TBD
an excerpt

“We’ll refuel and get you guys something to eat before we get to the highway,” Ben said.
He slowed the car and pulled off the road into the parking lot of the dilapidated gas station. As he stopped at one of the two pumps, a weathered wooden door swung open and an elderly man in grease-smeared overalls ambled out. He stared blankly at the passengers climbing out of the car and then looked across the road at the diner.
Ema turned her head to follow his gaze and saw several people gathered in the front windows, all peering out with the same vacant expression on their faces.
“Guess they’re not used to visitors,” she said. “We are kind of off the beaten track.”
Instead of answering her, Ben turned to watch Sophie. She stood next to the open car door, her eyes closed and a troubled expression on her face. A low growl rumbled from the back seat, but the dog made no move to get out of the vehicle.
A much younger man stepped out of the garage and walked to within a few feet of Ben. He also wore dirty overalls, but instead of a blank look, he seemed aggravated.
“Ain’t gots no gas,” he said, staring hard at Ben. His speech was garbled by a severe lisp and Ema could only see about four teeth in his mouth.
“Um, that’s okay, we’ll just find another station down the road,” she said. “Is the diner open?”
“Ain’t gots no food,” he said, shifting his angry eyes to her.
“I’m thinking you folks ain’t gots much in the way of a gene pool ‘round here, neither,” Ben muttered.
“Ben!” Ema glared at him across the roof of the car, mortified by his rudeness. She turned back to the strange man with a tight smile on her face. “Sir, I’m very sorry. We just – ”
Her apology died on her lips as a scream pierced the night air. Everyone turned to see a teenaged couple running from behind the diner, heading toward the gas station.
“Help us!” The guy yelled and waved one arm in the air while dragging the girl behind him. Both of them had blood dried on their faces and staining their shirts, but she seemed the more disoriented of the two. She stumbled and tried to keep up as the young man dragged her through the dense grass.
Just as they made it to the road, the door to the diner burst open and people came pouring out, running toward the injured couple. When the girl glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of her pursuers, she released another earsplitting scream. Distracted, she tripped and fell forward onto the asphalt.
She landed hard and Ema could hear bones breaking as the girl’s face slammed into the pavement. Without thinking, she took off toward the couple at a run.