INFECtIOUS Read Online Free Page A

place to
"shop". The long vacant strip mall offers everything from clothes and
shoes to books and bake wear.

 
    We turn off of
the back road and onto the freeway for the last few miles of our drive. It's
the 85 interstate and it cuts south through Georgia towards Atlanta—only an
hour from Commerce. Atlanta is one of the largest cities left in the nation and
perhaps the most important one.

 
    On the larger
highway, we are more cautious and we keep a vigilant watch for any other
vehicles. Highways are much more likely to have supply trucks, army vehicles,
med units, or government officials. If we encountered any of those they would
probably continue on without bothering us. However, that kind of traffic is
valuable and bandits are also prevalent on the highways. The pirates who patrol
these high traffic roads wouldn't let us pass in peace. The route we took to
Commerce only puts us on the freeway for a few tense miles. Fortune smiles and
we don't encounter a single vehicle. I relax a little as we take the exit for
the Commerce Outlets.

 
    "Where
to first?"

 
    "The
Gap!" I announce with a smile.

 
    Ok. I'll admit
it. I'm excited to be here.

Chapter Three
    Spiders, Zombies, And Rapists Oh My!

 
 
    Aunty was right.
Being out of the house and out of Toccoa for the day
is rejuvenating. The reinforced, guarded fences around our mile-wide compound
are there to keep us safe. But the freedom I feel here makes home feel like a
prison in comparison. Yes, our fortress keeps the monsters out; but it also
keeps us trapped in our made-up world. Stepping out of the car and into real
life, I take a deep breath of cold air. Is it just my imagination that the air
smells cleaner and fresher here? Healthy fear and excitement are weaving their
way through my limbs, sending shivers through my muscles. I can't remember the
last time I felt this alive!

 
    My bubbling
energy is in stark contrast to the eeriness of the empty stores. The shopping
mall stands like a decaying monument to America's wealthy past. Not that long
ago, healthy men and women filled these parking spaces on a daily basis to come
add to their collections of superfluous belongings. Today, the parking lot is
devoid of life and those crowds are long forgotten. Only a few old cars remain
as evidence—rusting islands on the sea of gray concrete. We are completely
alone. The whole world to ourselves.

 
    I think Aunty
and I are the only women to leave the compound in the last year. A lot of our
men come and go through the fence every day to hunt or fish. Another group
leaves to maintain the city's power and water, not just for our people but also
for the rest of Toccoa . Which is the only reason we
are still living somewhat safely "out in the open." Most of the
Living that are left on earth are in hiding now.

 
    Toccoa is a small town, overlooked by the rest of the decaying world.
We've found unexplainable protection and ambivalence in her quiet streets. Our
men are healthy and able to do things that the infected can't. The zombies in Toccoa need us, so they put up with us. It's that simple.
Our men put their lives on the line—working in close contact with the
infected—to provide us the normalcy we still have. Running
water, a refrigerator, a furnace in the winter.

 
    But none of the
guys in our compound would care to spend the day here. I get this picture in my
head of the macho guys from the U.R. going through the mall looking for ladies
shoes and bras, The comical scenario makes me snort out loud, drawing an
inquisitive glance from Aunty.

 
    Our men are busy
doing manly things, leaving the cooking and homemaking to the women. They are
all more than a little chauvinistic. Except for Tim. He's probably studying something he'll never need to know and helping his dad
inventory the medical supplies. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew how to sew.
Anyway, people need clothes as much as they need fresh meat and water. Aunty
and I are doing the community