{"id":274,"date":"2013-07-22T03:55:19","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T03:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=274"},"modified":"2013-07-22T03:55:19","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T03:55:19","slug":"chapter-64","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-64\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 64"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 64<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I never had children, and at this point, I probably never will.\u00a0 Still, like I\u2019ve said before, I feel like a father here.\u00a0 I am our leader, the head of the family, and it\u2019s my job to take care of the others.\u00a0 It\u2019s not easy.\u00a0 But then, fatherhood isn\u2019t, is it?<\/i><\/p>\n

I lost my own father about a month before I turned twenty, but before the cancer took him, we were close.\u00a0 I always wanted to be the same kind of father as him, the kind who took his kids camping and was never too busy to toss around a football in the backyard.\u00a0 I\u2019ll probably always regret not settling down with someone and starting a family while I had the chance.\u00a0 But then, maybe it\u2019s better that I didn\u2019t.<\/i><\/p>\n

I look at Brian and Howie, and I can\u2019t imagine what it would be like to lose a child.\u00a0 To stand by, helpless, and watch as the sickness consumed them.\u00a0 It certainly wasn\u2019t easy watching my dad waste away, but even though he and I were both much too young, it wasn\u2019t unnatural \u2013 parents are supposed to die before their children, not the other way around.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s bad enough trying to protect everyone here \u2013 and even worse, failing at it.\u00a0 I can\u2019t begin to describe what I went through after AJ got bitten.\u00a0 From the day he\u2019d arrived on the base with Howie and Kayleigh, he had been my right-hand man, my best soldier.\u00a0 He had risked his life, sacrificed himself to be the bait for our battle plan, and it seemed he was about to be our first casualty.\u00a0 I\u2019m a military man; I\u2019m used to losing men, sometimes close friends, but I wasn\u2019t ready to lose AJ.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to lose any of them.<\/i><\/p>\n

These nine people are the only family I\u2019ve got left, and it\u2019s my duty to protect them.\u00a0 The stakes have never been higher; the fate of the world might depend on our survival.\u00a0 This is one mission at which I absolutely must not fail.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sunday, July 8, 2012<\/b>
\nWeek Twelve<\/i><\/p>\n

When Kevin got up the next morning, Gabby was already waiting for him at the kitchen table.\u00a0 \u201cMorning!\u201d she chirped, unusually brightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning,\u201d Kevin echoed warily, eyeing her with suspicion.\u00a0 He liked Gabby, but her moods were pretty unpredictable.\u00a0 One minute she was happy and talkative like she seemed now, and the next, either sullen and pouting or angry and screaming, usually at her mother.\u00a0 Having grown up with only brothers and not spending much time around kids as an adult, he hadn\u2019t yet learned that this was just typical teenage girl behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what are we gonna do today?\u201d Gabby asked, her eyes large and shining.<\/p>\n

If he had, he would have recognized from the start that her bizarre cheerfulness was just because she wanted something.\u00a0 \u201cDo?\u201d repeated Kevin, and for once, he honestly wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 Usually he had a plan, an objective for the day, but the scare with AJ had thrown everyone off.\u00a0 All plans had been put on hold until they found out what was going to happen to AJ, and even now, Kevin wanted to wait and make sure he was really alright.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026 you\u2019re not gonna go out zombie-hunting today, are you?\u00a0 It\u2019s Sunday,\u201d added Gabby, like she really cared if it was a day of rest or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter what happened last time?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Not today,\u201d said Kevin, joining her at the table.\u00a0 Probably tomorrow,<\/i> he added in his head, but that would depend on how AJ and the others were feeling.\u00a0 He knew they had all been shaken by the trauma of almost losing AJ to the undead.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, good!\u00a0 Maybe we can do something fun, then!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin raised his eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you have in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

With a hopeful grin, Gabby pushed something across the table toward him.\u00a0 It was the base map she\u2019d confiscated back at the chapel, he realized.\u00a0 Even though she\u2019d been out on fewer trips than the rest of them, the kid probably had it memorized by now, for as often as she studied it.\u00a0 \u201cI think we should check out the mall!\u201d<\/p>\n

