Nadia felt the strength leave her limbs, weakened by pain and loss of blood from her shoulder. She grunted as Lena punched her in the mouth, splitting her lip. All she could see and taste was blood.
Suddenly, Lena cried out in triumph. She’d found the machete and grabbed it, raising it high above her head to cut Nadia down. Nadia turned her head away and raised her arms, but she knew it was futile. This is how it ends.
Lena stiffened, her next breath leaving her lungs as a gurgle. Blood spilled from her lips as she looked down at the sharp end of Cat’s stick poking out of her chest. “What the…”
Those were her last words as she tumbled to the side, revealing a heaving Cat who reached out a trembling hand to Nadia. “Come on, Nads. Let’s blow this joint.”
Chapter 18 - Lisa
As the hours passed and day faded to night, Lisa waited for a sign. Any sort of sign. Twice, her nerves caused her to throw up until finally, there was nothing left in her stomach anymore. She paced up and down, stared at the camp through her binoculars and swore until her throat went dry. “Come on, Nadia. You can do this.”
At last, when she could no longer contain her impatience, she heard distant cries rolling in on the breeze. Still, she hesitated, not sure if she was charging straight into a trap. Then she saw it. A huge explosion rocked the earth, and a ball of fire shot up into the sky, lighting the night with streaks of orange and yellow.
“Yes!” Lisa cried, starting the truck’s engine with a roar.
She barreled up the road and toward the gates, noting at once that they were deserted. Without slowing down, she plowed through and headed straight for the water tower, ignoring the screams of the dying and fleeing people around her.
For the camp was dying. That much was obvious. Flames licked up the sides of buildings, and more explosions rocked the earth as ammo dumps caught alight. The contorted faces of fresh infected filled the grounds, darting from the shadows to pounce on hapless victims.
Lisa ignored them all, making straight for the one place she knew she had to get to before it was too late. She roared around the corner, kicking up a cloud of dust as she pulled to a halt in front of the tower. The truck’s yellow lights illuminated the area, and she spotted Nadia and Cat in an instant.
She opened the passenger door with her gun held ready to back them up and screamed. “Come on!”
Nadia stood up from her crouch, her bloody face contorted with pain. She lifted Cat with her, and together they staggered toward the truck. A snarling infected spotted them and charged, but a bullet from Lisa’s rifle cut it down.
Together, the girls reached the dump truck and climbed inside, gasping for breath. Without wasting a second, Lisa jammed it into gear and drove back through the camp, mowing down the infected in her path. She crashed through the broken remnants of the gate, and they were free, charging away from the Ravager’s camp at full speed.
Lisa shot Nadia a look. “Are you okay? Both of you?”
“We’re fine,” Nadia managed in hoarse tones.
“Do I need to stop?”
Nadia shook her head. “No, keep going until you get to the safe house. We can wait until then.”
“All right. Settle in.”
Lisa drove through the night, periodically passing water and painkillers to the two injured girls who lay curled up in the seat, their arms wrapped around each other for comfort.
When they reached the second getaway vehicle, they switched over while Lisa dumped the truck in the veldt, parking it out of sight of the road. If any of the Ravagers sought to follow them, they would find nothing. Nothing at all.
Once more, they hit the tar, driving throughout the long hours until dawn lit up the sky in pastel pink, yellow, and lavender streaks. Not long after, she spotted the safe house, and with a sigh of relief, she pulled the car into the garage.
“Wait here,” she said. “I’ll clear and lock up the place first.”
After making sure no infected or people lurked nearby, she locked the gates and garage, sealing them in behind the property’s high walls. Only then did she allow Cat and Nadia to enter the house.
“Let’s see what we’ve got here,” she said, setting out a slew of candles to light the kitchen and unpacking the first aid kit.
“Help Nadia first,” Cat said. “Lena hit her pretty hard.”
“Lena?” Lisa said, examining Nadia’s face in the flickering flames of the candles.
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got time. You might as well tell it,” Lisa said, wincing as she prodded Nadia’s nose. “This is broken.”
“Great,” Nadia mumbled in a nasally tone, her eyes swelling shut and turning blue already. “Now I’ll have a crooked nose forever.”
“I adds character,” Lisa said. “Now, hold still.”
While Cat told their story, Lisa set Nadia’s nose, causing the poor girl to scream before disinfecting her various cuts and bruises. She wasn’t too badly off, considering she went a few rounds with a deranged maniac. The worst was the zombie bite on her shoulder which needed stitches, but at last, Lisa was satisfied.
