“No, what are you doing?” Nadia cried.
Ruby jumped to her feet and faced Nadia with bared teeth. When Caleb joined Nadia, she hissed at both of them, waving the knife. “Don’t come any closer.”
“Why, Ruby?” Nadia asked. “Why slash the tires?”
“It’s better that way. Better to be dead. We should all be dead. All of us,” Ruby cried.
“You want us all to die?” Nadia asked, aghast.
“Yes. We must join them. They’re the future.”
“Are you crazy?” Caleb said.
“No, just realistic. There’s no place for us anymore. Life is all about suffering. We shouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”
“You’re nuts!” Nadia cried, taking a step forward.
“You’ll see,” the girl replied with a grin. “They’re coming to kill us all. They’re already here.”
As if to prove her words correct, alarmed voices called out, and one word stood out above all the rest. “Zombies!”
Nadia looked at Caleb. “Zoms? Here?”
When she looked back, Ruby was gone.
“Where’d she go?” Caleb asked.
“We need to find her before she hurts anyone else.”
As one, they darted around the bus but froze when they saw the large group of undead headed their way. Nadia pulled out her t-bar’s, arming herself in a flash. “That’s why she cut the tire. So we can’t escape.”
The next moment, Logan ran up to them. “Get on the bus. We’re leaving now.”
“We can’t,” Nadia replied. “Ruby slashed the tire.”
He pulled up short. “She did what?”
Nadia nodded. “She’s lost it. I think she’s the one that started the fire and killed the chickens.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, now what about the tire?” Nadia asked.
“Shit, I’ll have to change it. We can’t fit all the kids in elsewhere. Besides, there’s no time.” He waved at the open door of the bus. “Keep the dead out while I change the tire.”
He turned away and shouted for Martin, Josh, and Jed, explaining the situation in brief terms. “Organize a defense. Set up a perimeter. Keep those things away from us while I get the bus going again.”
“All right,” Martin nodded. “Take Jed with you to watch your back and help. Above all else, hurry the fuck up.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Logan replied before sprinting in the opposite direction.
Nadia exchanged a frightened look with Caleb. “Well, you heard him. Keep them out of the bus.”
Caleb nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Let’s do this.”
Martin ran about, ordering the defense while adults and teens alike readied themselves for a fight. Nikki and Danielle joined them, followed by Liz and Elise. Nombali and Michelle were on the bus with the kids while Julianne stood a short distance away with Max.
Then there was no more time for looking because the lot flooded with a tide of rotting bodies. A wave of stink washed over Nadia’s nostrils as the first infected sprang at her.
She stabbed it in the eye and kicked it away before uppercutting the next, impaling it on her t-bar. Caleb whirled and thrust next to her, while Liz delivered cool shots with her gun.
A hand clawed at her jacket, and she dropped to her haunches before leaping upright and sinking her blade into its brittle temple. Bodies fell around her, some still alive, and she paused to kick away a crawler intent on taking a chunk out of her leg.
Everywhere there was fighting, the air filled with a cacophony of groans, moans, cries, and screeches. Bullets whined by, and people hacked at necks and skulls. Black blood spattered their clothes, rotting flesh smeared against their skin, and the smell…it was like a living breathing entity intent on disabling them as it triggered their gag reflex.
The crush of infected increased until she was backed up against the bus, hacking and stabbing. A scream drew her attention, and she saw Nikki go down underneath a press of bodies. Blood misted the air as the zombies tore into the girl, and Nadia renewed her killing efforts. They could not be allowed on the bus. The children needed her.
She swung, and punched, and kicked until her limbs felt like lead. Just when she thought all was lost, lights flashed ahead and two trucks came roaring up. Relief flooded through her veins when she recognized the vehicles. “Breytenbach!”
The trucks rammed into the infected, slamming them into the tar and crushing limbs, torsos, and heads. The crowd thinned as some of the infected went after the new moving targets, much to their detriment.
Nadia grinned as she gained a little breathing space and glanced at Caleb. “Still okay?”
