Zombie Attack! Box Set (Books 1-3)

by Devan Sagliani

  Probably because he was so relaxed about the rules, I thought. Well, not me. I'm going to teach them a lesson, but first I'm going to screw with them a bit.

  The girls were frozen in place, unable to get up or move, as I confidently strode forward to their ring leader. Scott just sneered at me in disgust, a rebellious glint in his eyes.

  “Gorillas in the midst,” he called out in a singsong voice. I wanted to hit him so hard that he came off his feet, but I fought back the urge. Instead I walked up and took the can from Tyler's hand.

  “Do you mind?” I asked. Tyler didn't say anything. I turned and looked back at Scott, who simply smiled, daring me to do something, egging me on to punish him in front of the rest of his gang. I turned and looked at the young girls. All but Janice looked down at their feet to avoid my gaze.

  “Have you been drinking?” I asked, still holding the can up.

  “So what if we have,” Scott demanded. “What are you gonna do about it, Sour Grapes?”

  “Looks like you missed a spot,” I said, turning and shaking the can. I stepped forward toward the wall and began filling in a section of blue.

  I glanced back to see Scott looking from me to the girls in utter confusion. Clearly I'd blown his mind and he didn't know how to react. It was exactly what I had been going for. I did my best to fight back a smile as I saw Janice gaze up at me with a look of admiration and infatuation. Scott saw it too and quickly began to seethe, balling his fists up impotently as his face grew red. It was no secret around camp that he was working hard to make Janice his official girlfriend and that she had done a fair job of holding out, despite being one of the Brat Packerz.

  “You can't do that,” Scott protested, his face now turning puce with rage.

  “Why not?” I smiled back at him, holding the can out, daring him to take it.

  “Because you're the law,” Scott sputtered, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You can't make up rules, then just break them for no good reason!”

  Janice giggled as she took another drag on her cigarette. I turned and winked playfully at her. I hate to admit it, but I was enjoying the attention, especially after the way things had ended with Felicity earlier.

  “Do you have another cigarette?” I turned to Janice and started in her direction, but Scott puffed up his chest and stepped between us. Janice looked shocked by his openly aggressive move.

  “You don't smoke!” Scott protested.

  “I know,” I said casually, “but I was thinking about starting. You all make it look so fun.”

  Tyler laughed loudly, then caught himself when Scott gave him a death stare.

  “You can take a hit off mine if you like,” Janice said, locking her eyes on mine as she extended her hand. Scott looked green with jealousy, but couldn't think of what to say to stop me.

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the cigarette from her hand. She let her fingers slide gently over mine as I took the smoldering stick from her petite hands. Her eyes never broke our stare and one of the other girls, Penelope, I think, let out a low whistle.

  What are you doing? You are flirting with her in front of all these people. You are married to Felicity! The tiny voice inside me screamed over and over, sending waves of acidic guilt pulsing through me. For some reason, it only urged me on to walk the fine line between right and wrong. It felt good to do the wrong thing, to break the rules just a little. After all, what was the harm? I wasn't going to hook up with Janice or anyone else. I was just enjoying a little harmless flirting at Scott's expense.

  At last the moment became too much and Janice blushed and looked down, the hint of a smile parting her pretty painted lips. I let out a dry laugh, dropping the cigarette to the ground and crushing it with my boot.

  “Sorry,” I said. “Smoking is bad for you. Haven't you heard? It will kill you.”

  Suddenly there was a low moan from behind all of us, breaking the spell. The first zombie appeared from behind Look Out Mountain, emerging in tattered rags from behind the rail cars. He was in his mid-thirties, wearing shredded business clothes. His hair was matted with dust and debris. His eyes were the glossy black of a predator. His mouth, caked with fresh blood, was open and hungry.

  I pulled up my sword, ready for action, as Scott and Tyler retreated in fear behind me. If this was the jerk that had gotten Andrew, I didn't plan on giving him the satisfaction of taking more people down with him.

