The Zombie Awakening (Complete 6 Volume Series, plus prologue)

by Melton, Cynthia

  “Fred,” Bill sighed. “You’ve got a choice. If you were bit, I can shoot you now and keep you from the nightmare of turning into one of those things or you can stick to your story of not being bitten and live in a cage for a few days and then die. Which is it?”

  Fred took off running for the woods. Bill raised his rifle and fired. “A darn shame to have to kill a survivor. Sure wish I had a cigarette.”

  “We’ve got some we planned for barter. I’ll get you a pack.” Mychal stepped into the motor home and returned a few seconds later with a pack of smokes in his hand. “I’m glad you shot him, Mr. Colman, especially with what Chalice said. If you hadn’t, he might’ve gone after one of the younger girls next time. It isn’t right for a man like that to keep walking this earth no matter how much everything has gone to hell.”

  Bill clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re a wise boy.” He looked at Colton. “Now, where? Vehicles are as full of gas as we could get them.”

  “I’ll take Mychal with me to get the crate, and we’ll keep heading toward Colorado Springs, I guess.”

  “You plan on putting a zombie in that crate?” Bill scratched his head. “And there’s nowhere to put the crate but in the back of my truck.”

  “Yes, sir, I do.” Colton explained his theory.

  “I think I can help you with your experiment. I locked a little girl in the bathroom. She looks newly turned. I couldn’t bring myself to shoot her. Guess I could pull out her teeth and cut off her hands instead. Still seems barbaric, though.”

  “I just want to know whether there’s hope or if this is our life for what’s left of it.” Colton motioned for Mychal to follow him. He caressed Chalice’s cheek on his way past and winked. Her cheeks turned pink, and he grinned.

  ###

  “Let’s rearrange the back of the truck,” Sarah told Chalice. “I don’t want any of that dead filth getting on our supplies.” She peered in Chalice’s face. “You all right after Fred’s shenanigans?”

  “I’m fine. I got away, thanks to Lady.” Which reminded her she needed to tend to the dog’s wound. “If you don’t mind doing the truck yourself, my savior has a bite to tend to.”

  Sarah froze. “Tell me your talking about the dog and not one of the others.”

  “The dog.” She glanced to where Lady lay beside the motor home, Buddy licking her wounds. The dog would do as good of a job as she could. Maybe Colton would give her some antibiotics when he returned.

  At the mention of him, her heart did its funny somersault thing. She wasn’t sure how wise it was to get romantically involved with someone considering the state of the world, but now it was too late to change her mind. Colton owned her heart, plain and simple, even after such a short time.

  By the time Sarah and Chalice had stacked the supplies against the inside far wall of the truck, the men returned with the dog crate and a snarling zombie around the age of ten. Mr. Hightower stood guard by the motor home and refused to let any of the kids come watch.

  The zombie beat at the wire sides of the cage with bloody stumps. Black drool ran down her chin. Chalice didn’t know what they’d had to do in order to hold her down and pull her teeth. Bile rose in her throat, and she turned away.

  Instead of watching the scene behind her, she stared at a sky which seemed to brighten with each day. Surely, God would clear the dust from the meteors out of the sky and send the sun in all its glory.

  Otherwise, where was the hope, the reason for going on? Chalice glanced at the motor home where Hanna, Junior, and Sissy peeked out. There was no sign of Sadie. She probably grieved for her lost love.

  Chalice transferred her attention to Mychal, Colton, and the others. There was her hope. A handful of survivors who were quickly becoming her family.

  She’d die for any of them and was aware it might come to exactly that. Taking a deep breath, she rubbed the scars on her forearm. Marks that reminded her of her mother’s sacrifice. She climbed into the motor home, ready for the rest of their adventure.

  The End

  NO SANCTUARY

  A Zombie Awakening Book Two

  By Cynthia Melton

  Copyright 2013

  Written and Published by: Cynthia Hickey

  Cover Art: Cynthia Hickey

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Acknowledgements

  To my wonderful family who await the release of whatever next novel I’m working on,

  And who are kind enough to overlook a dirty house when I’m in the writing groove.

