Dead Life Book 5 Read Free Page A

after it got dark the temperature started dropping pretty quick. Building a fire out in the open was out of the question. It was obvious that the zombies had an advanced sense of smell. I wasn't sure if they could see too well with their eyes as clouded over as they were and it seemed to me that they could hear at least as well as we did. Every time we fired off a gun it seemed like we drew a crowd. So we sat around for a while freezing our asses off until Cindy couldn't take it anymore and decided to go to bed. Gina said she had enough too and headed for the truck. Al and I sat there for a few minutes not talking when he got up and went to the truck without saying anything.
                  “Are we okay?” I asked.
                  “What the hell are you talking about?” Al asked.
                  “You haven't said two words to me since we got done eating.”
                  “I'm sorry honey. I didn't mean to neglect you.”
                  “I'm being serious here. Are you pissed off at me because I saw Cindy in her underwear?”
                  “You're kidding me, right? I know you didn't do that on purpose. It's been a hard day.”
                  “That's for sure. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
                  “Everything's not okay. There's fucking zombies everywhere. Everybody we run across is trying to kill us and one of our group died today. Not to mention Cindy nearly got raped and Gina's dad was shot right in front of her.”
                  “You're right. I don't know, it just seems like that sort of shit has become almost normal. You know what I mean?”
                  “I understand what you're saying. That doesn't mean it doesn't bother me.”
                  “It bothers me too. I feel like I'm shutting down though.”
                  “I've seen that happen to guys in combat. They get so used to all the death that surrounds them nothing fazes them anymore. Believe me if you're worried about me being mad at you for looking at Cindy in her underwear you're going to be okay,” he said, then smiled at me. “Just don't make it a habit.”
                  “I'll try not to. By the way. How's your back?”
                  “My back is fine. I never hurt it. Cindy's a nurse, she likes to take care of me. I gave her something to think about besides all the bad shit that happened to us today.”
                  “You surprise me Al. You're just an old softy.”
                  “Well I do get a nice back massage out of the deal. Speaking of which, she's waiting for me right now. I need to get in there before she falls asleep. See you in the morning.”
                  “Are you sure we don't need anybody out here on guard.”
                  “Nah, we'll be fine. The trucks are high enough off the ground that the zombies can't get at us. Lock the doors and keep a gun handy. If someone comes down that road we'll hear them and if anybody comes to the door of the truck, shoot 'em.”
                  “Alright then. I'll see you in the morning.”
                  When I got in the truck Gina was still awake. I crawled into the sleeping bag and held her in my arms. After a few minutes she fell asleep. Twice during the night she woke me. The first time she was sobbing in her sleep. I woke her up and she told me she was dreaming about her father. In the dream she was a little girl sitting on his lap. A man came up behind him and shot him in the head. She told me his blood was all over her and that when she looked at the man it was Rick. The second time she woke me screaming. This time her father lie dead on the ground, a zombie bent over him eating from his torn open mid-section. When she went to kill the zombie with her sword it looked up. I