Lost World (2 page)

We’ve been having a tough time finding certain things, antibiotics being one of them. The small towns we’ve passed through have been looted, but we’re trying to avoid the bigger areas. Cities are too risky, and it’s not just the dead we have to worry about anymore. Vegas taught us that. People have turned lawless, have morphed into something completely unrecognizable. They don’t even seem human to me anymore. They’re some kind of distortion that’s halfway between man and zombie. Something evil and twisted.

I look at Jake and something deep inside me stirs. It’s that thing I buried after Emily died. It hurts whenever it tries to make a reappearance, almost like it’s cutting my heart in two all over again. We have to find some medicine. Losing Trey and Nathan in Vegas and Arthur when the shelter fell was one thing. Losing them tore at my hope, but watching another kid die…that would be devastating for everyone. Like the world ending all over again.

“We’ll figure it out, Anne,” I say, taking her hand. “I promise.”

Anne nods, and Jessica looks away like she doesn’t believe in promises anymore. Her hope is dwindling. I can see it in her eyes every day. Winston, her dad, is holding on to his positivity. If it weren’t for him and Axl, we wouldn’t have made it this far. But Jessica is struggling.

We’re all struggling.

“Jessica, Axl and I are going to try to get some rest when we get going again. If you want to ride in the Nissan, there’s room.”

She shakes her head, then nods toward the other side of the truck. “Ask Al and Lila. I think they’re getting antsy back here.”

“Okay.” I give Anne’s hand another pat and look all the kids over before I get up.

No one else has caught whatever Jake has, but they don’t really look good. Liz is as much of a ghost as her mom, and Max and Dylan are shell-shocked. I don’t blame them. They both lost their parents when the virus hit. Moira and Nathan were the ones who found them. They were like adopted parents for the boys, but Moira’s pretty much abandoned them now. We’ve done our best to help her snap out of it, but nothing’s worked.

I think she’s a lost cause.

I head over to where Al and Lila are huddled together, smiling at each other like the world hasn’t ended and there are no zombies. Al is looking better every day. Stronger even. I still have a hard time believing he pulled through, but he did. Having Lila helped him. I didn’t know the spoiled girl had it in her, but she’s been a regular Florence Nightingale. She and Al are inseparable now.

“You guys want to ride in the Nissan?”

They both look up, and Al flashes me a smile. “Sure. Hey, when we stop again, do you think I can get some kind of hook or something?” He holds up his stump, and I do my best not to cringe. It’s covered, but it still freaks me out every time I see it. I hate remembering the day Joshua had to cut Al’s hand off. There have been a lot of bad days since this all started, but that one is near the top of the list for me.

“I feel like I’m at a major disadvantage,” Al says, shaking his head.

I have to hand it to the kid, he still has his sense of humor.

I roll my eyes even though I feel like giving Al a hug. He was Trey’s next door neighbor, and joined up with us in San Francisco after Trey had gone home to find his family had succumbed to the virus. Just like Al’s. Just like most of the world. Things may suck, but Al knows how to keep the mood light.

“You’ll have to talk to Axl about that one,” I say.

Lila groans and shoves him playfully. “You’re such a nerd.”

“I thought you kind of liked that about me.” He climbs to his feet and uses his good hand to help her up.

Lila’s grin lights up her brown eyes. Her dark hair is just as greasy as mine and her face is streaked with dirt, but even filthy, she’s beautiful. Plus, she seems to really love Al. Despite the misgivings I had about her when we first met, I can’t help liking her now.

“A sword would be nice,” Al says, almost to himself.

Lila rolls her eyes as we head to the back door of the truck, and despite every worry floating around in my head, I smile.
Thank you, Al.

