Page 3 of The Forever (When the World Fell #3)

Liv

H alf an hour later, we’d transferred the contents of our old vehicle to the Honda, and Cruz had filled the twins’ SUV with siphoned fuel.

With a bunch of well-rested people in two reliable cars, our chances of making it to Bridgehill this afternoon were good—great, even.

I hadn’t been this excited about anything in years.

“Only one more hour to go,” I said to Jonah, smiling at him over my shoulder.

We were heading back to the highway when all that positive energy took a nosedive.

A young girl of about thirteen or fourteen was running down the centre of the road as if being chased by an army of the dead, but there were no infected in sight.

No people either.

A chill seeped through me as I took in the scene.

Her long hair flew out behind her like blonde ribbons, and her eyes were round and terrified. She wore a striped long-sleeved tee, baggy jeans, and sneakers.No backpack or weapons. Her appearance reminded me of the way girls used to dress before society crashed, and the sight was so out of place, so unexpected, that I gasped.

“What the hell?” Jonah murmured.

Cruz checked the rearview and surveyed both sides of the road, confirming we weren’t driving into an ambush.

I looked at the girl more closely and my stomach flipped. Way too young to be out on her own. “We have to stop.”

“It could be a trick,” he said. “Give me a minute.”

Cruz slowed the car and scanned the area again, paying closer attention.

I lowered my window and tuned into the noises from outside, but there were no indicators of others around. If people were hiding nearby, I couldn’t see any movement other than the girl and the swaying trees.

She looked utterly alone.

“Stop just long enough to pick her up,” I said. “We can take her somewhere else and find out what’s going on.”

I checked over my shoulder and caught the twins slowing to match our speed. Jonah’s eyes remained riveted on the view in front, his expression bewildered.I couldn’t blame him. It was the weirdest and most normal thing I’d seen in years.

“Open your door,” Cruz said to him in the mirror. “When I pull up next to her, get her in the car as fast as you can.”

“I don’t like this.” He removed his seatbelt and cracked the door open, anyway. “We’re basically kidnapping her.”

The girl must have understood our intention, because her face lit up with relief. “What could she be running from that jumping into a car with strangers seems like a better option?” I asked.

“That’s what I’m wondering.” Cruz stopped beside her, and she rushed for the open door. Rather than move over to make room for her, Jonah got out and urged her to climb into the middle seat. He jumped back in and shut the door, blocking her in just in case she changed her mind and tried to dive out while we were moving.

I turned in my seat to smile at her, giving her a subtle once over to see if she had any injuries—bite marks specifically. Her hair had a healthy sheen to it, and her clothes were undamaged, her skin clean. She’d been taking care of herself… or someone had been taking care of her.

Her gaze swept around the car as if trying to determine whether she’d improved her circumstances or made them worse.

“We won’t hurt you,” I said. “I’m Liv, and these two are Cruz and Jonah. What’s your name?”

“Willow.” The realisation that she was temporarily safe must have suddenly hit home. She blinked once, stared at Jonah, then burst into a round of loud, messy tears. “This is bad,” she said with a wet sob. “It’s so bad.”

Jonah threw me a desperate look as I reached through the gap to pat her knee. “It’s going to be okay,” I assured her, even though I had no idea what she’d been through. “We’ll find somewhere safe, have a little chat. Whatever’s happened, we’ll do everything we can to help you fix it.”

“I’ll head back to the house we just left.” Cruz swung the car around in a wide U-turn. “At least we know it’s empty while we figure this out.”

He stopped beside Gabe and Remy and lowered his window to let them in on our new plans. They nodded agreement and sent curious looks at the rear windows, just as confused as we were.

When we returned to the house, I grabbed the smallest tub of fresh food from the boot, just in case Willow was hungry.

“Take your time coming inside,” Cruz said, walking up the pathway ahead of me. “I’ll clean up the hallway and open a few windows to air out the place.”

