The Becoming: Ground Zero (3 page)

“It’s getting late,” Ethan replied simply. Cade looked at her watch, a frown crossing her face. The others were already an hour late. This didn’t do much to help settle her mind.

Cade knew exactly what—or rather
whom
—Ethan was thinking about as she read the time silently: Remy Angellette. Ethan likely wondered where Remy was, if she was okay, whether she would make it back to the safe house alive. There was always the risk that someone would leave and never come back. Ethan never failed to play the nonchalant, casual I’m-not-worried game whenever Remy walked out the door. It didn’t matter how simple her tasks were; he did it every time. Ethan
did
worry about the others—especially Nikola, because of her youth and how close the two had become over the past year—but for some reason, he fixated most particularly on Remy.

It was nice to see Ethan care for someone again, to see him let someone in after the death of his wife. Cade had seen the pain of Anna’s death truly hit him following his return from Memphis. Ethan had shut down and shut off from the rest of them for the better part of a week. After that, he became an automaton, almost emotionless and robotic, tough and uncompromising. It was a relief to see the façade begin to crack, but Cade worried that Ethan was considering something for which he wasn’t ready.

Cade eyed the front door for a long moment. Truth be told, she was worried too, despite her attempts to pretend otherwise. Before Remy, Gray, Nikola, and Brandt departed the safe house in search of much-needed supplies, they’d planned to return by six. But seven in the evening now fast approached, bringing darkness with it, and the only person they’d seen was Avi Geller, who was even now upstairs, presumably resting.

Cade sank into a chair and put her back to the door to face Ethan. It was a position she normally didn’t like; the training she’d undergone in the IDF and the experience she’d gained in the past year had taught Cade that putting her back to an entrance that could be breached was the fastest way to die. Disregarding her personal protocol, Cade did it anyway, simply to study Ethan’s face more clearly. She asked the question that had niggled at her mind since Avi’s arrival.

“What are we going to do?”

Ethan sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair. He was going to need another haircut soon, Cade thought fleetingly. “What do you think?” Ethan asked, moving to the front door and peering through the peephole again. “Would you be willing to go into Atlanta just so that woman can do her
research?
” The way Ethan said the word was loaded with contempt.

“I don’t know,” Cade admitted. She turned in her chair to face him and propped her head against her hand, watching Ethan as he lurked by the door. “I mean, what good will it be to know what happened a year ago? It won’t save any of us
now.
” Cade studied Ethan’s back before she added quietly, “And I really don’t think she’s telling us everything.”

Ethan straightened his shoulders and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean just that,” Cade said. She, too, straightened and glanced at the ceiling, as if she could see through the wood, paint, and plaster to the woman above. “She seemed, I don’t know, evasive. Like she’s not telling us the whole truth. And a
research project?
” Cade asked doubtfully. “Since when are we in the business of playing escorts for someone who just wants to read some papers?”

Ethan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside the door. “So you think she’s hiding something?”

“I think that, at the very least, Avi Geller isn’t telling the entire truth,” Cade confirmed. “I don’t know if it’s intentional or not. But
something
about that woman makes me uncomfortable. Call it instinct or woman’s intuition or whatever you want to call it. That’s just how I feel.”

Ethan’s green eyes met Cade’s blue ones. “Do you think we should tell her no?”

Cade hesitated and then shook her head slowly. “No. I think maybe we need to get more information from her before we consider it either way,” Cade said. “A really long discussion with her would be beneficial.”

Ethan nodded, but before he could reply, a noise on the porch drew their attention to the front door. Ethan pushed off of the wall, and Cade retrieved a Glock handgun from the bag hanging on the back of her chair, checking to make sure it was loaded. Cade’s collection of weaponry had more than tripled since the Michaluk Virus began its attack on the world; if Cade wasn’t mistaken, the gun she held was the one she “liberated” two months prior from the police station’s evidence lockers. The lockers had been a goldmine of weaponry that people hadn’t thought to search. Cade raked in a significant haul that day.

