Broken World (14 page)

I’m having a tough time really
connecting in my mind that she belongs to me. In theory it sounded great, and
driving across the country it was all I could think about. But I didn’t get
that warm fuzzy feeling that I expected to when I found her alive. I was
relieved, but there was none of that motherly love I’ve heard so much about.
Now I’m not sure what to do with myself, or her.

We drive over the bridge and I look out
toward the bay. During the day, when it isn’t foggy, you can see Alcatraz from
here. It’s pitch black now, and it gives me the chills.

“It’s gonna be rough, driving through
the city with no lights. We’re gonna have to take it slow, make sure we don’t
run into anyone,” Axl says as he follows the directions the GPS gives him.

The car is as deathly silent as the city
as we make our way through the narrow streets. Axl curses and slows down
repeatedly when we go up and over hills. It’s difficult to see anything without
streetlights, but the hilly and narrow streets of the city make it even more
complicated. It doesn’t take long to reach the hotel without the normal
bustling traffic, though. I’m relieved when it comes into view, even if it’s
just as dark and silent as every other building in the city.

“Penthouse?” Angus leans close to the
window and stares up at the top of the hotel.

“Hell, yeah,” Axl replies, pulling to a
stop in front of the hotel.

“We should get as much out of the car as
possible,” Joshua says. “We don’t want anyone breaking in.”

Axl shoves his door open. “Yeah. First
let’s get inside and find us a key.”

I climb down and open the back door to
get Emily. No electricity is going to make this rough. “Will those little cards
they use still work with no power?”

“The locks run on batteries, so they
still work if there’s a power outage,” Joshua says. “I worked at a hotel in
college. But we’re going to have to find a master key somehow. At the front
desk or off a cleaning lady.”

The hotel lobby is pitch black, but we
all have flashlights so we can see a little. A slight smell of decay makes my
nose wrinkle in disgust, but it’s nothing too strong. Just enough to let us
know someone died here. Hopefully, there’s no one in the penthouse.

I sit on a couch in the lobby with a
sleeping Emily, while the men head off to find a key. Even Joshua goes, though
he would normally hang back, because he has a better idea of where to look for
a master key.

They’re only gone for about five
minutes, and when they come back Axl holds a card up. “Found it on the cleanin’
lady. She was dead in the employee break room.”

I get to my feet and shift Emily a
little on my hip. She’s heavy. I take two steps before I stop. We’re going to have
to use the stairs. “How many floors are in this building?”

Axl glances my way, and by the
expression on his face, I’d guess he’s about to tell me to quit my whining.
Then his eyes land on Emily and his expression softens.

“Give ‘er here.” He tosses the key to
Angus and holds his arms out.

I smile gratefully and pass her over,
taking the bags he was carrying instead.

The climb is going to be awful. We head
up right away, but no one utters a word. My legs would ache even if I wasn’t
still getting over being sick. As it is, I’m shaky and weak. We’re all huffing
and puffing by the time we make it halfway. I power through though, using the
railing to pull myself up. The stairs come to an abrupt end at the eighteenth
floor. We’re not at the top though, and when we walk out into the hall we don’t
find the penthouse. Just a door marked
California Suite
.

“Ain’t the penthouse,” says Angus as he
sticks the key in the door. “But I ain’t climbin’ no more.”

No one argues, and I start to feel
really grateful that I don’t have to go down and get supplies out of the car
with the others. Not that I think I’d make it. I’m pretty sure I’d collapse
after one floor.

The suite is twice the size of my
apartment in Kentucky. It has a dining and living room, plus two huge bedrooms.
Everything is elegant, like a palace or something. It’s incredible.

“There’re candles in that bag,” Axl
says, laying Emily on the couch.

Right, candles. I drop the bags to the
floor and dig through them, then set the candles all over the room, lighting them
as I go.

“You stay put and we’ll head down, grab
more shit,” Axl says.

