red hill - jamie mcguire

world went to hell. It had its good points. I got to spend all day with my daughter without worrying
about work or bills, and I’d met Scarlet. Granted, there were frightening things beyond the perimeter
of the ranch, but it could be much, much worse. Some days I thought it a fair trade.
Zoe’s breath evened out, and I leaned down to kiss her button of a nose before heading up the
stairs. Joey was at the top, sitting on the washing machine. “Scarlet made me a pallet in the living
room. I’d feel weird sleeping down there with you guys.”
“Okay,” I said, shaking his hand once. “Sorry, man.”
“No problem.” He jumped off the washer and followed me into the living room. Covers and
pillows were spread across the floor, and Scarlet was outside on the porch. Joey sat in the recliner.
I crossed my arms. “I want to go out there with her, but I feel like I crowd her. That’s kind of her
time, isn’t it” I asked.
Joey smiled. “I think she likes it when you’re out there. Maybe that’s one of the reasons she keeps
going.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “She goes out there because she knows one of these days they’ll
come walking over the hill.”
“You really think so, man I don’t know. It’s been a while.”
“It took me and Cooper all day to get here from Shallot, and we were trucking it. It’s not flat
ground. There are creeks, and rocks, and hills, and abandoned buildings, and old farm equipment . . .
and zombies.”
“Psh . . . ,” Joey teased, waving me away. “You act like that’s hard.”
Scarlet came inside, her face white and her eyes full of tears, but she didn’t look sad. I was
stunned by her expression, and immediately thought it had something to do with the girls. She hadn’t
spent a fraction of the time she usually spent outside waiting.
“What is it” I said quietly, taking a step toward her. I didn’t want to alarm the pair in the doc’s
room.
Scarlet’s jaws worked, and a tear spilled out over her cheek. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker.”
She walked quickly across the room, grabbed her rifle, and before I could stop her, she barged
through the French doors. I began to yell for her to stop, but at the same time I saw her point the gun at
the back of Kevin’s head, I saw that he was in a totally inappropriate position, hovering over Elleny,
without a shirt on.
Elleny was whimpering quietly. It still took me a moment to process what was going on, as if my
brain didn’t want to believe what my eyes had seen.
“Get up!” Scarlet yelled. “In the front room! Now!” Her voice broke when she screamed the last
bit.
Kevin’s bare, bony back was visible above the sheets as he lay frozen above the young girl.
Joey walked in behind me. “What the actual fuck”
I stood in place, stunned, as Kevin jumped out of the bed with his hands up. He was completely
nude. It was then that my stomach turned, threatening to expel my dinner right there on the floor.
Kevin scurried into the living room, and Scarlet followed him, her rifle pointed at his chest.
“You’re a monster. Worse than those things out there. Get the fuck out so I don’t have to clean your