Read Online The ZWD Trilogy (Book 1): Zombie World Dominance [The Destruction Begins] by L.D. King - Free Book Online Page B

you know why they were screaming?”
    “No, I
don’t know why. It brought back memories of the war, the sounds of men dying on
a battlefield.
    The
children sat listening to their parents. Esperana looked at them and realized
that they all looked a little frightened. She asked them, “Children, you look as
if you had bad dreams. What is troubling you so early in the day?”
    “Mama,
I heard people screaming all night as well,” said Annalicia. “They would start,
and stop again. Every time, it sounded like they were in a different place. It
scared me! I couldn’t go back to sleep. Do you know what was happening?”
    “The
sun is up, and I think they have stopped for now,” said Esperana. “Everything will
be fine. If you’re finished with your breakfast, please put your dishes in the
sink. All three of you need to wash up. Hurry, because you know that a ship
will be coming soon. Remember, we have to pick up the Castillos. Their truck is
still broken down.”
    “Yes,
Mama,” said Annalicia. It had been hard on Rosamelia Castillo since her husband
Amadore had died last winter at the age of 31, far too young. Only two months
had passed from the time he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung
cancer until he was gone. Rosamelia believed that his condition had been caused
by the dirty jobs he did on board the ships. They had him doing the work that the
crew did not want to do themselves.
    Rosamelia
always said, “The ship companies have always encouraged their captains to leave
the dirty work for us to do when they get here. They say ‘Mexicans will do
anything for a few dollars.’” Now Esperana remembered this and shook her head
sadly, thinking of Amadore. They had been picking Rosamelia up for four months
now since the Castillo’s old pickup had broken down.
     “All
right, everyone,” said Gumercindo, “Finish up and get ready to go. We need to load
up our supplies. The ship will be here soon.” He knew that if they were not
there on time, the crowd of tourists would have moved on down the pier past their
booth. And they still needed to pick up the Castillos. It was a good thing that
they just lived around the corner.
    “Yes,” said Esperana, “We
always make it to the pier early enough to see the ship come in. Today I am a
little concerned about what you all heard early this morning.”
    “Maurico,
my son,” said Gumercindo. “Have you all loaded everything we will need for
today?”
    “Yes,
Father, everything is ready,” Mauricio answered, ticking off the items on his
fingers. “The sombreros, the belts, the wallets, the shirts and toys for the
children. They are all in the pickup.”
    Now
Lucinda spoke up. “Father, why do we tell the tourists that everything we sell
is made in Mexico when it is not? The boxes that they come in say that they
were made in China.”
    “The souvenirs
cost much less when they are made in China, but we sell them for the same
price. This means we make a bigger profit. That is why, when we get to the pier,
we must empty the boxes and hide them quickly, so the tourists will not see
them. All right, everyone, let’s go. Be sure to keep an eye out for anything
that doesn’t look right.”
    With
that, the Ortegas left their home. They drove over to the Castillo’s house to
hook up the trailer. Rosamelia Castillo, now a 28-year old widow, was already
outside tying down the last of her supplies. The three Castillo daughters were
there as well: Rosalinda, 12; Reva, nine; and Rosari, eight.
    The Ortegas
and the Castillos had booths side by side. Esperana was the “people person” of
her family. After they were given the booth as a wedding gift from Gumercindo’s
parents, it was not long until the two families had become close friends. Rosalinda
worked their booth for every ship that come in.
    Rosalinda
grew up in the city. She met her husband as he helped his father go around to
the various businesses to repair broken equipment. They would come to