The Living Dead Boy (Book 3): Journey Across Zombie Texas Read online

  Josh wanted to get back on topic. “So, I can’t call my dad. At all? Or contact him?”

  “Since he’s one of the people in charge, he can check the database,” Nathan replied. “We registered you as being here in town. He’ll see you’re okay.”

  “But can he come get us?” Troy asked.

  Nathan wagged his head. “No. He can’t. The roads are congested going into San Angelo, and all the air traffic is for evacuation only.”

  “So he can’t come and get me.” Josh sighed, his shoulders slumping.

  “Plus he has Drake and Yessica,” Corina whispered to Josh. “He can’t leave them behind.”

  Staring at his battered sneakers, Josh muttered, “I know.”

  “It’s too dangerous right now,” Daisy said sadly. “But once this is over, he’ll come get you, I’m sure.”

  “So we’re stuck here,” Troy said to Josh. There was pity in his dark eyes, but he didn’t seem too upset over the prospect.

  Josh wasn’t about to give up hope yet, but he had to admit things were looking dire.

  “Can you check the database to see if our parents are alive?” Corina’s gray eyes were filling with tears. “My mom never showed up at the shelter before it got overrun, and she wasn’t in the convoy.”

  Nathan took a deep breath, and fidgeted a little before he said, “That’s what I was going to say next. Daisy took the names you gave her earlier and looked them up.”

  “Did you find my mom?” Corina asked.

  “No, honey. We couldn’t find her name. Or your dad and stepmom,” Daisy replied. “Maybe they haven’t checked in at a camp yet. There are a lot of people still on the road trying to get out of the range of the big cities.”

  Corina remained silent, her chin lowering. Her hand found Josh’s and he squeezed her fingers to reassure her.

  Daisy turned her focus to Troy. “I’m sorry, Troy, but none of the names you gave us came up. At least not yet.”

  Troy frowned, but didn’t say anything. He’d given Daisy the names of his grandparents and an uncle in the Dallas area.

  “The good news is that we found Dulce’s mom. She’s actually at the same camp as Josh’s dad,” Nathan said, forcing a smile.

  Dulce gripped her cousin’s hand tightly, speaking to him in Spanish. When Danny answered, she sobbed with relief.

  “What about my family?” Danny hugged his cousin tight, but his face was fearful.

  “Nothing yet, but again, not everyone is entered in the system. We’re going to keep an eye out though. I promise.” Nathan’s face wore the fake expression parents always put on when giving bad news.

  Dulce and Danny clung to each other, both crying. There was the promise of a reunion in their future.

  “And my mom?” Sam’s voice was barely a whisper.

  “Nothing yet, Sam.” Nathan leaned over to hug him. “But I am so glad you’re here with me.”

  “We’re going to keep trying to find your families. I promise. And in the meantime, you’ll stay here with me in my house unless we’re on patrol. Then you’re going to go over to my mom’s house. That way we know you’re safe when we’re doing our jobs.”

  Josh noticed that Daisy was good at the fake reassuring look, too.

  Chapter 13

  Daisy’s home office was just as nicely decorated as her living room, and very, very neat. Josh had never seen a work space look so perfect. There weren’t piles of papers sitting on her desk, and nothing was out of place. On one side of the room was a desk flanked with bookcases. On the other was a fold-out sofa. After Daisy had pulled out the bed, she’d added a foam mattress to the top, so it appeared pretty comfortable. Josh watched her from his perch on the desk chair as she finished making the bed while Troy and Danny admired her collection of science fiction books.

  “I’m so glad I got the bigger sofa,” she said, smiling at Josh. “You three should fit on here just fine.”

  “That’s so gay,” Sam said from the doorway. He was holding a pillow and sheets in his arms.

  “Why?” Daisy asked.

  “Because they’re all boys? I think?” He sounded unsure.

  “Is sleeping with your dad in the living room gay? You’re both boys. Or Corina and Dulce sharing the guest room gay? They’re both girls.” Daisy lifted her eyebrows.

  Sam frowned, considering this carefully. “No?”

