This Would Be Paradise (Book 1)-A Zombie Novel

Chapter 20

A bullet whizzed by my head and I turned to glare at the idiot who thought it was alright to shoot so close to me. John had his gun raised and was picking off the closest threats. Well, I trusted John more with a gun than anyone, but I still didn't approve of him shooting so close to me. The slide of my gun popped back, signalling that the magazine was empty. All those bullets used and I had only taken down three infected, I really needed to work on my aim when under pressure.

"Bailey!" Ethan yelled over the fray.

I spotted him opening the truck door and stabbing the keys into the ignition. Taylor hopped into the passenger side, since he was closest. I dug into my pocket and produced the van keys.

"John, let's go!" I screamed at him as I ran for the van.

He held up his hand for the keys and I tossed them to his opened palm. I was too worked up to fight over who was driving and plus, with my shaky hands I wouldn't be very good at the moment anyways. The engine sputtered, but started quickly when John turned the keys. He put it in drive and floored it, smashing into the zombie who was unfortunately right in front of the grill. Blood and goo, splattered all over the windshield and the body crunched under the wheels as we ran it over. John flipped on the wipers and the mess smeared on the windshield.

I let out a nervous laugh at the sight and John gave me a questioning glace out of the corner of his eye. I waved it off. After a few more wipes, the windshield was clear of the mess. John avoided hitting anymore of the infected, steering the vehicle away from the bodies coming towards us. We peeled out onto the road that passed behind the Wal-Mart, the wheels squealing in protest. The smell of burnt rubber wafted into the van.

I turned to look out the back window only to realize I couldn't see over the mound of supplies crammed into the back.

"They're right behind us." John pointed to the side mirror.

I spotted Ethan's truck a few car lengths behind us and breathed a sigh of relief. John led us out of the town and back onto the interstate. He continued heading north.

"So I take it we are still going to Gretna?" I asked.

"We need to see if they have a police radio and scanner. Maybe we can start broadcastin' and see if anyone hears."

I glanced back at the side mirror to see that Ethan's truck was not right behind us anymore.

"Ah, John." I pointed to his side mirror.

"Shit!" He put on the breaks and slammed his hand against the steering wheel.

We were sitting in the middle of the three lane highway, a few wrecked and abandoned vehicles sitting nearby. There was an unmoving body lying face down by the rusty Mustang.

"Are you going to turn around?"

"We will give 'em a few more minutes. I'm guessing Ethan tried to go back to the cabin."

There was no way Taylor would allow that, so I fervently hoped they didn't start fighting. Taylor would easily throw a punch and Ethan was just worked up enough that he would return it. We waited in silence for a few more minutes, our breathing and the engine, the only sounds in the van. I opened my mouth only to shut it again when I spotted the black Chevy coming up behind us.

"See." John put the van back into drive and we continue along the interstate.

"Do you think that horde will follow us? Or at least start moving our direction?" I mused out loud.

"Dunno, I hope not. But let's just hope they head this way instead of towards the cabin."

We approached the Gretna turnoff in just under an hour. I only counted a handful of infected during our jaunt down the interstate. John easily avoided them, making use of all three lanes. The turnoff wasn't blocked with cars like the last one, so our entry to Gretna was already smoother than the last.