It kind of did. I’d be able to charge my phone in the SUV. But if Charlene’s phone was dead, what good would it do me?

Absolutely, none.

A horn honked. Could have been the SUV. And again. Then a car alarm was activated. Whooping over and over.

Chapter Thirty

Allison and I charged out of Donald and Julie’s house. Out front, zombies surrounded the SUV. They pounded on the windows, climbed onto the hood. I counted ten. Eleven, one was behind the SUV, too.

Nothing slow or sluggish about them.

They wore t-shirts, basketball shorts, and high-tops. It was like our friends were being attacked by a high school basketball team. There was also a woman in rollers, and an unbelted baby blue bathrobe. The old man in briefs and nothing else, had more hair on his body than a Sasquatch.

If Josh and Dave weren’t in trouble, if this wasn’t really happening, it would be hysterical. I’d be laughing. Only, it wasn’t really Josh and Dave in trouble. It was Allison and me. They were in a truck. Locked away safe. We were out in the open.

I unclipped my radio. “Josh. Dave. Guys, get out of here. We’ll go back in the house. Come back for us later,” I said. I put an arm in front of Allison, swept her behind me, back into the house.

“Roger that.” Dave’s voice was crisp and clear over the radio.

The horn honked and honked as Josh backed out of the driveway.

At first I thought, what the hell is he doing? I realized then that he was drawing their attention. Keeping the zombies occupied. Saving Allison and me. Or, at the very least, buying time.

I locked the door, watched the SUV pull away from the house slowly, the zombies still on the hood, following and banging on the windows.

“What are we going to do?” Allison said.

“Be ready. Check the back door. Saw it in the kitchen, goes out onto a deck. Make sure we can get out that way,” I said.

Josh wasn’t leaving. He was bowling.

Once down the street, and clear of the monsters, Josh turned around and sped toward the gathered herd. Two things happened. Several of the zombies were hit, maimed, and some killed. While one of them bounced into the air, over the hood and smashed through the SUV windshield.

Josh braked hard. The SUV spun. Tire treads didn’t grab shit on the wet pavement. The zombie on the hood rolled onto the street and into a yard, inches from taking out a mailbox.

“We can get out the back door. No zombies back there.” Allison was panting, like she’d run there and back.

“They’ll all be out front with the noise Josh is making. Wait here. Watch them. They get into trouble--yell. I’ll be right back,” I said.

I left Allison at the door, ran into the kitchen. And stared at the walls. I didn’t see a place for hanging car keys. I checked drawers and all around where the phone was mounted.

Two cars in the driveway. Keys had to be somewhere. I knew when I got home, I walked in the apartment and dropped them onto the bookcase by the door. Along with my wallet and smokes.

I went back to the front door. Right there. A small table in the corner.

“What is it?” Allison said.

“We’re going to be riding in style, I think,” I said. “With the windshield smashed on that thing, it won’t be any good to us.”

Josh hadn’t let up. His plan worked, and backfired.

I depressed the button on the radio. “Josh, all the excitement is calling more zombies. I can see them coming down the street from inside the house.”

The SUV did a thump-da-thump-thump over a downed monster before the radio crackled. Dave’s voice came through with static over the small speaker. “This windows shot. Front end is a bit smashed.”

“I got us new rides,” I said. “Allison and I are going to run out and start the cars in the driveway. You clear a path, come up on the lawn, and then jump into the cars.”

“Roger that.”

I handed the BMW keys to Allison. I didn’t want to drive the car Donald bought for my ex. I’d rather drive his. Planned to beat the shit out of it after we got where we needed getting to.

“Where are we going?” Allison said.

It was an obvious question. My kids weren’t here. The whole journey had been about finding them, coming to their rescue. Getting us back together.

They weren’t here, and there was no indication to where they may have . . .

It hit me. There was one obvious place my kids might head to if things went bad at their mom’s home. And it was safe to say things went bad. Very bad.

The solution was almost too daunting, too much to comprehend. I thought I knew where my kids were, or where they were headed. “We’re going to run to the cars,” I said. “Get in. Start them up, okay?”

Allison nodded.

The zombies were preoccupied with the SUV. Josh was unleashing a solid case of whup-ass on them, breaking legs, and rolling over skulls. With the new arrivals, there were still about seven or eight zombies. The guy in the whitey-tighties was down. His head so flat I thought I saw tire tracks across his skin.

“On three,” I said. I placed a hand on my pocket, knowing the picture of my family was safe, and it gave me strength. I’d need it. We had to head back the way we’d just come. No one was going to be too happy about that.

We counted together, silently. Lips moving. No words came out. On three, the unlock button on the key fobs sounded. Lights on the vehicles came on. We ran, climbed into our cars and started the engines.

The Lexus had a full tank.

I hoped the BMW did as well.

I used the radio. “We’re ready for you,” I said.

I gave Allison a thumbs-up through our windows, and we waited.

Josh had the SUV in the street. He slammed it into reverse and sped backwards. He took out two, the truck bouncing over and crushing their bodies.

When he stopped, I held my breath. All at once, despite wet pavement, I heard tires squeal and saw rain water spray out of puddles as the Navigator lunged forward. It resembled a bizarre obstacle course. He wasn’t going around or avoiding orange pylons. He was running the zombies down. One after the other. He did a 180 and came up onto the lawn. The tires dug into the grass, but the ground was too hard to rut up the yard. The SUV slid to a stop alongside the driveway.

Allison threw open her door.

I screamed, “What are you doing?”

She jumped into the passenger seat of the Lexus. Dave and Josh scrambled into the BMW.

Josh gave me a nod.

I engaged the door locks, and backed out of the driveway. I started down the street and Josh and Dave followed close behind.

The Lexus struggled going over the corpses Josh left scattered on the road. The cars were not optimal for this, the way the Navigator had been. They would have to do.

“The BMW have a full tank?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t look.”

“Use my radio. Ask,” I said.

She took the radio. “Josh? Dave?”

“Right behind you,” Dave said.

“How are you for fuel?”

“Full tank.”

I nodded at Allison. Sounded good.

“Ah, Chase? Josh wants to know the game plan,” Dave said. “You have one, right?”

“Tell him,” I said to Allison, “My kids are headed to my apartment. We’re going there. Back to Ridge Road.”

Allison’s eyes went a little wide. She relayed the message. There was a long silence. The radio crackled.

“Josh says, at least we’re headed south.”

Chapter Thirty-One

The rain had stopped as we started south on the main road. I learned two things. The zombies definitely hate the rain, and two, they were not just dying off on their own.

Despite the darkness of a fall evening, the creatures spilled onto the streets. The variety of monster attire was mildly humorous. Business suits to sweat pants and a tank-top, to evening gowns, and bathrobes with slippers. Sanitation workers in green jumpsuits to fast food employees in striped Polo's with cargo pants and complete with a big M on the brim of their cap.