The fate of humanity…
“Rose Cooper,” I said quietly.
“Rose Cooper,” Nolan said louder.
“State of occupancy?”
“State of?” I shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“Where are you from, and which area have you been issued in, ma’am?”
“She’s from the UK,” Nolan filled in for me. “And we’re in red zone, section three.”
I blinked in surprise, because I hadn’t noticed any of that shit.
“And you are?” the other man said, turning to look at Nolan. Clearly he had a superiority complex and wanted to make sure we all knew who was in charge.
“Sergeant Nolan Baker.”
I looked up at him sharply but he continued to look at the other army guy with barely a blink.
“You serve?” he asked, and Nolan nodded.
“Two tours. Signed off after the last one due to health issues,” Nolan responded abruptly.
“Health issues?” the army man scoffed. “What kind of health issues? Because any able-bodied man should be serving right now, if you ask me.”
Nolan huffed out a breath and leaned forwards. “I saw too many dead bodies and started to lose my shit, son. Started taking people out—any people that I saw as a threat.”
I stared between the two men, not sure what to say. I’d learned more about Nolan in the last thirty seconds than I had in the past few days. And yet, strangely, none of his admissions actually surprised me. In fact, it all made more sense now.
Barrett, Sam, and Andy came to join us since they’d already been issued their bags. Sensing the mood had obviously taken a hostile edge, Barrett did what Barrett did best and created even more tension.
He slapped Nolan on the shoulder and barked out a laugh. “All right, all right, we all good here then, boys? ’Cause I am more than ready to get this whacked-out party on the road!” He smiled at the army man. “Thanks for your service.” He winked, and I sensed that he’d already had a not-so-pleasant run-in with the man previously.
The army personnel looked at Nolan with a look I could only describe as disgust. “Where you from?”
“Detroit,” Nolan snapped.
“I’ll pass your details along. Don’t be surprised if you get called up. We need all the help we can get out here.” He glared at Nolan. “Next!” he barked, and I grabbed Nolan’s arm and pulled us along to the next station where we could grab our bags and get the hell out of there.
“Well, well, that was a fucking delightful turn of events, wasn’t it?” Barrett laughed.
I turned and glared at him, wishing he’d shut the hell up, but all that did was make him laugh more. I grabbed Nolan’s hand and started to pull him away.
“Come on,” I said, and he frowned but followed. “We’ll see you back at the tent,” I called to the others.
We needed to get some space, for his sake and everyone else’s. Because if there was one thing I had learned about Nolan, it was that you could only push him so far. Once he lost his shit, he lost it. And I had a feeling that talking about his past was bringing him close to the edge.
Chapter Four
~ Sam ~
Barrett was pushing his luck.
Even with me at the moment. A devil-may-care attitude and bad-boy good looks could only get you so far when you were acting out like a total asshole. I thought maybe he got off on pushing people’s buttons as hard as he could for as long as he could, until a person snapped. And then he’d sit back and watch the show, feet propped up like Gaston expecting foot rubs from Belle.
I watched Rose and Nolan move away from us, back toward the tent. Andy stood awkwardly next to me and Barrett, sort of side-eyeing him warily. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. That was probably smart. Barrett would make mincemeat out of the young kid no matter what he might have uttered.
Andy shrugged and then followed the duo, who were already far enough away that I didn’t need to lower my voice to keep from being heard.
“Barrett, God, you have got to put a sock in it!” I turned to him, forcing my face to be as fierce as I could manage. “Honestly, do you want to piss everyone off? Is that the plan? Then what—you’ll just toddle off on your own to survive the wilds? Big bad drug runner who needs nothing and no one… oh, except your drugs, of course.” I fought the urge to stamp my foot for emphasis. It wasn’t good that I was getting upset. I could feel warmth building up from the center of my chest, where my heart was beating too rapidly—like a narcotic-dosed hummingbird.
