She leaned in and kissed his cheek, saying nothing. She didn’t have to. Her eyes said everything. “We’re going to live,” they told him.
Jon stared at the house. He saw the dead things scratching and clawing at it, trying to get to a frozen Max sitting still on the roof. For the past two years, Jon had slain the dead bastards without an ounce of fear inside of him. But as he looked down on them now, a tinge of the emotion crept inside his chest. Because for the first time in a long time, he might have something to live for.
He glanced over at Brooke, and still they said nothing to each other. But he knew she could read that his eyes said they were going to make it out of this alive.
Facing forward again, Jon started his bike and revved the engine. He twisted the throttle, and then he sped down the hill toward the farmhouse.
25
Jon pulled off the dirt path and drove into the tall grass. It brushed against him, much of it shredding as he sped through. He glanced up at the roof and watched Max sitting there, his knees up at his chest.
When Jon was about twenty yards away from the house, he turned the bike and came to a skidding stop. As the motorcycle idled, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
Many of the zombies turned in his direction.
“That’s right, you ugly motherfuckers,” Jon said. “Come and get me.”
Several of the beasts faced Jon. They snarled almost in unison, like a choir. This got the attention of some of the others, which then also looked at Jon.
“Come on,” Jon said to himself.
Some of the zombies started walking towards him. He grinned.
“That’s right. Keep coming.”
It drew the attention of more of the creatures. Their lumbering walks turned into runs as they came after Jon. He twisted the throttle, and the bike kicked up some dirt as he took off.
The zombies followed him in a trail as he turned in big circles around the yard. He glanced over at the house and saw that all of the creatures from the front had followed him. Then he glanced around the side of the house to find a trail to the back. There didn’t appear to be a fence. Some of the creatures that had been in the back had already made their way around to the front. He still wasn’t sure how many were back there, but he’d find out. He turned left toward the house and headed for the right side of it.
He hit a hole as he flew over the ground, nearly sending him over the handlebars. The tall grass made it impossible to see holes in the yard, but it was part of the risk. On the flip side, the uneven terrain seemed to be slowing the zombies down, and Jon even watched one of them trip and fall before getting trampled by the ones behind it.
Around the back of the house, he saw another half-a-dozen zombies clawing at the brick. As soon as he came around the house, they turned to look at him, falling in line with the rest of the zombies.
Jon glanced in his rearview mirror to see a group of zombies running after him, all of them snarling and creating a howl loud enough to be heard over the sound of his engine.
He rode back around to the front of the house. Checking the mirror once more to assure himself he had all the creatures, he then looked up the hill to where Brooke and Terrence remained parked, awaiting his signal. He gave it to them, waving his hand.
The car sped down the hill, and Jon took a hard left to draw the monsters the opposite way from which Brooke and Terrence were coming. Jon went about thirty yards before slightly turning in order to head to the road himself. After almost falling, he didn’t trust staying in the grass any longer than he needed to.
Glancing in the mirror again, Jon saw that a few of the zombies at the tail of the group had started back toward the house, having seen Brooke and Terrence making their way there. But it didn’t worry him. Jon had led the creatures far enough away to where Max would be off the roof and in the car before the zombies made it to them.
Feeling like he'd driven far enough and approaching another hill, Jon went to the top and then pulled off the road again. He didn’t want the house out of sight. He’d put enough distance between himself and the creatures that he was able to slow down some. He looked down the hill to his left and saw the car parked in front of the house, Max right above it.
Only, Max wasn’t moving.
Get in the fucking car, asshole.
Brooke waved her arms out the window, and Jon could see her screaming at Max even though Jon was too far away to make out what she was saying over the sound of his bike and the howling horde behind him.
“Get off the goddamn roof!” Jon said.
The zombies that had trailed off of Jon had already made it halfway back to the house. More followed behind them, but they had separated themselves from the pack.
Brooke stepped out of the car, and that was when Jon knew he had to go back.
He turned the bike, heading down the grassy knoll without paying much attention to the terrain.
