The Good, The Bad, And The Undead : A zombie Apocalypse (The Wild Wild Midwest Book 1)

by Gill, Bonnie

  Dean is in the next truck and starts the engine. This one doesn't seem as loud. He rolls down the window. "It's a full tank."

  I give him the thumbs up.

  He pulls the truck through the gate, and I close it. A flood of relief releases the knot which had formed between my shoulders.

  I follow Dean back to the house.

  Vinny, Sebastian, Star, and Jasmine, bundled in winter coats and scarves, are laying out a tarp. There's something rolled up in another tarp off to the side.

  "Oh good. You're okay," Star says. Her coat has brown and red sticky stuff on it. Her scarf is covering her nose and mouth.

  Sebastian and Vinny cleaned up most of the mess while we were gone. They are carrying a charred body and lay it onto the tarp.

  "I was thinking," Vinny says. "We can leave the bodies in the vehicles and just tow them somewhere else. That way, we'll only have a few left to deal with."

  Helga comes out of the house carrying a thermos. "Do you want some of my special potion?"

  "What's in it?" I ask.

  "Tea, cockroach essence, and moth legs." She pushes the thermos toward me. It's all I can do to not run away. What the heck is the essence of cockroach? And who in their right minds would want to drink moth legs? And where did she even find them this time of year?

  "You know, I'm ok. We really need to get this done. Thank you anyway."

  We hear a siren in the distance.

  15

  The siren sounds far off, and we stop what we're doing to listen better. I look up at the window where Daria and Vinny are on watch. I call them on the radio, "Can you see what's going on out there?"

  Vinny comes on. "Nope, red lights are flashing, but we don't have a visual on the vehicle."

  Wonderful. We've been so worried about what's going on in this town, we haven't even thought about the surrounding cities. That's one bad thing about the Chicago metro area. There are over two hundred suburbs stacked one on top of the other. Even though we're just a few miles south of the Wisconsin border, we’re still surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people in the area.

  I hook the first SUV up to the tow truck. "Where should we haul these vehicles?"

  "There's a stone quarry on Twelve. We can dump them here," Joey says.

  "I can hide one there, but they'll see the others from the road," I say.

  "How about the forest preserve? There's an old entrance on the road behind the firehouse. No one uses it. Or there are a few warehouses off Twelve. If we can find an empty one, we can put the vehicles in there," Dean says. He has a good point. The only thing is, it's close to where the gun store guys are hanging out.

  I check the vehicle to make sure it won't fall off the truck. "I'm going for the quarry, does anyone want to come with me?"

  "I'll go," Joey says.

  Star shoots me a look that warns me to not say a word.

  "Great. Let's roll."

  We pack up some extra ammunition and get into the tow truck.

  Joey pulls the magazine out of his rifle, loading it with some rounds. "I haven't had any time to really talk to you."

  I nod. Please don't ask me about Star. Please don't ask.

  He slides the full magazine back in place. "I wanted to ask you a couple things."

  My teeth rake over my bottom lip. "What's up?" I manage to squeak out.

  "Your sister keeps distancing herself from me. How come?" He's facing me and has this sad look on his face. Man, he must really still have a thing for Star.

  "Why don't you ask her?" She's going to kill me if I let anything slip. I can see it now. She'd ask, "What did you talk about?" I'd say "Nothing." Then she'd say, "Wrong. I can tell just by how you're acting. I'm never telling you anything ever again." Then, she'd put laxatives in my coffee, and I'd spend the next day on the toilet. Sisters are like that.

  "I have. She says we've gone over this already. Then she gives me some crap about not being ready for a relationship.”

  I kind of feel sorry for the guy. "There you go. She's given you her answer."

  "Nope. I'm not buying it. I see the way she looks at me. She still has the hots for me. I know it."

  "And you're sure it's not gas?" I break into a smile.

  "Haha. You're a funny one. I'm serious. Here we are at the end of the world, and who knows how many days, or even hours, we have left to live? We need to seize the moment and take it for everything we can. We might not be here tomorrow," he says with so much passion, it really makes me wonder if keeping quiet is the right thing to do. If Star can get over the hurdle of his mom being a hitwoman, they can share their survival time together. His mom may not make it up here.

