by Bale, Sarah
Dave took the binoculars. “Noah, is there anything we can do about this?”
Noah, who had a green tint to his face, looked out, too. “They’ve done this before. Look how precise everything is.” He paused. “Shooting the tires would be the easiest way to stop the car. Then, we can get up close and take a look. Figure out how to stop the music, then get rid of the car.”
Dave turned to me. “Sound good?”
I nodded and Dave pulled a pistol from his belt. He aimed at one of the tires, popping it. Another shot later and the car slowed before coming to a stop.
Grey, who was looking through the binoculars, said, “Horde’s still coming. Gunfire, on top of everything else, got their attention. Better get down there fast.”
Dave and I climbed down the ladder. One of my men opened the gate, leaving a fanned pattern on the snow-covered ground. I glanced to the sky. If the snow kept falling, we were going to be in real trouble.
The music was even louder out here and the piercing notes of a flute made my head throb.
“What kind of shit music is this?”
Dave gave me a wry look. “One of the leaders is named Air. This actually fits.”
“Air?” I snorted. “Where are Earth and Fire?”
Dave laughed, too, as we got closer to the car. Not only was there barbed wire, but the doors looked to be welded shut. Where the windows should be now housed metal grates, making it impossible to get inside the car.
“Any other ideas?”
Dave said, “Maybe we can pry one of the windows off.”
I glanced over my shoulder. The horde was getting closer. So close, in fact, that the scent of death lingered in the air and I could hear their teeth chomping together as they walked.
“I don’t think there’s enough time, man.”
Grey, who was in the tower, called out, “What’s taking so long?”
I flipped him off as I walked around the car. When I got to the other side, I froze.
“How do you think the explosions were being set off? The ones on your way here.”
He’d mentioned that Air’s group had put on quite a show by blowing up cars on the side of the road near Tulsa. The explosions had been set off when they drove over wires.
Dave replied, “Wires. Why?”
My heart pounded in my chest. We hadn’t noticed it before, because of the positioning of the car, which is probably what the other group wanted. There were wires coming from the car to the ground.
I said, “Dave, you need to look at this.”
When he saw the wires, he cursed. “Fuck. How are these pricks always one step ahead?”
“Focus on the immediate problem.”
Dave nodded. “We can’t touch the wires. It’ll definitely blow.”
“Can we push the car and roll it out of the way?”
Dave looked inside. “Negative. The wheel is locked, so there’s no way to steer the car. Plus, the tires are out because of us.”
“This is what they wanted. The music and slaughtered pig drew the horde and, when the horde gets here, they’re going to set off the wires. We’ll be trapped for days until the horde moves on.”
And there was no telling what the other group would do if we were trapped.
Dave put his hands behind his head, a gesture I hadn’t seen in a very long time. Our dad used to say it was Dave’s indicator that he was about to do something stupid.
“What are you thinking?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
I smiled. “I never do.”
“I think we need to set the wires off ourselves.”
“You’re right, I don’t like it.”
His plan didn’t make sense. Not with the horde so close.
Dave said, “If we do it now, we can try to lure the horde away. If we wait, it’ll be too late, and they might break the fence down. Plus, there’s no telling what Air has planned after the explosion.”
Fuck.
I nodded once. “Let’s do this.”
“We need a truck. And the pig from the top of the car.”
I looked at the blood dripping from the corpse. “I’ll get the truck.”
“Fucker.”
Dave shook his head and began tugging on the pig while I went through the gate. Grey waited for me.
“What’s up?”
“The car has explosives on it.”
“Shit. What’s the plan?”
I replied, “We’re going to set it off and lure the horde away. I’m thinking if we lead them toward the old downtown area, we’ll be safe.”
Grey eyed me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s our only option. I’m going to need a truck, though.”
Grey called out to one of the men. “Get that old truck over here.” To me, he said, “Be safe.”
I slapped his shoulder. “Always.”
I climbed into the old truck and drove out. When I got through the gates, the truck backfired. No wonder Grey wanted to get rid of it. But, this piece of shit might be exactly what we needed for this plan to work.
When I pulled up next to Dave, he tossed the pig onto the tailgate. The truck groaned under the extra weight.
Dave came to the window. “Sure this piece of shit is going to last out there?”
“Guess we’ll find out.”
He grinned. “Pull up twenty feet. I’ll set it off and then we can go.”
I drove forward. I wasn’t sure twenty feet was a safe distance. Before I could voice my thoughts, there was a loud explosion that made my ears ring. Dave jumped into the truck as debris rained down, hitting the roof and hood.
“Drive!”
Honking the horn, I began to creep along. We needed the horde to see us and ignore the burning car. Dave stood, making noise and waving his arms. The biters seemed confused, but when they got a whiff of the pig, they shifted their course. I grinned. Hot damn, it was working!
3
Daisy
I reached the gates, ready to go out. I didn’t even care that I didn’t have my coat and that I’d left my gun inside. Elijah was out there, possibly hurt.
