Love in the Time of Zombies Read Online Free PDF Page A

before that.”
    He turned and stared at her. “You just changed religions like that?”
    “I was Baptist when I was a girl. I changed for Carl. For my husband.” Her glance slid from his and stared at the ground.
    He looked and saw no ring on her finger. “I’m sorry. The virus?”
    “Yes.” She stuttered to a stop as if she had more to say but no more words came.
    “Did you see him?”
    “No, just a photo and the report about him and the hooker in the motel room.”
    “I’m really sorry,” he mumbled and laid a hand on her shoulder.
    Her head whipped up and tears glistened in her eyes. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t the first time. But it was definitely the last.” A shaky laugh escaped her, one that proclaimed it was a hurt deeper than she wanted to let on. And now, she had to deal with Nick. The lady had some deep wounds.
    He moved away and pulled two campstools over. She plopped down onto hers. He wanted to keep her talking, but nothing seemed like a safe topic.
    She spoke up first, “Where are you from? You know—before.”
    “I lived in Oakland with my mother. She’s in a hospital in Concord. All barricaded and safe. Well, as safe as anyone is these days.” He swiped a hand across the back of his neck. “And you?”
    “I lived in San Francisco with my husband. His parents were nearby. They died of the flu. They were lucky. My parents were attacked trying to reach me across the city. And I already told you about Carl.”
    Oh, shaky ground again. “What did you do in the city? What were you before?”
    Emily laughed. A real laugh. The sound carried and surrounded his body. Her dark eyes shined in the last of the sunset. “I shopped. I went to fundraisers. I was arm-candy for Carl’s ego. I was a trophy wife. Part of the idle rich who think if they raise money for needy people they are actually doing something worthwhile, even if they spend more money on the party then they are raising.”
    His jaw dropped. This Amazon fighting goddess had been a rich man’s wife. He didn’t see it. She’d been happy to wash in a wood box, throw on whatever she found in the clothes box, and eaten franks and beans like it was a gourmet meal. And she’d handled the gun earlier as if she’d been doing it all her life. She was every young boy’s idea of a video-game warrior woman—hot body and all.
    She playfully smacked his hand. “You should see your face. What about you? What were you before you became the apocalyptic post office and delivery service?”
    “I was the pre-apocalyptic delivery service. That’s my truck down there. That’s all I’ve ever been.”
    He stared out toward the parking lot until her face butted into his view. “Don’t do that.”
    “What?” he asked, truly puzzled.
    “That was the before zombies time. None of that matters anymore. We all got a clean slate. We can be whoever we want to be.”
    “You really believe that? That we can be someone totally different?”
    She touched his hand. “Yes I do.”
    He looked into her eyes. “What if that’s what they are? Something new.”
    Emily pulled away from him as if he were the undead. “They aren’t anything. They are dead. This isn’t some part of God’s grand plan. This is scientists, the president, and people who should have known better, thinking they were God.”
    She stood up. “I’m going to check on Nick.”
    He stood up as well. “I think I’ll do a round of the roof and hop in the shower.”
    His gaze followed Emily as she reached Nick and sat down beside his cot. Her hand swiped hair out of the boy’s face. Even at this distance, he saw her hand shake. The fever must have started.
    Seth grabbed his gun and walked to the edge of the roof. Bodies of the undead and truly dead littered the parking lot. He’d noticed before that the zombies went dormant without fresh meat around, unfortunately, either their olfactory or auditory senses were in super drive, because they had no problems detecting humans nearby, and