A slow smile spread across her face, warming her from within. This was it. Her moment. With a terrific burst of speed, she ran forward and slammed into him, her knife sinking to the hilt next to his spine.
Hot blood gushed over her fingers, and Hiran screamed as she twisted the blade. Her left hand gripped his shoulder, and she whispered in his ear. “Die like the monster you are.”
She released him with a shove, and he fell to his face in the dust, a dark stain spreading across his lower back. He rolled over, and his searching eyes found hers, wide with surprise and agony. “Y…you!”
“Yes, me.” Agatha smiled as she watched him writhe and bleed. She’d chosen her spot with care, designed to rupture the liver for maximum damage and pain. A slow, painful death. It was not to be, though. As she backed away, two infected stumbled across Hiran’s prone form.
His eyes rolled in their sockets when he spotted them, naked terror filling his features. “No, go…go away.”
His hands flapped at the air, but he was too weak to fight them off. With eager rasps, they fell to their knees and dug their teeth and fingers into his flesh. Flaps of skin and tissue tore from his face and scalp, more from his neck and shoulders. Blood spurted out in a fountain, and she relished every quivering cry and scream that burbled from his lips.
It wasn’t over, though. Where his master was, George couldn’t be far off. She dodged the reaching hands and arms of the undead as she darted about the clearing. It was chaos; men were running, fighting, shooting, but the battle was lost. The infected had swarmed the camp, and now it was lost.
She had the fleeting hope that the women and children had gotten away before dodging yet another set of teeth. At last, she found George, backed into a corner by three zombies. He hacked at them with a machete, screaming with rage and defiance. Blood misted his skin, and his clothes were ripped to shreds.
Agatha pulled out her gun and aimed at his knee. She squeezed the trigger, and the kneecap disintegrated, turning into mush with a shower of exploding bone. With a hoarse cry, he pitched forward into the dust, dropping the machete from nerveless fingers.
The infected followed, descending on the feast before them. As they tore into him, she screamed loudly enough for him to hear. “Suffer you pig. May you go to hell knowing it was me who killed you.”
He registered the words. His eyes turned toward her and his skin turned purple and swollen with mottled rage. “Agatha, you bitch!”
She laughed in his face, watching as the undead ripped apart his flesh, stuffing quivering bits of flesh into their eager mouths. “Yes, it’s me. Agatha. Die, you asshole.”
For a few seconds, Agatha stood unmoving, relishing in her victory. All other sights and sounds faded away as she honed in on George and his grizzly end. Revenge was sweet. A nectar of the gods flowing through her veins.
But in the next moment, a searing pain raced up her arm. Fingers clawed at her body. She cried out in agony and tried to shake off the zombie that had sunk its teeth into her shoulder.
It growled as it hung on, strips of rotting flesh falling from its cheeks. Its eyes fixed on hers, empty pits of nothingness, the eyes of the dead. Fear of that same death held Agatha in its grasp for a brief moment before she gave in. I knew it would come to this. I always knew. It was worth it. Worth every second.
With shaking hands, she pressed her palms together, praying for the last time. “Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned.”
Chapter 20 - Lisa
Lisa drove the second vehicle carrying the fighting teams, and Michael sat beside her. She glanced at him, but his face remained guarded and showed no emotion. After a few minutes, she scraped together the courage to ask, “How are you doing, Michael?”
“Fine.”
The single syllable was loaded with meaning, and she caught the hint. “Sorry, I asked. I won’t intrude again.”
“It doesn’t matter what you do. The only thing I care about is Hiran’s head on a stick,” Michael replied in an even tone.
“Revenge, huh?” she asked. “I get that.”
He glanced at her, and after a second, inclined his head. “I guess you do.”
Behind them, Donya, Liesel, Dee, and Aiden were engaged in their own teen conversation, arguing about something she felt too old to care about. She might have objected to their presence on this mission due to their age, but they were all capable fighters, and age no longer mattered so much in the apocalypse. Kids tended to grow up quickly now.
