"Stop," A man jumped from the darkened corner and stood between Clutch and the two zeds. "They won't harm you."
I frowned, my gaze flitting between the man and the pair sitting on the bed.
"They're not violent," The man continued before turning back to the two and stroking their hair. "But, they are special. Very, very special."
The zeds watched us with droll stares. The younger girl cocked her head, but no sign of emotion flickered on her face. They weren't like us, but they also weren't like the other zeds. They were something different.
"They're like Henry," I said softly. "Zen zeds."
The man frowned and eyed me. "You've found another survivor of the infection?"
I watched him for a moment. A sense of familiarity niggled the back of my mind. I raised the candle to illuminate his features. "Dr. Gidar?"
He blinked. "You know me?"
I nodded. "You were in Doctors Without Borders with my father, Dr. Ryan. I met you in Nigeria."
His mouth slowly parted before a smile crossed his face. "Mia? My girl, you're all grown up now. I didn't even recognize you."
"I was twelve during that trip," I replied drily. It had been the best summer vacation I'd ever had.
"Your name is Mia? Seriously?" Griz asked with a smirk. "Like Mama Mia?"
I smacked his arm. "No, like Mia Farrow. My mom loved scary movies."
"We can swap stories later," Clutch growled. "Right now, I want to know why this guy has two zeds in a building with the rest of us with no security to keep them from us."
"I told you," Dr. Gidar said. "These children aren't zeds. The virus didn't take over completely. I'd thought it was something miraculous about their genes since they are siblings, but you said you found another. Tell me about him."
"Later." Clutch pointed to the kids. "Once you secure those two, you're going to come out and tell us what you've been hiding in here."
Without waiting for an answer, Clutch motioned for us to leave, and I found my feet hustling from the room. Too many months of being chased by zeds made me skittish around them. And those two zed kids had haunted too many of my dreams already.
They were the first zeds we'd come across that had a spark of intelligence in their eyes. They were also the first that hadn't tried to eat us when they'd seen us. Instead, they'd stood there, holding hands, and watched us.
That happened before summer hit. Later, Clutch and I had racked our brains trying to figure them out, until we finally gave up. I'd done a decent job at not thinking about them again since we hadn't come across any other zeds like them. Until we'd come across Henry.
Once we reached the hallway, Jase blew out a breath. "Man, Cash. Those kids threw me. They remind me of the pair you and Clutch talked about."
"That's because they are the same kids," I said.
Jase frowned. "But you said you saw those two back near Fox Park. How'd they get all the way out here?"
"I have no idea."
When we emerged from the hallway, the rest of the squadron was waiting for us, armed and spread out across the open area.
"What'd you find?" Marco asked, nodding toward the hallway.
"They've got two Henrys back there," Griz said.
Marco frowned briefly before his eyes grew wide. "No shit?"
"What's a Henry?" Tom asked.
"They're zeds but they're different," Griz replied. "Not openly aggressive, but I still don't trust 'em."
"They have them in the open, with no restraints," Clutch said. "I don't know if they're dangerous, but it would only take one bite to ruin a perfectly good day."
"They won't bite you," The professor said as he entered with Dr. Gidar and Nathan at his side. Nathan carried his baseball bat, and I believed he would defend Caler to the death if he had to.
"They are the key to a vaccine," Dr. Gidar said before taking a seat near the altar. "They are the first subjects we've found who were infected but didn't fully succumb to the zonbistis virus or die, which means they carry the antigen in their blood. They suffered some level of neurological damage, but that their hearts still beat is a miracle in itself."
My jaw dropped. "A vaccine is possible?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it," the doctor replied. "I'm making progress on isolating the antigen, but it's been slow. At the university, I had the resources available, but we didn't have the children. I had hypothesized there would be survivors of the virus, but I had no proof until we found these children while we ran from the herds. The hospitals we've come across have either been bombed, are full of the infected, or have no generators to power the equipment I need to isolate the antigen from the virus and strengthen it to be replicable as a vaccine."
"We have power at New Eden," Tom offered. "And we have a medical staff. If you gave us a list of instruments you needed, we could search for them."
Dr. Gidar lightened up. "You must take us with you. This can change everything."
I glared at Tom for sharing information that no one outside New Eden needed to know.
"Tom," Clutch cautioned.
