***
After Edie andMax each took another speedy shower and dressed—Doug had cheerfully offered to wash their dirty clothing overnight, and they found the pile of clean, dry laundry just outside Pottery Barn’s back room—she hastily gnawed on some Pizza Jerky from her bag. Max asked whether the plasticky-looking foodstuff contained meat, and she enjoyed his look of horror when she told him she didn’t actually know. And then, right on time, they gathered their belongings to leave just as the sun rose.
“Max…” She frowned, settling her cross-body bag into place. “The siren still hasn’t sounded. How is that even possible? The government has camera footage of the compound. Wouldn’t they have noticed the zombies leaving? And even if the cameras were disabled, wouldn’t there be telltale satellite images of the area?”
“I assume whoever tampered with the bridges also tampered with all electronic surveillance measures. Somehow.” Arms akimbo, he tipped his head as he considered the matter. “Do you want us to visit the breach site ourselves before we leave the Zone so we can pass along firsthand information about the scene?”
Her head was shaking before he even finished speaking. “No. Our priority has to be reporting the incident and getting help as soon as possible. Investigating why and how the breach happened can wait until no one is dying.”
He inclined his head, and they turned for the store’s back entrance. On their way out, she patted the top of the couch lovingly.
He shot her a questioning look, and for some reason she was willing to tell him. Maybe evenwantedto tell him.
“A couple years before the First Breach, my parents went shopping for a new couch. They’d intended to get something cheaper, but there was this one sofa in Pottery Barn we all loved. It was just so comfortable, and Dad argued that the slipcovers made it a practical choice, despite the expense, so…” She smiled slightly. “It took three separate trips to this mall, to this store, but they finally ordered the couch in gray velvet.”
“This couch.” His broad hand skated over the sofa’s rolled arm. “This design.”
She nodded. “We had it in our living room until…”
Until it became ripped and blood-soaked and unsalvageable,slipcovers or no slipcovers. A reminder of everything she wanted to remember and everything she needed to forget.
He didn’t push her to finish her sentence. Instead, he studied the piece of furniture, a line drawn between his brows, then nodded and took her elbow as they left the store.
A rosy predawn glow brightened the winter sky. Belinda, Austin, and Doug were waiting by the dumpsters, their weapons sheathed. Austin handed Edie the measuring spoons, which she tucked into her duffel, and Doug passed her a white bakery bag filled with something that smelled like cinnamon and sugar and deliciousness.
When she hugged him, he gave her a gentle squeeze. “Be careful, friend. Email me when you’re free to troubleshoot my cupcake soap.”
“I will. Thank you for all your help and the amazing tour.” She stepped back. “As soon as we leave, go inside and secure the door, okay?”
Doug’s smile crinkled his eyes. “Will do.”
“Just as a reminder…” Belinda’s eyes narrowed on Max, and not in appreciation this time. “I know who you are. If you fuck us over in any way, I’ll—”
“Murder us both in the grisliest possible fashion,” he finished impatiently. “Yes, we know.”
She smirked. “Good.”
“Good.” Max turned back to Edie. “Ready?”
“Yes. Just…” The counterfeiters knew what to do. But she had to say it anyway. “Please stay on guard. You should continue the zombie patrols until you get an all clear from the government. And remember, the creatures aren’t the only threat you need to worry about. Whoever set them loose on us…”
She shook her head, too angry and disgusted for words. Whoever set them loose had unleashed destruction and violence, knowing innocents would die. The zombies couldn’t help their condition, but the unknown saboteurs had chosen to do harm with conscious intent.
They were the true monsters.
“Of course.” Austin shook her hand firmly. “Good luck.”
“Don’t worry, Edie.” Doug’s sweet smile widened then, turning sharp and pitiless, and the machete he unsheathed from somewhere in his clothing gleamed. “We’re prepared to kill anyone or anything we need to. Gladly.”
“Okay.” Holy gods and goddesses, why was that even more unsettling than Belinda’s threat to murder her and Max? “That’s…good. Right. Um, Max? You’re ready to go too?”
“Yes,” he said, his palm firm on her lower back, and he didn’t need to tell her twice.
14
After Max duct-taped the holes in the windows, the SUV’s temperature stayed relatively comfortable. By the time they turned onto the main access road and Edie polished off her first warm cinnamon roll, she was feeling pretty good, considering the circumstances.
As she ate the second roll, she pretended to wipe her sticky hands on his leather seats and hummed the Gaston song between bites just to fuck with Max, and his offended mutterings made her feel even better.
