Zoey and the Zombies (A Mondamin Court Adventure)

Chapter Nine #1

Des Moines, Iowa

"Yeah, Marty, you too," Jack said into his phone. He paused and ran his hands through his hair. Marty was his brother. He had a farm up in northeast Iowa. "Maybe I will come, but not now. Keep in touch. And Marty? I know we are men and don't say it much, but I love you."

As he hung up the phone, Jack looked down at the backpack sitting by his door, his bug-out bag. Every survivalist worth his salt had one. A small tent, a few changes of clothes, some survival gear, three days' worth of food and water. Jack had closer to a week's worth of food, but water was damn heavy. He had filtration equipment and water purification tablets instead.

If there was a time to bug out, this seemed to be it. Plenty of others had read the wind that way and were going or gone. That part was what had stopped Jack. From everything he had heard, every park or forest in miles was being flooded by people who were desperate to escape what they saw as a collapsing civilization.

They were bringing the problems with them. In Florida, thousands were fleeing the cities, only to find that a few infected amongst them had spread the zombies with them.

Even here in Iowa, far from the infected zone, they were not without problems. Survivalists trying to escape civilization ran into a gambit of locals looking to protect their farms and small towns, and they found little welcome along their way. Those who tried to hole up in parks competed for the few defensible positions, often with bloody results.

It was hoped that martial law would prevent more bloodshed. But it complicated Jack's situation. Vehicle traffic was severely restricted. That meant a several-days' hike to get to Marty's farm. He could make it, but with his back, it wouldn't be pretty.

Jack went into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He stepped out onto his small porch and looked up and down the street. The Hillcrest girls were playing in the front yard. Ethan was reading with his back to a tree. He looked up occasionally to check on his sisters. Lydia and Jack had both suggested that the kids not watch so much news; it was all the same violence and chaos. He was glad to see that Maggie had taken the advice to heart.

Down to his left, he saw the Harrish kids running down the sidewalk, chasing a soccer ball. Apparently, their parents had the same idea. It was ironic—the block looked more alive and peaceful than ever.

Jack sighed, felt the weight of the gun at his hip. There is another reason I can't bug out yet. He was still a cop at heart. Maggie and Ryan never had much, and with Ryan gone, it had to be hard on them. He had enough supplies in his bunker for a family of four. He should take her in. It would be the right thing to do, with Ryan out there risking his life to stop this menace. But the Harrishes were good people too. So were the Smiths and Nicky and her girlfriend. And Lydia. The woman had opened her home and her pantry to all of them without hesitation. Jack felt guilty. He was sitting on a veritable stockpile of foodstuffs, while Lydia made communal meals for anyone who walked in the door.

He spied Zoey heading toward her house, a man following behind her. Jack didn't know what to make of Zoey, but he knew exactly what he thought of that Caleb. Every instinct he had said Caleb was a bad apple.

Coffee finished, Jack decided it was a good time to take a walk around his neighborhood.