Devour: Death & Decay Book 1 (25 page)

Liv wrenched the knob but cursed, as the door didn’t budge. Of course this gate would be locked. It was probably locked at all times with only the groundskeepers holding the key.

The mallet clanged as it struck the metal handle, but the gate did not give. After two more heavy strikes, the handle fell from its place into the grass and Liv threw open the gate.

The ferals she had pushed so hard to put distance between were upon her again.

Liv rocketed through the cemetery, weaving around the headstones, hoping that at least a few of the stupid creatures would trip over them.

The cemetery was larger than Liv had initially thought. The front fence loomed ahead. Several gates lined the front. All of them had been closed. Presumably all of them had been locked as well.

For a brief moment, Liv wondered if the groundskeeper was still here, hiding in a maintenance shed or mausoleum, counting on the gates to keep him safe. She wondered if she had sealed his doom as she busted through the gates and brought the horde in along with her.

The thought was fleeting. She had to act quickly or become trapped within the fence with the ferals.

Liv leveled the mallet like a lance. Unlike last time, though, she held the head away from her. The mallet acted more like a battering ram. The handle was planted firmly against her ribs.

This is not going to end well
, the thought came just a split second before the head of the mallet made contact with the seam in the center of the gate.

Pain exploded through her chest as something snapped. Her right side was agony with each breath, which had transformed from deep, ragged gasps into a small, desperate wheeze.

The gate jerked as the lock shattered under Liv’s momentum behind the heavy head of the mallet. The gate was meant to be pulled inward, but the force of the blow had knocked it off balance and the slanted opening was just large enough for Liv to squeeze through.

But it was also just large enough for the ferals to squeeze through. Many simply pressed against the bars, their mutilated and bloodied arms reaching for her. One by one, the ferals closest to the opening wiggle their way through.

Liv turned.

Her legs hurt.

Her arms hurt.

Breathing hurt.

But Slag Stead wasn’t much further. If she could just keep going a little bit longer, they would be safe.

Day 5
3:02 pm

Liv shrugged off the sled that covered her back and let it fall onto the grass. The messenger bag was next. While it hadn’t been incredibly heavy, being free of its weight was a relief.

“Do you mind?” Liv held a hand up to Jay. “I am honestly not sure I could stand on my own if I wanted to.”

Jay stepped forward. In one swift motion, he took hold of her hand and pulled Liv to her feet. Before she could take her own weight, he threw her arm over his shoulder and wrapped his own around her. Liv sucked in a hissing breath as the pain in her ribs flared white-hot.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Liv nodded as she took a few more breaths and waited for the pain to subside. “I think I broke a rib when I broke down the cemetery gate.”

Jay stared at her a moment, his face blank, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of what she had said. Then he erupted in laughter.

After a moment, he shook his head and the laughter subsided. “I’m sorry. It just sounds ridiculous, but I guess stuff like that is going to get a lot more common.”

“I really don’t want to try it again anytime soon. I would also not go to the cemetery unless you plan on doing a meet-and-greet with a couple dozen ferals.”

“Ferals?”

“The people-monsters that like to snack on everyone.”

“Ferals.” Jay rolled the word around in his mouth, testing it. “Not bad.”

They limped along in relative silence for a moment. Elli still whimpered on Liv’s back, but her screams had calmed down when the tension had dissipated.

Liv tried to take a deep breath, but winced when the pain in her side flared up again. They were here. The farm was still standing. People were here. Her sister was here.

They were safe.

For the first time in five days, they were safe.

“I’m glad you made it.” Jay broke the silence. “We were the last ones to show up a couple of days ago.” He was quiet for a moment. “We weren’t honestly sure if anyone else was out there.”

“I saw a few others in the last couple days,” Liv said quietly. “Not many of them are alive now. I don’t know how many people are left.”

The conversation trailed off. The farmhouse grew larger as they approached. It was a large brick structure in the shape of an L with a small covered porch and dozens of windows across its front. Thick, dark-green ivy grew up the western side. It looked old and almost abandoned, though not dilapidated.

