Lucas started to purposely hit the infected in our way with the cube van.

"Stop that!" I commanded.

We needed our cargo to reach the motel at least.

"This is a pretty big truck, I think it can handle it," Lucas said, veering the truck to the left to take out another.

"You best stop, Mein Fuhrer!" Rose added.

Lucas gripped the wheel so tight I could see his knuckles whiten. I couldn't believe I'd found a person with less tact then myself; Rose truly was terrible.

Arguing and yelling broke out in the cab with everyone trying to get their point across. Lucas yelled about needing to take out as many as we could so that they didn't follow us back. Rose continued to antagonize him with insults and Leo shouted about all the supplies in the back. And I was in the middle of it. I was suddenly homesick for when I was on the road with just Chloe. At the time, she annoyed me with all her questions, but I'd gladly take that over right now.

"Enough!" I yelled even harder. "Enough!"

They quieted down.

"Just get us to the fucking motel," I said.

The rest of the ride was in silence except for the clipped instructions Rose would bark out while reading the map. After a left turn between to warehouses, we reached the main road. I looked out the side mirror. I could see a shadow of a few infected down the road behind us. They had their backs to us, heading in the direction we had come from. I guess that the mower really did work.

I let out a sigh of relief when the castle-themed motel came into view and it was still standing. There were a couple new dead infected added to the pile at the end of the driveway. We drove pass them paying them no mind. They must have had a few wander over while we were gone. Henry and the other guy were on the ball and had the gate open for us by the time we pulled up to the fake moat. They locked it up behind us quickly as well.

I had to wait for Lucas to get out before I could shuffle over. Rose and Leo were having a hard time rounding up the spooked cat on the passenger side. John gave me a huge hug as soon as my feet hit the courtyard tarmac.

"You okay?" he asked when he let me go.

I patted his shoulder. "Better than." I led him around to the back of the truck and yanked upward on the roll up door.

John let out a low whistle. "Well done you guys."

People started to pop out from wherever they were hiding to see what all the noise was. They started talking excitedly behind us as they spotted all the supplies. Amanda let out a squeal, but not because of the supplies. She launched herself as Rose who currently was holding the cat. Chloe followed close behind her to investigate.

"You guys found a cat?" John asked.

"Yeah. Rose insisted on bringing the thing back," I said.

Lucas brushed past us and dug through the supplies producing his case of beer. He left without saying another word. John raised a brow.

"Don't ask," I said.

We got to work unloading some of the supplies. It was easier to leave the bulk of the items in the back in case we needed to get out of here in a hurry. Leo took out an emergency battery to plug a rice cooker and kettle into. Soon plastic bowls of rice and instant oatmeal were being passed around with plastic utensils. Everyone was happy to be eating something other than granola bars. I took a bottle of water from the truck and gulped down the contents. Damn, I was thirsty. I made sure to pour myself a bowl of cereal with the condensed milk. It tasted a little weird at first, but the sugary cereal soon overpowered the grainy milk texture.

Much to Rose's dismay, the cat took a liking to Amanda and was currently allowing the little girl to pet the crap out of it. Chloe didn't find the cat as exciting, but instead came over to badger me about the infected as I took a seat beside John on the sidewalk that ran in front of the rooms.

"Did the infected leave you alone like they did Rose?" she asked.

John looked up from his oatmeal.

"If I didn't move or breathe too loud," I answered.

"So does that mean you're safe from 'em?" Chloe pressed.

I thought about it. "From turning, yes. One bit the crap out of Lucas's shoulder and he's fine, but we can still die of infection and blood loss."

I shoved a spoonful of cereal in my mouth while Chloe digested my words. I had to eat fast or else it would be a bowl of mush by the end of her questions.

"Is that why those people took you?" Chloe asked.

I looked at John. What had they told her?

"Yes."

"How'd they know?" she pressed.

Okay, I was stumped as what to say to that. I pleaded John with my eyes to answer this one.

He adjusted his cowboy hat before speaking. "Wyatt found out and sent her to them."

Her eyes narrowed. "Then I'm glad he's dead." She spat on the ground.

"Chloe!" I chastised her.

Me yelling was more of a reaction to the shock of hearing her speak like that, than the actual words. Had someone else said them, I wouldn't have had an issue with it. She'd never spoken like that before. Chloe crossed her arms and walked away in huff.

"Don't worry," John said, "I'll get Ethan to talk to her."

That didn't make me feel any better. It was inevitable that people changed in this new world, but I didn't want that to happen to Chloe. Maybe I was kidding myself. After all she'd seen, it would be unavoidable. I sure as hell had changed and I didn't particularly like myself-or more appropriately-the things I've done. Chloe shouldn't have to go through that too.

I finished my cereal, not really tasting the rest of it, and hurried over to Rose to ask for the map. She tossed it at me, her attention still focused on the cat in Amanda's arms. A few people had come over to gawk at them like a circus attraction. Having a pet was a luxury of the old world; not one we could afford now.