  "Why don't you ask her again? Be patient with her. Explain everything you said to me, to her." I absolutely hate being the middle person. It could come down to he said this, she said that.

  "Whatever." His tone is sad.

  We pull into the quarry and drive down the gray rock ramp to the bottom. I back the truck into the far corner, hidden from the street. Joey gets out and helps me unhook the burned-out SUV. It takes a total of fifteen minutes, mainly because we really have no idea what we're doing. I've seen tow truck guys unload vehicles, so I have a vague idea. We release the vehicle and get back inside the truck. I put it in gear as we climb the ramp.

  Joey keeps a lookout for any other cars heading our way.

  "So, when do you think your mother and aunt will arrive?" I ask.

  "Ah hah! I knew it. She's nervous about my mom. I shouldn't have told her." Joey has his hands balled up into fists.

  "Na ah," I say. I've should've kept my big mouth shut. "I was just curious. That's why we're staying at your house, right?" Nice save.

  He's still looking at me with skepticism on his face. "I'm surprised they're not here already. They must have gotten sidetracked. My Aunt Gina can be quite the distraction." He pulls out his pistol and checks the chamber.

  "What do you mean by that?" I need to find out as much about these two as possible so I can at least give Star some intel.

  "Gina's specialty is explosives. She loves to blow up things. If she thinks something should go boom, it does. She's ten times worse than Vinny. I figure with all these gabbies shuffling around, they're picking them off right and left. This is what they were born to do. They'll probably have Missouri gabbie-free before they arrive here."

  I picture two little old ladies killing zombies and laughing while they do it.

  "You're smiling. How come?" he asks.

  "Oh. Sorry. What's your mom's specialty?"

  "She specializes in shooting and sniping. That woman never misses." And that, right there, is why Star is scared to death.

  We turn the corner and see our block ahead. Relief floods over me. I won't have to talk to Joey anymore. It's not that I don't like talking to him, it's just I don't want to accidentally give anything away.

  We pull in front of the next vehicle and get out of the truck.

  Star, Dean, and Sebastian are waiting for us.

  "Any problems?" Dean asks.

  "Nope. We're all clear. Except they'll see our tire tracks in the snow," I say.

  "Yeah, we know. At least we won't have to look at these dead bodies and burned out trucks. Who knows, it might warm up soon, and we won't have to worry about the tracks," Dean says.

  I really hope that happens. I'm sure they know where we're at, but I feel safer not leaving tracks wherever we go. Which reminds me. "I'm bringing the next vehicle to the forest preserve. I'm going to scatter them."

  We hook up a pickup truck. Inside the bed are three scorched bodies. We put a tarp over them so it's not too obvious if someone sees us driving down the street. "Who's coming with me?"

  Joey looks at Star and shrugs. "I'll go."

  It takes us a few hours to remove all the vehicles and hide them. By the time we're done, I'm completely beat. I crawl into bed and fall asleep.

  When I wake up, it's dark outside. I bundle in my blankets and rollover. My jaw and teeth hur
t from them chattering all night. Dishes are clanking downstairs. I push the blankets off of me and quickly throw on some clothes. Maybe we should head south? Going north is kind of stupid. We'd have a shorter growing season for food, and it sure as heck gets colder the further north you go. I'm wearing three shirts, long underwear, thick pants, and a pair of wool socks. I'm still freezing. It's the kind of cold that seeps into your bones. Usually, this coldness is reserved for when the weather gets double digits below zero, but that's with the heat working. I have no idea how the settlers of this country survived.

  A knock sounds at the door right before Star walks in. "It's about time you’re up. We need to talk."

  "Nooo," I say, and jump back in bed and pull the covers over my head.

  She tugs at the covers and tries to pull them off of me. "I swear, Raven. What did you say to Joey?"

  I fold the covers down to reveal my head. "I told him he needs to talk to you. I don't want to be in the middle of this." I pull them back and cover my head again.

