Territory of the Dead (Book 2): Phase Two: Evaluate

by Rose Wynters

  I shuddered. Kellan noticed my reaction. “Did you want to add something, Tabitha?” His voice had an edge that warned me he was royally ticked off. None of them would have appreciated my morbid thoughts so I pushed them to the side. “That's a pretty long drive. What happens to Drake, if we can't make it back before the sun comes up?”

  Kellan shrugged, his body slightly relaxing. “He'll just have to go underground and rejoin us when he can. Vampires can move a lot quicker than we can,” he explained, looking around the table. “If he sticks to the woods, he should be fine.”

  That made sense. I didn't want to linger in the forest any longer than necessary, especially for a vampire. I was still miffed at him over his attack. Kellan had checked me before dinner and declared me infection-free. I was relieved. If I'd made it for twenty-four hours without any complications, I'd probably be okay. Or so I kept telling myself.

  “Thanks for the clothes,” Amanda spoke up shyly. “I really needed them.”

  “We'll try to get more,” Kellan replied, leaning back in his seat. “When the opportunity presents itself.”

  His expression turned grave. “I want everyone in bed early tonight. Tabitha, Jayden, in the morning, we're going to do more target practice. I need you at your best tomorrow night, and that includes your shooting skills. Beth, maybe you and Amanda could pack us up some food? We'll be leaving as soon as the sun goes down.”

  “Are you sure you want to go, Tabitha?” Dad asked quietly, his face full of worry. He looked a lot older than he had before the apocalypse. It had aged all of us. “It's not too late to back out.”

  “I need to go, Dad,” I whispered back, forcing a smile on my face. It wasn't easy. “I'll be fine. We all will. Someone has to do these things. As nice as it is here, I'm still hoping that one day we'll all be free of this. It would be nice to have some semblance of a normal life again.”

  “Just be careful.” Drawing in a shaky breath, he looked at James. “I'm not as strong as the rest of you are. I couldn't survive losing a wife,” he stared at James and Amanda before turning his head to meet Jayden's eyes. “Or my entire family.”

  We all grew quiet, thinking of those that we had lost. “Someone will need to watch over Destiny.” Already, I was that attached to my pet. I hated to leave her behind but bringing her was not an option.

  “I will,” Amanda volunteered. She smiled at me, her eyes shining behind her glasses. Our friendship wasn't as strong as it used to be. Too much had happened, and it had changed both of us. Between her grief from the loss of her mother and my own problems, we'd grown apart. Hopefully, it wouldn't always be that way, though.

  “Thank you,” I smiled back.

  The rest of the meal passed uneventfully. We were almost done, anyhow. It wasn't my night for clean up, so I decided to head back up to my room. I would borrow yet another movie from Kellan's DVD collection and spend some time with Destiny.

  “I'm going to call it a night,” I told my parents, pushing my chair back from the table. Standing up, I wished everyone a good night before turning to leave. I ignored the pang in my heart when Jayden looked away. It was hard to understand how something so good could turn so bad. Maybe I just wasn't cut out for things like relationships.

  Walking into Kellan's library, I borrowed a romantic comedy. Hopefully, it would cheer me up, but if nothing else, at least it would provide some background noise. I felt sad, realizing that the movies we had here was it. Live television and upcoming releases were now a part of history. It was highly unlikely I'd ever see a news telecast again.

  Closing the door behind me, I made my way to the staircase. The hallway was quiet, the others still in the dining room. I was halfway up the stairs when Jayden's voice stopped me. “Hold up, Tabitha,” he called out, taking the stairs two at a time. “I want to talk to you.”

  I turned to face him, my back against the wooden banister. He stopped right beside me, his warm body close to mine. The scent of his aftershave washed over me, crispy and woodsy. The wall I'd erected around my heart began to crumble.

  “What do you want?” I forced myself to ask as I looked away. The truth was, I didn't want to talk. Instead, all I wanted to do was experience the pleasure of his presence. Words brought pain and bitterness. I wasn't up to more.

  He didn't immediately respond. Several seconds passed away as we remained quiet. Finally, I lifted my head, confused as to why he wasn't talking.

  Our eyes met. His were heated, his expression firm. Something was building between us, I just didn't know what it was. But Jayden did. There wasn't a hint of hesitation when he answered me. “This, Tabitha,” he said softly, his mouth moving closer. “I want this.”

  At that, his lips pressed up against mine. Jayden kissed me repeatedly, each one lingering just a little bit longer than the one before it had. Somehow, our lips parted and before I knew it, I was pulled against his body with my arms wound around his neck.

  Jayden was the first one to pull away, but he kept his arms wrapped around me. Nuzzling my neck, he whispered, “You don't know how long I've wanted to do that, Tabitha. It's so good between us, but I can make it even better. Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

  I was still reeling from the kiss, and the way that it made me feel. As far as first kisses went, ours had to be a perfect ten. Had we been in my room and alone, I wasn't quite sure I would have had the strength to resist going even further. Despite what my body was telling me, though, in my heart and mind, I knew it was too soon.

