You and Me against the World: The Creepers Saga Book 1 (13 page)

Devin looked at Thorn with a strained smile.

“Evening, Doc.”

“Hello, all. Did I hear something about survivors?”

“Maybe.”

“Good lord, Dev, just once, can’t you give me some credit for the information I bring back?” Adam yelled.

The stress level in the room rose a little more.

“Your intel has been known to suck,” Austin said and smirked.

“Screw you, Austin!”

“Blow me, douche bag!”

“Okay, okay,” Devin said. “Let’s get a second opinion here.”

They all looked at Thorn.

“Okay, I’m listening,” Thorn said.

“Last night, me and Brad saw lights over at Reflections Lake,” Adam said.

Thorn knew the development; it sat just beyond the trees from his own.

“What kind of lights? House lights?”

“Maybe.”

“Could have been a fire,” Brandon said.

“The point is,” Adam continued, dismissing his friend’s comment, “that Reflections Lake is huge. There could be a lot of survivors, and if there are, we need a vehicle big enough to carry them. The SUVs aren’t gonna cut it. Hell, we picked you two up last night, and the rest of us had to cram with the supplies to get back.”

“The problem,” Devin added, “is that bus still needs work on the transmission. Driving it could kill it. Right, Webster?”

Webster moved his head in a yes-no-maybe shrug.

“Might. It definitely needs work but it might be okay,” Webster answered.

Devin rolled his eyes, frustrated at the lack of commitment.

“If it does break down, then we’ll lose the only vehicle big enough to carry all the kids and old folks out of here if we’re overrun. It’s not worth it.”

“Still a big ‘if’ on that overrun part, Dev,” Adam added.

“Yes, and a big ‘if’ on the survivors you never saw,” Devin said.

“Yeah, you got your family and your girl, so fuck anyone else, right?”

“Bullshit,” Devin yelled and stood up. Austin’s hand went to a baseball bat that he had leaned against the wall. The guy, Brad, started to push off the wall, but Annie the Death Dancer slipped her hand around his wrist, and he settled back.

Bad spot, kid; girlfriend’s brother or your buddy?

Brad stole a glance at her, and his expression confirmed his choice.

Girlfriend and, by default, her brother … good choice.

“Hey!” Nick interrupted. His voice was loud but calm. “Settle down a minute. This shit isn’t solving anything.”

Yep, peacemaker
, Thorn thought.

They relaxed a little, but the blood was pumping in all except for Connor, who smiled as if he had just heard a great joke. Thorn was grateful that blue shark eyes wasn’t here; Adam would probably have a bullet in his head.

“I have a solution,” Thorn said.

The answer was so clear. They couldn’t see it because something else was working against them. Caroline was correct; they were going to get themselves killed if they couldn’t settle the power struggle.

“Webster, are you a real mechanic, or is this just an elected position?” Thorn asked.

“Real.”

“Okay, so here’s an option. I take your place in one of the SUVs tonight. We ride over there and check for survivors. Webster stays back with the bus. If we find survivors, he drives over. It won’t take more than five or ten minutes. If the bus doesn’t look like it can make it, turn around and bring it back here. If they’ve survived this long, another night won’t matter while we figure out another plan.”

The group nodded and seemed content.

“Hear that, Annie?” Webster called out. “I’m not gonna be there to watch your ass.”

“My ass will be fine. Right, Austin?”

“Maybe a little lumpy,” Austin said and laughed.

Brad smirked, and Annie jammed him with her elbow and then shot Austin the bird.

“Ah, one question, Doc,” Nick asked. “Do you know how to shoot?”

Thorn remembered the group’s perfect synchronicity and smiled.

“Good point, I’ll drive.”

“Just the same,” Nick said, “I’ll show you the arsenal. I’ll feel better if you at least have something to throw at the Creepers, Doc.”

The group laughed, and it felt good. They were friends again.

There are more things, Horatio …

“Okay, Dr. Thorn, that .357 you have is good as a final stand weapon—”

“Or if you’re a girl.” Austin laughed, and Annie shoved him.

“What do you mean by final stand?”

“It’s the point when your remaining life can be measured by the time it takes to squeeze off the last of your bullets.”

Thorn remembered the driveway in the moments before they were rescued.

“Anyway, here is some ammo for the cowboy gun, but you need a little more fire power, and we have plenty of it.” Nick swept his arm in front of an old sports equipment cage filled with weapons.

“Where did you get all of this?”

“Walmart, gun stores, and this is Florida, so a lot of the handguns came from homes.”

“I like that one.” Thorn pointed to a rifle that looked right out of an old
Lone Ranger
show.

“Sorry, Doc, that one is mine.” Austin picked up the Winchester ’94 Ranger 30-30. He slipped the leather strap over his shoulder and grabbed a box of ammo that he dumped in a canvas satchel that went over his other shoulder.

