Only The Dead Don't Die | Book 4 | Finding Home Popovich, A.D. (any book recommendations txt) 📖

“Dad-blast-it,” Dean groused.

Scarlett clicked off her flashlight. “Take a right on County Road Twenty-one. It’s the shortest route.”

He wasn’t too keen on going through a town. Nonetheless, it brought up an interesting possibility: stores. A Dick’s Sporting Goods would come in handy. They had lost their stockpile of camping equipment after their narrow escape from the safehouse. They wouldn’t last long in the Lost States of America without it. Although he supposed they could acquire equipment along the way. But a night without a tent, with two babies—wasn’t the best of plans.

“Say, Justin,” Dean said, “are the stores in these parts looted out?”

“Why?” Justin asked.

“Think we should replenish our camping gear,” Dean said matter-of-factly.

“Last State confiscated tons of products for their MeBuy warehouses,” Justin started. “Actually, MeBuy doesn’t sell camping stuff. Probably to discourage cits from bugging-out.”

“Surely the smugglers and Zhetts would have looted the Forbidden Zone?” Scarlett questioned.

“Not so much. The propaganda department blasted CitChat with gory deepfake videos of a virulent Ebola-like virus—”

“Question, what’s a deepfake video?” Dean interrupted, knowing he’d regret it. A glance in the rearview mirror caught Justin rolling his eyes. “Never mind.” He had more crucial matters to ponder.

“A new virus?” Scarlett’s voice trailed off.

“Meh, fake news.” Justin shook his head adamantly. “Last State deemed most of Texas uninhabitable. Think Chernobyl meets Zombieland. But really, they don’t have enough drones and manpower to surveil every inch. So, they faked a virulent virus. Even bad-ass smugglers like Mad Dog don’t risk the Forbidden Zone.”

“Alrighty then. Why don’t we come up with a list of practical items,” Dean emphasized.

“On it,” Justin said in full hyper mode.

“You should take a break and let Justin drive,” Scarlett pressed for the third time.

He didn’t want to stop until they had to. “Let’s wait ’til daylight.” By then it would be time to top off the gas tank. He kept a mental tally of the mileage since the tank’s needle hadn’t budged the last two hours.

As they approached the town, the meager parking lights captured the post-apocalyptic scene ahead like a time capsule preserving the first frenzied days of the flu outbreak. Nonetheless, he kept to the parking lights, not wanting the headlights to advertise their presence.

Why had so many people abandoned their vehicles? Had they been on their way to get the new vaccine? Only to watch a family member suddenly turn. Infecting everyone else. Best not to dwell over such things. The vaccine had been a bunch of bullcrap. Or fake news as Justin emphatically proclaimed. He supposed the folks in charge had been manipulating society for quite some time. Only most people had been too distracted to recognize the lies. Including him.

Dean still found it mind-boggling how the good ole U. S. of A. had succumbed to something as minuscule as a virus. Of course, now he understood so much more was at stake. This was a battle of good and evil if ever there was. Humanity must have pissed off someone. Whoever these ruthless Ancient Ones were, they were hellbent on annihilation. And dammit, he refused to let evil win. Not if he had any say in it.

Scarlett nudged his shoulder, pointing to a rambling horde to the left. The gangling bodies flickered in the shadows like ghoulish spirits condemned to Hades’ Underworld. He sure didn’t want to end up as one of—them.

“Hey, they’ve got a Walmart,” Justin shouted.

Familiar logos plastered billboards of Old America, like Round Table, Taco Bell, Burger King, Motel 6, and a mess of others he had long since forgotten.

“I could go for some chonies.” Luther took a seat beside Scarlett. “Tired of wearing the same ole crusty plush.”

“How you feelin’?” Dean asked.

“Like my mouth is stuffed with cotton balls. But, I’m good,” Luther assured. “Ready to kick some ass if needed.”

“Dude, maybe they sell ugly Hawaiian shirts. In jumbo sizes,” Justin jabbed.

“Don’t be messing with my mojo,” Luther jabbed back.

“Scarlett, think we ought to check out the Walmart. Any premonitions?” He had learned to trust her instincts, impossible as it was to fathom.

“I’m not getting any warnings or bad energies,” Scarlett said.

Twila invited herself into Luther’s lap. She held Luther’s rainbow-colored glass to her head and finally said, “I don’t see anything bad. But”—she paused dramatically—“the baaad ones found the hole in the fence. They’re marching for us this very second!”

“X-strains?” Justin’s tone went up an octave.

“We’ll be in Tent City before they see hide nor hair of us,” Dean interjected, not wanting to change the mood. Nevertheless, his heart twinged at her statement. X-strains were inhumanly fast. Then again, those things weren’t human. Anymore.

Chapter 21

Scarlett Lewis sat at the bus’s dinette table and organized everyone’s wish lists by departments while Luther and Justin reconned the back of the Walmart they had parked in. She left off things like Ella’s request for Gummy Bears and Justin’s request for an Xbox. Surely, they had included them in jest. Twila had only asked for a pair of shoes that didn’t hurt her feet and a pretty coloring book.

Dean studied the map spread out over the stovetop while Mindy and Starla slept. The twilight of dawn so serene that Scarlett couldn’t help but smile at Mateo’s suckling sounds as Ella nursed him. Life had a way of persevering despite the Ancient Ones’ wrath.

Mateo and Luther’s miraculous recoveries had her thinking about the crystal-like glass Luther had been entrusted with. It must contain monatomic properties within its crystalline structure. She supposed it was conceivable. According to Luther’s aunt, Andaras were created when lightning struck volcanic ash. Scarlett had detected the powerful lifeforce resonating within the crystalized glass.

According to the Silver Lady, Prima Matra (the First Matter of Humanity’s First Born on Earth) nourished the etheric body and regenerated damaged DNA. Apparently, it had