Zombie Attack! Box Set (Books 1-3)

by Devan Sagliani

  “How's your head feeling?”

  “It's sore, but I think I'm gonna live,” I said. “For now anyway.”

  “Glad to hear it,” she smiled. “I'm not sure what I'd do without you.”

  “Anything good left in the fruit basket?”

  She grabbed the wicker container off the table and swung it over to me, setting it in my lap. I grabbed a tomato and bit into it raw. It was sweet and juicy. I could feel it dribbling down my chin. I wiped the juices with the back of my hand and giggled.

  “Same thing happened to me,” she laughed. We stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, then she looked away as the smile slid off her face.

  “So what are we going to do about the girl next door?”

  The image from my dream of Sonya riding away on Black Beauty came back clearly for one moment, then faded.

  “Is she still here?”

  “She stopped snoring about an hour ago, but she didn't leave. I'm pretty sure I'd know. She's loud enough.”

  “Can she hear us?”

  “Not if we keep our voices down. I'm not sure that it really matters at this point. There are a lot of questions we need to ask her and the sooner we get to them the better off I'm going to feel, no matter what the answers are.”

  “I'm not even sure where to start,” I admitted, still feeling guilty about suspecting the woman who'd risked her life to save mine of being up to no good.

  “We can start with how she knew you were at Hellfire,” Felicity insisted. “Then maybe work our way back to why the military thinks she's a fugitive from justice, a thief, and oh yeah, don't let me forget, an assassin!”

  “I've got a feeling about her I can't quite put my finger on,” I confessed.

  “Oh, I'm sure you do,” Felicity said, shaking her head and crossing her arms in anger. “The same feeling that all the other guys in town got when they saw her marching around in her underwear in broad daylight.”

  “Will you knock it off ?!” I whooped. “I'm being serious here. I feel like I know her from somewhere, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like she reminds me of someone and I'm trying to remember who.”

  “Xander, how can we trust her? That's the only question you should be asking yourself right now. She could be planning to sell you for the bounty on your head. We could all be in grave danger because of her past, and all you can say is that she reminds you of someone? I know you got hit hard in the noggin, baby, but you need to snap out of it.”

  I could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew she'd probably gone too far. She was letting her own insecurities get the best of her, despite lecturing me about the same things. She bit her lip and waited, bracing herself for my inevitable explosion and the ensuing knockdown drag out argument that always came with it. But instead of anger and jealousy, all I saw was the depth of the love we shared in that moment, and the fear she had of anything taking away our hard won happiness. She wasn't fighting with me, not really. She was fighting for me, for us, and she was willing to risk getting me angry to make me see the whole picture. My heart felt like it would burst as a fresh wave of emotion crashed over me.

  I truly am the luckiest guy in the world, I thought.

  “You're right,” I said, with an easy smile. Her jaw hung open as the words registered and she realized I wasn't going to war with her over a perceived slight. We were beyond those petty disputes now, as long as we stayed focused on what mattered most in the world – each other. I kissed her on the forehead, and she hugged me tight for several moments.

  “So how do we approach her?” she asked, pulling back and staring into my eyes. “Do we just barge over there now, or wait a few days and see if she moves on?”

  “I didn't think we were going to stick around,” I objected. “I thought we were just resting up and hitting the road again. Moto is going to be out of his mind when he finds out we're gone. I don't want him to worry a moment longer than he has to, you know?”

  “Xander, it wouldn't hurt to give yourself a short break,” she said softly. “Just a few days to recover and get back on your feet after what happened. Once you're fully rested you'll be able to make better time anyway. Besides, we have no way of knowing how long the trip will take now.”

  Once again, she was right. Even though I definitely felt better, I was far from back to normal. Who knew what kind of monsters we'd be facing as we journeyed back to Hueneme and the base? Chances were that I'd need all the stamina I could muster to fight off at least one enemy along the way.

