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headed, so it must be the way to her boat. I beckoned Erin without looking at her and began to walk down the sidewalk. I looked back, and she was following me, about six feet behind and to my left, in the street. She held her shotgun pointed slightly left.
     
    Dammit, I meant to give her a sling for that.
     
    There was one in the bag, but I wasn't going to stop now to dig it out.
     
    One of the creatures ahead saw us coming and moaned, causing the other one to turn and see us as well. I took aim as I walked, but it wasn't a safe shot. The road here went up slightly before dropping back down toward the ocean on the left, and my bullet might miss and hit a good guy on the other side. A .223 round spun fast, and tumbled when it hit a person.
     
    Or a zombie.
     
    It could do some crazy acrobatics, entering through the shoulder and exiting through a leg, damaging muscles and arteries the whole way through. It was a very small bullet, but with a lot of explosive power behind it: a good round for taking out zombies.
     
    I might regret not bringing something bigger if we ran into armored up thugs or a big horde of these things, though. I moved closer to the zombies, angling for a good headshot, when I felt a tap on my arm. I looked down at Erin, walking beside me. She shook her head, then held out the shotgun for me. I was confused, but took it. I let the rifle go and held the shotgun at low ready.
     
    Suddenly, Erin sprung ahead of me, unzipping the machete sheath and holding the tree trimmer in her left hand and the baton in her right. She walked quickly up to the zombie, which reached for her. She booted it in the chest and it fell over, then she kicked it hard in the head. The other one was close, so she spun out of its way and hit it across the arms with the baton, then smashed it on the back of the head with the dull side of the machete. It dropped, then struggled to get up.
     
    She stepped back from the two almost-deader zombies and looked expectantly at me. I'm sure my mouth was agape and I was standing there looking like an idiot.
     
    I mean, who wouldn't be?
     
    I gathered my thoughts then walked up to the creatures and stomped on their heads, finishing them. I looked at Erin as she holstered her weapons and held out her hand for the shotgun.
     
    “Quieter that way,” she said in a low voice.
     
    “And it looks a hell of a lot cooler,” I added, a stupid grin on my face. She smiled her beautiful, apocalypse-brightening smile, then nodded.
     
    “We're five blocks from the dock,” she said. “Go left at the intersection, Stompy Joe.”
     
    I smiled and made a thumbs-up gesture, then moved forward and beckoned her. I figured if I kept using these hand signals, she'd catch on really quick. I looked back and she made a thumbs-up gesture.
     
    Smart girl.
     
    We turned left at the intersection and headed toward the ocean.
     

Chapter 10
    —————
     
    Mark
     
     
    I stood looking at my hand where it rested on Jen's shoulder, my mouth open. A zombie had its teeth clamped down. I didn't feel anything except a bit of pressure, which was strange. Did it bite Jen and not me?
     
    I yanked my hand away and pushed Jen down on the ground to the right. The zombie's teeth snapped emptily where my hand had been. I didn't waste any more time, pulling the Shield as I stepped backwards. I shot as I raised the gun and hit the creature in the upper chest. It staggered a bit, then came at me. I waited until it was just over an arm's length, sighted at its head as well as I was able, then fired again and again. The creature dropped with a bullet or two in its brain.
     
    Jen jumped up from the ground. “Oh my God Mark, you're bit!”
     
    I looked at my left hand, aiming my headlamp, but didn't see any blood or bite marks. There was a small dent in my dad's ring. I’d taken it from his hand after Richard had killed him on Route 2. I held up my hand. “I think it bit my dad's ring,” I said, hardly believing my