But, a sudden shriek tore Mara from her fugue state, and she snapped back to reality with the suddenness of a rubber band. An iron grip took hold of her hair, and she screamed with pain when her head was yanked backward with brutal force.
“Don’t move, you little slut,” a low voice growled in her ear, and Mara froze when the blade of a knife was pressed to the sensitive skin of her throat.
“Wh…who are you?” Mara whimpered, trying to make sense of the situation through a haze of alcohol. She spied a dark-haired woman from the corner of her eyes, though it was hard to make out any details through the pulsing lights above.
Her question was answered when Seth spoke. “Lila, please. Let her go.”
Lila! This is the woman Donny spoke of earlier, Mara realized, though she dared not make a move for fear of getting her throat cut.
“Who is this, Seth?” Lila asked. “A new whore for your amusement?”
“No, Lila. It’s nothing like that, I swear it. I, uh, we found her in the supermarket,” Seth said. “Her name is Mara.”
“Mara, you say. What a pretty name for such a pretty girl,” Lila mused, her hand twisting Mara’s hair into a knot until her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Please, don’t hurt me. I didn’t know,” Mara said, her voice rough with fear and horror.
“Shut up, you little slut,” Lila hissed. “Didn’t know what? That you were fucking around with my man?”
“Lila, please,” Seth began, raising his hands in a placating manner. “It’s not like that. I thought she could join us. We could use the extra hands.”
“Did you?” Lila asked, her eyes narrowing. “And I bet you also thought she could warm your bed at night, mm?”
“Of course, not,” Seth said, reaching out to her. “You know you’re the only woman for me, babe. I’d never touch another.”
“Liar!” Lila slapped his hand away. She began to walk backward, dragging the hapless Mara with her. “I saw you two kiss. Don’t take me for a fool.”
“I’m sorry,” Mara said, desperate to placate the murderous Lila.
“Oh, you’ll be sorry, all right,” Lila murmured in her ear. “Once I’m done with you, no man will ever want you again.”
“No!” Mara cried as terror spurted through her veins. She began to struggle despite the knife pressed to her throat.
Seth followed, still pleading with Lila, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Ignoring him, Lila forced Mara to her knees.
Mara’s eyes fixed on the object that loomed in front of her face. A burning drum. Flames licked from the top, throwing weird shadows against the wall. Even from a distance of three feet, she could feel the heat emanating from the sides. Horror suffused her brain. She can’t mean to…it’s not possible. No one could be that cruel.
Before Mara could utter a single protest, Lila shoved her forward. As the delicate skin of her left cheek made contact with the molten metal, Mara’s entire nervous system exploded with pure, raw agony. Her muscles seized, and her body went rigid with shock. A sizzling noise filled her ears, quickly overlaid by the awful sound of her screams.
She struck out with her arms and legs, desperate to get away from the heat, but Lila was relentless. With both hands, she pressed Mara’s face into the drum, her cruel laughter ringing in Mara’s ears.
Unbelievably, the pain grew. It rose and rose until it crashed before rising in pitch again, over and over again. A few seconds became an eternity, and all other thoughts faded into oblivion. Nothing mattered but the sensation of her skin melting like wax.
Finally, it was over.
Lila tossed her to the floor like a rag doll where Mara lay broken, powerless to resist. Her screams didn’t stop. Nor did the agony. Instead, it grew until she thought she would go insane. The last thing she remembered before blacking out, was the smell of burnt flesh in her nostrils.
***
Mara shook her head with a wordless cry. As much as she tried to forget, that day still haunted her, and it always would. The only reason she survived her burns was because of a kind woman who nursed her back to health with pilfered morphine and antibiotics. She couldn’t save Mara’s eye, however.
She fed Mara through a straw, cleaned her wounds, and dosed her with the medicine she stole until Lila found out about it. After that, she was never seen again, and Mara later learned she was kicked out of the community. I hope she’s still alive out there, somewhere.
