Riposte (The Redivivus Trilogy Book 2) (25 page)

Ava felt as if her heart might leap out of her chest when she glanced to the left and saw the reason for the strange quality of the sound. Slipping from cover, she moved forward undaunted by Lydia’s restraining hand. The sound of the horde intensified as though she was being lowered directly into a pit teeming with the wretched monsters. Near the ground, about five feet ahead of the others, Ava knelt before the opening of the drainage pipe. The dreadful sounds of the infected reverberated loudly through the corrugated metal pipe making it seem as though they were right on top of her. The effect was chilling. She had to fight the urge to spin around, searching frantically for the certain death her brain told her was surrounding her.

Despite the drastically different circumstances, Ava was reminded of the playground she used to visit with her father. One of her favorite things there was a long, buried voicepipe that allowed her and her father to exchange messages from opposite ends of the park as easily as if they were standing right next to one another. Despite the terrifying snarls echoing around her, the thought brought a smile to her face.
How strange that such an awful sound can trigger such a beautiful memory.
Still grinning, Ava turned and pointed to the mouth of the pipe that had been her path to salvation the evening before. Relief washed over the other’s faces instantly when they realized what they were hearing.

Lydia and Annalee crept forward to join Ava, and the three continued their stealthy advance toward her house. After walking for what seemed like a mile, the short bluff that served as their bulwark against the infected began to flatten out. They crossed over the low rise and peered cautiously in the direction of the group clustered around the other end of the drainage culvert. Although they knew the infected were there, they saw and heard nothing.

“I guess we’re too far away to see them. Hopefully that means we’re too far away for them to see us as well,” Lydia said.

Ava could hardly contain her excitement when, much to her surprise, they emerged from the tree line and her house was straight ahead in plain view. Considering everything that had conspired against her thus far, Ava wondered what cruel twist of fate was going to block her path this time. Her luck had been such that she worried it might merely be a mirage. She wanted to run to it before it had a chance to slip through her fingers again, but her experience the previous day reminded her of the dangers of becoming complacent, of letting one’s irrational emotions override the rational brain. Still, she refused to allow her eyes to drift from the house as they approached.
Nothing is going to get in my way this time!

Ava’s pulse quickened at the prospect of finally reuniting with her father after so long. The joy bubbling up within her heart was short-lived as her mind shifted to thoughts of her mother. As bad as she wanted to find her father, Ava wondered if she was strong enough to face the horror awaiting her in the kitchen—the horror of what
she
had done.
I had no choice! I had to do it.
With her mind wandering dangerously, Ava was thankful she had Lydia and Annalee with her.
If I don’t pull my head together I won’t survive the rest of the day.
When her thoughts drifted back to the present, Ava realized they were about to step onto Hood St. Her house was less than a hundred yards away.
So close. Please…

Conflicting emotions tore through her body as the sight of her house, so close she could nearly touch it, warred with the fact that she saw no trace of her father or anyone else for that matter.
Was I seeing things yesterday? Was there ever anyone here?
As crazy as the world had become and as crazy as she felt at times, she
knew
that what she saw the previous day was real. She also knew without question that the person she had seen, standing tall like a shining beacon of hope, was her father, John Wild.

Her contemplation was suddenly interrupted as Lydia crouched and motioned for the girls to do the same. Ava thought Lydia, who was armed only with a metal bar of some kind, looked like a warrior princess—simultaneously fierce and formidable, yet beautiful and utterly feminine.

In a whisper so low it was barely audible, Lydia said, “I thought I saw movement up ahead. I’m going to check it out. I want you two to stay out of sight until I get back. Which house is yours, Ava?” She pointed to the house and Lydia nodded in acknowledgment. In a moment, the woman slid around the corner of the closest house and disappeared from sight.

Ava and Annalee did as they were told, crouching quietly next to the house at the edge of the neighborhood. As the minutes stretched on, Ava’s anxiety climbed. Annalee seemed to read the other girl’s thoughts, and said in a hushed tone, “Don’t worry. She’ll be back. She always comes back.”

