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 DarlingsOfDecay
PresentedbyKristenMiddleton
smashwords.comedition
Copyright©2013KristenMiddleton
TableOfContents
TamaraRoseBlodgett
VanessaBooke
ChantalBoudreau
LauraBretz
ToniaBrown
CattDahman
MiaDarien
Jacqueline Druga
CMDoporto
DanaFredsti
BelindaFrisch
AprilGrey
RebeccaHansen
MichelleKilmer
LoriR.Lopez
SuziM
ShannonMayer
TaraMaya
LyraMcKen
CynthiaMelton
KristenMiddleton
ChrissyPeebles
JeannieRae
SuzanneRobb
JulianneSnow
RebeccaSnow
AnnaTaborska
AllyThomas
C.A.Verstraete
ARVon
AnnieWalls
JenWilde
 Copyright©Allauthorsnamedint
Allrightsreserved. his book.
Thestoriesint
mediabothphysicalanddh i s bookarethepropertyoft h e i r authors,
igital. Noone,excepttheownersofthis inall
property,mayreproduce,copyorpublishinanymediumanyindividual
storyorpartoft his anthologywithouttheexpressed permissionofthe
authorsoftheseworks.
Somestorieshavebeenpreviouslypublished.
CoverArtbyDamonZain
Thecharactersandeventsportrayed this bookarefictitious.
Anysimilaritytorealpersons,livingordead,iscoincidentalandnot
This eBook i s intendedbytheauthors.
licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This
eBookmaynotbere­soldorgivenawaytootherpeople.Ifyouwould
liketosharethisbookwithanotherperson,pleasepurchaseanadditional
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orcopyforeachreader.Ifyou’rereadingt
it was not purchased for your usehis only, then pleasefor respecting
bookanddidnotpurchaseit, returnto
thehardworkofthisauthor.
 ***
Thankyouforjoiningusontheset ales ofzombiehorror.Asyou
read thesestories, wrapyourmindaroundthis…
begintoTheworldaswe’veknowni t hasended.Noone,livingordead,
canbetrusted.Now,desperatetimescallfordesperatemeasures,because
everysingledayisastruggletolive.Thegatesofhellhaveopenedand
hope seems well beyond reach. But. . there are stil survivors, and
throughSitbackasyourfavoriteauthorsofzombielittakeyouonawild,
tomorrowiblood,s neveraguarantee.
sweat,andtears, they’ll fight to live in a world where
horrifyingridethatwillleaveyoubreathless.Come
wholovetoentertainyouwitht h e i r andmeet thewomen
ownuniqueversionsofthezombie
apocalypse.
 TamaraRoseBlodgett
ExcerptFrom:
DeathWhispers
I am Caleb Hart, sonof thefirst scientist to map the human
genomebackin2010.Now,fifteenyearslater,alluskids(duringpuberty
becausewe'resolucky)gettodrawwhat'sequivalenttoawinninglottery
ticket. Whatparanormalpowerwouldwehave,wouldIhave?Itcouldbe
andthe real creeper, Affinity forthe Dead, AFTD.New abilities kept
anythingasbenignasEmpath,Telepathy,Pyrokenesis,Astral­Projection,
croppingup,likeanuntendedgarden.Theparanormalballhadbegunto
rollanditwas
attention,Iwasdownwitht
a l downhill from
h a t . Ishouldthink
here.Aslong
it's not,it'sa bombalright­ rightonmyhead. Scienceis thebomb,but asIdidn't get anyone's
enthusiastic,sothere'sneveradullmoment.
Ineighthgrade,we'rerequiredtotakepre­Biology.Myteacheris
Especiallywithmepassingouta
how ithappened the firslt time.
wentout...likealight.
That's thetime.The frogs camein and I
anymore.Atleast that washadthe first time I hadn't been ableto ignoreit
el ing usXavier
textinct otherCollinshuge rage­topics
andournextexperimentwould reined inbeonhisdissection.
therantingenvironment,to
about bees delightin
becoming
Ididn'thaveMark“Jonesy”Jonesinthisclassbutmyotherbest
friend,John,washere,sonotatotall
makingjokesattheexpenseoftheteachers(verywise).Johncountered
os . Jonesykeptschoolinbalance,
withkeepingJonesyfromgettingusintrouble(notalwayshappening).
Thedragofitwasthetwokidsthathatedmygutsinasteamingpilewere
inBiology.Carson Hamilton and Brett Mason sat next to each other, never
anyone mecoulda moment's
giving want:money,looks
peace about(he'saanything.
mirror­lover) had everything
Carson andparentsthat
didn'tcareaboutanythinghedid.Myparentshadnotcaughtthedisease
Carson.
Collins
ofindifferenceyet.Brettdidn'thaveitsohot,buthewasasmiserableas
John sat down nextto me with two pencils uphis nosewhile
wasat thewhiteboard,discussinghowtopinthefrogsdown.
“Didyamakesuretheeraserswereintheref
Nice. irst?” Iaskedhim.
had “Yeah,duh.”Thepencilsbouncedashespoke.Forasmartguy,
heofhim.“Yous
someweirdideasaboutself­entertainment.I
til buzzing?”heasked. t wasvery“Jonesy”
aboutt Iislooked
h p a r t , at John. “Yeah, it's on and off.” I felt kinda defensive
Iwasavoidingthinkingaboutitmyself,anddidn'treally
wanttotalkaboutit.
Howhecouldthinkwithpencilsuphisnose?Amystery.“Yeah?”
“I'vebeenthinkingaboutthat,”hesaid.
said. “I thinkyouhavetheundeadcreeper,likethatParkerdude,”John
asked. Thatwouldbebad.“He'stheonethatcouldcorpse­raise,right?”I
However,the
Hadn'tIjustbeenthinkingabouthowmuchthatability sucked?
Johnnodded.
tohappenthough. rarenessofcorpse­raisingmightcomeinhandy.Notlikely
“Nice,It wouldsuckforyou.”
John restatingtheobvious. Yeah, itwould suck. I mean,
what's
Anyofso“Governmenttookhim.Bye­bye...gone.”Johnmadeafluttering
great aboutNothingin
that...ah,no. communicating
itformewithbutweirdness.
the dead, locating thedead?
motionwithhishandlikeabirdflyingaway.Thepencilskeptbouncing
inadistractingway.
I'dheard about that. Corpse­Manipulation, rare­much. Jeffrey
Parkerwastheonlyrecordedcase.
wouldlosemeinatech­rantandi wasa l
“Whydoyouthink?”Iwasinterestedforonce,sometimesJohn
t over.
“Areyoushitting me? Deadpeople... come on.”Igot an imageof
zombieswithM­60s,interesting.
do s“No,thinkaboutit.Theycouldgetpeopleraisedandforcethem
toimportantpeople.”Heraisedhiseyebrows.
“Presidents?”
tuf . From a distance, they could look like they were alive,
“Rulersor whoever,”Johnsaid.“Hewasa five­point.Hecouldcan;
dothewholetamale.Ithinkthegovernmentexploitswhateverthey
usingwhoevertheycan.”
Ilaughed.
“What?”heasked.
“Ican't takeyou seriously. Youostrlookil, humiliated. like a dumb­ass.” The
pencilsdangledindignantlyinsideeachn
Johnpulledthemout,checkingtheendsforgold.
Huh.
I'd been wondering whymy head was buzzing. Now memories
surfaced.Whenhadthebuzzingstartedexactly?Whattriggeredi
John be“Okaypeople,zipuphereandpickupyourt
right? rays. Yourstt?erCould
ilized
utensilsshouldalreadybea
Johnwentforourt trayourdesks,”Collinssaid.
ys, minustheattractivepencils.Istaredout
thestreamersmarringtheglass.
window, the splatters ofrain causing rivulets that looked like gray
Ishookmyhead,clearingfuzziness.Icouldn'tshakethebuzzing,
Ienteredclass,thebuzzingincreased,likewhispers.
adullnoisethatebbedandflowed.If
“Hereyouare.One elt ittodaythestrongest.Assoonas
froggleamingundertheLEDs. frogforthebothofus.”Johnplunkeddowna
thatThewholeearthfeltlikeitwasswivelingonitsaxis,andIwason
That'swhenthescreamingsbutwas
hadonce beengreen tarted.a bone­gray now, staking pins
top.Thewhisperinggrewinvolumeu
were marshesand swamps.A frog,inthe ntil imagesfloodedmyhead.There
bloom of itslife, shiny with
amphibian iridescence, leaped t.to a log, hoping to fool a small water
moccasincloseenoughtotakei
Rightbehindyou!I
(NO!)
images...memories.shoutedinwarning.ButIcouldn'tbeheard,
these wereAmotorboatwasclosinginonthefrog,gettingreadytotakei t
a metal poleand loose net on its end.oiseCaleb
withthoughts,strangepredatormustseekcover...n . . h u r t heard
s . . the frog's
(NO!NO!!!)
I wasItwasn'tthe
onmy backonlyonfrogthewithmemories.Every
Biology flo r. Carsoncutmy
thatmade,anewfloodofmemoriescame.Irealizedthroughsomedimsense
backgroundwheezedwithlaughter. classmatesthe
and Brettin
“Heb
Brett, inotto
t itoverafrog?Seriously?”Carsonranted.
Collins twasel inbeoutdonecaterwauled,“He'sat
consciousness.ThelastthingIremember
turnsbetween gmoving
the dumb­ass ofupmyoandtalface,gseeing
irl!”holdingup
his handduointowasfrontshutJohn'sanxiousfacetaking
fingers,butIwascaughtinthegripofthedeathmemories,absorbingmy ifI was
gonnalive. Myvision becamegray at the edges, a pinpoint of black
expandingtoclearmymindofeverythingandIknewnomore.
 CHAPTER1
Trees surrounding
themildspringnight.Ilookedbehindmea the cemetery dancedin the languid breeze of
Headstones glimmeredlike loose tteeththepairofeighthgradeboys
who'dcometoeggmeon.Theyhaddiscovered
thedead,heardthedead. myin thesecret:thatIknew
moonlight, the
whisperinglikeasteadythrummingofwhitenoise
grewclammy. in myhead.Myhands
purpose. my backtoCarsonand Brett thatnotchIhaddowntheir
themoff“Caleb,showthemyou'renotafrickin'poser,”saidJonesy.
“Idon'tpose.”Mythoughtsragedagainsteachotherincontrary
Proving completely, butit'd AFTD wouldn'tstupiditykeepto
managingt hmeeir shandmy
somethingI tooka throughpossethecouldhigh,manage.
istept behavior. That's where
Victorian­style gate, myit was,foot
mind.
touchingitsreluctant
The feeling oftoeonbeinghallowedground.
forced pressed uncomfortably againstmy
gravestones,standingsentinelnearthemiddleofthecemetery,glowing
intovoices.Onevoicewhisperedtomethe
tentativeandlikeaninvisiblestringpulled,wasdrawntowardone
Crossingthethresholdofsanctifiedground,thewhisperingturned
strongest.Istoppedfeeling of the
softlyinthemoonlight.I
read:“ClydeThomas,born1900,died1929.” cameto stand in frontoftheheadstonewhich
“Wakeme...”i
“What?”Iwhispered. t said.
Itspeaks.
“Wakeme...”i t repeated.
“Caleb, who areyou
My headswung inface.slow­motionasi
understandingclearonhis talking to?” John asked, lack of
inhisdirection,bloodrushinginmyearsandmyheartbeatingthickand f throughquicksand,moving
frizzyanhair and frecklesstood outlike measles.A microscopic chip lay
heavyinmychest.Everythingbecamecrystallizedinthatmoment.John's
like arimperfectshadowontheheadstone,shiningstarkcontrasttothe
whitem
rushingto ble.Something. . something...wasbuilding,risingupasifunderwater,
Theagainsthis thesurface.Iwassupposedtofinalizesomething,butwhat?
whisperingof
darkface.thecorpsein the earthwas soloud it drownedout
John'swords.John'smouthwasmovingbutnosoundwascomingout.
What­the­hell?HewasarguingwithJonesy,histeethapaleslash face. My
teethslammedintomytongueandthet
Flailing, Jonesy's hand suddenlyasconnected with my il ed my
te ofcopperpenniesf
mouth.Ileanedoverandadropofbloodhungtremulouslyonmybottom
lip, fallingtothegravelikeablackgem.
Everythingclickedintoplace,vertigospinningthe graveyardon
intothroughdampmyasifflesh.earth.
itsside
toward itSearching,
hadbeen
Aclawedwaiting
faceandIthrewmyhandsout for thismoment.
tobracemyTheground
hand brokethroughthegroundlike arushed
fal , fingersbiting
spear
vise­likegripthatcaptured itmygrasped my wrist, the bones pressing in a
breath,theintensecoldnessofthegrave
lingeringonitsdeadfles
The head of the hcorpse
. broke free of theground, its shadowed
gazemeetingmine,thehandreleasingme.Iscuttledbackward,standing
up,swaying,overcomewith,excitement?Fear?Ihaddonethisthingand
meas itusedtheundisturbedgroundtoleverageitselfasanotherdrop of
now,didn'tknowhowtoundoit.Thecorpsemovedwithpurpose,pacing
mybloodThezombie'sfelland landedwithadullploponthecorpse'sforehead.
gaze fixatedonmine,itputahandonitskneeand
begantopushitselfupright.Dull,lankstrandsofhairhunglooselyfrom
ascalpstrungtogetherbyat had ight mask of rottensinew. t a“safe”
Jonesy longsincerunoutofthecemeteryandwasa
rangefromwhatthegroundhaddisgorged.
whackingmeandnothelpingmewithcorpse­boy.
Hebetter get his ass back here. He couldn't get awaywith
therewassometongueinthere?
“Whyhaveyouawokenme?”Thewordssoundedgarbled,maybe
Mustnotberude,not
OutloudIsaid,“Youasked a tmy
my strongestpoint.
meightto.”, facetrying to maska fine, all­over
John was
tremble.Hisfrecklesstoodoutonapale standing r
“Whatthehellisthis?”Johnasked. likebeaconsoffright.
Hedidn'treallyj
The zombie ust askthat?John...duh.
looked at me witheyes that clung from threads of
sinew;movingwetlyinitssockets,suckinglikeavacuum.
“Whyhaveyouwokenme?”itrepeated,shambling astepcloser.
l . . wow. It roselikeatorrentofrottinggarbage.Johnclapped
ThesmeThecorpsetookanotherstepcloser.
hishandoverhisnose,takingastepbackward.
“Gotanyb not ril iant suggestions?”IaskedJohn,myeyessteadyon
thezombie,hopinglikehellJohnwouldlend
“Do havetheZombieHandbookhandy,”Johnsaid,his an intellectualhand.
tadwide.TheNothelpful. corpse looked at me, head tilted, “You're just a boy...eyesahow
couldyouknowforwhatpurposeyouhavedisturbedmyslumber?”
“Uh­oh,comingupwith an excuse,sonotmything.
Ididn't. . meantowakeyouup...”Ifumbledout.Iwasn'tusually
this tongue­tiedbutmeetingacorpseintheflesh(ha­ha)stolemyspeech.
“Youdo not know what you would haveof me? You useheyoursaid
life­forcetowakenmeandyet. . withoutpurpose?Putmeback,”
 John'slookclearlysaid, do something!IguesswhatIhadn't
coffin,notthatIknewwhatthatsmelledlike.
thickly.Hisclotheshungintattersandthesmell was definitelyold,dark
mydead.Buthere
friends washethatwas,standingbefore thatI couldactually raisetoldthe
Ihadnever thoughtme inallhisrottingglory.
cemetery,“Towhommuchi
Looking out amongsts given,muchi the teenagerss expected.Put
collected meback,”he
outside the
said. Adultswereallthesame,evendead,lecture,lecture.
“Youarethenecromancer, boy,notI.” Againthatquizzicalbrow
“How?”Iasked.
overrottingfacialcountenance.
Interpretationchallenge...butIwasmanaging.
no whispers. Perfect, blessed silenceto thedead.Lookingatthecorpse,
“A what?”Iasked,surprisinglycalm,forthef
naturalthingintheworld;talking filledmy head.It irst time,there were
was the most
eyeballslikeinkymarblesstaredbackat mewithuncannydevotion. its
“Adivineroftheblacka
Allthattimewiththes t a rrtinmybasement,huh,right.
s, magic...”hereplied.
byJonesy.Icoulds
connecting
blood!Things dotshadtihere,
senseofswimmingpowerj l onlygottenüber­weirdwhenIhadmyl
taback
stbute distressinglymetallicbloodinmymouth.Iwas
aItushadttheunderneath
timetogetqueasywiththedead.Ineededtoregainthatessence,fast.
“Ah...hangonaminute,”Isaidtothecorpse,whostaredblankly
Ilooked the surface.Nowwasnotthe
ancorpse,epiphany,
Clyde­­I couldput
no longeripibustedopen
tfeelingthat
backwith
back...ah­huh.
“John,givemeyourblade.”
“WhattheheckCaleb?Whatareyouplanningtodowitht
Johnsaidpointinghisfingeratthepatientcorpse,“...thing?”whowasas
“I figuremyblood maden. it jumpoutofits grave,nowIneedsome h i s . . ”
immobileoutofhisgraveasi
rush.
toputhimbackandyou'regoingtohelp
John'sfacegotpaler,if possible.“Ah,we'regoodfriendsanda
me,”Isaidinaone sentencel
masterwasnotf e lin' it.WeCouldn'tsayIblamedhim,meholdingaknife
butno,notagoodplan!
andal .“. . here'sthedeal,let'sdoal
don'tknowthat for sureanyway.”Thelogic­
it le 'friendshipbloodbank'justfor
thesakeofputtingthedeadguybackinhisgrave,eh?”Ibegantapping
myfootonthedisturbedmess
orthiswasgonna
“Justhere,give
“What?”strainedt merusyourforearm.”
be alongdamnnight.
of thegrave.Johnwouldanteuptheblood
t crowdedhiseyes.
Iplacedthesideoftheblade
onhisforearmwhereitshoneblackinthepalemoonlight.Myl eft hand
wrappedtight, steadyinghisfleshforpuncture.
 Johntookadeepbreath,“Okay,butyou'regoingtooweme,big
broketheskin.John
time.”Thewhitesofhiseyesbulging. sucked in alungful, arm untilthepressure
Ipressedthepointofthebladeagainsthis
pressure.Thezombie's head jerked a t blood welledandI let up the
thesightoftheblood,causingthe
disturbingsoundofneckbonespopping.
WouldIevergetusedtothatnoise?Irepeatedtheprocesswith to my
myownarm.Our identicalwoundspressedtogether,I
zombie.Icouldfeelsomehowthathewasmine,Iknewi
Avibratingtuningforkoftremblingpowerwelledupinsideme. offeredi
t. t
Astrangemixtureoffear,dreadandexcitementparalyzedme.Myteeth
throbbed
holdoftheofferedforearm.Itfeltcoldagainst
withthe intensity of it. The zombie'shand my warmf snakedout,taking
l e s h , like iced
tentacles.Iswabbedablotofblood,inkingitwith
fingersonthezombiesforehead,likewarpaint.It
me, my indexandmiddle
rolledthoseemptyeyes
upabalancereached,thatIwaschoosingforbothofus.
t
control Webalanced itsdeadbonesclingingtomyfingertips.
sharedprecariously.
asuspended“Gomoment back andin time,rest,”Ia tesaid,r iblefeelingthat
beauty of
lyingdownThezombie
shroudofearth. reluctantlylground
onthe disturbed et go whileof myhisarm,sand
grave througha sieve,in a
encasedhim
John and Istared at each otherandoverit wasnotasafething
Iwasacorpse­raiser,oneoftwo, the andgravefor a swollen to be.
minute, hisface showing ameanforme
whatthisdistinctionwould
Iwasshakingfromtheintensitymixture ofofintheworldwelivedin.
sympathy dread.He knew
it al , therewasnocontrolling
rienemiesandonefriend,Iknewitwastimetoswearthegrouptosecrecy.
te.alThiswasnotthesameasBiologyexperimentsandroadkill,thiswas
, this was huge. Looking outside thecemetery perimeter at two
myAtrickleofsweatslithereddownmyback,poolingatthe
plan.jeans,Johninstantly
and I headed fevered a waveI didn'twaistbandof
wassoinflesh.notapartofThePlan,
chillingoutagainstof themycemetery
samefutureasParker,thatlossoffreedom of uncertain
wantthe
promise.
 CHAPTER2
Ismacked my alarm,justfivemoreminutesIthought,dozingoff.
“Caleb!”Momyelledupthes tairGood
s. enough!
with
Hmm,whattowearthatwasn'ttoowrinkled.Ipickedupapairofjeansanda
shirt anda “School!”
rippedopeneverydrawerfor
Istumbledoutofmybedandlookedonthefloorfortoday'sclothes...
“Yeah?”Iyelledback.
hoptookandanazip.experimental
Opened thewhiff.underwear andsockI jerked
drawer,thenothing.I
jeanson
matchedbutclean...happyday. socks,ah­huh!Finally,acoupleofsocks,not
Itrudgedovertothekitchentable,scarred
“Youcookin'today?”Iasked,hopeful. fromathousandmeals.
Eating in the morning blows. Iwas thatlazy. I'd openthe fridge,
“No,butyou'reeating.”
nothing. Then the freezer, repeat. I usually ended up cramminga yogurt
down. Momlookedinthefridge.“Whatflavor?”
abouteatingthisearly.
“Dowehaveblueberry?”It wastheonlynon­barffruitIcouldthink
“Lastone.”
“Where'sDad?”
free­spirited andDadhippie)wereandon thought
Mom(read: the oppositethe mystery
takenwhenthescientificpuzzleofthegenomemappingwassolved. end of theof lispectrum.She
fe and choicewaswas
I“Heisworkingonthatnewproject.”
t madeforaninterestingfamilylife.
Great, hopefully not anything new for kids to rant about. I'd gone
throughenoughbeinghassledasIwasgrowingup.
“Doesthatmeanhe'llbehomeforsuppertonight?I'vegotsomething
to talktoepisode.Dad
raising himheabout.”wasI wisely
logic didn'tfairness
and wanttomixed.mentionthe
He'd know wholewhattocorpse­do.
This...Imightneedsomehelpon.
“Yes, will,youknowhowimportantmealtimei s , ” Momsaid.
After Iwolfed down the yogurt, knowingtotheDad.beast would awaken
Maybe,maybenot.Sciencewasimportant
again at10 a.m.inclass, perfect timing, Imade a2­point shotatthe trash
can.Swish!Nomess,butthatdidn'tstopthefrownformingonMom'sface.
forcedtoImovedquicklytograbmybackpackbutsheblockedmeandIwas
lookup at her. Every girl in theworld was tal er than me...
needa She brushed the hairout ofmy eyes anditshot back down. “You
wonderful.
importanthaircut.”
“No,mom.” A time­sucker was alla haircut wasatandI
SlammingthedoorbehindmeItookthestairstwo
thingstodo. hadmore
atime,cruising
ataheadfromlastnight.
jog. I wanted to reconnoiter with the dudes, get things straight in my
Lookingup,Inoticedthecanopyoftreesallowingfilteredmorninglightto
Islowed toa walk. I'd stillbe there earlyand Iwas feeling lazy.
break through, speckling the ground with sunspots. My head began the
towardtheschool.
familiarthrumming,abuzzseepingintothecrevicesofmymindasIwalked
I stoppedwhereofI stood, the inbuzzing
heartspeeding,mybreathquickening response, hadmybecome whispering, my
palmsdampening.
Thewhispering
awayby
Ilooked around,noticingthepaveds
thedeadhadarrived.tre t, thepebblingofthe asphalt
worn Nothing. amillioncars,theshouldergivingwayintotheditch.
Istartedwalkingagainbutthewhisperinggrewlouder.Ifollowedthe
There, on theborderoftheforestandthesoftdirtoftheditchlaya
dullroaroftheinsidiousvoicelikeamagnetandwasrewardedwithvolume.
trembledasthewhispering
crumpled body, tornand broken, itshead at an awkward angle. Myhands
brokethroughtovoicesandimages,floodingmy
headlikeapulse­screen.
Iheardthethoughts:
advanceproperlyandthetwinorbsboredownoni
thoselights...rushingforward...i
Headlightsburstingliketwinspotsbeforei
t sprintedacrossthestreet,not
ts. eyesasit triedtoescape
timingthe
Pain.Intensepainandblindinglight.
Thecatthought of its hadlit er, its people...then­­wasnomore.
Alherbody.Asmallbodythat
ife thatwasnowgone. sharedthelastmymomentsofi
Mybreathreturnedinaparalyzingrush, ts life with me.of
feetplantedatthebase
never Istoodforamoment,taking
teenager.going i t
to be thesame. I wasn't goingto breeze through beingil was. a
i n , realizingthatl
SnappingbacktorealityIrealizedIwasthePiedPiperofroadk i f e as Iknew i t
Great.Definitelymylife­goal.
Thiswasjustthekindathing thathadbeenhappening. Thefrogs in
Biology,would there hadbe suspicious.
been so many.WhyI couldn't
righteouslikePyrokenesis?Nowthatwouldbetight.AtleastonlyBrettand
People hadn't beenable
Ibe developing
tocamouflage somethingthat.
wasItrudgedon,mylimbsheavy,myheadswimmingwiththeheaviness
thatCarsonknewthecorpse­raisingpart.Gettingthem
anotherthing. to cooperatewithsilence,
ofan undead­moment. I lifted my hands, the fine shaking almost gone.
BeadedsweatdecoratedmyupperlipandIwipeditoffwiththebackofmy
hand. Ineededtoget a hold of this thing. I came
theschool,spottingthe“cemeterygroup.”.
myselfbutmygutchurnedwithuncertainty.
Thefamiliardoorstoourdailyprison was onintoview.Iwentinside
it.That's whatI told
other. JohnandJonesystoodapartfromtheothersinstarkcontrast
Almost five foot ten,with a shock of frizzy, carrot­colored hair and toeach
paleblueeyes,Johnlookedalittlefreakishbuthewasmymaindude,thego­
to guy when things went sideways. I gave Jonesy an unfriendly look,
touchingmyface.Hehadshort,nappyhairandteeththatstoodoutlikewhite
Chicletsina darkface.Hewastallerthanme too,but builtstocky.They'd
beenwithmesinceKindergarten.
Therestofthegroup wasa mixedbag,didn'tfeelsolidhere.Itwould
takeMasonsomeclever
and Carson conniving
Hamilton togetstoodpromises ofsecrecyfrom
side­by­side with identicaltherest. Brett
white­blond
hairandheight,hardtotellapartunlessyoulookedatthemfull­on.They'd
beenwithmesinceKindergartentoo,butnotinagoodway.
first. Jonesy
EdgingthroughthethrongofkidsImademywaytoJohnandJonesy
leaned
explode,nottypical. against the locker, arms crossed. John looked ready to
Jonesysaid,“Sorryaboutthe
“Yeah...whatthehell?”Iasked. bludgeoning.”
“Itwasanaccident,JohnandI
“Oh...really?”Gee,hadn'tnoticedthat.
“Yourfacesortagotintheway.”
“Jonesygavehimalook.
. . arguing...”Johninterrupted.
“I werediscussing...”Jonesybegan.
changedmymindis al .”
Iraisedmyeyebrows,Jonesyneverswitchedgears.
“Aboutthemeritofthemknowing,”Johnfinished.
anddrippingonthefloor.
WelookedatBretandCarson.Toolatenow,spilledmilkonthetable
look
comingup.” Later,Ithought.“Iwasn'tpullingahypoinBiology,”givingahard
atBrett and Carson, the used­to­be­non­believers, “andnow APs are
“Yeah,youhaveyourdadtothankforthat,”Brettsmirked.
Iknewthat was coming. of of
My eyes caught sight a grape sized bruise
chartreuse,theedgesfanningtogreenthenfinallypurple.Brett'ssmirkfaded the color pale
undermygazeasheshiftedhisshoulder,hisshirtfallingoverthemarkthat
lingeredonhisthroat.Someone'shandhadl
“Shutup,it'sCaleb'sassontheline,”Jonesysaid,jammingathumb
eft that,notmyproblem,but. .
atmychest.
raiser.He'd“Nobodybea“Youknowwhat happenswhen
life plannedyouhitby somebody
governmentsquirrel,likethatParkerdude.”
wantsto havetheir theradarasa corpse­
said. “But else,” John
“Mydaddidn'thaveanythingtodowiththat,”Ipointedout.
thanks tohim, everyone's tested now because ofthe mapping.
Allthedo­gooderswantto'realizeourf
intheair,“Whatanass­loadofcrapthatwas.” ul potential'.”Brettmadequotesigns
Carsonchimedin, “Soevenif wedon'twanttobemathematiciansor
scientistswe'reonthatfreighttrainuntilitreachesthedepot.”
argument.Kindalikebeingthepreacher'skid,yougotblamedfor
Carson's murky­green eyes burrowed into mine. Thiswasanold
“You dickface... yeah you,”Jonesy looked at Carson, whose
yourparentdid,ordidn'tdo. everything
eyes
narrowed.“Iti
obvious. sn't Caleb'sfaultthathisdadstartedthatballrollingwiththe
mapping.Ifithadn'tbeenhim,i
Carson'sfists
Probablyshouldn'thave
clenchedt andwould'vebeensomeonee
openedhis
flexed, hedidn't
mouthandcrammeda
likebeing
lse. .” toldfootinthe
thereuntilhechoked.Kindabraindead­­kindaconsistent.
“Listenguys,thisisn't helping.It'sthe nowwe needtofigureout.I
My dad,”CarsonrolledhiseyesandIignoredhim,plowingforward,“says
don'twanttopopafive­point AFTDon theAPs.They'rewhat,aweekaway?
thatCarson.
abilitiespuberty
silently. Tcome iirssonlinethen,sometimesforthefirsttime.”Notforme,Iadded
tthebellgavei
hef“I needyou exactguystimets toshrtheyicover
tesfort because scientists have proven that
l beckonexactlythen.IlookedatBrettand
finished.”Youcan'tforceusto,Hart,”Brettsaid. me. At least until the tests are
“Yeah,justbecause
Iwasappealingtotheirgoodside. daddy's famousdoesn't giveyouclout,”Carson
echoed.“How So muchforthat.
outoftheblue. aboutdoingit becauseit's therightthingtodo?”askedJonesy,
“Thehumanthingtodo,”interjectedJohn.
“He'snothuman.”Carsonsaid,stabbingafingertowardmychest.
Prejudiceati ts finest.ButwhatdidIexpectfromthesetwo?
“Yougotthatright,”Brettagreed,walkingoffwithCarson.
“Yeah,somepeople had morethancorpse­raisingtoworryabout.
Wewatchedthemmoveawayintothemulticolorseaofkids.
“DidyaseethatbruisenecklaceBrettwaswearing?”Jonesyasked.
It's thedad,”Johnsaid.
Don't go soft on me bro. You're always giving jackassessorryfor
doubt.” Jonesy turned those liquid eyes to me, “Feel him Caleb?
the benefitofthe
Notyet,Ithought,sayingnothing.
Seeingmyexpressionhesaid,“Yeah,mycupofcarei s emptytoo.”
Myconsciousteeteredonthebalanceofrightandwrong.Bretthadit
bad, but hechose toactbad. It didn't make things easier, itmade itmore
complicated.
hadmyback. JonesyclappedmeonthebackandJohngavemethenod.Myfriends
It wasgonnabeahurricaneofcrapandIwasintheeyeofit. TheJs
my
andIwalkedofftoShopclass.Timetomakemymomaheart­shapedbox,
when heartwasdefinitelynotintoit. #
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 VanessaBooke
DeadRun
“Theonlygoodhumanbeingisadeadone.”
­GeorgeOrwell
lookede
doesn’t
breath ilookasreliandersothatnight.Mycheeks
there. Tonight
rIknow ihissfallrhythmically
threatening,
thelastnight
CARLY
I’toplasteveriheldrawer.
gun is intheanymore aburnswhenItouchi
tsleeps.
llethim compared whereI towatchhis
stand,howplaceithe
me.Ithim. Abruiseis
east,I’venotFromtouchwatched
starting into themoonlight
formIthastobe
boarded­upbedroomwindow. underneath
thatmytremble
swollenasdownskin.I makethroughthe
pullthetopdraweropen,I’mrelievedtoseethegunisstillthere.I
shining
nightstand.
bedroomcautious,asthewoodenfloorssqueakbeneathme.Hecanwake
at anymoment. My handshere,unless…Tomhidi
cascades I tstepsomewhereelse.AsI
myintowaycracksof
thetowardhis
darkened t stheits
Ipullthegunfromthedrawer,butpausemidway.Mystepfather’s
hewatching me? Ihold my breath,me,myandIfreeze,s
Severalsecondspass,andthenlikeclockwork,Icanhearthesoundofhis
snoringhasstopped.Fearparalyzes eyes squeezedtil closed, .Is he awake?Is
waiting.
snoringagain.Ilookdowna
stepfather. I shiver in disgustt thehandgunandthenbacka
at thememory ofhis handst mysleeping on me; no
always Notberohlis. atthe memory of the way he whispered how Ie would
amountofsoapcouldeverwashawayhowdirtyhemakesmef
stomach l. My
quietly anymore.Istepintothehallway,shuttingthebedroomdoor
Before Iknow its, I’mourA small
behindme.
home. Tonight atol lstthenightsensewaybehind
ofrelief
down the washesover
safetyof
hallway ofour theme.Idid
one storyit.
community
fences.Itsnfrightensme
stayingi ’ t thinkaboutwhat’swaitingforusoutside,but
anoptionanymore.Istaredowna
attention.
behind
never heldone
It echoes udown thehall.TheMichaelsoundofmustbetasoft
ntil tonight. theguninmyhands.I’ve
awake.voiceIslipcatchesmy
thegun
confuse me.him.There’s
He’s beenno reasonprettyforquietthese
askingforourmother.Idon’thavethe him heart
to seepasttotit;elifewhours.
t himthatshe’sgone.
will only Hescarekeepsand
 I made wouldn’t
dayssinceshebecameinfected.
Theonlythingl
matterwhat,I herapromise
eft isashellofthewomansheusedtobe.It’sbeenseven
when it happened. Ipromisedherthat no
anddespitewhat my let herbecomeone.I knowwhatI my havetodo,
i s
andsheiOursn’thome et er. threerooms.Tom sleepsinthemastersick
stepfatherTomtellsme,Iknow
gettingbis madeupof mother
bedroom.IshareabedroomwithMichael,andmymotherisintheguest
room.Weliveinatownsectionedofffromtheoutsideworld.It’sbetter
thansupplieswere
whatas mostnevermeantto
survivors have,lastpast
but i
sixmonths.We’regoingonour
t ’ s temporary. Our emergency
Ienterherbedroom. Ican hearherheavybreathing,herlungs
seventhmonthandourfoodandwateri
hitsme
cracklingassheinhales.Smallwhitecloudsofairescapehermouth.It’s
Tomkeepsmymotherisolatedfromeveryonehere.Acolddraft
s nearlygone.
freezinginhere.Iswitchontheemergencylantern
Thefluorescentl
darkness. I gaspiatthe
bloodshotandherpupilsaredilated.Itouchherskintocheckforafever,
ght remindsmeofahospitalroomasitchasesawaythe
sight of her; she’s gotten worse. near hernightstand.
Her eyes are
most,maybe les . The bloated skin on her finger engulfsher wedding
paleyellowandshe’sstartingtobloatliketheothers.Shehasa
butshefeelsicecold.Igrabherhandandplaceitinmine.Herskini dayats
’s theonethemyinfectionthattookhimawayfromus.
band.ItItwasn’t fathergave her beforehedied. Hewasin a
motorcycleaccidentwhenIwasf
andwentintoacoma. ifte n. Hesufferedaninjurytothehead
Itwisttheringoffherfinger.
My“Mom.”mother soldhimalive.
ourhedid,buta
old houseAt letoafewdaysagoIfound
didn’thavethehearttopulltheplug.Nottoolonga
toldhappened. stpay, sheforwashisfterumedical
flewhimtoafancymedicalhospitalinColorado.Ithoughthedied.She
hospitalbillsstashedinashoebox.Shelied.Forthepastthreeyearsshe’s
beenMichaeland
paying tokeepmethat til the bsomeold
ioutbreak
l s. She
nhisaccident,they

ownShestaresa
daughter’st meblankly,makingi
face.I’m surein hert clearshenolongerrecognizes
hersomeoneshe’sneverseenbefore.Ireachdownforthe eyes I’m onlya washpanatthestranger,
footofherbed,andIcringea
it.Tom refuses
subjects her totheto bathe t thesightofthebrown,murkywaterinside
dirty­brown,rusted
herwith anyofwaterourfromtheclean water,faucets.Asfar
and insteadI
knowitisn’thurtingher,butshedeservesmorethanthat.Tomwantsto
keep herA moan her lips.Ithefoodpullhis.therations.nogunmore,noless.Hetakes
hersforhimself.Ihateseeingherliket
communityisgivenacertainportionoffood,
aroundescapes
becauseof outEachfrompersonbehindin me,the
fearfulthatshe’s turning.I havetodowhatshe couldn’tformy dad.I
havetolethergo.Ihaveto.
gunis heavierthanIexpected.Through her confusedandsickenedstate,
Iraisetheguntowardthefrontofherface.Myhandstremble,the
shelooksupat meas ifshehasamomentofclarity.Iclose
turnmyface.Ipictureher as shewasbeforetheoutbreak.Inmymind,
a t myeyes and
shestandsradiantandbeautifulasshesmilesdown
everything will be al right. They sayt.me.Icanalmost
hear her sayingyou’lleverhavetosay.SoIdon’tsayi
hardestthing goodbye is the
pullthetrig er. Ibreatheinand
CARLY
­One­WeekEarlier­
IstaredowntheemptyhallsofmyoldhighschoolMapleH
Thememoriesofwalkingwithmyfriendstoclassnowseemlikepieced­
of for il s.
warningsthatread:
changed.Postersthatwereoncef
S.A.T.
metallockersasIwalkdownthehallsearching
togetherannouncements
memories anold are nowmovie.ilreplaced
ed withdrug­freeadvertisementsand
My fingers
with quarantine
tracemine.Somuchhas
acrossthe
signsandcold
ONSIGHT. THE UNDEADAND THOSE INFECTEDWILLBE SHOT
At theendoftherow of lockers,Ifindmine;number513.Istil
remembermyoldcombination12,42,0.Thelockerpopsopenandinside
sitsmyoldtextbooks.IsmileasIturnthemover;mypre­calculusbook
swouldbeimportantinourfuture.I’mprettysurehedidn’tmeantofight
its ontop.IcanrememberMr.Robinsonspoutingoffabouthowpre­Cal
theundeadwith,althoughitisprettyheavybook.Islidemyhandtothe
thesefortherighttime.
backofthelockerandpulloutaboxofshotguns
When the hel s. I’vebeensaving
growing intowhat outbreak began, overnightcataclysm.Citieslikeours
seemedlikean it started in small numbers, rapidly
werescheduledforevacuationproceduresthatnevercame.Theinfection
spreadtooquickly,takingoutwholeneighborhoodsandleavingbehind
smallnumberstofendforthemselvesagainsttheundead.Afewfamilies
likeAngeles.Itwasn’t
mineit were savedlongandbeforeeventhosesites
takento quarantinedareas outsideof Losand
what
overrunbydeath. werecompromised
Nothingwasevernormalagain.Sometimes,Isitandthinkabout
wouldbe
TheCivilWarisliketohaveanormall ife again.MaybeIwould’vegone
tocollegeandmajoredinBiologylikeMom,ormaybehistory,likeDad.
stil myfavoritetimeperiod.Itwould’vebeenniceto
fromTom.irst jobinLA,maybeeven an apartment.Somewhere faraway
getmyf
 his is rEverydayIwakeuphopingthisisallabaddream.Thatnoneof
and headbacktowardtheinfirmary
tpast,mymotherwouldsay,butsometimesthepast
eIshutmylocker
al, butIwakeupdisappointeddaily.It’snotgoodtodwellonthe isall youhave.to findmy
Myaren’t veryTodaywasmanypeople
mother.mother she’s ataleftprominenthospitalinLosAngeles.Most
anursemaking herrounds across the community. Thereof
whoknowathingortwoaboutmedicine.
reported
outbreakf
motherwastakingherscheduledvacationdaysathomewhenthenews
the peopletheirshestfirstincident.
worked withdied It wasnever
immediatelyconfirmed
duringhowor wheretheMy
the outbreak.
toolonga f t e r . happened,butthetelevisionstationsstoppedreportingnot
Thesoundoffootstepscatches me offguard onmy waythrough
the main hall.Theexitisnottoofarfrom
holdingmybreathinfearof me,but Ipause
hearingthedreadedsoundofshufflingffor amoment,e t.
community,stepsforwardfromtheshadows.
Thefootstepsstopcompletely.
Nathaniel Thorne, one of the commanding soldiersin the
“Youknowyoushouldn’tbeinherebyyourself.”
“Whatareyoudoinghere?”Iask,s
lingersovermeeversoslightly.“Somethingcould’vehurtyou.”
“It can bedangerous,” he says,avoidingmy tartled. question.His stare
asIsayiOri“Therearen’tanyshufflersinsidethecommunity,”andeven
t,sIknowthati
itsomeone? t doesn’tmeanthattherecouldn’tbe.Iam
byremindedofitdailywhentheschoolbellringsat3:00pmpreceded
voice,butit’salwaysthesamecold,emotionlesstone.
loudspeaker.EverydayIlistenforeventheslightesttoneofpanicinthe
the“Civilians
cold voicearen’tofaallowed soldierinthatunmonitored
announces,areas,al clear over the
doors­howcouldIforget.We’vebeenwarnedandforbiddentoleavethe
fencedwalls.” Hesays,gesturing to therestrictedsignon eventheinsideentrancethe
community and although we practice
we’reneverallowedtoleave.Afewhavelearnedthehardway.Theotherevacuation
muchthereolderthan procedures
me climbthefenceandweekly
dayIwatchedDavid,aboynot
whenhe returned soldiers were to block him from re­entering.
overheardhismothercryingduringoneoftheevacuationprocedures,she
familywasstarving.I
had pleadedwithhimnot
Thornecomescloser.“DoyouhaveaboyfriendCarly?”
“Iwasjust onmywaytomeetmymother,”Ireply.
t’s almostcertainthathe’sdeadbynow.
togo, but food is scarcethese daysandhisI
Itrytopull myarm away,buthegrabsmywristandpullsittohis
runninghisfingeralongmyarm. heasks,
lips. “Suchaprettything,”
“Stop.”Thefeelingofhisl he says,pressinghislipson
ips onmemakesmyskincrawl. my wrist.
“Thorne?”someonecal s out.
 advance,afigureappearsnear
Avoiceechoesdownthehtheendofthelockers.I
al . BeforeThorne tcanmakeanother ’s anothersoldier.
makesa beelinetowardus. Ashe comescloser,Ican’thelpbutnotice
Hesomethingfamiliarabouthim.
“Thorne,theyneedyouoverinAvenueC.”
3.”Thesound another soldier’svoicecomescracklingout
Thatvoice.“Code
handradio.“Tremell!Doyoucopythat?”
It’s him.Joshua.Myheartf
of lut ers atthesoundofhisname.He ofhis
looksdifferent–
“Negative.”stopsA afew
him.He tal er,ofvoices
flood leaner,andsomuchmoreseriousthanIremember
feetaway flow
and fromthe
turns, l i f t
radio,barely
i n g the radiotoaudible, but
hisface.
somehow Joshua can discern their message. “Ten­four.” He carefully
reattacheshisradioandthenlooksupatme,asifjustrealizingIwasstill
methere.Theshockregistersonhisfaceimmediately.Hewasn’texpecting
tobeMyhere–eyestoarebealivdrawne. to the fusion of emerald green and golden
threeyearsolderthanme,buti
flecksinhiseyes.Hestaresbacka t neverft me,slowlylookingmeover.It’shard
oncehad.TwoyearshavepassedandIhardlyrecognizehim.Joshuais
nottostare at thefinemusclesthathavereplacedthescrawnyarmshe
elt so,until now.
Hereachesout,and for amomentit seems likehemightactually
touchme…myskinhumswithexcitement.Didhemissme as muchasI
missedhim?
eality. “Youknowt usedcoldtohisvoice
rmagicofthemomentisover.
Thorne’s livegirl?”pierces my thoughts, drawing me back to
“SheJoshua’shanddropsandhelooksaway,clearinghisthroat.The
children,”Joshuamutters. on the same stre t as me when we were
Hisdismissivetone strikesachordinme.Weweremorethanj
neighbors.Thornesmirks,“Ah,Isee.” ust
Thesilencebetweenthethreeofusis uncomfortable.Mycheeks
warminembarrassment.Ishould’veknownthatIdidn’tmeananything
tohim. “Letmeescortyoubacktoyourmother,Ms.Rios.”
Joshuagesturestowardthehallwayexitwithd
“Icanfindmyownway,”Isay,cuttinghimo fis.interest.
Theexitisn’tcloseenough.Ihurrydownthehallandoutthedoor
before
lremember
it le girl.As turn,can follow
anyoneme Iandanotherthinglettinghimusher
Icatch me.a glimpse
It’s onething
of Thornehaving andJoshua Joshuain heated
me iaroundlikesome barely
Joshua’sstarefollowsme.Thelookonhisface s strange,andyet
conversation.
sofamiliar.
slowlycrumblingfromneglect.Mounds
TV setsOutsidethe *** ofpavement,
sit smashedfenceson theof thecommunity,
sidewalk trashlittersthes
buildings–thrownfrom
sitreabandoned,
ts, broken
shop
windows.ThereLooters have come andgone,
whatevertheycan.Therearerowsa stripping cars and storestre fort.
fter rowsofcarsalongsidethes
andtakingone. are nightswhereI dreamaboutwalkingoutside thefence
Iturn, startledby mymother’s voice. She stands outside the
“Carly?”
medicalsupplyshedleaningagainsttherampr
“Carly, are ailing.
youready?Didn’tyouhearmecallingyou?”
“Day­dreamingagain?”Shesmiles.
“Sorrymom,Iwasjust…”
Always.
“I’mready.”
military Shehandsme
andcivilians.aOurbasketofmedical
thefirststreetofcommunityhouses.The suppliesasshe
walk is brief, buttowni headstoward
silesntdividedinhousesfor
; we haven’t spoken
feelscompelled
Tom–Iknowfirsthand. tosayI’m sorry,but deep insideIknowI’mrightabout
sincethefightwehadtheothernightaboutmystepfather.Apartofme
“Carly,Iknowi
andyouneedafatherfigureandTomi t ’ s hardfor yous agoodman.”
to acceptTom,butyourbrother
Iscoff a t the wordgood.Shelooks
It’simpossibletoseeTomasmyfather. a t me, pleadingwith her eyes.
“He’sreallytryingt
I gavehimachancelasttime his time;youshouldgivehimachance.”
andwhenyouweren’tlookinghe
shivers.
puthishandsa
“What’swrong?”Sheasks.
l overme.Thememoryofhistouchh its mewithviolent
Iswallowmytearsbackandstareoutintothevacanttownaround
It’searly
us.something movesinenoughthethatshadows catchingaremyawake.eye.IFromfocusainondistancethe
few people
movement ispastthe
contortedfence.Agasp
in horroras escapesfrom
knowsheseesittoo.He’srunningtowardsusbreathless mymother’sl
isagroupofthreeshufflers,exceptthey’renotshuffling,they’rerunning.
His face“I’venever
they’recatchingup.
“That’sDavid,Martha’sboy.” hepushes hislegsto ips andI
andrunbehindhim
faster,but
seenthemrunbefore.”
“Carly,wehavetohelphim!”
My mother’swordssnap mefrom my daze.David. It’s theboy
whowasrecentlyexiledfromthecommunity.
“How?”“Helpme!” hescreams.
 turnsatthe
nothingwecan sounddo forhim;civiliansaren’tallowed
ifthesoldiersknewwehelpedhim
Thesoundsofhispleassendshiversdownmyspine.Mystomach
of desperation inhis voice. Inside tocarryI know
weaponsandthere’s
toward my mother­anguishf i l s herinside,wewouldbeexiledtoo.Iturn
eyes,sheknowsal toowellthatwe
“Carly, we havefewto help.”Shesays.
shouldturnandcontinueonourroute. aheadof them.Theirlimbsthrashforward
prey.
David’s
tryingtoreachhim,likewilddogstheysnarlandsnapt
TheirHeonlyhasa
bodyskinslamssags,intothe
barelyfeet covering thebones acrossheitheirchest.As
r teethattheir
concealedholea
“Please!Thefence,helpmegetunder!”
t thebottom. fence, he scrambles to get underneath the
My“Carly
Hemusthavecutit.
motherscramblestoholduptheloosesectionofthefence.
jeanscatchonthebottomlinks.
bodybeneaththefence,butj
squeeze.Hecangetbacki
I grab helpme.”
the oppositen.sideuHehastst ashe’salmosta
of theo. fence
Daviduseshisfeettopushhis
andl thewaythrough,his
pull up. It’s a tight
“Shit!”heyells.
Hepusheshisfootagainstthefenceinanefforttogetloose.
“Hurry!They’retooclose!”I
I turn towards my mother ­ scream.
her face i s pale white,her fingers
brightredfromholdingthefence.
“Help,Ican’t getmyleg loose.OhGod.” from of
I t ’ s tool a t e . Iwanttol e t
watchhimdie.Mymotherdropstothefloorandmyheartgoess goandrunaway a l thitsi.l Ican’t
; what
iinterruptedbyapiercingscream.It’smymothers.Bloodoozesfromher
sjeans.Iholdmybreathinanticipation.Mygripisslowlyslipping.Iclose
shedoing?Herhandss l i p beneaththefencepullingatthefabricofhis
my eyes, whispering a silentprayer, but my thoughts aresuddenly
Myaway,keepingmyeyesonthepredator
hand,afingersreleasethe fenceasI jumpbackin frontofus.Iwatchindisgust
chunkoffleshismissingbetweenherthumb from shock.Ipullmymother
and indexfinger.
as thehechewson her missingflesh.
Despitehiselderappearances,hisreflexesarequick.Helungesa tme
isweak
thefence,shakingi
andquicklywrapalayeraroundherhand.Herfaceispaleandherpulse
asIleanheragainstmychest.Ireachforgauzeinsidethemedicalbasket
beneath myt inhunger.Mymother’sblooddripswarmover
fingers. There isn’t enough gauze tostop the
fends AsIlook up, Irealize David isstill stuck underthe fence. He
bleeding.
ofthemofftheothertwoshufflersashestrugglestokickthem.Theolder
Iasfreezetheypullhimbackouttheotherside.
shufflerturnshisattentiontowardDavid.He’snomatchagainstthethree
asIwatch them themdigtheir nails into hisintestines,
pullingthemoutinonethrust, likerippingweedsfromagarden.Ipray
 Silencefollows his screams. The shufflers tear
hisdeathisquick,althoughIknownotpainless.
“Nooo!”hegarglesasbloodsurfaceshismouth.
andchewMyhisfingersandtoesasimyarmsandher
bodylikeabonesharedbetweenthreedogs.Theyravagehisintestines and pull at his
mothershiversin f savoringtheflavor. quietvoicecallsmeback
toreality.“Carly, leave me. Thesoldierswillbeheresoon.Theyprobably
heardeverything.”
“No!You’recomingwithme.”
Shelooks down at the gauze wrapped around her hand. She’s
“Carly…”
infected.They’vewarnedus,onebitei
“Mom,Ican’t.”
“I Isay my s a l i t takes.
Unwantedtearsspilldown
can’t,” asIshake cheeks.
won’t leaveyou. They’llkil you.”myhead.“No,you’recomingwithme.I
“Promiseme…”shepleads.
promise.Isqueezemyeyest
I help her scramble itoghther, shakingmyhead.
fe t. I know what she wantsme to
monsters.“Ipromise,”Iwhisper.
here. Myheart aches atanthealarmthoughtsoundsof myof . motheras
In the distance one of thosebe
Soldiers wouldsoon
***FormoreinformationonVanessaBookesee:
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 ChantalBoudreau
JustAnotherDay...
kind ofMargotcursedasher
behind, andthingalways
morningshappened latelytoastlandedpeanut­buttersidedown.This
alwaysto herseemed
when shetobewassucha alreadyrush.runningShe
supposed
doing
employedhusbandandtwoteenageboys.Theyweretotallyincapableof
thatthat could besaid forany working motherwith aself­
supermom. anythingforthemselves,leavingherconstantlyplayingtheroleof
andscrubbed the stickybrown
Shetossedwhat mess offofthelinoleum,mutteringunder
was meanttobeherbreakfastinthecomposter
hisoffice tosheherowntroubles.Shesupposedpartofthereasonthat
shewassuchaklutzlatelywasbecauseshewassot
herbreathaswhenshedid
withoutadding wentso.Shehadto bed, enoughworktodoaroundthehouse
and she had difficulty ired. Royremainedin
falling asleep
withouthimthere.Shehadalwaysbeenthatway.Addtothefactthathis
office wasbelow their bedroom, offand that she could hearhim shuffling
hourssleepbeforethealarmwent
aboutthere, well intomakethe night, andinthemorning. she was luckyto naba coupleofherto
rinseitclean.Thehousereekedbadlyenoughalready,ab
duringtheweektodoanyseriouscleaning,andshecouldnotrelyon
familyforhelp.Thatl
the sinkMargotwould tossed not etheft theweekends,andshemanagedwhatshecould,
things
spongeanyintoworse. the sink,She toodid rushedfor
notithavemoremessinanytimetime
butmonthsago,thankstoRoy’swritingcareer.Whilecleaning,shedidnot
she hadevenother obligationswastoattend to that shehad nothadhadleft a few
dareventure
there.No...
basementdisturb
Margot
intointoatheRoy’srealized
supermom
depths
complete
office,thatandtrytosort
wasteland.She
andHayden
thingsnotthatbrave. Wesleyhavetothathadtheybeturned
wouldoutandlikely
would
themess insanetothe
had foundsuccessbeforethey
bungalow, with a finishedhad boughtthe
Royneighbourhood­allthattheycouldaffordonhermiserablesalarya
bedroom basement,havehouse.
in beena Iquestionable
tdifferent
wasatwo t theif
hospital. Shewould havehad comealong
made alot moreand spoiled
promisedherselfthatshewouldgoback,butthatwasnotverylikelywith
school,but Hayden ifshehadherplans.actually Shefinishedhad
schedule.She was fortunatehousetobecameabletosqueezebreathinginthere.
wouldgettheupstairsbedroom,andwhichonewouldbebanishedto
thewaythingsstoodnow.Shewasfartoobusytof
After buyingthe thedilemma ofitwhichofthestudyingintoher boys
oftheroomsinthe basement.Atthe time,neitherofthe twoliked onethe
idea of being holed awayin the cel ar. After several rounds of rather
 spirited arguments,
resolving the issue. Royhad
He had found athatcompletely
declared he would different
be method theof
converting
thatbothboys wouldbeforcedtodwellinthecel ar.
upstairsroomintoanoffice,wherehecouldwriteinpeace.Thatmeant “My
cellardwellers.”
“Yup,” Margotsighed,pouring
Roy coffeeinto her travelmug,
Shecouldhear
downstairs.Royrarely movingaroundinhisoffice,butnottheboys
likedtostayput,butthatwasnotthecasewith
basement,andhadstoppedcomplaining,makingthebestofitoncethey
thadheirgrown
sons. Theaccustomed
twoyoungto it.Margot menhad eventually
rarely heardfrom acceptedthemlivingnow,inthebut
Margot
age, added cream
theywerefairlylazyfortheirage,muchmoresluggishthantheirfather.
andsugar substitute,and
so active,lateandeven s t i r e d . She
foriherselffromtimetotime,kepther
supposedthatshecoulduserealsugar,andherweightwouldnotsuffer
byher
theporchwith
t. Watchingashewouldhavemoretimetorelax–spendingweekendson
fter herfamilyonadailybasis, ly. Shehadthoughtthat
lookingoutfor
wasnotherreality. Roywithagoodbookandsomeicedt e a . That,however,
started hadight, toplay
hadchosen.Thecoverswerea
Margot
lookedrShetossed
searching beforeforthe andlintoseek,
theshefoundonethatf
hidespoonproper forsinkit.theRoyhad
jumbledtogetherinthesamedrawer,and
covertheexperimenting alongparticulartravelmug
withwitha
alwayscomplained
the spongeand
couplethatshe
aboutthewayshehadorganizedthingsinthekitchen,buthehadnever
offeredtohelprectifytheperceivedproblem. infamily
Roy’swritingcareerhadtakenoff,andsuddenlytheyhadhadmoney.
wasnotenoughforhertoquitherjob,orevenreverttopart­time
comfortably.
tofinishschool,butithadbeenenoughthattheyhadstartedlivingmore
vacationinyears,andsome
TheyhadreliedonMargot’sincomealone,tobeginwith,butthen
Several monthsoftheburdenof
ago,they had payingtheb
taken theirfirst orderIt
il s hadbeen
lsuccess after enjoyingthefirst, rarelycomingout,evenformeals.Now,
spentmoreandmoretimelocked
Margotneversawhim. up inhisoffice,chasingfor evenmore
ifted fromMargot’sshoulders.Ithadalsomeant,however,that
Margotpushed Royhad
hercoffeetooneside,andstarteddiggingthrough
thecupboardsforagranolabar.Sincehertoasthad madethe sacrificial
leap,shewoulds
concession e t l e forsomethingpackagedandinstantforbreakfast,a
thatalltheasshewithsomething
would havehealthy.
tomake
usedrelegatedtoher,
marshmallows andthe caramel.They
groceryshopping,
myriad Nowthatwereresponsibilities
withdisgusting,sugar­ladenthingsonthemarket,chocolate­coveredandf
masquerading
todo of otherhewould morning.
alwaysWhen
thatthatdutyhad
merely chocolateRoyhad
buythatshethemost
beenibarshadl ed
beenforcedtoassumebecause Roywasnoibrelongerable,Margotselected
properfood.Hergranolabarswerehighf , lowfat,andreducedsugar.
 office. He was gettingfterrestless.That
breathsharply.Shehad
Shehadtostayfita
shehadtorunfasterthanothers. ten drewandmore
cupboardsandsheglancedatherwatch.Seeingthetime,shesuckedina
Margotheardafewbreathynoises
all.Shewasalwaysontherun,andsometimes, her attention away from the
shufflingfromRoy’s
minutesdidnot
wanted“Briefcase,”shegrumbled,staringhaplesslyaboutthe
everythingthatshehadtodo.
tocatch her train.That left beforeleavehershe hadmuchtoleave,i f she
time todo
wasverydisorderly,andwouldremainthatwayuntil Saturday,in kitchen.It whenshehad
her eyesnotandbeable
wouldfinallybeavailabletotidyit.“Whereismybriefcase?”
MargotTherewasacrashfromdownbelow,somewhereinthebasement.
broken, butrolledshewould moaned.toinvestigate.No
Itsounded likeonesomething theirright
thedark,l eft haphazardlyhat.onShedidnothavethetimeforanythingother
mindwouldgodowntherewithoutasuitofarmourandaflamethrower
toclearthepath.Shecouldj
nothavethetimefort usthest pictureherselftrippingoversomethingin
tairs, andfallingtoherdoom.Shedid
thangettingreadyforwork.
Margotneededonel
tossedi Finally,hergazedids
t ontopofthetast thingbeforeshel
able, alongwithhertravelmugandgranolabar.
et le onherbriefcase.Shedrewitoutand
eft thehouse,and...
notlet Theunusualsmell
thecounter.Shealwaysatelunch
therrainofanother
Margotspunquicklyon
. Shewassofatigued andinheelgothearushedthati
Roy andtaskthethatboysherrequired andircompletion
a,tbeyondthetypicalodours,reminded
hungry, andt hadpreparing
eyedthethreebrownpaperbagson
thehospitalcafeteriabutshecouldeir meals hadher
beforealmostslippedhermind.
shethheadedfor
becomearegularpartofhermorningr
meals. She stared anxiously at her watchitualagain. s ­sohaddistributingthose
Did she have enough
time?Shedidnotwanttomisshertrainandhavetotaxii andan t toworkagain.
Thatseemedtobebecomingabadhabit,
Shewanted Withtoaconsidersetting
restrained whine,heralarma
alreadyrunningonemptywiththel
wasnotsureifshecouldphysicallyfunctiononanythingl Margot expensiveone
it le amountofsleepthatshegot.She
approached
fewminutesearly,butshewass . at that.
the ecounter
thecontainer
bags sopenat. Thatwas whenshe noticed thatshe had l e f t the where
plastic
withthe remnants ofthat day’smeal. Sheandglancedt gaveinit
withoutthinkingorpausingtoholdherbreath,andthestenchofi
andhurriedlyshoveditontothemiddleshelfofther
insecuringitwithanexaggeratedpush,sweptthecontaineroffthecounter
greyishgelatinousmassinside,shehastilypoppedthecoverontopand
herthebetweendry twoothercontainers
heaves, like rancid rotting with similarmeat. proportions
Tryingefrnotigeratolook
tor, quivering
placingatthe
waste sticker that Margothad forgotten ttoil remove.She
graycontents.Oneoftheothercontainerss boreamedicalbiological rotated the
 containerclockwise,turningthesidewiththestickertowardsthewallof
thefridgeandawayfromview.
From behindtheclosedofficedoor,MargotheardRoygroan.
“Justrila.”minute,honey,”
knowthedMargot was tempted to she called. “The boys makeher
scoopupthebagsand come first–rounds,you
of doingthat,shehadleftafoul­smellingstainonherbusiness
butthebrownpaperwouldoftenleak,andthelasttimeshe
amistake
t ire. Ifthathappenedagain,shewouldbeforcedtogoandchange,and had madethe
thenshewouldcertainlynotmakehertrain.Sheleanedoverandgrasped
theanythingtodripoffthemontoherclothing.
lunchPlasticwould
bags cautiouslybe betterby ttoheiravoidspillage,she
rolled up tops, careful
wasthatshewouldlikelyneversee knew,butnot tothefact
any containershandedofftoRoyor allow
the boys ever again, whichetidwould
whiletheoldones,rank,f mean constantly buying new ones,
andgrowingmould,wouldpileupinsome
corner,forgotteninaclosetorlostbehindapieceoffurniture.Thatmuch
hadnotchangedovertime.Brownpaperbagswouldremainthemethod
ofchoice.
line. It AsMargot
wasamother’sprerogativetoputthewell­beingofheroffspring
had just finished teearl ing Roy, the boys werefirst in
twobagsinherlefthand,
toquietherbreathing,andpressedher and Roy’s in herragainstthedoor.Allshecould
hearwasherheartthuddingloudlyinherchest.Thatdidnotnecessarily
beforethatofherspouse.Sheapproachedthedoortentatively,witht ight. Shecreptcloser,tryingheir
mean thattheywerenotthere.They
expectofatypicalteenageboy, as were lessmindlessthanonemight
as
wascouldsbecause they were Roy’s children. HerthatsurprisedMargot.They
much
til beclever,whentheyreallywantedtobe.That,sheassumed,
husband had always been
smartasawhip,whereasshehadalwaysbeenforcedtomuddleherway
throughthings,improvisingasnecessary.
Margotrealizedthatshedidnot
tojump havethetimetostandthereand
outather. Shesteeledherself,unlockingthebasementdoorand
waffleoverwhetherornottheymightbelurkingbehindthedoor,waiting
outof Without hesitating, she slammed the doormoanshutcomingand
as lit le noiseaspossibleintheprocess.Cringing,sheswungthe
frombelow,andascratching,draggingnoisethatalmostmadeherjump
hadevenreleasedtherolledpapertops,sheheardaloud
doorwide,anddroppedthetwopaperbagsontothetopstep.Beforeshe
making herskin.
fumbleduMargottookthreestaggeringstepsbackwardsandpressedherself
stwiththelock.She managedtofinally get ittoclickbackintotil
upagainstthehallwaywallforcomfort.Shewasbreathingheavily,s
placej assomethingthuddedagainsttheoppositesideofthedoor.
startled,andsheclutchedatherchest.Closinghereyes,shewaiteda
moments,listeningtothesoundofgruntingandshiftingontheotherside
begantocalm.
ofthe door,beforeher muscles began torelax again, and herthoughts few
shockingtimethatshe
side,they
tHayden
differentiatedthemwas
distinguish
theyboywould
el ifhaditShewassaddeneda
wasHaydenorWesleythatshe
wasaged,could hadofbeenthewaythat
onehavethefromhadprovided
older
havethegrown other.
seenthembothatthesametimel
lhertheittoidentical
lwithetwo,and thebeityounger.
Onebythefactthatshehadnotbeenableto
lookanymore
would
Wesleysloucheda
sotwins.Wesley
hadheard.Notthatseeingthe
alikethat
neverinformation.
Theonly ableto
wasdifficult
thing sidethatonehadbyto
touchaHertelguess
yThethat,sons,as

theleftside,anddrooleda l i t l e , butthenagain,healwayshad. moreon

endearment,butherfingersweres
“Enjoy,boys,”Margotcalledthroughthedoor.
She wanted to pressa thandil tremblingtoomuchtoallowherto
tothe door, asa gesture of
doso. “I have to seetoyourfathernext and thenI’llbegoing,”she I’m said.
“gratitude,sheguessed.Shedidnotunderstandthemanymore,butshehad
Inotsincetheyhadh
’tendedl seeifIcanpicksomethingupforyoubothwhile
Margot
to bemuch wasitmetpuberty.Theyhadoftenbeensullenandsilent.Roy
morewithvocalsilence,aboutwhich things,wasespeciallyif gone.”
theirown heformlikedof
havebeen
something.Thewhy theyboys hadwereadapteda quiettopairliving– shyin andthe basementsoquickly.
reserved.Thatmight
Thatwasalsowhyshedidbaglnoteft misstyardheir presencethewaythatshe
withRoy. had insistedj
was openacoupleof
theustbackdoor. did
Roy’sofficewindowoverlookedthe
hadmovedi
hadbeenacoupleofviolentbreak­insinthearea,thattheybarallofthe
inchesandcoveredoverwithmetalbars.Roy
Withonlyn, afteoner wordhadgottenaroundtheneighbourhoodthatthere
to go,Margotheadedfor
thereand after they
windowsinthehouse,includingtheoneforhisoffice.Theydidnot,a
butall,liveinthebestoflocations.Sure,i
it would keep themsecure, andt heconsidered wouldlookugly,hehadargued, that much morefter
importantthanappearances.
That judgementcall had proven to be very useful, considering
their currentcircumstances.Margotcouldsafelyleavethatwindowopen
twenty­four/seven,withoutworryingaboutanyone or
could
long.Theairin
window
breathable.I
orout.Thatwas
neverSheleaneddownandgraspedthehandleofthepoolhook.They
openthavealsoleftenoughofagaptos
allowedthe
theoffice
important
affordedahadgotten
withRoy
apool,but
ir to cirbeing
csshehad rancid,upanythinggettingin
utlaulite Margot’spurposes.
,andcooped
making
bought iitwhenshe
tinthere
anda lhaving
it leal moredaythe
recognized the necessity for it.Margot entwined the paper bagin had
It tookathe
was atugontheotherend,aratherstrongone,
theopenwindow.There
cordingontheendandslippeditinbetweenthebars,slidingitinthrough
andMargotrespondedbygivingthepoolhookagoodshake.
coupleofminutesofj ostling, buteventuallyMargotmanagedtopullit
fre , leavingthebagbehindwithRoy.
 fromtheopenwindow.Timewaswasting,butthiswastheclosestthing
Margotcrouchedforafewseconds,listeningtothesoundsthatemerged
Unhappily lowering the unwieldy pole to the ground again,
toqualitytimethatshe had withherhusbandnowadays.Therewasal
ofshuffling,tearingandslurping.Thosenoiseswerefollowedbyastring o t
“Braaaaiiiins.” and onlyonewordcouldbeheardclearly.
ofhungrylamentations, “But
“Stillvocal,” Margot
dear.” Hisvocabularyreallyhadgonedownhill. murmured, not so loquacious, my
She hovered there for afew more moments, and then forced
herselftoturnbacktowardsthebackdoor.
“I’vefromupforme,
got togoto work now, honey,” sheyelled to him,a fair
distance his window.
Don’twait “They have meate.working
okay.I’llbehomel It isbudgetseason,andyou
along shift today.
knowwhatthatmeans.I
evenniceri Iap reciate the’lsympathy,”Margotchuckled.
onewomancandobyherself,youknow.” beburieduptomyeyeballsinpaperwork.”
Roymoanefd.“youcouldhelpoutaroundhere.There’sonlysomuchthat “But it wouldbe
re­enteredthehouse.
Withasoftwhimper,andapainedlookat thebarredwindow,she
therewereotherperks.Shecouldkeep
again,thatsheworked she thought,herasthreeshe headedfor
Shewas fortunate,for ahospital.Thesalarywasnotthegreatest,but men fed andthesomewhat
kitchen
just happened totobefoundwhereshewasemployed.Theyneverneeded
content,thanks theavailabilityofwhattheyneededtosurvive,andit
toleavehomeasar
smoothly, esult, andthatwasimportant.Ithadbeenthatwayfor
creativityandsomemanoeuvringtogetthingsintoplaceandfunctioning
thelastthreemonths,andshewasadapting,gradually.I
butshe hadtackled the problemhead on andt hadtakensome come upwith
Theremakewere timesthatshedidfeelguilty
solutions.Margotwasagoodproblem­solver.
workplace,butshehad
shedid,to herself come severalmeansaboutstealingfromher
feel beupt erwith. Thethingsthatshetookwereinthe
ofjustifyingwhat
no harm.
processofbeingdiscarded.Nobodywouldmissthem,anditdid
IWhyletitgotowaste?
t wassomethingthattheydidnotwant,andsomethingthatsheneeded.
Therewasalsothefactthattheyhadtakenadvantageofherfor
years, getting hertoheiworkr educationrequirementshadalwaysloomedover
unpaid overtime, knowing that her entire
familydependedonhersalary.Thethreatofbeingreplacedbysomeone
whobettermatchedt
ef orts, aninthe
her. ownIthadbeen intimidation containersthefiirl parted withandithadbeenan
form of tacticon
hertimeandherpresence.Well,nowshewasrecoupingthatlossthrough
hereffectiveone.Her
materialandbearingbiologicalwastestickers.
familyhadpaidthepriceinthepast,missingouton gray gelatinous
 beenworkingl Shepickedupherbriefcasefromthetablewith
a t e onthenightthatpeoplehadstartedturning.Itwasa asigh.Shehad
disease,they
lthem
evel, inkillingtheir had said.Itwasavirusthatreactedwithpeopleonagenetic
regular biological functions, lackof but thencomprehension
resuscitating
someways,withreducedcapabilities,a
andandsocialawareness,andverypeculiarurges.Thedoctorsands
hadsaidthattheirbrainshadbegundegrading,fasterthant
affectedthatwasaboutwhythey twenty­fivewerepercent cravingof brainthepopulation,
matterin particular. heircibodies,
who possessedentistas
Itonly
specific genetic mutation.That wasa mutation, however,that Roy had
had,andonethathehadpasseddowntohissons.Margot,ontheother
hand,hadbeenspared.
There hadbeen became masshysteria a t first,because thosewho were
sick...those
under who zombies,were
weremasskillingsbeforethegovernmenthadbroughtthingssomewhat
control. The government solution? violent
Kill themall,and voracious. There
nationalsecurity
There hadandbeenthe safety stragglers whopopulace.
a few ofthegeneral had escapedfor thethe sakegeneticof
cleansing,andthoseweretheoneswhohadbeensmarterbeforetheyhad
turned. They stil roamed cities and towns searching for new victims.
Thatwaynecessary,fortheirownprotection.
thatthey
waswhy deemed allcitizenswouldwerebenoweffective
allowedagainstto armthethemselvesin
zombies.It wasany
because
away,tokeep Therewerealsothosewhohadturnedwhoescapedthecleansing
they hadthemsafe, someonesomeonewillingtoshelterthem,andseetot
like Margot, someone willingto lock themheir
everyneed.Theywere,a
Margot had been ftersurreptitious,
al , stil family.keeping up appearances for
neighbours
herfamily, If anyoneaskedheraboutthem,Roy’swritinghad
didnotwantanyonetryingtotakethemawayfromher.
certainlycouldnothavetandtheywould
co­workers.Ifanyone
sendhat. Shelovedherhusbandandherboys.She
acleansingsuspected
teamtowhatthehadhouse,happened
andsheto
mother Margot alsowanthadto provide
withenoughmoneytosendt
possible.wouldnot started her childrenwiththe
heir sonstoprivateschool,
writing suppliedthem
onher lunch andbesthours whatgood
education
andthe
weekends,tryingtomimicRoy’sstyleasmuch
herstoriesuptohisagentashisl
beenrejectedoutright,butMargotfatelst likeshe as possible and
wasstarting to catchon
works.Herfirstfewpieceshad offering
evencommented
andtheagenthadbeenverypleasedwithherl
eventandthatitwasespeciallygoodtoseethathe
whatever trauma hethathadbeen it wasnicesuffering wasfinallyovercome
tosee fromthat Royasaatesthadresultofthe
endeavours.Hehad
backtohisold
turning
swith.
emanaget
lsequelf. Hetohis break through novel. MargottimewasthatnotRoysurefinished
alsohat, ontopofeverythingelsethatshehadbeenforcedto
suggestedthatitwasabout up
ifshe coulddealthe
 MargotheardRoy’snoisylamentationsbeginanew.Shehadbeen
Shehadtogettowork,ortherewould
lost inthought,notsomethingthatshecouldreallyaffordatthemoment.
stil makeittohertrain,ifsheran.
Margotglanced ather watchandbetrouble.
gavea stifled gasp.Shecouldwas
Shescannedthekitchenonemoretime,andfoundwhatshe
lookingf
it,makingor,itperchedbehindtheinsidedoor.Shehadinstalledastrapon
notimmunetoastraggler’sattacks,andwhatshesometimescarriedwith
herservedasextrab
withherhandsotherwisefull.Despitebeingasympathizer,Margotwas
easierforait. hertocarrywhenshe
She was onherwaytowork,
familywasdependingonher.
beneath She slung the shotgunover couldnotallowherselftobevulnerable.Her
one shoulder, hoisted her briefcase
herotherarm,andgrabbedhertravelmugandgranolabarfrom
thetoutsideable“Bye!”sheholleredover
.Thenshebumpedthe Roy’s Torigroans.Amosher“I’mbtune,uoff!”t , pushingherway
as she whistled her favourite
dooropenwith “Happinessis a
WarmGun.”
***TofindoutmoreaboutChantalBoudreau,pleasevisitherblogat
http://chantellyb.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/my­favourite­
monsters­a­z­zombie/
Andconnectwithheron
Facebook
 LauraBretz
WhatZombiesFear:
TheBalladofRyanFullerton
thegoinggetsrough.Thankyouforyourendlessencouragement
ToKirk:Thankyouforbeingthekick­in­the­pantsIneedwhen
is withoutyou. and
inspiration.Icouldn’tdotforhabettergroupofpeopletobe
Toourreaders:Icouldn’thaveasked
theMaxists.Youabsolutelyrockandyou’rewhatkeepusgoing.
Thisone’sforyou.
 Chapter1
Donte Jackson, when hiscell phonerang on his desk. He’d been the
Ryanwasfinishingupasessionwithoneofhisfavoritestudents,
guidancecounselorat BristolHighSchoolforjucsatl overtwoyears,andin
thattimehe’dtrainedeveryoneheknewnotto
keyonthe
schoolh
looktoseeours.“phonetosendthec
Ithatthe
’mreal sorryaboutt his wife,Kelly.“Ihiscellphoneduring
callwas fromhatl, Donte,”hesaid,swiping
directlytovoicemail.Hedidn’teven
think the‘ignore’
you havea
agoodchancea
t Tennessee.” t gettingthosegrants,andIthinkyou’llbereallysuccessful
“Mr.Fullerton, ifthethosegrantsdon’tcomethrough,Iwon’tbeable
studentthey’relooking
togo,”saidDonte.
giverightthe“Youyoung man some aocrt.iqualifications
themanagedtostayoutoftroublehisentirehighschoolcareerandhada
extracurricular
meetall vIthinkyou’llbefine,”saidRyan,tryingto
confidence.
ities, includingDonteandraising
you’re
wasabest­in­show sheephadl
sjtuasrt scholar,
the kindof
hisjob, and itshowedinhisinteractionswithhisstudents.irst yearonthejobast
yearhelpinghimdecidewhichonewasbestforhim.Ryanreallyloved
tryingtoconvinceDontehecouldgotocollege,andhadspentthel
fortwoyearsrunninginthe4Hclub.Ryanspenthisf
“Thanks, Mr. Fullerton.Idon’tknowwhatI’ddowithoutyou,”
saidDontestandinguptoheadbacktoc l a s .
Ryan stoodalmostsixinchest
toshaketheboy’shand.
butthenRyanwasusedtobeingt
“I’mgoingtomissyounextyear,”repliedRyan,alsostandingup
al er thaneveryone.“Haveagoodday,
al er thanDonte,
Iandi’l seeyou
f Idon’tseeyoubefore,goodlucka
next Tuesdayif Idon’t runtintothefarmshowt youat the show.”
his weekend.
Ryan
alwaysendedhisweeklymeetingswithstudentswithareminderofthe
next one.Dontewalked
guidancecounselor.
Most ofthe studentslooked forwardto their timewith their
andwifehermessage,
picked uphis outofthetinyi
phone.He hitthen t e r i o r officeasRyansatbackdown
voicemailicon and listened as
he
shouted intohitthethreetodeletethemessagesomewhere in
phone.Frustratedatnotbeing able to themiddle, understandhis
anddialedhernumber.
“Ryan!OhmyGod,Ryan,thankGodyou’reOK,”shesaidbefore
it rangevenonetimeonRyan’send.
“The hospital isfullof people. They’re sick, Ry, and they’re
“Kelly,what’swrong?”
dying,”shesaid,hervoiceclear.
“I don’t know.Noone knows.Old manHillsboro cameinwith
“Whatdoyoumean?What’shappened?”
his wife, bsaidihewas
diner,and t something about gettingbittenby some stranger in the
runningacrazyfever.ThenextthingIknow,heleaned
overand hiswife!Bitapiecerightoutofher!Nowtherearetwenty
or thirtypeople
Ryan,something’shappening.
need help.They’re here,andthe Broadmore
saying theI’m­­”
“Kelly,darlin’,”Ryancut heroff,inthe“IsiHome
folks areis calling
eating saying
homet badenoughthatyouneedeach other.they
out ofthere and goDohome.youfeellikeyou’reindanger?I
togetoutofthere?
aboutthetroubleatworktogether.” I’llbe homein an hour, andf youare,geton wecan worry
shewas wasoneofKellywasnotpronetooverreaction,andthathadRyanworried.I
thisthosepanicked,there was somethingwomen,a
good “saltoftheearth” on.Kellyforf
reallyoddherperfectgoingquality
throughthed ordered Ryan tot getwasbecauseof
the situation.irShet tofindhisfinger.I himtoher car while shedug
offsharpeningthecombineblades,Kellywastheonewhotookchargeof
someonethatworkedinahospital.WhenRyan’sfatherhadcuthisfinger
quickthinkingthedoctorswereabletoreattachthefinger.
“Come onhome, Kelly,” Ryan said. “On calmheadand
cancelmylastappointment andbe there to meetyou.” second thought, I’l
“Okay,” she said, satisfied. “I love you. I’l see you in a few
minutes.”“Iloveyoutood
backin arlin’. We’llseet
had himprettyr at led. his through.”
behindhimandwashalfwaytotheprincipal'sofficebeforehestuckhis
phone
building,butthis
Ryanstoodupashewassayinggoodbye,lockedhisofficedoor
hispocket.Heknewtherulesaboutusinghisphoneinthe
offices.
Kateyknow “Miss
“CanIneedyouJo,” email
withKelly,andIgottago.”
“Okay,Ryan.Hope said Ryan,
Katey’ssticking
5th periodhis headteacherin andthe administrative
torescheduleourappointment?Something’scome ask her to uplet
everythingis OK.” t thehospital’sgother
“Ithinkit’llbefine.Somebigol’dustupa
shakenup,butI’msurei
Heworriedabouthiswifeashedrovehome.Heknewhedidn’t
t’s nothing,”Ryanlied.
reallyneedto;shecouldtakecareofherself,butshewashiswholel
Hisfearoflosing her wasprobablybiggerthan
solidtruckandknewallthe
ShehadherGlockandknewhowtouseitifnecessary.Shehadagood, any dangershewasin.ife.
back roadsandsideroadsinBristolcounty.
Thethoseeveningsinhighschoolj
two of them had
goodmake­outspotsinhighschool. spent
About halfway to the house, years exploring a l those
ust Ryan woke from his daydreamof roads looking for
a lookat astill steamingintimetoslamthebrakepedaltothe
wholeenginecompartmentofaredToyotaCamrywasfoldedarounda
outflo rtotake
. HisoldblueFordF250screechedtoasidewaysh car that had runalintoa t. Ryanjumped
tre . The
mid­sizedWhenpinoakhet. gottreto, andthe driver’sside
groundbesidei
signsofmovementinside.Ryanpulledonthehandletoopenthe
theshattered ofwindshield
thecar,hewasthought layingheonthe
door,saw
butitwaswedgedshut. In apanic,hecrawledontothehoodofthecarto
lookintheholewherethewindshieldhadbeen.Ashestuckhisheadin
thecar,thedriver’shandslockedontohisheadandpulled.Ryanheaved
backwardstobreak free ofion ts grip.Attheedgeofhisvision,
driver’smouthmovingtowardshisneckandasthedriversteethsnapped he sawthe
tshut,helandedbuttfirst
re . Thedriverclawedandpulleda the frameoftiltheattached.
thehood oft thecarwithhis
handstoshredsontheshardsofbrokenwindshields backcar, againstthe
slicing her
phone. “Ma’am, stay stil !” Ryan yelled, reaching in his pocket for his
Hedialed9­1­1andheldthephonetohisear.Asecondlater he
heardthetelephonecompanytones,followedbyan“Allcircuitsarebusy.
Pleasehangupandtryyourc
“Ma’am,I’mgoing a l again”message.
togoforhelp.Trytostays t i l , ” Ryanyelled
ashe ranRyanspedoffasf
backtohistruck.
been a s t as histruckwouldaccelerate;flyingdown
ten yearsold.Hehadtogetto
theroadshe’d
Kelly, andmakesureshewassafe,andhehadtofindsomeonetohelp
drivingsincehewas
thatlady.
alwayshome.Ontheseoldcountryroads,housesdidn’thavedriveways
mountain.ThefirsthouseontheroadwasMrs.Wigginshouse­shewas
The oldblue Ford veeredright onto a dirt road, headingup the
door. asmuchas ageneral area wherepeopleparked.Ryanstopped
andyards
histruckafewfeetfromtheporch,hoppedoutandbangedonthefront
cal “Mrs.Wiggins!Mrs.Wiggins,there’sbeenanaccident.Canyou
911?”
Ryanbreathedasighofr
the door. Her elief whentheoldwomancametottering
overhadtakentocheckinguponheracoupleoftimesaweek,j
towards husband had died back when Ryanustattoseei
highschool,andal threeofherkidshadmovedoutofthes e.wasin
Ryanf
nurseeveryotherday,andthenurse’s carwas parkedinthedriveway.
sheneededsomething,ortomowherlawn.Shehadahomehealthcare
Ryanopenedthedoorassheapproached,butshedidn’tstop.The
pulledittowardshermouth.Asshedid,
sheandbothofthemlandedinapileonherfrontporch. aRyanfrightening
onto histheheadhandwiththatwasholdingthe
lherneck.Heyankedhishandback,pullingtheoldwomanontopofhim,
it lewasoldTheyoungmanscrambledtogetoutfromundertheoldlady,but
holding
womangrabbed dooropen and
sawalargeopenwoundon
Ryan forcedhishandsoutfrom under herandheldheramountoffbypushing
hardagainstherneck.OldMrs.WigginsdrooledalittleontoRyan’sface, of strength.
and wasmuch“Mrs.Wiggins!
strongerthansomeoneher age shouldhavebeen.
heyelled,gettinglouderwitheach“stop.”Shecontinuedtopush
Youhavetostop.Stop!Don’tbiteme,STOP!”
face, asif theonlythinginherheadwasgettingherteethonhim.Helet
neck and forhis
hecould find,set ling ona wobblyreachedhisotherarmoutforanything
goofher withonehand brick that borderedher porch. The
 toherfaceandpushed withit.
highschoolguidancecounselorworkedthebrickf re , andbroughtitupher
“Ma’am, yougottagetoffme.IneedtogethometoKelly, and
there’sbeenanaccident.”
Theoldwomankeptcoming,evenwithabrickpushinginto
, wast thepinnedman’sleg.Ryankickedhislegandgaveonehuge
hishandsouttowardsRyan.Whenhegotclose,hef
tgrabbeda
twocreaturesstruggledtogetuntangledandstandup.Ryandroppedhis
heavetothrowMrs.Wigginsoffofhim.Shelandedonthenurse,andthe
heirthi.esThat’swhenRyannoticedthehealthcare
comingoutofthehouse.Hewaswalkingcrazy, and holding
nurse,ael tohiskneesand
maninhislate
brickandranforthetruck.Somethingwasreallywrong,andheneeded
togethometoKelly.
logcabina
road, across the wooden bridge he’dasRyanhelpflewupthehill,towardshis
TheoldFordspunitswheels
t thetopofthemountain.Ryanbouncedalongtheruttedd
rebuild lastyear afterirat
mudslidetookoutthe
valley. hadto
feet
h,irhe’dty below.Thel old
hisgrandfather
drivelonearlyone.Theoldbridgewasstilllayinginthe
timountain.Ryan’slandstartedontheoppositesideofthebridge.Helived
onhisfamily’soldp
yearsbefore feet
ti.t Thelandhadbeeninhisfamilyforhundredsof
le bridgewasonlyfourteen
anmovedhoureveryone
out of hisdownto
way tolongbutwithout
theget farmincreek
aroundthethe
anbeautiful2500squarefoot,threebedroomthreefloorlogcabinonthetop
When Ryan tookpossession of theland,theonlythingon
of old,fallingdownpolebarn.Ryan,hisdad,andKelly’sdadhadb
themountainthat overlookedthevalley.Kelly’s iutiwaslt a
dadwasa building
contractor,andhadgiventhemthefoundationandthelogcabink
plumber,and
their wedding.hisThedadhad assemblybeenwasaneasyenough.
electricianin Ryan theArmy. Withit thefor
was acapable
withpassedease.Iallthet wasasolid,beautifulhome,andRyancouldn’twaitto
appropriate inspectionsthroughout thebuilding processget
rough­inKelly’sdadhaddone,everythingwentsmoothlyandthehome
back. it, and thesafety itoffered. He couldn’t wait forKelly to get
backto
Ryaneasedhistruckintoitsparkingspot,andranforthehouse.
Helefttheside­dooropen,buthisfirststepsweretolock a l threeother
entrances
French onthe
doorsthat ground
ledto l
thee v e l .
lowerHe pulled
deck, and the drapes
went closed
upstairs to overwait thefor
Kelly,whoshouldhaveonlybeenafewminutespasthim.
Nearly twohours later,he saw Kellywalking up
Butshewasn’t.
jasustthepair
behindMrs.Wigginsandhernurse.Shehadthesamestumblinggait
and the driveway,
withoutevenseeingamark.
Everything he’d run
in intoearlier,
his world stopped Ryanand Ryanfelt
knewshe’dhis beenheartinbit hisen,
throat.His eyes focusedonhersandevenfromt
thatthe lightshecarriedthathe his distance,hecouldtAs ehel
so adoredhadbeensnuffedout.
idegreesandaftershe
fwatchedher,hiskneesgrewweakandhefoughttoremainstanding.Inan
stillthemost
nrstanseent, everysinglemomenttheyhadsharedfloodedhismind.Ryanhad
heronthe hadbeensweating trackand field ringinforatleastathour,Kellywas
high school. Evenin95
beautiful womanhe had everseen.Theirrelationship ran
deep­oftenbeingcalled“disgustinglycute”becauseofhowperfectthey
weretogether.Ryanhadfallentohis knees­ his worldmoved in slowmotion
tonow.Hot,s
makeIthadj sureileniutstearsstreameddownhisface.
twasbeentheiranniversarytheweekpriorandRyanwanted
something special. He hadtaken her to the river
where
chocolatetheyhad coveredfirstkissed, strawberries bringing
and rosesa withpicnichim.lunch,The whitewine, blanket had
already been laid out andherthe edges wereforal lined with white pilHear
candles.Ithadbeenhisgoalforhertocrywithjoy.Shedid.
wouldsamesayEverything
touched
knewthatbecauseofher,hehadstriventobecomeabetterman.Tobe
thatmorning.Thewayherl
palms.
laugh.Howherfingertipswouldtracehisjawlineandthesoftwayshe
Thethe“Iloveyou”beforet
solidwayfloor,rockherabout
heskinforheras
remembered
ips movedasshelaughed­oh,howhelovedher
smelled.
hadheisherquickly
lihowHowpwass wouldtouch.
softcrazy
becomehis
himherherskinandhairentire
aswaslookedin
Ryan’s
againsthis
world.bodythe

where
forever, ashesat
wouldeventuallydrain
curled twould.afetal endoutofher
empty.Hersideofthebedwouldnolongercarryherwarmth.Hersmell
tAndtragically
theygrowingoldands
andnowhecouldn’tsaveher.
his through.Buttheydidn’tseei
always
uptheyAbody­wracking
“God,no.
endlessly,
lintooswanted
,there,herealizedthelastwords
thatitNo,hopelessly
future
itonAsapair,
gposition.
no,together
sobwouldonTheytheytnever
up inexploded
love. likehadofbetihelTheRyan’s
outeverything
Hehad
lclothesandofthelinensonthebed.
tithrough.
hfei.shadwould
porch,s
RyanJusthappen. oldtheoften
holdinghandsthe
saidtoher.We’ll
gottentheretoolate
plannedand
nursery
andbabyspokenof
mouthand themwaysseetheisolt,
graytheywouldbuthadknew

somesenseofwhat thistocan’thimselfbe happening.

overand over,Not trying
had happened.Buttherewasnosensetot
Kelly.” Ryan was muttering Kelly...not
his. toformmy
 Chapter2
little,losing
almosteveryday.Inthef irst fewwaslike
Ryan
A monthweightpassed.on histall frame.
days,hespraypaintedtheinside
Kelly
a zombiestoodhimself.outsideHethehouse of al
atevery
went out the front door, shewasand
during the day. Every timetahert towardshim,armsoutstretched,
outthewindowsblacksohewouldn’thavetolookoutather.Herarelywent
standingthere,watching.She’ds
he would run.beingHe gone.
wholelife couldn’tSo bearhe ranthe away,
thoughtandof hishopedpreciousthat someday,
love and
somewhere,someonewouldfindacure.
Whenheranoutoffoodinhisownpantry,hewalkeddownthe
wasempty.Ryanknewi t would be.He’dhad leftthe dooropenthedayhe
mountaintoMrs.Wiggins’house.Herhouse,amodular pre­fabhome,
foughtwithMrs.Wiggins.Thedayhel
Itturnedoutthattheoldlady
ofher o s t Kelly.
beensomethingofahoarder. of
Likemostpeople
vegetables
pickledokra,tomatoes,s
dillcucumber
Wiggins’hesatonher generation,shehadanentirecellarf
backfor
juice.Thatday,hefilledagardencartwithcannedgoodsandhauleditup
tohishouse.Thenextnight,hewent
fromher
picklesgarden.
cellarfloorandateanentirej
werealsa, applesauce,younameit;i
hisJamsfavorite.
and jelOntheries,thatessquash, trip tocanned
u l
green
t. fair,tstwasthere.The
thendrankthe
beans,
Mrs.
day therewasashort rapping at the door. He forwassittinginhis
Helivedupthereonhismountaintop twomonthsuntilone leather
chair, staring at the blank TV when he heard it. He reachedfor the
television’sremotebeforeherealizedthatitwasalreadyoff.Hehadn’t
hadpowersincethesecondweekafterhisworldended.“Oldhabitsdie
hard.”Thenagain,twosuccessiveraps.It wasdefinitelyaknock.Hegot
up,walkedtothedoor
Kelly, standing there aboutandopenedi
100feettaway.
butthereWatching
wasnoonehimandthethere.Only
way she
alwaysdid.Shestartedtowardshim,jawssnappingopen
Ryan
stomach.Thiscontinuedforseveralweeks.Therewouldbeaknocka
slammed the doorand fastened the deadbolt. Hefelt sickclosed,but tohis
t the
frontdoor.Ifheignoredi few seconds,knock­
t,it wouldn’tstop.Everyno onethere.OnlyKelly,
knock.Andeverytimeheanswered,therewas
waitingforhimtodiesotheycouldbetogetheragain.
At some point, hestopped shaving. It wasn’t because he was
runningoutofwater;mostlyhejustdidn’tcare.Itdidn'ttakelongforhim
Ryan turned
Sometimemid­July,
awarethat
the asthehadn't hebathed
timehekissedKelly. wasin goingto Hebe hadn’t
It wasthel
tohaveafullbeardandgreasyhairthathungdownintohiseyes.Hewas
vaguely
clothessincethel
sawhimin,anditwasthethinghe
weretogetheragain. wasnolongersureofwhatthedatewas,
weeks. wearingwhenthey
ast thingsheever
changed his
faucet on but nothing came out. “This shouldn’t be
happening,”hemumbledtohimself,“Notyet.”Thinkingoutloudhelped
him ignore how quiet theworld hadbecome. Ryan’s family built the
original watertower
tiesto inGander
thetownhadfinallyupgradedi
constructionwithsomei Valleyback
thenteroriginal, Ryan had infollowedthe
woodenbarrelthatheldtwenty­fivethousandgallons.Justtheyearprior,
of hisfamily est.tThenewtowerwasthreetimest
s water­towertoamodernone.Because Iatl wasa
the 1950’s. storyand er and
held 750,000elsedrinking,
everyone
population gallons. it Itwas
shouldandenough
dead, bathing, to keepfor almost
haveflushing Ganderaweek.
Valley’sWithful
hundredyearstousethatmuchwater.
Hesat down on a wooden taken atthe
bar­stool Ryan something kitchencounter like twoand
ranconsidered forhe’dacoupleofhourseveryday.If
welldrywastheworstthinghecoulddo.
power
wouldprobablytakehimthebetterpartofa
lostitsprime,
stand­pipewithwaterandgeta
thepump
the well­pump,
hisoptions. havebutHetodraina
hedidn’t
knewthe
l thealargeknow
town ofheran
partthehadyearto
ir outofthesystem.Runningthe
capacityil ofthetower
athetowertore­fillthe
generator
refthewelldry andit
if heIt
thethatwell.would
minutes
reached
math.Five
youadded ingallonsper
inacrossanhour
histhemustuse,wascounterplus2500hours,divided
hundredfourdays.Theywereabout90daysa
Someone haveminute,foralecouple paperbyhoseminutes.
fatwaspada garden
150,000
of other f24hoursinadaywasone
survivors,it
tanda
erortheoutbreak,sowhen
apencilto
sprinkleron.
Dividedbysixty
madedosense.
someHe
Someonewaswateringt
Iwouldhaveamostlyf
theygotbitten,andthehosehas
connect h e i r lawnorgarden
f hetowedthegeneratorwiththetown’ssnow­plow,hewouldn’thave
Hewasprettysurehecould
the tower’s pumps been make
ul dieseltankburiedbesidetheequipmentgarage.
tothe generator, orwashing
ever t h e i
runningthenecessarywiringchangesto
andknew r car
since. that thetown when
anytroublewiththesickpeoplewanderingaround.Theycouldn’tgetto
himupinRyanthe spent
cab. the next three days in a flurry of activity, planning,
thinking,planningsomemore,gatheringsuppliesanddrawingdiagrams.
Itfhavetosearchtheentiretown,house­by­houseturningoff
eknockingatthedoorstoppedwhilehismind
lt goodtobedoingsomethingagain.I
Onthemorningofthethirdday, i toccurredtohimthathewould
neveroccurredtohimthatthe
was active.
planwasgoingtowork.Withoutpeoplelivinginandheatingthehouses, thewaterif his
drainoutofthewatertoweragain.
hundredsofpipeswouldburstoverthewinter,andallthewaterwould
That realization deflated his motivation and reluctantly, Ryan
abandoned hisplanthe torefill the water tower. Instead,
acrossthebackfieldtoaspringeveryday.Thef i r s t t r i hehecarriedtwo
p risked a trtoip
everymorninghetookthef
five­gallon buckets, otheremptybesidethesmallstream.Fromthenon,
fill,andleaving placingulonebucketandreplacedi
under the tricklingt withtheemptyone,
mountain spring
givinghimaboutfivegallonsofwatertouseeveryday.Afteraweekor
bucket. Eat a fewof
Every day wasthe same, day inand day out. iFetch
so,thingssettleddownintoanew“normal”routine.
Mrs.Wiggins’beansfromajar,s thewaterto
t inhischair
stare at theblankTV.Answerthedoor.Eatafewmorebeans.Somedays
heslept.Somedayshedidn’t.Butawakeorasleep,hewasdoingpretty
same thing.
muchtheKnock,knock.
usual. Thiswasthetwelfthroundofknockingtoday–twomorethanthe
Ryan had had enough. “Go the fuck away, goddammit! Stop
tormentingme!Justletmedie!”Hisvoicewascrustybecausehehadn’t
spokenoutloudinmonths. and stormed toI’mthehearingpeopletoo?”
forangrilyfuck’ssake.Now
“Mr. Fullerton!Isthatyou?”
ofhischair“Oh, door, flinging Ryan gotout
lookingtoKellyoutintheyard,butshewasn’tthere. it open, his eyes
him.“Donte?”hecroaked.“Whatareyoudoinghere?Whydidn’tyougo
tocollege?”Ryan
“Mr.Fullerton!You’realive!”
focused a lit le closer and saw Donte standingin front of
thereistoDonteshookhisheadandsadlylookeda
safety,hotwater and people.”wecan
nomorecollege.Youneedtocomewithme.Wehavefoodand t Ryan.“Mr.Fullerton,
staywithheruntil he repliedf
have “Ican’tleaveKelly,” latly. “I’m notgoinganywhere;I
betogetheragain.”
When “Wasshebitten?Didn’tyouseethenewsa
people are bit en, they’re dead. The lafsterhourschoolthatday? CNN wasno
heartbeat
dead.”
broadcasting,
“ThenI
anymore,they’l waithereu
showed
Mr. Fullerton.
oneof
ntil I’mdead.Iwon’tleaveher,”saidRyan.
Once
them being someonedissected;
isinfected,theretheywas are
bottomofyouBoththemountain.“I
of their heads gotta
tomorrow.I’llbebacktomorrow
some,
mountainashefinished,yellingthelastb
know,liketheolddays?”He turnedgo,atatthe wassoundof
backupto ashotgun
Ryan. frombackthe
thMr.isitsametime.Maybewecantalk
Fullerton.ButI’llcome
alreadyrunningdownthe
wishedthatitwasj
Ryanslammedthedoorandlockedit.Forafleetingmoment,he
Momentslaterhewass ust iKellyoutintheyard.Atl
Likeananimalsinkingintoquicksand,anideaoccurredtohim.I east thatwas familiar.
t ing inhischair,staringblanklyatthetelevision. t wasan
agonizinglyslowprocess;af ul sevenhoursafter hesatbackdowninhis
chair,Ryanhadfullythought­outsomethingthatneverevenoccurredto
him. “Theremightbeothersaliveoutthere.”
 Chapter3
That single thought broughthis brainback to life. He started
planning immediately, andtooverthe
Inescapefromhishouse,andthetormenti nextt contained.
few days he prepared forfromhis
themorning’sbucketbeforesunrise,andstartedonhisfacewithscissors.
threemonths,he’dgrownabeardtomakealumberjackproud,andhis
Onthedayhewas leave,hepouredasinkfullofwater
hisbeardwastrimmedascloselyaspossible
hair, whichwasnormallykeptclosely­cropped,wasoutofcontrol.When
withscissors,heshavedhis
faceandthenpulledouthistrustyclippers.
throughhishaircut,hestartedbuzzinghishead.Heclippedthesidesand
backfirst,leavingaMohawkstripdownthecenterofhishead.Al
Amazedthattheystillheldacharge,andhopingthatitwouldl it leaofst
Kelly’smousse stoodthestrip straightup,andforIn thehisgaragehefound
paradedaroundhishousefeelinglikeabad­ass. nexthour,Ryan
hisoldhalligan.I
from his days astavolunteer
college.Hestood wasahalfcrow­barandhalfaxe;thetoolwasleft­over
in the mirrorfirande­figadmiredhimself,
hter the summer andbeforehe
fora minute,
left for
thoughtmaybeheshoulds
rsomehoodlum. tart ajournal.
“Icould cal Heit “Ryan’s tosee
back upstairstoremovethe
laughed.Heallowedhimselftolaughforalongtimebeforedecidingthat
ithehalligandownontheentrytableandwent
teswastimetogetmovingbeforehedidanythingelseridiculous.Heset
t ofhisMohawk. didn’twantpeople
Undead Diary,”” himandthinkhewas
he saidout loud and
through Justyearsaftofcollected
er sunrise, Ryansportsequipment.He
stepped into the donnedablack
garage and rummaged
plastic
chestandspineprotector;ahold­overfromridingmotocrossalloverthe
mountainsasateenager,andthematchingblackmotorcyclehelmet.
Fromahugeblueandwhiteduffelbag,heputonhisoldfootball
shin, thigh, and kidney pads, and thenItwasashestrappedeverya pairmetalofshelvesbythe
guardsaroundhisforearms.Finally,fromtherackof soccer shin­Vs
door,hepulled
Seniors”schoolsoftballgame.Thes
participateinanothergame.
forthekids.Hefeltapangofsadness
Ryanrolledthe outhis softballbat. taf lostusedin
realizedthathewouldnever
year,butitwasgreat
theyearly“Staff
ontheopposite
4wheeler outsideontotheofgaragedooropen,andmovingquickly,pushedhis
oldwaslong­dead,sohepulledthechokeandlookedaroundhim.Kellywas
thedriveway,
driveway andandclosedhad started
the garage.The
towards him.batteryHe
yankedontheHe pulledagain,
seventy­fivefeetfromhim.cord, theoldheardHonda
themotorturnoveronitsownacoupleof
sputtered and died.Kelly wasnow
timesandthenitdiedagain.
wassputtered,soundedlikeit
closing
“Comeonnn,baby,”hesaid,yankingthecordathirdtime.Kelly
quickly, less than fifty feet away. Once again the engine
mightcatch,andthendied.
 rippedRyanthepushedthe
andenginesputtered,misseda
cordone chokeinandpulledi
more
few time, yanking t withbackout,reacheddown
times,butkeptgoing.Kelly allhis might.
was twentyThe
bogged down, Henotashoppedonthequadandgavei
fivefeetaway. readyto run yet, so he quicklyt alitletoffthe le gas.Theengine
t h r o t l e .
Seconds passed
away, RyanHeshovedthechokeiKelly closed the distance.
tried thethrot le again,andtheengineresponded. When she
nt, hit thethumblevertoputitinfirstgear, was ten feet
letouttheclutchandgunned i downthegraveldriveway,sprayingrocks
same timewastorture. Hehadto
asheroaredpast.Ryanrodedownthemountainwithtearsrunningdown
outbehindhim.Kelly’scold,outstretchedfingertipsbrushedhishelmet
hisface.Hewasgratefulfortheblack­outvisoronhishelmet.Tobeso
closetoherandsoafraidofheratthe
findsome
depression. people, or next time he might not
It was abeautifulsummerday.Thetemperature was inthemid­ come back from his
eighties,andthesunwasshining.Evenwiththeheat,Ryanwasgladhe’d
optedforlongsleeves.After beingcoopedupinthehouseforsolong,
GanderValley.
milesperhour,makinggoodtimedownHighway7towardsthecityof
sunburnwouldhavebeenaguarantee.Thequadrolledalongaboutthirty
evenweirder in theyards growntthingalhadandmoving.
not seeinghad al single
fourmilesintotown.Itwasweirdbeingoutontheroadonaquad,and
thegrassAtthecornerofHighway7and613,hemadearight,androdethe
packedwithcars.Thehousesalongthehighwaywereallovergrownand
housewasboardedup.Someofthem Usuallythis road wasifth
theboardstorndownbutsome
spindly.Everyfourthorf
ofthemstilllookedsealed.Theonesthatlookedsealedupwouldbethe
mostpromisinghouses.
Attheedgeof
fthequadintoan thetownproper,thespeedlimitdroppedtotwenty
ive, andHighway613becameValleyStreet.Twoblockslater,hepulled
Thornton’sHardware.
Hisfamilyandold1950’s stripmall and stopped atthefront doorof
theThornton’swentwayback.Mr.ThorntonwasMr.
albuilt lteholderthanRyan’sgrandfather,andthetwoofthemhadpractically
is towntogether.WhentimesweretoughforRyan’sfamily,
tomakei
Thorntonalwaysextendedthemalineofcreditforwhatevertheyneeded
theFullerton’skepttheThorntonfamilywellfed;noThorntoneverpaid
t until theharvest.Inadditiontoalwayspayingbacktheloans,
forproduceatthelocalfarmersmarket.
peeringinside.Hewaslookingforany
Ryan removed hishelmetand cupped his hands tothe window,
withthepowerout,it was signofmovementorstruggle,but
sodarkinsidethathecouldn’tsee more thanat
Thearmored man pushedonthedoorandwasrelievedtofindi
footortwoinsidetheglass.
unlocked,althoughthe
soundedasloudas the soundofthebrassbellshangingfromthehandle
bellsofNotreDame in thesilence.Withacringe,
hewrappedhishandsaroundthebellstosilencethem.Ryantightenedhis
gripyearofhigh
behindhim.
behindthecountertalkingtoCharlotteThornton.Whentheywerel
onhisRyangrewupint
batschool,he
and steppedhspentmost thestore,freegently
is store.Allthroughmiddleschool
inside ofhis time sclosingit ingandonthethefirst
a stooldoorit le,
roamed the shelves, toplaying
theyCharlotte’sfatherputthem hide and seek or tag, but later
workstockingtheshelves,probablyatthe
behestof
Thornton’s, Ryan’s
he father. Ryanthe timeneverhegotspentpaid withfor theCharlotte
considered workhepayment didat
enough.
wasconvinced
inafieldofdandelionsonadaymuchlikethissomanyyearsago.Ryan
Thetwoofthemsharedtheirfirstkissa
the twoof them wouldget married,u ntil the middle of
t MacDougalpond,laying
theirfreshman
Binghamton.
spoketoRyanagain. year
Josh andofhighschoolwhenCharlotte
Ryan
Charlotte
wascrushed,
started dating, and met
she thatmoronJosh
virtuallyntnever
metKelly,andhisl i f e wascompleted.
He crouched and moved slowly, keeping his head below andsworeoffwomenu i l he
shelves.Iftherewassomethinginhere,therewasnoreasontol et it knowthe
damndinnerb
bodylow.Itmadehimfeelb
where he was.elHe. Bonappetite.Eventhoughi
scoffed aetthimself.
er. The bellt waspointless,hekepthis
on the door was like a
Ryan’s Duemindtothe whereyearshe wasspentgoing.inofftheHe store,
crouch­walked
there wasnodownthequestionin center
apicked
satstoppeda
isliesfiedtoathethirdrow,thenhalfwaydownthethirdrowhestoppedand
ltthatthefrontcounter.
fiveherohadn’tl s ofductheardtapeany noisesthe bottom
inside sthehelfhardware
. On thewayout, store, he
Thornton’sbelwasanold­fashioned
thanregister,oneofthef
aconveyor oneendofthe sbarwasan
tore. Youpaidold fashionedcash
tir.stAtelectronictypes.Ryansettherollsofducttapeon at a bar rather
eighteenincheslong, and stuckthemupanddownhischestprotector.He
thecounterandopenedthefirstone.Hetoreofffive and pulledouthiswallet.Hedroppedatwenty s t r i p s , eachabout
putone more strip down eachforearm,and
ofhiscanvassworkpants
Whenhewasfinished,heputtheremainingh alf­rol in thecargopocket
twostripsdowneachthigh.
onthecounter,andslida
GodSpeed,Thorntons.–Ryan
5RollsofDuctTape@$3.49each.
Heslid thepaperunderthecash,and penand paperover.Onthepaperhewrote:
ofthecashr e g i s t e r . tuckedbothundertheedge
Eveninthesetimes,takingthetapef elt alit le like
stealing.Justbeforeheleft,hestoppeda
outathree­foldmapofthecityofGanderValley. t theinformationrackandpulled
 guard Chapter4
subdivision.The
shack,
Ryan rodehis whereareanormally
quad to he’dthe far side of town, towards the newest
subdivision.Itwasafancyplace.Ahugebrickwallsurroundedtheentire
evenhadapoolandagolfcourse.Hepassedthe
which family
followedtheedgeofthecentrallake.
he was v i s i t i n g , and havepulledonto
to tel thetheguardcircularhis nameroad and
that
He
of the lakeIt wasdrovetothebackofthesubdivision,a
worker,parkingthequadon
and parked his quad. His planwas l tothewayonthefarside
move like a postal
theotherlookingforsurvivors.
entire trip.He thecorner,walkingdownonesideandup
figured, hewhenhadn’the wasseen making
“SpecialdeliveryforMs.Watson,”hemutteredtohimself.
oddthat asinglehisinfected thathe’donthesee
plans, person
tdozensofthemwanderingoutonthes
there.”
thewalkway
his long;i“Quitst didn’tmake rstanyhouse.sensethatthereweren’t
totaltheing,fiRyan,”hesaidtohimselfas
“It’s gonna tre t. beKellyhadsurvivedoutside
fineheany. Noturnedtowalkup
others.
one will be in
answer.
glassfrontstormdoorandstood
waited,
heard thesound was averythumpon clearin thedoorwaywaitingforthepeopleto
I’mlookingforsurvivors!”Ryan’shopesweremomentarilyupwhenhe
Heknockedonthedoor,andcalledout,“Hello?Anyonehome?
Thenthere
but itbecame offootsteps coming tothetowards thatthe theredoor.He
himdoor,and somescratching.He
wasn’topenedthe
anyone
uninfectedinside.
oninfectedin
thedoor. house,”thegothedoor,groaned.
reacheddownandloosenedthetapeonhischestandthenturnedtheknob
“Shit.there.HeFirstshoved
Ifthey out,theyhopingHecouldtopush
knewbitehethesomeone
couldn’t
personleave
else.He
back.theIt
thesmell.Thehousereekedofdeath.Thestenchalmostknockedhimoff
aruinedpant­suitmovingtowardshim.Thesecondthingthath
hisfeetashet
worked.Ashiseyesadjusted,hefirstsawamiddleagedblackwomanin
Almostoutofinstinct,herippedthetapeoff
ried tocontroltheurgetovomitrightthereonthedoorstep. ofhis chestandheld
it himwas
outhorizontallyinfrontofhim.When the
istruggled;shewasmuchstrongerthanRyanhadanticipated.Shepushed
ttapemadealmosttwocompletewrapsaroundherhead.Thetwoofthem
himbackwardsintothedoorframe,bouncinghisheadofftheedgeofthe
wrappedthetapearoundherhead,sealingoffhermouth.Thelength zombiecrashedintohim,heof
doorway,cuttinghisscalp.
seemedtoexciteher.Her
Itwasn’t a major cut,but thesightof bloodon the doorjamb
andflaredasshefoughton. Hefoggyeyesgotal
was abletousethewalltopushhimselfoffandgaintheupperhand. it le bigger,andhernostrils
finallygotthetapesecuredoverhermouth,
her of
Ryanreachedupandgrabbedoneof
hisneck.Herippedthestrip oftapeoffhisforearmwithhisotherhand hands,twistingi t off
oneandbrieflyabouttapingherfeettogether,butdecidedagainstitbecause
themofher wrappeditaround he deftlythewristhe
together,wrists,rendering broughtwasholding.Oncethetape
heralmost hercompletely
otherhandharmless.He
downand wrapped wasonhe
thought
onlyhousetohad fiverollsoftape.Instead,heshoved
thepowder room underthe s t a i r s herthebackwardsthroughthe
to second f l o r . Ryan
thepushedthe
closest thingwoman
to asigninto thattheit small
overturnedchairattheeat­intableandaplatewitha
“INFECTEDINSIDE”ontheoutsideofthedoorinbig,blackl
kitchen.Then,hesurveyedther
Surprisingly, wasbathroom,
wasthereestmuch closedthedoor
ofthefirstfloor,decidingtostartwith
ancleanerthanhe’d
apocalypse andet erswrote
goingexpected.
onwasan . The
this was someherkindcabinetsandpiledallthefoodonthecounter
had,adarkstainofwhatwasprobablysyrups of home tour.it ingHeonit.refocused
beforehemovedthroughtheden,office,diningroomandlivingroom.
Ryanascendedthestairs,absentlythinkingaboutwhatnicecarpetthey
likeHewentthrough driedoutwaffleand
himself, and
pushedopenthef irst of fourdoorsonthesecondfloor.Heassumedthere
werethreebedroomsandabathroomuphere.
books, Thisbedroom
magazines, and appearedtobe
other odds foraendsyoungteenageboy.Clothes,
and covered every available
surface,sometimesinlayersofbooksontopofclothes,andsometimes
thereverse. Thenextbedroom was probablyforalhitrilde.legAshenearedthethird
bedlinensandrainbowcoloredponydollsthatf
wasclean,andempty,soRyanheadedtothet
bedroomdoor,herealizedthat’swherethesmellwascomingfrom.Ryan dirtheshelf.Thisroom
l, basedonthepink
Againstthecenter,oppositewallwasakingsized,missionstylewooden
forced himself toopen the door. Inside wasa large master bedroom.
sleigh
drawers.bedRyansanktohiskneesrightthereinthedoorway.Onthefarside
with matching dresser, night stands andahuge chest of
of thebedroom
young teenageofboy,thereandawerelithreet le girl,all
woundstothehead.Ryancrawledcloser.Somethinginsidehimneeded people threeof
astears
sit ing onthefloor.
them deadof man, a
Agunshot
tomakesense t h i s horrificscene
twoingore,withthreespotswherestuffinghadexplodedoutoftheback.
children were sittingin the father’s floweddownhischeeks.The
lap.Hisface
blood,
washedthebloodaway.Behindthem,awhiteleathercouchwascoated
Inexceptone forhand,the
two streaks,
father hada where gun,some nowwas covered
tears that werekind ofpistol, long likedriedina
policeofficerwouldcarry.Hisotherhandwasrestingonhisdaughter’s
Therewasnoway to knowforsurewhathappened
lap,withabloodybandagewrappedaroundhisarm. in this house,
butRyanwould
wouldf i t havebet moneythatthe bite mark underthat bandage
theteethofthewomandownstairs.She’dbitherhusband.He
lockedhimselfandthekidsinthebedroom,andwhenhestartedtoturn
heshothischildrenandthenhimself.
 Theenormityofthatwasn’tlost onRyan.Asthewomanthumped
andbangedinthebathroomdownstairs,hesatandweptfort his manand
hisfamily.
mind.I
wasjusttoo
sleep tChapter5
much; Ryan couldn'twith.Thatpoormanandhischildren.
muchtodeal shakethe images oftheir bodies Hefromdidn'this
Afteronlyonehouse,Ryanrodehomeandlockedhimselfin.It
wasexactlyaweekbefore
again.Thistime,hestartedthequad hewasabletoforcehimselftoleave
inthe garage,sohedidn’thave to
lookingatthehousehe’dbeeninthepreviousweek,knowingwhatwas
worryaboutKellycomingforhim.
Backintheneighborhood,hesatonthequadfornearlyaminute
inside.He
Ryanshookhisheadandtightlysethisjaw,refusingtogetsuckedinto
couldstillsee thewhite couchandhefelt hisstomachturn.
putthepowerfulmachineingearandpulledt
thatagain.He wrappedthe4­wheeler’stow­straparoundt
he’d searchedthehouse. the infected.Notone h e i r mailboxover.Thatwas h e i r mailbox,
hissignaltohimselfthat
Everyhouseonthestreetwasinhabitedby
oversinglehousehadalivingpersoninit.Attheendoftheday,he’dknocked
fourteen
bathrooms.
onehundred
zombies smailboxes
slowthemdownwhilehetapedupther
zombies.
counting
September,
whenevertherewasacurefort andtheremiddle,
hadlheifswere
worsthadinhousethefor­salesigns
forcedtousehisbatinthatone,hittingoneoftheinfectedinthelegto
TOverthenextfiveweeks,Ryanfinishedtheneighborhood.Out
hefsomewhere
thoseTheiherforty­three
tthatguessed
housewastheworstbyf
houses, t,onlythirty­four
insomewhere peoplehouses
hadthatperson’slegwouldhealup.
butfourteen
sixesriding
theatrpeople homeinHenearduct­tapedin
it.inlwereoRyanhad
,ofthefamily.Hehopedthat
butthreeotherhouseshad
yard. sthreetthecountof beenththeeofir
empty,not
middleof
hundred

There wassilentlyin
tinyinfectednewborns.Ryanhadn’thadthehearttotapethemup;they
lackedthe
laying muscle
no kicking,
theircribs.
coordination
no looking
Unlessto walkaround.
he cameclose,
anyway,Theyjust themHe
so theyhejustlaiddidn’tthere.
leftmove.
Iwithintwo
nurserybackinhishouse.They were theembodimentofeverythinghe
t washorrifyingandseeingthemonlyremindedhimofhisownempty
feetof thefirsttinyinfantboybeforei
thoughtthefirstonewasdeaduntilitreachedforhim; he wasabletoget
t realizedhewasthere.
had already . In those nurseries,
INSIDE”onthedoorsandneverlookedback.
It waslostheartbreaking work, buthe wrotehewasthesame determined“INFECTED tofind
survivors. Untildayforty­sevenofhis search,i
thatinthetinytownofGanderValley,survivorsmightnotbesohappyto
and screamed, t never occurred to him
adaywasonlyaboutfortydegreeswhenhehoppedoffhisquad
chipoftheconcretewithi
gun­shot.Ryanthrewuphishands
Thebullethitt.the driveway justbehind“I’m him,notarmed!
seehim.Itwasunseasonablycoolforthebeginningoffall.Thehighthat takingaandheardI’mlargenot
infected!Don’tshoot!”
achurchsteepleonthenextblock.Hewavedhishandsinthea
franticallytofigureoutsomeway
Thenextshotwasalit le closer.Itlookedlikeit wascomingfrom ir, trying
thirdshotwasevencloser,causingRyantogive
In backof topantomimethathewasalive.The
up and runas fast ashe
couldaroundthe thebackyard,therewasahugepileoftrashunderthekitchen
thehouse.
had tobe more thana hundredblack
ofloosetrashontop.Cans,cerealboxes,juiceboxes,sodaandbeercans
window.There
wereburiedunderwhitegrocerybags,andthenf inal y,trashbags,
therewasalayer
which
hislit enoseonhissleeveandapproachedtheslidingdooronthebackofthe
red theyard.Hesneezed,uncontrollably,threetimesinarow,wiped
house. Ashe peeredthroughthedoor,heheardashout from behindhim.
“Getdownontheground,facedown,handsbehindyourhead.”Without
hesitation,SixRyan menran droppedtohisbellyandputhishandsonhis
each head.
“Whyareyouby up, yelling
ourhouse!” a t him.“Whoareyou!”
“Identifyyourself!”
“Don’tfuckingmove!”
“Staydown!”
“What’syourname!”
first, soAllofthevoicesbarkingorders,Ryandidn’tknowwhotoanswer
looking forsurvivors.
hejust started I’vetalking. been “My
alonename
since i s aRyan
l t h i s
Fullerton.I’m
happened;I j u s t
wantedtoknowthatthere are otherpeopleoutthere. I’ve beenlooking
forsurvivorsforalmosttwomonths.”
Each of“HeythemenTommy,wereI thinkdressedthisinisaltheblackduct tapetacticguy,” a l said onecarrying
clothes, man.
military
hanging rifles. They werethe kind withthe
outthebottom.Ryanwasmore t e r i f i e dbigoftheseguysthanhe
curved magazines
wasofthezombies.
“Yeah.I ducttapeal theinfectedwhenIsearchahouse.Idon’t
evertakeanything,Ijustrounduptheinfectedandinventorythefood,”
Ryansaid.“Whywouldyoudothat?”
“Do“They’rewhat?dead,Tapedude.themup?
can’tinfectanyoneelse.” WalkingSo theycorpses.can’tJustbiteshootanyone.themSointheythe
headandputthemoutoft
“Yourwifewasbitten?Andyou
“Ican’tbelievethath.eiMywife…”Ryanstoppedhimself.
r misery.”
Allofourwiveswereb i t e n . Thereisnocure.” hopethere’sgoingtobeacure?
“Who
“I are
“You’reinourt you?Whydidyoushoot
e r i t o r y . atme?”
Can’thavepeople stealingourfood.” his
haven’ttakenanything.Letmego.Iwon’tcomebacktot
neighborhood,”saidRyan.
“Whatif he’s oneof themsmartones,Tommy? Wecan’t let him
goincasehe’soneofthem.RememberRon?Ronwaswithusforaweek
 ThemanthatorderedRyan toget downspoke.“He’snotoneof
beforeanyonefigureditwashimthattookoutJonesyandB
he’saRon?” il . Whatif
them.He’sjustadumbass.”ThenRyanrecognizedthevoice.
“TommyRivera?Graduatedlastyear?Isthatyou?I
hit,” saidTommy.“Mr.Fullerton?” t’s me,Ryan.
I’mtheguidancecounselor.Ihelpedyougetintocollege.”
“Ohs
“Youknowthis guy?”askedoneoftheothermen.
“Yeah,hewasthe a t to
Haveyou make anyonedo anything. Ijust tried tomakeeveryone
gotocollege,”Tommyreplied.
“Ididn’t
seenDonte?He college­man school.Tried helppeople.
be. He camecameby mybyhouse.
Ryansaid,andslowlysatup.
“Can’t
“DonteJackson?Notpossible, myman.houseDontegotb
He saidabouthewas
twoit ondayone.”
months
lookingago,”for
“Sorry heard
survivors.We this, Mr. Fullerton,” saidweTommyas
aboutshotsandheranoffbefore couldfinishtalking.”
Ryan felt
something hitthe back of hishead. Hisforehead bouncedoff the deck
justbeforeeverythingwentblack.
HewasChapter6 lying faceupdownonasphalt,
Ryanwoke shivering.It was raining,andhewassoakingwet.
discern was the pain in his head; as ibutf someone
the onlywassensation pounding he oncouldhis
foreheadwithalargesledgehammer.
Hea t took an easyasbreathhe breathed,
andtried torelax. Hesoundcouldof feelrainwaterwas
lapping
intensifying. his mouth
Hegot tohisknees andlooked around;he was in the and the
parkingl
stumbled o t justoutsideThornton’shardware.Theymovedhimthewhole
towards the store,looking much likea zombie himself.He
hisgearwasallgone,exceptforhiswallet.Ryanstruggledtohisfeetand
wayacrossthetownandlefthimwithnothing.Hispocketswereempty;
opened thedoor,
beset byaWhen massivesneezingf
hefinished stepped inside it. out hisof thenosewas
sneezing, rain, andstopped
was immediately
up and his
headache
fartherawaywasthanhishands,anytimehet
visionwasblurry. renewed. He was having rtrouble focusing on anything
ied tolookacrossthestorehis
beenalongtimesincehe’dbeeninthestockroom,butfortwentyyears
ofthestore.Withgreate
therewasanoldgoldcouchwith
spotinwhatwasotherwise
alwaysbeenanafghanonthebackofthecouch, dark wood armsday andas
Ryanknewtherewasasmallkitchenandbreakroomintheback
f ortthesecondworst
, heslowlymadehiswaybackthere.Ithad
backthere.Therehad
ofRyan’slife, it was
asinglebright
suptilinthere.Hestripped off hisclothes,hungthemuponashelf,wrapped
theoldmustysmellingblanketandwenttosleep. no he
til shivering uncontrollably. He felt his forehead; he was definitelywas
Whenhewokeup,hehad
srunningafever.Asiftopunctuatethethought,hewasseizedbyanother ideawhattimeitwas,but
uncontrollablesneezingf
“Shit.JustwhatIineed,acold,”hesaidtohimself.Histhroatwas
t. and
thancheckhisclothes.Stillwet,
raspyandhurt.S laid back down on thecouch and
fiftydegreestilin wrappedintheoldcrochetedblanket,hegotupto
the store. Ryannowtheywerecold.Itcouldn’tbemore
debated whether he inand outofsleep.Allat once,wavesof
nauseaovertookhim.
spentthenexttwohoursdrifting
Heboltedforthebathroom.Onthewayacrossthestoreroomhe
would
snotinnardshaveEvery
at ithetbeenliketrying
whateverorificehappenedtobenearby.Afterhalf
hisrearendwassointensei er.hisRyan
should tositor
commode.Atthesametime,hereachedforthetrashbag,andhurledhis
thereuntilthelowerhalfofhisdigestive
optedforspoured outof Henose.There
vomiteduntil
sneezed, washisnotrstomach
intimegl,inandwasgratefulhedid.Theforceoftheexplosionfrom
t seemedasthoughitmightl t. Attheanfluids
aocisensein
tlestoppedcramping.Liquid
keephalfacupofwaterinhissinuses.
facethet
various bodily wassniffing
houronthetoilet,
lempty,
aisfejected
t himoffthe
moment
itback;
andfromsatheit
horriblecramp,andhesatbackdown
he tried to getup. As soonas he stood,torepeatthe
hisbowelsentireprocess.This
were seized in a
timetherewasnothingtovomit;
diarrheaf
iHelhaded thebowlbeneathhim.he just dry­heavedoverthetrashcan as
to get home. There was simply no other choice. Ryan
knewhewoulddieofdehydrationorhypothermiahere.
 Chapter7
Atfirstlight, Ryan startedwalking.Hemovedslowly,lacking any
kindof and twicemorejusttorest.Thankfully,
he’dgonealmosthalfamile.Inthatamount
torelievehisbowels,
energythat would allow for even aofleisurely stroll.In an hour,
time,hehadtostoptwice
stopped,andhisclothes were finallystartingtodry.Ryanwonderedi
was therainhadf the
heatradiatingfromhisbody
open, hisvision
onastonewall,andalmostpassedout.Eventhoughhiseyeswerewide
Hemoppedcoldsweatfromhisforehead,stoodupfromhisperch
had narrowed downtoatiny causingthemtodryfpinpoint, aster. as ifhe was
postlookingthroughalong tunnel.Hestaggeredfrom astreetsigntolamp
toanoldmailbox,barelyabletokeepputtingonefootinfrontofthe
other.
would never “Must admitit,
get home.To Ryan loved
Kelly,” he
when Kelly
saidto himself. Although he
walkingsHetistaggeredon,atonepointpickingupalimbandusingi
whenhewassick.“She’llknowwhattodo.”
attempttoremaincoherent,het
mindkeptwandering. ck. Tostayfocusedonthepresent,hecountedhissteps.Inan would take
ried todothe mathinhishead,buthis care of him
t asa
68,000f“Thirteen
e t. Attwofeetmiles per step,that’s…Ineedtoremembertorepair
home. That’s 5280 times 13. So, that’slike
andthattopstepfrom
house.” the garage to thekitchen.It’s beenrilooseforawhile,
ifI evergetthegaragecleanedout,Kellymightt p comingintothe
For the next several hundred steps, Ryan’s fever­addled mind
wanderedtoallofthethingsheneededtodoaroundthehouse.Hewas
justpastthel
swirlofblacksmoke. ast houseintown,whenDonteappearedinfrontofhimina
“Hi,imaginary
“Hi,Mr. Fullerton. Donte.”You don’t look so hot,” Donte casually
replied.was“Oh, I’m hot. I’m about to sweat to death, I imagine.” Ryan’s
voice
beach,
three hoursandnearly
later, jItoovgotitakeal.to“Ineed
don’thavemykeys.Didyou
forgot cartoloseyourkeys?Onetime,Iwasatthe
andgethome
mytheeverkeysout didof mythattoKelly,
panickedsuandsomehow
bathing t pocket. LikeI
ipocket­patting.
Youknowthatfeeling?”
“I do know it,” Donte replied, walking backwards infrontof
Ryan, onalthough
heRyanhadleftwithr Ryansummertime
weBeautiful edidn’t notice.day.There
waytoomanymenwearingSpeedo’swhoshouldn’tbe.Allconnection
aroundhim.
beach “So,a sunny Inchildren
hadtocalltherentalcarcompanyandtheyhadtobringhiswerestupor,playing
gailriltsy wascompletelysevered.
inbikinis, al hein sawthepeople
hundredsof surfwas andtheal
usathe surfnewandkey,”steppedonour
he rambled.“Thenextday,Kellywaswalkingaroundin
car key!Can you believe the luck?That’s
howout.”Ryanwasn'tevenawarethathewasspeakingaboutKellyasifshe
wasstillashewas,my Kelly.Sheyou’realways hasa way ofmaking things work
“Mr.live.Fullerton,
voice–thel of reality.pretty
ast remnantI’m perfectlyf
connectioninthefantasyworldRyancreated.
“Nonsense, sick.” HeDonte's
was merely
ine. Justhavingalittles voice had no
trol afloating
downthe
beachwithmybeautifulwife.Isn’tthatright, Kelly?”Ryansaid,turning
hishead.Justtohisleft,holdinghishandwasKelly.Shewaswalking
barefootalongthebeachinaredbikini,withabigfloppyhatontopof
herhead.Hef“Yes, eRyan.
lt warmandcontent.
It’s abeautiful day for a walk,”If she agreed and
squeezedhishandal
anyonel Ryaneft alivetowatchthescene,theywouldhaveseena
walkeditalongle tightheter.beach with hiswife. there manwho had been
wasbarely
Occasionally able
he to
would
on walk drenched
stopas massivein sweat,
coughing
a t mumbling
f i t s incoherently.
seized him.home,His
get
bodywasrunning
buthismind
brain.
The fluviruswasravaging auto­pilot;heturned therightplacesto
gone.Thehis lungsfeverhehad carriedwasoffthe
limited the oxygen chartsat supplyto107.his
leaves
evenifunseasonablywarm.Thesunwasshiningoverhis All around him, there wereheadandshiningthe
disappeared.Theworldseamlesslytransitionedintoabeautifulfallday,
Ashestartedupthed
were gloriously colored.irt roadtowardshishouse,thebeachscene
orangesandyellowswithhits of red blowinginthelight breeze.He was
walkinghome,lookingforwardtothechickenpotpieKellywasworking
onin thInreality,itwas
eir kitchen whenhe left. He could smell it from here, and the
smellquickenedhisstep.
soaking himto gettingdark.AcolddrizzlebeatdownonRyan,
thebone.Ryan’s body leaned onhis mailbox,wracked
withacoughingfit,sprayingthesidewithbloodyphlegm.Asiftoadd
It wastocough,Ryan’sbenefitthatnoonewasleftto
insult tothe hesneezed twelve times, before let ing go of the
mailboxandstartinghisslowshambleupthedriveway.
Hadtherebeenasingle armed survivor a t seehimwalking.
anypointonhiswalkhome,
theywouldhaveshothim,thinkinghewasazombie.Asalways,when
Ryantoppedtheh il andstartedthelasthundredfeettothedriveway,the
andsawhiswife,standingoutsideinapairofbluejeansand
undeadcorpseofhiswifestartedshamblingtowardshim.
Slightlywindedfromthewalkupthedriveway,Ryanlookedup
hoodie.Her
sun,andshewassmiling.Kellycalledouttohimandwavedherhand
hairwas beautifully streaming behindher, adarkgray
glowing inthe in
t felt Hewas
greeting.
wife.
itoherf likehe wasstruckwiththesensethathehadn’tseenherinaverylong
towardshim, andRyan couldn’t–hewaitjuAshe
time,eventhoughhe’donlybeengoneforaboutanhour.
astSheenough.GettingtoKellyandfinallyembracingherbecamehis
starteddragginghislegsthroughconcrete st couldn'tget
tokisswalked,his
 reachedtowardsher.
The twoofusthem closedthe distance. clammyto
woman,bothofthempale,drippingwithwater,
ultimategoal.Hej t missedhersomuchandwithasmall,happycryhe
The shamblingthetouch.The man and
torpid limbsattempted tograb anything to arrestinher fal . Her palm
womantrippedoverastone,nearlyfallingtotheground.Asshefell,her
scrubbeddown
Thewomanshambledforwards.
Ryanwashappy–somethinghehadn'tfeltinaverylongtime.A
thetrunkofapine tre , coatingit heavy,stickysap.
smilelituphisfaceashewalked.Heembracedhiswife.Afloodofpure
joy washed andover him asthey finally touched. “I love you.I love you,
Ryanif
hergoldenhair hand. Heherlivewithouther.Life
face inone pulled
Kelly,”hesaidoverandover.Kelly'swarmskinwassosoftashecupped
knewthathecouldnever brought
closer.Thethe loverskissedpassionately.
other handup wasnotworthliving
throughhersoft,
shewasnotpartofit.Andthen,verysuddenly,therewasintensepain.
Thepain was sostrong;hiseyessnappedopenandreality cameflooding
backintoview.
face,slowlychewinghisbottoml
streamedthroughhisbloodtowardshisbrain.
Kelly was dead ­one of ithep astheE’Cleishe’dinfectedhimwith
infected. She was inches from his
Shestaredathimblankly,s
chinandwithahorrifiedshout, he tried toshoveheraway.Hegrabbed
Herteethhadtornthroughthemeatofhislipasshepulledback.
til chewingonhisf lesh. Bloodrandownhis
acouldn'tgetaway.Notthati Ryan was too weak fromthe flu and
herhandtoremoveitfromhisshoulder.Eventhoughhewaspullingwith
l thestrength he could muster, t mattered­theinfectionhadalreadytaken
him.stoppedscreaming.Thenhestoppedfightingalltogether.
The E’Clei shut down thepain center inhis brain first,and he
DonteJacksonwatchedthesceneunfoldcuriouslyfromtheroof
disappearedina
learned
ofLieutenant.
thehouse
Minutes
aboutashethelaswirlofblacksmoke.He
terhuman
,released
the corpses
mind’s
his control
formerly wasknowntoofftodiasstoWith“Ryan
capabilityoverKelly. rreport
t realiwhat
andsmirk,
ty tohis
Kellyhe’dhe
Fullerton”shambled
Forever. back towardsGanderValley,handgluedtohandby
thethickpinesap.Finallytogetheragain,justlikeRyanalwayswanted.
***
TheEnd
Lauratosettings
apocalyptic Bretz andhas albeenthingsimmersing herselfsinceinshefantasy lands,
Pretending survive in a post­apocalypse world set firetochild.her
impossible was a
imaginationandteamingupwithKirkAllmondtoco­authorthe"What
ZombiesFear"seriesfinallygaveheranoutlettoexpressandbringher
Graduatingife. fromfor collegewithafocusininteriordesign
characterstol has given
andher punctuation,Laurais
usually
attentiontodetailallowsLaura
heranexcellenteye
Whenshei detail. toCombinedwith
spending s notobsessingovertenses createvividpictureswithwords.
loveofpainting,that
singing withher time withSweetherdogs
local Adeline's MartyandTeddy,
International painting,
chorus in or
south­
centralPennsylvania.
Laura’sfirst solo novel project, “The Book of Kris”
(www.thebookofkris.com) is coming along well.She also hasa high
intheWhatZombiesFear(www.WhatZombiesFear.com)universewith
fantasyprojectintheplanningstages,andcontinuestoco­authorbooks
KirkAllmond.Ifyou’dliketofindoutmoreaboutLauraandthestatus
ofhervariousprojects,pleasejoin her on her Facebook page,
www.facebook.com/LauraBretzAuthor.
BooksintheWhatZombiesFearuniverse:
WZFSeries
What Zombies Fear: A Father's Quest (2011)­ 1st in the
Series
WhatZombiesFear:TheMaxists(2011)­2ndintheWZF
What
WZFSeries
Zombies Fear: The Gathering (2012)­ 3rd in the
What Zombies Fear: Fracture (2012) ­ 4th in
What ZombiesFear:DeclarationofWar(2013)­5thinthe
Series the WZF
WhatZombies Fear:LEGION(DueAugust2013)
WZFSeries
ShortstoriessetintheWhatZombiesFearuniverse:
VictorTookesAdventures:TheFarmer’sDaughter
TheBalladofRyanFullerton
OtherShortStories(AsLaura
Kirk)
WilloftheDead
Topurchaseany
ofLaura’sbooksinanyformat,pleaseseev
www.whatzombiesfear.com/libraryforacompletel isting ofal availableisit
retailers.
from of called ToniaBrown
upon to shedlightto Bobbethebrightestbulbinthebunch.
on,butnotsounreliablethathecouldn’thandlesmalltasks.Granted,the
weakness
Nordidhewanttobebright.Atbest,Bobtriedtobeal
theverydimmest,whichkepthimfrombeingcastasidebutalsokepthim
beingBobFletcherneverclaimed
hischaracterthestrengthofhischaracter.Toofeebletorely
on anything.Heit lconsidered
e lessdimthanthe

taskwasn’ttoobig.
Orrequiredtoomuchthought. toonetheassistantmanagerof
Onalifandt elre
ryears,
squeaky
narrowly BobOrwheel,
place,toknow thatnorpastsotheandafineartofthislaboravoidance.For
eightyearswiththefirm.Thismighthavedepressedanyoneelseinhis
theofficesupplydepartmentforSutterandSon’sInc.Andthatwasa
professionallevel,thislefthimastheassistant
esult. Butno,Bobwashappybeinganobody.Anobodywasneitherthe
seven anyactualphysicallabor.
skidded
hadmade
months manyanygrease,
threeyearsrealandweeks,
ofwork.thusdedicationhad
heEspecially
nohaddodged,
noticedhim
producedso
atwork.
ducked
twenty­six
sliding

