LovewithaChanceofZombies by Delphine Dryden Read Free Book Online Page B

found the strength, because it
nearly destroyed her every time she tried to face the inevitable loss. She
didn’t know that she was worthy of him, of the responsibility of carrying his
legacy, but since she’d been the one on hand, she would do her best to live up
to the role. Just as Lucas had spent a lifetime doing.
    She was down on the ground, digging in the soft soil and
hacking off a handful of woody root tendrils, when Watson came back down the
row. Lena stood and passed the bunch of roots to Lucas, wiping her hands on her
pants as Watson approached.
    “The wind was to the northwest,” he reported. “Toward the
woods from here. You think the scent of the hemp is what’s drawing them, Doc?”
    “I don’t know for sure,” Nye said, looking in bemusement at
his two handfuls of plant stuff. “But at least I’ve got plenty of sample
material gathered to take back to the lab.”
    * * * * *
    As Lucas processed the hemp into its component parts, Lena
watched him and thought too much. After a few hours she recognized the feeling.
She was just plain bored. She hadn’t expected that.
    “You want to help?” he asked, when she sighed once a bit too
loudly.
    “If you need a hand.” She was mostly just spoiled, she
realized, from the previous lazy, surreal days of fantastic sex. Of being his
primary focus. Now he was intent on the hemp like a hawk on a mouse. Lucas had
slept only five or so hours in the past twenty-four, but seemed brimming with
energy. Lena had to admit that even rumpled and unshaven, with circles under
his eyes, he looked more alive than she had seen him in days.
    “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
    Bait. He wanted her to lie out some hemp as bait for zombies
that night and report on their reaction.
    “The wind is in the right direction, if it hasn’t changed
from what Watson said earlier. The woods near the front gate are downwind now,
and sunset is in about an hour. I want you to set these out at least ten yards
from each other, but all the same distance from the tree line.” He handed her
four sealed plastic bags filled with various plant bits. “Seeds, leaves, stalk,
roots. We see which batch the zombies go for. Simple.”
    “Simple?” She took the bags but didn’t move, even though
Watson arrived in the lab then, obviously prepared to take over guard duties.
Lucas must have discussed this with him at the farm. “Zombie…bait. Those two
words should never go together. We never want to lure the zombies in, Lucas. We
want to get the zombies the hell away.”
    “But they’re already getting lured in, and I have a hunch
about why. It could be something helpful.” He was practically bouncing with
anticipation, and Lena wondered what he wasn’t saying about his hunch. “Just
please do this, Lena. One night, two at the most. If my suspicion is correct—”
    “What suspicion?” Watson wanted to know. “I trust your
hunches, Doc, but why the secrecy?”
    “It could be big,” Nye admitted. “Not just another piece of
the puzzle…the entire missing half of the puzzle. But I won’t know for sure
until I see which pile of stuff they go after. And I don’t want to accidentally
influence the results by giving you any more information than that.”
    In the end, Lena went, setting out the four batches of
vegetation as Lucas had described. The other guards clearly thought she was
crazy, and since she couldn’t tell them why she was doing it other than “secret
mission for Watson”, she couldn’t really disabuse them of the notion.
    At least she didn’t have long to wait. Before the sun was
even below the horizon, screeches and moans issued from the woods. Lena gripped
her rifle stock, hefting it for comfort.
    “Locked and loaded, boss?” Jonesie materialized at her
shoulder, his own weapon at the ready.
    “You know it. Just keep your eyes peeled and don’t shoot
until I say so, got it?”
    “Got it. Good to see you back in action.”
    “Uh, thanks.”
    She felt bad