"Her name is Claudia," Joelle said. She dug into her pocket and produced a faded picture of a little blond girl waving at the camera. Her hair was lighter than Joelle's, but she had the same petite nose and frame.

"She's beautiful," Candy said. "I can't wait to meet her."

Sarah broke their conversation. "Heads up people, we're stopping," she announced, and slowed the Winnebago.

Kermit's truck was parked in a dirt patch surrounded by a wheat field. In the distance was a white house in need of a new paint job and a handful of rocking chairs on the porch.

"It looks cozy," Joelle said, "in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre kind of way."

Sarah laughed and parked the Winnebago behind Kermit's truck. If they needed to leave in a hurry she liked having the option of ramming his truck on the way out.

"Let's arm up and head out," she ordered.

Everyone except Joelle gathered their weapons. Sarah took a shotgun out of the storage closet and secured the .357 on her hip, while Alex kept his sniping rifle and fastened his machete to his belt. Candy took a shotgun from the closet, hesitated, and then placed it back.

"I don't think we really need weapons," Candy said. "Kermit wouldn't lead us into danger."

Sarah looked at Candy, shook her head, and headed for the door. She went outside to speak with Kermit.

"Candy," Joelle sighed, "what do you know about this guy?"

Candy's face blushed as she spoke. "He has a southern accent because he originally came from Texas. He likes white water rafting, and he's really hot."

"Maybe you should stay behind," Alex said.

Candy crossed her arms. "Sarah said I should go."

Joelle took the shotgun that Candy had put back and handed it to her.

"She'll be fine, give the girl a break. The only man she's been around has been you for weeks now," Joelle said.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"Please let me go, Alex. I'll stay out of the way," Candy promised.

He stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, just stay focused. I've got a strange feeling about this guy."

Candy rushed out of the door with the shotgun unloaded.

Alex grabbed a box of shells from the closet. "If something goes wrong . . ." he started to say, but Joelle interrupted.

"Just go," she said. "I'll take care of things here. Watch over them for me."

Alex nodded and stepped outside.

"The house is right there," Kermit said, and pointed past the wheat field. "The driveway is overgrown with weeds and has a few ditches from all the rain so I didn't want to risk a blown tire."

Sarah and Alex exchanged glances.

"How considerate," Sarah quipped.

Candy stood closer to the cowboy and smiled.

"Well, come on now and I'll show you the place," he said. "We haven't had any visitors in awhile so I'm sure that everyone will be really excited to see some fresh faces."

Kermit led them into the wheat field. He found a long stick on the ground and used it to part the dead stalks. Candy followed after him like a puppy and the others lagged behind.

The house loomed over the field like a sentinel; it was even older than it had looked from the road with peeling paint, a series of cracked banisters, and one side of the roof collapsing.

"Here we are," Kermit said. "Are yall hungry for some grub?"

"Yeah," Alex said.

"I could eat," Candy agreed.

Kermit walked up the porch and pushed open the screen door. "Well come on inside and I'll start us up a fire and we'll have a cookout," he said, producing a set of keys from his front pocket and unlocking the door.

Candy raced up the porch steps and slipped inside. She deliberately brushed Kermit as she passed and gave him a seductive glance.

Alex went in next, Sarah close behind.

Inside, they were greeted by a comfortable looking brown sofa and an easy chair; there was a discoloration on the wall where a television had once hung, and artistic renderings of large-eyed owls staring down at them from the walls.

"Get comfortable," Kermit said, "there's plenty of room."

Candy sat on the sofa and looked at Kermit expectedly, as though he should be sitting next to her.

"Save me a spot, darlin', and I'll get the food ready," he said to her, and disappeared into the kitchen. "I've got a fireplace we can use."

"I can help," Candy said, chasing after him.

Sarah shook her head and sat down on the couch.

"Where is everybody?" Alex asked.

"They must still be asleep," Kermit answered, and beat on the kitchen wall with his fist. "Martha, Glen, Jon, Samantha, get out here, we've got company."

They waited for a response but the house was as quiet as before.

"Don't worry," Kermit said, "I'll go and wake them up right before supper." He came out of the kitchen with an armful of logs and walked into another room. Candy followed him, carrying two packages of meat wrapped in plastic wrap.

"Where did you get that?" Sarah questioned.

"I shot something in the field last week. I've been saving it in the freezer for Thanksgiving but seeing how we have company I thought we could celebrate," Kermit responded.

