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

Doc took a quick ride around the block to make sure it was road worthy, then they went downstairs to tell her their plans. She didn’t take it well.
    “Why do you need the Jeep? Why risk getting it? Just stay here where it’s safe,” she implored. Doc explained that his medical kit, weapons and survival gear were in the Jeep, and he wasn’t about to abandon it. Then she wanted to know why the men were taking bikes and not a car.
    Kevin explained that his Civic and her BMW were both dead, and even if one started it wouldn’t be much good. Passenger cars were built for smooth paved roads, and it was very likely they’d have to go off-road. Plus, even if the batteries would hold a charge, the gasoline was stale and the car probably wouldn’t start. If it did start it wouldn’t run well and wouldn’t run long. Bikes were the best alternative.
    “The Jeep is just northeast of Dexter,” Kevin reminded her, “about fifteen miles away. We can get there and back in a three or four hours.”
    She looked back and forth between them, realizing their minds were made up. They talked it over some more and she reluctantly accepted their decision with a resigned look in her eyes.
    Doc and Kevin quickly planned a gas run. “We should look for luxury sports cars, Hummers, and high-end Jeeps,” Doc said. “We can siphon gas from their tanks. Guys who own Jeeps like mine can pleasantly obsess over them, constantly adding off-road accessories and using gas stabilizer with every tank. I haven’t run a tank of normal gas in ten years. Most engines weren’t designed for regular gas which contains ethanol, and the few times I used it the Jeep had less power and worse gas mileage. Owners like me sought out stations selling alcohol-free gas, or used stabilizers like me.”
    “What’s going to happen a few years from now when all the gas is gone or bad?” Michelle asked.
    “Unless someone knows how to pump oil and refine it, internal combustion engines may be a thing of the past. You can run cars on pure distilled alcohol, but synthetic seals and gaskets weren’t made for alcohol, so they’d break down in no time. Plus it would take a huge amount of grain to distill that much alcohol. Unless you had an overabundance, chances are you’d use the grain for food. Grain alcohol would be an extreme luxury.”
    Kevin could tell Michelle wasn’t happy about their trip. She made a good argument for going with them, but Doc and Kevin were firmly against that—Kevin’s pregnant wife was not going to take any unnecessary risks, and besides, they only had two bikes. In the end she acquiesced to staying home. Doc was right about her not liking the idea, and that night she was not in the mood for loving. She barely even snuggled. Earlier she had complained of having a headache, and during dinner said she was feeling kind of woozy. She had also started complaining about feeling nauseous and her ankles swelling. All of these are normal during pregnancy—Kevin’s late wife, Tammy had made some of the same complaints—but even so, Kevin noticed Doc watching her closely. He was thankful for Doc’s vast experience in treating pregnancies; Kevin wouldn’t know which complaints of hers were normal and which were serious.
     
     
    Chapter Three
    Kevin and Michelle started the day off making love, then Kevin got dressed and made coffee. Kevin told Doc about the upscale neighborhood nearby and they decided to scout for gas. He also told Doc about seeing the man and his dog as they scavenged supplies. Doc asked questions Kevin couldn’t answer—the guy’s age, his demeanor, did he look healthy, was he military, etc. Kevin couldn’t tell him much, but they agreed to watch for the man. Michelle stayed downstairs, complaining again about morning sickness and having a headache. Since becoming pregnant she’d gained weight, too, and Kevin wondered if it was normal for a pregnant woman’s face to swell as much as Michelle’s.
    The third house they