Find Me (Life After the Outbreak, Book 2) (17 page)

I shoved my bow into my bag and walked over to the girls. Even if they had weapons, I could tell they would be too afraid to use them.
 

"You girls out here on your own?"

"Maybe we are, and maybe we aren't. What's it to you?"

I laughed. If nothing else, at least they tried to act tough. Or, the one did. The others kept quiet and remained behind her.
 

"Okay, let's try this again. I'm Andi. Nice to meet you." I held out my hand to the spunky one, who was clearly in charge.

She glanced down at it, then eyed my backpack.

"You got any food in there?"

They all looked hungry, like they hadn't eaten in days.

I smiled. "I do, and I'll be glad to share some with you. Though, it would be nice to know your names first."

She took my hand and gave it a quick shake, as if she had never done it before. "I'm Sam."

"Nice to meet you Sam." I peered around at the other two and held my hand out to them as well.
 

The smaller one, a little waif with light brown hair and bright blue eyes took it first. "Sandy," she squeaked out and stepped back behind Sam.
 

The third, a darker blonde with big brown eyes, was more hesitant. She eyed my hand and looked over me. She shook her head as if to say 'no thanks,’ and I knew she wasn't about to take my hand. The little one stepped up and told me her name was Allie.

I pulled a few of the MREs I took from Janet's pack and tossed them to each of the girls. They tore into them and devoured the food like it was a gourmet meal. My guess was that they hadn't eaten in a while, because no one else ate that garbage with enthusiasm.
 

I sat down on the ground with them and waited for them to finish eating.

"So I'm guessing you girls are alone out here?" Not that I really had to guess. It was a no-brainer.
 

"We are now," Allie said, around gulps of food. "We can take care of ourselves."

"Yeah, I can see that. You have no weapons, or food, and you're sitting in the middle of an open field being loud enough for me to hear you down the road. You girls are doing great."

Sam snorted. "You don't know if we have weapons. Maybe we are just letting you think we don't."

She was a pretty girl and she reminded me of myself when I first found myself on my own.

"Look, I'm not a threat to you, so you can drop the attitude. If you had weapons, you would have had them drawn. You girls aren't going to make it long if you don't get some survival skills. Why are you on your own anyway?"

"We were with a some people not that far from here, but a giant horde came through last week and wiped everyone out. Some soldiers came to help, but there was only so much they could do. They got the zombies, but we were the only ones to survive," Sandy said.

"And they just left you out here alone?" That had to be our military, but I couldn't imagine them leaving three little girls out here alone and unprotected.

Allie finished her food and tossed the garbage aside. "Well, no. We ran."

"Please tell me you girls at least have decent shelter for the night."

Sam stood up and stretched. "We did, but some biker dudes came in and took over while we were out looking for food, so we can't go back there."
 

I sighed. The last thing I needed was three kids to take care of, but I couldn't just leave them there alone, especially not with a group of men nearby. I knew what kind of trouble that could be for girls on their own in the messed up world we lived in.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Sandy asked, a hopeful look on her small face.

"There is a place. A military base a couple days walk from here. It's a community where you would be safe. There are other kids, and a school, and the flesh eaters can't get in. That's where those soldiers you saw came from."

Sandy's eyes lit up. "Can you take us there?"

I hated to disappoint them, but I couldn't go back. I had to find Will. "I can't. I'm sorry, but I can give you a map and show you which way to go." Even as I said it, I knew it was wrong. Janet wouldn't have sent those three off on their own, and I knew she would have been disappointed in me for doing it.

Their faces fell, and I saw the hopelessness in their eyes return. Sending them out on their own wasn't fair, but life wasn't fair, and I had to find Will.
 

"I'm sorry. I really wish I could help you, but my friend is missing and I have to find him."

"Is it your boyfriend?" Sandy asked and all three girls held back giggles.

Ah, to be thirteen again.

"Yes, actually, he is. He was one of the soldiers out here trying to fight off that horde. It's been over a week since I saw him, and I need to find him."

"Is he cute?" Allie asked and all three girls laughed again.

"Actually, he's pretty damn hot." I couldn't help but laugh back at them. They were lucky to have each other and still be able to laugh and be silly.

Sam sat back down and crossed her legs out in front of her. "What's he look like?"

I remembered back to my middle school days and how Nikki and I used to sit around and talk about boys for hours on end. Even though the world had gone to shit, all girls needed to do that every now and then. I decided to humor the girls and play along.

"He's tall, way taller than me, and he has brown hair that falls down over his eyes and curls up around his neck. His eyes are the most incredible shade of emerald, and his lips are full and soft and very kissable."

Sandy sat with her head resting on her hands, smiling with a dreamy look on her face. "He sounds amazing."

"He is amazing. He's kind, and sweet, and patient. He's the kind of guy you fantasize about as your prince charming." It was true too. Will would always be my knight in pink pony armor.
 

Allie, the skeptic, snorted. "Come on. He can't be that perfect."

"I didn't say he was perfect. No boy is perfect. He can be grumpy, and annoying, and he always thinks I need to be protected. He drives me crazy like no other person ever could, in both a good and a bad way. But the thing is, none of that matters. I love him. When he's not around, it feels like a piece of my heart is missing."

All together the girls said at once, "Awww."

My cheeks grew warm, and I felt self-conscious saying the words aloud for the first time. I had never talked about my feelings for Will with anyone, and there I was, pouring my heart out to three middle-schoolers I’d never met before.
 

"I had a boyfriend before the outbreak," Allie said. The other girls looked at her surprised. It was clear they hadn't heard about it before. "He gave me a necklace for my birthday." She reached under her collar and pulled out a cheap looking ball chain necklace with a heart pendant. It was tarnished and left a greenish mark around her neck. "It was the last birthday present I ever got." She dropped her eyes down to look at the heart.

