Becca by Jennie Taylor

before we met.”
    “You certainly are a confident girl, I’ll give you that.”
    “I’m just willing to go after what I want.”
     
     
    David wasn’t very happy when I made him give the second gun to Tasha. But I trust her more. He’s a good shot, but he’s twitchy. He gets scared and waves the gun. He’s a kid. Tasha is more stable and less easily spooked. Of course I didn’t tell him that. I told him we needed his muscles to carry the food.
     
    We drove toward the nearest town, thirty miles away. There were wrecked cars everywhere. Like people were sick and trying to drive anyway, and they just didn’t get too far. There are some dead bodies. I saw someone walking off in the distance, at the back of one of the fields. They were sort of weaving, and they didn’t look good. I just hoped the others didn’t see them. There is no reason to scare them.
     
    “Okay, Tasha, pull up here.”
    “What, here?”
    “Yeah.”
    “You want us to walk?” Bridget asked.
    “That’s the idea.”
    “But isn’t that more dangerous?”  
    “We drive the car into the center of town and it’ll be like yelling for them to come get us. This way we can go quietly and avoid everyone.”
    “Don’t forget the bags.” Tasha told them.
    “Everyone stay as quiet as possible. I’ll go first. I want Tasha last. Everyone keep their eyes open.”
     
    You could see people moving several blocks ahead. I cut back into an alley, hoping to avoid them. It was quiet. No dogs barking. Either no dogs in this neighborhood or they’re all dead. They wouldn’t have starved by now, would they? Poor doggies. I wonder if that disease spreads from human to animal. Please tell me the people didn’t bite the dogs.
     
    There was a sound and I spun toward it and raised the gun. There was a man-- or what used to be one-- banging against the wooden fence. The fence was only about four foot tall, but he couldn’t see us. His eyes had been gouged out. There was blood running down his face, still, and it looked so painful. He wasn’t screaming or moaning in pain, he was simply banging against the fence.
     
    I turned to everyone and held my finger up to my mouth, shushing them. We walked very slowly past the back of the house. At one point I looked back and saw Tasha shoving Amber along. Amber’s eyes were locked on the man banging against the fence. She looked about two seconds away from a full panic attach.
     
    We turned back to the main road and continued on. There was a small store just a block away. I pointed to make sure everyone knew where we were headed, and I continued on. I opened the door to the shop and looked around. Empty. It was a little trashed from other people raiding it, but there didn’t seem to be anyone inside.
     
    “Go in and check the back, Tasha. I’ll keep a watch out here.”
    “Got it.”
     
    She went inside. Before the others could even follow her in three people came hurrying toward us from behind a van. Amber screamed and turned to run, tripping and falling down instead. Bridget grabbed David and blocked his body with her own, protecting him. I froze.
     
    They were a family. The man was probably six foot tall, dressed in what was once a nice suit. The woman, who I think was his wife, was short and blonde and looked like she used to be bubbly. She was probably a cheerleader in high school. The youngest was just a kid, maybe eight. She had a light brown hair, cut exactly as Bridget’s was at that age. She was Bridget’s height and weight when she was that age, too. So much like Bridget.
     
    “Becca!” Amber screamed.
     
    I snapped out of my daze and pulled the gun up, quickly firing at the guy and striking him in the chest. He stumbled back and fell over. I shot the woman in the head and she dropped straight to the ground where she was. No stumbling, no falling over, just crumpled down on herself.
     
    The girl kept coming. I swung the gun onto her, but then it was like I was aiming at Bridget. I just