Tom looked at Clutch and frowned. "Well, it's not like we'd leave these folks behind. New Eden takes in all survivors who don't pose a threat."
"And, we haven't determined these guys don't pose a threat," Clutch said.
"I can assure you that we pose no threat. Additionally, you don't have to take all of us. At least take Richard and the two children," Professor Caler said. "But, Richard's work is far too important. Until we have a vaccine, we'll always be a step behind this virus."
"But, the government nuked the south," Jase said. "The herds are gone. All that's left are the stragglers."
"There's still a government?" the professor asked.
"They dropped warheads on the infected?" Dr. Gidar asked quickly. "That would've killed innocent infected as much as the violent infected."
"Like Caler said," Clutch chimed in. "We were always a step behind. We had to lower their numbers."
"But, that's not...well, I can't condone what they've done," Gidar said. "The south would now be a highly contagious zone."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Consider the case of the fungi found in the tropical forests. You see, there are several species of fungus lumped together and called the zombie fungus in layman's terms. They control the behavior of their host body-ants in this case-until the host body can no longer continue. The fungus then creates spores so that it can spread."
"But this is a virus, not a fungus," I said. "I remember seeing the news."
"Correct," he said. "But this particular virus is operating in a consistently similar fashion, but it is far more potent. Zonbistis controls the behaviors of its host body until the host body can no longer continue, but the virus can be contracted long after its host body's final death. You see, at the university, I tested the zonbistis life cycle in great detail. Not only did the virus survive in the host body nearly four days following death, it became tremendously more virulent until it finally burned itself out."
I frowned. "I don't understand. The virus spreads through bites and cuts. It needs contact with our blood."
The doctor shook his head. "Bites from the infected are contagious, but zonbistis is far more devious than that. When the virus loses its host, it puts all of its energy into spreading itself. I call this component the 'eleventh hour virulence,' and this is the reason why the virus spread so quickly at the outset."
"That's why the blood-coated bullets took down our guys so fast," Clutch mused.
"Bullets were coated with infected blood?" the doctor asked.
Clutch nodded.
"Well, that would certainly pose a high risk," Gidar said. "It wouldn't take someone long to succumb to the virus if it was outside its host body and within the four-day window."
"Holy shit," I said as the pieces began to click. We'd always been careful to avoid coming into contact with zed blood, but we'd all gotten it on us before. Plenty of times. I blew out a breath. "They said the virus started in a bad batch of lettuce and vegetables from the same processing plant. Something must've happened at the plant, and the virus tainted all the lettuce."
"Yes," Dr. Gidar said. "Produce was shipped across the country in under a day. The virus would've been at its highest potency at that point. It explains why people succumbed so quickly."
I swallowed. "We've been lucky."
"Very lucky," Clutch added.
Dr. Gidar continued. "The 'eleventh hour virulence' of zonbistis is precisely why the virus will never be defeated until we become immune to it. Think of measles. We've eradicated it from the U.S. before, but outbreaks continue to occur as long as the virus exists somewhere in the world. We will never completely destroy the virus-that's impossible, but we can better defend against it. There will continue to be outbreaks until we build immunity to the virus. Viruses can lay dormant for weeks, months, even years, and then erupt. We can't be myopic and focus only on the risk of infection today. We have to make the world safe for tomorrow."
I narrowed my gaze upon the doctor. "So, Dr. Gidar, you're saying you can produce a vaccine, which will keep any of us from getting infected?"
"I believe so, yes. But, I need resources, including this Henry fellow you mentioned. He, too, would carry the antigen."
"Give us tonight to talk about it," Clutch said. "If what you're saying is true, it can help end the zed threat. But, you're also talking about bringing zeds into a town filled with innocent people."
"I assure you, they pose little risk," the doctor said. "And, I'm sure we can work out an arrangement where they are secured from the general population."
"We'll be back up here in the morning," Professor Caler said. "To give you time to make your decision. I hope you understand that what you decide can change the entire world."
They came to their feet and headed toward the hallway.
"Wait." Tom jumped up. "You're a doctor, right?"
Dr. Gidar nodded. "I am."
"You need to help Jack. He was bit."
His lips tightened. "I'm sorry. I can't do anything for your friend."
"You don't understand. He was bit by a dog, not by a zed."
"Did the dog look ill?"
"Yeah. It might have had rabies."
He held out his hands, palms facing us. "I can't help him. There's no vaccine."
