Free Thicker than Blood by Madeline Sheehan

driver’s side and bent
down to look inside again, the infected became frantic. It reached
out an arm weakly for me, flailing against the door to get to me as
its neck strained, its jaw still snapping wildly.
    I raised my knife, my gaze flitting to the
backseat of the car to find the skeletal remains of the rest of the
family. Oddly, I found myself giving each skeleton a name—Mary,
Jack, and sweet little Katie—and suddenly wished I could give them
a proper burial, not leave what was once probably a happy loving
family out here in the middle of the road like a circus
sideshow.
    The infected groaned, drawing my attention
back to its snapping jaw. Without hesitation, I raised my blade and
brought it down swiftly, burying it deep within its head, and the
infected stilled instantly. With an easy tug, the knife pulled
free, dripping black sludge that splattered against the pavement.
Wrinkling my nose at the gory mess, I stood up and turned to Alex,
offering the knife back to him, but he shook his head at
me.
    “That’s yours now,” he said, handing me the
sheath that had been strapped to his thigh. “Now help me move this
thing.”
    It only took us a few minutes to realize
we couldn’t move the car; it was too heavy and too mangled.
Deciding to use our vehicle to push it out of the way, we made our
way back to the truck.
    Leisel was still sound asleep, softly
snoring, yet I decided to wake her so we wouldn’t scare her
senseless with the sound of metal rubbing against metal. When I
shook her gently, she bolted upright, her hand immediately reaching
for the gun resting between her thighs.
    Standing just outside the truck, Alex glanced
from me to Leisel with his ever-present scowl firmly in place. His
gaze finally landed on me, and he pointed to the driver’s seat.
“You drive, I’ll push.”
    Putting the truck into gear, I began slowly
driving the truck forward. With Alex as my guide, I brought the
truck head-to-head with the car and began to nudge. The noise was
truly awful; the screeching metal on the blacktop was louder than
I’d anticipated, the pop of glass resonating as one headlight
exploded. I winced, hoping we weren’t going to break our own in the
process.
    Mercifully, after fifteen minutes we were
able to move the car enough to give us the space to pass
through.
    “You okay?” I asked Leisel as I slid across
the bench seat, giving Alex back the driver’s side.
    “Yeah,” she said quietly, and let her head
fall to my shoulder.
    “Promise?” I asked her.
    Lifting her face, she offered me a small
smile. “Promise.”
    I studied her for a moment before planting a
kiss on the top of her head, and fell silent.
    • • •
    “Town up ahead,” Alex announced loudly, the sound of
his voice making me jump.
    He was an odd one, going for hours without
uttering a single word, then out of nowhere he would speak, scaring
the shit out of everyone. I turned to frown at him, but his eyes
stayed on the highway as he slowed down in front of an exit
sign.
    “Keep going?” he asked, rubbing one hand over
his short black hair. “Or check it out,” he added, answering his
own question. He spared a glance in our direction, his eyebrows
raised expectantly.
    I shrugged. “Check it out?” I said, unsure,
my gaze skimming over the town’s welcome sign.
     
    Welcome to Covey
    Population 1,600
    Have a Nice Stay!
     
    “Why wouldn’t we check it out?” Leisel asked,
her voice timid and laced with worry. “We need supplies,
right?”
    “Women like you are currency,” Alex answered,
his expression still infuriatingly blank.
    Leisel’s sharp intake of breath resonated
through the cab of the truck. “Then keep going!” she cried out
softly. “Keep going!” Leaning forward in her seat, she looked at
me, staring at me, willing me to agree with her.
    Biting down on my bottom lip, I didn’t answer
right away, instead thinking of our options.
    “Eve,” she whispered, sounding desperate.
    Pressing my lips together, I