to talk about it,” Alex said.
“I can’t imagine how your husband handles your witty sense of humor,” Marcus commented up.
“What my husband handles is really not your business,” Alex said. She felt the words like glass shards in her mouth. Her husband didn’t handle anything anymore. Marcus bringing him up set anger rolling in her stomach.
“No it’s not. But I’m here with you and his kids, and I don’t see him here,” Marcus said, his back ramrod straight. He didn’t even look at her when he said it, but the accusation was clear in his words.
“Let it go Jonathan,” Alex hissed.
“Why can’t you just call me Marcus? Afraid your husband will be angry if you act friendly toward me?” Marcus demanded, visibly angry.
“My husband won’t be angry!” Alex yelled. Her anger was uncontrollable. It was toward Marcus and his silly demeanor. It was toward the fact that she hadn’t told her kids yet that their father was dead. It was toward the whole plague. Marcus and his joking and pushing Alex to talk about her feelings was sending her over the edge. And now that she was over it, there was no pulling her back.
“My husband won’t care, because he’s dead!” Alex screamed. The moment the words left her mouth, Alex knew she couldn’t pull them back and swallow them. Her eyes flew to Henry, who had frozen to stone next to Easton. His big dark eyes began to fill with tears.
“Shit. Thanks Jonathan. I hope you’re happy now,” Alex said, barely noting that Marcus’s face being 100 shades too pale. She stood and strode to Henry, who was hiding his face in Easton’s stomach. His little shoulders shook, and Alex felt the final fissure in her heart crack all the way through. Easton looked at Alex sadly, rubbing Henry’s back.
“Buddy,” Alex said, crouching down behind him. She took his shoulders and pulled him toward her. He didn’t hesitate, throwing his arms around his mother and crying into her neck.
“I’m so sorry Henry. I’m so sorry,” Alex said to him, tears spilling down her face. She cradled Henry in her arms, and Easton stood with them, one hand on Alex’s shoulder and the other hand rubbing Henry’s back. Her son’s pain felt like a physical thing that gripped Alex’s throat and squeezed. She couldn’t breathe, without smelling his tears. Somewhere in her mind she felt like this was her punishment, for having to kill Blake, and for having to keep it a secret.
The RV door slamming registered in Alex’s mind, but her attention was too centered on Henry to think of why the door had slammed. It took Candace yelling her name to bring her attention.
“Alex! Billie! She’s running!” Candace screamed. The words didn’t mean anything to Alex at first. With Henry in her arms, she turned, just in time to see Candace pointing toward the woods across the street, and a blonde wisp of hair disappear behind a tree.
“What? Why? Where is she going?” Alex said, her words rambling out of her. She ran over to the RV and set Henry inside. She looked at Candace, who pointed at the open window on the side of the RV.
“She heard you. We tried to console her, but she was so angry. I went to get her a tissue. The next thing we knew, she was out the door and running,” Candace said.
“I’m so sorry Alex. I didn’t think she would react like that,” Margaret said. The older woman’s face was pale and drawn. Alex felt even more guilt for putting her through the grief with her family.
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I should have told them the truth sooner,” Alex said, looking at Henry sadly. Henry began to cry again in earnest, and Alex felt torn.
“It’s ok, I’ll stay with him,” Margaret said. She sat at the kitchen table and pulled Henry into her lap. He turned his face into her shoulder, and she nodded to Alex. “Him and I will be just fine, won’t we little man? Alex go find Billie. We’ll wait here in case she comes back.”
Alex strapped her holster on, pushing her 9 mm into it. She also threw her shotgun over her shoulder, not sure what they would find out in the woods. Her heart hammered at the thought of her daughter alone and angry.
“We’ll need to split up,” Alex was telling Easton as Candace walked up to stand next to him.
“I’m going too,” Candace said. Easton started to protest, but one vicious look from Candace stopped him.
“Ok Candace. You stay with Easton. Take your shovel, just in case.”
“I’m in too,” Marcus said, walking up behind Alex. She stiffened, feeling so much violent anger toward him right then. The rational part of her said the whole thing was really her fault. She had kept the secret about Blake, to protect the kids, but to also protect herself. She could have told them sooner. Marcus only forced the issue, not really knowing what he was doing. All of that rational thought wasn’t winning with Alex’s emotionally fueled fire right then.
“You have done absolutely enough,” Alex said, without even turning to him.
“You need extra eyes,” Marcus said.
“He’s not wrong,” Easton whispered to Alex. “I’m mad too, but we need to get Billie back.”
Alex looked at the boy, who was trying to be a man. Her anger softened slightly, only because his words spoke to the rational side of her. Finally Alex nodded, not wanting to waste more time. Also she realized Marcus didn’t listen anyway, so telling him no wouldn’t do any good. And then he could possibly get accidently shot for wandering around woods he wasn’t supposed to be in.
