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area around their house.”
    Dean and Billie took turns on watch that night, Billie still in a mood, but at least she didn’t throw me evil looks whenever our eyes met.
    I was curled against Sully on my bunk, his arm around my waist, his nose by my ear. He was warm and gentle, a comfort on that lonely night.
    “They aren’t that mad at you anymore,” He whispered.
    “I know,” I whispered back. “I just couldn’t say yes,”
    “I know,” He said, briefly squeezing his arm against me.
    I snuggled closer, willing myself to fall asleep.
    In my dreams, I saw Kat again. It was the night our groups parted ways.
    It was surprisingly warm for February, and the zombies were thumping against the door while we ran for the fire escape.
    I woke in a cold sweat, finding Sully’s arm still around my waist. Settling back down, I drifted into slightly more peaceful sleep.
     
     
     
    Chapter seven
     
    “I’m sorry,” Billie said over breakfast.
    “I’m sorry too,” I said.
    “Don’t be. You’re trying to protect us.”
    “I want to stay in the house too, and eat real food, but . . .” I stopped. “Why don’t we stay here for a day or two? We’ll keep an eye on them from afar if we can, and if they check out ok, we can go over and give it a shot.”
    Billie smiled.
    We spent the rest of the morning devising a plan for covert operations, to watch whoever those people were, without them being any the wiser.
    From the top of the RV, I could just see the top of their roof. If it was their roof . . . but how many houses could there be in that area? Anyways, I slowly traced the outline of the top of the roof, and what looked like an old barn past all the trees, with the scope on my rifle. We would have to get closer if we wanted to see anything useful. It was time to get dirty.
    Dean and I made our way across the road, careful to keep to the thickest section of trees whenever we could. It took nearly twenty minutes to reach an old oak tree we could climb into, as slowly as we were walking.
    “So here we are in the woods alone together again,” Dean said with half a smile.
    “It’s an orchard,”
    “Same thing,”
    “Right,”
    “What’s with the snarky comments?” He said, giving my shoe a tap with his knuckles.
    “I don’t trust these people,”
    “You don’t trust anyone,”
    I had to give a small laugh at that.
    “So are you ok?”
    “Yeah, I’m fine,”
    “Good. Can you see anything? ‘Cause all I’m getting is branches,”
    I peered back through the branches, trying to make out any people.
    “Not much,” I said. “Do you want to try climbing a little higher? I don’t think we can risk getting any closer.”
    “It’s worth a shot,” He said, and we shimmied further up the trunk.
    In the thinnest cover I could bear to stay in, I lay almost completely flat against the rough bark and pressed a spare scope to my eye.
    “There’s a lot of people down there,” Dean whispered.
    “I’ll say. There has to be at least 10 people,”
    “They have pigs! That means bacon!” Dean whispered gleefully.
    I smirked, “Bacon sandwiches, candied bacon, bacon and pancakes . . .” I trailed off, not even having to look over at Dean to know he was drooling.
    “You’re evil,” He said after a pause.
    “Thank you,” I said, smiling.
     
     
     
    Chapter eight
     
    Watching the farm was dull. I nearly went crazy after two days, and that’s saying something.
    “So,” Billie said as a way of starting the conversation at dinner on the third night in the field.
    “So?” I said back.
    “Do I really have to ask?” She said, raising an eyebrow.
    “I haven’t noticed anything too weird. A least I don’t think they sacrifice cattle to the sky-gods.”
    “So you’re ok with checking them out in person?”
    “Is that what you guys all want?” I said, looking to the others. They nodded. “Then I guess we can drive down there tomorrow,”
    “Yes!” Billie pumped her fist in the air.
    “You aren’t