Zombie Attack! Box Set (Books 1-3)

by Devan Sagliani

The doll woman in front of me stepped to the side. I opened my mouth to speak, but the sounds that came out didn't make any sense. I was thinking clearly, but somehow my mouth wasn't responding right. Then I felt another hard blow to the back of my head and I sank down into darkness, my mind desperately holding on to the stabbing shards of throbbing pain as I tried to remain conscious.

  When I woke up, I was tightly chained to a large four cornered poster bed with a fresh strip of towel tied in my mouth. The doll girl sat next to me on the bed. She put her finger to her lips, signaling for me not to make noise, then took the gag out of my mouth.

  “Don't get me in trouble,” she pleaded. “Don't make me regret offering to look after you.”

  I licked my dry lips and attempted to speak.

  “Thank you,” I said in a raspy whisper. “Where am I?”

  “You are nowhere now,” she said, a sad look crossing her face. “They call this place Hellfire. It was made after Z Day by outlaws and criminals, like their own mini version of Vegas without having to leave their backyard. It's in between Barstow and the Mojave, which makes it a perfect destination for Alphas to trade with Unity Gang and the Warriors.”

  “I thought they only met at Alpha camps,” I said, my voice a hoarse whisper.

  “Too many killings,” the doll girl said, shaking her head. “Bikers don't trust the tribes anymore. There were too many suspicious incidents out in the badlands. There is even talk of Alphas selling wanted Unity members to military spies.”

  “Nonsense,” I said without thinking. She jerked her head to me and looked me up and down again, examining my uniform with her soft, petite hands.

  “That's probably why they wanted you kept alive,” she said, the light of her new realization spreading across her face as she spoke. “You're one of them! I'll bet they think they can use you to barter.”

  “Who does? The Alphas?”

  “No,” she said softly, leaning in and looking around before whispering the rest of her reply. “Unity Gang.”

  “They're here?” I thrashed anew at my bindings, but she put her finger to her lips.

  “Please,” she said. “Don't get me in trouble with my Mistress.”

  “Listen,” I said, stopping as I realized I still didn't know who she was. “What's your name?”

  “Airi Tsuki,” she replied politely. “It's Japanese for sweet lover's moon. Mistress gave it to me.”

  She seemed so docile, so pleasant, that it was hard to imagine how she had ended up in this place. It was almost as if she was a very convincing robot programmed to give pleasing responses.

  “Listen Airi,” I continued, “I can't be here when the Unity Gang arrives. It's much worse being a military officer than you know. They're going to torture me to death, then probably feed me to the zombies.”

  “I'm so sorry to hear that,” she said. “What can I do?”

  “I need you to untie me first,” I said, holding out my hands.

  “Sorry,” she said, looking genuinely concerned. “I can't do that. My Mistress would be very upset with me.”

  “To hell with her feelings,” I shouted, calming down when I saw the look of fear in Airi's eyes. “Don't you understand? They're going to kill me!”

  “I don't think so,” she said, sounding so old all of a sudden. “At least not at first anyway. After you were brought upstairs Mistress got really angry at the Alphas that brought you here. She said you were not to be damaged in any way or the bounty wouldn't be valid. She said you had to be in good enough condition for them to trade you as well, and that what happened between hand offs wasn't her problem, so long as you started out whole.”

  “Trade me? Why on Earth would the Unity Gang want to trade me to somebody?”

  My mind raced, wondering what kind of new network of nefarious connections could have grown like a virus in my absence from the coast. How far had Unity Gang come since hooking up with the Warriors? Were they now colluding with independent despots?

  After Z Day not everyone went looking for help. Paramilitary communities made up of paranoid former soldiers, and some too crazy to be enlisted, sprang up in the middle of the chaos. These city nations refused to acknowledge the authority of the United States government and submit to military control. They were a thorny issue for us for sure. Attacking them would be bad for morale in just about every way, but sooner or later they'd have to be reclaimed, and depending on what had occurred inside their heavily guarded walls, judged for their transgressions. No general that I had met was even willing to discuss it. The unspoken policy seemed to be to simply ignore it for the time being, and let the next guy in line deal with it. There were plenty of other issues to take care of first. In the meantime these city nations operated with impunity, some with almost as much firepower as we had at our disposal. They made their own arrangements with outlaw bikers and gang members based on what was good for them, with no regard to military rule of law.

