Losing Humanity: Book 4 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 17

Caleb headed back out into the night air, but didn't stop to take in the sky. He walked with determined strides over the sand, digging in his feet as it shifted beneath his steps, and headed for the Jeeps. He glanced briefly over his shoulder, but he didn't have to worry about being watched or stopped. The soldiers that had once called this bunker home and had guarded the area where no longer around. They had fallen prey to the RBZs or the regulars when they attacked. He also didn't need any keys. One of the skills he'd learned during the dark days was how to hotwire a car.

He strode up to the first vehicle in the row and pulled open the door. After exposing the wires, he did what needed to be done, and the engine roared to life. With authority, he put the car into gear and headed down the dirt road before him. He refrained from glancing into the rearview mirror. If anyone had heard him leave, they could easily hop into another Jeep and follow him, but he wasn't going to stop his mission.

Jan wouldn't be pleased. In fact, she was probably going to be extremely pissed. She had her right to be, but Caleb also had a right to do what he needed to do. Was it dangerous? Of course. But everything in his life since the zombies rose had been a challenge. He knew that Jan would stop him, but it wasn't her place. He also didn't want to put Ophelia in an awkward position. This way, he could be the bad guy and the relationship between the girls would remain intact.

In addition, he couldn't sit around and do nothing. He needed to act, to figure something out, to let Ophelia make her own choices. But he couldn't put her at risk to do it. He had snuck into the city once, and he could do it again. This time would be different though because he had some experience. He wouldn't go back to the zombie ghetto. He didn't need to. He had no doubts that the cops would be on the lookout for him, but he doubted they would still have roadblocks up. They had probably gotten a little bit lax and focused on other aspects of city life. While he had to be careful, he didn't have to be overly sneaky.

Caleb's thoughts drifted to his former guardian Eric and the last time he saw the man. They had had breakfast together at Zomtech. Caleb told him not to worry, and he wondered if Eric had heeded the advice. He wondered if the doctor still worked at Zomtech and if he was still under observation by Detective Hale. Caleb was sure he was.

At the thought of Hale, Caleb's mind drifted back to the first time he'd met that man. It was right after he'd received the video of Rachel's death. The cop was intimidating and large. His muscles bulged under his shirt and he had a serious expression. At the same time, there had been something soothing about his presence. He then thought about when Hale had showed up at his apartment. He had seemed almost disappointed and upset that Caleb had come back to the city. Maybe sad. Caleb didn't know the man well enough to read his expression, but he knew the man hadn't been angry about his return. He wondered how he would react if Caleb saw him now.

For safety's sake, it's probably best to avoid him at all costs.

Caleb agreed with the voice. He doubted that he would get lucky a second time getting away from Hale and his officers. The best bet was to stay out of sight and stay out of trouble. He needed Eric's help, but he would be extremely cautious about how he got it.

He turned the Jeep onto the cracked paved road that led to the city. The lights barely cut through the darkness in the distance. They shone with a hazy orange glow, drowned out by the bright illumination of the ghetto. Caleb squinted his eyes and shook his head as he took in the bright white light that cut through the darkness with obscenity. It still seemed so ridiculous that the humans needed to keep the area illuminated like that. However, if it made them feel better, who was Caleb to tell them they were wrong? If they only knew that a much larger threat waited for them. If they only knew that threat was even harder to kill than the regulars.