It shattered at her feet. She looked absolutely terrified. At that moment, Ledger didn’t care.
“Put your hands in your front pockets. Deep as they’ll go. Good. Now, go sit down,” he told her. “No, not on the couch. On the floor over there, with your back to the wall and your legs straight out in front of you. Good. Stay there, kid. You move and this gets messy.”
Lindsey sat exactly as ordered, her face white with terror.
Ledger bent close to Dez. “Listen to me,” he said in a quieter but no less threatening tone. “Listen to me and understand. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. I could have killed you when I came in. Here’s a news flash—I don’t want you dead. I am Captain Joe Ledger. I was with the Department of Military Sciences before everything went to shit. I am one of the actual good guys. You, however, are a psycho bitch who shot my dog. The fact that you are still breathing is because you didn’t kill my dog. He’s hurt and he needs help. Tell me you understand?”
He had the woman’s head pulled back too far for her to talk, so he eased the pressure by one half an inch. His knife didn’t move.
“Yes…,” she hissed.
“You’re wearing a police uniform,” said Ledger. “Or part of one. Are you a cop?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Stebbins County.”
Ledger grunted. “That’s where all this shit started.”
“Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
He couldn’t see her face very well, just her eyes as she looked up and back at him. Those eyes were filled with incredible hatred and fury. And shame, too, because she’d tried and failed to protect the girl. Ledger could sympathize, but he wasn’t yet ready to let her go.
“Fox,” she snapped. “Desdemona Fox.”
Ledger said, “Wait… what ? You’re Dez Fox?”
He felt her stiffen, but it was Lindsey who spoke. “You know her?”
Ledger removed the knife, let go of her hair and stepped quickly back. Dez turned, fast as a snake, but he was well out of range.
“Everyone knows her,” he said. “Everyone who watched the news when this shit started. The standoff at Stebbins Little School will have its own chapter in the history books…if anyone survives this, I mean. Dez Fox, JT Hammond, and Billy Trout holding off the National Guard who wanted to wipe the town off the map to try and stop the infection. Not that it would have worked because it was already outside the Q-zone, but…damn, you’re really her. You’re Dez Fox.”
“So what?” said Dez as she got slowly to her feet. She rubbed her throat and seemed surprised not to find a drop of blood.
“Two things,” said Ledger, “first, I had the blunt edge against your throat. You couldn’t tell, but there it is. I just wanted to calm this crap down.”
She glared at him.
“Second, you’re supposed to be dead,” he told her.
“Says who?” she demanded.
“Says Billy Trout. Or, that’s what he thought last time I saw him.”
Dez Fox took a step toward him, but then her legs buckled and she dropped to her knees, her eyes wide, mouth working, hands balled into fists. “Billy…?” she said in a tiny voice. “Billy? You saw him? You really saw him? Oh my god…is he alive?”
Ledger smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “And so are a whole bunch of kids who all think you’re dead.”
Dez fell sideways and barely caught herself on one hand. She looked like she was going to pass out and she swayed, dizzy and gasping. “Wh-where?” she stammered. “Oh my Christ— where are they ?”
Ledger opened his mouth to answer but his words were instantly drowned out by a long, terrible howl of animal pain from outside. Dez and Ledger raced over to the windows and stared out. Lindsey got up and joined them.
Outside, deep in the tobacco field but clearly defined by cold moonlight, figures were moving. They did not lumber like the ungainly dead. Instead they moved with the quick, furtive and deliberate movements of the living. Of hunters.
Of killers.
And
“Put your hands in your front pockets. Deep as they’ll go. Good. Now, go sit down,” he told her. “No, not on the couch. On the floor over there, with your back to the wall and your legs straight out in front of you. Good. Stay there, kid. You move and this gets messy.”
Lindsey sat exactly as ordered, her face white with terror.
Ledger bent close to Dez. “Listen to me,” he said in a quieter but no less threatening tone. “Listen to me and understand. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. I could have killed you when I came in. Here’s a news flash—I don’t want you dead. I am Captain Joe Ledger. I was with the Department of Military Sciences before everything went to shit. I am one of the actual good guys. You, however, are a psycho bitch who shot my dog. The fact that you are still breathing is because you didn’t kill my dog. He’s hurt and he needs help. Tell me you understand?”
He had the woman’s head pulled back too far for her to talk, so he eased the pressure by one half an inch. His knife didn’t move.
“Yes…,” she hissed.
“You’re wearing a police uniform,” said Ledger. “Or part of one. Are you a cop?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Stebbins County.”
Ledger grunted. “That’s where all this shit started.”
“Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
He couldn’t see her face very well, just her eyes as she looked up and back at him. Those eyes were filled with incredible hatred and fury. And shame, too, because she’d tried and failed to protect the girl. Ledger could sympathize, but he wasn’t yet ready to let her go.
“Fox,” she snapped. “Desdemona Fox.”
Ledger said, “Wait… what ? You’re Dez Fox?”
He felt her stiffen, but it was Lindsey who spoke. “You know her?”
Ledger removed the knife, let go of her hair and stepped quickly back. Dez turned, fast as a snake, but he was well out of range.
“Everyone knows her,” he said. “Everyone who watched the news when this shit started. The standoff at Stebbins Little School will have its own chapter in the history books…if anyone survives this, I mean. Dez Fox, JT Hammond, and Billy Trout holding off the National Guard who wanted to wipe the town off the map to try and stop the infection. Not that it would have worked because it was already outside the Q-zone, but…damn, you’re really her. You’re Dez Fox.”
“So what?” said Dez as she got slowly to her feet. She rubbed her throat and seemed surprised not to find a drop of blood.
“Two things,” said Ledger, “first, I had the blunt edge against your throat. You couldn’t tell, but there it is. I just wanted to calm this crap down.”
She glared at him.
“Second, you’re supposed to be dead,” he told her.
“Says who?” she demanded.
“Says Billy Trout. Or, that’s what he thought last time I saw him.”
Dez Fox took a step toward him, but then her legs buckled and she dropped to her knees, her eyes wide, mouth working, hands balled into fists. “Billy…?” she said in a tiny voice. “Billy? You saw him? You really saw him? Oh my god…is he alive?”
Ledger smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “And so are a whole bunch of kids who all think you’re dead.”
Dez fell sideways and barely caught herself on one hand. She looked like she was going to pass out and she swayed, dizzy and gasping. “Wh-where?” she stammered. “Oh my Christ— where are they ?”
Ledger opened his mouth to answer but his words were instantly drowned out by a long, terrible howl of animal pain from outside. Dez and Ledger raced over to the windows and stared out. Lindsey got up and joined them.
Outside, deep in the tobacco field but clearly defined by cold moonlight, figures were moving. They did not lumber like the ungainly dead. Instead they moved with the quick, furtive and deliberate movements of the living. Of hunters.
Of killers.
And
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