by Ariel Bonin
The man was already undressed and under the covers when she closed the door behind her. Quickly, she removed her clothing and crawled in next to him. He immediately curled an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. His mouth brushed over her parted lips and she deepened the kiss. She breathed in his spicy, masculine scent, attempting to imprint it on her brain—just in case this should be their last night together.
Urging him onto his back, Lindsey straddled Andrew's hips and continued to kiss him. She swept her tongue between his lips as he cradled the back of her head with his hand. Her long blonde hair—which was silkier and thicker, thanks to her pregnancy—cascaded over her shoulders and down around Andrew's face.
Grazing his hands down her sides, he lifted her hips and began to draw her down onto him. They hadn't much time for intimacy lately, what with his busy schedule and her ongoing nausea, but tonight they would make time.
_____
Afterward, Andrew hugged her close, her back to his front. He scattered kisses on her bare shoulder, rubbing his scratchy cheek against her soft skin. He felt her shiver in his arms. At first he thought it was from his abrasive facial hair or the February chill settling over their damp bodies. When it turned into trembling, he gently gripped her shoulder and turned her to lie on her back. Tears escaped from her dark eyes and she moved with haste to wipe them away. An involuntary sniffle was a clear indicator though, and Andrew frowned.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Lindsey worried her lip between her teeth as she blinked away any remaining moisture. "I don't want you to go."
"Oh, baby…" he whispered.
"I have a bad feeling that I just can't shake. I mean, how many times can we do this and walk away?"
"Please don't talk like that." The expression of misery on her face broke his heart.
"You know it's true." She shook her head. "Don't act like it's not."
Andrew closed his eyes on a sigh. "Of course I know it's true. I'm just asking—please don't do this to me right now, Linds. You know I don't want to go, but I have to."
"I know. Oh, God, I'm sorry…I'm not being fair…it's these fucking hormones. I'm crying about everything now." She tried to laugh but it came out as a sob.
"Lindsey, stop. You have every right to cry about this—pregnant or not. I'm scared, too. I know I'm on borrowed time. If I had it my way, we'd be together every second of every day, but we know that's not how this works."
Lindsey nodded, silent tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She rested a hand on her stomach and said, "Please come back to us. I can't do this without you."
Andrew's eyebrows pulled together. Tenderly, he placed his hand atop hers and gazed directly into her worried eyes. "You're strong. Hell, this is our baby—you know it'll be strong." He smiled. "You'd survive without me, but I'll do everything in my power to get back here in one piece—I always do."
"I can't picture my life without you. There's no way I'd survive…"
"You would. You underestimate yourself." He intertwined their fingers and lifted her palm to his lips.
Lindsey gave him a sad smile. "See, this is why I need you—positive reinforcement."
Andrew's smile spread into a grin and he brought his head down to kiss her once more. "We should get some sleep."
"Promise you'll wake me before you leave?"
He offered her a single nod. "I promise."
_____
Andrew kept his word, rousing his wife in order to say a proper goodbye—unlike last time. She didn't cry, but he knew she wanted to. The devastation in her features was a dead giveaway. He kept the exchange brief, dragging himself from the room, because the longer he stayed, the more he thought about skipping out—which was not an option. He kissed Jake goodbye and woke Zoey for one last hug.
Once out of the bungalow and into the fresh morning air, he felt a little lighter, more focused. Whenever he left his comfort zone, he found it easier to get things done. Perhaps that comfort of home was his motivation—he'd fight tooth and nail to return to it.
He made it to the dock, which had been rebuilt with lumber from their last run. He'd instructed everyone to meet him there at dawn, but only Charlie and Ana were waiting for him.
"Guess we're early," Andrew said.
A moment later, Phil emerged from the tree line, Nicholas and Kat behind him. Not too long after, the New Canaan couple rounded out the group. Their last working boat was docked a few feet away, knocking against the wooden platform with each passing wave.
"We good to go?" Nicholas asked.