He smiled back at her and nodded. “Still ok―”
Suddenly his eyes widened, and blood spilled from his lips. Nadia stared in horror as Ruby detached herself from his side like a parasite, her knife stained crimson.
Caleb collapsed, and Ruby darted for the door of the bus, but Nadia was there before her, hauling her back onto her ass by her hoodie. The girl fell hard, and the air left her lungs in a woosh. She landed by the feet of an infected and screamed when it reached for her with grinning teeth.
Nadia did nothing to stop it. Instead, she watched as it tore chunks of meat from Ruby’s face until the girl resembled ground meat. More infected joined in on the feast, fighting each other for a spot, and Ruby was dragged to the side by the squirming mass.
More infected replaced them, and Nadia was forced to fight over Caleb’s body, valiantly trying to keep the zombies away from both him and the children on the bus.
She was soon joined by others. Lisa, Ronnie, and Kirstin. The dead fell like wheat, and she took a moment to drop to her knees beside Caleb, cradling his head. “Caleb. Caleb, are you okay? Answer me!”
He stared at her with blank eyes, and she choked back a sob as the truth sank in. He was dead.
“No,” Nadia screamed, jumping to her feet. She acted out her rage, stabbing until she could hardly move her arms.
Still, the dead kept coming.
Another cry sounded as Abe disappeared beneath the onslaught, and for a moment, she thought Max was a goner as well when he fell backward. But in a flash, Martin was there, dragging his body onto the bus with Julianne’s help.
“There’s too many of them,” Martin cried. “We can’t get the wheel changed. We have to abandon the bus.”
“We can’t! We’ll never get the kids transferred safely. We’ll lose them,” Julianne answered, and Nadia realized they were both right.
Suddenly, a cry went up as Logan darted past the bus followed by Michael. They dodged the zombies until they reached Logan’s Land Rover. Logan jumped behind the wheel while Nadia watched in growing disbelief. “What’s he doing?”
Michael climbed onto the roof but dangled his body tantalizingly close to the undead as they reached for him. He shouted until all those nearby turned his way, abandoning the rest for what seemed like easy prey.
Logan started the Landie and drove slowly, drawing the undead away from the convoy with Michael’s help. It didn’t work for all of the zombies, and those closest to Nadia and the others still kept coming. It did help to stem the tide streaming down the street, though, as the wave turned on the two men instead.
For a time, Nadia and the rest were hard pressed to clear the lot, but in the end, they managed. Meanwhile, Josh and Jed finished changing the wheel and darted out with glad cries. “Go, go, go!”
Everyone made for their vehicles, and within seconds, the convoy was moving. Nadia refused to leave Caleb, though, keeping hold of his body until Cat and Liz wrestled her inside the bus.
She screamed as they pulled away, slamming her hands against the glass. “No, no, no! Caleb!”
Cat gripped her shoulders. “Nadia, he’s gone.”
“No,” Nadia moaned, though she knew it was the truth, had looked into his staring eyes herself.
But worse was yet to come. As they drove through the lot, her eyes f
ell on a body lying on the tarmac. It wore a familiar neon pink shirt. Donya.
She gasped and pressed her hands to her lips. “Did you see that? Donya’s dead?”
Cat nodded and pulled Nadia close. “I’m sorry. I saw her fall, but I couldn’t reach her in time.”
Nadia shook her head in denial. “We’ve lost so many. Caleb, Donya, and Abe. All because of Ruby. Why didn’t I remember that stupid shirt earlier? I should’ve known!”
Cat stared at her in confusion. “What shirt? Ruby?”
Nadia ignored her questions and whirled back to the window, searching for signs of Logan. “Where is he? Where’s Logan?”
“Over there,” Cat said, pointing out the white Landie that pushed through the throng of undead with Michael still clinging to the roof.
Nadia sighed with relief. At least, he was still okay. But her joy quickly changed to horror when his Land Rover swerved to the side and smashed into a lamp post with a loud crash. “No! No, not him. Not Logan too!”
