by Castle, W. A
“I will give you a chance,” I gritted out, my head lowered and my eyes glaring with the deadly threat, “Leave now, or you will die.”
Before I realized it an arm came around my neck and a sharp pocketknife blade was pressed against my throat, “Shut up lady, just give us your stuff and we’ll leave. Give me your gun.” A female’s voice caressed my right ear. I breathed forcefully as I handed her my gun.
“Hey kid, you don’t have to do that. Take what you need and leave.” Ulises glared at the teenage thugs but his voice betrayed the look of brutality in his eyes.
Everything was in slow motion as they packed everything they could into the bags scattered around the room, then a cry came from upstairs. The hairs on my arms stood on end as the looter’s heads turned to the second floor.
“Take another step and I will feed you to the flesh eaters outside!” I snarled and pressed against the blade at my throat. I froze when the sharp nick at the base of my throat was followed by a warm feeling that spread and ran down to soak my shirt. I heard a cruel chuckle right in my ear.
Kill. A strangely familiar voice said in my head.
My eyes followed a teenage kid as he made his way up the stairs towards Diego’s cries.
Kill or be killed. Choose.
I pushed away from the girl holding the knife to my throat, I felt as the knife sunk into my throat. I felt the blade nick through the meat and cartilage. I scrambled down to the floor and chocked on my own blood as it poured out of me.
“Maddie!” I heard momma shriek from the side. A roar followed but I was too busy grabbing my throat together to pay too much attention. Suddenly the drowning sensation ebbed and I gulped air into my lungs and I jumped up and clumsily sprinted towards the kid that had paused in the middle of the stair case to look at what was happening.
He let out a terrified shriek as I jumped from the base of the staircase and pounced on him, knocking him down hard unto the jagged steps. I growled at him right before I dug my hands into his chest and pulled at the meat and tendons I grabbed in my hands. My scream of anger came out as a shriek as I lunged towards his carotid. The kid’s fingernails dug into my flesh but all he managed to do was tear his nails off.
I heard another shriek from downstairs and more screaming and gun shots. Soon the windows and doors were being banged from the outside, growls loud enough to be heard throughout the building.
I spit out the blood and carnage out of my mouth. I filled my mouth with spit and spit until there was nothing left. I was more than a little horrified that I had done what I did. I vomited as the aftertaste of the kid underneath me still lingered in my mouth. I crawled over his body and made my way to Diego. I crouched above him but before I picked him up I grabbed one of his blankets and wiped at my face and my neck. Rapidly, I had Diego in my arms and my duffel bag criss crossed across my chest.
“Maddie!” I heard Trevor shout my name. He cussed as he came across the kid’s body on the stair case but didn’t stop until he was in front of me and Diego.
“Oh my god Maddie, are you okay?” He placed his hands on my face and gave me a once over. He touched at my neck and then pulled me to his arms, cautious of Diego, before kissing me hard.
“I thought that bitch had cut your throat, when you fell to the ground like that. All that blood…” He pulled away and looked at me again. I lifted a hand to my throat and felt around for the wound, but there was only a little bump where the blade had cut through my flesh. The fuck was happening to me?
“Fuck, guys. Get your asses down here! The flesh eaters are about to burst through our goddamned front doors!” Clara screamed from downstairs. Trevor took my hand and we made our way down, staying clear of the body on the steps.
When we got to the first floor my mouth fell open and my knees knocked together. The teenager thugs were all dead. Some by shot wounds, others looked to be ripped apart.
When my eyes landed on Vince, I fell all the way to the ground on my knees. He was face down, his back riddled with bullet wounds.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” I wept. No, no. Vince was dead. I clutched at my chest and tried to breathe.
“Come on Maddie, we need to go.” Trevor tried lifting me up, but I was dead weight. Vince was like me. We had both been bit and survived.
I looked around the group, soundlessly asking them what had happened to Vince.
