bit?”
He’s tall and imposing, standing over me with an expression that could freeze a volcano. He’s in his late twenties, possibly early thirties, and he’s filthy. His blond hair is greasy and matted, clinging to his scalp. He has a thin, blond beard that has grown out of control.
I shake my head, unable to find my voice, and my eyes flit past him as movement catches my attention. He isn’t alone. There are several other people standing in the shadows, but it’s too dark to see how many there are.
“Vivian!” Axl is suddenly there, running down the opposite side of the aisle.
Trey and Winston are behind him, and their guns are gripped tightly in their hands. Axl’s eyes grow huge when he sees the man holding a gun to my head.
“Get the fuck back!” he yells, raising his own gun and aiming it at the man.
“Not until I know she hasn’t been bitten or scratched,” the man responds in a tense voice.
Two other men step forward, flanking him on either side. One is in his late thirties. He has a ratty hat pulled down low, covering most of his face. The other is young, probably only sixteen. They’re both armed, and their eyes are just as icy as the blond man’s.
The men in my group come to a stop next to my shopping cart with the dead body lying on the floor between us.
“We take care of our own,” Winston says.
Axl steps forward and holds his hand out to me, but the blond man stops him. “If she tries to walk away, we’ll kill her. We don’t need any more of those things walking around. We have a zero tolerance policy.”
I’m shaking, but I manage to find my voice. It comes out small and squeaky. “I wasn’t bitten.”
The man doesn’t blink, and his finger twitches on the trigger. “We need to be sure. Take your clothes off.”
“Like hell!” Axl growls. He steps over the body and jerks me to my feet. “We ain’t stupid. You think we’re gonna just let you strip search her and not bat an eye? You ain’t touchin’ her!”
The blond man shakes his head and doesn’t lower his gun. “I won’t touch her. I won’t take a step closer to her. I just want to be sure she’s clean. We’ve been fooled before.”
I’m shaking and Axl is gripping my arm so tightly that he’s sure to leave a bruise, but it’s clear this guy is serious. He fully intends to kill me if I try to walk away. Maybe he’s making it his personal mission to clean out the city, or maybe he’s just seen too many people ripped apart by the undead to stomach seeing someone else turn. Even a stranger. Either way, he’s prepared to kill me in order to stop me from turning.
“I’ll do it,” I manage to get out. “I’ll take my clothes off to prove to you I’m okay.”
“No!” Axl says through clenched teeth.
“It’s okay.” I put my hand on his, the one holding my arm, and slowly loosen his grip until I’m free. “It’s okay.”
I turn back to the blond man and meet his eyes. “If you move, he will shoot you.”
The man nods but doesn’t say anything. This isn’t some crazy guy out trying to get his jollies. I’ve seen that type a lot in my line of work. They flock to strip clubs in hordes. This guy just wants to protect his people and probably me. Maybe he’s going about it in a crazy way, but I can’t fault him for that. This world is crazy now.
I pull my shoes off with shaky hands and toss them aside so I can remove my pants. Once they’re off, I pull my shirt over my head and drop it on the ground next to me.
“Put your arms over your head and spin around so we can see you,” the blond man says.
I nod and do what he says, raising my arms and turning slowly, giving him the chance to check for any injuries. When my back is to the man, my eyes meet Axl’s. They’re hard, and his jaw is tense. Anger is visible in every muscle of his body, and the hand holding his gun shakes just a little. I keep spinning until I’m facing the man again. When I stop, he nods and lowers his gun. He
He’s tall and imposing, standing over me with an expression that could freeze a volcano. He’s in his late twenties, possibly early thirties, and he’s filthy. His blond hair is greasy and matted, clinging to his scalp. He has a thin, blond beard that has grown out of control.
I shake my head, unable to find my voice, and my eyes flit past him as movement catches my attention. He isn’t alone. There are several other people standing in the shadows, but it’s too dark to see how many there are.
“Vivian!” Axl is suddenly there, running down the opposite side of the aisle.
Trey and Winston are behind him, and their guns are gripped tightly in their hands. Axl’s eyes grow huge when he sees the man holding a gun to my head.
“Get the fuck back!” he yells, raising his own gun and aiming it at the man.
“Not until I know she hasn’t been bitten or scratched,” the man responds in a tense voice.
Two other men step forward, flanking him on either side. One is in his late thirties. He has a ratty hat pulled down low, covering most of his face. The other is young, probably only sixteen. They’re both armed, and their eyes are just as icy as the blond man’s.
The men in my group come to a stop next to my shopping cart with the dead body lying on the floor between us.
“We take care of our own,” Winston says.
Axl steps forward and holds his hand out to me, but the blond man stops him. “If she tries to walk away, we’ll kill her. We don’t need any more of those things walking around. We have a zero tolerance policy.”
I’m shaking, but I manage to find my voice. It comes out small and squeaky. “I wasn’t bitten.”
The man doesn’t blink, and his finger twitches on the trigger. “We need to be sure. Take your clothes off.”
“Like hell!” Axl growls. He steps over the body and jerks me to my feet. “We ain’t stupid. You think we’re gonna just let you strip search her and not bat an eye? You ain’t touchin’ her!”
The blond man shakes his head and doesn’t lower his gun. “I won’t touch her. I won’t take a step closer to her. I just want to be sure she’s clean. We’ve been fooled before.”
I’m shaking and Axl is gripping my arm so tightly that he’s sure to leave a bruise, but it’s clear this guy is serious. He fully intends to kill me if I try to walk away. Maybe he’s making it his personal mission to clean out the city, or maybe he’s just seen too many people ripped apart by the undead to stomach seeing someone else turn. Even a stranger. Either way, he’s prepared to kill me in order to stop me from turning.
“I’ll do it,” I manage to get out. “I’ll take my clothes off to prove to you I’m okay.”
“No!” Axl says through clenched teeth.
“It’s okay.” I put my hand on his, the one holding my arm, and slowly loosen his grip until I’m free. “It’s okay.”
I turn back to the blond man and meet his eyes. “If you move, he will shoot you.”
The man nods but doesn’t say anything. This isn’t some crazy guy out trying to get his jollies. I’ve seen that type a lot in my line of work. They flock to strip clubs in hordes. This guy just wants to protect his people and probably me. Maybe he’s going about it in a crazy way, but I can’t fault him for that. This world is crazy now.
I pull my shoes off with shaky hands and toss them aside so I can remove my pants. Once they’re off, I pull my shirt over my head and drop it on the ground next to me.
“Put your arms over your head and spin around so we can see you,” the blond man says.
I nod and do what he says, raising my arms and turning slowly, giving him the chance to check for any injuries. When my back is to the man, my eyes meet Axl’s. They’re hard, and his jaw is tense. Anger is visible in every muscle of his body, and the hand holding his gun shakes just a little. I keep spinning until I’m facing the man again. When I stop, he nods and lowers his gun. He
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