"He's got zabies," Nathan said. "We lost two of ours to dog bites."
"What Nathan calls zabies is a mutated form of the zonbistis virus," Dr. Gidar said. "It's a less severe strain, where the virus functions much like rabies."
"Are you saying the virus mutated?" I asked.
"Viruses constantly mutate," the doctor replied. "It's their nature. At least this strain only makes the infected sick and doesn't turn them into what we call zeds. In the case of animal bites, the virus runs its course in roughly forty-eight hours for humans. I don't have a lab with the security and equipment to determine a timeline for infected animals."
I swallowed. "What happens after forty-eight hours?"
He watched me for a moment before he understood the repercussion of my question. "At least your friend will not become a zed. Like rabies, this virus has a high mortality rate. He will succumb to the virus and die."
By the tone of his words, it was clear he believed death wasn't a bad alternative. By the raised voices in the room, everyone believed differently.
"There has to be something you can do," Tom demanded.
"I can offer some painkillers. It will ease the pain."
"That's not good enough," someone else said.
"You can't just let him die," another said.
"I am sorry, but I don't have anything to combat the virus," Dr. Gidar said. "Without equipment, power, and support staff, there's nothing I can do."
"Are you saying if we can get you those things, you can help?" I asked.
"No, I'm afraid even with unlimited resources, it could take weeks, or even months, before I make any kind of breakthrough in terms of a vaccine, and that's assuming a breakthrough is even possible. However, a vaccine is a prevention, not a treatment. As I said already, as is the case for rabies, there is no cure."
"What you will do is check on Jack every three hours and make sure he's doing okay," Clutch said after a long silence. "My guys and I are heading out at sunrise. We'll let you know if you're coming thirty minutes before we leave."
"We'll be ready," the professor said before adding with a smile, "In case you say we can accompany you."
Once they left, Clutch walked over to the pew he'd claimed earlier and shrugged off his backpack.
"Dr. Gidar is brilliant," I started. "My father admired him, which says a lot. If anyone can find a vaccine, I bet he could. I don't see how we can leave them behind."
"We'll take them to New Eden and hold them in quarantine until we talk with Justin," Clutch said. "That way, we can ensure they're safe without putting the town at risk. Now, if you're not on watch, get some rest. We head home tomorrow." He laid down on the bench seat and closed his eyes.
I glanced at Jase and smirked. He nodded. Clutch had never been one for long discussions. That I hadn't disagreed with him tonight was a relief. I was too tired to argue with him. Clutch was a lousy debater-he never gave up, no matter how lost his cause was.
Jase and I laid down near Clutch, and my world slipped away within seconds of closing my eyes. Somehow, I managed to sleep until my early morning shift, when Marco woke Jase and me. I was glad to be awake. I had been deep into a vivid dream where the two zed kids were chasing me, and I was trying to run through a deep stream. No matter how hard I pushed myself, I wasn't getting anywhere, while the kids kept walking toward me, holding hands.
I was still breathing heavily when I sat up, grabbed my gear and walked softly around Clutch to not wake him. Jase caught up to me, and we started to walk our first round, stopping to look out every window. He looked grumbly, like he did anytime he woke up, but he never complained when he was on duty.
At the third window, I looked out onto a world bathed in moonlight. As I tried to figure out the constellations, Jase fogged up the glass with his breath and used his fist and fingers to make little footprints on the glass.
"Cute," I said softly and started walking. "I should pick you up some finger paints."
"Watch out. I'd be the Michelangelo of the new world. All the girls would be chasing me," he whispered.
"And Hali will kick their collective ass."
He chuckled and then faked a straight face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, King of Denial."
We continued making our rounds for the next hour until it was time to wake everyone up. Professor Caler and the rest of his group came upstairs soon after. Dr. Gidar stood with the two kids before him, a hand on their shoulders. Everyone had bags, and several carried plastic totes.
"Have you reached a decision?" the professor asked when Clutch had his gear and strolled over to meet them.
"You can come to New Eden. You'll need to go straight into quarantine until you're deemed safe. That's non-negotiable. Can you live with that?"
Professor Caler scanned his people's faces before beaming a wide grin back at Clutch. "Your terms are acceptable. Thank you."
Clutch nodded. "We'll head out when the sun comes up."
"We're ready to go whenever you are ready," the professor said.