“No worries, Dr. Thorn,” Nick said as Austin and Annie walked away. “I think you want something that requires less aim but will clear a nice path for you. I think this will do.” Nick handed him a shotgun.

“It’s a Winchester 12-gauge Defender with a modified sixteen-inch barrel. Have you ever fired one before?”

“Nope.”

“A little kick, but all you need to do is point it in the general direction of a Creeper’s head and pull the trigger. The gun will do the rest.”

“Ah, the Defender, good choice,” Devin said from behind them. “I like my Mossberg 500, personally.”

Devin selected a black shotgun. It had a pistol grip and looked easier to handle than the gun selected for Thorn.

“How about one of those?” Thorn pointed at Devin’s gun.

“Umm, in time, Doc,” Nick said. “That pistol grip requires a lot of control.”

Devin laughed and said, “First time I pulled the trigger, the thing jumped right out of my hands.”

Thorn nodded and picked up the Defender. “Okay, show me how this thing works.”

The others waited for them outside by the SUVs. Golden handed Thorn a CD.

The soundtrack.

The easygoing energy was gone, and the group was all business. Their faces were tight; the laughter was staccato like a quick brush of piano keys.

“Adam, it’s your run. Do you want the lead?” Devin asked, and Thorn silently complimented the kid’s politics.

“Sure thing, Dev.”

“Roger the lead,” Devin said. “Connor and Brad are with you in the lead slot. Nick, Austin, and Annie, you all have the three o’clock position, and I’ll take the Doc, Brandon, and Goldie at nine. What’s the course, Adam?”

Adam took a moment, and Austin impatiently shuffled his feet.

Connor laughed at nothing, and the group turned to him. He held up his hands. “No, nothing. Sorry, it’s nothing.”

Wired or high or worse.

“We’ll enter through the Daniels Parkway entrance and then take the left onto Terabella. The lights came from somewhere near the end of that street.”

“That’s a dead end,” Thorn added because it seemed important.

Devin considered it and then looked at his friend.

“Does that change anything for you, Adam?”

“No, we’ll be okay.”

But they weren’t okay.

The ride was short, and they made the turn into Reflections Lake front entrance in eight minutes according to the green digital dash clock. They drove with the lights off, and Thorn’s SUV sandwiched between the lead vehicle driven by Brad and the one behind them operated by Nick.

“When we make the turn, Doc, stay to the left of the street—that’s the nine o’clock position. Nick is going to come up quick on our right—that’s the three o’clock position. I’ll take care of the lights and music. The music may be a little loud for you, so be prepared.”

Thorn gave a nervous laugh and nodded.

“When they stop, we stop. You stay with the vehicle while we jump into formation. Brad will follow, but you stay put. We’ll give you the signal when we need you to advance.”

Devin turned in the seat and looked back at Goldie. “Hey, girlfriend, will you stay and watch over the Doc?”

She looked out the passenger’s window. Her head nodded slightly.

“And, Doc, no matter how bad shit gets, do not, and I repeat, do not panic and crash the vehicle. We lose our wheels, and we die out here.”

“Fuck,” Thorn said.

“Fuck indeed, Dr. Thorn,” Devin confirmed. “Okay here we go.”

The lead vehicle slipped left onto Terabella, and Thorn followed as instructed. He almost crashed the SUV when the music came on so loud that it felt like his ears had exploded. Aerosmith this time. He wondered if anyone realized how ominous the words were.

The SUV roof racks washed the houses and yards in bright lights. SUV windows lowered and weapons slid through the openings. Thorn braced himself for the thunder of guns and the charge of the infected. He watched intently for the brake lights on the lead SUV, afraid he might ram it. The road curved to the right, and they drove on.

Any minute now
, Thorn mentally prepared.

Nothing happened. No Creepers rushed the vehicles. Thorn swept his eyes to the left and saw empty yards. The three SUVs drove to the end of the street before Brad tapped his brakes and then brought his Tahoe to a stop. Devin killed the stereo as did the others, and the world was silent again.

“What the hell?” Devin and Brandon said in unison.

Doors opened, and they stepped out with expressions of nervous confusion. His three passengers jumped out, and Thorn followed.

“Is this even possible?” Adam asked.

Devin shrugged.

“Doc, what do you think? Could they be gone or dead?”

Thorn wished it were true, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

“I honestly don’t know, but something feels wrong here.”

“There!” Connor yelled and ran across a lawn to a front door. “I see a light,” he called back and then went through the door and into the house.

“Connor, wait,” Devin yelled. “Jackass.”

Connor returned to the doorway. “I got one. She needs help. Come on.”

He disappeared again.

“Doc, come with me,” Devin said. “Austin, Annie, back us up. Everyone else, keep your eyes open and yell if you see any Creepers.”

Adam didn’t argue, just nodded his head and looked around. Golden started to follow them.

“Not this time, Sis,” Devin said, and she stopped without argument.

The house smelled bad. Thorn was more than qualified to know the smell of death.