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UNDERSTAND WHY CHELSEA doesn’t like the script,” said Frank. “I mean, at the end—”
    â€œDude, I’m literally two pages away from the end!” I cut him off, waving the script in front of me. “Don’t blow it for me.”
    Frank raised his hands and clamped his lips shut. He was already done up in full zombie makeup. It was weird how I was getting used to seeing him like that all the time.
    Josh had only given us one copy of the script. Frank had read it the night before. Today was my turn, but I’m not as fast a reader as my brother. Now I was trying to cram in the last few pages while Nick applied my stringy zombie wig.
    Finally I finished the script and put it down. “So Chelsea’scharacter was a zombie the entire time?” I asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
    Frank shook his head. “No, it’s more like she’s a zombie carrier.”
    â€œOr patient zero,” Nick explained. “The first person to be infected.”
    I shrugged. “Okay, I guess that kind of makes sense.”
    â€œThe point is, it’s a pretty good story,” said Frank. “I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want it to be made.”
    â€œYeah, I don’t know either,” I said. “I’d go see this movie even if I wasn’t in it.” When Nick moved away to get more supplies, I leaned over to Frank. “So, now that we know the whole story, where will the saboteur strike next?” I whispered.
    â€œHow about the scene we’re in tonight?” Frank asked. “Isn’t some old shack supposed to blow up?”
    â€œOh yeah,” I said. “There are zombies all around, and the survivors are trying to wipe them out with an explosion.” I smiled. “That’ll be cool to see.”
    â€œWell, we’re going to have front-row seats,” said Frank.
    I nodded. “Close enough to catch anyone who wants to throw a monkey wrench into the scene.”
    Meredith’s makeup team had their work cut out for them. They had to create close to thirty zombies by nightfall, when the scene would be shot. Luckily, most of the extras didn’t have as detailed masks as Frank and me. Since they wouldn’t be seen up close, those extras simply wore full-face masks like you’d buy for Halloween. Our classmates—Eric,Amanda, and Hector—were even pulled in to fill out the undead troupe.
    Once the rest of the extras were ready, Hugo led us to the set. Tonight they were shooting in the vacant lot behind the Meet Locker. But the lot wasn’t vacant anymore. Other than the usual lights, cameras, and crew members milling about, the lot now had a chain-link fence installed on one side. An old shack stood near the back of the lot. The run-down house looked tiny, as if it had only a couple of rooms. It also looked as if it had been standing there for fifty years or more. But since I had grown up in Bayport, I knew for a fact that it hadn’t been there a week ago.
    Hugo led us to the chain-link fence while the camera crew gathered on the other side.
    â€œOkay, zombies!” Bill shouted. “In this scene, we’re going to have you trying to get through the fence and away from the shack. The shack is going to catch fire, burn for a bit, and then explode.”
    I glanced back at the shack. It was at the other end of the lot, about forty yards away. Several of the other zombie extras were looking back as well.
    Bill answered the question that I’m sure was on many of our minds. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” He gestured to Bob Trevino. “And with that, I’m going to turn it over to Bob for the safety speech.”
    The special effects coordinator stepped up. “I’ve done these gags a hundred times, and they’re perfectly safe. Thebuilding is mostly made of lightweight balsa wood, and the charges we’ve placed are very controlled. You’re