Chapter 5

Daisy's POV

I rested a hand over my heart and held still.

Not a beat.

I wanted to cry, but no tears came.

Nobody was coming to save me. To everyone else, the rescue team meant hope. To me, it meant my time was up.

Just like that, I went calm. I drew my knees to my chest and curled up in the corner of the bed. I didn't move or make a sound.

Gunfire and explosions erupted downstairs. Survivors cheered all over the building.

I couldn't tell how much time passed. The team was working its way up to my floor, and I could still hear bursts of gunfire from below.

A familiar voice carried through the wall.

[Bayview Apartments, seventh floor, clear.]

I shuddered at the word clear.

They were almost here. Was this how I died?

My body was failing me. I wanted to cry, but zombies didn't have tears.

Footsteps sounded on the other side of the wall. Whoever it was took their time. Each step seemed to land right in my ears.

Bang. A gunshot.

A zombie snarled next door, then fell silent.

"Damn, this one's ugly. It's howling right in my ear. Put a bullet in it. How about you, Ezra? Let's wrap this up and get something to eat. I could go for barbecue. A whole rack of ribs."

The voice was bright and cocky, with a lazy drawl. He just kept talking.

Something about that voice sounded familiar.

I'd been playing dead with my face buried against my knees. Now I lifted my head.

"I'm almost done here. Half an hour, tops. Hank, bring the trucks over. We've got survivors to move. ... Why won't this door open?"

I flinched again. Whether I knew him or not, I was done for.

A howl almost slipped out. Then I remembered how much the one next door had annoyed him. I clapped a hand over my mouth and sat shaking on the bed, waiting for him to come get me.

Yeah.

I didn't have the guts to do it myself. I'd let someone else finish me off. It was better than whatever came next. I wasn't human anymore.

Something in me gave up at the thought.

My body shook anyway when he kicked the door open. Only then did I wonder how hard you'd have to kick to get through a door like that.

"Damn, that door took some kicking. ... Huh? Nobody home? It's spotless. Looks like a model home in a magazine."

He kept coming.

I dropped my head again and waited for the verdict, still shaking.

Past the closet, past the kitchen, right toward my room. Every footstep wore my nerves a little thinner.

I was about to snap.

Bang.

The bedroom door opened. Then came the click of a round being chambered.

"Any open wounds? Have you been bitten? How far has the mutation progressed? Tell me the truth."

I kept my head down and played dead. For a second, I seriously considered crawling under the blanket beside me.

He blew out a breath. When he spoke again, his voice had hardened. "I asked you a question, ma'am. I'm with Alpha Squad. We're an official search-and-rescue unit. If you don't answer, you're only holding up your own rescue. Do you understand? Huh?"

I was still trying to figure out that last huh when he crossed the room in one stride and hauled me off the bed.

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking with fright. Still playing dead.

Then he spoke again, sounding almost amused. "Daisy Harlow?"

I opened my eyes. The man who'd come for me was so close that all we could do was stare at each other.

His earpiece erupted before he could get another word out.

"Who? Daisy Harlow? Carter, have you lost your mind? You're still that hung up on her?"

Carter silenced the earpiece with the back of his hand. He looked me over and asked again, less sure this time. "Daisy Harlow? Holy shit ... wait. How do you look exactly the same after all these years?"

I froze. My sluggish brain finally caught up.

Carter Raines. We'd gone to school together. Of all the ways to run into him again.

He was in a tactical vest now, as tall as ever. His face had lost its boyish softness, his features more defined. He was the kind of handsome that made people turn their heads in a hallway.

In school, he'd been the best-looking kid and the worst troublemaker.

I meant to say hello without changing my expression. Instead, a guttural uhh-uhh-ahh got stuck in my throat.

I didn't try again.

Carter leaned in like a big dog sizing me up. He got close enough to notice how cold I was.

His brow creased. A second later, he pressed his fingers to my neck, feeling for something.

For a moment, I thought he meant to strangle me. I only understood later that he'd been checking for a pulse.

Something stung under my nose. I couldn't put a name to it.

The kid who'd never turned in his homework was on the federal payroll now. Special forces, no less.

Pretty impressive.

Mr. Delgado would've gotten a kick out of it.

"Seriously, you were the smart one. How'd the first wave get you?"

He sounded like he really felt sorry for me. Sorry enough that I wanted to hit him.

I frowned and gave him the same glare I'd used whenever I chased him down for his homework.

Carter laughed.

"Right. Almost forgot I had a job to do."

He looked around the room, searching for something. I started shaking again. I was sure he was picking a spot to do it.

I closed my eyes and played dead again.

He made a full circuit of the room. When he didn't find anything he could use, he grabbed a blanket and turned back to me. My eyes were still shut, and I was shaking hard.

He sighed and tied me up, blanket and all. I didn't have to open my eyes to know what he was doing.

I figured he didn't want me thrashing around and making an ugly death of it. At least he was giving me some dignity.

I opened my eyes and looked at him gratefully. He really wasn't a bad guy.

For two seconds he just stared. His expression went strange, like he couldn't figure out what I was so happy about.

Then he scooped me up sideways, wrapped the blanket around me, and stuffed me in the closet.

"Stay here. I'll be back for you later."

He kept his voice low and gave me one last look. I looked up at him, wide-eyed.

His ears went red.

"Quit looking at me with those sad puppy eyes. You're a zombie."

I had no idea what he meant.

Soon the sounds of doors being kicked in, gunfire, and survivors shouting excitedly came down from upstairs.

I sat in the closet, staring into space while my slow brain tried to make sense of it. I wasn't dead? He really hadn't shot me?

I didn't get it.

I looked down at the thin blanket and tested how tightly he'd tied it.

Tight.

Forget it.

I slumped onto my side and lay there with my eyes open, waiting for time to pass. I lost track of how long it took before I heard anyone outside again.

"Everyone downstairs, single file. Buses are on their way to take you to Survivor Base."