My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road (20 page)

“Cut the shit,” Cody said. “You won’t shoot me.”

A yellow jacket flew in front of me. I didn’t swat at it. Cody was right, but I couldn’t let him know that. I would’ve used a warning shot to make him change his mind, but that would waste ammunition. Just then, fear appeared on Cody’s face. And Chloe growled again. A new horde of Stalkers came from around the back.

Another minute of negotiation tops, and that was it. We had to convince Cody to change his mind. But before I knew it, I was on the ground again, my jaw throbbing. My bottom lip had split open. Cody had thrown a cheap shot while no one was looking. Chloe jumped at him, but Cody swung the butt of my shotgun into her side. Whining, the dog recoiled to Kaylynn and Jewel backed away, her hands cupping her mouth.

“You’re dead, Jeremy!” Cody said. “Don’t pick fights you can’t win.”

Cody’s body suddenly flew away, tossed through the air. He rammed against the driver’s side of the Explorer. Kaylynn had her arm up again, her eyes red.

“Get lost, then,” she said.

Ditching the shotgun, Cody ran for the driver’s seat. I didn’t snap out of it until I heard the engine start.

Jumping to my feet, I ran for the closest handle. Cody’s lead foot was faster than my grasp. The car sped off, tires squealing out of the parking lot. The shotgun was left at my feet. With my head spinning, I reached down, picked it up and loaded the last shells into the shotgun. Jewel leaned to my side. If we were going to live, we had to dodge the Vectors—or die trying.

Except this time, I was scared.
Really
scared.

My feet were like stone. I couldn’t move.

Kaylynn grabbed my shoulder. Her relaxed grip took hold of me. “Don’t be afraid,” she said, placing her other hand on Jewel’s shoulder. Kaylynn called for Chloe and had us face the Vectors. Cody had left us for zombie hors d'oeuvres. Our situation was so hopeless that Kaylynn was throwing in the towel. “Don’t be afraid,” she said. “Don’t let yourself become afraid.”

Jewel shut her eyes and cried into my gut.

Don’t let ourselves become afraid, huh?

Kaylynn had said something like that in the ballpark, after that bee landed on her arm. A gross smell made me gag as feet shuffled by us. I held Kaylynn and Jewel, and held my breath. Before I knew it, the horde was brushing against my arms. None of them attacked. They wandered by us for a few intense minutes. It felt more like eons. The Vectors soon lost interest and retreated back to shadier places, like inside the big box store. During that time, I’d forgotten how to breathe.

I raised my head. We were alone.

More surprisingly, we were alive.

“Wow,” Jewel said. “How’d you do that, Kaylynn?”

“Later . . .” Her annoyance was in full swing.

“What was that?” I said. “They didn’t—”

“
Later
!” She growled. “Trigger-happy idiot!”

After what we had been through, she had the gall to call me an idiot? “What’s with you, Kaylynn? How about, ‘thanks for stepping up to Cody and almost taking an arrow to the chest for me?’ Seriously!”

“I didn’t ask, and you blew my cover!”

I turned away. She was right. I had blown her cover. Cody was gone because of me. It was my fault.

“It’s getting dark,” I said. “Let’s head into town.”

Kaylynn gestured at the road, inviting me to walk ahead of her. “After you, Einstein.”

Catching Jewel’s concerned face, I grabbed her hand. With the shotgun in the other, we headed west. I was careful to avoid the attention of any Vectors that had overlooked us. I had no idea what Kaylynn had done to keep the Vectors from having an
all-the-kids-you-can-eat
buffet, but we had to take care of our immediate needs before we could give thought to anything else.

I looked down the highway, thinking of Cody.

That bastard wouldn’t get away with this.

I felt my lip before we entered Marysville. It wasn’t the best wound to have with Vectors trying to infect me at every turn. When they came so close to us, I wondered if they had smelled the blood on my lip. They act crazier than a rabid, flea-infested badger when something wounded streaks across their path. Not that I have any idea what a rabid, flea-infested badger looks like.

We needed a new ride, more gear, and something to eat. We had nothing left but some snacks in my backpack. And I still had the satire zombie book, too. All the food that we’d gathered in the big box store—all the delicious jerky that I was saving for later—was still in the back of the car that Cody had taken off with.

Craptastrophe.

Kaylynn had taken it upon herself to lead us into town, giving me a double dose of the silent treatment while she walked past Jewel and me. I breathed the humid Kansas air. Our situation was stupid. Having Cody strand us out in the open wasn’t ideal, but we did have each other and my backpack with the .500. We just needed a safe place to sleep. As we walked, all I could care about was Kaylynn, never mind the bodies on the side of the road that could’ve chased us at any time.

“Hey,” Jewel whispered to me. “You think she’s mad at me?”

“Nah. I bet you’re mad at me, though.”

“You’re an idiot, but I’m your biggest fan.”

Talk about a self-esteem boost. “Thanks, sis.”

She glanced at me with a grin. “Anytime, bro.”

We passed an equipment yard and a small reservoir with green water. Going down there for a sip would’ve been nice, but the high chance of Vectors tripping, sinking, and rotting at the bottom made the water unlikely to be sanitary. I wouldn’t let anyone drink that. Kaylynn’s stride picked up, making it hard to keep up.

The walk took longer than I had expected. The silver water tower ahead was our only pillar of hope, our guide for shelter for the night. The sun was lowering, and the highway was getting darker with each second. A sign with a silhouetted man on a horse greeted us upon entering the city:

Historic Marysville Welcomes You

Every small town claims to be historic . . .

