Until the End of the World (Book 1) by Sarah Lyons Fleming Page A

can’t protect us then we’re going to have to protect ourselves.
    The Lexer under the fence grasps a soldier’s foot and drags himself toward his ankle with his one good arm. His teeth sink into boot. The soldier cracks his head with the butt of his rifle and fires on the infected who follow.
    The bright lights turn their skin a garish white, which contrasts with the dark blood most wear. Some look like they’re hissing, but it isn’t with any real venom. It’s instinct alone. Their eyes are blank, soulless.
    The soldiers retreat into the building. Boots clatter and bang as some head to the roof and the shots resume in earnest. The gate bends lower and gives way with the sound of shearing metal. The Lexers pour through and squeeze between the vehicles. Now that the worst has happened, I’m calmer than I thought I could be. There’s only one thing to do.
    “We have to go,” Nelly says. “Grab your bags.”
    I throw my straps over my shoulders. The others hurl their heavy packs on and look to Nelly.
    “Out the back, to the Palisades?” he asks James and me. We nod.
    The soldiers in the lobby pile desks and chairs in front of the glass, while others herd the civilians up the stairs. The mother has the boy in her arms, and a soldier carries the screaming little girl.
    Grafton intercepts us. “Where are you going?” he yells.
    “The Palisades,” James answers.
    Grafton nods. “I can’t say when we’re going to get any backup, but I can’t leave them.”
    He gestures at the shell-shocked people. The glass of the front door shatters. A pale arm covered in dark brown hair pushes through the furniture. The jagged edges slice the skin, but it doesn’t stop.
    “Go now!” Grafton shouts. “We’ll keep them back as long as we can. Take the exit doors at the end of the hall. It’s clear behind us.”
    My pack’s waist strap is unbuckled, and it slams into me and throws me forward with every step. A piercing siren wails as the door flies open. Everyone is through except Peter. He hesitates.
    “Peter, come on!” I yell.
    His eyes are huge and he jumps at a crash from inside. “I said I’d—”
    I can’t believe he’s considering staying. We have to go now; there’s no time to argue.
    Ana leans in and pulls his sleeve. “Peter!”
    His pack throws him off balance, but he rights himself and staggers through the door. I push it closed before following them onto the grass.
    James raises his gun and shouts over the alarm. “Over there!”
    Three infected have rounded the corner of the building. Nelly and I aim, but before we can fire they land in three thumps on the ground. I look up in confusion.
    “We got you covered to the trees. Go!” shouts a dark form on the roof. I can’t be sure, but it sounds like Rodriguez. I’m glad he’s still alive.

CHAPTER 24
    We stumble over tree roots in the dark until we hit the chain-link fence. Penny’s hastily-produced flashlight throws a beam on the southbound lanes of the Palisades. No cars. No infected, either.
    Nelly locks his hands together to give me a boost. I straddle the fence and hit the other side with a thud. Penny and Ana drop down. Dead grass crunches under our feet as we move back so the guys can follow. James hushes us, but there are no sounds of pursuit. I think we would hear them; Lexers don’t have the sense to be stealthy.
    We race across the grassy median to where the northbound lanes glow in the moonlight. Shots continue to ring out, but they’re slowing. I don’t know whether that’s good or bad. The only other sounds are our breathing and footfalls. My breath is short and my muscles are tight, but I think I could keep walking along this asphalt road and never, ever stop. I’m not sure how long we walk before we see flashing lights ahead.
    James reads the map by a light Penny shelters in her cupped hands. “Looks like an entrance ramp. We can make it down to the Hudson Drive here. What do you guys think?”
    “Maybe we should,” I say.