Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(113)

I nodded. “So far, so good. Still driving. The roads are a mess, though.”

Shrugging out of the blanket, she sat up, letting it slide to her feet. “Where are we?”

Laughing, I glanced sideways at her. “I have no idea, but it’s pretty, right? And look…” I pointed up through the open roof toward the eagle.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, sitting up straighter. “That’s amazing.”

“It’s been following us for about an hour.” I grinned at her. “I think it’s a good sign.”

Leisel smiled, her brown eyes glowing a burnished gold beneath the sun. “I agree, it’s definitely a good sign. Although…” Turning back to me, she frowned.

Glancing at her cautiously, I held my smile, refusing to let anything ruin this peaceful moment. “What?”

“You kind of stink,” she whispered, wrinkling up her nose. “And I’m pretty sure that’s brain matter you have on your shirt.”

Looking down on the dried gore encrusting nearly every inch of my clothing, I scowled. “I know,” I said with a sigh. “We need to find somewhere to clean up, but”—I glanced sideways at her—“I’m scared to stop.”

“I know,” she said softly, dropping her gaze. “I am too.”

She turned back to stare at the road and we lapsed into silence, just as the eagle above let out another loud squawk. Shielding her eyes, Leisel turned her face toward the sky, watching as it hovered, its great wings outstretched, and her smile began to slowly return. Seeing this, my own smile came back to me, and I refocused on the road with a sigh.

“There’s a sign up ahead,” Leisel announced, leaning forward to peer out the dirty windshield. “For lodging, I think.”

Another mountainside loomed up beside us, giving us a brief reprieve from the sun. Slowing down the Jeep, I pulled up alongside the surprisingly still intact road sign that boasted a variety of fast food restaurants and hotels.

“I don’t know,” I said, hesitating. “Looks like it was some kind of ski resort town. Towns mean people, and people means—”

“Infected,” Leisel finished. “I know. We could drive through, have a look around. If we see any infected, we’ll just get back on the highway, right?” She looked at me, her brow lifted in question.

Biting down on the inside of my cheek, I felt my stitches pull, pain shooting up and down the nerves in my face. “Shit,” I muttered, knowing I needed to clean and dress my many wounds. If only Alex were here with us, I wouldn’t have been so apprehensive. Though the infected were a huge threat, the living were more so, the men especially.

“Eve,” Leisel said, touching my arm. “Eventually we’re going to have to stop somewhere. We don’t have a lot of gas left.”

“I know,” I whispered, glancing at her. “I just—”

“We’ll be okay,” she said firmly, giving me a strong smile. “I promise.”

Her resolve cemented it. With a brief nod of my head, I pulled the car forward again and back onto the road.

“Since when did you become the voice of reason?” I muttered.

“Since you decided to be the pessimistic one.”

Grinning, I looked back at her. “Ready for some skiing?” I joked.

“I hope you brought your snowsuit,” she quipped back. “According to the sign, they have the best manufactured snow in the South.”

We were both laughing as I turned onto the exit ramp, a strained sort of laughter, but laughter nonetheless.

? ? ?

“I can’t believe it,” Leisel said, drawing out her words slowly as she glanced around the room in wonderment. “It’s…it’s virtually untouched.”

Much like the rest of the town, the small bed and breakfast we’d chosen to check out was exactly that. Entirely untouched and with no infected to speak of.

We’d chosen this particular building for two reasons. It was a two-story bed and breakfast sitting well off the main drag, on top of a steep ravine, hidden by a thick stand of trees, and it hadn’t been looted. In fact, there were no signs of any violence having occurred. Aside from a few broken windows, the layers of dust coating everything within it, and the small forms of wildlife that had made their nests inside, the structure had held up rather nicely. Fully furnished, each of the four bedrooms boasted queen-sized beds, and although filthy, were still made up with their original linens. Towels remained folded neatly on shelves, and several water bottles sat untouched inside the small refrigerators.

Picking up a brochure lying on the dressing table, I skimmed over it. “There’s a sightseeing tour at noon today, Lei, down a ‘naturally crafted 164-foot ravine bursting with nature and wildlife,’” I said, waving the dusty pamphlet in the air. “I know how much you love that shit.”

“We could stay here for a while,” she whispered, ignoring my joke. Her eyes filled with tears, and there was a slight tremor in her voice. “Until we figure something else out.”

“We should,” I agreed. “But before we do that, I need to wash.” Gesturing at my clothing, I made a face. The smell of myself was making me feel light-headed and downright queasy. Grabbing a plastic jug full of water from the pile of supplies we’d hauled inside, I headed toward the bathroom.