Zion grabbed his weapon as he passed it, and they skidded to a stop twenty yards away to glance back at the horde pouring into the camp.
“Where’s the meeting spot?” Zion asked.
The man pointed. “Two blocks over,” he replied.
“Let’s move, then,” Zion said, and took off running in the direction indicated.
They ran down a side street, zombies in lumbering pursuit. As they came to the second intersection, they saw the two transport vehicles loading up, as well as several trucks with armed men standing guard.
Zion looked around, seeing Calvin and Mateo having returned, and let out a sharp whistle to get their attention. He waved and then jogged over to Wendy and Monique.
“We need to leave,” he demanded.
The redhead nodded tersely. “We’re almost there.”
“So are those things,” Zion urged.
She nodded and ran back towards the house, pointing at a few guards in the process that followed her. A few moments later, some of the guards began firing in multiple directions. Zion stepped out to the road, looking in the direction of the main gate, and saw dozens of creatures coming around the corner. Just up the side road he’d come down, the group he’d tried to hold off from the hole in the fence was already working their way towards them.
Monique approached, patting his shoulder affectionately. “Don’t worry little brother,” she said gently, “we will rebuild this place.”
“I know,” he growled, “just pisses me off that we’re losing all this hard work because some dumbass military bastard decided to launch a couple missiles our way.” He clenched his fists.
She swallowed hard at the look in his eyes, the anger brewing within him. He’d already had to deal with rogue military elements when the apocalypse had begun. She leaned over and hugged his shoulders, talking softly into his ear.
“Stay calm, little brother,” she cooed. “Still a lot to get done today.”
Her voice calmed him, and he took a deep breath, knowing that she was right. They still had to get these people out and to the safety of the apartment complex. At least, he hoped that was still a viable plan.
“Thanks, sis,” he said, and patted her hands.
She let go, and they turned to see Wendy and her guards carrying an elderly woman from the house and into the transport.
“This is the last of them!” the redhead barked. “Let’s roll!” She raised a hand and whirled it above her head.
Calvin and Mateo approached Zion, and the trio jumped into their truck that someone had pulled away from the front gate.
Calvin patted the passenger door as he got in. “This thing is gonna need a new paint job,” he quipped as he noted the blood and guts all over it.
Zion stood up, planting his foot on the driver’s seat to gain height so everyone could see him. “Follow me out of here!” he bellowed, and everyone honked their horns in acknowledgement.
He ducked back inside and stared up at the truck, doing a one-eighty in the road and heading for the hole in the wall.
“Where we going?” Calvin asked.
Zion raised his chin. “Gotta hope that the hole in the wall is clear,” he said.
“And if it’s not?” the sniper asked.
Zion just glanced at him while grabbing his seatbelt and fastening it with one hand.
“Aw, hell,” Calvin groaned as he tapped Mateo, squishing over so he could belt them both in.
Zion made the turn on a side street before turning on the main road towards the hole in the fence. He was relieved to see that the road was mostly empty, with just a few badly damaged ghouls shambling behind the main horde.
The corpses bounced off the front of the truck as they approached the hole, and Zion punched the gas to make sure they cleared the way in case anything was just outside the hole. As they cleared it, he made a left, away from the camp. The road in front was clear, so they paused to let the rest of the caravan get out. He honked his horn before resuming the journey, hitting the gas.
“Homeward bound!” Calvin declared.
Zion pursed his lips, anxiety thrumming through him. “Assuming it’s still there…”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Zion led the caravan towards the apartment complex along the interstate. Several zombies dotted the road, but they were spread out enough that they posed no threat. As they drove up, there was a huge plume of smoke in the general direction of the apartment, putting the men on edge.
“We’re still a ways away,” Calvin said hopefully, clutching his knees. “It doesn’t look like it’s that close.”
Zion took a deep breath. “Calvin.”
“I’m just saying man,” the sniper babbled, “I can see that look on your face and-” He stopped short at the hard glance from his friend, and clamped his mouth shut.
As they got close to the exit, an overpass over the road to the complex, and saw a guard standing there that waved them down.
“Oh thank the good lord you’re back!” he gushed as they pulled up.
“Calm down man, what’s going on?” Zion asked, holding up a hand.
The guard scrubbed his hands down his face. “It’s home, man!” he cried. “One of those bombs got dropped a mile or so past us and it’s drawing a whole mess of those things towards ‘em!”
“How many?” Zion asked.
The guard shook his head, eyes wide in fear. “Hundreds at least,” he replied. “We were leading a small group up the interstate, some that broke off from that big horde from this morning when that boom happened. They just stopped paying attention to us and started going up the road!”
Zion’s gaze darkened. “Why the hell didn’t you do anything?”
“We tried, but this was a group of trainees on their first highway detail,” he explained, shaking his
