Revenence: Dead of Winter: A Zombie Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

tell you my name, since I need your help anyway.  I'm Juanita."
         Shari smiled.  "Pleased to meet you, Juanita.  I'm Shari, and this is Daphne."  She dismounted her horse and approached the little girl.  "So what happened?  Did those guys take you from your parents?"
         Juanita nodded.  "I left the camper and went near the road by myself.  I was chasing a cat.  My mom told me not to go off on my own.  I should have listened to her, because those bad guys came and took me away.  I stayed quiet, though."
         Shari raised both eyebrows.  "When they took you?"
         Juanita shook her head.  "I wanted to scream, but I knew that if I did, my family would come running.  I didn't want any of them to get hurt.  My mom's gonna have a baby soon, and I don't want anything to happen to her.  I went by the road, and I'm the one who deserves to be punished.  When the bad guys asked me where my family was at, I lied and told them to go the opposite way, instead of where they were really at."
         Shari and Daphne sat silently for a moment, moved by the girl's bravery and forethought. 
         I wasn't that smart when I was her age,  Shari thought.  I wouldn't have thought ahead to save my family, I'd have just screamed like a--
         "Like a little girl?" Kandi finished for her. 
         Yeah, Shari thought, like that. 
         "Juanita," she said gently, "you didn't deserve what happened to you.  You wandered away, but things happen, you know?  People make mistakes.  You're not a bad person.  In fact, it takes an unusually brave, smart kid to keep quiet to protect your family like you did."
         "You're on your way to becoming a badass little survivor, aren't you?" Daphne said, grinning.  Juanita giggled, covering her mouth with her hands.
         "So," Shari said, "do you know where your parents are?"  The smile quickly dissolved from the young girl's face, and she looked as if she might cry.  She shook her head.
         "No," she said.  "I don't remember how to get back there.  When I was on the motorcycle, we turned a lot.  I don't even remember how we got here."
         "Do you remember the name of any towns nearby where your family's at?" Shari asked.
         "No."  Juanita's chest heaved, and her eyes became shiny with tears.  "We used to live in Missouri, before...before the world went away.  I don't know this area."  She paused.  "It was near a creek, that's all I know."
         Shari reached into her jacket pocket, where she kept a packet of wet wipes.  She took one out and dabbed at the girl's muddy face.  "Well, Juanita," she said, "I don't know exactly what to do right now, but I promise we'll do everything we can to help you find your mom and dad.   And in the meantime, we'll keep you safe."
         Juanita sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her muddy hand.  "Do I get to ride on your horse with you?" she asked, a faint smile on her lips as her face lit up with anticipation.
         "I don't see why not," Shari said, much to the little girl's delight.  "I heard she's pretty good with kids.  Do you like horses?"
         Juanita nodded emphatically.  "What's her name?"
         "Eva," Shari replied.  She rubbed the horse's muzzle.  "Have you ever been on a horse?"
         "Once, at the fair," Juanita replied.  "I won't get scared, I promise."
         Shari smiled.  "Well, in that case, let's get you up there and be on our way."  She helped Juanita onto the horse, then mounted herself. 
         Daphne started her ATV.  "So back the way we came?" she asked.
         Shari nodded.  "I guess so.  Just head south for now."  Shari followed Daphne as they headed away from the river and toward Paducah, a relatively well-populated town to the south.  "Don't worry," she told Juanita as they rode along, "we'll find somewhere safe to rest for awhile, then we can get you something to eat and let you