Page 7 of After the Burn

Who knew that show would become more of a how-to series instead of entertainment?

Beck had carved it into her for me. We’d thought it was funny, but Lucas had sneered when he caught sight of it, being his usual prickish self. I didn’t give a single damn what he thought.

At least that’s what I told myself.

I gave it a test swing and loved how the familiar weight felt in my hands.

“Come to Momma.” I taunted the two rotten corpses. “I promise you’ll have a banging time.” And Beck thought I wasn’t funny.

Faster than the rest, the first infected lunged, and I swung. With a sharp, wet crack, the bat hit, causing it to drop. The nails dug in deep, momentarily catching before I yanked them out and brought GG down again... and again.

The last one arrived, arms reaching out and jaw moving.

I stepped into it.

Closed the space.

Swung hard.

Done.

Five dead infected. Easy as pie.

Silence settled back over the road as if nothing had happened.

I stood there for a second, chest rising and falling, not from exhaustion—but from the excitement of the kill.

I was starting to enjoy it…that probably should’ve worried me more than it did.

That hadn’t always been the case.

I’d put in the work, and it showed. As long as the infected didn’t catch me by surprise (which wouldn’t be easy now), I disposed of them without a problem.

It was the hordes that you had to worry about. I shuddered at the memory of the last time I’d faced one.

Wiping the blade clean, I slung GG back into place and turned toward where I’d left Lila and Max.

Max spotted me first.

His head lifted, body going still for half a second before his tail gave a short, controlled wag—like he’d tried to catch himself before letting it happen.

Lila straightened from where she’d been crouched, relief flashing across her face. “You’re alright?”

“Yeah.” I stepped back into the small clearing, scanning out of habit before letting myself settle even an inch. “There were only five.”

“Only five,” she repeated, as if she wasn’t sure whether that should make her feel better or worse.

I shrugged. “Let’s get moving.”

She didn’t argue or drag her feet this time.

Max fell into step beside me, close enough that I could feel the heat of him, his shoulder brushing my leg every few strides like he needed the contact just as much as I did.

We moved through the trees in silence, both of us keeping an eye on our surroundings. I could have moved much faster without her, but she’d caught me leaving and insisted on coming. The truth was, I appreciated the company, even if she held me back.

I adjusted the strap of my pack, fingers brushing the handle of GG as I did, the carved letters rough against my skin.

This bat has been with me through some tough times, some worse than others.