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

head spun her way. “What do you mean?”
    “I’d be dead if I had to rely on a gun,” she repeated. “You think you’re safe with guns? What do you think will stop them when you run out of bullets?”
    I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and I wasn’t about to take that sitting down, but I was sitting down.
    She leaned back. “Avoiding them is the only way to beat them. Outlive whatever has made them that way.”
    “A gun stopped that Stalker that was chasing us,” I reminded her. “You never did said thanks .”
    Kaylynn glared out Jewel’s window. “Okay. Thanks for delaying the inevitable. We’ll all die soon enough.”
    Boom!
    No one spoke. Mom gave me one of her looks, the kind she gives when I’ve crossed the line. We’ll all die soon enough? Whatever. If Kaylynn wanted to be an Ungrateful Gretchen, that was her choice. I looked out my window to see the damage that Jewel had made. Two holes marked the black arrows on the yellow direction sign, clean enough that I could barely see them. Jewel must’ve missed her first shot, but when it came to firearms, she was a quicker learner than me.
    They made their way back to the car three shots later. Jewel opened her door. Kaylynn moved over.
    “You’re next, Jeremy,” Dad said. “Bring your bag.” Happily accepting the invitation, I hopped out with my pack and waited to hear what he wanted to do. Certainly not to train. I was plenty good enough. “Jeremy and I will check the house. Never know what we’ll find.”
    Mom parted her lips. “The usual five minutes?”
    “Make it ten. We’ll be back real soon.”
    Purposefully avoiding the girls’ eyes, I turned and readied my .45—loaded and ready this time. And Dad let me take point again. When we walked down the gravel driveway, scanning the perimeter first, we found nothing useful, just a rusted plow and a torn chicken coop with white feathers scattered everywhere. I guess they liked chickens, too. I went for the back door next.
    “That’s enough,” Dad said. “They can’t see us.”
    The way he said that chilled me unexpectedly. I turned to see what he was talking about. “Aren’t we going to check the house?”
    “It’s been ransacked. I can tell by the prints.” Dad hung his AR-15 over his shoulder and reached behind his back. “I found this beauty in the armory. Your mother will kill me if she sees us with this.”
    Before I could imagine what he was talking about, he drew a gun from his belt. It was a revolver—a big revolver. It had to be twice as long as my .45 Beretta.
    “What the heck is that , Dad?
    “This,” he smiled, “is a Five-Hundred Magnum.”
    I just stared at it. “Five-Hundred what?”
    “Smith and Wesson. You remember Dirty Harry ?”
    Do you feel lucky, punk ? Heck yeah. “It’s a classic!”
    Dad grinned. “Well, this is bigger. Check it out.”
    I pocketed my .45 and I walked over to him. He held onto the barrel and allowed me to take the grip in my hand. It was lighter than I expected, but it was long. At the end of the barrel was a hole the size of a penny. I could tell why Dad wanted me to bring my backpack.
    I opened the cylinder.
    It had four rounds, but it could hold five.
    “When I say it’s powerful, I mean it,” Dad said. “These things pack some serious recoil. If you land your target, no matter what it is, it’ll practically explode.”
    The thought of blowing Vectors up made me grin. Explosions: every young boy’s dream. “Can I try it?”
    “Uh,” Dad hesitated. “I need to teach you how to use it first. And they’ll want to know why we shot.”
    We needed an excuse? Fair enough. “False alarm?”
    Dad shrugged, grinning himself. “Works for me.”
    Accepting his consent, I searched for a target.
    Down the path was a bunch of old cars.
    Perfect.
    I led the way and found a rusty Chevy pickup. The bullets for the gun were twice the size of a .45. I didn’t let that stop me. I was ready this time. I leaned forward, stiffened my