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

want to be treated special because the general was family. I wanted to make my own way. I hoped they were going to teach me something worthwhile or I was going to be angry. I felt eyes on me and looked over my shoulder. A few of the girls stared, but they didn’t say anything. I turned back to my work.
    After I finished the dishes, I headed to the courthouse. I stepped through the threshold and took a deep breath. The room had been converted from the courtroom into Liet ’ s office. He’d kept the bench and jury box, but had the other seats ripped out. He spoke quietly to a man I assumed was one of his officers because of his uniform, and he smiled at me as I entered.
    “I’m glad you could make it. How are you settling into your new home?”
    “It’s almost like I never left Florida.”
    Liet chuckled. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.” He snapped his fingers , and some soldiers brought in a table and two chairs.
    We sat, and plates of roast with carrots and potatoes were set in front of us. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the smell drifted into my nostrils. My mouth watered, and I dug into my plate. I was halfway through my food when I looked up. Liet stared at me, his eyes wide. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze to his plate.
    “After we eat, I’d like to show you where the new burning grounds are going to be.”
    I swallowed my bite of food. “Okay.”
    “I know it doesn ’t sound that thrilling, but I want you to know we ’r e trying to make this place habitable. Besides, the re’s really nothing else to do here.”
    I smiled. “Wonderful. By the way, Pam seems to think she is going to be teaching me how to fight.”
    Liet stabbed at the meat on his plate. “Oh, good. So the two of you made some arrangements?”
    “I thought you were going to teach me.”
    “Krista, you have to understand. I ’m a very busy man. I have an entire camp to run. I ’ll certainly be there when I can, but if Pam has the time, I ’d recommend learning from her.”
    “Oh, okay.” I finished the food on my plate and waited.
    Six guards escorted us to the first guard tower as the sun set. Shades of orange, pink, purple, and red lined the sky. If it hadn ’t been for the stench, I would have enjoyed the moment. We climbed the stairs to look over the area. A few workers were in the trench, digging postholes, filling them with cement, then sticking in the metal poles for the chain - link fence. The horizon was flat, and the ground was covered with thousands of corpses. In the distance, a few mobile ones limped their way to the perimeter. I glanced at the guard tower to my right . They tracked the zombies with a pair of binoculars and spotting scopes. I squinted at the horizon to get a better view.
    “Over there, about five hundred yards, will be the pyre.”
    I turned to where Liet indicated. A group of twenty men dug a hole in the soft earth. Ten soldiers surrounded them, but they still nervously glanced over their shoulders. I wou ld’v e been freaked out too. From the looks of it, zombies were a constant threat, but one that could be taken care of.
    “They ’r e not used to being on that side of the fence,” Liet commented. “Even when they ’r e on our side, they still fall prey to the zombies. The zombies may be slow, but they ’re crafty buggers. Sometimes when you think you ’v e killed one, they pop right back up and bite you.”
    I glanced back down at the bodies and shivered. “How often do they attack?”
    Liet placed his hands on the rail and leaned forward. “It’s been getting more and more frequent since we moved the camp in. I ’ m sure they ’ ve used up the majority of their supplies on the west side, and the enticement of fresh meat is very alluring.” He stared at me, smiling. “You don ’t need to worry about them getting in. We have guards watching vigilantly night and day.”
    “What if one of the workers gets bitten and doesn ’t tell anyone?”
    Liet shook his