“I want to ask Avi some questions as soon as everyone is back,” Cade said. She moved swiftly, joining Ethan by the door. As Cade touched the knob, three short raps came from the other side. The muscles in her shoulders relaxed. It was a signal from one of the others, a sound for which she and Ethan had waited on pins and needles. Cade lowered her gun, and Ethan unlocked and pulled open the door.

As the door swung open, Ethan’s disappointment was palpable. Nikola weaved her way around Ethan’s skinny frame, hauling in a bulging green messenger bag. Cade nudged Ethan aside, looked out the door to make sure all was clear, and then fastened the bolts and locks, securing the door once more.

“Have the others gotten back yet?” Nikola asked without preamble. She dropped her bag on the floor with a thud. Then she went to Ethan and wrapped her arms around him in a quick, tight hug before she retreated back to her bag, massaging her sore shoulder.

Ethan returned the hug, but he didn’t look at Nikola as he let go of her and started to prowl back and forth near the door again. “Not yet,” he answered shortly. “You hurt?”

“No, I’m fine,” Nikola assured him, giving the older man’s back a fond smile.

Cade shook her head at Nikola and took the girl’s elbow. She scooped the bag off the floor and led the teenager to the dining table. “Did you see anything we need to know about?” Cade asked, starting to paw through the bag, eager to see what Nikola managed to scavenge on this trip. Cade was glad to see the fifteen year old uninjured, but she and Ethan alone knew how desperately the supplies were needed. She hoped that Nikola had found something useful.

“As far as I saw, none of the infected are within three blocks of here,” Nikola replied, pushing Cade’s hands away from her bag. “I think we’re okay to stay a little longer, but we might want to think about moving sometime soon. Based on the ones I
did
see, they’re starting to get a little closer.” Nikola withdrew a small cardboard box from the depths of her bag. “I found us somewhere to get gas if we need it. There’s a station with manual pumps about two blocks away that might have some. People have been there before me, though. It was a
total
mess. I found this. I don’t know if you can use them, but it’s something.” Nikola handed Cade the box with a huge smile, obviously pleased with herself.

Cade frowned and took the box in both hands. She didn’t like the idea of the teenager roaming Maplesville alone, regardless of the girl’s athleticism and enthusiasm. Cade had repeatedly asked Ethan not to send Nikola out on resupply. Ethan never listened, of course; his philosophy was that everyone should pull their weight and it wasn’t fair for Nikola to remain at the safe house while the others risked their lives to put food in her mouth. Besides, Ethan liked to point out, Nikola was far more capable than a lot of people still alive. Cade had to admit that his observation was true, though she still didn’t like it.

Cade refocused on the box she held, rolling it between her palms to test its weight. It was oddly heavy for a box so small. She opened it, and her frown spread into a grin as several bullets rolled into her palm. “At the gas station?”

“Yeah. The gun was missing, though,” Nikola said regretfully. “I looked around for it, but then I heard something in one of the back rooms and got out of there.”

“Good job,” Cade said appreciatively. She examined one of the bullets carefully. “I think these will work for Ethan’s gun just fine.” She set the box on the table, dropping the loose bullets back into it, and then glanced at the man in question. Ethan still paced near the door and glared at it periodically, as if it caused him some great offense. “Remy isn’t back yet,” Cade murmured to Nikola. The teenager leaned forward to look inside her bag again.

“I figured as much,” Nikola said. “Anything interesting happen while I was out?” she asked distractedly.

“Yeah, actually,” Cade answered. Nikola’s head jerked up in surprise. Every time she’d asked the question in the past, Nikola always got a “no.” To get an affirmative response for the first time in months probably blew Nikola’s mind. “A woman showed up, said she’s been looking for us for about three months,” Cade explained.

“Looking for us?” Nikola repeated. She paused in her retrieval of a dented can of tomato soup from her bag. Her eyebrows went up. “You mean us specifically?”

“Exactly. She needs us for something, and Ethan’s going to discuss it with everyone as soon as they’re all back.” Nikola opened her mouth, and Cade shook her head. “Don’t even. Ethan will get into it when they’re all here,” she insisted. “He doesn’t like repeating himself.”

