CHAPTER 2

The sun was up in the sky, baring down on the lone truck as it drove through empty plains and ravaged roads. The heat was a killer, and dehydration was a huge problem. The five men only wore the pants of their makeshift radiation suits. A geiger counter on the dashboard was there warning, so they knew where there was safety. In the initial scavenger hunts, they would always wear the suits, but they would trap heat and most surely kill them from exhaustion. Even LAdy bird had her own doggy suit, handmade by Hank.

She lay down in the back of the truck, attempting to get close to some shade, but ultimately failing. Lucky sat beside her, the heat preventing him from doing anything productive. It was too hot to even tell Dale to shut up about conspiracy theories.

"You see, what happened was, the Chinese and the Russians had made a secret alliance, but Rasputin dropped the ball, leading to a civil war fought between jets over top of Tibet, which really belonged to Afghanistan. See, most people say Tibet was under control of the Chinese, but they had actually sold off Tibet when the Uranium deposits ran out, see, and then Uncle Sams gotta get his fingers wet in the big pie of Tibets Uranium triangle, and Blam-O , you got you're ultimate nuclear holocaust."

Dale looked at Lucky, waiting for a reply.

Lucky had nothing to say, so he wiped the sweat of his forehead and flicked it away.

"You know, this is why I liked bringing Joseph along. He could add something interesting to the conversation. You just kind of sit." Dale narrowed his eyes at him, "You make me sick" he said quietly, before lighting up a cigarette.

Lucky merely sighed and looked away. Lady Bird let out a low whimper.

On the inside of the truck, Hank scanned the horizon, looking for signs of civilization.

"You know, it's kind of funny..." Bill began from the backseat, "Before now, I had a home and property, and women wouldn't touch me. But now having a shack is like being a millionaire, but all the women are dead!" Bill let out a forced laugh.

"Yeah... yeah, you said it, Bill" Hank said uncomfortably, not looking at him.

"Yeah, you know? What do you think Boomhauer? What's going to happen to us bachelors? We're the only single men in New Arlen, I bet you're missing all the tail you're used to!" Bill said.

"Yo man, new concerns, women come and go... they'll still come and go when they see you, they smell that shack, WHEW!" Boomhauer said, looking back at Bill. Bill looked upset. "Yo ,man, no disrespect, but women, there out there, don't you worry" Boomahuer added, trying to cheer Bill up.

Bill smiled weakly. Boomhauer went back to scanning the countryside.

"Look ahead, ruins" Hank said, pointing to a few crumbling skyscrapers in the distance.

Dale knocked on the top of the truck three times. Then the sound of gunfire rang out for a couple seconds. Dale looked around and saw the target. One zombie, about thirty yards away dropped to the ground.

"Yo man, Dale got it" Boomhauer said.

In the pick up, Dale laughed, "Ha! Blam-O! One shot, one kill!" He cheered again, pointing at the downed zombie.

"Nice shot" Lucky said.

"You better believe it" Dale replied, taking a drag of his cigarette and exhaling in a satisfied fashion. The zombie, now broken on the ground, had been one Carl Moss, the principal of Tom Landry Middle School.


"Bobby, don't go wandering off this time, you're on watch duty till I call you for lunch!" Peggy shouted. Bobby ignored her, heading over to Josephs house.

"Hey Joseph, Dad says I got to do watch duty, you want in?" Bobby asked.

Joseph nodded, "Yeah man, there's nothing to do anyways" He snickered, then showed Bobby a baggie of marijuana.

Bobby looked at it for a moment, "Dad says I can't smoke while on watch." He said it with disappointment in his voice.

"No , man,this is different. John Redcorn said it will help get your spirits in order, give us leadership visions" Joseph argued.

"Well, ca't argue with that, Dad's always going on about how to be a good leader!" Bobby said, laughing.

"Lets get to it then" Joseph said. The two friends headed towards the watch tower, a tree house built around a tall dead Oak tree across the street from Hank's house. The tree was the only one standing in New Arlen, and was in a perfect position to watch for intruders from any direction, or to get stoned.

"Hey guys" Connie was waiting for them by the tree.

"Hey Connie!" Bobby said happily.

"Dad says I should be cleaning the backyard, but it's already done, what are you two up to?" She asked.

"Getting stoned at the perch" Joseph said. The perch was the platform at the top of the tree.

"Cool, can I come?" She asked.

"Yeah, come on up" Bobby said invitingly.

