Buddy barked from the open window.
“Kid, roll up those windows, shut up that dog, and get the hell out of here.” The attendant shut off the pump and dashed back into his shop. A heavy mesh curtain unrolled, striking the concrete with a thunk.
Tank full, Colton jumped behind the wheel and burned rubber out of the parking lot. Not that he had a particular destination in mind, but speed called his name. His heart beat erratically, blood thumping in his temple.
By the time they reached the interstate, Colton’s fingers on the steering wheel cramped. He’d seen the movies, read the books. He knew what was coming. Someday, he’d have to shoot somebody in the head. Could he?
Buddy woofed and his tail wagged. Ahead of them, a girl about Colton’s age and two younger kids climbed into the back of a motor home. A German Shepherd hopped in after them. Within minutes, the motor home roared to life. Like a demolition derby driver, the motor home plowed through the stalled cars, clearing a path.
Cool. Colton followed in the motor home’s wake with the vision of a dark-haired girl in his mind. One that wasn’t of the walking dead variety.
Chapter 5
Chalice glanced in her side view mirror. The black suburban had been following them since early afternoon. It stayed far enough behind that she couldn’t tell whether a man or woman drove or how many people were inside. Only that the biggest dog she’d ever seen hung its head out the window and slobbered on the glass. Hopefully, taking advantage of her moving vehicles off the road was their only motive.
Zombies didn’t drive, she didn’t think. Nor would they have a pet.
“Can I use the toilet in here?” Hanna opened the door to a room no bigger than a broom closet.
“Yes, but don’t use the shower. I don’t know how much water they’ve managed to store in the tanks.” Did a motor home have tanks? There were so many things she didn’t know. She shook her head and concentrated on barreling through the throng of cars. The twenty-foot house on wheels wasn’t the easiest thing she’d ever driven.
Before they’d gone the first mile, she almost changed her mind about taking it when she sideswiped the first road sign and sent Hanna into screaming hysterics at the screech of metal against metal.
Not to mention she’d had to slow down numerous times because she was afraid of doing damage to the undercarriage. And her hands and arms hurt. A lot. Driving the big boat of a vehicle wasn’t easy.
Tears burned her eyes. She shouldn’t be a mother to her brother and sister. She ought to be nothing more than the bossy older sister. Making survival decisions in a hostile world was not on her to-do list. She wanted college and a teaching career. She sniffed and swiped the back of her hand across her face.
The darkness increased, and she flipped on the head beams. Occasionally she spotted people shuffling along the shoulder of the road, rummaging through garbage or peering into cars. Most ignored her as she passed, while others stared with half-eaten faces or battered bodies. Why hadn’t more people prepared for the worst case scenario the president warned might happen? Not in her wildest imagination would she have thought a plague that turned people into zombies could happen.
One time, she’d heard a politician say that everyone should prepare for a zombie attack. If you were prepared for zombies, you were prepared for anything. She wished she would’ve taken him more seriously.
Where was the president now? Safe in some bunker planning on how to rule the new world while kids struggled to put food in their mouths? While people fought to survive and not be food themselves?
It still hurt that they’d left their home and their mother’s car behind. Chalice stiffened her back. But she had to think about Mychal and Hanna now. Not mementos of a life they’d never get back. It haunted her that she might have actually seen her mother’s burned body walk out of the house. Most likely it was someone else since their mother died during the firestorm, but now she’d never know for sure. And if the burned woman had been her mother, which she doubted, she would’ve tried to kill them all the same.
Did she want to know? She groaned. She didn’t know anything.
The head beams of the Suburban shined off her mirror. Chalice squinted against the glare. The vehicle now trailed only a few feet behind. She pulled to the side of the road. Maybe he’d pass. The Suburban moved over, too.
Chalice huffed air through her lips then chewed the inside of her cheek. What should she do? She glanced over her shoulder to where Mychal and Hanna curled up on one of the beds asleep.
Should she confront the driver? What if they needed her help? Wouldn’t they flash their lights or something? There was strength in numbers. If the other driver could be trusted, then having someone else along would be good.
Her stomach rolled, and she swallowed down the acid churning her stomach. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken the motor home. It shined like a huge beacon with a target that says follow me. In a smaller car, they could’ve blended in, but would have had to leave more of their personal belongings behind.
Lady hung her head out the window and barked. The monster dog behind them answered. Between the two animals, they’d attract every living, or dead, body within miles around.
Enough. Chalice stopped the vehicle, grabbed her rifle, and shoved open her door. “Come, Lady.” The German Shepherd bounded after her. With her gun at the ready, Chalice approached the Suburban.
She stopped a few feet away. “Get out of the truck.”
The driver’s window rolled down a few inches. “I don’t think so.”
“Why are you following us?”
“Seemed like the smart thing to do. You cleared the road like a snow plow.”
Chalice chewed her lip. The night wind bit through the sweat shirt she wore. “How long do you intend to follow?”
“No idea. Don’t worry. I’m not going to bother you.” He rolled up his window.
Seriously! Chalice turned on her heel and stormed back. He might say he’s harmless, but the guy was rude. Sounded young, too. Close to her age. She gave him another glance and climbed behind the wheel.