  “For something to be gay, someone has to be gay. And, if someone in this house is gay, that’s not a bad thing. And I guess it would make the whole house gay, huh?”

  Sam hesitated. “I guess...”

  “Sam, do you even know what gay means?” Daisy continued tucking the sheet around the mattress.

  The other kids in the room snickered while Sam turned a deep shade of red.

  “Uh…no. What does it mean?”

  “And that is a talk for the living room,” Nathan said, appearing and pushing Sam on down the hall.

  Danny rolled his eyes. “So he calls us gay when he’s not sure what it is?”

  “Sam’s kinda slow,” Troy stated. “Not like mentally, just... he’s like younger in his head than his body because he wasn’t socialized enough as a baby. That’s what my mom told me.”

  “He just randomly says things are gay,” Josh added. “Probably because he heard other kids say it. Like when two boys hug and someone says ‘That’s gay’ and everyone laughs. Sam probably picked it up from the dumber older kids.”

  “In other words, Sam’s a little clueless. Like his dad. It’s all good.” Daisy finished spreading out a red comforter over the bed. “I wish I had more room, but this should do, right? I really don’t want you sleeping on the hard floor.”

  “I don’t mind. I have to sleep with my cousins when I visit their house,” Danny assured her.

  “Rog would get into bed with me when he had nightmares.” Troy shrugged.

  “I have a little brother so I’m cool.” Josh spent plenty of nights being head-butted by his younger brother when Drake wanted to sleep with him to avoid monsters.

  “So you’re okay with it. Good.” Daisy straightened and set her hands on hips. “I was a little worried.”

  Troy snickered. “You gotta understand. We had to sleep in a treehouse, a stinky bus, and in a hot truck. This is good. Very good.”

  Daisy’s dark eyes studied the boys in front of her for a second. “You’ve been through so much and you’re just kids.”

  “Zombie Hunters,” Troy corrected her.

  “Me too?” Danny asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Totally,” Josh assured him, swiveling the desk chair back and forth.

  “Cool, dude.” Danny seemed pleased with this announcement.

  “Okay, boys. If you need anything, my room is across the hall. Nathan will be in the living room with Sam. There shouldn’t be any problems. The backyard is fenced in, the windows are boarded, and I have security bars. Plus, we have guards posted on the street, so if zombies come around, it’s handled.” She mimed firing a gun.

  “Have you killed one yet?” Danny asked flopping onto the bed.

  With a pensive look on her face, Daisy shook her head. “No, not yet. There were some zombies in town on the first day, but they were killed pretty fast by the locals. You know Texans and their guns.”

  “You’re lucky. Austin was crazy. There were zombies everywhere. I thought we were all going to die.” Danny rested his head on a pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “Dulce kept telling me to not cry. It would be okay. The police would save us. And they did. So did the Army. I saw them kill a lot of zombies.” He mimed getting shot in the head. “Head shots galore.”

  “That sounds awful,” Daisy replied with a lost look on her face. Josh had the impression she didn’t know how to even start to respond to them about what they experienced. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”

  “If I have to kill a zombie, I will,” Danny said. “Since they’re dead already, it’s not a sin.”

  Troy took off his shoes and
claimed the center of the bed. Since he was smaller than Danny and Josh, it made sense he’d take the middle. “My dad turned into a zombie and Josh killed him. My mom and Roger got turned, too. But they’re still out there, unless the fire Josh set got them.”

  “That sucks so much, dude,” Danny said.

  “Josh’s mom turned into a zombie, too.” Troy sniffled. “She was really pretty. I liked her. Before she was a zombie.”

  Sitting on the side of the bed, Daisy pulled the comforter over the two boys. “I haven’t lost any of my family. I know I’m one of the lucky ones. I wish you boys were, too.”

  Josh finally abandoned the office chair to take the last section of the bed. He was tired, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep. He had so many ideas swirling around in his head. Once the other boys were asleep, he hoped he’d be able to concentrate enough to make a plan.

  Daisy moved around the bed to tuck him in, too. She swept his bangs back from his face to better see his eyes. “You’re a brave boy, Josh. Your friends were very lucky to have you leading them.”

