100 Days in Deadland (Deadland Saga, #1)(39)

When it reached for me, I swung. Its head lobbed off and bounced on the ground. Its fingers had tangled in the fence, and I kicked the body, sending it backward into the ditch. Its hat had fallen off and landed near the head.

I leaned over the fence and watched the head for a good ten minutes. The f*cking thing just kept watching me, moving its mouth. I narrowed my eyes but couldn’t see any kind of humanity left in its gaze. Its eyes were truly devoid of anything.

After scanning the area one more time, I climbed over the fence, looked at the head, and then brought the heel of my foot down. Its front teeth shattered. I stomped again and again until the skull crushed inward and the mouth finally stilled.

I picked up the hat and tossed it onto the body. The smell would be worse tomorrow, when I could safely move the zed’s body farther away and cover it with dirt since we’d decided to quit burning the zeds we took down. It was too much work and the smoke could be seen and smelled from too far away.

The crickets resumed their chirping. The stars still shone brightly, happy in their places so far away from a world consumed by death. And so I climbed back over the fence and continued my patrol.

I rehydrated every hour. At four a.m., I headed into the house to check on the guys. Jase was sleeping soundly on the couch, a paperback copy of the SAS Survival Handbook sprawled open across his chest. I gently tugged it from under his hand, dog-eared the page, and set it on the floor. I tiptoed up the stairs and paused outside Clutch’s room. Muffled grunts came from the other side. Every night was the same. A couple hours after he fell asleep, the nightmares would come.

Every other night, I listened, waiting for him to wake or fall back into a restful sleep.

Tonight, I turned the knob and entered.

Clutch lay in the middle of the bed, the sheets tossed around him. His skin gleamed with sweat. He grunted and jerked, lost within his dream.

Careful to not disturb him, I sat down on the edge of the mattress. I reached out and laid my palm on his chest. His blade swung out.

I sucked in a breath.

He stopped just before slicing my throat ear to ear. Blinking, his eyes grew wide. “Jesus.” He fell back onto the mattress, pulling the knife away. “Fuck, Cash. I could’ve killed you.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “You were having a bad dream.” Again.

He rolled onto his side, facing away from me. “It was nothing.”

I slid up on the bed, sitting with my back against the headboard. “Tell me about it.”

“Everything all right outside?” he asked instead.

I sighed, disappointed. “Just one. No problems.”

“What time is it?” he asked, sounding all too tired himself.

“Four.”

He sat up. “I can take over the patrol now.”

“No,” I replied, not moving. “I’m wide awake.”

He lay for a moment before sighing. “What are you doing?”

“I’m staying until you fall asleep.”

After several long seconds, he gave me his back. “Have it your way.”

I rested my head against the headboard and sat there in silence, waiting. I remembered when I’d had bad dreams as a kid, my dad would stay with me until I fell asleep. His presence chased away the imaginary monsters. I had no idea if it would help Clutch. His monsters were bigger and badder, but I couldn’t let him go on every night facing them alone.

After Clutch’s breathing became deep and regular, I crept from his room, grabbed another protein bar, and headed back outside. I had time to make another pass around the farm before the sky morphed from black to purple to orange. The world, for once, was at peace, and I savored watching the sun rise over the horizon.

Clutch emerged from the house looking refreshed, and we were ready to hit the road before the sun was fully over the horizon, with dew still creating sparkles on the grass. Jase limped outside to see us off, leaning on a tall stick for support, and armed to the teeth.

“I swear it, guys,” Jase said. “It doesn’t hurt bad. Take your time. I’ll cover the place today.”

Clutch nodded at Jase’s stick. “Then why are you still using your crutch?”

Jase pursed his lips.

Clutch narrowed his eyes. “The only way you’re staying behind is if you can shimmy up on the roof. That way, you can scan while you start replacing the busted shingles.”

Jase grinned. “Heck, yeah, I can do that.”

“Be sure to bring plenty of ammo with you. Watching for looters and zeds is more important than patching the roof,” Clutch added. He started to turn, then paused. “Oh, and use a mallet. I don’t want you drawing every zed in a ten-mile radius.”

Jase gave an enthusiastic nod. “You bet!” He grabbed his stick and hopped back into the house.

I smirked. “You were planning on letting him stay behind all along.”

He shrugged. “Ready?”

I held out my hand. “After you.”

With a fleeting smile, he headed toward the truck, and I followed.

On our drive, we came across a group of zeds feasting on a cow while the rest of the herd huddled together in the far corner of the pasture. I gripped my rifle tighter.

“We need to conserve our ammo,” Clutch said as though reading my thoughts. “They’re still a ways from the farm. Maybe they’ll keep moving on.”