“Thanks,” I say.
She blinks, surprise flickering across her face. Have I been that much of an asshole that she can’t believe I’ll thank her?
“What now?” Sienna asks.
“We wait,” I say. “Barricade the rest of the windows so we’re safe, and hope those things get bored and move on. Then we move.”
“We need cars,” Cameron says. “We should be able to find some in the parking lot that we could use.” He huffs out a laugh. “My sports car is out of question. Unless we strap people to the roof…”
Sienna laughs, “Always wanted to try that out.”
Dakota joins in with a sweet, short laugh I haven’t heard in forever. Her whole face brightens with a smile, cut short the second she notices me staring.
What did I do now?
I clear my throat and scan the parking lot through the window. “We need at least two vehicles.”
The dead inside the gate won’t be a big problem compared to the ones pressing against the gate and the sedan, their collective weight making the metal creak.
It’ll hold for now, but for how long?
“I saw a pickup truck,” Cameron says. “Might have keys in the ignition or…”
On one of the bodies.
I nod. “We’ll check every pocket.”
EIGHT
JULIEN
I splash cold water into my face, trying to fight the exhaustion. After Cameron persisted, I should get some sleep, I managed a whole three hours before my brain decided it was enough, while my body punished me for it.
I wish I could tell it to make up its mind.
The bathroom door squeaks open, making me reach for the machete propped against the sink.
“Hey, don’t stab me.” Cameron raises his hands in mock surrender. “Just your brother, not a brain-eater.”
I grunt and splash another handful of water on my face. “What do you want?”
“Good news, actually.” He leans against the doorframe, shadows under his eyes matching mine. “Those fuckers at the gate? Almost all gone.”
I straighten up and turn off the faucet.
We spent the whole day yesterday searching bodies and purses for keys. It was the only thing we could do while waiting for the hoard to move on. Around 6 in the morning, they did. Adistant car alarm went off, and they’ve been shambling away in groups of three and four.
I grab a towel, rough against my skin as I dry my face. “How many left?”
“Maybe five? Six? Just stragglers at this point.”
This is the first break we’ve caught since the world went to shit. I don’t trust it.
“This could be our chance. Get everyone into cars, make a run for it while the path’s mostly clear.”
“First, we check the cars. Then we prep everything so we can move tomorrow.”
“I’ll grab the keys we collected.” He starts to turn and stops. “Should we tell the others?”