A moment later, as if choreographed, Lydia slipped back around the edge of the house and crouched next to the waiting girls.

“One of the infected is crushed in the street a few houses down from yours. It’s disabled but not dead. It looks like it was run over by a car fairly recently. There are also quite a few others scattered about, all dead as far as I can tell. Some appear to have been killed quite a while ago, but a few look to have died in the last couple of days,” Lydia said. She read the hopeful excitement in Ava’s eyes, and added, “Just because I didn’t see any infected doesn’t mean they aren’t around. We have to stay smart and focused. Ava, do you think you’re ready for this?”

She started to nod her head immediately but paused, truly considering the question. After a moment, Ava nodded, knowing without a doubt that she was ready for whatever they found.

“Then let’s move quickly and quietly. Stay close,” Lydia said as she turned and slipped back around the corner of the house. Ava’s heart raced as they moved closer to what she hoped would finally be a reunion with her father. She fought to repress thoughts about what she would do if he were not there or if it was someone else. They left her feeling agitated and unfocused, and she knew that was dangerous.

Four houses away.

They advanced silently, sliding from cover to cover, remaining almost invisible even in the daylight.

Three houses away.

Ava saw the mangled body of the infected thing crushed in the street in front of the Taylor’s house. She noticed that the garage door was open.

Two houses away.

Several more of the infected lay sprawled haphazardly in the yards they passed. Ava tried not to look at them, but those she saw appeared to have been bludgeoned to death, their deformed and cracked skulls oozing a dark, soupy mixture that looked like black cherry Jell-O dotted with chunks of rotten banana.

One house away.

Breathing hard in anticipation, Ava wanted to stop. The fear of finally reaching her house and finding no one there elbowed its way past everything else in her mind, claiming the dominant position as the king of the hill. A sliver of the pain she knew she would feel if they found the house empty seared through her brain, and it was almost more than she could handle.
Ava, you have to do this. He’s there. You saw him. You can do it.
Allowing herself no more time to debate the issue, she forced herself to keep moving.

1406 Hood Street.

Lydia eased onto the porch, eyes ever vigilant to their surroundings. She did not see or hear any sign of trouble, which in and of itself, bothered her. Peering through the windows of the house, she saw no movement and motioned for the two girls to join her on the porch. Lydia grasped the doorknob, and to her surprise, found the door unlocked. Glancing at Ava, Lydia gave her a reassuring nod as she turned the knob.

At first glance, the house seemed largely as Ava remembered it, despite not having been there in quite some time. The blood smeared on the door as well as splattered about the foyer was dried to a dark, ruddy brown that no longer held the savagery she witnessed that day. Nevertheless, it served as a painful reminder that caused the events to flash through her mind like stills taken from a bad slasher film. Ava immediately noticed the absence of the rug in the foyer, as well as the deliveryman’s corpse that was featured so prominently in her mind’s eye.

Cautiously, the trio crept deeper inside the apparently empty house. The eerie silence within proved to be almost as unsettling as the bumps and creaks that seemed like telltale signs of death lurking in the shadows. Quietly, Lydia called, “Hello? Anyone here?”

They paused and waited for a reply but heard nothing. Moving into the living room, Ava pointed to a sheet crumpled into a pile on the couch. Lydia nodded in acknowledgement of the implications of the used bedding.

Continuing into the dining room, they saw further evidence that someone had been in the home, though it was hard to say how recently. An empty jar of instant coffee, as well as shredded packaging from other food items, lay strewn about the table. Despite the confirmation that someone had clearly been there, her dismay at not finding her father waiting with open arms threatened to crush her aching soul.

Rooted to the spot, Ava stared at the closed door leading out of the opposite side of the room. As they edged toward the door, Lydia sensed that Ava was not following them. Glancing back, she saw the little girl standing motionless with a terror-stricken look etched across her face. Immediately concerned by the change in her demeanor, Lydia crossed the room to where she stood, hoping to uncover the cause of Ava’s alarm. Seeing nothing of concern within the room, Lydia asked, “What is it, sweetie? Did you hear something?”

