Page 63 of Bound in Ashes

The third reached for Asia.

I grabbed it by the throat, driving it backward into the fence, and didn’t stop stabbing until it stopped moving.

The fourth⁠—

A gunshot cracked.

The zombie’s head snapped back. It dropped.

I turned.

Christopher lowered his gun, breathing hard. “Got the last one.”

I stared at him, his hands still shaking.

Dismissed the rage that made me want to rip him apart.

Then I looked at Asia.

She was pressed against the fence, eyes wide, knife still raised. Blood spattered across her shirt.

Her chest heaved with each breath.

But she was alive.

Alive.

“You okay?” My voice came out rougher than I meant.

She nodded, but I saw the tremor in her hands before she fisted them at her sides. Saw her swallow hard, composing herself.

By the time Christopher jogged over, her mask was back in place.

“Thanks for the assist,” he said, casual as hell, like he hadn’t just stood there while she was about to get torn apart.

I didn’t trust myself to answer.

Instead I watched Asia as she went to the man who lay on a lawn holding his own guts.

“We shouldn’t let him suffer like this,” she whispered.

“I mean, we can’t just—” Christopher breathed in sharply when I stabbed the man in the eye and twisted.

Asia watched every second, her expression unreadable.

But I only looked at her for a moment.

Now, I was focused on Christopher.

“You did good back there, Jack. Quick thinking. And, um, here as well.”

I looked at him.

At his clean knife.

At his hands that had finally stopped shaking.

“You froze,” I said.