Hollowland

“Come on! Get in the truck!” A soldier barked and waved us toward the headlights. “We can’t hold them off much longer!”

Soldiers decked out in full camouflage uniform with helmets and weapons were here, rescuing us. Harlow ran right away, letting one of the soldiers lead her to the truck, but I just blinked at him.

“Are you from the quarantine?” I asked numbly.

“Yes, now get in the truck!” he shouted at me. When I didn’t move, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me.

“Is that a lion?” another soldier asked as we reached the truck.

“Leave her alone!” I yelled, suddenly afraid that they might hurt her. “She kills zombies!” The soldier pulling me looked at me funny, then yanked me along

At the back of the truck, I stopped and wouldn’t go any further. It was one of those army trucks with the flatbed in back with a green canvas top. The soldier trying to rescue me couldn’t be much older than I was, and he looked more confused than irritated by my display. The name sown in his shirt read Pvt. Tatum.

“Is my brother there? A little boy?” I had to speak loudly to be heard over the engine of the truck and the sound of gunfire. A few other soldiers were on the ground, shooting at the never ending supply of zombies. “At the quarantine. I have to find him.”

“You’ll have to get on the truck to find out!” Tatum yelled and motioned to the truck.

“Remy! Just get on the damn truck!” Lazlo shouted, startling me. I was even more surprised by how happy I was to hear his voice and know he’d made it.

Much to Tatum’s relief, I climbed onto the truck. Bench seats ran along both sides, and three soldiers were sitting on one side, along with a cache of weapons on the floor. Blue, Lazlo, and Harlow sat along the other bench, wrapped in blankets, the heavy duty kind they used for moving. As soon as I got in, a soldier put one on me and pushed me down so I’d sit next to Harlow.

Tatum yelled something to the other men on the ground, and he jumped in the truck. Within seconds, everyone had loaded inside, and we drove away. I pulled the blanket more tightly around me, thankful for the thickness that would hide the blood sleeping through.

I was covered in zombie blood, which wasn’t surprising, but I was covered in my own blood too. I didn’t want anyone to know that I’d been bitten, that I had to be infected.

“I’m looking for my brother,” I repeated, talking to Tatum. He sat across the aisle from me, and he seemed to have some authority. “My name is Remy King, and his name is Max King. He’s probably in the medical ward. I have to see him.”

“I don’t know anything about it.” Tatum kept his steel blue eyes fixed on some point behind me. “We’re almost to the quarantine. That’s why the zombies are so bad.”

“What do you mean?” Blue asked, leaning forward so he could hear.

“The zombies are attracted to people.” Tatum turned to Blue when he spoke. “The larger the group of people, the stronger the attraction. Zombies have been congregating around here so bad we’ve given up trying to kill them all. We just keep them locked out.”

“Is that safe?” Harlow asked nervously. “The quarantine won’t get broken in?”

“No, this place is secure,” Tatum assured her with a brash smile.

“I need to see my brother,” I interrupted their conversation. Tatum’s smile disappeared, and he wouldn’t even answer me this time. “I need to see him! Is he there? If he’s not there, then you need to tell me now!”

“Remy!” Lazlo said, looking over at me. “Calm down! We’re okay, and we’re almost there! You’ll have plenty of time to find out.”

Swallowing hard, I looked down at the floor and didn’t say anything. I didn’t have time anymore. If Max was here, I had to see him while I was still coherent, so I could at least say goodbye to him.

If he wasn’t here, then I didn’t even want go in with them. I didn’t want to risk infecting anyone if I didn’t have to. But if there was any chance of seeing my brother, I had to take it.

The truck stopped, and a soldier explained that we were stopping at the main gate to the quarantine. A man came around the back of the truck, shining a flashlight inside and asked what they’d found. Tatum reported four injured civilians in a zombie pit. The man with the flashlight waved us on, and the truck moved again.

We stopped almost immediately, and I saw the gate from the back of the truck. It was giant and metal, at least twenty feet tall, if not more. Brick walls ran along on either side of it, and when Tatum ushered us off the truck, I realized that we had only gone in the first set of doors. An identical gate stood on the other side, still closed.

“What’s going on?” I asked nervously. Tatum, rather smartly sensing my opposition, grabbed my arm and led me along. “Where are you taking us?”

“Remy,” Harlow whimpered, responding to my anxiety.

About as big as two or three city blocks, the brick alcove had small metal shacks all over it. Tatum dragged me towards one, while other soldiers led Harlow, Lazlo, and Blue to separate ones. Once they realized where they were going, Lazlo and Harlow began fighting them. I understood what was happening, and under ordinary circumstances, I would’ve calmed them, but I couldn’t now.

“No, stop.” I tried prying my arm out of Tatum’s iron grip, but he wouldn’t let go. “No, please. You don’t understand. I have to see my brother.”