12 YEARS OLD

"What is the first rule, Jacob?" Mark asked his 12-year-old son in the dimly lit basement of their home.

Jacob stood straight as he'd been taught and held his spear in his hand hard against the floor and said confidently, "The dead are our enemy and should not be underestimated. Their power is in their numbers and their singular desire to kill. Use your ears and they will never get the better of you. Keep your distance and do not let them overwhelm you. They must be purified!"

"Very good!" his father said while pacing the room. "What is the second rule?"

"Do not be afraid. Fear is useless and clouds the mind with doubt. Fear leads to hesitation and death. Instead be decisive. Take action and think quickly. Train every day to connect your body to your thoughts and if you have time to think you have time to plan. Discipline the mind as you discipline the body and you will vanquish fear!" Jacob yelled the last two words which echoed off the small concrete walls.

"What is the third rule son?" Mark asked as he stopped and stood in front of his son, towering over him.

"The living are either good or evil. They are cunning, selfish and ruthless. They are thoughtful, compassionate, and forgiving. We must route out evil to allow the good to flourish...," he said trailing off at the last. He looked down ashamed he forgot the next part.

His father pulled Jacob's chin up to meet his eyes. "We must stay vigilant in our purpose and resolute in our code."

Jacob repeated, "We must stay vigilant in our purpose and resolute in our code. For we are the living and we make the world!"

Mark stepped back and smiled at his son. "What is the fourth rule?"

"Those on the side of the good are family. Protect the family and protect yourself. Be an example to those that would witness you and be a demon to those that would attack you. I make the world!"

"Very good. Very good." Mark said looking at his little warrior. He then asked," Are you afraid of the dead?"

"NO!" Jacob yelled.

"Prove it!" Mark yelled back and then opened a door at the back of the room and then quickly spun around behind it. As the door opened the sound of gnashing teeth and gurgling preceded the two walkers that made their way slowly toward the boy. Their hands reaching out toward the flesh they would take if they got what they wanted. They smelled of rotten meat as their flesh slowly peeled away from their frames.

Jacob quickly stood in a ready position holding the spear with both hands. He was not a tall 12-year-old but his spear would make up for that as it stood 6 feet tall with another 1 foot of hard steel sharpened and honed at the end. He took one step forward and with one smooth motion, he thrust the tip of the spear into the face of the closest walker and pulled it out. It was like a hot spear through buttery flesh. Then he turned and did the same to the other living dead creature which thudded to the ground. Jacob turned slowly in 360 degrees, stopped and stood at attention with his spear held tightly at his side. His father stood now looking at him and then walked up to Jacob and put his hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Let's go."

They grabbed their prepared backpacks, rifles, bulletproof vests, and other assorted survival gear and headed for the door. Outside of the house, they were greeted by the early morning sun gleaming down on them. Mark and Jacob lived in the largest house in a small culdesac that was in the once luxurious Beverly Hills. Their house was in the center with two very large houses on each side. Each in relatively good condition, given the lack of landscaping and construction services available for the past two years. Each house had its own little picket fence, multi-car garage, and original solar panels on its roof. The current residents of the culdesac had been there a good while now and had built it up from its meager condition.

The three houses were surrounded by a triple set of fences that followed the road to two large metal gates that led to the outside world. Inside the innermost fence were a number of small and large greenhouses, fields where sheep, chickens, and pigs roamed and one small barn constructed directly behind Mark and Jacob's house. Each fence was made from different materials and sizes. The outermost fence was made from 12-foot tall four-inch thick oak planks and supported by a lattice of two by fours and metal triangles. The middle fence was made from concrete highway barriers stacked two deep and two high. The inner-most fence was made from standard chain-link similar to that at a high school.

Mark and Jacob walked down the walkway, through the small gate of their picket fence and walked toward the center of the culdesac where three cars sat. One of their neighbors that lived in the house to the left was in their front lawn sitting at a picnic table drinking coffee. He was the newest member of the culdesac club as he had only been there nine months. He was 40 something and had a huge graying beard and ballcap that said USMC on the front. Mark and Jacob walked up to his fence to give him a briefing.

"Hey, Bill," Mark said. "We are going out to look for ammunition, canned goods, and the like. If we're not back by sundown we probably ran into trouble. If we still don't show up by the next morning someone might look for us."