“Next,” she said, crooking a finger at Cat whose injuries turned out to be serious, but not as bad as it could be either. A torn ligament in the ankle, and a few broken ribs courtesy of Jay.
“A few days, and we’ll be right as rain,” Nadia said.
“More like a few weeks, I think,” Lisa said,waving them away. “Right. Off to bed with both of you. I’ll be Mama Bear for the next few weeks, so you might as well settle in.”
And indeed, it did take several weeks before Cat could walk again without too much pain. Nadia healed fast physically, but it took longer for her mental wounds to close up. They’d always leave a scar, though. The loss of Logan and Caleb, her part in Manny’s death…it was all there. Forever.
Still, Lisa had faith in her. In all of them. They’d come out the other side stronger than before, and closer than before. A true friendship bond had now been formed. One that could never be broken.
On the last night, she gathered them all together in the kitchen. “Now comes the big decision, guys. Tomorrow, we’re leaving. Where are we going?”
“I don’t know,” Nadia said. “I haven’t given it much thought. Have you?”
Lisa nodded. “I have, and I feel we should either continue with our mission, though that doesn’t feel right to me, or we can go home.”
“Home?” Nadia asked. “As in St. Francis?”
“That is our home, yes. Everybody we know and love stays there,” Lisa said. “Maybe it’s time we went back and helped them to build a better future.”
Nadia nodded. “I don’t think I can carry on with our old mission either. So, if that’s the case, home it is.”
Lisa looked at Cat. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I like the idea of going home, but I’d also like to think it over. Can I give you my answer tomorrow?” Cat asked.
Lisa nodded. “Sure. We can finalize tomorrow. Now for the last time, off to bed with you lot while Mama Bear makes sure everything’s in order. You young ones need you rest.”
Nadia and Cat pretended to moan as she ushered them away, but it was all in good fun. As she crawled in between her own sheets, Lisa realized that for the first time, she was really looking forward to another day.
Epilogue - Cat
Cat woke long before dawn, a sense of excitement driving her from her comfortable bed and into a flurry of activity. After making the bed, she washed and dressed with care, taking the time to braid her hair and change the bandages around her ribs and ankle as well.
Her outfit was simple, practical, and comfortable. Sports underwear, a camo vest, black tights, light canvas jacket, and hiking boots. The boots had the added bonus of providing support to her injured limb, and with her new walking stick, she managed to move around with relative ease while she packed. A couple of painkillers and a glass of water made it even easier.
A knock on the door announced Nadia, her
face no longer banged up and with a nose that was only slightly crooked. Behind her was and excited looking Lisa who looked ready to tackle the day. Cat greeted them both with a huge smile while putting the finishing touches on her luggage. Her friends shuffled inside, noting that she was up and dressed already, her things packed and the bed made.
“Huh. I thought you’d still be in bed,” Nadia mused. “You were never much of a morning person.”
“Yeah, me too,” Lisa admitted, offering Cat a steaming cup of coffee in a beige mug. “I even brought a peace offering for waking you so early.”
“Not today,” Cat said. “Today, is the start of a new era for me. One where I’m in control of my destiny.”
“How so?” Nadia asked with a quizzical frown.
“Well, I thought about everything you said last night. About how I should think about what I wanted to do, and I realized something,” Cat said, straightening up and faced her friends with a confident stance. “I don’t want to go home to St. Francis. Not yet, anyway.”
“You don’t?” Nadia asked, her brows arching. “But, I thought―”
“You thought wrong. I’ve got unfinished business here on the outside that needs to get taken care of first. Only then will I consider going home.”
“What business?” Lisa asked with wary caution. “Please, don’t tell me it’s another suicide mission. I’ve had enough of those to last me a lifetime.”
Cat chuckled and shook her head. “It’s not. It’s pretty simple, actually. I want to find my mom.”
“Your mom?” Nadia asked. “But, I thought she was dead.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know if she’s dead or not. Maybe she is, or maybe she’s stuck somewhere waiting for rescue. Or maybe she’s perfectly fine and living out the apocalypse somewhere safe. Who knows?” Cat said. “That’s the problem.”
“So you want us to look for your mom? Is that it?” Lisa asked.
“Pretty much,” Cat replied. “If you’re willing, that is. I don’t think I can do this without you guys, to be honest.”
Nadia looked at Lisa and shrugged. “We might as well. We haven’t got anything else to do.”
“You realize this is probably a wild goose chase?” Lisa asked. “Finding one woman in a million…it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“I know,” Cat said, raising a hand to forestall further objections. “And I also know I might not like what I find. That my mom could be a zombie.”
“Are you sure you can handle that?” Nadia asked.
