Finding Humanity: Book 3 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 10

Caleb stood from the table and headed down the hall to the bathroom. Their plans to find Dr. Maudas were progressing nicely, and a small part of him was hopeful that they'd actually find the man. The voice in his head kept insisting that Caleb handle the task on his own, but past experiences indicated that he probably wouldn't be successful. It scared him to be with others—there was no doubt about that—but he had to do this if he wanted even a sliver of success. More people meant more resources. Besides, all of these individuals had been through, and survived, zombie encounters, so Caleb worked hard to convince the voice that they could hold their own in a fight and were skilled survivors. The voice just laughed.

He placed his hand on the bathroom door handle and pushed it open. Being engrossed in thought, he didn't immediately see Ophelia in the middle of the room. When his vision and brain finally focused on her, he watched as she quickly pulled her shirt down over her body. His mind clicked into gear, and he realized he'd lost track of Ophelia after coming in from the desert and talking to Jan. He hadn't expected to find her here—especially like this. Heat rose into Caleb's cheeks. He knew he should turn away and close the door, but his body wouldn't move. Ophelia's back had been toward him, and his gaze had been drawn to a wrinkled, discolored, area on her ribs. He couldn't ignore the distinct round pattern, outlined by jagged marks. Like his wound, hers look healed, albeit scarred. He wondered how long ago the incident had happened.

His hand fell from the knob as she turned to face him. He stepped toward her. "Is that where you were bit?" He raised his hand and angled it so it pointed at her back.

She smiled at him, but Caleb saw the sadness behind it. "Yeah. I was, um—" she cleared her throat— "trying to protect my sister, and the creature got me from behind. I knew it was there, but I figured it was better me than her, ya know?" Her smiled faltered slightly.

"And your sister? She still with you at the rock quarry?"

The smile fell completely from her face and her gaze slipped to the ground. Pain squeezed Caleb's chest, and a lump developed in his throat.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. "Thank you. It was shortly after that that I found out about my immunity. Of course, as I'm sure you know, there were several days of uncertainty, and thoughts that I was going to turn."

"The others you were with didn't try to put you down after they saw your bite mark?" Caleb felt the question was cold and cruel, but he was curious.

She shook her head. "It was just me and my sister, at that point."

Caleb nodded. Hazy memories of the fever and pain he'd experienced after the bite ran through his mind.

"Are there others?" he asked. He wanted to change the subject, focus on something more positive than death and loss.

Ophelia shrugged. "Probably." A smile found its way back to her lips. "Maybe they'll try to find you after Jan's public service message."

Caleb scowled. "Ophelia...have you..." He desperately wanted to ask her if she'd ever tasted another human's blood. He didn't want to feel alone, and like a freak. She was immune, so surely blood would have the same impact on her. It could be something that bonded them together. He couldn't get the words out of his mouth. What if she hadn't, and he was the only one to experience that awful situation? She'd been so kind to him. He couldn't risk scaring her away.

"Have I what?" she encouraged softly.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind."

"You sure? You can ask me anything."