  Thank you to God, for giving me this imagination.

  1

  “That’s a big cage.” Mychal hunkered down next to their zombie pet. He kept his hand on his rifle and rarely let his bow and arrows out of his sight. An unarmed person was a dead person.

  Just the sight of the caged creature made Chalice’s skin crawl. In her mind, the only good zombie was a dead one.

  “I think it was built specifically for a very big dog. It isn’t something you would normally buy in a store, I don’t think.” Chalice grimaced and marched to the motor home. She climbed in and moved to the passenger front seat. The slobbering, growling thing in the back of Bill’s truck wasn’t something she wanted to watch for long. Besides, the thing smelled worse than a sewer.

  She glanced around the clearing where they’d stopped for the night. Why couldn’t they stay for a few days? A lake with fresh water glistened to their right, and there were plenty of trees for firewood. It would do her, and the other kids, good to stay. Besides, Mychal had been pestering her nonstop for time to practice shooting with his bow. Not to mention their home on wheels wasn’t doing too well. Running over zombies was definitely not good on a front bumper and radiator.

  Leaving the motor home again, she went to where the adults and Colton talked in front of the truck. Colton gave her a smile she felt all the way to her toes. One glance from him made her blood boil, and not in a bad way. Funny thing is, she wasn’t sure she’d have noticed him on a normal day. He was studious, she was shy. He was gorgeous, she was plain.

  Who had time for romance? There was a horde of zombies to kill and a world to set right again. If such a thing were even possible.

  “Can we stay here for a few days?” She leaned against him when his arm slid around her waist. “I think the kids need a break from traveling. It seems safe and secure. We could wash what little clothes we have in the creek and maybe hunt for some fresh meat. We can’t eat canned goods for the rest of our life.”

  Bill nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me. We could take turns keeping watch at night from the top of the motor home. I’ve got a commercial grade flashlight that will light this area up just fine. Sarah?”

  The woman he traveled with nodded. “I could use a break. I heard Mr. Whitetower tell his daughter this morning how he wished they could stop and let her grieve over her boyfriend.”

  “I’ll let everyone know.” Chalice slipped from under Colton’s arm and strolled to where the children played in the shade of an oak tree. Hanna supervised over the pages of a book. At twelve, Hanna was more than capable of calling out an alert if any non-breathers were wandering around. Chalice hoped she wouldn’t be too engrossed in her story if that should happen. If she was, they could always count on Junior, who would insist on protecting Sissy, who most likely would choose to stand and cry instead of run. He might only be seven, but Junior was a brave little boy.

  “We’re staying here a few days.” Chalice bent her knee and leaned against the oak tree. A breeze flew through the branches, whispering secrets human ears couldn’t hear.

  Did the wind carry a warning of where the zombies were or did they let the undead know where the living hid? Chalice took a deep breath, hoping she could smell one if they were close.

  Lady lay next to the children. The be
st early warning systems they could have were the dogs. Colton had spared a shot of penicillin for the dog’s zombie bite, and Chalice would be forever grateful. Maybe dogs couldn’t catch the virus, but they could get infections, and Lady was too important to lose. Buddy, too, who stayed closer to Colton than a shadow. Neither dog wanted to go anywhere near the zombie pet. If forced to get close, they growled low in their throat.

  “We’re staying here for a few days. You can play, but make sure you stay in this clearing.” Chalice glanced at the thick trees around them. “And stay away from the trees.” She couldn’t live with herself if Junior’s or Sissy’s play led them into danger because Chalice didn’t make sure things were safe.

  “Mychal, we need to string up a warning system to let us know if something wanders in. Use the aluminum cans stashed under the bed.”

  “Aren’t the dogs enough?” He slipped the whetstone he’d been using on his knife into his pocket. “I can secure the perimeter easy enough, but Lady and Buddy should be enough warning.”