As she pressed her body against the glass, Nadia wished with all her might that Logan would escape. She willed his Landie to move, to reverse away from the pole and drive to safety. It never did, and Nadia slumped to her knees as a big black hole of nothingness swallowed her up.
Chapter 22 - Logan
When he stopped for the umpteenth time to kill a zombie while trying to change the tire, Logan realized he’d never get it right. There were too many of them and not enough of him to go around.
He looked over his shoulder and spotted Michael. Grabbing the man by the elbow, he quickly explained his plan. “Are you in?”
Michael hesitated, then he nodded. “I’m in. For Mpho’s sake.”
Logan didn’t care two shits about Michael’s motivations, as long as the man agreed. He turned toward Josh and Jed that fought by their sides, and said, “We’ll draw the fuckers away, and you change the wheel. Deal?”
When the two nodded, he rushed toward his truck, followed by Michael who clung to his heels. He dodged his way through the crowd until he reached the Landie, jumping in with seconds to spare. Michael clambered onto the roof like a monkey, and they were off, driving piss slow and making a lot of noise.
He edged out of the lot, heading for the thickest part of the wave headed their way. As the horde swarmed the Landie, he clenched the wheel and kept going, drawing them further and further away.
Or so he hoped. It was difficult seeing anything through the horde of rotting bodies that covered the windows. After a time, he cracked open the window and cried, “Is it working?”
“Yes, keep going,” was the faint reply.
Logan kept pushing onward, one bit at a time. He hoped the rest could get away and was cheered when the convoy passed him by, horns blaring. “Thank, God, they did it.”
As long as Nadia and the rest were okay, he was okay. He couldn’t bear it if something happened to them.
Logan leaned sideways and shouted. “Michael, hold on. I’m speeding up and shaking them off.”
“Go!”
As he straightened up, a zombie in front of his nosed slipped below the wheel and got stuck between the tire and the mudguard. Its flesh was ground to minced meat within an instant and wrenched the steering sideways.
“No!” Logan yelled as the Landie slewed to the side before crashing into a lamp pole with thunderous force.
“What the fuck?” Michael cried, crawling to the middle of the roof to get away from the grasping hands that were now far too close for comfort.
To no avail.
Even as Logan watched, zombies crawled onto the bonnet and slithered their way across to Michael. The man screamed as they latched on, cursing while he fought. “Come on, you undead fuckers. I won’t let you have me.”
A single gunshot signaled Michael’s end, and Logan slumped when he realized he’d soon follow. Being rescued was out of the question. So was escaping. There were too many zombies crowded around his truck. He rubbed the steering wheel with a loving hand. “Guess this is it, old girl. The end of the road for us.”
He sighed and leaned back in his seat. “I’m sorry, Nadia. This is gonna be hard for you, but you’re a tough girl. You’ll make it. I know it.”
For a moment, he allowed himself to be filled with regrets. Regrets for everything he’d always wanted to do but never did. Regret for not getting to see Nadia cured, maybe even married with children of her own. But the moment passed. He was never one to dwell on that which he couldn’t have. “Goodbye, Nadia. You were a good friend. You were there when I needed you, and now, it’s time for me to go.”
Hands beat on the windows, fists smashed into the glass, and the material cracked. It wouldn’t be long now. Logan closed his eyes and reached for his gun, placing the barrel against his temple. His hand shook, but after a time, the sensation passed, and he steadied.
What was death anyway? It came to everyone in time. Life was just temporary. A fleeting moment in time filled with memories, thoughts, and feelings. He remembered Morgan then, and the times they’d spent together before she was so cruelly snatched from him. Their unborn child. Would it have been a boy or a girl?
His mind filled with visions of her face, her smile, her sparkling eyes. He heard once more her husky voice, whispering that she loved him. He felt the warmth of her silky smooth skin against his. “I’ve missed you, Morgan. No matter how I pretend. It’s just not the same.”
He heard the Landie’s windows groan underneath the pressure, but refused to open his eyes. Once more, he relived the moment he first met her, when merely shaking her hand felt like a blow to the gut. The first time they’d kissed on the wall, their whispered promises of forever.
