Dead & Alive (Book 3): Broken

by Smith, I. J.

  “Nice to meet you, Jack! I’m Ray, the boy is Tommy and the girl is my granddaughter, Kat,” Ray replied.

  Jack shook his head. “Thank you!” Jack quietly said.

  “You just saved my granddaughter’s life, I think we can call it even soldier,” Ray replied.

  “I’m not a soldier anymore!” Jack replied abruptly.

  A smiling Ray did not need a reason why.

  “There are some clothes in the drawer, they should fit fine,” Ray told him as he walked away.

  Over the next few days Jack often said he should leave, but they all wanted him to stay. In his mind Jack wanted to find his friends, but he had no idea where to start, so agreed to stay for a while.

  Days turned into weeks and weeks into months.

  The motor home had stopped; two abandoned cars blocked the road. Tommy moved them while Jack dealt with the zombies. Kat had grown close to Jack, and he to her, she watched and learned from him. Jack had no problems teaching her how to survive, Jack sliced at a zombies head, breaking it open like a water melon. Kat swung at a much taller zombie and hit its shoulder, she back off as it approached. Ray watched as Jack grabbed and dragged the zombie back, but not to kill it himself. Standing with Kat, Jack showing her how to do it, Kat swung at the zombie’s leg, cutting it in half and then stabbing the brain. As the zombie dropped, she cheered and embraced Jack, Ray smiled as he watched.

  A few days later Ray was driving at night, Jack came and sat next to him.

  “You want me to take over?” Jack asked.

  “Nah, I like driving at night,” Ray replied happily.

  Looking at Jack, he spoke, “Almost six months you been with us.”

  Shocked at the comment, “You think maybe it’s time I left?” Jack asked.

  Ray gave a laugh. “God, No, your family now Jack!” he replied.

  “Never had a family, I grew up in foster homes. Never had a family, don’t know what that feels like,” Jack replied.

  “Well now you do!” Ray happily replied.

  Ray turned serious. “I need to ask you something!” he said.

  “Go ahead,” Jack replied.

  “If anything ever happens to me, and it will one day. I need to know you will look out for Kat and Tommy. She is all I have left, I had to kill her mother when she got bit, my wife died long before this happened. I need to know when it is my time, you will love her like she’s your sister and protect her?” Rays asked.

  “That’s something you never have to worry about, I will protect them. But to be honest, you’ll probably out live me old man,” Jack joked.

  They both laughed.

  “Kat keeps asking me about, letting her and Tommy being allowed to go out and scavenge for us,” Ray quickly said in a firm voice.

  Jack looked at Ray and said nothing.

  “What do you think?” Ray asked.

  “Honestly, it has to be your choice. But if it was my choice, I would let her go. This world we live in, it’s not gonna go away. It will get harder and harder to survive in. It’s not my place to say this, but Kat can look after herself and Tommy would give his life for her. Sometimes the hardest choice is letting them go!” Jack replied honestly.

  Ray shook his head. “Fuck, Jack you are a man of wisdom!” Ray replied.

  A few weeks later...

  “OK! You can go, find what you can and be back here in three hours!” Ray told an excited Kat and Tommy.

  Happily they ran into the trees, disappearing from sight.

  “I’m gonna scout around for a while, see if there is anything around,” Jack told Ray.

  “You’re gonna find her Jack, Elle is out there waiting for you and I promise we will find her!” Ray told him.

  Jack patted him on the back and began to walk away into the woods.

  “WAIT!” Ray shouted

  Jack turned back to Ray.

  “I’m gonna head up the road and look for some abandoned cars, for fuel, parts, et cetera,” Ray told him.

  Jack smiled, “Have fun Old man,” he laughed.

  As Ray walked up the road mumbling to himself. “Old man, I can still kick your ass!” he laughed as he walked away.

  Kat and Tommy made it through the woods, excited they ran towards a shop. Suddenly they stopped, hearing motorcycles, turning they could see five bikers heading for them, instantly they recognized the red circle with the M.

  “Run!” Tommy shouted.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  TAKE BACK

  “JACK!” a surprised Zoe said again.

