Broken World (Book 6): Forgotten World (7 page)

“It didn’t. That’s what I wanted you to know. It didn’t mean anything.” Ginny pauses, and I hear her take a deep breath. “I was scared. That’s all it was.”

“I know,” Axl says firmly. “Never thought it was anythin’ else.”

Ginny clears her throat. “I’m going to tell her. I just have to figure out a good time. Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

“‘Course she will. Vivian ain’t petty, and she’s gonna understand.” Now Axl’s voice is soft like he’s trying to comfort Ginny. I’m glad. They used to get along. Used to like each other, and I want it to be that way again.

“Good,” Ginny says. “Because I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell her the truth.”

I wait for them to say more. To explain what happened and what all this tension has been about. To give me a heads up on what I can expect. Nothing happens, though. There are footsteps, and cabinets open. There’s a clink of metal against ceramic like someone is stirring a cup of coffee. That’s it, though. No conversation. Nothing to tell me what all this has been about.

After a few seconds, I give up and head for the kitchen. So Ginny has something she wants to tell me. So what? I don’t know what it is, but I do know I will give her the chance to explain. It’s only fair. We don’t have much time left together, after all.

“Morning,” I say, forcing out a yawn as I head into the kitchen. Acting like I didn’t hear a thing.

Ginny’s eyes get huge. “Hi!” she says, her voice high. Like she’s going through puberty, not about to have a baby.

I freeze. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she says, shaking her head. “Coffee?”

She turns away, and when I glance at Axl, he isn’t looking at me either. It’s a little weird, considering they were just talking about
me
, but maybe Ginny isn’t ready to talk about it. She did just work things out with Axl. She may need more time before she talks to me about whatever happened.

“Here you go,” Ginny says, flashing me a huge—and forced—smile when she turns back around with a cup of coffee in her hand.

“Thanks,” I say, returning her fake smile.

I take a sip, savoring the hot liquid like it might be my last cup of coffee ever. Which it could. There are a lot of things we may not be able to start making again any time soon. Even if Atlanta and a few other places are back on their feet, we don’t have coffee beans. It’s all going to take time.

“We excited about this meeting?” I ask, smiling over my coffee.

Axl shakes his head. “Excited ain’t the word I was gonna use.” He glances toward the clock. “We got an hour before it starts, but I’m gonna head out now. Talk to Angus and figure out what we’re gonna do ‘bout this whole thing. I want all of us there, too, so I better give everybody a heads up.”

“Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll get dressed and head your way in a little bit.”

Axl nods. He downs the rest of his coffee as he crosses the room, setting the mug in the sink when it’s empty. On his way back out, he pauses long enough to kiss me on the side of the head, but it’s half-hearted. An afterthought rather than a necessity.

He heads out of the kitchen, his footsteps pounding across the floor on the way to the front door.

“What’s going on?” Ginny says the second the door has shut.

“What do you mean?” I ask even though the nagging thought that met me when I first woke up this morning hasn’t gone away.

“Something’s bugging you.”

There’s fear in her eyes, but I don’t know why she’s scared, and I don’t have it in me to figure it out right now. Not when I’m thinking about what I want to say to Axl.

I put my cup down and let out a deep sigh. “We’ve gotten too comfortable, which would be fine if we were a normal couple and these were normal times. But they’re not, and we’re getting ready to go back out there. We need to remember how dangerous it is.”

“You need to talk to him. To clear things up so you aren’t stressed when you head out there. You want to be confident. Right?”

“Right.”

“Then you need to talk to him,” Ginny says. “Today. Don’t wait. Get it all out in the open so you can figure out what’s going on. Tell him how you feel.”

She’s right. I can’t wait any longer. Life isn’t going to get less stressful any time soon.

7

THE OFFICE IS even more crowded than the first time we were here, but this time Axl doesn’t settle for hanging out in the hall. He pushes his way through the group of men shoved into the small space, his hand wrapped firmly around mine as he goes. Angus is behind us, but he’s the only one who follows.