"How do you have power?" Alex asked.

"Gas generator," Kermit said.

Sarah and Alex looked at each other, momentarily appeased. Sarah propped her shotgun against the wall and sat closer to Alex.

"It'll be nice to have a hot cooked meal," she said.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear. "Don't drop your guard, something is wrong here."

Candy suddenly burst into the room. "What do you two want to drink?"

"Does your boy toy have any beer?" Sarah jabbed.

"There's some in the refrigerator," Kermit answered from the other room.

Candy shrugged and went to the kitchen, a moment later she returned with a cold six pack of Budweiser. She handed one to Sarah and one to Alex, and took the rest into the other room.

The fire crackled in the fireplace, eating the dry logs, and licking the fresh meat. Candy and Kermit were laughing about something as they came back into the living room. Candy still had the beer in her hand, unsure of what to do with it.

Alex pulled his wolf's head knife from his boot and used the hilt to open the two beers.

"That sure comes in handy," Sarah grinned, and downed a mouthful of cold beer.

"Hey, pass that knife over here," Kermit said, and extended his calloused hand.

"I don't think so," Alex retorted. "Nobody touches this knife but me. Hand over your beers and I'll open them.."

"I've touched it," Sarah giggled.

"You're the exception," Alex said.

"Whatever floats your boat," Kermit said and gave him the rest of the six-pack.

Alex quickly opened all the bottles and put his knife back into his boot.

"Where did you get that from, anyway?" Sarah asked him.

"Somebody gave it to me," Alex said. "And when I find him I'll give it back."

"Is he an old friend?" Candy asked, and snatched a beer.

"Something like that," Alex said. He gave a beer to Kermit and took one for himself.

They drank in silence for awhile, savoring the pleasantries of a cold beer on a winter day.

Kermit and Candy went to the fireplace and returned a few minutes later with a plate full of smoked meat.

"Dinner is served," Kermit grinned, and put the steaming plate on the small round table. "Let me go get some plates for ya'll," he said, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Alex picked off a chunk of meat and chewed on it. "Damn that's good. Did you use A1 sauce?"

"It's a family secret," Kermit said, returning with four dinner plates and a handful of napkins. Candy took them from him and divided them up.

"Now, before we can eat, let's say grace," Kermit said. He frowned at Alex as he swallowed the piece of meat in his mouth. "It's okay that you already ate some but don't let it happen again. Everyone, bow your heads and close your eyes."

Candy obeyed immediately.

Sarah and Alex lowered their heads, but kept their eyes on Kermit, and their hands on a firearm.

"Bless us O' Lord for this bounty which we are about to receive, and thank you for giving us the strength to survive in these trying times, Amen," Kermit said.

Everyone lifted their heads.

"All right, let's eat."

As Kermit grabbed a chunk of meat and shoved it into his mouth, a blaring alarm suddenly went off.

"Shit," he muttered with a full mouth and leapt off the couch.

"What's going on?" Candy asked, puzzled and clutching onto Kermit's arm.

He jerked out of her grasp and withdrew his chain rope from his side. "We've got company," he said, and ran into the kitchen. The others followed. He flipped the light switch on the wall and the alarm stopped. "The zombies are coming," he explained, and looked out of the back window.

Through the dirty paned glass they could barely make out a group of walking dead shuffling through the wheat field and heading toward the house.

Kermit ran out the back door and Alex went with him.

"Wait for me," Candy snapped, but was suddenly pulled backwards.

"You're staying behind," Sarah said. "Let them handle this."

"But . . ."

"No," Sarah said, and shook her. "I need your help here."

Candy looked out the back window and saw Kermit lasso his rope around a zombie's head and begin to saw through the decayed tissue and bone. She turned away as the head fell off.

"Come on, let's find out where everyone is around here," Sarah said.

As they left the kitchen they heard the retort of Alex's sniping rifle.

Sarah went down a hallway and tried to open the first door she came to, but it was locked. She slammed her shoulder into the door. The wooden frame gave way and revealed a closet stocked with an odd assortment of canned beans, corn, and various soups.

"Sarah, what the hell do you think your doing? This isn't our home," Candy said. "We don't have the right to go wherever we want to."

Sarah ignored her and moved onto the next door. She twisted the knob and found a bathroom.

"There, you see," Candy said. "He doesn't have anything to hide."

"Bullshit," Sarah said, and stormed to the next door. She tried the knob but the door was locked.