The Perfect Escape (The Perfect Escape #1) - Suzanne Park Page 0,68
We needed a diversion.
Down in the side pocket of my backpack, I slid my hand in and pulled out the string of Black Cat firecrackers Kate had given me. They were shitty, unspectacular fireworks for the Fourth of July, but perfect for creating a distraction for a zombie herd.
Kate’s eyes grew wide. “Oh wow, good idea. I found some matches.”
“Of course you did, fire goddess,” I said.
She handed me a small box, along with a roll of tape. “Tape them to a rock.” She winced. “Physics, to get some more distance.”
I nodded. “Here’s hoping my shot-putting for track comes in handy.”
I MacGyvered the shit out of the firecracker rock and lit the green wick. Immediately, I launched the Black Cats down the path, past the cave by about seventy feet. “Okay, let’s go in.”
Crouched silently in the darkness, we waited.
POW! P-P-P-P-POW! POWPOWPOWPOWPOWBAMPOW!
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, fighting the urge to throw up. Between the exhaustion from sleep deprivation and dehydration, a wave of nausea passed. Kate nuzzled into me, and I wrapped my shaking arm around her quivering shoulder.
Over the next few minutes, maybe twenty zombies staggered by. Not as many as I’d anticipated, but still more than two people could’ve handled in an undead ambush. When the groans and moans tapered, Kate flicked her flashlight on and off and let out a deep breath.
“I nearly peed in my pants,” she said in a trembling voice. “I’m so glad we’re in this together.”
“Me too.” I exhaled. “We got lucky. That was way too close.”
While the zombie swarm thinned, Kate’s body remained pressed against mine. My heart hammered faster and harder and with more force than from our adrenaline-fueled zombie chase moments before.
Kate tilted her head upward, her lips parting to say something. But at that moment, our eyes locked. She stayed quiet. Her brown eyes glinted with the reflection of the light from outside the cave. I could look at her face every day, all day, until the end of time. I lifted my hand to sweep her hair from her cheek, and she responded by rubbing her cheek up against my fingers, slowly and softly. The warmth of her skin against mine lit a fire inside me. Intense heat ignited through my entire body.
My hands trembled. This was all pretty new to me, and there was so much at stake.
I gently lifted her chin, and Kate breathed deeply. Focusing on her soft, full lips, I brushed mine against hers. Kate leaned in, sending electric currents straight through me. Our mouths met again, this time with a single dizzying kiss that made my entire body float in the air, like a kite soaring in perfect wind conditions.
I took a deep breath and kissed her again. And again. “Damn, I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
Her hands ran down my chest and wrapped around my waist. “Yeah?” To my surprise, she kissed me right back, long and hard.
A couple of zombies passed the cave entrance, and we hugged each other tight. Once we were in the clear, Kate looked at me. “Maybe we could stay here a little while longer. To rest.”
I nodded.
She loosened her grip and turned on her flashlight again, aiming it toward the back of the cave. “Might as well explore, right? Make sure it’s safe for a quick nap?”
And hopefully for kissing. Maybe more than kissing.
She added, “You stay here in case we need another diversion.” Hobbling, she moved deeper into the cavern.
After a minute of silence, I called out, “Kate?”
No response.
“Kate?” I repeated with more urgency, trying to be loud enough for her to hear, but not so loud that the zombies came for us.
I paused. Listening, breathing, panicking.
“NATE! Help!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nate
The last thing I remembered was running to the back of the cave. That, and someone throwing a hood over my head. Then…darkness.
Through my brain fog, there’s a fuzzy memory of a shadowy man shoving an oxygen mask on my