What Remains_Reckoning (12 page)

Hamilton shuffled a bit closer. He’d meant what he’d said. They’d give her all the time she needed. And that time started now.

Chapter Eight

“Fuck!”

Wolfe ran along the rocky path, stopping just long enough to down two infected closing in fast before hoofing it again, using his years of training to fight through the incessant burning in his muscles. He had eight shots left, which was at least a few dozen less than he’d need if they didn’t reach the next ranger cabin soon.

He crested a small rise, gaining on Gunner, Morgan and Hamilton as they continued north, Morgan positioned between the other two men. They’d only been able to stay a couple of days at the first cabin, just until Morgan could move without feeling as if she might pass out from the pain in her ribs. There’d been no sign of Beau, but Gunner hadn’t wanted to risk that the creep might come looking for them. They’d headed out in the truck, but the damn thing had run out of gas within a few hours, and they’d been on foot ever since.

Thankfully, Morgan knew the area intimately, her years as a ranger a godsend, and she’d been taking them from one remote cabin to the next, giving them a relatively safe place to stay most nights before striking off again in the morning. They’d been heading steadily northward for three weeks, sticking to the trails and dirt roads, only venturing into the small towns when forced to. Their unconventional path had allowed them to avoid most of the small pockets of roaming zombies that seemed to gather close to the built-up areas, leaving the four of them to travel in peace the majority of the time. That was until they’d stumbled upon a group of the creatures nearly an hour ago. They bastards had immediately given chase, their increased speed and agility proving to be far more dangerous than Wolfe had originally thought. And if they didn’t find some form of shelter soon, he and the others would run out of steam.

He clenched his teeth as the inklings of a cramp built along one thigh. He hadn’t drank nearly enough, not that the others had, either. But damn. He didn’t know how much longer he could run without a break.

The path along the ridge grew steeper, the increased elevation making his lungs burn. He followed the others, ensuring nothing got past him as they headed toward another tree-lined trail. Hamilton had just reached the start when he skidded to a halt and bent his head low beside Morgan’s. Wolfe cursed and drew up next to them, glancing over his shoulder. Close to a dozen infected bobbed along the path, their heads appearing above the distant incline. No more than a few minutes behind them, the creatures just kept coming, seemingly oblivious to fatigue or the reduced amount of oxygen. Grunts and howls echoed the thunder of footsteps as they pounded along the dirt, their movements disturbingly steady.

Wolfe grabbed Ham’s arm, careful not to clench too hard. They were all on the brink of exhaustion. Wolfe didn’t need to make matters worse by allowing his frustration to color his actions. “We need to keep moving. They’re gaining on us.”

Ham glanced at Morgan. Wolfe followed his stare, cursing again at the shadowed look on her face. She was in pain.

He crowded close to her. “Your ribs acting up again?”

Guilt swam across her expression. “I just need a moment.”

“We don’t have any of those left, sweetheart. I’ll carry you.”

He reached for her, but she took a step back.

“I don’t need you to carry me. Besides, we’ll never outrun them. They don’t get tired. They don’t quit. We need to lose them.”

“I know what we need to do, but damn… There’s nowhere to go.”

“I have a plan.” She glanced at the running horde then back to them. “Do you boys trust me?”

“Fuck yes, just make a decision and make it now.”

Morgan’s eyes widened then she was off, darting into the trees then down a small path off to their left. It headed back toward the ridgeline, and Wolfe got a sinking feeling that he knew what she had planned. Even with all the advances in the creatures, they still lacked a few key abilities. And he’d bet his ass she was about to capitalize on that fact.

Hamilton sped up, staying beside her even when the trail narrowed, the encroaching brush slapping against him. Morgan yelled something that sounded like, ‘get behind me,’ but if the man had heard her, he’d simply ignored her request, keeping his vigil at her side. Wolfe heard her huff as she took a vee in the path, heading toward an opening in the trees. They broke clear of the woods as they entered a rocky section of the cliff, a noticeable drop-off looming ahead.

Morgan continued toward the edge, finally stopping just shy of the lip. She glanced behind him, swearing under her breath. He didn’t need to turn around to know the horde was close. He could hear the steady scuffle of their feet as they broached the rocks. Feel the ground tremble from their close proximity. If there were going to make a move, they needed to do it now.

