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"We were just trying to help," Jenni pouted

"I know," Katie answered and ran her fingers through her hair slowly

She ed the tender, knots on the top of her head with her fingertips and tried to relax Her whole body was tense and painful She had just run over a worets In this neorld, violence was the way to redemption

If only she could have released Lydia…

Jenni looked grumpy as she propped her feet up on the dashboard "He could have listened to us We could have helped hi on," Katie said after a beat

"I’ close to her

They lapsed into silence and continued down the road

2 Keep Moving Until You Stop

Keep , her father’s voice whispered in her hed and shifted in her seat The air conditioning was blowing full blastthrough the windshield It was a pull on the tank of gas, but it was too hot to go without running it anymore It was near four o’clock in the afternoon and the hottest part of the day

Jack and Jenni had dozed off beside her Jenni’s head slightly rested on Katie’s thigh and her black hair fell around her pale face Her body was curled up under the hunting jacket Jack the Gerainst her

They were both snoring

It soothed Katie’s nerves for soe reason

Da by noon, and cool in the evenings Right noas at full broil

She had finally kicked off her shoes Her sleeveless silk tank and navy blue trousers seemed brutally out of place in her new existence She would need to find soood question Formore than farmland and forest and occasionally a house set back from the road

On one small far the grounds with guns One of theut had clenched at the sight of one of those workers heavily bandaged arm and they had sped by

They couldn’t take chances anymore

But they weren’t the only paranoid ones They had to go around a very s at the ready

A huge n had read "No out of towners allowed" Itcities, like thee in the countryside There was no assurance that the city folk weren’t bringing the infection with the ahead of the truck were more hills and more trees It felt peaceful and surreal Usually at this time of the day she was either in court or buried under stacks of paperwork Her tuing Lydia back and forth as the day went on

Instead…

She looked down at Jenni and sighed

Jenni unnerved her She was a very lovely young woman with her dark hair and eyes and lu on her legs and one arm only confirmed her abuse And, as Lydia had often pointed out, Katie wanted to save the world and everyone in it

Already Katie felt very protective toward Jenni She would do everything she could to take care of both of theave her purpose, gave her the will to move on and not stare at the picture of Lydia captured on her cell phone

Above the trees, an enor Store-Stop now before you shoot!

She laughed at the sign and shook her head Country people were one of a kind She reached down and gently stroked Jenni’s hair

"We’re gonna be okay," she pro woman

The truck crested a hill and down beloas a town, if it could be called a town Six buildings, four on the left, two on the right, lined the road Behind the buildings were fields and trees and Katie could see a s up the town’s "burbs"

A huge sign stood on top of the two story building on the right

Too Store-Guns, Supplies, Licenses and More! Stop now before you shoot!

"Wonder if they have a zo license," Katie murmured as she slowly drove into the town

The store was very old, at least 150 years old, with thick stone walls and heavy iron bars over the s A big iron door had Toombs with deer antlers on either side of the name painted in yellow letters It looked like an old-ti the truck idle, Katie looked around at the buildings before returning her gaze to the hunting store It was eerily quiet and devoid of any visible people

Suddenly, a shot rang out and Katie jumped Jenni screa

Katie was so startled she wasn’t sure as going on Then she saw a sht beside the truck, a neat hole blown through its head