Read My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road for Free Online Page B

no time in informing them of Kaylynn’s departure. Mom disapproved. Jewel protested. And before he could explain, I put aside my gutless-Jeremy and slipped on my brave-Jeremy . I had to talk to her, so I left on my own.
    “Jeremy!” Mom called. “Don’t leave us!”
    My parents told me to stop. I pretended I couldn’t hear them. The girl was in sight half a block away. I ran with a hand pressed to my pocket so my .45 wouldn’t fall out. Chloe noticed me first. Her tail wagged as Kaylynn spun around, her bat resting on her shoulder again. She leaned slightly, standing in the middle of the road. I couldn’t get over how bubbly she made me feel.
    “Don’t follow me,” she said. “Fix your lip.”
    When I came to a stop, sweat was seeping from my brow. Man, was I out of shape. Kaylynn had a hand on her hip, the sure-fire sign of an uninterested girl. “Why didn’t you warn me about that Stalker?” I asked.
    That was all I could come up with? Gag.
    The girl bit on the corner of her lip. “If I’d startled you, it would’ve riled him up.” She looked at the pavement. “Your family means well. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I’m just better off alone. Trust me, okay?” She turned and waved. “Was good knowing you, Jay.”
    Jay? That’s not my name. Why’d she call me that?
    I meant to keep our conversation going when a thud distracted me, accompanied by a moan. A Vector lumbered for us from behind a Sudan. A woman—what was left of a woman, her hair saturated with wet blood.
    Kaylynn faced the monster as Chloe growled. This was my chance to show her what I could do. I drew my .45, ready to fire, but then an arrow beat me to the kill. The shaft soared into its head, and the dead lady fell.
    Kaylynn and I spun around. A guy was standing in the shade of an oak tree. He lowered a compound bow, his body resembling a high school quarterback. His tight Green Day T-shirt showed every muscle in his arms and chest. The guy could’ve given the Hulk a run for his money. His eyes never turned away from Kaylynn. My scumbag alarm went off as he combed his hair back.
    He nodded at us both. “Welcome to David City.”

 
     
     
     

     
    Mr. Green Arrow yanked his arrow from the Vector’s head and wiped the shaft on the back of his leg. Dark blood smeared his calf. A brownish hue coated his jeans from the knees down. Two black nylon straps hugged at his chest, supporting a quiver on his right shoulder.
    Over his left shoulder was a machete.
    This guy was a little over the top.
    “Good to see fresh faces.” He put the arrow back into his quiver. “I’m Cody. What’s your names?”
    I let my finger off the trigger. He looked friendly, and he was two feet taller than me. “I’m Jeremy.”
    Cody smiled a kind of half-smirk before he turned to Kaylynn. “What about your friend? Does she have a name?” Kaylynn said nothing. With a short laugh, Cody stepped closer and looked her squarely in the eyes. “We’re all friends here, or should I call you Blue Eyes ?”
    “Kaylynn,” she said, less icy than I expected.
    A few soft taps of the Explorer’s horn caught our attention. Dad had stuck his head out of the window, looking relieved and surprised. “I can’t believe it. Two survivors in one afternoon.”
    Cody hooted. “Where’re you folks from?”
    “Out of state,” Dad said, cautiously. He warned us early to leave the talking to him, more so if people had weapons. “We’re passing through, looking for gas.”
    “You won’t find any. We stripped the town clean. It’s all stocked inside the compound.” Cody turned and pointed south for a second. “I can take you there.”
    “Can you tell us why this place is lined with dead bodies?” Mom asked. “It’s very disturbing.”
    “It’s to keep the dead out,” Cody explained. “The signs are for keeping the living out—except you.”
    Now that he mentioned it, lining the town with dead bodies made a truckload of sense. The dead avoided the