Angus grumbles but heads to the door.
Joshua follows, dragging his feet. I don’t blame him. None of us have gotten
much sleep in the last twenty-four hours. I’m exhausted.

16

I
WAKE UP IN A KING SIZE BED with Emily curled up next to me, clutching her dog.
How did I get here? Axl probably. He must have had another mood swing.

The room is dark and the curtains are
drawn, but small rays of sunshine peek through the cracks. It’s light out. It’s
impossible to tell what time it is. I don’t own a watch, and my phone died a
few days ago. Charging it in the car seemed pointless.

Then it hits me. Does it even matter
what time it is anymore? What difference does it make if it’s two o’clock on a
Saturday or five o’clock on a Monday? Everything’s the same. I don’t have
anywhere I need to be, and chances are I may not again for a very long time.

The thought makes me feel both depressed
and exhilarated at the same time. It sucks that the world has gone to shit, but
it’s nice not to have to worry about bills and work anymore. It’s slightly
freeing.

I crawl out of bed, careful not to wake
Emily, and stumble across the dark room to the bathroom. Wouldn’t it be
wonderful if the faucet still worked? It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try. I
turn the knob and smile when water runs out. I should take this opportunity to
get clean. Who knows when I’ll have a chance again.

I flip the shower on and strip down.
Before I step in, I take a deep breath. This is going to be cold, and it’s
going to suck big time.

But when the liquid runs over my body
it’s warm. Why? There’s no logical answer and to be honest, I don’t care. I
turn the temperature up and let the near-scalding water pour over me. I wash my
body and scrub my hair, even taking the opportunity to shave my legs, which I
haven’t done in a while. Being clean is something I’ve taken for granted. Never
again.

When I’m dressed I head out to the main
room. Angus and Axl sit at the dining room table talking. Axl is eating a bag
of chips. Angus is holding a beer in one hand and his empty soda can in the
other. Why doesn’t he just spit on the floor? It seems like something he would
do.

The lights are on. I have the sudden
urge to jump up and down and squeal like a cheerleader at homecoming. “We have
electricity?”

“Found a generator,” Axl says.

I smile and grab a handful of chips out
of the bag in front of him.

“Mini bar’s stocked if you feel like
getting trashed,” Angus says.

Suddenly, I have the urge to get drunker
than I ever have before. I grab a couple small bottles of wine and plop down in
the seat next to Axl. Then I take a big swig without even bothering to get a
glass. Maybe if I drink enough I can forget all the dead bodies lying around
the city. Pretend I’m on vacation instead.

“So how long do we have to sit here?”
Angus asks, spitting into his can.

I grab a bag of cookies and rip them
open. “Until Sunday.”

“It’s Thursday!” Angus glares at me.

“So? You have somewhere to be? We’re in
a nice hotel with electricity. Enjoy yourself and shut up for a change.”

Axl shakes his head and gets to his
feet. “Where’s that spray paint we took from Walmart?”

“In the green bag,” Angus says, still
giving me the evil eye.

I stop mid-chew. “What are you doing
with the spray paint?”

“Gonna go down and leave Trey a note, so
he knows where to find us. I don’t wanna hang out in the lobby. Do you?”

Axl digs through the bag and pulls out a
can of neon orange spray paint, then heads toward the door.

“I’ll go with you,” I jump to my feet,
then pause and look around. I shouldn’t leave Emily. “Emily’s asleep.”

“Angus is here,” Axl says.

I frown and study Angus. He does not
seem like a reasonable alternative. “Where’s Joshua?”

“Sleepin’,” Angus mutters. “Go on, I
ain’t gonna scare the girl. I can play nice.” He flashes me a grin that is
anything but nice.

I look at him doubtfully, but Axl grabs
my arm and pulls me toward the door. “She’ll be fine with Angus. Come on.”

“Hey, check out that shop downstairs.
See if they have any cards. And more booze!” Angus calls after us. “Shoulda got
some at Wal—”

The door shuts, cutting him off.

