The Awakened (13 page)

“You could be right,” I admitted.

“Z?” Ash was suddenly in front of us, looking at Liam with distaste on his face. “Come back to the fire. It’s cold over here.” He met my eyes, and I felt myself sucked into those baby blues. I found myself nodding.

“Okay,” I agreed, looking up at Liam. “Are you coming?”

He smiled stretched across his face again, and he pushed himself off the car and started walking toward the fire. Ash grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. I collided with his chest from the harsh, quick movement and stepped backward.

“What?” I asked, looking back toward the fire, where the three strangers sat with my dad. He looked more relaxed, but he had shown no inclination to let go of his gun or to give them their weapons back.

“What were you guys talking about?” Ash asked, his voice casual.

I raised my eyebrow at him. “Nothing important,” I answered, trying to walk past him. He stepped to the side, blocking me again.

“Zoey, just…just be careful, okay?” he said, under his breath. “You can’t just trust anyone that walks into our camp just because they have a pretty face.”

“You think Liam has a pretty face?” I asked innocently, my eyes wide.

“I’m serious,” he said sternly. “Just be careful.”

I pushed past him. “I never pegged you as the jealous type, Ash Matthews.” I returned to the fire and sat down, exchanging a quick smile with Liam before turning my attention back to the conversation between my dad and Memphis.

It wasn’t long before I was asleep again, sharing a blanket with my dad and my gun tucked under my chest.  Ash volunteered to take the first watch and set himself up against a tree. He still seemed very suspicious Liam and his family.

I had slept for a few hours before Ash woke me up, and we switched places. He smiled gratefully at me, and a rush of emotions went through me. It was getting harder and harder to ignore that I didn’t hate Ash as much as I pretended I did. I watched him for a moment, as he settled under the blanket on the hard ground and fell asleep almost immediately.

Shaking my head, I sighed and refocused my attention of the area surrounding us. The sun was just beginning to peek through the crack in the trees. We had spent so many hours talking with Memphis, Julia and Liam that we had fallen asleep late. I knew that even though the sun would be shining on us in no time, they would stay asleep. Every face around me was the picture of exhaustion.

I felt my eyelids get heavy after an hour or so and contemplated waking my dad up to take over. I pushed through it though; he hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep, and I had to stay awake for at least a couple hours. It was only fair to the rest of them. I shifted, propping myself against a tree trunk and focused on the sounds of the forest. There was a light chirping from a group of birds, and the crackle of leaves being blown by the slight wind that had picked up through the night. Every once in awhile, there would be the sound of quick feet that would cause my heart to pound faster before a squirrel would dart out. I came to one conclusion: keeping watch, when you are really tired, is extremely boring.

I drifted off to sleep for a moment; that could have been a minute or maybe more because, next thing I knew, Liam had a concerned look on his face and was shaking me awake.

“Well, this is embarrassing,” I said, rubbing my eyes, “falling asleep on the job.”

“Shh,” he said, quietly, his eyes darting around the trees. “They’re out there.”

“Who?” I whispered back, reaching for the gun in my lap and the knife tucked into my boot.

“Awakened.”

I sat up straighter, my own eyes scanning the surroundings. I strained my ears listening for it and felt my heart jump into my throat when I heard it. It was low, barely audible, but I could hear the hoarse breaths coming from a distance away. “Oh god,” I breathed.

“Zoey. Zoey, my family needs their weapons,” Liam said urgently. I hesitated for a moment, casting a glance at my dad, asleep on the ground. “Please.”

I handed him the keys to the car. “Get them quietly. You try to shoot me, I swear to god I will blow your brains out.”

Despite the situation, Liam chuckled lightly. “Sounds about right. Wake everyone up.”

I crept around the campsite, my ear cocked in the direction of the approaching Awakened. It sounded like they were moving slowly, which meant they were probably unaware that there were people in front of them. I woke my dad and Ash up first, whispering quickly. They woke immediately, grabbing their own weapons before waking Memphis and Julia. By this time, Liam had come back and was passing their weapons around.”

The six of us stood poised, waiting in the silence for them to appear. My gun was clutched tight in my right hand and my knife in my left. I bounced from one foot to the other, anxious and ready.

THEY CAME IN THROUGH THE
trees, a pack of about a dozen. They stopped suddenly at the sight of us; I had been right when I had guessed about them not knowing we were there. Almost in unison, they crouched, prepared to fight.

“Leave us be,” my dad called out to them, his gun raised. “Move on, and we won’t hurt you.”

A loud barking laugh came from a large man near the middle of the group. His teeth shone from between his pale blue lips, and I resisted the urge to throw up. I would never get over the sight of those animal-like teeth. “I don’t think that would be in our best interest,” he spoke, his voice filling the clearing. “We’ve traveled a long way, and we are so so very hungry.”

The girl next to him whined loudly, like an animal poised and ready to attack. The hairs on my arms stood up at the sound.

“Easy, Cara,” the man said. “We need to share amongst everyone in the group.”

“I’m so hungry,” she said, her voice like fingernails on a chalkboard. I glanced around me and saw that I wasn’t the only one affected by her. Her black eyes stared unwavering at us, her tongue peeking out to lick her dry lips. “Let me go.”