She reached out and tapped a spot on the map, and he looked at where she was pointing.\u00a0 BX Mall, it said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the base exchange mall.\u00a0 It\u2019s not exactly a mall like you\u2019re thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her expression was confused and crestfallen.\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of mall is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it has stores and a food court and stuff, but most of them are military-related.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d Gabby said quickly.\u00a0 \u201cIt sounds better than hanging out here.\u00a0 I wanna go out!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe glad we\u2019re not still living in the chapel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am!\u00a0 But I thought things would change once we got rid of all the zombies on the base.\u00a0 It\u2019s not all that different, though; you guys still get to go out on hunting trips, while I\u2019m stuck here with my mom.\u201d\u00a0 She rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for your protection, Gabby.\u00a0 It\u2019s not safe anywhere, even on the base.\u00a0 We think we got them all, but you never know \u2013 it\u2019s a big area, and there\u2019s lots of buildings they could be hiding in.\u00a0 And if you think we\u2019re having fun when we go outside the base, you\u2019re sorely mistaken,\u201d Kevin said grimly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ has fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, look what happened to AJ.\u00a0 This is not something to take lightly.\u201d\u00a0 Kevin sighed, then looked around to avoid her mutinous glare.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is your mother, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby let out a long-suffering sigh.\u00a0 \u201cUpstairs, changing the sheets.\u00a0 She always changes the sheets on Sundays.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 When Kevin raised his eyebrows again, she added, \u201cYeah, I know, tell me about it.\u00a0 You\u2019ve only been living with her for a month; try thirteen years!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin offered her what he hoped was an understanding smile, but then he said quietly, \u201cYou should be glad to have her around, you know.\u00a0 We\u2019re the only ones who had anyone from our families survive.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure the others would give anything to have their moms here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A stricken look crossed Gabby\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI am!\u201d she insisted quickly.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean it like that; I love my mom!\u00a0 She just\u2026 bugs me sometimes\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She trailed off lamely, hanging her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Kevin said, reaching out to pat her arm.\u00a0 \u201cJust a friendly reminder to show her some respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby scowled, but nodded.\u00a0 When she lifted her head, she was smiling again.\u00a0 \u201cSo\u2026 about the mall\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin racked his brain, but he couldn\u2019t come up with a logical reason why not, so finally, he said, \u201cAlright\u2026 I\u2019ll take you to see the mall, if your mom says it\u2019s okay.\u00a0 Maybe some of the others will want to go, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby gasped, \u201cThank you!\u201d and jumped up from her seat, scampering up the stairs to ask her mother\u2019s permission.\u00a0 \u201cShe said it\u2019s okay!\u201d she announced a few minutes later, bounding back down.<\/p>\n

Kevin looked up at her skeptically.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0 He had not forgotten the time Gabby had snuck out of the chapel to go adventuring on her own; he knew she could be manipulative.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally,\u201d sighed Jo, appearing on the staircase.\u00a0 She followed Gabby down, carrying a basket of laundry.\u00a0 \u201cShe has a point \u2013 as long as you\u2019re with her, I know she\u2019ll be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin tried to suppress his smile.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2026 alright then,\u201d he said, standing up.\u00a0 \u201cGive me an hour to get ready and eat some breakfast.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you run next door and see if anyone else is up and wants to go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful!\u201d Jo shouted after her, as Gabby darted out the door.<\/p>\n

But Kevin wasn\u2019t too worried about her there.\u00a0 Since they\u2019d taken residence of three of the homes on base, they hadn\u2019t encountered any zombies in the area.\u00a0 She would be safe, as long as she only went as far as AJ, Howie, and Kayleigh\u2019s house, two doors down.<\/p>\n

Kevin headed back upstairs, where he took a long shower, shaved, and got dressed.\u00a0 Even he, a soldier used to roughing it, appreciated the simple comforts of home, after two months of living in the chapel.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t have all the amenities of the pre-undead world; they tried to conserve as much electricity as they could, since the base was still running on generators with only a limited supply of fuel.\u00a0 When the fuel ran out, they\u2019d have to either find more or go without power.<\/p>\n

Gabby was nowhere to be found when he returned to the kitchen, so he fixed himself a bowl of cereal and ate breakfast alone.\u00a0 When he was finished, he put his empty bowl in the sink and asked Jo, \u201cWhere did Gabby go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s outside, with the crew,\u201d called Jo, poking her head out of the laundry room.<\/p>\n

Kevin went out and found \u201cthe crew\u201d gathered on the front porch of the house that Brian, Nick, Riley, and Gretchen shared.\u00a0 Gabby, Kayleigh, and Gretchen squeezed onto the swing, while the others perched on the porch rail or sat around on the steps.\u00a0 \u201cAre y\u2019all going to the mall?\u201d he asked, looking around at the big group in amusement.\u00a0 Everyone was there, except for Jo.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are,\u201d said Kayleigh, referring to herself, Howie, and AJ.\u00a0 \u201cI can never pass on a trip to the mall.\u00a0 Apparently, neither can AJ.\u201d\u00a0 She beamed at her roommate, who slid his dark sunglasses down the bridge of his nose and raised his eyebrows at her.<\/p>\n