  “She said a name,” Airi whispered, her eyes drifting up and to the left like she was trying to remember, “it's on the tip of my tongue.”

  “A name? Good. That's good.” I leaned forward, but the restraints held me in place.

  “I can't remember what it was.”

  “Close your eyes,” I suggested. “Just let everything go blank in your mind. Let go.”

  “Okay.”

  “Now think about the first moment you saw me,” I coached her. “Can you see it in your mind?”

  “Yes,” she said, sounding excited.

  “Okay now let the scene just run in your mind,” I said. “What do you see?”

  “I see the man hitting you on the head again.”

  I felt a sting in the back of my skull at the words. I knew the dull headache I had was going to be with me for a while. After the blows I'd taken, I felt lucky not to have a concussion.”

  “What next?”

  “The men take you upstairs past my Mistress. She's mad. She's yelling in his face. Usually if Mistress is unhappy with someone they don't live long, at least around here. She looks really unhappy.”

  “Please try to stay focused,” I urged her. “My life depends on it. The words. Think of the words. What is she saying?”

  “ She's mad because Unity Gang is supposed to trade you for something they want but can't get, and if you're a brain-damaged vegetable they won't be able to do that. She yells that at him. Hey, this is amazing! I can't believe this is working. It's fun.”

  Yeah, I thought, fighting back my anger at her indifferent attitude toward me being traded like livestock to people who clearly wished me harm. It's real fun. Let me know if you want to switch places.

  “You said she mentioned a name. Think. What was the name you heard?”

  “John,” she spat out without further hesitation.

  “John? Are you sure about that?”

  “Yes,” she said, smiling and opening her eyes wide. “I remember now. It was John from Lompoc. That's who Unity Gang is going to trade you to, but they never said what they would be getting.”

  I felt a deep sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach at the words. So John wanted to get his revenge for what I'd done to Tank.

  Hell, I thought, he probably blames me for what went down with Bruiser as well, but that's not my fault either. If anything, that's on the Parker twins.

  John ran a paramilitary town, not unlike other new towns outside military control, up in Lompoc. On my trip from Vandenberg to Hueneme I'd been picked up by him and his men while they were doing patrol sweeps. John had taken me in, given me a hot shower and a plate of bacon, and lavished praise on me – all in an effort to try to get me to stay and fight for his cause. He and his friends had worked tirelessly to reclaim the city from Unity Gang and keep them at bay in a never-ending struggle that often boiled over, costing lives and resources. John was a charismatic leader, always quick with a speech for any occasion. He didn't appreciate me refusing to sign up to be his right hand man, and neither did his second-in-command – a muscle b
ound monster and self-confessed white supremacist named Tank. Using his gorgeous daughter, Tammy, to deliver a false message of hope, Tank had tricked me into a trap, then nearly strangled me to death. I'd managed to escape, along with Benji, but in the end John had abandoned his men to a zombie horde, losing Tank in the process while we'd slipped out of his grasp.

  “Is that bad?” Airi prodded, looking freshly concerned by my reaction to giving me John’s name.

  “Yeah,” I managed. “That's bad.”

  The thought of going back to New Lompoc and being traded to John filled me with dread. If he wanted me bad enough to give something to his sworn enemies in exchange for me, then that meant he had plans for what he'd be doing with me once I arrived. Unity Gang was going to giftwrap me and leave me under the tree, if the Alphas didn't maim or kill me before the handoff.

  “I'm sorry.”

  “Airi, I know what I'm going to ask you is crazy,” I started, watching the expression on her face go from sad to distrustful, “but my life depends on it. I need you to untie me and let me go.”

