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I'd always suspected. Or at least zombies do.
    Kate fell forward and Laura was quick to strike. She drove the shovel into the back of Kate’s neck. She struck three more times until we were convinced the creature would stay down.
    Then we looked up at the roof where our daughters, Kim and Annie, were huddled together.
    “Our psychiatrist bills are going to be outrageous,” I said.
    Laura dropped the shovel and rushed to embrace me. “What happened to you?” she asked. “Are you hurt bad?”
    “I’m alive. That’s all that matters.”
    “I’m so happy you’re here. I was so worried.”
    “We’re going to be fine.” I pulled away from her embrace and kissed her. “I love you, Laura. I would die before I let anything happen to you.”

 
    CHAPTER SIX – SCHOOL VANDALISM
     
    Laura told me she'd been getting the girls ready to move into the attic when our neighbors attacked. They must have died in their house and then went out their back door to eat the first people they saw, which happened to be my family. Laura and the girls were chased into one of the upstairs bedrooms where they retreated to the roof. They'd been up there ever since.
    I told her what happened to me and about the plan to go back to the salvage yard and escape on the shrimp boat. We gathered together what little supplies we could find and loaded them into the truck. Laura agreed to drive since my arm was hurt and my head was a mess. As I look back on our escape, I have to wonder why we didn't think to bring any weapons along. We were in such a hurry to leave that the thought of having to fight off attackers didn't register. I guess killing things isn't something you usually prepare for on a trip out with the family.
    “Are we going to Chuck’s?”
    “No. The grocery stores are a death trap. I passed a few on the way here and they were being mobbed.”
    “Then where are we supposed to get the stuff we need?” she asked, and I had no ideas. This was a problem I'd resigned to deal with later, and now that later had si arrived I was at a loss.
    “What about my school?” asked our oldest daughter, Kim. This was her first year of Kindergarten at Orchard Park Elementary. “They have lots of food there.”
    I thought about it for a second and then gave my wife a bemused glance. “That’s actually a really good idea.”
    “Good job, Kim,” said Laura. Kim smiled as I kissed the top of her head.
    We set off to the school, which was only a few blocks away, and I felt confident with our plan. I'd made it to my girls, and we were going to be safe. Despite my worst fears, we were going to make it out of this alive.
      Laura used alleys to avoid traffic and then we drove the truck onto Orchard Park’s soccer field and sped along. Our daughters laughed and jostled up and down as we plowed across the grass.
    We pulled up to the back of the school and I got out to check a few of the doors. They were locked. I had Laura get out of the truck and then turned it around so the bed faced a set of double doors. I said sorry to William before I slammed on the gas and raced in reverse. The first hit barely shook the doors, but the second strike did the job just fine. The truck’s rear end was bashed to hell, but I didn’t think William would mind too much.
    “Where’s the cafeteria?” I asked. I didn’t know the layout of the school at all. I'd only been there once, but Laura volunteered frequently so she was able to lead us around.
    “The girls and I will start getting food,” she said. “You go to the nurse’s office and get some things that we’ll need from there.”
    I hadn’t thought of that, once again proving my family was a lot smarter than me. She pointed me in the right direction and I found the nurse's office near the front of the school. The door was locked, but it was easy enough to kick in. I grabbed a My Little Pony backpack from the lost and found and started to fill it with bandages, gauze, and rubbing alcohol. I went back to