My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road Read Online Free PDF Page A

mind went blank. How long was she alone?
    “You’ll make her regret this, Jewel,” Mom warned.
    By her expressionless face, Kaylynn already had.
    “What music do you like?” Jewel asked next.
    Kaylynn paused. “Music? It’s been a while.”
    Jewel reached into her pocket behind Mom’s chair and pulled out her iPod. “Could you turn the radio on, Dad?” When he did, Jewel synchronized her iPod with it and settled on a Katie Perry song. She jammed to the beat of Roar while Kaylynn gave me an awkward glance.
    Why the look? I didn’t listen to that stuff.
    Dad let off the gas. “This looks like a good place.”
    Jewel turned her music off—thank the universe—and looked out her window. The car rolled for half a mile before Dad applied the brakes and stopped at a turnoff. There was a house to my left, shrouded by trees. The girls leaned my way to see, except Kaylynn made it a point to avoid touching me, like I had cooties.
    Being the gentleman that I am, I returned the favor and moved over as much as I could. In my effort to keep my distance, I saw a couple of gas tanks outside, in front of an abandoned aluminum shack. There were two Highway 92 signs at the end of the intersection. One of the signs pointed west. The other east.
    Another city sign was at the corner of a tall grassy field: David City: from East to West, there’s only one.
    Dad looked back at Jewel. “Ready for a lesson?”
    She was out the door before Mom could object.
    We spent the next fifteen minutes in the car while Dad taught Jewel how to use her new rifle. The thing looked really heavy for her. If she planned on using the roof of our car to support her arm, she wouldn’t have a problem. But what if she had to use it outside the car? This thought worried me the most. What if we had to leave the Explorer? What if Mom and Dad never came back from a raid? Aside from the Vector that she’d saved me from a few miles behind us, Jewel didn’t have a clue on how to face these things up close. If anyone knew my little sister better than my parents, I did.
    Boom!
    The 30.06 round made the car shake.
    Chloe whined.
    Kaylynn turned back to check on her dog and stared at our stockpile. She whistled. “Damn . . . you guys got a lot of guns. I’ve never seen so many stashed in one trunk before. Where’d you all get them?”
    “My husband,” Mom said. “He was a gun dealer.”
    “Cool . . . These aren’t all his, are they?”
    Mom laughed. “He wishes. We went to his store before we left Naperville, near Chicago. He picked up what no one looted. We found the rest along the way.”
    “Where’re you headed?” Kaylynn asked.
    “Colorado,” I said. “Our Grandparent’s cabin.”
    The girl turned to me, looking half interested.
    “Where are you headed?” Mom said.
    The girl shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”
    Boom!
    Mom cringed. “I know we just met, but I have a good vibe about you. I’m a great judge of character—I’m a nurse.” She shifted in her seat before she looked over her shoulder at us. “You don’t have to be alone, Kaylynn. You’re more than welcome to stay with us.”
    She was?
    I thought letting someone stay in our group was a group decision, never mind Dad’s reaction to dog hair. Granted, this stop may have doubled as an excuse to get away from it. Kaylynn took Jewel’s seat to increase her distance from me. I just couldn’t understand why she wanted to alienate herself like that, like she wanted nothing to do with anyone, be they alive or undead.
    She fiddled with her dragon pendant. “I’ll be fine on my own. Just leave me at the next town.”
    “Are you sure?” Mom asked. “Everything is dangerous now. Somebody has to look after you.”
    Kaylynn silently stared at her. “Don’t worry about me. I have Chloe. She’s all I need.”
    Mom sighed. “I’d feel better if you stayed with us.”
    “Or if you took one of our guns, at least,” I added.
    “Yeah . . . I’d be dead if I had to rely on a gun.”
    My