  “I did what I had to,” Josh replied. “I’m the leader of the Zombie Hunters.”

  That brought a sad smile to Daisy’s face. “And you’re a very good leader. I’m glad you made it safely here. You won’t have to worry about zombies anymore. We’ll take care of them. You don’t have to be a leader anymore. You can just be a boy.”

  Josh smiled at her because she expected it, not because he agreed with her.

  “Okay, boys. Time to sleep. Do you want me to leave a lamp on? Or do you want it dark?”

  “I definitely want a lamp,” Troy declared. “I don’t want a zombie sneaking up on us.”

  “Okay. Lamp it is.” Daisy turned on the small one on her desk. “Door open or closed?”

  “Closed,” Josh answered. “It’ll buy us time if they get in.”

  With a sigh, Daisy nodded as she turned off the overhead light. “Okay. Door closed. I’m going to go make sure everyone else is tucked in, then head to bed. Goodnight.”

  Josh gave the woman a little wave before the door shut.

  After a few minutes of silence, Troy whispered, “Josh, are you really going to leave?”

  “Yeah, Josh. Are we leaving? Dulce’s mom is at the same camp with your dad.”

  “I gotta plan. I need more info, too. Like where we are exactly, and what route to take. Also, can we get our truck back?” Josh shifted around so he was lying on his side facing Troy. “We can’t just run away.”

  “Should we stay?” A tinge of hope was in Troy’s voice. “It’s nice here.”

  “If you want to stay, Troy, I won’t make you go,” Josh answered.

  Troy sounded more afraid than upset when he spoke. “You don’t think maybe we should wait and see if the Army kills all the zombies before we decide to go? Your dad will come get us after it’s over, right?”

  “We don’t know how long that will be before they kill all the zombies. It could take years.” Josh hated that he had to be a pessimist, but he wasn’t so sure that getting the zombie apocalypse under control was realistic in a short period of time.

  Exhaling with frustration, Troy burrowed under the covers with just his eyes peering out at Josh.

  “You don’t have to come with me,” Josh said, even though the words made his heart heavy. He had already lost two good friends. He didn’t want to lose another.

  “You can’t go alone,” Troy said at last. “How can I let you go alone? You always have to be in a group to survive zombies.”

  “I’m just saying you don’t have to,” Josh replied.

  “Yeah. Whatever, Josh. You know you’re my brother now. I have to go.” Troy rolled his eyes. “Just let me know what’s up.”

  “If Dulce says yes, I’m going, too,” Danny said in a hushed voice.

  “I need to plan, then I’ll tell you.” Josh sat up so his back was pressed into the soft pillow.

  “I’m sleeping. I’m tired.” Troy covered his head completely. “Don’t fart under the blankets, or I’ll kill you.”

  Danny snuggled under the covers, his back to Troy. “You mean like this?”

  “Don’t do it!” Troy warned.

  “I’ve got one saved, dude. Gimme a sec.”

  Troy popped out from under the covers. “Don’t do it, turd head.”

  The loud sound that followed made Josh laugh.

  “Oh, my gawd! Did you just—” Troy stared at Danny in horror.

  Rolling over, Danny raspberried his own forearm. “Sucker.”

  The boys dissolved into laughter.

  The door cracked open and Nathan peered in. “Eyes need to be closed. Boys need to be sleeping.”

  The three boys made a big show of obeying.

  The door clicked shut.

  The tension in his chest didn’t hurt as much now, and Josh found himself smiling.

  As soon as the other boys were asleep, he’d use the quiet to plot his next step.

  Chapter 14

  Josh jerked awake when he felt someone shake his arm. Through the dim light in the room, he saw Corina bending over him. Her long hair hung over her shoulders and she was dressed in borrowed pajamas.

  “Josh, wake up,” she whispered.

  Behind her, the door to the hallway was closed.

  Blinking in an effort to gain full awareness, Josh sat up. “Is something happening?” He matched the volume of her voice so he wouldn’t wake the other boys. Troy was still under the covers, and Danny snored peacefully at the far side.