Axl heads down the hall and I’m right on
his heels. Was leaving Emily with Angus the mom thing to do?

I turn toward the stairs, but Axl takes
my hand and leads me to the elevator “Electricity’s on, remember?”

“Thank God.” He doesn’t let go, and
something in me flutters. I pull my hand out of his grip and do my best to
focus on the task at hand. We need to go downstairs and leave a note.

The door opens and we step in. “Are you
sure Emily is going to be okay with Angus?”

“She’s good. Believe it or not, Angus
lived with a woman for a while that had two little girls. He was actually good
with ‘em. He can be a hard ass, but he likes kids.”

“Seriously?” Angus likes kids? I don’t
buy it.

Axl shrugs. “Maybe he just likes girls.
He was tough as shit on me, but he treated them girls like they was his own
daughters.”

Sure, he’s been nothing but sweet to me.
But I trust Axl, and he sure seems to like Emily. Maybe Angus has a soft side
too?

The elevator opens in the lobby and we
head toward the front. Axl pauses and looks through the glass, out into the
parking lot, before opening the door. I flex my hands. They feel uncomfortably
empty. Why didn’t I bring my gun? The image of that man charging Parvarti and
me at the car dealership goes through my mind. I shudder. At least Axl came
prepared.

We walk out and I look around nervously.
The metal ball inside the can rattles when Axl shakes it, making me jump. I
shift from foot to foot while he sprays a message across the sidewalk. Right in
front of the stairs. Vandalizing the hotel doesn’t exactly make me feel warm
and fuzzy inside, but I have to learn how to let stuff like that go. This is a
different world and I need to get used to the way things are now.

“There,” Axl says, stepping back.

Tray- 18
^th
floor, California
Suite.

I don’t have the heart to tell him he
spelled Trey wrong, so I just nod.

Movement catches my eye. My heart goes
into double time when my head jerks up. There’s a man across the street,
walking slowly up the hill. He has his head bowed and he stares at the ground.

“A man,” I say, pointing at him.

Axl looks over and we both stand quietly
for a few seconds, just watching him. He’s alone and unarmed, but my heart
still pounds. We should just walk away. Leave him alone.

Axl cups his hands around his mouth and
shouts, “Hey!”

The man stops and lifts his head, but he
doesn’t look around. He just stands there. I hold my breath while we wait for
him to respond, to acknowledge us in some way. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t do
anything. After a few seconds he starts walking again. The same sluggish pace
as before: his head down, his arms slack and swinging at his sides. It’s
creepy.

“Guess he don’t want company,” Axl says.

I nod, but something inside me tightens.
It makes me think of that man we saw in the field a few days ago. He was
walking the same way. Aimless. Defeated. There’s something unnerving about it.

My scalp tingles and the sensation of
being watched sweeps over me. “Let’s get back inside.”

We walk into the lobby and both freeze
in our tracks at the sight of a woman standing there. She’s wearing a
uniform—looks like housekeeping—and stands perfectly still, staring at the
ground. She slowly raises her head and I suck in a deep breath. She’s sick. Her
face is pale and gray, her skin droops and her eyes are cloudy. She looks
awful. Death can’t be too far away.

“Son of a bitch,” Axl mutters, pulling
his gun out. His body goes rigid and his hands even shake a little.

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s the maid.”

What does he mean? She’s wearing a
uniform; it’s obvious she’s a maid. “What?”

“The maid we took the key from,” he
says, stepping back. “She was dead.”

I laugh a little, but it comes out
strained and nervous. My heart pounds, but I can’t process what he’s saying.
She’s clearly alive. She’s standing in front of us, staring at us.

“You’re wrong,” I say.

“I ain’t wrong,” he growls, grabbing my
arm and trying to pull me back.

I shake him off and take a small step
forward. “She’s sick.”

“Vivian, get back!”

