Daisy and the Dead | The Complete Series | Books 1-6

by Bale, Sarah

  Faith replied, “No thanks.”

  She grabbed her book and headed to one of the cars.

  “Maybe I misjudged her,” Kat said. “Maybe she’s into chicks, which is cool, just not a lot of options here.”

  “I think she has her eye on a certain man. That’s the problem.”

  I’d noticed the way she watched Norm. It seemed harmless, so I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.

  Kat’s eyes widened. “She better not have a thing for my man. Pregnant or not, I’ll kick her ass.”

  This made me laugh, but I knew she was also very serious. “It’s not Grey. It’s Norm.”

  “Oh. Wow. That’s pretty shitty since her best friend is with him.”

  I replied, “I think it’s a case of close quarters. I bet when we get to Oklahoma she’ll get over her crush and find someone to shack up with.”

  I’d seen it happen before. Hell, that’s one of the reasons I’d hooked up with some of the women in my past.

  Kat nodded. “You’re probably right.”

  “Speaking of Oklahoma, I wanted to talk to you. About your birthing plan.”

  Her face paled. “Not sure I’ll need it. I’m guessing Grey spoke to you?”

  I nodded. “He did. I’ll tell you what I told him. Just because you’re not feeling anything right now doesn’t mean something terrible has happened.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, Boss, but it’s hard not to jump to the worst conclusions.”

  I took her hand. “Just know that there’s still hope. And when we get to Oklahoma you’re going to need a birthing plan. That’s where I come in.”

  She sniffled. “Damn hormones. Got me all choked up.”

  I let her gather her composure, knowing how much she hated showing emotions in front of others.

  Finally, she said, “I thought you were a bone doctor or something. How do you figure you’re going to be able to help me?”

  “Orthopedic surgeon,” I corrected. “But I also did a rotation in obstetrics during my residency.”

  “Have you actually delivered a baby before?”

  I nodded. “Two.”

  “Two’s not very many.”

  “It’s more than anyone else around here has delivered.”

  She dipped her head once. “You got me there. But didn’t you have all that fancy equipment?”

  I wasn’t going to tell her that I did, because that wouldn’t solve anything. I was going to do my best to help her. That’s all I could offer.

  “Kat, everything is going to be fine. I promise we’ll get through this.”

  She looked around before leaning in. “I trust that you’ll do everything in your powers to help me.”

  She paused and my gut felt heavy.

  “But… I need you to promise me something.”

  I didn’t want to ask, but I did. “What’s that?”

  Her eyes were bright as she said, “If something goes bad during the delivery you have to be the one to put me and the baby down. Don’t let Grey. He won’t be able to live with himself.”

  And there it was. The words that made my stomach feel as if I’d eaten something sour.

  I shook my head. “Kat, you can’t think like that.”

  “Boss, one of us has to. I need you to swear that you’ll do what needs to be done, even if it’s not what you want to do. Promise me.”

  I did the only thing I could.

  “I promise.”

  Her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you. That helps more than you know.”

  She stood, patting me on the back as she passed. I watched as everyone moved around the camp and the weight of these lives on my shoulders became more real than ever. Every choice I made affected them. The good and the bad. And now there were future lives on the line.

  Standing, I strolled through the trees, heading away from everyone. A tree branch broke and I turned, finding Daisy there. Without a word, she took my hand and walked at my side. We made our way down a ravine, our shoes crunching on leaves. In another time it would have been picturesque. Leaves of reds, yellows, and gold. The woman I loved at my side. The crisp air, minus the scent of death that lingered everywhere-

  “This reminds me of the time of year when you found me,” she said.

  I replied, “I was thinking the same thing.”

  We reached a creek and stopped on the banks. The water was murky and smelled.

  Daisy looked upstream. “Must be a biter stuck somewhere. Hope no one is drinking this stuff downstream.”

  Because it would mean certain death for them.

