Devon frowned, looked toward the fading taillights of Kiaya’s truck, then said, “Yeah. Okay.”
He turned right, then right again, pulling to the side of the road so I could hop out. Gun in hand, I charged across the lawn, my hair swishing behind me and my gaze darting around. There were a few figures moving through the darkness, but nothing close enough to be a threat.
My bag was right where Heath had left it, as was my bra and Devon’s shirt. I knelt and unzipped my bag, reaching inside to find the music box I’d wrapped up before leaving my house. My dad had bought it for me in Boston years ago, and I loved the thing, but I was terrified it had broken when Heath tossed my bag aside. To my relief, I wrapped my hand around it and found it intact.
Having determined it was okay, I shoved my bra into the bag and rezipped it, threw my bag’s strap over my shoulder, and scooped Devon’s shirt up off the ground.
I stood and was just about to head back to the truck when a figure stepped into the moonlight a good twenty feet away from me, making me freeze. Short and plump, it was obvious who it was right away. Gun up and aimed in his direction, I walked backward, my heart pounding as I tried to decide what to do. Shoot or not shoot? I wasn’t the best aim, so even if I fired off a shot, I might not hit him, and he wasn’t a direct threat to me. At least not at this moment. Maybe just getting out of here was the best thing to do.
I spun on my heel and lowered my gun, jogging back to the truck. The door was still open, and I was inside with it shut and locked seconds later.
I tossed Devon his shirt. “Hank is out there.”
Devon’s body tensed as he scanned the darkness, not even glancing toward the shirt in his lap. “Where?”
“By the corner of the school.”
I looked that way, but he was already gone. I doubted it would be the last we’d see of him, though.
“He must have left.” I put my hand on Devon’s knee. “Let’s do the same.”
“Yeah.” Devon let out a sigh, paused to pull his shirt over his head, then put the truck in drive. “Let’s get out of here.”
Kiaya was waiting for us when we drove through the barricade at the hospital.
Devon pulled the truck to a stop next to the one she’d driven, and I had my door open and was hopping out before it was even in park.
“What happened to you?” Kiaya asked as she came over to meet me.
“I had to get my bag.” I patted the duffle.
Her brows lifted in surprise. “I think you might be the only person who managed to save some of their things.”
“It was a fluke. We went up to the bedroom to look for the kids, and I grabbed it. Since I’d only been there that one morning, all my stuff was still packed. It made it easy.”
She nodded, her hair bouncing the way it always did. “I’m glad.”
Devon came up beside me, slipping his arm around my shoulders. “Everyone okay?”
“I think so.” Kiaya glanced toward the hospital door. “Although Gabe is still in surgery.”
“Which means my dad is with him.”
She looked back at me. “Yeah.”
I sighed, not sure if I was happy or upset about that. On one hand, it had been a long day and I was beat, but putting off our reunion wouldn’t make things go away. Sooner or later, we were going to have to talk and hopefully work on healing our relationship.
“How did everyone here react to the others arriving?” Devon asked.
“Fine, I think.” Kiaya waved to the front door of the hospital. “We should go in.”
She started walking, but I didn’t move. “Wait. What do we do about Buck?”
Devon let out an exhausted sigh. “We’ll have to bury him in the morning. It’s too dark now. Too dangerous.”
I hated the thought of leaving him in the back of the truck all night, especially after he’d sacrificed himself, but Devon was right. Plus, I was out of energy.
“Okay,” I said. “Tomorrow.”
Kiaya started walking again, and Devon and I followed.
“We got lucky, really,” Kiaya said. “Everyone here had already accepted that Heath was no good, and apparently it didn’t take much to convince them he’d attacked us.”
Devon walked with his arm around my shoulders, me leaning into him. He smelled like the outdoors and smoke, with just a hint of perspiration, and even though my legs felt as if they’d been weighed down and I couldn’t wait to climb into bed, the scent reminded me of the shower. That was what we’d do first. Take a long, hot shower. Together.
My thoughts were interrupted when Kiaya said, “They’ve given everyone rooms.”
“No collars?” I asked. “Please tell me they’ve done away with the collars.”
Kiaya gave me a tired smile. “No collars.”
“Thank God for that,” I said, sighing.
“Collars?” Devon looked between us, a confused expression on his face.
In all the craziness, I’d never even gotten around to telling him about the shock collars.
“I’ll tell you about it later,” I assured him. “I’m sure there are lots of things I forgot to tell you.”
He gave me a gentle squeeze in response.
Two feet into the hospital, we were greeted by a grizzled old man I’d never seen before. He was hunched over a cane, his knobby knuckles clenching it tightly as he looked up at us with shrewd, gray eyes.
“Ms. Summers.”
“Do I know you?” I asked even though I knew I didn’t.
“I’m Bill,” he said, shaking his head and chuckling. “I don’t think we met when you were here before.”
Bill. I remembered someone mentioning the name, but I wasn’t sure where.
“This,” Kiaya said, waving to the old man, “Is apparently the mastermind behind most of what they’ve done here.”
