Troy lay on the cement slope of the culvert breathing heavily. They’d run on and off throughout the last hour in an attempt to get some distance between them and the zombies. They hadn’t seen any more of the undead, but Josh knew they couldn’t wait too long before moving on again. Zombies didn’t need to take breaks, and he was pretty certain that they’d eventually breach the fence. Hopefully they were so charred they’d be very, very slow.
Digging into the gravel with the end of a branch he was trying to make into a decent spear, Josh stole a look at Corina. She’d tied a pink t-shirt she’d meant to give Yessica around her leg to stop the bleeding. Though she said the wound didn’t hurt much, she was slightly limping. She caught him looking her way, and gave him a small smile.
Chad lay on the grass nearby, his lightweight cotton shirt unbuttoned. He wasn’t muscular like a superhero in a movie, but he strutted around like he believed he was. Again, Josh got the sense that Chad was trying to impress Corina. Of course, saving her life was a pretty big deal, and Chad seemed to want to cash in on that fact. To Josh’s relief, Corina didn’t seem inclined to give him the adoration he wanted.
Chewing on the end of a stick of jerky, Troy said, “So where are we going?”
“We should follow the drainage ditch and hope to hit a road,” Josh said aloud. “Then keep moving away from where we know there are zombies. We need to find transportation.”
“I can’t drive,” Sam said, chewing with his mouth open. He was eating a cookie Corina had given him.
“I can,” Corina said.
“Me, too. I’m a good driver,” Chad sniffed.
“Dulce can drive, too. She learned in Mexico, so she can drive better than both of you because the drivers down there are crazy.” Danny rubbed the end of his stick against the cement slab of the culvert, sharpening it.
Embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of doing the same, Josh started to work on making a point on his branch. “Well, we need to find a car and drive to San Angelo.”
“Driving without a license is bad,” Sam declared, but everyone ignored him.
“We need supplies,” Corina added. “Water and food.”
“And guns,” Sam added. “Lots of guns.”
“Do you know how to shoot one?” Corina asked.
Sam shook his head. “No. But I can learn.”
“I can shoot,” Josh said. “My dad taught me.”
“I know how, too.” Corina adjusted her makeshift bandage on her leg, wincing. “I used to go hunting with my grandpa.”
“So we need to find two guns,” Troy decided.
“If we find one, give it to me.” Chad sat up, his shirt flopping open around him. His hair was messed up in the way that Josh knew girls thought was cool since that’s how their favorite pop stars wore it.
“You know how to shoot one?” Corina regarded him doubtfully.
“How hard can it be? Point and shoot.” Chad smirked as he pretended to fire a gun. “Easy.”
“Did you flick the safety off?” Corina asked. “Did you make sure it’s loaded?”
Chad straightened and made a big deal of flexing his skinny arms. “I can figure it out.”
“If you don’t end up shooting yourself, maybe,” Corina sniffed.
Chad grinned.
Confused, Josh looked back and forth between Corina and Chad. The teenager didn’t really think he impressed her, did he?
“It’s not easy to hit a moving target.” Corina slung the strap of the bag over her shoulder. “If we find a gun, give it to Josh. His dad taught him to shoot and use it safely.”
“I thought you said you know how to shoot. Why don’t you use it?” Chad sauntered to where Corina sat, and stood over her with his fingers hooked into the loops of his jeans. “Afraid?”
“You should be afraid I’d shoot you.”
With an even bigger grin, Chad tossed back his hair. “I knew you liked me.”
“Shut up.” Corina stood and walked over to where Josh was seated. Crossing her arms, she gazed toward the horizon with an annoyed look on her face.
“She doesn’t like you,” Troy informed Chad. “No one does.”
“Yeah, you suck.” Sam made a point of scrambling away from Chad.
Speaking to Danny in Spanish, Dulce sounded upset.
“I don’t think she likes him either.” Troy said, and Sam laughed.
“My cousin is worried about something else,” Danny replied.
“What’d she say?” Corina asked.
“That we need to keep moving. The storm is coming and it’s a bad one. It’s kinda green.” Danny pointed to the dark clouds.
