“Where do you live, Shay?”
“Back yonder,” she said and pointed with her chin.
“Is your momma and daddy there?”
“Yeah, but they ain’t regular. My momma pulled at my hair and wanted ta bite me. My daddy did too, so I ran as fast as I could. I was scared,” she said, her voice shaking now. He squeezed her tight.
“You’re safe now, darlin’. Don’t you worry none, ol’ Reggie’s got you.” He smiled when she nodded her head and nibbled on her food. Her legs were beginning to swing and he felt her body relax against him. He looked around and thought. He’d need to get her some shoes; she couldn’t walk around like this. Maybe some clothes too? He sighed heavily and looked down on her bent head. His hand came up to smooth back the wild hair and he tucked it behind her tiny shell of an ear.
Ž
Xander bent to pick up the bags in the lobby. Zahara had her pack slung over her shoulder and was holding a bottle water when all three turned at the sound of a door opening down the hall. A blond man stuck his head out and looked at the trio.
“Y’all got guns?” he asked and then a woman appeared behind him.
“Can we come with you? We’ve been stuck in this hotel, afraid to leave,” the woman said, her face tired and drawn. The two moved out of their room cautiously and three children followed.
“We heard the shot and I’m fair certain that zombies can’t shoot. Can you spare a gun, so I can protect my family?” the man asked, walking toward them.
Xander looked to Ethan and then to Zahara. The strangers hadn’t mentioned the werewolves so he thought perhaps they’d not seen the carnage outside.
“We’re thinking about heading to a gun store, maybe you can pick something up there,” Xander said, eyeing the three children. Two boys, twins by the look and a girl about eleven. Their faces were pale and their eyes large with fear.
“I think there’s a gun place over on University Drive. At least I think I saw one when we passed by yesterday,” Ethan said.
“I’m Jess Reeves and this is Beth,” Jess said, nodding at his wife. “Those are our kids, the twins, Mike and Luke and Lauren, our oldest.”
The trio of assassins nodded back. Zahara turned and walked out the door and Jess looked at Xander in question.
“She’s not a talker. If you’ve got any gear, go get it now, we’re leaving before too many more of those things show up,” Xander said and turned. He wasn’t going to wait around for these people to pull their shit together. Why had they just stayed locked up? Why didn’t they leave and gone home? It didn’t take a genius to figure out where the guns were and they could have looked up the information online. Were these people hoping that the police or military would come save them? He didn’t know and really didn’t care. He needed to keep himself and Zahara safe. He looked over at Jess who was hustling his family to an SUV, his head turning and looking at all the bodies that littered the parking lot of the hotel. The children were now crying as Beth shoved and moved them like a sheepdog. Each child holding an overstuffed backpack.
“Follow behind us, but keep up. We won’t stop until we get to the store,” Xander said as he opened his truck door. He lifted his Glock with the modified suppressor and shot a zombie that was heading toward the SUV. Beth squeaked and almost screamed but slapped her hand across her mouth.
He heard Zahara’s weapon as she shot two more walking undead. They really needed to get on the road. He pulled out and rolled over several bodies. There were bits and pieces strewn all over from their earlier fight. It was kind of unnerving, the quiet. He was used to quiet at home but not in the middle of a city. There was rapid gunfire in the distance, maybe a few blocks away. Then there was silence. It was also an odd feeling to see nothing moving. Cars scattered but silent and still, no buses coming or going. He looked up into the sky and saw turkey buzzards, crows and other birds flying in languid circles. Flies bounced off the window and after a while, he had to roll the windows up. It would be hot and stuffy inside the cab but it was better than sucking down a bloated fly filled with zombie goo. Everyone was silent in the truck, deep in their own thoughts.
He glanced to make sure that the SUV was following. He was not here to babysit these people. He had never been a fan of interacting with the public and if this family was any indication of what was out there, these people were in trouble. Holing up in a hotel room until someone came to help wasn’t smart nor practical. The man should have already gone out
