End Zone (Book Five)-3
1211 Words
“They went back?” repeated Irene, wiping fresh tears. Belinda had brought them back to the hotel, to try and find a way to soften the blow. Unfortunately, there had been no easier way to tell them that their granddaughters were on the road.
Belinda nodded, hating to bring them more bad news. It was horrible enough that she’d had to inform them that Dave and Kris had died, but now to find out that their grandkids were somewhere between Atlanta and Minnesota, it made everything that much worse. “Yeah, a couple of days ago. Hopefully they’ll be back soon, but it’s hard to say. It’s not like we have a way to reach any of them.”
“Oh, I just can’t believe they did that,” sighed Irene. “With so much danger on the roads.”
Grief-stricken, Steve sat down on a club chair, the news of Dave and Kris’s death still sinking in. “I just can’t believe it,” he replied, his voice husky. “Dave left me a message a few days ago, saying that they’d made it out here. Now you’re saying that they were murdered, and not even by the damn zombies?”
Belinda swallowed. “Um, yes. That’s right. The ones who did it were part of the mob,” she said, leaving out the fact that she’d been related to one of them. “But, Dave and Kris, they saved a lot of people. You should be very proud of them.”
“We always have been,” sighed Irene, stepping over to her husband. She grabbed his hand. “Haven’t we?”
He nodded tearfully.
Belinda raised her index finger. “I’m sure you’re aware that Allie beat the virus after getting bitten, but your other granddaughter did as well. Cassie was sick for a couple of days, but she also pulled through.”
“He never mentioned anything about Cassie,” said Irene, looking relieved. “They both pulled through and there were no complications?”
Belinda nodded. “Yes. They were very lucky girls.”
“Or maybe it’s something else,” said Steve. “Some kind of immunity to the infection.”
“You know... that that might also explain how Victoria survived getting bitten, too, Steve,” said Irene, turning to him. “Maybe our family has some kind of immunity?”
“Maybe all of the remaining survivors have some kind of built-in immunity,” he said.
“Or they just didn’t get the vaccine,” she answered.
“Who is Victoria?” asked Belinda.
“Our other granddaughter. She’s in Texas right now, staying at a zombie fallout shelter with some friends. We were going to check on her next. Tell her the news about her parents.”
Belinda frowned. “Where they killed?”
Irene sighed. “We believe so. They’d been on a cruise with Judy, Steve’s ex-wife, and... well, we haven’t heard from either of them. It’s not looking good.”
“It’s certainly not a good sign,” sighed Belinda.
“No,” said Steve, looking beaten. “It’s not. As you can see, the grandchildren are all we have left.”
“What a nightmare, huh?” said Belinda.
“Much worse than a nightmare,” he replied. “You can’t wake up from this.”
Irene rubbed her forehead. “I just can’t believe the girls took off like that. When we heard that everyone had made it here, we just assumed that Allie and Cassie were safe.”
“Nobody is safe,” said Belinda, glancing at Bobby. “Not here. Not anywhere.”
“I know,” she replied. “And that’s why I’m so scared.”
He patted her on the back. “Irene, it’s okay. We’ll find them.”
She looked up at him. “I hope so. We can’t lose anyone else.”
“We won’t,” he said, his voice cracking.
As Belinda stared at them, she couldn’t help but feel slightly responsible for the turn of events her dysfunctional family had created. All her life she’d had to put up with their crazy, violent ways, and she’d longed for the kind of relationship that these people had. Now, ironically, it was her family that had ruined theirs. She reached over and placed a hand on Irene’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“We’ve all lost,” replied Steve. “I’m sure you’ve lost plenty of family yourself.”
“Yes, but yours is nothing compared to mine.” She glanced at Bobby, who was looking at a picture book on the floor and felt nauseated at the thought of losing him. “That little guy, however, I don’t know what I’d do if he ever got hurt.”
“Oh, is he yours?” asked Irene, turning to look at the small boy.
“Actually, he’s your granddaughter’s future brother-in-law.”
“What?” they gasped in unison.
Belinda chuckled. “I take it you’ve never met Bryce De Luca?”
Irene shook her head. “No. Cassie is engaged? Seriously?”
“Seriously. He’s a nice guy, too,” said Belinda. “Handsome, strong, a real fighter.”
“Well, she’s a little young to be engaged,” said Steve, frowning.
“Maybe, but Bryce adores her, and believe me, he won’t stop searching for Cassie until he finds her.”
“Let’s hope he finds Allie and Kylie, too,” said Irene.
“He did,” said Bobby, out of nowhere.
They turned to him.
“What was that, Bobby?” asked Belinda, walking toward him. She bent down. “What did you say, honey?”
“Bryce gave this to me” he replied, holding up his book. “He loves me.”
“He certainly does,” agreed Belinda, ruffling his hair. “We all love you, kid.”
“Well, what do we do now?” asked Irene, turning to Steve.
“We go back,” he replied, picking up his rifle. “Find our granddaughters.”
“I’m coming with,” said Bobby. He stood up and walked over to them. “Let’s go. Right now.”
“Honey, you have to stay here,” said Belinda.
“No,” he said. “I have to go and save the baby.”
The adults looked at each other, surprised at his response. “Baby, what baby?”
“They call her the ‘Chosen One’,” he replied.
“The ‘Chosen One’?” asked Belinda.
“Yes,” he replied. “And she really needs me.”
“Oh, Bobby... I’m sorry, honey, but you’re not going anywhere,” said Belinda. “It’s much too dangerous to go on a road trip right now.”
“They’re going,” he replied.
“That’s different,” said Belinda.
“Linny, please, I have to leave with them.”
She knelt down next to him again. “Bobby...”
His eyes took on an intelligence that shocked her. “Belinda,” he said evenly. “You don’t understand. We are running out of time. All of us.”
2
Allie and Kylie
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- Writer
