Grace Lost (The Grace Series) (11 page)

“Zoe, we have to get in the car,”
cried Emilie, her voice full of stress as she continued to urge me on.

“Boggs!”
I shouted.

Gus and Boggs were running toward
us, closing the space between the two vehicles. The army of dead was
approaching rapidly.  There was no time to discuss what to do. 
Emilie and I rushed to the vehicle, opening all four doors in anticipation of
the men joining us.  My heart was racing as adrenaline and fear ran
through my veins.

I jumped into the driver’s seat
and put the vehicle into drive, my foot on the brake.  Emilie had taken
the seat beside me and slammed her door shut.  Boggs and Gus both entered
through the rear passenger door.

“Shit, Zoe,
go
!” yelled
Boggs.  Only moments before, I had thought he was dead.  I stepped on
the gas, and the SUV lurched forward, causing the remaining open doors to slam
shut.

“Lock your doors!” shouted
Gus.  I was trying to slow my breathing, and focusing on the road. 
The hoard of walking dead was approaching from my side of the car, and almost
upon us.  I heard the door locks all click in unison and was glad someone
had the good sense to hit the button.  “Right, Zoe, right!” instructed
Gus, sensing the group of creatures was about to spread across the road in
front of us.  I swerved, grazing the corpse in the lead with the left
front fender.  The impact made my stomach drop.

“It’s ok, Zoe,” said Boggs
briskly.  “Remember they aren’t alive. 
Not really,
anyway.”

“I thought you were dead, Boggs,”
I said on the verge of tears.  “Gus shot you!”

Gus sighed from the back
seat.  “Sorry about that everyone.  One of the first rules of gun
safety is to never shoot a target with someone else in range.”

I had no clue what Gus was talking
about.

 “Didn’t you guys see it?”
asked Emilie.

“See what?” I asked.

“Gus shot one of them, not far
behind Boggs.  It was a creepy one.  It was just standing there,
almost like it was just watching us.  It came out from behind one of the
trees.  
Right Gus?”
   She sounded
a little excited.

I looked in the rear view mirror
and saw that the dead that followed were still running our way, but falling
back as we put distance between us and them.  Boggs had laid his head back
and closed his eyes.  Gus was focusing on my gaze in the mirror.

“Zoe, I’m really sorry I scared
you,” he said.  “I swear the one I shot was trying to distract us from
seeing the rest of them approaching.”   Gus sounded shaken.

Boggs spoke, his eyes still
closed.  “What about the one under the truck?  Did any of you think
that was odd?”

“Boggs, that’s a stupid question,”
I snapped.  “Half a dead guy trying to eat you is a bit more than just
‘odd.’”   I was at my breaking point for the day.  

“No, I mean there was no
odor.  He didn’t smell like he’d been dead long.  And where were his
legs?”  Boggs opened his eyes to look at me in the mirror.  “It’s
almost like he was put there as a trap.  Like they killed him and ate his
fucking lower half and left the rest to distract us.”

“You think the zombies set a
trap
?”
asked Emilie.  “Aren’t zombies supposed to be dumb?”

“According to the books and
movies, I guess so,” said Boggs.  “We need to figure out our next move,
and soon.”

“Can someone else drive?” I
asked.  “I’m not feeling well.”  I looked in the rear view mirror
again.

“Sure, Zoe, I’ll take over for a
spell,” offered Gus.  “Don’t pull over though, just stop in the middle of
the road.  We’ll make the switch real quick.”

“’Kay,” I replied as I brought the
car to a stop and put it in park.

Gus and I both opened our doors to
trade seats and made our exits quickly.  As I crouched to get into the
back seat I looked over at Boggs, who held his arm out indicating it was ok for
me to slide close, which I did.  He wrapped his arm around me and I
nestled in next to him, so thankful that he was still alive.  I stayed
like that while Gus began to drive.  I noticed he and Emilie held hands,
and was glad they were both with us.  The swaying of the Explorer lulled
me into a fitful sleep.