"Roger that," Bill said in his typical monotone fashion. "Stay safe out there." He lifted his mug and Mark and Jacob nodded back.

When they got closer to the three vehicles Mark looked over at Jacob and asked, "Which one should we take?"

Jacob looked back at his father with what Bill would call a "shit eating grin" and then ran over to the bright red Ferrari. He pulled on the driver side handle but before he could get comfortable Mark was there to pull him out. "Good try." He said to his dejected son who quickly regained his excitement as he jumped into the passenger seat and they started for the gates. Jacob was tasked with opening the two gates for his father and after the second of the two heavy metal gates were finally locked into place they raced toward the city.

As they entered the outer rim of the ruined city they slowed to maneuver around broken down cars, military vehicles and other fodder that were strewn about the roads. There was a clear enough path to drive slowly and since they had already scavenged a good deal of the area closest to their homes they would have to travel farther into the city. They made their way around what used to be posh restaurants and shopping centers along desolate streets where random walkers gave the illusion that life existed there. They continued until they passed the upscale area and found themselves in a new area that was full of 7 Elevens, pawn shops, and fast food places.

"What I wouldn't give for some Taco Bell right now," Mark said as they passed a building with a large purple bell on the outside.

"Yeah, I used to get those crunch wrap supremes, remember? Jacob said licking his lips.

"Yep. And your mother used to get the nachos with the hot cheese." Mark said and then looked over at Jacob to see his reaction to mentioning his mom. Jacob didn't react but just kept looking out the window at the dilapidated buildings.

"There!" Jacob yelped pointing out the window at a pawn shop. "There might be ammunition or guns there."

They made it a rule to never park close to where they scavenged, just in case they got surrounded they would have a better chance and if any of the living saw them they might not notice their car if it was further away. Mark pulled the car over to the curb a block and a half away from the pawn shop entrance and they both got out.

"Remember where the car is and think about how you would get back here if you couldn't come straight here from the pawn shop," Mark said to his son as they put their vests, and packs on and checked their guns. "Also, when we are out here I want you to think about what you might do if you cannot use the car to get home."

"That seems a little extreme," Jacob said.

"Nothing is too extreme to think about and if you have time to think, then you have time to plan."

"You're right, dad." Jacob agreed. "I would try to find another car that still ran and drive it back home."

"Do you know how to get there? Where you paying attention?"

"I would go east. Our home is east..." Jacob's answer trailed off with his lack of conviction.

"Yes! We are almost exactly due west of our house. That is why we carry a compass and map each. We might get separated one day and you would need to go back on your own."

"Ha! Yeah right!" Jacob said unconvinced that this would happen. "You won't let that happen, right?"

"I will do my best," Mark answered with a solemn tone. They were nearly at the pawn shop doors and only a few walkers could be heard shuffling around the parking lot. They weren't very close and hadn't noticed them but Jacob was ready if they did.

Mark walked up and tried the door but it was locked and made a rattle that the few walkers heard drawing their attention. He made a gesture to Jacob to keep an eye on the walkers while he tried the windows around the side. Jacob nodded and held his spear ready as the walkers approached. The first one was within striking and Jacob took it out quickly. The other two walked together and Jacob was having trouble deciding which one to take out. He hesitated and then finally thrust his spear into the one on the left but as he pulled the spear out of its bloodied face the other one was within grabbing distance. The spear was too long to use and as he attempted to back up he tripped and fell backward.

"Dad!" he yelled out but his father was too far away and the walker was about the grab him. Jacob, knowing it was up to him, swung the spear sideways at the walker's legs slicing them both in half at the shins. The walker fell over, on top of the spear, its face clacking just inches away from Jacob's. Jacob quickly pulled out his long bowie knife and tried to stab at the walker but the walker's arms got in the way. He tried to scootch himself back and managed to create enough distance to stand up where he was able to recompose himself and look around the make sure there weren't any other walkers encroaching on their position. With a renewed confidence Jacob walked up to the walker and swiftly plunged the long blade into the back of its head.

Just as he did he heard the door to the pawn shop open. His father looked out at him and asked, "You alright?"

"Yes! I'm fine." Jacob told him as he pushed the twice-dead corpse off of his spear and picked it up.

The pawn shop still had most of its goods as no one had tried to break into it yet. The owner must have locked it up one day and never returned. Old guitars, boom boxes, and other random earthly goods covered the shelves and cabinets. Behind the counter, there was an assortment of guns, ammunition, and knives under glass. Mark started to fill a duffle bag with the weapons while Jacob looked around the store in awe at all the cool things that were simply free now that the world had ended.

