Free After The End by Melissa Gibbo Page B

correct, we encountered only a handful of zombies
for the first several blocks. I noticed some were hardly decayed;
they must have been successful at hiding until very recently. I
felt a miniscule pang of remorse for these people. They’d managed
to survive the first tsunami of infection, only to be absorbed into
the zombie masses weeks later.
    A moment of terror and depression compressed
my chest as I saw the bleak future ahead for our community. How
long could our fresh start last? These people seemed to believe I
was able to lead them into a new life, and I prayed to a God I no
longer trusted, that they were right.
    Failure wasn’t an option, not when so much
was at stake. I breathed deeply and slowly. My eyes focused on
Ellen’s tiny rabbit foot, as her father rolled it in his palm, to
keep my world from tilting me over the edge. Feeling a slight nudge
at my side, I realized Daemon was trying to get my attention.
    He whispered into my ear.
    “Are you okay? Your heart is pounding like a
freight train; it’s deafening.”
    I caught the hint, and just gave him a little
smile and nod. He’d been discrete so that no one would be alarmed.
I pressed the fears down into the deepest compartments of my
psyche, and concentrated on scanning for approaching enemies. I
kept the shotgun along my right leg, in case the hostility came
from another human.
    Pavement receded as the brush became trees
separated by gravel and soil. We’d be at the clearing soon; then
work would keep my inner thoughts locked tightly away as bags and
equipment were schlepped back to our people.
    I noted that the vampire to my left hadn’t
needed a donation this evening, even though he vibrated with
energy. I wondered how long that one man’s blood would keep the
hunger at bay. If the strength held, he could probably fly two or
three loads of this treasure to the camp before us humans reached
the gate. Tonight wouldn’t be too rough a hike if Daemon brought
Cal back with him to lend a hand. Of course, the younger vamp would
need to land without damaging his cargo, or himself.

CHAPTER 9 MAY 28TH–31st YEAR 1
    To say our return was triumphant would be a
bit much, especially considering I’d lost a guy, and there was
palpable tension of distrust between one of our vamps and a half
dozen of the humans. Nonetheless, as soon as we unpacked our prizes
the community shook off those things and rejoiced in our safe
reunion. The issues with Daemon were lessened, both by having his
mentor near and the previous dangers far.
    As far as Dane’s messy end, none of us really
liked him; he was an annoying dipshit and no one was terribly sad
or shocked to hear of his passing. Our mourning for the deceased
was brief and general. I felt guilty at having lost a person, but I
never actually grieved over him; it was like the feeling one gets
when accidentally running over a stray dog.
    As the added bonus of beer and whiskey was
displayed, past downers fell away like leaves on an ignored
houseplant and were replaced with the anticipation of Christmas
morning. Our settlement had worked hard to last this long. Now we’d
play hard before crawling hungover to our chores at dawn. Not being
much of a drinker, I volunteered to lock up the shotgun and store
the last of the supplies. My hands grasped a sack of canned goods
and Ramen noodles and I felt a cold palm on my shoulder. Turning
expectantly, I was surprised to find the Roman next to me.
    “Oh, hey Cal. How can I help you?”
    “I merely wanted to offer you some
assistance. You seem shocked to see me; were you expecting someone
else or did I happen to startle you?”
    He peered at me as though trying to read my
hand at the poker table. I felt my cheeks redden as I realized his
words were closer to home than they should be. I opened my mouth,
but the vampire waved his hand and grinned.
    “Never mind, I see the answer already. It’s
probably due to being in such close confines these last forty-eight
hours. May I?”
    The