Free Fractured: Outbreak ZOM-813 by Marie Lanza Page B

promising.” Dan turned into a neighborhood.
    “I’m sure we’ll find something here,” Jaxon said, and studied our surroundings.
    “Do you guys see that?” I pointed ahead.
    There was a white makeshift flag made from what looked like a white under-shirt hanging from a second story window of a home located at the end of the street. Dan pulled up to the curb in front of the house.
    It caught me off guard when I heard Jaxon release the safety on his beretta. Dan and I looked at each other and grabbed our weapons as well. It was so strange, always being armed, always prepared for a potential battle. It was nice to have someone helping us mold into these new roles, keeping us alert and on our toes.
    “Daddy, are we stopping?” Ethan was groggy from his nap.
    “Maybe, bud. We’re just gonna check this out for a second.” Jaxon scratched Ethan’s head.
    We must have lost the infected through town as we hadn’t seen any since we began driving in this neighborhood.
    “Here’s the deal, I’m going to quickly survey the area. You two stay here with Ethan. Looters are everywhere, and we can’t afford to have the truck stolen out from under us.” Jaxon finished preparing his weapons. “Hopefully, I can easily get into the house, and get that garage open.”
    “Daddy, don’t leave me again.” Ethan tugged at Jaxon’s arm.
    “I’ll be super-fast. I need you to be a big boy and stay here.” Jaxon kissed Ethan on the head and patted his knee.
    “Are you sure you don’t want one of us to come along?” Dan asked.
    “Even Mayhem? At least he can sense them,” I said.
    “No. But thanks. I’ll move faster alone.” And with that, Jaxon jumped out of the truck and disappeared into the darkness on the side of the house.
    Dan and I kept watch; he looked out ahead, and I looked out behind us. It was weird sitting in this truck, thinking about what this street may have been like just a week ago. Children outside playing, people working on their lawns, walking their dogs… Now it was all just completely vacant. We sat and waited for what seemed like an eternity in a silence that felt unnatural. All we could hear was the humming of the truck engine and Mayhem panting.
    The garage door of the home began to open. I couldn’t believe how loud it seemed to be. I felt as though everything in the neighborhood would be alerted to the sound of the chain pulling up the heavy door. Jaxon dipped under the door and waved us in.
    “Here we go.” Dan pulled into the driveway and parked in the garage next to a small Sedan. Jaxon closed the door behind us.
    We were all ready for a calm evening protected by closed doors. I knew it was only a temporary, maybe false sense of security, but somehow I found it comforting.
    Jaxon helped Ethan out of the car, and Dan grabbed Mayhem. We went inside the house to find a quaint family home. It appeared untouched from the ongoing disasters outside, although I noticed pictures were missing from the walls and mantel of the fireplace. Everything else seemed in order, down to the throw pillows on the couch in the living room. The kitchen was empty of food except for some fruit and a gallon of milk in the fridge that had gone bad.
    “I think we should sleep upstairs.” Jaxon pointed to the stairs.
    “Yeah, we should definitely sleep in the same room too,” I suggested.
    Dan nodded in agreement. “I’ll get something for us to eat out of the truck.”
    Ethan and Mayhem made themselves comfortable on the living room couch while Jaxon began closing curtains. Dan returned from the truck and began pulling food out of a bag for dinner.
    It was strange watching us all together under this roof. I thought about the owners and where they may be now. Did they flee and were somewhere safe? Or, maybe they too were outside, roaming around in an endless search for flesh.
    I sat down on the couch with Ethan and Mayhem while we waited for Dan to prepare food. “Ethan, how old are you?” It was the first thing