There were toys, tools, lawnmower parts and all of it looked like treasure to Jacob. He pulled a board game off a shelf and blew the dust from its lid. Sorry was written in bold letters on the top of the box and Jacob smiled. He turned to his dad and asked, "Have I ever played Sorry?"

His dad turned to him and said, "I don't think so. But we can't take fun things. We only have room for supplies that will help keep us alive. Toys and games are for the old world."

"I know," Jacob said dejected but soon remembered that this was not like before when they would go to the store and he would beg his parents for toys and treats. Then he thought about his mom and how she would always tell him he could get one thing so he better pick wisely. He shook himself away from the temptations of the old world and looked around for something useful. That's when he found the two-way radios. He checked to see if they still had a charge, which they didn't, but they had their charging bases so he put them into his bag. With all the real goods at the front of the store, he went to help his dad ransack more supplies.

With both their bags full they left the store from a side entrance made from a large broken window. Mark had always made them go different ways in and out of places to try to through off any would-be living Peeping Toms. They made their way to the car happy with their loot but as they walked across the lot they heard a rustle coming from behind some large garbage bins. Mark dropped his duffle bag and spear to the ground. He pulled his AK-47 rifle around his back in a flash and pointed in the direction of the sound.

Jacob wasn't quite as quick but soon enough they were both pointing automatic rifles at the garbage bins. Mark gestured to Jacob in a circular motion indicating that they would try to flank from the left. They both walked slowly together creating a wide circle until they saw what was behind the bins. A man with tattered clothes and a small backpack was sitting with their back up against the garbage bin holding his leg. When he saw the two men pointing their weapons at him he put his hands up and said, "don't shoot me!"

Mark stopped and Jacob continued to walk around so that they were at different angles and distances from the man.

"Is there anyone else around?" Mark asked looking at the distraught man.

"No," the man answered. "It's just me."

"I wasn't talking to you," Mark said back. "Get cover and watch for others."

With that, Jacob ran over and crouched behind a nearby car and scanned the area for anyone else but he didn't see anything.

"What's wrong with your leg?" Mark asked the man.

"I didn't get bit or anything," the man said nervously. "I just twisted it trying to get behind this bin. When I heard you too come out from the pawn shop I tried to hide behind it but fucked up my ankle."

"Were you watching us?"

"No, I wasn't. Not until I heard you walking out from the side there." the man said starting to lower his arms.

"Keep your arms up!" Mark shouted and the man did as he demanded. "Now, throw anything you have this direction and do it so I can see."

The man slowly took his backpack off and threw it towards Mark. Then he pulled a large fixed blade knife off his belt and threw both of them toward Mark as well. "That's all of it," the man said.

Mark then looked at Jacob to make sure he was paying attention and Jacob looked back at him knowingly. With his backup ready, Mark walked over to the man and stopped a few feet in front of him still pointing his rifle, now in a downward direction, at the man's face. "What are you doing out here?"

"Same as you I bet. Scavenging for supplies."

"Where did you come from?"

"That way," the man said pointing off in the opposite direction they had come from. "I still live in the same house I did before all this shit just about a dozen blocks down."

"Who else do you live with?"

"No one. I live alone."

"Why?"

The man looked down and said, "Well, I used to live with a group but we ran into a herd of walkers and everyone got killed. I managed to hide on my roof until it they left. It took two days of waiting but finally, the herd was gone. When I got down there was no one around."

"Why are you still here?"

"Where else should I go?" the man asked looking up at Mark. "Its all shit everywhere. I'm from here. I'll die here."

"Jacob!" Mark called to his son to come closer. Mark slung his rifle to his back and reached his hand out to the man. "What's your name?"

"Sam," he answered and used Mark's hand to shakily get himself back standing up.

"Can you make it back home? You need to rest that ankle. Maybe a few days."

"I don't know," Sam answered. "It hurts really bad. I don't think I'd be quick enough if I meet any dead ones on the way."

Mark looked at Jacob who still trained his rifle at Sam's head. "What do you think Jacob?"

"I think he's lying," Jacob said sternly.

"What!?" Sam was surprised by this.

"Shut the fuck up!" Mark snapped at Sam who immediately quieted. "Why Jacob?"

