Page 197

Saff looked over the last body, studying the chest wound. “They’re fresh,” she said. “Must’ve just recently been turned.”
He leaned over beside her as she pointed to the blood soaked white shirt of the one before her.
“Bullet wound.”
He leaned in, studying it for a moment. “You think it’s from the gunshots we heard yesterday?”
Saff pursed her lips, wiping the last of the blood from her knife against the clean pants of the zombie. “Maybe. Hard to say for sure.”
She stood, scanning the surrounding woods one last time, before returning the knife to its holster. “Come on.”
They turned, trudging back to the group that still stood in the middle of the clearing.
As they approached, Saff pulled her inhaler out, taking a deep puff before resuming her spot at Maddie’s side.
“Everything okay?” James asked, looking between her and Josh.
She nodded as Maddie took her arm.
“How—how much farther for today?” Erin asked, her teeth chattering as the breathless words tumbled out. She had one arm draped over James’ shoulders, her leg bent as she leaned into him.
Saff watched James adjust his own body beneath the weight, a slightly pained look on his face.
Since Josh had hurt his leg, they hadn’t been able to split helping her walk, and Saff could see the exhaustion finally dawning on the man’s face.
“We’ve been slower today,” he answered a bit breathlessly. “We still have a way to go before the sun goes down.”
Erin frowned, but gave him a small nod of acceptance.
Saff turned to Maddie, lowering her voice. “I think your dad and I should switch. He can walk with you and I’ll help your mom.”
Maddie’s hand tightened on her, but she nodded nonetheless. “Yeah. Okay.”
Saff looked up at James. “Lets switch for a little while. I’ll walk with Erin.”
He gave her a small, appreciative smile. “Thanks.”
She knew firsthand that exhaustion could be just as deadly as anything else. And the last thing they needed was to be too tired to effectively watch out for signs of danger, or quickly get away if they needed to.
They slowly moved past the clearing, back into the cover of the trees. But even with the extra protection from the wind, the temperature felt like it was dropping more and more by the minute.
They struggled up the steep slope of another hill, Josh limping up at the front, while James and Maddie stayed in the middle of the group. Saff and Erin were the slowest, but still, she preferred to be at the back of the group, making sure nothing could sneak up on them.
By the time they all reached the top of the hill, the ground finally evening out beneath them, they all stopped, catching their breaths.
She and Erin hobbled to where James and Maddie stood, drinking from their water.
“Can I—“ Erin started, her breaths coming out in quick pants, “Can I sit for a second?”
Saff lowered her down onto a rock, then took out her inhaler. She caught the look on Maddie’s face as it hissed, releasing the burst of medication into her lungs.
“I think we should stop for the day,” Maddie said in a way that was more of a command than a suggestion.
James immediately glanced down at Erin as he said, “I agree.”
Josh took a few steps toward them, limping on his injured leg.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his breathing just as ragged as her own after the climb. “We’re gonna fall behind the schedule if we don’t at least make it another few miles today.”