The Grace Series (Book 3): Dark Grace (5 page)

“Hope so.”

The eagle was occasionally dripping grease onto the flames, causing them to flare.  Evening was quickly making its claim on the day and the heat from the fire was inviting.  I began to wonder if the rest of our group was ok.  They were always home before dark.  I sat on my favorite fire-side log and watched the constantly changing colors and patterns of flames.  It quickly brought back memories of watching our cabin burn down. 

“You ok, Zoe?” asked Gus. 

I looked up.  “Ya.  The fire just reminded me of the cabin burning.”

We both turned when we heard the chattering of our companions.  I stood instantly.

“They’re back!” I announced, even though I knew Gus was already aware.

Susan was the first to come into view, holding the hands of both Abbey and Jane.  The girls were animated and seemed excited.  Nathan was directly behind them, and Emilie and Boggs were trailing behind just a bit.

“We’re back!” shouted Jane.  “We’re back back back!” she sang, followed with a giggle.  “Look at Boggs’
shiner
!”

I found Boggs’ face, and true to Jane’s word he had a big black eye.

“Boggs!” I said, maybe a bit too dramatically.  “What happened?”

“Fucking dead bastards,” he mumbled.

Gus was right behind me, and I could feel his tension. “Boggs?  You got attacked?”

“He sure did,” answered Nathan.

“One of the mother fuckers jumped me.”

“Don’t worry, Boggs is fine,” said Emilie.  “Nathan took a swing at the Roamer. 
He hit Boggs on accident when it suddenly moved out of the way.”

“What happened to the Roamer?” asked Gus.

“I shot it,” said Em, a huge grin plastered on her pixie-like freckled face.

“The son of a bitch climbed right out of a sunken stairwell like a fucking two hundred pound rat,” Boggs said.  His ego seemed wounded.  “I didn’t even hear it coming.”

I was already next to Boggs, and I wrapped my arms around him.  “I’m glad you’re ok,” I whispered gently. 

It took Boggs a moment before he returned the embrace.  Once he did, I kept the side of my face against Boggs’ chest but turned my head and found Nathan.  “You too, Nate, glad you’re ok.”

He nodded once.  “Thanks, Zoe.”

Jane was giddy, jumping up and down like she had ants in her pants.  “We found a house!” she squealed. 

“Jane, hush!” scolded Abbey.  “We weren’t going to tell them yet!”

“What’s going on
, guys?” asked Gus. 

Susan had stepped closer to the fire and answered.  “We headed northeast for a while and found a lighthouse.  It looks like it could be perfect.”  She was grinning.

“Did you check it out?”

“We did,” answered Nathan.  “Well, we made Susan stay on board with the girls.  But ya, that’s where we ran into our little Crawler.”

Boggs was still holding me, and I was glad. 

“Only hitch is a bridge,” said Boggs.  His voice sounded deeper than usual with my ear against his chest. 

“What’s that?” asked Jane.  She was pointing to the eagle roasting over the fire.

“That, Jane, is a really big chicken!” said Gus, his face very serious.

“A chicken?” asked Em skeptically.

“Uh huh,” he said with a wink.  It made me smile.

“Where’d you get a chicken?” asked Boggs.  I nudged him to try to stop the questions.  He leaned down and kissed me softly on my temple.

“We have some crab too,” I said.

“We brought back some goodies as well,” said Susan.  She seemed giddy.

“Let’s get dinner going and we can talk about what we found today,” said Emilie.  “We have instant mashed potatoes.   The really yummy kind with sour cream and onions. And packets of gravy!”

“And we got cans of cranberry sauce!” added Abbey.

“And carrots and corn!” squealed Jane.

Boggs let go of me, but found my hand and took it in his own.  It felt good.  I looked up at him and felt guilty.  He was looking forward.  His eye was swollen and deeply bruised.  I found myself wishing I could help.   We walked toward the fire together, where Emilie was unpacking a backpack.  My stomach started growling when I saw all of the cans of food. 

