by Sarah Bale
Jeff whistles once. He spots movement ahead.
I say, “Jeff. Rocco. Check it out. Everyone else stop.”
Noah and Harper have their guns out, scanning the horizon.
Nikki comes to my side and whispers, “What did he see?”
“There’s something moving. Might be a person.”
We wait in silence for Jeff and Rocco to return.
When they come back, Jeff says, “It’s an elderly lady. Seems nice. Asked if we’re with the Army. I told her no.”
“Good call. Think she’s alone?”
“Said she lives in a house down a street. Asked if we want to stop by. I told her we’re moving through.” He pauses. “She said there’s been trouble in the area. A group has been going from house to house, taking goods. And people.”
Fuck. We’re in no position to take on a group like that.
Rocco says, “She said she has a car, but I feel bad taking it from her.”
I say, “Let’s find somewhere we can think.”
I’m not sure what to do here. We don’t want problems with another group when we’re just passing through. But they might not see it that way. They might think we’re trying to take over their turf. I also agree with Rocco. I don’t want to take a vehicle from an elderly person.
Jeff says, “There’s a park down the street. Seems like a safe spot and we can keep our eyes on the road.”
I nod and he leads the way to an old park. Harper opens a can of beans and we share it, eating it right from the can. We’re all silent. When we’re finished, I walk to the fence, looking around. I’m surprised when Nikki joins me, holding out a sack.
“What’s that?”
“Some raspberries.”
I take one, popping it into my mouth. It’s a refreshing burst after eating the bland beans.
“Where did you get these?”
“Harper and I found them this morning.”
Her cheeks flush and I grit my teeth together.
“On your date.”
“Yes.”
I ask, “Does this mean we’re on a date right now?”
“I don’t know. Do you want this to be our date?”
I sigh. “No.”
“Good. I don’t either.” She frowns. “This is bad, isn’t it? The other group.”
“Hard to say. Doesn’t sound good, though.”
“Maybe we should head back to the town?”
I shake my head. “Nikki, we can’t. There’s nothing left there. We won’t even be able to rebuild.”
I hate the disappointed look that crosses her face, but she nods.
“You’re right. I’m just ready to settle somewhere.”
I am, too. More than I can express.
I say, “My gut is telling me we need to get out of here as fast as we can, before the group the lady was talking about realizes we’re here.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
“Realistically, we need a vehicle or we’re fucked.”
We’ve all known that for a while.
She says, “We can’t take the lady’s car.”
“No, we can’t. We can, however, talk to her and see if she knows of any vehicles that might still work. Maybe one of her friends left one behind.”
Nikki nods. “Sounds like a plan to me, Dave. Let’s tell the others.”
I’m surprised at her willingness to act. It’s a change from the woman who used to run when given the chance. I follow her back to the guys and fill them in.
Jeff says, “She definitely seems like the type to know of any cars we could take. Reminds me of my own grandmother.”
There’s a wistful tone to his voice.
“We need to be quick. I don’t think the group she’s talking about knows we’re here. I’d like to keep it that way.”
Jeff and Rocco lead the way to the woman’s house. She’s sitting on the porch, drinking a glass of water. She’s the typical grandmother – white hair, wrinkles around her eyes from smiling, and a dress that looks like she made it.
“Why, hello there. Didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
Jeff smiles. “Told my friends what you told us. We were wondering if you know of any cars we might be able to borrow.”
She snorts at that. “Borrow, my bottom. You mean take.”
He nods. “Yes, ma’am, I suppose I do.”
“You can take mine, if needed. It’s as old as me, but runs good. Or did the last time I tried.” She looks are our group. “Though, I think it’ll be a tight squeeze.”
Nikki steps forward and asks, “Maybe one of your friends left one behind?”
The woman smiles. “Why, aren’t you just the prettiest thing? Let me guess, you’re Jeff’s girlfriend?”
Nikki’s cheeks turn pink and Jeff winks. I kind of want to punch him.
Nikki replies, “We’re all just friends, ma’am.”
“That’s a pity. Jeff seems like a good guy.” She winks at Rocco. “And Rocco is the guy who will steal a nice girl away from a friend.”
I grin. This woman must be a fortune teller.
Rocco laughs. “I’d never do such a thing, ma’am.”
Her cheeks turn pink. “I told you, you can call me Joanie.”
Leave it to Rocco to charm the elderly lady.
Rocco replies, “Joanie, you’re too kind to me.”
“You remind me of my first love.” Her eyes light up, as if a thought crossed her mind. “Why, I bet Warren Adams has a vehicle you can use. He was always tinkering in his garage.”
“Where would that be, Joanie?”
She points. “Just five houses down. Garage is in the back.”
Rocco says, “Thank you, Joanie. Are you sure you won’t come with us?”
She shakes her head. “My family might show up to get me. Wouldn’t want them to worry if I’m not here.” She goes on, “My granddaughter, Christina, was in Atlanta when this nonsense began. She’d be the one to come first, I reckon.”
We all exchange a look. The chances of this woman’s family coming back are slim to none.
