Sanctuary (6 page)

"Does he seem stable?"

Dan set down his shovel, meeting John's eyes.

"I think so," John replied. "But I mean, how stable are any of us, really?"

Dan sighed. "This whole thing is enough to break anybody. I told Meredith to keep alert, just in case. He seems nice, but you can never be too careful. How about you, John? How are you coping?"

"Some days I feel fine, but other days I sit back and think about all of it…and it's almost more than I can handle, you know?"

"I know the feeling."

"I keep hoping I'll wake up one morning and things will be different."

"Me too. But they'll get better. They have to. Once we can get out of here, we'll find help. I'm confident it's out there. We just have to wait for the right time to leave."

"I agree."

"Once those things die out, we'll get the hell out of here."

With the hole dug, the men hoisted the body into the grave, then shoveled dirt on top of it. They returned to the backyard, repeating the process two more times. When the last infected had been buried, Dan speared the shovel into the ground next to the shallow graves and stopped to catch his breath.

John gazed at the burial plots.

"Do you want to say anything?" Dan asked.

"No." John shook his head. "Whatever was left of these people died a long time ago."

Dan agreed. Without another word, they departed for the house.

Keller lay on the bed with his eyes closed, pretending he was asleep. After all the things he'd seen and done, he should've been tired, but instead, he was wide awake. His brain felt like it was on fast forward.
 

Meredith and Quinn's voices wafted in from the other room. It took every ounce of control he had not to go out and take advantage of them. He envisioned the stash of weapons he'd seen on the counter, the piles of neatly organized provisions next to them.
 

In a matter of seconds, he could have a weapon in his hand, and he could be shooting them or slitting one of their throats. He was confident he could overpower them. That wasn't the issue. The problem was the men outside. Once they heard the commotion, they'd come running. He could probably stave them off for a while, giving him time to do what he wanted, but there was a risk he wouldn't get out alive.

The smartest move was to bide his time. That way he could arrange scenarios that were new and exciting—things he hadn't already done.
 

He thought of the girl he'd killed in town. They'd bought his story about her. The only regret he had was leaving his automatic rifle on the rooftop. But he'd done what he had to do. It was best to appear weak and unarmed to garner their sympathy and their trust.

He could always get another weapon later.

In the living room, the girls' voices grew a decibel louder. They were playing a card game; by the sounds of it, Quinn was winning. Keller opened his eyes, inched out of the covers, and placed his feet on the floor. The room was simple and plain, stripped of most of the furniture. The two windows had been boarded up, allowing a few thin rays of sunlight inside.

He paused, making sure no one had heard him, and then stood, hoping the floors wouldn't creak. They didn't. His boots were next to the bed. He left them there and padded across the room in his socks.

Meredith had closed the door after showing him to the bedroom. He kept his eyes locked on it, listening to the noises from the other room. After a moment, he put his hand on the doorknob. He gave it a slight turn.

It moved soundlessly.

Using two hands, he guided the door open. Within seconds, he had a partial view of the hallway. Although he couldn't see the living room in its entirety, he caught a glimpse of the two girls. Meredith had set up next to one of the windows. Every few seconds, she glanced outside, keeping watch while playing cards.
 

His eyes drifted over her skin. It'd feel so good to cut her.

He felt his pulse ratcheting up. He envisioned gliding down the hall and reaching one of the weapons in the kitchen. He'd even smile while he did it. They'd never know what was coming. His eyes wandered to the pistol on the table next to Meredith.
 

Dan and John had been gone for about twenty minutes, and they'd likely be back soon. He retreated from the doorway and pulled the door back into place. It clicked loudly.

Dammit.

He froze and gritted his teeth. The girls had stopped talking. Had they heard him? It didn't matter. He'd say he was getting up to go to the bathroom, or that he wasn't able to sleep.

Who'd blame him, after all he'd been through? Keller grinned.

"Was that Tim?" he heard Quinn ask.

"I don't think so. Let's keep it down so we don't wake him."

The girls resumed their conversation, speaking at a lower volume. Keller stifled a laugh. Even though he wasn't tired, maybe it
was
time to sleep. He'd need to recharge in order to accomplish all the things he had planned.

He tiptoed back to bed and slid under the covers.
 

Then he fell peacefully to sleep.

Dan looked up at the sky, thinking he'd heard something overhead. "What was that?"

John furrowed his brow. "I didn't hear anything."

They glanced at the horizon, but there was no sign of activity. Dan removed his pistol, holding it at waist level. The day was hot and windless, and the area had returned to quiet, interrupted only by the occasional caws of birds.

"I must be imagining things." Dan shrugged.

"You look tired, Dan. When's the last time you had any sleep?"

The pair continued walking, and Dan did his best to remember. Between Quinn's asthma attack, his altercation with the creatures, and his night watch, he hadn't slept in nearly twenty-four hours.

"Man, it
has
been a while."

"Why don't you take a turn when we get back inside," John offered. "Meredith and I will hold everything down."

Dan stretched his arms, trying to shake out the tiredness, but the truth was that he was exhausted. He envisioned the bed waiting inside, and felt a swell of gratitude. Given what they'd been through, it felt good to have halfway decent accommodations.

When they reached the back door of the house, Dan rapped lightly to alert his sister-in-law. He heard the sound of objects being moved, then the door swung open to admit them. Quinn was in the living room, bent over a game of cards. Meredith smiled.

"She's beating me, Dan."

"She's ruthless at 'go fish,'" Dan said with a smile.

"It's not 'go fish,' Daddy. I'm too old for that. Meredith taught me how to play poker."

