Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 9): Frayed Read Online Free PDF Page A

to others besides just Heidi, who, through the marvels of modern
pharmaceuticals, was quickly bouncing back from her month-long malaise and
could only be pried off the shortwave radio using the jaws-of-life.
    Seth answered at once and, after a brief back-and-forth,
assured Cade, save for the wet snow having already accumulated on the CCTV
domes, that all was well at the compound.
    “I’m going dark for a few minutes,” Cade said. “I want to
check out some mobile homes east of the Woodruff main drag.”
    “On Main Street?”
    “No. About a half a mile east on”—he craned around to see
the sign—“looks like I’ll be six or eight blocks east of Main on Center Street.
Woodruff isn’t exactly a sprawling metropolis.”
    “Roger that,” replied Seth. There was a clicking sound that
Cade took to be the younger man’s thumb releasing the switch on the microphone
attached to the base unit. Then, out of the blue, the silence in the cab was
broken when Max let out a low guttural growl. Cade looked to see the
shepherd—ears drawn back and teeth bared—on the seatback and looking focused on
something through the truck’s smoked rear window.
    With the volume knob trapped between thumb and finger, Cade
was about to power off the CB when Seth’s voice came through the speaker. “You
still there?” he asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.
    “Roger that. What’s up?” Listening for a response, Cade
again scanned his surroundings, only to find that he’d drawn some unwanted
attention. Attracted to the idling engine, a small group of walking dead had
just emerged onto Center Street roughly a block east of Main. After a couple of
seconds of dead air, during which Cade kept his eyes locked on the rearview
mirror and watched the dead spread out shoulder to shoulder across the yellow
line, Seth finally came on and promised he would be right back as soon as he
found the list of new requests he had misplaced.
    “You gave me the list.”
    “These are additions to that list.”
    “Make it quick, Seth. I’ve got Zs on my six and I’ve got
work to do,” Cade answered back irritably.
    Seth made no reply to that. So Cade let his foot off the
brake and, driving one-handed with the CB in the other, covered half the
distance to the trio of structures on the hill. He soon grew impatient and was
on the verge of silencing the radio altogether, more so to conserve the
batteries than from a reluctance to talk to the kid, when Seth beat him to the
punch. “Glenda wants to know if you can read the writing on her list.”
    “I learned cursive in school,” Cade replied.
    “You are old,” said Seth.
    “Spit it out.”
    “She wants to add some things to it.”
    “Go ahead, I’ll commit them to memory.”
    “You sure?”
    “Can’t write, I’m driving. And Max isn’t growing an
opposable thumb any time soon, so spit it out.”
    “Suit yourself.” Seth rattled off a laundry list of stuff
Glenda thought of after compiling her first fairly lengthy list. Then Seth
tacked on a couple of things for himself: magazines, a handheld video game,
batteries—which were already on the first list as well as Cade’s own mental
list. There was a pause and then, in a soft voice, as if he was asking for the
world, Seth requested a Snickers bar if Cade came across one.
    “Who would run from Zs and leave their last Snickers
behind?” Cade said, incredulous.
    “Good point,” Seth conceded. “In that case, then. Any
chocolate will do.”
    “Gotta be aboveboard with you, Sport. If I come across a
Snickers ... I’m keeping it all to myself,” said Cade, smiling. “Finders
keepers. Spoils of war. Besides, what you don’t know, won’t hurt you.”
    “Come on,” replied Seth. “That’s not fair. I’ve got a sweet
tooth and I’m sick of frickin MRE pound cake.”
    Max issued another ominous rumbling warning.
    “Any Mounds Bars I find have Seth written all over them,” Cade
said, laughing.
    “Keep ‘em. Those and Baby Ruth are