sizeyoudown,orzipyouup.
throughlife.Andwhennoonenoticedyou,theycouldn’tlayyou of , or
on Bob’sp
wasof the firstto i t
thesecondfloori f u l office,theone
of he
zombiessharedwiththeassistantmanager,
die when thetheSutterBuilding,whichmeanthewasone
attacked that bright November
morning.Becomingazombiewasn’tmuchofacareerchangeforthelazy
slobinBob.Atfirstheworriedthatbeingdead,orratherundead,would
requiresomeeffortonhispart.Butno,hequicklyfoundthatallhehadto
Itseemed zombies were lesshunguponsharingorhoarding
hardworkofactuallytakingdownthelivingprey,thenjoininthefeast
dowaslurchabout,followthefasterfellowundeadfolks,letthemdothe
thanlivingfolkswere.
afterwards.Hording,undead
Bob hadalotofthoughtsl Bobthought.Zombiesl
a t e l y . More ike tohorde,nothoard.
thanheusedto.Andalot
more thanhe supposed a deadman, orrather undead man (he justt
couldn’tgetquiteusedtothat)shouldhave.Butwhowashetoquestion
thewaysoftheworld?Onemomenthe’seatingahothamandcheesea
hislivinghisnormalofficel
desk,thenext
Andthe
Officelifemore he’shedeadifethought
asacanaboutofsaidit,wastheham.dead.Orratherundead.
, undeadBobthought.Officeunlifeismorel
, andthenexthe moreOnelifminute he was
e asaikeit.zombie
resembledl i
noclear f e intheoffice.Thismindlessshamblingfromplace
withconsumedeverythingins
objective.Takingdirectionsfromtheleadzombiesasthey to place
ight. Eatingwhatwasleft,castoffsandscraps,
oftheheap.ButBob
takeout mealfrom oneofthemanylocalfoodchainsatthebeginning
theweek,thenateoff was usedtoleftovers,as heusually boughtabigof
whilecrawlingoverthecarcassesofyourenemiesonyourwaytothetop
he
thenthetakeoutguysagain.
mighthang onaday thethingu n t
ortwolonger i l i t startedtosmellab
to keepfromhavingtotalkto
he i t . Andeven
Sowhydidheit wasbotherhim?Thisnewundeadlifeofhis?Itwasn’t
muchdifferentfromtheoldone.Hehadspentalifetimeofbeingpretty
much everything now. So why, now that had everything as
easyhappyashebecausecouldwheneverwantit,washe
he washappy henothappy? hada veryBobknewhe satisfied feelingwasn’tal
over,from
andahandfulofteeth,andmostofhisintestinaltract,
consideringthathisalloverwasmissinganarm,andhisrightearlobe,
head to toe, especially incertain tender regions. And even
thatthea“CanlHeDespitefoverl e
inff t
a tohimwasn’tfeelings
c t , a t i s f i e d . Bobwass t i l sure
e l
particular. Thiszombies t , the coursevery,very,empty.
of threemen heateoutjuundead
grunts,whichscaredthebeejeebusoutofateenagerhidinginatrashcan
be came
happy?” sast under Boban hourasked,
a strained seriesof
ago.of moansand
no one in
onwhichBobwasrestinghisl
undead.(Hereallyneededto
can infavor ofturning canhis rotten getefusedtot
t elbow.ButBobignoredthetrembling
mind h
toa t !
his
) dead dilemma.Or rather
Bobtapped
mind.Whatmadethe the as he pondered the makingsof
averagezombietick?Andint h i s a zombie’s
makeup,where
there
hunger.Andevenmorehunger.Didhementionhunger?Becausehunger
shouldbeonthatl
wasrage andispainand and hunger andistmore,just ahunger.And
t, preferablyahungert theheadofthel fter hunger.
Wait, whereonewasof he?whichOhyes,was anddefinitely
emotions, in thishunger, makeupcouldfil ed zombies
with variousfeel
happiness?Howaboutjoy?
Delight?
Arousal?
Ugh,itwasprobablybestnottocontemplatethatone.Bobshook
thenaughtybitsthankstohiswarpedsenseofworthlessness—fromhismind
andwonderedimagesof
gruesome if perhaps nudea handyundeadcatchphrasewould
had becomeandwhyit irkedhimsomuch.
ladies—most missing helphim theirgetvitaal
handleonwhathe
Ilurch,thereforeIam?
No,thatjust seemedsilly.
Iamzombie,hearmegroan?
Thatwasevenworse.
Givemelibertyorgiveme…no,thatwouldn’tworkint his case.it
I t wasnouse.Bobhadspenttwenty­sixyears,sevenmonthsand
three weekswasn’tavoiding effectivethifors kindhim.ofAndthat’s
waswrongwithhisnewunlife,asidefromhisbeingsovery,verydead.
headfirst brainstorming,so when Bobdiving realizedintowhat
 Hemissedthechallenge.
Fortwenty­six years,seven months and three weeks hehad
avoided
anythingtoeverything
wanted
avoidedbathswhen
toavoidedhismotherand everhe could,whichprobablyhelpedwith
herandhandedtohim
relyattheon you,firm.He by everyonehe
was thelast
constantnaggingabouthimneveramounting
thatavoided making evermet.
thingfriends,he needed.
because friendsHe
Heeven
Work
Butthepointwast that it twas. gone.He alwaysthewholeno
himselfasalazyslacker,buthowwashetorealizetherewassuchana
friendsthingwhenonethoughtabouti
hemissed nowhis: itwasworktoavoidwork. thought ofrt
inhisl ife? Andust whattosayordowhenthepossibilityofrealworkarose
inknowingj now?Nowall he hadtodowasfollowthehorde andeat
whentheyateandmoanwhentheymoanedandlurchwhentheylurched.
Wealllurchtothebeatofadifferentheart?
withit, No,thatwasalmostembarrassing!
ThesowasBob’shappiness.
challenge ofavoiding the challenges of life was gone, and
Perhaps, undead Bob thought,ivitnhgi.sPerhapsconsumingtheflesh
becausethedeadarejealousofthel
ofthosealiveisjustanemptyattempttomakemyselfwholeagain. is why zombieseat people,
Bob couldn’tthinkofanythingmore
Nowtherewasanidea!It didn’texplaintheunendinghunger,of
course,butphilosophywasn’tsupposedtoexplaineverything,justsome
things.Theimportantthings.And
importantthanhimself.
previouss
rottingbrain,Bobbegantocontemplatejusthowhecouldreturntohis
Shufflingalongwitht
tate ofblis . Bobhadlovedhisl his newphilosophicalideatakingroot
ife. Mostfolksdidn’t,butBob in his
suredid.Andheknewhelovedi
missed
whodoes?Thewholethingwasverymuchlikenotrealizinghowoften
youuseabodypartuntilitgetsinjured.Orgoesmissing.Andsincehe
it. Hedidn’tknowatthetimehowmuchhe t, becausenowthathewasundead,he
lovedhis life.But
was nowWhatmissing a whole arm,Bobwas pretty sure hequalified asan
expertonthat.
wasadepressedzombietodo?ight. Therewasnoheadofficea
Therewerenopowerstobetof
widelayofftolookforwardt thesolution to his problem.If orbeingthis
whichtofThatFired,undeadBobthought.Ready?Aim?Fire!
ilewasacomplaint.Therewasn’tevenarandomsacking
it.There layo. Onedidn’tgetfiredfrombeingundead. system­t
deadwastoosimple,thentherewasonlyoneanswerfori
once,he
perhaps was uptothetask.Therewasjustoneproblemhecouldseewith
real work, buthe thoughtthat maybe,
deader.Hehadtogetdeadforrealsies.Itwasgoingtobeachallenge,
eveninvolving t. Hehadtoget
just this
HeBob wasgoingtoneedhelp to re­kil himself.
thewholeidea.
knew—fromyearsofwatchingmoviesandreadingbooksand
just someinherentawarenessthatcamewiththejobofbeingundead—
thattheonlywaytodiethistimewasgoingtoincludeaholeinhishead
bigenoughtodriveatruckthrough.Onanormalday,hemightbeableto
accommodate
head, of both himself.
v
As a r i e t i e s . (After
) Buthereall,hel a t spent
e l y , a
Bobwaslifetime handling
feeling, his
well, a own
l it le
shorthanded. a
requiredtoendhimself.Besides,whati r e s u l t , heknew that he wouldn’t
f anotherzombiesawhimrhave the strength
e­kil
himself?
thathisuniqueeffortwasfornaught.
Whybuckthetrendand
It mightstart a movement,andthenhe wouldre­die knowing
goingtodothesamedarnedthing?
Hehadtoactfast,rightnowinfact.Bobmovedalong,pickingup
re­kil yourselfif everyotherzombiewas
eyeshispacefromlurchtostagger,keepinghisonegoodearandbothgood
Yeah.
someone
half­naked anysignsnice.withofor Alifethatwas
openThatwithashotgun
forAmazonian
wouldbe a machete.
machine waymaybe
nice, sexygunOrwillingtoandtoadieathing
evena
fightsecond
fordead
back.Maybe guys.It
sexy,time.nubile,
would besnackmuchforbettersomethanzombified
morning
earlobes. theway postal hediedworker thefirstwithatime:penchantfor
as themid­
AmazonQueentodohimilife. Thisliterwasal y hadgoing
withaweaponheneeded;i
hisundead al tothetaketimesomeint wasn’tjustalivingperson
thebeatenpath,sootherzombieswouldn’tseehimwillinglylaydown
becauseBobgotexcitedashegroanedandstaggeredandsoughtouthis
hequite tn.wasprivacytoo.Heneededsomewhereoff
Butheknewi thetime,world.butthatHe’dwassearched
okay,
and
distances,when,a
singler“Hurryup,Randall,” deep
highkidsfireditathimassoonashesawBob.
low, and wide, and
teenageboyshidingattheendofadead­endalley(howapropos!)witha
Fired,andmissed.
ifle betweenthem.Heknewtheyhadarifle several other clichédbecauseoneofthe
fter severalhoursoflurching,hecameacrossapairof phrases about
onesaid.
“Shutup,Jerry!”theotheronesaid.
“Whatdoyouthink I’mto attack!”
“Reload!He’sgoing doing? It takesasecond,okay?”
“Wedon’thaveasecond.Killi
Toa zombie, this conversationwastantamounttoadinner
t!” beHel .
Bob’s undead belly grumbled atthe prospects ofeasy
moaned andlurched ahead,hisstomach on autopilot, while hismind
continuedtomulloverhislittleproblem. pickings.
LetthemWait!hisundeadbrainsaid.Thisiswhatyou’relookingfor,Bob!
reload and shoot you.It’seither this or wander around for
anotherAtthethoughtoft
forwork! couple ofhours, handis four­letterword,Bobstopped,armspoised
who wants todo that? Thatsounds like
rending,teethmid­gnash.Yes,yesthis waswhathewaslookingfor, a
weaponandalivingpersontofiretheweapon.Sotherehestood,mid­
lurch,waitingforthekidtoreloadandshoothim.
 Thesecondkid,nowhavingreloaded,liftedther
“What’sitdoing?”onekidasked.
“Idon’tknow,”theothersaid.“ButI’mnotgoingtofindout.” ifle and firedat
Bob. somehow,old? aWast almostthekidpointaormoron?
unmovingtarget,withnocrosswind
WasBobpanicked,
theAndweapon interference,thekidstillmissed.
blank Whyrange,couldn’tit
firingat beboth?
a single
them? Ifhe did, wonderingwhathewasgoingtodonow.Shouldheeat
how long would it take to find another armed and
isolatedperson?
fdidhisbesttoholdstill.Hehoped,prayed,thatthekidswould
el down—well,itwasmorelike
TheslackerinBobkickedinandtookcareofhim.
Asifhit, hegrabbed his chest,groaned aslumptotheground—andtherehe
andteetered.ThenBob
thezombie—he—wastrulydeadbeforetheyscamperedaway. makesure
“Didyouhithim?”onekidasked.
“OfcourseIdid,”theothersaid.
“It didn’tel down,didn’the?”
“Hef looklike you hit him.”
“Maybeyoushouldshoothimagain.”
“Whywastethebullets?”
“Yeah,butinthatmovietheysaidtodouble­”
“Thatwasamovie!Whohasthegunrightnow?I’mnotwasting
theammo.Thatthingi
it andlightupanothers f . Ilost my buzzkillingthatthing.”
pslidead.D­E­D.Dead.Nowstopharpingonabout
world, Boband therolledstonershis undead
werehadstieyes.
l hidingThatinoutexplaineda
inan alleywayto
lot. End smoke.
of the
Well,moronsornot,they
“There!”onekidshouted.“hisItendmoved.”hand. Hegave hisleg a lit le
twitch,justtoassurethemthathewasn’tquiteasdeadastheyhopedhe
was.Orasdeadashewishedtobe.
“Noitdidn’t,”theothersaid.“Thosearej ust aftershocks.”
groan. “It groaned!”thefirst kidshouted. cameoutasa low
“Afterwhat?” Bobasked, whichof course
“Noitdidn’t,”thesecondsaid.“It’sj
“Gas?” ust gas.”
releases “Sure.
a t When a personMy dadwasamortician.
thesametime. dies, al the gas caughtHe toldmea up in thel about
body
it.” Gasindeed.Thesekidswerestartingtosoundmorelikelunchand
lesslikehisdeliverance.Bobgroanedagain,j
“It groanedagain!”thefirst kidshouted.ust toprovehisundeadness.
“Didit?”thesecondasked.
“Yes!Nowwillyoupleaseshooti
“No.”
Great t ? ”
Bob gravy! What dida corpse have to do to getet outanextra­
town? rolledoverandsatup,facingthetwoashel shot in this
spooky,gut­rattlingmoanthatmeantsomethingalongthelinesof,“Just
acrossthealleywaybehindBob.Thiskidcouldn’thitthebroadsideofa
ashutupandshootmealready!”
third “Arrgh!”thefirstkidscreamed.
Theotherkiddidn’ty
time. Too high and etool . Instead,hefiredhisr ifle andbuckshot
wide he fired, scattering missedyetal
barnwithab u l .
alltheboyhadtodowasnudgeiEven i f thebullwaslessthananinchfromthebarn and
hungry and tired andhungryt.andBobslumpedwherehesat,frustrated
andBoywasheeverhungry.Whatwashegoingtodonow? hungry and hungry. Andhungry.
“Whobringsasingle­cartridgebuckshotrifle fordefenseagainst
“Idon’tknow,”saidthesecond,“I’mtryingtoreload.”
“What’sitdoingnow?”onekidasked.
“Withthe waykidyoushoot,it’saboutthesame.”
zombies?”“Betterthannogunatall.”
Thearmed aimedhisnow­loadedweaponat hiscompanion.
“You’reluckyI’mtrying to
“No,I’mluckyyou’realousyshot.” saveammo.”
them. Yet.Bobgrowled,toremindthekidstheywereluckyhehadn’teaten
and that waskidgoodtoo.Atleasthewastaking
kiddidn’tfirerightaway,
therewereawaytoguaranteethatthe
ThefirstkidturnedthegunonBob.Good,thatwasastart.Nowi
wouldn’tmiss.Thistime,thef
histime,measuringhisshot.Perhaps,fingers
boywouldn’tmiss. a t armed and intestinescrossed,the
“Look i t , ” the kidsaid.
“Iamlooking!”theunarmedkidyelled.“Nowshooti t!”
““Imeanlook,i
“What?”
It’s t’s justsittingthere.”
just sit ing there.Whyis it justasstitshot.Finishito
“Maybeyoustunneditwithyourl ing there?” f . Putit out
ofitsmisery.”
Finally! A word of wisdom from Tweedledumb and
Tweedledumber.Thearmedkidshruggedawayhisworryandtried toaimhispiece
aonceagaingotoohigh.So,tohelpthekidout—andnottomentionsave
t Bob. And from whereBob was seated, he could tel the shot would
himselfawholelotofworktryingtofindanotherarmedandisolatedpair
theendofitt
missnow.Bobclosedhiseyesandwaitedfortheblessedend.Thereal
ofidiots—hereachedupandgrabbedthebarrelofthegunandpressed
ight againsthisforehead.Therewasnowaythekidcould
end.Thefinalend.Allthekidhadtodowaspullthet
triggerandthatwould be it.Justpullthetrigger. rig er. Justpullthe
“Oh,my,God,”onekidsaidinslow,
Pullthetriggeralready!
“Didhejustdowhat Ithinkhejustdid?”thesecondaskedina
punctuatedbursts.
quiet,awe­filledwhisper.
 “Hej ust putthebarrelofmygunagainsthishead.”
“Yeah,that’swhatIthoughthej ust did.”
“Whatdoes
“Idon’tknow.” i t mean?”
“Yousupposehe…he…heactuallywantstodie?”
“I“Does
thinkhedoes.”
“Yes!” he?”Bob shouted, whichof course came out as a kind of
squeakygrunt.
Thekidsjumpedathisdeclaration.
“Ithinkhej u s t agreed,”saidonekid.
“Youknowwhatthatmeans?”thesecondonesaid.
At last, theywere warm
“Yeah.” getting the bigpicture. Bob grinnedas he
realizedthat
now.Andeventhoughthe
hisbeing,he yes,zombiescould tinglingdidn’textendoverthewholeof
feelhappiness. Hewas feeling it right
laidtorestatlwass ast. til prettysureit washappinesshefelt. Happytobe
“Itmeanswecan’tkil him,”saidthefirst kid.
“Nowecan’t,”agreedthesecond.
shootingandthekillingandthejoyfulseconddeath?
“Waaa?” moaned Bob in confusion. What happenedto the
about?”“Azombiethatwantstodie?”thefirst kidasked.“What’sthatal
makingt“Idon’tknow,”saidthesecond.“Maybethevirusmutatedandi
his onesuicidal.” s
knowhowtomaketheothersbelikehim.”
“Weshouldcatchhimandtakehimwithus.Maybesomeonewill
his,a Ohboy!Thisdayjustgotbetterandfreakingb
Bob notdecent
considerdeath,thank
himself suicidal—he
youvery much—now et kidser. Notonlydid
just wantedthesewhatwas planned
rightfullyon
tleakinghis
his side ofthe slackingRockies.
secrets outWhytoto waseveryTom,Dick
nothing everandeasy?HarryWhyzombiewas
everythingonebigconspiracy
wantedto?Whywasthekidwiththegunscreaming?
Well,thelastoneturnedouttobetheeasiestmakehimworkharderthanheactually
Andinthis
thesingle­cartridgebuckshotr
stateof hunger, ihereached for the nearesttoanswer.Thekid
wasscreamingbecause,inhisponderings,Bobhadgrownhungryagain.
happenedtobeattachedtothehand,wristandforearmofthekidaiming
fle athim.Bobhadthepoorboy’sindex snack, which
“I can’t!”thefirst screamed. “He gnawedoff my triggerfinger!”
fingerhalfwaydownhisgulletbeforeherealizedhewasevenchewing.
“Shoothim!”thesecondkidyelled.
shooti “Thengive
An
he would.t.”Bob supposed me
epileptic,hethegun.”Thesecondkidheldouthishands.“
blind, heard anything
days.Thesecondonewasboundtobeabettershot.Wouldn’the?Surely
hadn’tone­armed allofhisI’l
man withso cleveralltheindirectional
 senseofademagnetizedcompasswasboundtobeabettershotthanthat
kid.Andsincehewasmissinghistriggerfinger,hehadnochoicebutto
let hisfriend­
“No!”thef itate i r s t kidshouted. “Iwannak i l i t ! ”
sheared
undead “But yourtriggerfinger,”saidhisfriend.
“IThekidheldupthehandinquestion,asifshowingito
anendtothatnonsenserightquick.Hesnatchedthekidbythewristand
jaws.
offstiltheboy’s
havemylleft hand.” index fingerwith one powerful snapofhis f . Bob put
matterofmoments.
“Whywereyous Pointer wentfrom t i l full­grownpiggy to eatensausage ina
“I don’tknow!”theirsftstandingsoclose?”thesecondkidaskedover
theagonizedcriesofthef i.rst kidcried.
“Give
“No!”Thef me thegun.”
i r s t cradledtheguninthecrookofhis bloodyarms.
It’s my“Butyou
“anytriggerfingers!”
dad’sgun!Hesaidnotto
can’tevenshooti lte,t” anyoneelseshootit!”
whinedhisfriend.“Youdon’thave
backsidedoing
easychores
somethingeTheboystareda theafishobituarymambo.Then
Bobhadnoideawhythekidwasn’tfacedowninthedirtalready.Alli
witheachspurtofbloodfromeitherstump.Speakingofgrowingpaler,
tookwasaniptothe lslikee, wasn’ti fromamanicmailman
Hecouldn’tremember.
barrels. No thatagain,he alwaysdidwaslattakefishonhistot
eartto?theevidencebeforehim,hisfacegrowingpaler
wasn’tandright.It
Bobwasf
“Okay,”thekidfinallysaid.“Takethegun.”
“Good!” theas thekid
second shouted, takinghimselfthegun. A fewfirearm.awkwardBob
momentspassed
thatfil edhecould acquainted
thistimewiththoughtsofwhatafishtookto,andtheprobabilitywith the
biteoffrestof the boy’s fingersbefore his friend fireda
single
consideringhowlongthenewgunmanwastaking.
“What’swrong?”thefingerlesswonderasked
shot. That probability was beginning tolook really good,
“You point the
“How…howdoIfireit?”hisfriendasked.
hollow end a t him and pull inaweakvoice.
sowatchout;itkickslikeamule.That’sprobablywhymyshotshave
wild.”“Can’taim?Youcan’tevenshoot!”
“Sure.Thatandyoucan’taim.” that curved bit.beenBut
“Icantoo.”Andtoprovehispoint,theboydidj
Bob took the shotfull in theface, blowing ust brains
his that. out the
backsideofhis
thoughtwast his:skullandpaintingighttheend
. ofthe alleywayin delightfulast
huesofputridgreenandmidnightblack.Ashefelltothegroundhisl
Yes,thatsoundedaboutr
CarpeMortis.
***
learnmore aboutToniaandherbooks,visit:
Tohttp://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/?zx=9d8df29683bab8bb
Oryoucanemailher­thebackseatwriter@gmail.com
 CattDahman
Mr.Romero’sWarriors
“GeorgeRomerowasspoton.”t makesit morewitty.”
“Deadon.Getit?Deadon?I
“Wittier,”Shenodded.“Youmustbewittyata
“By“Hewasn’texactlyr i g h t , buthewasclose.” l costs.”
far. Heinsistedtheywereslow,”Shenodded.“Heis likea
He smiled,“Andthanks
Romeropedia.”
thought.” “No. I was thinking thattohim,weknowbetterthantorunover
tothemall.Nomallshopping.” some things aren’t exactly like he
predictable.Hetriedtogetherbackontrack,“Themallisclosed.”
routinewasfunnyandsometimesi
thisroutineathousandtimes,albeitwithafewvariations.Sometimesthe
drumminghisfingertipslightlyonthearmofthechair.Theyhaddone
That wasn’t the right line. tNealwasgrim,butitwasalwayssafely
frowned, tilting his head and
wrong about.
“Notreallyclosed.Closed outside the mallbut that’swhathewas
They don’t just standto us,Ireckon,
moanandshuffleaimlessly.” doors foreverand
theroutineandhedidn’tlikei
somethingofyourowndoingthantos
Somedidt
oneabout
Nealhatsighed.
:blondesbeing
laughedorcriedu
This twas. “Okay,l eta’rst dolaughingasi
funny.”Butnoneofthemwerereallyfunny;itwasjustbettertolaugha
safebecausethey’rebrainless.Thatone
becoming
ntil theysatdownandrefusedtomove
a anotherroutine.Wecando
conversationf youwereinsane.
insteadof iats
evenastheshamblerscamearound,laughingwhiletheywererippedto
shreds.“Doyoudream?”Jennyasked.
knew “No,”helied.Whyhadsheaskedthat?I
Nealwas
shereachedover to pathim.
Nealsawthatsome t wasn’tfair. Theyboth
lyingbecausesometimeshewhimperedinhissleepand
Hadtheystayedwiththenice,saferoutine, oftheotherswereglancingatthem,listening.
no
those,”Jenny
Theypreferredawittyconversation,notonewithmeaning.
“Idream.said,Not“butotherdreams. Theyonewouldhavelookedup.
like the dreams before dreamtoo.
or right after…not like
didn’tfromknowthat,
linethoughttheywouldbej
Crawlingdeaddid ihe?fusyoushoot‘eminthelegs,
their routinebutNealdidn’tsayit.Why
t walkingdeadpeople. Mr. Romero
He didn’tknow they slepthe thought.Thatwasa
and dreamed.He
tosleepanddream,moaning and maybehuman­likeverbalizations?
up?Whydidshementionthatand hadshebroughtthis
makeNeal thinkofhowtheyappeared
 Intoolong,
theyaboutidreamed,someitmade
t“Scream,” ways,itwas
them worse
he would…. than when theyhuman.chasedIfhehim.thought
seem almost,well, When
dream.Wecould Jennysaid.“Ithinksometimestheyscreamwhenthey
add
“Idon’t.”Everyone wasthattotheroutinebutIdon’tthinkyoulikei
listening now, their eyes shifting with feat.r”. We
weren’tsupposedtotalkaboutthis.
“Weshouldmoveon,”shesaid.
main characters,but
rules,and “Inthemovies.Themaincharactersdie.I’mnotsayingwearethe
“Notyet.Inthemovies….”Ibegan.
Ithink wehemaybeat hemadetheHe
was spotloneastaboutsometheof thebasicsmainandcharacters.
neverwroteaboutthis part…somedidbutnothimandonlyhecanmake
therules.” “Butnothing.We’renitonial ourownnow.
maincharacterspastthei
“But….” No oneever cares aboutthe
struggles.Noonecareswhat
Mr.Romeronevermentioneda l thechanges.Foreveryone” comesnext.
Neal could thehandlewordmommyover
it al . Heandhadpus.handled
killedthemandrunfromthem,hid,andsurvived.Hehadlearnedtoplay
wittywordgames.Hehadwatchedthecreaturessleeping,andhadseena
lit le girlmouthing
hadbeenmattedwithdriedblood his worst nightmares,hirt
and overinhersleep.Hers
gotWhenthegirlmoanedbut because heandwanted
asshebuthehadn’tonlyshotherbecauseshe
obscene.
heshot her to stop dreaming.fehadto
reachedforhim,Nealhad
close,her inthehead,becausethatwassimplywhatthey
wasinfectiousorwouldbite lt nothing
It wasdo,if
afraid Nealsawafewoftheothersinchingforthedoors,readytorun
might say whatNeal wasthinking, and if she did,he might
screamandscreamforever.
away.Nealwantedtoscream;hewantedJennytostoptalking.Hewas
sheShesaidthosethree
***Wantto wordsthatter ified himtohisverysoul,“We
areal evolving.”
aboutthis authorandreadhermoreawesomebooks!
from Catt? Visit her website to learn more
http://www.cattd.com
 MiaDarien
Descent
Thegoddess.Notshewhois mothertotheearth,butshewhois
Demeter.
world andHershadedcompassiongavethepeopletheknowledgeofgrowing
confrontthegodofdeath,toshowher
theearthmother.
andcultivating,howtosurviveofftheearth’sbounty.Heranguishrent
half the year incold. Shewho heldno fearto
tohaveherdaughterPersephoneback. powertoMountOlympusitself, al
Shewhose steps nourishthe ground,
fromi t . Apowerfulally,apowerfulenemy. some: that people might live
abrief
said,ourpowercamefrom.Ineverfoundreasontoquestionthestory,for
powerwedidhave.Wehadpowerthatothersdidnot,ori
hidit verywellandmorethanwecaredt
Thisiswhatmymother,Cyrana,told
Apowerfulancestor.
couplingbetweenDemeter andamortalman.Itwaswhere,she
o. thatshewastheissueof
f theydid,they
twelvecenturiesbeforethebirthofChrist.
ThestorythatIshallt e l tookplaceinthetwelvehundredsB.C.­
lived inIlived
Thrace. Iwas
toldmewhereIhad
thatplace.Ichosei
notbornthere, asSeafar asawastatIknow,
near thebeenBlackborn.She
t because, thatthattime,I wasa motherhadnever
myinmother,bythetimeI
dead,time,butmy region
devotedtoAres,
knownas
thegodofsavagewarandbloodl
withi t s ust. ThemountainousareasofThrace,
war­likepeople,weresaidtobemostlikehim.Itwasalsosaid
thathehadbeenbornofthatviolentland.
They did not c a l mewitch then. In those days, I was simply
Ioena.Noonecouldt e l
encourageItwascaredgoodaliwayt le growth
sheepI myageandstayingonmygoodsidemeantgood
thingsforone’scropsandlive­stock,particularlyhorses.Theircropsand
with.
(Unfortunately,Iwasnotabletouset for,butforwhatfromthosethingstheywouldpayme
forme into makea fields handeasier
iliving.I couldtempersusemyinpowers
s poweraskeenlyonhumans,j animals.utost
wouldexplainmyaffectionforthem,althoughIneverspentmuchtime
associated
animals.) chose
Demeter Theirwith tohorses,
horsesrun inthehowever,
bythoseformIwhowasof worshipped
ahappy
mare toandtend.It
her.she hasI wassuppose
oftenbeen
saidthatthat
wonderingwhy.
Itwasa blessing, ourancestry,mymother had said,althoughit
wasweakerinmethaninher,formyfatherhadbeenmortal.Thiswasas
much asIMyeverknewor
lived,Iwasapart wholly had been.IneveryplaceI
of it andcaredyettoknow.
life wasastrangeone,butitalways
butIfelt
matters ofmoreabusiness. I did notmindremoved.Thracewasnodifferent,
t hometherethananywheree
becausetheyfearedme,whichisalsowhytheystayedawayexceptfor People wereas Igoodto
thatl,se.though, liked myme
independencefromotherhumans.Thisisat of which I rcould
tothelongauraOnemorninginspring­whenDemeter’sdaughterwaswithher
me thatkeptothersaway.
themotherforhalftheyearandtheearthbloomedagain­Imadeadecision,
comprehend.
inpeopleintheyearssince,butitwasnotascommonthen.Itonlyadded
termaroundI consequences ait thathasgrownstronger
not have begunto
above and
wouldgivetohim. beyondwantedal otherofferingsIhadevermade,
to makea gift to Ares. I wantedor thatanyoneelse
Therewerefourmaresinmypossession.Theywerebeautifuland to make agift
strong, gracefultoinways
werepureblackincolorandtheirfurgleamedinsunandmoonl
wouldbehard partwiththem,forIadoredthemaboveallelse,butI
that only horsesoftheir nature can be.igThey ht. It
perhaps toevengiveonly
wanted consortstheforbestthefourfire­breathingstall
to Ares.Theywould beionswhopulled wonderful gifhists,
chariot.Theywouldbeaslovers,likeAresandIhadoncebeen.
Iam surethatyouwonderedwhyIwasdevotedtoAreswhenI
wasadescendentofDemeter.
wouldbenomatchforAres’steeds.
The problem was that the mares were completely docileand
“Asmallchange,”Iwhisperedtothemastheygrazed.
If mymares
tostrong,butfierce.Theyhadto
man­eating near werethemmares.tobeuntilThey
thetimethatdarknessdescended,they
power.be: fourIstayed nightwerefwere
beasgiven exertingwildandthefull
ifrtoael ­powerful
Ares,they
,viscous,
preciselywhatIneededthem
hadtoandconsuming.By
notonly
willuntamable,
of mybe
thoughtheydidnotharmme,forIwas
­Ithem,forIhadmadethemsoonlyagod(andI
horses.Inthemorning,theyweregoneandIknewthatAreshadtaken
toldhimofmy
SpeakingtoAresasi
Alotofmypowerwas
Theyweremagnificent. were as their)mother.
gift tohim.Ifellasleepinthatsmallfieldwithmy
f he there­forIknewhecouldhear couldhandlethem. me
wastedonsuchsmallthings:helpingbring
agoodharvestorcalmingthelive­stockoffarmers.Int h i s , i t feltgood to
createsomethinggreatandstrong.
Itwassometimelaterthat IwouldencounterAresupontheroad.
HesimplyappearedandIwascaughtquiteoffguard.Itmightseemoddto
toyou,butinthosedays,godswalkedamonguswhenevertheychose.
Hechosetoappeartomeashealwaysdid,andashealwayswould
others,forhewastooproudtodisguisehimself.Hewishedtothankme
forthe
Diomedeshadthem.
arguewithhim.I
Onehorses,and
does notsimply
I was veryarguewithagod,but
flat ered, until he toldohhowmethatI wantedhissonto
wantedtoscreama
offeelingthathehadshown
worthyofmoreattention
energyintocreatingagiftworthy oft him,curse,andr
themofftooneofhisbastardsons.IdidnotcarethatDiomedeswasthe ail againstthelackcastand
inmyme.Iofferingsthanthat?Ihadpouredtime
wasmostdevotedtohim,sowasInot
himalone,andhehadsimply
kingofThrace.Hewasnotmyking!
meto contemplatethefickleness
IsaidnothingofhowIfeloft andwatchedasAresdeparted,leaving
Yearswouldpass.Ididnotgettoseemymaresina
thegods...andofoneinparticular. l ofthattime,
nortriedwasI
. everable to again create anythingthatwastheir equal,andI
wayto Then,duringadaythatwaslikeanyother,at
my ear. er ible tale foundits
had slainOneofZeus’manyhalf­mortalchildren,amannamedHeracles,
KingDiomedes and fed him tomy mares. This part did not
cause
makeagoodmealforthem.No,Iwasnotupsetaboutthatat
me any significant alarm, for Diomedes wasa giant and would
fromt eir meal,andhadhemybeautiful
Heracleshadboundandstolemy
shouldneverhave
hThepartofthe tahadtakenthem
le thatbotheredmarestowhomeinthef
mares, place.came after.forheThisyet
someKingEurystheus­
waswhat a
wereirst thensatedandcalml ,
anotherkingwhowasnotmy
Then, kingbutwhohadbeengivenmyhorses!
glad fortheir survival and turned
andeatthem.t h i s unworthy man had escape andfromoffered
goneanylengthtogetthemback,butZeushadsentwildbeaststoslay
been
creaturestothatarrogantpigZeus,whodidnotwishthem.Iwouldhave sacrificetheseand wouldhave
magnificent
describe It mywasasthoughthosebeastshad
Iwastheonetorntoshredsanguish, or theandlevellyingofinmyeatenmy
theirsudden heart.It wasas though
and over­whelming
bellies.Icannotdefinenor
desperation.
TherewasonlyoneplacethatIcouldgotoforhelp. of
I wanted my horses back,but they
andhave,Iwouldhavehunteddowneachoneandtornthemapartwithmy were in
evenkilling those animals would not bring them back. Ifit would thebellies beasts
hands.me,No,thishadrequiredstrongermeasures.IcouldnotseekoutAresto
helpnothisarea.I
death. IdescendedintoHades.
forthiswasentirelyhisfaultinthefirstplace.Besides,t
toseekoutthedivineassistanceofonewhoknewof his was
above,thoughitdidnotfeellikethatlongwhileIwasthere.I
greatwhile,butIfinallystruckmybargain.
concern,becauseIsaythatitisnot.Suffice
Hades, I...donotwishtot
inboth the place elandaboutmytimethere,buttosaythatHadesi
Thedetailsofthearrangementareunimportantandnoneofyour
the god who over­sees it. Yearst tookmea passeds
Intheend,IgotwhatIwanted:away itot tosaythatImanagedthe
taskIwentdowntherefor.Ithadreallytakenmostof
placetoconvincethegodoftheunderworldthatIwouldkeepmysideof
thedeal.Unfortunately,Icouldnotsimplygivetheml bring mymares
ife myagain.Thiswas
timeinthat
back.
god’sbidding.Therewerenolongeranybodiestoreanimate,andIcould
notbecause they had beenkilled as well as consumed bybeasts serving a
evenpiecethemtogetherfortheywerelockedinthoseanimalsbythe
willofZeus.Hadescouldonlygivemetheirspirits.Ihadtosupplythe
bodies.Itwas not easy to seekout horses for slaughter, for themyaffinity
thatIhavealwayshadforthecreatures,butthiswassothat
mayplacesandinfarreachingareas,sothatt
suspicious.Iusedmypowertolurethemawaytomyhome.
liveOnceIhadfoundandslainthefourmaresIneeded,Iwasableto
again. Itwas a necessary evilh.eiIr disappearanceswouldnot maresbe
chosesteedsfrom different
usefromtheunderworld.Theyslippedupwardslikemistfromtheground­
palesilvercloudsinanightsky.Iguidedthefourmists
my powerstogether withHades’ blessing to cal their spirits back
myheadrestinguponthecorpse’sshoulder.
bodiesoftheseotherhorses,andonebyonetheydid.
life,but
andIcouldhear
Watchingwithgrowingexcitement,Iwaitedforthem
my excitement too long.toseNothing
no heartbeat.Iclosedmyeyes,andbegantoweepwith t ltocome
e uponthewasto
became dread beforeear tothecoldfleshandfur
happening!Imovedtooneandpressedmy
Butthen...thebodytwitched.
nstincta.Ijumped
istared tMyheart
themare.
back
beat
She
a t f i r s t , startled and
painfullyhardagainsttheinsideof
twitched again and
t
then
e r i f i
again.
e d with
my primordial
breastasI
Thehorse’s
isee.She...wasa eyeswere
morefrequentlyastime
f there weresomethinsubstance seemed to creep
live, yetnotinthewaysotherthingswere.Ididnotthen
open,glassyandwildandofapalewhitecolor,
coveringthem,yetI
by.Icrawledcloserto knewshehappened
They head.as
her could
knowthetermorconcepttodescribethesecreatures.AllthatIknewwas
thatsomethingstrangehadoccurred.
Tentatively,I laid myhand
her noseand ears. She turned her milky
calmedalittleandletmepullherheadonmylap,strokethesoftfurof ontheeyespale towards
curiousdepthsthere.Shewaslikeachild,Ithought,whohadyettolearn furof hermejawandliIfound
ne. She
howtomake “You were
her bodyfunction
f i r e i t s e l f ,
canIthoughtthatperhapssheunderstoodandbelievedme.” in
Iwhispered to
thewayshewanted.
her.“Asif Prometheushad
broughtyoutothepeopleandnottheflamewewarmourselvesby.You
beagain.Youwillbeagain,”Ipromisedher.Lookingintohereyes,
ThenightgrewlongandIwastired,butIcouldnotstopnow.I
sconcentratedonmymarewiththatpartofmethatheldpower,mindand
themallu
thickthroat ntiandl allfourwereontheir
Oncethere,sheswayedbutstayedup.
pirit, urginghertoherf
Onebyone,eachofthembegantoawakenandIdidthe fe t. oft, mutednoisethrougha
thenshifted,twitching,stumblinglaboriouslytoherfeet.
e t. Shewhickeredas samefor
laydown,exhausted. In their painful,waveringg
me,likechildrentoamother.Theirnoseswerestillcold,likedeath,as ItwasalmostdawnbythenandI
ait, each walkedoverto
 Ihadthemback.tomeandIhadnofear they’drunaway.Theygrew
myofthemandtrytoharmthem.Itookthemouttoroamatnight,forthey
theysniffedmeandtouchedmyskin,butIdidnotmind.
weremostobedient
mares.Ikeptthemhiddenduringtheday,l
Overthedaysandweekstocome,Ispentmostofmytimewith
est anyonethinkwrongly
tofrenzywhenotherscameclosetoourhome,however.ThiswashowI
knewthat i t
Duringtwastrulythespiritsofmyhorseswhowereinthesebodies,
althoughtheylookedsodifferent.
his time,Icouldfeelmypowergrowingstronger,darker.
wentsof
Iusedit atohelpmymareslearnbetter,tomovebetter,althoughi
matterofmyownsurvival,sot
r. Plus,IstillhadotherobligationstotheThraciansthatwerea
his usedsomeofmytimeandpoweras t only
well. Whatelse was mydead’, oftimepassed,Isawthatt
think to cal pthem
dead.Theirs irits occurred
bodiesweredecayingaroundthem.Atf was the‘living
whatsortofcreaturestheywere.Theonlythingt
wereundiminished,but processirsasfort, theydid
theylearning about
hatwere, notatthetime,Icouldthem handandeir
bothseemtonotice,
living
buteverynowandthen,theywouldlooka
notphysical
show pain,atleast. If it did hurtthemt meinsuchawayasbroke
seemtobeinanypainfromwhatwasgoingonaroundandinsidethem­
myheart­liketheyknew,butdidnotunderstand.Atleasttheydidnot in any way,they didnot
it.Iwouldwatchthemwhen areaof we wouldgooutinthenights,moving
throughthesparseforestsoft
glassiness h i s
choosetoroamandexplore.Theirmovementswereusuallyslow,butthe
theydidnotoftenwalkintothings.Ontheraretimestheydid,they’d
pull back andof thlooksurprised.Ihadfoundthat
eir eyes seemed to notaffectt Thrace.Sometimestheywould
hetheyseemedtobe
ir sight too greatly,morefor
emotive
threadt
life, mare heindeath
ir way backto ­showingmeandImorereactionandfeelingthanthey
evenattheirwildest.Iftheyhitsomethinghardenough,theywould
woulddowhatIcouldtoeasethemand had in
thatit wasallright.Afterawhile,shewouldeithergetoveritorforgetit­I
wouldstayclosebymeforawhile,
It was quite by chance thatI discoveredan interesting and asif reassuringherselfthat
couldnotbesurewhich­buteitherway,theexplorationwouldresume.
had
importantfactonenight.I
eattol
tnoticedl
heir areaiTheIwonderedwhyIhadn’tthoughtofi
vea,teandI
butIfoundthattheycoulde learnedearlyonthattheydidnotneedto
rnightthattherateofdecayslowedforatimea
happened
following tothicome
s discovery,
uponat. Somesmallanimalhaddied
tthemImyself.I
traveledas ftheytemadesense.t. it.Iin
forr thdevoured
aatime
cametoavillagewheretheydidnotknow me onsight.Therewasaman u n t i l I
travelingalongtheroad.Hefar was aloneandtherewasnooneelseafora
goodspaceineitherdirection,soIknewthatIhadfoundtheonethatI t
needed.Istayedbehind,
edge mysight.Itwasalotliketrackinganimals,whichis whathewas.the
of behind,forawhileandj u s t kepthim
knowledge,SinceIhadneverkilledahuman,Ihadtothinkcarefullyabout
thebestwaytodoit.I though, becausecouldnot my horses
bedeterred
neededme
frommytodoplanbylackof
this. The day
could
followingseeittheintconsuming
h e i r eyes.I t ofmadesuchadifferencethatIcouldnotignore
thatcreature, when the decay lessened, I
this chance, even though this process wouldnot be simple or easy, I
imagined.
IIfoundarockonthesideoftheroad.Itwasheavy,buts
t turnedouttobeeasierthanIhadthought. t i l ofa
sizetof
medicineusethis
head,
saved
turnaroundasI tosilence neckwasbehindhimandhithim
onaThere
wherecameup
soothingwasweakonhumans,butitwasbetterthannothing.Hedidnot
hismysteps hardonman.My
ofmyrightnorfeetit inonehandasIwalkedalittlequicker,balancingontheballs
spared. soldierreturnedfromaconflictwhocouldnotbe
methis
a asslightlywet,
I approachedthe
skull.I thudding
hadonce noiseseenthebackofthe
asthe
aman
powertwoof
connected. Hemade
aplacedmyarmsunderh nosoundas he crumbledontothe
tdIdid,sothatmadeiteasier.Ikepttotheveryedgeoftheroad,sothatwe
thepronebodyforamomentandthenkneltbesidehim.Hewasdead. road way.Istared
couldhideifanyoneelsepassedby.
irt andstone.Hewasheavy,butprobablydidnotweighmuchmorethan
Inextbeganthelaboriousprocessofdragginghimtomyhome.I
is, lifting himslightlyandthenpullinghimover
urgedthemLuckily,noonedid.
Whento Ireachedmy
eatit,whichtheydid,a lto descendinguponit at once.Itwassee
mares,Ipresentedthemwiththeirmealand
foodandthatwasalltheyneeded
their conditionimprovefollowingthatfeeding. know.Iwassimplygratifiedto
Whentheynuzzledtheir
furandskinwouldchafeoff.Itwaswonderful. nosesagainstme,notasmuch oftheir
Quicklyit becamehabitthateveryother
thatmilkysheenandtheirmovementswerenevercompletely
awkward
heartsbeatagain.Isometimesthoughtthatthey
afreshmeal.Theycontinuedtoimprove,althought
halting gait. Theynever breathed again, evennightIwouldfetchthem
freehadofthetheiart
seemedfrustrated
hnorever
eir eyesneverlost
times, as though theirspirits and bodies were in conflict, but onthe
whole,theyimproved.
poweraswellasmy
Idid whatI couldto soothe them through out itall.I used my
simplepresence.Eventually,Ievenbegantosleep
outsidewiththem.Theywouldgatherascloseastheycouldaroundme,
theirseelargebodiesblockingeachothersomewhat,butnotsomuchasto
mycare
me.It whatIatwasleasthappening
noteachother...
beaconcern­theywereclose.Ihadnofearofthemandtheyhadnoneof
waslikeweheldanunwrittenpromisethatwewouldtake
Unfortunately,Iwassotakenupwith
knewthatIpromisedthem
aroundme. People as much. careof
knewofthemthatIdid
somethingandstrangenoisescouldbeheardfromtheareaI ofmy
duringthenight.Theyalsosawthatpeopleweregoingmissing.Theyput was hiding
home
ithethingstogetheranddecidedtoactoni
t together,although theydidnotunderstandit.Theysimplyconnected
t .
This was a l information that came: farmerscomeandtolearn
Iwould
It wasl nearseemedtobeelsewherethatnight,yetevenonemanwith
meansmuchlateron.
withtoolsandweaponsoft
thewarriorsa dawn whenthey
heir homes.Thracewasawarriornation,but huntersbyarmed
other
akitchenknife canbe lethalifhehadthewillto
seemsthattheydidhavesuchw
Ionlyknewtheyweretherebecausemymaressensedthemand
il . useitassuch,and it
grace!Thenoises theymadewerebestial, almostnotlikehorses at al ,
myhorses,wererearinganddancing,bitingandpawingatthemen.Such
rousedoneanother,aswellasme,beforethemencouldgrabme.They,
MybutlikethewildandmagnificentanimalsthatIhadalwaysknownthem
to be.Ifno were
oneelsewouldbeloyalto fierce.me,Their
averagehorse’sandtheywereunafraidtomakethatfactknown.Inf
maresAtfirst,thement
powerfulrianded topusht heirtheywould.
waypastthem,buttonouse.
teeth were sharper than ethear,
themenbackedup.
horses
protectivec
events,fortheycircledaroundmelikeIwasthefoalandtheywerethe
“What
whileirclIhiddoyou
e. in want?”
their protective
I shoutedcluast ethemr. It overwasathestrangeturn
noisesof theof
shoutedback atme, brandishingsomefarmingtoolheusedtocultivate
“Wewantyoutoleave andto nevercomeback!”one of themen
thecropsthatIhelpedhimtogrow.
Leave? I was in shock a t the idea,heir faces
but theandthestancesoft
seriousnessof thheeiirr
demandwasquiteplaininthelooksont
bodies. I may not havehisbeenwashowtheytreatedme?Ionlyeverwishedto
like everyone else, but I had done good
thingsforThraceandt
­such
takecareofmymares,whohadasmuchrightasanyothertoeatandlive
good. asiIkeptmyeyesfirmlyonthemobbeforeusasIstartedbackingin
t was.I staredforalongmoment,butIknewthatitwasno
withthehorsestokeepthemwithme,althoughtheycontinuedtodance
tothedarknessoftheforestbehindus,usingmypowerandconnection
ininsidemeoncemoreasfearebbedawayandalreadyIwasaddingthese
halting, frightening and powerful stepsas we went. Anger seeded
peopletothelistinmymindofthosewhowouldpayforwhattheyhad
ourdonebeingtoWhenwe
myfollowed,
horses,and a tosafedistanceaway
wereIturned me.All
tobeginthingsourwould
now,thereweremoreimportantmatterstoattendto. comein intime, but for
and therewerenosignsof
escape
It’s been lifetimes since our arduous
greaterspeed.Ionlylookedbackonce
risinginflames. hat, onlytoearnest
after tescape andhomewithwe
toGaul,seemywhich
almostdidnotsurvive.Wemigratedthroughthatlandfor
years thatIdonotnowwishtocount,but wesurvived­ inwhatways anumberof
theysurviveanything,beingthattheyarenotpreciselya
canonlythankDemeterherselfformyownsurvival,andlongevity.live. IsupposeI
LaterI wouldhavemyrevenge,butthat’sanother storyandfor
anothertime.ThisoneImustendhere,formymaresarehungry.
***
matter
thelife
fiction,herAboutthe
andaNewEnglandYankeetransplantedintoAlabamaclay.No
geography,she
Author: MiaDarien
continuestoisanindie
stubbornlyandrebelliouslylive
author of speculative
thesnow.ofherchoosingalongwithherfamilyandpets.Shedoesn'tmiss
Youcan connectwith her at http://www.miadarien.com or on
Facebook,TwitterorGoodreads!
***
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StandaloneStories
DeeperthanSkin(HistoricalRomance)
SteelWings(ScienceFictionRomance)
C M Doporto
Flesh Seekers
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 FleshSeekers
tomustexplode atanybeatmoment.
haveMyheart
beenout ofitrapidly.Poundingfuriouslywithinmychest.Ready
becauseI
I heard people
didn’t talking
understandallaroundwhat theyme butwereI
sayingandI couldn’t makeouttheir faces. Deathwaitedfor me.ButI
wasn’treadytodie.ItsuckedbecausenoonecouldhelpmesinceIwas
oneofthem.Youknow,aFleshSeeker,andthatmeanttheendforme.
heardhervoice,thecutehighpitchedtonewiththel
theend.Kait’svoice.Damn,Iwishshewashere
ontheway.AbabythatImightnot
Atnineteen,Ihadtoomuchtolivefor.Abeautifulg ever seeandmaynotgettolive.I
it le Texastwangat
irl andababy
Yeah, Ican hearmymamma.“Areyouirlcrazy
Bolillaandherfamilywon’tapproveofyougoingoutwithher.”
everythingIhaddreamedofandwantedinag . withmenow.Shewas
muchacho?She’sa
Iknewitwouldbefar­fetchedtogetKait to gooutwithme,but
thewayhereyeswatchedmyeverymoveinhistoryclass.Ij
slim,muscularbodyandatalentfordrawing.Shewantedme;Iknewby
whatdidIhavetolose?IwasaMexicanwithgoodlooksalongwitha ust needed
theright opportunity to convince her to give me that chance.I stil
remembertheday,likeitwasyesterday.
“Josh Sanchez,ist,youpairinguswithamemberoftheoppositesex
on,goingdownthel and Kaitlyn Richardsondamnwillabouttheproject,
TobyBentleyyou’llbewithSusanSilverman.”Thehistoryteacherwent
doaprojectonWomen’sRights.Ididn’tgivea work together.to
butKaitlyn…hellyeah.Shewasfine!Thehighschoolcheerleader,the
hottestblondeintheschool,themostpopularandtherichest.
EventhoughKaitcamefrommoney,shewasn’tthetypicalstuck
made it apoint to smileatmeandsay‘hi’
up,snobbybitchlikemostpopularchicks.Shewasdifferentandthat’s
whyIlikedher.Shealways
whenshepassed
herhand
have to me intheh a l s . Iwantedto
tosayitfadmitthatshedidintimidateme.Soinstead,Iwouldwaitforher
irst.“HiI, ’mKaitRichardson.”Shestoodinfrontofme,holdingoutsay ‘hi’ to herfirst, butI
andsmiling.
te th, blaringright
Icouldn’thelpbutnoticeherperfectlystraightandbleachedwhite
aupchompers at me.Nexttoher’s,mymouthlookedlikeJaws,teeth
and shookherhand.“Hey,
l crookedandpointed.SoIgaveahalfsmile,tryingtohidemymessed
“Yes,Iknowwhoyouare,”shesaid,takingaseat I’m Josh,JoshSanchez.” in theempty
desktothe
chanceof l
seeing e f t of
up me.
her She
t i g h t crossed
denim her
microlongslim
mini s k i r legs,
t , blocking
even though anyshe
Myheart literal y stopped.Noway!
hadonsometypeofleggingsunderneath.
Shedidn’tknowme.Unless
each other.Thenagain,shereallydidn’tknowwhoIwas.
Myheartin thelithallseral yaswe
saying‘hi’ passed each other, qualified as knowing
stopped.Noway!Shedidn’tknowme.Unless
onlyapoorkidfromthewrongside of thetracks,tryingtofitinwitha Afteral , Iwasl
thecoolkidsa
“Ofcourse.You’relikeoneofthebesta
teachschool.Basically,anobody.“Youdo?” rtists inthis school.Ilove
myhell?Icouldn’t
head.Somethingaboutthisgirlmademelosei
sparkled,with
howyoudraw.”Shetwirledalockofcurlsaroundherfingers.Hernails
handsshaking,
“Nah,I’mnotthatgood.Imean…IguessIdookay.”Whatthe
thinkturn.soIshoved
for shit. Allthe
them underwordsthejumbled t. deskIlookeddownandsaw
andheld
up inside ofmy
ofawards
batted “Iacross
knees.Ifshe
streaked
beautiful aherlids.
downtown,LakeVine,Texas.
hereyes tthemtrembling,she’dthinkIwasacoward.
gandirlsawIheartheteachers thesayFalls,reallygoodthingsaboutyou.”She
thinkyoudobetterthanokay.You’repaintingshavewontons
somewhere
me,showingoffthe
Itinhypnotized mevividtheandhistoric
colorsofeye onto my
I picturedwaterpaintingthis
shadowthat
gardensin
didn’tlikewhere e. Icamefrom
I hadltechnical
stoblink few timesortheIf theytofactgethadthattheyhadtol
do?”Thisgirlhadtobesmokingsomething.Theteachershatedme.They
‘prestigious
somewheree aschool’. my iconcentration mein
t their way,Ietback.“You
wouldbe
their
There’s“Yes.aspecialInfactplaceIthinkyou’regoing
them.”Ibustedoutlaughinga regions,if not al of
within onetobeof theafamousartistoneday.
for yout whatshesaid.“What?Nah,Idon’tthink
so.”WorldWideDepressionandtheGreatRegionsofFreedomhadformed.
Shemight havebeen righitf,e.butLuckily,thecitizensstillhadachoice
TheGRFpracticallyranyourl things weren’tthe same since the
inwhattheywould doyou?I’veseenyour
withthassessmentsthey
eir lives,ifyoucworkhis GodforsakenGRFdid!
. That’safromaboutl thetheseadministratorsint
threechoices
test,test“What career amade
l displayedand
choosingoneofthetop
everyonetake.Test,
it’s good,
too.”herShe tilted her head down, allowing the wavesof curls to cover
half Shedidhaveapoint,butIwasn’tabouttot
face.DidIembarrassher?“Please.Idrawclothesandyoudraw
peopleandbuildings.There’sadifference.”
tomakeherfeelgoodaboutherdrawings, el herthat.Iwanted
We makeherfeelspecial,likeno
oneelsecould.
scoldness memories vanished the moment I iftewouldbethe
wereonlysophomoresatthetime,but
Thosecreepupgreatovermybody.Thepeopleinthebackgroundcontinued
tart ofajourneythatIcouldn’timaginetakingwithanyonee ltseasudden
.
talking and I struggled tofocus inon their words. Was I about to die?
MaybeIdidn’twanttoknowsothat’swhyIblockedthemout.Time.I
neededmoretimetoremembera
Abrightlight shinedinmylefteye.Itvanished
l thegreatmomentsIhadwithKait. as blacknessfel
overit.Thenthesamebrightl
pitchblackagain.Iknewtheywerecheckingmeout.I
me.Wecan i g h t blaredinto my right f
eyee l t beforeturning
themstanding
rightover
human.Unlikethea
notinjecthim.”Adeepandroughvoicesaid,tunnelingthroughmyearsasit
reverberatedthroughmymind.Endmylife?Al
much.“Hispupilsaredilated.Testsshowhehassomebraina
Thewarmthoft
ieitherwait el inigfemetheywere
r thatseemedtodisappearfrommylungsa
heandir breath,t
see whathappens thatIhadn’t
orgo cahead
tialiveand
times.
vity,andbut
thechancetolive.Wouldmychildsufferthesamefateasme?
“I’l informDr.Richardsonandwaitforhis evenhad
the cold,darkroom. orders.”Aladyspoke
Why was it so dark?WhywasIsocold?Mybodyshiveredonthe
softlybeforefadingoffinto
inside,tothepointofnearlyconvulsing,eventhough it didn’tmove on
the outside. My bloodWas mycrawledbodythrough
nothing?Iknewitwouldn’tbelongnow.
circulatingagain. breakingmyapart?veins,WasIbut crumbled
deterioratingto
before
from dayone.
Howdid Thethis happen?Andman my motherwhydidt
That’swhatstartedtogothroughmymindasIlaytherewaiting,myfate
basedonthedecisionofoneman.ThemanwhoIknewwouldhateme warnedhismehavetoabout.Dr.happentome?
Stephen
Richardson, Kait’smydad.life orI knew
wouldeithertake destroyI’mit mefromsomehow.
the minuteI methim that he
trouble,eventhoughIgrewuparoundnothingbuttroublemakers.ButI
refusedtobelikemyfather.Anogood,lying,cheating,worthless,s.o.b
judgingaperson’scharacter.That’swhatprobablyhelpedmestayoutof
How did Iknow that? usually right on whenit comesto
timewhol the man, I happened to be riding my bike outsidewhenit myiheng
drovepastourhousewithsomewoman,youngerthanmymom,s
nexttohim.Onlytenyearsoldatthetime,Ididn’tsayanythingto
Iefsawt mymomwiththreesmallkidsandendedupinprison.Thelast
mammaThat’swhatKaitandIhad
aboutit,butthatmemorystuckinmyhead. in common.Dads wecouldn’tstand.
Dr.abandonedus,Kait’s exact opposite ofmy dad. Wherefearedmylosingdad
Richardson was dadthe ruledherlife.Maybebecausehe
Primarily,heensureda
oftheGRF.InhisroleasDirectorofHealthCare,hehadalotofpower.
herlikehehadlost hermother.Unlikemyloserfather,Kait’sole’man
washighlyeducated,smart,good­lookingandworkedforthedignitaries
l malesbetweentheagesofthirteenandfortygot
I wantedtoleft onmeandevery
tmedicinepatch
heir monthlydoseofLetumdotrophin. burn the tattoooff of my arm; the marking the
medicine thatdidn’twork and allowedKait guythatwasforcedtotakei
to getpregnantanyways.I t . The
see Herthelookonher
canstill“Whati
dormitory. three shadesme.liginhtethedoorway
face whenshetold
s faceit, Kait?What’swrong?”Istood
had turned r. The sun­kissed ofher
 in myhadarms.Herbodytrembledasthoughcomingdownwith
her“Ookkaay.”
Californiaglowallgone.
startedpacingthesmallroom.
taking
theflu.Never
“I…Ineed Iseenhersoshookup,exceptwhenherdadsaidshe
Ishut
totell theyoudoorsomething.”
behind meandHer voicerushedtrembled
overtoas her,she
couldn’tgotoschool in
anything.Thistime,shewasscared. California.Butthattime,shewas mad morethan
“I…Idon’tknowhowtot
fearfulofwhatshemighttellme.“It’sokay.You el youtehlis.me.”Istrokedthebackof
herhead,holdingherclosetomychest.Myheartpoundedinsideofme,
cry,sobbingandmumblingwordsthatIcouldn’tunderstand.
“Kait…whati sit, baby?Youcant ” Shebrokeoutinahard
can tel
“I’m… oh no. How did this happen?”me. She managedme.”Itto getriedoutto
gethertocalmdown,tostopcrying,butshewassoupset.
betweendeepsighsandc
“Howdidwhathappen?Kait…t
r i e s . e l Whatisit?”Itookaseat
the only thingher bed,pullingherintomylap.Sheheld
mothergoneandherfatherbackinTexas.
wasontheedgeof she had left to hang on to. Then again,I onto me,likeI
was. Her
lookeda
herhand,Sheopenedherhandandhandedmeasmallovalstick.Itshookin
t it.“What’sthis?”
like ithad a mind of its own. I took the stick fromher and
Hertears stopped instantlyfromand she notmy
idiot. Butwhocouldblameher?Igrewuparoundboysandwhenitcame lookedat me like I wason an
Thankstothedepression,theGRFdictatedwhoandhowmanychildren
didn’t
frontofit.Inourtime,inourworld,commercialsaboutfamilyplanning
knowwhatt
togirlystuff,Iusuallylearnedi
e“Amxist.hIsupposed
iTheywere
s is?” to?”replacedwith
I saidt looking
Kait,eitherabstinence
at the strange
mamma.“Youdon’t
orprevention.
cross the
families
allowed
couldn’tTheyoucouldhave.The
yourselfandnotbeaburden
haveGRFtohave. higher
anydideverything
kids.Unless
Basicallyifandyouyourstatus,
to society. werepoor,thatthe thatmeant
youproved youmorecouldcare
childrenthatyoutheyfor
backintoanotherdeepdepression.Theymadeitt anything tohekeepir numberonegoalto
usus from slippingon
sevenyearstheytookadictatorialapproachoncontrollingthebirthrate.
Even
makesurewemovedforwardasasociety.Reminding
issueswedidn’tagreeon,thatitwasfor‘thegreatergood’.Forthel
though it seemed to help with fewer people onconstantly governmentast
whenoriftheycouldhavechildren.
assistanceHereyessoftenedintoan‘I’msorry’lookbeforeshesaid,“
and the economyrebounding, people didn’tlike beingIttold’s a
est.” stopped. The room, Kait, time, notto mention my
pregnancytEverything
breath.“Josh…Josh?Areyouokay?”Shehadtoshakemeafewtimes
 beforeIcamet “Ummm…yeah.Imean…no.No!I’mnotokayandneitherare
o.
you.We
pregnancy
tightly arenot
pulled up“Idon’tknow!I hihandrokay.Shit!Howdidt
mysgo away.
inmy that wouldhisomehow
s happen?”Isqueezedthestick
asifsn’t thatstupidmedicinesupposed maketheto work?”Kait
t sleeve,checkingmyarmforthemedicinepatch. unplanned
brokenwings.ThelongerIstareda
I looked down atthe shieldt itsurrounded , themoreInoticedtheskullson
by what looked like
eachsideofthedesign,indicatingthatalllifestoppedwitht
Butforsomeunknownreason,i
fhavetomake.“Whydon’tyou
ault, butitI yankedmyarm t didn’twithus.t didn’twork.Ihtiswasn’ther
made memadthinkingaboutthedecisionweweregoingto
away,pissedthati medicine.
mylapandstandingto
balledupinafist.Ineeded
Ipacedthefloor,my . askyourdad!”Isnapped,shovingheroff
myftoearmsthitsomething,notKait,ofcourse,butIhad
crossedagainst my chestandmyhands
my frustrationout onsomething.Butthere wasnothingIcould
tohit,takesoIyelled.
al .“UGGGGHHHH!”Iyelled,likeamadman.NotcaringifIscared
ofthehal thegirlsintheroomsnexttoKait’sori
Icollapsednexttoheronhersmalltwinbed.Alll f securitycamerunningdown
ife suckedout
me. Shelooked atme,her fromher libabyblueeyes
p quiveringwithfandIear.f“I’msosorry.”
Tearspoured
herbaby.”Ipulledherbackintomyarms.
a low one about her dad,tobut it slippedeyesout. Damn! elt badforthrowing
“Come here,
“What
All I kneware wewasthat
answer,whichIdidn’thave. going do?” Her pleaded for the right
decidedtodo.“Don’tworry.Wewillfigurethisallout.” this road wouldn’t be easy, whatever we
Inthebackground,Iheardthebeepingfromoneof
pickup. I t startedbeepingfasterandfasterasmyheartratestayedabeat themonitors
flowed toward my heart, ready to beenergized again. My tongueit
aheadofit.Mybloodbegantomovequicker,pickingupthepaceas
salivatedandIsmelledthesweetscentofskin,thefleshofthenursein
episodes
feelinga
the roomTheweirdestthingaboutbreakingoutintooneofmyflesh­eating
l wasandtoowell.Shit!Notagain!
thatthe Ireally
smell ofdidn’t
another person, a guy nearby. I knew this
remember much. Other than wanting,
cravinganddesiringfleshlikeitwasmilkandcookiesfreshoutofthe
oven.
chocolate. YouMmmmm…
know
lrolledacrossmytongue,sweepingacrosseveryt that areallgooey andaste dripping
iber. theonesyeahthosekind.That’swhatfleshtastedlikeas
downmythroatandintomystomach.Sweet.Tasty.Savorytothevery
ast musclef budbeforewitheasinghotit
 offofthem.Justenough to satisfythecravinganddesiresthatfil ed my
hadonlytakenafewbitesoutofanarmorleg,orwhateverIcouldrip
Ihadneverreallyeatenaperson,oratleastIdidn’tthinkIhad.I
burger
mouth. andfries
The cravingsfromweremore
the f a s t thanajoipregnant
food n t down woman
the
meants t r ebegging
t . No, fora
these
cravingswerebeyondcontrollable.Deadly.Which
nothingtosatisfythem.
I t Iwouldstopat
stil freakedmeout,thinkingbacktothef
good allday. She teasedme,irstsaying
crazyandkeptfeelingsicktomystomachoffandon.Ialsocravedmeat
KaitandIweregoingdownanelevator,alone,afterclasseshadfinished.
Ihadn’t
sympathysymptoms.IkindofbelievedherbecauseIhadbeeneatinglike
beenfeeling timeithappened. that Ihad
tonoend.EventothepointthatIhadwenttothestorethedaybefore
and boughtaandateit whole chickenand rippeditopen theminuteI gottomy
theedormroom
ofmymouth.Kait’sskinsmelled raw.Yep,skin,gizzardsanda
levat“Josh?Areyouokay?”Kaitsaid,bracingmeagainstthewallof
or.“Idon’t know.I’mnotfeelingtoogood.”Salivaranoutthesides l.
wonderfullysweet.Sweetlikehoney
wayadoggreetshismaster.Fil mytonguewitheverybitofherinnocent
withstrawberriesandchocolateontheside.Iwantedtolickher,likethe
tforehead,checking
aste. “You’re sweating my temperature.
like crazy.” She held her handup to my
knewtheywould thetruthfreakherof whatout.InsteadIsaid,
was going through
couldn’ttI hidel heraboutthetwistedcravingsIhadbeenhavingbecauseI “I’m sohungry.”
my mind.No way! I
lookof“Youreyes!They’returningdark.Joshwhat’swrongwithyou?”
Adefinitelywrongwithme.
worry washed across Kait’s face and Iknew something was
“I…I…”Iwanted tosay‘I didn’tknow’ butforsomereason,I
couldn’tspeak.Ihadactuallyforgottenhowtotalk.Howtosayanything
atall.Allthewordsfadedfrommymemory.Ihungontotherailinginthe
meand“Josh!OhmyGod!Yourtongue…i
elevator,watchingtheshinys
fast. me narrow,closinginon
te l wallsaroundt’s black.Puti t backinyour
mouth!”Shel t goof me andtook afew
hereyes made me feel like a demonof some sort. Like thatformed
e
inwantingtosuckthebloodoutofher.OnlyIwantedtoripthefleshoffof stepsback.The fear a vampire,
her. TasteThankGod,somethingstopped
the hadfor
rubbery meattenderfilbones
crispypiecesofcartilage.Thebeastinmewascomingout.
thelovethatI
longed tognaw ed withmeandstrings
onherherwhichwaswovendeepinto of veins.hteethamyt.MostMaybeitwas
fromdoingt
crunchmy againstof all,Ithe
menottodoi t . Or thefact thatIwantedtoprotect her. heart,tel ing
Shieldherfrom
everything.Shelterheragainstherbiggestenemy,me.Yettherewasno
escapingwhatIhadbecome.
 Thelightsfadedoutandmysenseshonedinononethingandone
thingonly.Flesh.“Run!Run!”Imanagedtoyellthemomentthedoorsto
“Help! Somebody helpan me!” Kaitto stumbled out of the smallher
theelevatoropened.
fconfined
rantical yme.space,
IguessKaithad
pushing the angelonherside,becauseIheardavoice,
button theclose the door behind
ordering topushthebuttontoclose holding
button,keepingmelockedinthesixby doorsfrominside.Thatwas
thelastthingIremembered.Myfingerpressedhardagainstthebubbledc e l
was destined
Ifeltanothersurgeofwarmth,t six
to be? Somethinghad changed.
Imetotearthefleshoffofanyone,atleastthatday.
washappeningnow?Whyhadn’tIturnedintotheflesh­eatingfreakthat thatdidn’tallow
his timeshootupmyarm.What
What? Ididn’t know. I
knewIdidn’twantto
her.Sheneeded to be this man­eatingzombieanymore.IlovedKait
hada life aheadofus.Ineeded
andweweregoingme.Ourbabyneededus.NowaycouldIbewithouther.
haveababy.We
Livingordead.
“Quick,give me 30cc’sofmethylphenidate.”Aguy’svoicesaid.
room.Notonlydidhesounddifferent,buthesmelleddifferenttoo.Allof
Thiswasadifferentguy’svoicethantheotheronethathadbeeninthe
asudden,mysensesbegantofade andI didn’tsmellfleshany longer.
Hospitalsmell.Yuk!
Instead,thequeasysmellofplasticbandagesandbleachfilledtheroom.
can you hearme?”my eyes.Ihadtoseeher.Kaitwas
here! “Josh?Sweetie,
“Kaaiitt?”Istruggledtoopen
“Josh,i
happy tot’s meKait.Wakeup.”Shegavemyfaceal
I was Ohno,whatwasshedoing
see her once againhere?I’m
beforetootheydangerous.ighThenagain,
killedme. t slap.See her
mesmerizing blue eyes, feelthe softness of her skin, kiss her luscious
peachylips.Placemyhandonherbabybump.Kait.Mybeautiful,Kait.
“Wakeup,Josh.Wegottago!”
Tobecontinuedin
Apocalyptic Trilogy,Book1
FleshSeekers
http://cmdoporto.com/
VisitCMDoportoonFacebook
JacquelineDruga
ZOMBIEBATTLE:
Part One
OUTBREAK
 CHAPTERONE
HimselfMay2nd
Itusedstreakedafluorescent
Carancus,Puno,Peru across themarkerheavens.and Green createdanda colorful
bright, slashasif markGod
againstthes t a r sparkledclearnightsky.
fonlythefocusofraisinghisyoungson.Butonthatnighthefocusedon
isomethingelse.Whateveri
rst. Carlos Linderas wast wasthatfellfromthesky.Hesawit. I t didn’tmake asound,notat
asimple man. He lived a modest lifewith He was
it ing byHethewindow
sanything,
glimpse.
thunderous butsound,
wasn’t ofthecertainit
hisvibration.
hehethenwasquitesure twowhatroomlandedIit home,
was,withasewing,when
rocked anstanceimpact.sandtarhe,Fimeteor,
hisshooting rcaught
st the
innerbeingwhen
Hissixyearoldson,Juansatonthefloorandlookedup.
Carlosboltedtothedoor.“Stayput,”hesaidwithapoint.
heardtherainofdebrisagainsthistinroof. then his
“ButPapa…”Juanstood.
“Stay.I ’lhisbeback.”
about leaving
Eventhough small Not in their village, everyone
itwaschildonlyhealone.and hisson,Carlosdidn’tthink much
watchedoutforeveryone.
Carlosandafewdozenothershurried
Theyhadnocluehowfarawayi
Apparently, everyone also watched totthelandings
was,ithadtobe
the thingitef.al fromthe sky.
Some l e f t on foot, others by truck. Not many close.there, not
drove
manyownedvehicles.
surpriseAmannamedBenledthewayandapackofothersonfoot.Ben
hewas firsttoleave.
wasstrong,fitandf
Carlospartneredup ast. Healsoownedoneofthevehicles,soit wasno
quick pacetheyThettodrew,
oldmanwholiveda
closer
heavily,catchinghisbreathoften.
ailwhereightCarlos
the object withMr.Lundforthediscoveryjourney,an
s fewofBen’struckglowedinaweirdfog,theytrudged
housesdown.Theconversationwasn
attributed
had landed.
thatMr.Thepaceslowed Lund’s age. Heidown lwheezed
intheirthe
onlyahalfof
theycouldn’tt
got,Carloslookeda
notpungentamiletotheimpact.There wasaweirdsmellthecloser
t Mr.Lundwho It tickled Carlos’ nose. He
orstrong,
Benel wascallingoutforpeopletohurry.
if itwastheodorordust. justodd.
oldbearings.Benstood
man, half bentover, holding on to wavedhimto‘goon’.Hel
hisknees,
ona hugemoundofdirt severalyardsheadofhistruck. catchinghis e f t
physicalthe
“Hurry,”Bensaid.“Lookbeforeit goes.”
athought Ben wasinsane.Gowhere?Wherewouldtheobjectgo?Thenhe
sawthereasonforBen’sconcern.
crater100
Carlosdid.Anobject,rocklike,hadfallenintotheearthcreating
feet around andat least twenty feetdeep. Atfirst,Carlos
aclearfluid.Waterl Therock,crackedanddistorted,leaked
“Maybe it hitawell,”Carlossuggested. rater, buryingthe
i
rockbeneaththeflowingliquid. k e , boiling,rapidlyitfilledthec
Asiftherockwoulddosomethingmagical,thefortysomepeople
“No,it’scomingfromtherock,”Benretorted.
watched,watchedthecraterslowlyfillup.
Another villager commented that someone hadtocallfor help,
andsheranbackdowntowardthevillagetocontactauthorities.
IHet wasn’tlong,though,thathestartedto feelbadly.Hisheadhurt,
ButCarlosremained.
eyes,watered,noseburnedandstomachturned.
didn’twanttocomeacrossasweakandrefrained
ntil Ben turnedhisheadandsqueezedhiseyes. fromsaying
anythingu“AreyouOK?”Carlosasked.
Benshookhishead.“No,myheadhurts.”
“Mine,too.”Carloswhisperedasi f heweretellingasecret.
theirsamesymptoms.
Hisvoicecarriedinthedarkness,andafewothersrespondedwith
‘Thisiscrazy,’Carlosthought.‘Oneperson’sillnessisbecoming
another’s.IPerhapsfortheothers
t hastobeallinourminds.’ ibubbled
t was,butCarlosknewhisi
wasn’t mental. His stomach with nausea andtol savenes certainly
himself
fromembarrassment,Carlosexcusedhimself,claimedhewantedtofind
helpaswell,andwalkedfromthemoundofd he
He hadn’t made it twenty feet and his body heavedwasgetting
sickerbythesecond. i r t . Heknew
outward,
projectingahugeeruptionofvomit.Hebentover,holdinghisstomach,
wantingfortheheavestocease.Whentheyfinallydid,whenthecontents
hadcompletedt
Hehadtoheputasidehisowni
thebackofhishand ir andcoursefromhisstomach,
liftedhishead.l n e s . he wipedhismouthwith
Lunddidn’trespond,heranlaytoaidhim.
Lundhadcollapsed,andCarlos
facerestedinahugepoolofhisownregurgitation. Forit wasthenhenoticedMr.
stil , breathinglaboredbreathsashis
<><><><>
includedIttook
the two hours
skeptical for
Jorge authorities toarrive a t thescene, and that
hearditall heir area contaminating them al . al ,
Lopez, a lead o f i
from thevillagerswhonotoneyearearlierclaimedaUnited
StatesSatellitefellintot c i a l . He had seen i t
So,whenhearrived,hearrivedwitha
Two local policemen wereonthet iscene, tude. one was already
complainingofthesamesymptoms.
 “Idon’tknowhowmuchlongerI’llbehere,I’mill,”saidtheone.
Jorge nodded, wanted tosay ‘yeah, yeah’. He listenedpel s. to“Howthe
policemanr a t l e offabouthisheadache,vomiting,anddizzys
aboutyou?”Jorgeturnedtotheothero
“Everyone?” Jorge asked withf icsarcasm.
“Same.Notwell.Everyoneissick.” er. “That’s five hundred
people.Fivehundredpeopleareillrightnow?”
Both police officers lookedat each other. “Almost everyone.
Thosewhowereinsidearenotill.Notyet.”
Withanother passive,‘A­hmm’,Jorge requestedthatthe officer
takehimtothes ite wherethesupposedrockfromtheskylanded.
Hisfirstthoughtwasthatmasshysteriawascontagious.Trails
Theydid.
vomitwereseeneverywherea t thecircumferenceoftheimpacts i t e . of
well. Jorge
Theholewasfilledwithwater.
was certain if it wasn’t a satel ite; surely, someone hit a
Atwingeh
Jorgewinced. it hisstomach.
midstofrepeatingthati
Readying to admitt wasnonsenseinhismind,heheardhisurgent
defeat to the psychosomatic illness,in the
summoning.
callingfromadistanceof
Heturned two hundredyards.
tohisright and saw the wavingflashlight.Thevoice
ButAt thatfel on deaf ears.
“Let’sgo,”Jorgeinstructedthepoliceofficernexttohim.
least forthetimebeing.
Thepoliceofficerwasvomiting.
Leavinghimbe,Jorgefollowedthedirectionsofthec
it thereatat
Theofficialthat al , making
rot er’s pace.calledhadonafacemask.“Look!”hetoldJorge.
Beyondhisshoulderwasthegrazingfield, andtheof icial used
thebeamoftheflashlightasapointer.
Jorgesteppedforward
“Look,’herepeated.
andhiseyeswidenedwithhorror.
Therewasnomovement,butaweirdsounddidemanate.Almost
moans, but they weren’t.They were sickly cries out from animals that
weretooilltopickthemselvesupfromthegrass.
Animalsdidn’tsufferorf
“Shut down thetown. Getal authorities
Jorgeknewsomethingwasup. victimtomasshysteria.
inhere,” Jorge instructed.
“Letnooneinorout.”Hepulledhisphonefromhispocket.“Damni
Nosignal.”Hebegantomoveinadifferentdirection.
“Thisisbiggerthanus.Weneedbiggerhelp.”
“Whereareyougoing?”Theof icial asked. t.
Jorgewalkedof .
<><><><>
times didhe
His fathervomit?hadJuanlost keeping hea bucket
resortedtocount.All knew
and nearby.How
was that his many
father
wouldn’t lethim nearthe
overtoaneighborthatsomethingwasn’tr windowsor doors
i g h t . hefacemuttered over and
withhisonlytruck.
Hisfather
AcommotionstartedoutsideandCarlos
slumpedinachair, eyes dark, pale.Juanplayed
hecould,stoppedandlookedoutthewindows. withasmuchenergyas
Thevoiceofamanfromoutsidecarried,“Checkthehouseover
Juanwasconfused.Whatwasalltheshouting,screaming?
there.”Hisfatherdroppedthecurtainand
Panic? Was thatthelookonhisfather’sbackedawaywhenMrs.Lund
fromnextdoorcriedout,‘I’mnotsick.” face? Panic?
“Hide,”hisfatherinstructed.“Hide,myson.”
Aknock came at thedoor,
“ButPapa.”
drewHisfatherjoltedalooka
back the curtain stylet thedoorthenracedtothestoragecloset.
Hequite.Saynothing.” door. “In here, my son. Now.And be
“Papa,”Juanbackedinwithhisfather’sshove.
“Nothing.Quietitisforyourowngood.”
Theknocking
closet,Juancouldseewhat
Hepulledthe curtainwasclosed
was stronger, louder,andandJuanin thehuddled
happening. dark againstthe
shadowsofwall.that
“Yes?”hisfatheransweredthedoor.
obviouslyiTwo“Take him,” The man in the mask and clipboard said. “He is
l .othermenin
Detainhim.”
what lookedlike space suits grabbed hold of
Carlos.“Anyoneelseinthehouse?”theonemanasked.
“No,Ilivealone.Iamawidower,”hisfatherreplied.
Juanwatched
“Takehim.”
Theleader manhisfatherwithdignitywalkwiththesuitedmen.He
wantedtoscream,protecthisfather,butheobeyedhisfather’swishes.
with a clipboard walkedin and looked around.
Justasheturned,hestopped.
Crouching down,he lifted the toy truck and shifted his eyes
Thetruck.
around.Juancurled his body as best ashe could when hesaw the
clipboardmans
Thecurtain tarttotosearch.Grabbinghisfather’scoat,Juanwrapped
frame underneath and prayedhewouldn’t be discovered.
hissmallJuandidn’tknowwhatwouldhappen.Heexpectedthecoat
theclosetwhippedopen.
It wasn’t.
lifted fromhim. tobe
 Hedidn’tmove,breathe,orshudder.Hejusthidandstayedthat
wayevenwhenheheardthemanleavethehome.
Howlongthough?How longdidhehunchinthecloset.Hedidn’tit
know.Hehadfallenasleepanddawnapproached,theskywasslightlyl
andthevillagewasdeadquiet.
Hecrawledfromthecloset,thedoorwasopen.
was scared even
Juan scared,too to cal out,makeanoiseorbe
seen. Asbesthecould,hesnucktothedoorandpeakedout.
Nothing.Noone.Justemptiness.
Wherehadtheytakenhisfather?
Juandidn’tknow,buthehadtofindout.Attheveryleast, hehad
Wherewaseveryoneelse?
togethelp.Eventhough it was agooddistanceaway,Juanran.Heranasfast
ashecouldtomakeit tothenextsmalltown.
 CHAPTERTWO
May3rd
Irma Klein wasa strong woman both inbody and spirit. She
Atlanta,GA
t lessoned the wrinkles andlatwaseringcheaper
coveredherthicknesswithf
itoage.Oftentellingpeopleshewantedtogainweightasshe garments.Athicknesssheattributed
than Botox. Shewalked grew older,up
behindherhusbandashesatathisdeskchairandranherfingersthrough
hishhisc
havingtowork.Herfingersgrazedthrough,takinginthes
curlsweredark.Nowtheyweregray.Sauloftenjokedthatshecausedhis
auirl.s.Almostasifshewereconveyingsomesortofcompassionforhis
Twenty­sevenyearsearlier, whentheywerefirstilmarried,the k feelingof
gray haiAndshedid.SheworriedatthatmomentaboutSaul.
r, butIrmadismissedt
shewastheonewhoworriedallthetime.
computer. hat, stating howcouldhe getgraywhen
atthehomedesksincetwointhemorning.Computertophonetof
itwaspushingnineam. He hadbeen
iles to
Now
PoorSaul.
there. Hedidn’tacknowledgeherpresence,butIrmafelt hewantedher
lookedbubblyandhappyinthephoto.
satonSaul’sdesk.Theirf
ThesunfromthewindowreflectedoffthepictureofJeremythat
irst andonlygrandson.Theoneyearoldboy
One
frameandliftedi hand t on
. Saul’s back, Irma
“Youknow,precious,you reachedBarkeeparoundworkingthesehours
for the picture
youaren’tgonnabearoundtoseel
school.” I“Eh,”Saulshrugged. it le Jerry’sI’l behappytoseehim
rmagaspedout.“Saul.You’recranky.Youhaven’tslept.”
“Godwilling, Mitzvah.” goto
“Ihavetoworkonthis.”
“CanIgetyousomething?Coffee,tea?”
“No.”Finally,Saulturnedhishead
Irma
i t gasped again. “Sauly.” and
Immediately, lookeda she t her.
grabbed a chair,
sliding
shehad tothedesk.Hiseyesweredark;helookedmoreworriedthan
ever seen.Shesathadnever
expression,shehatedthatlook
Eventhoughshe down.“Sauly,what’sgoingon?”
hisface.Shedreadedthat
seenhim with thatparticularfearful
face. Saulwasthedirector a t on
theCentersforDiseaseControl,andsince lookonhis
hestartedworkingthere,shehadwaitedforthatlook.
“It’stheendoftheworldisn’tit?”sheasked.“The
Thereit was.
“No.No­no.”Saulgraspedherhand.“ I t ’ s j u s t bigone.”
that…”heshook
hishead““Youneedto It’s confidential.”
get thisoffyourchest.Youneed to talktosomeone.
Iseeitonyourface.I’mhere.”
“It’s classified.”
 “Iwon’tsayaword.”Shehitherhandagainstherchestthenrose.
“Iswear.HaveIever?”
“What’sgoingon?”HeI’msmiledgently.
“No,youhaven’t.”
best and“Thisoneissealed.
highestlevelclearancepeople.”
“Whodoyouthink? youto
“Whoistelling Thebosses,governments.”
supposedtokeepiasked.
keepitsealed?”she
t sealed.Sendonlymy
sayingt““Governments asin plural?” She closed her eyes. “And you’re
hIits’sisnotthebigone.NotfromtheinfoI’m
n’t thebigone?” getting.If it was,it has
begun,likethel
“Where?” a s t one,inaveryremotearea.”
Irma chuckled. I“Peru
“Peru.” i s not remote. How can you say Peru i s
remote?”“Thevillageis. t’s thirty milesfromthenextvillageandmostof
thevillagersdon’thavecars
“Whatisgoingonthere?Avirus?” or phones.It’s remote.Trustmeit’s remote.”
getsick.”“Idon’tknow.Itbafflesme.Somethinglanded.”Saulpausedina
correctionmode.“Theysaysomethinglandedandcausedthesepeopleto
“Landed?Whatcouldhavelanded?”
“Meteor, satel ite. I think, with t h i s clearance, i t ’ s a chemical
weapon,I’mguessing.”
achemicalweapon?Dothey
“InPeru?” she asked.“Whowouldh even haveanyenemies?”
it a small villageinPeruwith
missilesSaulsmiledwith
handonherface.“Ithinkitwasanaccident.YouknowtheSovietshave
docked in spaceobviousenjoyment
forever. Onelets loose overherwords;
…”He shrugged he laidhishis
shoulderswithdrawnwords.“Youhaveanaccident.”
“Thatwouldmakesenseforthesecrecy.”
“Exactly.”
“Aretheydead?”
“Sick. Weare goingtoseewhattheyhave.”
“Oh,Saul,
Riesmanthere.”
“No.” He you
wavedsaidwe.Youdon’tmean‘you’doyou?”
out his hand. “I’m sending Katherine to meet
Hans “Neitherdoes
“Idon’tlikehim.”she,shehasvalidreasons.You.Youdon’tlikehim
becausehe’sGerman.”
worry?”“Nonsense.” Irma paused and breathed out. “So Ishouldn’t
“No.Not at al . Youcan worry about Jerryand and hisherteething.
Worryaboutwhattomakefordinner.Worrythatyourhusbandwillbe
tootired tomakelovetohiswife.”Hechuckled grabbed hand.
“Butworryaboutani
andkissedheronthecheek.“Never.” l nes andtheendoftheworld?”Heleanedtoher
goingtobealongf
shejustwantedtotake
anemergency,theysenther lighotf. .Thewheezingenginesaided
KatherineWelshtriedtos
<><><><> toher annoyance,
UsuallywhentheCDCsenthersomewherein
withatonofdata
et le herselfintoacomfortzone;itwas
toreview.Itwasn’tthe
casewiththePeruvianincident.Afewsheets.Hans,whowouldbethere
hoursbeforeher,promisedtostartrightawayonsampling.Eventhough
theWHO(WorldHealthOrganization)wasalreadythereandoni
Wherewerethephotos,thedetails?Nothingbutbasicswasinthe t.
folder.Hanscommentedonthephonethatthe ‘topsecrecy’ofit al was
probablythereasonforthelackofinformation.
anything?”“We’llbetakingoffshortly,”thestewardesssaid.“CanIgetyou
“Not right now,” replied Katherine. “After we takeoff, coffee
wouldbenice.”
Which Politely,
skeletoncrew.
wasn’t much. the stewardess
Theherful smiled and wentjet hadbacktoKatherineand
size private her business.a
for her. and the scentof the
pastramisandwichinherbriefcasecalled
Shewas hungry, stomach grumbled,
Katherinedidn’tmake orpack thesandwich;itwasgiventoher
byIrmaKlein.AlthoughKatherinewascertain,Saulwasgonnamissthat
sandwichcomelunchtime.
KatherinehadseenafewCDCdirectorscomeandgoinhertime,
Irma.
but noneshe
himAt timesandlikedworked
Vermont.
knew though,or respected
withthe asbrmuchasSaul.
she wondered was SaulPerhaps
il iainftitdoctoras as a because
director sheshein
anunderstudy
Irma’s presence.oldwomanwasamothertoal , orat least actedit.
likedorThefiftyyear
AnyoneyoungerthanSaulwhoworked
information,shewas
at itude.Katherineadmittedlywasnervousaboutthet
motheredheraswell.
EventhoughKatherinewas onlytwelve withhimyearsherjunior,Irma
sherip,tooka protective
armedwithlittle
Irma SaulhadverylrelievedtoseeSaulandhappytoseeIrma
preparedtoboardtheplane.
droveSaul.
“Did
ThesecondcarattheKleinhouseholdwasintherepairshop
it le preptalktodeliver. assheand
youeat, youlookpale?”IrmaaskedKatherine.
Saulshookhishead.
“Ididn’teat.”Katherinereplied.
 “Uh,Honey,youshouldeat. Is theretimetogrababite?”
Saulhelduphishand.“Irma,there’snotime.”
““Giveheryourlunch.I’llbringyouanother.”
It’s alongflight.Saul,giveheryourlunch.”
“What?”Saulactedshocked.
“She caneat ontheplane.”Saulrepeated.
Katherineinterjected,“Really,
“Shecan’trelyonplane Ican eatontheplane.”
how long the foodsets.food.Theygiveskimpyportionsandwho
lunch.”IrmatookSaul’sbriefcase.
knows Saularguedwithher,IrmaignoredhimandhandedKatherinethe
The sandwich is fresh, give heryour
and…”shelowered her voicetoawhisper toas it theediblecontentswere
brownsack.“There’sanicepastramisandwichinthere,akosherpickle i t
asecret.“Pickledgreentomatoes.Enough
makeyousmellenoughtokeepthePerumenaway;Iheardtheyattack
“Irma!” Saulscolded.at himinahushmanner.“Go,” tideyouover.Plus will
blondewomen.”
Shewavedherhand
Katherine.“Besafe.Comebackanddon’tcatchanything.” Shesaidto
KatherineWascouldn’t
gratefulness. it embarrassed
figure i t oroutannoyance
but
caretohelped.Oneneverknewwhatshe at his wife’s
accepted the
andsendthechildren.Addedbonus,Saul
behavior?
lunchwith
Whatat aanget‘up’Irmatogether,
washunglikearacehorse.
wouldKatherinetake
do.Once
seriousandseeing a ofSaul
downer
Irma asked of . KatherinethatIrmashouldshe
Katherine wouldsaywasdieor
knewthis
that, butwouldkeeptheracehorsethinginmind.
Katherinerespondedthatshewasn’tsureherhusbandwouldlike
Inher first class seat, airplane levelingfrom
laughed.Shedidn’tevenrealizeshelaughedoutlouduntakeo f , Katherine
til BretBarretsaid
something.“What’ssofunny?”heasked.
“Oh," Katherinebriefly
thinkingbackaboutsomething
Bret “Ican closed
Irma hereyesin
said.” embarrassment.“Just
whenyounedit.”Katherinenodded heronlyagreement.
laughed. imagine.BretIrmawasis rlikeadoseof
ight. Irma wasgoodlike
SheAlkaSeltzer,abubblymedicinethatkicksinandmakesyoufeelgood.
needjustthat.
cure.SomethinginsideofKatherinetoldher,thesituationinPeru,would
onlywished they marketed medicinal versions ofIrma. A miracle
 CHAPTERTHREE
May3rd
ICarancus,Puno,Peru
t was hard for Carlos to distinguish who was askinghim
questions. Between hisillnessf hewerespeakingtothesameperson.
militarywore,heneverknewi and thebiohazard suitselthefromthesky?
Whyweretheresomanygovernmentofficials?Hecouldseei
IWhywasitsohardforthemtobelievearockf
t didn’tmatter.Carlos’storyremainedthesame. doctors
f it wereaand
sNow,hewastoldtherewasnorock,therewasnothingbutwater.
atel ite ormissile,butCarlos sawitwithhis owneyes.It wasa rock.
Andif
Whateverithat t was embeddedi
rock t s e l f intotheearth.
would beHetook
Atthati
affected.nscomfort in the fact that his sonhowwasandmanynowhere
caused his sickness,
tant, Carlosthoughtabouthisson worried.morenearothersthe
rock.Inaddition,Ben’swife,whoalsowasfaraway,waswell.Carlos
knewt hThequestionswerethesame.Whatdidyousee?Whattimewas
at, shehadbeentakenintoquarantineaswell.
this?Didyousmellanything?
vomit’.CarlosansweredthenCarlosendedi t a l with‘excusemewhileI
Anotherawaylman. fromthes
thesiteturnedi
‘Juststayaway.’
thedoctorssaythere
‘Stay
Carlos fromhisvillagesaid he hadeavesdroppedandto hisson.
were150peopleaffected.Anyonewhowentnear
ite’, Carlosbeckonedinhismind heard
Hewashadtoldthrownbytheup medical
Hisheadwretchedandafeverraged. so much in the last ten hours, there was
nothingleftbutgreenbile.Hisstomachchurnedandtwistedwithpain.
Ifitwas going to pass,surely tpeople
probablyinhaledfumesfromwhateveri Carlos it would pass. That he
was. would
bet er. Instead,likearaginginfection,hejustgrewworse.have been feeling
<><><><>
Juanwashungry,butit wasn’ttimetoeat. Notyet.Hehadgonerip.
backhometohisvillage,tohishometogetfoodandwaterforthet
six,he knewwhat it tooktosurvive.Beforetheymoved
Heknewitwouldtakehimdays.Buthewouldprevail.
Hisstomachfeltfunny,butheattributedthattohunger.Atonly
whenhismotherwasalive,heandhisfatherwerelost intothevillage,
severaldays.Hisfathertaughthimmuch.Includingbeingcareful. theforestfor
Juanwas.He
knewhehadbettertakethetreelinedpath,stayoffthe main
roads,andmovewithoutbeingseenonthewaytothenexttown.
 Thatwas evident. The police, military, and men in space suits
wereeverywhere,evenmoresonearthebigholewhenhewalkedby.He
wasabletosneakunseenand get alook at theholethat drew attention,
butitonlyheldwater.
Whenamanshoutedoutforhimto‘stop,don’tmove’,Juanran.
Hewouldkeeponrunning,too,u ntil hemadeit tothenexttown.
 CHAPTERFOUR
May5th
Carancus,Puno,Peru
If it smelled like normal vomit, it probably wouldn’tfromhavethe
botheredHansRiesman,howevertheregurgitationthaterupted
603patientswasfoulsmelling,likedeath.
Hanswasgratefulthejourneyintothetentsoftheaidtown,were
infrequent.HefinishedhisreporttoSaul,thethirdandhehopedf
typing itonthe computerand preparingas ittosend. Hans whoinawasl one,a
bril iantandNoneoftheinfectedshowedsignsofgettingb
virologistwasstumpedasmuch anyone.from et er, infact,they
deteriorated.
WHO,
aremotef
daytwoinfections.Therewerenodaythreeinfectionsbecausethetown
hadbeenclearedout,andthosewhoremainedworerespirators.
ieCDC,waserectedtwenty­threemiles
ldA. Theyhaddividedupthei
wellness camp,courtesyl .ofthe ThoseiPerunitthenearesttownin
ialHealth
y infected,then
ministry,
away ThattoldHansal doctors odidn’t wear protective
airborne.Theinitialvictimsweretendedtobylocaldoctorstwentymiles
showsignsoftheillness.
andthose t. Whateveri t waswasn’tinthea
clothing,norir norwasi
did theyt
bacteria,
be?Itcamefromsomewhereunknown.
blood stream
Thenthat themeant
thatotherhadantitaken
ebsitotconfirmed.
icsover.
, but Hans wasrehopeful,
thisItwasshoweda
sistanvti.raWhylwithit
bacteriain
wouldn’tit
beingthea
invisibleThatsamebacteriumwasfoundinthes
around thetothelandingnakedeye
site. Tracesbut itwas of the there. oil, ontherooftops,grass,
bacteriumItwas
dissipated
more predominant
thefurther
Hans and everyone else deducted, whateverlanded
fromtowntheywent.Afteratenmileradius,notraceswerefound. in that hole
madeitbiological weapon. It
released something
affectedeveryoneinan
The scariest thatpartofarea,and
workedit aldiminishedintime.
likeaman
wassomehow
withinfourto
contact victims
healthyc el s wereintroducedtothebacterium;thebacteriumtookover
eighthours.Bloodto
had contracted it,yet.blood.Fluidtof However, wastelsutisdcontagious.
.showedwhen
Atleast withNo
control.
that routeEvenof thoughthey
transmission andno longerworeinfectionitwasrespirators,
easiertokeep teams under
wore
protectivegearandexercisedextremecautionwhencleaningup.
Contained.Hans
No newwascases,they
confident, andwereheisolated,every
expressed soinhisreport
person exposedto Saul.was
quarantined,andtheimpactsite secure.
 Heendedhisreportstating, ‘It is onlyamatteroftimetofinalize
answers.Theinfectedwilleithergetwellorsuccumb,andfort hat, we
just havetowait.
 CHAPTERFIVE
The dining room tableIrmawasusuallysetthekitchent
home,whichwasunusual.
it wasjustthose
Atlanta,GA al setfor dinner whenable, seeingthat
Saul came
were havingcompany.Sauldidn’twanttoaskaboutit,hej
two.Buttheadditionoftwoplacesettingstoldhimthey
napkincovered abasket ofrol s, which Irma setusont wantedto
jump inAtheshower. thetable
whenacrispsmellingSaulreturned.
“I’mhomeforthe
“Saul,honey,please,putonaniceshirt.”
first timeinnearly48hours.I’mnotworking.
“Fine.” Irma walkedoverandkissedhimonthecheek.
I’dliketobecomfortable.”
nicecheeseplatemadeinthekitchen,
“No,no,I’mgood.” do youwanttonibble?” “Ihavea
“Who’scoming to dinner?” Saul’shandsgrippedthebackofthechair.
“BillandLacia.”
“Who?”
coulduseahomecookedmealwhileshe’soutoftown.”
“BillandLacia.Katherine’shusbandanddaughter.Ifiguredthey
“Irma,Idon’tthinkKatherinecooked.”
Irma gave alittleheart beenSaulwaveasreadingaboutthatinthepapers,thenet
time.”Sheglancedupa
it thatPeruvianflu?I’ve
“You shefixedthet sure theyhad meal…”Is
of her hand. a“I’mble. “What’sgoingon?
“Over?” shouldn’t much aboutthat a f t e r tomorrowmorning.”
“ContainedHanssaid.”Saulremarked.
“Soyou’remarkingi t contained.” t’s masshysteriacausingit.”
“Actually,thenewsreleaseisthati
Irma’shandwenttoherchest.“ThankGod.Whatwonderfulnews
tobetel“Whatnews?”
ing BillandLacia.”
“ThatKatherineshouldbehome.I t’s notafluit’s hysteria.”
“No,Irma.”Saulshookhishead.“Thenewsreleaseisgonnasay
it’s masshysteria.”
“It’snot?”“No.”
“Saulwhyareyoulyingtothepublic?”
“Tostopmasshysteria.”
Irma tiltedcanher head with a lookthat conveyed she didn’t
understand.“Sotherei
“Whatelses aflu?”wedo?”Saulasked.
“Oh,yeah.Notairborne,butahighlycontagiousf
“Deadly?” has ast movingflu.”
“Noone died yet.”
 “Yet?”
“Butit’Nos contained?” come
Saulshrugged.
infected.“Yes.
”“Saul, if it’smoreill
“Because have in, we haveIrma asked.
contained.Whynotsaythat?” everyone that is
have never seen, howcanweexplainafluorbacterialinfectionthatwe
that appears more and more every day to have come
fromouterspace.”
“Yeah,sohavemillionsofotherpeople.Itcouldbeworsei
Irmagasped.“I’vereadnovelsaboutthat.” f the
newsoft
“It’rsesbettert
h i sh can putit
thinggetsout.No,no.”Saulwalkedslowlyfromthechair.
i s way.Thiswayeveryonewillforgetaboutit.We
t andhiGodwilling.”Saulpeeredtoherwithhist
toneverseet s again.” ired eyes.“We’ll
 CHAPTERSIX
May6th
Katherine rubbed hereyes.If shestared at the microbes on the
Carancus,Puno,Peru
computer screen another second, she wouldevengohearblindmanytimeof2AM.
Peeringtothecornerofhercomputerscreen,shesawthe
Thingshadbeenquiet, and orcrazy.
anddecidedquiettimewasthebesttimetocheckonthings.
shepulled
Sheleft thedoor
hermakeshiftlabquietly.Hanswassleepingonthecot
tooquiet.Shedidn’t
closed. A soldier voices.She
door.Hestooddiligentlyonhisnights h i f t . was posted right outside her
wasn’t “Evening,”shesaid
“Ma’am.
“Again,”
old,but heWorkinglateIsee.”
shesmiled to pleasantly
wasn’t ababyface him. soldier.She athim. Hewaswasn’tgratefulyoung.for theHe
protection
virology that
team the Army
thereaswell.Theirt provided. r a i l eOf
r course, they had
postedanothermileorsoaway.
for research,notcare.Katherinewasthereforboth. t h e i r own
Theywerethere
Shesaidagoodnight,thankedhimfordoinghisjobandwalked
over toNoneed.
away.Too
there. thefirst tent aboutwere ffourifty yards
far toshoutouttothem,shedidn’twanttowakethei
There that away.by aNoperimeter
sat soldierstwentyyards
werel . posted
ofill;she’dwalkthroughthere onher way to thenexttent. irst wave
Thefirsttentcontainedabouttwohundredpeople,thef
Sheopened
Stepping the fthelap. Ictlesmelledfunny,soundedtooquiet.
patients.With an extension of herricaarm,l andshenurses’
into
surprisedthatthenightnursewasn’tthere.Maybeshewascheckingon drew backarea,theKatherine
curtain towasthe
mainsickbay.Aplacewherecotsuponcotswerelinedup.
Katherinestopped.
Thetent wasvoid of the hundred of patients. The cots wereto
empty.Wasshedreaming?Wherewerethepatients?Justassheturned
findhelp,shesawasinglepatientlyingonthebed.
Carlodidn’tmove.Katherinewalkedhurriedlytothebed.
s.He
“Carlos.”Shereacheddowntot
Cold.Hisskin washardandcold.Herhandmovedtohiswrist. his armandhefingers retracted. “Oh my
God,”shewispedout.Hehadn’tapulse.Sheturnedtoc
“Carlos?” at her.
shiftedhereyes.
ahandclaspeduponherforearm.Shepeepedashrieka
Carlosstared t athetightgripand
l forhelpwhen
A foulodor Shereachedforhisgrip.“Carlosyou’rehurtingme.”
pummeled her when he widened his mouth and
gasped.
“Someone!”Butshenevergotachancetogetoutanotherword.Asharp
She turned herhead, aiming her voice outward with ashout.
scream
tearing ofagony
pain rippedescapedher.Shelooked
into herarm likeshe tohadseeneverCarlos,hisfelt,andateeth ssunkilent
armintoherflesh.Strandsofbloodyligamentsandveinsextended
tohismouth as hepulledhungrily. fromher
Horrified, andKatherine
muffledwithpain foughtto free herarm. Her screamswere
fear, andherescapeattemptwasinvain.
From the cot, Carlos lunged. His flailing body careened into
Katherine,knockingherintoanthercot.Lockedinalmostamad,fighting
embrace,theyfel totheflo r.
<><><><>
fewtensioning,unabletomove,unawareofhissurroundings.
Likea child with nightterrors, Hans satstraightupIt tookhima
moments on the cot,
thinkclearly. i t tocomet o
he. Hecontrolledhisbreathsandhismindbeganto
WasWait.Hethought,
a scream no.heard?Noonlysilence.
Whatwasitthatcausedhimtoawakeand Yes,heheard ascream. straightupin bed?
Thelightsinthelabweres s i t
til onandhelookedathiswatch.
Nearlythreeam.
thedoor,grabbinghiscoatandsmokes as heopenedit.
Needingacigarette,Hansswunghislegsoverthecot,stumbledto
ThesoldieronpostlookedoverhisshoulderatHansandsmiled.
himbymaybe15yearstops.
“Son,”Hanssaid.Notthatthesoldiercouldbehisson,Hanshad
“Sir.”
“YouseenDr.Welsh?”Hansl
“Did ir, shewenttothe tents.”it acigarette.
thetentarea.
“Yes,s Thesoldier noddedinapoint at
“No,s youhearanything?”Hansasked,blowingoutthesmoke.
ir, itclenched
’s beenquiet.”
Cigarette
andinhaleddeeplybringinghisheadupwardashedid.between his fingers he brought it toighhist inthelips
Hanspaused.cornerofhiseye,hesawaflickerofthel
Throughthe
tent. “Didyou
“Seewhat?” see that?”
“Thel ight inthetentflickered.”
“No,Ididn’t.Maybe... ” t at thesametimeHansdid.
IThistimethel
t wasclearthatthesoldiersawi
ight trulyflickeredasif it werebeinghit.
towardthet “I’mgoingtogocheckthatout,”Hanssaid,andstartedtowalk
The“I’l ecome
nt. withyou.”
soldierkeptupthepaceandastheyapproached,theycould
heartheothergroupofsoldierstalkingandlaughing.
Hans tookthat asa signal waswell.
 Probablyj
Hewalkedintothet ust apowerproblem.
e n t . Nothing.Nosounds.Hel i f t e d thenurse’s
clipboard,tochecktoseewhenshedidroundsl
He“Somethingwrong?”thesoldierasked.
staredatit, a s t .
Katherine“Last
.”“Inthere?”notation was two hours ago. Where is the nurse?
Holding the clipboard, Hans parted the curtain.His steps were
slow,ashewasexposedtothesamefirstsightasKatherinehadbeen.
“I…Idon’t
“Wherearethepatients?”thesoldierquizzed.
know.”Hansstuttered.Hisbodyshiftedtotheright
andtotheleft.“God.”
Theshiftingofhis weaponstartled Hansalmostasmuchasal the
hell happened?”
blood by“WhatCarlos’emptycot.
the Hans spoke his thoughts out loud.
“Yes,getsir.somehelp.”
“Soldier,go Ithinkyoushouldcomewithme,though.”
“I’mfine.”
“Sir…”
“I’mf
“Yes,s iinre..”Go.”
Thesoldierbacked
Thebeddingwass tupil andl e f t . Hanswalkedtothecot.
shimmeringinbloodandhestaredat
to i t in
wonder.Buthewasn’tgoing
turned. he staylong.Afteraquickexaminationhe
Thel
At theotherendoftheelietfe.ntsawher.
i g h t flickeredand
herclearly,shewasamereshadow.
Hanssighedoutinr , Katherinestoodthere.Hecouldn’tsee
Shedidn’tmove. “Katherine.”Herushedherway.
“Katherine.
happenedhere?” Are you al right.” He closed in on her. “What
Onhis last word,Katherinestammeredtohimandintothewayof
thelightH.anssawher.
from herHer“Good
eyesstareda headt him.God,tilteKatherine.”
d, her body Inan
stomach,agapingholeappearedto bloody,instinctual
herseepneckherinsides.Herlifeless
leapwas towounded,
help, Hansand
grabbedheSomething
closerlook.
when on to her.wasHiswrong.Something
fingers touched herwasarm.ter Heiblyfrozewrong.as Hefhe gotelt iat
saw her.backAndhisarmquicklyandKatherinemovedinaslow
sound.Hermouthopenedanditlungedforhis
Hansdrew then Katherine madearm.this horrendous gasping
attackmode.Heshovedherback.“Soldier!”hecriedoutandsheleapt
herpursuit.Hecouldn’tthink ofanything else, but to get out of there. But
forhimagain.Anothershove,Katherinestumbledback,andreturnedin
beforeshecouldtouch
swung himagain,inordertomakeaclearescape,Hans
droppeditandranout. smashing her in the side of the head. He
out the clipboard,
<><><><>
CDC. Someone.t wasablur.He heranfrom
screamedforhelpas
IHanstookofffromthetentwiththemissioninmindtocallthe
didn’t knowthewhat happened, what occurred.He
tent, lookingoverhisshoulderonly
once toseeHelockedtheCDClab.Hishandsshook.Calm.Calm.Hehadto
thesoldiersscurrytoaid.
Buthe keptonrunning.
calmdown. Hefumbled for hiscigarettesand,againsttherulesornot,lit onin
thelabandgrabbedthephone.Hisfingersshookhisbadlyashedialed
andinhaledhisnicotine.
Acoupleh its, aring.Noanswer.Avoicemail.
Damni t .
Middleofthemessagehehearda few shotsoutsideand i t caused
himtojumpandtopplethephone.
sink,In rolled
thenoticedthebloodonhishand.his sleeve andHeartsubmerged
apanicuphespunaround,doublecheckthelock.Ashedidhe
beatingoutofcontrol,Hans
his arm under the power ran to
streamallwiththecigarettedanglingfromhisl
“Comeon,comeon,”hebeckonedoutloud,watchingthebloodips.
clearfromhisskin.
He breathed out heavily.A sigh.The injury was a speckbigger
Afterrinsing, he washedit,rinsed, and thenscrubbed thewound
thanapuncturewouldandwasn’tevenbleedinganymore.
withdisinfectant.
Hecoughed
from fromthesmoke,driedhisarms,andthenfinallytook
thecigarette hisl ips. lo r, andhereacheddownforthe
Hisphonewasbrokenonthef
pieces.Tellinghimselftorelax,hes
fix at, smokedhiscigaretteandtriedto
justhisphone.Anythingtotakehismindoffofthestrangeeventthathad
occurred.
<><><><>
‘God,oh my God. Something’s happened.
virus…’Hans’wordswererushed,panicked,andf i l eThe
d bacteria.
withs t a t
to Katherine. She’sgotten i c The
onthe
voicemail message. ‘Something’s happened
violent.Ithinkshecaughtit.Maybei t’s thevirus.Thepatientsaregone.
Notdelirium.Shet
dead gone,riebutgone.
d I fear they may be suffering from the same
toattackme.She…’
Bang.Bang.Bang.
Saul
Endofmessage.
Silence.
had missedried thewithdiligencetocallback,butitwentstraight
stoppedringing.Het cal and by the time he woke, the phone
tovoicemail.Al he knewwasthatafrightenedsoundingHanscalledandthere
weregunshots.
Hetried everylineandcouldn’tgetthroughtothesite.
Sauldidn’t needtobe
Hansneverl
prayingthateverythingwasf
get helpFirstthing
if neededto
ost hiscool.Ever. area.inaeHe,psychictoknowsomethingwentawry.
was thefirst,Saul tofindoutdo thatwhatfromhis
hadhebegantomakephonec
couldn’t s forthatso
wasgoingonand
al home,
help.
 CHAPTERSEVEN
farmer.4miles a farmer, orhe likedto associate himself asbeing a
He didn’twasout Carancus,Puno,Peru
Pedro
grow much, and when his business as a carpenteril
folded,hemovedhiswifeandtwochildrentolivewithhismother.An
womanoflTheymadeiit le means.t throughthehardtimes.Sellingchickensandeggs,
alongwithgreens.
Pedro,areaaman of forty­fivehearda wasagood man. People liked him.be
night,theirl
andtheyandt
Theycountedonhim.Strongandfit,dependableandwise.
thewoodedPedrohadalottosayabouthisteenagechildren.Ontheprevious
athe nightsneakingwasn’tabadthing.Theyhadgoneoutto
irwithothersand
friendssearched.Hoursachildcrying.Sobbing,theysaid
fter theyweresupposedto
home they told Pedro
his wastheir excuse,u of theinrtisearch.
thoughttThenhe,knowingtheareaaswellashedid,tookupthesearch.
l At first, Pedro, like hanyeir faces.father
hesawthedesperationont
takeabreak,closedhis eyesandntfiellthecryingceased.Pedrosatdownto
child’swelfare,andifhecouldgettothechildbeforetheelementsdid.
callingoutforthechild.ThecryingcontinuedandPedroworriedforthe
Hesearchedforhoursu
Whenhefirstenteredtheareaheheardthecryingandfollowedit,
fast asleep.
hil andbrokehisleg.Thedream
actuallyfeelpain.Inf
Hedreamtofhissearch,how of hethebrokenlegwassorealhecould
act, thepainwokePedro. keptlooking,untilhe fel downa
Lyingonhisback,the early
thetreesandheopenedhiseyes,wincinginpain.Hadhesleptonhislegmorningsunstartedtopeekthrough
screamedinhorror.
wrong?IAt goatwas
waswhenhetried tositupthathelookeddowntothis legand
screamed, jolted gnawing oncareened
hislegfrom hisat jawscalf.ifamad
the Blood goat,and
ofthe seeped through.
grabbed Pedrohis
walkingsUsingthestick,Pedro
onitshindlegsjumpedPedro’sway.
tick. Thegoatsneered himas dogandafter bucking
rammedinthroughthe downontheheadofthegoat.I
back somethenlungedagain.Thistime,Pedro
onmovedhisstickhe ready.Endoutt
open mouth ofwasthegoatdirectly
throughhisthroatintothebackofitshead.
It tookallof hisstrengthtomove
Thegoatfroze.
goath i t theground,Pedrostood.Hislegachedandhurtworsethanany thegoatfromhim.Whenthe
entireside
even
homeand
painhefbother elgettwas. Heforthe
Ascufflingsoundcaughthisattention.
help.removed.Hisribcageandmuscleswereseen.Pedrodidn’t
reachedforhisstickandgotacloserlooka
stick. He hobbled back, wanting onlyt thegoat.Itsto get back
Pedroturned.
dhavereachedouttotheboytohelp.Buttherewassomethingaboutthe
irty, blood
Therecaked
behindaroundhis
him was aboy,
mouth noandolderjaw. thanTypically,
six.Thechild
Pedro wouldwas
child.Hiseyes werelifeles , white,skinpasty
childextendedhisarmsandstareda t almostgray.Andas the
Pedrowithademoniclook,Pedro
spunandasbestashecouldwithaninjuredleg,tookoffrunning.
 CHAPTEREIGHT
TheCNNheadlinesread,‘Could Mass Hysteria Be theCause?’ It
Fayetteville,NC
She didn’tthinkas herinternetbrowserloggedon.
caughtLil’sattention much about ituntil she saw thesub headline
about a fanof
lifelong meteorphenomena,especially
orobject landingin Peru.Then
anything she shattering,
earth was drawncaught
in. A
herattention.
Itdidn’t say much. An undetermined object landed in Peru.
Lilclickedonthelink.
Hundredswereill,orwerethey?
Notgoodenough.It didmake hermindwandersome.
Shereturnedtotaskat hand.
Searchingthehistoryofthecomputertoseewhere herhusband
was. He didn’t think or wasn’t techno enough to clearit. Never did.
Notonbase,non­deployableposition,teaching.Theywere,atleastwhatshe
thatHewasonthephonethewholedaybeforewithBranch,sheheard
she was spying on him, ok, she was, but not to find another
couldgatherfromhisend,notfavoringhisdeploymentchoice.
that.Onlyoneend.Hewantedtobedeployed.Nolongerwantedtolive
woman,rathertofindoutwhetherornothewasgoingtodivorceher.
takingabreak,tothink.
somewhereelsedidn’tnecessarily mean he was leavingher.Perhapsjust
Hewantedtoleave.Maybethatwasn’tabadthing.Leavingtogo
Whowasshekidding?
toleavehim.
themeantimehe’dmakei
Jackdidn’tbelieveindivorce,andwaswaitingonher
He t unbearable.OrsoLilthought,makeherwant to doso. In
didn’ty e l , scream,orwasviolent.Hewasquiet.
Hespokewhenneededtoandthatwasn’tmuch.Aninstructorin
theArmy,Lil heleftearly
triewasd. She trandcamehomel
ied with everythingate. she had to make up for her
mistakeandit
Aftereightyearsof
her,butshewasunfaithful amistake.tobeingtogether,shedidn’tknowwhatgotinto
Jack.
Thefirst andlasttime.t. He wasneverhome,didn’tpayattentionto
Shetriedtojustifyi
whatshedid,andnevertoldheranymoreshewasbeautiful.Shelonged
fortheattentionandshefoundit.Shefoundattentionandanabundance
ofguilther. Lilconfessedrightaway.Therewasnojustifyingwhatshedid to
itwould it. Calmly. Buthe was neverthe same. He kept
himortheirmarriage.
tel ing Jackhandled
taketime,andthatwasoverayeare
Lillovedhimandwouldwait. No matterwhat aitrltook.Perhapsi
ier. t
would take a deployment. Jack hadn’t said anything to her, but a late
onlyfromthehousebutoutallnight.
night phonecall
Lil knew thatshe’dsameget heranswer
night after talking he was andtookwhatJacknotwas
on whereto Branch,
simple‘thank you’fromtheotherroomtoldheralot, andwhenJack’s
goingon,whensheheardthedooropen.Whensheturnedherhead.The
towering frame
lookonhisface. appeared inthe livingroom doorway,she
“I got a unit. It leaves tonight,” Jack said. He seemed to look knewby the
throughherandnotather.
line. They’re
“Thatwasfast.”
“SeemstherewasanemergencythatcameinwhileIwasonthe
thingsready.” lookingforSFguystogoin.”Heturned.“Ihavetogetmy
Jack“Jack?Doyouknowwhere?”
paused,lookedoverhisshoulder
outtheanswerashewalkedaway.“Peru.”
Questioning‘Peru’,Lilwatchedhimleavethenturned andnodded.Hesputtered
computertolookat theheadlines.Shewhisperedout,“Peru.” backtothe
<><><><>to so
Atlanta.Foryou
finishpackingasmalldufflebag.“Saul,t his is whyIagreedtomoveto
“Peru?”IrmastoodinthedoorwayofherbedroomwatchingSaul
bedirector, youdidn’thavetoleave.”
kit. Sauldidn’tpackmuch.Twos
“Saul?” to
hirts, underwear,slacksandshaving
“Irmasweetheart,Ihave
“Underwhoseorders?” go.”
“Mine.”the Heplaneis
notice,but zippedthewaiting.bag hardIcan’tand expect
fast. “Imyknowpeoplethis istoshortput
themselvesinharm’swayifIdon’tdoitmyself.They’vealreadysenta
“Special forces.” Irma gasped.…” “Saul, should you be going. It
teamofspecialforcesdownthereto
soundsmoredangerousthanfightingavirus.”
Saulliftedhisbag.
going on? Yougot that cal ,
home andpacked.Talk
“What’s tome Saul.” went to the office, came
Irmashookherhead.“The
Saulapproachedher,standingclose.“Katherine’sdead.”
“Thevirusdidn’tk i l virus?”
herIrma.Thesoldiershadto.”
“What?”
“Shegotinfectedwithwhateverthis bacteriumis, andit madeher
mad.Likeadog.”
“Wethink itisaformofrabies.Somethingtothataffect.”
“Rabid.”
“Whatabouttheothers?”
that. Rightnowtheyaredetained.”
Afteran inhale,Saul spoke.“Wehave about three hundredlike
“Butwhat
cure.”every
“No, therei aresn’yougonnado,Saul?What
t . Myjob isn’tto canhelpyoudo?Therei
cureitor those s no
whohave
suregone mad.Mystoneijob,s turned.Everycornercovered.Makesurethatnothing
Irmais to do what Iamif bestat.Traceit, andwe make
ornoone gott. outof
knowabouti thesickcamp.Cause someonedidand don’t
Godhelpus.”
Irma laid her hand onSaul’s cheek,leaned in and kissed him.
“Comehometome.Callme.Please.Becareful.”
AllSaulcoulddowasnod,returnthekis , turnandwalkout.
Imakes CHAPTERNINE
t wasjbutthey
halfanhourthroughd
them, hCarancus,Puno,Peru
Sgt.JackEdwardsarrivedviaArmytransportplane,landingona
iufst stripinthemiddleofnowherePeru.That’swhatthepilotsaid.
afterweredark,thejourneytowherehewasneededwouldtakea
irt roads.Heandsevenothermen.Morewouldjoin
soldiersalreadythere. the first elite team toetaiarrive.To
Hewasn’tgivenmuchsituationd aid andas ist the
ls. Justthathealthsituation
haserupted,Itwasthefrabiesirstoftimeinalongtimehehad
quarantined. some sort, and those infected
SowhytheneedforSpecialForces? beenin thefwereielcurrently
d andnot
tothetextbooks.Threeyearsprior he didsotoit make hismarriagebet er,
beenincharge.AnE­8,buthehadsteppedbackfromthefieldmissions
jignoredherasifsheweretrash,workinga
makeitwork.
tobestableandathome.L
ust toavoidseeingher.Hewasn’treadytoendi
Eightmonthsearlieirt hiswifecheated.Forthefirsttwomonthshe
le didheknowl thetimeandgoingouta
wouldmakethingsworse.
t, buthewasn’treadytofter,
betrayher,indulge
Even thoughwithsomeone lse. Heupondidn’t.Heremained,despite
his bitterness ecalled himto strikeout at her,
hisanger,ahundredpercentf
Hehealedsomeintwomonths,statingaithful. he’d stayinthemarriage,
butadmittedlyJackdidn’tdoanythingtomakethemarriagegetb
Theyspokeb r i e f l y , notmuchnormeaningful,andthesamewassaidfor et er.
theirsexlife.Notmuch,b
Heknewshewassorry,heknewshetried,
rief, andnotmeaningful. butit becameeasierto
staycoldthanitwastowarmbackupandchancethehurt.
The daily kissesandintermittent phonecallsthat werecommon
placeforyearsintheirmarriageweregone.
HalfthetimeJackwastornbetween
But undeniablyhewasstilt. inlovewithhiswife. wantingtogiveintotohow
muchhelovedher,andfightingi
Howlonghad it beensince he toldher? ofhimselfinthat
RidinginthebackofthecoveredtruckJackfound
theyspentlongerthanafewdaysapart.
Hehadforgottenwhati ifit wasbeing
percentageoftimewherehewantedtogiveintothelove
Hedidn’tknow
Ithadbeenyearssincehewasawayfromhomeandyearssince
t felt like. hiswife.
towhathe
the weird feelingthat crawled inhisawayorthemissionthatattributed
feltandhegettingsoughtasense order,gut. Either way, heintodidn’thisbaglike
Jackreached
the ‘phonesofoff’security,andpossiblyclosure.
andgrabbedhisphone.Hehesitatedbeforedialing,buthedid.
Before
word,‘Jack.”
Two ringsandLil answered the phone hurriedly and with the
whenI’llbeableto
“Lil,”hewhispered“I’mhere.Idon’tknowwhat’sgoingonor
c a l again,Ij u s t wantedtocall…youknow.”
Hergaspwasloud,emotionalandi
much for“I“Jack,be
calling me.” t carriedtohim,“Thankyouso
“Iwgottago.”
il . Thankyou.AndI
careful.” ’l uh,I’l cal you.I…Ipromise.”
Shesniffed,possiblyatearf
“Lil.” il ed snif le. “Bye,Jack.”
“Yeah.”
Apause. “I…I’m
Anotheremotionalbreathescapedherandcarriedtohim.“Ilove
s t i l i n lovewithyou.”
youtoo,Jack.Iloveyoutoo.”
need felt. And andas doheclosedthatheneededtotalktohiswife.A
Jack closedthephone
altogether.Henotonlywantedto
hestrongly his eyes hisbeforedestination,
approached shutting itJackoff
supposedhe’dfindoutwhythatneedwascryingouttohim.
<><><><> tomakehourBut certainno one returned.
Therewhenwerethe‘sick’
hadfoursoldiersridethroughthetown,
longbefore
patrolthesmalltown fourofthem raid wasmade.
of Carancus, be sure,theArmy
it waslikeaghosttown,clearedout
andevery on thehourtheyhadto
justto
Onedidana ir samplereading,everythingwasnormal.
Buttheytooknochancesandworerespirators.
biologicalwarfareexpertforsometime.Notthetopinhisfield,butan
activememberofhisspecialty.
Theair sample soldier was a Captain. Steven Long had been a
Hewalkedaheadofthejeep,pacingthesearch.Ahundredmore
feetthey’dbeclear,beabletoturnaround.
Stevenlookedforwardtoreturningand tohist
out those samples. Hewantedhowito bring
attentiontheattackrateofthebacteria
checkingStevenhimselfwantedtoknowwhatwascausing ent, tomakesDr. hManning’s
t differed. ift laband
Severalminutesearlier, hebelievedhe thedifference,
andthesearchofthetownwasawasteoftime.
Orsohethought.
sofaboutituntilheheardthatnoise.
ast,Aclanking,likesomethingdropping.
small,ithadtohavebeenananimal.Hedidn’treallythinkmuch sawashadow,butit was
Holdinguphishandfirst
wherehebelievedthenoisewascomingfrom. tohaltthejeep,Steventhenpointedto
forward.He swunghisair samplepackbehindhimandbroughthisweapon
Thejeepstopped,andtwoofthesoldierssteppedfromit.
whereit Againwas thenoise
coming soundedWithanda motioning
from. Steven wastwitchable ofhishead, to ear­zoom onhe
pointedtothel Thejeep astinched
smallhouse.
its wayup andthe othertwo soldiersfollowed
directlybehind.
“Careful,Captain,”theonewhispered.
he
Stevennoddedas
Knowingwhat
backandopenedthe he approachedthedoor.I
was dealingwithor couldpossiblydealwithhe
t wasajar.
stepped
thesingleroom.I doorwithhisfoot.
Throughathinlayerofmistthebeamofthelightaimedintoward
“Light,”herequested.
t illuminatedachild,aboytobeexact.Hesat
feyeslo r,weredead
playingwithatruck.Liftingi t , droppingit,l i f t i n g i t again. onthe
oflife,hisheadface inasnap,hisfacecaughtthebeam.His
drawn be herealone.”
“Son,”Stevencalledout.“Youshouldn’t
Theboyturnedhis
chin.Hewidenedhismouthwithasnarl. andwhite,driedbloodlacedhis
Stevenaimedhisweapon.
Hewasgoingtoshoot,andhealmostdid,until thechildreturned
toplayingwiththetruck.
<><><><> set men
‘site’. Jackandtheother
TheArmy up was disembarkedfromthetruck.Theplatoon
located about a hundred yardsfrom the
sergeant
othersoldiersuntilmoretroopsarrived.
instructed them that they wouldan walk the perimeter with the
himattentionnotevenbeeping.Four
Whatwasgoingon?Therewas
to whowas inthe soldiersjeep.Heandadidaihowever
rchild.oftension,ajeepzippedby
Jackpaydidn’tpay
attention tomuchthe
Specialist.Jackfoundamusementinaspecialist. Theyoungmanrat led on
about
meteor.space il nes andhow this wasanalien thing brought in bythe
Jackhadn’tevenheardaboutthemeteor,hethoughtthekidwas
jokinguAntimeteor l someoneelseconfirmedi
thought.ThenhisthoughtswenttoL
landed andpeople itl.were, il . That was just nuts, Jack
Howi
spretty t. Guaranteedto herb
pecialifsinformed.
hehadevenspoken rieflandhowsheloveds
she would have rambled juhsitt liket
y, heprobablywouldhavebeen like htheat.
abandonedThetents weredark,camp.no lightswhatsoever anditlookedlikean
Jackdidn’tsaymuch.Hejustlistened. high and doubled
concentration
circledthecircumference.
AnotherSergeant. Barbed wired fence
andtheotherstothefence.SergeantHolmesledhisPlatoonSergeant,Jack
“Deter “Justwalkaroundtheperimeter,u ntil morearrive,”Holmessaid.
anythingoranyonethatcomesnearthefence.Pushthem away,
butuseyourweaponstodoso.Shouldanyoneescape,wehaveordersto
shoot.” Deterthemfromthefence?Noonewasnearthe fence,let alone
escapees.The Platoon Sergeant asked, “Sgt. What exactly are we dealing
with.Itlooksprettydeadoutthere?”
Holmes snickered. “Dead. Yeah. Watch.” He gave anod to a
privatewhoworkedahugespotlightandtheytunedonthel
ThesightbeforeJackstumbledhimback. i g h t .
Waswasheseeing what he thought?
openandexposednotthewholeinsidebutenoughforJack
darknessThespecialistwhisperedouta‘dude’.
illuminatedbythe bright spotlight.The t, hiddentoseeflapbythe
Thecenter tentattered whatwas
wasgoingon.FromJack’sviewi
faceandbloody,wereengaginginameal
cots.Theylooked up tothelight, sneering. t lookedlikethirtyorsopeople,white
consistingofothersthatlayon
“Dude,Imean,Sarge,”thespecialistsaid.“They’rezombies.”
TheplatoonSgt.shota‘getr eal’ glanceat thespecialist. “They’re
notzombies.”
“I’mtellingyou,they’rezombies.”
are,there’s
fence.Nonehaveescaped.” hundred in there. Only a couple madeit to the
AnodaboutfromtwoHolmesandthespotlightwentout.“Whateverthey
“Zombies,”thespecialistsaid.
TheplatoonSgt.Snapped,“They’re not zombies.”
GranteditwasafictionaltopiclikeZombies,buthehadsatthroughwith
hiswife,whathebelievedtobeeverysinglezombiemovieevermade.
Bad andgood.
Finally, JackPerhaps,thought,a
even attopiche
the riskofwassounding
pretty knowledgeableof.
really insane, he
couldtrytodiffusethesituationwithlogic.
Logicalzombietalk.Thatwas an oxymoron.
But Jacktried. “Let’s
Hecringed.“Whyaren’ttheycomingforus?” sayfor
“Whywouldthey?”thespecialistreplied. argumentsake they are zombies.”
theretokeepthembusy.Onlyafewofushere.Butdude,whentheyare “Theygotenoughright
“He’sprobablyr
mouthandthenanother,i
finished,they’llcomeforus.Imaginehowmanytherewillbethen.”
Holmesmade
Jack couldn’tight. Makeyourrounds.
helpit.
a hufft wasridiculous.
sound,
Hearingpossibly
the conversation
itwasalaugh,
come andfromsaid,his
Andhewalked of . I’l bebackafter Ispeaktothe
colonel.”“YouheardtheSergeant,makeyourrounds,”theplatoonsergeant
ordered.Jack started walking, like the others inthe same circle. It was
dark,freaky;hecouldonlyimaginewhatwasoccurringinthedarkness.
Buthe
took, didn’tneedthe toodarkness
through much carried
of an imagination.
the sound Forof thewithgnawing
each stepandhe
chompingofflesh.
HewasgreetedbyColonelManningthesecondhesteppedoffthe
<><><><>
helicopter. Saul extended
older,andtaller.
“Colonel Manning,”hishehandtothe
introduced manhe
himself. envisioned
“Nice to meetas beingyou,
Dr.Klein.”“Me,as
“Iwishitwereunderdifferentcircumstances.”
transformation.” well,Sir. ButI’vebeenworkingonthis nonstopsincethe
Sault itled hisheadinconfusion.“Transformation?”
“Whentheygo
Thisdescriptiontook from iSaulaback.“Colonel,howbadi
l to, whattheyhavebecome.” s it?”
Thecolonelwhistled.
“Willyoutakemetothesickarea?”
“Ithinkyoushouldgetalooka
“Ican’tgetthata t thesickcamp?”t whatwe’redealingwith.”
ledhim“Oh,youcan,butI’dratheryougetup andclose.”The colonel
to“Haveyoupinpointedwhatwe’redealingwith?”Saulasked.
ametalstructure,newer,morethanlikelyrecentlyerected.
“It’s abacterium.Fastmoving.”Thecolonelnoddedtothesoldier
as hereachedforthedoor.
Saulstopped.Hisheadcocked.Washearingmoans?Wherewere
theycomingfrom?
The colonel continued. “The initial infected took days to come
ful circle, but once theyinfect someone, it’sanywhere from4sooner.
hours.Someinstances,likewithKatherineWelsh,much,much to 24
Instantaneously.”
“What determinesthat?Doweknow?”
The“I colonelclearedhisthroat.“BeforeItmyel you,Iwantyouto
takealook.Afteryoudoso,thenyoucanconfirm suggestions.”
see.”
thinkneighboringcommunitieslookingformoreinfected.”
sir, after we rectify the current situation andsend our
troops outto
“Didwehaveescapes?”
“NotthatIknowof.But,whatif someonenevercheckedinhere.”
“Youhaveapoint.”
“Prepareyourself.”Thecolonelopenedthedoor.
A growl? DidSaul hear a growl? He stepped inside behind the
rcolonelintoa makeshiftexaminingroom.Onthe
eal, asif heworeapancakemakeup.Hisl an apple,thickandoffwhite.
manthrashedandgrowled.Hiseyesandpupils,nearlyc
skintoneremindedSaulof tablelayaman.His
lear.It didn’tlook
ips, crackedandpeeling.The
 Boundtothetablebystraps,themanlookedat Saul,widenedhis
mouthandarchedhishead,struggling,asifheweretryingtob i t e .
Asoldierstoodbehindhim,weaponready.
The“Thismanis whatwe’redealingwith?”Saulquestioned.
onthetablethrashedmoreviolently.
“Yes,s ir.”
Saul’shandwenttohismouth.Asi f did,themanshook.Witha
‘snap’sound,hisarm,brokeonthewristandfreed.Hereachedwithhis
limbforthesoldier.
Thecolonelnodded.
Thesoldierfiredasingleshotintotheheadoftheman.
“I’m
Sauljweafraidso.Yes,”Thecolonelreplied.“Whentheywerefirst
olted. “Wasthatnecessary?”
TheygotDr.Welsh.Andtwoofoursoldierswereinjuredwhilewewere
discovered, learned how violent they were. Instinctual, attacking.
trying todetainafewfor itiresearch.
“Two soldiers.nDidyoutestthem?”
“Rightaway.I Not severely,butbittenbythem.”the blood
al testingdidn’tshowanyinfectionin
stream.Butafteraboutt
“Wherearetheynow?” hirty minutestoanhour,smalltraceswereseen.”
“TheyweresenttoWashington,specialhospitalforresearch.”
thetable.“Thisdelirium.”
“Sotheydidn’tshowsignsof.. this.” Saulpointedtothemanon
“No.”
“ButKatherinedid?”
“Yes.Rightaway.”
transformationtof
“And you’veul blowninfection.”
determined what causes an instant reactionand
“Yes.Webelievewedoknowwhatcausesi
“Whati s that?” t tooccurinstantly.”
“Likewiththisman,the
momentofdeath.” deliriumandviolent ragesetsinat the
Saulcocked aneyebrow.Hadthecolonelwhowasalsoab
doctor,beenworkingtoomuch.“Colonel,”Saulsaid.“Forgiveme,but ril iant
thatsoundsabsurd.”
“I know.I know.Butthey havenopulse, noarefbreath,theydon’t a t a l
bleed.Someofthemhavei n j
“Theycan’tbedead,that’simpossible.” u r i e s , likeKatherinethat injuries.”
“Iknow.”
“WhatdoesDr.Riesmansayaboutallthis?Haveyouconsulted
him?Imeanhehaswitnessedt
“Whatdidhesay?” his first hand,right?”
“Yes,hehas.”
The colonel
himselfinhist r a i l e r stared
and…” at Saul for a moment. tothe “Nothing. He locked
“Thenlet’sgogethim.”Saulturned
“Wecan’t.” door.to
Saulstopped.“Why?Didsomethinghappen him?”
 “That’swhatI’m
him,hewasgone.”
“Goneasindeador…” tryingtotel yousir. Whenwe wentbackfor
The colonel finished the sentence. “No, gone as in gone. Took
off.” Saulbreathedoutinr
“Lastoursoldiersspoketohimhewasn’tinjured.”
“Tellmehewasn’tinfected.” elief. “Wehavetofindhim,immediately.”
certain.Butj
beentorunaway.AndbywhatSaulwitnessed,hecouldseewhy.Hedid
heHesaid,andthensankintoconcern.HowfrightenedHanshadtohave
takestockinthefactthatHanswasaprofessional,andfrightenedornot,
would neverust tobesure,
hit the general populous if he were infected. Saulwas
was,it couldn’tbetoofar. theyhadtofindhimfirst. Andwhereverthat
<><><><>
Lima,Peru
thelabandwalkingprettymuchthroughtheday,howdifficultitwould
Hanswasn’tthinkingwhenhetookoffbyfoot,sneakingoutof
itwas sltilt laride.
inalimo,
treatedlikeaking.Althoughtheride
be.Fortunately,a in thebackofthetruckwasnoride
e moneywentalongwayandforfiftybuckshewas
arrived.Attheairport.
That
He ride took him to another,
came then another u n t i l finallyhe
He didn’t care. Luckily hewasforhim,orlookedforhimthere.
wassurprisednoone
Butjudgingbyhisphone,peopleweresearchingforhim. ableto get a flight leaving the
family Itheret wasunnatural.
countryalmostimmediatelyforGermany.Germanywasn’tbad.Hehad
airportwhenhisflightarrived.I
ifromwhathehadseen.
t wasn’tPeru.HehadtogetoutofPeru,outof
andconnections. tInfacthe wasn’tAmerica,hisfirstpreference,but
calledonethecountryandaway
toget himat the
HisheadcockedaThedementiawasfrightening,andfearfulofnot
beingabletofeignoff600people,Hansl
Hewashisownbestt
Hecoulddomoreinasafelocation.
t thecestalsubject.
ofhis eft.
boarding. With a handkerchief f l i g h t numberandthattheywere
assoonashelanded. thatmoment,though,heshutfromoff hisphone.
hewiped the sweat
he Atglancedtohisphone,andrecalledheturnedit
He glanceduptotheboardingline,anddecidedtojoin.Wanting
wasfeelingchilled,andnothisbest.Lookingdowntohisphonehesaw
hehadeightmissedcalls,threeofwhichfromSaul.Hevowedtocallhim
toknowthetime, his brow. His
he stoodhelookeda
AsIn looking t hiswatch.Hehad been awakenearly24hours.
at his watchhe couldsee his arm, slightly swollen and the o f .
veinsseemedlikeredroadmapsleadingtothesmallcutthatdidn’twant
toheal.He’dinvestigatewhenhegotthere,test himself.Forthatmoment,
heloweredhissleeve,preparedhisboardingpassandgotinline.
Thetubularbuildingwasflowninandplacednotfarfromwhere
<><><><>
theArmyhadi
“Andthtisssetup.Alongtentprecludedtheentrance,nearlyhiding
it fromview. is CaptainStevenLong,”ColonelManningintroduced
Saul.
scientistSaul. visually gave aonce overto the enthusiastic, buttired
lookingCaptain.Young,fit,typicalsoldier,butdidn’tlookathinglikea
He was average height and looks, probably younger than he
appeared.“CaptainLonghas
very interesting.”beenworkingonourvictimsandcameacross
handfromtheintroduction.“Isthatso?”
somethingIt wasaboutthatpointintheconversationthatSaulwithdrewhis
victim, initial Sir,”and secondary
thenIcameacrosst
attackandhowitdiffersinvictim
“Yes, hSteven has beentovictim.Basicallysir,everysingle
is.” replied. “I’mtheverysame.intriguedby
Delirium, violent,and
the rate of
imagine Sauljustfollowed.
openedthedoor.
door.“WeSaulwas
ColonelManningledthemintothetubebuildingand
myhavesurpriseashootwhento kCaptain
il orderLongout onbrought
al infected,”he said.thef“SoiHerst
thisone toback.”
“Yes,” Steventakenaback.Achild,shackled,satcenteroftheroom.
Heplayedwithatruck.Clearly,hewasliketheothers.“Ishe?”
answered. “No pulse. Nobreathing, no blood
pressure.Bodytemperature,sixty­sevendegrees.We’restillwaitingfor
oneof the healthyintown togiveus hisname. Watch .. .” Steven
approachedhim.“Hey,there.”
Theboyignoredhim.
“Amazing,”Saulsaid.“He’snotviolent.”
“Well, yes,toyou, me and others.But...”Steveexcusedhimself
from theroom, and returned with a cage.A chicken inside moved
radicallyaround.Hesetthecagedowninfrontoftheboyandnosooner
did he openinitless, thethanchilda minute,and
mercilessly scurried to bloodied
thecage, with
devoured
a few thechicken
feather, the
boywentSaulbackcleared
puppy.”Anotherclearing
tohistruck.his throat.“I guess wecan rule out getting hima
this. Whyhei ofhisthroattohidehischuckle.
“Thingis,”s notCol.attackingpeopleliketheothers.
Manning said. “We don’t knowHe mayholdsome
why heis like
sortofkey.”
here.” “We“Mythoughtsexactly,”ColManning
need to findout,” Saul said.“Butstated.“I we’re thinkwe notfinding out
Thethree menshouldlookedbeateach
agreeonwhatneedstobedonenext.”
“Helicopter shortly,” Col. Manning toldalSaul.can
here otherandthentothechild.
yesterday.”
“Captain Long is getting his things ready. Not much.He justgot here
Like Saul, Captain Long hadn’t even unpacked. Hadn’t taken a
singleitemfromhisbag.Saulknewhewasn’tgoingtobeinPerulong,
butlessthanafewhours?
But itwas vital theyboth leave andgo back tothe states,to
Thechopper
Washington where the two soldiers whowere
wouldtakethemtothea i r s t r i p bitten werequarantined.
whereagovernmentj e t was
alreadywaiting.
“Hethinksi t’s abig mistakebringingththeis thingthere,butweboth
“HowistheCaptainaboutreturningto statessosoon?”
know,thatitneedstobedone.”
“Iagreewithbothofyou.”
“Before you board, take a look at what just camein,” Manning
pulledSaul’sattentiontowardthecomputer.
gavetheorder.”
Hisattention
“I did.Butt’s Iwant was on the growing noise outside.“I
toButwait until the backup troops arrive.Better thoughtyou
safethansorry,i gettingcrazy.Afterthat’sfinished,Ialreadyassigned
locations for our scouts.and thehiss
maneuveredthemouse, for now,of theprinters
Doctor, please.” t a r t e d .Col.“I’mmaking
Manning
youcopiestoreviewfullyontheplane.Checkt
Saulleanedintothemonitor. his out.”
A picture of an arm witha small red gash appeared. The gash
wasn’tbad,ordeep.
“Thiswas takenonehalfhoura
Manningswitchedthescreen.“Twohourspostb
Aredness appeared around fter thiwhich
thegash, sisoldierwasbitten.”Col.
t e . ”
ther andand the arm was swollen andalsoturningseemeddark.to Thestil
look asifitse ped.Anoswitch
woundlookedbigger
“Howmanyhours?”Saulasked.open. at
“Thisistwelvehours.Taken
“Howisthepatient?”
“Fevered.Notmuch.Startingtofeeli thehospital.”l .”
“Theotherone?”
“Interestingenough,ataslower rate withabiggerwound.”
Saulfoldedhisarms.“Adrenalineenhanced.”
“Wethink,”Col.Manningsaid.“Soldierone;smallwound,was
and worried.Soldiertwowashitaccidentallyintheheadand
veryhyper
knockedunconscious.Sotherefore a l
“Asdidtherateofthevirus.” bodyfunctionslowed.”
 “Exactly.We’rekeepinghimsedatedandhisv
seewhathappen.”
“Let“Hisbiggerwound isatframe?” i t a l s a t minimalto
you firsttestedthemyou
“Comparableintime
measkyouthis,”Saulsaid.“When
maybesoldierone’sfourhourpost.”
saidtherewerenosignsofthevirusintheblood.Notfort
Haveyou “We’veyet experimented
amputating?” theorized that.withPerhapsremoving wound hgenerates
maybethetheinfected areairty minutes.
oreventhe
virusandgettingridofthewoundmaydoit, butwe’venotbeenfortunate
enoughtocatchitthatearly.”
“Ifi“Thenwewillexperiment.”
t happensagain,evasivewounds...” for
“I’veplacedthosetheoriesandotherdatainthere
“Great.” and placedtheminafolder. you.”Col.
Manninggrabbedthepapersfromtheprinter
He extendedthefolderforSaulasthesoundofthehelicoptercameinto
earshot.“Ah, my rideandyourbackup.Col.Manning,ifanythingarises,
anythingofinterestbeforeIleave,l
“Iwill.” Col. Manning et meknow.”
pointed to the folder. “Youcan review
thoseontheflight.”
gonnafacewhenIland.”
“Sevenhours,”Saulbreathedout.“Makesyouwonderwhat I’m
Both men turned theirangr headsout.when“Wethecansoundsof yellingand
moaning,damnationmoaning
endshere.Tonight.”
Saulgavea
“Hopefully,” Col. Manning said. do somethingso that
closedmouthnod.“Let’shope.”
<><><><>
“They
“They’refinished
smorgasbord.” their meal,” Specialist Carlson said. “We’re the
notzombies,”Jackblastedout.
“Thenwhatarethey?”
.“IFrom.I don’t
tent two,know.”the couple hundred hands multiplied and the
barbed wire,fencedinareawaslikeacorralofwildanimals.
thatsamedead­eyedlookastheylockedstaresonthesoldiers
Theymovedslow,rigid,sloppy.Somecarriedbodyparts;a l had
out.SomeAsifthey lostallreasoning, they aimed for the fence,reaching
perimeter. outsidethe
tryingtowalkthrough,gettingjabbedandstuck.Otherst
toclimbwiththesameresults.Allofthemgapingmouths,bitingtheair r i e d
SpecialistCarlsonsnickeredinayoungway.“Dude,oh, my God.
Lookatthatone.”
asiftryingtoconsumeameallongdistance.
 Jackturnedtoseewherehepointed.Awomanwasdiligentinher
fenceattempt,fleshtorefromherwitheachcaughtuptwistedturn,but
It hewasa nightmareJackhadmanytimes.Thoughtthe
shedidn’tseemtonotice. be. reasonable
hismind
maninhim,verbally,andoutrightarguedthattheyweren’tzombies,in
Theylookeddead.I
couldn’tthinkofanythingelsetheywould
f theyweren’t,somesortofnervedisease cut
of
their abiYes,anightmarehehadmanytimes.Everytime no
lity tofeel.Some themhad limbs,noinsides,eyes. hiswife made
him watch amovie, whether scaryor lame, hehad nightmares about
them.Thebigman’sinsidesshudderedwithdisgustashismindracedto
comprehend
watching them,takingr
whatwas ehappening.
l i e f He couldn’t help but stare at them,
inthefactthathewassafefromthemforthe
timebeing.The cal oftheplatoon sergeant,yellingout,“Orders arein. Do
it.” Jackknewwhatthatmeant. to
TheywerejCarlson
Specialist ust waitingfortheshoot
chuckled outward kil order.blastingone single
before
shotintotheforeheadofoneofthem.
RapidfirerangoutandJackraisedhisweapon.
Besmart, hewherethought,to hityou’ve
Carlson,youknow . Jack didn’twaste
seen enoughtime.He
movies.Just
performedlike
headshotsandthatwasi
downunlessyou t. A soldierforyelled
“Quitto wastingaim forthehead.Aim
ammo,” thehead!”out. “They aren’tgoing
theheadendedi
creaturesTherewerehundredsuponhundreds,andmaybet
Howjorightlt tafewtimesandkeeponintheirpursuit.Asingleshotto
. that was. Those who randomly shot onlyhirty causedthe
soldiersto
longastheyshotcarefullyandwithprecision.
dothejob.Jackknewtherewereplentyoftroopstotakethemallout,as
Jack’sbigconcernwasn’tinendingthe
more soon the factwas currentsituation;i
thisit?OrGodforbid,weretheremoreoutthere. t was
fences.scarier, if there were, they certainly weren’t behind barbed wire
Even
 CHAPTERTEN
theboarding. The7thseatednext man snoredloudlyas
personMayHanswasgratefulhewasseatedinthe
overweighttohim back oftheplaneandthat
hadone toomany cocktails before
window,hishardoutwardbreathscausedcondensationagainstthepane heslept curled to the
anddrinkmuch,andtheamountthatspewedforthfromhismouthwasless
ofglass.Itcoveredupthesoundofregurgitation.
lesswith
Prettysoon,Hansthought,hewouldstopthrowingup.Hedidn’t
each upheaval. Hekept hismouth buriedto thebag
After vomiting, he
closeditquicklyastocoverthesmell.Asmellthatwasn’tnormal.
hidthe bag, and
pulled the“Sir,areyouok?”
Feelingblankethigher.He cleared Marian
as if he couldsleep,heclosedhiseyes.
was cold.voiceof
Thegentle his throat,asked.sat Hegazed
back and
upwardtothestewardess,awomanconsidered‘older’forastewardess.
Sheofferedacomfortingsmile.
“Airsickness.Isufferterriblyfromi
“Youshouldhavetakensomething.” t.”
flight.”“Ijust
“If“Thankyou.”did,” Hans said. “Hopefully i t ’ l knockme out for the
youneedanything,”shesaid,placingahandonhisshoulder.
Anothersmile,and Marian turned,walkinguptheaisle,thechecking
onpassengersasshemovedbythem.
Sleep Almosthalfwaythroughthef
prettylousy,Hanst
would make rthem pass by fasltiegrh,t,andwith
ied tosleep. Hanscounteddown hours.
that thought, feeling
<><><><>
Two soldiers
cleansing.Saul weretothosetwo
directed injured.soldiers,along
One pretty severely withthe inboytheandcampthe
twoalreadytransported
figure outhow to stopit.TheWashington,tobemovedtoAtlantawherea
specialquarantineandresearchcenterwasbeingsetup.
Numberoneprioritywastostopthevirus.Ibacterium wasted away f infected,theyhadto
theperson, then
At least in Atlanta theycouldcontain them, detainthem, and
movingmonsters.
regeneratedthecellswithoutregeneratingbraincells.Makingtheminto
hopefullytryto
Notwanting curethemi f notlearnfromthem.
to chancesomethinghappening
Col.ManningaddedonemorespecifictoSaul’sdirective.
soldier f a t a l y injured, would be spared the torment duringtransport,any
of a regenerated
death.
dealing Regenerateddeath.Saulcouldn’tbelievethatwaswhattheywere
with.Neverinallof hisimaginationdidhebe.think he wouldbe
dealingwiththewalkingdead.
Buttheyweren’treallydead.Theycouldn’t
He finishedthephonecall,andleaned back inhischair. Notiftheywereal .
movingandacting.
Beforehereleasedthegriponhisphone,heplacedonemorec
“Saul? Saul I didn’t think I’d
concerned.“I’mon aplanesowemaynothavegreatreception.” hear from you,” Irma said
She breathed heavilyandthe ‘hiss’ of it carried overthe line.
“OnmywaybacktoAtlanta.”
“Aplane.”
“ThankGod.ThankGod.Everythingmustbefinethen.You’recoming
home.”“Actually,Irma,”Saulpaused.Hewasn’tgoing
at al . Hecouldn’t.Notonagovernmentphone,butheknewifhesaid tosay much,not
thetheyareaboutasstrange
right words, the rightasway,strangecouldbe.”
that would tel Irma enough. “Actually
Heendedthec
Aclearing of athel , bringingthephonetohislipsinthought.
turnedaround. throat drew himbackfrom that momentand Saul
with theinfected
Steven stoodthatthey He had been into the backof
before werehim. bringing states.Hethelooked
plane
drawn,somethingwasn’tr
“Captain?
“Iheard Are i g
youokay?”h t .
youmentiontheword‘strange’”
Saulnodded.“Iwasspeakingtomywife.”
“Idon’tunderstand,”Saul said.
“It’sabouttogetstranger.”
“NeitherdoI.Butthatboy,Juan?”
“No,Sir.”Stevenshook
“Didhegetviolent?” hishead.“He’scrying.”
<><><><>
Medication
immediately to the thatsite rendered
inPeru a personscouting
before semi comatose
teamswerewassentshippedout.
orscratchofaninfected,theyweretoimmediatelyturn
Platoonleaderswereeachgivenampleinjectionsofi
Theordersweresimple.If asoldierbecameinjuredthroughbite t.
tobecured.
whoeverwasincharge,andreceivetheinjection.
Slowingthecardiofunctionsslowedthevirus,enablingmoretime themselvesinto
movie Jack scoffed bothaint that,sodidSpecialist.Carlson.Relyingsolelyon
wasneverdealtwith ‘reconveyed
information, al life’. toeach other that they didn’t think
anythingcouldstopazombietransformation.Howeverthatwasfiction.It
 Orwasi t?
“Howdoweknow?”SpecialistCarlsonaskedJackastheymoved
“I area.
throughawooded
“True.”
mean,areit could have happened before. And it was contained.
Youjus“tTrneverknow.Plus,wedohavecooltechnologywithmedicine.”
ue.”“What youdoing?” to
Jack
“Yeah,well,you just spoketoyourwife.”Carlson. “Trying to get a
was
signal.”Hehelduphisphone. busted. He gave a smile
“Please
“Iknow,sorry.”
Jack nodded. keep focused.We’reup
was f r o n t , we don’t needsomething
he had
jumpingoutatus.” He searchingfor a signal because to
a lotend. Buthishehadto
certainsheknew
saidabruptly talkhe wasworried.Tellingher,“IfIdon’t
knowwhatwashappening.Hewantedt withLil.
end hisHecawanted
l ando. hedid so come
to tel hersowithoutmuch.He
lettingher
back”…was
One thatcouldn’t
Jackfiguredoutacodedwaytodoso,hepreparedasimpletext.
come back negatively to him as if he let secret
informationout,andonehiswifewouldunderstandwithalittlethought
andknowexactlywhatwashappening..
But hecouldn’t get a signal to send it out. The text sat in his
phoneinthe‘outbox’folder.
Specialist
“Whatwasthat?”Jackasked. Carlson said something e l s e
“I said,”Carlsonlookedback. “I thinkthere’savillageabouttwo . Jack didn’t understand.
moremilesfrom…”
Hestopped.Jackwasonlytwofeetbehindhim.Carlsonstopped
anddidn’tmove.
“Hold up,”Jackcalledout,lifting hand.“Carlson?”
“It broketheperimeter.”Carlsonwhispered.
containedit.Buti
“What dohet youbroke.”mean?” Jack asked, then received “Iwas hopingthey
JoiningCarlson saw thereason
lay forhis concern.Agoatwitha his answer.
stick, its
protruded through his mouth there. The
ribcageexposed,thefleshappearedtohavebeentorn,andthebodyhad
alreadyenteredintoaputrefactionstage.
“SeewhatImean?”Carlsonsaid.
Jackgaggedandcoveredhismouth. goat’s furwas half o f
Jack swallowedthe lumpt.”and turnedaround.
open.Wemayhaveinfectedinthese
cameback.Someonehadtokilli “Somethingatei“Keept alivyoure. Thenieyest
hiswifewaspremature.Untilhesawthatgoat. woods.”
Forawhile, Jackor thoughthisworryandhiswanted to forewarn
broke the perimeter wasbeyondthe perimeter Carlsonwasrighti
long before thet either
virus
wasdiscoveredto be deadly.
 Mid stareat the goat,and whispering questions ofthe men, at
‘bleep’caughtJack’sattention.Hedidn’tneedtolook.Heknewwhati
meant. He had caught the scope of at signal
sent.Nowhehopedshewouldfigurei out. and his message had been
<><><><>
couldn’tDespitebring herselfthe facttodigthat upJackhistoldmilitaryher topapersgetitthatal hetogether,
had in Lil
the
eventofhisdeath.
callingherthreetimesinthemiddleofthenightto
That toldher somethingwas wrong, but not as muchas Jack
shehadtoknowthat incase hedidn’t come back. sayhelovedherand
Sheaskedhimthreetimeswhatwasgoingon, hesaidhecouldn’t
tel her.Hewouldfigureoutawaytot
Thel
Thatsheunderstood.
a s t conversation was e l hermore.
twenty­ninesecondslongandJack said
toher,‘YouofallpeoplearemorepreparedthananyoneIknow.’
couldn’tbePrepared.
t h a t . What was Lil prepared for? Jack’s death? No, it
gone. Thenews
ShewentontheinternetandlookedupPeru.TheplaceJackhad
talked aboutof a meteor causing mass hysteria il nes .
wasmore,itwasilfonre.softoouthelprestorepeace.
MaybeJackwentdown ButaTo conspiracysitesaidit
control.Lilthrivedonreading,watching
andlearningaboutend
wasmostprepared theworldscenarios. her,thatwaswhatshe
extinction.WasJack trying to tel her a virus was about to wipe man into
Justasshehadthatthought,inthe
internetinformationonthePeruillness,sheheardthebeepofherphone.
Sheliftedit.
Jacksenta midstoftryingtofindmore
ISheclickedon
t wasn’tmuch.I text?Wasthathiswayofsayingwhatwasgoingon?
readt wasthreel
anddrewmoreintoconfusion.
et ers. Threelettersthat addedmore
to her mystery.WhatwasJacktryingtotellherwiththetext,‘WWZ’
Immediately, stil in frontof the computer, she typed thethree
let ers intothesearchengine.
Lilwanted to kick herself when etheresults returned. She of al
peopleshouldhaverecognizedthethreel
withoutconfusion.
Jackhadtobemistaken.Butofallpeople,Jackwouldn’tjokeandt e r s withoutasecondthought,
wouldbethelasttoadmittowhathewaswitnessing.
IOn<f><><><>
that, Lilgotup, locked al the doors andsought out her
whatjackbelievedhewasdealingwith.
shotgun. Jackwasmeaninginhistexttorefertozombies,thenthatwas
 leaningback,reviewingdocumentationwhenthec
Saul wasn’t expecting the midflight phoneal came.Hefearedthe cal . He was just
worst.Ithadtobebadnews.“ThisisDr.Klein,whatcanIdoforyou,
Col.Manning.”Saulasked.
Saulexhaled.“Great.
“We’velocatedDr.Riesman.” Whereithrees he?”hours outside of Berlin, thirty­
“Are you ready?
thousandfeetabovetheground.” About
Saulsprangforward.“You’rejoking,right?”
“IwishIwasn’t.”al hewas
besure.Saulendedhisc
aplane.Therewasnoway infected.Heknewbet er. Heneeded to
IttookSaulaback.Hehadtograspamomentandreason.Hanson
withCol.Manning,
their resourcestogetintouchwiththatplane. bothmenagreeingtouse
<><><><>
wished Marian hoped
suchthey’dluck.she’d
cal Sheupongetwassomeone
there.Especiallyiftheywantedsomething.
interruption.
momentsa foronce fifteen
summonedminutes
fteNor sheclosedhereyes.Shewasinchargeoftheirneeds,but to theofwasquite
youngerit sleep without
Captain’scabin
a hall
sortof VIPHedidn’t
inhidingwantonthecoffee,plane,”theCaptainsaid.
he wanted something else. “Havesome
“Howdoweknow?”Marianasked.
“USGovernmentcontactedus.Passengerin65B.Familiar?”
“Well,theywantusto checkon him.Reportback,thenmovehim
“Yes,”Mariannodded.
uptofirstclass.”
“He’s probably sleeping.He was airsick. We have only another
“I know.But, this is important.Couldyougocheckonhimand
halfhouroftheflight.”
movehim?Hisnamei
“Yes,Captain.”Mariansmiled,
s Dr.Riesman.” butit wasforced.Shedidn’tfeel
Row65wasthelastrow.
like walking
The mainallthecabinwaydown thesteps then to the back ofthe plane.
Butshedid.
enoughl i g h t was dark; the aisle lights were dim but give
forhertowalk.She’dsmiletothefewpassengerswhowere
smedication.
til awake,butmostofthemweresleeping.
Row57sheheardsomething.I
Reachingintoherapronpocket,shepulledoutasmallflashl
She hated to disturb Dr. Riesman; t wasawetsound,squishing.
After al , hehadtakenigthatht.
Itgrewlouder as shehitrow62.
AtRow63,sheheardaheavy,gurgling.Abreathingthat didn’t
soundright.
 Shearrived
Hadhetakenaturnfortheworse?Theoddsoundsgrewlouder.
at row64 and couldn’t see Dr. Riesman’s head.
fPerhaps
lashlighThebeamh
t,hehad tothe rest room. Another step,plaraise
Mariansoftlycalled“Dr.Riesman.”
goneit theemptyseatof‘65B’onlyforas it second.Into
ofthe
theshowinghisteethandbloodalongwithsalivapouredout.His
light, Hans raised his head with a snarl. His mouth openedeyes flared wide,
adeadlyblanklook.
Fearhad consumed her so much, thatshe couldn’t get a
productivescream.
Hans shook his head like ananimal,shucking remainsfrom his
and
mouth.Theflashlighttippledfromhergripasherhandshottohermouth
backedupwhenshewatchedHansreturnedtodevouringthemanin
‘65A’.Marion wasfrozenin fear andin shock.She wantedtoscream,
warnthesleepingpassengers.Shehadn’ta
ran
Shecabin.“Youneedagun.” clue whattodo. So
as fast as she could through the plane and up to theCaptain’s sheran.
he did. “Marion,what’swrong?”TheCaptainspokecalming,standingas
“Agun.Agun!”Marionscreamed,andthenbrokeintohysterics.
“Oh,God.Oh,God.” and
“Marion.” With
viedforherattention.“What a firm
i s grip to
goingon?her
Calm a slight jolt,the Captain
down.”
Marioncriedout.Abonechillingscream,followedbysobs.
“Doyouwantmetogo?”Gregasked.
“Greg,I’l beback.”TheCaptainmovedtothedoor.
andaler“No.I’llseewhattheproblemis.Inthemeantime,notifyBerlin
AstheCaptainbegantoleave,Marion
t themthatwemayhaveasituation.” doveforhim,holdingon,
beggingandsobbing‘pleasedon’tgobackthere’repeatedly.
TheCaptainpulledherfromhim,pulledthecabindoor closedand
walkedout.Mariondroppedtotheflo r.
Greg’sradioingtoBerlinwasmerebackgroundnoiseasMarion
weaklyreachedupandlockedthedoor.
Thecockpitwassafeandsecure.
Noonecouldgetinthere.Theywouldbefineu
andthatwouldbelong.
Shewasr
SomethingtoldMarionthattheCaptainwouldn’tbeback.
ight. ntil theylanded
<><><><>
Theyarrivedat asmallvillagejust after dawn.Chickensdanced
aboutintheorangehueofmorning,peoplemoved,butnotslowly.They
 Thewoodsdidn’tbringanymoreincidents.That was
avehiclewouldmeetthemthere.
radioedintoletcommandknowtheirposition.Jack’spatrolwasonfoot,
believedhedidoverreactandt hat, real y, therewas noway itextended
intothevillage.Anotheranimalcouldhaveeatenthatgoat.
“Spreadout,knockondoors,”Theplatoonsergeantordered.“Try good.Jack
yourbest to conveythat
Carlson.JackThenodded we arelooking for
lined ahedirwastpeoplewhoarei
villagehishousesagreement; l .” Specialist
road;pairedhe offandwithCarlson were
instructedtostartatthelastone.
anoldwoman,maybeeightyemerged.Shedroppedherbucketwhenshe
Theyhadjusthappeneduponthehomewhenthedooropenedand
sawJackandCarlson,startedramblingf
languageasshe ran tothem,grabbingthem.
As Jacktried tospeakwithher, a s t andinsidiouslyinhernative
arms dihenoticedherarms.Dirt?Blood.
Herfacetearstreakedher rty.
“Ma’am?Slowdown.Whatiswrong?”
them.Shehurriedtotheoldwoman,pullingherfromJack.
air she Thedooropenedagainandanotherwomanemerged.Highinthe
widened,sheloweredthesickleandshegenuinelylookedrelievedtosee
held sickle by its broken handle. Middle aged, thin.Her eyes
ledJackandCarlsonaroundthesmallhouse.
“Come,”thewomanbeckoned.“Come.”Shewavedherarmand herarmto whatlooked
likeasmallchickenshack.“Husband.”
Thewomanstoppedandmerelyextended
Jackasked.“Yourhusbandis in there?”
Shenodded.“Husband”Shepointedwiththesickle.
JackglancedatCarlsonandbothmentookastep.
Theyoungerofthewomen,reachedout,stoppingJack.
TheJackmovedi
Shepointedtohisrifleandreachedfori
“What?”Jackasked.“We’regoingtogocheck.”
womanpointed
t fromherway.tothe t.
“Um, Sarge,”Carlsonsaid.“Iriflethink
raisingthegun. , shookherhead,thenmimicked
weapons.”“Ithink you’re right.” Jack lifted hisshe’sandtelmotioned
“Let’s ing usto hisraisehead.our
go.”The shackwasonlytwentyfeetaway,butit seemedlikeamile.
ArrivingaNothing.
t thedoor,JacksignaledCarlsontostandbackandthenJack
sprangopenthedoor.
Theylooked
at eachother,thenwithweaponsraisedwalkedi
Itwasquietanddark.Anotherstepthenoutfromnowhere,with n .
His snarled and raged forJack and Carlson, snapping toastop
aninhumangrowl,rushedaman.
inchesbeforereachingthem.
 Jacksteppedback.Themanhadbeenrestrainedbychains,buthe
foughtandstruggledtoreachandbitehim.
Hisface,his wounds,hiscoloring.Allthesame.
Jackdidn’tneedtobeadoctortoknow,t his man,inthis remote
village,wasinfected.
alsowritesJacquelineDrugaisanativeofPittsburghandaprolificwriterof
numerous novels.Horror,Whileshe *** Mysteryand
Comedy,Romance,
specializesin theApocalypse,YA.Jacqueline
She is
consideredShewelcomesyourfeedback
Channel. anauthorityonBio­terror andwasfeature3d on theHistory
websiteat www.jacquelinedruga.comandyoucanreachJacquelineviaher
 DanaFredsti
YOU'LLNEVERBELUNCHINTHISTOWNAGAIN
First timedirectorDarrenZuberwashavingahardenoughtime
shootinghisfilmbeforethedeadstartedcomingbacktol iafre ofdaytime
andeating
theliving.MaraDubray,hisleadingladyandawell­knowns t
actingt alent, Mara wasnotabouttol
proportional.Known more forherenormousbosomratherthanany
soaps,wasproofpositivethatmostactors'IQsandegoswereinversely et somefirst­timedirectortel realher
howbudgetto anddeliverthe lwords
ines. Hertantrums
"completion had
bond alreadyrun
company" thehadbeen
film wellbandiedover
about morethanNevermindthati
oncebyGeraldFife,theexecutiveproducer.
t hadbeenFife's bril iant ideatocastamediocre
soapstar asLadyGenevieve,anoblewomaninlovewithapriest(played
byDerrickStone,aminornamewhoseentirerangeconsistedofstoically
wooden)inthemidstofaplague­stricken14thCenturyEurope.
Darren had foughthadthcastMelanieGriffithasElizabethI(
ismadefor
casting sin")— certainly the most heludicrous
decisionsinceVerhoven
themindofakingandabod as vehementlyas " I
dared.
have
Butwithonlyamusicvideodirectingcreditunderhisb
swallowas bothpride and commonsense on a great manyelt,cruciald Darrenhadetailtos,
suchprojecthe'ddreamedofdoingsincehisf
castingandrewrites.I
thePlateauwas
success ofknown t was
Gameforof low­budget
onlyProductions,headedbyFife,toinvestthemoney. theonlywaytogethisfilmmade,a
Thrones irstthatyearsa
rip­offshadt UCLA.Andi
convinced Plateau t was
of big box office
pictures,aswellasmicro­budgetexploitationfilmsineverygenre.
rented
scripts,Explanations
andatleastonescene
aworseacting,one
Plateau pictureyou 14th count on four things:f youbad
tosetFiveinasor twominor"name"actorsforforeigndraw,
thattcouldalways
rip club. I
swasn'tafilm."Yougottahavet
trip clubswereuseless.ToFife,ifafilmdidn'thavetoplessdancers, century Europeans did not haveit
aftescene inat wastavernwith
oftminstrelsforthemusic. giveniafarbawdy
hadcertainly itcrys andass,kid,"Fifehadsaidduringone
talkinghere;youcan'ttellmethatthemendidn'twanttoseenakedg
ofjobsyet."Darren fromhetheidealism
hreiaharddayplowinginthefield,eveniftheyhadn'tinventedboob
rButimanyrewritesessions."AndIdon'tgiveas
n, figuring serving ofaband
couldcomeupwithsomesort
maids andhit whatcenturywe're
filmschooland
ofrovingirls

allofthosevowsDarrenandhisfellowstudentshadmade.They would
bepure; art forart'ssake. No stars(unlessit was anolder name, like
neversellouttothecommercialismofHollywood.Theirmovieswould
Maureen
appealedtothe O'Haraidoraealist70sic —sitcom and star.Both
pretentious —had a certainin thecacheUCLAthatby
students
film program); nomore than one explosion per film,and no scripts
RolandEmmerich.
kickedoutofthembythesteel­toedbootsofcompanieslikePlateau.He
Darrenwonderedhowmanyfilmschoolgradshadtheir idealism
supposedheshouldbegratefultohavewonthebattleagainstar
soundtrack.Ashestaredbalefullya
yet another speech, however,Darrent Marawhileshefinishedbutchering ock'n'rol
found it hard to be grateful aboutand
anything.Thescenewouldhavetobedoneagaintogetthemastershot,
thenthere
shots from wouldbe
the crowd countlesstakesonkey
of phrases,close­ups,reaction
of theextraswearingsunglasses? ried to convince
peasants asLady Genevievet
themnottofleet
Shit!Wasoneheir village,and—
Whythehellhadn'ttheextracoordinatororthewardrobemistress
extrabeso…sobrain­dead?Severalsceneswouldnowhavetobereshot,
caughtthat?Andhowhadhemissedi t? Andhowcouldthatasshatofan
addingmoretothealreadyinflatedbudget.
Darren groaned and rubbedit didnotwanttobecomeamigraine.
naggingachebehindoneeyethat his head, tryingto convincethean
unopenedcanofsoda.Darrenmouthedas
flavored
Melissa,hisassistant,s
top, washing
carbonation.down
"Je z,thistheilepniltlsy handedhimtwoExcedrinMigraineand
with a mouthfulilent "thanks"andpoppedthe
of sickly sweet orange­
stuf is crap."DarrenhandedthecanbacktoMelissa.
"Can'tthoseP.A'sgetanythingbutthisshit?"
Melissa shrugged."Budgetwill only covergeneric. Besides,the
wholedeadthingbackeastisreallyplayinghavocwithshipments."
"Jesus…"DarrenturnedtohisfirstA.D."John,calllunch.We'll
takethissceneagainafterthat.
extras are wearingfuckingsunglasses!Orwatches, And tellZacktomakesurenoneofthe
forcrissake!Theseare14thcenturypeasants!AndtellLindaIwantmore orany otherjewelry,
yellowontDarrenheir stomped
teeth!Theydidn'thaveCrestinthe14thcentury!Jesus!"
off without waiting for an answer, unable to
control
promised hisJohn,afellow
temper.DarrenHewasn'tcould
low­budgetHollywood.
Godfor didn'tlike trust losing
Johnbeonetoit handlethe
famousfortheiron­settantrums.Buthehadn'tbargainedfortherealityof
Atleast
himselfhe goingto inoffrontthoseofabusive
people.directors
situation. HeThankhad
studentfrom had UCLAandoneof
Darrencouldreallycounton.Hisproducer,Phil,wasanotherfriendfrom l a t e the fewpeople
filmschool.Thethreeofthem
watching The Definitive Movie Masterpieces as definednightpizzawhile
sharedmanya by their film
amusedtheoriginalfilmmakers.
prof, analyzing
John stillretained
themto adegree someof thepurity
that wouldofvision have boththey'damazedonceandal
shared, albeit tempered withan increasingly world­weary
reflectedbyhisnewlytintedglasses.Phil,however, had attitudenow
notonlyhappily
tossed idealismout the window; he'd also thrown out imagination,
courage,andloyalty.Hemadeupforthesegapsinhischaracterbyextra
dosesofbrown­nosingandsleaziness.
disastrousproceedings,Philwasoffinacornerschmoozingsomebuxom
too muchself­applied
peasantgirl;onewearingapairofdecidedlynon­periodearringsandfar
Evennow, instead of showing anyinterest inthe increasingly
makeupdepartment. cosmetics, despite s t r i c t instructions
offewunpleasant from the
unpleasant
actuallycast newsnexthimself)viadaythattelephone
morningespresso.
includingDarrenwentoffinsearchofsomethingstrongerthanExcedrin.
Thethenews hadbeeneatenthedaybefore.Phil
brought
Joe Pilateabeforewhole(oneDarren
ofslewthehada actors
chanceto
deliveredthe
Darrenhad
surprises,
sip his
"Eaten?Whatthehelldoyoumean,'hewaseaten?'"
relish. "Had
"Joe washisgutsvisitingrippedhis right
deadheadshadhimforlunch." father'out,"s gravePhilinconfirmed
Philly andaevenwithcoupleof
ghoulish
mournedthedeathofafriend,hismindwasalreadygoingoverpossible
"Jesus, that's sick." Darren was dismayed that whilehe
replacementsforthedevouredactor.
cut?"
really "That'sasstheabouteastcoast
onmy
Darrenswore.I for you,"ArePhiltheresaid.any "Bymorethescenesway, weFifecanis
t thewouldalreadytakeaneditinggeniustomakea
budget.
coherentstoryoutoftheamputatedb
forthef "Forgeti
irst time,hesuspectedFifehadasympathetic
t," hegrowled."Anymorecutsandwe'regoingto ear inPhil.cript. Not
its left fromhisoriginals
14th centurymusicvideo." havea
"Hey,wecouldgetarockbandandhavethemdoat
Philsaidenthusiastically."Calli t PlagueYearsorsomething!" itle song,"
Darrenclosed his eyes. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.
Bottomline,nomorecuts."Hepaused,findinghisnextwordsstickingin
hiswe'redoingthelovescenetoday."
scenesthroat.Hangingup
to Thursday.
"AndfindbeforePhilcould
I'lmehavea replacement
Melissa argue,Darrensadly
callthe
for JoeASAP.
actors andWe'lllet'em
reflectedshifthis
knowthat
he'djustAssoonas
refusing anheextremelyshoddyobituary.
givenJoethelovescenewithDerrickunless
todo
ofCristaltorelaxher. arrivedonset, MelissatoldDarrenthatMarawas providedwithabottle
 craf""Relaxher?"Phil,whohadjoinedthepairastheywalkedtowards
thewhateverother
tI servicet ablshe'sbeentaking,she'drelaxjustfine."
e, snortedinderision."Ifshe'dlayoffthecoke
don'tcrapknow."Melissa shrugged or
tolifethingi
beendoingalotthepast
"Oh, sthat'sareallystressingherout."crap," Philsnarled, fatalistical y; something she'd
loadoffew days."Shesaysthewholedeadcomingback
slatheringitwithcreamcheese."ThisisHollywood,notPhiladelphia." grabbing abageland
"Idon'tknow."Melissashrugged again,pouringherselfacupof
DarrenheadedstraightfortheExcedrin.
coffee."They'resayingi
"'They?' Whoaret's spreading." 'they', Mara? That's total bul shit." Phil bit
viciously intoand sighed,
champagneonourdime."
spumante"Darren don'thisbagel.
t her"Sheseehe'djtheustbetterbwants
ot lestep. Itoidoubt
I guess,"Melissasaiddoubtfully."SowhatshouldItellher?"
ledeciding n.get"Getloaded onTott'sgoodtheor
shesome'l know
difference. She only knows about Cristal because she's watched
Showgirlsatleasttwentytimes."
leads,Darren
west,noonewouldbeabletot
hisactorsanyway,sowho'dgiveashit?
Later, asreflectedthati
he tried to coaxf ethewalking
l thedifferencebetweenthezombiesand
some genuine deadproblemdid
emotionoutofspreadout histwo
confirmedthefactt
deadhadindeedmigratedtothewestcoast.Traffic
wasn'tsure,buthethoughtseveralofthescruffys
onthewaylooked…well…dead.
DarrentwohourstodrivefromCulverCitytothestudioinBurbank.He
Thenextday,boththe trwase t peoplehepassed
hat, likepracticallyeveryoneelseinthecountry,the
media and the generaluproarinthe abysmal;ittookcity
newAtthestudio,forthefirsttimeDarrencouldremember,thelarge
eachelectronicirongateswereshut,aheavilyarmedsecurityguardscreening
arrival very carefully before let ing themin. Another guard,
also packing
watcheachtimethegatesopenedandclosed.
MelissagreetedDarrenwiththenews
what lookedtobe a heavy­caliber weapon, keptvigilant
(twoproductionassistantsanda thatseveralcrewmembers
n; theywere just… missing. "And we're short extras too,"hadn'tcalled
grip)weremissing.They
iadded."CentralCastingcalledandsaidabunchoftheirpeopleareafraid Melissa
todriveanywhere."
shotstogetthekind
Johnwalkedup,radioinhand."Ifigurewe'llhavetodotighter
ofcrowdeffectyouwantwiththeplaguevictims."
HeDarrensethismouthinadeterminedl
stalked towards theday's firstset;ine.thedeadand
"Let'sjustdoi
interiorof tachurch
."
where several hundred plague victims, both dying, made
gatheredtoseeksalvation.Aboutseventy­fiveextras,gruesomely were
supit toinglookintheaislesandrough­hewnwoodenpews,nervouslydiscussing
like they were in the final throes of the Black Death, were
 the more current plagueof ravenous corpses. heCrewmembers
equallydistracted.Veryfewwereactuallydoingt i r jobs. looked
Darrenthoughtthey'dhavetodosomefast­talkingtokeeppeople
Starbuckswas
peoplescaredtoleavet
onthefilmsohecalledameetingwithJohnandPhil.
"Sowhatdoyouthink?"hesaidafteroutlininghisconcerns.
"I just don't know,heir homes.Businessesareshuttingdown.Imean,
Darren," Phil replied. "I mean, you've got
closedt h i s morning."Hestared at bothDarrenandJohn in
turn."Starbucks."
"Do whatyou
"Bonus pay?" Philcan,"sounded Darrensaid, trying not toimagine aworld
withoutreadilyavailablecoffee."Offerbonuspay,whateverittakes."
outraged.hishand
"Are youagainstnuts?a Do you
knowwhatFifewillsayifIdothat?"
"Don'ttell him!" Darren slammed chair in
fmoment
rustratiPhilwasquiet;asignthathismind
onofreflection
. "Jesus,Phil,thehesmiled broadly. was"I'veworkingfuriously.Aftera
voice."We'llofferthebonuspay.Butwedon'thavetoactuallypaythem
theextramoney." re's gottobesomething gotwecan
it!" Hedo!"loweredhis
Johnnoddedthoughtfully.
John's calm
peopleareworkingt
Darren,reaction off!" wasPhil,horrified,
on thehetoirotherassesit. "Jesus,
hand, that's totabothat
l y unethical!These
the idea and
"Yeah, and we're payingeverythem.There aren't any clausesin their
contractsforazombieplague."
they'reriskingt
"Look,
John nodded.
Phil,heir livestobehere."
theyhave
"He's gota reason to demand more moneyif
stuntmengetpaid." point, Phil. You know how much
Philbrought hisfaceclosetoDarren's."Doyouwanttofinisht
filmornot?"
John noddedagain."He'sgotapoint,Darren." his
ThousandsofobjectionswhirledaroundinDarren'smind,buta
Phil shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. But with al this other shit goingl
hecouldcomeupwithwasafeeble,"Butwecouldgetsued!"
down,who'sgonnahavetimetodealwithi
John shook his head doubtfully. "SAGt?" isn't going tolet a lit le
thing likehThethree
screwt
forgotten zombies
eirasthey menstop them
shookfromttheheirfucking
actorsover,youknowthat.AndtheTeamsters…"
contemplated heads,withenemyofthe
eternal the production
differences if we
momentarily
Takingadvantageofthemoment of camaraderie,Phillow­budget
filmmaker:theUnions. restedhis
handon
todo."we Darren's
what shoulder. "Let's get this film finished, buddy. This is
workedforinfilmschool,right?Sowe'lldowhateverwehave
onset Darrenf
"Yougoti had sympatheticfor ofthethecastandcrew
Theofferofhazardpaygotabouttwo­thirds
thet."nextday.Darren
elt atinypieceofhissouldieasheheardhimselfreply, absentees. The
commutetothestudiohadbeenevenworsethantheprevious
definitelyseenpeople—bothlivinganddead—withlargechunksmissing day. He'd
from various
On thelimbs,otheralhand,it
nightmaresweremadeof. staggeringaround
was a definitethe solution
stre ts. Theto thekindhomeless of stuf
problem.Darren's main concernwas the number of armedsoldiers
TV saidthegovernment
andcurfewonthes overnight to gettoand fromand
wasanplanningtoimposeatwenty­fourhour
nationalguardsmennowpatrollingthecity.Certainbroadcastsonradio
the studio. Darrentre thadbrought
s. Thatwouldmakeitimpossible
crew andMelissahadbeenchargedwiththeduty
overcasttoo.members
calledtotellPhilandMelissatodothesame.
staying "Peopleasshe could toreachwantandbagofto suggest
aren't going just inthcasetheyeir families,"
callingasmanyother
leave andplanhadon
Melissahadpointedoutwhenaskedtomakethec
immediatelyreplied.
"They can bring thetoir families with al them,"
. Darrenhad
wouldcompensatefortheshortage
familiesDarren
(andpets)wasgratified theofstudio.WhenPhilpointedoutt
withthemto seesome
wouldkeeptheirmindsoffthehorrorsoutsideofthestudiowalls.
extras,Darrenagreed,thinkingit
peopleactuallydidbringtheirhis
himoutinthechurchsohecanreadtheLastRitesoverherdyingfather.
loveforthehandsomepriestinfrontofthetownspeoplewhensheseeks
Todaywasakeyscene.LadyGenevieveaccidentallyrevealsher
The scene was shot several times before lunch, Mara doing an
abadcaseofgas.
showf
abysmaljobof
e"aIr,calove,hateorindifference,Marajustlookedasthoughshehad
n't conveyinganyrealemotion.Whether shewastryingto
concentrate!"shewailedwhenDarrendidn'tbothertohide
not inside," Darren shot back coldly. "Andthey
hisimpatiencewitherlackoftalent."Therearedeadpeopleoutside!"
"Well, they're
aren't payingyoursalary."Heturnedaway,dismissingherbeforehesaid
something he really regretted. "Now people, we're going to break for
lunchandthentryt
wasthrowingatantrumbecausehehadn'ttreatedherwiththerespect
When Maradidn'treturn
his again.Thecatererdidshowup,didn'the?"
toset after lunch,Darrenassumedshe
mutteringlinesthatwoulda l comeDarren stalked towardsMara's traisheler,
Derrick,playingthehandsomeyoungprieststoodpatientlyatthepulpit,
didn'tdeserve.Everyoneelsewasinplace,waitingforthecameratoroll.
Patience wornpaper­thin, outsoundingheroicallywooden.
"Damn it,I hate actors,"her hairihe muttered,
determinedtodragheroutby f needbe. rapping sharply on the
trailer doorwithaclosedfist.WhennoresponsewasforthcomingDarren
 neverworkinthistownagainifyoudon'tstopthiss
smackingintotheinsidewall.
threwmannerstothewindandflungthedooropenhardenoughtosendit
"Mara,getyourassouthere!Iswear,I'mgoingtomakesureyou hit!"
jstuckhisheadaround
ubody,st madeanemptyt h r e a t , Darrentookthes t a i r s Awarethathe'd
inonelongstrideand
I—"
stillin14th
Darren stoppedshort,century
thecorner.garb,confronted
lying onthetrailer
"Mara,Imeani by thet. sightoffloor,Mara'sone prone
clutchingahypodermic,theothersplayedl
takingaquickcheckonherpulse
"Oh, shit." Darren knelt by his erstwhile ifeles lyleading hand
tooneside.lady'scorpse,
absolutelynothing.Marawasdead.
Darrenwaitedfortherushofgriefonewassupposed toseeif hemightjust bewrong.Nope, feel a t the
death ofwithsomeone…well,
closely for several notclose, dismayedwasto discoverthat
weeks. Hebutwascertainlysomeone he'dworked
amongst
occasion
annoyance. hisA new,mixed emotions, theDarren
strongest overwhelming
Marawasonceagainholdinguphisfilm. cause for celebration.Butothernow
Mara's death darker
might side
even of be a reflected thatonany
Darrensatbackonhisheels. the hellamI goingtoshootaround
you?" "Oh,youdumbbitch.How
disposedDarren ofafterwalked slowly back to set, leaving Mara's corpseto be
he'dfiguredouthowtosalvagethefilm.Bodydouble,
usingclose­upsfrompreviouslyshotfootage?Mightj
en John, Phil and Melissa by the ucamera.
it wouldbetricky.Darjoined st work,although
"What?"Phil frowned."She won'tcome back to set? I'Correctly
readinghisexpression,Melissaasked,"Trouble?" l handle
ipersuasionweremorethanampleforthejobathand.
t." PhilstrodetowardsMara'st
Darrenstoppedhimwithahandononeshoulder. r a i l e r , obviouslyconfidenthispowersof
All three stared at himMarablankly.
backonset,Phil.She'sdead. OD'd." Finally Phil shook "Shecan't come
"Jesus.Fifejusti s n ' t goingtobehappyaboutt h i s . " Hisvoicetook his head.
onan
knowt
accusatory tone as he continued, "She wasa bitpart of the deal! You
hmaleat, Darren!"
their Darren'slead. response
"Are we wasgoingforestalled
toget by thesoon,appearance
going Darren?" ofTheDerrick,
actor
wipedsweatfromhisstoicallyhandsomeforehead."Goddamnlightsare
meltingDarren
out." themakeup considered off myface severalandreplithatalways each one beforebreakit
es, discardingmakesmyskin
madei t"Oh,s
s wayfromhisbraintohismouth.Hesupposedhe'dhavetot
peoplethatMaraDubraywasnolongeramongtheliving,but—
hit." el
 ButTheactor stared asathim.
towardsthem,anexpressionofintenselongingstamped
dermatologist.Itshouldn'taffectfilmingoranything."
staringoverhisshoulder
Darrenwasn'tpaying "It'sokay,toDerrick.He
Darren. Ionherface.Her
MaraDubraystaggeredandswayedher
attention 'l wasjust toobusy
see waymy
mouthwasopens l i g h t l y , an ululatingmoan
alongwithacopiousstreamofdroolrunningdownonesideofherchin. of desireemergingfromit,
"I thoughtyousaidshewasdead,"Philhissedinastagewhisper.
Darrennotedtheslightlybluisht i n t toMara'sskin."She i s dead."
nowHedidn'tbothertolowerhisvoice.
staring
Everyoneonsethadstoppedwhatheorsheweredoingandwere
atMara's awkwardyet
AstheimplicationsMarainofcamera.
smallgroupofpeoplebythe determined progress towards the
Darren'scommenthithome,Melissa,Phil
andwastoobusywatching Derrick stayed where he was. Darren
John scattered. The cluelessfascinationtodomorethansteptoone
side, leavingthearms,pathfingerswideopening
outstretched open towards
and closingthe actor.
focusedspecificallyonherscreenloverandshelurchedtowardshimwith Mara's attention
spasmodically. Before
anyonecouldr
intensity eact, shethrewherunlover­likebiteoutof
andtookadistinctly armsaround Derrickwithpassionate
hiswell­muscled
shoulder.
screamingactor.Darrenturned to Phil,his face alightwithenthusiasm.off the
ChaosensuedasseveralheftygripspriedasnarlingMara
"Shit! Did you face.tseeartethat?"
she'sdonesincewe'ves d . he exclaimed. "That's the best acting
Let'sgetthatonfilm!"
editing
actuallyhappywiththewayMaraplayedascene.Granted,somefancy
contentedsmileonhis
Darren
would havesat intothebescreening
doneto
Forthefreplace
room
irst timesincefilmingbeganhewas
watching
thelook dailies
ofabjectwithterrorPhil,ona
CometothinkofiIthadtakensomedoingtorestoreenoughorderonsettocontinue
Derrick'sfacewithalookoftormentedlonging,butthatcouldbedone.
t, itwastheexpressiveDerrickhadeverbeenaswell.
filming.ConvincingDerricktoplaythesceneshadbeenthehardestp
twobiggripsstanding by topreventa repeatof Mara'sfirstattack
workedwonders."Besides,"Philhadpointedout,"It'snot
butanappealtotheactor'svanity,thepromiseofmoremoney,andthe that bigofahadart,
bequanimity, T.he restofthe castand crew had responded
wastheon­setmedic.
laiste.f"acAndluckilyoneofthepeoplewho'dmadei
tDarrenmanagedtoconsolehisownoutragedconsciencewitht t tothestudiothatday
with amazinghis
work to keep andDarrensuspectedpartofthathadtodowithneedingthe
theither mindsalsomade
studio. mistakeoff ofofDarren
"Whatever.Justsolongastheykeepworking."
dailies.HeThismadethought whatmentioning
mightfeel better
behappening
itto asPhil,who outsidereplied,the
he watchedthe
me.A Darren staredat hiserstwhile friend indisbelief.
deathandthesubsequentimprovementofheractinga
fuckingactingyou'vehadsincewestartedsodon'tgeta
canyoubesocallous?"HepreferredtoforgethisownreactiontoMara's
"Oh,getoffyourhighhorse,"Philretorted."You'vegotthebest bilityl."Howmoralisticthe hellon
matters."Philgesturedtowardsthescreen."Imean,j
filmmaker'sgottadowhatafilmmaker'sgottado.I ust lookat's theat thart.thatIt's
beautiful!"Darren looked. Itwas beautiful, damn it. Except for that one
momentwhenMara'sattentionturnedfromDerricktooneoftheextras
who'dgottenal
Heturnedit letotooclose…Darrenwincedatthememory.
theintensityofher Phil. "We'll have to rememberto tkeepdistractsfrom
actorsfarenoughawaytokeepMara'sfocusonDerrick.I theother
"Yeah," Philemotions.Andwehadafewclosec
don'twanttorepeat." agreed. "We can't affordasto lose anyagetl smoretodaythatI of our
CGIfromoutsidesowe'llj
extras.Thosecrowdsceneslookprettysparse
"Iknow,"Darrensighed."Butwe'renotlikelyto
ust havetomakeduewithwhatwe'vegot,addin
it is." anyoneelse
latPhilshookhishead."TheonlyCGIwecanaffordonourbudget
er."
willlook like crap. Maybe…" He paused and suddenlyhis eyes
brightened."Oh,man,"hesaidslowly."HaveIgotanidea!"
Atfirst Darren had been total y appalled by Phil's brainstorm,
ofit?Didn'theunderstandthemoralimplications?
deliveringanunequivocal"No!"inresponse.HowcouldPhil even think
question."Thesepeoplearedead,Darren.They'renotgoingtocare.Most
"What moral implications?"Phil was genuinelyconfusedby the
ofthemprobablywantedtobeactorsanywaysoyou'dbedoingthema
favor."Darren'smoraloutragesputteredab it, thenflaredupagainwhen
theminthef "Productionassistants," Phil replied calmly. Tony'd do
hethoughtofnewobjections."Whataboutthedanger?Imean,catching
irst place.Whothehellisgoingtoagreetodothat?"
forI'vethisfilm.He'll probably think i t ' s fun. Besides, withthe anything
equipment
gotinminditshouldn'tbeaproblem."
"But what about the dangerto the cast and crew?" Darren
demanded."Howthehellarewegoingtohandlethat?"
"Havethesetdesignfolkscomeupwithsomethingtokeep'em
separatefromtheothersduringthescenes.Wecanusehandcuffs,hide
'emunderthecostumes,and…"
argumentsthatatleastsounded
As Phil proceeded to counter al of Darren's objectionswith
ambulatorymind,aideadto
persuaded
ofhis t reallywould reasonable,Darrenallowedhimselftobe
wasidea making
lit lesupplementthecrowdscenes.Somewhereintheback
voicetoldhimhe
be agood to usesome a compromiseeven
ofthenewly
moreFaustianthanhisdealwithGeraldFife.Butthedailiesinfrontof
himandPhil's t.persuasiveness
overthemoontohavesomethingt
once
implementingi
committedto werehisbetter
Evenwithoutthesteadystreamofmediareports
the idea, Darren put histhanconsiderable
a pair of(andCNNwas
earplugs.And
bigtoreportonwithouttheneed energy intoto
supplementi
studio gates t withbraincandyf
to see the i
situation l e r
was ) , Darren had
definitely only to
worsening.lookoutsidethe
Theredriving
were
more walking
frantically dead roaming around the area,lots of cars
partner whoupandwasnowdownthebangingsurfaceon thestreets,generalchaos.Only
gatesfrom the outside, aoneof
thesecurityguardsremainedathispost,steadfastlyignoringhiserstwhile large
chunkoffleshmissingfromthesideofhisneck.
Darren approachedtheremainingguard."Youstil let ing people
inandoutofhere?"
"Great."
Theguardnodded."Aslongastheyshowt
Something else occurred to Darren.heir badges." "Any more guns
here?" "WehaveafewintheSecurityoffice."
"Doyouthink—"
Theguardshookhishead."Noway.That'sagainstthelaw."
looked Using his mostnametag.
arunand
at theguard's
peopleouton persuasive"C'mon,tone,Arthur.
theyneedprotection." DarrenI'said,ve gotto"C'mon—"He
sendsome
"Idon'tknow…"
film, Arthur.
DarrenI'played
ve lost hisa couple my co­stars becauseof
trump ofcard."Y'know,I could use theseyou indamnthis
zombies."
gotit.ItDarren walked Darren akey."Justdon'ttel anyonewhereyou
Theguardtossed
'd bemyass."
off to find the security office, thankful that
everyoneinthistownreallydidwanttobeanactor."
Melissa listenedcarefullyandjotteddownnotes
to him.Philstoodtooneside,noddinghisup
herthelistofitemshewantedoneoftheproductionassistantstopick
read thelistback asDarren gave
onwhatmightbet
hehadher heir onlyrunoutsidethestudio.Whenhewasfinished,
head.
sports padding
"Okay. Dryavailable.Heavy­dutys
ice, lots of it. Anytefoodl colhearscan. Leather
find. Thewill thickest
do, but
sDarrenandPhil."Areyousureaboutthis?"
te l preferable. Chain leashes—" Melissa stopped andiflooked
Philnodded."Oughttobeapieceofcake."
"Hmm,"Melissasaiddoubtfully."Okay.John'sr at both
les plusammo
… we'reThegonnaon­setneedhis house up,keyand
anothernotation."Okay,Ithinkthat'sjustaboutit."
medic strode directions." Shewithjottedlinesdownof
her foreheadcreased
worry."Areyousendingsomeoneoutside?"
Darrennodded.
 "Good.Ineedsomeantibioticsassoonaspossible.Derricki
lookingtoogood.Thatbiteisfesteringandi t looksliketheinfectioni s n 'st
Ashriekmadefromanothernotationonherl
spreadingrapidlybeyondthewound."
temperamentalmakeup
Melissa Mara'st
girl, railer drewtheirattention.Linda,therather
ist.
Her as "Darren!"
istant, a mousy it lcame
Linda's lvoice running
whoseoutofit
e thingwasraised name noclutching
usualpetulantwhine."Iabsolutelycannotworkundertheseconditions!I
remember,followedherclosely. several herhand.ever
notchesone could
aboveher
upone
whenItriedputtinglipstickonher,shebitme!"Lindadramaticallyheld
can only doso muchwith someone whose skin isnaturally blue.And
hand to show a smallish ibitet tothatl
"Hell,bringa
worriedly."Addamortician'smakeupk mark.istThe," Philsaidthoughtfully.
medic looked at it
payUnionscale."
Linda started to sputter in outrage and Phil snarled, "Listen,
mortician.Mightmakemoresenseandwewon'thaveto
Linda.I
me any fshyoucan'tdoyourjob,I'mgoingtogetsomeonewhocan.Give
it and you'll be working Craft Services. AndI'm not talking
aboutbehindthetable."
"Maybe we could sew Mara's lips shut,"for the makeup assistant
suggestedwiththeairofoneusedtobeingignored.
measureoDarren
mightw rkwithwhichtosalve
!"The considered thehisincreasingly
idea, grateful batteredconscience."Just
even this tokensafety
makeupassistantlookedabsurdlyg
"Darren,it hasto look like rattalking,"
she'sreally ified. Phil protested.
"How thehell
Darren areshotyougoing
mouthdoesn'tmove?" toloopinher dialogue realistical y ifher
producerwasr Phil a resentful glance, hating the fact that his
"Okay,"height.amended."Let'strysewingthecornerssoshecan'tget
goodbite radiusgoing." Phil nodded his approval Doand Darren
acontinued,"Melissa,talktowardrobeandseewhattheycando."Turning
backtothemousyassistanthesaid,"Goodthinking,honey.
youcan do somethingwithMara'smakeupsowecan getthe youthink
nextscene
shotbeforewelosethelight?"
Theassistantnodded,eagertoproveherworth.Shescurriedback
toMara'st
sew railer astheprotestingLindawasledofftobetreatedbythe
medic.DarrenresumedhisconversationwithMelissaandPhil."Wecan
thenewextras'mouthscompletelyshut.Theydon'thavetot
"Good.He'ssmart. Make surehe's
makesurethePA–whoareweusing?"
Melissacheckedherlist."Tony." alk. And
"Gotit."Melissaset off gotadecentgun." ist was
tomakesureeverythingonherl
done with her usual efficiency. Then she stopped and turned back.
 "Darren,shouldn'twesendsomeonetorideshotgunwithTony?They'd
standabetterchanceofgettingbacksafely."
"Phil,canwesparetheextrahandor—"wecanDarrenstoppedabruptly.
"Jesus,Idon'tbelieveIsaidt
Whateverittakestobring thembacksafely."hat. Ofcourse sparesomeoneelse.
"Andmorequickly,"Philagreed."
goodproductionassistant s ." It'd behelltotryandfindmore
Darrenignoredt
"Yeah,"Philsaid."Weshould
h a t . "Okay,let'sgetmoving."
gotsomelivulinthe
offoftilhiminr
fwhilehe'ss
painasaplaguevictim last stagesgetgoingonDerrick'sdeathscene
oftobubonicplaguewouldhave
ofacting(atleastonhispart)couldemulate.Hisskinwaspasty,sweat
poured
elt. Thescenewentwell.Derrickshiveredwitharealfevernoamount
eiftes,inhim."
andheseemed besuffering fromasmuch
Darrenwasdelightedwiththeresults…onapurelyartistic level, of
course.
expressionthatalternatedbetweendisapprovalanddownrighthorror.She
minutesa
butDerrickhimselfhadi
hadvehementlyprotestedthedecisiontoshootascenewiththesickman
wouldactaslongashecouldbreathe;as
Theftermedic
theyfinishedshootinghisdeathscene.Darrenimmediately
stoodnsiatthe
sted. Hewasaprofessional,byGod,andhe
sidelinestate lastingapproximatelyten
throughout, wearingan
hadsomeone from Wardrobesotostitspeak.
ch the dead actor's lips partiallyshut,
consolinghimselfwiththethoughtthathe'dgivenDerrickthechanceto
diewithhisactingbootson,
womanpushinganeedleinandoutofDerrick'sl
Shelookedupinannoyance."Please.Idoknow
"You are using buttonhole thread, areni'pts.you?" he asked the
Several hours laterthe production assistants myjob."from their
returned
run,loadeddownwithalltheitemsontheirlist,includingadozenlarge
coolers fullof dry ice, several intimidating rifles,anda star­struck
mortician.ThemorticianwassentofftoseewhathecoulddowithMara
astheyoungassistanthadn'tbeenabletomakeherlookl
The medic appropriated the medical supplies andimmediately ife­aslike.
injectedashiveringLindawithaheftydoseofantibiotics
"You'renotallergictoPenicillin,areyou?"
Darren,in
Lindashookherheadandpromptlypassedout.
themeantime, sentseveral sheasked,
Mara'st r a i l e r coolers of dry ice over to
totryandslowdownthenaturalrottingprocess.Hefigured
threemoregooddaysoughttoseethefilmfinished.Thenshecouldrotat
wil . He turned his attentionback to Tonyand therestofthe supplies.
Tony grinned and heldup a handful of heavy ste l col ars. "I
"Yougotthecollars?"
knowacoupleofdominatriceswhodidn'tmindlendingt
from theByoutside
areweusing'emfor?"
thetimeandlocked
TonyandthemanotherinoneP.A.ofrounded up haeidozen
r gear.What
the steel­sheeted storage
extras
units, the mortician had finished his makeup job onMara. He beamed
proudlyastheactresswasledoutonaleashbyoneoftheheftiergrips.
"One
Darrenofmyrolledbetterhis eyes.
bragged."Doesn'tshelookpeaceful?"
Shedidindeed. jobs, i"That's
f I do sayjust so myself," the mortician
peaceful. She's supposed to be reacting my tothe great,
death but
of I
her don't lover,need
not
goingforadriveinthecountry.Get
Themorticiansnif ed."I'l seewhatIcando."
"Allright,people,"Darrenyelled."Let's d r i f t ? "
pickthisuptomorrow.Calltimeissixa.m.!"
Abrieflisten totheradiotoldDarrenthatthingswerenotgetting cal it forthenight.We'll
anyfavoring
sheltersbet esetup
rthe. Thedead.around
ratioof
Citizensthedeadto livingthought
ciwerety. Darren
advised intomake
Losthewalled
Angeles
theasir waysamewasconfines
rapidlyof
torescue
andtheothermembersoftheproductionseemedtofeelthe
onebudgetproductionsdemanded.
deserved
happythathecouldoffersomesafetytohiscatandcrew.Hefiguredthey
PlateauPictureswereaboutasgoodaprotectedshelter
had lsomeeft thecompensation
studio when forthey'dthewrappednotoriouslyfor thelongday.hoursthat
anywheree
Darrenwasway;nolowlse,
hoped
deadonesbytheend
he'dbeable toofteilt. betheliveanothermembersof
Tomorrow would sixteen­hourthe productionfrom
grind. Darrenjustthe
Thenextday'sshootingwentrelativelywellalthoughcontrolling
hercorpseanddecidedtherewasenoughlefttoreanimate."Someoneput
thedeadextrasprovedsomewhatd
makeahealthylunchoutofthemakeupa
herintheextraspen."
scratchedandaproductionassistantbittenbeforea
mouths Darrenwinced,
sewn shut.One of them ripped if icultout.sSeveraloftheliveextraswere
isttheant.thread
Philtookgoodlookat
l theghoulshadt
and managedhetoir
saveidealism
Tony fromhaving butt r i e
toprocured tolooka
moret i t fromtheanglethati
bodies from t would
Allthathe,
P.A.Darrenhad in al everDarren andhehad
reallydidn'twanttorisklosingthekidtotheextrasen.Tony
spark(nottomentionTony'shealth)preserved.
Darren,was
workedwith
wasquiterapidlylosing. Darren wantedwasto seethebestthatHe
the outside.
pleased thatspark,thesamesortof
gettingfromhis ghoulishthespians.Theywerewitheasier the actingjobs hewas
todealwiththan
"Do you know how harditisto get blood stains outofthis
especiallyvocalwhenitcametocostumingthedead.
material?"snappedthewardrobegirlwho'dstitchedDerrick'smouthshut.
someofthecrew,whowerecomplainingaboutthesmell.Wardrobewas
goodofaseamstresse
Darren
bittenorscratchedbythezombies,buttheantibioticsdidn'tseemtobe
Themedic,meanwhile,franticallyt
hoped she'd become ither. eligible for therieextras pen. She wasn'tbeenthat
d totreatthosewho'd
 working.Onthe upside, the dryice wasworking well enough to prevent
bMaraandDerrick from degeneratingtooquickly.Thehotlightswerea
it ofaproblem,butthatwaswhatstand­inswerefor.
plaguecould Darrenbewasthebestthingthathadeverhappenedtohiscareer.
coming to the reluctant conclusion that the zombie
At theendofthedayDarreneagerlyranthedailiestoseeifthey
liveduptohisexpectations.EvenPhilandMelissa wereimpressedwith
theimprovedqualityofthestars'performances.
"Mara really looks horrified," Melissa commented during one
scene. "I thinkshefeltawasreallyhungry,"Philsaid."Thatwasthescenewe
thatt
shotbeforelunch."
hisDarren
, theendresult,reallywaswortha
warmglowsuffusehisentirebeingasthecertainty
l ofthe…unpleasantthings
todo; the compromises he'd been forced to make.Sometimes
he'dtrueahadrt couldonlybebornoutofthewombofhorror.
Ignoring the pretentious tone of that last thought, Darren
continuedtowatchthescreen.
Whenagainthey'd
light?"hesnappedbeforehis finished
aroundeyesHe'dwatching
footage,however,whenthedooropenedandthel
masterpieceDarren turnedinprivate. the da"Didn't
ithroughfive
liigehst,switchedon.
in adjustedtothebrightness.Heputal
headedofftogetsomesupperwhileDarrenresoundthereeltoviewhis
annoyance.
only gotten Philyou andseeminutesof
Melissa
the redid
sonhistemperassoonasheregisteredwho'denteredtheroom.
I"Gerald,"
t wasGeraldFife,dressedinhisusualrelaxed­fitjeans
effectofborrowedyouth.
hirt thatdidnothingtohidehismiddle­agedpaunchorcreatethedesired
Darren andsilk
somethingof
checkoutthedailies."
"Sorry,qualityto
ain't show said expansively,
hisexecutiveconfident
producer.thatHavehe aat seatlast hadand
"I'mjusthere to got the time." Gerald sat down
giveyouthenewsinperson.Didn'twantyoutoheari despite his words. t
throughPhil." Darren'sHeheartpulledoutacigarandl
asked,althoughhethoughtheknewtheanswer.
plungeddownintohisstomach."Whatnews?"he
itit.
exhalingwithobviousrelish.
"I'm"What?Why?"
"Thispulling
whole theplug."
dead Gerald took alongpull onhis cigar,
thing, Darren. It's depressing.at The investorss
aDarrengesturedtowardthescreen."We'vereallygotsomethinghere!"
ralreadydownaboutthezombies.Nopercentageinit."
en't goingtowantamovieabouttheplaguewhentheviewingpublici
"JesusChrist,Gerald,you'vegottotakealook thesedailies!"
Geraldshookhisheadwithfinality. "Sorry,Darren.Nogo.We're
inthis businesstomakemoney.Noone'sgoingtowanttoseeamovie
ofwithabunchofrottingbodieswhentheycanlookoutt
here "But—"face.t"Butil can.Traffic'sabitchoutthere."Hetookapuffofhis
seethesamethingforfree."
inDarren's meno buts,kid,Iain'tgotthetime.Iwannagetout
Geraldhelduponehand,sendingaplumeofcigarsmokewafting
whileIs heir windowand
cigar."
tough, Sorry,toughkid.getButgoing.you know
the AndI'm whatgettingthey say;the fuckwhenoutthe ofgoingDodge."gets
Geraldstoodup."Nowwhere'sMara?Iwannagiveherthenewsmyself."
Staring bleakly at the screen, Darren said, "She's locked in her
trailer.""Locked toin?" Gerald's voicefor rose in outrage."What or his the hell are
youtalkingabout,lockedin?"
thoughtjumped
brain.Hewasn'tsureifitwashisconscience
Darrenstartedfumbling
anothertrackassomethingirrevocablysnappedinhis
anexplanation.Suddenlyhistrainof
both—buti t nolongermattered.Onlythefilmmattered. sanity—maybeit was
trailer. Maybeyoucanhelpout."
Hestoodup."Sorry,Gerald.Imeantshe'slocked herselfinher
her?" "Jesus!"Geraldstubbedouthiscigar."Whatthehelldidyoudoto
Darren "She'sexplainedunhappyas hewithfollowed
bungalowtowardsMara'st railtheer. "qualitybeenhard
It'sGerald of outthetogetCristalthesedays."
foodof thewe'vehad lately,"
screeningroom
"OnTheywerepassing
your budget
"DamngoodthingI'mshuttingt
ballsforbreakfasti
whatthehellisthatsmell?" it shouldhitslikethatonthebudgetsheets.Jesus,
f theysaws be impossible, " Gerald snapped.my
down.Theinvestorswouldhave
thewarehousehousingtheextras.Despitethe
heavyste l walls,thesmellandthenoiseoftherottingextrasgavethe
areaadistinctlycharnelatmosphere.
"Somemeatgonebad,"Darrensaidvaguely.
"Whatthehellaretheydoinginthere?"
"Rehearsingoneofthebigcrowdscenes."
"Whatareek!How
uphispace.Darrenmatchedi
Mara's trailersat before can
t. anyoneeataroundhere?"Geraldstepped
them, asteady unsatisfied moan
emanatingfrominside.
"Jesus!"Geraldexclaimed."Shesoundslikeshe'sstarving!"
Darren bounded
industrialstrengthpadlockonthet up the steps r a i l e r before Gerald could see the
door.Asheinsertedthekey,he
tappedonthedoorandcalled,"Mara,Gerald'sheretotalktoyouabouta
A"Letrisingme upmoanthere,you
fewlurchingthroughthet
things.You'regoingtohavetounlockthedoor
railanswered him, alongGeraldofwithfreshmeat.
er towardsthesound
asshole." pushed his waynof."upMara
andthelethimi
sound
tairs justasDarrenmanagedtoremovethepadlock.Slippingit intohisthe
spocket,heretreatedtothegroundandoutofGerald'sway.
 "Mara,baby,i t's Gerald.Openthedoor,sweetheart!UncleGerald
Mara scrabbledatthedoor
willtakecareofyou." from theinside,moaningpitiful y.
"Chris, shecan't
grabbedthedoorhandleandturnedi even talk!"t.Gerald said inhorrified tones. He
"I betyouwill,"DarrensaidcheerfullyasGeraldopenedthedoor.
"Don'tworry,baby,I'llfeedyou."
Hewatched
pulled him asMara
inside. grabbedholdoftheexecutiveproducer's
Darrenhelped witha well­placed
and push onarms and
Gerald
"Youknow what they say,"Darren called outreplacedthepadlock
backside,thenquicklyslammedthedoorshut
withadecisivesnap. asGerald began
screaming."Whenthegoinggetstough,thetoughgeteaten!"
evengetfDarreninal cut.smiled to himself. His first film, and it looked like he'd
THEEND
 BelindaFrisch
ZOMBIEANTHOLOGYEDITION
PAYBACK
ByBelindaFrisch
Copyright©2012byBelindaFrisch be
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 Whenthoseclosestto you breakyourtrust, theonlyoptionispayback.
Sixmonthsbeforeanoutbreakofviral plagueturnedtheresidentsofStrandvilleintoamobof
flesh­hungryundead,MaxReidwasanewfatherstrugglingtoovercomeagamblingaddictionfor
thesakeofhisfamily.
Desperatetokeephissecret,outofwork,andonthelosingendofadebtlargeenoughtogethim
kil ed, MaxturnedtoMitch,aNixonCenterguardandtheclosestthinghehadtoafriend,to
makethemoneyhe neededto break­even.What he didn't know was why Mitchwassoeagerto
helphimorhowfarhe'dhavetogoforthecash.
MaxReidis abouttofindoutater ible secretthatwillchangehisl
others'. ife andpushhimtodestroy
 Payback at
AStrandvilleSeriesShort
shop,andavoidedeye­contactwithMitchwhoscowled
MaxReid parked behindSixmonthsearlier…
Devil’s Ink, Strandville’shimfromtheonly tattoo
passenger’ss eat. onasix
town’sotherwise simple,theithercountry
workedforBillJenks,the
morality to workat
Strandvillehadtodowntown,Devil’sInkwastheblackeyeonthesmall
collarworkingtownandthosethatlivedthereeitherworkedhardforlow
Research
radius.Maxhad
pay,orSituated
compromised
Center,oneof storestrip
fewdecentpaying
façade.
whichStrandville
townjobswasthemechanic,upuntilhe
Nixon
withina
thewasaclosest
Healing
rufriaflt,ythingmileblueand
fireda weekbefore.He’dyettot
wasson,butknewthatsoonerorl
racewouldbuyhimtime. ater, he’dhavetocomeclean.Hehopedthe
el Jess,themotherofhisnewborn
hisvisor,andsighed.Jacob’s
hisson’sname.
neededalong­shot’spayoffandtherewasnobetterbetthanahorsewith
Heturnedofftheengine,grabbedthebettings Revengewasn’ta favoritetowin,buthe
lip fromontopof
clearhedidn’tapprove
werefired?”
NixonCenteruniforms
Mitchhadn’tsaidawordsincethestopa lanyardIDtobadgemarkedhim
He adjustedofhirtthebet.“WhendoyouplanontellingJessyou
his. Aphoto sit underthe blue ascollara member
t thebookie,but ioft washis
ofsecurity.“Shefindsouteverythingeventually,believeme.”
Mitch and Jess haddated throughhigh school, a fact Max
consideredmootnowthattheyhadJacob.Mitchhadcheatedonherand
shehadendedthings.Mitchdidn’thavetosaythathenevergotoverher.
Hecamearoundoftenandstayedtoolong.
Maxtookhiskeysfromtheignition.
“You’regoinglse, toyou’dbecracking
“Anyonee getevicted.” “Comeon,I’mlate.”
ofapart.“Thisracewillfixthings.You’llsee.”
thingsmyownaButt homethefamily.”
long­shot he’dwasnever
that, Thewhilebetassertion doublehomelessjokes.Icantakecare
madeadmititto
theMaxfeel
losing Mitch,
more wereitfalling
onebefore
normal .about
Max
wasfivehundreddollarsdownfromathousanddollarpaycheck,hisl
satin thewaiting area, massaginghisfurrowed ast
fromthegarage,anditwaslessthantenminutestoposttime.
Mitch
Hehurriedinsideandfloppeddowninthechair.
picked upa water­stainedPlayboyoffthemilkcratetableandflippedthe
legto thethrashcore beat brow.He
well­wornpages,bouncinghis
thespeakers. were comingthrough
“Reid, man.I didn’t think you
shop’sowner,crushedouthiscigaretteinacoffeemugonthesideofhis gonna show.” Doug, the
 forandfair­skinnedwithtattooscoveringeveryinchofexposedskinexcept
workstationandopenedafreshsetofneedles.Hewasatallman,thin
his scruffy­bearded face. The black inkshapes bled
single,congestedpieceandother
“Had anerrandtorun.”Maxcrumpledan together into a
thanthepair of prayinghandsonthe
rightsideofhisneck,nothingstoodoutatquickglance. emptypapercupand
threw itMitchacrossmuttered
wouldyou?” the room something
atMitch.“Hey,underputhisonbreath
channelandtwenty­seven,
continued
pretendingtoread.
stencil “Comeon,”Maxsaid.
Dougpulled
of a crossonhisthinning
Max’s forearm.hair intoHe sprayed
alow ponytail
downtheandpapersettheto
transfertheinkoutlineandheldMax’s
“You’re so fucking childish.”Maxarm whenhewouldn’tholds
gripped the chair’s t“Iil .
movable
drawer.“Whatnumberwerootingfort
handsintoapairofblack,latexglovesandpouredseveralcapfulsofink.
iarmandpreparedtostandup.
t,” hesaid,turningonthetelevisionwiththeremotehetookoutofhis
“Luckyseven,”saidMax.
Doug,possiblysensingthetension,headedoffthescuffle.
his time?”Hesqueezedhislargegot
Douglto iftMaxed thesdidn’tevenlook
“Good.” tandearmncil. “Good?”andat theplacement.
eyesgluedTheCalltothePostsounded
DougheldMax’s the racewasof . Maxkepthis
thescreen didn’tflinchwhentheneedlebrokeskin.
stil andstartedtheblackoutline.
Thedullpain,hotlike bee stings,soothedMax’sfrayednerves as
hewatchedforthegreenandwhitestripesofJacob’sjockeytomoveup
thepack.Everythingwasridingonthisrace.
“AndherecomesJacob’sRevenge.”
“Yes!”Max’shandstrembledwithexcitement.
Mitch set
“AndJacob’sRevengeisinthelead.”
downthemagazineandleaned
futon,thewoodenMax couldn’tframetearhiseyes
creakingunderhisweight.
away. Theworriesforwardonthesagging
dthreeisap earmonths
ed.“Wait, inwhat’srent this?”
andofThehavingannouncer’s offinbeing
lost halfvoiceofhislowered. behind
al paycheck
“Lucky
Louieisneck and neckwithJacob’sRevenge.It’s aphotofinish.”
Mitchsetdown
“Dammit!”Maxslammedhishanddown.
Mitchsnickered.
hismagazineandpulledupastoolnexttohim.
Herestedhiselbowsonhisknees,tee­peedhisfingers,andheldthemto
“Photofinishupthe
hislips.“Andthewinneri
Dougturned , Max,s LuckyLouiebya
volumetohearther
feelinglucky?” esults.
Dougshookhishead.“Toughbreak,man.” nose.”
 Maxclenchedhisjawandballeduphisfist. Themountingdebt
just gotbigger,toobigfortherenottobeconsequences.
Dougexcusedhimself foraconvenienttrip tothebathroom.
Mitchdidn’tmove.“Anotherbust,toughguy.” He smirked.“You
readytotakethatjobnow?”
AsmuchasMaxwantedto, hecouldn’tsayno.
*****
hewasexhausted,havingbeen
Fiveo’clockinthemorningcamefasterthanMaxexpectedand
up mostof thenightwiththe baby.He
rolled outin ofthebassinette.Histiny,pinkmouthcurledaroundhisthumb.
bed,careful not to disturb Jess, and checkedon Jacob,
Hewassoundasleeponhisstomach,hisbackrisingandfallingwith
sleeping each
breath. HeMaxgrabbedhis
wanted totolifthim
relyingonoldhabits ckeept h e i upand
r rockhim.Topretendhe towasn’t
el phoneandcontemplatedcallingMitch
familytogether. back
out.Themoney
hismountainous was j u s t toogood.I t waseither
thoughtofhertakingJacobtohermother’sinTennesseewasunbearable.
debtcoffeeso do t h i s
and thatandthey were losing their apartment.Theor tel Jessabout
hefeltalongthewallwithhiselbowforthel
Hestumbledinto
andhisbootsintheother.Hiseyesstruggledtoadjusttothedarknessand
timetomakefresh
mugandsuckeditdown,black
thedarkkitchenwithhispantsand
hepouredthel
cold. astigofyesterday’spotintoa
ht switch.Therewasn’t
shirtin onehand
“Whyareyou upso early?”Jessstoodinthebedroomdoorway
withablue,stripedburpclothdrapedoverhershoulder.
He“Itriedtobequiet.”Max
hadn’theardhergetup.steppedintohiswell­wornjeans,faded
inthekneesandstainedfromcrawlingarounda
“Theshopdoesn’topenuntilseven.What’sgoingon?” t thegarage. Hereyes
werehalf­closedandshehadthegentle,sleepylookonherfacethathe
“I’m doing a side job, rebuilding a transmission,”
loved;thedazedcalmthatsaidshewasn’tawakeenough to he
pickafight. said.
“Everything’sfine. Go backto bed.”Theweightoftheliekepthim
lookingherintheeyes.Hiscellphonevibrated and if Jessnoticed,she from
again, get outof thehouse. “I’l be homeat the
regulartime.”Hekissedheronthecheekandrushedoutthedoortomeet
didn’tsay.Hel
he knew ehe’dt thecbetteral gotovoicemailbutwhenthebuzzingstarted
Mitchwhowaited
companylogoontheside.
Mitchworetwodoorsdownina
darkjeans and a button­down whitevanwitha work sphonypower
hirt with the
name “Bob” embroidered
Dobermanat onhisowns
Max lookeddown
trainingtreattoa
boxbetweentheseats. puppythe pocket.
hirt­ thHee uniform
leanedforoverinthegaragethat
sittingonablanket a andcardboard
fed a
anylocalwouldrecognize—andshookhishead.“What’swiththedog?”
 AmyPorterAmy’s.”was thenieceofStrandville’slocalconveniencestore
matchedhistoMax.“Sheletmeborrowhim.”
“He’s Mitch reachedbackand tossed ashirtthat
withherstringyhair
her.Theg Maxandneveracne­scarredskin,itwasclearwhyMitchliked
found Amy to beevenandherremotelyattractive
andgasstationowner.Herparentsdiedwhenshe
werekids.While
irl knewhowtopartyandshe’ddoanythingforattention.The brother,Billy,
weekbefore,Mitchgotintoafistfightwithoneofthelocalsa
overdid
admitit iton
becauseMaxoften
Tequila and began teasedhim
strippingfor onher thelooks,but
bar. Mitchheknewfwouldn’t
ter Amythat
Mitchlovedher.
Maxsqueezedintotheshirt,whichstretchedt i g h t acrosshisbroad
chest,andfought to buttonit.tohis elbowsandflexeduntil thesr ihtiarte’dshisfit
Thelongsleevesrodeagoodtwoinchesuphisforearmsandi
newtattoo.Herolledthemup Severalthreadssnappedunderthestrain.
casked,“Borrow
becamebearable.Helookeddownatthepuppyanda
al to voicemail.himforwhat?”Hisphonevibrated,andagain,heputthe fter alongsilence
horizon. Mitchkepthiseyesontheroadandrefusedtoanswer.
thought,instead,aboutthe
wouldn’tbelongu
brokenoverl
theirstrainedrelationship,would figuringendMitch
ltomake
tocalculatehistotaldebthadbecometoohard,butpeoplehadt
Asinkingfeelingsetinasthebrightorangesunpeekedoverthe
Maxesdidn’t
. ntilpress,
hesentsomeone
non­stopc athingswithJess.Thementalmath
s fromwasthehousecallt
hisbookieandfearedit
screwing withhim. hahte,irgivenlegsHe
aheaded.”
passedthewidowHinkle’splaceandpulledover.“There,”hepointed
small,MitchHeslipped
blueturnedranchhouse
theoff thetiny,aheadlights
redfewcollarfrom
doorsanddown.
tookarounda“That’s
lefthepuppy’s
t on where neck.Heat
Pike Rd.we’re
“The giMaxtooka
rl comes out every morning at sixto bring coffee toapair of
Strandvillemedics.”
question.“Are deepbreath,dreadingtheanswerbuthavingtoaskthe
Mitchloffewet amomentpassbefore
goingtokillher?”
drop her at an agreed upon location,answering.“No,Max,we’renot
togoingtokillher.Ithurtsmethatyouthinkthat’swhat leave, andIdo.neverWe’regoing
breathe a
wordabouti
nexttime.
tolure “Untilthenexttime.”Withsomethinglikethistherewasalwaysa
“Assoonasthecoastisclear,I’mgoingtol
t.” et J.D.loose.I’lltry
thegMaxirnodded,knowingMitch
l, butif sheruns,youcatchherandi
youfollow.Youhearme?” was f wegointothehouse,
capableofthings he didn’twant
deepredAwhiteambulancewiththewordsStrandvilleEMSemblazoned
intobeparto f.
pulledupon­schedule.
 seat. Mitch
Max, realizing
hookedtheredcollar
that Mitch wasto hiding,
aleash tandried scooteddown todo the same,inhis
even hunched tothe side, his broad shoulders stuck out but
Max repositioned himself so thathisand J.Dlappedat
dashboard.Hemovedaslowashecould
“She’scomingout,”Mitchsaid. legs were ashisface. far under thethe
above
dashaspossible.Hisbackachedasheshiftedfrombentovertostraigthatr.t
Heletoutanunintentionalgruntthatexcitedthedogandmadehims
barking.
brown MTheehairhung
itchbribedJ.D.tobequietwithahandfuloftrainingt
arly­thiinrtitangles
es womanemergedfromthesmallhouse.Herlight
over hershoulders. Her well­wornreats. pink
coffee
bathrobecollectedleavesfromthesidewalk.Shehandedtwodisposable
cups throughthe ambulance’s passenger’s
emptyleashdangledfromhishandfor
Mitchwaitedu
andtogetoutofthevan.Heheldafingertohisl
sengagedinbriefconversation. thanks, Asbidesoonfthecitr.asfarewells,
pavement,heranofftowardthehedgerowthatpartiallyobscuredthevan.
ight.setThewomanturnedtoopenhermailbox
TheJ.D.medics
outntionl J.D.wasfarenoughawayandbegancallinghim.The
waved
the sidewalk. l isidengandhimtobequiet,
iandpthes, teMitchwavedforMax
puppy’s window
pawshitoutandtheof
drove

Max
tobecrushedi
askedthewoman. hidbehindthe
“He
me.
“Excusef Idon’tbringhimhome.”
Haveyouseenalvanand
slippedout ofwatchedforhisopening.
it le black and brownpup?”Mitch
hiscollarandmydaughter’sgoing
Maxshookhishead,disbelieving
Max followedto. ThewomanhelpedMitchsearchfor
tolethiminsidetouseherphone.
herbetheonetofindhimanda
gnawingadeadbranchontheothersideofherpropertyl
whenhewanted of howbenignMitchcouldlook
theminsidefter thankingherprofusely,convincedher J.D.whowas
ine. Mitchlet
camenext. the woman’s house, uncertain what
Bythetimehewalkedthroughthelivingroomintothekitchen,a
struggleandandhadwastrying
bucked
floor kick,alreadybit sandtotartuncap
escreamed,
d. Mitcha syringe
hadand thewoman
brokewith freehis ttwice
face­down Max
e th. Thebeforewoman
onthe
steppedintograbher.She’dfoughthim,too,a
before he finally gota goodholdof****her. Heheldher
plungedtheneedleintoherarmandwithinseconds,herbodywentlimp. * t first andclawedhisface
stil whileMitch
Jess’ Jacobwailed,screaminga
heart pounded and her f u l tbreasts
thetopofhislungsinthebassinette.
ached. The carestrung­out, scruffy
manwiththeknifeoverherson’ssmallbodydidn’t
washungry.Hewantedanswersandwasgrowingimpatient. thattheinfant
 Thelarger,fatmanwhosmelledofs
“I’mgoingtoaskyouonel ast time,where’sReid?”
tale beerandonionsheldher
wriststogetherbehindherbackinawaythatmadei
painlessly.Hisbreathwashotonherneck and t impossibletomove
hissweatyhandsrepulsed
her. “I toldyou,
to
he’s atthegarage.”She sniffedthethreadofwatery
her
snotenoughthatthetearshaddriedon
about run ontoherlip.Thetwo
Jacob’sThemanloweredtheknifefurther,restingi her
bunny blanket. Jess strained cheeks. men hadbeenholding
pointedtipagainstlonghim
to see that hetswasn’thurting
even thoughmanit sent asearing pain into both of her shoulders. “Please,
don’thurthim.”Hervoicecracked.“Iswear,Itoldyouwherehei s. He
wenttoworkearly.”
The andbehindhersnickeredandpressedhishipsagainsthers.
week ago.Noweitheryout backthe elargemanasked.
cough
Sheshivered
“Hisbossshitcannedhima
upthe
“Doyouthinkwe’restupidorsomething?”
twenty­sevengrand
swallowedthevomitrisingupthe
heowes.Our bossdoesn’tcover lofherthroat.
usthetruthorbad
bets.” Theguilt
Twenty­sevenofthethousand candollars.Max
caredaboutwasgettingthesethugsawayfromJacob.“WhatifIc
time.
home?Givemetwohours.I secret she’d gethim
been carrying Herdissolvedand
here.”hadliedto her for theall himlsheast
voicewenthoarse
fromshoutingoverhercryingson.
Themenlookeda t oneanother.
“Ican’t take muchmore
Jacobwaggedthebladeoverhischest ofthisasshhespoke.
it.” Thethin man standingover
Jesswasthankfuljust tohavetheknifeoffofherson.“Please,”
shesaid,“WhereamIgoingtogowithanewbornbaby?Twohours.”
Themanholdingherloosenedhisgripandeventuallyl et go.Her
shouldersachedandherhandswerenumbandcold.SherantoJacoband
heldfuriouslyforfood.
himto
“Twohours,”saidthescrawnyman.“Andi
her chest. He turned his tiny facef Reid’snotherewhen
into her and rooted
weme?”comeBreastmilkleakedthroughhernursingpadsandbraandsoaked
back,that crying willstop being a problem, you understand
thefrontofhers h i r t . “I
timetorun. understand,”shesaidandprayedshehadenough
*****
visor. ThemorningsunglaredoffthewindshieldandMaxloweredthe
He flipped open the vanityeyetomirrorhisjaw.“What
and examinedam Igoingtotell
the scratches
Jess?”
extendingfromthecornerofhis
Mitchshrugged.
van.“Where are wetakingher?” woman,unconscious inthe back ofthe
MaxMitchlookedbackatthe
of thevan turnedthecorner,andthewoman’sbodyrolledfromone
to
sidelikefourfingernails.Hechangedbackintohisgarageshirtandwaitedfor
goinghome.” Hepulleduptheto Max’sapartmentandgesturedforhim
other. “We’renot takingher anywhere.to getout.
Maxlooked,again,attheangryredscratchesthatlookedclearly You’re
Mitch tosay something. “What now?” hefinally asked after along,
awkwardsilence.Hestoodhalf­inandhalf­outoftheopenpassenger’s
sidedoor.“Clean yourself up,” Mitch said. “I’l be intouch after I collect
ourpayment.” Max shut the door and walked slowly down the crumbling
sidewalk.MitchlingeredlongerthanMaxwouldhavelikedbeforepulling
away. “Heregoesnothing.”
Hebentdowntoseethesplinteredjambandtheindentationinthewood
thatlooked
rushedinside.
ThefrontdoorknobwiggledandnearlybrokeoffinMax’shand.
like the end of a crow bar. The door swung openand he
looked “Jess, large knifetohardsat andon thetriednot
forblood.are you“Jess!”here?”HeAswallowed to panic.Maxhe
counterand
“Jessica.”Jacob’sbassinettewasemptyinthemiddleofthekitchen.His
blue,bunnyblanketlayonthefloornext
scared
franticallysearched,listeningformuffledsoundsorcrying.Thesilence
himthe most. He rushed intothe backit. “Jess,answerme.” bedroom and found the
track.
shewasalive.Atleasthissonwasalive.
Maxdidn’tknowwhethertosmileorcry.Jesshadlefthim,butatleast
bifold Jess’scloset
Hesatontheedgeoftheunmade
sidedoorsoftheopen.closet
The righthad beenone heemptied.Jacob’s
promised to fixdresser,
was offitstoo.
down Heandbreathed
asleeptoeverynight
face. openedtheblinds.Hewassoakedthroughwithsweat bedandheldJess’spillowtohis
inthefor twoyearsandrefusedtocry.Hesetthepillow
smell ofthe strawberry and the
shampoo he’dfallen
aparkedacrossthes
secrets. test confirmed that Jacob wasn’t carhis
sirt fienlgtonthenightstand.Theedgeswereworn,thefoldsnearlytornfrom
beforecomprehendingwhatitsaid.Hehadn’tbeentheonlyonekeeping
excessivehandling.Maxcarefullyopeneditandreadthepagethreetimes
staleandstagnant.Preoccupiedashewas,hedisregardedthe
Theresultstreoft apaternity
andfocusedinsteadonthesquareoffoldedpaper
“Openup, cameat thedoor.
son.HewasMitch’s.
Aflurryofknocks
He Reid.”
Itwastwoofhisbookie’s men, comewithtocandol ecpocketed
t. the results
had bigger problems to deal
before makinghiswayoutthebackbedroomwindow.
 MitchbackedintothereceivingentranceattherearoftheNixon
Healingand
man,methimatther
ResearcholCenter. Jim*****
updoorwithagurneyand Lockard, the center’s maintenance
a Hispanicorderly
onamedMiguel.Mitch’sphonerangforthef
f . Aftersendingthecalltovoicemail,heshutito
J.D.barkedrelentlesslyinsideofthevan.Heneededtogotothe
ifth timesincedroppingMax
f.
bathroomandMitchhopedforaquickdrop­off.WhenJimapproached,
heknewhewasn’tgoingtogeti t. driver’s side window. “Where’s Dr.
Nixon?”Heclosed
Mitchrolled down the
hishandgentlyaroundJ.D.’smuzzlesohecouldhear
“He’s not coming.”Jimpassedtwo
whatJimwassaying. yellowenvelopesthroughthe
half­openglass,oneforhimandoneforMax.
Miguel opened the rear doors and grabbed the woman’s ankles,
could
dragging
moaned,andaftersituatingherr
sedative.HebangedonthesideofthevanandwavedforMitchtocome
help getherhisoverarmstheundervan’sherbareandestmetal
ratransferred
ints,floor.hehitHeherwithanotherdoseof
herturnedto thehergurney.She
so that he
lobby.him.“Nowwhat?”Mitchpocketedtheenvelopesandsteppedout.
Miguel babbled something in Spanish and pointed towardthe
There Jim aproblem
was shook his ehead.arlier“Nixon
and t h i wantsguy’syoutoo toshakentake herup todownstairs.
s go down
there.Ihadhopedyouwerebringingback­up.”
“Idon’twantMaxhere.Thatwasn’tpartofthedeal.”
Mitch slipped the collarover J.D.’s head and tightened it one
“Thenyou’reonyourown.”
notch.HeliftedhimoutoftheboxandhandedhimtoJim.
“Fine,”hesaid.“ButIneedyourelevatorkeyand you’rewalking
mydog.”
*****
Sunreflectedoffclearglasspanelsinthemainlobbyatriumthat
wasthecenterpieceoftheNixonCenter.Staffshuffledinandout of
movedpastwiththesheet­coveredgurney.Fromtheoutside,thewomanthe
theonlywaydown,andpushedthecallbutton.Apairofelderlywomen
AmbulatorySurgicalCenterandnoneofthemacknowledgedMitchashe
appearedasacorpseheadedforthemorgue.Heapproachedtheelevator,
turnedawayfromhim.Al
himwhen it lwase girl awiththin,blondehairthatreminded
ofsheAmy’s,stoppedandsmiled t him.Hermotherrushed
a t . heraway
Mitch realized
steered the what she
gurney inside. looking
He used The elevator
Jim’s key opened
and the andcar
descended.
 which TheThesecondsfromthelobbytothebasement
minuteswalking
patientswith
hours. burned aianr hiswasthickwith
unexplainablei
downnoseandthe hallmadethelwhere
neshisunequalled subjectsfeltofyearlikeminutes;the
wereeyesthe atiewater.A
rstliftedtothecenterfroma
stench weredecomposition
before,five
held,like
remote area ofHaiti.Threeofthem were family­­afather,mother,and
tthatheirdiedand
son.Twoweremaleresearcherssenttoinvestigatetheyoungboy
Nixon intended spontaneously
tocurethem, resurrected
but when inhefrontcouldn’t,
ofhalfhisof hisexperiment village.
dchanged.
tails. HeRumors
ehappenednext,a kidnapped circulated,
the but Mitch knew
women,took
t least it didn’thappentohim. the betterthanandtowhatever
envelopes, askfor
*****
Nixon MaxCenterwaitedforMitch’ss
parking lot. Hishifmuscles t tostart andtensedparkedontheedgeofthe
and uphe rushed with
adrenaline as ifhe’d just run a marathon. He pulled his sweatshirt
seenbythecamerasashemadehiswaytothelocked,firstfloorsecurity
hoodandwalkedthroughtherowofparkedcars,carefultoavoidbeing
ikindofficeandknocked.
t in anddragMitchintothehallway,butheknewbetterthan
ofattention.Heknocked
“Mitch,openup.”Hisinstinct again.“Mitch, youpieceof stohitdrawthat
was topoundthedoorflat,tokick , I know
thesecond.Eachknockwasprogressivelylouder.“Dammit!”Hekicked
you’reinthere.”Hespokethroughclenchedteeth,becomingangrierby
thedoorwiththetoeofhisbootandletoutafrustratedgrowl.
“Can I help you?” A small, thin guardwearing Nixon
blues and a pair of black­rimmed glasses stood withhis handon Centerhis
Taser.HisnametagsaidhisnamewasBrianFoster.
Brianshookhishead.
“IneedtoseeMitch.”
Max checkedtoseethatnoone
for
a t “I’msorry.Ican’thelpyou.”
Max was watchingandflashedBrian He spunhim
thepistolholstered
Brianwent hisside.“I’mnotleavingwithouttalkingtohim.”
hisradioand grabbedhiswrist.
around “Idon’t…”
easily and shoved thim.” into the doorhard enough to twist the
glassesonhisface.“Openi
“Beforeyoutellmeyoudon’thavekeys,realizethatIknowmore
aboutthisplacethanyouthink.”
wearing“Isthatso,Mr.Reid?”Dr.HowardNixonwalkedupbehindthem
surgical scrubs and disposable booties over his shoes. Dried
bloodstainsspatteredthesleeveofthewhitelabcoatthatappearedtobe
thrown Maxonasantookafterthought.Heslippedtheblue
smoothedthetuftsofunrulygrayh adeep breath andair. stood his ground.
Mitch.”Hetightenedhisgripontheguard. capoffof“I hisheadand needto see
mirror “Iwouldn’tdoanythingrashifIwereyou.”Nixonpointeda
mounted in the corner.
each other.” Max f e l t stupid for missing the t the
nearest
camera.“If
“maybewecanhelp you’ll dome the courtesyoflet ing Brian go,”Nixonsaid,
Maxdidashewastoldandinthehourthatfollowed,accepteda
permanentpositiona t thecenter,andhisnextof ­site assignment.
Herang;
didn’tknow
calledthe tenthcall whore.He
since Maxrealized ***
Seventymileswasn’tfarenoughawaytofeelsafe.Jess’sphone
made obscure**shethreats
herheawasJacob’sfatherorthatJesshaddumpedthatnews
rangedfromconcerned,toapologetic,toangry.Hetoldherhelovedher. towardHisMitch,messageswhoon
was gone.
Maxinanger.Shecalledseveraltimestowarnhim,butthosec
unanswered. to al s went
nevermeantforanyone
spent thOnenightwithMitch,aflingsheonlyhadoutofspitewhenMax
eir last hundred bucksknowandwrestledwiththedecisiontohave
on a bet, had changed everything.She
thepaternitytestdoneforthef irthanst twomonthsofJacob’slife.
now,facing motherhood alone and anyon­the­run,
Thesecret
situationdifferently. was bigger Max hadthatkeptshe’dandshehandledthe
wished
I t *****
Max
combination was almost
ofadrenaline, midnight and
paranoia, and was running
anger,havinglookedon a dangerous
parked outeveryofin thesightofthe
shoulder
headlightsandpulledintothetreedrivewayandthe
sidesofhistruckandtheshrillsoundpiercedthelatenightsilence.He
overgrownwithsaplingsandferns.Thethinbranchesscrapedalongthe
othersideofthe
truckidled minute lineandlookedforaclearfootpath.Anoldpick­up
sinceheleft
ramshackle
woodsusinganoldaccessroadthatwas
smellhiscabinaapartment. He turnedfeethimoverhis
of exhaustchoked
few hundred ashehis
offonthe
and took slow, calculatedresteps,
madehiswaythroughthet careful to avoid the snapping and
s. Hecoveredhismouthtostiflethecough
slammedthefront
breakingofbranches.
Ayoung, pimple­faced boy inagas station attendant’s uniform
doorandtookadragoffthecigarettepinchedbetween
hishighwaywiththehurriednessofsomeonewhowaslate.Sparkstrailedas
thinMaxlips. Heclimbedinto the driver’s seatand toreoutonto the
bendandonebyone,thelightsinthehouse,nowonly feet away,turned
othedanglingexhaustconnectedwiththepavement.Thetruckroundedthe
therebenosignsofstruggleandwasupsettoknowhowthingshadgone
f . tookthesyringeofsedativeoutofhispocket.Nixoninsisted
with the girl they’d kidnapped earlier that morning. His obvious
disappointment
menand
for himself.thekidnappedwoman,with Mitchmade
Maxhad itthethatmuch
connectioneasierto
yetto makebutwhateverresearchNixonperformed betweennegotiate terms
the infected
intheithesr sistteerri,lwife,
e, basementlabswasnotsomethinganyonewouldwant
or for
grass. crouchedgirlfriend.
Portertiedbackherstringyhairanddabbedsomekindofcreamonher
inspiteofthefactthatthecabinsatinthemiddleofacresofwoodsand
HeHemadehiswaytothesideofthehouse,keepingtotheshadows
beneath a half­open window and watched. Amy
spotty,red
down nightshirtcomplexion. She brushed
Max priedthe screen from the window. The bluelatexheading
riding up the back her
of teeth
her andadjusted
underwear before thebutton­
madeithardtomaneuverthepinsandthewholethingcrashedathisf
towardthebackbedroom. glovese t.
Heappear,heldhehispulledhimselfupthroughtheground­levelopeningwiththe
syringebetweenhis breathfor the seconds that followed.When Amy didn’t
twistedtopassthrough.te th. Thewoodenframebit intohisshouldersashe
andreplayed TheunevenfloorscreakedunderMax’ssteps.Hemovedcarefully
PartofhimbelievedthatMitchthoughthewasprotectingher,b
everyconversationhe’dever had withMitch aboutAmy. elit ling
howmuch
MaxJess,
need shemeant
happened.andtoinButhim.hissomething
toinbesaidbetweenfriends.Againsthisw
nothinghadknownMitchsincehe
hadhishouse bedPartwasandofsix­years­old
himhad.ableknewitoSomething
andit washimsomethingsdidn’t
embarrassment.
l ,faceheimaginedMitchwith
moreafterwardlike
betraying
andter HeenteredthebedroomandfoundAmy,eyes
ible andcruelthanevenhismindcouldconjure.closed,listeningto
musicthroughapairofearbudheadphones.Shewaslyingonherside,
armbecametoobigforhertolieonherback.Hesettheuncappedsyringeon
stretched overhead. The way Jessslept after her pregnant stomach
thenightstandandstoodoverherherscreams.
intohermouthtosilence
wasontopofher,pinning He toreoffherpanties,wantingtohirt
her,downandstuffingawaddeduptees
unnoticed.Thenextthingheknew,he
pit the gagforouttwicebeforeMaxburiedi
breath. He reached tounzipt sohisdeeppantsinhermouththat
shetakefromherwhatMitchhadtakenfromJess.Shethrashedandkicked
andsstruggled and something
toldplungedtheneedleintoherbarethighandherbodywilted.Maxlether
himherage.tostop.Whatever Nixon plannedfor herwould be worse.He
arms
hospitalbedintheNixonCenterbasement.Heslippedthepaternityt
intobearing
slungthego breastpocket
andoverAmyfitthec
imagined
hisshoulder.
ofher
Mitch’s
riterNixonsaidhe
inightshirt
a.reactionto
Ithardlyseemedpayback,butitwasa
wherefinding
neededaMitchher,would female
restrained
seeitand
ofchild­toaest
start.
 *****
FollowMaxReid’sdescentintomadnessin Cure:AStrandville
availableine­bookorprintfrommostebookretailers. Zombie Novel #2
Zombie Novel #1, and Afterbirth: A Strandville
 BelindaFrisch'sfictionhasappearedinShroudMagazine,
AbouttheAuthor:
andhernovel,CURE,istherunner­up in theGeneralFiction
isan honorable
mentionwinnerintheWriter'sDigest76thAnnualWritingCompetition
DabblestoneHorror,andTalesofZombieWar.She
the2012HalloweenBookFestival.Shei s categoryof
theauthorofDEADSPELL,
PAYBACK,CURE,andAFTERBIRTH.
Findoutmoreat:http://belindaf.blogspot.com/
you, notEvenIhadmy
a stripper­­at doubts.
AprilGrey
I'llLoveAfterCatYaalForever,But...
Youknow,itwasamarriagetheysaidwouldneverlast.
thePussy A­Go­Go
, Iwasa Clubdancer—dancer,mind
and hewas this
geeky postdoc
professor’s
spotless, at hishostedfaculty
madewife.Ihealthy friend’s
meals, bachelor
keptteas party.luncheons,
myself
and ButI became
in shape a good
andkeptraised
thehouse
beautifulboys—onenow at MIT andtheother atCalartTech.
Stil ,it’s supposedtobeuntildeathdoyoup . Death:thepartingtwo
oftheways.Thiswholeeternitything—Ineveragreedtoi
Faithfultoaf ault, that’s my Fred.
Andhewasn’tburiedthreedayswhenheshowedupa t. t theback
doorcoveredindirt,andhisf
typicalabsent­mindedprofessor.
unconventional.
something, e t, warned
well,hehadnoshoeson,j
Wet,muddy,slimysocks!Heshouldhavetoldme,putitinhiswillor
toburyHe should
him in haveshoes. ust socks.be
I wouldme,havebut hedonewasit—Ican
alwaysthe
dooronhim.Sonowhewason
molderingleaves and whathaveyou,myandhe gruntsat me.
I was insuchshockthatIhadn’tthepresenceofmindtoshutthe
freshlywashedkitchenfloor,with
eatoff ofandnowlookwhathe’ddone.
"Huh?"Isaid,equallyspeechless.Ikeptthatfloor
Hegruntedagain.Priortohis clean enoughto
man,andhehadt
"Fred,honey,Idon’t knowwhatdemisemyFredwasawell­spoken
his amazinglyplummyvoiceforhislectures.
you’resaying."He openedhis
know, fel outontothef
mouthabitwiderandafewwhitecrawlythings,slugs,maggots,Idon’t
l o r . Ishriekedandranforthedisinfectantand
toembracegloves.measWhileIstoodI wasunder
tmyriedcleaning
straightammoniaorpinefresh, heupwithmy
shambledover. sink,Hetrying
the supplies. no way, I
wasrightthereand
Well,todecideon
thought,thoughIwaspinnedtothesink.Hesmelledofs
things.StillIt
my boys,so Irdidn’t ied toswant to hurt his feelings. Neitheroicould
tifle myrevulsion.Thisafterallwasthefatherof l anddecaying
I accept
turnedaroundmovingtoward
lwerewithcleaningproducts.
et ing himHegruntedplaintively,perhapsa
get one inchcloser.Iputoutbothmy t theexpressiononmyface,and
hands,fil ed asthey
Well, yes, Fred wasn’tthelivingroom—oh,mywhiteshagrug!
TheonethatIwaitedyearsfortheboysto wearing anygetshoes,but
collegebeforegetting.TheonethatImadeeveryonetakeofftheirshoes
beforewalkingon.Thatone! oldenoughtothat headonly offto
made
thingsworse;therewasalreadyatrail ofgrimeacrossmykitchenflo r. I
knowthatMarthaStewartclaimsshecangetoutd as Igot outsome chilled
ItwastimeLovey,"tolayIsaiddownsomeguidelines.
youtakethewordofajailbird?
"Fred, irt fromshag,butcan
wine from the
fridge.I froze. Ihadhadthatwineinthefridgechillingsincebeforehis
accidentatthelab.ThedinnerIhadplannedthattragicnightwastrout
almandinewithgreenbeans and rice. Healthymeals,tandhat’swhatIstrived
for. Pullingmyselftogether,Ifoundthecorkscrew openedthewine.
forusboth.Why,theboyslostaweekfrom
"Pleasesit downandhavealit le.I knowthitshehasbeenastressfultime ir classes,andonlyflew
from myImusthavebeengettingthroughtohimbecauseheturnedaway
shag and came back towardsthe kitchennook
backlastnight.I’msorryyoumissedthem." where I had
poured
hoping he’dus twotakeglasses
sightofhim,andhis a seat.Ionly
of wine.meant Ipattedtosipthemywrought
glassofironwine,cafébutthe
chair,
andpouredasecondglass. yellowing,hardboiledeyes,upsetme.Idownedi
of myhandtowipeawaya t
dribbleofwinefrommychin."Thisi
adoreyou,andI’llloveyoualways."
"Sweety­kins,"Ibegan,usingtheback sn’t goingtoworkout.YouknowI
IforgotwhatIwasgoingtosayforamoment,whileIwonderedwhat
thatgreenandfuzzythingwasonthesideofhisnose.
Hemoanedandthesoundofit droveacoldchil downmyspine. Wasit growing
there? He wastryingto say something,maybethathelovedmetoo.But
didhelovemeenoughtostopt h i s insanityandheadbacktohisgrave?
"Youknow,you can’t
s in the cemetery. Remember?stayhere.You’redeadandyournewhome
We picked out the grave site together.
iYoureallylovedthosecypresstrees!"Itriedtobeasgentleaspossible.
"Andthe
al sayaHeftefuneral, I guessyou don’t remember that, but the boys were
thereandallyourcolleaguesfromtheUniversity.Andwhatwouldthey
r suchabeautifulceremony?Itwouldbedownrightrudenotto
to visityoueveryweek.Won’tthat
staydead."Igulpeddownanotherglass
"AndIpromise
didn’ttouchthewine,butgruntingevenlouderreturnedtothe be grand?"
of wineandfelttheroomwhirl.
reasonablemanIhadmarried?Goneforever,Ifeared.
entranceofthelivingroomandmyshagrug.Ihadn’tgottenthroughto
himat all,andnowmyrugwasabouttopaytheprice!Wherewasthat
livingroomI didn’tknowhowI
andstoodinfrontofhim,wordlesslybegginghim
wouldstophimbutIranpasthimintothe tostop.
Butstophedidn’t,insteadhepushedpastmeandcrossedmyrugleaving
a dank, black,and oozing
destination, heenteredtrail hisstudy.
across it. IButtherug
was temptedwasnot to shut histhe doorfinal
behind him andlockit. ButthenwhatwouldIdo?Ihadtosomehowget
himtounderstandhisplaceintheworldwasthegraveyardnowthathe
wasdearlydeparted.
a vial ofsome
InsidethestudyIfoundhimtearingthroughhisdesk.Heslipped
grey­green concoction into his coatpocket, and then
continuedtothrowpapersonthefloor.Hisstudywastheoneplaceinthe
ihousewhereIwasn’tallowedtogowhilehewasa
aboutt live. Afterhisdemise,
his new mess. Ican benoble.and sorthispapers,butIdidn’tcomplain
t hadtakenmehourstocollect
Withahappygrunt,hefoundhisresearchjournal.Itwashishabit
tohavetwosetsofnotes,oneinhisstudyforhimtopourovera and nodded­­maybehejustwanted t night
somereadingtotakewithhim?
andthesecondoneathislab.Ismiled
Hebrandishedit at me.Ireadthecover,"ImmortalityProject."I
sighed.
about Poor,workpoorFred.
his figuring I usually
out the spentrotation
dinner thetimeorwhenthe week’s he was grocery
talking
shoppinginmyhead.HadIknown,Iwouldhavetoldhimwhatadumb
ideaitwas."IsImmortality?Whowouldfundsomethinglikethat?
thatit, Fred?You wanted to tel me what youhad been
working
You’redeadnow,andit’stimetoheadbacktoShadyElms.
on? Well, I understand. It al went wrong, horribly I’l missyou,
wrong.
butdeadiI’lsn’come
t by every week with fresh flowers. You’ll see that being
toobad."
shrieked,andthenIkickedandpushedagainsthim,buttonoavail­­he
With ahowl he rushedhewasforwardmeand lmeifted meup in his arms. I
waswalking
bedroom.NowIdidn’thavej
admire
thrownouthisback,buthere
a hisstrength on mythough;
beautifululugging
st onef
shagcarrying
ilagain­­this
thyaround
pathtocleanbuttwo.Ihad
withoutamoanorevenshouldhaveourto
liketimethatheadedfor
grunt.I’ve always been careful with my husband’s feelings. Scientists
areSomethingdroppedoffof
like artists, sensitive,himandwiggledi
but he just wasn’tgettingt s e l f downintothe the message.
screamedandpoundedmyf
onlywouldIhavetogetitcleanedbutfumigatedaswell.
Butjust whenyou’dthinkitcan’tgetworse,i t did. shag.I
ists onhisalltoosolidback,enragedthatnot
threshold of ourbedroomandIrealizedthathewasabout
pristineambianceofourbedroom.
"Putme down, Fred.I’m Hecrossedthe
to violatethe
means no!"Heignored meme. Crossingnot going
thepale to
sackof make
pink love
and to you.
beigecarpet No,
of
ourbedroom,hetossed
Egyptiancottonsheetsont onthebedlikea
Sex,"Please,inthenameofallthati
great sex,hadhisbeenbed."the smortar turnips.
holy,thereare400threadcount
ofour marriage. In the
bedroom together,we were frenzied, exotic animals
my mouthtotellhimnoone
myjaw.Withsurprisingdeftness,heunstopped
differences,butIdrawthelineatnecrophilia.
Iopened pounding out our
lasttime,buthegrabbed
It was asifliquidandnitrogen
putintohispocket,andpouredthes
freezingmymouth,jaw neck. Ifelt beenmypouredthevialIhadseenhim
tuhadf downitslidedown throat.myinto me, instantly
throatintomy
mylimbs.
stomach,andanintenseicinessenvelopedmytorsoandspreadthrough
The
sides
somewords.I onlyheatremainingtomeweremytearspouringdownthe
ofmycan’tbesure,Icanonlyhope,butIthinkhesaid,"Trustme."
face.As my vision faded, Fred leaned over andmouthed
Well,maybeMarthawasrightaboutgettingdirt outofshag….
***
Formorestoriesandinformation,pleasevisit:
http://www.aprilgrey.blogspot.comandwww.aprilgreywrites.com
 MichelleKilmerandRebecca
Hansen
EXCERPTSFROMTHESPREAD:
AZOMBIESHORTSTORYCOLLECTION
WrittenbyMichelleKilmerandRebeccaHansen
***
THEPRICEOFCONVENIENCE
pack ofAfterthehealthiestsnackhecouldfind
apples and grapesand– Paul was back tohisat aminidelivery to mart–route.
asnack
His
healthhadnotimproved
Whenhecheckedhisclipboardforhisf hewaslookingforward
i n a l stop,hef e l t finishingearly.
likegoinghome
immediatelyinstead:itwasTheaMathes.
“Ihavetogetridofthis route,”Paulsaidtohimselfashepulled
hisvehicletothecurb.Beforehehadevenloadedhishandtruckwithher
groceries,Theawasatherwindowwatchinghiseverymove.
Even youifPaulhitblowyour
wouldremindhimwhosehousehe
timesbefore could clean
Shepointedtotheoneclosesttothefrontdoor. aboutwas atth.isItcrazy
forgetfnoseout
longandTheahadinstalledalargehandsanitizerdispenseroneitherend.
counting.Whatwouldyoudoi
“Isawyou
Oncehisfeetwere
“Ihavegloveson!”Paulprotested.
thechime!”Ashedid,hecouldswearthatTheawas woman,her doormatwas
read “Wipeyourfeetthree
Ionlywipedonce?Hewantedtoaskher.
sheallowedhimin.Theentryhall

nervously. there,Paul. What’s wrong?t’s fromAre

yousick?YouknowIdon’tallowsickpeopleintomyhouse,”Theasaid
“No,I’mfine,”Paullied. “Ijust hadatickleinmynose.I
“Glovesasof , sanitizeron.”Theacrossedherarmsandstoodwatch
al thecardboardboxes.”
until he’ddone
“Ok,IsmelllikeI’vebeendrinkingonthejobnow.CanIfinish
sheasked.
this up?”Henoddedinthedirectionofthekitchen.
“Allright, butifIhearsomuchasasnif le fromyou,you’reout
andI’mcallingyourmanager,”Theadeclared.“Iti s abiologicalhazard
He pushedhishandtruckdownthehall,eyeingthesecondhand
tobesendingsickpeoplea l overthecity.”
sanitizerdispenserashepassedby.
low,”hesnickered.
tofindthatPaul
Theaappearedimmediatelywithar“Hey Thea,t
efil baghis butwasdisappointed
one’srunningalit le
is notajoke,Paul!”hadlied. “IknewI’djust refil ed thatone!Publichealth
mouth Upon
ofanear hearinghis
stranger namehe becameusedsomorecasuallyionr itaonceted. “Newagainfrom
company the
people’shouses.”
policy,”hesaidtohimselfinthekitchen,“nowearingnametagsincrazy
Backnear the front door, Thea was her hands and knees
wipingthewoodfloorwherethehandtruckhadrolledwithaclothanda
again.I
disinfectanttHertrackstoomuchd
voice
spray. was“Paul,sounding
irIcan’t
t.” distant allow youtohimto bringand thathisbalancecart inherewas
waveringagain,butwithmoreintensity.Paulmovedquicklytounload
the boxes. This was more thana cold,possibly the flu.He pushed his
handtruckintothehallandquicklyslippedonawetpuddleofthespray
“Ohmyword!”Theayelledandrushedtohisside.Hiseyes were
thatTheahadlaiddown.Hisheadhitthefloorwithathud.
closed.She“Paul!put herface
him.couldhearnoheart Paul, wakeup!” Sheface shook
grabbedhischinandmovedhis his shoulders and gingerly
sidetosideinanattempttorouse
beat.close to his chest. He wasn’t breathing iandl ed sheher
handwithasmallpoolofthesanitizinggoo.Shesmearedsomearound
Theastoodupandrantothedispenseronthewall.Shef
comfortedherself.
hismouth
ownface.“Ok,Thea.Assoonashes
andonhislips andfor goodtartmeasure,smeared s breathingyoucanstop,”she
someon her
but he hadn’t. Theaet. leaned towardhadPaul’sstartedtobreatheon
approachedhisslightlyparteds
his own,Shecheckedagainwiththehopethathe face;her lips
Maybe itwas the touchasofshe’dskinmadeon skincontact,Paulreturned
reanimationprocessbutassoon
life.Theascreamedashisarmsgrippedherinahugandhebitherl
Withastrengthshedidn’tknowshehad,Theastruggledfreeof or just part ofip. theto
hishold,openedherfrontdoorandranfromherhouse.
ThistimeTheawasabsolutelycertainthatsomething waswrong
Amanhadhaddrawn
withher.Others
different.Twoyearsprior
beengodknowswhere. calledherahypochondriac
her bloodwithhismouth,amouththat in thepast,butthis washad
thedoctor!)thought was shehadacancerscare,thatnooneelse(noteven
r e a l . She had theweirdlookingmoleremoved
justto make sure.
lowerlegs,broughtonbyaclosecSeven
ranhershe months ago
a l she suffered severe
withspontaneouscombustion.The burns to her
paramedics
carriedfacemasksin fromherandpurse. scutnif liepsiandtthatingshewas
neighborhood.Thatiswhyshehadthedispensersinstalledandwhyshe
betweenthosetwomajorincidentsshewassickallofthetimewithany
number
runningthreeblocks.Imust
Bloodof toldsneezes herhadbeen towereclosetofloating aroundheater.afthetIner
pantingaspaceheavily
themasksfromherpurseand lookinsane,shethought.Shepulledoneof
put it on.It would at lcare.east coverthewound;
whetherit madeherlookmorepsychoticshedidn’t
reporttheShenearedthepolicestationbutkeptwalking.Beforeshecould
Theattacksomethinghadtobedonetoprotectherbody.Therewas
neededthere.
adrugstorej doorust afewmore
glided openforThea and an get whatshe
blocksdowntheroad;shecould
allow the“CanI
grabbed
hygienea
immediatelygreeted toher.spread faster purposehe chimed.
Theafeltshecouldn’tanswerthequestion.Smalltalkwouldonly
aisdisease
lcarte. helpyoufindanything?”
Shewatchedhimoutofthecornerofher
andmoved with through employee
hertothebody. in health
personal
Ignoring a him,she
red vestand
eye.Whenshe
wascertainhe’dmovedon,shestartedchuggingbottlesofcoughsyrup.
Next,Thea picked up a bag ofcough drops, ripped itopen and
unwrapped annolessguardappeared
bulky andAsecurity than tenof theatherballozenges.
handfulinhermouthanddroppedthewrappers thefSheput
lo r. the entire
theend oftotheaisle.Themanwas
slowlytowardher.entire foot tal er than Thea. He walked confidentlybut
to theoffice,”
“Ma’am,Ineedyoutoputthemerchandisedownandfollowme
theguardcalmlystated.Thealooked upat him interror
andshookherheadindeclination.
overstuffedmouth.“Healthy!”sheyelled more clearly,collapsingtothe
groundamidthescatteredlozenges,wrappersandemptyplasticb
“Ihafta behelfy!”she criedout,coughdropsspillingfromher ot les.
hisbelt.Withoutwarning he grabbedThea and escortedher to theoffice.
Theguardmumbledsomethingintoaradiohe’dunclippedfrom
Theawasmadetositattheworn,Formica­toppedtableinthemiddle
theroomwhiletheguardcalledthepolice.
“Hi,uh,non­emergency.Yeah,I’d of
said into theoffice phone. He hung upandliketoreportat
turned tofacehefThea.
suspectisincustody.Yes,that’stheaddress.Ok,thankyou,”theguard t. Yes,the
“The
policeareontheirway.”
Outinthedrugstore,
left foot.“Andtakethisamanagerandemployeesurveyedthescene
cart backtothefront.”
theseup,”themanagerdirectedashenudgedone
nearhisTheemployeedidashewast old. Withglovesof thestickylozenges
ofthecrime.“Stanley,grabsomeglovesfromthesalesfloorandclean
hepickedupthediscardedcoughdropsandthenfoundamoptoget hugginghishandsrid
ofthe tackShestruggledagainstthehandcuffsandyelledatthepolicemento
they’d left on the flo r. Just ashe putthe bucketand mop
them,pushingthecartbacktothefront.
away,thepolicearrivedtoescortthewomantojail.Hefollowedbehind
wipeoffthebackseatbeforeputtingherintothecar.
***
FREECANDY
“Thisisn’t preschool,mommy.”
 time.We’llgotopreschoolnext,Maia,”Annetteexplained.
“Iknow.Mommyforgottopackyousomethingtoshareforsnack
Shepulledherstationwagonintothedrugstoreparkinglot.After
parking,shewalkedtothebackdoor
shopliftingkids,shethought.But,astheywalkedintothes
surprised
staggered to
withthe culprithelpherdaughteroutofthecar.
curbin
cruiser Astheycrossedthelottotheentrance,Annettenoticedapolice
parked
tobyseewithparallelthe struggling infronttheirofarms.the tsoAnnettewas
troer,e.twocops
Stupid
“Do you thatneedit awascarat,middle­aged
smearedonherface. woman with something red
ma’am?” a sales person asked as he
approached,pushingone.
“Doyouwanttowalklikeabiggirl,orrideinthecart?”Annette
asked Maia, thoughsheknewwhatherdaughter’sanswerwouldbe.
“Inside
“Cart!”Maiavoice,”screamedaAnnette bittooexcitedly.
calmly reminded her daughter as she
acceptedthecartandl
Annette walked i f t e d Maia
aimlessly intothechilds
around the eaati.sles. She maneuvered
around a‘caution, wet floor’ sign near the Band­Aids. “Hmm, what
happenedhere?”shethoughtaloud.
“Somethinggotspill­ded,”Maiaanswered.
momalwaysbroughtthem.Coming
therefrigeratedsectiontopick
snack section
Annetteshesmiledquicklyand passed up someyogurts.
focused byuponthewithnothingsuitable,shewent
finding
pretzelsshareable
becausefoods.Ineveryothertheto
While Annette left thetocartthechildseatnexttoher.
Maiafoundsomethingstuck to hold open the doortoIt wasredand the cooler,
roundand lookedlike candy. “Mommy, can I have this?” Maia asked
ButAnnettecouldn’thearherdaughteroverthenoiseoftherefrigerator,
withthestickycoughdropalreadyinherfingersandnearinghermouth.
especiallyMaiaput
sincethethecoughdrop
halfwayinsidetoreachanything. yogurt hadn’tbeen restocked, forcing her toclimb
away onit“What’sinyourmouth?”Annetteasked.
whenAnnettereturnedtothec inhermouthandwashappilysucking
art.
Annetteheldoutherhand
“Candy,”Maiasaidquietly.
barelyencasedi
toknowtheanswer.Kidswerealwaysputtingobjectsint
purseforatissue
spit itout.The
“Where’dyoufindi ontoandMaiaknewthatmeantshehadto
t.coughto wrapidropt ?finbuthadtos
”elAnnetteasked,butshedidn’treallywant
Annette’set le hand. r mouths,noher
foragumwrapperthat
Sheheisearched
it le to“Here,”Maiatouchedatinyfingertothes
theresidueasshepulled it away. eat. Herfingerstucka
lmatterhowdirtytheyappearedtobe.
things?”“Uuugh,” Annette moaned. “What“Ihave I told you about eating
“Askmommyfirst,”Maiarecited. did.”
 “WellMommy hastohear you ask the questionandshe hasto
answeryou,ok?”
Maianodded
behindther
“Just e gtheyogurt
i s t e r . andAnnettepushedthecarttothecheckoutlanes.
for you, ma’am?” the sales personasked from
said as politelyasshecould,“Dothe
Annettenoddedandsmiled.Shedidn’twanttosoundrudesoshe
shoppingcartsevergetcleaned?”
Stanley wasn’t sure
awayformethough?Mydaughterfounditinthecartandput
couldaskmymanager,ifyoulike?” sohe
“No, that’s ok. She’slate for preschool. thought fora second
Could youand throw
replied,th“Iis
“Oh, I’mso sorryat whatshe’dgivenhim.Hecouldseethered
ma’am.”Stanleysmiledhisbestsmileasthewoman about that! Sure thing.andher
smouth.”Annettehandedhimthepartiallywrappedcoughdrop.
tore. Helookeddown Have achildgooditleinher
ftday,the
“I sure hopethatcrazyladywasn’tsickoranything.That’llbea
thecoughdroppeekingoutthroughthesilver of thegumwrapper. of
lawsuitrightthere.”
***
Now SOMETHINGTOSHARE
a l of are can
“Alright!
Doeseveryonehavet h that
e i r ourfriends herewe
buddies?”VeronicaPetersasked,asshelooked getstarted!
aroundtheroomatthebouncy,messy­hairedheadsoften4­year­olds.
andsought to holdtVeronica
“Yes,”the
gave groupheir buddy’shand.
ofthepreschoolersrespondedas
creeps theycalmeddown
I t
Damnedlike,shethought.Shewasanon­traditionalteacherandaneventhe
when
morenon­traditionalpersonoutsideofschool,preferringthecompanyof
sametime,especiallywhentheydiditholdinghands.AllVillageofthe a l the kids answered a t
kil ers. Ifthe parents ofthe preschoolers knew anythingabout her
animalstopeopleandspendinghoursreadingaboutwitchcraftandserial
personalinterests,theywouldn’tbringtheir
orasked.
sharing
smilebackonher have something kidsto
time. Doesface.anyone“Let’sallsitonthecenterrug
Mostofthechildrenwereshybutshecouldalwayscountonone they’d likeher.She snappedshea
andto wecanstart
share?”
twoofthemtoeatupthetimebydescribingatoytheyhadl
“My doggyrunnedaway,”hesaid ashe pickedhisnose.Hethen
goahead,”Veronicainvitedhimtospeak.
animaltheyhadseenatthezoo.Asmallhandshotintotheair.“Danny, ost oran
satdown,offeringnomoreinformationontheabsentpooch.
children.Manynoddedinagreement.Oneg
“I’msorrytohearthat. That’ssad,iirsln,’whowasrather t it?”sheaskedtheother
onmostdays,startedcrying. emotional
“It’s ok,”herbuddysaidtoher.
Veronicaasked.
“Does anyone else have something to upshareandstartedtalking.
Withoutraisingherhand,Maiastood with their friends?”“A
“Miss Maia, wedon’ttalkuntilweraiseourhandandgetcalled
ladygotrestedfromtheyogurtstore.”
on,right?”Veronicagentlyremindedher,though
MaiaMaiastomped
forminutesintimeoutwhileeveryoneelseplays.”
as the lit le tothe girloftentime ignored r u l e s . shehadlcanit spend
“You le patiencefive
outcorner while the other children
scatteredtodifferentlearningtablesaroundtheroom.Afterfiveminutes,
Veronicaretrievedher.
“Goaheadandjointheothers,”Veronicasaidasshewatched
Afterthirty minutesof actiarevitiegoingtocontinuelearningabout
gbacktothecenterrug.“Todaywe
irl slowlyriseandretreattotheemptyfingerpaintings . the
s, Veronica calledtationthechildren
animals.Doeseveryoneremembertheanimalstheychoseyesterday?”
Thechildrennodded.
say to
“WhenI ‘go’Iwanteveryone
Youcanwalklikeyouranimalandmakenoisesl pretendtobet
i k e i t . heir animal.
Now,go!”
allcornersoftheroom.Oneoftheg
aroundexcitedly.Anotherchild,aboy,
calleda‘pig­en’,a irlwass hadpickedapigeon,whichshe
Thechildrenmilledaboutonthecenterrugandslowlytraveledto
fter havingseentheminthepark.Shewavedherarms
abear.Danny,theboywho’d
“Aren’tyougoing tohehoparoundlikeabunny,
Maiahadpickedrabbit,butshehadn’tmovedfromthecenterrug.
lost hisdog,wasalionbut wascopyingthemovementsofthe Maia?” Veronica
bear.
asked her, but the g i r l looked t i r e d .
early?”Maiashookherheadandstartedtogentlyhoparoundtheroom.“Do you wantto start nap time
After
Dannysawta“I’MtheLION!”heyelled
shorttime she too started copying thebear child’s movements.
his andbecameangry.
Veronica had beenwatchingone a t her.
“I’m ‘posedbut hertobethe
voice.“What’swrong,Danny?”
be agoldfish, headinstinctivelyofthesmallestgwhipped towardirlsthepretendto yelling
calmlyasshelookeda lion.Not her!” he yelled and pointed at
Maia,whosefingersweregnarledintopretendlion’sclaws.
“Let’sal pretendtobeourownanimals,children,”Veronicasaid
t theclockonthewall.“Well,time’s
Whowantsa
blue mats onthe nap?”Ifloor knowI
and watched
do,she as
thought.
thekids Shequickly
picked one upanyway.
laidoutten
and closed
innerhallway
undergoing asofshethesmallbuildingtofind
theireyes.Veronicaturneddownthelightsandexitedtheroomintoan
Beingsoyoung,Maiadidn’tnoticethechangesherillbody
napped.Shewassweatingbut coffee. was
along her arms.Shetossedandturneduntil herbodywentnumbandher
breathingstopped. goose bumps crawled
longi t Naptimewasusuallyfifteentot hirty minutesdepending onhow
tookVeronicatogetridofherdailyheadache.Tenminutesinto
hermiddaypeacesheheard ascream fromtheclassroom.Shewasabout
toopenthedoorbutDannyburstthroughi t, crying.
“What’s wrong?” Veronica
dream?”“I“I’MknowTHELION!”heyelled. asked him.Is “Did you have a bad
you’rethe lion, Danny. Maia stil pretending?”
Veronica asked. Sometimes the children didn’t go tosleep during
naptime,insteadchoosingtowandertheclassroomanddisrupttheothers.
Theboy noddedhisheadandl
haddone.“The lion bited me!”ifheted hissmallarmtoshowherwhatMaia
cried as the other children beganas
screaming.“Gotothefof irst aidboxbythesink,ok?”Veronicadirectedhim of
wereacouple childrenstil lyingonthemats,motionless.Therest
sheopenedthedoortotheclassroomandturnedthelightsbackon.There
thewithoneofthegoldfishg
class had sought refugeirl’sunderneath the activity tables. Maia stood
armsinherhands.
Herteethwerebaredandshes
lion’sclaws.“Maia,timeoutrightnow!”Veronicayelledattheg
Atthesoundoftheteacher’sloudvoice,Maiastartedtowardher.
til heldherhandsoutinfrontofherlike
irl.
“Stop this!” Veronica screamed but Maia kept movingin
direction.Theteacherknewshecouldoverpowerthechildifsheneeded her her
toawalked
but she
to feared alawsuit from the
herarm. parents.
closedthedoorasquicklyasshecould.Shecouldhearthechildclawing
Maia’stinyteethb Indecision
t thewoodofthedoorbutshefeltnothingforher.Maia’slackofrespect
thebathroom.ShesetMaiadowninside
it downon Veronicapickeduptheg thesmallroomirwhen
l e f t l and
forherauthorityhadgoneontoolong.
“Rose,canyoubringmemy purse?”sheaskedthegoldfishg
bagandwithtremblingfingersshe
mom.
Dutifully,thechildbroughtittoher.Shepulledherc
“Hi,Annette,”Veronicasaidwhenthefamiliarvoiceansweredon sting for Maia’sirl.
foundthe contactlel iphoneoutofthe
upandstarteddownthelistofotherparents.
wrong!I’mnotapsychologist.Please,justcomegether.”Veronicahung
andoutuntilyougethere…Itoldyou,sheattackedus…Idon’tknowwhat’s
somethingbutshei
can’tputheronthephone.She’sinthebathroomandI’mnotlettingher
theotherend.“You’llhavetopickupMaia.I’mnotsurei
then“Hi,me…No,I
Barry.Canyou
s haven’tcalled
actingverystrange.Sheb some of ftheotherkids
she’ssickorupI
comebackany oftothetheiotherparentsyet…No,
tpreschool andpick

