“I’m with you,” said Bryce, walking into the kitchen, followed by Kristie. “We overheard and I agree; if we wait too long, then we’ll miss our chance to find out if your mom’s alive.”
“I’m coming, too,” replied Kristie, putting her arm around me. “If it wasn’t for you rescuing me and my children from ‘Zombie Dan’, we might’ve never made it out of there. Besides, I want to help you find your mother because she’s also a good friend.”
“What about the others? I don’t want to risk them getting injured. Do you think they’ll be safe here without us?”
“Hannah, Paige, and Kylie can stay here and watch the kids until we get back,” replied Kristie. “They’ll be fine. The zombies haven’t been very aggressive. They’re not even very smart. Unless someone opens the door and invites them in, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
Eva touched Bryce’s arm. “I should come, too. My mom’s at the hospital and I’m not spending another night in a daycare.”
I gave her a scathing look. “It beats being alone on the streets where we found you.”
Eva had the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just worried about my mom. I’m coming, if that’s okay?”
“Just stay out of trouble,” I muttered.
“Is it okay if I leave Chi Chi here, for now? She seems so happy with Goldie and I can pick her up when it’s not so dangerous out there.”
“Yeah, she can stay,” I said.
Kristie tapped her nails on the counter. “It’s settled then. As soon Sara wakes up, we’ll leave.”
I nodded. “Okay. Let’s go look through my dad’s guns and ammunition. Kristie, can you shoot a gun?”
She sighed. “Well, let me tell you; I can pull a trigger, I just don’t know if I can hit anything with the bullet.”
I bit the side of my lip. “Okay. How about you wait until a zombie gets close enough for you to hit it, but not close enough for it to bite you. Aim right between the eyes and pull the trigger,” I replied.
Bryce rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Maybe we should just let her use the bat.”
“What about me?” pouted Eva as she traced circles on Bryce’s bicep using a perfectly non-chipped fingertip. “What should I do?”
“Just stay out of the way, so you don’t get hurt,” I snapped. I really wanted to hurt her myself right now. It irritated me how Bryce just let her touch him so casually. He was so clueless.
Eva scowled at me then looked at Bryce. “Fine, I’ll just stay close to Bryce. I don’t think I’ve ever been in such capable hands.”
He shrugged. “Considering what we’re up against, I think it’s wise if we all stay close together and be prepared for anything. Every one of us should have some kind of weapon, too, whether it’s a bat, a shovel, or a gun. Which reminds me; Cassie, let’s go look at your dad’s and figure out which ones to bring with.”
“Eva, why don’t you get dressed,” said Kristie, putting an arm around her and guiding her out of the kitchen. “I don’t think your little nightie is appropriate for where we’re going.”
Eva was still wearing her slinky baby-doll nightgown that barely covered her rear. She smiled coyly at Bryce and licked her lips. “Sorry, I didn’t have anything else to wear. I wasn’t planning on doing a slumber party when I packed it. I’ll change it so I’m not a distraction.”
For the love of God, I thought. Why did we have to save her irritating life?
Bryce looked amused but didn’t say anything as he followed me downstairs to my dad’s gun safe; he almost fell over when he saw all the guns.
“Wow. Lucky for us your dad loves firepower,” he said.
“Yes, he’s obsessed with guns,” I replied, pulling out a semi-automatic rifle. I’d never fired the gun but it seemed pretty impressive.
“Have you tried all of these?” Bryce asked picking up different guns.
“Almost; not this one, though,” I said, opening the chamber. “My dad and I go to the shooting range every weekend so I’ve had a chance to try many of them.”
He took the rifle from me and examined it. “I’ve been around guns all my life, my dad was a cop. Wow, this is an SKS. It’s good for long-range shooting. It will definitely come in handy. Let’s bring it with.”
“So, where’s your dad now?” I asked.
Bryce sighed. “He died about five years ago, trying to stop some asshole from butchering his wife.”