He dropped his chin and ran toward them with a fierce battle cry bubbling up his throat. He slammed into the duo and forced his way through. They staggered aside, and he found himself on the outside of the crowd.
Ryan gasped for air. He dragged in a lungful of oxygen before he turned and ran. “Come on, you rotters!”
They followed with all the eagerness of a pack of starving wolves. On his heels were the fastest of the lot. They stumbled and staggered but kept pace, never tiring. Their bodies knew no pain, no fatigue. They would keep going until something stopped them, or they fell apart.
Ryan sprinted away from the car. He dared not stop to make sure he’d drawn them all away. He could only hope Jonathan got Kerry and Lucy to safety. I’m counting on you, my friend.
Meanwhile, he had his own problems to contend with. His route was taking him back to town with a bunch of zombies on his trail. The sun was dropping toward the horizon with the onset of night, and he had nothing and no one to help him.
He glanced toward the tree line on either side of the road but decided against it. It was unfamiliar territory and could be crawling with dead people for all he knew. A quick glance showed him that the zombies were falling back a little. He was a lot faster than he’d ever thought possible.
Still, the past few days of running and hiding had taken their toll. He couldn’t run forever, and already a stitch had made itself known in his ribs. He dared not stop. “Come on, Ry. Push yourself.”
His legs carried him another half a kilometer before they began to tremble. The stitch was now a burning pain in his side, and his lungs wheezed for air.
His pursuers had thinned, the weakest and most decayed falling away. Now, there were only three that still clung to his trail like bloodhounds. They showed no signs of stopping, however, unlike him.
Ryan began to lose hope. Fighting three zombies at once was a death sentence. He’d never kill all of them before they got him. Yet, if he continued running, he’d be too tired to fight at all. They’d rip him to shreds. I’d rather die fighting.
With this thought in mind, he groped at his tool belt with his left hand and pulled out a long screwdriver. Then he stopped and turned to face them with a weapon in each hand.
They pelted toward him without pause, and he readied himself for the nearest. It looked to be a headlong collision, but at the last moment, Ryan stepped aside and stuck out his leg. The zombie tripped. Its flailing arms never even tried to brace itself as it plowed into the ground with grinding force.
He stepped up to the writhing figure and hacked into the back of the skull with the hatchet in one smooth blow. It stilled.
Abandoning the ax that was now stuck in the bone, Ryan turned to face the other two. They were neck and neck, racing toward him. Once more, he ducked. This time, however, he was too slow. The nearest infected grabbed him by the arm and wrenched him off his feet.
Ryan fell hard. The breath left his lungs as his body hit the tar. His right elbow smacked into the road, rendering his arm numb. By pure instinct, he stabbed upward at the zombie’s face with his other hand. The screwdriver entered through the mouth and exited through the brain stem in the back. It collapsed on top of him, pinning his legs with its weight.
Wriggling like a worm on a hook, Ryan tried to escape, but the other infected was already on him. A burly man with fleshy pink wounds on his arms, he grabbed Ryan by the throat. He was strong. Far stronger than Ryan.
The fingers around his neck tightened. They squeezed his windpipe shut until he thought his eyes would pop out. At the same time, the infected man snapped at his face, desperate to get a bite.
Ryan pushed at his chest, but it was no use. His oxygen-starved brain screamed for air. Flashing lights exploded behind his eyelids. Before he blacked out, Ryan had the fleeting thought that he’d at least get to see his parents again. It all faded to darkness.
He awoke to the sensation of someone slapping his cheeks. A voice shouted at him from across a great distance. His lids fluttered, and he gasped for air through a throat that burned with pain. His vision focused on a figure that hovered above him.
“Hey, you! Are you okay? Breathe, damn it.” Another slap rattled his brain.
“Ow,” he groaned.
The figure became clear and revealed itself to be a girl. Her vivid red hair shone in the failing light, casting a halo around her head. He reached up to touch the wondrous sight, and she slapped him again.
“Ow! Why’d you do that?” He rubbed his burning cheek with numb fingers.