“I’m sure. It’ll hurt, but anything is better than not knowing at all.”
“Okay. If you’re sure, then I’m in,” Lisa said.
“So am I,” Nadia added.
Cat felt tears well up in her eyes, and she stuck her arms out to pull them into a group hug. “I love you, guys. I really do. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Nadia snorted. “You’d be perfectly fine, I’m sure. You’re the strongest person I know.”
Lisa laughed. “I’m sure you’d be fine without Nadia too. She’s a bad influence.”
“Hey,” Nadia cried, swatting her on the arm. “Watch your mouth, or I’ll return the new ride I got for us.”
“New ride?” Cat asked.
Nadia nodded, her face shining with excitement. “You bet. It’s top of the range, uber luxurious, and supposed to be a total surprise. Now Lisa’s gone and spoiled it.”
Cat laughed. “That’s okay. I’ll still act surprised.”
“You do that for me.”
“So,” Cat said, looking from Nadia to Lisa. “When do we leave?”
“Um, right now I guess, seeing as you’re all ready to go,” Nadia said, grabbing one of her bags. “We’re all packed too.”
Cat smiled. “Great. Let’s be off then.”
Lisa and Nadia walked ahead with Cat bringing up the rear as they exited the small bed and breakfast that had served as home for the past few days. Already, Cat missed the place with its warm and cozy atmosphere. It had been exactly what she needed to recover from her ordeal. That and the support of her two best friends.
As she walked, her fingers skimmed over the surfaces of framed portraits, landscapes, vases, and prints. All chosen with care by the former owner. Genuine love showed in each piece, as if this business had been a lifelong dream come true. At the door, Cat turned for a last look, her lips curved in a smile of gratitude. Whoever you were, thanks for creating such a magical place in such an ugly world.
At the bottom of the steps waited their new ride, and Nadia hadn’t been kidding. Though Cat was terrible at naming cars it didn’t matter. Even she could tell that the shiny black four by four with its tinted windows, big wheels, and huge bull bar was a winner. A gas guzzler maybe, but still a winner.
As she sank into the plush leather seat in the back, Cat closed her eyes and breathed in the new car smell. It echoed what she already felt. Like she was reborn. The past few months had changed her, matured her, and her time spent in imprisonment had hardened her. She was strong now. Tough and confident. I can handle anything now. Anything at all.
***
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Sneak Preview - Dark of Night
This is a sneak preview of the sequel, Dark of Night.
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Chapter 1 - Cat
It was early morning. Around nine. The sun shone through the tinted windows, warming the inside of the cab with the balmy heat of early autumn. Nadia sat in the backseat. Her platinum blonde locks spiked out in all directions from the liberal amount of hair gel she’d applied. She fiddled with the phone on her lap, clicking through the songs that blasted into her ears through the tiny speakers tucked into each lobe. It was her newest toy, one she’d acquired from a house they’d raided earlier. The previous owner had the same taste in music it seemed, and she kept the battery going with a battery bank and solar power charger.
Lisa drove the truck, her golden brown hair tucked into a soft bun at the nape of her neck. Her hands were strong and capable on the wheel, her manner confident. Like them all, she had matured…had grown into her skin as a strong and courageous young woman. They had come far, the three of them. They were more than ju
st friends now. They were a unit. A team.
Cat didn’t feel so brave today, however. In fact, she felt like she was about to burst into tears. Clutching the creased map on her lap, she called out directions to her old family home, now only a short distance away. A lump formed in her throat as she surveyed their familiar surroundings. It was all still there. A bit worn, maybe, run down, for sure, but still there.
The ice cream shop where she and her mom used to go once a month for a treat. The bicycle shop who’s owner let her repair her beat up old bike at no charge every time it broke down, aware that with a single parent in the house, money was tight. The second-hand shop where she used to get most of her clothes from, giving her a slightly quirky taste in clothes. The bargain shop that sold groceries on account.
Her entire childhood, rolled up into one neat package. One filled with happiness. Sure, they’d been poor, but her mother had loved her more than life itself, and for a growing kid, that was enough.
“Over here,” Cat said, pointing to her old house’s driveway.
Lisa pulled their brand new truck onto the paved entrance, its muted roar fading to a soft rumble as she idled the engine.
Immediately, Cat spotted Chris. His desiccated corpse lay half in and half out of the gate, the meat cleaver she’d used to kill him still lodged in his skull. She pressed trembling fingers to her lips, remembering the day he’d attacked her, forcing her to kill him. He’d meant well, racing toward her house to warn her of the zombies. Instead, he’d joined their ranks and nearly eaten her, instead.
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