Will To Live

by C. M. Wright

  Will To Live

  Book Five in the Zombie Overload Series

  C. M. Wright

  Other books in the Zombie Overload Series

  Book One - Dying To Live (eBook)

  Book Two - Fighting To Live (eBook)

  Book Three - Learning To Live (ebook & paperback)

  Book Four – Determined To Live (ebook & paperback)

  * Dying To Live and Fighting To Live

  (Double Edition - eBook/paperback)

  Copyright © 2013 C.M. Wright

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Copyright 2013 Trisha Wilko

  Cover Model Trisha Wilko

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The author has taken great liberties with locales including the creation of fictional towns. Some large cities and their names, streets, highways, and interstate names are true and as close to accurate, as possible. Any mistakes are entirely the fault of the author.

  Product names, brands, and other trademarks referred to within this book are the property of their respective trademark holders. Unless otherwise specified, no association between the author and any trademark holder is expressed or implied. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark, registered trademark, or service mark.

  This script remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied, or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes without the written express permission of the author.

  Dedicated to Shellie Hedge and her brave, gorgeous nephew, Micheal!

  (No, his name is not misspelled!)

  *******

  Also dedicated to all my Zombie-Heads. I am honored to be your Zombie Queen ♥

  *******

  And to my family - no artist of any kind could ever capture how perfect you all are.

  Who's Who

  Characters from book one, two, three and four that are either mentioned often or are still active in whole, or in part, of book five.

  Canada-Main character-Wife of Will. Mom of Bo and Ash. Homeschool Mom.

  Will-Maintenance of elementary school. Husband to Canada. Father to Bo and Ash.

  Bo-14-year-old son of Will and Canada.

  Ash-11-year-old son of Will and Canada.

  Marie-Nurse. Mother to Canada, Ricky, Andy, Ryder, and Rose. Wife to Ben.

  Ben-Truck Driver. Husband to Marie. Dad to Canada and siblings.

  Grace-Infant baby in the care of Canada and family. Baby sister to Kaleb.

  Kaleb-Two year-old older brother to Grace. In the care of Marie and family.

  Jake-Sergeant Major in military. Older brother of Greg.

  Greg-Cancer survivor. Younger brother to Jake.

  Sam-Red-headed Irish man, also very short. Group saved from zombies surrounding his truck.

  Sara-Backstabbing bitch found in second armory. Should have left her there.

  Ma-Mother of Marie, Ma (grandma) of Canada.

  Rose-Nurse. Baby sister of Canada. Engaged and living with Kurt.

  Kurt-Electrician. Engaged to Rose.

  Ricky-Canada's oldest younger brother. Successful businessman/computer expert. Married to Kally. Father to MaLayna and Alec.

  Kally-Married to Ricky. Farmer's daughter. Mother to MaLayna and Alec.

  MaLayna and Alec-Children of Ricky and Kally.

  Andy-High-profile cop. Married to Lindey. Father of Avery, Laney, and Lyndsey.

  Lindey-DFS Child Services Caseworker. Attending classes to be an ultrasound technician. Wife of Andy. Mother of Avery, Laney, and Lyndsey.

  Avery, Laney, and Lyndsey-Children of Andy and Lindey.

  Ryder-Successful business owner/computer expert. Married to Coco. Father of Joel and Gage.

  Coco-Nurse. Wife of Ryder. Mother of Joel and Gage.

  Joel-CDC Doctor. Oldest son of Ryder and Coco. Brother to Gage.

  Gage-Governmental Bomb Squad Leader. Youngest son of Ryder and Coco. Brother to Joel.

  Bianca-Friend of Canada and Will, coworker of Will's.

  Vayda-Bianca's dog

  Max-young boy found in the same house Bianca was rescued from.

  Dustin-Doctor with a unique - but disgusting - method of being able to walk among the dead. Refuses to use guns.

  Helen-Military Private from Nebraska armory. In a relationship with Sam.

