Find Me (Life After the Outbreak, Book 2) (9 page)

Will stepped back and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. You two are scaring me." He motioned to Hadley. "Should she even be here?"
 

She smiled and sat down on the ground. Her head tilted up toward Will, and she patted the grass next to her for him to sit. He scrunched his eyebrows together and stared at her for a long moment before relenting and taking the seat. Janet and I joined them and tried to look casual to anyone who might be looking in our direction.

Janet looked at me as if to say ‘
Go ahead and tell him
’, but flashes of what I saw went through my mind, and I could no longer bring myself to say the words.
 

“Someone better say something.” Will’s last shred of patience was fading fast.

“Okay, fine.” Janet shook her head. “Andi decided she couldn’t follow the rules, a real shocker, and she was down on the north end of the compound, by the lab.”

“She went down by the lab. Okay, so what’s that, a crime punishable by death?” Will was clearly confused and becoming increasingly irritated.

Janet kicked Will’s boot. “Stop being an idiot. While she was down there, she saw something going on.”

The look of horror on that woman’s face hung in my mind. I blinked hard a few times to try to erase the scene, but it refused to leave me. “Her face …” I leaned my head against Will’s arm and let his scent fill my awareness. The smell of him always calmed me.

Will brought his arm around me and pulled me closer. “Janet …” Will’s eyes were desperate. He needed to know what happened.

“They had a flesh eater in a cage for some reason, and he attacked someone. Tore her apart while people watched. While Andi watched.” Janet’s eyes dropped, as if she felt guilty for something that was in no way in her control.

Will’s grip on me tightened. “Did they say why?”

“They didn’t see her, thankfully. I have no idea why something like that would be going on, but since we really have no idea, it’s best they don’t know there was a witness.”

Will shook his head. “Why would they just let it attack someone?”

“I don’t think they were letting it, they just didn’t stop it from happening. Like … it was an accident, but they didn’t stop it … or help her. She was just screaming … and they did nothing.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes.

Will tried to make sense of the story. "It just doesn't make sense. Why didn't they shoot the thing? And what was it doing in a cage to begin with?"

"Maybe they are using it for their experiments. There could be a perfectly logical explanation," Janet said.

I knew she didn't really believe that. "If that's the case, why did you insist I not say anything?"

Janet's eyes dropped down to her lap. "There's no way to know for sure. I want to believe there's nothing crazy going on down there, but in truth, we don't know that."

"Janet, you promised me this place was different. I trusted you when I brought Andi here, and now you're saying you don't know for sure what's going on down there?" Will closed his eyes and shook his head. "I should have known better."

"Will, stop it. We don't know there is anything going on. You don't need to jump to conclusions."

"You're right, Janet, but the fact that there is doubt should be enough. And, after the other stuff Andi told me …” Will scrubbed his hands over his face.

Janet narrowed her eyes at me then looked back to Will. "
What
other stuff Andi told you?"

“My friend at the infirmary says that they are covering up information … like how to survive a bite.”

Janet’s eyes opened wide. “What are you talking about? No one survives.”

“Jack did. He cut off his leg where it was bitten, and it stopped the virus from traveling. He says they know it can sometimes work, but they aren’t telling people.”

Janet narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure he wasn't making the whole thing up?"
 

They were so much alike sometimes it was scary. "Well he didn't hack off his leg for the hell of it."

Janet glared at me, still not developing an appreciation for my attitude.

I sighed. "I believed him, Janet. I don't see why he would make that up."

"I have to admit, when Andi first told me all this, I was skeptical," Will said.

"Skeptical." I snorted. He downright didn't believe a word I said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. But now, with caged zombies eating researchers and the strange behavior in the dining hall, it's all just seems like a little too much to be nothing."

We all sat in silence for a minute, soaking in everything, trying to decide what our next move should be.

"Look," Janet started. "I know all this sounds bad, but I'm inclined to believe that we are safe here. I don't know what's going on down there, but honestly, we don't have any proof it's anything we need to worry about."

Will dropped his head. "I want to believe that's true, too."

I knew if they had seen what I did, their attitude would be different. Still, they were right. It could have been very different from how it looked out of context.

"Why don't we just ask them what's going on down there?" Hadley asked.

"Because, Hadley," Janet said, irritated. "If something sketchy is going on, that could be very dangerous."

I slid closer to Will and took his hand. I just wanted to blink my eyes and be back in my basement with him. No military base. No creepy lab experiments. No worrying about disappearing for asking the wrong questions.

"Not if you ask the right way, silly." Hadley stood up and brushed the grass off her dress. She turned and skipped down the hill.

"Hadley!" Janet called after her, but she just waved and continued down the hill. "Stupid girl." Janet got up and ran after her, leaving Will and me alone.
 

He pulled me up into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. "We'll get this all worked out. I promise. We just gotta stay cool in the meantime. And whatever you do, stay away from the north end of the compound."

"Don't worry about that. I have no intention of going back down there, for sure."

“Promise me, Andi.”

“I promise.”

Will looked over me as if he was trying to make sure I meant the words. After a moment, his face softened and his body relaxed. He nuzzled his face into the back of my neck and tickled me with his nose.
 

"So, did you miss me the last few days? Or were you too busy kicking ass, uncovering secret military plots, and hanging with your new bestie Hadley? Oh, wait, I forgot about your new boyfriend, Jack."

I elbowed him in the chest and pushed him off my neck. "I do love those older men."

"That's true. You like me, and I'm practically old enough to be your father."

"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. I usually go for grandfather age, minimum."

Will flipped me over onto my back in the grass and positioned himself over me, resting his weight on one arm.

"So, any more fights? Rumors are getting around. They say you beat that chick bloody."

