Broken World (Book 3): Mad World (27 page)

“This is your chance,” I say. “Arm yourselves with whatever you can find and work together, but now is your opportunity to get out of here.”

No one moves for a few seconds, then all at once women start getting to their feet. A few jump up like they’re ready to make an actual, physical run for it, and the tension in me lessens a little. I wish we could do more. Take them in or arm them. Do something to help. I don’t know how many will make it, but seeing that there’s still some energy in the group makes me feel a little better.

“Good luck,” I mutter, turning to leave.

Hadley stands in the hall next to Jon. They both stare past me at the room full of women like we’re sending them off to an execution by not saving them. I hate the look in their eyes, because that’s exactly how I feel.

“Where do we go?” someone calls after me.

I don’t stop. I pass Hadley and Jon and head to the elevator. My thumb slams against the button like if I press it hard enough I can transport myself back to Axl. I wish it were that easy.

When I look back, Jon is heading my way, but Hadley has gone into the suite.

“I want to get out of here,” I say. “We did what we could.”

Jon leans against the wall like he can’t stand up anymore. “Just give her a minute.”

“Is screwing her your way of getting over your sister?” I blurt out. I can’t keep it in. It’s been weighing on my mind. Jon’s jaw tightens, but I put my hand up before he can say anything. “She’s been through a lot.”

“This was her doing. She started it.”

Typical. Men always have to blame the woman. You’re just too sexy to resist. I can’t think with no blood flowing to my brain, so I can’t be held responsible for my stupid-ass choices.

I roll my eyes, and Hadley comes out of the condo behind Jon. “Be careful,” I hiss, slamming my thumb back into the button. “Keep in mind that the last man who pissed her off got thrown to the zombies.”

Jon actually laughs, and even though the hall smells like death and there’s a hotel room full of abused women, I can’t stop from smiling. It is kind of funny, in a really dark and messed-up way.

But hey, isn’t everything dark and messed-up now?

***

The hotel lobby reeks when we reach the bottom floor. “Guess they threw the doors open,” I mutter.

Hadley and Jon nod in unison. They both look about as terrified and ready to get the hell out of here as I feel. My palm sweats from gripping my knife so hard. I follow them out of the elevator, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. There’s screaming in the distance. A gunshot rings out, and I jump about three feet off the ground. But we don’t stop moving.

“Stay alert,” Jon yells back.

I nod even though his back is to me. My eyes don’t stop scanning the area for a second. The scent of death gets stronger the further into the casino we go. Then we can hear the moans, and I’m really on edge.

We’re on the tail end of all this. We just need to get to the Nissan.

And pray the others make it out too.

When we get to the main part of the hotel, we freeze. There are three zombies less than five feet from us. They’re heading the other way until they catch wind of us, then it only takes them two seconds to decide we are a lot more promising than the screams coming from the other side of the casino.

Jon whips out a gun I didn’t even know he had and fires off two quick shots while Hadley takes the third zombie out with her knife. It happens so fast I barely have time to react. When did I become the least effective member of this group?

Maybe not being with Axl has me off my game.

“Let’s get outside!” Jon yells, taking off.

Hadley and I jog after him, but we’ve only gone a few steps when there’s more gunfire. I don’t slow down, but I do look over my shoulder. Angus and Nathan and Winston head our way, taking zombies out as they go. So far, I haven’t seen any other men. Maybe we got them all. Maybe they suffered and got just a small taste of what they’ve put these women through.

I can only hope.

“You three do what you came for?” Angus yells.

“Yeah.”

I slow down just a little. Not sure why. I’ve never really been a fan of Angus, and usually being near him just means I’m going to be pissed off. Maybe it’s because he’s Axl’s brother or because we’ve been together from the beginning. Ass or not, he’s like a twisted sibling that I have to put up with. And I don’t always hate it, either.

“You guys have any trouble?” I ask when he catches up.

His face is red, and he’s panting. There’s sweat on his forehead, and the pits of his shirt are wet. He keeps pace with me, even though it doesn’t look like he finds it all that easy.

“Nope. Now all I wanna do is get the hell outta Vegas.”

“Can’t argue with that,” I say.

Jon and Hadley make it out the door first, but we’re right on their heels. The area was relatively clear when we got here, but now it’s crawling with the dead. At least fifteen of them are heading toward the open door. It’s like someone’s ringing a dinner bell only they can hear.

Jon starts firing while herding Hadley to the car. She’s got her knife out, and she hacks away at any zombies that get near her, but Jon won’t let her get far. He has a good grip on her shirt.

Angus starts cussing and firing away at the zombies too. Just like always. I’m starting to wonder if he really is enjoying himself. He sure looks like it as he pulls the trigger, practically cheering when the zombie’s head explodes.