  Bray and Zoe stood together looking at the large man in front of them, a short beard covered most of his lower face, but there was no doubt, Jack stood there staring back with his trademark half-smile.

  Zoe approached him.

  “Fancy bumping into you here,” Jack joked.

  As Zoe moved closer the look of shock covered her face, she was even more shocked when Jack threw his arms around her. Zoe gripped him tightly, her eyes filling with tears. Bray walked over and joined them.

  “I should have guessed a little thing like death wouldn’t stop you!” Bray said while smiling.

  Jack was quick to grab him and pull him close, all three stood there embracing each other.

  “How?” Bray asked.

  “A very long story. Are the others OK?” Jack asked.

  With a big smile on her face Zoe replied, “They are all fine; we have a settlement close by.”

  Jack turned to Ray, Kat and Tommy. “Come over here,” Jack asked them.

  As they walked over, Jack placed his arm around Kat and Ray. “They saved me. I owe them everything,” Jack told Zoe and Bray.

  Bray quickly shook Ray’s hand. “Thank you, is there anything we can do to repay you?” Bray asked with a gentle voice.

  Ray was quick to reply, “Please can you tell Jack that Elle is OK?”

  Jack gave a smile. Zoe giggled to herself, trying to imagine how he would react to knowing Elle was pregnant, it was hard not to tell him, but that was for Elle to do.

  “Come on, we should get going. We can collect our car on the way,” Bray told everyone.

  They all got onboard the motorhome and drove away towards home.

  Hours had passed and back at the school, everyone was working and following the orders of the twenty men left behind by Macleod.

  Frank stood staring at the zombies eating, what was left of the corpse of his friend, Elle. The guilt was killing him as he looked with a deep frown and eyes filled with tears. He kept thinking of the baby, the zombies ripping it from her body. Turning, Frank looked at her head, which still sat on top of a pole outside the main doors. He glanced at the ground to see the drops of blood from her head, still wet on the ground.

  Almost everyone had been locked in the school, Ryan was sitting on the school steps and he was badly beaten. Adam carried water over to their captors, as Alice and a few of the woman prepared them food.

  Paige was chained to the fence; zombies kept reaching through the fence to grab at the dog. Paige kept yelping in fear.

  Suddenly a voice shouted out, “CAR APPROACHING!”

  Frank ran to the gate, he was stopped by the captors. “We are Mercy. We welcome newcomers,” a vile ugly man with rotted teeth told Frank, as he punched him in the gut.

  Struggling to stay on his feet Frank looked at the car approaching and knew it was Bray and Zoe. Frank had hoped they could see the horror happening here and stay away.

  The gates opened allowing them inside. Quickly The Mercy rushed the car and dragged out Zoe and Bray.

  “What the hell is this?” Bray asked.

  “They are Mercy, they now have control here!” Frank replied, with a vile taste in his mouth.

  Zoe was held by three men. “We have more coming, you should run!” Zoe told them.

  Frank frowned at her remarks.

  The ugly, rotted tooth man stepped forward and stood face to face with her and smiled.

  “There is no one, we watched you leave!” t
he ugly man gloated.

  Bray pushed away one of the men holding him. “She is telling the truth, we found people out there and they are coming, and trust me, you don’t want to fuck with them!” Bray angrily told them.

  The roar of laughter echoed around the school grounds.

  The sun was beginning to set.

  “Where are your weapons?” the ugly man demanded.

  Zoe spat in the ugly man‘s face; he wiped the spit from his face and licked it from his fingers. Suddenly he swung his arm, slapping Zoe in the face. Staying on her feet, she quickly raised her head again, revealing a split lip.

  The ugly man was about to hit her again when Bray shouted out, “In the trunk, everything is in the trunk!”

  Zoe looked at Bray in anger. “Shut up, you fucking idiot!” Zoe screamed at him.

  The ugly man laughed and walked towards the car, his laughter continued as he opened the trunk of the car.

  Everyone around looked with anticipation to see the weapons, when they suddenly heard a loud bang.

  In shock, everyone watched as the ugly man‘s head exploded like a watermelon hitting the ground, as the headless body fell back to the ground a dark figure appeared from the trunk.

