Tomorrow Land (35 page)

“It sounds like quite a plan.”

“It’s a big undertaking,” said the council member at the far end, a blond woman in her forties. “But we’re hopeful. We have everything in place. Just need to discover that magic formula.”

“Right. Well, I admire all the work you’re doing. It’s really encouraging to hear.”

“We still need more people,” David told her. “So if you don’t find what you’re looking for down in central Florida, I hope you’ll consider coming back. We’ll take all your people in.”

Peyton considered. “Even though they’re mostly children?” she asked.

“Especially children,” Mary broke in. “They’re the future, after all. And so many of our adults here lost their own kids. They’d be overjoyed to become adoptive parents.”

Peyton looked around the room at all the happy faces. At all the food. And suddenly she realized what she must do.

“Well then,” she said. “I think I have an idea.”

*

“Chase, wake up!”

Chase groaned as Helga burst into his tent. He’d barely slept a wink the night before, tossing and turning and remembering Peyton’s hurt face. It took all his willpower not to get out of bed and find her and confess everything. Tell her he loved her and never meant to hurt her and wanted nothing more than to be with her forever.

But that would just complicate things. Because he’d have to tell her about the bite. About his impending mutation. That there would probably be no happily ever after for the two of them, as much as he wanted there to be.

“What is it, Helga?” he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He’d finally dozed off for a few minutes and now he was up again.

“It’s Peyton. She’s nowhere in camp!”

Fear slammed his heart. Now he was wide awake. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Maybe she just went for a walk. Did you check the river? Maybe she’s bathing.” He crawled out of the tent. The sun was barely up over the horizon and most of the children were still asleep.

“I checked everywhere,” Helga told him. “And then I noticed her rucksack was gone. She’s left us.” The girl looked at Chase suspiciously. “Why would she leave?” she asked.

Chase didn’t bother to answer. He was already searching for his shoes. “She couldn’t have gone too far,” he said. “She’s weak. I’m going to try to find her.”

Helga rushed to his side. “How are you going to do that? It’s not like there’s some trail of breadcrumbs to follow.”

“I just will, okay?” he growled. She backed off, looking frightened. He swallowed hard. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m just worried about her.”

“Me too. I can’t believe she’d just take off.”

Unfortunately, Chase could. Obviously he’d hurt her even more than he’d intended the night before. Made her feel rejected and alone. And so she’d left. Left him and the children. To seek her own way to Disney World.

But she wouldn’t make it on her own. She was too weak. She’d die. And it would be all his fault. More blood on his hands.

“Peyton! Peyton!”

Chase looked up at the sudden cries from the children, his heart leaping into his throat. His eyes followed the direction they were running. Sure enough, Peyton was limping toward the camp. Joy washed over him as he took her in. Thank God she was all right.

He followed the children over, wanting to throw his arms around her and hold her and never let her go. But her cold expression swept him then dismissed him as she turned back to the kids, greeting them and apologizing for being away. So Chase hung back, reality smacking him upside the head. In her mind, he had rejected her. And she in turn would now reject him. She thought they were finished. And he had been the jerk who had started it.

He realized, suddenly, that she was not alone. A tall, well-built man with a military crew-cut was by her side. Jealousy raged up inside of him and he fought to keep it at bay. Who was this tool? Had she found someone to replace him already? He knew he should be glad that she’d found someone to take care of her, someone who could competently get her to Disney World, but the thought of being replaced was too much to bear.

“You’re staying
here
?” asked the man, surveying the premises. “This isn’t safe at all. You’re vulnerable on at least three sides to attack.”

Chase felt his hackles rise. They’d been doing the best they could. How dare this guy judge them? “We have trip wires set on all four sides,” he retorted. “And we do regular patrols. The place is never unwatched.”

“That’s all well and good, but what happens when they hit the trip wires? You have no place to escape to.”

Chase stepped forward. “The kids have been well-versed in evacuation procedures,” he said. “And the older kids have been taught how to fight.”

