Midnight Outbreak (15 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

Spring brought the new changes that Josh had warned the group about. The army packed up and left, taking Sarai and Joan with them. Sarai’s farewell was bittersweet. They all knew that she would do great wherever she was going, but they were sad to see her leave. She had been a fixture at the compound. Her grace and beautiful smile helped them all individually while they recovered from whatever wounds they had endured.

Sarai had promised it wouldn’t be a goodbye. Just a
so long, see you soon
. Nobody could keep promises in this day and age. She had Joan cut her hair a little shorter, insisting that long hair just got in the way when it was time to save a life or fix a wound. Her goodbye message was short and sweet, her voice giving out on her and tears overwhelming her before she turned and left. 

Joan had left with a bag packed with the belongings she had brought with her at the very beginning. That included a framed photo of her and her late husband, a photo of her kids and her wedding ring with a book Uncle John and his wife had given to her when she got married. Mari gave her a bracelet constructed of tightly woven twigs and vines and she slipped it on with tears running down her face.

She gave each person a hug and a kiss, even newcomers Simon and Lisa. Then, before she left the house, she spoke with tears still running down her face and a voice wobbly with emotion. “Each one of you is special. A survivor, most of all. Don’t ever forget that. You are here for a purpose and you were brought into my life for a beautiful reason. To keep me living. When this all happened and I lost contact with my children, I wanted to give up. It was Uncle John and my dear friend Peter that told me to come out, to save myself, because I was needed. He was right. I will be praying for each of you just like I’ve always done. I love you all.”

Then she left. Josh prayed that she would find her kids and that she wouldn’t experience any more heartache than she already did.

***

That night, Josh finally consummated his relationship with Makayla. Without a word, he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her up the stairs. They went into his room and closed the door, lighting a candle on the nightstand. Most everyone was still awake, but that didn’t matter. He sat on the bed and pulled her on top of him, straddling his legs. Their faces were inches apart.

“I want you to know that I slept with a few women while I was away.”

Makayla nodded curtly. “Okay?”

“I slept with them and it had been the first time since my wife died.”

She frowned and reached her hand to cup his face. “It’s okay. We weren’t together. We still aren’t. You don’t have to explain anything to me, darlin’.”

“But I want to. And I do want to be together. I’m one fucked-up man and I’ve never wanted to start something because I can’t handle losing. I was lost when Myra died; she haunted me. I still miss her; I feel guilty as hell for not thinking about her every day like I used to. But I don’t want that to get in the way of me and you. I want there to be an us
,
and I think we should try.”

Makayla smiled. “I think there should be an us, too. I’d like that very much.”

Without another word, she bent her head down and kissed him. It was different from when he was with Lacy. It wasn’t so much squashing a need that had risen, but instead finding himself again, loving another woman’s body. He took his time undressing her, kissing all the rises and falls of her skin and body. She was beautiful in every way and finally he laid her down underneath him and entered her.

She grabbed tufts of his hair and bit his shoulder, while he thrust into her harder and harder. Finally, they both came in muffled screams. He collapsed to the side of her, his body slick with sweat.

“Shit,” she whispered.

He smiled over at her. “Ditto.”

They cleaned up and went to bed for the first time since they had met, cuddling together on the full size bed. Her naked body pressed up against him was a foreign feeling, but one that he reveled in. He took her one more time before they finally fell asleep, naked and feeling satisfied.

Josh felt a weight completely lifted from him. This time he felt whole. Maybe he could let himself fall in love with her. She was a fighter, a survivor like him. He wanted her to be with him.

***

Spring turned into summer, the season everyone hated in east Texas. The air was muggy and as soon as you stepped outside your body was doused with layers of sweat.

Inside the house wasn’t any better, and the doors were left open, as were the windows, to let whatever heat out of the house. It was miserable, but Josh found himself in the best mood all season long. Mari donned short summer dresses and West was often found without a shirt on while they went on throughout the day. Since summer meant longer days and shorter nights, the vampires weren’t seen as much. And when they were awake, they were busy making plans for leaving the compound.

A message over the CB had confirmed that there were no more reported zombies in the countries of the United States and Canada. With that, the vampires decided it was time to take a break and leave the humans.

It was a bittersweet farewell. Josh had never liked the idea of supernatural things being true, but he couldn’t hide the fact that these particular vampires had become their family. Even Will, for the first time since they had been together, shook hands with each vampire and wished them well.

