19. Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Shelby
I’m staring into nothing when our little group walks back to the truck. I should be curious about whether we’re heading toward certain death, but right now I’m too fucking tired to care.
I wrenched my ribs when I had my tantrum and slammed the truck door. Now I’m paying for it in spades.
The truck rocks again when Larry sits down in the passenger seat beside me, and I hide my wince behind my hair both disappointed and relieved that Nora slides into the driver's side.
She doesn’t comment until the others are in the back, saying as she puts the truck in gear, “We’re going the long way.”
With a small smile, I survey our surroundings while we reverse back up the road and head down the bisecting street.
Thankfully it’s relatively clear and after several miles I find myself nodding off again, although true sleep never comes as we maneuver between and around each new threat.
Despite being a smaller town, it’s still along the main corridor that leads between Portland and the capitol of Salem where many of whom may have been commuting when they met their end.
This would explain the backup on the interstate and as it turns out, all the streets that form a grid around the freeway.
With every stop we make to determine a new path, the sun continues its trek across the sky. As it turns out, taking the long way was not much quicker. However, the safety factor cannot be overstated because in most instances, we’re forced down a new street without having to leave the vehicle.
Sadly, what would have been macabre before has turned to mundane, although the images follow me into slumber and I’m not sure how much time has passed when I jerk awake to the sound of Cason knocking on the back window.
He mimes for us to pull over and beside me, Nora dips her head before rolling to a stop at the curb.
A few hundred feet beyond, I eye the sign proclaiming the building ahead of us, the local community college.
I assume we’re in a suburb north of Salem and from what I do know about the area, eventually the highway we’ve been following will end, forcing us to try the main interstate again or take backroads for the remainder of the trip.
It’s crazy to drive through even this smaller town and not see a single living soul but what’s more disturbing is that I don’t see them either.
Where are they? Perhaps, laying in wait to attack when we’re vulnerable or did they migrate somewhere else? Like Portland where the population is exponentially more dangerous.
With a shiver, I slide out of the truck and stretch my limbs. Although the sleep did me good, my aches and pains are still a crutch I can’t afford to have. Even worse, every time I’m forced to protect myself, I somehow manage to gain a new injury.
Thankfully the rain has abated but the clouds moving overhead indicate it may be temporary.
When Cason’s shadow looms above me, I know it’s him because he still bears a trace of the cologne I smelled when we first met. It’s laced with sweat much like my own but strangely, it doesn’t turn me off like it should.
With a wry smile that inspires Nora to raise a puzzled brow, I cock my head as Cason says, “It’s getting dark. I’d rather hit Salem in the daylight.”
Since I wholeheartedly agree, I nod while the others express their opinions, none of which are along the lines of, let’s risk our asses in the dark.
We have to find a place to stay though. No matter what we do, we’ll have to clear out a safe space, which is an oxymoron that makes me snort.
Now Cason is eyeing me strangely, but I merely look away. I’m over the Nate business and hoping he’ll back off while Cason forgets whatever he said as nonsense.
Obviously, Cason is handsome, and, in another life, he would have a lot to offer a woman like me. However, I killed my abusive husband days ago and I still bear the mark of his anger.
Cason hasn’t said much on the topic, but I suspect his relationship with his wife wasn’t exactly close and he’s battling his own demons the same as me.
We’re both fucked in the head and even if we weren’t, what are our options?
Play house at the end of the world? That’s a serious load of complete bullshit.
“What do you think, Shelby?” Cason asks and I blink back to the conversation, my cheeks heating.
I’m not exactly keen on admitting I wasn’t listening since Cason gets all grumpy and annoyed, but I honestly have no idea what he was saying and in this dangerous new world, I’m not down with agreeing to anything without all the information.
Thankfully, Nora saves me from sure disaster when she says, “I don't think it matters. Might as well try your way.”
I open my mouth to ask for details, only to swing around when Zoey lets out an ear-piercing wail. For the billionth time, I wish I had a weapon as I rush toward the truck, my heart in my throat.
Exactly when will the survival instincts that the rest of my group seem to grasp with ease transfer to me? When it’s too fucking late, I suspect.
