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

by Rhiannon Frater

  “That’s the long way around to the evacuation route,” Josh said.

  Troy made a face. “Ugh.”

  “Do we have zombie radar yet?” Danny asked. “Are there zombies?”

  “No app yet.” Josh turned off the smartphone.

  “But why the crash?” Dulce frowned. “Zombies?”

  “With cars traveling so close together, it would take just one person doing something dumb to start the domino effect. It could have been anything like a deer running in front of a car,” Josh replied. “But it could also be zombies. Maybe way down the road someone saw the zombies, panicked, and all this happened.”

  “So we don’t want to walk that way,” Danny said with a nod. “Gotcha, dude.”

  “The grass on both sides of the road is flat.” Troy looked thoughtful. “Maybe some cars got past the crashes?”

  The road shoulders were very thin and there were a deep drainage ditches on both sides. A regular car probably wouldn’t be able to make it. Josh pondered the other possibilities. “Or that was their military escort. Remember the jeeps that helped our convoy? I don’t think a regular car could drive through there, but a jeep could.”

  “Motorcycles, maybe?” Danny suggested.

  “Or people walking,” Dulce said.

  “It doesn’t really matter,” Josh said, his spirit sinking. “Even if we find a car that’s not wrecked with the keys in the ignition, we can’t drive it through all that mess. And even if we did we’d maybe end up stranded further up the road, and in more danger.”

  With a sigh, Troy lay down on the grass and Danny followed suit. Dulce pulled water and jerky out of Corina’s bag and handed it to the boys.

  “I think we have a better shot just walking off road like we’ve been doing. According to the map, we’ll come to the evacuation route in... uh...” Josh hesitated, trying to mentally calculate the time.

  “We’ve been walking for hours, Josh. How much farther?” Troy glared at him.

  Josh winced. “Six to ten hours. Depending on how fast we walk.”

  “I’m going to die,” Troy exclaimed.

  “I’m already dead.” Danny closed his eyes. “Bury me.”

  “Stay here. Watch for zombies.” Dulce got up and headed down toward the cars.

  Josh started to call her back, but when she began to search the cars, he realized she had a plan. Collecting things in the tote bag, she moved from car to car, making sure to stay in sight. When she finally returned, she looked pleased with herself. Danny was snoring, and she lightly tapped his leg with her toe.

  “I got a plan,” she said.

  “What is it?” Troy asked, not opening his eyes.

  “I got some food. Crackers, chips, and peanut butter crackers. I got juice, Coke, and water. I also got keys to that car.” Dulce gestured to a smaller car that was missing its bumper but didn’t look too badly banged up.

  “But we can’t drive anywhere in it,” Josh protested.

  “You smart, but missed something.” Dulce pointed up the road.

  There was an open gate to a dirt road.

  “We drive up that road.” Dulce looked triumphantly at the boys. “I drive in Mexico. I can get the car to that gate.”

  “That’s actually a great idea! That road probably belongs to a ranch, or farm. It might shave off a bunch of miles and give us a rest.” Relief washed through Josh.

  “We do my plan, yes?” Dulce grinned.

  “We totally do your plan,” Josh agreed.

  It took Dulce almost twenty minutes to maneuver the small car through the wreckage. The boys pushed pieces of metal, discarded luggage, and bits of tires out of her way. True to her word, she managed to squeeze through spots Josh wouldn’t have thought possible. At one point, she drove along the shoulder of the road with the car almost sideways over the drainage ditch. The car engine didn’t sound too happy about the whole endeavor. When she finally braked just inside the gate, the boys excitedly climbed in. Josh placed the pistol in the glove compartment, relieved to not have it digging into his stomach.

  “Seat belts on,” Dulce ordered, then drove forward.

  The fresh air flowing over his sweaty face was the best sensation in the world, and Josh relished it. Buckled into the passenger seat, he was already feeling better now that they were no longer walking. The muscles in his legs definitely were happy about it. His feet were numb, and he kept flexing his toes. Sadly, he had to admit that Corina and Sam would’ve struggled on the hike, and that the group would have had to turn back. She’d been wise to stay behind. He just missed her so much.

  The old dirt road was not in the best condition. It was a bumpy ride and they were jostled around a lot. A few times Danny and Troy burst out laughing when they went airborne over some of the bigger dips. Dulce dropped to a lower speed, so it felt like they were crawling along. Still, it was better than hiking over the uneven ground. There were a few rotting trailers off the road, and what looked like an old barn that had collapsed. The landscape was mostly grassy pastures with trees scattered through them. There weren’t any signs to tell them where they were going. Checking the map, Josh frowned at the screen. It showed them traveling through terrain and not on an actual road. He was annoyed that he couldn’t see where they were going.

  “How we doing?” Troy asked groggily from the backseat.

  “Okay,” Josh answered. “Kinda heading in a straight line.”

  From the backseat came a deep snore. Danny was asleep.

  The dirt road continued, sometimes curving one way then the other. There were places where it branched off, swerving off in the wrong direction. Josh resisted the urge to keep turning the smartphone on to check their position. He had to preserve the battery.

  And then the road came to an end.

  The dead end was a patch of dry packed earth in a somewhat circular shape in front of a barn that had completely fallen apart. Trees edged the clearing and beyond them was a field of corn. Josh turned on the smartphone one last time. They were about an hour on foot from the evacuation route.

  “Okay, we’re almost there,” he announced. “Just have to walk for—”

  “No.” Dulce turned off the sputtering car and stared ahead. “I’m going to sleep.”

  Josh gave her a sharp look.

  “They sleep. I sleep, too.” She jabbed her thumb toward the backseat where Troy and Danny were both snoring.

  Josh started to protest but yawned instead.

  Rolling up her window, she left a gap to allow in some fresh air, but it wasn’t big enough for someone to reach in. Dulce snuggled down in the driver’s seat, and closed her eyes.

  Josh adjusted the passenger window, too. He supposed a nap was a good idea after their long hike. Curling up in his seat, Josh told himself he’d wake up in an hour, and then they’d continue their journey.

  Instead, when he opened his eyes it was the dead of night and it was raining. Thunder rumbled, and lightning cracked the sky. Despite the noise, he was the only one awake. The other kids were sleeping deeply.

  The rain washed over the windows, obscuring the world. Josh stretched out his legs, and stared at the waterfall of rain pouring off the roof of the car. Drops of water spit through the gaps at the top of the windows, but not enough to soak them. He remembered how storms used to scare him, and he’d crawl into his parents’ bed. Now there was much more in the world to fear.

  Closing his eyes, he slept.

  Chapter 24

  When Josh awoke again it was nearly six in the morning. He’d slept soundly, but his body ached from being crammed into the seat. Dulce was already awake and organizing breakfast on the dashboard. It consisted of juice packs, packages of peanut butter crackers, and jerky.

  Josh turned on the smartphone, and was surprised when an app started to download. Setting it on the armrest, he looked into the backseat. The other two boys were awake, but staring out the left side window.

  “What happened last night?” Troy asked.

  “A big sto
rm,” Josh answered.

  “Could a storm do that?” Danny pointed to the far side of the clearing.

  All the foliage was flattened and the ground was churned up and muddy around the tree trunks.

  Josh stared at the area, feeling slightly uneasy. “I think so. It might have been hail. You know how it comes down like a curtain and then just suddenly ends.”

  “Not zombies?” Dulce asked.

  The thought made Josh’s stomach clench. “Maybe, but I think we would have heard them.”

  “I don’t know, dude. I was sleeping like I was dead.” Danny took a juice pack and food from his cousin.

  “I woke up a few times,” Troy said. “I heard lots of thunder. But I couldn’t see anything because it was like buckets of rain were pouring over the car.”

  “That’s how it was when I woke up,” Josh admitted.

  “So maybe we didn’t see the zombies because of the rain,” Danny suggested.

  “And they didn’t see us for the same reason?” Troy slurped on his juice. “That’s scary.”

  Eating her crackers, Dulce pointed toward the area that appeared trampled. “Zombies go that way. Which way do we go?”

  Josh was glad to gesture further west. “If it was zombies, they’re heading east, and we’re going that way.”

  “Good, because I really hate zombies.” Troy’s usual sarcasm covered up the slight trembling in his voice.

  Josh gobbled down his breakfast. He was famished. His head ached a little, probably from sleeping too long. He didn’t feel as sore as the day before, which was good because they had more hiking to do. The rain had most likely turned the field into a muddy mess. He wasn’t looking forward to slogging through it.

  Dulce finished eating and took some time trying to organize the stuff in the tote bag. With a frustrated sound, she tossed the bag onto the floor of the car. Picking up her stake, she popped the trunk and walked around to the rear of the car. Josh wondered what she was up to, and craned his head to stare through the gap between the trunk lid and the window as he finished eating. He couldn’t see clearly, but it looked like she was sorting through stuff. When she came back, she had a bunch of plastic bags, like the ones Josh’s mom received at the grocery store. She tossed them inside at the boys.

  “Tie those on your shoes,” she said, then demonstrated by pulling the plastic bag over her sneakers and tying the handles around her legs. “So your shoes don’t get wet.”

  “Good thinkin’, Dulce,” Josh said.

  While the boys followed her example, Dulce finished and went back to the trunk. Josh popped the door open and breathed in the fresh air. Birds were chirping in the nearby trees and the morning sun shone bright over the horizon.

  Reappearing, Dulce had two child-size backpacks with Star Wars characters on them. She handed one to Josh. “The tote bag is heavy, so we use these, okay?”

  “That’s fair,” he agreed.

  After splitting the contents of the tote bag between them, Josh adjusted the straps and pulled on the pack. It was a little heavy, but it was tolerable.

  “What else is in the trunk?” Danny asked.

  Dulce pulled on the new backpack and tossed Corina’s bag. “Toys, stroller, diapers... Little child stuff.” She sounded sad.

  “Oh.” Danny’s expression said it all.

  The zombie world was cruel. Even to little kids.

  Drake wouldn’t have survived if not for the heroism of their mother. She’d barely rescued him in time from his pre-school. Her dying request was for Josh to take care of Drake, and he’d done his best.

  “We go now?” Dulce asked.

  Josh nodded, picked up the smartphone, and checked the download. It was close to sixty percent done. The battery was at half, and he hoped it would last. He hated leaving it on, but he definitely wanted to use what Danny called the zombie radar app. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he made sure that the box of bullets was there, too. Carefully, he tucked the pistol into his belt.

  Danny claimed his rusted shovel from the car, and Troy hoisted his metal bar over his shoulder. Dulce hesitated, then left the keys in the ignition before walking to the trunk one more time. Josh stood near the front of the car, staring toward the corn field. The gently waving stalks looked peaceful. Maybe it would be a good day.

  “Josh!” Troy called out, alarm in his voice. “Zombie incoming!”

  Turning around, Josh gasped at the sight of a massive zombie rushing along the dirt road in their direction. The creature that had once been a man was covered in thick mud, and its open shirt revealed a massive, bloody hole where his stomach should’ve been. Despite its size and the damage to its body, it ran toward the Zombie Hunters at top speed. Panic set in among the kids, and they rushed to Josh.

  “There’s no way we can take him down! He’s huge! Shoot him!” Troy exclaimed.

  “I, uh, don’t think we can do this. I don’t think we can fight him,” Danny sputtered, his face pale with fear.

  The zombie splashed through rain puddles and nearly slipped in the mud, but it didn’t falter in its rush toward the Zombie Hunters. The closer it got, the bigger it became. Had it been an athlete in life?

  Josh yanked the pistol free from his belt, and flipped off the safety. Aiming at the big creature, he hesitated.

  “Shoot it, Josh, shoot it!” Troy yelled.

  Josh hesitated. What if shooting the zombie summoned more? But if he didn’t shoot it, then what?