Her lips twitched into a reluctant smile. “Just making sure you’re alive.”
“I am.” His elbow felt shattered, and he became aware of all his aches and pains. “Wish I wasn’t, but yeah, I’m still here.”
“Can you get up?” she asked. ‘We need to get out of here.”
“Sure.”
He allowed her to help him to his feet. As he sucked in a deep breath of air, he noticed her appearance for the first time. Black lipstick and eyeliner decorated her face, complemented by chipped nail polish of a similar hue. Studs shone in her ears, brows, and nose, and she wore an outfit that would make a hard-core biker proud. A dragon tattoo on her neck and a gun on her hip rounded off the look.
She noticed his regard and flashed him a smile that spoke of secrets. The kind that got you into trouble. Then she stuck out her hand. “Casey, but you can call me Dee.”
“Ryan,” he replied while they shook hands. He looked around and noticed the zombie who’d nearly killed him lying on its back with a bullet hole in the forehead. “Thanks.”
“Where were you going in such a hurry, Ryan?” she asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.
“Riverbend, I think.”
“You think, or you know?”
“I know,” he amended.
“Then I guess we’re traveling partners.”
“Are you going there too?”
“I should say so. It’s my home.”
“Oh.” He was too surprised to come up with a better answer and stared at her like a dumb cow with a mouthful of cud.
She eyed him, her gaze thoughtful and appraising. “Can you fight?”
His cheeks reddened under her regard, and he shrugged. “I can handle myself.”
“We’ll see about that,” she replied, handing him both his hatchet and his screwdriver. “Here, you’ll need this. The shot will draw more of them, and we’ve got a long ways to go still.”
She turned away and strode off. When he didn’t follow at once, she paused. “Are you coming or not?”
His mind raced over the implications of her words. So she was the daughter. The hotty who’d gone to university. That much he remembered Jonathan telling him. And what a hotty, indeed.
Suddenly, his school crush Shannon paled in comparison to the fiery Dee, her dimpled smile fading in his memories to be replaced by Dee’s wicked grin. “I’m coming, but there’s a ton of zombies that way.”
“That explains why you were running in the opposite direction.” She paused and patted her hip. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this baby here to protect us.”
He didn’t doubt her for a second.
“As long as it isn’t a horde, we should be fine.”
“There’s a few, maybe a dozen or so. We crashed our car, and they came from the woods.”
“We? So there’s more of you?”
He nodded.
“Great. Along the way, you can tell me all about it. We can call it a fair exchange for the bullet that saved your ass.”
“All right.” He hurried to catch up and fell into step next to her. “Where do I begin?”
“At the start.” She flashed him another cheeky smile, and he found himself liking her far too much for comfort.
He returned her gesture with a shy nod and sidled closer to her side. “The start it is then.”
Lucy’s Chance - Chapter 1
Lucy huddled on the couch underneath a blanket. Only her eyes stuck out while she watched one of her f
avorite cartoons. She clutched her stuffed bear Caramel to her chest, named after her favorite treat.
With her head buried in the soft wool, she tried to drown out the sounds from the kitchen. As usual, her parents were arguing. They fought about everything. From the color of the living room curtains to what they ate for breakfast.
Their non-stop fighting was the one constant in her life. The one thing that never changed. Everything else did. From where they stayed, to the schools she attended, and the teachers she had. Daddy changed jobs a lot, so they moved often. This meant that Lucy never had any friends. Except for Caramel, of course. But Mommy says he doesn’t count.
With that thought, Lucy burrowed a little deeper beneath the covers. This muffled the strident voices until she could almost fool herself into thinking they were just talking. “It’s okay, Caramel. They’re excited about today, that’s all.”
She pretended to listen as the stuffed bear answered in her head, asking her what they had planned for the day.
“We’re going shopping. Me and Mommy. Isn’t that fun? Maybe Daddy will come too. Wouldn’t that be spectacular?”
Spectacular was her new favorite word, one she’d learned in school the week before.