The three of us hop out and head toward the Nissan. Next to Axl and Winston, Joshua leans against the car with his shoulders hunched. His hair has gotten long and it won’t stay out of his eyes, and he’s thinner than ever. We’ve all lost weight, but on Joshua, it’s shockingly obvious. He’s so tall and gangly that he looks almost skeletal. I know he wishes he could do more. Be more. No matter how often we tell him he doesn’t have control over everything, he still takes it all to heart.

“How’s Jake feeling?” Joshua asks when I walk up, barely lifting his head to look at me.

I shrug. “About the same.”

Joshua nods like he expected as much and pushes himself off the Nissan. “I’m going to ride with the kids.”

When he walks away, his shoulders are even more slumped.

“We should get a move on soon,” Winston says.

Axl slings his arm over my shoulder and I lean into him, thankful for the support. My body is so heavy from exhaustion that I feel like I might collapse at any second.

“Who’s ridin’ in the car?” he asks.

“I’ll drive,” Winston says, then nods toward the dark blue SUV. “Angus and Darla have already climbed in. Looks like Parvarti, Hadley, and Jon, too.”

“We’re in,” Al says, still smiling. Always smiling. “Where are we heading next?”

I tune them out while they make plans. It’s always the same. Drive and hope we find something. Head to a town and pray it isn’t overrun. That there are more supplies. Like we’re just crossing our fingers and hoping we’ll stumble across a warehouse full of survival gear and food. I’m too worn out to focus on it right now, and I don’t have anything to add.

When they’ve finished, Axl leads me to the back of the truck. I pull myself in with shaky arms, then head to the mattress Al and Lila were lying on a few minutes ago. Jake’s coughs echo through the truck and there are a few quiet voices in the back, but otherwise it’s silent.

When the door is pulled shut, we’re plunged into near darkness, and I welcome it. I curl up on the dirty mattress, and Axl follows. He groans when he lays down, and the sound is so sharp it feels like a knife slicing through me.

“Are you hurting?” I ask, rubbing his shoulder. Where he got shot. My chest constricts at the memory. I hate thinking about him getting shot, remembering all the blood and pain and uncertainty of that day.

“Not much.”

Not that he’d admit it if he was. I catch him rubbing it when he thinks no one is looking, so I know it still bugs him some days. He just hates the thought of appearing weak.

Our mattress is mostly shielded by boxes, giving us some privacy, and I can almost pretend we’re alone when I roll onto my side. Axl lies at my back and curls his body around mine, pulling me close. I close my eyes, and within seconds the world begins to fade away.

Axl’s nose nuzzles my neck, pulling me out of my dream world. “You asleep?”

I’m still groggy and the gentle sway of the truck could put me right back under, but I can tell I’ve been out for a while. I feel more rested than I have in weeks.

Axl’s hand snakes up my hip, and he nudges my shirt aside. When his warm fingers touch my skin, my body starts to tingle. We haven’t had more than five minutes alone in over a week, and I suddenly find that I’m wide awake.

I roll over to face him, and his lips find mine in the darkness. When I open my mouth, our tongues tangle together and heat pulses through my body. Axl moves his hand down over my hip and ass to my thigh, then pulls my leg up. Hitching it around his hip. He grinds his body against mine, causing sparks to ignite inside me. It’s been much too long.

“We have to be quiet,” I whisper.

He grunts against my lips as his hand slides across my stomach to the zipper of my pants. My heart’s pounding when it comes down, then he slides his hand inside my underwear, and I have to bite back a moan. His fingers tease me, and I close my eyes, moving against them.

I need this moment with him so I can feel alive.

“We need to make it fast,” I whisper.

“Yeah,” he replies, pulling away.

I barely hear the sound of his zipper as I shimmy out of my own jeans. When I yank them down, my underwear goes with them. I wiggle, trying to get them off, and they’re down around my knees when the truck lurches to a stop, nearly knocking Axl over. He stumbles but catches himself, and I freeze with my pants down around my knees.

Jake coughs.

“I guess we found something,” Anne says.

“Shit.” Axl grabs his pants and hops on one foot, trying to get them back on.

