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Saff watched the two birds flutter down onto the ground, pecking at the dewy, glittering grass. “What about Brighton?”
Maddie released a sigh, running a hand through her hair. “What about it?”
“What if they’re already there?”
Maddie didn’t answer.
Saff tilted her head, watching her. The bunker—or at least where she thought it might be—wasn’t too far out of the way. And she’d already been with Maddie for a few days. A little longer couldn’t hurt.
Besides, Maddie wasn’t exactly wrong every time she made a joke about helping her. With the pain in her side growing worse by the minute, it might not be a bad idea to stay with another person. It might even be safer—give her a better chance of survival.
She turned the thought over in her head, weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, she cleared her throat. “I’m going to a bunker. Or—well—I’m going to try to find it.” Maddie cocked her headslightly. “It might not be there anymore, but,” Saff continued, “it’s my best bet.”
Saff cleared her throat again, some part of her brain still trying to convince her not to say the words that were about to come out.
“You can come with me if you want. It’s a little out of the way, but still closer to Brighton than you would be here.”
She’d halfway expected some teasing retort, just like the last time she’d given in to the idea of them traveling together.But this time, Maddie’s face didn’t change. She just sat there quietly, her hands fidgeting with the white cane in her lap.
After a few moments, she muttered, “Okay.”
Chapter ten
They’d been walking for hours, and Maddie could feel Saff’s shoulder sagging further by the minute. But she rejected any concern that entered her mind. They would soon part ways for good, and she needed to worry about her own safety. She needed to try to remember that this person was someone who had once tried to kill her, and they were only traveling together for the mutual benefit—nothing more.
Still, each time she heard Saff’s labored breaths, or felt her stride slowing, Maddie couldn't help the worry that bubbled in her chest.
That back and forth in her mind went on for an hour or so, and right when she was about to say something and check in on how she was feeling, Saff suddenly jerked to a stop.
“Shit,” she hissed, pulling them both sideways.
“What's wrong?” Maddie asked, her anxiety spiking.
Saff pulled her until she felt the ground soften beneath her feet, like wet earth or grass.
“Get down,” Saff whispered, pulling her down to a crouched position.
Maddie waited quietly, tucking her cane under her arm and placing her other hand on Saff’s shoulder for balance.
“What is it?” Maddie asked again.
“Zombie horde.”
"Really?" Maddie asked, surprised.
"Usually, they don't come this far outside the city," Saff said, "unless they're chasing something."
"Like what?"
"Anything. Caravans moving through. Big groups of people traveling."
The thought of her group—her family—immediately entered her mind. What if they'd been attacked again? What if they were nearby, on the run?
"What do we do?" Maddie breathed.
Saff stayed quiet for a few moments before letting out a frustrated exhale. "We're going to have to go a different way to avoid them. With a horde this big, stragglers can hang on the outskirts for miles." She let out another frustrated breath. "It'll add another few hours."