Kevin looked at Brian.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about y\u2019all?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNick and Riley wanted to go to the beach,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cI think Gretchen and I are gonna go with them and check it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright\u2026 be careful\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will, cuz.\u201d\u00a0 Brian flashed him the same impish grin he\u2019d had all his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee if Jo wants to go; she\u2019s in the house doing laundry.\u00a0 Unless\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He looked at Gabby.\u00a0 \u201cDid you invite your mom to go to the mall with us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby wrinkled her nose, a look of pure horror on her face.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d she said, aghast.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t wanna go shopping with her<\/i>!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin frowned, giving her a warning look that said, Remember what we talked about this morning?<\/i><\/p>\n

Gabby got the message; the lines on her face smoothed out, and she flashed him a sheepish grin.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin nodded, winking at her.\u00a0 \u201cWell, let\u2019s head out then,\u201d he said, clapping his hands, eager to get going now that their plans were made.\u00a0 He\u2019d always hated just sitting around.\u00a0 \u201cWhich vehicle do you want?\u201d he asked Brian.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll take the pick-up.\u00a0 You guys can have the Hummer.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Kevin, Gabby, Kayleigh, AJ, and Howie piled into the Humvee and headed for the base exchange mall, a large building near the front gates.\u00a0 \u201cIt looks like a mall,\u201d said Gabby, looking up at the building with approval, as they climbed out of the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been shopping in forever!\u201d Kayleigh added happily.\u00a0 It was nice to see her smile; she was a pretty girl and had probably been one of those bubbly types in her former life, but these days, she usually just seemed depressed.\u00a0 Maybe a shopping trip was just what she needed to perk her up.<\/p>\n

When they walked into the mall, they all stopped just inside the entrance, stopped and stared.\u00a0 The interior was dark, hazy natural light filtering through the skylights in the ceiling, showing the dust particles that floated through the air, casting shadows across the tiled floor.\u00a0 It was also completely deserted, of course, and although they were used to abandoned buildings by now, this one was so large and so crowded, usually, that it still seemed creepy.\u00a0 AJ\u2019s raspy voice echoed through the empty expanse when he said, \u201cIt\u2019s like a fuckin\u2019 ghost town, ain\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby, Kayleigh, and Howie nodded silently, solemnly.\u00a0 Kevin just stared, remembering random trips here to get Baskin Robbins with some of the guys he\u2019d gotten to know during his recovery on the base.\u00a0 Guys like Sam Licata, who had succumbed to the virus, and Charlie Edwards, who had been infected by a zombie bite.\u00a0 Guys who were now dead.<\/p>\n

A lump swelled in his throat as he looked over at AJ, who had come so close to meeting the same fate as Charlie.\u00a0 He was glad they had voted not to kill him that night, but it disturbed him how close the vote had been.\u00a0 And he had been on the wrong side.\u00a0 He had voted to shoot AJ, the way he\u2019d shot Charlie, and now he wondered, had killing Charlie been a mistake, too?\u00a0 Charlie had asked for it, begged him to do it, but what if he had also been immune, the way AJ was, the way they all seemed to be?<\/p>\n

The thought made him sick, and he was glad he would never know for sure.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure he could live with the truth.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why do<\/i> you think AJ\u2019s not a zombie?\u201d Gabby asked reflectively, once it was just Kevin and her.\u00a0 After taking a lap around the mall together, they had split into two groups to check out the stores.\u00a0 Kayleigh had patronizingly offered to take Gabby with her, but Gabby had no interest in shopping with the older sorority girl and said she wanted to stick with Kevin instead.\u00a0 Feelings hurt, Kayleigh had stalked off in a huff with Howie and a reluctant AJ following in her wake, and Kevin was left alone to shop with a thirteen-year-old girl.<\/p>\n

He looked down at her.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a real good question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re all wondering, right?\u00a0 So what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

