"Maylee!" came Mom's voice through the rain. Maylee whirled

  to see the rhino turning left and right, looking for them. It found them

  and roared.

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  "Shit!" yelled Maylee. "Up in the tree!"

  "What?" said Dalton.

  "It's all I can think of, Dalton!" Maylee yelled, dropping her bat

  next to the tree trunk. "So unless you can fly, get up in the tree!"

  Maylee climbed up onto the lowest branch. She laid flat on her

  belly and reached down for Dalton. He took hold of her hand and put

  his feet on the trunk. She pulled him up. The rhino, snorting and

  pounding, drew close. It roared.

  Maylee screamed and pulled Dalton up to the branch. The rhino

  passed right underneath them, slamming its head into the tree. The

  whole tree shook with the impact. Maylee almost slipped off the

  branch. She wrapped her legs and arms around it as tightly as she

  could. Dalton took hold of her arm and gripped so tightly it hurt.

  The rhino staggered back, shaking its head in fury. It staggered

  around, looking confused. Somewhere in the rain, Mom and Park were

  yelling.

  Maylee shifted to her knees. "Climb!"

  She and Dalton climbed to the next branch up the tree. Maylee

  stood on the branch and moved to help Dalton up to the next one. She

  had her arms around his waist when the tree shook with another impact.

  The rhino snorted as it rammed the tree.

  Maylee started to fall forward with Dalton in front of her.

  Reflexively, she took one hand off his waist and caught the branch

  above her. Screaming, Dalton slipped from her other arm and fell.

  Flailing wildly, he caught Maylee's free arm and gripped it tightly.

  Maylee clutched his arm desperately, holding on to the top branch for

  balance. Dalton swung out over the ground below them. And over the

  furious, pounding and snorting rhino.

  * * *

  "Dalton!" yelled Angie as he started to fall out of the tree.

  Maylee caught him with one hand and he swung out over the rhino.

  The fall would be enough to seriously hurt Dalton, and once the rhino

  noticed him on the ground...

  "Hurry!" she yelled to Park, loading her rifle and readying it.

  "Shoot it! Take it down!"

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  She fired. The dart embedded into the rhino's hip. It didn't

  notice. It stomped around the tree and roared, sounding desperate to get

  to Maylee and Dalton.

  Dalton screamed as he hung there. Maylee looked like she was

  giving her all to pull him up. It wasn't enough.

  Park fired a second dart into the haunch of the rhino. It snorted

  in anger but otherwise did not react. It stomped the ground furiously

  and rushed the tree again. It slammed against the trunk. Angie heard

  wood crack, and Maylee and Dalton screamed as they leaned out

  farther.

  "Shit," said Park, cocking the rifle. "Fucker can handle his

  dope."

  Angie cocked and fired. The dart hit the rhino in the side. It let

  out a grunt of pain and anger, whipping its head around. Its eye landed

  on Angie. It bellowed and turned to face her.

  "Whoops," said Angie. She hurriedly recocked the rifle.

  The rhino charged. Park fired and the dart thudded into the

  rhino's cheek. It roared in pain, putting its head down to slam Angie.

  Angie prepared to dodge, knowing she wouldn't get the rifle ready in

  time.

  The rhino slowed down, its lowered head bumping along the

  ground.

  "Huh," said Angie, bringing the rifle up and firing into the top

  of the rhinos head. The rhino let out a low whine and stopped,

  slumping to the ground, limp.

  "Mom!" yelled Maylee from the tree. Dalton kicked his legs as

  he rocked back and forth over the ground.

  "Hold on!" yelled Angie, slinging the rifle over her shoulder

  and running for the tree. Park ran up behind her.

  Angie ran to position herself under Dalton. "I got him!"

  Maylee nodded and let go. Dalton dropped into Angie's arms.

  Angie's back strained and she stumbled forward a few steps, but she

  caught him.

  She smiled as she set him down. "Second time in two days,

  huh?"

  Dalton nodded, shivering in the rain.

  She looked back up the tree to see Maylee making good

  progress climbing down. She ran up to help her.

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  Maylee dropped to the ground, Angie's hands around her waist.

  Angie let go and stepped back as Maylee stooped to retrieve her bat.

  Maylee stared, panting at the rhino. They all jumped a little as it

  grunted, but it remained still.

  "Shit," said Maylee.

  "Yeah," said Angie.

  Groans erupted all around them. Fading in and out through the

  driving rain.

  "And on that note," said Park.

  "To the office!" yelled Angie.

  They all ran across the walkway, heading for the office. A

  group of corpses slowly emerged from the rain. The corpses jerked and

  staggered their stiff rotting bodies across the wet pavement. The

  corpses were coming in from the side, toward the office. Angie ran as

  hard as she dared through the rain, determined to get to the office

  before the corpses blocked them.

  They reached the porch. The stairs were on the other side.

