Zoey and the Zombies (A Mondamin Court Adventure)

Chapter 29

The sound of a vehicle coming down the nearest side street jolted Zoey to full waking. After so many weeks with no traffic, the sound of a combustion engine was loud on her ears.

They had heard the low rumble of large vehicles in the distance all day yesterday. They had met and discussed what it meant, but no one had any answers. Jack had been casting around on his radio for the better part of two weeks, but none of the usual survivalist stations had news. They were trapped in their own bubble, fighting for their own survival. The world had shrunk to the size of a neighborhood, a fenced-in yard or a small fortification.

It seemed mostly likely that it was a military unit; who else had enough trucks or manpower? But whether any sort of central command was in place was uncertain. Without a central command, an old military unit might be no different than any other looters. They had decided to lie low and see what happened.

Now, looking out the window where she was doing early-morning guard duty, she spied a Humvee coming down the street. It stopped directly in front of the fence, the driver leaning out to inspect it.

Two soldiers climbed out of the back seat. One hefted a machete and then quickly dispatched a couple of zombies, drawn by the noise of the Humvee. The other went to the back and hoisted two backpacks out.

Seeing that the men weren't going to simply drive on, Zoey made a quick call, alerting all available hands to the front, and then ran down the stairs. She saw Michael and Kyle coming down the street armed, staying close to the bushes.

There was a clatter of footsteps. Ethan came barreling down the middle of street, heedless. He threw himself against the fence. "Dad!"

Zoey stepped out as the other's approached.

"Ethan!" Ryan Hillcrest was shouting. "You're alive. Thank God."

"Open the gate," Ethan demanded. Zoey shared a quick look with Michael, who nodded.

Ryan and the other soldier turned to the Humvee and saluted. "Congratulations," the driver told Ryan, "and good luck." He drove off.

Zoey had the gate open and let them in. Ryan rushed to Ethan, throwing his arms around him. "God, am I glad to see you, boy," he said. "Where's your mother?"

Ryan caught the look on Ethan's face, and he blanched. "Oh my God, she, she . . ."

Ethan nodded. "A couple weeks ago."

"Ruth? Esther?"

Before Ethan could answer, his sisters were there, running into their dad's arms.

"Daddy! Daddy!" they both cried and then babbled on in a jumble.

"Mommy got pulled through a fence," Esther said.

"She saved my life," Ruth said.

"And Holly's been caring for us," Esther said.

"We thought you were dead, Dad," Ruth finished.

"What are you doing?" Ethan asked, unsure.

Ryan gave a rueful smile. "Deserting."

"Let's get away from the fence and talk," Jack said as he came up. "We're attracting a crowd."

Zoey turned. There were more than a dozen zombies outside the fence, staring at them. There wasn't enough to break the fence down again, but more were coming every minute. She nodded. "I'll get back to the guard post and call if it gets worse."