“Zoe, do you want to help us make dinner?” asked Susan.

“Yes!”  My gloomy mood from the day before was gone, and it felt good to have all of us together again.  I looked up to Boggs, who still stood by my side.  “Can I get you anything, Boggs?”

He shook his head at me.  “Nah, I’ll be fine, Zo.  Thanks though.”

“I have what he needs right here,” said Susan.  She was holding up a large bottle of whiskey.  “Compliments of the lighthouse.”

“What’s that?” asked Jane.

“Oh, Janey-Bug, that’s not for kids,” said Nathan in the calm voice he’d grown to use with her.  “It’s called whiskey and it’s only for grownups, ok?”  

Little Jane nodded to him.  “Ok.  But can I still have chicken and cranberry sauce?”

Nathan and Susan both chuckled.  “Course you can, baby girl,” said Nate.  “Just no whiskey.”

“Ok.”

“That goes for you too Abbey,” said Susan.

“Duh,” said the preteen.  She then smiled at Susan, who rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Boggs, I’m gonna go help make some grub,” I said.

He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek.  “Thank you,” he whispered.  His words seemed to hold meaning beyond just being grateful for supper.

I walked to the folding table where Emilie was busy opening cans.  She was mixing the canned carrots and corn together into the same pot.  If no one else had been near, I probably would have sat down and eaten half of them by myself - cold. 

“Want me to work on the potatoes?” I asked. 

“Sure,” said Em.  “I can hardly wait to tell you and Gus all about what we found today.”

“Me too.”

Susan walked up behind me.  “Emilie, are you good with all the canned stuff?  Should I make the gravy?”

“Sure,” said Em.  “That’d be great.”

“So, Zoe,” asked Susan.  “What’s the bird?”

I smiled at her.  “Bald Eagle.”

“Gross,” she replied.

“Gus shot it,” I explained.  “Em, he was like a little kid. You should have seen him.”

“Boys and their guns,” said Susan with a hint of humor in her voice.

I looked over and saw Abbey and Jane sitting fire-side, watching while Gus and Nathan worked at taking the bird off of the fire. 

“Make sure you don’t tell the kids,” said Emilie.  “Or they might not eat it.”

“Right,” agreed Susan.  “Maybe it’ll be good.  Anyway, I’m glad to have the meat
even if it just ‘tastes like chicken.’”

“We have four crabs too,” I added.

Emilie got a huge grin on her face.  “Yummy!”

“Ok girls, I’m gonna go
boil water for the potatoes.  See ya in a few,” I said.  I picked up a pot of water I had gotten ready and walked toward the fire. 

“Here, Zo, I’ll get that,” said Boggs.  He took the pot from me and nestled it over the fire.

“Thanks,” I said with a small smile that followed.

“We’re almost ready here,” said Gus.  “The bird looks gorgeous!”

Nathan and Gus had managed to carve the bird and it now sat on a plate in bits and pieces.  Emilie walked over with the vegetables and Boggs took that pot as well, nestling it next to the water to warm them.

“I’m hungry,” whined Jane.

“It’ll be ready soon, Tadpole,” Nathan assured her.  “I’ll go open up your cranberry sauce.”

I walked over and collected the crab, arranging them on a plate.  There were eight halves, plus the lone claw.  By the time I was back to the fire with them, Nathan was removing the pot of water for the mashed potatoes and Susan was waiting with the instant potato flakes. 

“Ready!” called Gus. 

Everyone seemed excited.  It was refreshing and I found my mood was lifting even higher.

“Ok, Zoe, since you caught the crabs you get dibbs on the claw,” chuckled Gus.  He walked over to me, set the claw on one of our log seats, and cracked it open with a small stone.  “Open up,” he ordered.  He was holding a clump of white crab meat, and I decided to humor him by opening my mouth.  He stuck it in gently, meeting my eyes with his just long enough to make my heart skip a beat.

“Mmm,” I moaned.  “Oh my God that’s so good.”

Gus winked at me, then handed me the rest of the claw. 