He’d better not get them all eaten.
###
Colton drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The pretty girl in front of him drove too slow. Probably didn’t want to mess up the front of the motor home any more than she had already. At this rate, they’d barely move twenty miles before full dark. He squinted through the window. Why was she stopping now?
The girl climbed from the vehicle and headed into the ditch.
Colton craned his neck to watch her approach two children sitting on the side of the road. She squatted next to them, said something he couldn’t hear, then ushered them into the back of her house on wheels. He shook his head. If she stopped to pick up every stray on the way, he’d never get off the interstate. He waited for her to move. After five minutes, he grabbed his gun and slid from the truck.
He marched and pounded on the girl’s door.
“Who is it?”
“The guy from the Suburban.” He rubbed his chin.
The door cracked open an inch. “What do you want?”
“Are you moving any farther tonight?”
“No. Go away.” She slammed the door.
He glanced around, feeling foolish standing in the middle of the road. “Buddy.” The dog bounded toward him. “Do your business, boy.”
He cradled his rifle in his arms as the dog sniffed out the perfect place to lift his leg. Colton contemplated continuing on then discarded the idea. He couldn’t in good conscience leave a trailer full of kids alone at night. He wasn’t positive there wasn’t an adult with them, but the fact that the teenage girl confronted him, led him to believe there wasn’t.
Out here they were sitting ducks. Of course, the suburban didn’t allow him a good view of the surrounding area, either.
He stepped into the field where Buddy romped. Was that a road? He jogged a few yards. Yes. A dirt road branched off the interstate. If they parked among the trees,
they might pass the night unnoticed. He returned to the motor home and pounded again.
“What?” The door swung open and he came eye to muzzle with the girl’s gun. “Uh, there’s a dirt road over there. Maybe we should get out of sight for the night.”
She cocked her head. “Since when did all of us become a we?”
He sighed. “I can’t leave y’all out here alone.”
“We’re managing just fine, thank you.”
“Look. My name is Colton Morgan. That beast over there is my dog, Buddy. All I’m asking is that you allow us to keep following you and that you pull off the road for the night.”
She stepped down and closed the door. Silence screamed as she studied his face. Somewhere in the distance, a gunshot rattled the night. She jerked. “Okay.” She bounded back inside.
Colton dashed for his truck. Within minutes, they were hid in the trees. Hopefully, far enough that they wouldn’t be murdered in their sleep.
He reclined his seat, laid the gun across his lap, and closed his eyes. A tap on the window snapped his eyes open. He snatched the rifle and pointed it at the window. The girl peered in at him. He rolled down the glass separating them.
“Have you had anything to eat?” she asked, shining a flashlight in his eyes.
“I almost shot you. What if you were one of those things?” Was she stupid? He raised his arm to block the light. “Can you lower the light?”
“Those ‘things’ wouldn’t knock.” She frowned. “I don’t feel right having you out here by yourself. Not when you seem worried about us.”
“I’m not leaving my stuff. But thanks for the offer.”
“My name’s Chalice Hart.”
“Like, a, uh, goblet?
She gave him a sad smile. “My mother said her cup ran over with joy when I was born.”
“That’s sweet.” Made him want to gag. At least she had a mother. “Did you pick up two kids today?”
“I couldn’t leave them alone. Their parents are missing.”
He knew what that meant. Their parents were dead or one of the horde that shuffled along the roads. “You won’t have the room or the food to pick up everyone you run across.”
“I know.” She straightened. “But, I’ll help as much as I can. They’re children, Colton. Five and seven years old.” She turned and walked away, leaving him feeling like he’d been scolded by a teacher from school.
The night swallowed her up until her shape was highlighted by the glow through the motor home’s open door. She turned, glanced his way one more time, then stepped inside and shut him out. It wasn’t until the dark obscured everything again that he realized why he really followed the group of kids.
Loneliness ate at him like a fat man attacking a buffet. He wrapped his arms around Buddy’s head and wet the dog’s fur with his tears. For just a minute, he’d let his emotions run. Then, he’d be strong again.
###
Chalice lay in the bed she’d made by folding down the dinette table. Mychal snored from the bed next to Hanna and the two new members of their family, Junior and Sissy, shared the other bed. Colton was right. What had she been thinking to take on the responsibility of two more children, especially such young ones? But, she couldn’t leave them there. No telling who would’ve come upon them.
They were dirty and had wolfed down peanut butter crackers like they hadn’t eaten in a week. Most likely that time frame wasn’t too far off the mark.
She pulled a quilt tighter around her and tried to sleep instead of focusing on the chiseled features of Colton Morgan. His expression was hard, but his eyes showed that, deep inside a kindness, a tenderness, lurked.
He looked strong, too. She struggled with the urge to approach him again and ask him to join their little band. It’d be nice to have an older boy around. One with a gun and a huge dog. She patted Lady who lay beside her. If one dog was good, two would be better, right? And Colton’s dog was huge! The dogs would be their first line of defense, warning them when something approached.
She rolled to her side and stared through the parted curtains at the thick night. No moon cut through the gloom, no stars twinkled, no light from a home’s window welcomed. Surely, God would let the sun shine again someday, right?