He took his time answering, thinking through his words before he said them.\u00a0 Slowly, he replied, \u201cI think it\u2019s clear that we all have some kind of immunity to the virus that caused this\u2026\u00a0 None of us got sick in the first place, even though we were exposed\u2026 and if we\u2019re like AJ, not even the bites can affect us the way they did\u2026 others\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike that girl.\u00a0 The dead soldier,\u201d said Gabby knowingly, and Kevin pictured Private Butler, her brains foaming out of her shattered skull, even as she rose from the dead and staggered towards them.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d was all he said back.<\/p>\n

\u201cS0 why do you think we\u2019re all immune?\u201d
\nHe\u2019d wondered the same thing all day and night, but had come up with no solid theories.\u00a0 Every possibility he\u2019d played around with had flaws, reasons why it could not be so.\u00a0 \u201cI dunno,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you<\/i> think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think it\u2019s genetic,\u201d she answered promptly, precocious as ever.\u00a0 \u201cYou and Brian\u2026 my mom and me\u2026 that can\u2019t be a random coincidence, can it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does seem far-fetched,\u201d Kevin admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t explain why the rest of everyone\u2019s relatives got the virus and died.\u00a0 If we had inherited some kind of immunity, don\u2019t you think more of our family members would have, too?\u201d
\nHe could practically hear the gears whizzing in Gabby\u2019s brain as she contemplated that.\u00a0 Finally, she replied, \u201cMaybe it\u2019s just really, really rare.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat could be,\u201d he conceded, impressed by her logic, even though he\u2019d considered and dismissed the very same notion the previous day.\u00a0 It worked for Jo and Gabby, mother and daughter, who looked so alike.\u00a0 But how could he and Brian, first cousins, yet total opposites, have inherited the same genetic anomaly when no one else in their family, not their parents or their brothers or, in Brian\u2019s case, children, had?\u00a0 Granted, Kevin didn\u2019t know for certain that the rest of his family was dead, but he had come to accept it \u2013 after all, it had been nearly three months since the Day of Unholy Resurrection.\u00a0 If they were still alive, they would have come looking for him by now.<\/p>\n

He knew most of the others, those who had not seen their dead family members firsthand, had come to realize the same sad fact.\u00a0 They were all dealing with it in different ways.\u00a0 Some, like AJ and Nick, seemed determined to make the most of their new life and enjoy the simple pleasures it had to offer, rather than dwell on what they missed about their old lives.\u00a0 Others, like Brian and Kayleigh, were still haunted by their grief.\u00a0 The rest of them were somewhere in between, and Gretchen was just in denial, still expecting her husband to turn up any day.\u00a0 She had started asking Kevin about traveling north, to Maryland, where her husband had been working when the Osiris Virus spread.\u00a0 His firm answer was \u201cno.\u201d\u00a0 Their group was so small already, he couldn\u2019t bear the risk of losing any of their numbers, and after what had happened to AJ just outside the walls of the base, there was no way he was going to let Gretchen try to make it all the way to Maryland.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t really up to him, he knew; she was free to go if she insisted, but somehow, he knew she wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 She was afraid, afraid of the journey and afraid of what she might find \u2013 or not find \u2013 at its end.\u00a0 That fear kept her put, for now.<\/p>\n

He watched Gabby wander ahead of him, absently tugging at the choker she always wore around her neck, as she rifled through racks of military clothing.\u00a0 The teenager had adjusted to their new world better than he would have guessed \u2013 better, indeed, than some of the others.\u00a0 She was tough, and according to Jo, her hardened exterior had been around even before the dead rose.\u00a0 He knew about her father, about how she\u2019d gotten the scar she tried to hide with her necklace.\u00a0 It was a tragedy, for sure, but it had made her stronger; in a way, it had prepared her for what was to come.\u00a0 She was better equipped than most to handle the world falling down around her because, for her, it already had when her father had been taken from her.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinding anything?\u201d he asked kindly, catching up to her.<\/p>\n

Gabby made a face.\u00a0 \u201cEverything\u2019s blue, green, khaki, or camo.\u00a0 I\u2019m sick of camo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI warned you this wasn\u2019t gonna be your kind of mall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about it.\u00a0 There\u2019s not even a Claire\u2019s or a Hot Topic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure Kayleigh\u2019s complaining about the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby rolled her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cKayleigh would probably complain even if there was<\/i> a Claire\u2019s and Hot Topic.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure she only shops at places like Abercrombie & Fitch and Banana Republic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNot a fan, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe reminds me of my best friend, Makayla.\u00a0 Except she\u2019s not, and I don\u2019t want her to be.\u00a0 Nobody can replace Mak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think she wants to take your best friend\u2019s place.\u00a0 But maybe she needs a new best friend of her own.\u00a0 She hasn\u2019t had an easy time of it here\u2026 not that any of us have, but\u2026 you know what I\u2019m saying, don\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0 Kevin looked closely at Gabby, who was frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 I know.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t want her treating me like her kid sister, like her Mini-Me.\u00a0 I\u2019m nothing like her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d echoed Kevin, thinking, No, you\u2019re not.\u00a0 You\u2019re so much stronger.<\/i>\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t say that, not wanting it to get back to Kayleigh.\u00a0 Kayleigh had come so far since the first few days; he didn\u2019t want to do anything to set her back.<\/p>\n

