Dissolve (23 page)

“I didn’t think we would get stuck in it. I thought we would be able to turn around or veer off a side road. We might have to go to plan B.”

“What is plan B?” I asked.

“Um, you and Nessa hide in the back under our bags and the seat. We find the detour and then you can come out,” Noah says.

“Great, just what I wanted to do today. Crawl around the back seat on the floor. That sounds like a blast. How about you Nessa, sound like fun?”

“Oh yeah, a great time,” she mumbled.

“This is serious. You two are on the run, remember? Mia can sit up front and navigate for a while. But you have to hurry. I can see the blockade a little ways up,” Noah said.

I was about to give in when it happened. Suddenly there was no one driving the car in front of us and ash swirled out the window. I look further and realized it had happened to all the cars in front of us as far as we could see. Running cars bumped into the others in a line of dominoes.

Oh crap. We were right in the middle of another mass bombing. The radiation couldn’t be good for us even if we were immune. I didn’t have long to panic before Shane cut the silence.

“Holy Hell, what just happened?”

“Looks like we will make it to Wyoming after all,” Noah said. “I am going to have to do a little off road action to get around all these empty cars though.”

“Everyone needs to buckle up, it is going to be a bumpy ride,” I told them.

It turned out Noah wasn’t kidding about the bumpy ride. The shocks in this van were going to be shot after this for sure. Apprehension settled over the collective as we took in the surroundings. Every car we drove by was vacant. When we finally reached the blockade, there was nothing but wet piles of ash surrounding the temporary walls they set up.

“We are going to have to move that first car and the first blockade to get through. I will get the blockade if someone will move the car. Do we have any volunteers?” Shane asked.

When no one spoke up, I raised my hand and agree reluctantly. I stepped out of the van and made my way across the wet ash flecked grass towards the little red sedan. The water seeped up the hems of my pants and I groaned. On the bright side, keys were in the ignition and the car was in park. On the downside, the front seat had a pile of ash in it. I cringed as I brushed away the majority of the ash and got inside the car.

I put the car in drive and pulled a U-turn before parking again. I was quick to get out of the car and brush off the ash I sat in. Giving a little shiver; I turned to see Shane had moved the barrier and was also heading back to the van.

“Good job guys, and thanks,” Noah said as we reentered the van.

“It was disgusting, I have human remains on me,” is all I could say as I got back into my seat and Noah put the van in drive.

We made our way successfully over the state line and had to weave around cars in various spots on the highway. It felt like a video game, the way we were weaving in and out of stalled traffic and mass pileups. Luckily, the highway was mostly vacant and we were able to move through without too much trouble.

Due to the stalled cars, our drive had increased considerably and it took a few extra hours to get to our destination. Everyone looked exhausted though, so we decided to stop for a while and get some rest. We found a nice hotel just inside the city limits and parked in the valet spot. With no people and no cars to worry about, this would be the cheapest hotel stay yet.

“Alright, this will be an adventure. We have to find a key and program it to the suite first. Then we can go on up.” Noah said. “Shane, please get the bags.”

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement as we headed inside the empty hotel. I had never experienced anything like this. There was no one around and we had completely free reign over the hotel. We could eat and drink from the mini bar, eat from the kitchen and use as many towels and little shampoos as we wanted.

Noah took charge and I had to admit it was kind of sexy. He managed after several fumbled attempts to get us the penthouse suite. Shane tossed our stuff onto a valet cart and wheeled it over towards the elevator. We met him over there and all of us slid into the elevator.

“What room bro?” Shane asked Noah.

“We have the penthouse suite,” he replied.

“That’s awesome. I have always wanted to stay in one. They are so expensive, let’s see what all the fuss is about,” Shane said.

We had to use our key card in the elevator to gain access to the penthouse. Noah slid the card in and we headed up to the top. When the doors opened, we discovered a sprawling hotel suite. It was luxurious and big enough to be an apartment.

“This is the life,” Mia said smiling as she looked around in awe.

“Remember, we are just here to eat and rest. We have to be in Spokane soon and I want to scout around before we meet Liam. I want to make sure it isn’t a trap,” Noah said.

“Fine, but I call first dibs on a bath in that fabulous Jacuzzi tub,” I said sparkling with excitement.

I rushed to get some clothes from the bag, not that there was much of a selection. Our clothes were pretty dirty and we probably need to hit up the hotel’s washer and dryer. Changing gears, I hurried into the luxurious bathroom and shut the door. I filled up the tub with hot water and stripped down. The bath felt extremely good as I let the bubbles foam up all around me. I was about to drift off to sleep when I heard a knock on the door.

“Cora, can I come in?” Nessa asked.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

I heard the door slide open and Nessa popped through it. She looked flushed and distracted.

“What’s up?” I asked her.

“Ugh, I can’t stand to be around them another minute,” she complained. “They are all kissy and lovey-dovey. It makes me nauseous.”

“Sweetie, I am sorry. I know you liked Shane. Who knows, maybe Liam will be hot,” I said trying to be supportive.

“They just keep talking about their cool powers and Shane is being all manly showing off that he can heal from anything. It is so sweet it is sickly. All they think about is each other. I want to put some kind of block on them so I don’t have to listen to all that drivel.”

“That mind reading thing can suck I guess.”

“It royally sucks. I feel like the fifth wheel on this trip. Liam better be hot. If it is the end of the world and we survive, I don’t want to be stuck alone. I will be eternally pissed.”

“Can you hand me a towel please,” I asked her.

Nessa handed me a towel and turned away as I wrapped it around my body and returned to the conversation.