  Angie lifted Dalton up and over the railing, onto the stoop. The corpses

  groaned and drew closer. Maylee tossed her bat onto the stoop, then

  climbed up and over. The dead body in the tree rocked back and forth

  in the pounding rain. The corpses groaned and drew nearer.

  The frontmost corpse, a middle-aged woman with a ruffled blue

  hat bouncing on her torn bloodied head, came at Angie. She hissed and

  bit. Angie spun, taken by surprise and trying to get her rifle up in time.

  A "crack" sounded to Angie's right and the woman fell back, dart

  embedded in her left eye.

  "Thanks," said Angie, glancing over at Park.

  "I could do this all day," said Park. "Now get the fuck up

  there."

  Angie nodded and slung the rifle over her shoulder. She took

  hold of the wet metal railing and pulled herself up. The railing was cold

  and slippery and she almost fell mid-climb. The dead body swung from

  the tree. The branch creaked in the rain. The corpses drew closer on all

  three sides of the porch. Park fired again. Another corpse dropped.

  Angie made it over the railing. She turned and held her hands

  out and down to Park. "Come on!"

  Park slung the rifle over his shoulder. "Don't insult me," he

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  said. "I think I can manage a couple of feet."

  Angie stepped back and Park grabbed hold. He'd made it

  halfway when he suddenly stopped.

  "Shit!" he groaned. "Stupid fucking bad knee son of a bitch

  burn in hell!"

  Angie smirked. "Doin' okay?"

  Park held out a hand. "Think you could take a break from your

  fucking stand-up comedy and help?"

  "Of course sir," said Angie, grabbing hold and pulling him up.

  "How rude of me. I should have offered to begin with."

  "You're a fucking riot," said Park, dropping onto the stoop.

  Angie smirked and turned to rush inside the office. Park

  followed. The kids were already inside, standing stock still and staring

  at something off to Angie's right. Angie followed their gaze.

  A deer stood inside the room. A large buck with ten-point

  antlers. It snorted angrily at them, running its hooves along the carpeted

  floor of the office.

  "Shit," said Park. "And my ass without a hunting license."

  "Everyone stand very still," said Angie. The door to the outside

  was still open. The corpses were gathering around the stoop. A few

  attempted to crawl through the railing. The buck dragged its hooves on

  the carpet and snorted. Angie slowly unslung the rifle from her

  shoulder.

  She had it halfway up when the buck huffed, snorted and

  charged. Maylee and Dalton screamed, diving out of the way. The buck

  crashed into the far wall of the office, cracking the wood paneling and

  sending a bulletin board flying.

  Angie stumbled, turning with the rifle. She leveled it at the

  buck.

  "Wait!" said Park, holding up a hand. He was looking back and

  forth between the staggering buck and the corpses trying to navigate the

  stoop. One had nearly crawled through the railing. Another was slowly

  staggering up the stairs. "I have an idea!"

  The buck backed away from the wall, snorting and shaking its

  head. A trickle of blood ran from its nose.

  "Hey fuckface!" yelled Park, waving his arms and backing

  toward the open door. The corpses on the stoop saw him and groaned.

  They started to reach for him.

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  "Look out!" yelled Angie.

  "I know what I'm doing!" yelled Park as the buck focused on

  him and charged. The corpses behind Park nearly had him. As the buck

  drew close, Park dove out of the way. The buck crashed through the

  open door and into the approaching corpses. It jumped over the railing,

  its hooves slamming into corpses' skulls. The corpses fell back

  moaning. Several fell down and were still.

  Park turned back to the door and shut it. "Shit!" he said, leaning

  against the door. "I can't believe half the shit we do ever works."

  Outside, the corpses groaned and gargled in the rain. The buck

  could be heard also, snorting and huffing in the rain.

  Angie ran to the window and peered out. The buck was

  thrashing its antlers back and forth, trying to free itself from the group

  of corpses. Corpses staggered and fell around it, torn and ripped by the

  buck. The buck freed itself and turned back to the office. It snorted and

  stamped its feet.

  "Shit," said Angie. "The crazy thing is going to ram us."

  "Open the door," said Park, cocking his rifle.

  "Don't be crazy!" said Angie.

  "That thing can easily clear the railing and break this door

  down! You wanna find new shelter?" He leveled the rifle at the door.

  "Damn crazy ass," said Angie. She ran over to the door and

  opened it. The buck saw her and charged. It stomped furiously through

  the rain. The few corpses who were left upright moan and staggered

  around.

  "Get out of the way!" yelled Park.

  Angie ducked to one side just as the buck leapt. It was halfway

  over the railing when Park fired. The dart thudded into the buck's chest,

  throwing the buck off course. The startled buck's back legs caught on

  the railing and it slammed downward, onto the metal stoop. A loud

  "crack" rang out and the buck let out a sharp yelp.

  "Shit," said Maylee from the other side of the room.

