“Theresa, dammit –“ Aaron began.
“We don’t know what’s happening, Aaron. We already decided that –“
“That’s right, we don’t know,” snapped Aaron. “And until we do, no one dies. No one.” He glared at her. Then turned away, dismissing both her and her weapon. “Go, Ken.”
Ken turned away as well. His back twitched. He felt like he had a bright red circle painted in the middle of it.
It was an easy jump to the engine’s walkway.
It was also easy to see the zombies loping along the side of the train.
A few had made it to the side of the last engine.
Ken ran back to the middle of the center engine. Jumped up again. Numb to everything but what he had to do.
He didn’t go to Maggie. Instead went to Buck. He sawed at the big man’s wrist cuffs. The second they came loose Buck tore his blindfold and gag loose. Some skin came off along with the blindfold, a few bits of gray hair. He didn’t scream, didn’t make a noise. Ken wondered if that was life now – pain such a part of things it wasn’t worth even noticing.
Like Maggie, Buck blinked in the sunlight, but said nothing. Just stared at Ken as he moved to his daughters. He snapped each of their bonds with one cut of the knife. Then looked back at Buck.
“Get them into the front,” he said.
Buck didn’t question. He just nodded. Then grabbed the girls. He tucked one under each arm. Ken had been injured, out of it for a few days. And during that time Buck had somehow come to view himself as a protector. A friend or favored uncle.
He would die for these girls.
He moved to the end of the engine’s flat top, then sat and swung his legs over and dropped down to the walkway as carefully as he could.
Ken had thought about sending Maggie, but he didn’t trust Theresa, and he figured Buck had a better chance against her. Not to mention Elijah. Buck was the only one of them nearly big enough to go mano a mano with someone that size.
Buck’s head swung back and forth as he oriented himself. He visibly started as he saw the zombies. Then turned and ran to the cab.
Sally, who had been resting near the girls, dropped down silently with Buck.
Ken moved to Maggie next. Loosed her. “Go with him,” he said.
She shook her head. Staring behind her. Knowing what was coming. “We have to stop them.”
“I know,” he said. “But you have nothing to do that with.”
“Ken –“
“Go!”
He shoved her. Then practically shoved her off the top of the engine. Down to the walkway.
She glanced up at him.
He nodded at her.
She touched his foot – the only part of him she could reach. Then ran.
Ken ran back to Christopher. Aaron was already there. Christopher’s wrists were lashed to a handle that jutted out of the metal of the engine. Aaron put a jaw of the wrench between Christopher’s bonds and the metal. Levered up. The plastic popped. Christopher yelled through his gag. He ripped it off.
“Ow, that hurt!” he hollered. Then he tore off his blindfold. “Don’t you….” His voice died as he saw what was coming.
As the first zombie put its hand onto the top of the engine.
At the same time, a shadow drew across the sun. The dark clouds that had been hanging overhead since Ken made his escape from the boxcar finally shuddered and opened up.
Rain began to fall.
48
Aaron dove down to one side of the engine.
Ken thought the cowboy was abandoning them. But there was a sharp clang and the sound of a metal door opening. Sounded like Aaron popped a lock of something with his wrench. Then he tossed something at Christopher. A crowbar.
“You take the other side!” Aaron shouted at Christopher. He switched his gaze to Ken. “You’re top.”
Ken and Christopher moved immediately. The last time Ken had seen the younger man, he had been nearly crippled by despair. He had seen his baby, a baby he thought dead in a hospital collapse, changed not only to a zombie but to one of the ones that was metamorphosing into something hideous and even more alien than the others. Worse, he had attacked it with an axe before realizing who it was. Ken had worried Christopher was broken, mind and soul.
But he moved now, without hesitation or apparent fear. The only difference this Christopher and the old one was that the young man’s grin – always present before – was gone. A twice-broken nose (courtesy of Ken) and a sliced cheek and arms (courtesy of zombies) had failed to strip him of that smile. But now his smile and his humor had fled. Now he looked serious, almost expressionless.
Perhaps not broken, but something had changed in him. Something had died.
Ken only hoped they wouldn’t all die in a more physical manner.
Christopher dropped over the side. On Ken’s left. Aaron on his right. Both men moved forward, ready to hold off the zombies that loped toward them on the sides of the train.