Life After The Undead (Book 1) (9 page)

A
snap
resounded
through
the
room,
and
the
acrid
smell
of
sulfur
tickled
my
nose.
I
turned
to
see
Dad
lighting
a
fire in
the
fireplace.

“Do
you
think
tha
t’s
a
good
idea?”
Mom asked.

Dad
shrugged.
“Wha
t’s
it
going
to
hurt?
Even
if
someone
sees
it,
they
can’t
get
to
us.
I
pulled
the
rope
up
so
no
one
can
climb in
here.”

“Yeah,
but
they
might
destroy
the
four wheelers.”

Dad
grimaced.
“No
one
is
going
to
mess
with
the
four wheelers.
Without
tools,
it’s
going
to
be
pretty
hard
for
them
to
take
those
babies
apart.
Even
if
they
pop
the
tires,
we
’l
l
still
be
able
to
get
back
to
the
base.
If
there
are
other
people
out
there,
they
deserve
to be
saved.”

I
stared
at
Mom.
I
didn
’t
think
a
fire
was
the
best
thing
either,
but
Dad
knew
best.
Mom
’s
jaw
muscles
tighten.

“It seems really
reckless,”
Mom
snapped.
“We
don’t
know
what,
or
who,
we
’r
e
dealing
with
and
you
set a
beacon
that
gives
away
our position.”

“We
’r
e
going
to
be
fine,”
said
Dad,
but
something
in his
eyes
made
me
wonder
if he
believed
it
himself.
“Now
c’mon,
cook
up
some
of
that
canned
stuff
for
dinner.”

Mom
shook
her
head
before
picking
out
some
food.
I
took
one
last
look
at
the
lights
on
the
complex. With a sigh, I turned and joined
Dad
on
the
floor in
front
of
the
fire.
He
placed
his
arm
around
my
shoulders,
and
I
laid
my
head
on
his
chest.

“Thanks
for letting
us
come
here,
Dad.
I
had
a
bad
feeling
about
the
base.”

Dad
shrugged.
“I
want
my
family
to
feel
safe.”

“Did
you
see
how
many
people
were
at
the
base?”
Mom set
a
pan
of
chili
on
the
screen
above
the
fire.
“There
had
to
be
three,
four
hundred
people.”

“Yeah,
but
if
you
consider
that
over
a
hundred
thousand
live
within an
hour
of
the
base,
that
percentage
isn’t
very
high.”

Mom
sat
next
to
Dad.

“Do
you
think
there
are
more
survivors
out
there?”
I
pulled
my
knees
up
to
my
chest
and
stared
at
Dad.

“I
don’t
know.
I
hope
so,”
he
answered.

“Do
you
think
any
of
them
will
come
here?”

Dad
sighed.
“I
don
’t
know.”

The
chili
sputtered,
and
tiny
dots
of
red
jumped
out
of
the
pot.
Mom
stood
and
slowly
stirred
the
food.
She
looked
at
me
and
Dad.
“What
are
we
going
to
do?”

“Tomorrow
I’m
going
to
the
base
and
find
out
what
they
know.
You
two
will
wait
here
until
I
return.
After
that,
I
don
’t
know.
We’ll
have
to
play
it
by
ear.”

“Why
do
we
have
to
wait
here?”
Mom
complained.
“Wouldn
’t
it
be
safer
if
we
stuck
together?”

“Yeah,
Dad,
it’s
not
a
good
idea
for
us
to
split
up.
Tha
t’s
when
bad
things
happen.”

“It’l
l
be
faster
if
I
go
by
myself.
No
offense.
Plus,
what
if
Krista
is
right?
What
if
they
take
the
four
wheeler?
If
that
happens,
I
’l
l
need
you
to
pick
me
up.
We
at
least
have
to
try.
We
have
to
see
if
there
are
answers
out
there.”

Mom
and
I
nodded.
I
still
didn’t
think
it
was
a
good
idea,
but
arguing
wasn
’t
going
to
get
us
anywhere.
Mom
took
the
chili
off
the
fire.
We
ate
in
silence.

Darkness enclosed
the
observation
tower,
and
I
snuggled
into
my
sleeping bag.
The
fire
crackled
in
the
hearth,
but
I
didn
’t
feel
at
peace.
My
stomach
fluttered
with
unease,
and
I
couldn
’t
fall
asleep.
I
wanted
to
tell
Dad
not
to
go,
but
I
knew
he
had
to.
We
needed
to
know
what
was
going
on
and
if
there
was
a
way
to combat
the
threat.
I
stared
at
my
parents
as
they
held
each
other in
front
of
the
fire.
Any
other
time
it
would
have
been
romantic,
and
I
would
have
gagged.
Sadness
drifted over me
as
I
looked
at
them.
I
rolled
over
and
settled
into
a
restless
sleep.

***

I
awoke
the
next
morning
to
the
salty,
meaty
aroma
of
canned
hash.
For a
brief
second,
I
felt
the joy
I
always
felt
when
I
camped.
Then
I
remembered
why
we
were
there. I
climbed
out
of
my
sleeping
bag
and
approached
the
fire.
The
warmth
radiated
through
my
body,
and
Mom
smiled
wanly
at
me.