The Infected (Book 2): Karen's First Day by Joseph Zuko Page A

coughed out, “Mama, Mama, Mama!”
    The thick branches of the bush kept them inches away from
reaching her. 
    “Come on, sweetie. We won’t hurt you. We’ll get you back
to your Mama,” Karen begged the child. She felt the panic building up inside
herself. She didn’t mean to be this far away from her children. If they
couldn’t get the child to calm down she was going to get them all killed.
    Tina tucked the knife into the back of her belt so she
could reach out with both arms, “Baby, come here. It’s okay,” she used her
calming Mama tone.
    Karen kept her head on a swivel. She looked for any
movement on the horizon.
    The tip of Tina’s finger brushed the child’s arm. The
human contact caused the little girl to scream even louder. On the other side
of the field a woman shuffled out from the tree line. Karen hoped it might be
the little girl’s mother.
    The woman happened to have the same colored hair as the
little girl, but it was not her mother. This thing was no longer anyone’s
mother. The infected woman walked with a heavy limp. Its right ankle was broken.
The thing’s lips were bright red from a recent kill. It was zeroing in on the
sound of the young girl’s screams.
    “I almost got her,” Tina strained.
    “Look! There’s one coming,” Karen got Tina’s
attention. 
    Tina wrapped her fingers around the child’s upper arm and
pulled her clear of the bush. Tina pulled the child up into her arms, secured
the baby against her chest and it helped quiet her screams. Karen pulled her
gun and readied her knife.
    Two new sets of black eyes exited the tree line behind
Karen and Tina. The two new infected creatures had fully functioning legs and
they sped rapidly over the grass. One of the infected wore a pair of black gym
shorts and no top. Its low body fat and sculpted muscles were impressive as it
zoomed at an incredible speed after the two mothers. The third infected was
dressed like a hipster. It wore a tight Atari t-shirt and skinny jeans. Its
thin body floated effortlessly across the field and kept pace with the
ex-jock.  
    “Let’s lose them around the edge of the building,” Karen
said as she motioned for them to run.
    Tina took the lead. The struggling child slowed her pace,
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Tina kept telling the little girl. She said it over and
over trying to convince herself it was going to be okay.
    Every step they took was starting to feel like a mistake.
Karen looked over her shoulder and the infected were already halfway across the
field. At the rate the two infected men were moving they would be on top of the
Mamas in a matter of seconds.
    The women rounded the corner of the building and ahead of
them was a fence that surrounded this building’s garbage cans and recycling
bins. It was the type of cyclone fence that had the hard brown plastic pieces
slid diagonally throughout it.
    “Head for the fence,” Karen huffed.
    They entered the small fenced in area. Two large garbage
bins filled most of the space. Tina ducked down between the two bins and Karen
squeezed in next to her. Tina didn’t want to cover the little one’s mouth, but
it was the only way to silence her cries. Two breaths later the infected
blasted around the corner of the building. Karen was able to see them through
tiny slits in the fence. She kept her gun up and ready for action.
    Both of the infected males seemed to have lost their prey.
The infected lady joined her much faster gentlemen and the three of them slowed
from a full tilt sprint down to a brisk walk. They looked like they were trying
to listen for the fleeing ladies. They sniffed the air, but the smell of the
garbage masked Karen and Tina’s scent.
    Tina noticed a metal bracelet around the two year olds
wrist. It was a stainless steel chain that held a stainless steel plate. Tina
looked closer and it had a name and address etched into the small steel plate.
    ANITA BILLINGS
    995 SE 136 TH AVE APT C8
    VANCOUVER WA, 98683
    That was this