red hill - jamie mcguire

Chapter Ten
Nathan
“THAT’S YOU, BROTHER, LET’S GO!” Skeeter said, running to a window. His head moved in every
direction as he tried to get a good look. “Two cars! Right out front!”
Someone outside yelled, and I could see a large group of the dead peel off the wall and amble
toward the street.
I ran to the door and pressed my ear against the door. No scratching, no rubbing noises. No moans.
“Zoe” I called.
Zoe jogged to my side. I positioned her behind me and grabbed the knob.
“Wait!” Zoe cried, looking at her aunt Jill, who was lying lifeless on the floor, aside from her
eyes. They were forcing themselves open, bloodshot and weeping, but alert.
“Zoe, we have to go,” I said, holding her wrist.
“I love you!” Zoe cried. She was just a child, but she knew that she wouldn’t see her aunt again. “I
love you, Aunt Jill!” Tears streamed down Zoe’s cheeks as she reached out to her aunt, pulling
against my grip.
Jill wore a faint smile. The veins had become more visible under her skin: blue, slithering lines,
branching off and covering her like the virus spreading through her body. A single tear slipped down
Jill’s cheek and dripped to the blanket beneath her.
Skeeter rushed to Zoe, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t cry, lil’ bit.” He placed his thumb under
her chin and lifted her eyes to his. “I’m going to take care of Jillybean, mmkay You know how much
Uncle Skeeter loves Aunt Jill, don’tcha”
Zoe nodded, and her eyebrows pulled together.
Skeeter smiled and hugged her to him once more. “We love you, Zoe. Listen to your Daddy. He’s
going to take good care of you. Be quiet, now.” Zoe’s fingers pressed into Skeeter’s shoulders.
Skeeter let her go and stood. “Go, Nate. Go now.”
I nodded, put my car keys in my mouth, shoved the clip into the AR, cocked it, and opened the
door. I leaned out to take a quick look. It was clear. I nodded to Zoe, and then nodded to Skeeter. He
winked at me, and I ran, tugging Zoe along with me.
Crossing the street, I saw a black Jeep Wrangler speeding away toward Anderson. I didn’t wait to
see if those things would follow.
I let go of Zoe’s hand and pulled the keys from my mouth. “Zoe, keep up!” I said, holding the key
out in front of me so I could shove it in the lock as soon as we got to the car. I didn’t want to do
anything stupid like drop the keys, so I made sure to hold it securely between my fingers.
When we reached the car, I remembered I hadn’t had time to lock it before, so I just opened the