After a pause, Ava shook her head as she raised her hand to point at the door; the frightened look never left her face. At once, understanding blossomed in Lydia’s mind, and she realized why the little girl was so petrified. She told Annalee to stay with Ava before moving to the kitchen door. Mindful to shield the room beyond from Ava’s view, Lydia pushed the swinging door open and slid into the room. She remained in the kitchen for nearly a minute, during which time Ava did not take a breath.

When Lydia emerged from the room moments later, Ava half-expected her to have the monstrous form of her dead mother in tow. The slight smile creasing Lydia’s otherwise worried face made Ava let out the breath she had been holding. Tears flowed down Lydia’s cheeks as she pushed the door wide open, urging Ava forward with a reassuring smile and a nod of her head. Simultaneously comforted and confused by Lydia’s comportment, Ava found herself walking forward slowly. Dread and intrigue flourished inside her in equal measures.

Ava’s eyes were closed as her foot slid over the threshold leading into the kitchen. Vague flashes of light flickered behind her shuttered eyelids, keeping perfect time with the hammering thrum of her heart as the blood roared through her ears. As if a calming spirit descended upon her, Ava felt the anxious reluctance that was the glue keeping her eyes clamped so tightly, steadily weaken. Ever so slowly, as though wanting to ensure that an unpleasant scene in a scary movie had passed before fully committing, her eyes opened to reveal the room before her.

Dumbfounded, Ava saw no hint of the atrocities that occurred in the kitchen a month ago. There was not a speck of blood in the room, as if a crime scene cleaning crew had swept through taking every trace of the unspeakable act with them. Aside from the shattered window, the room looked nearly the same as it had every morning when she had come down for breakfast. Her relief at not having to bear witness to the gruesome evidence of what her mother had become, and of what she had been forced to do, could not be put into words. It was short-lived, however, when she realized there was still no sign of her father.
He
was
here! I know it. He had to be the one that took care of Mommy.
The thought made Ava shudder, and she worried about what her father would think if he knew the truth about what had happened.

Tears threatened to fill her eyes as her glassy stare settled on something jutting vertically from the ground beyond the back door window. She stepped toward the door to get a better look. As she did, a gentle breeze blew into the room through the broken window. The swirling current nudged a small piece of paper from whatever nook it had been hiding in, sending it fluttering to the floor. Ava stooped down and retrieved the slip of paper. She trembled uncontrollably as the tears she had been struggling to control surged against her eyelids, spilling over the edge, and running down her face. Through the blinding tears, she read the note she held in her quivering hands.

Ava,

Where are you, sweetie? I know in my heart you are out there somewhere—alive. I’ve been searching for you day and night since my return. I imagine you already know what happened to your mother. I buried her in the backyard. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry for everything you have seen, and for everything that’s happened to you. The world has become a cruel and dangerous place, Ava.

I am with some new friends who have been helping me search for you. I hope you are not alone. Remember, not everyone you meet is good! When you see people, be cautious. If possible, watch them first to make sure they aren’t bad. You are such a smart girl, I’m sure you have figured out how the infection is spread but I’ll say it anyway: don’t get near the infected, and whatever you do, don’t let them bite you! If anyone you are with is bitten, stay away! They will not be the same person you know for long. You
must
understand and accept that.

Do you remember my old friend, Dr. Lin San? It’s been quite a few years since you have seen her. She called me the night I got back and said she was being flown to the CDC in Atlanta. That’s the Centers for Disease Control. She indicated that she has information that might help her find a cure. I am telling you all of this to say that I am heading there to help her try to stop this god-awful plague. Deciding to go to Atlanta has been the hardest decision I have ever made. In no way am I giving up on you! But I can’t imagine you growing up in a world like this. We will stop this damn thing, and I will find you. If you are with people who are willing and capable of travel, find us there. If not, stay safe, sweetheart. I will come back for you! I love you so much! I miss you with all my heart!