Free Jake's Law: A Zombie Novel by James Gurley Page B

a while.”
    “Lucky you. All I run across is murderous gangs. It looks like they’re settling in to stay. It won’t be safe to move around with them there.”
    “We have to do something,” Jessica pleaded.
    “You’re doing nothing. You can barely shoot and your shoulder is still healing.” He scowled at Reed, damning him with his eyes for involving him in things he had rather stay out of. Now, to refuse would make him look like a coward in Jessica’s eyes. He was surprised that he cared what she thought of him, but he did. And perhaps the small bit of cop remaining in him put in its two cents worth. “We can’t just take on a dozen armed men,” he protested. “We’ll get slaughtered.”
    Reed rummaged in the dirt bike’s saddlebags and produced a six-pack of beer. “I brought beer. Maybe it will help us come up with a plan. Got any chips?”
    Jake dragged the zombie corpse away from the gate. He could deal with it later. First things first . It wasn’t a Jake’s Law, but he might need to incorporate it into the litany. If he did, it should rightfully become Jake’s Law #1 , but he didn’t feel like re-doing the entire list. He could call it # 13 .
    Jessica played the perfect hostess, placing Reed’s warm beer in the refrigerator and setting three of Jake’s ice-cold Budweiser long necks on the table, along with a bag of pretzels. She sipped her beer but didn’t touch the pretzels. Reed could barely keep his eyes off her as he spoke. Jake couldn’t blame him. She presented a lovely picture.
    “They’re holed up in a house near the Oracle Park Inn, mostly getting drunk and doing drugs. At least one of them sits on the balcony on guard at all times, usually guzzling whiskey. They don’t look like militia or anything, mostly bikers or ex-cons, but they’re well armed with rifles, shotguns, and pistols.”
    Jake nodded. He knew the type. “They released a lot of prisoners up in Florence when things got bad. They should have executed the lot of them.” He slammed his beer down on the table. “We’ll need a diversion.” He looked at Reed. “Do they all go to the same houses when they’re looting or do they split up?”
    “ Split up, usually two or three per house. They drag what they want outside, and the truck comes and picks it up.”
    Jake looked at Reed with new found appreciation. “How long did you watch them?’
    “All night. I left before dawn. I found the dirt bike and pushed it halfway to San Manuel before getting up enough courage to hotwire it.”
    Reed flushed when Jessica reached out and patted his hand.
    “Hotwired?” Jake asked. “How does a science teacher learn how to hotwire motorcycles and follow tire tracks?”
    “Just something I picked up from book s.”
    “ Some books.” He looked at Reed with renewed respect. “We’ll have to take them on two or three at a time. If they’re busy shooting up the place, a few more shots shouldn’t alarm them, but one mistake, and we’re both dead.”
    “I’m going too,” Jessica said.
    “No way,” Jake said, shaking his head vehemently side to side.
    She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “You’ll need someone to drive the jeep if you have to get away in a hurry,” she insisted.
    Before Jake could protest, Reed sided with her. “She’s right. If we park too far away, we might not make it back if more of them show up.” He patted his rotund belly. “I’m not exactly built for speed. We can devise a signal if we need her to come pull our chestnuts out of the fire.”
    Jake shook his head. Two against one. That meant entrusting his life to two people he wasn’t completely sure of. He tried to think of another plan that didn’t involve her, but couldn’t. Reluctantly, he agreed. “Okay,” he said to Jessica. She flashed him a smile. “But if anything happens, you come straight back here. We’ll make our way back however we can.”
    She nodded.
    “We wait until tonight,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky