This Would Be Paradise (Book 3)

Chapter 28

Lucas led our silent group across the lawns of the massive houses. No doubt they were once manicured; now they were full of uneven grass and rotting foliage. Lucas held up his hand as we approached the side of the house on the corner. The next street is where the mercenaries would be. The blood in my veins started to pump faster and faster. I couldn't tell if I was anxious or excited. My nervous system was fried at this point.

Lucas peeked around the corner. I heard him suck in a breath. He turned back to us, his brows furrowed, then took another look.

"...the hell?" he muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't see anyone," Lucas said.

He turned back to us again and crouched down, motioning for us to do the same.

"I'm goin' to go scout it out by myself. If it's clear, I'll wave you over," he said.

"No way!" Rose hissed. "How do we know you won't just go runnin' back to 'em?"

Lucas scowled. "I want 'em dead as much as you do."

"You could be leadin' us into a trap. We ain't lettin' you go up there yourself," Rose said.

She had a point.

John held up his hands. "We'll split up. Lucas, Bailey, and I will go check it out. The rest of you stay here. If somethin' is up, I'll pop off a round and you'll know to come runnin'."

"We need to stay out of sight, that's why less is better," Lucas said, his arm jerking down with his harsh exclamation.

"Son, I ain't stupid. You're not goin' in there alone," John said.

John and Lucas stared each other down and I swallowed at the tension. They better not start fighting. Sheri hitched in a breath and extended her arm, grabbing our attention. She was pointing at an infected shambling toward us. It bumped into the curb, barely catching itself. No one moved. We let the thing get closer to us to the point where it was on the same lawn as us, and then Rose and I shot out. I tripped the thing, swiping out with my foot. It collapsed to the ground and I stuck my boot-clad foot on its chest. Rose then brought her knife down on the infected's head while it struggled to free itself from under my hold.

We returned to the group huddle leaving the dead infected where it had fallen. Lucas frowned.

"There's no way they would have let a dead one get that close to the compound. Usually they had one or two guys patrollin' the grounds at all times," Lucas said, then added, "plus it's too damn quiet."

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"There was always loud music goin' or shots goin' off. Somethin' ain't right." Lucas tugged at his collar.

"You think they abandoned it?" I mused out loud.

"Only one way to find out," John said.

He motioned for Lucas to lead the way. Lucas no longer looked mad, instead he looked concerned. That made my pulse raise—this time I knew it was my nerves. Something had spooked Lucas.

"If you hear anythin', you come runnin', all right?" John said to the others.

They nodded. Ethan looked a little angry that he hadn't been selected, but he didn't dare argue with John.

Crouched low, we crossed the front of the lawn into the next one. I kept my head low, the ground becoming a blur of green. Lucas stilled so we stopped behind him, then he pointed to the largest house yet. It made the other mansions look tiny. No wonder they choose this one. It looked like it could house fifty people. There was a tall privacy fence surrounding the property and a wide-open iron gate at the front.