Life After The Undead (Book 1) (25 page)

“I’m
glad
you
could
make
it.
How
are
you
settling
into
your
new
home?”

“It’s
almost
like
I
never
left
Florida.”

Liet
chuckled.
“Good.
I’m
glad
to
hear
it.”
He
snapped
his
fingers
,
and
some
soldiers
brought
in
a
table
and
two
chairs.

We
sat,
and
plates
of
roast
with
carrots
and
potatoes
were
set
in
front
of us.
I
hadn’t
realized
how
hungry
I
was
until the
smell drifted
into
my
nostrils. My
mouth
watered,
and
I
dug
into
my
plate.
I
was
halfway
through
my
food
when
I
looked
up.
Liet
stared
at
me, his eyes wide. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze to his plate.

“After
we
eat,
I’d
like
to
show
you
where
the
new
burning
grounds
are
going
to
be.”

I
swallowed
my
bite
of
food. “Okay.”

“I
know
it
doesn
’t
sound
that
thrilling,
but
I
want
you
to
know
we
’r
e
trying
to
make
this
place
habitable.
Besides,
the
re’s
really
nothing
else
to
do
here.”

I
smiled.
“Wonderful.
By
the
way,
Pam
seems
to
think
she
is
going
to
be
teaching
me
how
to
fight.”

Liet
stabbed
at
the
meat
on
his
plate.
“Oh,
good.
So
the
two
of
you
made
some
arrangements?”

“I
thought
you
were
going
to
teach
me.”

“Krista,
you
have
to
understand.
I
’m
a
very
busy
man.
I
have
an
entire
camp
to
run.
I
’ll
certainly
be
there
when
I
can,
but
if
Pam
has
the
time,
I
’d
recommend
learning
from
her.”

“Oh,
okay.”
I
finished
the
food
on
my
plate
and
waited.

Six
guards
escorted
us
to
the
first
guard
tower
as
the
sun
set.
Shades
of
orange,
pink,
purple,
and
red
lined
the
sky.
If
it
hadn
’t
been
for
the
stench,
I
would
have
enjoyed
the
moment.
We
climbed
the
stairs
to
look
over
the
area.
A
few
workers
were
in the
trench,
digging
postholes,
filling
them
with
cement,
then
sticking
in
the
metal
poles
for
the
chain
-
link
fence.
The
horizon
was flat,
and
the
ground
was
covered
with
thousands
of
corpses.
In
the
distance,
a
few
mobile
ones
limped
their
way
to
the
perimeter.
I
glanced
at
the
guard
tower
to
my
right
. They
tracked
the
zombies
with
a
pair
of
binoculars
and
spotting
scopes.
I
squinted
at
the
horizon
to
get
a
better
view.

“Over
there,
about
five
hundred
yards,
will
be the
pyre.”

I
turned
to
where
Liet
indicated.
A
group
of
twenty
men
dug
a
hole
in
the
soft
earth.
Ten
soldiers
surrounded
them,
but
they
still
nervously
glanced
over
their
shoulders.
I
wou
ld’v
e
been
freaked
out
too.
From the
looks
of
it,
zombies
were
a
constant
threat,
but
one
that
could
be
taken
care
of.

“They
’r
e
not
used
to
being
on
that
side
of the
fence,”
Liet
commented.
“Even
when
they
’r
e
on
our
side,
they
still
fall
prey
to
the
zombies.
The
zombies
may
be
slow,
but
they
’re crafty
buggers. Sometimes
when
you
think
you
’v
e
killed
one,
they
pop
right
back
up
and
bite
you.”

I
glanced
back
down
at
the
bodies
and
shivered.
“How
often
do
they
attack?”

Liet
placed
his
hands
on
the
rail
and
leaned
forward.
“It’s
been
getting
more
and
more
frequent
since
we
moved
the
camp
in.
I
’
m
sure
they
’
ve
used
up
the
majority
of
their
supplies
on
the
west
side,
and
the
enticement
of
fresh
meat
is very
alluring.”
He
stared
at
me,
smiling.
“You
don
’t
need
to
worry
about
them getting
in.
We
have
guards
watching vigilantly
night
and
day.”

“What
if
one
of
the
workers
gets
bitten
and
doesn
’t
tell
anyone?”

Liet
shook
his
head.
“Won
’t
happen.
Every
shift
is
inspected
before
they
’re
allowed
back
into
the
city.”

“Inspected?”

“Yeah.
They
strip
down
in
the
showers
and
the
soldiers check
them.”

I
cringed.
That
had
to
be
humiliating
, but
I was sure it
was
necessary.
Without
rules
and
precautions,
the
world
would
spiral
into
chaos. Plus,
if
one
of the
wo
rker’
s
did
get
bitten,
they’d
never
say
anything.
They
’d
carry
on
with
their
work
and
then
head
home
as if
it
hadn’t
happened,
telling
themselves
the
entire
time
everything
was
going
to be
fine. It
was
a
survival
mechanism.
The
thought
of
turning
into
a
zombie
wasn
’t
frightening
because
it
hadn
’t
been
experienced.
Yeah,
it
happened
to
others,
but
the
person
who
got
bit
was
immune.
They
were
special.