"I don't trust him," Jacob said. "Why is he out here alone. No one can survive alone."

"My friends just died a week ago..." Sam started to say.

Mark pushed Sam who quickly fell back on his ass. "Don't interrupt. Continue Jacob."

"Also, isn't it convenient that he was hiding right outside where we just scavenged?" Jacob asked.

"That is true," Mark said looking down at the man. "That is a mighty coincidence. But stranger things have happened. What do you say to this Sam?"

"I'm not lying," he responded sharply. "Help me to my house and I will give you something for your efforts."

"You don't have shit!" Jacob snapped.

"I have cans of food," Sam retorted.

"We don't need food!" Jacob snapped back.

Mark quickly turned to Jacob with a look of disapproval. He had told Jacob not to give out information to strangers about what they did and didn't have and he just indicated to this man that they had supplies back home. Now he had to decide whether to kill the man, let him go or help him get home.

"What did you do before this all happened?" Mark asked the man who looked surprised by the question.

"Um. I was a school teacher. Fifth grade," Sam answered. "You can't leave me out here to die with this shitty ankle. Come on."

"Alright, We will help you to your house but that is the end of it and you will not speak of us to anyone. We won't take your food but if you try anything we will gun you down."

"Of course. I get it. You don't know me but you will see. I just live up that way," Sam said pointing off down the road. "Can someone help me walk or what?"

Mark didn't want either of them to get that close so he started looking around the parking lot for something Sam could use as a cane or crutch. While he did Jacob had a thought.

"Wait here!" Jacob said and ran into the pawn shop. Inside the pawn shop he looked around for the crutches he had seen before but before he could find them he heard the sound of an engine getting louder and then screeching tires. He rushed out to his father but when he got to the door bullets started ringing out and the glass in front of him started to shatter. Jacob fell to his stomach as a hail of bullets whizzed past his head. After what seemed like forever the shooting stopped and he stood up but couldn't see his father or anyone else for that matter.

He tentatively opened the door and rushed out to where his father had been. When he turned to corner to look behind the garbage bin he saw his dad lying there, blood all around his head and body. He fell to his knees and rested his head on his father and began to cry. "No, no, no..." He said softly to himself. After many minutes of mourning, Jacob stood up and looked around. The bags of guns and ammunition they had collected were gone and instead, there were just dozens of recently spent bullet casings littering the ground.

Jacob knew that he had little time before his father would turn into a walker and as he pulled the knife out of its sheath he felt the weight of what he must do. His hand started to shake so he braced it with his other hand. On his knees, he held the knife above his father's head and wept, unable to move it downward. After a few moments, he put the knife back into its sheath and started dragging his father's body toward the Ferrari. His heart bursting out of his chest he pushed his dad into the passenger seat and closed the door. He slowly gathered up the rest of the gear that they had and got into the driver's seat.

He had a few lessons on how to drive but never with the Ferrari. He'd begged to drive it so many times but now he felt nothing but sadness. After a few false starts, he made his way back to the culdesac. The way was slow as he had to continually refer back to the map and avoid the many obstacles in the road but as the sun was setting he pulled up to the large metals gates that signified home. Jacob got out of the car and pulled on a rope hanging from the outside of the first gate. A few minutes later he could hear the screeching sound of the inner gate opening and then the gate in front of him opened wide.

Bill and Edwardo were waiting with guns drawn and as Jacob drove by them slowly they could see the body lying in the seat next to him. A crowd was gathered around the culdesac and every resident was present. Molly and Autumn were sisters and only in their 20's but had acted like mothers to Jacob. Davonte was in his late 20's and had stayed up many nights talking with Mark about how to survive and be a good man. Clayton was the oldest at 65 and had lost an eye so he had a patch over it. Then there were Silvia and Ramon Ortiz, a young couple that liked to sleep in when they could.

They all watched as Jacob pulled up and clumsily parked the audaciously red car. Molly and Autumn came out to meet him and he fell into Molly's arms and wept. While the sisters consoled Jacob Davonte opened the passenger side door to find Mark's rugged corpse slumped into the seat, his chin caught on the seat belt. As he reached over the body to unlatch the seatbelt Mark's eyes opened suddenly and his mouth lunged forward biting directly into the meaty part of Davonte's neck.

