Love and Decay, Volume Eight (Episodes 9-12, Season Three) (21 page)

“He was bitten!” I confessed. I hadn’t been
willing to tell Tomás before because I was afraid he would shoot
Vaughan or kick us out. Now I needed him to kick us out, so it was
time to play the wild card.

“Bitten?” Tomás pretended not to
understand.

“By a Zombie!” I pointed towards the horde.
“He didn’t change into one, but he’s still really sick!’

“Impossible.” Tomás took a step back and
looked at me like I was the devil.

I nodded. “It’s true. He was bitten, but so
far he’s survived. We have to get him help or he’s going to
die.”

“Did you bring that vile sickness into my
home? Into my people?” he demanded.

“No!” I was adamant with my response. He
needed to know we would never put him at that much risk. “No, it’s
not contagious unless he turns into the Dead!” I used the Spanish
word for Feeders so that he would understand. “And then he has to
bite you. And he hasn’t bitten anyone! He’s just sick! He’s immune
to the Zombie part!”

Tomás stared at me with a baffled look
widening his eyes. I wasn’t sure he understood all of my rushed
speech, but I didn’t have time for him to sort it out.

“We have to go!” I yelled at him. “You have
to fight! Thank you for your hospitality!”

His big eyes narrowed into slits. “I can see
why you got along so well with my cousin. He too is a sneak.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “We’ll repay you
one day, Tomás. I promise.” That was a lie. I had no intention of
ever seeing Tomás again.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if he would live
through the day.

“Go, then!” he ordered. “Take your people and
go. We must fight the Rat King.” His face broke into a smile and
humor danced in his eyes. He didn’t take the Rat King
seriously.

Honestly, I didn’t blame him. The name was
ridiculous.

But he wasn’t a slight threat either. “We’ll
leave some weapons.” I surprised myself with the offer.

“Send more of my men out with you. We will
cover you until you can escape.”

Tomás really was one of the good guys. I
truly hoped he survived today and that his people could have the
chance to rebuild. Humanity needed more leaders like him. We needed
more communities that trusted each other and treated each other
with dignity and respect.

Haley pulled on my arm and we tumbled inside
the darkened sanctuary. I breathed in the stale air and the heady
scent of candles and incense. My head swam with the difference. The
cloying, too-sweet smell filled my nostrils and clogged my throat,
but I would take it time and time again over the rotten smell of
dead bodies and putrid Zombies.

We ran to our designated area. Haley wheezed
by the time we got there. “I’m so out of shape,” she huffed. “That
baby destroyed my body!”

Hendrix was watching when we approached. He
immediately jumped to his feet. I saw relief flash in his eyes for
a brief moment before he demanded, “Where are my brothers?”

“With the car,” I gasped.

“The car?” Nelson was at Hendrix’s side with
a fussing baby in his hands.

“We have to go,” I continued to explain with
short breaths. “The Rat King showed up to fight Tomás. There’s
going to be a war. We need to get Vaughan out of here before we’re
caught in it.”

“Where will we go, Reagan?” Tyler demanded.
Her voice sounded furious and threatening, but I recognized the
fear underneath. She was worried about Vaughan.

We all were.

“Colombia,” I told them. “Original plan. They
might have something to help Vaughan.” If he made it that long.

No. Don’t think like that
.

Sickness swam in my stomach and I felt the
urgent need to throw up. I closed my eyes and held it together.

“We have to go,” I ordered. “For no other
reason than Harrison and King are waiting for us and there are
Feeders in every direction.”

“You think we can get out of the city?”
Nelson demanded.

Since when had they started to look to me for
answers?
Damn it, Vaughan. This was all your fault.

“We have no other choice. Tomás is letting us
go, but if this heats up, he’s not going to want to.”

Hendrix nodded and his old-self snapped into
place. “Let’s go,” he ordered. “Grab your things. We’re leaving
now
.”

I lunged for my backpack and when I stood up
I was face to face with Miguel. Adela had her hand on his shoulder
and a sad expression on her face.

