20

Stella

The zombies were fast, faster than any I had seen in years. I remember them being so quick when I was younger, in my early days with Max and in the few flashes I have of the time before I met him. They were like lightning made of shadows, darting from behind buildings and out from trees.

But that had been so long ago. The zombies that wandered around the lakehouse were lumbering and decaying, and I sometimes wondered if they were more in search of death than in pursuit of food.

With the zombies running toward us, there was no mistake. Their gnashing teeth and frenzied snarls with greedy hands outstretched in front of them, they were the hungriest beings I had ever seen.

Boden let go of Ripley's leash – not that I think he could've held her if he tried – and she immediately lunged at the zombies. Everyone sprang into action, getting their weapons, and they went at the zombies.

Remy grabbed the machete and ran at them headfirst, while Boden was a few steps back with the crossbow. Serg with his spear and Max with his billhook knife stayed near me. I couldn't run very fast or very long, especially not in this muddy terrain. I planted my feet and wielded my walking stick like a staff.

Serg and Max were excellent with their weapons, taking off a zombie's head and stabbing another through the heart before they had a chance to sink their teeth into anyone.

When a zombie did make it between them, I swung my stick and knocked it back. I jammed my stick into its chest, to puncture the heart and kill it, but the ribs wouldn't give. Ripley spotted me struggling, and she grabbed the zombie by the legs and dragged it away to finish it off.

The world suddenly pitched to the side, but I was still standing on my feet. The dizziness crashed over me, and I leaned on my walking stick as a familiar sensation hit me.

"No, not now," I whispered, as if I could hold back the impending seizure with sheer force of will.

But I couldn't. All I could really do was scream Max's name. His eyes met mine, and I lost myself to an explosion of pain and light inside my brain.

The seizures I had been getting the last few months were not things that I could remember when they were over. There was only pain, and then time suddenly jumped forward.

Before I opened my eyes again, I knew that I was moving, with a chilly wind stinging my face. When I opened them, I realized that I was in Boden's arms, and he was jogging down the muddy trail.

My mouth tasted like dried blood, and I had the intense full body aches and tiredness that always came afterwards. But there was also a sharp pain in my abdomen, just underneath my belly. With every step Boden took, the pain flared.

"Stop," I said weakly, and he immediately did.

"She's awake!" Boden announced, and suddenly Max and Remy were there. Beyond them, I could see Serg, Lillian, Castor, and Samara standing nearby.

"Put me down," I said.

"Are you sure –" Boden began.

"Put me down!" I repeated more forcefully, and he finally complied and set me carefully on the ground. The pain in my belly lessened but didn't fully go away.

"Do you want your stick?" Max asked, holding it out to me, and I took it from him gratefully.

"The zombies are gone?" I asked, because I didn't hear or see them anywhere. All around us were just the tree stumps, except for a kilometer straight ahead, where a tall fence blocked our path. "We're almost to Emberwood?"

"Yeah." Max smiled at me and put a hand on my back. "We made it, Stella."

"Let's go then," I said.

"Are you sure you should walk?" Remy asked.

"I'll be fine," I insisted.

I cradled one arm around my stomach and leaned against the walking stick with the other. Between my exhaustion and the sharp pains, I couldn't move fast, but I knew I could get there on my own two feet.

At the end of the trail was a sign that said Welcome to Emberwood. A fence ran all around the town, and it had to be at least six or seven meters tall. The bottom meter was made of stone, concrete, and broken glass, while the five or so above it was made of vertical logs. The tops were sharpened to a point, and barbed wire was wrapped all around the logs.

As we approached the gate, I saw a smaller sign warning of an examination upon entrance and that all animals must be secured.

Lillian, Samara, and Castor jogged on ahead of the rest of us, and they reached the gate first and started pounding on it.

Boden made sure he had a secure grip on Ripley's leash, and the gate opened. Two people came out wearing full body suits that reminded me a bit of astronauts. Except the helmets were made of the same thick fabric as the rest of the suit, and the only window for the eyes was a small, plastic rectangle. Instead of the typical white of a spacesuit, they were a dirty, faded yellow color. When the people who wore them spoke, their voices were muffled and robotic sounding.

"You will all be separated for examination. If you show any signs of infection, you will be denied entry," they explained in their alien, neutral tone. "You will all be separated for examination. If you show no signs of infection, you will be welcomed into Emberwood.

"Can I stay with her?" Max asked

"You will be separated –" they started to repeat, but Max held up his hand to stop them.

"Yeah, I got it," he snapped.

They sent us down a narrow pathway between the exterior stone and wood fence and an interior chain link fence, and Max hung onto my hand for as long as he could. Ahead were a row of small sheds, and it wasn't until we stopped at the first one that the separation they'd warned of began. They directed me to go through the door into one, and Max squeezed my hand and promised he'd see me soon.

The little shacks were made of sheet metal, and they had no windows. They did, however, have electricity, and they were lit by a bright white light. A folding chair sat in the center, and in one corner, there was a basin with clean water and a mirror above it. In the other corner, there was a bucket of sawdust for waste.

"Sit down and someone will be with you soon," the people in the spacesuits said, and they closed the door behind them.

I stripped down to the bandeau bra and boxer shorts I'd made from the clothes I had outgrown at the lakehouse. The fabric had clouds and rainbows of the little girl who had loved them before me.

The door opened without a knock, and someone in a space suit came in carrying a tacklebox. They shut the door behind them, and with their gloved hand, they pulled out a thermometer.

"You can sit if you want. I need a few vitals," they said.

"I can't. It hurts to sit or straighten up," I said. All I could comfortably do was lean against my walking stick.

They quickly took my temperature, my blood pressure, and checked my pupils, along with a few other tests that I didn't understand. Then, much to my surprise, they pulled off their helmet, and revealed a woman with a round, kind face. Her dark hair was graying at the temples, and her tentative smile was comforting.

"You have a fever, but no other signs of infection," she said. "What's your name?"

"Stella."

"How old are you, Stella?"

"I turned fifteen in June."

"Do you know how far along you are in your pregnancy?"

"A little over seven months, I think," I said.

"Stella, you are sick, but I think you know that," she said gently. "My name is Jovie Galaway, and I'm a midwife. I want to help you."

Tears formed in my eyes. "Really?"

"Yes." She smiled. "I'll leave you to get dressed, and then we'll get you out of here. Okay?"

I nodded. "Thank you."

She left, and I dressed as hurriedly as I could. The ache underneath my belly made it difficult. I ran my hand along my bare skin, and I felt a wound. My fingertips were red with blood.

My heart dropped, and I looked to the mirror. I couldn't see under my belly, so I stood on my tip toes, lifting it up and tilting back until I could see it in the reflection. The waistband of my boxers were red with blood straight beneath my belly button, and I could see the shape of teeth, small but clear.

A zombie had bitten me.