My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road by David Powers King Page A

sister can be quite the comedian when she wants to be.
    “Are we allowed to have any weapons?” I asked.
    “Well, we can’t exactly stop you from carrying something like a bat around.” Sam winked at Kaylynn. The unexpected sweetness in her voice made me shiver. Just then, Kaylynn was staring at my hand, holding Jewel’s. She looked sad. I didn’t know why at first. Then it occurred to me that she had no one’s hand to hold, no one to look after her—just a homeless retriever. Being alone had to be the worst feeling in the world.
    I could fix that.
    Sam held her hand out expectantly, waiting for me. I knew what she wanted. Reaching in my pockets, I gave up my .40 and .45. In turn, Dad reached into his window and handed Jewel’s new rifle over to Mason.
    He then opened the back and allowed the others to see our collection. I was about to go for my backpack, but then stopped. Besides Dad and me, no one else knew what was inside my backpack. Dad glanced at it with a slight headshake. He did the same for Jewel. She was about to go for the .22, but she pulled back and whistled. My heart was at ease. Whether we needed them or not, we wouldn’t be completely defenseless.
    A woman in her late forties stepped out of the crowd and neared Sam. She was wearing a summer shirt and an old sun hat. “There’s a vacant house right next door to mine. They’re welcome to it.”
    Sam agreed. “That will work fine. Thank you, Candice. Mason?” She waited for the sheriff to turn around. “Take the children there. I’ll show our headquarters to the—what’s your name?”
    “Barnes,” I said. “We’re the Barnes Family.”
    She gave me a warning look. “I’ll show the Barnes Family our headquarters.”
    “Thanks all the same,” Mom said. “I would like to stay with my children.”
    “You care if I have a look, Honey?” Dad asked.
    Sam smiled, but it was more like a full grin, hidden with secret intentions. “I’ll have him back in no time.”
    Oddly enough, Mom changed her mind. So would I if a guy was being an obvious flirt to my girl—if I had one—but I knew Dad’s obliviousness would save his butt. The thought of Mom and Dad being away from us unsettled me, but I didn’t want to act suspicious. I looked forward to sleeping easily that night. Hopefully, we would move on soon and head for the cabin again.
    I mean, that was our original plan.
    I hate deviating from the plan.
    Grabbing my backpack, I loaded it with as many snacks as I could carry. Jewel kept her pillow and blanket over her .22, and then she gathered everything else. Dad made sure to close the car doors before he locked the Explorer with his remote. Mom told us to mind our manners and do what the deputy said.
    As our parents entered the health care center, Candice and Mason guided us to a sheriff’s car. Mason drove us a short distance to a single-story house, painted sky blue. Flowerboxes full of parched flowers hung from purple windowsills. More than half a dozen pink Flamingos and a few red-capped gnomes decorated the edge of a once well-kept garden.
    Cozy setup—so long as the gnomes stayed put.
    We opened the gate of a white picket fence and passed under an arbor overrun by ivy. On either side of the front steps was a fountain that doubled as a birdbath; it would have been idyllic if both fountain and bath weren’t filled with foul-smelling brown water.
    I wondered if the place used to be the house of someone’s grandma. The door wasn’t locked, and Mason opened it. The orange shag carpet and floral wallpaper reminded me of the 1970’s. I took a big whiff and gagged. Yep. It was definitely a grandma’s house.
    “Who lived here?” I asked.
    “Jessie Cunningham,” Mason said. “She was the first to turn.”
    Okay—maybe it was more than a grandma that I smelled. Was she a Vector inside the house? A nasty sensation, like bugs crawling over my skin, made me want to sanitize the place. Good thing Kaylynn was outside showing Chloe the