forearm…No,no,he’l beftoinebealarmedbutanotherchildb
Danny?Idon’twantyou . It isn’t ***badat al .” it himonhis
Whensheisnotwriting
Michelle Kilmerisashecanbefoundplayingvideogames,designing
writer anddesigner livingin Seattle, WA.
websites,singingandplayingguitar,sewing,ordressingupin"fullgore"
toattendzombieevents.
Sheisworkingonseveralprojectsincludinga follow­uptoWhen
theDead,asupersecretzombiestorygearedtowardyoungadults,anda
handfulofsShe cliveswith
i­fi shortstoriesthatgiveherthecreeps.
herhusband, an attackhamster and a fear ofthe
dark. RebeccaHansenistwinsistertoMichelleandloverofeverything
When sheandisn’tplotting
hiking,painting
seasonedspecialeffectsmake­up
zombie.TheSpreadi watchinglowbudgetandforeignhorrormovies.A
s herfirstcontributiontothegenre.
gruesome fictionaldeaths she fancies
walkingdeadontheweekends. artist, sheturnswillingsubjectsintothe
Shelivesjust northofSeattlewithherboyfriend,threeattackcats,
agun,axe,macheteandsmallcollectionofknives.
Findasoutitcontinues
theplague how Paul theto spread.
deliverymanbecameinfectedand
Look for The Spread:A follow
Zombie
onwhenthedead.com
ShortStoryCollectionandMichelle’sfull­lengthnovelWhentheDead
***
 EXCERPTFROM:WHEN THE DEAD
ByMICHELLEKILMER
THEINFECTION
It starts withacoldsweatthenaswiftdropinbodytemperature
thatmakestheteethchatter.Theskinfeelsitchyandhotbuttheinsides
andarms andfinallyips, toes, up
aredyingfromthecold.
throughthefeetandhandsintothelegs
Thenthenumbnessstarts intheextremities.Fingert
Justbeforethel
cannot berubbedoutasthe
Itreachesthechestandtheability
ast breathofahandsdo
ir escapesthelungs,numbnessreachesthe
notworkanymore. thecore.It
to controlthebreathingislost.
head.
sastheheadf
elf tothinkafinalthought...
Theeyesgocrazy,thetonguelimp.Onecannotc
al s onthechest.Thereis butasinglemomentforthedying al outforhelp
Why me?
Butthen...youaren’tyouanymore.
***
FUCKED
“I“Youcan’tcouldunderstand
slammedafistdownontheradio. try anotherwhatstatthey’re saying,” Edward said as he
speaking,”hiswife ionmeant
. That sounds like television
Moirasuggested.Shehadwanteda French they’re
forato
longtime
though,theyhadtorelyontheradioshowhosts’graphicdescriptions
thespeakersintotheapartment.This
but Edward preferredthe way thethatinthecurrentsituation
voicescame floatingfrom
givethemanyidea of whatwasgoing onin cities acrosstheglobe.
anybet “Theotherstationskeepreplayingthesamestuff.It’snotgetting
er; onlyworse,”Edwardgrumbled.
“Thenthere’snothingwecandobutmakesometeaandwaitto
seewhathappensnext.”
***
“It’s happeningeverywhere,”Isobelsaid tortihermotherover
phone.Shehadspentthemorningreadingnewsa c l e s the
online.Shehad
watched a clipof someonesuccumb tothe infection on aCDC table,
surroundedbyplasticandstrappeddownlikeacriminalorlunatic.
matterof “Thingswillbeok,Isobel!Theyhaveacarrier.Itreallyi
time. I f theycan slonlya
vaccine.Tryto already.The world is fucked. I’ve got to go.”easShet a
study it,they
“It’s tookeepbig thisthingfromspreadinganyfurther.” canfind a cure or a t
hungupthephonenotknowingi
hermother. t wouldbethelast timeshe’dspeakto
***
maybe
else?”Vaughnturnedoffhistelevisionangrily.“Couldhavebeenaliens,
“Onandonforthreedays,man;can’ttheytalkaboutsomething
the government,maybebio­ ter orists? Shut up.” He
ldrainedbeer him.canatEspecially
Heistewasn toVaughnwasalone,
talkingtohimself. whenasHeheoftenwas,unlesshepaid
theblackscreen.“Just probablycouldn’t chucked
and eventhat waspayt!for”most
he was drunkfix itandforgeti someoneof thetoa
company.
time.
thetrouble“Couldn’t
they werebe bio­causing.
ter oristsPretty, they’dalaidclaimtoi
fancy stuf makingt. Beenproudof dead people
comebacktolife.Ithastobethegovernment;onlygroupwithenough
fundingandcloseddoorstopullt his shit off.”
***
fromthiThes unstoppableplague.
infection was quicklytospreading.
groupsandgovernmentgroupsalike.I
rodethebus,anditlivednextdoor It had reachedsickbeds,it
manyalready.Noonewasimmune
t layinthousandsof ter orist
Thenumberonecauseforthespreadofthediseasewasdenial. It
headlineslikeIt’simpossible!Deathisdeath,thefinalbreath,andPeople
Don’tComeBack.Theystaywhereveritisthattheywent.
madenosensetoanyone.Newsmediacouldbeblamedforthelieswith
***
WILLOWBROOKAPARTMENTS
floorplans. WillowEachBrook
basement.Thekitcheni ihass a sixthree­story
floors tothel building,apartments
efttwo­bedroom
oftheentry.I four if youwithcountidenticalthe
t hasanislandthatlooks
outonthediningroomandlivingroom.Thef
thestackingwasher/dryeru
hallwayinisa secondnit.bedroom. Next i s itherst roomontherightdown
laundry closet with a
differences Thelastroomontheright
theendofthehallisaclosetandthemasterbedroomisonthel
Allofthedécorapartments
and varyinglooklevelsof i s thebathroom.
more toridinlesses . Thelike Willow
thisefsavefor
t. BrookAt
building is controlled access, meaning that if you don’t have a key,
someonehastobuzzyouin,ornot.
 ***
On themorningofthefirstday,thedaythatthingswouldstartto
THEFIRSTDAY
change
normal.When
for theIsobelShiffmanlookedoutsidei
residents ofWillow Brook Apartments, t thingsherlooked
wasalmosttoonormal,
right downto
stock foodthe jhappy thievingthingssquirreldidn’tinthecleartreeupasnearestquickly tasshe
ust incase
enoughawayforIsobeltobravetheoutdoors.Hermotherhadtoldherto
hoped.Isobelhad
ofthediseasewerefurthernorthinEverettandsouthinTacoma,s
roomwindow.
upon
NorthgateisatthenorthernedgeofSeattleandthenearestreports living
il far
intothegrocerystoresandl
hermotherinsisted. goneshoppingonSundayandi
eft theminsuchastatet wasonlyTuesdaybut
LikeIsobel,therestofthecitydrivenbynaggingmothers,packed of disarraythatit was
hardfor herto navigate.Thecart, evenwithoutthe helpofthewobbly
rightfrontwheel,keptrunningintothings:cansoffood,abagofchips,
somenylons,andotheritemsstrewnabout.Allofwhichweredisplaced
side of itwithherfoot.Shewent
their original aisle andforshesome lf. Sheof thestruggled
foundthesecrettomakingthecartmovewastoputpressureonthel
farfrom fresh foodthateveryone
withit until sheeft
to rot, whicheverhadihappened
elsewasignoring,figuring
started
perishables(ofwhichshe t alot).
could befeatenf
Shemadeituptotheonlyopencheckoutlane. break into rantheoutnon­or
irst, she’dirst andwhenit
“Howlongdidyoubuyfor?”
“Um...Idon’tknow.Aweek?”Isobelwasn’tgooda the nervouscashierasked.t estimation
orsmallt
budget and,alk.moreHercartwasfullwithwhatsheknewwasaffordableforher
floorapartmentonherown.Shehadn’tbeenthinkingabouttimelines.
“Ok.Wellhowlongdoyoubuyforwhentheworldiscoming
“Thatwon’tbeenough.Theworldi
importantly, what she could s comingtoanend.”
carry up toher second
anend?”Isobelsnapped at thecashier.
“Don’tknow,”thecashiershrugged.“Doyouwantyourreceipt?” to
On theway back home, theradio stil reporting news fromall
“Sure.”
over,documentedtheplague’smovement.I
turnedtheradioupandlistened.
“Earlythis morning,aferryfullofpeopletryingtogethome t creptslowlycloser.Isobelto
their families
seeing.They
started ferryhadledockinfected
fsomehowcontractedthediseaseonthepassageoverthe
tpeoplein
Whidbey
thecaptainofthevesselthatanything
routinely
Edmonds
PugetSound.Ferryo
attacking
steered theship stheaIsland
f icialintoportparkingthealiveandthe
waslot.It andinfected
twiththeEdmondsPierheard iwells suspected
mysterious anddisembarked
noarrived
thatwe’veatatbeenleandtheast
wrongontheboat.Thecaptain
disease reportsfrom
totwentyofthe
contain theinfectedpassengersmade
intodowntownEdmonds.Effortstolocateandapprehendtheminorder
injuredpassengersmadeitsafelyontolifeboats
spread ofthe infection havebeen itoutoftheunsuccessful.
ferryterminalSeveraland
ashore,buttheydidnotsurvivet h
a e
t i r beforetheferrymadei
wounds.Thecaptainofthevessel t
hasbeendetainedforquestioning
desperatetofindoutj thatthe tperpetratorofa
TheprogramswitchedtoweatherandIsobelchanged
“­ determinedust howcloseithadbecome. his time.” streetthefightin station,
downtown
Police shotwasSeattle,
transient”,
unknownhowhecameintocontactmandescribedby
identifytheindividualareongoing,ashisbodyappearedtobe
the actually aftera person
heattempted witnessesto fromthe
suffering attackas athem.Itis
withthedisease.Attempts “drunkeninato
infection.
rendering
state of decomposition.
fingerprinting useless. The fleshInvestigators
ofhis fingertips are working
wasgone,with
dentalrecords­”
location.Isobel changed it again,andlooking for another news story and its
intent
Districtjustafterelevena.m.Overf
scene
theevent,fourf
oncausing
noted
“Agroupofstudentsstartedar
thatatalthedestruction
y. Thegroupseemedtohavenoagendaandwasonly
group was notharmiftiyoinvolved
tcollegestudentswereinjuredin
onUniversityAvenueintheU­
to individuals.in lootingor
Sourcesatpropertythe
damage.Mostofthestudentsfledthescenebeforetheycouldbearrested
and interrogated. Campus police thadthisgreattime.Itisstillunknownwhether
problemandarenotcommentinga
theperpetratorswereriotinginresponsetothedisease,orasaresultof difficulty dealing with the
beinginfectedwithi
Isobel’sheartt.beatf ” aster.
Police “A bloodyscene
investigators
manandstartedattackingchildren atthe
midday Helene
today.A Madison
lifeguard
in theshallowendofthepool.I Pool greeted
interviewed Shoreline
said thata
hademergedfromthemen’slockerroomatthestartofPublicSwim
of thechildreninvolvedsuffered t tooktwo
lifeguardsonstafftoremovethe man fromthewaterandholdhimwhile
athirdemployeecalledthepolice.All
onlyminori nitialnjureports
ries. Thepoolhas
sanitationreasonsandwillremainclosedu
I“That’sjustuptheroad,”shesaidtoherself. beenshutdownforinvestigationand
thought thedisease ntil spread
furthernotice.”
andmade
psychoticand violent; thatthe infected were livingpeople with people
altered
mindsandApproaching
Isobel’s
process, ineighborhood to differentiate
aninabilityfromandsuddenly
alldirections,it rightwastherightfromwrong.Whatever
t onlytookoneinfectedpersontoruineverybody’sday. her the
was soonupon
diseaseinfrontof
form ofatraffic accident. Someonehad destroyed a bicyclist in thean
with
SUV.Adeepcutinhisabdomensatopen,displayinghisintestines. One
ofher cheekas
backup,gutsspillingfromhisbody,
ofhislegshadbeenalmostcompletelyseverednearthehipjoint.Hehad
swervedaroundthemess.Shecoulds
notsurvivedhisinjuries.Thedriverofthevehicle,apaleyoungwoman
nervesandherconscience.Theworldwasfeelingmuchsmaller
spedthel
manorthewoman,shethoughtoverandoveragain,tryingtocalmher
in hysterics
ast andthreeblockshome.There
sheleggings,was thedead man when tohesather;
leaningandtiwasl overhearthewoman’syellingasshe
screamed forhelp.Isobelwasn’ttheonlydriverthat
bitherface,takingachunkout
nothingIcoulddotohelpthe

thetroublesofitmoreherownnow.
She pulled her car into theparking lot of Willow Brook and
quicklyluggedhertwobagsofgroceriesfromthelottothefrontdoor.
“Whroahroahwroooah!Roah!”A
scream anddropherfood.BADgiantblackpoodlejumpedinto
hermakingher
apartment“Kiki,no!Getdown!Baddog, DOG!”SheilaBrownfrom
upthe stair201yelled,tuggingroughlyonherdog’sleashanddraggingi
s“Oh,i. t’s ok.Icanpickit al upmyself.Really,don’tworryaboutt
apologytoo,bitch.”
it!”IsobelsaidtoSheilawhowasalreadyoutofearshot.“Thanksforthe to checkthe
rcupboards.Herfoodsituationlookedmuchbettertohernowsoforthe
television,
listeningintentlytothespeculation.Severaltimesshehoppedup
est of Upstairssheputthegroceriesawaywithwhatwasalreadyinthe
thefirst
eyes glued
day sheto satnewsalonereportin theafteliving
r bloodyroomin
news frontof
report;ears
thatthedoorwaslocked.She
what she’d seen onthe road was
e a r l i srti.l Maybe
e havingtroublementallydigesting
the bicyclist wasn’t dead?
Perhapshewasj u s t knockedunconsciousandwhenhecameto,inallhis
painandbewilderment,helashedout?Nostoryshemadeupexplained
howthemancouldbealivea
His guts were on the froad,ter sufferingwoundssoh
hewouldwanttobitethedriverwhoshatteredandshreddedhisbody.
shekept coming backto or ifict,hinorwhy
s single
is undeniablefact. Noone sitsupwithhisgutsontheroad.
sight, thS.O.S.­LESS
Manypeople
plague force, thatthestandil hadaverystrongsensethatthingswouldbeok
policeon televisions
thebecausetheyhadnocontactwiththediseaseyet.Theywereviewingthe
alloftheworld’sbestscientistswouldbegatheringinas
couldgetthingsundercontrol,wasstrong.Strongerstillwastheideathat
computerscreens,not
uniformed menand women in person.Theirfaithin
interaffected
ile roomatan
areas
undisclosedlocation,
thisiswhattheydemanded;whatt
specialistswithgiantmobilelabsbuttheydidn’tcome.Many
­washappening.Thepopulationwaitedforquarantinesandwhite­suited
and thenthe cure.Hollywoodhadshowed
working day handnight eir mindshaddecidedwouldhappen
thecitizens
until theyfoundthe CDCcauselabsso
thisresponse
Asthe day disappearedandnight
hadalreadybeenoverrunwiththedead. came, thingswerefallingapart
fastas the spread of the infection continued from one complacent and
unpreparedhouse l ed thetoanother.
mixed with irelentless
television,f In Northgate
emergency response strangeIsobel
sirens. noisesturnedoffthe
fil ed theair,
cookedsome bathtubwith
porkchopsand water
drowned j u s t in case i t stopped
outthehorriblecacophonywith
her fromherrest.Unabletoregainunconsciousness
in themorningthegunshots running,
hermp3player.
pickedupandtore
Slowlyshe fellasleep.Aroundone
overthenoise,Isobelturnedthetelevisionbackon.Thedeadweren’tj
bitecoming
returnedtothebicyclist.Hewasn’tlashingoutinanger;hewastryingto
her!back;The confirmation
they were definitely
wasterrifying.
comingTheattacks
back hungry.had Herspreadmindusost
quicklythattheinfectionhadreacheduncontainablelevels.Withoneeye
open,Isobelbarelyslepta t al therest ofthef irst night.
***
Thesecondupthedayofstre theplaguewasnoisy.Allthisdeathissomuch
metal,andthenyelling.
motorcycleaccidentinthes
bikespeeding
nosierthanthedailygrindofl t,tthenrTHESECONDDAY
eitfe,outfrontofthebuilding.Heheardthe
aRobPacethought.Middaybroughta
horn honk, some metal crashingon
Roblookedoutside.Hesawthemotorcyclistlyingontheground
afewyards frompeople
legsmadeuseless
pain.
slowlymovingtowardsthe
Thedead hisbike.He maimed
hadwasappeared
inthethatcrash.Rob dragginghimselfalongtheground;his
man.noticedhewasn’tyellingfromthe
on the stre t overnightwere
hedid.The thegrowingt fromcrowd.Robheard
shooting“Getaway!Stayback!”
intobikerpulledi insidehisjacket
He tookhimytwoel .anddown
“Ihaveagun!”And
startedrecklessly
easily buthe
gunonhimself.
realizedhewouldn’thaveenoughbulletstokillthema
“No!” l . Heturnedthe
“WhatRobyelledfromhisapartmentbalcony.Themanpulledthe
isit Dad?”Gabe,hisseven­year­old son,hadrunto
triggerbeforehewaskilledbyoneoftheundead.
hisside.Robquicklythrewahandoverhiseyes.
“Youareonlysayingthatbecauseyoudon’tknowwhati
“ButIwanttoseeit.”
“Somethingyoushouldn’tsee.” t is.”
“Well...yeah.”
“Andyou’llneverknow.”Robfounditwithinhimselftolaugh
ashepulledhissonawayfromthewindow.
***
TISSUETHIN
It was easy to stay inside ifyou were anyone other than Jeff
Brown.Hehadn’tbeenoutoftheapartmentforalmostaweekduetothe
combination of a nasty cold he’d caught and then the infection that
feveryoneelsewascatching.Hisdeskjob,providingtechnicalsupportfor
aelmajor toSheila wasdrainedhis
t restedfromthetimeoffbuthewast
Hissoftware
marriagecompany,always crumbling; ifyoucouldshouldcal haveit a
ired. energy.He
regrettedherthatto steverydaysince.Therewasnocommunicationandhiswife
marriage art with. She’d forced himhe into itten years ago and he’d
loved
laylengthoftime
with being
dogmorethanhim.Allt
to with herhis forwasokwiththough.Theissue
stuckcome.insideHe blewhisnoseintooneofthelasttissuesthey
a week and for an indefinite
hadinthehouse.
“Doyouhaveto blowyournosesoloud?It’s disgusting!”Sheila
yelledfromtheotherroom.
Hecould feel hispatience grow thinner with everyremark
to goinstead.Shecouldtake her untraineddog she
madeandeverytenseconversationtheyhad;thoughtstuggingathisbrain
ofleavingoraskingherf e l
withher,he
acrosshissickbody.asleeponthecouchdreamingofit, usedtissuesscattered
***
THEDEVIL’SWORK
husbandwhohadbeenpacingt
thrownusmored
“Wejusthavetosurvivet
if icult thingsintheheihrisfi.rPleasebepatient,Edward.Lifehas
stpast,”Moiratriedtocomforther
floorapartmentfortwodays.
peoplee“Haveyoulookedoutsidetoday?There’sbloodonthes
verywhere.”“Theyaren’t tre t and
youdon’tlikewhatyousee.”
“Folks on thepeopleanymore.Maybeyoushouldstoplookingi
radio f
safe.” “No place is safe! areThesaying we should try to get somewhere
army bases started turning people
awayandnowtheyaredyingattheclosedfrontgates.Themega
churches prayerarein
trappedaskedin thetheirbuildings
gotcoveredinbloodjustlikethestreet. congregations
ordertocastoutthedemonsthatpossesseveryone.Thentheyall
actionistostayinsideandlockthedoors.” with thetogather for masspews
NPRinfection.The
saidthebest courseof
“Thatisn’taction;thatis inaction.” andreadyourbook.”
“Sowedon’tchangeathingthen.Sitdown
***
APROMISE
afewc iBenhadbeenwaitingforhisgirlfriendsinceyesterday.Shelived
ties awayandhe’daskedhertostaywithhim.Hewaitedtohear he answeredthe
thefrontdoorbuzzerallday.Hehearditalotbutwhen
phonetoseeifi
growling.
ofgrewfurther
responding?
Hewaited andt wasAnnaitwassomeonee
furtherapart. How
Howwithoutmanyhearingfromher
paramedics nowlsthee. Today,allheheardwas
manyambulanceswerestillcapable
entireday.
needed medical
Thesirenshelp
themselves? Ben imagined alone ambulanceandtoracingstayalivethemselves
incident;bravemedicsfightingtosavelives from incident to
buteventuallyeventhatsirenstoppedwailing.
He hoped Anna madeit safely tohim.He had insisted that she
come.Shehadmadehimpromisethateverythingwouldbef *** ine. Hehad.
COPINGMECHANISM
of
inasense.Amentorwouldcome bytheprogram.
MollyMathay wasout onceaweektoShe’dcheckonher.
waseatinghealthilyforalmostsixmonths.Butshewasstillonprobation completed itand
Now
thingsweregettingmored
Thetreatmentcenter s t a f if icult thanshe’deverimaginedtheycould.
hadn’ttrainedherhow tohandle apocalyptic
situationsandsheknewthathermentorwouldn’tbeabletocomebywith
theplaguethatwasspreading.
Shewasandalonepurgeagaintocope.
foodmadeheranxious.Heranxietymadehermorefoodobsessed.She
startedtobinge with it and the thought of losing easy accessto
shop formore thanonenormalweek at atime.Shewantedtoask for help
butshebarelyknewanyoneinthebuilding.She’dspentasmallamount
Herapartmentwasn’tstockpiledwithfood;shewasn’tallowedto
otherreasons.
oftimewithRobPaceandhissonbutthatwasanawkwardsituationfor
It would be dif icult if notet impossible
eitherenoughsupportorfoodtos le theurge. in the new world to find
***
THEPLAGUEINPIXELS
Markuswasl
brain. Thehadsateinfection
thesecondday.He
hisbusy
escapei t. YouTube ftaroundandbrowsed
withhismind,f il ed withendlessquestions,a
though and hecouldn’tl of
the Internettotrytodistract
terrifyingfirst­handaccounts:
was everywhere
Afather’shandstrembledasherecordedhiswifeeatingt
inprotectedhimandshecouldonlypawa
the backyard. Two minutes passedby andhiswife started heicome
to r son
straight atthe sliding glass door fort theshim.The lider, desperateforhernext
double­paned glass
others that the withman atribute
Elijah.”Commentsshowedthatviewersweretouchedbytheheartache,
meal. Thedisgusted
videoended posted suchto atheviolentvideo
consumed child:“R.I.P.
detailing the
deatho
ofbodies.Someonewithasniperr
fhischild.Avidshotfromahighwindowshowingas
eo e t in Everettfull
ifle acrossthestre t rwastakingoutthe
infectedastheywanderedintothearea.Markuswatchedthevideou
theend where he saw thatthe shooter didn’t discriminatebetweenntil
infectedanduninfectedpeople.TriggerHappywasthevideo’sname.A
commentlistedthe streetaddress
markersinthevideoforviewers’favoritek
travel this softre t unless you wantto oftheshooter
die.”
i l Comments
s , anda warning:“Don’t
mostlytheheadshots.
included minute
botharoundwiththem.Pouringsoda
around on
One 15thelyearsast videosMarkuswatchedwasoftwoteenageboys,
old, lookingthem,tauntingthemtochasea
for theinfected and then messing fter one
likeaprankshowhe’dseenonMTV­until thetallerboyrecognizeshis
oftheboys,trippingthem,etc...Itwaskindoffunnytohim­almost
lBrains!”
momisted inarequest(Which
nearbyafterrequest
Markusthought
groupof infected for morewasaclever
andtherecording
“episodes” of “They’ve ends.Comments
GotNo
video).Many offered suggestions for content. t i t l e they’d given the
Twitter tooofahadnationandworld.
been infected.It was ful ofsad stories,toldin
snippets.Neverbeforehad140charactersorlessbeensodepressing,so
ful ofthewoes
readwhatothersweretweeting.
Markusdidn’tfeelsolonelyandhefelt muchbetteroffwhenhe
home. @JenisTwenty:Iwenttoclassyesterdaybuthalfthekidsstayed
tomorrow?Iwonder if anyone awaywill come back? ShouldI evengo in
contractedtheinfectiona from andthe hospitals.
@heismine43:Mystayt one andgot nevercamehome.Itwasamadhouse. feet My husband
@ncallaway:
ianythinglikethat?
t up onWebM.D.andi dad's
t says he afever
mighthave his arenumb.Ilooked
lupus.Anyonedealtwith
@lordLover2010: Jesus will come for me and my fellow
Christians.Fearthe
sinners,burninh rapture, praise the Lord! Your time is now, you
@margareet:el ! Ihaveafewextraswordsandweaponsi
needsthem.I'minMcMahonHallattheUniversity.SafestplaceIknow. f anybody
Staysafefriends.
@haro_kitei: Trappedinmyroombecausemys ister is tryingto
il me.Idon’tknowwhattodo.Can any ofyouguyssendhelp?
kpayyou. Ican
Howcouldanyonehelp?Nooneevenknewwhereshelived,what
herhouselookedl ike, whohersister was.Andprettysoon,noonewould
care. Twitterwasfulloftweetswiththesimplewords:theinfectioni s
here.Withasearchfor‘#infection’onecouldtracki
typinggibberishast
really
sayt attention,andheiyourmostwouldsayt
Theywouldtweetlessandless,perhaps
hepaidir goodbyes handswentnumb eandirsomeone
could tel whenhmore t s spreadandi f
was exposed toit.
“fuckyous”.They’dendup
thenthey’ddisappear.The
desperately.Somewould you
last tweetgatheringdigital dustastimecontinuedwithoutthem.
 in and out***on the thirdday or maybe, Ben
thought,Thephone lines cutBENONTHETHIRDDAY
they were justandonall
emergencyservicesoff flooded withday butcal hes. eithergot
Ben had atribusyed totoneor
reach
nothing. Anna had made it to him inthe late afternoont seeingherhurt,he
duetothespottyphoneconnectionandhisanguisha
attackedalongthewayandhadawoundonherleg.Sheneededhelpbut but she’d been
bedroomofhisplacewiththeinjuredlegelevated
wasn’tabletohelpherverywell.Hehadherontheandhekepttryingto bedinthesecond
Aknockonhisdoorpulledhimfromherside. He wassurprised
tofeedherbutshewasgettingsickerandsicker.
seethatitwasIsobel,
acquaintance. the neighborfrom downtheforaninviteinside.
was onlyan“Hey,”Isobelsaid,lookinglonelyandhoping hal , becauseshe
doormostlyclosed.TherewassomebloodintheentryfromAnna’sleg
that hedidn’t
“HiIsobel.Howareyouholdingup?”Benaskedher.Hekeptthe
want to explain to Isobel. Besides, Anna wasa jealous
el herto gobackto her apartmentwhenAnnastumbledintotheliving
personwho’dgetthewrongideai
tdoorlookingforcompany.
madehermoretemperamental.
room. TheBenwas
bloodf sheknewanotherwomanwasa
lossabouttogiveIsobelagunand
and shock wouldonly have t his
“Who­”Annamumbled.
Benrushedtoherasshecollapsed.Isobelopenedthedoorenough
toseethebloodonthef lo r.
“What’swrongwithher?”Sheasked.
ahandgun.“Staythere!Don’tcomein!I’llberightback.”BenpickedAnna
upandcarriedherbacktothebedroom.WhenhereturnedhegaveIsobel
“Whathappenedtoher,Ben?Is sheinfected?”
“I don’tknowyet.She’snotwell,that’sforsure.StaysafeIsobel.
Don’tcomebackhere.”
Heclosedthe dooronher.
Annawasdyinginfrontofhiseyes.Benhadheardnewsreports was
ofhowbadthehospitalswereandeventhoughNorthwest
road,itwouldhavebeenadeathsentenceforhim.Ifhewasn’tinjuredon just upthe
grounds,all
decidedthatAnnawouldfare
the way, thereseeking
were bound tobemuchhundreds
similaraid. Casualties
betterwithhisoneononeattention
oftherewoundedon
would behigh.
the hospitalBen
Thetopicofpeople­eatingpeopleisnever very appetizingandthe
inthesecureenvironmentofWillowBrook.
stressof takingcareof
stomach. Annahadand jkeptBen
uice. The unaware
distractionthatBenhadfromAnna’smoaning.Thateveningi
He had sometoast televisionofwasthe
hist confirmed
growlingonly
tohimthattheinfectionwascontagious.Bitewoundsweref
diseasecouldbe spreadthroughsalivaandotherbodilyfluids.atal andthe
“Fuck,”hesaidaloudasathoughtoccurredtohim,Ihavetofind
outif shewasb it en.
Michelle Kilmer is a writer and***designer living inSeattle, WA.
Whensheisnotwritingshecanbefoundplayingvideogames,designing
websites,singingand
toattendzombieevents. playingguitar,sewing,ordressingupin"ful gore"
theDead,asupersecretzombiestorygearedtoward
Sheisworkingonseveralprojectsincludingafollow­uptoWhen
She liveswith herhusband, an attackhamsteryoungadults,anda
handfulofsci­fishortstoriesthatgiveherthecreeps. and a fear of the
dark. To continue reading, look for When the Dead on
whenthedead.com. Michelle also has a short story collection available
entitledTheSpread.
 LoriR.Lopez
TheFruitOfThyWomb
darkfruit—
stoodinanalleyonablisteringdayandnonchalantlypeeledthepieceof
slimypulp.
Theend
thennoticedtohisdisgustthewhitei
of‟Gross!”
theworldDropping
beganwithit,hearottenbanana.
wipednteristicky
or haddissolvedtoa
fingers
ZiggyonBoylethe
front of Hea blacknextshspentirt anda fullminute
mound.
bottomofhisshoeontothepavement.Thepeelgroundthe heelofa
scraping mashed hadloaferover
stillbeenyellow. offtheIt
bananathe squishy
wasthel
f he paidastforit!timehewoulds
Indignationteaseethed. Out of habit, he suppressedhis
iannoyance.Couldn’tdenouncethecorporations,evenunderone’sbreath.
l asnackfromthatsupermarket.Imagine
Itwasn’twise.
theheat.
commonsAmass Temperatureskept
ight. Youcouldn’tgoanyplacewithoutseeingthem.Mustbe
of cockroachesbreakingscuttledrecords.to mobIt wasall
the smeared
people fyakkedruit, a
thelaboutaston. Nottomentionthemassacres.Terrorismwasonther
thetube.Thatandstorms.Therewerealwaysbiggerstormsthan i s e . I t might
Hefiguredthey were al rjiucskt.toowarm.
beahategroup.Itmightbethemeltdownofsomesuicidalnut­jobwitha
grudgeandabagofbulletsandgunsorhomemadebombs.
Fansnolongerdidthet Youhad
boilinhisskull.It waslikeHellonEarth.tohaveair­conditioningor
lriskdyingofheatstroke.Hedidn’t,andsomedayshecouldfeelhisbrain
iteral yWaterwasbecomingscarce.Nationsfeuded
land. Starvation
proportions. Temperswereonther
wasrampant.ise alongwiththetemperatures.Everyone
Plagueswere expanding overthatinsteadof
in biblical
washotunderthec
predicted on oT.V.l ar. More
Anditgloom
wasonlygoingtogetworse.That’swhat
and doom. Hefinally hauled thet,
theyoffensivedeviceoffthewall,sickofhearingbadnews.Thenhekickedi
beenarrested.Hewonderedifthejailhadair­conditioning.
windowofhisapartment.Luckyi
hurledthemonitoragainstanotherwall,andfinallyheavedi
t didn’thitsomeoneorhecouldhave t throughthe

larka t BeforeZiggycameintothereal world,hisparentshadstoppedona

apalm­reader’shousetoaski f their wasbabywouldbehealthy.The
woman,LadyZsaZsa(whose identity JoleneSnork)didn’tfit
therole.
eyeclosed,Shehad
hermouth plunkingbobbed
Fingersscrabbledinapackage Peroxide
toregally intoforCoralcurlslipstick
fueledbytarandnicotine.SharpfeaturesregardedAdeleBoylewithone
burned thefilter. and smoked
stainedtheconstantly,as
aseathersubsequentcigarette,thestub
across theround kitchen tablinei.f
butt asshe
tapped
disposableitin l i an
g h t overflowing
e r . The flameashtray
glowed a t oneelbow
an eerie and
shade fumbled
of witha
orange­red,
blazingupwardtoignitetheendofanewcancers
Ziggy’s father Zeke forked overthe cash.It
‟Paynow!”theoraclebarked. tick. disappeared. The
palm­uponthetabletop.Thepuffinglady’sheadleanedforward
thescarredwoodsurface,andthemysticseizedittopryopenandthud
blondeimpatientlyheldoutahand.Adelenervouslypassedhersacross at such
anangle,Adelewasafraidshe
herthanreadi fortuneteller grippedmeanttoburnaholeinthepalm
it hard and lifted green orbsrather
hand. tThe. Aclumpofashletgo.Adeleflinched,attemptingtor etlikeract
Adele’stoglarebelligerently,notlet ing gotil shehadearnedhertwenty
bucks.
thewoman’sTheexpectantparentswaited,convinced
demeanor that she was a charlatanfromthe and would
trappingsand
merely
however,theclairvoyant’s head jerkedupin an abruptattitudeofshock.ines,
pretendtostudythecreasesonAdele’sinnerhand.Scrutinizingthel
Fearwasetchedinthewrinklesof
hoarsely,abarelyaudibleh i s : her blanchedvisageasshewhispered
‟Cursedbethefruitofthywomb!”
Adeleblinked.‟Whatdidyousay?”
Thewomanrecovered and shookherhead. ‟Get out.”
‟Whatwastheprediction?”Adeleinquired.
‟We’re done. Getout!”the lady snapped, crushing a half­
smokedcigaretteonthetabletop,missingtheashtrayinherhaste
toleavethetable.
Adelefromraised an exasperated look to her husband, who calmlyat
usheredher
the curb. Inside, thetheresidence.Thecouplewalkedswiftlytot
whatthepalm­readerhaduttered. windows rolledI t hadtobenonsense,heassured.The
up, doorslocked, Zeke heir car
confirmed
womanwasn’tevenaGypsy.
Theyavoided her
pound two­ounce babywithstre tnofromdefects.that day.His Ziggywas bornconsidered
anine­
themselvesblessed.UntiltheafternoonZiggywanderedoutofhisyard. parents had
Hismommyonlydivertedhereyesafewminutes,hangingwetlaundry,
andhewasgone.
to the Bored,thechildabandonedhistoysontherearstoopandtoddled
sidewalk in the front, which he followed for several blocks,
 crossing stre ts in the neighborhood,el aroamingto
in Awoman
signhimofthestoryhisdaddylikedtot
theyardshapedlikeahand.Thiscapturedhisi agreennteraershouse
t Ziggy’sbirthdayp s. with a
t,iereminding
slippedontothe porchandstared.
howled,andtheboystartedcrying.‟Go!”She aimed ‟Iknowyou!”
afingerdownthe she
stre t. ‟Donotreturn!”
siblings
authorities.Thendebatedcollectingareward,oraransomdemand.Yet
Hesawtrottedhim.Thea blurredpairinitially
route andplannednever tosawturnherhimagain.overtothe
But two
fellowsaid,asifthatexplainedit.Theyhadvisitedrelativestheday
hewas cuteof andtheonedarlinghecalled
confession and wontheir wasthe thetearfuloldhe
Uncle. ‟Thesehearts.thingsThathappen,”
namedonehim)whoand wasdrivenoffwithhimlike
Thevanished seventeen.al AherMa
insistedhec had Uncle
yearlaterhewas diedwhenStevie(what
astraycatneedingahome.
revealed the lad’s theytrue
name.I t hadbeenonT.V.Theyweren’tbadpeople,statedUncle.They
jbecamehisreality,seasonedwithtwingesofconfusion.Anideapopping
uthemst didn’tdotherightthings.
hadbeen
Being so replaced
young, hebyhada squabbling
forgotten hismakeshift
parents. familyand
Memorieswiththat
into hismind.as Abrief image,likeoftheanflashinstofaant. camera.Orsomething
unfamiliarfuzzilyseemingfamiliarfor
PublicLibraryprovidedsnippets
everyeveningforamonth.When
hisparents
wasten.
conclusive.Workinghisway,hetraveledtothecitywherehewasborn
andtracedhisfathertoacemeteryp
StevieDunham,graduallyswitchingtoZiggyBoyle,searchedfor
He couldn’t
hewishedtheyhadsearchedforhim.Newsarchivesatthe
locatehis birthmother.
hemarried,hehad
sltoatl.e ThemanhaddiedwhenZiggy
information;nothingcurrentor
He went hopedshe
to the graveyardwould
nexttohisbride,hiseyesdistractedlydriftedtothedoor.Sadly,itwasas
readtheannouncementinthenewspapersonlineandbethere.Standing
if hismotherhaddroppedofftheplanet.
appearZiggy’s
fneedthe
lmaterials jawnowhere
sagged. above
Eyes bulged, witnessing a swarm of litailre
iandcoughed.Therewasaperpetualhazethatsmelledlikepoison.Bugs
epesticideswereperiodicallysprayedbyteamswearingblackhazardous­
shadtakenoverthecityandtocountertheinfestation,experimental‟safe”
outof the banana. He swattedbrumous
suits. TheExterminationSquad.Ifitwassosafe,theywouldn’t
Hetactfully keptsuch opinions tohimself. Most ofthe
time. Loudlystomping,themansucceeded in chasingtheroachesaway,
flatteningafewintheprocess.Hehadtocleanmoremuckoffthebaseof
 hisshoe:bananaandbugs.Itwasn’t evenareal
suchthing.Thatwholeorganicmovementwaybackwhen?Thesedays banana.There wasno
everything...waslock,stock,andbarrel.
theworld manufactured.
heck Big Businessheldthepower.Theyowned
here!” He kicked aleg,werethoseguys?Zigmoodilycontemplatedthe
endsofthealley.Hewas
Wherethe alone.Exceptforthehumoff
to liesno. ‟Getouta
He paced up and down the stretch ofpavement, thenacrossavail.theIf
anything,thereweremore. attempting shoo the swarm to
hewas
anymore?I tobe the lookout.Why couldn’t lheert.rememberstuff
lane.Foldinghisarms,heleanedonbricksandhoodedhiseyes.Ohyeah,
supposed
t mustbetheheat.Heendeavoredtostaya Difficultwhen
ituiwasso hot. carsinaandlaplanes
bmuttered,pacing ther. Heandwasn’talwayst
houses,whichrequiredloadsofpatience.Maybetheglueandpaintfumes
lt models,
Ziggytuggedhisshirt,ventilatinghischest.‟Comeon,guys!” ntricate designs forhe
whatever; latehri,s iuptight.Asakidhe
hadfriedhisbrain.
No,it upon
hadtobetheheat.
TheHousing Once MarketatimeslidZiggywanted
intoBya sinkholeto beandan architect.Dumbidea.
disappeared. Almost
Homeowners
lforeclosures,governmentfinesandland­grabs,taxincreases,seizuresby
everyone
corporations.
hijack
hackthethingandrun!Howhardisthat?”hepetulantlygrumbled.Then
ate. aPerhapsheshouldgoandlookforthem.Howlongdidi
computer?They
livedAssociations
Ithappened
in condos,werea
..before
rented
. ctivanyone
theiorsts,timeowned.
notthieves,buts
realized
the Thedust—settled,it
landbanktibelongedto
l ...liensand
twastoo
taketo
‟You

couldn’tgetcaughtuntil thetransmissioncompleted.Hisjobwastoc
sealedhismouth.Loosel ips sankships.Maybehesaidtoomuch.Theyal
iftheheatshowed up. Therewasplentyofheat.Andhe
PeaceCorpse,theorganizationheworked for, wantedthesecret
f e l t conspicuous.
formulasofthepesticidesbeingpumped al over.Theywantedtopublish
ontheInternethowbaditwasforhumansalongwithbugs.Whoknew
and
whatthelong­rangeeffectsmightbe?Illnesses
inflated.Thegovernmentblamedi t ontheheat. suicideshadalready
Ziggywasrackedbycoughing.Twoyearsagohehadwatchedhis
wifeandbabycoughupblood,t
striking back,opposing heir lungscongested,membranesthinned
tobursting.Losingthemturnedhisheartcold.Hejoinedagroupthatwas
theheartless bureaucracyof elitistmoguls who
itall —notbecausebyhecared
fwantedrevenge.
livedabove
elt apinprick
Adroningcloudhovered hisfaceandhewavedahand,then
about helping the world.He
Hegapedata
Fruit Flies. Theseofpain.Hesmackedhischeek.Didoneofthembitehim?
squashedinsectinhishand.Theydidn’tlooklikeregular
were fat er and appeared to have mutated. Ziggy
didn’thave
squinted.Noway,thethingshadt
teeth! e t h , rowsofthemonbonyhorns!Flies
likeTheIt mustbeheatstroke.
onhistrousers.
sound
buzzinglike Hefurious
hummed.FruitFlieswerequiet,exceptrightbesidehisear.Thesewere
that?
human unhappybunch
escalated
He didn’ttoaremember keening.makingDidHeFruitnoise.
ofwashallucinating.
bees.them brushedhispalm
FliesOtherusuallyflies
insectsgreedilynippedf
unitofscouts.‟Hey!”Ziggy’sarmsf
The remainder ofthe iled.More sting­like
advanceguard.Ziggywailed,slappinghimselfbelatedlyashefled.The ifbya cuepricksfromfromtheiar
lesh. Normallyvegetarian,theyhadevolvedinto
swarmlaattackedas
carnivores.
exposed p a rGobbling
t s . S t i l liketiny
he charged, winged piranhas,bumped
yelping,and themultitudedown agnawed
corner
prophetrantingaboutthesignsofTheApocalypse.
‟Here’s your doom!” squalled Ziggy.It That’s when theygot
insidehismouthtofeedonhistongue.
Or hissteps, until his tattered limbs grewdidn’thalthisscreeches.
swoopedtotheskyinaroilingcycloneofblackanddeparted. weak. Thenthe flies
Theprophetneverhadachance,sprawledonthepavementina
maimed.Thewomanscreamedtoo—beingeatena
longbedraggledgown.Ziggyscrambledtoherona l ivfours,tremblingand
e.
Wow,Idreamed I was attacked by FruitFlies. That was crazy.
Ahhhhh,whydoesmyfacehurt?Andmyhands?They’retornup.Ohno,
ohno,iIhaveto—findhelp.That’swhatIneedtodo.Findahospital,a
t’stotrue!Itwasn’tanightmare,itwashappening...
happening. t hastobefixed.They’llfixiin frontt. They’llknowwhattodo.I
Ifindsomeonewhowillknowwhattodo. of the
doctororcop.Apsychiatrist.Somebody.Thiskindofthingshouldn’tbe
justneedIhearpeople.There,protesters,
gazingdownfromt
heretorob.I heir ivoryandste l towers. skyscraperwewere
‟Help!Pleasehelpme!Iwasbitten
diots. Doyoureallythinkthey’lllisten?We’reantstothem,
flies! Theyhaveteeth!” byapackofman­eating
Lookattheirexpressions.TheythinkI’malunatic.Can’tblame
them.I’dthinksotoo.Ohhhhh,what’sthatfeeling?Mygutsarecurdling.
Mylungsache.I t hurtstobreathe.I
That growling, s coming fromt’s suchanexertion.MaybeIcan’t
breathe!HowcanIwalk?HowcanIevenstand?
it’Ifeel... me. My stomach. Mythroat. I
I’m suddenlystarving.Oh
soundlikeawildbeast.
man,it’s toointense,Ican’ttakeit. Ifeel soempty.likeI’mdyingofhunger!
Orthepoison?God,what’shappeningtome???
Whyaremyveinsthrobbing?DidIgetadisease?Fromtheflies?
No,ohno.Ican’t.Iwon’t.Ican’tcontrolit, can’tstopmyself.I
need...no,pleasedon’tmakeme...Ineed,Ineed...them.
Ziggy lumbered towardthe protesters, whobacked away,ips
fromafly­peckedmonster.Hegrimacedinagarishtoothysmile,thel
frightenedbyhisderangedexpression,thevicioussoundsthatemerged
wide­mouthed woman who hadfrozen to an ice statuewhile her
ainfragments.Marble­skinned,hisfleshragged,thehulkingmanclutched
comradesThescattered.
woman’ssDespite
Hiseagerbitesankintoasoftroundshoulder.thefrigid pose, sheHesilencedherwithhis
hhisril voicerankledhim. was pleasantly plump.
hewasn’tshivering.I
hisvery coldtorso.Hehadneverhifeltthatexudedfrom
te th. Warmthdousedt wassimplyadeepburningc socold.Strange
pillage core. him. Hemidriffdidn’t ofpausefleshto dwell
havehorrified
cannibalisticgusto,thoroughlyenjoyingamealthatadayearlierwould
Hisbanquetcascadedtoasplatteredsidewalk.Themankneltto
abountiful and organs.on whatHecouldbe bingedwith
wrong
withhim.Ithadn’tdiminishedhisappetite,andthatwasallthatseemed
tomatter.Hethe corner,
fulfillment
building’s
began, straightened
thatyielded
nourishment the dead
drawnfromtosubsided
towardthe
fleeting intoenergy.
alleythewoman,where
darkAs hefeelinga sense theof
voidhisretreatedto
transformation
at hiscenter.
Dwindlingfaculties
anavid animalisticalternatedbetweenflickers
craving. Satisfaction hadofresidual
sufficientlytopropelhimonwardinagreedyquestformoreflesh.Ever evaporated,intellingering
ect and
more. Behindhimarosethegrowlsoftwoholeyunhalloweddisciples,
remnants of prophet andprotester shambling inhiswake, like
theinstrumentsofamercilessOldTestamentGod.
Adelefrequentedtheplayground,huddledontheledgeofalow
stonewallwiththeothermothers,watchingthel it letocheck
kidsjoyfullyromp
amidsthappysquealsandgiggles.Itwasherritual
andsandboxwhereshewouldoftenbringhim.Hopekeptheralive,the theswings
Yethopethathewouldreturn,thathewouldremembert
throughher heart andsoul.Wouldsheevenrecognizehimnow?Shef
disappointment and the laughter of children impaled his cherishedhaunt.
like a bladeelt
certainthatshemust.Hewasherson,andamotherneverforgets.How
couldshewhenherchildwasapartofherownbody?
She perched there forhours, humming a lullabye
slightly,Thiswas
homelessladywhostareddreamilyintospace.
unawareherhome.Thiswaswhere
ofthe women scootingsheawaybelonged.Thisand fromanandunkempt rockingthe
acruel on Evermoreher Street,
house
destitutionforced eviction.Thes shelteredher onlyt
past.Tothepreciousbabyandfamilysheoncehad,longgone,stolenby
which hadites were otheriefamilies
s toablissfulsince
apsychic.sword­thrustofdestiny...acursereflectedinthet
missing
forquestioningduetoasuspiciousstatementwheninformedaboywas
Police
and shown
canvassedhis photograph:
theneighborhood.
‟OfcourseJolenehadhe is.”beenSheer ifclaimed
ied eyesofto
broughtin
never have seentohiminher
wouldhappen theherchild. palm?Orinavision?Didthewomanhold
Adele wondered. Hadhad she glimpsed whatit
cluesorthekeyto
accusedherinthe aisleson’swhereabouts?Zeke
of amarket, ‟You must havebeggedhertol
go,butshetooktospyingontheclairvoyant.Trailinghertostores.Then
critical detail. Tellmeeverythingyouknow!” some idea,someet
leered thepsychic,
‟He’s cursedblowing alwaysinbe.defiance
and willsmoke But I ofalreadytheNOtoldyouSMOKINGthat,”
signs.‟He’slikeablack crangatan, thatboy.Youdonotwanthim
path.” to crossyour
pulledf
fromthegrocerystoreinafugue.
Adelereeled.What up and downtheaisles. Adelehadwafted
re . Herlaughter awfulthingtosay!Thewitchcackledand
Ifonly they listened. If only they had believed and taken
precautions,beenmorecareful.Shewouldhaveneverlethimoutofher
sight,notforani
Grief,regrets,nstantg.uilt ...theseledtoherhusband’sdeath.Hehad
taken toAdele
madeithome.drinkingatbarsonthe way homefromwork.Onenight he never
wasn’t a drinker. ShefromhadLife.ButonedayLifeintruded
thencrawlingintothehole,hiding internalized, burying the pain
andyankedthatholeoutfromunderherwithmoreloss,andshefound
herselfontheoutsideofeverything,wanderingpastwindows and looking
in.Hopingtoseeherson.Hopewasallshehadleft.
now. Hebetshewasprettyinanotherlifetime.Notthatshewasalive
Her grayhadteethlookedsufficientlyharshbefore
gnashed at his cheek. Thrashing,he
he mutilatedfreedher.himselfAge
Theprophet
andhiselbowbashedhernose,knockeditsideways.Shelookedworse.
combined with madness. Some women maturedgracefully, accepting
 tlittleboyinside
heir skinwithprideanddignitywhatevertheirage.He wouldobserve
them,subconsciouslyexaminingthefacesofcrowdsforhismother.The
ofhim picturedhis
impressionofabeautifulladysmiling,hugginghim. mommy thatway.Hehada
I t vague
hadtobeherthat
The prophet clawed at Ziggy.She andthe protester wouldn’t
heremembered.
leave himA dooralone.Heshoved
Therabidstalkerstaggeda
slammed open. fterhisfollowers,snarling,and
him.An alarm jangled. Threetromped away.
guys inblack
burstoutofthefireexit.Asthedoorlatched,theyfrozeat thespecterof
threeghoulsinthealleyway.Themenwerepreparedtobeapprehended.
‟Ziggy?” asked tothebeeaten.
Theywerenotprepared tal est. Thecomputer caper’s leader. ‟What
happenedtoyou?”Hisfacewasincredulous.
Theothertwomerelygawped,speechlesswithrevulsion.
‟Bub,” rasped
gestured.Likethose. their tonguelesscohort.
thickpurple­blackswarmblockedthealley.
The trio cartoonishly turned as a gatheringHehummeantbugs.
crescendoed.AHe
Ziggyshrugged.Hewasn’tevencuriousaboutthemission.
Girlishshrieksensued.Thehumansavagesfeasted.
Threebodieslaystrewn,grislyleftovers.Andthentheytwitched,
smental Their leader’sHisnamegraspwasfeetof fuzzy.
imightrecalldiningonhisfriends.
tmindfunctionedslower,thoughtstorpid,boggeddowninwetcementlike
ing up,clamberingtotheir
quicksand. tosway.Thereviveda
mundane Ted? Ziggycfaltered,yet
Tim?connections tivfrowned.His
ists groaned.he
thisthatreducedthemtomangledcorpseswhocoulds
ontvoraciousbeasts?
equallyeffective.Wereanyofthemalive,thesewalkingwoundedwith
lungs.Theeffortwassimilartorammingadozenforksinhischest.And
heirsomecrazed
fleshrippedapart?Howcouldtheybe?Whatkindofafflictionwas
LikeWashealive?Hestillhadenormoustroubletodrawa
dementedlevel, andhave boundlesstil appetites thinkandfeel
ir intohislike

But zombies.zombies supposed to be mindless, driven by an

weren’t
instinctivedesireforbrains?Orbroughtbackfromanear­deaths
powderthatrenderedthemobedienttoavoodoosorcerer’sspell?There tate bya
wasno
poison, Global
magic or
Warming,
hypnosis,
andEvolution.
no comic­book Hewasn’t
fantasy involvedhere.
himself, that
hadtogoJust
was
Histo change,butZiggycouldnotresignhimselftobecomingless
obvious.He
brain
stupidandrelinquishhissurges
toadapt didn’tknow of female,
itout,to putwhocoherentwords
andorwhathewas
rationalthought.
ravenouslyItwasassailedaduoof
securityguardstrackingthethievestotheexitdoor.Theraucousfeeding
thanhuman.Hewouldfightthisthing,resistwitheverythinghe
tosort companions,male together.He
anymore. Itstrained
refused
partofliving
lefhist!
revoltedZiggy,andhestaggeredfromthesceneofcarnagewithbilein
histhroatthattastedp etrifandied. klutzyof fo tfal s, he ducked into theHe
concealment Hearing grunts
The liofshrubs.
crumpledtohiskneesandclosedwearyeyes. A flash oftheexhaustion
ds snappedup.Out alleyhobbled overwhelmed a gangofhim.blood­
stainedbrutes.Swervingpasthishideout,theyclattereddownthes
demonstrating the lightfootedness of slapstick cops chasing robbers.tre t
Hunchedinthebushes,Ziggyloiteredincasetheyaltereddirection.Man
Zero,thef irsinsects,
t infected,thesourceoft
Thecretinsweredrawntohim,likeamaster.
The too, and fromthem heir ailment,heheldasortofsway.
he couldn’t hide.A throng
reveal hisposition. Ziggy’s head swiveled.r They
indeedandmultiplied.Theswarmwashuge.Whatwashe,LordOfThe
toaccumulatedbehindwherehecrouched.Theiri itatinghadwhinethreatened
been fruitful
Flies? Cuffing them midair, he hunkered as low aspossiblehad without
Thelyingmaleprone.
dashed fortandh,Growls
femaleasalerted
loping fast ashimherakedthatcould.hisat himIflock
zombies t wasn’tbutof hefaithfuls
dodged themarrived.
devotion.He sensedand
theymightturnonhim,finishhimo
sillyshufflingrace.Andwhereverhewent,thef f . Whenhehurriedsodidthey,a
lies houndedhisheels.
Adele wasdarkunablein antohour.Sheoughtto
night, yetItwouldbe budge. The other mothers seeka refugefor
had gatheredthe
tdesolate.Andshewashalf­desperate,half­crazyenoughtobelievethati
heir toddlers and strol ers and bagsof essentials. Thepark was eerilyf
shestayedhereamiraclecouldhappen.Ifshel
certain.Wind ruffled an uncombed lock of hairefton, disappointmentwas her forehead. She
content.
recalledbrushingfinestrandsofalushandshiningmane,feelingquietly
Ithad been along time ago,It but hershecould slip inside that
features
younger versionina dressing­table
of herself andmirror.see out wasof a grimeyesthecontrastunblemished tothis
weatheredengravedsun­blotched
time, likeriversofcomplexion,
tears from thethelinesdeepeststreakedof sorrows.Round
by worryand
andchiselledinthewrongplaces.Astranger’scountenance;a
toy.regret. Shehadbeenavibrantindividual.Nowshewaslikeadamaged maskof
Hollow, useless, discarded
function:tomakeachildhappy.Itwaswhatsheneeded
wasgoon, and alone, having l o s t her
to purpose,
do,f u l f i l her
that
heart
could brokenwhyand couldnot be repaired.Shedidn’tknowhowothers
promise,performthatduty,yetitwastoolate.Itcouldn’t
they bothered. She must possessbeafixed.Her flaw, a
manufacturer’sdefect.
 Adelehuggedherselfandrocked,cold,socold.Iteludedherthat
theworldwaswarming.Inhersecludedatmosphere,theclimatewasan
iceshoneandthecloudsweptsplinteredshardsofglass.
age, somberas a windswept frost­coated plainwhere the sunnever
Thatwasclose!Ishouldhavebeenmorecareful.Shut
minuteandthey’reonmelikeantsswarmingadeadbeetle.Ican’tr
Can’tletdownmyguard.Ican'tevenblinkunlessit's safe.UnlessI'min my eyesaest.
a securelocation
moves. can’tbe theysureUnlikeme,
would
what's havepowering
I don’tto breakthinkthem,ithere’s
deceased,notwalkingaround.Theyactliketheywouldeatanythingthat
somewarning.
know­whatwarmedover.AndIdon’tthinkit’stheheat.Theyshouldbe
IAnything. ntbuto, whichtheyascraplooklike
would provideyou­
humanityinthem.I’mhangingontominewithadeathgrip. of life or
originatewithme.Ornexttome.Ij
thewrongspotattherighttime.Idon’tknowwhy.Itdoesn’tseemf
havesomanymisfortunesinonelifetime.WhatdidIeverdotodeserve
ThisplagueofFruitFlies, orwhateveryoucouldc
ust happenedtobestandingontheX, al it, seemedto air to
anepidemic?I tokeep tobeandthefkidnapped,towatchmyownfamily
beingabandonedbymyfamily
dieofpoisoning,andthen irstandonedoomed,thefirst carrieroforit
fliesorwalkings
lwin.Iwon’tallowi
ost before,butnevert
Anhaveopendoor
tif ts.todefeatmys
ogoing.
tal y, andIwon’tbevanquishednowbyfears
Can’tpigetrit suckedgetthebestofme.I’vebeen
into despair.Can’tlet
Iorneed toavoid. .everyone,
while.Nice.Verynice. . does it lock? There. That should hold for a
scratchcouldtransmittheillness.I'veseenthati
swarm
ascratchorbitealonewouldbelethal,or
sbegan,asi
decipher
histateback.
. Maybethecontactwithi
I’mnot to stickhaslivingany.around
metoormerely
f Naturehadaspasm.Likeabullquiveringtothrowaflyoff
rules,
you needto
planning
if thsiconsequences,
s thing
actuallydie t’dead.
Ibelike Ithem.haveIthet I’mtrying
andthem.I'mjustnotsureif
sandfind
t'insane.
s morphsomeone jutosanswers.
contagiousthroughthe t assume
tomytoIaf
suddenly
someone’s infected,MoreI’l accurately,
coward.Ipreferthewordloner.
ownprivatestage.
I'vealwaysdonet leave
his, talkedtoanimaginaryaudienceonmyvery
them to fend forthemselves. Call me a
I'mprotectmy
important,the maina t r a c t i o n . inthecircusringofmybrain.Asi
Asi f mylifeamountstosomething. madeaf
even
That'sagoodone.I'maboutasworthlessastheycome.Icouldn’t
wife and child.Other than them, I don't think I ' v e
difference to anyone, made the tiniest ripple with my presence on this
 planet.Ij
me. Is myustanykindofwatchedfromthesidelinesandl et thingshappento
wonder? My mother,whoevershewas,ditchedme.She
letmegetlin it ostheadwasprobablyfancifulthinking.Ihave
ofher orstolenandnevercametofind this notion of
me. Thatsmilingportrait
developed aturtle eggas achild.
her buryinga shellme likefor protection insand.WhenIt wouldMaandexplainUnclewhywereI
boozing,whenthehousereekedofbourbonandgin,IpretendedIwasa
tperhaps.
urtle withDidImentionIwassoaveragebeforetoday,Iwasinvisible?At
a strong shell in which to hide. Psychological child’s play,
leastmy
addressingmy motherwholeseemedlife. toHey,thinkso.Mom, Iwondera loti!f Great
thanks it'sherjobI'ofve being
been
there! WhenIsayaverage,Idon'texaggerate.Fairtomiddling,no more,
noless.Ihavesetnoexampleforothers;Ididn'trateaboveaverageat
anything.I f theygetme,itwon'tbeagreatlt'sowhatkeptmegoingt
withinmethatwon'tbeconquered.Maybei s . Yetthereis something hirty­
oddyears.
scrabblingtoget
Ihear them,in. rat ling the door, thumping the exteriorwall,
includingI amtrying,
Nobodywillbelievet
killedoffthebeesandb Ihisamutunetrireally
theinsect population. tryingisateh.itosTheheat
tomakeset lsenseof
ehasthemadeusa
fl iet’s,OrtooldisruptingtheFoodChain?Seemingly everything.
scoreafter l mad,we
minor,thatcolossalerrorsteadilycausedthingstounravel.Itmays
withasingleloosethread.Youtugitand
Myarmsitch.Ohjeez!I’mrubbingthemtogetherlikeafly! the worldcomesundone. tart
turningintoone???
Absurd.It AmI
was nothing. I guess I’m entitled to some awkward
behaviorconsideringthecircumstances.
Corporationscreatedthismess.
theyhadcontrol.Theycontinued to Theyhadthemoney,soofcourse
tinker,engineeringstrongerspecies,
it didn’tstopatbeesorb
liketheymanipulatedcrops.Only
withspread.Andwhatresulted
another,utheBitterness
nnatural wasmistake
til myfamilydiedandwiththemmyheart.
order.
and selOnef­pityareall aboutwhatyou'dexpectwhentampering
I’vegot.I’m
led to anotherbasicallywaitingto ut erflies, it
and anotherand
dietoo.AndIdon'tmeanfromoldage.WhatchancedoIhave?They’re
going payingfearof
IBeingazombie,i
Andfear.The
t's thescreamsthatmake
itforward, meandcringe.
folksturning,devolvingintogrotesqueshamblingnightmares.
tokeep f that’swhatinfact
dyingbutnotdying. there will only bemore ofthem,
won’thave to worryaboutr u l e s . Or i f my Iam,hasits advantages.I
hairisthinning.Icanwearthe
sameclothesforayear.
 Ican’t believe I oncecared which
baskets,moretouchdownsorruns.Ican’tbelieveIwastedsomanyhours sidescored more goals or
I’mso
ofmylifedrinking
I'l findThesmyselftrhungry.Ican’tstay
e tsurrounded.
looksclear.I Theneedto
beer andfeelingsorry here.I’m I seem to be
thingforshakingagain.
one keepgoing.Dawdletoolongand
myself.
Maybetha
surviving.tI’m’sal stwereallylivefor,thechancetoclingtol
il kicking.But what for? Another opportunity ife. goodtodie?
at is
everywhere.I'mjumpyfroms
I need tofind somewhere tres . HowIyearntocurlupinawarmbed
to hole up, before those things are
andAmazing
ignoredthem.Like
slumberhowlifewithoutcanchange
symptomsof
tension. What justlike
Cancer.II wouldn't
that .doesn’tgoaway
Theregivewereto simply
signswhenyou
butwe
relax.
tel yourselfitisn’tr
Mylegsaresoheavyandslow.AmIdreaming?IwishIwere.I
What’sthat?Footsteps.Run!!!
eal.
couldslapmyselfathousandtimesandbeholdthesamemadness.There
ibuilding.Hegrabbedmetosinkhisteethintomyface.Ipanickedand
s nogoingback.
Faster ... One was hidingt inwon’ttakelong.Severalmonths,a
punchedhim.Therearemorenow.I
year,andwhateverisolatedindividualsarel
thesheerfruitlessnessofgoingon,thef teyftofwilltaketheirownlivesa
utailidoorway. barrenhopes.
Strivingto enter at
How Thewretchisstumbling
itmanages to hunt and a
feed f t e r me,way
while tooenergeticforacorpse!
decaying by the minuteis a
mystery.Theygothroughthemotions of living, yet mostaredead.AndI
ammerelydelayingtheinevitable.
Oh no.No!Stayaway,youstinkingrot er! Whatdismalluck.My
Ahhhh!
ankletwistedsteppingoffacurb,andtheripes
stankbeforedying)isonlyafewstepsfrommunchingmyremains.
I haveto limpas bestI can,laboringtopour tif (whoprobablyalready
onsteam,but
asandI'mdonefor.I
thingbacktherei
anentirehorde.Theslightestweaknesscouldbefatal.Asinglemishap
s tadvancing.I
's survivalofthefittest andI’m fallingapart!I’minitheter
may aseasilysuccumbtoasolitaryb
IfI start blubbering,it’sal over.
shreds,thewalkingleftoversofaflesh­eatingvirus!Wasthatawhimper?
hanging Theworst
onandI partis
don't losingwhyhope.Ijust
know or how. can'tworldpictureis abarbaric
The future. andI'm
crude.Thereisnothingofvalue,onlychaos.I
calamityeverbegan.
spineu nHa,til Iperceived
thatwas rich! The echoof footbeatst wasthatwaybeforethis sent a shudder upmy
behindIstubbedatoe andtheyweremine.
Asnort,perilouslynear.Thatwasn’tme.Uhhhh!Great,peering
tripped.This is it, this is al it takes!
Staycalm.Takeabreath.Ahhhhh!!!
sure toughThethingclumsilypounced.Irolledtomeeti
for being dead. Yuck, strings of slobbert. andThesethingsare mucous are
 sosurfaces:wrestling
asawhyfishondryland.Yeah,IwouldneverbeanOlympicathleteIknew,
bother?
dripping to myeyes.Wishin GymClass,thecoachyellingthatIwasasuseless
bother? I had trainedfor myforlitfheisandadistant
I'mnowstruggling . Again though,memorywhy
heroes, they’d Mymaanduncleusedtot
be born with capes.el Don’t me,‟Ifhumansweremeanttobe
be a hero, just stay out of
trouble.”Theywereright. It seemsironic to measI’mtusslingwithadead
simple of a civilization Mythat livelihood
guy.Thelengthyhoursspentstudying...thensloggingawayinacareer
collapse
thatnolongerexistsorbearssignificance.Renderedmoot—notbythe
shiftinculture. neglected towaslearnreplaced,
fromHistory after years
— byaof
producing
Rainproof windshieldwipers,
Glass, resista n t byglassForevery
towater. thatdoesn’tstep needtobe
forward, i t wiped.
seems,
someoneorsomethinggetstrampledunderneath.
Addunemploymenttomylistofachievements.
I’mb
iItsni’stn.’tWhat’s riltheiantldifference?
y tryingtochokethecadaverandheclawsmycheek.
likeIwasuninfected,butI’mfarfromt My brain grapplesh r i l ewith
d . I’mthealiveandhe
question,
mentallymimicking
bbell’sding,
Iscreen.
te’lssatrick signallingupmyphysical
, so wekeepbrawlingu
Ipicked thefromwatchingthe
round’s
ntil Iheftachunkofbrickanddenthisskull.
plight,andanepiphanystrikeswitha
end. Zombiesdead lurchdon’tpay and lunchon
attentiontothe
Iafrail Humor,mytrustyDefenseMechanism.
InThisscourgei
dim­wittedI’vebecome.Whatwasi
Ftl’isesagooddisguise,butithasn’tfooledthem.
Fliesdidn’tk
, whereasmyfellowinfectedwerechompedbyhumans.TheFruit
wisp,atransparentinkling...Ohyeah,I
theexcitementIalmostforgotIhadanepiphany.That’show
il me.TechnicallyI’mnotazombie,Ijustlooklikeone.
s oneofmany.Wetippedt? Squinting,Icanglimpsethetailof
was nibbled by Fruit
Noneofus
springing
doubtless upsuffer
thevictimsofourownundoing.Most lesionsandofbreathing
fromSkinanynumber ofmaladies. thebalance,andweare
candaily.endureunscathed.Noneofusareintact.Andwedid
thesurvivorsofthisplaguewill
disorders.New cancers.itto
Contagions havebeen
ourselves.Cheerful,i
Pushing asidesnthe’t it?contused cadaver, I’m barely able to stand.
Ohhh.Oh,oh,oh,oh,oh...Ohhhhh.
Thatwasfun.Dizzied,mylegsflaccid,Itumbleddownaf l i g h t of
concretesteps.Morepursuersbumblepastabove.I’mcurledinab
fresh
instrewithThe
tsgashes onmy elbowstheseandrankcankneesIsay?I’mhuman.
numerousfesteringflywounds.I’msurethatI’masorrys
withoutapulse.
Tearsareflowing.What
Deadbeats, remnantsscarcelyof humanityprowling a
noticeableightamidstl ,
, blendingthethe
sobs. Ican’tsubduethetide. Unashamed,I’movercomebywrenching
couldn’t Shebearthe
poorexpanseof criedforabjectly,
substitute
sorrow.Tohave childaloneknown
pain,the couldn’tgo shein hadthehimon park,arms
tyearned embracing hold.herself,Shea
hsobriefly,hisexpressions,the
is way.Her decades
lifetowasableak
small trusting hand inhers, and ttohave
failedhimforevenasecond...I lowered her guard — tot havetook
wastoolong.Thatwasthetimei
tolosehim.Shecouldn’tallowherselftolivewithoutherbabyonemoreday.
inhermind,taunting,inviting,accusing.Sheclampedhandstoearsbut
Onemorehour.Itwastoolong.Toolong.Toolong.Thewordschanted
couldn’tshutthemout.
Digginginthefoldsofshabbygarments,shereverentlysmoothed
thestainedand
son. But thatcreasedphotograph
was a long time ofaago. smilingfamily.Father,mother
andbelievehewouldbeback.Shewasn’tcrazy.Quitetheopposite.Insanity Too long.It wastoo long to
acceptthatshewouldnever see him,touchhim,again.
wouldhavebeenablessing,areprievefromg uilt andregret.Shehadto
Shehadencountered the palm­reader
waslikeher,ahomelessdenizen of int. recentyears.Thewoman
The psychic’seyescleared an Joleneoccupiedacornerarm‟I
thes
andspeweddireend­of­the­worldmessages.Adelehadsqueezedher
todemand,‟Howdidyouknow?” t r e
gazedinsideyoursoul,downtoyourpith!”sherancidlyspat.‟Wherethe
devildwelled!”
Adele for instant. Recognitionflared.
hadrushedfromthecorner,bilescaldingherthroat.
Didshemeanthecult?Adelefrettedforweeks,
‟Youcan’toutrunthem!”badetheharpy.
face,everypersonshe meton sidewalks,crossingintersections.I paranoidofevery
t wasin
bewithoutaroofoverhead.
thepast,sheeventuallyrealized.Shewassafe.Assafeasawomancould
Adele withdrewa
behindadumpster.I t s rusty chipped knife discoveredofinbatanle.alleyShe
bladeheldthebrownishbloodstains
tracedthesteeledgewithafingertip.Thedaggerwouldserveasaf
instrumenttoend
existenceintowhichshehadbeendepositedbyherowntaintedbirthina
herworld, her privateHell ...this tragic bereft it ing
devil­worshippingc
escapedtogether
brides. whenult.theylearnedshewaspregnant.AftertheMidnight
Itwasthereshemet
ritualwhereshewasdruggedandlaidoutonanaltarasoneofSatan’s
Desperatelyprayingthebaby her husband,Zeke.They
was Zeke’s,Adele had refusedhadto
believeanythinge
knewthetruth. l s e , rejectingthefortuneteller’swords. Inher heartshe
beenalittleconvenient.Maybethehouse,carandcashinheritedfroma
relativeshehadneverheardofseemedabitserendipitous.Thenthe
Maybetheblacksedanthatpickedthemupalongahighwayhad
soured.Their boy vanished. Zeke died. She lostthe house
an omen. luck
toa
corporationoverpropertytaxes.Thepsychichadbeen
anappealformercy.Soonhertormentwouldhavetoend. andmurmured
Lifting theknife,blade down,she bracedherself
survive.
would
effort
body. tonotReduced
nourishmentforhisemotions.Depressionmustoverpowertheinstinctto
Perhaps
scalethe
replenishtothemost
lendfalse
stairway.
hiswill primitiveof
orhope.I cravedhope,there
Hiscomfort.stomachtWithout
couldonly
needs,Ziggyutilizedsupreme
sustenance.
fuel andsatisfy
Yetfood
wasnothe
He scratched at hissores.Theman’sskincrawledfromwithin.He
wantedtobayinagitatedf rustration. Hewasawreck.
rustle. Moist
Atstreeteyeslevel,listeningfor
scoured the vicindanger, ity, seekinghe detecteda
to identifythe
scuff.Thenfurtivea
heponderedwhethertoduckbackdownthestairwellorattempttof
sounds.Hisproximitywasahotzone;hehadtostaya
Beforehecoulddecide,afigurehoveintoviewwithamaneoftangles lert. Posturerigid,le .
anddisheveledlayersofclothing.Their
Her‟You!”shehissed. arm eyes
went slack. An elevated like alocked.Theprophethalted.
jawThecondemnationslicedthroughinternalorgans.Hebuckledasi shotgun to point at him.f
hiswifeandchild.Forcallouslynotcaringabouttheworld,l
stabbed,handstohisbelly.Remorsetiedinnardsinknotsfornotsparing et ing allof
rue. Yethefeltthathewasavesselofdeathand
this happen.Everything.Hefeltthatsomehowhewasthecause.Itdidn’t
makesense,couldn’tbet
destruction.AbsoluteHe shoulderedthecumbrousweightofresponsibilityforthe
world’sdemise.
Flies revolved silencehim,shiftedblanketing
around ears, to noise,theaaiflurry
r . of humcommotion.
Their vibratedFruitlike
mini­bombersastheyclogged
echoed. He knewthe theybuzzingof insects,filmedeyesandskin,streamedinand
outofhisnoseandmouth.
Above a grunting and gnarringofbeasts
would find him. Blindly the fly lord confronted
ranksofzombies,numbedbythecirculationofhispunyminions.Mute,
hecouldn’taddressthemonstroushorde.Insteadhegesticulatedbroadly,
arms Ashroudoffliesfunneledtowardtheskyheirandjustchurnedtherelike
wideasifinwelcome.Hesurrenderedtot ice.
thundercloudstowitnessArmageddon.
Theprophetwasfirsttoreachhim,growlingwiththe ferocityof
aninsatiableappetite.Self­preservationunleashedaviolencethatZiggy
hadbelievedhimselfincapableof,andheslashedhervisagewithfingers
curvedtotalons.Hethrewhertothepavementbythehairandrendered
lurked
theharridannullasifshewerearoach.Whateverabominabledarkness
inhis depth,it wasasurprise to him. This ruthlessyento stay
alivea t al costs seemed foreign. He hadregardedhimselfasneithergood
norbad,amanwithoutdistinction.Butherehewascombattingalegion
Whati
ofgoonsfHestooderect,
heinadvertently
bentuponrendingsavedtheworldtoo?
himto pieces.Wassavingyourselfheroic?
achance.Heretreated.huffing,andfacedtheghouls.Savetheworld?Not
Adele chided herself for hesitating. Coward!
womanlamented.Shehadnoreasontolive.Her
herselftoplungethebladeandquitbehavinglikeawimp.‟Doi She commanded
arms tensed.Thiswasi t!” thet.
Mindfocused,breathcomposed,channelinga
theknifedownward. state ofpeace,shedrove
Agrating unintelligible
againstthetwistedthreadsofFate. shout interrupted her arc of triumph
collapsedThein thesandatherf
woman manwinced,
aggravation.Alarge
pittedbyinnumerableb itessprintedacrosstheparktotheplayground.He
. e tblade
. Apatheticcroakissued
suspended, and glanced froma drythroat asidein
Adelesighed and
She nudgedwasn’tthe guyokay!withHeloweredtheknife.I
‟Youneedsomehelp?”Shedidn’tknowwhatshecoulddo,buti laceratedt wouldhavetowait.‟Hey.”
thehadtoebeenof aworn
lookedlikeadog’schew­toy!Theinjuredmanlaymoaningandpanting.
coursehe okay?”t wasHeOf
shoe.from‟Aretopyouto bottom.
politetoofferinthesesituations.
Ziggy’s hands groped sediment. hadhe The woman wasHe tmanraileidveto. They
would followhim directlyto her.What
himselfup.Onefistclaspedsomethingotherthansand.The
atan done? push
blinked
object,afadedtoy.Heexperiencedapangofnostalgia.Anobscure
recollection. I t meantsomething.Thesentimentevaporated.
Herknifef
releasethet urtle.uIrtelle.. ‟That’smine!”Thehomelessladytussledoverthe
plasticwind­upt
Ziggycouldn’tletgo.Hedidn’tknowwhy,buthej ust couldn’t
Weeping,Adele stir edpleaded
somethingprofound.
withthe man togive back her son’s
favoritetoy.Shewouldbringittothisparkwhereshehadbroughthim,
her feel closetohim. Itwas a connection, ..a pilgrimtraveling
arrangingtheturtleonthesandwherehelikedtoburyi
landthatshevisitedreligiously. to taholyshrine.A
likethis square of symbolic
. Thetoymade
publicplace,it belonged to everyoneyetwasspecial to her.
 Andtohim.
Ziggyhadcomehereguidedbyalittleboyseekingconsolation,
smiling
mostprizedpossession.Knocking
runningtohismommy.Theshattered
bellowed
countenance. youngwoman’sghostly
‟Mime!” Awave— ofpent­up
garbled without imagehosmantilsuperimposed
aitsquintedatt
ytongue
frothed—totheandupon
his cryinglady.A
reclaimed
herhaggard
surface. Hehis
couldn’tbe,i
rosegrinningwithglee.Armsapart,she
avictoriousstance,thetoya
Adelesatupgasping.Sheclappedj
t couldn’t be!Strangledhystericallaughterspoutedasshe
loft. theladyaside,heclimbedtohisfeetin
stepped to wrapherchild t
it ery handstohermouth.I
taken,abductedbystrangers!She
hug.‟No,Ican’tbelievei
Ziggywhirled,eyesenraged.She
t! You’remyson! cal himherson!Hisina
hadnohadrightMylostdearsweetboy!”
tohim!Allowedhimtobe
jawexplainflapped.the hurthe
Beads hadof heartache
borne glitteredfor mostinhisofhiscold days.
inside eyes.HeHis couldn’t
exterior
wounds were nothing by comparison.
conflicted.‟Iloveyou.Ialwayshave,”shewhispered. He warded her o f , features
Ziggyshookhishead.
‟I’m sorry.” Fingers to her neck,hadeyeswantedmorethananything
limpid poolsof anguish,
Adelestaredintothe
tofind.Hewast a l faceof theboyshe
now,likehisfather. He hadtheshapeofhismother’s
chin,
tsmile; hercheekbones
Zeke’s blue­gray eyes. ‟We both loved yousheepishly
and
heir son.‟Youwereoursandno­oneelse’s.” h a i r . And his father’s somuch,”handsome she told
expression Tearswashedpouredawayfromand Ziggy’s eyes. thatHislitobstinate betrayed
Adele cried ioutfe. with joy and submerged him in her arms.was Thethe
happiestdayofhisl he resembled l e boy.It
Ziggy’s arms engulfed her, tentative, then forgiving. They hung
man’sheightmadenodifference.Hewasstillherchild.
ontoeachotherasiftheywouldneverletgo.Whatreallyconnectsus?
brainflowedlikeariverin
touchedinthislife searchofa
Blood?Orsomethingdeeper?Somethinglesstangible?Ziggy’smuddled
that counted, whowenewpath.Maybeitwaswhowe
interactedwith andmade the
worldbetter
them. As a forgathering in grandormodest
army ofmutantsways.Evenif ringedthe wepark,ultimatelyfailed
acursed man
vowed
circling,toforthinafrenzy
barged defend invain.
lashing a treasuredandThereZiggyvaliantly
ladywerewithtoohis many.ficountered
nal breath.
Andthen them,The thezombies
kicking,flies
descended.Theirhumamplified.Theitchingbeneathhisskinmagnified
inresponse.Hisfleshswelled,andmovements became sluggish.Hewas
sweatingtubs.
Flies planted
It occurredtohimatthelastthathewasanincubator.TheFruit
eggs; their growth cycle must have accelerated. Maggots
hatchedand were consuming him, compelling him toattack others, to
cannibalizeandinfectthem.
Whentheyreachedhisbrain,Ziggylosthismind.Andhistemper.
Inhorror,betweenbillowsofflies,Adeleogledhe screamed,onand
toimpossibledimensions.Hisskinbubbled.Then her sonbloating
on.The aroundhim tumbledgruesomebackasmeleetheofmanfiends,eruptedand intherean
creaturessurroundedbya
unrestrainedspateofhead­bashinglimb­breakingmania.
hope.Theywere
wasnothingshecoulddotoprotectherson.Thetimetodosowaspast.
Herstomachandteethclenched.Thewomanharborednofurther
smile
Hestrovetoprotecthernowbutit was futile.Sheswallowed.Arueful
much. Ziggy’s flesh ruptured,sundering to jigsaw bitse,asandmore
shapedherl i p s . Atl e a s t theyweretogether.Atl t theyhadthat
flies
emerged.Adele was jolted to the grass
her. ‟NOOOOOOOOO!!!” Her fingers coiled. She had located by a crowd of zombies pawing
theknife.Shehadsurvivedacultofwickedfreaks,enduredlosing
herhusbandandonlychild,thenfoundherchildjustlongenough
she wasRoaring, to die like some flimsy skittish nostrilsflared,
tolosehimagain!Shemightnotwin,makethatwouldnotwin,but
movies! notgoingshestoodupgreeneyesablaze, femalein the
andanything,butitmadeherfeelprettydarngoodaszombiestoppled
commenced k
in theirheads. i l i n g the dead. Who probably didn’t feel
withholesAknifewas no matchfortheflies. Theinsectsinvadedc avitriieess,.
cloggedhernose,teemedtoherlungs.Theirclamors
As the zombies joined in, shelesmercifully t i f l e d dreadfulc
andbigmouthsdevouredherf h. suffocated while myriad tiny
It’s hot.You’rebathedinperspirationalthoughi
gogglesandagas­mask, you ventureoutsideintopolluteda t’s early.Wearing
ir thatis now
blackwithflies.Theworldisdeterioratingbeforeyoureyes,everywhere
darkandhumming,adrapeofmadnessandmayhemlikethef
on aplay with a castof fools.Wheredid they come from,inthislatest al curtain
plague?It’sluckyyou’resoparanoid,cloakedinathinwhitehood,long
frompain.
never
fsleeves,bootsandslacks. like Anthem.insectpinchesyourhandandyouballyour
hood.Youdidn’tevenknowaFruitFlycouldb
ists, shovingthemintopockets,butyourears
seen Perhaps
anythingthey’reanother Youinsect, Yourtightearsare
pull thesomeareihoodte!newspecies.
vulnerablewithinthe onfireis
er. A hand
You’ve
exposedtotheirnicks,therapaciousnips.Isthatblood?Upset,youcram
thefistini
approaching.
oafish,millingtogether
Hastening alongyeta notconversing.Maybethey’re
ts pocket,havingskippedglovesduetothehightemperature.
It’s apparent thereisan
sidewalk,youoddnessnoticeaboutagroupthem. ofWeaving, people
second thought,youdoubt it. They’reweird butthatisn’tjuistt. weird.On
whatmakesyoustepfromthecurbandcrossthestreet.
Theymightthinkthesameaboutyoufordonningagas­mask,but Thatisn’t
poisoning
thestyle ithepublic.Fashion,however,i
s catching onsince theGlobals thelGovernment a s t began blatantlyt
thingonyourminda
themoment.They’relookingrightatyou.Groaninginapeculiarmanner.Like
theyaren’t
diagonally, makinghuman. abeeline Kindof bizarre.
toward Andyou. they’reCreepy!crossing
Youspeedthestreet,
up to
inspection,they
maintaintomeeta cautiousareextremelyfoulandmangy.Youwoulddefinitelynot
distance, glancing atthem repeatedly. Oncloser
care Briskly
Well,ithem.t’yous inevitableatthispace.Timetorun.
scurry, aiming for a populated area. Unfortunately,
thestreets sothick,you’recrashingintothemrather
are vacant. Besides the bugs. Your goggles
steamed;youwipethemonyourclothing,handstuckedintosleeves.The
insectsare thantheareopposite.
getting
Youadjustthefogged and smearedlenseswithyourcuffsandscrubat
thefliesspatteredontheglass. the too­friendly
Peering
arediscernt
stillangling over,to intercept
you noteyou.thatThey’ve
heir aspectsaregrosslymauled,andtheskinthati shortenedorthemalicious
gap.You creepscan
sn’t missing
hasUnsympathetic,cordialornot,youwantnothingmorethantogetasfar
a pallid unnatural hue.A tremor of fear passes through your soul.
awayfromthemaspossible.
YouWherecan’tiaheavy
emptystreets, s everyone? Between theanticipation,youfeellike
steppedintoanotheruniverse.Orwokenupthelastperson
bedreaming,yourearss
atmosphereof goryting. Yourfiststoo.Exploring
characters onandEarth.bugs,you’vethe
therimof anear, youdiscoveri
gouges!Removingyour t bloody.Thebackofyourhandcontains
all­purposeE.T.(Every
and Thing),youweighthe
prosandconsof activatingthegadget
aspracticallyeverything.Youneedtolearnif
You’re being monitoredbybycameras
checkthenews—whichisowned
muchoraslittleastheydeemnecessary. beingtracked,monitored,to
thecorporationsandwilltellyou
anyway, and sensors, in
logic.PressingONwithabeep,
mistundulating,youlinktotherfanningthebuggyair,swirls there’sanemergency,dictates
est oftheworld.Articleheadlinesand ofsoupy
videosleap offthe screen,cryptic apocalyptic
andmutantflies.Uh­huh,sure.Thishas
orhoax.Zombies! messagesaboutzombies
to beajoke,somekindofprank
Readinganarticle,youroptimismsinks.Youfeellikeyou’rethe
onlyonewhodidn’tknowtheworldhasended...
upyours Ifromt’tsritdreu.e.AsolemnAsiananchorwomanintones,hairmussed,her
Yourgaitlags.Youremembertheunsavoriesandpick
teeth
complexionthdamp: ‟The inFruit Flies mutatedto beimmuneto
eir larvalphase.Theyappear to carnivoresthebypesticides
retaining
andzombieswilllaymay thavebeen
heir eggs a result rotting flesh of humans.
the livingof thiors flyinfestation— or a separateThe
parallelaWhatf lictisn’tbeing
ion. Thesearethefactsa
detailsandevents—”Thevideocut
mutations,theunderlyingcausesoftheset discussed ofin.tThatwashoursago.
present.Wewillupdateyouas
thenews
hreats. Culpabilitylieswiththe
iswhat initiated the
tcorporate
his belowstructure
their breath,of society.
but noneof
Everyonethewhoisn’t
massesareSomebodygrumbles
empoweredto
out mattered,when do
anythingaboutit.There fwastheydon’tliketheway
was dangeroustodisagree.Dangerous
content.Thereispeace.I
differently.Thosefreedomshadledtowar,
Nowit atime whenspeaking
peopleeverywherecouldraisetheirvoicestogetherandinspirechange. it wastaught.Nowpeople
to complain,c riticize, thinkare
senttoTransitionCamps.Basically,forcedlabor. thingsare,theywillbe
Perhapsacollapseofcivilizationwouldn’tbesobad.
Yourtogetridreverieofthem.Shouldyougohome?Theymightfollow.The
has allowed the gimps to gain ground. You’relow
gratefulforthegas­mask.Theymustreek.Dartingintoapark,youare
anxious
parkseemstranquil,deceptivelyordinary.Awomanisseatedona
wall by aplay area. You lope toward her. Maybeshe’s like you were,
oblivious,outoftouch.
bustletothecenteroftheinsectmaelstromandgrasphershoulder,then
Something isn’t right. The flies appear to be orbiting her. You
direction.
uneasily eyethe She haslines, matted toohairmanyanddirty
lines, butshe
garb. A seems face swings
okay.Theinyourface
turnsfartheinr. Halfofiti
detonates
astretchedtop,apregnantquakingmound.Youscreamasherabdomen
a torrentofs hideouslyravaged.Herbellyprotrudesbeneath
flies.A visage ripe withwelts and tumors
you. Blood and bugs. Theinsects penetrate your clothing.
Zombies,attractedlikesharks,staggertothefeast.
showersWhatdidyouexpect,ahappyending?
filmed YourE.T.tumblesoutofyourhand.Onthescreenplaysavideo
from a corporate office. Aman inaharmfulblacksubstances
hood announces thatare
Peace Corpse wants you to know what
breathingThevideogoesdark.Aflylandsonthescreenandmerrilycleans
published.
liberallys crandAol listof
s.ingesting.
toxic chemicals
The contentsand sickness­causing people
of the ‟safe” pesticidesare
contaminants
itsteeth.
***
 LoriasR.Herbooks
Reflections”.
nonfiction Lopez writespoems,
wellasadarkinclude shortstories,novels,songs,
often­humorous
CHOCOLATE­COVERED
column called and
‟Poetic
EYES,
R. LOPEZ,OUT­OF­MIND EXPERIENCES,ANILLWINDBLOWS
DANCEOFTHECHUPACABRAS,THEMACABRE MINDOF LORI
andTHEFAIRYFLY(agestwelvethroughadult).Herstoriesandverse
appear inanthologies suchas MIRAGES:HORROR:
TALESDAMNED
FROM AUTHORS
OFDON’T,IBELIEVEINWEREWOLVES,SOUPOFSOULS,THIRSTY
ARE THE DAMNED, and SCARE PACKAGE: 14 TALESIFYOUOF
THE MACABRE, MASTERSOF
TERROR.FifteenofLori’spoemswerepublishedforananthologytitled
INDARKNESSWEPLAY(TriskaidekaBooks).
SuziM
 Scarred
bySuziM
people Staringa
will t e l tyou.yourownheadstonei
Depending on s nowaytostcircumstances,
thetimeand art theevening,most Iquitefind
put yourmy night in perspective.
staringatyourownepitaphonyourcustom­madegravemarkercanreally
Nothing says you wasted your l i f e
cupof coffee to wakeme up before staring havenotyet
hadrelatedrelativeswillslapontothatpieceofrock.AndifI
liketheoldcliché‘so­and­sowillbemissed’sortofthingthatdistantly
Ikicked my feetup
truth…well,thatmakesforashittynight
ancient
considered
decideditwouldbeeasiertoj
dutymorethanajohnpayingforat
woodenpolishingmodel
themwithupdrawers
ontothe forprofessional
uforst getanewpairofshoes.Oneswithout
arimorecthatk.scarred
Staringatthet
protested
everyone. apts ofmyshoes,I
thetheiharddesk­­
surfacedoingiofmy r builgrayt anin
appearance;then
holesinthesolesandalongtheuppers.FrommyreclinedpositionIcould
dotosetthingsrightwouldbetoAmericanup my whiskeywithashot ofto
stillmakeoutthecurvedtopofmytombstonelurkingintheshadows.I
pulledopenthebottomdrawerofthedeskanddecidedthebestthing
coffee.
noirdetective’sofficeandflouncesmoret
tgoodinas
o, butIamsadlynotthatnoirdetectivenorwouldthet
Thisisusuallyaroundthetimethatthehotchickwalksintothe
uit, sure,butIlikethemen.Onanoptimisticnote,Iamtold
it andassthanaguycan say no
actic work.Ilook
thatpassesfornormal,anyway.IamsureIstillpassforawoman,butbeyond
it isfairly normal behavior for women to feelthatway. Whatever
that, Iamtotallyataloss.
Comingbackfrom thedeadwasmyfirst mistake.Goingbackto
avery plausibleexcuse for notgoingtowork.Ithinkthey
workinsteadofcashingoutmysickdays
amayl , deathwas wasmy secondmistake.After
before,evenIamgivesadlymorenotatimeoffnoir detective,and
ifthe person whodied
this is notisanoir
you. Asdetective
Isaid
story.Irefusetogosleuthingamongsttheofficesofhumanresourcesto
outIcouldhearfootstepsinthedingyhallwayoutsidemyofficedoor,
howmuchtimeoffIshouldbetaking to mournmyownpassing.
findandtheninwalkedaveryagitatedmodelofmasculinity.Hiseyesdarted
andt itle“.What can I dofor you?”Iandaskeditslicasually
hereandthere,thenfellontomydesk t le placardwithmyname
while lighting a
cigarette. He lookedto protest my smoking and I arched an eyebrow that
said ‘nowwasnotagoodtimetotalkaboutmybadhabits.’Isuckedina
breathandblewthesmokeawayfromus,notthati
office. “Thisisgoingtosoundcrazy,”hes t helpedinthesmall
lookedamazed. “Yes.” tartsayed. it wasbycaraccident.”
He“Youdied.Fromthelooksofyou,I’d
amongst“And theair­brnowyou’re
eathers.”“Yes!” wondering what the hell you’re doing back
“Mmmmm­hmmm.”
“Howdidyouknow?”
Inodded to my own gravestone, squinting against the smoke.
“Join theHeclub,seemedgenuinelydisturbedbymyofficedecoration.Ihave
back.” Hon. I’ve been getting cal s off the hook since I cameto
admit,IcouldnotrememberhowIhadgottenthethingfrommygrave
office withforme.brainstold
andwereintomy thenowmaggots SomethingmeinIreallyshouldnotinvestigate
thebackofwhat I assumed
further into my demise; nor should I try to solve this undead Honey’s
case. “Doyouknowwhathappenedtous?”
“Nope.Notaclue.”
“Willyoufindoutforme?Ineedtoknowwhat’sgoingon.”
aboutthepast, and Idon’tthinkaboutthefuture.”
decidedtoliveamuchmoreinthenowl
“Sorry,guy,Ihave my own worries.Since
ife. ThatmeansIdon’tworry
theresurrectionI’ve
morebeatupf
as I dropped“I canpay….”
“Money’s mylo r.beat up shoes offmy beat up deskand ontoan even
Itsoundedalmostlikeaquestion,Ihadtosmirk.Ishookmy head
wanttoknow.”He staredapassé. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I don’t
t measimyfcancerstickandregardedhim
Ihaddiedandcomebackfromthegrave.I myforamouth.Ihave
regrettingmychoiceevenbeforethewordswereoutof
suckedanotherdragoff man inuniform. moment,
alwaysbeenasuckerforblue­eyedfratboysanda
“Fine.I’llseewhatIcando.”
In endit turnedout beafluke.Thedeadstartedto
the al into vaultsthatweresealed.Accusationsdrop
offagainandwerequicklyburied
about
the blamegovernmentforit, andso
experimentsthereflew,was butno
no donkeycountryon stepped
which touptopinthetake
proverbialtail.
isnotagood BlueEyescamebacktomyofficelookinghopeful.Mypokerface
one,andhequicklygottheideathatIhadsomebadnews.
“Sorry,”Ibegan,
“Whatdoesthatmean?” “No answers….We’rejustanaccident.”
“Meanswe’llbesortedoutinaboutadayortwo.”
“Huh?”
“We’llbetakinganotherdirt napagain real soon.”
 “Howdoyouknow?”
“Because I broke a tooth trying to bite into someone’s skull….
Thisisn’tthemovies.We’restarvingbacktodeath.”
“Shit.”
“Indeed.”
****
Tolearnmore,followSuzionFacebook!
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SuziMOfficial
 Tara Maya
The One inthe Basement
the
formaldehyde.
are plastic,which
noise,it’s
Except
Outside,for
noit’sarebother.
thenoteasiertocare
banging
toohot,
Best onsheyetstill up realplants.
theforthan
wasbasement
sunny.
anyway,
Beams
door, it’soflight
Oneonly
almost
the kindofSunday
illuminate
needkeep
half pasttheseven.
them
plants in herkitchen
mornings
dust­free,
Thekitchen
Marlie
and they’rejustas
likes
smells
window.
best.Never
like coffee andas
Thepretty
plants
mind

realflowers.
adorable The ceramic
elephant the planters
exact same are adorable:
shade asa a cotton­candy
blueberry lollipop pinkbunny,
her mother a lemon­meringue­pie
gave her for hersixth colored ducky,
birthday. There’sana
anymore,
hedared
denim­and­lace
pictureofMama
butMarliekeeps
pig­tailed
madethose.
covers.Marlie thememories
with
Likethat
Marlie,
lollipopin
forthe
mama oneofthe
sakeof
knewthatthemboth.
photoalbums,
keepsakesFrankarewhichareall
always
important.
complains
Mama’s
lovingly
aboutthe
memory
enclosedin
clutter,
isn’thand­sewn
andonce
so good
onthe positsuggest
manlikes ehasshejustthrow
ivhise.Marlimother­in­law? awayMarlie
popped thethetoast,
shelfof photo
Frankalbums.
knowswhenbetterthan toheed
shuffles Frankinto
hasthegrumbling
tohis never got along
kitchen, still well
aboutwearing withhismama.
hermother. It’s But
dingy graythen,
better what
to focus
robe and
slippers.The toast is perfectgolden brown.Marlie slathersthe crusty bread with butter, which melts right and proper as
youlike.
wantstodestroy
“Gonna
Althoughsetherand mama
firetothat
can’t
someinstinct
woman
hear himoneforandcouldn’tunderstand
day,”Frank
self­preservation
says.Hehaskicked
glowers
ifshe did,
atthe
in.Notthebasementdoor.
possible,
bangingstops.sadly.Mama’s
As if sheknows Frank
Marlie considers ita blessing,really; shecan no longerbeoffended by Frank’sconstant hostility. mind is gone.
Frank
He startsandtoMarlie are eatingchair,scowling.
risefromhis breakfast whenthe banging starts up again.
“Ignoreit,”
He harrumphs, saysbutMarlie.
settles down again,fromwithout ever having stood completely.At his size, lugging his middle
is
around Thenotdone on awhim.
doortotheirbasement shudders the pounding.
hehasignored
when Frank
It usedlikedtothebetotoastandcoffee
sucha
DIYaround
niceroom, thehouse;
she’ssetout
their basement.
nowforhim,
he’s tooTheyinsulated
andoldpillaged
and fat. theSpeakingof
itandfridgefor
finishedit
hisdonutsand
weight,Marlie
off oversoda
threeinstead.
decades
frowns tosee
ago, back
that
“That’ll
“Maybe bethedeath ofyou,”“There
it will,”saysFrank. shesays.are worse ways to go.”
“Did
“Don’t youharp.You
take yourheart
know themedication?You
one thing Ican’t always
standis forget.”
a womanherself.
who harps.”
andharderthese
keeps trackof
thana week.
“When
What She’s Frank
these
mydays.worried,
doesn’t
things ontell
andwonders
herherKittens
is thatifsheshould
heCalendar
isout ofhis
rightpicknexttothe
medication.
themup fridge.
He thinks
But
He never
Marlie
goingout looks.
doesn’t
toget
Hehasmorebeeneven
know, is gettingharder
outthough
for more
she

The banging timestopsand

comes,”he
the says, evengrimmerthanusual,
silenceis startling.Almostworse. “Don’t let me become one ofthem.”
“How
“Promise abouta cup ofcoffee insteadofthat dreadfulsoda?”Marlie asks.
me,Marlie.”
“Don’t
Frank bemorbid.You
grunts. He turns knowtheIcan’t
on TV, abidethat
asmall sortandoftalk.”
black white, almost as old as their marriage but still able to get
“I hateTheonly
one channel. howthese thing on is news,
journalist fellows
droningabout
alwaysexaggerate.”
the situationin
Marlie.“They
Europe.
“Noone buys newspapers anymore, Marlie.It’s all PooTube and Twatter.” just wanttosell newspapers.”
favorite“…more
zombie
True,
zombiesin twenty European countriesnow than people…” says the TV. “You canvoteon your
attackvideo….”
“DamnPooTube,”
she thinks,feeling
saysFrank.“Anothersuresign everything’s gonetohell.”
dead. Renewed old. Everything has changed. We never had zombies before. People died and stayed
Don’t dwellonit,
bangingonshethereminds
doormakesher
herself. Happy
jump.thoughts.
Now
“Here’sthe theTV
What’shashtag showscanuse…”
a hashtag?
you some story
wonders aboutIs ita
Marlie. how people are using social media to report zombie sightings real time.
“DamnTwatter,”
“The zombie problemis saysFrank. kindof hashbrown?
“China, Japanand Vietnamhave eventwoworse
zombies in Asia,”
out of says a TV anchor
everythree wearing
animate an expression
persons. Will of studied
America suffer concern.
the same
zombie meltdownasEurope
alwaysseeking,
“Damnzombies,”
Marlie pitiesthem.
never finding. and Asia?”
saysFrank.
TheyTheycan’t see,can’t hear, can’t understand and can’tdie. They staggeraround, seeking,
ThereareButshemustn’tbe
dayswhen Marlienegative destroy the useful
feels sheisnomore lives ofthanthe theoneszombies.
they once loved the most, unfeelingly, unknowingly.
The banging is background about
noise it.She
toher hatesnegativity.
thoughts, so Frankhasforenoughforthemboth.
muchtaken granted that ittakes Marlie a moment to
realizetheIt’stimbre
notcoming
haschanged.
fromthe basement,it’s coming from outside.
Suddenlyterrified,Marlie clutchesthe edgesof thetable untilherknuckleswhiten. “Frank!Do something!”
 Going
“Please
“Why me?” he isn’t
outside
Frank!” says“You
soeasythese
know whodays.itis!”Heputs onthe needed things: Long sleeved shirt, tough jeans, leather
though
jacket, heavy
she hearsthe
boots. Thick
closetleather
creak gloves
openandandaknows fencing
he’smask.
taken Heit. Healsoborrowed
takesan ax,which hedoesn’t letMarlie see,
month, Buthe
and whywon’t he havesurely,
wouldneedit, borroweditif he didn’tintendtouse
she tells herself. Justtobe sure,sheedgesit? toward the window to watch through last
one from Mr. Tucker (the son)
theis
miniature
shuffling,Then
Atfirst,Frankis
forestofplastic
moaning
she seesandFrankbacking
banging.She
outplantsand
ofsight,around
ceramic
away
propsopenthe
fromplanters.
thecorner
twowindow
zombies
behindthe
tohearbetter.
who aregarage, rushingnothim,in
inthetheirpitiful
frontyard. butAllinexorable
shecanhearway.
Theirstinkis
theirdeadoverwhelming.She
plasma­something.
keep immortalityshouldn’t
fleshThefirm.It’snot serum. have
formaldehyde,openedthe
Thething window.Shecan
Franksays, but Marlie smellitremember
can’t despite thewhatformaldehydeusedto
it’sIt didn’t
called.preserve
Nano­
doesn’tlike
thehigher functions.
tospeakillJustofre­animated
theundead, ratherghastly. that started the zombie craze in the first place.
corpses witha pseudo­life that is,onthe faceofit, she hasto admit, though she
pour theWherewill
coffee andend? Shewonders
butterthe toast? andbriefly panics.Will we all become zombies? In aworld ofzombies, whowill
now
negative.
theMarlie
Thearenafrontforan
pushes
lawn,indecorous
thatboarded
unpleasant
bybattlerosebetween
smudge
bushes ofFrank
nearthought
thehouse
andtheintozombies.
andby
a cornerceramic
Oneanddabs
gnomesnear
itwith athenapkin. beingis
whiteNopicketsensefence,
(the father) from two doors down? – tries hardtobite Frank. Hechops off ofTucker’s
Mr. the zombies—surely
arm. Pus that’sfromMr.theTucker
oozes gray,
bloodlessMarlie
arm.The
shakesherhead.
zombieandthe Wasarmboth
thatreallycontinuetoflop
necessary?Whytoward Frank.
annoyedthat
the deprecations
Frank hasanofTuckers,a
The young unreasoningfearofbecoming
old zombiemiddleage
Tucker couple – Will’snamed
afather,
zombie. MarliemustFrank
Lauraand Will,runbutbeontoshecan’t
thinks, sohostile?
the lawn.remember—though
TheyapologizetoFrank they lookfor
Frank cut offisthedistracted
havea basement.The
otherzombie arm. They andpick nowupattacking
the armand guide oldpole.Mr.Frank
a telephone Tuckerwalksbacktoward
upbehindtheir
her.Hehouse. Theyax.also
liftsthe
He
Thenreally
he noticesMarlie
intends todo it!watchingfromthe window.
bite him.Asthey
Frank sagspass,Marlie
andlowers the pastesax.onasmile.
Heguides the zombie back inside, holdingher at arms length because she tries to
“Did
“Oh, you havea nicemorning
mamazombie had awonderfuljaunt,mama?”
morning,” muttersFrank as helocksmamaback in the basement.
He alwayshatedWe needhermothereven before mama died andwasinfected.
and furious. “Did you see that? Thatold bat almostbit me! We can’t keep
taking care
Whenofher!
he comes back,toput
he’sflushed
her inahome!”
“You
“That’sknow how those
because fools places
like you are,and
keep anyway
the zombies there’saround
notenough
rather tokeepupwith
than burning the todemand.”
them ash!Every time an old
nightmare!”
affordto
person “What
croaks,we
take careof
doyouzombify
children
want methemanymore,
to do?untilKillthewemyspend
undead
ownmother?”
allareouroutnumbering
moneyonthetheundead! living,It’sasinnot Europe
immortality!
and Asia!
It’s acurse!
No onecanIt’s a
“Butnotcompletely,
“She’salready dead!”so howcan Iabandon her?”
His
Marliefacepurples,
He clutches hischest. his veinsshethrob.
rushes to him,but can Heopens his mouth
seeitis toolate. He’storant more,heartbutattack.She
havinga his bark comes out like911,a strange
couldcall but thesecough.
days
they areMama
“Mama!
so busystaggersout
Mama!”she
dealingwithandwithoutbeingtold
rushes
zombieescapesthat
tothe basementwhatto
theytake an hourto answer a call. on
door. do,bitesFrankvigorously
Opensit.
At first,the bite seemsto have noeffect.The body emits odd noises, and an the shoulder.
unpleasant smell fills returns
the air.with
The
bowels
towels
staggersandhavevoided
Nearlyan
to fresh
hisfeet.
pants.their contentsfor the last time.But otherwise, Frank doesn’tstir, even whenMarlie
half hourhas passed before Frank stirs again.Marlie hears gurgling from the back of histhroat. He
disinfectant
Frank He throwsonhis
But out.has a blanklook up blood.
faceasHehetries
won’t tobite
need ither.anymore. What good luck she already has the towels and
the same forshe’s mama,alreadyput
who has escaped
on the leather
while gloves
Marlie and
wasfencing
dealingmask.
with Frank.
She guidesShe kisses
him back
mamato onthethebasement.
cheek. Mama
Then does
tries
toperson.
thebiteherear.
jokesShe
Washing
nowhas isa two
mustoftocombat
them towatch
the smell,but
and tendnoandabove
needto feedall them.
keep Zombies
safely locked
don’taway
eat.Notfromevenbitingany
brains, despite
young
They
just…subsist.
aren’tbylate
AtMust
leastthenight
exactly
focus
Forever. thecomedians.
onbillfordonuts
alive, Theyanimate
just keptand
Orpositive. sodagnawwillgodown.
aslongastheirliving anything, but just
byrelatives,or ***fromsome
the nano­mush,
government misfiring
thatworks.intheir
howeverwelfareprograms, nano­plasma
Neither
careforthem. filled brains.
living nordead, they

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Sundered
 Loveissomethingeternal;the
—Vincentaspect may change, butnot the essence.
VanGogh

throat
was
mymost andI“You
walkedslowly,
usuallyfamousfor
thoughtful
hatednemesis.
nosecoming, mythepatches
itched,and
alotof
husband,
babe? Ihands
things, above
really
but when
amofbaremymoved
wesorry.head to plant
skinthe
Ididn’t keep
herethree from
1months
knowleaned touching
the trail
intoagoI the
fullwerescotch
waskissdidn’t broom.
ofrealizeitwas
bright
broom,”
redandMyaswelling.
eyesmywatered,
Sebastian,
breeding Fanny
ground myfor
sweet Bay
and
worryabout the branchesthatyelled hung back
on all tosides,
me. Heandwasn’t
he madeallergic
good totimetheonbrilliant
the yellow
trail. I plant,justsomake
could he didn’t
out his havebroadto
and
things,
back
wouldn’t
excursion.
blowing
anddark
noxiousweeds
I grunted
killButthe
me—it
mybrown
anose
bottom
reply,not
wasn’t
hair
included.
continually
line
overthe
thatwanting andantotheallergy—but
was,badfortops even
oftakenext
theIcould
inany
broom
few hell,it
admit
hours
more of me.besomething
aheadit,Ineeded
airthan
wasn’t
would IAthadto.
what
toget
6’4”Iheout
Ihad
Theenjoyed,
towered
ofthehouse
tolook
walk through
either.
overforwardto
most getpeople
andBreaking
thetunnel
some inabroom
afteroutandofthislittle
fresh living
rash

I’d been holedup for far toolong grieving, and this little hike andvisit with the neighbours would get me moving.God air.
love the“Mara?”
man, Sebastianknew me betterthanI knewmyself sometimes, and this excursion had beenhis idea.
“I’mcoming,
A stick jabbedBastian.
overhangingbranches. mein theDon’t
bellyexpect me to runitoff
and I snapped through
with this crap,”twist.I said,“Stupid
aquick shifting sideways
plant,” to slip between two
I muttered, thinking of all
Iblinkedhadbeen
the thingsthat awaytears
jabbedintomeof
that threatened,late;it
and wasthe
wiped myleastpainful, both tomy body and myheart.
confirmed
coveredThe
“Sonofa
inpollen
thatdoctors
it bitch,
wassomething
frompushingthe
didn’t
I’manknowidiot.”
wrong
whybroomout
Iblinked
wewithme.I
wereofmyway.
furiously, tryinghands
havingsuch acrossthemygetting
a tokeep
hardtime eyes pregnant,
tearsflowing to mytorinse
immediate regret:
andmytheeyes out.they were
miscarriage only
explosion jarring me out ofmydepressing thoughts. sneezed and rubbed my nose with the back of my hand, the minor
neighbours.”
“HurrySebastian’s
up,woman.voicewasevenfurtherahead
I told Dan we’d be thereoftenme minutes now. ago. Last thingI want to do is upset the new
ofmy
and
down
across and
floatedpast
allergic
mescaring
pretty
back
and
brother
muchpart
theATheblack
Crap.Mouth
“Yeah, inthing
wife!”Iwasn’tangrywith
Iagainsta
nearly
rustle
Georgia
move
me;died
mynose,
I’mcoming,
jumping
inwetmy
on;
ofthe
the
wall
Strait,despite
theboating
dry,Itriedagain,whispering
pushforward
bush
andneighbourhood
ofinthe
outfrom
pants.
yellow
whatever
stopped
Owhite
bushthatIwassure
Bears
accident;
thefact
andgreen,
thehim;
andmyfeet
was
knight
place
weremore
and
don’t
thismaking
that
atleast,
one
Ileast
before aswasa
ofwaspart
mythe
look
mine,
ofthe
heartpicking
than
ferry
thethat
expected
back'.
Ithought wayhe
loudasIdared.“Sebastian!”
noise,it
who
offewthings
was
common
wewere
thebear,
Although
considers
what
him.
about
was
grunted
uponhisIwas
speed.Ididn’t
Theananimal.
whatI
was
this
dealt
even
mother hadAdoing.
a rustling
walkin
andshuffled
trulyterrifiedof.
partof
thewithhis
with
wassizeofa
the
drew
Vancouver
thatsharedwith
think
flashof
grief.It
brooma
attitude,he
cruiseliner.
closer
“Sebastian?”He
it wasSebastian.
black
wasthe
Island;
andIpulled
nice
me.insweatedthe
time
Histhey
samewhen
thebush
motto
outhad
were
Aaway,
formusky
aacross
was
whole
nasty
considered
hishispressing
'buckle
highly
father
odour
habit
from
way

spot
grunts
keeping
forehead
backwhereI’d
against
asmy
One
myandeyes
step noforward
heart
thewall
I last
trained
longer
threatened
seenofmyoncaredhow
and
plants,
thehusband.
toburst
something
rustling
not much
Maybe
caring
outofmy
behindme.
grabbed
thethatthey
thebroom
bearme wouldn’t
frombehind
brushed
scratchedagainst
attack
across
sending
usme;my
if wewere
Imebare closer
justintodidn’t
skin and
IslidISweat
aswantto
together?
a flailing slidmy
mass wayIpushed
besideways
eaten. uptoward
ofarms,
popped outlegs,
theonmy the
trail,
and
my

my shoulders.
“Whoa,
I didn’tcarewhoa,he’dscared
babe, settledown,”
me.Notthistime. throat.said, laughing atme,his blue eyes dancing, his hands resting on
Sebastian
I gulpedin
“Really?”
nodded. Then a breath. “Bear,” Isaid,
thestupidest pointingdown
thing I’veever the trail,
seen that man mydo happened
handshaking.
right in front of my disbelieving eyes.
Sebastian“Ijust
startedwantto
“There’s
“What areabackthe
you andwayalastwe’dcome,towardthe
firstseeit.I’ve
doing?”My neverseena
timefor
fearturned to angerbear.
everything,”
bearupclose asI Ithought
before,”he
ofmyselfwidowedbeforeI’d
said. even turnedthirty.
himbeing
there.”
that
right.wasHekept
Sebastian
going
snottymoving
tobea
didn’t
Ichanged
problem.
forward,his
answertactics.
me movements
except
“Pleasetowave
comeback.
slowand snapped
steady, asandtoifI
backwards.As
Weneed then
was contrite
if keepgoing.
hewas goingto attogetthespookthe
afraidIthought anythought
you saidof mywetheIlastwerealmost
closerto
animal. bear.words
didn’t thinkto
Yeah,

There hadIwanted
tobeatowaytoget
“Sebastian,I’lldivorce
scrubmyhimtocomeback.
hands
you ifyoukeeplooking
over my face withfrustration,
forthe bear.”butMaybe
had to thatwould
settlefor gripping
work. the edges of my shorts.
“You’re too poorto pay a lawyer.”
Hestopped
I“I’lltellyourGran
snorted.“Soandturned
are you.”I
onyou.”
tothoughta
face me.“You
momentwouldn’t.”
more,knowingIhadthe
The look onhisanswer.
face saiditall, and
cornerofmy lips.Iknew Ihadhim.Ilet out a sigh of relief and put myhandsonmy hips. a twitch started in the
 “IA would,justyouwait
huge black bearburstandout...”ofthe bush behind Sebastian with a roar andI bit down ona scream, my worst
predatorreadytoeat
nightmare
cigar
rockand
smoke
cocked
unfolding
curledmythrough
my
arm
beforemy
husband.
tothrow
theair,
eyes.it,when
slicing
Sebastian
athrough
handstumbled
dropped
the sweetmusk
backon mytoward
shoulderand
ofthe
me andbroom
fellshoved
over
andameto
therut heaviermusk
intheground.The
theground.ofthelarge
I grabbeda
smellof

bear.
aboveme,“Stay down,
We abothgun girl,” atthe
stayedlow
levelled aonthroatyvoice
thebear. saidtoo,boy,
and Ilooked
ground“YouandDanwalked staytowardthe over mywasn’t
down.”I shoulder to ifhewas
bear,hissuregun seeneverourwavering.
sort­of­crazy
talking to Sebastian neighbourorDan
the
“Come on, Bob, you know you aren’t allowed tobe eating the locals. Specially these city folk so new here,
they’re “Hey,
practically
we eathealthy,”
a biohazardwithall I said,then
the thought
toxinsandaboutthesituation
chemicals they’veandbeenliving shut my mouth.
in.” A crazy man witha gun and
a bearinthe
I middleindisbeliefas
watched ofa forest trailthat
the noone knew
bear—Bob,I we wereon. QuietMara,
guess—dropped toallfours you’ll livealonger.
off.” “Yeah,”
The bearDan grunted
said.andpawed
“Ifeel the atsamethe about
groundtheseimports,
a mere foot away togivethembarealong
andletout
butwefromgot Sebastian’s legs.lowsnort.
chance Ibefore
whimpered werunthem
in fear,
animal; heI hadthe
wishing“Go hadtoknow
on now, gunBob.inmy
that,didn’the?
hands.Why wasn’tDan shooting the bear? Hewasn’t truly having a conversation with the
thawed outthis morning.” Come Dan lowered
around thegun.
the backBobgave
of the house one later
last snuffle
tonightandandturned
you canawayhavefromoneus,of heading the salmonI
back
downthetrail
Iscrambled towardtomy the ocean.
feetandran to Sebastian, catchinghim ina—dare Isay it—bearhug.
“I’mokay,
“No, you’rebabe,” not.” Ihesaid
stood into
upandmyhair.
kicked him in the shin, pleased with the wince it produced. “You idiot! I told
younotto“Lower
goback.That
your voice,bearcould
girl,or haveBobwill
killedyou!”
come back toseewhat all the shouting’s about, and to be honest, I’d
stubby
messy,
soonershoot
cigarus,or
otherlocalsright
shooting
Iandturned
hisclamped
youthanhim.
armyfatigues
was
toandfacehim,
Isupposed
hebetween
wasHe’sbettercompanythan
offhisrocker?
ourwere
yellowed
tobe
kind­of
rumpled
madthat
teeth.
rescuer,
andheHissalt
stained.
ataloss
preferred abear
mostandI didn’t
forpeople.”
pepper
words.
know
over
hairDidwhatto
people?
wasIsaymilitary
makeof
thanks
Dan stared
short atWas
forsaving
him.and meyetitan
us,asstillheoract,
managed
chewed
thanks
or were
fornot
onthe
tobe
the

olderanman.“Thanks,
aboutcoming
put adon
Sebastian
themailbox
by?”tookDan.Much
thethatlead,exaggerating
youhad
appreciate
sometheoldhisintervention
gardening
limp and rubbingstuff
withyouyouratwantto
hisfriend.We
shingetbefore
ridwereon
of?holdinghis
I spokewith
our wayhandtoyouyour
outthistothe
place.
morning
gruff
You
Dan
Flakes forbreakfast
“Thingslike
stared
took a atSebastian
dragon
old
and pots,and
hewaspacking
his cigar
formaybe
solong
and blew
alarge
even
Istarted
outa
some toveggie
gun.string ofnervous.
Notgetreallya man, afterall, had aHethereputationfor
starts,”Isaid,wantingtobreak
smoke.“Yup,comeonthen.”
good
Thecombination.Iclearedmy turnedhisbacktous,
awkwardsilence.
throat. eating Crazy
his gunWe overfollowed,Sebastian
hisshoulderandledtakingmy us down handand
the yellowgivingita
and greensqueeze.
tunnel. “I’msorry,” he mouthedtome. put
Ismiled
Sebastianandsqueezed
winced again,hisand hand,Inodded.
mouthingback,“Okay.ButI’mstill
There wasalways a consequence callingyourGran.”
for being dumb, even if it was just
havingyourGranrip
Asthe adrenaline astripstopped
offyou.its headlong rush throughmy body,I became acutely aware of my bare legs and arms
at myonce
had
—all thearms.
beenDan’s
partsI’danarmy yardbarrack,
shovedup wasn’tagainst
every visibleitinchdidn’t
fenced,but
thebroom. Byofthetime
mewas
really weneedto
coveredin
reachedbe, Dan’s,a
hives.I
notwithstaredaround
thewayofahome
fortress his me,
houseabsently
thatwasbuilt. asWhat
ifit
scratching
looked
looked
moment
rough likeoverwhelmedmyitching.
only chairinthe
textured steelexterior
“Makethis plate
quick,covered
yard.Danbroughtme
ofthe theWhatwas
Bastian.I’m doors,
house—it andthethe
ablowing
seeme
pricklycactus
tobe windows
uppointofall
like
a lookinghadplantrebarred
combination
apufferfish,”
this? grillsmortar
ofIbricks,
whispered overtohim
them.ascement—
and Iran mymyfingersover
I deposited curiosity
myself onthe the
fora
the goopySurprised
“Aloe
endtome. at his kindness,
Vera.It’ll stingtill you getshiftingagain,
helpwithmytheopinionofhim home,” hesaid andasstuck
Ibroke offaitonthe
hebroke off ground
second piece beside
athickofthe me. rubbed
greenstemand
plantand handedit
onto theItwas
worstnice
patchofhives
intheshade; withathissigh.
cornerIt wascooland
of Dan’s garden soothing.Iwasgoing
was already up, thetohave togetme
bright green anAloesticking
shoots Veraplant.through
thought
the
nutter.
raised
ofold­school
ground.
beds
Afterafew
Nextto
werewith
I didn’t
gardeninglife
peasthehouse,
strawberries
climbing
minutes,
recognizeabattered
next
aDan
inany
section
them.Those,
tothe
walkedto
ofthem.
oldradio
ofmilitary
netting,
I theradio
was
atleast,
feelof
played
large
still pretty
Icould
and
hishome.
rubbertires
whileturned
newto
pick
Sebastian
outeasily.
housing
the whole
talkeda Itcreeping
concept
planting,
was veryofplant
tools,
gardening.
strange
ofand
some
to seeds
seesuch
I sort,and
couldwithseeamixture
theold
several
what I

and completely
breathy“Bet she got the unsuitedto
job by doingradio. it upgave
a few jobs of her own, eh?” Dan just meas aafemale
lecherousannouncer
wink andcame on, back
walked her voice
over
to rubataparticularlylarge
whereIgrimaced
Sebastianwas
and shook
digging
hive
mythrough
with an oldwaspileofpots.
head. That an awful thought, no matter that it was probablytrue. I reached down
in. the Aloe Vera on the back ofmy calf, when what the announcerwas saying sunk
“Thisis athings,but
allsortsofgreat miracledrugIcan’t
boysrememberall
and girls. Notofthem.Youcan’t
only can you eat whatever you want
buy itoverthe and not...”gain weight, but it does
counter.
 Igot upand moved
animatedandalmostas feminine my chair
as thecloser
woman’s. to theradio, anda second, male, announcer came on, his voice highly
more
hesaid.Phillipa’s
get“Sosick,Phillipa,you’re
or disgustingly
irritating voice telling
fat,came
nevermore
me there’s
back on.getno“They’re
downside,
cellulite,calling
orany
no sideitNevermore,
sorteffects
of weight
to this—what
gain.”
as in, never Shegiggled
wasmore
thedrug
gain called
weight,again?”never
and continued,
redundancy“It’samazing,
ofwhat shewas oneshot
sayingis mademeshiver.
all ittakes, andyes,it Itwasisawonderthe
expensive, butthat’sit.One
speakers didn’tblow. shot andand thetookhighabreath
Sheyou’regood pitch
for
life.I’veThelostmaleten pounds
announcer came back on. “Reportedly,
and I’vebeeneating totallynoshingonisachocolate.”
burgers,cake,thisandNevermoretruly miracle drug, asitalso prevents
my
morethan
side
nodding
current
Parkinson’s
5’5effects.
Iturned
fertility
frame.
andeven
a littleon
disease,
Onethat
Maybe
drugs,withlessside
thegiving
radio
theworks
eventhirty,
willlarge
theback
beof
inoccasional
side.
tandem
down
interest
butit
Notthat
effects.
and
withsmile.
wasstill
tomany
looked
AsIhad
heartit’sderived
Sebastian
anything
lessthan
medications
overto
is thatwas
helps
from
topreen
I’dSebastian,
notonly
tostop
been
anall­natural
tremendously
about.I
carryingayear
arrhythmias,
still
tall,but
deep
easily
source,
with agotheonthe
a inlittle
hadand
conversation wecan—”
fertility,moreso
anhasahostof
when
body
extralarge
twenty­five
withDan,who
decided
side.other
thanOkay,toany aoflittle
poundson
beneficial
startour
was
the

weight, ate healthy,took

family.That was when webeganto
myvitamins,realize
butgetting
there pregnantwas
was aproblem,nearly
andthat
impossible
we mightandthe
notbeoneabletimeIto have
did,Imiscarried.
ababy. Ilost
onthe
moving.Not
phone
I scratched
only atdoctor.
to thedidI myneedcollarbone,
What
to getifthis
a seconddose
feelinga ofdrug
NevermoreweltBenadryl
swelling
was what
andrapidly
atheshowertowash
radio
undersaidit
my finger;
was?
the broompollen
Itseemed
I had asudden almost had totoget
off,Itoogood
urge get
betrue: fertility and weight loss, all rolled intoasingle shot. Myheart thrummed with excitement. This was what we’dto
beenwaitingfor.I could hardly waittotell Sebastian whatI’d heard; Icould hardlywait tofinallybe a mother.
 2
diffuse Asthesoonpollenasweon gotmy home,
farmhouseonthreeacresthatwasatl skin. We’d
I raneast boughta
upstairsto shower, hopingwasto
ahundredyearsoldthatI
ramblingtwo­story
completelyinlovewith,alongwith
heated with a woodstove and a
evenhadl thehistoryi
anold t represented.Icooking
wood­burning t was
stove
convectionoven.Theoldwomanwhoownedthefarmhousehadbeenon
that was now on theback porch, havingmade room for my new
theraisedinthehouse,buthadraisedherownchildreninthehouse.
property
My her whole l i
inf e , ninety­eight years,and
asmy had notonly been
I’dhopedtoraise
handsslowed
I’dtothehospital,thenurses my thesoapywater
ownchildrenheretoo. thoughtswoundback
Atfiveweeks,s
woken upintiltheinmyf middleandirsoftthedoctort
the night etol icramping
ng me thatIandrealhadblood
trimesterandwithinthe on the
dangerzone,
miscarried.
sheets. Since then I’d not gone back
totakingaleaveofabsencetodealwiththegriefandtogivemybodytimeto my job as a real estate agent,
heal.Sebastianworkedfromhomeasawebdesigner,somethingIwas
fallenintoafterthemiscarriage,nottomentionpaythebillsthatnever
stoppedcoming.
intenselygratefulforashewasabletohelpmeoutofthedepressionI’d
The bathroom door clicked and I poked my head outsidethe
curtain.“Handmethenewshampoo.”
agrinspreadingacrosshisface,hisgorgeousdimplesframinghismouth.
Sebastianheldit just outofreachbeforefinallylettingmetakeit,
Iduckedbackinandlatheredup,smilingtomyself.Hemightbe
alit mademeweakintheknees.
it le chubby,butmymanwasgoodlooking,andthatsmile—evennow
“It’s probably ahoax.
You know that, don’t you,It babe?”
Sebastian’svoicewasmuffledasIstuckmyheadbackundertherunning
water, thecool showersluicing offthe last of the pollen. didn’t,me,
however,makethehivesgoaway.Iwascoveredinthemfromheadto
toe,thebumpsstartingtodevelopevenwheretheplantdidn’ttouch
iturnouttohavesomehorriblesideeffect.Like,
up.“Youaren’tadoctorlasttimeIchecked.”
ts infectionofmyskinspreadinglikesomehorriddisease.
“Youdon’tknowthatandneitherdoI,”Isaid,soapingmybody
“Thesesortsof thingscomeand go.It’s eithera hoaxor itwill
up,leavingmenothingtoplaywith,andthenIwoulddie.”
I laughed, turnedtheand water off,and anreached yourboobswillshrivel
fora towel. The
showercurtains
tugging attheHislcorner
disappeared. ieyesd openrovedof hislips,
Sebastianl
overmyhisnakediftclothes stil ­weattmysteriously
ed andeyebrow
having me,asmile
body. Heat
curledinmystomach,s
myskinonf ire andmy heart til nowaracingwithasimplelook.
fter fouryearsofmarriagehecouldset
 uninterested.He
touchingthe
“The ttowel, of please.”
ipsshookhis
mine. headandstepped
Iheld outmyintothehand,tub,hisbare trying to looktoes
handsmassagingashedried.
startingIbitback
heatintensifying.I
withmy hairand Without a word
a closedmyeyesandl
groan,themoisture
workinghis hemysensationswashthrough
wayfromet theslowly started
downtomybody,his
dry me of ,
skindisappearing,the
scratching ofthe itch from thehives almost heavenly ashe
me,Ipeekedoutfromundermyeyelashes.Withasingle,swiftmovementhe
scrubbedthetoweloverthem.
the“Stop,”Iwhispered,notreallymeaningit.Sebastianchuckledand
scoopedmeintohisarmsandtookmetothebedroomandourverysmall
bed. Withmoregentlenessthanonewouldthinkfromamanhissize,
helaidmeonthebedandpressedhisbodyintomine,ourheartsbeating
intimewithoneanother.
“I love you, Sebastian,” I whispered as he slid into me,
completingme,makingusone.
intomyear.“I love you too, my bumpy, hive­ridden woman,”hewhispered
eachother’sarms,tearsprickling at the back of my eyesastmyoftendid:in
makingquicklyturnedintoalaughingrompthatendedasi
Islappedhimhalf­heartedlyontheshoulder,andthesweetlove­ emotions
fil ed meupand spilledoverinphysicalrelease.
“Youokay,Mara?”
ruth. “SometimesIj loveyousodeepermuchintoitmakesmecry.”
tsomethingsmarttosayandcomingupempty­handed,soIsettledforthe
“Yes,” Isaid,ustcurling his arms, tryingto think of
“Hmm.I
you cameamquite
leanedbackagainsttheheadboard,as
before Hethehunk.Really,youare
at him,laughed,andshookmyhead.Thesize
snaggedme.Iwasplanningonplayingthef
Ismiledup along.” spreadhiself­sabigtisfiehands til overIverylucky
ld smileacrosshisface. eastohave
tofsixtyhis
wasahist lchestand
egoneverceased toamazeme. thesheetaroundme.“I’mgoingtoask
Sobering,Isatup,pulling
the doctorabout that
waitingfor.Imean,wecouldbef
be Nevermore i shot.I
t , think
trim,andthenhave i t ’ s what
my we’ve
ababytoo. been
I t
would It amazing.”Istaredathim,willinghimtocatch
didn’t work. Sebastian frowned, and then shruggedexcitement.
shoulders.“Istillthinkit’ssomesortofhoax,butyougoaskhim.See his big
whathehastosay,butdon’tgetyourhopesup.”
I wrapped my arms around him and snuggled into his arms. I
could be excitedenough
lclosecompletely, myheartforlthebothofus;inf
alreadyforgettingSebastian’swarning.
ids droopedwhentheseconddoseofantihistamineskickedi act, Ialreadywas.Myeye
ight withthehopesanddreamsofafamily, n. Ilet them
 3
Thedoctor’sofficewasfull.AndIdon’t mean al theseatswere
taken,Imeantherewasn’tevenstandingroom.Iendeduphalfwaydown of
thehallleaningagainstthecream­colouredwallnexttoone
doors. theoffice
herlate
Caribbeanocean.Icockedmyheadtooneside.“Yes,I’mMara,havewe
Iturnedtofaceawomanwholookedvaguelyfamiliar.Shewasin
“Excuseme,areyouMaraWilson?”avoicebehindmeasked.
thirties with beautiful blond hair and eyes the colour ofthe
met?” Thewomanlaughed and pattedme on the arm. “Onlybriefly. I’m
ShellyGartlet,Iliveontheroadaboveyou,andwemeta
whenyoufirstmovedhere.”
Ismiledandnodded.“That’sright.Iremembernow.”Really,how t themailbox
acouldIforget?Thewomanhadgrabbedmeinawelcominghug,spilling
l theneighbourhood gossip in less than five minutes, and in a single
theNevermoreshot?”
breath.I’dmadeamentalnotenevertoconfideinher.“Areyouherefor
shot lastweek,
Shelly smiled.“Yesandno.Myhusband,George,andI
but Jessica here” –she half­tuggeda younger looking gotthe
cloneforward– “wasn’tmomable togetsameverythe shot,she was sickwithso thatsameflube
that’sbeengoingaround.”
tmeetyou,Jessica.”Shegrippedmyhandl
aboutsixteenyearsold,butcouldhavebeenyounger;itwas
longblondhairasher
el nowadays.Nodoubttheboyswentcrazyforheratschool.“Niceto
Shelly
Iputmyhandout.Shewasa
patted heronandthe
the arm andgave prettyyoungg
stunningeyes.Shelookedto
ightly, duckingherhead.
meairlwink.
, withthe“Jessica,
hardto
weren’tyou
lookingheis?”Jessicatel ing me about Mara’s husband, and about how good
“I didn’tflushed from her chin to the roots of her hair, her eyes
mean ...it’snot
wideningasourgazesconnected. like...mom,howcouldyousaythat?”
shefinallyspitout.
Ilaughed,warmedbythethought,knowingthatmyhusbandwas
wouldlovetoknowthathehadanadmirer.”
attractiveman,so weight hesocarried.Tall,
himWewereinterruptedbyawomanwho
overanconfidenceand
despite “Pleasedon’ttellhim,”shewhispered.
theextra
ineverya wicked
agemuchbracket.
sense ’evens okay,teenagers
thatof“Ithumour, he’dhad
Jessica.
dark, andhadcrushes
I’mwomenswooning
handsome
sureSebastian
onhim,with
conversation.
her “You herefor that miracle pushedherwayintoour
drug?”
me. She was aandchubby
womanin mid­fortiesstandingbehind Aquickglance,
myexperienceandtimeinWeightWatchers,Iknewshehadtobe a t fromleast
eightypoundsoverweight.
 “Yes.Youtoo?”Iasked.
“Hellno.I’mperfectjustthewayIam.”Handsonherhips,her
metomuumuuflutteringaroundherthickanklesassheglaredat are goingto
antandred
purple
me,daring
herr . “Anda al herout.Ismiled and bitmytongue.Shecontinued
l cyouyahooscominginforsomequick­fix
getwhat’scomingtoyou.There’s
oneshotcan doall t h a t . F e r t i l i t y , no suchthing;i
heart s t u f , making t’s ridiculoustothink
bonesIgave
stronger—
foolishnessthatyou’vea
ShellyandJessicabackedawayfromthewoman,
l boughtinto.” and them
“Andwe
asmileasI,too,gavetheriled­upwomansomeroom.
“Comeoverforcoffee,”Isaidoverthemuumuuwoman’shead.
company.” can get to know each other. Anytime,me identicalthumbsup.
Thiswasoneofthenicethingsaboutwherewelived.Yes,wewere
ShellyandJessicasmiledandtheygave I would love somein
hopedf or.“Maorra ahelpinghand,
somesugar
gals. Ismiled Wilson?” stideskorl maybej
to myself.wereTheI loved
hertirade.Iglancedbackandshehadn’tpausedforasecond,nowlaying
directionsintothedoctor’sroom,happytogetawayfromthewomanon
thecountry,butthere ttheacupislandmeof coffeewiththelocal
neighbourscloseenoughifyouneeded
itnursehere;uscalled andwas IeverythingI’d
followedher
closeenough
intoapudgyteenager
that Icould stil hear herof thehwithalthe. Thedoctor’sroomwas
on theotherside door not completely
closed,hervoicerisingwithintensity.
“Exerciseandd i e t . Kids,whenI
and was young, were outsideplaying
andworking.None of t h i s TV computer
andIimaginedanursespeakingtoher.“No,Iwillnotlowermyvoice;I crap.” There wasa pause
thinkyouallhavelostyourminds.Thisi
plugI you al ful of tracking devices sanddrugs
tocontrolus.” somegovernmentconspiracy
sotheycan better
shookmyhead,whycouldn’tshej
sheshe’dprobablylivelonger.Therewasalargethumpthatr
wasdelusional.She couldusethe shot uandlose
sscreech
t let usbe?I
a fewt wasobvious
andmademejump.Thencameagod­awful thatsoundedlikea atpounds,and
led thewall
parrot being strangled, followed byadull“Icheerfrom
can’tkickmeout!”thewomanscreamed. the crowd. “You
haveanappointment!”
Ejectionfromadoctor’soffice,thathadtobeafirst.Ilaugheda
“Hello,Mara.” Dr. Cooperstepped intotheoffice, hisgrey hairt
go.andstoopedshouldersmakingmewonderhowmuchlongerIwouldbe
safeandtherewasnowayitcouldgettothepublicunlessitwasgoodto
drugtobegiventothemassesifithadn’tbeentested.Theyknewitwas
theabsurdityofherclaims.HealthCanadaandtheFDAwouldn’tallowa
ablewasit;ttogoto
“Hi,Dr.Cooper.”Ismiled,unabletosuppress
his washim. my emotions.This
themomentI’dbeenwaitingfor.
It’s perfect!“Isupposeyou’reherefortheNevermoreshot?”Hisfacehelda
anoptimum IcansizeforlosethelastoftheweightthatyousaidIshouldtobe
maskofconcentration.
Ismiledwider, my excitementspillingoverinto
getting pregnant,and theshot willmake me moreat
my words.“Yup.
the internet, it confirmed that.we’dAnd then maybe Sebastian should get it
fertile,right?That’swhatIheardontheradioandwhenIlookeditupon
about
wecouldbothtakei
too?Becauseyouweren’tsureifthef
the pun—I’mt soandthen happy; I can’tbesuretogetpregnant,right?Sorry
ertibelieve
lity issueswerewithhimorme,
Dr. Cooper didn’t answerme right away;thihiss iseyesfinallystaredgoingat theto
happen.I’mgoingtobeabletohaveababy.”
upthrough mybody, astrepidation
screenofhiscomputer
Sebastian’spessimisticviewbethet
thereweretoomanypeople
“Dr.Cooper?Thisisagoodthing,right?”Awaveoffearrolled
hescrolledthroughit,pagebypage.
I rcouldn’t
uth; whatiftpushhiaway.
s wasallahoax?No,
God, don’tlet
al overtheinternetandnews.
“Mara, the drug doesinthewaitingroom.I
al that and more.f it wereahoax,i
Strengthens bones,
t’d be
preventsskincancer,andincreasesf
I let outabreathIdidn’tknow
rI’mencouragingasmanypatientsaspossibletotakeit.”
thedeskandleanedforward.“You
totarevirtuallywipedout.I
togetmoneyoutofpeople.”
eliefl, meimyheartslowingback ertI’dilitybeenholdinginahugesigh
scaredme. . Parkinson’sandarrhythmias
t trulyito sanormalrhythm.Ifoldedmyhandson
wasahoax.That’swhatSebastianthoughtitwas,somescam Ithoughtyouweregoingof
amiracle,ofthatIhavenodoubt,and
Dr.Coopershookhis head,buthes
can’ttaketheshot.”
mademenervousalloveragain.
Aloud til wasn’tsmiling,andthat
“It’s nohoax,Mara,butmydear,you
buzzingfil ed myears,andthoughDr.Coopercontinued
totwhathesaid.“Whynot?”Iwhispered.
alk, HeIcouldn’thearawordhesaid.Iblinkedonce,twice,asIgrasped
letoutdeepsighandpulled myhandsintoh
Istaredathim,confusionrushingthrough me.“I idon’tknowwhat
likeagrandfatherwould.“Nevermoreisderivedfromcystiusscoparius.” s, cuppingthem
thatis.Isitbad?”
“Scotchbroom.Theconcentratewithinthedrugwouldk
and i l youa t
worst,
were
eyesight.”
Nevermore,Mara.”a
beforetheycrashed
r itatiallergictot bestyouwouldbeinaconstants
swollen
squeezed
broomtook andNevermoreandnow t a
hypersensitivityt
oMyns. Therehaveevenbeensomereportedcaseswherepeoplewho
iinfections, Hemindwhirled,hopesthrownaboutinatornado
glands,my suddenly e ofagony,hives,sinus
ice­cold hands.tothey’ve
“You ofcan’ttake
themildest
losttheir
emotionsof
andburned.Ipulledmyhandsslowlyawayfromhim
andfolded my armsacross my breasts,atalossforwords.
 Dr.Cooperleanedbackinhischairands
“Here’sthechemicalbreakdown, l i d asheettowardme.
“Why are youme givingusofmy
beenusedinthisdrug,notj thisto me?”myI tried to keep thebroomhas
Mara.Everyaspectofthe
t partofit.” venom
wellingup within out voice,
tandhowhardyou’veworkedtolosetheweightthatwaspreventingthat
idream.Iknowthatyou’regoingtotryandfindawayaroundt
gdon’twantyoutodie.There
hsoft,tlgentle,thati
y,“BecauseIknowyou,Mara.Iknowhowmuchyouwantchildren,
almosttothepointofcrumpling. hand gripping the paper
t is no wayaroundthis.”His voicewasso his, andI
Ireachedmycar.I
“I’mso brokedownthel
leanedagainstiat,stheadagainstthehotmetal,andl
Ibit backsorry,Mara,”hesaid. barrierofstrengthI’dproppedup,
door,pushingpastthehordeofpeoplethatfilledthehallway,runningt
andasobslippedout. thenextsobthatwasbubbling up. Istoodandrantotheielt
heart
myitoldmyself.
t anyharderforSebastianandmetohaveababy.Atlreallydidn’tmake
slowdown.Itwasn’ttheendoftheworld; i t east, that’swhatI
adoughy
tdidn’t,”
me. “Gottheshotdidyou?”aratherfamiliarvoicethrewthequestion
face.Isnapped punchher inno,herI
of the claitnicher,. “Notforcingthat ibackt’s anytheofurgeyourtobusiness,but
tossed outIspunonmyheeltofacedownthechubbywomanwho’dbeen
everShenodded.“Smartg
The government irl. I’lwon’ttel would
andpattedmeonthearm.Ishruggedherhandoffmeandb
theyou four­letter
made.words on thetipthat younow,itwasthebestdecision
get youleavenow.”Sheme screaming
itreachedout
mytongue,and
rantingattheunsuspectingwoman.
Iunlockedthecar,slidintomys ewoman
at, andstartedtheengine.The
waddling
rear viewmirror through gave
the parking
mea perfect
lot,the picture
“It wasn’ta choice I made; it was a choice taken from me,” I of on thepurple
her wayto muumuu
accost
anotherpersonleavingtheclinic.
whispered toher retreatingfigure.Itookadeepbreath and headedhome
toSebastianandthefarm.
 4
month Daysturnedintoweeksandbefore
alternately hiding inourtiny bedroom, t, I’d spentthenext
Ifalknewiwatching daytime talk
shows and,ingeneral,
thathadfound me allowingmyself
after themiscarriage. to backintothe
my depression
console ItoldSebastianIdidn’tfeelwell,hadafever,
longer.ThesunlighthurtmyeyesonthefewdaysIdaredtopeekoutinto
theanything
yard,andthatbecameyet
mewhen
thatwouldhewasn’t
give me working
anotherexcuse.Sebastiandid the worldjointsached—
time to hideon hisfromnewclient’s hisbesttolitHele
project.
fora
broughtmeOn theflowers fromthe fieofmy—self­imposed—confinement,a
lds, told mefunny stories, and even
bakedcookiesforme,somethinghe’dneverdonebefore.
twenty­eighthday
me awake,thebedroomdoorflingingopen.
togetup,”Sebastianbarkedashewhippedtheblankets
boomingrattleshook
“That’sit,I’vebeenpatientanddonewhatIcould,butyou’vegot offme.
“Leavemealone,”Igrumbled,grabbingat theblankets.
getwiththeprogram.”
Hesnatchedthemoutofmyhands.“Nope,timetogrowupand
satdownBrighton thebedandpulled
curtains.“There’sno streamedmeoversomethingyoucan’t
sunlightusecrying intouprighttos
the roomit besidehim.
as he openedallchange.”Hethe
“Itisn’t fair,” I said, canhatinggetpregnant,andtheycan’teventake
acareofthemselves.Wewouldbeable
crackheadandaddictoutthere tohowgiveachildal
childishI sounded. “Every
ife, afamily,and
home.”Sebastian nodded. “I know, babe,but you’renot doing yourself
anygoodbywallowingint
Ifrownedathim.“I’mhis.notwallowing.”
”
“Yes,youare.Ihavesomethingforyou;i
soyou’llhavetohaulyourbuttdownthere. I’ve t’s downinthegarden,I’l
gottogointotown;
bebackinacoupleofhours.”
Istoodandstomped mywaytothebathroom,brushingpasthim.
“What do you know anyway, you’re
internalclocklikeIdo,”Isnapped
thesteamingwater.
losingweightfor
Stupidmale,whatdidhe knowabout just aman;you
as Iturnedontheshowerandgot don’t have anin
reallywantingbabies?Or
Iaisnortedto myself.thatmatter?ThemanthoughthewasaGreekgodwith
r, thehotwaterrinsing Myangerawayfadedas
hthewayhestruttedthroughthehousenaked,preeninginfrontofmirrors.
thelastofIworked the soap throughwasmy
thetears.Damn,nowI
feeling gratefulfor hisintervention. I’dhavetobe
thankedhim,orI’dneverheartheend of i t . careful about howI
garden Fifteen
when aminutes
soft woofmetmy
later,Iwasears.headingI blinked, out thestared,backanddoortocouldn’tthe
 Iclapped my handsover my mouth andasifthepuppywoofedatme
ribbontiedarounditsneck,wasatinyyellowLabradorRetriever.
believewhatIsaw.Sittingnexttothefreshlydugearth,withagiantred
andstartedtowiggle,hisentirebodywagging
enough.Iranand histailalonewasn’t
up“Whatarewegoingtoc
and holding fme. el close
him tomykneesinfrontofthel
ashe my it le guy,scoopinghim
breathtickling man,”IsaidasI cuddledthestill­sweet
licked
hesettleddown,restinghisnoseonthecrookofmyneck.Ipressedmy
“Oh,youdevilofaal you,hmm?”Irubbedhisvelvetysoftearsand face,his bundleoffur. puppy
Labthatmygrandparents
cheekagainsthim.“HowaboutNero?”I’dgrownupwithabigyellow
Jessica carrying abasket fhadrescuedandhe’dbeenmycompanionand
bestfriendforyears.
Standingup,Neroinmy il ed arms, Iwalkedaroundthehouse tosee
Avoicecalledfromthefrontofthehouse,“Hello?Mrs.Wilson?”
basket, her eyeslighting on Nero. to the brim. She smiled a t me over the
“You’vehergotasshehandedmethebasket
handedhimto a puppy? Oh, he’s so cute.of goodies. CanI hold him?” I
asshesnuggledwiththewrigglingpuppy.
“It’s abelated welcome­to­our­neighbourhood gift,” Jessicasaid
“Doyouwant togo forawalkwith
railing. “Thankyou,that’sreallysweet.”Iplacedthebasketontheporch
me, meand
and when Nero?”
were washeavytalanderhimhadthansturdily
pasttheheavyirongatesthat
existed.
started.Jessicanoddedandput
EachThey panel hung foras
down.Weheadedoutthefrontdrive,
built easily the farm fihundred
longasthepropertyhad
weigheda rst was
pounds.Thesupports
Scrolling
there
softenthehards were
islrusting cementedintothegroundoneitherside,and
lwhyines,wetomakeitlookmoreartisticthanu
left it open,
didn’tworkthatwell.Atthebestoftimes,itwasamajorefforttoclose
coveredinvegetation.
the thing,wasJessicachatted
leaves
which
ahugeteandgrape metalbar
clusters andweldedwhyintooninthebar
werethat slipped placeantwasiattempt
tolitlockit.
arnearly
ian.toIt
at metheI entiretime,her
didn’t mind; shebubblywasapersonalityyet
wonderedseveraltimeswhyshe’dtakentheNevermoreshot;shedidn’t
seemtoneedtoloseweight,butIdidn’tthinkitwasaquestionIcould
another stamp ofher mothers. sweetgirl.I
askher.MaybewhenhermothercameoverforcoffeeIwouldbroachthe
subject.
neutral Jessica pointed outthe neighbours who were nice,weird, and
quiteeffectively.Aswepassedonehousewecouldhearshouting
frominside,thenacrash
sheshrugged.
“They’realwaysfighting.Wealljustignorei
I ofsomethingheavy.I glanced t.” atJessica, and
house.Thecouldn’thelp
shrieks rosebuttoastarecrescendo,
backwardsasand thenwekeptstoppedmovingsuddenly.
pasttheI
shivered,afeelingofdreadcreepingalongmyskin.Oncewewerefully
us boastedacresa
atfive
Onourroadalonethere and three,wererespectively.
pastthathome,Jessicacontinuedhertourofthearea.
Thoughthepropertiesaroundhererangedins
twopiecewithafewundevelopedpropertiesscatteredaround.
onlyfourhomes;theroadsoneithersideof
With being itzhei,stheyaveraged
almostlikebeinginourownlit le world.Ifnotfor T.Vandirurnatle,rneitwas
packingNero.Ididn’tmind;hewast
worldcouldendandweprobablywouldn’tevenknowi
TheWhichwasjustfinebyme,Ilikethequiet. and by theendt. of it,It,wasthe
walktook us about an hour,iny, andthewalkand
“Hey,thatwasfun.Would it be okayifI came andwalkedwith
feelinginvigoratedandmorealivethanI’dfeltinweeks. visit left me
youandNeroagain?”Jessicaaskedaswestoodinfrontof
“Ofcourse,anytime,youdon’t needtoc a l .
car wasbackwhichmeant that Sebastian was home.Ismiled my place.
I’mnotgoingbackto
workforawhileyetsojustpopin.”
TheJessicawavedandjoggedofftowardhome.
hemighttrytoblackmailmewithit later, hewasagoodmanandIwas
andheadedtowardthehouse.Ididn’tcarehowgratefulIsoundedorhow
luckytohavehim.
“Sebastian?”Icalledout,Nerosoundasleepinmyarms.Iwanted
toapologizeforbeingajerk.
made“Here.”
my wayNeroto thecloselivingandroomkissedthe
andbelieveyouboughtmea—”
Iclutched
“Really?Afterthetalkyouj
“Shhh,”hecutme wheretopSebastiansat
TV.beingoutinthesunshine?”Isaid,tappinghimontheshoulder.“Ican’t
ust gavemeaboutnotwallowingand
of his down­softhead,
gluedto the
offandpointedtotheTV.
OnthescreenwasareporterstandinginfrontofVGH,Vancouver
Generalamiracle
such Hospital.
a f t “
e I
r t appearsthat
all.Early themiracle
reports arethat drug,Nevermore,wasn’t
thetoxins thoughttobe
known as scotchbroom—werenoteliminated.”Thereporterchokedup,
strainedoutofthe main componentofthedrug—cystiusscoparius,better
thatsomeoneclose
hereyesmistingover,andIwonderedifshehadtakenthedrugorknew
makesus human,
toherwhohad.“Thetoxinsattackthepartof
whole sections of the cerebral cortex arethebrain
eaten
away until there is nothing left but reporterturnedandrantowardthe
stumbledoutofthehospitalandthe a base animal instinct.” Someone
manwhoclutchedathisstomach.“Sir,canyoutelluswhyyou’rehere
were “I’mso hungry,Ican’tstopeating.Nothingfil s meup.”Hiseyes
today?”
glazedand hisskinhada stronggoldenyellowhuetoit, asif he
werejaundiced.
“Sir,didyoutakethe drugNevermore?”sheasked,stickingthe
microphoneclosetotheman.
answer,Hestaredatthemicrophoneforamoment,openedhismouthto
away,the cameraman keepingtabsonthe
snarling.Thesoundssentchillsa
andchomped histeeth around manfuzzyattemptingtodevourthe
l over themybody. piece,
Thereporterbacked
growlingand
microphone. Then helooked up,right intoof agoat’seye.
round, toaIgaspedandgrabbedforSebastian’shand.
twitchedasthecamerafocusedinonthem,sliding
horizontalrectangle,reminiscent thecamera. His pupils
HefromgaveittomeandI
aperfect,human
clungtohim.Thatcouldhavebeenmei
beenmeifnotforthemainingredient.IpressedmynoseintoNero’s f I’dtakentheshot—wouldhavefur
andbreathedinhisscentasSebastian’shandwentclammyinmine.
The man stood and opened his mouth. Icouldn’t tel ifhewas
trying toherspeakorifhewasroaringatthe
reaction,he was roaring.Thescenejiggedandjoggedasthe camera.By thecameraman’s
get cameraman
from
behind,
andthereporterf
wasn’tfast enough.Thecameraturnedintimetoseeher
led, butinherheelsandtight businessskirt,tackled thereporter
Nevermore
chunkoffleshasifshewerealoafofbread.Herscreamswereaudible
man.Herbody
eared upslamming and slammed into thehisground
mouth under into hertheback,weightrippinga
of the
fromwhatevermicwasl
andthescreenscrambled,andthenwentblack. e f t onthecamera,thenthecamerawasdropped
that itiwas.t“That
knewitwasn’tstaged.
think forreal,” I said,thoughIaiaparta
Itwaswasn’tlikewatchingahurricanerip
waspossible,didn’tthinktheywould rknewalreadyin
it, butinyourheartyou my gut
house.Youdidn’t
were Sebastian didn’tnewssayandanything,
allbreaking bulletins.heThejustNevermore
flipped thechannel.
drug had They
been
takenbywhato f i c i a l s wereestimatingwasclosetoninetypercentofthe
FDAapprovedversions—bothofwhichwerehavingthesamee
NorthAmericanpopulationoverthelasttwomonths—streetversionsand
We watchedinstunned silence for overan hour, thef ecreports t.
cominghardand fiarsthomesand
towhiletheoutbreakwastakencareof.
staywithint h e at first,butthenslowing
avoidallcontact as withthe
peoplewerecautioned
outside world
“Inever thought I’d see the TVday a zombie apocalypse would
happen,”IsaidasSebastianturnedthe
“They aren’t
can’t zombies,” he snapped o f a.t meas he rubbedhis left
arm.“They
TVsaidthatalready.”
zombies,”Isaid,confused biteyouandturnyouintooneofthem.Thedoctorson
“I didn’tsaythat theycould biteyou,I just saidthattheywere
“No,youdidn’t. I’m byhissuddenturnofmood.
sorry;this
arms, has j u s t reallyfreaked me out,” he
saidandpulledmeintohis Nerosquirminginbetweenus.
I t got each otherandthe farm.haveWe
this straightenedoutinnotime.” won’ttakelong.Someonewill
shouldbegoodforawhile,right?
“It’llbe okay,”I said,“We’ve
 Sebastian untangled himself from me and strode to the kitchen.
“Wehavetobeready.”
Ifollowedhim.“Forwhat?”
downoneMy“Ithinkwe’regoingtobeonourownforawhile,”hesaidasa
hada chance.Ias Ithoughtaboutthescene
peelingofherfleshfromhisbite...
loudthumpingfootstepechoedthroughourl
reporter
bathroomonamakeshifttowel­bed,shutthedoor,andheadedbackinto
thekitchen.I
hadn’toftheNevermores,butitwasalltool
adrenalinesoared
didn’twanttobelievethatwewerealreadygoingtoface
couldI swallowedhardandputNerointhe
stillhear Ionsteppedtomy
it le house.ikherely.screams
theTV.The
and the
Sebastiannoddedandpulledoutaknifeofhisown.Together
knife drawer, pulled outthe biggest blade I had, and grippeditwecrepttight.
throughthehousetothefrontdoor,reachingi
through the floorboards. What the hell was outtasasanotherthumprumbled
there? I didn’t want to
know,reallyIdidn’t.
nodded,andhehelduponefinger,two,and
Sebastianhelduphishandandwithhisfingerscountedtothree.I
grippedthedoorknobandsnappedthedooropen.heheldupthethird, he
 5
We bothifstumbled
greyeyebrowsl back in relief, Danstaring at shoulderanda
ted high.Hehadhisgunslungoverhis us withand bushy
strapacrosshischestthatwasfullof
cartridges.Theylookedbigenoughtodropanelephant.
investigatingastrangenoisewithoutsomeseriousfirepower.Thisi
survivet
ahorrormovie,there’snoherogoingtocomerescueyou.Youwantto
“Youhis outbreakofidiotswhotooksomenew
two need some lessons ammunition,longgold
in surviving. Firstoff, don’tsilver s notgo
casuall asif he acrossthe
Heike,stepped
animals,you’regonnahavetodoitonyourown.”
belongedhere.Il sauntereddrugandturnedinto
thresholdiftedandaneyebrow into ourhouse,
lockmyself in thebunker.”He here?” at Sebastianwho
shruggedandsaid,“Dan,what’reyoudoing
“Don’tyoulisten,boy?YouneedalessonortwobeforeIgoand
thecurtainsofthebaywindow.pacedaroundthelivingroom,peeringout
onenormal,”Isaid,desperatelywantingtobelievemyownwords.
of “Dan,they’llhaveanantidoteinnotimeandt
thegreatest blunders in history and everythinghis willgo willgodownas
back to
“Youreallybelievetsohaast, girl?”Heturnedhissteelyeyesonme.
Ifroze,mymouthdry hemade meface therealitywithasingle
look.Ishookmyheadever ofslowly.
hishand, henearbeckonedus
Hemimicked me. “Didn’tthinkso.”
couch.Withasharpmotion to comecloser.
He floppedhimselfontoour
Sebastianobeyed,butIstayedwhereIwas,
“Second thing.” Dan leaned forward, totheopendoor.
elbows on his yougotto
knees and
loweredhisvoice.“Foodand
haveawaytokeepthemout.” water.Nextisweapons.Then
“Don’tbe ridiculous,” I snapped, my fear making me surly.
goingtobe.”Abreezeblew inand Ispuntoclosethedoor,gaspingatthe
“Thereisn’tgoingtobeanyhordeorpackorwhateveryouthinkthere’s
“Hungry,” was al he said ashearmsandface,
theportlyclerkfromTom’sGrocery.Buthewasnolongerchubby.
waslean,theexcessfleshhangingoffhis
personstandingontheedgeofthedoorstep.Ivaguelyrecognizedhim
ahorizontalslitthatstolehishumanityfromhim.
yellowlikethemanontheTV.Worstwasthewayhispupilshadbecome
launched himself at me.IHeas
theskinasickly
stumbledbackwardswithagrunt,strikingoutwithmyknifeandgetting
distantJudolessons,failingmiserably.Theclerkendedupontopofme,
nothingbutair.Wehit thegroundandIrolled,tryingtoremembermy
handle. and I slammedon eatingme.
snapping teethoffmyme,lefthandwrappedaroundhis
keepingmyhisknifehand;Isupposehewastoofocused
butdidn’tpin
upwardsintohisheart,bloodspurtingoutaroundthebladeanddownthe
BeforeIknewwhatIwasdoing,Ihad
throat, the knife
 Iblinkedandhisbodywassuddenlygone;yankedoffmewitha
growl.Sebastianstareddownatmewithalookofhorroracrosshisface.
Dan stepped I’dup nexttowereahim.upat“She’s mygota good survival drive.
That’llserveyouwell.Ifshe
whatjusthappened.
I layonthe floorstaring beenattacked,andI’dkilledaman.
screamer,you’dbedeadin
them, braintryingtoprocess Inanolesstime
time.”
thanittook
Myforehead.
hands to takeabreathofa
wereslickwith ir, mylife hadtwistedi
hisblood,andas I stood,a tself insideout.
wave ofcleanvertigoanddid
indeedpuke,heavingt
washedoverme.
Handswere
“She’sgonnapuke.”
Dan turnedsuddenly
ilthemystomachwasemptyandsweatbeadedonmy
hoseonme,onandguidingme
I washedmyoutsidehandswhereI
sprayed“Ohthe scoolhit,”waterSebastianovermysaid,face.his voice
clenchedagainandIdryheaved. I had offkilledto amyman.righMyt, hisstomach
hands
tighteningon“ I ’ l bemy arms.
okay,”Isaid.
opengate.“Them.”
“Notyou,babe.”Heturnedmetothefrontofourpropertyandthe
Maybe itwasn’tgoandranfor
walkingourway,thedistinctyellowoft
Sebastianletme a horde, but thegate. thereheir skinvisibleevenfromhere.
was closeto twenty people
“Bastian,don’t!” As au n i t , everysingleoneof the Nevermore’s
Me. “Damnit, girl, I told you nonoise,”Dan growledas he scream.
headssnappedup,theirs l i t e d eyes focusing on thesourceofthe
walked
pasthorde,me,thoughputtinghehisdidn’tgunpullto histheshoulder and
trig er. Sebastian taking aimatthe running
sametimeasthef
shut, slamming theirslockt oftheNevermoresandheflungtheheavypanels
into placeasthey hammeredreachedtheither bodiesgate theup
againstit,screamingandhowling,t
Sebastian.Iran down theporch,jumpedacrossthe heir eyeswildandhandsreachingfor
flowerbeds,andran to
aren’ttheytrying to climbthegate?”Iwhispered.
whereSebastianstoodpanting,staringatthehordeinfrontofus.“Why
Sebastianshookhishead,breathinghard.Thathadbeenaquick
sprintforamanofhiss i z e , fasterthanI’dseenhimmove in years.
Danstrolledupnexttous,casually,likehewasoutforaSunday
vanimalspennedup.”Butevenashespoke,one
isit, and“Interesting,t
except for htheat. Theydon’tseemtobeabletofigureitout.Like
gunslung over his shoulder and the horde of
Nevermoresatourgate,hecouldhavebeen.
waythrough tothe andfar
hisgate,hisfingersclumsy group andoftheNevermorespushed
began to fiddle withthe
front ofthefromdexterous.Hedidn’tseemtobeable
touse
same,hewasstilltryingtoopenthegate.
thefiner points of motorskil s, whichwasbetter forus. Allthe
 idea, “We’ve
Ididn’t needgot toalotofencouragement.
himashebackedawayfromthegate. get foroutofhere,”Sebastian
downthathordeanytimesoon.ThankGodourplacewasfullyfenced.
“We’restuckhere said,pullingme
get usedtothewith
Iwas notinterestedinfacing
awhile,boy.Mightaswell
agarden.
dilapidatedchicken coopwe’dtank.”I
unlessyou’vegotatankinthatshedoverthere.”Danpointedtothe
“We don’t needa partiallyknockeddowninpreparationfor
surprised myself by speaking my
thoughtsoutloudtoavirtualstranger.“We’llj
stopus,andwe’lljustrunthemover.” ust takethecar.Theycan’t
Icouldbarelybelievethe wordsthatcameoutofmymouthand
apparentlyneithercouldSebastian.
“You’re kidding me, right? Those things out there are people
underneathi“In caset all,andyouwanttorunthemover?”
you haven’t noticed, they want to EAT us,not play
Parcheesi,”Isaid,puttingmyhandsonmyhips.Asharpr
ahouse.
lmouthsopen,teethshowing,salivadrippingandhangingfromloosel
threeofourheadstowardthegateinunison.Thehordewasleaning at le snapped
intothes“Wete lneedgates,thehingesgroaning.Everyl
to get out of sight,” Dan said,ast oneofthemhadt
walking backtoihptheesi.r
wehadahordemy faceof drug­inducedzombiesonour
and tried toblockoutthemoment.The
man and“Weneedtogetoutofhere!”Hysteriabubbledup.
asightsweregone,butthegroanofthegates,thegrowlingofthehorde,
clappedmyhandsover I’ddoorstep.I
just killed
stillreachedme,denyingmemymomentofescape.
Ahandonmyarmsnappedmy eyes open.Sebastiandragged me
ltowardthehouse.“We’lltalkaboutwhatwe’regoingtodoinside.The
ast thingweneedistogooffhalf­cockedandgetourselveskilled.”
IAlethim directmybroughtmy
shoulderatthewrithingmassofthingsthathadu
human.“Thiscan’tbehappening.”
sharp shake body,butI couldn’t helpbutstare over my
ntil veryrecentlybeen
eyes up to
denialofthatfearmakinghiseyesthoseofapersonIbarelyrecognized.
“frontdoor,slammingitbehindme.AllIwantedwasa
Imouthathinhardline.Ijerkedmyarmoutofhishands.
t is happening, Mara, to Sebastian, fear and the
andyouneed getusedtotheidea,”hesaid,his
“You’reanass,youknowthat, don’tyou?”Istompedtowardthe
whitelieortwotoget
cometotermswithwhatwasgoingon.
Thelivingroomwasdim,theflickeringoftheTVtheonlyl lit le comfort,aight,
methroughthe initial shock.Afterthat,Icould
asplace.the curtainsandblindsweredrawn
yourfeeton “Feetmyoff,”coffeetable.” down.Dansatonthe
feetproppeduponthehand­carvedcoffeetablewe’dboughtforourfirst
themhimself.“Idon’tcareifthisi
I said,shoving hisfeet
s theendofthe hecouldcouch,his
off beforeworld,Idon’twant
remove
 back turnedThedooropenedbehindmeandshutwithasoftclick.Ikeptmy
toSebastian,
to scamperbetween my spine r i g i d , my breathing slow and
bathroom,
Nerot
deliberateried andI stompedtoreindowninmythemyanger.
asItried A whine camethe doorfromopen.heldthe
legs,butIscoopedhimupand
hallway andswung
Takingonel
him tight. Aasminute and the
t deepbreath,IcarriedNerointothelivingroom.Istared
passed anger started to drain outof me.
t the TV and came toa sudden stop, unable to take my eyes off the
ascreen.
“IDandon’tthink
controlinthebiggerc leaned forward.
ies, at le“I’dastcase,”
itthat’sthe .”hopedI said,they’dmyhands
have gotten tremblingit underas I
stroked
considered Nero.Listsof
uninhabitable ies that hadbeenin noparticular
majorflashedcitonthescreen overrunandorder: were
Toronto, Vancouver,
Brisbane,New Seattle, SanOttawa,Francisco,Los Angeles,Paris,Edmonton,
Berlin, Glasgow, Mexico City, Venice, Lima; the list went onFrankfurt,
York,
scrollingforasolidtwominutes. Atlanta, London, Perth, and on,
“Every continent has been hit by this catastrophe, though someife
obviouslyworsethanothers.”Themaleannouncer’svoiceblaredtol
onthescreen,andIjumpedinvoluntarily.Nerogaveasqueak.Ikissed
himonthetopofhishead.
Thecamerapannedtoareporterinwhatlookedlikeabare­bones
cement of
room, walls,
pturningtothecameraeveryfewwords,asi
adrugwearoff?Whatcanwedoaboutt
raphernalia.“DrJosephson,what
. and shelves strange scientific­looking
can youthelis ussituation?”thereporterasked,
f togainpermissionfromthe
about theevents?Will the
viewingaudiencetoaskthequestions.
“It’s simple, even fora nincompoop like you, Blaine,” Dr.
Josephsonsaid.
“It’s Bruce.”
In thecantwo“Whatever. The drugit’s beenout,
was skippedit madeover
wellasHealthCanada;moneygreasedthewheelstohurryittomarket.
monthssince through the1.6tFDAril iotesting
n as
dollars.
Youpublic.”Dr.imaginehowthatwould make acompanyeagertogetittothe
Bruceleanedi
Josephsonn.snorted.
“Thosenumberscan’tberight.”
“337 million people, give or take a few
cthousand,
camera,
wearo
alone. getthenoshotsatdownona
through
Thereperlegalisnorshot,one
cure.dollars at ymeans.
linic. fYoushoulddoyourresearchbeforeyougoonair,Bruno.”
Fivethousand
“Thereis
Thedoctor
,asifBrucewerenolongerworthspeakingt That’sin
it willo. gopeopleNorth
old stoolandlookedupintothe
itisdesignedtolinkpermanentlytothemolecularstructureof
chance hundred away.a America
Idayt won’tper
human bones, organs, and most importantly,
transferred byabite, as the modern movie culture would have brain. I t cannot be
you
areactingaspacks,notunlikeapackofwolveswithanAlphamaleand
believe.Thesearenotzombies,thesearepeoplegoneferal,wild.They
whofemale, and therestworkingasagroupforfoodandprotection.”Hispale
blueeyesboreintomeandIshiveredwiththeintensity. “To thepublic
dropped have nottakenNevermore,I willsayonly onething,”Hepaused,
hishead and shook it slightly before lookingback up intothe
camera.“Survive.”
 6
warningWithsystemthatofstriped
, theTV colours. The silence inscreen
went blank,andthe our littlehome
turned intoawas
overwhelmingthink ofandIanything
wantedtotosaythat
say something
screaminghystericallywasoutofthequestion,Iwasoutofoptions.
couldn’t would meanto breakanything,
it,butandsince
didn’t. I
tomyplace.”Danstood,drawingourattention.“That’sit then,I’mheadedback
“What?”Sebastian
Heoverhis
nowayyou’llmakei
glancing t.” asked.“Youcan’tgetoutofherea
strolled shoulder
tothe backatus.door,ignoring
“There’s a backtrail, Sebastian’sgoeslassessment,
ive,upand
there’s
around,it’sagreatviewoftheoceana
Dannodded at me.“TheseNevermores
mainroutesrightnow,soifyoucometomyplace,comethebackway.
“Nevermores,”Isaidsoftly. t thetop.Ithinkthesethings—”
seem to be stickingtothe
Isomefood,mendyourfences,andkeepquiet.”
’l putaredflagnexttoit. Otherthanthat, plantagarden,growyourself
HeputhishandonthedoorandIgrabbedthebackofhisgrubby
shirt.“Hey,youcan’tj usthalf­turnedbackto
as helookeda
be thefirst
toreflexesonyou.”
narrowed Danlaughed tleaveushere.”
todieandoff—notme. “Youmight
prepared, nomake me.survival instinct.”Hisare goingeyes
“Youcityfolk
it; yougotsomegood
us. At leastwecouldbeworkingtogether,”Isaid.
SebastiansteppedupandIdidn’t
AgainDanlaughed.“Idon’tworkwithanybody,i let goofDan.“Youcouldhelp
t ain’t mystyle.
Toomuchdramawhenyougetmorethanonepersoninaroom.”
“So,”Sebastiansaid.“We’resupposedtobegratefulyou showed
upforabelatedhousewarming,andyoudidn’tevenbringusag
happen tovisitinthe middle aofa
t c r i s i s where you don’t even i f t ?
help? You I
don’tknowwhyyoubothered
Iletgo of a l . ”
Dan’scoat,feelingmyownangerbuild.Whatthehell
crazyas
wasDan’sreasoning,orwashetrulyj
Danstraightenedhiscoatandl u
i s
f t
t eas
d aneyebrowatus,we’dheard?then noddedbut
slowly.“Ifyoucanmakei
hwillsurvivet
is is MotherNature’s t tomyplace,I
theretotakewhatyouhadandaddittomystores.Butyouweres
wayof weedingout ’l ltheweak.Only
et youhaveaweapon, thestrong
his, andthat’showit shouldbe.Totellyouthetruth,Icame til here,
stil alivWee. Moresthepity.”
stared at himindisbelief,therealityofthesituationhittingus
bothatthesametime.
bet er, Thedoorclickedsoftlyashel
goodtookluck.Iinhiswondered
Sebastian, drawn faceif heandemeant ft withoutevensayinggoodbye,or
aroundtheproperty,ortheproverbialonesbetweenus.Ilookedovertoworriedfor useyes.to Myheart
mend our gaveafences
thumpandIputNerodownbeforeIa
arms. Betweensobsand‘I’msorry’onbothsides,ourlips
l butthrewmyselfintoSebastian’s met andwe
caught the edgeofa mania eachthat perhaps
Gladtobealivewestripped otheroutofourclothesandstumbled
otherwesurvivors were feeling.
upstairs tothebathroom.The waters t i l ran,
andwedrainedthehotwatertankshoweringoffthesweatandremnants
or two. hadn’tlost
each other,washingthefearaway poweryet,
foramoment
Wemadeloveintheshowerandthenagaininthebedroom,our
ofblood,wrappingourselvesaround
frantic needto
this wasLying
lockingthedoors. touch other’sarms,
ineach and feel overwhelming
al anightmare,ashared dozed oanyf , dreamingperhapsthat
fearwecometolifeinthenight,common sense—like
but
whenthelightofdaystreamedthroughthewindows.Notsomuch.
perhapsn
hidelikeleather.Iwoke,c
beingwatchedheightenedbyadisorientationoftimeandplace.
Thebedroomdoorcreaked,theknobclickingagainstsomething;
ails, orperhapswhatwelhil s ripplingovermybody,thesensationof
ater learnedwasskinhardeningintoa gone
thedoorway.
“Bastian,”Iwhispered,myeyespickingoutafiguresilhouettedin
“Hmm,”hegrunted.
“Wedidn’tlockthedoors.”
Iplacedmyhandlightlyoverhisl i p s andwhisperedintohis ear.
my eyes,seekingaweaponofanysort.
hislips.Keepingass
Sebastian’s as possible,Ifranticlysearchedthe
“Help me.”Hereyestilpoppedopen and heslowlymovedmyhand roomwith from
knewwedidn’thavemuchtime. voice was raspy and though she didn’t move,I
Ijumpedupoutofbed,recognizingthevoiceasourneighbour’s
teenagedaughter.
“Jessica?”
overheadl“Helpme,please,”shesaid,herbodytwitching.Iflickedonthe
“We’reight andSebastiancursed.
nakedhere, woman,” he said as he yanked on some
clothes. Idid the same,
wherearethey?”
Thankgoodnessforsmallblessings.keepingana t­seyehirtonoverJessicamy head,the whole
eyesweresemi­glazedandshedidn’tseemtonoticethatwewerenaked.
“Honey,”I said slipping “Yourtime,parents,her
Ifroze inmid­zip.
“Gone,theyturnedintomonsters.”
“Shit.”
“MyI movedthoughtsexactly,wife.”
toward
Nevermore.Thinasarail,pretty, Jessica andwondered againwhyshe
andyetshe’dhadtheshot,ashadher had taken
mother and father. Her Caribbean­blue eyes were stil human, not yet
slidingintothe realmofthe feral hordeoutside.Howlong woulditbe
beforetheyturnedcolourandshebecameoneofthemonsters?
andseeItouched herarm andsheflinched. “It’s okay,let’s go downstairsup
whatwecando.”
withasob.“TheTVsaidtherei
Inodded. cure “I know, sn’t acure,”shesaid,hervoicebreaking
workingona
tel awhitel rightnow.”butthatirlcould change. I’m sure they’re
Sebastianmadearudenoise,andIshushedhim.Iknewwhento
ie. Thiswasateenageg
Oncedownstairs, seated inaroundthewhowast
least Icoulddowastryandcomforther. er ified andalone;the
“Parkinson’srunsstrong ourfamily,kitchen
frontofher,Jessicatolduswhathappened. somytable,parentswantedto
a hot tea in
makesureIneverhadtodealwithi
someeffoherrt tonotbetocalmflincht. TheyinsistedItaketheshotwith
them.Yougottheshottoo,didn’tyou?”
fingers,Ileanedforwardandputmyhandoverhers.“No,Ididn’t.”Isaid.
ItbuttookIwanted soasthatshe shetwitched
wouldunderneathmy
keep talking.
“Whendidyourparents...?”Iwasn'tsurehowtoaskwhenherparents
wentcrazyandturnedintozombies.
intohert“Today,a fter Igotback fromourandI?” walk,”she whispered,staring
ea. “Idon’thaveverylong,do
Tears welled upt inwashardtoseesomeonesoyoungcutdownby
my eyes,
fsomethingthatshouldhavehelpedherlivealongandhealthylife.
hardtoknowtherewasnothing
knowJessicawell,buti I blinked them back.I Ididn’t
we coulddotohelp.Nerowhinedat
e t, andIstoodandfixedhimabowloffood.Ifeltbadforignoringhim, t wasour
buthewaggedhistailandseemedtohaveforgivenmealready.
Ithoughtaboutthefightwe’dheardinthehomeaswe’dwalked
shiftingintoaNevermore.Crap,howclosehadwecometogettingrun
and shivered. Nodoubt thathad been no normal fight, but aneighbor
downbyawanderingNevermore?
“Howlongagodidthey taketheshot?”Sebastianasked,leaning
intoward“Fiveher.weeks;Iwasaboutaweekl ater,” shesaid,hereyesflicking
way
uptohimtwice,maybeintimidatedbyhissize,the
were. Then I remembered that she had acrush on him.alIotcouldofpeopleonly
imagine the embarrassment offinding her crush in bed naked with his
wife.
knowingoutSebastianstoodupandstompedoutofthehouse.Iignoredhim,
that Jessica needed comfort right now. “You can I’mstay here,
sweetheart.It’llbeokay.”ThenIfrowned.“Howdidyoumakeitpastthe
horde Shegavemeawobbly,tearfilledsmile.“Theyknow
them.Theylet front?” oneof
“There’s no othermepass,Iclimbedthegate,andthey....”Sheshrugged.
way tosay it, they cheered forme, like they were
rising emotions: sadness, fear, and thenonherrelihead,fightingwithmyown
happyIcouldgetinheretoyou.”Droppingherheadtoherarmsonthe
tablesheletoutasob.
Ireachedoverandputahand ef. Itcould
waitingtobeturnedintoananimal.I f have
notforthedamnscotchbroom,i been me
heels, myairborne
withsomethingIdidn’tl
some JessicanotitoMyke.which
me.fearbeginningtoturnintoresolve.Wecouldsurvive.We
watered,andthebackofmythroatwasitchy—suresignsI’dgottenh
tookwouldbe
givingoneforherI ushered
threemyself,
Iwouldhavetakentheshotin
allergen.
Benadryl, thesleep, thean ireaction
ThenIwenttofindSebastian,Neroatmy
skinbackwould
tingled
butfor
bedroom
knockallovermy
andtucked
nsherout
tant. Ibody, intomynight.Ieyesbed,toitt
forwasherthehaving