  “No, I want more.” Chalice marched to where Hanna still watched the zombie. “There’s work to be done. Stop hanging around that thing. She’s gross.”

  “I kind of feel sorry for her.” Hanna’s eyes shimmered with tears. “She was someone’s child. I don’t see any bites on her, so that means she got sick. That wasn’t her fault. She can’t help what she is.”

  Chalice squatted next to her sister, being careful not to look at the thing in the cage. “You’re right. But now, we’ve got to think of those who are living. That girl isn’t. She’s dead, but there’s something in her brain that refuses to acknowledge that fact. Come on. Help me sort laundry.”

  “Oh, goodie.” Hanna patted the top of the cage, sending the zombie into a frenzy. She threw herself, snarling, against the wires. “If I have to help with laundry, then so does that snotty, Sadie.”

  “See?” Chalice pointed out. “The zombie is not your friend. If she had hands or teeth, she’d eat you as soon as look at you.”

  “Yeah, like Sadie.” Hanna flounced into the motorhome. “She’s a bitch!” She yelled out the window.

  Chalice sighed, knowing she should get onto her sister for her language, Mom would, but she didn’t have the strength. Some things weren’t that important anymore. Maybe Mr. Whitetower would know why the two girls were at odds with each other. And maybe, Chalice didn’t care. Sometimes, she didn’t feel her shoulders were big enough for the burdens she had to bear.

  Once inside, she helped Hanna gather the laundry. “Come on, Sadie. There’s work to be done.”

  The girl unfolded herself from the bed. “I don’t feel like it. I’m sad.”

  “Then your laundry won’t get done.” Chalice tossed a few pieces of clothing on the bed. “Either you participate or you have to do your own. I’ll do your father’s, this once, but after that it’s up to you.”

  “Ugh.” Sadie grabbed the clothes and shoved past.

  Grieving my butt. The girl was using the death of her boyfriend as an excuse to be lazy.

  Chalice shook her head and called for Junior and Sissy to follow. The boy liked to be useful and had a good sense about things not being what they seemed. He could keep watch while they washed. After whistling for Lady to join them, Chalice led the group to the creek.

  Washing clothes over rocks wasn’t her idea of fun, but she didn’t like the way everyone smelled either. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to tell a zombie stench over the group’s. She dropped the clothes into the shallow water at the creek’s edge and glanced around.

  Sun dappled through the trees and sparkled on the water. A carpet of lush moss provided a comfortable place for the kids to play. Chalice could almost imagine it was a normal day and they were picnicking by the creek.

  Sadie plopped down beside them and put her arm over her eyes. Obviously, she was going to call Chalice’s bluff. So be it.

  Not all the girls did laundry. Sarah seemed to be more comfortable helping the men hunt. Well, that was fine by Chalice. She didn’t like the killing of living or dead, two-legged or four.

  The sun warmed her skin as she dunked a shirt into the creek. The sun! Chalice glanced upward. The sky still held remnants of dust left over from the meteors, but the sun was winning the battle. Hope sprang, and Chalice attacked the laundry with a vengeance. Amazing how the sun made a person feel.

  Birds shot from a tree across the creek like a bunch of feathered cannon balls. Chalice watched the opposite bank and held her breath. Lady stood beside her, hackles raised.

  “What is it?” Chalice whispered. “Do you see something?”

  Lady growled and tensed.

  Chalice grabbed the dog’s collar. “Stay.”

  She pulled her pistol from the waistband of her jeans and waited. The hair on her arms stood at attention. Adrenaline raced through her. Colors were sharper. Sound more clear. Everything in her wanted to yell for the children to run back to camp, but in doing so, she might put them more at risk by not knowing where the threat would come from.

  She smelled it before she saw it. With the wind in her favor, the zombie hadn’t noticed them. Chalice stood, keeping her hand on her weapon. She motioned for Lady to stay, then backed up to where the children sat. She kept her gaze on the tall, thin, overall-wearing zombie.

