me and came over.
“They’re not there,” he said. He took one of the bottles from me and was about to drink, but I stopped him.
“Give the bleach a little time to kill anything that might be in there,” I said.
“How much did you put in? It only takes a few drops for a bottle this size.”
“About a capful,” I said.
“That’s too much, bro. I have a chart you can look at.”
“I have my own chart,” I lied. “The bleach will dissipate.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not what I read,” he said. “This probably isn’t safe now. It’s probably safer to drink straight from the barrel.”
“Go for it, bro. When you get the shits, don’t come crying to me.”
“Give me one of those empty bottles, and I’ll mix my own water.”
“Sara has a bottle in the–“
There was a deep howl nearby in the woods. Grant turned and stared into the trees. I stepped beside him, listening. For a while, all I could hear was his heavy breathing and the occasional bird. Then there was another howl.
“Is it getting closer?” he whispered.
“I can’t tell,” I whispered back.
It howled again.
“I think it’s alone,” I said. “No others are answering it. Come on.”
I grabbed the two bottles of water and went back to the van. Sara was standing beside the vehicle with the door open, looking in the direction of the sounds.
“It’s only one,” I said to her as I approached. “We don’t have anything to worry about.”
“How’s your back, babe?” Grant said.
“The same,” she said, continuing to stare into the woods.
“It’s okay,” I said touching her arm. “It’s just the one.”
She nodded, “I don’t like it. There haven’t been any here for days…any.”
“It doesn’t mean anything,” I said. “Let’s go find your friends.”
We all climbed in the van, and I pulled down the long driveway toward the gravel road.
“Take a left on this road and then a right when we get to the paved road,” Sara said. “The bait shop isn’t far.”
I turned off the stereo and air conditioning then rolled down my window. I drove slowly, listening for more howls or other noises coming from the woods. Mostly what I heard was the sound of the gravel under the tires. Grant leaned in between Sara and I from the seat behind us and pointed ahead.
“Up there,” he said.
There was a person running down the middle of the road toward us. Behind them, a farther distance away, was a group of twenty or more. When the single figure got closer, I could see it was Christine. She was carrying a satchel in one hand and what appeared to be a length of 2x4 in the other.
CHAPTER 11
“Get up there, bro. She needs us,” Grant yelled, gripping my shoulder.
I mashed the accelerator, and Grant opened the side door of the van. When I pulled alongside her, she climbed in. She was crying. I got a closer look at her than I had before. I could see spots on her brow, lip, and nose where she’d had piercings. The jewelry was gone however. I imagined she’d had the Goth thing going on before the end of the world and decided for whatever reason not to maintain her look. It might have been too much trouble.
“Where’s Julio?” Grant said.
“You asshole!” Christine screamed and slapped Grant. “You left us!”
“I was coming back,” Grant said, cowering.
“Julio is dead!” she wailed. “He’s fucking dead, and you did it!”
“I was coming back. I…I came back.”
“Are you sure he’s dead? Where is he?” I said. “Maybe we can help him.”
“Up there,” she cried. “In the woods.”
The creatures that were chasing her were closing in.
“You didn’t make it to the bait shop?” I said.
“We made it there,” she said. “But we had to come back because there weren’t any keys to start the truck, and the area was full of goons.”
I plowed into the approaching zombies and rammed my way through to the other side.
“Tell me when I’m close,” I said.
“Up there,” she said.
“They’re not there,” he said. He took one of the bottles from me and was about to drink, but I stopped him.
“Give the bleach a little time to kill anything that might be in there,” I said.
“How much did you put in? It only takes a few drops for a bottle this size.”
“About a capful,” I said.
“That’s too much, bro. I have a chart you can look at.”
“I have my own chart,” I lied. “The bleach will dissipate.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not what I read,” he said. “This probably isn’t safe now. It’s probably safer to drink straight from the barrel.”
“Go for it, bro. When you get the shits, don’t come crying to me.”
“Give me one of those empty bottles, and I’ll mix my own water.”
“Sara has a bottle in the–“
There was a deep howl nearby in the woods. Grant turned and stared into the trees. I stepped beside him, listening. For a while, all I could hear was his heavy breathing and the occasional bird. Then there was another howl.
“Is it getting closer?” he whispered.
“I can’t tell,” I whispered back.
It howled again.
“I think it’s alone,” I said. “No others are answering it. Come on.”
I grabbed the two bottles of water and went back to the van. Sara was standing beside the vehicle with the door open, looking in the direction of the sounds.
“It’s only one,” I said to her as I approached. “We don’t have anything to worry about.”
“How’s your back, babe?” Grant said.
“The same,” she said, continuing to stare into the woods.
“It’s okay,” I said touching her arm. “It’s just the one.”
She nodded, “I don’t like it. There haven’t been any here for days…any.”
“It doesn’t mean anything,” I said. “Let’s go find your friends.”
We all climbed in the van, and I pulled down the long driveway toward the gravel road.
“Take a left on this road and then a right when we get to the paved road,” Sara said. “The bait shop isn’t far.”
I turned off the stereo and air conditioning then rolled down my window. I drove slowly, listening for more howls or other noises coming from the woods. Mostly what I heard was the sound of the gravel under the tires. Grant leaned in between Sara and I from the seat behind us and pointed ahead.
“Up there,” he said.
There was a person running down the middle of the road toward us. Behind them, a farther distance away, was a group of twenty or more. When the single figure got closer, I could see it was Christine. She was carrying a satchel in one hand and what appeared to be a length of 2x4 in the other.
CHAPTER 11
“Get up there, bro. She needs us,” Grant yelled, gripping my shoulder.
I mashed the accelerator, and Grant opened the side door of the van. When I pulled alongside her, she climbed in. She was crying. I got a closer look at her than I had before. I could see spots on her brow, lip, and nose where she’d had piercings. The jewelry was gone however. I imagined she’d had the Goth thing going on before the end of the world and decided for whatever reason not to maintain her look. It might have been too much trouble.
“Where’s Julio?” Grant said.
“You asshole!” Christine screamed and slapped Grant. “You left us!”
“I was coming back,” Grant said, cowering.
“Julio is dead!” she wailed. “He’s fucking dead, and you did it!”
“I was coming back. I…I came back.”
“Are you sure he’s dead? Where is he?” I said. “Maybe we can help him.”
“Up there,” she cried. “In the woods.”
The creatures that were chasing her were closing in.
“You didn’t make it to the bait shop?” I said.
“We made it there,” she said. “But we had to come back because there weren’t any keys to start the truck, and the area was full of goons.”
I plowed into the approaching zombies and rammed my way through to the other side.
“Tell me when I’m close,” I said.
“Up there,” she said.
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