She listened to Caramel’s reply then shook her head. “No, you can’t go, you know what Mommy says. You’re to stay at home.”
After another pause, she said, “I won’t be long, I promise. Now let’s watch the rest of the show.”
Silence fell as Lucy and Caramel focused on the TV screen. This fragile peace lasted only a few minutes, however, before her mother called. “Lucy, are you ready to go?”
“Yes, Mommy.”
Lucy wriggled off the couch, and ran to the kitchen, leaving her bear on the couch with a sigh of regret. She wore her Sunday best, a dress usually reserved for church. It was her favorite, red with white polka dots. Shiny black shoes over socks with lace edges completed the outfit, and in her hair, she wore a velvet ribbon of the same color as her dress.
She paused inside the entrance to the kitchen and waited. Sure enough, her father eyed her with warm approval over his newspaper and patted his knee. “There’s my pretty little girl.”
She ran over and climbed onto his lap, ignoring the sour look on her mother’s face. He hugged her to his chest, and she breathed in the familiar scent of cologne and cigarettes that always clung to his clothes. “Morning, Daddy.”
“Morning, sweetheart. How are you doing today?”
“I’m okay.”
“She’s fine. Now let the child go, or we’ll be late,” her mother said with impatience coloring each note.
With tender care, her father lowered her to the ground but only after placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Goodbye, sweetheart. Be good.”
“I will, Daddy.”
“Hurry up, Lucy. I haven’t got all day,” her mother said, one court shoe tapping on the floor. Click, click, click.
“Let her be, Eleanor.”
“Don’t start with me, Harold. If you didn’t have to work all the time, you could come with us.”
“You know I can’t. We have bills to pay.”
“Is that all you care about? Bills? What about us? Me?”
“You know I love you, Ellie. Both of you.”
“Don’t Ellie me. I know you’ve only got eyes for that little tart that works in your office.”
“Eleanor.” His face reddened.
Lucy’s eyes darted from one to the other, her limbs frozen in fear. Her father’s voice had dropped to a warning growl while her mother’s continued to rise until it became a shrill screech.
“Why don’t you spend a little bit of time with your family for a change? Instead of running after that cheap hussy all the time.”
Her dad stood up so hard his chair fell over backward with a loud bang. Lucy flinched while silent tears poured down her cheeks.
“Now see what you’ve done,” he roared while pointing at Lucy. “What sort of mother are you?”
“A better parent than you’ll ever be. At least, I’m there for her and not off doing other things. Or people.”
“Get out. Now.” Harold gripped the edge of the table as if to prevent himself from moving, as if he feared what he would do once he let go.
“Oh, don’t worry. We’re leaving.” Eleanor grabbed Lucy by the arm and dragged her out of the house. “Come on, baby. Let’s go.”
“But I don’t want to…I want to stay with Daddy,” Lucy protested, choking back a sob.
Her mother stared at her for a second with compressed lips until she spat the words, “If you only knew the truth about your precious Daddy!”
With her arm firmly clenched between her mother’s fingers, Lucy had no option but to obey even as she begged to stay. She was hustled into the car and her seat belt clipped into place without further ceremony. Her mother got into the driver’s side and started the engine. As they pulled out of the driveway, Lucy stared at her father’s figure silhouetted in the doorway.
He stared at them with a sad look on his face, his shoulders bowed. Lucy’s heart ached, and she raised a small hand to wave. He waved back and kept waving until they turned a corner.
After a while, her mother looked at her and sighed. “Lucy, sweetie, please stop crying.”
“But what about Daddy?”
“Your dad will be fine, trust me. He’s a grown man after all.” Her mother fumbled for a tissue. “Here, dry your face and blow your nose.”
Lucy obeyed though she still sniffled from time to time.
“Now, let’s forget all this nonsense and have some fun,” her mother said with forced cheer.
“Okay.” Despite herself, Lucy felt a twinge of excitement grow within her chest.