  “You don't understand,” she said, violently shaking her head from side to side. “I can't disobey. I'm the property of my Mistress.”

  “What do you mean by property?”

  “She owns me. I was sold by my father to her several years ago, and I've worked here ever since.”

  “What do they make you do?” I felt a burning coal of anger rise up in me at the thought of this kind girl being exploited.

  “Mostly entertain the guests,” she said. “I am here to fulfill any desire my Mistress may have of me. Tonight she's given me the duty of watching over you for our new visitors. She gave me explicit instructions not to untie you, as a matter of fact. She said you were very valuable and would be worth your weight in gold. But then I saw how you were choking on your gag and I wanted to help you breathe. Maybe I should put it back in now?”

  Airi stood up and leaned toward me.

  “Wait,” I pleaded, making the biggest puppy dog eyes I could up at her. It worked, because she then froze in place and sighed, clearly disappointed in herself. “Untie me and I will take you with me. I promise. I can get you someplace safe, not too far from here, someplace you can start over.”

  “Why do I listen to you?” She said in a huff. “It doesn't matter if you are cute, you're still just a boy and soon you'll be gone like the rest of them. I must obey my Mistress or I will be whipped – or worse, sold to a pack of Alphas.”

  “You can trust me,” I urged, pleading with my eyes.

  Before she could answer there was a loud bang in the house from somewhere below us, and then the sound of a woman running and screaming.

  “They're here,” Airi whispered. She froze like a statue, her lower lip trembling. I could hear some fresh commotion in the hallway, the sound of men yelling and crying out. It sounded like they were cursing a woman.

  Maybe she's double-crossed them, I thought. Maybe the Mistress is going to try to sell me to a higher bidder. Hopefully they'll take each other out in all the fighting, like a Quentin Tarantino movie!

  Someone tried the handle of the door, violently shaking it and pounding hard blows against the heavy wood, but Airi sat unflinching – her face etched in terror! She lunged across the small gap dividing us, and hastily stuffed the gag back into my mouth.

  “No wait,” was all I managed to get out before she had it tied back around my head again. The door behind her began to splinter as someone using a long handled ax began to cut through it. Ariel screamed in fear as the sharp blade poked through. There was more screaming now as Alphas began running through the halls. Three loud gunshots boomed out from behind the door.

  A small, gloved hand reached through the hole and unlocked the door, letting it swing open. I was ready for anything to step through that portal – zombies, Unity Gang members, Nazi's, – but I wasn't ready for what came next. A stunningly beautiful woman with long, strawberry blonde hair, tied in thick braids that swung around her as she moved, stepped into the room. She had an ax in one hand and a blunderbuss in the other. I recognized the strap around the front of her and knew before she turned around that she'd somehow managed to recover my katana.

  Thank God for small miracles, I thought. I'd be so lost without it.

  She was clad in a skintight suit made from hand-stitched sections of leather with armored pieces sewn in. The armor looked like it was made from lightweight metal strips painted matte black and set into double-sided fire hose. Her sleeves shimmered with a mist of flexible metal cording, something like chainmail, to prevent the biting teeth of the undead from finding purchase. She had thigh-high boots that bent with her curvy figure. They were covered with sharpened bolts and pins, facing out like porcupine quills. They were also dotted with patches of metal shards, made from what looked like shredded aluminum cans, making the idea of just accidentally bumping into her sound like an excruciatingly painful experience. Around her neck she wore a solid metal ring that attached to her front like a collar. A dark black mask concealed the top portion of her face with her piercing emerald eyes brilliantly sparkling through two slits.

  “My name is Sonya,” she said, holding out her hand. “This is a rescue. Now get the hell up!”

  Chapter Seven

  “Well?” My green-eyed savior sounded impatient with me. “Don't just lie there. Get up and let's get moving!”

  Can she not see that I'm tied up here? I felt like screaming…which gave me an idea. I yelled into my gag and rolled over, falling off the bed. Unable to right myself, I rolled toward her dangerous legs.

