What Remains_Mutation (3 page)

Jake took a few steps forward, cocking his head to one side. “Sounds like…fighting.” His breath caught. “Gunner!”

The man rushed ahead, ignoring the hushed curse Cogan rasped at him and disappeared into the brush. Sully shoved his friend, sprinting for the thicket, nearly bowling Jake over when he bumped into the guy just shy of breaking out into a clearing.

He grabbed Jake by the shirt, yanking him back. “What the hell, Jake? You know better…”

His voice died off as he stared at the scene before him—at the woman moving along the creek, some guy in tow, stopping to launch a volley of arrows into the woods behind her—half expecting to suddenly wake up and discover the entire day had been nothing more than a dream when Cogan’s hand landed on his shoulder.

The man inhaled roughly. “Is this for real? Or did we die up on that rooftop?”

“Very real.” Sully shook his head, snapping out of his shock. “Looks like the lady could use a hand.”

“Then let’s intercept. Just stay vigilant. Those damn zombies aren’t what we’re used to fighting. And while she looks human…”

Sully nodded, falling in behind Jake, praying they hadn’t just walked into an even bigger trap.

Chapter Two

“Damn it, Lelin, keep up!”

Harper Rawlings darted along the edge of the creek, pivoting just long enough to release another arrow, hitting the creature closest to her. The zombie’s head snapped back, making an eerie cracking sound before it fell into the water, a circle of droplets spraying into the air. The splash sent a ripple undulating across the surface, destroying the crystal-clear reflection of trees and brush. She glared at the man trailing behind her, his feet moving methodically along, his gaze blank. Unreadable.

She cursed again, kicking another creature in the face when it jumped out from behind a tree, knocking it down, the hard crunch of bone ringing through the air. She checked the area in front then took off, winding her way down the narrow trail, wondering why she even bothered dragging Lelin’s ass from day to day when she’d move quicker without him. Without the scathing looks and vile comments on the rare occasions he showed any sort of consciousness at all. He’d been somewhat cooperative when they’d first ventured out of the facility three months ago, but had grown increasingly agitated with every passing day. She’d finally had to bind his hands when he’d become violent, trying to stab her one night when they’d holed up in an abandoned building.

He growled behind her, the sound disturbingly similar to the chorus of grunts echoing around them. She glanced back at him, disgust and hatred churning in her gut as he glared at her, his lips curved into a cruel smile. Great. Of all the times for his personality to make an appearance, it had to be now. In the middle of nowhere. An aggressive group of infected on their asses.

He laughed, the sound bitter and smug. “Do you see how fast they’re running? It’s happening everywhere. Quicker than I ever imagined. I told you it was only the beginning.”

“Well, it’ll be your end if you don’t move your damn feet.”

“Untie me and I will.”

It was her turn to laugh. “And have you run off on me and get yourself killed? Or maybe you’d like to try and stab me in the back again? No thanks.”

“They won’t kill me. And I don’t have any weapons to kill you with.”

“
They
aren’t human. They kill everyone. And everything’s a weapon in the right hands.”

“You mean like yours?”

She jumped across a narrow twist in the creek, stopping long enough to ensure he made it. “People like you are the reason people like me were necessary. Not that any of that matters now.”

“What’s wrong, Agent Rawlings? Losing faith?”

“Faith isn’t going to stop this plague. That’s up to you. And I’m not an agent anymore.”

“Who said I’d stop it?”

“Who said you’d have a choice?”

He chuckled, the tone rising sharply at the end. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? The reason we’re out here. I do have a choice, one that’ll get you killed for your efforts. You never should have left the facility. I told you I needed to stay.”

“The damn place got overrun. Those motherfuckers were everywhere! I can’t kill them all, Lelin. Not alone.”

She cursed when he purposely slowed. He was right about one thing. He’d get her killed if he didn’t cooperate at least a bit. Lelin gave her a cruel smile just as three zombies pushed out of some brush off to her right, gazes focused on her. One tipped its head back and screeched, the raspy sound sending shivers down her spine. They raced toward her, feet pounding the dirt, bodies uncharacteristically steady.

