Free Time of Death Book 2: Asylum (A Zombie Novel) by Shana Festa Page A

sobered us. It was one thing to
spitball ideas about venturing into the dangerous city, but putting
a deadline on it made it real and far too scary for my liking. No
discussion was needed; we would all be going on the trip. For one,
I wasn't letting any of my family out of my site, and Peter, well
he seemed great, but I didn't trust him enough to leave him alone
with the boat.
    I looked down at Daphne, inconspicuously
taking random licks at the salty water, and knew I would not leave
her behind. Without a guarantee someone would be here to care for
her should anything happen to me, I couldn't bear the thought of
her starving to death alone on the houseboat. It was going to be a
fight, but either way it was a lose/lose situation. One of those
we're damned if we do, we're damned if we don't times. Not wanting
to ruin the afternoon, I decided to hold off on my revelation until
the last possible moment.
    Daphne let out a yip, reminding Jake she was
still waiting for him to resume his water flicking. As the bark
escaped, a little nugget of poop fell out of her bum and landed in
the water with a plop, essentially clearing the tub of its
inhabitants in record time. She had the audacity to look offended
when I put her down on the deck.
    "Oh, I'm so sorry. What did you expect to
happen after bombing us? Here, let me get that for you…bitch."
Grabbing the net, I scooped the floater out of the water and tossed
it overboard.
    "I am not going back in that thing until it's
drained and cleaned," proclaimed Meg. They all looked at me.
    Great, just what I wanted to do.
    "Yeah, yeah, I'll do it tomorrow."

Chapter 06: Polly Want A
Cracker?
     
    Vinny surprised us all by cooking breakfast the next
morning. The smell of fish still made my stomach turn, but I
learned early on that a full stomach is better than an empty
stomach. While he slaved away at the stove, I escaped to the upper
deck with Daphne. A girl's gotta poop after all. That girl, not
this one.
    The scenery had changed and we were closer to
shore. Someone had packed supplies into five bags, and a sixth
empty bag lay next to them; Daphne's bag. Seeing it lessened the
feeling of dread I didn't realize was building inside me.
    We ate breakfast in the galley, Jake going
over the plan one last time. "We paddle to shore, and starting with
the closest building; we fill the hockey bag with food and water.
Like last time, melee weapons only. I packed the firearms, but
stealth is imperative. I don't want to be out there a second longer
than absolutely necessary. We all know the risks."
    "Let's get that raft up and loaded," ordered
Vinny. "I packed each of us a go-bag. We all have two days' worth
of rations."
    Meg, Peter and I passed the bags and weapons
down to the others, and they transferred them into the raft. The
rapid inflation was kind of awesome to watch, but it left me
wondering how we were supposed to fit it back into that tiny bag. I
stuffed a miffed Daphne into her bag and gently passed it down to
Jake, who put her into the raft. Saying she was not a happy camper
would be the understatement of the year.
    "I'll be right back," Peter said. "It's my
turn to find a hand-to-hand weapon. From what I hear, I've got some
thinking to do if I'm going to outdo the names of yours."
    "Not gonna happen, Pete. There's no way
you'll top The Brain-Biter," I taunted, watching him disappear down
the stairs. I was about to turn back to Jake when something caught
my eye. Moving toward us at top speed, and showing no intent on
slowing, was another boat. Scratch that; this thing was a
yacht.
    "A boat!" I yelled, pointing even though it
was close enough to be seen by even a blind man. I had only a
moment of excitement before realizing the boat was headed straight
at us.
    We waved our arms, shouting for them to
turn.
    "Oh, my God, it's going to ram us." Meg
stumbled back, tripping over my foot and fell to the deck. I
grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back to her feet.
    "Pete!" I screamed, over and over