Dead World (Book 2): Headed North by Jacob Mollohan

twins Daniel guesses.
    He takes the stairs slowly. And as he turns into the basement he pans the light across. Nothing moves for a few moments. Just couches, a TV, a pool table, and a mahogany bar with dusty glasses. Then the light catches the corner of a bookcase. A head of tousled hair, matted by blood and filth turns and stares right at him. The thing moans and then there is motion. From behind the couch he sees the rest of the family rise up.
    Their teeth shine dully in the light. The mother is missing the lower half of her jaw. The children topple over the couch in their haste to get at him.
    Daniel pulls the gun from his pants calmly and sights down the closest. A young boy who had been wearing pajamas when he died. They are stained with gore. His right arm is missing at the shoulder and his eyes have that same dead hunger that still horrifies Daniel every time.
    He points the gun and fires off a round. The noise is deafening in such a confined space. The boys head snaps back and the back of his skull blows out, spattering his family with his grey brain matter.
    Daniel fires off three quick shots in succession. The whole family falls in a heap a dozen feet from him, finally at rest. He hears running and in moments Isaiah and Jason are at the top of the stairs. “Are you OK man?” Isaiah calls down.
    “Yeah, everything is fine,” Daniel says, stuffing the gun back in his belt. “The place should be clear now,” he says, turning back up the stairs.
    ***
    Valentine sits in the car, wringing her hands nervously. She hates when they have to separate like this but she knows it’s necessary.
    “It’s going to be OK,” she says. Chloe has been so quiet since they left Denver that Valentine is worried for her. The girl hardly says anything.
    Of course they do their best to protect her. They shelter her as much as they can but she has seen the dead. She has seen them attacking and heard their moaning. Nothing can save her from that.
    “Yes honey,” Sasha agrees patting Chloe on the back. Why don’t you just keep coloring.”
    Chloe holds her small bear so tight that her dark little hands are pale. At her feet are a couple rolled up newspapers completely covered in scribbles of color from her crayons that are mostly used up by now. The little torn bits of wrapper litter the back of the vehicle.
    “When will we be there?” Chloe asks.
    “We are already almost there honey. Just a little while longer and then we will be with other people and we will be safe,” Sasha tries to reassure her but it sounds hollow. The sound of Isaiah kicking the door catches their attention and they turn to watch just as it swings inward. The men disappear into the house and Sasha goes back to rubbing Chloe’s back.
    “Why don’t we play a game?” Valentine asks Chloe. She needs the distraction as much as the little girl does and she just wants to think about anything else.
    “Like what?” Chloe asks meekly.
    “Well how about we play an alphabet game?” Valentine suggests.
    “Like what kind of alphabet game?”
    “You have to pick a topic. Like names or cities or colors. And then we go through the alphabet and come up with something for each letter. Like if we use names I could say Ashley first since that starts with an A. then you would have to come up with a name for…”
    “Bryan,” Chloe says and smiles at her for the first time in days.
    “Perfect,” her mom says, “Chloe obviously.”
    They continue playing the game while the boys search the house. They run through names quickly and move on to fruit. Valentine is wracking her brain trying to come up with a fruit that starts with Q when a muffled gunshot snaps her around. She twists in her seat. The house is still dark. Several more shots follow before she releases a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
    “I’m going to check on them,” she says and throws the door open bolting across the yard. She races, pumping her legs as fast as she can and flies through