Candy made her way toward the Walmart, and Joe called out, “Take Xavier with you. It could be dangerous in there.”
“Fine.” Xavier slouched along behind her, a crossbow in his hands.
“And stay close to the entrance,” Joe added.
“Whatever,” the two shouted back as they disappeared into the building. Despite his misgivings, he let them be. They were old enough to look after themselves, and both of them were experts with their chosen weapons. At some point, a person had to let go.
Sandy threw him an approving look. “You’re learning.”
“I’m trying to,” he replied with a grunt. After filling up the Ford’s tank and their spare jerry cans, he checked the tire pressure and oil level. While he worked, he checked his watch. When ten minutes had passed, he let out a loud whistle calling everyone back to the truck.
Sandy was there within seconds, loading the last of her scavenged supplies into the back. As she climbed into the passenger side, she grinned. “That was a good haul. I even found paper towels.”
Joe returned her smile until he noticed the absence of Candy and Xavier. He whistled a second time, long and loudly. This time, he heard an answering shout and heaved a sigh of relief. “About time.”
Slamming the hood shut, he walked toward the driver’s side but paused when he heard more yelling.
“Joe, help!”
“Help us!”
He whirled around and spotted Candy and Xavier running toward him, their feet flying across the tar. Behind them, a cluster of infected followed in hot pursuit. Their faces were twisted into ugly snarls, and they were fast.
Too fast.
“Damn it,” Joe cursed, snapping the rifle to his shoulder. With the butt pressed to his shoulder, he called upon a lifetime’s experience spent barking squirrels in the woods. Breathing out, he steadied his aim. Candy and Xavier relied on him. If he missed, they died.
He lined up his first shot, a woman with long red hair. It flew behind her like a flag, the color vivid against her pale skin. The black veins that crisscrossed her body looked like a road map leading to hell, and in a way, he guessed it was.
Joe squeezed the trigger, and her head snapped back with the force of the bullet. She collapsed to the ground, and he shifted his aim to the next. That left three more, and he quickly dispatched the second and third.
But the fourth wasn’t so easy. The infected man wore a crinkled suit, and his hair was slicked back. One foot still wore a polished dress shoe while the other was bare. His lips were drawn back to reveal pearly white teeth ready to sink into Candy’s tender flesh.
Joe stared down the barrel of his gun, fear worming its cold fingers into his heart. The infected’s head was right behind Candy’s. The two formed a mirror image. Hers frightened to death while his hungered for death. They were so close. Too close. What if I miss?
“Oh, my God,” Sandy cried. “Do something, Joe!”
The infected swiped a clawed hand at Candy, and she stumbled as his fingers ripped strands of hair from her scalp. A desperate wail tore from her lips. “Joe, help me!”
“Joe!” Xavier screamed, adding his voice to the chaos.
Joe aimed again, but Candy’s face was right there, filling the space at the end of the barrel. He closed his eyes, fighting a losing battle against the panic that threatened to overwhelm him.
Next to him, Sandy seemed to realize his plight. Her voice dropped to a low whisper, and she said. “Joe, you can do this. I know you can. You’re the best shot I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen many.”
“What if I miss?” Joe asked.
“You won’t.”
Sandy complete trust in him settled over Joe like a blanket. It muffled the fear, and he gazed at his target with fresh eyes. The infected’s face bobbed up and down with every step, and Joe allowed the rhythm to sync with the beating of his heart.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
He pulled the trigger.
Candy screamed, and her head whipped to the side. For a single frozen moment, Joe’s world ended. I killed her.
She stumbled but regained her feet and kept running. Behind her, the infected crashed to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.
Seconds later, Candy and Xavier reached the truck, and Joe grabbed her by the shoulders. His eyes searched her face and fixed on the blood that ran down her collarbone in a steady trickle. “You’re hurt. I hurt you.”
Candy shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. She reached up with one trembling hand and touched the bloody graze on the side of her neck. “You didn’t hurt me. You saved me.”
Chapter 8 - Wanda
Knoxville, Tennessee; 16:58
Wanda woke with a start when a hand shook her shoulder. “What?”
“We did it, babes. Knoxville is up ahead,” Tom said, pointing at a cluster of buildings in the distance.
Wanda yawned, rubbing her eyes to clear her head. “Thank God, we made it. We got past the horde.”
“That’s right. Our roundabout route worked, and they’re behind us for good,” Tom confirmed with a bright smile.
“Could they still catch up?” she asked.
“Not a chance. They can’t move very fast in such big numbers. It will take a few days before they get this far.”
“Excellent. Canada, here we come,” Wanda said, cracking open her window for a breath of fresh air.
“But let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Tom cautioned. “We’re still a long way from the border, and we have no idea what’s in store for us ahead. We need to be careful.”
“I know,” Wanda said, “but this has to work. The further north we go, the colder it gets. The colder it gets—”
“The fewer zombies there are to deal with,” Tom interrupted. “I know. That’s the theory, anyway.”
“It’s not just a theory. It’s a fact,” Wanda said, beaming at the world that flashed by her window. The countryside burgeoned with new life, and green growth covered the bare branches of the trees. Wildflowers poked through the carpet of
