This Would Be Paradise (Book 2)-A Zombie Novel

Chapter 17

"I can't wait! Can you drive faster?" Chloe asked, her excitement palpable.

"I'm as happy as you to finally find our group, but we need to conserve gas, you know that."

She nodded, but continued to fidget.

I was glad for the bone we had been thrown but that nagging voice in the back of my head began to make itself known. There was no date on the note, nor did I have any idea of what day it was anyways, but something could have happened between when Ethan left the stuff and now. All this hope could be for naught. And there was nothing to indicate who else made it. Was Zoe there? Was John? Was Darren? I didn't want to go down this road until I had to, so I tried to put my suspicions out of my mind.

"So CCR work for you?" I turned to Roy and he grinned.

"Sounds good to me."

I took out the CD from the center console and jammed it into the player. Classic rock filled up the silence, making the trip a little bit better. I was relieved that John didn't only have country music CDs in the car.

Chloe was just belting out to the chorus, "Have you ever seen the rain?" I think those were the only words she knew.

"So, all that you found in there was the handgun?" Roy asked as he laid his head against the passenger window.

"It was picked clean inside. I was lucky the Beretta was even still there, although it was locked up in John's office."

Roy tore his attention away from his window, "Tell me about your group. I only briefly met Ethan."

I wasn't sure where to start, but I was fortunate that Chloe launched into an explanation of everybody from the cabin. She even mentioned Taylor.

"Sounds like a good bunch you got there," Roy said, finally managing to get a word in. "You were here for Mardi Gras when this all happened?"

I nodded, "Crappy timing. Otherwise I'd be in Canada right now with my family."

"Never been, but I heard it's beautiful."

"Well, like most places it depends on where you are, but B.C. really is something. Lots of mountain ranges, green life and the coast is beautiful in the summer."

I was starting to make myself homesick.

"How about you? You from New Orleans?" I turned the questions onto Roy.

He paused. His mouth opened and then closed as if he was deciding what to say.

"Not originally. I moved there with-," he swallowed, "-my wife just before we had Amanda. More work out here than the small Northern town we came from."

He reached back and patted Amanda's knee with a sad smile. I felt like an ass for asking.

"I'm sorry for everything you've had to go through," I apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright. You have to deal with the hand you've been given. Can't just take the good." At that moment he looked more lost than any face I've ever seen.

Silence reigned again as we all digested everything, the only sound coming from the speakers. The directions took us down another main road, this one heading back into the city limits. I wasn't really nervous until we passed one of the mercenaries' spray-painted symbols on the road. This made Roy sit a little straighter in his seat.

"Can you pull over?" Roy asked.

"Thank God, I need to pee," Chloe announced.

I slowed down the car and brought it to the curb. This area had more infected than the outskirts of the city. We would have to take them out to buy us time.

"How do you want to do this?" Roy asked as his fingers counted the number of infected. "I count nine of the sick ones nearby and more in the distance."

"We can pick off the nearest threats, then have a quick bathroom break one at a time. But stay close to the car," I rattled off.

Chloe cast me a droll look, "I can't go if ya'll are watchin'."

I sighed; this was going to be a pain. I remember when simply stopping at a gas station bathroom during a road trip was enough to make me cringe.

"Do you have to go to the bathroom too?" Roy turned and asked Amanda.

She shook her head, brown eyes wide. Clearly she didn't want to get out of the car and I didn't blame her. I looked around to see if there were bushes or something we could use. There was a small one level house beside our spot on the curb. It gave me an idea.

"How about we break into the house and use their bathroom?" I suggested, pointing to the shack-like house. I'm sure they wouldn't mind, it wasn't like property values could go down any lower.

"How? Not like we have time to pick a lock," Roy asked.

"Break the window. It's not like we need the place intact, we just need to get in and out."

Roy nodded, "Okay, but first you and I will have to take out the close ones."

I had Chloe hand me the duffle Mac had given us.

"Looks like you'll be using your old friend," I said as I passed Roy one of the AR-15's.

The intimidating weapons seemed out of place in the small car. I let out a small giggle at how ridiculous this seemed; me handing out giant guns like I was sharing some Twizzlers. Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Don't mind her, she does that sometimes," Chloe chimed in from the back seat.

Brat.

I looked back at the two girls, "You stay put until we say it's clear, got it?"

They both nodded. I took a deep breath and got out of the car with my arsenal in tow.