“On your left.” Cameron comes up to my side.
I pivot, blade arcing through the neck of a female corpse in a tattered sundress. Her head drops with a wet thud, body following a beat later.
Thirty-nine.
“Anyone else think this is weird?” Ramirez kicks a severed hand away from the fence. “Two hours before sunrise, they just appeared. Like someone rang the dinner bell.”
“They didn’t even make noise.” Cameron plunges his knife through an eye socket, yanking it out with a practiced twist. “No moans. No shambling.”
I drive my blade between the eyes of a tall, emaciated corpse wearing what used to be a police uniform. “Could be connected to the wolves.”
Ramirez grunts, dispatching the last one with his hunting knife. “Wolves are nocturnal. These things showed up at dawn.”
“Maybe they’re evolving.” Cameron’s voice drops lower, less certain. “Learning.”
The thought chills my blood more than the morning air. “If they’re learning that, we’re fucked.”
Ramirez frowns. “Maybe it was just a group finding its way here. It can happen.”
“I’m not sure.” First, the pack with their coordinated attacks and communication. Now this—regular zombies showing up after two weeks of nothing.
“You think they are coming back?” Ramirez squints at the tree line beyond.
“I think something or someone was controlling this.” I don’t know how. Don’t know why. But instinct screams danger.
“Well, that’s fucking terrifying.” Cameron wipes his sleeve across his forehead. “So. What do we do?”
“Heads up.” Ramirez nods toward the compound. “We’ve got company.”
Sienna jogs toward us. Behind her, moving slower: Dakota, her mother, sister, and father. Anger flares at the sight of Nicklas. Still want to put him through a wall for what he said last night. For all he did to Dakota.
“Hey.” Sienna reaches us first, slightly breathless. “Holy shit.” Her eyes widen at the pile of bodies. “How many?”
“Lost count at thirty.” Cameron plants a quick kiss on her temple.
Dakota reaches us next, stopping several feet away. Her eyes meet mine briefly before sliding away. Something’s wrong. Her shoulders curve inward, like she’s trying to disappear inside herself again.
“What’s happening?” Carmen demands, voice pitched to carry. “Why is the gate blocked?”
“Zombies.” I point at the obvious. “Lots of them.”
“Well, clear them.” Nicklas steps forward. “We need to leave.”
“Leave?” Ramirez’s head snaps up. “Where the hell would you go? Every major city is overrun. Roads are deathtraps.”
“That’s not your concern,” Nicklas says.
What the—Dakota shifts her weight, focused on the ground. Amelia stands slightly behind her, one hand on Dakota’s arm.
“Actually, it is my concern when you’re talking about going through a gate I’m defending.” Ramirez squares his shoulders. “Nobody’s going anywhere until we figure out what the hell is happening.”
“Let’s focus on the immediate problem,” I say. “We need to stay alert tonight.”
Ramirez and Cameron nod.
“The rest.” I face Nicklas. “Stays inside.”
He rumples his nose, then stomps back to his cabin, followed by Carmen and Amelia.