"What happened to him?" Sandy asked, her eyes wide and innocent. I wanted there to be a happy ending, if for nothing else than to keep Sandy in her safe little bubble of childhood, but I knew what was coming.

Without taking her eyes off the pendant, she answered. "He showed up at my door a few days after the virus hit our town and bit my mother in the face. My father blew his head off."

No one spoke for the next few minutes. A few tears fell down Sandy's face. She didn't even bother to wipe them away.
 

The girls would never get to do so much, and I hurt for them. The best I could do was to send them off to the military base where they could have as close to normal of a life that was possible in our post zombie apocalypse world.
 

I stood up and looked over the girls. "Look, I really do have to get going. If you can make it to the military base, you will be safe there." Guilt washed over me, and I wanted to say 'forget it, I'll take you,’ but instead I stayed quiet. They were better off in a community with other people. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than coming with me.

Sam stood up and pulled Allie with her. "Just go then. We don't need your help. We are just fine on our own."

I said almost identical words so many times myself. I convinced myself that I didn't need anyone, that I could handle everything on my own, and I was wrong. I needed people. I wasn't just fine on my own, and neither were those three little girls.
 

"You are not just fine on your own. You can try to convince yourself, like I used to do, or you can admit what you know in your heart is true. You need help. I can offer you help, Sam. If you want, you can come with me. I can't promise you'll be safe, but you can come. Your best bet is to go to the military base where I know you will be safe, but there's no guarantee you will make it there in one piece if you go alone. That's the best I can do." I stood up, facing the girls. A decision had to be made. There were only a few hours of daylight left, and I needed to find shelter for the night.
 

Sandy and Allie looked to Sam for direction. It was clear they relied on her to keep them safe, but she was just a child. She shouldn't have to shoulder so much responsibility on her own.
 

The radio in my pack flipped on, and a garbled voice came through with static. I pulled it out and held my ear close to see if I could make out what was being said.

"Janet … I’ve … twenty … worry … soon.”
 

There was more static, and then silence. I was pretty sure it was Derek. He had to be in range, or close enough to it, for communication to be working. I pressed the talk button and figured I'd give it a try. Maybe he would have better luck hearing me.

"Derek, it's Andi. We had some trouble. I have three young girls here who need help."

Allie narrowed her eyes and looked over me. "Who's Janet and Derek?"

"The people I came out here with. Derek is a soldier. He had to bring another girl back to the base because she was sick."

"And Janet? Where is she?" Allie asked, not trusting me one bit.
 

I looked away. The pain was fresh, and just the mention of her name felt like a punch in the gut. "She didn't make it."

No matter how the girls managed to survive, they had to understand how things worked in the world since the outbreak. Everyone lost people, a lot of people. It never got any easier, but you had to go on anyway.
 

Static broke through on the radio again. "Andi … didn’t … you soon …”

I didn't bother to respond. He wasn't quite close enough but I knew he would be soon. Thanks to the GPS locator on the unit, he wouldn't have too much difficulty finding me.
 

I didn't want to be the one to break the news to Derek, even though I knew Janet would have wanted me to. She cared about him. There was no denying it, and I knew he cared about her too. Not that there was much I could do for him. Janet was gone. There was no bringing her back. Breaking it to him gently would offer little comfort, because in the end, nothing could change what happened.

I looked at the three girls standing in front of me trying to look brave, but failing miserably. There was nothing Derek could do for Janet, but Sam, Sandy, and Allie, needed help.

I pulled Janet's journal out of my bag and tore out a sheet of paper to jot down a note to Derek.
 

Dear Derek,

I am sorry to give you this news in a letter, but I know that no matter how you hear it, the pain will be just as great. Early this morning, Janet and I met with a couple unfriendlies. We did our best and managed to take them both out, but she didn't make it. She cared for you very deeply, and I know she would want you to move on.
 

I have left to continue my search for Will. Finding him won't make her death any less devastating, but at least it will have been for something. I'm leaving the radio and this letter with three young girls I came across who need your help much more than I do. Please get them to the safety of the base so they have some sort of chance. On their own, they have none.

Thanks for trying to help find Will. I know you probably think he is dead too, but it meant a lot that you were willing to come out here and search nonetheless. Please be safe.

Andi

I folded the paper and handed it with the radio to Sam. "Take these. Derek will find you and get you to safety. Make sure he gets the note. It's very important."

Sam took the items from me, but held onto my hand. "Where are you going?"

"I have to find my friend. I'm sorry to leave you here, but it shouldn't be too long until Derek finds you. And for God's sake, stay out of sight until then."

The girls stood holding hands next to a tree on the side of the road, watching me leave. There was no way to know how fast Derek would get to them, but it would probably be a couple hours off. His radio had a decent range and still wasn't coming in clear when I left them. I turned and gave them one last look before I was out of sight and hoped they would be okay.
 

The further I walked, the more bodies I came across. Most were infected, but some weren't. Every once in awhile, there was one from our military, even one I recognized. I felt bad leaving him there, but there was little I could do. As sad as it was to see him there, it gave me hope. If he got pushed back this far, maybe Will had too.
 

Someone had already been through, picking over the remains. Backpacks were open and emptied next to corpses, and pockets were turned out. It was the harsh reality of our world. I had done my share of scavenging since the outbreak. The dead didn't need those things, and the living had to survive.
 

I had to pass through a town with storefronts on both sides and a car dealership, complete with a lot full of empty vehicles. Plenty of places for anything, dead or alive, to hide. My stomach twirled with nerves. I hadn't been through an area like that since I had been kidnapped by the cousins, and I did not need a repeat of that.