The Creeping Dead: A Zombie Novel by Edward P. Cardillo Page A

onto the dance floor and each immediately found a girl to dance with. Just like that.
     
    Vinnie was struggling internally about how to proceed next. He and Stacey had already danced to a few songs.
    He leaned in. “Can I buy you a drink?”
    Stacey nodded.
    They left the dance floor, passing Ted and Frankie who were all too conspicuously winking and giving him thumbs up.
    “What would you like?” asked Vinnie as they reached the bar.
    “Diet cola.” Her hair tickled the side of his face again, a sensation he liked more and more.
    Vinnie ordered the drinks and turned to Stacey. He wasn’t quite sure what to say to her. She wasn’t his normal type. She was the furthest thing from a rocker. She was more of a Guidette.
    When the drinks came, Stacey made it easy for him. “I’m going over to my friends over there. Nice meeting you.” She took her diet cola and walked back across the dance floor.
    Vinnie breathed a sigh of relief. That was it. He made his move for the night. Maybe now the guys would get off his case about it.
    Exhausted from his futile effort and a bit embarrassed, he drained his ice cold soda quickly and made his way toward the men’s room. He figured he’d take a leak and work on his excuse for leaving early. Ted and Frankie would give him a hard time. That’s what buddies did. He knew it was for his own good.
    He was weaving his way through the crowd when he suddenly came face to face with Dharma. Great, as if this night couldn’t get any more awkward.
    She didn’t look upset. She was smiling at him.
    “Hey,” she said, waving hello.
    “Hey,” he said, feeling awkward and self-conscious.
    “What happened to that sweet honey you were puttin’ the moves on?”
    “Oh, that? That was nothing.”
    A smile began to creep onto Dharma’s face, but she bit her lip to stifle it. “Oh, I see. So we’re just all interchangeable to you.”
    “N-No, not at all. That’s not what I meant.”
    She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “So what did you mean?”
    “I meant that I was only being friendly. It was just a little dancing.”
    “So let me get this straight…I break my ass to try to get you to notice me—I drop by your pizzeria every day, I flirt with you every time I see you—yet you feel the need to be ‘friendly’ with a complete stranger, a Benny no less, and you think it’s completely okay to ignore me?”
    “I-uh-I…”
    She smirked at him. “You know I’m just breaking your balls, right?”
    Vinnie looked relieved but embarrassed. “C’mon, give me a break. As you can see, I’m not great at this.”
    “Well, at least I got your attention this time.”
    He shoved his hands in his pockets. He wanted to look down, but her eyes caught his, and he couldn’t look away. “I guess so.”
    “Well, now that you have my attention, what are you going to do with me?”
    Jesus, she was forward. She looked beautiful, too, now that he allowed himself to look at her. He drank in her golden mane of hair, sun-kissed skin, and athletic physique. She looked amazing in her short white shorts and pink halter top. Her belly-button ring glinted in the lights of the dance floor.
    “Wanna dance?”
    “Nah, that’s what you did with the last girl. I think I deserve something better.”
    Vinnie swallowed hard. “What did you have in mind?”
    “Let’s get out of here, and I’ll show you.”
    Vinnie was terrified beyond all capacity for rational thought, but like good boy, he agreed. He followed her back across the dance floor, waving to his two buddies.
    They waved back and elbowed each other, grinning like idiots at their friend. They gave him a thumbs up, and Vinnie’s face became hot. He turned back around and was relieved when he saw that Dharma hadn’t seen their sophomoric display of approval.
    He followed her right out of the club.
     
     

 
    Chapter 5
     
     
    “So where are we going?”
    “I figured we go up to the boardwalk and play some games, go on some rides.”
    The