Blood Moon by Gwendolyn Harper (books for students to read .TXT) 📕

“And he’s still a prick for saying I was just an ad executive before all this.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I’m an ad exec who can beat his ass into the ground and kill a Geek at the same time.”

“That’s my girl.”

“Uh, guys?” Max called from up ahead. “There’s… something you need to see.”

* * * * * * *

Caitlin scanned the surrounding fields for the fifth time.

“You’re sure these aren’t from a Humvee?”

Squatting next to the fresh tire tracks, Booker shook his head. “Nah, they ain’t big enough. These are from a car, maybe a mini-van.”

“We didn’t hear a car go by,” Max said, looking between the others. “And we haven’t seen any other people except you guys.”

“The trees muffle a lot of sound,” Caitlin said. “We didn’t hear you all while we were out here either.”

Booker stood, following the tread for a few paces.

“Looks like it fades going that way,” he said, gesturing down the road. “Which means they came from…”

“The direction of the herd,” Caitlin finished. “Are you sure?”

“Can’t imagine they just materialized outta nowhere.”

Max wrung his hands. “If they went that way, they’ll have seen our sign. They’ll know people are out here.”

“Not necessarily,” Caitlin told him. “We didn’t think there was a camp when we saw it. We just thought people had stumbled into that herd and didn’t want anyone else to find themselves in a bad spot.”

Lifting her gaze to the sky, she held her breath and listened for the motor of a drone.

Nothing.

“These are still pretty fresh,” Booker said, turning around. “I bet we can catch up to ‘em.”

“Catch up to the people who were batshit enough to drive through a giant herd of rotters?” Max shook his head. “You think it’s a good idea to seek those people out?”

“They had a way of gettin’ through,” Booker urged. “Which is exactly what we need.”

Understanding sunk in as Max considered their options.

“Okay, but I still say this is nuts.”

Caitlin shrugged. “Most of what we’ve been doing the past month has been. C’mon, the Jeep isn’t far.”

As they got closer to the barn, Booker checked the surrounding area for more tracks. Everything looked clear, until a lone Geek emerged from around the other side, groaning as it shuffled closer.

“Fancy, stay,” Max ordered, removing his knife from his jacket pocket.

He made quick work of the thing, stabbing it through the temple and shoving the body to the ground.

“Hey, you’re pretty good with that,” Caitlin said, smiling.

Whistling for Fancy to follow, Max cleaned his knife and returned it to his pocket.

“I avoid them when I can, but I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.”

Sliding the barn door back, Booker doubled checked for any more undead before getting in the Jeep and driving it out. Caitlin hurried to close the barn and replace the few leafy branches they’d used as camouflage, making it look like no one had been inside in a while.

“A’ight, hop in,” Booker called.

As Max got Fancy into the back, Caitlin paused with her hand on the metal frame.

“Booker, I should drive.”

“Huh?”

“If we catch up to these people and they fire on us, we’ll need someone who’s a great shot.” She circled the front of the Jeep, opening his door. “I’m good with the revolver against Geeks when I’ve got my feet on the ground, not speeding down a two-lane firing at a moving target.”

Scratching above his eyebrow, Booker sighed. “Okay, you drive,” he said, climbing down. “But for the love of God, Meadows, please don’t do anythin’ reckless with her.”

“Her?” She smirked, settling in behind the wheel. “It’s a ‘her’ now?”

“Don’t get offended now. It ain’t an insult.”

“It’s a little insulting.”

“She’s got a personality,” he said. “It ain’t right to call her ‘it’.”

Shifting into drive, Caitlin shook her head. “It’s an inanimate object, Booker. How can it have a personality?”

Rubbing the dash soothingly, he shushed the Jeep. “Don’t listen to her, sweetheart.”

“Now you’re being weird.”

Caitlin pushed the pedal enough to get them up the embankment and onto the road.

“See, this is what happens when ya never have to rely on a vehicle,” he said, leaning his arm out the window. “You don’t form a bond. Don’t get to know her.”

“You’re saying because I’m from New York and used public transportation, I don’t understand the reasons behind calling a car a ‘her’?”

“It prob’ly didn’t help much…”

“Jesus Christ.”

If they were going to catch up to whoever made those tire tracks, they were definitely going to have to push it.

Watching the speedometer go higher and higher, Caitlin grinned. It was exhilarating to be on an open stretch of road without the worry of cops and speeding tickets.

Too bad she forgot about the sign still in the middle of the road.

“Cae!”

Swerving, she put two tires in the grass, tipping them a bit as she maneuvered the Jeep around the giant hunk of wood and metal. A few seconds later she turned the wheel again, getting them back onto the asphalt, all without hitting the brakes.

Booker’s stare was wide and just shy of furious.

“Yankee,” he grunted, looking away.

“Redneck,” she retorted.

Leaning forward between the two seats, Max chuckled.

“You two have a very interesting love language.”

* * * * * * *

About twelve miles away from where they first spotted the tracks, parked outside an abandoned computer repair shop, was a well-maintained, newer Ford Mustang.

It was out of place among all the dusty broken-down sedans and SUVs.

Turning quickly to avoid being seen or heard, Caitlin pulled the Jeep behind a row of overgrown shrubs landscaping a bank’s drive-thru teller and cut the engine.

“That’s an interesting choice to look for supplies,” Max