  "Hey." She pats my leg. "I'm not mad. Come on, I need to talk to someone, and Daria has her hands full with Vinny."

  What does that mean? I get out from under my nice warm cocoon and sit next to my sister. "I'm here, sis. What's up?"

  She sighs. "Joey said he ambushed you about what I was feeling. He said you didn't say anything except he needs to talk to me. I appreciate that."

  "That's what sisters are for," I respond.

  "I believe him. I also think, though not intentionally, you brought up his mother." She narrowed her delicate brows at me.

  "It was like fifteen minutes later. I just asked him how long it will take for her to get here." I throw my arms up in defeat. "I asked a simple question because that's the main reason why we're sticking around here, isn't it? By the way, did you know Vinny's mom is, like, obsessed with explosives? The way Joey talked made it sound like she’s going to blow up the whole state of Missouri before they get here."

  "Really?"

  "Well, I’m exaggerating a tiny bit, but still. I don't know how old these women are, but by the way those men are talking about them, you'd think they're Wonder Women or something. I keep picturing these little old ladies with knitting needles and buns on top of their heads." We both laugh.

  Star shakes her head. "I saw a picture of them. Mary and Gina are both stunning. You'd never guess they’re sixty. Anyway, I wanted to let you know I'm going to give Joey another chance. Well, really a first chance since I never really gave him one before. I figure she might not make it back. Anyway, I don't want to waste any more time not being happy."

  "Does he treat you right? ‘Cause if he doesn't, I'll kick his butt. I mean it. I don't care who his mom is, he won't escape unscathed.”

  "He treats me really well."

  "I'm happy for you, honestly. You two should've been together months ago." I pull her in for a hug and squeeze her shoulder. "So, what's going on with Daria and Vinny?"

  "You don't want to know. Come on, let's go get some breakfast. It's almost ready."

  “But I do want to know.”

  She laughs. “Let’s just say their relationship is purely physical, and I’m surprised you haven’t heard their sexcapades.”

  “Nope, but I’ve been passing out when I go to bed.”

  We head downstairs.

  I sit at the big wooden breakfast table filled with fresh baked banana bread and boxes of cereal. "Where's Mrs. Garcia and Ben?" I ask.

  Dean passes me the butter. "They're keeping watch so we can eat before we take our post. Maria wanted to make sure we didn't starve up there." He bites into the bread. "Mmmm. She makes the best food."

  Sebastian and Jasmine sit next to us, their plates are full.

  Jasmine takes out her camera and takes a picture of her food. "Aw, my battery is running out."

  Daria sits next to her. "It doesn't matter. Social media is dead. I can hook up to the signal only once in a while, but I have to jump through all kinds of hoops to do it."

  "You can get onto the internet?" Jasmine asks excitedly.

  "No. Forget I said anything." She turns to me. "Pass the butter please."

  Sebastian places his fork down. "Are there any planes leaving the airport?"

  "I have no idea. Why?" Daria gives him a questioning look.

  "No reason." He picks up his fork and picks at his food.

  Okay. That's not in the least bit cryptic. "How come you don't want to go to the safe zone? If anyone has internet, it would be them. They would be your best bet to try," I say to them.

  Sebastian puts his fork down and folds his hands on the table. "I've seen some post-apocalyptic movies, and it seems the government-run facilities rarely stay open, or safe, for any length of time. Even though you have some crazy people gunning for you, I think we're better off here. Besides, we plan to leave once the snow clears."

  "Where are you going?" Daria asks.

  "It's classified."

  Now, this got my attention. I've always wondered if politicians and movie stars have a secret place to run to in case the world came crashing down. They should because they have the money to plan ahead. "So, do you have a bunker or something?"

  "Or something." He scoots his chair away from the table. "Come on Jasmine."

  She gets up and follows him out of the room.

  "Urgh. I knew he was hiding something. I bet he has a bunker stocked with supplies and a swimming pool. I saw one on television. It was made from a missile silo. They had a workout area, and monitors for windows, so it looked like you were looking outdoors. I think it held something like a hundred people. We should find it," Daria says, and she takes a bite of her banana bread.

