Life After The Undead (Book 1) (63 page)

Pam
sighed.
She placed both hands on the steering wheel and relaxed her shoulders.
“I
know,
I
know.
I
don
’t
even
know
why
I’m
fighting
with
you
about
this.”

We
were
silent
for
several
minutes.

“If
you
could
change
it,
would
you?”
  I
asked.

Pam
glanced
at
me.
“In
a
heartbeat.”

That
night,
we
stayed
at
the
military
station in
St.
Louis.
We
were
so
tired
from
the
drive
we
ate
and
then
went
straight
to
bed.
We
got
up
early
the
next
morning
and
continued
on
our
way.
We
didn’t
speak
much,
only
commenting
on
things
we
saw
on
the
trip,
and
I
wondered
how
much
I
could
trust
Pam.
From
the
beginning,
she’d
always
been
there
to
take
care
of
me
and
teach
me
new
things,
but
she
was
still
one
of
Liet’s
soldiers.
I
knew
she
was
sincere
when
she
told
me
she
wanted
to
change
things,
but
I
wasn
’t
sure
if
she’d
follow
through.
Yeah,
she
let
some
prisoners
go,
but
I
wasn
’t
convinced
that
was
the
best
course
of
action.
Just
because
they
dodged
a
literal
bullet
didn
’t
mean
they
dodged
the
figurative
one.
Her
wishful
thinking
didn’t
lead
the
condemned
to
safety.
I
guessed
it
was
better
to lie
in
bed
with
the
hope
that
they
were
safe
than
with
the
image
of
someone
’s
head
exploding
because
of
your
gun.
I
was
convinced
Liet
could
scare
her
into
giving information.
I
’d
have
to
wait
and see
what
happened.

Once
we
reached
Florida,
the
guards
at
the
border
gate
let
us
pass
without
a
second
glance.
I
was
shocked
we
didn’t
have
to
be
examined.
It
’d
become
so
routine
,
I
almost
felt
dirty
when it
didn’t
happen.
I
drove,
and
it
seemed
not
much
had
changed
since
the
last
time I
was
there.
There
seemed
to
be
a
few
more
people,
but
poverty
and
a
low
sense
of
morale
still pervaded
the
populace.
We
decided
to
stop
in
Tallahassee
for
the
night.
We
were
only
a
few
hours
away
from
our
destination,
but
we
weren
’t
on
a
time
schedule,
and
if
we
arrived
too
late,
we
’d
have
to
wait
until morning
anyway
to
deliver
the
goods.
We
drove
a little
way
outside
of
town
and
found
a
place
to
camp. It’d
been
so
long
since
either
of
us
had
been
able
to
sleep
under
the
stars,
we
decided
to
take
full
advantage.
Plus, it
was
so
hot
and
humid
in
the
truck,
there
was
no
way
we
’d
sleep.
We
could
at
least
breathe
outside.
Sort
of.

We
were
up
with
the
sun,
and
after
a
quick
breakfast,
we
climbed
into
the
cab.
Pam drove
the
four
hours
to
Orlando,
and
I
stared
out
the
window,
wondering
what
it
was
going
to be like
when
I
finally
saw
Pearl
again.
I
imagined
all
kinds
of
scenarios,
from
a
tearful
embrace
to a
cold
shoulder.
I
tried
to
remember
if
we
’d
left
on
good
terms,
but
it
seemed
like
a
lifetime
ago,
and
my
experiences
since
then
clouded
my
memory.
My
stomach
fluttered
with
butterflies
and
my
palms
began
to
sweat.

We
pulled
up
to
the
Disney
Contemporary
Resort,
which
had
been
renamed
the
Johnson
High
School,
and it
looked
the
same
as when I’d
left
it.
For
some
reason,
I
expected
it
to
be
rundown
and
falling
apart. I
guess
that
was
what
I
was
used
to.
I
could
tell
they’d
applied
a
new
coat
of
paint,
and
the
grounds
were
still
immaculate.
Teenagers
roamed
around,
and
I
wondered
if
all
of them
were
orphans.
They
couldn’t
be.
There
were
too
many.
All
the
kids
were
probably
required
to
go
to
school
there.
That
made
the
most
sense.
I
took
a
deep
breath
and
stepped
inside.

The
front
desk
was
still
there,
and
I
approached
the
woman
behind
it,
who
smiled
and
asked
how
she
could
help
us.

“We
’r
e
here
to
see
Olivia
Johnson.”

“Do
you
have
an
appointment?”

I
smirked.
“Sort
of.
Liet
sent
us.”

The
woman
smiled
and
picked
up
the
phone.
When
she
was
finished,
she
pointed
to
the
elevator.
“Go up
to
the
penthouse.”

“Thank
you.”