I nodded and stayed close to Willow as the guys went in through the front door. “This isn’t our house,” I told her, keeping watch on the street as we waited. “We only stopped in town to switch cars, and we found the infected inside while we were looking for keys.”

“Are they still moving?”

“Not anymore.” I smiled to lighten the mood. “The house stinks, though, so be prepared.”

She couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than the thought that played primarily on her mind. Her features were taut, her eyes darting around in a way that made her seem like prey.

I wanted to know who her predators were, and what we’d gotten ourselves into here.

“Good to go,” Remy said a few minutes later, popping his head through the doorway.

Willow walked in ahead of me, and I directed her to the kitchen, where the others were waiting for us. Someone had opened the sliding window above the sink to draw fresh air into the room.

“Hungry?” I pulled out a chair at the table and gestured for her to take a seat.

“Starving.” Willow sat and tucked her hair behind her ear. “But I really need to tell you what’s happening. I can’t stay here. It’s just wasting time.”

“In a minute, I promise.” Using a knife from the drawer, I cut an apple and arranged the slices on a plate, adding a handful of cherry tomatoes and strawberries. As I slid the offering in front of her, she gave me a half wary, half grateful look.

“Thanks.” She bit into a strawberry and made a small, appreciative sound.

I sank into the spot beside her. Cruz pulled out another chair, and the guys remained standing, propping themselves against the kitchen bench.

Willow’s features were small and delicate, her eyes a clear sky blue. She would have been around eleven or twelve when the pandemic was in full swing; the youngest person I’d met since the entire world collapsed. My childhood had been stress free compared to hers, and I empathised with her as I watched her eat.

“How old are you, Willow?” Cruz leaned his elbows on the table and kept his features relaxed.

She analysed him for a moment, then grabbed another strawberry and picked a tiny leaf off the side. With another bite, her tongue darted out to catch the juice that had pooled in the corner of her mouth. “Fourteen, almost fifteen.”

“Do you live in town?”

“Now, yeah.” She swallowed and searched the faces around the room. “But I’m not from here.”

I rested my chin in my hand, trying not to look too eager for information. “How long have you been in Darby Downs?”

“Since the pandemic turned bad,” she said. “My parents wanted to get out of Melbourne, so they came here to my aunt’s house. She lives on acres and they thought it was going to be safer—but it’s not. It’s really not.” Her gaze jumped from Cruz to me. “Now, it’s just my older sister, my auntie, and me, and I seriously need to help them. They’re in so much trouble.”

I clasped her forearm to settle her. “Hang on a sec. Help us out with information first, so we know exactly what needs to be done. Where are they now?”

She grabbed another strawberry, as if eating helped distract her. Her gaze went to the window, then moved to Jonah and the twins. As she took in their features, her expression tightened, but I didn’t get the impression it was anything personal. “In a shed in the middle of town.”

“What kind of shed?” Cruz asked.

Willow returned the strawberry to the plate, then snatched it up again just as quickly. “One of those places where they used to fix cars.” She took a bite and spoke around the mouthful, using her hand to block the view. “There’s an old house behind it.”

“Were you in there, too?”

She nodded at Cruz and swallowed, letting out a shaky breath.

“For how long?” He surveyed her appearance, no doubt noting her clean hair and clothes.

“Since yesterday afternoon. I got out maybe an hour before you picked me up.”

“Why didn’t you go back to your aunt’s place?” Gabe asked.

“Because there’s no one there to help me?”

“Who else is in the shed, Willow?”Cruz’s tone may have been laid back, but the flicker of heat in his eyes told a different story.

We needed to be careful about how we spoke to her, though. It was beginning to sound like an interrogation, and from personal experience, firing too many questions at a teenager was the quickest way to make them shut down.

“Four guys—like them.” She pointed at the boys, and Jonah jerked to attention.

“Young guys?” Cruz asked. “The same age?”

She nodded. “Except for the leader. He’s old. Like… thirty or something. My aunt knows one of them. His name’s Tae. My sister likes him.”

