Thicker than Blood (23 page)

Shouting, I ripped my blade free from its
head, shoving the prone body of the second infected into the first,
thankfully with enough force that I managed to topple it over.
About to bend down and put it out of its misery, I paused as
something sharp grazed my arm, and I whipped around to come
face-to-face with yet another one. I slashed out wildly, the tip of
my blade shredding the remaining skin on its throat into ribbons of
leathery flesh, causing thick black gunk to well out from within.
The wounds I created did nothing to divert its attention from
me.

As it continued to come at me, I hurried
backward, not watching where I was going, and ended up snagging the
back of my foot on something. I glanced down, only for a second,
though long enough to realize I’d stumbled on the two previous
infected, one dead and the other still alive beneath it.

It was only a matter of seconds, the time I
spent looking down, righting my balance in order to avoid the teeth
of the pinned infected, but it was enough time for the approaching
one to reach me, to wrap its decaying hand around my wrist and
lurch forward. Screaming, I shoved at its chest, desperate to avoid
its teeth. It nearly bit me, its chin grazing my forearm as I
struggled to free myself from its grasp. I felt a tug on my pant
leg and then another, and when I spared a glance downward, I found
the pinned infected had managed to somewhat free itself, and with
chomping teeth was about to take a bite out of my leg.

Still screaming, I gripped the throat of the
infected, its skin dry and yet rubbery beneath my fingers. I pulled
and sent us both sprawling to the right, where we fell in a heap of
tangled limbs. The thing writhed on top of me, and just when I
thought it was hopeless, its mangled face mere inches from my own,
there was a flurry of movement, a crack and a thump, and though its
body remained on top of me, its head was suddenly gone.

Above me stood Leisel, holding her hammer in
a two-handed grip. She was covered in sweat, but her brown eyes
were gleaming. “You okay?” she asked, breathless.

Shoving the headless body off of me, I rolled
over and jumped to my feet. I gave Leisel a winded whisper of
thanks, then scoured the area for Alex, finding him surrounded by
six infected, with several more on their way toward him.

“Let’s go!” I shouted, taking off across the
field.

What used to be a woman shambled into our
path, its tattered dress swaying over its bony body. It growled
loudly, sounding pained, and the sound sent shivers down my spine.
Running behind it, I slammed my blade into the base of its neck,
and though it fell to the ground, it continued to twitch and groan.
From behind me, Leisel came forward swinging and sent her hammer
into the infected’s temple, crushing it like a watermelon. Black
sludge poured out amid the shattered bits of its skull, and a toxic
foul smell was released.

More growls erupted to our left from a small
group making their way toward us. Waving frantically at Leisel, I
motioned for her to help Alex while I took off running into the
oncoming fray.

As I was running, I ducked and wrapped my arm
around the waist of the first infected in the group. With a grunt,
I shoved it into the ones behind it and they all fell like bowling
pins, one by one, leaving them all piled on top of one another.

After wiping the sweat from my eyes, I bent
down and took out the first of the pile, sending my blade into its
eye and twisting. After that, it was easy pickings. Over and over
again, I slammed my blade into each of their heads and finished
them off quickly.

Turning, I found Alex and Leisel down to two
remaining infected, a walker and a crawler. Leisel was bent down in
the tall grass, her hammer lifted high above her head, waiting as
it crawled closer toward her before sending the blunt end down onto
the top of its head, shattering what remained of its skull.

Alex was wrestling with the walker that used
to be a man, tall and large, and not nearly as decayed as the
others. There wasn’t enough room between them to manage a good
swing with the iron. Grunting, Alex sent his fist into the base of
its jaw, knocking it back a few steps, and giving him the space he
needed to lift the tire iron over his head and send the lug end of
it directly onto the top of the infected’s head. Skin split and
rotten blood, both black and red, sprayed out from the wound, a
sign that this infected had been recently turned. With a shout,
Alex lifted his arm, shielding his face from the splatter.

Unfazed, and despite the blood running down
its face, the infected kept coming for him. Just as I was beginning
to worry, my stomach sinking as it quickly gained on Alex, Leisel
appeared behind it, sending her hammer into its side.