“I meant every word, Morgan,” Logan said. “For me, there could never be another.”
The glass webbed, chunks of it breaking free. Logan ignored the sound, focusing on his last memory of her.
“Don’t leave me. Please.”
“I won’t. I promise.” Logan slid his arms beneath Morgan and stood. He set off at a run, heading for the infirmary. She lay against his breast like a broken bird, her blood soaking the front of his shirt.
“I’m here. I’ll never leave you. I promise.”
“Stay with me.”
“Stay.”
He murmured the words over and over, hoping to keep her awake. The distance seemed to stretch forever. Her rasping breaths were terrible to hear, but even worse was the sudden silence.
Logan stumbled to a stop and looked down. Her eyes were closed, her skin paper white. Laying her down on the ground, he pressed his ear to her chest and felt for a pulse. Nothing. No heartbeat.
“No. Don’t die.” He grabbed her face with both hands, tapping her cheeks. “You can’t die.”
No response.
He leaned forward, breathing into her mouth. Her chest rose and fell. He repeated the procedure, punctuating it with chest compresses. “Come on, baby. Fight!”
Morgan lay lifeless, her blood soaking into the ground. After a few minutes, he was forced to acknowledge the truth. She was dead.
“I’m coming for you, baby, and this time, it’ll be forever.” The window shattered, and Logan pulled the trigger.
Chapter 23 - Martin
Once they’d left the dead behind and were safely out of town, Martin slowed his truck and pulled over to the side of the road. One by one, the rest of the convoy followed. He got out, facing the gathering crowd with reluctance. This wasn’t a task he relished, but someone needed to do it, and with Max out of commission, he had to take it on his own shoulders.
“All right. I know you’re all scared and hurt, but we’ve got a long way to go still, and I need to know you’re clean.”
“Clean?” Elise asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Yes, each and every one of us has to be checked for bites, and thoroughly too.”
“What?” Elise cried. “We have to check for bite marks?”
Martin nodded. “It has to be done, I’m sorry. I can�
�t take you to St. Francis if you might be infected. I cannot risk an entire town for the sake of a few survivors.”
“But we wouldn’t hide something like that,” she protested. “None of us would.”
“Are you sure about that?” he asked. “What about Ruby? Did you know her as well as you thought you did?”
Elise faltered. “No, I guess not.”
Mumbled conversation did the rounds.
“Look. It’s just a precaution. Once everyone has been cleared, and we’ve taken a few moments to gather ourselves, we can be on our way again. Understand?”
Rumbles of assent followed, and he turned to Elise again. “Please, can you check the women and children for me? Our lives may depend on it.”
She nodded, her shoulders slumped. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
While Elise went around inspecting for bites, Martin did likewise with the men. Along the way, he stopped in at the ambulance to check on Max. “Hey, buddy. You okay?”
Max gave him a faint grin, and a thumbs up from his spot on a mattress. “I’m great.”
“You sure? You cracked your head open pretty hard.”
“He will be alright. Thank you, Martin,” Kirstin replied. “I will look after him.”
“I’m sure you will, but please, will you let Jonathan and Hannah check you for infection? It’s just a precaution.”
“Yes, no problem. Just get my people to safety, Martin. That’s all I ask,” Max replied.
“Will do, buddy. You can trust me on that. Get well.”
“How many did we lose?” Max asked.
Martin hesitated, his heart twisting with sorrow. “Too many.”
“Logan?”
Martin shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Max nodded and closed his eyes, turning his head away. With a brief nod toward Kirstin, Martin continued his inspection. Once he was sure all the men were clean, he checked the vehicles for damage and made sure they were all fully loaded and ready for trouble should it arise.
Julianne and Michelle meanwhile passed out food and drink, and he accepted a fruit juice and a handful of biscuits with grateful thanks. After eating, he pulled aside Breytenbach, Elise, and Julianne. “So where do we stand?”
Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set Page 89