The Living Dead Boy (The Living Dead Boy #1)

The Living Dead Boy (The Living Dead Boy #1)

Rhiannon Frater




Chapter 1



Shivering under a stranger’s suit jacket, Josh Rondell stared through the dirty window of the Austin Metro bus. He blocked out the snores of the passengers by scrunching his shoulders to cover his ears and concentrated on the stars occasionally peeking out from behind thick clouds. Pretending he was back in his treehouse staring at the night sky, he imagined his mom and dad washing the dinner dishes in the kitchen of his old house while his little brother, Drake, watched his current favorite movie in the living room. He tried for as long as he could to hold onto that fantasy, but then the sound of gunfire echoed in the distance and demolished the illusion.

A few people stirred around him, but most slept on. Josh tilted his head to peer down at the side of the road through the dirty window. Several men and women in various uniforms – police, highway patrol, fire department, Army – were on patrol, and they didn’t appear concerned. One of the Army soldiers spotted him looking through the dirty glass. With a weary smile, she gave Josh a thumbs up.

Though the tight knot of tension didn’t leave his gut, Josh returned the gesture.

Settling back in his seat, he wished his dad would return to the bus. Jamie Rondell had slept fitfully next to Josh for about an hour after sunset before getting up and leaving the bus. His dad wouldn’t have disembarked if he believed the location where the evacuation convoy was parked for the night was unsafe, so Josh tried not to worry.

The only light in the bus was from outside. Military jeeps were parked along the edges of the convoy, consisting of city and school buses, SUVs, family cars, a few RVs, and pickups. Other military vehicles were at the front and the back of the long line parked on a country road in the Texas Hill Country. A valley spread out to the right and tree-covered hills rose to the left. The spot provided a clear view of the area, which was why they’d probably decided to make camp for the night.

Josh lifted his gaze again, attempting to recapture the illusion of his family being safely at home.

The beauty of the star-studded sky reminded him of his mom.

He missed her so much.

The tightness in his chest and the tears that burned his eyes at the thought of her made him feel like a crybaby. The importance of his twelve years on Earth weighed on his shoulders. He was a big brother and the leader of the Zombie Hunters. It was his responsibility to be strong and brave, yet a part of him wished he was a little kid like Drake. Then he could throw himself down on the floor and scream and kick his feet and no one would think badly of him. Instead, he screamed inside his head, and imagined killing all the zombies in the world to get revenge for his mother’s death.

But it didn’t really help alleviate the hurt inside.

So Josh swallowed the hard lump in his throat, reminded himself he had to be strong for his family and friends. He supposed they were all one and the same now. His surviving friends had lost their parents and siblings while Josh still had his dad and younger brother. In a very sad way, he was the lucky one.

Shimmying around on his seat to get comfortable, Josh’s eyes drifted to the seat across the aisle. Corina, the love of Josh’s young life, slept propped against the window with Drake nestled into her side. Her long chestnut brown hair was in a messy braid looped over her shoulder, and her glasses were crooked on her nose. His fourteen-year-old former babysitter was the most beautiful girl in the world. As always, his heart beat a little faster when he looked at her. He’d used to have a crush on her, but now he was pretty sure he was completely in love with her.

Angelic and adorable, Drake slept in Corina’s arms, clutching his stuffed dinosaur, Rex. It was hard to believe the three-year-old had been a red-faced demon screaming for his mother just a few hours earlier. Not even their dad could calm Drake. It was Corina who had finally managed to soothe the toddler. Afterward, he’d clung to her like a monkey and had refused to talk to anyone, including Josh and their dad.

It had been super-embarrassing, and a few passengers had been mad enough to move to another bus during a bathroom stop.

“We don’t need a toddler bringing the zombies down on us,” one of the men had muttered when he’d gotten off with his friend.

“Babies, kids, blind girls, and a dog... they’ll be the first to go,” the other man had answered, smirking.

The anger Josh felt in that moment still burned hot in his chest. Rubbing his nose, he fought the need to cry. Those men in their fancy suits didn’t even know what Josh and his friends had gone through. They didn’t have a clue that Josh had watched his mom turn into a zombie and had barely saved himself and his brother. Would they have set their own house on fire to kill zombies and risk their lives to save others? Josh doubted it.

Sitting up, he shoved the jacket aside. It smelled like tobacco and sweat, and maybe it had belonged to one of those two jerks. Of course, he didn’t smell much better, since he hadn’t bathed in two days. Plus, his hair and clothes reeked of smoke. He wondered if he’d ever take a bath or shower again.

If he could have his mom back, he’d never complain about her telling him to get off the computer and take a bath before bed.

Done with trying to sleep, and even more done with all the nightmares he had every time he dozed off, Josh slid off the seat. Tiptoeing down the aisle, he checked on his friends. Troy was asleep, his hand curled under his afro. He was the last remaining member of his family, since his adoptive parents and brother, Roger, had died. He and Troy were the last of the original Zombie Hunters Club, and now they were brothers. Josh’s dad had made sure that Troy understood that he was now a part of their family.