Ever have a road trip with a buddy? Usually those trips are great fun. Not the case with Jonah and Dale. Best friends since kids, the two have become musicians if only in their own eyes and plan a trip to Nevada where they have a gig. Sounds pretty innocent, two best buds on a trip, not a care in the world.
But then things go to hell and I mean that literally.
Dale, the outgoing, gregarious member of the duo has a habit of falling asleep in the car during trips like many people do. Not all that uncommon. But, while at a diner on the way to their gig, the conversation turns to locations that they always wanted to visit. Turns out Dale has never been to Disneyland in California but when Jonah mentions going there, Dale gets upset and won’t explain why.
An idea forms in Jonah’s mind, what if they blew off their music gig in Nevada and headed to sunny California?
Once Dale falls asleep, Jonah makes that fateful decision to head to CA. Bad idea.
Dale wakes up just after they cross the state line and freaks out. He struggles with Jonah for control of the car causing them to get pulled over by a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer. Only this officer is not your normal officer, he turns out to be Satan himself and he wants Dale’s soul.
Way to go Jonah.
Turns out old Scratch had made a deal for Dale’s soul way back when Dale was a kid but due to some paperwork issues, the contract was only good in California. Lucifer takes Dale’s soul leaving the body on the side of the road. Jonah, witnessing this event pleads for some way to get his friend back. Ever thoughtful, the Devil offers Jonah a chance, more of a sick, twisted game really. A cross-country hide and seek that if Jonah wins, he gets Dale’s soul back. If he loses, the Devil takes both of their souls. Reanimating Dale’s now soulless body as a guide, Satan promises not to interfere with Jonah.
Yeah, that would happen.
Jonah, now with zombie Dale as a passenger, follow some extremely random clues in an effort to find Dale’s soul within the seven day time frame. Along the way, they meet with Dale’s father, pick-up a stripper running from a low level mob boss, make local media attention when Dale feeds behind an AM/PM when they stop for gas, lose some of Dale’s body parts and end up right back where they started from thanks to their passenger, Candi, the stripper.
All in all, Badass Zombie Road Trip by Tonia Brown is one hell of a dark comedy roller coaster ride as two friends try to beat the Devil at his own game.
Ms. Brown’s writing is on par, very fun and enjoyable to read. Zombie Road Trip makes my personal list as a definite keeper.
Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