  "I wouldn't mind finding a bunker, but I can guarantee it's guarded. There's no way you're getting in there unless it's empty," Dean says.

  "Well, wherever they're headed, it's not close if they're asking for a plane," I say.

  "Bats. Beware of the bats!" Helga gets up from the table and runs out of the room.

  "She's kind of growing on me," I say.

  "Yeah, like a fungus. She's kind of whacky," Vinny says.

  "You two should get along great," Daria says. She's smiling, so I know she's teasing him. I'm not against people hooking up during the apocalypse. I just want everyone to be happy since there's so much doom and gloom going on. We need something positive to hold on to during the dark times.

  After breakfast, Dean and I go upstairs to take over the watch from Mrs. Garcia and Ben.

  "Hey guys, are you ready to be relieved?" Dean asks.

  "I quite like it up here," Mrs. Garcia says. "It's peaceful, and I get to see the neighborhood." I believe it. She always kept watch at the mobile home park before the gabbies showed up. Nothing got by her.

  "I've been thinking, how about you take watch with me, and Ben and Raven can go check on the safe zone?"

  "Yes!" Ben pumps his fist in the air.

  "I taught Ben how to shoot, and he's pretty good. Not that I expect you to run into any trouble," Dean says.

  Can I trust that Ben can handle himself if we run into the gun shop guys? I must have a questioning look on my face because he says, "I've played a lot of video games, it's very similar. Only these are real people and zombies."

  There's definitely a chance we'll run into gabbies because the snow is melting. "What if we're ambushed and have to run?"

  "That won’t be a problem," he says.

  "Okay, we leave in ten. Dress in warm clothes, and bring plenty of ammo. Also, bring an MRE or two because you never know what will go wrong."

  "MRE?" he asks.

  "Meal ready to eat. It's basically a military sack lunch. I have boxes of them in the garage. They’re not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten, but they’re far from your grandmother’s cooking," I say.

  He salutes me and runs out of the room.

  "Don't look so worried. He's a survivor. You'll be surprised how much he can help," Mrs. Garcia says.

  "Do you think we should
drop Helga off at the safe zone?" I ask. I like the quirkiness of the woman, but I'm afraid if we get attacked, she could get hurt. I've also seen her surrounded by candles and chanting with something fuzzy in her hands. Sometimes she weirds me out.

  "Ask her. She's more with it than you realize," Mrs. Garcia says.

  About fifteen minutes later, Ben and I are in the SUV and ready to leave. Helga walks up to the vehicle and gives me the chicken foot on a string that she wears around her neck. "This is a protection amulet. It's going to keep you safe."

  I take the foot with my thumb and forefinger and place it into the cupholder. "Thank you. That's really sweet."

  "No. Put it around your neck. You'll need it."

  "O-kaaay." I place the dried-out old chicken foot with little toenails over my head before pulling out my sanitizer to clean my hands.

  She grins at me through her black lipstick.

  "Thanks? Are you sure you don't want to go to the safe zone?" I ask.

  "No. I belong here. You'll need me."

  "Alrighty." I turn to Ben and ask, "Ready?"

  "Yep," he says.

  We pull out of the driveway and head toward the safe zone.

  "So, what were you studying in school?" Brilliant. Like that's even going to make a difference now. I don’t know what to talk about. I barely know him, so it's good we're doing this.

  "Engineering. It was okay," he says while looking out the window.

  "What did you do for fun?"

  "I practiced parkour and freerunning."

  "What's that?"

  "It's a way of life. You practice moving quickly and efficiently through any environment. Freerunning is more of an art form where you’re expressing yourself as you move from place to place."

  "I don't understand." I lower my brow. I picture a guy dressed like Richard Simmons running around making swirly movements with his hands.

  "Have you seen those videos where people are climbing buildings and jumping from ledge to ledge, and they make it look easy?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, that's Parkour. Freerunning is when you run and do flips and spins while getting from one place to another. They're both very similar."

  "Oh, so you're one of those daredevils that hop on the monkey bars, then to the tree, then jump to a bench, and do a flip off?" He's nuts. Only an adrenaline junkie does that crazy stuff.