Peyton stepped between them. “Whoa, boys,” she said. “Calm down. Chase, this is David. David, Chase. David is council member of a new society they’re building just a mile or two from here. It’s deep underground. They’ve got food and medicines and supplies. And over three hundred residents!” She related what she’d learned and seen.

Chase listened with interest. Sounded like Disney wasn’t the only game in town after all. Maybe Peyton could be convinced to give up her quest and settle here. Where she’d be safe. Chase would be much happier dying if he knew she had landed someplace safe.

But he knew in his heart she’d never give up before seeing her dad. She was too dedicated to her cause. After all, that had been the problem from the very beginning. When she’d left him high and dry on that last day.

He turned back to the conversation.

“We’d like to escort you all back to the Hive,” David was saying. “It’s a good place to settle down. We’ll be able to find adoptive parents for all the kids and you can all go to school. There’s plenty of food and we even have nightly entertainment. Bands, movies, that sort of thing.”

“All underground?” asked Helga.

David nodded. “For now,” he told her. “Until we find a cure for the creatures. Then, after rehabilitating them, it’ll be safe to go back to the surface.”

Helga turned to Peyton, who nodded.

“It seems like a good plan to me,” she said. “Kids, pack your bags. The journey is over. We’re going home.”

“And buckets of candy for everyone when we get there,” David added with a grin.

The kids whooped and cheered and ran off to gather their gear. Helga hugged Peyton and then headed to her own tent. Through it all, Chase hung back, not sure what to do. He knew he should be overjoyed. He’d kept his promise to his brother, caring for the kids and getting them to a safe place. And Peyton would be safe, too. So that was good. But, of course, it was all an empty happiness, knowing that he’d lost the girl he loved and would soon, on top of that, lose his life.

If only he hadn’t been bitten. One more day after four years and he never would have had to worry about it again. But, no. Fate was too cruel to allow him his happily ever after. And now that everyone else had theirs, he knew what he’d probably have to do.

Chapter Forty-one

Peyton locked the door to her room then climbed on a chair to pull her suitcase down from the top shelf of her closet. Tossing it on the bed, she unzipped it and started selecting clothes. A gnawing guilt crawled through her stomach as she packed. What would her father say when he realized she’d gone, that she’d taken his implants but rejected his plan? She’d chosen the company of her boyfriend over her father.

Was she doing the right thing? Probably not. But she loved Chris. More than anything in the world. And if that world was going to end—if they were all going to die anyway—she wanted to be by his side. Her father and mother would have to understand. They’d had their time. They’d had each other. Maybe someday, if they all survived, they could all find each other again. Maybe she and Chris could make the trek down to Disney World and see the new society her father claimed they’d create. But first they had to get through the bad times, the plague and the zombies. And Peyton didn’t want to face that without Chris.

Chris. She imagined him right then, packing his own suitcase. Loading the vans. He and Trey, rallying their friends. Soon she and he would be together always. In the new little society they’d create up in the mountains. It was almost worth facing the end of the world for.

A loud banging on the door interrupted her fantasy. Worried, she stuffed her suitcase under the bed and went to answer. Her dad stood on the other side of the door, his hair sticking up in all directions, his eyes wild.

“Peyton, it’s time,” he said. “You and your mother need to go down to the shelter.”

Fear gripped her. No! Not now. Not when she was so close to getting away.

“What? Why?” she asked, stalling for time as she tried to think of a plan.

Her father glanced behind him and then back at her. “They’re here. The cleaners. They’re going to make their move, try to take me away. I need to know you two are safe.”

What was he talking about? “Dad, why would someone want to take you away?” she asked, confused and frightened.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re down in the shelter where they can’t find you. I’m going to lead them away, create a diversion. They won’t see you go down there. And you’ll be safe for four years. That should be enough time.”

“Enough time? Enough time for what?” Panic slammed through her. She couldn’t go down into the shelter. She couldn’t be trapped down there for four years. She had to meet Chris.

“Peyton, focus. Listen to me. When the shelter doors open in four years, I need you to head down to Disney World. It’s vitally important. I’ll meet you there.”

She didn’t know what he was talking about, but she realized she had to speak up. Now. Or for four years hold her peace. She drew in a breath.