  “I can't,” I breathed out, releasing him. “We can't. It's too much temptation, especially now.”

  “Would it be so wrong if we did, Tabitha?” Jayden persisted, slowly kissing my neck. “There's nobody else I want to be with.”

  Gently, I pulled completely away from him, while I still had the strength left to do it. “I don't think it would be wrong, but I don't necessarily think it would be right, not if it happened tonight. Let me have some time, Jayden. I want to take it slow.”

  He groaned, but he managed to throw in a weak grin. “Sorry, but I don't seem to have much control when it comes to you. We can do slow, though. You're more than worth the wait. Do you want me to walk you up to your room?”

  I nodded, a silly grin on my face. Our first kiss had been magical. My plans for the night had changed. It was going to be hard for me to do anything now but replay it over and over again.

  I'd also learned something new. There was something really sexy about a man that kissed you, without stopping to ask first.

  Chapter 10

  We drove down the desolate, dark road, with Drake behind the wheel. I'd been surprised to discover that Kellan was allowing anyone else the privilege until he explained why. Drake was the only one that could see in the dark and keeping the headlights off was a necessity. It would make it harder for the zombies to track us.

  We'd been on the road for an hour, but we still had several more to go. Before the apocalypse, it wouldn't have taken so long. Now we had to dodge deserted cars and zombies, and sometimes, we even had to take a detour.

  Jayden sat beside me while Kellan rode up front. I sighed, turning away from the window. There was nothing out there to hold my interest. The entire world was simply dark, or at least it looked that way from where I was sitting. I never realized how much of a difference streetlights, porch lights, and headlights really made. I felt like I was in some kind of alternate universe. Between the scattered zombies and the complete lack of human life, it was a brutal reminder of what we'd lost.

  “Do you want to listen to some music?” Jayden asked, digging through his backpack. He pulled out a small, portable CD player, a grin lighting up his face. I stared at his curved lips, reminded once again of how handsome he really was. Jayden was a virile, red-blooded male, the type of guy girls dreamed off having. I wasn't any exception. I was dazzled by his good looks, but even more, I was dazzled by his interest in me. Nodding, I watched as he pulled out a CD and inserted it into the player.

  W
ithin seconds, Bob Seger's Turn The Page was blaring from the headphones. It was such a normal thing, driving down the road as we listened to music, that it relieved some of the anxiety within me. Jayden held the headphones up between us as I scooted over to sit next to him.

  Kellan turned around to look at us. His face was harsh in the dashboard lights, his eyes scrutinizing as they stared at the two of us. He didn't complain, though. He turned back around, the two men up front quiet as we continued down the road.

  Jayden and I were quiet, too, as we listened to the lyrics. If I had to guess, I would say all of us were reflecting about our lives as the Suburban burned up the miles. I wondered what would happen once we reached the Kisatchie National Forest, and I wondered if all of us would survive it.

  “Which part of the forest are we headed to?” I asked the back of Drake's head. Unlike similar places, this place was actually split into six different areas. It was huge. I hoped he knew where he was going. I had no desire to wander around a zombie-ridden forest, with no set destination in mind.

  “I was held somewhere close to the Saline Bayou,” he replied, his words slightly accented. Even Drake's voice sounded like he was from a different time and place. There was nothing modern or Americanized about the vampire. He was old, hailing from a time era that was completely foreign to me. “It was remote and located in a heavily forested area. I remember seeing a lot of cypress trees, but we weren't right up against the water. Once I escaped, it took me awhile to reach the first house. But don't worry,” he reassured me. “I believe I can scent it out.”

  Kellan shifted in his seat. “It's too bad we can't swing over to the Texas border. I'd like to see if we've been blocked from crossing over there, too.”

  None of us responded to that. It sounded like a bad idea to me. I led the conversation back down its original path. “Do you think the facility is the cause of this epidemic?” I couldn't think of anything else to call it.

  “I don't know,” Drake replied slowly. His hands gripped the steering wheel as if the memory pained him. “I remember hearing a lot of screams but that was the norm. One minute, the hallways were clear. The next, they were filled with zombies and even us, as we were trying to escape. It's possible, I suppose, but it's also possible that one of the guards brought it in. Maybe one of them was bit, and they ran into the building to escape them. Or maybe someone died, and they turned into a zombie. I simply have no idea.”

  “Why did they hold you there?” I persisted, scooting up so my face was in between them. Up close, Drake looked ill, if a vampire could look sick. “I'm sorry, I know this isn't easy for you, but we have the right to know.”

  “Do you?” Drake asked quietly. He shook his head sadly, but he continued his story. “It wasn't just me that was held there, and it wasn't just vampires. I saw humans there, too. They were people believed to have special abilities. Some of them were military men and women. They'd been reported to the public as dead, but they were very much alive. I'm sure they wished they were dead, instead of being held there. I also saw werewolves, shifters, and even aliens. We might have been different, but we all had one thing in common. We were held against out will, and none of us were spared in their studies.”