Phil nodded. "We loaded up the necessary tools and fuel yesterday."
"Then let's do this," Ana said, hopping onto the bobbing vessel first.
As Phil steered the group out to sea, Andrew dwelled on his conversation with Lindsey from the night before. He hated to leave her and his children. It was never an easy decision, but more often than not, his hands were tied. He'd done his best to diffuse the situation. He hadn't wanted to feed into Lindsey's fears, but he, too, couldn't shake the bad feeling in his gut. If they all made it through this and got back to New Canaan alive, it'd be a goddamn miracle.
Chapter 17
Phil stayed parallel to the coastline until he spotted the marina. There was no sign of any remaining docks. They had probably fallen into the ocean and been swept away long ago. Instead, he found a clear area along the shore and ran the boat aground just enough to keep it stationary. Andrew and Nicholas jumped down and then turned around to assist Ana and Kat.
When everyone had disembarked, Andrew said to the New Canaan couple, "Stay here and keep watch. Only fire if you need to. This might take a while, but you need to stay sharp. Don't drop your guard."
"You got it," the man said.
The six remaining survivors swept through the boatyard, checking every nook and cranny for turners. Charlie took out an emaciated female cadaver, his knife impaling itself in the center of her forehead. Andrew followed and smashed the tail end of his rifle into the head of another turner, splattering blood and brain matter across the warm dirt.
Ana went to dispatch two corpses at once, but her arrow got stuck halfway through the second turner's neck. She wrenched it free and then finished the job with a skilled jab.
"Gettin' rusty, huh?" Charlie said with a smirk.
Another turner staggered toward the woman and she used her hatchet to remove the head with ease, sending it spinning across the ground. "Not a chance," she retorted, her eyes smiling.
Nicholas and Kat took out the final turners and they all met back at the center building, which reminded Andrew of an airplane hangar. The tall structure was made out of metal and had a gigantic sliding door on the front.
"I saw a decent boat on the east side," Phil began. "This place looks pretty picked over..."
"I'm not surprised," Andrew said, gathering that same information as his attentive eyes scanned the abandoned yard. "Why don't you and Charlie get started on that and we'll cover you. Just let us know if you need anything."
_____
Two hours later, Phil wiped his brow, leaving behind a dark smudge of grease on his tanned skin. "This engine is a fuckin' mess." He turned to Charlie and began spouting off a list of various parts and tools. "Think you can find those inside?"
As Charlie nodded, Andrew pointed to the two women. "Ana, Kat—we'll give him a hand. Nicholas, holler if you need us out here in a hurry."
"Will do," the man replied. He exchanged a smile with his girlfriend and then watched her follow the others to the nearest entrance.
Andrew readied his weapon, securing it against his shoulder. He signaled to Charlie and the man forced open the sturdy door. Andrew rushed inside, aiming his gun to the left as Kat took the right. Charlie moved through the center and Ana backed him up. The inside was exactly like a storage hangar with sections of thick iron rods forming over-sized cubbies for the most elite water vessels. They came across a heavy-duty forklift, but—like most machines now—it didn't work. A musty s
mell hung in the air, indicating that no one had been inside for quite a while.
After clearing the enormous room, the foursome branched off to explore a series of offices and, finally, a workshop. Charlie picked up a pack of Marlboros from the top of a dusty tool chest, plucked one out and placed it between his lips. He flicked on his lighter, took three long draws, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"So what are we looking for?" Kat asked, holstering her handgun to rummage through the messy work space.
Charlie listed a few easy items and explained what they would look like.
"It's too bad we can't get that forklift running. Those boats out there look like they're in pristine condition," Ana said to him.
"I'm keepin' it as an option, but we need to find these parts to fix the boat back at the island," Charlie responded as he opened drawer after drawer in the tool chest.