  Holding a sawed-off shotgun, Jack raised it and fired his last shot at the man holding Bray. The bullet hit the man in the neck, exploding the flesh, creating a hole in his throat.

  Bray and Zoe hit the ground and rolled back against the car, underneath the car their guns were taped up. Pulling them free, they quickly jumped up and began to fight back against The Mercy.

  Frank stood in shock; he watched as Jack pulled both his machetes out and started swinging at the Mercy men. Ryan rushed past Frank and grabbed one of the Mercy, tackling him to the ground. Ryan began punching the man repeatedly, blood spraying across the ground as he hit him harder and harder.

  Alice smashed one of the Mercy men in the face with a bucket of water; she glanced around to see Jack swinging his machete, taking half of a man’s head off.

  Paige could be heard barking, she was pulling at her chain. Zombies were still reaching through the fence to get at her; Paige had sensed the fight and wanted to help her friends.

  Adam overpowered one of the Mercy men, but he was suddenly hit over the back of the head, and fell to the ground.

  Frank was fighting with one of men holding a cricket bat. Frank ducked the swinging bat and kicked the man in the groin. The man fell to the ground in pain, Frank picked up the bat and hit the man across the head repeatedly, killing the man.

  Bray and Zoe used their last bullets to take the Mercy men down.

  Suddenly a man shouted out, “STOP!”

  The sound of his command echoed around the school, Jack turned to see a man holding Alice, with a knife to her neck.

  Jack laughed.

  Alice squirmed in fear, Jack walked towards her and the man holding her.

  “I will fucking kill her!” he told Jack.

  “Nah, I don’t think so!” Jack replied, holding his machete high in the air.

  Suddenly a loud gunshot echoed out and the man’s head split wide open, Jack watched as a bullet travelled straight through the man’s head, blood spraying out he fell to the ground.

  Alice stood up and looked at the trademark half smile on Jack’s face; she raced to him throwing her arms around him.

  Jack glanced in the direction of the gunshot; in the distance he could see Ray on top of the motorhome, still holding his rifle.

  Alice held Jacks face, “How?” she asked.

  Jack made no reply. He noticed Ryan was still hitting a bloodied and dead man on the ground. Ryan was covered in blood, hitting the man so hard he had crushed most of the skull.

  Walking over to Ryan, he placed his hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

  Stunned, Ryan looked up in shock.

  “I think you got him Ryan!” Jack gently said.

  Jack turned to Frank who stood there with a look of dread on his face.

  Frank looked like he was about to burst into tears.

  Jack was frowning when he heard the motorhome horn blow.

  “Let them in, they’re family!” Jack shouted.

  Turning his attention back towards Frank, Jack smiled as he walked closer to his unhappy friend.

  “Well, I don’t need a hug, but a hello would be…” Jack suddenly stopped speaking.

  Jacks face changed to one of horror, he looked past Frank to see a metal pole and the head of the woman he loved, shoved on top of it.

  Jack was shaking his head, screaming NO! Jack ran towards the pole, passing Frank without saying another word.

  Ray, Kat, and Tommy climbed out of the motorhome and looking around, as the surviving Mercy members were taken prisoner.

  Ray noticed Jack standing there looking at a head on a pole. Instantly Ray knew by Jack’s body language, that it was Elle’s.

  Kat began to walk towards Jack, but Ray held her and held her back.

  Bray and Zoe looked over at Jack too, horrified by what they were seeing.

  Jack reached out, touching the freckled face of Elle, his eyes changed from happiness to anger.

  Frank touched Jack on the shoulder.

  “I’m sorry!” Frank spoke gently.

  As Jacks anger grew, “How long?” he asked Frank.

  “Yesterday, we were attacked. Someone called Macleod wanted to send a message!” Frank replied.

  “Why her? What possible message could be sent by killing her? It makes no sense!” Jack said through gritted teeth.

  Frank swallowed hard with a lump in his throat, “Just a message!” he replied.

  Jack spun around in anger, looking at Frank in the eyes.

  “Why her?” Jack asked again, angrily.