  “Studies?” I repeated, choking back the nausea. “What did they do to you?”

  “All kinds of things,” Drake replied vaguely. “Things that would horrify a gently-reared young woman such as yourself. We might be in modern times, but it goes against the grain for me to speak of certain things to you. So I won't. Just know this. Just because a creature is different doesn't mean they deserve to lose their freedom and be subjected to science. If you could have seen the things I did, you would ask yourself who the monster really is. Us or humans? Blood drinker I may be, but I've never tortured another living creature, not in all of the years I've been alive.”

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered, my face probably as pale as his. His refusal to tell it spoke to me louder than words ever would have. “It all makes sense to me now.” I slid back into my seat, my palms sweaty. “I've heard of animal testing before,” I continued, the nausea churning in my stomach. “I've always been against it. In fact, I even checked my makeup at the store before buying it, just to make sure it said it wasn't tested on animals.”

  I stopped to bitterly laugh. “Never, not in a million years, would I have imagined that it went even further than that. It puts a whole new spin on how all of these new technological advances came into play, huh? Now, I'm even wondering about everyday stuff, like flu vaccines and food additives. Who were they really tested on?”

  It was too much for me to take. Nausea rushed up the back of my throat. I gagged, pressing a hand against my lips. I was going to vomit all over Kellan's precious Suburban. I dreaded cleaning that up.

  “Pull over,” Jayden yelled, as I tried to hold it back with my hand. He didn't have to tell Drake twice. The Suburban stopped so fast, I slid into the back of Drake's seat.

  I barely got the door open, heaving out the little bit of food I'd eaten onto the paved road. In the face of all I'd learned, Drake was correct. Which was really worse? Drinking blood didn't look so bad, not when it was compared to holding others prisoner and torturing them as they used them for research.

  I was crying, but I wasn't sure if it was from vomiting or my own realizations. Either way, I felt horrible. Sitting back up in my seat, I slammed the door shut as Jayden handed me a water bottle.

  The Suburban took off again, Drake and Kellan silent. Neither man looked at me, but Jayden did. There was no censure on his face and no disgust. It took a pretty big man to sit there quietly, while someone else puked right beside them.

  “I'm sorry,” I announced, my voice loud in the quiet interior. Jayden had turned off the music when I started asking Drake questions. I wasn't sure if I was apologizing for vomiting or for the whole human race. The sheer cruelty of what he'd went through would haunt me for the rest of my life, however long that might be. “We're not all like that, though.”

  “I realize this,” Drake responded, his voice surprisingly kind. “Which is why I'm here now.”

  There was nothing left for me to say. The miles passed by, each one the same as the one before it. Eventually, my tears stopped. I hadn't sobbed, so I doubted the others were aware I was even crying. In the darkness, I was free to feel my pain, and I felt it well. I'd lost another chunk of my innocence, and it was a big one. No longer would I automatically believe in the good of humanity.

  Oh, there were good people in the world, people like my mom and dad who wouldn't harm anything. Obviously, there were horrible ones out there, too. People that didn't mind doing unspeakable things to other living creatures, be it human or other. Running a facility like that wasn't a small thing. It would have taken countless people to keep it going, all of them willing participants. Had their neighbors, friends, even community known what they were doing? It wasn't likely, otherwise, it would have been all over the news.

  It was enough to make my stomach churn again. Quickly, I rolled down the window and allowed some of the fresh air to circulate through the Suburban. It felt good, but I was careful to keep my face inside. I didn't want to give the zombies a scent, plus I didn't want to get hit in the face with a huge insect. There was a reason cars had a windshield, and it wasn't only to keep the rain out.

  In the darkened recesses of the Suburban, my opinion of the vampire rose considerably. There were far worse things than having to drink blood to survive. I could tolerate him, so long as he didn't try to make me his next meal.

  Lost in my thoughts, I was surprised when the Suburban slowed. We'd made better time than I expected. Surprisingly, there wasn't an empty car to be seen. The road was completely clear.

  Drake turned onto a gravel road. The forest was thick and heavy on both sides of us, blocking out what light there was from the moon. It was a bumpy ride, the sound of the tires moving across the gravel loud in the complete silence.

  We continued down the road for awhile
, although it was hard to guess just how far we went. Drake turned onto another gravel road, and then another, each one just a little bit harder to navigate than the one that came before it.

  Finally, we pulled to a stop. Putting the Suburban into park, Drake turned it off before handing the keys to Kellan. Both men remained silent, opening their doors at the exact same time.

  “I guess that's our cue,” Jayden muttered dryly, opening his own door.

  I nodded, doing the same. Although it was dark, it was still hot outside. The air was thick and muggy making it difficult to breath. Nearly immediately, I was coated with a thin layer of sweat underneath the long-sleeved shirt I was wearing. Kellan had insisted upon us covering as much skin as possible, due to the mosquitoes. We couldn't risk spraying ourselves with repellant, not knowing if the zombies would pick it up.