Once a month, without fail, she and her mother went to town to do the grocery shopping. It was an event, one which she looked forward to with great anticipation. They’d put on their nicest clothes, ride in the car, and even listen to music on the radio. At the shop, her mother would buy her a cold drink and a sweet, and afterward, they’d stop for ice cream. Sometimes, they even got to buy new clothes or shoes, and if she was really lucky, a toy.
“So, tell me. What cool drink would you like this time?” her mom asked with a teasing grin.
Lucy thought about it. “A Fanta.”
“Yeah? What flavor?”
“Grape. No, orange.”
“I thought you liked Cream Soda.”
“Not anymore.” She’d gone off the color green weeks before when she stepped on a caterpillar and its green innards squished between her toes. She’d told Mommy, of course, but her mother rarely remembered anything Lucy told her. She didn’t bother reminding her now.
“And the sweet? Which one?”
Lucy thought about it with care. It was not a decision to be made lightly. She never got sweets at home, so this was her one chance to get it right. The key lay in choosing something that would last for a few days.
“Sour worms or…I know!” She jumped up and down. “Marshmallows!”
Her mom nodded in approval. “Good choice. Tonight, I’ll even make you a cup of hot chocolate with a mallow on top. How’s that?”
They continued talking until they reached the town, their chatter easy after the tension of before. By now, Lucy had forgotten all about the fight earlier and looked forward to the day. She craned her neck to look out the windows, ever fascinated by everything she saw.
Even though her mom called it a dump, seeming to hate the little community, Lucy loved it best out of all the places they’d stayed so far. It was a small but busy town, with everybody knowing each other by name. The neighborly women baked cakes and smothered her with kisses and the odd sweet when her mother wasn’t looking, while the men were jovial and courteous.
Lucy stared at the people in the street, taking in the bright colors, sights, and smells. Her nose twitched at the odor of fresh bread wafting from the bakery, accentuated by the tang of citrus from a roadside stall. As ever, she enjoye
d it all.
Today, though, something was different. Lucy frowned as she looked around, trying to pinpoint what was wrong. At first, nothing came to her, until she noticed the lack of animal life. The birds are gone, and the dogs.
The pigeons that roosted in the eaves and the sparrows that scavenged the sidewalks for scraps were missing. As were the usual skinny runaway dogs that rummaged through the trash. Even the people were less. A lot less.
Her mother drew to a stop three parking spots down from the hardware store and turned to Lucy. “Come on, sweetie. I’ve got a few things to get in here first.”
For some reason she couldn’t define, Lucy felt scared. “I don’t wanna.”
“None of your nonsense now. We’ve got lots to do still. Hurry up,” her mother said, growing impatient. Without waiting for a reply, she unbuckled Lucy’s seatbelt and got out. When Lucy still didn’t move, she slammed the door shut and walked around, yanking the passenger door open. “Get out. Now.”
Her tone brooked no argument. Neither did the hand that hovered above Lucy’s head, ready to deliver a smack.
Despite her sudden irrational fears, Lucy climbed out with a duck of her chin. With her mom holding her hand, they entered the hardware shop while Eleanor fretted and clucked. “Honestly, Lucy. I don’t know what’s gotten into you today.”
The door swung shut behind them, sealing them inside. Lucy shivered as goosebumps rose on her skin. Something was very wrong. She knew it, felt it in her heart. It was almost as if she had a superpower all of a sudden. As if she could sense things no one else could.
From behind the counter, they were greeted by Jasper, the owner. He smiled at them through a graying beard and said, “Good morning, Eleanor. How can I help you?”
“Morning, Jasper. I’m looking for varnish and a brush.”
“Sure, sure, come right this way.” His bulky frame led the way into the shadows, and Lucy’s heart beat faster at the thought of going into the darkness.
As they walked further into the store, Lucy kept her eyes trained on the door. Though the glass was dirty, it was bright enough to make out the shape of a man shuffling toward them. He looked like he was hurt. One leg dragged behind him while blood stained his white shirt with the bloom of a red flower. The man reached the entrance and paused. His eyes locked with Lucy’s, and in them, she saw…she saw a monster.
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