Page 46 of His to Burn

No people.

None of those shamblingthings.

But the acrid smell of smoke hung in the air, and I heard screams and sirens in the distance. Faint, but unmistakable.

I blocked it all out and stuck close behind Jack as we made our way down the hall and out through the administrative building.

Being outside felt like we crossed the finish line.

The relief came instantly.

And left even faster.

The courthouse and administrative buildings were surrounded by a courtyard that I always found beautiful. Maybe it was odd to think of “beautiful” in connection with government buildings, but this courtyard was special.

It always felt a little an oasis in the middle of all of the concrete.

On the weekends, I’d sit there with a book or watch old ladies power-walk the perimeter.

Now, the courtyard I loved so much was unrecognizable.

I tried to look everywhere at once.

Each thing I saw was worse than the last.

A fire in one of the trash cans burned so hot, the metal twisted in on itself.

An ambulance lay tilted on its side in the middle of the courtyard, its engine steaming and spitting.

I hoped we were far away when it finally exploded.

And the bodies…so many bodies.

Fully intact corpses, bodies that had been ripped to pieces, and everything in between allstrewn on the verdant courtyard like so much trash.

Jack halted, his gaze on the ambulance. “There might still be supplies in there. Stuff that’s not so easy to find,” he said.

My fingertips tingled with anxiety. “Do we have to?”

I hated the way my voice trembled, but Jack didn’t notice.

Or more likely, he didn’t acknowledge it.

After a second, he shook his head. “Not worth it. Keep moving.”

He’d get no argument from me.

I stayed no more than a step behind him as we crossed the courtyard and continued down the cracked cobblestone sidewalk. Jack had drilled in the importance of cover, but there was no cover.

Only chaos.

More fires, more bodies, more vehicles twisted together like perverse art.

One scene stuck out.

A police cruiser lying on its side, the wheels still spinning. Sadly, nothing out of the ordinary during this horrid morning walk, exceptfor the uniformed officer crushed flat under the vehicle.

An officer who was clearly dead.