Now that we knew the cure really worked and we had our gamer army plan, I felt more ready to set out into the day. We all dressed and met outside on Charlie’s front lawn.

“We should split up,” Charlie said, “cover more ground, cure more zombies faster.”

“Any ideas who to target?” Willa asked.

“Mrs. Dorsey probably went to work and turned there,” I said. Mrs. Dorsey was my favorite librarian and a hardcore gamer. She’d helped us in the past with other mobile game disasters, so I knew she’d be on board.

“I’ll go to the library with Bex,” Marcus said.

I tried not to blush. And failed.

“I could go to my friend Chloe’s house and cure her,” Willa offered.

“I’ll go with you,” Charlie said. “Then we’ll hit a couple of other friends’ houses. I think some people who played the game live near Chloe.”

“I know a bunch of kids on the football team who played,” Jason said. “I can go alone. I mean, look at me.” He flexed his biceps.

I stifled a laugh, and Charlie just shook his head.

“Okay, Gamer Squad,” Marcus said. “Time to build our army. Find them, cure them, enlist them. We’ll fix this town, one zombie at a time.”

I plastered a smile on my face and exchanged enthusiastic high fives with the team. But on the inside I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

It felt strange to walk downtown alone with Marcus. I walked alone with Charlie all the time, but this was different. I didn’t have to think when I was with Charlie. But with Marcus, I was nervous. I didn’t want to say anything dumb.

Here we were, walking through a desolate town searching for zombies, and my hands were sweating because I was scared to look silly in front of my crush. I really had to examine my priorities.

“Um, so,” I said, searching my brain for anything to bring an end to the silence. “Any word on your parents?” Marcus was an only child like me, another thing we had in common. And his parents had also come down with the sickness that first night.

“When I left for school, they were still in their bedroom with the door closed. They’d been sick all night. So they’re probably locked in the house, which is fine. They’re safer that way until I can get back and cure them.”

Safer than mine, I thought, who were out who knows where.

The sadness must have shown on my face because Marcus winced and said, “Sorry.”

I shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ll find my parents and save them.”

“And I’ll help,” he said.

As we neared the common, a zombie woman wearing a long pink housecoat staggered toward us.

“I’ve got this,” I said, whipping my phone out of my pocket and launching a cure. I had the game loaded and ready.

My first shot was a direct hit. The woman stumbled back a few steps, then shook her head as human consciousness returned. Well, barely. She was almost asleep on her feet.

“What am I doing in the middle of the road?” she asked, confusion settling over her features.

I coughed into my hand. “You were heading to the store to get some cold medicine.”

“Was I? Yes, that must have been it. I do feel sick.” She frowned.

“A terrible flu is going through town,” I said. “You should probably head home and sleep it off.”

“Yes, you’re right,” she said dreamily. Then she teetered off.

“Well done,” Marcus said, as we started walking again. “You’ve really got this zombie curing thing down.”

“I’m definitely not as nervous as I was with my first one.” I gave him a look and he laughed.

“Was I a scary zombie?” he asked. “I wish I could have seen myself.”

“Yeah, you were pretty terrifying. You were all like . . .” I opened my jaw wide and made groaning and growling noises.

Marcus laughed so hard he had to cover his mouth. “You’re right, that is horrifying.”

“Hey, if it weren’t for me, you’d still be like that.”

“I still can’t believe it.” He shook his head in amazement. “You went into that hallway without even knowing if the cure would work. I could have bitten you. You are so astonishingly brave.”

There I went again, blushing so hard I was probably as red as a lobster. I could feel it in my cheeks.

Marcus put a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, maybe later today we could head to the school to cure whoever is there. And you can see that game I made that I wanted to show you before our town became zombie town.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, sure.” That game was really important to him. Even while all of this was happening.

We were almost to the library doors when a groan came from behind the large oak tree on the front lawn.

“One up ahead,” I said, grabbing for my phone.

“Can I do this one?” Marcus asked. “I downloaded the game back at the house, but I need to get some experience.”

“Sure.” I motioned with my hand for him to move in front of me.

A boy came lumbering down the grass toward the sidewalk, wheezing like he was ninety and not nine. He wore pajamas with planets on them and no shoes.

“Poor kid,” Marcus said.

“You know what to do, right?” I asked.

“Yeah. Aim for the head.”

Marcus held up his phone and swiped. The first couple tries went completely off, but he got the hang of it after that. The red light arced in the air, hitting the boy in the arm. He momentarily staggered but kept coming toward us, a line of drool slipping from his open mouth.

I gripped my phone tighter, ready to provide backup if necessary. But Marcus got a direct hit with his next throw.

The little boy blinked slowly and rubbed his eyes. “Why am I outside the library in my pajamas?”

I figured I’d go with the truth. An adult might not believe me, but a kid would. Kids’ minds are still open.

“You played a lot of Zombie Town, right?” I asked.

He looked at me suspiciously. “Yeah.”

“Everyone who played the game turned into a zombie. But we can cure them by using the game.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Playing the game cures real zombies?”

“Yeah,” Marcus said. “Hey, buddy, you’re going to start to feel real tired soon.”

The boy nodded his head sluggishly. “I do.”

“Do you live close?” Marcus asked.

He pointed toward a nearby side street. “Right there.”

Good. He’d make it, no problem. “Go home,” I ordered. “If your parents are zombies, use the game. Toss cures at them just like you do with fake zombies. Aim for their heads. Then take a long nap. Everything will be fine.”

The boy’s lower lip curled down in fear. “How do you know everything will be okay?”

Marcus placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder and smiled. “Because the Gamer Squad is on the case.”

Reassured, the little boy smiled sleepily and nodded. Then he headed off toward his house.

“Think they’ll all be that easy?” Marcus asked.

I look up at the brick arch above the entrance to the library. “Not a chance.”