sound of shattering glass from somewhere down below confirmed their fears.
“Let’s move,” said Bryce, picking up the crowbar.
“Don’t forget your bat this time,” said Kristie, handing it to Paige. “It should be your new best friend.”
She nodded. “ Especially since my old best friend abandoned me.”
Kristie sighed. “She didn’t abandon you, honey. I’m sure she just wanted to keep you safe.”
“Still,” said Paige as they stepped back out to the garage. “She took Nora, why not me?”
“No,” said Billie. “Nora took Cassie. It was her idea in the first place. She’s looking for her father.”
“I don’t care whose idea it was,” said Bryce as he opened the door to the Expedition. “They’re both getting their asses chewed out when I find them.”
“All of them are getting their asses chewed, starting with Luke,” said Kristie , getting into the back of the vehicle. “Taking those girls across country when neither of them can drive, let alone shoot a damn gun.”
“Mom, Kylie and Allie a re definitely not victims. If anyone, you should feel bad for Luke. He’s already learned his lesson stuck in a vehicle with those two, believe me.”
Kristie smiled. “ Yeah, when those two start talking, it can certainly make your head spin.”
“Especially about boys,” said Paige. “Both of them are so boy-crazy, it’s ridiculous.”
Kristie’s face darkened. “Don’t remind me Paige. I don’t need anything else added on to my current list of worries- two girls alone with a fifteen year old boy, hormones running wild.”
Bryce put the key in to the ignition as Billie and Tiny lifted the garage door.
“Get in!” shouted Paige as a g roup of zombies moved towards the men.
Billie raised his gun and began shooting while Tiny used his crowbar to defend himself.
“What the hell is that?” shouted Kristie, holding on to the dashboard as the truck began to shake.
“I …I don’t know,” said Bryce, staring down at the dashboard.
“ Earthquake!” yelled Billie, jumping inside. “Pull out of the garage, so we don’t get trapped inside of here.”
Paige’s face turned white. “I didn’t know Minnesota had earthquakes !”
Tiny jumped into the front seat next to Bryce . “Back out now, brother, quickly!”
Bryce threw it in reverse and the tires rolled over two zombies who’d lost their footing.
Paige threw her arms around her mo ther as the tremors grew more intense. “Oh my God, are we going to die?”
“Honey, calm down. I won’t let anything happen to you,” she answered, closing her eyes.
Seconds later, the vibrations stopp ed.
“Well, that was odd,” said Billie, staring out the window. Besides the zombies gathering around their vehicle, everything seemed so normal. As if the quake had never happened. “First zombies and now tremors in Minnesota?” he frowned. “These are some crazy days.”
“Very,” said Kristie, releasing Paige. “Hasn’t been any of those in this state since the seventies.”
“ Is it going to happen again?” asked Paige, staring out the window at the clouds that were headed their way.
“I don’t know,” sigh ed Kristie. “Let’s just pray that Kylie and everyone else, is safe.”
“Dammit,” said Bryce, rubbing a hand over his face. “This is getting more dangerous by the minute. What in the hell was she thinking of when she left Atlanta? When I get my hands on her…”
“Chill out, Bryce,” said Paige. “It wasn’t just Cassie who left and besides, she was only trying to save the rest of her family. Don’t try telling us that you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”
His face darkened. “I wouldn’t have taken off in the middle of the night and I certainly would have planned it out a lot better.”
“ You’re the reason she took off in the middle of the night,” said Paige. “She knew you’d try and stop her.”
His eyes widened. “ Oh, now it’s my fault?”
“Well, you’re kind of
David Stuckler Sanjay Basu
Aiden James, Patrick Burdine