The Zombie Zone Read online

  Later, Dink suddenly sat up in the tent. A noise had wakened him. He listened, then peered out through the zippered opening.

  Moonlight through the trees cast shadows on their campsite.

  Then Dink saw a tiny light moving in the woods. Dink’s first thought was that he was seeing fireflies. But he knew that fireflies didn’t travel in a straight line. He woke Josh and Ruth Rose.

  They both rubbed their eyes, then joined Dink on their knees at the tent opening.

  The light was still there, bouncing along in the trees.

  “What do you suppose it is?” whispered Ruth Rose.

  “A flashlight,” Dink answered.

  “Who would be sneaking around in the middle of the night?” Josh asked.

  Dink put out his hand and silently unzipped the tent flap. “Let’s go find out,” he said.

  “Maybe we should wake up Jack,” Josh said. “It could be the zombie!”

  “I have a feeling that zombies don’t carry flashlights,” Dink said.

  The kids stuck to a narrow path as they moved slowly toward the light. The moon played hide-and-seek with the clouds. One moment it beamed down on them, the next it was gone.

  As they watched, the distant light would disappear, then glow again, only to vanish once more.

  The kids came to a spot where three trails crossed each other. They could turn right or left or go straight forward.

  “Which way?” asked Josh.

  “The middle one seems to head where the light was,” Dink said.

  “Guys, that path goes to the cemetery!” Ruth Rose said.

  “OMIGOSH!” Josh croaked. “Maybe we’re following the grave robber!”

  “And if we hurry, we can catch him!” Ruth Rose said.

  “I’m not catching anybody !” Josh said.

  “Let’s keep moving,” Dink said. “If we find anything out, we’ll go back and wake up Jack. He’ll call the cops on his cell phone.”

  The kids crept forward. Ruth Rose had been right. At the end of the trail, Dink saw gravestones glinting in the moonlight.

  The kids stopped in the shadow of a giant oak tree, thirty yards from the graveyard. The moonlight touched the fence and the gravestones. The two empty graves were black holes with mounds of dirt piled next to them. Nothing moved.

  “I guess I was wrong,” Dink whispered. “I thought for sure—”

  Suddenly Josh slapped his hand over Dink’s mouth. Then Dink heard Ruth Rose gasp.

  One of the empty graves was glowing! As the kids watched, two hands emerged, grabbing at the edge of the hole.

  Then a head appeared. Whoever it was held a small flashlight in his mouth. The beam jumped crazily as a dark figure pulled himself up and out of the grave.

  Silently, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose dropped to the ground.

  The man standing at the grave’s edge was tall. He wore dark clothing. His face was in shadow, but his hair looked silver in the moonlight. Dink felt there was something familiar about him.

  The man wiped red clay from his pant legs. Then he shone the flashlight on his wrist, causing his watch to gleam briefly. He turned and disappeared into the trees.

  “Wh-who was that?” Josh asked.

  “It sure wasn’t a zombie wearing a watch and carrying a flashlight,” Ruth Rose said.

  “I wonder what he was doing down in that grave,” Dink said. “Should we go look?”

  “No!” Josh hissed. “It’s bad enough we’re creeping around cemeteries. We’re not crawling down into some grave!”

  “Let’s go tell Jack,” Ruth Rose said.

  The kids retraced their steps back to the campsite. Dink was relieved to see Jack’s tall form lying in the hammock.

  “Let’s not wake him,” Dink said. “We can tell him in the morning.”

  The kids tiptoed past Jack, then knelt to crawl into the tent.

  “See anything interesting?” Jack asked.

  All three kids jumped and whipped around. “You’re awake?” Dink said.

  Jack sat up in his hammock. “I’m a light sleeper,” he said. “Where have you been?”

  “We need to talk to you,” Ruth Rose said. “We saw someone at the cemetery!”

  “You did?” Jack jumped out of his hammock. He had put on dark sweat clothes. He pushed up his sleeve and looked at his watch. “What were you doing at the cemetery at midnight?”

  “Something woke me up,” Dink said. “I noticed a light in the woods, and we decided to follow it.”

