163

You hang the crossbow pistol from your belt.

Having reached your limit, you head out of the supply room.

The early morning brings an unseasonable chill to the air outside the main doors of the Cathedral.

"Rezo, over here," Uncle Lou calls, as he packs your supplies for the trip in the back of the van. In the bandit attack, all vehicles were destroyed, except for the beat-up Dodge van. A secondary objective of this trip is to find another usable vehicle.

As you move closer to the van, a light rain falls, misting the area. You spot Heather around the opposite side of the van, helping Uncle Lou load it with backpacks and a duffel bag. Tom closes the hood of the van and grabs a duffel bag to load.

"Jesus, are you going on a mission or vacation, Uncle Lou?" Heather asks, as she drives her hands into the side of the overstuffed baggage.

"What? I need these things. Always be prepared, just like a Boy Scout," he answers.

When Uncle Lou turns away, Heather glances at you, rolls her eyes and mouths, "OH MY GOD."

Uncle Lou climbs into the driver's seat, and you cross the small parking lot to join him. The rain is falling harder but sun-rays poke through the thick white clouds hanging in the sky.

Swinging the door open, you lift a leg to enter the van as Emma rushes out of the Cathedral door. She runs over and nearly knocks you over with a hug.

"You can't leave without saying goodbye for god's sake," she says and squeezes your back. She leans in close and whispers, "when you get back, let's talk about our next step. It's time to move on. I love you."

She releases her grip and backs away.

"Good luck, you two! Uncle Lou, take care of my brother!"

Finally, you jump in the passenger seat and slam the door shut. Your clothes are damp from the rain, and a chill passes over your body from the cool, late August air.

At the edge of the driveway, three zombies stagger down the road, like drunks leaving a bar. Uncle Lou pulls the van out of the lot. As you pull closer, the trio of undead spin toward the vehicle and dash forward, the lead one hunched over and trotting with his hands against the ground. The three speed headlong at the van, their brains too warped to avoid the oncoming vehicle.

Uncle Lou steps on the gas, and the van jerks forward, the motor revving with an angry hum. The front left bumper slams into the hunched zombie, flinging his body to the side. The next zombie smashes against the right front corner and is thrown off at an angle, its legs broken in half by the impact. The third zombie strikes the middle of the front end and immediately disappears under the carriage. A throaty growl radiates through the van's floor, and the chassis teeters side-to-side as the right-side wheels thump over the zombie's body. The vehicle groans and settles back on the road.

You stare over at Uncle Lou.

"What?" he says with a surprised look, like he didn't just mash the van into a pack of undead.

In the rear-view mirror, the three zombies lie scattered across the road, their bodies twitching in the last throws of real death, as your van lurches through a turn and the image of the Cathedral disappears.