Only a moment later, Andrew found one of the necessary tools hanging from a peg board. He slipped it into his back pocket and continued to search for more supplies. On the wall next to him, a calendar with curling pages caught his eye. He smoothed out one corner to reveal a chesty, bikini-clad woman with bleach-blonde hair. She was leaning over a cherry red Mustang convertible, which happened to match her skimpy two-piece. He remembered how guys at the base would put up similar calendars and, while the girls were attractive, they never really did it for him. Maybe he was a prude, but he liked to think of himself as a tasteful guy. Lingerie could be fun—that was for sure—but sometimes all he would have to do was look at Lindsey while she took care of his children. He loved stopping by her classroom when she wore that blue dress from her first day. Just the thought of it made him twitch below the belt.
Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind of Lindsey and got back to the task. He was just picking up a set of keys when a cry came from behind him. He spun around to see Kat in a closet doorway, her slender arms attempting to hold off an enormous turner. The fiend was well over six feet tall and weighed at least 250 pounds. The young woman struggled for her weapon, but the turner knocked her backward, wrestling her into a row of metal canisters. Piercing clangs reverberated in the small space as the containers toppled over. Charlie threw out his cigarette and advanced with his rifle raised. A single round popped into the top of the turner's cranium, leaving the beast motionless.
Kat, gasping for breath, pushed off the dead weight and accepted Ana's outstretched hand. "Holy shit," she whispered, summing it up in only two words.
"Are you okay?" Ana asked as she checked the other woman for bites or scratches.
"I'm good now." Kat looked to Charlie. "Thanks."
The man gave her a nod and shouldered his rifle.
Kat inhaled deeply and frowned. She sniffed at the air and wondered aloud, "What's that smell?"
Andrew couldn't smell anything, but as he took a step toward her, his nose was assaulted by an unpleasant odor. Instantly, his face changed to an expression of shock. "It's gas! Get out, get out now!"
A few seconds later, the building exploded.
_____
Lindsey dug her feet into the sand, soaking in the warmth of the sun's rays. She adjusted the floppy hat on her head and glanced at the infant beside her. Jacob, who was fascinated by the soft white grains covering the entire beach, repeatedly dug his plastic cup into the uneven ground and sprinkled the fine sand over his wiggling toes. Lindsey smiled and pinched his big toe, drawing out a squeal of amusement.
Zoey was busy reading her book on a black and pink beach towel next to them.
"How many times have you read those things?" Lindsey asked her with a smirk.
"Probably too many…I almost know 'em by heart now."
The woman let out a quiet laugh. "Do you mind if I read one?"
Zoey raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Sure! Which one do you want?" she asked, referring to the small pile holding down one corner of her towel.
"You pick. Something with a lot of action." Something that will take my mind off your dad being gone.
"Okay." She shuffled through her pile and pulled one out. "The Three Musketeers. It's really freakin' long, but…" She shrugged. "I still like it."
"I haven't read that in years. Should be exciting enough, though. Thanks," Lindsey said as she accepted the visibly worn piece of reading material.
Sometime later, while Lindsey was wrapped up in a heated battle, an odd noise perked up her ears. It sounded like a very faint thud, followed by another and another—almost like a faraway gunshot, but deeper. She lifted her head, wondering if maybe it had been just her imagination.
When she caught Zoey looking around, she said, "You heard that, too?"
"Yeah, but I thought it was just me…"
The girl stood up and walked down the beach toward the water. Her head swiveled from side to side and then stopped.
"Lindsey!" she called out.
The woman frowned as she got to her feet and leaned over to pick up Jacob. Meeting Zoey where the sand became flat and wet from the receding tide, Lindsey looked to where she was pointing and froze. Swells of black, curling smoke rose into the cloudless sky. She did a quick assessment of direction in relation to geography, and it didn't take her long to conclude the location of the fire. Her eyes plummeted to the ground—as did her stomach.
"That's at the boatyard, isn't it?" Zoey asked, anxiety spiking her young voice.
Lindsey met the teenager's searching gaze and had no use for words—her nervous expression said it all.
"We should get to the dock, ya know, just in case they come back and need our help?"
