Read Raven's Hell for Free Online

about what she wanted to do, or if she should try to kill
him, too. He glanced behind him, saw ten or so infected slowly making their way
toward the grocery store, and faced her again. “I’d love to sit here and get to
know each other, but we need to leave. Now.”
    She
seemed to snap out of whatever haze she was in, nodded once, and then turned to
head out the rear door that could be seen through the back of the store. He
moved in front of her, stopped for a second, and held his hand out, touching
her abdomen with his forearm. He wanted to make sure she was safe, and although
a horde of infected were coming toward them, he didn’t want to be ambushed
either. When it was clear to move forward, he grabbed her hand, held the knife
with his other one, and was pleased when she didn’t fight him on it. Her hand
was much smaller than his, and she was cold, her fingers like icicles. He knew
it was because of what had happened and not because of the weather. She was
breathing heavily, and the sound of her jacket moving up and down from her
rapid respirations had Collin wanting to turn around and just hold her. But
they would have time for that later. Right now he needed to get her away from
this place, somewhere safe, and then they could talk.
    They
ran out the back door, and he kept a tight grip on her hand as they moved
across the back parking lot, and into the woods. There was an infected that
staggered out of a gap in the trees, but Collin was ready for him. He wasn’t very decomposed, so that told him that this one had been
turned recently, and the bite mark on his neck was proof of that. His face was
ashen, his eyes milky white, and he groaned as he tried to swipe out at them.
But Collin already had the blade plunged into one of his eyes. The infected
fell to the ground, but Collin didn’t stop pulling the woman through the woods.
They ran for another five minutes before Collin finally slowed. He pulled her
behind him, scanned the woods, and then breathed out. He sheathed his knife and
faced her. She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide as she scanned their
surroundings, but she didn’t look as frightened as she had in the store.
    “You’re
okay?” he asked.
    She
nodded, breathed out roughly, and then put her own knife back in the little
loop of her pants. They stared at each other for a moment, and then she turned
behind her, scanning their surroundings, making sure that she was safe. When
she faced Collin again there was hesitation in her eyes.
    “What’s
your name?” he asked her, hoping to prove to her that if he had intended on
harming her he could have done so already. When she didn’t answer he spoke
again. “I’m Collin Suthers .” He held his filthy,
bloody hand out to her. She looked at it for a second before grabbing his and
shaking it lightly.
    “Rebecca
Shaw.”
    Rebecca.
    He
rolled the name around in his head, loving the way it sounded, how it made him
feel, and having this proprietary sensation moving through him.
    “So,”
she looked at him, stopping what she was about to say. “If you want to come
back to where I have been staying, maybe to rest or eat something, you can.”
She licked her lips, glanced around again, and then looked at the ground. She
was nervous, really fucking nervous. He could hear it in her voice and see it
in the way she held herself. It was the same reaction he had seen on hundreds
of people when they had been around him and feared the situation.
    She
shrugged. “If you want, that is. I owe you my life.” She rubbed her hands over
her dirty jeans, and breathed out. “Thank you, by the way.” She looked at him
with just her eyes, and Collin was struck by the vivid green color of them. “I
figured if you wanted to hurt me you could have done so already. But you saved
me, and a little post-apocalyptic hospitality is the least I can show you.” She
was even more attractive up close, even though dirt covered her face. Her skin
was this pale, luminescent shade, her