Elbows and arms knock into me, but I keep pace with Axl. We’re going out there, so we want to be in on the planning. It isn’t just about not trusting Dax, either. We’re used to calling the shots for our group, and there’s no way in hell we’re going to cross a zombie-infested country without knowing what we can expect from these men. Men who are definitely not interested in having us along and will most likely sacrifice our lives if it comes down to it.

“Watch it,” a big man growls when Axl pushes him aside.

He doesn’t bat an eye, and he doesn’t slow.

We finally make it through the crowd, and the desk comes into view. On it sits the ham radio, and in the chair, Corinne is leaning forward. Adjusting the dials with her eyes focused straight ahead. Behind her, Dax looms like he’s ready to shove her aside so he can take over. When he looks up, his gaze meets mine. At the moment, his usual smile is gone, and with the way he’s standing, I can’t help thinking of a statue of some evil dictator who slaughtered half his country during a takeover. Someone who doesn’t have an ounce of sympathy for others or value human life outside his own. It sends a shiver shooting through me, and every hair on my body tingles as it stands on end. This guy is even more trouble than we originally thought.

“We’re just getting through to Atlanta,” he says, his tone strong and cool.

I nod and step closer to Axl.

“You don’t have to be here.” Dax’s gaze moves from me to Axl, then over to Angus. “You don’t need to be concerned. You are our number one priority.”

“If you think I’m gonna let you folks drag me out there without knowin’ what the hell to expect, you’re outta your damn mind.” Angus shakes his head and crosses his arms, glaring Dax’s way. “I don’t doubt that you wanna get me to Atlanta in one piece, but I’m gonna make sure I know what I’m in for.”

Dax frowns, but before he can say anything, a voice crackles through the air. All around us, a hush falls over the crowd, and in the chair, Corinne sits up straighter.

“This is Major Hendrix, over.”

“Major Hendrix,” Corinne says into the receiver. “This is Hope Springs. We’re calling to let you know we have a group together, and they’ll be heading your way at the beginning of next week. Over.”

“Why next week?” the man on the other end says. “Why not earlier? Over.”

Corinne lifts her head and looks around, her eyes landing on Angus. “We need time to prepare. Over.”

Dax shifts behind Corinne, and her shoulders slump forward. Almost like she’s trying to keep her distance. I study them as Corinne continues her conversation with the man out in Atlanta. The way she shies away from the big man behind her, how her eyes cloud over whenever Dax makes a sound. We were right. Corinne is trying to get rid of him. He’s threatened her position in the past, and he won’t stop. She knows it, so she’s sending him away. He may know it too, which doesn’t bode well for our trip. It concerns me that this man would be in charge of getting us across the country. Sure, he’ll keep Angus alive, but he doesn’t give a shit about the rest of us.

The big man’s eyes narrow on the back of Corinne’s head, and Axl swears, shaking his head.

“You okay?” I whisper.

“This dude is dangerous.”

Axl’s voice is low, but we’re packed in so tight that I’m worried someone will hear us, so I take his hand and pull him with me as I push my way back through the crowd. Angus glances our way, but he doesn’t move. Good. I want him to stay so he can find out what the plan is, but I want to be able to discuss this whole thing with Axl now. Before things get out of hand or we lose control of this situation.

We make it into the hall, and the crowd thins out. It’s cooler, and the air is fresher. I hadn’t realized how stuffy it was in the packed office until now.

Across the hall, Jon, Ginny, Parvarti, Lila, and Al stand, talking.

“I hadn’t thought of it before,” Lila says, shaking her head. “But Jon could be right.”

“Right about what?” I ask when we stop in front of the group.

Al holds up his stump. “The bite. Jon brought something up I hadn’t thought of before. What if I’m immune to this thing? What if cutting my arm off didn’t do a thing to stop the virus?”

