Dead South | Book 2 | Dead Lies Read online

  Tears came from Brooke’s eyes now, and she quickly wiped them away before they had a chance to roll down her cheeks. Jon stayed still, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to tell her again that she could stop talking, as she’d made it clear she wanted to tell him all of this. But he also wasn’t sure whether he should try to console her or not. With her eyes slightly red, Brooke looked up and continued.

  “Something did change in him when the outbreak first started. I think maybe he saw for the first time that he could actually lose me and Lucas, and it flipped a switch. Crazy that it took the apocalypse for him to realize that.” She scoffed a laugh. “But it was too late for me. I wasn’t in love with Peter anymore. Before the outbreak started, I talked to a friend who’d already gone through a divorce, and she gave me the email address of her lawyer. Then, all of this happened, and I was never able to make the divorce a real thing. The outbreak was the only reason I stuck with him as long as I did. I felt like I needed Peter to survive, and I needed to survive to be here for Lucas.”

  Brooke paused, staring off into the distance. Jon kept his eyes on her, but she never looked over at him.

  “Finding Hope’s Dawn changed everything for me. There, I was able to spend my time contributing to the camp in my own way. Lucas made friends there, and more importantly, so did Peter. He got pretty tight with Garrett. But what it really meant was that Peter and I spent more time apart from one another, and that was a good thing for me.”

  “What happened?” Jon asked. “To Peter, I mean.”

  Brooke shrugged. “He and a couple of others went out on a supply run one day, and they never came back. This was over a year ago. Garrett sent a crew out to look for them, and apparently they found fresh blood, and even pieces of the shirt that Peter had on when he left the camp.”

  “Jesus. I’m sorry.”

  Brooke finally looked over at Jon. “I cried. Not because of how I felt for him at the time, but because I had loved him once. And, of course, because he was the father to my son. Lucas was innocent in all of this. Telling him what happened to Peter was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

  “He’s a good kid,” Jon said, putting his hand on Brooke’s knee. “And you’re an amazing mother. I hope you know that.”

  Brooke glanced at Jon’s hand, then up at him. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she looked away. She stood, and Jon did, as well.

  “Brooke, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “No, it’s fine,” she said, cutting him off. “Really. It was nothing that you did. I told you I wanted to tell you everything.” She wiped her eyes with her forearm and then hugged Jon, but only for a moment. “Thank you for listening to me.” Then, she turned around and headed back into the clubhouse.

  19

  Jon sat on the side of the bed, running his hands over his face and his tired eyes. He’d found a way to get some sleep during the night, even with all of the things occupying his mind after talking with Brooke. He felt thankful for the rest, knowing it was going to be a long day. Jon picked his clothes up off the floor and slipped into them. He then looked at himself in the mirror, taking a moment to comb through his disheveled hair with his fingers before heading out of the bedroom.

  Brooke sat at one of the barstools in the kitchen, leaning onto the counter. She didn’t appear to notice Jon come into the room, so he made some noise to avoid startling her. Brooke turned to face him. Her eyes looked heavy and slightly bloodshot.

  “You sleep okay?” he asked.

  Groaning, Brooke shook her head. “What I’d give for a cup of coffee right now.”

  “They might have some here at the camp somewhere. You should check with Raylon.”

  “If they have coffee here, I might never leave.”

  Jon laughed briefly, mostly to keep the mood loose. He moved over to the counter beside her.

  “You should sit,” she suggested.

  “I’m going to get going pretty soon. Don’t want to get too comfortable.” Leaning on the counter, he asked, “Are you ready for today?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Jon could hear in her voice that something else was bothering her. But he didn’t want to dig too hard, especially this early in the morning. Instead, he had another thought.

  “Why don’t you come back to Hope’s Dawn with me this morning?” he asked.

  “You can go,” she said, immediately dismissing the idea. “I’d rather help out around here before we have to leave.”

  “Are you sure? I’ll bet Lucas would love to—”

  “I said I’d rather stay here.” The words came out sharp and intense. Jon jerked his head back. The sound of her son’s name had brought on a different reaction, and Jon thought that might be the source of her anxiety.

  “You know, you don’t have to go with us today. You can—”

  “Please don’t tell me I don’t have to go,” Brook said, balling her fist and putting it on the counter. “I’m not sitting this one out. Hope’s Dawn is already short-handed as it is. We’re going to need everyone we can to go to this prison. So, please, don’t treat me like some weak woman. I can handle myself.”

  Jon drummed his fingers on the counter and headed for the door.

  “Jon, I’m sorry. Hold on.”

  “It’s fine,” Jon said, glancing over his shoulder. “I know you had a long night. We all did. I’m going to go outside and get ready to go.”

  He exited the house without looking back again.

  Shutting the door behind him, Jon took a deep breath as he stood on the porch.

  When he saw Terrence standing next to the truck, Jon forced a smile to try and shift his mood. “I thought you were still inside sleeping! I wouldn’t have tip-toed through the house if I knew you were out here.”

  Terrence smiled. “You think I was gonna sleep through your punk ass leaving town?”

  “Whatever. I’m coming right back.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t come to see you off.”