After I had scooped up the map from where Rose had tossed it, I went to seek out Lucas. He had taken the entire case of beer when we first got back. I wanted to form a plan tonight and leave first thing tomorrow to find the mercenaries compound-to which he needed to be sober for. I checked the hotel room we all had shared last night, but it was empty. I walked by all the open doors, waving to a few people here and there, but still no Lucas. Where could he have gone? What if he took off? My heart dropped at the thought. He was my only hope for finding Zoe. There was nothing really keeping him here. Rose and Leo were technically supposed to be keeping an eye on him, but they both had shirked their duties for a cat and handing out food.

I resisted the urge to run. It would only cause panic if I started to bolt across the motel. I started to peer inside the windows of the rooms we hadn't opened. Nothing. By the time I was done, I had gotten a few curious stares. I landed back at the end of the rooms, near the office. The office. I walked briskly to the office door and pulled it open. The tiny lobby was empty and the door behind the counter was open.

I let myself in and found Lucas laying on the rundown couch lengthwise. The beer that was on course for his mouth stopped when he spotted me. He groaned.

"What do you need now?"

I grabbed his boot clad feet and swung them over to the ground. Lucas let out an annoyed grunt as I plunked myself down on the space I had just created by shoving his feet off the couch. Using the coffee table from the eighties, I spread out the map before us.

"I need you to show me where the compound is," I said.

He continued to lounge on the couch, even with his feet and calves now hanging off the edge.

"I'm busy." He took a big drink of his beer. I looked down to see two empties on the floor.

I stared at him. I really want to punch him in the face-my hands were already formed into fists.

"You need to stop drinking."

Lucas snorted. "You my mother now?"

He finished his drink and tossed the bottle next to the other ones. He reached into the case to rummage for a fresh one. Me coming in here demanding things wasn't going to work. I had to appeal to his sympathetic side, which I wasn't sure existed, but it was worth a shot. I took a deep breath and swallowed my pride. This wasn't about me-this was for Zoe.

"Please." I let my fear for Zoe leak into my voice. "You know what they do and they have my best friend."

Lucas's hand stilled as he was about to twist off the cap of his newest bottle. He pulled himself up to a seated position, then faced the map, placing his unopened bottle on the table next to it.

"You couldn't let me have a moment of peace?" he muttered.

"Once you help me find her, I'll leave you alone," I said. "You can drink yourself into oblivion all you want then."

He looked at me then shuffled closer to the map. "It's kinda hard to see."

I got up and pulled back the ancient curtains on the only window back here. It didn't light up the entire room, but it let in enough that Lucas could read the map. I walked back over to the couch as Lucas started running his finger along one of the arteries.

"Prairieville," he said. "That's where the compound I was at is located."

I sat down beside him again. "Where in Prairieville?"

"One of the newer neighborhoods. Filled with mansion lookin' houses."

"How long will it take to get there?"

"If we can use the interstate, 'bout an hour from here."

"You remember how to get there from the interstate?"

He shot me a droll look. "O' course, but they also left some markers to go by."

"That stupid hand and eye symbol?"

Lucas nodded.

"Why do they use that?" I asked.

"Dunno. I was only with them for a little while before I was shipped off to the hospital. Only met Shawn, their leader, a couple of times before he turned me over."

I had no right to ask, but I did anyways. "What happened?"

Lucas hesitated for a second as he stared at the unopened beer bottle. "One of the guys on my crew saw me get bit on a run so I had no choice but to tell 'im I was immune to stop 'im from puttin' a bullet in my skull right then and there. The shit sack went straight to Shawn." Lucas scowled as he recounted the story. "Shawn had 'em toss me in with a bunch of the dead freaks to prove it. Got torn up pretty bad, but I lived." He let out a humorless laugh. "I was rewarded for my service by bein' knocked out cold and shipped off to the place where I had sent others to."

Kind of sounded like he got what he deserved, but I didn't say that out loud. I wasn't sure why he was telling me this. It sure wouldn't warm me to him. Maybe that was on purpose, so it would be easier for him to leave. I sure as hell wouldn't stop him-after I got Zoe back, that is.

I looked from him to the beer propped on the table. "Are you going to be okay to go tomorrow?" I asked.

Lucas leaned back into the couch. "Only got the one case. Gotta make it last."

I took that as a yes. I folded up the map and got up to leave. Lucas's feet immediately claimed the space I had vacated.

"I had nothin' to do with the girls," Lucas said just before I reached the door. "Just so you know. I wasn't lyin' 'bout that."

I turned to him. "What about killing innocent people to get to the immune ones?"

His eyes didn't meet mine, nor did I get an answer. Was he one of the mercenaries who attacked the apartment the first time around? A chill ran down my spine. I knew he was already in the hospital by the time they had killed everyone and taken Mac, but before that, when they had shot up the place and killed Roy's daughter, then took his wife. Was he there for that?

I couldn't go down that path right now. I needed him to get to Zoe. He agreed to help mainly because Rose and Leo had guns leveled at him at the time, but he also said he wanted revenge against Shawn. Maybe he wanted redemption as well. Or maybe I was placing some moral fiber in his being that wasn't there.

Regardless, I was willing to use him until he no longer was of use to me. To ignore his possible crimes until I got what I wanted out of him. If he betrayed us and ran back to this Shawn guy, I wouldn't hesitate to kill him. For his sake, he better not try anything.