Raven
“They’re not here,” Liz said, wringing her hands. Her fingers flashed pale white in the early morning light.
“They will be,” Raven reassured. Her silky hair was disheveled from sleeping on the floor of the little store.
They’d arrived late at night, exhausted from the events at the cabin. Raven had parked the truck, which she’d managed to drive successfully albeit slowly, beneath a large sycamore tree. Raven had entered the Mom and Pop alone. The undead that was trapped upstairs had broken out but luckily for Raven it had caught itself on the racks of goods and she dispatched it easily, dragging it beneath the stairs. There was a small cupboard there that was just the right size for a body. She’d wait for Henry and they could bury it together. The zombie was too heavy for her to move very far.
“You promise?” Liz asked, face innocent and insecure. She sat propped up on her elbows, most of her body was buried beneath layers of blankets. Liz held her mop of curls back with her hand.
“Yes,” Raven said. “I promise. They’ll be here.” She had a moment of worry but pushed it away. Fretting wouldn’t help. “Let’s see what we can scrounge for breakfast and get you some proper fitting clothes. Okay?” She smiled, infusing her face with what happiness she could. It was difficult.
“Sure,” Liz said, sitting up and yawning widely. Suddenly, she sprung out of bed like a jackrabbit, rushing to the front of the store and peering through the glass.
“What?” Raven asked, rising more slowly and joining Liz at the window. Raven didn’t see anything out of place. The sun was rising, bringing light to the morning. She could smell the scent of rain though the crack in the door, clean and fresh. The clouds had thinned overnight and Raven thought they would see a bit of sun today. She hoped so; they could use a dry day. The ground was sodden and that made it harder to drive — she’d learned that last night.
“I thought I heard something?” Liz said. She didn’t sound frightened just excited and a little wary.
“Like what?” Raven asked. She pressed her hands to the glass to block out the glare and peered through. Faintly she heard a familiar bark and hoped it wasn’t her imagination.
“Rocky,” Liz whispered.
Raven’s heartbeat increased slightly. She dearly hoped that her brother had made it with her dog. Raven didn’t think she could bear to be without them.
She heard the bark again, louder this time. It definitely sounded like Rocky.
“I heard it!” Raven spoke, pressing her palms into the glass. The sun had risen enough now that she could see without blocking excess inner light. “I see them!” Liz squealed, sounding very much like the child she was.
It was a good sound to hear and Raven smiled. “Where?” she asked, not seeing anything yet but swaying tree branches. The wind had picked up and was blowing the cloud cover higher into the mountains. A leaf skittered across the dirt, traveling in swirling eddies and sunlight streamed through the trees, dappling the ground.
“At the top of the hill,” Liz answered, pointing.
Two figures crested the hill and moved down into the dell where the Mom and Pop sat. One was clearly human and not afflicted with the virus, walking normally with no jerking or halting movements. It could have been anybody, any man that meant them good or harm or total indifference, but Raven knew it was Henry. She could tell by the way he moved. The other figure was a mystery to her, covered in so many layers Raven couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, just an amorphous shape that walked companionably at her brother’s side. A smaller figure ran in circles around the two, galloping on four legs. The sun reflected off his fawn colored fur, filling Raven’s heart with joy.
“Who’s that with him?” Liz asked. She hopped from foot to foot, face glued to the glass.
Raven pursed her lips to keep from laughing. This was the most cheerful and unafraid Liz had been since they fled. It warmed Raven’s heart and it was damn funny.
“I have no idea,” Raven answered. Her curiosity was piqued. “Let’s go find out, shall we?” She turned from the window, grabbed her axe from the counter and held her free hand out for Liz.
Fear washed across Liz’s features briefly then she controlled her expression.
“It’ll be fine, honey,” Raven reassured. “Grab that knife we found for you.”
Liz nodded and picked up a boot knife in a black leather sheath. It wasn’t an overly large knife. The blade was maybe four inches long, but it was nearly the size of the girl’s forearm. Raven had shown her some basic things about blade safety, how to hold it and stow it away. Liz seemed comfortable enough with the knife and it surely boosted her confidence.
I wouldn’t want to be weaponless these days, she thought with a shiver.
Liz clipped the knife to the waistband of her new jeans, canting it to the side to get a comfortable angle.
“Tuck your shirt behind the hilt,” Raven instructed. “It’ll be easier to grab when you need it.”
Liz nodded and complied, tucking the blue fabric of her thermal behind it.
“Let’s go,” Raven said. She took Liz’s hand and they headed out the back door.
She took a deep breath of crisp, cool air and it felt good. The ground was still damp but the weather just might give it a chance to dry out today. Raven’s boots squelched through the mud and the sun was warm on her face.
“I think he’s with a woman,” Liz said. There was an incredulous tone to her
