RecruitZ (Afterworld Series) (28 page)

“She was really pretty,” Izzy said. “She had spikey red hair and was super skinny.”

I grabbed Izzy’s hand and motioned for Preston. It was time to move down to the next floor.

“This was my floor,” Izzy whispered. “Floor three. I hate this floor almost as much as five.”

I let her lead the way back down the stairs, but Preston jumped in front of us before she had a chance to open the door.

Floor three looked like floor four. Izzy hauled me down the hall and stopped in front of an open door. There was a mattress and restraints that were still buckled from Izzy slipping out of them.

“Nobody deserves this,” Izzy said.

“You’re right, honey,” I whispered. “And we’re going to make sure whoever’s in charge is going to pay.”

Preston was already looking through the nurses’ station when we reached him.

“More of the same,” he muttered. “I say we get out of here.”

I nodded and felt Izzy’s body relax.

“Do we dare go out the front?” I asked.

“Better than trying to crank ourselves back over the fence on the cable,” Preston said.

We had brought two gadgets that were theoretically supposed to be able to winch us back over the cable, but we’d be sitting ducks for anyone as we dangled. And now that we had Izzy, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to do it.

We ran down the stairs, only the echoes of our footsteps bouncing against the walls.

“I find it funny how there are absolutely no computers in this building. Everything’s handwritten? We’ve had electronic medical records for decades,” I said.

“There are a lot of things that don’t sit right about this place,” Preston said, reaching the bottom of the steps.

He opened the door and the daylight sprayed inside. I squinted slightly as Izzy and I walked outside.

“We’ll go along the backside of the buildings and cut over by the gate. I’ll have you wait until I signal that it’s clear. I don’t know if they left two TRAC guards stationed at the entrance or not,” Preston directed.

“My guess is no,” I said, and Preston nodded.

We took off, darting behind trees and large laurels that had been planted between the administration buildings. Izzy was running as fast as her little legs could carry her, but I could tell she was slowing down. We made it to the last building, and Preston stopped, catching his breath.

“You should be able to see me from this spot. When I wave you over, that’s when you and Izzy run as fast as you can but not a moment sooner,” he said.

I nodded and looked over to the guard station. It looked empty, but the windows were so heavily tinted I couldn’t be sure.

“Keep her safe,” Preston told Izzy before his eyes connected with mine. A small smile surfaced on her otherwise expressionless face.

“She will,” I said, grinning and he took off.

I watched him dart along the concrete wall and then toward a large cedar tree. He turned around and looked back at us before setting off for the guardhouse. My heart was in my throat as I watched him approach the guardhouse. He was running in a crouched position, pistol in hand. He snuck up to the back wall of the building and slid along the small structure. I saw him throw open the side door and held my breath as I waited for something—anything to confirm that we were alone.

A few seconds passed and then Preston stepped outside of the structure, waving us over. We didn’t bother taking the route he did. We ran directly toward him, and when Izzy couldn’t keep up, I scooped her up and kept going until I landed in Preston’s arms.

“Now we just have to figure out how to get to the car,” he said, laughing. His voice muffled by my hair as I held him tight.

Emily was in the kitchen, rinsing out a mug when we walked in. The house was quiet except for the sound of the running water.

“Hey,” I said softly. “What’s the word?”

Emily spun around, her eyes ringed in red. She looked exhausted and still wore the same clothes from when we left.

“The doctor said he didn’t believe in a higher power until he saw Braden’s case.” She crossed her arms. “I’m sure he was trying to make me feel better, but he failed.”

Her eyes dipped to Izzy who was standing next to Preston.

“This is Izzy,” I said, holding out my arm. Izzy walked over to me, and I placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Nice to meet you,” she said extending her hand toward Emily.

The gesture managed to bring a smile to Emily’s lips, and she returned the handshake. “Nice to meet you. Would you like some cookies?”

Izzy nodded and found a seat at the table. She placed the container full of the solution on the table and waited quietly, analyzing her new surroundings.

“About Braden?” I continued.

“The doctor has him on morphine. He’s upstairs sleeping. Apparently all of his Parkour training paid off,” she attempted to smile. “Since he was the one who threw himself off the bridge, he had complete control over how and where he landed. He just misjudged how much his body could handle. The doctor says he won’t be able to walk for a very long time.”

The kitchen fell silent. Izzy glanced over at Preston and then down at the floor.

I walked over to Emily and gave her hug. “At least he’s alive,” she whispered, sniffing in. “I’m just so happy he’s here.”

“I know, and we’ll all help in anyway we can,” I said.

“Let’s get you settled in a room,” Preston told Izzy. I heard the chair slide against the wood floors, and their footsteps head toward the stairs.

“You smell like smoke,” Emily said, wiping away her tears as she took a step back.

I laughed and shook my head. “Long story.”

She grabbed a tissue and rubbed her nose before sitting down at the table. “So did you make it inside the compound?”

“We did.” I quickly explained everything from the zombies in solution to the fire.

Her eyes were wide as she sat and listened.

Preston came into the kitchen and took a seat next to me, sliding his hand to my knee. I placed mine on top and squeezed it.

