My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road

by David Powers King

  On a full tank, we would reach Kansas City by morning. I popped the trunk, stepped out and grabbed Dad’s siphoning gear. With a dozen cars parked outside, filling up wouldn’t be an issue. The others piled out of the Explorer a few seconds after me. Chloe zigzagged from car to car, her nose close to the ground. My stomach shouted at me right then. Pale as Kaylynn was, and Jewel holding a hand over her stomach, we were all in need of a meal. Still, it made sense for us to find gas first, in case we had to pack up and leave in a hurry.

  If Cody was hungry, he had masked it well.

  One hour and an accidental mouthful of gas later, we had filled the five-gallon jug three times. I wasn’t about to put my mouth on that hose again. We poured our third can into the car and made sure the doors were locked before we went into the store. We grabbed the nearest things we could find for weapons: a random assortment of gardening tools and empty clay pots.

  What we really needed were flashlights.

  Quietly making our way to Sporting & Outdoors, we found some headlamps and flashlights that came with batteries. Cody took a knife from his boot and sliced through the impossible-to-open plastic packaging. Now that we had light, we could find some real weapons.

  Jewel stayed by me like a possum as I checked the customer desk for ammunition. It was empty. I hopped over the counter to make sure and found a shotgun on the ground. I went for it. As I touched the cold steel barrel, I scrambled back fast. Sucking on gas had weakened my sense of smell, but I knew a rotted hand when I saw one. There was no body attached to it.

  Yuck!

  If I wanted the shotgun—and I did—I’d have to pry the stiff fingers off. I held my breath and did just that, gagging all the while. Jewel’s face turned a tad green, but it was worth it—the gun and her face.

  I used my new Maglite to check out the specs: a Maverick 12 Gauge with a few shells in the magazine. It would have to do. I loaded it full with target shells and pumped one into the chamber. As for the severed hand, I wondered where the rest of the guy went to.

  Chloe brushed against my leg and went into an aisle of baseball equipment. Kaylynn had a new bat in her hands. She took a few practice swings between the gloves and shin guards on the racks behind her.

  Her unsuspecting, shadowy silhouette was graceful to look at. “Hi,” she said. “What do you think?”

  She swung her bat. It was longer than her last one. “You’ll knock Vectors out of the park!” Jewel said.

  Packaging hit the floor the next aisle over.

  “Where’s Cody?” I asked.

  With my shotgun and Kaylynn’s bat at the ready, we rounded the corner and found Cody in an aisle with limited archery gear. He had a couple of hunting knives strapped to his waist, a new machete on his back—and a pink camouflage bow in his hand. It was the only bow in the place. Jewel snickered, and Cody glanced up.

  “Don’t judge me . . .” he uttered.

  We all laughed for a second until Cody nocked an arrow, aimed behind us and pulled the string back. The arrow whizzed by my ear and hit something squishy—a one-handed Vector. That was the second time Cody had almost killed me, so he could dispatch a Stalker. Cody wrapped a quiver over his shoulder and smiled.

  “Get a cart,” he ordered.

  If anyone could say beat it without saying it, Cody was our guy. I returned to the front of the store with Jewel to find a cart, noticing mostly emptied pharmacy shelves along the way. We didn’t have to go far beyond the registers. The front wheel of our cart kept veering to the left. Of all the shopping carts, I had to pick the lame one. When we got back to Sporting Goods, Cody and Kaylynn were gone. We called to them. Quietly. No one answered. I slapped myself, and started to freak out.

  We’d left Kaylynn alone with Cody.

  Jewel and I booked it to the Clothing Department. “Cody? Kaylynn?”

  “Over here, you guys!” Cody was sitting on the fitting room counter.

  “Where’s Kaylynn?” I asked.

  “I’m in here,” she called from behind one of the changing doors. “Trying something on.” A minute later, she stepped out, transformed back to her old self: black jeans, a tight black AC/DC tank top with an arrow going through a fiery heart, and black gloves with the fingertips cut off—and a pair of calf-high biker boots with metal clamps instead of laces. “Much better!”

  Her style was growing on me, and I looked at the clothes around me. “I could use a change, too.”