Cruz showed impressive restraint by not reacting to her comment about age. “He’s a friend?”

Her features clouded over as she pushed her plate away. “Kind of. He helped me get out.”

“How did you end up in the shed?” Jonah asked.

“They saw us before we saw them. The leader’s crazy. He keeps talking about repopulating the country. Like, ranting about it and shouting.” Willow looked away as her cheeks turned pink. “He won’t stop staring at my sister and me, and he said some disgusting things that made my aunt lose her shit.”

When Cruz’s gaze met mine, I caught the glint of restrained anger. Jonah and the twins turned restless, and the atmosphere in the room shifted.

We may have intended to make a quick stop in town, but we’d been presented with a mission none of us could ignore.

My body clenched with an overwhelming urge to find the place and tear it to the ground. “Could you show us how to get there?”

Before she could answer, Willow stiffened and looked from one face to the other—then her skin went shockingly pale, and she doubled over and vomited on herself.

“I’m sorry,” she said, retching again, covering her jeans in bile and bits of strawberry. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I gestured to the tea towel on the bench and Jonah tossed it my way. “You don’t need to be sorry. We’ll clean you up and help your family.”

“We’ve gotta go check it out,” Jonah said.

Gabe threw Remy a look, ready to dive into the fray, too.

“Hold up,” Cruz said. “If any of us go running off before we’ve come up with a plan, we could end up making it worse for them. We need to be smart about this.”

I gave Willow the tea towel to wipe the mess from her face. After a cursory glance at her clothing, I concluded none of it was salvageable without running water and a lot of effort—neither of which we had time for right now.

Nothing of mine would fit her, so I’d have to search the bedrooms to find temporary replacements.

“Let me get Willow some fresh clothes first,” I said, “then we can talk it through. We won’t be long.”

As I left the kitchen with her, their voices carried on behind us, energetic and determined. Ready for our next fight.

They didn’t need to worry.

I’d be ready, too.

We avoided the bedroom with the closed door and rummaged in the cupboards of a room that had once belonged to teen boys, finding clothes small enough to fit Willow until she could get back into some of her own.

Posters from video games covered every wall, with dark, threatening scenes revolving around violence and death. While she stepped out of her soiled clothes and into a pair of skinny tracksuit pants and a long-sleeved tee, I took in the images, wondering if we’d be walking into a similar situation ourselves soon enough.

Willow sat on the edge of the bed to put her shoes back on, remaining silent as she tied the laces in double knots. When she was done, I handed her a denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up to shorten the length.

“Let’s see if there’s a hair tie somewhere around here,” I urged. “Then we can work out our next move.”

In the bathroom, I searched under the vanity and found a faded tartan scrunchie. With no brush in sight, I finger combed her hair into a ponytail and wrapped the scrunchie around twice. “Make sure you keep your hair up whenever you’re outside,” I said. “It’s harder for the dead to get a hold of you.” I smoothed a few wisps into place and met her eyes in the mirror. “A ponytail’s fine, but a braid or a bun’s even better.”

She nodded and held my gaze; her eyes were troubled yet filled with resolve.

It was like staring into her past and seeing everything she’d been through since the pandemic hit—the loss of her friends, her parents, everything that used to matter. She only had two family members left, and although it was a hell of a lot more than most of us, the thought of being alone must have terrified her.

“We’re going to get them back,” I assured her.

She released a loud breath and checked her reflection in the mirror, swiping her forearm over a speck of strawberry she’d missed on her chin. “What about Tae?”

Exactly. What about Tae? He’d made it possible for her to escape, but he also spent time with men who had no qualms about kidnapping women. What did that say about his values and trustworthiness? “You think he’s a good guy?”

She turned to face me. “He doesn’t really want to be with the others. You can tell. They didn’t even know each other, you know… before .”

I looked her over. “Do you think you’re a good judge of character?”

Willow lifted her brows. “You tell me. I think you’re a good person.”

I held back a smile. “All right, let’s go.”

