by Russ Watts
“Another time, maybe.”
As Javier backed away, Cindy closed her eyes. He gave her credit for not begging for her life, for not crumbling under pressure like Derek did, but ultimately, he was going to do what he wanted, whether Cindy accepted it or not.
“Right, Cindy, get up that ladder. I’ll be right behind you. I’m going to help you, okay? It’s time to get out of here.”
Cindy obediently began climbing, and Javier followed her up. Out on the roof, he saw Rose crouched down where they had come up. She signalled him over, and asked him what to do next. The zombies had thinned out dramatically. As Javier predicted, most of them had been drawn around to the front of the diner.
“Derek stopped shouting a few seconds ago. I think he’s gone,” said Rose. She looked at Cindy with disgust. “I still don’t think…”
“You’re not here to think, Rose. Just listen. There are half a dozen vehicles down in the yard. We need to check them over, quickly, and we’ll go with whichever one still has the keys in. We can get past these zombies easily. The runners are gone, and if you need to take one down, use your knife.” Javier looked down at the dumpster. The chair had been knocked off onto the ground, but the jump wasn’t far. “Rose, you check that green Honda, the courier van, and that battered old white thing next to it. I’ll go to the motorhome first, and then there are a couple of cars on the other side of it. We do this carefully, quietly, and we’ll be fine.”
“What should I do?” asked Cindy nervously.
“Stick by me,” said Javier. He could see jealousy flaring in Rose’s eyes, but didn’t have time to argue. It wouldn’t be long before the zombies got through Derek, and then they would be back for more. They needed to get off the roof, and away from the diner before their voices brought the dead back around. “Yell if you get lucky, Rose,” said Javier.
Rose slipped off the roof, and sprinted over to the Honda, easily dodging the few dead that still shambled around the yard.
“You next,” said Javier. Cindy slipped off the roof, lowering herself gently over the guttering until she found herself dangling above the dumpster.
“I can’t find it,” she said. Panic welled up in her eyes.
“Just drop. It’s right beneath you,” hissed Javier. “Hurry up.”
Cindy let go and fell onto the closed dumpster, yelping in pain as she landed. Javier was beside her in seconds, dragging her onto the ground, and then they were running for the motorhome.
The doors were locked, and he decided to try a different vehicle. Cindy stuck to him like glue, preferring to find safety in the company of a murderer than face a zombie. Javier ran over to the next vehicle, a red saloon with one window half down. The doors were locked which was probably a good thing. The back seat was a festering pile of gore and bones, the only clue as to what was once there now a shiny, blue dog-collar adorned with the name ‘Jeff.’ Javier almost burst out laughing when he read the dog’s name. What kind of mutt was it that it had been given such a bad name? He moved onto the last vehicle, noticing Rose hadn’t had any success either. She was running over to a brown four-wheel drive, and he hoped it worked. He would much prefer a solid vehicle like that to some family hatchback that would crumble as soon as he hit a zombie.
Cindy screamed, and it echoed around Javier’s head, the shrill pitch grating on every nerve. She screamed again, and he realised she was freaking out. A wave of zombies was coming from the front of the diner, pushing and fighting over one another, emerging from both sides, and filling the yard quickly. Javier told her to shut up. The zombies needed no help in finding them, and the screaming didn’t help anyone. She quietened down, but held onto his arm as he approached the last vehicle. It was a minivan with seating for eight people, and down the side, it read, ‘Charlie’s Motel - your home away from home.’ The side was scratched and dented, and one side window was shattered. The passenger door was locked, but Javier noticed the driver’s side was wide open. He scurried around the back of the vehicle, and found a lone zombie staggering toward him. The zombie was an old woman, already frail before she died, and he had no trouble in taking it down, swiftly stabbing it through the head. He shrugged Cindy off as he approached the open door. On the ground beneath it lay the carcass of a man, only a few bones remaining of his skeleton. There was a navy cap on the ground covered with blood and black hair, and Javier tried to ignore it as he leant over to look inside the van. There were no keys in sight, and he pulled down the shade to find nothing but a mirror.
“These any good?”
Javier turned back around to find Cindy kneeling on the ground, holding up a set of keys. Her hands were covered in blood, and the keys were attached to a hunk of pink meat.
“You just have to know where to look,” said Cindy staring at the body of the dead man at her feet. “I’m guessing the driver didn’t quite make it.”
Javier held out his hand. “Pass them to me. I’ll check the engine before we…”
“No. I’m driving. I’m not stupid. You’ll leave me here.” Cindy kept the keys in her hand as she got to her feet, trying not to faint. “I can do it. I’ll get us away from here fast. I don’t want to hang around this place.”
“You know I could just shoot you, take the keys, and leave the dead to eat you,” said Javier. The woman was in no position to barter with him, and they didn’t have time to discuss the point. Still, there was something about Cindy that amused him.
“You could,” said Cindy. She took a step toward Javier, stepping onto the bones of the dead driver, not caring what she trod in, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. “But surely you can find a better use for me than to make a meal for the dead?”