“Yeah, she’s right,” Corina agreed.
“What does green mean?” Sam asked.
“A bad storm with hail and possibly a tornado,” Corina answered.
“And that’s bad.” Troy shoved the wrapper to his jerky in his pocket. “Time to go.”
Chad scoffed at Troy’s consideration of the environment. “Just throw it on the ground.”
“I don’t litter. Even at the end of the world.” Frowning, Troy joined Josh and Corina. “What a jerk.”
Grunting, Sam got to his feet.
“Don’t put yourself out, fat baby,” Chad teased.
Sam ignored the remark and picked up the stick he’d been carrying. It was forked on one end and fairly sturdy.
“Did you hear me?” Chad poked Sam’s arm.
Jerking away, Sam scampered over to Josh and Troy.
“Leave him alone!” Corina ordered.
“Eh. He’s going to die anyway. He’s a fat lard butt. I’m surprised he’s made it this far.”
“No thanks to you!” Corina stomped over to Chad. “You almost got us all killed back there. You didn’t think about anyone but yourself.”
“I outran all those zombies and I saved you!” Chad stared at Corina in disbelief. “I’m the hero here. I’m the leader.”
“No you’re not. Josh is,” Troy said in a firm voice.
“He can be the leader of you, loser, but I’m the leader of this group.” Chad straightened his spine to tower over everyone.
Danny and Dulce exchanged amused looks, and Dulce said something in Spanish.
“He’s smarter than you,” Danny said to Chad while pointing to Josh. “We’ll stick with him.”
“I outran the zombies!”
“The zombies you provoked by running like an idiot through a zombie-infested parking lot without a plan! You ruined any chance we had to get to the bus!” Corina clenched her fists at her sides. She appeared ready to smack him.
“I saved you at the fence!”
“I would have gotten away in just a few more seconds,” she retorted. “Josh was helping me, and the others were fighting off the zombies. Where were you then? You didn’t come back until the last second.”
Corina’s defense made Josh’s heart swell with pride. Finishing sharpening his spear, he climbed to his feet and faced Chad. Troy and Sam stood at his sides, both frowning at the older teen with disdain.
“I. Saved. All. Of. You.” Chad glared at the kids standing in front of him. “Losers.”
“How?” Troy folded his arms over his chest. Sarcasm edged every word he said. “Explain how you saved us?”
“Yeah. Cause you’re the one who almost got us all killed.” Sam copied Troy’s stance.
“Fatso, you’re lucky we let you hang with us. But we’ll use you for bait later.”
Corina poked Chad with one finger right in the center of his chest hard enough to make him flinch and step back “You will not. Sam is braver than you. You treat him with respect!”
“You’re all a bunch of losers,” Chad grunted. “And I’m the oldest. You have to obey me.”
“We’re done here,” Josh announced. “Let’s go.”
Without waiting for Chad to back down, Josh walked down the center of the drainage ditch holding his spear at his side. Danny and Dulce dropped into line behind him while Sam and Troy closely followed
. Corina shoved Chad out of her way and hurried to catch up with Josh.
“Without me leading, you’re going to die!” Chad shouted after them.
The group of kids ignored him and kept hiking.
A few minutes later, Chad scurried past them and took up the lead five feet in front of the group.
“They’ll get him first,” Corina whispered to Josh loud enough for everyone to hear.
The kids burst into laughter.
Red-faced, Chad dropped back and trudged along behind Sam.
Without a word, Corina took Josh’s free hand and squeezed it.
Chapter 20
The drainage ditch between the woods and the field finally twisted away from the trees and sliced the field in half. The barbed-wire fences on both sides of the ditch didn’t have wires strung between posts, but instead had a wire mesh. Josh wasn’t too sure if that would make it easier to get over or not. Water trickled over the gravel in the center of the ditch, and the kids kept to the sides to avoid getting their feet wet. The water was probably from the storm. A thick band of rain slanted across the sky to the south, and Josh hoped it would avoid them entirely. The clouds were thick and a sickly color in that direction. Ahead was a peaceful blue sky with fluffy white clouds.