She notched an arrow, releasing it and reaching for another before the first even hit its mark. Thank God she’d been able to grab the bow during their escape. Ammo had become more extinct than humans. At least she could make her own arrows when needed. Damn hard to make a bullet from a branch and some bone.

The creature dropped, as did the next, leaving the third several feet away. Harper pushed Lelin aside, unsheathing her knife when a pop echoed through the woods. The zombie collapsed, pieces of shattered skull spraying across the ground.

She pivoted, sheathing her knife then swinging her bow back into place, another arrow held firm when her breath left her on a startled gasp. Three men stood on the other side of the small creek, guns drawn, gazes fixed on her. They wore faded cargo pants with shirts and jackets, the sleeves frayed around the edges. Firm, thick muscles bunched the fabric of their clothes, and she could tell just by looking at them they were intimately aware of each other. A team.

She stayed vigilant, not sure whether to offer her thanks or slowly back away. Zombies weren’t the only danger lurking in the towns, and just because the men had come to her aid didn’t mean they weren’t a threat.

One of the men stepped forward, his gaze darting between her and Lelin before he raised his other hand palm up. “We heard the fighting. Just thought you might need help.”

She breathed through two more heartbeats before lowering her bow, keeping the arrow notched just in case. She glanced at the monster the man had killed. It’d died only a couple of feet from her, its pale arms stretching toward her. Acid burned along her throat. Eighteen months and she still hated the sight of them. The stench. The way their blood turned black, the thick fluid mocking the very essence that made them human. It didn’t matter how many were killed; more simply took their place. An endless stream of death. She glared at Lelin, but he’d spaced out again, staring into the woods though she wondered if he saw anything other than the world he’d created.

Fatigue burned her muscles and she sighed, finally easing up on her bow. The men seemed to take her outward show as a sign to join her, the wet sounds of their feet in the river a welcomed distraction. They stopped a few yards away, confusion evident in the way they glanced at Lelin’s bound hands then at her. She saw uncertainty flash in their eyes a moment before the bushes behind them parted, a gathering of infected running toward them.

She raised her bow, instinct taking over. “Duck.”

The two men closest to the bushes dropped just as she released a volley of arrows, taking the first three creatures out. More gunfire echoed beside her, the third guy dropping the next four.

She grabbed Lelin’s hands, tugging him toward her as she nodded at the other men. “We have to go. These bastards aren’t like the others.”

Lelin trotted along then stopped, pulling her to an abrupt halt. More infected barred the way, rotting flesh gleaming in the filtered light.

The man cackled. “Aren’t they magnificent?”

She didn’t grace him with a reply, drawing smoothly, killing the frontrunners as they ran at the small group. The man who seemed to be the group’s leader shouldered up beside her, dropping a zombie every time she reached for another arrow. Her fingers wrapped around the few remaining ones, tensing her stomach.

She spared the newcomer a glance. “I’m nearly out. We won’t last long without somewhere to go.”

His gaze was just as quick. “We have a vehicle, if we can reach it.”

“You have a…”

She pushed the questions away, concentrating on the seemingly endless surge of undead hurtling toward them as she fired off more arrows. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about who these guys were or where they’d come from. They had a solution. A way out. That’s all that mattered.

Harper schooled her features, nodding at the guy as she notched her last arrow, hitting her target between the eyes. Nothing but blades left in her arsenal. She swung her bow over her shoulder and drew a long knife, holding it against her arm when movement caught her eye. She glanced over her shoulder just as Lelin lunged at the man standing beside her, snatching a knife from his belt. The guy spun, gaze accessing the situation even as it unfolded.

Harper dove at the guy, knocking him out of the way as Lelin swung both arms over his head, burying the blade in her right shoulder instead of the man’s chest. Pain flared across her torso, dropping her to the ground, nothing but the hilt visible above her shirt. Footsteps pounded the dirt, gradually fading into an odd silence.

“Fuck! Sully, get over here.”

The man behind her fell to his knees, apparently relying on his friends to kill the last few stragglers. He cupped her head, bending over her as he stared at the weapon embedded in her flesh. “You didn’t have to do that. He was aiming at me. Christ, he could have killed you.”

She blinked through the pain, giving him a small smile. “Trust me. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d tried.”