He wasoutonthe
smart,young, andin love.Therewasn’tanythingwecouldn’tdo. were
haven’thadthechance
outat thestarencrustedsky.
I stepped up beside yettobackporchleaningagainstther
slipping my arm around ahisilingwaist.
himthankyou.” , staring“I
Hegave mea
Ipointeddownaquizzicallook.
didn’thavetogetmeapuppy,butI’mgladyoudid.”Igavehiswaista
squeezeandtookadeepbreath,l t thepuppys et ingititioutslowly.
ng onmyfootandsmiled.“You
“We’veisout.”
weapons.Maybegetsomesort
theelectricity got to Ilaylookedoutofuparadioplan,and upin
myBastian.
breath Food, water,my fences,
casetherearenoticesonce
caughtin throat.
Tearsstreakedhisface,drippedoffhischin
losing
disease
emotion.everything
Hewrappedhisarmsaroundme.
Ishehad
held onnosayoninthefirst
because
to him asshetiwanted
ght as Iplace.” “ Iand
tocould,havet isnHisplunkedontother
fre, Mara,
’afighting
t flaivoicewasthickwith passailtioniernalgr.ias,
tomynotownthatg
shocked
fyears,t “GohiastwaswhatperhapsthesecondtimeI’d
eyestowater. I was seeing. Sebastian wasseenusuallyso
irst timeIwasn’tentirelycertainitwasn’tjustahardwindcausinghis himshedtears—andthestoic. In four
thinkIcould tosleepanyway.”
bed, babe. I’l stay up and watch over you two. Idon’t
Ikissedhimsoftly
loveyou,Bastian,morethananything.” onhislips, holdinghisheadinmyhands.“I
togoinside.
Iwentupstairstobed,snugglingNerodowninwithme.Ilistened
HekissedmebackandswattedmelightlyonmybuttasIturned
toSebastianpaceontheporch,mutteringfromtimetotime.Ididn’tsleep
muchthatnight,mymindwhirlingwithplans. Inmy
besidesfence
thethebestplace
theneeded for
knivestobe reinforced,hadn’twhatevenweleftcouldushead,Isketchedout
agarden—thecurrentspot
wehad.Dan and wasfar toorocky—where
a usesingleas weapons
weapon,
thoughhe’dsaidhehadlotsathisplace.
 Iyawnedandclosedmyeyes,Nerosnugglingintiitgfhult sleep.
hiswarmthasteadycomfort,thenfinallydriftedofftoaf nexttome,
 7
The dreamsstayedthathauntedwhatshouldhavebeenar
meagain,butthistimeIwasonmyown,Sebastianinapoolofbloodbeside
wishingI’d upwith Sebastian.The clerk wasestattacking
ful sleeplmeeft
me,ferocitycomingfromaplaceIneverknewexistedwithinme.
Dannowheretobefound,Nerobarkingmadly,andIwaspregnant.
Inthedream,when
Theclerkneverhadachance,hisheartoncemorepiercedbymy
I realized Iwas withchild,Isnapped,amotherbear’s
kitchenblade,hiseyesglazingoverasdeathsettledonhim.Aboomfrom
reachedforthefrontdoorandpulledonthehandle.
ofNevermorespouringi
theothersideofthehouseandthebackporchdoorswungopen,awave It waslockedand my
n. Yankingmybladeoutoftheclerk’schest,I
handslidoverthemechanism
mad
liketheyflungh
mouths, and to
to unlocki t overandover,unable
iofoneoftheNevermores.Thehordehowledandswelled,slammingme
intotheground,pinningmeastheyshookme.
t. Iscreamed
a slicingiwoman,protectingthechild
slitoffleturnedback
bodyasidelikearagd
fingers and stabbing me,
thehorde.TheyrushedmeandIfought
within
eyes.Nero to
ol , disappearingintothemaw
blocking bitgrasp
barked andhandsand, but
Iscreamed,ortriedt
“You’re dreaming, ,babe.andahandcoveredmymouth.
omyear I t ’ s j u s t
my a dream. You’re okay.”
Sebastian’sdeeprumblein
awake. slowed heartrateasIcamefully
“What...time..
“What?”Hel i f t e d.hishandoff
it?” Imumbled.my mouth.
“Time?”
“Igotup,stillinmyclothesfromthedaybefore.“IguessIshould
It’s just after seven.Jessica’sstil asleep.”
shower.”Ipluckedat mysweat­soakedt­shirt.
lscooped man
thenhallway.“Might
up
it le nomorehere.”Heas well,atsomepoint
ayawningNero.“I’mgoingto
hot showers.”He
ruffled the kissed we’re makegoingtolosee
puppy’smehairand lectricintoity, andthe
onthebreakfastforusandthe
cheek
disappeared
thenbentand
imagineI beingwithoutthesimplepartsofl
showered, taking my timein theife,hottheday­to­dayluxuries.I water. Itwas hard tot
Downstairs,irl. Sebastian was indeedmaking breakfast:
lookedlikewewereabouttoembarkonthecampingt
relocatedcityg
wouldn’teverend.Notreallythemostpleasantofthoughtsforanewly­ rip fromhellthat
waffles,
eggs,bacon,hashbrowns,oatmeal,sausage,andFrencht
munchingonasausagequitehappily.
besavingthefood?”
Ishookmyhead.“Holycrap,whatareyoudoing?Shouldn’t oast. Nerowaswe
 Sebastian flicked his head toward the hallway
bedroomwas.“She’sgoingtobehungryand,l e t ’ s where thehis could
behonest,t guest
beoneofherl
thoughtoft hat.as”t meals.”
my ir itation. “You’reagoodman,mylove,Ihadn’t
Theguestbedroomwaspaintedbright
Iswallowed
somethingI to yellow,includingthedoor;
thinking shuffle, andthen agroan. I backed yet,awaythoughfrom ithet seemed
hadn’t gotten
fit ing thatshewasthere.Iknockedthreetimes. around
A“Jessica,areyouawake?We’vegotbreakfastready.” changing door,
we’dmadeaseriousmistakeinlet ing herstaywithus,evenfor
thenight.Thedoorknob
I letout a breath,turnedslowlyandJessicapeekedout,yawning.“Is
thatbaconIsmell?” relief rushing through me. “Yup, Sebastian’s
beenslavingoverthestovea
She flushed and duckedl morning,j
pattedherback. ust foryou.”Ismiledat herand
intothekitchen. her head as she passed me and headed
What happened next was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
pounds,ateatleastasmuchasSebastian,whowasafullfootinheight
Jessica,whocouldn’thavebeenmorethan5’4andweighedmaybe110
ast as astheyifthey
flooked
tallerthan couldwerewaschew.racing,poppingsausagesandbitesofwafflein
herand at lTheeast double
whole hersceneweight.was Totop more thanit al aofli,tasliet
disconcerting. kind ofatfun,Bastian,though,hertoblushing
almostcomicalintheirlackofsubtlety.ThebestpartwasthatSebastian
peeked under herItwaseyelashes watch herandfaceheadwhenduckingshe
wascompletelyoblivious.
Ihadasingle helping,keepingit tooatmealanda banana,then
splurgedandhadsomebaconwithit.Whatthehell,ifitwastheendof
theworld,whocaredaboutcountingcalories?
“What’s thebackplan today?” Sebastian asked, looking from me to
Jessica,andthen
“Oh.Well,Ithought again.newthatweshouldmakeatal y ofal thefoodin
thehouse,plantthegarden,andcheckfences.”
pulleddown “Wejtheust hadthe pagewirefence putup!Andhaven’teven
oldbarbedwireontheother
ir itatioIrubbedmyface
Jessicaslouchedinherseatandstaredatherplate.
n fil ing theroom. side,” Sebastiansaid,his
goodthatwehaveadoublefencel withbothhands.“Iknowt
i n e , butthedeercans hatt.ilAndmaybei
geti n . tcan’s
Iknow
thegrounddeercan
level?jump,but
The Nevermores
what ifthere’s
maybe acan’t
l i t l e jump,
hole somewhere?
but I bet theyOneat
snappedAtitthatshutSebastianpaused,his
crawl.” andnodded. The thought mouth ofopena horde toargue,of Nevermores
and thenhe
pouringthroughasmallholewas al toopossibleandal toofrightening
“Wertotakethechancethattherewasevenonesmallopeningonourf
ight,candraw
inmy
ofdefence.
back weSebastian
“Wealsoneedtofindsomewaytostorewater,”I
should
chair.waterfromthewellevenwhenthepower’sout,butyou’re
storesome
nodded andanyway.”Hestoodup. irstslineme.tart
leaned back inhis chair,“I’mmimicking
goingto
said,leaning
withgate.Whydon’t
theitfences and I ’ l
youcomewith
waswouldbegood throw another chain and padlockon
me,Jessica?”Heglancedatme,andI
to keepherdistracted,andhaving the front
gavehima
myself,
toherself herface
TheNevermoressawherasoneoftheirownandwouldn’thurther,andit
mightkeepSebastiansafertoo,havingherathisside.Jessicanoddedand
tookanotherbiteofasausage,
thescarypartsoflife.Itdidn’tbotherme,Sebastianwas
slightaperfectwayforayoungg
nod.Neither ofus saidwhat wewere bothher thinking.
glowingwithpleasure.Ismiled
irl tohavehermindtakenoff crushallto
hand, As theyhimheadedback outto methe andbackplanting
wanderorstray,especiallynotforasixteen­year­oldg
pulling door, I agrabbed
kiss onirl.Sebastianby
hisnotthetypeto
lips. “Don’tthe
followingJessica’sl
forgettoreinforcethegate.Isawsomeextrabarsinthegrassbesideit.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”ithe figure.He saluted me sharply and headedout,
they leoutftIhad, canned
cupboards,Aftercharting I spentfoodthe andmorning
preserves,
going cleaners,
throughall t o i l e t r our
i e s ,
andperishables.Once
tousethem,
ofsoup,onelarge myheart ce, eight cansinofpastasauce,sevencans
ruit ithemstacked
anditshowed.Therewerethreebagsofpasta,lessthantwodozencans
oneofeachofmyfavouritespices,andthatwasaboutitforfoodofthe
bagofflourandsugareach,asmallbagofbrownsugar,ahalfboxoftea,
non­perishables
tuna,fourteencansoff
Iscrubbedmyhandsovermyface.The
ort.bagofr orderofhowfast
sank.I’dneverreallybeenapersontobuy
ofvariouskinds,three fridgewasf uwel offresh
boxesofJell­O,one inneededbulkof

fromdinnertwonightsago.The
veggiesandfruit,milk,cheese,halfadozeneggs, freezer wasnotsof and
u l , twocutsofbeef
buttherewerea
chickendrumsticks,
fewtomaket
bags“Weare bread,soandground
hiofs stretch? twobeef,frozenI onesaidpizzas.Howthehellwerewegoing
screwed,” softly, ofneeding
package break theof
bacon, toa package
depressing
bedin silence even if it was with a depressing
enjoyingthethetub.Atleasttherehewouldn’tgetintotrouble
woofedsoftlyinseemingagreement.Ilaughedandrolledaballforhim
yawned,andIscoopedhimup,grabbedatowel,
acrossthefloor,whichheboundedafter.Isatonthefloorrollingtheball,
normalcyofthemoment.Aftertenminutesofplaying,Nero andmadestatement.
if hewokeNeroup
amakeshift
andI wasAhugerumblereachedmyearsasItuckedNeroin,arumblethat
Irecognizedandhadcursedmostmorningsastheneighbourandhisgod­
outside.
awful diesel minus­a­muffler
fourhouse truck headed towork. Scrambling
e t, Irantothedoor,flingingitopenintimetoseethehordeoutfrontof to my
Bodiesflew in al thedirections,
get scatteredby blackDodgemowingthemdown.
screams of pain and rage coming
fromeveryside.Ishoutedandpumpedmyf
getoutwithavehicle,Ij ust knewit. ist intheair. Iknewwecould
 8
pastourhouse.
IMyjubilation
frowned. Sebastian and Dodge lurched to astopjust
wasshort­lived.The
Jessica cameherunning
field, toolsintheirhands,worrywrittenacrosst
“I’m
“Mara?”Sebastianyelled. ir faces.in from the far
theproperty. here.Theguywiththenoisytruck!”Ipointedtothefrontof
Westaredasthetruckrumbled,coughed,andf el silent, choosing
swarmed
this momentaroundmyto thetruck,scratching
protest itsrough usage.and screaming,tThehorde heofir Nevermores
nailson the
metalmaking
“ITheback skinjumpandtwitch.
“What’shedoing?”Jessicaasked.
thinkhistruckstalledout,”Sebastiansaid.
window slid open,hands emerged,and our neighbour
squeezedhimselfoutintothetruckbed.
“Hey!”heyelled.“Littlehelp?”Heflappedhisarmsandpointed
likewehadsomemagicwandthatwouldcarveapathforhimthrough
aroundhimlikewehadn’tnoticedtheNevermoressurroundinghim,or
thehorde.“What are we supposed to do? Walk out thereand ask them if
theywouldmindnoteatinghim?”Isaid,notreallyexpectingananswer.
Jessica wasnoddingthough.“They
they’lllSebastianandIstareda l e t me
et methroughwithTom.”t her.“Jessica,”Isaid.“Youdon’tknow throughonce;maybe
thattheywon’tattackyou.”
“Theydidn’tattack usonthebackofyourpropertywhenIwas
withSebastian.Theyj
undertheirbreath,”shesaid,hervoicefarmoreconfidentthanIfelt.
Chillsrippled overust staredatus,swaying,andkind­of­likesinging
me atthepicturethat cameto mymind,the
likewolf pack withanAlpha
sceneIcouldseein
JosephsonontheTVhadsaids
said,andmymindf maleand
imyl ed headeventhoughIhadn’t
inthemissingb therbeenest actingtogether
lid intoplacealongwithwhatJessicahad
female,
its. Thehordewouldbeworking there.WhatDr.as
and protectors.Af
huntersMore inal momentplace.of Theunderstanding
wouldhavethought.Thepack,orwhateveritwas,wantedJessica,i
Dr.JosephsonfromtheTVwasright,andtheNevermoreswereworking
likeawolfpack,they’dbelookingforfemalestoincreaset
Isuckedinalungfulofair,thesimplicityofitmakingmoresensethanI
Oh.My.God.
pieces slippedinto drug madecamehepeople
ir tomeand
numbers.fmorethat
fThedidn’tpass
ertilpopulationofNevermores
e, madethemt er itorial, ravenous,andmadethemdiseaser
the drugtotheiryoungand esistant.
make newNevermores,Ihadno
wasfor goingto boom.Andif thegenetics
doubtwhattheywouldbeeating their nextpackmeal.
 “No,”Istood
outwhateverit
there.”I said,sinher
tartling way.“They
bothJessicaandSebastian.“Youcan’tgo
want you,the pack—pride,
about, Mara?” i s , theywantyou.”Iswallowedhard.
SebastianstoodbehindJessica,frowning.“What are youtalking
“Hey, come onguys,don’tleavemehanginghere,”Tomyelled,
andthepackwentwildwiththesoundofhisvoice.
“Inaminute,”Iyelledback,turningonlymyheadtothem,and
thenfocusedbackonJessica.“Abreeder,that’sa
tomakebabiesandthosebabieswillbejust likethem.”Iflungmyarm l you’dbe.Something
outbehindme.“Andi
Jessica paled andf theyaren’t,youcanguesswhat’sgoingtohappen
tothebabies.”
shewhispered. Sebastian frowned at me. “They’d eat them,”
“You don’t know
Inodded. that, Mara,”
you’rescaringher.”
wantingmetocome Jessica said. “ISebastian
can feelsnapped
“It’s the truth,”to them.Especiallythatonethere.”Shepointedtoa at me. “Andme,
them pullingat
hegruntedandbarkedwhatseemedtobeorderstotherestofthegroup.
ebigf ormale
ts. Theleaderstoodwithhishandsonhiships,hiseyesnarrowedas
who stood back from the rest of the pack, overseeingtheir
inchargehard ofto theilsirpack.Trouble,that’swhathewas.
Hewastallerthanther
hadadefinitea est, but notas big asandIhad
washairthathadseenbetterdays.Helookedtobeinhismid­thirties,but
withthechangesthedrugputthem
ofcommandaroundhim, nodoubtwhowasit
Sebastian,withlightblond
through.Themale
second,i Jessicastaredathim,
t wasn’ta look of her
fear eyeswashed
that not movingawayforevenas
over her plit
face—butdesire.
Shit. Shewalkedpastus,headingstraighttowardthegate.“Hewon’t
eatthebabies.I’llcomebackafterIgetTomout.Idon’thavetogowith
her fingertipsagainsth
theshookherhead,andthenpointed
touchingherlightly,stroking
male,brushing
fenceanddroppedlightlyontheotherside.The
packyet,”
Sebastianshiftedonhisf i“Isr.iShewalkedstraightuptothebig
hereath.aTom. s. He stareddownatherandshe
pack maderoomforher,
shesaidcertaintystronginhervoiceassheclimbedthe
“Iguess,” I said,notsuret h i s was shenegotiatingwithhim?”
agoodideaatal . Thebigmale
shookhisheadandroared.
Thepackscattered,leavingthetruckc
“Tom! Hurryyour ass up, man,” Sebastian lear. yelled when Tom
hesitated.Anotherbreathandhejumpeddown
to runtowardour gate.“Shit,I
backtowardthetruck. forgotmy stash,”he from thetruckandstarted
He grabbedthehandleandIgrabbedSebastian’s
yelpedandturned
hand. “He’snotgoingtomakeit,”Iwhispered.
“Forgetyourweed,man!Moveit,” Sebastianyelled.
too much“He’llmakeit,”Sebastiansaid.
Oneforofthepack desires.Itlunged at Tomandtheair.Itwas
the creature’smemberscreptforward,sniffing I stifled a
scream. Tom screamed forTomdisappeared
packrushedbackinand us both. Like unleashing
undera a tiofdalbodiesand
flurry wave, the
mouths.Jessica screamedandtried toruntowardTom,butthebigmale
heldglazingoverwithresignation.
her“Don’ttight hurthim,” chest until butshe thestoppedpack squirming, her eyes
againsthis sheyelled,
anymorethantheylistenedtoTom’spleasformercy. didn’t listen to her
IburiedmyheadintoSebastian’sshoulder.
Iturned tosee thepackretreatingwiththeir prize;noneofiteven
recognizableashuman,andJessicaandtheAlphamalewerewalkingto
“Look,”Sebastiansaid.
thegate.Asif inadream, we metthemthere,justoutofreach.
whispered,silvertearspoolinginherquicklyshiftingeyes.Shereached
“Thank you. I wish I could have stayed with you longer,”she
themwithmyown,rubbingmyfingersoverherknuckles.Ifsheweremy
through,andthoughSebastiangrunteda
wasandcouldhavebeen.
humanity,touchingoneofherownkindbeforesheforgoteverythingshe
daughter, my child, I would want hert me,Itookherhandsandheld
to have this last momentof
“Iwishwecould’vedonemore.”
tighteningonJessica.Sebastianhelduphishands,thenslowlylowered
Sebastian stepped closer and the Alpha male growled,his grip
themtomyshoulders,squeezingmealmostpainfullyt
I ignoredthe pissing contest and staredat iJessica. ght. “Be safe,
sweetheart,”Iwhisperedandliftedherhandstomyl
ofthem.The skin underneath my lips was spinning intoips, kissingtheback a dusky yellow
withf t inhabitedlikeit didalltheareasit wasof
aint linesthatlookedlikeveins,butweren’t.Theywereimages
wastakingholdofthehumansi
yellowteardropslikeapoorlydrawntattooofabroomflower.Theplant
introducedt The Alphamalepulledheraway,butnotbeforegivingSebastian
o. he
onemoreglare,onef
didn’ttrytocomeoverthegate. i l
“Idon’tthinkhelikesme.” e d withhatredsointensethatIwassurprised
“Whatdoesitmatter?He’dkil eitherofus,”Isaid.Iturnedaway
fromthegate,heartheavya
Sebastian’shandoff
happen.I titwould
losingJessica,thoughI’dknowni
jin ust didn’tmythinkIshoulderandwrappeditaround
beso soon.I reached t would
me, takingsome
up,took
heart. thewarmth. f onlyIcouldsoeasilywardoffthechillinmy
comfort
 9
checking
Neroromped
quickly nextat ourweek
strayclosetothefrontgate;the
Thelearnedto
fences, far awaylotgrowlingandfury,along
andstayfeetoblivioustothedanger
drinking
wasspent from
sdigging
of water
thefence al inaroundus,thoughhe
thetokeep
garden, hungeritadidtdaily,bay.he
e.ourOnlyonce
watering
theshot,
handsreachingforhim,senthimrunningbacktosafety.
Wephonedfamilyandfriends,tryingtofindoutwhohadtaken
and who hadn’t. Of them all,only witha set of
“Youtwotakef ,careofeach
to—”Shewascuto
answeringherphone,andshewasinLondon. other.I’ll beSebastian’s
thelinegoingdead,butat finehere,IhaveafGran waslsitgihlt
stil aliveandwell. I t wasasmall rayof sunshine.
We“Fine,arguedaboutwhetherornottogotoDan’s,butIwonout. l e a s t weknewshewas
slumpedonthecouch. Mara. Fine.Wewon’tgotoDan,”Sebastiansaid,hisbody
patchonashirt.
buthe’s
“Wecan’ttalastrusresort.” I went back to attemptingto hand­stitcha
us.Hesaidsohimself.We’resafehere;theNevermorescan’tseemtoget
in. If itcomesdowntodesperation,thenyes,maybethenwecouldgoto
Dan, t him,Sebastian.Hecameheretoraidus,nothelp
Thepacklonceeftorusalone twice fora day.themostp
He wasaront,smaller
red slashes
withonethatwentrightacrosshisforehead.Thescout,whowesimply
toslightlyhunchedoverwithangry
be ascout sendingoutwhatseemed
thanthe rest,face,and
hisupperbodyand
startedtoc
Thelonghours,hard work,andemotionalstresstaxedus,makinga
a l Scout,wouldattempttorattlethemassivegate,give
growl,andthenwanderoff. us
usbothedgyandoutofsorts,notevenleavingusenoughenergytomake
love,whichwasunusualforus.Thedaybeforethepowerwentout,we
week comehere,theTV’son,”Sebastiancalledout.
inovera“Mara,
checkedtheTVaswedid therewas aneachannouncementofs
morning andeachortsnight.Forthef
. irst time
Iran
Therewasnoannouncer,justasinglepicturelikea
downstairs,atowelwrappedaroundmyh
ona air. pageoutofa
considered
bookthatscrolledup
Ireadidangerous
t outloudasitwent.“AllareasofNorthAmericaarenow
territory,as
continualloop.is
lI readitslowly,disbeliefandalowthrumof
ofAustralia,Europe,andmuchofAsia.” the North and West of South
America,aTherewasalongstretchofblankscreenandthenalastwarning.
over me.“All remaining residents from these named continentsare resignationsettlednow
considered independent....”of any government, agency, or military
command.Weconsider
 That’s
turnedtheTV
fuzzys owhere
t“Whatdoesf . thatit ended.
mean?”TheI already screen blinked
atic, remindingmeofthetwilightzone.Igrabbedtheremoteandsuspectedandtheslidanswer,
into whitebut
He reached up and took my hand. “We’re on our own, babe.
wantedSebastiantosayitoutloud.
That’swhatitmeans.Noone’s
ofhere.They’regoingtolet naturetakei goingtocomehelpusortrytogetusout
t s course,j u s t like Dan said,and
hopetheNevermoresdieoff.”
I squeezed his hand and sliigdhtonto, thefearsurroundingus.
his lap.Hecircled his arms
aroundmeandweheldeachothert
Sebastiandidn’tanswerme,justlaidhis
“We’vestillgoteachother,”Isaid. head againstmybreast,
hisbreathinguneven as if hewereholdingbackt
Thenextday,twoweeksin,thepowerfinallywent e a r s . and we had to
breakoutthe
whennecessary.
somes
our foodstores—not At
flashlights and
thatpoint, we
candles,
realizedweneeded
hoarding
to beginthem,with—andour
oWorsethanthatrealization,wasthefactthatwewerethroughhalf
rt. Shit—inthemostliteralsenseoftheword.
thatwe had much using thematgarden
todigal rinonlye of
wasalongwayfromproducing.
at ouralreadymeagremeal
wood­burningstove
wereso I’dwinterthoughttoreplacefor
garden,andcanningequipment,j
thebarbecue. ofweipasta
Sebastianscrubbedhishandsthroughhish
“We’rej
manythingsonthel theheatwoodandcooking.Butthere
anduseahalfacanoftunacookedover
Comeust goingtohavetocutbacksomemore,”Isaid,staring
st ucould
ofneededitems:candles,seedsforthe
st tonameafew. air, stoveand
hisweddingband
the old
bumpingupagainsthisknuckle.Theweightwewerebothlosingwasa
catchingthe last raysof the setting sun.I watched as it slidaround,
testamenttoourhardworkandlackofnutrition.
Istartedtolaughattheironyofthesituation.
Igulpedthelaughter downenoughtoanswerhim.“We’vewanted
“What’ssofunny?”
toloseweightforsolongandalli
Anotherpeal of laughterripped
tears itt stookwasfortheworldtoshutdown.”
way out of me, leaving me shaking
andgrippedme,andnowIseemedunabletoshakei
gasping
He frowned atme, which only made mets grasp.laugh harder;lackrarelyof
forair, running down my cheeks. Hilarity
food,poorsleep,andhardworkmakingmegiddy.Isatonthefloorand
layon thecooltileofthekitchenfloort
al thebacklouder.Sebastiangot
thelaughterrolledoutofme,Nerodancingaroundmyheadwoofing,and
making
andwentoutside,the
andthetearsthreatenedtostart.Iforcedthemback,refusedtol
Imehowl doorslammingbehindhim. up,lil thelaughtersubsided
eft hisplate offood
et them
getahold ofme. Iwouldn’tlet thefearrise again.Weweren’tgoingto
diehere,weweregoingtoliveandsurvive.Nerolaydownbesideme,
everattentive,theperfectpuppy,andIwasgratefulhetooktohissit­stay
 hadbeenhappening.Iletmyhandrestonhisquickly­growingbody
commandssowell.Icouldn’thavehandledanunruly dogwithallthat fora
moment.What were wegoing
ourselvesandthedogfoodwasdiminishing
Istoodslowly,wobblingal to do
i t labout
e , t h e him?We
asfastas
distantthudof could
ourown. barely feed
el ing meCrap.IknewI’dmadeamessofitwithBastian.Iheadedoutside,
twithplasticwrap,somethingelsewe
whereSebastianwas.Iatehalf mymealand
were nearlyoutof. axeandwood
coveredthe rest
Nero
wood, atmysweatheelsand
alwaysbea dripping Sebastian’s
down his plateinslimming
rapidly handto findframe.himHewould
chopping
losingweight. bigguy,buti
“I’msorry. t wasscarytoseehowf
I’ve pulled ittogether,” I ast he,especially,was
said
“It’s okay. Ibesupposeandfromhalf­turned
Sebastianloweredtheblade time totome. time you’rein between
going tochops.
have
breakdowns.Itt’,s” tohesaid.expected.Aslongasyoucanalwayspullyourself
upandoutofi on alogtoeat.
“Well,i
Ihandedhimhisplateandhesatdown
t’s notlikeI’mgoingtobeherebymyself,right?You’re
smiledathimandhegavemeahalf­heartedsmileback.
sortofmarathonruntoseei
notplanningondoingawalkaboutinthemiddleofthenight,goforsome
f youcanoutdistancethepack,areyou?”I
hetrying“No,notplanningoni
to saysomethingwithoutsayingi
Iblinkedhard,wondering t.” at thesuddent? fear thatgrippedme.Was
crap
“What’swrong,Bastian?Iknowt
iother.That’sallthatmatters.”Isatdownbesidehim.Ar
attentiontothe
gruntedandpointedatthefoodonthep
t’s nothowweplannedourlives,butwe
Sebastiangate,stoodScoutmaking
and walked motions tothe h
are i s i s a
late. aliveandwestillhave
atus, morethansituation.Iknow
dreweachour
at le usual.He
intimidatedbyhissize, until Sebastianheldtheplateoffoodouttohim.
whinedthecloserhegottotheNevermore.Scoutbackedoff,obviously gate without a word, Nero
wehads “What areyou doing?”The scene
showingkindnesstotheNevermore?Whywouldhegivehimfoodthat
Scoutslunkedforwardcautiously,his
oat lit gatele of, whichwesodesperatelyneeded? disturbed
eyes me. Why was he
right the with Sebastian towering overhim.downcastu to One ntil hewas
shaking handast I
reachedouttograbsomenoodles,streakingback
couldbarelytrackitwithmyeyes.
graspednoodles,Sebastian’sbig
Asecondtimehereachedouttograbthefoodandashishands hismouthsof
squealed—setting Nero off,barking handclampeddownonhisarm.Scout
like amadnotdoing dog—and anything
tried to pullbut
away, butcouldn’t. Sebastian held ontohim,
holding.Scoutsquealedandscreechedsoloudandhigh­pitched,Ifound
more.We’dbeenalmost
myselfonmy callingbacktothenormal;Icouldalmostforgetthescene
“Bastian,fe t,he’sheartpumping andothers,”
readytorun. I said, fearblooming once
ofTom’s death,ofinthethepacksurrounding
“ITwowords,sosimple
offwiththeAlpha.
Scouttocallthepacki
Rustling
know.” n,bushes the onlyourwarning
property,ofJessica
but,why?andwas yet,theymeantsomuch. goingthe
we had Hebeforewanted
Nevermoresexplodedontotheroad,screamingandgnashingt
Theywerethinnerthanthel a s t timeI’dseenthem,buttheydidn’t heir tseeme th.
worseforwear,t
Isearchedthegroup,standingon
heir energystillhigh. mytiptoesandfinallystanding
onalogtoseei
“She’saft Jessicawaswiththem.
theback,”Isaid.“Shelooksokay.”Shewast h i n , her
air, shelooked...likethequeen of thepack.TheAlphamale
clothesragged,butunlikesomeoftheotherswho
piecesofh
steppedoutofthebushand hadscarsand missing
whilehestared at Sebastian. puthishandonhershoulder,claimingher
askedmoretomyself,butSebastianheardme.
“Whatdoeshethink?Thatyou’regoingtofighthimforher?”I
“That’sexactlywhathethinks.I’mbigger,stronger,andyounger.
Athreattohispositioninthehierarchyofthepack,”hesaid.
“Butyouaren’t.”
Sebastianturnedtolooka t me,hiseyessad.
Myheartdropped.
“Mara,t. theItwasn’tyouthathadf
wereoutofi results from the ferteirltitlyityesproblems,itwas
dayIgaveyouNero,whenIwentintotown.... me. The
t”s came back whileyou
“No, no you my head,backingaway,half­fallingoffthe log
andstumblingoverNero.
Istartedtoshake
aroundmeandIf didn’t, you wouldn’t have. You said that it was
stupid,thattherewasnowayyouwouldever....”Theworldswayed
Sebastianwalkedtome,andturnedmesothatwebothfaced
el tomyknees,grabbingattheaxeforsupport.
hissweat.I
times, ert hefinallymadesense,
kissed meor weandmadeIunderstood
began toaftitch,theconcentrationofbroom responded to thethein
my reactionsatstrange
in hisbodycomingthrough
gateandthepackbeyondit.HishandswerehotonmybarefleshandI
love.Mybody
concentrateIletoutamoanandheheld
within his hewas
allergictohim,towhat systembecoming.
andmeI hadtotake antihistamines. I was
“I’msorry,Mara.Itooktheshot.”tight.Helookedmeintheeye,his
ownbeginningtotintalightyellowthatI’dbeent
thewaythel
“ItookNevermore.”
ight reflectedonhisiris. el ing myselfwasjust
 10
dothisto i t Isobbedinto
me, his chest,poundedoni
thathewouldbeleavingme,forgettingthati t inaf i t ofragethathecould
f I’dhad i t my
way, wouldbetheotherwayaround.
The
inability to climbi pack dispersed,t orunlockioncet, melting more backstymiedintothebushas
by the gateifandtheyhad their
neverbeenthere.
and rattledthegate
Allthatwasltoget eft wasScout,whostareda
our attention. In lessthan t uswithhisslittedeyes
three weeks, that
me,wouldbeSebastian,outsidetheproperty,ananimalwhonolongerloved
an animalwhowouldassoon
I stoodup,pushing away “I
from him,anger
eatmeas be makelove to
andpaina me. t warwith
oneanotherinsidemyheart.
probably
have.” “You’re more thangoingyouto want. needto alone.”
get a Ilotwouldof thattakein advantage
thenot­too­distant of the timefuture,we
youtel Ispunonmyheel,readytoslaphim.“Youasshole!Whydidn’t
meyou’dtakentheshot?”and
Hefrownedandshookhishead.“Ididn’twantyoutoworry.” arms.shouldknowmy
“It’s myright to worry!an animal,i
thatyou’regoingtoturninto
feet,upsetbytheyelling.Ibent yourt’swife.me!”Nero
I’mscoopedhimintomy If anyonewhimperedat
“Therighttimedidn’t come
feelmightnothappenasfasttomebecauseofmysize,”hesaid,shrugging
anydifferent.Iwasn’tlosingweight,buta up.AndIwasn’tsureatf
t theclinictheysaidthat irst. Ididn’t
andloweringhiseyes.
I stomped off toward the backyard and the garden, the sudden
urgetokillsomethingleavingmeonlyoneoption.Pullingweeds.Over
myshoulder,Iyelled.“Therighttimewastheminuteyoufigureditout.”
Ifrozeatthesightinfrontofme.Threedeerstoodinmygarden
neatlypruning
week,
Nevermores every
screamandthrowthings.IputNerodown, l a
their awhobilitalsoy to wanteds t shootofavegetablethat
jump thein.fencegiving andasI had
cry,I
Iwanted to them did,Iscoopedupa comeup in
the edgeto overyellthelandtheast
wanted
position.“Mara,
woofing
peapatch.
andhad toandthemset running
tlareeawellinto
tumblingthelastofthewaydown,comingtorestonwhathadbeenmy
following
rock,hurlingi forrunningatthemfullspeeddownaslightslope,Nero
t thefour­leggedinterlopers.I
youfuokay?”
l ­ttheilt, openwhichwasn’t
Sebastian
field. lAsiftetheyanyd missedastergentlybythananeasymile
mefscattered,I toame,and
slipped,
sit ing
Inoddedtuckedmyfaceintothecrookofhisneck,breathingin
hisscent,trying hard
tonottothinkaboutwhatwascoming.here withoutthe
thingsyou’regoing
“I’llhelpyougetready,babe.Iwon’tleaveyou
need.”
anymore,”Iwhispered.
“Thatgivesmel
HewassilentforsolongthatIwasn’tsurehe
it le solacewhenIknowthatyouwon’tloveme heardme. Itwasthe
shuddering
streaks willthatstarted
alwaysface,lovedeepwashing
“Iof almost­cleanskin.
streameddownhis you,in hisnolinesof
bodymatterthatdihowrt made memy smind
it back.goes,Tearsno
andfargrimeaway,leaving
matter
imaginemylwhat Iifbecome;
e with anyonee
my lovelse,forMara,andtheselastfouryears
you will never change. I couldn’t have
beenthebestpartofmywholelife.Iwouldn’tchangeathing.”
HeAtmyraisedeyebrowheconceded.
“Ithedidn’ttellyouenoughhowmuchIloveyou,didn’talwayscherishyou
stroked myface withhishands and whisperedagainstmylips,
“Well,maybeonething.”
wayIshouldhave,butIwillalways,alwaysloveyou,nomatterwhat
comes.” Hekissed me softlyandIleanedintoi
withhim,Iwouldtakeeveryminuteofi t. Myt.angerwashedawayina
If this WewasallI hadleft
otheru
waveoflovesostrongIthoughtmyheartmightburst.
bothbreathealittleeasier.Ileanedbackfromhimtostareintotheface
thatIwouldlovenomatterwhati
ntil thetideofemotionswellingaroundusrecededandwecould
t lookedlike. clungtoeach
“Whatarewewaitingforthen?”Ipulledhimtohisf
Hecockedhisheadandstareda t me. e t .
wemadeloveinthegarden.I
briefmoment,thenhewastherehelping slide my smehirtundress,asIhelpedhim,and
Iwinkedandstarted tot wasn’tlikeweweregoingtobedamaging over my head.Ittookhima
thecropsoranything.Wetookourtime,savouringeachtouch,eachk
asiftheywereourl
woofingandleapingaast,usasweheldeachothert
breakinguponlywhenNerocamerompingback, ight. is ,
 11
“I’m going,Mara.Ihavelessthanaweek,
idressed.Itwasearly,pre­dawn,andwe’dbeenarguingaboutt
tmostofthe
’s a window of opportunity we can’t l e t pass,”afewSebastian
daysmaybe,
said asandhe
night.“Bastian,theAlphamale,if hecatchesyououtsidethegateh his subjecte’l
attackyou.Maybeh
Isaid, shadowing mye’l husband evenbeabletoturnthewholepackagainstyou,”
as asmanyhe searchedofthehouses
our closetasIfor can.You
the extra
needthefood,and
knapsack.“That’swhyI’mgoingsoearly,youknowthatScout’sneverbeen
herebeforethesunisup.I’llraid
me,I’moneofthem.” youcan’tgo.I
I snorted. “Nobody wants tto’s likewithJessica,theywon’ttouch
wantedfromher,andyouknowt h a t . ” get laid by you.of That’s what they
whowants“Hey.That’snotnice,ort
to get laid by me.” Heruebent. Icanthink
wassoallergicto,rushingthroughhissystem.
tinglenotallduetoourchemistry.Mostlynowi meat loneasttheoneperson
and kissedt wasduetothedrugI lips, the
hammer Ifollowed
“Didyouwrite medownstairs
kitchen In theHehesmileda
alistknife.at least?Idon’twant
and thewasbighimappropriate,consideringwhathewasgoingtodo.
burglar,which
youdidn’tgeteverythingyouwanted.”
thetension,Isuppose. where tanyme,tryingtoease
dimgrabbed
lighthe thecomplaintsthat
lookedlike
flashlight,aa
I l e t outabreath,knowinghewasgoingtodot
wasright.Ineededhimtogetfoodandsupplies,andheneededtodothis
onelastthingforme,tobemyhusbandandknightinshiningarmour.
Iwantedhimto.IwaslosingthebattleinlargepartbecauseIknewhe
Isatdownandl his whetherornot
it acandlesoIcouldseeenoughtowrite.Thelist
products, anyand preserves
was simple,Benadryl orotherheallergy could carry,
medicine—any
bat eries, medicinefor
feminine hygienethat
myteeth.Whatelsewasthere?
matter—bow arrowset, gardenseeds...Itappedthepencilagainst
Ishrugged.“Ican’tthinkofanythingelse.” t intohispocket.“I
Sebastiantookthelistfrommeandtuckedi
don’t
kissedknowhow ight oflongI’ll
Isatgoodbye, ildayepattedbe,Nerowason
babe,buttry nottoworry.”
onwasmyown.
candle.Asheleft,thedoorclickingbehindhim,asenseoffinalitysettled
admitinthel
fences,pulledwaterfromthewell,pickedrocks
overme.Thiswasit,inlittlemorethanaweekIwouldtrulybeonmy
own.Thiswaslikeat
meIcleanedthehouse,pulledweedsinthedefunctgarden,checked
theret thesunrose,warmingtheroomandforcing
stthatIrunonwhat theabouttobether
head,and thenestblewHeofmylife.
bentoutthe
metoand
outofthelawnandsmall
pasture, and washed the clothes by hand, hanging them todry ona
makeshiftclothesline.Byl
uplearntodothisonmyown.
theaxe and woodpile. aSebastian
te afternoon,Ihaddoneal
was right.I was ogoing
t andwaseyeing
tohaveto
thereaswasNeverhavingchoppedwoodinmyentirel
atechniqueoramethodtotheprocess.Iscratched i f e my
leftmewonderingi
and threw itirintost swingIpulledthe heada f
endball I keptI’d seenin mySebastian
moment,thenpulledoutaf pocket outdo.Beforemyf
ir logthatneededtobes theplifti,estandingi
ld for Nero.t tennis
uponHe
blastedoffa fter itandIhadmychancetoswingwithoutfearofhitting
amypup.IheldtheveryendoftheaxehandleandgrippeditlikeIwould
baseball bat,then with one swing I brought it down,missingthe log
entirelyandburyingitintothed
Roughlaughter reached imyears,andIspuntoseeScoutwatching
r t atmyf e t .
sit ing atthegate.Thedirtylofa it le bastardatme,as
me,Iflippedhimoffandheflappedhishands ifegging me on.It
was laughingatmyattempt.
wasstrangetoseeglimpses
amountsofmeat.Iletoutasnortandt
andsharing it amongst them. humanpersonalityinsidewhatIviewed
nowasalarge,predatoryanimal.Theyweren’tzombiesandtheyweren’t
foodmindless.Theyreallydidseemtoactlikeapack
t. Yeah,r
I’drieeven. seenofhiwolves,huntingtheir
berries,thoughitdidn’tseemtosatisfythemanymorethaneatinglarge
aglancingblow.That’llteachi gdhtagain,t thems timegivingthelog
eat shrubsand
to shareiwast with,itwasmorethanal
andbroughttheaxedown
thefir,dividingitcleanly
ignoredScout.This ainforgreathaathirdtime.Theaxeb
itaxein
at thelogrightwhereIwantedtoh
didadancearoundthetwopieces.Again,laughterreachedmyears,butI
withnooneItookadeepbreath,stared lf.moment,oneI
Idroppedthe couldbe proudof.Butit it
le bittersweet.
it intothecenterof
surpriseandthen
Ichoppedafewmorepieces,gainingproficiencyuntilmyhands
begantohurtandb hintssunofltheset,the
ispink.terball, andthenproceededtostackthewoodinwith
WashingupwiththewaterI’dpulledoutofthewelle
thepurple
astherestsummer
with, throwing Icaught
horizon sliding fromof bright
in betweenstacking
aglimpse myself
toarlkeepiebluerin, Iwentinsideafaded
theNeroto hallway
busy.
mirror,andIpaused,reallylooking
lbrunette
Ididn’tevenknowwhatIlookedl
lookedasifI’dl
avoided
ife hadbeenabout ofewseaset fifteenor
thegettinglastagood years, kaet. highlights,
alreadyfewandshortweeksago
myself.A
Iwas deeplytanned,somethingI’d
andgettingpregnantandnow,Ilookedlikea
doseofmytwentypounds.Myclotheshungoff
redihairhad lightened,
from the thedark mirroritmy...my
frame,nolongerf
theshapeofmy faceit imoredefined.
Evenmyfacehadslimmed,mycheekbonesbecomingmoreprominent,
Ishookmyhead,whatdiditmatternow?Itwasn’tlikewewere
ng me,somethingIhadn’tnoticedwithallthechaos.
going toThreeglassesofwaterandleftovers
havechildren or goonvacationsomewherewarmwhereIcould
showoffmybodyinatwo­piece. from breakfast—coldoatmeal
andhalfofwhatwasmyattempttomakepancakesthedaybefore—was
andwhatmadeupmylunch.Yummy.Exhausted,Idroppedontothecouch
fel intothe
asleep incushion minutes.besideme,and
But, not beforeNeroI wasmadecurledsure upmybehindmy
knife was
tucked
knees. I dreamed aboutwasaSebastian, that wewere clearonourto long­awaited
honeymoon. There beautifulhat,ineventhoughhewasdownthebeach
MaybetheCaribbeanorsomewhere
care;hewasn’tsick.Icouldseet blueHawaii—Ididn’tknowanddidn’t
fromme,hisskinwastannedandhealthy,notasingleyellowtingeon ocean, the bottom.
him.gauzysarongaroundmynow­slimhips,thekindthe
I lookeddown at myselfin, hell yeah, a two­piece andawhite
onabeachshoot.Ilooked upand Sebastianwasgone.
“Bastian?”Isaid,myvoiceeatenupbythewavesandthesound supermodelswear
waist.
ofthecrashings
“I’mhere,babe.”Hewasbehindme,hisarmscirclingaroundmy
urf.
sprinting Ileanedintohim.“Ithoughtyouweregone.”
thentopickupsomethingfromthesand.Ilaughedandrantowardhim,
hewasalreadydownthebeach,walkingslowly,bendingeverynowand
matterthathewasonlywalking,Icouldn’tcatchhim.
Hekissedmytempleandl
tocover the short distance.But et goofme,Ispuninthewetsand,but
nomatter howhard I ran,no
feelings “Sebastian,
o s e x y . H e wait for me,” I
me, hisbroadbackquicklydisappearingintothedistance. yelled, out of breath and no longer
didn’t turnback,just kept on walkingas dream i f hecouldn’thear
“Sebastian!”Ithrewmyselfoutofthe
thumpinghardonthewoodenfloorboards,Nerowakingupwithasnort.
Footsteps patteredon theporchoutfront,multiple andoffthecouch,
feet running.
Shit,s
overtheshit,islhi.tTherewerefourofthemandoneofme.Thiswasnotgood,
notgoodatall. . Igulpeddownabreathandslid tothewindow,peekingup
 12
Whatfeltdidn’tto come
Nevermores likeseemanuptoeternity
workthehandle.ButIhadnodoubttheywouldbreakglasstryingtoget
seconds,Itried withaplan.Thedoorsweren’tlockedandthe
have thepassing,
fine motoryetwasskil probably
s it wouldonlytaketento
at me. “Thoughtyousaidtherewerepeoplehere.”
Theman’svoicestartled me,andInearlypoppedupandwavedat
inmystomachheldmetothegroundthough,waiting,
whatIrealizedwithgreatreliefwerehumans,notNevermores.Atingle
growl andI“I sawthebitch handoverhisnose.“Shh.” Nerolet outalow
clampedmanmyinmybinoculars,she’sheresomewhere.Thebig
inside,
guyleftAthatthisecond
s oneat
morning.” with a deeper tone spoke. “Come on, let’sget
bejeesusoutofme.”the front gate is staring at me and it’s creepingthe
behindi“Fine,youpansy.”
Islithered
t, thegapjalong ust largeenoughformetof
the floor and crawledit.overNerowiggledinbeside
the couchto hide
me.Nodoubthethoughtt
AsIslidintoI’mmyhome!”They
“Honey, his wasanewgame.
al laughed.,me,
my hidingplace,thefrontdoorcreakedopen.
Ihugged bladeto my chest.I wastrapped.Assoonasthey
startedlooking,Ihadnodoubtthey’dfind atleasttheNevermores
wouldhavej fteurs.t trdrew
menwereaFootsteps ied tokillme.Iwasn’tfoolingmyselfaboutwhatthese
closer and I tensed. A body flopped onto the
startedtogrowl,hiswickedsharppuppyteethshowingunderacurledup
couch andthe rank smellof sweat andblood assaulted mynose. Nero
“Marty, go see if there’s any food inthe joint—and make it
lip. Iputmyhandoverhisnoseagainandhequieted.
snappy,I’mfamished.Den,yougoupstairsandfindusourladyfriend,
andremember,Igetfirst dibs,”theonewiththedeepervoice,theoneon
restinghis
thecouch,said.
Footsteps and grumbles receded and the leader leaned back
andthenanotherf headonthewell­paddedcushions.Hel
I pinched amyrt, snose,thesmell wasworse thaneteoutaf
et ling himselfdeeperintohiss atthe. pigart,farmabelch,I’d
visitedlastyear.Iheldmybreath,andthenresortedtobreathingthrough
myt­shirttilltheworstofi
“Hurryup,boys,I’mgettingmightyhungryfordinneranddesert.
t passed.
Luscioussweetpie.”Helaughed.
Icrouched. a t Ihad achanceifIcouldcatchthemoffguard,and i f
Scoutwasstill
wasgoingtowork.thegate,maybeIcouldusehim.Aplanstartedtoform,
andIknewIwouldhave toact fast andusetheelementofsurpriseif it
Before Istaredupatthelongishhairhangingoverthebackofthecouch.
Ithought better oforit, I stood, grabbed athehandful of the greasy
mop,andplacedthebladeofmyknifeupagainst
“Iwouldn’tmove leader’sneck.
sayawordunlessItellyou.Gotit?”Ihissed
He“Veryslowlygetup.NothingtrickyorI
at him,adrenalinepumping,nervesjanglinglikeatripwire.
swallowedandhisAdam’sApplebobbedagainsttheknife.
’l slamthisintoyou.”I
leanedforwardthesametimehedid,comingoverthebackofthecouch
withoutlosingmygriponhimortheknife.Ihadnointention
cuttinghim;Ij ust wantedtogethimcloseenoughtothegateforScoutto of actually
grabhim.Aftert
work. hinat, well,it wasgoingtobedicey,butIthoughtit would
wasMartystood
“Heyboss,foundsome...son ofa
thedoorwaybetweenthekitchenandthelivingroom,
bitch!”TheoneIsurmised
hishandsfull yankedofuourcannedfoodthatwasleft,hismouthhangingopen.
I“Don’tj sthisstandthere,dosomething,”LeaderBoysaid.
hair, pulling him back toward the front door,
feet,heelingasifhe’dalreadybeentrained.
glancingat thefloor.ThanksbethatNerowasaloyalpup;rightat my
Ilaughed.“Really,youthinkthat’sagoodidea?”
him as hereachedforhisbelt
More footsteps and Denandjoined his buddies.Iwasashookmy
Martydroppedthecannedfood.“Whatdoyouwantmetodo?”
“Goodquestion,”Isaid.“Followusoutside,niceandslowl
whatIassumed weapon. heada
ike.” t
the knife.“Don’t,”Isaid.HedroppedhishandandItightenedmyhandon
Iinchedusoutthedoorbackwards,drunkonadrenaline.That’s
my excuse,anyway,forforgettingthefourthman.
Something hit mefrom behind, my shoulders and upper back
takingthebruntoftheblow,butitdidn’tmakemeletgo.Iinstinctively
tightenedmygrip,butasIstumbledbackwards,thebladepulledthrough
theleader’sneckwithacleansliceandalowgurgle.Ididn’thavetimeto
Iwobbled afewfeet
reacttothefactthat I’d just killedasecond the othermenmy
man inlessthanamonth.
away,thestunnedsilencefrom
sgivingmeonlys
andittookthemamomenttorecover.Ispunandran,blades
til standingcouldn’tbelievewhathadhappenedanymorethanIcould,
plit secondtomakemynextmove.Nodoubt,themen til in
hands,drippingblood,Nerorightbesideme.
“Gether!”
Idon’tknowwhichoneofthemyelledit; doesn’tmatter,notwith
whathappenednext.
meas Isprintedtowardhim.Thethreemenwereclosingin
glitteringatIrantothegatewhereScoutcrouchedintheshadows,hiseyes
of , running to thegarden,his fearof
gate.AsIdrewcloseNeroveered
forenoughoxygentomakethedesperatejumpandclimboverthemetal
onme,fingertipsbrushingthebackofmyshirtasIpantedforair,hoping
thegatetheonlythingthatwoulddrivehim frommy side.
 bunchesofmetalgrapesandleavesbitingintomyf
The gate was coldand I struggledto getlmyesh. Imanagedtoget handson it,the
Imade myselfgetto myfeetmy andjoggedtothecenter
halfwayoverbeforetheclosestmangrabbed
tumbledtothegroundontheothersideofthefence,knockingthewind
outofme.Evenso, ankle.Ipulled hardand
ofthe
Witha road,
swaggeringThey the
had
asi ththreemen following me over tithel seehimandIgave
f theyknewsomethingIdidn’t.
himaslownod.Hiseyeswidenedandthenagrinspreadacrosshisface.
blurofspeed,he eir backstoScout,butIcoulds gate, cocky and
hamstrungtwoofthemenwithhisbareteeth
Ibanquet.Thel
beforetheyknewwhath
around
rushedus.him.It aWitha
wouldn’t longbefore thetoseepackwhathadhappened,and
st manstandinghalf­turned
ibet them.Theyfellscreaming,thesoundechoing
showed upforthis
neckinoneMarty
rippinga twist.swift move, Scout took him down, snapping his
cleanrolledontheground.“Bitch!”Scoutjumpedonhischest,
t hisneck,bloodspurtingeverywhichway.Igaggedatthesmell
s i g h t , and
andshockedbywhatI’ddone,essentiallyleadingthemenintothelion’sden.
theonemanthatsforced til lived.myself to unfreeze my legs and move.I was
lookingatwhatScoutwasdoingashesniffedaroundtheflailingbodyof
Finally,mysemi­paralysisbrokeandIjoggedtothegate,deliberatelynot
putmyhandsonthecoldmetalpiping
“Helpme,”heyelled,reachingfor thatmade
me. Iavoidedhisfingersand
upthegate.
packemergefromthebusharoundus.
AsIclimbedbackoverto my side,Iturnedbackintimeto see the
Iwalkedslowly back tothehouse,thescreamsofthefinal manil
Iwasn’tproudof.IwashorrifieddeepwithinthatIcouldessentiallyk
onlylastingabriefmomentbeforetheywerecutoff.Thiswasamoment
fourmenandfeelnothing.No,thatwasn’tt
theworldwasnowliterallydog­eat­dog,andIwouldgodownfighting rue. Ididn’twanttodoit,but
everytime.Iclimbedthestepstothehouseandstaredat theleader’sbody,
blood
below.ItwasthenthatIl
pooling around it andost it,theshakesstartingdeepwithinmybelly
slipping through the cracks to theground
andspreadingthroughout
leaningagainstthehouse,thebodybeside my entirebody,forcingmetotheground.Is
measI waitedfortheshockto at,
mylap.
pass.When“GoodIwassure
Withinafewmoments,Nerocamerunningupontheporchandleaptinto
dog,” Isaid.
I wasn’tWhenhe
goingto went
passout,to Isniffthe
let out awhistle.
body, I
reprimandedhim lightly. “Leavesee meit.” likethis,”
“I can’t letSebastian I stoodslowly,and
againstthehouseforsupport,Istoodovertheleader. withmy handand
Iwhispered.Ibent
pickedupthe
hard man’s fe t, dragginghimofftheporchandtowardthegate.
and uncooperative,andIwassweating
IhardbythetimeIwasonlyhalfway.Ipausedandcaughtmybreath,and
t was work,thebodyfloppy
stareddowna
andIpushedthem t thebodyatmyf edragt, reallyseeingit,theopengashacross
back down.Therewasnoplacefort
theneck;thesurprisedexpressiononhisface.Emotionsstartedtowellup
WithaheaveIstartedto the hat, notanymore.
attention tobodyagain,t
A grunt brought myt overthegate?
athehellwasIgoingtogeti
l thewaytothegatebeforeconsideringamajorflawinmyplan.How Scout, crouchedhis timegettingi
back in thet
shadows. He stood slowly and approachedif weweregoingtogetthisbody
Weweregoingtohavetoworktogether me, his hands outstretched.
overtohim.
IliftedthefeetupashighasIcould;pantingandbreathinghard,a
occupied. He reachedover the fence
squirmoffearthatScoutmightmakeagrabformewhilemyhandswere
and grabbed
and started inon heit,hisbackhunchedoverthechest,and one boot, then
airand ontoitsside. the
chosetoignore.
other,andyanked,snappingthebodythroughthe
edgeofthebush
aloudcrunchingrolledovermefollowedbyawetrippingsoundthatI
Withagruntandasmile, draggedthebodybehindhimtothe
me,though,hopedIdidn’teverhavetoseehims
handson.Ihopedhewasokay,hopedthathehadn’tbeenhurt.Apartof
Sebastian,how
Imademyselfwatchashefeastedonthebodyandthoughtabout
soon it would be him eating whateverhe hift, turnintoamindless
couldget his
Sebastian wouldhimbe toworse,the drugtomyloseandmind?himorforever
eatingmachine,seehimbecomelikeScout,
happened,Whichasorlose
amonsterengrainedin JessicaortheAlpha.
now andhavenotthatknowwhat
imageof
 13
Thenextmorningwasal aboutcleaningupthebloodandhiding
theevidencethattheraidingpartyhadeverbeenhere.Ididn’tneed itas
reminderofwhatI’ddone.
surprisinglyr
cuddled
the cleanup,
Exhaustedfromalongnightofsleeplessness
upbehind
eIfell
stful. Alasleep
myighlegs.It
t around
touchonmycheeksnappedmeawakeandI
wasnoonaonour and
heavy bed,sleep,Nerohardworkwith oncemoreanda
dreamless
lashedout,reachingfortheknifeunderthepillowbeforeIevenopened
myeyes.
Allpresence and theandlwords
hadn’tmy“Igasped
beenableto
Easy,babe,i
thoughts ofte’notts me,”Sebastiansaid.
gooftheblade,andthrewmyselfintohisarms.
tumbled
tel ing himout ofme what happened along withbrokethe tearsunderthathisI
goneandthepatterning
myself
contactwithme.“You’vegot
moreraiderswon’t
therewasalwayssomeonetoc
thattakes.” mecome,
babe,”Sebastiansaid.Hecontinuedtostroke
likeafaintt
diedalongwiththem.
single stroked
Exactly
shedforthe attohairlhadafelisaybestrongnow.There’snoguaranteethat
lcaniJessica’shadrightbeforeshel
skinImyasthatyouwon’tbeattackedagain.Inthepast,
havetotakecareofeachothernow,whateverthatmeansandwhatever
word.
“There’s
Sebastian
“notIt scared
toreact.
atGulping
o .nothing
Hishowbackundertheskin nImenthatdied,andthepart inmymake
aforhelp,thepoliceorneighbours.We
lfandchanged
elthatsob,t,”leupItwillIwhispered.
mehislooked
confessto
thenecklookeda
haishort
upr,thneverbreakingeye
“Like
iandhad
s timehe’d
betterfor
himeft.hofmethat
greatdeal
ewithouta
itor deaths
force
beenyou,

didn’tmatter,whenIknewtheyshouldhavemeantsomething.”
Sebastian frowned and shook hishead. “Babe, youare going to
itHe’s jpulled
ust yourmewaytighofnot
happen,there’snothingyou
havetofighttomakeit.Don’tl
think t intohis arms,yourheldme
can doaboutitbutbestrong.”
losing Bad shitis goingto
et yourfearstopyoufromsurviving.I
mind. close,
sighofrelief.“IwasscaredyouwouldthinkIwasanawfulandIpersonfor let outa
worryabout
whatIdid.”“I’mgoingtotryandeatpeoplesoon.Idon’tthinkyouhaveto
the shadows gettingthatbad,”hesaid.
of what was coming for him layIsawan
Iknewhewastryingtolightenthemood,buthefailedmiserably,
weightwebotht r i e d toignorebutcouldn’t. heavy imageofScoutin
onferaus,l a physical
mymindeatingthebodyanditmorphedintoSebastian,
Sebastianstoodup.“Comeon,letmeshowyouwhatIfound.” andnasty.
disappointed.Thekitchentablewascovered,butmostofi
I followed him downstairs, prepared tobedazzled.t wasn’tfood. Boy, wasI
There were a numberastofmuchmorethanaweeki
medicine,batteries,andthensome
Nothingthatwouldl different cannedfoodofmiscellaneous
drugs; he’d ffoundIstretchedimesomet. allergy types.
this?” Iforcedasmile.“Looksgood,howfardidyouhavetogofora
“All l
themostpart.”the way down byafew
ransackedandIwaschased to Bowser.smallerpacks,butitwasquietfor
Most ofthe homes have been
“What aboutDan’s? Whydidn’t
fingersacrossthepackageofb a t e r i e s , you go there?” I brushed my
wishingtheywereedible.
Sebastianshookhishead.“Iwenttherefirst,buthe....
Agrimacecrossedoverhisface,twistingi t intoaparodyofthe ”
mantowardthefrontdoor.
I loved. Ireached out and he pushed my hand away, stumbling
Hedidn’tturnaround,just kept walking,usingthefurniture for
“Bastian.”
support.
wassomeotherway,wishingIcouldhelphim.WishingIcouldtakehis
place.IleItfollowed,
outa knowing what was about to happen, wishing there
toturn,notSebastian. sob,itshouldhavebeenme,Ishouldhavebeentheone
Heturnedatthedoor,hispupilss
cryas ahuman. hifting, slidingintothevertical
slit thatwasbecomingsofamiliartome.Tearsdrippedoffhischin,the
lasttearshewould
“Iloveyou.”
I ran tohim;het
easily.Ipulledhis
sealedwhatwouldbeourl headrtomineand,pressing my lipstohis, our tears
kis . me away.Iwouldn’tlethimgothat
ieadsttopush
otherside,heletoutaroar,gutturalandwild.Is
streaming
creepingforwardf
andranforthe
whisperedagainsthismouth,andthenhejerkedhimselfawayfromme
They
“Always
downmilledgate,climbing
Bastian,
myirstaround
, face.
theAlphaandJessicaattheback,likealways.
youThepack
him,clumsilyover
willsniffingand love.theandbush,
alwaysemergedbeit.Ashisfeettouched
grunting,
from
mylid tomyknees,tears
Forever,”
hepushed
ScouttheI
them
close,awaySebastian
wanted.As easily, makingtohisfoot
sentitflyingbackwards.Aftert themgo,hathekeeptheir
Sebastianstayed,standinginfrontofthegatelikeasentinel.
Heturnedhisheadandlookedbackatme,hisnow­foreigneyes
theyturned
snapped t,forward distance.When
theyeasilygavehimthedistancehe
pack slippingcatchingit intoonethegotbush,andtoo
backin themouth
meeting
me.I
himself mine.knowWitha
ownmoan,myheaddroppedforwardt
didn’t
Sebastian
intothe shadows lowgoingthatScout
wasn’twhatwas moan,worse,
withhethehadihaving
l dropped himtogonetheground,
completelytucking
ittouchedthewoodenrailing.
pack.Hewas
previously occupied.Withmy
stayingto guardand
knowinghehad
trapped
andourlove. no memory l e f t ofhisl i f e
insidea bodywithunnatural desires,andstil rememberingmebefore, or knowingthathe was
 14
andNerowishingI
whined forhadthefoodorcourageto
Ispentthebetter dreamed
my ownlofblood and death and
partto ofgotheout.Itakenextthreedayshidinginside,sleeping
ife, onlymovingwhen
knives, Sebastianmaking lovetome,our
whobrokeintoourhouse, and childwe never had,themen
Jessicawithhersweetsmile.Thedreams
left memoaningandtossing,myowncrieswakingmeuponlytol
On the thirddaya rock bangedonmy bedroom windowandet theI
sadnessswallowmedownagain.
leaptoutofbed,half­dressedandcompletelyconfused,scramblingfora
weaponofsomes
Sebastian stood atorthet. Nerowasonf
growlrumblingpasthisl
“Whatthehell?”Imade gate,ips. a rockmy uwaytothewindowtopeeroutside.
inl ahislerthand,
, hishackleshighandalow
arm cocked back and
readytothrow.
up,stopthrowingrocks,younut,”Ishouteda
Ilifted thewindowpaneandhungmyupperbodyout.“Okay!I’m t him.Heblewaraspberry
hadn’t
enough to stillcareaboutme.
thecoverofthebush,disappearingfromview.Buthewasstillthere,he
mywaythatIcouldhearevenfromt
leftme, not completely, and hehissdistanceandsatbackdownin
til had someof himselfleft,
Coldwater makesfoundthe
bucketsofwater.Ieven
andIscrubbedmybodyclean agoodbracertowakeyouupinthemorning,
in the back
energyto yardwithabarofsoapandtwo
playwith Nero,splashing
himwithwaterashe
moreawakeandreadytofacewhatevert ran aroundtheyard.
Suddenlyravenous,Iwenttothekitchenandpulledouta Clean clothesnext,andIfelt
his daywouldbringme.
thethickjuicetheywerein,lickingeveryfingertogetthemostoutofthe
sweetnessofthecherriesslowedmedown,andItookmytimetosavour
canofpeacheswasnext,followedbyajarofmaraschinocherries.The
beans.Icrackeditopenandatethewholethingdownwithoutabreath.A canof
jar.Ilooked amore
thatitwasno have eatenhadIbeenawakethelast few
t whatI’ddonewhenIfinished,andeventhoughIknew
thanIwould
til felt badI formuttered
days,Is“Damn,” eatingsomuchinones
for no particular it inreason
g. except to say
somethingtobreakthesilence.IputawaythesuppliesthatSebastianhad
broughthome,organizing
much
foodstuffs.Iwasn’tsurei
garden,fencechecking,s
hereThe andnextfew daysplfithequicklydiminishingstocks.There
soon,I’dbe ttwentwasbettertowaitortogorightaway.
theing wood,washsomeclothes
oneheading
like thelastoutofthe hopewasn’t
andhad:water,
few weekspropertytoget
and
lnecessarytask,IwonderedwhatthehellIwasgoing
afisfttyawhileyet, keepaneyeonthegate.Through every they
chore,every
years of my life alone on a farm surroundedbytodoapackwiththenext of wild
humanswithnothingmorethanayellowLabforcompany.
 hadleftme,andIfoundmyselftalkingtoNero,havingfullconversations
Morethanaweekhadpassed,maybeevenlongersinceSebastian
withthe puppy. He wouldacrescockme.Ihishead
hangingoutashestaredupat t and listen, hispinktongue
wasinthemiddleofoneofthese
conversationsthatourthree
thatIstartedtotremble. suddenlyfeltterhadiblygoneintothebush.
much soIscannedthebackpropertyforwhereDan claustrophobic,so
getfoodandagun.Myrationals
Aspringofhopewhisperedthroughme.OfcourseDan
Hehadafreakingbunkerf was stil alive!
ul ofgunsandfood,NeroandIcouldgoand
elf triedtoremindmethatSebastianhad
gonetoDan’sandcomeawaywithnothing,andthatIdidn’ttrustDan—
butmyneedtoseeandspeaktoanotherpersonwasdrivingmebeyond
ajmyf,uyetIwasreadytodoitifi
whatwasr
chosetobelieve
slifeontheline nalwasan t meanthavingsomeone to talkto, evenfor
. to reachamanIbarelyknewandwasn’tentirelysure
oabletogetfoodfromhimandmaybeevenaweapon,ifheheldtruetohis
word. t al“Doyouwanttogoforawalk?”IaskedNero.HegavemewhatI
italteiowhile.IjustifiedmyideawiththethoughtthatIwouldbe
affirmativeyip.Thetrekwouldrequiremetoput

“Iwent
It’s allI’vegot,”Isaid.
theminside
couldn’ttakethemaoneinside,another
l fandul ,tibutilgrabbed wasthe onlythreetheemptyone knapsacks
theret wasanicethoughttothinkthatIwouldfor me to carry.I tucking
befillingthemup.
longeri
holdingontoi
Iwanted to bring my knifeIt wasaforty­fiveminutewalk,maybe
f Ihadtoduckforcover.Ipausedinmypreparations;maybei
t thewholetime. so that it was at hand withoutmet
andHewasgettingbigger,butIdidn’tthinkhecouldwalkthewholeway,
back.At
tongue.Ilaughedathimandhegavemeadoggygrin,lickingatmyface.
wouldbeshorter,ifI
backwards
I didn’tleandaswantto
t outliftethered leave
Nerohadtorunthewhole
hehimhere
intomightit,hishaveonheadhisa chance
way.I
sticking
owninputthebackpackon
atcaseoutfindingalong
I didn’tcome
foodwithhisand
surviving.Anungodlyscreechf
threshold. Theat attention.I
neckstood pack was rantoinail egiantdthefrontdoor,skiddingtoastop
theacircle
ir andthehairsonthebackofmy
on the far side of theongate,the
thecentre
screaming,hollering,andotherwisemakingasmuchnoiseaspossible.In
Sebastian.Pullingmyselftogether,
of the circle was the Islid Alphaoffthe male and,I
pack andput
let out aNerolow onmoan,the
groundthenrantothegate,myknifeclenchedfirmlyinmyhands.What
The pack ignoredme,focusedsolelyonthetwomeninthecircle
IthoughtIwasgoingtodoaboutt
didn’tknow. his wasanyone’sguess;Isureashell
asdominance,
they jabbedbutandit wasstruckhardat onefor another.
meto Iknew
see myit usually
was a fightpassive,for
 husbandeachwithother;
emanatingfromhismouth.
nonaggressive
They rammed his lipscurled
grapplingforbacktheoverupperhisteeth,hand,growls andI
found
finishthe
aroundusswirled,bringingusforamomentintot
thefightformyselfAlphaoyellingalong
f , Nerobarking and jumpingat
with thepack, heimyfr world,sweptupin
screaming ea t.Sebastian
The energyto
no doubtin thestrongerleader.Ifitwasabattletothedeath,therewas
my mind who I wanted to win, even if Sebastianirt roadand
was no
windmakingperfectconditionsfori
longerhimself.
Theclashofbodiescausedahugedustbowl,thedryd t. Thetwomenweresooncakedina
finecatching
shadeofdustingyellowofpowdered
waseachgoingon.The
halfontheother.I
Iscannedthe
frowned. packwantearth,wass
hadsheandspottedhim
animalisticsurrealismofthescene.Itookastep
what Wouldn’t andto thepred­brown
belit,sweatthelherrolling
particleandstickingittothem.Theirbodiesnowastrange
crowdhighlights emudfmate’s
afeelingthatScoutwouldbeonSebastian’sside.
onhalfononeside downside?A theirtostrange
of added
backt, Jessicanext bodies,
onlyandreallylookedat
thecircleand
tothe
him.I
Sebastianasthebettermateforher,stronger,youngerandbetterableto
squirming
careforherandanybabiesshehad.
feeling settled in my belly. She would be, unlessshe saw
Notthatshepaid meany attention;she was total y focusedonthematch,
“Youstayawayfromhim!”Isurprisedmyselfbyyellingather.
hereyesneverleavingthetwo
Itookastepback my and men.
a
eyes deep
and breath.WhatdidIthinkwasgoing
tohappen?
thoughts,t r i Iclosed
e d tried to slow my ever escalating
tobanishasuddenimageofJessicaandSebastianrolling
onthe ground, theitherewasenoughofSebastianleftthathe
r bodies naked and intertwined, wrestlingina
differentwaythanhewasnowentangledwiththeAlpha.Hewouldn’tdo
it.I hadtobelieve
havesexwithJessica.MystomachrolledandIswallowedonthebilethat wouldn’tfar
rose inmy
done anything and alreadyIwas feeling the effectsof jealousyand
bitternessatthethoughtofBastianandJessicatogether.
AcrackofboneandIopenedmyeyestoseethe
throat,anunexpectedburnofangerstarting.Hehadn’teven
his head,defeated byhis younger opponent.TheAlphamaleon
theground,hisankletwistedatthewrongangle.Heletout
droppedThepacksteppedback;theireagergruntsandgesturesmakingi
around,hoppingandthumpingthegroundwiththeirhandsandf
ofthemdivingintotheirfallenleaderandtakingpotshotsa t packhim.amoanand
e tswirled
, somet
cleareventomethattheywantedSebastiantofinishhimo
manthef
survival,butnott t hishisfeetwouldbetheminuteI
forever.Ifithadbeenabattletotheend,thatwouldhavebeendifferent,
ihelplessa
naSebastianwalkedovertotheAlpha
l momentofhishumanityandIknewit.Theminutehekilledthe
killingofadefencelesscreature at hisfefta..t Thiswas
andhadstareddown
tosaygoodbyetohim him,not
moving,just looking.TheAlphakepthiseyesdownandheldperfectly
still.Heknewaswellastherestofthemwhatwascoming.
“Sebastian.”Isaid,nottrulythinking makes youyou.” eye.hewouldheedme.Tomy
disbelief, he turned and lookedmeinthe
themtakethelastofwhat “Don’tdothis.Don’tlet
TheMy eyesf
pack,ilperhaps
mynextwords,hopinghewouldl
“Don’tkillhim.” ed, butIdidn’tcry.IputeveryemotionIcouldinto
sensingistmyen. interference started to grumble.
TheymilledtowardthegateandIsteppedbackoutofreach,butInever
brokeeyecontactwithSebastian.
achingly Somethingflickeredinthosealieneyes—anemotionthatwasso
Hehuman—a piece of mytheAlpha mehusband andI growledatthepack,which
thought was gone forever.
Compassion.
thenfrozein their awayfrom
stepped advanceon andthegate.Asecond,lowergrowl
andtheybackedoff,slinkingintothebushfromwheretheyhad
Allexcept for
his feet and, dragging
tomusicIcouldn’thear,andthepreviousAlpha,whopulledhimselfto
Jessica,whohoveredcloseby,
his broken ankle, limped rdown her ail thinbodyswaying come.
the road alone,
passedher.Shehadeyesforonlyoneperson.
awayfromthepack’ster aittory. Jessicadidn’tevenlookathermateashe
tomemorethanonce.Hiseyes
asteadypulse
gaze, anoise Sebastianstaredasimilar athepurrbasewerebubbling
throbbedtot JessicaandIrecognizedthelook;he’dgiveni out of herpreenedunderhis
ofdarkwithdesire,hisl
his neck.She asipthes partedand
swayingt
intensified,hertinyhipsrockingfasterandf
Ididn’t want to see t h i s , i t was astenough
bad er, sidetoside.
knowingit wouldfor
happen right outside the home
ourselves.Iturnedmybackandstartedtowalkforthehouse,feelinglike
Sebastian
ifIran itwould and an answeringsomehow makethings Sebastian
purr from Jessicasped and I had started to make
worse. A lowmyfeetgrumbleup.ButfromI
I stared at theground,
didn’trun.AroundthebackofthehouseIwent,straighttothegarden. farenough away
ran nowtowheretheycouldn’tseeme, thatI
me jump.Onsecondthought,theback couldn’t hear
Nero
anything.Ag
rightbehindme,hispantinggivinghimaway.Throughthetallgrassthat
fencesneededchecking.I irlish shriekmade
backfencewhereIcollapsedtomyknees.
pastthet
wouldhaveonedaybeenpastureforthekid’sponyI’dhopedtohave,
al maplewe’dtiedaropetoforatireswing,allthewaytothe
anymoreBreathinghard,mybloodthumpinginmyears,Istrainedtohear
while atthesame time desperately
he“Ilhimselfdown
tcan’tletreesground,
bloodslowed,heartrates
birdsin
plunked
lying
theeventcoolonthe
theigrass. moments.
Idowishandthisthe,Ibeside
ecouldbeas
nott occasional songofawishing
linongmeandrolledonhis
backtoasteadybeat,andnothingbutthe
my own,notby
nonchalant frogreachedI wouldn’t.
aboutmyself,”
back,luxuriating
life,could enjoyMyin
me.Nero
I whispered,
staring up at the blueskywiththe tal , bril iantly
wouldsnapoutofthedrug’se my attention.Inthebackofmymind,I'dthoughthe
greenstalksofgrasssurroundingme,makingmefeellikeachildagain.
painthatwarredfor
Inadazewithmyheartnumb,Istruggledwiththejealousy,anger,and
f ects, thatbecausehestillwatched
me, comebackto over
me,s t i l remembered hewould be unfair to judge him; he wouldhimwas
My head knew that it wouldwas happeningoutsidethegate.
dashedagainsttherealityofwhat himself.Thathope
knowledgedidn’tchangehowIf
never have pursued Jessica if heelt, wereorhowmuchi in his rightt hurtmetosee
mind. But that
wanther.
themagain,IknewIwasdreaming,knewi
IclosedmyeyesandlaydownnexttoNero,andwhenIopened
t wasn’treal, butIwantedit to
be. Sebastian stood across the fieldfrom me, the summerseason
havingslippedintofall
areyoustaring andthegrassgoldeninthefadingsunlight.“What
I laughedat, andbabe?”stood, my balance off kilter, and when I looked
downIrealizedwhy.Iwaspregnant,andnotj
myhands overIsaid,mylooking belly, theto Sebastian
babe rollingforunder u s t al i t l e bit,alot.I
my fingertips.“We’re ran
pregnant,”
insideme. confirmationof whatI felt
tooktheshot,remember?”
Hesmiledandstartedtowardme.“Ofcourseweare.That’swhyIthe
turnspeopleintomonsters.”
Myelationfaded.“No,youdidn’ttake
and was shot,couldn’thave,i t
my Sebastianlaughed,
onuptomyface,andIgasped. then suddenlyat myside,hishands
others,thosewhodidn’ttaketheshot,they’rethepast.”Heheldamirror
Yellow
belly.“Nooneturnsintomonsters,babe.Wearethefuture,the
eyes stared
bones.Istared atmy armsoutas athet mefleshshrunk
gaunt,emaciatedversionofmewithjaundicedskinpulledt
showingeverysinewandligamentinclearr from whatelief. lookedlike
and theskinigmyface,a
Horrorrippledthrough
htstretched
overthe
“No.Ican’ttaketheshot,Ican’t,”Isaid asIraftinbackedroughseas.
me, mymouthdry.Iclungtomydisbelieflikealife away from
Sebastian.He didn’tchange,didn’tlookanydifferent,andthenhesmiled,a
bigdownonme.Helunged.IgaspedasIsatboltuprightinthelonggrass,
myhandgoingtomystomach.
toothySebastianandIhadmadeloveseveraltimessincehe’dtakenthe
grin that showed me row upon rowof shark teeth glinting
shot.Wasmysubconscioustryingtotel mesomething,orwasmymind
playingtricksonme?
 15
seethefrontgates
Iwalkedslowlybacktothehouse
Thatwasitthen,Sebastianwasgonewiththemnow,Jessica
til standing,withnoonethere,not even Scout. and
and peekedaroundtheedgeto
himap a i r . Ilet my mindsit onthat, acceptitforfact, andthenslipped
intothehouse,goingstraighttothebathroom.Iflippedopenthecalendar
andlookedatthelittle“P”thatI’dputonthedatesthatIhadmyperiod
andnoticedthatnotonlywasIl
myIthrew
breath caught intomyamyte, Iwasalmostdueforasecondperiod.
throat. With al theopenupheaval,the bathroom
Ihadn’t
myself
me.Nero yelpedwhensomethingbouncedoffhim,butIcontinuedknees and ripped
cupboard.Toiletpaper,towelsandbarsof soapwentflyingoutbehind
“Wherethe hellibox sthatIknew
againstarectangular
dout.Irippedthepackageopenandstareda
searchforthepregnancytestIknewwasintheresomewhere.
ril , dropyourpants,peeonthes it?” Iyelledj fingertipsbrushedmyup
tickwas, andwaitfortwominutes.
sttasmy
upalepinkbeforeIevenpulledit
theinstructions.Iknewthe
staredaThewaitingwasthehardestp
t thestickrestingperfectlyflarttontheedgeofthesink,counting
. Isatontheedgeofthetuband
to120undermybreath.
“. . .115, 116,117,see aperfectpinkplussign.
sinkandlookeddownto 118.toCloseenough.”I stood,walkedto the
rushed
Thef irsIdidn’t
placedmyhandonmystomach.I
through know
t timewe’dmadelovea whether fromftehadber onehetooktheshotwas...Icounted
backinmyhead,usingthecalendarforareference.I
me, swinging happy to theor other
ter iftiwassixandahalf
eandd; bothbackemotions
tofigureouthowfaralongIwas. again. I
weeksago.“Ican’t go to Dan’s. I can’t risk you lit le one.” I touched my
hadstomachasanewandevenmoreterrifyingthoughtassailedme.Thebaby
throughhissystem.Whatwouldhappentohimorher?Wouldthechild
been conceived when Sebastianhad theNevermore drug flowing
bebornasaNevermoreorasahuman?Ishookoffthequestionst
themoment,didn’tmatter.Untilthebaby it safely,there
nopointinborrowingtrouble. made here h a t ,
was a t
knowingtheoutcome,but
I mademy waydownstairsand needingtoseei counted
t the foodIhad,alreadyt
anyway.Therewasnowayi
wasenoughtoseemethroughninemonthsofpregnancyandthef
monthsof
makeit for afewthatIwouldneed
trimester.AtthatpointIwouldhavetomakeasupplyrun,severalinf
stretchmotherhood more weeks, closer it to.IfItotheend
wascarefulI of myirscould
t ffewaicrts,
if Iwasgoingtomakei
Resolvef i l e d measI
t . consideredthealternative.AcertaintythatI
could do
connectionI t h i
al thethings I would s , ifnot
had for myselfthenforthechildIwascarrying,thel
withSebastian.
need, notjustfor myself,butfor thebaby too:aofst
Isat downandstartedtomakealist
Crap,babyclothesmightbehard;weot livedinanareaofr
diapersorclothtomakediapers,b les, formula,blankets,andclothes.
e t i r e s .
“NotthatI’mcomplainingl
sureal thehasthingsthatcould i t l e one,butyourentryinto
go wrongorthatIwouldbebymyselfforthe
Ismiled,thinkingabouthavingthebaby,triednottothinkabout
turnedthingsupsidedown.” my life
intobed. Nerocurled up besidetairs,mymemylegsfeelinglikelead,Isnuggled
hadinthefield.Climbingthes
delivery.Iscrubbedmyhandsover as I breathed in the scentnapIof
eyes,exhausteddespitethe
completelylost, feelinglike therewasapurposetomebeinghereanda
Sebastian’saftershaveonhispillow,forthefirsttimeindays,notfeeling
reasontofighttostayalive.
 16
strenuous
every day,Overwhilejustsmaller
thenextstil attempting
threeweeks,I keepwascareful
amounts;toI checked going.stil ,Ionlyhauledslower.watertooI
thingsfencesnottodoanything
evenmanagedtogetsomecarrotstogrow.Theywerealong
edible,butthepiss­poorfencingjobI’dputuparoundthesmallgarden
patchwasatleastkeepingthedeerandrabbitsout.NottomentionNero way from
ranafteIlookedbackonthecalendartoseehowfaralongI’dbeenwhen
r everythingthatmoved;rabbits,crows,anddeerincluded,which
Imiscarriedthef
helpedwiththec
didn’tknow
now.There wasme asmallbumpbyl
ryou’dthink
irtstertime.Onlyaboutfiveweeks,whichI
control. ate eveningsfromthebloat,thati was wellpast f you
developedabitofapaunch. to I’dbeenslackingonmyworkoutsandhad
Itoldstories and thebabyeverynight,mostlyaboutSebastianand
I’d
open and theilencoolt duringtsummerhissingutime,somuchsothatitwaseasytoforget
howwe’dmet,
remarkablys then nightntil Ifairel breezing
asleep,mybedroomwindow
in. The pack was
theywereeventhere.Scoutonlycheckedonthegateonce,andIfound
Nerohadgivenupbarking at Scout,s
myselfsmilingandwavinga
localwildlife.Ofcourse,Isupposehewaspartofthelocalwildlife.Even
him,happytoseesomeoneotherthanthe
et ling foraminorgrowlandalip
chewould bea big dog andfor tihtatwas, asfaras
mistrust.Everyonebutme.
url. Ididn’tcorrecthim
Threeweeksand good Iwasconcernedatsomepoint
for him tolearn now who to
down to thelast two twodaysintofindingoutIwaspregnant,Iwas
cans of food,baby,bothwebeans.
morning,justasthecolourwasbeginningtochangethesky.Todaywas
theday.“This is it,” I said. “Okay, have toIt make was earlyin
a hard trtheip,
matter what.” myI ranlismyhands
wishingIcouldholdthel
Itook t andit ltucked
e one.over my belly, stroking’l theprotectyou,no
probablyseveral,andIdon’twantyoutobeafraid.I hard bump,
gratefulnowmorethaneverthatthere be it intowasthesomeweightlossbeforeIgot
back pocket of my jeans,
pregnant;otherwise,I’d
andclothesforthebaby.
beltforMykitchen
easy access,knifeslidinto lookingforf at clothesformealongwithfood
a homemadesheath thatwent onmy
wentintothebagalongwitha one of canthoseopener.IwasworriedImighthaveto
projects I managed to do while
essentiallywaitingforthefoodtorunout.Thenthelasttwocansofbeans
stayinotherhomeswheretherewasnofood.Better
thancaughtoutintheopenlikeafool.Ipatted Nerohe wouldjoinmeon.
himinthehouse.Thiswasnotgoingtobeawalk tobe over­preparedeft
ontheheadandl
Ipeekedoutthefrontbaywindowbeforeleaving,hoping
wasthere,butnotexpectingit. If theywereatthegate,Iwaslesslikely the pack
torunintothemonthebackt
Sebastianleaptfromtheshadowswherehe’dsatthef
r a i l . Movementa t thegatesurprisedme. i r s t fewdays
Iswallowedhard,awarethat myfarm,hiseyes
me.asurfacewithallthehormonesrushingthroughme.Ihadtostopthinking
fterIsteppedoutontothefrontporch,
he’dremovedhimselffromthe myheart werewideevenclosertothe
emotionspounding inmy
ashethroat. stared at
ofandforhim.
him “asSebastian,i
my husband.f you’res
here.Evenso,Ihadtosaysomething Sebastianwas togone,him.Ihadto
even if hismorebodyformethan
til inthere,it’sokay.Idon’tlikethatyou was stil
head. Jessica...” Ihadbarelysaidhernamewhenhestartedtoshakehis
over fourIfrowned,
weeks sincewondering
hehad ifitwas
turned; Ididn’t
justa nervous
wanttofool
t i c k . I t
myselfinto
hadbeen
believing hewasstilgoodin there,girl. Istt’isl okay,
wanttogothroughthatpainagainoflosinghim.
“Jessicaisa SebastianI understand.”It
underneath itwasn’t al . I didn’t
andIdidn’tunderstand,butIcouldkeepthosethoughtstomyself. okay,
attemptshocked me,laandSebastianshovingherhardwaseven
shook his head, this time addinga moreof
goodmeasure.DidhemeanwhatIthinkhedid?Asiftopunctuatethat
halfnaked,handsf
hedidn’t,Jessicatookthatmomenttocomescreamingoutofthebush,
Again, though, iliheng assheattackedSebastian.Theferocityofher frownfora
breastsh
shock.Shetumbledtotheground
eaving.Se ing andlay therebreathinghard,herbare
her
swingingher hipsand me,shescreechedandsnapped
aninvoluntarystepback.Aslylooks
wascompletely naked, thetouching id strewnteethatme,andIgave
overherface
rest ofherherclothes
lownbody andtrinietheground,
assheabout daflashshe
to entice
Sebastian.Helookeda
hefacedme,againshakinghishead. t herandshookhishead.Turninghisbackonher,
Whenshewouldn’tleave,he
bush,snarling
cringeaway “Bastian?” My voice was turnedandroareda
snappingthewholeway. softas t her,makingher
fromand himasshescoopedupherclothesandranbacktothe
whispering.I don’t remember walking to I gate,but
the could makesuddenlyit without
I was
there, well within reaching distance. Sebastian stepped close, his eyes
strangeandyet,somehow,Icouldseethathewasstillmyhusband,the
manIlovedandthefatherofourchild.Feartickledatthe
neck,butIpusheditawayandfocusedonthelove.
everhand.”Sebastianstoods flinched. “Please,” Isaid. “Givebackofmy
I reached out andtilheforsolongIwasn’tsureheunderstood,u me yourntil
soslowlyheraisedhishand,offeringi
coveredinthef
whotookthedrug,designsthatlooksuspiciouslyliketheflower
broomplants. aint linesthatshadowedsomuch t tome.Thebackofi
of thebodiesofthose ont wasthe
snatchedhis suddenness thatsentme reeling, Sebastiansnarled and
butIrevelledinthetouchofskinonskin.
Witha
Hisskinwascooltothetouch,farcoolerthanitshouldhavebeen,
protectm ehandoutofmine,slicinghisownarmasherippedi
el , instinctivelyrollingt backto
arsfil ed my eyes,notfromthepaininmybody,
throughtheybel y.Tgate.Istumbledbackwardsandf
thegate.As much asI wanted to,I couldn’ttrusbutthepainin
mythroughheart.“Bastian,”Iwhispered,chokingonhisname.
Hiseyessoftened,andhecroucheddownandreachedoncemore t him.Witha
mybackpacks.Ibrushedthetearsawayandtookadeepcleansingbreath.
sob,Istoodandrantothebackofthehouse,gaveNeroapatandgrabbed
Therewasnogoingback.Sebastianmighthavebeenfightinghisnatural
inclinations,butevenIcouldseethatthedrugwastoostrong.
 17
plants.I Thebroomwasmostlyoutofbloomnow,theseedpodshanging
walked as swiftly asIo, knowingthateverysoundI
drawthepackdownonme.Steppingl
throughthebushunlessIhadt
heavyonthebranches,readytogerminate nextyear’scroprunmadeandof hateful
could,ightnotlyfor, Iavoidedtwigsandpilesof
wantingto could
crash
branches,pushedoverhanginglimbsoutofmyway,andgentlyl
gobackintoplace.
Twentyminutesintomyhike,ashiverwentdownmyspineandI et them
froze. I’d only felt this wayoncebefore,whenSebastianandIhadgone
toDan’sandthebearhadjumpedoutatus.IturnedslowlytoseeBob,
Danhadcalledhim,onhishindlegssniffingatthea ir. Bob wasthin, faras
Nodoubt he shouldhavebeenforthemiddle ofandhisregularfood
thinnerthanthepackwasdirectcompetitionforhim thesummerseason.
sources.
said.”
trembling,theadrenalinecoursingthroughme.
Ihoped
“Now,Bob,Iknowyoudon’tlikeme,butrememberwhatDan
Icould talk my way out of this, thoughmy bodywas
Maybe
beans. myThe“See,Bob,I’maniceg
Bobthepack
tooksnortandpawedattheground.Withgreat
molassescoveredlegumesf
sense.Bobtookonesteptowardme,
bagcangrunted
fromopener
smelled il andeidrltheaas. tookI’mthantotheirand.aoutlregularhumans?It
myandbackclicked
different
dropped idItookastepback.Hegavea
fours,
popped the scentcansofaiofr.
onecareandofagainmyoffslowmovements,I
andprecious
sniffingthe
wouldmake

going to leave.”I put the goingtogiveyouthesebeansand

thensacrifI’miceBobsniffedtheairandletoutalowgrunt.Ashepaddedcloseto
opencan onthe ground.It was a
, butIhadtomakeit ifIwantedevenachancea ran.I t morefood.
thecan,Ibackedup,gratefulhisattentionwassolelyonthefood.Ikept
backinguptillIroundedacorner,thenturnedand pushedmyselfas
Another five beaminutesgoodsign.
faras myadrenalineandlegswouldtakemethenstoppedtolisten,
chirping.Thathadto
earsstrainingforanysound.Nobearbehindme,andthebirdswerestill
andI my
trail to the right flaggedwithared cameto kerchief. a“Thank
six­wayyou,intersection,
Dan,even theif
youwereamiserableoldcoot,”Isaidandheadeddownthemarkedpath.
WhatIfoundthoughwassomethinglessthanwhatIwashopingf
Danhadn’tmade ithome fromour place,atleast that’s owhat r. it
lookedlike.
side, untouched His army
and boots,shredded
spreadaroundaveritablepileofbones.Hisriflehad
unused for fearof pants,
drawing and
moretattered
been s h
Nevermores. i r
pushedtothet were
Or
maybe
know. he’d beenhitfrombehind and never hada chance.Iwouldnever
 ammo b“I’msosorry,Dan,”IwhisperedasIbenttoretrievether
wasn’tanicetask,butnecessary.
Inthe
elt, quickly
oneintactlookingfor
pocket ofhis
any otheruseful
pantswassomething iflleet andmeIt
thingsonhisthatbody.
knowIdidhaveguardianangelswatchingover
watched. “Come on,Bob,”Isaid,“I
Crouched over Dan’sbones, I again me.hadDan’shousekey.
a
can feeling of being
Bob behindme,butSebastian.
seenot Westareda onlyhaveone left.”Iturnedto
t oneanother,nogatebetweenus,nothingtostophim
fromattackingme,ashispackwoulddoiftheyfoundmeoutinthebush.
Itookadeepbreathandstoodslowly,myonehands
notchanging or giving meany hinttowhathewasthinking.
therifle,theothergrippingthekey.Sebastianwatchedme,hisexpression til holding
saveme,onlyther
thetrailthewayI
Ilickedmylips.There, ifIdaredusei t.I settherifleusonnow,nogateto
was nothingbetween
wasifleheaded,thenbacktoSebastian. Ilookedup
thegroundand
me to run. There was one thing
forwalkedslowlytowardSebastian, my heartpounding,
that might keepmy Sebastianheadscreaming from
attackingme,butitwasar ol ofthedice.
Iputmyhandsonmybellyandsaid,“I’mpregnant.”
everythingIhadtoholdmygroundasIthoughtofhisfaceashesnarled
Sebastianblinked,then frownedandstepped towardme.It took
at meatIwatchedhiseyes
thegate. ashe reached forme, andIheldperfectlystill.
Withthesoftestoftouches,hisfingertipsrestedonmybump,theslight
Withslow,deliberatesteps,Sebastianapproachedme.
frownofconfusion
fingerstrembledacrossmybellyandIl
theskinand feeltheswiftly changesinmybody.His
followed by itheftedflushmyshandbrushedacrossmy
hofunderstanding.His
irt sohecouldtouch
thencuppedtheMysmallswell
strongforthatandhelovedmetoomuchtoforget ofourme. childwithin me.I
moment,IknewthatSebastianwouldnevertrulylosehimself,hewastoo
belly
lookeduptoseehiseyeswideandsparklingwithunshedtears.Inthat
buttonand
“Iloveyou,Sebastian.” words,simpleand
sparkedsomethinginhim.
Heletoutalow keeningwailasheslid tohisknees,pressinghis trueastheywere,
betrayinghis every emotion. “I have toget moremyfood,skin,butIputit
kout.Icouldn’ttrulybeafraidofmyhusband,hedidn’thaveitinhimto
cheekagainstmystomach.Aflashoffearwarmed
il theAlpha,andtherewasnowayhewouldhurtmeorourchild.
“Ihavetogo.”Ipulledaway,andSebastianlookedup,hiseyes clothes,
inand adjusted the backpack. I trailed andmy
face andthensteppedbackfromhim.I
I tuckedhe couldfullyunderstand,butIhadtobelieve.
things.I’mgoingtoDan’sfirst.”Maybethatwastoomuchhopeonmy
pfingertipsacrosshis
art, thinking myshirt
andIwasnotbeinganotherfoolinlove.my heartwastellingmethetruth
turnedandstartedwalking,trustingthat smiled,then
waskeeping Footstepsfrombehindspedmypulse,buthewasn’trunning.He
pacewithme. As we walked, twenty feet between us, I
weshared?Yes,somewhat,butIthinkmorethanthat—
thoughtaboutwhatitwasthatcompelledmetotrusthim.Wasitthelove
Sebastiangrowledandthetensionaroundusrose.Iglancedover
t. Ishook tmywasthatIknewhim;Iknewthepersonhewas,andhow
myfthanthelove,i
lighshouldertoseehimsnarling at thebushwhereabirdsuddenlytook
headandpickedupmyt rain ofthoughtagain.More
alwaysmatchedup.EventhoughhewasaNevermorenow,Icoulds
man;
sethewasinhisownbeliefsandstandards.Hehadn’tj
he’dlived his life asagood man, whathesaidandwhat ust beenagood hedidtil
peekedoutthrough
huckleberries and foundand myself
Ten minutes,
seethosequalitiesinhim,andtheywerewhatallowedmetot
Ipushedin myway
Dan’s backyard.I
through a pulled
smallrusclumpof
backand
t him.
this pointinthegame. thebush.NoneedtogorunningintoNevermoresaandt
For several minutes I waited, breathing in the sweet
intoxicatingscentoftheflowersonthehuckleberrybush.Asoftshuffle
frombehindme,andIwentverys
straightashepressedhisl til , awarmbreathwhisperingdown
mybelly,thenmywaistandslidinguptocupmybreasts.Itriedtothink
thebackofmyneck.Sebastian’shandscircledaroundme,brushingfirst
ips tothebackofmyneck,nuzzlingthetender
and intothegarden.
skinbehind
bush myear.in Hemelet outalowpurrandthenpushedmeoutofthe
thisway,he IgaspedwantedalungfulandIofawanted him. That was love; it had the
ir andspuntohearasoftchucklefrom
thehuckleberrybush.Icouldn’thelpbutsmile.Damn,evennow,even
powertoovercomeanyphysicalchangeineachother.
Dan’skeywascoolinmyhand,butIdidn’tneed
unlocked.Steppingintothedimi
thelowlightbeforegoinganyfurther.Ishutthedoorbehindme,locking
itforgoodmeasure.It wasmustyandwarm,thewindowsa it. Thedoorwas
nterior, Iwaitedformyeyestoadjusttol shuttight
offeelinghaunted, thenohouseechoed
andtheairstalefrom my footsteps asI started my search.
movement.Eerie,andwithmorethanameasure
weref u Theobviousplaceswerefirst,kitchenandpantry,bothofwhich
l tothebrimwithfood,preserves,cansoffruit,andpasta.Abag evenfake
ofdriedmilk.Mymouthwateredatthethoughtofdairy,
andIscrambledtofindmyselfsomewater
Dan tomix i t with.Ididn’thaveto dairy,
lookf arIdownedeveryl
. hadstacksuponstacksofindividual­sizedbottledwaterin
thepantry.Ipulledoneoutandmixedintheevaporatedmilk,shakingi
forgoodmeasure.
flavourheavenly ast dropofit,thechalkytexture andfaintmilkt
along
momentwithmy with tomydeprivedt
Sebastian,
huge guzzleof
the fact asteIbuds.Thestressofthewalk,my
milkleft
that me pregnant
was more and
thanal i
already
t l e sleepy.
t i r e d ,
I
the pack would come looking for Sebastian—or
shook thethatfeelingoff,though.Icouldn’tdawdlehere,there
Jessicawouldcomelookingforhim.
chance was toomuchworse,
ringing Iwithclimbedthe thethe spot,stairsIstrained
totheme.uppermy ears,level,listening
seemingtogrowheavierwitheachstep.Onthetopstep,acreaksounded
frominsidethehouseanditwasn’t
Frozento the weighttil oftheythewereair
convinced myself
face.silence.
to take After several
another minutes
stepand with
that’s no
when more
the noise,
gun was I
shovedintomy
“Whatthehellareyoudoingbreakingintomyhouse,woman?”
Dansnarled,ashestareddownhisrifleatme.
brushedpastmeandclompeddownstairs.“Comeon,woman,Itold
Heloweredthegun.“Well,atleastyouain’toneofthem.”Dan
“Dan.Ithought...Imean,Ifound...bones,”Istutteredout.
Ifollowedawayhim,withmymemouthorstopcompletely.
goingtogallop
I’dgiveyoufoodandweaponsifyoumade dry, andmyheart youdid.”if itwasyou
it here,andItseemedto
notsure
anunsteadyrhythmthatleftmemorethanalittlewobblyofleg.
“IIshrugged,determinednottofeelbad.“Ithoughtyouweredead.” s e t l e on
seeyou’ve made yourselfat home,”Dansaidashepointedto
theopenbagofdriedmilk.
shouldlastyouforawhile.Comebackwhenyouneedmore.”Hehanded
Hegruntedandwenttopackingmybackpackswithfood.“This
meonepackf
longshot.“I’m ul , atmy twoempty.Thatwasn’tgoingtobeenough,notbyato
stockpilethefood
you.” “Shit.”Hes
sureashellhopei pregnant,
t apint’onthef
tDan.bythatinfectedmanofyours.”
place.Unlessyouwantmetomoveinherewith
Iloneedr. “Why’dyougoandgetknockedup?I
to take more than that;I need
Isuckedinabreath.“HowdoyouknowaboutSebastian?”
“One of thosethings was following him, a youngfemale. She
wasn’tinterestedineatinghim.SoIshotathim.”
“What?”ThatwaswhatSebastianhadbeen
Dan,
broughtthathe’d
Sebastianpeeredbeen shooting athim.A tap on tryingtot
my headaround. oneof theel meabout
windows
thewindow.
mine.Dan’s
liketherestofthem!”Sebastiansnarled
side.Dansnappedhisgunup,andIpushedi
The snarl faded andhe inthroughthedirtyglass,hisheadcockedtoone
mimickedat Danme,t down.“No!Stop,he’snot
andI putmyhandupon
putting his hand against
eyebrowsrose.“Well,I ’ l
“Heremembersme,Dan,Idon’tknowhoworwhy—buthedoes. bebuggered.”
that’si , he’sdone.”and let outabreath.“Thankyou.”Ilookedaroundthe
Pleasedon’tshoothim.”
tInodded
“Fornow.Butifheshows even theslightestinclinationtoattack,
pantry.“Now,canwepleasef
outsidet “Iain’t helping you imove l theotherbackpacks?”
his houseexceptformyownneeds,nooneelse’s,”Dansaid.
this stuf , woman. Iain’t stepping
 couldmakemoretripsthisway,bringinghomethelighter
food;Idon’texpectyoutohelpmepacki
Iputacanoftomatoesi
Wefilledthepackswiththeheaviers n. “That’sfine,Dan.Ithankyouforthe
t.” tuf , cans,sauces,andrice.I
eachtired hand,and Dan raisedhisgun,pointingit pastme. loadsthemorehe
and“Ihopeyou’rerightaboutyourman,foryoursake,woman,”
saidasheslowlyshutthedoorinmyface.Sebastian’shandcamedown
pregnantIgot.Isteppedoutside,onebackpackonandonein
onback.mine,startling me. I looked up, and he motionedat thebag on my
“It’sallIcantake.Iand’l havetomakemoretrips anyway,”Isaid.
Heshookhisheadandpointedtohisownback.
Again,henodded,
“Areyousure?” Ihelpedhimtopositiontwoofthe packs
thought Thetmayberweip Bobbacktothefarmwasuneventful,whichsurprisedme.I
slippedthroughandbeckonedhimi
lonhisback,hisfingersunableto
east. When tothe bebackwaiting
got would evengate,n. tightenorloosenthestraps.
Sebastian
foranothertwenty
canoffeetbeansbehind,I
atthe
“Comeon.Youaren’tgoingtohurtme.Iknowthat,”Isaid.
Heshookhisheadandshruggedoutofthebagsbeforeslipping
offintothebush,asifhe’dneverbeenthere. it looked
Maybe Itrustedgivehim,me butpause,I’dbeen likemeheconsiderthe
didn’ttrust
let himfacthimself.
Thatme,wasenoughto
toeventhoughhewasmyhusband,
nomatterhowmuchIlovedhim. to maketrulyfoolishto so closethat
wouldhave I f only
turned I’d remembered that a
outdifferently.PerhapsI week later, then perhapshadtothingsturn
wouldn’thave
myknifeonhimanddowhatnowomanshouldhaveto.
 18
Formeetmethe nextweek,Imadetwo
waswellset.Itookthreebags, mycan toopenerand
threetripsaacandayandofbeans.Bob theroutine
can
likesomeofferingaknighterrantwouldgivetoabridget
would halfwaytoDan’s,andIwouldgivehimthe back r o l . Sebastian
ofbeans
followedmeandpackedabag sothatbytheendoftheweekwe’d
movedtwenty­onebackpacksfulloffoodandnecessities.Danevenhada
good stash of drugsil squirreled
killers,andsomep away: antibioticst,aloverthinkingofpossible
complicationsandpainduringthelabourthatIwouldfaceinafewshort
formsofmorphine.Itooki thecounter pain
months. pointedout that I’d barely madea dent in hissupplies, he
but whenIDangrumbledfiercelythatIwastakinghisoffertotheextreme,
settled down. I t didn’t hurt that on the
cookiesandItooksometohim,thoughtheywereburntaroundtheedges. third day I managed to bake
Iwasstil tryingtofigureoutthewaysofbakingwithawoodburning
cookstove. Isuppose that even a weregrizzled old man likes homemade
goodies,burntontheedgesornot.
eyesdartingand
foodasIalwaysdid,
neveroncetakingfromthestoreswe
On theseventh andheday, pushedi
hismouthclicking t awaya
Sebastianfromtime moret fitotime.I’dofferedhim
wascollecting. rsthana
t,in thepast few dayshis
littleedgy,
delectable.“Eat i t , ” Isaid, the open can of peaches smelling positively
couldgetridofitatDan’s.
Sebastian
We walkedgroaned up and took the can from me, swallowingthe
peachesandthejuicewithoutasinglegulp.Iputthecanintomybag.I
continued
Notjusttoseei always,theI pausedat
well­worn thepath,huckleberry
gave Bobbushhis andwaited.
on.Asf thecoastwasclear,buttoletSebastiancomecloser,to beans, and
touch me,even ifit was onlyforamoment. handswenttomybellyf
Thistimewasdifferent,though.His andup i r s t
asalways,butheslidthemunderthes h i r t ,
myunabletoteasethemwithhisfingertips,thelackofdexteritynotslowingovermybareskin
suddenly taut nipples. He rubbed the flatof his hand over them, to
himdownforamoment.Il
kind.Hepulledmet i g h t et outalowmoan.Thiswastortureofthebest
againsthishimands lid hisbodyupanddown
grazing
mineasherubbedmybreasts,hisbreathhotagainstmyneck,histeeth
the skin. Iknew Ishould be afraid,atleast areachback
lit le bit, but the
skin,hunger.Theyl eft metremblinganduselessintheeawayof
semotionsrocketingthroughmedidn’tleaveroomforf
traight.SebastiannippedmyearlobeandIstartedto r. Love,desire,
thinking
forhim.
Hepushedmeforward,knowingbetterthanIdidthelimitsofhiscontrol.
toget Istumbledtothedoorandletmyselfi
my hormones and emotions under control. I banged myas Ithandried
n, nearlygasping
againstthedoor,suddenlyangryandembracingtheheatthatburnedoff
someofthedesire.
“It’s notfair!” Iwhispered.
“What’s
fromme?”Danasked. t h
and a t , woman?
I turned leaned againstwayit Not f a my
the door. “No. Just, I don’t know,food
i r thatyou’re stealing a l
everythingi
chocolatechips,r
myself. Hegruntedandhelpedmepackedmybags,morebakingsupplies,
sn’t faiari.siNothingisthe
ns, coconuts,walnuts,fshouldbe.”lour, andsugar.Ismiledto
methods.IDangavehim
surely wanted more cookies; there was no subtlety in his
a peck on thecheek. “Thanks, Dan. I’l bring more
cookiesnexttime.”
“Getoutof
the edge here,woman,”hegrowleda
toIsteppedoutsidewiththethree
tried tohideasmile.
slope of Dan’s property.Ibagsand heftedt me,wavingmeoffashe
onestarteddowntheslight
bag into place and
packed the other two tothe huckleberry bush where Sebastian was.
Exceptitwasn’tBastianwaitingforme.
IShelaunchedherselfa
chocolate t wasJessica.
chips sprayedbag offthrough
theway,stumblingtomykneesasIs
offoodandslidthe
sametrickwouldworkwithherasi myt me,andIwasbarelyabletostepoutof
back.Irippedthemopenandhopedthe
thetlhadwithBob.Marshmallowsand
iadirinthegrass.Idroppedthebags
, the scent of sugar drawing
Jessica’snose
More to thefoodsoftuthef instead
members pack of to me.forward, fillingup Dan’s
spilled
gardenandforcingmetothefrontofthehouseandontothemainroad.
Thebackpackswereshreddedandthebakingsupplieswereeverywhere.I
keptbackingaway.Jessicastareda
astrongerpullthankillingme,atleastforthemoment.Iknewthatasfar
asshewasconcerned,I’dstolenherman.
Aloudboom rattledthe atirme,herhatredpalatable,butthefood
, and
droppedtotheground.Ilookeduptosee Danthe Nevermore
thetopfloorofhishouse. closest to me
shootingatthepackfrom
“You’dbetterrun,woman,”heyelled.Thepackswarmedthrough
theyard,mostlyfocusedonthefood,butsomeweretryingtogetintothe
jogged,butIknewthatIhadtomove.Inmybeliefthat
house,endinganychanceIhadatgettingintosafety.
IbackedupuntilthepackwasoutofsightandthenIran.Okay,
therknife.Deepshitdidnot
concern for how much weight I should carry, Iwassafe,andin
moreifle atloudhome.All
booms,thatstood
thennothing
evencover
betweenme
more.thedepth givingbeenwasone
DanandthepackI’d
wasoftroublemeaIwasleaving
measlytheat
chance
in.Two
east. IranforfifteenminutesbeforeIgotastitch inmy sideand hadto
lslowdown,butIwasgettingclosetothehalfwaymark.Nextupwasthe
 andBob.
tunnelofbroom
Ipushed thathadnearlydone mein,wherewe’dfirstmetDan
way.
meby.” understated.
Already
“Bob,” tmywayintothethickgreeneryandfoundmyselfface­
isoto­facewithBob.AndIhadnothing
I couldn’tIsaid.“
heirbackup;
voices daregivehim.Again,
toscreaming
NevermorehandshotthroughfrombehindmeandIspunandslasheda
t withmyknife,openingadeep I’l bringIweredidn’tyoutwocansnexttime,j packdeepuscoming
to withandthegetting t seemedmyAt
thcloser.
ipleaselet
hindfe Heroared
t, eventallerthanSebastian. wound.Bobroaredandstooduponhis
beans
steppedweretheforward, againIsteppedto
right
and andthe screaming
the side and hollering
tolet himpass.stopped.
ApparentlyBob
Bob shovedpast
thankedmyluckys t a r s .commodity to keep him friendly toofme,hismusky
me, roaringandgrowling,thescent and I
coatheavyin
almost t a s t e my
i t . nose.Irandownthet
One hand instinctively r a i l
on, soclose
my to homethatIcould
belly, the other hand
holdingmyknife.Iran,pushingthroughthebroomandbush,nolonger
thingIhadn’tcountedonwasSebastian.
caring how much noise I made.The pack knewI was there.The only
AsIhoofeditupthes
signthatIwould
thebushes,breathinghard besafeinandeyes tre t, wild.
ourhouseinview,thegateablessedof
amatterofmoments,Sebastianburstout
hisname “Bastian!”Isaid,trying
a t come outasawhisper. to speakwhileI was outofbreathmakingand
daycominghometoroostonhimf
heran “PleaseGod,no,”Isaid,scrambling
Hesnarled,hismouthopenwide,hishandsclenchedinf
me,alltheanimalismthatther inal y. est ofthepackexhibitedevery ists,
outinfrontofme,myhusbandadvancingfasterthanIcouldbackup.At backwards,holdingmyknife
astIsecondIslashedathim,openingtheskinofhischestinascarlet
t didn’tstophim.
redthellinefromlefttoright.
asthoughtIhad body hardHeslammedintome,takingmetotheground
he howled,beenhis safewithhim,IknewnowIhadbeenwrong.Maybe
andhis ferocity been terrifying me. I f
fromeverI
me,
he’dSebastian’sbodypinnedmineto
been slipping
momentbymoment,stepbystep. slowly, but he’d s t i l
“Pleasedon’tmakemedothis,” Iwhisperedmyknifearmfre . moving away
we’donceshared.Withmyl thegroundinamockeryoftheintimacy
histeethasfarawayfrommeasIcould.Therewasnolongeranytraceof
eft arm,Ipressedagainsthisthroat,keeping
the manHe“Doit,”hesaid,hiseyessofteningforabriefmoment
openedhismouth,Ithoughtatfirst togrowl or bite. and Ifelt
Ilovedleftinhiseyes.Tearsspilleddownmycheeks
himpause,felthimmustersomethingfromdeepinside.
at myhandholdingtheknife. ashestared
knewthatifitwerethelastthingIdid,Iwouldlovehimforever.
Sebastianalongwiththemforther
Iletoutacryofpain,grippedthehandlewithmyrighthand,and
Therewasnotime;thepackwascomingandtheywouldk
ide, ifI il me,
lovedmorethan any otherperson in mylife.didn’tdosomething—anddo
it fast. Forme,forourchild,Ihadtodoit;I hadto killtheone manI
Adeep,gut­wrenchingsobrippedoutofme.Withalast
raisedtheknife,holdingitabovehisback,rightoverhisheart. effortI
“Iloveyou,Bastian,”Isaidandbroughtthebladedown.
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 LyraMcken

Finn
AZombifiedShort
Onedayyou’remindingyourbusinessthinkingabouthowmuch
youhatePEandwishingthef ire alarmwouldgetyououtofthere,and
thenextyougetbit.It’sastrangefeelingtohaveahumanlatchontoyou
they growl like a rabiddog andatclawonetime,andnow…well,now
thingwasthathewasmyPEteacher atyour face.It is evenstranger
withanimal­likestrengthandripoffpartofyourleg.
when The weirdest
I’m lyingon my bellyinthedirt beneaththeschool.Fromhere,I
helookeddifferent.
can seetheparkinglot andthefrontlawn.I’mnotreallysurewhatmy
 wastoomuchforme.Theschoolhasaveryoldfoundation,andIknewI
plani s, butthisiswhereIranafterIwasbit en. Thechaosinthegym
couldbellycrawlbeneathi
yearsago.Hetransferredoutto me. t becauseIhadhiddentherefromabullytwo
bea delinquentsomewhereelselongago,
butitstuckwith
I
bitithaden.lasted have been lyinghere since
Ihad fallenintowasneither
Thesleepoff andonthroughoutthenight. yesterday afternoon when Iwas
comfortablenorrestful,but
Iwillseetheblack,rottingfleshIwitnessedonthosethatwerebitingon
titispressedagainstthed
ie ontoiMylegisstartingtohurta
t willhavetodofornow.Iamalmostscaredtolookatitforfear
irt. ThepartofmyshirtIrippedhaphazardlyto
lit le, andit probablydoesn’thelpthat
othersinRighttheaftgym.er IhadI’mhiddeninmyd
andscreaming.Theslowmovingfeetofwhat
underneaththebuilding,butit’snotreallythatmuchfundownhere. how long I’veheardbeengunshots
not really sureirt sanctuary,Ihad tucked
werev i s i b l e , andIsawacoupleofthemf a l . I’mcallingtheblackflesh
he clearlyhada
brokenarm.I Oneinparticularhadstruckmeasoddbecause
t hadhunglifeles ly at hisside.Thestrangeangleatwhich
loudgunshot,andwhenIhadlookedback,hisheadwasgone.
it hadhungmademesick,soIhadavertedmyeyes.Therehadbeena
infact, withIfeeldefeated. I’mbracelet.prettysureIhavebeenbitten
to AsfarasIcant
assrightnow; try to becool
snapsaroundmywrist,making
ihads nowaytoknow.Iwishwearingawatch the mepowerfeellikeabadass.Idon’tfeeltoo
wasIoneof
el , Ihavebeenunderhereforhours.Therereally my things.No,Ithatbad
t is a leatherstrap
byazombie,andsinceIdon’tbelievetheyexistoutsideofsomeof
favoritemovies,Iamhavingahardtimewrappingmyheadaroundi
Iwish Ihaddonesomany thingswhileI wasalive.Thirdbase t. my
withWhy adidgirlIhave sticksoutin
to be mymind,andnow
so shy? Speaking ioft’s thirdnever base,there’s
goingto happen.my
tohermore.Iwonderwhysheisrunninglikethat.Iamgoingtogetout
classmate,Cassie.Ialwaysthoughtshewaspretty;Ishouldhavetalked
Inottosee stars asIdragmyselfforwardbecausethepaininmylegi
andtalktohernow.
tossing
myself
almostunbearable.Sweatbeadsupquicklyallover
hasmyhidingspotbecauseCassiei
throughmy takenApairofhandsgrabs
heroffonthe blackout.I’mgladi
walking,so meEither
someoneelse’sbloodonher.Cassietellshertogetbackinthecarand
reconsidered. pavement.maybeshe
s frombehind.I toget
pullingNancyDrakeoutofhercarand
t tookmeawhile
Nancy orheartshe andhass
mywound,body,butIwill
hashadhasacana changeof
feelnailsdiggingin
totheedgeof

ty, red hairpants.ThescreamIl et outiHes lessthanmanly.Whotheheck

myheadasfar as Ican, Iseeamanwith
fingersintomywoundedleg.Scramblingthroughthepain,Imanageto
disirunderherewithme?Turning
and a bloody mouth. is unforgivingly sinking his
 getoutfromunderthebuilding,buthei
me. A nearby zombie that looks alots rightonmyheelsnotfarbehind like my math teacher—but is
nowIhave totryto run.AsImove,thet­shirtb
missinghalfofhisface—hasspottedus and Ihad tiedaround
iscomingtowardus.Great,
i t that
mybecauseshe’sslowwalkingtowardsmefromtheparkingl
legf a l s o f , but Iam notmovingf
andnowitlookslikeNancyDrakehascomeovertotheblackfleshside
comingfromoneside,thered­headedbloodfacei a s t
Iamprettymuchtrapped.If Icouldrun,thenescapingwouldbe enough.The math
ot. teacheris
s comingfrombehind,
noproblem.ItistimetofacethefateIhavebeendealt:bittenbymygym
teacher,Tomy
catsweaters.andeatenbymymathteacherandtheg
surprise,theredheaded man
me. t mylegtofindtheangry,blackwoundhasspread s t a r
me asifshe’ssometypeofprettydog.Mymath t sirwalkingawayfrom
l wholikestoweartheme,
nolongerseemsinterestedineatingme,e
teacherwalksintothesideofthebuilding,hittinghisheadrepeatedly.He
wrongwith
andNancyDrakesniffs
Ilookdowna ither. NowIknowsomethingis
aroundtheteethmarks,andthefleshofmythighi
lunch allover the ground. That square pizza andpilsapple
theydon’twanttobitemebecauseIaminfected?Therealizationhitsme
likeatonofzombies.Isuddenlyfeelsickands missing.Coulditbe
theremnantsofmy
juice probably
waitweren’tthebestchoicesforlunch.
towalkintotownandlookforotherslikeme.Cassielookedlikeshe
ticanl hadherthoughtsabouther.Iwonderi
Ihadaprettygoodheads
shangaround Ihave tarIt,canandIammovingprettyslowly.Icouldj
turnintooneoftheseblack­fleshed,gray­skinned
here.adecision.
Checking incrawlwith backmyself,
f Icouldcatchupwithher.She seemscarytothings,or
beneathIdon’ttheschooland havejusat
cravingforhumanflesh,sothat’sagoodthing.
Mybodyfeelscompressedfromlying underneathabuildingina
throbbing.Painsshootthroughmewitheverystep.
tight spaceforhours.Stretchingfeelsgood,exceptformyleg,whichis
Movingintotownseemslikeitwilltaketoo
My body feels compressedfromlyingunderneathabuildingina
intothebuildingtoseewhathastranspiredthere. long,soIheadback
tanymore,andthereisliterallybloodeverywhere.MyAdidasshelltops
ight spaceforhours.Stretchingfeelsgood,exceptformyleg,whichi
None ofthe menwho came inwith guns is standing guards
throbbing.Painsshootthroughmewitheverystep.
slideasIattempttohobbleintothelobbytolookaroundforanysignsof
lthere.
blood,andintestines.Whatappears
crawling
worldhas
ife. ThereIstumble
gonacross
emaisn’ta
d.Makithefloor
overngplacemy
mywayfootball
tothe
withan
players, canateacherwithalegmissing
herseemouth.Gross!
quad,armtobeIthatisn’triddledwithbody
eyesfall ingeeks, cheerleaders,
the carnage doesn’t
pretty pgairendtlsi,s
The whole
ataturnedinordertoreacht
and vending
halfthe
Islideovertrack toteam.sitononeoftheuglyorangebenchessoIcanstare
hisI numberofbodies.
wonder how manypeople must have been
machineas I contemplatemynextmove,but
movementbehindit.Asmallg i r l jumpsoutholdingwhatappearstobea thenI catch
wonderi
plasticknife.
bottoml
yearknifeshe’sholding.
younger
“Backoff,zombie,Imeani
I which
recognize facemakesherthas.”herasbeenarehuge,the
Sheifpshedoesn’tknow.Ithinkshehastoknowbecausehalfofher
ismissing.The
trembles,
than me.Her bitemarks Sissy,
lessbiterrifying
tapretty
en, andbiteiredhead
thanthe
foras large,andi
minute,
who’sa
plasticIt
her bottomlip. my head Itellher.I don’tbotherto
tookhalfmy“I’mnotazombie,atleastnotyet,”
raise hands above
Seemingtorelaxa l i t l e , shelooksdowna becauset myleg.
the knife isn’t threatening.
“Thatlooksnasty.”
“Itdoesn’t feeltoois sensitive
good,either.”I avoidsaying anythingabout
hercoming
face incase she
startingtoshowuparoundthegrayingskinasi about
from us would be unbearable if we thadn’t i t . The black fleshis
already already
dies.Thesmellof grownrot
accustomedtoi t. al . Iwatch her lookback and forthnervously.
thequadtosneakintotheh
Shemotionsformetofollowher,andweheadtotheothersideof
doorandpushingthedesksclosestto
askherwhatherplani
theclassroom,sheopensthesupplycloset.
“You’ve gottos,beandsheshushes me withafinger.Atthebackof
kidding me.”it upagainsti
pullsmequicklyintothehallway,andthenintoaclassroom,shuttingthe
Iwanttoaskherifsheknowstheywon’tbiteus,butshegrabsmyhand, t. Iopenmymouthto
classroom,andpanicovercomesherasshepushesmeinside.
“Youwant themtohear you,Finn?Youhavetobe My voice echoes in the empty
second door behindturns usit offandagain.
shuts thethoughts, overheadin light,thanthen,quiet.”She
turns onThetheclosetisbigger iast looked
having
from theoutside. It’s a smallroom
supplies,easels,anddecorations
“Howdoyouknowmyname?”Ijustrealized with junk it,such school
for variousholidays.
andIdon’trememberseeingher,outsideofpassingher
“Youknowmine,don’tyou?”Sheblushesandlookseverywhere shecalledmeFinn,
in thehal s.
exceptdirectlyatme.
“Yes,Sissy,Iknowyourname.”Iknewitbecausewehadgoneto
thesameschoolsinceshewasinkindergartenandIwasaf
ambackto
Iassumethat’showsheknowsmyname,too.Ifeelstupidforasking,
Sheslidesdownthewall
“Hidefromthezombiesu
ShouldItellherIdon’tthinkthere’sachanceforus?Igowith
wonderingwhatthehelltheplanis.“What’stheplan lo r, and Idotheirst same.
l weare rescued.”
tontisitonthef grader,so
here?”and
tryingtofindouthowshewasbitteninstead.
 her “Theblackflesh,that’saninterestingwayofputtingit.”Leaning
“So,tel mewhathappenedwhenyousawtheblackflesh.”
Englishheadbackonthewall,shecloseshereyes.“WewereinMs.Lewis’s
reality.”I class.Iwas nodding off,anda gunshot brought me back to
nod,encouraginghertocontinue. came
tothe “Somestrangelookingguy
ground. Once he sunk histeeth inandgrabbedher,draggingher
intoher neck, blood went
hereyesclosedasifsheisrelivingthemoment.“Thensomeoneshothim
everywhere.It wassoviolentandjust…horrific.”Sheshivers,keeping
iinthehead,cameintotheclassroom,andshotherinthehead.Iwatched
“That’stough.”I feelmy legstarttotingle,andwhenIfinally
t explodebecauseIsitnearthefront.” get
doom and thoughts ofdying are coming back to me.more.ChangingFeelingsthe
ofthenervetolookdown,Iseethewoundhasspreadeven
subjectseemslikeagoodplan.
“Youknowmysister,Melanie,she’sinyourgrade.”Melaniewas
outsicktoday,thankzombieforthat. HaveIstartedtothinkinzombie
termsalready?
downat“Finn,
Melanie Iusedtooto come
herfeetsadly.
hasgotten popularoverto tohangname?
yourouthousewith whenI was younger.
me now.”She looks
No wondershe
observant.“Whydidyouchangeyour
when she“Cecelia?”and Melanie were best knewfriends.myIIlikeCecelia.”
name;I
have tosawhereveryday
learnto be more
can’t believe s happening…mea Sissy,”shesaysassheshrugs.“I
worriedaboutmyfamily.”I’mnotgoingtotellherI’msurei
“Peoplejthius tistartedcalling zombie apocalypse.I tam’l befine really
thetandthatthere’snothingtoworryaboutbecauseIhavenocluei
ruth“.I’mstil goingtocal youCecelia.”Shesmiles,andwehavea f that’s
nicemomentinthemiddleofHell.
Iateachhear the groans of recently dead people as they pass, and we
lookaren’t. other.I knowshethinks they arecoming forus,but they
“Youknow,Ineverevengottokissaboy.”Shelooksa
andherliphangingoffandahugeblackwoundaboveit.
appears almost hopeful. Normally, I would be t mesadly
to
prettygirlherfirstkissattheendoftheworld,butt
lippedelephantinthecloset.
“Does
“What?Doeswhathurt?”Great,shedoesn’tknow.Heregoesa
that not hurt?” I am doing it.I am addressing his prettygitherloblige
happy black­la
hashalf
your “Cecelia,Idon’twanttoalarmyou,butyouhaveahugebite on
thepeace.
vanity.face,andsomeofi
I follow behindhert is missing.”Iwaitforthescream.I
slowly, watching her dashintot comes,but
shefleesthecloset,throwingthedesksoutofthewaywhiledoing
sherushesforthedoor.Iguessherfearofzombieswastakenoverbyher the ladies’itas
anyofit, Isitinthehall and listen toherswearingaboutsomeonesayinghe
room.Herscreamricochetsoffthelockersbecauseitissoloud.Howthe
hellcouldshenotfeelthat?Wassheindenial?
slappedherawake,notthathebitherwhilesheslept.Notunderstanding
Idozealit le. I’mnotsurehowmuchtimei
incoolfeeling.
andoutofconsciousness.I
WhenIwake,itisdarkagain.I s passingasIfade
my familybeingeaten…
dreamof cantellbylookingthroughthe nota
through.
windows aont theend
ofthe double ofthe exithall doors
.Idon’twherehearthereanyiscrying
nosunfromshiningthe
bathroom,soIassumeCeceliahasfinallypassedout.
Isensesomethingcomingdownthehallway.Idon’tknowwhati t
iasmy
ass, butIknowit’sdelicious,whateverthatmeans.Istand
I stomachrumblesforthefirsttimeintwodays.Mymouthwaters from theground
movetowardit. Isenseitt’iss hurt,butithasn’tbeenbittenbyoneof
us.IlatchmyteethontoherneckbeforeIrealizewhat
chaseit?Catchingitisn’thard.I afraid,andthatit isI’mrunning.Whynot
ofmyclassmates,butIripahunkoutofherneckbecauseIneedtofeed. doing.It’sone
onthefloor.Icanfeelherbloodrundownthesidesofmyface.
Whatthehelliswrongwithme?Ceceliayellsandrunsatme.
“Finn,stop!Stopeatingher!”IamhorrifiedasIdropthepoorgirl
doesn’t“I’manswer.sorry,SheCecilia.
eventhoughthegirli til alIivdon’t
splunges faceknowlayswhatinto came overme.” theCeciliagirl
here. Irealizethere’snohopeforeitherofus.
the stomachof
 ZOMBIFIED
By
LYRA MCKEN

GRIMIORE PRESS
Great Minds Think Aloud
 "Youknow,it justmakes mePrologue madthatthenewsthinkswearen't
soundedOflikecourse,
peopletoo,"IsaidtoNeil.
affectionately moaningsoandhewerenoises,butI
lcoatls of“Slopar,”
mywords did spoken
not understand incontinued me.anyway,
whatwe Tohim,
Zombiesit
determinedwhatpartofthe leg wasthemeatiest.Inormallydon't liketheasI
drumstickofaman,butIwasfeelingparticularlyhungrytoday.
InthedaysbeforeIwascompletelytransformed,Ihadheardthe
newsstoriesaboutus,sayingweweremonsters.Theysaidl
"We are people,"Icontinued,asIsunkmyteethwearea
buttheonesthatstoodouttomenowweresoullessande
rippingoffapiece,despitehisprotests."Justbecause vilinto. otslhisthigh,
iofthings
t le dead
athletnoticIwastalkingthroughmouthfulsofhim.Whenhedidn'trespond,I
doescontinued to snack away on what I assumed, byCantheIcbuild,
thigh.
meanweareanydifferentthanyou,Neil. al youNeil?" to be an
choiceofdinner,
thecementoftheparkingl
“Areyouarunner,Neil?Yout
Icontinuedmyot wherewehadstopped.
rantasandmade
te likearunner.”Happywithmy
myselfcomfortableon
ladyrightoverthere,withonlyhalfofher
andthatisjustnottrue.Weactuallylumberaroundwithourfriends.The
walkslowlythroughanabandonedtownwith."
"Like,howtheysaythatwelumberaboutingroupswithnoorder, arm, is my favoritepersonto
I was fairfacely certain
inhisleg.Incasehecoulds
drainedfromhis andtheblood Neilhadwasstoppedspewingfromtheartery
tithatl hearme,Icontinuedtoramble."Thereare
almost dead. The color had
becausehedragshislegbehindhimandi
exceptions.Thereisthisoneguywhohastowalkinthebackofthemob t slowsusdown.Wedatedin
InudgedNeil at myjoke,butinsteadoflaughing,
andhecalledme‘tart.’Ihatedbothofthosethings."
middleschool.Itoleratehim,buthisbreathalwayssmelledlikecheese
debated as well.Since
zombified,staying there my
while bodydidnotmovef
I waited to see a s
ifhewould
t hefel become
anymore,Ifiguredi over.It
marchtoward my friend,Rose.Sheseemed tobeotenjoyingherself,
couldhappenbeforeImadeitacrosstheparkingl , soIbeganmyslowas I
moving
couldseeherhappilyeatingthebrainsofayoungblondlady.
Asformand
I passedstared by a carfor window,
aminute.Icaught "Zombiea glimpseof life does myslow
nothingformycomplexion,"Iyelled,overmyshouldertoNeil,asItook
inagrayfacewithsunkenineyes. absolutely
from myContinuingonmy
decayingmind.Iwondered
me pathtoRose, i f i t I t
wasj r i e d
u
my stopush
t my appearance
myimaginationthatI
couldhearpartsof
to
me takecareof my r o
body. t i n g . I remembered motheralwaystel mying
“Your body is your temple, Cassie.” She would correct t
posturebyjerkingmyshouldersback.“Youshouldmakesureyoutreati
assuch.”“Ifonlymymother couldseemenow.”Iwass til talkingtoNeil,be
Ofcourse,hadmyinottaken
as my progress
proudofherbabyg me outofhisearshot.“Shewouldreally
rl.”motherwasdead,andshewouldneverbeableto
theyhaddisposedtatofe.herandhundreds
seemycurrents She hadbeen inthefofothersbeforetheyhadachance
irst round of theinfectedand
tospreadAsIcontinuedtodragmyself
the disease. itaThatdisease.
beginning.Theycalled iswhat they called being zombified inthe
howthingscouldhavebeendifferent. acrosstheparkinglot, Iwondered
 Chapter1
“It wasthebest of times,itwastheworstoftimes,itwastheage
TheLongestSchoolDay
thebeginning
note to mybestofA TaleofTwoCitieswhileIwasattemptingtoconstruct
aofwisdom,anditwastheageoffoolishness….”Theteacherwasreading
friend, Ellen, about how good Brett Nathan’s hair
lookedthatmorning.Hewas
Iwasgettingupthenervetoaskhimout,butrightnowIneededtotell
just turnedseventeen,Iwasnowawoman.I theloveof mytwelfthgradel t wastimetomakemymove. ife. Having
Ellen howfantastic
Horrorfilledmehelookedwhen
andthesunhithisperfectlyshapedc hef. gotoutof the car thatmorning
asI feltthepaperslipfrombeneaththepenIwas
o i
writing
impossiblylarge glasses,andup intoknewthat
with. Ilooked Ms. Hamrick’s my life wassternover.Sheeyes, wasbehindnot
happywithmynotewriting,andIknewforafactshelovedtoreadnotes
outdesiresbeingrevealed
loud. Iprepared tomyselfaclassroomf
for theulembarrassment of my innermost
Shepursedherl ofNeanderthals.
tweezers in her life. I iinpfound
her facemeantIwas
onamountofhairinbetweenher s,forabighumiliation.
whichonlymadethefactthatshehadahairy
verymyselfunkempteyebrows.Thelookofb
upperlipstandout.Thiswomanhadneverseenawaxstriporapairof momentarily mesmerizedby ltheis
withanassyoucouldj ust clingthereo; weitMr.haveabooktoreadthrough.Start
Davisdesperatelyneedstoknowthat
“Well, Ms. Williams,” came,Nathani am sure that Ms.
“whileIs wayhotterthanLeo,
at thethirdparagraph.”Shewalked
embarrassment. back tothefrontoftheclassroom, as
theidiotsaroundmeeruptedintolaughter,andIfeltmycheeksburnwith
Ipulled
my dark brown hair
thankfulIhadoptedtowearitdownthatday.Toobaditwassummerand around my face to hide. I was
Iwas
today. I ofwasjust
itoutloudthatway.TherewasthroughBrettthenothirdmywasdoubtteacher
mythankful
Ifeltlikethebathroomwouldbeasgoodaplace
display
book.
wishedtheworstthingseveron
wearing
stumbled
teenagepuppylove.Howridiculous
favoritebabybluetanktopinstead paragraph, myas anytoeatmylunch
notininmyastheminditwouldgettoBrett.
iIbegantoreadfromthe
t soundedwhenshe
classroom tohear withreadthat
faceof aburning
sweatshirt.I

embarrassment.Thesmuglookontheteacher’sfacemademeangry,and
called onEllensomeoneelsetoread.I
gave mea sympathetic lookwhen Ms. Hamrick finally
Icouldn’twaittogetoutofthere.
wasfive r.I atmy oversized,shrunkdowninmyseatandwilledtime
togofastelooked white Fossil watch and saw thetime
relaxwithunmytil favoritebook.
two.OnemoreclassforthedayandIcouldgohomeand
eyes atherWhenthebellfinallyrang,Irushedoutoftheclassroom,tomy
asI slammed
locker,asfastasI could.Ellenthe locker
wasthereshut.shortly my handsin my
IjammedafterandIrolledmy
distressed“Sheis,
dark jeans
and thatandlooked
was beyonddejected.
ontheteacherwasthebestthingIknewtodo.
get­awayifIsawBrettcoming.
favoritepairoftennisshoes,withthepinklaces, I wasso gladIcouldmakeaquick
“Ms.Hamrickisameanoldwitch.”Iwasangryandtakingitout
embarrassing.” EllenI hadlowered
worn hermy
voiceto
it,and thenawhisper.“Youwroteme
andwebothgiggledatherstatement. abouthisAnbutt.”Shet
Isighedloudlyandhopedlikehellpeoplewouldjustforgetabout
something amazing happened. ilted herhead
announcement,fromthe
notice.Ellen
principal,cameoverthespeakerst
and lock the doors.The school ewould be on lockdown until further
l ing everyonetogetintoaclassroom
andIlockedeyes,standings til foraminute,notsurewhat
and therewastalkofashooterinthebuilding,or
sometypeofwildanimal;nooneknewwhatwasgoingon.Ofcourse,
weshoulddo.
Panicensued,
usheredinside.
Ms.Hamrick’sclassroomwastheonewewereclosestto,sowea l got
pastecommercial.Gettingout mustofmyhavehead,Ipulledmygazeawayfrom
studentsMs.Hamrickpushedintoherclassroom.Hecaughtmestaringat
himandflashedanadorablesmile.Histeethcouldbethes
there,
experienced
butIwashorrifiedtoseethatnotonlyweremostofthekidsIhadj
sowas
thesingleBrett.mostHehumiliating moment of mylifetthearswithofgroupof
been caughtin atooth
wereust
him,knowingIhadstaredtoolong.Ithoughtthedaycouldnotpossibly
getanyworse,butIcouldneverpredicthowwrongIwasaboutt
Icheckedmywatchanditwasalmostthreeo’clock.Anhourhad hat.
agonebyandwes
topassthetime.
l supposedtobequietandEllenandIwerewritingnotesbackandforth
Isquinted til hadn’theardanythingfromtheprincipal.Wewere
then, aaguy
t herchickenscratchacrossthepage.Bretti
JustIwroteherback.Duh,I my eyeblind;Iseet
caughtamnot t. s inhere.
outside thehaclassroom window.
onTheblindshadbeenpulledshut,butIcouldseehimthroughthecracks
the side. He
remindedmeofanantthathadjlooked bloody uandst beensteppedon,thewayhejerked
his movements seemed slow. He
almostasiI staredf it werepainfultomove.
for a minute before Idrew attention to him, trying to
figureoutwhathewasdoing.IraisedmyhandandwatchedMs.Hamrick
looka t Theclothes he worelookedtornandhisshirt washanging
InudgedEllen.“Look,somethingiswrongwiththatman.”
meandlookbackdown.Whywassheactinglikethat?
wondered i f hehad come fromthestreet and beenin some open.Iofin
kind
accident.Hisskinwasal
likehehadbeenhungryforawhile. it le gray­lookingandhischeeksweresunken
towardstheclassroom.Thelookonhisfacewasscaryandhiseyesstared
Putting myhand back down, I watched him walking slowly
againsti
straightahead.Icouldn’t be sure,butIdidn’tthinkIsawhimblink.He
keptcomingatthesamesteadypacelikeitwasd
Hedidn’tstopwhenhegottothewindow;hepressedhisfaceup
t andopenedhismouthwide,revealingbloodinside.
if icult forhimtowalk.
definitelysomethingwrongwiththisguy,andIwasscared.HeTherewas
bangonthewindowoftheclassroom,andIbegantoscream. startedto
Goodreads
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Currently
constantlylosing
them.Shewritesunderher chap­stick,
Emilyaresident
Walker ofthe andAuthorBio:
lovesher namemountains
creating andanpenname
andhastheworlds lovingand stumbling
obsessionwiththecolorpink.
theLyraMcken.Shewritesis
viewshearoundin
mostlyparanormalf
Creepy. iction,raandt terhorror.Hersmallfamilyconsistsof
red beardedother half,a ier named Rebel, anda cat called Mr.her
Links:
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Cynthia Melton
ZOMBIE AWAKENING
(A Zombie Short Storyofwhat happenedbeforeand
A Prequel duringTheDarkening)
By CynthiaMelton
thing gets“Lock
governmentf Shepulled aciitlidown!”
out,we’rea tacard keyRachelfrom Moore
y building.“Meteors
l dead.” 1areracedstrikingadownl aroundus.Ifthat
herlabjacket.Ifshecoulddestroythe the halls of the
lockonthecagesothe,shecouldn’tbringherselftosayperson,escaped,
thenmaybe,justmaybe,shecouldsavetheworldfromanunimaginable
horror.A horror shehad ahand in creating. Sometimes scientific
experimentsofgermwarfarewenthorriblywrong.
Thedooropenedwithawhooshjust asthebuildingshookwithan
explosion.Rachelscreamedandfelltothef l o r , coveringherheadwith
herthatblood­stainedhandsthroughthebars.
hands. Anotherhit
child’shand.Shesmelledsmokeandglancedup.
hunger.Evennow,feathersstucktoi
theThelivechickens andthe
door tothetheytossed buildingshook
sRachel
thing’s cageit twould lbuckled.
ips. notbe as if rat ledandbysustainits
It enoughto
hadknownforawhilenow
snarled a giant
reached
gun—fast!One
unleashingthemonster.
Shegottoherkneesandscrambledoutoftheroom.Sheneededa
morehit andthe buildingwould come tumblingdown,
hal s. Plaster and ceiling ctaiherlles rained andonItherwashead. Screamsfilled the
death
closest
building’s
transferringirow,While
Rachelglancedover
thingjanitor
grabbed
tsshethezombie
attentiontohim.
knew
hita thefellow
tozombie
bit sctheishoulder.
enovertmanist thewho’dbheadit offonceloose.Thezombie,the
withthebeena
aman’smetalprisoneron
nose.The
trashcan,
intohise t.overforearm,the
nothingelse,butthehuman’swilltosurvivewasstrongerthan
twitched,died,andclimbedtohisf
duckedintoacornerandvomited.She’dhadahandinunleashingh
She thought of givingherself to it.Afterscienall,shedeserved
Thenightmarehadbegun.Rachel tist onthefloor
herelgu.ilt.
Sheshovedawayfromthewall
Takingrefugeirebeainll.sAfew
batteredbyfallingf
otherherco­workersf
cowered,prayingforittoend.
did,andnotoneofthemarmed. cementandescapedintothehorrorsoutside,asshe
she covered herearstoandbe
ranasthebuildingcontinued
afromheavenandscreamsroseasoneafterthe
culvert,
Thick clouds obscured the sun,Whathadshedone?God,forgiveher.
Bythetimethefirestormended,asemblanceofnighthadf
casting the afternoon intodusk.alTheen.
meteorologisthad
cleara hands onwarneditwould
crackedlens.Thegroansfrom
ftTheer themeteorshower.Rachel’swatchwere takemonthsforthe
frozena t two ashand
p.munderthedust to
many of them now. Like cockroaches
the swell of waves. There wereinsidethefallenbuildingroseandf el like
 they’d
dugthemselvesf re . the continent, even possibly, fromtheworldtheculvert,she
spreadacross
Shecouldn’tstaywhereshewas.Crawling oncethey
and“They’llpushfreefromtheirsheerneedforfood.Theirforward
outmomentumwillcarrythemacrossthedebris,” aman answered.“Some
willhavebeencrushed,otherstoomaimedtocontinue,butsomewillget
mergedwithagroupofescapingliving.
“Theycan’tgetout,”onewomansaid.“Theirbrainsaredead.”
create moreof the
alonger. walking
If she ranrecognizedher dead. Itheshouldblood­coveredface.
te. It neverwantedtostopeating.Well,shewouldn’t
nothing.Ithadbeenherjobtorecordthething’sactionsandhowmuchit
booksandmovies.Geniusorfool?Andshe’dknownallalongandsaid know.I
manwiththegeniustorecreatesomethingthatonlypreviouslyexistedin
virusthatmadethefirstone.”
Rachel acrosssomeone
bossunder
whocould keep thecreated
secret Theanythe
danger,she’dtellthemeverythingsheknew. spread the word of the
direction.
them.Untilsomeonef
onethatwoulds
manresponsible
toprotect
Shepaused tarttoas. foralerting
Thefacilitywasinadesertedsection
AsLeftlonghimself
them Notwith
glancebacka
eblind? atthethemleantasthebuildingthathousedabasement
thefleddesignedtoprotectthemfromthemeteorshower.Whathadhappenedto
buildings?
downtheroad,hoping,prayingfor
parkinglotbehindherwasf lsheandandtheydescendeduponthem.
continued
ulel“They’re
ftofcars,shecouldn’tgo Shein a backto
theofshecould
rteundamagedvehicleshecouldtake.
forward,
soncetwentyzombiesshufflingint
tcoming!”
of them thedesert.Althoughthe
shower turnedand
buildingwithracedhenoofir
started?Hadhe
stayahead
searchfor

HeHerstepsfaltered.“Bill?Didyoudestroythevirusthatmadethe
first zombie?” shookhisheadandcoveredhisfacewithhisbatteredhands.
“No.IknowIwasorderedt
“You’ve condemned ous. But,damni
assignment.Icouldn’tjusttossitaway.” all.”Tearst!rannotall Iworkedforyearsonthat
rolled.
virus.Someofusherearealreadyinfected,i
aren’tovercomebythem,wehaveagoodchanceofsuccumbing f downofus.”Herstomach
her face. “Ifto thewe
whereshe
lookeda Howlongwouldi
hadIf shetakensurvived t takethevirustospreadacrossthecountry?I
somewhereshecouldbealone.Eithershewouldchangeorbeunaffected.
t thegroupofsurvivorsaroundher.Sheneededtohideout.Find
was,toColoradowhereanother
the fiurnstilzombie
morning, to changefromover.Nevada,Shet
lessshe’dthan findthreeaundergroundbunkerwaited,
hoursway toget
designed‘just incase’.
They’dexperimentedonfourdeathrowinmates.Allbutonehad
turned.Shehadaslimchance.
gaveBillashove.“You’vekilledusall.Gomeetyoursubjects,Zombie
“Go.” Alargeman she didn’t know pointed behind them then
King!” “No.”Billhelduphishands.“Youcan’tdothis.”
Themanheftedatrestofire ironfromnexttoacrushedcarandswung
islowthemdownforthe
t, effectivelybreakingBill’slegatthekneecap.“Ifnothinge lse, you’ll
Billscreamedandcrumbledtotheground.
us.”
Rachelraceddownthehighwayaheadoftheothers.
roadside Asmotelthe sunanddisappeared
holed upin overthe
oneofthe 2 mountain,
rooms.
ina Rachel
By
for snuckintoa
morning, she’dwas
eitherbeoneof…them,orunaffectedand
adefinitetossupastowhichshepreferred. battle survival.It
She dropped her lab coat on the floor of the bathroom. She’d
neverwearitagain.
Disrobingtherestoftheway,shesteppedintoafrigidshower,not
caringthatshehadn’twaitedforthewatertoheat.Sheneededcleansing,
ofthey’dsubjectedhumanstoanexperimental
moreMaybeshe
than dirt hadn’tand sweat.createdthe
She needed
monsterto wash
discoveryasecret.She’dkeptrecordsontheexperiment.Inmatesornot,
weightofguilt. virus,butawayshe’dkept
the crushingthe
closesecondtoactuallybeingresponsible. virus.Inherbook,thatwasa
Somethingbangedagainstthewindow.Rachel froze, strainingtoirst,
hearoverthesoundoftheshower.Anotherthump,louderthanthef
thenascream.Shejerkedthehandletooffandthrustasidetheshower
curtain.
frenzied
mouthandplastered
bumpstorFromsound
ise thealley wetherbehind
onherof ravenous the motel,Rachela scream
backagainstthewall.Thecooltilecausedgoose
skin. eating. forth,then herthe
clampedabust handover
Couldtheysmellher?
scramblethebrain.
…abiteleft Hear
and theherheartbeating?Therewassomuch
leftundiscoveredaboutthefuriouseatingmachines.Thecertaintieswere
She gathered
you infected,
her clothes inonlyher waytokill
arm and moved out of theto
the thingswas
learned simple motor skil s such as opening doors. She doubted it had
bathroom,closingthedoorbehindher.Thethingshe’dstudiedhadnever
Once dressed,lefttoshe movedevery
butRachelwasn’ttakinganychances.
enoughbrainwaves squeezethroughthesmallbathroomwindow,
noisesattractedthe
thingsshewouldneed.
frontof
sheetsofpaperleftinadrawerandthecheapinkpento
Foodthe largeand water
front window available
were herandfirsthet pridoor.Then, pieceshe ofweapon.
ority. Then…a foundfurniture
makea Loudin
thefew
listof
could. Then,warmclothing beastssoshe’dprefertostayawayfromgunsi
It wasalsopossiblethat and a permanent placetohide. f she
Possibly,a
vehicleofsomekind.Somethinglargeenoughtocarryothersurvivors,i
wouldeitherbeinfectedorshowingthoseimmunetothevirus.
shemorning.
hadtheTherewas
couragea topick
large chance
them up.Bymorning,
she’dshe barricadedherself into areaf
wouldn’t needthe immediate
herlistcome
where she’d spend eternity asone of theundead unless somea roompoor
unfortunatesoulbrokethroughthedoor.If so,shewantedtostayanon­
deadprisonerintheroom.Shedidn’twanttopreyupontheliving,even
ifthehumansideofhernolongerexisted.
When she’d finished her list, she wrapped one of the blankets
around her and scooted into the corner.* Sleep would be a long time
coming.Shewokelyingonthefloorwrappedintheblanketlikeacocoon.
Nogroansreachedher
tothewindowandpeeredout.Thes ears fromtheothersideofthedoor.Shecrawled
Somewhole,othersmissinglimbs.Onewoman,missingthelowerhalfof
tre t swarmedwithshufflingundead.
her body,halfpulledof itsherself
missing face andalongthe
draggingsidewalk
a dirty onher
dol , glanced
elbows.towardAchild,the
motel. the airborne part of althevirus.
least toRachelletthecurtainf Sobs burst from her,and sheat
andsatback.Shewasalive.Immune,
coveredherfacewithherhands.Whyhadshebeensparedwhensomany
others,innocentsandchildren,werenot?
satmerefeetawayfromherroom.Shedoubtedanyofthemhadkeysl
inthem.Couldshehotwireonei
torememberhow.I
herbrotheras
Peeringoutthewindow,shesearchedforawayout.Severalcars
ateenager.There.A1962
t’d beensolongsinceshe’dgoneforajoyridewith
f it wereanoldenoughmodel?Shet
Chevypickup.Thatshouldn’triefdt
crumbleundertheonslaught
parkinglRachel
ot. Onesmallchildshouldbe of zombies.easyand shattered
nogood.Sheneededtomovebeforeanymorezombieswanderedintothe
showerrod.Thelongestpieceofglassshouldsufficetostabsomething
God,whati wentf itweren’tunlocked?Abrokenwindowwoulddoher
tothe bathroom enoughtodisposeof.
the mirror with the
throughAfterthe eye.movingthefurniture,sheopened
She shuddered atthe thought and tied a wash cloth
aroundherhandtokeepfromcuttingherself.
stooka
tsmellofdeath.
icrouchedbehindaconcretepole.Potentialsafetywasonlyfeetaway.She
l . WhenNow thefrontdoorandstood out and
deep breathand gagged. Theair wasfilledshewithstepped
nothing paid heroverdue attention, the sick,sweet
door,instantly
direction,
truck. Thank breathingthroughhermouth,sheran,doubledover,forthe
Stupid.itsnose God! herIt theair
glancedtowardherandcamecloser.
you,realizing
Shelocked
sniffing opened.
themistake.The
doorslikeaSheandleaped
hound
dead
layoninside
ldog.Two
itthele gbench
iandrl lurched
otherundead
slammed
seattoin herseethe
underthesteeringwheel.Shecutthewireswiththepieceofmirror,then
sethermakeshiftweapononthedashboard.
Yes!Itmightonlybearide to thenextstop, and theengineturnedover.
Severaltouchesofbarewirestogether
hands
TheMoteloftheDead.
swiping
She sat along up and screamed. Zombies butshewouldn’tbestucka
surrounded the truck, theirt
the windows, covering the glass with blood and
slime.Herscreamwhippedthem
theonslaughtoftheirbodies. intoafrenzy.The truckrockedunder
Asoundlikeashotfromagunechoed.
Acrackappearedinthefrontwindshield.
gas.flippedTheRachel slammedbackward
truckroared
over thebacktailgsobs,
the gearwithshiftso3intomuchreverseforceandoneofstompedthe undead
ate andinto thebed. theOtherssteeringwerewheel
on the
notsostrlucky.
Instead,theybecamenothingmorethanspeedbumps.
Gulping Rachel whipped aight,
beingcrushedunderherwheels.Theywereno
pushedinto drive and sped away.She couldn’tlongerhuman.I care aboutthef shesaid
bodies
it enoughtimes,shemightactuallybelievei
The zombie inthe back banged ont. the rearwindow. Rachel
inher
shriekedandalmostdroveintoaditch.Shetookacornerf
rearviewmirrorastheundeadmanflippedoutofthebedandtothe ast, watching
asphalt.Shelaughedthelaughoftheinsane.Thesoundofithurtherears.
and successfullyoutmaneuveredasmall
She’ddoneit.Survivedthenight
throng ofshuffling, ravenous undead.Her
shecoastedtotheshoulderoftheroad. laughter turnedto tears, and
hiccups.
weaponBythetimehertearsstopped,hereyesf
against
What Billtheirandenemies,
the otheroncesctheientivirussts hadewaslt heavyandshehadthe
intendedto
perfectedofusecourse,as a
andmadebecamethemthehungry
instead ir demise.forIbetlivingturnedpeople’sbrainsintomushallr
flesh. byInstead of a simple­minded ihadght,
people,
hordeofundeadthatcouldn’t
easily controlled by a powerful controlledgovernment, anyone. they now a
crashedintot
anywhereShesteeredbacktothe
insight.
re s, otherwithbloodsmearsonthewindows.Thesignsof
Cars were crookedhighway.Notanotherliving
on the sideon the road, personwas
some
planet?Wouldn’tthatbeironic?
undeadfeastingwereeverywhere.Wasshethel
Bymid­day,thegasneedle ast livingpersononthe
down herthefaceand
opening passengerback.sideSincewindowno showedlessthanaquarterofatank.
and lowering
Rachelhadnomoneywithher,notthatitwouldmatter,andsweatpoured
zombies were insight, side an
the driver’sshechanced
inch.
electriciAgasstationloomedonherr
ty stil worked,she’dfil thetruckwithgas,andifthecoastwere
ight, andshesteeredtowardit.Since
cconveniencestore.Iftherewereothersurvivors,theywouldn’thavehad
lear, see what foodand water she could find inthe truck stop
timetocleartheplaceofanythinguseful.Thesamemightnotbesaidina
frominsideSheidledatthepumpfor afew minutes.Whennothingappeared
fewweeks.
openandthekeys orfromaroundthebuilding,shescootedout,leavingthedoor
in theignition.Tohellwiththewarningsofshutting
up her
offavehiclebeforegettinggas.Blowing
Tank f u l andno unwelcome v i s i wasthel
t o r s cominge a s t of
around,worries.
Rachel
headed into the convenience store. A rack of backpacks with gasoline
logosonthemstoodbythefrontdoor.Shegrabbedahotpinkoneanda
matchingbaseball cap. Then,sheas possible.Thebackpackwouldbeincase
headed for a back room. She’dof need
boxes tocarryas manythings
Hallelujah,ashotgun!Sherummaged,foundafewshellsandbrokethe
aquickgetawaywaseverneeded.
aspossible.Then,movedbacktothecounterwhereadisplay
wasdisplayedbehindglass.Shewenttothebackofthecounter,and…
Shefilledthetruckbedwithasmanyboxesoffoodandbeverages knives
glass. Shematchher
oneto Thegrabbed
thatcouldhangonherb a wicked
truck stophat,afewt looking
e ­shirtsmachete
evenelt. hadknock­off oiletypetriesjackets.
and tHarley thing withShegrabbed
and headedoutside a sheath
with lighterspiritsthanshe’d
haltedthegoodfeelings fast enough.Shesprinted
hadan hour ago.Thefor thetruck.She’dsound of groaningno
hardsooners litedlwindow
fromthenearby
to“Wait behindthewheelandslammedthedoorbeforeamanerupted
fortreeme!”asltheinthree
comerunning.“Whatareyouwaitingfor?Getusoutofhere.”
passenger under coveringtoemerged
eHe.dirtlooked
undead behisaboutface.fromherHeage,thedovesame
althoughitspot he’dwas
throughthe
aroundwouldcutherfoodsuppliesinh
Well, damn. She couldn’t leavealhim,f. Shespedbacktothehighway but having anotherperson
andwonderedwherea
“Thanks.”The l thetruckershadgone.
man
“I’m EricKing.” straightenedhissixfootbodyintotheproper
position.“RachelMoore.Didyouwork a t thestop?”
onDidn’tworktoowell.”Hemotionedhisheadtothes
“Mindihis Helaughed.“Oneofthetruckersactually.”Hebrushedatthed
jeans.
f Igraboneofthemwaters?I
“Thought I could covert’s beenawhile.” myscent withtuf grease inthetruckbed.
and dirt.
Ashekneltonthe
“Grabmeone,too.”seat, shecaughtaglimpseofa44­magnumina
geta goodnight’s sleepdo.”Hesettled
“Do truckersalwayscarryguns?”
beltholster.“Theoneswhowantto
backonhiss eat. “You’retheftoseeirstyou’reoneofthegoodguys.”
thefanyesterday.I’mglad
Shetossedhimaglance.“Whatdoyoumean?” livepersonI’veseensincetheshit hit
Hechuggedthewater. “In timeslikethis, aperson’struecolors
comeout.Youbeingawoman,well,youneedtotakecarewhilepicking
upstrangers.”
“Icantakecareofmyself.If youtrytotakewhat’smine,I’llcut
yourthroat.”
greycloudssRacheltilandtoblanketingthe Eric hunkeredsky,shedependedonherwatchandher
down
was 4 inan abandoned garage. With
body’stiredness
other survivors,
Oneweeka acanof a l e r t herwhenit
people whohidnight.Theychancedasmallf
Notexactlythetypeofdietshe’drecommend.SheandErichadspotted
andshes tir ed skift eirshtheoutbreakandshe’dbetshe’dl
beefstew. t fivepounds.Thatire,
atthe firstsightosofthem.
suited
RachelherThey’dmanagedtokillplentyoftheundeadinthel
didn’tlivingfine.thinkorEspecially
bringingouttheworstinsomepeople.
someone she couldwithEric’s
actuallywarning about intense
bury ahatchet situations
intheast week,but
headof
days ago.put ahadbulletbetweent
afew“Man,Iwishwe
Ericplasticspoontofishoutab heir eyes,despiteher threatto
itesomebeer.”Ericremovedhiscananduseda
.
Unless “Wecan
theback tryroadtofind they some,butthat
traveled had a will meangoinginto
Mom and Pop s t o r e . town.”
Maybe
they’d
counter.findsome more shotgun shells stashed behinda countrystore
Ericmotionedhis head towardatruckwithacampershell.“How
doyoufeelaboutswitchingvehicles?”
“There’sadeadbody.”
Sheglanced over. A headless corpse hung from the opendoor.
“Yeah,butI’mbettingmostofthebloodisbetthekeys
ofthetruck.And,”hewiggledhiseyebrows.“I onthegroundoutside
areinthe
ignition.I’mthinkingitmightbenicetosleeponamattress.”
RachelWithher,hemeant.Hehadn’tkepthisattractiontoherasecret,
andfromanotherhumanthatdidn’twanttobiteoffherfacewouldbewortha
would belying if shesaid she wasn’ttempted. The touch
caring,andshedidn’twanttohavefeelingsforanyone.Notintheworld
millioncans of stew.
Acan clatteredacrosstheconcrete. But…contact brought intimacy which brought
theynowlivedi n.
from Rachelboltedtoherf
her b e l t . She wanted toce t,alonehandonthewickedweaponhanging
outathelowburningf
warning, butirnoise brought the
livingandthedead.Sheglanceda
lureofahotmealcouldbet t e andsighed.The
“Put your back nexttoheir downfall.
unawarethatway.We’llprotecteachother.” mine,” Eric said.“We can’t becaught
Theyhadn’t Shenodded,herheartinherthroat.Please,onlylettherebeone.
had tofightof worry­freesleep.
moreast forever,butRachel’sstrength
thanthreeatatimesincejoiningtogether.
Sheneededanight
Theirgoodluckcouldn’tl “Ifwe getoutofthisalive,
was failiIn’gl.
takeyouuponthatoffer
“Formorethansleep?”Hechuckled. ofa mattress.”
 “Inyourdreams.”
Shegrinned
“Everynight.”
womanwearingas andwatchedasamaninaj
u i t andone highheellumberedt
fromher a n i t o r
h i
e a
i l
r cover­upanda
way.“I’lltake
thebusinessbitch.”
“Yougotit.”Ericsteppedaway andmeanderedtoward
is Fred.” heir namesusedtobe.”Shehandled
their company.“Hisname
“Idon’twanttoknowwhatt
thesituationbetterifshedidn’tlooka
SheCouldn’t
raised her weapon andcleaved tthewoman’s
themashavingoncebeenhuman.
skull. inStupidtheirnever­
things.
endingquestforfood.Rachelwasn’tmuchdifferent,
even fight back. Shuffled forward day­by­day
marched
it. Sustenancemeantsurvivalforbothspecies.
Shetowardthe
wiped herknife
camper whileEric the woman’sif shethoughtabout
clean on tossedthebodies suit jacket then
Withanyluck,they’dburstintoflameanddisintegrate. onto the fire.
Rachelyankedtheheadlessmanfromthecab.Yes,thekeyswere
intheignition.“Welcomehome.Let’stransferthesupplies.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Eric jogged to theseemedtruck. “I’m gettinga good
night’ssleeptonight.”
livingandbreathing,whoknewhowtof
severedalmostimmediately.Whichmeant…therewereothersoutthere,
betterchance
andhopetheycouldbandtogether?Alargegroupofpeoplewouldhavea
Thepoormanonthegroundmusthaveturned,thenhadhishead
atsurviving.Thezombiesight. Shouldtheytry to findthem
tocongregatetogether,
thelivingneededtofollowt
worldcouldrecover,i thebackheir example.
Eventually,thezombiebodieswoulddeteriorate,right?
She moved tof anyonewaslefttorebuild.
door of thecamper Andthe
fellout, then immediatelyreached for Rachel’sandleg.opened“Backit.ofA,
woman“Heartless.”
ismyhomenow.”
bitch.”Racheljabbedherknifethroughthewoman’sopenmouth.“This
“Yeah,well,
peered Ericapproachedwithacaseofwaterinhisarms.
nowadaysa dark person needs
of to be.Let me checkthe
metal
steps
insidebeforeyoucomein.”Knifeattheready,sheclimbedthetwo
and into the recesses the camper.A suspended
mattress overa tablewithtwo
wasmostlikelythet o i l e t , anda benchseats.Asmall
few cupboards.A real sink.Aclosetthat
penthouse.“Come
onup.There’snowhereforanyonetohideinhere.”
ofroom.”Ericclimbedinandstackedthewaternexttothesink.“Notal
“Allweneedisthebed,”Racheltoldhim.“Pilethesuppliesonot
everyavailablesurface.I
truck.“Ihateleavingherbehind.” ’l shovewhatIcanintothecupboards.”
we set le someplace.”Ericput
Suppliestransferred,RachelstaredattheChevy.Suchabeautiful
“We’llfindyouanotheroneonce
ancutearmaroundhershoulder and
lit le placein the countryplantedakissonhercheek.“We’llfinda
where you’ll finally succumb to my
charms.Maybe, we’llfindf thetacoupleoilet works.”Hestepped
of kids thatsurvived and haveour
ownlitRachellaughedandsqueezedhishand.“Thatsoundswonderful.”
“I’mgoingtoseei
le apocalypticfamily.”
her
andstumbledoutandlatchedi
helpedRachel up. Then—opened the closet with a intothecamper
flourish. A child
Ericyelledgrabbedandfeherknife
l tback.
s teethontohisforearm.
head.Thezombiel e t goandf e l . andrammed it through thelit le girl’s
Ericraisedwideeyes.“Well,damn.Shebit me.”
throughhert
Heraisedhis
Rachelearraised
s. her knife, barelyable5 tomake our Eric’s features
die.Talk with me.I hands.“Wait.Please.Don’tk
wantthe l a s t thingIsee to ibel meyet.Waitu
your face. The ntlialsIt
soundtobeyourvoice.”
“Oh,Eric.”Shesetherknife onthe floorand kneltbeside him.
“I’msosorry.”
“It wasmyowncarelessness.”Hepushedtohisfeetandeyedthe
you puta Ibullet
mattress.“ throughandmy brain.
tstil looksmightyf ine, butIdon’twantmybloodonitwhen
Take mygun when I’m gone. It’s
handierthanthatshotgunyoucarryonyourback.”
Rachelnodded
he’d swallowedbackt e a r s . Shewantedtogivehim
thekiss
know when beenaskingfor,makelovetohim,butheldback.Shedidn’t
the contagion a f t e r
onceafevers was
maybe it tawhen first bit en. The only thing she didtheknowreanimation,
s t a r
rted, thepersonwasdead.t e d . Maybe i t was was that
course?Sheswipedherhandacrosshereyes.“CanIgetyousomething?
Didtheflu­likesymptomsstil plaguepeopleorhadtheyruntheir
Water?Abitetoeat?”
wavedahand
scootedintothesmallamount
“No. Don’tfor Rachel ofonyourtheleotherend.“WhenI
waste toanysitofseat t on onesideofthetable,then
fsupplies ona deadstaman.”He rt getting
feverish,I’l gooutsidetosit.me” “IHeup.”reached acrossthetablefor her hand.
“Youshouldn’thavetoclean
Thetearsstartedagain.
“Forwhat?”Sweatbeaded wouldn’tmind.”Shecuppedhischeek
withherfreehand.“Thankyou.” onhisupperlip.
Sheshrugged.“Everything.Helpingme,keepingmefromgoing
insane,showingmelifewasstillworthliving.”
“Find asmany
that safe place, Rachel.” Hestood. “Don’t leave people
behind.Save
holdingontoabigsecrasyoucan.”Hepulledherintohisarms.“You’re
et, andit’s eatingyoualive.Letit go.Thepastis
gone.Wecanonlyforgeahead.”
Sherestedherforehead onhischest.“Ihadahandinal this, Eric.
I’mpartiallyresponsibleforyoudying.”Sheraisedherheadandstared
intohiseyes.“Iwasaresearchassistanta
thisvirus.Whenthemeteorshit—”
Heputhisforefingeroverherlips.“t thefIt’s notyourf acility wheretheycreated
ault. Themeteor
showerwasanactofGod.AtantrumofanangryMotherNature.Calli
whatyouw
fromthesimpletouchonherl
Shenoddedandchokedonasob.She’d
il , butitwasnotyourfips. Shewantedtoholdhimback,beg felt histemperaturerisingt
ault. I’vegottogooutsidenow.”
stay, scream her angerand frustration at God. Surely,there werehimt
topeopleonthisearththatwereimmune.Peoplethatcouldsurviveabite.I
couldn’tbetheendofthehumanrace.
 Onceoutside,heslumpedagainstthewheel.“Makesureyoudoit
rcurseyoutothattype
ight, Rachel.Idon’twanttocomebackasoneofthosethings.”
He of existence.”
“Iwill.”Shekneltinfrontofhim,hisguninherlap.“Iwouldn’t
staredof at the feeble light showing over the I’mwall.going“Sureto
would’velikedtoseethesunsetonemoretime,youknow?
missi
skywiththesunagloriousyelloworbinthemiddleofi
throat.tsr“Shades
eturn.”“Itbe’l beautiful.”
eggplant,Rachel
mauve,forced and pumpkin,
thewordsstreaking
pasther
t al .across
Afterthe
cloggedthe
darkness,theskywillbesuchab
you.” r i l i a n t indigoasthesuns e t s , i t ’ l blind
waswhyshedidn’twant
Shewiped
Heclosedhiseyes. away thetobe“I canseei t.” theyever stop once hewas
gone?Shedidn’twanttoforgethim.Lifeshouldn’tbeeasyforher.This
tearoundpeople.Shecouldn’taffordtoget
ars. Would
attached. Life was cruel now, bent on a personal vengeance against
humankind.
nearbyhighway,l
themaini
tokeepliving.
Thentesound
rstateifofandtakeherchances.She’dkeepherpromisetoEric
e wenton.Rachelwould,too.She’dmergebackonto
a diesel engine rose on the night air. Out on the
momentheremaineds
Shewatchedhischestr
tin il . Sheknewthesigns.Afterall,she’dwitnessed
ise and fal , readytopullthetriggerthe
themseveraltimes
His breathing alaboratory.
slowed, yet didn’tI’mstop. Rachel leaned uforward,
plantingakissbetweenhiseyes,markingthespotshe’dputtheb
Ericgraspedherhand.“Notyet. still…here.” l et. of
hiscoherent?
hand“Iwon’t.Ipromise.”Onlyafewmomentsremained.Thetouch
“Whenanotherguycomesalong,someonenicetoyou,givehima
seemed tosear herskin. How couldhe besohot and stil
chance.Youdeservehappiness.”
“Okay.”Shedidn’twant someoneelse. ShewantedEric.Imanso f she’d
knownthatoneweekcouldlodgeacomedic,confident,arrogant
Yeah,shewouldhave.
firmlyintoherheart,wouldshehavelethiminthetruckthatday?Yeah.
His bodywasjerked,
happening?thenher.Rachel
spotshe’dchosen.“Canyouhearme?”
closedtheireyes,andleft.Hejerkedagain.
breath.WhatHeheldoutahandto spasmed.
“Eric?”Shestoodandtookastepback,aimingthe TheEnd He groaned,
frowned. Normally,but acontinued
person jutost
pistolatthe

***
 DearReader:
IhopeyouenjoyedtheprequeltomyZombieAwakening series.
JoinLearnmoreofwhathappeneda
ayoung group ofsurvivorsfterasmeteorsunleashedamonster.
they fight through a hostile world.
Bookone:TheDarkening
Booktwo: No Sanctuary
Bookthree:TheLongRoad
All3inone:ZombieAwakening
Lookforbookfourlate 2013
www.cynthiahickey.com
VisitCynthiaonFacebookandTwitter!
KristenMiddleton
Hope
ForAHappyEnding
~AZombieGamesShort~
 “Hold
“Henry,onto openyour
thedoor!”
britches!”he
yelledMary,oneoftheattendants
answered and then *** hisatthePineValley
lowered voice. “Ginny, Nursing
Barbara Home.
Jean, I’m sorry but
we’regoing to havetofinishthisgamelater. Ithinkwe’vebeenousted.”
Ginnythrew
too.AllI Barbara
neededweretwo
Jean hersnorted.
cardsmorecards.”
down onbeen
“You’ve the table. “Oh, phewy. I think I may have gotten a royal flush this time,
brassiereandpanties.” saying that all day. The only thing you’ve gotten is down toyour
inpicking “Ain’t
mighty“Yeah, nothing wrong
fineshapefor a withthat,”sixties.”
womaninher cackled Henry, as he pushedhimself away from thetable. “You’re still
Ginny
her robewavedher
butoffyou’ve
ofthefloor.
hand,
got blushing.“Henry,
the figure of a fifty­yearold,
you knowI’mandeighty­four,
these days,yousweet
fifty is talkin’devil,you.”
the new forty,” he said,
massageonceIgetrid
aboutme.This
“Certainly,”backsaidofmine
ofMary.”
Ginny,smiling As he upmestoodatHenry,
isgiving back up,trouble,
alotof whohewaswinced.
lately. “Oh,
I mayIhandsome
stillavery only wishmanat
havetoask I could
one ofsayyoutogiveme
the same thinga
oftall,lanky
remindedbody,and
her ofClintfullsetof
Eastwood,
teeth, always
he wasdefinitelythe
wearing a Stetson andapair of cowboy boots.eighty­nine.He
bestcatchatthenursinghome. Of course, withkindhis
Barbara Jean smirked. “I’ve heard aboutyou and those massages, Henry. Nancy James told me all about
particularly
that ‘happyending’you
Hiswatery
means,blue eyes weretryingtotalkherintothelasttime
sparkled mischievously. “Idon’t rightly yourback‘went
recall the ending
out’.” being happy or what that
workoutsomekinks.” BarbaraMary,
BarbaraJeanrolledher
“Henry!” hollered Jean.eyes.“Oh,you’rekinkyalright­.”
Maybe youon thecoulddoor,explain
pounding muchitmorelater loudly
when thethistwotime.of “Open
you return to mydoor.
the damn roomThis
and
isserious!”Hesighed.
beforeMary
she’sahandful,somehowpushes
bygolly.”
“Oh, hell. Well, that chest fromI’mthedoor
I can’tawaybelieve sayingandthis,startsbutgoing
Ginny,ninjayou’don us.When
better put shesomegetsriled
clothesup,on

cane. BarbaraI guess

Jean, thisparty
think they’rerunningsome
“Well, whohadn’t
oldrerunsyet lost
isdefinitely ahand
ofMatlock over.ofonPerfect
poker ortiming,
an article
cable,later.” of clothing, said
I suppose,”she stoodup and reached
lookingat her watch. for her“I
housecoat.
“Oh, I’ll bring thepopcorn toyour room and we’ll watch it together,” grinnedGinny, zipping upher
“Before“You’reon.”
“You
youtradegirls mein
want toforhelp me move that chest out of the way, first?”he asked, walkingover to the door.
AndyGriffith?”
goodin “Oh,
Levis.Henry.
riding thosebulls.
“Speak Andywished
She only could never replacehaveyou,”known
she would said himback
Ginny, eyeing inthehimday,appraisingly.The
whenhewas stillmaninstillthe looked rodeo,
marathon,and
Ginny foryourself,”said
“What’sthat,you BarbaraJean. “Backintheday,nothing
giggled.“Shemeansherbatteryoperated
myB.O.B.”Shesighed.“BoydoImiss
say?”askedHenry.“B.O.B?” thosedays.” beat abottle of Chardonnay,a Matlock
His eyebrowsshot
“Henry!
“Hold tight,”
Please,”yelledMary, heand Ginny boyfriend.”
saidup.Henry ashervoicefrantic.
Unfortunately, the staff had removed the lock onhis beganafterpushing
door he’d the hischesthandawayslapped
gotten fromforathe fewdoorway.minor
escapades,
from
himabottle
towards
throughout
and
Marylikethe
theaofburst naked
gigglyenjoyinghislastdaysabove
theoakchest.
littlefrisky,
day.It
his through
favorite pillow
“Henry,
didn’tstop
tossing party
thebourbon.
hurryup,”
doorwith he’d
ground.
Henry inspiredthe
moreAfterthanjust
fromdoing
a sharing
frightened week
pillows.
it what
witha
lookheNow, beforeafter
oncouple
wanted,
herface.
theofstaff his grandson’s
however.Nothing
hisSheslammed
friends,
made itahabitto visit.
bothitshut
female,they’d
wasgoing Tiny had
andcheckthentokeep slipped
upallmotioned
onhim
gotten
him

Henry smiled. “Oh, why didn’t youshejustsayyouwanted

said.“We’vegottoblockto join inthisthedoor.”
fun?Hell,Ginny,take off your robe
again. We’vegotus
Mary, of
“Calm who wasthe
somemore spitting
handsto
imageplay.”PaulaSomething
vehemently.“Thisisn’tatimeforjokes,Henry.
down,”hesaid, raisinghishands Deen, before she stopped
ishappening. eating horrible!”
Something fried foods, shook her head
thisfloor,already!
A“Whatintarnation
loud thudHelpmeholdthem
on theoutside
isgoing ofthe
on?off!” inthehercry
Whohasgotten
door made air.“Or
in?”heout.you’re
“Oh goingtohyperventilate,
askedasmyGod!” sheshrieked. Mary.”
sheput herweightagainstthedoor.
“They’ve gotten to
“It’sa
“Deadpeople!”shecried.
nursing home,” said Henry. “Obviously, some of us are close to death, but that’s what old age
does,Mary. Itdrains us of our youth and leaves usshells of what we used to be. It’s partof life. Now,you ofall
peopleshouldknowthat.You’vebeenworking
“No!Imeanzombies.Dead people herelongenough.”
thatshouldn’t be walking!”
Another
Ginny’sface
loudthudmadethem
turnedwhite. “What?”sheasked,covering
alljump. hermouth. “What areyou talkingabout?”
 “Help
Henry me!”
rushedpleaded
over toMary,
help asthedoorhandlebegan
as the door shuddered to jiggle.
against Mary’s weight. Leaning against it they stared at
eachother“Did…didyou
in stunnedsilenceuntilalow,gutturalmoanbrokeit.
hearthat?”whispered BarbaraJean.
“What?”
“Turn askedGinny.
Somethingbegan
your hearing­aidup,”holleredHenry.
snarling loudlyoutsideof thedoor.
“Goodgoing,”saidMary.
Barbara Jean smiled “Theycan
sheepishly. hearyou.They
“Sorry. Ithink I maycanhave
probablysmell you,too.”
guard. Scared thehell
“It’sokay,Barbara
“What out ofJean,”said
arewe goingto me.”
do?” askedGinny,
Henry. “Ithappens hands. ofus.” That last growl caught me off
ringingherto thebest peed a little.
“Iknow one thing­we tocan’tmakeletthem
through,eventually.We’vegot arun trapus in this little room. Whoever these people are, they’ll get
forit.”
inside. “Aretherealotofthem?”askedBarbara
“Yes,”saidMary.
Mary
“How shook head.“No. Some soldiersJean.cameto thenursing
didthisherhappen?”askedHenry.“Doyouknow wherethey home camefrom?”earlierand saidtokeepeveryone
people Said there into
wandered werethesomeentrance
riots going
and on downtown.
began attacking That’s
everyonethe last
in I heardBiting,
sight. untilascratching…God,
groupofcrazed,it dead was
horrible.”“You’resurethey’redeadpeople?” askedBarbaraJean.
“Sureaswe’restill
“Mostofthem havealive.”
“Well, what’s happenedtotheothers?Maggie,
been sick withthe flu,”sheJeff,Betty?Allof
said, blinking backtears.
theotherresidents?”askedHenry.
surewhat’shappening. Ijustrantoyourroom. To makesureyouwereokay.” “Oh, Henry…I’m not exactly
“Thanks
The zombie, or whatever it was
Mary,”saidHenry, squeezing otherside of thedoor, madea crazed screeching noise and began
onthe hershoulder.“You’reamightygoodwoman.”
scratching and clawing
now joininginthe
“Givemeyour at the door. This was followed
fun.cane,BarbaraJean,”said Henry. by a growling from a new creature who was apparently
prepared.”“Why?”
“Because, as soon as weopen this door, I’m going to kill me some zombies,”he said grimly. “Just be
Shesnorted. “Right.You’re
“I’mserious.We’vegot togetgoingtokill
out of someone.”theonlyway.Now,give me your cane.”
hereandit’s
BarbaraJeansighedandhandedittohim.“Fine.Just don’tbreakit. It’s my favorite.”
speedos.”“IfI
“Youbreakbreakit,I’llbuy
it, you getyoumeanew yourone.”
grandson’s autograph,” she smiled. “Loveme a picture of Tiny inhis
“Thewrestler?”asked
“Theoneand Ginny.
only,”shereplied.
“Ithink thezombiesaregone,”whisperedMary,
“Onlyonewayto find out,”repliedHenry.“Open listeningagainst
thedoor.” thedoor. “I don’thearanything.”
Mary’s eyeswidened.“Iescape.There’s
“Wehavetomakeour don’tthinkit’sagoodidea.”
no otherway.”
Shebit
Henry herlower lip. “Okay.I’llgofirst.”
staredI’mathertheyoungest
insurprise.“You?”
“Obviously,
Hislips tightened. “Imay lookandthe
older most
than agile.”
dirt, butcapable
there isofnobeingwayman.
in hellNow,I’myouletting
causeI’mlivingin
Ican getyou
Henry
Afteralong
ladiesto
openedthe
this
pause,
safety.”
placedoesn’t
sherelented.mean“Fine.”
I’mno longer openyouthatgodoorfirst.sothat
Just

“Oh my God,” door. Ginny asthey stared in terror at the horrifying scene in front of them. Two
gasped
mottled, disfigured
intestines.“Isthat
“Looks likeitmenmighthavebeen,”mumbled
were lying on top of another
BenSmith?”askedBarbaraJean,her resident, chewing on pieces of what was surely, the man’s
Henry.
voicestrangled.
The two zombies ignored them and continued to tearinto their victim, who stared up at the ceiling,
mercifully,
“Let’s withlifelesseyes.
go,”saidcoming,”
Henry,whispered
holdingthecanein frontofpointed
them asthey moved awaytofromthegruesomescene.
“Someone’s
shadows.“It’sLizzy,”sighed Maryin relief. Ginnyasshe down the hallway something moving in the
and towards
“ItwasthemLizzy,”
with mumbledHenry
a look of glee. astheshewoman,
Before could now
get obviously
too close, a zombie,shuffled
Henry raised the caneoutofthe
towards darkness,
her. “You
stop,rightInsteadof
there.” obeying,Lizzy lurched towardshim, her handsoutstretched. Before shecould reach Henry,
whowas“That’snot
inthefront,hehitherinthestomachwiththecane.
nice,Henry,”said BarbaraJean, steppingaroundhim. “Shewasa nicewoman.”
Withagrowl,Lizzylunged
“Was, BarbaraJean, was,”sighedMary.at BarbaraJeanandthey bothtoppledtotheground.
armbut “No!”
instead screamed
of Ginny,rushingtowards
releasing Barbara Jean, the themasturned
zombie Henryaround
and Maryandstared
bit inonshock.
her thetopGinny
of grabbed
her hand, Lizzy’s
tearing
offhowledin
achunk
Henry pain.sprang intoaction,hittingthedeadwoman inthehead as hardas hecould withthecane. Ginny
of skin.She made a guttural moan and began chewing, a satisfied grin on her face while
“Ginny?
Stunned,thezombiefelltotheside.
Are youokay?” heasked,pulling her awayfrom thecreature.
“ItLizzy,
hurts,”she
who’d moaned.“Feelslikesomeonethrewacid
obviously recovered, let out a screech on mycrawled
and hand.”towards Barbara Jean, who was still
sobbingSwearing, on
hysterically,Henrythefloor.
raised the cane, hitting the creature on thehead several more times, until she finally
stopped“Yes,”shereplied.
“YouokayBarbaraJean?”heasked,pullingherup
moving. offtheground.
abandageand
Mary grabbedGinny’s
someperoxide.” “I’mhand
fine.”and examinedit.“This looks bad. God,you poor thing! We’d better find you
Ginnytwoand…Ijust…”
anyonecould
feelso warm
The
“Watch tried
othertoswallow,
react, butwho’d
founditobviously
out!”screamedBarbaraJean,backingaway.
oneof
zombies,
thecreatures wasdifficult.
grabbed finishedHerJean,
Barbara entire mouth
feeding on Ben,wasweredry already
and her tongue
upon them.felt thick.
Before“I
second,reachedforMary,
“No!” holleredHenry, raising the cane, towards Mary’s tearing
whoscreamedatthetopofherlungs. into her cheek with its teeth while the
zombie’sheadandit
Henry
“Oh,no….BarbaraJean!”gaspedMary.
turnedbackdroppedto the woman, who was alreadyattacker.
towardsthefloor. He slammed
dead fromthe glazed itlookintointheherbackeyes.ofThe
the
zombiewasHorrified,
“Lord… greedilyattackingher bloodyneckwithvigor, rippingand tearingat herskinwithteeth andfingers.
havemercy,”chokedMary,backingaway.
but sensing that
Ginny.We have toget out of here.”Barbara Jean was beyond help, he grabbed Ginny’s good hand. “Come on,
Instead ofobeying,shefellto
“No.Getup!I
Sheshook herhead.“It’s
can’tcarryokay.you,herknees.“I…I
woman.Not afterhavethattohipreplacementlast
Youknow…I’mjustgoing liedown,”shewhispered
totakea littlenap.” breathlessly.togetup!”
year.You’vegot
staggeringTears filledHenry’seyes.
Marynodded,
towardsthem. butbefore“Mary, she couldyouhave
move,tohelptwo melift her.” turned downthe hallwayand began
more zombies
“Forgetleavingthebuilding.Let’s get herbackinto my room,” saidHenry.
“Yes,quickly,”agreed
Barbara“Henry!”she
They
Jean,decided
pulled Ginny up Mary.
criedout,as
tointervene.
andthezombierippeda
grabbed
ItgrabbedGinny’shousecoat
her aroundpieceofskin
the waist,frombehind
when
fromtheherleg.
other
andbit
Bloodgushed
zombie,who
heron theback out
wasofthewound
snacking
of theleg.on
andshefaintedin
“Damn youtohell,” theirarms.snarledHenry,glaring atthezombieas theytried pullingGinny out of its reach.
backofMaryBut thescreamed
zombie inhorror
her neck,itsteeth wasn’t finished
gnashingand yet.Itgot onskin.
and releasedGinny,who
tearingather its feetand then lunged towards her,biting Ginny onthe
Henryturned around,raised hisboot andkicked toppledto theground.
thezombiein thepelviswith hisboot.
Themonster
andtearinginto
“Watch
“Ginny!”cried out, fell backwards,
anexposedthigh.
Henry!”
Henry. but instead oflying still, itquickly crawled towards Ginny, viciously biting
feedingonGinny.
forgot!”Henry,
““InHedoes?How
his guitar
horrifiedand
case,” gasped
inthehelldid
said
defeated, Mary
Henry,hehideit?”
turned astotheMary.
grabbing hertwohand.
other“I’m
“We zombies
surprisedarrived,
havetoget nobodyjoining
toNeil’s noticedthewhen
room.He one there
has on thewasI ground
agun. almost
never

playingstrippoker
anymusiccomingfrom
“Thisis insane,” lessthanfive
hisroom.”
moaned Mary, taking on last glanceat thetwo older womenwho’d been alive and
“Try tofocus
now.” They on getting outof
minuteshere,”
raced towardstheelevatorand ago. mumbled Henry, wiping a tear from hischeek. “Can’t help them
thought“The
itwasjustafuseor be out inthefoundit
electricity mustsomething.” wasn’t working.
entirebuilding,” saidMary, pushing the buttonseveral times. “I
“Thestairs,”hepointedtothestairwell.“Noother
They
“AtleastNeil’sroom ison themainfloor.
went downtwoflightsuntil Let’sgo.” choice.”
“There were several zombies theyfloor,
onthis reachedthelast
themain floor.
timeI checked,” she whispered as they stood outside
of thedoorway.“Let’shopethey’ve scattered.”
Fortunately,thereweren’t
“Let’s go,”said any zombieswhenthey
Henry,pullingher outof opened themetal door andglanced downthehallway.
thestairwell.
They snuckdownthehallway and rounded thecorner,when Marysuckedinher breath. “Zombie.”
 “Oh,hell,”sighed
They watched as Henry,recognizingthe
zombie Neil shuffleddown manthewhosegunhallway, theywereabout
away from toborrow.
them. When “It’sNeil.”
he rounded the other
corner,Henry
“Dammit,”groaned
andMary madearunforit, rushingtohis
Henry,limping.“These hipsaren’troomand slamming thedoor.
“Areyou
His eyes twinkled.
okay?”sheasked,looking
“Well...nothing aconcerned.
little T.L.C. couldn’tmadefor speed anymore,Mary.”
cure. Unfortunately, there’s no time for that. If
wemakeitout
won’tevenslap
“Ifwe
Hegrinned,
make
ofherealive…”
yourremembering
itout
handaway.”
of here the
alive,”lastshetimesaid.he’d“I’lltriedmassage
touchingyourhipand
one of her evenlet
breasts. you
She’dcopafeel.
cussed himThisout,timeI
but
givenme
letyou
therewasdown.”
something elsein herto eyes
live for,thatbytoldgolly.
him We’re
she’d been
gettinga little
out ofthis
flattered.place­Angry,
youcancountonit,Mary.
but flattered. “Oh, you’ve I won’t
just
“Good.nodded
Now,
anyoneoutheretohelpus?”
She
“It’sthe let’sfinda gunand get the hellit would
zombieapocalypse,Mary.Itoldyou outofhappensomeday.”
here.I don’tunderstand why there hasn’t been
rumors….Anyway,
thingsarebad
Henry allover.” solemnly.
I’ve “Yes, you
tried calling did.andAsopened
nine­one­one, crazy
and it.astheyFinding
it sounds, youguitaranswering.
aren’ttheeven mightcase,nothebeThat
tooright
pulled far off.
thereI’vetellsheard
me,
the ground. “Well,”he
He“What?”
shuffled said,openingup
pulledsheasked,
overto Neil’s closet
out thegun.kneelingdown
thecase.“We haveacouplethings onour side.” it out and set it on
“A loaded rifle,” next tohehim.said, checking it and nodding. “Some extra bullets… and us
still breathing.
“I neverIcall
thought
thatI’dprettydamn
be happytolucky.” seea gun in a retirementhome.But as far as I’m concerned,this is a gift
from God.”
He snorted. “Well,I doubtGod had anything todo withthis,Mary.”
“Can’t
“No,butifyou
arguewithhaddied
you there.
andI’dThathavenever
meansI’m known
the aboutthisgun…”
gift, though Mary, not thegun.” He grinned lecherously.
“Feel freeto
Sheshook
unwrap her me later,
“You
ifyou’dlike.”
hope.” His facebecamehead.serious. justnever giveup,do you?”
“Laughter gives me hope, Mary. If I can still makeyou laugh, then there’s
Shepatted
“Sounds his arm.“Iunderstand.Now, let’sgather somethingsandthen driveto myhouse.”
likeaplan.”
Shestood
“What?” up.“Um, Henry?”
shoot.”“You everfireagunbefore?”
He stood up.“Damn tootin’, I’ve fired a gun! Now, my eyes aren’t what they used to be, but I can still
“Okay.Ijust had to ask.”
“Don’tworry.I’vegotyoucovered.
Shelooked upintohis eyes.“Yes,Henry?” And Mary?”
“Iwant
forevergrateful.”
“Of course,you to know that Iappreciate you coming for me. You risked your life to save mine and I’ll be
“Same goesHenry.
you behind.” here. Now,I’d dolet’sit again.
saddleYouup and and Igethaveoutbecome
of Dodge. reallySomething
good friends.
tells There
me weishave
no waya dangerous
I’d leave
ride ahead of us, Mary. That what we’ve just seen here is nothing compared towhat we’re going to be involved
withlater.”
“You
“DamnthinkrightIdo.”
it’sworseout there?Thatit’llbeeven more dangerous”
“Then…whyareweleaving?”
“We have no otherknowhoworchoice,” hewhy,
replied, staringitinoffthese
into old,rickety
space. “And,bones.”
something tells me…we’re needed
somewhereelse.Idon’t but Ifeel
He“Oh.”turnedback to her. “That reminds me­I need toget something forthe
room.” “It“Ineed trip. Something back in my
be too dangerous,
mightmypills, forget,I’mupalmost
Mary. Yougoingback there.”ninety.”
Her eyebrowsvitamins,tokeepmegoing
“Justsome shotup.“What pills?You’retheonlyonehere
strong.” not on pills.”
“Well…okay.
Asthey Iftheymean that muchtoyou.”
walkedtowardsthedoorway, she reached intoher pocket. “Iroom.”
almost forgot…I tookthe bus today,
butIfound someone’scar
Hereached keyson thegroundwhenI
forthem.“Oh,Cadillac,good wasrunning
goingMary.” toyour
“IHenodded. “Well, she certainlywon’t
thinkthey’reLizzy’s,”shesaid be needing
somberly.“That them
poor anymore.”
woman.”
“Iknow.”Astheystood nextto each otherby the doorway, he turned toher andcleared histhroat.“It’sjust usnow,
Mary.
keep youassafeasanoldcowboylikeme,
I can’t promise youthat we’ll make can.” itout ofhere alive, butIcan promise that I’ll fight tooth and nail to
Shesmiled.“I know, Henry.”
 “Do youbelievein happyendings,Mary?”
“I’dliketothinkso.”
“Happy endings come inmany
when allofthiswashappening,
“Oh,Henry…youdon’tneed shapes
meisn’t
thatfortopay andjustforms.
meback.” If Idie tomorrow, thefact metopayyouback.”
ahappyending,it’sachancefor that you came tomy room
“Believe
She me,Mary.shit­eating
staredatthe Thereisn’tanyonewho
grin on his face cangiveyou
and smiled inahappier ending
disbelief. “You likeold
are one Henrycan.”
sick individual, Henry.
Nancy Jamestoldmeall
“I about
Hewinked. madedid.”
“Yes,youcertainly youyour
smile,though,
happyendings.”
didn’t I?”
“LikeIsaid
Shetouchedbefore,smilesmean
hischeek. “Thatitdoes,hope,Henry.That
Mary.It keeps usallgoing.”
itdoes.”
****
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 Chapter1
throughoutSouthCarolina.
Ithad been along Evenday inJuly,with
Oneyearearlier… fallen and
though nighttimeheathadwaveslong rampaging
thetemperatureshadcooleddownnoticeably,myshirt stil stucktomy
back.IwonderedwhatgoodthatshowerhaddonethatI’dtakenbefore
meetingSherry.
Arushofwindblewthroughmyhairaswerodetothetop of
andSherrysetdownthestuffedpinkpigI’dwonforherintheringtossand
Ferriswheelandthenstopped,hoveringinmidair.Ibreathedi
thestuffedanimal,fightingwithmyselfwhethertobeproudorsinkinto
foldedherhandsinherlap,enjoyingthesilence.Idaredaquicklookat
listenedtothedistant screams,music,andlaughterechobelow n, relaxed,theus.
theground.Theguysbackatschoolsurelywould’vesuggestedthel
butIdidn’t care. Granted,it wasn’tthegiantteddy bearI’dlit lspenttwenty
buckstryingtowin,butSherryseemedhappywithher at er,
prizenonetheless.Shesqueezedmyhand,andIsmiled. e plushpink
Irockedthecartbackandforthwithmylegs.
theverytop.AndIdotoo.Lovethatadrenalinerush.”
“Hey!Stopi
“Butyoutoldmeyoulovedi
t,” Sherrysaid,twiningherfingersthroughmyh
t whensomebodyshookthecarta air. t
screamedShesmiled
pullhercloser. flirty,“Doso andIinched
youwant battedcloser
toherplayandlashes atorme.makemyHerout?”shewhispered
gameswrapped armwholearoundherdemeanorto
sug estively.Heeyessparkledlikebigonyxes
r
likedeachotherformonths,andwe’dbeenshamelesslystealingglances as Igazedintothem.We had
at eachotheru ntil Ifinallypluckedupthecouragetoaskherout.Itwas
think?”Iaskedwithasmile.
ourfirstbigdate,andI’dbeendyingtokissherallnight.“Whatdoyou
Sheinclinedherhead
Thatsame moment, asthoughinthought.
a piercing screamechoed from below us.
thegatheringmass.
Forgettingourfirstintimatemoment,Ipeeredbelowintothedarknessto
“What’s
“I goingondownthere?”Sherryasked.
dunno.”Isquinted togeta
asblinking man
thoughshewastalkingtoherself.
Ipaid to
“What’shappening?”Sherryaskedagain,t
Amake
inrhythm
hernoattention
outtumbledweretotheredsound
theground. I betterview,butthes
andasofbluelights
Ferriswheelblockedmostofmyviewfromwhereweweredangling.All
below.
Icouldcountfivepolicecarsspeedingtowardthemidway.
could blaring
continuedsirens.flashing inthetethelcommotion
leaned rodsofthe
tohscanisI timemorequietly,
outuntilI
distance,

people pounced on him.From up The samelooked

above,they moment,likeatheywere
group of
attackinghimwiththeirbarearmsandlegs.
 Sherrigrabbedmyshoulderandgavei
Ishook my head.Itcan’tbe.Welivedinafamilyt
attention.“Ohmygosh,Dean!Ithinkagangofthugsareattackingthe
peopleinline.” t ahardsqueezetogetmy
ourist town,its
biggest crimes consisting of kids pick­pocketingsweets fromthe
supermarketandoldladiescomplainingaboutFridaynightl it er ontlocalheir
porches;
page. I couldn’t
beatingor theanykind
crimeevenrateofviciousattack.“Maybe
remember
was so lowthethatlasttime
misdemeanors
it’there’d
s nothing,”made
beenI thesaid,my
a public
front
braintryingtojustifythepicturebeforemyeyes.
“Itsure doesn’t look like nothing,” Sherry said. “You think
they’reondrugs?”
Ishrugged,hesitating.Iwasn’tnaïveenoughtothinktherewere
nodrugswhereIlived,buttoseet
wrapped myarmIcould
Before
Bang!Bang! answer, shotsheir effectscreepedmeoutbigtime.
aroundSherryandforced echoedher from the nearing cars.hadI
headdownthewayI
seenontelevisionandinal thoseactionmovies.“It lookslikethepolice
arefiringintothecrowd!”Iyelled.
there.Ihopeshe’sokay.”
“No!Theycan’tbe.”Sheclutchedherchest.“Mysister’sdown
overwheel.meTheridejerkedforward.Aswestartedtodescend,Sherryleaned
topeer attheblinking lights on the bar that rotatedinsidethe
Igrippedherhand.“We’llfindyours
“Thanks,Dean.” ister.I promise.”
Ascreamtorethroughtheair, followedbygrowlsandhisses. to
“What’sthatnoise?”Sherryasked,franticallyglancingbelowus.
seewhatwashappeningbelow.Mysenseswereonfullalertbecauseof
thedangerwewerein.Iknewastraybulletcouldh
drug­crazedpeoplemightdecidetoattackus.Wehadtogetoutofthere,
fast,beforesomethinghappened.Acoldc
Peeringpasttheyellowbulbstwinklingallaroundme,Ithil rushedthroughme
it us,oroneofthe rasiedthe
cartstoppedatthewoodenplatform.
I scanned thearea forthe best possible escape route. Crazed
weirdoes
bystanders,t were biting and tearing into the fleshof
and screaming, innocent
t. My stomach protested, ready to hurl up al the greasy hotdogs,heirt
h e i r bloodstainingt h e i r clothes
ffunnelcakes,andcottoncandyI’deaten.Mymindscreamed,Thiscan’t
ebetrue!Peoplejustdon’tgoaroundbitingeachotherlikecannibals!I theasphaltbeneatht
butthegrossestthingI’deverseenin Iknew fromSherry mytheligrotesque
waftingthroughtheairthatthebloodwasalltooreal.Itwasn’tajoke…
has tobe“Dean,ajoke.what’sButhappening?” feasked,
. shaking my shoulder
salty­metallic smell
frantical y.“hIave no idea,butwe’vegottagetoutofhere.”
myears,Thepossessedpeopleshuffledtowardus.Mypulsepoundingin
I spun quickly in hopes of getting out the other way, but the
entrancewas blocked with more peopleflooding in. The silver line
dividersdroppedtothegroundwithaloudclang.
“We’retrapped!” Sherrysaid,grabbingmyarmtight. hat. We’ll
“No!”Ishookmyheadvehemently.“Don’teventhinkt
climbuptheFerriswheel.”
“Andifthatdoesn’twork?”
theystaredusdownliketheywantedtoripthroughourf
suppressingagagattherottensmell.
greenish­looking,crackedskin,tornclothes,andwhiteeyes.Contacts?A
wickedcaseofcataracts?Liquidlatex?Specialeffects?Ihadnoidea,but
IGuttural
hesitated,sounds—strange
considering mywords.“Then
growls—emanated wefromfliethegsht.,Theyhad
”groupas
I said,
I wasreadyAgirlwithlongblondehairinchedcloser.Shelookeddead,her
totakethemon.
headunnaturallyaskew.Suddenrecognitionh it mewithajolt: Sherry’s
sistermy! “Jenny!” Sherry shouted; her voice overwhelmed
Shecamewithinonlyinchesfromsinkingherteethintomycarotidwhen
“Oh Jennysuddenlylungeda
theground.
apolicemanfiredshots.Jenny—orwhatevershewas—crasheddownto
gosh!Whathappenedtoyou?You’recreeping with emotion.
me out.”
t me,snappingherjawslikearabiddog.
Shocked beyond al belief,ItSherry fel totheground,rightnext
leaned overthe cart todoor,the
lthingthatlookedremotelylikeJenny.Hergazedartedtothepoliceman
et ing looseofherstuffedanimal.
holdingthegun.“Youshot my siseaten
ter!” ister anymore!”heshouted
“I’msorry,miss,butthat’snotyours
back.“Shewouldhavekilledand
TheMoreofthepossessedgroupshuffledtowardus.My
thebothofyou!”
lunged after us,shaking
policemenfumbledwiththecontrols.Wetookoffwithajerk.Ifthe inbottom
overthebar,preparingtojumpoutofthecartandfightwhenoneofthe
intoSherry’sarms,andweshotupaboutfivefeet
clenchedmyf beings theair.ofheartraced.I
ists, readytotakedownanythinginmypath.Islidmyleg el back
groupcontinuedwitht heir gutturalchanting, andmeIsworeI
violentlywenearlyfellout.Sherryclungonto
somekindoflucidnightmare. wasthetrappedin
withadeathgrip.The cart so
WhathappenedtoJenny?Why
“Whatarethey?”Sherryscreamedinmyear.“What’sgoingon?
wrappedthe otheraroundandherwasshe…likethat?”
Isteadiedmyselfbyholdingontothes
as Itriedto tmakee l barwithonehandand
anotherpeekovertheedge
lookedlikesomethingoutofahorrorf
happening.Below
multiplied, holding us,uptheir
the groupof ifthey wantedpeoplesense
lick, bloodcoveringta rideseemedoftoo.hewhatirtoIdared
armsregretteditinstantly.Thewholegathering
as possessed clothes havewas
andcakingt
Somestartedtostumbletowardtheo
heir skin. f icer, whoshotanyone—or
anything—who got too close. “Hang on, kids!” the officer said. With
 shakingthecartfort
anotheryank,wespedupintothesky,stoppinga
“That policeman…he…that cop shot myt theverytop.Thistime,
hril s ormakingoutwasthelastthingonmymind.
sister!” Sherry said
betweengasps.Sheburied herface intomychestandwept.Ipulled
followedbyear­piercingscreamsandthen…nothing.Panicensuedfrom
close,notsurewhatwordsofcomforttogiveher.Moreshotswerefired, her
herethandownthere,Ifigured.Wehadtobea
otherridersstil stuckonthewheelatvariouspositions.Bettertobeup
t least150feetupin the
air, andthatmademefeelsafefromwhateverwashappeningbelow.
Mycellphonerang joltingmeoutofmystupor.Ifumbledinmy
pocketandansweredthec
“Oh, son, thankGod al . you’re alive. There’sno timefor
“Dad!”Isaid.“What’sgoingon?”
“Dean?”
“I’mona datewithSherry.We’restuckontopoftheFerriswheel
explanations.Whereareyou?”heasked,hisvoicebetraying an edge.
atthebeach.
Imovie!” I t i s n ’ t moving.Dad,Ithinkeverybody’s dead
­I don’tknow.It’s al just so…it’scrazy,Dad,likesomekindofhorrible downthere!
outoftown.”
“We’recomingto pickyou up,andthen we’regettingtheheck
“It’s too dangerous,”
absolutelycrazy,but I said. “I know thiares isturningintosome
you gottabelieveme.People
kindofcannibals…andthey’reattackingpeople.” goingto sound
“Iknow.Don’t worry. I’l be armed. I’l get youout of there,I
promise.Gotit,son?”
“Wherearewegoing?”
getfarawayfromhereasfastaswecan.”
safe.ThesethingsareattackingeverybodyinMyrtleBeach.We’vegotta
“Yourbrother’sflyingustotheislandwithGramswherewe’llbe
On the other end of the phone,
glass shattered with a crash,
followedbymymom’spiercingscream.Igaspedasthelinewentdead.
“Dad!”Ishouted.“Dad?”
 Chapter2
fortresses,
of brain­eating
Oneyearago,adeadlyvirusdecimatedtheworldleavingswarms
walled­inzombiesin
cities protectedby
itswake. Survivors toweringrushedtoconcretethewallsmakeshift
and a
my brotherandparents,andthataffordedmethechance
militaryforcetobereckonedwith.Imanagedtomakeittoone
safehavenswith
tospendthelastyearshelteredfromthegloomthatrockedtheland.My of these
brother,
continue
undead. Heonthe
fighting
becameotherwitha top­notch
hand,
theU.S.decidedto zombie­hunter,
Armytofight
leave thebutthesafemyonslaught
parents
confinesofandandtheI
didn’tseemuchofhima
backalive,ifatall. fter that. Mymotherfearedhemightnotcome
Initial y, thevirusimmediatelyturnedanybodyintozombieswho
would
bitten
hadtype0+orA+blood.Therestofusseemed
outbreak.Andwhens
change slightiltyc.couldieThentistvirus to fiveanddayssafenowt before
getexposedthroughbrokenskin.Weneverknewwhatreallycausedthe
orscratched, takes thoughttheyhadi
upmutated, theyas wedidn’t
figuredout,therules
aslong
if somebodywas
turned…
unlesstheydiedwhichmeantthechangecameimmediately.
I tried Ihad
rightupuntil
househadelectricityandwater,andIledaf
tomaketoleavethe bestof and jeopardize
thesituation.myairsafety(andconsequently
lyItnormalteenagelife—
wasn’tthat bad.Our
myfuture) forthe sake of a girl I’d only just met.ButI
option.Shewasscheduledforalethalinjection,
andwatchthathappen.Iplannedonstoppingtheexecution,eventhough andI couldnotstand
reallyhad byno
I knew the stakes were high. After al , ifI’d have been caughtby the
authorities,theywouldhavepromptlybootedmeoutintoZombieLand.
ItwasafateIdidnotwanttosubjectmyselformyparentsto,buta
ponderingrealized
none—I it and itwasa
consideringchancemy options—and worthtaking. theI hadgirltosave ’s, whichher,wereftnoer
My planwasbold,daring,andsneaky,asaproperrescuemission
matterwhat,andIcouldonlyhopemyparentswouldunderstand.
should always be. Iknew ofthat getting herout of theclinic
anyonenoticed,wasthekeytosuccess.Ismoothed my fast, beforeasImy
handsdown
adjustedit.IknewIwouldneedagooddisguiseinordertogetpastthe
crispwhitescrubs,smirkingbeneathmy“borrowed”surgicalmask
soldiers,andI
uniformfromthelinenroom.
Lucas,afriendofmine,laugheda
was proud myself forsoeasilysnatchingthe t thesightofmeinthebaggy medical
cottonget­up.“Ithoughtt
apajamaparty.”
Heeyed h i s wassomekindofJamesBondmission,not
“Ha­ha. Veryme upfunny,”Imuffled
and down. outfromyou lookbeneaththemask.
“Well, ridiculous, but you
definitelyfitthepart.”
“Well,secretagentshavetohidetheiridentitysomehow,right?”I
punchedhim
securityclearanceinthetosneak
arm, andmehegrinned.Luckyinto the isolation forareame,Lucashadthe
oftheclinic, and
he’dowedmeafavorforawhile.I
andhugearms,and
IknewI icouldalways t’s abouttimehepaidup,Ithought,
countonLucas.Hewasa fitnessbuffwith
hewas theonewhofitthep a r t :
“This s ahugeriskyou’retaking,butIcompletelyunderstand.”
soldierwithhiscamouflageuniform,Armyboots,andbuzzedhead. Hemadefor aperfect
Lucasswiped “Bea cardcareful,
loudclick. overa control
though,and panel, andthe
whatever dooryouopeneddo, withdon’ta
goodreasonsforputtingherinquarantine.”
underestimateher.Thatvirus isflooding through her veins.They have
“Don’tworry.Idon’tplanonjoiningBiteClubanytimesoon,I
promise.”With a last glance back,Ianywalkedin through theheavyste l
door.Assoonasthedoorclosedbehindme,ithitme:Thereisnoturning
backnow.Itookasharpbreathandfocused
The room looked just like othersickbed, my gazeahead.complete with
sterile­lookingwhitewallsandthestrong,bleach­likearoma
glowonthetiledf On thelo rfa. rOnthefar
thatwerearrangedaroundaf
oftookahesitantstepforward,thenstopped,suddenlyunsureofwhetheror
notIreallywasdoingtherightthing.Whati
if imedicines.
t’s toolate tohelpherandI’mriskingmysafetyfornothing?Fighting
rightraiwasl womantold
left,a castanof aplethora
meIthathadtherightroom.I
flampshe’salreadyturned?What
a hugenarrowbedwithwhitesheets unnatural
withmyself,Itookastepback.
eyeswerewidewitht rroseor. to herfe t. Her fists wereclenched,and her
Suddenly,Valemymask
“Hey!IIpulleddown
t’s me.” beforeshegotthechancetopoundme.are
you…?Look,youshouldn’tbeinhere.Youknowbeinganywherenear
meis adeathsentence.”
“Dean!”
Islowlyunwrapped
she said. “You know I’ve been…bitten. But why
drained from theopenwound thebandagesfromherarmandcringed.The
puszombiebitelookedworse—far,farworse—thanIhadanticipated.Green
onherlower arm, anditreeked of
dead,rottingflesh.
“Thatbad, huh?”Valaskedwhenshesawmyghastlyexpression,
in theconfinedisolationroom.She
hervoiceechoingoffthewhitewalls
brushed back her disheveled, long brown hair.“It’swe won’tfunnyevenhowfate
works.Ispentsolongtryingtofindyou…”Hervoicequiveredastears
welledupinherblueeyes.“AndnowthatIhave, getto
spendonedaytogether.”
timetogether—somuch
Ilet outalongbreath.“Don’ttalklikethat. We’llhaveplentyof
“How do you figuretimethatyou’llprobablygetsickofme.”
ever…Iwouldnevergetsickofyou.”
Shecockedabrow.“You
“BecauseIhaveapossiblecure?” mean for the record, Idon’t think I’d
that?And
“Yeah,Isnatched
“Do abagof theexperimentalserum?”
vialsfromthelab.”
caught?” Shegasped. youknowwhatwouldahappenedifyou’dbeen
 barely
somethingworthsaving,evenattherisk
—especiallyfora
knownthegirl
“Idon’t care.I’ll do anything to ofsaveimprisonment
funnythingwas;IneverthoughtIhadthatkindofs
girlIafewhours,butthere acrificialorsaviorinme
wassomething
you.”Iwasn’t death.The
about
lying.I’dher,
andI was goingtobethere.wasn’teveninlovewith.Buta
story,Iknewtherewasn’tanythingIwouldn’tdo fter hearingher
for her.Sheneededme,
stranger.I “I tcan’tbelieve
’ s you’d go through allthis forme, basically a
impressive.Thankyou.”Shesoftlytouchedmyarm.“But
thosevialshaven’tbeentested,sothere’snoguarantee.”
“Docwassurethisbatchwouldwork.Hetoldmethey’reonthe
vergeofamajorbreakthrough,soit’sworthashot—nopunintended.”
Shesmiledat my accidentaljoke.“Okay,i f yousayso.Giveme
themedicine.I’dratherbeaguineapigthanoneofthosebrain­munching
work.”
for…well,
thingsouItdidn’t eforaset
hcan’t,Val.It’s
re.”“Ihaveamount tooofearly.The
the heart timebeforethemedicine
to tel hervirusthatthehastobein systembe
medicinehasayourcouldn’t
chanceto
giventoheruntilafter sheturnedintoa zombie,aprocessthatusually
righttoknow,butjustnotnow.
tookaboutfivedayswiththemutationofthevirusnow.Yeah,shehasa
sheasked,soundingabitmorepanickedanddemanding.
“Asetamountoftime?Howlongbeforeyoucangiveittome?”
on “Justa l i t l e whilemore.”
“YouknowIdon’thavethatkindoftime.”Shethrewthebandage
on “Be
back s. I’vebeen compromised.They’llberinanyminutetok
andpressedfirmly
thehumanelyofcourse.”
rhaduleHerwords thetape. ealistic, Dean.Youknow il me,of
thatworking
tsheltered oncitformonths—thesupposedcuretothenastyNecrotinavirus
heretobreakyouout.”MyplanwastosneakValout,takehertothenext
ruth; if Ididn’tintervene,shewasdoomed.“Thatisn’thappening!I’m
spreadacrosstheU.S.andtheglobe,turningmen,women,and
y, andthenpiercedmyheart,especiallysinceIknewtheyrang
give hera secretpotion that thedoc had been
children
humanflesh. l , beings with the burning desireto feedon
“We““Really?”ShegrabbedmyarmasifIwaskidding.
Reaintol y.”“Weinthatcase,what’rewewaitingfor?”
zombie­like
can’tgountil Lucascomesbackandgivesusthego­ahead.
If werunintothegeneral,ourplani s screwed.I t ’ l j u s t beaminute.”
She nodded
imploring.“I haven’t and then placedher
“Is yourbrothergoingtohelpus?”
rightnow,weneedhimfocusedi toldNickanything aboutyou.He’djuships,t flip herout,andgaze
hands
f wewantour on her
“Iwanttoil .meetIbeggedhimtotakeus
“Youw him.Ineedto meet him.” lit le plantowork.”
to thenextc ity, toldhim we
havetodeliversomeantibioticsforthedoc.”
 “Great.Thinkyoursmokin’hotplanwillwork?”
“Forstarters, we’re flying.”Makingit uptotheroofwasthe
“Sowhat’stheplan?”
“Trustme,nobodywillsuspectathing.”
waytogetpasttheheavysecurity.Nevertheless,eventhoughflyingwas only
thesafestoption,inthosedays,nothingwasasafebetanymore.
“Wait…didyousaywe’reflying?”
mybrother“Yeah.Didn’tImentionthatNick’sapilot?”WhatIhadn’ttold
wasthatI’dbehidingasecretstowawayinthebackofthe
helicopter. Oh well.burstI’l worry about that later. I was sure Nick would
understandonceItoldhimtheentirestory.
Thedoor
neck,mimicking open, and Lucas peered in. “You guys ready?
helpedValontothegurney,thenthrewasheetoverherbodyup
Thereisn’tmuchtime.”
Imotionedheroutofthecellandpointedtoagurney.“Hopon!”I toher
tothemorgue. medicalprotocolforhandlingthediseasedontheir way
“You’vegottoplaydead,”Lucassaid.“Sonoblinking.”
Valblottedthesweatfromherbrow.
inthepi“Areyougonnabeokay?”Iaskedher,ignoringthesuddendread
t ofmyownstomach.
lifedependsonit.”
Herjawclenched.“Don’t worry.I
been ’ l bringhomethe Oscar.My
wasthe“normalteenagel
washavingthetimeofmyl
Likemybrother,whohadchosenife”. Ihadife. I’dthemilitary
beenjokingaboutandmakingvideogamesandmoviesabout
witharushofadrenalinlike neverwanted my parents’versionof
hitAsIwheeledherdownthelongcorridorpastagroupofsoldiers,I
I’dthrustintothemiddleofareallive
—ordead,ifyouthinkaboutit—zombieapocalypse,thekindpeoplehad
neverfelforhisownadventure,I
t before.Dangeraside,I
foryears.
When westufapproachedtheguards,achill
, always seeking a thrill.I rancravedacrossbeingmy wherethe
actionwas,andfinallyIwasthere,immersedinariskyrescue.
lived forthat
evenreallygots
al knewthatifwedidn’tgetpastthatsquad,it
“We’re putting
tarted. spine.We
was alloverbeforewe
nervousquiverinhisvoice.
Thesergeantshook her on ice,” Lucas said without so much as a
“Nope.”Lucaslookedhishead.“a t It just neverends,doesi
me.“Yougott h i s fromhere?”t?”
I nodded andmoved down the corridor fast, my heart thudding
againstmychest.Oncewewerearoundthecorner,Ibolted.Metalwheels
screechedagainstthetilefloorinprotestofthespeedIwaspushing,andI
rhopedValdidn’tflyoffthethingaswetookthecorners.Thehallturned
stopping.
ight, thenasharpl
Istarted toefts,trandthenarightagain.“Okay,i
ip offmy white pants. HavingNick see me in
t’s safe,”Isaid,
scrubswouldblowtheentireplan,especially
good. i f heknewIwasuptono
 there.”“Ofcourse.Nowc’mon!”
Shesatup abruptly. “PleaseIhelped tellmeherdown
you haveandpointed.“The
clothes onunder
Weraced through the corridor andup thestairs and finally
helicopterpad’sthisway.”
reached the helipad,wherea healthy gust of wind rushed through my
handIthrewaU.S.Army­issuedolivegreenwoolblanketoverher.
air. Valjumpedintothebackofthemilitaryhelicopterandlaydown,
“Ihavealit le confessiontomake,”Iwhisperedbetweenbreaths,
just incaseNickmadeasuddenappearanceandcaughtmeoffguard.
“Geez, no!”I couldn’tstiflea tiny chuckle;the girlwas funny,
“Yousecretlywearwomen’sclothing?”
even inHergazenarrowed.“Well,that’sgoodtoknow.Sowhatisit?”
“Ithemoststressfulofsituations, andI appreciatedthat.
whatsoever.” didn’ttoutael Nickaboutanyofthis. Hehasnoideayou’recoming
knewag
thing,youreallymeantnobody.Geez.Idon’tbelievethis.Ithoughthe
Shelet
irl wascoming,buthehadn’tbeeninformedaboutmyidentity.”
huff.“Ah.Sowhenyousaidnobodywillsuspecta
“Nope.Pleasejust keepquietuntil wegettothecity, okay?”
“Fine,”shemumbled,“butyoushould’vetoldhim.”
headset.“Ready,bro?”
Aminute latether, Nick jumped into the helicopterand put on his
Ijumpedinto ist ofantibioticsweneedforthedoc?”
“Yougotthel copilotseatandbuckledup.“Yep.”
didn’tt
code
ofthec perfect knowbrotherwhereof always
becauseIdidn’tmindbendingtheruleswhenitwasappropriate.
made 100himHeturnedoverthehelicopterengine,andafewminuteslater
“Sure
ielty;percent.
himaboutVal.Hewould’veneveragreedtosneakingherout
hedidnothingagainsttherules—ever.Helivedbythemoral
thing.”forIdon’tMythe bigmilitary, course,
heinherited
played
butit wasthatby theexactlywhy
from,rulethough,
s. ThatI
wasn’t far fromSandusky,Ohio.That’swhereCedarPointwaslocated.Iwe
lifted offandclimbedslowlyintotheskyoverKelleysIsland.Theisland
hadtriumphantlyriddena
park.Well, before everything
l seventeenr
happened,ol er coastersinthatamusement
butI’ll never forgetthe
adrenalinerushIf
werecompletelysurroundedbywater.Zombiescouldn’tswim,andasa
KelleysIslandwastheperfectplacetogoforrefugebecausewe
elt.
the safehaven. Thathelpedus allsleep easierat night.We had a nice
backup,thereweretoweringwallstokeeptheundeadfrompenetrating
cottagethatwasownedbymygrandma.Shelivednextdoorinaspacious
AlltheLakeErieislandshadbecomerefuges for amultitude of
bedandbreakfastthatsheranbeforethezombieoutbreak.
people,andcitizens were makinglivesthere,livingalmostnormally,with
theexceptionofknowingthatoutsidethosewalls,thehungrydeadwere
verys
walking.Inorderforeveryonetomaintainsuchal
trict rulesinplace.Oneof thoserulesstatedthatifapersonwas
ifestyle, thecityhad
bwasit enthe, executionwasmandatory—withoutexception,whetherthevictim
mayor’s son or thehousekeeper’s daughter. Thecarsafety of the
manycouldnotbecompromised for thel i f e ofone.
Halfwaythere,Iheardaloudpop,somethinglikea
“Yep!”Iyelledoverthenoiseofthehelicopter. backfiring.
“Weshouldbebackbeforesupper,”Nickcalledout.
Thefloorandwallsbegantoshakeandvibrate.My head
thensnappedforwardasthehelicopterplunged,cuttingthroughthewhite jerked back and
cloudslikeaknife.Lookingoutthewindow,Inoticedaplumeofdark
smokeswirlingoutsidethecopter.
Nick fumbled franticallywith the controls.“Malfunction. We’re
“Wh­what’shappening?”
goingdown!” “Mal­what?”Iaskedwithagasp.
against Chapter3Thehelicopter
us, echoed beneath fe t. Grippingata pacethearmthatrefeltlike
speed.Asuddenloudbanging,likehundredsofbaseballbatssmacking
droppedmyinaltitude sts tightlyi;ghtI
itsbellyandskippedacrossthetreetops.Thevibrationsshookthefloor
lookedoutthewindow,thoughIshouldn’thave.Thecopterskidded
an on
likesomehowmiraculouslysurvivedthecrash,we’dstillhavetolivethrough
earthquake. Ibraced for impact, knowing that even if we
theflamesand/ortoxicfumesthatweresuretoenvelopus.Ishookaway
trees.MyheadjerkedforwardasNickclippedarowoftoweringtreeson
thethoughtofblackened,tangled,twistingmetalburninginthecharred
athirty­footridge.Thehelicopterjerked,forcingthe
themetalwall. I don’tknow Inan insthowlongI
surroundedbynothingbuttranquilityandcarelessnessthathadbecomea
ant, everythingwasdark. lingered inthatsideofmyheadinto quiet darkness,
suredeathsentence in the real world. As I hovered inthat darkosplace,
unconsciousofmybody,thesoftestwhiffoffumesassaultedmyn trils,
slowlybutsteadilyjoltingmebacktothegrimr
ZombieLand. e a l i t y : Wecrashed…in
and draggedme
staringdown
fumes from atme,andmetalIpushedhimawayandvomitedintothegrass.
Glancingaround,InoticedNickmusthavegottenmeout
awayfromthewreckage.Vines,flowers,andtoweringtreessurrounded
Withagroan,Iopenedmyeyesandtookadeepbreath,butthe
scorching burned my lungs. Nick’sbig headwas
us.Wemust’vecrashedintoaf
voicewavering. TheMy brother squatted besideorest.me. “Are you okay?”he asked,in his
slowly
formed
neverf esatupandblazing ofitsun especiallywhen
beatwhereI’d
downife,clunked
vision,andmyheadached,especiallywhenIrubbedthebumpthathad
“Fine
lont socrappyinmyentirel
theside
is perfect,
rubbedmypoundinghead. onyetIknewwehadtogetmoving.I
mywe’re“I’mskin.againstthe
Spots dashboard.
luckyto
fine…Ithink.” danced
bealive.” myI’d
patted myAsmyback.“Itriedtheradio,buti
mind cleared, I suddenlyt’s dead.” remembered Val. Wait…onlyHe
bothofus?MyjawsetasIpeeredaround,franticallysearchingforher.
“Where’sVal?”IblurtedbeforeIrealizedwhatIwassaying.
hityourheadprettyhard.Wecrashedinthemiddleoffreaking
Nickregardedmefromunderdrawnbrows.“Val?Youmusthave nowhere.
Don’tyourememberanything?”
Hiswordsbarelyregisteredwithme.Ofcoursehecouldn’tcheck
onfeetsheValwasorpullherfromthewreckage.Myi
onboard.Ignoringmybrother’squestioninglook,Ijumpedto diot self didn’teventel himmy
jagged anddashedforthepileofburningmetal.Itwistedmybodythrougha
tearing opening
searching andclimbed
atmydesperately
skinand Val.inside,Mythenhands
forclothes, ignoringthe
throughshark­like
dove dived andmetalsmoke,
rightthe ifni,reignoring teeththe
 searingpain that ranup my armsfrommywhenI’d
againstthedashboardduringthecrash.
“Dean!Whatareyoudoing?” brotheryelleda er me.“Imyselftold
triedtoftshield
youtheradio’snotworking.I t’s fried, man, justlikeyourbrain.”
Ignoringhim,Ikeptlooking.Theblackbagofvialsrestedupside
downonthefloor;Iwasrelievedtheywereplasticandnotglass,sothey
hadn’tshattered, and therewass t i l hopeforVal.Coughing and choking,
Icontinuedtostumblethroughthewreckage.
“I’mnotgonnabetheonetotellMomandDadthatyourfoolish
crapgotyoukilled!”Nickshoutedagain.“Getoutnow!”
me.EventhoughIcouldn’tseeathing,instinctcommandedmyhandsto
Smokedpouredfromeverywhere,andthecrackleoffireunnerved
push through theunderdebris.my About
somethingwarm touch.Val!halfwayherCrap,as through, thoughtI shefherelt
she’sme.notI moving.Is
evenbreathing?“Val!Val!”Ichokedout.Icouldhardlybreathemyself
fromthepainandsmoke,soIdragged
seemingly lifeles bodyandshuffledout toward fast as Icould.“Oh,Val,
Iscoopedup
promiseeverything’sgoingtobeokay.Don’tyougodyingonme.”
AsIfelt forapulseonherneck,Nickranuptous.“Whoisthat,I
andhow’dshegetaboardmybird?”
“Oh,thankGod,”Isaid.
“What?”
“Shehasastrongpulse.” drew
Nick’s
what’sgoingon?Whoi brows s together,
she?” darkening his features. “Dean,
casei
for amillion laid her down fart wasn’ttheappropriatetime
questions,headItosignalhimthati
t explodedlikecrashesalwaysdointhemovies.“
Shakingmy from theI’wreckage,just
l explainlater.in”
Nick grabbed my shoulder. “No!a You’ll explain now.Who the
heckisthisgirl,andwhy’sshewithus?”
I swungaroundandshothim venomouslook.“Chill out!Her
We held each other’sgazefor whatseemedlikeforever.
nameisVal,andsheneedsourhelp.”
Then, asif something suddenly clicked, his shoulders finally
dropped. “Val, huh?Well,is sheokay?”
aarm,meoforehead.“She’sburningup.”Thenhisgazedrifted
.“I“Letdon’twanttohearit,andIwantnopartoft
thecity?Thisisagainstprotocol,Dean…nottomentionyou’regonnaget
meindisbelief.“Whatwereyouthinking?Sneakingabittenchickoutof
usallkilledwithyourknightinshiningarmorcrap!”
fandhepeekedunderi
meexplain…”It, gasping.“She’s Heran a but hecutherat
handacross
been bitten.”Nickstared
hesitated,gatheringmywords, tohthebandageonher
is. You’rehelping