Barrett’s expression actually fell, and a slight creep of crimson was working its way up his throat. It stayed, however, just below his jawline, like he was able to keep from fully blushing by force of will alone. I wished I had that talent. But nope. When I got embarrassed, it was all “call the firehouse to put out the flames” in my cheeks.
“Shit,” Barrett grumbled, his eyes staring intently at me. “I’ve never played well with others, sweets. You’re going to have to get used to that.” A bit of his normal cockiness played against the last of his words.
“I don’t have to get used to anything actually, Barrett. I’ve just met you. There’s still a world full of people out there, some of whom don’t carry around a state-sized chip on their shoulder.” I angled away from him, crossing my arms over my body. It was better than stamping my foot…though only by a very tiny margin.
“A whole world of people,” he repeated, moving his own body to stand back directly in front of me, “who have no idea what secrets your pretty little body hides.” He lifted his hand and moved a strand of hair from my face gently. “But me? I got a good idea what’s going on under those skinny curves, and I haven’t left you yet. So don’t get used to me. Don’t admit you got a longing in between your legs. But don’t think for one second that the rest of the world’s going to accept what’s happening to you.”
My face crumpled, and tears began to build in my eyes. I didn’t want him to say anything else. I didn’t want to hear it. Not that he was okay with what was happening to me, not that he was planning to stick by me, but that I was different now, different from the entire world. I knew it already, deep-the-hell-down inside my stomach, but hearing him talk about it, with his voice soft and low and almost a lullaby, made it too damn real. I wasn’t ready.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Barrett announced, his voice a deep rumble that echoed through my chest. It was the first time, actually, that he’d given me fair warning of his intentions. Part of me wanted to pull away—that part that was all heat inside my still-racing heart—but the other part of me stayed.
Why?
Because he was right, and I hated that. If the world found out what I was, it could go one of two ways: Someone might kill me instantly. No questions asked. No hope. Or someone might take me. And that option? Lab rat central. I wouldn’t be a hummingbird heart free anymore; I’d be a rat in a cage.
So I stayed where I was as he leaned in, and for my part I leaned forward. Only a fraction. But that fraction spoke volumes. I was meeting his attitude, his ego, his darkness, and introducing it to the new reality of my own. Beauty traded for blood. I could only wonder how bad tomorrow would be in terms of my body. And then the next day. And the next. The future was frightening—more so for me than for anyone else. So for now, as my body trembled with equal parts fear and lust, I let go.
And I tried to slough off my worries as he kissed me deeply and fully. He wasn’t asshole Barrett in that moment; he was a man accepting a woman stood in front of him—without any (as of yet spoken) strings.
I pulled away first, a little breathless. But the hotness in my chest had cooled and the tears had dried within my eyes before they’d even had time to debate sliding down my face.
“Thanks,” I said without thinking.
He grinned mischievously. “I honestly can’t say you’re the first woman who’s thanked me for kissing her, but you’re damn near the sexiest.”
I rolled my eyes and turned from him, b
eginning the walk back to the tent—and to Rose and Nolan, who’d hopefully cooled off in our short absence.
We only made it a few feet, Barrett trailing behind me, when I heard my name being called by Karla’s distinct voice. “Sam! Sam, hold on!”
I felt myself stiffen, but I forced myself to turn around. Her eyes were wide and curious. I knew why—she was wondering how I’d passed the test, how I could possibly be roaming around a safe military installation when I was infected.
Just act normal. You’re not sick. You’re not becoming whatever you’re becoming. Just be fucking normal, Sam.
I pep-talked myself mentally until I felt my expression relax into what I was pretty sure was a natural-looking smile. “Hi, Karla.” Despite smiling, I heard the tension in my words. Relax, idiot! “You and Leon get set up in a tent?” I looked past her to Leon slinking behind her, looking like he wanted to turn and bolt rather than engage with me and Barrett. His gaze was moving around, clearly searching for Rose.
“Yes. Nice group. Nuns, if you can believe that. Bunch of kids too.” Karla was nervously shoving her hands in and out of her pockets, shuffling her feet, biting her lower lip.
