“I thought for sure you were bitten by a zombie.”
He shook his head. “I was shot; a woman. I don’t know, she may have thought I was a zombie.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Well, if you want to tag along, I guess that would be okay. We could always use an extra shooter.”
Austin smiled and I found myself returning it. With his southern drawl, blond hair, and rugged good looks, he actually reminded me of some cowboy I’d watched on television as a child. One I’d had a small crush on.
“Excellent. I’ll just find the rest of my clothing and we can shoot out of here.”
“Austin?” I said, trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat. “How was my sister when you last saw her?”
His eyes clouded over and he took my hand. “She was struggling, I can tell you that.”
I looked down so he wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes. “I hope they can help her. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose either of them.”
He lifted my chin up and stared into my eyes. “Your mom’s a fighter, you’re obviously one, too. If Allie takes after either of you, then the odds are in her favor.”
I nodded but the tears still escaped, the enormity of my family’s situation was overwhelming.
Austin wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “Shh…it’ll be okay. We’ll find a way to contact your mom. Shit, if I have to take you to her myself, I will.”
“Cassie?” interrupted Bryce as he walked in the door with Eva trailing close behind.
I moved away from Austin and brushed away my tears. “Um, this is Austin. He’s the soldier my mother had rescued.”
Bryce frowned. “Okay? So, where is she?”
I explained everything that Austin had told me. When I told Bryce that he’d be joining us, he shook his head.
“No, he should stay here. The zombies are getting pretty out of hand out there. They need soldiers to protect the crisis unit.”
“Sorry, but I’m coming with y’all. I made a promise to Kris that I’d find a way to keep Cassie safe, and I’m not going back on my word.”
Bryce and Austin stared at each other and you could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
“Well, I think that’s a great idea,” said Eva as she stepped next to Bryce. She looped her arm through his. “We need all the help we can get fighting off those zombies.”
I scowled at Eva. “We? You’ll be staying here. You don’t have to worry about fighting zombies, not like you helped much anyway.”
Eva glared at me. “You don’t have to be such a bitch.”
My mouth dropped open and before I could show her how much of a bitch I could really be, Bryce interrupted. “Eva’s coming with us. Her mother’s been bitten and they’re flying her to Atlanta, too. She has nowhere else to go, Cassie.”
A wave of guilt rushed through me. “Oh, I’m sorry, Eva. I didn’t know.”
Eva shrugged her shoulders and looked away.
“Well, why doesn’t she just go to Atlanta to be with her mom?” I asked Bryce.
“They said she couldn’t. They are quarantining all bite victims,” he replied. “They won’t even allow her near Veronica to say goodbye.”
“Oh, well she should stay here so they can keep her updated on her mom’s condition.”
Bryce shook his head. “The zombies are getting too out of hand for this small group. It’s not safe to stay here anymore. In fact, we’d better get moving now before we end up getting stuck here.”
Just then Kristie and Sara walked in. “Oh, thank God you guys are here. Look, we have to get out of here…now,” said Kristie. “The zombies are either getting smarter or their just plain lucky. They’ve broken through the entrance now and the soldiers won’t be able to hold them off too much longer.”
Austin pulled on a T-shirt. “Let’s get going,” he said. “I’ve got some grenades, we might need them.”
Kristie smiled at Austin. “Well hey there, soldier. I take it you’re the newest member of our team?”
He shrugged. “I’m just coming along to protect Cassie. I made a promise her mother.”
Bryce scowled. “That’s very noble but she doesn’t need your protection, she has me.”
Austin nodded towards Eva. “Looks like you already have your hands full with that one.”
Bryce took a step away from Eva and folded his arms across his chest. “We’ve done fine without you.”
“Hello? Guys, I can protect myself,” I said, walking towards the door.
The two men stood glaring at each other, neither of them saying anything.