We passed a few more Feeders on our escape route. These ones were calling out to each other with a horrifying guttural screech. They were communicating something.
And that was scarier than almost dying.
I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself off the floor. While the vehicle seemed caked with blood from top to bottom, it was still running. Thank God!
A rush of relief washed over me and I could barely believe we’d made it out of yet another harrowing situation without losing anyone.
Until, then- until that very moment when I realized our harrowing situation was not exactly over.
The engine made a loud, angry popping sound and then steam exploded upward from the hood. The steering wheel shook violently as Vaughan struggled to grapple control of it and we swerved wildly before the engine finally sputtered and died.
So… this wasn’t going to turn out good for us.
Now that the engine was off, we were mostly quiet. Our loud, panting breaths and checking of guns were the only sounds to break up the tense silence.
And the moaning- there was always moaning.
And it seemed to be chasing us.
We looked around, each of us taking responsibility to find out what was coming. Nobody had more than five bullets left a piece and after those were gone, we were armed with hunting knives but that was it.
Hunting knives were definitely dangerous, and better than nothing but the thing about them was…. you had to be very close range to use them.
Vaughan angrily cranked down the window again and Nelson followed suit. Both of them perched their bums on the window ledge and readied their small handguns. Hendrix climbed over Haley and me followed by his brothers.
“Haley and Reagan stay with Page,” Vaughan ordered.
Tyler started hyperventilating in her captain’s chair. Her knees pulled up to her chest, and her body rocked back and forth as tears streamed down her face. Shocking sobs racked her body and every appendage was shaking uncontrollably. Miller climbed into the seat with her and put his arms around her, but he didn’t seem capable of comforting her.
I watched them for a second. I understood her fear and her inability to fully come to terms with what we would have to do to survive. The sight of her was unnerving- but natural. This was the natural or normal reaction for anyone faced with a literal throng of Zombies chasing them down.
So why had I never reacted like this?
Even after my parents died, I never broke down like this. Was there something wrong with me? Was I a cold-hearted bitch that didn’t respect life or care about people I loved?
I wanted to give myself credit and blame courage and strength of spirit. But if I was honest with myself, it felt more like stubborn willfulness not to die. And that wasn’t the same thing.
I ignored Tyler and Miller and refocused my attention on the back of the van.
“Stay in the van for as long as you can,” Vaughan commanded. “And don’t let any of them get inside.”
“Geez, Vaughan, with instructions like that, I regret voting you off the island,” Haley grumbled sarcastically.
“You voted me off the island?” Vaughan sounded amused but his arms never wavered as he held them out the window.
“In the last tribunal,” Haley admitted. “It was either you or Reagan and I like her better.”
We had about forty-five seconds before the Feeders were in range.
“Haley,” Nelson growled from the front seat. She peeked over my shoulder and I watched her eyes meet his. They were so deep with something unsaid that I felt like I was intruding in their moment.
Haley held Nelson’s gaze and then after a long release of breath she said, “I know, Nelson.”
“Good,” he replied on a sigh.
And then they were both back to the hard, angry killers we all knew and loved.
I wondered if that was like an “I love you” declaration. Haley couldn’t possibly love Nelson. We hadn’t known the Parkers long enough for there to be love developed.
But maybe? Haley seemed pretty into him- but love? I didn’t know if I was ready for her to be in love! How could she be ready?
Unfortunately I didn’t have time to ask her because Hendrix had started shooting and that meant we were engaged- with the Zombie threat, not to each other.
There were at least fifty of them, running toward us with a steady pace. Some were dragging limp feet, some seemed to have every appendage in working order, some were crawling and some were fighting through the crowd with a more intense purpose than the others.
Those with the most enthusiasm had the reddest eyes, the most blood thirsty expressions and if I had to guess, the most pungent smells.
If what Kane had told me- if Zombies really didn’t smell bad if they weren’t eating flesh and blood- then the ones that smelled the worst had to be gorging on humanity every chance they got.