The First Days (As the World Dies #1)(28)

"We're meals on wheels," Jenni said with a bitter laugh.

"Chewy center is what it's all about," Katie said gloomily.

The truck plowed through the first zombies, but more were spilling out of the fence. It was starting to get hairy. The truck barreled through them and Katie saw another turn in the road. And more zombies coming from that direction. Another part of the fence was down due to someone ramming into it.

"Damn stupid people!" Katie slammed on the brakes.

A series of cars were clogging the road. People had obviously abandoned them in haste and had probably run for the school. Now they were probably running for the truck. To their right was the fence, to their left a slight shoulder and an embankment.

"Just go," Jenni shouted.

The zombies reached the truck and began to slam their fists against the metal and the glass.

Katie reversed, shoving her foot hard down the accelerator, looking very satisfied as the truck bounced over a few zombie bodies. She aimed the truck for the narrow path to the side of the blockade of cars.

"We might tip," Katie said.

"Go down it! Off road through the field," Jenni said urgently. She glanced at the zombies banging on her window. "Before they break in!"

Katie didn't say a word, but expertly dodged one crashed car and started the truck down the embankment. The vehicle tilted scarily to one side and Jenni found herself clinging to the door to keep from falling into Katie. Some of the zombies were still with them and banging on the windows.

The truck hit the field and the wheels plowed through the sun-hardened earth. Luckily, it was just a field of wild flowers and the truck was a 4X4. The zombies still followed. Some even clung to the edges of the truck bed. In the mirror, Jenni could see the zombies from the school flowing into the field.

Katie aimed the truck for the road on the other side of the field. "How are we doing?"

"We got stowaways and lots more trying to catch up.

There was a tremendous jolt as the truck struggled up the embankment and back onto the road. Jenni looked back to see two zombies go flying off the back of the truck and onto the road as they lost their grip. The last one had managed to get into the truck bed and was staggering toward the back window. Jack was barking wildly at this point.

"Slam on the brakes!"

Katie obeyed immediately.

The zombie was flung forward and hit the back of the cab. It fell back into the bed out of sight.

Jenni flung the door open, slipped out, and held her gun up.

The zombie grabbed hold of the side of the truck and hauled itself up. It found itself looking straight into Jenni's determined gaze.

"Pop," Jenni said, fired, and the zombie's head did pop like an enormous blister.

"Get back in!" Katie was struggling to keep Jack from jumping out.

Jenni could see the two zombies who had fallen off closing fast. Not far behind them an enormous crowd of the undead students, parents and teachers from the schools.

Jumping into the cab, she slammed the door shut and Jack licked her face with relief.

Katie drove on at top speed, her gaze flicking toward the gas gauge.

"How far?"

"An hour, but just back roads from this point out," Jenni answered, trying to get the map turned the right way.

"But we have the interstate to worry about…"

"He's alive, Katie. Jason is alive. I know it. And if there are zombies on the interstate, they may not go near the camping ground."

Katie nodded. "I know, hon. I know. We're close. We're going to get him."

Jenni nodded back. "We have to," Jenni said softly. She did not add that she needed to save him to make up for her failures as a mother. Katie wouldn't understand.

"We will save him," Katie assured her. "We will."

Jenni believed her.





Chapter 6





1. Frayed Edges





Katie was still trembling from the episode at the schools. Leaving that poor man behind was bad enough, but seeing that torrent of zombified families coming out of the school buildings had left her feeling sick to the very pit of her stomach.

Maybe they were being foolish for thinking Jason was still alive. Hell, it was sheer luck that she and Jenni were both alive. Right place at the right time. She didn't want to dwell on it too much but what if she hadn't slipped free of her coat and ended up in the maw of that horrible undead thing that had tried to drag her from her car? Or what if Jenni's zombified son had made it out the window just a little faster?

Up to this point luck had a lot to do with the fact they were still alive.

Now it would be more about them keeping their wits in situations like they had just experienced that would dictate if they survived or not.

So far, so good.

Katie glanced at Jenni, who was staring straight ahead. Her lips were pressed firmly together and her brow was knotted. Jenni wasn't exactly expressing how much this rescue meant to her, but Katie knew. She understood. Jason, even if he wasn't Jenni's flesh and blood, was all she had left. Yes, technically she now had Katie and Jack, but Jason was a connection to her past. To her previous life.

Katie was envious of that fact. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, left of her former life but a picture of her wife in a phone that's battery was slowly running out and she did not have a charger for.