Shit is right.

I stay down, wiggling as I desperately try to get my pants back up. My underwear got pushed down too far though, and I can’t quite find them. People start moving around in the back of the truck, making my heart beat faster, and Axl has his own pants zipped before I finally manage to locate my underwear. I pull them up, then lift my ass off the floor so I can get my jeans back on too. I’m on my knees zipping them up when someone throws the door open and light pours into the truck.

“Damn. Thought you would be too goody-goody to get all freaky back here.”

The light is so bright I can’t open my eyes all the way, but Angus’s words are loud and clear. My cheeks burn. I really didn’t want Anne and Sophia and Jessica and all the kids to know we were fooling around.

Axl grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. “Shut up, Angus.”

My eyes adjust to the brightness just in time to see Angus spit. We didn’t find much food at the last store we hit, but he was able to find more dip. I can’t wait until the day he runs out. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Angus flashes us a monkey grin, then motions for us to step out. “In a minute here, you’re gonna be kissin’ my ass. Just wait an’ see where I found for us to go. Bet you two might even be able to squeeze in a little more alone time.”

I let out a deep breath and count to ten, biting back all the words I want to fling at Angus. Things between us have been a little better since Axl was shot, but I still want to punch him in the face about fifty percent of the time.

“What do you have for us, Angus?” I say when I’m finally able to get myself under control.

2

AXL AND I CLIMB OUT OF the truck, and when my eyes land on the sign for Whispering Woods Hot Springs, a huge grin stretches across my face. Angus was right. I
am
ready to kiss his ass.

Everyone who was riding in the Nissan is already outside, and they’re all smiling. It’s something I haven’t seen since the first day we arrived at the shelter. Not that I can blame them. Things haven’t exactly been cheery since then. This hot spring could be the perfect thing to bring us out of the gloom we’ve been living in. Really, anything to distract us from the last few weeks would feel like it was sent from heaven.

“Does this mean we can take a bath?” Lila runs her hand through her dark hair and makes a face. I’m sure hers feels as great as mine does. Like dirty pieces of string stuck to my itchy scalp.

“And hopefully get some rest, too,” Winston says. “Don’t they turn a lot of hot springs into luxury spas?”

“With rooms and beds?” Jessica asks, still standing in the back of the truck. Her brown eyes light up as a genuine smile spreads across her face. For a second she looks so much like her dad I have to do a double take. It isn’t just that their skin is the same shade of brown either, it’s the flash of hope in her eyes. For some reason Winston seems to be able to hold onto his optimism better than the rest of us.

“Sounds ‘bout right.” Angus spits and shakes his head. “Course they’d wanna turn the best nature has to offer into somethin’ only rich people could use.”

“Stop being so bitter, Angus. You’re alive and most of those rich people died. Get over it.” I roll my eyes and turn back to the truck.

Jessica hops down from the truck and starts helping the kids as I turn to help Anne with Jake. When she hands him to me, the little boy feels like he weighs almost nothing, and his frame is so bony I’m afraid I may break him if I’m not careful. Anne jumps down and takes him out of my arms, smiling gratefully, but it’s hard for me to return it with the pain and worry clogging my throat.

Moira walks to the edge of the truck and looks around, her face as blank and emotionless as it has been for the past few weeks. Liz is at her side, and I help her down now that my hands are free. Moira doesn’t even glance my way.

Sometimes I want to slap her across the face just to see if it helps.

“Can you grab some soap and stuff before you climb down?” I ask Joshua, who’s the only one still inside the truck, with the exception of Moira.

Joshua glances toward the dazed woman, then nods. Of course he knows I’m not talking to her. We can’t depend on her to eat without being reminded. There’s no way I’d expect her to gather supplies.

My eyes meet Anne’s, and she shakes her head. The sympathy we all felt for Moira after Nathan was killed has started to wear off. Now, she’s just another burden. Like one of the kids, but less useful. At least the kids will help out around camp when we stop. Moira just stares at the ground like she’s hoping it will open up and swallow her whole.