  “Get back to the Charlies,” I yelled, not bothering to turn and address them. I didn't want to take my eyes off the biter in front of me.

  “We can't!” Scott yelled, his voice now high and terrified. “We're cut off!”

  I turned and saw the kids were now huddled together in fear. Off in the distance were several adult-sized zombies heading down toward us, blocking the path back to the walls of Freedom Town.

  Where did they come from so quickly, I wondered? I should have seen them during my first sweep.

  I twisted my sore ankle back and forth in an attempt to get it loosened up. I was working on a plan. If I took out the guy in front of me, it would buy us some time.

  Maybe we can barricade ourselves into one of the inoperable cars, I thought.

  A gut-wrenching scream, like something from a wounded animal, ripped through the night. I turned quickly to see the undead businessman howling like a coyote at the moon, most likely in anticipation of the feast he was about to receive. Several more zombies came at the sound of his wild cry, ghastly shadows slowly lumbering in waves out of the darkness. I heard crying behind me, and smelled the sudden sharp odor of urine. I turned to see Scott had wet his pants in fear.

  “Don't worry,” I said confidently. “I will get you out of this. All of you.”

  “I'm so sorry,” Janice said, looking up at me with her big eyes.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “Not now. Just keep it together. Panic and fear will only get you killed. Stay close to me, and whatever you do don't let them bite you.”

  I felt terrible about the situation we were all in. I had only intended on scaring them a little bit, maybe making them see me as cool. Instead, I had crossed the line. They didn't need more friends; they needed a leader to keep them safe from harm. It wasn't my job to be cool, to use other people to make myself feel better. It was my duty to keep them out of harm's way, and I had failed. I had blown it trying to get them to like me. I wasn't going to be cool to them ever, I realized, because I was the one in charge. They were kids, just like I had been before Z Day happened. They needed something to rebel against. They also needed rules and structure in their lives, especially if they were going to live long enough to realize what we were trying to do for them.

  Way to go, hot shot, I chided myself. Worst leader of all time. Epic fail!

  Now it looked like there was a pretty good chance we were all going to die horrible deaths at the cold biting mouths of monsters.

  I'm not going to let that happen!

  I yelled out a war cry at the top of my lungs and raced forward with my sword held high, reflecting the light of the full moon. The last thing I saw as I ran was a man smiling in the darkness.

  Chapter Six

  His hands held chains that extended out to the necks of the zombies, like pets he was taking out for a stroll. His clothes were dark and his face was covered in thick, dried mud. He was perfectly camouflaged to blend into the night. I saw now that the zombie that had howled so uncharacteristically was, in fact, being held back by this man. It was this restraint that had caused him to wail in anguish, nothing more.

  It's a trap, I thought, even though I knew it was too late to do anything about it. My feet were moving faster than my mind. I was already committed and couldn't stop.

  The man smiled a wicked grin full of yellow and brown teeth.

  “Now!”

  Two other men with large nets came out of the shadows on either side of him. They rushed toward me with a simple ease that belied the danger of a katana-wielding warrior coming to cut them down.

  Alp
has, I thought, as I saw the first net thrown up in the air directly in front of where I was running. They've brought their pet zombies to ensnare us.

  Before I could change course, or even slow down, the nets were coming down on me hard, knocking me to the ground. They were so heavy they felt like they were woven out of iron chains. The force of my fall knocked my blade out of my hands. Once more it clattered to the ground, making me wince almost as much as the sensation of the heavy webbing pinning me down, vulnerable and helpless. I could see from my new vantage point that the mesh was made out of rope with cords of metal twine running through it. Even if I could reach my blade, cutting through would be impossible.

  I cursed and brought my knees up in an attempt to stand and free myself, but it was no use. The Alphas were on the nets, pulling them tight and forcing me flat, my head turned up to the moonlit sky. The stranger chuckled to himself as he walked over the top of the nets toward me. He held a cane in his hands, but he didn't use it to help him walk. Even though I was rendered immobile, I still thrashed about like a dolphin unsuspectingly caught in a fisherman's haul. My fingers scrabbled for the tip of my katana handle, but it was just out of reach.