  John-Military Private from Nebraska armory.

  Toby-Military Private from Nebraska armory.

  Angel-Large white German Shepard that saved Canada in Skidmore while they were rescuing her dad, Rex.

  Melody-little girl who was kidnapped before the Zombie Apocalypse, and Canada helps rescue

  Larry-military man who escaped with Canada.

  Nick-19 year-old who shot at Jake and escaped with Canada and Vicki.

  Vicki-16 year-old sister to Jake's partner. Secretly in love with Nick. Escapes from Jake's Tennessee mountain home with Nick and Canada.

  Warning! This is not a stand-alone book. It is recommended that the first four books in the series be read prior to reading this book.

  Chapter One

  I huddle deeper inside the thick blanket and stare into the flames, my ears alert for any sound beyond the fire. My heart hasn't stopped pounding in fear, but the panic is starting to fade. I raise my eyes above the fire when I hear a sob.

  Across from me, I see Vicki being held close to Nick's side as he tries to comfort her, and keep her warm and safe at the same time. Nick turns his head and his eyes lock onto mine, pleading for help, but I look away and stare back into the flames.

  I can't help her. I can't even help my damn self. Jake proved that.

  It's been two hours since we left Jake's home. An hour since we last saw Paul inside the big red truck following us. During that last hour, we had managed to find a reasonably zombie-free hunting and camping store and had stocked up on camping supplies. The store was mostly cleaned out of all weapons, but we did manage to find a couple shotguns and a few boxes of shells to add to our small arsenal.

  No. Camping out here in the open was not my idea. I'd much rather have stayed inside a house or any other building with four walls, but Nick insisted we had to leave town and head into the mountains. His reasons, I guess, were valid. Although, right now – freezing my ass off and terrified of every little sound – I'm starting to regret agreeing so easily.

  Nick's reasoning was this – if we hide out inside a building, we could be trapped in that very building. He insisted that hiding in the Smokies is easy, if you don't want to be found, then you won't be. He also said he knew a place where we can see for miles, but still be hidden from anyone coming up the mountain. So if anyone was to head our way, we'd know it in plenty of time to escape.

  Seemed like a smart idea at the time, but right now, with noises I've never heard before – even though I've been camping numerous times – and my ass, numbed by the cold rock I'm sitting on, really isn't making me feel very gung-ho about this shit. And I honestly believe my poor ass is frozen to the ice-covered rock. I just know if I try to stand up, it's going to rip the seat of my pants off, and possibly a layer of skin.

  My stomach growls, and I begin to feel a bit queasy, so I carefully – and slowly – stand, listening for the tear of my pants. It doesn't happen, much to my surprise, so I hop my way to the truck only a few feet behind me. The Hummer is kept packed and ready to go, just in case.

  I open the very back door and dig through some of the boxes of food we threw in. Finding two of the family-size canned beef stews, I grab them, then pull out the campfire cooking pot. Nick helps me set it all up, and pretty soon, all three of us are stuffing the thick mix of gravy, meat, and veggies down our throats. When I'm fin
ished, I grab us all a bottled water, then Vicki and I clean up the after-dinner mess. None of us speak more than we need to, and when we do, we speak barely louder than a whisper, too intent on listening for the undead, or the living...or just about any damn thing.

  We decided against tents – okay, I decided against tents. I'd rather not be the yummy filling inside a pastry for some lucky zombie to stumble upon. Thanks, but no thanks! – so we all pile into the Hummer and lay out our sleeping bags wherever we think we can get some half-ass comfort. I take the front seat while Nick and Vicki move things around in the very back and lay the middle seat's backrest down, making their sleeping area big enough for both of them to lie side by side.

  Nick offers to keep watch the first half of the night, and I agree to take the second. Neither of us want to put Vicki through being awake and alert by herself. The poor girl is pretty screwed up after just losing her sister, not to mention finding out her hero was a major psychotic asshole, and the sister wasn't much better.