“She’s sleeping,” he said.

“I forgot to get her cookies,” Emily said, slapping her forehead.

“I think she’ll forgive you. She needed sleep more anyway,” I said.

“So you’re telling me there was a basement full of undead?” she asked, rubbing her temples with her index fingers.

“Yeah. An underground tunnel led to a room with a very sophisticated setup. Even so, Marcus and his men didn’t seem to mind if it was destroyed when they set the place on fire.”

“True,” Preston confirmed. “Which tells me they have others just like it.”

“What did they look like?” Emily asked.

“They looked like brand-spanking new zombies,” I said, nodding. “Like newly infected before activity takes a toll on their inability to regenerate.”

“That’s creepy.” She shuddered.

“Do you think you’d be able to look up someone for us?” I asked. “I’d like to get out of these filthy clothes.”

“Sure. Anything to keep me busy,” she muttered.

“Joyce Falino is a doctor at the MHA Facility. Her last name matches someone who offed himself after we visited him.”

“Falino? The gang member?” she asked, her brow arched. “I’ll find out what I can.” She got up from the chair and walked toward the family room, leaving Preston and I alone in the kitchen.

“What should we do about Izzy?” I asked, as Preston wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I leaned into him and enjoyed the security I felt being in his embrace.

“I was thinking about that,” Preston said softly. I felt his breath skitter across my scalp and chills blasted through me. “Emily’s sister in Idaho might be a good option. It’s far enough away and she lives on a farm.”

“But it didn’t sound like Emily’s sister thought much about everything, and this little girl has experienced more than—”

“Maybe it’s Izzy’s turn to be a young girl again,” he interrupted. “Maybe getting to be with horses on a ranch and being far enough away from everything might help her.”

“Yeah, maybe. We’ll ask Emily about it. She certainly can’t stay here,” I replied, tapping his leg. I stretched and moved away from him. “Gotta go shower and then I’m gonna go crawl into bed before I fall over.”

“Do you need any help?” Preston asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

I laughed and shook my head even though my body was signaling something different.

“If I’m not up in a few hours wake me,” I called, as I marched up the stairs.

“There’s no saying I’ll be up either,” he laughed.

***

I had slept for over four hours and woke up feeling better than I had in a long time. It took a few moments before I oriented myself in the bedroom and shoved off the covers. I was only in a t-shirt and the cold got to me. I hopped out of bed and dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I quietly walked down the hall to check on Izzy. She was still asleep. Preston’s door was wide open and his bed was empty. Preston wasn’t very good at following directions.

My mind drifted to everything we’d seen at the MHA facility. And then my thoughts drifted to Preston’s mom. I couldn’t imagine how he was coping with everything he saw. I walked down the stairs and heard Preston and Emily talking. It was a lighthearted conversation and one that I didn’t feel like I was interrupting when I came into the kitchen.

Preston was leaning against the counter, freshly showered and his days of missed shaves a thing of the past. His lean body looked nice in the low hanging, faded jeans he wore and the fitted grey t-shirt that stretched across his chest. He looked pretty incredible for just going through everything we had. His eyes caught mine and I looked away, smiling. I’d been caught. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smirking as he watched me move toward the cabinet to grab a glass for some water.

“Emily called her sister, and she was more than willing to help out,” Preston said.

“She even promised not to ask questions, which for her is a big thing,” Emily said, stepping aside so I could grab a paper towel.

Preston and Emily exchanged glances.

“What?” I asked, before taking a sip of water.

“I’ve decided that Braden and I will be going to Idaho as well, with Izzy. He may not agree with me once he wakes up, but he needs to concentrate on healing,” she said.

“And he can do a lot of the techie stuff from there just as well as here,” Preston said, nodding.

“That seems reasonable…” my voice trailed off as I looked at Emily.

I had only known these people for a few days, and already I was missing them. Preston was right about family. When you’re allowed to choose your own, it seemed to run deeper, quicker. But this would be best for Emily, Braden, and Izzy, and that was what I had to concentrate on.

I felt Preston’s gaze on me and glanced at him. He extended his arm out, and I walked over and leaned into him. My body pressed into his, and I could feel the firmness of his chest and abdomen as he wrapped his hands loosely around my waist.

Emily smiled. “You look cute.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t budge. I liked being wrapped in his embrace.

“Back to business,” she teased. “Joyce Falino was married to Terrence. She divorced him right after the vaccines were administered. She oversees thirty seven MHA facilities as the attending physician.”

“One physician for thirty seven facilities?” I repeated. “That’s horrible.”

“It gets more interesting,” she continued. “Marcus changed his last name from Falino to Lordan.”

“They were brothers?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, and to top it off, Dr. Falino began seeing Marcus right after she got appointed to her attending physician duties. But I looked into it deeper, it’s not unusual for there to be only one physician who oversees facilities like this because they’re classified as rehabilitation centers versus a hospital. The rules are completely different when it comes to dispensing care. And Marcus gets paid per patient, which is why he evacuated everyone before attempting to set the building on fire where you two were. I still haven’t figured out how he knew you two were there though.”