“Girls, come get it,” sang Susan. 

“
Me me me me me
!” chanted Jane. 

I watched as everyone else began filling their plates, and sat back enjoying my crab claw.  I had never enjoyed being first in line at buffets.  I hated feeling rushed and bumping into people.  Before long Jane and Abbey were back by the fire chattering excitedly with each other while they ate. 

Boggs walked up beside me and handed me a plate of food.

“Boggs, thanks!” I said, grateful for the gesture.  “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I wanted to.  Can I sit?”  He gestured toward the empty spot beside me.

I nodded.  He sat beside me, facing the fire, and as everyone else began doing the same, we began eating.  The eagle tasted gamey, but was overall a wonderful treat.  I ended up mixing bits of meat in with the potatoes and gravy to mask the wild, almost fishy, flavor of the bird.  The fire
was warm, the mood upbeat, the food an extra special treat, and I was almost able to forget that death surrounded our oasis. 

I was full before the food on my plate was gone.  None of us were used to eating that heavy of a meal anymore, and I could see my companions all slowing as well.  Jane seemed to be the only one still eating eagerly.  She was so skinny, and it made me glad to see her filling her belly.  The fire was crackling, the flames lapping at the air around it.  The night sky was full-dark now.  I looked up to the stars.  They were brilliant with their dark backdrop.  A bat swooped down after its own
insect meal.  Gus’ voice brought me out of my little moment.

“Ok, tell us about this lighthouse.”

“It looks awesome, Gus,” said Nathan, his mouth still full.  “Old, but solid.  It’s about a two hour boat ride from here.  Biggest issue is a small bridge that leads to it from the mainland.  If we can get some explosives, we should be able to blow it.”

“It was pretty cool,” said Emilie with a smile.  “It’s sparse, but clean inside.  The only thing dead was the Roamer that went after Boggs.
  And there’s a great place for a big garden!”

“It’s got enough room for all of us,” said Boggs.  He smiled down at me and I happily smiled back.

“Sounds awesome,” I said.  I placed my hand over my belly, the baby inside doing flips.  In the span of just two days the feelings of movement were considerably stronger.

“Did you guys happen to find any of the equipment I asked for?” asked Gus.

“No, sorry,” said Boggs.  “Not so much as a pharmacy or doctor’s office.”

I noticed a small sigh from Gus. 

“Ok, girls,” said Susan.  “Time for bed.”

“Aw,” whined Jane.  “Not yet!”

“Susan’s right, Jane.  It’s been a long day,” Nate said, backing Susan.  “We’ll have fun tomorrow, ok?”

“Ok,” said the little red-head, with a hint of moping in her voice.

“Be sure to pee and brush your teeth, girls, ok?” added Susan.

“We will,” said Abbey. 

Both girls got up and walked off to the kitchen table, where we kept the toothbrushes and toothpaste.  They knew the routine well and we adults were able to focus on the fire and conversation.  The bottle of whiskey was being passed around.  Gus actually held it out to me, which I found an ominous sign.  I passed, knowing it wasn't good for the baby even under normal circumstances.   I made note that Nathan also let the bottle pass him by.  As we chatted excitedly about the day’s activities and the lighthouse, I leaned against Boggs and mostly listened. 

The others were clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol.  The laughter and silliness was a nice change.  As nice as it was being close to Boggs again, I felt a pang in my heart when I saw Emilie clinging to Gus and him returning the affection.  Before long I excused myself and joined the girls in the shelter.  I could tell by their breathing that they were both asleep.  I stripped out of the bulk of my clothes and slipped into Boggs’ bed.  It felt like we were back to a point where we could at least share a bed again.  I lay there, listening to the laughter of the others, and eventually fell asleep.