“You?” I looked him up and down doubtfully.
Not only did he look decrepit, but he looked ancient as well.
“Don’t let the body fool you,” the old man said with another chuckle. “My mind is still sharp even if the rest of me is failing. Although it’s had a few failures as well lately, or so I’ve been told.” He reached out with the hand not holding the cane and grasped mine. “I have to apologize for what happened. When I put Heath in charge, I thought it was the right thing. I’m too old to be chasing people down and giving orders. I told him what to do and how to do it, and he carried it out. I didn’t know everything that was going on.”
“So, you were the one actually in charge?” I asked.
“Yes,” Bill said, frowning. “And no. But I am the one who planned the wall and organized things. Heath, unbeknownst to me, was doing his own thing as well. That’s what I need to apologize for. And I promise, it will not happen again.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling.
The man waved to the hall in front of us when he released my hand. “I know your friends are already getting settled in, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you. So, go on. We can chat another time.”
“Thanks,” I said again.
Bill hobbled off, mumbling something to himself as he did. A second later he called, “Russell, I want to talk to you about the food supplies. We have more people now, which means more planning!”
I watched him hobble off for a second before shaking my head and turning back to my friends. That was when I noticed Ellie standing off to the side, almost like she’d been waiting for us.
“Hi,” she said, sheepishly. “Remember me?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Okay, good.” Her smile widened, but her cheeks were pink. “Well, I’m here to show you to your rooms. We have plenty, as you know, and your other friends are all getting settled.” Her gaze moved over us, and she frowned. “I’m sure you’d love to get a shower.”
“A shower sounds amazing,” I said.
At that, Devon perked up. “A shower does sound amazing.”
Ellie’s smile widened and she waved us forward. “Come on.”
She led us through the hospital, past the cafeteria where they held the meals and the courtyard full of animals, eventually coming to a wing of the hospital that I was well acquainted with. The once quiet hall that had been used for probation was now teeming with activity. Through open doors I spotted familiar faces from the school. Grace brushing out her daughter’s wet hair, Trudy wearing a set of scrubs and lying on a bed, Max sitting on a couch with an apple in his hand, humming quietly.
“Kiaya!” a small voice called, and a second later Lexi rushed into the hall. She threw herself against Kiaya, who leaned down to hug her back. “You’re okay!”
“Of course I’m okay,” Kiaya said.
Mike came out of the room his sister had just fled, followed by Randall, both of them beaming.
“You’re here!” Randall exclaimed. “They have hot water, Rowan. Can you believe it?”
“I know,” I said, laughing.
Mike stopped at Devon’s side. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” Devon said, giving the kid’s arm a pat.
Zara stepped into the hall a moment later but stopped just outside the door.
“Hey,” Kiaya said, extracting herself from Lexi’s embrace so she could go to her sister. “How are you?”
“I’m okay.” Zara hesitated, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. “Is he alive?”
At her words, some of my joy at being here slipped away. She wasn’t asking about Heath.
“He’s gone.” Kiaya put her hand on her sister’s arm.
“But he’s still alive?”
“He can’t touch you,” Devon said. “Not in here.”
Zara nodded, but she didn’t look convinced.
We stood in awkward silence until it was broken by Ellie clearing her throat. She was looking at Devon and me.
“One room?”
I turned to face him, my eyebrows raised.
“Are you asking me to shack up?” he asked, his usual smirk returning.
“Actually,” I said, “I am.”
“Good,” he replied, “Because I was about to ask the same thing.”
I returned his smile with one of my own, not caring that my cheeks were warm.
Devon and I said a quick goodbye to the others, leaving Kiaya to comfort Zara and get settled in, and followed Ellie a little farther down the hall.
When she stopped beside an open door, she looked down. “I want to apologize for before. For not believing you about Heath, I mean.”
“You weren’t the only one,” I said.
The woman lifted her gaze, giving me a grateful but embarrassed smile. “But I should have listened. I can’t believe how rude I was to Lane.” She shook her head, her smile fading. “I was awful.”
“Everyone makes mistakes,” I said. “It’s okay. Really.”
Her frown deepened, then she took a step back. “I’ll let you get settled in.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Alone in the room, Devon looked me over, the teasing light in his eyes fading as he studied my battered face.
“We’re going to need to get some ice for that.”
“Tomorrow,” I said. “For now, I just want to take a shower and get some sleep.”
Wordlessly, Devon took my hand and led me into the bathroom where he turned on the shower, taking a moment to adjust the stream before turning back to me. Standing beside it, the water pinging against the tile floor, he undressed me. It was slow, his eyes on mine as he pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside, then knelt to undo my pants. Once I was naked, he removed his own clothes, still not looking away.
We didn’t even kiss before stepping into the shower, and the warm water was like balm on a wound. I closed my eyes and lifted my bruised face to the stream, allowing it to run over me, rinsing away the dirt and sweat and smoke.
