The Survivor Chronicles (Book 2): The Divide (15 page)

"Xander," Mary Ellen breathed from the backseat.

He glanced at her and Molly in the rearview mirror. Molly and Josh seemed so young, so vulnerable and lost, but Xander knew they were at most five years younger than he was, and they weren't as weak as they appeared to be. Or at least Josh wasn't. He was half convinced Molly had flipped her nut and entered the land of Oz, possibly for good. She'd gone completely silent now; her eyes had a glazed look to them that frightened him more than the freakoid had.

"They have to know, it's not like we're going to be able to keep it secret from them. It's not like we can hide the fact that the world has gone to crap," Xander told her.

He pulled the car to the side of the road and took a steadying breath as he searched the empty road. "What are you doing?" Josh demanded.

"I'm pretty sure your teacher, and I know Bobby, would like to be let out sometime today," Xander told him.

"Those people could still be out there."

Xander hesitated. "They
are
still out there Josh, and they're not going away, at least not anytime soon."

"Xander," Mary Ellen hissed.

"Well it's true and he's old enough to understand. What are you fifteen?"

"Seventeen," Josh answered.

Older than Xander had thought and the same age as Riley. A pang stabbed his heart but he shoved it aside as he pushed the door open. It would be more than his heart hurting if he didn't let Bobby out of the trunk sometime soon. "They're old enough," he said to Mary Ellen.

He took the keys with him. He was sure there was some way to open the trunk from inside the car but he didn't feel like taking the time to find it, and truth be told he wanted out of the car for a little bit. He suspiciously surveyed the streets as he moved, they remained calm for now but he knew that wouldn't last. Those people, or things, or whatever, were out there and they were getting closer. He unlocked the trunk quickly and flung it open.

Bobby and Peter were sweating profusely as they blinked against the influx of the fading daylight. "Thought you might enjoy some fresh air," Xander said.

"More than you know," Bobby muttered. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you."

"We saw the people," Peter said. "What was wrong with them?"

"I don't know, but unless you plan to stay in the trunk I'd suggest you get moving."

It took them a little bit to disentangle themselves from the trunk. Though it was roomier than most, Xander wrinkled his nose as he stared into the confines. "Who broke the taillight?" he inquired.

"I think that was me," Bobby told him. "But I doubt you'll get a ticket for it now."

"Yeah me too. It's going to be cramped in the car, but…"

"Where's Allie?" Peter demanded as he peered into the backseat.

Xander didn't have a chance to respond, Josh had also stepped out of the car and was studying the street as he answered, "She ran into the crowd."

"Why would she do that?"

"She saw her mother in it."

"Is she ok?"

"We don't know," Xander said. "Let's hope so."

"Mr. Dade." Peter paused in the act of opening the backdoor to look at Josh. "Do you want to ride up front?"

Peter offered a small smile as he shook his head. "I think Molly needs me right now, but thank you Josh."

Bobby took a step toward the passenger side door but Josh snorted at him and shook his head. "You don't grade my papers man," Josh informed Bobby before he bolted back into the passenger seat.

Xander bit back a laugh as Bobby's mouth dropped. "That's bull." Bobby frowned as he stared into the cramped backseat. "Ugh."

"I'd offer to let you drive, but you don't grade my papers either," Xander told him.

"You're a freaking riot, just hilarious. Bet if Riley was back there you wouldn't be driving."

Xander smiled at him. "So when we find her, you can have the keys."

Bobby climbed into the backseat and wedged himself up against Peter. He pressed his middle finger against the window as Xander closed the door on him. Xander smiled sweetly back at him before hurrying around the car. He glanced nervously at the streets again before slipping inside the car and starting it up again.

"Do you know anywhere we could go that might be safe? Anywhere we could hole up for the night, maybe even find another vehicle?" Xander asked.

Peter's shoulders were scrunched up and his face was flushed as he met Xander's gaze in the mirror. This car was going to get very ripe, very soon, Xander realized. There was sweat slipping down his back, never mind the four of them being squished in like sardines. He almost opened the window, but after seeing those people he was scared to breathe the air. But then he supposed it didn't matter.

