The Grace Series (Book 2): Tainted Grace (5 page)

“Dumb shit,” mumbled Bill. Nathan rolled his eyes.

“The fucker came after me, pardon my language ladies,” said Nathan.  “He was slow, shuffling, and making the most God-awful sounds.  By the time my instincts told me to run, he was within arm’s reach.  Jack shot him square between the eyes before he actually touched me.”

“Nathan was in shock.  We were afraid the gunshot would attract more of them, so threw the last couple of items we had gathered from the store into the back of the truck, shoved Nathan into the cab, and were on our way.”

“Sounds pretty familiar,” I said.  “Boggs and I met up with Gus at a gas station, also stocking up on things we thought might come in handy. We were attacked there too, but there was more than one.”

“From there we just kept driving, eventually meeting up with others,” said Nathan.  “None of us seemed any better informed than each other.”

I looked at the table and noticed the food was nearly gone.  I yawned, the day’s events having taken their toll on me.

“Zo, you should go get some sleep,” said Boggs.  “It’s been a long day.”

“I can stay up and keep watch with you,” I said, yawning again.

“It’s ok, Zoe,” interrupted Gus.  “I’ll take the first shift with Emilie.  You and Boggs can go catch fifty winks.  Gentlemen, we’re shy on beds but you’re more than welcome to camp out on the loveseats in the living room, or the floor.  We have extra blankets.”

“Mighty kind of you,” said Bill.  “I think keeping watch tonight is a good idea, in light of what’s happened here. Nathan and I are more than happy to help out.”

Gus stood up, his chair making a loud scraping noise as it slid out from behind him.  He held his hand out to Bill, who mirrored the gesture, and they shook hands.   “Perhaps one of you should sleep while the other stays up for the first shift?” asked Gus.

“That’d work.  It’d also give us a chance to discuss options - joining resources or staying separate.  Stuff like that,” said Nathan softly.

“Em, go ahead and sleep.  I’ll wake Boggs for the next shift and join you when I come up in a few hours.  Susan, you can go ahead and sleep through too.  There’s enough of us men to tackle security.”  Gus smiled.  I think he liked being in charge.

“Susan, if you want you can sleep with me so Bill or Nathan can have your bed,” said Emilie.

“Sure,” said Gus.  “I’ll kick you out when I wake Boggs and Bill…and then you can go in with Zoe and Nathan can take your bed.”

“Ya, that’s fine,” said Susan.
“If Zoe doesn’t mind.”

“No problem,” I said.  I didn’t truly like the idea but it made the most sense. “You can keep me warm,” I added to try to be nice.

“I’ll take the first shift,” said Nathan.  “Bill, you didn’t sleep much last night.”

“Thanks, Nate,” said Bill.  He patted the younger man on the shoulder and suddenly looked very tired.

“I’ll show you to my room,” said Susan.  “It’s just a twin bed, but it’s comfortable.”

“Thank you,” said Bill.  He had a kind and deep voice.

Boggs kissed me on the cheek, then took my hand and led me toward the stairs. Emilie and Susan followed us, with Bill trailing at the back. 

“See you later, Susan,” I said as we reached the landing of the second floor. 
“Night Em.  Bill.”

I took Boggs’ hand in my own and led him into our bedroom.  We had become accustomed to the darkness of the room at night, so walked to my side of the bed and sat. 

“Do you want the candle lit?” asked Boggs.

“Nah,” I replied lazily.  “I’m so tired I think my eyes will be closed and I’ll be asleep in two shakes anyhow.”

“You feeling ok?” Boggs asked.  “You didn’t eat much.”

“Just feeling a little pukey,” I admitted.  “I promise I’ll eat more for breakfast.”

“Just remember the baby needs it, Zo, ok?”

“I know.  Baby also needs Mommy to sleep.”  I sighed.

“You want to fool around before you go to sleep?”

I chuckled.  “Let me sleep, Boggs.”

He sighed.  “Ok.  Just thought I’d ask.”

I pulled my socks off in the dark, but left my sweat pants and t-shirt on.  I’ve always hated wearing socks to bed. 

“Boggs?” I asked.

“Hmm?” he replied as he lay down.

