He should have known better.
There were tough times ahead.
For all of them.
The walk back to the bridge and, finally, to the Humvee waiting on the other side, was miraculously quiet.
Too quiet.
The lack of rotters wandering around left Crash feeling seriously on edge.
“What’s with the silence?” he asked when they were safely back in the truck.
Noah joined him in the front, while the two girls climbed into the back.
It still felt weird to be one person short, and he wasn’t looking forward to having to lie to Tank about what had happened to Lily.
“I have a theory,” Noah said.
“Let’s hear it,” Crash said, grateful that the Humvee started right up and pulled away from the bridge easily.
“It was unusually quiet all the way to the hospital yesterday, too, right?” Noah asked. “I think Lily must have already commanded all the rotters in the area to go and wait for us there. We already know that Tank and his crew cleared out a ton of Z’s from this area. I think Lily drew what was left in the neighborhood, which means that now there’s no one left. Probably for miles.”
“Do you think Lily was able to actually talk to those things before we even got to the hospital?” Parrish asked, leaning forward, her eyes wide. “I never saw her leave the compound, and I don’t think anyone would have let her out alone. How did she do it?”
“She has some kind of mental ability,” Karmen said. “Like mine. I could feel it that time she helped me with that big group back near Baltimore.”
“Whoever she is, she has some of the Dark One’s power, I think,” Crash said. “She’s working for her, and she’s able to not only communicate with all the zombies in an area, but she’s also able to take normal Z’s and turn them into those super-crazy ones we’ve met along the way. She was the one I saw on the infrared that night on the rooftop in D.C., creating those zombie assassins, and she had that whole hospital ambush set up before we ever stepped foot out of the compound yesterday.”
“So, then why help us?” Parrish asked. “Why give us the stone or tell us about Zoe? Why explain the truth about the Dark One?”
Crash shrugged. “Maybe in the end, she felt guilty about betraying us. Maybe she had regrets.”
“Well, that or she’s just setting up the next trap,” Karmen said. “We were dumb enough to trust her the first time. I don’t think we should make the same mistake twice.”
The girl had a point.
If it hadn’t been for Karmen speaking up about her suspicions, they might have walked into that trap yesterday with no clue what they were getting into.
“Luckily you were smart enough to realize something was wrong,” he said, catching her eye in the rearview.
“I should have said something sooner,” she said, looking away. “I didn’t tell you guys this earlier, but back when we were still at Crash’s place, I accidentally opened Lily’s backpack. It was dark, and I thought it was mine, but she had this weird cape thing in there. I thought it was some kind of theater costume or something. I mean, what kind of person would forgo a fresh pair of underwear to make room for a giant black cape in their bag? I should have known better.”
“From now on, maybe we should make a pact,” Parrish said. “Whenever one of us comes across something strange or out of place, even if it seems insignificant at the time, we tell each other about it. Just in case.”
“Yeah,” Noah said. “Our best chance of survival now is being able to trust each other and work together. There can be no secrets.”
Crash cleared his throat and nodded, shifting a bit in his seat.
He was all for a truth pact when it came to pointing out suspicions or weird things happening around them, but there were some things he’d rather keep to himself, even now.
Like the thing he’d seen in his dreams last night before he woke up in a cold sweat.
He shuddered now just thinking about it.
Sure, he’d considered telling them all about it while they were up talking, but in the end, he’d decided that his darkest visions were his burden to carry. No one else needed to know what they were really up against.
Besides, he didn’t think anything would change Parrish’s mind about New York. Not even a scary dream from a guy whose dreams almost always came true.
And if he was being honest, he didn’t want to upset Karmen. She was tougher than she looked, but he felt a growing need to protect her and keep her safe.
Not that he’d ever admit that to her, of course.
“Well, that was the easiest drive of all time,” Noah said, shaking his head as the compound appeared around the corner.
“You don’t hear me complaining,” Crash said. “Hopefully, your theory is correct, and it’s just a case of cleared-out rotters.”
Noah muttered, and Crash got the distinct feeling the guy didn’t even believe in his own theory.
Oh well, they were safe now. This compound was probably the safest place on the east coast right now.
The guard at the gate jumped up so fast when the Humvee came into view, he nearly dropped his gun. He said something into his walkie and practically ran out of the guardhouse, waving them forward.
Crash slowed down as the guard yanked the fence open.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you guys back here so soon,” he said. “Stephen’s taken a turn for the worst. I don’t think anyone’s expecting him to make it through the day. Please tell me you got the meds.”
He said it more as a question than anything else, his expression tense.
The long-term survival of this entire compound likely depended on the medicines and supplies they’d managed to get from the hospital.
“We got ‘em,” Crash said.
The guard visibly relaxed his shoulders and sighed as he waved them through the gate.
