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A commotion from outside draws your attention to the front window. It's tough to see through the boards covering the glass, but you find a hole. A sizable group of your neighbors are crowding the curb outside a home in the middle of the block. From the first-floor window, a tall, older man with a thick gray-and-black beard leans out and yells at the people gathered. Shouts are exchanged back and forth between the crowd and the old man.

"Send him outside!"

"He's infected!"

"Bring him here!"

You recognize the older man as Sam Makarov, a retired firefighter who lives with his teenage son, Peter. They moved in two years ago, and though you've exchanged a "good morning" here and there, neither have been approachable. Among the crowd are mainly strangers, some holding long sticks, and one has a baseball bat over his shoulder. In the back is Mrs. Ortega, a middle-aged woman who lives around the corner, and next to her stands Tommy Monroe, who must be home from college. He was a senior at your high school when you were a freshman.

As you stare out the window, you notice the crowd is getting more and more riled, and Mr. Makarov slams his window shut and pulls the shade down. Through the edge of the blinds peek two hands and the shadow of a head, but they quickly disappear.

Instead of anyone in the mob leaving, a few people bang on the front door, then a bottle flies and shatters against the brick wall. A woman in the front of the pack seems to lead them as she points at the door and rallies the crowd.

Seeing this, you decide to…