“Noah and I aren’t together, so you are not the fifth wheel.”

“Yeah, but you should be. He is perfect for you and he totally digs you.”

“I know, but I am just scared. If I cross that bridge, there is no going back,” I told her.

“Look around Cora, there is no going back at all. We are on the run and these people are our solace, for better or worse. Besides, I am pretty sure you crossed that bridge in Denver. You may be fuzzy on the details, but I bet he remembers every second of it.”

“I get your point and I will think about it, I promise.”

“Okay, I will let you change into your clothes but I want to take a shower when you are done,” Nessa said pulling the door shut behind her.

Happy to be in such a nice place and exhausted from the long day, I ignored everyone and entered the bedroom. I slid under the silk sheets on the four poster bed. I smiled to myself before fading out.

Chapter 21:

I woke to see sunlight streaming in the room. I slowly came to and looked around. Nessa was asleep in the bed with me and I was assuming Shane and Mia were in the living room, because Noah was asleep on the floor. He was wrapped up in a bundle of blankets and snoring.

Trying to be as silent as possible, I slipped out of the bed and straightened my sweats and tee. I stepped around Noah who didn’t even stir. In the living room I did, in fact find Shane and Mia curled up on the couch together. It was so cute, I wanted to be sick. I shook my head and quietly grabbed my bag before heading into the bathroom. Sighing, I shut the door behind me.

I splashed cold water on my face and lathered it with soap. It felt good to wash the sleep away from the night and wake up. Striping down to my underwear, I tossed on my blue jeans from Nessa and the chocolate brown shirt I wore that first day we ran. I brushed my hair and tossed it back into a short ponytail again before putting on deodorant and brushing my teeth. I already felt much better and quietly stepped out of the bathroom and back into the living room.

Hearing my stomach growl, I slid on the brown flats and slipped out the suite door. Almost to the elevator, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me and whirled around to find Noah. He was unkempt and fresh from sleep. He flashed me a crooked smile, hands in his jean pockets. I wanted to melt, but instead I straightened.

“What are you doing up?” I asked.

“I heard you stir. I thought you might need an escort. You won’t get far without the key.”

My cheeks redden and I nodded before saying, “come on then, I am starving.”

He followed me into the elevator and we were silent the entire trip down. All I could feel was the tension wearing thin between us. We finally stepped out of the elevator and onto the main floor of the hotel.

Before I had a chance to say anything, Noah had swung me around and swept me up into a soft sensual kiss. My heart raced as he kissed me slow and gentle. I wanted to meld that sweet intensity with him and I returned the kiss. It left me breathless when I finally broke away from him. My eyes were wide with surprise when they met his. All I saw was desire as I stared into his eyes. I was weak on my feet, but managed to straighten and gather my composure.

“Which way do you think the kitchen is?” I asked, changing gears.

“Let’s follow the restaurant signs and that should lead us to a kitchen. I hope we can find something edible to eat. I am starving too. I am sure when everyone wakes up, they will be as well,” he said with a smile.

I was thankful he didn’t comment on the kiss and we walked towards the front desk. Noah and I followed the restaurant signs until we stepped into a dining room with several piles of ash. I shuddered involuntary and Noah guided me around them.

We made it to the back of the dining room to the door of the kitchen and swung it open. There were more piles of ash and we carefully maneuvered around to the shelves of food next to the cold room.

“This is creepy, especially knowing that those are ashes belonging to actual human beings. I feel like I am at a crematorium,” I said crinkling up my nose.

“The whole state is essentially that. We just have to ignore that part and concentrate on getting the group some food. Then we can go back up to the ash free hotel room,” he replied.

We searched around looking for something easy to bring back up. I managed to find some crackers and not much else. Noah stepped into the cold room and returned with some cheese and a few pieces of pie wrapped in cellophane.

“This should do. We can always find more food later at a grocery store if we need to. There is enough to go around for now,” he said.

“Alright, anything to get out of here, it is giving me the creeps just being in this kitchen.”

“Ladies first,” Noah said gesturing towards the door to the dining room.

I didn’t reply, just took the initiative and made my way back to the front desk and then to the elevator. I spent the time wondering if he had his eyes on me and felt a blush coming on.

Taking a deep breath, I hit the up arrow on the elevator and waited for it to ding. We stepped into the elevator and Noah smiled at me. I gave him a small smile in return and then he put the key to the penthouse into the slot. That was when I saw the envelope.

The envelope was sitting on the floor tipped up so that we would see it. I nudged Noah and nodded my head towards the letter. My hands began to shake as I picked up the note. On the outside of the envelope was the blue embossed recycle symbol and the words I was getting all too familiar with,
Ashes to Ashes life evolves
. I slid out the letter written on hotel stationary and read it aloud.

Eight states, seven people, eight hours, -Stephan.

“That is a loaded statement. The six states are Washington, Alaska, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and I guess there are already several other states he has decimated. The question is, which ones,” he said.

“There are only five of us so I can only guess that Liam makes the sixth. He might just be as innocent as we are. If there are seven of us total, then that means we have one more yet to find, making this scarier by the minute.”

“The worst part is eight hours. I think that means we have eight hours to get to Spokane and get some answers, the seven of us. We have to get there and find Liam and the other person before our time is up. We need to get the others and get the hell out of here,” Noah added.

Just then, the elevator dinged and we stepped into the suite to see a flurry of activity. Nessa was packing the bags and setting them by the elevator. Shane was pulling on a tee shirt and Mia must have been in the bathroom. When Nessa looked up and saw our expression, she went pale.