After: Whiteout (AFTER post-apocalyptic series, Book 4) by Scott Nicholson Page B

mannequin rack
in the thrift store and the dead people propped up in McDonald’s, she had a
good idea, but all she could say was “I don’t know.”
    “Will
they hurt us?”
    “No,
honey. Joey will protect us.”
    Cathy
turned and smiled at them as if they were embarking on the Yellowbrick Road,
headed for a great adventure and off to see the Wizard. Rosa had seen that
movie while she was still learning English, so she missed a lot of the nuances
that Marina grasped right away. But she understood the journey was more
important than the destination, because the journey was where the Tin Woodsman
got his heart, the Cowardly Lion got his courage, and the Scarecrow got his
brains. She also knew there was magic in the words “There’s no place like
home,” although Camalú might as well be a fantasy movie set for all the reality
it held for her now. Magic had given way to hopelessness.
    As
they trudged out of town, two of the Zapheads slowed and circled behind them,
as if to ensure Rosa and Marina wouldn’t lag or flee. They walked in silence as
night fell, following a two-lane highway punctuated with occasional abandoned
vehicles and multi-car pile-ups. Enough of the moon filtered through the cloud
cover to illuminate the pavement like a ribbon of oil, but it was the light cast
by the eyes of the Zapheads that guided them forward. They passed road signs,
but Rosa was never close enough to a Zaphead for its radiance to reveal the
reflective letters.
    The
Zapheads never stopped to rest, and as the three humans in their midst grew weary
and slowed, they adjusted their pace. The ones carrying the dead bodies never
changed their grips or traded off their burdens, seemingly tireless. If
anything, they grew stronger the farther they walked.
    Or
the closer we’re getting to the rest of them , Rosa thought. Because they somehow feed off one another’s energy.
    Aside
from comforting Marina, she had little to distract her, and she passed the time
dwelling on two subjects: whether Jorge was still alive and how the Zapheads
functioned. She would need to understand their behavior before she could hope
to save Marina. An opportunity might arise for them to escape, and perhaps
night was the best time to try, but Rosa remained reluctant to risk Marina’s life yet. Until she was confident she could outsmart and outmaneuver the mutants,
they would stay close and learn.
    This
was just like when she’d arrived in the United States with her husband—entering
an alien, hostile world. Only this world could kill with one cry from an
infant’s tiny lips.
    “I
can’t go any more, Momma,” Marina said. “I’m hungry.”
    “It’s
not much farther,” Rosa said. The encouragement was automatic and meaningless.
For all she knew, the Zapheads would march them until they reached the sea, and
then drive them beyond the shore into deep water.
    “What
will we eat?”
    The
Zapheads obviously wouldn’t let them stop at any of the houses or convenience
stores along the highway, and Rosa was afraid to ask. But Cathy, whose blouse
was open so that Joey could feed from one of her full breasts, said, “We’ll eat
cake.”
    Joey
stopped his suckling and pulled his lips away with a wet smack. “Patty cake!”
he squealed with delight, before nuzzling back into his nursing.
    The
sky shifted from pitch black to gray, suggesting morning. Ahead of them was a
soft haze of light, and Rosa’s heart leapt with joy. Electricity! So
civilization isn’t completely dead.
    “What
are those lights, Momma?” Marina mumbled drowsily, leaning against Rosa as she limped forward.
    “It
looks like a town, honey.”
    “Does
that mean warm food? And milk?”
    “I
hope so. We’ll have to see.”
    Joey
popped free of his mother’s breast again to exclaim, “New people!”
    “New
people,” the other Zapheads repeated.
    New
people? That means…
    Now
the road ended with the dark spires of buildings lining two horizons. It was a
town, but much larger than Siler