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

by Gill, Bonnie

  "Yep."

  "That's cool in a dangerous kind of way," I say.

  "It saved my life. My friends and I were cornered by a group of gabbies. I was able to get away using my parkour. I ran up a wall and vaulted to a ledge. I was lucky, but they weren't. I wish I could've helped them. There were too many gabbies, and I didn't have any weapons."

  "That sucks."

  "It does."

  "I'm so sorry about your friends."

  "I'd been trying to teach them parkour for a couple of years, but they laughed and said they didn't have time for nonsense. I can teach you."

  Now that would be interesting. "Sure."

  I pull up to the gate of the safe zone. Private Honey is guarding the entrance again today.

  "Hiya, Honey," I say with so much sweetness it could cause cavities.

  "Ma'am.” He tips his hat.

  "Anything new?" I ask.

  "We're packing up and leaving for the safe zone in Crystal Lake," says Honey.

  "Why?"

  "This was only temporary. We want to leave before the snow melts." Behind him I see people putting boxes into different military trucks with canvas sides. It won't protect them at all if a horde of gabbies attack them.

  I stretch my neck to see over his shoulder. I don't see the Washingtons, though. "Where's the zone in Crystal Lake? You know, in case we decide to hook up with you guys."

  "They made the high school into a barracks."

  "How are they going to keep the gabbies out?"

  "Fences." His forehead wrinkles. "Is there a reason you're here, or are you just bored?"

  Wow. That's not very neighborly. "I was just checking to see if everything is okay with you guys."

  "You don't have to worry about us." He pats his rifle. "We're trained. I'll tell the Washingtons you stopped by."

  "Thank you. If they wanted to leave, would you let them?" Ben asks.

  "They were all told they could leave with us, or go on their own way, when we move out."

  "Have a safe trip," I say.

  "Ma'am," Honey says and he touches the rim of his helmet.

  We get back into the SUV and pull out of the entrance.

  "He's Mr. Personality," Ben says.

  "Yeah, he's probably has a lot on his mind." I turn onto a side street.

  "I don't understand why they didn't leave sooner. I mean all the gabbies were frozen, and now they're starting to thaw. You would think leaving while the zombies couldn’t attack them would have been a better idea."

  "Maybe road conditions?" I see something out of the corner of my eye. It moves fast, so I can't tell what it is.

  "What's that?" Ben asks.

  Up ahead, two pickups turn the corner and head straight for us. I pull a U-turn, and my wheel goes up the curb and bounces down. I floor the accelerator and head in the opposite direction. Two more trucks move in to block our way.

  "Crap," Ben says.

  I see a blond guy get out of a brand-new Ford Raptor. I know that walk. This can’t be happening.

  This is my worst nightmare. HE is a walking, talking, living nightmare.

  16

  Seth's walking toward me, so I throw the vehicle into reverse. "Ben, when I stop the vehicle, you need to run. Whatever you do, do not let them catch you," I say.

  "But—I can't leave you."

  "Yes, you can. You need to run, and tell everyone in the house Seth is here. Please tell them they need to leave right away. Don't worry about me." I’m not going to involve them in this mess.

  "But."

  "No buts. Just do as I say." As I stop the vehicle, Ben jumps out and runs. Several guys chase after him on foot, but he has large a lead on them. He's really fast. I swallow hard and suck in a deep breath. I can do this.

  The trucks box in my SUV. I slip my Ka-Bar into my boot and my pistol into the back of my pants. I put several magazines in my jacket pockets.

  Seth looks the same only a little older, and now he has bigger muscles. He walks to my SUV and is flanked by his stupid entourage. They are all pointing their weapons at me. He gestures for me to roll down my window.

  I do. Why? I don't know.

  "Well, look who we have here," Seth says, his voice oozing malice.

  "Stop with the theatrics. What do you want?" I'm scanning for any way to escape. They're bringing in more vehicles, and some have gabbie heads mounted on their hoods. Great, he's hooked up with the gun store guys.

  "Now, what makes you think I want something?" His smile is the same as a viper's, only without the fangs but still full of venom.

