The tension wasn’t only getting to him. His girl stood beside, and ever so slightly behind him, tapping the barrel of her gun against her leg. Tap, tap, tap. In time to some beat playing out in her head. Finn had dealt her and the weapon one sharp glance then let it go. It was probably for the best.

He had a feeling they might have used up their cooperation points for the day. Dan did, however, find it interesting the way her gaze kept returning to the other man. Very interesting.

There was a body or two close by. The smell of rotting flesh permeated the air. Nothing quite compared to it, especial y when you knew the remains used to be people.

Finn turned, glanced back at them as the sound of a motorbike drew closer and closer. Checking they were still with him. Dan gave him a nod.

A big shiny Harley idled along, slowly moving up the block toward them. The bastard rode one-handed, fussing with something, not watching where he was going.

The kid was about to signal when glass shattered down the street. There was the “whoosh” of a Molotov being thrown, the crackle and pop of the fire gaining momentum. Next came the scent of petrol and the sight of smoke bil owing into the air. Damn but the smell had reached them fast. It made Dan’s stomach lurch. Things were moving in their direction.

Finn motioned them forward while he himself moved back, blending into the shadows of the garage, out of sight.

It flowed fast then.

His girl took three fast steps forward, planting herself out in plain sight. The biker was so surprised to spot his quarry standing out on the front lawn, he came close to stacking his big ride.

Daniel grabbed Ali from behind, lugged her back into the gap between the buildings. The chopper lurched up onto the grass to follow. Had the dickhead gone for less chrome he might have succeeded but, having chosen to be a showy f**k, there would be no joy.

He couldn’t follow them on those wheels into the tight space.

Finn slunk out of the shadows with a knife in hand.

The motorbike stal ed, and the dickhead yelled something nasty. Dan hustled his girl down the corridor, getting her away from the action.

The dickhead’s greetings died as Finn pounced. That should have been the end of the story.

“Come on.” He grabbed Ali, tried to move her along as per the plan. They were meant to get behind the house and keep their heads down. Meant to keep out of the way. But no, she pulled at his grip and dug her heels into the stony ground, sunk her fingers into his arm. “You don’t need to see this, babe.”

“Wait. We’re not leaving him on his own.”

“Babe. Don’t.” There was a grunt and a groan and some blood-curdling gurgling going on behind them. Her breath caught, and her body jerked against him. He held her tight, swearing all the while. “Finn can look after himself. Will you not watch, please?”

“Dan …” She shook her head and actually fought his hold when he tried to walk her back. Which hurt. He kept his arms around her waist as the whole grisly scene played out on the front lawn.

It was probably swift. The kid was good at what he did. Still, it seemed to take forever.

Eventually her nails released him. “It’s done. He’s finished.”

The gravel lining the walkway crunched as Finn came their way. Dan didn’t bother to turn. He had seen enough blood splatter, and Ali was doing enough watching for the two of them.

“What are you doing here?” Finn asked, as well he might.

Ali tensed, pressed herself into Daniel as if she needed shelter. Who knew what looks were being passed behind his back. Doubtless, not good.

“Waiting for you,” she said.

“We had a plan,” the kid said.

His girl said nothing.

“Is there a problem, Al?” the kid asked in a quiet voice.

There was a definite delay to her answer. “No.”

A low moaning started up nearby, the kind of noise only an infected made. She pul ed back and Dan let her go.

And no, Finn was not happy, features so strained his jaw looked disjointed. His girl’s expression was of a similar ilk but her eyes were two times wider. Spooked. Big time.

Across the street a zombie crawled out from beneath a parked car, one leg mangled. Its fingers were no better than bloody stumps. It began to make its way across the street toward the fresh kil .

Unlike his girl, he didn’t mean to see the dickhead’s remains.

His throat gone, the surrounding grass glossy with blood. The kid was lethal. And there wasn’t a drop of gore on the blonde-haired bastard outside of his hands, but they dripped with it.

Ali took a step back from both Finn and the zombie. It was a move hard to miss.

“We better go,” she said.

***

“I love you like the sun loves the soil,” said Daniel.

His girl turned her head toward him, eyes somber in the darkness. Which worked. It was a somber kind of night.

They had hidden in a house. Finn, crouched in the front room, kept watch through the remains of a front door. Someone had decided to rip the door off its hinges, and the gaping hole could be seen from the street. No one would settle down for the night in a place with no door. In turn, no foe, infected or otherwise, would come close without them knowing.

Another canny idea from the kid.

The second feature of the night’s shelter was the body decomposing in the tub. Not infected, the kid had reported. The person had chosen to slit their wrists and bleed out. Morbid, but Daniel could almost understand. The place reeked of death. Infected wouldn ’t to be able to easily detect their live, uninfected flesh.