I move forward again. “Are you okay? Can
we help you?”

She doesn’t talk, but she tilts her head
to the side and studies me. A chill runs up my spine, but I ignore it. Axl is
freaking me out, but he’s crazy. There’s nothing to worry about.

“We can help. We have a doctor with us.”
I try to sound reassuring even though a doctor can’t really help her.

She starts walking toward me slowly,
raising her arms. Her mouth opens, but at first no sound comes out. When it
does it’s a low moan that makes my blood run cold. My pulse quickens and I take
a small step back. This is so unreal.

“Get back, Vivian,” Axl growls again.

I start to take another step back, but
before I can she lunges at me, knocking me to the ground. I scream, but it’s
cut short when my head bangs against the floor. Pain surges through my skull
and stars burst behind my eyes, but I don’t have time to react. The woman is on
top of me, grabbing at my face, trying to pull me toward her open mouth. The
stink of rot envelops me and I scream again, struggling to get her off me.

Axl grabs her by the hair and jerks her
back. He flings her across the room. It doesn’t stop her. In less than a second
she charges him again. He lifts his gun and pulls the trigger. The bullet hits
her in the chest. She jerks back, but doesn’t stop. She has a gaping hole in
the middle of her chest, but there’s no blood. Instead a thick, black goo oozes
out, filling the room with a pungent odor so strong it makes me gag.

“She ain’t stopping’,” Axl yells,
stepping back.

She claws and chomps at the air, and the
sounds coming from her mouth are no longer moans. They’re screams.

Axl pulls the trigger again. This time
the bullet hits her in the forehead. Right between the eyes. Her body goes
slack and she drops to the ground.

I’m still on the floor. I can’t move and
my heart beats so fast I’m afraid it’s going to jump out of my chest. Axl is
breathing heavily. He takes a slow step forward and kicks the woman with the
toe of his boot.

“Goddamn it,” he mutters. He turns and
looks at me. “Was that a fuckin’ zombie?”

I’m speechless. So shaken I can’t
respond. What he’s suggesting is impossible, but I saw it with my own two eyes.

I stumble to my feet and he starts
walking, nudging me as he goes by. I jump. I can’t look away from the maid.
What the hell does he want? He jerks his head toward the elevator. Right. We
need to move. My feet move on their own. Like I’m a zombie….

We ride up in silence. I move
automatically when the door opens, following Axl toward the suite without even
thinking. His body is so stiff he looks like a walking statue, and he keeps
cursing under his breath. Mumbling stuff about zombies and Hollywood. I’m not
even sure what else because I can’t really focus on it.

“You ain’t gonna believe what just
happened,” Axl says as he bursts into the hotel room. He slams the door behind
us and locks it.

Emily and Joshua are up, both sitting at
the table with Angus. Eating Pop-Tarts.

“What?” Joshua’s mouth is full, and
crumbs spray all over the table.

Axl hurries to the window and looks out
over the city. “Damn.”

I know what’s down there before I walk
over, but I can’t stop myself from going anyway.

Joshua and Angus get to the window just
as I do. We’re eighteen stories up, but that doesn’t mean the people staggering
around on the ground aren’t visible. And they are everywhere.

Joshua leans closer, practically
pressing his face against the glass. “Are those people?”

“Not exactly,” Axl says.

My mouth won’t work. I stumble away from
the window and collapse into a chair. Emily’s are wide with fright. I should
comfort her, but I just can’t. Maybe I’m not cut out for this mom thing. She
should come first, but at the moment all I want is for someone to comfort me.
Taking care of another person is the last thing on my mind.

“Zombies,” Axl says, making my whole
body jerk.

The word is ridiculous, even after what
I just witnessed. But it’s true. I close my eyes and lay my head on the table.

Angus snorts. “Don’t be an ass.”

“I’m serious. That maid we took the key
off of when we got here, she was standin’ in the lobby. Tried to take a big ol’
bite outta Vivian.”