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I know he’s watchingmomentary panicked looks, until they realize it’s my friend He nestles in next to nore the hollow feeling in my chest

Chapter Twenty-Two

Her name is Muriel I’ve never heard the na to die in the crossfire and I will never hear the naain

She is twenty-three and has a sister in the breeder farot taken on the way to the towns Probably by the same assholes who stoleI feel a sickening panic overwhelm me I want to tell her to abort and run like a o but more powerful than any emotion I’ve ever felt

Instead I take a deep breath and run h his thick fur for a s me peace

I pull s herself and stued and dirty She naturally has the face of a tortured soul She is the perfect bait

I seeI never expected to see It’s a group of them Leo must be able to srowl I turn racefulness of aup from the scurvy and diseases they are riddled with How they live through it is beyond est pack I’ve ever seen

I put my arrow in the quiver and slide the bow over my shoulder I look at Leo and burst into a sprint The bushes are flying past ot I wasn’t alone

"The infected To the west They have to die silently" I don’t shout but I speak loud enough that they can spread the word

At the base of the hill I scramble up a tree Leo hides in a bush at the base, as he always does

I feelas if a windstor the sah branch to sit in, I wrap s around it and steady myself

"Where?"

I pullto rise in the east The truck is closing in on Muriel They will see her soon

I steady my shot and wait The infected don’t see her yet She has stopped and started to walk toward the truck

"Stay calm Emma" Will whispers I release the arrohen I think they are close enough

The arrow lands a few feet in front of the one I was ai at

There is no breeze thankfully My aiive it a few more seconds and release the arrow I have at the ready The arrow drops the taller one

Nine left

A screa her own bit of dust on the gravel road She runs fast but the infected have heard her screa on her

"Fuck" Will is shaking the tree and nearly knocking me out of it as he cliround and sprints through the forest I release another arrow as soon as he is out of the tree Another drops

Eight

They are running fast My next arrow round the gunfire has filled the forest The truck has rounded the corner

Leo and I run for the disaster the infected have created

I want to run away I’ve s When I arrive the truck is pulled over and Muriel is being dragged behind it Guns are firing like mad Bullets come from the truck and the forest No one notices at first that the infected are running hard for the truck

"Holy shit Blake" A man shouts and one of the others turns to the infected He shoots his automatic weapon and drops the themselves I pull an arrow and from the woods I hit the un

I fire another arrow but I s her to the far side of the truck