Finding Humanity: Book 3 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 1

Caleb paced the small area next to his cot and chewed on his thumbnail. He locked his gaze on the concrete floor, but his attention was focused inward. He'd been in the rock quarry with Ophelia and her people for two days. Most of the first day was spent recovering from smoke inhalation, which resulted in lots of sleeping. Now that his health had improved and he had more energy, questions flooded his mind and made it difficult for him to sit still.

Nothing needs to be answered. You need to get out and away.

The intensity of his nail chewing increased. Pain radiated through his thumb as his teeth dug into his flesh. He jerked the digit from his mouth and shook his hand in the air as he continued to pace.

The quarry was in the same mountain range as Dr. Maudas' lab. It had been a long-term operation, so it had permanent buildings instead of mobile ones. Once the zombies had risen, the place had been abandoned—like so many other places in the world. Caleb had no idea how far it was from the lab, because he had been in and out of consciousness for the entire trip. He knew it was in the same range because the landscape hadn't changed too drastically.

The thought of being out of the lab was both comforting and disconcerting. He didn't have to worry about what experiments Dr. M was going to conduct on him, but he was concerned others might test his immunity. He knew nothing about his rescuers or their motives. He had fuzzy memories of Ophelia saying she was immune, but what if that had been a hallucination, or wishful thinking? Worse, what if it had been a lie to make him feel comfortable and trust them instantly?

They hadn't bothered him the first day, but he wouldn't have been in any shape to be tested anyway. Depending on what they wanted to do, they more than likely needed him healthy and strong. Unless they took some of his blood. He didn't have to be conscious for that. Coldness radiated through him at the thought. He extended his arms and looked into the crooks of his elbows to see if there was a band aid, or fresh holes. Clear. Still, he couldn't shake the fear and concern. He should leave, but he had nowhere to go. Plus, he needed to know what fate had befallen Dr. M and Samuel. Did he need to look over his shoulder? Would they be coming after him? This was, of course, assuming they were still alive.

You need to get out and run. Take care of yourself. No one else will.

Caleb stuck his other thumb in his mouth and worked on that nail. At the moment, he was safe at the quarry. He had shelter and time—the latter of which he needed to formulate a plan. Now that his mind wasn't shrouded in a fog, he intended to figure out his next steps.

"Hey! It's good to see you up and moving," a soft, melodic voice spoke behind him.

Caleb turned to face the speaker, and his thumb dropped from his mouth. Ophelia still reminded him of an angel. Her soft features radiated beauty and understanding, her brown eyes full of kindness. A smile came easily to her dark pink lips. Her tanned skin was smooth and flawless. She seemed surreal.

He didn't recall seeing much of her after waking outside the cave and being brought to the quarry. She was there—he sensed her presence—but she stayed off to the side, just out of his line of sight. He was also in and out of consciousness as he recovered, and his mind whirled with what could potentially happen next—none of which ended favorably for him, so he had very little time to be concerned about her. Which was a shame, because familiarity and empathy flowed from her and made him feel...safe.

Relief flooded through him as their gazes met and her smile widened. He couldn't help but return the gesture. Some of his stress and worry about Dr. M and Samuel and his immunity waned as her kindness surrounded and engulfed him. He wanted her to take all of his troubles away. He probably should have been more curious as to where those feelings were coming from, and wondered if that made him weak and gullible, but he didn't want to know. Fighting those emotions exhausted him, and he needed to rest.