  “You're probably right,” I said. “Let's see how tonight goes and play it by ear.”

  “And Sonya?”

  “I think we need to be careful how we handle her,” I replied.

  “No argument there,” Felicity rejoined.

  “If she really is a bounty hunter or a fugitive or an assassin, then cornering her alone in an abandoned wooden house with no witnesses might not be the best idea,” I offered.

  “We can't just go on ignoring the elephant in the room and pretend she's just one of the gang either,” Felicity protested.

  “I think that's exactly what we should do,” I countered, “for the moment anyway. Then when I'm back up to full speed we can figure out the best way to approach her, if she's still around. Like you said, she might slink off if she's up to something nefarious and worried they're closing in on her.”

  “Let's just hope she doesn't slit our throats between now and then,” Felicity said, her voice brimming with indignation.

  “She could have let me die back in Hellfire, or killed me along the way when those bikers were chasing us. For whatever reason, she wants me alive for now. She even risked her life to save my sword when she didn't have any reason to help me. She may not be one of the good guys, but she's not all bad either. I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do, maybe even more. I just don't want to blow our one shot at getting those answers.”

  I sat up and stared into her eyes.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes,” she said, without hesitation.

  “I want us both to agree. I don't want to fight with you anymore. I love you too much to see you hurt over something stupid I might have said. From now on, we don't hold anything back. We make decisions as a team.”

  “As a family,” she softly corrected me.

  “If you want me to march over there and kick the door in right now and demand answers, I will. Just give the word.”

  “No,” she sighed. “You're right. We should wait until we know we're safe before we start rocking the boat. We could both use a few days to recover.”

  “You like it here, don't you?”

  “A town made up of actors all performing for one another and sharing their craft,” Felicity said with yearning in her glistening eyes. “What's not to like?”

  “Speaking of which,” I said, bringing her back down to earth, “I was hoping to get cleaned up and head out into the festival. I’ve gotta admit, I'm more than a little curious about the way things work around here.”

  “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it? You didn't get much sleep.” She gave me a nervous look and bit her lip. Once again, my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. The last few days had been a wild roller coaster ride of emotions. I was glad we were together again, and that my fears and worries of losing her were now gone.

  “I'm sure, baby,” I said. “We won't stay out late. Just long enough to take in the sights.”

  I smiled at her, and the worry lines began to slowly fade from her forehead.

  “The Spooky Sisters came by while you were sleeping and brought us some fresh clothing. They are actually quite nice. They'd like us to stay in character.”

  “What? Why didn't you wake me up?” I wasn't really mad. I just couldn't believe I'd slept through having company.

  You did get hit hard in the head several times, I reminded myself. A flash of the dream came to me once more, an image of Black Beauty's eyes close up, but I forced it out. A shiver
ran down my spine as I closed down the thought.

  “You were out cold,” she said. “I thought if the sound of the boards creaking and groaning didn't wake you up, then nothing would.”

  I looked over to see cowboy boots and a hat, along with a plaid shirt and worn denim jeans. For Felicity, there was a fancy blue dress that shot out at the waist forming a pretty bell shape, and white elbow length gloves.

  “They want us to play dress up?”

  “It's not so bad,” Felicity said. “I think you'll like it. They said Hudson is even willing to loan you a gun if you want one, and the holster.”

  “I don't know,” I protested. I hadn't planned on having to get gussied up. I was never big on formal wear or anything that involved costumes, outside of Halloween. I'd always pretended it was because I was just too cool for that kind of kid's stuff. The truth was, it reminded me of getting dressed up to go to my mom's funeral after she died of cancer. Moto wasn't with us then, it was just my dad and me. I'd never worn a collared shirt and tie before that day. It made me feel like I was choking. We'd never gone to church. The slacks felt too slick on the wooden pew, and the shoes felt like they were biting into my feet. I could feel everyone staring at me, but I was lost and in shock, unable to believe she was really gone. After that, Dad got religious all of a sudden and I had to go to church every week – at least until Yoshi Ishimoto showed up on our front door step, demanding answers.

