Chapter 6

Daisy's POV

A familiar voice snapped out an order, flat and stiff as a drill instructor barking at new recruits. It jolted me out of my thoughts.

Someone asked where he was going.

He lowered his voice. "You all go ahead. I've got something to grab."

Something to grab.

The words took a while to sink in. A dull gloom settled over me when I realized what that something was. Me.

Before long, the closet door flew open. There he stood with that familiar smile.

"Hey, Daisy." His grin widened. "Even like this, you're still quicker than everybody else."

I glared at him. If I could've talked, I would've had something to say about that.

He crouched, undid the knots, and wrapped the blanket around me again. By the time he was done, I was bundled up like a caterpillar, my arms pinned to my sides.

"Can you understand me? Give me a nod if you can, and I'll take you with me."

He went on. "Did you read the survival guide the base put out? It said zombies lose their minds completely in the early stages. But you're different. Looks like there's still something going on in there."

He leaned closer with that careless, reckless air I remembered. One corner of his mouth curled up, showing the sharp little canine on the right.

For a second I could almost feel myself back at school, in those easy days when we didn't have much to worry about.

He frowned when he saw me zoning out. "Don't tell me you've gone dumb on me. Hey. Look at me."

Carter spoke up again. "So, are you coming or not? They might be able to fix you back at the base. Dr. Vance at the research center knows this stuff."

He asked, "Or would you rather stay here?"

If I didn't want to die, I wanted to live.

That brought me back. I nodded hard.

My neck wasn't as stiff as it had been the last few days. A faint ache traveled up my spine when I moved. For the first time since I'd turned, some of that locked-up feeling eased.

He flashed that canine again and nodded back. Then he slung me over his shoulder like a rolled-up rug and walked out.

I bounced against him with my cheek pressed to his jacket. There was nothing gentle about the way he carried me.

"All right, here we go," he said. "Funny how things come full circle. I still end up carrying you."

I didn't feel like answering. I let my head rest on his shoulder and played dead, my eyes half shut.

If I hadn't turned, all that jostling would've made me sick. Who carried a zombie like a sack of groceries?

That was when I paid attention to his breathing. Steady. He wasn't gasping or sweating. He'd cleared the entire building by himself, and it had barely taken anything out of him.

Instead of taking the stairs one flight at a time, he jumped over whole flights. Each landing jarred me, and the stairwell blurred past.

No ordinary human could do that.

My slow brain came up with one word: evolved.

He'd said the base had sent out the survival guide. I hadn't been the only one warned that day. And back at the office, Lena hadn't been the only one to turn.

Someone had known this disaster was coming. They'd known all along.

The thought hit me hard enough to make me shudder. Something else sank in, too. Things weren't going to get better. They were only going to get worse.

Maybe he'd had enough of the stairs. On the third floor, he went out the window with me still on his shoulder and landed steady. Wind whipped my face on the way down. He took the impact without a stumble.

I was facing out, so I could see the sky. Gray and heavy, hanging low. I hadn't seen the sun in ages. Strange streaks of light flickered at random high above the rooftops.

The courtyard was a mess now. Bodies of zombies littered the ground, and dried blood streaked the walls. The plants looked dead under a coat of gray dust.

Survivors crowded into the last patch of open ground. Some shook as they pressed together, their faces streaked with dirt and tears. They looked terrified and relieved all at once. People who'd fought over supplies days ago had put their grudges aside.

Voices came over the radio in the distance.

"Alpha Squad, Hank Morris reporting. Bayview Apartments, Building B. All clear."

"Alpha Squad, Ezra Finch reporting. Bayview Apartments, Building C. All clear."

"Alpha Squad, Jamie Cortez reporting. Bayview Apartments, Building D. All clear."

I slowly turned my head as they called each building clear. Then Carter's voice sounded right by my ear.

"Carter Raines reporting. Bayview Apartments, Building A. All clear."

I shifted on his shoulder. There was a quiet authority in the way he gave his name over the radio.

Somehow, that simple announcement settled the crowd. Shoulders relaxed. A few people started crying softly, then louder. I watched them grab hold of one another and call out names.

No one had been left behind.

I felt hollow. They had hope, and they had each other. I had no idea what was ahead of me. The only thing that felt steady was the shoulder under my cheek.

Not long after that, I started to fade. Sounds grew distant, and my vision blurred. I heard a few people come over. Someone said, "Oh my God."

A few words reached me: rescue, supplies.

Then I blacked out.