  “No, no. We need to talk, that’s all. Dulce is awake and locked the door behind me so they won’t know I’m in here. We don’t want them to suspect we’re up to something, you know?” She sat next to him on the bed and pulled her legs up to her chest. Hugging her knees, she peered over them at him. “You’re still planning on leaving, right? Even though this place is kinda nice?”

  Josh crossed his legs and leaned toward her so they could speak softly. “Yeah. I think so. I just have to make a plan. There’s a lot we don’t know. Like where we are, what’s the nearest evacuation route... stuff like that.”

  “We need to get a smartphone so we can see the government updates.”

  “That’s not going to be easy.”

  Corina tugged at the end of her hair nervously. “Maybe we could get Sam to ask his dad for his.”

  Josh considered the idea, but it didn’t sit well with him. “We need to be careful about how much we tell Sam. He’ll spill his guts under questioning.”

  “He really likes us. I don’t think he’ll tell right away. Also, don’t be surprised if he really does want to come with us. He’s so scared of Chad.”

  “We can’t let him do that. It’s better for him to be here with his dad.”

  “I hate leaving him with Chad.” Corina sighed, raising her eyes toward the ceiling. “Ugh. The thought of that jerk makes me want to punch something.”

  “It feels like we’re leaving a bomb behind, huh?” Josh clenched his hands at the thought of Chad. “My dad always said stupid people are dangerous. He’s right.”

  “You know what sucks? Every time I hear a noise outside, I’m afraid it’s Chad, not zombies.” Corina lowered her head so her hair covered her face. “I hate that he makes me afraid.”

  “We’re getting out of here. I promise. And you won’t have to deal with him. Just… zombies.”

  “At least I can shoot them and not feel bad.” Corina lifted her head. “We can try to get the smartphone without Sam, but I still think our best shot is Sam just asking his dad for it. He could say he’s afraid of zombies, or something, and needs it to make himself feel better. His dad does kinda baby him.”

  “Do you think he’ll lie?” Josh was unsure Sam would defy the father he adored.

  “To help us?” Corina seemed to ponder the question for a second. “Yeah. I think he would. He’s very proud to be a Zombie Hunter. He’s also very happy to have friends.”

  Nodding, he saw Corina’s
point. Sam had been the outsider for a very long time. “You should probably talk to Sam about it then. He really likes you, and I think he’ll listen to you more than he would to me.”

  “It’s the babysitter voice,” Corina said, smiling.

  Josh tried not to laugh too loud. “Yeah. I remember when it worked on me.”

  “I’m not your babysitter anymore. We’re friends.” She reached out and touched his hand. “I’m glad we’re here together.”

  A hard lump formed in his throat. “Me too. I owe you my life, you know.”

  “We save each other. It’s what we do.”

  Embarrassed by the heat filling his cheeks, Josh lowered his head.

  “Is Troy going to come? I noticed he didn’t say anything earlier,” Corina said.

  “Yeah. He’s coming. Danny says if Dulce decides to come, he will, too.”

  “We’re safer with numbers. Everyone can keep a look out.”

  Josh grinned. “Yeah. True.”

  “Why are you smiling like that?” Corina’s gray eyes stared at him curiously.

  “You’re a natural Zombie Hunter. You get the rules without me saying anything.”

  Rolling her eyes, Corina smirked. “Whatever.”

  Next to them, Danny let out a loud snore, and Troy burrowed deeper under the covers.

  “So we get a smartphone, and then what?” Corina asked.

  “We’ll check our location, find an evacuation route, get our truck, and figure out a way to leave.”

  “We’ll have to get past the guards. They’re not going to let us out, Josh.” Corina frowned. “We’re just kids to them. We can’t drive out of here.”

  Josh let out a huff of frustration. “True.”

  “But there were a lot of abandoned cars on the road. There’ll be more out on the roads heading toward San Angelo. Or maybe a car at a farm nearby.” Corina scrunched up her face. “I hate the idea of us being on foot, but that might be our best chance to get away.”

  “The fields will be good cover.” Josh, too, hated the idea of them being on foot again. But Corina had a point. There had been abandoned cars on the road, and there was a solid chance they’d find a ride. “It depends on how far we are from the evacuation route, I guess.”