It turned to face her, reaching for her just
as Alex righted himself and again brought the tire iron down on its
head. This time, its skull split wide open, and after swaying for a
moment, its large body folded and crumpled to the ground.

Without the growling and moaning from the
infected, it was suddenly eerily quiet as the three of us made our
way toward one another. Sweating, all of us breathing hard, we came
together in an awkward hug, Leisel sandwiched between Alex and
me.

Leisel was grinning, her eyes lit with an
excitement I was positive I’d never seen on her before, while Alex
was staring down at her in a stupor. I mirrored his feelings,
completely taken aback by how well she’d fought, how determined
she’d been, and how it had been her alone who’d saved us both.

“We did it!” she exclaimed, and I could tell
she was more proud of herself than either of us.

“We did,” I said, smiling at her.

“And you were right, Eve,” she said, still
smiling. “That was fucking awesome!”

I choked on a laugh. Leisel almost never
cursed, and to hear her do so was yet more evidence of how far she
had come and how much she had changed. The timid Leisel I knew was
slowly disappearing as a stronger, more independent woman appeared
before my eyes, and I was proud to witness it.

Alex pulled away from us, his gaze lifting
over my head and beyond. “There’s still the barn, and whatever is
inside it.”

Across the way, the barn loomed ominously
over us, the setting sun in the distance causing the dilapidated
structure to cast a large shadow over the field. An answering
shiver rippled up my spine.

“Do you think there are people inside?”
Leisel asked.

“If there are,” Alex said, his gaze fixed on
the barn, “then they’re assholes for not helping us.”

“They could have been bitten. Maybe they
turned?” Leisel suggested innocently.

“Only one way to find out,” I said. Threading
my fingers through hers, I clutched her hand tightly. “Ready?”

• • •

Placing an ear against the barn’s large double
doors, Alex listened intently for any sound coming from within
while Leisel and I waited in silence behind him. Seeming satisfied,
he attempted pulling at the doors, only to find them locked from
the inside. Glancing over his shoulder, he grimaced. “Someone is in
there,” he said, his voice low. “Or some…thing is in there.”

Curling his hand into a fist, he brought it
up to the door and hammered at the wood. “You can come out!” he
shouted. “It’s safe now!”

Alex backed quickly away, his tire iron ready
to swing, then gestured for us to follow him. Seconds ticked by as
we waited for any sort of sound, yet nothing came.

Grinding his teeth together, Alex stormed
forward and again banged on the doors. Glancing up at the waning
sunlight, his scowl only deepened.

I knew how he felt. We were tired, hungry,
beyond thirsty, needing more than anything a safe place to set our
aching bodies down for just a moment.

“I’m going to count to three!” Alex shouted.
“And then I’m breaking in! One! T—”

The doors rattled, the sound cutting him off.
Immediately he took a step back, his body shielding us from
whatever might be inside. Another sound rang out, much like that of
chains clanking together, and then one of the doors slowly opened,
revealing the pale, dirty face of a teenage boy. A man appeared
behind him, older, in his midforties, with long dark hair streaked
with gray and an equally long beard.

They were both frowning, looking less than
pleased to see us. Worry coursed through my body, and I clutched
tighter to Leisel’s hand. If they had guns…

As if only now noticing Leisel and me, the
older man’s frown lifted into a smile. “Well, well, well,” he said,
stepping out from behind the boy as his eyes raked us over from
head to toe. “Mighty fine of you pretty ladies to come and save our
sorry asses.”

His eyes flickered back to Alex, and his
smile disappeared. “I’m Bryce,” he continued, holding out his hand.
“This here is Mike.”

Warily, Alex took his hand, giving it a firm
shake before quickly releasing it. “Alex,” he grunted.

“Are they yours?” Mike asked, looking around
Bryce to Leisel and me. “Or are they up for grabs?”

Beside me, Leisel sucked in a breath, her
fingernails digging into the skin on my hand. Remembering what Alex
had told us—that women were currency—my chest suddenly tightened as
my heart began to hammer painfully inside it.