All thoughts of Dax and Atlanta disappear, and suddenly all I can think about is the day Al was bitten. About holding his good hand while Joshua tortured the poor kid by cutting his arm off. Lila crying. All the blood. How weak he was for weeks after that. There were times when I was sure he was going to die, and Jon is absolutely right. It all could have been for nothing.

“It can’t be…” I shake my head, and I want to look around at everyone else so I can figure out what they’re thinking, but at the moment, all I can do is stare at Al’s stump.

“Don’t bring it up to Joshua,” Al says, and I finally pull my gaze away from what’s left of his arm. “We didn’t know it was even possible, so we did what we had to do. The doc is going through enough shit right now, he doesn’t need this thrown on top of it all.” Al grins and glances toward Lila. “Plus, chicks dig scars.”

The other teen rolls her eyes. “Please.”

Al just chuckles and wraps his good arm around her.

“What’s going on in there?” Jon asks, nodding toward the crowded office at our backs.

“Just talkin’ to Atlanta ‘bout us comin’,” Axl says, but shoves his hand through his hair. “I gotta tell you though, that asshole has got me worried.”

“Dax?” Ginny whispers, her eyes darting to the door behind us.

I glance back, but no one is paying attention to us. They’re all still focused on whatever Corinne is talking to the guy in Atlanta about.

“Yeah,” Axl says. “He’s got an ego bigger than I’ve ever seen. I’m worried he’s gonna put us all in danger.”

“Do you think Corinne would put someone else in charge?” I ask, focusing on Ginny. She seems to know the leader of this group pretty well, and it’s possible she might have some pull when it comes to Corinne. “If we asked her, that is.”

Ginny exhales. “I don’t think so.”

“Because she wants to get him off her back,” I say flatly.

Ginny nods, and around me, everyone else shuffles. When I glance toward Lila and Al, I can tell the reality of what we are about to face hits them. We aren’t afraid to go out there. We’ve been on the road before. Spent weeks just wandering, looking for somewhere safe that might not even exist. We survived. But we did it together. We worked as more than a team. We were a family—still are—and if we have to do it all again, we can. But the idea of being out there with someone who isn’t on our team…that’s the scary part. That’s the part that will get one or more of us killed.

Before anyone has had a chance to say something else, the crowd begins to break up. Men pass, glancing our way, their eyes narrowed and suspicious. It’s like they think we’re plotting to run off and take Angus with us, when all we really want to do is be with him and be part of the group that will keep him safe. We are definitely the outsiders, and it’s obvious by the hostility radiating off everyone in this group.

Axl heads for the door when the room has mostly cleared. I’m right behind him, and at my back, the others follow as well. Inside, Corinne, Dax, Angus, and another man I don’t know are crowded around the desk. In the corner, Jim stands with his arms crossed over his chest. So still and silent I’m not even sure if the others know he’s there. But he’s watching. Waiting to find out what’s going on.

The new guy is as dark as Corinne and almost as big as Dax but even more muscular.

“This is Donovan,” Dax says when we stop in front of them. “He’s kind of my second in command. Unofficially, of course.” Dax shoots a look at Corinne that is cloaked in hostility, but she doesn’t even blink.

“Atlanta is all ready for you,” she says instead of responding to Dax’s comment. She has the best poker face I’ve ever seen.

“So we leave Monday?” I ask.

It’s Wednesday, which gives us less than a week. I’m torn over the news. On one hand, I’m ready to be on the road and get this over with. On the other hand, I don’t feel prepared. It doesn’t seem like enough time to plan such a long trip.

“Monday,” Dax says firmly. “It will probably take us two days, which means in just a week we’ll be safe and sound in Atlanta.”

“Two days?” Al says doubtfully.

“It took us weeks to get from Vegas to Colorado.” Parvarti shakes her head. “Two days seems optimistic.”

