Life After The Undead (Book 1) (46 page)

“Not
really,”
he
smiled.
I
could
tell
he
enjoyed
what
he’d just
done.
“You
ever
go
driving
with
your
parents?”

“Of
course.”

“Well,
you
know
how
sometimes on
the
road
you
hit
these
clouds
of
bugs
and
they
coat
your
car
like
rain?”

I
nodded.

“Well,
the
zombies
are
kinda like
those
clouds. The
re’s
really
no
way
to
avoid
them
and
they
stick
to
your
car like
glue.”

We
stopped
at
the
next
gas
station
and
took
a
quick
glance
around.
As I
climbed
onto
the
cab
roof
to
stand
lookout,
I
slipped
in
some
of
the
blood
and
guts
and
proceeded
to
throw
up.
I
couldn
’t
help
it.
Between
the
smell and
the slick
texture,
it came
up.
Quinn
told
me
to
climb
back
into
the
truck.
I
crawled
into
the
seat,
pulling my
knees
up
to
my
chest.

Bill
and
Kyle
stood
guard
for him
while
he
cleaned
off
the
gore.
I
felt
lightheaded,
and
the
blood
on
my
clothes
nauseated
me
even
more.
Without
thinking,
I
pulled
off
my
shirt
and
pants
and
threw
them
out
the
window.
I
wanted
them
off
and
as
far
away
from
me
as
possible.
I
dug
through
my
bag,
looking
for
new
clothes,
when
Quinn
climbed
into
his
seat.
His
face
instantly
turned
red.
My
face
flushed
too,
and
I
couldn
’t
climb
into
the
sleeper
fast
enough.

“Sorry,”
he
muttered and
put
the
truck
into
gear.

I
pulled
on
my
sweats
and
lay
down.
A
hand
reached
through
the
curtain
with
a
bottle
of
water.

“This
will
help
you
feel
better.”

I took
it
from
him
and
sipped
on
the
liquid.
“We
should
be
in
North
Platte
in
about
four hours.”

I sat
up
and
poked
my
head
through
the
curtain.
“How
often
do
you
run
into
hordes
like
that?”

Quinn
shrugged.
“Depends.”

I
grimaced.
“God,
that
was
awful.”

“Just
wait
until
we
have
to
wash
it
off.
You
ain’t
seen
nothin’
yet.”

I
pictured
the
severed
limbs,
blood,
and
pus,
and
my
stomach
lurched.
I
kept
the
vomit
down,
but
became
lightheaded.
I
shrank
behind
the
curtain
and
lay
back on
the
bed.
I
closed
my
eyes
and
swore
I
heard
Quinn
chuckling.

***

We
stopped
in a
town
called
Pine
Bluffs,
which
was
on the
Wyoming/Nebraska
border.
We
hooked
a
hose
up
to
the
first
hydrant
we
found
and
turned
on
the
water.
Bill
and
Kyle
kept
an
eye
out
for
zombies,
and
Quinn
and
I
cleaned
the
truck.
He
handed
me
a
shovel.

“What
do
you
want
me
to
do
with
this?”

“After
I
spray
it
with
the
hose,
you
’l
l
use
this
to
pry
any
parts
loose
the
water
didn’t
get.”

I
looked
at
him
in
disgust.

“Do
you
want
to
use
the
hose?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.”
He
handed
me
the
hose,
and
I
aimed
it
at
the
truck.

I
turned
the
stream
on,
and
even
though
it
wasn
’t
full
power,
it
was
still
enough
to
knock
me
back.
I
staggered
but
didn
’t
go
down.
The
hose
went
a
little
crazy
in the
process,
and
I
accidentally
sprayed
Bill
and
Kyle.
They
didn’t
say
anything,
but
their
looks
told
me
they
weren
’t
happy.
I
gained
a
foothold
and
aimed
the
water
at
the
vehicle.
Water
and
zombie
fluid
splashed
back
and
hit
me
in
the
face.
I instantly
snapped
my
mouth shut
and
froze
in
shock.
Quinn
lost it. He
laughed
so
hard
he
doubled over.
My
eyes
narrowed
to slits.

“You
think
tha
t’s
funny?”

“You
should…you
should
see
the
look
on
your
face!”
He
opened
his
mouth
to
say
something
else,
but
laughter
poured
out.

I felt the heat rise into my cheeks,
and
I
set my
jaw.
I
turned
the
hose
off
and then
ran
to
the
truck. I
grabbed
a
handful
of
blood
and
something clear
and
stringy
and
smeared
it
in
Quinn
’s
hair.
He
stopped
laughing
and
stared
at
me.

“You
think
it’s
funny
now?”

Quinn
wiped
the
gunk
out
of
his
hair
and
flipped
it
onto
the
ground.
As
he
stared
at
me,
a smile
crept
onto
his
lips.
He
was
planning
something.
I
waited
to
see
what
it
was.