Dead Chaos - Book 1 - Zombie Apocalypse

Dead Chaos - Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Nacho came racing around the corner, with my dad a few steps behind. “Anya, you didn’t let me know you were on your way back.” He stopped in his tracks at the sight of Cocoa. Nacho forgot everything his trainer taught him and went into crazy-bark mode. “Nacho!” my dad called sternly and crazy-bark mode came to a halt, to be replaced with a long, vibrating growl.

Riley’s head peeked out of the screen door. “Daddy, Anya brought a wild animal home!”

It’s like she wants me to slap her.

When my dad’s disapproval turned on me, I did the only thing a girl could do in a situation like that. Pointing at my accomplice, I blurted out, “Justin did it!”

Justin’s grip on the baby bear tightened. “He’s an orphan, Levi, and his name is Cocoa.”

My dad shook his head and gestured for us to follow him to a shed on the side of the house. There, he dug around for what he was looking for. The leash was an electric blue and he had to adjust the collar to fit Cocoa’s fat neck.

Alexi ran from around the back of the house and came to a halt at the sight before him. “Riley said you guys brought home a bear!” Grabbing the leash from my dad’s hand, he kept jabbering, “I’m going to teach him tricks. We’ll call him Fang and train him to rip off zombie heads.”

“His name is Cocoa,” I protested.

“Cocoa?” Alexi shouted. “That’s a sissy name! Do you want all the other bears to kick his ass?”

“Alexi!” my dad scolded.

“Well, it’s true. Anya’s trying to make Fang soft,” he defended, already pulling Cocoa away as if trying to protect him from becoming soft.

“We’re not keeping him,” my dad stated.

And that’s where my great idea came in. “We could give him to Mac.”

Alexi’s face went defiant and Justin swiped the leash away from him. My dad thought it over for a moment. “We’ll take him to Mac’s and see if he wants him.”

“Of course Mac will want him,” Alexi grumbled moodily. “He’s a kickass predator.”

“I’ll go with you, dad. Just give me a few minutes,” I told him, rushing into the house.

Riley was pouting on the couch in her signature arms-crossed, chin-down pose. Anything for attention. She was probably just worried that with the bear around, she wouldn’t be the baby anymore. How she’d survived the apocalypse this long I’d never understood. Oh wait, I think maybe I had something to do with that.

“Where are you guys keeping that thing?” she asked snidely.

Tapping my index finger against my chin, I told her, “I’m thinking he can bunk with us in our room.”

“No way! I already have to put up with you and your freaky voodoo powers. I’m not putting up with that animal tearing up my stuff.”

“Chill out, Riley, we’re taking him to Mac. Where’s Paulina?” Already walking down the hallway, I heard her confirm Paulina was asleep upstairs. She usually worked in the garden in the morning with whoever was scheduled to help her that day. We each had a day of the week but most of us would pitch in an extra here and there.

In my room, I grabbed the bags with the boots and clothing I’d picked up for Mac on our last supply run. Getting to my knees, I dug around under my bed until I found the bottle of Macallan scotch I’d hid under there. This would hopefully sweeten the old man into taking in Cocoa until he was old enough to find his own way.