As moonlight gave way to twilight, we realized leaving the church would be more challenging than we'd planned.
"Aw, hell," Clutch said at my side.
I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the glass door. When I opened my eyes, nothing had changed. Dogs-hundreds of them-weaved around the trucks, watching us.
"How'd they find us?" Tom asked.
"Dogs have an incredible sense of smell," Jase said. "And, the food supply is slim around here. They've probably been following us since yesterday and finally caught up."
"We'll have to sacrifice some of our food to distract them," I said.
Clutch scowled and motioned everyone to the center of the church. "We'll send a team at a time. One team per vehicle, except we'll leave the car behind in case we need it later. That's six teams. Carry only what you can run with. Leave everything else behind. We may be able to come back for it."
"The children can't run," Dr. Gidar said.
"Then carry them," Clutch retorted. "Team leads are Griz, Marco, Tom, Nick, Randy, and me. Leads, you have five minutes to pick your vehicle and teams. Let's move fast before those packs out there multiply. Trust me, they will get bigger."
"Why don't we wait them out?" someone asked. "You know, like we did at the store?"
"Because once the dogs knew we were in the store, they stuck around. The packs didn't start to thin until we'd stayed hidden for a couple days, and even then, there were too many. It could take a week or longer, and we can't wait."
"Why not?" the professor asked.
"Two reasons." Clutch held up a finger. "One, Jack doesn't have that long. And two," he held up a second finger. "I don't want to get snowed into this church for the winter."
"Snow? What are you talking-"
Clutch cut off the professor's words by pointing outside.
I moaned. "You've got to be kidding me." Sure enough, large snowflakes were beginning to dot the dogs' darker fur and the trucks' windshields. Without a weather forecast, we had no idea if we'd get a dusting or two feet. We hadn't found anyone with a knack at reading weather patterns yet, so we always had to play it conservatively. Without snowplows, it wouldn't take much to leave us stranded.
"But, we cannot leave my equipment behind," Dr. Gidar said. "I can't continue my research without it."
"We'll come back for it later," Clutch said, before adding, "We're heading out. Any more questions?"
No one spoke, and Clutch joined Jase and me in organizing everything we needed to evacuate. I wasn't the least bit surprised that Clutch hadn't named Jase or me as a lead. I didn't take it personally. I would've done the same thing. After all, we were family. We stayed together. Griz should've been with us, too, but Clutch and Griz had a different kind of relationship. I figured it was because they were both Army Rangers and that shared history meant something to them. They were brothers, and both treated Jase and me as though we were theirs to protect.
They had it wrong. We were each other's to protect.
Clutch took Jack onto his team. Since we had Jase's truck, four was plenty. Even at four, Clutch was going to take the back of the truck, which would make for a freezing ride back to New Eden. But, when I pointed that out, he didn't seem to mind one bit.
Each team had a crate of food they would toss out before they ran to their truck. They'd then use their truck to help create a blockade between the next team and the dogs. Griz volunteered his team to go first. Clutch's team would go last. We were the only ones with any ammo, and it was our job to take out dogs that got too close to any of the teams.
Griz's team waited at the door. Clutch and Jase stood at each door, ready to fling them open for the team and yank them closed the moment the team was through. Griz's team consisted of four able-bodied men. Clutch and Griz wanted a team outside to help fight off dogs if things went downhill.
"Ready?" Clutch asked.
"Let's rock and roll," Griz answered.
Clutch and Jase threw the doors open, and Griz's team lobbed out open cans of chicken. Dogs skidded around and dove after the food. Griz led his team as they sprinted out the door, which was closed as soon as they were outside. One dog turned and snapped at Griz, and he hacked at it with his machete. It cried out and fell, but other dogs that couldn't reach the food switched direction to go after the team. Griz had already made it to his truck-one of New Eden's supply trucks. He had the door open, and his men jumped in one at a time while Griz and they hacked at dogs.
Animals yelped and growled but kept coming.
I didn't let out the breath I'd been holding until Griz was in the truck and his door slammed shut. "Thank God," I said breathlessly. "One down, five to go."
Randy's team went next. Then, Nick's. Each time, the food worked, but more and more dogs showed up. Nick's squad spent as much time hacking as they did running. Clutch cracked the door open, and I took shots at the dogs coming up behind the team. One of their team may have been bitten, but at least they all made it into their truck.