“We’re going to have to leave this cabin, aren’t we?”

I heard him take a deep breath in.  “I think maybe so, Zo.  It’s feeling dangerous here.”

“Where do you think we’ll go?”

“Maybe to the other group’s place?
  I’m not sure.”

“Do you think we can trust these guys?
Nathan and Bill?”

“My gut tells me yes.  Sleep, Zoe.”

I scooted over toward him and nestled in against his side. His warmth was heavenly.  I rested a hand low on my belly and fell asleep thinking about the tiny life growing deep within me.

I woke to the smell of dampness and cold.  It’s a smell that’s hard to describe unless you’re used to perpetually dank, cold climates.  It’s similar to mud and mildew.  I was alone in our bed and dreaded climbing out from under the covers, knowing the deep chill of the unheated upper level of the cabin would seep into my core. It was becoming unavoidable, though, as my bladder was screaming at me.

So, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed until I felt my bare feet hit the cold hardwood floor.  I remembered that Susan was supposed to have climbed into bed with me halfway through the night, and wondered if she ever had.  I must have slept very deeply. Our room was still mostly dark.  The only light filtered in through small drill-holes in the plywood that covered the window.  At least I could tell it was daylight. I walked to the window and squinted to see out one of the holes.  Snow looked like it was turning to slush and the blood from the night before was tinting areas pink.  Rain was falling steadily.  It was still the dead of winter, sometime in December I think.  I wondered if roads might clear despite the season.

No longer able to avoid it, I rushed to the door of the bedroom and opened it.  I walked into the hall and heard the sounds of cooking in the kitchen, and smelled something delicious.  I couldn’t quite place the scent.  I rushed across the hallway to the bathroom, which was thankfully unoccupied, and hurried about relieving myself.  Gus had told me to expect the baby’s growth to cause frequent bathroom trips as it pressed on my bladder.  I knew now he wasn’t kidding. 

As I finished, I heard laughter from downstairs.  It was a welcome sound.  I washed my hands and headed back to the hallway.  Em’s bedroom door was open, their bed made.  Susan’s was closed, so I assumed Nathan was still sleeping.  My guess was both men were exhausted from their time out in the open, surviving not only the elements during winter but also the risen dead.   I walked back to the bedroom I shared with Boggs, slipped my socks from the night before on,
tidied the bed, and then headed down the staircase to join my companions.

“Morning, Zoe,” chirped Emilie with a smile that brightened her freckled face even more than usual.

“Morning,” I said, returning her grin with a smile of my own.  “What’s going on down here?” I asked.

Boggs turned away from his place at the stovetop to wink at me.  “Making breakfast, sweet
thing,” he said. 

“Eggs and baked beans,” said Gus.  “Hope you’re hungry.”

“I actually am,” I said.  “It smells awesome.”

Bill walked in from the living room.  “Morning,” he said as he tipped the brim of a ragged baseball cap he was wearing toward me.

“Morning Bill,” I said.  “Sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” he said with a chuckle.
His broad chest shook as he laughed.  “Better than I have in many days.  Thank you.”

“Thanks for sharing the eggs,” said Emilie.

“Where’s Susan?” I asked, noting her absence.

“Still sleeping,” said Gus.

“She’s not in my bed,” I said.

Emilie giggled.  “She and Nathan decided to keep each other warm.”

I heard Bill sigh. “Well, they’re both adults.”

“Yup,” said Gus.  “That they are.”

“Plus,” added Boggs, “since the world is fucked over…and all.”

I noticed Boggs’ neck was bandaged this morning.  I wanted to ask him how it was doing but wasn’t sure it would be wise in front of Bill.  Not with our barely knowing him.

“Should we wake them for breakfast?” I asked.

“Probably,” said Bill and Emilie at the same time.

“I’ll go,” offered Emilie.  “Just save me some grub.”