The man sighed as if bored. “If you must.” He flipped his hand lazily, and as one, they came barreling at us.

I shot the first man that came toward me, missing his head, catching him in the shoulder blade. He went down, but was already struggling to stand up by the time I raced to him. I aimed a kick at his head, and sent spiraling back. I ducked in time to miss the arms of the girl who had whined earlier. I punched her in the face, aiming the gun straight at her head. She went down with a thump, blood pooling around her head.

I had no time to think of that though before turning back to my original opponent. He had recovered and tackled me to the ground, his strength unbelievable. I struggled for a moment, my gun slipping out of my hand and sliding across the ground. His mouth came closer to me, his breath hot and smelling vaguely icy on my face. With his teeth bared, he moaned with pleasure.

“I can smell your blood,” he said, grazing his lips across my cheek. “It smells so good. Just one small bite, one teensy little bite. I promise I won’t kill you. I’m just so hungry.”

I leaned forward and head-butted him, sending him howling back in pain. I took that opportunity to swing up at him with my fists, catching him in the jaw. His whines became more pronounced, and I reached up and around him, stabbing my knife deep into the back of his neck. I watched as his black eyes went wide. I raised my eye shaking fingers to his neck, but I didn’t even know if they had a pulse. I pushed his body up as I dragged myself from underneath him.

“Zoey,” Ash said, rushing over and offering me a hand up. I took it, and he hoisted me up. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Ash!” He spun around and immediately was caught, strong blue arms wrapped his chest pulling him away. I scrambled for my gun and aimed it at the Awakened. I hesitated; my arm was still shaky, and I didn’t want to hit Ash. “Let him go!” I shouted.

My dad heard my shout and turned around, his eyes set on us. He started making his way over but was immediately stopped by a small Awakened woman. She had launched herself at him, and he was quickly distracted, fighting her off. I looked at our three temporary companions, but they were all busy taking down the rest of the group.

“Let him go,” I repeated.

The man laughed. “Oh, sure, little girl. I’ll let him go. After I enjoy a little snack.” He proceeded to sink his teeth into Ash’s shoulder. Ash cried out, his hands scrambling at the arms that held him tight. He started dragging him away, and I lost it.

I ran forward, jumping on the back of the Awakened, my gun pressed to his neck. The man dropped Ash, his arms coming up to claw at my grip, and Ash rolled out of the way. I fired and he went down. I fell onto the floor, the breath knocked out of me.

“Are you okay?” Ash asked, again, falling to his knees next to me.

“I’m fine,” I said, sitting up and wincing. I looked around us and saw that the others had taken out the Awakened with ease. I watched as Memphis drove the butt of his gun at the head of the last one. I glanced around me, making sure there were none lurking in the shadows of the trees before turning back to Ash. “Let me see your shoulder.”

Ash shook his head. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” I said firmly. “Come here.”

He relented, failing to his knees next to me. I peeled back the torn fabric of his shirt, sticky with warm blood. I leaned forward and inspected the gash. “It’s deep but you’re not going to die. Unfortunately.” I smiled up at him, and he smiled back looking surprised. “You probably need stitches though. I’m not sure, but I think so.”

I pulled off the t-shirt I was wearing and pressed it against his shoulder. I was grateful that I was wearing layers and had thought to wear a tank top under the shirt I was wearing. Still the act of removing of an article of clothing in front of Ash made me feel incredibly self-conscious.

“Are you guys okay?” my dad said, crouching by us.

“He got bit,” I said, looking up at him. “I’m fine. I think I may need to sew him up though.” I lifted the shirt from Ash’s shoulder and showed my dad the wound.

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s deep. Let me grab the first aid.” He stood up and walked back over to the car, grabbing the first aid kit from underneath the passenger seat.

“Do you know how to stitch people up?” Ash asked warily, his face getting pale.

“Nope,” I said, taking the first aid kit from my dad. “But no better time than the present to learn.”

Ash winced but still had a smile on his face. “Well, if there’s anyone I’d trust to sew me up, it would be you.”

“Shut up, you,” I said, pulling him toward me so that his shoulder was rested on my lap. I found a needle and threat in the pack, and poured some water across his wound, cleaning it the best I could. “This is going to hurt.”

He took a deep breath, bracing himself as I sunk the needle into his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, tense.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, feeling tears spring in the corners of my eyes. “I don’t want it to hurt.”

He laughed shakily. “It doesn’t hurt in the slightest. Come on now.” He winced again as I continued my precarious needlework. “Hey, Z?”

“Hmm?” I asked, concentrating on my work. The smell of smoke filled my nose, and I knew that the others were burning the bodies. I breathed out, doing everything I could to keep the Spaghetti-Os I’d eaten the night before in my stomach.

“Thank you,” he said. I looked up from his shoulder, into his face, surprised. “For saving my life.”

I was shocked. Ash had never said thank you, not sincerely, in the nine years I had known him. “Sure,” I said, returning back to my work.

“You were like a warrior out there,” Ash said, his head turned away from his shoulder. He was trying to remain steady, but I could read the pain in his eyes and in the furrowing of his brow. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

I shrugged. “Lots of years of karate and kickboxing and self-defense classes. I guess they finally came into use.”