Screaming, Davonte tried to push the beast away but it continued to devour him. Bill and Edwardo ran up the driveway and in a flash, Bill stabbed what used to be Mark's head. They pulled Davonte's limp body out by the feet as fountains of blood spurted and gushed out of him. Bill leaned over and plunged his bloody knife into Davonte's skull. He stood up and with a scowl on his face he marched over to Jacob and pulled him away from the sisters.

"You did this!" Bill yelled while he held the boy's arms. "Why didn't you finish Mark!"

Edwardo stepped in to get between the two and wrenched Bill's hands off of Jacob.

"He's just a kid!" Edwardo yelled at Bill who started to stomp around the pavement.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Bill yelled to himself as he stomped back and forth.

Edwardo turned to Jacob and said, "Go with Molly and Autumn to your house and I will be in soon for a debrief." When Jacob didn't respond he added, "You got that Soldier?"

Jacob's head raised quickly and he barked out, "Yes sir!" and walked over to the sisters who took him into his house. Bill and Edwardo talked in the yard and soon Bill calmed down and they all began to discuss what had happened. After a lengthy discussion, they began to disband when they heard a ring at the door. Above each of the houses' front doors hung a small dinner bell and they all began to ring out.

"What the fuck is that?" Edwardo said looking at Bill.

"I don't know but we need to take defensive measures now!" Bill said to the crowd. "Edwardo, go with them and post up in the attic. I'll get my gear and post up with the sisters and Jacob."

Edwardo nodded and the two groups moved quickly into their designated places. Bill leaped over his fence in two minutes flat was hopping back over it into Jacob's yard with a large bag in his hand. He rushed into the door and closed it behind him. The three were waiting for him in the entrance and Jacob was ready with the metal bar that he quickly placed into slots on each side of the door. He locked the deadbolt and turned around.

"Someone is at the gate. We need to get into defensive positions. Let's go!" Bill said with the confidence of a man who had spent 15 years in the Navy Seals.

They all made their way up the stairs making sure to place small makeshift barricades at the top of each of the three main stair sets. Bill pulled the string to the attic stairs which fumbled itself together and they all shuffled into the dark yet surprisingly roomy space. The attics of all the houses were outfitted as a type of panic room. Shelves were lined with canned goods and dehydrated rations. There were large barrels of water, weapons and ammunition racks, candles and a small plastic travel toilet in the far corner. Bill ran over to the window, grabbed a handheld radio and turned it on.

"Are you in position?" Bill asked calmly into the radio. No reply. "Are you in position? Over."

A few tense moments later a voice came over the radio, "We are in position. Everything is secure. Do you see them?"

Bill put a pair of binoculars up to his eyes and looked out toward the gates. There was a slight hill up to the culdesac from the road but in the highest part of the house Bill could see a group of at least five trucks parked on the outside of the property. Then he saw two men get out of a truck and pull large chains out from the bed of the truck. They walked up to the gate moments later got back into their truck.

"They are breaching the first gate. Over," Bill said over the radio.

"Roger that. I have eyes on. I guess there are about 30 of them. Over." Edwardo responded back from his perch.

"I guess more like 40 based on the van in the rear and the Rover in the front. I'll bet you a case it's 40. Over." Bill taunted.

"I'll take that bet, " Edwardo taunted back. "Should I get out the sniper? Over."

"Yes, sir. They certainly have initiated hostile action. Engage. Over." Bill said and as he turned to find Jacob holding a sniper rifle as big as himself out for him.

With red eyes and a red nose, Jacob handed him the rifle and said, "Locked and loaded, sir."

Bill looked at him with pride and took a prone position pointing toward the marauders at the gate. He put on ear protection and hunkered down. "Cover your ears and take cover." He said and a second later the attic shook with the burst of the concussive force from the 50 caliber rifle. The first shot was dead on target hitting the engine of the truck attempting to pull the gate down. Men began to file out of the vehicles. Immediately another shot burst out from Edwardo's window and Bill saw the chest of a man blow out and the man fell to the ground.

Shots began to ring out from the road and the wood around the tops of the homes began to tear apart. As men lined up across the gate and fence more and more of them were shooting directly up at the attics. All three houses took fire even though the shots had only come from the two. As bullets whizzed past Bills face and into the wood above his head he continued to fire. Shot after shot he never flinched and never missed. Each shot taking an appendage, chest, or head from a man. Edwardo did the same with slightly less accuracy but to deadly effect.

