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“You didn’t want her around, just in case,” I said.

Luke crouched slightly at the window. “We’ve got a secure spot just down the road. An office with bedding and water. A toilet.”

I glanced in that direction, conscious of the others waiting for us. “We’re leaving now,” I said, “but we can get you set up there before we go.”

The woman shook her head with a vague smile. “I appreciate it, but… whatever happens. I’m staying here.”

Infected were still wandering in the area. She had no weapons or food, as far as I could see. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” She pressed her lips together and looked from Luke to me.

“Can I get you some water first?” I asked. “Food?”

She repositioned her beanie and moved her book onto the passenger seat. “No,” she said, tipping her head back. “You can… leave me.”

Luke rose to his full height, quicker to recognise a hopeless situation than me. “We need to get moving,” he said, striding away. “We’ve already been gone too long.”

With a last glance over my shoulder, I almost had to jog to keep pace with him. “She was bitten yesterday,” I said, breathless. “Luke… she’s still here.”

“She is.” He kept his eyes ahead, one arm swinging, and the other gripping his pickaxe. “Maybe we don’t know as much as we thought.”

My boot caught the strap of the soaked backpack we’d passed earlier, and I stumbled before regaining my balance. “Do you think he has a chance?”

“I don’t know.” He nodded toward the storage place. “Look.”

Varesh stood at the open gate with a pair of bolt cutters. “I found these out the back,” he called.

I made a choked sound in my throat, filled with tentative hope.

We ran the last few metres to reach him, and Luke clapped him on the shoulder as he passed through the opening.

I held up the Subaru keys and followed, Hello Kitty swinging from one fingertip. “It runs—with enough fuel to get to the farm.”

Relief swept over Varesh’s face as he walked with us to the office door. “Are you two okay? Did you run into any trouble?”

We stopped together outside the main door. Luke picked something from my hair and tossed it, smoothing the strands into place. “We’re all good now.”

Varesh followed the movement, then his eyes snapped to me. “What happened?”

“I got a surprise in the back seat.” I tried for a shrug even though my scalp still throbbed where the hair had been torn out. “Luke got to it before it could do serious damage.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but let it go. “The car’s past the crash?”

Luke nodded. “We’ve cleared the way, and it’s facing the right direction. How’s Tim?”

Varesh looked toward the office, and for the first time since we’d been on the road, he seemed unsure what to say.

“He’s noticeably worse than when you left,” he said, his lips flattening. “He keeps saying he’ll make it to the farm, but I’m not…” He paused and cleared his throat, eyes shining behind his glasses. “I’m not even sure he can make the walk to the car. I tried to find a trolley to move him, but there’s nothing.”

I thought about the woman sitting calmly in her car. The bite on her hand, and her determination to see it through alone. If she was still here, Tim could keep going, too.

“We’ll get him there,” I said, “even if we have to carry him.”

“Do you want your things from the old car before we take off?” Luke asked. “We can get whatever you need.”

A hacking cough came through the open door, then the sound of boots dragging on the floor.

Varesh flinched. “No,” he said. “We can’t spare the time.”