Page 49 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

“We?” Kyle’s voice from the other side of the door sounds confused.

Amos grabs my hand, pulling me against his body for another kiss. This one tender and sweet. “I’m not done with you yet, Copperhead.”

I simply smile back and let him guide me to the door. When he pulls the door open, Kyle’s confusion turns to shock before melting into an all-knowing smile. “I fucking knew it.”

“Knew what?” I ask innocently.

“That you two were fucking.”

Amos punches Kyle in the shoulder, hard. “We are not fucking thanks to you interrupting.”

“Ow, man. Sorry. Jeremy asked me to fetch you. There’s been a message from The Wall. About Dr. Tuwile.”

“Let’s go then.” Amos attempts to bring me along, but Kyle stops him.

“Leadership only, Amos.” There’s a warning behind his voice I don’t quite understand.

“I don’t care. Lori comes with me. If the other leaders have a problem with that, thentheycan tell me.”

Kyle backs away with his hands up as Amos pushes us forward.

Chapter 32

AsKylehadpredicted,no one in leadership agreed to allow me in the meeting. Not even my mother. Amos wanted to protest, but I stopped him, telling him I’d be waiting on the terrace for him after the meeting. It’s been over thirty minutes since Amos walked into the conference room and I’m getting nervous.

“Do meetings usually last this long?” I ask Kyle, who followed me up to the terrace shortly after escorting us to the health center.

Kyle shrugs. “Sometimes they’re in there for an hour, sometimes only fifteen minutes. But when we receive a message from The Wall, it’s usually a serious meeting and lasts for a while.”

The Wall. The first time I heard about The Wall was when I was bleeding all over Amos’ car after he rescued me from the arena. My mom explained more about it and I’ve heard mention of it since, putting the pieces together over the last few months. There are several safe zones from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. All of them are set up near The Wall, which spans multiple highways across the two states. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to not only find the resources and living humans to build a solid enough wall spanning hundreds of miles, but to do so without suffering major losses from zombie hordes.

The U.S. military guards the outposts inside The Wall. Communities like The Valley work with the military to share food, resources, and information. No one from outside a sanctioned community is allowed transit within The Wall. It makes me wonder how Doctore’s men get around. Jonah and I weren’t the only ones they kidnapped.Has Jonah become one of those men now? Kidnapping innocent people to become Doctore’s lab rats?The thought makes me shiver.

“Are you cold, Copperhead?”

I whip around to find Amos taking unwavering steps in my direction. He stops a foot away from me as if purposely keeping his distance, yet I know how much he wants to close the space between us. For just a moment, it feels like we are the only two humans left in the world as we stare into each other’s eyes.

He breaks the spell, turning his gaze away from me and out to the view of The Valley as he leans against the low wall of the terrace. “I’m really sorry, Lori, but I’ve got to head out.”

“What? Take me with you,” I plead. “I’m ready.”

“I know you are, but I don’t want you to be seen at The Wall. Not yet.”

“Why?”

“I was gonna promise to tell you everything when I get back. But since that won’t quell your curiosity, I’ll tell you this much.” Amos pauses, taking a breath as he glances over my shoulder to where Kyle hunches over the edge of the terrace. “We know that Dr. Tuwile has spies at The Wall. I cannot risk bringing you there.”

I stop breathing when I hear Doctore’s name from Amos’ lips. It’s the last thing I expected him to say. I’m safe. He can’t get me here. I’ve believed in this safe haven for months, thinking that Doctore can never find me here. But what if he can?

“Does he have spies here too?” My voice shakes, giving away my fear.

Amos finally closes the distance between us, pressing me against his body and wrapping his arms around me. “No. Not here. But out there? Yes. They are everywhere, Lori. If you want to fight, if you want to join us out there, you have to be prepared for them.”

“That’s why you’ve been keeping me from going out there?”

“Yes. I know you can handle it. I just—”

“No, I get it.” The fear in my voice makes me sound angry, so I soften the fear and try again with, “I am scared. I won’t deny that. But I’m ready to face them. I am ready to fight.”

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