actually been a choice. “I’m sorry,” he bumbled, stepping aside and ushering her forward with his arm.
“My name is Aleah, like the Donnie Iris song,” she said, stepping forward and extending a hand to Kevin.
“Kevin Dreon…and I have no idea who Donnie Iris is.”
“You’re cute in an awkward sort of way.” Aleah patted his check as she walked past.
Kevin fell in beside Aleah, fighting the desire to look at her. My God , he thought, is she a model or something?Seriously, nobody is that beautiful. He couldn’t help but keep stealing glances. Even with her hair plastered down and dirty, no make-up, a heavy, unflattering jumpsuit, jacket, and boots, she was gorgeous.
“Y’all got any food?” Aleah asked, snapping his attention back from the precipice of fantasy.
“We do,” Kevin replied. “Some in a truck up the road a ways, and some in the house that we carried with us.”
“You were the ones in the military truck?”
“Yep.”
“That’s actually a big relief,” Aleah said with a sigh. “I was worried that those psychos over at the giant picnic basket building had branched out in this direction.”
“You know about Shaw and his men?” Kevin stopped and turned to face Aleah.
“Well, I saw you guys when you arrived at the house—”
“Then why did you ask how many of us there were?” Kevin interrupted.
“To see if you lied.”
“And if I’d lied?”
“At the least, I would’ve left.” She didn’t have to say what her ‘at the most’ choice was. It was clear in her eyes and the tone of her voice. “I waited to see if I heard any screams,” she said after a slight pause. “When I didn’t, I moved around a bit to see if somebody came to investigate. You guys aren’t very observant by the way.”
“It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, well all it takes is one screw up and you’re toast.”
“Where are you from?” Kevin asked, changing the subject. He could hear something in her inflection that he couldn’t quite place.
“Maine.”
“You walked from Maine?” Kevin gasped.
“Uhh…no,” Aleah said with a laugh. “My plane crashed somewhere in Tennesee.”
“Wow!” Kevin was truly impressed.
“It’s not all that exciting, really. We went down in some dark, swampy area. Five of us made it out.”
“Where did they all go? Or do I ask?”
“One of them was bitten,” Aleah whispered. “She was attacked the first day. I didn’t even really get to know her. The others, well, we all had our own destinations. It was early on and the whole denial thing was still prominent.”
“And you’ve been on your own for the whole time?” Kevin’s tone bordered on reverent.
“Most of it.” A dark look flashed across Aleah’s face. “I met this lady named Millie Peters. We were scavenging for food in a town not far from here when this convoy rolled in—”
“Shaw,” Kevin spat.
“Militant, goonish, mocha skin, shaved head with an obscenely straight and thin beard along the contour of his square jaw?” Aleah ticked off the description on her fingers.
“I never got that close,” Kevin admitted.
He really wanted to avoid the part about how he hid on top of an RV park bathroom while Shaw shot one of his best friends at point-blank range and kidnapped four females that had been in his company.
“Yeah, well, Millie never had a chance…” Aleah’s voice grew distant and faded with a choked sob. After a moment, she continued. “I’ve been kinda hopin’ to get a shot at those bastards. Saw ‘em a while back. They were rolling into that town we’d been passing through when they snatched Millie. I was in the cellar of this house when someone else got ‘em. Blew ‘em straight to hell.”
“That was me…errr…us,” Kevin said in a bumbling rush. “We rigged—”
“You’re the one that blew up that convoy and burned that town to the ground?” Aleah said with more than a little skepticism.
“Yes,” Kevin said slowly, unsure about the
“My name is Aleah, like the Donnie Iris song,” she said, stepping forward and extending a hand to Kevin.
“Kevin Dreon…and I have no idea who Donnie Iris is.”
“You’re cute in an awkward sort of way.” Aleah patted his check as she walked past.
Kevin fell in beside Aleah, fighting the desire to look at her. My God , he thought, is she a model or something?Seriously, nobody is that beautiful. He couldn’t help but keep stealing glances. Even with her hair plastered down and dirty, no make-up, a heavy, unflattering jumpsuit, jacket, and boots, she was gorgeous.
“Y’all got any food?” Aleah asked, snapping his attention back from the precipice of fantasy.
“We do,” Kevin replied. “Some in a truck up the road a ways, and some in the house that we carried with us.”
“You were the ones in the military truck?”
“Yep.”
“That’s actually a big relief,” Aleah said with a sigh. “I was worried that those psychos over at the giant picnic basket building had branched out in this direction.”
“You know about Shaw and his men?” Kevin stopped and turned to face Aleah.
“Well, I saw you guys when you arrived at the house—”
“Then why did you ask how many of us there were?” Kevin interrupted.
“To see if you lied.”
“And if I’d lied?”
“At the least, I would’ve left.” She didn’t have to say what her ‘at the most’ choice was. It was clear in her eyes and the tone of her voice. “I waited to see if I heard any screams,” she said after a slight pause. “When I didn’t, I moved around a bit to see if somebody came to investigate. You guys aren’t very observant by the way.”
“It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, well all it takes is one screw up and you’re toast.”
“Where are you from?” Kevin asked, changing the subject. He could hear something in her inflection that he couldn’t quite place.
“Maine.”
“You walked from Maine?” Kevin gasped.
“Uhh…no,” Aleah said with a laugh. “My plane crashed somewhere in Tennesee.”
“Wow!” Kevin was truly impressed.
“It’s not all that exciting, really. We went down in some dark, swampy area. Five of us made it out.”
“Where did they all go? Or do I ask?”
“One of them was bitten,” Aleah whispered. “She was attacked the first day. I didn’t even really get to know her. The others, well, we all had our own destinations. It was early on and the whole denial thing was still prominent.”
“And you’ve been on your own for the whole time?” Kevin’s tone bordered on reverent.
“Most of it.” A dark look flashed across Aleah’s face. “I met this lady named Millie Peters. We were scavenging for food in a town not far from here when this convoy rolled in—”
“Shaw,” Kevin spat.
“Militant, goonish, mocha skin, shaved head with an obscenely straight and thin beard along the contour of his square jaw?” Aleah ticked off the description on her fingers.
“I never got that close,” Kevin admitted.
He really wanted to avoid the part about how he hid on top of an RV park bathroom while Shaw shot one of his best friends at point-blank range and kidnapped four females that had been in his company.
“Yeah, well, Millie never had a chance…” Aleah’s voice grew distant and faded with a choked sob. After a moment, she continued. “I’ve been kinda hopin’ to get a shot at those bastards. Saw ‘em a while back. They were rolling into that town we’d been passing through when they snatched Millie. I was in the cellar of this house when someone else got ‘em. Blew ‘em straight to hell.”
“That was me…errr…us,” Kevin said in a bumbling rush. “We rigged—”
“You’re the one that blew up that convoy and burned that town to the ground?” Aleah said with more than a little skepticism.
“Yes,” Kevin said slowly, unsure about the
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