“You going to come down, Moira?” Jessica asks in a tone that’s a hell of a lot softer than I’d be able to manage. I guess not all of us are fed up with her yet.

Moira blinks, then looks toward Liz, who is already standing at my side. When the older woman looks back at Jessica, her expression is the same. Blank. She acts drugged most of the time.

After a few seconds she finally sits and eases herself out of the truck. On the way down her shirt gets caught, pulling up to reveal her stomach and the bottom part of her ribcage. I knew she’d lost a lot of weight, but I didn’t realize how much until now. She was plump when we met. Like a mother who’d never gotten around to losing her baby weight. Now, her ribs poke through her skin, and she looks like someone who is a step away from death’s door.

“Wait a minute there, Moira,” Jessica says, hurrying forward to untangle the other woman’s shirt.

Moira barely reacts, but that doesn’t stop Jessica from patting her on the arm. She gives the dazed woman a smile that’s lost somewhere between sadness and sympathy. Maybe Jessica is more understanding because she lost her fiancé and she knows firsthand how disoriented Moira feels. After Trey was killed, Parvarti was able to lean on Jessica’s shoulder. Maybe Moira can do the same. Maybe she’ll pull through if we can get her to open up to Jessica.

Maybe.

Joshua comes back with a box full of supplies, handing it to Axl before jumping down to join the rest of us. Just looking at the shampoo and soap makes my skin itch.

Jake coughs, and Joshua’s mouth turns down. “I realize this hot spring is good for us, but do we know if there’s a town nearby? We have to get those antibiotics.”

Angus swears and stomps off, grumbling as he goes, “Can’t make everybody happy no matter what I do.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Axl says, ignoring his brother. “Let’s head on down and check the area out first. Then we can pull out the map an’ figure out where we are. There’s gotta be a place close by.”

Joshua doesn’t look happy, but he doesn’t argue. The small group of us gathered at the back of the truck head toward the others, who are waiting next to the hot springs sign. An arrow points toward a little trail that can’t be more than three feet wide. It’s paved with stones and lined with rocks and bushes that look like they were neatly trimmed until recently. They’ve maintained most of their square shape, but there are now longer branches that poke out. Like arms reaching out, trying to grab us and yank us inside.

We head down the path in silence, almost like we’re all holding our breath. Out of instinct, I pull out my gun, and I’m not the only one. We never go anywhere without weapons these days. We need to be on the lookout. Always ready. Always listening. We never know what could be lurking in the trees.

Above us branches rustle together, and in the distance, a couple birds sing, almost like they’re performing a duet. Somewhere to my right, a squirrel or chipmunk or some other small animal scurries across the fallen leaves covering the forest floor. They crinkle under the creature’s tiny feet. Every sound puts me on edge, but they’re all innocent. Normal. Not the soundtrack of horror we’ve almost gotten used to.

We’ve only gone a few feet when the calming sound of trickling water becomes audible, and less than two minutes later, we break through the trees and step into a clearing. Ahead of us, stairs have been carved into the stone, and small boulders line them on either side. Below that are benches and tables made out of rocks and cement, along with a small building that has two doors on it. One marked
Men
and the other
Women
. It can’t hold more than a couple toilets, though. Two other wood buildings sit on the other side of the stairs, but they’re basic. The sign at the bottom of the steps says
Changing Area
and points toward the buildings.

Beyond that, steam rises from the hot springs. The main pool of water is large – as big as the pool we had at the shelter – and it’s surrounded by a manmade stone wall. A smaller, more secluded spring sits to our left in a raised area. It can’t be bigger than a four-person hot tub. Water from the smaller pool flows over the rocks like a waterfall, gently falling into the bigger pool and filling the silence with the trickling sound I heard earlier. A set of stairs leads up to the smaller spring, and a sign at the bottom of the stairs says
Adults only, Clothes optional
.

