Zombies and Chainsaws (Book 2): Dark Roads Read Free Page A

serious chance at scoring.”
    “You’ll be laying pipe this week, Chuck; I couldn’t see it any other way.”
    Leslie yelled, “Are you guys coming or not?"
    Chuck did his best to jog while carrying all of his gear. He got up close on her heels. “You know, like I keep saying to you, I’m gonna grow on you, baby.”
    “Chuck, I haven’t had enough to eat today for all this excitement. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to puke up what little I still have in me.”
    Chuck started to say something, but the growling from behind them was growing louder. Turning around, the group saw that those dead managing to keep their balance coming down the steep hill were quickly making up the distance. Chuck said, “We might want to get our sweet little asses going, or we're going to be walking alongside them.”
    Jude didn't say anything, just picked up his pace, doing double time and ignoring the burning in his shoulders from the extra weight he was hauling. He laughed a little as he hiked up the hill. Joann said, “I’m sorry, but what do you find funny about this?”
    “Not a goddamn thing, honestly, but when I left the army, I left marching, hiking, and overall shitty grunt work. Well, now that I no longer have a vehicle, I would say I'm more or less back to my old way of life. If we lose cars or electricity, I think we're going to have to worry a little more about being put into the Dark Ages again. I can’t see losing the technical advantages brought on by machinery and vehicles as a good thing.”
    Chuck said, “What do you mean — losing everything? What the hell is going to happen that we wouldn’t have technology?”
    “I don’t know, maybe the lights go off if the nuclear power plants go down, and then we end up with a few states that glow at night," Jude replied. "Now, that isn’t something I think will happen right away, but we sure as hell better hope it doesn't come to that.”
    “What do you think we should do once we get the word out and then get home, Jude?” Chuck asked.
    “Find us a pilot…any pilot we can find who's sober enough to get us up in the air and to an island somewhere far, far away from here. I'm not particular as to where, as long as it's safe and doesn’t have any of these issues. I only hope we can beat the rainfall and lockdown in time to find a place to hide and survive.”
    “You know there are a lot of pilots who are sober out there, right, Jude?”
    “Oh, hell, I know that.”
    “Okay…soooo what the hell are you talking about?”
    “Well, Chuck, I figure only a damn drunk-ass pilot wouldn't have wheels up already, if it meant they could get away from these fucking things.”
    Chuck nodded and was rewarded with a shot of sweat to the eye. “Oh, sweet baby Jesus, it burns...it burns, Jude. I got something in my eye.”
    “Well, set something down and wipe it out, or man up and deal with it and keep moving. Remember what the drill sergeants used to say?”
    “That I’m worthless and that they wish I would have joined the navy?”
    “Yes, but more importantly that you move through the pain and it either goes away or you die.”
    Leslie yelled from the top of hill. “Hey, if you guys are done holding hands on that lovely walk, you might want to take a look. I think good things are on the horizon for us!”
    The two men both stopped their bantering, staring ahead at the water tower bearing the word Raytown painted in large black lettering around it. Chuck said, “Well, hell, we were bound to have some good news sooner or later. I mean, we can’t just go from shit to more shit, right?”
    When he noticed Leslie and Joann walking backwards, he said, "What the hell are you two doing?”
    Joann said, “There’s a small army of rednecks on the opposite side of the hill. From the look of them, I'd say there's a damn good chance they live here.”
    Leslie yelled, “Do you both speak the same language they do, by chance? Do you think you could maybe get us a visa or