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and the infected, catching the infected’s attention
and allowing Evelyn the distraction and space she needed to give
the thing a good shove. They both stumbled in opposite directions,
Evelyn backward and the infected straight into the waiting arms of
Alex.
    With a swiftness that only came from
experience, Alex laid the creature out flat on its back, and in the
space of a heartbeat had sunk his blade into its skull.
    Still cradling both the rifle and my gun, I
sank to the ground, desperately trying to catch my breath. It was
over now, everyone was safe, but…
    This was life outside the walls, wasn’t it?
This was my supposed freedom. Tears burned behind my eyes, tears of
both relief and regret. Had we only traded one hell for another?
And what would the cost of this new hell be?
    “Lei!”
    I lifted my eyes, watching as Evelyn came
quickly down the incline, a small smile on her face. Incredulous, I
stared at her, wondering how she could smile at a time like this.
But I already knew the answer. Simply put, she’d been built this
way, able to find a light when everyone else around her saw only
darkness, able to hold herself together when everyone else was
falling apart.
    She’d lost Jami only hours ago and yet here
she was, looking fresh faced, exhilarated, and…free.
    “Are you okay?” she asked when she reached
me.
    Unable to answer her, so caught up in my own
self-pity, I could do little more than bob my head once for
yes.
    “That was fucking amazing,” she said
breathlessly, shifting from one foot to the other. “Fucking
amazing.”
    “You need to learn how to use that gun.” Alex
had strolled up casually beside Evelyn, his eyes on me.
    Still on the ground and feeling awkward, I
cleared my throat and attempted to get to my feet. Suddenly Alex
was by my side, taking his rifle from my hands. With one arm around
my waist, he pulled me upright.
    “Thanks,” I mumbled, moving quickly away from
him and trying to subtly inch closer to Evelyn.
    “She does,” Evelyn agreed. “But first we need
to figure out where we’re going.”
    “Cold weather is coming,” Alex said, still
watching me. “We could head south, wouldn’t have to worry about
freezing to death.”
    “Sounds good to me.” Evelyn turned toward me.
“Lei?”
    “The cold weather slows them down,” I said
softly, knowing I had nothing to offer and feeling silly because of
it. “Doesn’t it? Wouldn’t that make it safer here?”
    Alex continued to stare at me, his hard
expression giving nothing away as to what he was thinking. “Don’t
know how safe we’re going to be when we’re freezing to death and
can’t find shit to eat.”
    “Hey!” Evelyn snapped. “She made a good
point!”
    “No,” I said quickly, reaching out to grab
her hand. “He’s right, I wasn’t thinking. We should head
south.”
    Evelyn gave my hand a conciliatory squeeze
but said nothing. However, it was hard to miss the fire in her eyes
as she glared at Alex.
    “South, it is,” Alex muttered. “Let’s
go.”

Chapter Eight
    Evelyn
    The fire in my belly burned long after the kill had
ended. True, the kill had been messy and reckless, and I knew I
needed more practice, but it had been glorious. To sink bullet
after bullet into the infected, to watch them die…again. It had
been a bitter ointment for my fractured heart.
    The ache in my chest was a constant
reminder that at some point I would have to stop and think about
Jami. I’d have to think about the loss I had taken, the life he had
given up, both for me and for the chance at freedom. His death was
another reason I wouldn’t let this all be in vain , another reason why we had to
survive.
    But not now. I couldn’t think about it
now.
    Gritting my teeth, I jutted out my chin as we
all climbed back inside the truck, willing myself to stay strong.
We continued down the vacant road, and Alex turned onto the first
highway we came across. It was a dusty graveyard, a never-ending
obstacle course of cars,