zombievictim.What’swrongwithyou?Youknowthere’snohopefor
ust usingme tohelpyoutree assuddenrealizationh
her.”Hepunchedthe dragher outofthere!itDoyou
. “Waitaminute.You
jliedtome,didn’tyou?Youaren’ttakingantibioticstothedoc.You
effinghead?” were
everuseyour
 I looked away. I feltso guiltyfor landingusall in such a dire
situation,suchamess.“No,”Iwhispered.
“Nowhat?Noyouweren’tdeliveringantibiotics, ornoyounever
useyourthickhead?”
“Idon’tbelieveitThiswasnothingmorethananelaboratehoax.”
“Both,Iguess.”
Heranahandthrough his
onething.Howlonghaveyouevenknownt densehair, hiseyesthrowingdaggers.“Tellme
hihes girl?”heasked,sounding
asif he dared
disgustedby. me
“Lessthanaday.” to t e l him an answer
Hislipspressedintoagrimline; hewasdefinitelylosinghiscool. already knew and was
“Iput my neckin on thefor what?Soyoucouldpullastuntlike
clearancetogo,and lineand for you,” he shouted.I’d “Igot usththespecial is, putting
al ourlives“Yeah,butwouldyouhavehelpedmei
Hesaidnothing
dangerforsomeoneyoudon’tevenknow?”
just f toldyouaboutVal?”
disbeliefstormingbehindhiseyes.continuedtostareat me with rageand
“Well,wouldyouhavehelpedmeornot?”
Hewavedhishandswildly.“No! Never!Notlikethis.Notina
millionyears!Butstil , Ihaveconnections.Iwouldatriedtotalktothe
generalandhelpyouguysout.Therei
havetofolloworders.Youjust—” s awaytogoaboutthingsandwe
guy’s
snorted, wasyou about
say youas helpful
mygazeHedidfixingonthebaretrees
speak.”“Betterthanthefateyouj
dampeningonone’shopesanddreams. have“IfinasthedistanceasIconjuredthe
youcanthinkof,I’mgladIkeptherhidden.We’dbeburyingher
image.
“Wait, would
ust handedtoher—andlikelytousby
that’stheonly
a talked ofjuasshelpt weas
sleepingto ptheil kindandgeneral?”I
association.Idon’tknowher,butIbetshewouldn’twanttowakeupasa
flesh­eatingmonster.”
“Andshewon’t.”
“Right.Whatareyougoingtodoabouti
“I’m goingtosaveher!You aren’t t ? ”
theonlyonecapableofdoing
somethingaboutt Please.We’ll ubest becauseyouenlisted.”
“Save weher?hisYou?zombienightmare,j luckyif we caneven save
ourselves.
except amyl Ialone
We’re fhandgun,runout across aherdofgonnagot zombies,
here.and we’re
We’ve we’reanasinjured
nobelugging
communication, goodas dead.
no weapons
woman
around—untilshe decidesshewantsr itateatd. a“Seriously.Howmanytimesdo
“Youriskedmylifeforagirlyoubarelyknow,youidiot.”
“I’msorry,”Imuttered,i ste ofus.”Heshookhishead.
Ihavetoapologizebeforeyoubelieve
again…andyouwould.”
what’sright,tryingtohelpsomeone.”
Hewasr
“Apologiesdon’t me?I
ight, andIcouldn’tanything if you’ddothe
mean reallywasjusttryingtodo
samecrap over
arguewiththat, soIkeptquiet.
 Nick pacedany clueina howdangerous
gocertainroutes.”Heshook
t’s goingtotakeusthreetimesaslong
youhave circleheadmy, hisshoulderashisvoicethunderedagain.
browstoitdrawn.
I“Domad…orscared.“We’reinNorthCarolina.Andouroriginaldestination
is600milesaway.Isaywe backhomewhichi I’d never
getbackbecause
is outhere?Do seenwecanhimonlyso
s 500milesaway.
guess to think about it,all holedyou?up safeand
soundontheothersideofthosecitywallsonanisland.”
youI pushedhim
never had backas
a reasonhardasIcould.“Death Well,I
His blue eyes were intense,and I knew with oneandgore…it’sa
howpissedhewasatme.“Butnothing!Youhavenoidea.Thislandi
peoplehavebeentalkingaboutformonths,but—” flash of themls
You’ve beenwithzombies
crawling that want nothing morethan to eatI’veourbrains.
shelteredinthecitysincethebreakoutofthevirus.While
lyou’reoutf
ife, theothertroopsandIhavebeenoutherein…inh
lirting withgIcanirls, goingtoschool,andtryingtoliveanormal el . seenitup
closeandpersonal,and tel youitain’tpretty.Infact, it’s probably
worsethanthosestoriesyou’vebeenhearing.”
did that.“You’retreating melike a kid,”I admonished;Ihatedwhen he
action.
froma
his gunintol Here’s
“Fine.Well,ifyouwanttogrowup,now’sthetime.”He
thisuglinesslongenough.”
myyourchance.You’reeighteennow,andI’veprotectedyou
hands. “You’ve always begged meto be part ofthrustthe
of need yourprotection,Nick.I can takecareofmyself—if
“Idon’tf Ineedto.”
andcockynonsensetosurvive.”
Vali
it’s aloadof“Spokenlikeatruei
crap you tel yourself,
diot. Butanyway,keepthata
you’re going to needt itabitof
ude. Eventhat
“Iknowit’sahard,cruelworldoutsidethecity, butIcanhandle
it. I’masurvivor!”
“Loveyour awantt itudmeto
e. I justaket hopeyou’re
goingtohavetofightlikeyou’veneverfoughtbefore.”
“Fine. You downsome preparedbecause
zombies? you’re
possibly be that difficultto defeat a mindlessI’marmyupwasI’dforof
It wasn’tthatI’dhadmuchexperienceatsuchathing,butI
surethat.”itcouldn’t
amazedmyself.
beentakinglessonsattheshootinggallerya
already­dead “You’llhaveplentyofchancestomowdownsomezombiesl
freakswhowalked around stumbling l year,andI’dprettymuch
over everything.ater,
trust me.Right
problem.” “You’vegottak
“Whatproblem?”now, ithough, you have toilgetthegridirlofandputheroutof
l her.Youhavetok our other lit le
unless
hermisery.” “What the heck are you talking about? I’m not killing anyone
drumstick.”they’re dead already and trying to gnaw on my leg like a
 Herolledhiseyes.“You’resuchaliar.Youdidn’tjust meet her.
“Butleavinghertoherfateisjust…it’scruel.”
Myheartlurched.“Noway.”
Howlonghaveyoubeenhidingyour
Girlfriend? She’s pretty and secret girlfriendfromus?”
everything, but that’s just wrong.
“Here’syourchancetobea man, Dean.Arealmanhastomake
“It’s notlikethat,man.Ireallydidjustmeether.”
toughdecisions—decisionsthatwillsavehisownl
trustedcomrades.Thisgirl—thisVal—willk i l ife andthelivesofhis
youinaheartbeat,giving
inothoughttoallyourpillowtalkorthosecutel
orhavebeenseeingher
aroundyournameinherdiary.Leavingyourfriendheretofaceherfate
s heartlessandcold.If youcareaboutheratal , whetheryouj it le heartsshescribbled
ust mether
herheadforalloursakes.” formonths,pleasebeamanandputabulletin
Ishook myheadviolently.Hewouldneverforgivehimself,j
likeIwouldn’t. make u s t
“I’ve hadto
unfazed.“Forgoodnesssake, of hardIevendecisions myself,” Nick continued,
walkedinonmyzombiegirlfriend
devouringacouple
I’deverhadtodo…butithadtobedone,soIpulledthetrigger.”
mybestfriends.Shootingherwasthehardestthing
heartless—not
killingzombieshasmadeyouamercilessk
Ishot himthe biga hardbrotherlook.I grew“Whoupareiwith.
l eryou?.” Protectingthe
You’reso cold,so
city and
become. Except fortofacethe ftherirst enightality ofthesituation.Iknowwhatshe’ll
outsideoftelevisionreports,butIhave.”
“Wehave it happened, you’ve neverseen it
became…different.Youtalkaboutherbecominga
youshouldtakeagoodlooka t yourself.” monster,butmaybeyou
“You’ve changed,Nick.WhenyousuitedupfortheArmy,
Hecockedabrow.“You’recallingmeamonster?Really?”
Inodded.EventhoughIcouldseethewayheclenchedhisfists,I
keptrecognizeyouanymore.”
going.Hiseyesnarrowed
“Justlook at you. You’re somebody else.Idon’t even
they softened withintosthepain
andbeingouthereallthetime…well,
thenIdidn’twanttotalkabout liitts, asioffthehemightargueforamoment,
changesyou.”
anymore.Ijust truth. “Well, yeah.I guess
getoutoftherebeforethearmyoftheundeadshowedup.“Val’scoming wantedtogetValand
withus,andthat’sf
“Dean,comeon.Don’tyougetit?Onceshedies…”Hethrewhis
inal.”
theyhandsupintheairtomakehispoint.“Look,I’veseeni
back—when sheitcomes
Givemethegun,andI’lldo
come“Don’tyoudare!”Ishouted.Iwantedtopoundthei
myself.”back—they aren’t people t myself.When
diotanymore.
sohard.
“Listen—”Grabbingthegunoutofmyhands,hecocked itand pointeddown
atVal’shead.“We’redoingherafavor.Besides,she’lltrytoeatusthe
sureyouwouldlovehertonibbleonyourearanda
secondwefallasleep.Isthatwhatyouwant,lit lelbrother?Imean,I’m , butnotliteral y.”
gun. Ignoringhisattemptatsickhumor,Ijumpedintothepathofthe
“You’repathetic,”heshouted.“Justmoveoutoftheway.”
myarms
can’tkilNickher.”shook hishead.likeamadman.“No!Putdownthegun!You
Iflungup
“You’re emotional, not thinking straight.
She’sasgoodasdeadanyway.”
theg irlIhadn’tgonethrougha
beforemyveryowneyes.Ilungeda l ofthatjusttowatchmybrothermurder
t him,butNicktwistedand
dodgedme;hismilitarytraininghadpaido
head.Obviously,i
himhard,andhethrewmefullforce
Cool, calm,t wasn’thisf brotherf . Ilungedagainandshoved
myon totheground.Crap!
and collected,irst time,andIwassurei aimed thet wouldn’tbehis
gunatVal’s
last. “Youcan’tdoit,” Ishouted.“She’s…”
“What,Dean?Whyi
Icouldn’t believe hes twashis gibeing
rl soimportanttoyou?”
so cruel,ust likethat,I’dplayedmy
so nasty. “She’s…we
wordtomybrother.
trumpcard.Evenworse,I’dbrokenmypromisetoMomnottosayone
can’tkil herbecauseValis oursister!” Andj
sister? Either
Helowered you’rethelyinggun oras youconfusionwashedoverhim.“What?Our
hit your head harder thanI thought
whenwecrashed.”
murderingourfleshandblood,ourveryowns
threatened
closer. Theguntrembledinhishands.“I…Idon’tbelieve
“Ididn’t
It’sortheevenwanttruthmore,himIswear.”I
pissed. sat anduppullcarefully,butIdidn’tinchany
to flip out“You andyou’llfebelt
shootithatsteherr.t”rijgusetr,becausehe
“Iknowit’salottoswallow.Ij u s t foundoutt h i s you.”
morning.Mom
nowthatweknowwhoshei
andDadhavebeenkeepingtheentirethingasecret.Youjustcan’t—not
Nickmetmygaze.“How s.”
doyouknowthis is true?Yougotany
proof?”“Forstarters, lookather.Whoelsedoyouknowwithblueeyes
andbrownhairinthoseexactshades?”
Heshifted hisstance.“There are a lot ofblue­eyedbrunettesin
theworld.Thatdoesn’tmeanwe’reallrelated.”
likeus!”Ishouted.“Justlook!ShehasMom’s
“YouknowwhatI’mtalkingabout.Lookather!Shelooksjust
He staredridown
“You’re…you’re
white,andyoucan’tjustkillyoursght. She’shardtheather,
arealgoodlook.Deepdown,youcan’tdenyit.Justopenyoureyesfor
onceandignoretherulesandprotocols.Somethingsaren’tsoblackand
spitting asifimagenoseandDad’schin.Take
ister becausei t’ofs inus.therulebook.”
taking If it’s true,why
inevery feature.
didn’tMom andDadtell us?Whydidtheykeep hera secret?”
teenagers.She’stwoyearsolderthanyou.”
“Two
Ilet outyears,huh?
a long sigh.That “Theymakes gaveher twenty­four.”
herawaywhenHe theywere
gunintohiswaistbandandthenranahandthroughhishairasemotion
me rightoffthebat.” pushed the
overwhelmedhim.“Youshouldatold
“LikeIsaid,Ijust foundout. inher Besides,IpromisedMomIwouldn’t
sayanything.Shewantedtotellyou
“Sohowdidyoufindout?” ownway…latertoday.”
“IoverheardValtalkingtoMom.Icouldn’tbelieveit.”Ipulled
outavialfrommyblacksatchel;i t containedthepreciousgreenserum.
“She’snotj
“Youstoleforhertoo?”
u s t anygirl.She’sours i s t e r . Shouldwegive hersome
andseei“Iftitcouldworks?Docseemstothinkitwill
kil her, likethe lastguy,” hesnapped.“I do thetrick.” don’t know
turns intoa full­fledged monster. Wouldn’tmakeit
shefrontofthefamilyChristmascard?Yeah,she’llmakealovelyadditionto
whattosay,whattodo.Idoknowwe’llnever
thefamilyreunionnextyear.” that looktoacitybefore
great onthe
toher fa“Wehavetodosomething.Likeyousaid,wecan’tjustleaveher
te.” his arms. “You hold the possible formulain your
hands,right?”
Hecrossed
“Right.”
“Sowhyhaven’tyouputi t to
i t to
darnwellthere’renoexceptions.”
can’tgiveaway,“Sowhatdoyoupropose?
right workgoodusealready?”
formulaworks.Theproblemwas,GeneralLoftersplannedtoexecuteher
“Well,as Docsoonherusaysnashe
til sheactuallybecomesazombie.That’showthe
it found
won’toutshe’d duringbeenthebitten.And
transformation.We
youknow
seenhowthesethingswork…andeWewait,invitehertolunch,andthen
handheracupoftea?She’llripourheadsoffassoonassheturns.I’ve
at. They’realmostunstoppable.”
brother.”“She
“Yeah,rcouldn’t waitto meet you,”I said. “You’reherlittle
ight. Youmeanshecouldn’twaittoeatme.”Heshook
hishead.“Playtheg
“Well,whatareuilt card,whydon’tyou?”Thenheswiftlypickedup
Valandcradledherclose.“
“YouthinkIdon’tknowthat?” youwaitingfor?I’vegot
It’s notsafeouthere.”
go.”“You’regoingtoloveherwhenyoumeether.” sister dearest,solet’s
I nodded and swung theblack bag of vials over myshoulder.
“Maybe, as longasshedoesn’tgethungry.”
body ifitocaChapter4
upwithNick,eventhough
Granted,hewass
justtheway; he didn’tseemtowanttomakeiteasyonme.
ion. andsIreleasedalong,settlingbreathandmovedthethicketout
Myarmswoods,claspedbeneathher
ofaway,butknowingIhadsavedherlifewasmypersonalredemptionand
Nicktholdherinplace.Istruggledalongthewoodypath,intenttokeep
til ,ItookturnscarryingVal.
ttheil pissedthatIhadn’ttoldhimaboutours
deeperwe moved intothe the denser
ister rightthe

down
thickettotheground,
became.To makeandImatters had toworse,
bemindful
Val’s ofitlong hairso italmosttrailed
wouldn’t get
caught upinanything
woken already,butasthesecondsand
and hurtever her.It seemedminutestickedby,Ibeganto
tomeafterthatshe should havean
worrythatshemightnot
“Areyouokay?”Nickaskedhesitantly
wakeupagain. whatseemedlike
eValternitoty.methen
Inoticedhisworrylinesstraightawayashisgazeshiftedfrom
back
me to Val, as though he couldn’t make up his mind
whethertoforgive forthesakeofours
he i s
ionme,leavingmestandinginthemiddleofnowherewhilehecontinued
t. “Letmetakeher,” t e
muttered,grabbingheroutofmyarms.r orkeepbeingajerkabout
Iopenedmymouthtothankhim,buthe’dalreadyturnedhisback
hismarch. For the next armsandneck
bulgingveinsinhis
theirpointoffatigue. hour, Nick carried told meValhiswithout
musclescomplaint.The
werenearlyat
“Hey,man.I
while.” t’s myturnagain.Takeaanybreakandl
Unabletowatchhisstruggle et mecarryher for a
longer,Iputmyarmsunderher.
Hejuttedouthiselbow,andignoredmeasi
thansomepeskyf
Wespottedat ly. rail anddecidedtofollowit. It fwasab Iwasnothingmore
ril iant stroke
ofluck,becausewesooncametoaclearing,andourpathwayendedatan
Itriednot to worry
overgrowndirtroad.Nickwashopefulthatthere
startedtowalkofftotheside. wasa citynearby, so we
“Don’t go getting“IaboutVal,buti
conditionoutofmymind. worked upt wasdoverifit.This
alwonderwhenshe’llwakeup,”Isaid. icult toputherfailing
is completely
normal.” He shrugged, as though the’dagreenmetalsign.“Nexttown’sj
seen it al before—and he had.ust
“Duringtransformation,she’llhavetheselongsleepingspells.”
amileaway.Weneedtogetourhandsonsomeemergencysupplies.”
Inoddedandthenpointeda
getourhandsonany.” andammo too,”Ichimedin.
“Right!Aheck
“Guns
“Yeah,especiallyfoodandwater,butalsoacarandgas,ifwecan
A smile spreadofalacrossot ofammo!”
mylips ofas themypredicament
mind beganweto foundrace,
searching for ways we might getout
ourselves
chainsaws.Wecouldcheckgarages.”
Nickin.“If
shookhishead.“Nah.
we can’t find They’retoonoisyand
gunsand ammo, there’remightalways
at ract
orcomparedtotwo­poundweaponslikemachetes,crowbars,trenchspikes,
more zombies. Besides that, chainsaws weigh around ten pounds,
decapitate askullin one blow. If it can’t, there’sno use lugging it
baseballbats.Remember,we’relookingforanythingthatcancrushor
around.”Iwas impressed; Nick sure knew his business.“Great tips, Mr.
ZombieHunter,”Isaidwithalaugh.
—andyou’rea
“Thisisseriousstuff,Dean.Letyourguarddownonce—justonce
noiseIcouldhear
onedge,and
process.Gotit?”
walkeddeadman.Evenworse,youmightgetotherskilledinthe
myears
WeInodded,eventhoughNick’sbackwasstillturned
asfastaswe could,remainingsilent. Myonme.nerves were
strainedtopickupanyunusualsound,buttheonly
adruminmy ears. wasthesteadythump­thumpofmyheart,beatinglike
ofwheels?Ilikethatidea.”
Ibrokethesilencefirst. “So,we’regonnagetourselvesacoolset
“It’s notexactlyashoppingspree.Goingintotownata
Ourgoalhastobetogeti
possible.Yougotthat?”Nicksaidwithoutturning.
n, getwhatweneed,andgetout—asquicklyas l is risky.
wishedhe’dl
“Yeah,Igoti
et metakeaturncarryingVal.
t.” Hiscamouflageshirt stucktohissweatyback.I
We walked for anotherreadyminute
behindus.Iswungaround, or so before footsteps thudded
tobattlewhoeveritwas.AsIsquinted
againsttheglaringsun,I
straighttowardus.Myf i r madeouttwofiguresinthedistance,running
s t thoughtwastorunaway,butthenIcameto
mysenses.Zombiescan’trunthatf
“Quick,takeVal!”Nickhandedoursistertomeandwhippedout
ast. Whocouldthatpossiblybe?
hispistoIl.could only make out long hair, so I figured we were being from
approached by women.
me, “
something.Putthegundown,Nick!” I t lookslike a couple ofgirls,
Ignoring Nickheldhis weaponsteady.“No!Oneofthemhas running
Land?”“Huh?But—”
aweapon.Don’tyouknowthefirstruleofsurvivalouthereinZombie
“Takenochances!”
“Don’tshoot!”afemalevoiceshouted.
“Dropyourweapon!”Nickshouted.
Shedroppedineckt onthegroundandraisedherhandsinthea
astungun.”
mirroredIcranedmy togetabetterglimpseassheinchedcloser.Fear ir. “It’s
shouldersinher wide, green eyes. Her dark hair hungof overher,she’dfallen
in long,disheveledclumps.Fromthelooks her skinny
 inthemudwhilerunning.Apairofsandalsdangledfromherhands,and
herbarefeetwereblackandd
followedbyzombies.”
“Please brunettewithus!”irtblonde
age.Inspiteofbeingsweatyanddirty,
The cutedon’thurt yshe. yelledagain.
streaks was“We’re
a teenageraboutmy
already being
tandriedanottos
blacktsahrier,tbutthat showed offher shestan midriff
shewasgorgeous.
to
til lookedhotinplaidshorts
and navel piercing. I
Nick
scratchedinanyway?”refused put his gun down. “Have you been bitten or
Heslowlyloweredhisarm,buthesitation
Shegaspedforair.“No!Iswearwehaven’t.”
hisface.“C’monthen,weneedtokeepmoving.”
Thegirlsighedrelieved.“Thanks.”Afrownappeared wasclearlywrittenon
foreheadasshereacheddownandpicked up
pace. herstungun. acrossher
Nickresumedhispreviousbrisk
MyThegirlrushed tokeep up.“I’mJackie.”
I’mNick,andt brotherkeptmovingbutshotheraglance.“Nicetomeetyou.
his ismybrotherDean.”
covered“Nicelogs. tomeetyou,”
arms. If Itookone I said,steppingcarefully
wrong step, Val would fly overarightoutof
fewmoss­my
youtoo.Andt his ismy
Jackiestompeddown on
cousin,Claire.”
alarge fern in her path.“It’sniceto meet
inprettyherearlycute
twenties. She woremya sundress
wonderinghowIcould’ve
herself.Thoughshedidn’tspeak,thelookonherpalefacetoldmeallI
Iturned attentionmissedherbefore.Theg
withto thea lowredhead
V­neckstanding
andirl was behindher,
neededtoknow:Shewasscaredtodeath.
Nickbrokethroughapatchofvegetation.“Iwishwecouldamet
underbettercircumstances.”
“Yeah,tellmeabout it,” Claire said, pushing aside a dangling
branch.“Don’tworry.Everything’sgoingtobeokaynow,”Isaidtrying
toeasehernerves.
“Yeah?” shesaid.“That’swhatthel ast groupofpeopletoldme.
“Really?” my brother mocked. He hated
Youknowwhat?They’realldeadnow.” being underestimated.
“Well, Asmaybewe nexttime,
thanstunguns.” walked, Nicktheyturnedto should considermeetthemoreredhead’s
powerfulgaze.weapons“How
manyzombieswereonyourt
“A afor il?”
bunch—notsurehowmany,buttherewerealot.I t suckssoa
much.We’ve
buttheybombardedi been
mansionjustsouthoft yesterday.”safe months. We had the perfect
here. Wehadfood, clothes,supplies,everything, hideout,
That explained why the g i r l s
combatbootslikeNickandI. Thosesandalswouldn’tdothemanygood weren’t wearing cargo pantsand
onecorpses.They’dmadethemistakeofgettingcomfortable,somethingno
if theycouldsteppedaffordintodoa puddlein Zombie
ofbloodLand.or hadto climb over afew dead
sheltered city,with a military force backingThe ionlyt up—orsafe evenplacebwaset er,inana
islandliketheoneIlivedonbackinOhio.
Clairefrownedasshepeeredfrom meto
unconsciousinmy arms.
“Wesurvivedahelicopter she?” Val,whowass
“Whois crash,”Isaid. I’m
til lying
“That’shorrible,”Claire
“Wesawtheflamesandsmokeatthebottomoftheh
abletogetoutbeforeitexploded.” said.“I’m
“That was you guys?” Jackie saidas she briskly sosorry. gladwalkedyouwere
il afterwehikedup along.
it,andthen“Thatthecrashhelicopter—yours,Iguess—burstintoflames.Wehoped
nobodywashurt.” is nothing compared to what we’re about to face,”
direction.
catchthesunraysfromeveryangle.Whodidi
peek
wouldleadtosomewhere.Eventually,weroundedabendandstoppedto
Nicksaid.at“WeWekeptwalkingforafew
alarge,can hidecontemporary,
in there, right?”
two­story
minutes,followingtheroad
Claireglasst belongto?
anxiously
mansion.Itheadedin
seemedto
Ihopedthat
would
out.”
morespecific
thosethingswerea
turnNickdarteda
outtobe Fifty?mission.Ineedf it’We’d
number?ftfetrearyou.‘Abunch’doesn’tcutit.Canyougive
Five?
suicide
her.“Wait.I stoknowexactlyhowmany
a herd,be trapped
hidinginthat mewayofa
with nohouse
him. “There were about four or five of them,” Jackie called back to
“Cool.That’snotaproblemat al . Icandefinitelyhandlefouror
five,”Nicksaid,soundingsureofhimself.
“Goodthingweranintoyouthen.”Clairesmiledshyly,hereyes
takinghim
havehesitated i n . tomakei
Clearly, t
had been
clearthatshelikedhim,butflirtingdayswere
circumstances diffe r ent, shewouldn’t
wasIf lit le time for exchangingphone numbers.
over.Inthemiddleofnowhere,surroundedbythe
there very more
hungryundead,
Itwas
importanttotNickel dideachnoticeotherhowtoavoidazombieb
thegirl’s rising interestitinhim, e. he certainly more
didn’tshowi t . Hiscommandingvoicebarkedatthem,“Justincase
nastythings!”sheshouted.
come,canyoug
“Fight?Whodowelooklike?I’mnotgoinganywherenearthose
irls fight?”
My brotherlet outalongsigh and then metmy gaze.“Waithere.
I’l checkoutthehouse.”
“No!
“I’mcoming!”Iargued.
IDoyou
needyou heretowatchVal. She’sout cold,incaseyou
didn’tnotice. wantsomethingtos
pieceoffriedchicken?”Heclapped my shoulder.“ tart nibblingonherleglikea
I’l be rightback.”
likehim
are coming!” Heheadedoffintothehouse,andmystomachclenched;Ididn’t
goingintherealone.
I“Wecan’tjustwait outhereyouforever,”Clairesaid.“Thosethings
shot her a look. “Aren’t wondering why that door’s not
locked?
brains?”Icouldalmostseealightbulb
You want to run intoa house fullof zombies tolightabovethat’lleat your
realizationstruckher.“You’reright,”shesaideventually.
asthough flickering herhead
inacircleasmuchastheaddedweightofValweightwouldallowme;
Jackiemetmygaze.“Thanksforlookingoutforus.”
“Notaproblem.”Icranedmynecktotheleftandr
Val was thin, shewas a deadweight. Mygaze focused ight, spinning
inthe
distance,takingineverydetailthatmightgive away apossiblepursuer,
birdschirpedawayliketheydidn’thaveacareintheworld.
butIdidn’tseeanythingoutoftheordinary.Theskywasblue,andthe It washard
tobelieveIcouldbefacingazombieat
likesomebaddream—likesomethingI’dreadinmycomicbooksasaany givenmoment.Ital sounded
kid. Afewminutespassed,andmybrother’svoicesnappedmeoutof
mythoughts. “The house is clear, but there aren’t any good weapons.
Let’sheadintothegarage.”
for it?” “Sure,”Isaid.
Nicknodded.“Look,II’dneed yououtheretohelpmefight.You up
“Soundslikeaplan.”camealwayswantedtojumpintotheaction,
especiallywhenmybrother back and toldmeal abouthiszombie­
fightingadventures.Finally,Iwasgoingtogetthathands­onexperience
I’dbeenlongingf
“Let’s getoValr. Myheartpoundedasrealizationkickedin.
inside whereit’s safe,”Isaid, shuffling forinto the
abandoned, we’d surelyfindsomeusefulsuppliestotakewithus.
clearthattheformerresidentshadbeenloaded.Iftheplacetrulyhadbeen
mansion.Ididn’thavemuchtimetochecktheplaceout,butitwaspretty
AftersettingValdownonayellowsofa,Nickmotioned
go. I turned towardtheg usto
said. “Got it. And Valandmy
couch.“Pleasewatch irls asIset
don’t worry. Igotyourmyblackbag girlfriend’sdownbesidethe
stuff…andlockthedoorsbehindus!” back,” Jackie
Valreallywas.Nickyelledformetohurry,sotherewasnotimetoexplainwho
“What good is that going tolockit
“Wait!”Clairesaid.“Doyouwantmystungun?”do?” I j u s t sprinted out the door,
callingthegirlstomakesurethey’d
alreadyforgottenormisheard my f i r s t
feel behindme,justincasethey’d
instructions.Ididn’tknowthema l
my
thatsnoonewouldgettoherinthef
wellyet, so I naturally didn’t like Icouldt
ister’s safety. At themoment,allIcouldthinkofwasprotectingherso
irst place. r u s t them with
 attention.Onceitwasopen,Idashedintothegarageandstumbledovera
asloudasWithonehardyank,Nickopenedtheslidinggaragedoor.Itwas
a flippin’ freight train,and Ionly hopedit didn’t drawany
bicycles
“I’m that
fewfurniture.Icaughtmyself
hadfallenby hangingontoamonster­sizedg
backward againstsome
“Youokay,klutz?”Mybrotherrolled
fine.Missedastep,that’sa his eyes. whiteriwicker
l . patio
l .” Itookadeepbreathtocalm
mynervesandregained my balance.Toolshungneatlyonhooksalonga
giantpegboardattachedtothewallnexttoalargeworkbench.Wrenches
andIf
bytakinga
werehanginginorderofsize.Theownerhadcertainlybeenorganized,
elt almostbadevenconsideringmessinguphisneatl
wrench, butthen something better caughtmy iattention: t le displaya
sledgehammer,wasn’tthemostlethalweapon,butIfiguredi
Granted,it sit ing right there onthe table, beggingt wasbetterthanto beused.
ascrewdriver.
“Good choice,” Nicksaid, “but remember,anda zombie witha
sbrokencollarboneiss
kul . It’sprettysimplei
“Yeah, Iknow.tilfStab,youaskme.”
azombie.Smashtheskull
smash, penetrate, crush, koril thebrain.”
puncturethe
you’redead.”Nick frowned.
underestimate those freaks.“Don’tDo youyouunderstand?
dare get Thecocky!minuteyou
And neverdo…
weightingoldinanyarena.”
“Alittle confidence
atme. never hurt anybody, Nick. I t ’ s worthits
Heglared
Icouldt e l “Dean!” keenon involvingmein an episode
mybrotherwasn’t
ofReally,Ican.”
Man“IfIVs. Zombie, soI tried to reassure him. “Ican do thisin, Nick.
didn’tthinkyoucould,lit le bro,I’dhaveleft you there
withJackieandClairewhoareveryillpreparedtoliveintheworldwe’re
nowfacedtolivein.”
“Hey,your gun’sloaded,right?”Iasked.
absolutely“Yeah,butwe’vegottasaveourammo.I’llonlyusei
We necessary.
left the garageandwalkeddownthelong,straight
noisygunfire.Wecanhandlea few though.Noworries.”
Plus, wedon’t wantto at ract the zombiest if Ifeeliwitht’s
Just asmy
my brother.“Idon’tseeanything.”
upperhand,myjawdropped.Somethinggrowled
spuntoward brotherwastryingtoassuremethat’dwe’dhavethe driveway.I
behindme.
 Chapter5
An unmistakablemenacinggrowleruptedfrombehindme.
Crap.
“Don’t trytoandbeahero,”Nickmumbled.
Iheldmybreath turnedslowly.Myhandclutchedthesledgehammer
his words didn’t quite register in my brain as I
moretightlyasImentallypreparedmyselffortheunavoidable.
Unfortunately,
raised
mouth,f myu l gazeat the disfigured human being before me. The gaping
ofblack,putrid,rottingteethandoozinggumsmademewant
totakeastepback,butIhadtoprovemyself—toNickaswellastomy
ownego.
Butwhat I scared stoodmymethegroundandforced
most werethethe eyes:bilebackdownmy
armshadoncebeen,thereremainedonlyholes,flesheatenaway
Uglyblueveinsstuckoutfromashinybaldhead.Wherestrong,healthy human,yet bydead.throat.
bugs.I
swallowedhardandshookmyheadslightly.Inthatmoment,facingthat
I’dhad
NowaywasIpreparedforareal­lifeconfrontationwiththeundead.Yes,
thing,Irealizedthatthenaïveconfidence before was notenough.
I’doriginally been thril ed about the opportunityotal ytodifferentstory.Fora
bminute,IwasremindedoftheFerriswheelincidentalloveragain.That
wastheveryf
ut , butseeingtheminpersonagainwasat
irst nightpeoplehadbecomesickandturnedintozombies. kick some zombie
Ifrozeinmyboots,butnotforlong.
iniblood—something
witha
rottingchin to thedirtys
ts leftcheeklookedfresh, andoil—ran
Thecreaturebeganlumberingtowardus.Asitmoved,thick,
like motor face, drippingoffdarkits
hirt, theresultofarecentheadwound.Thehole
clearlyidownts lasit svictimhadfoughtback
gun.Withmyheartthumping,Izigzaggedleft, awayfromthebullet­
riddenzombie.Igrabbedmyweapon,butbeforeIcouldputittoanyuse,
Nick
corpsestoppeddeadandthenf
socketmadeasuctionsoundastheeyepropelledontotheground.The
leaptIpunchedtheair.Yes!Mybrothernailedi
forwardand choppedinto el backwardontotheground.
the zombie’st. Heabsolutely
skul . The left eye
doing, and he’d had plenty of experience. Afterall,he’d
beenouttherefightingthosethingsforayearnow.
what hewas Nickracedovertothedownedzombieand knew
cringed,hopingthezombiewouldn’tspringbacktolifeliketheyalways
“Get jerkedouthisaxe;I
doinhorrormovies.
“I’m ready.” I ready!”Nickyelled.“Morearecoming.”
bolted down tothe endof the driveway. AsI
lookedovermyshoulder,Isawtwomorezombiestomyleft.Onewas
headingtowardNick,andtheotherhadi
preparation,moreweapons,andmoret
therewasnotimeleft;thezombiewasn’tabout
myrookie ght.toNick’s
stage fright.I knew Ihad toipts ffrommybrother,yetIknew
isightsonme.Ineededmore
waitformetogetover
andVal’s lives
idepended
ts rottingarms onme. ts rightleg,thezombieinchedcloserandthenswung
Draggingi
atme.Hefoughtlikeasmallchild.IknewIcouldeasily
takethemonsteron,especiallysinceeveryoneknewzombieshadanIQ
It wassuchagrotesque foe.I staredintosunkenwhiteeyeswith
barelyabovefreezing,andtheywereslowerthanconstipatedt urtles.
no visible pupils.It had green­tinted skin and dirty blond hair, and the
red,exposedmusclesarounditsmouthmademewanttogag—ormaybe
mechanic’suniform,andhisnametagread“Bob”.PoorBob,Ithought.
it wasthefoulstenchofdeadandrottingflesh.Heworeadirty, ripped
How could costume
Halloween this. .this contest,
thing havehemight
been a havehuman?wonHadforhehisbeenmakeupina
regardlessofwhathe’dbeeninhis
applicationandmostinterestingcontactsalone,butIknewi
todowith elaborateHollywood special ef ects. Itwas alltoot hadnothing real, and
second
ofhislife.Thesledgehammersmashedthrough life, inhislivingdeath,Bobwasan
IBobtimewashissed,flashinghisblack,stickyteethat
creatureonemoretime,t
werebreakfastcereal,sendingapangofpainthroughmyupperarm
enemy,andIhadtotakehimdown. to meatthe me.ground.
reverberatedfromtheimpact.Ipulledawayandthenslammeditintothe
readytogivethemummifiedmechanicthebiggestheadache
did the trichki,sandtimewithlessthoughtandmorepower.The
he dropped Realizationasit
andboneslikethey

nightmaresforawhile.
didn’tkickinstraightaway,butasmybreathingquickenedandmyeyes
focused on thebloody mess at my fe t, I knew I’d haveto fight off
Forawholesecond,Ibreathedout,relieved
ofsomeone’sa But
figurehoveringoverme.
just beover.
survivingbeforethesoundoffootstepsthumpedbehindme,warningme
“Yourfririsvtazombie
lbarely
. Ispunaroundquickly,focusingmygaze and
had I had time to congratulatethinkingitmight on thetal
myselffor
man!Iftheg k i l . ” Nick
Adrenalinpumpedthroughmyveins.“Well,what’reweslappedmyback.“Youdidgood,
irls’ headcountwasright, there’reabouttwol eft.” waiting
for?Let’sgotakedownthoseslimysuckers!”Iglancedaround,andmy
senseswentonf
Anothergoon ul aleadvancedtowardme.Thisonewasmissinganeye.
rwast.
Ishredsofrotting
ts decomposing flesh, leg andcoveredwith
severed bonethwasin, blackened
visiblethroughandbloodied
its torn,
tatteredjeans.
I“Yougagged.
gotthis, bro?”Nickasked.
Iheldmyposition.“Bringi tone—the
on!” one coming from the right.
“Good. I ’ l takethe
Themorewecanknockoutwiththef other
femaleaszombiestumbledoverlikeadrunkens irst strike, thebetter.”ailor, his.”
AIwipedmybrowwith my sleeve.“Don’tworry!Igott werea l e t i n g outa
gurglingmoan sheheldoutherarms,asthoughshe
“Sorry,honey,butyou’renot my type,”Imuttered.“Besides, I’m
friendaimingforahug. long­lost
prettysureyoulikemeformybrainsandnotmylooks.”Focusingonmy
 it. Asit fel ontheground,Iswungmysledgehammeranddealtthef
target,Icharged,runningtowardthezombieatf ul speedbeforeIkickedinal
fblow,crushing al comingits skull.Thezombie
up,Inoticedanotheronecoming
aree t,theybutIhadnotimeto from?marvelThe abouthoweasy
gandirls anotheronea handfulmy
hadslumpedtold usintoit thathadbeen.AsIglanced
ftamessy aheapat
er onlythat. Crap!Where
zombiesAnother were afrottingcorpse
ter them, but there headedweretowardfar more
busytakingdownoneaftertheother,whichmeantIwasonmyown. me onthanunbalanced that.Nickfe wast.ofI
struckhim,butthenanotheronecamerightfrombehind.Iswungaround
andstruckhiminthenoseasIturnedmyhipsintotheblow.Hestumbled
back.Iraised my sledgehammer andreadied myself to take down the
nextzombie.Suddenly,somethinggrabbedholdofmyankle
to pullmy withamight thaton mybdidn’tut ,seemsendingpossible,
thing.Ifellbackward especially fromand adead
my weaponflyingstraightout started
fCrap!
ofhadonmyboot;Ihadforgottenthatzombieswerenotcapableoffeeling
lailed,Nickhands.
tryingtosmashitsface,buti
wasTherigzombieI
ht. NeverthoughtIhad
underestimate
t wouldnotreleasethedeathgripi
killedthese wasn’t
things.actually I kickeddead.andt
—evenpain.
thatwere
sclosest missingwithfromscraggly
zombie
andflatoutnasty.Iwanted black togaga
its bulbous hair andt athemissingchunksofskin
hirtlesIassumedacombatfightingstanceandimmediatelywentforthe
stomach, andmissingleft
the ropesofarm.intestine It was
thatdangled,draggingbehindthe
iThemanslumpedtothegroundwithagurglingsoundinhisthroat.man with every lumberingstep.Istruck
t hardinthenose,sendingtheshatteredboneupintothething’sbrain.
skull Anothertoonereverberate
seemed came.I swung.throughout The theair.I
sickening sound watched of shattering
it tumble
forward,andthenbroughtmybootedheeldownhardonitshead.
Fromadistance,ghoulsstaggeredtowardmeineverydirection.
Theirzombiemoansmadethehaironmyneckprickle.“Remindmewhy
Izombiesnapped
wantedAshotechoedinthecrispmorninga
todothisat myboot I muttered. MyOrsoiofr,brother
again,” likesomekind didn’tanswer.
Luckily,itsteethcouldn’tpenetrateleather. andwildanimal
Ihoped.thezombie and bitme.A
et go of me. Its brains seemed to explode from its head, painting
lgrassinafreshcoatofgore.Nickfiredfourconsecutiveshotsandtook suddenlythe
downthezombiesclosesttome,butotherskeptcoming.
Ijumpedtomyfe t, scanningthegrassformyweapon.Aglint of
loutofammo!”
ightreashoneoff tothe left. I scrambled over and picked up“I’mthe
Myity heartthunderedagainstmyribs.Iwantedtoplayactionhero,
butsledgehammerI’ddroppedwhenthezombiehadattackedme.
lAfterthreemoreshotscutthroughthesilence,Nickyelled,
“Nick!”I set in: IAzombie’s
couldn’tdoheadit onmyflew own.
bladewhackedthroughitsthroat.Myheartalmostburstthroughmychest
shouted. offitsskinnyWe wereneckoutnumbered. asNick’s
asIwatchedadozenzombiessurroundhim.Therewasnodoubthewas
tough,buttherewasnowayevenhecouldtakeonsomanyatonce.
moved Thetowardme. rotting Theleft
lady inthesideofher sneered andcheekgrowled
red dressface,from tothroatas hadshe
beenrippedaway.Ihadnothingbutmywitsaboutme.Well,thatanda
wicked sledgehammer. The decomposing womanhalf staggeredtoward
me.mouth,andforasplitsecond,Istaredintoi
Itookherdowninonequickblow.
things growled
My fingersbehindtightlyme.wrappedI spun around.
around tmyBlackslime
s lifweapon
eles eyes.Moaningina
asoozedoneoffromits
those
grotesquefashion,itinchedclosertome,butIwasready.BeforeIeven
gotachancetoswing,aloudcracksoundedinthea
I glanced atthe house.as Valstood just outsideir,theandthedoor,zombie
collapsedinfrontofme. a rifle
tucked
taking into Iherf theNickshoulder
gunslinger.
proven down ever shesqueezed
reshadt ofthe doubted armyoutlikeoneoursomesshotistekindr,afshehad
undead herbeing terofanother,
femalejust
fter skullShehis. doubts
alookedstunned. wrong. Without hesitation, I started pounding skull
smiled at me and then turned her attentionto Nick,who
military“Camouflage
a“Youknowi
l theway,aren’tyou?”
t.”
gear and combat boots?” she asked. “You’re
“Ifiguredasmuch.”
“Wheredidyoufindar ifle?” Nickasked. t’s loadedwithguns
and ammo.”“There’safalsewallinthebedroomcloset.I
“That’sawesome!”Isaid.
Nick flashedhis famous white smile. “You’re as resourceful as
me.” Valshrugged.“Well,whatcanIsay?I’mthecurioustype.”
slightly,“Thatwas
Ahueof redacompliment,”
“becauseI’mprettyresourcefulmyself.” Nick said, slappingher shoulder
flushedacrosshercheeks. “Uh…okay.Inthatcase,
thanks.”Nevermuchoneforgivingoutwordsofpraise,Nickrubbedthe
safetywithallthosezombiesaround,and—”
tolookaround.Youwerepassedout,andIwasworriedforeveryone’s
backofhisneck,slightlyembarrassed.“Uh…Ididn’thavetoomuchtime
Val grinned. “No needfor explanations. We’reall on thesame
team.Buti f Iwereyou,I’dgoupstairsandgetsomemoreammoforyourin
gun.”Shethenreacheddownandthrewmeahandgun,whichIcaught
useone,right?”
oneswiftmove.
Sheregardedmefromunderloweredbrows.“Youknowhowto
timenow.”“Yep,”Isaid.“I’vebeentrainingattheshootinggallery for some
 “Good.” away.“Thanksforsavingourbuttsbackthere.”
Nickputhisgun
Herblueeyestwinkled.“Hey,whatarelong­lostsistersfor?”
bothsmiled. meet you,Nicholas,”shecontinued.
We“It’snicetofinally
so many“PleasecallmeNick.I
questions.Thisentirethinghast
Shegrinned.
­I don’tevenknowwheretobegin.Ihave
otal y takenmebysurprise.”
Nick
“Deantoldmeal ranupit leto, butnotmuch.”
“We’llcatchupl her,ater,hugged
Henodded,andthenmotionedaroundtothe her tight, and spun her in a circle.
huh?”sheasked.
ground.“Ididn’tknowIhadsuchatoughsister.”
ofmy deadzombiesonthe
metas tearswelledupinhereyes.“I’vewaited
bothlongorthismoment.I’ve
Valheldourhands
Ilaughedandjoinedinonthereunion.
siblings.Thisisbestdayof mybiologicalparents,andnowI’vemetso
thosemonsterstakethatawayfromme.” mylife! Icouldn’tpossiblylet
Mybrothertuckedhisgunaway.“Girl,wecrashedinthemiddle
ofZombieLand.”
much as“Itdoesn’tmatter.We’retogether,andthat’sallthatcounts.”
deep down,I
humanitywouldevensurvivethecruelplague
sticktogetherthroughthick
too;failurewasabsolutelynotanoption.
wouldn’tbeeasy,but and thinf.elIdidhavetowonder,however,if
Eventhoughithadbarelybeenaday,Ialreadylovedherj
IlovedNick.Iknewhowimportanti t we’dsomehowmakeit.
oft wasforus,afamily,to
reanimatedcannibals.It Weusthadas
“Hey,doyouhavethat
beagoodtimetousei cure withyou?”Valasked.“Nowmight
Shewantedto useit.” t becauseshewasslowlybeginningtochange;
Icouldseethatmuchinhereyes.IthoughtabouthowIcouldbreakthe
news softentheiI’dl edhavetotellherdelicately,
gentlywithabattleaxe.“Ido,butI
andIrealized
Mistrustf her voice.“Whynot?”
blow, can’t give likeitto youyet.”
butit wouldbe trying to hit someone
“You’re going to have to letthechange soshewouldn’tf
occur f i r s l i p .
zombie,” Val’smy jawbrotheridropped,
Whenthetimeisr “I’m sorry,becausei
butthere’snootherchoice.AsmuchasIdetestit,we’llbethereforyou.
ght,chimedi
I’l giveyoutheantidote.”
andn. various her features,a
t ,
emotions crossedt’s goingtosuck,become
fromdreadtodisbelief,thenbacktodread.
Ielbowedmybrother.“Iwasgoingtotellherinanicerwaythan
that,”Ihalf­whispered.
truth.” “There’s no wayto sugarcoat it, bro. She needs toknow the
Val’seyesbrimmedwitht
“But I…I can’t…Iedon’twanttoturn ars. into one ofthose things!”
herback,whichwasabouta
“It’s theonlyway,”Isoftlysaid,rubbingmyhandupanddown
l Icoulddo. AsmuchasIwantedtohelp,I
wassoothingwasevenpossible
helpless.I
I expectedcouldn’t evenat thatpoint.
findthe right words to soothe her, if
a fit or lots ofcrying.Shedid neither.Shej
aroundandheadedtowardthehouse,herlonghairdanglingbehindher you ust spun
likeacurtain.“Wait!”Ishouted,runningafterher.“Where’re going?”
Ilookedat Nick.“Yep,shedefinitelyhasourtemper.”Ofcourse,
“Ineedtopunchsomething,preferablyawall.”
ifI’dhavebeenfacedwiththesamedilemma,I’dprobablyhavewanted
metostartpunchingholesinthingstoo.
I’ve onlydoneitamilliontimes.Some
onthat.“C’mon,” Nicksaid.“Punching awallwill ofsolvenothing. theholesI’veleft
Trust
aren’tpretty,andmyknucklesweren’te
absolutelynothing.”
Shestopped and ither. LikeIsaid,it accomplishes
turnedslowly,hereyesablaze.“Fine!
goingtogivethosechicksyoupickedupapieceofmymind.” ThenI’m
“Geez.Youshould’vej
ofcompleteandutteri
Shethrewherhandsupinthea d i o t s . ust let hergoh it thewall,”Imumbled.
HadInotwokenup,we’dallbedead!”
i r . “Youtwoleftmeinthehands
lives toIhatedtoadmiti
were cominghte,ltbutshewasr
tofight,theycould’vebeenoureyesand
thezombies
sneakattacks.Instead,theyj
helpthemfinds fromer.ustsohidinsidethehouseafterweriskedour
we wouldn’thavehadtoworryabout
igearsht. Evenifthegirlsdidn’twant
andletusknowwhich way
way thecure works. I understand, because I’d be pissed, too, butatyouthe
“You’reangryatus,”Nickyelled,“notthem.You’remad
can’ttakeoutyourangeronthem.”
“Whointheheckdresses fashionableinthemiddleofazombie
apocalypseanyway?”shesaid.“Lookatme.I’mwearingbluejeans,at­
shirt,and
shouldtheneeda somegreat r i s e . Really,whoaretheytrying
running shoes to get methe to heckimpress?You
outof can’t
Dodge
turn on“Bob?”I
“MaybetheyhaveathingforBob.”
afreakingzombie,nomatterhowcuteyouro
pointeddownat the deadzombie utfit is!”
“Atl e a s t that’swhathisnametagsays.” inthe mechanic’sworksuit.
andIreallycouldn’tblameherforbeing
She rolled her eyes, obviously notinabadmood.Wedidn’teven findingmyjokevery funny,
knowif thecurewouldwork.IfIwasanervouswreckmyself,sincethe
thoughtoflosingmyonlys ister scaredmetodeath,Iknewshehadtobe of scared
evenmoreonedge.
mice,”roaredVal
“Thoselit le fashionistashidinthehouselikeacouple
beforesheslammedthedoor,beyondpissed.
Icertainlyhopedthoseg irbels hadfoundsomeweapons,becausei t
seemedmys
zombie. i s t e r ’ s wrathmight moref a t a l thananybrain­devouring
 Chapter6
NickandIhungoutside forafew minutes,andIlistenedtohis
could,butafterawhile,Icouldn’thelpbut
monologueashewentoverour game
It’s just…unbelievable.” plan.Itriedtolisten
interrupthist r a ias
n closelyasI
ofthought.
ofahorrormovie.
“Thosezombieslookedlikeanimatedcorpses,likesomethingout
“I
it’snota l thinkyou’restillhighfroma
moviemagicgetup.I t ’ s l thatadrenaline.Asyoucansee,
therealthing.We’refightingagainst
thelivingdeadhere.”
Ishookmyhead,tryingtocomprehend hiswords.“They’repretty
“LikeIsaid,neverunderestimatethem.Allittakes is onescratch
oreasytotakedownwhentheycomeatyasolo.”
nails.”bite.IWelnodded,ost Martinfromj
thinking
ust onetinyprickfromoneoftheir nasty
backsankuptointotogether
theonewhenandguyI thoughtof
liked,
stillcouldn’tbelieve hegrown
wherewe’dbeentrainedincombat,sincethathadbecomecustomary.I
subjectbeforemyemotionsgotthebetterofmeandIslumpedintothat
depressingMartin.dumpWehad Ialways goneeveryone
wasgone.“Iknow,”Isaid,eagertochangethe toschoolonour stre t
poortogether,
Martin.
“That’swhyIwasfreakingoutwhenazombieb scuffed­upboots. itemyboot.”
Nick’s eyesgrewmywide.“Whydidn’tyout
andstartedexamining l me?”Hekneltdown
Hedidn’tgetthrough.”
Ipushedhimaway,abit rougherthanintended.“Hey,I’mfine.
leather.”Nickstood.“You’reprettylucky.Theirteethcancutrightthrough
“Yeah…lucky.”
Hisgazepiercedmine.“Don’teverl
Ireturned his glare, ready to stand emyt azombiegetthatcloseto
youeveragain.”
wasn’tlikeIplannedi
“Yeah?Well,that’swhatMartinsaidtoo,”Nicksaiddryly.
t . ” ground if need be. “It
We had bothbeen
even throughso much personal l o s : friends,
comrades,
thefearandg and Nick’s
shoot.ButwhileIlikedtotalkaboutthings girlfriend
onbottlinguphispain,whichconsequentlygrewstrongerbytheday.“I Darla,
know Martinuiwaslt overbeingalivewhileothersweredead,Nickinsisted
yourfriend as well,” Isaid whom he
to unburdenmyheart was beento
forced
slowly. “You’vefromall
outlikeafilm,right before my veryseeeyes.hisemotions
He hesitatedamomentbeforeanswering.Icould
onthroughalot.I­I’msorryIcalledyouamonsterbackatthecrashsite.I
guessIoverreacted.Ijustcouldn’tbelieveyou’dwanttokilloursister.”
hisface,playing Hefelt
guilty,butatthesametimehealsofeltitwashisresponsibilitytotakeon
bloodonmyhands.
whatI’vehadtodotostayalive
the lion’s shareof work.“ and defendthecity…tosurvive.”
I’m probablyeverythingyousaidandmore,buti
It’s okay. I’ve never claimedthere isn’t anyt’s
 Icockedabrow.“We’recoolthen?”Iasked,knowingwe’dj
aboutreachedourlimitofsentimental,emotionaltalk.
Hegavemeaf i s t bump.“Yup,littlebrother.Coolasice.” ust
man.I As wetookaquickwalkaroundthehouse,Inoticedtwofour­by­
four Jeept’“Nos theperfectgo­anywhere,do­anythingvehicle.”
Wranglersin theback yard. “They’re perfect! Ilove Jeeps,
zombies an off­roading, Dean,” Nick said.“We don’t wantto givet?” the
advantageoverus.Westayonopen,pavedroads.Goti
owner
here,and
needtodoisseei
Mywehave
Inodded. brother’sftolearn
anyoneliveshere.We’rea
gaze darted
to respecttowardeachother,sono
the house.
l fightingtosurviveout
“Thestealing.If
first thingwethe
forgrabs.”hasabandonedt
confidentthat hithes placehousehad
On firstwe’dglance,soonhaveourselves oris, uh…gone,thenthetrucksareup
asetofabandoned
looked to me. Ifelt
wheelsasIswungthe
likeNick—andmaybea
dooropen.Iknewtheplace
uglyyellows, lit lhade liketobeunoccupiedbecausedust
too. cream­coloredwaswalls.A
me floors,and
thegalsandhadabsolutelynodoubtshewasmysister;sheactedexactly
mirrorhungovertwolargeyellowsofas.IlistenedtoValgoingoffon
wasicecoldtothetouch.Thelivingroomwasspaciousandfurnishedin
onthefurnitureandmirrors.Thefireplacewasn’tstockedwithwoodand
antique furniture,oak caked
Claire
grandpianos i ignored
t i n g Val and kept
inthecorneroftheroom. playing a simple tuneon an ebony
knownowi“You’reanatural,”Isaid.
Thatwasthel
Sheclosedthelid
sn’atsttherighttime to beplaying.Ij
of thepiano as tearswelledupinhereyes.“I
songmymomandIplayedbeforewegotseparated.”
ust couldn’thelpmyself.
“I’m sorry,” Isaid softly, hopingthe words would conveyjust
howmuchImeantthem.
Shewalkedaway, andmygazedriftedovertothespiralstaircase
thatleduptothesecond­floorbalcony,whichstretchedacrosstheroom
withaglassrailing.IglancedaroundforJackie,whowass
sofa,sipping onaherocanofPepsi.
knewValhated utfit, but Myit sureeyesshowedoff
andlong,prettylegs.Iwasmesmerized. it ing curves
roamed overherperfectbody.I
herincredible onthe
Valstaredat meforawhile,hermouthpressedintoathinliunset.
Foramoment,Ithoughtshewantedtosaysomething,butthenshej
think
shookherhead,asthoughshefoundi
I didn’t notice your drooling.” Shepointed downat my
onhermind.Sheturnedherbackonme,hesitating,thenpouredbottled
wateroveratowelandhandedittome.“Cleanthatthingoff!Anddon’t
t ahopelesscausetosharewhatwas
sledgehammer.
thoughtshe’d
Iwasn’tto seensuremewhether shemeant I should clean i t orthat she
damptowel thesledgehammer, anda smilecrossed my lips. “I didn’tthe
drooling
realizeasledgehammercouldbesosexy,”Isaid. overit. My gaze wandered from
 Sherolledhereyes.“I’mprettysureyouknowwhatImeant.”
toclean“Thanks.Iknowyoumeanwell.”Withanodfromher,Istarted
weren’t al thezombiegutsoffthehammer. my sister’s theatrics
Valhadcalmeddownsome,butIcouldtell
over.“Whendidyouhavetimetochangethatdressofyours?”
sheaskedClaire,hervoicesweetashoney.“WhileIwasouttheresaving
ourbutts?”“Itwasbloody!”sheyelledbackwithmockdisgust.
here!Howfardoyouthinkyou’llgetinflimsysandals?”
“IfJackiecut
al youincare, “Hey,ifwe’dhave
aboutis looking knownzombieswereaboutto
cute, you’llnever survive out
breakinandwe’denduprunningforourl down on itheves,coffeetable.
Val sether bottled darnwaterwellbettergetyourself
goingtohangwithus,you
chosenothershoes.” trust me,wewould’ve
“If you’re
tennisshoes…andnexttime,youbetterhavemyback.”
“Wewill,”Jackiesaid.“We’llgofind somejeansandbettershoes adecentpairof
upstairs.IthinkIsawsomeclosetooursize.”
“WhydoIsmellperfume?”Nickasked.
Valmotionedtothegirlts..” “Thesegeniusesfoundabottleupstairs
andslatheredthemselveswithi
clothes!”“WeClairewerewhispered,
trying to theget ttheel tsmell hueofofbloodred coveringher
alecanyou outof our haircheeks.and
“We’vebeenthroughalot,soplease,
offinsecurely.I her just…?”Hervoicetrailed
her?insteadofcleaningup,buteithershecouldn’thelpherselfori
wayofdealingwiththeprospectofanuntimelydeath.Whocanblame
uncomfortablytoldmesheknewsheshould’ve
Valregarded
looked at imentenandtly. Theshrugged. “Can beenyou believe
way hergazeshiftedacrossthefloor
outtherehelpingus
theset washer
girls?
coattailsand—”
How are“Val,theystill alive? I’l tellya. They’ve been riding everyone’s
that’s enough,” Nickirls havel
Pepsifromthepantry.“Theseg said ascan.oshet peoplethey’ve
sipped on a cancaredof about.
warm
They’reinshockanddoingthebestthey
ourworriesrightnow.Let’sscavengethehouse
food,bottled
I nodded.water,and
“Yeah,medical for any Besides,they’retheleastof
let’s looksupplies,”I for supplies.”
possible
suggested,knowing
weapons, canned
dressingneededtobechangedassoonaspossible.
“There’reJeepsoutside.Whoeverlivedheremight’ve
“Youguysareright.”Valstoodandwalkedovertotheglasswall. Val’s
“We need tohurry,people,”Nicksaid.“Lingeringin
beforethesamefatebefallsus.”
glasshousemakesussittingducks.Theonlywaytostaysafei
aLet’sloadtheJeepsupwithsurvivalgearandgetourbuttsontheroad
live, buttheyobviouslydidn’t,whichexplainswhytheplace tried tomakei s fancyt out
isthsdeserted.
itokeep
moving.”
you’resafein Claire
Valshotsuddenly cleared herlook.throat.“Why
her anirritated
here?Youkilledthezombieswhowerechasingus.” “You’re crazy!can’tYouweallmightjustthinkstay
dress­upand ie.”“Where,butyou’renot.Youcandowhateveryouwant,but
we’renotstaying hat here.Come
makes you suchwithusifyouwant,orstayhereandplay
an expert? After what we’ve seen out
there,youcouldn’tpayme
beingbossy.” to
“Bossy?Me?”Val lookedacomewithyou,andsurelynotifyoukeep
suchaname.“AmIbossy?” t melikeshewasshockedtobecalled
Ibitmyl
“Maybejiups.t“Uh…well—”
the feelingsValblewoutabreath
“Well?” atad.” and turnedbacktowardClaire.“Trustme,
placewefind.” are mutual.I’l dropyou offinaheartbeatat thef“I’mirst safe
couldn’tprotectus,andIdoubtyoucane
hitching
toright?”stayhere.”
Claireupwithtossed
Sheanewnudged
hergroup.I’ve
longJackie’sred arm.beenhairit“This
there,done
overher. Mynewgameplani
heris a shoulder.
greatthat. hidingplace,
The lasts onejnotust
funeral.Butwe’reoutta
BeforeJackiecould here,answer,Val
r i g h t , guys?” cut i n . “Suityourself.It’s your
Nick carriedacaseevenofbottledwater.“Definitely.Stayinghere
likesigningyourowndeathc ertificate, especiallywiththeseglasswalls.
to i s
Besides,youg i r l s don’t
“Ipackedupalltheguns,butI knowhow l e f t defendyourselves.”
twooutforClaireandJackie,”
Valsaid,pointingtothefireplacemantel.“Ialsoputabunchofholsters
onthetableforeveryone.Well,IthinkNickhashisown.Butanyway,
giveClaireandJackieone,andwhileyou’rea
themsomepointers.”
Clairerolled t it, maybeyoushouldgive
“I don’tcare hereyes.“I’mreallynotintoviolence.”
whatyou’reinto.It’s tear a l aboutThey’llsurvivalnow,”Val
said.
wflesh—gnawing,
atchin“’Cause
g.Valplacedherhandsonherhips.“No,that’sr
”Jackie threwacouchpillowatVal.“C’mon!That’sgross!”
thosebiting,thingsandwillchewing—all you apart.while you’re
ealmunch
ity. Youbetter
stilonyour
alive
get hipwith
now. This i sthen’t times,‘cause
some pretty we’re fliving
world i l e d ina post­apocalyptic
with colorful world
tofaceher.Claireand
daffodils
asked.
but erfli“Does sisterthink she’s Lara Croft or something?”
“We’regivingyousomeguns,”Valsaid,turning
Sheshookherhead.“No!”
es. It’syourdoordie.”
Valmether gaze straighton.“Yes.Youhavetheright
yourself!If azombiecrossesthatline, you’regonnaneedanequalizer.” to defend
 ClairerolledhereyesasValcontinued.
“Now, we’regonna giveyoua quick lesson, Glock 101.” Val
pickedupa “Well,pistolandhanded
I’m notgoingtoletyou
leavingyouheredefenseless,Princess.”
ValmotionedtowardNickandme.“Fine. it totheteachstubborngirl.“Take it!I’m not
meanything,”Clairehissed.
outhere.Itunedherout,glancedatthesunset,andpickedupaGlock26
wayGen4fromthemantelforJackie.ShesqueezedpastClaire,makingher
guys
Thing,zombiesdon’tdiscriminate,andthey’ll…”
intoPicktheonetocoachyou.
hal . ThroughtheLetmetell We’vegottwocapable
open door,youIwatched
something,Lherienter
t le Missthe
kitchen.Itwastheperfectopportunitytohaveaminutealonewithher.
scenario, smartentakeupandaguncomeand withknowus.howTrytoto usetalkitsome
“Theythey’llneedto . Best­case
intoher,Dean,”mybrothersaid.“I’llworkonClaire.”
Clairesteppedtowardhim.“Hey!I’mright sense
talking “Claire…”
aboutmelike I’m noteven walkedout
inthe room.” hereyouknow!Quit
theliving
hebegan asI of to leavewithus,buti
refused,Istillwantedhertohaveaweaponsoshecouldtakedownany
ofthoseundeadfreakswhoventurednearthehouse.Iknewwecouldn’t
IneededtoconvinceJackiesomehow room. f she
Ineeded
actuallyfitoteach re offbulletswithoutattractingeveryzombiewithinmiles,but
her the basics. I found her standing nearthe kitchen
counter, hereyesarms pressed
creasedwithfinelines from against the smooth Formica, her forehead
angerandworry.
Her lit luphertheworriesdisappearedthemomentshe
smoothed,asthougha second I walked in, and her forehead saw me.
“Hey,”shesaid.
“Hey.”
Sheheldmygaze.“What’sup?”
“CanItalktoyouforaminute?”Iasked.
“I’m notsosureyourgirlfriendwouldliket
mybuttandfeedi
“Val’snot girlfriend,”I said. hat. Shemightkick
tmytothezombies.”
“Yourbrother’s?”
“Nope.She’sour
“I s i s t e r . ”
didn’t know that, Dean,”at myhands.
there?”sheasked,lookingdown she whispered. “What do you have
—you’regonnaneedthis.”Ihandedherthegun.
“Ifyou’regoingtostayhere—whichIstilldon’tthinkyoushould
can’t—”Shebitherlipandranahandacrossthesmoothchrome.“Dean,I
Shenodded.
“Humorme.”
“Okay,firstandrule,”Isaid.“Neverplaceyourfingeronthetrigger
unlessyou’reabouttof
the magazine iunloaded
outproperlyholdtheGlockpistol re. Pretendtheguni s loadeda
and lockherarms. her how to
thegun. Then I t a
showedl times.”Itook
palm Jackie’sthetrembling
around hands reached
gripandsecured her for the gun.her Sheotherwrapped
holdwith hand. “ hert’s
I
empty,right?”
sixty­five­year­oldwomanrightbeforemy
slideback,she
minute.Alwaysbeprepared.”
“Yes,butit
She slammed successfully
shouldn’tbe.
the magazine a round.canShecomeat
gunandputherfingeronthetrigger.“Iwatchedthosethingstearaparta
chamberedinA withshaking
zombie hands.slowlyCocking
anygiven
raised the
eyes.“Shewasinourgroup…myfriend.” eyes.”Tearswelledupinher
I’m“Yours “Icouldn’tdoanythingtohelpher.MaybeifI’dhavehadagun
Isoftlytouchedherback.“Jackie,I’msosorry.”
and Idon’twant
to watchazombiemunchonmewhile
likethis,Icould’vedonesomething.”Sheinhaledandletit
stil ialive,screaming,
ster’s right.Idon’twant out slowly.
front ofme.I ’ l givethisgun
I’m thingat r y . ” towatchanotherfrienddiein
“That’sall
She gripped
fridge.“Youknowwhat?” theasking.”
gun tightly and pointed straight ahead at the
“What?”
weredead“ThenextzombieImeetwilldie.”
as inunmoving,shapelessheaps.We
meat already, but I got her pointaanyway.
couldn’timaginelosingtheonesIlovedinsuchahorribleway.
“dead”
knewshemeanteverywordbecausethepainwasevidentinhervoice.I
sorryforyourloss,”Isaid. l wantedthesamething.I
Ididn’twanttopointouttheironyofherwords:Technically,they She wantedthem“I’mso
“She’sinabetterplace,and
Shewanttolearneverything.Fromt soare
met mytheothers.Blesst
gaze.“Teach me,heirDean.
paused for a moment and hthenis momenton,Irefusetorunanymore.” souls.”I
I camefrom behind and heldher arms.I couldn’t helpnoticing
herperfume,whichsmelledsogood.“Standfacingthetargetwithyour
feetshoulder­widthapart.”
Sheglancedatme.
Ismiled.“Nowbendyourkneesslightly.”Iinchedcloserandsaid
her ear,“Yeah.”
instraightandlocked.Goti
Ishotheragrinand
“Extend the handgunt?” toward thetarget, keeping your arms
yourshooting.”shoulders squared, continuedwiththelesson.“Okay.Now,with
your arms form the perfectt’s azombie,aim position for
“Holdthegunontarget,”Isaidinherear.“Ifi
“Icandothis,”shesaidwithconfidence.
forcomfortable brainforandyou,Icanteachyouanotherwaytoholdthegun.”
the“Showme.” shoot. It’s the onlyway to kiitlsomeone.”
Inodded.“Okay.Standlikeyou’rereadytoh it. If that’s not
“Likeaboxer?”
 “Exactly. Now,angle yoursupport
target.”Myhandsmovedacrossherbodytohelpguideher.
my instructions. arm shoulder toward your
“Bend your knees while keeping yourmy bodyweight
“Okay.”Hercontourssmoothedunder touchasshefollowed
forward. Grasp thegun using opposite pressure with bothhands. slightly
Keep
bothelbowsbent,withyoursupportelbowpointingdownward.”
Shespunaround.“IthinkIcandot h i s . ”
afraidi drifteddown tot herbellyring,butItriedtochangethe
subjectquickly.“Look,I’vegivenyousomereallygoodpointers,butI’m
swornshecaughtmelookinga
tMyeyes
’s stil notenoughtosurviveouthere.Whydon’tyoucomewith
her flat, toned stomach. I could have
us?” SheShesetherbottledown.“Why?”
“Becausei
letoutt’salong
dangerous.Youknowyoucan’tstayhere.”
breath. “Claire’s right. Getting together with
anothergroupwon’tguaranteeoursafety.Youcouldstay
“There’ssafety in numbers,andstayinghereiscrazy,”Isaid. here withus.”
“Youdon’tthinkwecanmakei
“Notwithoutconcretewallsandanarmy.” t onourown?”sheasked.
aftereverythingwe’vebeenthrough.”
seethingsdifferentlyinthe
“Doyouthinkwecouldjmorning, ust stayforthenight?IknowClairewill
and so willI.We’rejustsotired
We needNickto peekedhis
get somemy supplies and“Absolutely
head in.“Get load themnot!andThisourplaceisn’t
buttsin thosesafe.
Jeeps.”Hegrabbed shoulder. movingnow!”
they ranChapter7
water,acase fewredloadedup
of Pepsi,andcanned foodwegasthefoundin
packedtheblackbagholdingthepreciousvials.IstartedupbothJeeps;
Val,Nick,
great.Valfounda
andIquickly plastic with bottledalsoto
cansinthegaragenext
two Jeepsthe pantry.I
thelawnmower,whichwasgreat;wedidn’twanttostopanywherei
didn’thavet o . I t wouldbewisetogeta head s t a r t , withnothingtoslow f we
usdown.We were allset to go,but my heart sank.I couldn’t imagine
leaving
likingto.Nickgave
themtochanget meminds—especiallyJackie,whoIwasreallytakinga
Claire andheirJackietotheirfates. Ijust hoped Icould herconvince
tenmoreminutestotryandconvince to go
her intheroomhumongous
hadcleanedupandchangedintonewclothes.They was thatitbedroomwereextendedonthe
really neat master
housewiththreeglasswallsandaglassroof.“Hey,”Isaid,noticingshe
fwithlo r.us.WhatI foundmadethe asizetoobig,
fromthe
bottom
blacktennisshoes.She’dalsoputherhairupinalongponytail.“We’re
IwassureValwouldbeimpressedwithherbluejeans,whitet­shirt,and
buttheyweremuchmorepracticalthanwhatshe’dbeenwearingearlier.
gettingreadytoleave,butIwantedtotalktoyouf
beautiful,i
throughthespaciousglasswall,watching asthe isettingsunfloodedthe
skywithbrilliantcolors.Sheplacedherhandontheclearglass.“It’sso
“Don’tworry.I’vegotthegunyougaveme.”Jackieglancedout
sn’t it?” rst.”
“Yep.Somethinglikethatcould even foolyouintothinkingthe
worldhasn’tgonetohellinahandbasket.”
She frowned andsatdownonthe bed.“Iwastrying to blockal
thatout,ifonlyforaminute.”
cube.” Isatnexttoher.“Thisi s acoolbedroom.It’s kindoflikeaglass
night.”ISheglancedup.“Yeah.Ibeti
stared at her black hair witht’sblonde neattoseethes
streaks. Ittawasrs shininga
striking,t
original,andbeyondcute.Ilovedherboldlook.“So,what’syourstory?”
Iasked.“Mystory?”
“Yup.Everyone’sgotone,right?”
“Right,but I guessust wanttoliveanotherday.Tellme,Dean,i
right now I’m only concerned about thes it
ending.”Shesighed.“Ij
convinceyoutochangeyourmindandcomewithus.We’re
reallypossibletosurviveinsuchah
“Yes,andthatsaid,Ihavetomakeonelast­ditchefforttotryand
ostile, undeadworld?”
fewminutes.” “Jackie,
Shecontinuedtostareoffintothesunset.“Giveit yourbestshot.” leavingina
island inOhiothereareplentyofc
theoutbreak,withnoproblems.The itiIeslive.I’ve
outtherethatares
where Nick andzombiesaren’t been til since
there
immortalbeings. They
safe,likethe
can’t bust throughbombs,brickandwallsal kindsorgetof through
machineguns,
flown waysto ourstay military.
safe. We have
Suppliesare
leave?”“Iineverydaytohelppeoplesurvivetheb
“Ifit wassogreat,atsole.safe,then
didn’t—notgaze.on purpose
Shemetmy ” why’dyou
trip formake­believesupplies.”
Shecockedacuriousbrow. anyway. Our helicopter crashed on a
Icontinued,“Iknowitsoundsweird,butit’salongstory.Ican
changehermindandcome
tel youallaboutit onourroadt rip.” Iwasprettycockyandcertainshe’del
withus.Bythetwinkleinhereye,Icouldt
shelikedme,atl east alit le.
“It waswhatitwas,”I
“I’m sorryyoucrashed.”
stayfocusedandkeepmoving.” said.“Ican’tcryaboutit now.Ineedto
“Canweeverdefeat thesethings?Imean,doyouthinkourlives
willeverbenormalagain?”
willdieoIreachedforherhand.“Yes,Ibelievewewillprevail.Zombies
f , and eventuallytheir bodieswillrotaway.Allwehavetodo
isoutlivetheinfected.Yes,thereareoverwhelmingoddsstackedagainst
us,overcomeanything,aslongaswedon’tlosehope.”
but we can do this. I believe with al my heart that humanitycan
“Soyou’reheadingtoaofsafe haven,oneofthewalledcities?”
“Yes.WecanholdoutinthefortressescreatedaroundtheUnited
States. Zombies out food and die, and we’llget our world
just needawilllitrunle make
back. WeShenodded.“You time.”
“Thencome with us. agoodpoint.”
I’m sure Claire will cave once she sees
you’reseriousaboutleaving.”
Athumponthewindowdrewmyattention.
Jackiejumped.“Whatwasthat?”
Iturnedandcouldn’tbelievemy eyes.Azombiewithrottingflesh
andoozingeyeballswashittinghisheadagainsttheglass.Heshotmea
stone­cold,glazed­overlookthatsaid
brains…now!”The
passthroughthetransparentglasswall.
Speechless,Jackiepointedtothe
stupidthingseemedstumped as towhyhecouldn’t
in notsomanywords,“Iwantyour
Igasped.Crap.Anotheronestared otherglasswalls.
me straightintheeyes.This
onebeforeourveryeyes.Ourbeautifulviewofthesunsethadturnedintoa
lookedlike araccoon, with blackened
seemedtobecomingoutofthewoodworklikecockroaches,multiplying
definitely had that I­just­got­out­of­the­grave lookabout skin around her.her eyes;
Thedeadshe
I stood, but my sudden movement made them moan andgroan
grotesquenightmare.
evenlouder.Decaying
corpses aroundhumanhandspoundedontheglasswallsfroma
skin.Itwasdownrightdisturbing.Isuckedinadeepgulpofair.
three sidesstaggered
ofthe bedroom, withandwhite,
myheartsunkenraced.eyesBrain­hungry mottledl
and green, walking
bloody Theglassshook,andIwonderedifitwoulds
handprints streaked across the glass. Windowshat areer. Igaspedas
notoriously
easytobreak,butIwonderedhowwellaglasswallwouldholdup.Isure
didn’twanttofindout.
Ibackedupslowly,focusingonthezombiewhowasmakingthe
an exposed ribcage withat hisblue­greenveinsandtheopenflesh
decaying flesh hanging off ofithirt,heinI
mostfuss.Eventhoughhehaddecayedhandswithexposedtendons,
woundsonhisforehead,cheeks,andneck.Throughatearinhiss
noticed
stil keptpounding.Icringed
femur.Evenafamoushorrorwritercouldn’thave inventedanythingas
grotesqueshreds.Therightpantlegwasalsotorntorevealalongwhite
horribleastheveryrealmonsterIwasstaringa
“Let’sgo!”Jackiesaid,grabbingmyshoulder.t.
“Nick!”Iyelled.“We’vegottogo…NOW!”
 Chapter8
Withtheorangelight of thesettingsun as abackdrop,thezombie
againstthesmoothsurfaceoftheglasswall,andhisopenmouthdripped
lookedlikeacreatureoutofahorrormovie.Hisdecayingpalmspressed
asI hisdeadgazefocusedonme,making mecoherent
Forwithsa pwhole
it andblood second, could barely breathe, l e t alone form a flinch.
thoughtinmyhead,andthenitdawnedonmethatwehadtogettheheck
awayfromthere.
IgrabbedJackie’shandandheadeddownthehallway,callingas
loudlyasmylungswouldallow,“Nick!Val!There’sapackofzombies
Our feet poundedthehardwoodfloor aswe passed theashalland
outthere.Weneedtogetgoingnow!”
roundedthecornerintothelivingroom.Thedoorstooda
noonehadbotheredtoclose
inmy tracks when I took inthe it behindthem.Iyanked
twotowering guysit openandstopped jar, thoughwild
resembling
mountain
thickbeards.“menGoing somewhere?”oneasked.
with their unkempt appearance, greasy hair, and long,
fewsecondstogetaway.
safeguardagainstapairlikethat,butIhopedIcoulda
could’ve
foodandweapons.“Whoareyou?Howdidyougetinhere?”Mygrip
friends
tightenedaroundJackie’shand
shieldbetweenherandthewildlings.
weren’t
force thTheoneinthe
“What
orepartibeen
rfoe.They
wayofthe
thebittenpastheck?”
undead
didn’t
meand first—not
Imight thatIzombies,
fontheytheywanted
tooklookarmyasaliketurnyet,Ipushed
stepback,unsure her,whetherthey
I uscouldmyanybutbodyforwardto
haveminute.
forall tbeenstlithey’dhave
elaEvenif formwereoftheytoa
Istwantedour
knew,they
muchbuyhera

rifle at Jackie and me.redcheckereds

“Youtwo withhirthem?”
t raisedhishandandwavedhis
pressedinagrimlinethatdidn’tleavememuchhope.WithNickholding
towardmybrotherandVal,whowerelyingontheground,theirmouths He pointed behind him,
thebackofhisheadandVal’sbloodyl
upa
anddifferencewiththezombiesoutthere,readytoburstin
put good f i g h t . The wildlings iwerep, Iknewthey’d
clearly a f
any t e r been
our
make attacked
food and
weapons. Whether they’d leaveusalive or notwouldn’tminute. much
Itookadeepbreath,andthenastepforwardwhilepushingJackie
behindme.“Look,mister,there’rezombiesoutback!We’vegottoget
outtaherenow!”
consideringmy
Theother wildman regarded me for a second, probably
h. wordsandtryingtoreadmyexpression,toseei
trust me?”Iamspattelthrough
eitherinyoursituation,butifI
tellingthet“Yourutdon’t
HepattedJackieandmedown ing thetruth—whichI f Iwas
tookourguns.“Iam—we’re
andgrittedteeth. wouldn’t
al dead.Goandseeforyourself.”
Theredcheckeredshirt guymotionedtheotherforwardandthen
aimed his gunabit higher,right atmy face. Ididn’teven flinchasI
Jackie to standnext tothe others.maskAofhorror.
friendreturned,hisfaceapale
watchedhiscompanionwalkpast.Themountainmanthenforcedmeand
few seconds ticked bybefore his
Inoddedatmy t outalive.” Isawhisfaint nod,andif
thentheredcheckeredguyloweredhisweapon.“We’regonnahaveto
worktogetherifwewannamakei
said,pointing andheavedabigbreath.“Giveusbackourweapons,”I
brotherandthegirls. “Wewon’tbeofmuchhelp
wecan’tshoot.”
Theredcheckeredguynoddedandheldouthishand.“I’mEarl,
andthat’smyfriendTahoe,likethelake.”
IignoredhimasIwalkedpast.Wehadtoworktogethertogetout
ofthismess,butIhadnodoubtthehillbillytwinswouldhappilyshoot
ourheadsoffand
“I’m Nick,”takeamylbrothersaid.
ourfoodandsuppliesoncethezombieswere
properlydispatched. “That’s Dean, Val, Jackie, and
Claire.Giveusbackourweapons…now!”
Tuningthemout,Iheadedforthesidedoor,pullingJackiewith tocome
me.Iwantedtoseeifthezombieswerestarting
frontofthehouse.Unfortunately,wedidn’tgetfarbeforeaf aroundtothe
lat, metallic
clickwarnedmeofdanger.Iturnedonmyheelslowly,mygazefocusing
onEarl’sr“Stop,orI’llshootyoubothdeadinyourtracks.”
ifle, whichwasnowpointeda t meagain.
remembered
spot.“Ifiguredthatmuch,”Isaiddryly.
toworktoMyautomatic
getherthat.”“WeTahoeresponse was tome,“ButI
had disarmed touchso thoughtyousaidweneed
Imyremained
holster,but
frozentothentheI
were just trying to get a position on the zombies,” Jackie
said.“Doyouthinkwe’dleaveourfriendsbehind?”
him. Mygazebecameharderandcolder,signalingIwasn’tscaredof
Earlnarrowedhisgaze.“Weareworkingtogether.Youhelpme
wardoffanyzombieattack,andI
Suresoundslikecooperationtome.”
“Right. Soundslike a great’l spareyourlives…forthetimebeing.
deal…for you.” I snorted. “What
makesyouthinkwe’llhaveyourbackthemomentthosezombiesbarge
inhere?”“Whatmakesyouthinkthey’llbargeinhereat all?”Tahoesaid,
speakingforthef irst time.
Forsomereason,theyoungergruffoneseemedtofeelsafe,asi f
thehouse.I
zombies were no threat and couldn’t possibly
youngheseemed.Oncloserinspection,Irealizedbeneaththefacialhair
wasn’t surewhy.Itwasn’ta military fortress.Imarveledhow get inside the glass
question.What
hidawrinkle­free areyou
face.
Hesteppedcloserashestaredatus.“Youhaveyettoanswermy
Valpickedupafamilyp al doinginourhouse?”
“Funny.Youdon’tlooklikethesehappypeople, o r t r a i t andrana fingeracrossthedust.
areplasteredal aroundthehouse.” andpictureslikethese
amusedhim.“They’realldead.Zombiesgot‘em.Sowe
Earl’s mouth twitched at the corners, as thoughfiguresincethey her sarcasm
don’tneedtheplaceanymore,andwewerethef
story.Didzombiesreallygetthepoorinhabitants,
onit,it’Hiss ourhousenow—atl
eyes sparkled,making mewonder iastorst onesthetovalidity
east asoftwodaysago.” getourhands
ofhis
bit my tonguehardsoIwouldn’tcommentandrisktorwasi h e i r t thesetwo?Il ,
wrath.Aftera
theyweres“We’retil theonlyonesholdingweapons.
not monsters,” Tahoe said, reading my disgusted
Can’t
expression.“Wedidn’tk i l ‘em.Theyweredeadlongbeforewearrived.
ages.”youtHetheyhada
because el fromavalidl thedustint
point, andIhoped his place?Nobodyhasbeenherefor
they weren’t murderers. Just
andwe’llbe il onus.didn’tourmerryway.Youcanhaveyourhomesweethomea
kil the inhabitants ofValthechimedi
wouldn’tk“Fine.You’veclaimedthehouse,” house didn’t mean theyl
n. “Justletusgo,
upatoyourselves.”Ofcoursesheforgottomentionthepartaboutusloading
l theirfoodandwaterintheir vehicles.
over,”Tahoesaid.“Don’tworry.Wegotfourstrongmenhere.Besides,
“Sure. You’re welcome to go, as soon as the zombie threatis
they’llneverbreakin.”
slow uIsforreasoning
twasalmost
throughtheroom,s
werej
amorselofhumanityinthem.Fora
bilityreaction tandarinclined to believe
that: timelegends.Nooneknewforsurewhethertheys
andtlitnhgepossibly hhimeformir ownwhena
ius.Urbanlegendsaboutzombiestoutedtheir
r inability coherent loudplans,but
l forwetotknew,theirbrainsretainedsome
survival. thudIfthey
til hadechoedtheydid,any
which waspretty obvious from their attempts to getin,then we were
screwed;itwouldonlybeamatteroftimebeforetheywoulddoubleand
“Wehave to go,even if it’s on foot,” Nick said with a glance
triple theireffortsandsucceed.
towardtheh “Andal going
. “Trappingourselvesint
aboutyou,butwe’releaving.” where?” Claire yelled. his houseissuicide.Idon’tknow
shreds!”Nickshruggedandshotherahardlook.“Idon’tcare.I’drather “Zombies will rip us to
dietryingthantositaround
whispered.For“I’msorry,Claire,butI’mwithhim.Thef in
asecond, I felt likeheredoingnothing.” hugging her. I wasso aster, thebetter,”Jackie
proud ofher for
standingupforherself,eveni
do.Maybeweshouldhole
“You don’t know upf ihereuntilthosethingsleave.They’ll
t meantdefyinghercousin’swishes.
anythingfor sure,” Claire said.“None of you
bored andgo eventually,andwecanleaveina few hours,oncethecoast get
isclear.”
idea!” “You’re
Jackie shook safe here,”Tahoesaid.“There
her shoulder. “No, Claire.are Waiting alotofthem,butthey
is a horrible
can’t
after abustbitandthroughmovetheseon walls.
before.” for easierAnd prey.like Claire
I’ve seensaid,itathey’llmillionget bored
times
stupid to“Iagree,”Earlsaid.“
engage them, butifIt’stheybesttohideouthereu
everythingwehave.”Earlshotmealook.“Youowe break in,of coursementiwe’ll lforsavingyour
theyleave.I
fightwitht’s
lives.”I’m“What?” Iasked.“If youwould’ve let usleave,wewould have
offeringmeayoucockygrin.“Wrong,
beenlonggonealready.”
dead. Earlgave protection here, and myboy.What
when this is alyou’doverbeisand
done,Iexpecttobepaidforit.”
“Paid?Withwhat?Wedon’thave
withtheshirts onourbacks.” anymoney,”Clairesaid.“We
only cameEarlsmirked.“Whosaidanythingaboutmoney?Ij
ofyoucutegalstokeepmecompanytonight.I
thepriceofsavingyourlives?” s thatsomuchtoaskfor
ust wantone
pointedNick’shandsballedintof
he either cameistots.hisTheveinonhisforeheadthrobbed
at hisfacemadehimreconsider.
sohardthatIprayedhewouldn’tdosomethingstupid,liketrytoh
guy.Fortunately, senses on his ownor theitrithefle
shoulders.”e you up. myWebrother’s
him rilIgrabbed gotta leavearm,withjustourin case,and
heads stilhissed,“Don’tlet
attachedto our
“Mmm. Feisty. And I love redheads.”onthel
Clairescowleda
blackmailuslikethis?” t Earl.“Ourlives are ine! Howcanyou
Iglared at Earl. Theman was a disgustingEarl looked
down,theninchedcloser.“Ibetwecouldhavealotoffun,youandme.”
“You’resick!”Valshoutedbutdidn’tinchcloser. sleaze her up and
canasfarawayfromGrizzlyAdamsaswecould.
acardiot.intown,Iconsidered.Zombieswereprowlingoutback,but
becausewe’releaving.”
absolutei
hecouldthinkabout was beddingdownwithahelplessg
Iwaswillingtotakemychancesifitmeantkeepingallthreeofthegirls
findNickstraightenedhisstance.“Nodeal,jerk!Moveoutofmyway
“Fine.Youboyscango,”Earlsaid.
“Weboys?” Zombieswerel iteral y knockingdownourdoors,but irl.ballMaybeand weaanl

“Yep,butwe’rekeepingthewomen.Youoweusfora
corpsesI’llhavetocleanupinthefrontyardtomorrowmorning.” l thedead
“What do you need us for, huh?” Valspat. “Let metell you,
Jackiegasped.
mister, if you come anywhere near me, I’l bitejust as hardas those
zombieswill.Youmightlosesomethingreallyvaluableifyougowaving
it aroundatme!”
Tahoeclearedhisthroat,asif
Val he wastryingtostiflealaugh.
deviseaplan. took a stepShewas
signalingNickmust’verealizedi
something. towardt,tryinghim, toget her eyestheidarting
r attention in mysowedirection,
could
gotthatstungun?”hewhispered.
Shenodded,wide­eyed,andtouchedherpocket.too,because
Nickbobbedhisheadslightly. “Good.Onthecountofthree, he nudgedClaire.“Youstil
EarlwhileDeanandItackletheotherguy.Thenstunhimtoo.” stun
Claire wrapped iherps andsignaledthatI
“Andthenwerun,”Jackiesaid.
Imoistenedmyl fingers around thestun was ready.gunjust as the
zombiesfrom
wereshufflingeverywhere.Thescratchoft
rakedagainsttheglass.ThereweresomanythatI
thebackof the house movedheontoir cracked,yellowednails hadthefront how we’d
noidealawn.They
getpast them without being attacked. We had lost our precious
opportunity,thankstoEarlandTahoe.
Holdo fNick. Thehouseissurroundednow.There’snowaycanwej
grabbed Claire’s armt me.“Ifzombiesbreakin,we’llneed
men tohelpusfightthemoff.”
outthefrontdoor.”Heglanceda
themountain and whispered into her ear,us“Wait! t walk
knew Inodded, haveand iClaire secondlahadte herforfoiledthatl
trunwasthetooslipped
planbeenintheJeeps,longgonebeforethezombieshadcomearoundtothe
backyard,butthetwosasquatches
wasruined,
weshould westunussawtogunthezombies pocket.Oural
makeitintole anplan.Wecould’ve
herescape.We
enteringthe
rfrontight: ofWetheneeded
house,thebutmountain
that chancemenhadconscious slipped soaway.theyNowcouldNickhelpwasus
battletheundead.Onourown,wemightnotmakei
“What the…” Earlsaid, locking the door. t“We’ve outalivenever . had to
fightthismanybefore.”
“Itriedtotell you!”Jackiesaid.
Earlrubbedhischin. “I thoughttheremightbea groupofthem
runningaround,butIneverwouldhaveimaginedanythinglikethis…and
it’s al yourfault!”
“That’s
“What!?”Valscreamed,furious.
those corpses right. Y’allbroughtthemheretomydoorstep!Looka
inmy frontyard. Ibet you idiots used a gun, t al
attracting
themfromeverywhere!”
The banging and scratching sounds made my stomach churn.
Twigssnappedundertheir rottingfeetastheyshuffledaroundtheplace,
hammeringagainsttheglassinvariouslocationswithvariousbodyp
and a r t s .
Somethingbegantos
basement.
sound wassomewhere
footsteps h a t e r
Theycomingwerefromfighting,
the backof foramoment,Iwasn’tsurewhetherthe
wallsor
their wayin, thedoor.andIeven
thehouse, orthatmaybeit
meantheardonlyone
wasthe
muffled
 thing: WeOutofthecornerofmy
question. had tofight our wayeye,Iout, andsawazombielickingandclawing
the frontdoor was out of the
amusclewrinkling stared at measthoughhehad
t theglassinfrontofover me.theskullHisdecomposed face withblackandbrownalready
chosenhismaincoursefortheevening.Ididn’twanttobetrappedwhile
thosemonstersfoughtt heir wayi
forthebestwouldn’tworke
gunshotswe fired offearlier er.nIlookedouttheglasswalloftheliving
, butjtheust walkingoutthereandhoping
roomandsawzombiesdottingtheentirefrontyard.Earl’sr
ithattracted herd. We’ll haveightto. Ibetthe
be way
more
surroundedtheentirehouse,likesomekindofscenestraightoutofNight
oftheLivingDead.Theonlythingthatkeptussafefrom
careful next time…if thereis a next time. The themfor dead armythe
timebeingwasatoweringsheetofglass.Ishudderedandvowed
setsoonforget.
footEarlthrust
inside“Ineeda glasshouse again;that was one nightmare I to never
wouldn’t
aweapon!”Ishouted.
Jackietheir weapons.mygunintomywaitinghands,thenhandedNickand
“Hey,girl, catch!Youlooklikeyouknowhowtouset
calledoutamomentbeforehetossedValar i f l e . his,” Tahoe
Mysistercaughttheguninmidairandworeaproudsmile.
was already packedt, evenin thethoughIdoubtedit’ddoany
goodagainstanentireherdofzombies.
handgun.Mygriptightenedaroundi
Myrifle Jeep, butI stil had my
othertogetf
thehingesburst.Ifrozeinplace
Acrackechoedinthea as countlesszombiesfoughtwith each
irst pick. ir amomentbeforethedoorsplinteredand
 Chapter9
The penetrating howling noiseoutside the house grew to ear­
shaving
plit ingsuchlevels.Myfinger
on theanearencounterwith
door.Recklessly sotriggermanyofinmytosuchsooth
hunger,Iknewthezombieswouldfindawayin.Thefactthatwe
steadied found thedetermined weapon
a confined weregaze
asmyspace
theirconstant
wasn’t
breath. exactly confidence­boosting, but Ivowed to fight untilmy last
from theMygazefocusedonthedooramomentbeforeitsplinteredopen
weight ofcountless
atmy gutsout.Their zombies leaningand pushingagainst i t .
andodorspukeof rottingfleshseepedintomynose,making
shivered
Someofthemf el headfirstonthef moans echoedmewantinthetobendover
unearthlylo r, gnawingandthrashing.Horrible air,andI
lit le bylitwavedlethethoughtofthemtearingthroughmyf
.I my arm,My beckoning the others to follow lesh, devouringme
me upstairs.
“C’mon!Thisway!” voicereverberatedfromthewalls,buti
quitemanagetodrownoutthezombies’hungryc hadbeen
myt grip.AsIhungon a l s . t
toboltedupdidn’t
Without waiting foror anyourbalance,Dean!Iscrambledto
spiralstaircase,jumpingtwostepsa
butstumbledagain,nearlylosing
glidedonthesmoothsurface,andItripped.Crap!Thisisnotthetimeto
panicandloseyourcool
peereddown.Noflippingway!Thedoor answer a fromtime,faster
the others,I myfeetthe
brokenincompletely,
andfaster.Myboot
therailing,I
had managed to squeeze in hadtogathered
buttheopeningwastoonarrow fit themainl front through.Thezombieswho
of the doorwayin a
messyheap,pushingandpullingandattemptingtogetup,whiletheones
coming frombehind kept tripping, makingany ascent impossible. I
thesafestroom.
gawked
distractionthatmightj
“Comeat theway theyust hadburied
buyusafewminutestogetupstairsandfind
themselves, thankful forthetiny
Ididn’tyouron,boy!Move!”Earlyelled.“You’reinmyway.I
t , I’l personally shove youdown there tof youget
needbutoseehis
acquaintedwiththosethings.”
don’t move
Theedgeinhisvoicebetrayedhiss facetoknowhemeanteverywordhesaid.
incerity. So,mylegsroseundermeas
mystomach,makingmedoubleover,thenmaderoomforTahoeto
Ipushedupthes
ThemomentIreachedthetopstep,Earljammedhiselbowinto
tairs, focusingonmyfeetsoIwouldn’tt rip again.
past.“Blowthestaircaseup,Tahoe!”heyelled.
“Don’tyouworryaboutthat!”Earlsaid.
“Blowitup?”Iasked.“Withwhat?” hurry
Tahoemotionedtohisfriend,thentheytookoffdownthehalland
disappearedthroughoneofthedoorsIhadn’tinspectedbefore.
My brother racedust standthere!Movei
Comeon,man!Don’tj past me, shouting tover!” his shoulder, “Dean!
him, Nickwas
“Coming!”already I yelled,taking
pushing alargeoff afterhim.Bythe
oak dresser timeIthereached
toward door,
leavingscuff
and then“Help marks across
the theshiny
climbmeoutrol this window.”
doing?”Iasked,stoppinginmytracks. I peered him fromunder raisedyou
“Whybother?Ithoughtweweregonnalockourselvesinaroom wooden
thingdownthestairs,”hesaid. a t f l o r . “What are
brows.Granted,
head,beforeIspokei my grandplanseemedalotmorefascinatinginsidemy
t outloud,buti t s t i l wasn’tas bad astheexpression
uswhilewepickarandomroom,lockourselvesin,hearthembangon
onhisfacemadeitseem.
“Right.We’rejustgonnaletthosethingsslitherupthes tairs after
forthedoor,andthenjumpoutthewindowtothemillionzombieswaiting
us below?Sorry, bro, but that’sa
“I didn’tus think
trappedandscrewedthan
blockadegave ofweare I said,dumbbutheplan.wasWe’llrighbet. Creating
extratimetofindtheperfectwindowtojumpfrom.
that,”now.” even moreIat
wouldalsohelpussaveammo,sincewe’dbeoutofbulletsinnotime.
Ourpiddlyl it le arsenalwasnomatchforthenumberofzombieswaiting
todevourus.
don’thavetimefordiscussingi
that, hedashedpastandturnedhis backonme,
“Comeon,Dean,”Nicksaid,unabletosuppressatinysneer.“We
t. Justt rust meanddowhatIsay.”With
signalingtheconversation
wasover.
kicked
turned tinyitiaround,thegirls
t untilittumbleddownthes
thewaydown,knockingthem
Withalastheave,Ipushedi tatheirs.wasfancy
t downtothrough
headingtowardus.Iletoutafewchoicewords.Ofcourseitwasn’tthe
mostmaturethingIcouldhavedoneinfrontofJackie,butIcouldn’thelp
Wehauledtheheavydressertothetopofthelanding,andthenI
was—countedwhendeath
adrenaline running
wereslidinga sItmyacrashedintosomezombieson
howthingsIwouldn’tusuallysay.Besides,everysingletriumph—nomatter
myself.The thegroundlikebowlingpins.WhenI
irlurkingsavagelyaround
s veinswas
antiquecouchmakingtowardme.
towardazombiewhowas mesaythe

Val had dragged an enormouschest of drawerstothe topofthe

cornerinthevacanteyesandslimymouthsofthosethings.
stairs. Jackie andClaire beganslipping out htheeir heads.Finally,thetwo
themdownonthezombies,hittingthemont drawers and throwing
girlsa gavemattressthe furniture
tossed byafinalVal. shove, and it flewonslaught
forever,butwehopeditwouldgrantusenoughtimetofindaspotwhere
bycouplemoreofthehissingcreatures.Nickthrewaboxspring,followed
Our furniture down,wouldn’t
taking outalast
wethatwecouldfight
couldsafelyjump
“Watchout!”Earlcalled from behind.Imovedoutofhiswayas
of . from a window intoa smallercrowdofzombies
it upaIwatchedthe
helthroughtheairinwhatseemedlikeslowmotion.Itallhappenedsof
stickofdynamiteandthrewi t downthestairs. ast,
fire eat throughthecord,slowlybutsteadilyflying
yetIfeltasthoughamillionyearsmusthavepassed.
“Get down!” Earl yelled as itlanded withanda dullthudasa with
uncannyprecision,rightinthemiddleofthegatheredzombieherd.
Iducked myearsandthrew mybody overJackie Claire loud
boomechoedinand peeredthroughtheblanketoffireatthe
head,Icoughed andsmokeswirledal aroundme.Raisingmy gap between
intoahugemessofwoodens
theupper andthe lower levels p l i
ofn t ethe
r
thestairs,soouronlywaybackdownwasgone.Ididn’tknowwhetherto
Myimagebecausethenextwaveofzombieswasalreadygushingi
stomach
I peekedprotested s , interspersedwithbloodand
house.The
over theatthebanister.sight,butThereI wasdidn’tabsolutelys t a i r s had evaporated
have timetonothingndigest
. leftof
gore.the
feelrelieved
something pissed offthattheWe’reguy didn’tconsult
so orboldandirrevocable.Whati
Heblewupthefreakingstairs! f Nick’splanfails?Whatthen?
usbefore doing
“That’s no concernofyours,boy,”Earlspat.
thedynamitefrom?”Iasked,miffed. stuckuphere!“Wheredidyouget
him.didn’tIcould
feeltheneed
AgainIonlyhadassume
tobite
to tel mytonguehard
ushe about
must’veit. Fora hiddentol keepfromlashingouta
wea stashknew,thesomewhereand
doomsdayt
mountaindudesprobablyhadastashofeverykindofweaponknownto
surprises
mankind tocome hidden alalongoverthetheway.place,“Youso should’ve I mentallytoldpreparedfor us,”I muttered
more
undermybreath.“We
Tahoe on
said,shootingme
“Right, had
furniturethesituationundercontrol.”
hisheels.likeandNickaglareas would’vehestopped bolteddownthehallwaywith
al those things!”Earl
honor. “It didslowthemdownsome,”Valshouted,as if defendingour
“Hey,Dean,”Nickcalledout,“now’sthetimetoputthatplanof
yourstogooduse.”
“Great.I ’l golookoutthewindowsforapossibleescaperoute,”I
said. “I was talking about myself,”he said. “I need you guys to stay
hereandbeadistraction.”
“What?”Iasked.
“Don’tworry,”Valsaid.“We’resafeuphere.Theycan’tf
Nick continued, “If the zombies see food, they’ll ly.”their
focus
efforts toward this part ofthe house. We need as many ofthem as
possiblehereinthelivingroomandfrontyardsowecansneakoutthe
backorsidewindow.”
perfect “Ilikei
placeforust,” Isaid.“Letthefreaksgatherupherewhileyoufindthe
think we’reup tosneak out.Then we’llherebegone…andthey’ll
“That’stheplan,”Nicksaid.“Sostand
Clairegrabbedhisarmand
here,thedummies.” sotheycanseeyou.”stil
you.Therehasto bea gaveitasqueeze.“I’mcomingwith
“I’l berightback,”Nicksaid.s place.”
wayoutoft h i
ideaofs “Um,okay.Becareful,man!”Isaid,scramblingtomyf
p l i t i n g upsatinthe pitofmystomachlikea e t. The
rock.Especially
whenIwasthedistraction…thehumanb ait.
Withanod,heshotoffdownthehallway,withClairefollowing
after him.“They’llberightback,”Valmutteredtonooneinparticular.
comingIopenedmymouthtotellhereverythingwouldbea
thesoundofshatteringglassboomedinmyears,stoppingmywordsfrom
out. I peered down l right,but
“Ohmy gosh!” yelledIf atJackie.“They’re
toweringglasswallsandgasped. more zombies breaking through the
busting through
answershewantedtohear. for words andcouldn’t givel . herthethe
Foronce, I wasat a lossthewallswerecomingdown,it
walls!”Hergazeboreintomine,questioningthemeaningofita
onlyamatteroftimebeforetheupperfloorwascompromised.
We fel silentfor amoment. The crunchof draggingthe feet aonl wouldbe
brokenglassasthezombiesfloodedintothespaciouslivingroomwas
wegroaned,echoinginmyears.Thegiantroomhadfilledupwithmoaning,
could hear. My stomach lurched when a loud choirof undead
groaning,
seenanythinglikei
videogames,andbuthissing,asnowt. Ihadonlyseensuchhorrificscenesinmoviesand
it though
was happening
the zombiesrighthadin multiplied.I’d
frontof me. Ineverwas
mywitnessingareal­live(ordead,asthe
veryowneyes. my case was)zombieapocalypsewith
Valclappedl comingtothefront
anyminutewiththeperfectspot
perfectly.They’rea
Jeepsasfastasourfeetcancarryus.” shoulder.“Staycalm,okay?Theplanisworking
to sneakout.Andthenwe’llruntothe
of thehouse.Nickwill be back
Inoddedandforcedthefearthatwasquicklygrabbinghold
tothebackofmymind.
“Youstil got thekeys?”sheasked. of me
Inodded,remainingstunnedandsilent.
Shecontinuedbravely,“Good. Weneed tobereadytopoundthe
my pocket,justto make surethekeysweres
pavementthesecondNickcomesback.”
Ifelt my dismay,I suddenlyrememberedthatI’dlefttil there,but
them…they’redownthere!”
theyweren’t.Muchto
me.Herfacebecamean
themonthetable.Ipointedatthelivingroom.“Noflippin’way!Ileft
“Ican’tbelievethis!”Shetookatremblingbreathassheregarded
bilities. impenetrablemaskashermindbegantoweigh
thepos iIbreathedinsharplytocalmmynerves.Withthestaircasegone,
nozombie couldthe keyswere
Unfortunately, climb up, downbut wethere.couldn’t
Our climb ofdowngettingeithouter.
chances
beforethewallscollapseddownonuswereprettyslim,andIf
“Howarewegoing toget downthere toget them?”Jackieasked,
hereyeswide,mirroringmyownthoughts.
myfaultforstupidlyleavingthekeysdownstairs. eltit was
 “Wearen’t,”Valfinallysaid,“butIcanhotwirethetruck.”
EarlandTahoecamefrombehind,making mejump.
Earl’seyesshimmeredwithmalice as helookedat me. “We need
abig,giantdistraction.Howaboutsomeblood?”
threateninginsinuation.“Hmm.
are.”
mumbled,stilllookingatme,makingi
“Yeah,”Tahoesaid.“Youknowhowpredictablethelittlefreaks
“Onewhiff, and we’ve got ourselves t impossibletomisshisvileand
ahuge distraction,” Earl
thatifIhadtoshooteitherof
that?Anysuggestions,boy?” Blood.Wherecanwepossiblyget
Myheartraced.Iputmyhandonmyholster,alreadydetermined anyof
wouldn’thesitate
“Freshout,”
“Doyouhaveany snapped,thebushy­hairedcraziesinself­defense,I
Earl more
to useabullet. explosives?”Valasked,unfazed.
“but you know what? You reek of
death.”Hesuddenlyreachedforher.
Val letout a scream ashe ripped the bandage off her arm,
revealing the infected flesh. I couldn’t help but stareat the darkening
gashandthewhitebonepeekingfrombeneath.
eyesshined,hissneerrevealingtobacco­yellowedt
“Iknew it!” Earl yelled. “She’s nothing bute th.zombie bait!”His
becauseForeverythingabout
amoment, I thought
Val’swound—includinghissoul,i
and him was
herto f hehefarevenmight
more be talking aboutrottingthan
hadone.
grotesqueand
to
himself,
aroundthewaist
ofValkickedhiminthenutsandturned
forced stayput. run,buthegrabbedher
someonegrippedmyarmsfrombehindandyankedthemhard,sending
jolts Mypainhandthroughinstinctively out of my
my shoulders.movedCrap.to theMy gunweaponin myflewholster,but
andpulledtowardi
makingitimpossibleformetotwistoutofhisgrip.Earlfollowedmyline
handsandclatteredtothefloor,notfarawayfrommyfeet.Ipeeredatit
t, buttheguywasinthemoreadvantageousposition,
HeGlancingovermyshoulder,Iyelled,“Tahoe,letmego!”
floorandunderthebanister,landinginthecrowd
of visionandkicked
continuedholdingmeinhisirongraspashehissed, It sailedacross“I the
the weapon under the railiofng.zombiesbelow.
myinstructions.He’llkillmeifIdon’tfollowthem.”
“No!”Ishouted.“Thenat least let hergo!” ust
“Ain’thappenin’,boy.Youmightaswellj have
thesamefatebefallsyou!”Earlsaid.
“You’renot
“Takemeinstead!”Ibegged.
infected. She, giveupnowbefore
bacteriaawayfrombeingoneofthosenastythings!”onhereyesthe other hand, is. She’s one
toTahoe,thentome.Sheseemedhesitantaboutshooting
Jackiewhippedouthergun, shiftingnervouslyfromEarl
anotherhuman
upher mind,Earl shoved her back, andat lshee. Beforeshecouldevenmake
being,andIknewwewerelosingtheb crashed helplessly through
theglassbanister,almostplummetingintothevoidbelow.Sheclungon
 thesecond­floorrailingasherlegsdangleddangerouslyclosetozombies.
The wayMytheykept
morethantodevourherlegsasanappetizer.
stomach reaching
clenched upas tmade heir mouths
itobviousstartedtheytowanted
snap opennothinglike
hungrypiranhas.“Val!”If
me.
gripon EarlgrabbedValandswungher lailed againstTahoe,butheonlytightenedhis
laheroandsaveourbuttsintheprocess.”
sweetheart,butyou’regonnadiesoonanyway.Might
east putabulletthroughmy overthebanister,hissing,“Sorry,
“Don’tdothis!”sheyelled.“Tryandshowsomecompassion.At as wellgooutlike
desperately
Jackie
won’tknowthey’reeatingme.”
“No!”
wouldn’tneeded bemyableto
I squirmed andheadfdesperately
help.I yelledirst soIdon’thavetofeelthem…soI
holdon forNick
muchtried longer,
tofree
downthemyself.
and hamyl ,Iknew
butI
sister
doubted
frenzy. he could hear me over the screams and chaos of the zombie
loosened
purpose,asthoughhewantedmetoescapeandsaveVal,buta
timehefearedforhisl
“I acan’tbit, andfor
hold onifea.tohim
moment,Iany thoughtlonger,”heTahoemightshouted.
have donet thesame
Hissogripon
“Well, goodbye.” In one swiftmymotion,
herdofzombies.Herscreamchilled
mybrainforever. blood,etchingthememoryinto
Earl hurledVal into the
lion onasIndisbeliefIwatched
ears, apieceofrawmeat.“Nick!”
ifit couldn’tpossiblybecoming ashandsMyandarms fromme. pouncedon herlikemya
ownvoicesoundedalienin
Itumbledforward,myarmsreachingout
Finally,Tahoeletgoandsteppedback. tostrangletheguywho
hadkilledmysister,butEarlwasfaster,ormaybehehadtheadvantage
ofbeing emotionally unattached tothe wholesituation. My forehead
explodedinpainashethrewmeagainstthewallsohardthatIblacked
outforasecond.When
off.I my
to visioncleared,Isawthetwomountain men
running As soon crawled
as
managedtopullhertosafety,eventhough the
shesteppedover balconyand my grabbed
thebalustrade,she Jackie’s
armswereonfire.
buried hand;
her I
into mychest.“Nick!” I yelled again,almostchokingonthe sudden nauseaheadin
mystomachandthebileinmythroat.Tearsthreatenedtospil down my
onher.I’dneverseenanythingsohorribleinmyentirelife.Theimages
butIcouldn’tseeanysignofherunderthehissingpilethathadpounced
face.“Nick!”Iyelledagain,butnooneanswered.IlookedforValbelow,
threatenedmysanity,yetIcouldn’tlookaway.Iwassuddenlyfueledby
thoughtsofrevenge,andIsworetomyself I’d avenge
i t my sistethatr’s death,
nomatterwhat.EventhoughIhadyettomake
already contemplated the different waysI could accomplish outoftherealive,I’d goal.
Earlisgonnapay…andsoiseveryfreakingzombieIevercomeacross!
 Chapter10
Standingonthebalcony,Istared at themonsterswhohadkilled
Val.Inonemoment,mysisterandIwerethere,valiantlyfighting backto
back,stubbornlydetermined
pumping
prickled,
loopnextmoment,shewasgone,j
of memories
which
blood through on
ustmakingit
madethat thedidn’tmywholebody.
quite liket t.senseoutof
situation
make
Myhafingers morethereme.surreal.
Myevenmindspunin
totwitched, alive,butin raced,skinwasthe
MyandheartanShemyendless
dead, and I was stil alive. The world seemed more unfairntilthanJackie’sever
before.Iwascaughtinadaze,andnotthepleasantkind,u
wordssnappedmeoutofit.
“WehavetofindClaire andyourbrother,”shesaidsoftly, though
hervoicebetrayedafranticedge.
The sudden urgetoget movingdidn’tgo unnoticed.Iturned to
faceher.
dead.”
whispered.
comrade’s
disbelief “I’ml eyesbecause
Icouldn’ttHerwouldn’t
edeath goingmy ownpainhadnumbedme.
notcouldn’t
wereburningwithsomething:Pain?Disbelief?Anger?
allow beanywhere
meeasyto comprehend
onuntheril everyeithersingleMyexperiencinga
.that“I’m—I’ll
oneownshockand
of stay,”
them iIs
Youare scan’t.
impossibletryatrevenge.”Shegrabbed
painyou’ll
Thinkofthose“No,cause
Dean.whoifyou upWenowneedmyandyou.armandyankedhard.“She…
tgiveil around,thosewho Yourcare brother
sacrifice aboutyou,andthe
yourselffor
needsyou.
some
Valwouldn’t
wouldwantyoutogetyourselftosafety.Thatwaswhatshewasfighting
have wanted you to do something so foolish. Your sister
for.” I didn’t budge. Her words registered with me somewhere,
somehowinthebackofmymind.Shewasright,ofcourse,butIalsofelt
asthoughIwouldbebetrayingValifIranaway.
“Please,” Jackiecontinued. “Nick has already lost one sibling.
Don’tmakehimloseboth.”
“Let’s go!” Claire’s voice called from around the corner a
momentbeforemybrotherandsheappearedinmylineofvision.
together
hadhappened.
said.“Wecan here, man.”mybrother said witha nod, “thanks forel holding
Iturnedaway,avoidinghisgaze.Icouldn’tbeartot
“Thebathroomwindowinthebackseemslikeourbestbet,”Nick
“Dean,” himwhatit
makeacleangetaway.Soc’mon,l
gazesliced through me.Aet’single
creasedhisotherwisesmoothskin.Ipeeredintohisblue
My brother’s s go!” worry wrinkle
himtounderstand;Icouldn’tdarespeakthewordsthatburnedaholein
myZombieheart.“Whatare youwaiting for? Let’s go! This place isturning into eyes,begging
Central.”Hisgazebecamestubborn,andhishandsclenchedto
hissides,asthoughhealready
wanttoacknowledgei t just yet. sensedsomethingwaswrong
Ifrozeandclosedmyeyestoavoidhisprobings t a r e . butdidn’t
“What’s
shoulders. wrong
my
hismindputtingtwoandtwotogether. with you?” he hissed,
Iopened eyesagainandsawhimscanningtheopenlanding, grabbing me hard by the
aroundlikearagdoll,forcing
“Thosemen…they…” meIstammered,myvoicebarelysnakingi
tofacehim. arms yankedme
wayoutofmyconstrictedthroat.“Earl…he,uh…Tahoewouldn’tl
“Where’sVal?”hisshoutechoedinmyears.His et go,ts
thebeenremotetossedin.Thespotwascoveredinsquirmingbodiesnow,and
asonadistraction.”Ipointedatremblingfinger
andIcouldn’t…Earlj
she’d to thepileofzombieswhere
chanceust threwValoverthebalcony!Heusedoursister
coulddotosaveher. that she was stil alive, therenwasn’t
stopthem?”“No!”hescreamedassuddenrealizationseti a thing we
. “Whydidn’tyou
“Itried!”Ishouted,shovinghimashardasIcould.“Whywould
youthinkIdidn’ttry!?”
“Forgoodnesssake,shewasours
“Well, you should’ve trieidsteharder!” r, andyoujustletthosejerks—”
he said, pushingme back.
tried everything we could,” Jackie
“Hold on now! Webybothsurprise.Theolderone,Evanorwhatever
interrupted.“Theytookus
hisnameis,almostkilledme.”
forget. “It’s Earl,” Icorrected, for it was a nameI would never,ever
“He pushedme
abletoholdonu n t i l over thebalcony,” Jackiecontinued,“but I was
Deanhelpedmebackup.”
“Ohmygosh!”Clairesaid,throwingherarmsaroundher.“That’s
horrible.Areyouokay?”
“I’mfine,”she breathedout.
“Where’sVal?”Nickbellowed.“Maybewecans
Ishook my head. “She’sdead, Nick,
made and event i l helpher.”
ifshe weren’t,
she’d
nothingbetornyou—or into pieces
anyone, bythe
for time
that we
matter—can i t down
do.” there.
The There’s
sudden
realizationthatIwasrighthurtmemorethanNick’spainedexpression.
MyjawclencheduntilIthought my bonesmightsnap.
ClaireplacedahandonNick’sback,tryingtosteadyhim,butshe
didn’tsayaword.
“I’mso,
“Don’t!”Nicksaid,violentlyshruggingheroff.
so sorry,”she whispered,ignoringhiscommandnotto
touchhim.Eventhoughherwordswerethinandsparse,Icouldhearthe
backvoice.
herawayfrom
waschoking
sincerityinNicknoddedandkepthisheadlow,andforasecondIthoughthe
cry,hetore
threateningrevengeoneverysingleoneofthosecursedthingsandonthe
tears.Claireandbeganpoundingthewallwithhisfist,
Then,let ing outasuddenloudyel , likeawar
womenoverabanister.
two menwho haddonemysuchan
Iwantedtostop brother,buttherewasnochance.Instead,I
awful thing, throwing two helpless
trembled,
foughtbacktheurgetojoininhiscursing.“I’msorry,man.”Myvoice
andarmI feltatearme rol down my face. Even though Jackieand
wrappedher mearoundseemed totocomfortme,Icouldbarelybreathe,
theroomaround growhot.
anyonefort
outta here,we’llbe
“Therewasnothingwecoulddo,”Jackiesaid.“Youcan’tblame
“Wehgotta
is exceptEarlandTahoe.”
go,”next.NickButwhispered,
first there’ssomething
ignoringher.“IfIneedto we don’tdo getfor
later withagascan.Leaningforward, hestartedpouringit downfromthe
Val.”Hedisappearedintooneofthebedroomsandreappearedaminute
balcony,soakingthezombiesbelow.
Iwantedtostophimbeforehesetthehouseonfire andriskedour
livesintheprocess,buthisgrimexpressionstoppedme.
“Fire and explosions are fantastic ways todestroy the walking
dead.”Grabbinghisl
“Dean!?Nick!?” i g h t e r , heyelled,“Die,youundeadsuckers!DIE!”
“IIleaned andisthatshesawthesaid. crawlingcrowdout foraandfromoverto
There,shebravelysnatchedthekeysforbothvehiclesandheldthem
fine.”
unscathed.What?How
high. Shestumbled
ClairegrabbedNick’shand.“STOP!Listen…that’sher!”
AtthesoundofVal’smuffledscream,wefroze,deadcold.
hit myoverhead,”through possible?Theydidn’teventouchher?
Valmoaning
“Blacked minute.But pack,I’mup
underthethe table.

IshotNickaconfusedlook.
Hesmiled,mirroringmyrelief thatshewasn’tdead.
InoddedandpulledNick’sarm.“How
“Meetmeoutback!”sheyelledup. is thatpossible?She’sstil
alive, buthow?”
Hiseyes widened.“He It mustbebecauseshecarriest
evens
them.Thenagain,I’mnotsurethat’sagoodthing.”
treprievefromthezombies.”
wound
heir ownkind,but…”
ur“Ican’t
eofhers
.laughed,relieved.“Yeah,theymusthavethoughtshewasoneof
”I means
believeshe’sit,”Claire
shookhishead.“Tot
turningsaid.intoone. bit en,htheyeithenrrutscent.That
“If you’reI’veel youthet
heard hdon’teat
, youI’mnotget
reprieveforyou.”Nickthrust
“It appearsthat way.And since you haven’t been bit en, no
abatintoClaire’shandsandmotionedher
forward.
ter ifiedS;he let outa shaky breath butdidn’tprotest. The poor girlwas
knuckles Ihadcouldturnedtel white
“WhatamIsupposed tofromdowiththis?”shewhispered.
thewherewayshehertouched
eyes dartedthe smooth,
to and fcoldro, andwood.her
that’s forMybrothercuppedhercheek.“Well,i
sure.I know you’rescared of guns,but t isn’tforplayingbaseball,
you’re gonnaries tobitea
need a
weaponofsomes
chunkoutofyou.”
“I’m o r t . Justbeatthecrapoutofanythingthatt “Ican’t
sorry,butI just…can’t,” shesaid eventually. hita
growingI“AfandI
—”balcony,
They’remonsters,animals,waitingtoeatyoualive.”
snatchedthebatoutofherhands.Aftera
aselwhat?
tthinas
sorrywasinAnother
forthe
Nick’s.
desperate
person?
girlto
“Youneedof
They
know
some aren’t
laweapon
degree,
what?
, mygunhadflownoverthe
people
Justbuttogivemyprotectmyself.
anymore,Claire.
patience
itto me.”IwasI
weapon
somesenseintoClaire,butshe
hadpacked
withanythingIcould getmyI didn’thandson.Ithought
knewI’dbeokayonceIgottotheJeep,becausemyhalf­zombies
withoutplentyofprotest.weapons, butjusgett inthe meantime,lmywordsmighttalk
shruggedand et Imehadtohave makedo
heronlyister
survivalonmymind,Ididn’tevencare. the girl, but at that point, with
“Ready,Val?”Nickyelled.
somewheretoourr
“Yep! Let’sigmake ht. them pay, boys and girls!” she repliedfrom
locksfrom
i tIcranedthemessof
myNickneckdeaduntipeoplearound
l I thought I could her, distinguishher
andI sawher brown
standing
threw
thehorde,Nickwenttowork.Hepulledalighteroutofhispocketand
fneartheedgeofthehouse,wheretheglasswallandthedoorhadbeen.
thehall,thenmotionedusintoasmallbathroomwithanarrowwindow
ire engulfedthesmallundeadarmywhileNickyelledforustorundown
“C’mon!”
ontothegas­drenchedcrowd,startingazombieroast.Smokeand
saidwithawink.OnceValwassafelyawayfrom
thatwehopedwouldbejustbigenoughforustosqueezethrough.
“There’sahugetreewecanshimmydown,”Clairesaid.
glassInodded.Squinting,IcouldseetheJeepsinthedriveway,andi
thewasarelieftoseethatthereweren’t
appeared assume the noise from theItt
asiwallsf theyhadallheadedtowardthefrontofthehouse,where
any zombiesinthatgeneralarea.
had collapsed. I couldonly
explosionhadattractedthemanddrawntheminthatdirection.
windowopen.
“Okay,everyone.Notalkinguntil we’resafe,”hesaid,slidingthe
and watched
Withoutsomuchasalookback,Ithrewthebatoutthewindow
it land next to a towering rbush. I climbed out.Branch by
branch,Iclambereddownthegiantoakt e . ThemomentIjumpeddown
so gladyou’realive,”Isaid,burying myface inherhairasIhugged her
andlandedonthebareground,IsawValrunningtowardme.“Val!I’m
tight.“ItSheriwereednodded
me,choking
nowords me.tostophim,butI—”
but didn’t reply. A rushfeel howrelievedshewas.The
needed,becauseIcould
Wejuststoodthere,holdingeachother.Inthatmoment,
of emotions overwhelmed
as a spotlight, enhancing every blackmyvein,rotting
echoingfromtheleft.Instinctkickedin, andI
other’spresencewasenoughtoconveyevenmorethanwecouldpossibly
say.Thesmellofdecayingfleshassaulted
Suddenly,ourHallmarkmomentwasinterruptedbyarudegurgle
nostrilreachedformyweapon.
s. Themoonlightserved
flesh chunk, and
battohit ahomerun,hopingtoknockthezombie’sheadoutofthepark,my
saveVal.Shewantedtoprovetomethatshewasreadytofightnow.I
wastryingtomakeupforbeinghesitantaboutwhippingouthergunto
shookherheadandrepliedwithagrimexpressionofherown.Iknewshe
seeping,oozing,smellywoundthezombiehadendured.Iwoundup
butJackieyankedthebatoutofmyhands.Ishotheralook,butshejust
knewshehadfinishedthethingoffwhenawhackechoedinthea
thehissingstopped.
“Youdrive this one.” Valpointedtothemeaset blackJeep andopened ir and
thedriverdoorsoIcouldjumpin, thentossed andtookthedriver
settotheredJeepdangledfromherfingers.Inodded ofkeys;asecond
spotwhileIwatchedherjumpintotheothervehicle.
theareafor fortheanJeepescapeto muddle
wideenough
gear.AsIbackedup,Inoticedahandfulofzombiestoourl
scanned
path!”
Jackie,butshehadjumpedinwithVal.IstartedtheJeepandthrewitinto
NickgrabbedClaire’shandandledhertomyJeep.Ilookedfor
route, butthrough.
that was“They’re
abouttheblockingour
eft.onlyMyeyespath
“Run ithose
alreadyroadk l ! ” slimy numbskulls of over!” Nick yelled. “They’re
Ih i t thegasandspedout
andcrunchesundermywheels.Whenacorpsehitthehood,Ijumpedin thedriveway,ignoringtheloudthuds
myjaw,Ithrewonthebrakesandsenthimflyingoff,thenspedupagain.
myskin;filmywhite,glazed­overeyesconnectedwithmine.Clenching
againstthe Flamesnight.Inthe engulfedleftoftheflickering
giant glass lights mansion
tomyleft, and
Isaw burned brightly
men…orwhat wastobe them.Thebeasts toreIt ahadto
zombieseatingwhatlookedlikeahumanbeing. bethemountainof
aswarm
t anexposedribcage,
oozingwhatItook brother followedintestimynes.lineThecarEarlandTahoehadriddenin
wasstilMysittinginthedriveway.“Look!Theydidn’tmakeit,”Isaid.
“Justiceservedandgoodriddance.WhattheydidtoValwasinhuman.” of vision and shook his head.
“Gosh,it’sso…awful,”Clairesaid.
Ipressedthegaspedaldownhard,revvingtheengineandmaking
mybrainhurtfromthegrindingsound.Blacknesscoveredmyvisionfor
asecond,andIshookmyheadu
before
became themyforanothing
eyes,while,uIbutasawterrain
ontolead.Thevehiclemoved
silence unpaved ntilValin
burning ansspotin
ttiwoods.
lspeeddownthenarrowdrivewayand
myvisionreturned.Throughtheblur
ataof theftherearview
Icouldseenothingbuttreesandthedarkening
theBehindus,
mirror, buildingmy
eveningeasilysky.theglassfollowing
We drovein
 “I’man idiot!”Claire said. “Ican’t believe Iactuallywantedto
sky.OnlythendidIletoutalongbreaththatitseemedI’dbeenholding
forhours.Wehadmadeit,andwewereallalive.
stay.Hadyoul
down without mesetin.andJackie,
hercheekseft asreality “I’ve we’dbe
never
care beenon dead.” Tears
myown streamed
before.my
Ourgroup—thegroupwewerewith—took
family.”Shetookatremblingbreath.
From the corner ofmy eye, Iwatched Nicksqueeze her hand, ofus.Theywerelike
peoplearoundyoushelteredyoubecausetheywantedtotakecareofyou,
soothingher.“
people
andtheyfoughttokeepyoualiveandsafe.Notallpeoplearebad,butnot
have toItfightand
’s okay,Claire.Ourworldhasdevolvedintoonewhere
kil eachother just tolive another day. The
fualanttei.ofl today.I’veneverevenheldagunin
‘em are good either,” he said, pondering Earl and Tahoe’s cruel
“You’reright.”Shesniffed.“Wedidn’thavetofightbefore,not
asked thatofme “Iknow, today. have to understandmylithose
but youI just…couldn’t.” fe. It wassurrealthatyou
people who looked
afteryou—good
equipped asharp edgeastotheyyouwaiting
bysheltering
forwhat’s it, aswere—didn’t
you,wasdidn’twanttohurt.IhopedClairewouldl
value.Mybrotherwasblunt,buthisadvice—hardasi
tooif outthere.” NowdoNick’s
isyoutyou’re
hemuch.was breaking badanytonewas
favorsby
en andtakehisadviceat
newsto protectingfaceil ­
unpreparedand
t wastoswallow—
soft,butthere
someonehe
youdon’tlearnhowtofightandprotectyourself,”Nickcontinued. if
wouldhelpherstayalivelonger.“Youwon’tstandachanceouthere
whathesaidappliedtomeaswell.Isuddenlyunderstoodwhyhe’dbeen
thebackofmymind,Iwasenragedwithhisbrutalhonesty,formuchof
sheltered,livingnaïvelyonKelleysIsland,havingnoideathatther
soangrywithmeforsmugglingValinsidethehelicopter.I,too,hadbeen
Ilistenedintently, hiswordsringing trueinmyear. Somewherein est of
right smackdab inthemiddleofit.Thetruthwasapainfulthingfor
urbanlegends,butquitelikeClaire,i t didn’t seemreal untilIwasthrown
theworldwascrumblingaroundme.Sure,I’dheardstoriesandplentyof allof
us.be Clairelaidherheadonmybrother’sshoulder,andhewrappedan wasit,onlytrying
armaroundher.Iwassurehef
again,
about
to nice,forClairewasdefinitelynothistype.Heusuallylikedgirls
whotookchipping
whoonknows?
thethaction,
eirMaybe
nailsnotorbreaking
hetheeneeds
ltoneswho
awkwardaboutitand
agirly
theirranaway
expensive
kind of fromgirlright
heels. squealing
Butthen
nowto
balanceouta
for sltarttheirss.bloodandnastiness.Oppositess
time for***Oncewe
maybeit’sjustabadcase
freeway, soapoperas. of nerves.I knew whatevertirliyta,twas;likefindingthe
We hadmoreimportantfishtof ract,wehad
right?Orno
now led thewaywerefinallyonthehighway,If
and we drove for a few hourselt inabiabsolute
t safer. Val’sJeep
silence. I
hadbeengobbledupbyzombies.
would’velovedtohavethrownsometuneson,butIwassurealltheDJs
Then,outofnowhere,Inoticedmysister
to mybrother. slowingdown,andher
brakelightsflashedasshepulledovertothesideoftheroad.
“Whattheheck?”Iyelled
He“It’joltedawakewhenIstoppedbehindherandcuttheengine.
“Why?”s Val.She’spullingover.”
Claire asked. “It’s dark outside. Stopping isn’ta good
idea,right?”
Ishrugged. “Whoknows?Maybesheneedsapottybreakorhasa
flat orsomething.”
My brother jumped outof thecar anddashed toward her Jeep,
yelling,“Areyoumad?Nostoppingunless
Claireand I rushed over to the other IdeemJeep,itsafe!”then stopped the
momentwereachedVal.
Jackie’shandrestedonher
Shewasonthesideoftheroadbyasign,pukingintothebushes.
thenwentaboutrubbingVal’sback. back.Sheshotusanapologeticlook,
“Areyouokay?”Iaskedsoftlythemomenttheheavingstopped.
Shenoddedbutdidn’tseemtowanttomovefromthespot.
MybrotherandIscannedtheareaaswewaitedforhertof i n i s h .
together.Werewolves are fake,just somethingforteenageg
moonremindedmeofwerewolves,andac
wasgladforthat,becauseIdidn’twanttostickaroundeither.Thef
seemed.Nicktappedhisgun,signalingthatweshouldgetamove­on;I
Thelongstretchofdesertedhighwayposednoimminentthreat,orsoi
hil prickedmyspine.Get irls to giggleulit
over,unlessthey prefer sparklyvampires.Butzombieswerereal, andmy
sisterwasabouttoturnintoone.
“Sorry,guys,”Valeventuallysaid,standing.
“Claire
It’s okay,” Nick said.“I’m the onewho should be sorry for
yellingatyou.” touchedVal’sshoulder.“IsthereanythingIcando?”
Shestraightened andflippedherhairout ofher eyes. “I’m fine,
here. Sorryforstopping.”
guys.Thanksforasking.Let’sjustgetoutta
“Wait,”Isaid,holdingahanduptostopher.“Youshouldn’tbe
drivinginyourcondition.”Iknewsheneededr
Val motionedfor Jackie to get back eisnt. OnceHerJackie did,Val
jumpedintheJeepandslammedthedoorinmy
Turningthekey,theenginecrankedbutrefusedtoturnover.
moody “Whywon’t
andsporadic,thiandit
s thingwentstart?”beyondshe asked. face.Shetriedfemalebehaviorwas
the normal afewoddities.
more
no conditiontodrive.Also,
intimesandtheenginefinallyf
Nickpeekedhisheadintheopenwindow.“Dean’sr
ired. ight. You’re
yours.”Shesmiled.
“That’sformetodecide,”hesaid.weneedtore­wrapthatnastywoundof
“I’m fine, babybrother.”
 “Listen,
madesureoft h aeach
t . Jeep i
Sodon’tworry.Is stocked ’ l with a f i
haveJackiewrapir s t aid k i t ,
t ” Val
upassoonassaid. “I
possible.”“Letme
drivingwhileyougetsomesleep.”Hemotionedtothebacks
“Are youworriedIslaponadressingfromthemedicalk
might hurt Jackie?” it, andthenDean’s eat.
couldanswer,shecontinued,“Listen,thefirstthingIdidwasgiveJackie Val asked.Before Nick
agun. IfIAshereachedforthekeys,Valthrewthecarinreverse.
trytobite, shecanjust shootme.”
Tiressquealed,andshespedoffaheadofus.Clearly,theg
Nickjumpedback.“Val!Youaboutranmeover.”
HeItappedNick’sshoulder.“C’mon!Wegottacatchup!” i r l had
amindofherown,andshedidn’tlikebeingtoldwhattodo.
jumped in thedriver seat,looked over his
sureClaireand
Iletout Iwere inback,andstomped onthe gas. shoulder to make
actinglikethat?”
thefamily.”Nickgrippedthesteeringwheelt
abreath,mygazefocusingontheroadahead.“Why’sshe
ightly. “She’sstubborn.Itrunsin
city. MyheartjumpedwhenIsawValexitthefreewayintothenext
opposite
gonnak“Ohil lane.mycousin!”
my“What’sgosh!” sheClairedoing?saidShe’sas mydrivingbrotherlikeaswervedintomaniac!She’sthe
her!”
thosec
food,andwater,”Nick
i“Idon’t
ties. I’mgonnahavetokick
know what’s wrongherwithinfectedbuttwhenwecatchup
said. “There’s no reasonto
her. We haveventureplentyof into onegas,ofto
“Noti f Igettoherfirst,in” Isaid. eft intothecity. Asharpjolt
Hepulledofftherampandturnedl
rushed
didn’t
seemed
down slowthestreet,
through
deserteddownmeexcept
onegroaning
as weran
bitforaand overfewstray
rushedunsatisfied
adeeptokeepzombies
pothole,
hunger.
upwithstumbling
thenThereVal.another.Theplace
aimlessly
wereno Nick
stre tligNhicklookedoverhisshouldera
corpses. ts and notraffic—just eeriesilence, darkness, and walking
t us,“Idon’tlikethisoneb it.”
don’t “Neither
want to do
follow I ! Venturing
her, butwhat intochoice
the citydoiswebeyond have? stupid.
We can’tI reallyjust
desertthem.”
abandonedWe watchedasVal carelesslyswervedaroundacorner,pastan
subwaystation.
“Stop!”Claire
Nickbeepedthehorn.
“Trycutting
He her screamed,poppingherheadoutthewindow.
off,”Isaid. around her as my seatbeltstrained
spedup
againstmyshoulders.Theheadlightsf andswerved
Val’sfaceforabriefsecond. el ontheotherJeep,illuminating
 hertopullover.
Inthatsecond,Isawthedangerouslookinhereyes.Iyelledfor
“All right. She stopped,”cartsandcameto
Shesuddenlyturnedleft
grocerystorewhereshopping Nick said.
ahaltintheemptylotofa
werescattereda
“Let’sl about.
go talk to her! I’m
dyingtoseewhatshehastosay.”Frowning,hepullednexttoherand
parkedtheJe p.ClajumpedoutafterVal.“Val!”
ire
weapon!”“Claire,” my brother yelled. “Don’t go out there without a
Ididn’tbelieveingivinglectures,butValneededagoodtalking­
“Gotthestungun,”shereplied.
Iwas going to giveit toher, myarmtokeep
to, and“Wait!Youcan’tgooutthereunarmedeither.”Hereacheddown
openedthedoor,butmybrotheryanked whether she wantedmeinside.itornot. I
andpulledagunfromastraponhisankle.“Taket
one.” Nick was right—again: Walking out in hdangerous is. I’vegotanother
withoutaweaponwouldhavebeensuicide,soIgrabbedthegun.“Let’s ter itory
again.Andshe’sNOTdrivingagain,nomatterwhat.”
goseewhatVal’slit le problemis, andthenwe’llgetbackontheroad
“Exactly.”Nicknodded.
“Hey,s is,” Iyelled.
face. MysValistegrabbed
headtoprotectmy
Like amadwoman, r was losingi
throughthewindow.Glassshatteredwithaboom,makingmelowermy a looset bigtime,andIrealized
brick and whippedit
NickandIweregoingtohavetowrangleherbackbecauseshewasn’t
playingwithafulldeck.
“Whatareyou doing?”Nickyelled,wavinghisarmsintheair.
Jackiecamefrombehindandshookmyshoulder.“Yoursister’s
talkingallcrazy.Shesaysyouhaveacureforherzombiebite,butshe
hastoturnintoazombief
“Wedohaveapossiblecure,”Isaid,“butshe’srightabout
irst. She’sgoingmadorsomething!” having
tobecomeazombief
Shenoddedslowly, i r s t . ” asif tryingtoprocessthewords.“Thecure…irst
t’s in thatblackbagyouwerecarryingoveryourshoulderwhenIf
imetyou.I “Bingo.Hey,yougotaweapon?”Nickaskedher.
“I slno’st imyt?”
“butValgavemeanotherone.” gunwhen Ialmostwentover thebanister,”she said,
“Good.”Nicksaid.
“Let’swranglemysister backintotheJeep,”Isaid.
“Crap!”Jackieyelled.
My heart leapt when Val suddenly darted inside the store,
disappearingintothedarknessstretchingbeyond.
ahead Chapter11
lamppostshadtoshow
Withoutofusseemed ofuslifthee.a Anarrow
frombehindthickcloudsthatlookedalmostblackagainstthenightsky.
Nighttime devoiddescended fewhours r, and thecouldpeeked
way,we sliceofthemoon
knewearlieanything stre bets
lurkingintheshadows,waitingtoambushus.Luckily,though,thelight
ofthestarscastjustenoughl
beforemeasIjumpedoutofthecar.Ileftthedooropenandhurriedpast
overflowing trashcans, towardthe ight toilluminateourway.Mybreathmisted
entrance
“Shoot anything that looks suspicious,”to Nicksaid.
howwhichValhaddisappearedaminuteago. the small building
“I don’t careinto
Jeep.” manybulletsyouwaste,j u s t staysafe.Wehaveplentybackinthe
Eventhoughahisfterbackwasturnedonmeand
noddedandhurried him.Ididn’tknowwhatkindofgoosechase he couldn’tsee
at night,onlytobreakinto
offthe highway
my
me,I
ssomeviablereason.Nick,however,wasn’tasunderstandingandpatient
andleadusintoacreepy,desertedghosttown
agrocerys
ister was leadinguson.Whyshe
tore, wasbeyondme,butforherownsake,Ihopedshehad
had decidedtopull
ashislittlebrother.
“C’mon,Dean.Moveyourb uto t .ofWehaven’tgotallofeternity,”
Nicksaid,motioning
whirled
looked “Wait!” me forward.
likearoundan overstuffed
Claire
and headedsaid.purse
back“We’llfulnever the Jeep,flashlights,
see thena thingin
returned
whichshethere.”She
withpassed what
around.Nickmether gaze. “What do youmean, ‘we’? You’renotgoing
intherewithus.”
“What?OfcourseIam.”Asthoughtoproveapoint,shewalked
pasthim,callingoverher
Ididraisedbeandmy brows shoulder,“It’syours
mightneedmyhelp.” ister, isn’t it? Youguys
preciousfriend
either
areally
l thatwell,butfromwhat
they’d
“Just bondedaIhadt Nick.overseensofar,Iwas
I’dkilling
Clairestoppedandturned.“Iknow.Nicktoldmeeverythingback
digNickandwasjusttrying
suddenly
careful.She’sbeenbitten!”Jackieyelleda
possession—theguninmyhands—onthel toassumed
afewClaireready hated
impresshim.Ididn’tknow her.at Val,er. shebuther
zombies,ftobetmymost
ter orelse
something
intheJeep.”
Yeah, definitely thelatter. She probably thinks theyshare
abruptly
echoing specialnowthatNickhasconfidedinher.Shakingmyhead,I
let outathroughthe
inthe
longbreath tookoffairmarketwhen
doorwayaandir. Theofthe smelled dampI heardearthVal’s
throughoftheparking lot.andI screams
stopped
rotting
Igritted my teeth asI lookedatNick,“Val’sgoing
garbage,buttherewasalsosomethinge lse: thescentofdeath.to Iaflert every
zombiefromheretokingdomcomeifshedoesn’tbequiet.” I’dhave
hadarolandofducttape,orifwe’dhavebeenfortunateenoughtostumble
intoahardwarestorewheretheysoldthes
cerealMysister’s wewere tusignover
f , Iwouldhavebeenhighly
Krispies
hurriedupthe
zombieb
temptedThebobbingbeamsofourflashlightssweptbackandforthaswe
atouseit.
it. GoldenGrahamsbecausethe
aisle. Ionlyknew big mouthwas going
inthegraveyardofRice
ourtoturnheadssaidso;
us al into
therewasnothing l e f t ontheshelvesbutlayersofdustanddebrisanda
somethingscurriedpasttoourrightandIcranedmyneckandsweptthe
boxrippedrightdownthemiddleofTonytheTiger’sstripedhead.Then
flashlightoveradarkheadwithlonghair.I
catchmys
grime, Thef
barelyistielr.tmade a sound asI dashedthrough
h“Val,c’mon!Wegottago!”
y linoleum,carpeted nudgedNick,thenspedupto
byan inches­thicklayerofdustand the darkness, then
myspottheculprit…packagesofrottingmeat.
stopped.Asicklyscenthitmynostrils,makingmewanttopuke.Imoved
flashlightaroundandilluminatedthe darknessasIscannedtheareato
Val held upa blue
writing.Shedidn’teventurnasshesaid,“Look!I box with a picture of t ’ snoodles and
smashed.Rodents fancy
“Ishavebeennibblingi
thisgoing to bemyt saswell,sot
wasandIdidn’tknowwhatpossessed
pieceofsteakfromi newwrapper.Tobehonest,Iwasn’tevensurewhati
onthefloor,anditlandedwithaloudthud,thenpulledoutagiant,moldy herto pickit up inthefirst place.t
choiceoffood?”sheasked.
his one’sano­go.”Shetossedthebox
ground.“IIgnoring
plopped “ontoIsurehopenot,Val,”Iwhispered.a fewcanherhavefeeteyesawayit, andmiss!”andthrewremained
theme,groundsheYourolled
t’s expired! the steakstuckheraway.tovoicetheIt
Valyelled,
reverberatingfromthewalls.“Andgetsomeclotheson.Whocomes
storedressedin arobe anyway? Whenyou’redone snacking,gohomea
andcookyourmansomebrainsorsomething.”
“Who’sshetalkingto?”Iwhisperedto to
“I
My attention remained glued to Val asofshefreaky.
dunno,” he said. “Butit’skind Nick. I bet she’s
hallucinating.”
rolleditinherhands,continuing her monologue.“Andtheldhisupone’sdented.
Thisstoresucks!Where’sthemanager?” a can and
Footstepsechoed behindme amomentbefore
appearedandClaire’shandwrappedaround my upperarm. ClaireandJackie
Ishookmyhead,signalingthatIhadnoclue,andturned
“What’sgoingon?”Jackiewhispered. mygaze
back toVal, whowas s t i l regarding acan
“Are you trying to memorize the ingredients or something?”
paintinghanginginanartmuseum. as though i t was a famous
Claireasked,hervoiceoozingwithsarcasm.“Surelyyou’renotcounting
In oneswiftmove,VallungedatClaire,hissinglikesomekindof
caloriesnow,areyou?”
vampirechickinahorrorflick.Claire’sarmsflewuptoprotectherface,
offreakedmeout,almost ir paddy wagon and lockher up t inakindmen
white coatsto bring tothethepointthatIwantedtosummonthe
inbutValwasstronger.Inasinglemotion,shetossedClairetotheground
andlandedontopofher,pinninghertotheground.Ihadtoadmit,i
straightjacket.After
spotand thei
arms around her anddraggedherup n i t i a l shock,I finallyungluedmyselffromthe
leaptforward,butNickwasquickeronthedraw.Hewrapped
inan
hisscreamed. me!” irongripasshekickedand
whatyousaid.Ifyouknewanythingaboutzombies,you’d
Irolledmyeyes.“No,Idon’tthinkso.Ithinkshejustdidn’tlike
“She’stryingtokil Claireyelped.
Val’seyesbulged inher skul , andshelookedlikeaserialk
“You’llbethefirst
yourmouthshutratherthanprovoketheirshorttemper.” knowtokeep
il er.
going toeat yours.” togo,Claire!Youdidn’twatchmyback,sonowI’m
ight and Iwas thankful me. “She’sformad,that. freakingcrazy!Get
thatmonsterawayfromme,”shechantedoverandoveragain.“Gether
away!”Nickheldhert
Clairegasped,hidingbehind
didn’t. “She’snotamonster,”Iwhispered.“…yet,”Iwantedtoaddbut
stopped strugglingokay.tand’sI’mlikeshe’spossessedorsomething,”Clairesaid.
suddencalmness.
“Mygosh!I
“Okay, seemed me go,”again,Val saidbutIquietly.She
fine! Letreasonable didn’ttrust hadthe
“Yousure?”Nickasked.
again, herShenodded,
hands cutting her gazesweepingoverClaire,andforamoment,I
thoughtIsawaflickerinhereyes.Iwantedtoshouta
whenhepulledawayafewinches.Likeawildbeast,Vallungedforward
through the air inches fromt Nicktowatchout
my face. Claire
buried
lowerback.herface
“What’s inmy
wrongshoulder,andher
with you?” Nickhandsclutchedthe
saidandthrough grittedshirtatteeth,my
grabbingholdCalmofValmydown,Val!”
psychoagain. again. “Itrusted you, you’re actinglike a
lectureyouevertaughtme?Funnythatyou’dforgetitnow.”
shotmybrotheralook.“Youcan’tt
“I’mnotazombie,”Valhissed.“I’mjustagirlonamission.”
Ismacked tongueandpeeledClaire rust azombie.Wasn’tthatthef
offmyshirt, andthenIirst
Yeah,right…themissionofeatingafriend.Iflashedmybeamin
hereyesandthengaveNickasidewaysglance.
“Her
“What?”heasked.
irises aredilated, hereyes bloodshot.
foreheadisbeginningtocrack.” Themeanskin on her
amaniac.Ihatetot
“Thevirusis ekickingin,”Nicksaid.“Shedoesn’t
l youthis, butiValt’s onlygonnagetworse,soyou’d toactlike
had
better get used to it.”He
whitewherehisfingershadslicedintoherarms.pushed past us.His knuckles turned
 Shestruggled,herlegstanglingwithh
inchforward.
“Moveihere.t, Val,”hewhispered,“orIswearI is, makingi t impossibleto
’l tie youupanddrag
yououtof Youwon’tlikethatlit le trip throughtheexpresslane.
Trustme.”“HowarewegoingtogetherbackintheJeep?”Iasked.I ’ l
points.”Val hissed and spat butdidn’targue.knockheroutusingpressure
“She’lleithercooperate,orelse to
onepaceatatime.
zombifiedWhensister,my
arounduntilthebeamf I heardsenses
eal onapairofglowingyellow
growlthat
kicked inonfull Slowly,
wasn’t coming she began
alert.Ieyesfrommy mynearlyltakeight
shinedthatcameout
ofthedarkness.“Nick!”Iyelled.“Zombiehousewife
Isquinted to
“Don’tpanic!”Nickwhispered.“I’vegotthis.” a t threeo’clock!”
couldcatchThe anyzombieattack.getabetterglimpseasIswungthebeamaroundsoI
inched forward, then stopped and bent forward,
allowingusaglimpsebeneathherdirtywhiterobe.Ismirkedandmoved
mygazefromhernakedlegstothebulgingredveinscoveringherface.
Val’swordsechoedinmyears,andIwonderedi
thathalf­dressedzombie,advisingit tothrowonsomeclothes,butIhad f she’dbeentalkingto
time toponder her tostrange
noSlowly,sheknelttothegroundandpickedupthepieceofmeatVal
tossedaway,thenstarted comment. The zombie moved again.had
lickthespoiledsteakinabloodthirstyfrenzy,
likeastarvingstraydog.
Val slapped her forehead. “That’s sick! I can’t believe that’s
goingtobemeinlessthanaday!”
“Putthatthingoutofi ts miseryplease,”Isaid.
Nickaimedhisgunandshotthecorpseinthehead.
She“Willyou
fel straightbackandlandedina large display ofmacaroni
andcheeseboxes. shootmetoo?”Valaskedsweetly.“Youdidj ust shoot
mys r, ina sense.Imean,we’re
zombiefamily,right?”
iste“Stoptalking a l partofthesamehappymeat­eating
Shegrabbed mylikethat!”Nicksaidthroughgrittedt
collarandshookme,herunnaturallyshinyeyes
e th.
piercing intomine. “What’sit like to have a zombie for a sister?” she
asked. I set my jawand forcedt completelysucks?Whatevermybrain
supposedtosay?Thetruth?Thati myself to stareat her. Whatam to seeany I
changeanything. “It’s notfun—nofunatall!Especiallywhenshebreaks
intostoresatnightinthemiddleofZombieLand.”I
cameupwith,it wouldn’tbegoodenough,andIknewi t washard
t surewouldn’t
findingher,
life behindthose and thathurt
eyes ofmemorehers.I thananything.“Tryandthinks
was losing herafter justso recently traight,
Val!Wegottago,bigs
“Big?SonowI’mfistera.t”, huh?”
anotherdisplay,sending
“Idon’twanttobecomeazombie,”shesaidsadly,knockingover
“Noway!”Ishookmyhead.
mmm,
keepherfocused.“Youwon’t
adelicacy,”Valsaid.
good,”shemocked,looking
Her thoughtswerealloverthe severalredandwhitecanstothefloor.“Mmm,
bea zombieforever,Val.
place, and I realizedI needed to
at them.“I’mnotreallyintobrainsas
remember?”Myvoiceremainedcalm,butinsideIwasshakinglikealeaf
inthewind,hopingthatwhatI I’vegotthecure,
“You do? Why didn’t wast you eulstingsayherwast
j so?” rue. yawned. “I’m so
She
tired. What’syournameagain?”
“AndI’myour other brother,Nick.Now come on,sis.Ihave a
“I’myourbrother,Dean.”
niceblanketandpillowwaitingforyouintheJeep,”Nickcoaxeds
“Let’sgo.” INickgrabbedherarmtoput
“Okay.”Sheleanedforwardasthough
f shenoticed,shedidn’tcomment ontoit.hugme.
afew inchesbetweenus.Shesimplysaid,“Deanoftly.
andNick,Iloveyouguyssomuch.Icouldn’taskforbetterbrothers.”
IprayedtoGodshewouldn’tbitemewhilemyguardwasdown.
“It’sgonnabeokay.Ipromise.”
if she hadjust snapped back into reality. “Arelyouplaces?”Valasked,as
“Whyarewehere?Inagrocerystoreofa guysthat hungry?
Didn’twetakeenoughfoodfromthatglasshouse?”
“I’m nothungryawet al ,” Isaid,pushingherforwardasgentlyasI
could.Luckily,shebegantomove.
“Thenwhyare
losingmy here?”sheasked.
forafast­fooddrive­thru.” t off the freewaytotakeusonsomekind of
midnighttourofthisplace,”Isaid.“Ifiguredmaybeyouwerelooking
“I’m
“Well,youhightailedi
handandthenletitgo,asthoughshedidn’ttmind.Youbetternotlet merusdriveagain.I’m
mysorry,guys.I­Ijustdon’tknowwhat’shappeningtome.”Shesqueezed t herselfany moreso
thanItrusted Inan inher.In
me!Whoareyou?I’mnotgoinganywherewithyou!”
stant, Clairepressedherstungun
theverynextsecond,she yelled,“Getaway on from
mys i s t e r crumblingtothegroundonj Val’sarm,sending
for
shewasburningup. light down.“She’soutcold.Let’s zappingyour
sister andall,butIthinkweneedtogetouttahere,”Clairesaid.
Nickshinedthe e l i e
“It’sokay.Shewasoutofcontrol.”Iscoopedherupandrealized d legs.“Sorry get herback
ighWet. barely moved a fewsteps before zombie groans came from
intotheJeep.”
ourr
they’re Jackiegrippedmyhand.“We’vegotcompany,andIdon’tthink
here forsfeeln’tthgood!”Clairesaid.
iherrs week’s
humor,Icould “Thisi igiditysales.”
. In spite of her attempt at infusing
okay.” “Don’t worry,” Jackie said. “Val gave meagun, sowe’ll be
thengasped. “Ihope
I followedher right,” Claire said. She peeked around an aisle,
you’re lineof
throat.“There’re
aimer…andWemoved Imeansomany vision,
forwarditerofaatal them.
thatl Thatand gunmy ownofcareful
y.” snail’space, yoursbreathnotto
bettercaughtbedrawadead
in anymy
unwanted
knocking attention.boxesAboutand canstwentyas zombies stumbledthrough around theaimlessly,
We werealmost halfway downthe aisle when azombie’sstock,gaze
over
lookingforanykindofrawmeat. they rummaged
I forced
fbodyscreamedtorun.“Nick!”Inudged
el uponme. myself
He grabbed myarmandpulledmedownthea toremain mycalm,even though
brotherharderthanintended.
are weevergonna get outofhere?” my whole
“We’reoutnumbered.How isle wherewehid
behindagiantdisplay.
“Andit“Weneedadistraction,”Jackiesaid.
Nick
’s notforbakingacake.”
glanced around, as if pondering. “Flour,” he finallysaid.
“Perfectdistraction,”Isaid.“Isawflourtoo.”
“Brilliantidea.Wecancovertheminthestuf ,” Clairesaid.
“Where?”Clairesaid.
Withoutgiving heran answer,Idarteda few
myandstarted
side,
nexttoacellophanebagofbrokenplasticforks.
package,azombie’shandburstthroughtheshelfopeningfromtheother
ligrabbingmy
ghThroughtheshiningbeamofmyf
t ontheoverhangingsignsu me. Justaislesover,flashing
franticallyarm andlookingstartluintngitlilIIfoundtherightisle.Iturnedleft
found
Mylashlgunigiht.,clattered as Itothesnaggedaflo r,
gap,lurched.Iknewi
andI saw fthezombie’s
thethingbrokemyskin,I’dbeinasmuchtroubleas
white, lifeless,hungry Ilookedthroughthe
eyes. Myheart
Val.Itriedtowiggle
concern
tightenedi my handfree,butithadamazingstrengthandjust
the attentionwasts grip,pullingwhiler
freeing
of theother armwithout
undeadat lilate­night
ngsustaining
theshelf.shoppers, Ifeared prayed it
I mymain
awound.butitmightdraw
hand,Itriedtoh
hurt,buts
wouldn’t tscratchor bite me withet igo.ts jagged teeth,mybecause
wouldbemorefatalthananysalivadroppingon
il thethingwouldn’tl
it itwithmyflashlightoverandoveragain,untilmyarm skin.Withmyfree
I knew that
amIsupposedtofightwhilethisthing’s
Footstepsrushedbehindme,andmyheartraced.Azombie?How gotaholdofme?Iglancedover
myarm shoulder
hurryingover
stunnedthe
fre . “Thankyou,Claire!Isooweyou.”
corpse’sarm.Wheni
andsaw
tome, itwasn’t
holding herstun atzombie.
releasedi onlymy Claire.
gun.It swasIbitcoldgrasp,Iyanked
lip hardassheShewasmy
“Diditgetyou?”shewhispered.
 Iranmyhandsovermyarm,fearingthatImightfindmyselfin
thesamepredicamentasVal.“Noblood,”Isaid,lettingoutahugesigh
ofrelief“.ItWhenIsuddenly
’s okay,”Clairesaid.“ heardIfootsteps,
t’s onlytheothers.” my“Grab
gazejerkedup.
can!” NickcarriedValsecurelyinhisarms.
We al went towork anditstarted asmanybagsasyou
prettysureNickhadn’tseenmyl grabbing bags of flour.I
le ‘shelfbattle’withthezombieandI no wasfor
wasn’t aboutto say anything atthe moment. There was time
lectures.Carryingthesacks,wespeddowntheaisle.
“Ourgoal
When
blanket Weof whites
settingdownVal. ifstitoconfusethem,todistractthem!”Nickwhispered,
zombieshissedandstartedtostumblearoundlikebig,clumsyi
wethrew clamberedithem,
ngtothethroughtheair,butourplanseemedtowork:The
flour spewed
topof theshelvesand everywhere. I coughedopenedthedfromthe
iotsbags.
, and
icreated.
t lookedasif theywerecompletelydisorientedfromtheflourfogwe’d
tweight
Claire
glancedhelplessly
head.
behind
ightly,Theshelves
hadmade whenitoutahadtanzombies
NickandClairedartedoffaheadofJackieandme.Wewereright
“Runnow!”yelledNick,jumpingdownandscoopingupVal.
peeringthroughthesmogoff
ofthemsomany al avalanche
okay, .sItandoappearedasi
thezombiesfloodinginthroughthedoorway.
collapsedfbutil iright
Inofghadn’t.Murphy’sLaw.Go
ltheocansurdownre.onboxes
I gripped
us, probablyfrom
tumbledover
f Nick,Val,and
Jackie’shand
figure.Imythe

“We’llhavetofindadifferentwayout,”Jackiewhispered.
I glanced at the zombies flooding in through thedoorway and
realizedwedefinitelycouldn’tuse
seensofar,theonlyotherwayoutwastheback,wherethezombieswere
gathered.Crap!We’resoscrewed. themainentrance.FromwhatIhad
madehadtomyskin tingle, andthe mygrocerybrain wasstorehad
Chapter12 workingseemed
wepeaceful,buttherewasnothingpeacefulabouttheplace.Unfortunately,
weretrapped.Thecountlessgrowlsandmoanscuttingthroughthenight
Fromoutside,
discoverthattinydetailafterfollowingValinside,andnowwe
overtimedeserted,
as I trieven
ed to
figureouta
outofthes tway
o r e , tomakeit outalive. Nick,Val,andClairehadmadei
butJackieandIwere s t i l trappedinside,andi t t
didn’t
before
look likethewewere zombiesnoticed going tobeourpresence.
ableto comeOne uphadwithalreadyspotted anexit strategyme,
and with moreflooding in Myheart
andIwassurethatifIcouldheari
wouldgrowcrowdedsoon. throughtsthewasalreadydrummingin
ter frontby theminute, themyplace
ified thump­thumpsoloud ears,
I bit mywaylip as I glanced
clear, thezombieswould hearit too.Itwasonlyamatteroftime. and
high window Jackie noddedovertothe around
. the darkness,
in silernitghtagreement, then tookthenpointed
off in the rightto a
direction.Ourshoesbarelymadeasoundonthetile flooraswezigzagged
stopped
wall.
throughafewaislesandfinallymadei
topeer around.Long shelves ftiltothehorizontalwindow,then ed with cans juttedout of the
rickety Giving
bottomJackie’s shelves handand pulled myself upI steppedon
a Iltast squeeze, to the nextonehorizontal of the
surface.“C’mon!”Iwhispered.
location
knockingoffanyofthemerchandisewithmyf
circumstances,but thenoise.metalthatnothingabout
Therod,wouldn’t
lastthingIhaveourwasdwanted
then heavedmyself beenif icultonoticeable
on toanytosoundthearmyoftheundead.Iplacedafootonthehardsurfaceand
heldchafing
making circumstances t etoshimmyup underiawaymy
t madea
up.dot, butwecouldn’trisk
Mywas clothes
givenormal.without
normal
I held
mybreath and peeredrealized
myofleg.WhenI
spotted.Thezombieswentaboutt
withaslice foul­smelling around me,heirtryingtodetermine
itwas
meat. Letting if we’dtheshelf
business,fightingandhissingover
outmy
strong enough
breath,Itotestedsupport me,beenI
moveduptothenextlev
Afewcansknockedagainsteachother;twoorthreerolledtothe
el,thenstoppedagainwhentheshelftrembled. side,
butdidn’tdroptotheground.ThankGod!IknewifIcouldkeepitthat
butsteadily,takingonestep
wasacanofblack­eyedpeas.
way,wemightjuststandachance.The
Usingtheshelfasaladdertoreachthetop,Iclimbedupslowly
last thingI wantedtodieover
cansCrap!clattered a t atime.Iwasalmostupwhenoneofthe
to catcha fewinmyzombiethroat.headssound
my breathSuddenly, tothe ground,the snappedreverberating
Iprayed fromthe
theirinterest
inour direction, walls.be
wouldn’tcausing
piquedbut,asusual,luckwasn’tonmyside.HurryingasfastasIcould,
mylegsonfire,Idashedup,thenreacheddowntohelpJackie.Iwrapped
myhandaroundherthinarmtopullherup,andonceshereachedthetop,
down. Because ofmy fumblingcans fiasco, zombiesaswehad
spottedusandheadedinourdirection.
we glancedJackieunlockedthewindow.Wepushedandpulledashard
could,ourarmsstraining
andrefusedtobudge.Ireachedas weforcedthelatch,buti t waspaintedshut
“On three!”Ibegantocount,and
formy gunbutitwasn’tthereandIknew
ibustthewindoworknockthelatchoff.Myhandswrappedaroundacan
again.Igotonmykneesandreacheddownforanythingwecoulduseto
thenhurledmywholeweightforward,tonoavail.Myheartbegantorace
t must’vefallenoutwhentheshelvescollapsedonus.
“Giveitanotherpush!”Iyelled.
ofspaghettisauce,themushroomvariety.Itwasabitsmall,buttheedges
weresharpenoughtodothet
“Noneed,”shesaid,slidingouthergunfromherholster.Pulling
rick. “Coveryourface!”IsaidtoJackie.
theontothegravelbelow.Theshelvesstartedtowobble
t r i g e r , thewindow shattered witha
neck,”Ishoutedthroughthemoaningnoisebelow.WhenJackiereached
holdingontotherailingwithmyotherarm.“Wrapyourarmaroundmy
rockthemfrombelow,andJackief
Iquickly grabbed her aroundel backwithaloudyelp. boom,glass
the waist steady toas zombies
sprayingher,beganto outside
while
up,body wasstill herpressedinto myagainstarmstomethefloorbelow
windowsill,dangerouslyclose
Iscooped andasheldwe teetered
kickedouttherestofthewindowwhileJackiekickedtheshelfover.Her her tightly andonthehandsreaching
againstme,
the edgeofthenthe
upshelfcrashed on topofthezombies.
tograb usandtearusintot asty, bloodymorsels.Withaloudthud,the
shimmydown,noladder,norope,andnothingtoaidourdescent.Only
after leaningoutdidInoticethatdirectlyunderneathus,therewasat
Ipeered out into thenight, exasperated. There were no trees atol
dumpsterwithf lat, opendoorsonthetopandmetalslidingdoorsonthe
side.“We’vegottajump,”Isaid.
Withouthesitation,Jackie
Ifollowed right afterand climbedoutandtooktheplunge.
giantthe onlypileokay?”thingof blackbags.
were
couldheartheplasticcrinklingbeneath to ofmyfellintoa
gripsomethinghardwithoutspreadingthegarbageandsmella
rotteneggshitmynostrilsandmademegag.Pushingup,Istruggledto
WhenIfinally
coveredin trashmanagedparts situp,I me“Areyou
face.realizedamomentbeforethereek wasn’tofI
I thatlwhispered,
overme.
lookingaroundforJackie,who’ddisappearedintotheabyssofgarbage.
She popped upand peered over afew bags. “Yeah, I’mfine.
You?”I nodded, even thoughI couldn’t tel whether shecould see
anythinginthepitchblack.
“Seeanything?”shecontinued.
walls The moon castathe distance.To
stretchinginto glow over citythebuildings,l e f t of a and graffiti­covered
broken lamp post, I
noticedalongalleystrewnwithgarbage.Mygazescannedtheareafor
 anysuspiciousmovement,buteverythingremaineds
heartlurched.If
agreen,rottinghandburstfromtheboxesandt
clear,”IwhisperedtoJackie.
TheloudrustlingofplasticbagsnexttoJackiestartled
elt aroundthe ilent. “Thecoasti
ried toclenchtheair. me. Then,Mys
trashlookingforanythingIcouldgetmy
handson.AllIcouldfindwereemptyboxesthatwouldn’tevensmasha
fly, let alonefightoffazombie.
The oversized container shook slightly onits wheelsas the
zombie
snappingfought its jaws.its Shewhipped
way through outhergun
the trash andandsprung shotit towardJackie,
straight inthe
forehead.Darkliquidsquirtedeverywhere,andthezombief
Iwasrightbehindher, soI helpedherclimbovertheedgeofthe
Jackiescrambledup.
dumpster,andthenfollowed. el sideways.
my surroundings. “Whichwayshouldwego?”Iwhisperedas
Iscanned“Let’scirclearound.Maybewe’llfindNickandClaire…andyour
sgasped.Morezombieshadspottedusandshuffledinourdirection.Jackie
ister.” BeforeIcouldeven answer,I heard amoan andspunaround. I
andweturnedaround.“C’mon!”Wetookoffdownthealley,andIspied
aimed hergun,
wouldn’t stand achance.With
but we both realized
my hearttherepounding,I
were toogrippedher
manyandhand,we
theperfectgetawayvehicle, an abandonedmotorcycle.Nickhadtaught
glancedover my shoulderto make
me howtoridehismotorcycleagesago.Iwasaproandcouldhandlethis
withnoproblem.“Thinki
surethezombiesweren’tgainingonus.Luckilyforus,theywereslower
t runs?”I
thanturtles,andthey
outoftherebeforetheycaughtup. were stillagooddistanceaway,butIwantedtoget
“It won’tevenstart withoutkeys,”Jackiesaid,searchingforthem
inthedarkness.
Itwould
sidewalkinaherhavebeenfartooeasyforthemtohavebeenl
theignition,Isupposed.Iglanceddownandnoticedaleathercoatlyingon
somethingaboutit,butbeforeIcould,shehadfollowed
andwaspoking bloodyheap.
footintotheheap.Bendingdown,shef
Iwas abouttoopen mymouth eft tosay
myellineofvision
t thepocketsinthe
andpulledoutasetofdanglingkeys.Iprayedoneofthemwoulds
thebike.
appropriate­looking
I hopped on,keyinthe
she hoppedignition. but ttheart
on behindThereme,wasanda Iclick,slid themost
motorcyclewouldn’ts tart. Beadsofsweatrolleddownmyface.
“Iam!”Isaid,wonderingwhythethingwouldn’tcooperate.
“Tryagain!”yelledJackie.“They’regettingcloser.”
asplutteredfor
ter ifmyheart
ieOfd glanceamoment,
overmybutthen
shoulder,it finally
Itried onelast time. The With
engine
Harleywithabeautifulg
ourh
al ey,air. course,I’dpictureditmore
racing. iIrl,hadalways started!We
of riding speddown
theblastinggustsofwindwhippingthrough a magnificentthe
onadreamthighway,notinaback­alley
labyrinth,inthemiddle of thenight,withzombieshotonourtailpipes.
 Wetookas a few totwistsand turns, butandI really wasn’t sure which
waytogo.Islowedandturnedthemotorcycledownanotheralleyway,
whichultimatelyledus
“Turnaround,”Jackiesaid.
Just shesaidit,Iheardhissing
abeach. moaningwaftingthrough
thenighta i r andglancedovermyshoulderto see anewgroupofundead
comingoutfrombehinddesertedbuildingsandheadingtowardus.“Um,
scratchthat!”Isaid.“There’snowaywe’regoingback.”
 Chapter13
ontothebeachandhittingthegas.Iscannedmysurroundings.To
“Thesand!It’llslowthemdownbigtime,”Isaid,turningleft
bytheldarkness. Behind us, a white sign glowed in the darkness,
eft,tal treesstretchedintothesky,theircrownsswallowedup
pointingoutthatitwasaprivatebeachandanyintruderswouldbe
prosecuted.Wedidn’tknowwhatwemightstumbleuponineither
direction, andmyI wasn’t
deliberating, wheels surewhich
suddenly wayto take.While
squealed, throwing up I sandwas
everywhere. “What’sgoingon?”Jackieaskedbehind me.Her frantictoneand
theweres
worried.waytwasn’t
moths
motorcycle. Holdheratleastahundred
lmake hands clutched
t out Jackie’s
zigzagaroundthem.”Itwasacrazyidea,buti
groups
haveto tofeettemyrdigitheyaway,butoneparticularzombieseemed
ideawhatwaslurkingaroundthenextcorner.Shufflingthroughthesand,
There ito“ofzombiesslowly
aflame. Imet
ienough
on,”I iwaist
ofthereonfoot.Wehadnoflashlightsand,worse,no
Isaidtimeassumed
calmly,
came ffrom toldres “Ifattracted
eeventhed gaze.
weretevery
ithough out.medirection,
shecanget
handswasto drawnto
theslowly
twemywasn’timpossible.They
Ifwewere usgetting
werefree,we
stuck,
roarshaking.
ofwe’dlikecanthe

