Dawn of the Jed Read Free Page B

really need to ask?”
    “No,” I said. “Same as last year. And the year before. And the year before that, and that, and that.”
    “We get it,” Mom said. “And you know what will happen. Same as last year. And the year before. And the year before that, and that, and that.”
    “I figured. But it doesn’t mean I’m changing my mind.”
    For as long as I can remember—and I recall when I was three and stuck a fork in the electrical outlet and felt this weird thumping in my chest for a few seconds—I’ve wanted one thing more than anything else.
    A dog. Nothing as fancy as a golden retriever, or as smart as a border collie. If it had four legs and fleas, I’d be happy. I was almost to a point where if I got a hamster, I’d put a collar on it and call it Fido.
    “A dog is just not a good idea now,” Dad said. “We both work, you’re at school. You don’t want a dog moping around the house all day. It wouldn’t be fair.”
    “So having him mope at the pound is better?” I said. “At least until someone decided his time was up and—”
    “We know what can happen, and we can’t be responsible for what happens to every dog unfortunate enough to be homeless,” Dad said. “You also know that’s not an argument that’s going to get you a dog.”
    “So what is an argument that will get me a dog?”
    Mom sighed. “Jed, honey, this is just not the best time. Dogs require so much work and we’re at capacity right now with your condition and—”
    “What? My condition? My CONDITION ?”
    “God, Jed, that’s not what I meant, you know that,” Mom said. “There are just other things we have to think about that other families don’t deal with.”
    “You mean my condition. Just like you said. Maybe if I was a normal kid, a dog wouldn’t be out of the question. But since I tend to spend so much of my time being dead, a dog might not be a good idea. He could chew my arm off and bury it somewhere.”
    “Jed, I will not be talked to in that tone.”
    “Then you’ll have to call school and say, ‘I’m sorry, my zombie son seems to have misplaced his arm and he won’t be in today. He’d misplace his head if it wasn’t screwed on, and of course we’re not really sure it is.’”
    “Stop that now, young man, do you hear me!” Dad shouted. “Your mom and I deserve your respect, and you will give that to us now.”
    I shrunk in my chair. I’d spent days planning for this moment. Had a list tucked into my back pocket: Ten Reasons Why a Dog Would be a Cool Member of Our Family. I was going to be calm, confident, and convincing. The three Cs of getting a dog.
    But my condition? Is that what they thought I was? A condition? All this time I’d appreciated them not treating me any differently than the billions of normal kids on the planet.
    “My condition?” I said in a very small voice. “Really?”
    I knew what was coming next, so before the order was issued, I pushed back from the table, stood up, and went to my room.
    I shut my door, kneeled, and reached under my bed. My hand felt the comforting softness of the dog bed I bought about a week ago, after saving up months of allowance.
    This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I was going to be calm, confident, and convincing. And just when they were actually considering the possibility, I was going to lead them into my room and pull out the dog bed and show them where he would sleep. That way when he needed to go out in the middle of the night—
    But there was no sense thinking about that anymore.
    That’s when I found out that even though I had a body incapable of making many tears, I didn’t need them for a good cry.

Chapter Three

     
    Waking up the next morning, the previous night’s argument with Mom and Dad still left a bad taste in my mouth. It was different than the normal bad taste in my mouth. Zombie morning breath can clear a room. Trust me.
    Turning over to look at the clock, I noticed my left arm was numb. Not just numb, because