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Dozens of trucks were parked along the road, and people were escorted inside by military personnel. Some people went willingly and gladly, others put up a fight. Resistance was futile, though, and eventually everyone was loaded onto the trucks.

“I don’t believe this,” said Charlene, once they were seated. “They could have told me what they were planning. I’m still the mayor, for crying out loud.”

“And I’m supposed to be the chief and they kept me out of the loop, too,” said Chase.

The military had taken over, and the civilian authorities had been shut down.

Chase took out his phone to call Odelia, but the moment he got it out, one of the soldiers snatched it from his hands.“No phones,” he said sternly, and pocketed the phone.

“But I want to call my girlfriend,” he said. “To know if she’s all right.”

But the soldier merely held out a hand for the Mayor to deliver her phone, too. Wordlessly, she handed it over.

Moments later, they were roaring away.

[Êàðòèíêà: img_3]

Marge was glad she was safe inside the library, but wondered how long those zombies would keep frolicking in her pond. She hoped they’d finally get tired and move on, but so far they didn’t give any indication of that.

And as she was watching on, a military truck suddenly stopped in front of the library, and men dressed in hazmat suits suddenly got down and approached the zombies. The men were all wearing protective masks and were armed. As they got closer to the zombies, they got down on one knee, raised their weapons, aimed, and fired!

The zombies all dropped down, and only now did Marge see that no bullets were used but darts of some kind.

“Tranquilizer shots,” said Mrs. Samson, who’d been following the entire sequence from the safety of the library, same as Marge. “They use it to tranquilize wild animals, and zombies, I suppose.” She glanced out at the people in the hazmat suits, who now carried the zombies to the truck, loaded them all up and moved on.

“Do you think they’ll come for us, too?” asked Marge.

And her words were still hanging in the air when a second truck stopped and two soldiers hopped down, then approached the library.

Marge quickly unlocked the door.“Thank God,” she said. “Thank you so much for getting rid of those terrible zombies. I didn’t dare open the door.”

“How many people inside the library, ma’am?” asked the first soldier, who looked young and buff and very authoritative.

“Just me and Margaret,” said Marge. “I had to close my doors because of the zombies.”

“Are you going to take us, young man?” asked Margaret now.

“Yes, ma’am, I am. Please come with us.”

“Oh, with pleasure,” said Margaret, well pleased.

“Where are you taking us?” asked Marge, a little surprised.

“They’re taking us to their barracks, of course,” said Margaret. “To do with as they please. That’s what nice soldier boys do to innocent women such as ourselves.”

“We’re simply going to put you in a safe place, ma’am,” said the soldier.

“Are you going to be there, young man?” asked Margaret as she held out her arm and the young soldier complied by hooking his arm through hers and escorting her out.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I am.”

“Ooh,” said Margaret, then suddenly stumbled. The young soldier effortlessly scooped her up and carried her off to his truck. She was pleased as punch. “Why, you’re so strong,” she cooed, touching his bicep appreciatively. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Moments later, the truck was off, and so were they.

“I like this, Marge,” said Margaret. “I like being abducted by these nice young men.”

Marge was happy for Margaret, though she wasn’t as relaxed about this so-called abduction as Margaret obviously was. She had a feeling this was not an abduction she was going to enjoy.

Chapter 28

Another portion of kibble was being dumped into my temporary home, but I didn’t even pay it any mind. Even from the smell I could already surmise I wasn’t going to like it. I had a feeling they kept trying different types of kibble, in the hopes they’d get some takers, but from what I could see, no one was even taking so much as a nibble.

Obviously they still had a long way to go to perfect their Miracle Cure kibble, and we were the hapless pets chosen to test their inferior product.

At least Dooley and the others had all managed to escape, and were now presumably on their way home, to warn Odelia of what was going on here.

I’d briefly wondered about those cameras, though. What’s the point of having a camera in every cage if you’re not going to watch the feeds and notice half a dozen cats escaping, along with a couple of rabbits and a bunch of hamsters and guinea pigs?

I’d plunked down on the floor of my cage, and was now staring through the bars, waiting for my rescue party to finally show up.

They’d come any moment now—I simply knew they would.

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