Chapter 3

chapter three This lair is huge and sprawling: a combined snack bar, arcade, and bathroom. Bits of light filter in through cracks and holes in the walls and ceiling. Vine-Thingies creep along the floor, glowing neon green and purple. "Ghazt's not looking so hot, huh?" June whispers. Peering through the zombie horde, I see Ghazt. June's right—the general isn't exactly awe- inspiring. In fact, Ghazt now looks more like some sort of— LAZY TUB-O-GOO CHEESE BEAST!

"He's constructed a bed from nacho squeeze cheese," Quint remarks. "How inventive." I'm so focused on Ghazt's transformation that it takes me a moment to notice the weirdest weirdness going down. The zombies inside this strange, dark base— they're different. "These robed zombies aren't just shambling about mindlessly," I whisper. "They're, like, doing stuff." What we're looking at, right now—it is mind- blasting and world-alteringly new. These zombies aren't just possessed—they're productive....

At the movie theater, we saw Ghazt move the zombies. And we saw the zombies carry him. But this is more than that—these are zombie servants. One's even serenading Ghazt with bongo drums! Honestly, it has the vibe of an almost cool but actually really awkward birthday party with a not-so-gracious host. A few zombies shuffle to the side—and I spot it. The thing that we came for: Ghazt's tail. The nasty, slithering source of his zombie- controlling power.... "Jack, we need to hide..." June whispers, tugging on my sleeve.

"This way!" Quint points to Dino Rampage— a vintage arcade game enclosed by a curtain. We zombie-shuffle our way over—then quickly cram inside. Dino Rampage is built for two players, so the four of us are forced into an uncomfortable pile. I feel heavy breathing on my neck—it's Dirk, huffing and sweating with claustrophobia. And I'm feeling the way Dirk looks. We've done dangerous junk many times—but this time we're behind enemy lines, inside enemy robes! If we're not careful—this will go south before you can say "zombie bowling league." Quint and I sneak a peek through the curtain. And I see her. Evie. She stands at Ghazt's side. We can faintly hear her speaking into his shrivelly rat ear.

Sir, by my count, we have nearly five hundred zombie soldiers. Is that um enough to begin in our total terrible rule? WE WILL WAIT. AS LONG AS I SAY, I AM THE GENERAL. Evie nods. "Of course, but the sooner we release these zombies—the sooner they can DO BAD!" she says, her voice cracking. "There are human settlements to crush—and monsters to enslave. We could start in Wakefield." I gulp. Wakefield. Our home. And human settlements. That could mean the people on the radio at the Statue of Liberty.

That could mean every last survivor, everywhere. Quick pause for a backtrack! For a long time, we thought we might be the only survivors of the apocalypse. But then, a few months ago, we found a radio and heard LIVE HUMAN VOICES and we were like, "Oh-Em-Gee-Whiz!" There was a broadcast from an entire colony of humans hunkered down in the Big Apple! It was major....