Page 56 of Faith Among Monsters

I fire, spraying the encroaching zombies, keeping them off her as she runs at his side.

Zachs moves fast, ruthless. No hesitation. “Up, darlin’,” I hear him say.

She goes first.

Trip and Wilkes close in beside me.

We hold the line.

Metal grinds.

I glance back. Faith is climbing. The stairs groan under her weight, looking as unreliable as the guards who built them.

Fuck, she fell from stairs to a zombie last night.

Brave. So fucking brave.

“Let her get all the way up. They won’t hold you both,” I bark.

“The fuck you think I’m doin’?” Zachs mutters, plunging his knife into a zombie’s skull.

The four of us are pinned at the base of the stairs. Zombies keep coming. We’re running out of ground.

“Wilkes next,” I decide. He’s lightest. Fastest.

“Up!” Faith shouts from above.

I flick my gaze up for a split second. She’s already kneeling, gun aimed past us.

She’s fucking breathtaking.

“Stop pissin’ around, Wilkes,” Zachs says.

Not that Wilkes needs to be told. He’s already halfway up the stairs like he’s got suction cups for hands.

“Trip, you’re next,” I say.

Trip doesn’t move. Just reloads. He gives me a slow, steady shake of his head. Not happening. Not a debate.

“Zachs, go,” I snap.

Faith’s cover from above is helping, picking off zombies before they get too close. Doesn’t mean we aren’t still drowning.

“Doc said they’re bioweapons,” I say to Trip. He’s the least likely to panic. He’ll process it for exactly what it is, a problem to be solved.

The second I say it, I see the understanding click behind his eyes.

I exhale. “They boxed us in. They’re…”

“What? Learning?” Trip grunts.

I don’t answer.We may be totally fucked.

Trip nods like I just told him the weather report. “We’ll be fine. Get up the ladder.”

We may be fine. The ladder isn’t fine. It’s hanging at a brutal angle as Zachs pulls himself onto the roof.

“Son of a bitch,” Zachs shouts down. “Y’all wanna hurry the fuck up.”

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