Life After The Undead (Book 1) (33 page)

I
frowned. “How
could
all
of
these
places
be
picked
clean?
There
aren
’t
that
many
of
us
left.”

Pam
squinted
and
stared
out
the
windshield.
“I
know
, but
nothing new
is being
made.
There
is a
finite
amount
of
usable
material
out
here.
We’ll
have
to
make
do
with
what
we
can
find.”
She
folded
the
map
and
then
put
it
back.
“Le
t’s
head
out.”

I
turned
the
key
before
we
headed
down
the
road.
I
was
still
a little inexperienced
at
driving
a
semi,
and
Pam
had
to
coach
me
for
the
first
few
miles,
but
once
I
got
into
our
cruising
speed
and
didn’t
have
to
shift
anymore,
it
was
smooth
sailing.

After
four
hours,
I
relinquished
my
driving
rights,
and
Pam
took
over.
We
fueled
up
when
we
needed
to
and
kept
a
vigilant
eye
out
for
zombies.
We
reached
International
Falls at
two
in
the
morning.

Pam
parked
the
vehicle
on
the
outskirts
of
town.
The
full
moon
illuminated
the
buildings.
We
both stared
out
the
windshield.

Nothing.
Not
even
a
stray
cat or
dog.

“Do
you
want
to
try
it?”
Pam
’s
voice
was
barely
over
a
whisper.

“I
don’t
know.
We
can
’t
be
the
only
ones
who
know
about
this
place.
It
might
have
been
looted
by
both
sides
right
after
the
outbreak.”

“It
might
have.
There
’s
only
one
way
to
find
out.”
Pam
looked
at
me.

“True
, but
it
might
be
better
to
wait
until
daylight.
I’m
not
going
into
an
unfamiliar
town
in
the
dark.”
I
returned
Pam
’s
gaze.

“Good
point.
You
take
first
shift.”
She
climbed
over
the
drive
r’
s
seat
into
the
sleeping
cab.

I
placed
my
feet
on
the
dashboard
and
stared
out
the
window.
Pam
’s
rhythmic
breathing
resounded
from
the
back.
I
rested
my
chin
on
my
knees.
Staring
at
the
silhouettes
of
the
buildings,
I
sighed.
For a
brief
second,
I
thought
I saw
a
flash
of
light,
like
a
light
switch
being
flipped
on
and
off.
I
lowered
my
feet
to
the
floor
and
leaned
forward.
I
strained
my
eyes,
and
out
of
the
corner,
I
was
sure I
saw
it
again.
When
I
tried to
look
at it
directly,
I saw
nothing. A
knot
developed
in
the
pit
of
my
stomach,
and
I
was
suddenly
very
uncomfortable.
I
pulled
my
gun
out
of
its holster
and
set it
on
the
dashboard.
I
rubbed
my
palms
on
my
thighs.
I
waited
for
the
flash.
Nothing.

All
I could
think
of
when
I
stared
out
the
window
was
the military
base.
The
lights
clicking
on
and
illuminating
the
horizon
were
still
fresh
in
my
memory,
along
with
the
explosions
and
zombies.
I
hoped
we
weren
’t
walking
into
a
zombie
infestation,
but
the
coincidences
were
too
close
to
be
ignored.
A
voice
at
the
back
of
my
brain
told
me
we
should
find
another
place,
but
logic
told
me
there
weren
’t
any
other
places.
I
pushed
the
fear
deep
into
my
gut,
knowing
we
didn’t
have
any
other
choice.

Pam
awoke
a
few
hours later,
and
told
me
to
try
to
get
some
sleep.
The
sun
skimmed
over
the
horizon,
and
I
told
her I
’d
be all
right.
She
climbed
into
the
drive
r’
s
seat
before starting
the
engine.

“You
ready
to
chance
it?”

“I
don’t
know.
Something
weird
is
going
on
over
there.”

“Weird?
What
do
you
mean?”

“I saw
flashes
of
lights
last
night
while
you
were
sleeping.
I
don
’t
know
what
they
were
from,
but
I
don’t
like
it.
I
have
a
strange
feeling
about
this
place.”

Pam
grimaced.
“Did
you
see
any
people
or
zombies?”

I
shook
my
head.

“Then
I
’
m
sure
it
will
be
fine.
You
have
your
weapons?”

I
fastened
my
arm
swords
onto
my
forearms
and
then
pulled
the
gun
off
the
dashboard.

Pam
put
the
truck
into
gear.
We crept into town
.
Both
of
us
were
surprised
the
streets
had
been
cleared
of
abandoned
vehicles.
That
either
meant
someone
was
still
there
and
had
cleared
the
roads,
or
they
were
all
dead
or
zombies,
or
everyone
was
lucky
and
had
gotten
out
when
they
could.
I
told
myself
it
was
the latter.
We
drove
toward
the
port,
which
was
near
the
bridge,
and
then
stopped
the
truck.
The
bridge
had
been
destroyed
in
the
middle,
more
than
likely
by
some
sort
of
bomb.
The
debris
was
piled
in
the
river.
The
banks
,
on
both
the
U.S.
and
Canadian
sides,
were
lined
with
coils
of
razor
wire
and
pikes,
with
bodies
tangled
in
the
wire.
Well,
I
told
myself,
that
explains
what
happened
to
some
of
them,
but
where
are
the
rest?
I
adjusted
my
grip
on
my
gun.