because of Alyssa, although we all are desperate to save her.” DeAndre’s eyes were piercing, and moved from Zach to look into my eyes. “Luke, Risa jumped into that mob of monsters to save you because, if your blood makes that serum to save Alyssa, like we think it will, it won’t only save Alyssa, it will very likely save the whole world. A serum like that would stop this plague in its tracks. It would be a cure.” He put one hand up to grasp my shoulder and give it a little squeeze. “Do you understand what that means, son? That is bigger than me or you or Alyssa or any one person. Risa understood that, that’s why she did what she did. It was a desperate attempt to save the hope of the world, Luke. You.”
I swallowed hard again and felt myself go cold and hot at the same time. I couldn’t speak.
“I know it must be overwhelming. I know it’s hard to wrap your head around. But Luke: you must think. There are over 4 billion people left on this planet that haven’t been infected by this plague. The serum can inoculate them against it. You, Luke. You can save this world from this plague.” He stopped talking and looked at the horizon again. I heard Zach sniffling beside me, and I reached behind me without looking and grabbed his hand and squeezed.
DeAndre dropped his hand from my shoulder and scuffed his boot on the ground in front of us, then looked at me again. “Luke, you have got to be smarter. Don’t ever put yourself in a position like that again. The world has no other hope that I’m aware of. You have to stay safe.” He looked into my eyes without blinking. “Don’t take stupid chances like that again.” Dead serious, he held my eyes for a long moment and then turned back toward the SUV. Once again, putting his hand on my shoulder, he steered me to the door. “Come on, let’s get going again. I’m already sick of this mission. I want it to be over as soon as possible.”
I was silent as I climbed into my seat, stowing my knife and shotgun and settling myself in. Dad passed back sandwiches and water bottles to everyone, and, safe in our secure SUV we all sat eating and talking.
“You’re rather quiet, Luke,” my dad said, chewing and looking at me thoughtfully. I glanced at DeAndre and turned back to my dad.
“I guess I have a lot on my mind,” I said. Zach beside me squeezed my hand in support. Thoughts swirled in my head, and I felt a new sense of great responsibility .
Thirteen
I wish I could tell you the rest of our trip went smoothly. I would like nothing more than to say that the next 18 hours went as easy as could be, no troubles, no worries, no hiccoughs. Maybe that would bring Risa back, or my mom, or, heck, any of the people who’ve been affected by this damnable plague.
The highway that traversed the countryside across Ontario and Québec was once mostly plains and farmland. After the zombie infestation that wiped out a lot of the largest cities began moving north from the United States, people began to panic. As the virus began to infect smaller and smaller towns, residents holed up, stopped traveling and became more isolated. They had no other choice.
Before this whole thing started, the plains across Ontario had been peppered with small and mid-sized towns, with people traveling back and forth between them on a regular basis. But now, the farms that had once dotted the landscape had mostly been abandoned, sometimes with the machinery still in the fields. Looking out from the highway, you could see the rusted tractors, harvesters and balers just sitting in the field. Large rolls of hay lay where they’d been baled, looking black because they’d been sitting out for years in the sun and rain and had begun to decompose. People had abandoned outdoor activities by the hundreds; they were just too dangerous to pursue. A lot of farm families had nearly starved, before completely abandoning their land to come east to what they thought was
I swallowed hard again and felt myself go cold and hot at the same time. I couldn’t speak.
“I know it must be overwhelming. I know it’s hard to wrap your head around. But Luke: you must think. There are over 4 billion people left on this planet that haven’t been infected by this plague. The serum can inoculate them against it. You, Luke. You can save this world from this plague.” He stopped talking and looked at the horizon again. I heard Zach sniffling beside me, and I reached behind me without looking and grabbed his hand and squeezed.
DeAndre dropped his hand from my shoulder and scuffed his boot on the ground in front of us, then looked at me again. “Luke, you have got to be smarter. Don’t ever put yourself in a position like that again. The world has no other hope that I’m aware of. You have to stay safe.” He looked into my eyes without blinking. “Don’t take stupid chances like that again.” Dead serious, he held my eyes for a long moment and then turned back toward the SUV. Once again, putting his hand on my shoulder, he steered me to the door. “Come on, let’s get going again. I’m already sick of this mission. I want it to be over as soon as possible.”
I was silent as I climbed into my seat, stowing my knife and shotgun and settling myself in. Dad passed back sandwiches and water bottles to everyone, and, safe in our secure SUV we all sat eating and talking.
“You’re rather quiet, Luke,” my dad said, chewing and looking at me thoughtfully. I glanced at DeAndre and turned back to my dad.
“I guess I have a lot on my mind,” I said. Zach beside me squeezed my hand in support. Thoughts swirled in my head, and I felt a new sense of great responsibility .
Thirteen
I wish I could tell you the rest of our trip went smoothly. I would like nothing more than to say that the next 18 hours went as easy as could be, no troubles, no worries, no hiccoughs. Maybe that would bring Risa back, or my mom, or, heck, any of the people who’ve been affected by this damnable plague.
The highway that traversed the countryside across Ontario and Québec was once mostly plains and farmland. After the zombie infestation that wiped out a lot of the largest cities began moving north from the United States, people began to panic. As the virus began to infect smaller and smaller towns, residents holed up, stopped traveling and became more isolated. They had no other choice.
Before this whole thing started, the plains across Ontario had been peppered with small and mid-sized towns, with people traveling back and forth between them on a regular basis. But now, the farms that had once dotted the landscape had mostly been abandoned, sometimes with the machinery still in the fields. Looking out from the highway, you could see the rusted tractors, harvesters and balers just sitting in the field. Large rolls of hay lay where they’d been baled, looking black because they’d been sitting out for years in the sun and rain and had begun to decompose. People had abandoned outdoor activities by the hundreds; they were just too dangerous to pursue. A lot of farm families had nearly starved, before completely abandoning their land to come east to what they thought was
Similar Books