Dan shook his head, but kept his smile. He walked in, letting John in behind them, and then set up the barricade.
 

"Everything calm out there?" he asked Meredith, who'd reclaimed her seat by the front window.

"No problems. Tim's still asleep. Judging by how tired he looked, I'm guessing he'll be out for a while."

"I'm exhausted," Dan admitted. "I might take a nap myself."

"Go ahead," Meredith replied.
 

"Daddy, want to play poker with me when you wake up?" Quinn asked, her eyes hopeful.

"That sounds nice, honey. Maybe we'll have some lunch, then we'll play. Does that sound all right to everyone?"

The group agreed, and Dan bid them all goodnight. As he walked down the hall to the second bedroom, he stopped at the first door, listening for sounds from the man inside. He heard a thin snore.

Tim has the right idea
, Dan thought.

The way things had been, it was best to get all the sleep you could while you could get it.

After napping, Dan prepared a lunch of fresh vegetables for his companions. When they were finished eating, he played cards with Quinn while Meredith and John kept watch out the windows.

"I'll deal, Daddy," Quinn said.

Dan smiled and sat back in the chair, watching his daughter shuffle. It was amazing how much she'd grown. Despite the atrocities they'd witnessed, despite the losses they'd suffered, she possessed the courage of someone well past her age.
 

If only Julie were alive to see her…

Dan stifled a yawn. He'd slept, but rest had been fitful, filled with twisted versions of the things he'd been through. Thankfully, the details of his nightmares had faded. He heard a door open down the hall, and Tim walked in and sat on a nearby couch. The man's clothing was dirt-stained and disheveled, but he'd removed some of the grime from his face.

"How'd you sleep?" Dan asked.

"Better than at the factory building," Tim replied.

"You said you were there for two days?"

"Yes. Every time I tried to leave, the things swarmed me. I kept running back inside and finding rooms to lock myself in. Each time, it took the things hours to leave. I'd hear them groaning as they wandered through the building. I don't think I slept an hour. It wasn't until they found that girl that they all wandered outside."

"It sounds awful, what happened to her."

Tim nodded. "It was. If it weren't for Meredith and John, I'd probably still be in that building, waiting to be torn apart, just like her…" Tim lowered his head, wiping his eyes.

"There was nothing you could've done," Dan assured him.

Tim composed himself and stared at the wall. Dan felt a surge of pity for the man. He reached out to accept several cards from Quinn. "You're from San Antonio, right?"

"Yep. I've lived there most of my life, until recently."

"What'd you do for work?"

"Odd jobs, mostly. Some painting, some carpentry. Whatever I could find to pay the bills. My whole family lived there, but none of them survived…I was the only one who wasn't infected. That's why I took to the road."

"I'm sorry to hear about your family."

Dan stared at the cards in his hand, plagued with losses of his own. Just a few weeks ago, his life had been filled with co-workers and friends, people he'd never imagined leaving behind. He was still studying the cards when John poked his head out from the kitchen. "Dan, I forgot to mention we're out of gas."

"We are?"

"Yep," he said. "I noticed it on the way back from town."

"Do we have an extra can?"

"It's almost gone. We've used it up running for supplies over the past few days. We're going to need more."

Dan nodded. Given the supply runs they'd been taking, he wasn't surprised. The SUV consumed more fuel than his station wagon did. Meredith crossed from the kitchen into the living room.

"We've already searched most of the surrounding neighbors' houses," she said. "But there are a few more streets up north we haven't been to."

"How far?"

"About a ten-minute drive."

Dan nodded. Although their luck might've held up this far, there was no telling when they'd need to leave in a hurry. It was best to be prepared. He glanced at the cracks between the boarded windows, catching a glimpse of the sun. It was mid-afternoon. That should give them plenty of time to make a run before nightfall.

"I'd rather not wait on it."

"Do you think we should all go? Maybe Quinn should stay here with one of us," John suggested.

"I'll go alone," Dan said. "I'll be fine. Can you give me directions, Meredith?"

"Okay. You sure you don't want me to come?" She bit her lip. Although she'd been calm a minute before, the prospect of leaving seemed to have unsettled her. It looked like she was still rattled from her trip to town.

"I'll go," Tim said.

Dan looked over in surprise. He was still getting used to the idea of another person in the group, let alone another pair of hands to help. But the offer was a welcome one nonetheless. He glanced at Meredith and John. Neither argued.
 

"I appreciate it, Tim," Dan said. He stood and handed the cards to Meredith. "Would you mind taking over?"

Meredith smiled. "Sure."

Quinn frowned at him. "Another rain check, Daddy?"

"I'm sorry. We'll finish when I get back," Dan said.
 

"Don't worry, Daddy, I understand," Quinn said. She smiled as he kissed her forehead.

Dan checked the pistol and knives on his waist. Then he motioned for Tim to follow him to the kitchen. He sorted through the weapons they had stockpiled there.

"How good a shot are you?" Dan asked. He studied Tim's face. Tim seemed nervous, but eager to help.

"I'm not the greatest, but I can handle myself."

Dan selected a pistol and some spare ammunition for the man. Then Dan grabbed several more guns for himself—a rifle, another pistol, and extra ammo. He listened as Meredith relayed directions to the neighborhood. After committing them to memory, Dan moved the barricade and unlocked the back door.

"We'll be back soon," he called over his shoulder.
 

"Be careful," Meredith warned.

Quinn said goodbye from somewhere inside. It sounded like she was still focused on the cards. Dan sighed. As nerve-wracking as it was leaving her behind, at least she'd be with John and Meredith.

He glanced over at his new companion.