I felt Boggs’ fingers running
through my hair.  I tried to lift my head, but the bumps in the road made
me feel sick to my stomach.  I gave up, kept my eyes closed, and let my
head rest on his lap.  My nightmare came back to me suddenly and I opened
my eyes wide. 
“Boggs!”
I tried to call out but
my mouth was dry and speaking was difficult.  I had dreamt of him being
shot in the head, and of not being able to reach him.

“Shhhhhhh, I’m here Zoe.  I’m
here.”  Boggs smoothed my hair back from my forehead after I sat up. 
The SUV hit another rut and my stomach churned.  Car sickness had always
been an issue for me.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked
hoarsely.

Emilie passed a half-full bottle
of water back to me.  As I opened the lid she answered. 
“Only about twenty minutes.”

 I sipped at the stale water.

“Bad dream?” asked Gus.

“Ya, you could say so,” was all I
said.

I handed the water bottle to
Boggs, and rubbed my eyes.  I could sense tension in the car. 
“What’s going on?” I asked quietly.

Gus sighed and Boggs looked at his
hands, but neither of them spoke.  It was Emilie who answered my
question.  “The gas light’s on.”

“We were just talking about
siphoning the next vehicle we come across,” said Boggs. 
“Or using it.”

“We haven’t seen many,” I said,
stating the obvious.  “What if we run out of gas? 
Then
what?”
   I could tell my own voice carried a trace of
panic.  No one answered. 
“Boggs?
 
Then what?”

Boggs refused to look at me.

“Gus?”  I said, hoping he’d
give me answers.  “What if we run out of gas?”

“Try not to panic, Zoe,” said the
man driving.

“Screw that!” I barked. 
“What if we run out of gas?  What if those creatures come after us? 
We only have two guns!”

“It’s all we’d need,
darlin’.”  Gus said after a long pause of silence.

Emilie sat quietly in front of us,
her head hanging.  I could tell she was fighting tears.  I ran Gus’
words through my head, slowly understanding that he meant that our guns were
enough to end our own lives if needed.  I glanced at Boggs, who still
refused to look at me.  Instead, he wrapped his arm around me, kissed the
top of my head, and held me close.

“There!” shouted Emilie. 
“That’s the turn off!”  She was pointing off to the left, and at first I
didn’t see it.

“That tiny road?” asked Gus. 
“You sure, Em?”
  He sounded doubtful.

“Yes!  See the mailbox that
looks like a frog?  We always used to make fun of it!”  She looked
back at me and Boggs.  Her face was lit with exhilaration, but I could
tell by her eyes that she had been crying. 

I sat up and Boggs loosened his
arm.  Gus turned off of the highway and onto the small graveled
road. 

“Emilie, how far up do you think
the cabin is?” asked Gus.

“Not far. 
A
mile at the most?”

“Ok kids, we need to be prepared to
walk it.  Or run it,” said Gus.  “We’re driving on fumes.  If we
don’t make it, we get out and lock the car, and leave everything behind but the
guns.  Understand?”

We all responded with silence, and
Gus continued.  “If we make it to the cabin, we need to be prepared for a
fight. 
Either with the living or the dead.
 
Boggs, you bring up the rear, girls you stay between me and him.”

“You got it, Boss,” said
Boggs.  His voice held an edge of fear.

“If we come across other survivors
in the cabin, let me do the talking. If I sense a problem, I’ll talk about ‘big
blue’ and if I do, you girls drop to the floor.  Boggs, keep your pistol
ready.  I have experience in combat, and assume you don’t.  I’ll need
you to keep your head about you, and not hesitate.  Can I count on you?”

The way Gus was talking scared me,
but I was also glad to be with someone willing to take charge.  I felt
almost safe with him guiding us and Boggs at my side.

When Boggs didn’t answer, Gus
repeated himself.  
“Boggs.
  Can I
count on you?”

“Without a
doubt.”
  It was at that moment
that the SUV sputtered and came to a gradual stop.

“Ok, this is it. 
As close as we can get.
  Emily, darlin,’ I sure hope
you were right about the turn-off.”

