“I swear, I—”
“I know you didn’t. Calm down. I'm just saying. If they're suspicious, they might be watching you.”
“Well, they can watch all they like,” I tell her, feeling pissed off. “I'm not going anywhere, and I sure as hell won’t be going looking for them. I don’t even know where they went.”
“I just thought I should tell you, that’s all, Mikka. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“I’m not, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I know you’re tired. I’ll let you go, but we’ll talk soon. I’ll need to wait to see if the labs will be rebuilt or if we’ll be moving to another premises, but as soon as I know anything, I’ll give you a call. I think Mister Myers had a brother, so he might want to reopen them.”
Great. “Alright, well, I suppose I should tell you that I’ve applied for a few jobs this week, up north.”
“What? Why?”
“Because of Zane. The harassment was getting too much. I was sick of it.”
“Oh… Well, may the dead rest in peace and all that, but you don't have to worry about him anymore.”
“I know.” I remember the moment Thorn electrocuted him on that stretcher. I don't even feel sorry for him.
“Alright, well, I gotta go, but keep in touch, too, okay?”
“I will. Thanks.”
I hang up and rest my head in my hand. I need to see Gia. I need to talk to someone about all this mess.
Eleven
Mikka
Gia can’t meet me till one on Sunday morning, so I decide to occupy myself by going food shopping. I don’t have much in my house, and now I’m going to be home for at least a little while, I might as well stock my cupboards.
The supermarket is dead, but I know everyone will be scared now the careless police have let slip that another kind of zombie exists. News of zombies day walking is a massive deal for everyone. I’m just glad they didn’t drop my name anywhere. The last thing I need is a bunch of reporters at my house looking for an exclusive.
I mindlessly wander through the aisles, wondering if the reason why Thorn upped his food intake was because he was building up his strength for his escape. I still have no idea what he really wants or what his goal is. Or why they want to have kids so badly.
What I do know though, is that I’m going to be bored shitless without anything to do. I’m used to working twelve-hour shifts and then working at home in the evenings, so now, boredom might actually kill me.
I can do hair; Gia taught me when we were growing up, so maybe I could help her out at the salon. It would take my mind off everything, too, especially because I can’t seem to get the brothers out of my mind for longer than a few minutes at a time.
I think about the embryos at the labs and what Blade said to me about their kids not surviving. On paper, the karyotypes eluded to them being balanced and compatible with life, but I guess they weren’t…
I don’t understand how those babies were so grown for their ages either, unless, zombie babies grow much faster than human ones. How damn quickly do they grow, though? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure they only knew about them being able to reproduce because of hacking into my damn MacBook, so they wouldn’t have been older than a few days…
I get home and rest the bags of groceries down on the side, but I see a piece of paper by the back door and my heart leaps.
Check your online folder. You’re under surveillance.
We’ll come get you as soon as we can, sweetness.
Blade.
My stomach twists in knots at knowing he was here and that they know where I live, but my thoughts soon turn to Blade’s mention of my online folder.
I race upstairs to my Mac. There are dozens of new files that sure as hell weren’t there before, and I quickly start making my way through them.
The name stamps are from Ava, Zane, and Mister Myers. They definitely hacked my Mac at work, because I can see copies of my files in amongst them. I click on the last file labelled Zed-Two O-S, and I almost choke from how hard I gasp.
Progress: The fertilized human and Zed-Two cells are growing at an alarmingly fast rate. Approximately nine times faster than that of a human embryo. At the current rate, foetuses will reach gestation between 4 – 6 weeks.
Next stage: To inseminate human host. To commence next week.
Host: Mikka Rishan.
They were going to use me?
I grind my teeth as anger erupts inside me. Regardless of whether they were unaware that the babies would never have survived, or not, they still had no damn right to think they could do that to me. How fucking dare they! I knew Mister Myers was an unethical bastard, but what the hell were they expecting to do? Hold me against my will? Stage and fake my death so they could hold me up in there to have test-tube babies for them?
Is that why they broke out when they did? So they could stop me from being locked up in there with them?
My phone rings in my pocket, so I quickly pull it out and see Mum calling. She’s up late… “Hello?”
“Darling, oh, thank goodness. I just saw the news about the fire at your job. What the hell happened?”
“There was a fire, Mum, that’s all. I got out unharmed. Please don’t worry. I’m fine.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think, and besides, there wasn’t much to tell. I really am fine.”
I hear her sigh and hate that she’s worried. “You’re sure?”
“Positive, Mum. How’s the cruise?”
“Lovely, so far. Stop trying to distract me. I’m worried, Mikka. Are you sure you’re okay? I Googled it and it mentioned something about test subjects escaping. A new breed of zombie.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, two of them escaped, but like I said, I wasn’t hurt. And don’t buy into the hype, Mum. I spent almost a week with one of them and they’re really not as bad as the media is making out they are.”
“How are they not? They eat people, don’t they?”
“Um, it’s complicated.”
