RU in? - 1st novel in the Ruinsaga series

Chapter 28 .

Lily

It was cold as we stepped out into the morning light. There was a thin layer of slush all around us. It was cold enough that the slush wouldn't melt, but not cold enough for it to turn into ice. Darren and I immediately pulled our jackets around us tighter. I slid my gloved hands up and down my arms in an effort to get warm. Our breath came out in little puffs in the cold air. Hunter seemed unbothered by it.

The streets were quiet except for the occasional moan in the distance. The sky was a clear blue except for a few sparse clouds drifting away. I hoped my sister didn't freeze in this weather. They had been out in it all night, not sheltered like we had been.

"We should get some winter wear somewhere," Darren said as he hugged himself. "And enough for everyone back at camp."

"And I still think we should get some bikes," Lily said, "even if we can't get enough for everyone. We can pack more on the bikes."

"Okay," Darren agreed, "since we are already here," he waved to the bike store. "Although, I don't like being this close to...that other place." He purposefully turned his back to the sign that said RU in?

The glass door had been knocked off the hinges of the bicycle shop. Shards of glass were splattered everywhere. Bikes were knocked over and it was clear that some were missing from their displays. While we looked at the bikes, I said, "Did you know who those people were, Hunter?"

"No," he said. He crouched low inspecting the wheels on one of the bikes. "Why?"

"You seemed to know what to say to them - how to protect me and Darren."

He stood up and went to the next bike, but both myself and Darren were watching him. "It was instinct," he said.

Darren and I exchanged a glance.

"Let's get these ones," Hunter said and began to pull bikes from the racks. "We should also get some bike repair supplies while we are here." He pointed to an area across the store. I left Hunter and Darren as they retrieved the bikes. I grabbed a duffle bag from a display stand and began to fill it with supplies - an air pump, extra bike chains, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, duct tape, zip ties and anything else I thought we might need. I also put in some extra water bottles and some trail mixes. The bag was heavy when I was done.

When I got back to Darren and Hunter, they were tying their packs with the weapons we had gathered the day before to the bikes. Hunter took the heavy duffle bag from me and began to tie it on one of the bikes. I began to tie down the bag I had with the guns and ammunition.

We took the bikes one at a time out to the empty street until all six bikes that Hunter had selected were on the street. We could each ride a bike, use one hand to steer it and the other to guide an extra bike.

"Do you know where we can get coats?" Darren asked quietly.

"We passed a place on our way here," Hunter said. "Let's go."

He led the way back behind the weapon store. It wasn't easy to ride the bikes through the slush and grass. It was slow going. My muscles tired quickly, but I kept going. There were less zombies along the streets than the previous day. I wasn't sure why that was. Maybe because of the slush - except the few we had seen didn't seem bothered by it. Maybe because Hunter and I had killed some on the weapon store. Maybe other people killed some too. Or maybe they were drawn elsewhere.

Hunter stopped behind one of the buildings. We got off the bikes and leaned them up against the building. Hunter tried to open the back door, but it was locked.