  She picked up a rock, tossing it into the water. “I was worried when I saw you walking off.”

  “Just needed to catch my breath.”

  “Did something happen?”

  I glanced down at her and replied, “Grey wanted me to talk to Kat about the baby.”

  “Oh?”

  “So I did. But then she asked me to do something for her.”

  Daisy turned to face me. “I’m glad she finally mentioned it. It’s been on her mind.”

  This surprised me. “You knew she was going to ask?”

  “I didn’t mention it because I was hoping she would change her mind or at least let me do it, if it comes down to that.”

  I didn’t want to do it, but I damn sure didn’t want Daisy living with that kind of choice.

  Sighing, I said, “That’s a lot to ask of someone.”

  “That’s the world that we live in.”

  She was right.

  She touched my arm. “Elijah, I would ask someone to do the same for me. I wouldn’t want you to be the one to put me or, heaven forbid, our child down.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about this, Daisy.”

  “I know it’s not easy, but-”

  Turning from her I said, “We should head back.”

  It was a dick move, but I meant what I said. I didn’t want to talk about that because the thought of living without her was unbearable.

  3

  Daisy

  Elijah was distant the rest of the day. It didn’t surprise me, but it still stung. Jo and Norm came back around dinner, huge grins on their faces. Grey embarrassed them as he’d done to Elijah and me.

  Kat snorted. “He’s being passive aggressive since I won’t give him sex right now.”

  I asked in a low tone, “Are you feeling okay?”

  Her face paled. “Still haven’t felt the baby.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t know that.”

  She was right and it wasn’t fair to say things I wasn’t sure would come true. She might not ever feel her baby again, which wasn’t something I wanted to think about.

  Elijah got everyone’s attention. “We’re going to head out after diner. We’ll take it slow. Switch drivers as often as you need. The last thing we want is for someone to fall asleep behind the wheel.”

  Kat asked me, “Did you know we were leaving tonight?”

  “No. This is news to me.” Standing, I went over to Elijah. “Did something happen?”

  His expression was grim. “Grey spotted a horde coming this way. We’re going to try to beat them.”

  Nodding, I went back to Kat, filling her in.

  She said, “I just hope we’re not making a mistake. Traveling at night is risky.”

  She was right, but Elijah was determined. After dinner, everyone packed up and got into their vehicles. Jo’s car had run out of gas, so we were leaving it behind. Jo, Norm, and Faith packed their belongings into cars that had room. Jo ended up in our car, sitting next to Cooper. They played a card game while Elijah and I sat in silence.

  I was reminded of the first time I’d rode in a car with him. He had just found me and took me back to his home. Though I didn’t know him, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. There was something in his eyes that confirmed this. And now we’d been together for over a year. It was hard to believe that it had been that long. I snorted softly to mysel
f.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Just thinking about the day you found me.”

  This made him smile. “Oh?”

  “Yeah. Remember what a dick you were?”

  He laughed. “I don’t recall it that way. What I remember is how a silly girl was walking around without a weapon.”

  Jo leaned forward and said, “I don’t think I’ve heard this one.”

  Shaking my head, I replied, “It’s a long story. Short version is Elijah found me in the loft of a barn and took me under his protection.”

  “I’d like to be under him.” Coop coughed. “I mean, his protection.”

  Elijah shot him a grin.

  I went on, “He is right, though. I shouldn’t have been out there without a weapon, but the group I was with at the time wasn’t very good at surviving.”

  Jo said, “Sounds like the last group we were with before we met up with y’all.”

  Elijah replied, “Sadly a weapon can mean the difference between life and death these days.”

  “Guess it’s a good thing we’re with an expert,” I replied, kissing him on the cheek.

  He smiled, but said, “You should try to get some sleep.”

  Before the apocalypse, I had a strict rule that the passenger in the car had to stay awake to make sure the driver was okay. I thought about mentioning this, but he gave me a look. Sighing, I leaned my seat back.