“If they eat us, they’re bad, Mikka.”
I forget trying to convince her. “Yes, Mum.”
“Did anyone else make it out?”
“Yes, a few others. Really, you don’t need to worry.” I need to get her off this topic; I still don’t know if my phone has been bugged. “I’m gonna be off work for a while, so how about you call me back later so you can give me a tour of the ship? I literally just got home from shopping and need to put the food away.”
“Alright. What time? Are they going to pay you?”
“Yeah, they are, and about five? I’m meeting Gia at one for a few hours.”
“Oh, that’s nice. How is she?”
“She’s good. Busy, but good.”
“Okay, tell her I said hello. I’ll call you later on then.”
“Good, now go enjoy whatever you were doing. What were you doing?” I ask, curious to know why she’s up so late.
“We were just coming up to bed. We had drinks tonight with a really pleasant family we met.”
“Oh, well, I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
“Thank you, Darling.”
“I’m gonna go now, okay, before my ice cream melts, but we’ll catch up later.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you, too, Mum.”
Twelve
Mikka
I wait anxiously for Gia to say something. She’s staring down at her coffee, I think, horrified. She looked repulsed by me when I told her about the glass incident, and it was like a massive slap in the face.
We're sitting at the back of the mostly empty coffee shop, and I’m pretty sure this is the only time she's ever let me speak for longer than ten minutes without interrupting.
I've offloaded almost everything that’s happened over this past week to her, but now I'm having second thoughts, unsure if she can actually handle it.
“Say something.”
She snaps out of her trance. �
��I honestly don't know what to say, Mikka. I really don't.”
I sip my tea as more silence stretches between us, and it's painfully uncomfortable.
“I mean, do you know how fucked up all of this sounds? Our families left the country because of those monsters, and now here you are, telling me you've fallen for two of them?”
I almost inhale my mouthful of tea before I manage to direct it down the right hole. “Have you listened to anything I've said? They're not like them.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sure. They ate half the people at your job, but they're not monsters.”
“Really, I know it might sound like that, but it’s not.”
She laughs bitterly. “You sound brain washed.”
I recoil. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you being like this?”
She leans forward. “Because you're fucking crazy,” she hisses. “Listen to yourself. I swear I don't even know you. I thought… I thought you were joking.”
That hurts, and when I try to swallow it down, that hurts, too. “Why are you being so…I dunno, so harsh? I don't expect you to completely understand this, hell, I don't either. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it. But you're acting like you haven't listened to anything I've said.”
She scoffs. “Oh, I've listened. You've basically agreed to letting some fucking dead guys screw you to death to create some ungodly creatures that will more than likely be even more monstrous than their dads are.”
I stare at her, stunned and hurt. “Gia—”
“Nah, look, I love you, I really do, but this is in-fucking-sane! What would your mum think? Or your brother? What do you actually expect to accomplish by this?”
I stay silent, because I don't even know. I just know I'm meant to do this. As crazy as it really does sound.
She sits back in her chair. “See, you don't even know. I understand the whole innocence thing, and maybe because these guys have shown you real attention, maybe you've let yourself think they actually care about you, but you're forgetting a really big part of this whole thing. They are not human, Mikka. They eat people. People.”
“Can you stop saying that,” I snap, feeling angry that she’s used my lack of experience with men against me like that. “God, I can’t believe you're not even trying to understand.”
Her eyes widen. “Because it's not understandable.” She digs a finger into her temple. “This is not normal or logical behaviour. You're a scientist, surely you should know this. Where has the logical Mikka gone? What the hell has happened to you in a week? My Mikka would never entertain craziness like this.”
“I'm not your Mikka, and to be honest, I don’t think I care what you think after how you’re acting. I know this is hard for you to get, so imagine how I feel!” My eyes fill with tears, but I quickly hold them back when I remember Blade’s note.
She shakes her head. “What exactly did you want me to say? ‘Cause if you were expecting me to support you and tell you to swan off into the sunset with a bunch of flesh-eating killers, you really are further gone than I already think you are.”
“I… I don’t know what I wanted you to say, I just thought, maybe, you’d help me figure it out.”
“I am. I’m being honest and telling you what a big mistake you’re thinking of making. I know it’s usually me who needs talking out of crazy decisions, but this trumps all of my stupid ideas and some.” She shakes her head. “This is really fucked up.”
I chew my lip, desperately hanging onto my tears now. “You know what? When you're done being selfish and you want to actually be my friend and help me get my head around this, let me know. Until then, I think it's best if we take some time out.” I grab my bag from beside my chair before I stand.
“I'm never gonna lie to you, Mikka, so you might be waiting a while.”
My chest aches. “I never said I wanted you to lie, but some type of compassion might’ve helped.”
Her eyes narrow. “No, you want my blessing, and I’m not giving it.”
My lip trembles as we stare at each other for a moment, but then I turn to leave because I almost break down.