  “I need y’all to real carefully get up and head back to camp. Tell Bill or Colton that we have unwelcome company.” Another zombie, this one rounder and shorter but also wearing denim overalls, joined the first, both of them sniffing the air like dogs.

  Junior grabbed Sissy’s hand. The two learned their lesson from the death of their parents and didn’t utter a sound. Hanna gasped and backed into a tree, rattling branches which sounded as loud as footsteps through dry leaves.

  Sadie sat up and screamed. Idiot.

  Chalice planted her feet and aimed. “Go!”

  The zombies growled and rushed across the water, moving faster than most Chalice had seen. Her first shot took one between the eyes, dropping it like a hot rock. The second shot went wild as the remaining zombie knocked her to the forest floor.

  Drool from its mouth dribbled down her face. Chalice clamped her lips together and refused to vomit. His breath smelled like spoiled meat. She wanted to hurl. Add in the fact she was being slobbered on and Chalice almost lost her struggle to keep breakfast where it belonged.

  With her hands pressed against the zombie’s throat, she fought to keep its teeth away from her skin. She’d seen firsthand the strength in their jaws. Like human pit bulls, latching onto their victim and ripping mouthfuls of flesh.

  Hanna loomed over them, clutching a thick stick. She brought it down with force on the zombie’s head. Its skull split like an over ripe melon and covered Chalice with black brain matter that smelled like a sewer.

  She forced a thank you while still struggling not to throw up. Tears poured down her face at the realization she’d almost been turned. Her and Mychal promised each other a few days ago they’d put a bullet through the other’s head if they got bitten. She was very glad that day wasn’t today.

  Sobbing, Hanna threw her arms around her. “I thought you were dead for sure.”

  “I did, too, for a minute. Thanks for helping me.” Chalice wiggled free and plucked at her sticky clothing. “Yuck. I might as well dunk my whole body in the creek.”

  A crashing through the brush had her digging in the leaves for the gun she’d dropped when the zombie tackled her. There. Her fingers made contact with the cool metal. She grabbed it and whipped around.

  Colton and Mychal burst from the trees.

  *

  When Colton laid eyes on the two undead, he thought his heart had stopped. Not even something as innocent as laundry could keep people safe from running into the living nightmares. He took an arrow from Mychal’s quiver and jammed it through the eye of the zombie with the bashed head, just to make sure it didn’t have any surprises left. The last thing he wanted was a bite on the ankle.

  “
I need to clean up.” Chalice removed her shoes and waded into the creek.

  Colton sent Mychal and Hanna back to camp then perched on a rock to keep guard. Although Chalice was a tough girl, he hated letting her out of his sight. All it took was one bite, and she’d be lost forever. Nothing could bring someone back from being a walking dead.

  He eyed the zombies on the ground. If there were two, could there be more? He studied the thick grove of trees. Did zombies send out scouts? Travel in packs? Or just wander where they were bitten until the food source ran out and they had to leave to find more? Too bad most people thought zombies only existed in nightmares. Colton had a lot of questions, but doubted anyone had the answers.

  Zombie experts were probably few and far between. He laughed at himself. No one ever thought zombies could be real, so why have an expert. He jerked upright. Except…Bill had said a meteor struck a test facility. That meant somebody had to have suspected something like this could happen. After all, that same somebody had created the virus that turned people into undead. Surely they’d taken precautions, made a safe place in case something like this happened. That’s where they should be headed.

  Colton kept his rifle clutched in his hands. As soon as Chalice finished washing, he’d see what she thought. Then, together, they could approach Bill.

  2

  “What are you doing?” Mychal stepped up to the back of the truck where Hanna leaned, elbows on the truck bed, watching the zombie girl. “Is that a sandwich?” Peanut butter and jelly oozed from between two slices of bread on the floor of the cage.