From Death

Chapter Six

The pair woke to heavy footsteps entering the room. Esther feigned sleep for another moment, ruling out the uncoordinated shuffling of a zombie. The weight on her chest disappeared as Aaliyah woke up, Esther opening her eyes too.

The man had a woman and a younger boy behind him. Aaliyah had the hunting knife in the waistband of her leggings, but the rifle had been discarded at the foot of the couch. "What do you want?" Aaliyah asked cautiously.

"Shelter, but if you have food to spare it would be greatly appreciated." The man told them lightly. He had a smile, but it didn't convince the brute. She could smell the virus in the air.

"One is infected," She whispered into Aaliyah's ear. 

Esther reached for the hunting knife, but Aaliyah stopped her hand. "We don't have much. We're actually looking for a safe hold. Didn't expect to be on the road for so long." 

Esther hoped the attempt to be civil would work, keeping her hold on the handle of the hunting knife. To add to their problems, Aaliyah's blood had become more appealing while they slept. Esther pulled away from the scientist, standing up to be at eye level with their guests. Aaliyah followed suit.

The female stranger chuckled. "We just came from one. We could probably help you find your way back."

Esther eyed their weapons, growling almost inaudibly. They were well armed, not only with guns, Aaliyah wondered how quick they would be to shoot if they knew a brute was in the room with them. Esther wondered how quick they would be to shoot if they didn't get what they wanted. The zombie stepped in front of Aaliyah protectively.

The man at the front of the group introduced them. "My name is Thomas. That's Laura and the kid is Jake."

"I'm Aaliyah and this is Esther," She replied nervously.

"Is she your bodyguard?" Thomas joked.

"Why'd you leave?" Esther asked.

"We're low on supplies, antibiotics, the works," Laura told them. "Once we find those we'll be heading back. Could always use an extra pair of hands."

Esther turned to look at Aaliyah, who nodded in agreement.

Thomas cleared his throat, gesturing to the door. "Good, now let's move out before we draw attention."

Esther hesitantly moved away, picking up their backpacks. She slung the rifle over her shoulder, making eye contact with the boy, Jake. He couldn't see her eyes behind the sunglasses, but she could see the orange hue of his eyes. She paused in her actions, glaring harshly at him. Aaliyah pulled her back into reality. "Are you alright?"

"Need to eat," Esther whispered.

"How bad is it?"

"...Few hours." She murmured. "Not leaving you with them."

"We'll worry about it later, then," Aaliyah told her.

Esther didn't know how she sounded so confident.