Free Zombie Rules (Book 4): Destiny by David Achord Page B

them quite a bit in the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but notice there was a lot of smiling and laughing going on between the two of them. When we got home, we had lunch together and even used separate plates for the occasion.
    “What’s his girlfriend’s name?” Kelly asked. I shook my head.
    “It’s his little sister, Maria. He’s twenty-four and she’s twenty. Their father is still alive too. The mother got infected. He had a girlfriend, but she was killed.” I finished my lunch and pushed my plate away. “And, most importantly, he said Maria is still a virgin and I should not get any ideas about her.” Kelly burst out laughing, so Floyd immediately joined in. We sat at the table enjoying our stale coffee while I continued.
    “So, there are three of them altogether; Jorge, his father Josue, and Maria. They have a small farm consisting of five acres on a dead end street near Smith Springs Road.”
    “How did they survive?” Floyd asked.
    “They blocked their road by turning a couple of buses over at the end of the street. That kept the roaming gangs out, and for some reason Josue had a lot of bear traps. They used them to trap zombies, making it easier to kill them. They’ve lived off of their gardening, hunting, and scavenging.” I shrugged. “No different from the rest of us, I suppose, at least, for some of us.” For some reason, I thought of the cannibals I had encountered a while back. “Oh, Jorge said there’s a UPS hub a couple of miles from his house that he wants us to help clear it and salvage.”
    “That sounds promising,” Floyd remarked.
    “Yeah. Anyway,” I continued, “it was a pleasant meeting, and to borrow a phrase from the late great Bernie the Beekeeper, I have opened the vestibule of barter by giving them a jug of honey.” Floyd stared at me questioningly, but I didn’t bother to explain. I was ready for him to leave, so I stood and stretched.
    “Well, Floyd, we have a lot to do before sundown. I bet Tonya has some work waiting for you as well.” Floyd realized he was being kicked out and looked crestfallen.
    “Yeah, I guess I better get back.” He stood slowly and struggled to put his jacket on. Kelly jumped up and helped him get his bad arm into the sleeve, glancing at me and winking. The two of us walked him outside. He stopped momentarily, turning toward us.
    “I appreciate y’all inviting me to join in, today,” he said, glancing a little bashfully at Kelly. “I had a really nice time and I’m glad we didn’t have to shoot nobody.”
    “We appreciate you helping us,” I replied and absently put an arm around Kelly’s shoulders.
    “Oh, I meant to say something earlier,” he said. “I spotted a group of zombies wandering down the Interstate yesterday, about a dozen of them. We didn’t do nothing with them. They didn’t see us and kept on walking.”
    I nodded. “I appreciate that. I guess with the temperatures beginning to warm up, they’re starting to become active again.”
    We waved at him cheerfully as he drove away. Kelly pressed against me as we waved.
    “You owe me big time,” she exclaimed.

Chapter 9 – Code
     
    “Well, it’s official,” Kelly said as we watched Floyd drive down the road and out of sight. “He’s definitely got a crush on me.” I eyed her.
    “Oh, yeah?”
    “Definitely.”
    “Did you get anything out of him?”
    “Yep,” she replied, but with a little hint of apprehension in her voice. “We should sit down first.” She led the way as we went back inside and sat at the kitchen table. She took her time and refreshed our coffee.
    “Okay, they told him everything and he believes they were being truthful because he was told the same story by different people at different times.”
    “Sounds like he was testing them to see if he was being bullshitted or not,” I reasoned. Kelly nodded. “Smart man.”
    “Yep. He said he wanted to make sure he wasn’t hitching his wagon on with a group of people who’d