Dead Life (Book 4) by D. Harrison Schleicher

car. I could tell they were arguing about something but Rick finally relented and got into the Hummer. Cindy went to the back of the Challenger, picked up my fathers rifle, and then joined Rick. Al went to the car, tossed something in the window, and ran to the Hummer. He jumped in the door and drove away quickly. I knew what was coming next; the Challenger exploded.
                  “Why'd you do that?” I asked.
                  I could hear Rick and Cindy, over the radio,  yelling at Al in the background. “If I left it there Rick would probably go back and try to get the damn thing.”
                  While we waited for the rest of our group to join us Gina watched the motel and I watched the horde as it moved off. The fires on and around the highway continued to rage, building in intensity. The zombies continued walking headlong into the fires. Once they caught fire they would continue stumbling around until, I assumed, the intensity of the flames consumed their brains. Unfortunately the prevailing winds were still blowing our way and the smell of rotting flesh was being replaced by the smell of rotten burnt flesh. I tried pulling my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth in the hope of filtering out some of the stench to no avail. Nothing short of a gas mask was going to be of any help.
                  “I just saw one of the drapes pull back,” Gina said. “Dad's still down there.”
                  “Let's hope so,” I said. “Now all we have to do is figure out a way through the few hundred that are left milling around down there.”
                  “I know. We can't shoot our way through. That would just draw the rest of the horde back down on us. Do you think there are too many to try getting through with swords?”
                  “After what happened back in the park with Cindy I wouldn't want to try. It comes down to how many of us do we risk losing trying to get to your dad.”
                  “You're right. What about drawing them off in the Hummer? One of us leads the main body away, then the rest go in with swords.”
                  “That might work,” I said. “The problem with that is Cindy isn't ready to face that big a group and Al's not going to let her drive off in the Hummer by herself.”
                  “Send Rick with her. Al, you, and I can handle the zombies.”
                  “Well they're back. We'll run it by Al.”
                  “We'll run it by Al,” Gina said in a sing song voice. “Who died and made him king?”
                  “He might have a better plan, I don't know.” I honestly didn't like the idea of any of us getting out in the middle of that mess with only swords to rely on. If we had to use our guns that entire horde would be on us in a matter of minutes. On top of that I knew Al didn't want either of the girls going in there.
                  Cindy got out of the Hummer and helped Rick down. He was still visibly shaken from being knocked unconscious when the tanker blew. Al went around and tried to help but Rick pushed him away.
                  “There was no reason for that. You didn't need to blow that car up,” Rick said as he stumbled away.
                  “Did you really think you were going to keep it?”
                  “No, somebody else might have found it though,” Rick said. “That car was a classic.”
                  Cindy came over and handed me the 30-06. “I want you to talk to Al about those fucking grenades of his. He could have killed us all, throwing one in that car like that.”
                  “You're still shook up from your close call down on the highway. Al knows what he's doing,” I said.
                  Cindy glared at me. I could swear I saw smoke coming from her flaring