Nathan and Winston are behind me. Winston rushes forward, pushing me toward the car in a way that’s similar to how Jon is moving Hadley forward. Axl must have asked him to look out for me. He’s got such a good grip on my dress that there’s no way it isn’t hiked up enough to show off my thong and bare ass. Angus even pauses between shots to check it out. Figures.

“Quit firing and get to the car!” Winston yells.

For once, Angus doesn’t argue. He nods and grabs my arm, then pulls me forward. Winston lets go of my dress and jogs next to us with Nathan at my back. Jon and Hadley are in, and Jon is already starting the car. We’re going to make it. All of us.

Winston rips the door open, and Angus shoves me toward the car so hard I almost fall. I grab the door to keep myself upright, then haul my ass inside. I throw myself into the third row while Winston jogs to the other side of the car. Angus scrambles in behind me and starts to scoot over, but Winston is in his way. Nathan stands outside waiting for us to make room when a zombie comes out of nowhere. The thing’s rotten teeth sink into Nathan’s neck, and blood sprays everywhere. My stomach jumps to my throat.

He yells, and I scream. Hadley starts crying. Angus cusses, then he and Winston both fire out the open door. The zombie falls, and Angus pulls Nathan in, yelling for Jon to drive. It all happens so fast. Like someone hit a fast forward button. When Jon slams on the gas, I’m thrown back against the seat. Angus slams the door, and no one says a word.

The car is silent except for the occasional sniffle from Hadley. Nathan’s neck and shirt are coated in blood, but he doesn’t even bother trying to cover the injury. The teeth marks are like a death warrant, and we all know it.

We make it away from the Strip and to a more residential area before Nathan says, “Stop the car.”

Jon jumps like he forgot anyone else was with him, then turns to look at Nathan but he doesn’t stop driving. “What?”

“I said stop.”

Jon presses his lips together and turns to the front, but he slows the car and pulls over. We all know what’s coming.

Nathan opens the door and climbs out. When he turns to face us, his expression is so tortured my throat threatens to close. Holy shit. This is happening. This is real.

“Tell Moira and Liz I love them. Tell them I’m sorry.” He pauses and takes a deep breath while he stares at the ground. His voice is amazingly calm and even. There isn’t a hint of hesitation. He looks up, and his eyes land on me. “Watch out for her. For Liz. If Moira can’t cope—” His voice breaks, and his shoulders shake. He knows this will be his wife’s breaking point. That he’s leaving his daughter an orphan.

It makes me want to scream and throw something.

He takes a deep breath but acts like he can’t keep talking.

I nod anyway. “I will. I promise. We all will.” His face blurs when my eyes fill with tears.

Hadley starts crying again, and my own throat is so clogged with tears there’s no way I’m going to be able to keep them in for long. I blink and Nathan’s face becomes clearer, only I wish I couldn’t see it. The agony in his eyes is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Angus puckers his lips, then pulls out his gun. “Sure you wanna do this?”

Nathan nods, and his hand goes to the bite. He licks his lips and takes a step away from the car. “The bite is on my neck. So close to the brain. I can feel it. The virus is already working.”

“What does it feel like?” My throat constricts and spasms.

“Like sleep. Like my body is slowly falling asleep.” He blinks, and even that looks like it’s in slow motion.

Before now, I didn’t have a clue what Emily went through. If she suffered before she turned. I need to know. “Does it hurt?”

Angus looks at me and purses his lips. Is he thinking of Emily too? Probably. Even hard-ass Angus loved that girl.

Nathan shakes his head slowly. It’s like he’s underwater. “No. Tell Moira that. Tell her I was okay. That I couldn’t come back and risk everyone else.”

A zombie moans, and we all jerk our heads to the right. There are a few off in the distance, wandering our way. We have to move, but rushing Nathan seems wrong.

“Do it now,” Nathan says.

Angus jumps from the Nissan and lifts his gun. He presses it to the center of Nathan’s forehead, and my chest tightens. Nathan closes his eyes.

“Sorry, man,” Angus mutters, and I look away.

When the gunshot echoes through the night, my entire body jerks. Almost like it hit me instead of Nathan. My eyes fill with tears, and my chest aches. Everything suddenly seems shittier than it’s ever seemed before.

Angus climbs back in and shuts the door. Jon starts driving. None of us talk, but I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing. Nathan was right. Moira isn’t going to survive this. Angus may as well put a bullet in her brain, too.

***

The rest of the group is only about ten miles outside of Vegas, so it doesn’t take us long to get there. They have a fire going, and we can see it in the distance. Even though I’m dreading the confrontation with Moira, my heart pounds with anticipation at the thought of getting back to Axl.

