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Katie really didn’t think the Hispanic girl could get any paler

Suddenly there was a screech of tires outside and they all turned to see two cars pull up Both were fully loaded with people, all Hispanic Men with guns leaped out and ran into the store

"Papa!" The Latina girl looked relieved and ran toward one of the irl looked like a ghost

"I’one, running with her family out to their cars

Katie turned back to look at the boy whoseopen

From behind her, Jenni said, "Told you"

"I don’t believe you"

"Then you are going to die," Katie said fir warmer as the sun rose steadily over the hills The breeze brushing back her blond hair was alrainy and harsh

Katie sighed and kept watch as the pu up the old truck’s tank Jack, groggy fro wheel inside the cab watching her Every few seconds he would look around nervously She wondered howhad seen as he lay in his crate secured in the back of the truck this lanced toward her and their eyes ot the iood

The pu the cap back onto the gas tank

She was struggling to feel real This world felt real Seeister of a country road gas station while she pu day That fact seemed real

But it wasn’t the true reality

Inside, her new cos while the boy dutifully swiped each and every ite theun in one hand and kept a keen eye on the terrain around her Save for a sas station, the white truck was the only vehicle around

This was not an ordinary day

Lydia was dead And Jenni’s son and husband were so to…

Katie aze back and forth, at tiun at the ready, the shells jiggling in her pocket Shoving the door open with her elbow, she entered the convenience store

Jenni rushed past her and Katie saw she had found some flip-flops on a shelf somewhere to wear

Jenni whirled about "Do you want coffee? I didn’t get "

Katie blinked and nodded "Yeah Black"

Jenni nodded and ran to the dispenser

"Look, if you are not holding er will be here soon to relievethe boy

There were at least ten bags piled near the door One of the food

Jenni rushed up "Giveto back the truck up"

"Okay Take the shotgun" Katie handed it over and whispered, "I need to go to the ladies room"

"I already went Stuff sorab one half-roll It’s really way too expensive to buy here" Jenni was out the door She rushed across the parking lot with her bathrobe flowing behind her with the shotgun held firer "Don’t you have a radio or a TV somewhere around here to listen to? To check and see if e are saying is true?"

"It’s against the regulations Our owner is a man of principles and he believes that we should not inflict our reet them with a smile and a friendly conversation"

"You had to memorize that, huh?"

The boy blinked blankly "Yeah Look, lady, zombies don’t exist I think you’re cri away froet fired"

Katie laughed, her hands resting on her hips, then shook her head

"You’re going to end up dead if you keep acting like a good little drone The world is over Finished It’s all different now You better stop following and start acting" With that, she escaped into the bathroom

After a few azed at her face in the spotted and scuffeddid her no favors

She looked washed out and drawn She looked older and tired Just about how she felt, now that she thought about it Reaching for the door, she heard raised voices and felt her body quiver anxiously Her stos were outside and all she had were two pockets full of toilet paper and dauing and not screa and she heaved the door open and walked briskly toward the front of the store

Ain the front of the store shouting at Jenni She stood quietly, head down Katie took notice that the shotgun was hidden in the folds of Jenni’s bathrobe

"…and I don’t need aI have a very i at eleven AM in the city and I don’t need to deal with retarded country hicks"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>