He walked with them to the large khaki vehicles and as the door opened Jude turned to face the man.
“Hey, if our friend didn’t know the address, then how did you find us,” he asked.
“Son, this isn’t my first zombie rodeo. Zombies attacking a house means people are inside They sure weren’t trying to steal a big screen television.”
The lieutenant laughed heartily at his own joke and walked away still chuckling. The soldiers motioned for the group to enter the bus. They climbed the steps into the bus and made their way down the aisle. The soldiers sat in front and they decided to sit all the way in back for privacy.
It was approaching dusk and sky was dimming at the approach of night. Outside the bus soldiers were igniting gasoline soddened piles of zombies. The flames from the funeral pyres reached far into the welkin. More soldiers piled onto the bus and the doors closed. Penny reached out for Jude’s hand as the vehicle lurched into gear. Rose seemed oblivious to everything and was looking under the seats in front of them for hidden treasure.
“What do you think is going to happen to us?” Penny asked nervously.
“I don’t know,” Jude admitted. “But I do know we will all be together. We’ll find Harley and Turk first and then we’ll decide if the Dominion is for us.”
“What if they won’t let us go?”
“Let’s not borrow trouble. They are looking for survivors, so that seems like a good thing to do and taking our weapons could be seen as just a good security measure. The important thing to remember is to not let anyone else define us. We define ourselves. Billy always talked about building a civilization, not just a place we could be safe. Maybe we’re heading towards it and maybe we’re not, but its all part of the journey. At the very least we should be able to find out a little more information about the rest of the world. Don’t be scared. We’ll be alright.”
“I’m not scared when I’m with you, Jude.”
“You seem to do okay all by yourself, Penny.”
“But I don’t want to be all by myself,” she said and as she squeezed his hand.
Jude blushed and squeezed back. Rose came back to the rear of the bus and sat down next to Jude. She took his hand and smiled at him. Jude was shocked at her touch and Penny laughed softly and leaned across Jude to tussle her sister’s hair.
“Looks like someone made a new friend,” she said.
“Well, I can use all of those I can get I guess,” replied Jude.
The bus continued to navigate through the streets. Night had completely fallen and the city was eerily dark and quiet as they rode towards their new destination. Rose had already fallen asleep leaning on Jude and Penny was softly humming a tune on his other side.
“I’ll remember you always, Billy,” he said in a whisper. “I’ll never forget your dream. It’s my dream. I’ll carry the ball as far as can and if I drop it, I hope someone else will be there to carry it forward. Rest in Peace, old friend.”
“Amen,” said Penny softly.
The End
Look for the third installment of the Zombie Civilization Saga coming in late 2013. This small group of survivors faces new challenges as they try to build their elusive civilization in a world of zombies.
Special Note
If you’ve read and enjoyed this series of books, please add a review at the site on which you purchased it. Reviews help sales of course, but they also provide a guide for those attempting to find books they might enjoy. A review from a reader, rather than the author or publisher, is often more reassuring to the potential reader because it comes from an unbiased source.
Thank you,
Steven Ehrman
By the Same Author
The Zombie Civilization Saga
Book One Genesis
Book Two Exodus
The Frank Randall Mysteries
The Referral Game
The Visible Suspect
The Sherlock Holmes Uncovered Tales
The Eccentric Painter
Coming Soon:
The next Sherlock Holmes Uncovered Tale in July 2013
Zombie Civilization: Exodus (Zombie Civilization Saga Book 2) Page 16