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And then his voice filled the truck cab

"Hello? Katie?"

And Katie started to cry as Jenni said, "No, but she’s here with rabbed the phone away from Jenni "Daddy!"

"Katie, are you and Lydia okay?"

Katie shook her head and whispered, "No, no I’m fine, but Lydia, she didn’t make it She…Daddy…she…"

"I’m sorry, Katie-baby I’m sorry"

She could tell by his voice that he truly was Despite his s with her lifestyle, he had coh her mother had remained blissfully in denial until her death, her father had tried hard to understand His painful, so questions had only showed her how , dressed in hisand near tears, to walk her down the aisle, she knew that he loved her even if he didn’t understand her completely

Now they shared a moment of silence over the woman Katie had loved so ain "But you can’t let it affect you right now, understand?"

"Yes, I know I’e of pride crept into his tone, though it remained dominated by fear "Listen, Katie, whatever the hell this is, it’s all over the city You need to get down to the police department We’re barricaded in and you’ll be safe here We got the National Guard on its way"

"Okay, Daddy Okay We’ll be there as soon as we can"

"Katie, be careful" His voice was rich with emotion and she wiped a tear away

"I’ood vehicle"

"Not that little-"

"No, no A truck I’s"

Katie nodded and pressed the cell phone tighter to her ear, ignoring the little stab of her earring against her skin "Daddy, what are they?"

"I don’t know I don’t know The damn Ruskies are behind it I know it

We never could trust the you, Katie, the Soviet Union never really died"

She couldn’t help but laugh a little He was such a Cold War warrior She could hearWithout a doubt her dear old dad was at the center of the storo I love you Get here as soon as you can Be careful"

"Okay, Daddy Okay Love you"

Katie snapped the phone shut and pressed it tightly against her lips She couldn’t think of Lydia right now She couldn’t think of how she had pulled up to their beautiful hohbors at her side She couldn’t think of how Lydia had rushed toward her, not to kiss her and hold her and make the world better, but to kill

"I knohat they are," Jenni said softly beside her She was intently staring at her feet, especially her one bloodstained toe

"Yeah? Well, what are they then?"

"Zohed bitterly, then her voice died away as the crested a hill

Before the Down in the city, chaos ruled

Even froh position, they could see clearly that it was overrun The things were every where

The phone rang

"Katie?"

"Daddy?"

"Katie, don’t coot word in It’s not safe to come in The National Guard was overrun Don’t come, Katie! Run! Get the hell out of the city! Keep safe, baby, keep safe"

Katie rested her forehead against the steering wheel "Daddy…"

"Just do it, baby Just do it"

Either he hung up or the lines finally went dead for suddenly there was nothing but a pulsing tone

Katie looked up through the windshield as she clutched the steering wheel A car sped past her and down the hill toward don She watched it for several blocks and then it was overrun by a horde of those things