Hunting Party (Still Alive; A Lesbian Love Story in an Undead World Book 3)

by Leigh Ann Scott

  Not far down the freeway, after it cleared most of the low lying hillocks to either side, they saw a couple scattered houses, and an abandoned fruit stand along the exit to the right. What really made them excited was land to the left of the road, which contained a storage locking facility and a small used RV selling business next door.

  Tori laughed in the front seat of the SUV as she watched Henry in the truck leading. He was pointing like a lunatic to the left, so they followed after exiting the highway. Shortly thereafter, the three vehicles parked in front of the storage buildings.

  Thankfully, there were not many of the undead wandering in the area. Most probably had crawled out of abandoned cars along the road or parked in front of the large fruit stand on the south side of the highway.

  “Stay here while we get rid of the damn zombies. Ok Jaimee?” Diane reached for knives and axes for her and Tori to use when they left the SUV.

  Nodding, Jaimee could not help but feel a little frustrated. She did not like to rely on others for protection, but knew that her friends would protect her until the very end if need be. The problem is I’m usually one doing the protecting. I want to be out there to keep them safe…to keep Diane safe, but now the roles are reversed. I’m not sure I can get used to that. She sighed and watched Tori and Diane, along with the others dispatch slavering undead as they slowly attacked. The nervous ball in her stomach released as she saw Henry hack the last zombie’s head off with a machete, its jaws still snapping as it rolled on the ground.

  Time passed and Tom came back to the car to lead Jaimee to where the others worked to break through padlocks of different storage lockers. They only had one bolt cutter between them and took turns snapping the locks on different doors before opening to see what hid behind. Of course, all armed themselves with various types of weapons, Jaimee carrying a large bowie knife and handgun.

  The first door they rolled open uncovered a space of mostly old furniture, and lighting equipment: nothing of use for a group that was on the move in a post-apocalyptic world. If they had a settled base as they did before, then the furniture might come in handy. As things were right now, there was no way to transport furniture to whatever location they may end up. The future was uncertain and they had to find a safe space and begin again before bringing in creature comforts.

  Jaimee plopped down on an old sofa with Diane while the rest pushed items out of the way and searched deeper into the unit. Earlier she changed out of a soiled shirt, still stained with blood from the attack a couple days ago. Wearing a clean shirt did wonders for how she felt. Still achy with cracked ribs, Jaimee believed she was well enough to join the others on light ‘duty’. For the most part, she kept watch and helped carry small, lightweight items.

  Diane reached and brushed loose strands of Jaimee’s hair out of her face. “How are you feeling?”

  “Pretty useless, but glad to be alive,” she grumped.

  Diane softly held Jaimee’s face in her hands and smiled. “For the record, I’m glad you’re alive too.”

  Feeling her skin turning pink, Jaimee could not overcome the fact that she let the three men get the better of her and Diane. They nearly killed me, and who knows what they would have done to Diane if they managed to capture her before escaping.

  Warring emotions confused Jaimee; the love for Diane and fear of failure and loss.

  “What’s wrong?” Diane whispered as the others left the unit to pick another nearby unit to open next.

  “Nothing.” Jaimee shook her head and tried not to make eye contact.

  “Jaimee…” Diane lifted Jaimee’s face until she could see her eyes and try to read the emotion there. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

  “I just…”she fidgeted, trying to find the right words. “Back there, in Riverside. I failed you…failed everyone. That shouldn’t have happened. I’m so stupid…”

  Holding up a hand, Diane interrupted. “Stop. What are you talking about? We both had a lapse in judgement, but you saved me and gave me enough time to run and get help.”

  “If I was watching out, like I should have, we could have avoided those three and snuck away.”

  “Jaimee, you can’t know that. They could have caught us at any point – or worse, have followed us to the fire station.” Diane hated seeing Jaimee beat herself up over the incident. “That may have been worse in the long run. They would have come back in force and taken us all.”

  “Maybe, but…I…I think we should cool it a little.” Jaimee bit her lower lip, “Until we really find a safe and secure place. Us I mean.”

