Humanity's Hope: Book 1 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 11

Caleb spun the Jeep around and put it in drive. He watched his pursuers shrink and then fade from sight in the rearview mirror. He was far from safe. It would only be a matter of minutes before every cop in the city was looking for him. He had to get out of town.

He slammed his hand into the steering wheel. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Leaving the city totally defeated the purpose of him coming back to find answers. Granted, his original plan didn't take into consideration something like this would happen. He assumed the people who were after him might come find him, but he didn't expect them to have an army or ties to the local authorities. Caleb wasn't really sure what he had expected. He just knew he couldn't leave. He couldn't change what had happened, he could only try to change the situation to his advantage. The first thing he had to do was get somewhere safe so he could regroup and let the heat die down.

He turned the Jeep down a road that led to the edge of the city and floored it. It wouldn't be long before they set up road blocks and checkpoints to keep him from escaping. He tightened his grip on the wheel. His heart fluttered in his chest. Please don't let it be too late. Please let me get out of town.

Once you do, keep running.

The thought wasn't without its merits. There were probably some advantages to being on the move—the most prominent in his mind at the moment was not being chased—but there were disadvantages as well. The biggest being that he didn't want to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life—either for the living or the undead. He also didn't want to have to scrounge to survive, either. If he could improve the world, he preferred to do that instead of running and hiding.

Through the windshield, he saw the bright orange sun that indicated the edge of the city. He was close—really close. Just as he suspected, a cop was setting up a roadblock, but he must have just gotten there because he was scrambling to get the barrier together. Caleb had time. He didn't ease off the accelerator as he plowed forward. The cop stepped in front of him and waved his arms. I hope he moves. Caleb didn't particularly want to kill anyone, but he was going to do what was necessary to get to safety.

The cop realized Caleb wasn't going to stop and leapt out of the way. Caleb smashed through the half-constructed barriers and swerved to sideswipe the patrol car. The screech of metal on metal echoed through the Jeep, and Caleb was bounced against the door. The Jeep tried to lose control, but Caleb tightened his grip and righted the vehicle. He hit the police cruiser a bit harder than he expected. He was sure it was enough to keep the cop from following him, but he hoped he didn't do too much damage to his vehicle. He strained his ears to hear if there were any squeaking or scraping sounds and watched the hood for smoke. He sniffed a few times to smell if anything was overheating. Nothing. He was okay—for the moment.

He floored the gas pedal again and sped toward the edge of the city. There was nothing in his way now. The thought didn't comfort him. It actually made his palms sweat and heat pulse through his body. He would leave, but only long enough to figure out a new plan, then he would be back. Maybe he needed help. He could always ask Samuel. More than likely, he would help, as long as Caleb allowed his conspiracy theory friends to assist. At this point, Caleb would take it. However, there was also the possibility Samuel wouldn't help him. He hadn't wanted Caleb to come back to the city. Samuel seemed pretty upset when they left Matt's bunker and he dropped Caleb off. Not that it really mattered at the moment. Caleb had no way of contacting Samuel.

He could head back to Matt's stronghold. Matt said he was always welcome there. Caleb didn't doubt that he would help. But how exactly would he assist? Caleb didn't think he could trust Matt. He kept too many secrets.

Caleb slammed his hand into the steering wheel again. Why was this happening to him? It was one thing to be isolated and alone because zombies devoured his friends and family, but it was completely different to be an outcast because he could save humanity. It didn't make any sense. He hated not being able to trust anyone. That wasn't healthy. Then again, he'd been through, and seen, a lot to totally mess up his brain. It was one more thing he could thank the undead for. Why did they even exist? Who thought he could handle being special? The universe was a really messed up place. It had only been six months ago when he could barely save himself when he was forced to stay at the hospital, and now he was going to be expected to save humanity. It wasn't that simple. Oh, no. That would be asking way too much. The world had to be cruel and make him a pawn in someone's power struggle. Hadn't he already been through enough?