had taken care of that. And there was no doubt that what I had just done was really dumb.
I went and flopped down on the ratty couch, dropping my emergency goodie bag on the floor. "I think I'm fucking staying here and fucking helping you, whether you fucking want me to or not."
The zombies leaned in toward me in a threatening manner. I stretched out as best I could and closed my eyes for a nap. I couldn't help but smile.
Zombies. I hated them, but they couldn't do a damn thing to me.
"Wake up."
I was on a cool beach. The lake spread out before me. But the water would be cold when I jumped in.
Chapter 21
"Wake up, you fat bitch."
I opened one eye. Hoodoo Mama was crouched next to me. My back ached from sleeping on her ratty couch.
"Well, a happy good morning to you, too," I said.
"It ain't morning yet," she replied. She pushed her shock of bright red hair out of her eyes. "We've got a problem."
"We?" I sat up. We were alone in the living room. No zombies - yay.
"There are some people trapped in a building in the Ware house District."
"I thought we got everyone out of there," I said. I stood up and stretched. Something popped in my back, but it felt good.
"Not everyone," she said. Her voice shook, and that got my attention. "Some of my people are still there."
"I thought all your people were here," I said. I couldn't help the exasperated tone. "Damn it, you should have told me that there were more out there."
She looked chagrined. About time, I thought.
"They didn't want to stay here," she said. "They don't like the zombies."
"Well, big points to them for showing good taste in companions, but the Russian judge is going to give them a major deduction for staying in New Orleans when there's - you know - a hurricane coming!" I ended up shouting that last bit. "How do you know they're in trouble?"
She shrugged. "Anything dead I can zombify. And there's lots of mice around."
I thought I might hurl. "Okay, no need to say more," I said.
"Fuck you, you don't know what it's like!" she yelled. She took a step toward me, raising her fist as if she were going to hit me. Oooo, scared of that. "You fucking rich bitch. They might only have the house they're in. Or the clothes on their back. And then someone tells them they have to pack up and get out because a hurricane might hit. Who can afford a fucking motel? And who's to say the landlord or the bank won't take your house away while you're gone?"
Her zombies had come into the room while she was ranting. They looked pissed. But I knew they weren't. It was her. She was possessing them, after all.
"Look, we don't have time for the niceties here," I said. "Let's just get your people out."
She glowered at me. God, I was sick of people who had a hate on for me while I was trying to help them.
I went to the front window and looked outside. It was pouring. Water covered the street and sidewalk.
"Do you have a boat?"
"Yeah, we got one," she replied.
"Can your zombies carry it?"
"Yeah," she said sullenly. "My zombies are handy."
"Okay, get your boat and your zombies and meet me outside."
For a moment I thought she was going to argue with me, but then she just set her lips into a thin line and led the zombies toward the back of the house.
After I pulled on my slicker and grabbed my emergency bag, I went outside. Even standing on the wide veranda of Hoodoo Mama's house, I could feel the rain pelting me. It was coming down harder now, and I knew we didn't have a lot of time.
Hoodoo Mama appeared around the corner of the house. Behind her were two big zombies carrying a boat between them. There was a small outboard motor clamped on the stern and a pair of oars inside.
"Don't they get tired?" I yelled. The wind and rain were howling. "They don't feel shit," Hoodoo Mama replied. "They're dead." There wasn't a lot to be said after that.
Hoodoo Mama maneuvered the boat toward one brick building that was covered with graffiti. She steered us toward a fire escape at the rear of the building. The zombies dropped off the boat and dog-paddled to it. Hoodoo Mama tossed them the rope, and they pulled us to the fire escape