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“Shit!”

Bill tried to change the channel, but the electronic screech continued.

Finally, he turned it off.

“Must be something interfering. A storm or something,” he said in confusion.

Jenni nodded and checked her wound. It was not bleeding as badly.

The darkness of the night washed all around them, chasing away the brilliance of the sunset and soon they were submerged in inky blackness.

“I liked them,” Jenni said, finally.

“Me, too,” Bill answered. “They were both great guys. ”

Abruptly, the cab was filled with a bright, white light and they were both instantly blinded. The red truck veered off the road, through the brush, and impacted hard against a fence post.

Inside the truck, nothing stirred.

Chapter 10 1. Full Circle Jenni swam up from the depths of unconsciousness, her mind spinning and her body spasming. She fought to wakefulness, pushing her eyes open, straining to see.

There was a loud ringing in her ears that made her feel sick to her stomach.

Something bad had happened, but fragments of memory eluded her as she grasped for them.

Where was she? Was she in a truck? The truck had crashed! But she wasn’t in a truck; she was on a bed or cot. She had been in a hospital

, but they had escaped. Hadn’t they? Suddenly, she wasn’t too sure.

And were there zombies around?

She forced herself to sit up completely, her eyes fighting to close.

Everything was white and bright around her, blurring her vision, making her feel even more woozy. A dark figure lurched toward her and she could barely discern the mottled green that covered it.

With a short scream, she kicked out, striking the shape firmly in the chest with the heel of her boot. She heard it moan and fall back.

Dimly aware of her surroundings, she staggered to her feet and saw another figure moving toward her.

“Fuck off,” she growled, and backed away from it.

It continued toward her and her swimming vision made it hard to see. It grabbed her wrist firmly and it made a noise, but she could not hear it through the ringing in her ears. Her elbow came up sharply into the thing’s face.

With a startled cry, it let go of her, dropping back.

Spinning away from it, she stood on unsteady legs trying to figure out where the hell she was.

Finally, her vision slightly cleared and she made out the red of an exit sign over the door.

Then the door opened and another mottled creature entered. Her hand hit something hard as she scrambled to get out of its way. She grabbed it, with the dull realization that it was the back of a chair. She swung it hard, but the creature was ready and deflected it. Then she saw the dark shape raise something.

Seconds before she lost consciousness, she realized the shape was wearing army fatigues.

* * * * * “How did it go?”

“She hurt two of my people,” the First Lieutenant responded. “I think she thought they were zombies. ”

“She caught them by surprise. She’s the weaker one. Try again. ”