I looked over my shoulder, making certain the teenager hadn’t followed me, then knelt in front of Mike. “I know.”
“But you’re not going to do anything about it. Just like the police,” he replied.
“We are,” I said. “I promise. We’re just not sure what to do, and right now we’re also worried about Rowan, and Lane is hurt, too.”
Mike’s frown grew more exaggerated. “The lady who cursed at lunch our first day here?”
I recalled Lane making a big deal about volunteering to go out shooting and how she’d cussed, which had pissed off some of the moms.
“That’s her.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I hope so, but she needs to see a doctor, which is why I’m taking her to the hospital.”
“Where Rowan is?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Hopefully, when I come back, Lane will be okay, and Rowan and her dad will be with me.”
Mike was nodding, his expression as thoughtful as ever. “Will you be gone long?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged to emphasize my statement. “But Devon will be here, and Buck and Lisa. If you need something, you have them.”
“I’ll be okay,” Mike said, “and I’ll keep an eye on Zara for you. Make sure she’s safe.”
A smile forced its way out of me even as tears filled my eyes. It was strange because I almost never cried, but hearing a kid who’d lost almost everything promise to look out for my sister touched me in a strange way, and I had the urge to hug him. Not that I did. I had a feeling he wouldn’t appreciate it.
“Thanks, Mike.” Instead, I patted him on the arm. “You’re a really great kid. You know that?”
“I try to be,” he replied. “Mom said life isn’t always fair, but if you do good things for other people, good things will happen for you.”
“She was a very smart lady.”
His expression turned sad. “Yeah.”
I stood, exhaling and trying to blow out my worry and sadness and fear of the unknown. “I need to get some things together. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Mike picked his book up and went back to reading.
It wasn’t difficult gathering my stuff since we hadn’t been at the school very long and I hadn’t exactly unpacked. Still, after I pulled my duffle bag out from under my cot, I had to gather the few things I had taken out. A metal water bottle I could refill, an extra pair of boots, and a novel I’d started reading back at Rowan’s house. I hesitated to stuff it in the bag because it seemed silly to think I’d have time to read when there were so many other things going on but shoved it in anyway. I liked keeping my brain active.
With everything ready for the morning, I got to my feet, but I didn’t leave. Instead, I stood staring down at my sleeping sister. Her face was relaxed, the worry gone. She looked younger, more like the little girl I’d taken care of all those years ago before we’d been put in foster care. It made it difficult to turn away.
“Mike,” I said, turning to the child on the other bed. He looked up. “Tell Zara to come find me when she wakes. Okay?”
“Okay, Kiaya.”
“Thanks, kiddo.”
I moved for the door, taking a second to poke my head into Buck’s cubicle as I passed. He was lying on his back with his mouth open wide.
I shook my head and kept walking.
In the hall, I nearly bumped into Doug.
“Shit,” he said, putting his hands up like he was trying to prevent a collision. “I was just coming to check on you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I wanted to make sure you didn’t need any help getting ready to go.”
“All packed.” I waved to the room I’d just left. “I don’t have a lot, so it was easy. Just one small duffle bag.”
“Light packer.” He grinned at me. “I bet Rowan didn’t have just a single duffle bag.”
“She didn’t, but she was going home, so it made sense. I wasn’t.”
Doug’s smile faded. “Where were you going?”
“To find my sister.” When his confusion didn’t lessen, it hit me that he knew nothing about my past and very little about the trip we’d made across the country. “She was in foster care in Indiana. I was at college.”
“Oh.” He blinked. “So, you don’t have parents?”
“We might, but I don’t know. Our dad was never around, and it’s been close to seven years since I saw our mom.”
“Sorry,” Doug said.
“It’s okay. It made me strong.”
At that, his smile returned, and he gave me an appreciative look. “I noticed.”
I didn’t return the smile.
“Anyway,” Doug said, clearing his throat, “I wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you’re risking yourself to get Rowan and her dad. I wish I could go—I know them the best—but I think your idea makes more sense.”
“If anyone else was going, I’d think it would be Devon,” I said honestly.
At that, Doug’s smile faded. “Yeah. They seem pretty close.”
“They like each other.” I started walking.
“Yeah, I noticed,” he said, hurrying to keep up. “Which is fine. We haven’t dated in years, and it’s not like I have a claim on her.”
I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He was focused on me as we walked. Was it my imagination, or was Doug flirting with me? It seemed crazy. Plus, hadn’t Rowan said he had a girlfriend? The one he’d dumped her for?
I said nothing, and we lapsed into a silence that wasn’t exactly uncomfortable but wasn’t totally comfortable either. He looked at me from time to time, his expression curious, and the hair on my scalp prickled under his scrutiny. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice the attention, although I doubted I succeeded. I’d never been very good at receiving attention.
By the time we made it to the nurse’s office, I was more than ready to have some other company, but we stepped into the small room to find Lane alone. And asleep.
