“Okay, so not everyone is friendly,” she mumbled, fighting the urge to just haul ass.
Keeping in the center of the channel, Wendy started tallying up how many people they had spotted. “Not even fifty,” she finally said, knowing before the flu they would’ve seen thousands.
Glancing down at Ryan, Wendy saw him asleep with his head flopped back. Moving his head until it looked more comfortable, Wendy second-guessed her plan. She was putting in at a large residential area. The ship had had satellite links, but she couldn’t connect to the internet because she’d really wanted Google Earth.
To put in at an area with a low population density, Wendy had mapped it out that they would have to ride the jet ski over a hundred and sixty miles along the coast. Like the girls, Wendy wanted off the damn ship and on land. There were canals that fed into the cities, but they had all heard people calling for help on the radio from deep in the cities. Before they ventured into urban areas, Wendy wanted a vehicle and a gun, not necessarily in that order.
Ahead, she saw a bridge over the channel and reached down to pat Sally’s arm. Turning, Wendy yelled over her shoulder. “That’s the last bridge. If we don’t see a lot of people, we are getting off the water. If not, the next area that looked good is thirty miles further.”
“Can we get a boat?” Sally yelled back, having seen too many shark fins slicing through the water.
“Damn, that is a thought,” Wendy mumbled and then yelled out. “Let’s check this area first and decide later.”
Going under the bridge into North Lake; just another bay, Wendy slowed to ten miles an hour and glanced around. Tall buildings still dominated the left, but the right side had houses lining the area around the lake. Seeing a sandy beach ahead, Wendy sped back up.
Having no intention of stepping into the water and pulling the jet ski ashore, Wendy only slowed when she neared the beach and braced her body. The bow hit the sand and skidded up, leaving only the very back in the water. Turning the engine off, Wendy climbed off and saw a massive mansion on the corner where the lake flowed back into the channel that continued north.
Taking the spear gun off the handlebar, Wendy cocked the two rubber bands back and pulled a bolt from the holster strapped to her leg. With a spear loaded, Wendy turned to see the twins already off and looking around. “I don’t like the ocean anymore,” Jo Ann admitted.
“Me neither,” Wendy smiled and then opened the cargo area, pulling out hers and Sally’s backpacks. “Let’s find a car,” Wendy said, pulling off her life jacket. With the baby carrier on her chest, that was a chore because she didn’t want to wake up Ryan.
Ryan didn’t get the memo about staying asleep and woke up as Wendy fought to get the life jacket off. Giving a groan, Wendy unbuckled the baby carrier and handed Ryan to Jo Ann, then pulled her life jacket off.
Taking Ryan back, Wendy tightened up the straps and put the pacifier in Ryan’s mouth. “Have either of you heard or seen anyone since we landed?” Wendy asked in a low voice.
“Sharks,” Jo Ann said, pointing out to the water as a fin split the surface twenty yards away.
“Baby, if they come on shore, we are screwed,” Wendy chuckled. “You two stay behind me.”
As Wendy moved off and crossed the street that ran along the water, they saw she was moving through the yards of houses. Sally grabbed Wendy and stopped her. “We’ll get in trouble for going through people’s yards,” Sally whispered.
“Sally, it’s easier to see us near the street,” Wendy told her, moving up to the first house. She glanced at the cars in the driveway and sighed, seeing both were tiny sports cars. The next house had a van and a BMW. Tempted with the beamer, Wendy continued on.
Two houses down they spotted a Toyota 4Runner, but it had crashed into a palm tree. It didn’t look damaged that badly, but Wendy continued on. The next house they crept past Wendy saw a large SUV, but heard coughing inside and quickly hurried off with the girls.
In two more houses, they heard coughing and Wendy started having bad thoughts because at each house was a large SUV. Seeing the garage closed at the next house, Wendy moved up to a window and peeked inside. A black Tahoe was on the other side of the window. “Yes,” Wendy hissed and moved around to the back door.
She pressed her ear to the door and listened. After a few minutes, Wendy pressed her nose against the doorframe. She breathed in deep and jerked back, swatting at her nose. “Did something sting you?” Sally asked in alarm.
“No, it stinks real bad inside,” Wendy said, wiping her nose. Wendy tried the back door and groaned, not feeling the knob turn. Stepping back and looking at the back of the house, Wendy saw a sliding door that led out to a patio. Walking over, she grabbed the handle and pushed.
When the door slid open, Wendy stopped as a wave of putrefaction washed over her. Fighting not to gag, Wendy stepped to the side and saw the twins holding their noses. “It didn’t stink this bad on the ship,” Jo Ann said in a low voice.
“These bodies have been locked up in a house under a blazing Florida sun,” Wendy said. “I want you two to move inside, but stay beside the door. I’m going to check the
