Edge of Humanity: Book 2 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 7

"Why did you attack us?"

Caleb huddled in the corner of the van, his knees pulled up to his chest. With Samuel sprawled on the floor, there wasn't much room for anyone to sit. He didn't care about being crunched up—it was a more comfortable position for him. Caleb had expected the back to be full of supplies and plundered loot—when he saw the scavengers in the city, they had been carrying bags—but it was empty. It wasn't disconcerting to see the van was empty, but it would have helped Caleb confirm these people were, in fact, scavengers. It would have given him a better idea who he was dealing with. The van bounced down the road, knocking him against the walls and increasing his pain. Caleb couldn't tell which way they headed because there were no windows in the back. To say he was uncomfortable was an understatement.

The girl with the bandana sighed and looked at the others before speaking. "We didn't mean to attack you. We were just messing around in the desert with a catapult and hit you." Her eyes flicked to the ground.

Caleb narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, studying her face for signs of treachery. In the dimness of the van with his head pounding, he couldn't tell if she told the truth. He doubted it highly. The story seemed ridiculously outlandish. A catapult? In the desert?

The man with the southern accent sitting in the front passenger seat turned to face Caleb. "Don't worry. We'll get your friend fixed up."

Caleb saw him a little better in the van. His hair was cropped close to his head and sandy brown. He had tanned skin, and he looked to be slightly older than Caleb, maybe in his twenties, but he couldn't be sure. He was a terrible judge of age, and it seemed the zombies had caused everyone to age faster than they were supposed to through stress. His nose had a slight crook to it, and his mouth seemed too small for his face. What really caught Caleb's attention though was his extremely pale brown eyes. Caleb imagined even now those eyes could lure in women.

Caleb pulled his knees closer to his chest and set his jaw. He continued to stare into the man's eyes. "He's not my friend."

As soon as the words were out, Caleb knew he shouldn't have said them. They would raise too many questions, and Caleb was not going to answer them.

The man cocked his head to the right and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Caleb asked, "Where are you taking us?"

The man closed his mouth, appeared to reset to answer the question, then said, "We have a place not far from here equipped with what we'll need to help your ..." He waited for Caleb to insert the appropriate word to describe what relationship he and Samuel had.

"And if he doesn't make it?" Caleb, of course, referred to if Samuel died and turned into a zombie.

"We have the equipment to take care of that too."

Not surprising. Having the ability to put a zombie down permanently, whether with a gun or some other weapon, was part of life at this point. But they weren't only effective against the living dead; they could be used against the living, and this concerned Caleb a great deal.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"We'll get you checked out, make sure everything is fine, then decide from there." He turned back around in his seat, a gesture telling Caleb their conversation was over.

Caleb stared at him for a moment before lowering his gaze. As it drifted down it fell on the girl, and she gave him a weak smile and a small shrug. Caleb had no idea what the gesture meant. His discomfort turned into panic.

I need to run.

He had neither the strength nor the faintest idea of where to go. Once again, he was stuck and at the mercy of others.