Falling Apart (Barely Alive #2) (10 page)

A gunshot sounded behind us, tinging off metal.

James and I froze. Another shot rang out followed by a scream only Brian could make.

“Go!” We turned and sprinted the few feet to the shoulder.

Brian hung half out of the SUV, arm raised with his gun pointed at the car Heather was in. The little bastard hadn’t waited until we’d been gone for longer than a few seconds and he was trying to kill her. Shit. He shot with his eyes closed. Holy hell.

I motioned to James. “Stop him. He’s going to hit Heather.”

James rushed the vehicle and shoved Brian inside, yelling words I hadn’t heard from his mouth since Dad had left. I rounded the car, checking for holes or damage. And sure enough, dumbass had shot out two tires.
What the hell!
I motioned James to drive forward and pulled out the keys from my pocket. I unlocked the front door and yanked open the panel. “Heather, we need to go. The tires are flat. We can ride with them.” She looked over at me, her eyes wide and her hands shaking.

I glanced up and jumped at the sight of the figure suddenly standing at her door. His smile reminded me of the men I’d watched in Deliverance – gaping with more gums than white squares. But the teeth he had were dark-edged and had traces of blood dripping from them. And he had that crazy-eyed look I’d seen on more than one of my kind.

He watched me, his hand on her door. I had my door open. I didn’t need to chase anything. I held his gaze. James revved his engine and pulled the SUV up behind me. The newer zombie clamored at Heather’s window, he wanted her and he would do anything to get her.

Grunts and moans accentuated each yank and pull on the handle. I reached my hand out to Heather under the top of the car, out of the man’s eyesight. She grabbed it and I wrenched with everything I had. She slid across the seat and into my arms.

A gunshot reverberated through the trees. Dead center, a hole formed in the zombie’s forehead. He stopped trying to get in and pressed his fingertips to his forehead, shock clearing the hunger from his face.

I shoved Heather into the SUV rear seat and followed her, but watched the zombie to see how the shot affected him.

Hardly.

He rushed around the rear of the car. But the animal was too late.

James sped off, gravel peppering the scene behind us. “Holy crap, Paul. Did you see that? Even a bullet hole to his head didn’t stop him.”

“I told you, only fire. That’s the way you shoot, Brian. Good shot, James.” I slammed my seat belt on and glared at the back of the idiot’s head. “I could’ve sworn you said it was too cold for them up here. Now we’ve seen some here and in Moscow.” It didn’t bode well that they were closer to Sandpoint. At least, our two humans were vaccinated – they couldn’t change, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be eaten.

Brian shrugged, visibly shaken from the incident. “I don’t know. That’s what Dominic said.”

“It’s warmer in this region. There’s a warm tunnel that spreads through here. It keeps it kind of warm in the winter and extremely hot in the summers. There’s virtually no spring because of the heat.” Heather bit on her finger. “Haven’t you noticed how you’re not as cold as you were when we came up?”

True, and it was a different time of day, too. The sun had just barely set and heat lingered. When we’d driven up, it’d been later in the evening, closer to morning and the temperatures had had a chance to cool down. Nothing like Las Vegas, that’s for sure.

But the mention of cold spurred on my nerves, because I suddenly had the chills. I avoided looking at my hands. How far up would the gray go? Every minute sapped another gram of energy, of life.

James spoke up, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “Where am I going, Paul?”

I leaned forward and pushed my hands over my eyes. Shit. I had no way to send James back to Sandpoint. And I couldn’t talk Heather out of her decision to chase after some woman. They were stuck with me. “I think we need to turn around. Go back to Sandpoint.”

Brian turned in his seat. He gripped the leather headrest, but Heather cut off whatever he was about to say with a yell, “No. You promised you’d help.”

But was it worth it? She couldn’t get down there now without me. Brian no longer had a way down and I couldn’t just take James. But one glance at her face and I was in. She’d set her jaw and clenched her small fists. A vision of when she’d threatened me with the knife at the compound overlaid her image in the car.

