The snow finally clears up after about a week, allowing us to leave the cabin. It had been serene being there, almost like we were in a different dimension, because besides that one time, we did not see any of the monsters. All the other people kept to themselves, not bothering us in our cabin as the days went by. It makes it a little sad to leave, but I know there is someplace better waiting for us.
Finn comes up behind me, pressing a soft kiss on the back of my neck as he wraps his arms around me. His chest is warm and comforting pressed against me, and I find myself relaxing back against him. His warmth is welcome because, despite the sun, it is still brisk out here.
Today is a beautiful day. One of those brief glimpses of spring you get before the rains come back with a vengeance. We had left the cabin a few hours ago and had just reached the coast on the California side of the mountains. The car had become stuffy from hours of driving, and so Alena had advised that we take a break. Margaret needed to refresh her lungs, and the rest of us did not mind too much.
Mary and Alena had helped Margaret down to a driftwood log that sits about halfway between the shoreline and the back road we had been driving on. Danny had gone walking on his own, and Delaney is reorganizing the bus. It seems to calm him down, so I choose not to say anything.
Remy sits in the sand building some sand castles. Finn had been helping him for a while, but it seems that my boyfriend had decided to leave the little boy to his own devices. Viola lays on a towel, using her little arms to hold herself up as she tries to look around. A few stuffed animals lay next to her, but she only seems to be interested in taking in the view.
"You worried?" Finn asks me.
Viola coos up at us when she sees Finn, and I can't help but smile. Her and Remy make the possibility of the beach house that much greater. If something is wrong with the place, or if it is not as it was last time I was there a few years ago, then I do not know what we are going to do.
"A little," I murmur.
Finn's arms tighten around me. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it."
Biting my lip, I try to calm the worry in me. But looking at Viola laughing as she rolls over on her own and Remy murmuring to himself as he builds up a sand castle, I can't help but anticipate what we will be driving into.
"What if something is wrong with the place? I- I just don't want us to drive into another dangerous situation when we just escaped one."
Finn's hands squeeze my waist, turning me around so that I am facing him. "This is the best option we have. At least now we have a goal, other than just wandering around aimlessly." He leans down, pressing a kiss on my lips. "As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Let's just try not to pick up any more kids on the way, though, hm?" His lips turn up in a faint smile and a laugh slips out of my mouth at his words.
Rolling my eyes, I lean forward to capture his lips with mine. We both know I have a tendency to want to help everyone we come across, but Finn has just a large of a soft spot for children. He may argue at first, but I know that he can't leave a helpless child to suffer. Now, Viola and Remy both adore him, just as he does them.
Someone clearing their throat has me pulling away from Finn, breaking the kiss. Alena is watching us, a brow raised and an amused smile on her face. A blush is spreading across my face, the warmth even more noticeable in the cold air.
"Delaney says that we should be heading out soon. I've got some crackers, dried fruit, and jerky we can eat for lunch before we go. Thought it might be nice to stick around for as long as possible before we have to climb back in the car again."
"Sounds good to me," I say, and Finn nods his head in agreement. Alena gives us one last assessing look, her amusement clear, before turning back away.
"Keep it PG you two," she calls over her shoulder.
Finn starts to laugh, and I can't help myself from joining in. God. I can't remember the last time I laughed. Being in that hospital sucked the life out of me. Constantly worrying about Finn and then not having any control over our actions. This is so freeing being out here, the sun shining down on us. It feels like a new beginning.
A half hour later, we are all climbing back onto the bus. Remy is upset to leave, and eventually, Finn just has to pick him up, the little boy pouting the entire walk to the bus. Viola is starting to get fussy, so as Delaney starts the bus, I quickly fix her up a bottle. Luckily, Alena had heated up some water while she was making lunch over a campfire. Viola refuses to drink cold milk, so having the warm water is a godsend.
Viola eventually ends up drifting off, and I just keep her in my arms. We don't have a car seat for her, so I feel a little better holding her, rather than putting her down. Besides, I get a little anxious whenever her or Remy are too far away from me. Danger lies in the distance.
Most everyone falls asleep as the sun starts to set, exhausted from traveling so much. Delaney and I seem to be the only ones awake on the bus. The radio is turned on to an old music station, probably on a continuous loop from before everything came crashing down. It is a soothing noise in the background as I watch the world passing by through the windows.
Seeing the land around us becoming more familiar causes relief to flood through me. The Ocean becomes less rocky, sandier with dunes and beachside trees. We are getting close, probably about another half an hour away.
Delaney only asks me for directions once we are twenty minutes out of the main city. Half Moon Bay is a smaller town, a place where people used to go to escape city life, where everyone knows each other. That is why my family loved the town so much. Our house had been in the family for generations, having been rebuilt multiple times.
It is completely dark outside now, making the glare of our headlights even more unnerving. The beasts seem to be attracted to light, and I don't want to give them any signs of our whereabouts. But I know it is more dangerous to be driving without the headlights, especially as it starts to drizzle.
My brows crinkle in confusion as a large wall comes into view, blocking the lone road we are driving on. The wall seems to be made of tires stacked on top of each other and dirt packed between them. Getting up, I come to join Delaney at the front of the bus, and he seems just as confused as I do.