“If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait ten minutes,” he muttered.
“Huh?” Corina said beside him.
“Something my PawPaw said.” Josh shoved his sandy brown hair from his sweaty forehead. The humidity made the air feel thick.
Sweeping her gaze back and forth between the serene part of the sky and the stormy part, she smiled. “Yeah. I see what he means. Maybe it won’t hit this area.”
Tall grass waved and bobbed in the wind on both sides of the ditch. The area was covered with rolling hills which made it hard to see for long distances. A few trees and grazing cows were the only break in the monotony of the scene. The ditch curved downward at a gradual slant as they walked down the hill.
“The good thing is no zombies,” Troy said from across the ditch.
“Maybe they all burned up back there,” Danny suggested.
“Not all the zombies in the world,” Sam said in a grumpy voice. “We still have more to fight.”
Sam was lagging behind as he practiced swinging his makeshift staff. His brow was furrowed with concentration as he whacked at each fence post as they passed.
“It’s not like you’re going to fight them, lard butt,” Chad said with a chuckle. His shirt flapped around his skinny frame as he walked. He’d finally followed the example of the other kids and found a branch to use as a weapon. His attempts to swing it around like a bo staff were humorous, especially when he hit himself.
“Yes I am!” Sam smacked the next post extra hard. One of the prongs on the end of his staff cracked and flew off into the field.
As Chad howled with laughter, Sam stared at the ruined end. With a cry of raw anger, he rushed Chad, waving his staff. His face was redder than Josh had ever seen it and he had what his dad would call blood in his eye.
“No, Sam!” Corina cried out.
Delighted at Sam’s awkward charge, Chad skipped just out of range of his swing. “Come on, Fatty. Show me what ya got!”
“Stop it, Chad! Sam, calm down!” Corina scampered along the side of the ditch, favoring her wounded leg. “Don’t fight!”
Josh hung back with Troy, unsure if they should stop Sam. Chad had been pushing at him all morning. Maybe he deserved a few whacks.
“Do you think he can knock him on his butt?” Troy asked.
“I don’t know. He’s trying.” Josh was impressed with Sam’s determination.
“You like him, right?”
“Sam?”
“Yeah. Arturo was wrong about Sam. He’s kinda got no filter, but he’s not a bad guy.”
The thought of his dead best friend wiped the smile off Josh’s lips. “Yeah. And he saved Yessica.”
Ahead of them Sam was still swinging at Chad, grunting with anger. Despite his attempts, he had yet to land a single blow. Corina kept trying to grab the stick from him.
Meanwhile, Danny and Dulce laughed while speaking in Spanish to each other.
“Chad’s a jerk,” Josh said in a grim tone. “And he’s dumb enough to get himself killed, and us, too, if we’re not careful. I just don’t know how to dump him.”
“He won’t go. He likes flirting with Corina and trying to be the leader.” Troy shook his head. He was still wearing the Dallas Cowboy cap from the truck stop. There was one tag stuck to the top of it and it waggled when he moved his head.
“He sucks at both,” Josh pointed out. He was glad Corina was not impressed by Chad’s attempts to flirt with her.
“Totally.”
Corina finally managed to grab the end of the makeshift staff and yanked it out of Sam’s hands. “Stop it! He’s trying to make you mad.”
“I am mad! He won’t leave me alone! I don’t do nothing to him and... and...” Sam burst into tears. “If my dad was here he’d arrest him!”
Looping her arm across Sam’s shoulders, Corina guided Sam back to the others. Chad’s howling laughter floated on the wind. Nearby some cows watched the kids with interest. Josh wondered how long they’d survive without a rancher taking care of them. So far the zombies didn’t seem interested in animals. Just humans.
“Hey!” Chad shouted. “Come here!”
“Yelling is such a bad idea.” Troy wearily shook his head.
“At least there doesn’t seem to be zombies nearby,” Josh replied.
“Doesn’t seem to be. Doesn’t mean they’re not out there.”