Within ten minutes we were all seated around the small kitchen table.  Emilie and I were sharing a chair and Gus had brought in a crate from the shed as an extra seat.  It was crowded, but felt right.  Boggs had scrambled the wild duck eggs and assured us that
none of them had contained ducklings.  The baked beans were a combination of two cans of pork-and-beans and a can of kidney beans, baked in a pan for twenty minutes. We were being extra careful to not run the appliances, including the fireplace, more than necessary since Boggs had noticed the propane tank was less than half full.  Now that our smoked fish was gone, we had unplugged the refrigerator.  Anything needing chilling could be set outside.

“It’s raining,” I said as I finished my eggs.  “It’s washing away the snow and blood.”

“Might be a warm spell moving through,” said Nathan sleepily.  “It might be good to start talking about plans.”

“We’ll need to get back to the rest of our group soon,” said Bill.  “I worry about leaving them for this long.” 

“Have you all talked about longer term plans?” asked Gus right before taking a bite of his eggs.

“We have,” said Bill simply.  “Our best idea so far seems to be moving out toward Puget Sound.  I’m not sure how the Runners
, as you call them, deal with water, but if it’s an effective barrier we’d be smart to relocate to one of the islands.”

“Huh,” said Gus. 
“Interesting idea.”

“We’d be happy to have you all join us,” said Nathan.  “I think I can speak for the others with us too.”

“Are you thinking of finding a boat?” asked Gus.

“Precisely,” said Bill.  “It might get tricky heading back toward the cities, and it’d take time, but I think we need to try.  What’d be the ideal scenario is to find a boat and tow it there.  Some random abandoned home and some random abandoned boat.  Even load some supplies into it, using it as a trailer of sorts.”

“It’s not entirely impossible,” said Boggs. 

I shoveled a big spoonful of beans into my mouth.  They tasted so good.

“What do you all have for transportation?” asked Gus.

“We have an old Suburban.  We had to abandon the two cars we had been traveling in when they ran out of gas and were lucky to come across it.  That’s when we lost the first of our group.  The little one,” added Bill as he hung his head.  “There was nothing we could do.”

Nathan took over on speaking as Bill obviously needed a moment to compose himself.  “The Suburban is pretty rugged but has hauled the remaining six of us well.  I noticed you have a step van out front.”

“Ya, it arrived with Susan,” said Boggs.  “It’s just not good in the snow.”

I wasn’t sure if Boggs or Gus planned to mention our Explorer across the lake or not, so I opted to just keep eating my beans and not talk.  Boggs casually put a portion of his eggs on my plate and I knew he meant for me to eat them for the baby’s sake. 

“We’d need to pick an island large enough to support hunting.  Since it’d be surrounded by salt water we figure that’d be a great source of sustenance as well,” continued Bill.  “Ideally we’d take firearms with, basic supplies, and woodworking tools.  Even if we’re lucky enough to pick an island with a house or cabin, repairs will be necessary over time.”

Gus made a noise deep in his throat, the kind that I recognized as his quick version of “I agree.”

“The trek there is what worries us most,” added Nathan.  “Getting enough supplies, finding a boat, getting through the hordes.”

I knew that they needed to know about me, so I spoke.  “I can help.”

Everyone looked at me, Boggs stopping mid-bite with his fork held in front of him.  His eyes warned me to not speak.

“They need to know,” I continued.  “Their plan sounds like our best chance, if we join them, and they need to know I can help.”

“What’s going on?” asked Bill, whose posture was suddenly alarmed.  I noticed Nathan tense as well.

“When this started, I fell out of a window and hurt my hip.  The wound got infected somehow.  Boggs and Gus saved me, but it sounds like I almost died.  A few days later, once we settled here, I found I can hear them.  I know when they’re close.”

Bill blinked at me.  “What do you mean
hear them
?”

“The Runners.
  Somehow I can sense them if they’re near.  I can see through their eyes.”

Nathan laughed.  “Miss Zoe, you don’t need to convince us to take you all with us.  I think Bill and I are in agreement on that.”

My eyes were locked with Bill’s.  He had taken me very literally and was watching me like a hawk, as if I may morph into one of the living dead before him.  His posture was tense.  After several long seconds of silence, he relaxed his shoulders.

“Ok,” said Bill.  “Have you seemed ok otherwise?”