He touched Morgan on the arm. “Sweetheart…”

“Trust, right?”

Then she turned and ran at the edge, launching off it. Hamilton screamed her name, racing to the drop-off, reaching out as if he could grab her and pull her back. But she’d already hit the water below, a ring of waves marking her entrance. Wolfe held his breath, hissing it out through clenched teeth when she finally surfaced, glancing up at them as she moved into the center of the pool.

Gunner punched him on the shoulder. “We’re so going to have a talk with her once we’re safe.”

Then he grabbed Hamilton’s hand and all but tossed the man off. He turned to Wolfe next, but Wolfe just shook his head, wrapping one arm around Gunner as he took them both over the edge. The rush of wind howled past them before they hit the water full force, the cold temperature stealing Wolfe’s breath. He released Gunner, shoving him toward the light as he kicked against the icy grip, breaking the surface with a spray of water.

The other two men were already up, their faces drawn tight. Wolfe glanced at the ridge, motioning everyone to move as the first infected reached the edge, the frontrunners tumbling over the ledge from the continued movement of the bastards behind them. Their bodies bounced off the rocky protrusions lining the cliff before hitting the surface and sinking into the dark water.

Gunner cursed as he swam toward the shore. “Think they’ve figured out how to swim?”

Wolfe stared at where the creatures had disappeared. “I don’t think so, but I sure as hell don’t want to stick around to find out. Sharks are bad enough. I don’t need to imagine zombies rising out of the water to bite me.”

Gunner snorted. “Thanks. Now I’m imagining it.” He nodded at him. “You didn’t have to tackle me, you know. I would have jumped.”

Wolfe gave the man a smile as he kept swimming. “You always hated the jumping part of deployment. I just thought I’d save you the usual pep talk you always give yourself. Besides, Ham would have been pissed if I didn’t get you back for tossing him off.”

Gunner grinned. “I owed the man from that time over the Pacific.”

“Glad you’re not the kind of guy to hold a grudge.”

“Not a grudge. Just a good memory.”

“Right.” Wolfe neared the shore, finally able to walk the rest of the way out.

A swirl of air sent a rash of goose bumps prickling across his skin, and he couldn’t stop the sudden chatter of his teeth. Fuck, the breeze hadn’t been that cold while they’d been running. Now it felt as if they’d stepped into a freezer.

He trudged out, his focus fixed on Morgan. She was leaning against a large rock, arms wrapped around herself, her body visibly trembling. Hamilton stood beside her, his expression more than frustrated. Wolfe motioned to him when he got close enough, silently asking the man what the problem was.

Ham huffed, crossing his arms on his chest. “That little stunt just made Morgan’s ribs worse, but she’s too damn stubborn to admit it.” He glared at her. “I can see the pain written across your face, not to mention the way you’re holding your side, though I’m sure you’ll merely claim that you’re cold. Or don’t you feel that, either?” He released a weary breath. “I just don’t understand why you think telling us how you’re doing is such a big deal. Broken ribs are a damn bugger to heal. Especially when you’re hiking several hours a day. And this is hardly easy terrain. We climb and descend a mountain’s worth every few hours. It’s got to be taking a toll on you.”

Her bravado slipped for a moment before she firmed her chin. “I’ve slowed us down enough. We can’t afford to go even slower.”

Ham sighed. “We can if it means you might actually heal.”

Gunner moved in closer. “Ham’s right. We’ve all noticed that your side isn’t healing the way it should. But we’ve been trying to let you decide how far and fast we go. Apparently, you lack any form of common sense.”

“I have plenty of common sense. And it’s telling me that if you boys had been on your own, you’d be back at this compound of yours already. Shit, I can barely keep my legs moving and none of you look as if you’re even tired.” She palmed one hand on her hip before wincing and wrapping it around her ribs again. “Up there. I thought I was going to puke from the exertion. I’m fit, but I’m not SEAL fit.” She shook her head. “I still can’t believe you guys are all fucking SEALs. And that you didn’t tell me until a week ago.”