She’d never forgive me. I didn’t care what the woman meant to Heather, Brian’s mother was climbing up my shit-list. Would Heather listen to any plan I came up with? I doubted it. But we needed one. Dominic was a scary son-of-a-bitch and I hated crossing him. I dragged my fingers down my face. “Stop. We need to figure out a plan. I can’t go into Boise now, not with you two in the car. I wish I did have an army. A protected army that couldn’t get bit or didn’t care.”

“I don’t care about a stupid army. He’s going to hurt my mom.” Brian faced forward, pointing out the window. “Let me out. I’ll get there on my own. You don’t have to go with me. Heather, I need you though.”
Weasel. Wow.

Rather than strangle him, I ground my teeth together. “Shut up. Let me think.” Travis had a vaccine. No cure, but a vaccine. A vaccine he could mass produce? What I needed was information. I tapped dumbass on the back of the head. “Tell me everything. And I mean everything, or I swear I’ll leave you here all by yourself, with your bloody hand the perfect bait for the other ones. I don’t need you to save your mom.”

I leaned forward, my mouth close to the back of the car seat. “I swear, I have no problem with doing that. Do you understand? Heather won’t be able to save you.”

Oh, how James had handled Brian to this point was beyond me. He started speaking, his voice quivery and whiney. “Dominic said he doesn’t care about the measly northwest. There aren’t that many people up here. He’s headed to the east coast. Once he conquers that part of the States, the rest will fall by sheer numbers alone. Then Mexico. There’s enough people down there, he can add so many to his army, he’ll be undefeatable against Europe. And something about China.” He whimpered. “And something about there’s enough women to feed the men he’d need. He’s only taking young men and older teens… and… and…”

“And what?” Jeesh.

“He said something about getting you to come, too, and he wouldn’t change me.” He covered his face with his hands. “I swear, that’s all. That’s all he said.” Muffled words that meant little.

Dominic wanted the nation, just like I’d thought. He’d talked about taking over since the beginning, at least as early as I was with him. I didn’t reply to Brian. Disgust with him might make me eat him. I was that close to losing it.

To Heather, I held out my hand and spoke in a nicer tone. “Can I have the phone, please?” To her credit, she didn’t question me, just handed it over.

The tension in the car drained more of my energy. My arms would be completely covered with sleeves of gray, if I didn’t eat something soon. I couldn’t focus and Brian’s injury smelled heavenly. Before I called Travis, I needed something in my stomach. Pronto. “When you find another shoulder, pull over and we’ll take turns going for something to eat.”

James spluttered, “Did you see that thing? I’m not going out with those running around. He wasn’t all there, man.”

“What the hell. You’re one of them. They’re not going to eat you. You don’t smell like food to them.” I sighed. “James, you need to eat. If I don’t eat soon, I’m going to eat Brian.”

Brian choked on a reply. What was he going to say? Try it?
I would love to, thank you.

Heather patted James’s shoulder. “We can do it, James. We’ll watch out for you.” At least she wasn’t still freaking out. Or maybe that had been Brian. I didn’t care. I needed food.
Now.

James pulled to the shoulder. I climbed out of the still moving vehicle and jumped to the forest floor feet from the vehicle. I sniffed the air. Birds chirped and other noises greeted me. I’d find that deer I smelled. Drool filled my mouth.
Hell yeah. I was about to eat.

We’d been in that damn car longer than we could handle. I squeezed my hands together in my lap. Heather hadn’t spoken since James got back from eating. Brian asked if we were there yet, about ninety times every hour and James and I ground our teeth in sync, hearing everything in the vehicle down to the smallest whir from the belts under the hood.

The phone rang. Both phones had been tucked into the center console in a drink holder. We stared at them. One was Brian’s and the other was mine. Which one rang?

Brian whispered, “It’s mine. Should I answer?”

James picked up the ringing phone and handed it to Brian. “Don’t miss his call.”

In the mirror, Brian’s eyes widened and his face paled. I got it. He had no idea what the hell to say or do. I’d done that to him. Dominic had done that to him. “Just breathe, Brian. Answer the phone and tell him you have me and Heather and that you’ll be there in less than an hour. Do not mention James.”

