there, almost within reach, but in the time it took her to get to her feet again the Revs were surrounding her. Somehow, even through her mad scramble, Nowen had kept hold of the pipe. Now she gripped it with both hands and drove toward a slight gap in the closing circle of the undead. She swung hard at a shorter female Rev in front of her and sent the creature’s bloody jaw flying, trailing strings of grey flesh. The thing staggered aside and she shot between two Revs in stained and dirty police uniforms. A third officer, blue shirt turned black with dried blood, reached for her. Nowen side-stepped his hands and slammed her weapon against his head. The skull cracked audibly and the officer dropped like a puppet with cut strings.
Nowen jumped over the body but as she landed her injured knee gave out. She stumbled, and the Revs were there. Terror swept over her in a midnight wave as they surrounded her. Mindlessly she fought, her blows driven by a base animal instinct to survive, but there were too many of them, too many. Something tugged at her hands; she looked down into the leaf-yellow eyes of a young child. The girl was wearing a pink summer dress spotted with irregular black dots, and as she returned Nowen’s gaze the girl closed her dark-stained lips on Nowen’s wrist and bit.
Silver stars exploded in Nowen’s head. She screamed, her voice mixing with the cries from the Revs around her until it all became one unholy wail. A heavy weight on her back brought her to her knees. Teeth dug into her shoulder. A shockwave of agony flooded her brain; behind her fluttering eyelids she ran through a twilit forest saw inky trees that towered over her sun die in a blaze of light death the shadow that chased her opened wide approaching and swallowed her .
A large black wolf exploded out of the huddle of creatures. She jumped from one hunched-over back to another, her claws shredding clothing and flesh. She landed on the street and was off, plunging through the forest of legs around her. The smell of dead flesh inundated her nose as she dodged the hands that tried to seize her. Finally the wolf broke free, dashing away from the horde and down the street.
The wolf had passed the last side street and the last expensive house when she stopped to catch her breath. She looked back at the city behind her. Unease touched her, faintly, as if something important had been left behind. The wolf shook her head to drive the feeling away. The city was a dead construct of dead people, and it held nothing for her. Some instinct beyond her reckoning pointed her north and she ran, leaving the dead city behind.
Now
Stacked lenticular clouds floated across the sky as Nowen stood on the porch, taking in the view. Rolling white hills stretched away in every direction, but the breeze that lifted shimmering veils of snow from their surface was warm. Melting icicles dripped from the roof, and one brave crocus was showing its head from the little garden on the side of the house.
Nowen closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sun. The warmth felt good on her face and her skin drank in the rays. She wasn’t fooled, though; this was just a temporary break from the cold grip of winter but she wouldn’t turn down this opportunity. She rolled her shoulders, adjusting the large pack she carried on her back, and then strapped her feet onto the skis. She paused to watch a flock of birds wheel and dart, black outlines against the pale blue sky. She pulled a pair of polarized goggles over her eyes, grabbed the ski poles, and looked south.
“I’m coming, Jamie.” she said.
Book Two
Then
The wolf circled the pronghorn antelope as it thrashed. The buck was tangled in a snarl of barbed wire, part of a fence that had come loose. Somehow the animal had managed to get the fencing wrapped around its torso, and the more it struggled the more the barbs sunk in. Drops of blood spotted the thin ground cover. The buck tried again to gain its feet but again the
Nowen jumped over the body but as she landed her injured knee gave out. She stumbled, and the Revs were there. Terror swept over her in a midnight wave as they surrounded her. Mindlessly she fought, her blows driven by a base animal instinct to survive, but there were too many of them, too many. Something tugged at her hands; she looked down into the leaf-yellow eyes of a young child. The girl was wearing a pink summer dress spotted with irregular black dots, and as she returned Nowen’s gaze the girl closed her dark-stained lips on Nowen’s wrist and bit.
Silver stars exploded in Nowen’s head. She screamed, her voice mixing with the cries from the Revs around her until it all became one unholy wail. A heavy weight on her back brought her to her knees. Teeth dug into her shoulder. A shockwave of agony flooded her brain; behind her fluttering eyelids she ran through a twilit forest saw inky trees that towered over her sun die in a blaze of light death the shadow that chased her opened wide approaching and swallowed her .
A large black wolf exploded out of the huddle of creatures. She jumped from one hunched-over back to another, her claws shredding clothing and flesh. She landed on the street and was off, plunging through the forest of legs around her. The smell of dead flesh inundated her nose as she dodged the hands that tried to seize her. Finally the wolf broke free, dashing away from the horde and down the street.
The wolf had passed the last side street and the last expensive house when she stopped to catch her breath. She looked back at the city behind her. Unease touched her, faintly, as if something important had been left behind. The wolf shook her head to drive the feeling away. The city was a dead construct of dead people, and it held nothing for her. Some instinct beyond her reckoning pointed her north and she ran, leaving the dead city behind.
Now
Stacked lenticular clouds floated across the sky as Nowen stood on the porch, taking in the view. Rolling white hills stretched away in every direction, but the breeze that lifted shimmering veils of snow from their surface was warm. Melting icicles dripped from the roof, and one brave crocus was showing its head from the little garden on the side of the house.
Nowen closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sun. The warmth felt good on her face and her skin drank in the rays. She wasn’t fooled, though; this was just a temporary break from the cold grip of winter but she wouldn’t turn down this opportunity. She rolled her shoulders, adjusting the large pack she carried on her back, and then strapped her feet onto the skis. She paused to watch a flock of birds wheel and dart, black outlines against the pale blue sky. She pulled a pair of polarized goggles over her eyes, grabbed the ski poles, and looked south.
“I’m coming, Jamie.” she said.
Book Two
Then
The wolf circled the pronghorn antelope as it thrashed. The buck was tangled in a snarl of barbed wire, part of a fence that had come loose. Somehow the animal had managed to get the fencing wrapped around its torso, and the more it struggled the more the barbs sunk in. Drops of blood spotted the thin ground cover. The buck tried again to gain its feet but again the
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