  Angie stepped over to Park to look outside. The buck flopped

  around on the stoop, its neck broken and the tranquilizers taking effect.

  It whined and snorted, blood spraying from its nose.

  Park brought the rifle back up and fired, into the buck's skull.

  The buck jerked and was still.

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  "Okay," said Park, panting. "Now shut the door."

  Sixteen

  Angie walked as quickly as she dared across the wet pavement

  just outside the Communications Office. She held a tranquilizer rifle in

  front of her, angled down but ready to use at any moment. Park was a

  few feet behind her, pushing a wheelbarrow they'd found propped up

  against one side of the office. Staff Only was imprinted in faded white

  letters on the side of the wheelbarrow. It was empty.

  Angie looked side to side. The rain had let up considerably

  since the night before, and she could see much farther. No corpses or

  crazed animals were in sight. Rain pattered on the wheelbarrow as Park

  pushed it along. The wheel squeaked just loud enough to worry Angie.

  She worried something might hear. She gripped her rifle and kept

  walking, heading for a large shed hidden among some bushes across

  from the office.

  Angie fell back a few steps to let Park come up alongside her.

  She was going to speak when Park nodded at something to their left.

  Angie looked and saw a corpse, a small woman with most of the skin

  ripped from her face, stumble from the nearby trees. Rain pooled in the

  black and red mass of rips and scars where her face had been. The

  woman moaned and moved toward them.

  Angie leveled her rifle at the woman and fired. The dart

  thudded into the woman's head off-center, nearly taking off the

  woman's temple. The point evidently found brain, though, as the

  woman jerked, spit rain water from her dead mouth, and fell.

  "Not bad," said Park.

  "Yeah, yeah," said Angie. "It kind of sucked and you know it."

  They both kept walking. Light rain fell and the wheel on the

  wheelbarrow squeaked. Angie wondered if the noise had attracted the

  corpse. She tried not to wonder about it too much.

  They were about halfway to the shed. She glanced over at Park.

  "Some people were here when Dalton and I got here. It looked

  like they'd managed to stay safe in there for days."

  "On your right," said Park, nodding in that direction.

  Angie looked and saw a tall man, wearing a white T-shirt

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  stained with blood, staggering from behind a bush. A huge gaping

  wound in his torso showed white bone and gray organs. The organs

  jerked and shook as he walked. Angie sighed, cocked her rifle, and

  fired. The dart nearly missed, thudding into the man's head just to the

  side of his eye. The point of the dart jutted out from the man's temple.

  The man kept coming, oblivious to the injury.

  "Dammit to hell," said Angie, cocking and firing again. This

  time the dart thudded into the man's forehead, much closer to center.

  The man staggered backward, groaning and blinking. Then he toppled

  to the pavement, still.

  "Damn right," she said, mostly to herself. She glanced at Park

  to see him smirking. She considered telling him to fuck himself. She

  stayed quiet.

  They walked for a few more seconds. The rain fell and the

  wheel squeaked. Angie was now certain the noise was bringing

  corpses. She braced herself, ready for the next moan. Or the growl of a

  crazed animal.

  Nothing came.

  They drew to a halt just in front of the shed. Staff Only, said

  chipped white paint emblazoned across the front.

  "Uh-oh," said Park. "Staff only. Guess we'll have to go back."

  Angie smirked but stayed quiet. She fished around in her

  pocket and located the keys they'd found in a desk in the office. She

  stepped up and found a padlock on the door of the shed. She tried the

  keys and was relieved when one slid in easily. She turned it and the

  lock opened. She pulled open the shed door and stepped back.

  The shed was full of tools. Shovels, hammers, wrenches. There

  were even a few pickaxes. All neatly organized and stacked.

  Park sighed. "Think that'll do?"

  "It'll have to," said Angie. "We've just got the three rifles, so

  we'll need all the weapons we can get."

  They loaded the wheelbarrow with tools as quietly as they

  could. Rain fell around them. Angie was careful to make little noise as

  she loaded the heavier tools.

  When the wheelbarrow was full, Angie shut the shed and

  looked around. Rain pattered on the trees around them and on the tools

  in the wheelbarrow. No other sound could be heard. No moans. No

  growls.

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  "Okay," said Angie. "Let's go."

  After one more quick glance around, they started back toward

  the office. The weight in the wheelbarrow made the squeaking of the

  wheel louder than before.

  "Anyway," said Angie. "This place is pretty out of the way.

  Someone..."

  A loud moan came from behind her. She spun in time to see an

  old man with ruptured eyes and rotten yellow teeth reaching for her. He

  was closer than the others had been. There was no time to ready the

  rifle.

  Angie jumped back as the man lunged for her. He missed,

  moaning and stumbling forward. Angie shoved the man back,

  struggling with the rifle. The man corrected himself and came back at

  her.

  "Here!" said Park, grabbing a wrench from the wheelbarrow