She smiled, but it was not completely true. She didn't know how she felt about Bobby anymore. His new appearance did not fit his personality anymore. He wasn't the funny husky boy she knew in school. He had changed, as they all had. The responsibilities of survival had changed all of them. She was no longer the straight A student with a bright future and higher education waiting for her. Those dreams had burnt out with the firestorms that destroyed all the great universities and libraries of the old world. Now she was the town doctor, as she had the most knowledge of medicine. She was possibly the most educated person in New Arlen, maybe even smarter than Peggy Hill, who claimed to have the highest IQ but often quoted incorrect facts. Connie was the one who people came to when they had cuts and bruises. Connie was who they came to for knowledge on how to build radiation suits. Connie was the one called upon when random medications were brought in from the scavengers. She was scared that when Luanna got pregnant, she would be called upon to deliver the baby. These thoughts scared her, but she didn't dwell on them often. Her importance did not match her outward appearance. She wore a simple patched dress that was coated with dirt and dust. She did not wear makeup or try to do up her hair, despite Luanne's insistence.

The trio of friends reached the perch. From atop the old oak tree, they could see for miles, but this was boring. They preferred to watch the people of New Arlen go about their business. Occasionally, a zombie would be seen in the distance, but this was rare, and Bobby would never miss. Each kill was a new mark on his arm. The only other shooter who could compare with Bobby was Connie's mother, Minh.

"Hey look, Luanne's trying to clean up her yard again" Bobby said. Luanne was awkwardly trying to carry three broken garden gnomes at once, but dropped them all, kicked one, hurt her foot, then screamed and stormed back into the trailer.

"She hasn't quite adapted yet" Connie said awkwardly.

Bobby and Joseph nodded.

"Hey look, my mom's headed to John Redcorns trailer again. I guess we're low on dope" Joseph said. Connie and Bobby looked at each other nervously. Even after the apocalypse, Joseph and Dale remained unaware of Nancy's affair with John Redcorn.

"She sure see's him a lot" Joseph said absentmindedly, "Hey look, Kahn's leaving garbage on your lawn again."

Bobby looked down at his yard and saw that Kahn was, indeed, leaving small mechanical parts, probably busted screws and nails, all across Hank's yard.

"Somethings never change" Connie said.

"Enough watching, let's blaze!" Bobbie suggested happily. Joseph laughed and pulled out a joint.


"Nancy you came" John Redcorn said, not looking at her as she came near, but staring off into the wasteland.

"I know... I can't bear being alone in that house all day" She said quietly. She moved beside him and slid his arm over her shoulder. His trailer had dream catchers and wind chimes hanging from the cover.

"We're outdoors! Joseph could see us!" John Redcorn said sternly.

"Then let's move inside" Nancy said suggestively. John Redcorn smiled, and opened the door to his trailer, allowing her inside.


"There they go at it again, even after going through Hell and back" Peggy said, looking out the window at John Redcorns trailer.

"They always going at it, no surprise" Minh said.

"Yes , well, I guess there isn't much else to do" Peggy said, looking away from the trailer. Minh was sitting in the Hill's living room on an old dilapidated couch, while Peggy looked out the window.

"Oooo, PEggy Hill, Hank been trying something new?" Minh asked excitedly.

Peggy sighed, "No, Same old same old, even less than before. You would think he would be more excited, but ... oh , I don't know" Peggy looked back out the window.

"Crap, Kahn's leaving junk on the lawn again, can't you get him to stop?" Peggy asked Minh.

Minh sighed. She walked over to the window and shouted "KAHN! STOP LEAVING TRASH ON HILL LAWN! THERE'S A WINDOW RIGHT HERE!"

"I NO LEAVING TRASH! I'M MAKING IT LOOK NICER, LEAVING PRESENTS FOR HANK!" Kahn shouted back.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE KAHN, I'M RIGHT HERE, STOP LEAVING TRASH ON MY LAWN!" Peggy shouted.

Kahn shouted something back in Laotian, leading to a big argument between Kahn and Minh. Eventually Minh slammed the window shut, with a look of disgust and anger on her face.

"Some things never change" Bobby said, watching Kahn stomp back to his house.

"I'm so tired of them fighting, I wish they would just stop!" Connie said angrily.

"Here, this'll help" Joseph said, handing her the joint.

"Zombie, 7 O'clock!" Bobby said. He looked through his scope, and took the shot. A thousand yards away, a zombified Dooley, one of the bullies at Bobby's old school, dropped to the ground a moment after its head exploded, splattering blood, brain matter and skull fragments across the wasteland.

"That's seven" Bobby said, smirking.