Halfway through the story, he opened his eyes. Anton sat across from him, hunched on the stump they used for splitting wood. His little brother’s head hung low, knuckles white around his rifle while he listened to Dal. Tears dripped off the end of his nose. His shoulders shook with quiet sobs.
The rest of the group was there, too. Jennifer, Bruce, Jim, and Tate. They stood in a loose semi-circle, also listening.
It didn’t feel like their dad was gone. It felt like he’d come up the road any minute now.
When Dal at last finished, the only sound was that of the whirring cicadas and the chirp of birds.
“So Dad was going to turn into a zombie.” Anton scrubbed a hand over his face. “He made his death count for something.”
Leo was suddenly exhausted. He felt like he’d barely gotten through the pain of his mother’s loss, and now he had to deal with his father’s. It wasn’t right.
“Thanks for getting Lena home,” Leo said to Dal. “I know that’s what Dad wanted. Lena was always his favorite.”
“She’s his little girl,” Dal agreed. He squeezed Leo’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, man.”
Now that Leo knew the full story, it was shocking Dal and Lena had managed to make it out of Rossi. Their journey home was nothing short of a miracle.
He also knew his best friend. He knew without a doubt that Dal carried the loss of their father on his shoulders.
“It’s not your fault, you know,” Leo said.
“It feels like it.”
“Screw that.” Anton got up, stalking over. “You went through hell to get our sister home. The Russians killed our dad. It’s their fault.” He bit off the words.
“Lena helped get me home.” Dal glanced in her direction, where she and Nonna still held each other. “Your sister is scary with a Russian machine gun.”
“Dad knew what was in store for him. He made his death count for something,” Leo said. “We lost Adam and Lars to the virus, too.” He and Anton relayed the tale of all that had befallen them since the invasion.
When they were finished, Dal regarded everyone in the clearing. “There’s something else we need to tell you guys.” He looked to Lena. “Tell them what you overheard.”
She kissed Nonna on the cheek before speaking. “You guys know how I’ve spent the last two-and-a-half years studying Russian? Well, I overheard some stuff when we were in Rossi.”
She shared everything she’d gleaned in their brief encounters with the Russians. Dal explained about the transmitter they’d lugged back from the junior college, which Leo had been too numb to notice before now. Tate and Jim also shared what they knew about the First Offensive, which aligned with the little Lena knew.
“We have to get this information out there,” Dal said. “It’s what Mr. Cecchino wanted. It’s the reason we went to the college to get the transmitter. It broadcasts on FM waves, which are compatible with what a television antenna uses. If we can find a big one, we can get the broadcast out to thousands of people. Someone around here must have one.”
“Why a TV antenna?” Jennifer asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to break into a radio or TV station and use their equipment?”
“Not possible,” Lena said. “The broadcasting stations were some of the first Russian targets. They’ll be crawling with Soviets.”
“Wait. Hold on.” Bruce’s eyes went round. “I think I know where we can find a mega TV antenna.”
“Where?” Lena demanded.
Bruce let the words fall like gold bricks. “Guy’s Electronic Super Store in Bastopol.”
Jim let out a long whistle. “Dude. You’re a genius.”
“Guy’s Electronic Super Store,” Dal breathed. “It’s perfect.”
“What’s special about Guy’s Electronic Super Store?” Nonna asked.
“It’s only the best television store in all of West County,” Bruce said. “People all the way from Rossi go there to shop. Guy has all the latest technology. He even sells satellite dishes.”
“Woah.” Tate socked Bruce in the arm. “No way. Really?”
Bruce nodded, eyes wide and reverent. “My dad was thinking about buying a big screen TV before ... well, before. We went to Guy’s every Saturday for an entire month to watch different screens. Guy had just installed a gigantic, state-of-the art TV antenna. He got shows people can’t get with regular antennas. It was radical.”
“It’s perfect,” Dal said. “We have to go to Bastopol.”
“But Bastopol has been zombified,” Anton said. “And it’s crawling with Russians.”
“So what?” Lena said. “Dal and I made it through Rossi. You and Bruce and Leo survived Bastopol. We can do this.”
“We barely survived,” Anton corrected. “We—”
“Enough.” Nonna stepped forward. “We are in a war. In war, information is the most valuable commodity. What we know could save lives. Hundreds or even thousands of lives.” She cast a stern gaze around the clearing. “It’s our duty to get the information out there. You will go to Bastopol and broadcast the message.”
Chapter 31Plan
THERE WAS A LONG PAUSE of stunned silence as everyone stared at Nonna. She was barely five feet tall and probably didn’t weigh a hundred pounds, but at that moment, the look on her face gave Leo the chills. He was seeing the person who had survived hell on Earth when the Nazis invaded her childhood hometown.
“How—how?” Anton asked. “How will we get past the zombies and the Soviets? Not to mention the Russians will go postal when they realize someone is highjacking their airwaves. They’ll be on us like flies on—on manure.”
“We need a play to keep the Russians and zombies distracted while Dal sends broadcast.” Leo’s mind was already moving through football plays, working through various scenarios. “We need a real-life Statue of Liberty play.”
Jim let out another long whistle. “Yeah. A Statue of Liberty play is just the ticket.”
“It’s perfect.” Bruce’s mouth was set in a hard line. “It will totally work. The Russians will never see us coming.”
“What’s a Statue of Liberty?” Jennifer asked.
“It’s a
