Flip This Zombie - Jesse Petersen [73]
My first reaction was relief because standing before us was The Kid himself. The only problem was that he was holding a rifle… and it was aimed at us.
“Robbie,” I mouthed.
“Hey,” he said, his tone completely normal and even sunny. “You know you two don’t have to worry about me. I mean, my dad would never do anything to hurt me. But he does want me to bring you back to his lab.” He slipped the safety off the rifle. “Now.”
Rich dad, poor zombie.
Your dad?” Dave repeated, just above a whisper.
Robbie nodded solemnly as he held his rifle steady on us.
I shook my head. So Robbie had lost it. That was okay, it happened all the time out here.
“No, honey.” My tone was ultra gentle. “You’re just confused. He’s not your dad.”
“Oh yeah, he is,” The Kid insisted without an ounce of hesitation.
I stared at him, then looked at Dave. “I-I don’t understand.”
“Who do you think left the note in the camp for you?” The Kid asked before he motioned toward himself with a finger he lifted briefly from the rifle. “And why do you think I just happened to show up and lead two zombies right to you when you couldn’t get your own the first day you were hunting for him?”
Dave swallowed hard. “Then why didn’t you just tell us who you were then? Why did you act surprised about the warehouse and the elevator and the electric lights and all that shit?”
“It was all part of that sick fuck’s game,” I whispered.
Robbie nodded again. “He wanted you to do what he wanted. And he needed someone to watch you. If you knew I was doing that, you wouldn’t have been so… honest.”
“You little punk,” I snapped as I reached for him.
His finger tightened on the trigger. “Please don’t make me shoot you, Sarah. I like you. I don’t want to hurt you or kill you.”
I stopped. At some point I don’t think I would have believed Robbie would pull the trigger. Now I didn’t know anything anymore. Turns out I was a shitty judge of character, as my choices of friends clearly indicated. At least friends in the Barnes family.
There was a bang off in the distance that sounded like desks being turned over and all of us looked toward it.
“Sounds like all the shooting brought some zombies from the upper floors,” The Kid said, watching us with a wary side glance. “So we should probably get a move on before they come. Grab your specimen.”
“What specimen?”
He tilted his head. “The lady on the cart, Sarah.”
I stared. “You knew I got one? You watched me?”
He nodded. “Of course. I had to follow you to make sure you were doing what you were supposed to do.” He glanced at the dead bionics in the classroom doorway. “Dad’s not going to be happy about that, though.”
“Son of a bitch,” Dave grunted through clenched teeth.
Robbie shrugged. “He has his reasons. I’m sure he’ll explain them if he feels like it. Now grab the woman and let’s go.”
Dave and I looked at each other briefly. I think we both were thinking about defying him, maybe even trying to disarm him, but I’d seen The Kid fight. One or all of us could end up dead that way.
So we climbed over the bodies, took the unconscious zombie off the cart and let The Kid walk behind us as we made our way to the SUV parked outside.
“Keys?” he asked mildly, just like it was any other day with him.
“In my pocket,” I grunted.
He shook his head as he slipped his little hand inside my pocket and grabbed them. As we moved around to the cargo hold, he shook his head.
“No, I think you two are more dangerous to me than she is in this state. So why don’t you put her in the back seat and you two can sit behind the gate in the cargo area.”
I shook my head as he unlocked the vehicle.
“Robbie,” I said, trying to keep my voice free of the anger and betrayal I felt. “You have no idea how long that shit I gave her will last. She’s been out for almost half an hour already and she could—”
“Two hours,” he said as he motioned with the gun for us to put her in the backseat.
“What?” Dave said.
“She’ll stay out for almost exactly two hours unless I inject