Jon pulls the Nissan to a stop beside the Sam’s truck. I throw the door open and hop out the second he puts the car in park. The others are right behind me. There are a few people sitting around the campfire, and they get up to meet us. Moira isn’t there, though. She must be with Liz. Hadley agreed to take care of it, and I didn’t argue. I probably shouldn’t leave all the emotional stuff to her. It isn’t really fair, but I just don’t have the same kind of empathy she has.

I ignore everyone and head to the truck. My mind focused on one thing only. When I climb inside, it only takes me about two seconds to find Axl. He’s spread out on a sleeping bag. Snoring. Joshua is slumped against the wall next to him and Al is on the other side, also snoring.

Joshua looks up when I approach. “You’re back.”

I nod and kneel next to Axl. “How is he?”

“Good. I gave both him and Al some morphine.” I look up and Joshua shrugs. “Al wasn’t showing any symptoms, so Anne and I decided it was the best thing for him. He couldn’t rest. Axl took a little more convincing, but I managed to get him to agree.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

Hadley walks by us and heads toward the back. Joshua’s eyes follow her. His mouth turns down, and he looks back at me. “How did it go?”

“We got the women out. Probably killed all the men.” I shrug. I don’t want to tell anyone before Moira hears it.

Joshua nods slowly, and his eyes cloud over. He glances toward the back, then lets out a big sigh. He already knows, though. He has to.

Moira starts wailing a split second later, my already cracked heart shatters a little more. Moira is annoying and a pain in the ass, but I know how she feels. I can’t fault her for mourning.

I lay down on Axl’s good side and rest my head on his chest. He doesn’t move. I close my eyes. The air is chilly, but his body is warm. I move myself closer, trying to block out Moira’s cries. Nothing can comfort me after all we’ve been through except Axl. If he dies, I’m pretty sure my heart will stop beating on its own.

Lost World
Book #4 in the
Broken World
series
April 2015

1

Vivian

Icy wind whips across the field, over the brown grass and weeds. They’re tall, growing out of control. They bend in the breeze. When the gust hits me, it’s like being smacked in the face by a cold, angry fist. I shiver and pull my jacket tighter. I hate winter.

“Is it supposed to be this cold in October?” I ask Axl.

He shrugs. His eyes never stop moving. Never stop surveying the landscape. He’s always on the lookout after what happened in Vegas, and he’s been true to his word, too. He won’t let me out of his sight.

“Don’t got a clue,” he says. “Never left Tennessee ‘til all this started.”

I shiver again, then step behind a small group of bushes. My heart pounds. I should be calmer than this. There’s nothing around for miles. Open fields with tall grass and clumps of trees swaying in the wind. Mountains in the distance capped in white. But no houses. No cars or people other than our group. By the smell of things, no zombies either. This is how it’s been since we arrived in Colorado. Miles and miles of nothingness. The towns aren’t clear, but the wilderness seems to be. You’d think it would help me relax, but it hasn’t. It has me on edge.

Axl’s gun is drawn when he turns his back to me. “I’ll keep a lookout.”

No time to waste.

I drop my pants and squat. After weeks on the road I should be used to pissing out in the open, but I’m not. The cool air turns my ass to ice and when the wind blows, pee splashes against my legs. That should help the smell in the truck. As if it doesn’t stink enough already.

When I’m done, I don’t even bother taking the time to drip-dry. I’m shivering, and the longer I squat here the more likely I am to fall on my ass. It’s too cold and windy, and I already stink. What’s a little pee after all the shit we’ve been through?

I yank my pants up and zip them just as Axl turns around. The corner of his mouth turns up, but it isn’t really a smile. There haven’t been a lot of those from him lately.

He puts his gun away. “My turn.”

I exhale and watch the steam rise in front of me. The quilted flannel shirt I’m wearing isn’t thick enough to block out the wind, but I don’t want to give it up. It’s Axl’s. It reminds me of the time he took care of me when I was sick. When we first met, before the world had gone completely to shit. Before the dead started coming back. It’s a good memory, oddly enough. That was before I really knew him, but even then I had a feeling he was more than trailer trash. More than just a redneck. That’s when I got my first glimpse of the goodness in Axl, and probably when I started to fall in love with him.

I pull the jacket tighter. I’ll keep it forever if I have anything to say about it. Even if it is starting to smell pretty rank.

Axl doesn’t even turn his back to me when he pulls it out, and I exhale again. “Must be nice to be able to whip it out like that.”

He chuckles as I scan the area. Still nothing.

“Gotta say, I’m sure glad you can’t. I kinda like you the way you are.”

I wrap my arms around my chest and shiver. My nipples could cut glass. “I think you’ve mentioned on more than one occasion exactly what it is about my body you like.”

He zips his jeans and I turn to face him. When he smiles, it’s slow and easy, and only one side of his mouth turns up. The scar on his chin deepens, and I run my fingers up it. He kisses the tips when they reach his mouth.