Besides, Breytenbach’s truck carried a bunch of older, more experienced fighters; Kirstin, Ronnie, and Lenka to be precise. Together they presented a formidable force. She’d have liked Nadia with them; the girl was a fierce fighter; but her injured hand discounted her as did Max’s injured leg.
“So you’ve scouted this Naval hill? You know the way in?” she asked, returning her attention to Michael.
“I do.”
“Can you describe it to me?” she asked. “I’d like to know what I’m up against. In fact, tell me about Hiran too. Everything you know.”
“Everything?”
“Yup.” She shrugged. “Have you got anything better to do?”
“Guess not.”
He commenced telling her his findings, what he’d seen Hiran do, his methods and practices. By the end of his story, a thick silence had fallen over the cabin until Dee broke it. “He did that? To real people?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Good God, the man’s a monster!” she exclaimed.
“Why do you think I want to kill him so much?” Michael asked.
Lisa nodded. “I think we all get it now.”
“Just remember one thing. When we get there, Hiran’s mine. I get to rip his heart out, nobody else.”
Lisa pursed her lips. “I promise not to stand in your way.”
“You’d better not,” was the dour reply.
They drove for a few more minutes in silence before Lisa slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop mere centimeters from the front vehicle. Her forehead connected with the steering wheel, and for a moment, she saw stars.
She blinked the fog away and slammed her hands on the steering wheel before grabbing the radio next to her. “Damn it, Captain! What was that?”
“Back up,” came the terse reply.
“What? Why?”
“I said, back up and do a u-turn. Head for the convoy. We’ve got infected ahead.”
“Infected?”
“Yes, hundreds of the damned things. Now move!”
Lisa dropped the radio and jammed the gears into reverse. As she pulled away, her headlights caught an awful sight. A horde of undead, headed straight for them. “Holy, shit, would you look at that? I thought Bloemfontein was clean.”
“It was,” Michael said, his expression one of disbelief.
Lisa got into first gear again and was prepared to speed away, but Michael stopped her. “Let me out first.”
She shot him a look. “What? Let you out?”
“I need to go back. Hiran’s that way,” he said. “I’ll make it on foot.”
“Are you crazy?” she cried. “Think about it. If Naval Hill’s that side, then so’s hordes of the undead. You saw them.”
“I don’t care. I can make it on my own. I always do.”
“Well, you should care!” she cried. “Besides, Hiran’s probably dead by now. Nobody can survive that many zombies unless they’re prepared for it.”
“You can’t be sure of that,” Michael said, his jaw set stubbornly. “The man’s a weasel, an escape artist, and he needs to die.”
Lisa ground her teeth together. “What good will it do if you die in the process? You can go after him later.”
“No,” Michael said, reaching for his door handle.
Dee leaned forward and locked his door before pointing outside. “See that? Is that Naval Hill up there?”
Lisa dropped her neck and looked through her windshield upward at a fiery orange glow on the horizon. “Is that it?”
“Well, then, it’s on fire and clearly overrun. Hiran and his people are dead,” Dee cried. “But those guys, they’re coming straight for us. We need to leave now!”
As if on cue, the radio crackled, and Lisa grabbed it. “Yes, Captain.”
“What’s the hold-up? We need to go now. If those things continue on the path they’re on now, they’ll reach the rest stop,” Breytenbach replied. “In fact, by the route we have to follow, they might well pull ahead of us.”
Lisa’s insides grew cold as his meaning sunk in. The rest stop was the place chosen for the rest of the convoy to wait for them. A small shopping center tucked out of the way but wide open to infected. If the dead got there before them… “God, help them. We need to hurry.”
Michael shook his head. “No. Let me out.”
“Listen, asshole. As much as your revenge is important to you, our people need you more. Your people!”
“They’re not my problem,” he shouted.