Even so, Dr. Ethan Hayes was captured soon after, and he took over the care of her wounds until she could resume normal life again. As normal as it was possible to be after having half your face burnt off.
Satisfied that Seth would no longer be interested in Mara, Lila allowed her to stay on as a servant. And so, Mara spent her days cooking, and cleaning, all while plotting Lila’s downfall. Not just hers, either, but the entire community’s deaths. Everyone who stood and watched that day without intervening would suffer, she’d make sure of it.
A crooked smile wreathed Mara’s lips as she admired the glass bottle Ethan had given her. At last, her time had come. Today, she would get her revenge.
Chapter 21 - Dylan
Despite what Saul had advised, Dylan found it impossible to sleep. She’d lied when she told him she was okay. The truth was, everything hurt so badly she doubted she’d be able to fight. Even so, Dylan was determined to survive, no matter what. Come on, Tara. You’re smart. Think of something.
In the building next to them, she could hear the sound of laughter. After a while, the faint strains of music joined in, and she jerked upright. “Are they seriously having a party in there?”
“It’s part of their celebrations,” James replied, his voice floating toward her in the darkness. “They’ll come for us soon.”
“I’ll be ready for them,” Dylan replied, but despite her outer bravado, fear wormed its way through her innards. She didn’t want to fight or kill. Nobody in their right minds did. It was the kind of thing you did for survival, nothing more.
The minutes ticked by, and the party next-door grew louder and louder. With each passing moment, Dylan’s anxiety swelled until she thought she thought she would burst. “What are we going to do, Saul? We can’t fight each other.”
“I’m working on it,” he replied.
Somehow, his words didn’t bring her any comfort, nor could she think of anything useful herself.
Suddenly, a door burst open, and a woman ran toward them. “Saul? Dylan? Are you there?”
“Tara?” Dylan cried. “Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. I’ve come to free you. We’re getting out of here,” Tara replied.
She dropped to her knees in front of Saul’s cage and unlocked it. Saul crawled out and crushed her to his chest. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I’m fine, but watch the ribs,” came Tara’s muffled reply.
He let go of her abruptly. “Sorry.”
“Hey, leave the smooching for later. Let’s get out of here first,” Dylan said.
“On my way,” Tara said, hurrying over.
Once she was free, Dylan got out and kicked the cage. “Man, it feels good to be out of that thing.”
“What about me?” James cried.
“What about you?” Dylan asked. “You wanted to be one of them, so stay.”
“Please, let me out. I’m begging you,” he said.
Tara hesitated, looking from Dylan to Saul. “Should I?”
“No!” Dylan and Saul answered in unison.
“Unlock the cage. That’s all I’m asking. You’ll never see me again, I promise,” James pleaded.
Tara bit her lip, looking at the keys in her hand. Finally, she tossed them to James. “Free yourself, but wait until we’re gone, or I’ll kill you myself.”
James scrambled for the keys. “Deal.”
Dylan rolled her eyes. “Softie. It will get you killed one day.”
“Never mind that, let’s go. Ethan is waiting for us.”
“Ethan?” Dylan repeated as
the name rang a bell inside her head.
“I’ll explain later,” Tara said, running toward the door.
“What about the bad guys?” Dylan said, hanging back.
“Passed out cold, but not for long. Move it, people!” Tara said with contagious urgency.
Neither Saul nor Dylan needed to be told twice, and they followed close on her heels. Inside the assembly hall, the party-goers lay strewn about where they’d fallen, deeply sedated. A CD-player played in the background, the base distorted by the small speakers.
Tara slipped through the slumbering crowd but stopped abruptly when a girl appeared out of nowhere.
Saul raised his fists, and Dylan cursed. “Shit, you missed one of them.”
“No, I didn’t. This is Mara. She’s one of us,” Tara said.
Dylan eyed the girl through narrowed eyes. “Can we trust her?”
Mara stepped forward into the light, and Dylan gasped. One half of the girl’s face was horribly disfigured. The skin looked like wax left out in the hot sun. The corner of her mouth drooped, and one eye was gone, the socket empty.
