Chapter 15
Kate
To say I’m shocked is an understatement.
I’m still puzzling over this compromise Jordan has presented me—and that I agreed to it.
But did I really have much of a choice? Even though the bargain was specific to the vaccine, I can’t shake the feeling that a cure is possible.
I can’t give up on this newfound hope. I’ve tried running away twice now, and each time, she’s easily dragged me back.
There’s no way I’d make it on my own anyway.
Maybe with her help, I’ll actually make it back.
I worry my lip between my teeth as I think through all possible scenarios. Jordan would be shot on sight by anyone in the zones. With newfound knowledge that infected aren’t truly dead, I wouldn’t wish death upon anyone.
Does that mean I want to stay with her? To live out this deluded domestic life that she seems to want with me, for some odd reason? Of course not. Maybe once she’s cured, she’ll drop the idea of me staying with her. She can figure out how to go back to her normal life, like we’ll all have to do.
There’s also the scientific desire to have her meet Dr. Parker and the rest of the team.
They should get a chance to see that variants are occurring, that the virus is changing in unexpected ways.
It could help us treat all variants, helping the entire city.
Maybe meeting her will convince Parker that the cure is feasible.
I know Jordan has no interest in meeting them, though. That’s something I’ll have to convince her of as we go.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to not let all the what ifs cloud my mind. There’s no point getting carried away. First things first: we need to prepare to enter what Jordan would consider enemy territory.
To go into the zone with only one gun, a few grenades, and the supplies in my backpack is foolish, especially considering we can’t just waltz up to the gates.
We’ll have to go around.
When the zones were created, there were pockets of the city that weren’t included—mostly because it’s raider territory. Originally, it was thought the mountains should be divvied up as part of the zones, but about six months after the outbreak, scouts went out to determine the borders.
None of them made it back.
Despite the number of infected that roam the city, it’s the safest place for a survivor to be—more access to supplies, food, and weapons.
Going into the mountains means a few weeks of travel.
Nerves shoot up my spine at that realization. Weeks of travel, with little supplies, with no concrete idea of how to get inside has my palms getting clammy.
As I’m about to spiral, I sense Jordan nearby.
She rounds the corner to enter the room and announces, “We leave tomorrow after sunrise.”
Without thinking, I’m off the bed and following her down the hall. “Tomorrow?”
“That’s what I said,” she shoots back, not bothering to turn around.
I trail behind her into the derelict kitchen.
My gaze lands on my pack, and all my supplies laid out on the counter, along with four dead hares and what appears to be a makeshift wooden bow with multiple sharp arrows.
She stops at the counter and, one by one, fills my pack with the supplies.
“We travel by daylight and hide out in different houses along the way.”
“How will we know the homes aren’t full of infected?”
“If we see bones all over the place, we’ll know it’s one of their lairs.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Okay, fair enough. I have a general idea of how to get into the city while avoiding the other safe zones—”
She grabs my map and turns to me. “We’ll have to go around.”
I nod. “I know.”
“Through the mountains.”
My stomach clenches.
She steps over to the wobbly table in the corner, spreading out the map for us to see.
She points at a spot. “This is where we are.” Her finger travels east, to the mountain range that butts up against the city.
“We’ll need to hike a bit, but survivors haven’t closed off the city from the mountain range. "
“It’s because no one survives up there,” I answer, my mind flashing to Dr. Parker talking about the cult that left the safe zones.
“Exactly. We don’t need to go high, but we’ll have to go this way.” She looks at me then and says, “I’ve been saving the animal fur to make into outerwear. It’ll help.”
I blink. “You have? Why?” Has she been planning this all along?
She shrugs. “It’s best not to waste. Besides, it’s not like these homes are providing HVAC anymore. When it gets cold, we’ll be prepared.”
“Are you saying…that you expect to be here in the winter?’
Her eyebrows furrow. “Where else would we be?”
I shake my head, nerves threatening to out that I’m hoping this compromise falls through on her end. “I haven’t been thinking that far ahead,” I mumble, hoping the lie is believable.
Whether it is or not, she doesn’t push it, going back to the map and rolling it up. “We’ll also gather supplies along the way. Raiders aren’t out here consistently enough. It’s entirely possible there are things we’ll need that are still in some of these homes.”
“Sounds good.” I need to be alone for a moment, to get my bearings, to remind myself that I need to pull off this lie that I’m coming back with her.
So when she starts packing again, I move toward the bedroom before I hear, “There’s one other thing.”
I twist to face her, brows narrowed. “What’s that?”
Jordan licks her lips as her eyes flash. “We’ll encounter infected along the way, and I think I have a potential solution to keep them from attacking you.”
“Oh?” My ears perk up.
“Infected can scent non-infected blood,” she starts. “As we travel, your scent may attract them.” A shudder runs down my spine at being scented. “We’ll have to bathe you in my scent to hide yours.”
I must not have heard correctly. “Pardon?”
She crosses her arms, her legs widening as she stares me down. “I’ll wash you, which will cover your smell.”
An incredulous giggle bubbles in my throat. “No thanks.”
“It isn’t optional.”
“I am—that is—” My cheeks flame. “You are not going to be bathing me.”
Her eyes narrow. “It’s the only way to keep infected from—”
“Please, stop talking about my scent,” I whine, embarrassment making my body temperature spike. “Can’t being around you suffice?”
A muscle in her jaw ticks. I can’t believe she really thought I’d happily agree to this. “I doubt it. You getting killed along the way would defeat the purpose of this entire thing.”
Am I being stupid by refusing? I don’t care.
“I’ll be fine,” I push, face still hot.
She opens her mouth to fight me on it, but I rush out of the room, heading back into the bedroom for a moment to sort through everything bouncing around in my head.
I’m out of my depth here. I’m not a survivalist, and I certainly do not want this infected to be touching my naked body.
“What am I doing?” I rasp to myself, covering my face with my hands.
Do I really need to go back to the zone? Does anyone really need the information I carry? Parker is brilliant, and Taylor is one of the smartest people I know. They may disagree on how to solve this horrible puzzle, but I’m nowhere near essential.
But they haven’t seen what I have. They need to know.
This is for Harry, I remind myself, easing myself onto the bed. You need to do this for Harry.
Somehow, the words that used to calm me aren’t having the same effect anymore.