Mary Ellen inhaled sharply as he cracked the window. Her shoulders stiffened but then she relaxed and opened her own. Though a cross current of air flowed through the car, the stale, muggy air blowing through did little to cool him off. "Well considering my house was past those people, I'd say that's out of the question," Peter told him.

Xander looked to Molly but she remained immobile. "What about your house Molly?" he prodded anyway, hoping to get some reaction out of the girl.

She remained silent though, staring ahead as if there was some movie playing that only she could see. Peter and Josh stared at her, Bobby tried to crane his neck to see the young girl but he was unable to do so. He gave Xander a confused look as Xander turned briefly to look over his shoulder. Xander gave him a subtle shake of his head and turned back around.

"Her house was on the other side of town too," Josh answered. "Is she ok?" he asked in a low whisper.

"I don't think so." Xander refused to lie to the kid.

Peter rested his hand on Molly's arm, but the girl didn't show any response to the touch. "I know a garage."

"A garage?" Xander inquired to Josh's statement.

"Yeah, like a mechanic's shop kind of garage. It's in a remote area of town, and if we can get to it, it could be a good place to hide the car, and ourselves, for the night. There won't be any vehicles we can use, but there might be a little gas."

"What kind of mechanic shop is it if there aren't any vehicles?" Bobby asked.

Josh shrugged. "It's a friend of mine's place. We hang out there once in awhile while he fiddles with an old Camaro he's trying to restore."

Xander quirked an eyebrow while Bobby chuckled. Xander knew well that kind of garage; it had once been Bobby's. None of them had done much work on the car though as they'd spent more time sneaking beers and talking girls. In fact, Bobby's old car was still on blocks as far as Xander knew.

"Is it behind your friend's house?" Xander asked, hoping there was a chance they could find some food or drinks at some point. He was beyond parched and his stomach felt like it was going to start eating itself. Then he recalled that strange human pummeling the poor woman to death and his appetite vanished.

"Nah, it's actually an abandoned mechanic's shop that we've been using."

"Legally?" Peter asked.

Josh snorted as he shrugged. "I don't think that matters much now Mr. Dade, but no not legally. Luke's parents would have killed him if they knew he'd bought a Camaro."

Peter tried to look disapproving, but Xander saw the amusement in his eyes. "I see."

"It's a good spot though. It's in the woods, set back from the road, and there are two ways to get in and out. I don't think we'll find much better, at least not in this town. Maybe in the next one."

"I think it's better if we stop for the night." Mary Ellen nodded nervously toward Molly. "If we can get to this garage maybe we should do that."

"I'd feel better if we had a gun," Xander muttered.

"Can't help you there," Josh said. "There's a gun store in Taunton. My uncle likes to hunt and that's where he goes."

"Taunton's backtracking and I'm not doing that," Xander said.

Josh frowned as he sat back in his seat. "Well we're not that far from Woonsocket, I know there's a store there he would get bullets from once in awhile. That's still going toward Sturbridge at least."

"I'm not sure it's the best idea to rob a gun store," Bobby muttered.

"It would probably be quicker to cross into Rhode Island to get to Sturbridge anyway," Peter said. "Even if we don't end up with guns, which I kind of have to agree with Bobby on that one. We need weapons, but I think that robbing a gun store could be a
bad
idea. Real bad."

"Let's just get somewhere for the night," Mary Ellen urged.

"There's metal to hit people with at the garage, or are they zombies?" Josh tilted his head as he pondered his question.

Xander supposed metal was better than nothing, but he definitely would have preferred to have a shotgun in his hand. "I can't even begin to think about that," Xander told him.

"You're going to turn up here," Josh instructed.

Xander followed his directions to a small dirt road that was pitted with holes and littered with branches. "I'll get out. We're going to have to move a lot of those," Peter volunteered.

Bobby leapt out of the car before Xander could come to a complete stop; Peter was hot on his heels. Josh also climbed out of the car to help remove the limbs that blocked the way. Xander crept down the road as the three of them worked together to lift branches and toss them into the woods.

