Chapter 7

"Marla, Marla." Death whispered in her ear. "Stop it, I'm here, you're safe."

She screamed again and he jammed something in her mouth. It was soft and tasted like sweat. She lashed out at him, he felt remarkably solid for an animated skeleton. She didn't want to die, she had a chance now. She kicked at him, and her legs turned cold.

He pinned her down, one hand over her mouth. She couldn't move, but she didn't care any more. The cloth in her mouth tasted bitter, salty, but it also tasted like Eckert smelled. The realization brought her back from her dreams. She quit thrashing and relaxed in his arms. He pulled the rag out of her mouth. "You change your mind?" she asked. "I'm willing, but if you want to pin me down I don't mind."

It was too dark to see his expression, but his voice was husky. "You were screaming." he shifted his weight and sat on the edge of the couch. "There was some shooting, a mile away at least, and they started up outside." He wrapped the blanket around her again. "You're safe, I won't let them get you."

"Don't you want me?" Her voice shook with emotion.

"I," He hesitated, and gently wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sergeant Mel, she explained it better than I can. She said we need to 'start as we mean to go on.' It was the day before yesterday." He waved at the window, his arm silhouetted against the blinds. The moaning of the dead had faded, but there were occasional far away gunshots and the sounds of shuffling feet. "What's happening out there changed everything, and some people will do anything they want because they think no-one will be able to stop them. If we don't start rebuilding right now, in a couple of years all that will be left of America is two legged wolves fighting over scraps of food and hiding from the dead.

That's why we came back, we're evacuating everyone we can, up to Mel's place. That's why we're here tonight, you and me. The bus that could have picked us up took a load of school kids into the mountains. They've been trapped since Monday and were running out of food."

He seemed to be trying to convince her, but she understood. "Triage. Help the ones who will die if they don't get help right now, Help the ones who can wait when you can." You made the ones you couldn't help as comfortable as you could without wasting resources, they were going to die anyway. "But what about..."

He put a finger on her lips. "I'll get to that. Another thing she explained to us that how we act right now in these first few days is more important than at any other time. It's all new and we're feeling our way through it. Whatever we do the first time, we'll do the second because it worked. Like developing habits."

That's what went wrong at the arena. FEMA had us take everyone's weapons away, so when the people who'd been bitten turned, there were only a few of us to try and stop them. Sergeant Mel got us out of there. So now, we check everyone who comes back, and everyone keeps their weapons. It has other dangers, but if we disarm everyone it takes us farther from America, not closer.

That brings us to ... your offer. I didn't save you to be rewarded, it was my duty. If you'd been a guy or a kid, or a little old lady, I would have done the same thing. Anyone from my unit would have saved you. If I took a reward, especially one like that ... I'd just be another wolf.

"That's why. You're beautiful, smart and brave. I want you so bad it hurts, but not like that. Don't say anything, just think about it. I'm sure you'll understand. In the meantime, can you take over?"