“Just tell me this,” Nikola requested. She let go of the bag’s flap and looked up at Cade with wide blue eyes. “Is it something major?”

“Very.
”

“Wonderful.” Nikola rolled her eyes and set the can down with more force than necessary. “I hope it’s nothing complicated. I was really hoping for a nice peaceful winter here before we had to worry about moving. I like it here.”

Cade nodded in agreement, but before she could speak, Ethan lunged for the front door. Cade snatched her gun from the table and whirled around, hurrying to join Ethan as he fumbled frantically at the deadbolts that held the door closed. Cade aimed the weapon at the door in a precautionary measure as Ethan flung it open. He hauled in a young man by a fistful of jacket, swinging him into the room.

Cade recognized Gray Carter and lowered her weapon. Gray twisted out of Ethan’s grip and looked out the door; the wind blew his dark hair into his eyes as he scanned the street outside. Then Gray slammed the door shut and locked it. He sagged against the door, wheezing faintly. Ethan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Where the
hell
is Remy?” Ethan demanded. “I sent you two out together for a
reason
. Your job was harder, and I—”

“We got separated on Booth,” Gray interrupted. His chest heaved, and his breathing still had a wheezing gasp to it. He retrieved his asthma inhaler from his jacket pocket and jammed it in his mouth. Gray drew on it deeply, closing his eyes as he dosed himself with the medication, and then he spoke hoarsely. “We were doing the usual, checking houses and shit for anything we can use. There’s not a whole lot left around here, by the way.”

“Who the fuck cares?” Ethan snapped. He clenched his fists, and Cade tensed. She didn’t want to break up another fight between the two men. Yet again. “Get the hell on with it.”

Gray’s jaw tightened, but he continued regardless of the anger building inside him. “Remy kept trying to go track down some of those bastards on her own, but I kept her distracted for a while. We got attacked by a group of them, a dozen of them sheltering in a house about halfway down the block. We tried to put down as many as we could while we got out of there, but we got overwhelmed and separated.”

Three short raps interrupted Gray’s narration. Cade pushed Gray aside to open the door, letting out a slow breath of relief at the sight of the tall, muscular man standing on the porch, gun in hand.

“Jesus, Brandt,” Cade grumbled as Brandt Evans stepped inside. She shut the door and took a moment to examine him. Brandt’s clothes looked as if he’d crawled through dirt, and his dark hair stuck to his forehead and the sides of his face. He looked terrible, the worst Cade had seen him in a while. “Are you okay?”

Brandt nodded and swept Cade into a tight hug. Cade made a face as she was mashed against Brandt’s sweat-dampened shirt. “Yeah, I’m okay,” Brandt assured her. She didn’t totally believe him; she could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Brandt finally released Cade, and she took a step back. “I got back in as quickly as I could. I ran into some trouble near Booth and had to haul ass.”

Ethan tore away from his interrogation of Gray. “Booth?” he repeated hopefully. “Did you see Remy?”

“Remy?” Brandt blinked. His dark brown eyes widened, and he looked from Cade to Ethan. “She’s not back yet?” His gaze shifted to Gray. “I thought she was with
you.
”

“Yeah, well,
now
she’s
not,
” Gray bit out. “She’s still somewhere out there. I ran out of ammo and got away, just like she told me to.” Gray paused to tuck the inhaler into his jacket pocket before he added quietly, “I don’t know where she is now.”

Cade crossed her arms and began a mental countdown until Ethan blew up at Gray. Gray and Ethan had fought almost since day one, once the dust settled after Remy’s rescue in Biloxi. The tension had only escalated since then. Cade normally would have attributed it to an excess of testosterone and personality conflicts. But in this case, there was a two-legged, dark-haired, brown-eyed reason for their constant bickering. Now that Brandt had arrived, Cade couldn’t care less if Ethan and Gray fought; Brandt was bigger than she was and much more adept at physically breaking up Gray and Ethan’s spats.