Surviving Earth: Makayla's Journey (11 page)

Clara and I hold onto one another for hours as we cry over Beth. I tell her my horror stories about Mom and Dad and she tells me about escaping the hordes of undead at college. Her journey to find me as harrowing as my own to find her. I leave her asleep on the sofa to search out the arms of Logan. I find him standing by a window in one of the back rooms.

Drawing me to his chest, he kisses my forehead. "Are you ok?" He asks softly against my hair.

"I don't know how to feel. I'm sad over the loss of Beth, but happy to find Clara. I guess my brain is in a state of confusion." I whisper, honestly.

"It's natural to be confused. Hell, baby, anyone would feel the same." He says, turning me to face him.

Leaning his head down, he brushes his lips gently against mine and within seconds his tongue is prying my lips open. We deepen the kiss. For the first time we have just a moment alone.

He pushes me against the boarded up window, his hands roaming my body, my nails clawing at his back. I want a closer connection. I need nothing to separate our bodies. The dirty clothes we are wearing are too much and I want nothing more than to rid our bodies of them.

Sighing softly, Logan brings the kiss to end. "Damn, I shouldn't have done that." He says leaning away, his hands going to his mussed hair.

"Why not? I wanted it as much as you did. Maybe even more so."

Sliding a hand down my arm, he says, "I've wanted that for a long time now, but with your emotions all over the place I feel like a heel for taking advantage of you."

"Logan, you didn't take advantage of me. I came to you, remember?" I ask, with a quirked brow.

"You did, but you came for comfort, not for me to add to your burdens."

Pulling him into my arms, I cuddle against his chest. His heart beat is all the comfort I need at the moment. "Logan, I came to you for how you make me feel. With you I feel safe, secure, comforted, and loved. I needed to feel your arms around me, to ground me to this God awful world we are living in. Please don't feel like you took advantage, Hell, if we're being honest, I wanted more to happen." I say on a loud sigh.

Logan gently runs his thumb over my bottom lip, his eyes never leaving mine. The moment becomes erotic just from his touch. A bump against the window outside ends the moment before it has a chance to begin again.

"They're out there! They're out there!" One of the girls comes running into the room, burrowing herself into the lone mattress against wall, her whimpering louder than the noises outside. I know she will soon draw even more attention to this lone, boarded up window.

"Shhhhh, it's going to be ok." I say trying my best to calm her.

"It's not. They're here. They're going to get in and eat us all." She is beyond panicked. I don't know what she's been through, I only know I have to shut her up. Throwing out a punch, I knock her senseless. It wouldn't be for long, but maybe she'd be calmer when she came to.

Logan and I walk back into the front room. The door is barricaded by a wooden board nailed into place with the sofa sitting in front of it. "Amy got quiet fast, what did you do?" Clara asks, knowing full well what I was capable of.

"Oh, she just had a run in with a... umm...wall." I say laughing quietly, holding my stomach. 

"Mak, I need to have a look at your shoulder. There's medical supplies here that we can use to rewrap it and you need another antibiotic, you're looking flushed." Lainey says as she walks toward me with white bandages in her hands.

I cut my eyes to Logan, only he and I know the reason I am flushed. 

Steering me to the examination table in the side room, Lainey sits me down. She gently starts unwinding the dirty gauze on my shoulder.

"Mak, it honestly doesn't look good. We need to find a hospital with some powerful IV antibiotics." She says, tsking under her breath.

"It's just sore. I'll keep taking the meds you gave me, but I think it'll be ok." I say, moving my shoulder in slow circles. A small gasp of pain escapes me and I try to hide it, but I feel Logan's eyes glaring into my back.

"Lainey told us you were shot when I questioned the wound on your shoulder, but damn, Mak, we need to get you some meds." Clara says, walking into the room.

Holding out my hand to Clara, I step down from the table, "Please. I've lived through much worse. I'll be fine. Now come tell me how you came to be here."

The bumping against the outside of the small house is getting more insistent and moans can now be heard as the horde is passing by. "This is the first night it's been this bad. They usually just walk around once or twice and leave. This is strange." Clara says, biting on her bottom lip, fright clearly evident in her eyes.

Lifting my Glock, I walk over to the window and look out the small hole in the corner. I see nothing, but the pitch black of night beyond the window. "Where are the kids? We need to move everyone in here and close off the other rooms." I say walking from the room, going in search of Gage, Tessa, Ricky and Blu.

Waking Blu and the kids we head back up front, closing off each room as we leave. "It's those damn freshies. I swear they maintain some of their intelligence after being turned. They know we're in here." I say, walking to Logan's side.

Looking around the room, I notice both of Clara's friends are missing. "Where the hell did your friends go?" I ask.

"I'm not sure. They were just here." Clara says, searching the room.

"Damn, they should have stayed put." I say, irritation clearly evident in my voice.

"I'm not sure where they went." She says, biting her nails.

