Free Green Fields (Book 2): Outbreak by Adrienne Lecter Page B

at full speed but stayed at a more careful pace, trying to be as silent as possible. Up ahead, I could barely make out three crouching shapes by the mailbox—and beyond them at least ten shambling figures walking down the road, staring straight ahead. My breath caught in my throat as panic clawed at my mind, making me want to scream and run, but I forced myself to keep going. Closer and closer I got, my fingers aching from how tightly balled my fists were.  
    This was insane. This was madness. This—
    Nate pulled me down next to him as soon as I reached our group, apparently having changed places with guy number two. I would have let out a startled sound if he hadn’t put his hand over my mouth quickly, and he didn’t ease up until he was sure that I had a grip on myself. Leaning close enough that I could feel his warm breath against my cheek, one arm remained across my shoulders, comforting, supporting.
    “As far as we can see, they are everywhere, but they mostly stick to the streets. We’ll try to slink across lawns wherever possible, but we will have to cross several streets until we’re through this part. We’ll go one by one in irregular intervals. You’ll go when I tap on your shoulder, understand?” I nodded, although the very idea of running right through the throng of zombies make me want to vomit. Nate continued to look into my eyes for a moment longer, than gave a brief nod in turn. “I know that you can make it. We will make it. Just stay low and run when I give you the signal. Don’t think, don’t hesitate. Just run.”
    Biting my lip, I nodded again, but couldn’t keep it at that.
    “What do I do when they notice me? Or when they come after one of the others?”
    In the gloom, it was hard to judge the look he was giving me, but it wasn’t a friendly, warm one.
    “Then you continue to duck and run. You try to stay hidden, and get away from any fight that breaks out. I’ll find you once we’ve taken care of them. Don’t come back, don’t hesitate. Our goal is to reach that forest straight across the valley. If you have to, you just make a run for it, and hide in the trees until morning. I won’t leave, promise.”
    There was still the option that he might no longer be alive to look for me, but I didn’t voice that. Just thinking of that felt too much like I was already jinxing it. So what I did was nod, and try to quell the panic that was in full swing now.
    During our hushed conversation, the two guys in front of us had melted into the night, leaving just us and Andrej behind. Squinting, I could make out one of them crouching a few yards down the road, still in the ditch but watching both sides now. I was surprised when I realized that the dark lump by the hedge across the road was the other guy. I hadn’t even realized that he’d already made the dash, but then I’d just been focused on the clusters of zombies swaying down the street. Clearly, they hadn’t noticed, either. That gave me a glimmer of hope, if not a brightly shining one.
    Guy two followed about a minute later, crossing right after a cluster of three zombies that shambled by. One of them seemed to have a broken or strained ankle, the dragging sound like nails on chalkboard to me. It masked what few sounds he made well, though, and with the next group still yards down the road, they didn’t notice. Part of me wanted to dash right after him, but Nate shook his head when I looked at him.
    So waiting it was.  
    Endless waiting.
    My breaths continued to come out in pressed pants, even though I tried to slow them down and exhale as silently as possible. It was still less loud than the chuffing sounds the zombies made—if they made any. If they were really dead, did they even need to breathe? They certainly needed air to howl, but those passing us looked rather placid—if that was ever a term used to describe the walking dead. Watching them, I tried to find patterns in their movements, but there was absolutely no