"I thought you said this place was a tiny little town."
"It is."
"Then why in the hell is there a border around it?"
Before I can answer, a voice cuts me off.
"What's going on?" Finn's sleepy voice calls from the back of the bus,
"No clue," I murmur, head turning as I try to see the end of the wall. It seems to encompass the entire town, only stopping a few yards into the ocean.
"Shit," Delaney mumbles, causing my eyes to snap over at him. His hands are clenched tightly on the wheel and his eyes are focused on something directly in front of us. Following his gaze, I see that there are people approaching us, large guns in their hands, as a few others stand on top of the wall.
A man reaches the bus first, and Delaney reluctantly rolls down his window when the guy motions for him to do so. It is too dark to see the guys face, a beanie pulled over his hair, and a scarf pulled over his face to protect him from the cold. He lifts his hand, shining a flash light into the each of our faces, making my eyes squint against the harsh light.
"What's your purpose for coming to this town?" the guy says, his voice gruff.
"My family owns a home here," I say, not finding any reason to be dishonest. It isn't like we can just say we are passing through. This town is on the outskirts, there is no place to drive through the town for. "We decided to come out here to see if it was safe."
The guy is silent for a moment, before turning away. He goes to speak to the other guy that had followed him from the wall, motioning back at us as he speaks. The other person nods his head, before deciding to come look over at us himself.
"What's the fam-" His eyes widen significantly before his hand comes up to rip his scarf away from his face. "Alden?"
Confusion comes over me, and that's the only explanation I have for not immediately recognizing my brother-in-law. Derek has been married to my sister, Anna, for almost ten years now. They live a few states over, so I am completely surprised to see him. But, not too surprising to see him acting as a guard. Last time I had talked to my sister she had been excited about Derek coming home from deployment. The two of them have a carload of kids, something that always amazed me, seeing as for a long time my sister didn't want children.
"Derek, what are you doing here?" I ask.
"You two know each other?" the other guard asks, looking between us with his brows scrunched in confusion.
An arm wraps around my waist, and I know it must be Finn. Derek's eyes take in my boyfriend behind me, a crooked grin on his face. The other guard scowls, though, not seeming to like the clear show of protection.
"Yeah," Derek says, stepping a bit closer to the bus. "I've known this kid since before he hit puberty."
Rolling my eyes, I have to fight back the smile trying to creep over my face. It is pretty useless though, and Derek just lets out a chuckle. He has always been like an older brother to me, just as fiercely protective as my older sister.
"Well, let's get you guys inside before you attract a horde of beasts with those headlights."
He motions for us to move forward, walking beside the bus as Delaney puts pressure on the gas. The other guard looks like he wants to protest, murmuring something to Derek as he sends us glares. Derek just shakes his head though, his brows scrunched in displeasure with whatever the other man is saying.
"How do you know him?" Finn asks, taking Viola from me as the baby starts to wake up.
"He's my brother-in-law. He and my sister have been married since I was fourteen, and dated for three years before that."
Finn nods his head, accepting my answer. The rain starts to come down heavier than before, and I can tell a storm is about to hit. It is the middle of winter after all.
Derek calls up for the guards standing on the wall to open it. Sure enough, a small section is pulled aside, just wide enough for us to fit through. As the gate closes behind us, something settles within me.
Delaney slows the bus down, opening the doors for Derek when he knocks. He is dripping wet when he comes inside but wraps me in a tight hug anyway.
"God, Alden. We have been worrying about you for months."
"We?" I ask, finally managing to wiggle out of his strong grasp. "Are Anna and the kids here?"
Derek's smile falters slightly, and immediately dread settles in my stomach. My brother-in-law isn't one who likes to show when he is upset. So something serious must be wrong if he is slipping up.
"Anna is fine," he says. "But Olivia and the twins are the only ones with us."
"What happened?" I whisper, shocked at the news. I know a majority of the population is dead from whatever disease is going around, but it is something else entirely to hear about someone you know being dead.
Olivia is only three, and the twins are about nine months by now. They have a son, Jeremiah who is eight, and a daughter, Bethy, who is five. But...
He swallows heavily, seeming to be having trouble forming words. "Jeremiah got sick from someone at school and managed to bite Bethy when he came home. The others were in the play room, so they weren't exposed. We took Jeremiah and Bethy to the hospital, but â" He clears his throat, his voice hoarse. "But they didn't make it. After that, we decided to get out of the city and came down here. Been here ever since."
"Jesus," I whisper, still trying to absorb what he said.
He nods his head. "It's been a hard few months. But I know it will cheer Anna up to see you."
He smiles then, before walking over to Delaney, giving him directions to the beach house. Seeing as the town is small, it only takes us a few minutes to reach the familiar home. A soft glow is coming from the front room, and I can see movement inside the house.
Derek gets off first, once Delaney parks the bus in the driveway. Following close behind, I watch with wide eyes as the front door opens. And there is my sister, looking at me with the same blue eyes that I have. They widen immensely when she sees me, and only a second later she is shooting off the front step, wrapping me in her arms.
"Alden, where have you been?" she cries, squeezing me tightly. Her sobs ring in my ears, and it is all I can do to wrap my arms around her, not minding the rain pelting us.
"Trying to find my way back home."