Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(18)

“Hey!” Evelyn snapped. “She made a good point!”

“No,” I said quickly, reaching out to grab her hand. “He’s right, I wasn’t thinking. We should head south.”

Evelyn gave my hand a conciliatory squeeze but said nothing. However, it was hard to miss the fire in her eyes as she glared at Alex.

“South, it is,” Alex muttered. “Let’s go.”





Chapter Eight



Evelyn

The fire in my belly burned long after the kill had ended. True, the kill had been messy and reckless, and I knew I needed more practice, but it had been glorious. To sink bullet after bullet into the infected, to watch them die…again. It had been a bitter ointment for my fractured heart.

The ache in my chest was a constant reminder that at some point I would have to stop and think about Jami. I’d have to think about the loss I had taken, the life he had given up, both for me and for the chance at freedom. His death was another reason I wouldn’t let this all be in vain, another reason why we had to survive.

But not now. I couldn’t think about it now.

Gritting my teeth, I jutted out my chin as we all climbed back inside the truck, willing myself to stay strong. We continued down the vacant road, and Alex turned onto the first highway we came across. It was a dusty graveyard, a never-ending obstacle course of cars, skeletons, fallen trees, and debris. There was no sign of any infected for miles, but even after several hours had passed, I found myself still longing to kill more of them. That last encounter had lit a fire in me, and I found myself itching to sink a bullet or a blade into another, and end it.

He’d kissed me good-bye.

My breath snagged in my throat, Jami’s face coming to the forefront of my mind. Leisel squeezed my hand, and startled, I glanced at her, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Are you hungry?” I asked her. “You need to eat. No point starving yourself, you’ll get weak.”

“There’s some food in the bag, but it’s not much,” Alex said, not bothering to take his eyes off the road.

Climbing over Leisel’s knees, I found Alex’s backpack wedged behind the bench seat. There was some bread and fruit, apples and berries mostly, and some meat. I scowled at the meager supplies, knowing we needed to ration our food and water; this wasn’t going to last us more than a day, two at most.

“How did you get the meat?” I asked Alex.

Meat was a rarity. In Fredericksville, only once a month would there be a culling of our livestock. The majority of it was cured so that it lasted longer. But this meat was fresh, and still unsalted.

“I stole it,” Alex said, his voice as blank as his expression.

I nodded once, my mouth flattening into a thin, determined line as I began to divide the food between us, giving us equal amounts of meat, bread, and fruit. Alex ate while he drove, one hand never leaving the wheel, while Leisel picked at hers for a long while before falling back to sleep.

“How you doing?” Alex asked quietly, glancing at me.

“Fine, you?” I retorted cockily.

I could tell he thought I was just a feeble woman, that I’d break down anytime and soon he’d have to care for two broken women. But I wouldn’t break down. I had to be strong for Leisel, and that thought gave me enough strength to keep my tears at bay.

A small smile curved his lips. “Pass me the water,” was his only reply.

We slipped back into silence, the low hum of the engine lulling me, making me drowsy. I was just on the edge of sleep, about to slip over into oblivion, when Alex called my name. I was instantly alert, sitting up straight in my seat and searching for threats, only to find Alex pointing to an upturned car in the middle of the road up ahead, blocking our path. Heavy steel guardrails boxed us in on either side, leaving us little choice but to somehow move the vehicle.

Leisel was still sound asleep, and I decided to leave her be. She needed her rest, a chance to calm and gather her thoughts, find a way to accept everything that had happened over the past several days, and hopefully wake up ready for this new world.

After Alex pulled the truck to a stop, I followed him out to the road, tightly gripping my gun as I scanned the area for any infected. When we didn’t find any signs of others, living or dead, we proceeded toward the car. It was little more than a rusted-out shell, with bits and pieces of mangled metal strewn across the road.

As we drew closer, we noticed something odd, some sort of movement coming from within. We got closer to the vehicle, squatting down on our heels to look inside, only to find the driver of the vehicle, or what was left of him, was still seated behind the wheel, pinned in place by the broken steering column. Hearing us, it turned toward us, its jaw snapping, a raspy hungry noise erupting from its decaying throat.

I raised my gun, ready to shoot it and put it out of its misery, but Alex placed a hand on my arm, stopping me.

“We need to save our bullets,” he said, and handed me a knife. “Straight through the head. He’s an old one, should be soft.”

I knew why he wanted me to do it, instead of him. He was testing me, determining whether I would be of any use to him out here. Taking the knife from him, I purposefully stalked closer to the car. As I reached the driver’s side and bent down to look inside again, the infected became frantic. It reached out an arm weakly for me, flailing against the door to get to me as its neck strained, its jaw still snapping wildly.