He frowned, pulling the edges of fabric apart. “It’s deep.”

“No, shit.” She snorted, trying to think against the ringing in her head. She gazed around, but only his crew stood close. “Damn it. Get him!”

The man grimaced, glancing at his friends before shaking his head. “He took off. Straight through the bloody brush. There’s too many of them. He won’t last long.”

She grunted, using the pain to ground herself. “I know. That’s why you have to get him before they do.”

“So you don’t want him dead? But why…”

She sighed as his voice trailed off. Great. The longer he sat there trying to understand her, the more distance Lelin put between them. She clenched her jaw, sticking her good arm out to the other brown-haired guy—Sully she’d heard him called.

Sully eyed her, looking as if he’d never seen a woman’s hand before, when she glared at him. He set his jaw, grabbing her wrist and elbow as he levered her up. Black dots swirled across her vision, nearly dropping her back down as the blade shifted between her bones. She closed her eyes against the rush of vertigo, gasping when the man pulled her into his chest, twisting so his body didn’t connect with the knife as he shouldered her weight, his arms wrapped firmly around her. His heart thrummed against her cheek, the strong rhythm like music in the eerie stillness. It soothed her, and for the first time in over a year, she felt human.

He raised one hand to the back of her head, his fingers gently stroking her hair. “You okay?”

She eased away, inwardly cursing her body’s reaction to the loss of contact. Her skin beaded with goose bumps as her breath heaved in her chest. She glanced around, reality slamming back with painful clarity. “I’m fine. But we have to catch Lelin before he disappears.” She held up her good arm when he opened his mouth. “Just trust me. The man’s insane, but he’s the key.”

“The key? To what?”

“Salvation. Now are you with me or not?”

She took a few shaky steps backwards, bumping into the only blond guy in the group. The man was as massive as the others, his strong hands catching her around the waist before she fell. He braced her weight, allowing her to lean against him as she fought to get her equilibrium.

He leaned forward, his chest brushing against her spine as he cupped her hips. “You can barely stand up. Wouldn’t it be wiser to get you back to the Hummer? In case you haven’t noticed, you have a fairly impressive knife sticking out of your shoulder.”

She resisted rolling her eyes. At least the men still had a sense of humor. “Believe me. It’s not easily forgotten. But if we pull it out, I’ll bleed. And I’d rather save that until we’re somewhere relatively safe. A place you might actually be able to try and stop it. So until then, it stays where it is. As for Lelin… I didn’t guard his ass for the past few years only to let him ditch me. He can’t go that fast. The man’s a complete nut-job. He get’s confused. Half the time he’s barely aware of his surroundings. Even with a healthy head start, we should be able to follow his trail…catch up to him fairly quickly.” She allowed her gaze to capture each of them in turn. “Unless you boys are all show.”

The guy huffed. “You’re actually trying to taunt us into going? Smooth, love.” He looked at the other two men. “Fine. We’ll hunt him. But only as long as it’s in both our interests to continue. If he bypasses the Hummer by too much, all bets are off.”

“All bets were off when dead people started eating us.” She moved out of his embrace, finally getting the scenery to stop flip-flopping. “Lead on.”

Blondie sighed but took off, heading in what she assumed was Lelin’s last direction. God, how had she been so damn careless? She knew what the man was like. Had spent what felt like forever glued to his ass, yet three strangers show up and she forgets a decade’s worth of training. She should have been three steps ahead of Lelin. Visualized every last option he’d had before he’d even realized any were there. But instead, she’d let her guard down. Relied on men she didn’t even know.

A gamut of scenarios played in her head as she followed the men through the underbrush. Pain jolted through her body as each step further shifted the knife, narrowing her thoughts until they were shaded in black and blue. She tried to focus, but finally had to admit that simply staying conscious was about as much as she could hope for.

The trees thinned as they neared a slight rise. The blond slowed, making signals with his hand as he crept up the embankment, disappearing over the top. Sully followed after him, waving her and their leader up. She glanced at the rise, willing her feet to move when the guy trailing behind her wrapped an arm around her waist. He didn’t speak, just helped support her weight, half carrying her up the incline and over the edge. A swath of land stretched out on either side of them, railway tracks gleaming in the sun.