33

Life has been good here, my baby is now a solid little boy with attitude that tells me my mother must have suffered with me. Douglas is a loving father a good friend and above all … proving to be a strong leader.

It has been almost a year here and I am finally starting to have hope that maybe we are over the worst of it. Talk around the campfire is that the Biters have probably died out by now, the winter and no food sources surely killed off most if not all of them.

I hope so. Personally I think they are just being hopeful bit I don't want to burst anyone's bubble. They are going to go explore in the next few days, the search party (Ghost) has seen signs that tells of another group out there in the next dell.

We can only be hopeful.

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Kathy had wanted or go as well but little Al had fallen the day before and although not badly hurt he was still clingy and whinging. Learning to walk was a big deal when he seemed a late bloomer. She worried that maybe he was developmentally delayed due to her age so walking was a relief. Dwight had offered to stay behind instead as Al loved him dearly but she saw the flash of annoyance on Douglas' face. He was a little jealous of the relationship his son had formed with another man and Kathy said she would sit this one out instead.

She was currently sitting with her toddler in her lap as she peeled some potatoes for the little one to help wrap in tinfoil for the bonfire tonight. Everyone had started enjoying the novelty of cooking over the open flames and it meant the gas they had for the gas stove was being saved for those cold wet days the bonfire would not possibly work for them.

She was sitting there enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun when the sound of the motorbike arriving made her turned her head to watch Ghost careen into the car parking area and stumble, dropping the bike in its side without care as he looked wildly around then settled on her.

She knew deep down something terrible had happened.

She rose as the SWAT vehicle followed Ghost in, Dean already running from the house behind her with his kit bag. Now she was realty scared. Not only had they radioed ahead and needed more first aid than they already had onboard, whatever it was… they hadn't warned her.

The door swung open and Douglas was the first out, covered in blood and yelling for Dean. She felt a mixture of relief that he was unharmed and dread because it meant someone else surely was. She rose, dropping the baby into the nearest arms and ran for the vehicle as Robbie struggled to gather the baby into his arms as the little one started to cry for his mother.

Her fear was now for Dwight.

"What happened" she yelled as she looked inside and stepped back, her next words now stuck in her throat as she stared in at Derrick who sat with a stump where his hand used to be, removed just below his elbow joint.

She helped them get him inside and tried not to vomit. God, they had cut his hand off moments after the bite in the hopes of saving him from the infection. Could it work? Would it work?

"Kathy, leave" Douglas said as he settled the hapless man in the back room "Please. Go."

"I am not a shrinking fucking violet" she hissed "Stop trying to handle me!"

Dwight turned to face her, his face full of sorrow "Think. How many of us were there?"

She finally got it and groaned, heading back out to watch the body bag being slid out in the puddle of blood, making it splash onto the ground as they unloaded Danni's body.

"FUCK!" she screamed with rage, unable to comprehend the fact they had lost one… maybe tow of their people just like that. She leaned against the side of the vehicle and took a moment, then straightened up and walked confidently to the huddle of people trying to comfort the kids who had unfortunately seen everything.

"OK, kids. You are going with Ghost and Mark and Mary. They will take you for a walk around the lake to check out the glass fronted house you are all wanting to explore." She then said quietly to the three adults "If it looks viable as somewhere to sleep tonight … send one back for supplies and stay there."

"In case he turns" Ghost says sullenly.

"yeah" she sighed "I … damn it. I need to stay, thank god Al is on the bottle now. Come to think of it … take the supplies with you. Either way… it's safer than here tonight."

"Agreed" Mark nodded, looking over at the house across the lake, the late sun making the glass frontage glint.

Kathy instantly dismissed this as done and turned to walk back inside.

It was going to be a long night.