  If I could just reach my blade, maybe I could fight back!

  “You a big fist ems uh? Lotta smack tough.” The stranger spoke in a strange pidgin with a thick accent I couldn't quite make out. It sounded like something from another time, some backwoods homeschooled language made up of mostly invented words and phrases. His face screwed up in mock laughter at my plight. “Look ah one dem big pop pop man mah no lookee tuftyup now, is ya? Him ah swim outta gumby river, flip flop, flip flop.”

  I heard a scuffle to my right, and turned my head toward the Brat Packerz still frozen in fear. The zombies between the kids and the fence were not on leashes. They steadily advanced on the huddled ball of terrified kids. Without warning, Tyler Finch broke free from the rest of his gang and bolted toward the biters. Penelope wailed out for him to stop, but he sprinted fast over the loose soil, like a wiry jackrabbit fleeing a pack of bloodthirsty predators.

  Guess that's not too far off right now, a little voice in the back of my head reminded me.

  No one spoke. We just watched in amazement as Tyler slipped between several full-grown adult zombies, ducking the arms of the first one and sidestepping the biting mouth of another. My heart skipped a beat as he dove headfirst through the legs of the last zombie, coming up quickly on the other side of the pack and bolting for the fence. Within seconds he had sprinted the distance and vanished into the Charlie tunnel.

  “Good on em,” the stranger cackled at me. “Dada lucky chikaduck true.”

  Bolstered by Tyler's brave escape, Penelope made a break after him. No one said a word as she ran headlong toward the pack of biters. I held my breath, fearing for the worst.

  “Whoop,” the stranger barked. “Dem a gone nutta won. Flip flop! Pip pop!”

  Penelope didn't have the speed, dexterity, or wits that her boyfriend possessed. Just as she came up to the front of the pack they fanned out ensuring she wouldn't be able to run through them with the grace of a gazelle that Tyler had displayed. Penelope backtracked slightly, then looped to the left of the monstrous killers, but her foot caught a patch of loose dirt and she went down. They were on her in seconds, biting and growling. Her high-pitched screams echoed through the night, like a wailing siren for the longest thirty seconds of my life, before abruptly coming to a halt. From my experience, that generally meant the zombies had chewed through her throat. My only hope now was that someone had heard the screams, that Tyler had been able to get help. Still it would take a while for my men to clear the gates and meet the threat head-on. I turned my face back to the stranger, and he seemed to be reading my thoughts.

  “Less go now,” he sang out to his men. “Wrap up em li’l uns while I send papa fish go sleepabye.”

  The stranger brought his cane up into the moonlight giving me my first clear look. From where I was pinned down I could see it was made of hardwood, carved into the shape of concentric skulls, one on top of the next. It had feathers and bones tied to it with leather straps. The top of the ornate walking stick held a large silver smiling skull piece with dark cracks running through it. I guessed it was more significant than practical, maybe denoting that he was an Alpha tribal chieftain. The stranger flipped the cane around in his hands, holding it like a baseball bat.

  “No mo cry now flip flop. Sleepabye POP!”

  He brought down the metal top of the cane onto my head in a sudden swing. I was powerless to do anything under the heavy web. I felt a burst of sharp pain, and something liquid trickling down my face, then everything went black.

  When I came to, I was in the back of some kind of trailer with a canvas tarp covering it – tightly gagged and bound. I craned my head around to see Scott, Janice, and the rest of the Brat Packerz were all with me, all tied up as well. I could hear the sound of a loud motor, and just barely underneath that the whimpering of the scared kids.

  How did they get so close to our camp with bikes, I wondered? They must have parked them nearby and then crept up on us. Otherwise we would have heard them for sure.