“He turned. He went crazy and started attacking those poor bastards,” Aaron looked sadly down at Vince. “I had to put him down. Once he was down I checked him, and,” he crouched on one knee and lifted Vince’s arm, the one where he had been bitten earlier, “He was bit. Did he tell you he was bit?”
I chocked down my answer and shook my head. I swallowed hard and got up from the floor. Vince didn’t turn. I thought back to just a few moments ago when I attacked that kid on the stairs. To the shriek I had heard. To the shriek that had come out of me. I shivered and held Diego closer to me.
Everyone grabbed their gear as I wrapped Diego in a blanket and wrapped him around my body in a cocoon of sorts. I put on my backpack and let Trevor take the duffle bags. We took the emergency exit in the back and booked it to the cars. There were two or three stragglers but Clara and Gary took them out easily. The cars had been parked in the front of the property so we were going to have to go around the flesh eaters without attracting their attention. The back property of the library was extra parking so that meant we were all going to have to run to the cars.
“Ready everyone?” Lexi panted as she tied the strings of her backpack across her abdomen. Trevor lifted Eli and pressed him to his chest. Val crouched and whispered something in Patty’s ear and the little wide eyed girl nodded slowly.
“Go!” Lexi half whispered half shouted and we all took off running at the same time. My backpack lifted and bounced against my bum with every stride, I tried to hold it down a few times but in the end I just let it fly every fucking where.
I pushed momma in front of me when the flesh eaters made us out and started stumbling their way towards us. It looked like all the hordes had come together. My steps faltered when I took the mass in. Holy shit. The sheer size of the horde made my blood run cold. We needed to reach the cars now. I swallowed a whimper as a flashback of last night swirled in my mind. They had broken the window of the car and pulled me out, they sunk their teeth into my flesh… my knees buckled underneath me but I managed to stay on my feet.
As we drew closer to the cars I didn’t know which one to run to. A hand at my elbow steering me towards the hummer made my decision. I looked up to Ulises’s glaring eyes. His brown eyes shifted at our surroundings and kept the advancing horde on his sights. I pressed my hand tighter against Diego to keep him from jostling too much. I pumped my feet as fast as they would go until Ulises brought us to a stop long enough for him to throw the side door of his hummer open and push me and Diego in. Trevor and Eli were seconds behind us and as soon as he was close enough he threw Eli in, I had just enough time to scoot to the middle seat before Eli scrambled in and held onto my arm in a death grip.
A high pitched scream pierced the air and my head whiplashed to the open door. The scream was followed by a shriek. I crawled over Eli and stuck my head out, Ulises and Trevor had stopped to turn towards the screams. My mouth opened in a silent scream and my eyes burned with tears. A flesh eater had managed to plunge its teeth into Val’s neck. What broke a piece of my mind was that Patty was holding onto Val’s hand, trying to pull her mom away from the flesh eater. Val was gurgling, saying something to Patty I couldn’t make out. I could see more flesh eaters sprinting and coming dangerously close to Patty, whose hand was still in a death grip in Val’s hand.
Diego whimpered as I made a move to get out of the hummer. Trevor turned around sharply, grabbed my head and pushed me back in and gave me a hard look. Before I was pushed back into the seat and the door was slammed shut, I managed to catch a glimpse of Aaron running towards his wife and daughter and then gunfire was followed by an expl
osion. Eli screamed and I tried to get him under my arm. My heart was beating so fast and my breathing came in shallow gasps as Eli buried his face into my side and cried, soon Diego followed.
Ulises hopped into the driver’s seat and gunned it. I twisted to see out the window and try to find momma.
“Wait Ulises, my momma!” My throat swallowed the last word in a sob. Moments later the other two cars took off towards us.
“What the fuck was that back there?” Ulises gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles soon turned white. I didn’t answer; I think he was talking more to himself than to me.
I unstrapped my backpack and settled in on the floor by my feet. And helped Eli’s with his. During a sharp turn Eli went crashing into the side of the door so I got on my knees and reached over to tie the seat belt around him.