A handful of people milled outside of the front door, watching them approach.

“Babe!” Jay bellowed and Liv could feel Elli jump on her back. “Come here!”

One of the figures took a few cautious steps forward. The few steps turned into a brisk walk. Then a run.

Jorden’s hazelnut-colored hair, which usually fell about her shoulders, trailed behind her, snapping as she ran. Usually her sister wore beautiful, flowing clothes that seemed to hang from her body in all the right places, but today she wore jeans and a plain white t-shirt as she streaked through the grass.

Jorden’s speed slowed down as she approached, but only slightly. She slammed into Liv, locking her arms around her, barely keeping them upright.

“Oh my god!” Jorden gasped, the tears making her voice thick. “I never hoped. I thought…” She sniffled into Liv’s shoulder and Liv squeezed her just as tight.

They clung to each other. Liv ignored the throbbing in her ribs. A hug had never felt so good. Liv could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. She still had family.

Elli squealed, annoyed at being ignored.

“Oh my god!” Jorden exclaimed again, her head snapping up. “Oh my god! Oh my god! Little girl!” She released Liv and pulled Elli from the carrier, wrapping her up in an equally tight embrace until the child began to protest.

“I can’t believe…” The words caught in her throat. “It’s so dangerous out there. I thought…I thought…” She trailed off into sobs and squeezed Elli again.

“I know,” Liv whispered, choking up again as she pulled Jorden in and wrapped her arms around her and Elli. “It was close a couple times.” She squeezed the two of them, holding her whole world between her arms.

Finally, Elli decided she had had enough and screeched in protest. She wiggled until Jorden set her down in the grass.

“Shouldn’t we get inside?” Liv looked around nervously, suddenly aware that they were still outside. Still exposed.

Jorden shook her head. “Until today, they have never come this close. I think they only did because they were following you. There’s nothing out here for them, really.”

Liv nodded, still tense. It would still be a while before she would feel comfortable outdoors again.

“I hate to break up this moment,” Jay said apologetically, “but Liv is pretty banged up. I should probably take her inside to see Maxine, then get her taken care of.”

“Oh, of course!” Jorden looked down to the ground for a second. “Go! Go! You probably want to sit down and get some rest.” Jorden looked her over, taking in Liv’s disheveled appearance, her dark eyes, and her blood-dotted clothes. “Come on.” She scooped up Elli, who was grabbing fistfuls of grass. “There’s plenty of room inside.”

The heavy, white, solid wood door creaked as Jay pushed it open. Before they had even stepped inside, the delicious aromas of cooking food reached Liv’s nostrils, making her mouth water and her stomach protest hungrily.

The inside was light and open. Though no lights were on, all the curtains had been pulled back from the western-facing windows, allowing the afternoon sun to pour into the rooms.

“Jay!” a woman’s voice called gruffly from somewhere in the house. “What was all that commotion I heard outside?”

Jay straightened up, releasing Liv to stand on her own. Liv pulled herself upright and rushed to straighten her dirty clothes before the approaching footsteps reached them.

Liv tensed, suddenly unsure if they were actually welcome. She had known the farm wasn’t owned by Jay or his family. Perhaps she had been silly just to assume they would be welcome here.

A woman in her fifties rounded the corner, wiping her hands on a dishcloth.

She looked over Liv and frowned. “Are you bringing strays into my house?”

Her hair was almost all silver, but Liv thought she could see sparse strands of sandy blonde glowing in the after light. The strands had been pulled back into a tight bun near the nape of her neck. She was lean but not frail. The woman looked wiry. The kind of look that someone might get from working hard all their life.

“Max.” Jay gestured towards Liv. “This is Liv and her daughter Elli. Liv is Jorden’s sister.”

Max’s dark eyes narrowed as she looked Liv up and down again. Her face was sharp and severe. “She’s dirty,” the woman concluded. “You aren’t infected, are you?”

“N-N-No, ma’am.” The woman terrified her as she looked over Liv again.

