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her bat to her back, then realized she'd dropped the belt she'd been using for that. "Anyone see my belt?"
    "You mean the one you dropped when you rushed out ahead of everyone?" said Elton. "And then nearly got everyone killed?"
    She spun on him, glaring. "I've had just about enough of your crap, Elton."
    "Do something about it, little girl," he said, then fell quiet. It took Maylee a second to realize he was looking past her. He raised his rifle and pointed it past her shoulder.
    She turned to look where his rifle was pointing. A small figure was moving among the trees, slowly working its way toward them.
    "Looks like we got a straggler," said Elton, steadying his aim.
    "Wait," said Maylee, frowning. She grabbed Elton's barrel and pushed it down. She watched the figure make its slow approach. "It's not moving like a corpse."
    Not taking her eyes off the figure, she felt around her chest until she found her binoculars. She lifted them to her eyes and peered through them. At first she just saw a moving blur. She adjusted the knob on the bridge of the binoculars and it came into focus.
    A small boy, dirty and bundled in clothes so torn they were practically rags, was slowly picking his way among the trees. He looked cold and not very healthy. But he was alive.
    "It's a kid," said Maylee, lowering the binoculars.
    Elton sighed and lowered the rifle. "Great. Another one."
     

 
     
     
     
     
Two
     
     
     
    Angie Land stepped down her ice-coated porch steps as quickly as she could. Her cane helped more than she liked to admit. The walls and makeshift buildings of World Memorial rose up around her. She currently stood in the square, a large open area including the farmhouse and the town gates. There were two other large open spaces in World Memorial. One was at the center of town and the other was far at the back side of town. Every other area was packed full of trailers, campers and shacks. The twisting gaps between them formed what passed for streets and alleys.
    She saw several people and smiled at them. Angie had known them for years. But she saw a few others looking at her and struggled to remember their names. She used to know the names of all in World Memorial. But the new ones were coming too fast. One smiled back, one looked back with indifference and one looked with something close to animosity. The town was slipping away from her.
    She reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in the snow. A young woman with brown-red hair stepped up, smiling and holding a clipboard.
    “Morning, Carly,” said Angie.
    “Morning, Ms. Land,” said Carly. Carly Hayes was eighteen, fresh-faced and eager. She’d announced one day she was Angie’s assistant and Angie had let her be. She was good at organizing and cataloging. Angie certainly liked her better than her grandfather Elton. Elton disliked Angie and she returned the favor. It was made more awkward by the fact that Elton and Carly lived in a camper in the town square, within easy view of the farmhouse.
    “Please, call me Angie, Carly.”
    “But we’re on town business.”
    “I called you by your first name,” said Angie.
    “You’re in charge,” said Carly. “You can do that.”
    An alarm went off. Clanging and clattering. Angie tensed, her hand going to the handle of her cane. She turned to face the town gates, twisting the handle. She stopped when she saw Maylee rushing toward the opening gates, several other guards right behind her.
    She twisted the handle of her cane back into place. “Trouble outside?”
    “Some corpses spotted, I think.”
    Angie watched Maylee rush outside. “I hate how reckless she is.”
    “She’s the best guard we have,” said Carly.
    “Still my kid.”
    “True,” said Carly.
    Angie turned away from the gate. She shifted on her cane and started walking. Carly followed along beside her. A sharp pain called out from her ankle as she walked. She cursed under her breath and leaned on her cane. The cane provided support but also slowed