The First Days (As the World Dies #1)(80)

"There are still more, trapped inside houses."

"And outside," Juan said and the truck bounced as they ran over a legless zombie.

Jenni giggled a little.

"Yer really a sick chica," Juan said, and his voice seemed to be tinged with appreciation.

"Yep. Pretty much." She flashed her biggest smile at him.

"Too bad yer gay. I might actually ask your sick ass out."

Jenni rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I'm so not gay."

"Ah, c'mon. Everyone knows about you and Katie." Juan made a really obscene gesture with his mouth.

Jenni immediately flipped him off. "Not gay."

"Yep."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"Love the penis, I can assure you," Jenni said and wagged an eyebrow.

Juan nearly drove into a car. "Shit, girl!"

"I do! I was a married woman! I love men. Not you, other men, but I love men."

"So you and Katie aren't…" Juan made another obscene gesture and Jenni smacked him.

"No!"

"Oh." He sounded rather disappointed.

"I kinda like Travis, honestly."

Juan blinked. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, I think he's got a hard on for your former girlfriend."

Jenni blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah. Katie. Though I'm sure he thinks you are a fine piece of ass. Loca, but fine."

Jenni frowned a little. "Katie is gay. She is the gay one."

Juan shrugged. "Travis just…he's always confused about women. You should go for him. He'd enjoy your locaness."

Jenni smacked Juan again. "Get out! Really?" She smiled at the thought of being even a little alluring to Travis.

"Uh, yeah. Stop hitting me. I'm driving." Juan pointed to the road.

"Oh, yeah." Jenni was grinning hard now. "Well, Katie is gay, so he has to know that isn't going to happen. So, maybe he'll look my way. I need makeup. And maybe a cute top." Jenni thought for a moment. "Think we'll get to kill zombies?"

"Your mind just goes all over the place, doesn't it?"

"Pretty much."

Juan pulled into a nearly empty parking lot outside of what had probably been a very "modern" building in the Seventies, but could now be safely classified as an atrocity of architecture. Only two cars were in the parking lot.

Across the street was a nice park. There were no houses nearby, so it was easy to look around and see that the area was pretty clear of danger.

"Just keep smart, Loca."

Jenni nodded and slid out of the truck. She flicked the safety off her rifle and walked slowly toward the main entrance.

The first obstacle to their expedition was in plain view once they got close enough. The library had a set of glass double doors with a small foyer between them. Trapped inside of them was an old man, dead, hungry, and beating on the interior door. It was kind of funny that he still clung to his library book.

"He wants in," Jenni observed.

"Possible survivors."

"That's what I'm thinking."

Juan walked over and peered past the old man. "Can't see anything but a card catalog up against the door."

"Survivors then."

"Maybe. If they had food in there."

The old man became aware of them and turned. He hissed when he saw them and instantly started banging on the door to the outside. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked and slowly opened under his weight.

"Shit."

"Fuck."

"Shoot it, Loca."

Jenni waited until the man managed to stagger outside and fired one shot, neatly taking off the top of his head and shattering the glass door behind him.

Juan looked down at the zombie's book. "Better Sex After 60," he said.

"No!"

"Yeah."

Jenni looked. She broke into wild laughter. "Oh, shit. That is funny. He probably got here early to turn it in before his buddies saw him.

They became aware of three anxious faces looking at them over the top of the card catalog. They were drawn, a little pinched, but live faces. The heavy piece of library furniture was pushed out of the way and a woman unlocked the inner door.

"Oh, thank God! Juan!"

"Belinda!"

Juan hugged the woman tightly and slipped into the library. "Everyone okay?"

Jenni sized up Belinda. She had long black hair, amber eyes, and a tiny frame. She was obviously Hispanic and very pretty. The other woman was older, blond, and very short and stout. The third person was a young teenage girl with red hair and a spray of freckles across her nose.

"Thank God someone came for us," the blond woman exclaimed.

"Gretchen, good to see you alive."

"Same here, Juan," the stout woman answered.

Belinda locked the door behind them. "We've been here since it started."

"We were almost out of food," the teenager said.

"We're here now," Jenni said with a smile. She felt a little weird about Belinda, but liked feeling like the rescuer.

"Oh, Lord, we've been eating snacks out of the vending machines. We're almost out," Gretchen said.