“Fine. Easton and Candace, you follow the path we saw Billie take. I will flank to the left, Marcus flank right. Don’t go too far, try to keep a landmark in sight as you walk, so you walk a straight line. And don’t lose your way back.”
Quick hugs were exchanged between Alex and the teenagers, and then they all set to enter the forest. The day was bright and warm, but as Alex stepped into the shade of the trees, an ominous feeling filled her, the hair raising all over her body. Shaking off the feelings, she concentrated on the task at hand, finding her daughter.
Chapter 22
The forest used to be one of Alex’s favorite places to be. As a child she practically grew up in trees or under lean to shelters she and her siblings built. Mitch had them outdoors every day. At one time all three children were at risk of being held back, because Mitch felt his teachings were more important than what they learned in school. Luckily Alex and Max were quick to catch up, and working together they pushed Rafe to g
et on pace.
Now, the forest that was once her friend, felt like a damp prison. All she wanted to do was find Billie and get out. She could hear the echoes of voices from Easton and Candace calling Billie’s name. A part of Alex was angry at Billie’s emotional outburst that caused her to run into the unknown like this. But she also blamed herself. She never wanted to break the news about Blake to the kids in that manner.
The crunch of foliage under Alex’s boots seemed loud to her own ears. She stopped for a moment, and realized that noise wasn’t coming from her. Animal, was the first thing that popped into her mind. The second was panic, as she thought of an animal stalking little Billie through the trees. Alex tiptoed further, peeking around trees, until she found what the loud shuffling and crunching noise was. And the situation was worse than she could have imagined.
Infected were in the woods, Alex couldn’t see well enough to count them all. But there were a lot. From the looks of them, they were from nearby campgrounds. The sounds of her group yelling in the woods must have brought them that way. And now they were here, and Alex was stuck in fight or flight. Plans flew through her mind, and before she knew she had decided she started off on a path to cut off Easton and Candace. And hopefully find Billie.
Alex crouched as she moved, but the infected had caught sight of her and had changed their pace. To her horror the first few seemed to actually try to run after her. Fast infected? How was that possible? Alex picked up her pace and when she glanced back she realized she was right, some of them were moving faster and she wasn’t pulling away from them as fast. Shit, Alex thought her new favorite word.
Checking her positioning, she was sure she should be coming across the teens at any point, but she didn’t see them. For a moment, Alex stopped, looking around trying to spot any of her people in the woods. As she turned to take off again, she immediately collided with an infected that had snuck up on her from the other direction.
Alex let out a startled scream, as she fell back into the foliage. The infected followed her, but Alex rolled out of the way quickly and tried to jump back to her feet. Pain lanced through her body and she cried out as she swung wildly to gain her footing. The infected lost its balance and slammed into the ground. Ignoring the pain, Alex split it’s skull in one chop. Yanking the machete free, Alex spun in a circle and realized the forest was moving. No, bodies were moving through the forest. Everywhere Alex looked, infected were roaming in her direction. And Alex was bleeding heavily from a wound in her side.
She still didn’t see Easton and Candace, and she was terrified they were on the other side of the horde, or in the middle of it somehow. She couldn’t stay where she stood, so she began to run again, the infected taking notice and changing direction, a wave moving around a ship at sea. Alex judged her path, and figured she would run into Marcus at some point. If she could find him, they could circle back and find the kids.
Alex ran on the edge of the tide of infected. Twice she had to stop and dispatch an infected that was far ahead of the rest and crossed her path. She was realizing there were more fast infected, and she needed to pick up speed. As she ran, she spotted blonde hair, and she was sure it was Billie. She forced her legs to pump faster running for her daughter. As she got closer she had a moment of panic realizing she was being held, but it was Marcus holding her.
Marcus had Billie on his back and he was trying to sprint out of the woods, seeing the same thing Alex had seen. Alex followed his path, keeping an eye on Billie, and any infected that might come close. She was betting if they got out of the forest and hid before the infected spotted them, they would give up their search, until they found something else to hold their interest. Suddenly Marcus and Billie disappeared from view, and Alex felt fear in her blood.
Alex ran to the spot she was sure they fell, but she didn’t see them anywhere. She ran forward a few more feet, and still nothing. She stood still for a second, sure she heard something, but then she was sure it was the breeze in the trees. Then she heard it again, and she strained.
“Alex,” Marcus’s voice came to her. She spun and finally spotted Marcus’s hand between some boulders she had ran by. She ran back and pushed her way into the boulders with them. When she saw Billie, her face streaked with tears and tight with fear, Alex could have cried out in joy. She didn’t want to give away their position, so she dropped to her knees in the small space and held her daughter to her. Billie’s little body shuddered as she sobbed into her mother’s neck.
“I think we hold out here, they will get distracted and move a different direction,” Marcus whispered near Alex’s ear. She jumped slightly at the feel of his warm breath against her neck. She just nodded her agreement, and leaned slightly to peek between the boulders.