“Get one of the other ladies to inspect you. Not just Jorden. I won’t have that goddamned infection eatin’ its way through my house. And get washed up. Dinner won’t be too long.” With that, she turned and walked back the way she had come. “If you need fresh clothes, Jorden can fetch some for you!” she hollered, already out of sight.

Liv let out a breath she wasn’t even aware she had been holding.

“Good job!” Jay’s voice was excited as he slapped her on the back. “I think she likes you.”

“Really?” Liv stared at him in disbelief. “How in the hell can you tell?”

Jay waved nonchalantly. “Trust me. If she didn’t like you, you wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Day 5
6:54 pm

The bath that Liv had craved never came. She had wanted to soak in the warm steamy water until it grew cold and she became a raisin. Jorden had pointed out that she was covered in all kinds of grime. If any of it contained infection, it might seep into one of her many wounds.

Instead, Liv had settled for a sponge bath to rid herself of the worst of the muck, followed by a quick, scalding shower. The house still had running water.

Surprisingly, the water was safe and pure.

When Liv had inquired about it, fearing that the water might be tainted by infection, Jorden explained that the water came from a well on the property. Unless the well was tainted, the water would be safe.

While the shower was not a substitute for the long soak, the scalding liquid felt good against her dirty skin and sore muscles.

Jorden had sat on the closed toilet seat, behind the drawn shower curtain, while Liv cleaned up. Once Liv was clean, another woman named Rylan had entered. She looked to be in her early twenties. The timid woman seemed uncomfortable looking over Liv’s bruised and broken body.

Her jade-green eyes darted nervously around the room. She tossed aside a lock of reddish-blonde hair that had fallen across her face as she knelt down next to Liv. Her hands were hesitant and gentle as she took hold of Liv’s skin, twisting her this way and that to look closely at each wound.

After what seemed like a silent eternity, Rylan sat back. “Everything looks fine…at least not infected,” she had pronounced quietly, before turning and leaving the small bathroom.

Downstairs, dinner had been laid out on a long wooden table that looked like it could seat twenty people. And to Liv’s surprise, most of the seats were filled. There were more people on the farm than she had thought. Most of them were strangers, but everyone was friendly.

Getting to their seats was a long process. As they walked down the length of the table, Jorden would stop and introduce Liv to people along the way. They would shake hands and offer greetings and other pleasantries before Liv, Jorden, and Elli would move on to the next set of greeters.

Finally, towards the end of the table, they took a seat with Jay. Max appeared a few seconds later carrying a large steaming pot of fluffy, white mashed potatoes. She set the pot down heavily on the table before taking her place at the head of the table.

The meal had been simple. Fresh rolls. A rather plain salad. A large bowl of hard-boiled eggs. And a stew that was so full of vegetables that it was more solid than liquid. The stew didn’t contain any meat. Instead, various beans had been added.

It was the best meal Liv had ever eaten.

Liv didn’t mind that the meal didn’t contain an ounce of meat. After seeing so many bloody body parts and mangled ferals feeding on their victims, the thought of meat was utterly repulsive. There was also so little they understood about the infection still. While they certainly knew about the effects that the infection had on humans, no one seemed to know what effects it would have on animals. Could animals be infected at all? Would the infection manifest in them the way it did in humans? Would they become carriers? Would their flesh be infectious if eaten?

That was the real question.

No one wanted to be the one to test it. So for now, they would lead the lives of vegetarians.

Though the food had been simple, a hardly spiced hodgepodge of vegetables, it had been delicious and delightfully hot. The last five days of canned and cold food brought Liv a new appreciation for a hot meal. She shoveled heaping spoonfuls of the hearty stew into her mouth almost faster than she could chew.

“I’m glad you enjoy my cooking.” Max’s voice was stern as Liv sopped up the remaining juice from the stew with her bread.

Liv flushed a deep shade of red as she realized what a pig she must look like.

