About a Woman, a Zombie Chronicles Novel

our marriage means anything to you, so why should I care? Second, why do you think people would think about sex at a time like this?' remembering her dream Dora smiled slightly.

'Are they men?'

'Roger, no, they are not men. One is a guy named Mike, he is seventeen, in case you are wondering. The other is named Paige, she is a girl, in case you didn't get that from her name. She has shown more balls today than I think you will ever have. I mean, at least she got out of the fucking house and killed a mob of zombies with me!'

'You killed a mob of zombies?' Roger started to laugh, 'Tell me another lie you spoiled bitch! You really had me going there for a second. What did you do? Bitch at them until they died?'

'I would say 'Fuck you', but I think the better phrase is 'Go fuck yourself'. Just so you know I shot the zombies. With a gun.'

'Gun? You don't even…you found my gun? No, no you couldn't have, I have the key on my key chain. Where would you get a gun? And how would you know how to load it, or shoot it? No this is just a lie, as usual from my nagging bitch of a wife.'

Intrigued Dora thought for a second, 'Roger has a real gun in the house?' That was the most interesting thing she had heard in a long time, now how to get him to tell her where it was, 'I suppose it could be true, you having a gun here. No, I didn't use your piece of shit gun. I went to the neighbor's place, you know, the guy across the street and down a little way.' Dora looked to Mike and Paige, who were both awake and following her side of the conversation. Mike got up and went into the bathroom, flicking on the light as he did so. Paige yelped for him to shut off the light and Mike complied after a moment.

'For Christ sake, it's Jason! His name is Jason, I went paint balling with him, like eight times. He had dinner with us twice. Oh wait you were so drunk you probably don't remember that.'

'Jason? Nope, not ringing a bell. We got his guns.'

'Is he there with you too?'

'He is dead.'

'What?'

'We found him in his basement, he was a zombie, it was the first one we killed. With a table leg and a pool cue. Oh, was your gun at Jason's? Then we probably have it. We cleaned his safe out, except for an old antique gun that Mike didn't know how to use.'

'He is really dead? I thought, I thought he would be fine. I mean, he had all those guns…'

'He was trying to get to them, he had the key, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to get into the safe. So your gun was there then?'

'My gun is in the garage, why would I keep it at Jason's? Dora, I am coming home. If for nothing else than to get my stuff.'

'It is not a good idea.'

'Look I can be an adult about it, but I need clothing and wouldn't mind having a gun too.'

'Do you have a gun now? Did Jerry have one in his house?'

'No. Well Marge hasn't said, but he doesn't seem the type.'

'Neither do you. Why would you have a gun and not tell me?'

'It cost a lot of money.'

'You make a lot of money.'

'I…look do we have to get into this right now?'

'You shouldn't come here.'

'Why?' Roger asked.

'Because we had a little incident today. And not all of the zombies are gone. We have a lot of them out in front of our house.'

'Right. I am coming home.'

'Now? Can't it wait for daylight?'

'Why? You going somewhere?'

'Well, back to sleep.'

'You were sleeping? The world is fucking ending and you are sleeping?'

'Well, I want to be well rested for the end. Look, the world might be ending for you, in more ways than one, but it is not ending for me or for my friends. We are going to fight. And we are going to live.'

Paige turned on the television, cable was out, but the local channels were still broadcasting, the evacuation areas were prominently displayed on the screen. Everything west of interstate seventy one was red, in the mandatory evacuation area. The sections between highways thirty five and seventy one were in the warning area. The map zoomed out and showed a large red blob moving slowly along interstate seventy heading east, right now it was close to Trenton, not that far from Kansas City at all, a larger blob was further west, trailing the first small group, close to Goodland. 'It's nice to know our ability to make pretty pictures is still around.' Thought Dora as she looked at the drawings on the screen.

'Isn't that where we are?' Asked Paige pointed to the map as it zoomed back in.

'Yes honey, it is, that is why Roger the Bastard called, to let us know.'

'Oh, thanks then, I guess.' Paige said.

'Paige says 'thanks for calling and telling us'. Me? I think we could use the sleep. It is what?' Dora looked at the clock, 'Three sixteen! Dammit Roger! Who calls at three sixteen in the morning?'

'It is a fucking emergency! We have to leave!'

'Fine drive by here. But I am not turning on any lights and if you fuck us over I will be pissed. You still shouldn't come over until daylight. I guess I've warned you already, so whatever happens is on your own head. Fuck you and what you think you know Roger. Have a real fun trip in the dark, husband, and remember you don't have to run fast, just faster than Marge. Call me again when you are about a block away, so we are prepared.'

'Prepared? Prepared for..'

Dora slammed the phone down. Turning back to Paige she said, 'Fuck, fuck, fuck!' She started sobbing and sat on the bed. Paige awkwardly leaned over and put her arms around her.'

Mike came out of the bathroom and looked at her in the dim light. 'So Roger called, eh?'

'Yeah.' Dora and Paige said at the same time.

'Jinx! You owe me a coke!' Dora said reflexively.

Chapter 16

'So when will he be here?' Paige asked for the tenth time in as many minutes.

'I don't know, Roger is always unpredictable and usually late. He sounded scared though, like he had to get out. I expect him and Marge to show up any time.' this was Dora's stock answer to the same question.

Apparently Paige was irritable when she was woken up early. Dora had to admit to herself that she was not much better. Her plan was to get Roger in and out and not bother with anything else. The two women were in the kitchen, Dora in her robe, Paige in a cover stolen from Mike's bed. Both were sipping coffee, Mike was not with them. Dora had him looking in the garage for the alleged 'gun' that Roger had hidden there. She had gone into the garage with him to unplug the wireless garage door openers, she did not want him pulling up and opening the doors to the garage.

That would be an invitation to the crew of zombies that were still walking about outside the front of her house. The herd had thinned out a little more, they hadn't really gone anywhere, but had spread out evenly along the street. When Dora came into the garage she had Mike help her haul in the ladder, to move up to the bedroom eventually, for now it sat in the kitchen, very much out of place.

Dora's phone rang, both women jumped a little, Paige spilling hot coffee over her fingers. 'Fuck!'

'Oh, Paige you always proposition me at the worst times! Maybe later.' Dora flipped her phone open after