  “Just try it on and see you how feel,” Felicity pleaded.

  After making a big fuss about it, I ended up doing just that. Surprisingly, the outfit was far more comfortable than I'd imagined it would be.

  “I feel like I'm in a Spaghetti Western,” I complained.

  “Nonsense,” Felicity swore. “You look very handsome. In fact, I think you should consider keeping the boots and hat when we finally leave. They look good on you. Real good.”

  She wasted no time slipping on her sparkly new dress, and managed to make it look amazing without even trying. That part didn't surprise me. She always looked good, even when covered in filth fleeing a zombie horde.

  I turned and pointed my finger at her like it was a gun.

  “Meet me at high noon, partner,” I said through gritted teeth. “Last one standing wins!”

  “I think you're ready now,” Felicity said, looking happier than I'd seen her in months. “I can't wait to try out my new accent.”

  “What about Sonya?”

  “What about her?” Felicity sounded confused by the question.

  “Should we invite her along for the night? I mean, we don't want to arouse any suspicion.”

  The words were barely out of my mouth before the door burst open. Standing in the doorway, outfitted in a dress that matched Felicity's in all but its pale yellow color, was Sonya. She'd pinned up the bottom to keep it from dragging, which revealed the dirty old pair of men's work boots on her feet. She had torn off the shoulders of her dress to allow her arms more movement. Her hair was pinned up into a pile of fierce coils going off wildly in every direction from the crown of her head. Her intense green eyes danced back and forth between us as a smirk formed on her lips.

  “I thought you'd never ask,” she announced. “Gotta love these old wooden houses, but they do get cold in the winter. I'm guessing these here on the end are unoccupied because they're not properly insulated. In fact, if you stand out on the street you can pretty much hear everything a person is saying inside. It's almost like the sound is magnified, the way the houses are backed into the rock, like an amphitheater.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Felicity gulp.

  “Well?” Sonya stared at us, her smile flickering. “What are we waiting for? Let's get going!”

  She turned and stomped loudly off the porch while Felicity and I stared after her in stunned silence. She'd been listening to us the whole time!

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Gold? That's what's in them thar hills?” one of the townsfolk raucously bellowed while coming out of his house. He was dressed up like a dirty prospector, with a pickax over his shoulder and a three-day-old beard covering his grimy face. He stumbled past us in a fake display of drunkenness; the sweet smell of apple juice belied his intoxicated performance, wafting up from his moonshine jug and tickling our noses. He let out a practiced hiccup, and trudged on in search of a more receptive audience.

  Felicity was marching toward Main Street, face red, steam coming out of her ears, with Sonya and me in tow, racing to catch up. I'd barely had time to grab my katana before chasing the girls out the door. I slung it over my back with the strap in front, pulled the cowboy hat over my head, and charged after them.

  “Wait up!” I shouted, but the girls both ignored me.

  All around us Gold Strike City had come to life, as townsfolk bustled to and fro in pioneer garb, each giving their own version of an Old West performance. The improvisational nature of the event resulted in a variety of accents, blended wardrobes that included modern comforts like sneakers, and worst of all, an explosion of hackneyed stereotypes bursting to life in canned monologues. Whenever one performer would stop another would start, and everyone would shift their attention to them, letting them bask in the warm glow of an audience eager to be easily pleased. No one seemed to be concerned with capturing anything more than the spirit of the Old West.

  “Hold on a second,” I shouted once more. “Felicity Jane! Stop!”

  She froze dead in her tracks at the sound of her name, but didn't turn around.

  “We can't go on like this,” I pleaded. “It's time we asked her for the truth.”

  “Ask me anything,” Sonya offered. “I will tell you what I can.”

  “Okay,” Felicity said, wheeling around with blazing eyes. “Why were you eavesdropping on us?”