  “It’s a great day to go and try not to get ourselves killed, isn’t it?” a voice called toward the two men.

  Raylon approached, a steaming coffee mug in his hand. Jon raised an eyebrow and smiled as Raylon shook hands with both himself and Terrence.

  “Goddamn, that smells good,” Terrence said. “You know how long it’s been since I had a proper cup of coffee?”

  Raylon raised the cup to his lips. “Well, it’s the instant shit, but I’m not complaining. I can get you a cup, though.”

  “Better get one for Brooke, too, if you don’t mind,” Jon said. “She was just saying she might not leave if you guys have coffee.”

  Laughing, Raylon said, “Yeah, and if today goes well, we might not want you all to leave.”

  There was an awkward moment of silence. Jon had brought up Brooke’s sarcastic comment about them possibly staying around, but Raylon had sounded more serious. While Jon knew the alliance with Freedom Ridge could be a good one, he wasn’t ready to commit to anything more than making this prison run in exchange for supplies. They still had several folks who needed help back at Hope’s Dawn, and Jon doubted Garrett and Hugo would be interested in relocating. They’d built something good at Hope’s Dawn. There wasn’t any reason to leave.

  “How long do you think you’re going to be?” Raylon asked.

  “Shouldn’t take me more than a few hours,” Jon said. “As long as I don’t run into any trouble on the way, it’s a quick trip there and back.”

  “As long as the folks back at your camp don’t object to what we’re doing.”

  “They won’t,” Terrence assured Raylon. “Garrett trusts the three of us. If we say you guys are good, then he’s going to roll with it and know this is what’s best for the camp.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Raylon said, turning his attention back to Jon. “We’ll start getting things together here while you’re gone, so that we’re ready to head out as soon as you come back.”

  “You sure y
ou don’t want us to just meet you at the prison?”

  Raylon shook his head. “I think it’ll be best if we all leave from here together.”

  Jon nodded, but then he turned when he heard someone else approaching. Brooke came walking toward them, her hair up in a ponytail and the sun shining on her face to show just how tired she was.

  “Morning, sunshine,” Terrence said to Brooke.

  “We were just seeing Jon off,” Raylon said.

  Brooke stuck her hands into her pockets. “Yeah, I was hoping to talk to him alone for just a second.”

  “No problem.” Raylon held up his coffee cup. “He said you were dying for a cup of coffee anyway. Me and Terrence will go grab you one.”

  “That’d be great.” Brooke forced a smile before the two men walked off.

  “Brooke,” Jon said, “I’m not mad about what happened in the house.”

  “I know you’re not. But I still owe you an apology for snapping at you like that.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  Brooke grinned, swiping a hanging string of hair out of her face. “This is why I’m always saying you’re a good man, as much as you want to deny it.”

  Jon could tell something else was still bothering her. He tried to find the words to ask.

  “Look, Brooke. I—”

  “I can’t tell him goodbye again,” Brooke said, cutting Jon off. “Every time I leave the camp to go on a run and I have to tell Lucas goodbye, it gets harder and harder. That’s why I can’t go back to Hope’s Dawn with you this morning. Going to the prison is important to me, and if I go home with you, I’m worried that I won’t come back.” She shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. “I just don’t know if I can put myself through that again.”

  Jon hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He wanted to tell her to go back and be with her son. The camps could take the prison without her. She didn’t have to burden herself with any of this. But Jon knew better.

  “I’ll be sure to tell Lucas you love him and that you’ll be home soon.”

  Brooke still held back tears as she embraced Jon, gripping the back of his shirt tight. “Thank you.”

  20

  Jon made it back to Hope’s Dawn without seeing any raiders and only a few zombies, which had themselves been far enough off the road that they hadn’t been any threat. The old Jon would have stopped to take them out, making it a more dangerous situation than needed. But this new version of Jon had kept his eyes on the road and continued his trek back to Hope’s Dawn.

  When he arrived, Jess greeted him at the gate with a smile. It quickly faded as she looked inside the truck.

  “Where’s Brooke and Terrence?”

  “They’re fine,” Jon assured her.

  “That’s good to know, but where are they?”

  Jon put his hand up, urging Jess to stay calm. “They’re at another camp with some people we met. I need to talk to Garrett first, then I promise we’ll let everyone know what’s going on.”

  The guard frowned, but she nodded and opened the gate.

  “Thanks,” Jon said. “Just be patient. I promise you’ll know something soon.”

  He drove through the gate, and Jess shut it behind him. He didn’t have to go far to find Garrett. Hope’s Dawn’s leader stood in the center of the camp with his hands on his waist, talking to Hugo and his wife. They all looked over as Jon came through the gate, and then started walking toward the truck. Several others from the camp who’d been hanging around outside joined them.

  Jon pulled the truck off to the side and exited the vehicle.

  “Where are the others?” Garrett asked.

  Hugo frowned, a look of concern glazing his face. Jon saw a similar look on the faces of some of the other residents standing behind them.

  “They’re fine. Look, I need to talk to you two.” Jon looked past them to see all of the others who were close enough that they could hear any conversation the three had. “In private.”