I looked around like the room would tell me where Lisa had gone. It didn’t, but the distraction meant I didn’t have to focus on Doug, who was still watching me. Thankfully, we were alone for only a few seconds before someone stepped into the room behind us, and I turned, grateful to whoever it was for saving me.
“Hey,” Lisa said, her voice quiet. “She fell asleep, so I ran to the bathroom.”
“She doing okay?” I asked.
“I gave her something for the pain. I’d hoped Miller had some pain killers in the stash of meds he took from Shamrock, but he didn’t.” Lisa’s shoulders rose and fell. “I had to give her some pot instead. Not a great solution, but it was better than nothing.”
“Pot?” Doug lifted his eyebrows, looking Lisa over.
“It works.” She shrugged again. “And she’s lucky I had some.”
“Yeah.” My gaze moved to Lane for a moment, then I refocused on Lisa. “Have you seen Devon?”
“Command center.” Her tone told me that she, too, had a difficult time not rolling her eyes.
“Good. Hopefully, Gabe is there, too, so we can discuss some other things.”
“Good luck.” This time, Lisa did roll her eyes.
I mimicked her before turning to leave.
Doug followed me out, reminding me of a puppy who didn’t quite know what to do with itself after losing its favorite toy, but I ignored him and kept walking, searching for Devon.
The cafeteria was buzzing as usual, the kids gathered around a table and the women busy with their domestic duties. I paused in the doorway long enough to look everything over but turned away when Grace and Trudy came into the room, each carrying an armful of freshly washed clothes.
“What’s wrong?” Doug asked.
“Just marveling at how some women don’t mind being oppressed.”
“Oppressed?”
I shot him a look. “You heard me.”
Doug’s frown deepened.
We said nothing else as we moved down the hal
l, reaching the command center only a couple minutes later and thankfully finding Gabe and Devon. They were standing next to the table, once again studying some of the maps, but I didn’t pay attention to what they were looking at.
“We need to discuss some safety measures,” I said, looking between the two men. “In case Heath does come here.”
Devon turned to face me, unsurprised by my presence, but Gabe jerked like I’d startled him.
“I already cleared a door like you suggested,” he said when he’d turned. “I’ll admit it. I was shortsighted to not think of it.”
“It takes a big person to admit that, and I appreciate it. But it’s not the only issue.”
Devon leaned his hip against the table and crossed his arms. “What else did you have in mind?”
“Getaway vehicles,” I said. “For starters.”
Gabe lifted his eyebrows. “Getaway vehicles?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “We need to stash some extra cars—with the keys hidden somewhere—in the neighborhood behind the school. What good does it do us if we get out of the school but have no way to escape?”
“She’s got a point,” Doug said.
“Yeah.” Gabe blew out a long breath and ran his hand over his head. “I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re right.”
“We’d want to make sure there are enough cars for everyone.” I turned my focus to Devon. “Maybe we can hide the keys in a mailbox the way we did in Rowan’s neighborhood.”
“Mailbox?” Doug said, sounding impressed. “Smart. I mean, who’s going to bother searching a mailbox these days?”
“Exactly what we thought,” I said.
“What else?” For the first time, Gabe genuinely sounded like he wanted to hear more of my ideas.
“We need an exit at this end of the school. Closer to the cafeteria. That way, there’s one at each end of the building, plus the one with the port-o-potties and the front door. Everyone should be trained in what to do if they have to flee. Including the kids. If we get separated, we need to make sure the children are safe.”
“We’ll get on it,” Devon said. “Tomorrow after you and Lane leave.”
“Good.” I exhaled, my mind spinning as I thought about all the things that could go wrong. “I’ll feel better knowing everyone here is prepared just in case Heath does figure out where you are and decides to attack. Which means we need to arm more people.”
At that, some of Gabe’s earlier hesitation returned. “You mean you want people carrying guns?”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” I replied.
“It makes sense,” Doug said before Gabe could protest. “We have all those weapons, but they’re locked up. There’s no way to get to them in a hurry.”
Gabe blew out a long breath. “Shit. I hate this. So many things I hadn’t thought about and so many angles to consider. You’re right. I mean, I know you are, but I’m a cop. We lock guns up so little kids can’t get their hands on them. That’s what we do.”
“In the old world,” I said. “But things are different now. We have to be ready for anything.”
“We’ll get it taken care of,” Gabe said. “I just have to pray nothing happens.”
“Yeah,” I replied, exhaling as I focused on Devon. “If it does, swear to me that you’ll look after Zara.”
“I’ll keep her safe. I promise.”
“Okay.” It made me feel better, even if it was only a little.
8
Rowan
Despite the quiet building and the bed, I barely slept a wink. Not that it was a surprise. The nights were too full of monsters, their moans too vivid, their stink too real. Even when I was able to grab a little bit of sleep, it wasn’t restful because all I did was dream—between tossing and turning. Like before, my nightmares were full of images of the dead, but there were other people as well. Devon and Kiaya, Lisa and Lexi and Buck. Sometimes we were on Route 66 again, driving while hordes of zombies trailed after us, but other times we were locked in my house, the thud of the dead pounding at the door loud and vividly realistic. In one particularly crazy nightmare, I was on a date with Doug when he turned into a zombie and tried to take a bite out of me. After I woke from that one, drenched in sweat and panting, I didn’t try to go back to sleep.
