The Hunt Chronicles (Book 2): Revelation by J.D. Demers Page B

us.
    “We lost our children on first day.  Soon, we meet others.  Stay at post office.”   Enrique took a drink of water.
    “Which post office?” I asked.
    “West Melbourne.  Big wall.  Zombie no get over.”
    I knew which post office he was referring too.  It was just north of us and indeed had a tall cinderblock wall surrounding the back side of it.  It sounded like a decent location to protect from the hordes of zombies.  Scabs, however, were a different matter.
    “Why did you leave them?” Karina inquired.
    “Irene, that my wife, and me leave to go for supplies two day ago.  We went into house and find many bones.  We try to leave, but screamer is there.”
    “What’s a screamer?” Karina asked.
    “Those things that attack us today.  You call them scabs.”
    “Ahh,” she nodded.
    “You stumbled onto one of their nests?”  I was sure that was what he was describing.
    “What is ‘nest’?” Enrique asked.
    “Like, where the scabs sleep.  Their home,” Karina told him helpfully.
    “Yes,” Enrique confirmed.
    “What happened after that?” I asked, very interested in how he escaped.
    “The one that jump on me today.  He only one there.  He knock me down with big blade.”  He was referring to the giant lawnmower blade Enrique was carrying when we first saw him.  “My protection stop me from dying,” he said, tapping his makeshift armor.
    “That’s when he got your wife,” I stated.  There was no need to ask.
    Enrique nodded.  He took in a deep breath and continued.  “I still hurt bad.  Could not move.  He grab Irene.  She scream and he bite her arm.  But he no kill her.  He throw her to floor and stand over her.  He watch her.”
    He started to get upset.  Tears filled his eyes and his chin started to tremble.  I was about to tell him he didn’t have to continue, but hesitated.  There was something in his story that I had to know more about.
    He sat there for a few seconds, as if wanting one of us to stop him.  Karina didn’t speak.  She, too, was teary eyed.
    “Go on,” I said.  I sounded heartless.  Karina turned and looked at me as if I was being cruel.  I ignored her, caring more about where the story was going than Enrique’s feelings.
    He swallowed hard.  “She try to get up.  He push her back down.  I feel like I can move again.  So I grab gun and shoot him in back.  He fall to the ground and I shoot again.  But my gun no work when I shoot three time.  He try to move, but I pick blade up and hit him on head.  He fall.”
    “And you and your wife escaped,” I said, finishing his story.
    He nodded.
    “Did you know she was going to change?” Karina asked.
    “Yes.  I see people change.  But I no want to let Irene go.”  Tears were rolling down his cheeks now.
    “We understand, Enrique,” Karina comforted him, rubbing his hand.
    “I’m sorry we took you away from her,” I added, “but we—”
    “I know.  You must.  And I thank you for it.  I know my Irene dead.  I just…” he trailed off, trying to suppress more tears.
    The rest of the night was quiet.  Enrique slept on the couch.  I pulled a second mattress out for Karina while Boomer and I lay in my old bed in the middle of the living room.
    I didn’t say anything to Enrique or Karina about the thoughts I was having.  We learned the night the scabs assaulted the compound that they worked together.  Like Fish thought, they were evolving and learning. 
    Had they learned that their bite would change someone who wasn’t infected into a scab?  That was certainly what it seemed like with Enrique’s wife.  That group of scabs was trying to grow their numbers. 
    That wasn’t the only thing about that day’s events that struck a raw cord with me.  They had hunted Enrique down.  Not just to kill and eat him, but to rescue the scab that used to be his wife.  It must have been why that scab acted differently when it approached the bedroom window.  They didn’t come