Free Epidemic of the Undead: A Zombie Novel by P. A. Douglas Page A

realized that it would make a pretty solid promo photo for the band. Mark and Steve had shot the idea down.
    “Yeah. That’s me and my dad.” Stephanie shifted awkwardly on the couch, but Chris didn’t notice.
    “Dude, he looks freaking old as crap,” Chris chuckled. “Old enough to be your granddad. That’s crazy!”
    “He’s dead,” she said in a low voice.
    The room filled with an awkward silence. Chris pretended to be interested in the other pictures and moved about the room. Most pictures were of Stephanie and her friends. An occasional childhood photo of her and her old man were mixed in, but Chris didn’t see any that might contain her mother. The tension was so thick that he wasn’t sure what to say. He felt like such a jackass.  
    After a few quiet minutes, she finally broke the ice. “It’s not your fault. Everybody thought he was my grandpa. He died when I was seventeen.”
    “Man . . . what happened?”
    “He died of old age, actually. He was seventy-six. That’s not old-old, but it was his time, I guess.”
    “And your mom?” Chris made his way back to the couch.
    “Died giving birth to me. My dad said I was his little miracle.”
    “Holy crap,” Chris said softly. “That would have made your mom like sixty something when she had you, right?”
    “She was quite a bit younger than my dad, but she was up there in age for someone to be popping out babies. My dad said her body was too weak and frail for the delivery. I never met my mom. I don’t even have any pictures. Before I was old enough to remember . . . my dad . . . got rid of them all, because they made him sad to look at her.”
    “Wow, that’s pretty wild. At least, you ended up doing well for yourself despite all of that,” Chris said gesturing at the house around them.
    “It was my parent’s. I grew up here, and was even born in this house. I inherited it when my dad passed away. He said that I should keep it and raise my family here too.” Her eyes grew wide and they filled with tears.
    “Well, your dad sure sounds like he was a great person. Wish I could have met him. Is that what you wanted to do, raise a family here?”
    “He was definitely something and honestly, I don’t know if I want to raise my family here. Traveling seems fun,” she said wiping away her tears.
    Chris sat down and told Stephanie a few exciting stories about his travels and some of the crazy people he had met along the way. The mood lifted again. Stephanie seemed to bury her emotions as she had probably managed to do for all of her life. Chris couldn’t imagine not knowing his mother; let alone not knowing what she looked like. That just made him think about his mom more, and about the things he loved about her. She made the best homemade pizza, had the loudest laugh, and was so easy to pick on that he couldn’t leave her alone. He could never imagine a life without her. He felt sorry for Stephanie and wondered if she even had anyone left to call family. It didn’t look that way. 
    “Would you like something to drink?” Stephanie asked.
    “Yes, please. We might as well figure out the sleeping arrangements, too. It’s got to be getting super late.” Chris picked up his computer to give the password a try. It still showed a wireless signal was available.
    Stephanie left the living room and headed off into the kitchen. Chris wondered how long it would be before the power would go out. The password for the internet worked, but just like the cellphone, which still had full bars, nothing was happening. The internet was done. Chris couldn’t help but imagine what it must have been like to book tours back before the internet. Must have been way more work than it was worth. All the phone calls and going to shows just for the sake of networking. Setting dates was now just point and click. First come, first serve, but all that was at its end. There would be no more touring, and no more booking or online networking, just survival. He wondered if