“What’s so funny?” Jewel asked. “You okay?”

Had I laughed? Bad sign. I had to keep it together. “I’m fine.” Jewel wasn’t convinced, so I tousled her hair. “I’m sorry, Jewel. I’m just sick of Cody’s crap.”

“We all are.” Kaylynn turned, her bat resting over her shoulders as she looked at us. She walked on, moving backwards, never missing a step. “We don’t have to worry about him trying to kill me. It kinda sucks that he stole your car, but this might be for the best.”

Point taken. No psychotic Cody was one less thing to worry about.

“I’ve seen that picture,” Jewel said, pointing at the welcome sign.

“The Pony Express,” Kaylynn replied. “It used to run through here.”

I stared at the sign. This town
was
historic.

Keeping conversation to a minimum, we opened our ears. Kaylynn didn’t talk directly to me, which wouldn’t change anytime soon. Chloe’s tail wagged and brushed the road. It amazed me how well behaved that dog was, and incredibly loyal. She jumped right in when Cody hit me. Too bad he struck her with my shotgun. She looked okay. I hoped it would stay that way.

I encouraged the others to hurry. The sun was about to set. It wasn’t the fear of Vectors that drove me. What fueled me forward was my anger for Cody. Not just for leaving us, but for taking off while monsters were coming after us. I mean, what sick freak would do such a thing? If he happened to find Mom and Dad, he would have a lot of explaining to do. And unless we found a car with enough gas, we were stuck.

It was almost 7:00. I clicked the radio off.

“How’d you keep the zombies away, Kaylynn?” Jewel asked.

Exactly the question I had asked a while ago. I bet it had something to do with the Vectors in David City. She’d smacked them left and right, and not one of them seemed to notice, like she was invisible. By being close to her, had we become invisible to them? Speaking of being close, why was she so hostile after pulling herself so close to me? Girls. They don’t make any sense.

“Haven’t a clue,” Kaylynn said.

I offered one. “They only attack the non-infected. Maybe they—”

“Stay away because I’m infected?” Kaylynn rounded on me. “Because I’m damaged goods?”

“Exactly!” I said, and then I coughed. “Well, no. Not in
that
context.”

“You know, that kinda makes sense,” Jewel added. “They never attack each other.”

We came up with a few more ideas, speculations at best, which helped us pass the time. We entered the downtown area and decided to tone it down, keeping our senses on the alert for danger. Aside from a dried-up Crawler or two, we had nothing to worry about.

One Stalker next to the post office was staring at itself in the window.

Kaylynn motioned us with her arm. “See that?” Down the block was a tall, red-bricked building. An old courthouse. “Should be a sheriff’s station nearby.”

Jewel turned her nose up. “Why not a motel?”

“They have holding cells,” I said. “It’s safer.”

Kaylynn nodded. “Home run, Jay. Locked away in a cell. You can’t get much safer than that.”

“Unless there’s an underground bunker.”

“Unless you know where one is, can it.”

I’d show her a can. “Lead on.”

The courthouse had to be the oldest building in town—late 1800s—and the tallest. Wood boards had been nailed over the front door. A skeletal arm was hanging through one of the small openings, a hole that survivors had dug for themselves. The next building was modern, a bland mix of gray with a flat, black roof.

Sure enough, it was the sheriff station. Switching my survival mode on, I scanned the area and checked the shadows for hiding places, treading softly with each step. Jewel did the same. She wasn’t as practiced at stealth as I was, not that I’m a certified ninja.

None of the back entrances were open, so we made our way to the front. Across the street was a park. Through the trees I saw a statue of a man riding on a horse at full gallop. We shied away from human remains lying in the street while we made our way up to the front entrance. Like the courthouse, boards blocked the entrance. Kaylynn pried one off and shined a light. The place was a wreck: papers, mugs, and pools of dry coffee. Jewel shook a little, but Chloe seemed fine.

Kaylynn picked her up and placed her inside. “Scout ahead, Chloe.”

The dog ruffed, entered the lobby and walked around the corner.

Apparently you can train retrievers to stake a place out. Kaylynn was so keen on keeping Chloe. I could see why now. A couple Stalkers ambled mindlessly about in the distance, too far away for them to notice us. And we didn’t have to wait long. Chloe came back a minute later, her tail wagging more enthusiastically than it had all day. That sure helped to brighten my mood.

“Clear.” Kaylynn looked at me. “Go ahead.”

I shook my head. “Ladies first.”

“The clumsy ox with the gun goes first.”

Touché.

I leaned into the opening and stuck my leg through. It was a tight fit, but I was able to bend low and pull myself inside. With my flashlight clipped to the collar of my new hoodie, I surveyed the area, pointing my shotgun wherever the light fell. Around the corner was a receptionist desk behind a wall of glass.

The girls joined me. We inspected each room until we knew for sure that the building was safe. Someone had made the place their home at one point. They’d ransacked the vending machines. Discarded chip and candy wrappers covered the break room floor.

Whoever this person was, he was long gone.

We scrounged about for keys to the holding cells and soon found the cleanest ones we could find. At last, we could finally sleep for hours without having to worry about becoming late night snacks. Speaking of snacks, I pulled out everything we had from my backpack. The food was gone in a matter of minutes, with nothing to wash it down. It was going to be long night.

Kaylynn went to the other cell door. “Goodnight.”

“Hmm?” Jewel mumbled. “Where’re you going?”

“The next cell across the way,” Kaylynn said.