Zombies! A Love Story Read Online Free PDF Page B

sandwiches from the diner. Only I didn’t have the chips.” He patted his belly. “Been trying to take off a few pounds.”
    “And I’ve never heard of Sonatta Brand potato chips until today,” I said.
    Chuck heaved a heavy sigh. “That’s because they’re not supposed to be on the market yet.”
    “What do you mean?” I looked at the others in the room, and at the cell full of shuffling, groaning monsters. “Chuck?”
    “I’ve seen these bags before,” he said. “At Sonatta.”
    “In the company cafeteria?” I asked, praying he would say yes, but knowing better.
    “In a storage unit. Waiting to be distributed to grocery stores nationwide.”
    “Waiting on what, exactly?” I asked.
    “FDA Approval.”
    I bit my lips. “They’re from those genetically modified potatoes you were telling me about, aren’t they, Chuck? The ones that could provide more protein than pure beef?”
    He lowered his head, nodded.
    “What are you talking about?” Chief Mallory asked. “What’s your daughter talking about, Mary?”
    Mom just looked at me, waiting.
    “Chuck, when I asked you how Sonatta managed to make potatoes deliver all that protein, you didn’t answer me. Maybe you need to tell me now.”
    He swallowed hard. “They modified the DNA.”
    “Yeah, I got that. In what way?”
    Lifting his head, he looked me in the eye. “They added the DNA of an insect. High in protein, otherwise harmless, to modify the potatoes. These chips are the most nutritious, protein rich things you could imagine.”
    “Obviously. Aside from the fact that they turn you into a freaking zombie, they’re a dream come true.”
    “You don’t know it was the chips.”
    “All right, let’s investigate further. What kind of insect?”
    “What difference can that possibly–”
    “What. Kind. Of. Bug.”
    “I don’t know, some kind of a mantis.”
    “A mantis.”
    He looked up slowly. “Yes, a mantis.”
    “An insatiable carnivore.”
    He blinked, lowered his head. “Yes. Not an idea I’d have backed, by the way.”
    “I’d just like to know how these chips got into the food supply,” the chief asked. “If they were still awaiting FDA approval on the GMO potatoes, then how could they–?”
    “It’s voluntary,” Chuck said, sinking into a chair. “Technically, the FDA doesn’t have to approve genetically modified vegetables. Just meats. The company asked them to vet the potatoes just to be sure, but they were under no obligation to wait. I guess Mr. Reynolds got impatient.”
    He’d wet his hands and scrubbed them through his hair, and he hadn’t shaved since yesterday morning. A shadow of whiskers covered his jawline. He looked sexier than I’d ever seen him look. “I’d feel better if I had a weapon,” he said. “You have anything I can borrow, Chief?”
    “Townsfolk raided the place,” he said, going to a cabinet with its door hanging by a hinge. “Said they were going to fight their way out. Took everything but this.” He handed Chuck a big black rifle.
    Chuck made a face. “This is an air gun.”
    “It’s all I’ve got left, besides my own.”
    Chuck nodded. “Any chance you have a tool kit around here?”
    “Back room. Been remodeling it to make me an office, leaving room out here for a receptionist and a full time officer.”
    Chuck got up and walked into the back room, which used to be just for storage. When he came back, he had a huge tool box and carton of large nails. He sat back down and started taking the air gun apart.
    “Did you find any wounds on you, son?” Chief Mallory asked.
    “Not a one. I’m clean.”
    Mom had made coffee. That was my mother. Maybe the zombie apocalypse was in progress, but she wasn’t going to face it without a fresh pot of coffee. She knew her way around the office, too. Obviously, she’d been spending a lot of time here. She got out cups, filled them, handed them around, and put powdered creamer and sugar on the table. “You really think he’d change,