  Shaking her head in disagreement, Diane retorted. “Don’t even think about that. I will make out with you at a moment’s notice. In fact…”

  The lithe blonde leaned forward and sweetly kissed Jaimee. She wanted to caress her aggressively, but knew that the bruising and cuts still smarted from the beating she received two days ago.

  “Diane…” Jaimee said in a strained voice, goosebumps rising where Diane’s breath touched her skin. “I…can’t…”

  “Shhh…I know.” Diane placed a finger on her lips. “I understand what you are saying and I agree we have to be more careful, but I will definitely not stop loving you and showing what affection I can….given the circumstances. I can’t deny myself now that I found you.”

  A call from Bobby brought them out of the embrace and back to the present. Swatting the dust from the couch off their clothes, they made their way to an adjacent storage unit where the others were finding various tools and a few antique motorcycles. Henry began to play with the engine to see if it was frozen-up or if it could start. Diane scooped up a small box that contained a few pair of antique aviator sunglasses, looping the best one over her head.

  After carrying the assortment of tools to stow in the truck, Jaimee, Diane, Blanca and Tom walked to the next door and cut the bolt.

  Blanca put a hand on Tom’s arm as he reached down to grasp the handle to pull the rolling door open. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

  All stood silent for a few seconds and listened intently. A soft rustling noise alerted them to something on the other side of the door. They could not hear vocalizations of any sort from where they stood, just the quiet shuffle of something on whatever was stored inside the room.

  “Maybe it’s a rat or mouse?” Diane suggested. “I don’t hear any hissing or moaning, but I can’t be sure.”

  “Only one way to find out. Get your weapons out just in case.” Tom wrenched the handle and pulled, rolling the door up and stepped back a few paces.

  A large, decomposing corpse fell forward towards Tom after the door it leaned against rolled opened high enough. It stumbled and hissed, flinging arms wildly around like a concert festival attendee, high on amphetamines.

  Shrieking, Blanca toppled backward, fumbling for her knife, while Tom dodged out of the creature’s scrabbling reach. Tom’s gunshot wound on his leg had not completely healed and served to slow his responses.

  Deeper inside the storage unit a zombie pulled itself upright amidst tumbled piles of boxes and antique furniture. Twisted long greasy hair hung across its rotted face. A torn sundress smeared with dirt, blood and other excrement lay over its body seemingly out of place for the horror the once-woman had become. It ambled forward, faster than other undead they encountered in the past, but Diane and Tom held their weapons ready.

  Jaimee grasped for her knife, but took a few steps back, not confident in her body’s strength or the ability to move fast enough.

  Producing a large bowie knife, Tom knocked aside the large zombie’s flailing arms and stabbed into its head. It took two attempts to penetrate the brain to kill the monster.

  Instead of the usual knife, Diane carried a crowbar to help open stubborn doors and crates around the storage facility. She readied it in time to swing as the summer-dress creature came at the group. She chopped the crowbar down, pinging the iron off its hard head, but not enough to crush the skull. Throwing her hands up, Diane was able to block snapping jaws w
ith the top of the bar and push it away, giving her enough time to ready a second attack.

  Blanca fumbled on the ground, trying to get as much distance as possible between her and the undead and stand up to help. Jaimee and Tom both flanked the creature, but did not want to lunge in with a knife while it was in close quarters to Diane - not without getting a firm grip on the zombie to send the blade home, precisely into its brainpan.

  Diane waivered. Thoughts seemed to come lethargically and time slowed. Use it like you would a knife. Go for the eyes. I bet if I hit it with enough force, the crowbar will split its head in two. But…what if I miss? My hands and I’ll probably get bitten.

  Clearing her mind, she decided and took a quick, deep breath before planting her feet and lunging forward with her torso, sending one side of the bar into the zombie’s eye and brain behind the socket. The body sagged, suspended from the crowbar impaling its head, now lifeless and inert.