  “I told you,” Sonya patiently answered, “I was just coming to see if you wanted to go to the festival. I didn't mean to overhear all the horrible things you had to say about me.”

  The girls began moving slowly closer to one another, eyes locked and unblinking. Something in me told me it was best to back away before the fur started flying.

  “Well, as long as the cat's out of the bag, so to speak,” Felicity started.

  “So to speak,” Sonya mimicked her right down to the angle of her head and folded arms.

  “Let's hear it then. How did you know that Xander was at Hellfire?”

  “I was following him,” Sonya said plainly. Felicity looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head at hearing the confession.

  “So you admit it!” Felicity roared.

  “I never said I wasn't,” Sonya spat back. “You never bothered to ask me if I was. In fact, you haven't bothered to ask me anything about who I am. You just started hurling accusations and plotting against me.”

  Despite the truth of her words, Felicity didn't back down an inch.

  “So why were you following him? Tell me that.”

  “I was asked to follow him and keep an eye on him,” Sonya explained.

  Up until then I'd been an innocent spectator in the exchange, watching it all like a bad soap opera drama on daytime television. The words were out of my mouth before I even realized I was speaking.

  “By whom?”

  The girls turned on me, shouting in stereo.

  “Stay out of this!”

  I recoiled at their outburst, but they didn't seem to notice. Both had already turned back, resuming the stare down contest in which they'd previously been engaged, as if they'd never left off for a second.

  “Who told you to follow him?”

  “I can't tell you that,” Sonya said matter-of-factly. I could see the color in Felicity's face turn an even darker shade of red.

  “And just why can't you tell us, Sonya?”

  “Because,” she breathed out with a heavy sigh, “I made a promise that I wouldn't.”

  “To the person who asked you to spy on Xander?”

  “That's right,” Sonya said sanctimoniously. “An
d I always keep my promises, even if right now I'm starting to wish I didn't.”

  “How convenient,” Felicity sneered. “So this person who's asked you to follow my husband around doesn't want us to know who he is? Can you see how maybe we'd have a problem with that?”

  “You're twisting everything up” Sonya said, exasperated. “He does want you to know why he was following you, why he's been keeping tabs on your movements. He just wants to tell you himself when it's safe.”

  “Well that makes me feel so much better,” Felicity replied, her words dripping with sarcasm.

  “He doesn't want to hurt Xander,” Sonya explained. “In fact, he holds him in the highest regard as a warrior. He's proud of the man Xander has become. He talks about it all the time in fact. There. That's more than I should have said. You'll just have to hear the rest from him.”

  “If he thinks so highly of Xander, then why did he send an assassin to monitor his every movement? Explain that to me.”

  “Let's just get this out of the way once and for all,” Sonya said, leaning in toward Felicity and gritting her teeth. “I am not an assassin or a fugitive. I have done nothing wrong. I was set up to take the fall for the death of a great man, with no way left to tell my side of the story. There are powerful forces at work here that you don't understand. You're only seeing one small part of the picture. Trust me, things have gotten a lot more complicated since you moved out to the middle of nowhere.”

  “So the military thinks you're a killer and a fugitive from justice, but it's all just a big misunderstanding?”

  “The military isn't perfect now, is it? Just this morning I recall you and your husband being chained and sent off to be tried for crimes you didn't commit. I'd have thought by now you'd have figured that out.”

  “Who set you up?”

  “I can't tell you that either,” Sonya acknowledged. “Not yet anyway. Look, I know this is hard, but you're just going to have to trust me for now. It's all going to make sense very soon.”

  “When you deliver us to your boss for your ransom? I don't think so.”

  “He's not my boss,” Sonya grinned. “He's my partner. And he would never hurt a hair on either one of your heads. In fact, if it wasn't for him sending me to keep watch over you, Xander would be heading back to New Lompoc right now on the back of a motorcycle and in the hands of a ruthless gang of degenerates.”