Lost in the Apocalypse by L.C. Mortimer

looking twice at those. No, she wanted something that would run, something that was at least halfway decent, something she wouldn’t have to worry about breaking down after a mile.
    Preferably a truck that was tree-proof.
    The first car Emily went up to was parked on the side of the bank. Butter lifted a rock to throw through the window, but she held up a hand to stop him.
    “What are you doing?” She asked.
    “What?” He said. “You got a better idea?”
    “Yeah, dumbass,” she pulled the handle and the door swung open. “This is small-town America. Nobody locks their doors here.”
    Butter looked surprised, but didn’t say anything as Emily slid in the car and reached for the ignition. No key.
    “Move over and let me work,” Butter said, but she held up a hand once again.
    “Wait,” she said. She felt around the console and reached behind the visor. Finally, she opened the little hold-it drawer in the center of the car and fished out a key.
    “You’ve got to be kidding,” Butter said. “What’d you even need me for?”
    “Muscle,” she said, nodding behind him. Butter turned just as an Infected started wandering into the bank parking lot. It began growling loudly when he turned, though it still moved fairly slowly.
    Type one.
    Butter picked up his bat from beside the car and charged at the Infected, nailing it square in the face. It immediately went down, but despite the fact that he hadn’t used a gun, the sound resonated in the silent town.
    “Time to go,” he said, hopping in the passenger side of the car. Emily turned the key and the engine roared to life, filling the town with loudness it probably hadn’t heard in a month. The tires squealed as she drove quickly out of town, stopping at the edge to load the group’s bags into the trunk. The rest of the gang managed to fit in the backseat with Kari laying across their laps, and then they were off.
    “That was fast,” Neil commented.
    “I’m very efficient,” Emily said plainly. She drove down the road in silence for a few minutes. They passed the house where they’d been earlier that day and Emily turned down the road. A few zombies wandered out of the house into the yard as the car passed, but few followed it.
    They probably didn’t know what it was.
    She drove for a few more miles, passing several random farmhouses as she did. She made a few turns, but nothing stood out yet. Most of the area seemed to be either miniature forests or open pastures. Neither option was particularly homey.
    “Wait,” Neil said suddenly. “Slow down.”
    They were approaching an old, two-story brick house surrounded by trees.
    “This one,” he said. “Pull in here.” She turned into the driveway and killed the engine. Emily stepped out of the car and left the keys in the ignition. She probably should have pocketed them, but what if they needed to get out of there in a hurry? Yeah, vagrants could come by and steal the car, but it was more likely that they’d be overcome with zombies and need to make a quick escape.
    Butter eyed the keys, but said nothing. No one else seemed to notice.
    They got out of the car and stared at the house.
    “We could fortify this,” Neil said hopefully. “We could make a life here. Close to town, easy to get supplies. Lots of abandoned houses,” he commented, looking around. “Trees. Plenty of trees. Not a busy road. We could be safe here.”
    “You really wanna stay in Podunk, Kansas, boss?” Kari asked warily.
    Neil looked at the house, at the car, and then back at the group.
    “Yeah,” he said finally. “I really do.”
    “Start unpacking boys,” Kari said. “Daddy’s home.”
     
     
     

Chapter 10
     
    Neil stared at the house while his crew swarmed it to clear out any lingering Infected. He hoped, for the sake of everyone, that this one was empty. How nice would that be? Finally find a place to settle down, not have to clean up a shitload of blood, not have to deal with wandering creatures who just