“They’re both mine,” Alex growled. The hand
gripping his tire iron began to twitch, his knuckles turning white
as his entire body tensed.

“Forgive the boy,” Bryce said, giving Mike a
shove backward. “He ain’t got no damn manners. Damn shame, though.”
Sucking in his bottom lip behind yellowing teeth, Bryce grinned at
me. “This one looks right up my alley.”

Despite myself, I scowled at him, only
succeeding in earning myself a small chuckle from both Bryce and
Mike.

“How did you get stuck in there?” Alex
gritted out.

Bryce shrugged. “We were scavenging for
supplies when Mike here tripped and cut his damn leg open. Before
we knew it, we had goddamn rotters coming at us from every
direction. Couldn’t find anywhere to stop and bandage the wound,
not until we got here, but by then we had a whole mess of ’em
following us.”

“So you locked yourself inside,” I said
dryly. “How smart of you.”

Bryce looked back at me with an appraising
grin. “That we did, sweetheart. Wasn’t too sure how we were gonna
get outta here, neither. Speaking of, we should all get
inside.”

Shoving Mike backward, Bryce headed back
inside the barn, gesturing for us to follow him. The three of us
shared a wary glance, but having few other options, we eventually
followed.

It was murky inside, dark, and just plain
filthy, dust and grime clinging to everything. A small tractor sat
on the left, moldy bales of hay stacked on the right, and above us
was a second-story loft, the ladder leading up to it hanging
splintered and broken.

“There’s a barrel of rainwater over there,
ladies,” Bryce said, pointing off into the dark depths of the barn.
“Something to clean up with, at least, while us men have ourselves
a little chat.”

Even in the fading light, I could see him
grinning, and I had to bite my tongue so as not to respond with
something biting in return. Tugging on Leisel’s arm, I pulled her
off into the darkness, leaving Alex behind.

The barrel was old, the water inside it
smelled awful, but it was water and we were filthy. Glancing behind
me, ensuring that no one could see us, I lifted my top over my head
and dunked it inside the barrel, using it to clean my face and
torso. Although hot and sticky, the water was surprisingly cool and
refreshing. Following my lead, Leisel pulled the top of her dress
down to her waist then proceeded to bring up handfuls of water to
pour over her bare chest.

“Do you think this is safe?” she whispered as
she slipped back into her dress.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “But
it’s safer than being outside.”

“And when we sleep?” she bit out, making it
clear that she didn’t approve of us staying, didn’t trust these
men, and that if the shit hit the fan, Alex and I would be to
blame.

“Sleep with one eye open,” I quipped back,
purposely avoiding her glare.

Eventually Alex joined us, taking the space
between Leisel and me, and quickly removed his T-shirt. He dunked
it into the water and brought the soaking material up to his chest,
squeezing it and sending water cascading down his body. Leisel, her
worry suddenly forgotten, openly gawked at him, watching with wide
eyes as his biceps flexed with his every movement. Water poured
down over his rippled abdomen, and I worried she might start
drooling at any moment.

Though I wanted to laugh at her expression, I
didn’t blame her. Alex was an attractive man, young and muscular
with sharp, distinctive features. Back in Fredericksville I’d never
given him a second glance; he’d always seemed too clean-cut for my
taste. But now, having gotten to know him, I’d since begun to
appreciate him.

The beard had definitely helped.

“I think they’re okay,” he whispered, turning
his gaze back on us. “They said they have a large camp not far from
here, where we can load up with supplies.”

My eyes widened at the revelation. “A camp?
Do you trust them?”

“I don’t trust anyone,” he said with a shrug.
“But they seem harmless.”

“
Harmless?” Leisel whispered angrily. “Did
you see the way they were looking at us? We need to keep
going.
I
don’t trust them
.”

“I tried to tell you,” Alex hissed, sounding
equally as angry as Leisel. “The world is broken. I’ve seen places
worse than Fredericksville, women being traded like food. But it
doesn’t change the fact that we need gas and food and weapons and
clothes…” His hands gripping the edge of the barrel, he glanced
between us, his features twisted in frustration, his nostrils
flaring as he tried and failed to compose himself. “Shit!” he
whispered. “We need everything!”