“Sit the fuck down Maddie.” Ulises growled from the front. I shot him a death glare as I planted my butt on the leather seats and grabbed onto the handle above the door. That’s when I saw that there was blood running from his hairline.
“Were you bit?” I gasped and I jumped to the edge of the seat to have a closer look. He ignored me, focusing on the road ahead. I didn’t know where the hell we were headed. Anywhere but here would be good. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel melancholy leaving this town. I had died here and I had found another like me, and he had died here.
“Ulises.” I whispered.
“It happened when the motherfuckers shot their way into the library, got the ass end of a shotgun.” He gently prodded at the wound on his head and winced. The corners of my lips threatened to curl up. He caught that in the rearview mirror and burst out laughing; I couldn’t help but laugh too.
“Why are you laughing?” Eli’s broken voice made me sober up as I looked down at him. His face was tear-stained and fresh tears threatened to spill over.
“Adults are weird baby. We either cry or laugh when we are scared.” I kissed his head and pulled him close to me. As we huddled I could feel Eli’s trembling body searching mine for comfort. The terror of the flight had left us shaken. A little broken. We had seen a face of humanity we all look to ignore and forget is there. Humans can be just as bad as or even worse than the flesh eaters.
Chapter Seven: Dread Silence
At breaking dawn we had we had put a few hours between us the small town when it was decided we were going to pull over and regroup. No one had wanted to stop in fear that the looters had been part of a bigger group that was going to seek retaliation. But no one followed us out of town, except for the flesh eaters looking to score their next meal in our bones.
“Now will you let me see that wound?” I said with exasperation. Ulises had been swatting my hand away every time I tried to clean out his head wound but now that we had stopped while we waiting for the others, he had no more excuses.
“Fine, fine.” Ulises turned towards me and tilted his head, giving me access to the laceration. I set Diego down next to me, sandwiched between me and a sleeping Eli. I got the first aid kit from my bag and got to cleaning and bandaging as best I could Ulises’s wound.
“How did they even manage to get in?” I half whispered, sparing a glance at Eli to make sure he was still sleeping and then returned my gaze to Ulises.
Ulises ground his teeth, visible in the way his cheeks ticked, “I don’t even know, I was busy sorting out through the things we found when I heard a loud boom and before I knew it we were surrounded, before I managed to reach for my gun one of the fuckers pistol whipped me. They had been watching us, probably since we set foot in that damned godforsaken shit of a town.” He shook his head. “I never caught their scent,” a haunted expression shadowed his eyes as he looked at me and then at Diego, “I let my guard down, again.” He turned away sharply and got out of the hummer without another word.
I knew his look had more to do with his dead wife and dead unborn child than with what had happened last night. I could see his guilt. I couldn’t even pretend to know what he must be going though, having lost his entire family in one night to flesh eaters.
A few minutes later the roar of car engines filled the silence in the cabin. I looked out and I slumped back to my seat in relief. I bundled Diego in my arms and gently shook Eli. My heart stuttered when he woke with a start and a terrified look crossed his face.
“It’s me baby. Trevor is here.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced a smile.
“Trevor?” He asked sleepily. Wiping the drool from his chin he opened the door and stepped out, I followed. Even though the sun has just been out for a few minutes, the temperature is already climbing.
Fuck the desert, I groaned as I craned my neck about making it crack. I looked down at Diego who was being fussy in my arms. I really needed to get this little fella a stroller. I smirked at my own silliness. Things would be different once we got to Jax. We could… settle down, so to speak.
“Hey baby, how are you?” Momma hugged me and kissed my cheek before taking Diego from me. I flexed my arms and legs.
“I’m a little sore, but good. How about you momma?” I gave her a once over, making sure she hadn’t been hurt during the attack and the running after.
“I feel like I’m getting too old for dealing with this shit.” Momma smirked and shook her head. She then turned her attention to Diego and took him back to the hummer.
I glanced around the road and took everyone in. Everyone was busy getting their things in order. When my eyes landed on Trevor he was already staring at me. I gave him an awkward hand wave and laughed when he winked at me. I didn’t want to get in the middle of him and Eli talking so I found myself gravitating towards Clara and Gary.
