Life After The Undead (Book 1) (30 page)

***

Dinner
that
night
was
chicken
with
fresh
vegetables
and
potatoes. After
my
workout,
I
was
starving,
so I ate
quickly.
Liet
studied
me
from
across
the
table. What was going through his mind? Did he think I was a pig? I shrugged mentally. I was hungry. I didn’t care.

“Where
does
all
this
food
come
from?” I
asked
between
bites.

“The
workers
tend
a
garden
and
raise
a
few
animals.
We
tried
to
plunder
the
grocery
stores,
but
all
the
frozen
and
refrigerated
stuff
had
gone
bad.
Canned
food
is
a
bit
more
abundant,
but
we
don
’t
have
an
eternal
supply.”

I
rolled
my
eyes.
“I
know.
I cook
for
the
girls,
remember?”

Liet chuckled.
“Of
course.”
  He
leaned
back
in his
chair
and
folded
his
arms
across
his
chest.
“You
know,
Krista,
I
was
pretty
convinced
I
’d
never
see
another
member
of
our
family.
I
accepted
the
fact
they
were
all
dead.
And
for a
few
of them,
that
doesn
’t
really
hurt
my
feelings.”

I
lowered
my
gaze
to
the
table.
That
last
comment
was
a
little
creepy.
You
don’t
always
like
your
family,
but
you
don
’t
wish
them
dead.
I
didn’t
really
know
what
to
say,
so I
tried
to
ignore
it.

“I know
what
you
mean.”
  I
referred
to
the
seeing
my
family
part,
not
the
last
part,
but
I
don’t
think
he
caught
that.

“Since
we
’r
e
all
that’s
left,
we
have
to
take
care
of
each
other.
Watch
each
other’s
back.”

I
choked
down
my
food,
staring
at
Liet.
For
any
other
family
member, I
would
have
agreed,
but
to
hear it
from
him,
it
was
weird.
I
would
have
found it
more
convincing
if he
actually
took
the
time
to
teach
me
to
fight.
Or
was
involved
in my
life. How
many
times
had
he
come
to
visit
me in
the
house?

He
chuckled.
“I
know.
It
sounds
like a
line
from
a
movie.
All
I
’
m
saying
is
I’m
glad
I
found
you.
When
you
’r
e
finished,
why
don’t
we
go
for
a
ride?”

He
was
trying
too
hard,
trying
to
force
the
relationship
instead
of
letting
it
happen.
My
first
reaction
was
to
fight
against
it, to
resist his
advances.

Liet
took
me
to
the
river.
Three
soldiers
escorted
us,
but
they
kept
their
distance
and
set
up
a
perimeter
around
our
location.
Liet
set
a
blanket
on
the
beach,
and
I sat
on
it
with
my
legs
crossed. The
smoke
from
the
fire
billowed,
but
the
smell
had dissipated.
A
few
insects
buzzed
around
our
heads,
and
the
air
was
thick
with
humidity. He
took
a
seat
next
to
me
and
reclined
on
his
elbow.
I
guessed
this
was
his way
of
making
up
for
his
absence.

“I
come
here
sometimes
to
get
away
from
the
stress.
To
be
alone
with
my
thoughts.”

“You
’r
e
not
really
alone
with
the
soldiers
around
you.”
My
hands
started
sweating,
and
I
wiped
them
on
my
pants.

Liet
smiled.
“The
soldiers
don’t
bother
me
when
I’m
out
here.
Half
the
time
I
forget
they
’r
e
even
there.”

“Why
do
you
bring
them
with
you?
I
thought
all
the
zombies
left
this
part
of
the
country.”

“The
majority
of
them
have, but
you’ll
still
encounter
some.
I’v
e
seen
a
lot
who
have
been
locked in
closets
or
houses,
and
when
you
go
to
get
supplies,
you
let
them
out.
Sometimes,
the
building
falls
down
and
they
get
out.
It’s
not
completely
clear.”

I
pulled
my
knees
to
my
chest.
“How
long
have
you
been
out
here?”

He
shrugged.
“
About
six
weeks.”
He
looked
at
me.
“I
was
the only
one
willing
to
supervise
the
building
of
the
wall.”
He
picked
at
the
weeds.
“
Le
t’
s
not
talk
about
that
now.
Let’s
enjoy
the
evening.”

I averted my gaze to
the
river
and
watched
the
water
flow.
I
took
a
deep
breath and
set
my
chin
on
my
knees.
We
sat
quietly
until
the
sun
set
and
then
headed
back
to
the
city.
Liet
walked
me
to
the
door
of
my
house.

“I really
enjoyed
the
time
with
you.”
  He
spoke
softly.
“I
hope
we
can
do it
again
sometime.”

“I
’d
like
that.”
I
really
wouldn
’t,
but
I
thought
it
better
to
be
polite.