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

shoulder. I was
totally screwed!
    “So,” John said in a deep, steady voice. “You've found our
secret room.”
     

Chapter Seven
    I spun around to look directly into John's clear, cold, blue
Irish eyes.
    “Your secret room?” I sputtered. “You're into this stuff?”
The words were out before I could take them back.
    So much for playing it cool , I thought.
    John laughed so hard his whole body shook.
    “It's a joke,” he said when he recovered. “Lighten up.”
    “So why is it here?” I asked.
    “We didn't put it there,” he roared. “I promise you that.
These aren't our homes. We took over this whole block after Z-Day. We are still
finding surprises.”
    “So why haven't you cleaned it out?” It seemed like an
innocent enough question to me, but I could see I was starting to push John's
buttons.
    Good to know I can , I thought. That might come in
handy later.
    “Believe it or not, we've got plenty to worry about right
now,” he spat, trying to hide his obvious frustration. “We'll get around to it
when things slow down. I promise.”
    “Got it,” I said, trying to act like a dumb kid as I turned
and looked down at my sneakers.
    “Come on then,” he ordered. “My office is at the end of the
hall. I wanna talk with you a spell.”
    We walked to the back of the hallway and into his office.
After the Nazi war room, it was a bit disappointing how humdrum the place was.
There was a map of the city with a bunch of stuff scribbled on it and crossed
out. From the looks of things it had been a hard month. John sat down behind
the desk and motioned for me to take a chair as well. I sat and stared at him.
    “So how do you like our fair city so far?” He said with a
grin. “Not so shabby? Must be nice waking up without worrying that a zombie was
gonna chew your head off.”
    “Where is my blade?” I didn't hesitate. I was prepared to go
to war to get my katana back.
    “It's safe,” he casually countered.
    “Why did you take it from me? You had no right.”
    “It's been decided that the citizens of New Lompoc shouldn't
be armed,” John said, casually trying to brush it off.
    “Well I am not a citizen,” I challenged him.
    “No,” he replied, leaning forward. “You are a guest.”
    I sat back and crossed my arms.
    “As I was saying,” John continued. “Only armed patrols are
allowed to carry weapons.”
    “That's insane,” I interrupted. “So you are telling me that
if a wild pack of zombies were to march through town, the people wouldn't be
allowed to defend themselves? Why? Are you really that threatened they might
question your authority?”
    “First of all,” John managed through gritted teeth, the note
of agitation no longer hidden in his usually honeyed voice, “there is no such
thing as a zombie horde.”
    “Yeah? Then what ran us out of Vandenberg?”
    “Second,” John said calmly, ignoring my taunt. “The armed
patrols of New Lompoc are more than equipped to handle the Unity Gang threat.
Since we took over this territory, we haven't had a single attack—zom or
human related. The people are happy again. Life is finally returning to some
sort of normalcy. You'd see that if you weren't looking for some way to tear us
down.”
    “So it's simply share and share alike?”
    “Pretty much,” John said. “I get the feeling that you don't
trust me much. I can't say given what I hear you've been through that I blame
you entirely. What is it going to take to win you over?”
    “You could start by giving me back my blade,” I said without
hesitation a second time. John laughed.
    “All things in due time,” he replied, a knowing grin on his
face. “In the meantime, I was hoping you'd be interested in sticking around and
helping out a bit. Word has it you are both a fierce warrior and a loyal
friend.”
    I thought about Sam the minute he said it. God, I hope Benji
didn't mention him.
    “Actually, I have other plans if you don't mind,” I said
derisively.
    “You mean your brother