  "How did you find me?" I'm shaking. I start rubbing my arms so he'll just think I'm cold.

  He laughs. "I've kept tabs on you since the first day you had me tossed into jail. Tsk tsk. That wasn't very nice of you." He reaches for my hair, and I pull back. My stomach is cranking inside, and it makes me want to hurl. My adrenaline is at Mach5.

  I should've known he'd have someone spying on me. "You shouldn't have beat the crap out of me and stuck me in a container with a dead guy."

  "Yes. Yes. I now know that I can't leave you unguarded." The sick tone of his words promises nothing but a lot of bleeding and pain. Pain I’m not interested in experiencing again.

  "It was nice seeing you. NOT." I roll up my window and throw the vehicle into reverse. I gun it and slam into a truck behind me. The gabbie head pops off its hood and flies into the bed of another truck. I put the gear selector into drive and crash into the SUV in front of me. They shoot at my SUV. "Crap." The SUV now makes a whomp whomp noise when I drive. They hit my tires, and this vehicle doesn't have run-flats. I position my SUV so the driver's side is on the far side away from most of them.

  All his goons are pointing their weapons at me. They're laughing like they're having the time of their lives. I don't care. See, this is what I get for putting down roots and not changing my name.

  I worry about Star and my friends. There are at least twenty men here. Jeeze, how many people survived the outbreak? I’d be willing to bet they are his jail buddies. I'm not going down, at least not without a fight. I grab another pistol from my bag. I aim and shoot the two guys in front of me. They both drop like rocks off a bridge.

  "I want her alive," Seth shouts. Of course he does, the sadistic bastard.

  I scramble out of my seat and tumble out of the door. I’m shooting over the hood of my SUV at them. They're all taking cover. No good shots, but I shoot anyway. I pull out a new magazine, slam it into my weapon, and squeeze off some more rounds. I hit one guy in the arm and another one in the foot. I hear one of them scream. Take that, idiots.

  Someone grabs my shoulder and wrist. I wriggle and kick. It's a big, dirty guy. He smells like cabbage. I fight and try to get free, but another pair of hands grasps my other arm.

  "Stop fighting," Seth says.

  I kick my foot and connect with the big guy's knee. I break my arm free and elbow him in the jaw.

  Crunch.

  The skinny guy tightens his grip on my other arm. I kick out at him, but he jumps to the side.

  Seth smacks me across the face. "Now that I have your attention…" What a dickhead. I see everything tinged in red and taste copper on my tongue. I spit it at him. The whole side of my face feels like it’s on fire.

  He wipes his chin with his sleeve. "That's not very ladylike, Raven. If you hurt another one of my men, I'll kill your sister." He knows my kryptonite.

  I stand still and clench my aching jaw. His goon is still holding onto my arm. I want to gnaw it off and run, but I don't.

  Seth punches me in the gut. I double over and can't breathe. I swear he punched through to my spine. If he had more of a swing, he would have cracked it in half. I gasp for air, but it won't come. I hate this man with every cell of my being.

  "Bring her." He turns and walks to his big truck.

  The skinny freak drags me by the arm. My legs are doing all they can to keep up. My vision's blurry, and I still can't catch my breath. A short guy follows us with s
ome rope.

  "You're tying me up?" I yell at Seth as he's walking away.

  He flings his arm over his head in a wave. Jagoff.

  They disarm me, except for the knife in my boot, tie my arms behind my back, and they secure my ankles together. They lower the tailgate and toss me into the truck bed. I land right next to the gabbie hood ornament that popped off during my escape attempt, and my right shoulder throbs with pain.

  I bounce around in the bed, trying to avoid contact with the loose zombie head. We drive until we're in front of the gun store. So, he did hook up with those guys. I wonder if Ben made it back? I hope Star and my friends leave and go up north. They don't need to deal with these guys, and Seth's going to kill me anyway.