  Dink stared at Jack. He couldn’t help comparing him with the man they’d just seen at the graveyard. Both were tall, wearing dark clothing. Both had light hair and wore wristwatches.

  “We saw a guy crawl out of a grave!” Josh said. “We know he wasn’t a zombie ’cause he was wearing a watch. Right, guys?”

  Dink focused on Jack’s face. Could it have been him they’d just spied on? What would Jack be doing in an empty grave?

  “Do you think it could have been the grave robber?” asked Ruth Rose.

  “Was he digging?” Jack asked.

  “We don’t know,” Josh said. “We didn’t see a shovel or anything.”

  Josh pointed at Dink. “He wanted to go down in it, but I said no way!”

  “You were smart,” Jack told Josh. “But you were all pretty foolish to go out in these woods without telling me. Don’t do it again, okay?”

  The kids nodded. “Okay, but who do you think that was?” Ruth Rose asked.

  Jack stretched and leaned against one of his hammock trees. “My guess? One of the men from the village just checking out the cemetery. For all we know, they may have posted guards to make sure the grave robber doesn’t steal anymore,” he said.

  “But what was he doing down in one of the graves?” Josh asked.

  Jack shrugged. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “Now how about we get some sleep?”

  Jack hoisted himself back into his hammock. The kids crawled into the tent, and Dink zipped it shut. After they were settled, Dink lay on his back staring at the tent ceiling.

  He tried to remember if he’d taken a good look at Jack’s hammock before they’d followed the flashlight. Dink didn’t know for sure if Jack had been there when they’d left.

  Dink tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry. Could the grave robber have been sleeping in a hammock just outside their tent?

  Dink didn’t sleep well that night.

  Dink woke up when he heard someone singing outside the tent. He peeked out and saw Jack opening the coolers.

  Sunlight slanted across the water, turning the Gulf to gold. A sweet-smelling breeze came with the sun. It was a perfect morning, and Dink was hungry.

  As Dink pulled on his sneakers, he thought of last night. He laughed. No way could that have been Jack in the grave. No way.

  Dink nudged Josh and Ruth Rose awake, then unzipped the flap and left the tent.

  Jack was wearing shorts and a T-shirt again. “Hey,” he said, smiling at Dink. “I brought fruit and bagels and juice. You hungry?”

  “Yeah, my stomach is rumbling,” Dink said.

  “Mine is, too!” Josh said, joining them. Ruth Rose came next, fixing her headband.

  Jack carried the food down to one of the flat-bottomed boats to use it as a tabletop. They looked out over the water as they ate.

  “Look,” Jack said, pointing along the shore. A mother squirrel and two young ones were sitting at the water’s edge. They washed their hands and faces, then waddled back into the trees.

  “When are we going to go see the alligator nest?” Josh asked.

  Jack checked his watch. “Pretty soon. But I want to check in on Myrna first. Do you mind?” he asked. “She seemed worried yesterday.”

  “Sure,” Dink said. “But what will we do with the tent and stuff?”

  “I’ll get it later,” Jack said.

  “Are you going to tell Myrna what we saw last night?” asked Ruth Rose.

  Jack chewed his lower lip for a few seconds. “If
I’m right and it was one of the village men, she’d already know about it,” he said. “But I’ll definitely mention it to her.”

  The kids helped Jack tidy up. Then they hiked toward the small village. Myrna was there, weeding her garden.

  Myrna looked up at Jack. “Everyone is at the graveyard,” she said.

  “I came to see how you’re doing,” Jack told her.

  Myrna sat on the edge of her porch.

  She stretched her back and wiped dirt from her hands. “My friend Bo wants to leave here. One of the robbed graves is his father’s.” She glanced up at Jack. “I am worried, too.”

  Just then Jack’s cell phone rang.

  He answered, listened, then said, “Okay, hon, see you in a few minutes.”

  “Is the baby coming?” asked Dink.

  “I don’t know, but my wife said she feels funny,” Jack said. “She wants to go see her doctor. Do you mind if I take you back to the hotel for a while? I’ll pick you up later and we can check out that alligator nest.”

