What Remains_Reckoning (24 page)

Wolfe shuffled over to take a look. “Doubtful they’re all runners. Ten are too jerky. Legs dragging on the asphalt. But those ones in the park… They might be trouble.”

“I don’t like this. We have no idea what kind of numbers might be inside the buildings, just waiting for something to grab their attention. And by the look of those broken windows, I’d say anything worth taking has already been scavenged.”

“By who? Haven’t seen a living human since we left the camp.”

Gunner pursed his lips then turned to her. “Any idea if there’s a group around here?”

“I doubt it. As far as I know, Beau’s is the only compound within a few hundred miles.”

Wolfe snarled. “Think the bastard would come this far?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. They never talked that much about logistics or territories. At least not around me. I don’t think they trusted me.”

“I’m sure kicking Beau’s ass over and over had something to do with that.”

She grinned at the gleam in Wolfe’s eye, his pride in her warming her heart.

Gunner huffed. “Thinking we should go around. Keep to the edge of the boundary along the west, see how bad the road in here is. Maybe we’ll get lucky and we can make up some time.”

Wolfe nodded. “You stay with Morgan. Ham and I will sweep behind you.” He glanced at her. “You okay? You seem a bit…

“Slow?”

“Tired. And don’t think we didn’t notice that you only ate a fraction of what we offered you this morning.”

Uncertainty skittered along her spine, and she broke eye contact. “My stomach’s still unsettled. Must have been something I ate. I’m just being cautious.”

A grunt sounded close to her before Gunner snagged her arm. “Unsettled? What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means I’m fine. We should go.”

She took a step only to have Ham block her way as Gunner held firm. She didn’t try to push past Ham or loosen Gunner’s grip, knowing it’d just raise further suspicion.

Gunner tilted her head up with his finger. “Morgan? There something you need to tell us?”

She schooled her features, reminding herself to talk low and controlled. “I’m just feeling nauseous. It’ll pass. Can we go now?”

Ham shook his head. “We’ve all eaten the same food. If any of it was bad, we should be sick, too.”

“For the love of god, can we just go? I’m fine. I’ll keep up.”

She cringed at the hint of panic in her voice, knowing there wasn’t much hope that the boys had missed it. As if on cue, all three closed in around her. She held Gunner’s stare, unsure exactly what to tell them.

Wolfe scanned the area, nodded at Ham before looking at her. “Care to try the truth now?”

“I’m not lying. I’m fine. I…”

Her stomach rolled then heaved, and she pushed out of the circle then bent over, emptying her breakfast on the cement walkway. Muffled curses rasped behind her then a set of hands grazed her spine.

“Easy.” Gunner’s voice sounded steady, though there was no mistaking the underlying worry in his tone.

She heaved again, bracing one hand on the wall until the feeling finally passed, the bitter taste lingering at the back of her throat. She took a few soothing breaths, allowing Gunner to shoulder some of her weight when she finally straightened. The men stared at her, brows furrowed before Hamilton offered her his water bottle.

“Thanks.” She rinsed out her mouth, taking a few sips then handing it back. “We should go.”

“We’re fairly secluded back here. Wolfe and I are constantly checking. We’ve got some time.” His eyes narrowed. “Better?”

She nodded, unsure what else to say.

Wolfe shucked off his pack, rummaging through it. “I know there’s meds in that kit that should help. At least settle your stomach enough we can get somewhere safer, even if we have to backtrack to the cabin.”

She reached for his hand, stopping him from yanking out the kit. “I don’t need the meds, Wolfe. It’s fine.”

“The fuck it is. And we can’t afford to have you puking all day. You’ll dehydrate yourself, not to mention the toll it’ll take on your body. It’s just Gravol. No big deal.”

She tightened her hold, waiting until he looked up at her. She gave him a warm smile, glancing at the other men in turn. “That’s not what I meant. I can’t take the meds. It might not be safe.”

“Safe?” Wolfe looked at Gunner. “Help me out here, buddy.”

Gunner ran his hand down her back. “Honey. The meds are fine. We checked all the expiration dates first thing. And Wolfe’s right. We’re only an hour out from the cabin. We’ll head back. Give you some time to get over this.”

Morgan ran a shaky hand through her hair. Damn. She hadn’t planned on talking to them this soon. “It’s not the meds that aren’t safe, Gunner. I’m just pretty sure I can’t take them.” She broke eye contact, staring at the ground by her feet. “And I don’t think it’s going to pass in a couple of days.”