“Dad, I’m not going to the shelter,” she said, wishing her voice didn’t sound so squeaky and immature.

He stared at her, disbelief on his face. “What did you say?”

She swallowed. “I’m sorry, but I’ve made other plans. I’m going up to the mountains with my friends. We’re going to wait things out there.”

“Absolutely not.” Ian Anderson shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. And who will take care of your mom? You know as well as I do that she’s not equipped to survive without help these days.”

Peyton cringed. Way to make her feel guilty. He was totally right, too. Her mom was lost in a dreamworld of pills. She’d never survive on her own. How could Peyton abandon her?

But then again, how could she abandon Chris?

“Look, Peyton, I need to tell you something,” her dad continued. “When I added your cybernetics, I did something else, too. I inserted a special code into your brain. It’s stored in a section you don’t use—you wouldn’t be able to access it even under torture. But it can be extracted by the scientists down at Disney World.”

Peyton stared at him, hardly able to believe what he was saying. “Code?” she whispered, her life crashing down all around her. “What kind of code?”

“If I tell you, I jeopardize your life. The government will kill you to find out. But suffice it to say, my daughter, you hold the only copy of the key to rebuild the world. So you see why it’s important that you make it to Disney World when those doors open in four years. We’ll be waiting for you. You’ll literally be the second coming. Our savior.”

This was not fair. So not fair! She felt tears cascade down her cheeks, tears from the vents she’d made him install in her cyber-eyes. “Why?” she demanded, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him in fury. “Why would you do this to me? Your daughter! Isn’t it enough you turned me into a robot? Now you ask me to sacrifice everything that means anything to me in order to save the world?”

“You’re my razor girl,” he said quietly. “There’s no one else.”

“I didn’t ask for this! I just wanted to be normal.”

Suddenly a banging from downstairs interrupted them. Her father looked at her and nodded. “They’ve just broken down the door,” he said. “They will be here soon.” He dangled a gold key in front of her. “Decide now,” he said. “Your boyfriend or the survival of the human race. The fate of the world’s future now depends entirely on you.”

Chapter Forty-two

That night at The Hive there was a grand celebration. All the residents gathered in the main underground hall to meet the newcomers. There was a feast, plates overflowing with delicious food, and wine and spirits flowed freely. A band thrown together by local teens,
Apocalypse Then
, rocked out on a makeshift stage, and everyone cleared away the dinner tables to dance. The Hive’s residents were all friendly and welcoming, and for the first time in years Peyton felt like she was home.

But, of course, she wasn’t. And while this was a great place to settle the kids she was protecting, her own journey was not quite over. She still had to get down to Disney World and meet her father and his scientist friends. Give them the data stored in her head—whatever it was—to help them rebuild the world.

It was her mission. And she had almost completed it.

The good news was she’d had herself checked out by the Hive doctors. They’d cycled her blood, removed her failing nanos, and she felt good as new. She was ready to take on the last leg of the trek. And she didn’t need anyone else to help her now. Sure, without the nanos she wasn’t as strong or fast, but they weren’t eating away at her insides, either. She’d make it somehow. Her dad was depending on her, and she wasn’t about to let him down when she was so close.

She looked around the room, smiling as she saw the children dancing and frolicking and having a grand old time. Starr and Torn were dancing cheek to cheek: young love finally expressed in a safe place. Darla and Sunshine chatted wildly with the couple eager to adopt them. The would-be parents looked thrilled—they’d evidently lost their own little girls to Others a few years back, and now they had a chance to have a family again. And Helga was locked in what looked like a deep conversation with David. Perhaps the two would hit it off.

But, as Peyton scanned the room, she realized she didn’t see Chase anywhere. In fact, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him all day. At first she hadn’t been sure he’d be willing to come to the Hive in the first place, but he had tagged along, staying mostly silent. She’d longed to talk to him; he was the only one likely to understand why she had to finish her quest. But when she’d approached him, he’d quickly shut her down. For whatever reason—and she still had no idea why—he had little interest in her. Nothing to say. What had she done to him to make him push her away like he had? She wished she knew.