mission was his way of fulfilling that expectation.
The car had seemed to get farther and farther away as he ran across the lake of asphalt. By the time he reached it, he was huffing and puffing. He risked a glance toward the front of the comic shop. The zombies were still pounding and clawing at the boards. Holy hell! They didn’t even see me!
And then he pressed down on the fob’s UNLOCK button, only he hadn’t realized that he had moved his thumb during the mad dash, and instead of the UNLOCK button, what he really pushed was the little red button that activated the Neon’s locator alarm.
Frantically, he stabbed his finger at the buttons and managed to silence the alarm after three honks, but by then it was already too late. He glanced up. The zombies had ceased their pounding and were now staring at him.
“Fuck! Me!”
Derek found the unlock button, pressed it, and jumped into the car. He inserted the key into the ignition. He had only driven once, and it could hardly be considered “driving” since all his mother had let him do was to back the car out of the driveway. Kevin had promised to give him driving lessons, but had never gotten around to it.
He started the Neon. The little 4-cylinder came wheezing to life. Derek watched through the dirty windshield as the mass of zombies – he was terrible at math, but if he had to guess, he thought there were at least thirty of them in front of the store – came shambling toward the car. He put his foot on the brake, shifted into drive, and jerked the steering wheel to the right as he stomped down on the accelerator pedal. He was prepared for a swift leap forward, but the Neon let out a garbled scream instead, and for a second Derek thought it was going to give out and die.
It didn’t. It gave a sheepish roar and sped forward, Derek cranking the wheel to the right again to avoid hitting the corner of the building.
Derek’s eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror and he saw the zombies shambling around the corner as he turned left and disappeared around the corner. He slammed the brakes when he reached the back of the building. He cranked the window down as the door burst open and Kevin and Rhonda came running out.
“Great timing!” he said.
“What the hell are you doing?” Kevin said, yanking open the driver’s side door.
“I’m gonna save the fuckin’ day,” Derek said. He smiled. “That’s from Con-Air.”
“Get over.”
“Kevin, come on, man. I’ve got this.”
Kevin was about to argue when the first of the zombies came stumbling around the corner. He slammed the door shut and came around the passenger side, shoving Rhonda in first so that all three of them were squished into the front seats.
Something struck the back window. Kevin twisted his head around so he could see over the seat. A zombie had climbed onto the trunk, its face pressed up against the rear window. Kevin looked at Derek and said, “Step on it!”
Derek stepped on the accelerator. The Neon’s engine sputtered, caught, and jumped forward, sending up a spray of gravel. When they reached the other end of the building, he cranked the wheel hard to the left and the zombie clinging to the back spun off.
They sped across the parking lot, putting distance between them and the zombies.
“Of all the stupid things,” Kevin said.
Rhonda said, “He’s actually kind of a hero.”
Kevin accepted the fact reluctantly. “It was still idiotic.”
“True. But he did manage to save our lives.”
Derek was hunched over the wheel, deep in concentration. The speedometer’s needle hovered at twenty.
“Okay, I admit it,” Kevin said. “You did good. You managed to get past a zombie horde and rescue your boss and his girlfriend…” Kevin turned to Rhonda. “Is that okay? Calling you my girlfriend?”
“Sure, why not.” Rhonda said and smiled.
“Right. So like I was saying, you saved your boss and
The car had seemed to get farther and farther away as he ran across the lake of asphalt. By the time he reached it, he was huffing and puffing. He risked a glance toward the front of the comic shop. The zombies were still pounding and clawing at the boards. Holy hell! They didn’t even see me!
And then he pressed down on the fob’s UNLOCK button, only he hadn’t realized that he had moved his thumb during the mad dash, and instead of the UNLOCK button, what he really pushed was the little red button that activated the Neon’s locator alarm.
Frantically, he stabbed his finger at the buttons and managed to silence the alarm after three honks, but by then it was already too late. He glanced up. The zombies had ceased their pounding and were now staring at him.
“Fuck! Me!”
Derek found the unlock button, pressed it, and jumped into the car. He inserted the key into the ignition. He had only driven once, and it could hardly be considered “driving” since all his mother had let him do was to back the car out of the driveway. Kevin had promised to give him driving lessons, but had never gotten around to it.
He started the Neon. The little 4-cylinder came wheezing to life. Derek watched through the dirty windshield as the mass of zombies – he was terrible at math, but if he had to guess, he thought there were at least thirty of them in front of the store – came shambling toward the car. He put his foot on the brake, shifted into drive, and jerked the steering wheel to the right as he stomped down on the accelerator pedal. He was prepared for a swift leap forward, but the Neon let out a garbled scream instead, and for a second Derek thought it was going to give out and die.
It didn’t. It gave a sheepish roar and sped forward, Derek cranking the wheel to the right again to avoid hitting the corner of the building.
Derek’s eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror and he saw the zombies shambling around the corner as he turned left and disappeared around the corner. He slammed the brakes when he reached the back of the building. He cranked the window down as the door burst open and Kevin and Rhonda came running out.
“Great timing!” he said.
“What the hell are you doing?” Kevin said, yanking open the driver’s side door.
“I’m gonna save the fuckin’ day,” Derek said. He smiled. “That’s from Con-Air.”
“Get over.”
“Kevin, come on, man. I’ve got this.”
Kevin was about to argue when the first of the zombies came stumbling around the corner. He slammed the door shut and came around the passenger side, shoving Rhonda in first so that all three of them were squished into the front seats.
Something struck the back window. Kevin twisted his head around so he could see over the seat. A zombie had climbed onto the trunk, its face pressed up against the rear window. Kevin looked at Derek and said, “Step on it!”
Derek stepped on the accelerator. The Neon’s engine sputtered, caught, and jumped forward, sending up a spray of gravel. When they reached the other end of the building, he cranked the wheel hard to the left and the zombie clinging to the back spun off.
They sped across the parking lot, putting distance between them and the zombies.
“Of all the stupid things,” Kevin said.
Rhonda said, “He’s actually kind of a hero.”
Kevin accepted the fact reluctantly. “It was still idiotic.”
“True. But he did manage to save our lives.”
Derek was hunched over the wheel, deep in concentration. The speedometer’s needle hovered at twenty.
“Okay, I admit it,” Kevin said. “You did good. You managed to get past a zombie horde and rescue your boss and his girlfriend…” Kevin turned to Rhonda. “Is that okay? Calling you my girlfriend?”
“Sure, why not.” Rhonda said and smiled.
“Right. So like I was saying, you saved your boss and
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