We're Still Alive(Book1)BEING REWRITTEN

Sixty-Three

   Cora raced to Gavin's side as soon as the zombie was off. He flinched and pushed himself back on the concrete.
   "It's okay, it's me!" She assured him. He didn't answer but nodded, holding his throat and coughing. "Are you okay? Did he bite you?" Gavin shook his head, then turned to face Jared. Following his gaze,
Cora saw him standing in front of the zombie, which was separating them from him. His rifle lay just a couple feet from him, but the zombie stepped on it before he could get to it. The zombie held the gun under its foot and stared intensely at Jared. It didn't pay any attention to Cora or Gavin. She motioned for Gavin to stay and stood up slowly. She lined up the sights of her rifle, and...
   She didn't get a chance to shoot it. The zombie, what had once been a man, turned on her and ripped the gun out of her hands. She stood still, her body felt frozen by its gaze. That painfully familiar look. That look that Gavin had'challenged' just a couple nights ago. Then it smiled a wide, cocky grin, and took off into the night.
   Both Aydin and Atlas began their chase, but Matt and Cora called them back. They didn't want to risk losing the dogs to the hidden things in the darkness.
   Everyone sat in a shocked silence for a few minutes. Sitting in the middle of the road like they were, a stranger might think they were relaxing. But Cora knew how tense everyone was, and she knew that if the zombies tried to attack again, they would be ready.
   "Let's go." Paige said suddenly, walking to a random building at the side of the street. "We're not staying out here any longer."
   "What about our stuff?" Cora asked, pointing to the flipped jeep.
   "We'll get it in the morning." Paige was already peering inside the building. "I don't want us to spend any more time out here than we really need to." No one argued, and they followed her inside. The place looked ransacked, but it seemed secure enough. They set up one person to guard at a time while the rest slept.
   Matt went first with Atlas. At first, Cora had felt paranoid, and when she closed her eyes, images of the zombies breaking in filled her mind. When she shot back up, Aydin would sniff her, like he was making
sure she was okay, and then cuddle closer to her. This helped, and eventually she managed to fall asleep.
   "Hey." She groaned as someone shook her awake. "You're on watch. Get up." With a long and heavy sigh, she sat up and glared at Jared, who'd volunteered to go after Matt. She looked at Aydin, who was
already awake, and, grabbing her rifle, stood in front of the door. She was still drowsy, but she knew Aydin would catch anything she might miss. When her hour was almost up, she started to pace in front
of the door, overcome with boredom. She needed to move and get her blood flowing, even though she was about to go right back to sleep. Aydin stayed put at the door but glanced her way every few minutes.
Cora thought of him as a protective older brother, even though she was pysically older than him. She looked up at the cracked clock that they'd been using to measure the time. It now sat on a random shelf where they could see it easier. Her hour was up. She stumbled over to Gavin and shook him awake. He groaned and rolled over on his side. She shook him again and tapped his arm. This time he seemed to wake up completely, sitting up and looking around the room. Then he spun around, now on his hands and knees, and grabbed for his pistol.
   "Woah stop! It's me!" She held up her hands and pushed Aydin back with her foot; he was ready to pounce. He stared at her, almost like he didn't know her, before his eyes widened and he lowered
the gun.
   "Oh my god, Cora I'm so sorry." He said, rubbing his eyes. "I'm just..."
   "Hey, it's okay." She assured him. He gave her a forced smile and walked to the door.