She must see our looks because she says, “Now don’t you worry about me. I’ve done just fine so far, haven’t I?”
Jeff nods. “Yes, ma’am, you have.”
“Then there’s no need for the sad looks on your faces.” She stands. “I’m going to do some laundry. You better get over to Warren’s house. I’d hate for those delinquents to discover you’re here with such a pretty girl.”
She goes inside, locking the door behind her. Her words leave me feeling uneasy, like maybe she’s seen more than she’s saying. I lead the way down the street. The mailbox reads Adams, so I guess we’re in the right spot. When we get to the back of the house I’m happy to see the garage. The five biters walking around, however, are not a nice surprise.
I’m about to tell the guys to take them down when Nikki walks past me, shoving her knife in the temple of a biter. It lands on the ground with a thud, drawing the attention of the other biters. The guys step into action, taking down the other four.
I ask Nikki, “Care to explain what that was?”
She nods. “Yeah. I’m a part of this group, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then treat me like it. Don’t just bark out orders to the others while I watch.”
I blink at her. “I’m used to leading my team, but I’m not used to commanding you. I’m sorry.”
Everyone seems shocked at my apology. Rolling my eyes, I go to the garage door. It’s locked, of course.
“Think the key’s inside the house?”
Nikki points to the garage. “There’s a window up there. I think I can fit through it. It’d be faster than searching the house.”
She’s right.
“Okay, Rocco and Harper, hoist Nikki up. Noah, Jeff, and I will keep watch.”
Rocco and Harper lift Nikki up. She doesn’t act afraid as they hold her above their heads. She pushes the window, knocking the glass pane inside. It shatters a
s it hits the floor. She climbs through the hole. A moment later the garage door lifts.
Harper kisses the top of her head. “Well done.”
We go inside. Joanie was right. Warren Adams liked to tinker on vehicles. There are five trucks and two hot rods.
Noah points to one of the trucks. “This one is our best bet.”
I nod. “Let’s see what we can do.”
Nikki
I’m feeling ridiculously happy right now. All because Dave trusted me with a task. It’s silly, but it means a lot.
I ask Noah, “How do you know this truck is the one?”
“I was a mechanic in the Army,” he replies, cheeks flushing. “Part of my training was to find reliable civilian vehicles in case I needed to borrow one.”
Dave pops the hood and calls Noah over.
To me, Dave says, “Get in the truck and wait for my instruction.”
He’s back to being bossy, but I don’t mind. I climb into the truck. It’s not a classic model, but Warren Adams obviously put a lot of work into it. The seats have little jester faces hand sewn into the ostrich skin covered seats. The décor inside is, ah, very interesting.
Dave leans around the hood. “Give it a try.”
Turning the key, I say a silent prayer. The engine cranks and finally turns over.
“Yes!”
I hop out and hug Dave. He stiffens at first, but hugs me back. When he lets me go, there’s a look in his eyes that makes me wish we were on our date.
He shakes his head and says, “Let’s load the canned goods and get out of here.”
The cab of the tuck is extended, so we’ll each had a place to sit. I climb in the back. Soon Harper and Jeff join me. Rocco, Noah, and Dave get in the front.
Dave says, “Let’s head out.”
We’re soon speeding down the road. I think I catch a glimpse of men jumping into several cars as we past a house, but we’re traveling too fast for them to catch us. Rocco opens the glove box, pulling out an atlas.
“We’ll be in Missouri soon. Still want to go to Texas or do you want to change course?”
There’s something in his tone that makes me curious.
Dave nods. “Texas.”
Rocco shakes his head. “Then you’re going to want to hit the highway. Hopefully it’s not too crowded with stalled cars.”
For the first time in a long time I feel hope. Maybe going to Texas isn’t a bad idea. Maybe we’ll get there and finally be able to settle down.
Rule 8: When the going gets tough, it’s okay to get the heck out of town.
Nikki’s Note: And always stop to talk to little old ladies. They’re obviously full of valuable knowledge.
Nine
Dave
The highway is clear of cars. It’s the Dead that gives us problems as we make our way into Missouri.
“Watch out!” Noah yells.
I swerve, narrowly missing a very tiny walker. Poor thing looks young. Too young for that kind of fate.
“Thanks.”
My eyes are itching, but I don’t want to pull over. We still don’t know if the group from Joanie’s block are following us. We haven’t seen any sign of them, but I don’t want to stop and give them the chance to catch us.
Another hour passes. Nikki leans forward and says, “Dave, I really need to pee.”
I hold back a groan. The guys can take a piss in a bottle if needed, but it’s a lot harder for a woman. Plus, I’d never ask Nikki to do such a thing.
I say, “We’ll stop once we pass this town.”
Harper adds, “And add some gas to the tank.”
“How many cans were you able to get from the garage?”
He frowns. “Not enough.”
I curse. Sure, we lucked out by finding a vehicle, but how long is it going to last? I glance at the atlas sitting on the dash. Hopefully we’ll have enough gas to get to-
Jeff looks behind us and says, “I think we’re good. Let’s pull over by those trees.”