Gunner’s hand tensed against her back. “Is that your way of saying this isn’t the first time you’ve been sick?” He cursed at her guarded nod. “When the hell did you manage to toss your cookies without us noticing?”

She levelled a glare at him. “Did you really think I needed to pee all those times?”

He frowned. “Girls are always going off to the bathroom. It seemed normal. Besides, I’ve been pretty damn close to you every time. You didn’t sound as if you were puking.”

“Can’t help it if I’m good at hiding it. I just rustled bushes and shit. Besides, you boys take paranoia to a whole new level. I knew if I mentioned anything, you’d all freak out. Insist we rest for a few days instead of pushing ahead.”

“How long have you been throwing up.”

She made herself meet his gaze. “Three days.”

The vein in his temple twitched. “And you didn’t tell us? Why?”

She snagged her lip, fear and anticipation warring inside her. She wanted to tell them, but without concrete proof, and in the position they were in…

Gunner’s eyes widened as his gaze drifted down her body before focusing on her face again. “Morgan?”

She took a deep breath. “I wanted to be sure before I mentioned it. It could be a hundred other things, but…”

An emotion she hadn’t seen before crossed his features as he moved in closer. “You really think you are?”

She shrugged. “I had it just before you guys arrived—the reason Beau had left me alone for a bit. It was another one of his hard limits. So I’m a few days late.”

Wolfe pushed in beside her. “I’m glad you two seem to understand this shit because Ham and I don’t have a god damn clue what you’re talking about.”

A sloppy grin curled Gunner’s mouth before he stepped forward, tugging her to him and planting a searing kiss on her mouth. He gave her a gut-wrenching smile as he rested his forehead on hers. “Morgan’s trying to tell us she thinks she’s pregnant.”

Wolfe’s gaze snapped to her as Ham snugged in close behind her. Wolfe stared at her as if he’d never seen her before then smiled. He leaned in, claiming her mouth, the sensuous nature of kiss tearing her eyes. “Fuck, yeah, sweetheart.”

Ham gave her a kiss from behind, one hand falling to rest on her stomach. “You are full of surprises, baby.”

Wolfe grunted. “This changes everything.”

Gunner nodded. “We need a fucking vehicle. We can’t have Morgan traipsing through the damn Colorado backcountry for the next month. Weather’s going be turning.”

Morgan pulled out of their embrace then gave each man a swat on the shoulder. “Don’t even think about pulling this alpha male bullshit. I’m telling you I might be pregnant.
Might
. And even if I am, I’m fully capable of doing everything I did before. I’m not suddenly fragile. Sure in month eight I won’t be winning any races, but shit. I’m fine. So whatever’s going through your heads right now, just stop.”

The look on Wolfe’s face spoke volumes. “Fat fucking chance we’re going to stand around and act as if nothing has changed.” He leaned in and stopped her from saying anything with a hard, passionate kiss. “You just told us you’re giving us a child. Shit, none of us ever thought we’d find a woman like you, let alone get a chance to be a father.”

“Might, Wolfe. I mean, the signs are there, but…”

“We love you, sweetheart. With or without. Just remember that.”

Hamilton gave her a squeeze. “Wolfe’s right. But damn if it doesn’t make my head spin just thinking about it.” He nudged Gunner. “Same plan? Keep to the edge of the woods then gauge the road. We can take turns carrying Mor—”

“Fuck that. I can walk. Run. Shit, I can kick your alpha ass if needed.”

Ham grinned. “Now that could be an interesting form of foreplay but…”

His words mixed with a primal howl as a group of infected crashed out of the woods, loping to a halt on the field behind them. The creatures stared at the town, their gray skin gleaming in the sun.

“Shit.” Gunner ducked down, taking her with him. “I’m really starting to hate these motherfuckers.”

Wolfe crouched beside her. “There’re ten. And no fucking doubt they’re fast.” He checked his weapon. “With the right angle, I should be able to down two with one bullet, but I don’t have enough ammo to kill every damn zombie in this town.”

“The noise will just bring the others our way. They don’t seem to have spotted us. Let’s see where they go then hoof it to the tree line. Ham, how many knives have you got?”

