The Dark Trilogy (65 page)

Jeff gazed at the rest of the group as he leaned against a rack of old forty-fives and tried to come to grips with the fact that so many people had died that day. He overheard Jason whispering to George about the insurance office in which they’d hidden out, what happened to Teddy, and how Lydia had saved Megan from Cindy. Hearing Lydia’s name stung Jeff as a vision of what he had done to her flashed through his mind.

Jason returned Jeff’s weak smile when the boy looked his way and cradled his swollen elbow to his chest. The kid was in pain, but seemed to be in good spirits as he sat next to George and the two of them whispered back and forth. Megan was more withdrawn as she held Sadie in her arms and ran her fingers through the girl’s hair, though she seemed at peace.

Everyone looked up as Ben reappeared through the front door minutes later, closing it quietly as he turned to face the group.

“Okay, folks, let’s head out. It’s clear out front but won’t be for long. Come on!”

Ben looked as pale and distraught as the rest of them. It did not reconcile with the quiet confidence the scout normally exuded. Jeff remembered the wink the man had given him when they first met and doubted he would be seeing another anytime soon.

Ben snapped his fingers a couple of times, breaking the deep trance that seemed to have settled over everyone. They were all wrung out and exhausted, but responded quickly enough as he gestured for them to follow. George reached over and helped Megan up, offering to carry the little girl. She smiled and shook her head as Sadie shifted in her arms so that her head lay on Megan’s shoulder. Jeff wanted to speak to Megan, but couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t push her even further away. He walked in silence behind the others as they left the record shop behind.

They spent the next hour and a half squirming through dark holes and creeping down back alleyways. Ben forced them to stop several times, his hand held up like a traffic cop. The sounds around them came and went as they wound their way through the town. The huddled group shifted closer to and then farther from the pockets of ghouls now wandering aimlessly after having lost track of anything that might lead them to food. None of Ben’s followers knew the town very well, and in the moonlight, they were even less sure of themselves. They relied on him, despite the fact that on more than one occasion he took them in one direction then stopped sharply, listened for a moment, and executed a one-eighty to lead them down a different path. No one seemed interested in complaining as long as he continued to keep them safe.

They slid into several more anonymous buildings, the smell always dry and musty, with a hint of the same slaughterhouse funk that floated over the streets. Despite the near-pitch-black conditions inside each of the short-term shelters, Ben navigated his way through them efficiently.

It was obvious he’d previously been in at least some of the stopovers when he pulled out a backpack full of bottled water and snack crackers wedged behind a stack of chairs in a family restaurant. The crackers were chewy and stale and the water warm, but a feast of caviar and Dom Perignon would not have been better received by the group.

“How much longer are we going to be wandering around this shit hole?” Jason piped up between gulps of water.

Only small fingers of starlight showed through the gaps in the tarp that had been nailed over the plate glass windows. Everyone had adjusted to the gloom as Ben looked out the window closest to the door. The other adults waited for a response to the boy’s question. Bullets of sweat poured down Ben’s face as the light cast weird shadows across his visage.

“I mean, can’t we just crash here for the night and get moving again in the morning? I don’t see any reason for us to keep taking risks going outside and all.”

Sadie had been awakened to eat, and she looked at Jason through droopy eyelids. His voice wasn’t angry, although his eyes were weary with dim traces of fear. Everyone except the little girl watched and waited for Ben’s response as he continued looking out the window. Sadie slid across the floor until she was next to Jason. He caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and looked down. She smiled and slid her tiny hand into his. He tensed as if he were going to resist her gentle offering, but then smiled back. The girl was filthy, covered with the debris of war, but her eyes drew him in, reassuring him. He gave her hand a squeeze as he looked at their guide.

The moments ticked by, and there was no answer. The other adults waited patiently for any kind of response from Ben, afraid to break his concentration or interrupt whatever strategies for their survival he was formulating in his head.

Ben let the tarp fall back over the window before turning to face the group. He had their undivided attention.

“We only have a little bit farther to go.” Ben raised a hand to stop the protest he saw forming on several people’s lips. “I know you’re tired, but we’re still in danger.” He glanced at everyone in turn as he rubbed at his wrist nervously and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Look, you just have to trust me for a little while longer. Do you think you can do that?”

When no one mounted a protest, Ben appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. Megan and Jason didn’t look thrilled while George and Jeff seemed content to let Ben remain the group’s designated leader for the time being.

After a couple more minutes, Ben motioned for them to stand up. Legs ached and knees popped, but there was no further protest as he led them back out onto the street.

Chapter 22

The brown, runty building to which they moved next housed several different businesses. They were in a chiropractor’s office, having come through the rear entrance. Something about the road they were on seemed familiar to Jeff, though it was hard to pin down. It seemed as though the paltry group of refugees had been running through the entire town all day, and Jeff, like everyone else, had kept his eyes glued to Ben’s broad shoulders instead of looking up at any street signs. They had left the asphalt fifteen minutes before and traveled alongside a set of railroad tracks. Ben had spun them around several times during their journey, but it was easy to surmise that they were gradually moving farther out from the center of town.

“Okay, everyone. Are you ready to make a break for it?” Ben said as they sat around the chiropractor’s waiting room. The words caught everyone off guard.

“Break for it? What do you mean?”

Ben tried to smile. It looked funny on his lips, like it didn’t belong there. He kept the grimace plastered on his face as he responded to Megan’s question.

“You’re getting out of here. Out of this godforsaken town. Tonight.”

Ben dug into one of the deep pockets that lined his overalls and held two car keys out for display. He then gestured beyond the door to where two cars sat out on the street, ready and waiting.

