Arms full of junk food, I dropped a twenty on the counter and led the way back outside. To my surprise, I found Nicole driving the car in frantic circles around the gas pumps with a frothing zombie in pursuit just behind her.

“Honey!” I shouted. “Brake check!”

With a nod she slammed the brakes and the monster collided against the back of the vehicle before slumping to the asphalt.

Suddenly Joe roared. He turned to the big cooler next to the door and retrieved two large bags of ice, one in each hand. I watched in horror as he swung them around like a pair of nunchaku and thundered toward the fallen zombie with the cry of an aroused barbarian. “Aiiiieeeee!” He smashed the ice bags into the zombie’s head over and over again, brutally, pulverizing it until nothing was left but a magotty beard and a dark red smear on the pavement.

He stood up with a crazed smile. “It’s an ice day to die, ain’t it, Red?”

“Let’s get out of here,” I called. I wasn’t sure what I thought of this guy yet, but he was unstoppable.