Flip This Zombie - Jesse Petersen [61]
I stared at what was in front of me. Eggs, bacon, coffee. A croissant. A motherfucking croissant! That was it. I had died in the accident and this was heaven.
“Holy shit,” I burst out as I grabbed for the pastry first. “What—what?”
He smiled. “Well, it’s amazing what one can do between military rations and other supplies. Please do enjoy.” He turned toward The Kid. “You too.”
The boy leapt forward without waiting for a second invitation and dug into the food with gusto. With a shrug, I joined him. The two of us ate non-stop for a few minutes before I glanced up to see Kevin watching us. Well, watching me. That was enough to make me self-conscious and I grabbed for a napkin to wipe my face sheepishly.
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s been a while.”
He smiled as he sat down in one of the rolling chairs near mine. “No worries. I like to see a woman eat with such passion.”
I blushed as I sipped my coffee. “My head is still a little foggy this morning,” I said as a way to change the subject.
Kevin nodded. “Yes. Today you’ll probably be a bit off-kilter still, but I’m betting you’ll be feeling more yourself tomorrow.”
I frowned. I hated to put it off that long, but there really wasn’t much of a choice. Not without my partner. I sighed. “I don’t think I should go out to hunt until I’m well.”
“I agree,” he said instantly. “Regardless of what your husband thought, I don’t want to see anyone hurt in the name of my research. Take the day to rest and rejuvenate and we’ll see how you feel tomorrow.”
I nodded. “It’s going to be more complicated since I’ll be hunting alone.”
The Kid’s head jerked up at that. “What do you mean alone?”
I shot him a brief look. “Alone. Definition: without other people. E pluribus by-myself-us,” I chuckled. “And you say you like to read.”
The Kid glared at me without acknowledging my little joke. “No way. I’m going with you.”
I stared at him. “Robbie, your wrist is going to slow you down. You can hardly hold that cup, let alone fire a weapon or tie a knot.”
“So how the hell are you going to catch one by yourself?” The Kid asked, filled with brimstone and righteous indignation that was almost laughable when it came in child-size.
I shrugged but I turned my gaze on Kevin. “Dr. Barnes here is going to give me plenty of his knock-out juice and a way to shoot that shit from as far a distance as possible.”
Kevin hesitated for a fraction of a moment, but then he nodded. “Of course. I have been working on a dart gun for future use in dispensing my cure, should I ever perfect it. I’m sure if you give me today to work on it, I can adjust it to fit your purposes.”
I nodded slightly. “And there’s one other thing you’ll do for me today.”
His eyes widened and I was pretty sure a dirty thought had just crossed his brilliant little mind. I ignored it as best I could.
“And what is that, Sarah?” he asked, his pervy tone proving what I’d just guessed.
“I want to see this place,” I said softly. “All of it.”
He stepped back. “What? Why?”
“Just because I decided to stay and fight your little battle doesn’t mean I don’t have my own doubts about you,” I said through gritted teeth. “Dave brought up more than a few good points about why we shouldn’t take you at face value. So before I go off to be your lackey again, I want to know what I’m working for. Exactly.”
There was a moment of shuffling and Kevin sent a slow side stare at The Kid, who sat with his arms folded, looking at the doctor like he was ready to fight to get me what I wanted if it came to that. Which was sort of cute, really. But finally Barnes nodded.
“Very well, if you insist,” Kevin sighed. “I’m happy to show you the lab, though I doubt it will be very interesting to you.”
I got to my feet, grabbing my half-full cup of coffee and the last bite of my croissant as I moved. “Oh, Doc. I’d be willing to bet good money that I’m going to see more than enough to keep me interested.”
The seven habits of highly effective zombies. Hint: Most of them involve eating your brains.
It turned out Kevin was right.