Marco's team had the little girl and Tom's team had the boy since everyone thought having both kids on one team could slow down that team too much. Nathan carried the girl, but he moved clumsily with her. Before Clutch and Jase opened the doors, Marco cussed. "Jesus Christ, give her to me." He grabbed the girl, slung her over his shoulder as if she were a rag doll.
"Be careful with her," Dr. Gidar called out, but Marco was already outside.
The other two members of Marco's team were behind him. They threw food, but the dogs didn't go for it. Instead, they lunged at Marco's team. I opened fire at the mobs forming around Marco and his team. I prayed no shots ricocheted off the pavement and hit one of our people. They had nearly reached the truck when my rifle clicked.
"I'm empty!"
Clutch shut the door, but I noticed him gripping his sword. He moved from one foot to the other. A large dog leapt at one of Marco's men, and the man went down.
Marco tossed the girl inside the truck and shoved Nathan inside. Marco then turned for his other man, his features strained when he saw the dogs tearing into the man who had not once screamed during the attack. Though, that likely just meant a dog had torn out his throat.
Marco climbed inside the truck and started it up. Like the others, he pulled around to create a path for us to reach our truck and Tom's team to reach the minivan. Dogs ran under and around the trucks to come at us. The sickest of the animals didn't seem to remember what glass was and ran headfirst into it. Snow flew from their fur with each collision.
"We can't go," Tom said in a rush. "The dogs have learned. They prefer us to the canned food. We'll never make it."
"It must be something about the virus that even this strain makes them crave blood over food," Professor Caler said.
"I believe these dogs suffer from an iron deficiency in the same way those infected with zonbistis suffer," Dr. Gidar replied.
"Write your thesis later," Clutch said. "We've got forty feet between point A and point B with a shit-ton of rabid, pissed off mutts covering every inch. I could use some ideas right about now."
"I say we wait," Tom said.
"Then Jack dies," Clutch said.
"But, he-" Dr. Gidar started, but Clutch's hard glare stopped him.
"And we could get stuck here," Clutch added.
"What if we hide and the squadron heads out slowly and draws the packs away?" Jase offered.
Clutch turned. "Now that is an idea." He picked up his radio and relayed Jase's plan. After locking the door, we followed Tom down the hallway. Dr. Gidar led the boy. Jase had stuck Boy, their small dog, into his backpack. Clutch and Jase carried an unconscious Jack. Behind us, dogs howled. Trying to ignore the sounds, we headed down to the basement because Gidar thought it would provide us the best chance to not be heard or scented by the dogs outside.
Clutch spoke into his radio. "Church is secure. Bug out."
"Affirm," Griz's voice came through the radio. "Squadron is bugging out. Will report in sixty."
The boy tried to walk back upstairs, but Gidar directed him back toward us. The boy then let out a howl, the first sound I'd ever heard him make. And it gave me the shivers.
The sounds of dogs outside grew louder.
Clutch scowled. "Christ, Doc. Shut that kid up or else the dogs will never follow the squadron."
Dr. Gidar bore an agitated expression. "There's nothing I can do. He gets uncomfortable without his sister. She will be even worse. They are quite dependent on each other."
"Can you give him something to settle him down?" Professor Caler asked.
Dr. Gidar shook his head. "He has a compromised system. He hasn't responded well to drugs in the past. I'm afraid it could make things worse."
"We need to give the squadron sixty minutes to draw the packs away," Clutch said.
Jack moaned and moved restlessly. I pulled out a tissue and wiped his sweaty brow. "Sh," I murmured. "Everything will be fine."
Dr. Gidar held the boy, who slowly returned to his vegetative state.
As we sat and waited, I watched the boy. "What's his name?" I asked quietly.
Dr. Gidar looked up. "I don't know. Neither child speaks."
I frowned. "What do you call him then?"
"I call them 'child,'" he replied.
"We decided it was impersonal to give them names that weren't theirs," Professor Caler said.
My brow rose. "More impersonal than calling them 'child?'" I thought for a moment. "I think I'd want a name, even if it wasn't my real one."
"Forty minutes to go," Jase whispered.
"I still hear the dogs out there. It doesn't sound like they've left," Tom said.
"Give the squadron a chance," Clutch said the instant before the sound of an engine and horn broke through the sounds of animals. "See? My guys know how to make a sales pitch."