“Yes, you can trust me.” Mara waved a hand at her face. “I owe them for this.”
“They did that to you?” Dylan asked, shocked to the core.
“Lila did. The rest watched,” Mara said, her voice carrying a slight slur due to her disfigurement.
“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry,” Dylan exclaimed. Her heart reached out to the poor girl, but Mara didn’t want any of it.
“There is no God, and I don’t need your pity. Save it for someone else,” Mara said, her voice as brittle as broken glass.
Dylan didn’t know what to say, and was glad when Tara asked, “Where’s Ethan?”
“Outside,” Mara replied, beckoning them to follow.
They ran after her, crossing an empty foyer and reception area. She ducked through a door leading to a small parking lot usually reserved for staff and teachers. Fires burned in a couple of drums, and more people lay passed out on the ground. Liquor bottles littered the space, evidence of their wild celebrations.
The Humvee stood waiting, a little worse for wear, but still running. A man climbed out from behind the wheel and walked closer. “Tara, did you get your friends?”
“Yes, we’re here and ready to go.”
Dylan frowned and pushed her way past Saul and Tara, shocked recognition nearly robbing her of speech. “Ethan? Is that you?”
Ethan halted midstride, his mouth falling open. “Dylan!”
Dylan laughed and threw herself into his waiting arms. “What are you doing here?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said, staring at her with shining eyes. “I thought you were dead, yet here you are in the flesh.”
“I never thought I’d see you again,” Dylan admitted.
“Neither did I, and I’m—”
“Yeah, yeah, this is all very lovely, but you’d better hit the road before these people wake up,” Mara interrupted.
Ethan sobered, and he pulled away from Dylan’s embrace. “You’re right, of course. We need to hurry.”
Dylan nodded, her face still wreathed with smiles. “Yeah, we can catch up later.”
“Did you get all of our stuff?” Tara asked.
“Yes, I did. Most of it was still in the Humvee,” Ethan replied. “I placed your weapons on the backseat.”
“What about the cure?” Saul asked.
“Let me check,” Tara said. She ran to the Humvee and pulled out a metal chest from beneath the front seat. “Got it.”
Ethan stared at the case. “That’s the cure? The cure that Dylan told me about?”
“Yes, I—”
“Enough, already. You can talk all you want on the road,” Mara said, stamping her foot.
“She’s right. Let’s move out,” Saul said, climbing behind the wheel.
“What about these guys?” Dylan asked, indicating the sleeping raiders.
“Leave them,” Ethan replied.
“We can’t do that. What if they hurt more people?” Dylan said with a pointed look.
“Well, we can’t murder them in their sleep,” Ethan said.
“You can’t, but I can,” Mara said, leaning down to grab a gun from the nearest sleeping form. She tucked it behind her belt before producing a wicked-looking knife from her pocket.
“Mara!” Ethan protested. “What are you doing? We need to leave.”
“You can go. I’m staying,” Mara replied. “I’ve got plans for these people.”
“Plans? What plans?” Ethan asked with a stupefied expression.
“Why do you think I helped you escape?” Mara asked with a sigh of exasperation. “Out of the goodness of my heart? It was for revenge, you dummy.”
“Revenge?” Ethan repeated.
“Exactly. Now get into your car and fuck off. I want to do this alone, please.”
“I’m not leaving you here,” Ethan protested. “You’ll die.”
“You know what’s funny?” Mara asked with a crooked smile, walking toward the closest raider. She knelt down next to him and admired the knife in her hand. With the other hand, she lifted the raider’s head and cradled him in her arms.
“No, I don’t. Nothing about this strikes me as even remotely funny,” Ethan replied.
“The name Mara means bitter, and I’ve always wondered why my mother called her only child, Bitter.” The girl shook her head, a sad smile hovering on her lips. With one swift move, she cut the raider’s throat. His blood spilled onto his chest in a crimson river, and his steady breathing turned into a wet gurgle. “Now, I know.”
