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Through the Old Pine Woods you hike, keeping the highway in view but at a distance, using the sun's position as a compass to lead you back home. It is a lonely hike, and your mind can't stop dwelling on the event which got you here. Your mind picks at each detail: the faulty brakes, the van plunging into the water, the zombies, Uncle Lou. You can't wait to confront Tom and find out if he tampered with the brakes. After all of the suspicions you've had about the man, if he did this, there must be repercussions.

You suck in a breath of crisp air. It clears your mind for a moment. But as you breathe out, images start swirling around again, faces of the survivors at the Cathedral. One in particular fills the void in your head—Emma. You've protected her the best you could, tried to keep her away from danger, and you want to get back to the Cathedral to keep her safe.

A sharp scream pierces the quiet of the forest, breaking you from your daydreaming. It's a human scream—a young girl.

"HEEELLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!" she screams over and over.

So locked in your own thoughts, you didn't hear the wild, shrill sounds of zombies nearby. Now, the girl's screams eclipse the howls. You rush toward the sounds—though it seems ludicrous to run toward zombies, the pleading cries of the young voice propels you forward. You rush through the forest, heart pumping, eyes peeled for any sudden movement, guided by the ear-piercing sounds of the undead.

Past a rotted clump of brushwood, a trio of zombies stand beneath a maple tree, its thick plume of red and yellow leaves, and just out of their reach on a branch is a living girl. She is young, early teens, with red, wavy hair. She kneels on a low branch and hugs the trunk, tears streaming over pale cheeks.