  Nick had put the fire out so we can see better without the flames screwing with the numerous shadows, and once everyone's settled, I auto-lock the doors. Once my eyes adjust to the darkness, I scan the area. I don't see anything I don't want to see, but I just can't relax. Aware that Nick is alert and keeping watch doesn't make me feel much better either, but exhaustion demands I sleep, so I lie down on the seat and wrap the sleeping bag and blanket tightly around me, and to my surprise, I immediately feel myself drifting off.

  Chapter Two

  "Canada. Canada, wake up."

  I feel a hand shake me gently, and even though I hear no panic in Nick's voice, I still wake in a flurry of activity as I scramble to get up and untangled from the blanket and sleeping bag.

  I'm ready, but I don't know what I'm supposed to be ready for — fight or flight?

  Nick grabs my shoulders and forces me to look at him. "Canada, it's okay. It's just your turn to keep watch, I've got to get some sleep."

  I nod stupidly at him as my brain slowly attempts to absorb his words. "My turn. My turn to keep watch. Right. Gotcha."

  I rub my face and shake my head, loosening the thick cobwebs of sleep. I catch Nick's concerned look and force myself to smile at him, nod my head, and tell him, "I'm good."

  I turn and look out the driver's side so that I can see down the mountain to the road that leads up to us, then I scan the closer surrounding areas. Over and over I do this, until the blackness turns to a dark gray. I hear rustling in the back of the truck, and am relieved to see the other two moving around and getting up.

  It was scary as hell being awake all by myself. My eyes got a kick out of screwing with me, my ears did too. I won't even mention what my wicked imagination did to me!

  "Hey, guys. Good morning," I call out to them, much too loudly.

  In response from Nick I get a mumbled word or two, and I'm positive it isn't worth asking him to repeat.

  Vicki, thankfully, seems to have a bit of her natural cheerfulness back, if her big grin and loud "Good morning, Canada!" is anything to go by. I smile at her, happy to see her like this again.

  I unlock the doors as Nick reaches for the back door handle, then Vicki and I follow him out into the bitter cold. He quickly starts the fire as I find something for breakfast, and Vicki goes behind a nearby bush to relieve herself. She comes back and begins to wash her hands with a bottle of water.

  The sound of the water splashing against the rocks on the ground forces Nick to run, and me to hop as fast as I'm able– which is extremely difficult when you really gotta pee, in case you didn't know – to separate bushes to empty our own bladders.

  We finally sit on a few thick logs around the fire and begin to eat, eventually, we even start to talk–well, Vicki starts to talk.

  "I still can't believe everything that happened last night. My sister hated me. She really hated me!" Her voice raises on the last word then ends in a sob. She covers her face with her hands and leans into Nick when he wraps his arms around her. "And Jake! I thought of Jake as an older brother. He treated me better than anyone I ever knew. Much better than my parents." She uncovers her face after a few moments and looks first at Nick, then at me, with incredibly wide eyes. Then her mouth drops as she looks with fear into the woods behind me and to my right.

  I just stood up to take my plate and wash it when she does this shit, so I immediately crouch down with my cast sticking straight out to the side, grab my gun, and search the woods frantically. Seeing nothing, I spare Vicki a quick glance to find both her and Nick staring at me in surprise. Nick couldn't see her reaction, as he's sitting to her right and her body is turned slightly away from him.

  I keep my gun on the woods and look back and forth between them and Vicki. "What, Vicki! What the hell were you looking at in the woods?"

  Vicki gives a slow look at Nick, then they both raise their brows at each other, as if to imply I've done lost it.

  And maybe I have, but damn! Who wouldn't have assumed what I did by her reaction?

  "I wasn't. I– I just remembered something is all."

  You gotta be shittin' me!

  I stand again, but this time, I put the gun in my fatigue holster. I give her a look as I prop my hands on my hips, waiting for her to tell us what she had remembered that caused such an over-dramatic reaction. When she continues to just sit and silently stare at me, and Nick doesn't offer to do more than swing his head back and forth between the two of us, his eyes full of confusion, I give a big sigh and drop my head.