I nod and slow down, pulling off the paved road. Jeff is right. The trees make a nice little barrier for us so we’re hidden. Nikki is out of the truck, running for a tree before I’ve put the truck in park.
Rocco says, “I’m going to check the area. She didn’t even do a scan before dropping her pants.”
That makes me feel bad. Nikki is usually very aware of her surroundings.
Rocco and Jeff pull their knives out and take off. Harper grabs another can of beans, opening it.
He says, “I’ll try to whip up something fancy tonight.”
I shake my head. “Don’t waste the food. We should probably start to ration what we have.”
“Done.”
Nikki comes back and says, “I feel so much better.”
“Sorry you had to wait so long.”
She replies, “Not your fault. I should have said something sooner, but I know you wanted to put some distance between us and that town.”
Jeff and Rocco come back. They killed a few biters, but didn’t see anything that puts us in danger.
I say, “I’m going to gather some firewood. Everyone stay close to the truck.”
I’m only partly lying as I leave. I need a moment to gather my thoughts because I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve somehow fucked our group over by leaving that tiny town.
Nikki
The guys set up the area as if we’re going to stay overnight. I sit on the tailgate of the truck, trying to stay out of the way. When Dave comes back, he scans the road before meeting my gaze. I motion him over and he surprises me by sitting next to me.
“Do you think we’re being followed?”
He blinks and shakes his head. “Hard to say. I just can’t shake the feeling that something bad is coming.”
“Get those feelings often?” I tease.
His lips lift into a half smile. “You laugh, but my gut feeling has saved my ass more than once.”
I touch his arm. “I’m not laughing. My mom used to get feelings about things and my dad swore she was gifted.”
I don’t tell him that the night they died, my mom begged my dad to stay home because something bad was going to happen to them. They were hit by a drunk driver when they left the party they were attending.
He pulls me from my thoughts by saying, “Being in Special Ops trains you to listen to what’s not being said. At face value we know we got out of that town before the group knew what we were doing. We also managed to travel without a hitch.”
“But?”
He meets my gaze. “That’s where the feeling comes in. My gut is saying we’re either missing something or about to run into trouble.”
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to face it together, whatever it is.”
He’s silent for a moment. “You know how you asked this morning if I wanted our date?”
I nod.
He goes on, “What about making this our date?”
I point. “But we’re just sitting on the tailgate of a truck.”
He grins and my stomach flutters.
“In my opinion, that’s the best kind of date. Growing up, I used to take girls out of the city limits to an overlook. We’d sit under the stars and just talk. Best way to get to know someone.”
“Where did you grow up?”
“In Oklahoma.”
I look up. The stars twinkle above us like little lanterns in the sky. An occasional breeze makes the air cool, so I lean in closer to him and the warmth his body puts off.
“Yeah. I’d like to make this our date.”
The other guys are sitting by the campfire, but don’t seem to pay us any attention. I wonder if it’s because he told them not to.
“What did you like to do? Before all this began.”
I smile. “My best friend and I used to hang out in her dress shop. I wasn’t as talented as her, but I knew my way around a sewing machine. It was a fun and helped keep me stress-free.”
“Did you make the wedding dress you had on that day I found
you?”
A snort leaves my mouth before I can stop it. Soon, I’m laughing until tears stream down my face.
“God, no! That monstrosity was purchased by my fiancé’s mother. She didn’t like me very much. And that dress was proof” Another giggle escapes. “I kind of looked like a sad, off-brand Big Bird in it.”
It feels good to finally admit how much I hated the dress to another person.
He laughs, too. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. I didn’t know what was happening when I burst into that church. Thought maybe it was some kind of low-budget production.”
“Why did you come in that day? To the church.”
I’d always wondered what had led him to my wedding.
He shrugs. “Heard a scream and saw people running. With everything that was happening outside I figured it was something bad.” He pauses. “The man I shot. That was your fiancé, right?”
I nod. “His name was Steve.”
“Is that why you hated me?”
I’m surprised by his question. “I didn’t hate you, Dave.”
“Could have fooled me.”
I choose my words carefully. “Steve and I never had a good relationship, not really. He cheated on me with the woman who ended up biting his mother at the wedding. But, when he died, I felt lost.” I pause. “I’ve never really belonged and then I was put into another situation where I didn’t fit in.”
He looks down at me. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”
“It’s my fault, too. I put up a wall to protect myself. My friend, Skeeter, used to get so mad at me for doing it, but it was because I’ve been hurt before. I guess it was easier to keep my guard up than to get to know you guys.” I grin. “Plus, you could have been murderers for all I knew.”
“I get that. I’ve known Jeff and Harper for a long time. They say I come off as a dick.”
I snort. “That’s putting it mildly. I call it your Doomsday Dave mode.”
“My what?” He’s grinning, so I know he’s not mad.
“After being around you for a few weeks you reminded me of one of those doomsday preppers, you know, like the ones that used to be on television. You were super intense and had a solution for everything that came our way. And you didn’t listen to what anyone else had to say.”