It’s hard to say what woke me in the wee hours.  Rain was falling steadily, and I could barely make out the forms of my companions in the dark.  Boggs was lying beside me in a deep sleep with one of his arms draped heavily on top of me.  Something was wrong, my gut told me that, but I had no idea what it might be.  I listened, first inside my head for signs of the dead, but came up empty.  Still, as time had passed my telepathic link with the dead had been faltering, leaving me questioning my abilities.  I listened next just to the sounds of the night.  The breathing of my friends.  The drizzle falling on the tarp above us.  The dripping of water into our collection bucket.  The occasional rustle of someone adjusting in bed.  The snapping of a twig brought me bolt upright, flinging Boggs’ arm from on top of me.  He rolled over, snoring once as he did so.  I put a hand on him, ready to shake him awake, but paused to listen more intently.  Again, a twig snapping, followed by a hushed whisper that sounded like scolding.  I shook Boggs gently.  Not getting much of a reaction from him, I bent down to whisper in his ear.

“Boggs,” I said, as quietly as humanly possible.  “Boggs, wake up.”  He stirred slightly.  His breath smelled of whiskey.  Finally
, he rolled toward me.

“Zoe,” he said.  It sounded like he was smiling.

“Shhhh,” I warned.  “I hear someone walking around camp.”

“It’s probably just one of the others,” he whispered back.

“No, Boggs, wake up.”

I could hear someone getting up out of their bed.  I only knew it was Nathan by the direction the noise came from and the pattern of his breathing.  I listened as he rummaged, presumably for his gun.  I stood, joining him.

“Nathan, there’s someone in camp,” I whispered.

“
I know.  Get your gun.  I’m not sure if Boggs or Gus are coherent enough to know what’s going on.  See if you can wake anyone.”

“’Kay.”

I slipped my tennis shoes on, but didn’t bother with taking time to get dressed.  My pistol was always under my pillow when I slept, so I grabbed it and walked to where Emilie would be sleeping with Gus.

“Em, Gus, wake up.”  I nudged them gently, but got no response.  I was growing angry that they had all decided to drink so much. 

“Susan’s out too,” said Nate from right behind me.  I was so thankful this man was here with me, awake and helpful.  “Zoe, I’m headed out.  I want you to stay a few feet behind me, and keep alert.”

“Will do,” I answered.  At the end of my words we heard a loud commotion.  Someone had clearly tripped and gone down.

“Fuck, Sadie!” the voice was strained and the person sounded in pain.

“Sorry,” a female voice answered quietly.

“Shut up, bitch.”

Nathan had stayed me with his hand and began moving forward.  My eyes were
adjusting to the darkness.  The faint beginnings of daylight were just barely outlining shapes around us.  I stood near the bed where Emilie and Gus were still sound asleep, and nudged their air mattress with my foot in one last attempt to rouse one of them.  Of course it was of no use, so I held my gun aimed at the ground and followed Nathan out from under the shelter.

“Stay right there,” I heard Nathan say, his voice cold and uncaring.  It actually chilled me to the core.  He was aiming his rifle at two human figures.  I assumed they were human, at least, in how they carried themselves and reacted to Nate, as well as my mind still be void of any zombie signatures.  “Weapons down, hands up.”

“Fuck, Sadie, nice job,” said a hushed yet harsh male voice.

“
I said hands up
!” shouted Nathan.

I was standing to Nate’s side now, only two steps behind, my pistol raised and my face wet from the steadily falling drizzle.  My heart was pounding.

“Please don’t shoot,” mumbled the girl. 

“How many are you?” demanded Nathan.  I could also hear someone coming out of the shelter.  I didn’t look back to see who it was.

“Just us two.  We’re just looking for shelter and food.”

“Shut up, Sadie,” said the male.

“Fuck you, Ron.”

“Set your weapons down,” said Gus from behind me.  “Step to your right and kneel on the ground.”

The strangers stood where they were, not moving.

“Do it now,” ordered Nathan. 

“Walk, Sadie,” said her buddy Ron.

“Susan, can you get the fire going so we can see?” asked Gus.  I hadn’t realized Susan had joined us.

“Don’t fucking push me, Ron.”  The pair of newcomers sounded like they despised each other.

“Sure, Gus,” answered Susan.

“Also wake Em and Boggs?”