“Oh, my God. You killed him,” Ethan cried, taking a step back.
“And I’ll do worse to the rest of them. Especially Lila,” Mara replied, her lips twisting into a sneer.
“Mara,” Dylan said, reaching out to the girl. “You can’t mean that. Come with us, please.”
Mara shook her head and stepped away from the limp corpse at her feet. “No, I can’t. There’s nothing out there for me. Nothing.”
“You’re young, and you still have so much to live for. Revenge isn’t everything,” Dylan pleaded. “Let me show you.”
“You’re kind,” Mara said as her face hardened. “And naive. Some things you can’t come back from. Leave before it’s too late. I’m staying.”
“Mara, come with us,” Ethan said, adding his pleas to Dylan’s. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
“Oh, but it does, Doctor. Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” Mara said, her expression as bitter as her name.
Dylan stepped forward. “Mara, I—”
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the school’s doorway and pointed an accusing finger at Mara. “You! I knew I should’ve killed you right from the start, but Seth felt sorry for you. He wanted to keep you as a pet.”
Mara bared her teeth and dropped into a crouch, the knife blade winking in the light from a nearby fire. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, Lila.”
Lila laughed. “Oh, please. As if a little worm like you could take me down.”
Before anyone could move a muscle, Lila flung herself at Mara. The two crashed to the ground and rolled around, each trying to gain the upper hand. Mara elbowed Lila in the face, and the woman’s head snapped back. Rich blood flowed from her split lip, but she only laughed. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
She punched Mara in the face, and grabbed for the knife. Mara reacted by thrusting her knee into Lila’s stomach and throwing her to the side. In the process, she lost the knife. It landed between them on the dust, and they faced off like two rabid dogs.
With a harsh cry, Lila went for the weapon. She snatched it up a mere second before Mara could and launched herself forward. The two tumbled across the concrete. Lila ended up on top, her hands clutching Mara’s knife. By slow degrees, she pushed down on the blade until the point nicked Mara’s throat, drawing blood.
“Now, you die,” Lila said, her lips pulling
back in a predatory smile.
“Never,” Mara cried, her single eye flashing with defiance.
“Do you remember when I scarred your pretty face? When I melted away your skin?”
“No!”
“You’ll never be human again. You’re a freak.”
Mara shrieked, an incomprehensible string of syllables that expressed her hatred and rage. A thin stream of blood poured down the side of her neck, the blade cutting ever deeper.
“Do something!” Dylan cried, though she didn’t know who she was talking to. Her hands felt at her sides for a weapon, but she had none and could only watch the scene unfold in growing horror.
A single gunshot echoed through the air, and Lila froze. A hole appeared between her eyes. With a grunt, she toppled sideways, and Mara scrambled to her feet.
Saul dropped his arm, the smoking barrel of a Beretta between his fingers.
“Why did you do that?” Mara screamed, her eyes wild. “I had plans for her. Plans!”
Froth appeared on her lips, and Dylan thought she’d gone mad. “Mara, please. He saved your life.”
Mara remained crouched like a wild animal, heaving for breath. Suddenly, her face cleared, and she straightened up. “You’d better leave before the zombies show up. They’ll be drawn by the shot.”
“What about you?” Dylan asked. “It’s not too late. You can still come with us. Lila is dead now.”
Mara pointed her knife at the nearest person who happened to be Seth, the leader. “I’ve got unfinished business with him. With all of them.”
“Mara, no. You’re not a killer,” Ethan cried. “Leave them.”
Mara smiled. It was a cold smile, and she dropped to her knees beside Seth. Her knife hovered above his jugular. “Leave now, Doctor. You don’t want to see what I’m about to do to this man.”
Ethan shook his head. “This isn’t you, Mara. You’re better than this.”
“Not anymore,” Mara said, her voice dropping to a low whisper. “Please, Ethan. I’m asking you to leave.”
Rise of the Undead Box Set | Books 1-3 | Apocalypse Z Page 29