Clara was huffing and puffing exasperatedly as she was arranging things back into her backpack. “I think I left it back at the fucking library, ugh!” I heard her groan at Gary as I walked closer. As soon as she saw me coming closer she threw her hands up and explained, “I fucking left my iPod at the library, Maddie!” Clara pouted and stomped her feet on the ground. I had to cover my smile at Clara’s tantrum by pretending to cough. As I looked away Gary caught my gaze and shared a mirthful look as he pulled the tip of a pink colored iPod from him back pocket and winked at me as he put it back into his jeans. My eyebrows shot up and I shook my head. Siblings.
I went down on my knees as I helped Clara fold her clothes back up, “I’m sure it will turn up. If not, I’ll keep my eye out for another one for you.” I kept my smile away from my face and put on a straight face.
Clara harrumphed, “I hope it turns up in someone else’s shit. All my favorite jams are in there.” I grunted in agreement. Once all her things were packed up again I stood up, my joints stiff. Gary came up to my side and helped me straighten up.
“Thanks, I feel like an old lady.” I laughed and stretched out my legs.
“I think we all do.” He laughed, cracking his back.
“You feel like an old lady, Gary?” Clara mirthfully nudged Gary in the ribs. I threw my head back and laughed at Gary’s expression. When I got my laughter under control I straightened up and my eyes landed on Lexi. Nothing sobered me up like the look she was sending me.
“Don’t mind her too much.” Clara whispered in my ear as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “What happened is sad, but none of us could have done anything about it. I think she just needs someone to blame.”
“And I’m the easiest to blame.” I replied quietly. Clara squeezed my shoulder and walked back to the car. I worried my lower lip between my teeth and headed back to the hummer. As I headed back I realized I hadn’t seen Aaron or Patty out here. I looked back towards the Honda and saw two shadows inside the car. I felt my heart constrict in pain as I remembered Val being taken down. We might not have liked each other but my heart ached for her death and for Aaron and Patty.
“Hey.” Trevor walked up to me with a smile on his face.
“Hey.” I wrapped an arm around my stomach as he stopped a few feet away from me, “Are you okay?” I asked, lo
oking him over.
“I’m fine. How are you Maddie?” He slithered a hand into my hair at the back of my head.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I just want to wake up from this nightmare.” I rested my forehead against his chest and relaxed into him when he wrapped his strong arms around me. He soothed his hands up and down my back.
“Let me ride with you the rest of the way.” I said into his chest. I felt him stiffen, “The hummer is safer, I don’t know.” he said after a moment of silence.
“Come on. Ulises doesn’t laugh at my jokes. You like me so I know you’re gonna laugh at my jokes.” I hid my smile in his shirt. I was being stupid but I just wanted to ride with him. The hummer felt too suffocating with the black tinted windows that made it hard to look outside.
Trevor’s chest rumbled as he laughed. “I’d love to hear your jokes.” I felt him kiss the top of my head.
“Let’s get ready to roll, folks! Daylight’s burning.” Ulises slapped the hood of a car and headed towards his hummer. I ran up to momma to let her know we were trading places. After a scowl from Ulises and five minutes later, I was settled next to Trevor in his little Toyota. As soon as Lexi had realized I was joining her and Trevor she got out of the car and got into the hummer. I tried not to let her rejection sting, but fuck if it didn’t.
Soon after hitting the road and merging into the freeway we ran into little interference with the flesh eaters. We managed to skirt around the few car wreckages we came across. As soon as the signs for Goodsprings began to come up, I texted Jax asking him how far away he was. A few texts later we agreed to meet up at one of the exits instead of going into Goodsprings.
Trevor relayed the message to the others via the radio and we all came to a stop right next to exit 3B. A battalion of butterflies were wreaking havoc in my belly. I hadn’t seen Jax for a long time. I was excited to see him again, even if it was under these conditions. My fingers tapped anxiously against my knees as we waited.