Page 22 of Before Their After

REINA

“Hurry up,”Seth ordered from his room across the hall. His rifle sang through the air as he picked off straggling zombies one by one. Most had gathered outside the front door, attempting to push their way past our living room furniture.

A sob broke from my throat as I ruffled through my closet, unsure of what I needed to pack in the situation of running for my life. Hunting clothes would have to do. I stripped from my leggings and pulled on my camo pants and waterproof boots, shoving the rest of the gear on top of the canned goods I’d grabbed from the cellar.

“I’m almost done,” I shouted, taking one last glance around my room both for nostalgia and to make sure I hadn’t left anything important behind.

As my brother had requested, I poured gasoline in a line from my room to his and Hunter’s before slamming the door, stopping only for a moment to move their dresser and trunk to barricade us in. I grunted. The weight of the wood took a goodamount of my strength. That was a good thing. Would probably buy us some time.

“I need the bag,” I requested, arms full of clothes from his hunting drawer. Ammo, hunting knives and a few of his guns lined the bottom of his duffle. The food I’d grabbed would have to be enough for the both of us—at least until we could stop and search for more.Both. Two. There are only two of us now ...

“Leave some for Hunter in case he makes his way back.”

I glanced at him warily, sliding a pistol, a round of ammo, and a can of food back into the drawer. It was pointless. Would go to waste. Zipping the bag up, I slid it back toward him, careful not to get the next line of gasoline on our belongings or splattered on our shoes.

“‘Kay, Reina, I’m gonna need you to listen to me very carefully.” He squinted his right eye, continuing to pick off zombies as uneven footsteps thudded down the hall.They’re closing in. Panic began to seize my veins. “Remember how we used to watch stars on the roof as kids? We gotta climb back up there. Not a big deal. Can you do that?”

I felt my head nod, my body on autopilot. Seth motioned his head toward the window on the other side of the room, wanting me to climb out on it. He tossed me my bag of arrows for the bow in the back quiver strung across my shoulders.

“Now what?” I whispered once he appeared next to me, the door to his room thunderous as wood hit wood.

His throat cleared, turning to face me, his warm, calloused hand squeezed mine gently. “Tuck and roll. Try to land on the balls of your feet, send your bag down first. Soon as you even think your feet touch that ground, you tuck your chin and embrace the feeling of your knees coming into your chest. Let your body take control after that. It’s not far, ‘bout ten feet. You’ll roll once, maybe twice. Then get up. Immediately.”

I sniffled, dropping my bag and bow onto the flower bed beneath. I bit my lip and edged toward the end of the roof, hesitating right before making the leap.

“Reina,now. We have to go. I’m sorry.” His voice grew impatient. We were running out of time.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped back a few feet, wanting to give myself enough grace to execute his directions as best I could. I’d never been good with athletic things. I’d rode the horses for fun, but not sport and certainly not passion the way my brothers and father had. Wasn’t coordinated enough to even convince myself any sport in high school was worth going out for.

Closing my eyes, I made the jump. Foolishly deciding to let my body tell me when to tuck my chin instead of watching to see when my feet would connect. The impact forced my eyes open, barely seeing Seth take his turn as the world passed me in a flurry. A shooting pain soared up my ankle and leg, ceasing only from the distraction of my head slamming into the ground on the second roll. The world spun, sheer willpower bringing me to my feet as instructed.

Slowly, I turned to my brother. His focus shifted between reloading his gun and the sides of the house. No zombies over here. Yet. My eyes found the window we’d leaped from seconds before. Even from here, I could see his room was now filled with them; their attention not yet outside on the ground. A lighter flicked at my side, drawing my curiosity back toward my brother.

A piece of cloth hung from his mouth, his teeth clenched, tearing it apart. “We need to go get the horses,” he mumbled. “My guns are of no use—they’ll only attract more out to us in the back of the house. I’m going to wrap this around your arrow and light it. I need you to hit somewhere inside my room.”

My vision blurred at the thought of burning down the only home we’d ever known. Our father had ever known. I’d been soconsumed by the panic and the chaos of the last few hours that Seth’s request to pour a trail of gas throughout the house had barely registered. I’d simply listened without a second thought. This morning we’d had breakfast as a family. We laughed over homemade biscuits and jam and went about our day. Our father, our mother, Uncle Harris, Hunter, Seth.

A family of six was down to two in a matter of hours.

When I awoke this morning, shivering from the draft entering my room and snuggling close to my weighted blanket, I’d not imagined I’d twice now be asked to pull a trigger I had no desire to pull. My arms shook. Bow wavering and lip trembling as I tried to do what I was asked. There would be no cost I wouldn’t pay to keep my last family member alive. Willing to do whatever I was asked to keep my brother safe and his temper under control, though it appeared that I was the one that needed help.

Seth came up behind me, lowered my bow, and took it from my unsteady grasp. I turned my back, not wanting to watch. The sound of my bow snapped and the loud cracking noise of wood roared. Flame took over his childhood bedroom, the screeching sound of the creatures burning muted below the blaze.

His hands clamped down on my shoulders, guiding me toward the stables. He stopped before The Duke, his first horse, weighing his options. Seth hesitated as he kept moving toward Freedom. The Duke was old. Without knowing where we were headed, taking him along would be a massive risk.

“We should let the others loose,” I said, stopping to rub The Duke gently on the nose. “At least give them a shot at life.”

He nodded his head in agreement. “Good idea.” Turning his back to me, he strode toward Hunter’s horse, Daisy’s stable, patting her gently before opening the gate.

One by one, he approached each horse calmly, careful not to spook them, offering a treat as a peace offering. With eachopen gate, Seth led them toward the opening, patting them on the hind end and encouraging them to go free. A shudder went through his body as he watched The Duke ride off. He loved his horses, probably more than he loved me.

I saddled up my mare, pretending I couldn’t hear the crackling flames consuming our house in the distance. Making sure my weapons and bags were secured, I steered the large Arabian out of the stables, trotting up next to Seth.

“Let’s go,” he said, riding away without glancing back.

If he won’t look back, then neither will I.Following my brother’s lead, I took a deep breath and left it all behind.

We rode for miles; the plains giving way to tree lines and back to plains. The mountain our ranch lay at the base of was long gone on the horizon. Silent tears streamed down my face. The clothes on our backs, our horses, and what I’d managed to gather in our packs were the only possessions we had left.

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