Page 103 of After the Burn

I almost smiled at the son of a bitch before I could help myself.

Almost.

But something still made the hair on my arms stand on end as we moved toward Wren’s voice.

She stood in a small office that looked as if someone had looted it months earlier. The desk lay overturned, and all the cabinets were ripped open. Dust coated everything in a fine layer, even the safe, which had been torn open.

“Nothing here is worth scavenging.” Lucas gazed around the small room.

I agreed with him, and at this point I was ready to leave.

“Somebody’s been sleeping here.” Wren pointed to a mattress hidden behind the overturned desk.

Max sniffed around the room, and a low, continuous rumble came from his throat.

Lucas frowned at him. “They’re probably long gone now.”

“Maybe.” I stared at a candle on the floor that was almost burned to the bottom. “Or maybe they left when they heard us coming.”

Lucas paused, hearing the same thing I did.

Not footsteps, but a faint rustling.

Max raised his head and looked at the ceiling, his teeth showing now.

Lucas raised his hand. “Wait.”

I tilted my head back and sniffed.

Fresh decay.

Different from the stale rot filling the store.

“It’s coming from up there.” I stared at the ceiling.

“What?” Lucas whispered while sniffing the air himself.

At that moment, the ceiling above the office groaned.

“What the fuck?” Wren jerked her head up.

Suddenly, an infected crashed through the rotten drywall, heading straight for Lucas. He barely had time to grunt before I moved in and slammed both hands into his chest. The force sent him back into the hallway, and the infected landed exactly where he’d been standing.

Its teeth snapped inches from my face.

I caught a shelf falling beside me, one-handed, and shoved it sideways. It crashed into the infected, pinning it for a split second.

Long enough for Lucas to recover, draw his knife from his waist, and stab the corpse through the temple.

Lucas stood there, staring at me in shock. “You shoved me out of the way.”

I blinked. “So?”

“Why would you do that?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Yeah. Why would you do that?” Wren slapped my arm. “I just got you back.”

A long breath escaped me. “I don’t want to see you hurt, you big dumbass.” I faced Wren. “And once again, I’m not your sister.”