tomovefasterthanthereshermyt; Iwonderedi
IkeptthezombieMVPin f
lineofvision.
“I’m he’dbeenj keep u s t recentlyturned.
Jackiepulledout
gettingtooclose.Youj
The“Iknow,”shesaidf
“Remember,aimfortheirheads.” gun. going
motorcycleusrtatworkongettingusouttahere.”
lalteldy. to thesefreaksfrom
“Hey!”shesaid.“TrynotastoI revved spinthetit iup,res. theDiggingtires usdigging
intothesinkingsand.Timewasrunningout,andIcontemplatedrunning
onfootifwedidn’tgettheHarleyoutwithinthenextminuteorso. halfwaydeep
Australiaisn’tgoing to do usany good.”She squeezedthe triggerandto
missed.“Concentrate!”Isaid.
“Iam!”shesaid.Shefiredagain,this timehittingthezombiein
thechest.“It’sstillcoming!”
zombie“They
inchingwillforward,I
unless youneededhit themin
to get themotorcyclet
the head!” Iyelled.ire outWiththe of the
sand,butIcouldn’tfocusonhelpingJackieanddiggingourwayoutall
atonce.
until “Gotit!”Sheslidoffthebike.Shewalkedrightuptothezombie,
shewasonlyafewfeetaway,thenaimedandshothimrightinthe
forehead, sending him to the ground, wherehe f l a i l e d around fora
momentlikeadyingfishoutofwater.
“Areyoucrazy?Getbackonthebike!”Iyelled.
 “I’m notgoing downwithout giving us a fighting chance.” She
aimedattheapproachingcrowd,andthreemorefell.Jackiewasfinally
realizing
to realizethatfightinghadbecomeanecessityforl
themselves. that two people couldn’t take on an entire ife, butshewasfailing
zombiebackherdon by
bike!” “You needto quit playing hero and get yourbutt this
Reachingdown,shegrabbedsomeloosebranchesfromthebeach.
“Ihaveanidea.”
“Ithinkyourgun’samuchbetterchoice,”Isaid.
IheavedashardasIcould,butwith
“Trytolift themotorcyclewhenIcounttothree,”shesaid. thesandshiftingeverywhere,
Ionlymanagedabouttwoorthreeinches.
clenched my teethand held thetheweight
watchedhersqueezethebranchesunder
I“Holditup,”Jackiesaid,kneelingdown. fronttiofthe
res, thenmovetothe
machineas I
back.Iheld
said.soshecould my breathasIdroppedthefrontt
“The stabilizethebranches
branches will providebeneathtraction,it. orirea,tthenl
leastIifthopeso,”
ed upthebackshe
knewwehadtohurry.Icouldj
themotorcycle
motorcyclebackandf and bitingintoourf
thesmallertwigssnappedbeneathi
Itwas abrilliant h,toandgiveIshudderedatthethought.
orth,idea;spewingacloudofsandinthea
ustI picturethatundead
hadlt,esmaking army pullingusoff
meherdoubtitwouldhold.I
that.I irockedthe
r. Someof
“Jumpon,” Isaid to Jackie before
twigsgivingwaybeneaththet ires, sostarting
Ihitthegas.Withonel
the engine.I couldfeel ast squeal,the
thethanthebike.
tireSpeedingup,Ifollowedthebeachs
s were free.I turned in thebydirection
zombiesandwasabletoeasilypass trip,withmythighsclutchingtoi
the least amount oft
them,myheartracingevenfaster
to keepitsteady.
somewhere. Ifwe couldonlyfindit…“Lookforagate
Imygazeturnedright. There hasto be anopening or something,”I
orexit
dinnerb
make
sawthatthesouthsideofthebeachwasalsoswarmingwithzombies.To
yelledtoJackie,
matters
“There’re
el . worse,too Imanywasstilsureour
offixedontheground.AsIturnedthebend,I
them!”loudJackiesaid.
motorcyclehad“We’lljustneverrungtheget
through.”
becomingShewas right, forI saw nowaytobreakthroughthem without
tJackiestartedshooting,andtwodroppedinourpath.
h e i r midnightsnack.
Iabruptlyturnedtheandbikeandzigzaggedpasta fewstragglers.I
revvedupthemotorcycle
doing?”Jackie wrapped her spedtowardanearbyp
arms t i g h t aroundmy iwaist.
er. “What’rewe
“Can
“Yeah,sure.Itakei
youswim?” t we’regoingforadip?”
 “Yep,holdon.”Adjustingmyspeed,Iraceddownthepier.The
enginerevvedandthetiressquealedasthemotorcycledroveintothelake
feelSomewhereinthebackof
Cold water gushedmyintomy
withagiantsplashandbegansinking,pulling mouthusandsoaked
Jackie’shandsaroundmywaist.Withdeliberate,longpushesof
swirlingmind,IrealizedIcouldnolonger myclothes.my
beneaththesurface.
andarms, Ibrokethesurfaceandspewedoutwater,mywholebody
legsscreamingforoxygen.ItookgiantgulpsofairandsearchedforJackie.
Afewmomentsarepassed,
“Jackie?Jackie!Where you?”Iaskedbetweenbreaths.
but the dark surface ofthe water
remainedundisturbed.Iscannedthearea
theworst.Suddenly,asplutteringnoiseechoedfrombehindme.Iturned aroundmefrantical y, fearing
sharplytoJackie,throwingherarmsaroundme.
Imeltedinto herembrace.
“You’reokay!”Shelaughed. “Never been bet er. Ishook myheadto
pushthescaryimages to
toher, Iwouldn’thavebeenabletolivewith thebackof my mind.
Shemotionedtowardtheshore.“Youdon’tthinktheycanswim, I f
myself.anythinghadhappened
doyou?”
and theyknow “Noway!Iliveonanisland.Trustme,thosethingscan’tswim,
it.” My gaze dartedover to theshore. Underthe bright
moonlight,zombieswerepacingupanddowni
pjustwaiting totear usmyapart.Lots“I of them hadt,alsomoaningandgroaning,
ier. Itgavemethecreeps,butIknewtheywouldn’tcomeintothelake. followedus up the
Shesqueezed arm. bet they’d love it if we were stupid
enoughtoswimback.”
“Yeah,butwe’renotthatstupid.”
“Let’sswimtotheothersideandgetourbuttsout of here,”Jackie
said. Ihadnoideahowbigordeepthelakewas,butIdidn’tevenwant
toglidedforwardwithlongstrokes.
thinkAfteraboutafewit. Withminutesno ofother choice, Ihad to remain positive, so I
herpointingatwhatlookedlikeashore.
darknessand“What?”
followed
stretching
started herline
forward,
in the distance.swimming,Jackiestopped.Ihaltednextto
thenofvision,“Youdownthesee that?”she
water surfaceto
whispered,the
there.” She swung back. “There’s somebody over
swimmingu I wassure
ntil wefoundasafewayout.Icouldseetheoppositeshore
itwas just more zombies, sowe’d havetokeep
nottoofaraway.Squintingtogetabetterlook,Imadeoutfiguresinthe
distance. Asecondl ater, a strong breezecarried thealwayscount irt shouts tous.onmyMy
lbrother!”Ipoundedthewaterwithmyfists,splashingi
alongthe
ips curledintoabigsmilewhenIrealizedNickandClairewerepacing
Jackiesmiled.“We’resaved!”
shore,wavingtheirhandswildly.“Ican inalldirections.
 I met herinagazehot,hungrykiss.Iswirled
capturedmylips whenshe gripped my smyhirttongueoverhers.My
close,wrappingherlegstightlyaroundme.Catchingmeoffguard,she tightand pulled me
before—or adrenaline
heart pounded many
feelingintheentire as rls, for thatsurged.matter—and
giworld. I had neveritwaskissedthe suchmostamazing
a hot girl
She broke the kiss and said with acoy smile, “C’mon. Your
brother’swaiting.”
Claire I smiled. “Yeah,laswewere
thewaterandswamtowardshore.
calledassoon et’s go.”Withpowerfulstrokes,I
“Hey,wesawheadlights,andthenabikedriveoffintothelake!”
withinearshot,onlya fewfeetaway. cut through
“Whenwesawi
“Yeah,witht, weracedourJeepsoverheretotheotherside,hoping
it mightbeyou.” allthat screaming to get your attention, I thought
we’da
for themoment,
ground tIscannedthebeachfor
beneath
ract zombies,”Nicksaid. anythrough
me.andAsI Iwaswadedhappyshadows,butsawnone.Itlookedsafe
whenthemywaist­high
feetfinallywater,touchedthe
pebbles
andbreezerunningovermybody.“How’sVal?”Iaskedmybrother.
sand shifted under my fe t. I climbed out, shiveringin the cold
“Sleeping,” he answered.asThere
though,somekindofhesitation,
himself,butIdidn’tpresstheissue. thoughhewaswassomethingin
keepingsomethingto his voice
Happytohave madei
Jackie’shand,andthen my t out,Iel leont outasighofreliefandsqueezed
gazef theguninClaire’shand.“You
packheatnow?”Iasked.
somet
themtogooduse.”
iShenoticedmystaring
“Yeah,well,
ps atthehouse,soIthoughtt and heldihis mightbetheperfecttimetoput
t up.“Yourbrothershowed me
“C’mon,” Nickcantalkanyoneintoanything,”Isaid.
Nicksaid. “You know astun gunwouldn’t cut it out
here.” “Ithoughtthattoo,”Isaid,“butthenClairesavedmybuttbackin
thestore.”“What?” Nickgasped.
“OneofthosezombiesgrabbedmethroughtheshelvesandIl
mygun.IfClairehadn’tcome and stunnedthefreak,I’msurethething ost
would’vebittenme.”IthrewClaireathankfullook.“Thanks,Claire.”
“Notaproblem.”Claireslippedhergunintoaholsteraroundher
waist,thenthrewanoldblanketaroundmeandJackie.Thewoolfeltso
warmagainstmyfreezingskin;Icouldn’tstopshivering.
death!”“Sorry,man.”
Nickhuggedme.“I’msogladyoutwoaresafe.Youscaredmeto
“That was crazy!” Nick said. “Don’t you dare ever pull a stunt
likethatagain.Thebikecould’vedraggedyouunderwateranddrowned
you.”
 “Why wouldn’t he be?” Claire asked, as itf.”standingupfor his
Jackielaughed.“Astunt?Asifweplannedi
Inudgedher,smiling.“Yeah,Iknewhe’dbetotallyfreaked.”
honor.“Thel
“Wetriedtod a s t thingwesaw
aherd
motorcyclewithistract thezombiesbybeepingthehorn.” was
onyour butts.” youguysheadingofftothelakeona
She laett outatremblingbreath.
“AndthenClaire’sJeepwouldn’ts
heartattack,”Nicksaid.
“I t a r t first…aboutgiving mea
Clairesaid.“Yeah,” really think we should be on a lookout for a new vehicle,”
wouldn’tbelieve!”
Claire Nickagreed.“Anyway,Clairelaidonthehornlikeyou
nodded.“Someofthemturned,butmostofthemhadt
eyesarmy.setonTheIfoundi
you.” h e i r
girlI’dt funnythatClairehadt
met only hours earliedrsowouldn’t have dreamt of
hardto detertheundead
matterhowscaryi
friendsareintrouble,they’llgotoastonishinglengthstosavethem,no
methough.ItwasforJackie,hercousin.Whensomeone’slovedonesor
achange,quiteanaccomplishment.Iwassureshedidn’tdoitentirelyfor
attractingtheir attentionwhenshecouldhavej
t is. Ilearnedthis firsthandwithVal. ust runaway.It wasquite
Jackiesaid.“Wemade an escapeoutawindow.”
“Wegotseparatedwhenthezombiesknockedtheshelvesover,”
Claire “Yeah, weherwerearmstoaround
now.” wrapped tal y freaked
both ofoutus.when“I’m weso gladlostyouyou’resafe
guys.”
“Thanksforfindingus,”whisperedJackie,hugginghertight.
“YouthinkI’dletmyBFFandcousingeteatenbyzombies?”
Jackiechuckled.“Notinthis lifetime.”
Nickinsisted
Wealllaughed.
plans
seat.I andtookthe routes,soother.Iridewithhimbecausehewantedtodiscussgame
We took of , heading forthe
andsprawledoutacrossthebackseat,Nickdrove,
“YoureallythinkVal’sokay?”Iasked.“Shelookssopale.”
ClaireandJackiedrove oneand Irodeinthepassenger
Jeepwhile
highway.Nick,Val,
Valwas
“She’s f i n e
anotherstuntlikeshedidbackthere, , but I ’ l t e l you one
I’m thing. Ifour crazy
gonna…”Hedidn’tfinishthe sister pulls
thought.
would Shehaddefinitelyputusinadangeroussituation,andIhopedshe
staypassedoutforawhilebecauseI
Athumpingsoundstartled me. Turningsharply,Isignaled
her.“When’sshegoingtoturnsowecanseeifthecureworks?”
“Soon—verysoon.” hadnoideahowtohandle
keepquietasIlistenedforanymorestrangenoises.Asecondl
my chest,IwhippedoutmygunandmotionedforNicktopulloverasI aNickto
headmysnappedinVal’ster, the
thumpingstartedagain,strongerthanbefore.My
direction,eventhoughIknewshewasoutcold.With heartracingin
preparedforyetanother
ofourJeep. surprisecomingfromthe storagecompartment
 Chapter14
We’d been onthehighwayforatleasthalf anhour,listeningto
smetherhythmicsoundofourtiresontheasphalt,whenastrangenoisemade
tir lookup.Iheldmybreath
ed, butthenathuddingsoundreverberated from insidetheJeep,the
and listened.Forawholesecond,nothing
strange
mumbled, thudding
motioning and thumping
Nick to we’doverheardandbefore.cut the“Whatengine.“I
pull the heck?”thinkI
somethingi“Ihearittoo.Staycalm,”Nicksaid.“Let’snotconfrontanything
s inherewithus.”
uIdidn’t
ntil we’reallsafelyoutoftheJeep.That’llgiveusahugeadvantage.”
couldn’t
out,setting defendherherto get hurt, especially while sheinwasthat outcold
ThemomenttheJeepgroundtoahalt,IgrabbedValandjumped
want softlyonthegrass.Ifsomethingwas Jeep withus,and
weapondrawn. herself. I dashed for the back of the vehicle, with my
Nickreachedmeintwo
theothersideoftherearhatch.
Signaling him to keep longstridesandplacedhislargebodyon
quiet, I pointed my gunat the storage
compartment
eyes. locatedhowbehinda zombiethe second
could’vesetgottenin
preparedmyselftoshootthemiserablestowawaybetweenitsdeadwhite
I had noidea of seatsthere,but
, and mentally
I was
going tomake itpay. Witht. my eyes glued to the rear hatch,I
closerandreachedtoopeni inched
Suddenlytires screechedontheasphaltbehindus, and thedoors
openedandslammedshut.
“Getbackinside!”Nickyelled.“There’snothingtosee.”
“Isi“What’st Val?”Claireasked,
going on?” Jackie asked, ignoring him. “You just
stoppedinthemiddleofnowhere.” appearingbesideme.
I pushed
resembledamaskofi
As though herar i t step
a t i o n . backand peeredat Nick’s
“Weallhavetobequiet,”Iwhispered,“or face, which
youmight
zombieinthestoragecompartmentoftheJeep.”
just wakeupthe
in answer,athud echoed fromI’m nottalking aboutthe
monster—and
louderone.Claire jumped back, startled. “What the heck?inside,A followed zombie? Howby a
Ishrugged.“As
didit getinthere?”“ProbablwyhileValwasonherlit le moonlightshoppingspree.”
“Okay.” towhyit wouldhavewantedtocrawlinthere,don’task
me.Iguessthey’renotclaustrophobicorpronetomotionsickness.”
standguard?”“Okay,we’reopening,”
Shenodded,pullingouthergun. Nicksaid,pointing at Jackie.“Canyou
Nick
slowlyopenedthecompartmentdoor. sighed heavily, then
Idrew asharpbreathandheldit, bracingmyselffortheworst. unlocked the rear hatch and
from Somethingsriteidrtomaneuverthemselvesout.Thenavoiceechoed
upgroggilyandt ed inside,asthoughwhateverwasintherehadsat
within.
Iblinkedseveraltimesbeforeaface
inmy of came tomindtomatchthe
voice.
appearing“Pleasedon’tline shoot, Nick! Don’t shoot, man!” Tahoe pleaded,
ivision.Hisfacewascoveredindarkness,butI
clenchedinanger.“Nicetouchrememberingmyname,LakeTahoe,but
hadalmostcostValherl
doyouthinkthat’sgonnaactuallysaveyour
wouldhaverecognizedhishandsanywhere,fortheywerethehandsthat
Fromthecornerofmyeye,InoticedNicksteppingcloser,hisjaw
fe.
turnedforyou,buddy.Now I’m incharge.” sorrybutt?Thetableshave
IshinedtheflashlightinTahoe’seyes,unable to believetheguy’s
luck.He’dventuredoutintothenight,andwhenwe’dwatchedhisfriend
being eaten alive,we’d al mistakenly
dish.Icouldn’tbelievehewass
Eitherhehadtobetheluckiestmoroninthewholewideworld,orelse
til alive,lassumed
et alonestandinginfrontofus.
Tahoehad been a side
been bit en, so thevenomhadkepthis
he’dwhichoptionwasmorel i k e l y . futurekindatbay.I
Takingastepback,IpushedClairebehind knew
afittingdeathsentenceforelse’s, hisI couldn’t
thatwouldhavegivenNickthe perfectteexcusetoputabulletinhishead,
infectedbyzombies,IknewNickwouldn’thesitatetoshoothim;
blood
clotheswerebloody,butwhetherthebrownandredstainswerefromhis
me,jusorsomeone
t incase,andfocusedmyattentionbackonTahoe.Hishandsand
attemptedmurderofours at least
l . If he had beenister.attackedand
“You’re the scumt thescragglyman’shead.“Givemeonegood
pointedhisgundirectlya of the Earth. You know that, right?” Nick
reasonwhyIshouldn’tpullt
Tahoehelduphis hands,hiseyeshis trigger.” widewithfear. “Please don’t
shoot!Itwasa
I’m l Earl!IletDeangosohecouldhelpher.Justaskhim.I
lofthestory.
et go!”Hepointeda t me,hisgazebeggingmetotellmybrothermypart
notgonnaplayalongwithhisl
My“What?”brotherglancedover atmeas it le games. Hmm.
iftoacknowledgehisclaims.
Well, I’m afraid Iasked
that Tahoe. “You
mightnot work wantmy nowsinceI
right metoremember? havea yourlit le
concussion leftover
sleaze­ballfriend.” from trying tosave s i s t
Tahoepaled, and asheen ofsweat covered his forehead. Hise r from youand
hands clenched
brother’shand.
Iinclined and unclenched, and his gaze fixed on the gun in my
“Isthatso?”Nicksaid,grinning.
Tahoe’s myherehead and tried to keep hard frommightlaughing
shockedexpression.“Yeah.Look,Nick,you hafta at
draw
yourownconclusion
Tahoeswallowedaudibly. sinceIain’t gonnabeofmuchhelp.”
 “Thingis,I
ifonlyatinybit.“Okay.Hedidletmego,technically,”Isaideventually.
Icouldn’thelpbutfeeljusticehadbeenservedbyterrifyinghim,
Nickstnodded.
experienced.”
his half­wit il couldn’treachValintime,andi
friend, she“Right.wouldn’t
An accessory.
havegoneIthinkthrough f it weren’tforhimand
the horror she
wouldcondemnamanwhot
woman.”HepointedthegunintoTahoe’sforehead.ried toas ist inthe murderofaninnocent any judge and jury
“Hey!
grabbingNick’sarm.
believe You’re notmurder. the judgeThoseandvengeful
EventhoughI’dswornitwhenValhadsupposedlydied,Ididn’t
in cold­blooded executioner,” thoughtsJackiehad been
said,
my sister hadbeenmurdered.“Justlethimgo,”Isaidwithaheavysigh.
nothingmorethantheresultofmyemotionsspillingoverwhenIthought
“He’s
road.” not“Getout
worth a wasted bul et. Besides, we need to get back on the
ofthe trunk,’lTahoe!” Nick said through gritted teeth.
“Makeonewrongmove,andI
“Everybody
Tahoeslowlyclimbedout.“ shootyoudeadinyourtracks.”
get back to yourI’l jvehicles,” ust beonmyway.Thankyou.”
Nick said, motioning
jClaireandJackiebacktot
wanderedtograbhis
alwaysbeenliket
ust letTahoe heir Jeep.way,no kbutil erNick
beonhatarm,,hisbuthewas
merry
“Nick…”Isaid,hesitating.Knowingmybrother,Idoubtedhe’d
butheshruggedi .t oOrif . wass he?hardto
“Nick?”Myhand
read.He’d
We’renot Jackie picked up on his vibes
murderers!”Tahoe too. “You can’t k i l him, Nick.
“Nick,”coughedandfel to the ground.He’dlost alot of blood and
wasprettyweak.
Clairesaid,“you’renotakil er. Youknowthat.”
Heregardedhercoolly.“Howwouldyouknow?You’veknown
meforalloffiveminutes.”
Shepressedherfist
wasbeating. it.” againstherchest,rightabovewhereherheart
, and thenyoucankickhimout.”
et er“Icanfeel
himgetbLaughing,Nickshookhishead.“Whyshouldn’twejustleavehim
Hervoicequiveredwithemotion.“Let’shelp
along.”He’dmake anicelit le buffetforanyzombieswhohappento come
here?
“You can’tisjteuns,t “andyoucan’tk
imploringhimtol leave him out iherel himeither.”todie,” she said,her gaze
decisiontomake.Wehopedhewoulddotherightthing.
Weweretryingourbest,butintheend,weknewiButdoIreally t wasNick’s
know
Zombie him?ILand wondered.What
had changed my I’dseen
perception of him
of him. during our
Hewas
be.nsisted. “Really,theydidn’t!” brief s
toughert i n t in
and
colderthanIeverimaginedhecould
regardingTahoe.
“Theydidn’tbiteme,”Tahoei
“Theywon’ttouch himiftheyrecognize their kind,”Nicksaid,
 “I’mwith
Nick’seyesnarrowed.“Butwouldn’tthatbesweetjustice?”
youonthatone,”Jackiesaid.“Hehadnoqualmsabout
helpingtothrow an
“I would neverinnocentwomanovertherailingasadistractionto
savehisownbutt.” hurt anybody!” Tahoe said, shaking his head
vehemently.“
yourl o s . I f It wasal Earl!Ican’tbegintotel youhowsorryIamfor
Ididn’thelphimanddowhathesaid,hewouldhavekilled
metoo!”He“Notaloss,”Clairewhispered.“Theg
gasped. “What?How? I­Imeanthat’s irl lived.”
“Let’sbandage himup,” Jackie said. “Givewonderful,
Whereisshe?I’dliketopersonallyapologize.” him somefoodbut how?
“You want to waste our precious supplies on this loser?” Nickand
waterandaweapon.Whateverhappensafterthatishisproblem.”
asked.
ife!” thatmakes
lthing
“Yes.Idon’twanttohavehisdemise
Nickwavedhisguninthea on ourconscience.That’stheonly
Jackiesteppedtowardhim,hereyessparklingwithdetermination.
usanymorehumanthanthosethingsoutthere,i
ir. “Thisjerkalmostcostmys isnt’etrihert?”
“Listen,Nick…”
madei t“No,Claire!Ifheandhisfriendhadn’tstoppedus,wecould’ve
ofthehouse.” outinthenickoftime,beforetheherdcamearoundtothefront
in thefirst place.If youhadn’tstayed
herhead vehemently.“That’snotentirelytrue,and
youknowiClaireshookt. Islowedyoudown us
therelongenoughtoconvince
longgone.”“That’sdifferent.” tocomewithyou,youwould’vebeen
Adangerousglintappearedinhereyes.“Why?”
Nickranahandthroughhishairashecontemplatedheranswer.
“Becauseyoudidn’ttrytokillmys
Claire’sshouldersslumped.Shewaslosingtheargument,right
ister,” hesaidafteramoment. makeor
wrong,andsheknewit.Whetherwewanteditornot,Nickwould
thefinal“Claire,
decision.
Jackie, you can’t just leave me here,” Tahoe pleaded.he’d
“Zombieswillshredmetopieces.Earl’sapsychopathandtoldme
killmecountlesstimes.IbelievedhimafterIsawthethingshe’sdonein
thepast.ButhewasmyuncleandIcouldn’tleavehim.”
“Oh,you’regood,”Nicksaid.“Goon,s
“No,really!It’s alltrue.Myfather’sthechiefof torytel er. Humorus.”
“I“Right,”Isaid.
goingtotellhimallaboutEarl.”
swear I’mtelling you policeandIwas
the truth. Earl and I left ttheate.cityWegotwe
residedintogopickupfamilymembersstrandedinanothers
sidetrackedtryingtoloseaherd.Iplannedongettingbackhome,zombie
apocalypseornot.”
forasecond.
Hewasgoodatmakingups
“Doyou tories, butnoneofusbelievedTahoe
reallyhavethehearttok
mention,Ihaveawifeandtwing i l acop’sson?”hesaid.“Notto
of
anythingtome.”wasyou,”Nicksaid,“Imight’vetried tethembeforeyoudo
“IfI i r l s . Pleasethink l ing thestorywith
onekid.I“Please
blondehair t’s waymorebelievablethantwins.”
thinkheir mama.
ofmy Igfiryoumetmybabies,you’dinstantlyf
ls,” Tahoe added. “They havebeautiful
lovewiththem.” liket
Iwassurenooneinourgroupcouldpossiblyf
Iraisedmybrowsat himwhenhetriedtoplaythesympathycard. al forsuchatalltale,ayetIl in
turned to regard Nick.softening:
could tellJackiewas “We needHertogetgoing.”
foreheaddisappeared,andherhandsclutchedintofistsa “Havingin heran
crease
frownand the Iangrysaid.t hersideasshe
argumentoutherei
nobody
jumpedinfront of s bound todraw sheattention—andnotthepositivekind.”
NicktolooknoddedouthimasiftoblockNickfromshootinghim.“Hehas
andfor him!”
took another said.step“YoutowardknowTahoe,whatbutwould’ve
Claire
happenediNickletoutalongbreath.“Fine.Getthemedicalkit,Dean.”
f noonehadhelpedmeinmytimeofneed?I’dbedead.”
could
again,Ididn’t theheckcare.s heseriouslycavingj
getIsighed.I there. WhentodoIusgrabbed
outtaIjustwanted whatever thewefirstaid
t becauseofaprettyface?Then
weredoingsowe
kit, Claire
snatched“Hurry it out ofmy
up. Wehanddon’tand begantending
have time fortotTahoe’swounds.
his,” Nick said. “Every
minutewestickaroundherej u s t makesabiggertargetonourbacks.”
snapped.““Then helpus get himighintothe
No,”Isaid.“Nick’sr Jeepso we can leave,” Claireiar
t. Tahoecan’tcomewithus.He’sal
givehim
himself,butthat’sa water andor some
a littlefoodl we’reand goingtodoforhim.”
andnothingbuttrouble.Tendtohiswoundslikeyouwanted,andwe’ll
“Checkhimforanyscratches bites,”Jackie
kind of weaponto defend
Tahoe wiped a sleeveacross hiseyes. “I said.
wasn’t bittufen.inEarlmy
stabbed me. Thezombies wereonmy but , andI sawtherearhatchwide
openfromwhereyouwerepackingsupplies.Ithrewoutthes
wayworked.ThedummieshadnoideawhereIwent.”
would’veand“I“Andhowdidyouplanongettingout?”Iasked.
Ididn’tthink
squeezedintotheintothat backseat,
climbed thefar ahead.I
compartment, then shutseentheme.door.If
theyjustwanted
would’ve My ideaI
them.”“Wow,”Nicksaid ina sarcastictone.“You’reprettysmartfora to get away from
cop’sson.”“AllIknewwasthatIcouldn’toutrunthem,”Tahoesaid. “I was
bleeding,andIdidn’thavetheenergytohotwiretheJeep.Iwasaboutto
passout.Iknewi f IfaintedintheJeep, the zombieswould’vebrokenin
andeatenme.Ithoughti
“He’s coming withme,” Clairesaid, determined. “Cut out the
compartment,andImusthavepassedoutandnotwokenuptillnow.”
t wouldbesafertotryandhideinthestorage
toughguycando
youwasnochangingt
helpedTahoeup.
When act heandtrytoshowal it le compassion,becausethere’snothing
Nick’seyesblazedashepulledClaireaside.“Haveyoul
aboutit.”hobbledoverandclimbedinsidet
heir minds;wewerestuckwithhim.
Asthoughtoprove their point,ClaireandJackie
heir Jeep,Iknewthere
ost your
freaking mind?” I could tel that he was a bit miffed at her outright
defiance,butthegirlhadamindofherown.
“Justlookathim.”JackiepointedatTahoe,nowslumpedoverthe
“Whatifhehurtsyou?”Isaid.
backseat. “He’s
don’tthink h e ’ l aconman,notamurderer.Wecanhandlehim.Ireally
hurtus.He’sbarelyinanyconditiontobreathe,l et alone
aintoazombiefromabiteorscratch,buti
needtoknowt
nythingelse.”“True,” hIsaid,“butwhatifhedies?I t takes upttofivedaystoturn
at.” Ididn’tevenwanttothinkaboutwhatmighthappen
f onedies,i ’s immediate.You
tothegiJackie’s
rls if heturnedandattackedthem.
someantibiotics,andpainp
I’llwatchhimclosely.Ifhedies,
eyes grew wide. I’“Hel shoothimstraightinthehead.”
il s. Butj uwon’t.
st tobesafe,I
I grabbedthe
’l let Clairedrive.
medicalkit,
badidea.”Ipulledherclose.“No!Thisi
“I s abadidea,Jackie—areally,really
justcan’tstandbyandleavesomebodyint
ahorrible,lonely,scaryplace.Please
cheekandhoppedinthepassengerside. his conditioninsuchmy
try tounderstand.”Shekissed
“It’dmakemefeelsaferifyouatleast tiedhimup,”Isaid.
“Wecanhandleit.”Claireturnedthekeyandstartedtheignition.
“We’llberightbehind.”
“Change ofplans,” I said,peering in through theopenwindow.
Jackie shook her beheadinsafe.”
“Tahoe’scomingwithus
wayIknowyoutwowill ourJeepwhetherNicklikes it ornot.That
vehemently.“Nope! Nothappenin’.Nick
willuseanyl “Hey,Nick,”Iyelled.“I’mridingwith
“What’sthat?”Claireasked.
“ThenwemoveontoPlanB,”Isaid.
it le excusetokillhimandyouknowit.”
“Okay,that’sf i n e . Seei f thegirls.”
Clairewantstoridewithme?”
“Yeah,
whenJackiegrabbedherarm. I want toride with him,” Claire said,opening the door,
“Noyoudon’t,”Jackiesaid.“They’reinsistingaguyneeds tobe
each
inabatbecauseIwastryingtomakeapoint.Fromt
Jeep.We’restrong,independentwomen.WecanhandleaJeep
just aswellastheycan.”Shelookedupatme.“Ikilledthatzombiewith h i s momenton,Ican
take careof myself.AndIdon’tneedaguytoprotect me everagain.”
 “I’mj u s t
here’sPlanC.YouknowIwon’tktryingtokeepyousafefromapsychopath,”Isaid.“So
likeit,” Clairesaid. il Tahoe,soheandIwillrideinmy
“I“Idon’t,”
JeepandNickcanridewithyoutwo.”
can handlethis.”AmoanechoedJackiesaid.“Again,hefeelslikeamanhastobewith
fromthetrees asa zombie stumbled outof the
ussowe’resafe.GobacktoyourJeep,Dean,andpleasetrustmethatI
vegetationtowardus.
withperfectaim.“Wedon’thavetimetostandouthere
“GetintheJeep,Dean.Now!”Nicksaid.Hethenshotthezombie
I ranibacktomyJeepandjumped
they’rebigg rls. Theycanmaketheirowndecisions.” arguing.Listen,
tryingtobeallindependentnow,”Isaid.
“Notagain,”Nicksaid,peeringoutthewindow.“TheirJeepj in, slammingthedoor.“They’reust
tal ed.”Weeliedefinitelyneededtofindthembetter
ssighofr f astheJeepsuddenlyturnedover. transportation.Ilet outa
my
girls withapossiblezombie.
Biting myandliphard, Itostruggledmywith thebutdecisionof leavingthe
hand
glance
Val. It’seasy
sake.” toIopened
“AtleastweknowVal’ssafewithus,”Nicksaid,shootinghera
overstophisshoulder.
metogetmouth continued,“Today
sidetracked,
“Weargue withto thestaymyhorrible
needbuttowestickhaspoint,havebeena missionandsave
brotherraised
focusedfor
nightmare,hera
I’m
andwasn’tmuchIcoulddoabouti
emergedarounddeadt i
problems,soIpressedmylr e
seat.Iwasn’thappyaboutthegd . Let’sj
The creasehiseyes.Hewast u s t goand
on his forehead rls leileavei t at thandat.” worry wrinkleshad
ipsti.shutandmademyselfcomfortableinmy
trdeepened,
eidn,gandIdidn’twanttoaddtohis
Tahoeridewiththem,butthere
 Chapter15
The highway was one long stripstretching out into the night,
illuminatedonlybyourheadlights
thedirections.IknewIshouldtry
passenger s e a t , with my head and therisingmoonabove.Sittingin
pressed againstscattered
caseIthe hadcold,inatosmooth
anymindshredoffatigueseemedto
window, Istared at the road toget
Nickfromdriving,butforsomereason, ahead,my
somesleep,in million
relieve
Tahoefor
threesiblings.Siblings.Brothersands
mirrortocheckonClaireandJackie,followinginthesecondJeepwith
have eludeda me.passenger. Every nowWith andthen,
nothingistmygaze
eir.riIntg,soundedstrangetome.Up
silence
movedengulfed tothe rearviewus, just
ntil recently, ithad been just Nickand me. Never in a million years
uwouldIhaveguessedthatmightchange,butthenValcamealong,and
jitu.st liketMyhat, wehadasister. Istil couldn’tquitewrapmyheadaround
mythoughts.brothersuddenlyrolleddownthewindow,joltingmeoutof
“I can’t stand the stink in here. We needto get a clean
dressingonVal’swoundbeforei
bandages,antiseptic,andtape.
snaggedfromtheglasshouse.Insidei
said,crawlingintothebacks
“Wedon’thavetostopouthere.I eat.t turnscompletelynasty.”
Idugaroundforthemedicalkitwe’d
t, Ifounda
’l doit whileyou’redriving,”I
l thenecessarysterile
Suddenly,ours istermyawoke andreactsatup.to me lookingat her wound.
Istopped,unsurehowshe’d
“You’re changing bandage?” she asked groggily. “Because
JackiegavemeanewonewhileIwasdriving.”
“Yeah? Well,It’swe, uh…itlookslikei
clearingmythroat.“ need to put afresh t ’ s one on again,” I said,
seepedthrough.”
“Justbesuretoweargloves,”shesaid,pointingtothemedicalkit.
“Wedon’twanttotakeanychancesofyougettinginfected.”
“Yeah,”Isaidquietly.Insilence,Igrabbedapairoflatex
toresurgeon.thepackaging open,and pulledthem onwith a snap, gloves,a
justlike
“Ready?” she said, pulling her sleeve up. When I nodded, she
breaths,Ifollowed
milliontimesbefore.
howswitchedontheflashlightandheldi
tocleanse
AsIworked,thescentoffoulfleshintensified.Takinginshallow
and change the bandage t up,instructingmestepbystepon
likeshe’d done seemingly a
andsmiled.Backwhenwef Val’sinstructionstoaT,thenthrewsometapeoni
i r s t met,she’dhintedathavingsomebasic t
medical
senseditwas nowa
knowledge, but
goodtime
I’dneverhad
It wasn’twhatIexpectedhertosay,
“Iwasa my reaction. tolearn the
moreabout
chance her.
toask “Whatdidyou
about t h a t . I
asiusedtodo—youknow,beforeallofthis?”
f anticipating cop,”shesaid,lookingatmewithanamusedexpression,
“Ishould’veknownbythewayyouhandleagun,”Isaid.“Sowheredid butit didmakeperfectsense.
yougetyourmedicalknowledgefrom?”
“I was engaged to a doctor,”she whispered. “Hisname was
Travis.Iusedtohelphimchangebandages at theclinic. Infectedpeople
swarmedthatplace.Hisstaffwasswampedwhentheoutbreakhappened,
sohehadnochoicebuttol
Nick glanced over hiset meassisthim,eventhoughhedidn’twant
toandwearguedforhourswheneverthechancepresentedi
shoulder. “Our hospitals, doctor
tself.” offices,
andclinicsinSouthCarolinawerealsoteemingwithpeoplewhowanted
helpanddemandedtoknowwhatwasgoingon.”
packedj“Yeah,Iimagineeverymedicalfacilityacrosstheworldwasjam­
ust likeours.So,whetherTravis
theclinicwhenmyshiftswereover.” wantedi t ornot,Ihelpedouta t
“Yeah, well, we didn’t know what was going onatthe time.
“That’sdedication,”Nicksaid.
Traviswassosurehecouldhelpthem,andIwasnaïveenoughtobelieve
him.”
answer.
butshemust’vesensedmyi
killedwhenthezombiethingwentdown?Ididn’thavethenervetoask,
happenedbetweenthem.Didthingsgosourandnotworkout,orwashe
She seemed sad to talknteresabout
t, becausei
him, tanddidn’ttakelongtogetmy
I wondered what had
believe
shouldaShepressed
wewere ipswithintoavictimslike
been atthetreatinghercliniclzombie la those linereal. “He’speople.
grim infected people.I
dead.He
Theywanted
stil never
can’t
nothing more than to rip our heads of . How could we have been so
stupid?”
“You couldn’t have known,”
tryingtodowasadmirable.” what I said softly, “but what you were
“Ifonlywehadknown wewerereallydealingwith,maybe
thingswouldhaveturnedoutdifferently.IfonlyIcouldgobackintime
andsavehim.”
“I’m sosorry,Val.”EventhoughnothingIcouldsayordowould
myHersister’spain,Ileaned
easethatshemightdrawsomerelief
voice quivered. in“They’re
andrubbed
from i t . a l herdead—all
backgentlyinthehopes
my family in
Philadelphiafamilyand mostofthepeopleI’veeverknown.IthoughtI’dlost
myentire untilImet you. Now, you guysare al Ihave left. I
Philadelphia.I
thoughtIcouldn’tlosemoreu
my dogs. Thathadtoget was the theheckoutta
moment
ntil zombiesbrokeintomyhomeandkilled
whenthere,orelse
I knew I couldn’t I would’vestaybeenin
next.” “Yep.Bornandraised.”Shenoddedandsmiled,hergazeturning
“Pennsylvania?”Iasked.
distant.“WhenIfound
demanded answers, andmy adoptionadoptivepapersparentsby accident,
finallytold I wasmeshocked.
about my I
traveling
past andabout around,you.tryingAfewto findyou,weeks lslaying ater, theydied.
Idon’t knowI spenthowmonthsmany
crumbledChristmascard,thenhandedittome.
zombies Within mypath.”
trembling She reached inher pocket and pulledouta
immediately.“Nick,t h i s fingers, I reached
pictureisofus,l a s t for i t and recognized
yearatChristmas,”Isaid, i t
passingHeittoglancedat
mybrother. itbriefly,his gaze barely brushing it. “The
on!Thatwassofreakingembarrassing.”
ChristmascardwiththosegoofySantahatsMommadeuswear?Come
“Yeah.”Istudiedourbrightsmilesandglowingfaces.Wewere
sohappy.Ishookmyheadandswallowedthelumpinmythroat.“How
didyougetthis?”
Slowly, thewordstumbledoutofhermouth.“Your…er,ourmom
it tome.”
sentthoughshe’dl ost herself intheChristmas card. beenHer talking
Igasped,shockedbeyondbelief.“Whendidshefindyou?”
She reachedfor memories.“We’d for onlyover,afewas
eyesglazed
weeks, barelyable to share muchirst, thephonelineswentdead.Whenthe
lettersstoppedarriving,Ifearedtheworst.”
stations, andwelosttouch.Atf about our lives, when the epidemic
destroyedeverything,fromthepoliceforcetothepostalserviceandradio
asmuchshockasIwas.
“Mothertalkedtoyou?Idon’tbelieveit,” Nickwhispered,injust
“That picture keptin Ohio,” me goingVal said,on washermyhandstillclutchingthe
eyesandcontinued,“AfterIgotintouchwithourmom,shebeggedme
zombiethinghappenedandyouleftSouthCarolinatocometotheisland
photo.Withshakyfingers,shebrushedastraystrandofhairoutof
torelocatewithyouinSouthCarolina.That
Philadelphiatothatisland long journey fromher
rightbeforethewhole
tojoinGrandma.”
Inodded, thinking back and remembering how hard it was to
leaveouroldlivesbehind.
“Shesaidshewanted ustomeetandstart fromscratch,soIwent
through this zombie­infested landscape in order tobe swithmy
family.”“I’msogladyoudid,Val,”Isaid.“Meetingyoui thebestthing new
Shegrinned. tome.
that’severhappened I’ve always dreamt ofhaving some lit le
“And I’vealwayswantedasister.”
brothers.”“HaveyoumetGrandma?”Nickaskedcasually.
“Yes,”Valsaid.“Asamatteroffact, shewastheonewhocalled
me whenj“Iustcan’t
might wewiperealizedout thethevirus wasa
world.She full­blown
told meto zombie
get my dilemma that
thought
listenedtoGrandma.” changeyoumet
Pennsylvaniaandmovetotheisland,butwestayedbehindbecausewe
grandmawecould wasthebelieve something.We
Grams,” werewrong.
I said, myjawWedropping. should haveMyof
butt out
world. It made sensemostthatunderstanding, she would havecaring,metforgiving
Val rightperson
away,butin theI
couldn’tunderstandhowshemanagedtokeepitasecret.MygramsandI
weresotight,andIthoughtshealwaystoldmeeverysecretsheknew.
“Yeah,
I smiled,she’sproudofsweet.She
communicationwentdown.” textedme every day before al
myself. “I taught her how to text.” I’d even
taughtherhowtoemail,andIgotamessagefromhereverydaywhenI
Nickandme.I
we’dbeenleftout asifof theloop.
hadtoldmethey’dplannedons
livedbackinSouthCarolina. everyoneMyit hadithoughtsraced.SoValdidn’tjustpop
familyandexplainingeverything,butitstilldidn’tmakemuchsensewhy
“Iknow.Shetoldmeallaboutyourmads
It seemedwonderedwhyithadbeenkeptang downlaterthatdaywiththeentire
already known
kilsecretfromus.Mom
s.”about Val except
uponthedoorsteptogiveusalla
I’m
completelyimagineGramsbeggingVal heart
Heck, surprisedshe didn’ttry togotoattack.Shewasinvited.Icould and find Val herself,guns
outbewithusinoursafehaven.
absentminded
every
blazing.
brushedtimeUponour
meI’dofthan,tricalling
earrival
ever.
d to askImeonthe
suspected
herparanoid.
island,InoticedGrandmabeingmore
aboutsomething
itOne, she’devening,
wasjustbothering
clammedup
however,her,she’dandbut
disclosedthatshe
Now,i t allmadesense. wasworriedabouta girilghinPennsylvania.Her
hadmadenosenseatthetime,butnowal t bulbwentoffinmyhead. words
pictureofMom
“Our grandma andmeiinthedeliveryroom.
s amazing,” she By thelookonourmother’s
continued. “She showedme a
face,Iknowshedidn’twant to
“Theyshould’venevergivenyouup,”Isaid. give me up. Dad lookedhappytoo.”
Valsmiledbit erly, andhforamoment,Ithoughtshewasgoingto
jagreewithme,butthenshesaid,“That’snott
couldn’thavetakencareofme.Imean,theywereonlyfifteenyearsold,
withcancer,andGrandpahadj
ust kidsthemselves.Besidest auts,tGrandmaseemedtobelosingabattle
diedinacaraccident.Somuchwas
rue, Dean.Youknowthey
justwasn’tpossible.”
happeningthatraisingakidwasoutofthequestion.Keeping
“Didyouever me just…it
“Yes.”Valhesitatedab flat outaskherwhyshedidi
i t , tmeto
?” Nickasked.
consideringherwords.“Shesaiditwas
becauseDadshe loved meso much thatshewanted have more than
whatshecouldgiveme.Shealsotoldmethatnotadaywentbywhen
mysheandvoice.“TheyI didn’tthinkaboutme.”
swallowed
should’ve hardneverandgivenstaredyou outup,”Itherepeated, anger edging
Shebrushedthehairbehind herearand sighed. “MomandrDad’s
decisiontochoose
processeverything. window as I t ied to
it left themwithasense adoptionformemust’vebeenad
ofindeeploss and thattheywerehauntedbyi
Nickkeptquietduringmostofourconversation.Severaltimes,I if icult one.Dadsaid
t.”
noticedhimshootinginterestedlooksintotherearviewmirror,hist
bloodshot eyes shining the darkness. He kept driving ata fast iandred,
 steadypace,butthewayhishandclutchedthesteeringwheelratherthan
gave
casually metoa
beingsaid. on itas usualtold myme sadness.“Hey,it’sokay.They
Valtouchedmyhand,sensing
lingeringreallygreatfamilybecausetheyloved hewas takingin everyword
bestotal forme.
I didn’tIhaveevennoknowregrets.Ihad
tadoptiveparentstrulylovedmewitha lantheirheart.”
shockthatmymomhadhiddensomethingsobigfromuswhenwe
whatto say.Maybe I wasmeandwantedthe
in complete and
awesomeandfantasticlife.My
weresuchaclose­knitfamily.IwashappythatValhadenjoyedagreat
life. Hervoicequivered.“Iwasalmostthere.Mygroupgotattackedin
Sandusky.”“You’vebeenthrough so much,”Nicksaid.“We’rehereforyou.”
words rang“Thankyou,Nick,”shesaid.“WhenIlosteveryone,Grandma’s
person.”
promise.’ myear. ‘Getto comeyour andbuttfindto theyou,island.to meetYou’llal ofbe yousafe.inI
So,in Idecided
yourl
familyhere.We’renotgoingtoeverl
andal osofthehorriblethingsyou’veseenandexperienced,butyou’vegot
Iputmyarmaroundherandpulledherclose.“I’msosorryfor
, sis. Ican’tevenbegintoimaginewhatkindofpainyou’rein
et yougo.”
wasprobablyf ate.” She lesayt outalongsigh.
“Well,IwishIwouldn’thavegottenbittenontheway,butthat
“Whatmakesyou that?”Iasked. we couldfindacure, so we
keptclosetotheinfected,treatingthem,searchingforwaystomakethem
Sheshrugged.“TravisandIthought
mission
cured.”“See?”Iasked.“Youaredestinedforsomethinggreat,andyou’ll
feelbet eirs. Icomplete.
f thiscureworks,thatmeansourprayerswereheard,andour
Ican finally focus on helping the infected to get
befamous,becauseyou’llbethefirstonetosurviveabite!”
“Yeah,Icansee it inthe papersnow.‘GuineaPig ZombieCop
“Youshouldrest,”Nicksaid.“Wesainmytil y,havealong
GirlLivestoTelltheTale.’”Shesmiledf
sotired,”shesaid,leaningherheadagainst shoulder.
thenyawned.“Gosh,I’m
ofus,andyoushouldget
Valclosedhereyes,as
Iclosedminetoo,butIknewthat my racing journeyahead
if driftingofftosleep.
as muchsleepasyoucan.”
lgrocery
emorningcame,wemadegoodtimeuntilweranintoamajorroadblock…
ta helicopter
me dozeoff anytime soon. Apart from the mindwasn’tgoingto
tiny detournight.through
store,hadwecrashedintothe
drove withoutagroundupsidedownona
break for most ofthe majorWhen road.the
Thismeant wehadto
theentiredaytryingtogetbackont
Afterhoursofdriving,takeadifferentroute.Wehadgottenlostandspent
we finally
rack.* *
middleofawideandveryshallowriver. Ittookabreakandparkedinthe
wasNick’sbril iant ideaandI
 onthe hoodoftheJeep.Valscooted
the strongcurrent.NickandValweregettingtoknoweachother
overlunch
lovedit.Therushingwaterwasshallowenoughtokeepusfromgetting
brave
ourvehiclesstuck,butwouldwashawayanyzombiewhodaredtocome
withVal soIintheheadedover to theotherJeep.water. Nicktotheedge,herbarefeet
swayingMybootssloshedthroughthewaterasIwadedthrough.Thesky
airover thetrickling never hadalone time
waswasaneatshadeofblueandacoolbreezeblewthroughmyh
bouldernearbyandseemedtobeindeepthoughtwhileJackiesatonthe
passed out andsprawled across the backseat. Claire satona air. Tahoe
huge
sunbroughtouttheblondehighlightsinherdarkhair.
hoodofherredJeepsippingabottledwater.Ilovedhowtheafternoon
“Is everything okay?” I asked, jumping up nextAfrowncreased
herforeheadandIknewsomethingwasonhermind. to her on the
hood. “Yeah,Iwas just thinking,that’sal .”
“Aboutwhat?”
nexttoh“Ishould’ve
er.“Hesitated?” never hesitated,” she said, setting the bottle down
Val,Ishould’vewhippedoutmygunandshothiminthearmorleg.”
“Ican’tstopthinkingabouttheglasshouse.ThesecondEarltook
butts?Trustme,thatwillcome
couldyouexpect hand.in“Jackie,
werejusthandedagun.Andyouneverheldoneadayinyourlife.How
Ireached fortobehersomekind time.’Causeyouhave
ofLaraCroft madyourself.You
you can’tandblamekickthe skilbadguys
s.”
it.” She playfullysluggedme.“Notyet, butI wil . You cancount on
out that“Jackie,
windowyoubackdo atthe
sprangintoactiontosaveourb have sugrocery
ktils.s.Imean,youdidn’thesitatetoshoot
Youstorweree, hitspectacular when youthe
the zombiewith
andthewayyoutookdownthatzombieinthedumpsterwasimpressive.”
baseballbat,walkstraightuptothatzombieonthebeachandshoothim,
“It’sastart. ButIneedmorepracticewithshooting.Isuckedback
at thebeach.”
t’l come““WhenIwatchedValgetthrownintothatpitofzombies…”Her
It inwasdarkandyouhaveabsolutelynoshootingexperience,but
ilikesecondnature.”
forayearnow.Byt time.Isucked when Ifirststarted,butI’vebeenpracticing
his timenextyear,you’llbeslingingdownzombies
voicetrailedoff.
Sheblinkedawayat
Icuppedhercheek.“ I
e t
a ’
r s
. okay.”
“Whenthathappened,Iswearsomething
inside ofme
devastated.” snapped.Ithoughtmyactionsjust killedthis poorgirl. Iwas
“ButVal’sokay,”Isaid.“Everythingturnedoutf
thathorriblememoryi s just goingtoeatyouupalive.” ine. Dwellingon
couldnever
life. IfeltlikeIwasstruckbylightning.Iknewfromthatsecondon,I
“WhenIthoughtshedied,itwasoneoftheworstmomentsofmy
be
nextzombieImet.”
angerboiledupinsideof scared ofme,andI defendingsworeI myselfwasor mygoingtotakedownthe
friends. All of this
“Uh­huh.Sothat’swhyyougrabbedthebatoutofmyhandsand
poundedthatzombie.”
“Itookoutato fearl myfrustrationandpent­upangerinafewpowerful
hturningpoint
its. Irefused theme. Iwasanymore. Believe itot orsurvive.And
not,it wasaI would
major
never hesitate inmy l i f going tofight
shooting anythingmyorhairandpulledmecloser,hergreen
anyone that threatens me or my
friendsliveseveragain.”
“We’llfighttogether,”Isaid.
Herfingersentwinedinto
eyesshiningbright.Ikissedheronthelips…slow,gentle,andromantic.
“Thatelwast perfect.
notwantingtoleave me back at thatglasshouse.Iknowitcould’vebeen
soeasytojustdriveawaywithouteverlookingback.”
Everythingf nice,”shesaid.“I’m so gladImetyou.Thankyoufor
“No,itwouldn’thavebeeneasy.Noteasyat al .”
“Really?”
“Iwashopingnottoleavewithoutyou,”Isaid.
Shesmiled.
“And I’mshesothankful
weresocoolabouti
“Iknew stil youa daydidn’tor freaktwo fromoutaboutVal’sbite.You
t. wasImean,youevenrodewith Valinturningso
thesameJeep.”
I wasn’t
worried.ButIdidn’texpecther
“Evens t i l , youstoodby to stopaThatmeanssomuchtome.”
her. t thelocalgrocerystore.”
“IfeltlikeIowedVal.Sowhensheranoffintothatgrocerys
“She’ssomuch fter her.EventhoughIknowshe’dneveradmittore,
Ididn’thesitategoingina
toit, sheneededmyhelp.”
timeyesterday.” likeNick,”Isaid.“Wejust metValforthefirst
“That’s whatClairetoldme.Nicktoldhereverything.Ithinki
anamazingstory.”
“Let’sjust hopeit hasahappyending.” t’s
Shebrushedastrayhairoutofmyeyes.“It will.”
Iwantedtobelievehermorethananything.
“Hey,I also wanted to apologize to you about what happened
whenwemet.Ican’tbelieveIhidinthehousewithClaire.Weshould’ve
beenatyoursidefighting.”
“Seeingthosezombiesforthefirst timeal byyourselveshadto
betwhenIsawthemagain,Iwas…”
er i“Shaking?”
fying. Ihadn’tseenazombiesincetheoutbreakayearago.And
Ilaughed.“Let’sjustsay
minute.We’vegotalot incommon.Iwasshelteredoverthel myheartwasracingamillionmilesa ast yeartoo.
Andthen—bing,bang,boom!—we’reboththrownintoZombieLanda
“Twonewbiesjust tryingtosurviveanotherday,huh?”shesaid. t
theexactsametime.”
handbook?” “Yeah.Why didn’t somebody giveus a zombie survival
sowent
siblings someto hangspace.Ithink
easytotalktoandwehadsomuch
backShelaughed.Ilovedherlaugh.Wetalkedsome inNick.common.Aftera
outwith theyVal andbothknew fewJackiewas
Jackie andmore.Claire minutes,I
gave us
knoweachotherbyspendingtimetogether. that we needed toget to
eyesattentionbrokeoutof
Agrowlmademeglanceup.Azombiewiththosehorriblewhite
thethickvegetation.The thingthatreally caughtmy
heartracing. wastheaxestickingoutofits head.Iwhippedoutmygun,my
“There’sonlyone,”Nicksaid,scanningthe
“Ithought
Imotioned toVal st your gun back at thatvegetationaroundus.
“Icantakeononeblindfolded,”Valsaid.
you loandNick.“Don’tworry,Igott groceryhis.”store,” Nick
said.
shesmiled.“Idid.ButValgotmeanotherone.”Ishotherathankfullookand
Texas.”
couldfeelpain…ouch.Ibet he’d haveapoundingheadachethesize
Valcringedas she stareddownthe zombie.“Wow,if thatdudeof
andwasswept Just as thezombiestumbledtothewater’sedge,itl
away downstream. ost its balance
“Goodriddance!”Nickyelled.
“Webettergetamoveonbeforemorecome,”Isaid.
becomingit.” “Dean’sright,”Valsaid.“Iplannedonstoppingforlunch,butnot
Nick motionedover tothe girls thatwewere leavingbecause it
wasn’tsafeanymore.
Andonce again,wewereal backontheroad.
 Chapter16
I’d drivenforhoursgivingNicksometimetosleep,butthen he
be mysecondnightouthereinZombieLand.Idon’tknowwhen
wokeupandweswitched.Istaredoutatthestarsinthenightsky.This
would
tiredness overwhelmed me,but aattthemost,whenthehornblew,jolting
todozeoffforseconds,minutes some point, my eyelids became so
heavyIcouldnolongerfightoffsleep.ItseemedlikeI’donlymanaged
me.on?”IaskedNick.“IsValokay?”Myvoicesoundedhoarseandslurry,
Isat up groggilyandlookedaround,disoriented.“Wh­what’sgoing
somuchsothatittookmeasecondtorecognizeitasmyown.
“She’ssweatingupastorm,
fewfeet away fromasmy“Look
and calmasever.
thewindshield
Irubbed up ahead.” butshe’soutcold,”Nicksaid,cool
Nickhitthebrakesslowly.TheJeep
ourobstacle.Theheadlightsshoneonafigureinthe
eyestogetridofthefoggysensationandpeeredout came toahalta
middle of theroad.Icouldn’tmakeouthisfeaturesbecauseadarkhood
hungoverhisface.“Isitazombie?Runi t over,Nick!”
Nickshookhishead.“No,i
closerlook,andasmysightadjusted,Icouldmakeoutmored t ’ s notazombie.”
Ididn’treplybecausehewasright, asusual.Isquintedtogeta etails.
Hewasatleast
thatboasted ofregular sixfoot,maybe
physical a c
toheadtot i v i tsix­two,witha
y . His feet strongphysique
stood apart, turned
toward
Something
beltbuckle.WhenIinclined
aweapon, us, pushed
shimmered handsat hishungupmywaist,and
and hishalfway getiside,t appearedto
byhishisshoulder. be somekind
abetterlook,Irealizeditwas
hidden
The guy’sbeneathhis
hand movedcoat.of
everso slowly up tothe gun,
signalushewasn’tafraid,buthedidn’tretrievei and his fingers hovered t . there, maybe to
“Ithinkhe’sdangerous,”Iwhisperedtonooneinparticular.
“Whatis that shadow on the right side of thefterroad?”
IfNickheardme,hedidn’treply.Therewas,a
say.Noonecouldarguethatpoint. all,nothingto
I said,
pointingahead.
Nick leanedintomeandfollowedmylineofvision,totheplace
reach. “Idon’tknow.”
wheretheheadlightdidn’t
Keepingtheguyinfocus,I peeredfromhim towhatlookedlikea
black, shapeless pile
f he’stryingtobarricadethestre t,likewhyisitallpiled
cast in darkness.
gatheredamoundoffirewood,butsomeofthetimberseemedlargerthan
theneeda
overthere?Iwasinclinedtobelieveitwasnothingbutapileofwood,
rest,like
l thatfor?I
wholetreebranchesinsteadoftwigs.Whatwouldanyone Itlooked someone had
uunmistakable
ntil a strongscentofdeadflesh,evenstronger
breeze blew against ourwindows,andcarrying with itthanthe
morenoxious
the onecoming
whywehadn’tnoticedthestenchbefore.
“Looks likefromtheVal’sguy’swound.killedThea latterwas zombie orprobablythe
two,” Nickreason said,
mirroringmythoughts.
saidhesitantly,
“Ihopehe’snotinfected.Ifhe’shealthy,hemightneedhelp,”I
almostexpectingNicktoaskwhyIwasbeingsostupid.
“Don’tget
anything,but—” me
tobecareful.Evenif I’mhis notgun.“Okay.
Nick slippedwrong.outhe’snot saying weI wantto
sincetheguylookslikesomekindofmasterzombieslayer,butwehave
infected,he’s helphimhimaif weridecan,or
should offer
steal theJeep.Timeslikethesewillturn otherwisegoodpeopleintoa armed,andhemighttrytol
sortsofthings,zombiesandthievesincluded.”
whatever “Well,justathought,buti
weaponhe’s slinging. t lookstomelikehe’sprettygoodwith
zombiesonthatheap,”Ioffered.
NickputtheJeepinpark,flung There are more than a couple dead
I peered fromand him to the figure,thedooropen,andjumpedout,
thenstoppedinhistracks.“Whatthe…?”
middleoftheroad.
Ifrowned
“Dean,youaren’tgonnabelievet hiwhos,” Nicksaid,laughing.
was stil standing in the
jumpedoutofthecar,myhandwanderingtothe
weaponattachedtomywaist.Outofthecarwiththeheadlightsnolonger
reflectedbythewindshield,Icouldmakeoutmored
brainregisteredhisfacialfeatures.
militaryTheguy hood andcaughtheadedmy eattention
short hairtossedand backArmyhisfatigues tstraightfor
ails. beforemy
us. His
didyou—”Mymouthgapedinsuddenrecognition.I
came my t can’tbe!“Lucas?How
back. Inoticed spots of blood gore on shoulder,laughing.
“Dean!”He overandslapped
and his coat, but I didn’t pull
“YouknowRambo?”Claireasked,approachingusfromthel
“Hey, ladies,”Nick said. “Next time,waitfor me todeem eftthe.
situationsafebeforeyouleaveyourvehicle.Whatift
kindofserialk
“Andthat’ssupposedtoscare
il er orsomething?” his guywassome
Lucasraisedabrow. me?”Jackieasked.“Foral Iknow,
Icouldberidingwithone.”
“Theypickedupastragglerwehadarun­inwith,”Iexplained.
“Let’snotopenupthatcanofwormsrightnow,”Clairechimed
in. “I’mnotupforanotherf
myeverseen.“Now,doyouknowhim?”
brother, ightobvious
. So,Nick…”Sheturnedandgawkedat
“Hey,gals.What’sup?”Lucas I­have­a­crush­on­you smile I’d
wearing the most
“ThisismybestfriendLucas.Wegobackalongway.”
thenturnedtoNick.“I’vebeenlooking smiledandgavemeafist­bump,
for you,man!When
Icame you didn’t
comebacktothecity,wewereallworried.
gotseparatedinthewoods totheheartmiddlewhen withateam,butweall
agroup of zombiesambushedus.”
made itin. Can’tbelieveyouevenfoundus!How’sthatpossible?”
getin touch,butwe
phoneouthere
gladyou“I’msorry hat.ofnowhere,”Nicksaid
Wemeantto quietly.“I’mhadjunost
 What tracking
weretagged.” “II triedto
trackedyou.Betyoudidn’tknowthebagofvials
device?
make sense ofhistoldwords.me “Whoa!
Younever about that.”I WaitDeantook
What? didn’t asec!
know
whethertobepissedorhugtheguy.HavingBigBrotheronmyheelsf
kindofintrusive,butatthe samel along.time,itwasniceknowingthatsomeoneelt
hadknownourwhereaboutsa
warn Ignoringhedidn’t
usthat myquestion,heeyedthe
wantto divulge gthatirls information
cautiously,asthoughto
infrontof
cfiirvsitl?i”ans. “I’l explain everything, but how about some introductions
Lucas
ImotionedtowardNick.“Well,youknowmybrother.”
playfully slugged him. “Nick? That’syourgot name? I’ve
alwayscalledyouTheOne­ManArmy,dude.You’ve
l ofusputtogether.It’s goodtoputa name“I’mtothatface.”
kil s thana“Stopmessingaround.”Nickrolledhiseyes. morezombieat
stillpissed
you.Ican’tbelieveyouhelpedmybrotherbreakValoutwithoutt
me.” “Come on, man! You woulda done the same inmy situation. el ing
didn’t
compelledtohelpherj
When Dean deservecamethetodeathme,ust asmuchasDeandid.Whenweseesomething
Isheunderstood
was goinghis topointget,”straightaway.The
Lucas said.“I gfierlt
fixgoingonthatj ust isn’met right, wegottastep in and trytodo somethingto
it.” Lucassighed.“Withthosehighmoralsofyours,alwayssticking
“Hadyoutold thetruth, Iwould’vehelpedyou,”Nicksaid.
totherulesandthecode?Ihighlydoubtt
Lucaswasr i g h t . hat.”
Nickwould’vecomeupwithsomestupidlegal
playedbytherules,nomatterwhat.I
way that wouldn’thave worked inat washisstrengthinmanycases,but
million years. My brother always
tension,I continued withthe introductions.meet “Lucas, thisis Jackie and
Claire,”Isaid.“Wemetthemalongtheway.”
it alsodrovemenutsattimes.Eagertochangethesubjectandeasethe
Lucasheldouthishand.“Niceto
Theysmiledandshookhishand. up?”you,beautifulladies.”
“Andwhere’sthisdrifteryoupicked
aknifew“Tahoe’ssleepingrightnow,”Clairesaid.“He’srecoveringfrom
“Heound.”Luccockedabrow.“Aknifewound?Whostabbedhim?”
as
fcharacter.”
idiotoff “Don’thadafightwithhispsychopathbuddy.Thedude’sdoingj
get too attached,” Nick muttered. “We’re dropping theust
ine. Itlookslikeit’sjustafleshwound.”
“You’llhavetointroduceme,”Lucassaid.“I’magoodjudgeof
Isassoonashe’sbetter.”
elseIcouldn’twrapmyhead
til couldn’tbelieveLucaswasthere,yettherewassomething
aroundeither. “Okay,let’sgetbacktothe
topicathandhere.Don’tkeepmeinsuspense.HowdidIgettaggedlike
awildanimal?”
notmoaning.
safeLBefore Let’s getanswer,moving,a zombieventured itinout thehead.
outhere.he could
ucaspointedhisgunandnonchalantlyshot of the woods,“It’s
everywhere.Imissdriving.”carsand Ibehind,
hoofingiifIt drive?Wehadtoleavethe
Mind ’l fil youand inI’vekind
on everything.
ofbeen
Nickclappedhisshoulder.“You’res
greattoseeyou,man.Evens til ,the answeritsino.I’mdriving.”
Henodded.“Fine.”Hethenturnedhisgazetome.“Ididn’tknow l thesameoldLucas.It’s
it at thetime,buteverybagofvialshadatrackingdeviceinstalled.”
should’veknown,”Isaid.and peeredontothe
“ILucasopenedthedoor back s e a t , where Val
laysprawled,s
Shelookedsoserenethatitwashard
til sleeping,herhairspreadaround to believeshewasaboutto
her likeasoftblanket. turninto
oneofthosemonsters,buttherewasnodenyingtheinevitable.
“How’syours ister doing?”Lucasasked.
“Goodascanbeexpected,”Isaid.
“Ican’tbelieveyouknewaboutValbeingmys i s t e r beforeIdid,”
Nicksaid.
knows
thelinelikethattohelp
help.Ijusthopethecureworks.
seat. HescootedValoverandsatdown.
“Dean
what it’esl capable LucasIt hasn’tbeentestedenough,andnoone
herof.”escape?She’sfamily,
s me everything.WhydoyouthinkIputmyneckon andI knewIhad
threw his backpack overthe backto
It’l work,”Isaidinasternvoice.It just has to.
““Notagain,”Nicksaid,glancingoutthewindow.
“Thegirls are havingahardtimestartingtheJeepagain.”
“What?”Iasked.
“Weneedtohotwirethemabettercar,”Isaid.“Let’skeepaneye
outforone.”
“Definitely,”Nicksaid.
“Okay,looksliketheygoti
Lucasthen pulled a Ithint t started,”Lucassaid.
Nickpulledoutontotheemptyroad. black computer outor of the satchel
dangling
turned i t overandhisitbeeped
on, shoulder.loudly.looked“See?likeThebaganiPodwith something.
the vialsis Hein
here.” “Ofcourseitis,”Isnapped.“Idon’tgetit. There’sanentirelab
fil ed withAmIasked.Whenhelookedaway,Iknewsomethingwashorribly
them?”I
wrong. thosein bigvialstime. Whytrouble?
do theyI betthey
cameras!Lucaswouldneverratmeout.“Didtheysendyourteamhereto care aboutsawoneme missing
on thesecuritybag of
Andwhywouldtheyrisktheir livesjust to bringmy gaze.
arrest me?“Justtheopposite,buddy,”Lucassaid,avoiding
Iblinked.“Theopposite?” me in?”
 ity.” “Yeah.You’rebeinghailedasaheroforstealingthemoutofthe
csneakingoutabagofvials?“What’sgoing
I tried to make sense ofhis words.eWhywould
“Why?”Iasked.“Whatareyounott
“There’ssomethingelse.”Ashadowcrossedhisfeatures. l ing me?” I bea hero for
Hebithislip andthenfinallyspoke.on,Lucas?Justs
it, butthecity’sbeenoverrunbyzombies.”
Ashuddershotdownmybody.“How’sthatevenpossible?It’s “There’s no easywaytosaypit it out.”
“Theydidn’tactuallybreakin.Itwasthevirusitself. Somehow,iant
island,withwalls,andthoseundeadfreaksdon’tgointhewater!”
accidentlygotinside,andmanypeoplebecamesickandstartedattacking
it en, and anoverzealousgeneraleven
“I­I don’tbelieveit,”Nicksaid,shocked.
everyone.”
“Toomanypeoplewereb
bombedpartsofKelleysIsland.The
He“No!”Ishouted.“Howcouldtheydothat?” labis completelydemolished.”
swallowedhard.“Theformula’sgone.Allthat’sleftarethose
vialsyoustole.”
“No!Quitjoking,”Isaid.
youhavetheonlyremainingvials.”
Lucas nodded gravely. “ I t ’ s absolutely t r u e , pal. I’m sorry,but
Ifroze, numb.l wasPartslosuofts.t Oursafehaven
soundedsofar­fetchedthatIj
theisland,butnowa me wanted to been
couldn’t.We’d hadbeen
believesafeformonthson
him,but
compromised,it al
infected, blown to bits. I sucked
contemplatedhiswordsover and in a trembling breathas mymind
overagain.
ofmytrance.
“No!Ican’tbelievet
“I his,” Nicksaid,hisharshtonejerking meout
wasonzombiepatrolinland,battlingaherdinatank,shooting
asmanyofthosesmelly,decayingfreaksasIcould.Imissedthewhole
My heart lurched as horrible images andthoughts and worries
thingsotherewasnowayIwasexposedtothevirus.”
floodedthroughme.“WhataboutMomandDad?Grams?Dr.Hamming?
My friendsandfamily?”
“Lotsofpeople escapedtoSouthBassIsland.Ithinkyourgrams
andyourparentswerewiththem,butDr.Hammingi
“Idon’tbelievethis,” Nicksaid,slowlylettingoutabreath.“now,It’s
Dean,youholdtheonlycureinyourhands.”
impossible.” s dead.As of
“Iassureyoui
is.You’re our only
“Is theislandt t
hope, i s entirelypossibleandentirelyt
Dean. General Rika didn’t r
sendu e , crappyasi
my team tot
captureyou,
vials.” Lucas buttobringyoubacktosafety,alongwiththoseprecious
hesitated.otal “Ally destroyed?”Iasked,fearinghisanswer.
the zombies have been kil ed. We’re
rebuildingtheparts of KelleysIslandthatwerebombed.Thesouthside,
whereyoul“I“LikeIive,said,al
wasuntouched,soI’msureyourfamily’ssafe,butthey
don’tknowhowlongtherestorationwilltake.”
hopetheyweren’tinfected,”Isaidquietly.
ot ofpeople escapedtotheotherislandsaround
Lake Erie. The important thingis thatwe managed toavoid an
epidemic.”
him,butIcouldn’thelpit.Nothavinganswersfrustratedmebigtime.In
fault, andIknewIshouldn’tbetakingmyangerandhelplessnessouton
“Butyou don’t know specific names,” I said.It wasn’t Lucas’s
abriefmomentofanger,Ipunchedthewindowu
“It’sa big mess over there,” Lucas said.nti“Everything’s
chaos,butIplanongoingbackandhelpingtheislandgetbackoni l myknucklesached. ints tfoetatl.
Wejusthavetobemorecarefulaboutlettinganyonenewontotheisland.
Stricteinar“How
guidelineshavebeenputinplace.”
prison.much stricter couldcarrytheyanelectronicIDbadge.I
living “Everyresidenthasto
theisland get?” I’d already feltflikeyouleave I was
observation.”andcomeback,youhavetobeputinisolationforoneweekfor
besafe.Asmuchasitinfuriatedme,Iwaswillingtodowhateverittook
wereNickdead—or
interrogationdidn’tchangeanything.Fora
emotionaltormentrippingthrough
grandma
toTheyaren’tinfected!Not my family!Ididn’tbelievethatforaminute,
and I questioned
worse, meLucas
undead. likeaknife.No!Theyaren’tdead!
Il wanted
forIknew,myparentsandmy
the tonextscreamfrom
hour,but thatthe
andneitherdidNick.Ihad to quitthinkingabouteverything,becausemy
mindwasturningtomush.
nottothinkaboutthings,thoughtsofmyparentswanderedintomyhead.
foracatnap.Whenitwasmyturntorideintheback,asmuchasItried
Wetookturnsdrivingthroughthenightsoeveryonehadtheir turn
my head,buti
parents hadt did.Istillcouldn’tbelieve
had their teenage reasonsIhadfor giving
Iwonderediftheywereokayandwhenwe’dbereunited.Ithoughtabout
themgivingValupforadoption.Iwasn’tevensurewhythatpoppedinto asister,andeventhough
her up,I was stil
bitteraboutmissing
hadn’t had the chanceoutonallthose
wantedtomakeupfori grow upevenwithayearsandbigIcouldhave
tot byprotectingher sister. Maybehadife,partwithnowmore
savingherl ofher.meI
thanever.Knowingmyparents,
the time, they wouldn’t havegiven iValf theyhadonlybeenteenagersa
to justanyone. I knew myt
grandma
home.IonlywishedIwouldhaveknownabouther.Whydidshehaveto
bea bigsecret?Wasthat
would have madesure reallyfValair, keepingoursiblingaway
had a loving, caring, safe,happy fromus
swirledBeams
likethat?Butthere
hadtokeepmymindfocusedongetting had cometothesorenextcity.Nick,Val,andI
hadbecomefighters,andsomehow,Iknewwe’dgetthroughittogether.
al aroundofsunshineshonethroughthet
us.wasnouse
MorningdwellingonthingsI sf,asandmistbillowedand
t! couldn’tchange.I
Valwas sleeping
quietlyinthebackseatnexttome, and I was thankfulforthechanceto
dealtwithanyofhercrazyanticsatthatmoment.
focusonmythoughtsandformaplan.TherewasnowayIcouldhave
drove usdownthehighway,pastdesertedtowns.
Lucas shookhis head,jamming to songson hisiPod, andNick
silence.B“Great!
lack skidAnother caught myNicksuddenly
marks obstacle,” attention asI peered
said, breakingthe
through the
nowwindshield.Furtherdowntheroad,carsandtruckshadcrashedandwere
abandoned on the lit le stretch of road. What the heck happened
here?Iwondered.
 windshield,Chapter17
The wesunpeeredshoneatbrightly
the scenebeforeoureyes.Eventhoughmonths
inthe early morning. Through the
must’vepassed,thecaraccidentlookedlikeapicturefrozen
mycountlessvehiclespiled up
eyescouldsee.Scrapsofmetalwerestrewna
Iswallowedhard ontopofoneanother,stretchingoutas in
l alongtheroad.timewith faras
already gottena goodlook andpointedatthemess,eventhoughNickhad
a t it.“Whoa! Look a t t h a t . I’ve never seen
suchabigcollisionbefore.”
“There’sbrokenglasseverywhere,”Nickrepliedwithafrown.
Icouldsensetheimplicationinhiswords:Thatglass
led toaflat“Wecanswervearoundsomeofthecarstogetpast,”Lucassaid,
tire aortwo, andwehadno timeforobstacles. couldhave
hesitating.sItared t acrumbledblue car that was restingupsidedown.The
thingthatscaredmethemostwasthatIdidn’tseeonedeadperson,andI
knewthereweren’texactlyanyclean­upcrewsorEMTsaround—atleast
nothumanones.Ididn’tevenwanttothinkaboutwherethebodieshad
gone.
“What’sgoingon?”Valaskedfromthebacks
pointedaheadofus,explainingthesituation.
Iwrapped my arms aroundHerher shoulders to eapullher
t. closeand
either tosupport droppedfromopen.the shockhandsor towrapped
Val’s jaw herself keep mearoundmy in place. Eitherarm,
way,shewasdistressed.
“We’llbeokay,”Isaid. red car
Nick
tossingusforward. swerved around a sports and slammed the brakes,
Ipushed myhandagainstthedriverseattosteadymyselfandVal,
flaccid
glow ofthanthesun,before,her skinas though
onlythennoticingthebeadsofsweatrollingdownherface.Inthesoft
pallor reflected
shewas thelosinglight.strength,
Her gripwas whichmoreshe
aprobablywas.Myheartwentouttoher.“Couldyouhitthosebrakeswith
lit le lessvigor?”Iaskedmybrother.
gohelpth“Sorry,”hemuttered.“Itlooksliketheg
em.”Icraned myneck to see what he wasirtalking ls blewatabout.ire. Webetter
“Pull up
closer,”Isaid.
ustobetheNickshookhishead.“I’mnotparkingonallthatglass.Youwant
tthegrass.” nextonestogetafirls lmoving,i
his spot.Oncewegettheg at tire? Noway.We’renotmovingfrom
“Makessense,”Lucassaid. t’l fre metoswervearoundin
“Stayhere,”IwhisperedtoVal,whonodded,wide­eyed.“Ifyou
hearorseeanything,don’tmove.Don’tgetoutofthecarordoanything
stupid.Youhearme?”
Shenoddedagain.
valuewasabouta
Iwasn’tconvincedthatshe’dl
l Icoulddo. i s t e n , buttakingherworda t face
We canall“And
“Hey,Nick,”shecalled.“Can’twejusthavethemridewithus?
fitinhereI’msure.”
lose aperfectly good vehicle loaded with supplies just
becausetheyhavea
nodded f l a t
“He’sright,”Lucasagreed. “Wecan
tire?”heretorted.
minutes.INickopenedthecardoortostepout,butItuggeda
t’s nobiggyandnotworthlosingaJeep.” change itinlessthanfifteen
t hisarmand
mychintowardVal.“Is
.” his gaze ttheil thinkweshouldparkal
thegirlsHenarrowed it le closerto
irritated.“Why?” way he always did when he was
“Becauseshe’snotdoingsowell,andI’dliketokeepaneyeon
“Parkhere,”
“Rememberwhatwe Val said. “Ican changethattireinahurry.”
her,”IwhisperedsoValwouldn’thearme.
deepbreathtocalmmynerves.talkedabout?NickandIgotthis.” Itooka
stoppingsofarfromwherewewereheading.
maybe Shewasn’tdoingwella
ahundred, down the road.t al .NickThegwasn’t irls’ Jeepwasatleastfiftyf
doingus any favorsbye t,
Valshookherheadandt
her around herwaist
youthinkyou’regoing?”Ihissed.
Igrabbed ried tosqueezepastme.
to hold myherinplace.her“Wheredo
“Lookatthataccident.”Shestruggledin
werefeeble.“You’ll need backup.I ’ l c a l t h i s in.” grip,but attempts
intowork,”Nicksaid.
LaSheflopped
Nickshotmealookthatwarned
LaLand,and I couldn’t have agreed me ourbigs more.“Val, you’renot at
is wasdriftingback
realanymore.” backdown.“I’msoconfused.Ican’teventel what’s
“Go backtosleep,”Isaid,brushingherhairoutofhereyes.“
take careShenodded, hereyes shining unnaturally again. “I’m so sorry.I’l
ofthingsuntilyou’rebetter.”
YoumustthinkI’mahorriblepartner.Justdon’ttakemygunandbadge,
okay?”Itwas so sad tosee herlike t h a t , andI f e l t like shouting and
kicking a t
tilsomething.Instead,I just bit downhardontheinsideofmy
Hey,amIimaginingthingsoristhisthedudewhoarrestedmeandthrew
cheekunShepeeredovermyshoulder,hergazeclearingal
IthoughtIdrewblood.“Justpromiseyou’llgetsomer it le. “Ie’slt.”try.
meinthatholebackontheisland?”
Lucas’sfingersreachedup,asthoughtotouchhercheek.WhenI
shothimavenomouslook,hepulledback.Hesmiled,buthiseyesnever
spoke,“Yeah, that’d be me,the oneandonly. But don’t
lworry.I’monyourteamnow.”
eft herashe
Valmetmygaze.“Slapthebraceletsonthatperp!”
 oneofthefewfriendswe’vegot
“ThisisLucas,”Isaidpatiently.“He’safriend,notaperp.He’s
l e f t . ”
Shegrabbed the collarof
smiled.“Sure.Justnameit.” back
He“TellClaireshe’ssafe.”Sheleaned
willyoudomeaquickfavor?” Lucas’s shirt.intotheback
“My mistake.But,hey,
Icouldseeshe wasoverwhelmedwithtirednessbythe
crease forminginbetween.about?” s e a t .
wayher
browsdrewtogetherwithatiny
Lucascockedabrowat me.“What’sshetalking
bottletoShe“I’vetakenheroffmyh
“That’sgood.”Lucasnodded.
herlickedmouth,but itlist,” Valsaidsimply.
her lipsheshrugged
s, asthough sheit was thirsty. I raiseda water
Thismightbeonefightshecouldn’twin.”
very choosy o f .
asto what oras whoifhumoringher. “Yeah,i
and particularlyhungry.CombinethatwiththefactthatI t ’ s good.For her.
anddetermined
won’t be“BecauseonceIchangeintoazombie,I’llprobablyendupbored
“Why’sthat?”Lucasasked, I
meal,andyou’llhaveadeadlycombination.” eat and howI get my next
disappearedquickly,andhiseasygoingsmilewasbackinplace.“You’ll
Adark shadow crossed Lucas’s features for a second,but it
bethefirstprettyzombie,”hewhispered.“Ithinkthatmakesupforthe
deadlypart.” arms her
wordscameout.
seatandwrappedher
Withherconfusedgazefocusedonhim,sheleanedbackintothe
around waist.Herlips movedstill,butno
Lucas inched closer, until his fingers almosttouchedhercheek.
Heshotmeaquestioninglook.WhenInodded,givinghimpermission,
hebrushedastraystrandofhairoutofherfaceandleanedintowhisper
somethinginherear.
Istrainedto listen, butIcouldn’tmakeouthiswords.
thenagain.Val’s fingers clutched hisforearm, and her headbobbed once,
Lucasreachedintohisbackpackandpulledoutaminiblackbag.
“What’re you doing?”Iyelled at him,alreadypicturingthe
Unzippingit,hepulledoutasyringeandavialfullofblueliquid. he worst.for
Whatever he’d said toher, Icould
consenttokillher,orhewouldhavebeenthenexttogo.
“Sheneedsi
Nick pushedt,me” Lucassaid. only hope hadn’t
aside, taking charge ofthe situation, probablyasked her
fearing whatI might doif Lucas didn’t explain himself immediately.
“Youcan’tjustwhipoutaneedleandnotexplaintoDeanwhatiti s.”
“ I t ’
hewastalkingabout.s Tyrima,”Lucassaid,asthoughIwassupposedtoknowwhat
““Whattheheckisthat?”Iasked.
It’l takea
et er. I’d rathergiveherthel
bgaze.“Youcoolwiththat?” few hoursastot vialthanseehersuffer.”HemetNick’s
work, but once it kicks in, she’ll feel
 “Nick!”
“Yeah,doit,”mybrothersaid.
I shot him a glare. “I hope it mydoesn’t slow down the
processbecause
sowecangiveherthecure.” we needhertochangeintoazombieassoonaspossible
Lucasfumbledwiththeequipmentwhile brothersteadiedVal,
whoassured
buti t ’ l helpher me, “keepher
It won’tslowdownthezombietransformationoneb
minduntiltheveryend.It’llj u s t takeal i title,
whiletokickin.”“It’ssafe,”mybrotherreassuredme.“We’veuseditonthefront
linestogetimportantinformationfrompeoplegoingloonyfromzombie
bitesorscratches.”
him.ValwasmysisterandIhatedtoseehersuffergoingthrought
Nick obviously knew what he was talking about, and Itrustedhis
zombie“Itransition. I slowlynodded
convinced.“Okay,buti f somethinggoeswrong,I
to myconsent,’l holdyouresponsible
albeittonotquite
voicebecames
helpforit.you,but
” wouldyouneed oftexpect
er, moresoothing.“Hey,likepromised,t
nothing
trust me.les ,I”t’sLucasgoingtokeep said,turningyoufromhis isVal.goingto
losingHis
yourmind.Nicktoldmeaboutthegrocerystoreincident.”
“Idon’t do whatever it takes.”f youcan helpme keep my
mindalVal’svoicecamesolowthatIhadtocranemynecktohearher.
itwanttoput
le longer,please
theothersindanger.I
man.” Lucasnodded
her
ofsick,butinsteadofshowing
it, andthe Jeep,
Theserumcaughtthel and
yelling, “Yougrippedthesyringet
facepaledlikeaghost.Foramoment,Ithoughtshemightbe thatighthingtly. and you’re adead
touchfeiagrh,t meandshebrokeNick’sgripandjumpedout
withshimmeredblue.Val’sgazef el on
“Val,we’retryingtohelpyou,”Isaid.
“I’m going to bite Lucas,” she said. “He’d better watch out
becauseI’mprettyhungry.”
“Noyou’renot!”I
“I said.s armedanddangerous,”Valsaid.“AllPhilly
repeat,suspecti
PD units be advised; suspectis armed anddangerous! I need backup
immediately.”
SheNickgrippedherarmsfrombehind.“Quick!Doit!”
letoutalonggrowlamomentbeforeLucaspiercedherskin,
injecting herwith the serum as shethrashed iabout,
nameinthebook.Iknewitwasatemporaryf
wecouldtokeepValsaneandcalm.Shewasstartingtogetweirdagain
withal thatgrowlingandhissing,justlikebacka calling himtoevery
x, butwehadtodowhat
t thegrocerys re. It
her own good,outme. and Iknew if she couldthink straiarms.
waswould’veagreedwith
forVal’seyesflutteredshutassheslumpedbackintoNick’s
“Okay,she’s ght, she
cold,” Lucas said. “I didn’t know a girl could
eventalklikethat. Wheredidshelearnthatkindoflanguage?”
 “I“Shewas
thecoplingo?” seriouslyapoliceofficerbackinPhilly.Couldn’tyoutellfrom
thought shejust watched too many
TV.”Lucasgrinned. “If shehad her cop
gun,Ibetshe’dhaveshotmedead.”
in hereyes?”Lucasasked. shows on
“Lucky for you,Nickdisarmedherearlier,”Isaid.
“Didyouseethehate
“C’mon,man.Shecan’thelpit.
thatyoudraggedheroutofourparents’She’snotherself.She’sj houseandthrewherinjail,and ust mad
nowyoujustinjectedherwithsomething.”
“Yeah,Iputherinjail, butIwasjust followingorders!”hesaid.
“AnddidsheforgetIhelpedyougetherout?Withoutme,youwouldn’t
havegottenanywhere!She’dbedeadrightnow.”
Reloadingmygun,Ismiled.“Yeah, we’llremindheraboutthat
lholster.
ater, butrightnow,she’skindofgrumpy.”
“Zombifyingwilldothattoag
Nickrestedhisrifle onhisshoulder.“Yeah,reallygrumpy.”
irl.” Islippedmyweaponintomy
Ilookedup a t thetoweringpinesalongtheroad.Thejungle­like
groundwascoveredinablanketofgreenfernsandcolorfulwildflowers.
“Youguyskeepwatch,andI
morningairbrushedthroughmyh ’l changethe
air. Foratire,”I
quicksecond,I
said.A gustofcool
considered
gettingajacket,butIjustwantedtogettheheckouttahere.
Lucas noddedand tookI hadoff tahfetier backs.Glass
weaponaimed,makingsure Nick.I watchedand themwith
metalcrushedmy
beneathtHalfheirthefe t,distance
thesoundreverberating
i n , my brother
myarm. in theearlymorning.
turned and waited until I had
caughtupwithhim,thengrabbed
area.AsIgazedaroundmyself,itmademethinkIwaslivinginadead
worldofchaosandtwistedmetal.Iwonderedwhathadhappenedtothe “Justasec.”
“What?” I asked, following his line of vision as he scanned the
driversandt
neveraskedforthatkindofsorryexistence?Soulswhowerenevergiven
achoice,justhhandedamonstrousfate?Istared atan emptybaby seat stil
eir companions.Aretheydead?Turnedintolostsoulswho
no dried blood, soI hoped thatmeant the peoplehad wereabletoget
wasstrappedinthecarandtriednottothinkaboutwhat happened.There
awayintime.Itsurewasadifferentworldoutthere;
about t h a t . Back home, I’d had no idea how bad my
i t brotherwasright
was. Now I evenwas
getting a taste of it firsthand.
knewaboutthesafec ites aroundtheU.S.Maybethegovernmentshould
I wondered if the people outthere
have a “All’s
reachedthe rescuemissiontohelpthosewhoare
disease­riddenplace.Jeepinclear.” My brother motioned forstimel stuckout tocontinue,hereint
and wehis
Sure enough,notime.
rubberpancake.Igrabbed theat rearajackoutofthetrunkwhileNickfetchedthe
passenger­side tire was flatasa black
spare.The girls stood therearofthecarand keptwatch.They both
offeredtohelp,butIassuredthemwehaditundercontrol.Iplacedthe
jackcrankingi
Idon’tlikeit.There’snov
undertheside
“It’sup.sofreakyouthere,”Nicksaid.“Whataplacetobreakdown.
oftheJeepandhooked
isibility.” thecranktoit,thenstarted
“Me neither.” Thick fogswirledaroundeverywhere,putting my
overactiveimaginationintoplay.
remindsmeofaStephenKingnovelthough.Remembertheone
“Don’tworry,”Lucassaid.“I’mkeepingacloseeyeout.Kindof wherea
thickmistdescendsfromthemountainstocloakthelandinfog?”
Nickchuckled.“Yeah.Isawthatmovie,andnow’snotthetime
forarecap.Creatureslurkinginthemist?They’rereal,andthey’recalled
zombies. You can’t scare mewith that Stephen King crap. I’ve seen
worsethanthatmovieinreall
“You’re not kidding,” iLucassaid, fe.and” nudgingme. “Hey, wearen’t
scaringyou,arewe?”
going toTheiradmitchitchat
it. I setmyjaw
wasn’t exactly set ling my nerves, but I wasn’t
muttering,“Just keep alookout,okay?” rolled the bad tire out of the way,
there.Seeit,Nick?”
hisheadbackandpointedhisgunintothet
“Sure,”hesaid.JustasIglancedupatrehim,Lucassuddenlythrew s. “There’ssomethingup
we Nick stepped closer
“Yeah,IthinkIseeit,butI’mnotsurewhati and peered
“We intot the
i s . ” overgrown
tofrankly,Iwasn’tkeenonfindingout.The i ti t vegetation.
usre feels. I
like noandeerie toandlookneedles.
misthaditwantstojoinourlittlecrew—fordinner.”
whispered.“Ifwhateverthatisgetsagoodglimpseofus,
Itiltedmyhead
“ideawhatitwas,
Iweret’s probablynothing,”mybrother
onpins
silence andadded attheablackpatchofshadowinthet
scarybetteratmosphereand
hightail outtamade
mightdecide
here,”
said,“butlet’s hurryup,just
incase.”I didn’tlikethe“justincase”part. Rubbingahandovermyface,
Ilet outabreathtocalm my nerves,thenfocusedbackonthetire. for
“Hey,Igotagoodlook,”Nicksaid.“It’sonlyadeerforaging
foodsoyouhavenothingtoworryabout.”
TheJeepdoorslammed
“Good,”Isaid,relieved.
Groaning inwardly,I behindus.up at Val dashing down the stre t
looked
towarduIgnoring
s.“What areyoudoinghere?”Nickgrowled.
him, she wiped her forehead with her sleeve. “I can
smellit.”Hern ostrilsthecar,Val,”mybrothersaid.“Wegott
backin
asthoughtoproveherpoint.
“Get
“Thesmell’sgettingflaredasshesniffedthebreezethatwashedoverus,
his.”
“Okay,I
She spun’l inbitaslow strongerbytheminute,”shesaid.
e,” Lucassaid.“Whatsmell?”
circle, sniffing theair like a dog. “Death,
ter or, af liction, torment,horror—”
darksidethere,”Lucassaid.
Shemethis gazeas thesunlightreflectedinhereyes,giving her
“Waytouseathesaurus,Val,butyou’retinkeringalittleinthe
fleenudged
an eerieLucasglow.“One
Youbetter can, becausethelivingdead
whileyouofhumanity’s
me.“She always dramatic?”areonHisthetoneiofdeath.
greatestso fearsistheterror r way!”was
nonchalant,butIcouldtellherwords were
Ishrugged.“Howmuch longerbeforethatshotshimfromtheway
hisgazescannedtheareaaroundus. getting to
Val walked a few steps closertotheforest. “There’smore
Inodded.“Good.Thefaster,thebetter.”
“Maybeafewhours.” tarts working?”than
one.” “Your sister’s kind of freaking me out,” Claire said, pacing
aroundtheJeepashergazescannedthetreesaroundus.
“I’m
“She’shallucinating,”Nicksaid.
keepingacloseeyeout,”Jackiesaid.“Justincaseshei s n ’ t . ”
Valspunaround.Spotsofdecayingfleshmottled her onceperfect
skin.Thinflapsofgreenishskinpeeledfromherface.Herbloodshoteyes
metmine.“They’recoming,”shehissed.
andtightenanotherlugnut.
Iswear she looked likeshe was possessed.I triedtoignoreher
Lucas patted me on the shoulder.her “Focus, okay? She’s
hallucinating.Nothing’scoming.”
medics “Lucasisright,”Nicksaid.“
“I’mon thegoingsceneto casal soonthis in,”as Ipossible.
survivedsuchahorriblepileup?Haveyoucheckedforsurvivors?” tVal’s al said.in How“We’ll
head.”couldneedanyone
backupand have
“Let’sgetherbackintheJeep,”Nicksaid.
“Please,Val.Youneedrest,”
Sheshothimalook.“Biteme.”
“No!Andwhyareyoulookinga Nicksaidgently.
t melikethat?It’s myface,isn’t
can’t helpthebotched­upchemicalpeel.”
it? It is!INickgentlygrabbedherarm.“Comeon.Let’s getyouabottleof
waterfromtheJeep.”
She yanked
my“Playbyherrules,”Iwhispered.“
tookThey’recoming!Don’tyousmellthem?Ido!”
badge andhergun,armthataway.doesn’t“Listen, meanIt mightSergeant,
Ican’t fightjust asbecause
Nickranahandthroughhishair,seeminglyfrustrated. acivilian.you
Hemoistenedhislipsandnodded,thenturnedbacktoher.“As help.”
yourcommandingo
bribe a majorfdrugsitcaetri,odealer,
backtothe
candrivefrom“You’readirtycop,and nIorderyoutogetbackinthepatrolcarsowe
andgoingthentoyouproveihadmet. Isaw youtakinga
. I’l I’mexpectafullreport.”
learnedbynow,I’m
whereamillionbulletshappened hard to kil .”toHercomevoicethundered.“ raidI’l thatspendthe
my way. In caseyouhaven’t house,
 rest ofmyJackielifande takingClairesuddenlyyelled
messedwithme.” youdown. You’re going to regret the day you
Out of nowhere,sixor
blanket so
of fog.Val’snosetoldnol zombiesmoaned i e s . forustogetbackintheJeep.
and brokethroughthethick
“We can handle afew
aimedtomakehisfamouslethalheadshot. zombies,right?”Nickaskedcasuallyashe
“Oh yeah. No problem. Dean, you done?” Lucas asked calmly
overhisshoulder.
My“Almost!”
Gunshotsechoedastheyallfiredaway.
“Justhurry!”Clairesaid.
anotherlugnut. handsusttrembled.
“It’snotj afew.Moreare Get it together. Concentrate! I tightened
leaning to oneme.side.fLet’sr
looksgoodenoughto Heol had!”coming!”Lucasshouted.“Dean,that
e t. Azombieinatorns
hishead,andbitemarksranacrosshisgreenarmsandneck.Behindhimand
outofthefog,morezombiesstumbledtowardus.
headIscrambledtomy a metal roduitprotruding
walkedtowardfromme,his
arresteverysingleoneofthesesorrythugs.Youhavetherighttoremain
Valjumpedstraightintotheir path,withnoweapon.“I’mgoingtoin
silent…” Thegirl had guts.She started taking one downwith herbare
thoseoldKungFumovies.Shesentthezombierollingacrosstheasphalt.
hands,usingimpressivekaratechopsandlethalroundhousekickslike
IfIhadn’t
keys?” Nick been
grabbed
soutterlytme e
bythe
r i f i e d , upper
I’dhave been
arm. “Let’s
cheeringheron.
go! Who has the
“Me.” Claire jammed her hands downried toshertapocketsand
themout.Jumpingintothefrontseat,shet r t whipped
theJeep,butitjust
clickedwhensheturnedthekey.“
“What?”Jackieaskedinafrantictone.“You’re It won’tstart!” kidding,right?”
“Let metrythen.”Jackiepushedherasideandturnedthekey.
“No!”
theproblem Theas.“Tengine
overthegunfire. heredoesnsplutteredbut didn’tstart. It wasn’tthe hoodgood,because
knewwe’dnevermakeittotheotherJeepwithoutbeingmauledtodeath.
wNickcoveredLucaswhilehepoppedopen
’t seemtobeanythingwrongwithit,”Lucasyelled tosee whatI
tostal thezombies
“Haveyoucheckedthebelt?”Iyelledback,firingaway,hoping
Ifrowned asIunttriedtofocusondoingtwo
“Negative.” il LucascouldfixtheJeep.
thingsa t butthesametime.
possibly be helpful. I thought if I couldtake a peek under enough
Iagain.
knewabitabout cars—not quite
maybewecouldfigureitouttogetherandgetthethingupandrunning as much as Lucas, the hood,to
Iwould’veJackielet stood
helpmefight.Iadmiredt closehaby,t. Ifwiththerehadonlybeentwoorthreezombies,
a determined look on herface. She
wasn’tthebestmarksmanyet,butshewasgoingtostandnexttomeand
herhaveagoatit,but
way“I’mshecouldtakedownal thosezombiesa
no“Getbackinsidethetruck!”Iyelled. this wasn’tthemovies.Therewas
fter onefightinglesson.
notleavingyou.” She aimed andfired, let ing out a round of
shots,butsheonlymanagedtohitazombieinablue,sparklypartydress.
droptoItthethrewitsheadtothe
ground. The thing keptsideandletoutanangryroarbutdidn’t
coming at her, this time with more
vengeancethanbefore.
 Chapter18
Stoppingnearthe car pileuphadbeen abad idea.I’dknownital
along,yet weup,hadsqueezedtheminsideourJeep,anddrivenawaybefore
pickedthem to help thegirls changetheir tire. Ifonly we’d just
wemanagedtoraisehalftheundeadpopulationinthearea.ButNickand
Lucasdidn’twant
overasimpleflatt itore. loseagoodvehicle loadedwithprecioussupplies
Swallowinghard,Ipeeredaroundme.Thesunwasbreakingfree
angles
cLucas
frombehindtheclouds,butthefogmadei
ircle, continued
pressing
asthe undead
ourtotrytofix
shoulders
neared us,theandtJeepharmseir candtherest
atogether
l tsdibreaking
f icusowe
lt toseeintothetrees.
ofthesilence
uscouldgatheredwatchofinatheal
morning. From the cornerof myfortheeye, girls.JackieandClaire
sequineddress,headingstraight Inoticed a zombie inabeganto fancy
shoot,buttheirbulletsdidnothingtoslowdownthecorpse.
“I’mtrying,”Jackiesaid,frustrated.
“Headshot!”Nickyelled.
awayfrom Butwe had
us. Asnotimefortrying.Itookaima
I watched the zombie droptme.thepartygirlzombie,
crumbling,bloodyheap,adrenalinerushedthrough
herrightbetweenthem.Darkbloodsquirtedinawidearc,landingnotfar
Mygazemovedtoherundeadwhiteeyes,andIpulledthetrigger,nailing
measuringherraisedarmsandswayingbodyasshehobbledtowardus. to the groundin a
Jackiegrabbed
he
andopenedthedoor.
thing “Val!” myarm.
Claire “Dean!Yours
Valgrippedazombie’shandsbehindhis
hadtherighttoremains istebackr! Look!”andwastellingthe
ilent. ShehauledhimovertotheJeep
yelled. “That’s not a police car. You wannaustklielt
Tahoe?”It wasn’tthatIparticularlycaredfortheguy,butIcouldn’tj
onemorezombiemighthave been justonetoomany.Irushedover
wasthetinyinconvenienceofhimturningintoazombie
herkil him.Forone,weneededallthebackupwecouldget.Also,there if hewas bitanden;
Valyelled inmyear,
shotthezombieinthehead.
Ipokedhimintheribsj rtling me.
Hestadroppeddown,crashinga
ust tomakesure. t Val’sfeet,and
codeofhonor?Youcan’ttakejusticeinto
Icouldn’tbelieveshewastakingherjob “Howdareyou?Where’syour
so seriously,eveninthe
yourownhandsliket hat.”
throesofdelirium.Iwantedtoscream;myonlys
al thehelp wecould
monsterrightbeforemyeyes.
needed Claireletoffseveralrounds,butshedidnothitanyzombies.We ister wasturningintoa
“Tryandstartit!” Isaid. get,n,butandpulledJackie
ammunition,soImotionedherbackintothevehicle.
Sheopenedthedoor,jumpedi she was really just wasting
Rolling downthe window, Claire asked, “Hey! inwithher.
Can’t you just
hotwirethis thing?”
hotwire“Hotwiringjuststartsthecarwithoutakey,”Isaid.“Youcan’t
a vehicle that isn’t working.” Iandthen turnedhearmymeattention heto
Lucas.“Well?Anything?”Iasked,shootinghimaquestioninglookover
myshoulder. “Claire,turnthekey,”Lucassaid,ignoringmyquestion.
I assumed hewaseithertoobusy didn’t orthat
lhadat erbadnewsanddidn’t
. “Nick,coverme,”Isaid.“I’mgonnahavealookunderthehood.”
“Lucas’sgotitundercontrol,”
want totell me; Iwouldhave wagered on the
ornotNickcouldhandlei
youboth.”Histonebetrayedhistension. Nicksaid.“Besides,Ican’tcover
Itookafewstepstomyright,arguingwithmyselfaboutwhether
t. Suddenly,Isawafigurepassedoutonthe
grass,her
recognition longhit:Itbrownwas Val.Zombies
hair spread around were stepping
herin overher, disarray. some
Sudden
orIhadherbeenover of
them
They’dobviouslyacceptedherintot
tripping, theirfeet burying intoher heir clan.Ifleshf Nickand kicking limbs.
there, theyzombiescertainlywouldwouldn’t
Those have have ourignoredthroatsus outandwithout
ripped keptonhesitation.
walking.
stillcreepedmeout.
EventhoughI’dseenthembondingandrecognizingtheir ownbefore,it
zombies, until I was a step away. Kneeling down,I gently
clearpathtoreachVal.Myfeetmovedquickly,mindingthebrokenglass
anddeadIhadtohelpher,nomatterwhat,soIaimedandfireduntilIhada
scooped her up
fromventuringoutagain. inmyarmsand
seatbacktotheJeep.Val’seyesturnedint slungherover my to shoulder,thensprinted
andslammed the door shut, makingheir sureorbitsasIlaidherintheback lockit to preventher
TheJeepsputtered and s
over. Lucasfranticallylet outafewchoicewords. t a r t e d , buttheni t s t a l e d , refusing to turn
bythroughthe Morezombiesbrokeoutofthewoods,asiftheyweremultiplying
minute.My
my heart began
veins.Wehavetogetoutof to race,pounding
hererightnow!Iknew,butIadrenaline quickly
begantolosehope
sJusttartewhen Ithoughtas Claireturnedthe
the carwas beyondkey againandagain,tonoavail.
d.Lucasletoutaloud,“Woo­hoo!Goti tsaving,
!” though,the engine
window. “Get your butts in hereNOW!” Jackie said, rolling down the
lock thedoor.”Lucasslammeddownthehood.“ListentoJackie.Getinthereand
to die like“Youtoo!”Isaid,notabouttoleavehimormybrotheroutthere
somewouldkindbeofjoiningtheOlympic
martyrs. Even if onthetrack tothtierdrive
movefasterthantheclumsyzombiescould
ofcoulds
thatwasforsure.
thecorpses
til driveaway.Evenifweweren’table ier decayingfeet.None
wasn’t finished,soon,tweil
teamas fast,we’ds
anytime
“I’m coming!”Lucassaid.
kick intheIshotanotherzombierightintheforehead,thengavehimahard
gut. He fel straight back,sailing down tothe ground, his
badlyshredded arms flailing.Islippedinsidethetruck,butIrefusedto
lockthedoorsuntilIknewNickandLucasweresafeinside.
Clairescreamedoutthewindow,“Nick!Lucas!Getin
“Hurry!”Jackieshouted. here!I’m
leaving, with or without you two.” Shelaid
point,butIknewitwasjustabluff;shewouldn’teverleavethembehind.
Afterafewmoreshots,theyjumpedintotheJeep,tumblingover on the horn to prove her
sleepingVal,anunconsciousnessTahoe,andmeinthebacks
theywereallinside,Ifranticallylockedthedoor. eat. Once
Lucasrolled downthewindowandstartedfto iring. “Yeah!Runthe
“Drive!”Nickyelled.
Claireshiftedgears,andwewereaboutfar takeoff,fixed flator
bonyfreaksover!”
not.poundingontheglassandrockingtheJeep.Beforeweknewi
She peeled out, but wedidn’t getvery with allthet, wefound zombies
ourselveshelplesslysandwichednexttoasemi.
ClairekeptgunningiftertClairejammedherfootonthegasoverand
, squealingthetires, buttheJeepwouldn’t
overagain.
moveaninch.“Itwon’tbudge!”shewailed.Theengineroared,butwe
remainedwedged,evena
“You’redestroyingthepedals,”Lucassaidcalmly.
“Idon’t
from care!” sheyelled
need a t him.“They’renotworkinganyway.” Jeepto
getaway“Claire,you here.” tolisten toLucas,”Isaid.“Weneedthis
wordsmadesensetoher.
SheA zombie
nodded,withand her expression softened a little,as thoughhis
black hair and bald patches of bloody scalp
crawledontothewindshieldandbeganslappingattheglass.
Myheartraced.IgrippedJackie’shandandgaveita
squeeze, though I wasn’t sure whetherit reassuring
myself. Ididn’tme.wantto
couldn’twaittogett
anideastruck “Nick!We gooutcanandlikethat,
heir paws surrounded by zombiesherorwho
was meant to calm
climboutthroughthesunroofontoto
theirnastyrottingteethonus.Then,
thatseminext
andslungther toiflus.”e backoverhisshoulder.
“It mightwork!”Nicktuckedaguninthewaistbandofhisjeans
“WhataboutTahoe?”Claireasked.“Wecan’tjustleavehim.”
IglanceddownatVal,lyingontopofhim.“Val’ssmellwillrepel
thezombies.Aslongashestaysunderher,h
cando tJackiesucked e’l besafe.Evenifheturns,
Shehis.”nodded, inaand deepbreath,andIgrippedherhandt
theywon’tattackeachother.” Nick slid the electronic sunroof iopenght. “Youand
climbedout.HereacheddowntohelpJackieandClaire,andIwasright
behindthem.
 Don’tlookdown at them,”Isaid.“Concentrateongettingto
toNick.“Clairestumbled,almostlosingherbalance,butsheclungtightly
Nickwrappedhisarmaroundherwaist,tryingtosteadyher. the
roofofthesemi.”
IbalancedontheroofoftheJeepwaitingforthegirls,Nick,and
Lucastogetontopofthetruck. AsI did,ablue­veined,beyond­creepy
handgrabbedmyfoot,tryingtoforcemetolosemybalance.Ithrustmy
face,
boottopintotoMorezombiesgrabbedforme,andIlungedtotemporarysafety
thethe zombie’s
woods
on“Hurryup,youguys!” eighteen­wheeler.sending
of trytolosethesuckers, himtoflyingjumpandback runintoofftheintocrowd.
Ithenwantedcirclearoundandgetback to the
gether out ofthere,waswesafeforthetimebeing,butIknewi
JeepValwasin.Val might misscame.the turning andour fchance wedidn’tto
work.
wasadministertheantidotewhenthetime
completely surrounded, so that lit le planTheproblemwas,thesemi
of mine wasn’t going to
pounded Chillssweptthroughme.Iglanceddowna
us.Swarmsofhandswerereachinguptograbus,andcountlessothers
the ste l wallssafeof the wasno
truck, causing t anthezombiescrowding
unnerving c l a t e r .
er iwe’d t.after the stairs wereblowntomyAt
Itwas worsethanbeingtrappedinsidetheglasshouse.
Groans,gurgling,andmoanscamefromeverywhere,makingthehairon
myneckr
leastthere,we’dbeen
me,andIf
brothercalledZombieLand.Ihadbeennaïvetothedangersallaround
shreds,butinthissituation,there
nothingbutfighttosurvivesince
ieslet.likeanidiot—atonthebalcony
fied idcrashedinthemiddleofwhat
iosafetynet.IfeltlikeIhaddone
Next, the hungry zombies began to rock the truck. Claire and
howtogetoutofthatpredicament.Desperateforsomekindofescape,I
Jackiel et outlongscreams,andIcouldn’tblamethem.Wehadnoidea
swept
pokeda
hornet’smy“What’s
tinest,
t,gazetryingtofindtheentryhole.
hanging
thatover gonna
theareaone
just above
do?” Lucas
us.Ilasttime. saw it:aand
pickedWhenupa Iloosedid,Ibranch
beganshooting asked. He aimed his gun and
my madness!”Ihope.Iused
at thezombieswhowererockingthetruck.
“There’samethodto
baseballbatandswattedthenestashardasIcould,rightintothegroup
ofzombies.Granted,theywouldn’tfeelthepainofthestings,butIhoped
itmightbeenoughofadistractiontoallowusthetimeweneededtoget thestickasa
theaway. Amassofangryhornetsimmediatelyswarmedthezombies,and
etreundead began to swat them away. It didn’t cause the zombies to
rB?”closetogether.
at, Ilookedattheothers.“AtleastIgaveitatry.AnyonehaveaPlan
butitdiddistractthemfromrockingthesemi­truck.Wehuddled
said. “WecouldtryandmakearunforNickandDean’sJeep,”Lucas
“I“Noagree.way!”
we’ll bedead in noIt’sClaire
time.”
waytoorisky,”Nicksaid.
hissed.“If they so muchas “We can’tpossiblytakea
grab oursleeves,
chanceliket
couldmove h a
towardt . Ifwe couldonlydivertthemtothebackofthesemi,I
thefront andseeifI can sliipstintothedriverseatand
trytohotwiret
Withaseriouslook,Lucasgavehimaf
his thing.” bump.“Ilikeit, butif
yougetitrunning,j
was dragged ust don’tgotoof ast. We’llallflyrightoffthetop.”
ofthoughts raced through my
“It couldbeoutofgas,especiallyifthedriverleftitonwhenhe
“Maybethekeyswereleftintheignition,”Jackiesaid,hopefully.
out.” Tuning out, hundreds
head,untilIcame
that wereheaded
andI thought up
ourway,
withabetterplan.Iswatted
andI screamed my a t few
lungs
a out
strayhornets
for Val.
Nick
Everyone bringsunroofthe othersowe
ofthesemithroughtheseaofzombies.Theydidn’tpayher
soundedlikeagreatplantome.IsawValwalkingtowardustotheback
attention,andherappearance—greenishskinandlong,stringyhair—was
caughtonquicklyand
I had driven,and
maybe she openthe
couldstartedyelling Jeepcouldaaround,l oneb
forhertoo. slithep intone. ofIt
allowinghertoblendinwiththem.
Squinting,she pointedatogunher.at theitgaslhere bit.Itank.Sheobviouslyhad
“GetmyJeep!”Iyelled
herownplans,butIdidn’tlikethemonel was sureshewasn’t
thinking
deranged!straight. Did that shot Lucas gave even work? She’s stil
“Whatintheworldis yoursisterofsweatpouring
Shepeeredupathim,droplets doing?”Lucasyelled.downher face.
“I’mgoingtofrythesesuckers.”
“Yeah,andustoo!”Jackie shouteddown.
MybrothershotValaglare.“Don’tyoudare!”
my handsup and down,tryingtogetherattention.“No,
Val!” Iwaved
Ignoring
pocket andHe was us,preparing
she shottoathrow
begantotrickledownintothed holeirt. Shepulleda
init thegas
to sparktank,andflamea when
river ofTahoefuel
thepinklighteroutofher
appearedbehindher.
grabbedthe lighter out of her hand. “Don’t throw it until
they’re Valelbowedhimintheribsandgrabbedthel
clear!” He motioned for us to jump as he ishotghter,thethrowingi
blockingourpath. zombiest
intothetricklinggasontheground.
“GO!” Lucas gave mea hard shove that made me stumble
“Holycrap!”Ishouted.
forward. “It’s gonnablow!”
 Chapter19
I
couldn’tbelieveValhadshotthegastankandthrownalighter
intothetricklinggas.Whatwasshethinking?Thesemi’sgonnablowup
aanym t thezombiestoclearapathformeandtheg
inute!Aws ejumpedoffthetruck,Nick,Lucas,and Val startedshootingso
irls. Everythingmoved
fIshoulder,Iwasthankfultoseetheothersrightbehindme.Itwasabouta
ast morning
ground thatiinfront
t seemed to beablurbefore
instructionstomyeyes:bodies
thesafetywecouldfindinsuchasituation),andourvoicesslicingthrough
aswecalled
of us,us jumpingover droppingtothe
themeachtoother.gettosafety
Glancing (whatever
over myl
couldhopefor, butthemomentofweaknessleftmyneck
attack. meunpreparedforthe
Azombie’sjawssnappedjustinchesfrom
onhit myhiminthehead,sendinghimcrashing whenabullet
to theground.Almostchoking
breath,IshotTahoeathankfullookandforcedmyselfbackinto
the moment, a hundred thoughts racing through my mind.I didn’t
beenthere,thatthingwouldhavetakenasizeablechunkoutofmythroat,
likeachamp,mowingdownanythingthatgottooclosetous.Hadhenot
necessarilyliketheguy,butIhadtoadmitthatTahoewascoveringus
andneck.Iwould have become oneof them. Nick Tahoe quite literallysaved my
“Getawayfromthetruck!”
thudechoedthroughthea i r . yelledamomentbeforealoud
myt? lungs.Everythingthrobbed,but
mystomachashota
leastmybrainseemedokay.Orisi sent me tumblingthrough
TheGroaning,Iliftedmyheadoff
roaringblastir rushedinto theair. I landedonat
explodedtruck—or
bodies mademe gag.
what Instead
wasleft
of the
of thegroundandturned
i t
truck,
. Thestench
I saw to peer
snappingjaws
ofburning a t
zombie the
and
flames that searedJeepheverything
inheldontothehotmetal.The
flaileaping
ling bodiesintheflames,t eir thegirlshadbeendrivingwascovered
fleshburningfromtheirbonesasthey
in their wake. IfNick hadn’t
beensoparanoidaboutrunningoverglass,wewouldhavehad
ourwayoutofthereonfoot.Finally,IwasthankfulNickhadrefusedto to fight
up, andwe al hopped into for it.
budgeontI“Everyone’shere!”Tahoeyelledback.
“Youguysokay?”Icalledouttotheothers.
scrambled
hat, eventhoughwegavehimabunchofgruff
slammedthedoor shut, a burning
insothedrivers zombie pounded my
on Jeep.
the Just
glass. I as
hadI
Lucas,whonowsat
theJeepjerkedforward.
never lockedadoor
pasty,uglyskinagainsttheglass,Ishuddered.“Let’sgo!”Ishoutedto
Lucasbackedup,turnedaround,andhitthegaspedalsohardthat
fast in myeat.life.When the zombie slammed its
As wespedoffdowntheroad,Iglancedoutthe
theshockingscenestretchingbehindus.Billowing,thicksmoketwisted back windowat
intogatheredto
the air,a crescendo
interspersedthatwas
engine.Closingmyeyes,Ileanedback with burning nearlybodies.mynervesgetthebetter
onlyandlet Their painedby themoansJeepof
drownedout
the aftershock.Icouldn’tbelievewe’dsurvived—again.I
me.fromAswemoved away from the burningheap,myhandsbegantoshake t hadbeen
atough one,andtherehadbeentimeswhenI
livingtot***Atone highway became anwouldn’thave
t, but wehad.
el aboutipoint,the impenetrable betonus
maze of
tangled
Nickmadevehicles.the better
backtrackedthroughthewoods,andIswearwel
I would’ve
decision,insistedand ondriving
Lucas followed othrough,
st hoursbecauseofi
it through.We
but asusual,t,
butnoonecomplained.Everyonewass
cometolosingourlives. soItil assumedshe’dused
herenergy.HowthegirlsandTahoecouldsleepwhile
we’dalValstayedoutcoldforhours, inshock,realizinghowclose
we rodeoverone
up allof
bumpy road after anotherwasbeyondme,especiallywithLucas’smusic
playingonhisiPodinthebackground.
thegirlsMybrothermetmygaze.“You’resoluckyIdidn’tparkcloseto
likeyousuggested.If wehad,this Jeepwould’vebeentoast.”
wantamedal?” “Yeah,yeah,”Isaid.“You’reawesome…andalwaysright.You
“No,butsomerespectwouldbenice.”
Ismiled.“YouknowIrespectyourdecisions.Heck,I’dprobably
bedeadi “I’flit watchyourback,”hesaid,
buttsometimes.”I weren’tforyou.” “even if you’rearoyalpainin my
anddriftedoff,andbythetimeI
the sunroofwaswide
chuckled and closedopen.Themy eyessunagain.
wokeup,thewindowswererolleddown,
cast awarm It wasn’tsensation
long beforeonmyI
face,whilea
compartmentand
sunglassesandslippedthemon.
“Ohyeah,”Nicksaid,
coolbreezewhippedthroughmyhair.Iopenedtheglove
fumbled around,thenpulledouta nice pairof men’s
me.IwonderedhowlongIhad
Ilookc chuckled.“Theygivemecharacter.”
“Yep.”
“Yeah?”Iasked. shootingmeasidewayglance.“Nowyou
o “Theymakeyoulookolder,”Nicksaid.
“Well,
l.noticedheandLucasmust’veswitchedseatsa
”I mylife beenout cold,unawareofanythingaround
t somepoint,and

more mature. I can’t has been

believe theturned
crap upside
we’ve down.
been I guess
through. I I
t
“I feelya,lit le brother.”Nickletoutalongbreath,givingmethe ’ sdo feel
mind­
blowing,youknow?”
impressionthathehadsomethingelseonhismind.
“What’swrong?”Ifinallyasked.
 Herefusedtolookatme,keepinghisgazefocusedontheroad.
“I’msorryIyelleda t youwhenwefirst crashed,andI’mevensorrierI
evensuggestedthatyoushouldkillVal.Thathadtobetough,knowing
shewasoursister.”
“Itwashorrible,”Iagreed,“butIshould’vej ust toldyouthetruth.
IfIwouldhad,itwould’veneverevencrossedyourmind,
have,
He grimaced, his
but I might’vegazegivenher stillfocused anotherday I’m
on the tolive.road.sure.”“ILetting
t probablymy
sister turn into one ofthose things…well, Ijust couldn’tletit happen.
Theonlythingthatstoppedmewastheknowledgeyouhaveapossible
cure.” Iconsidered his words carefully. Would hereallykill his own
flesh
thatNick
death,andblood musthaveif Ihewas
andperhaps didn’t
thoughthaveright.I
hewassaving
the vialsin herfrom my possession? a fateworsethan
I reasoned
deadthanbecomeoneofthosethings.
“I don’tand blame you for anything,” knewI wouldhave Nick said. “Yes, ratheryoubeenbrokeshot
somerules
couldn’tbemoreproudofyou.”
wentoutsideofprotocol,butyousavedVal’slife, andI
“Gee,thanks,”Isaid.
wasbotheringhim.
Hislipspressedintoagrimline, butIcouldtel somethingelse
“What?”Iasked.
Heshook his headbeenandtrying
boardingthathelicopter.“What
speakingoutwhatIhad iranf theacuretohandpushoutofmymindeversince
doesn’twork,Dean?”
through his disheveledhair,
Iclenchedmyfists, hopingagainstal oddsthatitwouldwork. “It
will,”IsaidwithlessconvictionthanIwanted.
“Butwhati
“I dunno,” fIitdoesn’t?Idon’tthinkIcanbearhavingas
I know is thatwe’llget throughisttheirsone.” I
dayandhavingtoputherdownhumanelythenextday.It’sjustnotfair
—notfreakingfairata said.“All
l ! Ineverevengotachancetoreallyknowher.”
tried to Hekeepmyvoicefromquivering.
noddedinagreementand didn’tsayanotherword.He’dneveron
shownmehisemotionalsidebefore,andIcouldtellhowhardi
about pry any Iknew
him.andIwasn’tabouttolethimwitnesst further;hati.If lweeft continued
touchysubjectsandsentimentalthings,atearmights
I itany
decidedfurther.
nottoBesides, him alonelip down discussing myt wascheek,
and didn’t suchtalk
Jeepdrove Wedroveforanotherhourbeforesomethingcaughtmyeye.The
goodlaugh joked pasta zombie,hunchedover
zombiefewabouthow
doesthrowcurveballsweneverquiteexpect.Theg
reallyhappen,notinamillionyears.
teven
eyesconnected,achillranthrough me.II’dcometo
the myworld
road.Ididn’thavemuchtimetograspdetails,butinthebriefsecondour
heir cold,deadeyes.A
abouta
and chatted apocalypse,but
yearsback, a deadbuddies
deeron
knewIwouldnever
wedidn’t
wasrealize
igoingsltheside
lsasofthink
randIhad eptoend.tenjoyeda ofthe
e thatlWe’dife
t.lagetthatLucasand
usedto
would
tNick glanced atthe venison­devouring zombie for a second,but then
seriouslywrongwith
heir attentiondriftedofflikeitdidn’tevenfazethem.There’ssomething
t h i s worldwhenwecandrivebyazombiefeasting
onadidn’tdeeronthe
armyweseemed sideof
could totakebetorunoutof
whythegrowingintheroadandaccepti
wantedtogetthemintosafecities,evenbuildmorecitiesi
seriouslymessedup!
thattheywouldhave
understand
Theworldseemedtobecrumblingatheauthorities
remaininghealthypeopletoi
numbers
healthyweren’t ttrying
asnormal.Yeah,t
daily.Sooner
people
l aroundus, .orMyanddojust
outnfecttoofthe thhati.s iIts
flawehadto.I
thopeswere
equation.
etheundead
r, though,
major problemstofirstand
seemedsimple me.I figured then dealthe leaders
with after­effects.Getting
neededtofocus on helpsolvingto
butinthemeantime,thehealthypeopleoutthereneededhelp.Theywere
everyoneinZombieLandhadtobehard,ifnotimpossible.
Thelivingdeadwouldeventuallydie,andsurvivorscouldrebuild,
alwaysontherunorhidingout.Iquicklylearnedthatitwas
giveuponthinkinghumanitymight
WhetherIwantedtoornot,I’dhaveto
battleto
andtotallysurvive,
suckedwithoutdeaththere,lurking
but therearound
standawasdealwith
thechance
littleIcorner.Life an
waseveryday
it,afterall.Whatever
coulddo
andI couldnever
aboutroughit.
happened, IknewI’dnever
outthere.Myheadached.Thinkingaboutthel
Dad,andtryingtosave getaccustomedto
Val wasdriving me thethingswe
insane.Ineededsleep—some
a s t days’events,Momand witnessed
head,
peace,ifonly drifted offthetoimagethefeglitofrlass’thethoughitwouldn’tcome
Tryingfor anhour—butsleep
thoughIhadonlyclosedmyeyesforafewminuteswhensomeoneshook
long time.Ieventually toblock shallow
half­eatenbreathing.It deer out fofelfortmyasa
myopenedmyeyestoNicktoweringoverme.“Wherearewe?”
shoulder
“Look hard,up, sleepy
jerkinghead,”me outNickofsaid,my slumber.
pointing upWhat?”toanIgroggily
controltower.“It’sanairport.Ithinkthiswouldbethebestplacetostay air traf ic
thenightandgetsomer
Withoutanotherword, est.” I followedhimout.It waslate afternoon
andwe’dbeendrivingallday.Mywholebodyf
outandstretched my legs,thankfultoget outof ethetruck.Iglimpsed
lt cramped.Isqueezedat
birds andgrayaswereasoftwind
oursurroundings.Totheright,therewasnothingbutwoodlands.Tothe
chirping
louthereinthemiddleofZombieLand.
probablyserved
completelydeserted.AndIcouldn’tbelievet
eft wasatall,
Noplanes a building.In
out,butagiants
runway. Apartrustling
frontfrom
te oflthehangarlinedthenorthside
us,htheisleaves,
wouldbemythirdnight
thereusual wasa
thesounds,suchseemedasof
arearampthat
theseerighti
fielNickwasr
d. n.Forsomeight:reason,the
was empty.hangar doors
somebodywasinaquickhurrytoleave.I
Everything cranedweremy neckslid uopen,
Thecontroltowerwastheperfectplacetospend as if
ntil Icould
thenight, andIfelt like we wouldbesafe.“Wecanseeazombiecoming
 fromanywhere.”
thatweLucasplayfullysluggedmeinthearm.“Yeah,butthebestparti
can talkandbeasloudaswewant.”abox
“Ilikeit!”Jackiesaid,grabbing
Igavehimafist­bump.“Yeah!” s
canwhipupsomedinnerwitht h i s s t u f . offoodfromthetrunk.“I
Howaboutcoldchickennoodle
soupwithcrackers,bakedbeans,andSpam?”
“Mmm. A meal fitfor a king.” Claire laughed as she grabbed
somecandlesandothersupplies.
Lucaschecked
finallysnapped.Iagreedtostaydownstairswiththeg
Igot a things
crowbarout.We
out of lthetrunk
eft Tahoesleepinginthebacks
and wedgedirlsthewhileNickand
lock euntilit
at; we
struck a minute…he didupallsave sothoses
weren’tabouttocarryhissorrybutt
me: Wait breakand my lifteairbacks. Butthere.thenaMaybe
thoughtI
shouldcuthima
comeupbydark,Iwouldgooutand notridehimget him.Iowedhimthatmuch.
hard.Idecidedif hedidn’t
“Yourbrotherissobrave,”Clairesaid,wearingabigsmile.
notafraidofanything.WhenI’mwithhim,Ij u s t feel sosafe.” “He’s
Nick,don’tyou?”
Ismiledanddecidedtoputheronthespot.“Youhaveathingfor
Hercheeksgrewred.“Yeah,he’sreallysweet.”
Jackiegrabbedmyarmandsmiled.“Soi
al Iamaroundhershoulderandpulledherclose,my s Deanhere.” heart
racing.“Isthat
Iflung myarm toyou?Sweet?”We’dsharedaratherpassionate
kis , andnow Iwaswas moreto
prettysurethere there with my arm around her, so I was
standingit than“sweet”.
“Is there something wrongandwith sweet, mister?” she chimed,
meetingmygaze.
“No,butI’dratherbesexy ir esistible.”
Shebattedhereyelasheslikeapuppydog.“ShouldIrephrase?”
“Yes,pleasedo.”Ishot heraplayfullook.
“Ohbrother,”Clairesaid.
Shewrappedherarmsaroundmeandstaredintomyeyes.“Dean,
uh,what’syourlastname?”
“Walters,”Isaid.
“DeanWalters,youaresexyandi
you.Ialsotrustyou,andIconsidermyselfluckytohavemetyou.”
“That’s r esistible andsweet,andIlike
more like it.” I softly kissedherlips. “But I could say
thoseel youwhatIthinkaboutyou.”Myvoicegrewslightlyhusky.“You’re
sameHerfacelitup,andherlipscurvedintothemostbeautifulsmileI
things and moreabout
gorgeousandclever,braveandadorable.”
tWhensheleanedintome,I you.” My lips brushed hers again.
putsomedistancebetweenus.“No,letme
hadeverseen.“Getaroom,youtwo!”Lucassaid.
Jackie
He chuckled.
turnedaroundandplayfullypunchedhim.“Shutup!”
“Just because we’re in theformiddlepublicofdisplays
a zombieof
apocalypse doesn’t mean you can’t get arrested
affection.”Weal laughed,and themoodseemedlighter.
“SoItake it everything’s safe upthere?”Claireasked.
Wewent
“Allclear,”Nicksaid.
backs e a t . out to the Jeep to get Val. I scoopedher upfrom the
Shewasstilloutcold,butshelookedalotpaler,andshewas
sweatingprofusely.
ClaireandJackieglancedover.“Issheokay?”Jackieasked.
“Clairedidn’twastea
It’s allpartoftheprocessofbecomingazombie,”Isaid.
Nicknodded.“We’llprepareherbedupstairs.”
minute.Shewasrightbyhisside,holding
somepillowsandblanketsandaboxofsuppliestobecarriedup.
“Here,Claire,letme help,”Nicksaid, takingtheboxbefore he
turnedandlookedatme.“Yougotthevialsincasesischanges?”
I nodded.of“Yep.” CarryingVal,I weclimbed up what feltlike a
million flights irsstairs,but
overlookingthea t r i p eventually, reached
below,andIcouldfinallylayherdown. the open space
Clairehurried totcoverherwithablueblanket.
lobsterfeelslikewheni
Valopenedhereyesbrieflyandsaid.“Hey,doyouknowwhata
’s boiled?”
Ishookmyhead.“Notreally.”
chuckled“Ido.”
Icouldat herattempt
tel sheeyesatwassarcasm,somethingshe’dobviouslyinherited
roasting, so I took off the blanketand
fromourmother.“There.Ihopethat’sb
Sheclosedher anddriftedbacktosleep.
of e t e r . Justgetsomerest,s
was i s . ”
Theviewfromthetop
“We’retakingthose,”Lucassaid,pullingmeaside.amazing.Icould
thecontroltower
seefromeverydirection.Ipickedupapairofbinocularsfromadeskand
realizedIcouldseeasfarasthewoodsstretchinginthedistance.Nothing
wouldgetpastus.
He“I’msurenobodycaresatthispoint.”
openedmy black bag and inspected the vials. “Everything
looksgoodhere.”
“Ofcourse. I’vebeenguardingthemwithmylife.”
“Keepupthegoodwork.You’redoinggreat.”
Inodded.“Well,there’salotonmyshoulders, I’l tel youthat.”
“Yeah,Iknow.It’stobeexpectedsincewe’retheworld’sonly
hopeforsurvival.”
“Nopressureoranything.”
Hisexpression darkened. “Seriously, Dean, you’re doing a
fantasticjob.Youreallyareahero.”
vials “I wonderift’s theclosestthingwedohave.We’vegottogetthose
cure?”“Ifnot,i they’lleven work.Youreally think we’ve gotthe
tothes
ofourlives.” cientists inWashington.Thisis themostimportantmission
Ibit myliphard.“Iknow.”
 Hiseyesglimmeredwithhope.“We’regonnabeabletohelpso
manypeople.Wecan’tthinkofthisastheendoftheworld.Weneedto
think ofHe“Iitasthebeginning
hopeit’s themiracleof awe’vea new life…foreveryone.”
l beenprayingfor,”Iagreed.
zipped
need to“That’stheplan,” upthe
test it onyoursisteIsaid. bag.
r.” “Well, there’s only one way to tel . We
“Forhersake,aswellasthesakeofa
workslikewewanti
“Doc ensuredt to.”me this is thefimetnal formula,andI l humanity,Isurehopeit
aroundwithClaireandNick.WhenI
tellingmethetruth.”
Lucasnoddedgravely.“Yeah,metoo.”
Jackie’slaughdriftedover,andwebothsmiled.Shewasjoking hergaze,shesmiled;she believe hewas
thecutestsmile,teethgleamingwhitelikeaHollywoodmovies t a r . had
“Hey,”Lucaswhispered,“Jackie’sreallycute.”
“Yeah,she’shot,smart,funny,andsupersweet.Ilikeeverything
abouther.”“Sheseemsperfectforyou.Iguesstimewillonlytel .”
Ishookmyhead.“Yeah,shelooksal
“Who?”heasked. o t l i k e , uh…”
conclusions.
through.We’dj t likeValustatakei
“A loAfter my, wetnexthardly
wasn’tgoingtorushanything,especiallywitheverythingweweregoing
nowwassaving landgettinghome.
nice girlfriend.” Maybe mymain
andknewslow.Besides,
eachother, butII waswasjumpingto
focusright
smitten.I
“She’ssecondI
prettywhenshei
“The
“Icouldt al eslnyours,”Lucassaid.“Besides,I
laideyesonher likeyour sister. She’s
’youlikeVal,”Isaid.
t threateningtoeatme.”
backonthe island,Iwastotal yt
blownaway.ItsuckedthatIhadtoarresther.Ireallyhatedthat.Wouldi
botheryoui with meorifyouwanna goof ahfitseisallsaidanddone?”
“It’s ffineIaskedheroutsometimewhent r my sister. You’re the
pullingpranksonherthewayyoudototheguysbackontheisland.”
most honorable
“Shemightlikeaguywithasense
Ilaughed.“Yeah,
guy I know.”shemightpunchyouinthe
I playfully slugged
humor.”him. “Just don’tgo
face.”
 The airport20control tower was the best possible place forus to rest andstay the night. The highest story boasted
Chapter
fantastic though.
zombies visibility,Ourmain
allowingprioritywas
us to see any approaching
nottodraw any zombie from
attention; we a mile
had to away.a herd.
avoid We weren’t
Scanning worriedthe about
area single
below the
race
tower,Idownthe
realizedairstripthatledto
that evenif a whole themainroad.
bunch ofthem triedtocornerus, there’d beenough time tojump in the Jeepand
“What
Ismiled arebutdidn’t
you thinking?”
turnto Jackiewhispered
face her. “Nothing frombehindme.
Earth­shattering.Ijust
mainroadbytakingafew
Sherubbedmy backgently. different directions.”
“Always plottingahead, aren’t you?” realized we can get from the airstrip to the
Iinclinedmy
She laughed. head, notsure
“Relax. It’sa where shewasI wishIwasmore
compliment. headed. “Sometimes.” of a planner rather than jumping in headfirst without
thinking“And ofconsequences.Imight’vesaved
IwishI was more carefree,” Imyselfa said, bitoftrouble
finally turning. inmy
My life.”fell on her lips first, then trailed up to her
gaze
beautiful
casewe haveto eyes. “My paranoia’s something I learned from Nick. Did you know he’s already plotted our escape plan in
evacuate?”
you.” She
soup, bakedbeans,
Myheart
We cocked
Ilaughed
settled a brow.“Impressive.Ihaven’t
andin,and
picked
andSpam,
pulled
up inspeed
Claire
herjustagainst
laidlike chest,even
aredand
promised, plannedmy
at theoutmyrealization.Ilikeda
marveling
white
onpaper blanket ondinneryet.”
lotofthings
athow
plates.Ilit
good
the about
floor.
somethick
she smelled.
her—a
Jackiewhite
dished
whole
“That’slotofthem.
outcold
something chicken
I likeabout
noodle
she candles andput them inthe
center. Girls usuallydigcandles,
flat Pepsi.I“Ourfirstromantic
grinned
I wassowhile everyone and Ihad
dinner,”sang,shesaid. a stronghunchJackie would like themtoo.
“Awww!” trying tomake light ofa tough situation.I laughed as Idranka warm,
Ididn’tJackie
even likethem.hungry and thirsty that I didn’t even care. I could have eaten a whole other can of baked beans, and
The stairsran creakedassomeone walked up them.We all exchangedshocked glances.
backseatanymore.”
Myheartraced to theasIwindow
rushedandtotheglanceddoor. out.
“Who“I isdon’t
it?” see any zombies around and it looks like Tahoe isn’t in the
Attomorrow.
enough
this “It’s
me.”“LakeTahoe?”
point,I
to last mealifetime.
justneeded
Iasked.alittle
Ofcourse,
Iwasbreather
sothankful
afterfroma good
itwasa
all thatnight’s
human’s
kindsleep,
of crap.
voice
I’dI’dand
probablybe
only
notabeenout
zombie’smoan
readyfor
here formoreandthreeadrenalinerushes
heavybreathing.
days and seen

“Funny.
How cansomeone Justlet
Hesitating,
Jackie offered me in.thedoor.
Iopened Myside’sEventhat?
forgetsomethinglike
himaplate killingme.”
though
Iknew
abeer.he Ineeded
had savedmyto forgive
touslife,Ihim.AndIwould…intime.
wasstill
he wastickedat
part ourhim for almost killing Val.
sat next like as though
forgiven
expressionandtoldme
forgotten. Personally,same.I couldn’t wait to be rid of the mountain man once and forall, and allNick’s
he thoughtthe offood and He of gang, was
He didn’tKeeping
worries.The usuallytodrink,
citywe’dhimself,
so Imy
lived couldbrother
inforthe downedhaditawasall
onlylastyear
assume beer, then another,Weasdidn’t
been destroyed.
quitedevastating though
foreven alcohol
him.As
knowif
muchcould as help
ourfamily himhadforget
I understood his
survived.
him,I
didn’t
through,
parents
lifted Ihadto
He justdrank
a beerwas
likehim
nodded.
canwhileLucas
makeitoutsafe,
drinking
“Iagree.
nothing.
smiled.“Tosurvivalandnew
while
Mom
keptHeck,weall
and
continuing
guard
andI’mnot toevengoingto
Dadusingthe
had
decided
allplaybinoculars
kinds
tohave
friends.”
tough. We
of escape
wasteanother
one.
we found.
Nickdidn’t
neededtobeon
plansand evenhespeakfor
Finally,
minuteworrying
drills. alert,but
We’llfind
said,“I’veabout been
theafter
them,no
first
it.”everything
thinking.
hourwewere
doubtabout
Iwe’dbeen
knowthere.
it.”I
my

upmy
“I’lltoast
Jackie’sbrown
and
tothat,”eyesTahoe
twinkled,andwe
said. all clankedcans.
cared Val even openedwashereyes.
about.”Thepain “Howherwhisper.
evidentin can anyonetoast in this day and age? I’ve lost so much and so many people I
making“She
everymakes choice. We
breathanaexcellent point,”
fightLucas
tolivesaid.another Weallsecond, as he continued,
noddedanother minute, “Death day.
another lurksaround
All of every
us comecorner,
from
different
“We’veTherewas
ofus.IwrappedanarmaroundJackie
allexperienced
backgrounds
a moment of silence
andthe loss
walksof toasdraw
ofaloved weone.allherweLet’sstopmakingtoastsand
life,but all haveandshe
contemplated
close, onething
hissnuggled
words.in Somehow,he
common.”
intomyshoulder.
justlive toHislips
seeanother
hit homepressed
withevery
day.”intogrim
singlelines.
one
“Ican’targue
“I’ve lifted
Nick withtoo,”
lost friends
hischin. that,” Nicksaid,“not
“Thisone
Imanaged chokeafter
goestooutto out.losing
Sam Moalny,countless friends andeven
whowaskilled mychildhood girlfriend.”
last monthinthe
great patriot, humanitarian, andloyal friend. Andthis also goesoutto allthose who have died line of duty.thiswicked
invainto He was a
epidemic thatsmiled.
them. Mayyou
He hastaken
“Thanks,Lucas,” place
rest“Ididn’t alloverour
Valdosaid
inpeace.” quietly. world. Our loved ones are gone but never forgotten. This thought goes out to
anything.”
silence “You
ensued, understood what Ishehad
and toI believed meant.”drifted
She leaned back against the pillows and her
closedeyeshereyes again.smiled.
Fora“Hey,
moment,
fuzzy.
saidanything
I’m tryingtoput
crazy you, just forgetit, okay? I wasn’t thinking straight. Also, I think I might’ve attacked you. It’sifallI
the piecestogether.” off to sleep, but then she opened again and
“Thenyou’re
Herface
Hesmiled.blushed.“No
not goingway.DidIreallysay
toeat me?” Lucasasked. that?”
 I“Yes,
chuckled.“That…and
“I’m sorry,Lucas,”
with a verydescriptivealittlecursingvocabulary,”
more.”like thatinfrontofthe
Valsaid.“Italk Claire added.
guysonthe police forcetoblendin,ya know?”
“That
“Don’tshottooka
worryaboutwhileit,” towork,but
Lucassaid. itfinallykickedin. Ican’t thank youenough.Nick filledme inabout how I
fought
let you youover
He
“What?
“You it.I’msorry
growyourhair
threw
didYou
a fantastic
don’t Iwastheair.“Well,it’sabout
out.”upin
hisarms likethe
jobof such
buzzeda bear.
planninglook?Also,thanks
it.”Sheshot
What dotime
youforbreaking
himatiny
yougave meme“You’d
expect?grin.
Are yououtlooking
some ofbethatmedical
for someprison.”
creditforthatgreat
kindofcute brooding
ifUncle
escape.”Sam would
Fabio fromthe cover ofone of those romance novels?” He made a fist and the huge muscles bulged inhis sap or“I’m
arm. somea
born andbred
She soldier,“Ifyou’re
grinned. and thisiseverinterestedin
a soldier’s hairdo.”
going out with
He
“Then
“Yep.”
Shegrinned
smiled.
it’s settled.I’ll
back.
“Deal.“Arethose
Hopefully,
growoutmy by thetime
yourfinal
hairforone
terms?” withme,you’ll
thathappens,
date you.” have tonormaltoo.”
I’llbe backto grow outyourhair.”
Shewalked
bed.“I’m“Getsome
goingtorest overhere fora bit.”She pulledthe cover up toherchestandclosed hereyes. back to her
Tahoe rest,” Lucassaid,carryingover
approached. “Hey,Lucas, Ineeda a secondwithVal,
minute pillowand
okay?”propping itunder herhead.
He
said
seemed
timessheLucascocked
irritated
something
“It’s
Tahoe
tojust
make
me,
okay,”
nodded,
under ahisandthen
apologized
butIlet brow.
ValValsmile.I
said.“I
him
breath,
forEarl
regardedher
chitchat
wantto
sheraised
making
andwith
evenhis
hearwhat
herfrom
herarm
mygiggle
sister
own hasto
thehetoandthen
corner
because
involvement.
touchofmy
say.”
hisshoulder,
laugh,
he seemed
eye,unable
Hisreminding
words
harmless.
asthough
tobelieve
were
meofImumbled,
allknew
theold
waswhatI
Valforgiven
Valbut
could
wasI’dmet
whatever
witnessing.
and
handleforgotten.
notlong
him,
hesaid,
Afew
butago.
HeitI

been
growled,
words
couldn’ttaking
help
hissed, orLucas
ofValwastelling
encouragement.
down
inching saidcloserto
him tunein.andcuretrying
anyorEventhough
off­the­wall
aboutthe
Claire she
things.
andthat
seemed
toI was
bitethere
tired,
happy
theirwas hernecksat
thehope mind had
was worked
shot forher
that very
clear,and Heafterall.
life.moment;orithad
squeezed it hadn’t,
Ifelse
been herhand sheandwould
hourssince gave
shelast
have
her
trying toarrest me,thinking she was a cop hot on acase.I chuckledtomyselfatthe thought. she would have been
“Hey, LakeTahoe,”
“Love thenickname,” mybrothersaid,“I’mwatching
hesaid. “Iguess I’mstuckwith you.”
said
kindof
the
allI’d
joined,
glass
thatto
seen,I
Lucas
sitting
stories
houseatNick
hisand
knew
orVal’s
Nickstarted
themultitude
thestories as hetold
usedsidetocome telling
were
ofzombies
back
true.
some
usArmy
andIwondered
stories
tell ofandhisifabout
thatstories
us,surrounded thewe’d
own.guystheit,right?”
their
always
I used tothoughthe
semi­truck
back
narrowhome
thinkmy
escapeswith
wewouldstoodon
was
brotherwas
believeme
fulldeath
topof it.and
of.anwhen
OfThose
exaggerator,but
zombies.Tahoe
course,
Itold
wereIhad
them
the never
about
crazy
even
after

face. Clairebeercan
“Woo­hoo!”
Nick squashedthe squealed.“He
hewasdrinking from and threwit
shoots; hescores,and beatsthebuzzer at thelastsecond
across the room, making the towinthe
basket. “Yes!”
game.”
“He’sso
Nick laughed,
gettingthengrabbed
achampionshipanotherbeerand
ring,” Jackietook
said.a swig. “So, Claire,what’s yourstory?”
Jackiealmost spatherdrink
Weall laughed,andIelbowed
somekindofbrotherpick­up line?” outin afit of laughter. “Deanused thatline onme earlier, backat the house.Is that
“I justwantandto know more aboutherplayfully.
you,Claire,” Nick said. “I don’t know a darn thing except that you’re twenty­
one, smokin’hot,
“That’sthe corniest
gorgeous.”
thing I’veeverheard,”Lucas
IJackie
laughed.“Itis, isn’t it? But he gets so daringoncesaid.he’s had a couple ofbeers.”
Nick stumbled
chuckled.over
“Yeah.He’snot
and wrappedbeatingaround
his arm aroundtheClaire
bush now,
as heishe?”
slumped down next to her. “I like the direct
room.”
approach.”
“Ifhegets onyour nerves,Claire, just let meknow,” Lucas said. “Icanthrow his button the other side of the
I aren’t“I’m
only fine, Lucas.” Claire grinned and turned herattention to my brother. “I’mfrom NewYork City. Jackie and
cousins,butalsoroommates.”
relocated.”
“Cool,” Isaid. “Nick andIare originally from MyrtleBeach, South Carolina. When all this happened, we got
“Didyou like it there?” Jackieasked,chimingin.
goals I life.”
in nodded.I grabbed
“I missherthehand
oceanandbigtime.My
squeezed it buddies
gently. andreally
“I I usedto
wanted surftoallbethetime.
a Wehad
broadcast fun,reporter.
sports but wealso
I wish had
we
couldallI“Oooh,
go there. I’dlove to
pointedather.“Thanks,but show youthe beachand
Iwould lovethat,” Jackiesaid.“Bytheway,
backto you.” howtoride a wave.”
sportsjournalism isa cool careerchoice.”
“We usedschool,”Jackie
toattend Parsonselaborated,
before thebrushing
zombie thingwent down,”Claire said.
I cockeda
“Fashion brow.“Neverheardofit.” a instrand of hair back. “It’sandnotjournalism.”
what you think. It’s more than
pattern­making
“Yeah,” and sewing
Claire courses.
said.industry Iwas
“It’s oneof takingclasses fashion
the oldestwhileinstitutions photography
ofinnovative
itskind offering undergraduate andParsons
graduateis degrees.
We were
more.”Jackietaught
withlaunchingseemed valuable
the careersof knowledge
quite enthusiastic
variousfashion
aboutit,legends designing
andIwished
likeMarcI knew clothing
Jacobs,moreDonna
abouther and products.
Karan,careerchoice,
and Tom Ford,and socredited
but giventhat many
I’d
grown upamongboys withabsolutelynofashion sense, Iwasglad toevenknow whatfashion schoolwas.
 Nick
embarrassed
Clairegrinned,
nudgedwithprobably
I metJackie’s
toflirt gettingyou’d
gaze.“Ithink
himhim.andbatted asthose
littleout
makea ofeyelashes
itasI was.“Well,that
long wonderfulfashionphotographer.”
ofhers. She really explains
likedthemycutebigoutfits.”
brother, and she wasn’t
ten.I Myheartaboutthe
thought began togreatraceas Jackie Icould
adventures flashed havetaking
her bright smile.“Thank
beautiful you,”allover
pictures she said.theworld.
“I startedButas
takingateenager,
pictures atI
begantoClairecut
“Yougotta
lovefashion,soI
in.do“Yeah.
whatthought
youlove,” andIsaid.
JackieI’djust Iworked
combine
“Didyou
aswedding
myworkaswell?”
two greatloves.”
gown models insome ofthose wedding
wear beautifulgownsandhave
Nick reached forher hand.“Ibetyou
ourhairall pinned up insome elaborate up­dos.” shows. We got to
“Thankyou,Nick,” shesaid.“We made the mosttomove
weren’tallowed beautifulbride.”
onelook,muscle orevenendblink.”
Jackie
alwaysgot
I“What
Jackie chuckled. “Yeah, and Claire
off,as ifremembering
shotLucasanamusedlook.
melooked
wereyoudoing
introuble.” kept givingme
whenallofthishappened?” Lucasasked. wereactuallyup busting out in laughter. She
this silly
a horrible eventinherlife.“We and we’d

chocolate
modelsfora
“Thetitle
“Whyfashionwouldyouofthemagazine ‘Chocolate, goWine,and
articleinwasHershey,Pennsylvania
leaveNewYorkCityto to Pennsylvania?”Nick
whenthevirusbroke
Weddings’,” Jackie asked. ona photo
out.”said, “sothey choseshoot
todoaswedding
it inthe
everywhere. capital
People ofthestartedkilling
world. Everything
and turnedtheirto friends
eating chaos. Weandcouldn’tget
neighbors, back to New
andthere YorkandCity.
Claire I Therein was
were thesegunfire
fluffy
weddingdresses.”
shattered,so
“We hidwe out let them
inthegoso
basement
they’dofahavea
pet store,”
fightingClairesaid.“Thepooranimals
chance. Leaving them lockedwere up inthose
going nuts.The
cages would
glassdoor was
“I remember
a deathsentence forsure.
whereIwatchedthe
Iwastoo,” parrotssquawk
I said.“I was stuck and flyatthe
offinto theof asky,andI enviedwiththem.” have been
werebeing killed below,and Icouldn’tdoanything tohelp them.” top Ferris wheel a date. Innocent people
Nick and“It“That’sawful,”Jackie
mywasdadlet
like something
medown.said.outMyofdate
someraninthe
B­grade horrorother movie, and I thoughtmaybe I was dreaming. Hours later,
parents and me to KelleysIsland where mygrandma lived.”direction and I haven’t seen her since. Nick then flew our
“So
A softyou’re
thecompliment ofa pilot?”
huefromapretty Claire
redcovered cutin,hergazemeeting
girl.hischeeks, and for a moment, Nick’s.“Idigpilots.”
I wasn’t sureif it was from the alcohol inhis blood or
livedthere
Icleared
beforetheoutbreak.”
mythroat.“Anyway,mygrandma owned a bed and breakfastand a smallcottage. About200 residents
pictures“My
kayaking, bestfriendAndeven
sheshowedme.
andhiking. Itlookedlike
fromschool tookawent
atrip
lotoffun.
totoKelleys Island twoispark,
thatKelleysIsland
amusement ayears
touristattraction,right?”
Cedarago,”Pointin
Jackiesaid.
Sandusky.I
“She went fishing, sea
rememberallthe
water. It’sa great “Itislandusedandtowelove
I snorted. be. It wasit. IjustwishNick
the perfect placewastoaround hole up,more.”
consideringwe were completely surroundedby
“And
“Iwashome where’donyoutake leave offto,Nick?”
from theArmy,but Clairewhenthis
asked. zombie thinghappened,I choseto fightoverhere inOhio,”
Nick “Me
weren’tsaid.
deadyet.”
“With everything happening,the Armywas cool with it.I wantedtogive back, to save the people who
too,” Lucaslikethe
family…well,they’re
Clairegripped said.familyI
Nick’shand. “I had“That’s
lots ofveryconnections so I got stationed at Kelleys Island too. Nick and Dean’s
neverhad.”
He
Jackieleaned
squeezed
inand myhand
whisperedandIsmiled. honorable
We
somethinginherearthat talked toserve
about yourcountry.”
madeeverything,
herlaugh. andI learned so much about her. She’d
beenbornand raised inNewYork City,and familyand friends meanteverything to her. Shealsolovedburgers with all
the
andpink
withfixings,
herbrothers,andshe
“I’ve
“Val!”
“You’re
“Like
slipperseverynight—oratleastshehadbefore
andshe
gotaIsaid.
awake,”Jackie
onedemanded
question,”saidVal,
lovedsaid.
gobs
cats.She’d
“Howare
of mustard,
lookingatJackie
always
youjustfeeling?”
wanted
liketheme.
andClaire.
adog,
zombies
Shebutusedtojog
tookover.
herlandlordCentralwouldn’tallowit.Shewore
Park every morning atsix pajamas
a.m.

“Thiszombie zombiething
“Yes?” Claire is eating
said. my intestines.”She
has been cringed.“Well, youasked.Anyway, here’s my question.”
happening forayear
“We ran until our group foundan abandoned now. Whywere
mansion,” Jackie you“We
said. dressedso
got fashionablewhenwemet?”
comfortable and didn’tsee more
than a handful
“There ofzombiesforovereightmonths.”
weregiant
wereled
andletting intoourafalse down.closets
guardsense filledwith
ofWedressed
security. Iknowthe most gorgeous
upeveryday
now anddidour
that it was a
designer
hair
big andclothes,”
mistake.makeup.
We
Jackie
All said,“sowe started
thegirlsinour
should’ve been training group
to
relaxing
did. We
fight, but
themen “At
everyoneJackie
I treated
wrappedmy
else.” o’clockherarmonebeer.“That
threesipped
uswomenlike
Hervoice wavered.
aroundher
afternoon,a windowend
chinadolls.They
“Webarely
wasthe
andpulledescaped.”
tookcareofus,andIguess
herclose.It
shattered,”
of our group…and
Claire
hadtosaid.“I’ll
beourtime
awful.
welet them.” evento this
neverforgetit
I together.Aherd
couldn’t beginbroke
day.”to imagine
inand killed

supplies
that night“I’m
orweapons.
must
sorry,”Valsaid,looking
have been likefor them, window.theloss of their protectors and running for their lives withwhatno
outthemourning
“Yes.
“Isn’t AndIwantto
the sunset gorgeous?”
watchitone
Jackieasked,changing
lasttimebefore I…before
the subject.
Idie,” shesaidbetween breaths.
 “How canIdeny my wonderful
her sisterher last wish?” I rushed over tohelp her up. “Technically though, you’re
not really
sun sinkinto
I“Thatdying, Val.”I scooped
grippedherhandtightly.
thewashorizon.
beautiful,” she saidand up inmy
lookedarmsup atme,
and brought her next toNick.
then atNick.“Hey, guys,Wewhatifthe
allsat together and watched
curedoesn’t work?”the
Atearrandown “Don’t even
herface.“Idon’t thinkaboutit.”
wantto die,Dean.I wanttolive tosee another sunset.”
“Shh.” Iwiped her tear away andpulledher into myarms. “You’re my sister, and Nick and I are going to do
everythinginourpower
“You’ve got totrusttosaveyou.”
us,” Nicksaid.
She smiled,but
Nick Icouldsee
touchedherhand. the hopelessness
“That’smy girl.” inhereyes. “I’mnot givingup yet.”
“If“Anything,”
Tearswelled
“Justpromise
the cure doesn’t
Isaid,
inmemyeyes
onemeaning
work,Iwant
thing,”asImet
it.shesaid.
youorNickto…one ofyou havetoput thebullet inmy head—nobody else!”
didn’t wantto cryinfront of everyone. Nick’spromise.”
“I…we gaze; heItwaswaschoking
the up too.
hardest I triedI’dtoevercompose
promise had to myself
make because
to I
anyone,
andIhopedit
She sniffled.
wasn’tone
“ThankI’dhave
you.” tokeep.
IValsqueezed
my promise, letnooutahersigh.“Iwishwe
matterhowhand.Imuch
prayedit hurt.
against allbeenoddsa that thecure would work, butifit didn’t, I knewI’dhave to keep
could’ve
“Well,we’re areal familynow,” Isaid,“and realfamily,thatwe
that’s what counts.” couldhave grown up together.”
“Tell
Ilaughed.“You
meaboutMomand remind mea
Dad,”lotofDad,
shewhispered.
with thattemper ofyours.I think that’s a familytrait.”
“My
Nickchuckled.
adoptive parentswere as sweetas
“I’mthe worst.I punch canbe.Iknew
walls whenIgetIdidn’t pissedoff.”
get mytemper fromthem.”
“You’re funnyandsarcastic
“Andyou’re a fighter,just likelikeMom,
Mom,” buttoughlike
Isaid. “Whenshe Dad,”hadNicksaid.
cancer,she nevergave up.She beat ityears later.”
“Mom almost died?” shesaid. asI
she didn’tASlowly,thewordcame
I sucked
tinygasp
want toworryyou.”
inaescaped
deep breath
herthroat.“Why
out.“Yes.”
Ishrugged. considered
“Ihonestlydon’tknow.”
didn’tmyshewords.
tellme“Even
aboutthough
it?” the ordealwas over and done with, maybe

She “I’m gladshe

havingachance
highwanted tomeetmadeheronly
“Me totoo.”Inodded.
schoolfriend.”
meetValarie it,”Valsaid
“Imagine softly.
again.daughter.”
Yeah,ifshe
sheImet
didn’t.
calledherThen
yougaze.byI might
“Duringchemo,she
your formal
never have
name.Imetyou,
saidshe
thoughtshe waswould’vedied
andonlyshehad one
talking
regretabout
aboutwithout
anold
life.
“Butitputwasme.”She
Lucas an armaroundlet outher,asob.“Inevercry
and she like this.It’s the virus. It’s doingcrazy stuff to myemotions.”
playfullysluggedhim.
let
“Hey! I’mwilling to that one slide,” hesaid, “butI’mwarning you,if you try tobite me, our little friendship
isall over.”
Valsmiled.“You
Heshot hera don’t look
gleaming grin. likethe
“I’d typeofguy
datea zombie, thatdates
as longas zombiechicks.”
shedidn’t treatme like a piece of meat, though I’m
notat all“C’mon,”
opposedshesaid.
toalittle“Beserious.
nibbling.” Youknow Iwantyourbraaaaains.”
“You knowno­brainer.”
comingafteryou…andIlove
“That’sa what elseIlike,”
beingchased!” Lucas said. “Zombies aren’tquitters. I mean, if they want you, they’ll keep
We laughedsome more as we continued to tell jokes be backandtostories. Forforjustoura lives.
little while, weintolet goourandbedsallowed
ourselves
later, some
sure nowhenthe
Morninghad
*** fun;
zombiescrossed we knew
sunhadfinally
long that
the come. soonenough,
perimeterandtowatchout
setandThecountless
sun beamed we’d
stars dotted fighting
in, forandtheValweskyline,
changingwhile
allimmediately
we decidedto
thegotothers Settling
totakepacking
slept. standing guard to hours
turns the make
we had.“Okay, I’mstarting here. You guyssplit up. Check every cornerand crevice sowe don’t little bit of supplies
behind,”I“Where’s
Isaid,glancing aroundone last time. leave anything
peeredathim,
Lake Tahoe?”my
surprised.“He’s brotherasked.
not with you?”
turnup.”“IIgnoring
thoughthe waswithuneasiness
the sudden you.” Heinshrugged. “He’s gotta be around somewhere. Let’s just pack up the Jeep. He’ll
thepit ofmy stomach, Igrabbed a boxregarded
and somemeblankets
window.My
Val’s heart
eyes darted
lurched.about,“Nick!Lucas!The
not really focusing
Jeep’sgone,”
on anything.
Iyelled,
The myvoicereverberating
way Nick told meandhe looked
fromthewalls. out theI
knew before
“He must’veleft
evenopened my mouth. during hisshort shift of staying awakeand guarding. We’resoscrewed,” I said. My heart
lurchedinmy
I swearVal’s
chestas Icheckedourbelongings,orlack
face turned another shade of thereof.
red as she wailed, “He took our food, water, guns, freakin’
everything!”
got some“Hedidn’t
INickscanned
foodgrabbed
andthetake
waterand
mynaked
thearmand
stufffloor,
somewepulled
guns.”
willing
draggedup
memyaside,whisperingso
here,”
eyes toJackiesaid,
see something
theswinging
girlsthatwouldn’t
awasn’t
backpack
hearhim.
there.over“I­Ihershoulder.
“Where’s
don’t know.
the “We’ve
serum?”
The bag’s
still
gone!” Imanaged
“We’ll findeventually.“Ithoughtyou
anothervehicle,” Lucas said,“and
orLucas catchup
hadit.” with him.Istill have the tracking device.”
 “You’re
“We’ll haveto
right.”My heart
leave onfoot,”
raced,Nick
thumpingin
said, “andmyears
Imean likea
right drum.“We
NOW!” can’t stayhere.”
A chill And
transportation. washednow,we
over me. Weeven
didn’t werehavethe
right backcurewhere
inour we’d
hands.started:
Val’s running
life for ouronlives
depended thoseandvials,in dire
and need of
without
them,mysisterwas
“What are we doomed,dead
waiting and gone forever.
for?”Valasked.
“Let’s get haveagreed
I***couldn’t outta here…and
more.findthose vials,” Nicksaid.
The EndofInstallmentOne
ToThebeZombie
continuedinthe nextbook,
Chronicles:Book2
The Zombie Chronicles
ApocalypseInfection Unleashed Series
by
ChrissyPeebles
This is dedicated Dedications:
tomy wonderfulGodand Jesus.
To:Alex,Faith,
To: Myfantastic and Matthew
editor,Autumn.
To:My coverartist who makes
*** me the coolest covers.
A special thanksto mycritique partner, Jayde Scott.
Book3
Book4
 Book5
The ZombieChronicles
Apocalypse InfectionUnleashedSeries
ChrissybyPeebles
 Copyright 2012 byChrissy Peebles
http://www.chrissypeebles.blogspot.com
Coverdesignby:PatrickGriffith
Editedby: AutumnJ.Conley, autiej@gmail.com
The Zombie ChroniclesBook Trailer: http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Chrissy­Peebles/351121651567296
Jeannie Rae
 The Sickness: Monte’s Story
By JeannieRae
cooksme
my drapes.
and livingSluggishly
untilI
onThethewindow
getsouth
opening
up.sideof
Myinmyskinis
mytown.
eyes, I cannot
minuscule
tacky
It’s withsweat,already.
feel
roomfacesthe
safethetolight
leaveAWAKENING
andmyrising
warmthof
There’s
summerthesun,sunIifhate
nothing peeking
I’mnotup
morethrough
thanbybeing
eight,
the penny­saver
slight
that ball
openingin
ofpoor
fire

onuntilduskandonly
swamp Myname
cooler hangsout
isMonte.
foran sixteenroomandon
of ourI’mhourondayswhen
living window—theonly
it’shotas window
sourceteam
the all­girlshell.softball openatairatDruidHigh
cool night—or
inthis place,evenwhichDad
at day forrefuses
that matter.
toturnA
townof
miserable
into apair ofSteward
Rising
Portexistence
bluejeans
from my anda ball
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second­handfadedbluetee,
part­timeat
andmattress
the thoughtofgettingout
theIstumble
onTaco
the floor,
Shellmywaytothe
I’mfully
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aroundthe
door.
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place. hairSchool,
yesterday’s
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wrist, coastal
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up myIt’snot
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likeblonde
As Ishuffle downhairinto
there’s asidepony
anythingremarkable
thehall,the tail.I
house feels steal aglance
stickyover
aboutthissecond­rate
humidand my shoulder
asplace,so
usual, with atmyamywetroom,
whyalmost
should smellit’saof nicotine.
roombeany sty—but who
different?
Mom
ten­year­old
Saturday
inside,
andDadwhich
both
morning.Ordinarily,
brother—Sammy,
smokeenough
leavesbehind asmokeMomis
cigarettes
isusually
soinaday,to
inthe
concentrated
causing
kitchenfixing
trouble,
penetrate
thatit’s
withDad
abreakfast,
holein
nearlyaalways
thewhile
solid.
ozone houseatTheyhim.
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Dadisreading
Thelayer. isquieter
dotheHollering,
mostof
newspaper.
thannormalfor
their
that’ssmoking
Andmy
Dad’sa
been
mismatching
word.
locatedused
Maybe
in the
fromthe
couch
bathroom
Sammy’s
same
andrecliner.
andlumberthat
already
kitchen—no
There’s
outside noplaying.I
madestepGeorge
carpetinginthisold
zones—as
Washington’s
tiptoeDadthrough
callsteeth.A
them.
shack—only
ourempty
Moving
coupleofholes
ancient inkitchen,
livingroom
into thewood therotting,
flooring
eyeing
Iseethewood
thatprimordial,
our
mayfloorsmall,
have
are
discolored
Where tableandplastic
iseveryone? chairs areempty, asisthe rest ofthe tinyspace.
should
hasn’t
hunching
soundlessly
me whenI
found itslikeway
IAftersearching
justoverstep
open
take outinamoment
theantoonto
old
backdoor,
thebackyard
theman,
theporch,
restofpeace?
and
of itmust
thehouse
hishead
yet, isandathanging
IseeAgainst
asthe
beSammy house
my
least
finding
first,
better
shades
fifteen
low,
sitting theallback
onofofthe
itjudgment,I
void
snaking
most
degrees ground
coolerand
headout
butpatioat
me,Ioutwithhis
forth.
thethis
wonder,do
here,than
back
early
He’sback
door
tracinghis
hour.
toIitoffwant
me.isAtheingustMytokitchen.
hands
theofcool
find
kidhouse.
ina
brother
them? sunOris
Theairhits
circle
AsI

on the sidewalk
My eyesina widenblobasofI goo.
noticeItlooks
my mother near theorshed.
like motoroil something.Dad’s
Her shouldersgoingkill
are slumping
himfor
forward
this one.
and she’s shuffling
throughIsigh,
hergown theiscaked
garden, toppling over her
shakingmyhead.
indark­colored Dad marigolds
musthaveand
gunk.Itlooks daisies.
her She’s
similartothe
tuned upagain. stillinher
stuffSammy Damn!is nightgownand
Ididn’t evenslippers.
playingin. And the front of
something
would
remember.
Isay?
I hateacross
himThissothewhole
much.
yardtoproduction
Hisheras
reign she
ofplaysout
terrorover atourfamily
dirties thecotton
myhouse onhasherat gone
leastthree
slippers,
on long
while
times wakeasfarup.
enough.I’msotired
trudging
aweekfor
through Idirt,wantbutwhat
ofthetakinghis
back asItocrap,
say
can
wantto
and watching
get myhislicense and acheap
drunk­ass smackcarandputthisplace
everybody around. Iwish he would mirrorand
inmyrearview fall off theplanet.
neverlookIhate
back.this whole place—I
I keep mysilence, waiting foreither my mom
and or my brother to notice me, before Itake a seat on the back porch
steps.
like a Ipsyche
wholefightwatchbackward
Sammythrough playin
patient.Her hiseyesgreasy
her mind.It’s mess
aremoments likemythisthat
fixed downward, momasher
roam around
Ilosehead bobstrampling
patience back
withher.herWhy
andforth.garden—in
She mustherbenightgown—
couldn’tshe have
running
walked
the
again.Where
frustration
awayfrom myis creepdad
I’mshouldbe
waiting
heanyway?
forplaced.
thata bastard
long timethatago,at
goes bythe
leastforthe
name ofDad.
sake ofI Sammy
can’tbelieve
and me? then,Ihearremember
thatIButdidn’t whereon her
himbeating my
shed. Drunk
Asthough
already?It’s
my thought
like had been
eight in the heard, my Hedadstumbles
morning. comes stumbling
his way outofthe
out ofthe darkness
shed and shaded
takes a from withinthe
face­plant
Mom
Asdribbles
Dad.Both
the
his
for
seriously
broken
me.Ijumpup
face
Dad
sidewalk.
stumbles
His
tooth.
could
down My
behisthroat
slowlyraises
ill.going
blackened
Like—knocking
Disgusting,
towardthe
into
described
brother
fromtheshed,
eyes
histheandbut
gets
shed ondrips
eyes,Inotice
fallasporch
deserved.
nothing
upuponme
asif
asdeath’s
well.
andstep
offhischin
theyless
wobbles
AsDad
Theblood
door—ill.Maybe
andrace
likean
thathe
hadn’t
than gets
his
onto
inescapable
murderous.
even
looks
intothe
allway
back
hisnoticed
overhis
terrible.
over
dingy, even
that’swishfulthinking.
tohis
house,
Breaking
fishing
the
onface
feet,blood
sleeveless
Notunsteady
drunkenking
flinging
net.I’m
and
intochinregular
anshirt.I
legs,
isthenearly
pouring
inhumanly
is ofthehouse
dark,
almost
watchas
drunken
paralyzedwith
almost
fromhis
looking
quick
stupor
Sammy
just
black
mouth
run,he
like
knocked
terrible,
fear
looking.The
and outbutright
he'sassprints
asthe
hespits
Mom
sloshedlook too.onon
astraight
bypass
like—
tooth.
outa
fluid

through thekitchen and down the hall. I’mnearly tomy parent’s bedroom, when spring­loaded
Ihear thebackdoor open and dashing
doorslamshut. IburstI
into my parents room like I’mrunning for my life,andtobe honest,I probably am.Brushing past their doublebed,
inracetheintolaundry
the closet
With andmypulldown
terrorin
pile—all over. thetwoold,black
heart,I find
mytrembling shoewith
and
bulletshands boxthat
dropthe holdsDad’s
ashaky
box. Thebulletsrevolver.
hand,load thefallchamber. My entirefloor,
alloverthecloset body inside as if
tremorsshoes,
an earthquakehadbeen
the
definitely
doorway.
THEkillSHOWDOWN triggeredheinwon’t
me for trying,and my body
needalone.
agunI toknow
do it.I have
Ibacktomyself
make mydeeper
shotsintocloset
count. If Iwith
don’tthekillgunhim,pointed
he willat

right here,
Waitingfor
while hidinginhis
the showdown sweltering,
withmymusty Dad,feels
closet.Ifeel
likeaneternity.
sweat Myheart
trickling down ispounding
my temples soandhardthat
brow—my it couldparents'
burst
roomislike
step forward,asauna. inchingThe my only way soundsI
tothe closet heardoorway.
arefrom my Isqueeze
hammering the revolver
heartandtighter
shallowinmybreathing.
hands and On ashaky
poke my foot,
headI
gradually
have flung outit shutwhen
Tactfully of thestepping
doorframe,but heis notinIsneak
Iracedinhere.Listeningat
out of thecloset, the bedroom.
themyway
door,Ihear
to thenothing.
bedroomdoor.
Maybehe’s It’s closed,
still outside?
butnot locked.I must
overload, II notice
slide
tryingtothetofigure
waitingformetocome thewindow
wallintothe
outbesidethe
nearthe beddoorthatleads
thisbackyard.
situation. and
Andhe leanup
Withoutlooksso
tothe against
yellingbackyard.
sick.I’ve
atmeor it, letting mymyarms
neverseenanyone
Making
anything, justrelaxalive,who
hewayover, cameatmy afterside.
Ipull backthe Mybrain
he’d ison
lookedso…dead.
me—like curtain been
and
seeMom and
anywhere near Sammy
thedoor onthe
knob. back
Clawing steps.andThey aretryingto
biting atthedoor, gettheirintofacesare
thehouse, but neitherof
encrusted with the them
oily havethattheirSammy
mess hands
was playingwithonthe
Oh
all overthemand
My god…it’s
eyes moveblood! toground.
changes
thepoolof Ascolorfromadark,
my gunkeyes driftdownwardat had beentheirclothes,
Sammytarlikehue toareddish
rubbing hishands the oilysludgeis
one.
neighbor’sWhat’swrong
roofreflectswithon the allofthem?
sidewalk,Whydo the fluidhasaredtintto it. Itis blood. in. As the emerging sun over the
made
feel myknees
ofliquid.Ican
“What thehellis
Thundering weaken.knocks
hearThegoing
andpunts
frightful
on?” Isay sounds
comingaloud.fromtheyhave
rock doorblood
theoutside backand all overtheir
the bedroom door fillfacesand
forthwith suchmyforce clothes?
heartwiththat itfear.
looksIflinch hard,isI
asiftheso door
barrel
the
with
throughthe
bed.furyand
andI sidestep
strikes
hollow­cored
a speed
himinthe
awaylikefrom theleftshoulder.He
door.
I’vethecheap
never wood
window, giving
seen. falling
Ispring wayfrom
barelyover with
reacts,onlyeach
bedDad
thethebed. powerful
aand fire thewhack
slightjolt
charges inthe
first
throughto it.theThe
shot.
shoulder Myhalfarea,then
dad’sbroken
bullet hands and
takeshedoor
flight head
stumbles
toward bust
fromthe
over
me

His
nothingness.
skinHisis mouth
paler
Ido notknow
than
hangsusual
open,caked
thiscreature
andblackin standingbefore
hisveinsdarkened
web hisblood.
face Aandblack
me,wearing arms.mydad's
tongue
The and
whitesof
body.decayed­lookingteeth
his eyes are filledfill withhis mouth.
black
and
smashesintothe
charges
stinkItoward
movearound
asif theyme, andtheinofhischest,
leftside
arerottingfoot butas ithas
thatmoment,
chicken
of thebed heIfind
trying myto shot.
repeatedly
little effect on histhisatarget
getsnaps
a With
good gnarly
steady
monster.
onmouth
breath,I
hisHechestbut
tacklesme
nearmy topullthemovingtoo
aim andhe’s
face. Itrytheground.His
totrigger.
pushfast. Myoffbullet
himThe
teeth dad
look
me,
and that’swhen he sinkshis nastyteeth intomywrist, rightdown to the bone.
DISCOVERY
topainhe The
“Get searing
flesh.Heholdsmy
hasinflicted pain from
off!” Iscream,extending
upon the bitemyfree
wristinhismouth,
me overthe ondigginghis
myWhat’s
years. wrist,forthegunthatIdropped
hand caused byteethdeeperintomyskin
repulsive
worse—is my dad’s
that hismouthdisgusting
when teeth, isonto
stillishetackled
latched farme.worse
andtissue. mywristthanlikea any leech
other

StretchingDadis straddlingfar mytorso,snarlingas

myarmas asIcan, my blooddrools
fingertips stroke the fromhis lipsontomy
cold,metal tip ofthe shirt. TheHegunis
revolver. yanks justhis out ofmy reach.
headback, and
can
Smacking
rightbehind,
slightlydistractedby
feelI seize
myat Irun
flesh
histhenose
opportunity
insideand
onthemy
andblowstohisface.
wrist
eyesaround
toasbeginningto
buckhardasI
myhim offme
can,
tear.IIandfeelclutch
scramble
likemy
the barrel is
tolifemy feet.
ofat thestake.
Racing and
gunHefinally
intowhack
myroom,
releases
the with
handle
hishim
bite,athis face.I
following
seeming

rush back towardthedoor. His legs get bed. Iknock

tangled inthedown my radio,andlaundry
radiochord heis pile
tripped and artupbysuppliesin
aboutfive hispath,andthen
soda canslikehe
andupit
my
from
othercrap
doesn’t
bit myarm,past
it.Ihold
wrist
Isoundlike
lookalland
myovermy
downat
mypoured
elbow.
Dadis
breathmy and
floor.
hotlava wrist.butmyIthe’snot
Helisten,
anywherenearthe
injured tumbles
into hard
bloodstream.
burns
door.
tothe
witha
trying getstinging
ground.
The
painful
out.Muffled
Sprinting
fierysensation
painoutofthe
throbs
noiseslikeatresonate
room,
thesiteof
I’venever
I shut
fromthefelt
thedoor
within myand
injury,
before.I back
androom,but
feel
climbsaway

and
gnawing
openit.
I tiptoe
at thedoor
It’slike
back like
intomy vengeful
parents’ puppiesroomand
leftinthe
lookyard outthealone.Idon’t
water­stained understand
windowwhyagain.theyMom don’tandgrabthe
Sammydoorknob
are still
dotheyallhave
WhileI tryto theyforgot
black­colored
graspwhateyes? howcouldto openthe
be wrongdoor.
withTheirskin
themall,isI pale
can’twith black veinsDadalltook
believethat over,like Dad’s.andAnddidn’t
twobullets why
and itfeelit.
even didn’t Finally,
evenslowhimafteralldown.this time, Ihear
drewDadupthe courage to putanda bullet—make that two—into the Ikingof mean
quietas
Athroat.
rightgaping can.
oneIWhile
Iscan
isonly
holemylooking
Don’twant
indirty.
mom,
his neck,
outIbuther
watch
tocatch
theas window,
ifasneck I can
asheshuffles
his
chunk
isattentionagain.
intact,
I notice
of hisand starting
nearthe
something to
necksoareis gone. growl
herarms.I
on Sammy’s pound on the
It’s hardnoticetoneck.Rightin
seeitclearly walls in
herleft slippertheamidst my
isfrontdousedroom.
theblood should
ofhisin throat,
blood,
coatedisa behisas
whilethe
ongash.

bites.Idon’tknow
hernightgownlifts ifDad
It hitsme inthe
just face
enoughforme
haslikeone,buthebit me. He hasdoor.
abackhandfromDad.
tosee,whatlooks like,Bending
Theyallhave down,onher
slappedme,thrown
abitemark
some she ankle.
gross
stuffbrings herMomand
at me,and
sickness. facewhippedme
nearSammy
the doorknob
withthe and
bothhave
belt,
kicking
changed
but he’sthetheminto
nevercraptried toof bite
outblood­thirstymonsters.
me. But
me before.
this time,Andwhenhe
normally,
camehe’syelling
afterme, heatme,didn’tteaching
say a word.
me, what
IthasItodidbewrong—when
a sickness thathe’shas
my TheI sickness
wrist, can’t helpis what’s
but cry.wrong
This with
whole them. And now,
situation I’m pretty sure, I’mevengoingthough
sucks—bigtime.And to getmysickfamily
too. Looking
isn’t downtheat
exactly
Brady’s,they’restillmy family. Whatam Isupposed todo now?
snakebite.
makingWithheat
itsLooking
way fromdrifting
atthe
the wound
fromevery
nasty wound,it’s
into pore
my bloodstream,
onabite,
myskin,Ifeel
butSTONE­HEARTED
saturating
not from
asthough fire is and
athesnake.
muscle coursingthrough
flooding my arteries,
my veins.asThe venomit’sisa
though
madeby
dad.Evenso,
Having
something
ithasbeena
deep much
groovesmore
longin timesinceI’ve
the
sinisterthan
exposed tissue,
a beenDaddy’slittle
snake—by
the teethsomeone
marksgirl.who
are setwas
I wish.
deep
supposed
The
beneath
biteon
takethecare
surface
my ofme,
outerofwrist
my has been
mydear,
skin. The
ole­
flesh
eyes. surrounding
I pull backthegash
the drapes is tomato
intheliving
red, feeling
roomhottothe
window touch.The
topeek broken skin appears as ifit is charring before my
scrambling
thesickness,inyards
I’d onlyhoped
andinthethatitwasn’tpart
streetis disappointing,
ofa biggerproblem. out at theAfterfrontdiscovering
but notsurprising. yard. Thethatchaotic scene of people
my entirefamily had
the
onthe
indryer. The pounding
mybedroom.He
rag—is
Idirtyrag
Thrashing
Iwrap
headinto
already
it aroundmyislaundry
isnobother becoming
andpoundingonthe
thewasquietat
ravaging wrist nearly
tomybody.
room,off
meat
first,
securing
butI theunbearable.
thispoint.
walls,
Pulling
itwith
thinkhe
hegrowls
kitchen After
afolded,
Asickness
thetightest
canand
hearmefiendishly
andsnatcha
black
bays
much
knotI
walking
hoodie
asmorefighting
dirty
can
though
tie—usingmy
ragoffthe
from
onpowerful offold,
hethisisatop mydad,
callingfor
than
topof Ihandand
creaky,wood
good
whateverhadlaundry
thehelpin managed
bacteria ortofilth
flooring. lock
hisnewtongue.
teeth.The
basket, him
neargrime
ison
the

hecoffeetableand
weapon.
­Monte.
beforewalking
then
concealing
has,fished
Itap
not­so­well
Sammy
Standing
thewoundedwristbeneath,
itthefrom
outlifting
gota
disintegrating
up,Isteal
thehidden
hold
frontdoor.
trash
the inboard,I
ofbin
onetheitafloor
andrepainted
lasthouse.
fewyears
kneel
glance
planks
andAnd
downand
then
back
with
there’sno
it.Iheadbackintothe
Now,
toward
and
myfoot
pullscribbled
nothing
way
my
outuntil
bedroom,
myI’mgoing
isitIdad’s
black back
leftfindlivingroom. thatthethehall
foreyeingthename
shotgun
theone
with
meinpermanent
down
andits
this dryer,
house.I
sounds
coiled I slide
placardhanging
marker.I
forthe
hollow.
take
strap.
one itlast
over
hadrevolver.
One
Moving
tossed mythearound,
fromthe
ofthree
lookitout,
Iload head,
door­
guns,
rusty
but
the

and
people
paperboy,Javier—all
shuffling
littlewith
IPausingmomentarily
kids
don’trecognize
alongslowly,
thesickness
andattackingthemlike
havewhile
aremost
thesickness.
intheroad,
onothers
ofthese
myfront
bolt
starvingbeasts.
onneighboring
Theafter
people
porch,
sicktheirthe
ones alllawns
fromvictims.
view
thehave andchasing
outneighborhood,
They’re
here
the same
ismonsters
likea
posturing,pale
after
butriotlike
speedingcars.
Emma
scenefrom
my dad, andthe dark
Sampson,Mr.
skinchasingdown
news.veins.
Hilt,
About
men,Some
eventwenty
ladies
the
are

flesh
tackled
thoughshe
withEmma
Mr.Hilt
himherfeels
toteeth.
hascaught
theisin
nopain
ground.
Sheissoonjoined
his and
sixties
upHe’s
whipsherheaddownathisarm.Manuelis
withandfighting
Manuel
hasbysome
lived
herback,kicking
Rodriguez—a
inthisneighborhood
unfamiliarfaces,all
boyandshe’s
socking
sincebefore
making
hadwailing
hera crush
ameal
withinpain
Iwas
ontheoutofpoor
forbottom
born.
astheEmmarips
Heand
lastofManuel.
hissix fist.
twoothers
months—andhas
a mouthful
Sheseemsas
ofhis

overa
raging animals.
little
And Javier,
boy,Thekid ishashis
nostillolderthan
screaming
newspaper
Sammy. bagon
andsmacking
They are attackingthekid,
hisMr.Hilt
shoulders,
inthewhile
head.They
burying
chasingtheir
areeatinghim
downfacesanoldinhisalive. crouch
man.chestAsand stomachlike
the white­haired
tumbletothe
I wickaground.man, newspapersare bouncing out ofthefront andback ofhis bag, before he and thehe catches up to
senior takea
these peoplecould tearhave
frommy the cheek andlook
sickness. I don’t away. It’s unbelievable
understand whathappened thattomymakestreetall has goneto
these people crap soWhat
sick. fast, kind
that allof
sickness
make
metoletmyself
Stone­hearted,
could
themsink
feelbe nothing,
making
in. ishow
IfeelasthoughIneed
these
likemy
Imake
people
heartis
myself
kill eachother
made
feelwhen
tobestone­heartedrightnow.
ofstone.Iwon’t
andDad’sisona
then…eateach
let rampage.
myself
other?IThegory
justshut scenes
downeveryare toobitgruesome
of emotion,for
justhavetosurvive. And thatis whatI needto do rightnow. I can’t feel sadness
doanything or pain—I
here—for any tell myself
ofthese that I
people—
without“I’moutta
having allofthe
here,” Isickonessayoutloud comingto nobody.
afterme. Rightnow,Ihave tosurvive. Ihavetobe stone­hearted.
MS.ANDREWS
shoulder. I sneak
My off mywristporch
bitten to sothebadsidethatwalkway
stings I want of scream
to the house. ClippingbuttheI strap
outinpain, don’t onwantthetoshotgun,
risk the Isickslingonesit over my
noticing
mydoesn’t
presence. The
I asItryagain,
soundslikea
itcheek,
start. yank
feel airlittle
Ihoptrappedanimal,
likethisheat is hotbrother’s
myon.thinking
Flicking andongrunting
thin
tomyself,
willbe outside.
thestart
dirtbike
leaving
that So much
andbutton,I
Dadwas
growling.
anytime
from for Icanhear
itsthrust
soon. Fall.spot,
resting
my footTechnically,
againstthe
down thethekick
start ofstartpedal.
mydadon stillpounding
house. A autumn isIttwowhines
rebelteardrop
on thewallsin weeks
skidsmyroom. away,
butdown but
He
doesn’t
my

moretries
neighbors—and
Ms.andAndrews,
stillobviously
nolife
asIknow
inkeep
thebike,
aher,fewisa Butsupposed
althoughmymiddle­aged
forherself.
thick, stubby today, toneighborhas
woman,Ms. fixAndrews
who this
lovesstupid
tohasnownobiketaken
bake fornotice
Sammy,
goodies likeandages
inandhand
ofme.
givethem ago. Three
nointention
away to theof
whatever’s
giving anything
goingaway around.
exceptfor
As Ms.herAndrews
disgusting
topples
sickness.Nearly
overthewhiteeveryone
picket fence—separating
I’ve seenin the lasthalf our yards,hourherissick
face with
looks
likeall theothers I’ve seen so far. Thewhites ofher eyesare as black as her tongue.Her once creamy looking
aimit at the woman.
complexion is paleandWithdry,with her black
nofearofthe gun,Ms.veinsAndrewsstaggers
road­mapping herforward.vile skin.I pull the shotgun off my shoulder and
approaches,
courageMyto pull panicked
shambling
the trigger.
breathing
towardKnowing
me.
becomes
I drop
thatMs.
shallow asI pump
the dirtbike
Andrews and
isnostep
thelonger
gun. My
awayfrom
the sweet
sixteen
it.With
ladyyearnext
allthat
olddoor,
hands I have,trembleI tryastothemusterthe
woman
bealways beenthiswomanifIdon’t
killedby
This iskinddifferent,
tomybrothernot likeandwith
pullthe
me.Evenwithher
Dad.trigger,Isimplycan’t
I daydreamt foryearsbringaboutridding
myselftodomyself it. of him.ButMs. and knowingAndrews that I willhas
concrete,
soon
butit’s
spotthat
gives
IStepping
My
toogrope
hitfollowedby
way
eyesdrift
late.
thepavement.Idon’tfeel
myself,
tothe
My
backwardas
body
tomypain
anxiously
Ms.headand
tenses
inmy an echoinggunshot.
Ms.Andrews
upas
feeling
head.
anyI My
fall,
forblood feelssickness,
shufflesforward,
skull
any
myortears
wounds.
elbow like
hitting
onAmyscalp.Ijust
ittinywave
mycracked can’t
theground
heelhits ahurtliponthis
openfrom
ofrelief
first. Then
washes lady.
thatthewalkway.
myfall.over
tailbone
I liftme,myItry tofeelonto
asslams
Ihead, catch
none,
rubbing theit
themyself,
buthard

letmyeyes
thought
once more
Ihalf
offallingthree
toMs. Andrews.
wandertowardMs.Andrews’
expectmy
Andrews.The
feetneighbor
was? togetHerback
thought body
ofhead.The isasIflatshotslowlyrise
herup,biting onhittheherin
meto ground,
death
tomy motionless.
theface,
wasn’t
feet.enough I lookthemeto
andSwinging
now,sheis
toget down atpullthe
the shotgun
shogunover
nearlyunrecognizable.andbutthe
trigger,
my shoulder,then
HerI
on theisgroundbesideher.Iwipe
head amound ofblood, exposedmymouthwith flesh and bone.Mystomach
thesleeveofmyrolls, hoodie, as guilt
whileburns
my noseand
upmy throat.throatburninagony.
Turning away,Ipuke
Mybitten
and wrist—and the whole arm, actually—feels likeit’son fire. I killed a sweet, old lady. My family,
friendswhere?wrong
But
something neighborshave
Ofallwiththe their turned
oneswithbrains.intotheThatwould
cannibals.Idon’t
sickness I’ve explainseenknow
whyMomso ifIshouldlie
far—none and Sammy downand
ofthem givegetupainto
couldn’t
havesaid orword.
trythetogo
Theresomewhere.
house must thebe
backdoor,andwhy
Anywhere It doesn’t
but thismatter
house.I’ve
Dadwas wheresoeasily
spent
Igo. Itoomuch
trappedinmyroom.Easily,I
haveto survive.
time being To survive,I
unhappylookdownhave to leave.
atmyI wrist,notthateasily. from
can figure out where to go later.
withabutterknife,
doesn’tPickingup
start. Grumbles to bike
thedirt
thanand spendmy
roarsagain,
echolastIthrust
through
moments mytheside
foot
on earthhere.
onthe
yard from at thisitasan
petal,theusing houseoutlet
and I’dformy
ratherfrustration
saw off myandown arm
panic.It
sound,the sound ofthe gunfire. That shot wasprobably heard for blocks.sickened ones nearby. I know it’s because ofthe
goingtotake
Whilemekicking
I know thatandscreaming.
itwon’t belongIwon’t beforemakeI becomeiteasy. one of them, I’m not ready to give up. This sickness is
bike’s
exhaust
lawn,
back.
whiz past
asquickly
Now,
rear
I thrust
Ms.Andrew’s
fender
themygrouptheyisaoncemore
assends
foot aseelifeless
rush
fairdistance
me.upIswerve
corpse
myspine,
on thedirtand
behind
out,asaround
bike
around
Inarrowly
me.with
theButtherebellious
side
thatgathering
escapeofdoesn’t
thetheforce.It
house.I
crowd.
group's
stop them
whinesto
Theeerie
spota
clutches.It’s
fromgroup,of
life
soundof
sprintingand
atalast.
few
nearlyfifteen
fingernailsscraping
Openingthe
seconds,before
shufflingafter
onmy
throttle,
Ilook
front
my
theI

fumes.
SAFE HOME
next
trucks
stirringareAsRiding
sky. block,the
backto Iallmake myShellTaqueria
around
through
Taco way
the through
consciousness.
meforthe nexttheandistwo
neighborhood,
There nextsomuch
three fewdirtnearby
theblocks. blocks,
bloodon
bike
BodiesI realize
housesare
putters
pepper
nearlythatflaming
along. theI passsickness
a roadissome
everything.Itlooks
thepavement, infernos. notasif
that exclusive
Abandoned
has littleandtolesswrecked
stayingstill,
abloodhas mywhile
street.others
rained
activity. OnThere
from the
carsand
are
the

areonly
dusted
down. He’s
with
I’mstill
a fewofthe
chugging
relief,but
in thesick
crappypartof
stillhave
fortypeopleroaming
fromthe
myguard
town,but
Quickabout.Tomy
up. Ican’t havesurprise, the nexttheblock
itall. Icross nextuphas even fewerseea
intersectionand people.
man,twostreets
I feellightly
forty didn’tgo
My dad thatdrinksthose
farto
a getallhisthemorning
time, anddrink
Time
it’sthe
on.With
Liquor
onlystore.
liquor
the storefor seven blocks.That chunky guy guzzling the
half­brother,
the morning. Uncle Approaching
Victor. Ithehopeman,Islow
heis as kinddown.as myHe uncle, theexception
isnot but I’venever
idealperson ofmetanyone
thetotalk
beer,to,hekind
butlooks
whoa drankbeer
littlehe isn’t
atleast like mylikeMom’s
all the
so earlyin
cannibals“Hi—hibaby.
I’ve seenso far.youknowwhat’sgoing on?” Iask, slowing to a stop.
“HeyMister,do
Ohgreat, he's You
some pretty,”he
midlifeperv.says,With
a smilehowbroadening
this acrossgoing,
day'sbeen hisshiny,red
how face.
can this be a surprise? I should have
known better
“Nevermind,”
thanto
while.He“No,takesno,adon’t stopsaywith
fromwhenIfirstsaw
step back,raising a sigh.
Igo. My namehisEdgar.It’s that forty.
empty handokay,andreally,” hesays with oneof the thickest accentsI’ve heard ina
I"Oh
shouldgo.This guy isgoing tobe nothingbut fortyinforme.I
trouble submission.
“HiEdgar.
yes, people
Haveyoureallysick.
seenanyofthe
Eating other people?”NotIaskdespite
sickpeople! myknowreservations.
safe outhere.You it.
give me a ride home?" he says coming
closer. "No,Ican't," Isay shaking my head.
"Yes,you cometomy home.Safe inmy home," he says grabbing the dirtbike’shandlebars.
peel it offMytheheartis thumpingbut sohishardthat
handlebars, grip it I'mtight.
too nearlyFurrowing
frozen inmyplace.
browI don't
and know what
gritting my to do.IItrygraboncehishand
teeth, again. and
His tryhandto
seems like it's reallyhappening?
Isthis cementedtothe metal ashis smile gets
Aftereverything biggerandbigger.
thathappened
seen
anothertoday,
likewhoknows
savagelunatics.
what demented
This creep­a­zoid
plansheishasinstore fortomyfamily.
seriously goingtome.Even
makeme Afterwatching
if Icould his safemyneighbors
go tosomehow home.
call theWithcopsalldevour
onhim, oneno
that I’ve
one
fromwould
my come.breathing.
rapid Edgar probably
This is knowsthethatworst
like, already.
day I feelmy
of mylife. heart
Way racing
worse into
thanoverdrive
that timeandDadmymopped
mouthfeels
the parched
floor
my
findface heargo,"hefamiliar
someonewho
"Let
I"No,yoube
after caught
Iyellslapping
canhelpme,someone
safeinmy
roars
me trying
thathome
hiscould
torun
hand.
pretty
only
away.
who’sa
girl,"he
belong
When
good
says
tothistheperson,not
again.
guysick.is Two
donea total
men
withweirdo.
with sicknessbecome
me, I'lltheprobably buzzard
stumbling out with
food.Ineed oftoa

backyard
rotting
me. teeth,their
Thisfromis notthehouse
eyesmeet
happening.
acrossthe
mine.
There'sBothstreet.
noway
menThey
sprint
thatI'm
must
fromthe
goingto
have side
heard
letgate
thismeonthe
creep at Edgar.
yellinghouse, never Growling
taking theirevil stares offtheirof
and flashing
these maniacs darting toward us, take me out, either.I reach for the shotgun take
on meback
my to hisandsafeslamhome.the AndI
butt of won’t
the let
gun
ontoEdgar's hand.last He lookback,
recoils,throttle
with the"Wait!Pleasehelp!"Edgarcalls
I asphalt.I
takeone rollonthe letting
andandout athetwo
painful
seeout.peel squeal,chasing
and dropping
out—awayfromthatcreep.
men the forty.head
Edgar.I turnmy The forward,
beer bottle shatters upon impact
feeling torn. I don't want that jerk to be killed by the sickened ones, but who knows what that looking
he would outhaveahead,
done andto
me in hissafe home.Witha heavyheart,I continue up theroad,without lookingbackagain.
people with
Aftertheditching
sicknesstheracing
bad partof
around.town,The area is thickDOWNTOWN
the buildings with
around
peoplehereinthis
woulddowntown
betruly spectacular,ifnot
neighborhood. However, for allthe
I’m
seeing
Broken­down
nobody
breeze.fewer
Purses
inside.The
andcarsand
andduffle
fewernormal
driverside
property
bags have
door
ones
litterbeenleft
atistheopen,
every
road.Opened
behind
but Iseebynosign
turn.Those laptop
those
that who
Ido
cases withcopranpages
ofthelikely
see—are thatit
running
foroftheir
belongs
typed
from
lives.documents
to.theoneswith
Passing
Ipressapolice
areon,carriedin
the
traveling
car,Isee
sickness.
the
obstacleAsI
Seeing afilledstreets.Thefurther
regular
passanpersonempty­looking
feelsso Igothemore
incredibly
ambulancerelieving.
mywithheartitsMyrelief
feels
backdoors
painedfeelsatthe
open,
short­lived
horrorbythe
anormalasthe comes outall.from behindtheit.
manentiretyofit
vengeful one and hebeginsrunningtoward me.Ispeed up—only becauseIfeel scared. look on his face turns to a
looksunbelievably
“Giverunsmefullthatdesperate.
He speed
bike,”towardthe
theIncreasingmy
man yells.
bike, hisspeedevenmore,Ileave
hands outstretched withathatfrightening crazy guyinlookmytracks.
on his face. He isn’t sick, but
are, On
car. side ofDon’t
the cartakedoor
Ifindmyselfquestioning
“Please!
Itheswerve andweave is atriangle
mycar!”
between
iftheyare Awoman
trafficalldead.And
symbol
tryingin atoand
whitethelabname,
make
ifthe coatwayStrickland
mysickness squealsat
toistheeverywhere,where
city’s
Laboratories.
a manwho amIgoinginatogo?
edge. Wonderingwhere
peeledout small,
all thecompact
police
length golden near thewoman.
I slow hairframed her softfeatures,
She iscarrying making
a large,
her look
blackalmost
backpack withthe same trianglesymbol on it. Her chin­
like anangel.
“Do you need help?” Iaskpulling toastop near the woman.
breathlessly.
“Yes, he stole my car. Ihave something really important that needs to be deliveredright away,” she says
“What
“I’m a islaboratory
it?” I ask.technician
Idon’t wantfromtoofferhera
The ride ifit’s
Strickland Lab. aThescientist
bomb or something.
thatIwork
lot ofpeople.”she
working getthathelping
I“I’llthink
onsomething youwhereyou
pausesveryimportant.
shakingherhead.“Ireally
thislady
needtogo.
mightI wasDon’tworry,”Isay.
change
supposedto
myluck.
messedup.”
drop
Whatoffthe medicine in my packfor…died yesterday.
yesterday. He wasa
Itcouldhelp
withher
on earth—before
medicinethewould sickness
be a kills
good—last
me—bething akindto one.do. WhenI
Gettingdie, elseI’dlady
this amrather
Iwhereever
goingmytolastdo?shememory
Besides,
needstonotI’dgo,berather
tothehelpmyonelast
of me
people act
killingMs.
“Whatis
“YouAndrews.
don’tunderstand, thisisall myfault,” shesays lookingme straightin the eyes.
Angora
PortSteward.
“Never mind,” all yourshesays
fault?”pulling
I ask, noton thesurebackpack
what she’sandtalking slidingabout.
onto She can’tofbethetalking
theback bike.“Iaboutneedtoall thisgetchaos this toin
Laboratories.
Irollon It’s theandbigmaneuver
“HangonHaley.I’mMonte.”
the throttle building,near
the bikethe edge
throughof town.Ireally
the downtownappreciate the lift.
area,toward the I’mHaley,
great laboratory. by theWeway.”travel
several The
working blockswith
at fulltowering thebuilding
capacity. streetslookingvery
lookstoof mybe much
Everypart body theamile
aboutachesin same—likeoragony. everyone
Iknow it’sracedout
so away,when my armsof townwithout
the sickness. beginI feeltofeel aasifthey
second look.
as thoughI’m onaren’t
the
vergeofpassing
“What’s goingon?
out, whenIdecide
We’re notfar,”
topull Haleysays.
overina clearing.
“You
Iyankthe havetoshotgunoffmy
goalone,” Istrain, gettingdropitonthe
shoulderand offthe bike.“I’mbit.”ground, as Istumble overtothe curb. Taking a seaton the
sidewalk,I
Haley layback
shuts on theconcrete, ready
and comesover,tosurrenderto myfate.
Haley reachesoffthebike
“Like anhourago,” in herbackpack
Ipullupmy andsleeve,
pullsona “Where pairwereyou
revealingthe of latex
wound. bitten and when?”
gloves. Theyoutasmall
smell like metal grapes.caseUntying thethe rag from
my wrist, Haley looks atit carefully. She reaches intothe backpack and pulls about size ofanda
telephone
evenfeel
pain
makeit
ask about receiver.
is everywhere
Haley
aspeaceful
thetheshot. Opening
piercesmy
but the
shot,forme,likemywhole
as possible,why
thenI container
flesh think­­why?
insidethe
shouldIshe
wound
body pullsouta
I canfeelthat
protest
iswith syringe
filledwithpoison.
herthe takingmy
needle filled
I’m notfar
andinjectswith an orange
painfromfromme.
death.
the fluid.I’m
Maybe substance.
My entiresurprised
thisbody I
woman want to
hurtssomuch.
to find protest,
isjustthatgoing Ican’t
Theto
 “I can’t,”Isay,feeling
“They’re
“Get up!”coming,”Haleysaysbreathlessly.“Getup.Let’sgo.”
Haleyyells grabbingweaker thanever.There
my hands and is no waymeIcan
dragging drivethat
across the dirtbiketoward
pavement again.awhite SUV. “At least
hide
getinhere,
behindthe
I use
lookout
sothelast
theywon’t
tintedwindows.
theounces
backgetyou!”
ofwindow
energy and life force I have to standand climb intothe backseat ofthe empty SUVand
backpack on, and tries to start the as mybut eyelids
bike, has no become
luck. She heavier
tries and starting
kick heavier.theHaley bike mounts
twice the bike
more, before withsheheris
overrun
come andbycanremain
a group ofawake four with the sickness. As Haley disappears beneath the sickened ones, I find that my time has
no longer.
WAKEUP
My eyes lethargically
breathless,asifthe
andjeans.I’mtrying
Examining creepopen—it’s
myoxygenhasbeensuckedoutofthe
tofocus
surroundings,
and remember Irecognize toughthatbreathe.
howIgot I’minaI tug
world.I
here. amcar—no
so hot.clothes
atmy anTheSUV. blistering temperatureSUV.Where
andAnseeIhaveona
expensive leaves me feeling
lightweight am I?
hoodie
surge
Leatherofseats,
dizziness
electricsweeps
windows,GPS
over me. Looking system, thisSUVis awesome,I’mbutthruststifling. I into
situp,a littletoo quickly asapeople
brief
shuffle Carsare
along thestreet out the windows, back reality. Dozens of sick
whatfew backedandremain
normalpeople upsidewalks. Theyare
gridlockeverywhere.
in ina thetightstreet. andgarbageSomeblanketstheofthem are roaming around, while others run after
ground. I looktheoutdirtthebike.backI trywindow,
remembering Haley. Idon’t see her, but Iseeher backpack on thegrounda few feet from to fight
backthe
Haley was tears,
I triedtobutit’safutile
the onlydosomething effort,asmybottomlipquivers
civilized person
righteous, that before
I’ve metthesickness
today. Shegotthe uncontrollably.
was going
bestofme,but
to help people. itwasaShewaste.
helpedIt’slike
me. AndI’mshecursed. died
redness
for
nearlypainless.
it. Ilook
surrounding
down
Maybeatmy
theHaley wristgavehasandmea
wound allpullback
butpaingonekiller.I
myaway.sleeve. to thinkof
feelComesurprised
Thefiery when
painit,my
Iispeek
gone,whole
at leaving
thebite.
bodymyIt’s
feels…better.
wrist
scabbedover
andarm I havethat
and
feeling
the
feeling
sensation,like
Maybe it washadonea feverthathasjust
so muchhealthier.
I’ve ofInchecking
those anti…what outbeen
theareSUV,
broken,likeI’mwaking
thoseI medicines
find it picked that over,
fightfromanandainfection
cloudofconfusion
there aren’t andEither
calledanyagain?
keys the way,
insoreness.ignition.
I’m
Climbing
There
trouble.are into
so many
the back,
withI thesickness
sit on akneeoutandthere,
eye thethatdirtI won’t
bike through
have time the backto keepwindow.I
tryingtowonderifI
kick start shoulditif it chance
gives meit.
slowly
downward
sun kissed
slides
Suddenly
for theisabloody
skindown nowdrained
body
thewindow,
thatowns
handslaps
ofleaving
allcolor,
thehand.
against
behind
herAthepale,
aveins
back
bloody
chapped
have
window,
reminder
allface oftoitstheupto
roseI flinch
pops backward,
presence.As
surfaceof
eye levelwith
drawingin anda sharp
herI cautiouslylean
skinme. It’slookHaley.
gasp. HerIlook
forward,
extraordinarily
The hand
once
dark, and the whites
as of her eyes are now black—just like all the others.awayShe curls back her lips ina snarl, revealing
blackened
seat
through
andduckgumsdown.Asfear
thetinted she window.
back pressespulsesher through
face totheback window. Backing
me,the onlything Icanthinktodo,fromishide the window,I
and hopethatclimbsheback
didn’tover
see the
me
IN HIDING
From
sounding call,mybeckoning
hiding place,
the on thesickened
other backseatin floorboard
thearea.I of the pokemy
gently SUV, I canheadhearup,Haley roaring.
looking inher Shedirection.
emits aAsmerciless
she canMy
seemethrough
body remainsthemotionlessas I watch herslamsherfistinto
tinted window,Haley repeatedly poundthetheglass.She
glass. About seven oreight othershavethough
strikesitagain.
crackle.She
monster.
joined Haley,
Thestrengthof
Shetiltsherheadback
proceeds
surrounding
withthismoreblows
therelatively
backend
snarlingsmall
asand
ofthe
theglass
wailing,while
womanis
vehicle.
collapses
impossible.
Theraining
inward.
lady Idown
After
met
Smallchunks,the
isgone
aanother
barrageandpowerful
ofhammer­fiststothe
this…creature,
sizeofhalf­dollars
blow,theinglass beginsnow
herglass.
fallontothe
place, isato
back
she’s
andclawing
window.Haley atofwhips
carpeting
discovered thebroken
hidden out incrater
the SUV.Abouta
herhead
treasure. The
theopening
halfgroup
caused
dozenmore
ofalmost
andstarts
by Haley.A
peoplewiththe
fifteen
to climbin.
basketball
now,begins
sickness
Thesized
othersgather theirbeen
thrustingtheirfistsat
aremaking
hole hasnow
tightly around her atinHaley,
wayoverto
theformed
rear,side asifof
therear
windows
the back
thevehicle
It seemsI like sotheyare
ampulling
thankful
atthe
following
forfracturedglass.
theseHaley’s
tinted windows. Idon’t thinkthat the rest ofthe crowd cansee me through the glass.
Haley snakes inhead first. Then lead,gathering
herhands and towardslidethethroughthe
arms backoftheopening.Thevehicle. hole inthe glass isnotquite
large
upperenough
arms. Herforherdarkblood
arms toexplodes
fitthrough,outbutshe
of hertorn forcesfleshand
them, causing
streamsthefromwindow the splintered,
shards to broken
rip openwindow.
the skinonIt her
flows
offront
downherarms
hisbad
seat.Realizing
Right andthelearned
habitsontonow,I
thatIhave floorofthe
reallyregret
tomove—to
how tohotendingdosomething
SUV, wire
likea
mythisfaucet
friendship
SUV.ofblood.
ifIwant
Buthe
with Dennytosurvive Crocketthis,Iclimboverthe
last year.Icouldcenter have pickedupsome
consoleintothe
here,
bikeismy isno
isthe Ican’t
only wayoption.Ihave
I quietly
only
way.
see it.open
I canout
Plus,thethererunthem
driver
totryto getandtoit.I’mscared
aren’tdoorifthe
enough bikeinch
shellswon’tstart.
itinitto
open, taken
though.
while didThat’show
I coulddown trygetallforbusted
keeping these
my by gotHaley
the shotgun
eyeson
they
peopletheIwith
thecops—so
dropped
ever innever
theandsickness.
growing
there mind.
craterbutThe
the street,
Yup, dirt
theinfrom
bike
the

backat
window.theIleapfromthe
SUV. seat, sprinting around thefront ofthe vehicle and darting towardthe dirtbike. Isteal aglimpse
allaway. Those morons arestill trying to getin through the window. Liftingthe bike, I crank the kick starter, channeling
me.
Ammyfear
IIthe
feelI weave
theintomy
woman’s
through
foot’sfingernails
broken
thrust.downandstalled
Itstarted!
tugon myAshoodie.
I traffic,noticing
rollonHerthethrottle,
grasp isloose
thatanearlyevery
woman
and slipsoff
withsoul
thethefabric
withineyeshot
sickness runs
asthefullhasthesickness.
bikespeed
whisksme
toward

discarded
summer
a—like inonly one
cancabinet.
kitchentheI breeze.
onesused
the
seethe
The left? Forathatleads
street,even
highway how far—just
peoplewiththesickness
for highway
diaperroadwork.
bagoutof intown
sitsThe
movemyonly
alone, town
aboutthe
from
left orinstreets
waybehind
here, state—or
butitlooks
orout thelikewhole
in theclutteredwith
ofgutter
townby world?onthe
asit’sreceipts
landis
empty
blocked Purses
and
carswith
papers anddriftinthe
likehighway.
concrete backpacks
cockroaches
road are
Thisbarriers
raiding
coastal
warm

highway,with
townisshapedtheoceanlikea witch’sbootand
oneither side. upI know
towardI can
the topof
get to the roadblock
the boot,is a bottleneckthat
on this dirt bike,is scarcely
but why wideenough
aren’t there for theof
lines
people trying toleave? As Iget closer, I can see that there are people moving around behind theroad block. Oh thank
God,real—regularpeople!
“Turn
I’malmostaroundthere,
andthree returnto
blocksto
your home,”the
go.Ispeed voice
upandcommands.
heara longbeepfroma loudspeaker.
formenotto reachthe
secondsThat’s going tohappen. barricadeOnlyone andslideblockthe dirttogo.With
biketoa stop. asteady speed, I head toward roadblock. Itonly takes
I see about they
look tothesemen, ten men behindtheirroadblock
all have weaponsthatliftedareanddressed
aimedat in camo,
me. must be some branch of the Armed Forces. As I
right here.
TheOutmilitary
ofthecorner
forces haveof my theireye,I weaponsseebodies
drawn atme.piledHANDSUP
upI’mintoamound,
not sure ifthey’llfifty give
yardsmedownthe
a chance or shoot me dead
thosebodies of people—with
help lotsWhateveritwas
had the sicknesswhenthey
thattheHaley
curefor gavethewere
me,itcured
sickness.
alive andShegave
me.wereIdon’t
notnormal
mehave
the medicine
thesickness.
peopletrying
intimeMaybe that’s howstreet.
to stopit.
toleave. I onlygoinghopeto
she was
betternotto mentionthattothese guys,they maynot believe me. Ican hardlybelieve it myself. But I think it will be
“Can you helpme, backplease?”Icallout,layingthedirt bikedownlooks and raisingmy handsintothe air.
“Have
The menyoulookbeen and forth betweenone another,exchanging and head nods.
“No,”Ilie. “Is that
“Thesickness? It’sbitten?”
howthe Oneasks.
anoutbreak sickness works?”and yes that’s how it’s spread,”he respondsina short, authoritative
ofdisease
tone. “Whathappened, Imean, howdiditstart?”
mark mywords,
“Nobody it’sanattack.How
knows yet.Personally, you?”it’sHeaasks,
oldareIthink terrorist
furrowing Not sureif it’s foreignor domesticthough. But
attack.hisbrow.
“Sixteen.” He allasa twingeofsympathy.
pinch ofI“Huh,everyone
nod
humanity
my head,thatasa elseyou
I sawsharp ongotthepainisdead,right?”
soldier’s or ifsayswith
in my gutfacemakes meit was
feel hitting
thoughhome
I’ve been
for me—thatI
stabbed.I don’thave know
nobody.ifitI was
feel the
freedomcame
tears welling upatainterrible
my eyes,price. as INotonly
realizethatwillIneverseemy
Ihave the freedomdirt­bagdad that I’ve been
again,wanting
butmy forsomom and long.kidbrothertoo.And
But mynewfound
it’s
justgone.
not “Come
like I won’tsee
onin Hun,but them youhave
because Itogothrough
moved away,decontamination
leaving achancefirst.” to reunite with them someday—no—they are
like I walk
they will pastthe barricade, thebite
definitelydiscover leaving onthedirtbike
my wrist behindasIfear
andmy body wouldwhatsoonmayjoincomethepile
next.ofDecontamination
discardedcarcasses soundson
the
shortblonde
roadside.hairapproacheswith
My hearthammers, asmy mind triesto quickly figure outwhat to door say next. A femaleguard with
a gruffexpression.
“Comeyardsfrom
Afew withme miss,” the barricade,weapproach
shesays ina monotoneavoice. thick, plastictent—like structure with what looks like a carwash
sprayeron the
Thisis side.
“Youareit.She Thewoman picks up
goingwilltoneedtodisrobe.Putallofyour thesprayerandkicks
discover that I’ve been bitten andI overa
clothes—shoes clear,plastic
willbe executed
andallright tubto
inthetub.” me.
here, naked and in this plastic tent,
virtually all alone.
DISPLACED
sacks. AAfter the coldest
temporary spot, shower
on the of myof thelife,highway
side I’m standing inaline whereCross.
mealsA line
are being served fromwhite
brown­paper
are situated for refugees to clean up and eat. There isa little grass beside the asphalt, before the ground cliffs offcanopies
is set up by the Red of eight, red and tothe
oceanoneitherside
Ihadguardat
The female lied
beenso ofthe
again,
thescared highway.
decontamination
tellingher
totake off mysweater areatookabefore peekatthemywristshower—that
and hadhastilyasked
Inearly turned mebackabout towardit. the barricade.
and “wash with soap,”that Isoon that I fell off my dirtcare.bike,Afterbutall,it’sall
realized,shedidn’t she kept shouting
scabbedup outnow,no
commands like, Itlooks
redness. “turn around”
likeit
happened
slapped a days ago.
wristband IwishHaleycould
onme, that included have
my made
name it,
and whatever
the date that
and medicine
timeI was…it
wentthrough worked. The female
decontamination. guard
Then had
she
my clothes with an earwaxsmelling sprayand gave them backto me toget
sprayeddressed.
food
organscanopy.I
onits
I takeaown.seat
don’tI’m
oncare
theground,
allalone
that ittastes
onthegrass
eatinglikea hamand
crap.I
beneathamplasticcheese
another
so hungry canopy.
that
sandwichfromwithin
Iitfeels
notice mythatstomach
most themightbegindevouring
sack lunchprovided atthe my
to stick around. They’re loading onto school busses parked on the highway. I think that ofI should the people aren’tgetbothering
probably a move
whose My
onwhiletoo.Heandface
ago. Where
works
help
mom
Icouldn’tspot
asa
amI
meandcontactAunt
porter
goingto
dad have
atifshesatdown
thego?Idon’t
afriend
dinermy
Charlotte.nothave
mom
next
It’stooatome.
family
where
farlongfromhere
my
nearby.
momthatstayed
Closest at our house forHetwoabout
works—well…worked.
relativeIhaveis might
statessixtakeme
over inforanayears
months,two
andis little
aunt

thefamily in years.They hada falling out–as Momcalledshot,butit. what else can

Probably Ido? My momI hasn’t
overmydad.All can talked toabout
remember hersideAuntof
Charlotte isthatbesix
hadto
mind.I“Excuse sheused togive
Anoldmewomanoffers
or seventhelasttime
me,Miss,” candyIsawher.
everytime I sawher,which wasonly maybe four or fivetimes that come to
awarmsmile.
“Um,I don’tthinkso. I’mfine,”Isay rolling “Are youdisplaced?”
myshoulders.“Everything isintimewhen
theright place.”
Why
shoulder,“Well would
andthenslam shethink
it intoamy shoulder
wallto is
getit outofplace?
back into Isaw
place. thatina movie one a guy could displace his
“I“Yes,
don’tmeandislocated,
Iam.”
sweetheart, thebussweetheart. Imean, are youseparated fromyourfamily?”
find a relative or asocial worker. is I’llsee
right overyouthere, when yousaysarewith
there,”she ready.anod
It willandtakewalks
you totoward
a placea school
better equipped
bus with toa
gatheringItosscrowdmy ofpapersackin
about tenpeople. thetrash can, afterdevouring every lastcrumb.As Ithinkabout whetheror not to geton
that
are—stands
bus,I thewoman
movewithcloser
theirgunsraised.
toldto the
meabout,Iheara
decontamination
They’reallcommotion
yelling
tent tosee atthe behind me. The Army—orto whatever
fromsametime,makingithard understandanyofthem.
military branch they
maybe fifteen people running full speed toward the barricade. whoTheyor what
are they are yelling
screaming forhelp,at, asanda grouphaving
see a whole group
twice of
as
manychases
The guards
them.The atthegroupbehind
concrete railslook themhasthe
on the verge
sickness.ofpanic. One ofthemreaches forthe bullhorn.
“Return
Ignoringtoyouhomes.
the warning, theDon’tcome normal people
anycloseroryouwillbe
out front continue shot!”He
running straight
yells. for the rails, with the maniacs on
these I cup my hand over my mouth,in disbelief of what’shappening. The Army has to help them— theyhave tolet
theirheels.
people
“Thosein.back
furious.“Turn Thenow!Donotcome
people man
haveno withchoice,if
the bullhorn warns the willbe
anytheydon’t
closeroryou oncomingshot!”group once more, this time his voice is harsh and
to helpthem!” Iyell at thesoldiershoutingcommands.come this way, the ones with the sicknesswill get them. You have
won’tbe
andgivesme
The
Aable mananto stop
soldier icylowers
turnsglare,
thehorde.
tothebullhorn,
thebutsaysnothing
onewith
There andaretoomany
thebullhorn
looks
beforeatreturninghis
theandmen
says,
the civiliansare
beside
“Sirstareout
ifhimwe and
waitfor
blockingourshots.”
ontheletsout
approachingcrowd.
the civiliansto
a heavysigh.reachHe the
turnsblockade,we
back tome
“Fire,”
I feela hecommands,settingthebullhorn
joltofshock rockmybody. Did he onreally
the concrete
saythat? rail.
To shootat all thosepeople?
neededhelp
Myeardrums
“That’sit all
abarricade.Thatcouldhavebeen
whomatter of seconds,boys.
liemotionless
areflooded
We’re
of thepeople
notme.Isinktomyknees,stunned
byonbringing
therepeating
thewhohad
asphalt.
in anymore
beenTheir of
soundapproaching—are
bodieslitterthe
civiliansthrough
gunshots
—almost
tearing
dead.
street
feelingtemporarilyremoved
decontamination.
throughthe
Theones
only twenty
with
summertimemorning.
This
feet
the sickness
from andmybody.
isafullfrom
theedge
quarantine—
theInonly
ofones
the

nobodyin
pile,” says.or sir,”the
he“Yes, out. Thosemenwho
on thedonotyield our warning willbe shot. Understood?Nowlet’s get these bodies tothe
front lineshout.
I rise tomy feet inthetotal
What iftheydon’thave disbelief.
sickness? They canthatbus
I’mthinking make thatridecalloutonoftheir own—to not let anyone
hereissoundingmore elsebythe
appealing out of minute.
the city?
THE SCHOOL BUS
There is noinstead
innocentpeople way ofthathelping—I
I am goingwantas
to stayfaraway
in thismake­shift
from camp anyIcan
theseguysas longerget.than I have to. Soldiers slaughtering
begins The soldier
striding that heldtoward
confidently thebullhorn
me.I’m looks tomeminiscule,
feeling withfireinlike hisameyes.
I an Leaving
ant among hisa giant.
post, The
behindsoldier
thebarricade,
is taller he
than
meby
eyesandatleast
“Colonel
“Monte,”
mouthtellme
afoot,
KennedyChanning.
making
thathe’ssuper­old,probably
himabout Whatisyourname
six­two. Hisinhisfifties.
bodymiss?”Heasks.
is roughly three timesmy size andthe creases aroundhis
“I“Yes,”
rememberlettingyouin.Dirt
Iwhisper, uneasy about what bike.hemay
On yoursaytome. own,”He says.
eyes “Listen, I continues,
tomine,he don’t expect“Theyouevent
to understand,
you witnessed but what here happened
isas bad here…”
as it gets. TheIt isColonel
a memory looksthataway.
I cannotReturning
take his
from
you,although
horde
stopped
innocent
camp
findingatrisk,not
behind
Inod
myself Icertainly
to mentionthe
thepeoplethat
hordeand
mythem.Had
both
head wish
attheyhimand
understanding
were Icould.
wecoming
couldhave
waited
towns
watch While
towarduswereIowe
hisviewpoint,
until
beyond,”
escaped
himturn
thecivilians town’s you
Hetheonabutallsays
heel
also noandgoback
overwith
were explanation,
resentinghim
boundaries.That
theroad,
empathy forI isno
closer, leavingno
there would
inhisvoice.
toward would likehaveshotsfor
thetheclear
guarantee
barricade.leave youmymymen
putyou
Taking
that withinmento
and hisa thought.
everyone
words,Iam
could The
fireatthe
inthis
have

know what he could have done differently, or even, if it waspossible to savethose deaths people.
of the regular
I do people.thatIdon’t
know those
soldierssaved all
ready toTurning
angryabout
go.AsI ofus at the
the massacreorput
toward
make myway campby
the schoolbus,usingtheir
upthesteps,
it behindme—along
I takeI myguns,but
seethe
timewith
sweetall those
shuffling
allthathaspeople are
womanover.whohappened stilldead,sick
I’mtrying
told meabout
today.
to decide
The or
the bus’snot.
bus.She
whetheror
engineis
is standing
notroaringand
to stillbe
beside
restaurant.
the first seat,Herbehindthe
warmsmiledriver, is welcomed,
welcoming but then,
on newshe passengers.
unexpectedly Shepullsreminds
me intomeana embrace.
little of Ia awkwardly
hostess at ahugfancyher
back. Thefeeling
hada hug,with
Myfamily is
“You takethiswoman’s sobizarre,
aseatanywhere
hadneverreallybeen butIunderstand
embraceincluded.
pumpkin. thatshe
the hugging
It willalltype. is attemptingto
bealright,”
Icould probablycount becomforting.
she says. on onehand the numberof times I’ve
looks Itakehe’snotice
like only aofa
handfulsoldierof years
sittingolder
acrossthanme.
from thewoman.
As I walk Hehim,he
past isdressedlooksup in camo,
from with a blondebuzz
aclipboard andgivescutmeanda
frostystoriesof
their stare
The withhisglowing
bus is nearly full,blueeyes. as I walk down theaisle looking fora seat. Chatter fills the bus. Everyone isexplaining
tears from their how
faces. theyEvenmadewithmost
it out orofwhat the happenedopen,
windows to theirtheloved
pungentones.smellA fewof body
of theodor
riderspollutes
are sobbing the andHalfway
bus. wiping
downthe aisle, I see that nearlyall theseats aretaken. I might have to stand. How long is this ride anyway? This day
can’tgetIlook
“Monte,isthat
any better.
allaround,you?”butcan’tfind
a delicatevoicesounds.
anyone familiar.
towardthe wagginghand, eager tofindthe owner. Then a waving
Aftersqueezingby agabby handguyintheaisle,chattingupacute
from the back catches my eye. I girl, hurryI
seethatthehandbelongsto—Annabelle
Annabelle Sanchezis the snobbiestSanchez.Oh girl atmyGod. high school, hands down—there is no competition. She comes
tofromafamilywith
onthe bus,money,
findme“Monte,come sitover andhas
Annabelle on manyoccasions
here,”shesays
isthelastoneIwant tobeen
withan unusually see.shamefully wicked tome and my friends.Ofall the people
hercrap—not
IfItake
sheistheseatbeside
today,not
trying to afterwhat
playAnnabelle
someI’ve embarrassing
and
beenoffer
through.
nothing me, I friendly
trick onmorethan swear,a nodI’msmileonherface.
atgoing
first. Ilook
to kickaround,but
her ass. I’mdon’tseenot goinghertousual
take
clanoftormentors
“I’m so anywhere
glad to see a around
familiar us.face,” Annabelle says. “Since this morning, I haven’t seen anyone I knew, until
now.” “Me “I don’tneither,”Imumble.
know what happened to my family. They have a disease or something,” Annabelle says with tears in
hereyes.
we
betterthan
mess.
friends,
reduce
aren’tfriends
And
herto theandshewanted
too.”MaybeAnnabelle
“Mine
orbecause
beingallalone,
sheis
the samesituation
onlything
canhardly
andespeciallywith
Itoplay
arefamiliar
asstand
meand thetome.
notsome
thatallthis
she’s
sight
different
embarrassingfromanddifferent.
Honestly,
not
ofcraziness
onethat joke
Ione
that’s
amother,
onanother.
gladgoing
me,becauseI’m
She
being
sheon. called
Take
calledme
withawayher
outsomeone,at
toover,being
themeonly
fancy
on thing
least
theclothes
allbus,alittle
familiar
alonenotandsucks.
because
familiar,
toher
fake friends;
Even
inthis
we’re
feelsif

hermorning
ofthe
up,I’ve
Hollow—the
talking,
I’mmostly
“Iread
gonehad
next
through
telling
onthe
been
town
quiet,sitting
internet,
metoo
quite
up,when
about
much
similarto
beforeIlost
what
next
tauntingat
Ioverhear
toAnnabelle,
happenedin
mine.cellherWe heras the
a mantalking
service,that
hands
area house
few FEAR
to completely
busmilesoutside
about itsopenway
they’resayingit’sa
thismakes
morning,
hisexperience.
ofuplike
ourontothe
towehometown old friends.
her.areFrom
highway.Annabelleis of it,itindoing
ofthePortsoundSteward,
I stillhave seems
my
Bayberry
guard
most
like

kind
the disease,than
willbe
of Avery
shut
bio­chemical
downformonths
oldit’sthe riotersoreven
lady,weapon
aboutandfour
thatthatrows
areyearsand
itcango
looting and
ahead,airborne at anytime.
youknowwhat
begandestroying
coughing—more
else—”
The Ourtown terrorist
Port.helikepauses
Wehacking,
has
won’t
looking
goneto attack,”
beloud
coming the
back,guynotthebegan.
upshit,ifit’s
andtheaisle.
uncontrollably. “Some
thewhole
oneswith
Those
town
aroundherspread outalloverthe is bustryingto getas farawayfromthe coughingwoman as possible.
Soon
“Pull overthis
others shout ladyfor sick,”the driverto
a guy notpullmuch overolderthanmeyellsto
as well.It doesn’t takelong thedriver.beforehe surrendersto their requests
andpulls
from the buswoman—who
hiswaytheAnnabelle
tothe
bus.Heyellsattothe
andIlook sideherofthe
out theroad,
hasnow
toshow himjust
halfstopped outside
openwindow
whereherbiteis ofthe downtown
andtotellarea.
coughing—andescortsheroffthebus.
on oursideand himThewhen
seethe soldier
it fromthethewoman
soldierwalk front oftheafewbusfeetmakes
away
thatshehas
sleeves and tugsat
nobites,herbutblouse suffersbefore
from lifting
emphysema.He her polyester doesn’t he believes
skirt.lookThelikeelderly happened.
womanherlooksashetobein Theherupher
yanks woman maintains
seventies
peach, orsatinso.
finally “Wasshe
sureofit.She
probably
lunatic.He’snot
cruellyyanks
“Are
I shudderhermusteven
She is emerges,alone.
soI’ve
“No,wasn’t
offended
seen
Ichecked
yousure
likethe
bitten?”The
that
behinda
athavegot
bythewild
bitten.We
sheher
Wild­eyed
thesound
othersoldiers
really
sectionofovergrown
whole
soldier’s
lookitsome
driverasks,
andthatis
hadit?
lookback
body, atclosing
onnoImean,
andoutofbreath,he
look
behaviorthat
otherorliketheColonel,
way.Let'smove
bites.
hisface
outAnnabelle
waiting
bushes.A
Butshewasgoing
iftheshethere
before—but
door.
screams
boards
with
forthe
no,he’slike
fewseconds
out,”the
terrified
thebusand
soldier
andonmy
slaps
toturn,
soldierreplies.
eyes.
tofive
later,alone
dad.return,
him
takeshisseat.
IThat had
secondsfromapsychotic
It’sthe
could
witha
butit
soldier
tell.
gunshot
lookof
softfeelslike
Shekilled
hand.
rings
amadman.
that
Hegrabs
the
it’sout.disease.
taking
poor
breakdown.
This
woman.She
herforever.
Yeah,
armand
guyisaI’m
He

mentionscasually
As“I’mwepull ashe pulls away fromthe curb. wasn’t a bite,seat.than how can you know for sure?” The driver
sure,” down
the soldier
the road,Icrane
saysin a sterntone,leaning
myneck, leaningoverAnnabelle,
back inhis staringat the overgrowth.Before it’s out of
back.
sight,I Closing
catch sight
my ofeyes,I
the elderly
feel likewoman
myownlyingsanityon hanging
her stomach.
on byHera frayed
clothes have been taken offand tossedonto her
her body, he tookoff all her clothes.And whenhe couldn’t find abite,he tossedthem shoelace. When that paranoidlefther
on herbackand jerk checked
naked
body to rotbeen
crap that’s behindhappeningtoday.
overgrown weeds. I am in hell. I would
Whenwegettothe happilyortake
shelter,with a beat­down fromI’mmynotstayingforlong.
withoutAnnabelle, dad any day—over the
THESHELTER
thetrip.
that poorold
TheWhenwe
ridelady.
tofinallypull
Moss
Annabellenudges
Countytoaonthe
stopatthe new shelter,I’min
overcrowded,smelly
my shoulder to get mybuswas The seatsbutbehind
adaze—thinkingabout
attention.
a bumpyone, uneventful
whatLieutenant
usareforalready emptydidtoofas
theLunatic
remainder
everyonepushes as and shoves in theaisle. Annabelle andIare the lastto leavetheis stinkybus. I’m hotand sticky, andan
sleepy
arena fortoo,basketball
westepgamesor
ontotheconcerts.I
curb. Beforeusnoticethatisahumungous
the street inboth
building,larger
directionsthanempty.
anyI’veThereeveraren’t
seen.Itanylookslike
cars driving
around,orparked
There are onmorethestreet. Nooutpeople
soldiers in are walkingaroundorriding
front, checking our bicycles.Itbracelets
decontamination seemsreally
and strange tome.
pinning index cards to
everyone’s chest.
“Bracelet,” Aswe approach,afemale
shewristandshe soldiermakes
says withsoftnesstohervoice. eyecontactand offers a grin.
I
my parents holdoutmy
“Canyoustate
The
“MonteBarrett,sixteen.”
and
conversation
brother.Ileave
yourfullname
goes back examines
outthe forth theas shemakes
andandpartabout
age,”she bracelet,
what scribblingonto
asks.happenedtothem.I anindexcard.
notes ona clipboard.I tell herwhymyIdidthat,
don’t know address andthe names of
butI haveabad
feeling about telling her thatI’m allalone inthe world. The lady soldier gently pins thecard tomy shirt and pointsout
the areawhere
family
my
Idon’t thinkhomethemyaddress,andbunk
name,having
Annabelle isbunk
nextisand
diseaseand located.
that Shenarrowly
she she explainsescaped
numberwhich
givesupher thattheindex
information
doublesas card—that
withatoo,
herlife.
meal It wasmust
butnumberduring
she toveryremain
tellsallthem pinnedto
servingtime.
dramatic
everything mymyopinion.
in about shirt—includes
howher Afterwhole
all,
the other that
everyoneinside.
Onthe
building. sidethese
Inlooking
I’mnothungry,
ofthe soldiers
aroundthe
building really
Icancare.
butIfeel
expansive It seems more
seeacafeteria
exhausted.
spaceinside like they
theareaand
building, wantsnaking
alineIcan us toamove
seecots quarter along,
inrows theso way
offillingthatnearly
they canthequickly
around
theentireinside getof
space.
don’t
make
setof
halfhouror
want
senseofthe
double
I taketostay
so,and
careful
doors.numbering
herethen
Are
notice
long,but
I’lltheykeeping
ofthe
find
systemofthe
Ifeel
away
exits,sotired
everyone
outthereofthis Annabelle
cots.arethatinside?
sixin
place.
findingall.I myheads
bunkareto offwonder
begin
They myto join
isallclosed theandhave
line andnota soldier
firstwhetheror
priority.Ineed getwesome food,
toaretake while
stationed
allowed I tryeach
anap,atleast
before
to leave. fortoI

that
self­conscious
uncomfortably
matter.Thumbingthewrist
WhenIfinally
about
hot andslightly weak.asIthink
mywrist—which
reach mybunk,
band isitching onit’sthelikebecause
I’mIlaidexhausted. I fallI Iamintodon’t
bunk,Idrift
crazy. sooffintoa
thetired.I
want wantto
lumpyAnnabelle
deepsleep.
cot withtake
askingabout
hardlyany
off my hoodie,but
energy
it,or anyone
to spare.
I’melseaIfeel
little
for

DESERTED
I wake up with a chill creeping down my spine. Sitting up, in my cot, I don’t see Annabelle on hers. In fact,
soul
there’sno
is withineyeshot.
one around. The My eyesdrift
startling silence
tothe and
cafeteria
abandonedarea, empty.
arena can’t
The rows
bea goodof cotsthing.
are deserted
Why didn’t aswell.
anyoneNotwakeanother
me
andwhereI make
didthey my way go? to the door we used when we arrived. I pass dozens of empty cots, purses and backpacks left
the
allthecars
behind,half
behind?I
brightness
feelandempty
likeoutside.
people.
I’msodainaAsmy asifeyes
It’sbottles
newly and
everyone
builtbegin
evena tothat
cityleftina
fewpair
adjust,
no hurry,
oneofoutside
has
shoeson
leaving
been
the admitted
arena
myway
behindisastheir
tothe
entrance
vacant
belongings. No theoneThe
asOpening
exit.to.Ormaybe,
theinside. door,I’msurprisedby
instead
noticed
busisofthatnewly
goneIwasleft
asare
built,

ofit’sallpeopleand
morelike—ready thefordestruction.
I jog downtraffic.Itfeels
street, my mind
like inmaking
no its Ibestcomeattempt
time, upon torationalize
Coastal Acres what I’mItseeing.
Forest. lines Thehighway
the cityis empty—void
for miles. I
can’t
the
farI’ve believe
oceanAsI how closewe are tothe highway. Maybe mymind is racingtoo fastas Ijog, thatI
gone.enterthe forest, Ican’t hearanything. No birds or wildlife,no insects, no cars on the highwayandnot even don’t even realizehow
Theonforest
someone—anyone. the otherside.Noway
isIwas the lastthisisplaceIshould
all alone
probably thismorningwhenIfirst
happening—where is everything?
be,but I discoveredthe
feellikeI needsickness.
tokeep going.I
And I needalone
was to findAnnabelle
whenI ran
or
into
Edgarandand
throughtrees,
low
withthesickness.
ofmisery.But
I feellike
faraway,
lost Haley.I
now,the
I’vebeen
butfor
can’t
thought
some
wandering
do this
ofreason,
being
alone throughthe
Ibegin
alone,is
anymore.I’ve
running
almost astowardthe
forest wanted
foran
terrifyingas
eternity
tobeonmy
noise.
before
the Itthought
ownIfinally
means
forofyears,
there’s
hear
beingwhile
something.
something
eatenliving innear.
aliveThe
bymysound
theones
Ihouse
raceis

face face jumping

pistoltowhilestalking
Allofwiththe myovermovements.
Lieutenant
oxygen fallen logsbody;
leftmy I and
hasLunatic.Heisaimingdashing
duckback
Ifeelahandgun aroundcouldcollapse
likeI
behind thelarge bushes.right
atboulderand
myhead. I come here.fastIslowly
turnto around step
run—onlyto a boulder and findcocksthe
seeasmall
backashe myselfof
group
peoplegrowling
their Iwith
burstthesickness
runashardasmylegs
outstretched
doesn’t
are grasp.Coming
brakeor
fingers
andhowling
outfrom therightbefore
evenpawing
uponthehighway,
swerve.
willcarryme,but
trees,
astheir me.Ican
at It’scoming
myandsprint
back.I
speed myIrunas
feel
straight
carries fastasIcan
outspeedstaysconstant,
seelikeontothe
carsare
themcloser
forI’llme,while
never
highway.
passingthrough
outrunthem,
andtheslightly theoutbut
Aby.closer
group
caris
Thankforest,
coming,
God!
me.
ofthe but
toapproachesfrom
somehow the group
It’sIfagroup’s
white,
only,Ican
notImanage
long ismake
notfar
theside.I
compact
clutches.
before
to stay tobehind.
car.stop
Iit can
Only,
barely theoutThey
intheroad.
feel
theroad.
their
carofI
My fateis
front.Sheisasmysealed.Iamnot
In“Monte,” sicksheassays going faces
the softly.
strange to survive this day.Isteal
behindher.She flashesoneherlastglace
teeth at me.atthe group and see that Annabelle is out
“Monte!” peripheralvisionI
Annabelle’svoiceis seetheloudernow.
white car approaching.Everything seemstoslow down.
Shereaches
andlookMyeyes
“Monte, formy shoulders,
wakeup!”fly openlikeI’m waking but fromademonic
I don’t have it inpossession.
me to fightI spring
any longer.
up fromOpening
mycotherintoa
mouth,
sittingsheposition
shouts,
“Arewide­eyedat
you okay?You Annabelle.
weredreaming—loudly,” she issays.how it was when I drifted off to sleep. Whoa, that was a
I look
crappy dream. around the people­filled arena. Everything
gets
minute.
rottendream,
back,Ineedto
Lying
Everyone
she
in mywas wasI’mtrying
thattellher
bunk,
calledthat
onthe
overwe’re
bybusone of thesoldiers
leaving.
todecide
isherealong
Thiswhento toleave
placewith
BLUEFALLS and what
discuss
allthe
wheretogo.
soldiers
familystanding
members
After guardis
Annabelle
can begetting
contacted.
wokeme
creepierWhenshe
fromthat
bythe

through decontamination when weleftour town, why with

aren’ta people
few busleaving?
loads more.
At leastNosome one ofhasthem
left.must
We already
know went
people
nearbyorwould
fororphaned
“Monte,are
“Yeah,”kids—where
“Theyaretaking
Isay,sitting
ratherstayin
you awake?”
metheytoup.amotelorsomething.
BlueFalls.
canAnnabelle
contactThey
my
shoutsrelatives
saidsince
fromfive
andmybunks
getfamily
meover, as
todidn’tmake
them.sheIsn’tracesforme.
it,thattheygreat?
aretaking
You’remeup
probablytoashelter
coming

