Free Life After The Undead (Book 1) by Pembroke Sinclair Page A

Liet to show me the grounds. My stomach unclenched a little, but I was sure I ’d never get used to the smell. He took me to a house and explained it was the women ’s dormitory. It ’d been blue at one time, but the color had faded to gray. The windows were covered with particleboard that had been warped by rain, and the door practically fell off its hinges when Liet pushed it open. As we stepped inside, the smell of mildew drifted into my nose, and, sadly, it was a welcome relief from outside. There wasn ’t much furniture — a couch and a couple chairs. Dishes were stacked in the sink, and clothes hung around the room. Cots had been set up in the empty spaces, and a few female soldiers eyed me as I walked in.
    “Ladies, this is Krista. Please make her feel at home.”
    I furrowed my brow. “Aren’t I staying with you?”
    Liet nodded. “Eventually. They ’r e finishing the remodeling on my apartment. As soon as it’s done, you can move in.” He grabbed the door handle. “I’l l see you at dinner.” He winked, then turned on his heel and left the house.
    I tightened the grip on my bag and looked around the room. “Um, should I set my stuff anywhere?”
    One of the women stepped forward. I tried not to flinch, but the soldier was almost a head taller than I was and twice as wide. Her hair was pulled back in cornrows, and lines etched her face. She placed her hands on her hips and looked me up and down.
    “How old are you?”
    “Seventeen.” The word caught in my throat and I choked it out.
    The woman laughed. “Seventeen? What in god’s green earth are you doing out here?”
    “I couldn’t stay in Florida.”
    The woman laughed again. “I bet you ’r e rethinking that right about now.”   She stepped forward and gently grabbed my biceps and pulled me into the room. “You can sleep on the cot next to the kitchen. What did you do in Florida?”
    “I was a housekeeper.”
    The woman turned to the others in the room. “Well, I’ll be! We were just talking about how we needed someone to help us clean this mess up. Look, girls, God does answer prayers.”
    The others chuckled.
    “Here, set your stuff down. Where are my manners? I’m Pam.” She stuck out her hand.
    I grabbed it, and my hand was engulfed in calluses and sandpaper skin. “Krista.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, Krista. I assume that since Liet didn ’t put you out in a tent that you are someth in’ special. What kind of combat training do you have?”
    I set my bag on the bed and shook my head. “None.”
    I thought about telling her Liet was my cousin, but since she didn ’t specifically ask, I didn’t say a word. It wasn ’t that I didn ’t trust her . On the contrary, she was nothing like the others. I didn ’t get any Carmen vibes at all , but I didn ’t want to be treated differently. I wanted her to treat me like a soldier.
    “None? What the…?”   She turned to the other girls, who ’d come forward and surrounded us. “We’ll have to remedy that situation.”
    “Liet already told me he’d teach me to fight.”
    Pam laughed. “Tha t’ll be the day. More than likely, he’d pawn you off on one of us. Since tha t’s the case, le t’s make a deal. We’ll teach you how to kill zombies, and you make this house livable. Deal?”
    I looked around the house and frowned. The carpet was torn and frayed with an inch-thick layer of mud and the walls were yellowed. “I guess.”
    Pam slapped me on the shoulder. “Good. We’ll start combat training tomorrow . You have a few hours before dinner, perhaps you could get started now.”
    I nodded and took a deep breath. I thought the easiest thing to start would be the dishes, so I headed into the kitchen. As I ran the water, I desperately wished I had my iPod. I didn ’t make the journey to be another maid. I scrubbed furiously at a plate. I probably cou ld’v e gotten out of it, all I had to do was tell them I was related to Liet, but I’d made a deal. I didn’t