Page 38 of Worth the Ruin
“Traeger, get him!” she demands. She doesn’t turn to make sure I follow directions, just keeps scanning the street ahead and the buildings around us for threats, undead and otherwise. I honestly don’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed that she’s barking orders—maybe a combination of both. I drop down beside Landry and check his shoulder. He sucks in harsh breaths through his teeth, but nods, telling me that he’s ok. Or ok enough to get the fuck out of here anyway.
Two Bloodies emerge from the end of the alley. Mel dispatches them quickly, but all the noise is going to bring more and soon.
“We gotta go,” Mel says. “Wynn, you good?”
“Good,” Wynn grits out.
“Mostly just a graze and bullet went straight through. He’ll need stitches, but he’s alright,” I confirm. I tear a strip from the bottom of my shirt and wrap it around his arm. He hisses in quick breaths through clenched teeth, but holds still as I tie it as tightly as I can. It’ll have to do for now. Mel glances over her shoulder as I help Wynn up. His arm is soaked with blood, but he’s steady on his feet. He nods to Mel and the three of us sprint to the mouth of the alley, pausing just long enough to make sure there aren’t Bloodies or gun-wielding assholes lying in wait, and quickly cross the cracked asphalt and the field beyond. The grass is thick and waist-high, so it’s a bitch to run through, and I can only hope there aren’t any Bloodies hiding within, like sharks lurking beneath the surface of the ocean.
We eventually make it to the parking lot on the other side with no surprise attacks. We scan the choices and Mel runs towards an old 4Runner in the corner.
“Seriously!?” she yells in frustration when she tugs on the door only to find it locked.
“Out of the way,” I grunt, and she shifts, turning her head as I bring the butt of Landry’s rifle down against the driver’s side window. The glass shatters and I reach in to pop the locks. I hiss in pain as a shard of glass slices my forearm, but I don’t have time to worry about it right now. I’ve most definitely had worse.
“Get him in the back,” Mel says as she uses an oldFor Salesign to brush the glass out of the driver’s seat. She throws her pack into the passenger side and dives into the driver’s side floor, yanking the panel off to access the wires beneath the steering wheel. I eye her with interest for a heartbeat, but she doesn’t seem to notice. I get Landry into the backseat and then jump into the passenger seat, settling her pack on the floorboard between my feet.
“Come on, come on…” Mel begs quietly as she fiddles with the wires.
“Melody,” I say, trying to keep my tone calm. There are at least twenty Bloodies closing in on us fast from three directions.
“I’m trying!” she grits. “Come on you piece of—hell yeah, baby!!” The engine roars to life and she sits up, smiling triumphantly with a hint of justified cocky thrown in, but it fades when she sees the Bloodies. “Ohfuck.”
She throws the car into drive and slams on the accelerator, and I thank whoever might be listening that the SUV still has gas. Gravel flies as the tires spin, but a heartbeat later we’re hauling ass around the group of Bloodies, clipping one and sending it sailing over the hood with a sickeningthunk. Black blood streaks the windshield and a piece of a flannel shirt gets caught in the windshield wiper.
“Good work,” I tell her after a few minutes, my heart still hammering inside my chest. I can see why she was the unofficialhead of security and the point person on most runs back at The Cove. She’s a huge asset, that’s for damn sure.
And I almost lost her today.
I clench my hands into fists and force the thought away. She’s not even mine to fucking lose because I haven’t figured out how to navigate our situation, but still—it’s been a long, long time since I’ve felt fear like I did today, and it had nothing to do with bullets raining down on me or flesh-eating zombies trying to get a taste.
“Thanks” Mel says, meeting my eyes for a moment and tucking some strands of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. It seems like there’s so much more that she’s not saying, but I could just be imagining it. I know that she’s attracted to me. I know that she’s thawing a bit, maybe even actually starting to like me. But could she ever actuallywantanything? Could I change everything if she did? Could she ever forgive me for taking her away from The Cove?
She clears her throat lightly and looks to the rearview mirror.
“Wynn, you alright back there?”
His dark skin looks a little gray and I know he’s losing too much blood, but he smiles.
“Ça va, cher. Right as rain.”
“I can’t believe you got hit,” Mel says with a grin. “Fucking couyon.”
She’s playing it off but I can tell that she’s rattled. She drives like a bat out of hell a few miles out towards the farmland before deeming it safe enough to pull over and get a better assessment of Landry’s wound. Mel checks him out while I sweep the area, but it looks like we’re alone for now. She pulls out a first aid kit from her pack—I guess it’s a good thing she keeps it on her at all times after all—and gets some QuikClot into Landry’s arm. I wince when he yells through gritted teeth at the pain. I’ve been there and that shit fucking kills. I hand him a canteen andhe takes a few big gulps. I squeeze his uninjured shoulder and he nods, letting me know he’s alright. Melody gets a bandage over the wound and we make a makeshift sling out of an old sweatshirt from the back of the SUV.
“Holloway, how’s it looking back there?” The voice that crackles through the walkie isn’t Holloway.
“Ackers here, sir. Holloway…he didn’t make it.” I close my eyes and lean my forehead against the walkie for a heartbeat. Holloway was a good man. I say a silent goodbye and thanks and open my eyes. Melody eyes me but I continue on because that’s what you fucking do in this world.
“Status.”
“The hostiles have been taken care of. Bloodies are running rampant though.” I hear gunfire in the background and my body tenses.
“On our way.”
“I’m good,” Landry assures us. “Let’s get back and help the others.”
We make our way cautiously back to the others and start clearing streets as we go. Melody is scarily efficient and I know when the time comes, she’ll be a huge asset to our patrols and runs. We’re dirty and exhausted and covered in thick, sludge-like blood when we finally rendezvous back in the middle of the town square like we originally planned.
