I breathed out a small laugh.

“But I got it, anyway.”

I touched each side of Nathan’s face and pulled him toward me, kissing his lips. Only one thing could make my life better, and I ached for my girls to reach me so we could all be together. “It’s not perfect. Not quite yet.”

“But it will be,” Nathan said, never missing a chance to reassure me.

“Uncle Skeeter, you should come meet Butch,” Zoe said.

Skeeter had just emerged from the bathroom, his skin shiny and his hair wet. His face still looked a little dirty, but it was just the tan line around his eyes from his sunglasses.

“Who’s Butch?” Skeeter said, fastening the last button of his clean shirt. He tugged at the fabric where it fit a big snug. The shirt looked expensive, white with horizontal pinstripes. It didn’t look at all like something he would normally wear.

Zoe tugged on his hand, and he went along with her as if she were too strong to resist. “He’s a cow!”

“You mean a bull?” Skeeter said, looking over at Nathan and feigning concern.

I laughed. “He seems like a good guy.”

“He is.” Nathan smiled, watching the two.

“Not at all like you’ve described Aubrey.”

“He’s nothing like her. But she wasn’t that way at first, either.”

Skeeter pretended to be too scared of Butch, and made a scene trying to break free of Zoe’s grip.

“He’s good with kids. Did he have any of his own?”

“Not yet,” Nathan said, suddenly sad. “His wife was pregnant when this all went down.” He looked at me. “Her name was Jill. She was the sweetest thing.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, kicking myself for bringing up the subject.

Nathan kissed my cheek. “We’ve all lost someone,” he said. “It’s just the way things are, now.”

Cooper and Ashley came outside, hugged and kissed like they did every time he started his patrol. “See if you can’t talk Nate into grilling chicken tonight.” He winked at Nathan before slinging a rifle over his shoulder.

I patted Nathan’s arm. “You are the best cook we’ve got.”

“I love you!” Ashley called.

“I love you more!” Cooper called back, holding out both of his arms wide, and then jogging off to the east.

“Vomit,” I said, teasing Ashley.

She stuck out her tongue. “Don’t be jelly!”

“Jelly?” Nathan asked.

“Jealous,” I said. “You’ll learn all this when Zoe gets older.

He nodded, mouthing Ah.

Skeeter jogged up to us, breathing hard from playing with Zoe. “He’s not all that scary. I think we should just cook him.”

“That’s not funny!” Ashley said, even though she was grinning. She turned to go inside. “He’s a pet!”

Nathan elbowed his brother-in-law. “You talk awfully big when he’s in a pen. Maybe we should let him out and see who wins?”

Skeeter sniffed. “I’d win.”

We all laughed, and then Nathan held up his finger, leaning his ear over like he was listening for something. Then I heard it, too. Yelling. We all looked around, and then Nathan pointed, seeing Cooper sprinting at full speed, pointing and screaming. At first I couldn’t make out what he was saying, and then Nathan froze.

His breath caught. “Oh my God. Zoe.”

Nathan took off first, and then Skeeter and I followed behind. We ran south, the same direction as Cooper, even though the barn was obscuring our view. To my horror, I saw Zoe, her arms stretched out wide, turning in slow circles in the field, with a man limping toward her less than ten feet away.

Cooper yelled again. “Zoe! Behind you! Run!”

Zoe stopped turning, but her back was to the creature behind her.

“Zoe!” Nathan yelled as he ran. “Listen to me! Run to me, baby! Run to daddy as fast as you can!”

Zoe looked at her dad quizzically, and then turned around, seeing the infected approaching. She didn’t move. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, like a dream. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t get to her fast enough. My heart felt like it was about to explode, between the fear and me pushing my legs as fast as they could go.

I could hear the low groan, the sound they made when they were excited. The only thing they got excited about was satisfying their constant hunger. He reached out for her, but Zoe didn’t move.

“Run, Zoe!” Nathan screamed, his voice breaking. I knew he was crying. I was, too.

Just as the creature bent down to grab at Zoe, Cooper used his entire body to tackle him to the ground. Zoe went with them.

Nathan screamed again, waving his arms, still a good twenty feet away. When we finally came upon them, Zoe was on her back, staring up at the sky, and Cooper was pummeling the infected’s skull with the butt of his rifle.

Nathan stood Zoe up and checked her over. “Were you bitten?” he said, inspecting her arms and legs, and then lifting up her shirt to look at her back. He grabbed her jaw and turned her head from one side to the other, looking at her neck.

Zoe began bawling then, and Nathan took her into his arms. Skeeter and I slowed to a stop, just in time to see the mess Cooper had left. He met my eyes, and that was when I saw the bright-red blood on his shoulder.

Cooper looked at his wound, and then fell to the ground. I kneeled beside him to inspect the mangled mess of torn skin and muscle. A large gouge had been bitten from the front part of the shoulder, all the way to the bone.

Skeeter yanked his shirt over his head and wadded it up, handing it to me. I pressed down, hard, but I knew just like everyone else that it was just for show. Cooper winced from the pressure, and then his eyes met mine.

“Cooper?” Ashley called, still distant. Her voice had an edge of fear. She knew something was wrong.

Cooper looked at me. “Don’t let her see.”

I nodded, looking up to Skeeter. “Keep her away.”

“Tell her I love her,” Cooper said, his lip quivering.

My sight blurred as tears filled them. “She knows, Coop. You showed her every second of every day.”

He smiled and nodded as Ashley yelled at Skeeter, cussing him for holding her back. “He’ll be okay!” she yelled just out of sight. “Scarlet! He’ll be okay! Don’t hurt him!”