Zombies in Paradise (Love in the Age of Zombies Book 2) Read Free Page A

being quiet, Kevin used to encourage her to be loud. But being quiet was kind of fun, too, like they were sneaking around, getting away with something.
     
    So began their time with Doc. They had met over the shortwave radio not long after the Collapse and had become friends. Michelle, a nurse practitioner, valued Doc’s input while caring for Kevin’s bullet wound, and he’d become a father-figure to them both. Kevin and Michelle were fairly new lovers, having been thrown together by circumstance. She’d moved in next door just before society collapsed, and it then became obvious Michelle would not survive unless she moved into Kevin’s survival bunker/basement. Kevin hadn’t been with a woman in years, and between her intelligence, sense of humor, innate beauty, and his obsession with her large breasts, he’d quickly become infatuated.
    Kevin initially resisted Michelle’s overt invitations because he still carried pain from the loss of his wife and baby, Tammy and Jason. He spent many restless nights in bed, wondering about the woman sleeping in his living room. Eventually his attraction overcame his reservations, and soon they were not only bedmates but deeply in love. Living in a small shelter, effectively surrounded by zombies and unaware of any survivors other than Doc, they both had to deal with long-buried hurts and fears caused by past relationships. The emotional upheaval caused Kevin to experience paranoid jealousy that defied logic. But they talked their way through it and eventually his delusions faded. When Michelle discovered she was pregnant, their relationship became even stronger.
     
    With the rising temperatures, the ugly, putrid zombie tissue on the lawn and in the street became a problem. Kevin was taken aback when he saw a crocus shooting up through the fetid remains of a zombie torso. The intact bodies had been hauled off, but there were pieces and parts of bodies scattered around. Kevin didn’t have the stomach to try to remove any of it, and hoped Mother Nature would completely reclaim the remains soon, either through scavengers (ugh!) or through decomposition. In the meantime, the smell outside was unpleasant enough to keep them indoors most of the time.
     
    About a week after Doc joined them, he officiated their wedding. It was a sweet ceremony. It felt right having him live with them, and even though Kevin already considered Michelle his wife, they both wanted a ceremony. It was short and sweet. They both said I do and Kevin kissed the bride. Doc graciously spent the night upstairs so they could have a brief, overnight honeymoon. They enjoyed the freedom to make noise and walk around naked.
    A few days later, Doc wanted to retrieve his abandoned Jeep, so he and Kevin went to the carport to see if the Civic would start. It wouldn’t. The battery was deader than a zombie. They spent about an hour trying to discover a way to recharge the battery with solar power, but even after rerouting the power from the solar cells and letting it charge for a day, the battery was still dead. They checked Michelle’s BMW; it was as dead as the Civic. After eight idle months, the batteries were ruined. The men talked it over and reached the same conclusion: if they were going to get the Jeep, they would have to make the trip on bikes. It would be faster and safer than walking. Kevin’s bike was in good shape, but his late wife’s old bike needed a lot of work. They took it apart and used a steel brush to get rid of the corrosion on the chain and gears, then soaked them in penetrating oil. Fortunately Kevin had replacement tires and inner tubes, so they replaced the dry-rotted tires and tubes and tightened the spokes. While letting the chain and gears soak, they planned their trip using a map spread on the upstairs kitchen counter. At one point, Doc said, “You know, Michelle might not like the idea of us going, especially without her. You’d better talk to her.” They put the bike back together and