“Why goaresays.
too,” Annabelle
There myplans
they takingyou to havesomewhere
Annabelle escape else? BlueFallsishours
thisprison­like shelterwith away,”Isay.me.I don’t want tobe alone, but she’s
leaving anyway.
count onMywhole
thatIcan“Theysaidthat someone life
else? I’ve only been able to count on myself—why would I try to fool myself into thinking
atmy lack ofenthusiasm. there are social workers that can get me to my grandparent’s house,” Annabellesays, frowning
to Blue“Well,that’ll
Falls.I didn’ttell be goodthemabout
foryou…myparents—”
toget to yourgrandparent’s place.Really,it’s goodnews.But Iwon’t be going
huge. “I know, why did you dothat? But it’s okay, because I told them. So yes, you’re coming,” Annabelle’ssmile is
LieutenantLunatic
I swearI want and topunch
I’llwant tobiteherrightmyself.intheAndthis face. Why hoursshelong.tell those soldiersthat? Anotherbus ride with
rideiswould
“Monte
“Annabelle,”
Barrett?” Ibegin,Afamiliarvoice
beforestoppingasks.short. Combatboots are noticeablyapproachingin my peripheralvision.
farawayI nod, fromthis at
lookingcreepupas Ipossiblycan,
thesoldier. It’syetitseemsLieutenant likehe’s It’s like this guy is our personal escort. I want tobe as
Lunatic. everywhere.
“We haveatthe
Looking received informationthat
intimidating soldier, yourfamily
I don’twant may
to have notmadeit
getcaught outI really
ofyourhome town, what
is thisI correct?”
havea
nut—Idon’tfeeling
“Yeah,want
thatthese
theyhadthe
toenduplike peoplesickness,”
aren’t Isayladywith
theoldgoing toletme
on reluctance.
thebus. goonmy
I wantown.tohead out the backdoor and find myown say
inalie. have towatch way,tothis
but I
I“Sorrytohear
can’t believe thatAnnabelle narked meout.What happened to my family is my business—not hers to go
aroundtellingeveryone.
minorsare that young lady. We are going to put you onthe bus to Blue Falls. It’s where allofthe orphaned
headedforsocialworkhelp.”
“I don’t want to goto Blue Falls. I’d rather just leave if that’s okay. A family friend works not too far from
here,I’dratherheadtohis
friend ofthefamily’s
“Unfortunately,we placeisplace andgoyoufrom
cannotletyou
where there.”Isayworkerin Blue Fallswill getitall straightened out and ifyour
shouldgo,then
leave.Asocial
minutes.”Afterhe leaves, I glareat Annabelle, who seems they’ll
feel totally send
oblivious you there,”
tonotonlyhe saysme,but with atogrin. “Bus leaves
everything goinginon.I ten
likehorse
upstanding
windows
Annabelle.
cattle.Move
high
Samuel myIguys.
Aswasin
“Save whole
“Alrighty,”
overhere
here,
enter
mea world
theButdotheAnnabelle
Navy
seat, Iisfora
this,take
thehas caving
ladiessoldiers
probablynever
have
room,
says
that. in,There
goafter
longtime
tohere theallsomething
and
headingtowardthe
therearetoare that
isdifferent.
been alreadyaismetsomeof
restroom.
I’vearound happening
I exitat
can’tput
reallyoffabout
handful
shady
I’llthemeetofandhisyou
peoplebefore.
my
frontofthe itbuddies
women
fingerseems like butjust
thesesoldiersand
onthe
onit,
arena.
inside.
Shebus,”
who it’sI another
has
Looking
served nosay,
like adventure
thisinstincts
with
offering
around,there
they’re
place. faketoaren’t
him.atall.My
actinglike
aThey her.smile
were Miss
anyto
Uncle
we’re
real

conversationfor unfolding.
“Iknow,
“Danny mewentto
to escape.
right.I talk toAsoneoftheguard
can’tbelieve disappointment
iteither—it’sfillsridiculous.”
soldiers, myandthey
gut, I won’t
head toletananyone
emptyleave.
stallThey
and said
overhear the women’s
thatfurther testing
is neededoutalotofthe
pulling beforewe cansoldiers.There
be released.ButI’ve
areonlya noticed
few that they have evacuated thispart of the city forblocks and are
lefthere.”
tobe “I“Then
one would
safe, theywhere
don’t
even couldisthat
know
missthem.Peopleonebus
forgetsure,
ridof going?Isawa
butthose
Iheard,
wouldkids—ya
thinkthat bunchofkids
that theyare
know
theydiedin
what loading
all orphans
I mean—to intoit.”
with makesure
no placetothatgoand
nonenoone
of ‘emtoareclaimsick—and
them.Justno
ThePort.”
 I boltfor the restroomdoor. Iamnotstickingaround toseeif thesewomen are right.They could be planningon
back
getting
before, toIridisand
it.trouble
received
Itlookstheexit. ofthatguard
seenew ausorders
probably
likeI’mon
doorall—tomyisbestill
I’mheaded
acrossthe
getting
tellingownagain.
safe.
ourthem
outspeakingto
wayand
way.I
Even thecan’t
ofhere. adults
notIdon’twantto
toheadAsrelease
thegetIforfamily.
approachthedoor
onthat
init.anyone.
thisThe
stayIpress
arena
busnearestcouldbe
hereIfthey
andthere
another
theguard danger.
frame,
dooropen
evacuated
isno
second.
istalking
I waythat
lookaround.
thegently
Theytoa
area,mighthave
I’llbe
and
familya
likethe
Thereare
walk
abletofew
throughopening
changed
woman
getfewersoldiers
feetAnnabelle
away,
said,
their minds
than
withtothe
offof
than
big
hisor

outside.
Wiping aI’mtearfree.
from I’mmy sosorry
cheek, I Annabelle.
tell myself Iwish
to be that there wasI havesomething
stone­hearted. to survive.thatButI could
it do towork—I
doesn’t get her can’t
off thatstopbus.
the
tearsfromfalling.
Icould
wrongthing
myfate
feelslike
Irun
finallyfeellike
downthe
I’mnot
I’m
FREEDOM
isit’sinmyown
outside
bybeen
side
sureWith
leaving all my
handsnow. heart
Isprinkledwithitching
can
ofthe Ihope
ofwhereI’mgoing—anywhere
thebreathe—butIalsofeel
herbehind.
building that
arena.I’mfree.Scratching
Thank
andButwhat
cutGod those
powder.It
behindit.
Imade
could women
tethered
buthere.I
itchesso
Iitout
do?If were
Igo
mytoofthat
wristas wrong,
IjogtoMy
Annabelle.
don’tcareifIhave
muchback
place.
thatitThe and
alongthe
kinda
thatheartI hope that
airbus,tosleepunder
hurts. Iam wrong—for
outherefeelsfresher,more­wide
twiststelling
they’ll
backsidemakeme
ofthe
abridge
me thatI Annabelle.
gettonight.
building—my
onit.
am doing
Even
Atopen. ifI
least
scab
the

theyseem.
allgetting
one
havethethattoldme
like Ihave
togo
getway
Looking
reunited
Annabelle’s
back
runinto
up myarm.
behind
with
forher.
aboutthe
a herwall.
attention
Ime,Withmy
keep
grandparents.
busto
Stumbling
Iseethat
jogging.
somehow—she
Blue
eyesonmy
noone
backward
IShe’ll
Falls.
can’thasnever
dothis,
wrist,I
wouldn’t
come
IlookgetIcan’t
after
reachforthe
atobstacle
offgetthat
me.A
leave
offbus,
thesharppain
without
andsee
sleeve
bus.
ifI tellShe’s
Annabelle.
the
butmy
hersurgesfrommy
very
psyched
Ihave
momentum
soldier
Sheneeds
a about
hunch
fromscabbed
going
suddenly
thatthe
methings
andIneed
bus
towrist
Blue
stops.
ridehere,
aren’t
andshoots
FallsIther—I
what
feels
and
the

the elbowescortingmeback aroundthe Lieutenant Lunatic. I open my mouth to speak, but he already has me at
building.
to findIwhisper
“I was just—”
“Trying
—personally,”
wasattempting.
cutme I don’tknow didthesoundsmore
hisvoice
Howwhat bus?”breathlessly.
heknow HeImade
tosay,so says.
Isay “That’sHeHis
likenothing.
agrowl.
itout? alright,
must
tightgrip
have
I’m sure
seen
onmyyoumeelbow
got
leaveand
turned
conveysthe
sprintedout
around.messagethat
Here,oneletofmethehetake
other
knewyouexits
whatI
thereto

bus,Ioff.
fromthe
withshoppers.
the Thebuildings
parked
noticeAside
bus,isempty.
thatthere
from
andbusinesses
arethevacant streets, all oftheonthearena
nocars.surrounding
Noneparked thebusinesses
street,nor
do looklookempty.
drivingaround—eventhe
closed.As
It’s Saturday,these
LieutenantLunatic
parkingstructure
places leads
shouldmebetoward
across
abuzz
whole My
decontamination
areamindhas and
wrist goes
itches
beenareokay.
backagain to theconversation
evacuated or something.I’d overheard
Why would in thetheyladiesclearroom.outThose area? We allright,wentit’s through
this womenwere like the
haven’t
with Lieutenant
been ableto
Lunatic,
lookbutatit.Istill
andThemy
feeldiscomfort
shooting
whole pain arm inthat
aches.
it.began
Ican’t
I can’tbehind
lookat
understand
thebuilding
my armorshow
why subsided
it’s bothering
anyfavor
rightafter
me,to mybutI had
injury—while
thenmyagain,
run inI
heishere—oritwillbethe
There’s only one busendahead, ofme.it’s a tour bus. Like the one I’d taken on my eighth grade trip to Funland, three
hoursaway.Definitely
reclining“Theschool
“What
seatswith
happenedtotheschoolbus?”Iasksoftly.
confetti
busses
a stepup
arefor
upholstery.Ihaven’t
fromthe
local transport,”
school bus evenheweboarded it yet,here,this
used toget butIalready know.havea bathroom in the backand
one will
usthereAswithno stops.”Lunatic andI approachthe bus, says
Lieutenant officially.up“It’sthea steps
he escortsme long ride to BluemeFalls—this
and forces to sitinthebusfirst willseat
get
behind “I’m
the driver.Annabelle calls outfromthe rearofthe bus.
“Monte,”
He gonna go sitbackby
shovesme with myfriend,”
my shoulder Isay, intorisingfrommy
my seat, without seat.a word. Waving at Annabelle to come forward, he
can
push
can’tdo
understand?
bush.
reviewsaclipboardthathangs
reportthis
theGotit?”
He
“Hey—”
“Listen,
that.Buthe
stands
I remember
psychoto.
you
Isay,
backarenot
already
rubbing
upyou.andWe
did—to
going
looks
behindthe
myshoulder.
wereon
tobe
atthehisdriver’s
oldtheclipboard
a Heproblem
lady.
same
can’t
seat.No
busonce
push
onone
overthis
more.
melike
even
here.
bus,”Did
asked
Ifthatyou
heormake
questions
kneels
justthreaten
becomemesit
down
aexceptthedriver,
problem,
tohere.Therehas
andkillme
whispers toyoutome.
I’llifIdidn’t
takewho “Do
bereally
outbehave?
someoneI
behind
didn’t
you
Hea

situation.
that weall issue.hadthe
Annabelle
“Sir,” Thisquietlytakes
“Rightthere,”
Isay guy
wantingcould
sickness.
hesays probably
tovomit,but
toAnnabelle
I’m
herseat, kill
starting astoussheapproaches,pointingtheempty
looking
toget allatmewith
and not even
whatIwant—I
understand get inrebellious
enormous
thatmy
guess trouble forstreak
Igottokiss
eyes. it.littleHemight
aseatbehind could“MayIsitnext
tail. tell theagainst
me.
work cops me
ortoher?”
hisinthis
boss

IHeamstill
lookslineat
you—”“There
“Where
“Long up from hisAnnabelle
won’tbe,”Isay
were clipboard withnow,”
behindLieutenantLunatic,butat
the
you?”restroom.I’mhere a smirk.Hesees
movingwhispers.
quicklyto right
theleastI’mnot sittingthrough
Isay.seatbehind. my phoniness. “If there’s any trouble from
nexttohim.
ofus.
two
itdidandafter
The
Weare
“Next
a halfhours.”
thebite.
soldiertosses
stop,
aboutIknow
Blue
twenty
Falls,”
thethatminutes
clipboard
Annabellecan
thedriver
intoontothebus
announces,
the seat
ridetoBlue
andstartingthebus.
smacksFalls,theandmy
driver
“Settlein
onwristis
the kiddies,
shoulder,
killing weme.It
thenshould
takes
feelsbeeven
histhere
seat,in
worse
in about
front
than

withher right here and Lieutenant Lunatic sensemy

rightin front discomfort—shetimekeepsasking
ofus.Thelast sheasked, me
he if I’m okay.Ican’t
turned around and lookmeat ita
gave
knowhow
death stare.I
“Hey,muchlied to themIcanboth
I’mgoingto
longer usethe
keepit
tellingupthem
restroom,okay,”
though.
that I sometimes get a little carsick. They seem tohave boughtit. Idon’t
Itell Annabelle.
Shegives
goplayingthe
kids
alone,
downto
ofwhile
That
allages inmethe
areaweak
alphabetroadsigngame.
AndreStreet
game
othersmademeseats smile
sitting
andonmy
think
playit anda
way to nod
closeofmylittle
watching
together. asI
Manygetofthemare
up.Therearea
the brotherSammy—we
restroom. I head tochatting
the toplaythatgame
used
few back and and
toddlers,
quietly seewiththat
eachallthere
some thearetime.Sometimeswe’d
oftheother aboutkidsfewareeven
older
anda twenty other
areseated

whole
my butt.I
lifeI would
except
can’thave believe
me—isonlya
neverthathegot
imagined
memorythewhensicknessthe license
now.I woke andup mythisplates of allthattheIt’sthis
parentstoo.
morning carsnotispassing
like
whereIhadby.I endIreally
a lot—but missnow.
up right that little
everything pain
I’m still notin
in my
sure about this whole bus to Blue Falls, but I don’t have any options right now but to stick it out and hope that I’m
wrong.
THE SICKNESS
The scabis
Iducksoakedinto theinthefluids
tiny restroom.leakingfromthewound.Aring
After locking the door behind of redness
me,Irollsurroundingthe
upmysleeve.wound My wrist
stretchesupmyarm.
isinfected again.
Itlooks
Thewater grotesque
puss oozesout
Ishove myand
stingsa
ofittheon
little
arm—uptheat the
smell is disgusting.
first,but
tothe then starts Ithe
othersideofthe
elbow—in totouchthe
soft tiny
scab.Isinkand scab
beginwith
turn
tochoke,myindex coldfingerand
on thecoughing waterandand slightlypress
gagging let it atflowthe overdown.thetime.
same Greenish
wound.
telling
time,savoring
kill
littlesetback—I’ll
mesomeone,
Whatever
Iforworrythat
the thesafety
butI
Haley
relief
befine.
I’mtaking
ofpushthat
gave
theothers
NowthatI’mwashingmy
thatthought
theme,
toolong
wateris
helped
and and
he’ll
outgivingme. feelhead.wrist,itwill
soothing
forLieutenantLunatic
oflikeamywhile,
it—because onisgetmyaLunatic
butLieutenant
itlooks
hewillcome arm.nothing
likepsycho.
better Iagain.It
stand
burstingin
runs Ithere
No,thiscan busbeatto.forlikeSWATteam,so
can’tthink
has
likea thewhat
thatfeelsallway.prisoners.He’ll
we’re
sickness. likeIThis
theisjust
longesta
thinkabout
reluctantly,

Iturntheoffasscab
awful,
that iftheallofmyenergy
istotally
water. Aswaterlogged. as thewater
soonisbeing sucked
Gently,stops,
right
Ipatmyoutmywound
ofarm beginsandtopull
me.Ineed
dry lieburndownand
myagain.
sleeveAlthoughit
trydown,
tosleep.
coveringthe
looks alittlebite.better Ifeelnowso
Annabelle“Oh
anyone aboutandboy,you’re
Making mytake
myarmaway
seatbythe
orLieutenant
reallyfeeling
backtoward
window.
Lunatic
my seat,will Itakecanmealready
out behind
feel perspiration
abushand putemergingfrom
a bullet in mymyskull.flesh.I squeeze
Ican’t past tell
“I’m okay. I think I’mjust carsickaren’tyou?”
really tired.You know,Annabelle
today’s sayswitha frown.
been…crazy. Ithink I’ll take a little nap,” I say
pulling “Yeah,
thehoodgetofmy somerest
sweatshirtovermyhead.
Monte and you’ll feel better.I’ll wake you whenwe gettoBlue Falls,”she says.
seethat
feel
Lunatic Who
betterwhen
Isideof knew
standing
don’t feel her.that
Iwake
before Annabelle
likeNow,due
I’ve Sanchez
canbeat
up.meIslept
with
tolackof
long,
a crazed could
this.Iclosemy
when
other beso
lookI’mpeople,
inhis sweet?
jostledeyes
sheis
eyes.As
awake Iguess
andactually
leanup
bymyaneyesyounormally
worried
explosive
against
adjustto
aboutme. needed
thewindow
sound.
thebright
Ifeel to
Ifeelso beinher
andlight
different. I seeinnerinMaybe
feelexhausted.
beaming
myselfdriftingoff. circleI’ll
Lieutenant
from theto
windows,Isee
windowBeforeon theIhave
that
otherhejustshotthe
sideof
time tothereact,bus,busAnnabelle
Ican
driver. pulls me down to the floorboard below our seats. Looking out the
interstate.Lieutenant Lunatic turns to the other see sidethat
of thetheaisle
bus and
is pulled over.gunshotsblast.
two more It looks like trees
What’soutside—we’re
hedoing?Ilook on theat
Annabelle
Someone
ringout.He’s withkilling
Lieutenant
hasto wild eyes.
stophim,
Lunatic She
makesonlyhisway
kids.Hashelost
butwe’re allshakes her
downheadtheasaisle
hiskidsand
mind? tearsoffallthefrom
busherblasting
cheekskidsontoaway.
the floorboard.
I don’tknowTwowhat
moretodo.
shots
hear thekidscryingout,screaming
“You can’tdo this to us—we’reandbeggingfortheir
not heAhasboyin
sick!” a gun.
lives
the back shoutsout, and then another gunshot sounds. Ican
generalEvenwith
“There is
population.Inoall can’t
way
thatishappening,
totell
takethatif risk,”Lieutenant
anyof Ifeelyouunbelievably
are infected.
Lunaticsays
tired,Nofromthe
asguarantee
fanatically,firinganothershot.
though
seatsashe
I that
couldyoumakeshis
dropdead
won’t spread
waydownthe
from exhaustion
this disease
aisle.alone.A
tothe
fire,Ipulldown
fierypain surging theup mycollararmoftomyhoodie
my shoulderchecking
sends shockwaves
forany markings.But
throughmy nowthe
body. Grippingmy to subside,
painbeginsshoulder as ifit’son
she’s
now.
retreating
using.
Annabelle
down
Her my sounds
grabsarm.me,areWhat’s
butI
all messedup,
can’teven
happeningdistorted.
gether Ihearintomorefocus.Isee
tome?Annabelle
face says
blastsfrom hertheback
something tome
gun,away,buttheysound
but Ican’t
and whatonly analmost
recognizethewords
morelike
lookslikeechoa
shadow
maybe ofsoon.
everymuscle
monstertwo heris
steps,
inIcan
my
going
when
feel
bodyforthe
Ifeel
it.feels
Ineedto
busexit.It
anew
like they’ve
getsensation
outofhere
lookslike
tensedtrembling
upin
sheispounding
beforepain,
through
Ihurtasthe
someone.
myonagony
theglass,
body.IThen
seems
have
thethetodoor
theshooting be locked.
pulsesickness—I’m
mustthrough
pain returns.
my goingto
entire
Icrawl
Thisbody.
time,
beone,aI
offmy
the
feeldoorandleaping
weak,vocalimpossible
chords.fromthe
Then,
weak.asIbus.They
want
everythingstarts
to callout
everythinggoesblack.
totogoblack,
Annabelle togetout,
Isee Annabelle’s
butthe pain
shadowy
is severe,
figureasifpullthelever,
the painis pinching
opening
 I haven’t
entirely.I can’t quitewoken
openmy eyes!upIcan
yet,but
hearsomehow
sounds, I feelmuffled
like conscious. My eyesI can’t
voices—but are stillclosed
understand andwhatthethey’re
pain hasleft
saying.meIt
seemsasif
My theeyesvoices are fading
burstopen away.opening
likean Imightbe goingintoa
umbrella. Bright deeper
light sleep.A…deep…sleep.
floodsmy eyeballs causing me forthe
irritation,occasional
but not
pain.
shadow
aroma.Isit up
subconscious.
willeverIlook
leaptowardhimas slowly,confused
Iam weso falltothe
on indisgust
flutteringpast.
taste.Lieutenant hungry.
Thereis and
Lunatic
foronlydisoriented.As
Following
a smell.I
isstanding
a moment,
mynose, I rise
inhaledeeply.
beforeme.The to
something myfeet,
butthehunger lightis
A wonderfularoma.
nourishingscent
aheadinsideis all aroundme,
comes intotriumphing
Itofhis
focus.
smellsfleshis except
in thebattle
Itlikethe
isthe toomuch
sourceof
most delicious
ofthetemptation.
mydelightful
thingI
fadingI

bloodflowacross my tongue.I ground betweenthe

swallow a piece of seats.My teeth
vitamin­rich sinkdeep
flesh, before into hisinthroat
diving for tissue,bite.
another as Itaste
As I the tangy
slurp and
chew on my meal, I can feel
left…on…my…mind.The hunger. the last remaining nonessential brainfunctions shutting down. Now, I just have one thing
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 SuzanneRobb
Dentists,Autopsies,andNutritionistsOhMy!
TedBrocknewsanchor,gaveab
intobandage.HeidiDinkinssattothel
thecamera. He had dark haierf,t afake ril itan,ant whitesmileashestared
andhis leftear hada
side,hisco­host.Blonde,beautiful,
“Goodevening andwewelcome too this Fridaythetwelfthedition of
witharealtan,andbusty.
KSPAZnews.Originally
War,but I decided I really weregoingtobetalkingabouttheZombie
didn’t want to, so noI haveonetoldcomemeupaboutawith
somethingfarbetter.”
Heidiclearedherthroat.“ExcusemeTed,
changeofprogram.Ihaveal mysegmentssetupforthewarcoverage.”
Tedjustsmiled.
“AsIwassaying,tonightwewillnotberecappingthehighlights
saidaboutawar
defence,
whenyour andenemy hhast, Ted.noabThisilitywartopick
oftheZombieWaraspreviouslyadvertised.Imeanr
wonreallycomesasnosurprise.”Tedchuckleda
“That’s
hastheattentionspan
rigthatlastedthree ofanwasupADDkidoncrack,the
daysandfourteen
notoruseweapons,organizea
a tchallengeto ourfactarmedwe
hisjoke.Heidididnot.
hours?Thenagain
eal y, whatcanbe
forces,butthemysteryremains as tohowtheZombieviruswasreleased
inthefi“Yes,Heidi,Iamsurepeoplearedyingtohearwhatyouthink,
rst place,thusmakingitatopicofsignificanti nterest.”
butZombie
asI Warledusinto
wassaying, tonightcompletely isgoingnewtoterritory.Millionsof
werecaptured.Noneofthemwerewillingtotalk,nomatterhowbadly be different. TheendZombies of the
theyweretortured.Thisstymiedourmilitary
“ActuallyTed,themilitaryknewtheywereunable for sometime.”
in frontofher. to speak.They
discoveredvery earlyon Zombieshavenospeechcapacity.”Heidismiled
atthecamera,holdingtighttothepapers
“Again,Heidi,youcanputthatinyourb it foranothertime.Right
nowismystory.Iwouldliketheviewers
re­enactmentsIhave
covertheirinnocenteyes.”
Tedreachedunderhisdeskandbroughtoutsometwobytwofoot
created. If you have children to lookat insomeftheroom,
airly graphic
please
posterboards.OnthemZombiestickpicturesweredrawnbeingtortured
“I apologizeforthequalityofthesepieces,butourartdepartment
toldmeatthel
andturned backatothecamera.
st minutethey as ifsaddened by thecreepypictures
bymilitarystickfigures.Hesighed
whip theseup over the weekend. weretoobusyformyrequest,soIhadto
You can seethewhatbrutality wasquite
severe.
explain the horrible condition many of these Zombies were foundpossiblein?
The military denies itto t h i s day, but elsecan
Someof themlooked asi
Godsake.Tomakemattersworse,i f theyhad t j u s t beendug outof
wasdiscoveredZombiescouldnot the gravefor
eventalTedk.” stopped and pinched his
afew tearsfortheaddeddramatice nose. He tried to see ifhe could
squeezeout
hisbestshottogetthehelloutoft h i s f ect. Thisstorymightbe
townandhitthebigtime.Heshook
hisheadandsighed,annoyednotearswouldcome.
“Sorry,folks,Ij“Iustwouldn’tactuallycall
damagedonetothesepoorcreatures.” getalittle emotionalwhenIthinkofallthe
theydideatthousandsofpeopleandterrorized
Heidicoughed. them poor creaturesas
Heiditonight,shej
sometime.”ThecamerapannedtoHeidi. so thenetwork hadthegeneralpopulacefor
Ted heldafakesmileonhisface.Whatthehellhadgotteninto
thatabout?Shewasjustthere
ust wouldnotkeephertrapshut.Whatthehellwas asetofbreastsonthe
payroll.Hedidn’t
theplaceup.
Zombie aftermath,careorwhoabouttoherdegree from Stanford,probably
ShealwayspitchedstoriesabouttheZombieVirus,piecesonthe
hold accountable for the outbreak. madeLike
peoplewerereallyinterestedint
andtonightheplannedongivingi th a t . Heknewwhatthepeople
tothem.
DeadweareReintegrationi wanted,
tonight’sshowisabout.Tonight
LDRmovement.The going to discusstheeffectsofthe
“Heidi,whilethatiLivings anotherinterestingperspective,iti s a daring,mayIsay
s notwhat
evenbrave,endeavourbeing
organization to do metis findArewithresistancea
society.”Heidiyelledasshethrewthepapersinfrontofher.
“The istrying
LDR movement? ayouplaceinsane?
for tZombies
everyThe turn.All
controversy
withinourthis
surrounding
accidental LDR ishorrific,
infections, andnot rumours
tomention oflivethe numberof
autopsies, people
germ warfare,
getting
infectedandorkilledduringthereintegrationprocess.”
Tedgroundhisteethsohardheactuallyfeltafilling crack.What
thehellhadgottenintoHeidithisweek?
Theonlyexplanation,shehadslept withthenetworkheadJimmy hehad to
Gillon.Heprobablytoldher she couldspeak.Fantastic,now
thingsoutforher, he feltpicturesmadethingseasiertounderstand.Heidi
contendwithatalkingbimbo.ThankGod he hadtheforesighttodraw
alreadygotmorefanmailthanhedid,therewasnowayshewouldspeak
more. “Heidi, obviously your sources are notas up to date asmine. I
have dataTed notreachedunderthedeskagainandbroughtoutanotherposter
oneonlyhadashowing
Zombiepromise
stick figurefor helping
reintegrationofthelivingdeadbackintooursociety.”
board.This LDR, but can ensure safe
acrosstheroad.InanotheraZombiestickfiguregavecandy another stick
toa figure
“As youis cansee, Zombies can be contributing membersmuchof
shorterstickfigure.
society.This whattonight’sshowwillbeabout.I’mgoingtodetailthe
processofhowZombiesarereintegratedintosociety.”
Tedstoodandwalkedovertoascreen.Heproudlypointedtoitas
andinarecordedthereintegration
theamazingfootageIcaughtwiththehelpof
theimageofaZombie
toLDRheadquarters suit appeared. mycameramanaswe went
“Theproofisinthepudding,myfriends.Tonightyouwillwatch
Afterwards, i f you’renot as convinced asI processstepbystep.
amthattheseZombiesareon
thepathofgoodness,thennothingwillswayyou.”
couldbeseenholdingastack
The lights went down in the studio and on the big screenTed
make
talked,butnosoundcameout.
“Goddammit, where isthe ofpapersinfrontoftheLDRbuilding.He
mic? You always hide it on me to
minutes.”meTedlookstraightened
impeccablesenseofs like antylass.e.hisHetestedhisbreath,thenslickedbackhishair
Wait,clothes,thereheitwanted
is. Okayeyesturnonhim
it on inanda fewhis
entire interview with ithesibleCPA.inLastyear,hehadonehangingthereforhis
surenoboogerswerev
tomakesureeverythingwas (Captain ofhethepickedhisnosetomake
place.Lastly, Poultry Association).
PeoplestillhandedhimKleenexboxesandlaughedastheywalkedaway.
at thearduousprocessaZombiemustgothroughinordertobeaccepted
“Hello,I’mTedBrock,andtonightyouwillgetanexclusivelook
backintosociety.Then
tohelpus.Follow meon we t h i
willtakealook
s journey, my a t
friends.”
thevariousjobsthey can do
an eerieambiance,andused
Thecameramanfollowed to beapsychiatrichospitalforthecriminally
Ted intothebuilding.Theinteriorhad
insane. Someone had chipped off
batons,andworethickpaddingaroundtheirnecks,arms,andlegs.
ALLINSANE.”Thepersonnelwalkingaroundwerea
John Simmons, the cameraman, some ofthe spokeinlet ealow
rls leaving
voice.only“Psst,“IT
armedwithguns,
Ted…don’tyouthinkweshouldhavesomeweapons,orgear?”
“Ofcoursenot,John.Thisisaperfectlysafeplace.Let’sgo.”
can dealMaybewiththe
“Ted,frommaybefromeveryitisyoucorner.
emanating the smell
fact ofrotting
everyone here corpses
protective
suspicious.
fromonefoottotheother.
“John,calmdown,theywon’tl
gearHowever headto makingtoemydoesn’t easst anythinghappentous,I’mTed
twitch.”makeJohnkept leastisinbit
youthe switching
Brocka fter al .”
happened.He
Teddidinfacthaveaguninhisbreastpocketincasesomething
There
theweightofthecamera.
were alsoknewhewouldhaveaheads
walked down the hallway, Johntart overJohnbecauseof
The twobloodsmears filming everything.
groaningcould beheard and spatterings everywhere.
echoingthroughthe hallways.They Moaning
cametoa and
Inasecond,thedoorswillopenandallyouhaveto
doorwithPhaseOnewrittenoni
“Hello,gentlemen,welcometoPhaseOneoftheLDRprogram.
t inwithaSharpie.
doisheadinsideto
beginyourtour.”The voice came throughanold intercom system. As the door
openedthetwomenJohnslowlywentmadethrough
couldrunwiththecamera,heassumednotvery. theirwayinside.TedwonderedhowfastJohn
the doorway,filmingthewhole time.
Thedisturbing
floor wasamountcoveredofbloodin somesort
on them ofandthickuponooze,closerandinspection
thewalls hadmanya
teethaswell.
scream.“AHello,there.Youtwomustbefromthenewss
man in a stained lab coat came at them. Tedtaletout
youweregoingtocomedownhereandgivesomepositiveattentionto a small
tion. Weheard
ourl
One.” iface.t le organization.I’mdoctorHerron,thedentistinchargeofPhase he enjoyedthe
his Doctor Heheldontoatankofsomes
or Herron stood therewith o r
some
t , eitherbecause
sort ofpermanentgrinon
wayi t f e l t , heneededthesupport.Thesmilestil inplacehereached
outtoshakethehandsofthetwomen.Howeverthebrownishfluidonthe
glovesheworepreventedthemfromcooperating.
down
witnessed,butheknewitwasabadsignthedentistworemoreprotective
toTedlooked
thestickyatfltheo r.bloodHe hadstainsno covering
idea the thethingsdoctor’sthis roomhad
coat, then
gearthanavirginonpromnight.
yourwork. “Hello,Candoctor me exactlywhat
youtelHerron, ian t’s nice toitaitmeet s youdo?”
you. I’ma hugefan of
anything.DoctorHerrongave oddsmile I’m thecomment,butdidn’tsay
WhentheZombiesf“Ofcourse,wellasIsaid
irst arrive,theyareathedentistinchargeofPhaseOne.
knowabitefromoneofthemresultsinimmediateinfection.Toprevent
this fromhappeningtheyarebroughttomyoffice,andneuteredbyme.” t their mostdangerous.Asyou
Thedentistchuckleda
Johnmovedhislegsuneasily.
“Veryinteresting,doctor
t hisjoke.Teddidnotchangehisfacialexpression.
neuter
Zombies?”a Zombie?Are you tryingto Herron,andwhywouldadentistwantto
tel me theycan make baby
AnotheroddlookfromdoctorHerronwassentTed’sway.
“Ummno,whatImeantis,Iremovea l their teethmisterBrock.
Afterwhichtheycannolongerbiteanyone,andareessentiallyneutered.”
Tedfidgetedwithhismic,avoidingthinkingaboutthestickyfloors.
“Rightofcourse,Ijustwantedyoutoexplainforouraudience.”
DoctorHerront “Then let’sget
ilted hisheadtothesideandsmiled.
started witha demonstration.This is your lucky
day.WejustgotinashipmentoffreshZombiessoyoucanwitnessthe
workwedo
backintosociety.” here to helpmakeZombies safer,andeasierto reintegrate
Ted and JohnwatchedasdoctorHerrongrabbedthelaughinggas,
placedthemaskonhimselfinhalingdeeply.
 “Rightthen,let’sstartyankingsomet
DoctorHerron e th, guys.”
Tedlookedterrified,andJohngotasclosetothedooraspossible.
lookedtandotal casuallyputhishandinsidehiscoatjacket
y at easeashepressedabutton. soat
thetwom“Bringitin.”Heremovedhisfingerfromthebuttonandsmiled
en.Tewd entrigid
appearedwiththreemencoveredinprotectivegear.Athickcollarhung
hecouldholdontothegun.
A doorin the backof the roomcreaked open and a Zombie
aroundtheZombie’sneckwhichhelpedthemenkeepcontroloveri
viawhichalsoaidedincontrollingi
a rabies stick. Therewere rustyt. TedwatchedinhorrorastheZombie
shackleson its wrists and ankles t with
entered,andthetwonowsharedaroom.
Tedbegantoturngreen,thesmelloftheplacegetting worse.He
had to fightbacktherisingb
Ted watchedJohngetaclose i l e , itbecame
up overwhelming.
the
threwupinwhathehopedwasatrashcan.Johnmadesuretogeti
washangingloosely,andinsomeplacesfallingoffoftheZombie.
tape. thefirst pouredTedoutcamera,showingflesh
with
out anotgutTedswallowedthegorgerisinginhisthroat.ThentheZombielet
watchedasJohns wrenchingonepit somethingontothewallbehindhim.Tedknewhe
based
noise onandtheliquidcollection. casually
of its mouth.Ted
turnedand
t al on
“Thanks.Justsecure
thedentist’schair,thensecured
necklockedintoplace,aswell i
Thecamera recorded asthreet in
as ithechair,please.”
menhe wrappedacrossitsforehead.
tastrap
s armsand maneuvered
legs.Thecollararoundthe
theZombieinto
Doctor Herron pulled over a mobile trayfull
grabbedametaldevicewithcrustygorealloveri t. ofdirty toolsand
“See,wetrytobeashumaneaspossible.Thesepliersaresomeof
DoctorHerron pulled on theforehead
thebest,withagreatgrip.Icanyankatoothinlessthanthreeseconds.”
Tedsmileduncomfortablyatthemadd entist.
Zombie’s motion, causingThestrapionlyts mouthtoopen.
to workthe immediately.
DoctorHerronthenshovedawedgeinsidetopreventitfromclosing.
Thehead.The
doctor wentforceof restraining
sounds heardthe
within the room were theexertionsofdoctor Herron,thegroansof the
Zombie,andtheoccasionalclinkofatoothbeingtossedinthegeneral
directionofametallicbowl.Tedwincedinsympathy.
“Nah,theydon’tfeelanypain,soi
“Excuseme,doctorHerron,areyousureitisn’tpainful?”
t wouldbea
sortreally
ofpain k i l e r onthem. Oh, andin case you were wastetouseany
wondering,
Ted watchedasthedoctorkneeledonthelapoftheZombietoget
can’tget
cleantools.”Thedoctorsmiled, and Tedequatedit toaserialk
anysickerthantheyaresothere’snoneedtoworryabout il er. they
intoabetterpositiontoyankoutaparticularlystubborntooth.Whenhe
finallygotit,headmireditforseveralsecondsbeforetossingittowards
thebowl.Hemissed,andTedsawthetoothandaportionofgumline.
 dentistenforcerforthemob?Hethoughttheremightbeastorythere.
Twenty­eight
Tedwonderedlongwhatdoctor minutes lHerron
ater, did before he gotthisjob,
removedhishandfromhisbreastpocket,breathingforthefirsttimesincethe Zombie sat neutered. Ted
and neutralizesis tuhe.ir
ateethwerescatteredacrossthef
thedentists see, it’sahe feltsafe.
“So,Thedoctor,sweatingandcovered
taasrteyoud. Finally, rather easyinprocess,
bility tobiteandinfectpeople.NowwesendittoPhaseTwo.Youcan
lo r, alongwithb blood,smiledatTed.Several
its andpiecesoft
followthementhroughthedoor.IhaveseveraldozenZombie’swaiting
outback.” Ted placedhishand back intobehis neuteredscaringthehellout
aboutdozensofZombie’swaiting breastpocket. The informationof
him.proddingtheZombiealong.Thehallwayfloorslickwithdarkblood
HisTedbladder
himwanttorunaway.motionedfelt funny,
John toandgo theaheadfactthere was a PhasetheTwotwomen
of him,following madeand
otherliquidsTeddidn’twanttothinkabout.Momentsl
aprone,shackleskepti
twasanautopsytableand
adoorwiththenumbertwowrittenoni t . ater theyarrived
Zombieinside.Theyledi begantofeel
Thetwomenknocked,whenanopeningappearedtheyshovedthe
ts wrists,ankles,andheadinplace.Tednoticedit
t toametaltableforcingittol
abit nauseous. ie down.Once
“Come
programaswell onas in you two.
arehabilitativeone.Don’t be
I’m shy. Thisis an
doctorKenMengles.” educational
TedshovedJohnintotheroomthenfollowedafewfeetbehind.
Theybothlookedupto see dozens ofeager youngfacesin an observation
windowabove.Brightlightslinedtheceiling.Thesamestickysubstance
fromthedentist’sofficecouldbefoundhere.Thewallswererelatively
clean,butthetrayoftoolsnexttothetablewererustyandold.
“I know this can look shockinganis at first. The look on your face
relaxandyou’llseeallthegoodworkwe
speaksvolumes.AllIcandoisassureyoueverythingwillbefine.Just
“Phase
“DoctorMengles,exactlywhat
Two,is technically, autopsy.” do here.”TedTed cleared histhroat.
PhaseTwo?”
appalled.“But i s n ’ t i t stillalive, how can you do trieAutopsies
this? d not to lookon
achange
t all,butmaybeothers.”Tedlookedtowardstheobservationroomand
Zombiesmightbeconsideredcruelandunusualbysomepeople,notme
smiled.“Acommon misconception heldby many, whichwe tryand
Tedwithourworkhere.Comeoverandtakeal
Thenagainhewanteda didn’t wantto takea listen. He wantedistetoleave
outastethoscopetoTed. n.” Thedoctorheld
thisplace.
betterjob,soheslowlymadehiswayovertothe
doctor.TheZombietwitchedandfoughtagainsti
secure. Ted put his ear as close as hedare ttothe
belistened. s bonds,butseemedto
stethoscope and
 “I’msorry,doctor,i
“I’m aresorry,misterBrock,I t’s broken.Idon’thearanything.”Thedoctor
they’redead,theyhavenoheartbeat,noneedtobreathe,
Zombies
laughedasdidthepeopleintheobservationroom.
categorized asthe don’t meanto
living dead. Thislaugh.Iti means sntechnically
’t broken.
cant
awaypositioning,himselfbetweenJohnandtheZombie.
andtherehedeservedsomesortofawardfordoingt
el “So,whydoyouneedtodoanautopsythen?”
havenorealthoughtprocessotherthantofindfood.”Tedmoved his Tedandasfaraswe
decidedthen
“Well,youhavetounderstandj damnstory.
Ted thought John hadfinally cracked readyto blows dead,and
anti­bacteriallotioninJohn’shandheclearedhisthroatandlookeda
pocket.
away.Heliftedhishandstoprotecthisface,butwhenhesawabottleof
hadits teethremoveddoesn’tmeanitcan’tinfectyou.”
TedtookthreemorestepsbackandwatchedJohnreachintohis u s t becauseaZombiei themallt the
doctor.
infected?”“Really,doctor,that’sfascinating.Sohowexactlycanwestil get
autopsy
mention
aZombiecarryingtheplague
nottheyshouldbereintegratedbasedonthatr
“Zombies
themtheliquids
todetermine r wesystemcan’tdishessverytilrisksforcarry
are ingianttheipetrie
whathealth welllailtheypose,and
sksorts
.ethetForexample,ifweget
it backintosociety.”
Zombie
of bacteria,not
whetheror
virus.Weto
afake smileonDohisface
plastered“Ofcoursenot. alot ofaButl themtend to carrytheplague?”Ted
thewhilewonderinghowonecaught
here.
theplague.“NotHemany,debatedbut enough.
holding his breath there forare themanydurationof benefitstohisdoingtime
autopsiesTedalotonwatchedthedoctorbegintheautopsyon
Zombies. Firstlinflictedonthese
y, we can teach poorcreatures.Themore
performthem,andwhatkindofsurprisestoexpect.Secondly,wetryto
correct
holeswepatchup,thelesslikelytheyaretoleak.”
ofthedamage medical students how to
observationroomcould
doctor
downthecenterofi
“Takea
pulled outlooktheheart see. and held it upso thetheZombie.Hecut
tsatchestandpulledoutvariousinternalorgans.The students inthe
muscle.Thisi s oneofthef thisir,stitthingsyouneedtolook
is important to note theat atrophied heartand
inanyautopsy.
This heart tel s us that in human lifethis Zombie was ratherlazy,
didn’ttakecardioseriously.Mostlikelywhyhegotcaught.”Thedoctor
laughedasdidthestudents.Teddidnot.
Thedoctor placed theheart back inside the chestcavity using
staples,sutures,andsupergluetohelpkeepi
down.
around “Okay,
andpulledhaveoutthe at this, seetriehowd veryt engorged
a lookliver.Ted inplace.Thenhepoked
hard tokeepit is?hisbagel
Another
importantorgantoexaminewhendoinganautopsy.Thistel s usthatin
 analcoholic.”
hishumanl Thedoctor
ife theZombiemostlikelysufferedfromcirrhosis,probably
super gluetokeep onceagainusedsutures,staples,andampleamountsof
“Doctor,isn’thet inimportant
headthestapleclick. organin place.Ted
tomake sureshuthistheorgansareattached
eyesevery timehe
correctlysothattheywork?”
organ back“MisterBrock,Zombiesaredead.They
in,or decide to keep itformydon’tfunction,ifIputan
irrelevant,theZombiewillstillmovearound.”
“Right of course,oncontinue.” personal collection it’s
hisanatomyknowledge
doctorautopsytheZombie.
Everythingseemedtobethere the game TedOperation.Themorethedoctor
stood rigidknew,buthebased
asfarasTed as he watched cutthe
intooozedout.
the“OhtZombie the worsethe smell got, andthe
Tedhisknewhisbreakfastwouldeventuallyreappear.
isinteresting,getacloseupi moreputrid liquids
f youcan.”Johnreluctantly
allthese
movedi
haverisenn.l“iStaeflmtesrgrowths?
theoriginalcauseofdeathwasnottheZombievirus.See
he died.ThisClassguypleasehad make
very advanced
a noteto cancer.He
findthe primary must
causeofdeathifpossible.”
comingfromtheZombie.
TedbreathedthroughhismouthHe watched intohorrorasthedoctortookabone
tryandavoidtheputridodour
thetopoftheskull offtohad asmallgreenl
andcutAfterthedoctorplacedthechipwherehewantedi
sawsizeandthinnerthanapaperclip,
placedasmallmetalchipinthebrain.Thechip,aboutaquarterinchin
examinethebrain.Thedoctorthen
ight. t,
skull cap back on, turningit left and right until inits properhepoppedthe
Thenhegrabbedatubeofplumbingepoxyandlathereditontothecut position.
marks,afterwhichhestapleditinplace.
“Excuseme,doctorMengleswhat didyoujust do?”
Ted hadmisternotseenBrock,
therapybillwasgoing
“That, anything this gruesome during the war. His
isanof explosive
to skyrocket.
anotebookandwrite
pressabuttonandthesmallb it explosiveitracking
reintegratetheZombiesbackintosocietywewanttobeabletokeeptabs
onthem.Makesure
notarisktohumans.”
“Whatkindofplacesareyouprotecting?”Tedwantedtotakeout
theydon’tgoplacestheyshouldn’t. device.IfiltheyWhen
s enoughtok do wewe
them,but
someofthis down,hefelt likehislife dependedon
iart. isk. I“Schools,hospitals,restaurants,placesofwherecontaminationis
tTed’s protocol,nothingtoworryabout.”he
wavering.The lookedover
doctorwasatJohnwhen
performingachecknoticed
removingtheeyes.Johnlookedpale,andTedhopedhedidn’tpassout, on retintheal attachmentby
cameralight
hecouldn’tcarrythedamncameraandbethes
Ted turnedhisheadandthrewup
eyesbeingremoved,hef e l t hiskneesgetweak. tar. Lookingbackat the
on John’sfeetwhenthedoctor
removed several feet ofthe intestinal tract and emptied it onto a table.
Severalthingsfelloutincludingfingers,toes,severaleyes,brainmatter,
andpartiallycheweduprodents.
“Lastlessonoftheday,Zombieswill eat anything.” t with
ThedoctorfinishedbysewingtheYincisionshut,fillingi
moreplumbingepoxy,andthenstaplingitforgoodmeasure.Thedoctor
alsof ilTedregainedhiscomposureand
ed thepre­existingholeswithsomethingfromatub.TheZombie
seemedtobetotallyunawareofwhathadbeendonetoi t .
stickhisfinger
amixofdrywallspackle,superglue,andplumbingepoxy.Itis
“Excusemedoctor,what
Thedoctorgrabbedthetub.“This lookedintothetub,hewantedto
is aspecialblendIcreated. It’s
are youusingtopatchuptheZombie?”
in itbutresistedtheurge.
sealantsof a r , thoughi t needstouching upeveryfew months.” thebest
face. “Greatthanksforexplaining.”Tedplasteredthefakesmileonhis
seeyoutomorrowforviruscultivationandbrainslicing.”
“Wellthat’sa l forhere,youcanmoveontoPhaseThree.Class,
pushed John ahead of aheadof
TheZombieshambled him, and them,exitingthroughabackdoor.
TedwatchedasmencameinandgottheZombiebackoni
they went down another gore infested ts fTede t.
hallway.Thefloorlesssticky,butthescentsignificantlyworse.
Tedstartedtoworry.Hedidn’twant to knowwhatcouldpossibly
smellworsethanadissectedZombie.Theygottoalarge
markings,j
acrossit.Tednoteditthefreshnessofit.Themenopenedthedoorand
ust alatchandasmallwindow.Abloodyhandprintsmeared doorwithno
weregreetedbyasternlookingwomaninglasses.
“Bring it in.” Themen tookin the Zombie, and secured it to a
chairinthemiddleoftheroom.
Assoonastheywere donetheyquicklyexitedtheroomthrougha
Tedtriedtousehiswinningsmile onhesawher
backdoor.Johnwentinnext,followedbyTed.Tedreachedahandoutto
introducehimself,butpulleditbackwhen thewoman.She
gloves.
fivescowl
foot seven, gorgeous, and unnaturally skinny. She stoodabout
maintained
The largeface,and
withtheintrusion.
onher and dirtyherjerkyroom movements
lookedlikeindicated beenathe
itmightherhavediscomfort
cafeteriaThenatoneTedspotted
point. Coolersthe table,with lseveral
Eachonelabeledwithadifferentanimalname. ids halfdifferent
on were coloured
strewn alpilesabout.of
rancidmeatonit.ThestenchenoughtomakeTedvomitimmediately.
chanceyou’llchokeonyourownbarf.”Thewomansmiledbriefly,then
“Breathethroughyourmouth.Itwon’thelpmuch,butthere’sless
putthescowlbackinplace.
 TedandJohntransformedintomouthbreathersinhalfasecond,
difference.
immediately realizingshe hadmetoldthem truth, anditdidn’t makeaof
Theybothspentafewmomentsdryheavinginthecorner.
“I’mdoctorRexic,cal Anna.I’mthenutritionistincharge
PhaseThree.”
atepeople.”“Anutritionist?Howisthatreallynecessary?IthoughtZombiesto
Ted immediately
yes, but aregrettedthebreath
whentheyarereintegratedbackintosociety,theywon’t
enough.WhatItodohereismakesuretheirnutritionalneedsaremetso
speak.Hemadeamentalnotetostopaskingquestions.
“Well, hehadto takeinit’sorderhungry
Zombie will eat anythingwhen
let outanuneasylaugh.TedandJohnjuststared
Anna stood bythe table ofvarious a
meatsint her. eatpeople.”She
Ted watchedasJohnmovedinwiththecameratogetashotofthe
decomposition.Flieshovered, and maggotswiggled. different stages of
“Yousee,el . Tedevenstayedput.
ihadinherebeforelikeddeadr
buffetfromh
s tofindoutwhataparticularZombielikesandt
Annainspectedtheselectionandgrabbedahandfulofsomething
Zombieshavepreferences.Forexample,theoneI
ats, butwouldn’ttouchdeadmice.Myjob
rain themtoeatit.”
foul.SheheldoutherhandapproachingtheZombieasonewouldaf
t andopenitsmaw for more.Annarepeatedt
ofiidogtheyweretryingtobefriend.Whenshestoodabouttwo
t, shetossedthefoodintoi ts openmouth.TheZombieseemedtolike feetin fronteral
his withfourothersamples.
Tedwatched asthe
andmoaning,forthef i r s t Zombie
and askedformore,byleaning
thirdpilesof meat theAnnahadgiventoi forwardt,
makenotesonherclipboardthenmakeasmalltagwhichshepinnedto
thoughsamplestwoandfourwererejectedoutright.TedwatchedAnna
thecollaroftheZombie’sjumpsuit.
Tedfeltlikehehadcreated adocumentaryfromhel . Annawas
likesomesortofdementedmamabirdtothesethings.Thewholeprocess
horrificandhewouldbethispaycheckshegotoffonthis somehow.No
normalwomanwouldthinkofthisasagoodidea,norapositivewayto
spendonestime.
“Well,
raccoon.Nowthis onewe tprefersrancid
rain him to onlyroadeatkithoseparticularfoods,thus
andmakinghimsafetopeople.Asanaddedbenefit,i l of the armadillokeepvariety,
scowlingatAnna attempteda smile, andTed wishedt willalsohelp
streetsclean.” she would go backtoour
people?“SoWow,him.whatyou’re
what does sayingyourisahusband
Zombiethinkcan ofbe yourtrainedwork?”
not toTedeat
mentallypattedhimselfontheshoulderforbeingsmooth.
supportive “Yes,of tmywork.
his would He’smakethereason Zombiessafe.I dothis,As forhefellmy husband,he’s
virusduringthewar,butIrefusetogiveuponhim.” victim tothe
visibly Tedtried
shivered andto tooka
act nonchalantstep back withfromthAnna.
is newTedinformation.
lookedover Johnthe
onecalm,moretime.Whywereallthegoodonestaken?
womanJustthenthe Zombie trieasd toget loosefrom
remained
neutered,thesethingswerescary
Blood spurtbutoutTedofthewas pretty justshitandits hisreyellowish
socketshelsure.in ithes mouth strpants.Even
aints. Annapuss
oozedoutofthe
defectiveonetofollow,orwerethepsychosworkingheremakingi
astheendofhisrope.WhatwaswrongwiththisZombie?DidTedfinda
home.WasthereaPhaseFour?Howmuchmoreoft
endure?
theywent?Hissuturemarksthe
unionwould beautopsydoctorhearingfrom himhadleft.Tedreached
hisassoonas
wouldhehaveto hegott up
phase “NowWouldIhowknow
husband?andsee she aaskl youthhimisarehardwork
toanxious
samplepaystogetto food? Did won’tfollow
of to. YouPhase sheFour,eat ourfinal
with therhis
particular
kimportant.” Zombie any longer because
il treats, butyou’llseetheendproduct,andwhyourworkherei he needs tobe trainedwith roads so
strides Anna
toreachmotioned
it,Johntoonan hisexittainil. theHe backopenedandtheTeddoorto took threelong
a cleaner
eft theroom,theycould hear AnnacooingtotheZombieaboutbeinga
hallwayandnoticedasignificantimprovementintheairquality.Asthey
lgoodboyeatingallhisarmadillo.
Theycould onlyTed gowithhishand
thehallsidebyside. on thegun. men walkeddown
inonedirection,soboth
“Ted,whatdoyouthinkPhaseFouris?”
Tedclearedhisthroat.“Ihavenoidea,butIdon’tthink it canbe
muchworsethanwhatwe’veseen.”
TedkeptpacewithJohn,slow.Tedexpectedsomethingtojump
outeverytimehetookastep.
“Whydoyouthink
Ted“JohnIhave theydidn’tsenduswithaguardthis time?”
noat idea,mostlikelybecausewe’re
noticedJohnkeptlookingoverhisshoulder.
Nowquitwhateveri
“Right,becalminabuildingf the endof theult’sofZombies.”
They arrivedt is you’redoing,i makingmenuts.”
halland stoodtotal y safehere.
anotherdoor.Thisone free ofblood,andthenumberfourwrittenacross in front of yet
faceofaZombie.Ted
seewhatlurkedinside.
it. Tedknockedandtooksixstepsback.Nowayhewouldj
Amoment later the door opened and they werestaringust openiintothet to
screamedpulledhisgunabituiscausingi
tothetrigger.Heshotaholethroughhisfavourites
upwards.Thenarushofadrenalinemadehimapplyj t andblewoffhist topoint
enoughpressure
left earlobe.Johnwethispantsandthrewthe
thereinathreepieces
“Whoa,guys. uRelax.He’s
it. harmless.”Anolder camera at thegentleman Zombie. stood
awkwardlyinanattempttocoverhisgroin.
Ted held his ear tears running down hisface. John stood
jobdescription,myviewersmightask.”
“Whatthehelli s thisplace?Areyouallinsane?Isitpartofthe
The man inthesuit pickedupJohn’s
him. “I’msorry,wethoughti t wouldbeanicecamera handingit back to
witnesstheamount
Tedcradledhisear. of progresswhenyougothere.”surpriseif yougotto
answering“Awarningwouldhavebeenappreciated.”Tedt
whiny.“Myapologies,I’mTerryHutchingsandthisisthe
Wethought a door,
if youyousawtrained Zombies thedoingvaluesimpleof rtheietasks,
would understand d work
nottosound
PhasesuchweFour.doas
here.” Atthat momentTed
pairofjeans,hadnot
Zombiebackedintothe , andnoticedthe
e throom,andJohnhesitantlyentered.Tednoticed
seemedindifferenttot
Zombie woreheaclean ir presence.The
shirtand
Johnwalkinglikehehads
wasn’t “Mister
juststaredathim. Brock is hthatisooften.”Terry
certain. Ithappens t hispants.Hesmiledinternally.
blood? I thoughtchuckled,butTed
I hearda gunshotbut andJohn
thing al“Ifeel
hallway.” safe. I’m a news anchor youmyknow.earonsomethinginthe
thetime.Idon’thaveagun.Icut Wedo this kind of
needtobetemptedatt
blood.TheseZombieshave
“Okay mister Brock, beenwe onthewagonforweeksnowanddon’t
need toheseeir rehabilitation.”
his crucialtimeint to your ear and hide the
Astheyspedthroughthelargeauditoriumlikeroom,theynoticed
severalZombiesopeningpanelswithknobsoverandoveragain,washing
dishes, throwing newspapers papers, washing cars, and bagging
groceries.Tedfounditveryverycreepy.WhentheZombiesstoppedand
lookedathim ina hungrymanner,hemovedquicker. Theywatched
TheyexitedtheroomandwentintoTerry’soffice. abar
ashelockedi
Johnzoomedinoni intot. Thereweretwenty­threedeadb
place.t. Ted raisedan eyebrowolats,tfivechains,and
he jammedTerryhandedTedsomewetpapertowelsandmotionedhimtoa his but said nothing.
sinktheseZombiesoncetheyarereintegrated?”
inthe corner.AsTedbenthis
professionalismandconducttheinterview. head hetried toregain someofhis
“So,misterHutchings,whatexactlydoyouseeinthefuturefor
sawthatcan be can
“Weseeallsortsofgreatthings
trained helpwithsmall for them.Theoneslikeyoujust
jobshereandthere.Ofcourse
theywouldTed“Whyisthat?”
berinsedhisearonelasttime and thenheldsomepapertowels
prohibitedfromworkingwithkids,andthefoodindustry.”
toitashestood.
Zombies “Itare’s asafetyprecautiontokeepthemawayfromkids.Allsortsof
decaying,andnoamount of chemicalinterventionwillstop
thingscanhappen.Asforthefoodindustry,welli t isamatterofhygiene.
theprocess.Thel
tryingtodohere.” ast thingyouwantis toorderasaladandfindafinger
oraneyeinit. Therepercussionswould be catastrophicforwhat we’re
about “Right,ofcourse,makessense.Allt
the ones youcan’t reintegrate, or hfiasl looksf
off antawagon?”
the stic, butwhatTed
positionedhimselfbetweenTerry’sdeskandtheotherdoor.
“We’re working very hard to ensure thatdoesn’t happen. I’m
positivewithintheyearwe’llbeabletosafelyreintegratea
deadbackintosociety.”
“Really? All of them? Weren’t there millions? `Seems l ofthelivinglike an
awfullo“tI.t” is, but if they are safeand posenothreat, then where is the
problem?” “Why don’tyoutwotakeaseatandwecandiscusstheworkwe
aredoinghere.”
Ted’s ear throbbed,
plannedonbathinginantiseptic.
seat, notsomething he wantedand histo do.pantsInwerefact fwhen
ul of heshit,sogot homehe
takinga
promise Zombies safe so they pose no seethreatwhen
to airwhatto wemaketapedtodaysothewholeworldwill
reintegratedintosociety.”
you’re “MisterHutchings,wecanseethegoodworkyou’redoinghere.I
working howhard
interview?”“AreyousuremisterBrock?Ithoughttherewouldatl
we e a s t bean
“st beonourway.” haveenoughfootage.Greatmeetingyou,
I t i s n
We’lljuJohnwasoutthe ’ t necessary,
andtheworkyou’redoingherei s fantastic. Iwishyouthebestofluck.
“MisterBrock, wedoorandhalfwaytothecarbythetimeTedf
misterHutchingsgrabhim. hadadeal.Wepaidyoualot ofmoneytoget
elt
somegoodpress.”Tedshifteduncomfortably.
“I promiseyou’llgetgoodpressoffof this. Iwanta promotion
andthebleedingheartliberalslovet
lrehabilitation
iberal andthinkt h i s kindofstuff.Ihowever,amnota
“Idon’tcentercarehis placeisacarnivalofhorrors.”
doing
what yougoodwork.
think it Arewe is aslongclear?as yousell
Wouldn’t it wantas a
anything
noise.
unconvincing. happening toyou wouldwe?” Ted made an audible gulping
“Youdon’tscareme.”Thequiverofhisvoicemadehisstatement
“I maynot,butIknow
“Why my Zombiesdo.”
doyouwantthemreintegratedbackintosocietysobadly
anyways?”HutchingsgrabbedTedtighterandheldhimcloseashespoke
intohisear.
youlearnhowto“Thatreallyiproperlyfs noconcernofyours,althoughIwouldrecommend
ire yourgun.Nowyougoandputonagood
show. Oh,andfor
Ted ranouttheloveofGod,changeyourshorts.Yousmellworse
thanoneofthem.”
news van and barely ofmadeit
the roominsideas fabefore st as possible.
John started He headed
to driveforaway.the
Tedclearedhisthroat.
“Ineedtostopat homeandchange.”Johnlookedoutthewindow.
“Metoo,r
butlookedatJohn. ol downyourwindow.”Tedrolleddownhiswindow,
“Youshouldalsohavethevancleanedbeforewetakei t backin.”
saysomething.Tedwas uncomfortablewith thesilence.He felt as if heshould
“Well, interestingexperience,shouldgetsomegoodratingswith
”“I at least there’s no wayHeidi is goingtoscoop me on
thefthis story.Thisisgoing
o ta“Okaythen,
ge.hateyou.”
dancingfortheproducers.”to makeme astar, andshe cangobacktolap
acrosshisthroat. ***
Inthestudio,Tedfranticallymadethecutmotionwithhishand
“God damn
thelookonHeidi’sfaceTedcouldt it,John,stopthetape.”Johnfinallyrelented,butby
e l shewastickedoffa
“I’m sorry you adol tapethadhat. yousawindicated,wewereinascary t him.
placefortheuninformed.”
unprofessionalofJohnto
normallywouldnot.Asthe to hear and see that.It wassay thingsI
Thestressmademedoand highly
expectingasblowofsomekind.Heavoidedeyecontactwithhera
cost,andtriedtomakeasl
plasteredHeidi
“So,Ted,youwouldconsideryourselfoneof
smileon
clearedherher face.Ted
ithroat
t le movementaspossible.
andapproachedthe
straightened anchorin her deskchairaswithift ahela
Atriptoarehabilitationclinicunderinvestigation
punishment, andallof asudden you’remister Informed.” theinformednow?
forcruel andunusual
Heidi was
gettingvisiblyagitated,turningtolookatTed.
“Heidi, you sawof the great works they’reto doingthere. It’s just
goingtobeamatter
shuffledsomepapersinfrontofhim.
ZombieWarj
back livesevertimeu
into“Likenormalunothing
st finishedandyouthinkwillntil bethey’reable
. It happened. likeHavenothingyoureintegratetheZombies
everlostyourhappened.”
mind?TheTed
youknowtheycanalsono eat dogs,cyouare
Wow,aZombiecanansweradoor,deliverapaper, aasts, thatthingswillreturntonormal?
andandwashacar.Did
kids,andadults?Didyouknow
cure?”HeidipointedafingeratTed
theycaninfectmillionsofpeoplewithfluidcontact,
“Heidi,Ihave ideawhat sheyelled. talkingabout,butIthinkyou
thatthereisno
needtotakeastepbackandre­watch my documentary.Youmissedthe
and smiled.Whywouldn’tshej
entirepointofwhatthey’re tryingtodo.”Tedlookedupa
u s t bequietalready? t thecamera
press?”“I“Aretheypayingyou?Have
havenoideawhatyou’retalkingabout. InfactI
they boughtyouoffforsomegood
whydirection
you’re talking so much. I’m the senior anchor here, havenoidea
“Youarrogantson
“AsI
Zombiewassaying,this ofa
Tedsmiledagain,tryingtoregaincontrolofthesituation.
rehabilitationbi­”isdocumentary
going. They clearly longerouttoposea
will nopointsback me.”the
deadthingstheyprefer.Lastly,theywillgothroughatoughrootingout
threatastheyareneutered.Theywillalsobeonastrictdietofwhatever
process to make
Personally, Ithinkt they can perform thetasks weaskofthem.t
surehisthatis agiantstepformankind,orZombiekindasi
maybe.”Heidiher sighed. “Good God will someone shut him up.” She
slammedStandingfistsuponthedesk.
to herfull six foot height Heidi cut an imposing
figure.Shegrabbedherearpieceandthrewi
gazetowardsTed,shewaitedu t onthedesk.Turningafiery
thanntyouil hemadeeyecontact.
am abetter“Ihavenewsworkedanchorwithyoufar
longer.Ihavemultipledegreesinjournalism,broadcasting,andmedia.Iever dreamto be, and I have
couldtoolong,andtakenyourshit even
never inmy lifegiven alap dance.You can takethis anchorpositionand
shoveit.”HeidistormedoffthestageleavingTedaloneatthedesk.
youwithther
hadtheentirecrewherereplacedwiththemforthenight.Theycanhelp
Tedf
“OhandTed,onemorething.SinceyouloveZombiessomuch,I
eletstthefingersofpanic
ofthenewscast.”
runningupanddownhisspine.What
thathewouldfallforthis?Peoplelovedhim,hewasTedBrockafterall.
thehellwasHeidiupto?Shehadtobeafterhisjob.Didshereallythink
Tedsatathisdeskandheardshufflingofftohisleft.Heletouta
smallscreamwhena
ahead.
him. TheTedhad Zombienohadatotally
ideawell­dressedfemaleZombietooktheseatnext
what to vacant
do, thinking
expression to him.to
didn’tasitcomestaredeasy straight
rest oftheshowwasHeidi’sjob.Shedidthelocal,regional,weather
Thechat,andglobalissues.Ofcoursenoneofthatwasimportant.Whatreally
peoplepaidattentiontoTedBrock.
mattered,whatbroughtintheviewers,waswhathedid,theintroduction,
TedshiftedinhisseatandlookedforJohn.Perhapshecouldhelp
himoutofthispredicament.Tedlookeda sound. He lookedto
an eerilyfamiliarnoise.Helookedaround.Whatmadethatnoise?
Then a softnoscraping
realizedtherewas l overandhisheartf
his left andsawel ashethe
oneelsethere,noonelivingatleast.Thenheheard
creepyHeidireplacementstillthere.Perhapsthestudiohadhiredoneto
hecouldn’tbepicky.
beajanitor, orreplaceJohn.Hedidn’treallywanttoworkwithone,but
sprayed Thenthelights wentof . Hesawtheredlight onthecamera,i
wasrecording.Afamiliarsmellsweptthroughtheroomashef e l t himself t
with something. He tried to placered light,andTedknew
armadillo.Abriefshadowcrossedthe it. Then it dawned hehadaon him,
problem.Teddidn’twanttodie,notliket to h i s . Zombieseatinghim, gnawing
onblownthis organs,
Aser orsoon. Hestoodup
sharing
ashe b
h i t s the
of
run,escapethestudio,buttripped.
hisbrain.
ground, he Thef e l panic
t hadgrown into ful
secondslaterhefeltteethsinkintohim. something grab his leg,
“Someonepleasehelpme.I’mTedBrock!”
Tedfeltsomethingonhisback.Heautomaticallyturnedtolook
hismouthripping
eventhoughhecouldn’tsee.Somethingheldhishead
outhistongue.Hesquirmedforafewminutestryingto and reachedinside
screamthenstopped.
TedBrock,of icial y offtheair.
************
Permuted
my!,andContaminated.Shei
Suzanne
Press, RobbWere­wolves,Apocalypses,
is the sauthor
acontributingeditoratHiddenThoughts
of Z­Boat,and comingin
Genetic Mutation,Oh
2014from
Press,andco­edited
LEGO’s. Read TheEndFirst withAdrianChamberlinwhich
shereads,watchesmovies,playswithherdog,andenjoyschocolateand
madetheStokerRecommendedReadingListfor2012.Inher free time
http://suzannerobb.blogspot.com/
JulianneSnow
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Julianne Snow
more We
Publications)***
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of five current
knew usWeoutsideofthesemomentsyou
tend to think ofourselves aslike­minded mightwonderhowinthe ­ yet having
individualsworldwe evercame
typedthat together…
I can’t help but smile. Ifyou
Of course there aresome similarities and connections between us. Bob and Max servedtogether in Afghanistan
asUniversity.
partof
Benisthe Canadianinmuch
That’spretty
adoctor military,Ben
theEmergency
where itends andI
Roomof bothhave medical degrees and Barbara andBob know each from
though.
pathologist
Even­though Bob andMax servedtogether
forthe CenterforForensic Sciences. theySt. each Michael’s Hospital where all of this started and I work as a
hadfromtheneedto
basic
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a lotofworkthat
training,
Barbaraisan is classified
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mainlybecause
Environment
talksandofthe
aboutthings
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education
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andthe
discussed.
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handbecame was
Centretrained
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anforIntelligence
workismost so he did
definitely
northeastSoofToronto.
how did weallcome tomeet you might wonder? Well, Boband Maxalready knew each schoolother;
children to theis
thatpart
fairlygetting
somethingsimpleto
TorontoPolice
unresolved
after
universityThrough
butfairly
issues). infer.Ben
shotin
managed
Service.
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tostay
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absent
duty.
Steve,my
Oh,I is ­have
conversations
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they well washe­saymy
split(they
when
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cametomention
amicably,
intothe
ordinary sister.
butthat
Emergency
there’s
world, Barbara
myhusband still andwasan
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Room
tension BobsoIofficer
about used
three
that toyears
thinkthere dateago
weshared
with thein
are

justincase.Ithink wespecial
allfeltin acommon;
little sillya love for Zombie
atthetime; I’m media and the usactually
sure noneof willingness believed
and desireto “prepare” ourselves
thatwewould come to
experience
believe that awe’re
veritable hellonearth. But our discussions and time spent traininghas gotten usthis far sowehave to
betteroffsomehow.
has
mostschooledusall
durable
We canmelee inweaponsifour
all handle edibledifferent
plants and
kindstheoftypesofmaterials
firearms; Max andthatBobcanbe havingfoundin
more experienceand
the woodswithbetter to make the
whichaim.Barbara
that are hard enough to actually ammosomeoneina
skewer runs dry before weBen,
pinch! can stock
a up. It’sthefoster
childof amazing,caresystem,
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types oftrying
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orcollecteda
difference
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foryouushow
probably
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even incana
andIusknow

we haveisfrommy
about the Undead atlaptopscreenbut
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that’salltiredenough
turned aslowasIcangetit
notto want todraw lights.
and stillsee We don’tattention.
any whatIam
unwanted understandTheeverything
typingtoyou. only light
untouched Ourbyhopeis
the that we willbe
realitythatwe are safe firsthand
living tonight andmany
­might morethisnights
think to come. Some
isajoke,aprank or of you
some out there
sickand ­ hoax.
twisted those
Iisn’t
cangarbledand
certainly attestthatitis
thatI don’t not. What’s
repeat happening
myselftoo often. isreal
PLEASEandthis is ourrecord
forgive me ifI do.ofit.
My I do hopethatmy
intent is only to frantic
give the typinga
world
glimpseI intooursurvival
hope this until the verylast
communication finds you possiblemoment.
in a safe placewhere the Undead have yet to proliferate. Pray for Us. Pray
for life.Justpray… Please.
 Day4… of yououttherethathavenoideawhatis going onor
Forthose
thosedealing
what wePatientknowZerowithso far.Ben
when minimal managed
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to survive fillyou
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atthe epicenter
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pathologist,me iti’fs thehowmybraini
language Is useistechnical or scientific; beingt’as
programmedtoworkandrightnowi
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think it’scoming
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Ben,
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whomI willRoomreferfailedto.ofSometimebetween
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resuscitate
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. Michael’s thispoint,withand
ZerofromHospital
7:30AM
7:45AM, hewas pronounced dead and as quickly
backtolife.FromwhatIunderstand,thedoctorsandnursesfirst thought as hedied, he came
theywerewitnessingamiracle.Theyimmediatelyfoundouthowwrong
theywere.
completingafewchartsbeforegoinghome
Benhadtuckedhimselfawayinthenearbynurse’sstationwhile
of thereawakeningis brutal. andhesaidhe hadaf a i r l y
goodviewofwhattranspired.Hisdescriptionofthecarnageleft
wake Asin Itadoctor, you getused to thesight ofmeansbloodbutevenBentried in the
toimpressuponusthesheervolumesthatcoveredtheEmergencyRoom
walls
thatday.longsweepingarcsofcrimson.
youwereinthedirectvicinityoftheattacks.Arterialspraymarkedthe
wasal overthefloorsmakingany ofescapedif icult if
It didn’ttaketart toattackotherpeople.Itwaslikeawave;attack,
toreawakenands long forthe nurses and doctors who had been
workingonPatientZeroandthusbeenattackedinthechaosthaterupted
deathandthenreawakening.Themorethatwereattacked,themorethat
came back.Inone of the busiest Emergency Rooms in Toronto, it was
absolute pandemonium. With blood everywhere and manyof orhists,
colleaguessuccumbingtodeathandthenenteringasecondlifeofs
Benknewitwasonlygoingworse.
Hesaidthe worsteft inthehallwayonagurney.Shehadnowhere
moment he witnessed was an attack on an
elderlyinvalidwomanl
togowhenita
bodymadeBenwishhecouldgotoherrescue.Sinceshewasn’tmobile
l startedandthefearpresentonherfaceandinherf r a i l
Ben saidthati
Therewasamomentthat he thoughthecouldhavegottentoher
t seemedtotakethemalittlelongertofind her.
buthehesitated.Withthemomentlost,allhecoulddowaswatchfrom
hisvantagepointastheyhomedinherfragileframe.
Ashe retoldhowtheytoreherapart,leavingonlythebloodymass
ofaskeletonbehind,hiseyeswelledwithtearsandhisvoicecaughtin
histhroat.Benthoughtthatmaybeshewouldescapethesamefateasthe
Heto move.
othersgiventhefactthathersmallbodywasveryl
started wasstunned, get upbut
It triedtohowever, when initsless
the bloodyitethanwhole of a skeleton
rapulpl y shredded. state,it
couldn’t
slap.I t quite
started manageandinstead
to f e l to thefloorwithanaudible
moveacrossthefloorpoweredbywhatBendescribed
asrefugeunderthebankofchairsalongthewallofthewaitingroom.Ben wet
sheerwillanddetermination.
It hadaimeditself inthedirectionofasmallboythat had taken
couldseethewholethingplayoutfromwherehewasanditjustmadehis
likeheartachewhenshecaughtuptohim.Theyoungboywasfrozeninplace
acrossthefloortowardhimandwith
a deerin headlights. Sheat kept slowly each inchitgained,theboy’sface
butBendeterminedly slithering as
grewmorescaredyetvacant
likethere was thesametime.
recognitionintheyoungboythathewoulddieandinstead describedi t such;
offighting,hismindgaveoverintoacceptance.
leave.Whatgoodwashedead­orworse?Hisbestbet
Realizingthatmostpeoplewerebeyondhelp, he knewhe hadto
hospitalandpreparetoleavethecityassoonaspossible. wastoescapethe
them ofoutthethewassituation.
911weknowthatthepolicerespondedandbecame
isstatingemphaticallythat
operatortookhimcompletelyseriously,whowouldhavewhenthecaller
andnotify
Hesaid getting by thatnotfabackto
deaddif iarecultHe’s
luckyenoughtofindaway.Beforeleavingthoughhedidmanagetoc coming stpoint
entirely
believers.butlife?Intheend,
surethat
that he wastheal
veteran iofthe
sortofr Iwasafewblocksawayworking
Sciences)andIwasj
strangeoccurrence ot (asithadbeenreporteda tohear a t theCFS(CentreforForensic
Torontoatusthehospital.Steve,myhusbandandthirteenyear
tPolice
beginningServicet first)haderupteda
calledthegrumblingsofsomesort
to letme know thatsomeof
t St. Mike’sand
tostayinsideu Realizingthatsomething
n t i l furthernotice. seriouswasgoingdown,IcalledBen.I
to passalongtoSteve,thebetterinmybooks.WhenIdidn’tgeta
himknewheworked at St.Mike’s andany informationIcouldobtainfrom
treating
holdter ibofly serious
him,I
anyonehoped inforthetheriot.I
hadhurthappened didn’tno wantonehewaswants
best,to Ben;thinking to thinkthat
probably
to loseajustbusyanything
friend,
especiallyunderviolentcircumstances.
But­theyweren’treallyeven
Ataroundmidday­theystartedbringingthebodiestous.
dead­ bodies.Imeantheywereclinically
certainly,butnotactinglikeit.Itwasreadilyapparentfromthe
andfaces andTheodemeanorof
possible.
individualsthattheyj the officers bringing
f icial consensuswasthati
ust neededtoget ast wasan inthe highly restrained
manyofthemoffthestreets
absolutemess out thereas
battleeventhattheyweren’twinning.Nooneinthe
though they had been authorized to uselab wantedtotouchthem lethal force, it wasaat
but my clinical curiosity got the betterof me. What I was looking
inseemedsoutterlyimpossible;corpsesofa
kind. frontofmeactingasif
were missing The bloodonthem theywerehavinga
limbs orpartswasofhorrificlimbs where
l races,ages,andgenderwere
­ and I’mtheypsychoticbreakofsome
to blood.rippedSomeor
usedhadbeen
chewedoff.Onewoman,andtheonlywayIcouldtellthatwas
tattered and bloody clothing she s t i l had hanging from her from
body, the
was
gnawedo f . face. Iliteral y meantheskinandunderlyingtissuewasgone;
missingherYoucouldstillseetheteethmarksalongherh airline. Allthatwas
left wasthecrimsonstainedsurfaceofbone.
It wasat thatpointthatIrealized Ihadto leave.It washardto
believe thenandis
fighting to assimilate stithel justas
living hardin a battle
tobelievethat Inow;the
wasn’t sure were
Undeadwe could
win.werereallyOneNotaandmight
ftertrulythe“Undead”.I’mnotsuremyselfbuti
seeingtheafter­effectsfirsthand.
ask whenthe first person realized that thet musthave “rioters”
beenfairly quickly thatl ofimorning
themtome?Iknowa t or else why would they have brought
policewereevenabletorestrainanyofthem.Yetthestateofthebodies
seemssostrange,sounbelievablethatthe
Inmyheartday Iwouldlove
theyaren’ttechnicallya
afterdeath.Okay,maybethat’snot
that I sawthat couldlive,makebutitevento’s theclosestexplanationI’vegot.
antheentirelyaccuratestatementsince
believethatthesituationinToronto
most skeptical believein life
survival.
thaandnotgoingtostickaroundinthethick
t’sthesurrounding rightof inowt waitingcomplacentlytoseei
the case. I’maareasrealiwillst andbebroughtundercontrol.However,I’m
I’m choosingtofight forf
I don’t know howf anybodyouttherei
willremainintactori long any of thestechnological infrastructures
evenabletoreadthis.AllI
theworld needto knowwhatisgoingon.
knowisthatIwillkeeppostingaslongasIamableto.Ithinkpeoplein
humanitya
world, We’reafraidthateveni
welofineedto collectivelyf thesituationi
reportedmaybeslimtonone.Forthesakeofeveryoneleftaliveinthe
theamountAfter s broughtundercontrolthat
veourinformation(read:truth)thatwillaccuratelysurfaceandbe
. nightinthe cabinbandintogetherthewoods inorderwe’retostarting
keep ourto
encountermorepeopletravellingoutoftheurbansprawlandthesmaller
usbutwe’vealreadydecidedasagroupthat
townsinSouthwesternOntario.Therearesomethatwanttojoinupwith we wouldtrytostaysmall.
Stay mobile.Besideswefigured
theparticularstrengths ofeach ofthepersonsinourgroup.
Sofarwe’vebeenmovingmainlyonfootbecausetheroadshave
it would beeasier tosurvive knowing
been partially gridlocked with cars making them the ideal feeding
groundsfortheUndead.
 It’s sickening rbeeneal y; you can sometimesby hearust leadingmoreofthe
trappedvehicles.TheirhornsliketheSiren’scallj the honkingrecent from
Undeadtothem…
events. TheWe managed
day has tomakeprettygooduneventful timeand putacomparison lit le moredistance
to
betweenus and them.We did encounter theodd walking corpse but
thankfullytheUndeadhavebeenlessprevalenttodaythanyesterday.
sixth Whileonthemove,youlearnafewthings;certainthingsbecome
aareasthatweinstinctivelyavoided;areasthatnoneofusfeltweshould
sense thatyou neverrealized that you had. There were certain
enter.Itwasthesubtlecluesthatwetooktoheartthemost.
Whileyourconsciousmindisworkingonmaking surethatyou
are indeedyourplacingonefoot
manner, subconscious mindin frontisworking ofthe otherat keepinginasafeyouandalivroutine
e. It’s
makingmillionsofl
ITrusti t. thingifethatis
anddeathdecisionsforyouandyouj
tel ing you right now to getusupt leandt it. get
hte’isr theway,thelessofusthatwillpotentiallymeethorribledeaths.
moving.Nottowaitforsomeonetorescueyou.Themoreofusthatget
outoft
Noneofuswanttobecomeoneofthem.That’safateworsethandeath.
workwondersifyou
ussometime
around Ithelps eltot agetourweaponsreadyi
Weftheperimeter lesetsafersleepingoutsidetonightasthere’saf
circumstancesbutweneedthesleepwhenwe
outtohelpilluminatethewoodsaroundus.Obviouslyit’snotthebestof
lofit course
of themupproperly.I
thethatcamp.we’veJuststrung alarmandasystemof
cananropegetit.
f theperimeterisbreached.
somef anythingitwilla sortsgivecan
fewt lbellsuelastmoon
While we’retoupdate
havethechance in thethick of this, I’m foundthe
ourjourneyextremelycatharticandameansofprocessingthedaywehad
you.Lastnight,I notsure howactofoftenIrecordingwill
endured.It’salsogivenmeapurpose.
I know that I’llbe ableto continue posting as long as I have
access to through I’maremyjustalittleworriedthat
Ireadf therethese
leechoffof. mobileRegardless,
oneWorldWideWebforfuturegenerations internet orsome
God,Ihavetostopthinkinglikethis!I
anyfuturegenerations…
posts. unsecuredimmortalized
theyto aread.twillbe Wi­Fi signalon theto
somepointtherewillbeno
soundanalarmdeepinyoursoulthatyou’llhearandsubsequentlyheed. just hopethatmywords
It is alittle early tostart being pessimistic butafter everything
I’veseeninthepastfewdaysandthefactthatI’mrunningformylife,I
havetowonderifwe,asaglobalwhole,canbounceback.Idon’tpretend
pickupabacterialcontagion,avirus,ortouchsomepieceoffallenspace
toknow what happened to Brooks VanReit before oranyof t h i s . Did he
allofthisandthatwhateverhehad,v
junk?Nooneknows.AllIknowisthatheappearsto iral, bacterial beatalien;thecenterat least itof’s
notairborne.Yet.
 Why
ofal weknowaboutcancer;thinkofa
Thinkaboutit; ourbodiesaremarvelsatmutatingthings.Think
l wehavetolearnaboutitstil .
does dothec
others? el s inonepersondecidetomutatebutothersdonot?Why
oneIt’sperson
likethel haveto
ot ery,experience
somewinbutmost the devastation of cancer but not
lbestanalogyIcancomeupwithatthemoment.
it le callouscomparinggettingcancertowinningthelotterybuti don’t.Thatmaysounda t’s the
EventhoughI’mdigressingfromthematterat hand,Iguesswhat
I’mtryingtosayisthatwereallydon’thaveanyideawhatwe’redealing
with.I tThecouldhavebeenonethingtos
andquestions
different;somethingmutated.
insufficient scarce.Whatitboils
that I have areendless tart butnowibutt couldbesomething
theanswers are
us aliveandwearehelpless
findsomeoneorsomethingtoblame.
host.It’seating
Afaceless,namelessentityi downtoiit wouldseemtostopi
s thedesire,theneedto
s chasingus,usingtheUndead tas. Iti’ts
apparent fromthough
mostoftheofficersjoinedtheranks
multiplyingfasterthanwecank
Even
Aterrifyingaspecttoa t. beenl ilofteffortittrying
policepresenceanywherethatnothinghasbeenorganized.
TheTorontoPolicemadeagallanteffortbutintheendtheyfailedand
notwitnessed
themeanstoeradicatei ourencounterswiththeUndead
any concentrated
we’ve andthethelackofmilitaryor
to travel
ofhandtobehonest,wedon’tevenhave
isthegrowingUndeadarmy.
tois thatduringourescapewehave
contain offepidemicthus
the radar,it’sfar.

I keep scouring the web looking for any signsbut it seems liket’s
therehasbeenablackoutonthewholething.ViralvideosfromToronto
onYouTubehavedisappeared,andtherearenorecentnewsreports.I
thatserves.Mysincerehopeisthatourgovernmentisnottryingtocover
almostlikethenethasbeensanitizedbutIdon’tunderstandtowhatend
thisup.Peopleoutthereneedtoknowwhat’sgoingon,i f onlyforthe
solepurpose to protectthemselves.alarmjust wentof . Hopefullyweliveto
Holyshit!Theperimeter
seeanotherday.Pray,NOW!
 TheDay5…perimeter alarm was triggered bya singular Undead last
the Undead sometimes do waiting for theliving tostopwasforusa lreprieve
night.Maxthinksitmighthavebeentrackingslowlybehind dayas
beforeinconvenientlycatchingup.I
swift and f i n a l seconddeath but tstheunexpectedarrival
fear more metwitha
especiallyinthesemi­darkness,puteveryl
Noonegotanyrestlastnightwhichprobablycontributedtothe ast nerveonedge. Undead,
of ofthe
Accidents
accident thatin toccurred
certainties his new today.
world Notare anomalies.thatyou canAll cawehave l it an accident.
now are
Wehad– if decidedasagrouptoscopeoutasomewhatlargerurban
area closertothe
simple. weborderseparatingCanadafromthe
do not take heed, we will not survive. It’s just that
UnitedStatesthat
hadnotreportedanyincidencesoftheUndeadasofyet.Wewereshort
ofcertainnecessarysuppliesthatwewouldneed to
atsome point we had to restock. Our hope waspurchaseandknew
thatresupplyandthengetintotheUnitedStateswithouttoomuchincident. that we could
Underthecurrentcircumstances,thesooner,theb
managed travel alsaycalmthatthatandfaritandorderly;
andwecouldprobablygetinand
problem.
waspromising,andnooneappearedto
happeningonlykilometersaway.Therewere
thatthingsTheinfectiondidnotlooklike
Afterobservingthecityforaboutanhour,wewereamazedtosee
toI haveto
looked alittle
reports eUndeadinsightwhich
t erWe. news
wasgetthethroughthecitywithoutmuchofa
ibet hadspreadthisfarsouthwestyet
nonothing
likeinanykindofpanickedstate.
weird.
onthe apocalypticwas
hadnotmustreally
have

gottenthepeopleintosomekindofanagitateds
Icannot simplybelieve thata l tate. and thelike
ofthenewsreports
hadn’t
believe
entrenchedinthistown.
affected
Theyhadtoknow
the Canadian
these people.There
adage of“don’twasask,no waydon’tthattelIwas
” wasprepared
sodeeplyto
Regardless,theabsence whatwasgoingon.
of theUndeadmeantthatweweregoing
togointotownandexploittheirresourcesbeforetheyevenrealizedthey
neededthem.Geti make
Aswewalkedintotownwesawthatourfirst andonlystopwassuch
anassumptionagain.
rightontherelative n , getout.Easyaspieright?Wewillnever
Wehad decidedoutskirts.Oneofthosebigbox­storeswhereyoucan
everythingfrom tosplit upandandtoI’msurethatwemusthavelooked
buysomewhatcrazytothepeopleworkinginthestore.
stockedupwithwhatweneeded toiletpaper electronics
leave mosttoofammunition.
ourgear outsideWe
withthed irtiest ofus.Anyonethathadbloodontheirclothingwasoutof
thequestion.Weweregoingintothisstore to purchaseammunition,so
makingit looklikewewerestockingupforournexthomicidalrampage
 wasn’tgoingtohelpusgetanyservice.Thefewerquestionswehadto
answer,theb We knewthatwehadtokeepeverythingl
et er. ight andportable; each
ofcounterproductive.
uswere already carrying
ammunition,thoughneeded,wouldonlyweigh a
There was aThepointheavierwhereourputtingsmallpack more of
each supplies
packs were, ontheofusdownmore. and
our backbecame adding
walk. I t would also affect our a b i l i t y to fight off slowerUndeadwe icould
the f forwe
little.Notahugelot,mindyou;
soitwasallaboutbeingabletoengageincombati
onyourback.I
happenedtocomeacrossmoreoftheminourt it wouldhavelookedawfullyweird
Mostofthetime,wedidn’thavethatmomenttoshedourpacks
t wasafinelinetodancebuteachofushadpracticeda ravelfs.neededwiththepack
ustohavetakensomuchs tuf onahikingtrip, nottomentioncarrying
Youhave to rememberthatwhileweweresubtlypreparingbefore
ourfirearmswithus.
l ofthis, thelast thingwewanted todowas drawattentiontoourselves.
aToomanycuriouseyescanleadtomanymorecuriousquestions.
waysomething
I Myhusband
was aswell, Steve
but to was
havea member
to answer of law
unwantedenforcementand
questions in
wasn’t a
whatwewere thatdoingany ofhaduslawabsolutely
factsince9/11.Wedidn’twantto
thatthepoliticaland be labeledNotno connection.Besides,itwouldn’t
laughedat.Thosethoughtswereactuallyfarfromourminds.Itwasthe
wanted. foras home­grownterroristswhen
enforcementclimateshadchangedsomuch
fear of being ridiculedor
haveservedapurposeforustohavebeendetained,tryingtoexplainita
appearedIntothebe. crazy andpotentiallydangerouswecouldhavel
away.EvenIcanseehow
disheveled peoplestore,wanting
we stiltogotpurchase strangeammunition
thattheywereusedtoseeingonadailybasis.Butnooneaskedusany looks. Threewasn’tvery something
dirty and
questions,sowedidn’thavetolie.
Onceweleftthestorewith ourmeagerbutimportantpurchases,
wefromwerethe spanicthat
til surprisedwebyhow had beencalm thetown was.for theItwasso
experiencing past different
few days.fter
MaybetheadvanceoftheUndeadhadbeenstopped.Anythingwas,a
al , completelypossible.
We
come.Instead shouldhavej
wedecided usttotakelocal
backtrackedoutoftownthewaythatwehad
tratime,
nsit andsupposed
cut straightto givethroughus a
town. Theidea was supposed tosave
break. Wegot on thebus,and everything looked fine.People seemed
happy us
iThenIheardthescreamofpuref
f nota bit wary ofthefive ofuswith
pockedclothes.
Itwas ear. ourguns,gearandgore­
a sound that I had heard before.t wasthekindofscream
screamlikethatmyselfonlyafewdaysago.I I had even screamed a
that imprints on your souland chil s the marrow flowing through your
bones. You hear ascream
knowsomethingi s likethat and there is no coming back.You
terrifyinglywrongandapartofyourmindwantsto
ignoreit;whatyoucan’tseecan’thurtyou.Butthenyoursubconscious
comestoyourrescueandyou’reabletothinkaboutyournextsteps.
It happenedinaheartbeat.Oneminutehewasalive, althoughhe
slumpedover
hadUndead.lookedHehadbeens weather atfirst glance; the next, he was
alittle underit ingthebyhimselftowardthebackofthebus,sortof
tobe honest,Ihimselfinthes didn’t think etooat. Therewasabandageonhisforearmbut
much of that; not everyone sporting a
bandageisinfected.
Barbarawasthefirstofustoreact,mainlybecauseshewasthe
closesttothedisturbanceoccurringtowardthe
dangerousanda gun in such close quartersthe newlybutravenousUndead
thatfiring
nowtryingtogetasfarawayfrom andwithrearthenumber
ofthebus.Knowing ofpeoplewas
fallenmaplebranch. careless,shedrewashortspearshehadfashionedfroma man asthe
handstoclasptightlyontohershoulders.
busfloor
bustookaninopportunemomenttoh
Shelungedatthethingthatwasonceamiddle­aged
lurched and threw Barbaraitoff­balance, apotholenestledintheroad.The
allowing newlydead
pullingBarbara ever closer.
BeforeanyofushadachancetoreactthoseUndeadarmswere
Closertotheopenmouthofcertaindeath.
Igtthesanintimate
licomparative
ps settled intosilence
the crook
flesh
andasurgeofcrimsonburstforth.
initiatininBarbara screamed;interlude.
inpanic, Iofts teeththatof moment.The
hercouldneckbe likeheardheadthoseof
jerkeda lover
bitinginto backher
thecontrolwasstillthere.Shewaspreparedtodowhatevershecouldto
wouldlikelybecome.Herfaceturnedtous,disbelieffairlyevidentbut
savemanymore Thehole in ter or, in realization of what she
an
onsolely alabaster inBarbara’snecklookedmassive,achasmofcrimson
background.While
and hearthe on her.Inpanicfromthe
an attempttowhat otherupryoucouldseethe kept its panicin
attentionhereyes
idIcaners, sheonlyassumewastosaveher focused
ownl
toogreatofaholdonher.Givingup,sheclungtotheUndeadmanasit
turnediifet,sshetattentiontother
ried togetherhands
est oftheridtohelpstaunchthebloodbutithad
ers.
did.behindintThe buswithdriverpulledover
Everyone the a b i l i t y to tothecurb,openingthedoorsas
exitdid so, leaving t h e i r belongingshe
unableforvariousreasons to passbythecarnageunfoldingbeforethem.
heir haste.Afewpeopleweretrappedinthebackofthebus,
Everythingbuttheir of eyeswas
Inthespaceofamoment,theUndeaddroppedBarbara.Shehad
fact frozeninhorror.
clothing,conqueringnewgroundwaseachapparent
lostalot blood, that from the map of iton her
secondinitsquestforfreedom.
attackaswellasshockfrombloodl
Theshock inher countenancewas os . Shewasn’tdeadyetbutsoonshe
plain tosee. Shockfromthe
would
damagedone be. Therewasto herneck.Nowaythatwecouldhaveundonethedamage
wastohernowayandcameat
Ben would have been able to repair the
thatbitehaddone
TheUndeadturned
Thereits nosavingBarbara;weknewandsodidshe.
bloodaswell.
thanmostof kindmainlyfromthefactus,ithatits ts speedstil hadtil someoxygenin
slightlyquicker
inowitwascomingformoreofus.Hepulledouthishuntingknifeand
ts bloodtohelpfeedthedyingmuscles.
Bob’srageinthatmomentwaspalpable.Barbaralaydyingand
witha
completely.Hisaimwaskissedbypurechance,ormaybei
swift and powerful arc he slicedthrough its neckt wasalalmostit le
skil .fewItsheadhungonforthebriefestofmomentsonlybythestrength
quickly,theyfledfromthecarnageint
ofats teeth,tumbledtowardtherearofthebus,startlingaresponsefromthe
itorefree.Theseveredhead,s
frozenpassengers.Itwasasi
tendonsbutasthebodywentlimpthelastremainingvestiges
tiflthatwasthesignalforthemtoleaveand
claspingthemorselofBarbara’sfleshin
heir wake.
thesupportpole
OurattentionimmediatelyturnedtoBarbara.Shehads
boltedin themiddle ofthebusandwasnowslumped lid down
forward.Herfacewas
aroundher.She
in was so paleincomparisontothepoolofbloodgrowing
bleedingout;theUndead
her had puncturedhercarotid
artery itshastetotaste f l e s
Weknewthatiwast wouldn’tbelongbeforeshe
herblood,herbody h . was dead.Andnow
infected.Oneofourbiggestfearshadbefallen
us.We would again be charged witht. killing
about.WeknewitandBarbaraknewi someone who we cared
Shequicklytoldusthatshewas
himtoputanendtowhatshewasgoingtobecome.
sorryandthenorderedeveryonebutBobtoleave.Shehadclearlychosen
She had nominated him toextend toherthe
We knewthemomentof herdeath.It wasmarkedbythecryof
everylivingthingdeserves.Death. final dignity that
endedherreawakening.
soulshatteringgriefthatexitedthebus.ThesingleshotofBob’sfirearm
back UponexitingthebusBoblookeda
out oftown.We gathered our t noone,onlyturningtohead
supplies and shielierntdemandtoknow
ly fellin behind
him.Bystanderst r i e d toengageus,screamingint
whatwasgoingon.Wehadnoanswers,onlywarnings.
None of us spoke for quitesome time,allof
Getout.They’recoming.
thoughts ofBarbara. ThefirsttobreakthesilencewasBob.Allhesaid us l o s t in our
s: She didn’twedeserve
Barbara.Thingsthat that. Andntheil thatmoment.
andlivedfrompaychecktopaycheck.Herfatherbarelyhad
was thiBarbarahadgrownupreallypoor.Herfamilyhadnexttonothing
hadn’tknownu began to tel us more about
thetime.Nothingwaseverfull­timebuthewaswilling toworkmostof workalmost
 In school,shewasneverpopular.Shehadafewfriendsbutthey
aroundtheclocktomakesurethatBarbaraandhers
andarooftocovertheirheadsatnight. isters hadfoodtoeat
shewanted toas getoutofthesmallnorthern
much as possiblemeanwithoutlit lebecoming
Beingalonerwouldhaveservedherjustfine,however.Sheknewthat
fromthem
wereconstantlyplayingatbeing girls sosheseparatedherself
a complete loner.
studyharderthaneveryoneelsetogetthere;andgetthereshedid.Full townandshewaswillingto
scholarshiptotheUniversityofToronto.
LifeinthebigcitywasquiteashocktoBarbara.Shewasashy
thatcountrygmakesmade
quickly irl upso
fromupnorth.Hertowndidn’thavethemulticulturalaspect
friendsmuchwithoftheboyCanada thatnow.livedSheacrossthehall
waslost and alone,from her;but
Bob.Soontheywouldstartdatingandbecomeinseparable.Theywould
studytogether,eventhoughthey were
as indifferentprograms and around
thewinningawardsintheirrespectivefields
campus, they
were becameknown
They perfectlymatched.Thebothhada the power couple; both
of study.so quick and intenseof them
intelligenceandtheymadethecutestcouple(or
Then, Itwas
pregnancythattorethemapart.Bobwasinfavorofkeepingthebabyand
knew
Barbaraagainstit.Notbecauseshedidn’twantchildrenbutbecauseshe
achievement.
beforeshebroughtachildintotheworld.
thathaving a holdeveryonetoldthem).
in thirdtheaslightlyselfishreason,butshewantedtohavei
babyyear, couldBarbarahavegotputpregnant. onAndit was ttheal
her dreamsof
Slowlybutsurely,though,
totheideaofbeingafamilytogether. Bob wasbeginningtobringheraround
But
TheunthinkablehappenedandBarbaral ostitthebaby.
Bob’s angerin that moment turned wasn’tinthecardsforthem.
itself completely in her
quitesometime.ItwasonlyintheyearbeforeBobl
direction.Heblamedher.Asaresult,theybrokeupanddidn’ttalkfor
thathesoughtBarbaraouttoapologizetoher.Theyquicklyf eft forAfghanistan
el intotheir
eventhinkaboutallowinghimthatkindofaccessintoherl ife again.Bob’sSo
friendship again,but it didn’t amount to more than thatdespite
attemptstorekindlethem.HehadhurtBarbarasobadly,thatshecouldn’t
With
experiencedl Barbara
theyremainedfriendswhiletheybothsecretlydesiredmore.
o s , gone, Bob seemed a lit le less whole. We’ve al
someofusquiteabitinthepastfewdays.All
isthatnoonedeservestobecomeoneofthem.
onlywordsofadvicefortonight.
dowassupporthiminhisgriefashehadsupportedusinours.Thetruth
Please do everything you can to avoidthat fate. Thosewecould
aremy
 Itwalked witha sickeningTheTreehouse
limp. The accompanying noise was
akintothegrindingoft
reverberated insidee tyourh, onlylouder.Muchlouder.I
thatappearance. head, warning you ofitst wasasound imminent
TheAvoicesnakedoutofthedarknessa
response was barelyabove a twhisper.
ItwasBilly.StupidBilly.
“Shhhh!It’sgonnahearyou!” me.“It’sTooquiet
comin’this way!”
seemed get
Billytohearandlikelytoointelligentforhimtounderstand.
Thegrindingnoise to closer.Outofthecorner forofmypoor
discolouredleftflesheyedroopingoutofthesocketandlayinghalfeatenonthe
eyeIcouldseeit.Everythingabouti
face.The
messagethatithadeaten­recently.Theworstsightwasi
ofits cheek.The tgorewasfrightening.Theslack,waxen
pocked clothingtsrelaying
left leg;thethe
skinhadbeenflayed off ofmostofthelowerhalfandoneofthebones
wasbroken.Thesoundthatwewerehearingwasthescrapingoftheends
togetherasitlimpedawkwardlyinourdirection.
fewbroken.Itlookedlike
werejfeetdown from us,butweknewwhatreallyhappened.
usWedidn’thave aherd
t ontheoppositeside the besthiding
ofelephants came throughasectionjusta
of alargeplankedfence,butthefencewas
makedowithwhatisaroundwhenyou’reonthemove.Technicallywe
spotbut sometimesyou have to
We sawiof them,theychangeddirectionsanddrovestraightthrough
t al godown.About3daysago,a
werefleeinganonslaughtofZombies
thickinfront groupofsurvivors
on theroad.Withthecorpsesso
thefence.Inanyothersituation,theactionwouldhavebeencooltowatch
butthefencewastheonlythingkeepingtheZombiesoutoftheyardand
As we watched fromour vantagepoint, high above the verdant
awayfromthetreethatsupportedoursanctuary.
ground, we
neededtoThegosawthetruckcomethroughonelengthonlytolosethespeed
panicked and intheir hasteand stoppedshort.
itgothunguponthebrokenfencebeneathit
driver to free the floundering
completelythroughthelengthontheoppositeside.Instead,
truck,managedonlytohopelesslytangleitamongthehewnboards.
Panicisafunnything;it cangiveyousuperherocapabilitiesorit
canparalyzeyou.LikeasickgameofRussianr
this time.We listened in horrorasthe Zombies floodedthe oulet e, itchoseparalysis
backyard and
surrounded the car, our minds makinghemovies
shinyblueexteriorofthetruck.Thedullpoundingoft
belowus.Eachwhispersoftsoundoft i r of whatheiwasr grimyhands
decayinglimbsbrushingtheoccurring
glass as it spider­webbedoutfromthepointofimpact.Screamsassaulted
ourearsastheZombiespulledtheoccupantsthrought
ontheglass,almostrhythmicinitsintensity.Thesharpcrackingofthe heir accesspoint.
 Notdaringtolookdownl
inour minds even now. eEverything
st wegiveawayourposition,wewereforced
towatchthetranslationofthosesoundsbehindclampedeyelids.
Itdidn’ttakelongbutthememoriesofwhatweheardreverberate
that we’ve
meldedtogetherto
theblackexpanseeachtimewecloseoureyes. seen and heard have
producethemosthorrific montagesthatplayacross
thefence,thebackyardbecameadrawforthem.We’vewaiteduntilt
Weknewwehadtoleaveourmakeshifthome.Withtheholeinhis
momenttoclimbcarefullydowntheloweredropeladder,hopingnotto
afort raeachct attentiontoourselves.Iwasthel astscarred
todescend,cautiouslyfeeling
woven rungasI watched
t ract anyattention.wasand lonelyhad spotted
the
Over myleft shoulderIsawit.Thesolitarycorpse
aroundme,hopingIwouldn’ta landscapeme
andwasnowlimpinginourgeneraldirection.I
withpurpose.Ouronlyhopewastoconfuseitbywaitingu t slowbutitmoved
ntil it wasin
theenclosedbackyardbeforesneakingoutbehindi
Fatewantedtoplayadifferent game t.
withustoday.Notonlyhad
itstackedthedeckagainstuswithZombies,i
StupidBilly. t hadalsogivenusBilly.
smashededgeoftheplankedspanoffence,Billyscreamed.Highpitched
As the broken leg of the Zombie came into view aroundthe
andgirly.Hefroze, hismouthformingaperfect,roundholeasthescream
choked ininhisthroat.A
comical itssurprise andface hunger. Its eye locked on Billy,the milky
appearedaroundthedamagededge,almost
corneasearchingforsomething;recognitionperhaps.
Withanotherscream,matchedbyastridentnoiseofvictoryfrom
theZombie,thedanceofdeathresumed.
Ther est ofustookthemomentof inattentiontoscaleback up the
timewillcome;wej
ropeladder,knowingthata ust needtobepatient.
t somepoint,wewouldneedtoescape.The
*****
 JulianneSnow’sBio:

It was whilewatching Romero's Night of the Living Dead at the tenderage of 6 which solidified
Julianne’s
Zombie respect forWhile
Apocalypse. the Undead. Sincetrainedthatinday,all ofshethehaswaysbeento preparing
classically defend herselffor
herself, she theup(inevitable)
took writing
order
formofescape.Herchoicewastheimaginationsofotherswhichonlyfosteredthevibrancyofherown.
only girltoprocess
growingthedesire
upin a family
shenowwithfour
covets;tochildrenin
bestow atheCanadian
second and finaldeath
countryside,uponJulianne
the Undead. As thein
neededsome

storyinDays with thetheUndead: Book Onewellas

issecond
her first
twonovelfull­length book,with
athestandaloneshort
herpopularwebserialofthesamename.Alongwithmanyzombieshortspublishedonherblog,shehasa
releasingthe
Womenof
summer ofLiving
2013. Deadas
Julianne’s zombieinherpieces;
Days basis of whichseries
theUndead can will
anda becollection
found
alsobein
releasedin2013.Staytuned!
SocialMediaLinks:
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Blogs: DayswiththeUndead&TheFlipSideofJulianne&TheRandomness ofJulianne
DayswiththeUndead:BookOne
Synopsis:
It’sajournalofsurvival.
FivepeoplesetouttoescapetheUndeadwhohaverisentooclosetohome.Jointheemotionaland
physical struggle as theybegan on the third day after the awakening of Brooks VanReit, as they are
recordedfromthepointofviewofJulie,aformerpathologistandpart­timesurvivalist.
don’t a Eachentryisgearedtoward
swift kick in the ass. Join helpingthosewhowantto
our group of survivors on helpthemselvesandmaybegiveafewthat
their journey through these Days with the
Undead.
 RebeccaSnow
AMileinHisShoes
Del Weldon looked down into the holdand counted the bodies
swayingintheflashlightbeam.Twentypairsofgray­greenarmsstrained
towardthel
notebook fromightabreastpocket,
. Reachingtothefhe lscribbledthet
o r, hegrabbedthecoldmetalhandle
Heshutthesquadbackintodarkness.Removingapenandasmallblack
andpulled.Awheelshriekedasthesteeltrapdoorrolledoni al y andmadeanoteto
ts runners.
thegreasethecaster.Thesmallestnoiseupsetthesquadsequesteredbeneath
harnessfromastoragelockerandsnappedi
uninsulated flo r. They called forquiettasontoaloopdanglingfrom Del unhooked aleather
itheceiling.Tomorrow,thecountmightbeuptotwenty­one.Orperhaps,
t wouldSteppingto
stil betwenty.the wall,hegrabbeda crank and spunit clockwise.
closedmetalpanel,thefloor
Emptystrapsloweredtothef
looseyoke
fixtures
wasbroken gleamed.
roseby asingle
toDustits bunnies
former rhad.csafety
leabeenr. Themonotonyoftheblockwall
sheetwasloofposition
beforetakingafinalglancearoundtheroom.Asidefromhisdesk
holdingitswungwithoutajingle.Delmadeanothernotationinhisbook
Windingintheoppositedirection,the
hovering
rulessweptanddowninthemidair.The
ontothe andchainfewthe
locker.Thesquad’s
cel . Hewould bringights,theoil
Switchingoffthel he l e f t for the squeaky wheel in the morning.
theroomandclosedthedoor. a t
“Evening,Tony,”Delsaid.He
“Usuallyisbeforeweloseone,”Tonysaidas hepressedabutton.the
guardbehindtheshatterproofglass.“Quietnight?” flashed an identificationcard
Thelock clanked as it released. Del nodded thenentered the
corridorbeyond.Behindhim,thegateswishedclosed.Beforehimlaya
onthe
hallwaywaxedfloortiles.Heturnedleftto
fluorescent
bookandwalkedhalfwaydownthepassage.Rubbersoledshoessquished
fil leidghwithdoors
t flickered leading
atthe end.to eight­foot
Delmadefaceabyeight­foot
anothernotation
doormarkedwiththerooms.inhisA
number
particular
mattress. 313in athickthelayeraman
almostoverhisface.Lightsoutwasn’t Delmanasked
cranedhisneckwithoutdropping
“Whatnow?”
identical,
compartment,
the occupant ofbeing
inanshinyblack
manarmstoodontheleft,asmallreceptacleforhumanwasteontherhisarm.solepaint.
forandlowered
hadtobemanufactured.Delrappedaknuckleonthetinyglasspane.The
small,eyelevelwindow, hisStriding
staredintothechamber.Alltheroomswere
theorangeanotherfourhours,headAsobackitoward
jumpsuitreclined
difference. glumpycottothethe
htdarkness
.withan
Inthis
hissmallnotebook.
“MisterJames,Ineedyourmealrequest,”Delsaid,reachingfor
deadbeforei“I’mnothungry,”themansaid.“Andwhatdoes
t digests.” it matter?I’ll be
ofpaper. “It’s protocol.”Delwaited,penpoisedabovetheunspoiledsheet
I’m nothungry.”
measuredl“Screwprotocol.
Alarge,silver­tonedclocktickedonthewallasthesecondhand
ost moments.Delshiftedhisweighttohisleft
atappedtheglassagain.“I
t theendofthehallbrightenedbeforeflickeringagain.
“Ifyoudon’ttel mewhatyouwant,I’l beforcedtoguess.”Del foot.Thelight
faux meatloaf.”don’tthinkyouwantthelast foodyouseetobe
mywife’sThemangroanedandrolledtowardthewall.
“MightIsuggestabreakfastfood?”Delasked.
“Don’t bring me anything. I don’t want alast cigarette,I don’t
Themansatup.
wantlastrights,andIdon’twantal
belet ofthis cage.Butno,that’soutofthequestionbecauseI
onlyonetheycouldblame.” ast meal.Idon’twantanythingbutto wasthe
nothingI“Excuseme,s ir,” Delsaidinavoiceheusedtocalmhiswife’s
can doforyouotherthanbringyouyourl
nightmares.“Youhadyourdayincourt,andyouweresentenced.There’s a s t meal.”
hisfistsflewon myeitherass.”The
slammed“Dayincourt, side ofmanit. “steppedtothel
It was a bunchofit le windowand
clownsat a
circus.”Spittle
“Would you fromhismouthanddottedtheglass.
like me to summon your lawyer?” Del asked,
retreatingfromtheman’srage.
Mr.Jamesspunonhis heelandthrewhisarmsinthea
“No,she was useless.” Helet outa sigh. “Andcanyouirabefore
droppingontothecot.
al me Patrick?Not evena day left, and I’dlike torememberIthada
cname.”Delglancedtowardtheguardstationbeforelookingbackintothe least
tinycel “.Certainly,Patrick.Now,willyoupleasetel mewhatyouwant
forbreakfast?”
Del ***
cility chef,plannedtoleaveassoonashe’dl
but foundt himself walking eft themealrequestwiththe
fhimselfintotheexterminationroomandcushionedthedooragainsthis
aPatrick’swordstuggeda back to the office instead.
hismind.Thekeyturnedthetumblers.Helet
heflippedthroughastackoff iles restinginawireonbasketonthedesk.
handtoshutit.Tiptoeingacrossthefloortokeepthesquadundisturbed,
Deldraggedtheonemarked“PatrickJames”open topoftheblotter.
The procured pages described Patrickhe loweredhimselfintoi
Thepock­marked,woodenchairwobbledas James as having beent. a
decorated soldier duringthe original outbreak. His bravery and quick
thinkinghadsavedscoresofmenandwomenfrombecomingshamblers
themselves.Whatwasl eftasofKingstonhadbeenrenamedtheJamestown
Sector
tohisfile,he
portrayedhisfamilylifeashavingbeenanythingbutglorious.According
prisonerand in hishonor.But
hadkilledhiswifeandwithsomevalorous
threedaughtersheroes,afttheer takingthem
information
barricadinghimselfinsidetheir home.Delwassurprisedthat
themediahadn’tswarmedthescene.Readingthef i l e was thef i r s t he had
heardofthestory.Closingthe folder,Delpushedhimselfbackfromhisdesk.Chair
hours,but
legsscrapedacrossthefleckedindustrialt
through the trapdoor. Hesighedknowing itheles. squad Hecouldhearthemoans
wouldn’t relaxfor
transit statihehadtoget
on. home.Lockingthedoor,hesetofftowardthe
lbefore “Don’ttheyalwayssaythey’reinnocent?”Del’swifeasked.She
ifted awoodenspoontoherlipsandblewontheendtocooli *** tabout
s contentsfive
sipping the sauce. “Perfect. Dinner
minutes.”Sheturnedoffthestoveandremovedthepanfromtheelement.will be ready in
would “Yeah,theya
have been committed l saytheydidn’tdoanythingwrong.”Delsmiled.
“It’salwaysnotwhatitseemed,ortheywereframed.ThebestoneI’ve
heardwassomeguysaidhisdogmadehimk before the outbreak.
il hisneighbors.Thatguy
Now, he’s making
himselfuseful.”
Dellaughed as he set theaschipped platesift.inMismatchedflatware
the hand­me­down
tableheandJennyhadreceived
rested aweddingg
et ingson.“But
sdon’tthinkt stained napkins. Two plasticcan’t cups finished offtheir place
“Canhheiyoudo
s Jamesguyshouldbeinthere.”
seemedanything
different.for Ithe man?”put my finger on why, but I
“Notreal y. Atheleast nothingthatIt tothetcanto think
anotherpanfromtheheatandbroughti aJenny asked. She pulled
ble. ofthat’slegal.”Del
held“Anyway,hisf
hisJennyplateout,lowered
ile saidandhisthepan
killedhiswifeandkids.”
wife spooned
midway on dripping
the strands ofpasta.
incredulousstareatherhusband.
“Thenwhydoyouwant table and threw an
Delshookhisheadand smoothedanapkinontohislap.
tohelphim?”
“Idon’tknow.Maybei
returned thepant’tos becausehesavedmorepeoplethanhe
wassupposedtohavekilled.”
PouringitontoDel’spasta,
Jenny thestove andreached forthe sauce.
shesownlidchildren,”
hergazesidewaysandlookeda t
can’t him.
forgiven.”Easingherselfintoherchair,sheshook open anapkin and placedbe
itover “But hekilled his she said.“That
ina month.Delhoped
herswollenstomach.Shewasduetogivebirthtot
it wasagirl. heir first child
 Feeling thevibrationinthebuttonunderhis
appearedinfrontofhim.
buzzersoundbehindthewall.Aseamedpartitions *** lifinger,Del d aside, and hearda
atray
set, Mr.Readyas
latexgloves“All asked.Wispsofgraycurlspeekedaroundherface.
Weldon?” awoman wearing a white hair netand
intotheh“Yes,Lucy.
al way.“Yougoget thosebadguys.” always.”Deltookthetrayandsteppedback
before disappearingbehindthepanel.
He breakfast Lucysmiled,shakingaf i s t inthea i r
prisoner’s
bacon. Hetooka
“Yeah,Iguess,”Delmumbled.
wasn’tsurewhenhe’dlast hadn’thadabeenEvenmealthattemptedhimlike
deeporder,breathDelandsighed. prepared he’d taken theof
thoughforthescent
shethisone.Hiswifecookedlikeaskilledchef,butthere
echoedintheh
coulddowithcannedbeetsand
Deltappedthedoorto313withtheedgeofthet endless boxes of pasta.wasray.onlysomuch
al . PatrickJamesstoodup,stretched,andtooktwosteps Tinnyclangs
towardthedoor.Holdingthetraywithhisl
doorthesizeofalargemails
coveringthemealand slid thelottrayandopenedi
throughtheholeintothe
eft.arm,Delunlockedasmall
Heremovedthemetallid
prisoner’s
waitinghands.
“Would you like aanything else?” Del asked. “Is there anyone
you’dliketotalkto,anyl
smallwindow. s t requests?”
PatrickdrewhiseyebrowstogetherandstaredatDelthroughthe
“Imissedthesunrise,didn’t I?”
nDelod ed.“Wel ,itheres any chance I can see the sky one last time?”
Patrickasked,t
“Youdidn’tl ilting ehishead.
t your wifeandkidsseethesky,”Delsaid.
Patrickslammedthetrayontothecot.Delsawthebaconbounce
intotheair.Theprisonerturnedandstalkedbacktothesmallwindow.
“Isthatwhattherecordssay?”Patrick’sblueeyesglaredthrough
theglass.“TheysayIkilledmyfamily?”
Del nodded. Patrick threwback his head and grunted before
turninghis
thoughtbacktothedoor.Del
Patrick looked likeastaredthrough
Hecertainwhathappenedtotheanimals, thewindowandwaited.
zoo. Noone was
cagedbut lionthezooshadbeenemptyever
atthe
since.Patrickleanedhisheadagainstthecinderblockwallatthebackof
hiscell.Delthoughtheheardthemantalking.
Patrickspokeagain.
“Excuseme?”Delasked.
“I’msorry,Ididn’thearyou.”
Patrickturned.
“IDeltiltedhis
said,”Patrickshouted.“Then,
armandglanceda t Imightaswellbedead.”
hiswatch.Thehandspointedto
8:30AM.Patrick’sexterminationwasscheduledfor11AM.
 “Patrickshuffled
It won’tbelongnow,”Delsaidunderhisbreath.
back to thecottoandexterminationwerealloweda
flopped down next to his
breakfast.“AnychanceIcanseethesky?”
Thelawsaidprisonerssentenced
ast meal,“LetmeseewhatIcando,”Delsaidbeforerelockingtheslot.He
lasfaras Dellastknew.
almostrefusedhisl rights,asandal ast request.Patrickhadrefusedhisl
t meal,andhisl ast requestwasn’tagainstasanylaw t rights,
smackedapalmagainstthedoorandtrottedbacktotheguards
window.He
“I needroofaccess,” Delsaidto the uniformed manbehindthe tation.
The mandidn’trecognizetheguardbutnoticedhisnamebadgesaid
“Thompson.” pressedsomebuttonsonakeypad.Ametalpanelfolded
outfrombelowthewindowrevealingasetofkeys.Delpocketedthem.
“I’llalsoneeda set ofrestraints.” at Del.
Theguardraisedhiseyebrowsandpeered
said. “I hopethose itemsaren’tgoingtobeusedtogether,”theguard
detainees.Themaninthree­thirteeni
andahalfhours.Hehasrequestedtoseethesky.”
“OfficerThompson,Iamrequiredtograntthel s scheduledforexterminationintwo
ast wishesofour
inhischairandreachingintoacabinet.Turningbacktothewindow,he
smiled.Theguardloweredhiseyebrowsandnoddedbeforeleaningback
“Here you go.”The“Imanthoughtyou
themthroughtheopening. put restrwereaints goingtothrowsomebody
intoa containerand slid
offtheroof.You’llneedtosignforthose.”
Delscribbledhissignatureonthenextemptylineofthesignout
onthewall.Hisarmsrestedonhisknees.Halfofthebaconremainedon
sheetandreturnedtocell313.Patricksatonhiscotleaninghisheadback
theplate“Handsthrough,”hesaid.
. Delunlockedtheslot.
and Del“Patrick
buckles.
view. Pleaseplacedstoodand restrmoved
returnthe toyour toward
aintcot,”
s around the door.unlocked
Del Patrick’s
said.He wristsHis hands
the sdeadbolt
andpulledlid intothe
removedthepadlock
Stepping inside from
the thedoor.secured Patrick’s ankles with the
cell,Del
secondsetofr estraints andpulledhimtohisfe t.
“Goodenough,”Patricksaid.
Patrickshuffledforwardafewsteps.
“Canyouwalk?”Delasked.
tohisbreakfastp l a t e . Usinghisboundhands,hemotioned
“Wantsomebaconfortheroad?”
Del eyedthe
neck.Aleasht delicacy ashe strapped a collar around Patrick’s
“Suityourself,butitwasprettygood.”
“No,thanks.” railed halfwaydowntheman’sback.
 DelpickeduptheendoftheleadasPatrickshuffledintotheh
Theguardstwomen made t h e i r way down the corridor through three setsalof.
and doors onto an elevator. When themetal doorsslid closed,
Patrickleanedagainstthebackwallandtookadeepbreath.
“Doyouwanttoknowwhatreallyhappened?”Patrickasked.
roof. “The real storythatwasn’tin
“To what?” Del pressed the button my that wouldtake themto the
Delshruggedastheelevatorrose.iverecords.Whathappenedtomy
familyonthelastdayoftheirsocalledl
“Iusedto s.”
while “IDelnodded.
mother,mywife.She
Iwas hadthreeg beasoldier,agoodsoldier.Didtheymentionthat?”
offsaving irwasls.theMaggie,Taylor, and Jil . Theyahisl favoredtheir
theloveofmylifeuntilshemetsomeoneelse
world.” Patrickscratched noseon his
shoulder
decidedshewanted to get more comfortable inhis reisrtlrsa.iHerlover
and strainedtoleaveme,butshedidn’twanttheg nts. “She
didn’tlikechildren.”
tryingtounderstand.
“Whydidn’tyougetcustodyandlet hergo?”Deltiltedhishead,
plans. Theman
“IwouldhavebeenOKwitht
she’d fallen for hadhat,farmbutshehadalreadymadeother
outside the city.” Patrick
motioned
shouldbe. with his foreheadfarmstoward where Del thoughtthe city gates
“Ithoughtoutlandthe back ofwereextinct,”Delsaid.
Hescratched hisneckwithawell­clippedfingernail.
Laboratories raised
elevatorcontinuedtor a li s e the
. livestock for consumer consumption. The
“Notthatel kinds themontheblackmarket.”
shamblersands of farm.” Patrick cleared his throat. “He raises
“Whowouldbuyblackmarketshamblers?”Delwrinkledhisnose
asif askunkhadtrottedintothesmallspace.
“Anyone without a conscience looking for cheap knock­offs to
useasscaretacticsort
Delthoughtofhisownsquad. e r o r i s t c e l s . ” Thepaperworkfortheoriginalten
hadsquadwouldn’tbe
range.”Thef acilityinashadboldblueandredwiththewords“guaranteed
been“Howdoyouknowa
stamped effectivehadtheybeenfarmed.
paidthewranglersaprettypennyforquality.The
l this?”Delasked. free­
hallway “BecauseMary,thatwasmywife,toldmebeforeIlockedherin
theatticwiththekids.”
Theleadingelevatortoanchimed. The doors slid open to reveal ashort
correctkeyfreefromtheothers e x i t . Patrick on shuffled
thechain. forward
He as Del shook
unlockedthelastlock
me tohavethegirls. ShesaidI had deserted
inafresh breeze.Patrickfilledhislungswithairandexhaledina the
long,slowbreathbeforecontinuing.
hertoomanytimeswhileIwastryingtodomyduty,andshewasbitter.
andlet “Shehadn’twanted
hecalledit.Settingthemfree.”
Shemetthisguy,andhetalkedherintosettingtheg
Patrick irls fre . That’swhat
“Yeah,”tookasteptowardtheedgeoftheroofashegazedupa
skywithhischin.
flockofdriftingclouds.“It’sbeautiful,i
Del said distracted by thesn’tman’swords. “But t a
it?”Hemotionedtowardthe
mean bysettingthemfree?”
yourwifePatrickturnedandpiercedDelwithascowlingglance. what did
theazombies.Shewastakingthemtothefarm.That’swhyIlockedthemin
besold.Icouldn’tlethergetawaywithi
t ic“Shehadinjectedthemwiththeinfection.Theywereturninginto
beforetheychanged.Icouldn’tlet .hertakethemtothefarmand
Theycouldhave
gonetoschool,gottenmarried.Icouldhavehadgrandkids.” grownup,
murmured inthe slight breeze as asmall birdtwittered let outalongsob.Leaves
branch.Delshuffledhisfeetinthegravelandchewedontheinsideofhis
Patrickdroppedhischintohischestand to reston a
lip. “Whathappenednext?”
Patrickltheiftegdirhisheadandhuffedbeforecontinuing.
“After ls turned, they attacked their mother. They didn’t
leaveenoughofhertoturn.”Patrickloweredhisvoicetoawhisper.“I
hadtoputthemdownbeforetheauthoritiescameandcartedthemoffto
betrained.Doyouhavekids?”
Delshookhishead.
“Notyet,butwe’vegotoneontheway.” He
clouds. “Whydidn’tyoutel someone?”Delasked. staredatthepassing
Patrickpursedhisl i p s intoasmallsmile.
Patrickl
“Iwantedtoduringthetrial,
et outabit er laugh. butthedumptrucktheyassignedto
flames.”
mycase
tookthestand.SoIkeptquietandwatchedther
Atoldme
briskwindflappedDel’sc
I’dbe chargedwithoat slanderinaddition
ails. est ofmylto imurderifI
fe goupin
“Howcomethestorynevermadethenews?”
“You won’t believe meif Itell you,” Patrick said, shaking his
head. “Tryme.”
Delcrossedhisarmsandwaited.Patrickshuffledtowardtheedge
oftheroof.Delwouldn’thaveblamedthemadi
hedoubtedPatrickwouldleavetherestofhisstoryuntold.
“Youmeantheoneswiththeguyinthes
“Haveyouseenthesafetybillboards?”Patrickasked. fuhe’dt ried tojump,but
it surrounded
nakedwomen?”“Yeah,”Patricksnorted.“Thatguy is the head oftheCommunity
SafetyCouncil. byhalf­
He’stheonethatdeploysthetroopstooutbreaksites. He
decideswheretobuildupthewallsandwheretotearthemdown.He’s
theonethatpardonsthecriminalsandhirestheguardsforthecity. I’m
guessingheevenhiredyou.”
“You’resayingTheodoreMarquetownsthefarm?”
Patricknodded.
“Doyouhaveproof?”
Patrick shook
rooftop.“TheonlythingIhavei hishead and dropped to hisknees on the gravel
“Well,that’sastart, butwithoutproof,Idon’tthinkanyonewill
s avagueideaofwhereitis.”
believeiDelrana
t.” handthroughhishairandglancedat hiswatch.Patrick
hadanhourtolive.
“Youbelieveme?”Patrickasked,squintingupatDel.
“I don’t know,” Del answered. “But we’d better head back
inside.”Delhishelped
unlocked restrainPatrickstand,
ts. Slippingtheshuffled el , anda
pen fromhimhisbackpockettohisand ctearing
piece ofpaperlot. from his notebook, Del handed the itemsto Patrick
throughthes
“Write down what you
anythingIcandotopostponeyourextermination.”
mydon’tneedtopostponeanything. know about the farm. I ’ l see i f there’s
“Hey,man,” Patricksaid.II’mreadyto
girlsscreaminginmynightmaresanymore.” ’l writedownwhatI die.Idon’twant tohear
know,butyou
back to“I’ve
theoffice.stil got to try,” Delhadsaid,tapping
***
the door before jogging
he’dheld.Hecircledthepristineroomlookingforsomethingtosabotage
andwishedhe’dbeenmoreofaslacker.Hehadoiledthetrapdoorthat
Del’sattentiontodetail earnedhimhighpraiseineveryjob
ribbons.IfHePatrickcouldn’thadhadasharedhisstory
morning.Theharnesswasn’tnecessary,sotherewasnopointslicingitto
closestguardstation evenspares
lockthedoor
et. andlose the keysbecause the
Delmighthave had last nightinsteadofthis morning,
timetofashionareplacementfortheprisoner.The
previousexterminatorhadmanagedi
in frustrationatthet twicewithasculptorandaslabof
moaninreply.Overfeedingthemwasoutofthe
pork.Noguarantee
exterminatedhimalongwiththeoriginalquarry.
hadattemptedtheruse,themanagementhaddiscoveredhisscheme.They
Del shouted accompaniedsuch aproxy.Thethirdtime
situationand heard hissquad theman
watchingduringtheoriginaloutbreakt
Theclockchimedonce.Fifteen‘ h e
t ilr the question.Heknewfrom
appetitesneverdiminished.
hour.Deltrudged from the
“Please,putyour arms ***
roomtoretrievetheprisoner.
Twoarmswiggledthroughtheopening. throughtheslot,” Delsaidinaflatvoice.
 “Don’t look so down,” iPatrick
paperbacktoDel.“I’llseemyg r l s soon.” saidashe palmedthe pen and
openingthe“Don’tdoorandattachingthec
you wantto live?” oDelshackled l a r . the man’s arms before
“Nobodylivesforever.Andbesides,there’snotmuchl
worldforme.”
“Doyouhaveanyregrets?”Delsnappedtheleashtothecollar. eft inthis
Thelightsintheroombuzzed.Aflycrashedintothebulb.Patrick
tilted hisheadandtwistedhismouthintoafrownbeforeanswering.
outa “Ican’tsayIregretmarryingMary.I’dneverhavehadmykids.I
can’tsayIregretbeingdeployed.Isavedalotofpeople.”Patrickblew
breath andtotiltedhis head. “I guess I regret not seeing what menwas
lPatrick
coming.Icouldhavesavedmygirls.”
ight at Theankler
theendofthehallflickered.Withoutanotherword,thetwo
nodded theestraguardbehind
ints swishedalongthefloorwithhiseverystep.
theglassasthey walked past.The
traversedthefinal corridor.Whentheyreachedtheexterminationroom,
Delstopped.
“Wecankeepwalking.”
“No, Ineed to go. And you need to be aroundfor you baby.”
Patrickflickedhischintowardthecloseddoor.“Isthistheplace?”
forhis igDelnaasUnfastening
harness.
watched ledPatrick
e.“Any theintoresthetrtothe
turtheleashslithered airoom Delandtossed
strappedthemhimonintothe
nts, floor.Astackofpaperworkwaited leather
the desk.He
l a s t words?” Del
“IfIwalk.” Patrickswallowed.“Don’tl
Patricksmiled. asked.
trapdoor’shandleandpulled.
Thesilent
“I’lldowhatIcan,”Delpromisedashesquatted,graspingforthe
wheels et mewalkforlong.”
rolled everin thetracks.Del
towardtheirprey.Whydidtheyhavetobesocompetent?
eyesofhissquad.Theirbonyfingersseemedtolengthenastheyreached
“Andif the opportunity comes, takeoutthe staredintothe milky
Lookingup at theman swingingabovehim,
whispered.“Justnotattheexpenseofyourfamily.” farm,” Patrick
Theclockchimedthef i r s t eleven. Del walkedtothe Delgaveaslightnod.
crankand turnedthe
handle.“Goodbye,Patrick.”
Patrick spun in the harness and saluted as Del lowered him
throughthetrapdoorintothewaitingarmsofthesquad.
***
worldi RebeccaSnowi
f s aVirginiawriterwhosecatscouldconquerthe
theydidn’tsleepsomuch.Herstorieshavebeenpublishedina
numberof anthologies andonline. YouShe’scanfind
cemeteryflowerblog.wordpress.com. stalkableher blatheringon
on Twitter
@cemeteryflower.
bloody You can alsopublished
handprint.Originally followinherLibrary
on Facebook.
of Look Dead’s
theLiving forthe
LiveandLetUndead,“AMileinHisShoes”i
intoanovel. s currentlybeingexpanded
 AnnaTaborska
PictureThis
caninherit his loot.You’ve wasted your youth listening toUnclehis
Picture t h i s : you’ve been
youGeoffrey’sstinkingdarkhouse,waitingfortheoldcodgertopopoffso hanging around foryears in
plaintivegibberingandcleaningouthisbedpan.Finally,youcan’tstand
iatt anymore.Youwaituntil he’sasleepandthenyouputhispillowover
hisfaceandpushdownharduntilhestopskicking.Thenyoudigahole
thebottomofthegarden andburyhimini
windows,iwayfBute thewayyoudeserve.
frombutout,UncleGeoffrey
fromibutts bloated anda
thelocalcemetery.Theyshufflegrimlytowardsthehouse.Youtrythe
back
Mildred,cousinHildegard
yourl
dangling
breakingglass. aresomewhere
stopped
belly. boltAndlefttthe. hebringswith
comesdozenotherdecomposingoccupantsof
bytoYouback.youra rotting Atlyoucorpsedoorsasthearthe
you’refreetolive
withand greenguts
securethe
himAunt
soundof

breathing
planks wood. He’sgreydrooling
hisface andpillowcomeshisdown
stbloodshoteyesneverblink.Fromthewayhe’sstaringa
Geoffrey,
eilf ilfy,he’sovercomewithrageorifhej instead usthetofilwantstoripyourheadoffand
rigormortisturninghisfingersintotalonsandhislegsintorigid
Thenthefrontdoor
of mucus­covered eyesflyingoffi front Heof moves
abulging
irt.s hinges,andenterUncle
hisfromthe
t gown,
you,youcan’t
towardsyou
strainof
and his
eatyourbrains.
You fumblewiththeshellsoftheshotgunyou’vejust wrenched
fromthecupboardinthecorner.YouaimatUncleGeoffrey’sheadand
pullthet rig er. UncleGeoffrey’sheadexplodes. But UncleGeoffreyjust
keepscoming...
***
Annais ahorrorwriterandfilmmaker.Herdebutshortstorycollection,
FORTHOSEWHODREAMMONSTERS,willbecomingoutl ater this
year.YoucanviewAnna'sresumeandwatchclipsfromherfilmshere:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1245940/
 AllyZombieWolf
Thomas
TheNextGenerationExcerpt
ByAllyThomas
Copyright2013AllyThomas
seriesbyAllyThomase
Introduction
Thefollowingisantitshortexcerptfromanewparanormalfantasy
led, “ZombieWolf”.
Here’sa #1”synopsisof
NextGeneration the firastterinstallment,
this year orin2014:
Attwenty­fourZacharyhasbeenthroughmanyzombieoutbreaks
tobereleasedl “Zombie Wolf: The
andknowshowtostayalive.He'sbeensogoodat killingzombiesforsohas
manyyearsthathemakesalivingatit.Heclaimsit'sthereasonhe
the nicknamethe
zombies. However, 'Zombie
that’s Wolf'
not a l because
there i s he’s
to i t . awerewolf
Zachary i s no who k
ordinary
asfacetogood faceiasdead. i l s
werewolf. killing ofthedestinyzombies
nextconsidersgeneration
Zachary's attractive
unfoldsandgirwhen
laninnocent
becausehecomes
she'sbystander s bitten.He
withtheBut
when he seesshehasamark,sameaswhathewasbornwith,heknows
hemustsaveher.
3015A.D.
seekand
wasn’t backingand wedestroymissiononEarthu
demolished“We’renotkillingher.”Istoodbetweenmyteamandt
hadjustsavedfromanexistenceworsethandeath.Thecoffeeshopwas
normal down,werenotknee­deep l thisshehad was,happened.ButI
until I inknewdeadntiwhoex­zombies.It hadandhisbeengmoreirl aI
beforeshedied. t least I was determinedtofindoutwhatshewas
wasawerewolftoo,ora
importantlywhydidshehavethesamemarkI hadbeen bornwith.She
“Call i t in,”IgrowledtoRex.
“No,”heshoutedatme,knowingbetterthantomesswithmeas
heZombieWolfwasnotj
whohadkilledmassiveamountsofzombiesoverthetwenty­four
pushedagainstthe otherust anicknameIhadgottenforbeingawerewolf
two guyson myteam who heldhimback. yearsof
be infected. iteral y. Icouldn’tbekilledbythem
my life.It waspartofmyblood.L
andIcouldn’t
“Maybe wecan talkaboutton Rex’sdarkgreens
Simonnodded,tugging his,” McCormickoffered. hirt. Neitherofthem
movedforwardoneinch.Theya
thatcouldchangeveryquickly.
Earth
neck.Myeyesflashedgold.I l
whenIvisitedEarth.Ihadneverusedmyweaponsonanyofthem,but
timesthanIcouldcount.ButRexwastheassholeofmyteam,andthe
representative. hadseenmytransformationatimeor
twobefore,whenthefightinggotreallybad.Ihadsavedallofthemmore
“Callitin,”Irepeated.Slowlyandverydeliberately,Ipoppedmy
Iregretted having made him my point of contact
keephers heldonehandontheg irl’s shirt, tryingto
to mycommandandplacedhisindex
andmiddlefingerstohisrighttemple.“Thisisamistake.”Hemouthed
Exasperated,Rexconceded
til .
ourplanet.
backtomeashemadetheconnectionwiththeContainmentf
With our implantshadinstalled soonafter we wereborn, acilityceonl
year3015A.D.,butwestill
phonesweren’tneededforwork.Theyweren’treallyneededatallinthe
themforpersonalusebecause
inas bestwe coulduntil thezombiekillingstarted. it lookedhad
toblend
cool.Unnecessary,butcool.AndforjobslikethisoneonEarth,we
Outofthecornerofmyeye,IsawMcCormickhit Simoninthe
shoulder.“Lookman.”
“ShehasthesamemarkZhas.Look.”
“What?”Simonasked.
I ignored that they were nowstaring at my neck and thegirl’s
neck.Iknewshehadthesamebirthmark.Thathadtomeansomething.
I heard Rex verify theiklocation
Wasshelikeme?Wasshetrulyl e me? and coordinates. The room
immediately
cleanupthezombiefil ed withmessa blueandmakeabigenoughdistractionformeto
mist that I knew woulddotwo things:
vanish.Igrabbedtheg
Wouldn’tyouknowirl bytheelbow,probablyrougherthanIshould
have,andpulledherintomyarms.Shef
sighed.
soontobedead?NoonecouldsurvivethenewvirusIhadbeengetting
it? I’dmeetmymateandshe
it perfectlyagainstmybody.I
was dead,or
‘unique’ as mymotherphrasedi
me. Iwas immunet. to teverything.
reportsabout.Luckily,Ialreadyhadi
virusaffected . Ihadbeenbornwithi
That’s whatmade
t. Nobloodme
wasa
Iwhispered to thegirl, let ing mymeaandliptssixyou’renotgoingtoleavemyside.”
fewinchesshorterthan
“We’regettingoutofhere fe t. MyheightIhadacquired
brushpastthetopofherhead.She
frommydad’ssideofthefamily.Werewolfdescendantsofhisancestry
wereextremelyt al . Iwasn’tseven­feet­talllikehimbutwhenIworemy
‘zombiekilling’hikingbootsIcameclose.
“Orwhat?”theg irl snappedback.
“Oryoudrivemy
die. Mypointfriendshome.areready
shoulders,facinghertowardtheteamIhad
formymission.“Humanshaveitchytriggerfingers.”Ishook
hopefullyto beento kiassignedwhileonEarth
I had aboutthirty l you.”moreI grabbed
hera litherlase,
seconds
wanttostay
they bungled herearoundin
“I’masgoodasdead.Iknow
withthem?”Iasked.
the fog before they realized I wasgone. “You
“Notnecessarily,”Ireplied. that.”
I“Youhaveacure,”shewhispered.
heardthe astonishmentin her voice. I didn’t have to see the
shockedexpressiononherangelicface.Ihadheardthatvoicebefore.I
came to meand whoIreallywas.
wasabouttimeItestedthecureIhadbeenworkingon.Rexandtheguys
thoughtIwasnuts.ButRexandtheguysdidn’tunderstandalotofthings
whenit“Possibly,”Isaid,wrappingherarmsaroundmywaist.“I’ve gott
you.Don’tlet go.” ***
 “Wherearewe?”Sheaskedmethatquestionwhenwesurfacedin
thefamiliarsurroundingsofmyroomon
Ialreadylovedthesoundofherl myightplanet.
, whimsicalvoice.Pointing
aconsidered
t my favoritemy options.Ididn’treallywanttot
chair, I offered itto her, grumbling e l herj u to
s t myself
howfarfrom as I
home she currently
WhatcouldIt e l was. Spacehitravel
her?‘Fancyt s , was very dif icult the first time.
IzappedyoutoKepler1.Welcome.’
Ugh.
clearedHopefully shehabitation
knew theycould
planet,onesnotinfectedwithzombies.Itwass
humans forstil human
didn’tknow aboutin2063 the leaveoutlining
A.D.Earth l planetsthat
tiItamazed methathadto other
anoptionforanyofus,
andtravel been
some
werewolves,humans,vampires,whoever.Itneveroccurredtothehumans
toconsiderspacetravelinthefaceofongoingoutbreaks.
my my
fingers Ishoved
gotten ahaircut. off
my
through Forshortly bootsand
obvious cropped
reasons, tossed
black them
zombie
h a i r , in thecorner.
killing
thankfuland I hadI
space ran
recently
travel
mademesweat.Get to thepoint,Ithought.Youdon’thavetimeforthat.
Youdon’tknowhowlongshehas!
“You’re
away toinquickly
andanindividualnot
turning mytoberoom.questioned.
changeThat’smyalt­syouhirtsneed
shower.IhopedthetoneIusedwithhermademesoundlikeabadass . I’d tohaveto
know,”Iforegotheuttered,
dollfintowhen
ate.resting myat Ime.chair.don’ta Ihuge
myselfasItriedtoignoreherbeauty.Hersmall
Fucking
changed
a petiteSheglared This backisIinwhyneeded t Imelted
date,thought
favorespecially frame
myoffromheart.I Earth,IselIftsaidthatnever
mymycharming
onmadeherlooklike
grittedmy
mother. te ttoh.I
workedonmydadbecauseIwastoomuchlikehim.Hecouldalwayssee
hethroughmycrazyschemes.‘YougetthatfromyourmotherI’ma
told meoften. Watching the girl tryto assimilate where she was,I
fraid,’
electedtopresentmycharmingselftoher.
Sheswishedher
“Howdoyoufeel?”
andrubbed her big blueeyesside toside,analyzingmy room,
handsalongthebitewoundonherrightwrist,examining
it.“Ifeelokay.Isthatnormal?”
“I don’tknowreal y. Thevirusworksfast onhumans.Youwere
bornonEarth?”
her legsout
Frommyfavoritelargeloungechair,shesmiledatmeandflipped
workingonher.
didn’tcome from under herself. She couldn’t sit stil . The virus was
Iknewwhatshewas.Iwantedtoknowifsheknew.The‘w’word
upwithunlessthepersonbroughtit up.
overlefCrossingherlegsagain­leftkneeoverrightandthenrightknee
t ­shecouldn’tgetcomfortable.“I’mnothuman.”
“What are youthen?”Iasked.
“I’mwere.”
 “Whatdoyoumean?”
“Whatever, dude.myWerewolf, you know.” She flickedseenher long
startedplayingwithit.
blondhairoverhershoulderandthengathered
honey
vampireblondhair
Iwantedtobury color,exceptmaybe itup intoaponytailand
headinherthickhair.I’dnever
onsomeofthe fledglings sucha ofthe
Both my angel,Michael.Allmy
mom and dad, a vampirekindandhada werewolf
the‘dark look’ as wechairalandit.
hadblack
being
darkfeatures.
“That’s not whatmy family cal s it,”she retaliated. “It’sjust
‘were’.I haven’tgonethroughthechangeyet,sotechnicallyI’m
not…”Beforeshecouldfinishhersentence,shestartedconvulsing.Her
side. Of course,Itfromshegettingaway
Imyrushed toItinherhermyhead.Thiswasnotgoingtobeeasy…atall.
blueeyesrolledup
movements,butIknewIhadtokeepher was obliviousfromto my
leaving room. was onlychance. washeronlychance. meor
“Holds Iwrestled
t i l , ” with Christ,Idon’tevenknowyourname,Ithought.
Ishouted. her, finally pinning her into the large recliner.
Therealizationstabbedintomyheart.Howfuckingsad,Isaidtomyself.
times,herlonghaircoveredherface.
“Howfuckingsad,i s this?”Iaskedherasshethrashedabout.At
herstruggledagainst
headupwards,
bodyShegrowleda
she could themove,demonat me.virusAsurface
Isawme, tbiting,snapping,heaving
Strawberryshampoo,Iwondered.I’vegottoatleastknowyourname. faint hersmellin head,theonly
me.Viciously.Sadistically.Whenshe t me.
hipartof
herofwhiteroseseyes.She
threwher
inmy Suddenly visionsThe snakes.
ofmy demonic
Thestoriesmymomanddadhadtoldme.TheimagesIhadseenmyself,
nightmares. The aunt Thepits.
hounds. flashed before The my eyes.The
pain.
myortudemonicaunthadbitten
tfearedmy my motherwhenshewaspregnantwith
re. Thesacrifices.Itwastheoriginofthenewvirus,theoneIhad
entirelifewouldfinallyarrive,theonepassed ontome whenme.
werewolf,
Succumbingmyvampire, to it andor becoming any favorites.
zombie. Theonewasvirusofthemdidn’twasplayHellfor human,
Somehow
affectme.Well…sorto mothersurvived
f. andI bornmostlynormal.
EvenwiththecountlesstransfusionsIhadbeengivensinceb It didn’tirth,
thebloodvirusdidn’tleaveme.Itwasapartofme. It was in myDNA. It
wasthereasonIwasadifferenttypeofwerewolf.I
peopleImetdidn’t‘getme’orunderstandwhatIwas.IknewI’dnever
beridofthevirus,andI’dprobablyneverbeunderstoodbyanother.One
dayIwanttomeetmyauntandshowherwhatIam,Ithought.Iknewon t didn’tmatterifmost
anewlevel painwhysurfacedon
this girlAbeforeme theside ofifmye.istneck.er now.Shewasthereason
was fightingforherl
mymotherdespisedhers My birthmark burned
again, same asit had whenIhadseenthezombiebitethegirl. Amidthe
 Nowinmyroom,thegirlslammed herhead intothe back ofthe
Wasitacalltoanothercreaturelikeme?
chaosinthecoffeeshop,thetinglingsensationhadgottenmyattention.
chair,whiskinghergoldenlocks
herchanceto
neck.Maybemy
Thetry somethinginsane. neckwasover glowing
markcureonherwouldwork.Ifnot,theg hershoulders.Igot
asirlwell.I aglimpseof
wouldbedeadquicka
knew Ihad
enoughliketheothersinfectedwhodidn’tmakei
something.Acure
species. Werewolves,hadtoexist vampires, humans new virust. ButIhadtofigureout
forthiswereall that now.was jumping
dadormyteam.
beengettingreportsaboutinstancesofsuchcases.
distressAfterwards
signaltomyI wouldn’t a t risk
a seek destroyed
have timeI didn’ttosendwanttobe We had
anddestroy
growled at her, baringmyteeth.The
my bodyonthegirlagain,t
havethisgirldestroyed,butwe’dneedtobeifthisdidn’twork.
Irepositioned zombiewolfwasalways inme.orI
his timestraddlingher.I
I’d turn into him.it Toanymore.Hewasonlyamoment’snoticeaway,
alwayswaiting,alwaysready.AllIhadtodowasvisualthezombiewolf
anddidn’thavetoworkat
matter.Icouldcontrolhowfar‘zombie’I’dgo. what degree I transformed, sometimesdid
myfingertips,
wasnoturning back now.the zinging sensation.
Ifelt
feeling.ButIdidn’twillthemtor
Whenmylongclawscameforth,elongatingandextendingfrom Fuck,Imythought.I
etreat againinto handsagain.There
hate that
inchperyear than Ihadof mywerewolf
slammedmyhandsdownintotherungs
further Iwatched asintended. clawsMyofsome
they grewMyage.longer, claws
ripped softas spillow
thereclinerchair.Theydugin
twenty­four
wereasstrong
through theinches– te onel. I
fabric,slamminginto,andthenpass,themetalframe.Mymusclesf
out,changingtheupperanyfurther
portioninfront
first followed
ofthe gbyirl.myMythighsand I couldil ed
sunkenskulllegs.faceIstopped
savejust yet.foranotherday.Shedidn’t need tosee thecomplete zombie wolf
Thegirl pausedforamoment.Withthebasicappearanceofmy
werewolfs“You’venever seen thelikes ofme,ast haveyou?”Iasked,
elf, Ihadprobablyscaredthel fiberinherbeing. mywolf
sensebringingoutthecockyattitudeIpossessed.
Hereyeswidened.Sheshookherhead.
“If this doesn’twork,”Isaidto
Shesimplynodded.
“I’msorrytosayitgetsworse.”
gold. My mouth fullof the one inch her.Myeyesflashingwerewolf
razor sharp demon teeth I had
inheritedfrom
mom’sfamilywhosherefused my demonicgrandfatherwho was theothermemberofmy
to letmetomeet.“Ifthisdoesn’twork,
we’rebothdead,”Itoldtheg
TelepathicallyIsentthesignaltomydad.He’dhavetodestroyus
i r l .
both. Mymom wouldneverforgiveme,butIhadtoknowif thegirl was
likeme.She
sameasWheninmy mine,hadtobelikeme.I
naturebecauseofademonicbloodvirus.
sensation Isanknecksubsided
she calmed
myfangsdown couldn’tbeoneofa
asintothe
well.Iworkedfeverishlysuckingaway
foragirl’sneck,
few moments. kind,afreakof
intoher Thebirthmark
burning
thepoison.I
AsIdrankfromher,spittingoutthepoison
t s bittertastewasthefirstthingIf
andprayedI’deventuallytaste blood.ThenI’dknow thevirushadbeen in
e lbetween
t slidingdown my throat.
breaths,Ihoped
cleanedoutofhersystem.Shehadtobeworthsaving. ***
WhenIopenedmyeyes,myvisionregisteredeverythingupside
“Zachary,weneedtotalk.”
down. Thiscan’t bemyrigdadwasstandinginthemiddle
QuicklyIrealized ht, Ithoughttomyself. Didmyof myroom,andI curenotwork?
frame
washanging
missing
commandedapresencethatwasallhisown.Sevenfeett
himinfromacrowd.Hewore the ceiling upsidea tightlyf down.itHised graytal ,at­shirtandblack
lmuscular
. Therewasno
nylongymshortswhichwashisnormala
looks. hair. Goldsidemeofeyes.thatmanytimes.
throughandthrough,Ithought.ExceptforthescaringandtribaltattoosI
him.Mymomhadtold
hadacrossBlacktheright myRugged face, fromtfeatures.
iretheandcomplimentedhisdark
virus,I
I waslookedjust
my dad’ssonlike
“Theoldmansavedyourassagain,” mydad said. can
yougrowold?Hehadbeenapurewerewolfforaverylongtime.
“Thanks,”Isaid,understandingthattonehetookwithme
Dadwasnotoldbyanymeans.Whenyou’reimmortal,how
hadfuckedup.“Canyouletmedown?”
Casuallyhestrolledovertomy whenI
Momentarily,Isqueezed corneroftheroom.Ihungupside
downbyafewsturdyropes,onewrappedaroundeachankle.Hesighed
loudly,blowingsteaminmyface.
“Son,explain tomeone myeyesshut.
thing. You “That’sgo ionrl doinghereon
aa mission to ourkil
planet?”
zombies.Andyoubringonehome?Whatisthisg
I wiggled around in my constraints. great question,
Dad,” Ioffered,hoping I could
BeforeIcouldmove,hereachedupandslashedthecordswithhislong stalllong enough to cut myself down.
claws.Therewasnogettingaroundmydad.He’dseerightthroughmein
aninstaIfellinaheaponthef
Isaw nt. lo r. WhenIcollectedmyselfandstoodup,
Irantheg“Sonthroughmyoptionsinmyhead.
?i”rFluci.kt,Shehadbeenplacedinalarges
out.down,Zachary,Itoldmyself. Ithought.I’l Dadjust tellthe
oftheroom,probablyforherownprotection.InstantlyIwasangry.Calm te l cageontheotherside
willnotdealwellwithyouifyoufreak
oldmanthetruth.I’dtel him
 whathadbeenbuzzingaroundinmyheadsinceIhadseentheg
poisonout. , Dad.CanatHowherneck,”Isaid.“Doyouseei
virustoo?Ihadtosaveher.Atthel
birth“Look el ? I’mshehavethatunless
bywolfsensecouldbewayoff,butIdidn’tthinkso.
youtwould mean…”Ipausedbecause born withirl. Mythe
east, Ihadtotry.IthinkIgotallthe
t?shewas
Ihavethesamemark,
suddenly become veryalert, very calculating, yet Icouldt
hadsituation.Hewaspayingattentiontomyeveryword. unsure ofel thehe
stoic, regallikemydadwas.“Nootherwerewolfhasamarkliket
IIheardtheg
wanted togoirl growlandthenwhimper.
to her,but Iheld myground, hoping to appear hat.
hastomeansomething.“Ican’tbetheonlyoneofmykind,”Isaid. I t
“This thegirl whimperagain. t thegirl and thenback
at me. Throwinguphishands,heglancedovera
Iheard
downforme.” I didn’tis understand
not me. Thiswhatis you. Will you please? She won’t quiet
he meant until I saw her face and her
liquidblueeyes.Shewasupset.
cagewhereIstood.“That’swhyyousavedher?”
Dadkickedhisheelsatimeortwo,makinghiswayslowlytothe
“Yes,”Isnapped.
Hefrownedatme,rubbingthestubbleonhischin.
of thecageawayfrom her me.
othersideThegirl growledseveral times
and a t him, somy dad movedto the
cometome,stickingmyhandthroughthebars.
rod,hoping
FinallyIstoppednearthes
cagecoveredmuchofonesideofthelargeroom.Imotionedforher
“Ididn’twanthertogetaway.Whatwere
“Whyisshecagedup?”Iasked,tracing preferablymy side.tetol
she’d come closerte l todoor,oppositeherattheotherend.The
one of the sides,my handsalongthes
“Ididn’thaveachancetofinishmyexperiment.”
ashefinallyplacedhishandsonhishipsinfrustration. youdoing?”Dadasked
“Zachary,t
tihigo.Is kindoftrouble.”
’InstantlyI his isn’t somethingyouneedtogetinvolvedin. Justlet
l cal Containment.We’llactlikeitdidn’thappen.Wedon’tneed
owed reacted.Mybodywentr
itto
putshehadtoldme.Iwasn’tanybody’sfool.Idecidedtouse
down.I my werewolf igid.toShewasn’tgoingtobe
heritage try to savesomeofmy
her.I had
goneintod
heardmymom’sversionofmymomanddad’sromance.Dadhadnever
etails, butIknewwhathehaddonetosavemymombecause
“Did youleave MominHelltorot whenshe wasturnedintoa
mom’slogiconmydad.
vampire?Didyou?A
you were there. She toldme. daughterofSatan?WhenshedrankSatan’sblood,
vampire.Thatwasnotbyaccident.Youknewthenwhoshereallywas,
You were there to seeher changeinto a
youandhowimportantshewas.Shewasn’tevillikeeveryonethought,and
words.Overtheyears,you’vedoneeverythingyoucantosaveher.Every
knew that. You never doubted her even when she did. Her exact
timeshehasneededsaving.Momtoldme!”
“Yourmother is awriter.Sheexaggerates,”hereplied,rollinghis
don’tevenknowher?”
eyes towardgetthe fceiling. “Who isthis g i r l to youanyways,
freak ofnature,awerewolfzombieevenifit Zach? You
meansIcanwalkamongthemundetected.Idon’twantthat!IfIdon’ttry
tosaveher,Iwon’tknow.NowwillI?Whati
livealone,beingtheonly
regretl
sure,Dad.ButI
a“Iter thatIcouldhavedonesomething,youknow?Idon’twant
that.I’mnotanidiot.”Itriedtocontrol f shetoomy rage. “I’m notto
elt it whenIsawherinthecoffeeshop.Idon’twantto
virus.Who
have es“That I’mfather
, son.isherontopof
newvirus?Whatifthatmakesheruniquelikeme?”
abilititostay would sorry.explainthe
don’tsave Maybe she waswasbornwiththe
orWemother?Youraunt?Thismaybebeyondyour
mark. zombies.Wedestroythem.Weborn withthe
vampiresandwerewolves.” this situation before it gets worse among the
“It’s gottenworse,Dad.It’sjumped
“Doyouhaveproof,”hechallenged. species.Iknowit.”
me so.”Ipointedtothegirl inthecage.“She’sawerewolf,Dad.Shetold
Notbelievingme,hegrunted.
wassaying.Rulesweremeant
Using ahissame logic, tobe
I rebelled.
bentsometimes,
He had to even
understandwhat
broken. he
t
up IfacedDad seen my
il Mom. Youmomweredoingtheretoprotecther.”
andtheothers,andIwasn’tbackingdownnow.Asinsaneasitseemed,I
hadtoknowIwasn’tbackingdown.Ihadn’tbackeddownagainstRex
occasion.Withhisheight,hehadnoproblemlookingdownonme,buthe
andAsbestIcould,
vampires.Andyet,youdidn’tk
glare“Beforetherewerezombies,”Ibegan.“Werewolvesusedtok
him like I hadheadon.Imadeapointtothrustmychinup on more than oneil
wasn’twrongaboutt
Dadsearchedmyhis. faceformanyminutes.Thesilenceintheroom
thickened.Icouldhearonlytheg
poison.Trying to remainreadycalm, Iirrefused
l’s raggedbreathingasshefoughtthe
to look away from my dad,
glaringupat him.Iwas
Whathashappened to me?Iturnedtotakeontheworld.Mygod,
my attention back totheg
near i r Ithought.
l . She had
slowlyapproachedmysideof
butIcouldseethed thecageandstood me,alsoglaring
overmyshoulderatimydad.Herblondehairwastousledamidherface,
strust behindhereyes.Eveninherchaotics tate, she
lookedadorable.
hisfingersthrough
Intypicalparentfashion,mydadreachedouthishandandrubbed
wasOkay?”heasked. myblackhHe adidir, somewhatshakingmyentirebody.He
move ondoesn’t
me whenwork.he
wasn’tover.“We’l haveto address ththatis ifdismissal
unbelievably strong.
wantedmetoknowthat,fornow,hewastablingthesituation.Iknewit
your experiment
 “Yes,sir,”Ireplied.
yourmother,youare.”
RealizingIhadgotten myway andhewasleaving me
He chuckledandwalkedtothedoor.
Finallyhepattedmeontheshoulder.“Iforgethowstubborn,like
Iwatchedashelingereda t thedoor.“Youknow,”hesaid.“You
Maybe can tomytask,
are the
sonofavampirewithhealingblood. that
lockedfora moment as my mind raced with new
pos ibiliOurties.eyesHehaddeliberatelygivenmeanidea. help.”
sit…” “Are you fine with me sharing your mother the details on this
Iheardhimpause,notfinishinghissentenceorword.
“IfIdon’tshow upfordinner,yeahtel her. . Uh…”Ididn’twant
topredicttheoutcome.
“Doyouneed my
Again hewatchedhelp?”
“No.I’vegotthis.” mefor several minutes, not saying anything.
“Welli
face alongthe
f youreconsider,c al me.” Hetappedhisfingerstothesideofhis
templearea.“Iwon’tbefaraway.”
Inodded.
thatlightlya
back.Hewasmy‘Goto’mani
Dadwasamanoffewwordssometimes,butIknewhehadmy
t all.Hereturnedanodandclosedthedoor.
f thingsgotreallycrazy,andIdidn’ttake
zombie,OnceIknew the Ihad
g i r l to
shifted
get into
a ***cagetimewithbetween
second
the her beforethe
werewolfand
zombie
werewolf ofancestry,she
versionstuck.Itwouldn’tdofor
szombie
same
uncontrollable.It
wolf’mood.
te l barsdemonic
Nowmonster.
hercageas
creatures theherlooked
Andremindedmewehad
versionof
werewolfs seen
meoflikemyself
tosimplywatchherfromoutsidethe
azombie
edemonic
latthe
f mergedpermanentlywiththe
whenIwascoffee
Iwerewolf,
wasinfull
lookingat
shop.crazed
With‘zombie
was andherthe

gotten B.a l of asIwatchedtheg

thepoisonous bloodi r l s h i f t
outofher backandf o r t
system,soih , IrealizedIhadn’t
t wastime for
Plan Unfortunately,performingPlanBmeantIhadtogetupandclose
toimmune
werewolfzombieinacagei
her,essentially
tothe zombietakingmylife oneinthing;my owngettinghands.mauledKnowingbya you’re
virusiss quiteanother.Mypastfightswithhuman crazed
zombies intheirragingsicknessamountedtoafew cutsandscratches.
Myclawsdidmywork.IfIgotbloodonme,Isimplywashedi t away.
HavingthezombievirusinmybloodjustmeantIcouldsmellthemout
fasreattach mytobemanysecretwithzombie
kiltierthaneveryoneelse.Thatwasoneof
myarm before dinner was going
ngand. Anyinjuriesofminehealed, hard toexplainmyto my
andmy theyhealedquickly.Tryingto
mom
hadsaidaboutmymother’svampiricblood.Supposedly,shewasunlike
Whentheword‘heal’crossed
dad. mind,Irecalledwhat dad
other
hadgoing vampires.Those
savedothers on turned
many
Iheardaofmy by her
occasions,acould
fewheal anyone’s
times with myi n j u r
dad. i e s . She
Even
wasin skeptical,i
thoughIoffSuddenly theback skull. inmyears likeawarning
t wasjustthethingIneededrightaboutnow.
loudbuzzingsound
piercingsignalofhesitationasIstaredatthelockonthe
became The implant in my headcageradiated
door.My a
when
battlestations,controllingmyimplant.Thesearethesituationsthatarise
armsandlegs
having
Dadhadtoldmymomthesituation,andtheywerebothattheir
two supernatural
frozeninplace.
and overprotected
thanapersonbargainsf or, Ithoughttomyself. parents can be morein
herbodybecauseIknewwhattheendresultwouldbe,forbothofus.I
girlwhoIwantedtosaveasshestruggledwiththepoisonnowraging
Iwantedtowillmylegstowork.Iwantedtowalkawayfromthe
felttheimplantsizzlinginmyhead,directing metokeep
andwaititout.DadhaddefinitelytoldMombecause,aboveeveryone, want thedoorshut
MomknewwhatIwasabouttodoandshedidn’t
son.unthinkableandunleashthebeast.
Icursed thefact I had the implant in my head toloseheronly
and wastoallowing
myselfit to Ireached
befrommy
directed by mymy overzealousmy parents.I had
and slicedintomyhead.I
andI knewIhadto do the
heardtheg
shootforth
formylongclawstoseverthefrozenmentalconnectionIwasunderand
getfloorononeknee.Theimplantburnedin
out.Z,Iwhisperedmentallytozombiewolfinsideme.Makehaste.
AsItoldyoubefore,thewolfi
irl scream.upwith
fingerstips. indexfinger
Iyelledoutinpainandslumpedtothe
s alwaysready.Itdidn’ttakelong
temple,
skin.Knocks
wanttoletmefinisht
brokenreclineragainsti
Withoneofmyclaws,Imanagedtof
Quicklypoundedonthe
Iyankedhits.onmyown.Irushedtothedoorandshovedthe
Thatwouldgivemeafewminutesa
the doorof
doortomyroom.
the ste liccagekMomandDad
it outfromunder didnotmy
openandt most.stepped
insidewiththeg
Beinginaifromrlhumanformb
. riefly, thegirl fel myinmyarms.I’msureI
wastransformation
asight becausehappening. Iwasn’t ableThe todemonstop teeth.fuThel zombie
claws. wolfMy
werewolf“Youcan’tlookatme,”Itoldthegirl.“Okay?”
eyesandmy
protruding.StandingontwolegsIprobablylookedghastly.
Sheclungtome,crying.“Idon’tcare.Idon’tcare.
featuresextremely
pushingforth.
angular canine
My palefeatures.
sunkenface
My muscles
with blacklargeand
skull
e th.“I“Yourname?”Iasked,barelyaudiblea
won’tleaveyou,”Isaid,hoping Imadet thsensewithamouthfull
wanttohelpme.Pleasetellmewhattodo.”
oftonlythingIwantedtoknow
“Iknow,”shereplied. Iknowyou
is point.Irealizedthe
“Sasha.MynameisSasha.” at thatmomentwashername.
 burst
neck. “Zach,”Ireplied.Pullingherintomyarms,Iembracedherinthe
of myIforced andmywilluponthegirl,commandingSashatoreturnthebite
my mother
middleofanotherwerewolfzombieshiftshewashaving.Iheardthedoor
andburyherfangsinmyneck.Withanyluck,thevampirichealingblood
openmother racing inmy scream
veins would
when healIsunkSashamyteeth
and extinguish
intoSasha’sthe
virus or my blood virus would transfer itself to her andel . she’d be very
muchlikeme.Anotherzombiewolf.Onlytimewouldt
###
Thisstorycontinues in ZombieWolf(TheNextGeneration#1)
byAllyThomas(ComingSoon)!
AboutTheAuthor­
Bestsellingauthor
thatshowcase vampires, AllyThomaszombies,
werewolves, loves writingwitches,paranormal
and any books
furry
monsterswhogobumpinthenight.
passion Allyiscurrentlyworkingonthenext
paranormalfantasys
for evampire
ries, theVampireromance. installmentofherpopular
from Hellaswellasexploringher
Learn more at
http://allythomas.wordpress.com/about/contact­me/
fromHell The
TheVampire
gvampiresstartedinHell,andi
irl, evenifhei Rayea, (Part1)­
oldest daughterBeginning
Accordings themostpowerfulfallenangelaround.Hewantsherto
to thet startedwithher.Rayeai originitofle
ofSatan,sn't thedaddy'sl
practicing
everything worldahridomination.
t.s sampleroffering.)
excerptsfromParts2and3,sothereadercanexperiencetheVampire
fromHellseriesint
takeanactiveroleinthefamilybusiness.Butshe'snotinterestedinhis
schemesfor
shopping ontheInternet,rescuinghumansfrom
martial
changes. (Both
withherthe Instead
sevenfoot
ebook andshe hellhound.
wants
paperback
ahorrific
to spendher
Then
versions
eternity,and
oneday
havetime

TheVampirefromHell(Part2)­AVampireamongAngels
Livinga life isthe
with anoverbearing fathercan bea challenge.For
Rayeawhosefather fallenangel,Lucifer,it'sbeent
ofG. Thereto discoveravampire
amongBlick'sangelicfriends,only
secondinstallment
when she visitstheofthe
HouseVampirefrom shehopes anewfromorfindspeace
Hellseries,forRayea tubeginning
rHelle. Inthemay
notbewelcome.
TheVampirefromHell(Part3)–AVampireonVacation
InthethirdpartoftheVampirefromHellseries, Rayeatravelsto
Earthhopingtomeetheronlinefriends,leaveherdisturbingpastwithher
father
family.behindLateher, and embark on a new future without her meddling
SummerfromhasHellbroughtanewdimension
Part4)–TheBloodofthegods
Vampire Returns (TheVampireto Rayea’slifeas
fromHell ­
thevampirefromHell. In thefourthinstallmentoftheVampirefromHell
withherbestfriend,Blick.Additionally,Rayearealizeshersordidpast
withherfamilyi
series, Rayeajuggleshernewresponsibilitiesandstartingarelationship
s catchingupwithher,andshe’sgoingtohavetodeal
withitonceandforall.Whentwoofherfriendsgomissing,sheknows
she mustbeginasearchtofindthem.Andthefirst placeshehastolook?
Hell. In Grace her is
topbuyer,
clutchesofhercontrollingboyfriendasshelearnshei
hergreatestenemy.
vampirismwasabadideaandshewantsout.Graceplanstoescapethe
FangedLove­ThePrequel
onenight
awomanFollowing
he metrealizesonNathanthe internet
lover
into a world
called
destinedtoultimatelybe
ofsthesellinghertothe
bloodlettingand
new Medusa.
Grace’splanquicklychangeswhentheAngelofDeathshowsup,t
haveshemethassentfor
herstunningly, man knownGraceasseekDemetri?
intheVampirefromHellseriesappearint
handsomehim.Will salvationinthe eries. eltihnisg
Ahifews newscharactersyou
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 CAVerstraete

While there is a certain satisfaction

writingalongerstoryorbook­lengthf i c t i o n ,thatflashfictionoffersi
comes with readingts ownor
pleasure...
surpriseinacompactform.So,Iofferthesesmalltidbitsforyourreading
Beautyreallyisonlyskindeep?
 BeautyintheEyesoftheBeholder
Shewasthemostbeautifulg By ChristineVerstraete
irl intheworld,well,inmyworld.
Fordays,weeks,a l I ' d seenwasugliness,horror and
sawher.I tried nottostare at hairlikeglisteninggold;longlegs;ashapely decayuntilI
bodyunderthatblackdress.
I longed to reachout and caress the smallcrosstattooedonher
neck. Icalledout,anxiousforherresponse."Hello,Miss?"
Islowed my approach,
Noanswer. heartnotwantingtos tartle her. it stopped.
upa bit...andthenIswore
Assheturnedmy
"Hey,areyouokay?"
a t sped
She stared mewith eyesthe loveliest shaderis. of blue ­ if you
ignoredthewhitishfilmslowlycreepingacrosseachi
staretoldanotherstory.
Shegave no other indication anything was wrong,but her dead
*Inspiredbythisbeautifulphotoofawoman'sbackat:
Withahugesighofregret,Iraisedthegunandtookaim.
2013­05­07http://www.flickr.com/photos/robof07/8716205653/in/explore­
***
Whocanlive withoutmusic?
TheDaytheMusicDied
ByChristineVerstraete
"We're
Theyallmusicians,
casetotheground. not gypsies," he yelled, slamming the guitar
whattodonext. heldtheir breathattheoutburst,worriedsomeonewould
hear,worriedtheywouldcome...
Thegrouphuddledinthemiddleofthewoodedgrove,wondering
IButit wast foolish, they knew, to hadhang on totheir instruments, to
strugglewiththeheavycasesastheyranfromplacetoplace,fleeingfor
their livMusicwasl
es. washardtoletgo.Music
ife. beentheir livesforyears.
Lowmoansfloatedinonthebreeze.
Music couldnowmeantheir deaths.
*Inspired by an eerie photo of these musicians at:
 *Inspired by an eerie photo of these musicians at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexzaitsev/8697805663/in/explore­2013­
05­01
aTeenageZombie,which
Here'sasmall"taste"ofmyupcomingbook,GIRLZ:MyLifeas
***
releasesAugust1.Youcanreadmorea t my
website,www.cverstraete.com.
SynopsisforGIRLZ:MyLifeasaTeenageZombiebyC.A.
Verstraete
Lifecansuckwhenyou'resixteen.It cansuckeven worsewhen
you'renot­quite­dead.
Sixteen­year­old Rebecca Herrera
biggestnightmares:badskin,badh
thelivingdead. Hayes faces. turningintooneof
air, andworse. every teenager's
zombie,afateheshareswithherthrough an accidentalscratch.
totheirsmallWisconsintowncarryingadeadlysecret—he'sbecominga
Becca'slife changesforeverwhenhercousinSpencecomesback
AfterTheZinfection,however,
But timeis
al , howtreated
running
canhe,who .hasBecca
showsmutated,affectingyoungerpersons
earlyout.enough,differently.Now
likeThenshemeetsGabe,agood­lookingpart­Zlikeher,andfearsfallingfor
him.withweirdphysicalchangesandhabitsno
interestedinsomeonelikeher?
her,orthose hisanyhelpZ asbeshesymptoms,
needshardly
girl wantsto shenoticedfor.
mustcope
and herbe
cousinCarmsearchfortheirmissingmothersandfightoffhungryZs.
Most ofall, sheneeds tofind something, anything, tostop this
deadlytransformationbeforeit is forevertoolate...
 Prologue
Avirus.Afreakingvirus.
I'd been sickbefore,youknow,measles,mumps,kids tuf …but
notreallysick. t h i s .
Itunedbackintothedoctor'sexplanation…newd
This.. this couldn'tbehappening.
Neverlike iet,
blah­blah…andlethiswordsfadeagainintothebackground.
Gone was the goldentan I'd nurtured over the summer pil s, blah­with
tanningcreamandhourssunbathingbythepoolwithoneofmycousins.
Myskinhadaweirdgrayishtone,likeI 'd rubbedmyselfwithfireplace
ash. Igazed atmy legs,nowmottledwithstrange
out gray blotches,and
mythetablenexttothebed.Whimpering,Irubbedahandovermycheek,
prettypink toenailspeeking from beneaththesheet.
Iturnedandcaughtmyreflectioninthemetalcanistersittingon
The machine nextto memade a franticbeep­beep.
wonderinga
decentnose. t thescalytexture,whileat othertimesIfelt almostnothing.
Large,deepbrowneyesunderebonybangsstaredback.Isawa
Spots. inthe pinkish patches and my uneven skin tone, which
my aunt.Itookme ofthoseoldbattleshipsonthePBSshowI'dwatchedwith
reminded my
Forthef i r s t timein sixteen­year­oldlifeIwas.. ugly.
Istruckthebedframeoverandover,thepainbarelyregistering.
Themachine'swhir­click­whirturnedintoawailalmostlouderthanmine
—beep­beep­beeeeeeep.
Anurseinbluescrubsrushedinandt
t'l be fine,"shesaid. ried toreassureme,evenas
sheattemptedtokeepmeimmobileonthisslabtheycalledabed.
"Relax,i
"No,i t won't,"Iyelled,"it won't!"
HowcouldlookinglikefreakingKingTutwithouthiswrappings
everbefine?
***
Bio: C.A. (Christine) Verstraete is a big Halloween fan who
enjoysagoodscareortwo.Hershortfictionhasappearedonlineandin
Stopby
anthologiesherwebsite at http://cverstraete.comor
HerYAbook,GIRLZ:MyLifeasaTeenageZombie,releasesAugust1.
includingTimeshares visit her Books.
and Steampunk'd fromDAW blogs,
http://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com
http://candidcanine.blogspot.com. and
ARVon

(0.5DreamZ)
Prequel
By
A.R.Von
 ALL RIGHTSRESERVED
used This is a workoffiction.Names,
fictitiously and are not to be characters,
construed as placesAnyandresemblance
real. incidents aretoproducts
actual ofevents,
the author’s imagination
locales, orareor
organizations
persons, livingordead,isentirely coincidental.

Copyright© 2013 DreamZ

Story By DragonPublishing
A.R. Von
Edited
By
Bonnie (Leanore)Elliott
CoverArt
By
WickedMuse Covers
of
the caseofexcerpts
No part thisorquotations
book may beembodied
used or forreviews.
reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in
 Why?orWhyture. Many
puresexualt
~Wunder~
timeswithEachmyandhandrubbingmymostintimate
becameawomanIawakensweating,panting,hotandbotheredfromthe
the torture? every single night since I
place.Adream,somanydreams.Eachonei
samefacelessdarkhairedstranger.
“UGH!” s different,butal containthe
facialITheonlythingsIknowforsurei
always!
heart’sdeepestdesires
hiswasstrangea
Soguess.
features,
muchtfiOnerspassion,
t,except eyes.desire.sIgot
forI DOhisandknow,
thingandheathealwaysgrantsthemto
thesamecolorasmine,butmuchshorter.Hehasthemostbeautifuleyes
I’veeverseen.Glowingeyesthatseemtobeabletoseeintomysoul.My
years, isheiHethesusedmakes
seeinghimandyetnot.Notbeingabletomakeout twayal , hasravenblackh
makes mefeel,atheir,
metoithemewithoutpause.It
throughout
feel beautiful,

