to tell you what to look out for.”
“Are you okay?” I asked , turning my attention to her . “You seem upset.”
She sighed again, “I’m tired, and I’m worried.”
“Don’t worry about the Somervilles,” I said. “They’ve proven they can take care of themselves.”
We pulled into four more driveways on Tucker Road before I thought we found what we were looking for. It was a ranch-style house with a small yellow and black sign in the yard that said PRICE REDUCED * FORECLOSURE * BANK OWNED. There were six long metal brackets attached to the roof.
“I’ll bet this is it,” I said. “The solar panels were probably mounted on those brackets.”
She put the car in park and rested her head against the back of the seat, staring at the roof of the house .
“ It must have been a while since Judy was out here,” she said. “This was a wasted trip. Now we have to try the high school, and I was hoping we could avoid that.”
“Yeah,” I said, “They’re not going to be very welcoming. I’m sorry; it’s my fault.”
Sara looked like she was going to say something, but just shook her head instead.
“What?” I said.
She acted hesitant, like she was trying to decide whether she should talk , but then just came out with it.
“It keeps coming back to J en,” Sara said. “I don’t mean any disrespect , but I just can’t seem to get a break from that woman.”
The mention of Jen’s name ca u sed a sharp twinge inside me.
“What do you mean?” I said
“Yeah, it’s your fault we’re unwelcome at the high school,” she continued, “but it was all because of Jen. The Somervilles are missing now, because they went out looking for a new place where you wouldn’ t be reminded of Jen. When you were sick, you kept calling me by her name and—“
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’ t know. I had a fever; I must have said a lot of crazy stuff.”
“—if all that weren’t bad enough, she’s still out there somewhere.”
“ Oh ,” I said. I had no idea how to respond to that.
We both got quiet and stared out the windshield. The only sound was the idling engine.
“I’m sorry” she said finally, “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m…I’m sorry.”
She put the car in reverse and backed out into the road.
CHAPTER 9
The drive into Clayfield was quiet and tense. The infected were everywhere outside. We were aware of them the way one might be aware of a thunderstorm while safe and dry i nside of a shelter—the phenomenon was out there and kind of scary, but now so commonplace that it could be tuned out.
I thought we’d go directly to the Grace County High School, but instead Sara drove us to the house in which we had been living before our run-in with Corndog and Wheeler. The front wooden fence was a splintered mess where they’d rammed through.
“Better park on the street,” I said softly , breaking the silence . “We don’t want to risk damaging our tires driving over that debris.”
She parked and we got out. We stood by the car for a few seconds listening and looking around. Other than birds and the occasional distant howl of one of the undead, it was quiet. The trees on the street had been leafing out for more than a week, and since the rain, they were a vibrant, almost unnatural, green. Sara checked her weapon to make sure it was ready and we proceeded along the wooden fence toward the house.
The hay truck w as still parked in the driveway , but the bus was gone . There were a lot of clothes and other items we’d collected from Wal-Mart scattered around on the ground outside. They’d stolen the bulk of our supplies and discarded the rest . I doubted we’d find much left inside the house.
Sara bent over and peeled up a pair of jeans that had been trampled into the mud.
“ It doesn’t look good, ” she said.
“No.”
“They left the cistern tank and some of the heavy stuff on the hay truck,” she said, dropping the jeans.
“Let’s go
“Are you okay?” I asked , turning my attention to her . “You seem upset.”
She sighed again, “I’m tired, and I’m worried.”
“Don’t worry about the Somervilles,” I said. “They’ve proven they can take care of themselves.”
We pulled into four more driveways on Tucker Road before I thought we found what we were looking for. It was a ranch-style house with a small yellow and black sign in the yard that said PRICE REDUCED * FORECLOSURE * BANK OWNED. There were six long metal brackets attached to the roof.
“I’ll bet this is it,” I said. “The solar panels were probably mounted on those brackets.”
She put the car in park and rested her head against the back of the seat, staring at the roof of the house .
“ It must have been a while since Judy was out here,” she said. “This was a wasted trip. Now we have to try the high school, and I was hoping we could avoid that.”
“Yeah,” I said, “They’re not going to be very welcoming. I’m sorry; it’s my fault.”
Sara looked like she was going to say something, but just shook her head instead.
“What?” I said.
She acted hesitant, like she was trying to decide whether she should talk , but then just came out with it.
“It keeps coming back to J en,” Sara said. “I don’t mean any disrespect , but I just can’t seem to get a break from that woman.”
The mention of Jen’s name ca u sed a sharp twinge inside me.
“What do you mean?” I said
“Yeah, it’s your fault we’re unwelcome at the high school,” she continued, “but it was all because of Jen. The Somervilles are missing now, because they went out looking for a new place where you wouldn’ t be reminded of Jen. When you were sick, you kept calling me by her name and—“
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’ t know. I had a fever; I must have said a lot of crazy stuff.”
“—if all that weren’t bad enough, she’s still out there somewhere.”
“ Oh ,” I said. I had no idea how to respond to that.
We both got quiet and stared out the windshield. The only sound was the idling engine.
“I’m sorry” she said finally, “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m…I’m sorry.”
She put the car in reverse and backed out into the road.
CHAPTER 9
The drive into Clayfield was quiet and tense. The infected were everywhere outside. We were aware of them the way one might be aware of a thunderstorm while safe and dry i nside of a shelter—the phenomenon was out there and kind of scary, but now so commonplace that it could be tuned out.
I thought we’d go directly to the Grace County High School, but instead Sara drove us to the house in which we had been living before our run-in with Corndog and Wheeler. The front wooden fence was a splintered mess where they’d rammed through.
“Better park on the street,” I said softly , breaking the silence . “We don’t want to risk damaging our tires driving over that debris.”
She parked and we got out. We stood by the car for a few seconds listening and looking around. Other than birds and the occasional distant howl of one of the undead, it was quiet. The trees on the street had been leafing out for more than a week, and since the rain, they were a vibrant, almost unnatural, green. Sara checked her weapon to make sure it was ready and we proceeded along the wooden fence toward the house.
The hay truck w as still parked in the driveway , but the bus was gone . There were a lot of clothes and other items we’d collected from Wal-Mart scattered around on the ground outside. They’d stolen the bulk of our supplies and discarded the rest . I doubted we’d find much left inside the house.
Sara bent over and peeled up a pair of jeans that had been trampled into the mud.
“ It doesn’t look good, ” she said.
“No.”
“They left the cistern tank and some of the heavy stuff on the hay truck,” she said, dropping the jeans.
“Let’s go
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