Saul dropped his arm, the smoking barrel of a Beretta between his fingers.
“Why did you do that?” Mara screamed, her eyes wild. “I had plans for her. Plans!”
Froth appeared on her lips, and Dylan thought she’d gone mad. “Mara, please. He saved your life.”
Mara remained crouched like a wild animal, heaving for breath. Suddenly, her face cleared, and she straightened up. “You’d better leave before the zombies show up. They’ll be drawn by the shot.”
“What about you?” Dylan asked. “It’s not too late. You can still come with us. Lila is dead now.”
Mara pointed her knife at the nearest person who happened to be Seth, the leader. “I’ve got unfinished business with him. With all of them.”
“Mara, no. You’re not a killer,” Ethan cried. “Leave them.”
Mara smiled. It was a cold smile, and she dropped to her knees beside Seth. Her knife hovered above his jugular. “Leave now, Doctor. You don’t want to see what I’m about to do to this man.”
Ethan shook his head. “This isn’t you, Mara. You’re better than this.”
“Not anymore,” Mara said, her voice dropping to a low whisper. “Please, Ethan. I’m asking you to leave.”
“Mara.”
“Go away!” Mara screamed, her expression growing wild once more.
Dylan stepped back with a shudder, drawing Ethan with her. In Mara’s gaze, she saw a reflection of herself. She saw madness. There was no going back. Not for Mara, and maybe not even for herself. “Come on, Ethan. She’s made up her mind.”
“We can still save her,” Ethan insisted.
“No, we can’t,” Dylan said with cold finality.
Saul stepped forward. “Dr. Hayes. It’s time to go. She’s made her decision. Respect it.”
Without looking at Ethan, Mara took out her gun and got to her feet. She weaved through the passed out party-goers, pumping bullets into each of their chests.
“You’d better run before the nasties get here,” Mara said. She pointed at Seth. “I’ll leave him for last.”
The shots rolled around them like thunder, and Dylan knew they were out of time and options. “Come on, Ethan. Let’s go.”
“But, what about Mara?” he asked, still unwilling to give up on the girl.
“You heard Saul. The only thing we can do for her now is to respect her decision,” Dylan said, tugging on his arm.
She led him toward the Humvee, and he followed like an automaton. They squeezed into the seat, clambering over the bags and other supplies while Tara got into the front. Saul jumped behind the wheel and reversed out the gate. As they exited the school, the first infected ran howling across the road behind them, heading for the entrance.
Dylan looked away, fixing her gaze onto the distant stars. They were cold and distant, much like Mara’s single remaining eye had been, and she could only hope that the girl’s death was swift and painless.
Ethan reached out and gripped her hand, his face stricken. She squeezed his fingers, offering what little comfort she could. Beneath his breath, she heard him utter his parting words to his former patient and friend. “Goodbye, Mara. I’m sorry, I couldn’t save you.”
Chapter 22 - Alex
When Alex woke up, it was to complete and utter silence. He frowned, trying to pinpoint the lack of sound. Then he realized what it was: the zombies were gone.
“Amy,” he cried, shaking her shoulder, afraid she’d slipped away while he slept. To his immense relief, she stirred and muttered something incoherent. She was still alive.
“The zombies are gone. We can leave,” he said, a grin plastered all over his face.
She didn’t answer, and it dawned on him that he’d better hurry if he wanted to save her life. Without wasting another moment, he jumped up and ran to the top of the stairs. After listening at the door for several minutes, he removed the barricade, one piece at a time.
With his rifle reloaded and on full-automatic, he cracked open the door. Sunlight flooded into the gap, and he was nearly blinded. After more than three days spent in the basement, his eyes needed time to adjust.
Alex stepped into the kitchen, not surprised to find it wrecked. The zombies had gone wild, trashing everything in sight. The front door hung on broken hinges, and all the windows were out. Blood and gunk decorated every surface, and the yard was trampled to dust. The walls hadn’t escaped punishment either and had been pushed over in several places. “Holy crap, is nowhere safe anymore?”
There was no time for sightseeing, however. He needed to move and move fast. After a quick recon, he determined that all the zombies were gone. Not a single one remained.
Alex ran back into the basement and loaded a few packs with everything they needed, including plenty of weapons and ammunition. He carried it to the spare truck that stood parked in the garage. It was the only place the zombies hadn’t broken into other than the top floor.
Grabbing a blanket and cushion from upstairs, he prepared a bed for Amy in the backseat. Her body felt as light as a feather when he carried her out of the basement, wasted away by fever and illness. “Hold on, Sis. Don’t give up yet.”
Once she was tucked in, Alex jumped behind the wheel and reversed out of the driveway. He headed straight for Radcliff, praying he could find what he needed to save his sister’s life. He also hoped the horde was gone, and that they hadn’t moved into the city. If that was the case, they were both doomed.
Alex entered the town with caution, slowing down despite his urge to race to the nearest pharmacy. He had to play it smart. But he’d driven scarcely a mile when two police cars pulled out of a side alley and forced him off the road. Boxed in, he had no choice but to pull over. Men dressed in full uniform scrambled out of the police vans and hunkered down behind them, their weapons trained on him. Four guns. Too many for him to take down.
Nonetheless, Alex