  I may not be able to stand up, I thought, but I'm not going to give her any reason to leave me behind!

  “Sweet heavens grant me patience,” she sputtered, realizing I was still unable to stand. In one movement she ripped the gag from my face and set to untying my bindings. Airi quivered in the corner, afraid to even look up at the woman warrior. Her dainty fingers trembled as she covered her eyes.

  I gasped as the blood rushed back into my sore hands and feet. I tried to stand up, but my feet were asleep from loss of circulation, and I tumbled forward.

  “We don't have much time,” she admonished me. “Any minute now word is going to reach the savages in the parking lot what we're up to, and then all hell is really going to break loose. Unity gang riders were already arriving. That's why I made my move to spring you early.”

  She held her gloved hand out to me and I took it, fighting back tears as feeling flooded back into my extremities. I started toward the door.

  “What are you doing?”

  I turned to see her glaring at me in disbelief.

  “Going out for a slice of pizza! What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making a break for it like you said.” I couldn't hold back the sarcasm in my voice.

  “Listen cowboy,” she said, shifting her hips and crossing her arms. She was unbelievably beautiful, even with the derisive tone in her unflinching voice and her condescending glare fixed on me. “If you want to try to run through an entire pack of armed and dangerous Alphas, not to mention caterwauling courtesans trying to cat scratch your eyes out, be my guest. Hell, the Head Mistress will more than likely slice your throat open before you even reach the top of the stairs, that is if she ever comes to. I did hit her awfully hard.”

  “You think you've got a better plan?” I could feel the anger bringing me back to life. I had a pounding headache from where I'd been hit. I just wanted to get out of Hellfire in one piece. The last thing I needed was a lecture. “Fine. Let's hear it.”

  “Amateur,” she scoffed, pushing past me. I leaned away to avoid coming in contact with her insane metal pants. She walked to the window and carefully slid it open, being cautious not to give our escape route away.

  “I'll take my blade back now,” I said. “I'm going to need it.”

  She leaped to the ledge with the silent grace of a feline. She turned to me, her eyes shimmering as her curves came into stunning relief, a breathtaking silhouett
e against the soft, full moon.

  “Not just yet,” she smiled. “I don't want you getting into any more trouble.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get a word out she had fallen out of sight. I rushed to the window placing both hands on the frame and leaning over to look down. It was a solid four-foot drop to the roof, which was dotted with humming air conditioning units that made a tremendous racket as they turned. Sonya smiled up at me from a three-point crouch.

  “You coming or not?”

  I looked back at Airi. Her big doll eyes were blank as they stared at me. Whatever had happened to her in this place had changed her forever. She was as pale as a ghost, and had a resigned expression on her powdered face.

  This is her home now, I thought. It's all she knows. That's why she can't leave.

  I couldn't take her with me, and even if I did she would just find her way back. Her “Mistress,” as she called her, was like a warped parent figure to her now. I turned away without a word, bracing myself and climbing up and out the window.

  Don't draw attention to yourself, I chastened silently.

  I lowered myself from the windowsill, trying not to land on my sore ankle. To my surprise, it worked. We raced to the edge of the roof and peered over. Just as she had predicted, it was total chaos outside. Bikers hooted and hollered back and forth, some running in circles and uselessly waving their arms. The more sober riders made a beeline for the front door, never bothering to look up. As they passed below, I couldn't help but think of my third grade trip to the zoo, how we sat above the fence line watching as a herd of wild monkeys flashed past us toward their trainer at feeding time.

  “When I give you the word, I want you to jump down and roll forward,” Sonya instructed. “I will be right in front of you when you come back up to your feet. All you have to do is stay on my heels. Whatever happens, do not stop! Got it?”

  My pride felt stung by the harshness of her words, worse than it ever had at a barbed taunt from a Brat Packer. Despite the fact that she'd found me bound and gagged, I was not a helpless victim. Far from it. I was a legend! People I'd never met had heard about me taking on a field of zombies for my friends, and making it out alive! Who was she to talk this way to me?