Zombie Patrol by Elizabeth Basque, J. R. Rain Page A

brother and his friend prisoner. Mostly, I wanted to know if Carla had any special access to what little my brother had told me about finding some extraterrestrial rock (the size of a basketball, not a football) and their subsequent illness.
    I turned to face her. Her expression was serious; she knew it was something bad. Her eyes belied trust. Yeah, I could confide in her.
    And so, I told her everything. Or as much as I knew. That my younger brother and his friend were sick, that they were losing their minds fast. That both were AWOL and presently chained to the beams in my basement.
    When I mentioned the basement part, her mouth dropped open. Admittedly, hearing it come out of my mouth made it seem pretty bad. When I was done, it was my turn to wait. Not surprisingly, I was sweating.
    Finally, she said, “ Why hasn’t the military come to your house? I mean, surely they’re trying to find your brother.”
    “ Well, the house isn’t in my name. Actually, few people know I have that house.”
    “What about Anna? Is she safe?”
    “ She’s at the zoo studying. She’s not to leave there without Brice or myself.”
    “ Call to make sure.”
    “ I will...but Carla, what do you think of all this?”
    Again, she hesitated. “It’s, well, pretty weird, Carter.”
    “ I know.”
    “ It’s almost unbelievable.”
    “You don’t believe me?”
    “ I didn’t say that.”
    “ You implied. Anyway, it’s all true, and I don’t know what the hell to do about it.” I looked to her for some kind of acknowledgment, approval, anything—but she was looking over my shoulder, frowning.
    “I’m beginning to believe you,” she said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “We’ve got company.”
    I turned and saw them. Two men, both dressed in black suits and wearing shades. They’d spotted us somehow, and were headed our way. I said to Carla, “What are the chances they’re here to see the observatory?”
    “About as good as your chances of not landing in jail. They look like trouble.”
    “They look like clowns,” I said.
    “Which can be the worst kind of trouble.”
    They ambled over to us, looking around casually. We were alone in the parking lot. Lucky us. Both were wearing shoulder harnesses. I knew this by the way they held their left arms away from their bodies. The pistols were under their left arms. They needed only to reach inside their jackets with their right hands and withdraw.
    “Both are packing,” I said to Carla.
    She nodded slightly. “No shit.”
    They appeared identical except for their hair. One blond, one dark. As they approached, the blond one nodded and said, “Good afternoon.”
    “They’re both wearing black suits,” I said to Carla.
    “I think it’s supposed to intimidate us,” said Carla.
    “Do you feel intimidated?” I asked her.
    “I might have just wet myself,” she said.
    I grinned. The two men in black didn’t grin. The dark-haired one shifted slightly, opening his jacket a little so that I could see his weapon.
    “We all have guns here,” I said. “You can close your jacket, cowboy.”
    The tension was probably a little higher than the two guys had intended. The first guy, the blond guy, turned his head slightly to his friend and shook it once. The second guy relaxed a little, settling in next to him.
    Blondie said, “You Jack Carter?”
    “A helluva guess,” I said.
    “Perhaps we could speak in private, Mr. Carter.”
    “How about some ID, boys?” I said.
    They both flashed their badges. Office of Naval Intelligence. I studied the badge closest to me, and said, “ What can I do for you, Agent Johnson?”
    “We’re trying to locate your brother, Lieutenant Commander Joseph Carter. Have you seen him?”
    “No,” I lied. “Is there a problem?”
    “ He’s on leave, and we thought you might know his whereabouts.”
    “If he ’s on leave, he could be anywhere. Sometimes he visits me, but not all the time. You don’t know his location? I mean, aren’t you