  Driving at night was different. Before, lights from street lamps would cast shadows into the car. Now, it was just darkness. Elijah dimmed the interior lights so they barely glowed. Cooper and Jo fell asleep pretty fast, but I couldn’t.

  Elijah whispered, “Sleep while you can, Daisy.”

  “I just want to make sure we’re okay. You seemed distant today.”

  I could barely see him nod. “We are.”

  I reached out and found his hand. Holding it against my cheek, I finally gave into sleep.

  The car slowed and the grinding breaks woke me. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up in the backseat. We’d changed spots around one in the morning and Jo and I had used each other as pillows while Cooper drove and Elijah slept. I glanced at the clock on the dash. It was only seven. The sun was barely even out.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Cooper parked the car and Elijah got out. I followed him as did the others as they came to a stop.

  Grey called out, “What’s going on, Boss?”

  I walked up to Elijah. It was then that I saw what the issue was. There was a massive hole in the middle of the bridge, making it impossible to cross. It was amazing the bridge was even standing. And even more amazing that Cooper had seen the hole in the morning light.

  Elijah cursed. “Mother fucker. When in the fuck are we going to catch a break?”

  I touched his arm, but he jerked and walked away from me. Trying to hide my hurt feelings, I looked down. The drop below had to be at least twenty feet and there was no way we could jump over the hole.

  Grey came to my side.

  “There’s no way we can get across this bridge. Gap’s too big.” He called out to one of his men, “James, check the map. Where’s the next crossing?”

  James replied, “About twenty miles to the west, if it’s still there.”

  He was right to question if the other bridge would be there. This looked very suspicious.

  I asked in a low tone, “Do you think this was intentional?” At Grey’s look, I went on. “Do you think someone took the bridge out on purpose? To stop people from getting into Oklahoma?”

  “Thought crossed my mind.” He pointed. “Looks like something landed over there. Maybe a cannon.”

  “That is insane. Where would someone get a cannon?”

  Grey replied, “There’s a military base in Lawton. About fifty miles north of here. And, I think there’s a base in Wichita Falls, too.”

  Oh. Well, a cannon was definitely possible then.

  I peered down and said, “Maybe we don’t have to go to the next bridge. The water doesn’t look very deep. I bet we can drive through.”

  Grey called out to Elijah, “Boss, we want to run something by you.”

  Elijah came over to us looking frustrated. “What?”

  “Daisy just pointed out that the water doesn’t look deep. Maybe we can drive down the banks and through the water. Might be better than going out of the way-”

  “Out of the question.” His words were clipped.

  Grey held up his hands. “Just a thought. I mean, there’s a good chance the other bridge is out.”

  I said to Elijah, “What if I drive one of the cars down there and test it? If it works then the others can follow. If it doesn’t then we’ll only be out one vehicle.”

  His gaze landed on me. “I said no.” He called out to the others. “Everyone take a break. We’re going to head out to another bridge in a bit.”

  He went back to our car, ignoring the groans of some of the men.

  I turned to Grey. “He’s being ridiculous. He should let me try.”

  Grey nodded. “Agreed.” He leaned in. “Keys are in my jeep. Four-wheel drive should get you across. Don’t gun it or you’ll bury yourself in quicksand. Don’t look back, either. It ain’t going to be pretty over here.”

  My heart missed a beat. “Keep him distracted.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  I casually made my way to where Coop was. He was busy moving things around in the car, so I quietly kept walking. Jo and Norm were talking and didn’t acknowledge me as I passed. The jeep was in my sight. Kat leaned against it, staring off into the distance.

  As I got closer she said, “That man of yours is going to be pissed at you. You ready to face the consequences?”

  I replied in an even tone. “I think once I get across he’ll see that I was right.”

  “Brave girl.” Her lips twitched. “Try not to sink the jeep. It’s the next best thing since we traded in our bikes.”

  I nodded. “I’ll do my best. Is anyone looking our way?”