“The kids?” Alex whispered.
Shaking his head Marcus said, “I didn’t see them.”
Alex felt a lump in her throat. Had she just lead those children to their horrendous deaths? She couldn’t push aside the image of Easton and Candace collapsing under groups of infected. Had she prepared them enough for this? She thought about Easton, always trying to be strong and protect everyone. Alex could see little Candace, trying to protect herself with a shovel. Sitting in the small crevice, Alex felt her body begin to shake, her grip on her strength slipping.
A warm hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump for a moment. The movement causing her to hiss in pain, but then Marcus was kneeling behind her. His hand squeezed her shoulder, the heat from his touch, calming her physically, even though emotionally she was a wreck. She looked over her shoulder and was startled at the closeness of his face. Alex could read the understanding in his eyes, and it made her turn away. She didn’t deserve comfort.
Marcus seemed to instantly recognize that something was wrong with Alex, and his hands smoothed down her body. For a moment Alex couldn’t think of why he would be touching her, and she pushed at his hands to stop. His hand found the warmth of running blood down her side, and he stopped to see the wound. Down her ribcage was a 5 inch deep gash. Marcus prodded it softly with his fingertips causing Alex to pull away.
“This will need stitches,” he breathed.
“Great,” Alex whispered back.
The sound of the infected rambling through the forest surrounded them. The small crevice between the rocks that lead to their small hole wasn’t noticeable to the eyes that didn’t truly see. Alex set Billie aside on the ground, and leaned to peak through the crevice. She could see the infected milling around, lost without a food source to chase. The fast bodies moved through the horde faster, but no more aware of their surroundings.
She waited, watching the dead, wondering about the people. Who were these people before they were brutally turned into these dead beings? They probably had friends and family across the country, wondering if they were alive. Just like Alex sat and thought about Rafe and Max. Hope sat in her chest, believing they were better prepared than many people, thanks to their father.
Marcus leaned close to her, his cheek pressed against hers as he peered out into the crevice. Alex pulled back quickly, as if she had been burned. He stayed where he was, studying the outside.
“Maybe another thirty minutes,” Marcus whispered, barely above the wind through the branches above them. “They are already losing focus and moving on.”
Instead of trying to speak, Alex just nodded and moved back to sit next to Billie. Marcus joined them, and Billie instantly sat next to him. Alex watched them, as they had a hushed conversation. They whispered so low, even Alex couldn’t hear them on her side of the hideout. Billie was listening intently to Marcus, nodding vigorously at times, and tearing up at others. When she got sad, Marcus rested his arm lightly around her shoulders and squeezed, comforting the little girl. Alex couldn’t help but feel a little softer toward Marcus, seeing his soft side with her daughter.
It seemed like eternity before they felt like it was clear enough to make a run for the RV. Marcus went first, leaving Alex and Billie inside the crevic
e. When he found the coast mostly clear, he motioned for them to follow, and the three of them took off at a run for the direction of the RV. Billie ran between Alex and Marcus, but they kept their hands free, ready to fight.
Alex broke off to one side for a moment to cut off an approaching infected, Marcus and Billie continuing toward the RV. She quickly sliced into the infected’s skull and caught up to Marcus and Billie. As she ran up to them she saw Billie lose her balance, but as she started to go down, Marcus’s hand shot out and caught her under the arm before she could fall on her face. Billie looked up at him and gave him a sad smile, and they started running hard again.
Coming up to the RV, they found 3 infected bodies outside, bullets in their heads. Alex ran to the RV door, and Margaret swung it open, with a gun in hand.
“Oh thank god!” Margaret exclaimed. She stepped back and allowed Alex to lift Billie into the RV, and she motioned for Marcus to go inside. This was the first time she had allowed him into the RV, but she thought keeping them all together for the moment was best. Once inside the RV Alex looked around quickly, but she didn’t see the teenagers.
“Are Candace and Easton here?” Alex asked, the question pointless as she could see the answer for herself.
“No, they haven’t come back,” Margaret answered.
Alex collapsed at the kitchen table, not even making it to a seat, but to the floor. She put her head in her hands, breathing heavily from exertion and terror. Fearing she was going to hyperventilate, she focused on breathing slower as the moments passed. Her blood soaked shirt stuck to her skin, making her feel sticky. She wondered if she was lightheaded because of blood loss already. No one tried to make her talk, everyone just stood around the RV, at a loss for what to do next. Alex knew they were waiting for her. But she was at a loss too.
The pressure to go back into the forest and find the kids was overwhelming. Alex needed to go find them, make them safe again, and get them to Montana. As the choice rolled around in her head, and the decision got close to being made, Marcus crouched down in front of her, crowding her to get her attention.
Sundown Series (Book 1): Prepared Page 22
