Break Free The Night (Book 1) (25 page)

             
“
Tell me what happened
?”
Kaylee asked, tearing her eyes from Emm
a’
s perfectly still hand and searching her face
.“
When you got back in
.
”

             
“
When Andrew dragged me back in, you mean
,”
Emma laughed a cold, hard laugh. She did
n’
t sound like herself and Kaylee felt a lump nearly close her throat at the sound.

             
“
I was pretty much a mess
,”
she continued, blinking her eyes back to the ceiling and clenching her fist
.“
Dad and Andrew held me down and Quinton was sliding down the pole with a gun in his hand. Dad went crazy, lunging at Quinton and knocking him to the ground. Turns out, all Quinton was trying to do was clear the way for you guys
.
”

             
“
Yeah, thank goodness he did
,”
Kaylee answered, remembering the gunshots.

             
“
That was mostly Anna. She was on the roof
,”
Emma clarified
.“
Bill had followed Quinton and was trying to pull Dad off. Andrew was holding me down and I wa
s
…”

             
“
What
?”
Kaylee asked in a whisper, reaching out to grab Emm
a’
s hand. Her fingers were cool but not cold. Kaylee squeezed in relief. Emma pulled her gaze from the ceiling to look Kaylee in the eye.

             
“
I was screaming for Quinton to shoot me
.
”

              Kaylee felt as though her chest caved in
.“
Em, you ca
n’t
—”

             
“
I do
n’
t want to be one of those things, Kay
.
”

             
“
The
y’
re sick
,”
Kaylee said, attempting reassurance.

             
“
The
y’
re murderers
,”
was Emm
a’
s cold reply. Her features hardened and yet she held Kayle
e’
s gaze, forcing her to face this awful truth with her.

             
“
Mo
m’
s not a murderer
.
”

             
“
Mo
m’
s gone, Kaylee. Tha
t’
s not Mom. Because Mom could
n’
t kill people like that thing is. If this infection does take hold,
I’
ll be gone too
.”
She spoke with such surety, such clarity, that Kaylee felt her breath catch. But, truthfully, was
n’
t Kaylee thinking that exact thing when she was making that awful walk from the abandoned factory to here? Was
n’
t she thinking she had lost her only sister?

             
“
I love you Emma and
I’
m sorry
,”
Kaylee whispered, because there was
n’
t much left to say but she needed her sister to know that one constant remained and would never change.

             
“
Love you too, Kay
,”
Emma said, smiling softly and squeezing her fingers before returning her gaze to the ceiling. Kaylee rest her head against Emm
a’
s shoulder and let her eyes slide shut, the exhaustion finally claiming her.

Chapter Eleven

             
Kaylee pulled the folds of the overly large, black hooded sweatshirt more firmly against her body as the late summer breeze blew strands of blonde hair past her face. Her wrist brace caught, just briefly in the cuff. She pulled it free but not before it could pulse with the dull pain that was still her waking companion. She had awoken, for the third morning in a row, awkwardly perched by her siste
r’
s bed. Her neck was stiff from the angle at which it rest on Emm
a’
s arm and her knees were still achy from their prolonged contact with the floor in Ann
a’
s room. But for the first time in three mornings, she did
n’
t wake frozen. A very familiar black, zippered sweatshirt was draped over her shoulders.

              The day was very clear, the sun high, and for the first time in a long time Kaylee let her eyes drift past the buildings shining in the sunlight, past the glowing ribbons of highway, and over the rooftops of the small homes that collected in scattered fragments to form what was once called the suburbs. And far, far away, past the prison her city had become, the grass was emerald green. Trees dotted the horizon; rivers flowed like silver threads, knotting, she was sure, with stronger currents miles and miles away as they traveled out to sea.

              She inhaled clean, fresh air, letting her eyes drift close and the sun warm her face as her breath escaped.

              Emma had not yet shown any signs of infection. Other than the sickening bite mark with the jagged edges, she was also relatively free from injury. Kaylee still was
n’
t sure how she had managed it, how she survived a second story fall with only a few miscellaneous bruises, one broken finger, and a small bump on her head while Kaylee fell just into a basement and had
n’
t been able to walk right since. Her hip was still popping and achy. Anna had ruled out a fracture, said she thought it was just a good bruise. But she still had four or five small fractures in her hand. The wrist brace that Anna put on Kaylee helped. Not as much as the pain medication, but Kaylee could
n’
t stand the way it made her feel. She had never been drunk, but she thought it must feel something like that. Her vision got hazy and her head spun, she felt oddly clumsy and slightly out of her mind. It was a scary way to feel even on the best of days; with the constant threat of the infected, it was downright terrifying. Emma said she did
n’
t need them at all, and refused to take them when Anna held them near her lips.

              But regardless of how well Emma was doing, how bright and cheerful her demeanor remained (though Kaylee did, at times, think it seemed a bit forced) she was still tied down. Bill and Quinton had been adamant that, with the exception of guarded bathroom breaks, it remains that way. So far, Anna has grit her teeth and allowed it; though i
t’
s quite obvious she does
n’
t think the restraints are necessary any longer.

              Andrew and Kaylee continued to be Emm
a’
s near constant entertainment. Most stopped by, chat or offer a game or two, but Andre
w’
s there every moment h
e’
s not working or sleeping and Kaylee tops even that by sleeping practically on top of her sister. But even with all that, Emma still swears sh
e’
s memorized the location of every crack and chip in the ceiling.

              But this morning, as Kayle
e’
s still aching hip protested her position propped against Emm
a’
s bed, she woke early and stole away from Emma and up to the roof.

              It amazed Kaylee how nature was slowly, but very steadily, taking back what had once belonged solely to her. Without car emissions, chimney smoke, factories, furnaces, and engines running throughout the days, the sky was remarkably clear. The clouds had changed and the air lost it
s’
haze. It smelled different, cleaner.

