at all. He wanted to enclose her in his arms properly and squeeze her until they both ached. To lose her already… to lose everything when they were so close to the goal. Luke could barely comprehend it. But things were not looking good. He knew they weren’t. If they survived this, it would be a miracle and already in his head he was plotting the best way to ensure Jackson’s survival. If he had to sacrifice himself, he knew he was ready to do it. It was like he’d almost promised himself the moment they’d first kissed. He just hadn’t known it then, and besides, when it came right down to it, he knew that he’d had a damn good run. The fact that they had gotten this far? Two years and then some after the end of the world? Yeah, he’d done good. What more could a man ask for than that?
“Ready?”
Jackson hefted the girl, hooked Mandy into her waistband, and lifted her Glock. “Yeah I’m ready.”
Luke lifted his own gun ready to smash the lock, his eyes finding Jackson’s—a message arcing between the two of them, promising something neither knew if they’d ever be able to give again. One quick swing and—
An explosion rocked the room, enormous in its size, the sound of it filling everything. The entire structure shook, bits of plaster and stone raining down. Without even thinking, Luke crouched down, protecting Jackson and the little girl with his body.
A dead limb rolled under the open garage door, followed by another and then…rain?
“Jack—”
She shook her head, eyes wide, and they both turned to see liquid dripping onto the floor from the door. Even through the dust and plaster they knew what it was. Pus and blood. The
Jackson heaved the girl, stood and ran forward. “Come on!”
Luke followed immediately, looking for a space where they wouldn’t be showered with zombie fluid, and together they slipped under the space, choking on the dust and grime around them.
“Jesus…”
The sight that greeted them as the dust cleared was enough for Luke’s jaw to drop. He wasn’t even sure what he’d expected, even if he’d had time to think it through. He just looked and he reeled and eventually a feeling of deep, and completely unfamiliar, relief filled him.
Because the bodies now standing in front of him did not belong to the dead. They were people.
PART TWO
“When the impossible becomes the possible it takes time to believe it, for some more than others.”
Chapter Twenty-five
There had to be at least twenty people, men and women, and shock held Jackson still as she looked from one to the other. Were they army? Their outfits suggested as much. They were all cammoed up, dripping in weapons and such, and they were hench. She saw that immediately by the fact they were busy beheading the zombies. Not in an angry fashion but systematic. One after the other, after the other. Until nothing remained.
Jackson’s heart slowed its frantic beat with each swing of a weapon. Yes, she was still amped up, still feeling the despair that had settled across her in the garage, but now it was joined by something else. Shock, disbelief, relief? She didn’t know, couldn’t even pause long enough to work it out.
Her eyes zeroed in on one of the soldier-type people and watched as he shot a smile at the woman next to him and then high-fived her. Their spirits were up, the camaraderie obvious, and it shocked Jackson to see it. It’d had been so long since she’d witnessed people just being silly. The zombies had put a stop to anything like that, or at least she’d thought they had.
“Did we get all of them?” someone asked.
“Yep, all dead.”
“Reckon they might stay dead this time, the bastards?”
Laughter echoed around the space and unsure what to do, not to mention slightly off-balance by the riot of emotions running through her and the amount of people right in front of her, Jackson edged closer to Luke. Her grip on the girl tightened, and she was pleased to feel Luke’s arm enclose them both.
“What should we…?” Her voice trailed off as a large man shot through the crowd. He had to be well over six and a half feet and he was built like a linebacker. He too was dressed in full camo gear and had the biggest gun Jackson had ever seen. In an odd way he reminded her of Tye. He was out of breath, had clearly been running, and sweat beaded across his forehead. He certainly wasn’t the only one sweating. Jackson could feel her vest damp against her back.
His gun arm dropped the moment he set eyes on them and to Jackson’s surprise he choked off a cry. “Sammy?”
The girl’s head whipped around and she let out a squeal before wiggling her way out of Jackson’s grip. “Daddy!”
The girl ran to him and was enveloped in his arms. Everything made sense to Jackson then. The trap the zombies had set up, the fact she and Luke were still alive. It was all so clear, and ever so slightly horrifying.
“Survivors,” she whispered. “The zombies were trying to trap these survivors. We just got in the way.”
“I knew it,” Luke replied, his breath tickling her neck. “I could feel it.”
Everyone turned to look at them then, their whispered voices drawing the attention. Twenty-odd gazes went from Sammy and her dad and then back to Jackson and Luke again.
“Feeling the nerves here,” Jackson whispered.
Luke laughed softly in her ear. “Nothing to be nervous about, babe.”
Sammy’s dad stepped forward, the girl clutched in his arms, a grin creasing his face, relief so obvious in his eyes. “Can’t even begin to thank you people enough. Can’t even believe she’s here. Thank you, thank you so much.”
Jackson shrugged, slightly embarrassed to be the center of attention though the embarrassment went some way to overriding the other, nastier emotions.
“No thanks necessary.”
“I thought…” The man squeezed his daughter to him and shook his head. “Well you can imagine what I thought when I saw the pus in her bedroom.”
“It’s what we all thought.” The second voice came from a lithe Latina woman. She grinned at Sammy then at Jackson, and held out her non-gun-bearing arm. “That one—it couldn’t have been more than one—had snuck into the camp and took her. But we never imagined she’d still be alive. It makes no sense. Nancy, by the way. This is Mack.”
“A zombie snuck into your camp?” Luke asked as Jackson took Nancy’s hand. “An army camp?”
Nancy shook her head. “We’re not army. Not in the conventional sense of the word at least. Though our camp is well as defended as any army base used to be.” She scowled. “A zombie’s never managed to get in till now. Never. Well, they’ve got close but never past the inner perimeter. We’re locked up nice and tight.”
“If you’re not army then,” Jackson said. “Are you the Laredo camp?”
Nancy’s scowl turned into a grin. “Is that what they’re calling us?”
“They?”
“People up north.” She shrugged. “I’m assuming that’s where you’ve come from. You’re not tanned enough to be from these parts.”