She smirked as she spoke, and Javier knew she was playing games with him. Cindy would no more sleep with him than she would marry him. She thought she could tempt him, and it was her only real chance of staying alive at this point in time. He wondered if she had used the same ploy with Derek. She knew she was beautiful, and she used it to her advantage. Well, you had to use what you had, and Javier decided he would play along, for now, and see what else Cindy might do to survive. He stepped out of the doorway.
“Be my guest. If the engine turns over, honk the horn so Rose knows we’re good.”
As Cindy climbed into the driver’s seat, Javier looked across to the diner. The dead were rapidly gaining on them, and he waved at Rose who was sitting inside the cab of the four-wheel drive, slamming her hands on the dash. Evidently, she had not found the keys. Rose looked up toward Javier as the minivan rumbled into life, and Cindy sounded the horn.
“Scoot over,” Javier said.
Cindy shook her head. “No way, José. I told you, I’m driving.”
“Look, Cindy, you’re in no state to drive. We need to get out of here fast.”
“Fuck you. You want a ride? You’ll have to climb over me. Or shoot me. Either way, I’m not moving from behind this wheel.”
Javier toyed with the idea of shooting her, but it was too easy. Besides, Cindy would make an awful mess of the van, and they really did need to get a move on. She was not going to back down, so he reasoned that he would let her drive until she was on the verge of passing out. Then he would take control of the wheel, and control of the two women he now had in his company. Looking at the state of her, it probably wouldn’t be long before she slipped into unconsciousness again.
“Rose, hurry up!” Javier shouted, watching her knife one of the dead on her way across the yard.
As Javier climbed into the van, Cindy stayed in her seat forcing Javier to slide across her. He expected her to flinch away as he crossed her, to try to sink back into the seat, but she stayed perfectly still. Her eyes followed his as he mounted her, and the thought of Rose writhing on top of him fleeted across his mind once again. Ignoring his feelings, he swiftly fell into the passenger seat and opened the door for Rose to climb in beside him.
Wasting no time, Cindy slammed the van into gear. As they drove through the yard, she avoided most of the z
ombies, but a few collisions were inevitable. The dead slammed into the side of the van, and a few bounced off the front fender, but Cindy was true to her word, and she got them out of their as fast as she could, weaving between the dead. Javier was surprised she managed the van so well. She clearly was a good driver, and in her condition, he was impressed. Perhaps he had underestimated her. His plan had been to use her as another decoy. He had intended to leave her in the parking lot, a bullet in her gut, screaming her head off as he and Rose made their escape, and the zombies feasted on Cindy’s body. If she hadn’t lost too much blood, she could prove to be more useful though, and he decided she could stick around a bit longer.
“Why the fuck is she still here?” asked Rose when they were out on the road. “Why the fuck is she driving? Where are we going? Are you trying to piss me off, Javier? Do you…”
Javier slapped Rose on the cheek, and she glared at him. Javier held her gaze, fed up with her constant biting. This eagle was about to go solo. Usually a gentle slap was enough to quell any uprising, but Rose was in no mood to quieten down.
“I asked you why’s she still here, Javier? She serves no purpose. What, we can’t bring a young boy along, but we’ll bring along some slut just because you want to fuck her?”
Javier went to slap Rose again, but she blocked his hand with an arm, and she began to squirm in her seat.
“Let me at her, I’ll kill the bitch,” said Rose.
“Calm down.” Javier tried to get Rose to sit still, but she was too worked up, and there was no way he could get enough leverage to make her shut up. All he managed to do was slide his arms around hers, and stop her from getting to Cindy.
Cindy simply drove on, ignoring the argument, and she looked across at Rose. “Don’t worry, Rose,” Cindy said smiling. “I’m sure once Javier’s done with me, you can have him back.”
“Shut up, and drive,” said Javier. He looked in the rear view mirror, noticing the diner was behind them now. They were heading away from Jeffersontown, but he had lost his bearings, and the low sun meant long shadows split the road into varying shades of golden white and murky black. The darkness hid their path, and he was going to have to make a decision as to where to go. They had lost all their gear, and picked up a stray. Finding somewhere to bed down for the night wouldn’t be a bad thing. Rose needed to calm down, and he was growing tired of the bickering between the two women. He knew they had a couple of hours before nightfall, but sleeping in the minivan filled him with dread. If there was any kind of attack, they would have little option but to run, and running in the dark was a bad idea.
They passed an open field full of dead sheep and goats. The farmhouse was burnt to the ground, and the smell of cooked flesh made Javier’s stomach turn over in both sickness, and hunger. A large, white swan crossed the road up ahead, as if it were a normal day, followed by a cygnet. They meandered into the farm’s driveway, and then disappeared underneath a large bush. Javier didn’t care much for animals, but he was surprised to find himself smiling. The cygnet couldn’t be much more than a few weeks old, and yet, there it was: life. Perhaps all was not lost. Perhaps his brother was all right, still waiting for him. He realised he hadn’t thought about Diego all day. There was just too much to do, and too many other things and people clamouring for his attention. He was beginning to lose sight of the long-term plan.
Rose stopped struggling, but Javier held her in his arms, reluctant to let go. Part of him suspected she would just start fighting again, but part of him didn’t want to let her go. Her presence was reassuring and irritating in equal measure, and he found himself letting up the pressure on her arms slightly. He took a hand and she squeezed it back.
