Free Life After The Undead (Book 2): Death to the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair

We just want to make sure you’re going to be safe.”
    The man leaned back in the chair. He interlaced his fingers, all of them except for his index fingers, and brought them to his lips. He stared at us for a moment.
    “I still don’t understand what you mean.”
    Quinn glanced at me. I shrugged one shoulder and focused on my cookie. I bit into it. It was soft, warm, and the chocolate was half melted. It dissolved on my tongue. I closed my eyes, savoring the sweetness. If I died at that moment, I would have been happy. It was the best cookie I ever tasted.
    “They might come after you because of what happened in North Platte.”
    “What happened in North Platte?” the girl who brought us the cookies asked.
    “Yes, please enlighten us.”
    I shoved the rest of the cookie into my mouth, hoping it would choke back the anger that threatened to explode. I chewed slowly; the exertion of the movement brought my emotions under control. It wasn’t their fault they didn’t know what happened in North Platte. They lived a sheltered life. Communication wasn’t what it used to be. How would they know what was going on in the rest of the world? Why would they care? Why would they bother finding out what was happening to other survivors, other humans, as long as they were happy and safe? I fought back every urge in my body to stand from the couch and leave. I wanted to tell them never mind, deal with the situation any way they wanted to. We had enough crap to deal with, we didn’t need theirs. But I knew what Quinn would say, and, deep down, I knew staying was the right thing to do. Even if they were sheltered jerks, they still didn’t deserve to be blown off the face of the Earth. They deserved a fighting chance.
    Quinn calmly told them about Liet and the uprising, but I knew it was a struggle for him. He had his hands folded between his legs, his knuckles were white. He was even more tired than I was. I took a nap in the truck. I imagined how frustrated and irritated he was. I ate another cookie while I waited for him to finish.
    When he was done, the man sat quietly, absorbing the information. The girl shifted from one foot to the other, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Without warning, the man slammed his hands onto the arms of the recliner and pushed himself up. I jerked with surprise and almost spilled my coffee.
    “Well, we appreciate you taking the time to warn us, but we can take care of ourselves.” He gestured with an open hand toward the way we came in.
    “Duncan,” the girl whispered and stepped forward. She was going to say more, but Duncan held up his hand to silence her.
    “We have been in this city for a long time now. We keep a vigilant eye. No one will get the upper hand on us.”
    Quinn stood. “I hope you’re right. I really do. They won’t think twice about shooting you from the sky.”
    Duncan’s eyes narrowed. “And if it weren’t for you and your rebellion, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.”
    By that point, I had enough. I slammed my cookie onto the table before getting to my feet.
    “You can’t blame us for wanting a better life. We didn’t have the luxury in North Platte you have here.” I fluttered my hand around the room, indicating the mall.
    Duncan stared at me. “We all made our choices. I shouldn’t feel sorry, or have to pay, for the ones you made.”
    “And what about reclaiming what’s ours? What about killing the zombies and taking back America?”
    “We’re fine where we’re at. We don’t need anything more.”
    “Duncan,” the girl said again. I heard the disappointment in her voice.
    I hoped she would say more, maybe take our side and convince Duncan to do something, but she just walked away.
    Quinn huffed. His face turned red, and I knew he was doing everything in his power to stay calm. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, then walked away. I narrowed my eyes and stared at Duncan. I shook my head. There were so many things I