10: Little Stowaway

Everyone’s eyes were wide open as soon as they saw the fence upgraded to a wall and the fixed and more durable gate. Ace finally understood the ability he had, not fully, but a little that helped him make use of it.

“Isn’t this nice? Now, I can go without getting too worried about you. Just stay inside the wall and avoid causing a loud noise. Zombies might get attracted to the loud sound so do your thing quietly unless there’s an emergency and you have to scream,” Ace explained.

“Are you going now? Please be safe. I’ll pray that you return with your sister,” Eula said and hugged his son.

Ace hugged his mother back and smiled at him. “You, too. Keep safe. Do not engage in any battle against the zombies unless necessary. As long as you stay inside the wall, nobody should be able to harm you,” he added and bobbed his head at his father.

“Make sure to fire properly and only use that gun against the enemy. Do not harm another person, Ace.” Jonas firmly held his son’s shoulder. “Save your sister,” he said.

“I will,” Ace replied. “Is Nicola still sleeping?”

Eula hugged herself. “The girl must be tired. Her breathing was steady and she looked peaceful while asleep. We’ll serve her a bowl of warm soup when she wakes up,” she told her son.

“Thanks, Mom. I’m going,” Ace turned his back to everyone and rode his jeep. It looked the same before it went through a lot escaping the zombies and colliding with the gate.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Ace smiled at his parents and started the car.

He didn’t have enough rest but he felt relieved knowing that his parents were safe. He just needed to pick up his sister and then maybe he could take a nap after.

“Wait for me, Ava. Just hold on for at least 4 more hours,” Ace muttered as he drove away from his parent’s farm.

It was already past in the afternoon and anytime soon, the sun would be setting. He hummed as he drove, trying to clear his head and calm his body. Ace still blamed himself for what happened to his father. If not for Nicola, his Dad might have left them for good.

“I should try calling her but I’m not sure if she’s going to pick up. What kind of little sister did my parents birthed? She even warned me earlier not to call her unless I was outside their dorm building,” Ace mumbled to himself, checking his phone while contemplating whether to contact Ava or not.

“Thank goodness, there’s still a signal. I should make a call to tell her I’m on my way,” Ace dialed his sister’s number and attempted to call her.

Unfortunately, Ava had turned off her phone which annoyed him so badly. “Who turned off their phone in case of emergency?” Ace hissed in furstration. He never talked a lot with Ava, not due to their 8-year age gap, but simply because his sister was a talker and would rather listen than speak.

Although younger, Ava often thought like an older woman. She loved reading books and preferred to be left alone in her room, listening to music while browsing through social media to find any interesting topic she might like.

“That brat. I’m going to give you a piece of my mind when I see you. Just be sure you’re alive and well so you can hear everything I’m about to say,” Ace muttered and focused on the road.

Two hours passed since Ace left the farm. He was starting to feel the exhaustion in his body, his vision started to blur.

“Ace! Ace!”

Ace jolted from his seat when he heard a small voice calling his name. When he opened his eyes, he realized the car was heading off the bridge.

“Oh shit!” Ace immediately turned the wheels back to the road, using all his strength and wit to avoid the danger. “Did I fall asleep?” he asked after stopping the car. He let out a sigh of relief after surviving from a fatal accident.

“I think so. You must be tired.”

“Yeah. I’ve been through a lot since morning. Thanks for waking me up, Nicola—Wait! Why are you in the car?” Ace groaned when he realized that Nicola was traveling with him. “How long has it been since I left the farm? The others must be worried sick looking for you,” he said, shaking his head.

“I want to be with Ace,” Nicola insisted, pouting.

Ace gestured for her to sit next to him and started the car again. “But it’s safe to stay in the farm. Haven’t you seen the zombies roaming outside? The world is becoming dangerous every minute as the number of zombies increases,” he explained and inhaled a lungful of air.

“Take my phone. Call Mom and tell her that you’re with me. It’s getting dark so tell them to stay in the house,” Ace ordered, pointing the phone with his lips.

Nicola nodded and made a call.

“Put it on speaker,” Ace suggested.

A few rings were heard before someone answered the call. Nicola took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

“Hello—?”

“Shut up! I told you not to call me unless you’re outside. A dozen zombies are walking around the hall right now and I can’t afford to get caught. Are you outside?”

Ace grabbed the phone from Nicola after hearing his sister’s voice. “Ava, are you there? Listen. I’m on my way. You’ll have to wait for two hours. I’ll try to get there as soon as I can. Just avoid any contact with the zombies. Save your phone battery and keep it on silent mode. Do not turn it off,” he grumbled.

“Did you hear me? Do not turn off your phone and wait for my call. If possible, find a place with fewer zombies so I can get you there. I doubt the gate at your building is a safe route,” Ace continued, his brows furrowed.

“Got it,” Ava responded before she hung up.

Ace sighed after talking to his sister. “That silly brat. She’s still so cold,” he commented, shaking his head. “Nicola, try again and call my Mom’s number. It's the one next to the number you called earlier,” he told the girl who remained quiet.

“Nicola?”

Nicola raised her head with teary eyes. “She told me to shut up,” she sobbed.

“Oh, boy. Now, do I have to deal with two younger sisters?”