  Swearing under her breath in Spanish, Blanca stood up and did a quick examination arms and legs, making sure she and the others had not been bitten or scratched. “Everyone is OK.”

  “Diane, take the crowbar and beat around the pile of boxes and clothing in there. Make sure there’s no other nasty surprises waiting for us.”

  Nodding, the tall woman slowly made her way deeper into the unit, poking, prodding and swinging the iron bar.

  “The only thing I see in here are some gross husks of rats and mice. I think they were feeding on them.” she grimaced and stepped back outside next to Jaimee, trying not to be ill while the others began opening boxes and searching for useful items.

  Normally, Jaimee never had the chance to observe the undead or really look at them, other than to stab something quickly into its head and end the immediate threat. Now, relegated to staying in the background, she had the chance to take it all in. They were disgusting creatures, flesh melting from bones and torn muscles, festering in puss and insects. However, to see one dressed in what was once a bright summer dress, brought her back to the fact that they were alive and vital once upon a time. Human. Loved by someone before they became this insult to life. A person.

  Tearing her eyes away from the carcasses, Jaimee took in each friend there. Blanca, a middle aged Latina who had adopted the entire group as a new family, replacing the one she lost. Always concerned they were never getting enough to eat, but somehow making the meager food stores they had seem like a feast with every meal. Tom, a strong and quiet man. Even with a healing gunshot wound in his leg, he added muscle and protection.

  Last, but not least was Diane. Diane who took her breath away and helped Jaimee to overcome her grief of loss when the world went to hell months ago. How long had it been now since I discovered Cathy turned and had to put her down? I don’t even know anymore. Time is starting to blur together.

  Diane was strong in her own right, a slim athletic build and gorgeous in every way to Jaimee. If she had a type, it generally was not blonde hair and blue eyes, but in Diane’s case, it was a perfect fit.

  She smiled as Diane pulled open a box near the front of the storage room. I ache for her, but this time I’m not sure if it’s from my cracked ribs and bruises or not!

  A couple hours passed and the entire party assembled their findings near the vehicles, making sure there was room to stow the items and decide if they truly needed them. They whittled down assorted piles clothing in different sizes that fit each person to only two pants and shirt apiece. Shoes were a different story, if they were tennis shoes or boots and the right size, they kept them. Eventually, shoes and boots will wear out and getting replacements over time would prove difficult.

  “Me ‘n Bobby got one of the motorcycles working.” Henry pushed a small, antique model, red Honda motorbike forward and propped it up with its kickstand. “It has some gas in it. Couldn’t tell ya how much, but I think it’ll come in handy later. It’s for trails, but will be fine on the road too.”

  “How old is that thing?” Tom asked. “It runs ok?”

  “Runs fine. I dunno how old. From the 60s I think.” He shrugged.

  Exuberant, Bobby volunteered to drive and maintain the motorcycle.

  “Any weapons?” Jaimee asked hopeful.

  Tori nodded. “Yes, but not many. We found a few hunting rifles stashed, but no ammo. If we have room we may as well bring them and see if we can find some or if some of our current bullets will work.”

  “We found an old ten speed bike, but the tires are flat. Not sure if we can find a place to patch them up or replace them.” After pointing out the bicycle, Jaimee winced and took a seat on the back of the pick-up truck. She could tell she was overdoing it that day, and her body started to warn her of soreness to come later.

  “Since space is an issue for us right now, we should probably not bring it along.” Tori suggested and the others nodded in agreement.

  Most of the other items discovered were either not useful or too large to bring along.

  I feel like I just bet my wad of cash on a bad locker on Storage Wars. Jaimee thought ruefully. Ugh, maybe I just need to rest.

  After loading the rifles and motorcycle into the back of the truck, Henry suggested they move on to a used RV and bus dealership they had seen from the road. Bobby wanted to ride the Honda immediately, but agreed to wait until they needed someone to scout ahead.

