The Dark Need (9 page)

She lifted her face. Kissed him fiercely, and her lips tasted of blood and salt, tasted of tears at last.

“I would have k-killed him. I wanted to. I wanted to, Matt.”

“I know. Shhh. I know. I know.”

“Just hold me,” she whispered.

He crushed her to him. Held her, the sobs shaking her small body. For the moment there was only the warmth of her and the trembling of her and the cry of one human being for another’s comfort, and everything else—the darkness of trees, the cold air, the flat tombstone of the sky over them—it all faded. Only the ice beneath them remained real, cold under Matt’s side. Life is a fleeting dance on dark ice. And every day the ice breaks just a little more beneath our feet, yet we keep dancing. That’s why life is precious. That’s why it’s beautiful. That’s why it’s worth protecting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

STANT LITORE

Born a farmer’s son in the Pacific Northwest, Stant Litore took the college road and eventually earned his PhD in English but remains passionate for things that grow. He lives in Colorado with his wife and their two daughters, writing about the restless dead and the restless living. He is the author of The Zombie Bible, and you can learn more about his fiction at
http://stantlitore.com
.