“Well, you were incredible,” he said, inhaling sharply as I pulled the thread tight.

“She was beautiful.”

We both looked up and saw Liam standing over us. My cheeks went red, and I bent over Ash’s shoulder, finishing up the stitching and tying it off. I studied it for a moment. It was not a pretty job but it was adequate. He would definitely have a scar but at least he wouldn’t bleed to death.

Ash frowned, sitting up slowly. He nodded gratefully at me. “She shouldn’t have to fight like that,” he shot at Liam, “beautiful or not.”

“Thanks, Ash. Real smooth,” I said, holding my hands covered in blood out in front of me and wrinkling my nose. I grabbed the water I’d used on his wounds and poured it over my hands.

“That’s not what I meant, Z,” he said, exasperated. “I’m just saying…”

I wiped my hands on my bloody, and now completely useless, shirt. “We’re fighting for our lives and you still can’t remember to call me by my actual name.”

Ash started to retort but Liam cut in. “Sorry to interrupt, but I just came over to say goodbye.”

“Say goodbye?” I echoed, confused.

He nodded. “We’re headed up to Michigan to check on my dad’s sister before making our way back down to Colorado, and your dad will be wanting to move on to Nebraska.”

I nodded, surprised at my odd attachment to Liam and at my disappointment in his departure. “Well, I wish you guys luck.” I held my hand out to him.

He ignored my hand, leaning forward to place a quick peck on my cheek, causing butterflies to rip through my stomach. Ash coughed loudly, but I ignored him. Liam pulled back, smiling that crooked smile. “You too, Zoey. I hope to see you at Sanctuary one day.”

A corner of my mouth twitched up in a smile. “Maybe.”

He walked away, heading toward his parents. They all exchanged words with my dad before shouldering their packs and heading back into the forest. I watched them with some trepidation. For a moment there, I had felt so alone. It had been nice to know we weren’t the only three left fighting for survival.

“What a charmer,” Ash scoffed as soon as they were gone. He leaned down to the ground, reaching for his gun. His face was pulled taught with pain, but he made no noise. I would have to remember to give him pain medicine later.

“You would know,” I said drily. I glanced over my shoulder at the pile of charred bodies, just a pile of body parts and ash. I shuddered; it made me sick. These were humans, people who had lived lives before the virus, before they had died. I didn’t know why they had awakened. I didn’t know if there was a purpose to them. But that didn’t matter. I felt a wave of remorse for them. They were beyond peace, beyond resting, and now were simply consumed by hunger and violence.

“Come on, Z, seriously? The guy is hitting on you in the middle of the zombie apocalypse! After his fiancée just died!” Ash said. “And he’s such a Southern gentleman, kissing you on the cheek.”

“Okay, one, it’s not the apocalypse. Two, so what if he kissed me?” I said, starting toward the car. “And three, I’m pretty sure I detect a bit of jealousy back there.”

Ash broke out in a grin, looking so much like his old self that I felt a pang go through me. “I don’t like anyone looking at my girl that way. You know I’m the only one for you.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “You’re irritating,” I said half-heartedly. “Let’s get out of here.”

After we had cleaned ourselves up and erased all signs that we had been there, we climbed back into the car and drove for a few hours. As the sun began to crawl higher, peeking through the heavy clouds, my dad pulled over and set up another practice. He set me up with bottles to work on my shooting while he sparred with Ash. He pointed out Ash’s weaknesses, especially after the fight we had just encountered.

I focused on the bottles, occasionally shooting them off the fence but more often missing them. Every time I missed, I cursed loudly. I was so involved in what I was doing that I didn’t hear my dad coming up to me until he was right next to me.

“You lack confidence,” he said, his hands planted firmly on his hips. He looked exhausted, but still determined. Though he had washed most of the blood off from the fight, he was still dirty, and there was a definite scruff growing on his chin. I glanced at Ash and noticed the same thing, surprisingly. It made them both look older.

“I think it’s more like a lack of aim,” I grumbled, raising my gun and shooting again. It sailed too much to the left, and I resisted the urge to throw my gun and just roundhouse kick the bottle off the stupid fence. That was something I knew I could do.

“Look, Zoey, you’re doing everything right, and yet you’re still not hitting what you aim for,” he pointed out. “You’re not confident in what you’re doing. You don’t trust your own abilities.”

“Right, okay,” I said. “I don’t trust myself.” When he didn’t move away, I spoke again, feeling exasperated. “Can you maybe not stand there and watch me? I can’t concentrate.”

He studied me for a moment before calling out to Ash. “Ash, why don’t you work on your shooting for a sec? I want to have a word with Zoey.”

Fantastic. I sighed, stepping out of the way.

Ash nodded, brushing against me as he took my place. A charge of electricity went zipping through me at the contact. Our eyes met for a second, and I temporarily lost my breath. He was worn, beaten from the past couple days on the road. His hair was a ruffled mess, there were dark purple bags under his blue eyes, and he had a shadow along his jawline, but he had never looked so tempting. I tore my gaze away from him and looked up to my dad.