The Awakened (17 page)

I COULDN’T BREATHE. I FELT
a stitch in my side as we went sprinting through the forest. Branches were scratching at my face and arms. There was the relieving sound of solid footsteps that told me that Ash was still running alongside me. In the not so far distance, I could also hear the light footsteps of the Awakened behind us. I jumped over a fallen log, a stray branch ripping into my jeans. I winced in pain but continued running. I would worry about it later. I wouldn’t worry about it until I could stop.

Ash made a sharp right in front of me, and I followed him, each step sending another wave of pain through my legs. I needed to stop. I didn’t know how much longer I could last. I listened to the voices behind us, wailing for us, begging for us to stop. I shuddered at the sound. I spotted a tree about twenty feet away, growing so closely to the others. The branches of the trees overlapped and could potentially provide some cover.

“Ash!” I called, running to the tree and starting to find footholds to climb. He switched directions and came toward me, using his hands to lift me into the tree. I leaned down, extending my hand. He took it, and I pulled hard, helping him to reach the first branch. Together, we moved as quickly as we could, up higher in the tree, until the branches were so dense that we couldn’t move any higher.

I pressed my body as close as I could to the trunk, breathing deeply and slowly, trying to calm my heart down, trying to make as little noise as possible. Ash was on the other side of me, his hands close to mine on the trunk. His eyes met mine and then looked down.

The Awakened had just caught up with us. They scattered in different directions, some of them heading further up the hill, and some of them heading east toward the river. A few of them stopped mere feet away from us. They started conversing between themselves but their voices were too low for either of us to hear. I couldn’t believe their ability to communicate and work together. This was a large group, at least twenty. I knew it wouldn’t be long before their heightened emotions got in the way and they started tearing themselves apart. I just hoped it would be long after they’d left us.

They stayed under the tree for a fair amount of time. It felt like hours, but I knew, logically, that it couldn’t have been more than a half an hour, an hour at the most. I couldn’t hear anything they were saying, just their distinctive hoarse and labored breathing. It filled me with terror, but I closed my eyes and focused on my heartbeat, the movement of my chest as it rose and fell with each breath. Finally, they took off, their quick steps soon fading into the distance.

We didn’t drop right away. We waited, our muscles relaxing as the sounds faded and disappeared. After another half an hour, we descended, taking each step carefully. Ash jumped down first and held out his arms for me. I rolled my eyes at him and jumped down myself, landing awkwardly on my injured leg.

“Are you okay?” Ash said, grabbing my arm to hold me up.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, easing myself onto a log. “It’s minor.” I peeled the ripped fabric away from the gash and leaned forward to examine it. It wasn’t that deep, but blood was getting everywhere. “Get the first aid kit.”

Ash sat next to me, digging through his pack to pull out the first aid kit. He pulled out a bandage and the antibiotic ointment. He poured a little bit of water on it and used a cloth to wipe it clean. His hands were gentle as he spread the ointment over it, pausing when I winced. Once it was wrapped, I smiled slightly in thanks. “All better,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said, examining it a bit. It seemed these days that there would always be a spot on my body covered in crusty, bloody gauze. “When did you get so good at this?”

“I guess when you sew someone up, you just get good at the rest of it,” he admitted. His eyes met mine, and I felt a flush go through me, at the ugly scar that was sure to be healing across my face. It was so tender, a constant reminder that it was there. Ash had done the best he could, considering. I would always have a scar across my face, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. I ducked my head anyway. I had never been too overly concerned with my looks, but I had enough vanity and pride to be upset about it.

“Yeah,” I laughed hollowly. “I guess you’re right.” I stood up and started shouldering my pack again.

“Zoey.”

“We should get going,” I said firmly, avoiding eye contact with him. “I know we aren’t that far away from Constance.”

“Zoey...”

“I also think we should get out of this stupid forest before it gets too dark. It’ll be easier to see what’s coming at us once we hit the flats.”

“Zoey, come on.”

“What?” I said, finally looking up at him.

“You still look beautiful,” he said. “Whatever happens, you still look great.”

“Oh. Okay.” I knew this was the furthest from the truth. I was an absolute wreck. It had been days since we had been able to stop and bathe. My hair was greasy and stringy, pulled back into its usual ponytail. I was the dirtiest I had ever been, and I felt completely disgusting. Not to mention the fact that I had a huge gash across my face and several on my arms and legs. I was the furthest thing away from beautiful.

He stepped closer to me and I felt myself automatically step back, my spine hitting the solid roughness of a tree trunk. “I can tell you don’t believe me.”

“I believe you,” I said quickly and softly as he stepped even closer. I felt warmth seep through me as he stepped even closer.

“I can show you, if you want me to,” he said, his lips a brush of skin on my jawline.

I shivered. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” I said, my voice shaking.

He chuckled lightly, his breath so light on my skin. He trailed light kisses right under my ear, down my neck, across my collarbone. I could hardly breathe. I felt my arms rise as if they had a mind of their own, and my hands latched onto his waist.

“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered, against my neck. He kissed it again, this time with more pressure, right on my pulse.

I felt another shiver go up my spine, and my fingers clenched tightly around him. He had asked me something, a question. I couldn’t remember. I was in a fog being this close to him. He stepped even closer to me, his body aligned with mine.

