Zombie Ocean (Book 2): The Lost by Michael John Grist Page A

played the game of looking out for Amo's next cairn.
    "He said there was going to be one here," Robert said, grinning at her. "A big one, I think. First one to find it gets a red string."
    He dangled one just in front of her. She laughed and grabbed for it. Warm sandy air rushed in through the window and through her hair. They'd made her take a wash the day before, and Masako had pulled a comb through her matted hair. Now it was all frizzy again.
    They'd examined her tooth-marks too. Masako and Cynthia had done a full check on her whole body for any kinds of sickness or injury, but they found nothing except the holes in her head.
    "You're like Amo," Masako said and smiled. "Holy." Cynthia shushed her.
    "I know," Anna said, "it's OK. He shot himself. I read the comic."
    Masako patted her shoulder.
    "You're a strong girl, Anna."
    She already knew that.
    Now she studied the strange buildings either side of the road with glee. They were like something out of Wonderland, too big or too small, built in the shape of things that shouldn't be buildings. Robert called them 'casinos'. They were places for people to make bets and have fun, apparently. There was a big black pyramid, and a huge white one that looked very fancy, and one that looked like a tall red tower, and finally one that was a big white circle like an egg, with a picture drawn on it.
    Robert hit the steering wheel and laughed. "The UFO! Of course. Amo you crazy bastard!"
    Anna didn't understand, but soon the others were up at the front pointing and laughing. There was a picture of a giant man jumping on the UFO-egg, which apparently had to be Amo's work.
    "Subversive," Jake said, "twisting the man against the man." 
    None of it made much sense, so Anna was right at home. Impossible things were her specialty.
    They pulled up in front of the UFO, parked, and then all got out and headed in an excited rush to the hotel lobby. Anna hurried along by Robert's side, caught up in the excitement. Another cairn from Amo! Maybe he was still here…
    The lobby was vast, and in places giant green monster statues stood, with impossibly long legs and great eyeballs for heads. Amo wasn't there, but it was definitely his cairn and he'd left lots of things gathered neatly for them to find.
    There was a new edition of the comic, and more of the shiny colorful cups which Julio turned into a disgusting drink, and best of all there was a billboard with Amo's name on it, and right underneath Amo's name was Lara's, and next to both of their names was the same date.
    Amo and Lara at the same date!
    They all enjoyed that, because it meant they must have met up in this very place, and left the cairn together. It made Anna feel warm and tingly inside.
    For a while she tried on sunglasses from the dozen racks, imagining she was Lara trying them on. She leafed through an updated version of the comic, reading about how Lara saved Amo and how Amo killed Don. When Masako showed her how, she watched videos of Amo and Lara goofing around by the swimming pool.
    So this was Amo! This was Lara! They were beautiful and happy, and seeing that happiness went some way toward filling up the emptiness in Anna's middle. Watching them jog and film each other, listening to their voices, made her almost feel at home.
    They added their names to the listing on the wall. Robert checked his maps. They all took one last look then got back in the RV and pulled out.
    "By dusk!" Robert shouted from the front. "We'll be there soon."
    Anna could barely contain herself. She'd only seen Amo's Pac-Man sign a few weeks ago, but already he meant more to her than she could explain. He was like a real life Alice trotting across the world, figuring out all these strange things and helping the rest of them see the way forward.
    She sat in the front next to Robert in Masako's lap until she fell asleep.
     
     
    When she woke they were there. Everyone was hooting and hollering, even Julio. It was so dark outside and the RV was blasting