Like he so often did, Devon grabbed my hips and pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me and moving so we were right under the stream. The water slid over our bodies, and his lips brushed the top of my head.
“We’re safe now,” he whispered. “This is a good place. It will give us a chance.”
I leaned into him, my eyes closed and my head resting against his chest as I tried to let his reassuring words wrap around me. It wasn’t easy, because even though Heath was dead and we’d found a place that was going to give us a real shot at surviving, Hank was still out there. What was more, he’d be back, and we all knew it, because things between us were far from over. He’d said so himself.
Not wanting the creepy teenager to ruin this moment, I pushed the thoughts away, choosing to focus on the now. On the walls surrounding us and the hot water running over us, and the warmth of his arms wrapped around me. Lifting myself on my toes, I kissed Devon, closing my eyes and telling myself everything was going to be okay. We were going to be okay.
To be continued in:
Far from Over
Acknowledgments
As always, I want to thank the people who helped polish this novel. Jan Strohecker, Courtnee Mcgrew, Laura Johnsen, Julie Dewey, and Karen Atkinson. Thanks for reading and finding typos. I appreciate all your hard work more than I can say. To Lori Whitwam for your editing skills, to Amber Garcia for your PR help. Thank you, as always, to everyone involved with The Walking Dead who inspired me to write about the zombie apocalypse to begin with, to Dean Samed of Neostock for the great stock images as well as the video tutorials that have helped me improve my skills.
Also by Kate L. Mary
The Broken World Series
Broken World
Shattered World
Mad World
Lost World
New World
Forgotten World
Silent World
Broken Stories
The Twisted Series
Twisted World
Twisted Mind
Twisted Memories
Twisted Fate
The Oklahoma Wastelands Series
The Loudest Silence
The Brightest Darkness
The Sweetest Torment
Angus: A Broken World Novel
The Far Series
Far from Home
Far from Safe
Far from Lost
Zombie Apocalypse Love Story Novellas
More than Survival
Fighting for a Future
Playing the Odds
The Key to Survival
The Things We Cannot Change
Surviving the Storm
No Looking Back
Finding A Future
The Blood Will Dry
Collision
Tribe of Daughters
The Book of David
The Outliers Saga
Outliers
Uprising
Retribution
The Species Traitor Series
Species Traitor
Species Savior
When We Were Human
Alone: A Zombie Novel
The Moonchild Series
Moonchild
Liberation
Redemption
The College of Charleston Series
The List
No Regrets
Moving On
Letting Go
Anthologies
Prep for Doom
Gone with the Dead
7 Sins of the Apocalypse
Undead Worlds 3
About the Author
Kate L. Mary is an award-winning author of Adult, New Adult, and Young Adult fiction, ranging from Post-apocalyptic tales of the undead to Speculative Fiction and Contemporary Romance. Her YA book, When We Were Human, was a 2015 Children’s Moonbeam Book Awards Silver Medal winner for Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fiction, and a 2016 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal winner for Young Adult Science Fiction. Her book Outliers was a Top 10 Finalist in the 2018 Author Academy Awards for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction, a Finalist in the 2018 Wishing Shelf Book Awards, and the First Place Winner in the 2018 Kindle Book Awards
for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction. Most recently, her post-apocalyptic novel, Tribe of Daughters, was the 2020 RONE Award Winner for Sci-Fi/Time Travel Fiction, an Honorable Mention in the 2018 SPR Book Awards, a Bronze Medal Winner in the 2019 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards for Science Fiction, and a Semi-Finalist in the 2019 Kindle Book Awards for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction.
Before starting her writing career, Kate was a stay-at-home-mom for over ten years to four amazing kids - two boys, two girls - and the wife of an Air Force pilot. Her family moved around quite a bit during their eleven years of active duty, and she’s gotten to experience many different parts of the country, and it isn’t uncommon to find some of the places she’s lived as the setting for her books. She’s lived in Georgia (When We Were Human), Mississippi, South Carolina (The College of Charleston Series), California (Broken World), and Oklahoma (The Loudest Silence), but has recently returned to the Dayton, Ohio area (The Blood Will Dry, Collision). Military life has had its up and downs, but Kate has made some pretty incredible friends along the way who have been amazingly supportive of her writing.
Before starting her writing career, Kate was a stay-at-home-mom for over ten years to four amazing kids - two boys, two girls - and the wife of an Air Force pilot. Her family moved around quite a bit during their eleven years of active duty, and she’s gotten to experience many different parts of the country, and it isn't uncommon to find some of the places she’s lived as the setting for her books. She’s lived in Georgia (When We Were Human), Mississippi, South Carolina (The College of Charleston Series), California (Broken World), and Oklahoma (The Loudest Silence), but has recently returned to the Dayton, Ohio area (The Blood Will Dry, Collision). Military life has had its up and downs, but Kate has made some pretty incredible friends along the way who have been amazingly supportive of her writing. She loves zombies (especially The Walking Dead), Coffee, Wine, and Daryl Dixon.
Far Series | Book 3 | Far From Lost Page 34