"I'll go look. It's not safe to be separated right now." I pat her back before walking out of the room. Using my flashlight, I push through each room, searching every nook and cranny as I go.

When I reach the last room I flash my light around and see the brunette standing in the corner, blood smeared her clothes. Something about her just wasn't right. "Hello." I say, causing her body to jerk in my direction. My light flashes over her eyes, but they are no longer the eyes of the living. Moans emit from her throat. She is now a member of the undead.

Lying at her feet is the body of the girl, Amy. "Damn!" I shout. She will turn now, too. Raising my Glock, I shoot the brunette through one of her undead eyes and she falls back on the blonde girl. I know I'll have to pull her off to shoot Clara's friend, Amy. I turn just as Logan runs into the room, gun raised.

"Are you ok?" He asks, looking for any dangers.

"I'm fine, but Clara's two friends aren't." I say, dragging the one girl off the blonde.

"Shit, how did this happen?" He asks, helping me move the body.

"I have no clue. Seriously, Logan, you know as much as I do!" I reply, looking him in the eyes.

The second shot rings out loud and true, ending what could have turned into a bad situation if Amy had turned. Returning to the front room, I look to Clara, tears already streaming down her face.

"What happened, Mak?" She asks on a sob.

Running a hand through her hair, I pull her into my arms, "I'm so sorry. Your brunette friend, ummm, turned into one of the undead. I guess she took Amy with her while we were all busy." I say, as she cries harder.

"We kinda kept each other sane along this trip, Nikki would make us laugh and Amy was the one who was always trying to keep us protected." Clara says on a sob.

The night passes slowly, Clara finally crying herself to sleep on my shoulder. The zombies keep up the bumps all night, testing to see if they could find a way in. Logan and Blu stayed on guard, waking me once daylight streamed through the small holes in the boards.

Checking outside, I see a few freshies ambling around. I know we need to leave, but I wanted Logan and Blu to get some rest. Interrupting my thoughts, Clara walks up beside me and asks, "Can we make it out of here safely today?"

Turning around to face her I say, "You betcha. We're leaving this place. What's in this place for breakfast?" I ask, steering her away from the window.

"I think there's some trail mix and granola bars in the kitchen." She says, heading that way.

"Awesome, let's go." I say, walking behind her. Sooner or later, I'd have to go out and deal with the remaining freshies.

Logan and Blu sleep for another couple hours before waking. I am pulling the board off the door when Logan appears at my back and leans in to help me remove it all the way.

Kissing my forehead softly, he looks at me for a second before saying, "Morning. What do you think you're doing?"

"Dealing with the freshies so we can get the hell out of here." I answer, pulling my Glock from my side.

"Hold on, Mak, and I'll help you." He demands, walking over to grab his guns.

The sound of the door opening alerts the freshies to our presence and they all turn with jerky movements, heading toward us. Lifting my Glock, I unload it in five of the closest zombies, Logan doing the same.  Reloading, I look up to see more heading our way. Damn I'd miscounted, there are  at least thirty out here. Lifting my gun, I lay out more, but even more are creeping in.

"Logan, go back inside we're outnumbered!" I yell, fear clutching at my heart.

I hear gunshots coming from the house, someone else has walked out to help. Quickly glancing over my shoulder, I see Blu and Clara, both shooting the undead around us. Finally, we are  making headway, I think just before one springs from the trees beside where I'm standing and grabs onto my leg, yanking me into the cover of the trees.

Struggling with the freshie, I break free and run from the tree line, the zombie on my tail. I see Logan take aim, the shot ringing in the air. Looking back, I see the freshie is down, writhing on the ground as if in pain. How is that possible? Bending over, I blow a hole through its head and the writhing stops immediately.

Arriving at my side Logan seems to have the same thought I did. "What the hell?"

"I don't know, but these things are getting scarier and scarier. It’s like they’re almost human." I say, running a hand through my ponytail. "Let's get out of here before more come." I tell everyone, as I walk into the house, my gun still cocked, ready to fire if needed.

Two hours later we are loaded up in the two vehicles and heading down the road. Clara sits beside me in the front seat, her arm thrown across the seat and her head drooping as she sleeps. It was rough on her leaving behind the two women who'd helped her survive for two years, but we’d buried them both in shallow graves behind the buildings, placing a few rocks over the graves so the zombies couldn't get to them. Glancing down at the gas gauge, I know we will have to stop soon for fuel. Slowing down, I watch for any signs of a car or truck.

We passed the “Welcome to California” sign three miles back and ever since our surroundings have been sparse; no buildings, no cars, not even a freshie anywhere in sight. Pulling over to the side of the road, I get out of the truck to stretch. My shoulder is achy, but feeling better than it did two days prior. I hear doors slamming behind me, but don’t turn around.

"We're going to need gas soon or we'll be walking!" I say to whomever had gotten out.

"Yeah, I know. What the hell is going on with all this emptiness?" Logan says at my ear.

"Where are we headed anyway?" Blu asks from the other side of the truck.