Wolfe joined the misshapen circle. “Sweetheart, it’s been the driving force in our lives for so long, we don’t even think about it. It’s just part of who we are.”

“Not part, Wolfe. It’s the whole damn thing.” She gawked at their expressions. “Oh, come on. Surely you see it? You boys exist completely as a team. There isn’t anything you do separately. Hell, you just have to look at each other and you’ve conveyed whatever you’re thinking. Being a SEAL defines you three in every aspect, even if that job ended with the apocalypse.”

Wolfe frowned. He’d never really taken the time to examine how close the three of them had become. How he simply assumed the other men would be there, day in, day out, watching his back, making sure he didn’t fuck up. But now that she’d mentioned it, he could see how they might come across as intimidating.

He stepped closer. “We don’t mean to come at you as a combined front. Not in the way you’re implying.”

She sighed. “I know. Which is probably the only reason I haven’t tried to ditch you. I realize it’s just your way. But I can’t help but feel like the damn black sheep here. That I’m endangering your lives by holding you back. That I’ll be the reason we don’t reach this sanctuary of yours. Which in itself blows my mind. I can’t even remember when I decided going there was a good idea. I’d planned on running off the first chance I got.”

“We’re glad you haven’t tried. We’d hate to have to hogtie you.”

She grinned at the obvious humor in his voice before her expression hardened and she kicked at the dirt. “I still don’t know why you’re doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Risking your lives for me. I’m no one special.”

“Fuck that. You’re special to us.”

“Why?”

Wolfe reached out and brushed some of her wet hair off her forehead. “Because you give us hope. A reason to keep fighting, even if you don’t realize it.”

“Yeah, well that hope’s going to wear off pretty fast when you figure out I’m not worth the blood and sweat. That it was a mistake to convince me to accompany you.”

“Why the hell would you think that?”

“Because this isn’t some training mission you can afford to screw up. And these things are only getting faster. Smarter.” She waved at the water. “Shit. If we hadn’t been able to jump, you boys would have died because I couldn’t keep going. God, it feels as if my ribs are on fire. I can barely suck in enough oxygen walking, let alone running. And these bastards run. Like the damn wind.” Her body hunched in shame. “There’s more and more of this new breed the farther north we go. It’s only a matter time before I get one of you killed. And then what? The others will just resent me, more so when they realize that no matter how hard they try, how long they wait, I’ll still be broken.”

He snapped. Whether it was the defeated curve of her back or the guilty gleam in her eyes, he wasn’t sure, but seeing her standing there, apologizing for not being up to her perception of their standards, for being fucking human, crushed him. He moved, snagging her around the back and tugging her against his chest. She gasped, her hands flying to his shoulders as he lowered his mouth to hers, brushing his lips across the seam of her mouth. A hint of tangy sweetness tempted his senses and he couldn’t resist pressing harder as his tongue danced inside.

Morgan tensed then eased, kissing him back as he traced the inner contours of her velvety heat. He let his hands cup her flesh, careful to avoid the area where she’d been hurt. Morgan leaned against him, her body molding to his until he eased back, staring down at her as if seeing her in a new light. Those green eyes looked up at him, arousal shading them a deep forest color. She blinked several times before shying away slightly, and he used the opportunity to retreat, releasing his hold on her. Ham inched closer, obviously wanting to be there if her balance shifted. But Morgan held her ground, watching him without speaking.

Wolfe straightened, giving her a curt nod. “That was to adequately shut you up. Because if any of us hear one more word about you being some kind of fucking weak link, we’ll put you over our lap, and it won’t be one of those romance novel spankings, sweetheart. You’re not weak and admitting your broken ribs are affecting your ability to push hard isn’t a burden.” He looked at Gunner, raising his brow.

Gunner nodded, moving over to Morgan. “Wolfe’s right. If it hadn’t been for the threat of Beau and his fucked-up camp, we would have stayed at the first cabin at least two weeks before even thinking about moving on. But we didn’t have that luxury. To be honest, none of us can believe you’ve made it as far as you have each day. You must be in fucking agony. We’d hoped you’d regulate your intensity. Tell us when it was getting too much. But you seem to be determined to run yourself to death rather than confide in us.”