“True.”
Ahead Chad stared down the slope of the hill. “Hey! Check this out!”
No one in the group hurried to join him. It was probably wise after the stunt he’d pulled at the truck stop. They maintained their regular pace, which clearly annoyed Chad. He folded his arms and glared at them.
When they finally reached the spot where Chad was standing, a wave of relief washed over Josh. Below was a country road paved in gravel. Surrounded by a hurricane fence were a small wood farmhouse and a much larger garage made out of wood and corrugated metal siding. A bunch of old model cars in various states of disrepair decorated the back yard.
“This is good, right?” Sam asked.
“Yeah. We might be able to get some help,” Josh replied.
“And food and water,” Corina added.
“And shelter. That storm is coming our way.” Danny pointed to the cows in the field moving under the copse of trees.
“Here I go saving you guys again.” Chad puffed up his chest and grinned jauntily.
“Josh is the one who said to follow the drainage ditch. Not you.” Corina pushed past him, her arm still around Sam.
With an agitated sound, Chad trailed after her, kicking at the gravel at the bottom of the ditch.
“We need to pick up the pace with that storm coming,” Josh decided.
“What if there are zombies in the area?” Troy trudged along beside Josh.
“We’ll deal with them.” Josh’s fingers tightened around his spear, the rough bark pressing into his skin. “We might be kids, but we have survived this far.”
“Do you think the bus is in San Angelo yet?”
Josh shrugged. “I don’t know, Troy. I’m trying not to think about it.”
With a sad sigh, Troy said, “It sucked. All of it. We were so close to being safe, you know?”
“I know. But it’s like what happens in every zombie movie.”
With a bitter laugh, Troy dipped his head. “Yup. It takes just one dumb person to screw it all up. And we’ve got one.”
Ahead, Chad was tossing bits of gravel against the fence posts and into the field. He was far enough ahead that he couldn’t hear the boys’ conversation. Josh was very worried about Chad. He was uncontrollable, and certainly believed he knew better than everyone else when he was obviously very dumb. It was a bad combination.
“Yeah, Troy, we got a really big one.”
Danny dropped back to walk with them while his cousin strolled ahead. “Hey, guys, I know how he really got his black eye.”
“Oh?” Troy said with interest.
“He lied about it?” Josh wasn’t too surprised, but he had a feeling the truth was going to make him even more uneasy about Chad being with the group.
Danny nodded. “Yeah. I saw it happen. Dulce and I were riding the metro bus to go to school when it got stuck behind an accident. It was bad traffic. Like a parking lot. I was pretty bummed about being late to school because my dad would be mad if I got detention.”
“That sounds familiar,” Troy joked, then his smile faded.
Josh knew what his friend was going through. At times he forgot his mom was gone, too, and then he remembered and it hurt all over again.
“So I was staring out the window when I saw a bunch of people running out of a breakfast taco place my dad used to take me to. That idiot, Chad, and his dad, ran to their car. And I know it was his dad because Chad looks just like him. Anyway, this is how he really got the black eye. Chad and his dad were trying to get into the car through the same door. Chad’s dad elbowed him in the eye. Maybe by accident. I dunno. Chad shoved his dad, knocked him down, got into the car, and slammed the door.” Danny stopped in his tracks, his gaze distant. “I know he was scared, but that was his dad. I think his dad could have gotten in safely, too. Just a few more seconds. But Chad won, shut the door, locked it, and the zombies got his dad before he could get away.”
“But if Chad was in the car, how’d he get to the bus?” Troy asked.
“He got out the other side of the car when the zombies were eating his dad.” Danny made a face. “It was really gross.”
“Maybe his dad was a bad guy.” Troy stared at Chad’s back with fear in his dark eyes.
“If his dad was a bad guy, then maybe that’s why Chad is bad. I don’t trust him.” Danny shifted his spear to his other hand. “We need to be careful. He’ll save himself first. He was totally cool with letting Sam die. I think he saved Corina because he wants her to be his girlfriend.”
The Living Dead Boy (Book 2): Lost in Texas Page 10