"I'm thinking up north. The mountains of Oregon, or Canada. Maybe even all the way up to Alaska. We need to find somewhere we can settle that will be safe." I end on a sigh.

Scanning the area for any signs of life, a tremble of fear racks through my body. Fear for what awaits us around the next corner, fear for all of these people that I now think of as family, fear that I can't keep us all alive. Wiping my brow I turn to Logan, needing just one moment of comfort. I will draw it from the one place I know I can find it. Burying my head deep into his chest, I sigh deeply. What I wouldn't give for just one hour, one day, alone with this man. This man who has given me strength when I so needed it. I am falling in love, but I keep asking myself over and over how something like this is possible when the world was falling to pieces around us.

"Shhhh, it's ok, I'm here." He whispers into my hair.

A little while later, the truck was eating up the miles again. The gas tank was getting dangerously low, but so far there wasn't a car or truck anywhere to be found. If we didn't find something soon, we would be walking. Eight people and a dog traveling the road with what supplies we could carry; it isn't a pretty picture.

"Mak! Stop, stop!" Tessa yells from the backseat.

"What is it, Tessa?" I demand, already at my wits end.

Pointing out the window she says, "There's a house and a couple cars." It is our first sign of anything since entering California.

Turning down the dirt path adjacent to the house, we come to a stop before it comes into view. Quietly closing the truck door, I meet up with everyone at the rear of the truck. "Blu and Lainey, stay here with the kids. Clara, Logan and I will head out to inspect the area." I say, tucking my Glock into the holster on my thigh.

"Why can't Clara and Lainey stay here? I'm not a fucking kid, Mak. I can help." Blu says, frustrated.

"I know you can help, but I will feel better if you look after Gage, Tessa, and Ricky." I say, looking him in the eyes.

"Fine, fine." He says as he turns, kicking at the dusty ground. "You will always see me as a kid, I'm a man. I've lived through more shit than most guys my age, but you know what, just whatever. I'm done trying to convince you otherwise." Blu says, stalking off.

Lainey takes off after him, "You know he's right, Makayla." She throws over her shoulder. I am just now realizing how close they have become. I know Lainey is a few years older than him, but in this world what is the difference?

Logan lays a hand on my shoulder and says, "He's right, Mak. You can't keep treating him like a kid. Hell, if you had your way we'd all sit out here while you risked your life for us. That’s not happening anymore. We're a family and families help each other. You're not alone any longer." His fingers start caressing down my back as he pulls me into his arms, my head barely reaches his shoulder. There is so much comfort within his arms and I just want to burrow myself in and stay there.

"I know he's right, but I can't stop myself from wanting to protect him. It’s ingrained into who I am." I say on a long sigh.

"I know and that's one of the things I love about you." Logan says, running his thumb over my bottom lip.

Stepping back away from him, I know now is not the time for me to freak out over his softly spoken words, but damn my brain froze and went on overload all at once.

"You, you love me?" I stutter out.

"I have for a while, but we've never been given a moment to ourselves to talk." He says in a whisper.

"Can we talk about this later? We need to search that house." I say, steering the conversation away from love and roses.

"Yeah, that's fine, but this isn't over, Makayla!" Logan says, equipping himself with his guns.

Walking under the shade of the trees, we keep an eye out for signs of movement, seeing none we move forward slowly. Behind the house stands a facility of some sort, but there isn't a sign to give us a clue as to what it was. That's when I notice the guard standing at the side door of the large metal structure. Pointing to my eyes then toward the building, I whisper, "Hmmm, wonder what's inside to need a guard." 

"Not sure, but it's worth a look." Clara says, glancing toward the guard.

"House or building first?" I ask.

"House." Both Logan and Clara say in unison.

The exterior of the house is a simple one story, white washed, wood frame and the steps leading up to the porch are old and weathered. They creak under my weight as I carefully make my way up them; my eyes cutting side to side, watching for any dangers. Reaching out I grab the knob and am thrown backwards as a current of electricity courses through my body. I look up just as Logan arrives at my side.

"Are you ok?" He asks, concern etched on his handsome face.

Grabbing my head, I shake myself mildly. "Damn, I guess so. I wasn't expecting that whatsoever." I say a little confused.

Standing on wobbly legs, I glance around to see if an alarm went off when I touched the door, but so far all is clear.

"Well I guess the house is out of the question." I say, brushing my pants off and stashing the idea of electricity to keep our future home safe in the back of my head.

We move toward the building out back. When sounds from the back alert us to incoming people, we run into the shadows as fast as we can move.

"I've never been so happy for the day to end."

"Me too, Daniel. It's been a long day. You did lock up, right?" Their conversation reaches our ears.

"Of course, Dr. Cilley."

"Well, we don't want any of our little experiments escaping, now do we?"

"Oh, hell no. I don't want to wake up to one of them eating my face." They move on to the house and I watch as they enter a code, cutting the electricity off.