"Seriously? It was one punch, but she did end up in the infirmary, so I guess I did an okay job." I smiled, just a little bit proud of myself.

He leaned in and kissed my nose. " You're turning into a real badass, I see. It's kinda hot."

“Oh, is it now?" I reached up and nipped his lip with my teeth.

"Mmm. Oh, it most certainly is."

Feeling Will this close made all the worry and fear of the day melt away. Being with him was all I ever wanted in the first place, and it didn't matter if we were here or back at the basement. Being together was the only thing that mattered. At least, that's what I told myself at that moment.
 

Will dipped down and kissed my lips, slow and soft, as if we had all the time in the world. As if everything around us wasn't crumbling, falling apart. He made me almost believe my mother's words, that someday, I could have a normal life again. It was so hard to believe that the rest of the time, but there, lying under him, kissing him, it felt so close.

"You wanna take a walk?" Will tumbled over onto the grass next to me.

I snorted. "Yeah, because that worked out so well for me earlier."

"Hm, true. I think there's a movie showing over in rec. You wanna go see what it is?"

"I don't know. I'm kinda tired and after today, I think I just want a little quiet time." I rolled over to Will and snuggled into his chest.
 

The grass was cool, and I could smell the earth beneath us. We laid there and watched the last bits of orange fade from the sky as night took over. I could have stayed there all night under the stars, cuddled against Will, letting the horrors of the day fade away.
 

"Okay, then what
do
you want to do?" He ran his hand over my shoulder, down my arm, and twined his fingers with mine.
 

I knew what he wanted to do, but I also knew he was waiting for me to say I was ready. Sometimes I thought I was. When he kissed me, everything inside screamed for more. My body wanted to shout yes from the rooftops, but my mind kept getting in the way.
 

Will lifted my chin to look up at him. "You know I love you, right?"

My stomach did a back flip hearing the words. I wondered if that would ever stop, and I hoped it wouldn't.

"Oh, I suppose so."

"You suppose so?" He grabbed me by my hips and flipped me on top of him. "That's not exactly the response I was going for, you know."

I sat up on top of him and let my knees sink into the ground on either side of him for support. "And what kind of response are you going for, now?"
 

I was feeling brave in that very public place. If we had been alone in our room, I wouldn't have risked teasing him like that.

"I know exactly what kind of response you're going to get if you keep this up."

I batted my eyelashes and tried to look overly innocent. "If I keep … what … up?"

Just as Will opened his mouth to answer, Derek came up the hill and cleared his throat loudly.

"Break it up, you two. Will, Lieutenant Burke wants to see you ASAP."

I flipped off Will, and my stomach sank. That probably meant he was going to be sent out again. I wanted to grab onto his leg like a child and beg him not to go. I wasn't sure what was going on around the base, but something was wrong, and I didn't want to be there alone. And, I didn't want him out there alone either. Too much could go wrong. There were too many opportunities to lose him forever.
 

Derek jogged down the hill, and Will stood to go.

"I'm sorry, babe. You want to meet me back at the room?"

I pushed myself off the ground and stood in front of him. "No."

"No?"
 

"No. I don't want you to go. You just got back. They can send someone else."

"Andi, you don't even know that's what he wants, but if he does, you know I have to go."

"Why? You haven't officially signed up for this position. Why can't you say no?"

"Because if I do want to officially sign up, I can't be telling the lieutenant I refuse to follow orders. Baby, I know this is hard for you, but this is our best chance for a decent life."

"You still believe that? Even after everything that's happened. Even after what I saw today?"

He slid his hand up along the side of my face. "Yes. I do. I know what you saw was scary, but we have to be logical. I’m not suggesting we just let this go, but maybe we should trust Janet and get more information before we jump to conclusions. There could have been a perfectly good explanation."

He could have been right, and part of me wanted to believe he was. The rest of me just wanted to have a reason to leave that place, to go back to simpler things, when Will and I were together every day.
 

"I really don't want you to go."

"I know." He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip and frowned. "Meet me back at the room?"

I nodded because at that point, arguing wasn't going to get me anywhere.
 

"Good." He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss before running off.
 

I wandered back in the direction of our building and noticed there was a lot of military presence. Even though our community was in a military base, and they did run things, their presence was usually minimal, except around borders and on the north end of the compound where the lab was located. Down in the residential areas, they were mostly seen off duty with their families or letting off steam.
 

That night was different, though. Soldiers outnumbered civilians, and they were armed. There was an almost frenzied buzz on the streets as people jogged from one place to another, everyone in a hurry. It gave me an uneasy feeling. I thought about finding Janet to see if she knew anything, but I figured she was probably busy with whatever was going on. Instead, I headed back to my room to wait for Will and what I was sure would be bad news.
 

By the time Will returned, it was late and I had started to doze off. I didn't open my eyes until he was sliding into bed next to me.
 

"What happened?" I yawned and rubbed my eyes.
 

"You left the door unlocked. You really shouldn't be doing that."

"Sorry. Now, tell me what happened.” I pulled myself up and switched on the lamp on the side of the bed.

"I only have a couple hours. There's a swarm on its way in, and they need a bunch of us to go out. We knew it would reach us eventually, we just didn't think so soon."

"What do you mean a swarm?" I was confused.

"Like a massive horde. On its way in from the city. We don't want it to get too close."

I imagined a few small groups of soldiers trying to fight off hundreds of flesh eaters. My stomach tightened up, and I wanted to puke. "You can't go."

"Andi, I have to. Everyone's safety depends on it. They are calling out everyone they can part with while still keeping the base covered. I don't have a choice."

"You have a choice. We can leave, right now. Just pack up and go." My heart started to race, and my fingers grew tingly and numb.