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but what about your family? Why aren’t you going home?”
    He pulls his hand away immediately and stares at the ceiling. “Home is Boston. My family is safe, for now, and I’m just worried about getting out of here alive.” He yawns, loud and long like a bear. “I’ll worry about the rest later.”
    He falls asleep soon after that. I hear his breathing even out and a slight snore begin in the back of his throat. I don’t hear any more noises from outside and I’m relieved. I don’t think I could have slept knowing they were right outside. Waiting. I’m nervous about tomorrow but I’m confident we can make it, though I don’t know how I’ll do looking at a human face and loosing an arrow at it, but I tell myself it will be just like hunting. These are not humans anymore and even if they are, even if they aren’t the dead risen to walk again, they will kill me if I don’t kill them. They will kill Jordan, and even though I’ve only known him for an evening and I’ve been kind of a bitch, I feel protective of him. Maybe because he saved my life and I owe him a debt or maybe because he’s the only other truly living being I’ve seen since this started just five hours ago and that makes his life precious to me. Or maybe it’s just because I kind of like him. It’s a breakthrough; I’m forming a connection to someone. My therapist would be so proud.
    Assuming she isn’t a zombie.

Chapter Six
     
     
    We were up and ready to go at dawn, just as Jordan planned. We ate apples, cheese and milk for breakfast, making a point to eat perishables while they were still good. It was tough to want to eat anything with the smell of Dee in the kitchen and the mess still there, but we muscled through it because you can’t run for your life on an empty stomach.
    We stand in the entryway with our packs on and weapons at the ready. Jordan looks over at Dee’s rotting body where we slid it back into the kitchen in preparation to leave, then glances back at me and I can see he’s torn.
    “Should we say a prayer for her or something?” he asks, his voice unsure.
    “Why? We didn’t say one for Sara and she never ate anybody.”
    “Maybe that’s all the more reason to say one for…”
    “Dee.”
    “For Dee. We should, don’t you think?”
    I study him, surprised by this sudden idea. Where was this line of thinking when we fed Sara’s remains to the wolves?
    “If we say a prayer over every infected, we’ll never get out of the city.”
    He hears me but he doesn’t respond. Instead he simply stares down at what’s left of Dee. I sigh and touch his arm lightly. His beautiful blue eyes bore into mine and I can see something there, something desperate. I have no clue what he’s desperate for, but I know we need to make it right before we step out that door. His head isn’t straight and if he hesitates out there it can get us both killed right out of the gate.
    “How bout this?” I propose gently. “We say a blanket prayer here and now for everyone. Not even the ones we’re going to be responsible for, or have been responsible for, but for everyone. Will that be alright?”
    He nods and I pull my hand back, head bowed and waiting for him to speak. He doesn’t. When I look at him expectantly, he looks pained and shakes his head.
    “I don’t know what to say.”
    I sigh and force myself to smile patiently. I have no idea what I’m doing. I am not a religious person, though I’m sure some churches would have a field day with me and my hallucinations. I’ve never been to church, but I’ve heard prayers spoken by others, and of course on TV and in movies, so I patch together what I can.
    “Okay. Let’s keep it simple. Um… God forgive them, they know not what they do.”
    Because they are zombies.
    “Please forgive us for our trespasses.”
    Because we are going to kill them.
    “As we forgive those who trespass against us.”
    As they try to eat our brains.
    “And deliver us from evil.” Jordan whispers,