Myopia (Young Adult Zombie Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria Series) (13 page)

“You go, or you’ll be someone’s dinner!” Rebecca grabbed the girl’s shirt and tugged her along with her.

The group jumped down as Andrew’s screams rang through the night.

Wisteria flinched. Closing her eyes, she felt a deep surge of sorrow envelop her. She was never going to see him again.

With the swarm distracted by Andrew’s shots and the screams of the other children, they split into two groups and headed off in different directions.

Wisteria, Steven, David and Hailey headed to White Lake Avenue. By the time they got there, they found the street empty, but she could hear the groans of the biters along with the shouts and cries of the other kids.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Wisteria’s group got to number 63 White Lake Avenue, and she found the hidden keys.

“What is this place?” David asked as they got inside the dark house.

“We try to secure these places in case we’re ever stranded out here at night,” she explained, leading them through the house. “It’s not going to be comfortable, but you’ll be safe.”

“Hey, guys, look.” David pointed to Poppy, who was jogging after them.

“I don’t believe it,” she gasped.

Her brother signaled for the girl to join them. Luckily, there weren't any biters following her.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stay with that crazy cow,” Poppy said when she got to the house. “I hope that’s okay?”

“It has to be, right?” Wisteria shut and bolted the door.

“Where is the bunker?” Hailey demanded.

“This way.” Shining a weak light, Wisteria led them to a small kitchen and removed the floorboards. Underneath was a metal flap, which was just large enough for one person to slip through. Opening the flap, she shot the light down.

“It’s tiny,” Hailey stated. “We can’t all fit.”

Wisteria gave her a dirty look. “Just get inside.” Hailey was right. The hole could barely take three people and now there were five of them.

David got in first, followed by Poppy and Steven.

“How did they expect three people to fit in here? There’s barely standing room enough for those three,” Hailey gasped, and examined Wisteria. “We both can’t fit in there, too.”

“Yes, you can,” David insisted. “Just get in. We’ll manage.”

“I’m going in next, because you’re fatter and there’s a better chance—” Hailey made her way down.

Poppy squealed as the fourth person entered the hole. “This isn’t going to work.”

“Just move your fat behind out of the way so I can get down,” Hailey called out. “No! You need to move or I won’t fit.”

“You fit well enough.” Wisteria pushed Hailey’s head down and lowered the flap.

“No, where are you going?” David tried to push the flap open.

“I won’t fit down there.” She tried not to sound like she wanted to cry. “But you need to shut the door. Coles will send someone to look for you here. He knows about the pits.”

“No, you’re being stupid, Ria—” Steven yelled angrily, but she slammed the latch shut.

Just then, she heard a car zoom past the house.
Garfield
, she hoped. Racing to the window, she peeked out, but it was gone and the street was empty.

She prayed it would stay that way until the trackers arrived, if they did. She moved away from the window.
There has to be a closet or the attic for her to hide,
she hoped
.

“Hello! David?” a girl called from outside. She wasn’t yelling, but she was still pretty loud.

She hurried back to the window and saw Amanda moving through the street outside. “Where are you guys?” she yelled. “David!” She was supposed to be with Rebecca’s group.

“Amanda,” she whispered, opening the door a crack.

“Wisteria,” the girl sighed in relief. “Where is everybody?”

“Shh!” Wisteria pled, but it was too late. Biters were staggering up the end of the street. Bolting out of the house, Wisteria ran to the other girl. They couldn’t go back to the number 63 because that would only lead the biters in there and increase the chances of David and the others being eaten.

“Where is everyone?” Amanda asked.

“What are you doing here?” Wisteria demanded as she took her gun, threw it to the ground, and led her away. “You were supposed to stay with Rebecca.”

“No way! Yvette went crazy and shot at people. She shot Rebecca and said she was going to kill me, so I got out of there,” Amanda explained.

“Why did she do that?” Wisteria asked as they ran.

“Like I said, she went completely mad.”

“Was Rebecca bitten or something?”

“I don’t know. We were heading into the house on Cashmore, but I heard guns shots. I didn’t stick around to get a detailed report.”

The girls ran away from White Lake Avenue, away from the biters. The last bunker was at Abelwood Close, which was on the other side of town in the direction of Fox’s. It was about the same size as this one, but it was more than enough for her and Amanda.

After twenty minutes of walking, they came to a gate with the words
Abelwood Cross
written across the top. Although the street was full of mansions, what got the girls’ attention were the masses of biters roaming around.

“We have to go before they see us.” Wisteria was unsure of where they could go.

Amanda nodded.

As they turned away, she saw Andrew’s flesher. The color in its eyes was already starting to fade. Groaning, he shuffled toward them with only one functioning hand.

 
“Andrew,” she gasped as it staggered toward her.

“That’s Andrew,” Amanda admitted.

“I know. There’s still a chance we can get to Cashmore, but you need to keep it together.”

“I’d be more use to you if you would have let me use my gun,” the girl replied.