“Ya.”

“Down on your knees,” ordered Nate.  “Now.”

“We’re moving,” said the man.  “Hold on.”

“You ought not tell the ones holding a gun on you to
hold on
,” said Gus. 

I could hear Susan rousing the others.  Jane and Abbey were awake and wanting to know what was happening.  Susan told them to stay in bed, no matter what, and to be very quiet.  Boggs and Emilie were soon by our sides and Susan was quickly lighting dry kindle to help us see.  As the fire finally roared to life, we could see Ron and Sadie kneeling on the wet dirt about two yards from the campfire ring.  They were young, maybe in their twenties or early thirties, and dirty.  Their clothing was raggedy, their faces and hair unkempt.  Most notable were bandages on both of their arms.  The girl, Sadie, also had a large gash on her left cheek.  Her eyes were a dull brown, and she looked scared.  Her friend Ron was small and skinny.  Two of him could have fit into her pants.  They were an odd pair, to put it mildly.  I could smell leftover grease from the roast eagle burning and the scent of seawater in the air.

“How’d you get here?” asked Nathan.

“We have a small boat,” answered Sadie.

“Don’t fucking tell them shit, you
cunt
!”

“Fuck off, Ron.”  The girl looked from Ron to Nathan and began to explain.  “We saw the smoke from your fire a few days ago and decided to try to find you.  We just need shelter, and food.”

I was watching Ron, focused on him.  He seemed twitchy and anxious.  He was obviously irritated with Sadie. 

“What happened to your
arms and cheek?” I asked the girl.

“It’s none of your fucking business, bitch,” Ron snapped at me.

“Hold your tone there, boy,” I heard Gus say from beside me.  “You don’t talk to a woman like that.  And if you do it again I’ll rearrange your goddamn face.”

I looked back over at Sadie, and noticed she had inched back toward the fire where her gun still sat on the ground.  “Don’t move any farther,” I warned her.  I had my pistol aimed at her face.  These two were up to no good.  Of that I was sure.

“Fuck you,” said the girl.  She almost looked feral. 

“Both of you shut the fuck up,” said Boggs with great irritation.  “You best answer any questions asked of you.  Now tell her what the fuck happened to your cheek.”

I could hear Jane whimpering from inside the shelter.  Emilie was closest to the shelter, so I asked her if she’d go into the shelter with the girls.  I kept my eyes and my aim on Sadie.  She looked vaguely familiar, and I focused on placing her.  “Susan, can you please grab their weapons?” I asked.

Sadie was glaring at
me.  In my peripheral vision I watched Susan pick up the two weapons that were only feet from Sadie.  Ron had his hands on the back of his head. 

Gus stepped forward.  “Answer the question.”

“I fell.”  I knew the girl was lying.  I could just sense it from good old fashioned intuition.

“Right,” said Gus, his tone disbelieving.  “You fell.”

“Can we stand up, please?”

“No,” I said.  “You may not.”  The movement behind the strangers was so subtle, I at first assumed it was just the wind.  I allowed my gaze to find it.  Just barely perceptible in the shrubs,
I saw eye-shine.  I reached my hand out and found Boggs, and took his hand in mine to get his attention.  Gus was aware of our interaction, likely due to his years of training in the military.  I looked over and saw that his gun was raised to where we were looking.

The next moments were a blur.  Movement from farther to our right caught my attention, but it was too late.  The first gunshot rang loud.  Whoever fired never got a chance for a second shot, thanks to Nathan.  Gus fired next, the shot deafening my left ear.  The smell of gunpowder was thick.  Gus shot the figure I first saw in the brush, while Boggs lunged forward to keep Ron and Sadie under guard.

Abbey was screaming and crying hysterically from inside the shelter.  My heart was racing as I held my pistol in front of me and turned in a full circle looking for more danger.

“How many of you are there?” Boggs was screaming at Ron in particular.  When he didn’t answer, Boggs raised his pistol above his head and brought it down, pistol whipping him.  Blood promptly began running down Ron’s forehead.