irreplaceableandwantedinaway,Iimagine,everywomanwantstof
Frustration atits f i n e s t . This l a t e s t dream seemed more r e a l estli.c
i
thanalloftheothers.Is
most intimatetouchI’ve t i l feeltheripplesonmyskinfromhistouch;the
ever experienced,theonly touchs tfroma
dry male
HisI’vehadcaressinisuchamanner.Thegoosebumps
s alwayssosensualandarousing.
my are
Myjumouthi
are s t startingtogoaway.
my i l i sfrom
allofthepantingI’vedone,
pounding.Nowordscouldeverdescribemydesiretomeetthis manofmystil
panties drenchedand heart
 Nowordscouldeverdescribemydesire to meetthis manofmy
dreams.Thatis—ifhetrulydoesexist.I’mgoingtobe25yearsoldand
havezerosexualexperience.I’dgiveanythingtofeelevenaportionof
Anything!I’veWhenIfinallydo
what felt during thesegetamazingly
thefloorsfeelextracoldonmyoverheatedf
outofbedands satisfyingetrto.l “Definitelystartingoff
yettorturous dreams.
towardsthebathroom,
withacoldshower.”Iturnonthewaterf ul blastcold,tossmysleepshirt
myflesh.“ACK!”Holycrapdoesitsting.Buthey,itworks.Mybodyno
andpantiesinthehamperandbracefortheshockofcoldwateragainst
longerfeelstheintenseheatofarousal,j
somehotwatertothemix,whenIhearbanging
theorgasm,s ust theresidualtinglesl eft after
on thebathroomdoor.I
til lingeringalongmybody.Ifullysubmergeafteradding
jumpslightlyandslipabit,almostlandingf
“Wunder?WUNDER??Areyoual lright
fast reflexesandrightmyselfquickly. at onmyass.Luckily,Ihave
in there?” Mydadis a
realworry­wartwheni t comestome.Thebestdad
was
“Yeadad.Water cold.That’sit. I’mfine.” ever!
“Alrighthun.I’mmakingcoffeenow”
“Ok,dad.I’l beoutinafew,”Ianswerhimwithnowchattering
getwashedupandgetout.I
tthesedreams. t’s just thatmybodyissupersensitiveafter
e th. I’veonlyaddedatouchofhotwaterandneedtoaddmore,soIcan
heated
theonlythingwhichseemstohelptonedown my racinghormonesand
EVERYTHINGfeelsmoreintense.Buttheshockofcoldwateri
flesh toat least some semblance of order, soI can functions
properlyandkeepmynextpair of pantiesdry,fornow.l washedup.Making
Raisingthetemperaturealotmore,Igeta
surethannecessary.Itrytopushthehauntingdreamstothebackofmymind,
nottostimulate anyofmy sensitiveparts by lingeringanylonger
ofall black. Blackcargo pants, T­shirt, my steel­toecombat
consisting
adogwithajuicysteak.Afterdryingoff,Ijumpintomydailyuniform
insteadofhavingthemhoveringintheforefront,teasingmeasyouwould
Iknow my dadisgoing towanttohavethetraditional‘morning
bootsandIheadtothekitchen.
chat’withme.I
aswasfine. t’s aritual withhimandIhonestlydon’tmindit.Aslong
itputshismindatease, I’m good.“Morningdad”
a t Igrabamug offthe
yoursleep?”
counterandpeckhimonthecheek
Hehasaslightsmirkonhisface.“Morning,Wunder.Howwas
Icantel he’stryingreallyhardtosuppresshisknowingsmile.“It
thesametime.
addingsugarIslept…Nothingspecial.Sameasusual”Isaywithagrinwhile
and powderedmilk tomy coffee.Imissflavoredcreamers.left
They’reveryhardtocomebythesedays.Therearen’tmanyfactories
intheworldforthedistribution,thoughI’veheardthereoncewas.The
ast time I had it was about 2 years ago now. “Dad, have anynew
lshipmentscomein?”
 “Iwas just thinkingofanicecreamyadditionformycoffee.I
“No,notsincel ast month.Whydoyouask?” t ’ s
beensolongsinceIhadanyflavortoit.Besidessugarthatis.
“Yea,itwould.Whoknowswhenwe’ll getmore. I’l askaroundon
nice,youknow?” I t would be
tosome.see I’mif anyone heard of any of theother areas gettingtheir hands
suresomeonewillmakeanicetrade.Iftheyhaveanyonhand.
Ifnot, HeI’l never
put theshareswordel whenhe’sthereinhishappyplace,becausehis
withoutandme about
brightensasifhismindhaswanderedofftoahappyplace.
smiles…ever.Icant we’ll seewhatwhatbringshappens.” himtheseHis secret
smile
hMydad
sincemymother—Yea, anda kilaterasolidsixfeett
eyesglazeoverandhissmileisrelaxed.Notensenesstoitwhatsoever.
air, hazeleyes
issohandsome.Ineverunderstoodwhy fuhel headhasn’tdatedanyone
personality.I juaslt,can’tunderstandwhyno ofdark brown
one hasI’veaskedhimaboutdatingonce
knowhemissesmymother,butIwouldratherseehimhappy.Whatever
thequestionandsaidhe’sj
shownanyinterest inhim. ust notinterested.Il and helookedseriouslyhurtby
eft himaloneafter that. I
hischoicesarewithrelationships,oranythingelsehehasgoingon,his
happinessis allthatmatterstome.
others safe.ImightthatButhave
ofnature
Normal…asintrainingdaily livesitwasanormall
bittodiifightandk
in a world ffefinow—well asgrowing
normalofal
cluletd forwithilmetoinfected
stayaliveaswell
peoplecan freak
up. Noifemother,
asa have.
keep
abnormalgenesandbeingraised
thinkhedidanexcellentjobraising by
Don’t get me wrong, he’stheasingleparent,myfather,Lance.
me.bestHetaughtmeeverythingIknow
fathera girl could ask for. I
andalk’.thenWhensome.I wasWell,checked
with theoverexception
tfatherprefersnottodiscusswithhisonlydaughter,youknow,the‘sex of afewtheminor
just recently, doctorsdetailsdetermined
that a
thatIcouldhavechildren,justlikeanyotherwomanintheworld.
result,mydadactuallyhadoneofthelocalfemalephysiciansgivemethe Asa
tblurted
guys everything fun!I knew.Iandbelieve
alk. Ohat thetrainingcenterandmyteammates.Theyalwaysspeakopenly
andboldlyoftheirconquests
outyea,thatwas Which
lovelIhadivIeshave. Docmostly
Smithblushingwhen
learnedfrom theI
though.She Thenofcourse,therearemydreams.I’venottoldheraboutthose
My dadsaidIknewanawful
couldn’t lookme inlot thefor eyenot havingexperience
home.Iwassmilingtheentiretime,knowinghowawkwardhe
area.THATmademeblushandweendedthatconversationrightthere. thatevening whenI feltinthat
aboutgot
having to send meto someone else for thetalk.
anythingthough,despitemyconstantgrin.Well,Ididinmymind,butI I didn’ttease him
on tothesecret.
if Idid.Icouldn’tdothatto
or
knewhewouldbeevenmoreuncomfortable
him.He’shadenoughtodealwith,just havingtohold
Thesecretwhichliveswithininme.He’skepti
moream,There
mywanted areprepared whattoofexpect
mesomeothersbeside t forsolong,ontopof
asIhappening
havingtocontinuelivingwiththelossofhisonetrueloveandsoulmate,
Itruly
out motherJasmine.
DNA.Thereseemstobenootherpartzombiesofanysortaround.So,
tobeabout
butnotmany.Mydadhadnootherchoicebuttotryandfind
andincase anything grewand developed.of myHehe
my dadandmyself,whoknowwhat
because
wenttoacoupleofhisclosestfriendswhoworkedinthemedicalf
andtheyranamultitudeoftestsonme.Comparingmetootherhumans, ield,
otherzombies,evenafewanimals(todatethere’sneverbeenaninfected
animal ofany
Idon’tremembermuchaboutmostofi
type). t.I wasway tooyoungto
holdthosememories.Idorecalllights,verybrightonesandsomesmells.
suckersstink!Ithinki
I now know what asonet’sparticularscent
myheightenedsensesthatmakewas. Zombies. Boy,it sobad. do thoseI’d
describet heir scent acombinationofthestinkintheair whichcomes
intoacarwindowwhendrivingbyanoldsewageplantonaveryhotday,
combinedwitharottedcorpse.Thesmellofdeathreeks!
evenclose.Mydadalwayst
Hecan only
e l ssmell
mehedoesn’tsmellthemthewayIdo.Not
them when he’s up closeand getting
havesidetogorenew
mypersonalmeetthe
personal forwithal handing
endof til tihseitor tdeath.
ofmyproofofliving,he’srighttherebymyside.
it. Hethemsmymachete’ One of every
his typesofmeetings.He’sbeenby
day.Even those‘upmonth,when
closeandI
Heinsistsonbeingtherein caseany changesoccurwithinme.So,
Iwon’thavetofeelaloneorfrightened.
everyone Allhastheyto doto
go processnoanyone
through less thanfor oncea
their proofmonth)of living
i s (whichyour
prick
fingertodrawabitofblood.Iguessyoucouldsayit’ssomewhatsimilar
towhatadiabeticwoulddotot e s t t h e i r bloodsugar.Exceptinthiscase,
they’re Ichecking
t’s aninstantforaredifferent
thefuckedupinfectedkind. sult, sortof abnormality within.You know,
Ifyoufail? whichhat. IIf learned
oflivingcard,updatedwithyourfingerp
colorcodingorsomecrapliket
barcodeandanexpirationdate.
Well,that’sawholeother you’rec tooklear, years to develop. A
rint, photo,bloodtype,testdate,
yougetanewproof
knowing.Theproceduresareveryhush­hush.Ithinki storythatI’veyettohavethehorroroft’s keptthis way,
sopeoplewon’thave afeardidfor monthlytesting.Therewouldmostlikelybea
sothere’snohesitation ofbeingtested.Besttokeeptheminthedark,
riotofsortsifthetruth
mind. “Sounds
Gatheringmythoughtstothepresent,Ishake
great dad…thanks!
comeout.Butwhat I appreciatedo Iknow? youmyasking
headtoclearmy
hurrynowandfinishupmylast bit ofcoffeeandtoast. around.” I
Idad.“Ihavetrainingthismorning and thenapatrolwiththeteamtherest
betters“Iknowhowmuchyou’denjoyaspecialtreatinyourcoffeetoo.
plit.” I quicklywashmycupandplate asIglance overatmy
go too.Checkuponthosesuppliesandlook
not surehowlateI’ll
same.Somethingextraalwaysbeingtossedinorsuddenlyremembered.”
oftheday.I’m
“Yeah,Igotta be tonight.Youknowit’sneverthe
ourchanceforaluxuriouscupofcoffee,thengettoworkmyself. Youbeinto
safeoutthereanddon’tgosoftonanyoneduringtrainingtoday.”
“Whatdoyoumeangosoft?”
Ignoring his expression of amusement, I continue with my
Atmyreaction,mydadburstintolaughter
defense,“YouknowIcan’tusea
“I doI wasabit
likeyou’renotpayingattentionorsomethingl
yesterday
guarddown.Focus l ofmystrengthonanyoneIt
I’l breakaboneorsomething.Youofallpeopleknowhowthatgoes.”
know, Wunder.
shocked.Butwhen
You’venever Iheardgotten
atethatly. pinned rain with.It’s
Justdon’tletyour
Tank pinnedyou
before.
lingeringinhisvoice.onthenowandkickass!”Hesayswithlaughterstil
wasallright.IthoughtIseriouslyhurthim.Myguardwasdownbecause
Hefakedsomeseriousinjury.Ibentoverhimtocheckandmakesurehe
“Tanktrickedme.That’stheonlyreasonhewasabletopinme.
Iwasconcernedformyteammate.Iwon’tf
himasmuchtoo.
matterwhat.Heknowsa
stuntliket theonlyonetherewhoknowsIcanbesthim forthatcrapagain.Itoldno
l aboutthe real me.al Ididn’tthinkhe’dpulla
hat. He’sHe’ssuchapainintheass!”
Withmyfrustrateddescription,
Is t i l mydad
feelthestingofembarrassmentbecauseIwastakendown. is shakingwithlaughter.
Thef irst pininmytraininghistorybymyteam‘equal’TanktheSkank.
I’llgethimback.Oh,youbetIwill.Paybacki s abitchandrevengeisa
motherfucker.Theideaofsweetretributionbringsasmiletomyface.
I’l thinkofsomethingtopayhimback.“Byedad.Loveyou.”
Leavingthe
“Loveyoutoo.”
kitchen,Istopa
ofthe panel mymyt dadapanelbytheentrywayandpress
on thefour andcornersrevealsasmallwalk­inwhichisloadedfloortoceiling
popsopen, installed yearsago.It silently
withweaponsofalls
Taser attached. The obeltrts. Igrab
i s loaded, weaponsbeltwithahighpowered
with different weapons like an
day.expandablebatonandsomeotheroddandendsI
housewithoutweapons.
what’splannedfortheday.Ialwayshaveatl
sword)inmyduffle.
and aniceIchange
Readyfor amount
thingswar…another
ofoversharpshere(akaanddailyknives, st ’twogunsonmyperson
eaforme.
there.routineDepending
daggers, l needthroughoutthe
throwing
onIneverleave
mymood
starsandandthe
playitsafe,insteadofbeingsorry. Youneverknowwhat’sgoingtohappen.What
mightlurkaroundacornerorevenrightinfrontofyou.So,Ipreferto
 Withmygearight.I’dsay
aperfecttemperature.
suretolockitupt nowWow!packed,It’s suchagorgeousdayout.Sobright
it’satl Imake myway out the door beingand
east 70degreesinthesun.Ilove
There areafew peoplemillingabout,movingonwitht
anextrabouncetomystepasI
timeofyearwhentheweatherislikethis.Itbringsasmileto makemy waytothetrainingcenter. eir day.this
myhfaceand
Notmanypayingmuchmindtomeatthemoment.Afewsmileandgive
meharvest,a quicksowewaveallhave which Ienough produceMosttolastare tendingtothis
reciprocate. throughout theyear’s year.
OthersaregoingtoeitheratrainingcentersimilartotheoneI’mheading
toIlovetherushoftraining.It’sone
tmereallywell
haveo, orsomeotherdailya
tovent holdback bemyabletofeel
and feel…really itfeely. normal onofadailybasis,eventhoughI
fucltivpotential.IknowthisistheonethingI
ordinarytheentiretime.Todaythough
theonlythingsthatallows candois
extra
can’t anyspecial.
helpharm.butI’vetosmile.
himWunderwedgie! Well,justnotthoughtHe’smuchgoingofharmhowtoexcept
toget Tankoncebacktohehiswithout
flip out,maybe experiencesa
huge ego.Idoing
~~~~~~~~
Myfavorite part of meanby
there’ssomeaction.WhatI is whensomeofthezombie
eachareadayactionis patrolling. It’sthe best when
down.
scumaimlesslywandersintoour andwegettogiveanomercybeat­
Jonah,
(ResilientThere
Skyand team has onnoThere’s
InfectedareZoot.sixPolice)ofEachusinthisarea.
altogether myless teamthanmyself,known
six Tank,
members,
as Adam,
RIPno1
memberscanremember.
exceptions,We’velostquite
ever.It’s been that way from as farback as theolder
Allcasualties oft h i s afewmembersthroughouttheyears,thousands.
fuckedupzombie horrorthat’splaguedthe
forover30yearsnow.Itseemstoonlygetworse
Investigators,scientists andciviliansarealls tryingtofindworldthe
asthetil yearspass.
outbreak’sorigin,hopingoncethesourceis
andwecanallfinallyliveinpeace.Wellmaybenotint
Azombie free life would be fan­fucking­tastic! found,an endcanbebrought
otaI’dl peace.love to not
have
oneandtoTheworstpartiswhenwehavetoputdownayoungerinfected.I
feelinfected. kmight
il wasanymore.
of evenWhilehad aIDOfamily.No
fromthefightandtheknowledgethatIjustkeptatleastonepersonthat’s
tookdown
notinfectedsafe.Itjusteatsmeupinside,knowingthattheinfectedIjust
onceahuman,withanormall enjoy theonedeserves
irushfe; possiblyaveryhappy
and adrenalineI
to become getan
so sad;we’veevenhadsomeinfantsthathave
asifIloseapieceofmyhearteachtimeIhavetoneutralizeone.It’s
hadto bebroughttorest.I
don’tcare
sessionand It’s ibeenfweall
theycallmerecentlyachickens
proverbialbook—evenIhavemylimits.
6monthssince anyofhittheushadanice
petitioned orwhatever
head of RIPothernameinthe
to allow us to
zombiepounding
travel
those further
my outfrom
creeping ourlikebytown,
senseoftheirpresence.So,Iknowthey’re
some fuckers, whereItheyonnoconstantly
thepounding
ofIt drivesmecrazytoknowthey’reoutthereandINEEDtoletout
frustrations creeps senseonly hada
are.fewI’vethousand
alessthan5milesout. hundreds
poundsslightofof
myzombiefleshu
upindireneedofashower. ntil theyareaall theitchtobitch.ButIcan’tdothataround
team.Theydon’twanttohearit.
Ihavewhatyou’dc nomorethanrancidchopmeatandIend
my speciala
youhearanythingfromSterlingyet?”
He’stheonlyone
bilities. He’slikethegoofy So,insteadI presson.“Tank,didand
on ourteamthatknowsthetruthaboutme
BFFa l rolledintoonegiganticpackage. bigbrotherIneverhadandmy
Hedoesn’tturn toforlookawhatt me,butIknow
he’speripheralvision.He’sgoodliket
a bitpissedatme Ihatdid. Eyeseverywhereata
to him duringa heseestraining
methroughhis
l times.Plus,
session
are,today.He’sactuallypatrollingcommandorightnow.Poorguy…not!
toseesomeaction.I
“Not yet,Wunder. t ’ been atoodamnquietandthe
We’re
s l waiting,j u s t same trainingyou
asimpatientlyas
regimendayafter
Ilookaway day j
from u s t i
hims n ’ t doing
and i
sigh. t for
“I anyof us.”
knowwhatyoumean.There
hastobesomethingwe candoto getthegoaheadtoventurefurtherout.
MaybeIshouldapproachhim—?”
decisionsyouknow? Besides,themainwork. It’s notsetbacki
guysareallworriedthatifweleave,theremightnotbeenoughfighters
left behindtoprotecteveryone,ifanyinfectedsuddenlycamet
“I doubt that would just Sterling
s thelittlethatfactthebig
hmakes
is way.”the
“I
“Yo.”
Justthen,Ifeltashiftofmovementandfocusedonit.“Tank?”
sensesomemovingcloser.I’dsay20to30giveortake.”
“Shit!Howclose?”
“Notthatclose.I can’ttel exactly,but…”Ipausetotryandgetaf we
for theexactnumberandhowmanyaremovingtowardus.
betterfeel“Let’sgiveitashot,Wunder.We’llgoasagroupandaski
canscouttheareawhereyou’resensingthemandtakeactionbeforethey
of“AndwhatwillwesaytothemTank?Thinkaboutitforaminute.
We won’t knowuntil wetry. You’veto keepitnever steered us
wrongyet.Idon’tseewhywewouldbedeniedrightnow.”
None
get tooclose. theheadsknowwhatI’maboutandIplan
aslongas
freakfor Ican.
toseeifhe Idon’twant
restof to beapermanentpincushionorlabeled
abit thatwayfor
my as
andwait
a the ihasanythingelsetosayafterlisteningto
rantbutheremainss lmylife.No,thankyou,sorry.”Itakeadeepbreath
ent andlooks guilty. lovely
comingWebothturnourheadstothesoundofavehiclecomingfastright
inour direction maneuvering the last second toavoid hitting us,then
asolidu ntoahardstop.TankandIlooka
memberswhoaregatheringaroundusandwemovetoward
Allthe
it. t oneanotherandourotherteam
the
me andtheothersareapartvehicle as
fivepeoplewithin.Twoareunfamiliarto
windowsrol downsimultaneouslyandtherei s atotal of
variousRIPu
“Wunder,nits. Tank.”Ron,the driver and also Sterling’s right hand
manspeaksupf
nexttownto irRIPst.s“Sterlingwantsyoutwotocomealongwithustothe
helpa ist thesupplytruck andsome otherRIPmembers
hereu
nowinfectedwith
themembersintheback.“LaneandElliot
that arentTheiltrapped. They’re
memberscompletely are goingtotakeyourplace
wetworeturn.Sterlingwantshisbestforthisandyoutwo
no moreammoandnowayout.”Henodshisheadtoward
thataretostandinfor
surrounded byover
me andTank it.”are
a arehundred
others.exiting the vehicle and introducing themselves to Jonah and the
in,takingthenowvacantseatsevenbeforetheycooledfromtheprevious
TankandIlookat oneanotherwithknowingsmilesandhopright
passengers.
onemore
going him whileto happenrightnowi
approximatelyaquarterofamileoutfromtherendezvouspointandfoot
thepoint.“What’sgoing
itinwithgunsablazingandswordsachopping.Wewanteveryonethat
canmakehappen.Wehaveeightpeopletoextricatea
mattersinonepiece,nobitesandasmanyinfectedexterminatedaswe
toRonpeelsout,evenbeforewegetthedoorclosedandgetsrightto
gowith
member,Justinwho’sreadyinganother
we take this one.s we’regoingtopickup
We’re
vehicle.Youtwo
t thispoint.There
goingto parkare

weretwelveoriginally.Butfourhadnopatiencetowait.Onegotinfected
andtookhisownlifewhileazombiewasgnawingathisankle.I t’s not
goingtobepretty.Ihopeyou’rebothready.”
“We’realwaysready.”Tankstates, whileI’mthinkingtheexact
samething.We’real loadedupwithweaponsbeyondimaginationandgetting
closertoourrescuemissionf
Wehaven’tdonethatforyears! ast. Nooneabidesthespeedlimitsposted.
I’msensingthemstrongerandstrongeraswedrawcloser.There
aremore than a hundred but I keep that to yours truly. I cannot give
myselfaway.IshiftmyselftowardTank.HeandIareseatedintheback
communicate
whileJonahdrives.Icatchhiseye;givea
motionforhimtolookatmyhands.
Luckily,wehavedonethingslikethisbefore and haveawayto
without words toone slightshakeofmyheadand
myheadforhimtolookback
doingadouble
doublezeroandaplussign. another. Putting up onefaceandfingerInodand
at my handsandputuponefingerwiththe
zero signal.Then,heglancesbackatmy
Hiseyeswiden,buthecatcheshimselfandclearshisthroat.
what’s Then,Isitandthink,“howinthehellare
toformulatingaplanofattackin
meI’mdown,gettingreadytopark,
“Be prepared forsowecan
overonehundredinfectedfuckersandallcomeoutinonepiece?”
do.Tankshouldersmebacktothepresent.Thevehicles
at yourdisposal.Anything Wunder andwe goingtogetthrough
anythingmy headjustlikemydadalwayst
starttrackingi always makeare slowing
t toourdestination. useelofs
Tankandtel him,“Ihaveaplan…”canbeused asaweapon.” I turnto
and surroundfewasmuch ~~~~~~~~~~~
groupsoftwo Aftertakingonlya minutesofthe to dishoutthe new plan, wegoofusin
areaaswecan.Each
holdingmachinegunswiththeammodrapedoverourbodieslikewe’re
Rambo wannabe’s. We’re strapped with hashit
weaponsaswellthatsay,“THEEND”witht
Ihaveatonof2­in­1magneticthrowings taloadrs circlingmywaist.
eir actionsalone. ofother kil er
Oneofmyall­timefavoriteweapons.There’sa2.5inchs
ofa3.5.MakesfordoubletheweaponandI’moneaccuratethrow! tar stuckontop
goodthirtyorsoVERYdeadinfectedl
We’real inplaceandwaitingforthesignal.Therearealreadya
it ering thestre ts.
Afteraheartbeatpasses,
achanceagainstguns.Especially,when Ron shouts,“Everyonegrabcover!”
each personfiringis an accurate
Gunfireeruptsandal hellbreaksloose.Theinfecteddon’tstand
shot.We’vealreadytakendown
zombiet
onstrong.Thesefuckersaref
Theoast. a t l e a s t t h i r t y and
ast! Luckily,bulletsarefasterorwe’dbetheyarestil coming
everseeing Perfectinfectedbodiesarepilinguphigherandhigher.Idon’trecall
I’mstillshootingupastorm.“HurryTank!I’malmostout.”
“Gotit.Allset!”
suchatiming!sight. It’s fuckinggreat!Tankstopsto reloadwhile
t ing meknow WhenTank starts firingI reloading
Ineed to reload.Swiftly
cfilriec,k,IhearRonshoutinginthedistance,“Lookout!”
leBothTankandIturntowardhisvoiceandsee hearthe tandready
el ­tale clickto
byremoving
about eight infected. I think f a s t and hand Tank Justinsurrounded
myof fourgun ofthe
while
s t a r s
fuckers.Droppingthemlikedeadffrom my belt and making quick work
Then,theotherofthe ruit fallingfromatreeonawindyday,
thenmakingworkoftwomore.
Justiniskickingoneofthebastardsinthefacerepeatedly.
Justinis smypaceas
sherthroatbeforesheevenknowswhathither.
tarts runningfullspeeda
Ikickup originaleighthashereyessetonme.She
t mewellwhilepullingout
til fightingwiththeonebastard
likeafreightt rain. my daggerandslicing
whatseemslikeforever. he’sbeenkickingfor
 An easykil for me sincethisinfected is practicallylyingonthe
ground.“Justinmove,NOW!”Imakequickworkofstabbingthefucker
Igiveaslightnod and handhimtheonlygunIhaveleft which
inhiscranium,Ithensnaphisheadclearoffhisshoulders.
“ThanksWunder.”
hands toHetakes
nowleaves me withjusta few stars, fourgrenades,mydaggerandbare
finishoffthefewthatareleft.
offtowardRonwhileshootingdownafewzombiesin
hispathuntilthegunempties,makingi
s dif icult to explainhow I cant toRonandgettinganewpiece
lockedandloaded. sense theinfected and tel the
left. It’TankrunsupbesidemewhileI’mtryingtosensehowmanyare
count.It’salmostlikeasecondpairofeyesfloatingaround
everythingthroughnightvisiongoggles.Similartogreenhueda and useeing
ras. .I
Ronthree—nomakethattwol
onlyfromthelargeroneandamreadyforthek
abouttol et anyoftheml
getsonerightbetweentheeyes
ive. Ipulloutas it dropshard.as much,sowe
eft. itlaandr. andseparatethesmallerone
seeIsensemorebehindthewarehouseandItellTank
headinthatdirection.Ionlysensesevenofthem.Butthere’snowayI’m
victim iseven
feeding Whatweseebeforeusi
ontwochildren,one
younger—sotinyandhelpless.
nos anabsolutehorror.Thefourinfectedare
morethaneleven yearsold.The other
Idroptwo withina few secondsand Tanktmy throatand
the kil .Iquicklyswallowthelumpthatformsin
withhis ales downtheaimrforest
JustI gun.don’tsenseany
infectionrunsi
wegoingtodo?”
the children were jmore
thenthatts course.“Tank…I—Ican’t.Thosepoorkids.Whatare
ust attacked
infectedaroundasfarasmysensesgo.But
aregoing to come back once the
his Justin,
ya’ll” Ron and two others come running around the
cornerandstopintheirtracks.“Ohshit!”Theyshoutinunison.
I“Igott
shift myeyes
andmanylookaaccentsexceptforsomeGerman,Irishand
lookminiscule.Hisaccentsureashelldoesnotfithislook.
HUGE!IthoughtTankwaslargeandincharge.Butt
tojudge?I’venotheard
Italian throughouttheyears.I’mthinkingaTexan;maybe. t this monster ofa hman.ThisdudeiBut who am sI
is guymakeshim
yourbusiness.I
Helooksatallofusandhiseyesstoprightonme.“Ya’llgoabout
’l waitandtakecareofwhatneedstobe donehere.Go
WeIturntoRonandhegives
areallstaring at him.
on.Thereareothersthatneedyou.”
carewhattheguy’snameisorevenwhohei meanod.Rightnow,Ihonestlydon’t
helpwhoeveri
partofthejob.Thosepoorkids.Theybarelygottolive
“Let’s go,s lefWunder. We need to gethetheisr.newhomes.I
t andgetthemsettledint Ijsupplyust can’tstomacht
andtrucksnow…?onelonghis
t’sbackand
needtogo. We walk backa bitslowtowherethesupplytrucksandothers are
assnightforus.”Tanktugsmyarmtogetmetostartmovingwherewe
andIseesomeoftheother
i s RIP membersmovinginfectedbodies,soa
paththegroundi nothing in the surrounding area can catchby vehicle.I
clearfortravelingthrough.Bothbyfootand
over there,Justthen,Ihearsomeonesay,“Weneedtopiletheminthecenter
sos coveredwithinfectedbodiesbeyondbeliefrightnow. fire whenmeanwe
thinki
be!It’s
burnthem.”
standing ’assonend.
if I’ve seenhimbeforeand I’m feelingthesame
familiar.Ifeelwarmthinmyabdomenandeverytinyhaironmybodyis
tAfaintrecognitionflowsthroughme.Thatvoice.I
him.Theboy—makethat my dreams.warm
IlooktomyleftandcannotbelievewhatIamseeing.I
themanfrom IfeelingI
t hasto
t’s sodamned
ButWOAH!Whatap
fsleek,t
experienceinmydreamswheneverhei
ul face.Ifonlyh s near.Ionly see hissideprofile.
al andincrediblyattractivepieceofperfection.Iwanttoseehis
e’l rturnaround.
ofile. He’sbuilt likeamanwhoworksoutdaily.A
overandoverinmymind.
I’mstaringrightat him,mentallyaskinghimtopleaselookat me
head inSuddenly,
mydirection.he stopsmychatting it up eyes. with his friendand whipshis
Those eyes! Oh god—Those They’rehe staresat
beautiful.I’mrootedtothespot.Icannotlookawayas
Helooksstunned.Hesayssomethingandhisfriendturnstohim. me.
beautiful.He’s
ihit himself?Forreal?Nah,itcan’tbethat.
t seems asi f o f
Butsmyself.Ican’tstopthesmilethatbloomsonmyface.Didhej
Itrytoreadhisl hebrusheshim .
ips, butal I canmake outis thewordssusthsayhe
Hesayssomeotherwordstohimself it and
I t r y , butI j u s t couldn’t make them orhisfriendmaybe?
outfroma moment
this distance.of doubt.I’ve
andI feelas if Ishould
practicedmore.Ineedtoknowwhat
neverbeenagoodl move towardshe’shim.Iget
ip reader.Rightaboutnow,IreallywishIwouldhave
saying.Hisgazeissointense
What ifTanknudges
it’s nothim?Theone me. “Wunder?Come
frommy dreams...on woman.Let’sgo.Iwould
liketogetsomesleeptonighta
“Yea,alright. Onethingfirst.Doyouknowwhothatguyi
t least.” s right
there?”“Whichone?There’smorethanoneoverthereyouknow.”
“Theonewiththejet blackhair, brighteyesdressedinal black.
“Oh yeah, that’s one ofthe new guys. His nameis Pete. Don’t
He’sstandingnexttoRaul.”
knowanythingelseabouthimthough.”
Iforcedmyeyesaway from themanIthinkmightbemydestiny
andfollowTankintheoppositedirection. Ifeeldream­boat’sgazeonme
asIwalkaway.I
inmytownnow.It’’sl fseehimagain.Iknowit.Ifeeli
ine. I’mnotworried.He’sgoingtobecomingtolive
t inmysoul…
TheWunderSeries

http://tinyurl.com/WUNDER­KINDLE
WunderBookOne
(TheApproach)
TheWunderSeriesfromDebutAuthor,A.R.Von
ASemi­ZombieEroticTreat
Wunder
average human.isnIn’t ayourworldaveragegirl;
ravaged infact,
by she
Zombies, i
shes n ’ t even
was an
born
amidst the chaos. Where cana girl like her find the man ofher
deliciousdreams?Shehasanideaand it leadshertothehottest
newclubintown,whereshefindswhat’sbeenmissinginherl ife.
Pete has his own secrets to t e l , and
together,anotherstoryunfoldswhilethesparksfly. when they come
 ComingSoon:

Wunder’slife hasbeenfarfromperfect,beingpartZombieina
everythingandshedidfindhim.Pete
worlddevastatedbytheplague is everythingshetil ,dreamed
of thewalkingdead.S
wassomethingspecialawaitingher,someoneouttherewhocouldchange sheknewthere
ofand
pastmore,asshediscoverspassionandfulfillmentforthef
come world ischanged irst timeinherl
Nowherlifeturnsintoajourneyofdiscoveries.Secretsfromthe
fullcircle andher
chaos,canshekeephernewfoundhappinessandthemanofherdreams?
Don’t miss the awesome In the
forever. trailer!
ife.
coming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sipAihP2MhQ&feature=youtu.be
 BIO:
A.R. isa mother
furrydaughter.)She’salso
She’san oftwo
avid reader of entertainingteen
a wifeto
manya delightfully
genreswhichboys(as
includewell(butasalovely
handsomeand amazingly fawn
limitedChihuahua,whom
are not funnyman­beast. she considers her
to) erotica, paranormal,
fantasy,YA,
Shealso loves to exercise, listenhotcowboy,ortwo,
western(shehastohavea to music, hike, cook, dance andandwrite.someShehistorical.
hereandthere) ménage,
writesto free her mindof
constantShewondering and loves thefactshe can share itwith readers that have the samepassion foragreatstory. its
loves to hearfromherreader’sandchataway, so feel free toreachout toherany time.
ORhttp://dreamzofdragons.blogspot.com/
at: https://www.facebook.com/ARVon2
AnnieWalls
 Dedication
To Alisha, Mac’s biggestfan.
ANoteFromTheAuthor:
Thisshortis acompaniontoTheFamishedTrilogy.
Then… backatme
whichiWhenthedoorofthequainthouseopened,annoyanceflaredup,
s afamiliarfeeling.Theshortbrunettepeered witha
flushed
situation faceI’d charm
and puffyher eyes.
legs She wasMy cute,and
open. mother nodoubtbe insubtleany about
couldn’t other
anything.Ihadn’tevenspokentot his girl yetbutdeepdown,Iknew.
fromJason’sDelitomyotherarm,Islippedmyphoneoutofmypocket
Iheldupafinger.“Excusemeasecond.”Shiftingthebrownbag
whilewalkingdowntheslopeddriveway.
“Why would youtosetme
“You’retrying
“Yeeees,”sheanswereda think up!”Igrittedoutinalowtone.
that?”
fter thefInnocence
irst ringinaconspiringvoice.
oozed out like honey
fromaj Aarthes
.sighwentthrough
made up“Youhaveacriteria.Shemeetsi
lookslikeshe’sonherdeathbed.”I
castshadowsalongthedipsandcurves.
tre ts ofChattanooga.Thesettingsunallowedtheh
the phone.lookedoutattherollinghillsthat
t withflyingcolors.Exceptshe il s to
college. I can’tget awaymesayfrom the store“Jaclyndoesn’t
helpher,Mac.LikeIsaid,shejustmovedheretogotothecommunity right now. So havebe kindanyonetomyto
shenewestcashier.”Ididn’t
wouldn’thavetold
“I’m tobekind.
anythingwhileIfumed.Sheknewitorelse
I s Anothersigh.Thisone
ask sounded
exasperated.
My
fromyou?Bythe getting
rate old!
lips twitched.you’regoingI ittoo grandchildren. forAndgrandchildren
muchto
“You have’l be75!” stopbeing
dramatic,forty­nineisn’t old.Ihave it on goodauthorityyou’lloutlive
thecockroaches.”
TheShelaughed,knowingI’mkidding.“Atleastshe’snotastripper.”
ir itation thathaddissipatedreturnedten­fold.“You’renever
goingtoletmelivethatdown,areyou?Imightaswellgoaheadandtell
you…Ican’twaitforyoutomeetyournewdaughter­in­law.Foundher
serious
down at“That’s funny!” sheitrsbenice
SaucySally’s,loveatf
too soon.not Wouldn’t to havesomeone
t sight.Thepregnancyi
interrupted. “I’mnotsaying
s going”tocomeget
hometo?Besidesme?”
wouldgetmadi Iblinkedandscratchedthescruffonmyface.“Thinkmyhoney
Bye,acrossit shutfitI off.It
Ma!”toIsnapped
someonetocoddlewhileIwasgone. practiceimpregnatingJaclyn?
the topwasn’ther t she wasGuessandlonelyswe’llfindout.
button Myonfauthephone,
lbrotherandhiswifelivedtwo my finger
lidandwanted
states
Not thathe away withthewholetwopointfivekidsandthewhitepicketfence.
ever invited meover to see. Anyway, I just likemydad.
anyonewaitingaroundforme.
It wouldn’tbefairbecauseI’ddieinthefieldj didn’t want
anyonehavingtoacceptmydeathasheroismwheni
Withhonor,butIwouldn’tbeleavinganyonebehind.Iwouldn’tsubject
JaclynwatchedmefromhersmallporchasIwalkedback t feltanythingbut.
drive.“Sorryaboutthat.”Iheldupthebag.“SoupandTylenol.”
Asmallsmiletouchedherlips.“Youdidn’thave upthe
Iflinched and followed her intothekitchen.Idoubtedanyofwhat
herdoorandwavedmein.“I’veheardal
sheheardwasbad,butItrustedshewasn’thoping to.”Sheopened
ot aboutyou.”for anythingmymom
don’t feelJaclynlookeda
me.yousprouted.
counterswereamicrowave,aj
dowhatyougottodo—andadishdrainerwithalonecoffeecupini
andonlywants
Looking
upforanybabymakingsessions.”The
around
someone
t measIsetthebagonthet
theelseakitchen, only wrythingsshe
r ofinstantcoffee—nastybutyougotto
tobetheproudof you,abltonewasn’tloston
e.too.Although,I
“She’sproudof
had ont. the
Tryingnottowince,Isaid,“Youheardthat?”
“Thewholeneighborhoodheardi wast.”endearedmorethananything.
IguessIshouldfeelrelieved
Jaclynknewmymom’santics,butI
Sherubbedherforehead.“IreallyneedthatTylenol.Mybodyhurtsall
over.” “Youhavetheflu?”
ASheshookherhead.“No,Ihadtogetsomevaccinationstos
glare shottothefromher
school.Iwenttotheclin
“Youwent browneyes,but she rolled them.hit.”“Gee,tart
ifreeclinic?Nowonderyoufeellikes
cyesterday,theyweregivingthemoutforfree.”
didn’tthinktouse
flowingoutof endeared me just aneedto
hermyhardearnedcashfrom
foraprestigiousdoctor.Idon’treally I’ve neverI
lit le workingatthegeneralstore
more.“Besides,
eatafteral .” Thesarcasm
reactedwelltovaccines. It won’tlast.”
“Needmetodoanything?Warmupthatsoup?”Ipointedtothe
containersheputnexttothemicrowave.
fewdaysofleavel
“I’mnothungry,justtired.Youcango.Iknowyouonlyhavea
eft. You’regoingoverseas,
I’dratherspendthetimewith
Inodded,notreallywantingtotalkabouti right?”t. Sheprobablythought
my highschoolbudsat
toleavewithnomoneyandbadcaseofblueb a l s . SaucySally’sonly
Eventhoughtheplace
woulddisgust me morethangive imeat le TVandtheDVDssurroundingi
herhouse,Icaughtsightofherl hard­on.Castingaglancearoundt.
 thoughatshefelt
me, looking likeshitfor andany signsofpity or sympathyI
tassumed.“Idon’thavecable,soit’stheonlythingtowatch.”
Hercouchwasinthemiddleofthespaceandthebedroomwasbeyond
hat. “Wecanwatchamovie.”
SheEvenpeered
found ourselves laughing a t our one­liners obviously
and gettingwellworse,into thewe
sarcasm
night.Ididn’tevenrememberfallingasleep.
“No, Gwen! Ben didn’t want to*, and I’m very proudof Mac’s
decision.Youshouldbe,too.”Mydadsaid,butitwasmuffledthrough
threw backat
thewalloft“I’dbemoreproudifIthoughti
heihim.Iwishedthey’dshutupandnotargue.He’d
r bedroom.IsatatthetableeatingLuckyCharms.
t washisdecision.”Mymother
hereforanotherweek
andmythumbstappingthe andwe’regamesupposedtogofishingtoday.
Timedisappeared.Isatonthecouchwithamouthf
“Leaveitalone.TheROTCprogramwillpreparehim.”
controllerrapidlyinmyhand,killing onlybe
ul ofpopcorn
zombies on the screen.crackedThe phone rang and soon aftera wail soundedTVin
throughoutourhouse.Iranintothekitchentoseemymomcrumbledina
bedroomdoorwas
igatheredlikedewonmyupperl
ballonthefloor.Lookingbacka
upfrom
feasting theon mycouch,avatar. inburnthemorningsunlight.Sweat
screensoftlymovedwiththeold­as­hillsDVDplayer’sscreensaver.The
don’tevenrememberhergoingtobed.
snappedmyattentiontoher,andshehurledherselfatmewithdeadeyes.
zombies
t. I satMyeyessprangopenbutsquinted open,butJaclynwasprobablystillsleeping.I
rubbing
itp.theTV,thescreenwasredinhuefrom
My themom
mouthtastedlikesomeoneshit
growled
from myfromthe
eyes.Thefloor.I

spoonIwalkintothekitchenandopeneddrawerstofindaspoon.The
thejar ofinstantcoffeewascallingmynameasItwistedi
in. Squeezing myeyes shut,I stuffed the spoonful
t openandstuckinto my
coffee cup withwateranddownedit.I stoodamoment.Fuckit. Itook
anothergiantspoonfulwithawaterchaser.
mouth.Thebittergrainsrubbedagainsttheroofofmymouth.Ifilledthe
Jaclyn?”Walkingbackintothelivingroom,Ifroze,noticingJaclyn’sbody
onthefloorbehindthecouch.Adrenalinepumpedintomyveins.“Shit!
I bent, feeling fora pulse,and jerkedmymyhand back when I
foundnone.Goosebumpsspreadupmyarmsand
numeroustextandvoicemessages
heavy.Irantotheotherside
myphoneonthecoffeet le.of thecouchploppingon
It seemed totakeabamillion ibreathingbecame
t andreachingfor
yearsforittobootup.Whenitdid,
Callme! are you? poppedup.“Whatthehell?”
AnWhereeeriegroancame
Answeryourphone!
toseewhat i t frombehindthecouch.AsIl i f t e
was,Jaclynflewoverthecouch,knockingusbothtothe d myselfup
flo r. Painsplinteredthrough myhead whenit hitthecoffeetable. Panic
roseandalmostseizedme,butIgrabbedherface.Shekeptscreeching
while
whitesofhereyeswerecompletelyfullofblood.
snappingher
“The fuck?”Theteeththunderofmyheartbeatplungedintomyears,
atmy face withdried andcracked lips. The
makingmyvoiceseemfaraway.Ikickedupmyfeetandthrewheroff
Ijumpedmanagedup andwentforthedoor,butshewasrightbehindme.
aroundher.
me.Shecrashedoverthe coffeeherself
Herarmhadtwistedinaweirdway,andshecouldonlygrabmewiththe
other.She
maneuveredaroundandputherinaheadlock.Sheimmediatelywentto
to throw tableandintotheTV.DVDsscattered
atme, and wehitthe wall.I
asshestruggled.Twisting her other arm
bitemyarm,butItightenedmyholdonapressurepoint,hopingshe’d
passout.Hermuffledsnarlsanddesperationkickedac hil upmyspine
realizedhowclammyandcoldshef
the e lit . tokeepherfromgrabbingme,I
Snortingfrom
fromme,andshefellfacef vilenessof
i r s t intothecouch. al ,I releasedandkickedheraway
being Iwatched,anddropping
stunned came forintocamemestanceagain.as Punching
shefromhereye
righted herherself
in without
up.Iswungitagainhitting her inthehead
anuppercut.Theimpactcausedhertof
thickenedbloodemergedoutabnormallyasherheadsnappedupr
grabbedthelargeumbrellaperchednexttothefrontdoorandswungin
eyewiththepointofi
sickeningnoise,bloodymatter
t. Pullingtheumbrella . iinnose,
withial t,backonthefloor,butshesat the
was stil socketwitha
andbutshefinallystabbedher ghtthe. I
keeping Thesilencethatfollowedwasdeafening.Idroppedtheumbrella,
an eyeonhercorpse.Bloodseepedoutontothecreamcarpeting.
Mycaloneagirl.I’dspentthepastfouryearsofmyl
arms shook andnttheiNo,it
shakingwas itookover
an.AsDroppingtomyknees,Istareda
wasplannedondoingitu
bloodflow,butshedidn’t.
ivilijustself­defense?
the adrenaline I’dmyneverhurt
ifebody.protectingthemand
l Idie.Sheshouldhavepassedoutfromlackof I acivilian,
nstinct.herone­eyedcorpse.Maybei just killedalet
I ran tothefrontascalmed
crashedintoabrickmailboxdownthe Ilookeddown,
seeanythingoutoftheordinary,butIcouldhearit.
distance.Myphonetrembled window someone screamed Therewasina thecar
andaroad.Otherthanthat,Icouldn’t
t themessagesagain.Afewof
peeredout.
themwerefrommymomandevenmorefrommycommandingo
threeo’clocktPuttingthephone
his morning.Thiswasn’toutoftheordinary.Shepassed
to my ear,I started withthe firstreceived f icer. at
hers,shesaiditwouldgetworseintime. “Mac?
ontheCollin’sCursetome.Insomnia.Although,minewasn’tasbadas
He’s scaring me.”onmyTheprojectandtheneighborSorrytobotheryou,but
onI’mtheoutinthegarageworking
home please? heavy metallic bangingiscould
door.Icalledthepolice,butthere’sabusysignal.Couldyoucome bangingbe
heard in the background. Beep. Next one
“Honey,whereareyou?”Hervoiceshookandmybodybrokeoutintoa received a t four­thirty six.
 sweat.“I’mbarricadedinmybedroom.It
Ihit thecall back button.It wentristraight ed callingyourbrother,but…
be OK,”shewhisperedandbarelyaudiblefromcrying.
just staywhereyouare.Iloveyou.”Thelastoneatreceivedatfiveoh
four.“Please to voicemail. By this
point,Igaspedforbreath.Idialedmybrother,Ben.Anothervoicemail.I
didn’t bother checking the messages from Sarge. I dialed him instead.
“Collins.You’realive.”
*Fouryearslater…
Atapsoundsatmydoor.“Goaway!I’msleeping!”Isnapthel ie
becausea t leastI’m tryingto.It’sinthemiddleofthenightforfuck’s
Guido’s disgustinglit erforms fromadarkens
sake.Thedooropens,whichonlypissesmeoffmore.“What?”
sidewaysandhischestg l thegoldhewears
the doorway. He stands
Macboy.Gityerlittlebagofgoodies.I i s needyer services.” there.“Gitup
bestfriendi “Forwhat?Unlesssomeone
on
TheonlypersonI’dgetupinthemiddle
s hisowndeathwishmission. dying,i t canwaittilsn’tomorrow.”
of thenightfori t here.My
t.” “Mightbetoolate, see?Purtyboydonebroughtbacksomedame.
iShe’ssick.Infection.”Hewrinkleshisnose.“Nastycut.Yewshouldsee
howrelieved
implicationsofhowhegotIam thebastardito Jsulsiteil, lalive.
Prettyboy.He’stalkingaboutRudy.Is et aloneI’mgether
itryingnottothinkofthe
t upandtrynottoshow
out.I’massuming
igasht’s herthat’ssick.“She’snotgoingtoturn,i
on‘erHeshakeshishead.“Shewrecked s she?”Didn’tknowshehada
head.Now,she al feverish.Shecouldheattheplaceup.”
‘ercar.
After putting on a T­shirt and straightening my dog tags
“Fine.”
underneathit,Isliponmybootsandt
makeit,HeI’l takesberightback.
isalreadybythedoorwhenIpicki ie themquickly.Mymedicinebag
meto t upandglanceatmybed.Noneedto
been building inon for thearoundthreewomen’s dormitory
automaticallymakesmewantatetanusshot.Itsmellslikesomeonehada
years.The of theroomcommunity
Iwalkintohe’s
sexmarathon a puddlefeverof vomit. faceTheemanatestomyskinbeforeI
catchesmyattention.Theheatonher chick on the baremattress
touchit.
asomedead‘ems.”
nveryloose,uneasy.Flushed with hell… she needs pain reliever and IV
tibiotiGuidosmilesandshowshisneedfordentalhygiene.“Gettin’me
cI srepresstheurgetolook
Isigh,Ihavealotofworktodo.“Where’sRudy?”
revolted.ThiscockroachandIhavea
truce.Keepingmymouthshutonhisextracurricular
activitieGuido’seyesdrawtogether.“Who’sJulie?ChickieisKan,purty
s withzombiesisimportant.“Thisi sn’tot Julie.”Istate.
boysaid.”toldme. Don’t want nothin’ happenin’ ‘er. Won’t be happy he
opposite,rI benddown
eal y. Whoistinfrontonit.
his giofher.No,she
rl? Thepositionshe’sinonthebedcauses
isnotJulie.The complete
herT­shirttostretchacrossherchest.Nicelyrounded—al
ahandful,I’dbetmoney
Guido interrupts my prognosis. “You gonna helpit herle morethanor keep
staring a t her? Yewboyi s payingmegoodtonursehersweetassback
health.”“Shut up and get out.” I wave face.my hand towards theofher to
been rawand bleedsabit.HerbodytrembleswhenIfeeli
flushedcheeksroundintoaheart­shaped
endofthebed.Firstthingsf
gashitselfis
directionofthedoor.
cleanedrecently,but
Whenthedoorclosesbehindhim,Iglanceatahugepackatthe
puffsaround
irst, Isearchforthegash.I
theedgesinan
Breathscomeout general
t. Hertin’s
tangryred.The
lookslikei
softpants.Thebiggestproblemi s herdreadlocks.They’recrusted
withbloodaroundthegash.Theysoakituplikesponges.Shetrembles over
“Bettermebeashowdown
again,giving glad you haveher V­necks nice cleavage
hirt. going on, or I’d shave
thesefuckersoff.”
at her toShetries
fireout.”
reducer inherarm, at me.It iwilldrawzombieswhileIsleep.”Her
Isay,onlytogettilIbeginsetting
eyesopentolookatme.Theyarel
Drowsinessthickenshervoice.“ upghtansurroundedbythicklashes.Nice.
Ireachformybagassheresponds.“Ihavetoputthef
findhers looking IV ofantibioticsandlookback
halfup,butIgentlypushherbackdown.“I’llputyour
joking.After giving hera lit le doseofire fever
out.”
Shesmiles,touching
“I missthebeach.”Shesaysas
I blink at her sickness­induced myherfacewithsurprisinglyroughfingertips.
eyesdriconversation
ft closed. and inject some
heavynarcoticforanypainshemighthave,whichIshouldtryandask
herabout,buta
Hereyespopopenandsheshakesherheadal
lI’mIcanmangeis, “Thebeach?”Didn’tweait lel.?“Your eyes,
dumbass.Theyremind me ofthebeach.”That’dbenolessthanawesome.her
“Think handsome,doyou?”
“Maybe.”
AsI cleanToobad
system.Shepassesouton her Herwoundme.theandrinse
medicationhermakes
hair ofitsencrusted
way throughblood, I
famisheddebris.Leanandcutwithfemininemuscle,herarmshavethin
threadsofscabsa
study
cleansheetsonthebed.Ihavehalfofmindtotakehertomyroom,
theIsuturethegashclosednotreallypayingattentiontoit.Sheneeds
restofl her.overthem.Iswallow,takinginther
boots are caked with dirt,esdriedblood t ofher. and
thinkbetter ofit. Idon’t know her,and hersweetfaceisn’tenough but
back,Ihavetolay
convince her
I runme tosheimysn’roomto
t crazy.
Nottomention,theveryfamiliarbandanatiedaround
inthefloorwhileIputthemonthebed.She’s
useYouhavetobe lize sheets.When I getto
her dreads.his long.
aniron to sttoerihavesurvivedt
al muscle but soft in theright places. When Iput her onto the cleannot
asheetsherfacef
Igotothealendof I’ves towardme.Herl herishedoesn’trespond.
drooldripsfromthecornerofhermouthontothesheet.Ilaugh,buta
l themedication pumpedinto ps arepartedasathickthreadof
thebed,pickingupthepack.Underneathi t sitsafter
pistolcrossbow.Therewasan
boughtandlookasold as everythingelseshehas.Thepackhasadouble­
arrowin i t ready tobe shot.Theyarestore
verysidedaxe andaalmostreluctanttoseewhatelsethisg
WherethehelldidRudyfindt
findout.Idigthroughi
different
laptopandpoweritup.Astrange
homebottom,
movies
I’mcablesgive
afrommachetehangingfromi
laptop.Ibeforethe gscreen
met, comingupwithcannedfood,clothingandatthe
pause.Whywouldshe
almosthisoutbreak,
dismissit
irl? t.popsup.Astrangelogostaresat
Theybothlookwornfromuse.
butasathemeans
haveimassive
rl has,butI
these?
for picturesand
amounts
Iopenthe
havetoof

me, waitingforacommand.
system. Iexpectthe
of unrecognizableicons. desktop I t
to t e l
be s metopushescapefortheoperating
a picture, but it’s a plain blue with
dozens When Iopen one, an intricate line of babble looks back at me.
UponopeningtheotheronesmorebabbleIdon’tunderstand,butIknow
shouldIdowithi
enough toknow t?this isn’t an ordinary laptop. The questionis, what
do.her.Ilook
If MyIturntoKans
asfromaliveandactive.Nothinge
geek,butthebestonesdon’tlooknerdyher int,idrops
canperfectcandidatethey’relookingf
stomach lshe’llsleepingand I canhardly
lastbee,thbutwhati
othrust nordo
irs. thought,
intoalwaysj
f doinglookinglike
st turnsinceina computer
shehassomethingagainst
especially
theyspeakofwhatthey
uwhateverthey hershe’sname
wantthe
her?AmIwillingtotakethatchancebeforegettingtoknowmoreabout
turning this in, butI never thought I’d come acrossthe likely person.
her?Andwhatthefuckisitanyway?Iusuallywouldn’thaveaproblem
Especiallyconsideringthemoronsthatsurroundmeonadailybasis.
I’llwaitandfindoutasmuchasIcanbeforeIcometoadecision.
After poweringquirkand
doesn’twant
standoffish thelaptopattitudeagainst
anything down,I stutofwomen
happening ither.backinto general,herbag.theshe Somust
inKnowing Rudybe
fucker’s
somethingspecial.Ican’twaittofindoutwhatiti * s.
cages Sittingbeams.at theIt seems
and bar in Guido
the Clapis pretty Trap, I’mdesperate takingforin famished.
al the emptyIt’s
sobvious
til warmofthe
probably
smell
couldhave out,barislookingformehere,sinceheknowsIhardlysleep.
camecometo
Thealcohol
Rudy wasso noinabig
of longer
courseitselfknownin
makes hehadwhenRudyhemyMaybe
me,andIwouldhavehelpedKanfreeofcharge.He
bindpronounced. gobloodstream.Themildew
gotKanhere.looking
I’l catchforHesomethem.
knowsheIt’s
shuteye tonight. good
doeswhenhe’sdrunkandwallowinginhispast.“Comeon.I
Reecesitsbesideme,rubbinghistattooedhead.AhabitIthinkhe ’ l giveyou
everout.one for“Noway.IfIwantedaprisont at o , I’ddoit myself.”Idoubt I’l
free,”hesays.There’sabeadinhisgoateegettingreadytofall
famished.willinglyReeceputisalways
an opentryingwoundto givesomeone
on my body aintata oworld . ful ofa
Heneeds
newhobby.AmassiveshadowdrapesoverReeceandIasthesqueakofone
andsheputsuponehellofafight.Snarls
ofthefamishedcagesopen.Thebitchboysarestuffingonein.Afemale,
ensuefromherthroat,andshe’s
“I see you haven’t lost your touch.Where
unawareofhertitsbouncingeverywhere. did you go? A strip
club?”Ijokeatthesourceofthelargeshadow.
“Damn,Rudy.” Reecesays,eyeing the zombiein
hebrightens “I toldandyoulooksbacka think of something I want contempt,but
ifI evert him.“Thinkofanythingyet?” on my body
TrapwhereGuidospendsmostofhistimedoingwhateverhedoes.
forever,I
disdain.Ringscircle
onehewantedupthere.”Hejerkshischinuptothel
hisbodytense,butheshakeshishead,watchingthezombiewithahintof
’l let youknow.”Rudys oft overlookingtheme,
hiseyesasiiftshe’slinthestoolontheothersideof
ost sleep.“Youshouldseethe
Iscrew mynoseinrevulsion.“to talktoyouf
“Ihavetogo,butIwanted I’l pass.” irst.” do
yournewfoundt This mightastebeinwomen,wouldi
interesting.he “Wouldn’t
t?” have anythingtoto with
answer.Rudy’sjawclenches,butherealizesitandgoesforneutral.“
notlikethat.” Reeceraisesthebushes
Tryingnottolooksurprisedorhappyabouti
cal s eyebrowsandleansin t, Isay,“Wheredid heartheIt’s
alreadyknowingIlookedthroughherstuffbythatonequestion.Ishould
shecomefrom?”Ialmostcursemyselfbecausehelooksatmesharply,
have worded
worriedaboutthisone.Ipickit differently, upbutmymoonshinetosiponi
something flashes in thiseyes.
“I don’tknow.ShecrashedanSUVnearthebase.She . wasgoing He’s
rightinthemiddleofthedeadzone.”
Surprisecausesmoonshineto godownthewrongpipeandupmy Ican
nose. The
“Same thing as me. She has someone there.I havespeak
“Whatfuckingfor?” burn waters my eyes, and I cough u n t i l a coupleagain,of
roundsinthering,sowe’llbehereforafewweeksa
helpmegetintothebase,andGuido’sroundingupafewguys,too.” t most.Saysshe’ll
won’t Thisagoingbyhimselfanymore,butforsomereason,Iwanttogoon
be l makesalotofsense.He’spayingfor
need Ican’t i t , butatl e a s t he
thedeathmission,too.Hecontinues,“I
“That’snotwhatIneed.”WhenIglanceathim,
EvenifIwantto,Ican’t.“Youknow afavor.”go.”
asif hecanconveywhathewantsthoughESP.I almostlaugh,buthis he’sstaringat me
beforecoming
“Because toanyshe decisions.
Ican.“IneedyoutokeepKanunderwraps.” But whywouldyoucare?”
featuressharpen.He’sserious.Deadlyso,andIalreadyknowI’lldowhat
It’swhatIexpected.“AlreadyfiguredIshouldlookintohermore
hasno problems wanting to help. I believe she
dance
thinkssheowesme.Shehassomeconclusivetheories.”Heglancesatthe
whensickanddizzyandridingpiggyback,shefoughtthefamished.”He
floor fil ed with drunken bodies. “She can hold her own.Even
looksbackatmewiththatintensestare
frombeingtrampledbythem.”
Really?”“What?”
I’ma tadReecesays he
envious, butat the samehas.“Wewereas
time I say, “Piggyplit second
back?
at le.at least’lI forgetanytimesoon.Kindof
smirkswear.atus“NotsomethingI
herumbles,“Timetogo.” knowhis bandana.
badass,butshedoesn’tknowmuchalmostlikeshe’sbeen…hiding what it isTheone
off,catchingsightofsomethingacrossthewarehouse.Smackingthebar,
somehowa
connectedduringtheheatofb
doesn’tnormally
Rudylovedoneendedupatthebaseinthedeadzon—”Hecuts
whiletightening now. Theyandhe

sidedooroftheTrap.
ReeceandIfollowhislineofsightandlaughashestridestothe
“Hey!When’syournextfight?”
runningafteraway
always “Day
Helooks backtomorrow,”
afrom hesaluting
t me, women. throwsoverhisshoulder.
Looking
with a tippedbacksmile. redheadedis
at thePoorguy
hookerwhoscowlsattheslammingdoor,Idon’tblamehimab * it.
Then…
Climbing into my car, the radio gave me the same news as
nothing
everyonebeingtold
Sarge. Rightanyonethen,couldthetostayintheir
do.bigIf cJaclyn
ities werehomes.Fromthelookofit,there’s
wouldin havestateshadof cable, we’d havewiththe
emergency
foundoutawhoppingeighty­onepercentofthecountrywassick.
Ididn’tknowityet,butmycommandingofficerwasdead
our within
twenty­fourhoursof
mytheexactsamething conversation.Everyonedied,becausetheydid
mom’shouse.Istasil Idid.Insteadoffollowings
orbittenwasconsidereddangerous.HewasextrainterestedinJaclyn’s
butIneverstoppedtohelpanyone.AccordingtotheSarge,anyonesick
havedreamsabouteverythingIsawontheway,
trict orders,Iwentto
normal.The car stil satin thedriveway. I heldmy firearm up when I
symptoms,butIdidn’treallyknoworpayattentionsinceshesaiditwas
noticed the driver’s sidetoMydoorturnthedoorknobofthehouse.WhenIopened
garagedoorwideopen.
reachedashakinghand was slick and shiny with blood, andtselmythef.I
lookedlikeastruggleandnotsomethingshedidfortheprojecti
ieyesburnedastheytookinthekitchen.Morebloodstreakedthefloors
t, bloodcoveredthehallwaywalls.Ahandprintstuckouttome,and
mom’swoodentablewasturnedover,butit
withfootprints.EvenonthespotIhadfound
daywegotthecall. hercurledintoaballthe
Istrainedtohearanythinggoingonfurtherintothehouse.From
theknow.
voicemail
to message,I
meaningsheprobably
wanted
grippingthep l e
Uponcloseinvestigating,f t knew as Ineeded to
I dropped moremyseethearmsgorebedroom.
flaginaglasscase.Backingoutoftheroom,Iswallowedrepeatedly.A
istolin. Iswepttheroomwithmygaze,landingonafolded
on i sthehouseonfoot—asoneofthem.Mythroat
elafl I foundwas I hadto
and nosidesstill
tomy bodies—
ringingthestartedstairs,taking
in myearsmewithas I walkeddown
keeningsoundcamefromthetop.Iturnedintimetoseeamanstumble
down him. We theoverstairtwice
turned s beforea highwe
before
landed.Teeth
him.Theaimwasal snappeduptotheit line offfrontandIgot
ofandmymyfacehim rightinthefaceasbloodand
asI heldhim back toshoot
thickerthingsstuck
I myjumped andranto wall the arms. sink as mybody trembled and
scrubbed
under thewater.Whenskinclean,watchingthefranticmovementsofmyownhand
I wasdone,I leanedagainst the counter.There
wasonlyonethingtodo.Reportforduty.*
Now…
at hisappalling
Iwalk
eyesaroundgodirectly inGuido’s
toMagoabode.sliotftinwithout Heg onshoots me an inotr itabotheringto
theknocking
couch—astark d glare,butlookmy
tecontrastagainst
light colorof it. That’srigI’mht, he’snotsorry.I
theapologizeforinterrupting,but here fort’s anotliketheyweredoing
put on show.I would
anythingimportant.Guido’srollinghiscigarettes. to
Guidonods,“Yeah.So?Purtygorillapayin’forit.” say
IignoreMago.EventhoughIdon’twanttosaywhatIhave
infrontofhim,Idoanyway.“You’regettingsomeguysupforRudy?”
“Why?Who
“Countmein.”
thosepeepsgoin’mightas
backgorillaboy gonnagwellit memyshit?Nogoodtomedead.Anda
asadead‘em,
“You’reasordidhumanbeing.”Is pit, cuttinghim l
Iknowhegottahave—”
bedeadnow.Unlessyewwanttobring
AsmilestretchesacrossGuido’sfaceasi
disgusting.“Doesn’tmatterwhathappenstome,I’mreplaceable.”
glancesatMago.“Yewgonnabringback
bastard’s—myjunk’ssoheavyIalwayshavetorepositionit—problems.
I’mahugemotherfucker—genel
sayswhatIthinkhe’sgoingtosay.Rudyalreadyhitthejackpotinthe—
“Idon’tthinkso,wegotssomethin’specialyewandme.”Guido Macboyasa
ot ery. Idon’twanttothinkabouttheoffbeforehe
f helikespeoplethinkinghe’s
dead‘em?”
Sitting back against the couch,Mago steeples his fingers with
dark,dangerouseyes.“Icondoneyouridiosyncrasies.Notrevelinthem.”
IlaughbecauseI’mrighttherewithhim.Guidoturnsbacktome,
“Fine,butIneedsomesuppliesbeforeyewleaveandanotherfight from
purtyboy.”
 “Nomorefights.”Iglareathim,daringhimtoarguewithme.
good,” heSuppressingacomeback,Iturnandleave.Thedoordoesn’tclose
Hedoesn’t, knowinghe has whatbackhehastohiscigarettes.
mumbles,returninghisattention because of me.“All
behind me, andandII look over my shoulderto see Mago standing on the
landing.Thedoorclosesandhespeaks,“Youknowwhatyou’redoing?”
“Yes, don’tneedyouspeakingawordtoanyone.It would
begoodtohaveyourhelp.”
““Notgoingtostopthesepeoplefromgettingkilled.”
It’s nottime.”
“Youcanstopthem,”hesays.
“No,butIcanprolongit.”
WhenImakeittotheTrap,Rudyisalreadytheretakingshotsof
moonshinebeforehisfight.“Youthrowingt
Smiling,heshakeshishead. “IfI* was,Iwouldn’tt
his one?” el you.”He’s
wasbecauseofthedealhemadewithGuido.
right.Thelast timehefought,helet Isaackickthecrapoutofhim,butit
“Kanwakeup?”
Rudys hifts inhisseatandsituateshispackagediscreetly.“Yeah,
butshe’snotcoming.”
us.“Goodluck, man. Ididn’tbetet onit gowhenIseeGuidowalkingtowards
Isnort,“Right.”AndIl yourasst h i s time.”
Heanswers
andshelaughswithKan. by takinghis shotbefore I walkaway.I’m headingin
towardthehallwaytoleavewhentheoutsidedooropens.Glindawalks
grabsher,pullingher
unfortunate
Kansayssomethingto
result of away herand pickturnsn.gluefrommyfingers,an
gripsherpistolcrossbowasifshemighthavetouseitanyminute.Glinda
warehousewithwideeyes,takingeverythingi
againstthewalltowatchthemandabsently
makingfromwheretheystand.Glinda
arrows.SheGlindagivesheralook.Iscoot
Walkingtothebar,shetotheup
her attentionhandshera
lookingaround.Theylaugh
shotthatlooksto be tequila a t
fromsomethingbeingsaid.Thesoundcarriesto
thecolor.Shetakesi t easilyandkeeps
Inoticewhen Kan spotsRudybecauseshefreezesandstepsback
myasifshedoesn’twanthim
earsevenoverthemusic.
away assorted famished lituptoered Rudy
at howhetensesup.SherubshimandKanwatchescuriously.Shelooks
and takes in the toseeher.Candywalks as Ismirkthe
throughout
warehouse.
announcement
TheDJ announces the fightand the patrons screamthe
small
strollsuptanktop withhim.Abarely­theretopcatchesmyattention.I
and smilesa t me. are poking out the sides andover thetop.t’s a
Peaches,thesourceofthesluttytopandeverysingleboutofcrabrumors,
“Whydon’tyouleavesomethingfortheimagination?”Isnapand
andhugetits
sendmutteringa scowlsomething
her way.I’veMyheardreputation holds can’tupastheycome
before. Why she walksupaway,with
gone.Ibumpmyselffromthewallinpursuit.
somethingoriginalsoIcana
Ifindthemwatchingintheback.Igobackandforthbetweenthe
t least laugh?IlookbacktoKan,butsheis
fightandKan. I t ’
seencheersonsuchTheandoffandat
things. s j u s t as
According entertainingwatchingKanlikeshehasnever
toRudy,
announcer claims Rudy isthemaybewinner.she Hishasn’t.faceTheisacrowd
onepointKanchewsherfinger. lmakeit le
surehehasn’tinjuredittoobadly.IlookbackintimetoseeKanbeing
bloody,buthe’sholdingontoarib. I’l havetocheckhimoutto
nameisGary.It’smyjobtoknoweveryone’snames.Followingthemto
pulledawaybyanastysortoffellowI’venevertalkedtobutknowhis
thedance floor,he’s groping herwhen sheturns and swings her fist,
knockinghimagoodone.Sheshakesherhandoutashefallsbacktothe
floor with noone catching
aroundhim.Ialmostlaughattheindignantlookonthe him. People laugh and continue dancing
pervert’sface,but
Tapping him in the shoulder canwithfholdherown.
hellouthere!”Garyjumpsupandrunso
stopwhenIrealizeRudy’sright.She boot, I tel him,rail“Getofbodythe
,myleavingbehindat
odor. ShestaresatmeandIsmile.Lookingstunned,shegivesmeahalf
smileinreturncausingmetowonderi
ImeltintothecrowdasI hearGlindat f sheremembersourconversation.
withgoodreason.el ing hertheyneededtoleave.
Glindathegoodwitchmeandmy ass,morelikeGlindatheWickedHookerof
theWest.Shehates
Then…. *to
WhenIopenedthegaragedoor
problemcausingmybloodpressuretospikeandmoreadrenalinekicked
were leavethehouse,Ihadahuge
meintohighgear.Moreofthem
closedusinga veiny arm inthe way pilingintothegarage.Theonein
blooddrippeddownthedoorframe.Acrackcamefromhisarm,butthe
front moved iltsmyweight.Thethinggroaned,butIkeptpushingasthick justas Iwas smashing the door
getting harder tokeep in position. The sheer number was
door wasIdroppedbackand
overwhelmingmystrength.
to keep themwasuoutlonger
mom’scar
intheplaceIj
thedoorclosedjustasI sparked.Bodiesf heardandtookoffforthes
Imadeitintoastandingposition.Enteringthefrontbedroom,Islammed
t vacated.Iheardthemgroaning thetairwindow.
s, rememberingwheremy
and shufflingaroundas
themonthestairs.Ipushedsomefurniture
lookedout
el throughthedoorlandingonthefloor
Dozens ofthem
werewalkingdownthes
havedrawnthem. tre t tosurround thehouse.Thegunshotmust
Openingthewindow,Iclimboutandmaneuvermyselfalongthe
butledgetotheraingutterbeforejumpingandlandingwithaloudmetalthud
it didn’tlacar.st long.Aftercheckingoutthesituation,
ontopofthe Theimpactcaused my kneestojarmynerveendings,
growingcrowdwasinsidethegarage.Grippingmygun,Ishotthenearest the majorityofthe
 onessoIcouldmakei t tomycar.Afterhoppingi
Iwas so screwed,butIdidn’t
scenebeforeme,knowingi n, Istaredoutamytlitheps,
care.* Bringingthebottleto
t wasonlygoingtogetworse.
Igulped itin rapidsuccession. Ihad afewdays to getmyshiant together,
butIdoubtedthatwouldhappen.Ihadn’tsleptindays,maybeforafew
fminutesatatime,buti
ield mission,meaningI’dbet didn’tmatter.Iacceptedapositionon
Peoplewatchedmoviesand ongoing
dead soon.read booksaboutthis sortofthing.I
emphasisonmilitaryjargonandweaponryoralltheimportantpeopleare
always
safe,butnooneelse.Mostofthetimemediaandliteraturegavewaytoo
laughedat the ridiculousness ofit al . There wouldbe extreme
abouttheir dead lovedoneswhenonlythemaincharacterswereable
muchpoweronpoliticsors
honorboundtodefendt heir country,butwhodidn’tseeminglygiveas
cientific explanations.Secondarycharactershit
In reality, there were revolutionist strategically placing this shtoit
savetheirsorshowemotionalpitfallswhentheycouldn’t.Bullshit.
andnowsittingbackandlaughinga
wasalreadygone.Theywerethef
thereweren’tpeoplewhowantedi
werelivinginafantasy.
safe. No one was safe. iAnything tt, becausetherewere.Ofcourse,they
thesuperbjobthey’ddone.Nothing
adaptandchangebecausetherewasnogoingback.Thatwasnottosay
rst togo.Whileeveryoneelsescrambledto
and anyone that could helpwas
other. Hewasatassigned
hated eachAknocksounded to pick up trascare.I
onmycouch.Myroommateansweredthedoor.Iforgothisname,butwe
mydoor,butIdidn’t h. Yep.stayedinplace
Trash. These
werethemajorityoftheremainingpeopleandit had onlybeenlessthana
weeksincetheoutbreak.
“Thankgod.Thatassholei
orsomething,”hesaidtoourvisitor.
Iliftedmyheadabovethecouch s drinkingagain.Givehimablowjob
fucking talkoff toherlike that, garbage man!”toseeCarriepushhimoutofthe
wayinastormofauburnhairscomingoutofhershortponytail.“Don’t
Roomie slammedthe door
me a agrateful
andtookShe shotdowntheh l . look as she sat down beside me on the
rundowncouch.“Hey.”
“Heyyourself.Thinkyoucangethimanewhousingplacement?”
“I’mworkingonit,butthey’llj ust replacehimandthegrassisn’t
alwaysgreenerandallthat.Peoplearecomingineverydaythough.”
Shelaughed,asoundIhadn’theardveryoftenasoflate.“Hang
“Hastobegreenerthanthatbrown,crunchyfucker.”
inthere.I“OfcourseI’msad.WhereelseamIgoingtogetmybootycall?
pensive. t’s notlikeyou’llbeherealot…”Trailingoff,herfacewent
“You’resad.”Isaid,surprised.
Surelynotfrombrown,crunchyfucker?”Iwasgladshemadelight ofit.
AreasonIlikedher.
 getit outofyoursystem.”Mythumbsbrushedalongherdogtagchainto
Ipulledhercamouflage­coveredhipstostraddleme.“Let’stryto
hercollarbonesassheshookouttherestofherhairfromitsbinding.She
ranandhers
herhandsupmystomach,pulling me
hadperfect prominenceanddips. closerbymydogtags.“Hey
now,”Imumbled,followingmythumbswithmyl ime. ps. Ilovedcollarbones
andIneedaroughfuck.”
Sherockedherpelvis,grindingagainst “I’vehadaroughday,
I felt my lipstug into a smile. Another reason I liked her.
“Whateveryousay,private.”
Afew days after myCB sounded
igettinganotherone.
fuckdo old roommate
t outthewindow.Walkinginthere,Ipickedupthehandheld,“Whatthe
Thesquawkofthe * bedroom.Iwantedtothrow
inmy moved out, I found I’d be
youwant?”Ilgetait acigarette,inhalingquicklybeforeblowingthe
smokeout.“Youmight roommateinafewdays.Civilian.Hischoice.
cages.”
Quarantine ward is putting him through hell for fighting. He’s in the
“Name?”
“RudolphGarrettHawthorne.Wantmetosendafile?”
not?“Yeah,andsendhimoverwhenheclears.”
Rudolph?Ilaughedoutloud.Heprobablywouldn’tlast,sowhy wasreadyto
theknock
ladderclimbingnerdandtossedthefileinthebottomofadrawer.
businessgraduatestudentwitha4.0.Afterreadingthat,mybrainhitthe
looked
hypotheticalsnoozebutton.Icrossedhimoffassomekindofcorporate
Saying
Afewdaysl
thefilecame.theoverOpening
guyamore.
terwas, I thewasgetting
Ilargeknewdoor,would
heI immediately
betwenty­four,
a massive
starknewI
t mytraining,when
understatement.
engagedand
shouldhavea
Beingshorterthanaveragehadnothingtodowiththis.Evenhimbeing
threestepsdownwewere head tohead.Fuck me,I
uptohischest.Abeardcoveredhisfaceinthesamebrowncolor probablyonly as
camehis
short,messyh
guitar andaaiquiver ful of arrows.readytoHe heldhis
acaughtmyattentionthemostwasthebowstrapped
r, andhelooked passoutduffle looselyButasifwhatit
toonhisbackalongwith
hisfeet.
weighednothing.
I spent the next few years bunking with himoff andon. He
wouldn’tever knowit,theandI’dnevert
outbreakwithel him,buthimshowingupa
quarantinebasechangedmyperspectiveontheoutbreak.Iwassuddenly
notreadytodie,soItookmytrainingseriouslyinsteadofhalf­heartedly.
Rudy handled a sort ofcalmness I envied. t the
Although,hedidn’tloosepeoplelikeIdid,he’d
sbothmiddlefingers
hit beforetheoutbreaki
and t been throughsomuch
waslikehewokeup,sawzombies,flippedup
been
said,“Fuckyouworld.I’ve
andyou’renotgettingridofmeyet.” throughworse
drink myTherewasalotofshitweendedupdoingwithoutconsent…like
goingonlootingt alcohol,riheps offbase.Al
could help getot ofthem.Ifiguredi
it. Thefirst trip fI’dhewasgoingto
never forget.
a l
Aftert
advantageh
him—usuallya t , itwaslikehecouldn’ts
and
thetime.Allittookwasthatonetasteoffreedom. i t s t i l
Iwasreallysurprisedtofigureout—hehatedhowwomentreated
of thlikeat, someevenbeefcake andwantedtoleavethebase
men
though Istwasal iosuren. Mosthe’ddone iwould t before,takehe
loathedit andloathedhimselfaswell.Forwhatexactly,I’dneverbeen
abletofigureitout,buthedid.Andhisweirdrelationshipwiththeleech,
Icametotheconclusionlongagowasmorelikesiblingsthananengaged
he drankmorethan
couple.“What’s
been
JuliewhenI
course,shootingarrows,buteventuallydownedme this timeandIlethimbecauseJuliehad
wasonwithashortweekendbreakfromthecommunity.Wehad
the blonde?”I asked ofhim,referring
had finallyabottle JimBeam.Ofto
beenovertoourhousethatday.Forsomereason,
himupt
I’dneverworkedupthenerve.
whenhewasdrunk.Ionlyhadtoask.Icouldprobablyaskhimsober,but
ight. It wasalsothefirst timeIfiguredoutIcouldgethimtotalk her visits alwaysbound
word.Hewass
hishands.“What­do­you­mean?”
becauseofit.He’dgrownhis
Hisbandana was hairMIA, and his hairinahadI,wasall
it ing onthekitschycouchbentoverholdinghisheadin
Thisout,wellso
cameout jumbledslur.Allone
buthedidi
overthet because place
it gotonJulie’snerves.Iwassure.
“Iknowyou’reengagedbut…”
“Fuckin’nothin’.”
say,man.”Itookthel ast gulp from thebottle and said,“OK.Whateveryou
“Ourdaddied.Herdad,butyouknow…hewaslikemydad,too.
HeGuessin’,can’tgetpasti
popping
died hisand lipson
fucked thep.“We
everythin’ raisedhisaroundhead onas hebackeachsaidonthe
t.” Afterkickingoffhisboots,helay
up.”startedHe whorin’ other.up,
couchandadjustedhimselfwhiledoingso.“Never
Iscoffed,“Idid,andtheyaren’tal they’recrackedupto hada dad.” be.”
“Why?”“Served twenty­twoyearsanddiedinthef
me wastheattitudetoserve.Lookwherei e l d . Nevermarriedmy
mom.Onlythinghegave
gotme.”Iliftedthebottletodrink,butremembereditwasempty.“Doing
whateverthatrepulsivemoronwantsj
Oneof his eyes sprung open,ustbloodshotfrom the booze. Thethat
tokeepaneyeontheplace.”
it off,dude.”afterthat, I was called to Birmingham.
communitywasalwaysacuriosityforhim.“Iwannago.”
“Sleep fewdays
Justa
Coalitiondevelopmentstartedthereandwasbeingkeptonthedownlow A new
updating
next move.Isatinmystatus frontofatthe basemy newandlieutenant
forthetimebeing.Theoriesweregoingaroundabouttherevolutionists’ the community
going overreports
I resourced.“Iand
understandyou’ve
knewhealreadyknewthe been stayingwith a…” He picked up a paper, but I
namewithoutlooking.“RudolphHawthorne
forthepasttwoandhalfyears?”
“Yes.”
you have,too.Tellmeabouthim.”
“We’vebeenwatchinghim.Andeventhoughyoudidn’tknowit,
to a t
Started Iwentonautopilot.“Keeps
thebase.”“Hecamewithagroupofpeople,mostofwhichhedidn’tknow. himself.Helpswithmaintenance
afight and could haveheldhis own against three men,had
weapons. Seems like agood candidate for recruiting. His background
gaveuspause.Whatdoyouthink?”
“No,”Isaid,al it le uneasy. lit le unstable.You canif
“I“No?”meanhe’snotmentallycapable.A
youwant,butIwouldn’trecommendit.”Hestareda
Henodded,“OK,seemedI’l towriteiappeasehim.
but mylastsentence t of , butI stil wantt meforalongtime,
to talktohim.”
hellwasIgoingtokeepRudyfromenlisting?
girlcurls.AnotherCollinsCursepassedtomefrommymom.Howthe
Shit.Walkingoutintothehal , Iranmyhandsthroughmymopof
Now… *
Kan.I
she’sboundanddetermined.Russell,amoron,s
intheClapTrapandstealsaglancea
’lIhatedoanythingtokeephermindoffgoingtothatstupidbase,but
playing cards, but I findt Nick’scards,anothermoron.
I like ititjustto
s acrossthepokertable
spendtime with
“Hey! You’re fucking cheating!” I belt out.Gangly Russell
straightensup,tryingtolookinnocent.Nickflasheshimadeadlylook.
Anelbowcatchesmeinmyside,butKantriestohidehersmile
givenawayifNickhadanything.”
behindhercards.Shewhisperstome,“You’reani
“Soyouknew?”Shenods, diot. Hewouldhave
and Kanmefeellaughsbeside me.I like andI
thoughtIwashelpingyouout.”Iwhisper. hearingst“Carry
eherlaugh,
al apeeka tbuthercards.“Oh,
on,”Isaytothetable
Ihate that it
bad.makesThisIthoughtI
couldguilty.havehadoneuponheru
been interesting. ntiTurns
l shefolds.Nickfolds,too.Too
out she’s smart to fold,onlyI
losecauseshertolaughevenmoreuntilReecestepsupbehindher.
crossbowrestingonthetablei
afterputting
Whenshe seesal inhim,she . Shootings pulledfromi
glances
heraatlook,me.t asshestandsand
Istand
“Got to up,go, which
Mac.”The
intohis
They’vebeenspending
f o r t i e s , I don’t an
think
awfullotoftimetogether,andsincehe’swell
i t ’ s anythingsensual. Rudywatchesthemleaves.
me. from“Where
leave are theygoing?”Iaskhim
Hiseyescuttome.“Youprobablyknowmorethanme.”
hisplacea asI walkup.
t thebar,seemingmoreconfusedaboutthemthan
 AAsmilefollowsasnort.“Showswhatyoukno—”
“She’sstayingwithyou,soIdoubtit.”
screamcutsthrough
Wesetoursightsoni t . the warehouseover thebeatof thebass.
Achainedfamishedhashismouthonanarmofa
womannamedLucy.“Shit!”
offGuidoandasmilingMago.Wewereinthesmallworkoutroomthat
*That’showIfindmyselfpacinginfrontof anextremelypissed
smellslikepissandthebeatofthepartycontinuesonintheTrap.Lucy
haddecidedtoturnandbeputondisplay.Kangota
asfuck
celebration.Lucywasnewlyturnedandwouldhavelastedalong
andshot the zombiebitchinthe middleofher l righteousandsexy
own ClapTrap
thereforepissingGuidoo
Kanhasaweirdthingwithzombiesandt
f , sohereIamdoingdamagecontrol.
h e i r time,s,
soulsbutthefacti
forhim.Heneverfindsanythinga
whyMago’shere, but Kaniswhythethecommunityamusing,andthefact
sheisright and doesn’tevenknowi
hefindsKanso,isdiscouraging.Idon’tlikehisattentiononher.
t.looksamuseda t itall—a rare sight
It’sahugesecretthough.Iknow
renderedarabiesmetaphorwhenIinquiredheraboutit.”
Guidoj
Mago’suscurrently
t glaresatlaughing
usboth.“Wehadadeal,Macboy!”
and stroking his pointy beard.“She
“YewputupafightactonasthoughItoldhertodoi
actionsareherown.You
“Ididn’tdoitthistimeandi Lucy.”t’s notlikeyoucan’tgetmore.Kan’s
t.”
tried to“Notoutofthe
talk her outif it, norm
too.” for‘em?”me.And if Iremember correctly,Kan
“Youg it meanewdead
Guidoliftsathinkshoulder,buttherei
“Do
andfuckno,Iwon’t.” you about anything else? I’m starting to get worried
s tensionaroundhiseyes.“Had
WiththathewalksoutwiththemusicfromtheTrapblaringinwhilehe
ta ask.Butchickieneedtafigurewhutshedoin’.Shecan’tstayforfree.”
opens and“Specialacquaintance
closesthedoor. youhave,”Magomentions.
alone.” Iglanceathim.“She’snotjustanacquaintance,andyouleaveher
you gotyourpermission.”
“Youdepartforthebasesoon?Thegeneralmentionedit. Iguess
“Good.”“Day after tomorrow. Youulgetofincompetentabsurdity,butthe
“Thiscommunitymightbef Mya transferred?”He nods.
revolutionistsareorganizedextremists.”
I*Isigh,wishinghe’dtell
’m packing upmy arrowboothfromthemarketplace.
me somethingIdon’tknow.
tgetel imyng whenI’llbeback.Ihatedoingitrightnow,especiallysinceIcan’t There’sno
headout of thebed.The smile on myface mustbe contagious
 becauseeveryonesmilesatmewhentheywalkby.Probablywondering
Walking into mysameroom, I hadputseveral boxesagainst thewall.inI
what’swrongwiththeasshole,butnotgoingtocomplain.
catchsightofthestupids
thecornerintheexact k i r t spotItossed
Kan onlastnightlayinghaphazardly
it. It lookedridiculousonher,
ands tuf ina bagmytwithotherdirtyclothing.
butnotbecausei wasn’thot,just notherthing.Chuckling,Ipickitup
upmyarmsasIwalkouttotheparkinglotwherether
thetargetrange,butwhenIgettheretherangeiseerilyempty.Chillsrace
Inotice compoundbowismissing,soIknowshestillhasit est oftheteamiats
packing upvehicles. Rudyightcatches
way.Kanisnowhereins
“Where’sKan?” . me walking up and turns the other
looks at“Atme theconfusedly. I questionRudyandanswers.
target range,” try not“Itopanic
saw her when
therenoteveryone
thirty minutesago.”Hisnecks t a r t s gettingredashisjawclenches. even
distance “Yousawher?”
Marketplace.She’sbeencollectingj
“That’swhatIjustsaid.”Thewordsarearumble.Helookstothe
tocalm himself I suppose.ars ofmoonshine.” “She’s here, probablyin the
forefrontofmymind.Iscowl
whentheconversationKanandIhade
“Iwas just therepackingupmy at ouraudienceandtheybackofftoresume
arbooth.”Dread
lier this morningflashestothe
washesover me
whattheyweredoingbeforehand.“Shel
hestalkspastme to golookhimself.
“Fuck.Youhaven’t even lookedforher.” eft.” IstateIt’sno
. lessagrowlas
Ifollowhim.“Whatthefuck
“Youeverthinkthatsomethingsj i s yourproblem?”
usI’mt aren’tyourbusiness?”
Rubbing the back ofmy
mostlaid­backguyI’veeverknown.“Well,no.Notreally.”
vehemencecomingfromhimeventhoughIknowwhati
Theglareheshootsmecouldturnsomeonetostone. neck, kind of tshockedat
is.Rudyisthethe
That’sall he says about itas weask aroundfor
by Kan. My “Thisi
heart s n ’
sinks t
no. ”
lower, andRudyislookingmore
IonehasseenhersincesheshotZombieLucyl
.breathingheavier. worried the
Rudy stops to lean against a wall withasthisnight.ExceptRudyand minute.Turns
hands onhis knees,out,
happened,” Whenhelooksup,he’spalelikeh
he says, edust’l throwup.“Somethingbad
iwithr itatavengeance as hisface twists.For in the wind. Anger and
his e a r l i e r attitude
io“No,itdidn’t.Sheleft.ItoldheraboutJulie.”Hisglarereturns
n snakesitswaythroughmylimbs.
something, buthe pushes away from the a minute
wall Icatchthinkthrough
inahurry he’l saythe
hecourtyard.He throws,“Iknow,”overhisshoulder.WhenI uptohim,
missing?”
continues,“Why would you thinkJulie has anythingto do withher
implying
likethis.She’s
goingtodo.Look
herhouse.Youand
Stopping, forReece toface me, icrossing
isdeadmadhewrong.IknowKan,andshe
Icuthimasidewayslook,“Iknowyou’renotthatdense.”
attheomission,notthecontext.Sot t is.Thenwouldn’t
his arms.hileave
turnsherbecauseshewoulddothesame.Wecanstartat
knowwhere s“What
iswhatwe’reteam
theyou’re
goto thosefucksthat held usup and shot youin theassinthemiddleof if she’snotthere,we’ll
downtown.Theycouldhavefollowedusback.”
Thatthrowsmeforaloop,butonlyforasecond.Ialmostlaugh—
Kanwouldn’tgobacktothathouse.Sheknowswe’dlookforherthere.
Plus,hedidn’tsee the flare of devastation on herface when Itold her
aboutJ
thoseguysulie.wereThere’snodoubtinmymindsheleftonherown.“Idoubt
fromthebase.Sono,it wouldbeawastetolookforof her.
she’dbewiththeweirdmongrelsbecauseaccordingtoKan’sdescription,
Justbecauseyou’refeelingguiltyfornott
infantile hang­up of being alone. We needel intog her…allbecause continue with the somebase
mission.”Hisf
Somethingsparks
ist flashes,splinteringpainthroughmynoseasbloodspurts
inhis eyes.“Thefuckweare.”
tout.Suckingairthroughmynose,bloodgoesstraighttomythroatandI
me?”Fuckhim,nowmynasallyvoicematchesmyheight.
aste it. Iraisemyhandtowipebloodof . “Didyoujust suckerpunch
Asmugsmiletoucheshisl
isalowblow, even foryou.”
myiupand i p s . “Bringing upa childhoodcomplex
t a rib that gets bruisedallists theareotime,
himdoesn’tstopus.Painh
getalowblow.
goodone
Mybodyheats Iaim fist areleasesadrenalineinmyveins.I’llshow
releasesagruntandthenextthingIknow,bothofourf
inhiseye.Yellscommencefromtheparkingl
ts mycheekanddotsburstinfrontofmyeyes. flying.I
t, butithe
andJohntrytopullhimof . IkeepaimingforthatribandRudyuseshis
SomehowweenduponthegroundwithRudyholdingmedownasReece
slicesup “Godmy jaw.
kneetohitmeinthejawcausingmyheadtosnapsidewaysandagony
finally getmyhimto
through dammit!”Imanage.SamandTyhelpReeceandJohn.They
hairto stopget debrisoutofthe
struggling, and Icujump rls. Rudyhasbloodflowing
up, running my handsin
fromhislip andhiseyebrowissplitagainwithsomeofhishairstuck
it.Helooksa me to
him.Iguessf . bothneededtoletoffal*it lgivei
andstalko t
we knowingIhavemore f Ireallywantedtohurt
e steam.Iglarea t allofthem
Then….
Ihurrieddownthetree­canopiedsidewalk.Evenascoldasi t was,
childrenplayed
thanthelasttimeI and laughed in a l directions. I
was hereatthebase,butI’monlyhereforaminute. t a l seemed heightened
mouth. Rudy didn’t know abouthomemade
Smoke from one ofGuido’s cigarettes It’snot
the revolutionists. flowed frommy
common
knowledge.So
pretenseofhisrecruitment.
BurstingIhadto
throughtreadthe door,
carefullyRudywithstartledbut
whatI’dsay.I’dgounder
catstretchandhoppedwasoperchedbesidehimonthe
guitar.Poindexter arm kept playing his
ofthechair,dida
Rudy looked f .noticing
up, “Icanonlystayaminute.”
my cigarette and set his guitar to the
side.“What’swrong?”
“Didtheytalktoyou?”
He smiled,“Yeah, butIthink
‘When doIgetaguntoplay with?’” they tossedthe idea when I said,
Ilaughed.“Noshit?”
If anythingbadhappens at all,fuckingbail.Usethespotweusewhenwe
Sittingonthecouch,Isaid,“Listen,iftheysayanything,j
Heshookhishead,“Nah,man.Haven’theardaword.” ust bail.
lo t. Andgo here. It’s the community. Followthe famished.” I handed
himasheetofpaper.
“Youseemtothink
Ididn’thesitate. “I’vejsomethingwill
ust beenthinking,weshould
happen.” haveaback­
upplan,youknow?Somethingyouneedtohaveanyway.”
“Sure.Thanks.Mightgoanyway.Iwasn’tinmygraduatestudies
tofixfuckingt oilets.” at It
“I’lltradewithyou.”Ijoked.
ofweeklater,Rudyshowedup
themoverpowered
Afterthat, thebasewasi
our soldiers. d as suspected.Thesheernumber
thecommunity.*
nfiltratewasn’t a good sign. Lessthan a
NIrollover
ow….I’fuckup,buteveryonethinkstheyareinsomeway,shape,
ma and getawhiffofmyownbodyodorandimmediately
form.I’vebeeninmyoldbedfordayscontemplatingthemeaningoflife.
Notreally,justthemeaningoftheemptyjarsofmoonshinesittingonmy
olddeskandwhysomeonewouldlootanoldfoldedAmericanflagina
glasscase.Itwasgone.Ishouldhavegrabbedi t whenIhadthechance.or
t up, figuring I’ve wallowed
sMIA.Ihopdownthes
icleanmyselfup,andheadtoBirmingham enough. Timetogetmytogoasslashedforgoing
tairs andturnintothekitchenwhenIseei find somewhereto
t. On
therefrigerator i s anotewritteninSharpie.Thewordsalive,safe,
datestickoutthemost,ayeara f t e r theoutbreak.Icanbarelyseethrough and the
thewaterinmyeyesandhavetoholdmyselfupagainstthefridge.
I don’t realize how much time*has passed until my lieutenant
askedmewhereI’vebeenforthepastweekandah
Theworstthingthathappensthoughi s alf.
whenI’msentintoseethe
tgeneral.GeneralStevenson.Hethrowssomegrainypicturesontopofthe
able. Rudy Reeceandstandmystomach
nakedandcoveringherselfup.
hold. I lookatand them and frombut ither atlooks
over Kan,sinks, ional anger
of it, she’s
takes
is supposedtobedead.”Iswallow.This
“Thisyoungman.”HisfingerlandsonRudy.“Accordingtoyou,
is whathappenswhenyoutry
andprotectpeople.Whenyoucare.“Andjustwhomightt
be?”HeasksashisfingerlandsonKan. his younglady
ThankgodIcantalkmyselfoutofanything. to track downRudy without
uparoundthecommunity’sparkingl
beingseen.I’mwatchingfamishedbiteandclawatanewfencebeingput
It takes abouttwelve hours forot*mewhenRudyappears.Hehopsin
thedriver’ssidedoorofhistruckwithmesittinginthepassengerseat
and startles when he sees me. “Shit, Mac. Where the fuck have you
been?” He doesn’tlookwell.Abeardcovershisfaceandtensionthickens
theair
aroundhimashestaresa
happened?”I
window,buthedoesnoneoft hattme.Ignoringhisquestion,Iask,“What
expectedhimtogripthewheel,clenchhisjaw,orstareoutthe
. Heonlylooksdownintohislapwith
slumped shoulders, almost like he doesn’t want totalk about it. The
wordsthatcomeoutofhismouthleavemehatingmyselfmorethanever.
JenWilde
 Formyhusband,Mike,wholoveszombies.
Thankyouforyournever­endingsupport,loveandenthusiasm–
andforshowingmethatzombiesareawesome.
Thisis foryou.
 Weall looked at eachother,or Melbournewhoareuninfected,
Prologue
believewhatwesaw.
ForanyonestillinSydney eyeswide inshock, strugglingtoyou
areurgedtostayinsideandlockyourdoors
havebecomeseverelyderangedandextremelyviolent.Wehavereceived
countlessreportsoftheinfectedbitingandevenk
requestedtogo
across, doincludingtheir
repeat; not approachthelovedinfected. notandapproach
ones. DoIf youhave ilwindows.Theinfected
ibeenng anyonetheycome
btheit eninfected.
, youareI
soonaspossible.
infected. eyestothenearesthospitalormedicalcentrefortreatmentas
MoreTheirfootage wereof theaneerie was shown
stre tswhite, skingreythen,andthispattered
s timeofthe
blood,theirfaces andarms coveredinopenwoundsandlesions.
“Zombies,”whisperedBen,staringslack­jawedatthescreen. with
“Oh come on, Ben,”Jo scoffed,
“Themediaalwaysoverdramatisesthings.Idoubtit’sthatserious.”putting her hands onher hips.
“Youhaven’tseentheguyj
he’sstarting tolook just like them,”ust outsidethedoor,”Benreplied.
“Weneedtogetridofhim.He’sinfected.He’sbeenbitten,and
I said, motioningto the infected
peopleonthescreen.
door ofMystomachturned
thedineropened, andasslowlyshutagain.
Iheardthesoundofthebellringingasthe
andslidIpeered
“Ihopethatwashimleaving,”IwhisperedasIunlockedthedoor
itopenaninch.
through the gap, but could stiltilseethere.”the infected man
tryingtopullhimselfupontothecounter.“He’ss
“That meansloudgroanandsomeone,something,
another one just walked in,” Wyatt said as he
edgeoftheendoftheworld,andwehadtosurvive.
wouldhaveshiveredinhisclosepresence,butrightnowwestoodonthe
switchedoffthetelevisionandstoodclosebehindme.AnyotherdayI
Ihearda
thediner,edgingclosertothefourofushidinginthetinyoffice.Iheld shufflingthrough
mytheotherside
breath,trying
of
doorclosed,butitwastool
him.It Ilescreamed, desperately to stayWyatt
quiet.Slowly,I
t outaterrifyingscreechasitcrammedalong,freshlymauled
theentryway,i
almost knocking
ate.tsArancid,decomposing
dilatedpupilsburninginto
overasI jumped began sliding
indesire.the
facemeappearedon
backinto
armthroughtheopeninginthedoor.
The putridsmell ofday old rottingflesh filledthe room as its
maggotinfestedhandswipedatmef
mystomachwithb ile, butIknew Ihadmerantofocus
Ithrew myselfforwardagainst tthedoor,
ical y. Themeresightofi
onpushingi
keeping ust sideways
alive.t fil ased
hardasIcould.Wyattleantover
sideintotheinfectedarm.Bentriedtograb ontothedoor,helping
i t
of the door, but itwas swinging andpushitbackontotheother me
wildly, its yellow fingernails slamit
 in driedear.myblood.weightJobacked
screaminginf
coveredI putall against thedoor
herself andup againstthe and I
together Wyattfarwall,
forceditclosed,
broken thebone, and bythesoundof
butthe possessed the
armsickeningcrackIknewwehad
wavingaround,only
armbackthroughthedoorandweslammed
Foramoment,everythingf ilent.ididn’t
nowitcouldn’tel sgrabus. Benstop.Instead,
t shut,lockingi . it kept
pushed tthefastshattered
tother my
rpoundedsohardIthoughtitwouldexplode.
ied tocatch Ileanedoffofthedoorand
breath.Icouldfeelmyentirebodytrembling. My heart
sideof
Icouldhearit,theinfectedmonster,groaningandsniffingatthe
thedoor. The groan turned into aloud growl, andit
“Whatrammeddowedo?”Iasked,mylegsfeelingsounstableIthoughtI
furiously
againstittostop itself breaking
it from intothe door.Benand
in. Wyattthrewthemselves
wouldcollapse.
No­oneanswered.
Ileaned my armsagainstthedooragain,helping
keepitclosed,whileJos
chestastearsstreameddownherface. Ben andWyatt
lid downontotheflo r, herkneesupagainsther
OverthegrowlingIheardthebellringagain.
mindlesscreatureswith an insatiablehungerforhumanfleshwasathin
Anotheronehadcomeforus.Allthatstoodbetweenusandthese
slidingdoor.
Weweretrapped. ***
 ChapterOne
The setting sun glimmered through the window, veiling my
bedroomwithagoldenglow.Outside
tcelebratethearrivaloftheweekend.
nevertookmuchnoticeof
constant IheardthesoundsofFridaynight
soundsofthe citythe; Ifounditcomforting.ItmeantI
tre ts in Melbourne,I
from workorheadingoutto
aloneasIsometimesfelt.Ihadexpectedtoeventuallyadjusttolivingon
raf ic, peopleeithermakingt
EventhoughIlivedononeofthebusiests
henoise.Thetrams,thecars,thepeople,the
ir wayhome wasn’t as
myanything,Ihatedhavingno­onetocomehomet
bedroomown,Leaningovermydresser,Ilookedcloselyat
but something aboutasIitnever
mirror,concentrating felt oright. myblack
slowlyglided myto me.reflectioninthe
More lthaniner
pencil
overtheoutercornerofmy
eye Turningmyheadl e feye.
t , thenright,I
cat “Belookperfectly,whenIheardaknockonmyapartmentdoor. made sure Ihad mastered the
rightthere,Jo!”
Itnever takesme long to get ready,a l Ineed aremyfavourite
pairofjeans,asinglet,mymotorcycleboots,eyeliner
brightlycoloureds c a r
andMelbourne f , andI’mreadytogo. andsometimesa
getting
tonight.
blacksinglet
Icolder,
t’s themiddle
magentascarfto is gettinggodeliciouslywarm,so
ofSpring,andwhile with mythetophalfof
standardjeansandboots
Itheworldis
optedfor a
Standing backhang todown,itstake oneendslasttipped
look, withI smiledturquoise.
kindnessIalwaysgavetomyselfwhenIsawmyreflection.Iletmylong,
dark brownhair cheerfully–
My deepa
hazeleyes
eyebrowsthatwouldmakemelookserious,ifIdidn’tsmilesooften.My
are overshadowed bymy long dark lashesand arched
womenwantandmenlust
lips, thin and asymmetrical,aftarenot er, but theyareexactly
the typical ful lipsthat likemymother's,
so many
andthat’swhyIlovethem.Sometimes,i
smile in themymirror, Ican almostseemy
Wrappingmyscarflooselyaround f IsquinthardenoughwhileI
my neck,Ipickedupmyfadedbrown
mother smiling backat me.
satchelfromthebedandheadedforthedoor.
Jo, dearestfriend,andIweregoing
see tothelocalbartohavea
fewdrinksand
sensationII couldalwaysf Wyattandhisbandperform.
butterfliesstart to comealivehelpbutsmileagaina
feel theelt aroundWyatt.Icouldn’t in mystomach, at
“Like mypose,with
thethoughtofhim.Pullingmydooropen,Jogreetedmebystandingin
model
tiltedtotheside.new a hand strategically placedon her hip andher head
dress?”utShefit. Herlong,flame­redhair
strherapless,neonorangeo waved her facehand up andfedown l the short,
downpassed
shoulders, framing her heart­shaped perfectly. Her bright blue
 eyeswaitedforaresponse.
regardstofashionsense.
looked
While
WhileIdressedmoreforcomfort
upatme Jo andIare
inseparable,expectantly, her grinandtwolighting
paidverynodifferentpeople
upherfaceto whatassheinis
attention
popular,Jodressed to impressandfollowedthetrendsreligiously.Onthe
surface,weappearedtobedifferentineveryway,butasfriendsformore
wehad each an
thanadecade,thehistory
bond. with othercreated everlasting
there forEversincewemet,onthefirstdayofhighschool,wehadbeen
eachother; from helping each other with homework and boy
troublestothetoughesttimesofourl
When I lost my parentsjust iavefews. years before, at nineteen, Jo
neverleftmyside.
Duringthat timeshe became myrock;at we considereachourselves
nostalgia
sisters now.dinerWorking whereJotogether
is the aswaitresses
Manager, allowsPopus toRocks, see a 1950’s other
almosteveryday.Althoughwehavesomuchfunthereithardlyseems
likeworka al .“tIt’svery… bright,”Ianswered,aspolitelyaspossible.
Jo’sarmsdroppedtoherside,disappointed.
“Youlookbeautiful,Jo.”
lookeddown Sheperkedupagain.
“Thankat mymotorcyclebootsandgrimaced.
you! AndI’mmay I say you lookI’mas angstyas ever.”Jo
outfit, thankyou!”IsaidasIswungmydoorclosedandlockedi
“I’mnotangsty. comfortable.And perfectlyhappyintt behind
h i s
me. “I know,Iknow,”sighedJoaswestarteddownthestairs ofmy
somethingexciting!Somethingbold!”
it le tooJosmiled
comfortable.atmecheekily,
Yougotta getoutof and your comfort zone anddo
lbuilding.“LittleMissComfortable.That’syou!Ifyouaskme,you’rea
headedwiththatspeech–Ihadheardi
“Jo,pleasedon’tstart.” t manytimesbefore.
“Comeon,Eva.Tonight’s I knew exactly where she was
Wyatthowyou f
ase l . Stepup!When theperfectopportunityforyoutot
are yougonnamakeyourmove?” e l
Isighed thebutterfliesinmystomachtwistedandturned.Ihad
beenbuildingupthecouragetoaskWyattoutforoverayearnow,ever
JogoodfriendsthatIbecamet tolooking
After
Cairnsto “I’herlstudyteeyes,she’dheardthatbefore,too.
him.Iw
Architecture, cameto thefordinertherightmoment.”
sincewefirstmet.Atthetime,WyatthadjustmovedtoMelbournefrom
rolledJohired
Weturnedthecorner
l himandhestartedworkingwithme,we
il . I’mjust…waiting
er toseeourtramabout
iandfied ofruiningthefriendship. leavegrewintosuch
andstarted
for ajob.
running to catchit.I laughed asI heardJostrugglingtojogbehindmein
herontoaseatasitstartedtomove.
six­inch heels. We climbed up the steps and ontothe tram, falling
Jolookedmeintheeyesasshecaughtherbreath.
“Ifyoudon’tt el himsoon,youmightmissyourmoment.”
Benat ChapterTwo
Wezig­zagged
thebar.Fridaynight our wayinMelbourne
through the crowd, meeting our friend
sunriseandsleepinga
stre ts aseveryone flocked tocafes, bars meant
l daySaturday. and clubs,packedbarsandbusy
staying
andBen, up u n t
a i
l l
Everyone,i t seemed,exceptforme,Jo,Wyatt
hadtogetupbrightandearlythenextmorningtoworka
in who
tsethediner.
“You’rej
andoverthenoise. u s t time,theyj u s t startedt h e
darkShorterthanmostguys,buttallerthanmeandJo,witholiveskin
hair– i r f i r s t t,” Benyelled
attentionofwomen. always perfectly styled – Ben always captured the
Benand JoordereddrinkswhileIglancedovertowardsthestage,
Overthebusycrowd,Icouldseehimstanding to theleftofthe
lookingforWyatt.
stage,strumminghisguitarastheystartedplayingSweetHomeAlabama.
notover­the­top
troublethesecond
shoulder­lengthh
watchh awithiIsaw al thosemonthsago.
ThebutterfliesspunoutofcontrolinmystomachasIleanedonthebarto
im.Wyat wasveryt
r, brightgreeneyesandhugesmile,IknewIwasin
muscles.
ahiml , withbroadshouldersandmasculinearms,but
With his light brownand alwaysmessy
swooning over himsankjusat inlit frontle as ofthestage,
Myheart
momentofhisattention. my gaze shiftedeachone
to thevyingforj
dozensof ugsitrlas
beer. “Eva! Here…” Jo tapped me on the shoulder and handedme a
“Thanks!”Isaid,turningbacktowardsthestage.
MyheartskippedabeatwhenIsawWyattinthedistance,smiling
at me. Seeing my surprise, he waved in between r i f s , causing a l the
jawsdropI’vebeeratalways
girls atthefrontofthestage
drinking lovedfromwhothebtoioIam
thestraightsightofme,s t tilneg. atthebarinmysinglet and boots,heir
turnaround.Itriednottonoticeast
aboutmyselftof i t i n , and would never change anything
butIcouldn’thelpbutfeelalittleself­conscious
whenIsawthoseg
“He’s got iralls glaringatmeindisbelief.
those bleach blonde clones literal y throwing
themselvesa
corner ofmy t him,prancingaroundrightunderhisnose,andhe’sonly
lookin’atyou,Eva,”Josaidintomyear,smilingbroadly.
I glancedmouthliftedinahalf­smile.Ihopeshe’sright,
sideways toseeJo wink provocatively at me,andthe
wavedbackatWyatt. *** IthoughtasI
Isatatthebar,sketchingonanapkin,whileJoandBenrocked
outtoTheLivingEnd’sPrisonerOfSocietyonthedancef lo r.
 bot le. “Another beer?”asked the bartender, taking away my empty
“Yeah,sure.Thanks.”
Ilookedupfrommydoodling,noticingthewordsBreakingNews
flashinguponthetelevisionscreenbehindhim.Icouldn’thearit overthe
noiseinthebar,butthecaptionslidingacrossthebottomofthescreen
read:
FearsgrowinSydneyafteranoutbreakoftheHalienzaVirusat
TrinityHospital,leavingtwentydeadandhundredsmoreinfected.
protective Onthescreen,Isawfootageofscientistsinwhitelabcoatsand
by masksusing droppers to place a red liquid
me intotest tubes,
followed
likea war unsteadyamateur footagethatmade
zone,withdozensofpeoplebleeding and shudder.Itlooked
runningfrantically
throughthes t r e t s ofSydney.Anothercaptionmovedacrossthescreen:
hospital.New“Hithere.”reports of second Halienza outbreak in a Melbourne
tartltoedIjumped,so immersed in the news reportthat thevoicebehind
snextblondehair,blueeyesandacharminggrin.
me.“What'reyoudrawingthere?”Saidtheyoungman,takingaseat
me as hegestured to the napkin. He was short,but cute, with
“Oh,justdoodling,really.”
Ireached over themeandbar placedi
bartenderwashandingto
NoticingIwastryingtohideit, to takemyt directlyovermysketch.
newfriendmovedthebottle
the freshly opened beer the
takeacloserlook. to
“Mycheekswarmed
It lookslikea…”hefurrowedhisbrowsinconfusion.“Aface
witha…bulletholeinit?”
when theysaw medrawing intoablush.Peopleoftenf
such violent looking elt uncomfortable
images. IthoughtI
shouldexplain.
“Uh, yeah.I’mtrainingtobeaSpecialEffectsMakeupA
He looked
inthemovies?So st sketchingabitofa…fleshwound.” rtist, like
aI’mt mejublankly,seemingcompletelyuninterested.
and…”For“Oh, so you like doingall the gory stuf , like blood and guts
“Andbrainsandburnsandcorpses…Yep.”
a moment he didn’t say a word.I’d always received mixed
reactions from people when Itell
EffectsMakeupArtist.Ican’tsayIblamethem.
Inhighschool,whilea themmyirlsdream
l theotherg is to be a Specialheir
proudlyproclaimedt
desires
dreaming tobeaboutbeing
doctors, onlawyersthe setor ofSaw
psychologists,
hacksawlacerations.Needlesstosay,Iwasn’texactlyMissPopularity. I was theblood­soaked
I , designing only one
 “That’snew.Buyyouadrink?”hegesturedtothebartenderwhile
movinghisbarstoolclosertomine.
“Oh,nothanks,”IsaidasIheldup
“You’redrinking
Ismiledawkwardly,notwantingtoberude.
“Alreadygotone.” my beer.
bartendertocome overbeer?Comeon,”hescoffedashegesturedfor
the‘boutacosmopolitan?” again.“I’llanbuyyou something nicer. How
backtomy“Ah,nothanks.Beer’sfine.Notreallyacosmogirl,”Isaid,going
Ilookedathimblankly,raising eyebrow.
wasn’tinterested. sketchinanattempttosubtlygetthemessageacrossthatI
“Ha!”helaughed.“Everygirl’sacosmogirl!It’llbemyt
Heleanedovertothe bartendertoorderthedrink,whenanarm r e a t . ”
pulled him“Theladysaid
backbytheshoulder.
Wyatt. no,thanks.”
IwatchedasthemanturnedaroundtoseeWyattstandingthere,
Itwas
somewheree
shrugged
tal , dark hisshoulders
andlse.unimpressed.and walked
He lookedaway,at deciding
Wyatt, thento golookedat
try his luckme,
askedthebartendertobringhimabottleofwater.
“You’re welcome,” Wyatt said as he sat down nextto me and
“Thanks,but Ican notto
saveme,”Ireplied,trying handlemyself,youknow.Ididn’tneedyou
soundsorelieved. to
Wyattl
“Sorry, iIftwased hisjupalmsupinfrontofhimapologetically.
st trying to help. I can gogetCosmo Boy and
bringhimbackforyouifyoulike?”Hesmirked.
“Nothanks.”
“Didn’tthinkso,”hesaid,droppinghishandsontothebarwitha
smile. Mybutterfliestookf light again,andItried tothinkofsomething
tosay.“Youonbreak?”Imotionedtothestage.
“Yeah,”hereplied,takingaswigofhiswater.“Gottagobackon
inten,but…Willyoustay?After?”
IcouldseeJo and Benpushing their waythroughthecrowdashe
spoke.
intently,“Iwatchingmyreaction.
wanttotalktoyouaboutsomething,”hesaid,looking at me
Justthen,Bencameup
“Oh,yeahofcourse.I’llbehere,”Ireplied.
behindWyatt,wrappinghisarm around
himandkissinghimonthecheek.
“Youarerockin’it up there,man!”
“Thanks,man,”Wyatt he yelled,clearlydrunk.
It r i e d grinned,hiseyess
tomatchhisgaze,butIfelt very til onme.
awareofJo’spenetrating
stare.
sowidelythat
Shelookeda I t Wyatt,thenatme,thenbackatWyatt,andsmiled
thoughtshe would hurtherself.Ben andWyattstarted
makingtheir wayback tothestage,whileJoproppedherselfuponthe
“Ohtome.that? Nothin’. til smiling.
stoolnext“Whatwasthat?”sheasked,s
mytheyfinish… Wyatt mewasaboutsomething,”Isaid
he wantsto‘talk’to
beer,tryingtoactcasual.
“Hellsyes!”Josquealed just asking meto stay backasI drankafter
Iloved seeing herso happyassheslappedmeonthethigh.“Thisi
it, Eva!Thisisit!Yourmoment!” forme, andI started to think shes
might behirsigihst.mymoment.
Maybet Ismiled,hardlyabletowaitforthefinal songofthenight.
 ChapterThree
JoandIsatalone
at thebarwhilethebartenderscollectedal the
“I don’tknowwhyhedoesthattohimselfallthetime!”
drunktostand
emptyglasses andon hisown.
bot les. Ben tookataxihomelongbeforelastcall,too
when he left. “All he does ismake himself sick.Andwe haveJohadto
saidopenthedinerinthemorning,”shecontinued,lookingworried.
constantlyfTherehadalwaysbeenasparkbetweenBenandJo–theywere
lirtway,ing witheachother–buteithertheyarebothtoostubborn
toadmititortoooblivioustonotice.
Either
Jotroublesortingout I decided long ago to stay
every outofit; I had enough
bea my
occupiedherselfbyrunningthediner
ownlovelife,letalonesomeonee
him day,whileBenwasl s e ’ s . Besides,
busy
trainingto “Ugh,what’s
paramedic–theyhardlyhadtimeforanythinge
taking so long?”Jo
thebar.“We’vebeenwaitingherefortwentyminutes!” leaningbackonmoaned, l s e .
goneanditwassuddenlyquietenoughformetothinkclearly,Istartedto
getnervous.
I had beenItriedtobepatient,buteversinceWyattaskedmetostaybehind
waiting anxiously for closing time. Now that everyonehad
work in“Youdon’thavetostay,youknow,”InudgedJo.“I’llseeyoua
the morning bright and early, you’ll be the firstto knowt
everything…ifanythinghappens.”
season. Jolooked atmeasif I had just toldherthathershoeswereout of
have,missy!I’mnotwaitingu
“Absolutelynot!Ihavebeenwaitingfort his just as long as you
ntil tomorrowforanything!”
“No!”Josaidjokingly,jumpingoffthe barstoolandstampingher
“Okay,okay,calmdown,”Ilaughed.
footontheground.
“Iwillnot
“What do calmdown.you say?” What’s
I replied,he trying
waithereforhimsohecantalktoyou,thenleavesyouhanging,like
tome.“YouknowwhatIsay?”Joasked,puttingherhandsonherhips.going toalongdo?Hewithasksheryoucamelhe’sit tole
so cavalier!”Jowaspronetobeingoverdramatic,especiallywhenit
performance“I saytoyoupassthetime.
march back thereand goget him! Go make your
momenthappen!”
Josatback
Ilaughed,butcouldn’thelpbutthinkshehadapoint.
nexttome,endingherfauxtantrum.
“No,I’mserious.Maybehe’swaitingforyou.Ibethe’ssprawled
outthedressingroomcouch,waitingforyoutocomeandravishhim.”
Sheleanedbackonthebar,threwher arms upintheairandtilted
herheadback,muchtothedelightofthebartenderscleaningbehindthe
bar.backupandyellingi
“Ormaybehe’sjt towardsthestage.
ust takinghissweettime!”sheadded,springing
 Suddenly,sheturnedaround,leanedovertheothersideofthebar
andthrewup.
IjumpedBenuptohelpherandholdherhairback.
“Clearly
Josatup, isncan’t theonlyonewho’shadafewtoomanydrinks
tonight,”Isighed.
“Comeon,you stayat my placetonight.”
“No!Not wipedhermouthandshookherhead.
freakingmoment!”
“Andwitht huantt,ishewasbackoverthebaragain.
l you get your butt back there and have your
I’l callataxiandgetherabucket,yougodowhatever
naggingyoutodo,”saidoneofthebartenders,i r i t a t e d . it is she’s
Iwalkedacrossthedeserted dancefloor,climbedontothestage
“Fine.I’llberightback,Jo.”
anddisappearedbehindthecurtain.
adjoiningrooms.IrecognizedWyatt’svoice,and
Turningintothehallway,Iheardvoicescomingfromoneofthe
gatheredhewastalkingtooneofhisbandmates. fromtheconversationI
mysterymansay,andIstoppedinmytracks.
Asexyredhead
“Isawacoupleofgroupieshangingoutbythebar,waitingforus.
andarockerchick.Whichoneyouwant?”Iheardthe
“Neither.I’mgoinghome,”Wyattreplied.
“Whatever,man. I sawyou chatting up therocker chickbefore.
Youkeenonher?”
Iheldmybreath,waitingtohearhisresponse.
“Pfft,nah.She’sj ust agirl Iknowfromwork.”
a t
“YoumindifIhaveacrack
“Go ahead.You won’t like herher?”though. She’s one ofthose girls
apathyinhisvoice.
whogoesonandonabouthowindependentshei
aguytosaveherorwhatever.She’sprettyboring,actually,”Wyattsaid,
Myheart s, howshedoesn’tneed
away or“Ugh. sankdeepintomychest.Ididn’tknowwhethertorun
confronthimabout
I hate those his
girls.So
hurtfulwords.
annoying.
redhead,” thethehallway.
towardsIstartedto other voice replied, and Iheard theirfootsteps Alright, I’l takecomingthe
turnaroundandwalkaway,butIstoppedmyself.Even
thoughIcouldfeeltearswellingupinmyeyesandalumpforming in
Wyatt and his bandmate made their way into the hallway, andmy
frozeinplacewhentheysawmestanding
throat,IknewIhadtostandupformyself.
band. “Goodluck,man,”Tomsmirked andasinfrontofthem.Wyatt’seyes
beforepushingpassedmeandheadingbacktowardsthebar.
conversation.Irecognizedtheotherman
widenedandhisfacewentpaleasitdawnedonhimthatIhadheardtheir pat Wyattonthe shoulder
Tom,theleadsingerinthe
I’m so
interruptedhim. sorry. I didn’t mean…” Wyatt started, butI
“Eva,
 Iam,to
saymore,to tel himIdidn’thaveroominmylifefor
sanyonewhodidn’trespectmeforwho
tart toboreyou,”Isnapped,stormingoffinahurry.
Iwantedto
“AtleastnowIknowwhatyoureallythink.Ibettergo–beforeI
tostay,butIcouldn’tholdbackmy tears askhimwhyheaskedme
anylonger.Ididn’twanttogive
I pushed myofwayseeingmecryoverhim.
downthehallbehindme.Jumpingoffthe
himthesatisfaction throughthe curtains, hearing Wyatt running
stage,IsawTomsit ing ona
stoolnexttoJo,wholookedhalf­asleep,leaningherarmsonthebar.AsI
gotcloserIsawhehadhishandonherthigh.
“Leave her alone,” I said through gritted teeth as I slapped his
handaway.“Eva!”Josprangup, suddenlyawake.“Howdidi
asI helpedofheroffthestool.“t go?Didyou
haveyourmoment?”shesmiled.
“Notexactly,”Isighed
back tomyplace.Let’sgo.” I’l trexplain
whenweget
IpulledheralongasIhurriedout thebarandontothes
in thebackandjumped in nextto her, slamming e t .
IlaidJodown
Thankgod,IthoughtasIsawataxiwaitingforus.
thedoorshutasWyattranoutofthebar.I gavethedrivermyaddress
anddidn’tlookbackaswedroveaway,leavingWyattbehind.
andontoChapterFour
my bed.Myeyes
Iwoke upto the hot sun shining through my bedroom window
struggledtoopen,l
themtogetherlikeglue.Idrovemyfaceintothepillow,trying a s t night’smascaracaking
hard
Groaning,Ireached hand down the sideof the bednottoand
rememberthenightbefore. my
searchedaroundformyphonetocheckthetime.WhenIheldmyphone
closetomys til ­adjustibedng eyes,thef irshtifthing Inoticedwasthefifteen
missedc
list, IcringedwhenIsawthetime.Mys
Slidingmythumboverthescreentounlockitandclearthecalls
Ijumpedoutof
al s fromWyatt. andranintothelivingroom
t hadstartedhalfanhourago.
“Jo?”I calledasI walkedintothekitchen,seeingatowakeupJo,
whohadspentthenightonthecouch,butshewasgone. noteonthe
table. Thanksforlookingafterme.SorryaboutTheDouche.Stayhome
today,I‘TheDouche,’Ipresumed,wasJo’snewnameforWyatt.Irolled
’l dealwithhim.
stopliving
wonderingwhatJomeantby‘dealing’withhim.Knowingher,i
myeyesat hersuggestiontostayhometoavoidhim–nowaywouldI
my life over a guy, no matter who he was.I fetlwould t sick
involvealIn arush,Itiedmyhairintoaponytail,pulledon
it),wrapped
andboots,threwon ot ofdrama.
amaroonmyscarffavouritetee(greywithalargewolfprintedon
around my neck and grabbedmy my trustyjeans
satchel,
throwingmymakeupbaginthere
sunmakingmesquint. so
doorshutbehindmeandstartedrunningdownthestairs,theglareofthe
Walking Icouldputeyelineron
ThankgodIlivesoclosetothediner,IthoughtasIslammedthe
out a t work.
people, ontowatch,seeing
no trams.sirensatItmywasinthe
from afewIlooked thedistance,
stre t, everything
deserted. I noticed howwasquietsilenti.t Nowas.cars,A partno
Saturday morning, meaning
But ithadneverbeenthis quietbefore. most i t wasj
people u
ins t passedteno’clock.I
t h i s neighbourhood t was
were
eithersleepinginortoohungovertomove.
butI I wonderedi
quickly f I shouldhavetakenJo’sadviceandstayedhome, a t
Ilooked atmywatchagain.Wyattwasworkingtoday, work
shookoffthatthought,knowing
withsomethingtodistractmefrommypatheticbrokenheart.
ExceptWyatt. I’dbebetteroff
histheyweresickly,liketheyhadbeenspinningoutofcontrol
shiftstarted in t h i r t y minutes. I f e l t the butterfliesreturn,onlynow too,and
teart wasme
hisllong.
upinside,butIwouldonlybelyingtomyself.DeepdownIknewi
os ,Iwantedtoshrugitofflikeitdidn’tmatter,likeitdidn’t
butrightnowIjust felt…crushed. forfartoo
 Mythoughtswereinterruptedbythesoundofsomeoneshuffling
slowlybehindme,groaningloudly.
Probablystil drunk.
Saturday
pickedupspeed. spot downmorningalwaysbroughtparty­goersandup­all­nighters
istumblingintothedinerforahangovercure.IputmyheadphonesinasI
t’s usualWalkingtowardsthediner,InoticedWyatt’scarwasn’tparkedin
thestreet –as a bright yellow Chevy Impala, it’s
veryeasytospot.Reliefwashedoverme;hehadn’tarrivedyet.
IpushedthedoortoPopRocksopen,causingthebellaboveitto
wrapped
jinglesaw. BenandJowerestandingbehindthecounter,chattingwhilethey
napkinsaroundcutleryinpreparationforwhatwouldsurelybea
theybusyday.Theirheadssnappedthedooratthesoundofthebell,andwhen
me and
wall. immediately
avoidingfel eyesilecontact
counterandintothetinyoffice,throwingmybagonthedeskagainstthe
talkingaboutlastnight.
“Hi,” Imuttered, nt, I knewas I thatwalkedtheybehind
had beenthe
Rocks
theblueandwhitet
hadeverything
Meticulouslycreatedtobeaperfectreplicaofa1950’sdiner,Pop
ilesfromonthefloorflowna
vintageart printsl thewayfromtheUSA.
and Coca­Colapostersto
Large booths lined the large windows al acrossthe
design,followedbytwo­seatertablesinthemiddleof
andstoolsallalongthecounter. L­shaped
the restaurantarea
theother,andalongstove,ovenandfryerparallelt
sodaglassesononeside,amilkshakemakerandfoodpreparationarea
Aswingingdoortotherightofthecounterledinto
Behindthecounter stood a largekitchen island, oit. with platesandon
Aslidingdoortothel
Usually, fiftiesftmusic would play through the thebackroom,
whichheldastoragearea,anindustrialdishwasherandawalk­infreezer.
ofthecounteropenedupintotheoffice. diner–
speakersover thedoor outside, we would oftenplay had music to a twith
r a c t
customers–butconsideringthehangoverseveryone today,itwould
reserved for staf to change intoNoourmany
likelystayquietunlessacustomerputacoininoneofthe
The officesatonwasthecounter.
jukeboxesthat mini­
behind.“I’mnot
andamirroronthefarwall.
smalltelevisiononittotheleft,twochairsandawhiteboardtother
walk­in
whitedresss
“Ithought
closet,hirtthe,going
apron,blackbow­tie,andwhitehat.
Iofficehada
gaveto youstop theliving
taldayoff?”
rowmylifeof shelving
Jojusaskedasshe
t toavoid deskhim,uniform;
and abiggerthana Jo,”Iighta,
followed
witha
replied,buttoningupmyshsayirt andpullingmywhiteapronovermyhead.
anythingit. Please.”
that’sentirelyhischoice.Stayoutof
“AndIdon’twantyouto to him.Ifhewantsto bea jerk,
 tocliponmycheesybow­tieandl
Lookingat
“Fine,”Josighedanddisappearedbackintothediner,leavingme
myself inthe imirror, t le boatshapedcap.
Ismirked. I always felt sil y
puttingontheuniform,butIhadsomuch
My
myfriends,listeningtooldmusicand
time. stomachturned,hopingitwouldstillbethesame fun workinginthedinerwith
pretending we as
wereina before.
simpler
makeuptoolsand afew through my makeup bag,topullouttheeyeliner.
I began searchingSpecialEffectsproducts pushing passed my
Poppingthelidoff,Ileanedinclosetothemirror,butstoppedwhenI
sawWyattstandingbehindmeinthereflection.
“Youlookbeautiful,”hesaidashestoodinthedoorway,keeping
hisdistancefromme.
Myheartstarted to beatfaster, andIhatedthatthebutterflieswere
back and morealive
his“I triedto
ignoring“Iwas compliment. than ever. I
cbusy,Jowasn’tfeelingwell.” continued
al youlastnight…” he said,lookingconcerned.drawing on my eyeliner,
Icouldn’thelpbutnoticehowmiserablehelooked,andmyheart
sankwhenIrealisedhemustfeelsorryforme.
avictim,I’mnotsomepoorg
anyone’spHefeelsbadforbreakingt
ity, least ofallhis.irl. I’mstrongandcapable,andIdon’tneed
his poorgirl’s heart.Ihatethat.I’mnot
Iwasabouttotellhim al this when he steppedintotheroomand
slid thedoorshutbehindhim.
“Iwanttoexplain…whatyouheard.Lastnight,”Wyatts
hisshouldersstiffening. my liner andthrewit back inmymakeupbag, t a r t e d ,
wantingnothingmorethantogetoutofthattinyroom.
Iquicklyfinished
“Youdon’tneedtoexplainanything,”Iinterrupted.
iIwaswrong.”
t. Ithoughtyouwereaniceguy;agenuine,kindheartedperson.Clearly,
Icould “Itotal y get
tel byit thewaswayonlythehis eyesfourhiftdropped
walkingoutintothedinertostartmys
woundedhim,butIpushedpassedhimandslidthedooropenanyway,
Eventhough . to the floor that I had
wasthick.Wyatt reeked ofmeguilt, while Jo ofusinthediner,the and Ben gave him thetensioncold
shoulderandsmothered
exactly whatitlooks like,withover­the­topkindness.
Whenmyparentsdied,Ibecameveryfamiliarwithp
completewith sadfrowns andityawkward . Iknow
silences.Butnothingcomparestothelookintheeyesofsomeonewho
Itthem’s aswirlingmixtureofsympathy,sorrow,
feelssorryforyou.
it’snot going and relief. Reliefthat
satthrough something so ter ible, so tragiceyes. I swore
wouldneverseemyselfinthereflectionofthosemelancholy
dumpsters,which
Needingsomefreshair,Ivolunteeredtotakethetrashouttothe
inthealleywaydowntheendoftheblock. again. I
 Pickinguptwofullbagsofrubbishfromthebinsinthekitchen,I
Greyand
passedWyatt,JoandBen.
carriedthem
basement,Ialwaysfoundthestairwelltoberathere
outintothestairwell,avoidingalleyecontactonmyway
cold, with concrete stairsleadingeridown e. into thedark
opened Twotrolleyssatontheconcretelanding,bythedoubledoorsthat
up onto the street.I threw the bagsinto a trolley and pushed
throughthedoors,l i g h
appeared,Closingeven thethoughit t fillingthestairwellasImademywayoutside.
doors wasnow me,
behind mid­morning.
Inoticed howI couldemptyonlysee
the streonets
man,faroffinthe
backandforth. distance,whostoodstaringat abrickwall,swaying
Anotherdrunk?IwonderedasIbeganpushingthetrolleydown
thehil .Takingtherubbishoutwasn’tthemostglamorousofchores,but
downthe stre t, picking upspeed. In onet.movementIjumpedontothe
therewasoneaspectIreallylovedabouti
backofthetrolleyand IsmiledasIstartedrunning
flewdownthesidewalk. closedmyeyestofeelthewindonmyfaceasI
Afterafewsecondsofexhilaration,Iopenedmyeyesandjumped
backontotheground,skiddingtoastopj
andpullupalongsideanopendumpster. u s t intimetoturnintothealley
dumpsterLiftingone attheatime,bags holding
over mymyshoulder,
nose to avoid
I flippedthe smellof
themintorottingthe
foodandfilth.
trolley behind mewith making onemy arm,way back
behindme.Ipausedtolookback,butsawnothing.
Istarted when towards
Iheard thea moandiner,coming
pullingthe
from
Ikeptwalking,onlytohearit again.Alow,rat ling growlechoed
fromwithinthemetalcontainer.Ihadneverheardanythinglikei t before,
anditsentc h i l
andcoveredingarbage. s rushingdownmyspine.Thistime,Iwalkedbackoverto
IscreamedasI jumped up from inside the dumpster, groaning
it toinvestigate.IheldmynoseagainasIedgedclosertopeekinside.All
ofasudden,something
chest. jumpedbackinfear, myheartpoundinginsidemy
realisediItrosetoi
t wasawomaninraggedclothes.
ts feetunsteadily,andit tookmeafewsecondsbeforeI
sweat.Itriedtocontainmyshock,butI
Her face was a sicklygrey, her skincouldseeshehadbeeneating
sallow and glistening with
rubbish.“Oh. Sorry…You scaredme,” I saidas I backed upagainst the
tsomething
rol ey.Thewomanletoutanotherlowrattleasshecontinuedchewingon
that made disgusting crunch sounds when she bit down. A
shestruggledtoclimboutofthedumpster.
long,fleshyrodenttail fel outthecornerofhermouth,hangingthereas
 Icuppedmyhandovermymouthinanattempttopreventmyself
fromthrowingupindisgust,andgrabbedthetrolleyasIstartedrunning
Bythetime Ihadmade iasIran
outofthealleyway. t backintothedinerI wasdryreaching.
Johandsfuriously,butIcouldn’tt
askedme
Knowing whathowwaswrong
“Nothing.Justsmells beenintothethenight
sick badJoelhaddownthere,”Il
herwhatIhadseen. iebathroom
d. before,to andwashhowmy
Besides,
hungovershefelttoday,Ithoughti
I didn’t think I could repeatt wouldbebestnottosayanything.
the story without making myself
sick,too.“It’s soquiettoday,”IsaidasI walkedbackintothediner,trying
Ben and Wyatt inmy
toforgetthesickfeeling stomach.
.“I t’s weird,” Benbysaid,lookingoutthewindow.
sawfrenchfriesknow.I stood the fryer, cooking themselves“I barely some
empty.”anyone on the drive in this morning. I’ve never seen the city so
towardsthediner.
Before Icould reply, I saw a man stumbling acrossthe road
countertogreethimashepushedthedooropenandwalkedinside.
“Customer,” I said to the others as I walked over behindthe
“Hi,hereforbreakfast?”Ismiled,handinghimamenu.
as he satI’mononeof
replied “Yeah. starving.the counterstools.
Feels like I haven’t eatenin weeks,”he
assortment
lookwella
had been“Bignight?”Iasked,switchingonthecoffeemachine.
Fromthelookofhisbloodshoteyesandcrackedl
outtofal .stainsdown
al night. Wearingthe fronta landight tornbluedarkpin­striped
bluejeans,he
ips,hIfiguredhe
irt withan
didn’t
rubbing“Ihisdude
homeless thinkso. Idon’tto eatmy
eyestryingwithhis reallyleg.“Iwokeup
palms. remember.
The freakIfeelintorethelikeshit,”
gutter withhe somesaid,my
rightthrough
jeans.”Myjawdropped.
“Whatthehell?Areyouserious?”Iaskedinsurprise.
Iturnedaround as to seeWyattandBenstil standingbythefryer.
Wyattlooked
laugh. surprisedasIdid,butIcouldseeBenwastryingnotto
have the“Yeah.Ihadto
Big Breakfast kickhim
please.And off coffee,
thenIgotthehell
l o t s and l o t souttaof coffee,”
there.Ihe’l
being aBigI startedBreakfasttoahomelessman.
handedthemenubacktomecasually,asthoughhehadn’tj
making his coffeewhile Wyattand Benputusgloves t escapedon
andpreparedhismeal.
hospital?”
“So,I asked didhe actually bite you? Maybe you should go toa
didn’tanswer. the man asI carried his coffee over to him, buthe
 Hejust satthere,slumped overthecounter
hands. Iwantedtoreturnhisanimosity,buta with hisheadinhis
“No,”hesnapped.“I’mhungry.Just makemy
“Areyouokay?” fter al food.”
therudepeopleI’d
served asa waitress,Ihadquicklylearnedtobitemytongueandshrugi
baconandplacedthemonthestove.
of . Wyattwalkedoutofthebackroomholdingfrozensausagesand sawthecustomer’s t
then,andhebegansniffingwildlyandglaringatthemeat. I headsnapup
Helookedevenworsethanwhenhewalkedi
becomeclammyandpale,andI couldhave swornI nheardalowgrowl
. Hisskinhadfast
paincomingfromhisthroat.Itinstantlyremindedmeofthederangedwoman
inthedumpster, hurtfulandIwordscringed.stil and stoodnexttoWyatt.The
ofhisIwalkedbehindthekitchenisland
instantly“Somethingdoesn’tfeelrightaboutt
feltcalmerinhis presence.lingered in thehis guy.Cookhisfoodquick
back of my mind, but I
thenletWyattlooked
’s getridofhim,”Iwhispered,watchingthecustomercarefully.
baconoverasitsizzled. over at him suspiciously and nodded,flippingthe
freshlypoppedtoastoutofthetoaster and threwit on aplate.
“Ithinkhe’sstil drunkorsomething,”whisperedBenashetook
downinhisarmsagain.
Ilookedbacktowardsthecounterandsawthemanhadhishead
placediOnce the Big Breakfast was ready I carriedit overto him and
t onthecounternexttohishead.
“Sir,you’rebreakfastis ready.”
Hedidn’tmove.
byhisarm.Ileanedinclosertohim,tryingtoseehisface,buti
“Excuseme,sir? You’rebreakfastis here.” t wascovered
Hestilldidn’tmove.
Iwatchedhimclosely,waitingforther ise andfal ofhisbackas
hebreathed.
Nothing.
shoulder. Slowly,Ireachedmyhandoverthecounterandgentlynudgedhis
the stoolandslammedontothet
Hisheadslippedoffofhisarmandheslowlys
i l e d f l o r . lid sidewaysoffof
Evenwiththathardknock,he
He was
didn’twakeup.
Igasped,myeyeswideasIstareddownathisl ifeles body.
dead.
 ChapterFive
“Crap!” Igasped as I stepped back, walking into the kitchen
island.“What’swrong,Eva?” Joaskedasshewalkedoutoftheoffice.
motioning “Ben!Thecustomer…Ithinkhe’s…He’snotmoving!”Icalled,
Bentocomeover.gloves and ran around the outside ofthe
torippedoffhis
countertowardstheman.
yelledasheBen“Callanambulance!Wyatt,helpmeturnhimontohisback,”he
checkedtheman’spulseandheandWyattcarefullylaidhim
Jo ranback
flat onthefloor. into the office to getas hershedroppedherphoneonthe
“I can’tgetthrough!”Sheyelled
againasshedialed. phone then ran back out
“There’s snon’tbackpulse,”
counterandhurried
ipreparationforCPR.
s down!Therei intotheofficetousethelandline.“Thelandline
evenadialtone!”
said Ben as he opened the man’s mouth in
customer’seyesflewopen.
He was about to begin mouth to mouth resuscitation whenthe
WyattandBenmovedbackinshock.
ceiling.Theman didn’t move, he just lay there, staring blanklyatman’sthe
mouth. Ben“He’ssslowly leaned in closer, lowering his ear overthe
til notbreathing.” Wyattsaid,hisfingersonthelifeles
“I…I don’tfeelapulse,”
wrist. Benkneltbackjust asagurglingsoundemergedfromtheman’s
mouth, Bensputtering
dartingaroundtheroom,hisarmsslowlyrising,reachingforBen.
andWyattstoodupandbackedaway,andforamoment
blood al overhimself. His bloodshot eyes started
“Guys?” Jocalled from theoffice andand we ofhurried over to butthewe
al just stoodthere,staring,notknowingwhattodo.
there’snothing.Justsilence.Idon’tunderstand.”
entrywaytoSheexplained,pushingherredhairbehind
see her.“I tried the landline al our mobiles,
“I’ve never seen anything likehimbefore,”herear.said Ben, his face
whitewithshock.“Imean,grantedIhaven’tcompletedtrainingyetbut…
He’s
moving.Idon’tknowwhattodo.”
notIjumpeda He doesn’tofa have apulse. He’s… dead. But he’s
I’dneverseenBenlooksodefeated.
breathing.t thesound
had
foodglancedovertoseethesupposedly
disappeared from the loudcrashandturnedtoseetheplateof
counter.
dead manSlowly, I walkedtolcloser
begintearingintothebaconandsausageslike
Hehadreachedupandpulledtheplatedownontothef anhadanimal.
managed osirt.up andand
 The“Ben!”Iman’swhispered
notdead!He’sokay.Sortof.” head snapped
andpulled him oversohe could see.“He’s
He in thealley. up at the soundgreyofus mynow,lookingeven
gaspedwhenIsawhisface.Hisskinwasasickly
morelikethewoman whisper, and I
counterstoolandtmunchedriefuriously
d tolifthimselfup,glaringa
on the bacon as het grabbed justasheglareda
hold of thet
themeatbefore.
Instinctively, I pushed Ben back and we moved towards the
appear
office.Icouldn’texplainit,butIknewwewereindanger.
MyheartstartedbeatingfasterasIsawhisbloodshoteyesslowly
overthe counter, withthe same gurglingsound rumblingin
The four oft startedtogrowintomoreofagrowlorascreech.
throat,onlynowi his
turnedthelock.
“Something creepyius backed into the office, slid the door closed and
Ben,JoandWyatt. s goingontoday,”IsaidasIturnedtoface
eatingar “Fiartstinthedumpster,nowt
, thestre ts arecompletelydeserted.Then,Isawawoman
his. Thatguyouttheresaidsomeone
tried toeathisleg!”
“Someone what?!” Jo gasped. “Maybe something’s happened?
Hasanyoneseenanynewstoday?”
Benand Wyattshookt h e i r heads,butwhatJosaidhadtriggered
somethinginmymemory.
“I saw something last night, I t onin the TV in the bar,”I replied.
“Somethingaboutan‘outbreak’.
gatheringaround.
switch Thesame
Their
on theeyestelevision was
cramped
widenedasatwethe word outbreak,Sydneythough,nothere.”
togetherandin Wyatt
thetinyturnedroom,to
news story appeared on every channel, al showing
scenesofviolenceinthestreets.Policeofficersbleeding,menfighting,
women
footage wasandchildren
were. “Ithoughtyousaidi runningt wasinSydney?”Joaskedassheturnedto
frantical y. Igasped whenfromsomewherewe
clearlyinMelbourne,onlyatenminutedrive ofthe
look at me.Just then, I remembered the lastwords I saw slide across the
screenthenightbefore.
hospital.'New' reports ofsecond Halienza outbreak in a Melbourne
“Ohno.”Imoaned,unabletotakemyeyesoffthescreen.
“Shhh!”hushedBen,asthenewsreporterbegantospeak.
Foranyonejustjoiningus,therehasbeenwidespreadpanicdown
theeastcoastofAustraliaasadeadlyoutbreakoftheHalienzaVirushas New South
started
Melbourne'sI
left hundredsdead
as seemingly
nfinity andan
Hospitalhasalreadyspreadthroughout
controlledestimated
leaks atSydney’s
thousands moreinfected.
Trinity Hospital Whatand
Wales and Victoria. We’ve justhad
BrisbaneHospital.Thevirusi s wordthat thevirushas alsohit
expectedtospreadthroughtoAdelaide
andeven up toDarwinoverthe next forty­eighttoseventy­twohours.
We al lookedtil atinSydneyorMelbournewhoareuninfected,you
believewhatwesaw.
Foranyones each other, eyes wide in shock, struggling to
areurgedtostayinsideandlockyourdoorsandwindows.Theinfected
across, includingtheir loved ones. Do not approach the infected. I
havebecomeseverelyderangedandextremelyviolent.Wehavereceived
countlessreportsoftheinfectedbitingandevenkillinganyonetheycome
repeat; do not approachthe
requestedtogo infected. If youhave been bit en, youare
tothenearesthospitalormedicalcentrefortreatmentas
soonaspossible.
infected. MoreTheirfootage
blood,theirfacesandarmscoveredinopenwoundsandlesions.
eyes wereof thean seerietre tswhite, skin greythen,andthispatteredwith
was shown s timeof the
“Zombies,”whisperedBen,staringslack­jawedatthescreen.
“Themediaalwaysoverdramatisesthings.Idoubtit’sthatserious.”
“Ohcome on, Ben,” Jo scoffed, putting her handson her hips.
“Youhaven’tseentheguyj
Justthen, more footageoftheviolence
asa t u s t outsidethedoor,”Benreplied.
was shown.
Iwatchedinhorror l e a s t adozenpoliceofficersattempting
topreventarl furiouslybitingintotheirskin,tearingthemtoshreds.If
iot wereattackedbypsychoticmen,womenandevenafewelt
children,a
sickasIwatchedthegraphicscenesplayoutinfrontofme.
“Weneedtogetridofthatguy.He’sinfected.He’s beenbit en,
My stomach ust likethem,”Isaid,motioningtotheinfected
peopleonthescreen.
andhe’sstartingtolookj
thedineropened, turnedasIheardthesoundofthebellringingasthe
door of“Ihopethatwashimleaving,”Iwhispered
and slowlyshutagain.
andslidIitpeered inch. the gap,but couldstill asIunlockedthedoor
open anthrough seethere.”the infected man
tryingtopullhimselfupontothecounter.“He’ss t i l
Any“ThatothermeansdayIwould
another onehavejushiveredin
rightnowwestoodontheedgeoftheendoftheworld,
switchedoffthetelevisionandstoodclosebehindme. st walked in,”his closepresence,but
Wyatt saidas he
thesurvive.Iheard a loudgroanandsomeone,something,shufflingthrough andwehadto
diner,edgingclosertothefourofushidinginthetinyoffice.Iheld
breath,trying desperatelyate.to stayquiet.Slowly,I begansliding the
mydoorclosed,butitwastool
entryway,iIArancid,
screamed,almost
ts dilatedpupilsburningintomeindesire.
decomposingknockingface appeared on the otherside ofthe
armhim.throughtheopening smell inthe
It Thelet outaputridterrifyingscreech Wyatt
of daydoor.oldasrotting overfleshasfilledthe
I jumpedroombackasinto
itcrammedalong,freshlymauled
t me frantthedoor,pushingi
hardasIcould.Wyattleanedovermeontothedoor,helpingmeslami
mystomachwithbile,butIknewIhadtofocusonkeeping
maggotinfestedhandswipeda
Ithrew myselfforwardagainst ical y. The mere sightofitfilled alive. itst
ust sidewaysas
intotheinfectedarm.Bent
sidecovered
of thedoor, but i t ried swinging
was tograbitandpushi
wildly, i t t backontotheother
s yellow fingernails
screamingin Iput in dried
f e a
allmy r . blood.
weight Jo backed
against herself
the doorandup against
together the far andwall,I
Wyatt
forced
broken i t closed,
the bone, andbutbythesoundof
the possessed the
arm sickening
didn’t
Ben crack
stop. Iknewwehad
Instead, it kept
wavingaround,only
armbackthroughthedoorandweslammedi nowi t couldn’t grabus. pushedtheshattered
poundedsohardIthoughti el silent.tIleanedoffofthedoorand
tried tocatchmybreath.Icouldfeelmyentirebodytrembling.Myheart
Foramoment,everythingf t wouldexplode. shut,lockingitfast.
other rammed
of the idoor. tself intothedoor.
The groan turned Ben andintoWyattthrewthemselves
furiouslysideIcouldhearit,theinfectedmonster,groaningandsniffingatthe a loud growl,and it
againsti t tostop itfrom breaking i n .
wouldc“Whatdowedo?”Iasked,mylegsfeelingsounstableIthoughtI
ol apse.No­one
answered.
Ileanedmyarmsagainstthedooragain,helpingBenandWyatt
keepitclosed,while
Josliddown ontotheflo r, herkneesupagainstherchestastears
streameddownher
Overthegrowling face. Iheardthebellringagain.
Anotheronehadcomeforus.
All that stood between uswasand these mindless creatures with an
We
insatiablehungerforhumanflesh
weretrapped. athinslidingdoor.
 ChapterSix
IfrozeatIneed
“Please! thesoundofadesperatevoicecomingfrominsidethe
help!”
diner. Itwasn’t
woman. bashinganotherof
The“Someonej t attackeddoortheme!infected
usonthe who juandst walked
stoppedthen,
Hello?Ineedhelp!” I heardthein, itzombie
was a
shufflingaway.I f e
againIknewtheinfectedcreaturel t
realisedthedangerthewomanwasnowi relievedforamoment,butfearstruck
was closebehindher.Tearswelledin
Thebellrang,shehadrunbackoutofthediner,andwhenitrang
“Ohno.No!”shescreamedastheshufflinggrewf n. me
aster. whenI
“We’vegotto getscreamsfadeas
slowlypeeredthrough
myeyesasIheardher outofhere,”Isaid she ranasfurtherdownthes
Iunlockedthedoorand tre t.
gone,too,”Ishivered. thegap.“Ican’tseetheotherone.Hemusthave
the poorwomanwhohad
unknowinglysavedour
Iwantedtorunoutofthedinerandhelp
lives, butI knewit wouldbefutile.Her far­off
screamshadalreadygrowns
metalsideofthefryer.
one.Iturnedtolookbacka
throughtheairandskiddingalongthet
Suddenly,Ifeltsomethingplowinto ilent. iled fmylo rside,sendingmeflying
Slowly,Isteppedoutintothedinertolookaround,butsawno­
t myfriends,whostoodfrozeninf , slammingagainstthe
ear.
Icould hear Jo screaming my namet wastool
WyattandBenrunningintothediner,buti from theate.officeand heard
Thezombiehadmecornered.
Myheartracedasi t rantowardsme,baconf a t hangingout of the
cornerofiIts tsinmouth.
ister eyeslockedonme.
Thelook
rage andinehunger
t itseyes
hadbeenrippedaway,itssoulasblack
festeringIwouldn’tl sent shivers
my lifburning down Anymy spine.
initsas thedarkestnight.
e endatthehandsofthispossessed
pupils. traceofI sawhumanitypure
Empoweredby my desiretoliveandf u l of being.
adrenaline,Ijumped
tofrenchfriesWyattand
myfeetand bracedBenfor werecookinge impact, when Iarlnoticed i e r s i t ithetrayof
n g boiling
inthefryernext
tome.
oil Igrabbedholdofthehandlewithtwohands,lifted it fromthehot
andswungi t forward,hittingtheenragedcreatureintheface.
thesearinghotoilsplashedintoi
Iwatchedinhorrorasitsteppedbackwards,shriekinginpainas
t s eyes,causingitseyelids to bubble
meltaway.Ben and Wyatt jumped out of the wayof the creature asitfelland
backwards,
wavingits armsaroundwildly.
Withinseconds,itwasupagain,runningstraighttowardsmeonce
more.
 Iscreamedandjumpedbackwardsontothecounter,tryingtoslide
overtotheothersidetoreachWyattandBen.
Therancid
warm flesh. corpsegrabbedmylegandstartedpullingmetowards
ibutIknewthemonsterwastoo
ofmy
t, thickdrooldripping from its crackedlips asit eagerlyawaitedthetaste
Wyattgrabbedholdofmyhand,tryingtopullmetowardshim,
I screamed in terror as strong.
i t s contagiousmouth stretchedopen and
sunkitsteethintomyrightleg.
Frantically,Itriedtokickitoffofme,butitsgripwastoostrong.
Searching around for something, anything, I spotted kitchen
astringofsaliva
knivessittinginawoodenholderonthecounter,justoutofmyreach.
LettinggoofWyatt’shand,Islidasthezombiepulledmecloser,
grabbing the handlemedanglingfromi
hungrybeastpull of thebiggestts mouthontomylegasi
pulledouttheknifeandgrabbedthehandlewithbothhands,l
bitedownagain. one. I knocked the holdert preparedto
Ithrewmyselfsidewaysandstretchedmyarmovertotheknives,
downoverthecounterandontothefloor. eovert ingasIthe
throat. Itmadeachillingscreechingsoundasit pouncedstraightformy
searingeyewiththeknife.
Ithrew my hands forward, stabbing it straight throughits stil
Itsbodywentlimp,its screechquieteningintoagurgle,followed
byaneeriesilence. me
hands. Catchingmybreath,Ipushedthezombieoffof withshaking
asheran aroundthecounter,unableto to me.
seeme.Heskiddedaroundthecounter,slidingtothegroundnext
“Eva?!”IheardWyattyell
“Thankgod,”hesighedashelpedmetomyfeet.
“I’mok,”IbreathedasIstartedtopickmyselfup.
WebackedawayfromthecorpseasJoemerged
office,cuppingherhandsover
himbiteyou,”saidBen. her mouthinshock. slowlyfromthe
He“Isawstoodfrozenbehindthecounter,
“Theysaidanyonebitten glaringat mesuspiciously.
“She’sfine,”repliedWyatt.wouldbeinfected.Isawhimbiteyou,”
hesaidagain,t
“I said hshe’sfine,” repeated Wyatt asheme.stood in front of me
is timemovingforwardtowards
protectively.
faceBen. IputmyhandonWyatt’sarmandmovedoutfrombehindhimto
see?” Iheldmylegouttoshowhim.
“ReallyBen,he’sr i g h t . I’m f i
me yourleg,”orderedBen,unconvinced. n e . Hedidn’tevenpierce
my life. onmy boot,butnothingmorethanthat. my boot,
Thebootshadsaved
“Show
Therewereteethmarks
Wyattstiffenedinanger.
 “Whatareyougonnado,Ben?Killher?”heyelled.
“Ifshe’sbeeninfectedwe’llal die!”Benyelledback.
ground.It’Istepped in betweenthem,removedmyboot
“sSee?”Ilooked and threwitontothe
upat Ben,showinghim myunharmedleg.“I’m
fasIlookedoveratJo,tryingtolightenthemood.
ine. ok.IknewIlovedthesebootsforareason,”Ismilednervously
“WeThemensoftenedagain,buttensionf
need weapons,” muttered Benilasedhetheawalked
ir. through the
swingingdoorsintothebackroom.
Isatdowna
Myheartracedandmymindfranticallyt
t thecounter,tryingtocalmmyself.
ried toprocesswhathad
ust happened,buttherest ofmy bodyfeltnumb.Ididn’tknowwhether
jtocryorthrowup,buteitherway,Iwasa live.
Fornow.
 ChapterSeven
Iran overtothedoubledoors,turnedthelockandreachedupto
slidetheboltsintoplace.Joranoverholdingachainfromthebackroom
andwrappeditaroundthehandles,lockingitintoplacewithapadlock.
WerippedoffouruniformsandhatsandfollowedWyattandBen
as they dragged the corpse through the swinging doors into the back
room.
faceandInathrewthebodyintothewalk­infreezer,withBenslammingthe
loud crunch, Wyatt pulled the knife outof the deadman’s
doorshut.Weimmediatelystartedrummagingthroughal thedrawersinthe
kitchen,gatheringknivesofallsizes,thediner’sf
scissors–whateverwethoughtwecouldusetodefendourselves.
We“Ihaveanidea.”Bensaidas Benrandinerheranovertothel i r e
andoutofthekitchen. extinguisher,even
clutchingtoabutcherknife.
satunderthedeskandstartedsearchingthroughi
followed him through of ice, each ofus
intot. othest andfoundboxthat
hairsprayandalighter.
“Yes!” He smiled as he pulled out a medium sizedcan of
for. Ilookedathimblankly,wonderingwhatonearthheneededthem
Hethenranbackintothekitchen,with
rannexttoa
window.Jo,Wyatthe kitchen
mopsandthrowingthem toeachof
intobackovertothedrawer,pulledoutsomeducttapeand
thediner,taking
Opening aseatinone uspulling
trailingclosebehind.
closet, ofheus,thenwithoutsayinga
thestartedonlyboothsthat out ranbroomsand
wasn’tright
word,he
backout
wonderingwhathewasupto.
“Passmeyourknife.”andIfollowedhimandeachtooka seatat thebooth,
Wesat andwatchedinawe
tohim,curiousastowhathewasdoing. HegesturedtoJo,andshehandedherknife
ashe proceededtotapethehandleof
Holding it uptoshowhiscreation,Benmotioned toustodothe
herbutcherknifetotheendofoneofthebroomsticks.
same. We grabbed the tape and started working onour own makeshift
spears. Oncewe a b l weredone,Jo
sit ing on“Whataretheyfor?”
thet e . lookedoveratthe hairsprayand lighter
“Ifitworks… Aflamethrower.Butit probablywon’tkil them,
maybeit’llslowthemdown.Idon’tknow.”Benanswered,readingthe
I looked at himinshock,wondering
labelonthehairspray can.
expertknowledgeonhomemadeweaponry. howhesuddenlyhadsuch
“Iplay a lot of post apocalyptic video games.” He smirked,
readingthecuriosityinmyexpression.
 “Whatelsedoyouknowabout…”Ipaused,notknowingwhatto
cal theundeadcreaturesthatnowwanderedthes
“Zombies?”Heasked,finishingmysentence.tare?”re ts.
“ I
died.Minutes
forazombieoutbreak.Then,thatguysaidhewasbitten,andhedied.He
shoulders.“First,avirusspreadsacrosshalfofthecountry.Classiccause
answer.“Doyoureallythinkthat’swhatthey
don’tknow
later, hegetsup
what elseandhe’sa
they couldl deranged
be,” heIasked,fearfulofhis
said,anddecaying
shrugging andhis
AsmuchasIhatedtoadmitit,I knewhewasright.I’dseenmy
hasanintensecravingforhumanflesh?Soundslikeazombietome.”
fair shareofzombiemoviesandwatchedeveryepisodeofTheWalking
Butnever inmy wildestnightmaresdidIexpecttobelivingit.
Dead,IknewazombiewhenIsawone.
“Sowhat
hisweapon­making, dowedo?”Wyattlookedupa
how can’tget of t Ben,takingabreakfrom
Ben ashethes
shifteduneasilyinhiss
food,andwhateverhappens,we muchf theseweneed
Toonesfromthevideogamesandmovies,theonlywaytoreallykillthemi
todestroyt
it’shard,reallyhard.Thebestwaytosurvivei
runandhide.Wehave
“Well,Idon’tknow
heir brain,likeEvadidwiththeknifeintheeyebefore.But
eat.to“Butibequiet, bitten.”
zombies
itapplies,”replied
s tostayawayfromthem.
togatherweaponsand
are anythinglike
Icouldn’tbelievei
suddenlyf he
everythingelt light­headeda t
and . MyeltheadstartedtospinasItriedtoprocess
beingchasedbyravenous,wretchedzombies.
hadsaid, tIfthethoughtofspendingther est ofmyfearl.ifeI
mybodystart togonumbwith
Thiscan’tbehappening,IthoughtasIstoodupfromthet
“Weshouldeat.It’swellpassedlunchtimeandnoneofushave able.
veryhungry.Ineededtodistract myselffrommyter or, evenjustfora
eatenyet.We’llneedourstrength.”Isaid,eventhoughIwasn’tfeeling
fewminutes.
I walked unsteadily into the kitchen, with the others following
closebehind.Weandspent the next hour in silence, making ourselves salad
sandwichesWe decidedit
quietlyeatingthemonthefloorbehindthecounter,out
signaturemeal–becausethesmell
ofsightfromanydeadlypassersby.
would bebest to not have burgers – Pop Rock’s
requireahand­fullofzombies
mightluremorezombiesourway.
Even thoughthe doorswere to ofcookingmeatsizzlingonthestove
lockedand bolted,it would only
drool dripping from itsmouth asitbreakthroughthewindows.
Besides,afterseeingthatmonster cravedmy
trytotearintomylegearlier,
flesh, meathad lost its
appeal. AsI saton the cold tiles eating my sandwich, I thought about
what Benhadsaid,aboutweapons,destroyingbrains,runningandhiding,
allthethingswenowneededtodotosurvive.
unimportant.Sot
Itmade
YesterdayIwascomplainingabouthaving
reverythingthathad
ivial. happened last night seem so
work,nowIdon’tknowifI’llevenwakeup
to a t a l towake up earlyfor
tomorrow.IfI’lleven
bealivethatlong
Allthel i t l e experiencesuchablessing.
problemsofyesterdayhadbeencompletelywashed
my lapand
awayandreplacedbyonesolefocus:survival.
Finishingmysandwich,Ibrushedthecrumbsoffof
stoodup,watchingthewindowsintentlyasIwalkedtowardstheoffice.
“Towatchthenews.
“Eva,whereareyougoing?”JoaskedasIwalkedpassedher.
muchinformationaswecan.”If we’regoingtogetthroughthis, weneedas
 ChapterEight
Throughthewindowswecouldseemoreandmoreoftheinfected
startingtootoathetelevision,
comingt
glued nenfdi.l“Itthe’s stre twaiting
s. Quietly,desperately
we huddledfor signstogetherof thisnightmare
in the office,
Ilistenedcloselyasthereportercamebackontothescreen,
talkingtohimself. getting worse.” Ben murmured, almost asthough hewas
eyeswereredandpuffy,asthoughshehadbeencrying. noticingher
We’vejusthadwordthatallphonelinesalongtheeastcoastare
completelyjammedfromtherecordnumberofcallsforhelp.Thousands
arepeople.Countless
trappedall overthe
reportscityasthe who areofinfected
confirm thatvirusthosetakeshold moreandcanmoreturn
violent
Three withinhaveminutesand
News barricaded decayata
ourselves WehereandIat Channel
rapidinto trate.his studio, suggest
anyonewatchingt h i s dothesame.Lockyourdoors,stayquietanddon’t
letanyoneinside. . nomatterwhotheyare.
Shebegantochokeupduringthatlast sentence.
Juststayinside,andwaitiby t out.Withanyhopewe’ll…
camera.She was interrupted as a loud crash coming from behindthe
Thereporterscreamed n.shedisappearedbehindherdesk,hiding
fromwhateverhadjustbrokeni
TheThepictureturnedsideways,andIrealisedthecamerahadbeen
knockedover. last thingIsawbeforethepicturewents ttheblood
zombies to seeherwipingatear
screamsofthereporterandthecrewsuddenlyfallings
infectedIturnedtoJo swarming over the news desk, ialteinct.wasahoardof
offofhercheek curdling
sleeve. “Wegottagetoutofhere,now.”SaidWyatt,standingupfromhis withher
chair. “And
“Shejlookust saidtostayinside!”Johadstartedtopanic.
what happened to her.”I said, with the newsstation
onlyblocksawayfromus,Iknewweweren’tsafeatthediner.
“I say wego toMelbourne Central Plaza. There’s a Bob’s
Campingstorethere;wecangrabsomecampinggearandmoreweapons.
Whateverwe’ll needJotosurvive.Then,Ireallyneedtoseeifmyparents
ashe can we
areokay.”Benreplied
“Survive?!”
inzombies! shrieked,
stoodupnexttoWyatt.
her voice trembling. “How
survive
those…
drivingalloverMelbourne!” Then youwant to go to yourbe crawlingwiththose…
MelbourneCentral?Thatplacewill parents? We can’t be
We “We’ll “He’srightthough,Jo.”Wyattputahandonhershouldertotry
andcalmherdown. need more than just some homemade spears tosurvive.
toBen.needtofindsupplies,andthat’sthebestchancewe’vegot.Butare
yousureyouwanttoriskgoingtoseeyourparents?” He asked,turning
want to“Ihavet o. Ican’tjustseeleavethemthere.I
come,butIneedto t’s fineif youguysdon’t
them.Maybethey’relockedinsidelike
aweare.”
live. Icouldn’t
Forthe first time inmylife, I feltgrateful my parents weren’t
my baregoingthrought
dangerorinfected.
With parentsgone,Jo’sMum his knowingtheywereoutthere,in
andDad overseas and Wyatt’s
living in“I’llgo Ben wastheonlyonewhocouldmakeittoseehis.
Cairns,withyou,Ben.Wecanfindyourparentsa
We’lldefinitelyneedtogetsuppliesfromthere firsft.t”erIsaidasI
MelbourneCentral. weleave
stoodupnexttoBen,placingmyhandonhisshoulder.
Ben’sparents?!Thenwhatthehellarewegonnado?”Jowasn’tcalming
“Andifwe’reluckyenoughtomakeitoutoftherealiveandfind
down.
arms. asBenwalkedover to Jo and held her as she fellto piecesin his
hefinallygo camemywasoutwithi
sighed IcouldseeWyatt thinkingsomethingoverinhishead,andhe
t.
“Wecan to Jo,staring
“What?!”gasped brother’s.”at himblankly.
neveroncehadanythingnicetosayabouthim.Fromwhathehadtold
me,hisbrotherwasaconspiracytheoristwholivedsomewheredeepin
Wyatthadonly mentionedhisbrother afew timesbefore,buthe
thewoodsinacabin,tryingtostay‘offtheg
“You mean thebrother who’s constantly rid.’ rambling on about the
nextTopSecretGovernmentmind­controlplan?Orpredictingazombie
apocalypse?Or…”Benpaused.
“Yeah,” said Wyatt.
“Oh.”
months.
throught
asoneofthe
gota even gotfoodguns.and“Looks
Besides,helivesinthemiddle
tonof ofIsupplies like– enough
onahe’schoicehugeblock
IalwaysstronglyagreedwithAustralia’snogunspolicy.Isawi
He’s
his.”canned t’snowhere
ouronly notto soilfaswetcrazyatofwantleland,he’s
aasfttetoget
r al .t
afew
“Wherereasonst
does yourhis countryi
brother slive?”I
sosafe.Now,i
be.Wyatt’sbrotherhadguns,foodandsecurity,that’swhereweneeded
whileholdingJo’shandasshewhimperedontoBen’sshoulder. asked, tlookingcouldbeourend.I
up at Wyatttof
reaction.“Just a bit further than Cairns.”He mumbled, preparingfor our
 “Cairns?!”Weyelled,flustered.
“Yes. But i t ’ s ok.Iknow theway,
NotIstartedto
fortyhoursi haveto get outandof theidon’tstop.”
f we alfeeltaketurnsdriving…
onlydo welight­headedagain. t shouldn’t
diner take more than
Central,butthenwehavetofindBen’sparents,and andfromMelbourne
get to Melbourne
andwaitforwhathappenedtothenewsreportertohappentous,orwe
toCairns,withzombiescrawlinga
Ahugetasklayaheadofus,butwehadveryfewoptions.
“Wyatt’sright,”Idecided.“Wecaneitherstayhereatthediner
l overtheplace.
cantakeourchancesontheoutside.If…No,when
we’llbesafe.”
“There’sonlyoneproblem.”Wyatt uttered,scratchinghishead. wemakeit Cairns,
“Justone?”Benaskedsarcastically.
“Ben’scar
“Whati s it?istoo
” Iasked,notsureIwanted to knowtheanswer.
walkedheretoday,right?”
We small fora l of ustof i t, andJoandEva,you
bothnodded.t.”
We’llhavetorunfori
“Well,thatonlyleavesmycar.Andi t’s parkedtwoblocksaway.
Islid thedooropenalareweit le toseeato t least threezombieswalking
passedthedinerwindows. We
outthefrontdoor!”
Jogroaned.“How
Ireached going gettoi t ? can’tjustwalk
for my satchel.
“I haveanidea.”
 ChapterNine
At first, Wyattwastheonlyoneopentomyidea,butonceBen
andJorealisedwe
Within hadnootherchoice,theysooncamearound.
halfanhour,I
half­decent
wheel ofzombconcealer
ies.UsingBruise grey,hadpurple
my (red, Wheel –aalready
smallandtransformedJo –aswellaandfour­colour
tubbrown)containing Beninto
as some
tomatosaucefromthedinerasblood,theylookedundeadenoughtobe
abletoblendintothegrowingparadeofzombiesoutside.
Thisjustmight work,I thoughtasIputthefinishingtoucheson
myownzombiemakeup.
Wyattwalkedintotheofficeands
us aloneagainforthefirsttimesincet l i d thedoorclosedbehindhim,
leaving
seemedlikesolongagoaftereverythingwehadbeenthrough.
“Hey,” hesaidbefore walking towardsme his morning,whichalready
totake a seatonthe
desk.
formetos “I’m t readytobeundead.”Hejoked
a r t turninghimintooneoftheinfected. ashe closedhiseyes,waiting
concealerandstarteddottingi
MyheartstartedracingasIdippedmymakeupbrushintothegrey
t al overhisface.
mine. Ihearhadnever
almost hisheartbeat, been thandis closeI sworeto himit wasbefore,beatingso closethatI
make it out of here?”Isaidquietly,blending evenfaster couldthan
theconcealer“Doyouthinkwe’ll
over hiseyelids.
we’ve got.And
“Ofcoursewew after seeingyou
il . Iknowourplani
kick thatzombie’s s abit sketchy,buti
assbefore, I tknow ’s al
you’llbefine.”
“Ihope so.”Icringedat thethoughtofthatcreature,thesickening
crunchoftheknifegoingintoi
“I know so.I mean, Its knew skull. you were strong, but jeez. You
amazing.”
stabbedThethatbutterfliesfluttered
thing rightin theface, about in Eva.my stomach, It wasamazing.but I ignoredYou’rehis
compliment.AfterwhatIheardl
wordsnow.“Iliedlast night,Eva,”hesaid,notopeninghiseyeseventhough
ast night,Ifoundithardtotrust hiskind
Ihadfinishedapplyingmakeuptothem.“Tom’sasleaze.Icouldn’tto
ttwoweeksl
eilrl himthet
“Wyatt,iartuetrh..t’Willwas
grightnow.Forgeti
paused,waitingformetoreply. Lastyear,whenourolddrummer,Will,toldusabouta
heliked,Tompurposelystartedf
st.okay.We’vegotmoreseriousthingstoworryabout
” Isaid,crushed.Hellirtienfgt withherandtheyhookedup
thebandbecauseofit.” He
wonderingi
he f hewast e l i n g thet
“IfI r u t h .
attention. Heheldmyhands in hisandlookedinto my eyes,demandingel youmy
“No,Iwon’t,”hesaidas
this now,Imightnotevergetthechance.” openedhiseyes. don’tt
picksi t“Tom’slikeakidwhoisn’tinterestedinatoyuntilanotherkid
“Ifupands tarts playingwithiIfIt. NotthatIthinkyou’reatoy…Ugh.
Thisisn’tgoingwell.”Hesighed,pausingbeforecontinuinghisspeech.
Itoldhimthetruth… toldhimwhatIreally
night;he’sapig.NowaywasIgoingtolethim
you,he’dbealloveryou.Youheardtheway henearspokeaboutwomenl
you.” thinkaboutast
realised Ihad
tryingtoreadmythoughts.stoppedbreathing.Iletoutasigh
I
long,deepbreathasImatchedhisgaze.Hesearched andtookina
my eyes,asthough
mychest.as“So,whati
“Thetruthmet is…”Het s thetruth?”Imanagedtoask,myheartpoundingin
s, I think ryou’re
independent.Ilovethatyouarestrongandthatyou
girlI’ve
hands “Thehespoke.
evertruth iandIthinkaboutyou ailed ofthe, lookingdowna
mostal thebeautiful, t smart,
ourintertwined
time.Ilovethatyou’re amazing
save youallthetime.
Helooked upatIlove…everythingaboutyou.”don’tneedaguyto
half­smileashecontinued.methen,thecornerofhismouthturningupintoa
“That’swhatIwantedtotalktoyouaboutl
ruinourfriendshipif…”Hepausedagain,closinghiseyesashecringed.
whatI’vebeentryingtot el youformonths,butIwas…Ididn’twantto ast night,Eva.That’s
“If youdidn’t feelIsawthethatCosmoGuyhitting
especiallywhen
am.”
rolledhiseyes.“IknewIhad same totake
way. Butachance I couldn’t
onandtyouleltakeit anymore,
ayou.So,hereI
st night…”He
veins. Hewaitedanxiously,tryingtogaugemyreaction.
sparkedintoafrenzy,sendingf
What
I hadstoppedbreathing
could I possibly lagain. sayut ertos Theofexcitementdancingthroughmy
suchbutterflies
a sweet inmyrevelation?
stomachhad
Words
eludedme,soIdecidedtodosomethingIhadwantedtodoeversinceI
laideyesonhim.
I smiled at the thought of what I was about tomyface.
shouldersrelaxedoncehesawhappinessspreadacross
Slowly,Ileanedintowardshim,andherespondedby do,and Wyatt’s
same.
wilderthaneverbefore. ps finally about to touch, I felt the butterfliesdoingthe
WithThisiours myit,Ilithought. going
moment.
Asuddenloudcrashechoedthroughoutthediner,interruptingour
perfectmomentandbringingustumblingbackdowntor
outintothediner,withmerightbehindhimtoseewhathadhappened.
Quickly,Wyattstoodup,slammingthedoorsideways eality. asheran
andflo r.wasBensurrounded
wasstandingwithhishandscoveringhisearsfromthenoise,
by pieces ofbroken plates al around himonthe
“Whatdidyoudo?”WyattaskedBen,clearlyfrustrated.
 “Sorry,I…
apologised.
Weall I knocked the plates over. I t was an accident.” He
outthewindow. turned toface the windowsofthediner toseeatleast a
“Uh.Guys?”Jocalledfromtheothersideofthecounter,looking
“I thinkthey knowher we’re
backedup,side­stepping
dozenzombiesstumblinguptotheglass. here now!” She towhimpered
wayaroundthecounter grabholdofmyas she
arm. “Timetoleave!”SaidWyattasheranbackintotheofficetograb
ourweapons.
“Howarewegoingto getpassedthemnow?”Iasked,runningin
“We won’t,mynotsatchel.
behindhimtograb with somanyof themout there waitingfor us.
We’llhavetohideoutinthebasement.”AnsweredBenasWyattpassed
My
himhismakeshiftspear.
stomachturnedaswe quicklyranoutofthedinerandintothe
hallway,headedforthebasement.
There’snowaywe’llsurvivethis now.
IfollowedtheothersasWyattopenedthedoorintothestairwell
andstartedrunningdownthes
back at“Wait!” Iwhispered, andtusairs.theyWe haveaandl stopped
me.“We’lldiedownthere. to gettoonthe
the car.”stairsto look
“They’re
Wyattsteppedbackupthes We don’t haveanyfaceme.other
waiting for outtairmysthere.ontothelandingto
choice.”Hesaids oftly, takingholdof hand. rol eys.
“Yeswedo.”Ireplied,pullinghimtowardsthet
Iknewweonlyhadtwochoices:
Or die.
Leave.
 ChapterTen
Wyatt slowly creaked the doorofthe stairwell open, peering
carefully into the diner. I could see through the crack that updozensagainstof
thewindows.
zombiescrowdedaroundthediner,growlingastheypressed
behind Itheheldmy counter,breathas
running Wyattlowandquickly
fast sosnuckthecreatures
through thewouldn’t
doorandsee
overhim. toImovedforwardandwatchedashestayedlow,makinghisway
the other sideof the diner, pressing his back up against the
countertostayoutofsig
Foramoment, h t.
Ithoughtaboutprayingforhim,forus,tomakei
mehadbeenkhereIstopped believing inGodof thetaxitheywereinfellasleepa
outofdownandtoldmethedriver
iunscathed.
l ed. WhenthePolicewomanwiththosemelancholy
the moment Ifound outmyparents t thet
eyessat
wheel and veered
theyweregone,andmyf directly a i tinto
h the path ofa
diedalongwiththem. semi­trailer.In an instant,
theglass,But,asIwatchedthosemindlesszombiessniffingandclawingat
their sinister eyes searching for signs of life, and saw Wyatt
omnipotentbeingwaswatchingoverus,keepingusa
coming dangerously close to them, I wishedup more lthanive. everthat some
‘ding’ asSlowly,
crinklinghisnose Wyattas hepushed
itpoppedopen. reached thehis ejectbutton,causingthe
hand towards the cashcashrdrawegistetor,
reachedintothecashdrawer,pickingupacoin.
relief tosee
Peeringthearound
zombiesthe hadn’t of the icounter,
corner heard t over thheeirbreatheda
moaning, sighand heof
close Hehurriedlycrawledbacktowardstheotherendofthecounter,
waiting.Hethehallway
to where Ben, Joand myself were watching him,
rose up over the counter and slid the coin into one of the
jukeboxes.Carefully,hestartedflippingthroughthesongchoices.
“Wyatt!” Jo whispered impatiently. “Just pick one!It doesn’t
matter!”“Itdoes
“We’re about matter!”He
todo something whisperedcompletely
back, searching
insane the extremely
and song list.
dangerous–weneedapowersong!”
Josighed,exasperated,butIcouldn’thelpbutsmiletomyself.
Finally,hiseyeslandedontheperfectsong.
Wyattpushedthebuttonandrolledbackinto thehallway,just as
“Ohyeah,”hegrinned.“That’stheone.”
Rock AroundThe
“ThatshoulddClockby
throughoutthediner. istract ‘emBillHaley andHis Comets started blaring
longenough.”Hesaidashelockedthe
door.
 Thiswasi
WyattandBen t. heldthe trolleysstil while JoandI climbed in,
Ouronlychancetomakeitoutofherealive.
“Ready?”Asked Ben asheandWyattpositionedthetrolleysup
alreadyloadedwithourbagsandtheweaponswegathered
thediner. from around
againstthedoubledoorsinthestairwell.Hearingaloudsmashfromback
insidethediner,I
Theypushedhiknewthezombies
nowornever.
“Let’sdot hadmadetheir wayinside.It was
s.” Ianswered,holdingmyspearinposition.
andoutontothes tre tthetrolleysforward,slammingusthroughthedoors
Eventhoughthemajorityofzombieshadbeenluredtowardsthe
.
andmostwerenowmakingt
frontofthebuildingbythemusicblaringthroughtheoutsidespeakers,
heir wayintothediner,at least adozenstil
alongsideJoandWyattjumpedinwithme.
stoodbetweenusandWyatt’scarparkedtwoblocksaway.
They gave the trolleys one last push before Ben climbedin
Joignitedthefire extinguishertohelpcloudusfromthezombies
andIbeganslashingatanywhogottooclose.
downthestreet,hackingoffzombieheads aswe zoomedpassed.
Icouldfeelmyheartpoundingandmyarmsshakingaswesped
“We’re nearly there!”beYelled Wyatt as he foughtoff one of the
zombies,guttingitlikeafishwithabutcherknife.
block,andIknewwewould
IcouldseehisyellowChevyparkedbythesidewalkonthenext
thereinamatterofsecondsconsidering
howfas“How t wewereflyingdownthes
are we going to tre tYelled
stop?” . Jo as the fire extinguisher
startedtosputter.
Before anyonecouldanswer,thetrolleyshit thecurbandtoppled
over,sendingusallflyingontothehardconcrete.
IwincedasIskiddedacrosstheground, grazingmyarmsonthe
footpathandcomingtoastopagainstthebrickwallofabuilding.
Openingmyeyes,Icouldseeeacha gianthoard ofzombies welay running
downthehill,l
groundhelplessly.
“They’rei t e r a l y fallingover othertogettousas onthe
handoutforBen.coming!”I yelled as I picked myself up and held my
fewoftheknives
IhelpedhimtohisfeetwhileJoandWyattquicklysnatchedupa
Feeling a strewnalongthegroundfromthef
fiercelytowardsthecar,too down myarm,al . Istartedit. running
sharp painafraidsoaringtolookatwhatwascausing
Wyattmadeittothecarfirst,fumblingaroundinhispocketfor
keyand
thehairsprayandlighterintothebackseat.
franticallytheslidingit
behindmeasBenslidintotheback.
I jumpedinto passengerintothe
seatanddoor,slammed
throwingthea knife,
door shutthe
clutchingherspeart
“Where’sJo?”IheardWyattask,fearinhisvoice.
Turning around,ightlyIsaw , withatlJoeawasst sixzombiesrightbehindher.
stil running towards thecar,
grabbedthehairsprayand
“She’snotgonnamakeit!”Isaid
are l i g h t e r , asI reachedintothebackseat,
andjumpedbackoutofthecar.
“Eva!
didn’tstop.I What
had you doing?!” I heard Wyatt yell as I ran, but I
tohelpJo.
“Juststart thecar!”Iyelledback.
OneofthezombiesjumpedatJo,fallingshortandclutchingher
ankle,causinghertofalltotheground.
goofherankle,whileIranupnexttoherandl
frontoftheJoheldherspearhighandstartedstabbingiit thelighterasIhelditin t repeatedlyuntil itlet
down onJust ahairspraycan.IhadnoideawhatIwasdoing,butIhadtodo
somethingf st. other fivezombies were about toclose in,I pressed
asthe
frontofme.thehairspraycan,sendingahugeflameburstingintothea in i r in
zombies If asthey
e l t myfingersstartingtoburn,butIsprayedtheflamesonthe
came running towards us.
continuedrunningtowardsus,nowasferociousfirebal s. horroras they I looked
“Comeon,Eva!Wecanmakei
Jostoodbehindmenow,pullingonmys
on thepedal t ! ” i n g l e t , urgingmetorun.
puttinghisfootdown
Iturnedandtogether weranastothe soon aswe carasfastasjumpedinside.wecould,Wyatt
thestre“Eva!You’rehurt!”Wyattsaid,glancinga
t towardsthecitycentre. t meas hespeddownmy
shoulder,bloodpouringoutofit.
Lookingdowna
“Imust have landed t myrightarm,Isawahugegashj
on ust below
trol eys.“Here,yougottaputpressureoni one of thet. Givemeyourscarf.”
” Ireplied,suddenlyfeelingthepainawholelotmore. knives when we tipped the
Benasheleanedforwardfromthebacks
Iunwrappedmyscarffromaroundmy e a t . Ordered
“Good thing it tightlyaroundmyarm,stoppingthebleeding
butintensifyingthepain.
andheproceededtotie neckandhandedtohim,
washingoverhisface. we’ve got a medic with us.” Said Wyatt, relief
Ilookedintherearviewmirrortoseethehoardastheychased
after us,tryingtoignorethepainin my arm. consciousness made them
Their rotting limbs and
slowerthanus,shufflingmorethanwalkingorrunning.Butt decimated
tinstincts
heir prey.andThat’show
ever­expandingtheynumbersmadewere quicklyiteasyforthemoverthrowing htheeitocorner
r animal
entire
populationofAustralia.
“Firedoesn’twork.Ilit thosebastardsonfireanditslowedthem
downal it lethat, butitdidn’tstopthem.Maybei f i t wasahugeexplosionor
lightingoneortwo on fire isn’t enough. We need tothrememberthat.Isay
something engulfed them enough to melt eir brains, but just
we just stickto knives and weapons that we’re sure will destroy their
brains.”Isaid,turningtoeveryonetomakesuretheyunderstood.
whenyouthrewhot oil on theonein thediner,it stopped
“I“Butknow.Maybebecausehewassonew?He’donlyjust
it…forasecond.”Wyattadded,confused. turned.
oneschasing uslooked more… decayed.And they were definitely
Themorebrutal.”Isaid,tryingtounderstandhowthevirusworks.
Everyonenoddedaswedrovefurtherintocity, passinghalf­eaten
corpsesandstragglingzombiesontheway.
Melbournehadfasttransformedintoawar­zone,
thethoughtofwhatawaitedusat MelbourneCentral. andIcringedat
 ChapterEleven
“I feelsoridiculousrightnow.”Wyattsaidasheleaned
outthe
window,reachingfortheticketthats lid outofthemachine aswe waited
toentertheMelbourneCentralundergroundparkinggarage.
Wehadseenmorezombiesthanweexpecteddottingthes tre ts
on ourdrive he
Slowly,from edged car
throughthewindowswhileWyattwaitedfortheboomgatetor
the dinerthe intodownthe
the city, andIkept
winding slopea careful
andiseinto. watchthe
parkinglIfeltot. relievedtoseeit waspracticallyemptyexceptforafewcars
Pullingup as closetotheelevatoraspossible,Wyattparkedthe
hereandthere.
carandweclimbedout,oureyessearchingthevacantfloorforanysigns
pulled myassatchelover
ofmovement.I
Afterourl my shouldertre t and heldmyknifeclose.
t encounterinthes
thetrolleycrash,weeachonlyhadoneknifel
Waiting for the elevator, I felt gratefuleft. losingsomeweaponsin
that the city stil
power,althoughforhowlongIdidn’tknow,sowehadtobequick. had
asanxiouslypressingthe‘doorclose’buttonrepeatedly.Wesighedinr
reflectionsinthemirroreddoors.
thedoors
Thedoorsclosed,slid butopengasped
and wein stepped
shock when inside wethe sawour
elevator,Beneownlief
“Woah!”ExclaimedWyatt as hetouchedhis face.
zombie.“Cool!” Said Ben,myscrunchingof up his face and groaninglike a
Ismiledproudlya
“Ewwww,” Jo t asshe
said worksmovedart. closer to the door, looking
intentlyatherzombie­fiedfaceandneck.“Ilooksogross!Goodwork,
Eva.” Sheturnedtogivemethethumbsupasthedoorsopenedontothe
Beforeanyofuscouldwarnher, Jofaced
first floor,revealingazombiestandingrightinfrontofher. forwardto tostepoutof
theliftface.,Instinctively,shepunchedthezombierightinthehead,sendingit
below.“Wow!GoJo!”LaughedBen,andshegavehimahighfiveeven
stumblingbackwardsandrightoverthebalcony,fallingdown
though
inthe screamingwhenshesawthewhiteeyesofthecreaturestaring thefloorher
herhandtrembleduncontrollably.
for anySlowly,thefourofussteppedoutoftheelevator,lookingaround
moreunwantedsurprises. as
trying “Timetobezombies.”Iwhispered
to Istartedstumblingaround,
“Whichway?”Iasked,lookingat Ben. that day. The others
walklike
followedmyexample.
“Idunno.” allthe zombies I had seen
Hereplied,shrugginghisshoulders.
 “What?!?”WhisperedJo,exasperated.
continued,lookingaroundatthestores.
“Weneed
“I don’t know,I
a map,” think it’s on this floor somewhere.” He
makinghiswaytowardsi
ridiculousagain.”Hesmirked. t, ssaidtil tryingtowalklikeazombie.
godownonelevelandwalktotheothersideofthecentre.
“We’ll Wyatt, spotting one further“I’maheadfeelingand
Oncewereachedthemapofthemall,werealisedweneededto
handshopelessly.never make it!” Jo groaned, dropping her face into her
I“Yeswewill,”Isaidsternly.“We’vemadei
it. Let’sgo.”just hopeit’s open, I thoughtasI lookedaroundthe t this far. Wecando
shopping
centre. Itwasclearthatsomeofthestores
Probablyopenedby people just liwere open,butnotall.
notknowingabouttheoutbreak. k e us,whoshoweduptowork
ItWebegan
ried nottothinkaboutwhathappenedtothosepoorpeople.
shoppingcentre. our slow shuffle down the escalators and acrossthe
Wehadmadeitmorethanhalfwaywhenwesawtwozombiesup
ahead,crouchedoversomething,tearingthroughitlikelionsonazebra.
“Whatdowedo?”Jowhimpered,fearinhervoice.
“Just keep going,”Wyattwhisperedback.“Blendin.
tooclose,hackthey’redamnheadsoff.” I f they come
my Istartedtoshakeas we
breathshallowinmylungs. heartpoundingfuriously
and “Don’tlook.”WhisperedWyattasheglanceda edgedcloser, my t mesideways,but
it wastoolate.
Ihad already seen the fear riddled face of the woman that the
zombiesweredevouring.
She wasyoung, around the same age as me, and wearing an
apron. Shemusthaveworkedaroundheresomewhere.
TearswelledinmyandeyesandallI
outfrommyjeanspocket s t a r t wantedtodowaspullmyknifet
wailingonthezombies,butIknewi
wouldbepointless;thewomanwasalreadydead.
seemasundeadaspossible,oneofthezombiesturnedfromt
Aswequietlymadeourwaypassedthebeasts,tryingourbestto heir mealto
looka
withminet Iswallowedtherisingbilebackdownmythroatasitlockedeyes
us.
whilerippingintothewoman’si
gutsspatteringalloveri
nearlythere.Icanseei
“Ok,”whisperedWyattoncewehadpassedthezombies.“We’re
t.t”self. ntestines, sendingbloodand
I had neverfelt so excited to see a
life, butitquicklyturnedtodreadwhenIsawthatitwasclosed,therol er Bob’s Camping store in my
doorpulleddowntothef
“Lookslike Bob lo r. upfor worktoday.”Wyattsaid as
didn’tshow
wereachedthes tore.
“Wecameallthiswayfornothing!”Grunted Benas hekickedtherol er
door. Iturnedat aroundtoseeafewmorezombieshadstartedtoemerge,
backtothecar.
feeling “What
sick the thought of walking al the way through them to get
wouldn’tbudge. dowedonow?”Iasked,tryingtopullthedoorup,butit
Iknewwewouldn’tmakeitbacktothecar.
Forthefirst timesincethis nightmarestarted, Ifelt helpless.
 ChapterTwelve
“I gotthis.”Said Joas shepulledtwobobbypinsfromher
hair
andbentdowntoslidetheminto
Ben,Wyatt andIlookeddowna the lock t on therollerdoor.
her,wide­eyedinsurprise.
“I lockmyselfout ofmy caralot.” Sheexplained as shebit her
lipinconcentration.
ThethreeofuskeptwatchwhileJojiggledthelockopenands
thedooruphighenoughforustoduckunder,slidingi t backdownagainlid
onceweweresafelyinside.
Josmiledbroadlyaswestartedexploringthes
“Yourock,Jo!”Ismiled,hugginghertight. tore, searchingfor
anythingLookingattherowofbackpacksalongthewall,
houseinCairns. we might need to survivetothethe roadracksandpassingWyatt,Ben
“Here,”Isaid,walkingover trip to Wyatt’s brother’s
Ihadan idea.
firstaid each.
separated.”kits… So we’ll“Weshouldhaveabackpackf
andJoabackpack al have everything we need…in ul weapons,food,
case we get
beganfillingthemwithanythingwecoulduse.
minutes.”AddedWyatt,andwiththatwetookouremptybackpacksand
“Ok, everyone pack your bags and meet back here in ten
knives, Ipackedadometentandcampingk
afirst aid k i t , water canteen, a i t
torch, apocketknife,fivehunting
and bat eries, binoculars,
somerope andasmany packets
thetwofrontpockets. heardBen of hydratedfoodasIcouldsqueezeinto
the as
“Hey…guys?”I
tiedasleepingbagtotheoutsideof c
my a l from
backpack. centreofthestore I
over. Weallranovertomeethim,instantlyseeingwhyhehadcalledus
Hestoodinfrontofahugemotorhomeparkedonasmallstage,
themotorhomewasfirstprize.
thegiantsignnexttoitpromotingaBob’sCampingGiveaway,ofwhich
“IthinkI’vefounda
“Yeah, because betterwaytogettoCairns.”Hegrinned.
that’s completely inconspicuous.”
sarcastically,staringupa
“Well, it’s no moretit. inconspicuous thanabright yellowSaidWyatt
Chevy
Impala,”repliedBen.
“We’llbeabletostoreheapsofweaponsandfoodinthere,and
iside.t’s practically zombie proof!” He added as he banged his hand onthe
AskedJo,walkingaroundtothedoorandopeningi
“It wouldbe morecomfortable.Buthow wouldt. Sheclimbedinto weget it out?”
takeabetterlook.
followingherup
“Thesame way ‘Bob’ got it in; drive it.” AnsweredBen,
automobile.“But… mythesteps.
car.” Muttered Wyatt, concerned about hisbeloved
 stealit,”I“It’l bealrighthere,i
tolook.”Ismiled,followingJoand t’s safeenough.I
said,tryingtomakehim t’s notlikeanyone’sgoing
feelbetter. “C’mon,let’s takea
Stepping intothe motorhome, Ben inside.
about
becomingazombiewasteland.
refrigerator, road­trippingtofour seater thediningotherarea,sideofandI started
Withakitchenette,completewithanoven,stove,microwaveand evena totoifeellet andmore
the country, optimisticthis
whichwasfast
shower,
would be muchmorecomfortablethanWyatt’sChevy,stylishasi
be. Wyattclimbedinaftermeandwalkedovertothedriver’sseat. t may
“There’saboutaquartertankofpetrol,”hesmiledasheinspected
therestofthecabin.“Anda
Turningtheradioon,wecouldonly CB radio!” hear static.
“We’lltryit outoncewe’reontheroad.”Wyattsaid,switchingi t
offagain.“Checkt descendedfromas hepressedabuttononthewall.
Adoublehibeds out!”SaidBen the ceiling,over the couch along
theoverabackwall.“Looks
t Jo. like there’sonlyone bed.”He winked, glancing
bedcamedown,downBen,”overshetheatreplied,
here.”Shesaid,rollinghereyes
double “Calm him.driver’spressing
cabin. another
“There’sbutton,and
anotheronea
IavoidedmakingeyecontactwithWyattasweallstoodlooking
acanhavemotorhome,leavingBenlookingverydisappointed.
t thetwodoublebeds,butIcould down while we’re feelmy
tomakethe“Wewon’tbeusingthem,anyway.
“Let’sloaditup!”CalledWyattfromthestore,
sleeponthecouches.”SaidWyattashesteppedbackoutofthe
on the road; cheekswarmingintoablush.
bedsit toCairnswithoutneedingtostop.Idon’tthinkit’ssafeto
If weaanyone
l takesnothiftsdriving
drivingwewill
climbedoutandstartedgrabbingasmuchaswecouldcarry.“Nowthat
we’ve gotWyatttheranover
grabanythingwecouldusewhenwegettoCairns,too.”
RV,we tocanpackthe countermoreandthanstarted just gearfor
searchingandthethreeofus
thetrip north;
drawers.“Gotthekeys!”HecalledasheldupasetofkeysfortheRV.
Afterwehadgatheredenoughsupplies,WyattandIsurveyedthe through the
motorhome,takingnoteofeverythingwehadbroughtaboard.
kitsandsurvivalkWithcountless its, plasticjugsthatWyatthadfilledwithfiltered
knives, ropes, afewaxes, over adozen firstaid
fromthetankinthebackroomofthes
leads,t
and enough ents, sleepingbags,walkiet
dehydrated food to alfikliesthree ,toenoughmatchestofilladrawer
re, torches,lanterns,extension
ofthe cupboards inthe water
“I thinkwe’rereadytogo,”Isaid,putting myarmsonmy hips
kitchenette,Ifeltconfidentwehadmorethanenoughtosurvive.
triumphantly.“Allweneedto do now is getoutofMelbourneCentral.”
 “Thatshouldbefun.”Wyattgrinneda
thesmallofmyback. t me,placinghishandon
MyMy moment!
heartstartedtoraceasheleaned in closeto me.
Iclosed myeyes,waitingforhisl
were ipshitogracemine. Ben
Once
clearinghisthroat.again,we interrupted,t s timebythe soundof
I“That’snew.”Bensmirked,withJosmilingwidelybehindhim.
quickly steppedatback,
clenchedhisjaw,glaring Ben. my cheeks burning red, while Wyatt
“Justcametotellyouwe’veclearedapathoutofthestoreandther
doorisup.Webettergo.”
“Let’s do it.” Said Wyatt, stepping intoBenashe ol er
“Dibbsonthepassengerseat!”Yelled the driver’s
RV,stoppingtolookatme.“Oh.Unlessyouwanttosit
takingaseat. cabin and
jumpedintothe
winked,gesturingtoWyatt,whowasstartingtheengine. upfront?”He
withJotofindouthowshewascoping.
“No,I’mok,”Iglaredback.“
Aftereverythingwe’dbeenthrough,Iwantedtospendsometime
I’l sit backherewithJo.”
strappedourselvesintothebenchseatsinthediningarea.
BenbuckledhimselfintothefrontpassengerseatwhileJoandI
me, hiseyessparkling.
“Everyoneready?Doorslocked?”CalledWyatt,turningtolook
of thestore. asmyhestartededgingtheRVtowardsthe a t
doorandout “Herewego.”Wyattsaid
“Ready.”Ireplied,nodding head asI tightenedmy seat belts.
Ilookedoutthewindow aswe droveoutintotheshoppingcentreust
toseeatleasttwentyzombiesroamingaroundnow,andtheyhadallj
spottedthebigwhitemotorhomedrivingtowardsthem.
Igrabbedmybackpackandpulledouttwohunting knives.
Jotook the knifeandheld it tightlyinonehandwhile sheclosed
“Here,”IsaidasIpassedonetoJo.“Justtobesafe.”
thewindowcurtainswiththeother.
“Justtobesafe.”Sherepeated,
We aswe smilingnervously.
underthewheels
themonebyone. pickedupspeed approachedthehoard,slamminginto
I cringedas Ibumpedupanddowninmyseat, zombiesfalling
whileothersbangedonthewalls.
“Getridofhim!”IheardBenyell,andIleanedovertoseewhat
wasgoingon.
hangingoffOne of thezombieshad climbed onto the frontbonnet and was
glaredeagerlya ofthelt Ben.eft sidemirror,iwet’s mouthfrothingasi
“Holdon!”Wyattyelledas approachedtheexitt.s dilatedpupils
“It’sgoing to
beat
snappingigIhtbracedmyselfasthe
squeeze!”
theleft mirror off RVand crashedthroughthe
crushingthe zombieautomaticdoors,
against Ben’s
window,smearingbloodandinfectedsalivaalongtheglass.
“Ugh.” Ben cringed as we sped out of Melbourne Central and
turnedontothecitystreets,sendingthesquishedcorpseslidingoffonto
theroad.“Wecheeredandlaughedaswemadeourwayoutofthec
Wemadeit!” Joyelled,almostsurprised. ity.
Ismiledwide,feelingthemostrelaxedIhadfelt al day.
 ChapterThirteen
Wemade ourwayoutofthecity, headedintothesuburbs to find
Ben’sparents.
“Should wegothereandseei
RV f theycanhelpus?”Wyattasked,
slowly pullingthe
hospitalupahead. tomythesideof theroadand
geta motioning
a t i t towardsa
windshield.IThereweretwoarmytanksparkedoutthefront,withawallmade
leaned out of seat to better look through the
ofsandbagsblockingtheentranceintothehospital.Icouldseea
twoarmypersonnelwithlargegunspatrollingthearea.
“Well,the newsreporter said anyone infected cure?” shouldt lBenegetast
immediate
suggested, medical
pullinga
toget acloserlook. assistance.Maybe
pair of binoculars
It looksprettyintimidating.Andi they
from his havethe
backpackf that’swherethe
and holding
themup“Idon’tknow.
infectedaregoing,Idon’twanttobeanywhereneari
anxiousthatwehadstopped. t.” Ireplied,feeling
“Well,we’renotinfected,maybe wecouldhelp?” Wyattasked,
lookingateachofustogaugeourreactions.
sidemirror,hisfaces
“Wesurelookinfected,”Bensaid,lookingathisreflectioninthe
til coveredinfauxlesionsandblood.“Weshould
if we’regonnagointhere.”
probablytakethismakeupoff
to eachIpulledmymakeupremoverwipesout
ofthem. ofmybagand handedone
Thecoolnessoftheclothrefreshed me easIsmootheditover
face,andIfeltrelievedtolooklikemynormals lf again. be my
Istartedtowonderif goingtothehospitalwould,infact, the
bestchoiceforus.
Therewouldbemedicalsupplies,food,andhelpforusthere,and
it wasclearly protected.Itofmightjust
Melbourne,anditsoundedlikeamuchbetterideathandrivingthrough
theoutbacktotheotherside
“Maybeyou’reright,”Isaid,throwing thecountry.bethe only safe place leftin
intoaplasticbag.
“We’llbesafeinthere.Andwecanlendahand.” themakeup­coveredwipe
Justthen, an oldbrownstationwagonswervedaroundthecorner
behindus,speedingpassedtheRVtowardsthehospital.
IunbuckledmyseatbeltandwalkedovertostandinbetweenBen
andshoulder,andIcouldfeelshewass
Wyatt,watching intently. Jofollowed andleaned in over my
Thestationwagonskidded totil astopattheblockedentranceanda
trembling.
middle manbeen withbitten,”silvermanBenhairtohisf
inagedtohelpayounger
Frantically,heranaroundthecar
leaning“He’s steppedout of the driver’s
andsaid,threwopenthepassengersidedoor,
ewatching
t. carefully throughsetheat.
binoculars.“Ohjeez,he’sgottwohugechunksofhisarmmissing.Ican
seethebone.Ugh.”
I“Ileaned in closerandrealisedit must notbe theonlyinjury he
has,evenIcouldmakeoutthebloodstainsthatcoveredboththemen’s
clothes. hopethey
the olderthemanhospital.heldmadei
towards his armaroundt thereintime,”Ithoughtaloud,watchingas
theyounger one asthey limped
atthe Thesoldiersbeganshoutingsomethingastheypointedt
response.twomen,whoheldt heir handsout,showingtheir openpalms heir gunsin
lowerthThetwoIcouldn’thearwhatthesoldierswereyelling,buttheyrefusedto
eir guns.menmandroppedtotheirkneesinthemiddleof theroad,and
it almostlookedliketheywerepleadingwiththesoldiers.
The olderand grabbedhold of the other man’s wounded arm,
pointingtoit “They’renotl shoutingsomething.
“Why not? Theyet insaidg themin.”Benmurmured,bewilderedat
sceneinfrontofthem. on the news that anyone infected needsthe
medicalassistance.
couldt eAllThey asudden,theywewereal jumped
distance.Oneofthesoldiershadopenedf told. Theyiarte onthemen.
l bythestrainonhervoicethatshehadstartedpanickingagain.
ofdidwhat theneedsoundof
help!” SaidJo,
gunfireinandtheI
Joscreamed as we watched
againsttheforceofthebullets andf a l
Jo the men’s
heavilytotheground.bodies thrash violently
“Ohmygod!Ohmygod!”
hertokeepcalm,butIf e l t j u s t ast e r i f screamed,Iheldhert
i e d asshedid. ight, urging
“That was ‘medical assistance’,” whispered Wyatt, his jaw
hangingopeninshock.
“There’sno
Tearsf e l cure.Theyjust kil them.” t thelifeles bodies,
ontomycheeksasIstaredblanklya
being dragged
“Wegottabehindgetascaroutofhere.We’llneedto
otherjumpedintheir thesand
anddrove bagit outofs
wallbyigonethe h t . soldiers while the
thecnightmarewouldendsoon.
ity.This” Wyattsaid Ihad hoped moreand thanbeganreversing
whole time,hestartedtheengine findanotherwayoutof
anything thatthe RV.this
everythingwouldbeback
That a vaccine wouldtonormal.Iwantedmorethananythingtogo
be distributed and within afew months
thatlifebackagain.Atwingeofguilthit
backtolivingmylife,tohavingmyt rivial myit lestomachasI
ButnowIknewit wasn’tgoingtohappen.Imaynoteverhave problems.
tobegratefulforanyofit?I’msureI
muchItookforgrantedjustyesterday.
Safety,food,health,friends,freedom–didIevertakeamoment realisedhow
endsosoon. wouldhave,hadIknownit would
 ButnowI knewforsure; everything had changed.We were on
ourown.No­onewouldbecomingtosaveus.
 ChapterFourteen
We
sat in silence during the drive out of the city. After seeing
suchinhumaneviolencefirst­hand,noneofusf
withchit­chat. elt inclinedtofBenil the air
anxiouslyinhiss
fora Theneighbourhoods
As Wyattdrove
eat. through tre ts thewerejsuburbs,
ust asdesertedasthec
Icould see ity,shifting except
andthen.Wesawthe occasionalcar speeding downthestroadeverynow
fewdevouredbodiesstrewnacrossthesideof the re t, fil ed with
survivorsEventhoughtheoutbreakonlyh
just like us, although mostit wereherelaheaded
direction,fleeing. t e in the opposite
lastnight,abondhad
already formed between thefew
knowingglanceswiththeothers inofthecarsastheypassedus,t
us who had survived.I exchanged
heir eyes
jareahard,maybeharderthani
ust usworriedandweary asmy own.
Icouldtellbytheir bloodspatteredfacesthattheinfectedhitt
t hit thecity. his
hopedthat,somehow,theyhadmanagedtostaya
NoneofthisbodewellforBen’sparents.Itookadeepbreathand live.
thestreet.“Thewhiteonewiththerosebushes.”
“It’sjusthere,”saidBen,pointingtoa houseonthel e f t sideof
Wyatt pulled theanyandRVsignsoverof life…ordeath.
scanningthestreetfor andso for eacha moment we sat quietly,
slowlyexitedthemotorhome.
Benturnedtous nodded, myface, we pickedupaknifeand
Acoolbreezebrushedagainst t waslateandIalmostf
asIclosedmyeyestobreatheitin.I elt peaceful
afternoon,andsoonthe
apocalypse–toanend.ButIknewthehorrorhadonlyj
sunwouldI followed
starttoBenset, throughthe
bringing thisgatein – the ftheirstwhite
dayofthis
upicket
st begun.Australian
fence
admiredhischildhoodhome.
Awhite,two­storeyweatherboard,withflowerboxesadorningthe and
Ben growingsil s andabeautiful
window up here;playingonthelongfrontporch,runningthrough
garden,it was charming. Icouldfromenvision
sprinklersI climbed
in the uptheporch
whileBensearchedhis
ravagesoftheoutbreak. summertime. Istepsand
t appearedwaited to bebyuntouched
thefront windowthe
ofthehouse,keepingwatch.
insidethehouse.
Outofthe
Isteppeduptothewindowpocketsforhiskeys.WyattandJostoodinfront
cornerofmy eye,and cuppedmyhandsovertheglassto
Ithought Isaw movement from
takeacloserlookinside.
There,inthe
MyheartsankdeepintomychestwhenIsawthem.
by hissidesandhisheadfacingthewindow,hissad,
armslaidmotionless middleofthelivingroom,Isawaman’sbody.His
frightenedeyesstaringintonothingness.
clawingintohisstomach
Aninfectedwoman crouchedover him,herblood soakedhands
The“Ben!soundStop!my ofBen’s
awokemefrom teDon’t asshefedonhisi n t e s t i n e
r or. unlockjinglingthe keysdoor!”unlockingthe s .
I screen door
could,making i t sound more likeadesperatescreech. whispered as loud as I
“What?”heasked,freezinginplace.“Why?”
I didn’t know what tosay. He walked towardsearsthe. window,his
facewrinkledinagonyashesawmyeyesbrimwitht
Igentlyputmyhand onhisarmashetried tolookthroughthe
window,tryingtostophim.
“No,”hesaid,shruggingmyhandaway.“Whateveri t is. Ineedto
see.” Watching himfor peerthroughthe window,searchingthe insideof
hishouse,Iwaited
Whentearsfil hishearttobreak.
ed hiseyes,Iknewhehadseenit, too.
“Dad.”Hebreathed,chokedbyhisdevastation.
Wiping his tears away, he took a deep breathin before looking
aroundthelivingroomagain.“Where’smymum?”
gone.Hedidn’tseewhatshehadbecome.
Confused,Iturnedtofacethewindowandlookedinside.Shewas
mum,Isawher.”
“Ben…”Istarted,butIdidn’tknowwheretobegin.“She…Your
bothjumpbackinfright.
Suddenly,somethingthrewitotself againstthewindow,makingus
faceashestaredhelplesslywhatusedtobehismother.
Her“Mum!”Benyelled,falling
He couldn’t
fingershadcontainbeenhisgnawedtears hisknees.“No.No,no,no,no,no.”
anymore,
on, shetheyhadstreamed down his
fingertipsoffduringherf
tobiteRedraw
throughit, her lipsand east. Bloodsmearedontotheglassasshet
teeth covered inher husband’s chewed herflesownhr.iedI
could
bit en.seefrom the festering laceration onher hand athatshehad
WyattandJohadjoinedus,andtogetherwes
andinflamed,ithadalreadystartedtorot. twith been
Afterwhatilentfleyltforourfriendandhisdoomedmother
porch,cryings likehours,Iturnedtofacethegarden,unabletoo and Benonthe
father.
Peeking overthe porch fence,herI shatteredsonanylonger.
bearthesightoftheinfectedwomanor
spassedthehouse.
tre t. MybreathcaughtinmythroatasIheardmoaningfromoutonthe saw threezombies shuffling
around, Iheldfollowingmyarmout
my towarnWyattJoandput Wyatt,
gaze. his hand andontheyslowlyturned
Ben’s shoulder,
signallinghimtostaydown.Wesatontheporch,barelybreathingaswe
watchedthezombiescontinueslowlydownthes
“Weneedtogo.”ImouthedtoWyatt,whonoddedinresponse. tre t.
 “Ben, mate,” he said softly as he tried tolook into Ben’s eyes.
“I’mreallysorry,butweneedtogo.It’snotsafeforushere.”
closertothe
Wyatthelped Ben to his feet,but he pulled
window,standingfacetofacewithhismother. away andmoved
at him as shepushedherpalmsontotheglass,tryingips
tobreakthrough.
Shegrowled
Benheldhishanduptohers,tearsspillingontohistremblingl
ashelookedintoherdeadeyes.
“I’msosorry,Mum,”hesniffed.“Iloveyousomuch.Goodbye.”
Heclosedhiseyesandinhaleda long,deepbreathbeforestepping
backfromthewindowandturningaway.
WyattandIfollowedbehindasBen walkedpassedusandheaded
fortheRV,wipinghistearsonhissleeve.
No­one said anything as we buckled our seat belts and drove
away. Withofbarelyany carsonthe road, it didn’t take long for us to
makei
in our townthoughts
out Melbourne.Heavinessf
passedourwindows. as we watched theil eldastheRV,eachofuslostdeep
t of the neighbourhoodsfly
everything,andeveryone,wewereleavingbehind.
As Islowly began to drift into sleep, I felt my heartache for
inruinsbehindus,Ihopedi t would be betterthanwhatwefoundtoday.
Whatlayaheadforusremainedtobeseen,butasMelbournelay
 ChapterFifteen
Igazedoutthewindow,staringthoughtfullyupatthe cloudsas
thesunstartedtoset.
Ihadmanagedtosleep forashortwhile,butmyfiercenightmares eyeswerel therancid,
hadjoltedmeawake.AllIsawwhenIclosedmy
gruesome facesof theinfected.
Ameretwenty­fourhoursago,thoserabidmonsterswerenormalhuman
Icouldn’tstopthinkingabouthowquicklythishada happened.
bbeingsgoing
il s, picking about
theirchildren
their livupfrom
es; goingschool.Their
towork, worrying lives aboutpaying
changed in an
HeHe heldme,oneofourmanyf Benashe
instant.Theentirecountrychangedinaninstant.
“Eva,”whispered walkedover fromthedriver’scabin
andsatnextto waking mefrommy thoughts.
irst aidkits inhishands.“Here,l et me
look at yourarm.”turned on one ofthe ceilinglights aboveme while I started
unwrappingthescarffromaroundmyarm.
cleaningpadfromthek
“Ok,it’s nottoobad,”hesaidashegentlywipedmycutwitha
it, makingmeflinch.“It’s onlyaboutacentimetre
up.”deep,soitwon’tneedstitchesoranything.I ’ l j u s t cleanitandbandageit
in awe ofhisstrengtheversince we left hisparent’shouse.
Iwatchedhim asheBen.tooksuchgentlecareof
are my arm.Ihadbeen
“Thanksheaps,
askingsuchaninanequestion.
“I’m… How you?”Iasked,instantlyregretting
sighed,Hestoppedandbowedhishead,
“Howdidyougetthrought
wrappingIdon’t
a bandageknow.hisaround
when…”
Just keeping
myarm myselfand clippingit
busy,I guess,”he
into place.
I knew what hewas going unabletosayi
through a l too t. Months passed
well.
somehow it wouldn’tberealu
before “Tobehonest,I’mnotsurehowIgotthroughit,”Ireplied,
Icould physically saythat ntil Iutteredthoseagonisingwords.
my parents had died, asthough
wantingel ,toandIthinki
likeh sugar­coatthepainhewasgoingthrough.“Ij
t alwayswandil , butI’velearnedtolivewithi t. Idon’tnot
ust did.Ithurt
understandwhyithappened,
thatj Iwishit didn’t,butit did.Ilearnedto
accepttustIhtathasbeensolongsinceIspokeaboutthedeathofmyparents,
.”
hearingthosewordscomeoutofmymouthmademerealisehow
farI’vecomesincethattoughtime.ButmyheartachedforBen,knowing
“I know it feels like the whole world is crumbling around you,
hewasonlyattheverybeginningofthisshatteringexperience.
Ben… and Iguessinawayitis,witheverythingthat’shappening.And
thatyoufeellikes
you knowwhat?I hti’ts. okay. It’s okay thatyou feel thatnumb.It’sokay
It’s okay.Feelit.Then,onceyou’vehadenoughof
feelingthatway,l e t itgo.Changei t . Shiftyourfocus
makeyouhappy.Rememberthegoodtimesyouhadwithyourparents. to thethingsthat
jjButrightnow,j u s t feeli t
uusstt aimparted.IhopeddesperatelythatI. ” Itookabreath,surpriseda
litBenSeeingtheheartbreakinhiseyes,Ifinallyknewwhati
t thewisdomIhad
hadhelpedeasehispain,even
le. looked upat mewithtearsinhiseyesandhugged metfeltiliketo ght.
beontheotherendoft
neverseerelief inmy his exchange.Theonlydifferencebeinghewould
eyes, Ihad alreadysurvivedthattragedy;it didn’t
scaremea“Nonymore.“ThankEva.”Bensniffedashestoodup.
s,
slightsmile. Asheworries,Ben.We’rea
packed upthe firslt hereforyou.”Ireplied,givinghima
aid kit and climbed backinto the
three
driver’shuman cabin,Ibeingslookedwere over atJo asshe slept.All of asudden, these
It’sus
losingoneofourlittlet
At thatagainsttheworldnow. e. the RV had started to slow down.me;
a
moment,ribInoticed l I had. Now, a new fear loomed over
Turning to look outthe window, I could see we had turned off the
highwayandweredrivingthroughasmalltown,soIunbuckledmybelt
andwalkedovertothedriver’scabin.
“Petrol.”SaidWyattasIleanedagainstthebackofthedriver’s
seat, asthoughheknewwhatIwasthinking.
“BetterwakeupJo.We’llrun
elsewefindwhileWyattf i l s
of danger.i t in
up.”Added
safe and grab
Ben. morefoodandanything
windshieldforanysigns
“Cool.Doyouthinki t ’ s here?”Iasked,lookingthroughthe
sidewalks andmaina fewstreshopt andawindows
roadwrathoftheinfection;withdozensofdevouredcorpsesstrewnalongthe
lookedrecent.
areawasallthatmadeupthistinytown.Icouldseeithadnotescapedthe
and“Not
Itseemedalong few housesscatteredaroundthe
smashed in,the havoc
meinsure.We’llhavetobequick,andcareful.”AnsweredWyatt,
lookingatInoddedandsteppedbacktowards
therearviewmirror.
we thediningareatowakeJo.
suspiciously Slowly, for any rolled intothe
movement. local petrol
Squinting to sseethrough
tation, glancingthe around
broken
windowsofthestationstore,Icouldn’tseeanyoneinside.Wyattpulled
intothestationandforamomentwesatinsilence,listeningclosely.
outside. “Ok.Let’shurry.”SaidWyattasheopenedhisdoorandstepped
We quickly climbed outof the motorhome and made our way
overtothestore,peeringthroughthewindowscarefullybeforeentering.
“I thinkI seea
entered,thebellringingasthedoorswungopenandclosedbehindus.
crowbar behind thecounter.” SaidJo aswe
BenranasI pickedupanemptymilkcrateandstartedpacking
potatochips,whileJo ran behindthecountertogetthecrowbar.
for.”Isaid“Justgrabeverything,wedon’tknowhowlongwillbeinhiding
straightovertothesnackfoods,rippingopenapacketof
itwith
bottlesofwaterandsnackfoods.
away inthe
Even RV,thoughwe
I wantedto gather as muchfoodaswe
had manypackets ofdehydrated meals
could.packed
While
potatochipsandchocolatebarsweren’tthehealthiestoptions,theywould
at least Preparingtopickupthecratetotake
bringabitofnormalcytoourliveswhilewehideoutinCairns.
i t
whenI saw Jo down the a i s l e . She stood backtotheRV,Ipaused
frozen and slack­jawed,
clutchingthecrowbarsot
wide­eyedoutthewindow. i g h t
“Jo?”Iasked,followinghergaze.
Icouldsee herknuckleshadturnedwhiteasshestared
hoseasitfilledi
What Isawt up.Wyattstandingbythemotorhome,holdingthepetrol
Ishiftedmygazebehindhimandgasped.
tighteningmychest. inthe distancemademejumptomyfe t, withfear
Threesicklygreyzombieswerelurkingupbehind
“Wyatt!Run!”Iscreamed,butit was tool a t e . him.
Onewasalreadyabouttolaunchitself onhim.
 ChapterSixteen
I
pulled my hunting knife out of my jeans pocket and leapt
throughMythebroken
motorhome. window,Wyattrunningtotheas danger
screams alerted fastas andI couldhe spuntowardsaround,the
duckingjustintimeasthehollowcreaturepouncedtowardshim.
RushingaroundtheRV,IpushedWyattoutoftheway asIbegan
slashingfuriouslya
Wyatt fel tothe
t thezombie,hackingi t’s headcleanoff. motorhome
ground,hisknifeslidingunderthe
andoutofreach.
Theothernot two growled menacingly as they edged closer, their
glazedeyeshungryforourwarm,juicyf
Itried topanic,but l e s h .
Iknewwithonlyoneknifebetweenthe
at theathedicapitatedheads
Ilookeddowntoact
jawmindlesslybiting
twoofus,weneeded faisrt. til spinningat myfe t, its
Ipicked itupby the hair andt hiforcefully
zombie,itsnecksnappingbackasi
backwards. threwit at the secondal
t it intheface,causingittof
towardsme,drooldrippingfromi
Ibraced myself, my heartts bloodstainedl pounding as itheps. third zombieran
In thecornerofmyeye,I saw theglint ofsomethingsharpsit ing
onthedashboardofthemotorhome.
Theaxe!
IjumpedontothestepasofIhandedhim
“Wyatt!Here!”Isaid
open,reachingfortheaxe. my knife.
the RV andswungthepassengerdoor
ankleasitcrawledoutfromundertheRV,usingmylegtopullitselfup.
seethe
leaving
groundandthrusttheknifeintoi
“Eva!”
IscreamedasIfeltsomethinggrabholdofmyleg,andturnedto
Imangled
ithanging
snatchedWyattfaceof
theaxe
onlycalledashe
byafew
a zombie.Halfof
fromts theskullinaloudcrunch.
kickedtheother
exposed
dashboard imuscles.
ts jawhadbeenripped
justas
zombiedown
It clutched tomy totheof ,
zombiepulledmethroughthedoorandslammedmeontotheconcrete.I
me the disfigured
Luckily, asmy
oftheway,thehideouscreaturel
ofme,pinning
groanedinpain
ofmyshoulder.
piercemyskin.
“No!”IyelledasIfelti
itsdownbymyarms.
semi­attached
headhit thegroundhard.BeforeIcouldmoveout
tsetopteethpressingagainstthebareskin
t jawoutaloudscreechandjumpedontop
meant itcouldn’t bite downor
tried furiously
Wyatt ran overandjumpedoni
tolatchontomyskin. t s back,gougingitseyesoutasit
fre . He wrappedhisarmsaroundthezombie,allowing meto wriggle
 Nodding
Iheld theaxeatme touse
backbytheeyes,exposingi overt s my headaxe, Wyatt
my
decayingneck. andswungpulledthecreatures’ head
through
somemuscle,floppingaroundbutstillattached.
Iswungthe
thedry,rottingskin.Icould see thehead wasit sideways,
axe again,this timesendingtheheadflyingintothe stil hangingslicingby
airandcrackingmultipletimesasitbouncedalongtheroad.
IWyattheldouthishandtohelpmeup,butthezombieIh
t launched itself onto Wyatt, causing them both to fal itot withthe
thedecapitatedheadbeforehadreturned.
groundnexttome.
I jumpedit tomy feet and grabbed the zombie by the neck just
beforeitbitintoWyatt’sback.
“Hold stil !” Iyelled, as I held its hair with one hand and
readiedmyaxewiththeother.
Wyattrolledontohisback,grabbedthe
stil whileIslammed the sharpaxeintoits skul monsters’armsandkepti
. t
creatureoffofWyatt.
Once Ipulled the axe out of its slit open head,I kickedthe
themalLookingaround,I
. Ifel tothegroundnexttoWyattaswebothcaughtourbreath.
breatheda sighofrelieftosee wehad killed
pulledmeintohim,
headagainsthisshoulder,gratefultobealiveandin
Without sayinghugging t. I closedmemybyhiseyesand
a word,me hetighgrabbed thearms.shouldersand
restedmy
heheldmeclose,IrealisedIcouldn’twaitanylonger.Ourtimetogether
Thethoughtofalmostlosinghimspiralledthroughmymind.As
a t
couldbecutviolentlyshort anysecond.
Thisismymoment,IthoughtasIstoodup.
SIgrabbedhimbytheshirtandpulledhimontohisf
Nomorewaiting.I’mmakingthismymoment.
til holdingontohisshirt,Idrewhiminclose sothatourl e t.
ips
wereonlycentimetresapart.
Lookingupathim,
He Isawpassionandf
eyes and i r e inhisgreeneyes.
he closed the gap
looked
betweenus,kissing into
me
Asenseofdesperation my
fervently. smiled before
poundedin sparkedinthewayhekissedme,asthough
t as Idid,thatthisfirstkisscouldalsobeourlast.
heknew,jMyusheart mychest, but for the f i r s t time
ear. As Wyattranhisfingersthroughmyh
myeyessearchedhisface
wasn’toutoff
fellbackdowntoreality.
themomentIhadbeenwaitingfor–wewereuntouchable.
thougheverythingaroundusj
“Areyouokay?”Iasked,runningmyfingersdownhischeek
Afterwhatseemedlikeabeautifuleternity,ourlipspartedandI
ust disappeared.Inthis electricmoment– today, asit
air, it seemed
andneckfori
“Yep!” He grinned,takingme
intact. Wyattpattedhimself bythenjurihand.
down,making esures. allhis limbs werestil
fromthestorewitht
“Are you guysokay?” heir bagsfulIheard Joyell as she andBen emerged
ofsupplies.
whatheMy“Ohno.” Benleaptgasped,lookingbehindus,andIspunaroundtosee
washeartfewgapingat. intomy throatasI saw hundreds of zombies,
stumbling out ofofthousesheir undeadcompanions.
battlewitha and stores. They must have heard our violent
Iscannedthehoard,feelingsicka
the entire town had been tinfected.
leatenonthesideoftheroad.
it le children, thesight.Fromtheelderlyto
Any who hadn’t lay
Nowtheywerehungryformore.
Andtheywereheadedstraightforus.
 ChapterSeventeen
“Quick! Get in!”Iyelledto Ben andJo,pushingthe
doorofthe
as they ran towardsit.
RVopen“I“C’mon,Eva!”SaidWyatt as hesqueezed myhand.
thinkIhave an idea.”Isaid,lookingintohiseyes.“Getinand
starttheRV,I’llberightbehindyou.”Ipromised.
“Areyoucrazy?Ifwegonowwecanmakeit outtaherebefore
theyreachus!”Wyattinsisted,tuggingonmyarm,butIstoodfirm.
“Andleavethemtokillorinfectothers?”Ireplied,pullingaway
fromhimandgrabbingthepetrolhosefromoutoftheRV.
“Hurry,hejust go.Ihandlet
can his bymyself.”Ipushedhimaway,but at me.
hedidn’tmove.
Instead
“Eva.Iknowyou stoodthere,hisjawclenchedasheglared
Letmehelp.”Wyattsaidsternly. handleit byyourself,butyoudon’thaveto.
Icouldtel hewasn’tgoingtoleavewithoutme.
“Fine.Here,”Isaid
Wyatt ran over to as
the Ihandedhimthe
open car door axe.
and “I need
pickedup theltheighltiegrht.e”r,
throwingitovertomeashegaveBenthekeystotheRV.
intothe“Go!We’llcatchup!”IheardWyattsaytoBenashepushedhim
RV. the lighter inmy left hand, I started pouringpetrol al
overtheconcrete.
Catching
rancameintofrontBenjumped
of me, into the
holding driver’s
the axe seat
ready andto destroy
started theanyengine.
zombieswho Wyatt
close.
IcouldhearJoscreaming my name,butIdidn’tlookback.
mego,drawingalinewiththepetrolandleadingi
Ihurriedlyrantowardsthehoardasfartheasthehosewouldl
Igrabbedabroomfromnexttothepetroltankandunwrapped t backtothetank. et
bandagefromaroundmyarm,cringingasitl
“Hurry!”WyattyelledasItiedthebloodiedbandagearound
ifted frommywound. the
endofthebroomanddippedi
Holdingit awayfromme,Iflickedthelighter and lit thebandagethe
t intothepoolofpetrolontheconcrete.
onfire,throwingitontothegroundinfront
overthepetrolcoveredconcrete.
“Let’sgo!”Iyelledto of me.The flames spread fast
skullofazombie.
headedforthe
Ihopethisworks,Ithoughtasweboltedawayfromtheflames,
Wyatt,whohadjust swungtheaxeintothe
RV.
Benhadpulledthemotorhometoastopinthemiddleoftheroad,
farenoughawaytobesafefromthef
Jo pushedthe door ofthecabinire. open and waited,urging us to
hurry.Wyattmadei
thefloorinaloudthud. t tothedoorfirstandleaptintotheRV,landingon
He scrambledtohisfeettojoinJoat thedoor,holdinghishand
outtopullmeinside.
fast, butnotf
Iglancedast enough.
overmy shoulder
of theinfected asI ran,seeingtheflames growing
been morewithel
theydesire.Theyoungest
thansixteen,withcurlyblonde
wereCountless
once teenagers.
zombies Ayoung hadgirl,theleadofthepack,Icouldt
werechasing me,t
who hcouldn’t
eir mouthshavefrothing
theothers.Herskinhadn’tstartedtodecayyet, hairandfreckles,had so spedupaheadof
Iknewshemusthave
beenoneofthenewesttoturn.
Suddenly,Itrippedonacrackintheroadandfell, skiddingonto
thegroundandsendingtheaxeslidingoutofmyreach.
Ihurriedtopickmyselfup,butmybodyslammedbackintothe
concreteasthezombieg to
andpunchingwildly,doingwhatever
Icould irl pouncedontopofme.Irolledover,kicking
stopher
Itwas Jo, furiouslyfromhitting
suddenIheardaloudcrunch.
corpseoffofmeandthrowingi sinkingthe herzombiein
crowbar,crackingherskullopen.WyattappearedbesideJo,pullingthe
t totheside. teeth intotheme,headwhenwiththe
al of
towardstheRVwithoutlookingback.
Jo and Wyatt lifted me off the ground, and togetherwe ran
ofthetown. Wejumped inside and onfrantically
behinduswhileBenputhisfoot thepedaland closedwethestartedspeedingout
door, lockingit
Somuch.”Istared at Jowithwide­eyes, and hugged her t i g h t . “Thankyou.
“Icouldn’tjeuasrts.let you die.You’relikeasistertome,Eva.”She
said,holdingbackt
“Whatthehellwasa
killed?”Benyelledfromthedriver’ss
“Thewholetownwasinfected.Il that, Eva?Wereyoutryingtogetyourself
eat.sawanopportunitytostopthem
fromspreadingthevirusandItookit.”Ireplied,defendingmyself.
“Don’t you remember what I saidearlier? Don’t beahero!
Besides,it“I wasn’ttryingtosetthemonfire.”Ireplied,grinninga
nothing.”Heglared didn’t work.You said yourself setting themon tfhim.ire does
at methroughtherear­viewmirror.
face. “What?Then…Why?”Heasked,confusionspreadingacrosshis
thebackoftheRV,lookingoutthewindowa
Ididn’tanswer.InsteadIturnedandwalkedovertothecouchat
t thefire, whichhadgrown
muchbigger. JoandWyattsatnexttomeonthecouch,staringwide­eyedat the
scenebehindus.
explodedintoAs theahugef
motorhomeirebalturned ontoto the highway, the petrolstationin
shock.
mushroomcloud. , theflamessoaringhighintotheskylikea
“That’swhy.”Isaid,turning Benashisjawdroppedopen
towouldn’tstopthevirusfromtakingovertheentirecountry.ButIneeded
Deepdown I knew that blowing up one littlediseased town
believei t savedat least afewpeoplefrombeinginfectedork
were.“Wow.”GaspedBen,turning il ed. No­
off theengine and walkingoverto
weoneelsewouldbeindangerofstoppingthereandbeingambushedlike
watch theWesattogetherinsilence,watchingthef
flames billowingitfeels
bunchofthosemonsters.”
we’vebeenthroughtoday, into thereallygoodtoknowwej
sky. “Youirknow, afteursteverything
e burnasthesunsetin
blewupa
thedistance,a
“We bettermixofvibrantcolourspaintingthesky.I
madehiswayover saidWyatt as he stood up fromtthewasaneerily
togo,”thedriver’scabin.“Itwillbedarksoon.We
beautifulsight,butonethatwecouldn’tmarvelatforlong. couch and
“Sure, man.” Ben answered, stil watching the flames asneedtothey
hit theroad.I’lldriveabitmore,ifthat’scoolwithyouBen?”
burnedbright.
Onceagainwespeddowntheroad,headingnorthforCairns.
 IHet mademewonderhowmany
ChapterEighteen faranyonehearus?"Wyattspokeintotheradio
had beentryingCanhandas
mightbeoutthere,butso
transceiverheheldinhis
"Hello?Hello? heardtoreachnothingbutsilence.
forwehadhours
hedrove. any other survivors that
would be spreading further and otherstherewerelikeus.Thevirus
further west by now, hitting South
AustraliaandtheNorthernTerritory.
and radio,but
IhadtriedtofindnewsoftheoutsideworldontheRV'stelevision
nothingworked. I even tried usingthe internet on my
iPhone,desperatelyclingingtothelaststringofhopeIhadthatwecould
somehowconnectwiththeoutsideworld,butitdidn'tworkeither.
EventuallyIgaveupandslumpedintothepassenger'sseatnextto
Wyatt. hadgrownindark,frontandof us,evenI though
further Thethannightthe headlights couldhardlywassee
I knowinghe
f
driving."Doyouthinktherest oftheworldisgoingtohelpus?"Iasked, e l t safe
knowing
reassureme. hecouldn'twepossibly know the answer, but hopinghe could
place,butwhenevert
bandtogether.Like re's a crisis likethis, everyone alwaysseems to
"Ihopeso,"hesighed."Imean,Iknowtheworldisaprettytough
hehave."
heartskipabeat.
Hesmiled
I t atmeandreached overtohold my hand,makingmy
felt so weird, being so utterly disconnected from the world.
WiththeinternetandmediaprovidingmewithanyinformationIneeded,
Ihadgrownaccustomedtoknowingexactlywhatwashappeningacross
theglobe.Now,allofasudden,wewerecompletelycut­off.
OnethingIwasprettysureofthough,wasthatthevirus
mighthappenatostoptofteourr thatworriedme.Maybethearmiesofothercountries
authorities
wouldcome anyonefrom
rescue,or maybewe
enteringor would wouldbe
leavingthebe lefcountry.
containedtoAustralia.Surroundedbyocean,itwouldn'ttakelongforthe t tofendWhatfor
ourselves.Maybetheworlddidn'tevenknowanyonehadsurvived.
so
our All I couldmanyquestions,andnoanswers.Imightneverhaveany
answers.Ihad dowassurvive.That hadbecome our only mission,
onlyaiminl
"How's iBenfe. arm?" Wyatt asked, snapping me out ofmy deep
your
thoughts.""Good,"hereplied,hisl
Fine. wrappeditupagainforme.Itdoesn'thurttoomuch."
ips formingatired smile."Allweneedto
donowisgettoCairns.We'llbesafethere."
Itookadeepbreathandlookedoutthewindow,gazingupatthe
stars. ItrustedWyattcompletely,andIknewhewasright. Wewouldbe
 road that layaheadof
safeoncewearriveda
TheAllwehadtodowasgetthere.
t hisbrother'shouse.
uswasuncertain,Ihadnoideawhat
sticktogetherandnevergiveup,wewilla
kindofdangerawaitedusonourjourney.But of asthilongasthefourofus
I knew this wasonly thebeginningl makeittoCairnsalive.
s
would now be our lives,but asIsat there admiring newthe nightmare
night sky, thatmy
handinhis, it wasthehappiestnightmareIeverhad.
THEEND.
 Jen Marie Wildeis AbouttheAuthor
the alter­ego of an Australian
entrepreneurandglobe­trotter.Whenshei s n ’ t writer,
runningherownbusiness
ortravellingwith her husband,shewritesfictiononWattpad.
istheEvafiWilde
rst in atVsThe
rilogy.Zombie
andbooksintheEvaWildeSeries. Apocalypseis herfirst fictionbook,
Jen is currentlywritingthesecondandthird
Followherblog to learn more about her and her work:
www.jenmariewilde.com.