“Karla, if you have something to say, just say it. We’re all adults here.” I gave her the invitation to speak up or forever hold her damn peace.
She spoke.
“Listen, I mean, you must be fine if you passed that test. The blood thing. And, well, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. Everything was so touch-and-go before. I mean, it seemed really clear that something was going on with you…” She let her voice trail off, leaving unspoken things hanging in the air. Maybe she was envisioning me with weapons, whirling around like a demonic ballerina, killing zombies. In my head, I’d looked graceful. A graceful freaking killing machine.
But I’m guessing that to Karla, I’d looked like something out of a brutal, carnage-driven movie with little plot save for killing.
I glanced at Barrett. He opened his mouth slightly, getting ready to respond to Karla. I gave him a slight shake of my head. No, I needed to handle this.
“Yeah, I passed the test,” I said, nodding. “Did you think I wouldn’t?” I smiled only a little, working surprise into my expression.
“Girl, I mean…I mean…” She stuttered out the words. “Everyone was just so tense when we first got here, worrying about the test and the relief that we’d found somewhere safe. Rose was comforting you. You were crying. Lord, what was I”—she glanced back at Leon—“what were we supposed to think?”
“Maybe that the end of the world has happened and I was freaked the fuck out.” I shrugged. “Look, we’ve all passed the test. We’re all here. Let’s just move on.”
She took a step forward, as if she wanted to hug me or come with me, but then she moved back again, unsure. Once more, she looked at Leon. “Yeah, let’s move on. We’re going to stay in the tent we’ve been assigned though. I mean, that’s where they put us, so we should stay there.”
“Okay.” I shrugged again. “Suit yourself. See you around.” I ended the conversation, knowing that Barrett and Nolan, despite hating one another, had agreed on leaving the compound as soon as possible, so the likelihood of actually seeing her and Leon again was slim. And maybe that was for the best.
Leon hadn’t said a word while we’d talked, and as soon as we were done talking, he’d skulked away. Karla had sighed, giving me and Barrett a last hard look, before following her less-than-pleasant companion. I hated that things had come to this, and knew it was partly my fault. But if I was being honest I knew it was for the best. Karla was a good woman, and she’d helped us when we needed it. It was good that we were separating. She was safer that way.
“The nuns are the perfect place for them, if you ask me,” Barrett drawled out.
“I didn’t ask you,” I retorted angrily.
“Hey, what did I say now?” He held up his hands in protest, his eyes still twinkling mischievously.
“It’s not what you say so much as who you are fundamentally, Barrett,” I snapped back, though I knew some of the force in my voice was totally counteracted by the twinkles in my own eyes that I couldn’t kill. Even at the end of the world… my taste in men. God help me.
We walked back in companionable quiet, though the world around us was loud and bustling.
When we got back to the tent, though, the comfortable stillness between us evaporated. Rose and Nolan were going at it like cats and dogs.
“He should come with us,” Nolan said, pointing at Andy, who was sitting on the floor of the tent looking completely taken aback by the scene in front of him.
He held up his hands, trying to calm the situation, maybe. “Seriously, I didn’t mean to cause an issue. It was just a question. Can’t a guy ask a question around here?”
“Be quiet, kid,” Nolan snapped, his eyes only for Rose and his face going beet red as his blood pressure skyrocketed.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” Rose barked out at the same time that Andy protested being called kid again.
“Be quiet,” she and Nolan snapped at the young boy in unison this time.
“Rose, he doesn’t have anybody. He’s a system kid. I know what that’s like. If he wants to come with us, we should let him. Shit’s so bad, if we find someone who needs us, we should help.”
“We can’t be responsible for a kid!” Rose yelled. “Look at all the shit we’ve been through. Look what happened to Alexa!” Rose was shaking now. She moved to the tent wall, gripping one of the thick poles that held the sleeping structure upright as if she might collapse at any moment and needed the support.
