Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(50)
Four long years…
I sighed noisily, drawing Alex’s attention. Ignoring him, I closed my eyes, my thoughts drifting away with me. By talking about the past, Leisel had opened a wound inside of me that had yet to truly heal, forcing me to remember things I couldn’t afford to remember, happier times that were of no use to me now.
Yet I couldn’t stop the flood of memories, the image of Shawn lying in bed beside me, snoring softly, a silly smile on his lax features after a full night of lovemaking. And of Leisel, the way her nose had always wrinkled in disgust when I’d attempted cooking, and of how she’d eaten it regardless of the taste. Every last bit of it.
I thought of my mother, my father, my juvenile delinquent of a little brother, the smell of pine and cookies at Christmastime, the warm sand beneath my fingers during summers spent lounging at the beach, of Leisel’s horrible fashion sense, and the way Thomas had never once looked at her with anything but utter adoration.
How much simpler things had been, and how naive we’d all been because of it, complaining about mundane things like bills and dentist appointments.
What I wouldn’t give to have all that back, where my only real concern was making sure I paid my mortgage on time.
Chapter Twenty-One
Leisel
We drove endlessly, only stopping to eat, sleep, or when Alex would hunt for food and fresh water. We drove down sad and desolate highways and back roads, too many to count, always careful to avoid towns, no matter how empty or debilitated they seemed from afar. No, we’d learned our lesson and would not be making the same mistake twice.
We continued to drive, stopping at night to sleep, and only sleeping in shifts. Either Alex or Evelyn would remain awake, keeping guard outside the truck, while I was always allowed a good night’s sleep. When morning came, either Alex or Evelyn would drive while the other slept. And there I would be, feeling more and more useless with each passing day.
For the most part, the states we passed through seemed to be in a stasis of sorts, not a sign of life to be seen or heard. Occasionally, we’d pass small, sleepy groups of infected who, as soon as we drove on, became quickly disinterested in us. We searched abandoned vehicles, taking anything that could be of use to us—clothing, tools, anything that could be used as weapon, and then we’d move on, avoiding neighborhoods or once-populated areas at all costs.
Through a long stretch of land, where the patches of forest were few and far between and small game was scarce, we’d been forced to stop twice in search of food. Once at a rest area just off the interstate, and again at a gas station on the outskirts of a large city.
Both places had been overrun with infected, something we hadn’t realized beforehand. And both times Alex and Evelyn had come running out of the buildings, shouting and screaming for me to “DRIVE!”
With barely enough time as groups of infected chased behind them, I’d hopped into the driver’s seat. Just as Alex yanked closed the passenger door behind Evelyn and him, and the infected were throwing their mangled bodies into the side of the truck, I’d slammed down on the gas pedal and peeled away in a cloud of smoke. All of that, and only for a meager bag of sugar-coated candy that hadn’t spoiled, and a lone bag of beef jerky so rock hard I could hardly manage to sink my teeth into it.
After that I demanded to be allowed to drive, allowing either Alex or Evelyn to sleep while I took my turn. I even went as far as to offer to take guard during the night, but was quickly shot down by both my best friend and my…my boyfriend? Was that what Alex was, or was becoming?
To date, there hadn’t been much time for conversation, at least nothing of the personal variety, so I’d kept my questions and my musings to myself. The nights Alex wasn’t on guard, I’d slept in his arms, and the nights he was, I missed his warmth. We snuck kisses here and there, gentle touches and sweet embraces, but only when Evelyn was asleep or off relieving herself in private.
As we made our way farther south, the leaves on the trees grew greener, the foliage fuller, the cold nights and dropping temperatures receded into warm nights and even hotter days. In addition to feeling disgusting and dirty, I was restless, both physically and mentally. I wanted to have the privacy with Alex to take our blossoming relationship to the next level of intimacy. I was tired of just kissing, sick of being handled so carefully by him.
In fact, I was sick of the both of them, Alex and Evelyn, never allowing me to do much of anything. One or both of them always seemed to be glued to my side, never allowing me a moment to myself.
Only three days after breaching a warmer climate, we ended up running out of gas, and some small part of me, agitated and only worsening with each passing day, raw from overthinking and needing more of…anything, was glad for it. We were all hungry, we were warm and uncomfortable, and strung out from having spent far too long living basically on top of one another. None of us were in a particularly pleasant mood, but Alex and Evelyn seemed hell-bent on taking their frustrations out on each other, leaving me stuck in the middle.
“We should have stopped at that barn,” Evelyn grumbled as she wiped the gathering sweat from her brow. I climbed out of the truck after her, taking in our new surroundings.
It was warm here, much warmer than up north, the temperature rising with every mile we traveled. Three days ago I’d rid myself of my long-sleeved shirt, trading it for one of the summer dresses we’d found back at the cabin. It was a thin, gauzy sort of linen, an olive-green color with spaghetti straps, and a hemline that ended just above my knee. I’d completed the look with Alex’s duty belt, the same one he’d been given in Fredericksville. On it, Alex had replaced his gun holster with a knife sheath from his boot, and now my small blade rested securely at my hip.