Mostly Dead (Barely Alive #3) (10 page)

The doors
behind us slid open and the woman from the reception desk stopped us. “Hey, if you still want to get the vaccine, someone just delivered a large supply in Spokane. You have to go to Sacred Heart downtown, but you won’t have the lines like they do in Sandpoint. At least for a little bit.” She wiggled her fingers and returned to her desk.

Nobody had the vaccine but Connie and Travis. Nobody even knew what the hell the world was dealing with besides us and… Dominic.

Hell, it
had
been him the girl had seen in town. How had he gotten ahead of us so fast? How had he delivered a “vaccine”? I didn’t want to cause more alarm in an already dramatic situation – I felt like I lived on a stupid soap opera or something – but… “You both realize he didn’t deliver a vaccine, right?”

Heather’s eyes trained on me.

James didn’t respond. He lowered his head and ran his hands through his hair. “How the hell are we supposed to accomplish anything? He’s one step ahead of us no matter which way we go.” He kicked a large black garbage can by the hospital entrance.

Arms out by my sides, I looked up into the sky. I didn’t know what to do. The helplessness of the situation ate at me.
Hungry, I was so hungry. In no time it would be a race for anything that moved, breathed. Almost as an afterthought, I muttered to my companions, “What happens when there isn’t any more food? No animals, no humans, only a few zombies left? What then?”

I dropped my arms and lowered my gaze to Heather, then slowly focused on James. They had no answer. And why would they? I barely understood my question. We stood on the brink of something severe and we were the only ones who might be able to stop it.

And that was a fairly large might.

The line into Sandpoint stretched for miles. The Silverwood parking lot seemed to be the gathering place to wait for the line to move forward. Cars
, trucks, and even some buses waited on the highway. James, Heather, and I snaked between vehicles and rode the trails on the sides of the road. A few people we passed flipped us the finger or called out words even I don’t say.

Wish
ed I could stop and point out that they don’t want to piss off a zombie before they get vaccinated, but time was slim, and really? Were they worth it?

My nerves had
had enough of the vibrations of the bike. Carpal tunnel symptoms tightened my fingers and ached in my wrists. Hunger had spread and created a throbbing behind my eyes. Dominic wouldn’t have had time to recreate more of the virus. He’d have to bite people, or inject his saliva into them. I had a pretty good idea it was the latter, but I wouldn’t put the former past him.

We reached the long ass bridge. Maybe I would suggest they rename the entire thing after I died, if anyone survived the upcoming war.

Most likely it would be a massacre and Heather would be one of the first to be eaten. I laughed out loud at the sick thought. But in a way, I liked the idea of Heather dying with me.

I didn’t want to go alone.

The smoke thickened the closer we got to town. I half-expected the buildings to be on fire, but we made it on Main Street all the way to where the road split without seeing a single fire.

Judging by Heather’s tenuous grasp on my shir
t, she was still pissed at me.

Whatever.

Driving
Grandma Jean’s driveway sucked in a vehicle, but the ups and downs on a dirt bike – a bike built for exactly that sort of terrain – were euphoric. I wished I had time left to truly enjoy the awesome machines. They’d been designed to perform on trails and track. I’d give an hour of my remaining life to test out both without fear of danger or other responsibilities pulling at me.

The
house waited on the slight rise from the drive. Heather bounded off the seat behind me and rushed up the stairs.

While it’d been only a day or so since we left, the time felt like a year had passed. My mom met Heather in the doorway. Mom sh
ook her head. Over the distance, I could just make out what she said. “I’m sorry, honey, they went in to town. They’re at the hospital. It’s just me here.” Heather’s shoulders sagged.

James cut the engine and left his bike by the stairs.

As much as I loved the bike, I was ready to get off of it. The constant vibrations grew tiresome, especially with my oversensitive nerves. Nobody had left their car for us – didn’t they know a couple of zombies would be by and needed a ride?

James motioned me to come with him. I shook my head and pointed at Heather. He walked closer to me. “
Look, I get that you’re thinking about going back to town. But do you think we should be separated right now?”

“How do you mean?” I watched Heather and didn’t fully focus on my brother.

“I mean, we can keep each other on the right path. It’s harder to give in to temptation when you’re here, you know?” He kicked his toe at the dirt, a small puff of dust rolled toward the bike. Whether he offered me help or asked for it, I couldn’t be sure, but as hunger crept upon us being alone sounded worse and worse.

“Yeah, I see what you mean.”
I wasn’t going to ask Heather to walk to town. She moved to the top of the stairs.

My mom gasped and Heather turned to face her. The missing chunk of hair in the stark light of day did have a startling effect.
Mom reached around and fingered the sheared area. Heather’s head moved. Mom pulled her into a hug and rocked her back and forth. I looked away. It seemed like a private moment I’ve also had with Mom a time or two.

Acting like I hadn’t witnessed Heather’s vulnerability, I tried ignor
ing my mom pulling Heather’s hair back into a ponytail and securing it with a tie she kept on her wrist. James avoided the scene as well. I pointed to his bike. “I’m going to see if Heather wants me to take her in to see her grandmother. Did you want to come with us? So we’re not separated and all.”

“If we go there, then who will set up the defenses here? It doesn’t look like they’ve gotten much done.” James swiveled around in a full circle.

The lack of ditches and piles of wood hadn’t gone unnoticed on my end, but Heather and my mom had taken precedence. “I’m not sure what they’ve gotten done. We could ask before heading out. Dominic is in Spokane —”

“
As far as we know.” James faced me again.