Instantly, I knew what the real problem was. It wasn’t that Andy wanted to come along; no, it was the memory of the teen girl who’d died. The worst way I could imagine, after burning in a fire maybe. She’d been ripped to shreds by zombies. She’d been eaten. Rose didn’t want to have another kid on her “watch” who might die.
I moved fully into the tent, beelining for Rose. I put an arm around her, leaned in, and whispered.
“Rose, what happened to Alexa has nothing to do with Andy.”
She tried to yank away, but I pulled her in tightly to my body.
“If he’s really alone, with nobody anywhere, then we shouldn’t leave him. Put yourself in his shoes.”
When she yanked away this time, I didn’t fight her on it. “I am in his shoes, Sam. I’m here thousands of fucking miles from home, worried sick about my mum and dad. I could be an orphan right now and not even know it. But I won’t watch another kid die. I won’t.”
Andy stood then and walked over to us. He gave a lopsided grin, his gaze on Rose, and he shrugged. “I guess I can’t die then.”
It was so casual, and such perfect timing, that Rose snorted in unexpected laughter.
“You don’t even know what you’re getting into, Andy.” She glanced at me, and then seemed to realize what she was doing.
Her eyes left my face fast, but the damage was done. Because I got what she was insinuating; I was the thing that Andy would be “getting into” if he stayed with us. I was the biggest threat to his future now.
Me.
Never thought I’d say that, but it was true. I was the biggest risk to us all.
I was bad, on a level that transcended anything else, including attitude and skin-deep appearances. I glanced at Barrett. Yeah, he was bad to the bone. But I was bad through and through, way deeper than just flesh and bone now.
Slice me up and stick me under a microscope. Lab rat for hire.
Chapter Five
~ Rose ~
I was furious with Andy for asking to stay with our group, but I was more furious with Nolan for agreeing to it. It was as if common sense went out the window and he’d forgotten that not only were there zombies at the gates, but that one of those zombies—or something akin to one—was living with us.
I glanced back at Sam, guilt flushing my features. And by the shocked look in her eyes, she’d understood the deeper meaning behind
my words.
“Sam, I’m sorry,” I said as she turned away from me and headed back out of the tent.
Silence fell heavily over our group, and I looked over at Nolan for help but he wouldn’t look at me.
“Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” Andy said apologetically, his hand dragging through his unruly hair. “I just, I haven’t got anyone else and I can’t stay with those nuns anymore. But I get it—”
“No, you really don’t,” I said, my chest feeling tight. “You have no idea. Stay with us, but we’re not looking after you. You take care of yourself, you hear me?” I snapped, hating the bitter tone to my voice.
He shifted his gaze around the group to Nolan, whose dark stare was penetrating me, and then to Barrett, who was sat casually with a smirk on his face.
“I’ve always taken care of myself. I don’t need more people trying to be my parents, I just need someone who won’t think praying is going to save us all.” Andy crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a deep breath.
I shook my head. “Whatever,” I replied, and turned to leave the tent, my backpack feeling heavy on my back. Or maybe that was just my own guilt weighing me down. Guilt for Alexa because we hadn’t reached her, and guilt for bringing some unsuspecting kid into our fold.
Whatever, I needed to find Sam. I needed to apologize for the way my words had cut her. Though there was obviously no getting away from the fact that there was truth in what I said, the way I had just word-vomited it out wasn’t fair.
I pushed the flap to one side and headed outside. I put a hand up to shield my eyes, the brightness of the day in stark contrast to the dim tent. The day was heating up and the crowds of people were becoming thick and suffocating, so much so that I couldn’t help but look around me in anxiety.
People sat in the doorways of their tents, the flaps tied back to allow some air inside. They were talking and smiling like there was nothing left to worry about. Like the army were here and we were all saved. Hallelujah.
How could they all be so laid back about it? As if it could ever be that easy. I was so mad I wanted to cry, because it was this lax attitude that would eventually get them all killed. And I realized that if I stayed there, I would probably die too. And I couldn’t die—I wouldn’t. I had to, somehow, get home.
Red Eye | Season 2 | Episode 1 Page 4