For the next forty minutes, we sat there, the only sounds coming randomly from Jack and the boy. The boy grew more and more agitated, his jaundiced eyes flitting around the room, as though he was searching for something. The time passed interminably slow. I could hear fewer and fewer dogs. The engines disappeared.
When Griz finally called in, the radio startled me.
"We've led away what we could," Griz said. "But, some refused to follow. There are some hardheaded ones out there. I hate to say it, but the snow is really coming down. These trucks don't have tires for snow."
Clutch spoke into the radio. "We'll take it from here. Head to New Eden before you get stranded."
A pause. "We'll come back for you."
"Don't worry about us. Now, head on home." Clutch lowered the radio and came to his feet. "We have two options. We wait out these animals and run the risk of being stranded here, potentially for a month or longer. Or, we head out of here before the snow gets deeper and face the dogs that are still out there."
"I say we wait," Tom said.
Dr. Gidar shook his head. "No, I need to work on the vaccine. We can't afford to wait."
Professor Caler stood and walked toward the stairs. "There is another way. You're heading home today. The vaccine must be made and distributed."
"What's your plan?" Clutch asked, but the professor had already disappeared up the stairs.
Clutch and Jase hurriedly grabbed Jack and we followed the professor. I glanced back to see Tom waiting for Dr. Gidar who was coaxing the boy into his arms.
Professor Caler stood at the front door. When I reached him, I counted over three dozen dogs on the other side of the glass, watching us with glazed eyes. Caler seemed to stare off into nowhere. "Are you ready?"
"What are you planning to do?" I asked.
He kept staring out through the door. "I'll draw their attention and buy you the time you need."
"You can't do this, John," Dr. Gidar said. "You can't sacrifice yourself."
The professor sighed. "The day of the outbreak, I was receiving my first chemo treatment. My doctor had said that even with the treatments, my chances were only twenty percent I'd make it a year." He turned and faced us. His gaze was tired, showing the type of exhaustion that sleep couldn't fix. "I've had enough of this world. If there's one thing I can do that helps others one last time, then by God, let me do it."
I couldn't speak. Instead, I could only stare at the hard conviction in his eyes.
"We'll find another way," Tom said.
"Every minute you spend trying to find an alternative," the professor started. "More snow and more dogs arrive. Now, I'm stepping out this door in ten seconds. It's up to you if you let my last moments be in vain."
"Thank you, sir," Clutch said.
Professor Caler gave a slight nod and then unzipped his coat.
I pulled out my pistol. It had only one round left in it. I'd always refused to give up that single round in case I needed it for myself, but it felt selfish to hold onto it. I handed it to Clutch. He checked the mag, frowned, and then shoved it into his belt.
Professor Caler pushed open the door and ran with more energy than I'd thought possible. The dogs went after him. I couldn't watch. I burst out the door and swung my machete like a pendulum as I ran toward the truck. Already at least a couple inches of snow covered the ground, slowing my pace. I knew the others were behind me, and I kept running.
The professor screamed in agony as I opened the truck door. I found myself shoved inside with Jack thrown on me. Jase crawled in behind the wheel, and Clutch jumped into the back. Jase revved the engine and threw the truck into gear. The van moved, and I knew Caler's sacrifice had saved all our lives.
After I situated Jack in between Jase and me, I looked out the window to see the professor tangled in a rose bush. He writhed and screamed. A shot rang out in the frozen air. The man's head fell back, and he moved no more.
I looked back to make sure Clutch was safe. He held up a thumb. I leaned back and closed my eyes as Jase slipped and slid out of the parking lot. Jase drove, with the minivan behind us, for about thirty minutes before he stopped, and Clutch squeezed up front with us. It was tight, but he was in no mood to sit in the minivan. I pulled Jack onto Clutch and my laps and checked his temperature every few minutes. "I think his fever may be breaking," I said after the third or fourth check.
The snow kept coming down, and the winds picked up. We drove at a snail's pace. Jase recommended we stay at the place where he'd found his truck, but when I mentioned the people we'd seen on horseback, Clutch decided to brave the roads.
I don't know how many hours passed before Jase pointed. "Home sweet home."
I smiled at seeing the other trucks parked inside the gates. "We made it," I said and patted Jack's chest, only to find it wasn't moving.
Jack had already died.