Only The Dead Don't Die | Book 4 | Finding Home Popovich, A.D. (any book recommendations txt) 📖

Keep spinning them. Slowly bring the two triangles together until they make a star. And, see yourself as a light being riding inside the star. That’s the funnest part—riding in the star.”

A wave of peacefulness engulfed every cell of Ella’s body. “Thank you, Twila. Your way is easier. You should teach the guys.”

Twila frowned. “Uh-uh, they don’t truly believe in it. It’s too—mystical. For them.”

“Hang on,” Justin yelled.

The bus veered sharply to the left, skidding to the shoulder.

She tumbled onto the kitchen table’s diner-like booth seat with Twila falling into her lap.

“That was fun!” Twila giggled. As usual, oblivious to the possible danger.

Ella scrambled to check on Mateo. He was snug in the box bungeed to the bunk’s headboard. The enchiladas?

Good, they hadn’t sloshed out of the pan, but the oven would need a thorough cleaning.

“Will you sit in my bunk and watch Mateo?” Ella asked, worried the ride might get bumpy.

“Ooh, can I teach him to meditate?” Twila asked seriously.

“Sure, if he’s not sleeping. But don’t wake him up.” It was Mateo’s nap time.

The tortilla chips would just have to wait, she decided. Dean stumbled out from his bunk, looking extra crabby. He’d only had about two hours sleep in the last twenty-four hours. He barely acknowledged her as he mumbled to the front of the bus.

Ella happened to glance out the window to see a horde. She yanked down the shade. She couldn’t handle seeing one more horde gawk after the bus. The farther they drove into the Forbidden Zone, the more Zs they encountered.

To squelch her angst, she decided to organize the Walmart haul they had dumped onto the small futon. She held the adorable sailor outfit to the light. I can’t wait ’til baby Mateo can wear this. The tag read 0-3 months old. Mateo would grow into it. He was close to preemie size. Then again, Ella was petite, and Justin was small-framed, so she wasn’t really worried now that Luther had the Andara crystal.

Ella glanced at Mindy’s bunk, eager to show her the clothes their babies would share, but Mindy’s curtain was drawn. She must be exhausted. Excitement crept in, thinking about what Mindy had told her earlier—that Mateo was a Starseed baby just like Starla. It had to be more than a coincidence for both their newborns to survive the curse that had killed most if not all newborns. The Angels must be working overtime.

Time to divvy out the supplies. She lined up the new heavy-duty camping backpacks and tagged their initials with a thick black marker. Even Twila was to always have her pack within reach in the event they had to leave the bus in a hurry.

Ella sorted through the men’s clothing of underwear, socks, T-shirts, and jeans. She packed the smalls in Justin’s pack, gave the mediums to Dean, and the 3Xs to Luther. Next, she sorted through the hygiene products, filling the backpacks’ side pockets with a little of each where appropriate.

She was about to ask Dean when they were stopping again, but it sounded like Scarlett, Justin, and Dean were having a heated conversation. Better not. Dean had been in a foul mood since the last detour.

Ella checked the enchiladas and turned off the oven. Then she peeked in Twila’s bunk to see how the meditation training was going. A slow smile curled to her lips; Twila and Mateo were fast asleep.

Feeling lonely, Ella continued organizing while daydreaming they rode a fancy old-fashioned train on their way to their new home. The bus was way better than bouncing around the back of Father Jacob’s old-timey covered wagon. Pregnant. With a pee pot. So much had happened since those hopeless days. And now, they were almost to Tent City. Afraid of having her hopes decimated, she mentally prepared herself for the next disaster.

That reminded her, she definitely wasn’t getting pregnant any time soon. She grabbed the box of condoms Dean had gruffly gifted Justin with earlier. He thought of everything.

Obviously, she was fertile, and although technically she shouldn’t be able to conceive yet, these days, anything could happen. From what she understood about this outlandish quest to save humanity, her part was to have lots of babies. If you want me to have babies, find us a safe place to live, she appealed to the cosmos.

“Patience is a virtue . . . The Gods and Goddesses are toiling out this battle of wills.”

“Shari?” Ella whispered. She quickly clasped her hand over her mouth, hoping no one had overheard, but the engine’s drone filled the bus.

“Just popping in—” Shari’s laughter filled her heart. “I wanted to see how you and your Lightworker friends are managing.”

“We’re okay.” Ella hesitated before asking, “Will we make it out of Last State?”

“I’m afraid things have taken a turn for the worse. The X-strains are clairvoyantly communicating en masse—attempting to manipulate the Infecteds into stopping you. X-strains have vowed to destroy the Lightworkers and Starseeds! They’re searching for the bus. You must proceed with caution. And stay off the main roads!”

A sudden case of the shivers took over. “Thank you for warning us. Shari, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you—” Gruesome images of the demon-Zs devouring Shari invaded her mind. “Was it, uh, unbearable?”

“It was quick. Once I accepted the time had come to leave my 3D reality, I released my attachment to my physical body.”

Ella recognized the torment in her voice. Felt it. It must have been the most horrible thing ever.

“I’ll pop in from time to time—if the powers that be allow,” Shari chimed in her mind.

“Thank you for everything you taught me. How to make baby food, herbology, tinctures—” Ella choked back her tears. Shari had made the ultimate sacrifice for them.

“Take care of your friends. Tudaloo, ’til our future-selves meet again . . .” And, just