“He’s staying,” she translated quietly. “He
wants to fight the Rat King.”

I nodded. I had known that. But I was still
worried about the young kid. “Be careful,” I told him. “Stay
alive.”

His permanent frown turned up at the corners.
He spoke with his lilting language and held my eyes even though
Adela was the one speaking for him.

“He plans to,” Adela said, also smiling. “He
wants to say thank you. He knows you kept him alive. He knows you
saved his life. He is in your gratitude.”

I shook my head. “We fight for each other,” I
told him. “We are humans and we must stick together or the Zombies
will kill us all.” I waited for Adela to translate and added, “And
if the Dead kill us, you won’t get your revenge.”

His small smile broke into a huge grin. He
liked that idea. His hand landed on my shoulder and with a levity
that surpassed his age, he said, “
Hasta luego
.”

That was one I could translate all on my own,
“
Hasta luego
, Miguel.”

I turned around and didn’t have a chance to
look back at him. Hendrix swept me away with the rest of our group
as we sprinted for the exit.

I had just enough time to take in one more
lasting memory of this incredible cathedral. Gold statues and
intricate detail told the story of a more civilized time, a time
when humanity flourished and culture was important. I tried to soak
in every ornate mural and elegant piece of furniture. I didn’t know
when I would see beauty like this again.

I didn’t know
if
I would ever see
beauty like this again.

I blinked when someone pushed the door to the
outside open and stepped into the stormy afternoon.

We were on the run again. Only this time I
hoped it was to our final destination.

Chapter Three

We had plenty of cover as we ran to the
moving truck. Harrison hung out the driver’s side window and King
leaned out the passenger’s side, making sure we could get to the
truck without being eaten.

Nelson had passed the baby to Haley and
together with Hendrix carried Vaughan. Tyler ran alongside them
squawking orders to be careful. She held Page’s hand, dragging the
little girl alongside her frantic pace.

The whole scene reminded me of something out
of
MASH
when I used to watch it on late night TV with my
dad.

Like a Mexican/Zombie/No-helicopter version
of
MASH
.

Tomás’s men followed us to the sidewalk and
helped cover us while we jumped in. Hendrix disappeared with
Vaughan to the back of the truck. Tyler, Page and Adela pulled out
useless furniture until Hendrix and Nelson could set Vaughan down
on a couch and help the girls throw out the rest to make room for
everyone. Miller stood by my side and together we created
cover.

The Rat King and his army of teenage soldiers
had moved closer while we were inside. They stood across the street
with their weapons raised but not shooting. The Zombies moved
around them, not interested in them at all.

We had seen that behavior in the northern
territories. It was the same way Diego and his enemies had managed
their Zombie armies.

It seemed like as long as the Feeders were
promised food, they could be ordered around. That would put those
of us with consciences at a serious disadvantage in the future. I
momentarily wondered what Tomás would do in this situation.

Would he hold his ground and stay away from
the Zombie-slaving? Or would he succumb to the ease of having a
deadly army at his fingertips?

I looked back at the church just in time to
see Miguel punch through the doors. He held his automatic rifle
high in the air and screamed something in Spanish at his former
leader across the street.

The Rat King responded by laughing loudly,
which only prompted more yelling from Miguel.

I nudged Adela when she rushed by me. “Tell
him to be smart! Tell him to stay alive!”

She gave me the oddest look, like I was crazy
for wanting to protect Miguel. But acting like an idiot was only
going to get him killed. I didn’t want that. He was a sweet
kid.

Or as sweet as you could be with
circumstances like these.

“Please,” I begged her.

She faced Miguel and shouted in Spanish what
I hoped was a direct translation.

His furious gaze flickered to us for a second
before he returned to fighting this war. He didn’t acknowledge me
in any way, but I noticed he stopped yelling.

“Up front with me,” Hendrix commanded after
he’d closed the back. He took my elbow and helped me hurry to the
passenger’s side.

Adela had gotten stuck outside with me while
I made her translate so she was forced to squeeze in with Harrison
and King. Hendrix demanded that he drive, so the four of us
squished together on the long bench seat.