  “They can stay with me,” Myrna offered. “Go see your wife. The kids will be fine here until you get back.”

  “Is that okay with you guys?” Jack asked.

  “Sure,” Ruth Rose said. “But will you let my grandmother know? She keeps her cell phone with her while she’s painting.”

  Jack nodded. “I’ll call her from the van,” he said.

  He took off jogging back toward the trail. “See you in an hour!” he called over his shoulder.

  “I’d better finish this weeding,” Myrna said. She hiked her dress up and got down on her knees in the garden. The bottoms of her feet were black from the rich soil.

  “Myrna, did one of the men go out to guard the cemetery last night?” Dink asked.

  The woman sat back. “Why are you asking?”

  “Uh … Jack was going to ask you, but he forgot,” Dink said.

  Myrna shook her head. “I don’t know. Listen, while I work on the garden, why don’t you kids go out and explore?” she said.

  “What if we get lost?” Josh asked.

  “Then I’ll come get you,” Myrna said, reaching into a deep pocket and pulling out a whistle on a lanyard.

  “My grandkids use this when they come to visit me,” she said, dropping the lanyard around Josh’s neck.

  “Don’t your grandchildren live here?” Dink asked.

  Myrna shook her head. “My son took his family and moved away” she said, gazing at her simple hut.

  Myrna yanked a weed from in between some clumps of lettuce. “Go play for a while,” she said.

  The kids left Myrna and walked to the edge of the clearing.

  “I want to go back to the cemetery,” Ruth Rose said.

  “Yuck! Why?” Josh asked.

  “Aren’t you curious?” Ruth Rose asked. “Or do you believe we saw a zombie last night?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t care,” Josh said. “That totally creeped me out.”

  “Oh, come on, Josh,” Dink said. “Now that it’s daylight, we might find a clue to who was down in that grave.”

  “Okay, I’ll go, but don’t try to get me to climb down in it!” Josh said.

  The kids found the path to the graveyard. When they got there, they saw dozens of village people on their knees near the two empty graves. Their heads were bowed, and no one was saying a word.

  “I think they’re praying,” Dink whispered. “Let’s keep going.”

  They moved quietly away, following the iron fence.

  They came to the beginning of another narrow path, opposite the one that led back to Myrna’s hut.

  Josh peered down the path. He was holding on to Myrna’s whistle with one hand. “What’s down there?” he asked nervously.

  “That’s what we’re going to find out,” Ruth Rose said.

  They walked single file. Ruth Rose led, and Josh hiked right behind her—which was why he nearly walked up her heels when she suddenly stopped.

  “What?” Dink asked when he was standing next to Ruth Rose.

  Ruth Rose didn’t say anything. She was pointing to the ground.

  Then Dink and Josh saw it, too. Ruth Rose had spotted a large footprint in the moist red clay.

  “Ooooh my gosh,” Josh moaned. “Zombie feet!”

  “Look, there’s another one!” Dink said, pointing ahead on the path. “And another!”

  “I wonder who made them,” Ruth Rose said. She knelt down and put her finger in one of the prints. “These are toe marks. Did you guys notice if that guy in the grave was barefooted?”

  Dink shrugged. He put his own foot next to the print. “It’s nearly twice as long as mine!”

  “Let’s follow them,” Ruth Rose said.

  Josh nearly choked. “Are you crazy?”

  “Josh, don’t you want to know whose feet these are?” Dink asked. “It could be the grave robber!”

  “Come on,” Ruth Rose said, taking the lead again.

  As they walked the trail, the soil changed from dark red to brown to almost black. They had no trouble finding more footprints in the soft earth.

  Suddenly Josh stopped. He stuck his nose into the air like a wolf. “I smell food,” he said.

  “What?” Dink asked. “Hot dogs?”

  Josh shook his head. “Something sort of spicy,” he said. “Like chili!”

  “Chili in the woods?” Dink asked. “Gee, maybe there’s a restaurant out here in the middle of nowhere.”

  The next one to stop suddenly was Ruth Rose. She put a finger to her lips. “Shhh, listen!” she hissed.

