The First Days (As the World Dies #1)(35)

"What?" Jenni asked.

"Didn't you see?"

"Uh…no."

"The tail end, maybe ten or twenty, turned onto this road."

Jenni rested her forehead on the back of her seat and sighed.

From beside her came a steady string of…"f*ckf*ckf*ckf*ckf*ck"





2. Salvation This Way Comes





Katie couldn't stop cursing, nor did she want to. This was getting ridiculous. She just couldn't believe how downhill their plan had gone. But every time she started to curse herself for leaving the safety of Ralph's hunting store, she would catch a glimpse of the kid with the shaggy brown hair in the backseat of the truck and knew it was worth it.

Jason's rescue hadn't just been important to Jenni, but to Katie as well.

She had felt helpless after saving Jenni. Yeah, they had survived, but she had failed too many. Lydia, the kid at the convenience store…how many others had she bypassed without notice?

And now they were speeding at top speeds toward a possible camp of survivors while a throng of zombie kids with their parents and teachers jogged along behind them in an unrelenting pursuit of flesh. Her flesh. And Jason's. And Jenni's.

She glanced back at the dog that looked back at her questioningly. If they wanted Jack or not that had yet to be seen, but they wouldn't get him if she had her way. Jack went back to chewing on some jerky Jason had given him, eyeing Katie suspiciously.

She looked away from the rear view mirror and at the straight shot of road they were on. The terrain was flattening out a bit. They were heading westward and the hills were fading into the background. Slowly, their destination shimmered out of the horizon.

Tall red buildings hovered over a modest expanse of town. Katie could clearly see the downtown area partially ringed by tall red-bricked buildings that seemed out of place with the flatness of the rest of the town. The farm road they were traveling would lead them straight into the center of town.

But where were the survivors?

Time to find out.

Katie grabbed the CB and flipped it to channel 9. "Survivors in Ashley Oaksl, this is Bright Red Truck heading your way. We're a party of three with a dog companion."

"Bright Red Truck, what direction are you heading in from? FM 195 or Route 6?" It was a woman's voice. Calm. Reassuring.

"Ashley Oaks, we're coming in from the east on FM 1905. We're running low on fuel and have company taking up the rear. They are probably a few miles back but they don't seem to get tired."

"We understand. Keep on your course and when you reach the wall, get out of your truck and we'll lift you over."

"Wall?" Jenni and Jason said at the same time.

"I don't think we understand," Katie said with some confusion.

"You will. Just be ready." The woman's voice cut out.

The truck continued to barrel down the road and Katie felt the truck give a little shudder. The needle on the gas gauge now sat below the line.

"This is going to be close," Jenni whispered.

"As usual," Katie answered.

The tall red buildings, very retro, very 1930s began to loom larger. The rest of the town began to filter by. A smattering of rundown houses, buildings from the 1970s boarded up and closed, empty car lots, and abandoned gas stations. Katie estimated that the center of town was maybe four blocks away now. It loomed large and a little intimidating. They could now see that three of the tall buildings hovered over what looked like a construction site. Several large trucks appeared to ring it and an enormous yellow machine with a long mechanical arm with a large scoop at the end was perched on an enormous truck loaded up with dirt.

"Where are the zombies?" Jason asked worriedly. "This town has to have some."

The truck sputtered once and died.

They were a block from their destination.

Katie immediately grabbed the CB transceiver, but before she could speak, it cackled and a voice said, "We have a distraction going. Run for the corner where we are signaling."

"Corner? Corner?" Jenni looked scattered and afraid.

"Calm! Stay calm, Jenni!" Katie grabbed her shotgun, her backpack, and the bag of ammo and leaped out of the truck at the ready. She spotted a man standing next to the big yellow machine waving a Texas flag at her. "There!

Follow me!"

Jenni followed, struggling to get her backpack on. Jason hopped out, backpack on, and the dog leaped out behind him.

"Run," Katie said ordered.

They ran.

Katie was in good shape, but not used to running with so much weight.

She felt slow and vulnerable, but the shotgun in her hand was a comfort.

They raced past empty stores, long boarded up, "for lease" signs faded on their ruined doors. They raced past blood splatters on the sidewalk. They ran past empty cars, frightening with their open doors and windows. They ran across an old, red brick street and aimed for the large yellow arm of the construction beast extending down toward them.

Katie wondered what the hell it was called.

"Get in, get in," a man's voice was yelling.

Katie was finding it harder to run. Her legs felt rubbery from all the time in the truck. Jenni and Jason were huffing behind her.

"Hurry!"

Her lungs hurt, her back hurt, her body hurt, but she ran.