"They are coming over the outer fence!" Bill shouted at Jacob and the sisters. "Get to the third floor and fire from the windows. Stay low and aim first!" He said and then took another shot.

The three did as he said and each took an automatic rifle and ammunition with them down to the floor beneath. They each took a position in three of the four large windows facing the incoming horde. Molly took the first shots through the chain link fence at the men scrambling over the wooden fence. Many missed but she was able to hit one who fell to the ground. Then, Jacob and Autumn started shooting and soon more men lay on the ground screaming in pain. As they focused their fire on the men now taking cover behind the stacked highway barricades a flurry of arrows silently came barreling down on their positions striking the wood all around them.

Jacob dropped to a prone position and looked through the scope of his rifle and behind the trucks, he could see a dotted line forming from small glowing orange fires. Then the fires moved up in unison and soon flaming arrows were flying directly at their position. As the arrows and bullets scattered around the windows Jacob heard a loud scream coming from Autumn's room and before he could respond he heard footsteps bounding down the hall and then he heard Molly weeping. He trained his rifle on the archers and hit two of them before another volley of fire arrows came sweeping across the sky, one landing only a few inches away from his side. He looked at the arrow as it burned and quickly jumped to his feet.

He ran to the room where Autumn had screamed and found Autumn laying on the ground with bullet holes in her chest and Molly laying dead in the window with a rifle still in her hands. Jacob turned and quickly ran down the hall and up the stairs to the attic. Bill was still in a prone position but now there was one flaming arrow sticking out of the top of his head. Jacob held back the urge to start crying and instead grabbed a backpack and more ammunition from the stockpile and jumped back down the stairs to the backside of the third floor. The shooting had stopped and he assumed that Edwardo and the others had been killed as well and as he opened the sliding glass door to the balcony he could something pounding on the front door. He put the rifle over his shoulder and reached up to grab a wooden handle attached to a zip line leading over the fences and outside of the fortress walls.

He lifted up and slid down the zip line until he fell to the grass just a few dozen yards away from the houses. As he composed himself he heard a familiar voice.

"Jacob!" Silvia said running toward Jacob where she wrapped him in her arms. "We thought you were dead."

"Bill and the sisters are," Jacob said as Ramon and Clayton came running to them. "Edwardo?" Jacob asked looking at the trio.

The three stared at him for a moment and then Clayton looked up at the house they had been in and said, "He's still in there."

"What!?" Jacob yelled. "Why didn't he come?"

"He wanted to cover us as we escaped," Ramon said. "We have to leave!"

"We can't just leave him!" Jacob demanded.

"He said to meet him at the rendezvous point and if he isn't there in an hour to leave," Silvia explained, pulled on Jacob's arm and yelled, "We have to go!"

Jacob and the three turned to go just as shots began to ring out again in their general direction. They ran through the woods as their homes burned behind them. Continuing as fast as possible through the trees and past a few walkers, the group made it to a clearing a couple of miles away from the culdesac. After the clearing was another set of homes and they hopped the fence of one of them. Clayton lifted up a nearby rock and pulled a key from underneath. He opened the back door to the house and they all filed in.

Inside the dark house, they silently waited, listening. Jacob couldn't help but pace around the living room and the others sat on the couches. After 20 minutes Jacob couldn't take it anymore.

"We have to do something," he said to Clayton who was patiently looking at his watch.

"SHHHHH," Ramon and Silvia said together.

"Be patient, Jacob," Clayton said softly as Jacob commenced pacing around and biting his fingernails.

Another 10 minutes passed when they all heard a loud thud at the rear of the house. They all perked up and listened for more. Then, three hard knocks came from the back door. A pause. And then another two knocks. It was Edwardo! Jacob ran over the back door and opened it to find Edwardo laying against the side of the house, blood coming from his head. Ramon and Silvia quickly picked him up and took him inside. His head and left arm were bleeding furiously now but as Ramon and Silvia attempted to apply medical treatment he began to convulse. He shook violently for a moment and then just stopped moving.

Jacob stared down and asked the others, "Is he dead?"

Silvia put her hand to his neck and then said, "Yes. I'm..." But before she could say another word Jacob plunged his long knife into Edwardo's head startling the others.

Jacob pulled the knife out of Edwardo's skull, looked at the others and said, "I won't make that mistake again. Let's go."