Three Hours Later
Thunder rumbled in the distance, rolling through the heavens. The sun was well into the sky and had warmed the day a bit, especially the air within the truck. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, rolling in quickly.
Henry had taken off his jacket and laid it on the seat between them.
“How much farther?” Raven asked, glancing at her brother. His face was in profile, prominent jaw and deep eyes. His attention was on the road.
His eyes moved to her, expression tense. “Another couple of hours at least. The cabin is secluded, which is good for us, but it takes a while to get there.” He grew quiet. The only sounds were the rush of the road beneath their tires.
She noticed that Henry had stopped mentioning Sarah’s name and she couldn’t say she blamed him. He referred to her cabin as the cabin and she had been careful to do the same.
“Secluded is good,” she said quietly. “What kind of heating does it have?”
“There’s a fire place and a stove and last time I was there was a ton of wood and hella bags of pellets.” He turned his eyes back to the road, having to navigate a sharp turn.
There was an abandoned car on the road. An old Volkswagen van, covered in rust and flaking paint. It’s back left tire hung over a precipitous drop. They cruised by it with just enough space, hugging the inner side of the road.
“That’s good,” Raven responded, glancing back at the van.
Rocky barked from the back of the truck and Raven opened the sliding window. “What’s up, boy?” she asked and was greeted by a volley of happy yips and a warm, wet tongue across her face. “Blech,” she spat, wiping her cheek on her sleeve.
Henry snorted. “Shut that window, sis.” He laughed. “Your dog’s drooling all over the seat.”
Raven smiled, pushed Rocky’s head back through the window and shut it. He stared at them through the glass for a bit then turned in a circle and burrowed back beneath the large quilted blanket that was serving as his bed.
A heavy silence fell in the truck, and Raven stared out of the window again. Now the sun was totally obscured by clouds and it looked like it might rain soon. She hoped it would hold off until they got there. The cab would get pretty crowded with Rocky in the middle.
Tall pine trees lined the road, green and fresh smelling. Their needles littered the ground, covering a soft layer of decaying vegetation. It felt peaceful out here if she could only block out the awful things they’d seen. Raven closed her eyes and imagined that she and her brother were just going on a trip and Moon Pie was safe at home. She could almost believe it.
“Fuck!” Henry yelled and slammed on the breaks.
Raven’s eyes snapped open. There was an older couple standing in the middle of the road. They looked like they had seen their share of trouble. The man was tall with and skinny, wearing blue jeans and a button up shirt. His companion was short and round, wearing a floral print dress with white long johns beneath it. She had one boot on and the other foot was wrapped in cloth and tied with a belt.
“What do you think they want?” Raven asked, nervousness curling inside her belly.
“What we have,” Henry answered. His voice was quiet and full of menace.
Raven picked up her axe from the dashboard; it had a custom sheath made of dark leather. “We’re not giving them shit,” Raven spoke, picking up on her brother’s tone. She felt a bit bad for the couple but they couldn’t jeopardize their own safety. The world had changed.
“Fuck no,” Henry responded.
The man took a step toward the truck and Rocky growled threateningly.
The woman jerked in surprise, eyes widening as she took in Rocky’s bulk. He had crawled from beneath the blanket that rendered him invisible and stood in the back of the truck, hackles up and barking.
“We just need help,” the man said, yelling to be heard over the cacophonous din.
“What do you think?” Henry whispered to Raven. He sounded like he felt sorry for the strangers. Raven wondered what had changed his mind.
“I don’t know,” she responded.
“My husband,” the woman said, gesturing to the man. “He was wounded and we just need bandages. Show them honey,” she spoke, turning to him.
The man raised his shirt and displayed a perfect human bite mark, ringed in crusty blood.
“Oh, hell no,” Henry said. Then more quietly to Raven. “He’s been bitten. That’s how it transmits.”
“How what transmits?” she asked, not taking her eyes away from the couple.
“This zombie thing,” Henry answered. “It’s like a virus.” His voice was low and tense. “If you get bitten then you’re infected.”
“That’s bad,” Raven intoned.
“Please,” the woman begged. “You must help us. There is no one else around for miles.” She glanced at her husband then with a look of pleading, back to Raven. “He has a high fever. It spiked a couple of hours after he was bitten by the neighbor’s daughter.”
“I thought you said there was no one else around,” Henry spoke. His expression was mistrustful.
“We can’t go back there,” the woman answered incredulously. She shifted her feet. The fabric that covered her left foot had begun to loosen and her big toe stuck out. It was blue from the cold.
There was something vulnerable