She doesn't even stop me, and it hurts more than I think anything ever has. Gia's like my sister, but we've never argued like this before. I know this is big, but I still thought she’d at least try to support me somehow.
I really needed her to.
Worst of all, though, a lot of what she said was the truth. I am crazy, and this situation is madness, but as much as I know it is, it’s still not changing my mind about anything. If Thorn and his four brothers showed up now and asked me to go away somewhere with them, I wouldn’t even hesitate.
I could die for all I know. What if that’s the catch? I get pregnant, have the baby, then I die afterwards?
Would that change my decision, though?
I don’t think so.
God, what kind of person does that make me?
I barely know them, or them me, but I can’t deny the attraction between us, or the pull I feel to them either. What happened at work on Friday should’ve scared the living shit out of me, but it didn’t. I didn’t try to run. I felt safe with them. Safer than I have since zombies first rose.
And even now my life is falling apart, I feel as if I need them.
I want them.
Thirteen
Mikka
I sit at my bedroom window in a towel, my hair is still wet from the shower, and I haven’t even eaten dinner. I’m eating half-melted strawberry ice-cream straight from the tub and watching the day leave and the night arrive.
The last car passed about twenty minutes ago, so now all is quiet on my street and everyone’s shutters are down. The sky is a blood-orange colour and sombre, just like my mood, and it’s just started to rain, too. Autumn has well and truly arrived over the past few days, even the leaves on the trees have begun to crisp and fall.
I swipe open my security monitor to close my own door and window shutters, but I leave this one open. There’s usually a lull for around twenty minutes until the dead come alive. Although, these past few days have been eerily quiet…
The zombies next door seem to have moved out. Sunday was the last time I saw any bodies staggering down the road, groaning and moaning. One out of the small group had turned to look up at my window, but by the time I’d reached over to grab the night binoculars off my dresser, they were all gone.
There’s no point denying that I wished it were one of the brothers.
I need to get my shit together. Wishing away my days hoping they’ll turn up here is seriously fucked up. I’ve even been charting my damn BBT like a mad woman and looking for all the signs I’m ovulating, too.
I can only guess they’ve stayed away because I’m still being watched, not that I’ve noticed anyone spying on me. Regardless, I still Primed a new MacBook Pro and burner phone. I switched everything over to them yesterday and then downloaded all the files from my online folder onto them both before deleting everything to do with the brothers from my old Mac. I smashed it and my old phone to pieces and have been flushing parts of them down the toilet.
Only parts of the keyboard and my phone screen is left now.
I’ve been bored out of my mind. My master plan of helping Gia at the salon flew out of the window after she cussed me out on Sunday, and I haven’t heard a word from her since. I’m surprised she hasn’t unfriended me on Facebook by how she was going on.
I’m more alone than ever.
I did hear back from one of the jobs I applied for, though. I have an interview next week up in Liverpool. I wasn’t going to go, but the more days that pass without any word from Thorn or his brothers, the more I think I should.
If only for a fresh start.
I sigh heavily as darkness falls. It’s uneventful outside again, so I close the shutter on my window before climbing into bed. I scroll through my Mum’s and brother’s newsfeeds and wish I was in the Caribbean with them.
Out on the water, the sun on my face, with the ocean
breeze sweeping through my hair…
The shutters downstairs rattle and I jump out of my skin. It rattles again, though, so I know I'm not imagining it.
Or am I?
I reach for my glasses and the monitor on my bedside table to check the camera at the front of the house, but my stomach twists when I see not only Thorn and Blade there, but three other bodies behind them.
Pin, Axe, and Dagger?
They look directly into the camera like they can see me, too. My heart races out of control with fear and excitement. They’re here?
Or are they?
I sit up, but my mind feels like it’s floating, like it’s dazed. I blink a few times before looking back down at the monitor.
“Mikka,” Thorn says, but his mouth doesn’t form the word.
I suck in a breath, and I see his lips twitch.
“Open up, sweetness,” Blade says, giving me a full-blown smile. “You know you want to.”
I stand, but it’s suddenly hard for me to breathe. I do want to, but I’m also petrified.
Is this even real?
Thorn says my name again, but this time it’s softer. “Come open the door.”
Maybe this is a dream. I’ve been fantasising about them turning up here, so maybe I should just go with it.
I pull on a robe and then take the steps downstairs. I almost throw up from how nervous I am, but I decide not to fuck up the fantasy and swallow it down.
I look through the peep hole and see them looking down. “Will I die?” I ask, needing to know.
I’m fully aware that they could already be in here by now, but if I’m gonna die soon, I need to make peace with it.
I hear a few of them laugh, but Thorn raises his head to look through the peep hole at me. “No, Angel. Let us in.”
His words reassure me, and make me blush. I suppose he could be lying, but I believe him. I swipe open the monitor beside the door and hover my finger over the digital button for the front door shutter.
I'm not gonna die...
Love For My Zombie Kings: A Reverse Harem Zombie Romance (Zombies Rule The World Book 1) Page 6