Free The Darkening (A Zombie Awakening) by Cynthia Melton Page B

could’ve taken it.”
                  “True.” Colton stepped aside. He wouldn’t be an ass to the folks who’d risked their necks for them. If they planned on robbing them, there wasn’t much any of them could do.
                  The motor home seemed claustrophobic once three full-sized people climbed aboard. Colton took the seat farthest away from their guests, the driver’s seat , and kept his eyes peeled. Especially on the tall, skinny man. Colton didn’t like the way the man watched Chalice.
                  Sh e opened and dumped cans of stew into a pot while the younger kids sat and stared at the newcomers. Clearly Chalice felt relief at the presence of adults. Despite his reservation at letting them onboard, Colton had to admit to a degree of relief, too. They might be strangers, but they’d taken care of a large herd of undead that would have quickly overwhelmed the motor home .
                  Maybe they’d consider joining the younger group. Wouldn’t there be safety in numbers? Or would a larger group just make them a more visible target?
                  Bill glanced in the closet of a bathroom. “Looks like you need to empty your tank. There’s a KOA not too far from here. We could show you in the morning.”
                  “That would be wonderful.” Chalice smiled as she stirred. “It’s nice having a toilet but with a bunch of kids, it filled up fast.”
                  The man took the liberty of looking in cupboards and under beds. Colton stared him down. “What are you looking for?”
                  “Actually, I’m impressed at how prepared you are.” Bill straightened. “How long y’all been on the road together?”
                  “About a month.” Colton crossed his arms. What was the guy getting at?
                  “I’m thinking if we pool our supplies, we might do all right. We’ve ammunition and little else. You’ve food and little ammunition. It’s time for us to move on. We heard tell there’s a safe zone at the army base in Colorado Springs. Interested?”
                  “No thing closer?” Colton’s shoulders sagged. “I was hoping for Tyndall. We can’t be but a hundred miles from there.”
                  “Last I heard, Tyndall was over run three months ago. I reckon Colorado will be the same , but we’ve got to chance it .” Bill took a bowl of stew from Chalice. “The more populated the area, the more zombies, of course. We wouldn’t ride in here with you kids. We could still take the truck.” He grinned. “From the blood splatters on the front of this box, I’d say y’all have seen some action.”
                  “Yeah,” Mychal said. “It’s good for running over zombies.”
                  “I’m really impressed with you kids. A lot of adults haven’t made it and here you are, sitting pretty with food and water.” Bill perched against the table. Yep, I’m right impressed.”
                  Chalice met Colton’s gaze, then looked at Bill. “We appreciate your offer and would be happy for you to join us. But,” She narrowed her eyes. “I take care of the children. Not you.”
    ###
                  Chalice woke the next morning and glanced out the motor home window. There was no sign of the three newest to the group but five zombies paced the fence , filling the air with their unearthly moans and growls . No doubt brought on by the previous day’s carnage. Maybe they had a sixth sense about a large number of their own being killed.
                  The adults had seemed nice enough last night, especially the woman, Sarah, but Chalice wouldn’t trust them to be alone around the younger kids until she knew them better. Sure, they came to the rescue when they were being overrun last night, but they could have any number of