  Controlling my urge to scream at her for scaring the hell out of me, then not explaining any better than that, I grit out impatiently, "Okay? What? What the hell did you remember, for god's sake!”

  Vicki gives me another of her confused looks, and I finally see the moment her brain clicks back on. "Oh. I forgot."

  Oh, for god's sake! Okay, I'm seriously beginning to think that brain of hers never does click back on. It just stays dormant all year-round. Christ!

  "I got shit to do." I growl at them both before turning away.

  The irritation I feel probably isn't all because of Vicki. I want this to be over, not just the zombies, but Paul too. I want to sleep in a frikken bed, in a frikken house, with all my family close by.

  I stop just inside the woods, crouch down, and wash my plate with snow. When it's clean, I allow myself a few moments to lean back against the tree and let the tears flow freely. After I run through the emotions one by one – guilt, fear, heartache, homesickness, and feeling sorry for myself – I end on anger.

  I'm angry at myself for being the oldest one here, but feel as if I'm the youngest, angry for being so weak and so damned scared...and I'm angry that I'm squatting in a snow drift and now my ass is wet and freezing.

  Enough of this shit.

  I rub snow on my face to erase the tears and to try to hide the redness, then I head back to camp. Apparently, I wasn't supposed to come back so soon, if Nick's 'go to hell' look is anything to go by, which he gives me just after Vicki slurps her tongue back out of his mouth, giggles, and reluctantly pulls away from him to go wash their own dishes.

  I give him a look to let him know I'm sorry, but he just glares in response and storms into the woods.

  Being me, I can't just let it go, so I call after him, “Sorry, Nicky! I'd normally recommend a cold shower, but since that's not possible, try shoving some snow down those rather tight pants of yours.”

  His response?

  “Screw you, bitch!”

  Canada, leave it alone.

  “Sorry, but you're a little too young for me.”

  I just can't resist.

  I hear him mumble a response, but all I catch is the last word, which – again – is “bitch."

  Damn, that boy really needs to lighten up. I'm so thankful I have such an easy-going, calm, and pleasant attitude.

  Yes, I'm totally being sarcastic.

  I hop to the back of the truck to load up the items we no longer need, and close the back door. Then
I lean against the truck and look down the side of the mountain, staring at the red pickup that is halfway up the mountain for several seconds before I remember what that particular truck represents...

  Paul.

  Danger.

  Death!

  Chapter Three

  We got away...barely. The truck had almost caught up to us when we became stuck in a thick pile of snow, but we managed to get free just in time. That was the scariest frikken ride I'd ever been on, and I swore I would never do it again, but again I did...and again, and again. It's been three weeks since that night. Three very long, cold, scary weeks. We've had to run six times because of that damn truck and Paul, who I still don't know what the hell looks like, because the damn truck windows are tinted dark black.

  On top of all that, I ended up getting the flu, and I'm exhausted―No! Screw that. I'm more than exhausted. I'm dead. My body told me to screw off a few nights ago. Seriously. I'm stuck inside the backseat of the truck, lying down, unable to move without throwing my guts up.

  At first, Vicki and Nick were both highly concerned, and took very good care of me. But going on my third day, Nick is becoming irritated with me. Apparently, the dumbshit thinks I'm doing this on purpose!

  To be fair, I know he's really worried about me, I can see it in his eyes once in awhile – and he's scared too. He has a huge responsibility to protect us, that – thanks to me – has been entirely thrown onto his still too-young shoulders. And he covers up that fear and stress with a very bad attitude.

  He reminds me of someone else who does that same thing. Can't think of who at the moment.

  He and Vicki have gotten very close, especially at night when they think I'm asleep. Lord knows, I wish I were! But the moments of happiness I see on both their faces now, makes the uncomfortable and awkward night noises I'm forced to listen to, worth it.