Finding Humanity: Book 3 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 19

Caleb stared out the window of the Jeep and chewed on his thumbnail. The landscape cruised by, but he didn't pay attention. The yellows and greens blurred before him. His thoughts were focused inward. Matt's words rattled around in his brain. There was a chance they wouldn't be able to find Jan. The area could be ridiculously huge, and if Dr. Maudas and the RBZs were hiding in the mountain, they might not ever find her. Part of him had hoped that the mission wouldn't be that difficult, but the other part was firmly planted in reality.

This wouldn't be an issue if you were on your own.

No. We'd have a whole slew of other problems, if that were the case.

Maybe. Maybe you'd be able to focus on the things that really mattered.

And what would that be?

Surviving.

What's the point of surviving if I have no one to live for?

Caleb waited for a reply, but the voice drifted into silence.

The Jeep slowed, and Caleb pulled his gaze from the window and straightened up. Matt drove, and Venger and True sat in the backseat. Terry and the other soldier were in the vehicle in front of them. They had made it to Ophelia's complex at the rock quarry, and as Caleb's gaze drifted out the windshield, a knot developed in his stomach.

The faded stench of smoke drifted into Caleb's nostrils as he slowly opened his door. Everyone else climbed out of the Jeeps and stared at their surroundings. Caleb wanted to sink in on himself. He wanted to fade into nothing. Instead, he stepped out of the Jeep and walked slowly toward the building. The others fell into step behind him. Caleb stopped and turned around. He shook his head and made a biting motion with his mouth. If there were zombies in there, like there had been at Matt's bunker, he couldn't risk the others getting attacked. He also couldn't risk alerting the undead to the living's presence by them making sounds. He figured if he stayed quiet, they'd stay quiet. They understood his meaning and stopped where they stood.

Caleb turned back to the building and proceeded inside. The tang of blood mingled with the faded smoke. His shoulders slouched as he took in the puddles of congealed blood and body parts that spotted the floor in front of him. He had no idea how many people had lived here, but he was sure he wouldn't find any of them alive.

"Hello?"

His voice seemed to be absorbed into the charred wood and lost. He strained his ears, listening for a response. Silence. He stepped farther into the building.

"Hello?"

He called out louder, hoping the power behind his voice would carry the call past the burned areas and into a survivor's ears, especially Ophelia's. The regulars—if there had been any—wouldn't have harmed her. The fire wouldn't have ignored her, though, and it appeared to have torn through the entire complex. Only silence drifted back to Caleb. He stepped farther into the building and up to a closed door. He grabbed the handle tentatively and turned it. The door stuck on the frame, so he had to use force to open it. A squeak sounded as the door slid across the jamb. The fetid odor of burned wood and flesh slammed into Caleb's nostrils. His hand slid from the doorknob, his head dropped forward.

Mechanically, Caleb turned from the room and shuffled toward the main entrance. He barely had the strength to lift his feet from the ground. Tears blurred his eyes. He stepped into the light outside the building and stopped. He turned his gaze to the left, taking in the road that led to the quarry pit. His body followed his gaze, and his feet carried him down the path.

He took a seat on the boulder he and Ophelia had once sat upon. It was rough and unforgiving on his butt, the sun shone directly into his eyes, blinding him to the landscape below. He buried his face in his hands.