RU in? - 1st novel in the Ruinsaga series

Chapter 29 .

Lily

Darren and I both took a step towards the red slush. Hunter grabbed both of our wrists and shook his head. Darren pointed fervently at the red. Hunter shook his head and started to pull us back to where we left our bikes.

But I had to know if that was my sister's blood or Maria's or anyone else's in our group. I refused to let him pull me back.

Hunter frowned in frustration before he held up one finger and then put both his hands together in front of him in prayer style. He motioned back to the direction where we left our bikes and held up one finger again. He took a step backwards towards the bikes while Darren and I watched him. He took a second step back.

Darren and I followed him. When he saw that we were both following, he turned and walked forward back to the bikes.

As soon as we got back to the bikes, Darren whispered, "We have to follow that blood trail. What if someone in our group is hurt? What if it is my mom or one of your sisters? Or Richard or Maria or anybody?"

"This is going to sound weird," Hunter said, "but you know how sometimes twins have a connection like one will know if the other one is hurt. I have that with my sisters even though we're not twins. It's stronger with Victory than it is with Grace."

"So you know it's not Victory that is hurt?" I asked.

"Not that exactly," he said. "I can't tell if she's hurt or not. I can tell that she isn't in that direction. She's that way." He pointed in the direction to the diner. "Both of my sisters are that way."

"How far away?" Darren asked.

Hunter shook his head. "I can't tell distances. Just that she is that way."

"Hunter," I said. "Even if she is that way, it doesn't mean the others are. Our party could have easily been split when the zombies came. We need to follow that blood trail to be sure. I need to know Mackenzie is safe."

"I agree with Lily," Darren said. "There wasn't any sign of blood going in the direction Victory is in so we can assume she is safe, but we have no idea about the others. The only thing we know is that there is a blood trail that goes off that way." He waved his hand in a vague direction of where the blood trail was. "If someone is hurt and we can help them, we need to. Like Lily said, what if it is her sister or my mom or either of those little boys? Once we find them, then we head to where Victory is."

Hunter sighed, tilted his head to the sky and closed his eyes. "Fine," he said. "But let's hide the bikes and our supplies first."

We took the bikes into the woods. I took out a pistol and ammunition from the bag I had collected from the weapons store. We might need it. I loaded the gun and tucked it away in a holster I had also got at the weapon store. I still had my ax and would use that first. The gun was only for a last resort. It would be loud and we didn't need to draw anymore zombies to us.

Darren collected some knives from the bag he had got from the weapon store and Hunter grabbed a bow and several arrows as well as a quiver. The rest of the items we left on the bikes. We pushed the bikes into an area with thick bushes, pines and foliage. Then we fluffed up the boughs of the pines and the bushes and foliage to make it look like it had never been disturbed. Hunter led the way back to where our old camp had been. We skirted around it to avoid the groaning zombies inside.

Hunter found the blood trail beyond the camp and we followed it. The slush began to melt away as the day went on and the sun was higher in the sky. I was worried we would lose the trail once the slush was all melted. Some of the foliage had been smashed down as if something or someone had been dragged over it.