Tainted Grace by M. Lauryl Lewis

most,” added Nathan. “Getting enough supplies, finding a boat, getting through the hordes.”
    I knew that they needed to know about me, so I spoke. “I can help.”
    Everyone looked at me, Boggs stopping mid-bite with his fork held in front of him. His eyes warned me to not speak.
    “They need to know,” I continued. “Their plan sounds like our best chance, if we join them, and they need to know I can help.”
    “What’s going on?” asked Bill, whose posture was suddenly alarmed. I noticed Nathan tense as well.
    “When this started, I fell out of a window and hurt my hip. The wound got infected somehow. Boggs and Gus saved me, but it sounds like I almost died. A few days later, once we settled here, I found I can hear them. I know when they’re close.”
    Bill blinked at me. “What do you mean hear them?”
    “The Runners. Somehow I can sense them if they’re near. I can see through their eyes.”
    Nathan laughed. “Miss Zoe, you don’t need to convince us to take you all with us. I think Bill and I are in agreement on that.”
    My eyes were locked with Bill’s. He had taken me very literally and was watching me like a hawk, as if I may morph into one of the living dead before him. His posture was tense. After several long seconds of silence, he relaxed his shoulders.
    “Ok,” said Bill. “Have you seemed ok otherwise?”
    “Yes. My skin is green where the wound was, but it’s healed otherwise.” Our eyes were still set on each other, and anything else around me was now tuned out. “Louisa, the woman we lost in childbirth, I saw her after…” I was at a loss for words, slightly overcome by remembering her and the tiny new baby after their second deaths. Thankfully Gus took over.
    “Louisa and her baby both turned. Once they were finally dead, we noticed Louisa had green streaks on her face very much like what Zoe bears on her hip.”
    I considered for the briefest of moments mentioning that I had bitten Boggs in my sleep, but thought better of it and kept that information to myself.
    I broke my eye lock with Bill, and looked at Boggs. I knew he was mad at me by the way he was glaring. “Boggs, they needed to know. Don’t be mad at me.”
    “We appreciate you telling us, Zoe. I can understand why your friends weren’t anxious to divulge the information.”
    I sighed. “Please don’t be upset with them. If you want to go back, forget about us, consider taking everyone but me.”
    “Zoe. Knock it off,” barked Boggs. “No one is leaving you behind.”
    Bill relaxed in his chair, ran his hand through his beard, and shifted in his seat. “He’s right. Nathan and I can’t speak for our entire group but I can’t imagine them opting to leave you behind. I think we all know what has to be done if someone turns. We can leave it at that.”
    “Damn,” was all Nathan said as the conversation sank in.
    Boggs stood and positioned himself behind me. I felt him rest his hands protectively on my shoulders. I reached up with my right hand and placed it over his. The last thing I wanted was to disappoint him, or for him to be angry with me.
    “I propose, if you all decide you’re interested, that if the roads clear enough we load your step van and drive it to our place. Then we could caravan in both it and our Suburban, gather what we need, and head back toward Puget Sound,” suggested Bill.
    “I want to go,” said Susan. I looked at her. “It’d be a chance to start a new life. Maybe even be a place we could feel safe for a change.” I noticed she was standing very close to Nathan.
    Gus took a deep breath. “Susan, I think we should all discuss it in more detail. But, if for some reason some of us opt to not go you know you’d have our blessings.” Susan nodded in understanding.
    “Nathan. Bill. When are you thinking about heading back to your place?” asked Boggs.
    “Hopefully within the next couple of days,” answered Bill. On foot if the snow stays. We’d like to butcher the deer