“I’m right,” she said
matter-of-factly. 

“Ok.  Before we get out,
listen and listen well.  No noise.  Close the doors quietly, but make
sure they close.  We can’t risk the battery draining from left-on interior
lights.  Hold the handles open and use your hip, then release the handle. 
I’ll lock the doors.  Once we’re all out and the doors are shut, get into
the formation we talked about and move forward.  I’ll set the pace. 
If I run, you run.  Understood?”

I nodded while Emilie and Boggs
both said “yes” in hushed voices.  I looked at Boggs, and squeezed his hand.

“Ok, on the count of three, get
out. 
One – two – three.”

On Gus’ count, we all opened our
doors and stepped out.  We did as instructed, holding the door handles
open while using our bodies to soften their closure.  I heard the
automatic locks engage, and looked around.  The area was heavily wooded
and showing signs of approaching autumn.  The sun was well on its way to
setting and there was a chill to the air.  The only thing I found odd was
the silence surrounding us.  It hadn’t been long ago that we had noticed
such stillness:  a lack of wildlife, birds, or cars.  The similarity
to that first day when we ran from old Mr. Anderson sent shivers up my
spine.  I wanted to tell Gus, but didn’t dare speak.  Boggs ushered
me ahead of him, and I noticed his right hand held the pistol.  Ahead of
me was Emilie, who had her arms wrapped around herself defensively.  Gus
took the lead.  He had his shotgun loosely aimed ahead, ready for attack
from any direction. 

We picked up our pace to a healthy
walk.  I was beginning to tire and my hip was starting to throb. 
After several minutes, Gus slowed and turned to us, holding a finger to his
lips.  We all stopped to look when he crouched and pointed.  I
couldn’t help but smile when I saw a weathered two-story log cabin, knowing it
might be a harbor of safety. 

Gus whispered to us, “Let’s start
by skirting the cabin to look in the windows.  It should give us an idea
of what, or who, is inside.  Stay down, and stay together.”  He gave
us
all the
“understood?” look, and I gave a thumbs-up
signal.  Boggs and Emilie copied my gesture.

We stayed crouched and closed the
expanse to the cabin, using the natural growth of the forest to conceal
ourselves.  It hurt my hip to do so, but it was a small price to pay for potential
safety.  We followed Gus to a back window.  It was too high for any
of us to reach alone, so Gus gave Emilie a boost upward.  It took her
several seconds to study the inside, and then she slid down into Gus’
arms.  She looked like she belonged there despite their obvious age
difference.

“It’s dark inside,” she whispered
as he set her down on her feet.  “No signs of anyone living.  No
movement.  I see the kitchen.”

Gus nodded to her.  “Good
job, darlin’.”   He signaled for us to creep around the corner to the
other side.  Boggs led the way.  There was a larger window here, down
lower, so Gus himself peered in.  He copied my thumbs-up sign in
approval. 

Daylight was beginning to fade, so
we hustled and moved around to the front door.  Gus signaled for us to
stand back, which we did.  He walked up the three small porch steps and
side-stepped to the door, which was solid wood but had two narrow panes of
glass that ran vertically on either side. Staying off to one side, he peeked in
through the closer of the two windows and watched for a long moment.
 Satisfied, he motioned us forward.  As we approached he tested the
knob, finding it locked as we expected.

“I can’t see any signs of life
inside,” he whispered. 
“Looks like the furniture’s all
covered.
  That’s a good sign it’s vacant.  Boggs, we need to
get inside.  I have to check out the top floor, though.  Stay here
with the girls while I climb up?”

Boggs nodded.  “Sure.”

“Assuming it looks ok, I’ll check
for an open window since the first floor is locked up tight.  If I find
one I’ll go in and clear the structure from the top down, then let you all in
the front door.  If there’s trouble before I get back, climb to the roof.”

“What if there’s not?” asked
Emilie.

“Not what?” asked
Gus.

“An open window,” she
huffed.  “How will we get in if you don’t find an open window?”