Grey, who was in the tower, called out, “Don’t go out there, Daisy. Boss and his brother set off the explosion. Come look.”
My heart was racing a million miles an hour, but I did as he said. My hands shook as I climbed the ladder. When I got to the top, Grey helped me to my feet and told one of his men to get me a jacket.
Smoke rose high into the air as did the scent of death.
“They’re okay. Look.”
I didn’t even need the binoculars to see that they were fine. They were in a truck, driving slowly away, leaving tracks on the snow covered ground. Dave stood in the back, making noises, trying to get the attention of the biters, and Elijah was honking the horn. There was a bloody pig on the tailgate, dripping blood on the ground. The Dead seemed to be following them, except for a few strays that were going toward the gates.
In front of the gates, a car was on fire. That must have been the vehicle playing the music. A biter stumbled forward and fell into the flames before following the truck.
“They light up like creepy lanterns,” Grey said with a shake of his head.
That was one way to put it.
“Where are they going?”
“Boss said he was going to lead them toward the old downtown.”
That was so far away. What if the weather got worse? Or what if the other group showed followed them? I didn’t like this one bit.
Grey held out the radio. “You can yell at him while he’s still in range, if you want.”
This made me grin. “No, I don’t want the other group to hear us.” Pausing, I asked, “Have you seen any of them?”
“No. Marshall said they haven’t seen them, either.”
Noah let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t understand how they know so much about the area.”
That was a very good question. Dave said they first ran into the group near Vinita, which was nearly tw
o hundred miles away, so it wasn’t like they were from this area.
I touched his shoulder. “Don’t dwell on it, Noah. We’ll win, and that’s what matters.”
He said, “This world gets darker every day. You’d think these people would want to make allies, not threatening to kill others.”
Grey replied, “That’s what this world has done to people. Makes some men feel entitled. Guess it’s always been that way, though.”
“Well, we’re not going to let them win,” I said.
I meant what I said, but Noah didn’t look assured.
Harper answered, “The kid’s just a worrier. Don’t mind him.”
Noah reminded me of Faith, who’d died a short time ago. She, too, was a worrier and didn’t like the way things were headed. She and Noah would have gotten along.
The radio made a sound before Marshall’s voice said, “We see you coming, Boss. Those weirdos are ten miles out, near the old mall. Looks like they’re setting up shop there.”
Grey said to me, “That’s ten miles too close.”
Jeff, who was next to Harper, asked, “Is there anything useful at the mall?”
“Anything worth taking was gone a long time ago.” Grey thought. “Reckon they’re using the building for shelter.”
Elijah replied to Marshall over the radio. “Copy that. Let us know if you see the horde starting to stray.” There was a bit of static. “Daisy, don’t be pissed.”
Grey asked, “Want to reply now?”
“Nope. He can sweat this out.”
This made the others laugh, but I was serious. One day that man of mine would learn to inform me before making a rash decision.
I said, “I’m going back to the hospital. Let me know if anything happens.”
It wouldn’t do any good to sit around here, waiting for him. And there wasn’t anything I could do to help. But I could go inside and make sure everything was in place.
Grey said, “Give my baby a kiss on the head, will ya?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
I climbed down the ladder. Noah followed me.
“Mind if I follow you back? I was going to check on Rocco.”
“Of course.”
As we walked, he said, “You probably think I’m pretty lame.”
“Why would you think that?”
He shrugged. “Because, as the other guys say, I’m too sensitive.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Noah.” I smiled. “The world could use more people like you.”
“Being here reminds me of my parents’ house back in California.” He frowned. “Sometimes I wish I could try to find them.”
I knew firsthand how looking up your past could go. An image of my father’s head crossed my mind and I had to force myself not to shudder. No matter how much I tried I knew that image would haunt me forever.
I replied, “Going home isn’t always a good thing.”
“Nikki mentioned you were able to go to your home. Do you regret going?”
“Regret isn’t the right word. There were good things that came from that visit. But, there were also many bad things. Things I can’t forget.”
Like my father’s reanimated head in a box that my mother carried around with her, even feeding it.
He sighed. “You’re probably right.”
We reached the hospital and went into the lobby. Kat and Nikki were waiting, worried expressions on their faces. I quickly caught them up after Noah said he was going back to his room.
Kat asked, “So Boss is leading the horde away? Is it still snowing?”
“It’s let up, but the roads are covered.”
She snorted. “That’s one thing about Oklahoma weather that’ll never change. It can be bad one day and hotter than hell the next.”
“Grey said to give Hilly a kiss on the head for him.”
Kat grinned. “That man of mine has gone soft, I tell ya.”
But I could see how happy it made her. I wondered if I would ever know such a joy.
I said to Nikki, “I’m going to check on Rocco. Make sure his bandages still look clean.”
He had been shot before they arrived, and Elijah had sewn his leg up. He seemed to be healing nicely, but I wanted to make sure he didn’t get an infection.
She replied, “He’s probably going stir crazy. I’ll come with you.”
