Z (part 2)

   When we finally got to our meet up - an empty parking lot on the outskirts of Henryville, it took me a moment to find my husband. I shouldn't have been surprised that he wasn't in our original car. He was in a hybrid SUV, the kind he hated but was good on gas. Our car was an ancient and barely reliable station wagon. I could assume this was a customer's car Dave had "borrowed."
   When Ivy stopped her car, I was gripping an ax I had found in garden center, preparing to jump out of the car to inspect the vehicle a short distance away from us. I hadn't seen signs of undead infection anywhere near here, but that didn't mean there wasn't any. I stepped cautiously out of the door, but Dave, almost as soon as I stepped out, leaped out of the car and had me in a bear hug.
   "Get in the car. We still have about two hours before we have to move, and I got a hold of Johnathon. He's going to meet us. He knows the time limit." Dave stepped aside and looked at me then over at Ivy, who was still in her car.
   I nodded, even though he didn't see it. "So does Cami. She's coming, too."
   Dave acknowledged what I said, then walked over to Ivy's window.  "Thank you for bringing her. I know it took a leap of faith for you to even believe her. Do you want to stay with us? Technically, groups are a bad idea, but we're human. We care about other people. I don't want to leave you behind if you want to come along." This statement shocked Ivy and me both. I couldn't recall a time Dave had ever spoken to Ivy, let alone said so much in one go.
   "I appreciate it, and Maggie's one of mine. But she's with her family now, and I need to go save mine." Ivy had misty eyes, but I recognized her strong, "mama voice," as I always referred to it. Ivy was my manager, but once a mother, always a mother, whether the kids are yours biologically or not. I never realized until now, when we were parting ways at the beginning of the apocalypse, that I loved her like family. I gave her a hug through her window.
   "Keep moving, no matter where you go, check every room, every closet, every nook and cranny before you even consider letting your guard down. Be as quiet as possible, keep lights out at night the best you can, avoid large public places like malls and churches." I found myself getting choked up. "I'll see you again. I can tell your like me - you won't go down easy, and it'll take more than a bunch of brainless walking corpses to get to you." I gave her a watery smile. She gave me one in return, then went on her way to her children and brand new grand baby.

   Dave and I waited in the SUV, each of us gripping our weapons - my ax and his .45. "Where are we going, or have you thought of anywhere yet. I'm all good to just stay mobile, but I'm letting you call it."
   "For now, we just need to keep moving. I'm thinking we'll head toward the west, with the dry desert. Until then, we keep moving. When we get there, we find somewhere safe enough for us to stop for more than a night."
   "Okay." I couldn't think of anything else to say. Just so I knew what to expect, I was happy. Well, as happy as one could be when running from and/or fighting zombies. We had about an hour before sunset, about fifteen minutes before we had to start moving with or without the others when we saw the first attack.
   Across the street, a young girl with long, blond hair was walking by the church parking lot when a man stumbled close to her. She turned and saw him. I can only assume she thought he needed help, because she ran towards him. When he lunged and his arms began to encircle her, we could hear her scream even in the car and she managed to push him away and she turned to run. She made it two or three steps, but when his arms will still outstretched, groping for her let his hands become entangled in her loose hair, she didn't have a chance. Her head jerked back and she stumbled, falling into his hungry, waiting arms. I turned my head when I saw the corpse lean down for dinner. Dave was taking aim when I saw Cami's car squeal into the lot we waited in. She jumped out and, before I could blink, fired two shots from a nine millimeter she held. She was an amazingly good shot. At least to me. I'd only seen her at work, really. The girl and her attacker both went down immediately, shot in the head.
   Immediately following her shots, Johnathon's truck rumbled in behind us. I nodded to them both, Cami hopped in her car, and we took off, Dave in the lead, then Cami, with Johnathon bringing up the back. It was most definitely time to go.
   I looked over at Dave as he drove, then in the back seat where Alice slept. reached into my backpack and pulled out a pair of very sharp scissors. I grabbed my hair in handfuls and snipped carelessly at it until it was short, then climbed in the back and did the same for my daughter. We both had waist length hair. I rolled down my window and threw it all out.
   "What did you do that for?" Dave asked calmly as he drove.  "And why do you have scissors?"
   "In case we need to cut bandages. And I love long hair, but I love me and Alice surviving more. I will gladly sacrifice vanity for life. You saw that girl. If she had short hair, she wouldn't have a bullet in her brain right now."