Sarah Tries to Save the World Read Online Free

thought I was too straightforward?
     
    “Well, Maria, it is very nice to meet you. Why don’t you come outside with us and meet the rest of our group?” Ben finally spoke, and she looked at him cautiously.
     
    “There’s more of you?”
     
    I answered, “Yes. There’s Aria and Lily. Neither of them would hurt a fly. I hope you don’t mind, but we looted your kitchen for food.”
     
    As we walk out, Ben mutters in my ear, “I’ll explain to Aria and Lily what happened.”
    I nod. Maria awkwardly stands next to me until Aria and Lily come up to us and both hug her.
     
    She visibly relaxes.
     
    “Nice to meet you, Maria,” says Aria kindly. Then she says, “Where’s a good base for the night? Has anyone found a place?”
     
    Maria says, “The tower. It has iron support beams and a retractable ladder- the zombies can’t tear down the supports and it’s good for guns.”
     
    I exchange a surprised look with Ben. Apparently, she’s going to be more useful than we thought.
     
    “Right, can you show us where it is?” asked Ben. We all followed her to it, and I have to say, it WAS a good base.
     
    “Just a quick question-” began Lily. “Why didn’t you camp there, since it’s such a good base?”
     
    Maria replied, “Bandits, plus I need access to food, but as it’s only one night for us, at least I think it is…” She trails off.
     
    Lily nods in understanding.
     
    Huh. I knew this thirteen year old was smart, but Maria also seemed sort of.. world-wise. Almost too much so, like the innocence had been taken from her before she had a chance to grow up normally.
     
    Anyways, we grab a bit of food and all our weapons from our underground base before disguising the entrance.
     
    Before the sun sets, I pull out the strange document we found in Perlin City. I study it for any pattern, any at all, when Maria suddenly speaks up from near my elbow.
     
    “DEK341, I wonder what that means. And why d’you think they’d have those words on the top of the paper but gibberish in the main part of it?”
     
    I jump and very nearly drop something over the edge of the tower. “H-how can you read those symbols?”
     
    She looks, confused, at me. “It’s just English….”
     
    I look right back at her. “No, it’s not. It’s in the same language as the rest of the paper, if it IS a language.”
     
    Her brow furrows. “You really don’t see the title DEK341 on the top of the paper?”
     
    I shake my head, exchanging a meaningful look at Ben. How could she have learned how to read that?
     
    Wait a second.. DEK341. Could that have anything to do with the enigmatic message ‘DEK is to blame’ printed on walls and told to us by complete strangers?
     
    That’s when the sun set, and everyone but Maria began sniping from the tower. I didn’t have a chance to reflect over what had just happened, what with ‘DEK’ and her reading the message. We stave them off relatively easily, and Maria goes to sleep.
     
    All of us (except, obviously, Maria) take turns sleeping. One person sleeps at a time, the other three are watching for zombies.
     
    Anyways, bright and early the next morning, we climb back into our tunnel and begin digging towards Lynin City, a place Maria had gone on vacation.
     
    As we work, Aria fiddles the dials of our newly acquired radio to one of the few remaining channels- channel 822, the government-owned news channel.
     
    A static, but still loud, voice echoes in the dank tunnel surrounding us.
     
    “And today, we have a message from-” the static takes over the next few words until we identify one finally- “about a-” another static attack- “DEK341. You’ll recognize it by - If you ever-” yet another static attack- “find something titled this-” another static attack- “wishes you to bring it to the capitol in any way possible. In other news, Penelope Whitman - dead - message on wall-”
     
    We all raise our eyebrows at each other before I clap my hands to my