Bai
checked the mirror and saw the child sitting properly in her seat, her
small hands folded around the strap of her bag. The urge to promise that
everything would be all right rose in Bai before she could stop it. She
had made a habit of avoiding promises she could not guarantee,
especially with Lili. Instead, she kept her voice calm and said, "If we
see something unsafe, we'll stop far enough away to decide what to do.
You won't be asked to handle it alone."
"Okay," Lili said. She seemed comforted by having a rule she could
understand.
A few minutes later, they passed a bus stop where three zombies stood
among the scattered bags and broken glass. One had its head tilted
toward the road, listening to the engine. Another shuffled along the
curb with one arm dragging behind it. The third struck the side of a bus
shelter again and again, its movements slow and empty. The caravan's
engine was quiet enough that the zombies did not immediately react, but
