“I don’t know,” I murmured, stepping up behind him. “But—and I could be wrong—it looks like it’s coming from the east.”
“Where Eden is supposed to be,” Zeke finished in a near whisper and took off, jogging around the side of the house without looking back. I heard him calling for the others and joined them, feeling the excitement and nervousness as everyone scrambled to leave. And I hoped, desperately, that at the end of this road, they would find what they were looking for.
*
WE FOLLOWED THE LAKE EDGE, keeping our eyes on the faint beam of light over the trees. No one spoke, but the excitement from several rapidly beating hearts was easy to hear. Rain pounded the windows, and Zeke squinted through the glass, his gaze focused and intent. Though it was difficult to see through the storm, the light never stopped, a sliver of hope glimmering through the rain, urging us on.
The road narrowed, weaving its way through overgrown forest and woods, sometimes vanishing altogether as grass, dirt and brush crowded the edges and broke through the pavement. Dead vehicles began appearing through the trees, scattered on the side of the road or abandoned in the ditch. Uneasiness stirred, and my instincts jangled a warning. It seemed to me that these cars could have belonged to others drawn to that light, following the same promises of hope and safety. Only, they never made it. Something had stopped them before they reached their Eden. Something that was probably waiting for us, as well.
Rabids are always drawn to places that have lots of people. Kanin’s voice echoed in my head. That’s why the ruins just outside vampire cities are so dangerous. Because the rabids have discovered where their prey is, and though they can’t get over the walls, they never stop trying. Of course, they’re not intelligent enough to set up complex traps, but they have been known to ambush people or even vehicles, if they know where their prey is going.
Zeke suddenly slammed on the brakes. Caleb and Bethany cried out as the van skidded a few feet in the road, then came to a lurching halt, still in the center of the pavement. Peering through the glass, my blood ran cold.
A tree lay across the road, huge and thick and gnarled, much too big to go around, over or through. From the storm and the amount of rain and wind, it might’ve fallen on its own. It might’ve been uprooted and had crashed from entirely natural causes.
And yet…I knew it had not.
Zeke looked at me, his face pale. “They’re out there, aren’t they?”
I nodded.
“How long until sunrise?”
I checked my internal clock. “It’s not even midnight.”
He swallowed. “If we sit here…”
“They’ll tear the van apart, trying to get at us.” I looked down the road, searching for the light. It shone above the branches, tantalizingly close. “We’re going to have to make a run for it.”
Zeke closed his eyes. I could see he was shaking. Opening them, he stole a quick glance at the back, at Caleb and Bethany, Silas, Teresa, Matthew and Jake. The last of our party. The only ones left. Leaning in close, he lowered his voice. “They’ll never make it,” he whispered. “Teresa has a bad leg, and the kids…they can’t outrun those things. I can’t leave them.”
I glanced out the window. Beyond the headlights was only rain and darkness, but I knew they were out there, watching us. Leave them, my survival instincts whispered. They’re lost. Get Zeke out of there and forget the others; there’s no saving them, not this time.
I growled, deep in my throat. We had come this far. We just had to go a little farther. “Don’t worry about the rabids,” I muttered, grabbing the door handle. “Just concentrate on the others. Get them to safety as quickly as you can and don’t look back.”
“Allison—”
I put my hand over his, feeling him tremble under my fingers. “Trust me.”
He met my gaze. Then, not caring of our audience or the gasps that echoed from the back, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. It was a desperate kiss, full of longing and sorrow, as if he was saying goodbye. “Be careful,” he whispered, pulling away. And I suddenly wished we could’ve had more time, that the world didn’t consume every bit of light and goodness it found, that people like Zeke and I could somehow find our Eden.
I turned, opened the car door and stepped out into the rain.
Hopping the tree, I drew my sword, seeing my shadow stretch out before me in the headlights. All right, monsters, I thought, walking forward. I know you’re there. Let’s get on with it.
The storm swirled around me, pelting me with rain, whipping at my coat and hair. Lightning flashed, turning the world white, revealing nothing but empty woods and shadows.
It flickered again, and suddenly, the trees were full of them, hundreds of dead white eyes glaring at me as they shuffled forward. There were so many; like ants swarming out of a nest, and the air filled with their eerie wails and cries.