“Honey, I’m sorry,” said Rose. “Honest.”
Javier let Rose go, and she looked out of the passenger window, resting her hand on his thigh.
“I’ll make it up to you later. I know I lost it, but...well, it’s just hard, you know.”
Javier looked out of the passenger window, leaning across Rose so his arm touched her breasts. He knew exactly how she would make it up to him, and he found himself growing hard again. Why he was suddenly feeling so hot for her he couldn’t quite understand. He put his forehead on her shoulder, and kissed her neck. He brought his lips slowly up to her ear. “Question me again, and I’ll kill you.”
Rose shivered, and squeezed Javier’s thigh. She remained still, her face pressed against the window.
A moment passed, and when she didn’t answer, Javier knew she had got the message.
“Look at that,” Rose said as they slid around a curve in the road. “There’s a fence over there. It looks intact. Perhaps we could…”
They were so lost in their own world that neither Javier, nor Rose, noticed the minivan start to drift. It was barely noticeable, but they started to veer from the left lane across the centre to the right lane. It only took a few seconds, but they were suddenly in the wrong lane. Cindy had started to feel nauseous, and then faint, and she had been unable to keep her eyes open. Like the sun setting, the light in her eyes dissipated as she fell unconscious behind the wheel, the blood loss and shock telling her body to rest. As her hands fell from the steering wheel, her head fell back, and Cindy slumped in the seat as the minivan lurched to the right of the road.
Javier felt the van start to spin out of control, and he whirled around to see Cindy unconscious. He grabbed for the wheel, shouting at Rose to put her belt on, but when he looked out of the front window, he knew there was no time. A small SUV had been left in the road, abandoned when the driver had succumbed to the bite on his left arm, and was unable to continue driving. Javier was able to read the SUV’s bumper sticker, something witty about Jesus driving their other car, and then they were airborne. The van smashed into the back of the stationary SUV at high speed, instantly sending the SUV into the roadside ditch. The van flipped over, and Javier saw the ground flying beneath him. Cindy’s lifeless arm slapped him in the face, and Rose screamed, before suddenly, the van hit the ground. It rolled over and over, crashing loudly as metal scraped along the tarmac, and the windows all shattered.
Javier tried to hold onto something, yet was unable to do anything but go with the flow. The front windscreen caved in, showering him with glass, and as the van rolled over, he only saw glimpses of what was happening, scenes flashing in front of his eyes, blinding him like flashbulbs, as they destroyed his plans. How had he been so stupid to let this happen? He saw the steering wheel break in two as the dashboard collapsed. He saw Cindy flying through the now empty front of the van head-first, disappearing through the hole where the glass should’ve been, one leg being torn open as her flesh caught on a piece of twisted metal. He felt Rose being banged up against him, but she was silent, and he knew she was either unconscious, or dead. He saw a brief glimpse of the blue, evening sky, before suddenly the grey tarmac was coming rushing up to meet him. There was a sickening thud, and Javier’s head smashed against something hard. He blacked out, and saw nothing more, as the van came to rest in the middle of the road, upside down, its underbelly split open, and the engine dying as the van began smoking. The reanimated corpses in the vicinity turned their attention to the noise of the crash, and the van’s occupants were silent, unconscious and unaware of the zombies that were closing in on them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jonas could hear Erik shouting, but was concentrating on holding off the dead girl. For her size, she was surprisingly strong. Or maybe he was just weak, having not eaten a decent meal for weeks now. He was unable to reach his axe, and caught the girl as she fell on him. He managed to get his knees up in time, forcing her body up and over his torso. Now her face was directly above his as they lay in the aisle of the bus, her jaws snapping continually at him. He tried to wriggle free, but it was impossible with her on top of him, and with the seats so close, he had nowhere to go. Already his arms were being sapped of what little strength he had left, and the weight of the dead body was pinning him down.
He so
much wanted her to be alive. At first, he thought she was, convincing himself she was another survivor, when all along he should have realised she was just one of them. He knew he had been foolish in putting his weapon down, and now he was about to pay the price. Grisly gore fell from the dead girl’s mouth, and splattered his face as they struggled. The smell coming from her mouth was repulsive, not unlike the stench of the garage from earlier that morning, and it was hard not to be sick. As he fought to keep her off, he noticed her attention begin to wane. Her eyes looked up, and then her whole head followed. Her grip on him relinquished, and he wondered what had drawn her away. With her head above him, Jonas watched in disgust as it was suddenly thrown to the side and smashed into the side of a seat. Her head blew apart instantly, and great dollops of congealed blood and tissue fell onto him. It felt like someone had thrown jelly and soggy pastry over him, but tasted far less appetising, and Jonas spat out the grunge from his mouth. He saw the bat come around again, and he held the dead body up that was still somehow holding onto him. The head was split right open this time. Crushed against the seat back, the girl’s face shattered, and Jonas was covered in her brains. They slid from her cracked skull slowly, dripping onto him like clotted lumps of cottage cheese. The body slumped on top of him, and he quickly cast it aside, rushing to his feet.