Flip This Zombie - Jesse Petersen [39]
Kevin looked at me, then Dave, then back at me. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. I thought you understood. I’ll need far more than one specimen to do a truly useful test of my curative serum. There are variables to be dealt with and overcome. The more zombies you can bring me, the better.”
My insides clenched as Dave stared at the doctor.
“Getting one was almost suicide,” Dave said. His voice was quiet now but that didn’t mean he wasn’t angry. In fact, Quiet Dave was an infinitely more Dangerous Dave. “And now you want more?”
“That’s stupid,” The Kid agreed from behind us and all of us jumped.
He’d been so quiet since we reached the lab, I think we’d all forgotten about him (it didn’t happen often, I assure you). Now I shot him another church glare. He wasn’t making the situation better by encouraging Dave’s anger and resistance to what Kevin wanted from us.
I grabbed Dave’s arm and held tight. Reluctantly he stopped glowering at Kevin and turned his gaze toward me. I smiled as best I could.
“We’re trying to save the world, babe. Even if it means one zombie at a time, right?”
He held my gaze for a long moment and then shook my arm off. With a grunt, he started down the hall toward the bathrooms we’d seen the day before.
“I’m going to hit the showers,” he muttered. “I don’t suppose you left any fresh panties for me, eh Doc?”
He was gone before any of us could respond. My cheeks heated with blood at his comment and I looked at Kevin with an apologetic shake of my head.
“Sorry. He’s a hothead,” I muttered. “He’ll come around.”
Kevin smiled, but there was something kind of pitying about it. “I’m sure he has many wonderful qualities. And I’m sure he was a great help when you caught the zombie.”
My brow wrinkled. “Well, to be fair, we caught the zombie.”
But Kevin was already starting away from me and I didn’t think he heard me as he turned the corner and left me standing in the sterile hallway with The Kid watching me, a little smug grin on his face.
By the time we had all showered (The Kid protested loudly, but we insisted. Two words for prepubescent boys: Pee. Ew.) at least a couple of hours had gone by. So when I stepped from the bathroom, my hair still damp and freshly dressed in a new t-shirt and cargo pants, I was surprised to see Dave waiting for me, arms folded, in the hall.
“Ready to load up?” he asked, his tone no longer the angry one from earlier.
I tilted my head. “What do you mean, load up?”
“I mean get the fuck out of here.” He rested his head back against the wall with a heavy sigh. “Go to camp, get some rest. Get rid of The Kid and move on with our lives. Whatever.”
I stared. “Dude, it’s pitch black outside by now. There’s no fucking way we’re going out on the road now.”
He pushed off the wall to face me. “Wait, are you suggesting we stay in Dr. Weird’s Lab of Secrets for the night?”
I smiled, reaching for some kind of levity. “That sounds like a Harry Potter title.”
He shook his head. “I’m not doing it, Sarah. I’m not staying here.”
“Why?” I burst out in exasperation. “Because you don’t like him? That’s a stupid reason to go out to certain death and you know it.”
When he didn’t deny that, I moved closer and slipped my arms around his waist. With a smile, I leaned up to kiss him.
“Jealous Dave may be a Neanderthal, but he has to know he’s the only boy for me.”
Dave tried not to smile as he kept staring at the ceiling, but he failed. “Yeah,” he said, “But Neanderthal Dave doesn’t like his woman wearing other man’s clothing.”
I laughed. “Well, you can take them off… if you agree to stay here tonight like a good boy.”
“Sarah is right.”
Dave instantly tensed as Barnes’s voice drifted from down the hall toward us. I sighed as the doctor approached us. So much for that hint of a good mood (and maybe even some nookie later).
“Thanks, I don’t need your advice,” Dave said as he let me go and glared at Barnes.
“You do if you’re thinking of leaving. You can view the monitors yourself. Right