Lindsey couldn't have agreed with her more. "Let's get our stuff together."
_____
Nicholas rolled over in the dirt, his body aching from the sudden blast that had knocked him off his feet. He groaned and pushed himself upright. He spotted Phil by the boat they'd been repairing and the man was also struggling to get vertical.
"WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED?" Nicholas couldn't hear the words even as they escaped from his mouth—his ears were ringing too loudly.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Phil answered, but the only way Nicholas knew it was from reading the man's lips.
They both looked at the smoldering building and the trail of smoke that billowed into the air. Nicholas grasped his head with both hands, his fingers threading through the short black hairs.
"Kat!" he shouted. "Katerina, can you hear me? Andrew? Anybody?"
Nicholas circled the outside of the burning structure, searching for any way in. Flames impeded every entrance and a nauseating dizziness began to take hold of his body. He tried one of the doors and scalded his hand on the red-hot knob.
With his heart exploding inside of his chest, he yelled again, "Kat!"
"We need to go!" Phil said, urgency of the essence as he tugged on the large man's shoulder.
"No!" Nicholas roared. "I'm not leaving without her!"
Phil's face screwed up with grief. "They're gone, man. The turners are coming! We need to go, now!"
As if on cue, a scream rose above the roar of the fire and the two men whipped their heads around. The couple from New Canaan were overwhelmed by turners, with the woman fully under attack. She continued to scream as the undead sunk their teeth into her arms and neck. Her companion tried to help, but there were too many for him to handle. He, too, became incapacitated before Nicholas and Phil could get over to them.
Phil raised the barrel of his twelve-gauge shotgun and blasted a path to the boat. Nicholas followed in a fog, firing off his assault rifle on auto-pilot. He felt nothing, his brain thought of nothing, there was nothing without Kat in his life.
_____
Lindsey and Zoey completed yet another game of peek-a-boo with Jacob and started in on a casual version of patty cake as they waited at the dock. Caren and Robert joined them not too long after once they'd been alerted of the mysterious explosion. Other than Tyler and Hannah, their entire group was on that run—their hearts and lives hung in the balance.
"Hey, g
uys, look," Robert said suddenly, pointing out to sea.
They all raised their heads and saw a distant object coming toward them. It was hard to tell who it might be, but it was clearly a boat from the way it moved across the water.
At the same time Lindsey recognized Nicholas's familiar crew-cut, Caren said, "It's them!"
Lindsey balanced Jacob on her hip, which was getting to be rather difficult because of her disappearing waistline. Nonetheless, she cradled the child and held her breath. The boat sped toward the dock, slowing down at the last second. Lindsey squinted in hopes of seeing a little better—for some reason she could only see two people. That can't be right.
"Why do they only have one boat?" she asked the others.
"Maybe they couldn't get another one," Zoey replied, her voice matching the woman's apprehension.
Lindsey had a sinking feeling, but managed to say, "Maybe…"
Phil pulled the boat alongside the floating surface and jumped down, mooring the vessel with skilled haste. Nicholas trailed behind, his movements uncharacteristically slow. As the older man walked toward them with purpose, Lindsey attempted to see past him into the boat. Her eyes searched frantically for any sign of the six other survivors—first and foremost, Andrew.
Lindsey's breathing hastened as Phil stopped in front of her. His eyes were sad, hesitant.
"Don't…" she muttered, shaking her head. "Don't say it."
"I'm sorry…" he whispered with a grimace, as if it actually pained him to speak the words.
Lindsey didn't blink as she gaped at him. Everything in that moment froze—her brain simply could not comprehend the idea of a world without Andrew Flynn, or Charlie Knox for that matter.
"M-my dad? All of them…?" Caren asked in disbelief. Andrew, Charlie, Ana, Kat, the other couple…
Phil nodded and hung his head.
Most likely sensing the impending meltdown, Robert lifted Jacob from Lindsey's arms. She didn't even notice. Her entire body had gone numb—everything except for her heart.
