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“They’ve got it,” Emma said to Macy. “Let’s go!”

Racing to the truck, Emma pivoted about, making sure that none of the runners were coming around the side of the building. A few stray slow ones shuffled along the road, but they weren’t an immediate threat.

Behind her, the gunfire continued.

“Emma, you’re driving! Hurry!” Juan shouted.

“They just keep coming!” Macy gasped behind her. “There’s more down the road. Slow ones!”

“Cover me, Macy!”

Emma reached the pickup, jumped onto the side step, and rose to her toes to snatch the keys off the roof with her free hand. She didn’t want to let go of her pistol, so she fumbled a little until she hit the button on the car key fob. It didn’t beep, but the locks popped. Yanking the driver’s side door open, she cast a wary look over the road, measuring the distance between the pickup truck and the slower zombies. They were closing in surprisingly fast and would soon be a threat. Macy scurried around the front of the truck to the passenger side.

At the same time, Rune and Juan reached the porch while shooting at several persistent runners in pursuit of the men. The fast zombies were erratic in their movements making them difficult targets.

“Can they make it?” Macy asked, climbing into the truck.

It was always better to think positively even in dire situations. “Yeah. They can.”

A turn of the key brought the engine to life. Foot on the brake, Emma switched gears while Macy slid onto the rear bench. Juan and Rune hurried along the sidewalk toward the truck, weapons at the ready.

Two runners lunged out of the entrance and into the fading daylight. Without dead bodies obstructing their path, the runners headed straight toward the men. Rune had a clearer shot and took both out in quick succession.

The men scrambled to get to the vehicle.

Emma kept an eye out for more runners, nervously checking the mirrors.

Pivoting around, Juan got off a few shots at the shambling zombies closing in on their location. Rune pulled the passenger door open and Juan climbed into the back with Macy. Settling into the seat, Rune slammed his door shut.

“Let’s get out of here, Em,” Juan said, gripping the back of Emma’s seat and leaning forward.

From around the street corner, a small pack of runners appeared and aimed toward the front of the truck. They were fresh, their wounds leaking blood, leaving a trail of gore in their wake.

“Shit! That’s the Vargas kid! One of Ed’s people!” Juan exclaimed, slamming his fist against the console.

“Are those the missing people?” Emma’s heart was beating so hard, she could hear her pulse in her ears.

“Some of them. Shit! Shit!” Distraught, Juan sank back on the rear bench.

“We need to go! Those bastards will punch through a window to get to us!” Macy exclaimed.

Emma started to drive forward, but Rune unexpectedly shouted, “No! Stop!”

Rune stretched out one hand toward an empty spot in the street. “Quiet!”

“We should go. Now!” Macy urged. “More are coming behind us!”

Emma glanced into the rearview mirror and saw that the other woman was right.

Rune slammed his hand on the dashboard. “I said be quiet! I gotta concentrate!”

Macy started to retort, but Juan covered her mouth. A second later, he yelped when she bit him

.

His gaze fastened not on the runners, but something beyond them, Rune frowned, his wrinkles deepening around his eyes. He slumped back in the seat. “Okay, go.”

Seconds before the runners reached the truck, Emma switched gears, reversed, smacked two slow zombies out of the way with the rear bumper, and did a sharp U-turn. She drove fast in the opposite direction, casting worried glances at the runners in her rearview mirror. Following Juan’s terse directions, Emma eventually lost them in the maze of the downtown area. After a few minutes, they headed toward the Fort.