End of the Line (Book 2): Stuck in the Middle Read Free

broken glasses.
    “What’s your name?”
    I wasn’t sure he would answer. He looked almost hesitant like he couldn’t remember his name.
    “Keith,” he said, his voice low.
    “Good to meet you.”
    “You have a gun.”
    I remembered I had a rifle strapped to my back. “Yes, for the zombs and self-defense. Not to hurt other people.”
    “I had a gun but I lost it. I can be an idiot sometimes.”
    I was glad the others kept their distance. He was talking to me and some of the fear left his face.
    “Keith, are you alone?”
    “Always.”
    “Do you mind if my friends move forward? They aren’t going to hurt you, I promise.”
    He didn’t say anything, but nodded.
    I motioned for the others to move. They did very slowly except Grace who stayed behind.
    “This is Mike, Jim and Grace. How long have you been here, Keith?”
    “I don’t know. I came when the bombs fell.”
    Three months ago.
    “Aren’t you worried about zombies?”
    “No, I’m worried about the hunters.”
    “ Hunters?”
    “The human zombie ones.”
    The kid wasn’t making any sense. He was probably in shock over being alone for so long. I wasn’t sure what to do. He looked harmless and scared. We couldn’t leave him here but I wasn’t sure we should bring him to the boat. I looked to Jim and then Mike for guidance.
    “How old are you, son?” Mike asked.
    “I’m an adult, 19,” he said. “I don’t have ID, officer.”
    “I’m not an officer.”
    “You aren’t hunters, are you?”
    “We kill them when we can,” Mike explained. “We don’t kill humans unless they try to kill us. Are you going to try to hurt us?”
    “I’ll try not to.”
    “We have a car, do you want us to drive you somewhere. Maybe a nice secure house?”
    Keith didn’t say anything. He looked at all of us.
    “Can I trust you?”
    “You have to trust someone sometime,” I said. “Can we trust you?”
    “I hope so.”
    I didn’t like Keith’s ambiguity.
    “Keith, why do you think you can hurt us?”
    “I bring trouble.”
    I softened. I understood. “People have died around you, haven’t they? You think that you killed them.”
    Keith didn’t reply. I thought I was right but it was hard to read his face.
    “Come on, son,” Mike said. “Pack your bags and we’ll take you to a nice secure house nearby. You can even come back and get supplies if you need them. There’s no reason you should stay here. It’s going to be cold soon.” Not to mention zombies could easily get into the store.
    “Can I come with you?” he asked, his face brightened. “I won’t be a bother.”
    Mike didn’t respond. I looked around to see the faces of the other. Grace was blank because she barely cared and Jim looked sympathetic.
    “We can ask Tanya,” Jim suggested. Jim would take any stray in.
    Mike still didn’t say anything. He looked peeved. It wasn’t like Keith could get on the boat if we decided to leave him behind.
    “Okay,” he said, relenting, “Let’s let Tanya decide.”
    “Who’s Tanya?” Keith asked.
    “Our leader,” I said. “She’s tough but very fair.”
     
    Keith didn’t volunteer more information as we rode to the dock. Everyone in the backseat was buried under the three heavy sleeping bags from the store. At least I was warm. I never had a chance to go to Lane Bryant. So much for being fashionable.
    Mike drove, Grace sat in the shotgun seat keeping a watchful eye for zombies. We only deal with the stragglers. Looking out my window I saw nothing but decaying roads, houses, and strip malls. I made a game of how many strip malls were missing roofs. I lost interest after five.
                  It was getting cold. Most of November had been in the mid 40’s to the low 50’s. December proved to be colder and often rainy. The sky was overcast even now, but no rain so far.
    Keith sat between Jim and me. I felt his thigh against mine.
                  “Keith, did you meet up with anyone from a government