It was not comfortable.

Eventually Harrison moved so that he hung out
the window again. We needed the gunfire to hold off the Rat King’
army so we could weave through the stopped traffic. Tomás continued
to provide cover too. If he hadn’t ordered his men to help us, we
wouldn’t have made it.

I could count on one hand the number of times
it had worked in my favor to have met someone new during the end of
the world.

The Parkers.

Tyler and Miller and eventually Kane.

Gage.

Joy and Andy.

And now Tomás.

I watched the side of the street with the Rat
King. When he motioned toward his men, they started running after
us. More Zombies moved around them, intent on getting to Tomás and
his men.

“We need to go!” I told Hendrix.
“
Now
!”

He slammed into a parked car, reversed,
righted his angle and squeezed through the tight space. Metal
scraped on either side of the moving truck. My chest tightened and
my stomach clenched against the piercing sound.

Finally, he bullied his way through and had a
clear stretch of ground. He shoved the long stick shift jutting up
from the floor and picked up some speed.

It wasn’t enough.

Bullets pinged all around us and the side
mirror on Hendrix’s side exploded with shattered glass and cracking
plastic.

Adela let out a surprised scream and King
wrapped his arms around her. The gesture looked comforting, but I
was pretty sure King’s main concern was shutting her up.

“Damn it,” Hendrix growled when more cars
blocked our path.

The Rat King’s men continued to pursue us,
only delayed by Harrison’s gunfire. When he ran out of ammo, King
passed his gun off and Harrison kept shooting.

Hendrix jerked the car to the right suddenly
and jumped over a curb. Harrison let out an explicit curse word and
just managed to catch himself from launching out of the window.

“You okay?” Hendrix shouted over the roar of
the engine and the men chasing us.

“Golden!” Harrison yelled back. He twisted
around so that he stood up, his legs braced in the window frame to
keep from falling. His gunfire boomed over our head as he shot back
at the men that could no longer keep up.

Hendrix barreled the huge truck over the
plaza and then onto whatever clean sidewalks he could find until
the gunfire was a faraway crackle and Feeders no longer filled
every open space.

Harrison slid back down and sat on the open
window, since there wasn’t any other room. His hands braced on the
roof overhead and he ducked his head in to finally suck in a
calming breath.

“I thought you said it was just a little
thing,” Hendrix accused dryly.

I kept my gaze forward when I said, “That
wasn’t little to you? That felt amateur compared to our most recent
battles.”

Hendrix was not amused with my sarcasm.
Although he didn’t say anything else.

“Has Vaughan improved any?” I asked after ten
minutes of open road.

Hendrix didn’t answer. I knew what that
meant.

“How will we know where to go?” King asked
after another twenty minutes of battling the congested but quiet
streets of Mexico City.

Hendrix patted the dash where a small orange
S lit up beautifully. “I’m going to keep driving south until we get
there. That’s the only plan I have right now.” The engine shook and
sputtered, jolting us from side to side. “Shit,” Hendrix grumbled.
“This gas is old. We have almost a full tank, but it’s not going to
last us long.”

He was right.

Two hours later the engine started vibrating
so roughly that he was forced to slow down and finally stop.

Hendrix slammed his hands on the steering
wheel and I felt every ounce of his frustration. We weren’t even
out of the city yet.

It was slow going with cars blocking most of
the streets and debris and dead bodies in our way.

The only good thing about our escape was that
we hadn’t seen another living person since we left the
Cathedral.

We knew they were here. We could see signs of
life in boarded up buildings and the occasional shadow as someone
fled down an alley. But nobody in the southern part of the city
seemed interested in us enough to stop us.

Whatever war had ravaged this place had made
the city’s inhabitants terrified of other humans.

At least we had something in common.

“There’re more cars over there,” I suggested,
pointing to the side of the street where several had been involved
in an accident. The ones toward the front of the line were in
pretty bad condition, but there was a conversion van at the back
that just had a bashed in front end.