They left the military clothing store and made their way to the food court.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think anything will still be good?\u201d asked Gabby, looking longingly from Anthony\u2019s Pizza to Baskin Robbins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout electricity?\u00a0 Doubt it.\u201d\u00a0 He nodded towards the ice cream parlor.\u00a0 \u201cI bet all they\u2019ve got now is thirty-one flavors of curdled ice cream soup.\u201d<\/p>\n

He meant it as a joke, but Gabby looked too dejected to smile.\u00a0 \u201cEw\u2026\u201d she said pitifully, her mouth turning down into a sad pout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can still check it out, if you want.\u00a0 Who knows, maybe they\u2019ve got a deep freeze that stayed cold enough.\u201d\u00a0 He started walking towards the Baskin Robbins, and Gabby reluctantly followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIce cream sounds sooo good right now,\u201d she whined.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t quite as hot inside the large mall as it was outside, but the air was still stagnant and stuffy.\u00a0 Kevin had to agree that an ice cream cone would be amazing.\u00a0 But it was just as he\u2019d predicted; they gazed through the clear partition into the freezer cases next to the counter to find tub after tub of muddy-looking, liquid ice cream, floating in water from all the ice build-up that had defrosted.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s back there?\u201d asked Gabby, pointing to a closed door behind the counter.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe that\u2019s the deep freeze.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably just a break room,\u201d said Kevin, but Gabby had already run around the counter to see for herself.\u00a0 \u201cBe careful,\u201d he warned instinctively, as she reached to open the door.<\/p>\n

Though he\u2019d said it off-handedly, he\u2019d been right to warn her:\u00a0 no sooner had she flung open the door than Gabby let out a high-pitched scream and jumped back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d asked Kevin in alarm, darting around the corner to see.\u00a0 His heart leapt into his throat as a female zombie, dressed in a pink uniform, staggered through the doorway.\u00a0 \u201cGo!\u201d he shouted to Gabby, pushing her behind him.\u00a0 He drew his gun, aimed, fired. \u00a0The ice cream scooper zombie toppled backwards, the back of her head hitting the floor with a sickening thunk.<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin?\u201d he heard Gabby call from out in the food court.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m alright!\u201d he shouted back.\u00a0 \u201cI got her!\u00a0 Just gonna make sure there\u2019s no more.\u201d \u00a0Shaken, he stepped over the dead zombie and peeked into the tiny room she\u2019d emerged from, but it was empty.<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin?!\u201d Gabby called again, her voice sounding more shrill this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin, hurry!!\u201d\u00a0 She was panicking now, and when he made it out of the ice cream parlor and back into the open space of the food court, he saw why.\u00a0 A second zombie, attracted by the noise, was shuffling out of Manchu Wok, bumping clumsily between tables and chairs as it lurched toward Gabby, who stood defenseless and seemingly paralyzed by fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn,\u201d Kevin cursed under his breath, rushing to take out the second zombie.\u00a0 He got in front of Gabby again, took aim, and sent a bullet right through one of the zombie\u2019s cloudy, slanted eyes, which exploded in a spurt of fluid as the zombie collapsed, bouncing off one of the seats on its way to the floor.\u00a0 He waited just long enough to make sure it wouldn\u2019t get up again, then grabbed Gabby\u2019s hand and said, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he returned his gun to his holster, he realized he was the only one who had come armed, more out of habit than the need for protection.\u00a0 Despite his constant warnings for everyone to be cautious, he, like the others, had thought the base was clear.\u00a0 If AJ, Howie, and Kayleigh ran into more of the undead on their end of the mall, they were going to be fashionably screwed.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 64 I never had children, and at this point, I probably never will.\u00a0 Still, like I\u2019ve said before, I feel like a father here.\u00a0 I am our leader, the head of the family, and it\u2019s my job to take … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":64,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/274"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":275,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/274\/revisions\/275"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}