  A few seconds later, they all heard a thunk. Then there were more thunks.

  The kids stared at each other with raised eyebrows. Ruth Rose kept walking and the others followed.

  The trail ended in a sunny clearing. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stood and gaped. Straight ahead was a small cabin built from stuff you’d find in a junkyard: old hunks of tin, mismatched boards, sheets of plastic, even the rusted hood of a car. The cabin was raised off the ground on thick tree stumps.

  A gigantic tree shaded the house. Dink noticed a tire swing hanging from one of the branches. He wondered if kids lived here.

  Standing with his back to them was a tall man holding an ax. His hair was so light it looked white. He wore long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Below the pant bottoms, Dink could make out large bare feet.

  The man raised the ax over his head and brought it down on a log. When he bent to grab the two split pieces, he noticed the kids watching him.

  Dink was surprised. He had expected an older man. But the face staring at them was smooth. The man had warm brown eyes. He looked no older than Jack.

  “Hello,” the man said. His voice was deep but gentle. “Are you lost?”

  Dink spoke up. “No, we’re … exploring,” he said.

  “Are you hungry?” the tall man asked.

  Behind the stack of firewood, a fire was burning in a pit. A black iron pot was suspended over the flames, and the smell of something spicy filled the air.

  “We just had breakfast,” Ruth Rose said. “But thank you anyway, mister.”

  “My name is Byron,” the man said.

  “I’m Ruth Rose, and these are my friends Dink and Josh,” Ruth Rose said.

  Dink saw an easel set up under a tree. “Can we look at your painting?” he asked.

  “Okay,” Byron said, blushing.

  The three kids walked over to the easel. Byron had painted an old iron fence. Hanging over the fence was a tree branch dripping gray Spanish moss. The moon shone down, bathing the scene with a soft glow. The space behind the fence was blank.

  “It’s not finished yet,” Byron said from behind Dink, startling him.

  How could such a big guy walk so silently? Dink wondered.

  Your picture is excellent! Ruth Rose said. “My grandmother likes to paint, too.”

  Byron smiled and blushed. He walked toward his little garden. “Do you like strawberries?”

  “Sure
!” Josh said, and the kids followed Byron.

  The garden was neatly laid out in rows. A shovel and hoe stood leaning against a small tree. There were tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and some things Dink didn’t recognize. One corner of the garden was filled with strawberry plants.

  Byron told Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to help themselves. The kids waded into the patch carefully as they picked the bright red berries.

  Suddenly they heard a whoosh, and a large owl flew out of the trees. The bird landed on Byron’s wrist and plucked a strawberry from his hand.

  “This is Bill,” the man said.

  “He’s awesome!” Josh said.

  Byron stretched his arm toward Josh. “You can pet him,” he said proudly.

  While Josh was petting Bill, Ruth Rose poked Dink on the arm. When he looked at her, she nodded toward the shovel a few feet away.

  The edges of the shovel blade were caked with red clay.

  Byron carried Bill over to the soup pot. The kids watched him scoop out something and feed it to the owl.

  “That red dirt looks the same as the dirt at the graveyard!” Ruth Rose whispered.

  “So what?” Josh said, plucking another berry from the patch.

  “Josh, that could mean Byron was digging in the cemetery,” she said, keeping her voice low. “The soil here in his garden is black, not red!”

  Josh’s hand stopped halfway to his mouth. His eyes shut, then flew open again. “You mean … that could have been him in the cemetery last night!”

  “Not so loud!” Dink whispered. “Guys, I’m sure there’s red clay in other places around here, not just in the cemetery. I saw the same color clay on the floor of Jack’s van yesterday.”

  Josh stole a look at Byron, who was still feeding Bill. “That guy we saw last night had light hair like Byron’s,” he whispered. “And look at his big feet. He could have made those footprints we saw near the cemetery.”

  “None of that proves anything,” Dink said.

  He remembered Jack in the moonlight last night. Jack’s blond hair had looked silvery, the same as the hair of the mystery man in the cemetery. “I have some other ideas,” Dink added quietly.