“I like it all,” he says, pulling me against him.

I tuck my face into the crook of his neck and the wind swirls around us. He smells like sweat and dirt and the outdoors. His skin is moist despite the cold. We’ve been on the road for so long that none of us have had a chance to clean up lately. It would be nice. To be able to find a place where we could rest and gather ourselves. Lick our wounds after our losses in Vegas. My optimism is wearing so thin it’s like tissue paper at this point, and I’m starting to wonder if there is such a place. It doesn’t seem like it.

“We need to find a place to stop, Axl. Soon.”

His cheek rubs against the top of my head when he nods. “I know.”

“Do you think there’s a safe place out there for us?”

“We’re gonna try and find one. Someplace we can rest. Make a life. Be together.”

My eyes sting. Damn. I hate to cry.

I’ve had enough of it. After what happened in Vegas, I felt like all I did was cry. Cry from the memories and the pain of losing friends. From the fear of losing Axl and maybe even a little bit of myself. I don’t want to go back to that person. Things are uncertain, but I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been.

I rub my face against his shirt to get rid of the tears, then pull back. The wind whips my blonde hair in my face, and when I run my fingers through it I cringe. It feels stringy and greasy. Stiff. I need a bath and about a week to sleep. At this point, every move I make takes effort. I don’t know how Axl is still moving. He barely sleeps at all.

“Let’s take a break for once, okay? We’ll ride in the Sam’s truck and try to get some rest. Just be together.”

His stormy eyes hold mine for a second, then he nods. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

When we get back to the group, almost everyone is outside. Parvarti, Hadley and Jon are shooting the bow. Target practice, as usual. Parvarti has gotten good. Better than even Angus or Axl. She cut her dark hair short a couple weeks ago. Said she didn’t want to keep it long when she could never wash it. She has a point. It’s uneven, but she wears a red bandana tied around her head so you can’t tell. Not that it would matter even if you could.

I didn’t know if she’d pull through when Trey died. When he died trying to save Hadley and me. She took it hard, but after the shelter fell she changed. She found a renewed purpose in life. Started working with Axl so she could learn to shoot and hunt. Volunteered for runs. The little girl exterior melted away, and underneath there was a survivor. She’s impressed us all.

Axl stops next to the Nissan where Winston leans. The two men nod, but don’t say anything. I head to the Sam’s truck to check on the kids. I did promise Nathan I’d look after Liz. 

I almost bump into Angus and Darla when I round the back of the truck. He’s got his tongue so far down her throat I’m surprised she can breathe, and his hand is under her shirt. God, sometimes I really wish we’d left her ass in Vegas. The two of them making-out is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever had to see. It even tops the dead.

Angus pulls away from sucking my mom’s face and grins. “Sorry, Blondie. Gotta get it in when we can.”

My stomach churns when Darla giggles. The innocent school-girl bit doesn’t suit her. There’s nothing innocent or girly about this aging showgirl.

“Don’t mind me,” I say, forcing my way past them so I can climb in the truck. At least they aren’t trying to screw in front of the kids. Again.

“So sensitive,” Darla says behind me. “Gets that from her daddy.”

I want to barf.

A few lanterns are on in the back of the truck, so it isn’t hard to see. The air is stuffy and stale. The perfumed scent of body spray and deodorant isn’t quite strong enough to cover up the smell of unwashed bodies. Dirt, sweat and body odor mix together to form a musky smell that’s impossible to ignore. I can’t get used to being unclean or being around so many people who haven’t washed.

Of course, it’s better than smelling like the dead.

Blankets and pillows and a few mattresses are spread out among the remaining boxes of supplies. The boxes form walls for privacy, but Jessica, Sophia and Anne sit out in the open with the kids. Moira is with them. Kind of. She hasn’t really been anywhere since Nathan died. If something happens to Liz, we’ll lose her for good.

“How’s it going?” I ask, kneeling next to Jake.

Jake coughs and Anne’s mouth turns down. “He’s not getting better.”

Sophia pulls Ava closer as if doing it will protect the child from whatever Jake has. There isn’t much you can do to protect your kids these days, though. I’m proof of that.

“We’ll check the next pharmacy we come to, but Joshua hasn’t had much luck with the last two places. They’ve all been pretty ransacked so far.” I pat her arm, but my words have no hope in them.

We’re having a tough time finding certain things. Antibiotics being one of them. The small towns we’ve passed through have been looted, and we’re trying our best to avoid the bigger areas. Cities are too risky, and it’s not just the dead we have to worry about anymore. Vegas taught us that. People have turned lawless, have morphed into something completely unrecognizable. They don’t even seem human to me anymore. They’re some kind of distortion that’s halfway between man and zombie. Something evil and twisted.