Looking up quickly, his eyes met Emily’s first, then Rosa’s.
“He was probably only about eight years old or so. I remember looking down at that skinny body. It was lying in a contorted position — you could tell he had died suffering terribly. I just burst out in tears. All I could see was this little boy. He hadn’t done anything wrong! He didn’t deserve this! To suffer like that...” Ben’s expression was one of unbearable pain. “I—I can’t.” His eyes had started to tear up. “That boy. Sorry—I’m so sorry—”
Emily stepped forward and hugged the man. She was crying, too.
Rosa also felt the emotion but held back. They stood there, an awkward trio. Emily let Ben go and went to stand beside Rosa once more. Rosa took one step forward and looked up into Ben’s face.
He looks... broken.
“Ben.” Rosa spoke softly, not wanting to shatter the intimacy. “It’s not over. I thought it was over for me. But now I have a new purpose. A new life. You can have a new purpose as well.”
She didn’t wait for a response. She expected none. The wounds were too raw. Too fresh. She touched Emily on her shoulder and turned towards the door. They were near the doorway when they heard two words, hoarsely whispered from the darkened interior.
“Thank you.”
Chapter 41
Abi
November 8, 10:00 P.M., Jeffersons farmstead
The Jeffersons’s farmhouse had a covered, wraparound deck. The house was also built well away from the barn and the orchards, giving Abi a great view of the surrounding area while also keeping her out of the elements. That had come in very handy for the first hour or so of her watch.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle as the sun neared the horizon. Half an hour later, the rain had completely stopped. Abi could see the clouds moving away to the east, being chased by a strong wind. The sun was almost down, but the nearly full moon and the staggering number of stars seemed to illuminate the area. Abi could see the landscape around her almost as clear as if it was daytime.
The wind carried a good chill with it, though, and Abi wished that she had some gloves and a hat. Abi ran headlong into the wind on every westerly leg of her laps around the farmhouse and quickly grew to dread turning that last corner. However, it was on one of those westerly legs that something caught her attention.
She heard a few soft “yip” sounds. Puzzled, she grabbed her binoculars and had a look around. She scanned the fields and at first spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Then she saw it.
Somebody was moving out there. She focused on the staggering figure. It was a zombie. But something about the situation felt odd. The figure moved erratically. First in one direction, then another. Then Abi caught a flash as a shape passed in front of the zombie. She started scanning closer to the ground and quickly caught sight of it. It was a coyote. Also, it wasn’t alone.
The pack of coyotes yipped and dashed in and out, causing the zombie’s erratic movement.
She watched in fascination as coyotes would dart in and out of the zombie’s range. They started biting and nipping at the zombie. One coyote would dart in front of the zombie, and another would run up behind at the same time to quickly bite at the back of the creature’s calves.
They’re hunting that thing!
After a few of these attacks, a coyote got bold and rammed into the back of the zombie’s legs, making it stumble and fall to its knees. Several coyotes darted in, biting at the arms, legs, and torso of their undead prey. The zombie reached out and grabbed a handful of fur, but the coyote twisted and darted away with a yelp. The rest of the pack backed up warily as the zombie slowly got back to its feet.
And the attack started all over.
The next time the zombie went down, it never got back up. The pack attacked aggressively, at least half a dozen canine jaws snapping down to tear flesh from bone. What Abi saw next made her put her binoculars down for a moment with a thoughtful frown.
They’re not eating it. What the heck?
She looked again. Sure enough, the coyotes would tear chunks of meat from the still moving form with their sharp fangs only to drop them out of their mouths and dart back in for another bite.
This went on for another minute or so. Then one of the coyotes yipped and the pack moved off.
Abi put down the binoculars, contemplating what she had just seen.
They must see the zombie as a threat, but not a food source.
Abi continued her lap, still contemplating this. She was stunned when she got back to the west side on her next lap. A coyote stood less than fifteen feet away from the deck. Abi froze and looked at the animal. Its muzzle was covered in blood and gore. Its eyes shone with reflected light as it coolly regarded Abi.
Abi was tempted to reach for her sidearm, or swing the M4 off her shoulder, but something in the look this animal gave her made her freeze. They faced each other for several long moments, until the coyote turned and trotted away.
Abi realized that she had been holding her breath and exhaled loudly.
What was that about?
She would ponder that for several more laps around the farmhouse, the cold wind all but forgotten.
Chapter 42
Jack
November 8, 11:15 P.M.
Jack lay in his sleeping bag, wide awake. He just couldn’t sleep. And the harder he tried, the harder it was to relax. Too many things were going through his mind.
He had chosen a position near the far wall. There was a window about eight feet from him. It stared down at him, and he looked through it now, amazed at the many stars.
A slight noise alarmed him, so he wormed around in his sleeping bag to