“Yes.  My skin is green where the wound was, but it’s healed otherwise.”  Our eyes were still set on each other, and anything else around me was now tuned out.  “Louisa, the woman we lost in childbirth, I saw her after…”  I was at a loss for words, slightly overcome by remembering her and the tiny new baby after their second deaths.  Thankfully Gus took over.

“Louisa and her baby both turned.  Once they were finally dead, we noticed Louisa had green streaks on her face very much like what Zoe bears on her hip.”

I considered for the briefest of moments mentioning that I had bitten Boggs in my sleep, but thought better of it and kept that information to myself.

I broke my eye lock with Bill, and looked at Boggs.  I knew he was mad at me by the way he was glaring.  “Boggs, they needed to know.  Don’t be mad at me.”

“We appreciate you telling us, Zoe.  I can understand why your friends weren’t anxious to divulge the information.”

I sighed.  “Please don’t be upset with them.  If you want to go back, forget about us, consider taking everyone but me.”

“Zoe.  Knock it off,” barked Boggs.  “No one is leaving you behind.”

Bill relaxed in his chair, ran his hand through his beard, and shifted in his seat.  “He’s right.  Nathan and I can’t speak for our entire group but I can’t imagine them opting to leave you behind.  I think we all know what has to be done if someone turns.  We can leave it at that.”

“Damn,” was all Nathan said as the conversation sank in.

Boggs stood and positioned himself behind me. I felt him rest his hands protectively on my shoulders.  I reached up with my right hand and placed it over his.  The last thing I wanted was to disappoint him, or for him to be angry with me.

“I propose, if you all decide you’re interested, that if the roads clear enough we load your step van and drive it to our place.  Then we could caravan in both it and our Suburban, gather what we need, and head back toward Puget Sound,” suggested Bill.

“I want to go,” said Susan.  I looked at her.  “It’d be a chance to start a new life.  Maybe even
be a place we could feel safe for a change.”  I noticed she was standing very close to Nathan.

Gus took a deep breath.  “Susan, I think we should all discuss it in more detail.  But, if for some reason some of us opt to not go you know you’d have our blessings.”  Susan nodded in understanding.

“Nathan.  Bill.  When are you thinking about heading back to your place?” asked Boggs.

“Hopefully within the next couple of days,” answered Bill. On foot if the snow stays.  We’d like to butcher the deer carcass.  We’re happy to leave most of it here and just pack out what we can comfortably carry.  Ideally, though, I think we’d pack it into your rig and get it all back to our place, smoke it to preserve it.  We could take scouting trips as weather permits, stock up on supplies for the island.  Hopefully find a boat and trailer. 
Fuel.  Tools.  More guns.”

“I like how it’s sounding,” said Gus.  “Well planned.”

“Thank you,” said Bill humbly.  “I’m hoping so.  I know lives will depend on it.”

“One worry I’ve had about relocating is infrastructure.  It’s bound to be collapsing already.  Soon roads might be impassable.”  Gus sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

“Right,” agreed Bill.

“We could maybe reinforce the van and the Suburban,” suggested Emilie. 

“Good thinking, as always, Red,” said Gus as he winked at her.  “We also need to plan a trip for medical supplies.”

“What kind?” asked
Nathan. 

Gus shifted in his seat. 
“Antibiotics, first aid, some basics.  I also need to get a hold of some medical reference books.  If we could hit up a library, some homesteading books might prove invaluable.” 

“We should start a list,” I said.  “Take it with to Bill and Nathan’s, discuss it with the others.”

“Do you suppose this will ever end?” whispered Emilie.

“I don’t know, sweet thing.  I just don’t know,” answered Gus.

“Is it still raining?” I asked.

“Ya,” this time Nathan answered.  “I just checked.  Snow’s melting fast.  Our place is a couple hundred feet lower in elevation than here.  We should think about moving out if we’re going to do this.”

“Can we re-hang the deer in the van?” I asked.  “I’d hate for it to go to waste.”  It was the only thing I could think of to say.  I was suddenly very nervous about leaving our home.

“Uh, probably,” said Nathan.  “As long as we secure it on both ends so it doesn’t whack anyone while we’re on the road.”

“What’s most important here to take with?” asked Bill. “Think about what might be needed for relocating, starting over.”