“Don’t you get it? The biters are attracted by noise and bright lights, both of which your gun produces every time you use it. It’d be safer to cut your fingers off and use them as a candy trail for the biters. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Oh—I didn’t know,” Amanda admitted. “I…”

“How can you not know that?”

“They never actually told us why we can’t do these things. They make all these rules and shut us out. No one would’ve kept having these stupid parties if they really thought this could happen.”

“I can’t believe that. The soldiers do safety briefings every week in school.”

“Don’t lecture me,” Amanda hissed. “I didn’t know about this stuff, so don’t try and make it sound as if I should’ve known better or something. And don’t think I need you to help me get out of here, because I don’t.” She bolted to the nearest house.

Wisteria went after the girl, not understanding what was wrong with her. “Amanda,” she called out. “What are you thinking?” She held out her sword as she moved in the darkness.

She paused at the sound of biters nearby.

“Help,” Amanda cried. “I’m stuck.”

“I’m sorry,” Wisteria told her regretfully. She’d already risked her life for this stupid girl too many times in the past. “I’m going to leave now.”

“Please, Wisteria,” Amanda pleaded. “I can’t move. Don’t leave me here to die.”

“Ugh.”

More biters sounded behind her.

Flashing her light across the hallway, she found Amanda tangled underneath a large net. Apparently, the previous occupant had booby trapped the house. Maybe in an attempt to hold off the infected.

“Help me. I've sprained my ankle,” Amanda cried. “What was that?”

“Biters.” Wisteria tried to untangle the net. “They’ve broken in. Listen, we’re only a few streets away from 18 Sinclair Road. We’ll try and go there.” She knew that pit wasn’t finished yet, but the doors to the house were more secure. “It’s the old fire station.”

“I know where that is.” Amanda crawled out of the net.

Andrew’s flesher broke through the door and grabbed Wisteria’s waist.

“Ahh!” She tried to fight him off, but this flesher was stronger than most because Andrew had been a fit, strong person in life. “Amanda, go, go.”

Amanda limped, but managed to dash out of the nearest window, toward the old fire station, Wisteria hoped.

Snarling, Andrew tried to bite her, but she managed to take out her knife and slice off his good hand. Struggling, she managed to free herself. The creature snarled and continued attacking, but she was able to remove his head with her sword. The pain of having to cure this man who’d been her friend was almost too much for her to bear. “I’m so sorry, Andrew,” she sobbed, heartbroken, as she saw several flesh eaters moving toward her. Bracing herself, she counted eleven.
You can do this, Wisteria.

Then, the biters stopped moving. They were still hungry and their moans became louder, but they didn’t advance. It was as if something was holding them back.

She’d seen this before when she was with Bach. He’d been able to control the biters. “Bach, are you there?”

“Sorry to disappoint,” another person said in an accent similar to Bach’s, but more sinister.

“Who are you?” She pointed her sword in the direction of the speaker.

“That will be useless.” A tall guy, around eighteen, with messy brown hair, walked into the room. He was dressed in a long, dark, double-breasted black coat that was just as outdated as what Bach wore. “I am fully regenerated, so there is no way you can hurt me.”

“Felip.” She grimaced as Bach’s cousin stepped in front of her.

“I have missed you, Wisteria.”

“You barely know me.” One thing she did know was that Felip had been working with the people who tried to kidnap her. He subsequently stole the obsidian crystal they found on Smythe. Since then, the Family had been searching for him and for the red stones. No one knew what Felip wanted with the obsidian crystal, as it was useless to the Family.

 
She also didn’t know what Felip wanted with her. “I’m going to kill you,” she threatened.

Felip grabbed her sword.
 
“Cute,” he chuckled. “I see you are acting more and more like your mother each day.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Your mother, Lara Kuti. Or is it Coles now? I first knew her when she was Demi Dina, then she became Lara Akanbi or something equally random… your mother marries a lot.”

“Felip, please leave?” She trembled.

“Why? Looks like you need me.” Glancing back at the biters crammed in the house, he chuckled. “Did you know Lara was the last Terran to kill a Famila? In fact, the Famila she murdered was very close to Bach.”

“I don’t want to hear your lies right now. Either you get rid of the biters or you go,” she bluffed. There was no way she was making it through the swarm of infected in front of her.

“It was because of Lara that the Seven Elders lured Red Phoenix to the Czech Republic for extermination before releasing Nero. They thought they had succeeded, but some of the vermin made it through. Lara, too—ironically.”

“If you hated the Red Phoenix, why use them? Why didn’t you just do it all yourself?”

“Surely, you can appreciate using trained monkeys, especially since I detest Terrans. But you are right. I should have taken you myself.”

Her eyes widened.

“Do not worry. I am not here to for you—not yet.” He grinned. “My plans have changed slightly. I just have a message for Bach. If I go to him, he will try to attack me.”

She wanted to say no, but she knew he could just rip off her head if he wanted to. “Please don’t ask me to do that.”

“I have saved your life and you are being ungrateful,” Felip remarked in feigned surprise. “I suppose I would be cranky too, if I learned the one I shared a Mosroc with was pledged to someone else.”