When we got to the room, Noah and Rocco were sitting on the bed, playing cards.
Rocco said, “Thank god. More people to entertain me.”
I asked, “How’s the leg?”
“Feeling better thanks to Elijah’s work. Didn’t even bleed last night.”
I looked at the bandage, seeing it was still clean. “That’s good. Be sure to keep to elevated.”
“Will do.”
I said, “I better see what’s going on in the kitchen.”
Nikki sat on the bed, leaning her head on Rocco’s shoulder. He kissed her before resuming his game. They looked so cozy that my eyes misted.
Wiping my tears away, I left their room. I didn’t need to go to the kitchen for a little while, so I walked around, making sure the daily chores had been done. Marianne was sitting in the laundry room when I passed.
She called out, “Daisy.”
“Hey, Marianne. What’s up?”
Her forehead crinkled. “Is everything okay? I saw you running toward the gates.”
I was still getting used to her being around. But the more we talked, the more I liked her. It was definitely better than being on guard around her, like I had been when I first arrived.
“Yeah, it’s fine. For now.” Sighing, I sat in the chair next to her. “But it might not last long.”
She replied, “I suspected as much. Seems like that’s what this world has come to.”
“We’ll be fine. We just need to be smart.”
She said, “I’m sure we’ll kick their asses.”
I hoped she was right.
Standing, I said, “I need to talk to Cooper. See you later.”
When I got to the kitchen, it was empty. Looking outside, I could see Cooper talking to Amos. The sight made me smile. It was good to see him happy. As if sensing me, Cooper turned and waved. He gave Amos a quick hug before coming inside.
“Is everything okay out there?”
“Just my man being himself.”
Coop grinned. “Oh boy. Going to teach him another lesson?”
He was referring to the last time I’d taught Elijah a lesson, which involved withholding sex.
I snorted. “I should. Withholding sex seemed to work quite well.”
“I can’t even imagine.” His voice was a mixture between shock and horror.
“You’re still in the new phase of your relationship. Believe me, you’ll use that trick one day.”
“Oh, I used it on Theo many times.” At the mention of Theo, he frowned. “I still feel weird when I think of him. Amos says it’s because I’ll always love him, but I don’t want my ghosts hurting the present.”
I touched his arm. “Theo wanted you to be happy. That’s why he sent you here. He’d understand.”
“I know you’re right, but it’s still too fresh. Plus, I always have it in the back of my mind that he’ll show up one day. Then what will I do?”
“Date both of them,” Nikki said from the doorway. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
Cooper smiled. “It’s okay. I have been meaning to ask you about that-”
Nikki laughed. “I don’t kiss and tell, my friend. But, I will say that I love each of them.”
Cooper’s eyes widened. “All five?”
“All five.”
I said, “And that’s all that matters.”
Nikki replied, “So, Rocco had an idea. He thinks we should have everyone pack getaway bags in case things go south. That way we’re not scrambling in the middle of the night.”
I thought. “That is a good idea.”
“Plus, it’ll let everyone know how serious this is.”
She smiled to herself. “He’s going stir-crazy in that room.”
“Let’s get him. He can show us what to pack and then we’ll let the others know.”
It wasn’t much, but it might be enough to make people feel prepared. We wouldn’t go down without a fight, but if things did go bad, then at least we wouldn’t be out there without supplies.
It was the best we could do.
4
Elijah
The horde followed us all the way to the downtown area. Dave got into the front with me as we did one last circle out of the area. It was strange being here when everything looked so different. Vines snaked up the buildings that were left. Early on, there had been bombings over the city to try to kill the Dead. Of course, it didn’t work. Instead, it created more Dead.
I drove over a sign that used to direct traffic to the arena where the basketball team played.
“Remember when Dad used to bring us down here to run in the underground tunnels?”
I grinned. “He used to say it was so we could find the hidden treasure, but it was really so we could burn off energy.”
“I think my favorite thing was when Mom would take us to the fairgrounds and let us skate in the empty fountains.”
I laughed. “God, I haven’t thought about that in years.”
“It’s a good thing they’re not around for this. They wouldn’t be able to handle things now.”
I replied, “They might have. I’ve seen people do things they never thought they were capable of, good and bad.”
He just shook his head. “We can agree to disagree. Mom was too sweet for this world. Dad might have done okay, if his heart hadn’t gone bad on him.” He paused. “Why didn’t you tell Daisy about me?”
I’d been expecting that question, so I answered it as honestly as I could.
“I thought you were dead. We all assumed the worst when you were supposed to come back to the States and never showed.”
“Dad knew where I was, though.”
I snorted. “You know how he was. He didn’t tell me shit. Hell, I’m surprised he told me how sick he was.”
I’d gotten the phone call a month before the outbreak. He told me he was dying from cancer and that I needed to see him. I was busy at the time with work and didn’t go right away. He died alone in a hospital, surrounded by strangers. It was one of the biggest regrets of my life.