Brian licked his lips and flipped open the phone. “Hello?” He swallowed. “Yes, Dominic, I’m about an hour from Boise. Well, it took me a little bit. I understand the agreement was for two hours ago – no, wait – stop! I have Heather and Paul. Yes.” He choked on a sob. “I promise. They’re right here. Okay, hold on.” He passed me the phone, tears streaming down his face and his breath coming in hitches.

I grabbed the phone.
Dominic… ugh
. “Yep. What do you want, Dominic?”

“So, Paully. Did you capture Brian or did he capture you?” Subtlety wasn’t his forte.

“What do you think?” I had to be an ass back. Of course I did. Plus, what did he suspect? How much could he be aware of?

“I think there’s no way you’d allow James near me, so if you’re coming down and James isn’t with you, then you’d have to be under Brian’s control.” He had to think about it. Figure it out. “What’d he do? Threaten you with the girl?”

“Here’s the thing, Brian has Heather at gun point. I’ve agreed to go into Boise, but I don’t owe anything after that.” I wanted to scream at him. I hated him. And everything he’d taken from me and my family. And now the nation.

“Good for you, kid. Tell you what. Come into town with Brian and the girl and I won’t hurt any of you.” Dominic didn’t raise his voice or add extra drama. I caught the underlying words he’d kept to himself. He meant the non-voiced threat and I understood.

“Got it. Tell Brian where we’re going. This is getting old and I’d like to be done.” I gripped my upper thigh as tight as I could. He was the same as me. I couldn’t kill him unless… wait. I totally could kill him. But he’d have to let me get close enough to try. And there was no way he trusted me like that anymore.

Could I get his trust back?

I passed the phone to Brian.

He nodded and repeated directions back to Dominic. He’d better remember how to get wherever the hell we were going. I wasn’t talking to Dominic again. Not until we were face-to-face, and even then, I couldn’t guarantee I would hold it together.

Brian clicked off. “Okay. We’re going to the YMCA in northern Boise. The directions are fairly straight-forward.”

I motioned to James. “We need to pull over and switch seats. If this is going to work, we need to start out convincing him we’re following his rules. And he doesn’t know you’re with us. Yet.”

James pulled to the right of the dead highway. The quarantine had gone into effect hours ago and it spread as far north as we’d been. Spokane and Coeur d’Alene may or may not be affected, but a lot of Idaho was, judging by the empty roads and lightless towns.

“Brian, you’re going to switch with me and sit beside Heather. I’ll sit by James. Brian, train your gun on Heather when we get close in case Dominic wants to check the situation.” I grabbed his shoulder, my fingers biting with meaning. “And if you hurt her, or do anything that will put her in danger, you’ll be like me in less than a second.”

He didn’t need to nod. I know he got my meaning. Everyone got my meaning. I hoped Heather didn’t think I was a pussy for crushing on her, but things were closing down to where there might not be another chance to tell her. Brian climbed from the SUV and judging by the whir of his zipper, he’d be a minute.

I turned to Heather, over-flowing with my need to tell her, make her understand. She’d moved close to my side. She placed her hand over mine and leaned into me. The left half of my body ached with her touch. I breathed her in and raised my free hand to her cheek, grazing my thumb on her silky skin from her cheekbone to her jaw line. “I’m sorry. I wish you would’ve let me handle this. You can’t get hurt. You can’t.”

She pressed her fingertip to my lips, the tingle instantaneous and jarring, zinging to places I was glad to discover weren’t dead. Her large eyes softened. “Don’t worry.”

I kissed her finger and then nudged it to the side of my face. I leaned in, her breath hot on my chin. Our lips met, this time, more hunger, more need, but I stopped it before our mouths could open. I couldn’t take the chance. Not with her. She meant more to me than my damn sick need to consume her. I pulled back. “I’ll get you out. I promise.”

She nodded, clasping my hand until I slid from the seat, the distance between us forcing the release. Cold spread across my skin. We’d be there in an hour and I had to get Heather to safety which meant back to her grandma and my mom. James, too.