A small, worn down garage appeared at the end of the road. It was much like he had pictured with boarded up windows, a sagging roof, and two garage doors that had been spray painted with pictures, and a few words that he wouldn't have said out loud if his mother was present. Vines climbed up the walls and encased the ceiling. It was rundown and looked as if a stiff wind would blow it over, but it had withstood the quakes, it was remote, and it was one of the best things he'd ever seen.

Josh and Bobby disappeared around the side while Peter stood watch at the corner of the building. The daylight was fading fast as one of the doors slid up and Josh waved him eagerly forward. The automatic headlights sprang to life as the front of the car entered the building. He moved faster, eager to hide the illumination, even if there wasn't anyone around to see it.

He turned the car off and the garage door clattered down behind him. Darkness briefly suffused the building and then a light flickered to life on the other side of the room. The hollowed out shell of a car was revealed, but unlike Bobby's car, they seemed to be making actual progress with this one. Even so, Xander wasn't surprised by the bag of empty beer cans sitting in the corner as he climbed out of the car.

"There are three lights, I don't know how long they'll last for," Josh said as he held the mechanic's light above his head. "I don't remember the last time we changed the batteries in them. There's usually some water in the cooler over there, and there's always some munchies lying around. We'll have to find them though as Dan has a habit of hiding them from the rest of us."

Xander would search every square inch of this garage if it meant discovering where Dan liked to hide his munchies. "This may be a little bit of heaven," Mary Ellen said as she glanced back at a still immobile Molly.

Peter hefted a tire iron into his hands and slapped it against his palm. "Better than nothing. Now let's see if we can find that food."

Josh was already pulling warm water out of the cooler and handing it out. Xander took one but hesitated before drinking it. What if whatever was wrong with those people had something to do with water? Saliva filled his mouth as he stared at the bottle. It didn't matter if it had something to do with the water or not, either way he would end up dead, and he didn't feel like being dehydrated when it happened.

Tipping his head back he took a long swallow from the bottle.

CHAPTER 12

Al

Franklin, Mass.

He drifted off but it was impossible to sleep for any length of time between the persistent throbbing in his hand and the feeling of impending doom. Every time his head would fall forward it would shoot right back up. He blinked around the room and shifted himself further up on the headboard.

The lightning and thunder had faded away a few hours ago, and he found he disliked the ensuing silence even more than the chaos of the storm. He could hear
them
now, clearly. They bumped and jostled and moved about in the next room, but they didn't speak, and aside from the occasional shout from outside he heard no other human sounds from them.

Rochelle was curled up beside him; her chest rose and fell evenly as small breaths escaped her. Lee was on the floor on the other side of her; he was the only other one that had managed to fall asleep for any length of time. Riley and Carl were sitting by the front door. Carl had one leg drawn up, his arm draped over it and his gun in hand. Carl hadn't placed the gun down since they'd realized that one, if not all of them, may become one of the mindless group surrounding them.

Riley's head bent toward Carl's as they talked in hushed murmurs that Al could barely pick up. A few feet away from them, leaning against the bureau, John stared at the ceiling. Al wondered what he saw there, or if perhaps he had become catatonic like the rest of the world seemed to have become. Al slipped his hand under the pillow and wrapped it around the gun there. The last thing he wanted was to harm anyone in this room but he wasn't willing to be caught unawares.

Absently he reached down and rubbed his knee before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He wasn't going to fall asleep and it was lonely lying there in the dark. He slid off the bed and plodded over to the wall. He bit back a groan as he slid down the wall between Carl and John.

"You ok?" Carl asked.

"I'm not going to get any sleep."

"I can't believe they're sleeping," Riley murmured.

Al watched the two figures sleeping across the room. He knew what they were all thinking, were the two of them sick? Or were they really just some of the lucky few that could sleep through anything, including an apocalypse? Al hadn't checked Rochelle's temperature, he'd been too afraid to know. He wasn't even sure that a fever would be one of the symptoms. He'd do what was necessary to survive, but he didn't think he could put her down if it became required of him. He couldn't do that to Rochelle or to Mary Ellen, and he was pretty sure that no one else in this room would be able to do it either.