I’m sorry, baby. We’ve got to move. We can’t stay here. We’re too close to the highway. We need to hide.”
CHAPTER 13
El Paso, Texas
February 14, Year 1
“That’s the dumbest plan you’ve ever come up with, Odin.”
“Fine, Chivo. Tell me why you think it won’t work.”
“Oh no, I think it will work, but it’s still fucking stupid. Stupid white-trash tricks. What the hell is it with your people and riding lawn mowers?”
“They’re multipurpose. You can mow your yard and then ride it to Walmart for more beer. A very versatile machine, the lawn tractor.”
They found the key for the Chrysler hanging on a nail by the side door. Odin pushed the riding lawn mower out of the backyard shed. Apollo unlocked the Chrysler, put the car in neutral, and waited for the signal from Chivo in the front yard. Chivo walked to the far corner of the yard away from the driveway, the group of undead following him, excitedly bouncing off the fence and trying to reach their fresh meal. He raised his rifle and took aim at the closest walking corpse.
The triangle reticle of the ACOG on his rifle rested on the rotting forehead seen through the optic, his chosen first kill. Chivo pressed the trigger to the rear and the plan was rapidly set in motion by the loud bark of his rifle. The shattered skull fragments and rotting brain matter covered the other walking dead in the group, and before the first kill’s body hit the ground, Chivo’s second shot exploded another rotting skull.
Apollo ran to the gate which was closed across the driveway, pushed open the latch and threw both sides open while the riding lawn mower coughed to life in a cloud of white smoke. Odin laughed wildly as the lawn mower roared past Apollo, who ran back to the front of the Chrysler. Legs pumping, Apollo pushed the big four-door car down the driveway before it bounced into the street. Chivo ran past Apollo and to the old truck behind the house, climbed into the cab and turned the key to the sound of an old tired motor turning over slowly. Chivo turned the ignition off and back on again, pumping the gas. Rifle fire from the front of the house filled his ears while he tried to get the old truck to start.
Three tries later, the old truck burst to life with a loud backfire, a heavy cloud of black smoke pouring out of the exhaust pipe. Chivo jammed the selector to reverse and slammed his foot on the gas pedal, spinning the tires and hitting the shed with the truck. He jerked the selector to drive and spun the tires down the driveway before sliding to a stop on the road in front of the house. Apollo climbed into the passenger seat, cranked the manual window open, and hung out the open window with his rifle, quickly engaging the mob of new rotted bodies pouring into the street towards the truck from behind the surrounding houses.
“What the shit, Chivo? I thought you grew up stealing cars in Laredo.”
“Fuck you, punta, and don’t fucking shoot Odin.”
Chivo punched the accelerator and jerked the old Ford around the large group of undead following the riding lawn mower before pulling alongside Odin. Odin tossed his rifle into the bed of the truck before he grabbed the bedrail and leapt into the bed headfirst. The mower’s kill switch stopped the motor immediately, and the following herd of undead crashed into the stopped mower before turning to follow the truck as it sped around the corner. Chivo made the block and bumped across the sandy ground and through the section of fence to the highway that they’d cut down to get to the house, before they bounced onto the Cesar E. Chavez Border Highway.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, Chivo resisted the urge to drive as fast as he could. Instead, he kept the truck’s speedometer on thirty miles per hour so he could outpace the following dead but still easily maneuver around the debris, abandoned vehicles, and shambling dead that appeared in their path.
None of the team members were intimately
CHAPTER 13
El Paso, Texas
February 14, Year 1
“That’s the dumbest plan you’ve ever come up with, Odin.”
“Fine, Chivo. Tell me why you think it won’t work.”
“Oh no, I think it will work, but it’s still fucking stupid. Stupid white-trash tricks. What the hell is it with your people and riding lawn mowers?”
“They’re multipurpose. You can mow your yard and then ride it to Walmart for more beer. A very versatile machine, the lawn tractor.”
They found the key for the Chrysler hanging on a nail by the side door. Odin pushed the riding lawn mower out of the backyard shed. Apollo unlocked the Chrysler, put the car in neutral, and waited for the signal from Chivo in the front yard. Chivo walked to the far corner of the yard away from the driveway, the group of undead following him, excitedly bouncing off the fence and trying to reach their fresh meal. He raised his rifle and took aim at the closest walking corpse.
The triangle reticle of the ACOG on his rifle rested on the rotting forehead seen through the optic, his chosen first kill. Chivo pressed the trigger to the rear and the plan was rapidly set in motion by the loud bark of his rifle. The shattered skull fragments and rotting brain matter covered the other walking dead in the group, and before the first kill’s body hit the ground, Chivo’s second shot exploded another rotting skull.
Apollo ran to the gate which was closed across the driveway, pushed open the latch and threw both sides open while the riding lawn mower coughed to life in a cloud of white smoke. Odin laughed wildly as the lawn mower roared past Apollo, who ran back to the front of the Chrysler. Legs pumping, Apollo pushed the big four-door car down the driveway before it bounced into the street. Chivo ran past Apollo and to the old truck behind the house, climbed into the cab and turned the key to the sound of an old tired motor turning over slowly. Chivo turned the ignition off and back on again, pumping the gas. Rifle fire from the front of the house filled his ears while he tried to get the old truck to start.
Three tries later, the old truck burst to life with a loud backfire, a heavy cloud of black smoke pouring out of the exhaust pipe. Chivo jammed the selector to reverse and slammed his foot on the gas pedal, spinning the tires and hitting the shed with the truck. He jerked the selector to drive and spun the tires down the driveway before sliding to a stop on the road in front of the house. Apollo climbed into the passenger seat, cranked the manual window open, and hung out the open window with his rifle, quickly engaging the mob of new rotted bodies pouring into the street towards the truck from behind the surrounding houses.
“What the shit, Chivo? I thought you grew up stealing cars in Laredo.”
“Fuck you, punta, and don’t fucking shoot Odin.”
Chivo punched the accelerator and jerked the old Ford around the large group of undead following the riding lawn mower before pulling alongside Odin. Odin tossed his rifle into the bed of the truck before he grabbed the bedrail and leapt into the bed headfirst. The mower’s kill switch stopped the motor immediately, and the following herd of undead crashed into the stopped mower before turning to follow the truck as it sped around the corner. Chivo made the block and bumped across the sandy ground and through the section of fence to the highway that they’d cut down to get to the house, before they bounced onto the Cesar E. Chavez Border Highway.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, Chivo resisted the urge to drive as fast as he could. Instead, he kept the truck’s speedometer on thirty miles per hour so he could outpace the following dead but still easily maneuver around the debris, abandoned vehicles, and shambling dead that appeared in their path.
None of the team members were intimately
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