Zombie Rules

by Achord, David

  “Easy, a healthy baby.” She said.

  “That’s a great wish! You next Zach.” Julie said.

  I shrugged. “I’ve got so many popping up in my head I don’t know which would be the best one. What about you?”

  She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Oh no, you’re not getting off so easily. Name three.”

  I chuckled. “Okay, let’s see. A good crop, the death of all zombies, a live rock concert.” I got a small laugh out of both of them.

  “I want us all to be a happy family, I want my little brother, and I want to give you a son.” The last one shocked me. I looked over at her. “Macie and I have been reading up on childbirth. Fred found some of his mother-in-law’s nursing books.” She had rolled over on her side to look at me, now she rolled back and looked at the night sky. “It’ll work Zach, just you wait and see.”

  I smiled in the dark. It was a beautiful night. I did not have the heart to tell them Fred was leaving.

  Chapter 40 – Back to the Present

  After dispatching the two scumbags, I was inclined to get in my truck and leave the boy. But I was concerned. I got to within ten feet from him when I stopped suddenly. I was dumbfounded for a long five seconds.

  “Tommy.” It was all I could say. He was crying and trying clumsily to pull his pants up. He stopped when he heard his name and turned to look at me. His mind was not the quickest. It took at least twice as long for him to recognize me.

  “Zach, is that you?” He had forgotten about his pants and just stood there staring at me. He suddenly remembered his two assailants and looked them over. The fear on his face was apparent. “Did you kill them?”

  I nodded. “Did you know them?”

  He sniffled and wiped his nose. “Yeah, they were mom’s friends. I didn’t like them.” So, his mother had found yet another group to hook up with, and her son has to suffer for it. Figures.

  “Get your pants fixed Tommy.” I said. I could inspect him for injuries at a later time. “So you and your mom found another group of people to live with?” He nodded. “Are there more than these two?” He nodded again. “How many of them are there?”

  Tommy looked at the sky a moment and then started slowly counting on his fingers. “There are seventeen.” He said it slowly, but with resolve.

  “Does that include these two men and your mom?” Tommy nodded slowly. He did not understand why an accurate count was important.

  At my direction, Tommy showed me the car they had been using, which was a beat up Chevy Yukon. It had an odd assortment of stuff in it. They had been on a scavenging mission as well. With Tommy’s help, I transferred anything I thought was of value into my truck. We managed to get the two inside the SUV. I then shoved a rag in the opening of the gas tank and set it on fire. It was an easy way to conceal evidence. Their friends would find them eventually, and maybe even figure out what happened, but no reason to make it easy for them.

  “Zach?” Tommy asked. We had been silently watching the SUV burn. I looked at him. “Can I come live with you? I don’t like those people. They’re mean to me and make fun of me.”

  I patted him on the shoulder. I had a flashback of Felix always patting me on the shoulder. “Sure buddy.” I looked somberly at him. So much had happened since I last saw him. Good, bad, and downright ugly. I had a lot of questions about this new group and what his evil mother had been up to, but first we needed to get out of there. The gunshots and the fire would no doubt bring unwanted attention. We got in my truck and headed out.