Race to Refuge

Chapter Nineteen: Mallory

"So they're gone. Like, long gone, right?" I asked. I didn't like our chances against a group of armed men. Again, I felt that urge to start driving away with Ginny as fast as I could to the border with Virginia.

Ginny shrugged. "I guess so. They stopped and let me out and then took off. They were leaving pretty fast. There was a ...Mom had left a CD in the van. It was ABBA. They had the windows down and they were playing the music as loud as they could and whooping and hollering." Her face was more stoic now, even though I saw another tear join the first one.

"Your Mom and Dad. They ... you were separated from them?"

"My brother said they didn't make it." She looked gravely at me.

"And your brother ... Ty ... he didn't come back?"

"He's still in the woods," said Ginny in a matter-of-fact voice.

I really wasn't wild about hunting in the woods for Ginny's brother. In all likelihood, he had suffered the same fate as Ginny's parents. That meant, if we did find him, we'd be running away from him at top speed. And how devastating would that be for the poor girl? But I wasn't sure I was going to be able to persuade her to leave. And there was no way I was going to leave this child here. I felt an instant pull toward her, an instant connection.

"How about this?" I asked, slowly. "How about if we call for Ty for a few minutes and satisfy ourselves that he's not close by? Then ... well, where were y'all heading? Was there somewhere Ty was trying to get to? Because maybe he found a ride, too."

I could tell Ginny felt really torn. "I just don't want to leave him here. He came and got me from school and everything. But I guess we could go to Nana's. That's where we were heading. Maybe that would be the best place to meet up."

I listened carefully to her as she was working through it. Then I nodded thoughtfully. "I think you're right. The woods go on for miles and miles and you said Ty was being chased pretty far in. Then you were driven away from where you started out. So we could search and search and miss him. He sounds like a very smart kid. And a resourceful one. He would think to try to meet up with you at your Nana's house." If he was in full possession of his mind, that is.

"It's not really a house: it's a retirement home," she said. She was quiet for a few minutes and I didn't speak either.

Finally she said, "I want to look for him for a few minutes at least. I can't just drive away. Can we just walk through the woods for a little while?"

"Of course we can," I said, stifling a sigh. "But we can't be too loud. I think these zombies are attracted to noise. So let's look. And maybe we can call him really quietly. And if we see a zombie, run as fast as we can."

I pulled the car off the road. Actually, I was able to pull it into the woods pretty far, despite the tree cover. If there were bands of men roaming around and stealing cars and supplies, I didn't want to be the next victim.

We set off into the woods. Ginny's face was hopeful and apprehensive. I wasn't looking forward to the moment when her hopeful attitude was completely dashed. She walked slightly ahead of me, head turning from side to side as she searched for her brother. I took up the rear and was looking for any lurching figures that weren't her brother. Occasionally, we'd stop and she'd call out softly.

We saw no one and nothing until about thirty minutes into our walk. The sun was going down and I was started to feel uneasy. That's when a ramshackle shack came into view. It had what looked to be a galvanized metal roof with tattered curtains hanging in the window.