9

chapter 9) (28 days later) Henry Bowles aims for his Father's head with his gun before shouting loudly, "Stop!" He yells frantically, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he pants heavily. He lowers the weapon as he stares wide eyed at his father.

"I am sorry, my son," David says softly, placing his hand over his mouth in shock. "But...but I am doing this for the greater good..." He pauses to catch his breath before explaining, "We must protect ourselves! They are going to turn every one of us if we don't..."

"Dad..." Henry starts in a whisper.

David's head snaps up at the sound of his son calling his name. His eyes widen even more as he notices the expression on his son's face. He doesn't like what he sees—his boy looks frightened. David can see the fear and concern in his son's eyes. This only makes him feel worse because he knows that he can't allow his family to be taken away from him ever again. He cannot lose them—the thought alone brings him immense pain.

"Listen..." David says gently, approaching Henry slowly before putting his hand on his shoulder. "If the world finds out about the existence of zombies—especially after what happened last year…" He continues before shaking his head. "No, we can't let them find out—we must protect ourselves."

"Okay, Dad, I know. I won't tell anyone about them," Henry assures his father quickly, wanting nothing more than to help him protect his people.

"Good," David smiles softly and removes his hand from Henry's shoulder. "Now go get the rest of the group so we can get ready for battle. We don't have enough time to waste."

Henry nods his head and leaves, hurrying to his father's pickup truck. Once he's gotten everything he needs from the truck he hops inside the passenger's seat of the vehicle and drives to their location. He parks his truck in the parking lot of the abandoned building that he usually shoots at and gets out of the vehicle to run inside. Once he reaches the entrance of the building he finds his friends hanging out near the entrance. He catches sight of Joey sitting by himself with a drink in his hands before glancing back at his friends before nodding at them and entering the building.

After walking through the hallway, Henry finally reaches the room with a door labeled with 'Burgess'. He opens the door slowly, expecting to find Joey alone like he normally is. Instead