  It was good a time to give ourselves a makeover. Jewel chose a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a green Sugar Beat shirt. I found new jeans, a fresh pair of steel-toe boots, and a black Harley-Davidson shirt. To top it off, I grabbed a matching zip-up hoodie. Cody didn’t pick out anything, and he wasted no time having us gather anything we could find in the food area. Slim pickings.

  Aside from three cans of dog and cat food—good for Chloe—there was little else for humans to eat. We found a few cans of Spam, a box of instant rice, and jars of baby food. Puréed roast beef and veggies—yummy for my tummy. Jewel found a can of generic soda.

  It was better than nothing.

  Cody loaded up on tuna and sardines. He was welcome to that stuff.

  “Say you love me.” Jewel said, maliciously waving a bag of peppered beef jerky at me.

  I groveled at her feet and called her, “Master!”

  She handed me one strip like it was the most precious thing ever. “That’s all for now, servant.”

  I had jerky. She could call me whatever she wanted.

  With a quarter-filled cart, we went back to the car and loaded up the trunk. Just as Cody shut it, Chloe started to growl again. Three Vectors lurked around the corner. We could’ve jumped into the car, but something snapped inside me. Whether they were dead or alive, it didn’t matter anymore. They had to be put down.

  I aimed for the brain.

  “Jay!” Kaylynn cried at me. “Wait!”

  I had already pulled the trigger.

  While channel surfing through commercials during a Godzilla movie the previous summer, I saw a Discovery show that’s all about debunking myths. This particular episode proved that normal bullets couldn’t penetrate, let alone explode, a tank of propane. I still don’t know how I proved them wrong, because a wall of fire had engulfed the tall Vector and his two undead friends.

  The flames billowed right at us next. Jewel pulled on me, and I tripped over her ankle. We fell together, and I was about to use my back as a shield when the fire soared over our heads. My hair singed, but it was the stench of burning flesh that made me reel. Kaylynn was behind us. Her palms faced the fire, her eyes red.

  I caught on quicker than a matchstick. She was resisting the flames. No. She was controlling the flames.

  Chloe barked as Jewel buried her face into the dog’s coat. When the fuel burned out, the hot flames died, leaving us exhausted. The three Vectors writhed on the ground like barbecued worms for a few seconds, and then stopped. Once more, Kaylynn had saved our skins. Her eyes were burning like embers, and she set them on me—that cold stare with hunger inside them.

  “Hey,” I said, my heart pounding. “You okay?”

  Kaylynn pinned me. Her mouth snarled. Her teeth gnashed. She was strong—really strong. Not even my cut biceps were enough to keep her mouth away from my neck. I then realized what was happening. Kaylynn had turned. All she could think of was eating me!

  “Stop it, Kaylynn!” Jewel cried. “Cut it out!”

  Chloe joined in. It wasn’t enough to keep Kaylynn from trying to chew my face off. If the infection had taken hold of her, there was no negotiating with a Vector. And my shotgun was well out of reach. I had to use both hands to keep Kaylynn’s teeth away. Jewel raced in and caught Kaylynn by the arm. As she tried to pry Kaylynn off, I swung my fist. My knuckles struck her left cheek. I know, I just punched a girl. Not that I wanted to. I’d rather kiss her mouth than punch it.

  Kaylynn sat up and rubbed her cheek. Her red eyes had receded to the same calming blue that I liked so much. She then gl
ared at us, relieved and horrified.

  I loaded another shell into the shotgun.

  “What in the hell was that?” Cody emerged with a machete, his eyes fixed on Kaylynn’s every move.

  In the heat of the moment, I had completely forgotten about him. He was bound to know now. I thought it best to play stupid. “I didn’t see those tanks!”

  Cody cocked his brow. “I’m talking about her!”

  Figures. Playing stupid wasn’t going to work.

  “It’s, uh . . . not what you think,” Jewel said.

  “I didn’t think it—I saw it!” Cody’s chest heaved. “She almost took a chunk out of you!” He stopped short and raised his arm. “She’s infected, isn’t she?”

  Jewel helped Kaylynn stand up. Both of them did the right thing by standing behind me. Judging by the way Cody glared at us made me glad I had the shotgun.

  Would I need to use it? Maybe not, but I could tell from Cody’s body language that he was tense and uneasy, like he was ready to fight me. With the late afternoon sun at Cody’s back—and in our eyes—I half expected tumbleweeds to roll between us. Every single word from then on had to be chosen carefully.

