The First Days (As the World Dies 1)

Chapter 7

1. By the Pricking Of Their Thumbs…

Jenni furrowed her brow and traced the farm road they were on with her finger. They were speeding away from the road that led to Emorton at top speed. Jason leaned over and pointed to a little dot on the map marked Ashley Oaks. Jenni frowned a little, then glanced over at the boy. She could see his eyes narrowing as he concentrated.

"That adds approximately ten miles to our trip. " He glanced at the gas gauge. "Possibly doable. "

Jenni nodded. Jason was good with figures and she trusted him. "Ralph will come get us. "

"We need to not be too far out when we do hit empty," Katie said. "We really don't know what the situation is out here. We're hoping for a low number of zombies but Emorton taught us a fairly bitter lesson. "

Jenni could feel the heat of the sun pressing down on her and she glanced toward it. It was lower in the sky. They were running out of time. She felt it.

"What does it look like?" Katie asked.

Jason took the map and studied it. "No towns except the one Ralph talked about. At least not in the direction we're going. "

Jenni barely glanced at the occasional house or trailer along the road.

Most of them looked boarded up anyway. No cars anywhere. The world was as good as dead now it seemed. At least here in rural Texas.

She was trying hard not to panic. Trying hard not to feel overwhelmed.

She reached out and gripped Jason's hand tightly in her own. Yes, they had left the relative safety of the hunting store, but they had saved Jason. She had done her duty and that gave her a strange sense of calm. But now they had to stay alive. They had to figure this all out. Otherwise, their rescue of Jason would be fruitless and they would die out here. Yesterday, on that doorstep, Jenni had almost given up. Almost given in, but not now. No, not now.

The truck roared down the narrow country road. The scenery flashed by the windows. Katie's knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel.

They all felt it, Jenni knew. They were running out of time.

The tearing of cellophane sounded behind her and Jason wordlessly handed her a Danish. She took it and began to eat ravenously. The day was slipping by faster than she liked and they had forgotten to eat. Jason then handed one to Katie and they all ate in eerie silence.

If they catch us and tear us open, will they enjoy the sugary goodness inside, Jenni thought grimly.

The vision of all those zombies running toward them was too horrible to think about, yet she couldn't help but think about just that. What if something inside of them let them know that the truck had pulled off the road onto the one they now traveled?

"I gotta pee," Jenni said abruptly. It had hit her suddenly. She had the urgent need to go and felt annoyed by Katie's sharp look in her direction. She was a little surprised when Jason and Katie both said, "Me, too. "

"Looks clear," Katie continued.

The road was so narrow that the truck almost took up the whole width.

Katie stopped in the middle of the road, lifted the shotgun off the console and looked at Jenni. "You first. Take your gun. I'll cover. "

Jenni frowned and shook her head. "This is fucking annoying. Not being able to go without an armed guard. "

Jason cleared his throat and said, "What about me?"

"I'll cover for you. Jenni can cover for me. " Katie gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm a lesbian. It's okay. "

"Really?" Jason's eyes somewhat lit up.

Katie just shook her head and flung her door open. She slid out muttering something about all men being alike.

Jenni found it uncomfortable going, squatting in the tall grass and summer wildflowers, while Katie hovered over her, safety off on the shotgun.

She tried hard to concentrate on the far horizon, staring across the wide valley of farmland. It was then that she realized she could see across to the country road they had been on previously. And the crowd of zombies was still racing in the direction they had last seen the truck. If one of them should look over and see the bright red truck perched high

on the hill across the valley…