“Don’t hurt him!” Sadie began screaming, adding to the confusion. Abbey and Jane were both crying loudly by now.  Something was horribly wrong. The sobs and screams from the shelter were escalating.

“Emilie!  Em!” I shouted as I ducked under the tarp
, realizing I hadn’t heard her consoling the girls.

“Zoe!  It’s Emilie,” said Abbey in a combination of sobs and moans.  She was hysterical and barely able to speak.  The girls had lit a couple of candles when they first woke, and in the dim light I could see Emilie lying down at an awkward angle
, halfway on an air mattress.  

“Oh God,” I moaned.  “Emilie…”  I walked as quickly to her as I could, and sank down beside her on the mattress.  “Em,” I sobbed.  “Oh God no.  Em, wake up!”  I flinched when I heard a gunshot from outside.

“Don’t shoot me!” screamed Sadie.  “You have no right!”

Her words were followed by another gunshot, followed by Nathan cursing.

Susan and Gus were already beside me.  I was kneeling over Emilie’s body, my head on her chest.  She was so incredibly still, and already so very cold. I had no idea where Boggs and Nathan were.  At the moment I didn’t care.  I knew already that the strangers were all dead, unless there were more hiding.

Someone was crying and I was growing irritated.  The sobbing was hurting my head, and then finally I realized it was me.  I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder and knew by the feel it was Gus.  His hand was trembling.

“Emilie, wake up,” I moaned.  “Wake up, please, wake up…
Emilie…
wake up!”

“Zoe, darlin’, she’s gone.  She can’t wake up.”

“No, Gus.  No.  No.  She has to wake up.  Please, Em, please!  You can’t go…”

Gus placed his other hand on my remaining shoulder and gently pulled me up and away from Em’s body.  I turned into him and let him hold me.

“She can’t be gone, Gus,” I groaned loudly.  “What happened?  What happened to her?”

“That first bullet must have hit her, Zoe.  She died instantly.  She didn’t feel any pain.”  He also had tears streaming down his face.

“Noooo,” I wailed and shook my head.  “Not Em.”  I closed my eyes, willing my head to remain free of any spark beautiful Emilie might cause in my mind should she wake.  I couldn’t bear losing her twice.

“Gus, I can’t do it if she comes back…”  I let my thought trail off.

“She won’t be coming back, Zoe.  The bullet that hit her already took care of that.  She’s at rest now, with her brother Joey.  Please believe that.”  He was stroking my hair gently.

I lay my head on his chest and shook my head.  I suddenly felt selfish.  She was my best friend, but she was Gus’ lover.  I should be comforting him now, not the other way around.

“I’m so sorry, Gus.”

“We all loved her, Zoe.  We all loved her so much.  We need to go outside now, and talk to the others.”

I hadn’t realized we were alone.  Susan must have taken the girls out.

“I want to bury her, Gus.  We can’t just leave her.”

“Of course we will.”

I wiped my tears and turned back to the body of my best friend.  My sister.  Her beautiful freckled face was marred by blood that trailed from a single hole in her temple.  She was such a beautiful person, inside and out, and never deserved to be harmed like this.  I felt faint, so leaned down to rest my forehead on her again.  I grabbed one of her hands.  Her skin was ice cold, and felt waxy.  It was one of the worst feelings in the world.  She was completely and utterly lifeless.  I stared at her chest, and I could swear I saw her breathing.  I had to feel for myself.  As I kept my forehead against her chest, I felt absolutely nothing.  Even in the dim candlelight I could see that she was a deep shade of blue-gray.  Her eyes were lacking the sparkle I had grown to love. 

“Zoe.”

I finally looked up at Gus. 

“I need a moment with her.  I’ll meet you outside, ok?”

His words stung, but I nodded and respected his wishes.  I stood up on wobbly legs and walked outside.  As I looked back under the tarp, I could see Gus leaning down giving Emilie a final kiss goodbye.  I choked back tears despite wanting to cry for the loss we all had just suffered in losing a true friend.