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Her brain stopped.
The GPS. Tyler’s GPS.
How could she have forgotten about it? Tyler had used the GPS ever since they'd gotten separated from the group. After almost a year of the satellites having no maintenance, the instructions weren't perfectly accurate, but they were definitely good enough. Plus, they gave verbal instructions, and she was almost positive he had their destination saved somehow on the device. That’s what he’d used to get them to the city in the firstplace. That’s how he was going to find their way to the new settlement.
Tyler’s backpack.She needed to get back to it.
She pushed herself up off the cold floor, standing and dropping the end of the cane down to the ground. “Which direction is the room where—“ The thought of Tyler’s dead body flashed in her mind. She swallowed. “Where’s the room we were first in?”
The woman was quiet for a moment before answering. “Why?”
Maddie shifted on her feet. “Because,” she gritted out, “I need to get his backpack.”
The woman went quiet for another few beats. Then she let out a low cough. “Ten feet down the wall on your right.”
Maddie took careful steps forward back out of the room, feeling the ground with her cane until it hit the wall. Then she trailed her hand along it until it met the next door opening.
She stopped in the doorway.
Something about the smell in there was different—off somehow. It made her heart rate increase, like her body could almost sense something that her brain didn’t.
The scent was thick and metallic. Almost like the smell that clung to her hands after she’d held coins.
Her brain froze.
Blood. It was the smell of blood.
Tyler’s blood.
A sickening feeling entered her stomach, and saliva welled up at the back of her mouth. She threw her free hand up over her nose and mouth, stifling a gag.
The thought of his body lying somewhere near her, leaking blood over the floor, was enough to make her sick.
She bent over, throwing her head to the side just in time as vomit came rushing out of her mouth, splattering onto the ground below.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she couldn’t tell if they were from the sting in her throat, or tears for Tyler.
She gave her body a moment to calm down, desperately trying to ignore the sounds of infected still lurching against the door from the other side.
She wiped the remaining wetness from her face with one hand, then crouched forward, reaching out with her other hand, hovering a few inches off the ground.
When her fingers touched rough fabric, she recoiled out of fear. Then she realized it was too rough to have been clothing. She reached forward again, running her hand over the object.
Buckles.
A zipper.
His backpack.
She let out a small breath of relief as she unzipped the largest compartment. Then she stuffed her hand in, searching for the GPS device.
Canned food.
Clothing.
Then her fingers touched something that felt different than the rest.
She paused her searching and picked up the item, letting her thumb swipe across the top, feeling buttons and then a small wand-like piece sticking out from the top.