Flip This Zombie - Jesse Petersen [45]
Outside of the camps, the libraries were probably the most happening social scene in a post-zombie world. It was funny because before the outbreak, it was so hard to get people into them and so many had struggled with funding, but after… well, they provided entertainment, information, and comfort with their books and old magazines.
Unfortunately, the biggest local branch had been situated squarely in downtown Phoenix and had been totally destroyed in the firebombing. But lucky for us, the little Desert Sage location was far enough away from downtown and a low enough building that it hadn’t suffered any damage from the government cleansing.
Eventually, survivors had boarded up the windows and reinforced the doors to keep the zombies from seeing the activity inside and coming to investigate. Instead of bright fluorescents that illuminated every corner, the lights were now only Coleman lamps and lanterns (we never risked candles with the books. See, we could have nice things now.).
Once inside, we milled around with about two dozen other people. They were all kinds, from ones who were searching for information on building a shelter to building a nuclear device to kids curled up with Huckleberry Finn or Anne of Green Gables. Dave broke away from us and started hitting the others up for information about the new zombies and anything else of use.
Meanwhile, The Kid and I went to the back of the library, to a long-ignored corner where old-fashioned, hard-copy library catalog cabinets stood. When we opened them, they smelled like musty paper and ink, delightful. But I didn’t have much time to enjoy the nostalgia. We had to find that book The Kid claimed had directions for a net gun.
And damn if the brat wasn’t right. Not only was there a how-to book on that subject, but it contained all kinds of other useful build-it-yourself projects, too. If only the damned copy machine could be made to work….
I thought of Kevin’s shining lab. I bet he had a copier I could use if we managed to bring back another zombie. I glanced around. There wasn’t anyone nearby to see me, so I blocked the view of my backpack and gently opened it. The Kid stared at me as I gingerly slipped the book between all the other stuff inside my bag and then covered it up with the hoodie I had put on in the cool morning air.
Taking the books from the library had become a no-no since the outbreak. Especially books like this that could aid and assist other survivors in the fight.
What I was really supposed to do was place the book on the tables that had been shoved together in the center of the room. They were special books that contained everything a human in a zombie-crazed world could want. Books on water purification and agriculture and weaponry and building exactly the kind of shit you always saw on television on Survivor or Lost or whatever.
As I zipped back up, The Kid glared at me.
“So there are no rules anymore?” he asked.
I almost laughed. Now he was lecturing me on good and bad behavior? The same kid who had resorted to blackmail to get what he wanted just a few hours before?
I shook my head and glanced around to make sure no one had heard his annoyed statement. “Chill out. I’ll bring it back after I see if Kevin can make a copy. He’s got to have a copier in that lab.”
The Kid shrugged. “Do you like him?”
I blinked. “Huh? Who, Kevin?”
The Kid nodded. “Yeah. I think he likes you.”
Heat flooded my cheeks and I jerked my gaze across the library toward David. He was standing with some guy I didn’t recognize having what looked to be a pretty intense conversation. Good thing, too. I doubted he’d like hearing what The Kid had to say.
“Don’t be stupid,” I hissed. “You don’t have a girl you like, do you?”
The Kid made a face. “Ew. Girls? Um, cooties.”
“Well, that’s how I feel about Kevin. Dr. Barnes. And he doesn’t like me, he just wants what I can give him.”
I hesitated as I ran that sentence back in my head and realized it actually made the situation sound worse, not better. I hurried to correct myself.
“Zombies,