“True.
If he’s in Spokane, we should have some time before an attack, we can wrap it up here, don’t you think?” I crossed my arms, balancing the bike between my legs and rocking with the motion. “We could get Heather in to see her grandma, check on the numbers of who’s been vaccinated and who hasn’t and maybe recruit some people to help out when Dominic comes?” Thinking on the fly. I had no idea what the hell to do to be honest.

James didn’t say anything. We both turned as Mom and Heather separated. I waved at Heather. “Do you want to go to town? We can take you there.”

The ponytail rested on her crown and highlighted her cheekbones and full lips.

“Did you want to eat her here or wait until you get somewhere more private?” James pushed on my arm. I blinked. Had I been staring or something?
Had drool dripped down my chin?

My eyes downcast, I
hoped he didn’t feel the desire I had to kick his ass was almost equal to the desire I had to taking Heather right there. Things might be kind of awkward, if he confused the two.

Heather waved to my mom and jogged down the steps. Some of the anger had melted from her eyes. “You’d take me to see Grandma Jean?”

Hadn’t I proven already I’d do anything for her? Apparently not.
Ugh.
I nodded. “Yeah, and hopefully by the time we get to town, you won’t still be mad at me.” I wiggled my eyebrows in a suggestive move.

She laughed, but didn’t say yes or no. Hell, I didn’t care. She was smil
ing and looking at me. An even better way to spend my time than on a dirt bike.

Meeting her gaze,
I tried ignoring the sick feeling as it flowed over me. Only a handful of moments like that were left. If I could grab her and run as far and as fast as I could into the mountains, escape the virus and its implications, I would. Just me and her. I reached up and traced the curve of her cheek with my finger. The smile faded from her mouth. Sadness filled her eyes and I know mine matched with mirrored perfection.

Heather reached out and clutched my hand in hers. She broke eye contact and released my hand. I wanted to kiss her. Almost had.

On the bike, I waited for her to join me. Gray on my hands had spread up to the middle of my forearms. The cold was almost unbearable, but the bike thrummed beneath me and provided some warmth. I clenched my teeth to hide the chatter. Her body heat carried through my t-shirt when she pressed against me.

Yeah, we were back to the body contact.
Maybe she wasn’t as mad as she wanted to be.

Mid-afternoon sunlight shafted across the grassy park just outside the hospital. People abandoned their cars and trekked into the onsite clinic for their vaccine. Multiple dirt bikes, scooters, and motorcycles lined the sidewalks and grass. The riders were the lucky ones. Most likely they’d ridden between the traffic-jammed cars like we had.

We left our
ATVs amongst the mixed up line of bikes. Heather may not have wanted to, but I took her hand in mine, anyway. “Do you know where we’re going?”

She didn’t pull away. “Yeah, in by the pathology department there’s a clinic for giving shots and triage.
Grandma Jean usually works there.” Heather tugged me through a single glass door and down a narrow hallway.

Around one c
orner and then another, a muttering sound grew louder with each step.

We took a final turn and faced a line of packed pe
ople murmuring in hushed tones. The line spanned down the hall and out the doors. I pulled from Heather and tucked my hands in my pockets. The graying would be noticeable on my hands and wrists, hopefully not my forearms for a little bit longer.

Heather opened a side door two down from where the line entered.
Sharp looks from the people stabbed at us until we disappeared and closed the door.

A harried Grandma Jean bustled between Connie and Travis as they loaded vials with solution and placed them on a tray. Once the tray filled up, Grandma Jean piled new
packaged syringes into her white lab coat’s pockets and disappeared around the counter. I don’t know if I was excited to see them or irritated there was no cure.

Upbeat, she welcomed people behind a large blue curtain. “Here for your vaccine, huh? Where are you from?” Answering mumbles didn’t quite reach us.

I tapped Travis on the shoulder. “Hey, guys. We’re back.”

Connie and Travis turned, relief in the arch of their eyebrows and smiles.
Travis spoke first. “I sensed you were here, but we’ve been so busy.” Of course, the whole mind connection thing. Couldn’t even surprise my own zombies. Lame.

“You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make this vaccine.” Connie didn’t hold back, her excitement evident in her flushed cheeks and
speedy dialogue. She demonstrated while she spoke. “We centrifuge the saliva,” she ducked her head, “not yours anymore, we ran out. And then we pull out the heavier virus-ridden enzymes and float them in a calcium-protein solution made of dried egg whites mixed in saline.”

Eyes glazed, I swallowed
the scent of nearby people flooding my nose and mouth. The hunger came on in short powerful blasts that almost knocked me on my butt. Silence alerted me that I was supposed to respond… or something. I straightened and looked between Travis and Connie. Everyone watched me, Heather and James included. I closed my mouth.
Great, hadn’t been aware it’d fallen open.

A syringe sat on
the counter beside Connie. I cleared my throat. “You’re injecting the vaccine into people? And it’s working?”

Connie pushed her lips together
and watched me. Travis looked at his wife and then answered. “As far as we know. Jean and your mom haven’t shown any symptoms like ours.” He inspected a clipboard. “The last batch out makes it two-thousand-five-hundred-and-ten vaccines delivered so far.”

I couldn’t focus on the conversation. I shook my head. “I’m sorry, guys. I’m starving.”
Too many people. I had to get out of there. I thought I could make it without eating before I died, but the people were about to scream because of my rampage. Their scents were stronger than I’d imagined possible. I motioned to James. “Can you tell the story and get them caught up on Dominic? I need to get into the woods. I’m starving.” I might have said that already, but I didn’t care. Grandma Jean and Heather would be the first to fall under my hunger.

Thinking about Heather’s taste made me groan.

Waves of dizziness crumpled my vision.
Get to the forest. It wasn’t that far, across the road and a small field. I didn’t even need to get on the bike.

Just a rabbit… anything.
I’d make do with
anything
. Dammit, even a flipping cat.