  “What if she is?” I said. “Are you going to kill her, like the way you killed Sam’s girl?”

  Cody tightened his grip. “Can’t kill what’s dead.”

  “But she’s not dead,” Jewel said. “She’s alive!”

  Kaylynn pressed her body close to mine.

  “Why did they kept her in the healthcare center? They wouldn’t let anyone in that room. They never let me in.” His calculating stare burrowed into my eyes. “So that’s where they sent her, after we found you both in that granary.” Slowly, Cody removed the bow from his shoulder. “They let you go, but they kept her.”

  As he reached for an arrow, I shielded Kaylynn. “What are you doing, Cody?” I asked.

  He nocked the arrow and pulled the string back. “Get out of the way.”

  Crap City! He was serious. “Knock it off.”

  “She’s one of them. Get out of the way!”

  The realization had finally hit me that Cody wanted to drop Kaylynn without a second thought. The warmth of Kaylynn’s breath on my neck fueled my resolve. For the first time ever, she was relying on me. She shook, perhaps troubled that she’d almost had me for dinner. Cody wasn’t going to touch her, if I could help it.

  I raised my shotgun. If I could convince him that we needed Kaylynn, maybe he would lighten up.

  It was a long shot, but I had to try. “You saw the explosion.” I nodded at the scorched walls of the big box store. The car, and all of us, were unscathed. “She kept us from turning into toast.”

  Cody widened his stance. “What’re you saying?”

  “She stopped the fire. Stop being a jerk.”

  Chloe joined in, growling at Cody for the first time.

  “She stopped the fire? You’re kidding!” His arm was shaking. His breath was uneven. He wasn’t buying it. “When did they bite you, in Lincoln? David City?”

  “Vectors can’t control fire,” I said. “She can.”

  “Yeah!” Jewel added. “She can do lots of things.”

  Cody’s glare singed each of us. “Like what?”

  “Promise not to hurt her and we’ll tell you,” I said.

  Like a hard drive into left field, a smirk appeared on Cody’s face. I didn’t like the look of it. What did he think was so funny? “I overheard Sanders say weird stuff before he left. I never believed him until now.” I was confused. Why would he bring up that old kook? Did he know something we didn’t? Cody checked over his shoulder. “He was right about the whole thing.”

  I had to know what Cody knew. “What thing?”

  “Let me deal with Kaylynn and I’ll tell you.”

  “Get lost!” Jewel cried. “We won’t let you kill her!”

  “You don’t get it!” Cody hissed. “She’ll kill us!”

  “She’s not one of them,” I said. “Get over it.”

  Cody’s muscles were tense. So were mine. “They got my mother. I can’t let go!” He steadied his bow and aimed at Kaylynn. “I’m sorry. I can’t let her infect us.”

  “Cody,” Kaylynn said, with a voice like flowing water. “I want to know what’s wrong with me.”

  “Then answer—when did they bite you?”

  I’d had enough. It didn’t matter when she was infected. From the moment we found her in the RV, she was family. And more. I needed a cool head if I was going to reason with him. “If you lose your head, you’ll lose your life. Remember?” I repeated what Cody had said before. I hoped it would strike a chord. “If our parents find the cure, she won’t be infected anymore.”

  Cody managed another laugh. “You really like her, don’t you?” I tried to focus, even with my red face betraying me. “Maybe you can wait, but I’m driving.”

  “No.” I motioned to the ground. “Drop the keys.”

  Not expecting him to comply, Cody reached into his jeans and dangled the keys, taunting us. “If you want them,” he said, “you’ll have to take them from me.”

  Yeah right. A wimp like me wouldn’t stand a chance of wringing the keys out of his hand. But I had no choice. I readied myself with an aggressive stance, like I’d seen Dad do at target practice, and raised the shotgun. “Put the keys down. Kick them to us.” Jewel and Kaylynn stepped back, shocked by my command.

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

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

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

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

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

  “Get lost, then,” she said.

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

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

  Except this time, I was scared. Really scared.

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

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

  Jewel shut her eyes and cried into my gut.

  Don’t let ourselves become afraid, huh?

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

  I raised my head. We were
alone.

  More surprisingly, we were alive.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  I looked down the highway, thinking of Cody.

  That bastard wouldn’t get away with this.

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

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

  Craptastrophe.

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