When we returned to the kitchen, the others were seated around the dining table in the middle of an animated conversation. Cruz scanned Willow’s clean outfit and gave me an appreciative smile. “Welcome back.”

I pulled out the remaining two chairs and urged Willow to take a seat beside me.

“We need you to help us with some intel,” Cruz said as we settled in.

She frowned. “Intel?”

“Information about the shed. As much detail as you can give me. Every little thing helps.”

Willow eyed off the food, so I dragged the plate toward her. She picked a cherry tomato from the selection and launched into a description of the layout.

We got the location of the doors and windows, where her sister and aunt were when she last saw them. We learned the men used knives or hammers for weapons, no guns, and the leader’s name was Dane.

Cruz questioned Willow about the men, and she explained that Tae had helped her escape while two members of the crew were out scavenging. Apparently, all four men would be in the shed for hours, then they’d leave in pairs, alternating the combination, while the other two remained behind to guard the women.

“Have they said anything about moving you guys somewhere bigger?” Gabe asked. “They’ve gotta be running low on space with the extra people.”

Willow shifted in her seat until she was perched on the edge of the chair. “The leader wants to move to a farm and find more women,” she said. “I heard them talking in the office at the back of the shed. My aunt called him a wannabe cult leader and a hundred other names I’m not gonna say out loud. She wants to kill him—and I don’t mean that in a joking way.” She paused and shivered. “Every time he looked at me, it felt like worms were crawling under my skin.”

We needed to get her family back. If we didn’t act fast, he could already be in the process of moving them, and then we’d never know where they’d gone.

With all the extra information Willow had given us, it became clear what needed to happen next. “I’m going to the door as bait while the rest of you get in position.”

Cruz yanked his gaze toward me, his jaw clenched. “What?”

“It makes the most sense. I’m young, I’m a woman. They won’t see me as a threat—and I can distract them while the rest of you find a way in through the back.”

“She could hide somewhere close by and only approach the shed when we know two men have left.” Jonah looked from me to Cruz and back again.

I stared at each of them patiently, my mind already made up. “This is the best way to go about it.”

“It makes sense,” Gabe said.

“We’ll all go in our car,” his brother added.“Leave the other one here in a safe place as a backup.”

Cruz rubbed a hand over his mouth and looked around the table. When his eyes came back to mine, I knew he was considering the idea and its chances of success. Keeping the men busy at the door meant I’d be there to defend the women if it came to that, but if everything went to plan, I wouldn’t need to use my sword at all.

“It’s your decision,” Cruz said, his reluctance almost making me smile.

Remy’s gaze swept around the room. “Sounds like we’ve got a plan.”

“We need to empty some of the crap from the backseat first,” Jonah said. “We’re taking Willow, right?”

“We have to.” I felt her eyes on me. “I’m not leaving her here on her own, and we can’t spare anyone to stay behind with her.”

I liked Remy’s idea of travelling to the shed in a single vehicle. We could leave Willow in it, hidden and safe. If— when —we freed her family, we’d make two trips back here to regroup. A minor inconvenience that would leave us with cars in two separate locations, just in case something prevented us from getting back to one of them.

“We’ll go unpack the SUV and stack everything around the back. See you out there.” Jonah headed straight outside with Remy and Gabe.

Cruz pushed back his chair and stood. “Back in a minute,” he said to Willow, then he urged me into the lounge room where he said in a low voice, “Promise me you won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“I won’t, but we need to move fast.”

He levelled his gaze on me, his eyes flooded with concern. “Not too fast.”

“If I’m lucky, Tae will be one of the two who stays behind while the others go out scavenging. From what Willow said about him, it won’t take much to get him on my side.”

“And if he’s not there?”

“I’ll figure it out. You know I will.”

Cruz cradled my face and swept his thumbs over my cheeks. “I’ll be close by just in case you need me.”

I rose on my toes to press a peck on his mouth. “I know that. You’re always there when I need you.”