  It didn't matter much now. I was a prisoner of probably the most feared group of savages and cannibals in all of California. It didn't take a genius to figure out this probably wasn't going to end well for any of us. I thought about Felicity as we rode on for what seemed like forever. Would Tyler tell her what had happened to us? Would she be upset now or relieved? Suddenly, a wave of sadness and desperation crashed over me. I hated the thought that I might not see her again, and that we had fought the last day we were together. I hated the thought that it would be her last memory of me, angry and jealous and fighting and mean.

  I've got to get out of here, I thought. I've got to save these kids and get them home and make things right again with Felicity.

  My mind was resolved that I would find a way, no matter what it took. Just as I came to this conclusion, I felt the trailer slow to a roll as the sound of the motors unyielding roar abruptly cut off. This was my chance. Any minute now they would take us out to their camping area, maybe straight to their butcher’s tent. I had to break free right away before their entire tribe surrounded us, because then it would be too late to escape. I thought about the gruesome stories I had heard, but forced the thought from my mind.

  My thoughts raced: Be ready to fight. Remember your training. Remember what Moto taught you.

  The cover of the tarp folded back, and I heard the sound of bikes off in the distance. I saw the stranger looking down at us with his foul smile.

  “Wakey wakey now,” he cooed. “Rise em up and wrap up dem fo da big house.”

  His two accomplices reached in and lifted me by my bound wrists and feet. As I came out of the trailer bed I saw lights in the distance. I was surprised to see that we weren't in the desert in an Alpha camp after all. We were in a parking lot in front of what looked like an old fashioned casino. In the distance bikers rode in small swarms, making circles around roaring fires and hooting and spitting liquor into the flames to make it roar even higher. I felt the cold asphalt on my skin and knew it was my only shot to get free.

  Now!

  I thrashed around, trying to use my bound hands underneath me to help swing my legs forward and knock over my captors with a sweep. I barely tapped the back of their legs and they laughed. The stranger leaned down with a black piece of plastic in his hand. It was almost to my legs when he flicked the switch sending a jolt of electricity arcing across its shiny metal face. I tried to pull away from the Taser, but couldn't. A second later, fire shot through me as I was zapped over and over, on my legs, my butt, and finally an extra long burst right in my gut. The first few shocks were pretty bad, but the last one knocked the breath clean out of me. I panted and gasped, but it felt like I couldn't move air down my throat into my lungs. The pain sang out as it vibrated through my electrocuted muscles. At last I got a gulp of air. My eyes watered, and I managed
a shallow pant like a wounded animal.

  I was rolled over on my side, and then a metal pole was tied to my already numb hands and feet. Then I was lifted up like a prize hog on display before a barbeque. For good measure, the stranger leaned over and zapped me once more, this time in the jugular. Helplessly, I thrashed about while white light obscured my vision and my teeth locked shut in blinding pain. The pain was as magnificent as it was terrible. It had its own architecture, like a city built of anguish and suffering, with unimaginable peaks of pure, shrill agony. I thought for sure I would die from what was happening to me and then, without warning, it simply ceased. My body went limp, my mind slipping away too, and I felt a slight trickle of blood leak from my nose. I was too far gone to even care.

  I slipped in and out of consciousness for a while, picking up only pieces of what was happening. As I came to, I was loosely jerked back and forth while being carried toward 'da big house' at the end of the parking lot. I remember seeing a man with a long black beard spitting alcohol at a patch of burning tires. I remember seeing men on bikes zoom past us, one of them nearly falling over as he leaned in to spank me, his friends crowing with laughter. I remember seeing the bright insides of the big house, and the golden tiled ceiling, and girls painted up like dolls. I stared at one of them as we came to a stop, not understanding where I was or what was happening. Her face held no expression at all.

  I wonder how she hides her feelings so well, I thought from somewhere far away inside. That is a useful trick.

  “You can't bring him in here,” a high female voice shrilly shrieked. “It's against Mistress's rules.”

  “Yes um can boo boo,” the stranger said with a chuckle. “Anjoo no gonna stop me down so move ah da wey now.”

  “It's all right,” another woman's voice called out from across the room. “Let them pass. We'll sort this out after they've had a chance to get situated.”