              And the green of the fields beyond the city was creeping closer. You could see it in the way the trees in the parks and lining the streets were growing wild, out of control; how branches would tangle with useless power lines and leaves would die and stay scattered over the asphalt. Even the smallest of plants was adding to the offensive, pushing up through cracks in the pavement below and blooming.

              And suddenly, Kaylee had the sick and surging hope that nature would just hurry up already and swallow the city whole. She was sick of staring at empty windows and crumbling limestone, sick of the cars left to rust and rot, sick of the reminders of all of those abandoned lives.

              As always, she felt him before she heard him as he joined her on the roof. His person filled every space he entered, demanding her attention.

             
“
I thought you hated the roof
.
”

              Kaylee smiled as the familiar voice she had come to rely on confirmed his presence. The awkward avoiding and ignoring had stopped entirely. Kaylee was
n’
t sure if that was the result of her telling him, what now seemed like so many nights ago, that she did
n’
t like being ignored or a result of the bond that had developed so naturally while they had been stuck, pressed together in the chill of that horrible basement. Either way, she was
n’
t complaining. He was often at her side in Emm
a’
s room, joking and laughing, lightening the mood of everyone around him. His smile was contagious, his laughter infectious. Kaylee felt more drawn to him everyday and it was with great difficulty that she thought about the time that was sure to come: the day he would leave. There were even crazy moments, half-formed in thought, when she imagined packing her few belongings and joining him. But, when the twilight of sleep left her and dreams faded into reality, she knew she could never leave her father and sister. Family, actually biological family, was a rarity these days. One just did
n’
t turn their back on that.

             
“
And yo
u’
re up early
,”
Jack continued, walking easily towards her
.“
I thought your lot likes to sleep late
?
”

              She turned slowly to face him, not trying to hide how pleased she was to see him. Her hair whipped around her and she pulled her good hand through the strands to calm them. Kaylee shrugged in response before pulling at the folds in the sweatshirt again, tugging it closer to her body.

             
“
Yeah
,”
Jack said, frowning as he nodded towards the sweatshirt she was rearranging
.“
I guess i
t’
s a bit big on you. I could
n’
t find a blanket and you looked really cold
.
”

             
“
I
t’
s perfect, thank you
,”
she said, biting her lip against her emerging grin. In the absence of his favorite hooded sweatshirt, he had a worn leather jacket on. The sleeves covered the injury he had sustained as they fell through the floor in the factory: a long red gash carved into his flesh by one of the splintered floor beams. He smiled at her, Kaylee thought a little awkwardly, and walked to her side. They turned together to watch the horizon.

             
“I’
m not leaving
,”
he said, his eyes still level on the horizon. There should have been silence, after a statement like that. But amongst the roaming groans of the infected, birds were singing, crickets chirping, Kaylee thought she might have even heard a frog over the frantic beating of her heart.

            
 “
But what abou
t
—”

            
 “I’
ve talked to Quinton. He understands
.
”

              The breath caught in Kayle
e’
s chest at the realization, the epiphany of what Jac
k’
s words really meant.

             
I’
m not leaving
you
.

              That little word was
n’
t there, never said, but his intention could
n’
t be doubted. She turned to face him but his gaze was steadily outward, past the apartments and traffic lights and parking garages and tall buildings, past the life he was taking on willingly and into the life he was leaving behind. The highway stretched on; narrowing into a pale, grey point. Beyond that point there were forests and mountains and fields and deserts. Beyond those was Alaska. And there, who kne
w
…

              Kaylee was
n’
t sure what she could say to Jack, what words could possibly describe just exactly what she was feeling. But, she was determined to try. He wrenched his gaze from the tree line and caught her eye. A grin was tugging up the corner of his mouth, dimpling his right cheek. His eyes were searching hers. And suddenly, she thought she might not have to say anything all that serious anyway.

             
“
You do
n’
t mind, do you
?”
he asked, smirking now. His hand reached for her, tugged her closer, and she fell into him naturally, bumping into his side with her good hip. She smiled, marveling at just how natural, how
right
, leaning into him felt.

             
“
Well, I do
n’
t know
,”
she murmured thoughtfully, watching Jack squinting down at her, the sun adding a glow to his olive tone
.“
Yo
u’
re kind of messy
.
”

             
“
Hmm, I am
,”
he said through a chuckle. His hand traced the contours of her back, traveling from hip to shoulder in one heart-stopping pass.

             
“
And Quinto
n’
s always complaining that you snore
,”
Kaylee bit out, losing focus just slightly as his warm, calloused fingers found the skin of her neck.

             
“
True
.
”

             
“
And you really are annoyingly cocky
.”
Jack grinned. His fingers ghosted up her neck, rising to tangle in her blonde strands.

             
“
I prefer to call i
t‘
sure of myself
.
’”

             
“
An
d
—
”
Kaylee cut off as Jack turned to face her, both hands now encompassing her neck. His touch was soft but demanding. He tilted her face up to meet his gaze. The intensity of his eyes as they watched her, even through his perpetual grin, made Kayle
e’
s breath catch.

             
“
And
?
”

             
“
And you really take way too long to take what you want
.
”

              He laughed once, a short, happy sound before his lips found hers. The kiss was soft, tender, so in contrast to his normal mannerisms but Kaylee was
n’
t in any way disappointed. He kissed her carefully, thoroughly, his lips moving achingly slow, as though they were enraptured with discovering her.

Had it ever felt this way before?

She knew the answer immediately. No. Nothing had ever had her feeling so deliciously dizzy and light. Her skin had never raced at anyone els
e’
s touch, never felt heated as fingertips searched the contours of her jaw line.