“Eight. I gave Wolfe two. Pistol has ten rounds left.”

“So we can shoot about three dozen targets between us and knife twelve.” Gunner scrubbed his hand along his face. “Something tells me that might not be enough.”

Wolfe pointed toward the main section of town. “Why don’t you, Morgan and Ham head for the trees. I’ll make my way through town. See if I can find a vehicle with any amount of gas.”

Morgan hissed, pushing Gunner off her. “Are you crazy? You can’t go alone. We can’t separate.”

“I’ll be fine. I can move faster and quieter on my own.”

“Wolfe, no, ple—”

“They’re charging.” Ham jumped up, grabbing hold of two knives. “Gunner, get her out of here. Wolfe and I will take care of this batch.”

Gunner cursed, taking her hand in his. “Knife four, Ham. Leave the rest to Wolfe then book it out of there. We’ll head for the other side of town.”

“We’ll have your back. Just keep moving.”

“But…” Morgan’s words faded as Gunner took off, keeping her tight to his back.

She followed along, trusting his judgment as he headed for a small path in the trees. A cloud of dust eddied around their feet as they crossed a dirt road, the crunch of stones intermixed with grunts and growls. She tried to divide her attention between where they were headed and Ham and Wolfe trailing slowly behind them, the distance increasing with every step.

Gunner squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry about them, honey. I promise you they’ll be fine. Focus on each step. I’ll indicate our direction with my hand. All you have to do is follow it.”

“If anything happens to them…”

He nodded. She held tight, keeping pace when half a dozen zombies charged out of the path they were headed for, their gait disturbingly human. Gunner didn’t miss a beat. He changed direction, taking them back toward the alleyway along the backside of the buildings, his pace never slowing. Fear roiled through her gut, bringing on another wave of nausea. She choked it down, vowing she wouldn’t be the reason they didn’t make it, when shots echoed behind them.

“Damn. That’s loud. We’re going to have more company.” He stopped, pulling her with him as he pivoted, raising his weapon in one smooth motion and killing the infected still racing after them. The zombies fell in a bloody heap, pools of black oozing onto the ground.

Gunner glanced back at her. “You okay?”

She nodded, holding down another heave.

His gaze dropped to her stomach then back again. “Shit. You gonna be sick?”

“I can deal. You just concentrate on what you need to do.”

His lips pursed together, but he didn’t press her for more. He turned, starting forward when another group rounded the building in front of them, their dull eyes staring blankly ahead. Gunner changed directions again, veering off down a corridor between buildings. She could hear him muttering to himself, and she didn’t need to understand the words to know he was pissed. Or was he scared? He took the first adjoining alleyway, still trying to lead them toward the other side of town.

The pack followed, not quite as fast as the previous group, but too steady to engage in a fight. Every step seemed to increase the creatures’ balance, and Morgan knew it was only a matter of time before their movements mimicked the others.

Gunner seemed to come to the same conclusion. He glanced over his shoulder, noticeably increasing his pace. Her legs started to feel heavy as she fought to keep up. Gunner reached another junction, taking two steps across when he turned violently and shoved her down a side chute. She took a few stumbling steps, catching her balance as she looked back, the sick feeling in her stomach rising up. Gunner was pinned to the wall, two dead at his feet, another two held back by the stock of the rifle. Pale arms scratched the air in front of his face as he turned his head, avoiding the next attempt.

Morgan reached for her knife when Gunner dipped one shoulder, slamming the rifle’s butt against the wall, effectively shoving the zombies off to the side. They crashed against the building, turning quicker than she thought possible. One glanced her way a moment before a crack split the air and a chunk of its head splintered off, dropping it where it stood. Pieces of skin and bone splattered along the brick, the heavy scent of rotting flesh hanging in the air.

Gunner stepped through the carnage, darting to her side. Acid burned her throat, and she palmed her hand on the wall, heaving twice, purging anything left in her stomach.

Gunner curled his hand around her. “Morgan?”

She forced herself upright, giving him a curt nod. “I’m okay. The smell…”

He grimaced when Ham and Wolfe rounded the corner, stopping beside them.

Wolfe glanced at the pavement then back to them. “We don’t have much time. A minute or two tops.”

She punched Gunner on the shoulder. “Then let’s go.”

Ham pointed toward the main road. “Most of those fuckers came our way. We should make for the street and run like hell.”