The old woman smiled wryly. “Now don’t go gettin’ all flustered. It’s clear you been without for a while.” She bit one of the hard-boiled eggs in half and chewed on it thoughtfully. “You may look no better than death warmed over, but you’re a fighter.” She leveled her gaze at Liv. “The weak are dying. It don’t matter what kind of weak. If you’re weak, you’re dead. You, all of you…” She gestured to the rest of the table, and for the first time Liv realized all other sound at the table had ceased while the woman spoke. “All you folks have fought like hell to be here. You’ve all seen what’s happening. You’ve all seen the death. But the fightin’s not over. There are more hard times to come and more hard work than I think any of us can imagine. Your fightin’ ain’t over yet.”

She slowly looked to each person at the table. Liv was surprised to see the hard determination in Rylan’s face, and she found herself wondering what the shy girl had been through.

Finally, Max’s gaze returned to Liv. “You just arrived. You’ve been out there the longest. What say you?”

Liv wanted to shrink under the table as all eyes turned towards her. Instead, she straightened her tired posture and set her shoulders. Max was testing her. Liv could see it in the woman’s scrutinizing gaze.

“It’s fight or die,” Liv started simply as she locked eyes with Max, holding the old woman’s gaze. “I’m not ready to die yet, so let’s keep on fighting.”

After another tense moment, Max nodded and raised her glass. “To living. To fighting and to all the good folks that make it worthwhile.”

They all raised their water glasses and clinked them together.

With her skin clean and her belly full, Liv now sat on a bed, far away from the others. She dug through her pack until she found the bulky handheld radio. As she flipped on the power, she was greeted with a static hiss. For a moment, Liv stared at the device, concerned that it wouldn’t transmit. That maybe it wouldn’t receive any signals. Even if it couldn’t receive or transmit, she didn’t know how long it would take to find another radio.

Hesitantly, she held down the transmitter, silent as she tried to figure out what to say.

“Officer Ward,” she called tentatively, releasing the transmitter and waiting for a response.

All that returned was static.

“Officer Ward, are you out there?” Was he out there? Was he still alive? Had he found his family? Were they safe and happy out there somewhere? Were they on their way here?

Liv wanted to believe that he had found them. That they were holding each other close somewhere. But she couldn’t believe it. The world had been swallowed by darkness and death, and no one was left untouched.

“Officer Ward, this is Olivia Bennett.” Liv held the small black device close as she spoke into it. Her voice was soft and tired. More than anything, she wanted to sleep. Not yet, though. She had to tell Wyatt that she was here. That she was safe. To let him know that if he was headed this way, he would find a home.

“I haven’t heard from you since that first time we spoke, but I wanted to let you know that we are safe. Elli and I made it to Slag Stead earlier today. The farm is still standing…It’s more than I ever could have hoped for. It’s safe.” She took a breath before continuing. “But much of the road out here isn’t. Troy is overrun with ferals.”

Liv could feel the tears threatened to overtake her voice, and she fought them back.

“I don’t think we would have made it by ourselves. It’s so dangerous and you have to be careful. We met up with some other people. They were really nice. They helped protect us when we needed them most. It was nice just having someone around.”

Liv bit the insides of her cheeks, losing the fight to hold back the tears.

“They’re gone now. They died for us.” She released the button as the tears rolled down her cheeks. When she felt in control again, she pressed in the button. “And then it was just Elli and me again.”

“The ferals are moving in these large roving gangs. We ran right into one. We were stupid and tried to walk right through it while they slept. It didn’t work and we got caught.”

“I don’t want the same to happen to you. The highways are a mess until you get further out along Highway Sixty-One. The ferals cluster around safe havens and linger in areas where there were lots of people. Avoid those. Go as far west as you can around Troy. Slag Stead is safe. There are other people here. My sister is here.” A momentary smile flashed across her face, only to be immediately replaced again by tears. The sobs wracked her body, the pain and sadness and fear of the past five days pouring out.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to contact you again.” She sighed and rubbed her face. “My radio is about to die. I hope you’re out there. I hope you’re on your way.”

Liv held the radio in her hands and listened to the static hiss until eventually it faded away.