“We will keep in touch. I promise,” Lexi said as she, Miguel, Sienna, and Lukas waved goodbye before flying up into the air. Mari wasn’t as heartbroken as everyone thought she would be. She held on to the hope that she would see her vampire family again and they would be a consistent part of her life. For Mari’s benefit, Josh hoped she was right.

Things with Makayla had blossomed, and did so even more after Will and Van decided to get married. Brendan officiated the small ceremony, and Mari and West acted as flower girl and ring bearer. Seeing Will so happy, carefree, and in love gave Josh hope.

He would never admit it, for fear of being called some sort of crude expletive from his best friend, but Will gave him hope in the future.

Will had told him that Van was pregnant. The very early stages, but they had conceived a child in the zombie plague. Josh knew it would be hard, but he vowed silently to himself and then out loud to his best friend to help them however he could. Will would make a terrific father, a strong protector always, in any type of danger.

Simon and Lisa proved to be quite the help with their background in living off the land. Simon had knowledge of countless techniques that had helped him and Lisa survive all those years in the wild. Since Joan was gone, Lisa took it upon herself to teach the children and continue them with their studies. “You never know, y’all may have the chance to go to a real school one day,” she was fond of saying. She was a hopeful person, very positive and always looking on the sunny side of things.

Brendan had changed his sleeping schedule so he could spend more time with Luna. Nobody chided him with the fact that he had fallen in love with a vampire. Some things were just meant to be. He worried Luna would get bored or lonely without the other vampires to keep her company. She was an outsider, a loner, and she and Brendan suited each other perfectly.

Luna and Mari grew closer, too. Luna had always held back, she explained, because of her respect for Lexi and Mari’s bond. She never wanted to overstep and upset those boundaries. But now that Lexi was gone, Luna wanted to be there for Mari. So Brendan let Mari stay up as late as possible, changing her sleeping habits slightly. Kids were wired different, though. They could stay up all night and still be ready to go in the mornings. Or at least, that was the case with Mari.

Each day brought a little more freedom to the kids, without the worries of dead heads around. Though Brendan, ever the conspiracy theorist, always said nobody could trust what the government said one hundred percent.

The children went to the nearby creek to swim and fish. Brendan took them both on hunting trips without the fear of zombies lurking around.

They never heard from Joan. They all wanted to believe that she had found her son and daughter. Thinking anything else would be heartbreaking.

Will kept in contact with Lexi. She had resumed her father’s job, as did Will, and they kept in contact about where nasty hives of vampires were. Will returned to the vampire-killing business with Lexi’s blessing. She was concerned with the numbers of vampires growing because of the news of the ending of the plague. So he did what he did best, and started killing.

He would disappear after having a conversation with Lexi and come back reenergized, his katana used once again for what it was made for. Van worried about him and wanted to come help, but she couldn’t, not while she was pregnant. He promised to take her under his wing and teach her the ropes just like he had done with Josh so long ago.

Without the fear of zombies, life was freer. Josh had learned long ago not to give in to those feelings all the way. The future was still uncertain. Even though that was true, he decided to live life to the fullest.

Epilogue

One Year Later

Things were starting to change. The grid was turned back on and they had running water and electricity for the first time. They got one news channel up in Dallas and even though it was fuzzy and gray, they were still able to watch it. It reported once a day. Every day at noon. They would gather to listen to the hour long show. From Canada to the southern tip of Texas, towns were being re-built.

The co-op army had disbanded and the United States made its own army. They tallied the total survivors. The numbers weren’t very high, but there were survivors across the land. And that made them hopeful. Each survivor was given a stipend to help rebuild and restart. A few months later, the survivors at Uncle John’s compound were paid a visit. The stipend wasn’t money, because nobody had any access to money and it was basically useless.

No, the stipend was food, clothes, and weapons. That was more useful and needed than any money.

The news station also reported that the government would rebuild. The President was back in DC, in a newly rebuilt White House. He finally appeared on TV one day, dressed to the nines and inside the new office.

“We will overcome this situation. Whatever happens from now on, we will be a stronger nation, a strong people united because we have all persevered—”

Brendan snorted. He was sitting on the end of the couch. Mari was tucked underneath his arm. Josh knew he was about to hear some ranting, and prepared himself.

“Yeah,
we
all persevered without you, ya dickhead. You ran like a pansy to another country,” Brendan called out loud.

Will snorted. “We should impeach him. Surely all the idiots who voted for him were turned.”

Van rocked the infant in her arms. “Maybe this little girl will be the next president,” she remarked wistfully.

“Of course she’ll be the next president. ‘Cause she won’t be an asswipe,” Will retorted. Van slapped him playfully, then announced she was going to take a nap and put the baby down. Will excused himself and joined her.

