By noon, she’d covered most of the building inside and turned her attention to the outside world. A cold breeze swirled around her feet and tugged at her hair, but the sun felt good on her uplifted face. Its golden rays bathed her skin with warmth, and she wandered among the many trees that dotted the lawn. It was pleasant, but after a while, she became restless. Where’s Alex? They should’ve been back by now.
Amy directed her feet toward the parking lot. A few cars and trucks were parked at regular intervals, but there was no sign of Alex or his party. She found a bench nearby and sat down, swinging her legs back and forth.
A flock of pigeons landed in front of her, and she removed a cookie from her pocket. Breaking it into crumbs, she fed the birds, laughing when they fought over the delicacy. It felt good to be outside. After spending three days cooped up in a dark and gloomy basement followed by a lengthy stay in the ER, she craved the fresh air.
Her memories of her illness was vague. Blurry. She did remember the way Alex had looked after her. She’d been in a bad place. Contracting a vicious infection on top of everything she’d lost; her parents, home, friends, Fort Knox, and Dylan; had nearly proven fatal. But, Alex had been there for her every step of the way, and now it was her turn to show him what she could do. She would prove to him that she could fight and survive in this new world.
Suddenly, a group of people ran past her, their urgency evident in their every move. Two jumped onto bikes and raced away in a cloud of exhaust fumes and smoke. The rest milled about while one spoke on the radio. Finally, they jumped into a Jeep and spun out of the lot at full speed. Except for the guy on the radio.
Amy jumped up and ran toward him, her heart banging in her chest. She didn’t know the man, but that didn’t matter. Something was wrong, and she was determined to find out what it was. Please, don’t let it be Alex and his group.
“Sir, what’s going on?” Amy asked, tugging on the guy’s sleeve.
“Huh?” He turned toward her with a bewildered look. When he saw it was a teenage girl, he frowned. “Miss, you’d better get inside. It’s safer there.”
“Safer inside? What do you mean? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Miss, please do as I say,” he replied, trying to wave her off, but she wasn’t going anywhere until she had her answers.
“My brother is out there, and I’m not going anywhere until I know he’s safe,” Amy insisted, stamping her foot. “Tell me!”
“Your brother? Who’s that?” the man said.
“His name is Alex. He went out on a supply run this morning with Officer Brown and a few others. They haven’t come back yet.”
The stranger hesitated. “I don’t know, Miss.”
“Tell me what you know, please,” Amy begged. “My brother’s the only family I’ve got left.”
“I…okay, fine. There are reports of a massive horde entering the city. They’re moving this way, and we’re going to try and lure them into a different direction,” he replied.
“What does that have to do with my brother?” Amy asked.
“Maybe nothing, but the horde is moving through the part of the city where they’d gone to gather supplies.”
Amy paled, the blood leaving her face in a rush. “Are they dead? Did the zombies catch them?”
“We don’t know yet, Miss. Maybe they were lucky and got to cover in time. If they did, they’ll be fine,” he answered.
“But what if they didn’t? What if they got trapped? Caught? Surrounded?” Amy cried as one horrifying scenario after the next rushed through her mind.
“You mustn’t think like that, Miss. Be positive,” the man said. “I’m sure they’re fine. Officer Brown isn’t the type to be caught with his pants down.”
“You don’t know that. How can you?” she asked. The mere thought of losing Alex was enough to make her want to curl up and die. She swayed as a fit of dizziness hit her, and the stranger reached out to steady her.
“Come on, Miss. Let me help you inside. There’s nothing you can do out here,” he said, helping her back toward the hospital. “Besides, we’re going on lockdown until the threat has passed.”
“Lockdown?”
“Yes. That means no noise, no lights, no movement until the horde has left the vicinity,” he explained as they walked. “We have to protect our people.”
“Protect the people,” Amy repeated in a faint voice. But what about Alex? Who’s protecting him?
She allowed the man to lead her back to her room where he handed her over to Dr. Williams. The doctor was not a happy man, his pen tapping against her file in a manner that indicated he was upset.
“Where have you been? You missed lunch, and we’re on lockdown, little lady. Or haven’t you heard?” he asked as his greying brows knitted together.
“I heard,” Amy replied, sinking onto the side of the bed. In truth, she didn’t give a crap about either the lockdown or the missed lunch.
Dr. Williams paused in the middle of his tirade. “Are you alright? You look pale.”
“I’m fine. It’s Alex,” Amy said.
“What about him?” Dr. Williams asked.
Amy told the doctor about the supply run, her gut twisting with misery the entire time. “He might be trapped or even dead. I have no way of knowing.”
To her surprise, Dr. Williams snorted. “My dear, you are worried for nothing. Your brother is much tougher than he looks. The same goes for Officer Brown. That man is