Lila is the first one to break the silence. “Not exactly luxury.”

Angus snorts and pushes his way past the teen. “Speak for yourself. This is better than Axl an’ me ever had growin’ up. Back then we was lucky if our mom was sober ‘nough to remember to buy food.”

Lila frowns, and her cheeks turn red. My heart goes out to the girl. It didn’t sound like she was complaining to me. Just making an observation. But with her background, it’s easy to understand why Angus took her words as bitching. She did grow up rich. Really, really rich. She’s the only one of us left who actually had a right to be in one of those underground luxury condos.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles, staring at the ground.

Al puts his arm around her shoulders and says something in her ear. It’s too quiet to hear, but she smiles shyly.

“Looks like a pretty good area,” Axl says. He sets the box down and stretches. “We can start a fire over there, near them rock benches. Angus an’ me can see what we can hunt up for dinner.”

Angus nods and scratches his belly, which is significantly less round than it was when we first met. “Yeah, we can do that. Find us some squirrels at least. Maybe even somethin’ bigger.”

“Rabbit?” I say hopefully.

That was what Axl killed the first night I was with them, back on Route 66. I was a little hesitant back then, but now just thinking about eating one of the little creatures makes my mouth water. It’s been over a week since we’ve had meat. Animals have been scarce, and we’ve been living on processed foods. Which gets old, not to mention the fact that it doesn’t always sit well with me.

Axl’s mouth twitches, and he nods, his stormy gray eyes holding mine and making my whole body tingle. “I’ll find you a rabbit.”

“Sounds like the way to go.” Winston turns to face his daughter, nodding toward the stairs. “Jess, why don’t you run up to the truck and grab some clean clothes for the kids? That way Anne and Sophia”—he glances at Moira and frowns—“and Moira can get the kids all cleaned up.”

“Sure thing,” Jessica says, pulling out her gun as she heads back toward the stairs. She may be running low on hope, but no one—not even Angus—can complain about her. Jessica is always more than willing to help.

“I’ll go with you,” Parvarti says.

Jessica pauses at the bottom of the stairs, flashing Parvarti a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

They take off, and Winston turns back to face the group. Anne and Sophia are already busy herding the kids toward the big pool, and their young faces are lit up like it’s the most exciting thing they’ve ever faced. Even Liz, who I haven’t seen smile since her dad died. Jake is coughing his head off, but he still looks thrilled at the prospect of going for a swim.

Winston gives a brief nod like all is right with the world, then turns to Axl. “You guys want to head out and see what kind of game you can find?”

Axl shoves his knife into its sheath. “Need to get some firewood too.”

“Hadley and I can handle that,” I say, then brace myself for Axl’s usual response.

Hadley nods, but Axl frowns—of course. “Why don’t you stick ‘round camp? Stand guard.”

I knew it was coming, but it doesn’t stop me from letting out a sigh of frustration. “Don’t do that, Axl. I’m not a child.”

I get why he does it, but I can’t let him hold me back. I won’t be like Moira, too damaged to be of any use. We all have to pitch in, and Axl knows it.

“Come on, lil’ brother.” Angus slaps Axl on the back as he heads toward the stairs. “Leave Blondie alone. She can handle herself. Probably better than you with that bum arm of yours.”

Axl rolls his shoulder, and images of the night he got shot flash through my mind, making my stomach turn inside out.

“My arm ain’t bum, you prick,” Axl says, shaking his head. “I can still outshoot you.”

Angus snorts but doesn’t turn to look at his brother. “I saw how off your aim was last time we ran into a big group of the dead. Took you three shots to take one down. Oughta start callin’ you Alexis.” Angus chuckles like it’s the best joke he’s ever heard. “Come on, Alexis. Let’s go get us a shotgun. Gotta see if you can still hack it.”