the small valley and Squirrel had just made it to the door when his partner strolled out, a double-barreled shotgun cradled across the crook of his arm.

“It’s all clear now.” He grinned again as he flipped open the revolver and began replacing the spent cartridges.

“Did you check the back rooms?”

The man shook his head. “If there was anybody else in there, I think they would have come a running when I blew this asshole’s brains across the living room.”

Squirrel groaned and darted inside, the 30.30 leading the way. He went room to room and verified that the building was now empty. As he reentered the living room, he shouldered the weapon and kicked a pile of trash out of the way. He entered the tiny kitchen and tossed open the cabinets.

Nothing.

“What the hell was he doing in here with nothing to protect?”

His partner leaned against the wall and shrugged. “Maybe he hid it?”

Squirrel stood and stretched his neck. “Either way, this obviously ain’t where the truck came from.” He turned and motioned toward the door. “Let’s put some distance between us and here before the ragers come to find out what all the noise is about.”

As Squirrel replaced the carbine on the side of his bike he regretted catching that curtain flutter. Besides killing someone who might one day provide a valuable skill in rebuilding the world, they had gained nothing from the stop. No food. No ammo. No information regarding the truck…just a beat up old double-barreled shotgun and a dead body splattered across the living room of an empty house.

He sighed as he straddled the bike and turned the engine over. “This is going to take forever.”

“Want to split up?”

Squirrel glanced at the man. “You suffer from terminal stupidity if you want to take off on your own.”

His partner suddenly stiffened and glared at him. “You looking for a boot in yer ass?”

Squirrel nodded toward the end of the street and the crowd of ragers sniffing the air. Luckily, they hadn’t been spotted yet. “Go ahead then. Take off. But without somebody to watch your back, you’re liable to run into a crowd like that one.” He hooked his chin back in the other direction. “I’m going back that way. Feel free to head in the other direction.”

He hit the starter button on his bike and quickly turned out of the driveway and away from the quickly advancing crowd of screaming infected. His partner glanced toward the crowd and cursed under his breath. He nearly panicked when his Harley didn’t kick right off and nearly flooded the old engine before he finally got it to catch and roar to life. He left a strip of rubber on the cement driveway as he tried to put distance between himself and the running crazies that were quickly closing the gap.

He caught Squirrel about two blocks from the house and pulled alongside him. “That was a dick move, boss.”

Squirrel fought the smile that threatened to cross his features. “You were the one who wanted to go your own way.” He gave the man an exaggerated shrug. “That was your opportunity.”

The brown-toothed man scowled as Squirrel throttled up and pulled away from him. He narrowed his eyes at the larger bike and the man who sat upon it. “Be careful, boss,” he muttered. “This could end up being a real dangerous trip for you.”

Jason paced nervously as Bren went through the examination process. He chewed at his thumbnail and continually glanced at the small round window embedded in the door. It was crusted with just enough grime that he couldn’t really make out anything on the other side.

He practically jumped back when the door pushed open toward him. “Oh, excuse me.” A woman in green scrubs paused and stared. “I didn’t realize you were there.”

“How is she doc?” He tiptoed and tried to peer past her shoulder. “She okay?”

The woman stripped the rubber gloves from her hands and tossed them into the waste bin beside the door. “She’s fine. Picture of health, other than being a bit malnourished.”

“There’s not exactly a buffet to sign up for out there, ya know.”

“Understood.” She dropped her mask into a cloth-lined basket and pulled the gown from over her shoulders. “Your friend told me how bad things has gotten out there. I’m so sorry you had to endure that.”

Jason crossed his arms and held them tightly, nervously swaying as he spoke. “It is what it is.” He glanced toward the door again, then back to the woman. “Is she coming out?”

“She’s getting dressed.” The woman reached out and took him by the arm, leading him from the door. “Tell me about how she got scratched. She said she was running from one of the infected?”

He nodded quickly and tried to peer back toward the door. “Yeah. They was chasing us and nearly caught her.”

“And you saw the creature actually scratch her?”

He turned and gave her a duh stare. “Who the hell else would do it?”

“I’m just trying to clarify the situation here. I’ve sent her blood work to the lab to check for the virus, but it will be a while before we hear back.”

“I can’t say for no virus, but I saw the guy scratch her. He was screaming his fool head off and his eyes were as red as blood.” He cocked his head mockingly at her. “Sounds infected to me.”

She nodded absently, ignoring his behavior. “We’ll know soon enough. In the meantime, we have a room being made up for the two of you.” She paused and studied him. “You two are together, yes?”

“Of course, we are!” He pushed past her and reached for the door just as it opened. Bren stepped out and kept her eyes low. “Baby, are you okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

She shook her head slightly. “I’m fine. They just took a little blood.”

He pulled her close and held her. “It’s okay. I won’t let them hurt you.”

She pulled back slightly and glared at him.

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