“Yes, they are,” she shouted back. “They were important to Mpho. Do it for her sake, at least, if not your own.”
He pressed his lips together but remained silent as she jammed the gears into first and roared off with a screech of the engine. Breytenbach fell in behind her just as the first runners hit them. Lisa winced but kept her eyes fixed forward as she pushed through the bodies.
Arms and legs windmilled past while blood splashed onto the windscreen. The air inside the cab thickened with excitement and the smell of rot. Donya gagged while Dee poked fun at her.
Once they’d gained some distance, Lisa looked at Michael. “Thank you. I know what killing Hiran means to you, but you can always go back. If our people die, there’s no going back.”
“I know.” He sighed and looked away. “I’m only doing this for Mpho.”
“Whatever your reasons, I’m glad you’re here,” Lisa said, turning her attention their destination. The road wound in a big loop before circling around, and her fears of the zombies bypassing them grew with every kilometer.
Finally, the rest stop loomed ahead, and all remnants of doubt vanished as they were faced with the terrifying truth. The dead had cut in front of them and were swarming the convoy.
Even at that distance, the screams and gunshots from the convoy could be heard inside the truck. Lisa scanned the area as she closed in, relieved to find that so far only a small group of infected that had outstripped the rest. More were coming, though.
She grabbed the radio. “Captain, it’s just a small contingent of the undead. The rest must still be on their way.”
“Roger that. Stick close to me. We’ll punch a hole through them and take out as many as we can.”
“Gotcha, Captain,” Lisa replied, not being one for radio etiquette.
Lisa slowed until the other vehicle drew level with her. Together they gunned it, heading straight for the beleaguered convoy and the thickest knot of zombies. She glanced over her shoulders at the rest. “Ready for this?”
“Ready!”
As the first infected crunched under the wheels, Lisa sent up a brief prayer. “Please, let us be in time. Please.”
The truck plowed through the first bodies without slowing, sheer force driving it forward, but as the crowd thickened, its speed stalled. Gritting on her teeth, Lisa swerved, taking the vehicle to safer waters. Once she’d gained some momentum again, she swung back into the thick of it, taking down countless undead.
Using this maneuver, she thinned the horde, biting on her lip until she tasted blood as they bounced over the numerous corpses. The others in the cab with her remained silent but for muttered curses, their postures proclaiming them ready for battle.
Once the worst of the zombies were incapacitated, Michael looked at her. “Time to fight, Lisa.”
Incredibly, he was smiling, and she nodded. “All right. Ready guys?”
“Ready!” they yelled.
“Protect the convoy!” she cried as she screeched to a halt not far from the school bus and its precious cargo. The children.
She opened her door and jumped out, followed by Donya, Liesel, Dee, and Aiden. Michael was lost within seconds as he roared a battle cry and jumped into the midst of a crowd of undead.
For a moment, she considered following him, but the man had a death wish. That much was clear. Going after him was a hopeless cause. He has to find his own way now. Even if it is to his end.
“Stick with me,” she yelled, though she needn’t have bothered. Each of her charges had their own plans in mind.
Liesel climbed onto the roof of the truck where she wielded her rifle with deadly accuracy, her training with Kirstin now coming to the fore with terrific effect.
Aiden and Dee formed a whirling nucleus of death, felling one zombie after the other. Their movements were practiced, and she left them to it, turning to Donya instead.
Together, they fought against the press of rotting bodies that threatened to overwhelm them. A grasping hand got hold of her arm, but fell away as Breytenbach and Kirstin joined them.
“Over there,” he cried, pointing to where Max and Julianne fought against overwhelming odds.
Together, the four of them pressed forward until they reached the struggling duo. With a glad cry, Julianne welcomed them. “Thank God, you’re here.”
Breytenbach felled a zombie that clutched at her sleeve with one thrust of his knife before answering. “I’m never leaving your side again, love. That’s a promise.”