  A tall, thin guy grabs my feet and pulls me to the end of the flattened tailgate. Another guy lifts me from under my shoulders, and they carry me inside. The front of the store is packed with men and stinks like rancid chicken soup and body odor. They stare at me and whistle and cheer. I feel like I'm going to barf.

  They bring me into an office and place me on a wooden chair. The skinny guy wraps the rope around my chest and the chair back.

  Seth sits in a desk chair and rolls toward me. I want to kick his teeth in. I don't know what I ever saw in him.

  "See, if you don't fight, it won't hurt as much, but it's not as fun for me." He steeples his fingers in front of his nose and then lowers them. "What? Nothing to say?"

  "Why are you doing this?" I barely get out.

  "Revenge. If it wasn't for you, they never would’ve caught me. I sat in that jail for five years. Five." He shows me his fingers and smacks me across the face again.

  My cheek and eye burn as my head whips back. "What, you didn't get hooked up with the boyfriend of your choice?"

  He slaps me again. "Bitch."

  I spit out some blood, but it just dribbles out of my mouth. My face is throbbing. "You been working out, Seth? Is that all you did in there? They should've chained you to your bunk and made you do math problems all day. You were at a country club."

  Another slap. My lips are swelling.

  "All you had to do was boost a few cars for me. I thought we were a good team," he shouts in my face.

  "Screw you, asshole." I rarely swear, but the words tumble out of my puffy mouth anyway.

  He gets close to my face. "You're going to pay."

  I slam my forehead into his nose, and I hear the crunch right before there's a sharp pain in my head. He slaps me so hard the chair falls over and crushes my arm.

  "Keep it up, Raven. This is going to be fun." He walks over to a bookcase and grabs a towel to wipe his nose. "Pick her up."

  The skinny guy and his buddy place me, and my chair, upright. The ropes are a little looser but still hold. I can't see very well because both of my eyes are swollen almost shut. My face not only hurts, but is partially numb. I suck in a deep breath. I'm still alive, and that's all that matters.

  "Where's the guy who was with her?" he asks his lackeys.

  "He got away. He was running up walls and stuff. We couldn't catch him," the skinny guy says.

  "You know where he was going. Why not get ahead of him, and shoot him?" Seth's anger filters through his voice.

  I smile, but I don't think my lips move.

  "We lost a lot of men the last time we drove down that street," skinny guy says.

  "You guys are worthless," Seth says. "Send out everyone, and bring them in. Or kill them. I don't care."

  I wiggle around on my chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. Nothing helps.

  "You hear that? Your boyfriend got away. Don't worry, we'll get him and the rest of your friends, including your sister. I know a lot of men who'll love spending time with her."

  My whole body is shaking. I wish I could warn my friends to run away.

  "I'm going to teach you a lesson, and then I'll kill you. Afterward, I'll have some fun with Star."

  His finger traces around my mouth. It burns. Hot breath blows across my cheek. He's so close, if I can just get loose.

  "I'm going to untie you, and you better not move. I can't undress you like this," he says in my ear.

  There are footsteps, and the door closes. Are we alone? My heart races faster than a stock car on its last lap. I'll only get one chance, so I better make it count.

  The rope loosens around me and then tightens again. My hope deflates.

  "I'm not going to do this right now. I think I'll wait and do this in front of your boyfriend."

  "He's not my boyfriend," I manage to get out, although it doesn’t sound right.

  "No? I don't believe you." He kicks my chair. This time I don't fall.

  I work my jaw. It's starting to stiffen. "Did you like jail? I figure you had a great time dropping the soap and getting intimate with your cellmate."

  He must have understood my slurring. I don't see the punch, but I sure feel it. He nails me in the jaw, and my chair goes airborne. I slam to the floor, and the chair cracks, at least I hope it's the chair. My whole body hurts and throbs. I think I broke a rib. Each labored breath feels as if a knife is being shoved into my side.

  "We're just getting started," Seth says. Great.

  A commotion breaks out in the next room. There's shouting and a crash.

  Seth runs to the door, and three men push him out of the way before coming inside.

  "If you want those people, you'll have to get them yourselves. We sent a team out there, and they never came back," a guy with a bald head says.