  “Nope. You’re good to go.” She moved to the side and said, “If I were you I would go down the east bank. Looks less bumpy.”

  “Thanks.”

  She smiled. “This is going to be awesome. Good luck.”

  I waited until she took one more step before opening the door of the jeep. It smelled like leather and a little bit like weed, which was totally the way I’d imagine Grey’s vehicle smelling like. Shaking my head, I climbed in.

  Kat said, “Be ready. The engine is going to get some attention when you start it.”

  I closed the door and started the jeep. It roared to life and did indeed get everyone’s attention. Elijah, who was thankfully the furthest away, lifted his head. When our gazes met I could see the curse words leaving his lips. I threw the jeep into gear, backing up. Some of the men ran toward me, but most of them just watched. Grey gave me a thumbs up when Elijah rushed past him.

  My heart pounded as I drove off the bridge, onto the road. Kat had been right – the east bank was definitely the way to go. I shifted the jeep into first gear and drove down the bank gripping the steering wheel as I bounced around. When I reached the bottom, the tires glided across the sand and over debris that lined the area.

  I thought I heard Elijah yelling my name, but I ignored him.

  I needed to do this.

  I had to do this.

  There was a slight drop as I drove into the water. The jeep swayed as the current pulled around me. I gripped the wheel so tight that my knuckles turned white as I plowed through the water. I’d never been more thankful for a dry summer and fall than I was at that very moment. The jeep dipped as I hit a low spot, but no water seeped in. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out the sound of the water.

  I reached the middle and let out a sigh of relief. I could do this. I was half way there. Ahead, I could see a biter floating in the water. Its arms and legs thrashed as it tried in vain to gain its footing. Fuck. At the rate it was floating down the river
I was going to hit it. But I didn’t want to steer in a different direction. What if the waters were deeper or what if I got stuck?

  Gritting my teeth, I braced for impact. The biter hit the bumper of the jeep and then went under water. There was a moment where I thought I’d gotten lucky. And then the jeep jerked as the tires spun, trying to climb over the biter.

  “Come on!” I said the words like a prayer.

  Finally, the jeep lurched forward. I cried out in joy as I reached the other bank. There was more quicksand on this side, but I was able to keep moving forward until I drove up the other side and onto solid land. I let out a sigh of relief, driving onto the other side of the bridge.

  When I got out of the jeep Grey and Kat cheered for me. And then Elijah spoke.

  “What in the fuck was that?”

  I’d only seen the look on his face once and I shivered in remembrance. Because the last time he’d looked at me like that he’d fucked me until I couldn’t see straight. This time he looked a little angrier. And I was probably going to pay for it later, but that was a hill I was willing to die on.

  Shoving my horny thoughts aside, I called out, “Just showing you that it’s safe to cross.” I amended, “Well, some of the vehicles probably won’t make it, but the majority of them can.”

  Grey said, “Works for me. Boys, you saw how she did it. Follow her path. Take it slow and don’t be a dick out there.”

  Elijah turned to Grey. “Convenient that she drove your jeep across.”

  Grey shrugged. “What can I say? When I believe in something I support it one hundred percent.” To Kat he called out, “Come on, woman. Let’s get one of the cars across.”

  Elijah turned and stared at me, a scowl on his face.

  I blew him a kiss. “Don’t be mad at me. Finding another bridge was going to take too long and this worked out just fine.”

  He sighed. “You could have been hurt.”

  “But I wasn’t. Now get your ass in a car and get over here.”

  He replied, “We’ll talk about this tonight.”

  I nodded. “Yes… Sir.”

  He shook his head, but couldn’t hide his smile. I went to the end of the bridge and watched as everyone drove over one by one. When Kat and Grey came across, Kat leaned out of the window and waved at me. I waved back. Norm, Jo, and Faith looked as scared as I’d felt, but they made it. Last, Elijah and Cooper came across.