Kirstin said nothing to Max, but simply joined his side and fought as if a demon possessed her. Next to her, Max stood tall, his strength amplified by her presence. They were as one.
Lisa wished briefly she had such a connection to someone, to anyone, but dismissed it in the next breath. Not for me. I am stronger alone.
She focused on her breathing until calm flowed through her veins, and honed in on her targets one after the other. Sweat flowed down her sides and coated her skin as she fought, but she never stopped. Never slowed even as exhaustion set into her quivering muscles.
A dreadful cry drew her attention to Donya, and before her horrified eyes, the girl went down in a tangle of limbs. Lisa sprang forward, hacking at the arms and legs and biting heads that tore into the girl.
Useless.
They had her, and her agonized screams proclaimed her end even as a mercy bullet from Liesel prevented further suffering. Breathing hard, Lisa whirled in a circle, finding herself in a quiet spot a short distance from the others.
She was in time to see Michael and Logan break for the Landie. She had the opportunity to witness them lure the press of zombies flowing toward the convoy in a different direction. Then she lost them. Michael. Are you finally getting your wish?
“Over here,” someone screamed, and she turned toward the bus where the fighting was still thick and hard.
Taking a deep breath, she gripped her knife and hurled herself forward, determined to kill every last zombie she could get her hands on. “I’m coming.”
Chapter 21 - Nadia
Nadia leaned against the bus, staring into the distance. They’d arrived at the rest stop a few minutes ago, and she welcomed the chance to escape the confines of a metal tube filled with screaming kids. Most of the small children stayed on the bus, kept there by Michelle and Nombali for fear they’d run amok, but the rest were allowed off for a little while.
She was joined minutes later by Caleb, and she waited in tense silence for the recriminations to begin. Instead, he sighed and said, “I’m sorry for trying to keep you from doing anything. It wasn’t right of me, and I won’t do it again.”
She turned to face him. “Are you sure? No more wrapping me in cotton wool? Treating me like a porcelain doll?”
He shook his head. “Nope, no more. I learned my lesson.”
“Yeah?” she pressed. “How so?”
“Well, these last few days spent not talking to you have been the worst of my life. I’d rather have you with me, zomb
ies or not, vaccine or not, than spend another minute without you.”
Nadia blinked as unexpected tears filled her eyes. “You mean that?”
“I do. Now can I give you a hug, please? I’m dying over here.”
“Of course,” she whispered, allowing him to pull her into his arms. It was a wonderful feeling, one of safety, comfort, and love. “I wish it could always be like this.”
“It can,” he said, pressing his lips to her forehead.
They stood like that for a while until Nadia noticed a figure flitting past the corner of her eye. She caught a brief glimpse of a hoodie with a number on it and gasped, shooting upright. “There he goes. The guy with the hoodie. It’s the same one, I’m sure of it.”
“Hoodie?” Caleb asked. “What guy?”
“The one who started the fire. The chicken killer.”
“You saw him?”
“I did. The night of the fire, but I couldn’t remember who it was. I couldn’t place the hoodie even though I knew…and now…” Nadia’s eyes widened.
“What?” Caleb asked, doing his best to follow her rapid train of thought.
“Now I remember! It was Lonny. I saw him wearing it at dinner that night.”
Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “You’re sure of that?”
“Huh huh, except…”
“Yeah?”
“He borrowed it to Ruby. She wore it when she went to bed. I saw him hand it to her when she got cold,” Nadia said.
“And you’re a hundred percent certain?”
“Of course! I can’t believe I’m only remembering it now!”
“This is a big deal, Nadia. If Ruby started the fire…”
“What’s she up to now?” Nadia finished his sentence.
Without waiting for an answer, Nadia sprinted in the direction she’d seen Ruby go. She rounded the corner of the bus and skidded to a halt. Ruby was on her knees next to one of the tires with a knife in her hands. With a swift stab, the girl cut into the rubber, letting all the air out.
Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set Page 88