After the news program, with more of the president droning on and on about recovery and rebuilding the nation, Josh turned the TV off. He lightly chided everyone to get back to their jobs, whoever had to work that day. Simon and Brendan took off to go do their monthly checks of the trucks while Lisa took the children to do their lessons for the day.

Makayla went into the kitchen for lunch clean-up after giving Josh a kiss and grabbing his ass. Things were heating up between them and he felt soon they would be ready to have a little one. West had even started calling him Dad, something that made Josh experience an indescribable feeling.

Josh returned to his study. He still called it Uncle John’s office because to him it always would be. He stood for a long time at the window that overlooked the backyard. He immediately saw three wooden crosses out by the old oak tree. Two belonged to Uncle John and Peter. The other one was for Nathan. Memories from the last seven-plus years flooded his mind, as they often did when he was in Uncle John’s office. Finally, he sat down and got to work. Life at the compound never stopped, but sometimes you had to take a moment and pay respects to what had come before.

Hours later, he heard a knock at the door. Exhausted, and with a headache he glanced up. Lexi stood against the door frame with a smile on her face.

“Hey, stranger.”

Josh smiled. She looked better than she had when she left. The plague and constant worry about death had worn them all out, even the vampires. Now, she was vibrant, her hair fuller and her skin more glowing.

“Hey, yourself. Come in. Come in.” He motioned for her and she stepped in and took a seat in the recliner that had been Uncle John’s favorite. She wore leggings and a T-shirt, her blonde hair up in a messy ponytail, making her look every bit of her seventeen-year-old self.

“Have you seen Mari yet?”

“No, not yet, but I’m excited to. It’s been a little bit.”

“Well, yeah, longer than any of us are used to. It’s good to see you. How are Sienna, Miguel, and Lukas?”

“Oh they’re all doing well. We all took a trip to Brazil and we’ve been there. Miguel’s family survived, of course. They’ve been staying at their house.”

Josh nodded. “I’ve heard you and Will have taken your fathers’ old positions.”

She nodded with a grin. “Yup. He’s a good man. I gave him my blessing. He’s needed. We plan on staying in South America for a while. He’s got to be my eyes and ears around here. You know, keep everyone in control.”

They were silent for a while. Lexi got up and looked out the same window Josh had been at hours before. “I think about him a lot. More so than any human I’ve ever met. Well, except Mari, of course.”

Josh stood next to her. She was talking about Uncle John.

“He reminded me of my father,” she went on. “A natural-born leader, but with a heart of gold. Both smart asses and set in their ways, but with open minds as big as the sky.” She dropped her head for a moment and sniffed. “I miss them both so much.”

She turned her body towards him and reached her hand out to his shoulder.

“I just want you to know that I am so thankful for you. You were always open-minded about us. And you helped us so much more than we helped you. When all this started, I had no idea that this is how we would end up. Miguel and I had determined our fate to be with the rest of the human race. We were doomed, we thought. Then you and Will,” she paused and shook her head. “You two were our saving grace. We survived. Thank you.”

For the first time in all the years he had known her, Josh wrapped his arms around Lexi’s small frame and pulled her in for a hug. She was cold, and it was weird at first, but she smelled of vanilla like Myra, and his body relaxed.

“Thank you, Lexi, for all that you did. You’re a great leader, and I’m glad we found each other,” he murmured.

They released each other and she walked to the door. “I’m going to go find my favorite girl. I’ve missed her.”

Josh smiled and waved a hand. “Come say bye before you leave.”

“Will do.”

Minutes later, he heard Mari’s excited squeals and laughed to himself. He sat down at the desk and a piece of paper caught his eye. It was in Uncle John’s familiar writing, a paper torn from a notebook. It was a letter to him that he had never seen before, dated a week before he had passed. He began reading it.

Dear Josh,

Never in my life would I have imagined that the end was near. But it is, and there is not a damn thing I can do about it. But I have lived a good life. An ordinary life. Not a celebrity or any of that mess, but my life was still important.

So have you. You saved my nephew and great-niece, and your friend. You opened the doors to change when you invited the vampires with you.

I know that once I’m gone and whatever happens in the world that you’ll take care of my place. Of the compound. I have faith in you. And I’m proud of you. You’re an ass-kicker, just like me.

Uncle John

Josh folded up the note and took out the whiskey and shot glass he kept in the cabinet next to the desk. He filled his shot glass and went to the window once again.

He raised it up and whispered aloud, “Damn right, Uncle John. Damn right.”

The End