“Let’s get going,” Jon said. “And you’ll follow me and do exactly as I say.”
“That’s fine,” Brooke said. “But first, I think we’re going to need some weapons.”
24
Brooke pushed the coffee table off of the oriental rug in her living room. Then she squatted at the edge of it and pulled at the corner. Dust bunnies scattered in the air as Brooke rolled up the rug, revealing a door in the floor.
Jon laughed. “Son of a bitch.” He looked over at Terrance, who smiled.
Brooke pulled the door open to reveal a shallow storage space. A blanket covered its contents, but Jon knew what lay under it.
Removing the blanket, Brooke revealed a collection of guns and ammunition. There had to be over a dozen weapons. She pulled some out, showing off an array of handguns, shotguns, and rifles.
“Where did you get all of this?” Jon asked.
“My ex-husband owned most of it,” Brooke said. “But we’ve also found some stuff over time and managed to hide it from the Vultures.”
“If they knew this was here,” Terrance said, not needing to finish his sentence.
“What do you want to take with you?” Brooke asked Jon.
“I’ll take that 12 gauge. And if you’ve got any rounds for a .22.”
Brooke handed Jon the shotgun with shells as well as the ammunition for his .22. As she and Terrance were picking out what they wanted, Jon noticed a couple of cans of something in the hole.
“What’s that?”
“Kerosene,” Terrance said. “We keep some empty bottles and rags over in Mouse’s garage.” He shrugged. “In case we want to make Molotov cocktails.”
“Should we bring those with us?” Brooke asked.
“I don’t think so,” Jon said. “The guns should do. And we should get going.”
Jon turned off of the highway and onto Dawson Road just as Angie had instructed. He stopped the bike in the middle of the dirt path, letting the bike idle as Brooke and Terrence pulled up beside him in the car they’d driven.
“According to Angie, the place should be just up ahead, right?” Terrence said from the driver’s seat.
Jon nodded.
“What’s the plan?” Brooke asked.
“She said the road is pretty flat as we approach,” Jon said. He pointed ahead. “So, I’m guessing that the farm is going to be right over that hill there. We should stop at the top of it and shut these engines off. See what we can see.”
“Then what?” Brooke asked.
“That all depends on what we see.” Jon revved up the engine and started down the dirt road. Terrence and Brooke followed.
As they approached the hill, Jon thought about what they would see on the other side. Angie had tried to describe the scene, but she’d never been able to calm down. She’d been in shock. For all Jon knew, they could be walking into two zombies or two dozen. Tim had already been killed, and Max could already be dead as well.
Jon gave the bike some gas as it climbed the short hill, and he came to a stop at the top of it. The car stopped beside him as he shut his bike’s engine off and stepped in front of it. Brooke and Terrence exited their vehicle and stood on either side of Jon, following his gaze down to the farmhouse.
“Son of a bitch,” Terrence said.
At least a dozen zombies stood in a pack at the front of the farmhouse. They lingered in a fenced-in part of the yard, clawing at the brick-front house. Sitting on the roof, his knees up to his chin, was Max.
“He’s trapped up there,” Brooke said.
Jon watched Max look over his shoulder at the back of the house. Then Jon shifted his vision there and saw the arm of a zombie around the back corner of the structure.
“They’re not just in the front.” Jon pointed to what he’d seen. “That’s why he’s not just jumping off the back of the roof and making a run for it.”
“I wonder how many are back there,” Terrence said.
“No way for us to know,” Brooke said. She turned to Jon. “Got any ideas on how we’re going to approach this? You wanted the lead.”
Jon chewed on his lip. He observed the scene, trying to think of the best course of action. He could only think of one way to approach the situation.
“We’ve got to try and pull as many of those bastards away as we can,” Jon said. “We’re never going to get him off that roof otherwise.”
“How do you wanna do that?” Terrence asked.
Jon looked back at his motorcycle. “You two are gonna hang back while I ride down there. I’ll draw as many of them away as I can. Hell, maybe I’ll be able to get all of them. You two have got to stay hidden while I pull them away. And when they’re far enough out, you two race in and get him off that roof.”
“You sure that’ll work?” Brooke asked.
“Nope. But I’m open to any other ideas.”
Neither Terrence nor Brooke said anything.
“Well, I guess that’s it then.” Jon mounted his bike. He exhaled as he looked down the hill.
“I’m going to lead as many of them that way as I can,” Jon said, pointing farther down the road ahead. “Hopefully, I can get some of the bastards from the back of the house, too. You two just be ready.”
“We will,” Terrence said.
Brooke had closed her eyes, and she stood there taking in several deep breaths. Before Jon could ask her if she was ready, she came over and wrapped her arms around
