The street looked safe enough when Ben did a hurried check. He couldn’t see anything that wanted to eat them alive anywhere within the nearest fifty meters or so, anyway. They advanced up the street a short distance, wary eyes open for more of the dead.
He spotted what he took to be the two he’d seen before, the crawler and the walker, but they were some distance away up a side street and facing the wrong direction to spot them. He was watching them and hoping it would stay that way when Claire grabbed his shoulder and bodily turned him, pointing.
He followed her outstretched arm and finger, puzzled until he spotted it; a subtle red glow in a dark corner. As they got closer they were able to make out what looked like a crude covering that had slipped out of place. The glow came from behind it. “Another camera?”
Ben frowned. “Two still working, this far out?”
There wasn’t much they could do about it; they kept walking. They maintained an easy pace. Ben’s ankle was swollen and painful and he kept his weight off it as best he could with Claire’s help. They couldn’t take it too easy though, as the zombie Ben had started calling Duster in his head was still behind them. Not close behind, but they couldn’t stop.
They’d made it several more blocks when Claire again pointed. This time when Ben followed her arm he found himself staring at an old fire escape.
“Really? After all this time, this close to the lake?”
“We have to stop, and we can’t do it down here. You can’t go much farther like this, and I’m getting awfully tired. Adrenaline only goes so far.”
She was right; he was exhausted. They both were. They had to chance the old and probably rusty fire escape.