  Dulce pulled the shovel from her cousin’s hands. Sprinting to meet the zombie, she swung the shovelhead at the zombie’s skull. It hit at a wrong angle, bouncing off its fleshy head, but the blow had enough force to knock it off balance. Losing its footing in the thick mud, it fell onto its back. Dulce darted away before the massive hands could close on her ankles. Standing out of its reach, Dulce gripped the very end of the handle, hoisted the shovel over her head, and swung it downward. It was so concentrated on reaching her ankles it didn’t even attempt to deflect her attack. There was a gross meaty noise as the rusty metal blade carved deep into its brain.

  The three boys all gasped.

  “Ohmygawd,” Troy whispered in awe.

  The zombie’s outstretched hands twitched, but otherwise it didn’t move.

  Dulce yanked on the shovel, trying to pull it free. It was buried so deep in the zombie’s skull that it was stuck. Keeping the pistol aimed at the zombie’s head, Josh walked over to Dulce. With his free hand, he grabbed the handle and tried to help her. Nervously, the other two boys hurried over and with a lot of effort, they pulled the shovel out of the zombie’s head. Its fingers finally stopped twitching.

  “He’s dead now,” Dulce said, sounding a little out of breath.

  “He could have killed you!” Danny cried out, and flung his arms around her waist.

  “I’m okay. Playing lacrosse makes me have strong arms,” she said, grinning.

  “Why didn’t you shoot?” Troy demanded, whirling about to face Josh. “It could have killed her. It’s enormous!”

  “If zombies went past the car last night during the storm, and this guy is a straggler, then firing the gun would be bad,” Josh retorted, stung by Troy’s angry words. “I hesitated because I didn’t want to draw more zombies.”

  “Out here the sound would go on forever. You should’ve shot it.” Troy shook his head with frustration. “What is the use of having a gun if you won’t shoot it?”

  After making sure the safety was on, Josh tucked the pistol into his belt. “I was going to shoot it, but Dulce killed it first.”

  “Don’t be mad, Troy. I got the zombie.” Dulce patted the top of his head, messing up his cap.

  “We can’t risk anyone dying. We need to use the gun if we see any more zombies,” Troy said, fixing his cap. “You know it, Josh.”

  “And I will! When the time comes.”

  Reclaiming the shovel caked with mud and blood, Danny stared at something chunky on the blade. “So gross, dude.”

  Josh had a feelin
g the day was going to be a rough one. “We better get moving. If there’s more back there, I don’t want them following us.”

  Josh started toward the field. The other kids dropped into step behind him. The mud sucked at the bags they had secured around their shoes.

  The smartphone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out. The app was finally done downloading.

  “We got zombie radar!” Josh exclaimed excitedly. He opened the app, and a loading screen popped up. The other kids gathered close to him, anxious to see. A message popped up saying that the app was finding their location, and Josh glanced over his shoulder to make sure there weren’t any other zombies coming up the road.

  “This is kinda cool,” Troy said, watching the screen.

  The app showed the world, then zoomed in on North America, then on Texas, and then narrowed their location down to a small green icon of a person that indicated their location. Slowly, red icons, indicating zombies, started popping up. Josh swallowed hard.

  “This is bad, dude,” Danny gasped.

  There were red icons all around the area.

  Chapter 25

  There were spots that were zombie-free around their location, but to see just how many of the undead the satellites were detecting was overwhelming. Josh felt dizzy just looking at the screen. There was a large herd of zombies several miles behind them, and to the east of them. The lone zombie that rushed them might have broken off from another herd. It did look like a small pocket of zombies may have passed through the area while they slept.

  “Oh, that’s just thousands of zombies. We can handle this. Easy. We’re the Zombie Hunters,” Troy declared.

  “Are you serious?” Danny asked with disbelief.

  Troy shrugged with false bravado. “I’m not saying we need to go kill them. We can get past them if we’re smart. See, there is a path past them.”

  “Luckily, that’s where we are going.” Josh found it hard to talk with his throat pinching with fear.

  “How often do this update?” Dulce asked.

  “Thirty minute intervals it says,” Josh answered. He still couldn’t believe what he was seeing on the screen. With the herd on the move behind them, there was no way to double back. “The good news is the evacuation route is free of zombies, probably because of the military escort. So we need to get there fast. We need to start walking.”