“Just stay together,” I said.

Lia and Harlow held hands, huddled together, and Harlow reached out to take Vega’s hand, including her in their circle. Lazlo stayed close to them, and he picked up a metal rod, giving himself a makeshift weapon.

Over the past few months, I had learned how to fight against manic raging monsters. Pvt. Beck spent hours teaching me how to shoot, how to fight, but all his lessons were designed with zombies in mind. They were the enemy. So the one thing I was unequipped for was something logical and intelligent.

When a bullet whizzed past my head, so close I could feel the breeze on my temple, and blasted through the window on a house across the street, I knew we were in trouble.

Lia screamed, and she and Harlow ran away from the shattering window, assuming that was where the shot came from. But they were actually running towards the shooter.

I yelled to stop them, but I realized too late that we were already surrounded.

– 11 –

A red Toyota riddled with bullet holes sat on the side of the road, and I rushed at Harlow, Lia, and Vega, pushing them into the side of the car. Ripley disappeared, hiding in the chaos. Blue and Lazlo stayed on the other side of the street and jumped behind a bloody sofa that had been left on the curb.

The air was rattled with the sound of gunfire, none of it coming from Blue or me.

Nobody had closed in on us yet, but I saw them running across the street or repositioning themselves amongst the garbage they used as barriers. I couldn’t be sure how many there were, but I had seen at least three, not counting the mystery shooter who’d nearly blown my head off. He was the one doing all of the shooting so far.

Our assailants appeared to be mostly men. They weren’t army, but they had on military based outfits, with a hobo twist. Some kind of army surplus black and gray camouflage with dirty, ragged black civilian clothes layered with it.

They came from the north side, so we could either retreat back the way we came or go over to the side where Blue and Lazlo were hiding.

Bullets peppered the car, making a horrible tin sound as they bounced off. Harlow covered her hands over her head and screamed. I crouched next to her, aiming my gun at the street in front of us.

When one of the men ran across the road, I fired, hitting him in the leg. He pulled the trigger on his gun, shooting emptily into the air.

“Go!” I shouted, waving my arm for the girls to run across the street to the couch where Blue and Lazlo hid.

Harlow was too curled up to notice me, but Lia was paying attention, so she grabbed Harlow and darted over, with Vega close by them.

As soon as they started running, I stood up and looked over the Toyota, searching for the guy who had been shooting us. After I shot one of his friends, he stopped shooting. I didn’t know where he was hiding, except the bullets were coming from higher, so I just started shooting out all the windows in the second story of the houses.

I took a step back, walking backwards to the couch. The guy I had shot earlier sat in the middle of the road, nursing his leg wound. Nobody came out to help him, but in the bushes nearby, somebody started shooting at me.

Blue shot at him. I’m not sure if he hit him or not, but I ran backwards, still pointing my gun at the houses, and nearly fell over the couch.

“Why are they shooting at us?” Lia asked, her arm wrapped tightly around Harlow.

I was catching my breath, so I just shook my head. I didn’t have an answer anyway, but Blue exchanged a look with me. If these people had anything to do with the Helter Skelter we saw earlier, they were probably doing it just because they could.

Other than the injured guy moaning, the street had fallen silent, and I didn’t trust it.

“What are we gonna do?” Lazlo asked in a hushed voice.

“Shoot and run,” I said.

I went through my bag, pulling out the two clips I’d taken from the dead soldier at the quarantine. I didn’t know how many bullets were left in the gun, but I had a feeling that I’d be out by the end of the day. Assuming I was even still alive at the end of the day.

“Run? Where?” Lia’s eyes widened.

“That way,” I nodded towards the house in front of us. “Don’t go inside. Just run past it, and keep running.” I shoved the clips in my back pocket for easier access, and I turned to Blue. “When I start shooting, they run. You go with and cover them.”

“You’re coming with us, right?” Lazlo knelt on the ground right next to me, and his dark eyes met mine.

“I’ll be right behind you.” I didn’t know if that was true or not, so I looked away from him. I had to get them running, and I’d hold off the assholes as long as I could.

“When should we run?” Vega asked. She looked at me evenly, her voice and posture cool and calm. My heart raced so hard, I thought it might explode, but she looked the same as she always did.

Somebody fired, and a bullet burst through the back of the couch, right between Lazlo and my head. Stuffing exploded out around us, and I decided that now was as good a time as any.

“Now!” I commanded and jumped up.

I kept most of my body hidden behind the couch, although I’m not sure how well it worked as a shield, and rested my gun on the back of it.

When I aimed my gun, I heard everyone behind me start running, with Harlow screaming again. A few feet in front of me, one of the men in ratty camouflage walked towards the couch, pointing a gun right at my head.

Without even thinking, I fired off three rounds into his chest, emptying my chamber. Blood darkened his shirt. He collapsed back on the road, and I ducked back behind the couch.

My hands trembled when I switched out the clips, so it took longer than it should have. I had just killed a man, and I had never done that before. Not a real person, just zombies.

But they were still shooting at me, so I swallowed it back.

Blue and the others  had already disappeared around the house. I just had to keep these bastards back, and then I could catch up to them. I took a deep breath and took my post back over the couch.

A glimmer of light from the roof three houses down alerted me to the sniper. I shot twice at him, and then he slipped, falling off the roof and onto the ground. I couldn’t see any of the other men, and everything fell silent again.

Nobody else made a move, and I wasn’t even certain there was anybody else to make a move. I waited a beat to see if anybody came out, and I had to take my chance and run. I got up and took off around the house.