“Weeks?” Dax snorts. “You guys sure know how to drag your feet.”

None of us moves as the tension that already surrounded our group mounts and expands, filling the empty space around us.

“We didn’t drag our feet,” Axl says through clenched teeth. “We worked our asses off, but the world has gone to shit.”

Dax shakes his head. “Well, we’re prepared. It will be fine. Even if we run into a horde, all we’ll have to do is run them down.”

“You can run a small horde down,” I say, “but when there are hundreds, it’s a little harder.”

“Hundreds?” Corinne’s eyes are huge as she looks us over. “You’ve seen hundreds?”

“Of course they haven’t,” Dax says, waving her worries off. “These things are dead. They don’t have the ability to think, and they don’t travel in packs like dogs. They walk in circles. I’ve seen it. I’ve been out there just as much as they have.”

“I think you’re underestimating the risks,” I say, trying again. Hoping he’ll listen to reason.

“I think you all have been out there for too long.” Dax shoves himself off the desk. “I have things to do if we want to leave on Monday.”

He doesn’t give us a second look as he heads for the door, and none of us speak. Not even after he’s disappeared. We just stand there in silence, each of us no doubt going through a list of things that could go wrong. It’s a long list, too.

“Have you seen hundreds?” Corinne asks, finally breaking the silence.

I turn to face her, holding her gaze. “I wouldn’t have said it if we hadn’t.”

Corinne exhales.

“We gotta talk ‘bout this guy,” Axl says. “He’s dangerous.”

“I know.” She doesn’t even try to cushion the blow. “But he’s more dangerous here. Out there you’ll be safe in the bus, and then you’ll be in Atlanta and they can worry about controlling Dax. I don’t want him here. Not anymore. He’s risking everything we’ve worked to build.” Corinne gets to her feet like the matter has been settled.

Before she can get anywhere, Axl steps in front of her. “You can’t send him out there with us. We gotta get Angus to Atlanta in one piece, and that asshole is gonna put us all at risk.”

“It’s already been decided,” Corinne says firmly. She straightens up even more, emphasizing her height. She’s almost as tall as Axl and very imposing for such a soft-spoken woman. “Dax will get you there. It’s his mission, and he takes it very seriously.”

Axl swears and shakes his head, and Al and Lila glare at Corinne. I’m not thrilled with her either, but I don’t bother with the dirty looks. We aren’t going to get rid of Dax, which means we need to be sure we’re covered out there. And that we know what to expect once we get to Atlanta.

“What’s the word from Atlanta?” I ask.

Corinne turns my way, her eyes moving over me like she’s looking at me for the first time. “They’re ready, as I said.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it. What can Angus expect when he gets there? We’ve been assured that all of this is up to him, and I want to make sure they understand that.”

“They know Angus is doing this of his own free will, and they’ve promised that he won’t be a prisoner.” She glances toward the man in question. “However, he will have to live at the CDC. They want to make sure he’s safe. The city is secure, but things are still precarious. As you know. They feel it will be safer for him to live close to the lab.”

“You okay with that?” Axl asks his brother.

“Long as they don’t try an’ stop me from smokin’, I don’t give a shit.”

“That’s something you’ll have to take up with them,” Corinne says.

“What else is going on out there?” Ginny asks. “It’s been a while since I was in on the calls.”

Corinne exhales and leans against the desk. “They’ve made more progress on the new antibiotics. It seems that when this virus was released, it didn’t just start the zombie apocalypse. Something about it has mutated even simple infections, making them stronger. Resistant to a lot of the drugs we had before all this. The CDC has been working to fix that.”

“Wow,” I say, shaking my head. Thinking of Jake and how fast his illness took him. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered if we’d gotten the antibiotics sooner. He might have died anyway.

“Yes.” Corinne nods once, then glances at Ginny. “They’ve also managed to keep a second baby alive. Just like the first, it got sick shortly after birth but responded well to the antibiotics.”