  Gingerly, Jaimee walked to the SUV and climbed inside. After the sharp rib-pain subsided, she sighed, grateful to be sitting. Her stamina was at an all-time low, but she knew she could only sit for so long before that also became uncomfortable. Lying flat felt the best for long periods of time, but even that hurt after a while.

  The convoy started traveling as soon as Tom and Henry put two approaching zombies out of their misery and climbed into their vehicles. At first, they were going to ignore the walking corpses, but decided that two less undead shuffling after them was probably a good idea and crushed both of their skulls. Ten minutes later found them parking next to the main entrance to the dealership.

  This place doesn’t look like an official dealership of any sort. Maybe a local business where people came to sell and buy used towing equipment, tractors, old busses and RVs. Jaimee mused. It’d be nice if we can find a large vehicle to throw supplies in as we find them. Right now, we can only carry so much.

  Sitting out the first wave of ‘zombie clearing’, Jaimee evaluated the visible automobiles and equipment on the expansive lot. From her vantage point, there was no way to tell the condition of any of them, although nothing looked brand new. Diane crossed into her vision, swinging a crowbar at a creature, directly in front between where she rested inside the SUV, and an old school-style bus parked ahead. Its head exploded from the impact and the lithe woman moved on. From what Jaimee could see, the bus had been converted into some sort of recreational vehicle. Curtains hung over the back side-windows and painted over in silver and blue. The lot also contained at least three RVs, a few tractors and one hitch trailer. There may be more in the back of the lot, but she could not see past vehicles.

  Tom limped by, splattered with blood and gore. His leg still wounded from the gunshot over a week ago, kept him from doing a lot, but he forced himself out to clear the undead until it began to hurt. He had promised Tori that if it ached too badly to back off and sit the rest of any fight or activity out. Jaimee saw him climb into the car and lay flat across the back seat, elevating his leg after shutting the door. She wanted to be out there herself, taking up some of the slack and killing off the undead, but knew at this point, she was more of a liability. Eventually, she would heal enough to allow full movement of her body where she could once again take care of herself as well as protect others.

  Soon, Tori came jogging toward the car Jaimee sat watching in. “Ok. It’s clear for now. Safe to come out if you feel up to it.”

  “For a while, yes.” she swung the door open and dropped her feet lightly onto the dirt parking lot.

  After checking on Tom, Tori walked next to Jaimee and pointed o
ut a few more vehicles that were blocked from view while she sat in the car. “Henry is excited. If we can find a working RV or even one of the busses, we can haul a lot more supplies and other things that will make life easier. He’s with the others checking them for more zombies and also looking around for keys to see if they’ll start.”

  Two tractors with backhoes sat on the far corner of the property next to a car trailer with blown tires. Three RV’s in varying condition were parked behind each other and as many busses scattered around the lot. After ensuring the dead no longer walked around the area, Henry began the long task of testing engines while the rest of the party combed over the interiors of the vehicles and office to search for keys.

  The office building was small with one main room and a restroom down a short hallway. Blanca and Bobby entered alert for undiscovered enemies. A cheap metal desk with a file cabinet was lined up against a wall and looked out over windows giving anyone sitting there view of the road and highway beyond. A leather couch rested against another wall with a series of hubcaps hanging above it. Garage artwork at its finest.

  Bobby found a wooden case behind the desk with several keys inside labeled with the make of each vehicle outside. “Score!”

  Sliding open the drawers of the desk, Blanca gathered anything of use. “Good. Go give those to Henry. I’ll be right behind you after I have a look here.”

  “Nope. We’re always supposed to be in twos remember? We decided that even before Jaimee and Diane got jumped.”

  Shaking her head, “Ok. That’s fine. There’s nothing here though.” She grabbed a few pens and opened the large bottom drawer. “Oh nice. Very nice!”

  “What did you find?”

  “Chocolate!”

  “That’s all?” he said, looking disappointed.

  “Well, no. There are a couple bags of snacks – chips, cheese puffs. But look at this huge bag of M&Ms!” she held up the unopened yellow bag as if it was made of gold.

  Laughing, he helped her gather the snacks and walked back to join the others.