Her wide eyes meet mine from the truck bed as I approach, the group following. I’m halfway over the side with my arms out to grab Zoey when Amanda says, “It’s just a stupid spider.”
Cason, who’s right beside me, pauses and I follow his gaze to the insect crawling along the side of the vehicle. Thankfully it’s tiny but I feel the shiver work its way down Cason’s spine before his grunt puffs against my ear and he jumps back.
Apparently, Cason’s fear of spiders supersedes the end of the world. I don’t even care that her shriek probably alerted the mob. It’s so completely adorable that I can’t hide my grin as Zoey says, “Spiders aren’t stupid. They’re gross.”
When Amanda rolls her eyes, Zoey tips her head to the sky and grumbles, “They are gross.”
I notice Cason stands clear of the danger until I swipe the insect away. After which, he says with a chuckle, “Gross?”
Refusing to be charmed by his dancing eyes or the low timbre of what is most assuredly not a sexy laugh, I look away as he lifts Zoey over the side before setting her gently on the ground.
Once done, he turns to the group and says, “All right, I don’t think it’s safe on the main street. Let’s try one of the blocks north.”
Since I’m busy pretending to be unaffected, I merely nod. I will find a weapon though because this is the last time I plan to be unprepared.
God willing.
Once again, Cason leads the charge, and we follow. Despite the extra sleep, I’m still dragging but I know better than to be left behind and ensure I’m not the last one on the road.
Since the previous house turned out to be more dangerous than anticipated considering the undead, Cason must be on the lookout for something a little more mundane.
At the corner, he looks both ways before crossing the intersection and stopping before a tiny house with a yard blooming with flowers and a birdbath set out front. As I slow to a stop, I hear him say, “There’s multiple options to exit.”
With it sitting on the corner, I see his point and look around the area with new eyes. Everything is a danger now and knowing my surroundings is paramount to my survival.
This block contains a slew of little homes built probably in the 50s. It’s clear by the well-tended lawn and trees that the people who live or lived here, I guess, cared about their space.
Frankly, it reminds me of my grandmother’s home and for a second, I’m filled with a weird sense of deja vu that crawls through my chest and ends with a burn.
Grandma Mae died over ten years ago, but I still remember the distinct smell of her house whenever we would visit, a combination of freshly baked apple pie and a musty odor that pervaded the historic home.
The last time I saw her, she was so far into the dementia stealing her mind that she didn’t recognize me. It killed my soul but reminded me to live my life because at any moment it could be taken away. Too bad I didn’t listen, and my newfound freedom came at the end of the fucking world.
When Zoey slides her tiny hand into mine, I shake off the memories and look down, my lips lifting into a smile when she musters her own shy grin.
Thankful for the distraction, I squeeze her fingers, but my thoughts are derailed once again when I catch movement in the distance.
It’s not them this time but that doesn’t mean much to me.
I hardly have a reason to trust a living breathing human either.
The irony doesn’t escape me as I point my finger and say, “Over there.”
I know he’s cautious based upon his own experience as a police officer but I’m still relieved that he’s as suspicious as me when Cason swings around, his shoulders stiff. It makes my own neuroses seem less fucking tragic.
The duo approaches with the same caution if the curl to the woman’s shoulders is anything to go by. Her companion, a veritable giant, drops his arm to his sides, revealing the breadth of his chest. Either he’s a fitness fanatic or was a professional athlete before the end.
He cocks his head, causing the diamond stud in his left ear to sparkle in the light. Behind him, the woman meets my gaze and her eyes round before she drops her chin and sidles closer to the man.
Is she shy? Or cowed? I can’t help the thoughts circling my brain because before Ben locked me away, I acted similarly but I shouldn’t make assumptions based on my own experiences.
“That’s far enough,” Cason says, and the two stop about twenty feet away.
I notice from the corner of my eyes the way his hand drops to his holster as the man says, “We saw you over there.”
He points to the road where we parked the truck and continues, “We were holed up back there. It’s not safe. There’s a crowd of them suckers trapped inside the fence down there but it’s coming down.”
“Where?” Cason asks and the man points over my shoulder. When I glance back, I see what could be the border of a school based upon the grassy field in my view.