“Oh…” Clare blinked. “That’s…”
He chuckled and brushed stray hair behind her ear. “I think all three of us are surprisingly similar in that regard. Left alone, with only ourselves to think of, we would all take the USB to Evandale. It is only when others’ safety is brought into the equation that we start doubting our choice. Now, would you like to sit outside a little longer, or would you be happy to drink your tea inside? I suspect Beth will want to start moving quickly now that our decision has been made.”
Clare shook her head, incredulous. “Since when do you know my sister better than me?”
The bus’s door slammed open again. Beth stood in the entryway. She still looked pale, but the anger seemed under control. She stared at Dorran’s hand, still wrapped around Clare’s, then mutely began to pack away the equipment and retracting the shade cloth. Dorran rose to help, but she shot him such a murderous glare that he backed up, hands held out placatingly.
It only took a few minutes to pack up their campsite, but as Beth worked, Clare heard another batch of chattering rising through the mist. She shuddered as she folded the chairs.
“Don’t worry. They’re still a while away.” Beth took the last chair and stowed it in the bus’s side compartment. “We’ll be gone before they reach us.”
“Beth, are you okay about…” She shifted her weight uneasily. “Everything?”
Beth turned to face her, wearing the most starkly deadpan expression Clare had ever seen. Then she sighed. “Nope. But the democracy voted, and I’m not going to contest that.”
“Right.” More chattering rose from the wooded part of the hills. Clare stared towards it, trying to pick out shapes amongst the mist. “So—”
“Get in the bus.” Beth slammed the hatch, and a dozen screeches responded to the noise.
Clare leapt into the vehicle with Dorran close behind. Beth stepped in last, shut the door, and slid behind the wheel. “Put your seatbelts on. Our first step will be to find a map that shows where Evandale actually is.”
Chapter Seven
Dorran and Clare sat together near the front of the bus. Beth waited until their buckles clicked, then she turned the key and put the bus into gear. As they pulled back onto the road, Clare caught a glimpse of shapes racing towards them through the fog. One hit the front bumper and disappeared under the wheels. The bus bounced, rattling them. Beth showed no reaction as she applied more speed. Then they were back onto clear road, with the shapes disappearing behind them.
“Map,” Beth said, tossing the folded page to Clare. “It only covers the city and surrounding area. We’ll need something more advanced to find Evandale. Pick one of the towns to search. Something touristy but not too big.”
“Got it.” Clare unfolded the map. It took a moment of hunting to find where they were. Then she traced outwards from it, following the roads to all of the nearby habitations. She rejected any that were just suburbs with small shopping malls. Then she saw a familiar name. “Hey, what about Little Leura? It’s close.”
Beth cracked a smile. “I remember that. We drove through there when you were twelve…”
“I wanted an ice cream.”
“But it was Sunday and the ice cream parlour was closed.”
“So we stopped in at that little service station, and they were having a special on two-litre tubs…”
“We both gorged ourselves on ice cream on the drive home.” Beth laughed. “Oh, that was a good memory. I’m surprised you didn’t get sick from eating so much.”
“I was too full for dinner.” Clare grinned and shuffled the map around so that she could read it more easily. “That service station we stopped at had maps. If they’re still there, maybe it would be a good place to try.”
“Yes. That’s a smart find. It was near the fringe of the town, so we won’t have to travel too far into an infested area. And it’s just obscure enough that anyone else looking for maps is less likely to have raided it already. Tell me where to go.”
“Left turn up ahead.”
The town was nearly forty minutes away. Clare alternately traced their progress on the map and watched the changing landscape outside. The mountains were fading behind them. Intermittent fields gave way to uncultivated hills. Once, she saw a hawk circling above. She pointed it out to Beth and Dorran. “I haven’t seen many animals since the stillness.”
“No.” Beth sighed. “The hollows eat anything that moves. Wildlife is becoming harder and harder to find, but it’s a good sign when you do. It means you’re in an area with fewer of the monsters.”
“Do they travel far?”
“Yes. Sometimes. A lot of them just hang out in the area they once lived in, using the buildings for shelter during the day. They hate moving in the light. If they’re going to roam, it will be during the night or when there’s a heavy storm.”
As they neared Little Leura, Clare began to recognise some of the scenery. The town was situated in a valley, and the roads ran through light woodland as they led down towards it. Beth slowed the bus as they neared the outskirts of the town. Once, they would have seen a scattering of house lights glowing out through the mist. Now, they had to strain to make out rooftops.
“We need to talk about our strategy.” Beth coasted along the road, squinting into the trees on either side of them. She evidently found what she was looking for, because she abruptly pulled the bus to the left.
A gap in the trees formed a natural tunnel running alongside the road. Beth reversed into it, easing back as far as the bus could go, until branches scraped over the roof and doors and the main road was no longer visible from the front window. She parked then turned around in her seat to face them. “Here’s the plan. At least one of us is going to get a map. Someone else stays here to guard the bus.”
“Okay.” Clare unclipped her seatbelt. “You don’t want to drive closer to the service station?”
“No. Hollows will be drawn to the engine. Our best chance is if we’re quiet. With luck, we can slip in and slip out without their notice. I’ve gotten supplies that way. It works well as long as you don’t make any noise and don’t accidentally bump into one of them lurking around a corner.”
Clare rubbed at her sore neck muscles. “I’m not sure we need anyone guarding the bus, though. It’s not like hollows will hang around it if it’s empty. We should stay together.”
Beth shook her head. “No. We’re not guarding from hollows. This close to town, with the sun out, all of those creatures are going to be indoors, not hiding in the woods. The trees are too sparse to give them the cover they want. But we still need to guard the bus from other survivors.”
Clare grimaced. She hadn’t thought of that as a possibility.
“If anyone finds this bus abandoned, they’ll do exactly what I did and take it. The last thing we need is to be stranded out here with no transport, no food, and no shelter.”
“Okay. Which of us will stay?”
“I vote Dorran,” Beth said. “If anyone finds the bus, there’s a fifty-fifty chance of how they’ll act. Some people are decent. They’ll see the bus is occupied, say hello, trade a story or two, and be on their way. Other people will see an opportunity. If they think they have a decent chance of winning in a fight, they’ll try to knife you.” She turned to Dorran. “Are you any good in a fight?”