  A tear ran down Frank’s face, “She was pregnant,” he replied quietly.

  Jack stepped backwards, struggling to keep his balance; it felt like everything was spinning. Jack began to breathe heavily, feeling a pain in his chest.

  Jack looked at Frank; suddenly Jack lashed out, punching Frank in the face. Frank stumbled backwards, Jack quickly carried on punching him with a quick combination of left and rights. Frank’s face split open immediately; he fell to the ground hard.

  Adam rushed over to stop Jack; stepping sideways Jack head butted Adam, sending him falling down to the ground.

  Others rushed to stop Jack, looking up at everyone. “Try it!” Jack warned everyone.

  Frank tried to get back to his feet; he looked up at Jack, who began shouting at him.

  “I TOLD YOU TO PROTECT THEM ALL! YOU FUCK! LOOK AT THIS PLACE IT IS A JOKE! NO DEFENCE! SURROUNDED BY ZOMBIES! YOU FUCKING IDIOT!” Jack screamed in anger.

  Bray looked at Zoe. They both knew Jack was right.

  Frank stood up, but Jack just punched him again.

  Jack screamed to the night sky in anger, as he fell to his knees.

  Everyone around stared at Jack, down on his knees.

  CHAPTER SIX

  LOSS

  Frank was sitting on a chair in a candle lit room. Zarina tended to the cuts and swelling on his face, she was using a wet cloth, trying to clean the wounds.

  “He’s an animal!” Zarina stated.

  Struggling to talk through the swelling of his mouth, “He saved us!” Frank replied.

  Zarina was angry and threw the blood soaked cloth into a bowl of water.

  “He had no right to take his grief out on you!” she said angrily.

  Frank attempted to smile, but couldn’t. “He told me to keep everyone safe; he saved my life and yours. But, I let him down!” Frank said sadly.

  Zarina took his hand, “You’re a good man!” she told him.

  Frank looked her in the eyes, “But I’m not Jack!” he replied.

  Adam appeared through the open door, “We need to talk!” he demanded from Frank.

  Frank looked at Adams swollen eye and smiled, “Now, you have met Jack!” he said with humor in his voice.

  Zarina stood up to leave
the room, but was stopped by Frank still holding onto her hand.

  “Stay, no more secrets!” he told her.

  Adam looked worried, “With Jack alive it changes things!” he told Frank.

  Zarina frowned.

  Frank looked at her and felt the love he had for her growing. “Nothing has changed; we were never getting out of here. But with Jack we might survive it!” Frank replied.

  “Frank, you know the deal and Jack is not part of it!” Adam told him sternly.

  Jumping up from his seat Frank looked Adam directly in the eyes, “My friend is alive! My friend almost died saving me and strangers! Kids have been taken and my friend is a one man warrior, we need him!” Frank told him with a strict voice.

  Zarina smiled at the strength Frank showed, she stood beside him and watched as Adam shook his head and left.

  Jack stood in front of a small patch of grass, his hands covered in mud and blood. He looked down at the small square patch of fresh dirt, where he had just buried what was left of Elle.

  Jack had not spoken a word since he found out she was dead, but the emotion on his face was one of anger and grief.

  A shadow approached Jack from behind, Kat appeared beside him.

  “I’m so sorry,” Kat gently whispered.

  Making no reply, he looked at Kat as she laid a few wild flowers on the grave. A single tear ran down his face, and Kat quickly noticed. She stood beside him again, taking his hand in her’s and resting her head on his shoulder. She felt his pain and wanted to help, in the six months they had travelled together, they had formed a bond like brother and sister.

  Jack gripped her hand tightly, before letting go and walking away. A worried Kat followed him.

  Everyone mumbled as Jack walked past them, towards The Mercy prisoners.

  Before Jack could reach them, Ray appeared in front of him.

  “We need to talk!” Ray told him.

  “Not now!” Jack replied.

  As Jack began to walk past him Ray grabbed his arm, an angry Jack turned back to face him.

  “If you need to hit me, go ahead. But we need to talk now!” Ray said with a hard voice.

  Ray led Jack away from everyone else.

  “So you’re going after this Macleod right?” Ray asked.