The night before, I’d waited up as long as I could, hoping Ryan would come back with good news. He hadn’t, and no one else had come to see me either. Not only that, but there hadn’t been a peep from the other parts of the hospital, which had magnified my dreams. There was nothing like feeling alone in a world full of the walking dead.
It was nearly morning when I climbed out of bed, the soft glow from the rising sun shining in around the thick hospital curtains. After relieving myself and washing my hands, I went to the window and pushed the curtains aside so I could look out. It was the first time I’d thought to do it, and I found myself wondering if I would be able to escape this way. The hall was wired, but I doubted the window was, so it was possible. Or at least it would have been if the thing actually opened. Too bad all it took was a cursory inspection to see that it didn’t.
Sighing, I peered out, my gaze sweeping over the parking lot as the early morning light shone down on it. My room was on the first floor and looked out over the area they’d barricaded, giving me an excellent view of the wall. Like yesterday when I’d first arrived, I was struck by how secure it was. No wonder these people let Heath have his insane way. He’d given them safety, which definitely wasn’t anything to take lightly.
I dropped the curtain, allowing it to fall back into place, and turned away from the window. It was too early to expect food, but that didn’t stop my stomach from growling when I looked at the now empty tray from the night before. The meal had been better than I’d expected—either that or I’d just been hungrier than I’d thought—and I’d eaten every bite. Now I wished I’d saved the roll for this morning even if it would have been hard and stale by this point.
Waiting for someone to arrive, I paced the room as the sun shining in through cracks at the top and bottom of the curtains grew brighter, illuminating more of the room. The seconds ticked away too slowly, and with each passing moment, anxiety twisted my insides into tighter and more intricate knots. Finally, after what seemed like hours—it had only been about forty minutes—the thud of footsteps reached me, and I stopped pacing.
I stood in the middle of the room facing the door as I waited. My stomach seemed to tighten with each passing second, so that by the time Heath finally stepped into the room, I thought for sure I was going to vomit. Thankfully, my meal from the day before decided to stay where it was.
Heath wasn’t holding a tray, and he didn’t look happy. “Ryan came to see me last night.”
“He said he was going to.”
Heath worked his jaw, frowning as his cold gaze bore into me. “Did you really think turning my people against me was the best way to get what you wanted?”
“Did it work?” I reached up and fingered my braid—a nervous habit that did nothing to relieve the nerves tangling my insides into knots.
“It did not,” he replied, his expression not changing. “At least not in the way you wanted. My people, however, are sympathetic to your situation, and they feel it would be okay for you to be allowed out of your room during mealtimes. And they think your dad should be rewarded for his hard work by being allowed to see you.”
Despite the good news, the tension in my stomach only eased a little. Ryan had been true to his word, but I was still a prisoner, and from the sound of it, Heath wouldn’t be removing the collar any time soon.
“The fact that you want to murder people didn’t work in my favor?”
At the question, Heath’s frown morphed into a satisfied smile. “Actually, Ryan kept that part of the story between us.”
My fingers paused in the middle of tugging at my braid. That wasn’t what I’d expected, and it definitely had me wondering if I could actually trust Ryan.
“You admitted y
ou intend to kill Gabe and Lane, and he just let it go?”
“The details aren’t important.” Like a magician flourishing a wand, Heath waved his hand in the air.
I wasn’t sure if that was true, but my brain had already switched gears. “So, what happens now?”
“More questions.” Heath moved farther into the room, and I had to resist the urge to back away. “The collar will stay on, but I will deactivate it so you can eat in the cafeteria with the rest of our group. You will be in the company of either myself or Ryan at all times, and your probation doesn’t end until you give me what I want.”
“But I do get to see my dad?”
It was another question, which I knew he hated, but I didn’t give a shit. All I wanted was a straightforward response from him. Something he seemed to like even less than my questions.
Heath pulled a remote from his pocket and pressed a button, and a beep followed. “Your father will be there.”
My hand went to the collar automatically, as if touching the thing could confirm that Heath had, in fact, turned it off. It didn’t, but I still couldn’t stop myself from tugging at it. It would have been nice to have the thing removed completely, but the joy bursting through me at the knowledge that I was about to see my dad overshadowed my disappointment. This was why I’d come here, what I’d risked everything for. I was going to see my dad!
“Ready?” Heath asked.
“More than ready.”
He motioned toward the door then turned.
I followed him but paused after only two steps into the hall when the memories from the day before came screaming back. The pain was so vivid in my mind that I actually trembled. There was no way I wanted to go through that again.
Heath stopped only four feet in front of me and turned, his expression amused as he waited for me to continue walking. When I didn’t, he said, “It’s off. I promise.”
Far Series | Book 3 | Far From Lost Page 15
