Free Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde by Devan Sagliani Page A

stood guard while I scoured for
some new stuff. I got an original Spiderman in pristine condition! I know you
have no idea what that means but it is a big deal. Well, it would be a big
deal, if anything still mattered in the world, but it's still a big deal to
me!”
    I hadn't seen Benji talk this much since the base. I know
it's petty, but a small part of me resented John for that as well.
    “Where are the twins?”
    “They slept on the other side of Ocean Boulevard,” Benji
said. “This street is for VIPs and stuff like that. John called it the Command
Center. He says the twins were over in the soldiers housing.”
    “So you haven't actually seen them?” I asked. “He just told
you?”
    “Well, I watched as we dropped them off last night while you
were sleeping,” Benji said, a note of sarcasm infecting his words. “But I
haven't seen them since then. No.”
    “What did John say about me?”
    “He talked a lot about you,” Benji said excitedly. “I think
he really likes you. He asked all sorts of questions about you and your
training and all about your brother.”
    “What did you tell him?”
    “Not much,” Benji said. “Truth is, I don't know much. All I
know is the stuff about you looking out for me at the base. John said he thinks
you are a natural born leader, a protector. That's what he called you.”
    “He did?” I didn't mean to sound so shocked. I just hadn't
expected flattery. Was I becoming so jaded that I couldn't trust anyone
anymore? This guy took us in and looked after us, but I was still looking for
something wrong with him, some reason not to trust or like him. Maybe I was
wrong.
    Give him the benefit of the doubt, I thought,
relaxing a little again. If only for the hospitality he's shown you, the hot
shower, and the delicious bacon.
    “It's just like you said it would be,” Benji smiled.
“They’re taking back the city one block at a time. Once they get Lompoc turned
around they plan on taking on other towns, cleaning them up too.”
    I was glad to see Benji happy again, even if I didn't know
how long it was going to last this time.
    “Cool,” I said. “I'm gonna go talk to him. Be back down in a
minute.”
    “Okay,” Benji replied, turning back to his game without a
care in the world. It was nice to see him finally getting to be a kid again. I
could hear the sound of gold coins being snatched up as I hit the top of the
stairs. There was a hallway with an open door at the end. My instincts told me
that John was in there, but I stopped at the first door and pulled it open
anyway. I imagined that I'd find a bedroom just like the one I slept in the
night before. Sure enough there was a bed in there. The rest was not at all
what I expected.
    Huge red and black flags hung from the ceiling with
swastikas in the middle of them. I stood there in shock and looked around the
room, seeing that it was stuffed from floor to ceiling with Nazi war
memorabilia. There were SS soldiers’ uniforms, weapons, even books. My eyes
came to rest on the spine of one sticking out of the bookshelf — Mein
Kampf .
    Maybe this is why they hate the racially diverse Unity
Gang so much, I thought. John and his friends are white supremacists !
    The tiny little spark of suspicion that I had been harboring
quickly blossomed into a fire of distrust. A flurry of wild thoughts ran
through my mind as I tried to recall if I had seen a single person who wasn't
white since we'd hooked up with John. None came to mind.
    I knew there was a reason not to like this guy. He's a
racist! That's why he called the war with the Unity Gang “Helter Skelter.” It's
a code phrase for a race war! He's like Charlie Manson or something. All those
women are probably his sex slaves. I've got to get Benji and get out of here as
fast as I can.
    I knew I couldn't leave without my sword. I'd need a plan.
We couldn't just bolt without attracting attention. This was bad!Cold
chills ran down my spine as I felt a warm hand clasp me by the