His lips were dipping closer to my collarbone, and I felt the breath catch in my throat. He was so soft and warm, and close to me, and I still couldn’t figure out why he was doing this.

“Do you want me to stop now?” his soft voice said again. “Do you feel beautiful?” His breath tickled across my check, where his lips were hovering right above my own. “Because you are so beautiful.”

Beautiful and terrifying, I thought, just like my dream.

“Ash?” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. My heart was pounding so loudly. I had finally calmed it down from the chase, and now it was acting up again, but in a crazy, wonderful, stupid way.

“Yeah?”

“Stop. Please. Just stop, okay?” I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling tears spring at the corners of my eyes.

He pulled away, shock on his face. “Z…”

“Stop calling me Z,” I snapped, pushing myself off the tree. I walked around him. “And don’t touch me again.”

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he just followed me as I started to pick my way through the brush, wanting to head back toward the highway. The chase through the forest had thrown my direction off, and once I found the highway, I would be righted again. We had at least a day or two until we reached Constance, and I wanted to make it. I was determined to make it to my mom’s house, alive, with Ash.

We were already in Nebraska. We were already so close.

“Zoey?” Ash asked, after a couple of hours walking.

“What?” I spat out. I caught the wounded look on his face before it disappeared and felt my annoyance disappear almost immediately. It wasn’t his fault we were in this situation. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.

“Do you…do you think your mom will be there?”

It was the question I had been asking myself ever since we had left my dad behind in Iowa. We hadn’t heard from her since we escaped Manhattan, and there was no way to get in touch with her. For all I knew, Constance was overrun by Awakened. For all I knew, they had already taken care of my mom and stepdad.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know anything. All I know is that my dad wanted me to go to Constance, to my mom, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

I swallowed hard, holding back tears. “That’s what he wanted. He wanted me safe. That’s all he ever wanted, and I’m going to be safe, for him.”

“I’ll help you,” Ash said, softly, “I promised.” His eyes met mine. His face was a dirty mess. I could barely see his features through the dirt and grime but his eyes shone through, and I believed him. He had promised my dad just before he died. I knew that he intended to keep that promise.

“I know,” I whispered. The trees were beginning to look sparse. I knew we were getting closer to the highway. I paused for a moment, orienting myself, and started to head west again. We were only walking for a few miles when we spotted a sign. I headed over to it, hurriedly. I traced the letters that read “Constance 100 miles.” I nearly cried. “We’re moving faster than I thought. We’re so close.”

Ash smiled, slightly. “You can tell. The forest has disappeared. It’s so flat.”

“Welcome to Nebraska,” I said, drily.

“Z, a car is coming,” Ash said, suddenly alert. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the field, but it was too late. The headlights of the car hit us, lighting us up before we could make it far, and the car slowed.

“Hey! Hey! Hey, wait, stop!”

Ash continued to run, but I pulled back, turning around.

“What are you doing?” he asked, incredulously. “You’re not seriously thinking of stopping.”

“We haven’t seen another human being in days. And he has a car, Ash,” I pleaded. He held onto my arm firmly, and I couldn’t pull myself away from him. I used my left arm to throw a punch at him, and he ducked, allowing me to yank my right arm free. I turned on my heel and started to walk toward the car. It was a truck, an older make definitely, and it was making a ton of noise. I looked around, nervously, expecting the Awakened to reappear. I walked cautiously up to the driver’s side window as it rolled down.

An older man, probably in his sixties, was behind the wheel, looking down at me with concern. A woman around the same age was in the passenger seat, probably his wife.

“Honey, what are you doing out here?” she asked, a distinct Boston accent in her voice. I grabbed a hold of it, grateful to hear a voice that didn’t sound raspy. Both of their eyes were normal, and they were dark skinned but not blue. I nearly cried with relief. She looked over my shoulder, presumably at Ash, if he hadn’t run off without me. “Is it only the two of you out here?”

I nodded. “Just the two of us,” I confirmed.

The man looked behind me and then his eyes met mine again. They found the scar on my face, tracing it from one corner to the other. I felt self-conscious and ducked my head. “Where are you headed?”

“Constance,” I said. “Are you going that way?”

He nodded. “We’re passing through, but I can give you a lift.”

Ash had come up behind me. “I think we’re okay. It’s not far from here.”

“It’s 100 miles from here,” I hissed back at him.

“It wouldn’t be a problem at all,” the man insisted.

Ash smiled at them, the wide charming smile that I was so accustomed to but hadn’t seen in so long. I knew him well though, and I could see the strain in it. “Excuse us for a moment.” He took my arm and led me a few feet away. “We don’t even know them.”

“Ash, I’m tired. No. I’m exhausted. We haven’t had real food in days, and we’re dirty and disgusting, and I’m covered in injuries. And we keep running into Awakened. I’m scared, and I just want to be safe. It’s only an hour and a half drive. We only have to trust them for an hour and a half.”

He hesitated. “I’m just…I don’t know who we can trust, Z. I don’t want us to make the wrong move.”

“Look,” I said slowly, “either we face down two regular humans, or we have to face another group of Awakened, that will try to kill us and eat us, or cut us to pieces. I’d rather take down those two. I’m tired of fighting.”