The Break Free Trilogy (Book 3): Through The Frozen Dawn by E.M. Fitch Page B

credit, none of them had tried to steal from Kaylee, Anna, or Andrew. One of the men had admired Kaylee's gun. She had thanked him and he moved on. They didn't share what they had, expect for Rebecca, but they didn't try to take what wasn't theirs either.
    Though Kaylee was a little worried about her new acquisition. It had taken her all day to get it. She had thought she saw a handlebar poking from beneath the rubbish of a trampled shed and had spent a good part of the day digging out what turned out to be a motorcycle in decent condition. The roof of the shed it had been stored in had collapsed completely on top of it and kept the body sheltered from the weather.
    It had kept it hidden as well. Kaylee didn't see anyone else while she had been digging it free of the rotted boards and collapsed siding of the shed, but she hadn't been sure. It was outside the Circle now, laid on its side behind some bushes one street over. It wouldn't do much good getting all of them out of there. But, as Kaylee said, a base group could be useful. Andrew needed to start searching for his father. And, if they could get far enough, Kaylee needed to look for her sister and Jack.
    Patricia's voice rang in Kaylee's head each night as she went to sleep.
    Back there? There's nothing there.
    They had to be wrong. Jack had been on his own before, forced into the woods and living off the land as best he could. He was a survivor, he could do it again.
    But he was hurt, unable to run. Just as Emma was.
    A thrill of fear coursed through her whenever she thought about it, twisting in her chest. What if they were caught unaware? Overrun? Could the infected have found their way into that attic and cornered them? Climbed over their own broken bodies to break through into that tight space?
    And if they survived the initial run of infected, they couldn't have stayed there, where would they have gone?
    Even with the motorcycle, it was a risk going after any of them. They could make it back to the Walmart in a night. Back to the town they had stayed in? Probably not. Still, they had to try.
    "I promised Anna one more day," Andrew said, taking another slug of whiskey. "Tomorrow night, we go."
    Kaylee nodded, her eyes focused on the leaping flame that warmed the night air in front of her.
    ~
    It took Andrew a couple times to get the motorcycle going. Kaylee noticed he was breathing heavily after his attempts but he gestured at her impatiently. She got on behind him. He had left his leather jacket behind so Kaylee had found him a replacement, a warmer ski jacket. He would need it soon anyway.
    "Be back by dawn, please," Anna said. She passed the backpack she was holding over to Kaylee. Andrew nodded. Kaylee had a sudden, flaring desire for a car. She didn't want to leave Anna behind, didn't want to split the group further than they already had. But she had tried every car within walking distance, they had all been stripped for parts.
    They had a plan, at least. If Anna had to leave, if the Circle got overrun, or attacked in some way and they needed to leave, Anna wouldn't go with them. She'd break back, circle around, and find a way to get to the Wal-mart. They had a rendezvous point. It was something.
    The motorcycle jerked underneath them and then started forward. Kaylee let her hands rest at her hips, gripping the seat. She didn't want to grab Andrew, hurt his healing chest in some way. He took it slow, weaving around the parked cars and debris that littered the road. The encampment fell behind them and there was nothing but dark, open road and the occasional bit of rotting limb that reached forward when the headlights swept over them.

Chapter 9
    E mma's distraction had worked , the road was cleared for several miles. Even when the bodies appeared again, Jack was able to weave through. Emma still didn't understand it, how before there had been almost no infected, and now they were literally overrun.
    The bodies were everywhere, but the road stayed mercifully