Adam leaned against the fence, trying to regain his breath. He had only been minutes from the market when he heard it. The roar of an engine, a lawnmower, or maybe a chainsaw, had cut through the silence, but it was the moans that bothered him. They had sounded…scared. He didn’t want to think that there was any humanity left in them, not after what he had seen them do, so he ran. He hadn’t stopped until he was here, leaning against the Wilson’s fence.

His breathing began to slow but his heart hadn’t been told the race was over. It was still pounding away, but he knew it wasn’t the running anymore.

It was the thought of going into the building across the street.

Going into the light blue house with the broken porch swing and the squeaky front gate.

His heart was pounding, threatening to tear itself out of his chest, because he was home.

The lights on the front porch clicked on, that meant it was six o’clock and about to get very dark. He double checked the rifle, still loaded, and crossed the street.