Life After The Undead (Book 1) (26 page)

“How
long
does
it
take
to
turn
after
they
’v
e
been
bitten?”

“Twenty-four
hours.”

“What
happens
if
they
find
someone
who
’s
been
bitten?”

“They
’r
e
taken
care
of.”

What
a
gentle
euphemism.
As if
I
didn’t
know
what
he
meant.
That’d
be
another
deterrent
too
for
someone
who
was
infected
not
to
say
anything.
They
knew
what
a
bullet
to
the
head
meant,
and
since
most
of
us are
afraid
of
dying,
they
would
rather take
their
chances
with
becoming the
undead.

“You
mean
they
’r
e
killed.”

“To
save
hundreds
sometimes
you
have
to
kill
one.
Besides,
they
’r
e
dead
anyway.
A
bullet
saves
them from
the
torment
that is
being
undead.”

That
was
the
truth,
no
argument
t
here,
but
try
to
convince
the
person
at
the
end
of
the
barrel
it’s
for
their
own
good.
I
wasn
’t
one
to
judge,
but
I
was
curious.
“How
many
workers
have
been
killed?”

Liet
adjusted
so
his
butt
rested
on
the
rail,
and
he
folded
his
arms
across
his
chest.
“I
don’t
have
those
figures
on
me.”

“What
if
you
were
wrong?
What
if
they
weren
’t
bitten
by
a
zombie?”

Liet
shrugged.
“Better
to
be
safe
than
dead
, but
it’s
pretty
apparent
when
someone
’s
been
bitten
by
a
zombie.”

“What
do
you
do
with
the
bodies?”
I
didn’t
remember
seeing
a
graveyard
on our
short
tour
through
town.

He
nodded
over
the
rail.
I
looked
down
at
the
bodies
and
noticed
that
some
of
them
were
naked
and
weren
’t
as
decomposed
as
others.
I
could
understand
needing to
keep
the
humans
safe.
I
mean,
if
you
get
bit,
you
’r
e
dead,
anyway
, but
to
treat
them
like
trash?
They
hadn
’t
turned
yet.
There
was
still
humanity
left in
them.
It
made
me
angry
to think
they
didn’t
give
them
a
little
dignity
in
death.

I
buried
my
anger
and
changed
the
subject. “How
are
you
going
to
destroy
the
zombies
after
the
wall
is
built?”

Liet
scoffed.
“We
don
’t
need
to
worry
about
destroying
the
zombies.
We’ll
keep
guards
on
the
wall
to ensure
none
of
them
get
through,
and
we
’l
l
worry
about
populating
the
rest
of
the
country.”

“What
about
the
people
who
live
in the
West?”

“They
made
their
decision. If
they
want
to
live
in a
zombie-free
nation,
they
need
to
come
to
our
side
of
the
wall.”

Come
to
our
side?
Weren’t
we
all
part
of
the
same
nation?
What
if
they
were
trapped?
Or
sick?
They
might
need
help
and
we
were
abandoning
them.
It
didn
’t
seem
right, but
what
could
I
do?
I
wasn
’t
exactly
in a
position
to
do
anything.
Plus,
maybe
Liet
was
right. Maybe
they
wanted
to
stay
over
there.
I
didn’t
know.

The
sun
fell
below
the
horizon
and
darkness
crept
in.
The
guards
clicked
on
their
floodlights
and
panned
across
the
field.
The
workers
digging
the
pyre
were
escorted
to
the
inspection
area,
and
those
who
were
digging
postholes
continued
to
do
so.
I
’d
seen
enough.
Liet
and
his soldiers
took
me back
to
my
house.

I lay
awake
on
my
cot
and
stared
up
at
the
mold-
stained
ceiling.
What
was
I doing?
This
was
no
place
for
me.
I
shou
ld’v
e
stayed
in
Florida.
At
least
there
I
had
luxury.
I
rolled
onto
my
side.
But
I
wasn
’
t
happy.
Was
it
possible
for
me
to
be
happy
in North
Platte?
I
closed
my
eyes
and
saw
the field
of
bodies.
A
shudder
ran
through
m
e. Maybe
it
’d
be
all
right
once
I
learned
how
to
fight.
At
least
then
I’d
have
some
piece
of
mind.
I tried
not
to
think
about
the
dead.

When
I
was
unsuccessful,
I
got
up
and
headed
out
the
back
door.
The
back
yard
was
fenced,
but
several
boards
were
missing,
and
one
side
was
ready
to
fall
over.
The
grass
was
brown
and
crunchy,
and
the
clothesline
had
been
knocked
over.
A tree
in
the
northwest
corner
had
a
tire
swing
hanging
from
the
branches.
I
tugged
on
the
rope
to
make
sure
it
was
sturdy.
It
didn’t
seem
as if
it
was
going anywhere,
so I
sat.
I
folded
my
arms
on
the
top
of
the
tire
and
stared
up
at
the
stars.
I
couldn’t
remember
the
last
time
I’d
seen
the
m. I’d
never
taken
the
time
to
look in
Florida. Even
at
that
moment,
the
majority
of
them
were
blocked
out
from
the
light
pollution
caused
by
the
floodlights
, but it
was quiet.
I’d
never
gotten
any
peace
in
Florida.
Kids
yelled
at
each
another
or
the
sounds
of
construction
resounded
through
the
school.
I
smiled
to
myself.