“Oh, no,” Raven responded, turning to face him. “You stay the hell out of my kitchen. I’ll pack it when I’m through.” She pointed at him. “You pack Rocky’s things and whatever medical supplies we have left.” She made a mental note to scour the kitchen for any more useful tools. There was no telling what they would need from here on out.
Zach
Zach raced through the trees, darting away from the runner that chased him. He sucked in a lungful of air and it wheezed on the way out. Zach was just about at his breaking point. Nearly hitting the wall as his gym coach used to say.
He jumped over a fallen log, soft with moss and rain. His heel slipped in the damp and he nearly went down. Feeling the zombie’s breath on his neck, Zach surged forward in an adrenaline-fueled burst of speed. The undead followed snarling. He ducked beneath a low hanging branch and didn’t quite make it, hitting his head and falling to the ground. The zombie grabbed his leg and Zach screamed. He couldn’t help it. Scrambling backward and pushing with his free foot, Zach continued to shriek.
The zombie peered at him with empty eyes, hungry eyes. It moaned and jerked Zach’s leg toward its open maw. Its face was covered in mud but Zach could make out red lines that ran across its skin, like angry avenues on a map. Its hair was matted down with mud but looked like it had once been blond. Leaning down, the undead struck with inhuman force, biting deeply into Zach’s calf. The blood was warm as it ran down his skin.
“Wake up, fucker,” Riley spoke, jabbing Zach in the ribs.
Zach woke with a start. He gasped and sat up, frantically feeling the skin on his leg. Once he assured himself that it had only been a dream, he turned to Riley.
“What?” he asked irritably.
Riley smirked and held his hands out. “You were dreamin’ man and it looked none too happy.” A smile played across his lips that made Zach want to punch him.
Zach cleared his throat. “What did you see?” he asked. Riley had gone to scout the cabin. He wanted to see where the weak points were so they could take it more easily.
“Nothin’, man,” Riley responded. A strange expression washed across his face then he controlled it. “Just a couple of windows and the front door.” He paused and that look flashed across his face again. Riley had always been a bad liar but luckily for him Zach was not what you would call a perceptive man. “I think our best chance so to take them at night. They’ll all be asleep and you can crawl in one of the windows and let me in the front door.”
“Why do I have to climb in through the fucking window?” Zach asked, incredulous.
“You’re in better shape than me, dude. It’ll be faster if you do it,” Riley responded, grinning in an uncharacteristic display of friendship. While the two men had grown up together there was usually nothing between them but sharp tongues and gibes.
Zach was taken aback by Riley’s sudden kindness and thought nothing past the surface of the comment. He flexed his muscles discreetly beneath his camouflage rain parka. “All right,” he responded nodding.
Zach stood up and walked into the trees to piss, making sure to sling his sporting rifle across his shoulder. The dream was still fresh in his mind and he looked around carefully for any of the lurking undead. He unzipped his pants and kept one hand on the hilt of his knife.
Raven
“This should do,” she said, beckoning for Liz to come closer. Raven had dressed again in jeans and heavy socks with a layer of silk leggings beneath. She held out a pair of leggings that were lined with faux fur. They were a one size fits all kind of thing and Raven wasn’t a large woman. She thought they would fit Liz all right.
“O-okay,” Liz said, taking the proffered tights.
Raven turned back to rummage in her clothing bag. “I’m sorry I don’t have any jeans for you. We’ll get some as soon as we can. Henry thinks that the Mom and Pop had a kids' section.” She flung clothing aside and her voice was muffled. “I can’t remember if it did or not but we’ll see soon enough.” She stood and conked her head on the closet rod. “Ouch,” she said, rubbing her skull. Raven kneeled again and pulled out a couple of items.
Liz chuckled, a light tinkling of bells.
Raven smiled. That was the first time she’d heard the girl laugh. She was glad about that and hoped it wouldn’t be the last. She sat back on her heels, holding two long sleeved shirts and a thick forest green sweater. “These should fit as well. They’re a bit tight on me.” A shiver tickled down her spine and she frowned, wishing it were warmer in the cabin.
They’d decided to leave the fire out tonight as to not attract any undue attention from the chimney smoke. Someone obviously knew they were in here but they didn’t have to emphasize the fact.
Liz looked cold too and Raven shoved the clothing into her arms. “Oh,” she said. “One more thing.” She turned back and rummaged again, pulling out a pair of regular tights and heavy slippers with hard bottoms. “We’ll have to find you some shoes too but these’ll work. They might be a little big.” She turned to Liz and winked. “I’ve got some big ass feet.”
Liz laughed again and smiled shyly. Her curls fell over her eyes and she blew them away. The girl was quite pretty, defined jaw and upturned nose. Her eyes were the color of spun amber. She’ll give the boys trouble when she gets a little older, Raven thought and immediately felt