Chapter 6
Buddy growled deep in his throat. Colton raised his seat enough to peer over the door frame. Lights bobbed along the road, past the lane they’d parked in. Specters of lost people traveling a highway devoid of hope. At least they had a light, showing they still breathed. He didn’t think zombies needed flashlights.
He placed a hand on the scruff of Buddy’s neck. “Hush, boy. They’re moving past.”
The line of strangers made barely a sound. Colton counted ten people, ranging from child size to adult. A peaceful group intent on making their way to wherever their destination happened to be. He relaxed and lay back down, praying the group would make it safely to their destination.
For a second, he almost joined them. But that would leave the kids without him. Chalice seemed tough, but she wouldn’t be a match for evil non-breathers or the ones who still lived. No, he needed to stick around for a while.
How many people survived the devastation from the sky? There’d been little left of his hometown except burned out buildings and craters where once there stood strip malls and restaurants. But maybe those in the country fared better. Not that the meteors landed in any particular place, just that people may have been able to escape the fires that raged afterward.
Then, a month later he finds out there’s a zombie plague. There couldn’t be much of civilization, if any, left. But surely there were safe zones. The government insured that in situations of disaster, didn’t they? Places for people to go to insure the continuation of the human race?
He crossed his arms in an attempt to hold back the night’s chill and eyed the Winnebago beside him. Chalice and the others were likely a lot more comfortable than he was. The vehicle was as large as a trailer. Thirty-three feet, he guessed. He smiled, remembering the first half hour of her maneuvering the monstrous thing down the road. Once, he thought she’d flip it, but she managed to keep it level.
Soon, his eyelids grew heavy again, and he welcomed the much needed sleep. Another rap on the window sent him scrambling for his gun. He blinked against the grit in his eyes to see Chalice staring in at him.
“Stop doing that.” He shook his head. “One of these days I’m going to shoot you.”
###
“No need to get your pants in a wad.” Chalice crossed her arms. “I have a proposition for you.” She glanced in the back of the Suburban. From the amount of boxes stashed back there, he’d have more than his share of food and water to contribute. “I’d like to ask you to join us.”
“Why?” His brow lowered. “You don’t know anything about me.”
She studied him in the grey light, that according to her watch, signified dawn. His dark hair curled around his collar and flopped into eyes the color of rich mud, and he wore an Arkansas Razorback sweatshirt with grey sweatpants. A twenty-two rifle lay on the seat next to him. And then there was the dog that slobbered on the seats. Neither one looked very dangerous to her.
“If you were going to kill us, you would’ve done it last night while we were sleeping.”
He shoved open the door and slid out to tower over her. “True.” His gaze shifted to the motor home where the other kids peered from behind parted curtains. “Do you have room for two more?”
“We’ll make room.” Chalice waved and within seconds her brother joined her. “This is my brother Mychal. My sister, Hanna is with us and two other kids we picked up. They’re Junior and Sissy. Haven’t gotten any more information out of them than their names. Mychal will help you load your stuff into your new home while I keep watch.”
She turned and walked away before she could change her mind. The intensity of Colton’s stare made her nervous. He hadn’t actually said yes, but he would come with them. It made sense.
Wow
. She ran her hands over the dented front end of the Winnebago. It fared better than she thought it would, considering the amount of cars she moved yesterday. Eventually the road had to clear enough for them to travel a good distance. She watched as Colton hefted boxes in his arms and stashed them inside the motor home.
A thrill coursed through her. Now, they could take turns keeping watch, and she could get a better night’s sleep. Lady wouldn’t let anything happen to her without barking a warning.
While the others transferred supplies, she kept watch, the gun cradled in her arms, and sent Hanna to get together some sort of breakfast. The two dogs, after a few minutes of getting acquainted doggy style and walking in circles, sat on each side of her like hairy guards.
A loud rumble filled the air. Grey dust hovered at the intersection of the road they camped on and the highway. Chalice raised her rifle. “You might want to hurry. I think we’ve got company.” The dogs growled as five motorcycles cruised in their direction.
Chalice’s heart lodged in her throat. What could she do against five leather clad motorcycle riders if they weren’t friendly? Colton and Mychal joined her, both carrying weapons. Chalice squared her shoulders. She didn’t have to do this alone. The thought made her feel a hundred pounds lighter.
The riders stopped twenty feet away. The man in front roared his bike one more time, then let the machine idle. The vibration coursed through Chalice’s body, and she fought to keep her gun steady. “State your business.”
The man’s lips disappeared under his thick, grey, bushy beard. A stained bandanna covered greasy hair in a braid that hung down his back. “Well, now, little lady. We saw the cleared freeway, the tire tracks turning off here, and wanted to see who cleared the road for us. Looks like it was you.” He crossed his arms. “We don’t want anything more than to follow you a little farther up the road. It was a lot easier than maneuvering around the parked cars and walking dead.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“We’re almost ready to leave.” She glanced at Colton who shrugged. “Wait for us on the highway.”
The Zombie Awakening (Complete 6 Volume Series, plus prologue) Page 5