“That old Corsica and Concorde ain’t much to look at, but they both have full tanks.”

Jeff rushed past Ben to the door and peeked out the window. He realized where they were. There was a line of cars outside the door, stretching about a quarter of a mile down the road. This was where the minivan had been trapped the day before, and the two cars were the ones that had been rolled into place to prevent Jeff’s little contingent from escaping.

Goosebumps rose up on his skin as he saw several shapes moving amongst the shadows. Taking an involuntary step back, Jeff resisted the urge to move away from the window. There were more of them out there, yet all was quiet for the moment. He could only guess that most of ghouls that had attacked the camp had followed the RV as it drove into town, so there were only a few remaining in this area.

“But how are we supposed to drive out of here? There are too many wrecks and too many of those things out there.” Despite Megan’s doubt, it was apparent she was excited at the prospect of leaving Manchester and all the bad memories that dwelled there.

“I drew a map. Put it in the glove box of the Concorde. It doesn’t have a huge amount of detail, but enough to give you a decent picture of things.” The smile that had been plastered on Ben’s lips faded. “It’ll steer you clear of all the wrecks and the barriers folks put up around town. Steer you clear of most of the stiffs too … at least enough that you should be able to drive on by them without any problems.”

“Ben?” Jeff finally turned from the window. “It almost sounds as if you don’t plan on coming with us.” The words were hesitant, fearful.

Jeff watched as Ben shifted uncomfortably. There was a look of profound sadness on his face.

“You’re not serious, are you? You have to come with us! At least if you expect us to somehow make it out of this godforsaken mess.” Jeff grabbed Ben’s arm as he fought to keep from screaming. But Ben was still shaking his head, resignation creeping across his bearded face.

“I … I can’t go with you.”

“Why the hell not?” Megan shoved Jeff aside as she moved up, with George following. Ben raised a finger to his lips, urging her to lower her voice. Before she could recover from the stern warning, George chimed in.

“Ben, you know we need you. I’m not sure how far we can make it without you leading the way.”

“You’re not going with them either, George.”

The words stopped them all cold. The argument forming on Jeff’s lips, the angry invectives Megan was ready to spew out … all came screeching to a halt.

“Wha-? What do you mean I’m not going with them?”

Jason jumped up. “What the hell are you talking about? George ain’t leaving us!” His anger boiled to the surface in an instant, and Megan turned to the boy, her own irritation with Ben pushed to the side as she tried to put her hands on Jason’s shoulders to calm the twelve year old down. He shrugged her off, the heat from his rage palpable.

Ben frowned as Jason tried to stand toe to toe with him. Both of the kid’s fists were closed, though the effort was causing him a great deal of pain in his injured elbow.

Ben knelt before the gangly kid, his eyes filled with regret.

“George needs to get back to his family, Jason.”

Jason hesitated. There hadn’t been enough time to figure out why Ben made his proclamation about George, but now it was sinking in. After a moment, the fire returned to Jason’s eyes.

“We’re his family now, you stupid asshole!” Jason’s fist rocketed off of Ben’s chest. He hit him again, and Ben didn’t try to stop the angry boy. He could see the tears ready to break free, but Jason fought to hold them back.

Strong, gentle hands gripped Jason’s shoulders and turned him around. He resisted at first, his eyes still ablaze with anger at Ben. But as the boy turned to George, his expression shifted.

There were no more excuses … except for the needs of the boy standing in front of him. Except for the love of all these people who had fought side by side with him through their journey into hell. And what else were they going to have to face? How many more desperate crazies? How many more of the infected? All without him, if he left. George wondered about Jeff, wondered how the man would do at protecting Jason and Megan once George was gone. The man was beaten down; he was no longer the arrogant bastard willing to risk them all just so he could take out a few more ghouls. But as Jeff had changed, so had Megan. There were underpinnings of strength in her that weren’t readily apparent when they first met, yet had shone through in the past day. She could handle far more than he would have thought possible and had proven it time and again. Those two could handle things without him at their side. But could Jason?

George tried to formulate something to say, words that would make Jason understand, but he couldn’t think of a single thing that would make the boy appreciate what he had to do. Because his mind was already made up. It was made up the instant Ben had said he wasn’t going with the others.

“George?”

Jason watched as George’s mouth opened and nothing came out. The twelve year old knew what the silence meant. He shook his head, the anger back. “No. You can’t go! NO!”

George could think of nothing he could say to calm the boy, so instead, he grabbed Jason and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. The boy resisted, fighting against the strong arms, but George refused to let go, holding him closer, hushing him as Jason’s words began to blend together. George heard words like ‘hate’ and ‘die’ and ignored them. Jason kicked and tried to beat on him with his fist, but George kept him close until the kid calmed down.

“I love you, Jason … and I’m sorry. If it could be any other way, I would do it, but I … I have to get back to them. I have to be with them. Because I love them too. Because they don’t have anyone watching out for them since I left. You still have Megan and Jeff. They’ll do everything they can to keep you safe. Because I know they love you too.”

The words were whispered, hushed, shared only by the two of them. Jason was too tired to keep fighting, and his head was throbbing. He could hear his pulse inside his ears along with George’s heartbeat as he rested his head against his friend’s chest.

“But I need you to stay, George. Please.”

It was all he could get out before he began to cry. Jason held George tight with his good arm and drenched his shoulder with tears.

Neither of them spoke for a time as George held Jason close. The heartache he was feeling nearly overwhelmed the excitement stirring inside. He almost felt compelled to change his mind, to tell Ben no, that he would stay. But the images of his wife and two daughters were coming in stronger than ever. He had to get home. It was where he belonged.

When George thought the boy was okay, he gently pushed him back.