  “Of course,” Garrett said. He turned back to everyone else. “Everyone, go about your business.” He then gestured for Jon and Hugo to follow him, and they headed for Garrett’s house.

  Sitting inside Garrett’s living room, Jon caught the two Hope’s Dawn leaders up to speed on everything that had happened since he, Brooke, and Terrence had left to look for medical supplies. He told them about the close call in Taylorville and how the folks from Freedom Ridge had saved them. He then told them about going to the camp and meeting Lennox.

  “I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t totally sure about the guy at first,” Jon said.

  “But you trust him?” Hugo asked.

  Jon nodded. “More than that, I trust Raylon. He didn’t have to help us when we were trapped in that store with a group of zombies ready to eat us, but he did. They could have left us in there to rot. Instead, they helped us and took us back to the camp. Plus, I wouldn’t have left Brooke and Terrence there if I didn’t trust them.”

  “As big as this camp is, I don’t know how we didn’t know it was there before,” Hugo said.

  “It seems like they’ve been pretty good about remaining off the grid,” Jon said. “It’s located off the beaten path, sure, but I was surprised myself. Regardless, none of that matters. What matters is that they have a way for us to get the supplies we need; we just need to help them get them.”

  “What do they want us to do?” Hugo asked.

  “There’s a prison not too far from their camp. They want us to go and help them raid it. I came back to recruit some people to help out. We also told them we could provide some kerosene and gasoline to make Molotovs to execute the plan.”

  “Is it really worth it?” Hugo asked, looking first at Jon and then at Garrett. “I mean, there’s got to be another way to get the supplies we need.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Jon said. “At least, not in the limited time that we have. Dennis needs these supplies now.”

  “I just don’t know,” Hugo said. “We’ve been through so much here. I don’t even know if we have the manpower to spare.”

  Garrett had been quiet the entire time, only listening to what Jon had said. Jon studied his face, seeing that the leader was taking everything in. But Jon wanted to know what was going on inside of his head.

  “What are you thinking, Garrett?”

  Hugo also turned his attention to Garrett. The man stroked his chin, taking his time, and contemplating what he wanted to say.

  “This prison,” Garrett said finally. “You saw it?”

  Jon nodded.

  “And it looked abandoned?”

  “By people, I think so. The yard out in front of the prison is littered with infected. There’s no way anyone has made it in or out of there without taking them out. There’s no sign that anyone has even tried to get in. It could be a goldmine in there, and Lennox agreed to split anything we find inside down the middle. They might not even have to share any of the medical supplies they already have with us, depending on what we find in there.”

  “But going in there is going to be one hell of a risk,” Hugo said.

  “It is,” Jon agreed. “But it could be one that’s more than worth it if it turns out to be what we think it is.”

  “Or there could already be people living inside there.”

  Jon shrugged. “I guess it’s possible, but I don’t know how, after seeing the place. It seems very unlikely.”

  “How many people were you hoping to take back with you?” Garrett asked Jon.

  “As many as I can. I know we’re short-handed here, so I figured maybe ten might be the extent of what we could spare.”

  Garrett drew in a deep breath, placing his hands on his hips. He stared at one of the walls, contemplating the situation.

  “I think this is a good thing for Hope’s Dawn,” Garrett said. “So, I think we should do it. You can take the materials you need for the Molotovs. But I’m not going to force anyone to go. We’ve had too many losses lately, and I’m not in a positi
on where I want to persuade or command people to go do something they might not want to do. But you can go out and talk to them, let them know what’s going on, and see who wants to go. That sound alright?”

  “Sounds fair,” Jon said.

  Garrett clicked his tongue. “I only wish I was able to go with you. That damn bastard shooting me….”

  “It’s fine,” Jon said. “Hope’s Dawn needs you here. Me, Brooke, Terrence, and whoever else I can convince to come along will handle it. And we’ll bring what we can back to the camp.”

  “You can count me in,” Hugo said.

  “You sure?” Garrett asked him. “You don’t want to stay here with your family?”

  “It doesn’t look good for both you and me to stay here,” Hugo said. “I know you’d go if you could. I’m fully able to go, so I should go.”

  “Thank you,” Jon said.

  Hugo patted Jon on the shoulder. “Don’t thank me yet, ese. You’ve still gotta convince some other to join us, or this mission might be doomed right from the start.”

  21

  Jon waited in the center of the camp while Hugo and Garrett gathered everyone. Many people had already been outside and simply moved closer to the place where Jon would address them. He watched as the rest of Hope’s Dawn—men, women, and children alike—came out from their homes. Even Dennis, the doctor who’d been taking care of the injured, joined the group to listen to Jon’s speech.

  Hugo then approached Jon, holding a metal folding chair.

  “You going to hit me over the back with that like we’re in a wrestling match?” Jon asked, smiling.

  “Unfortunately, I left my Lucha mask at home,” Hugo said, grinning. He set the chair up and placed it in front of Jon before gesturing toward it. “It’s for you to stand on.”

  “Right,” Jon said, raising his eyebrows. He stood on the chair and stared out over the couple of dozen folks in the crowd as everyone looked back at him.