Mortality

Chapter 13: Savannah

After we piled into the forest-green minivan that sat in the driveway, we doubled back to the safe house to grab some more supplies. Between the five of us and several boxes of food, weapons, and ammo, the van was a little cramped. Belle managed to call shotgun and made herself comfortable in the front of the car beside Alex. As usual, the girl had no problem making herself right at home. Her long blond hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and her small frame was lost in an oversized hoodie.

Pierce and Cole sat in the middle row where they had a bit more room to stretch their legs, leaving me in the back by myself, curled up in the corner beside a box of canned pasta.

As we pulled out of the driveway, I wished I’d thought to sit on the other end of the bench. The seat gave me an unobstructed view of Alex as he maneuvered our new vehicle away from the town and onto a narrow back road. I desperately wanted a little time away from him, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking. His face was still pulled into a frown as he repeatedly checked his blind spots. He’d made sure every one of us was wearing our seatbelt.

It had been a long time since any of us had been behind the wheel of a car, and he was understandably nervous. At least we weren’t going to have to deal with any oncoming traffic.

Belle and her father had planned to rendezvous with the others not far from Meadowvale, but we weren’t sure which route they had decided to take. We had a map of the area with us, and while it probably wouldn’t be the fastest route, we would be better off avoiding driving back through the main strip of this highly infested town.

I tried leaning my head against the window to rest, but all of the jostling from the uneven road made it impossible to get comfortable. I ended up tiling my head back and closing my eyes. If I managed to look asleep, no one would bother me.

The car was littered with all kinds of junk, including a few unlabeled CDs, but we drove for half an hour before anyone suggested putting on some music. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. It’s a rare treat to hear any kind of music anymore.

The millennial pop mix that Cole picked up off the floor went a long way to brightening our moods. Everyone but Alex sang along at the top of our lungs as we drove, and even our moody driver could be seen mouthing the words to every Backstreet Boys or Spice Girls hit that came on.

I was in the middle of a heart-felt rendition of A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton when Belle abruptly leaned over and shut off the stereo.

“Look,” she said, pointing out the window toward the side of the road, “in that field there, near the barn. Is that Nico?” Alex slowed down, but whoever it was had already spotted us, and there was nowhere to hide on this open stretch of road.

Sure enough, I spotted Nico Moscowitz waving at us as he ran toward the road. Nico was about ten years older than me and led one of the other teams whose job it had been to secure Ravencrest and go on various supply runs.

Once he was within earshot, Belle rolled down her window and stuck her head out. “Hey stranger,” she said, waving.

“Well, look who it is.” Nico smiled under his thick beard. “You okay, sweetie? Your dad has been worried sick.” Belle nodded and wiggled back into her seat as Nico went around to the driver’s side and shook Alex’s hand. “It’s good to see you all. Paulson’s sent people out all over looking for this one,” he gestured toward Belle. “It’s good to have everyone back.” It was only then that he noticed Cole. His eyes narrowed in confusion at the unfamiliar face before he tilted his head at Alex in question. Alex shrugged it off as though he’d explain later, but I held my breath waiting for the next question.

“Where’s Zack?” Some of the color drained from Nico’s usually warm face, and I knew he was assuming the worst.

“There was some trouble on the way to Meadowvale. I—,” Alex let his voice trail off. Nico patted him on the arm.