  "I gave you an order," Seth snaps.

  "Yeah, about that. If you think you can come here with your guys and take over, you're dead wrong," he says.

  "Yeah," mimic the other two. It seems he has a cheering squad.

  I roll my shoulders, and surprisingly, they move. It was the chair that broke. I curl into a ball away from them so I'm facing the wall. I bring my still tied together feet through my arms so my hands are in front of me. Sweet Jesus, it hurts like nothing I've ever felt before. I reach for my boot.

  "We're not going," the bald guy says.

  My fingers barely touch the knife. Just a little further. The shooting pain in my ribs makes me want to pass out, but I finally pull out the K-Bar. I cut through the rope on my ankles and start to work on my wrists.

  I don't hear what Seth says because I'm concentrating so hard on sawing the rope.

  The bald guy slams into the wall next to me.

  I finch. More pain. I work the blade through the rope, and my hands fall free. I wiggle my fingers. I place the knife into the sheath on my belt.

  "What are you doing?" Seth says.

  I freeze and don't even breathe.

  I see the bald guy get up and run toward Seth. There are thuds and crashes.

  I turn my head and see all three guys wailing on him. I crawl toward the door as slow and smooth as my body will let me. I look over my shoulder and see Seth punch a guy so hard his teeth fly out of his mouth and scatter all over the floor. Now is my chance, I can't blow this.

  I finally make it to the door, reach up, and turn the handle. I lean back so the door swings open. A guy is standing right there, he turns and faces me. Busted. My body drops to the floor.

  He completely ignores me as he storms inside, focusing only on the fight. I crawl through the door and down the hall.

  "Where are you going?" a male voice calls out.

  I turn and see a guy with a rifle aiming at me. I collapse.

  "What did he do to you? You were so pretty when you came in here." His voice makes me want to vomit. I know fake niceness when I hear it, and his voice is swimming with it.

  I sneak my knife from its sheath and don't say a word.

  He crouches next to me. "Do you want to have a good time?' Yeah, like every woman wants sex after they've had the snot beat out of them. This guy is an idiot. My knife is in my hand and concealed next to my leg. With my other hand, I crook my finger for him to come closer. He leans in me.

  I bring my
hand up and stab him in the stomach. I pull the knife out and stab again and again. He clutches his gut and falls to his side. I half crawl, half scramble, on all fours. The back door is about ten feet away at the end of the hall. It might as well be fifty. Every inch hurts more than the last. I finally reach the door and pull myself up by the handle. I push it open, and an alarm buzzes. Falling through the open door, I land on the ground with a thump. I roll to the side and feel hands grab me under my armpits.

  17

  I punch and kick at my captor.

  "Raven, it's me. Stop," a voice says in a quiet tone. It sounds familiar, but I can't place it. Wait. It's Dean.

  I stop fighting and let him lead me further away from the building.

  Two men burst out of the door. Gunshots sound.

  I'm being pulled past a guy lying face down, and his legs are bent oddly. Another guy is next to him covered in blood. We hide behind a garbage dumpster.

  "What hurts?" Dean's face is in front of mine, his lips thin and brows scrunched together.

  "My face and ribs," I slur. Can he understand me? I hope so. It's so good to see his face. Panic slams into me from nowhere. "You need to get out of here. They'll kill you."

  "Can you walk?" He doesn't wait for my reply as he's already pulling me to my feet. More gunshots ring out and then a boom.

  "Joey and Vinny are going to blow this place. We need to get as far away as possible."

  I focus on a ninja gecko climbing the wall. I blink to focus and see it’s Ben. He jumps from the window ledge, to the door frame, and onto the roof.

  "Ben," I say, but it's not my voice, it's raspy and kind of gurgles.

  "He'll be fine. We have a plan, and part of that plan is to get you out of here."

  There's so much gunfire, it sounds like a war. I place one foot in front of the other and take a step, most of my body weight on Dean. He's almost carrying me now, but we're moving toward his truck.

  Star and Daria are behind it and shooting their rifles over the bed.