by Garth Ono
The last one she shot was back on his feet. The other three were almost on her too.
Kate cut right, ducked under another one reaching for her, and ran toward the road. All four came after her extremely fast, but she got some breathing room.
"Is the drac controlling them?"
Kate did a quick scan of the area. She didn't see any more zombies, much less the vamp. Of course, he could be hiding just inside the treeline. Her headlights didn't penetrate the dark forest.
"You bloated blokes are on my last nerve," she said, while reloading Lupara. "I should ask Sheriff Coleman if it's okay for me to buy and use a machine gun. Buckshot just isn't doing it for me tonight."
A police car, lights and siren filling the night, skidded to a stop just short of them. The zombies all looked at it. They couldn't resist movement. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Kate's lips, as she charged forward and opened fire.
Boom. Boom.
Two zombies were knocked to the ground. She released the shotgun, and in a flash the machete was back in hand. No feigning. No hesitation. Kate raced straight to the closest rotter, leapt into the air, and brought that razor-sharp blade around in a savage stroke. He threw an arm up to defend. She took off that raised arm and his head.
"How many are there, Kate!" Deputy Doge asked.
"Just these left," she said as he opened fire.
The rotter to her far right staggered, and then turned on the deputy. She turned to the one on her left, lashed out with a kick to his chest to send him staggering back, before she moved in and took out both knees. With him disable, she could focus on the others.
"Wait a minute, how many are there?" she muttered. "I've lost count."
The two she shot down were getting back up. Kate took off one of their heads while he was stooped over. That left three to go.
"Stop shooting them, Deputy Dog! You have to cut off the rotter's head!"
All cops along the Mississippi River were required to carry machetes. They all encountered zombies every now and then. The deputy should know better than to waste his ammo on them like that. The state's sheriff departments all received extensive training in fighting zombies.
When Deputy Doge turned to get his machete out of the trunk, Kate called out, "Hey, zombie, zombie, zombie. Look at me!"
The rotter stopped and looked back at her. Kate pulled her 9mm, winked at him, and shot him in the head.
"Ouch, bet that hurt."
He charged her.
And then all three of them were charging her. Okay, one was on hands and leg-stumps, but he was going after her. She calmly holstered the pistol, waited another second until they were right on top of her, before she ducked and charged through the gap between them. Then Kate slowly backed toward the police car's bright lights.
"Hey, zombie, zombie, zombie!"
All three turned toward her. The crawler moved remarkably fast considering his condition.
"Are you friggin out of our mind?" Deputy Doge cried.
"Have you been talking to my parents, Randy?" He just looked at her incredulously. She winked. "Okay, Deputy Dawg, here they come. Circle around and hit them from the side."
To his credit, Randy didn't hesitate. He took off running in a loop, coming at the zombies from the right rear. The closest one stopped and turned on him. That left Kate the other two, one of which was crippled.
"What the bloody hell?" Kate shouted to get their full attention. "Stupid misogynistic rotters!"
She could see two more cop cars racing toward us. They'd arrive late. As usual.
The whole zombie reached her first. She sliced from right to left, taking off both hands just below the elbows. That didn't stop or slow him in the least. He slammed into her, forcing Kate up onto the hood of the police car.
"Uggh! Stupid bugger," she screamed. "That hurt."
Kate lashed out with both feet, knocking him back. She rolled off the side of the car, and then charged the zombie. He went after her like he still had arms. The zombie slayer swung her machete with all she had, taking his head and left shoulder completely off. And then she chopped off the last zombie's head.
Deputy Doge was cleaning his machete off on the zombie he slayed.
"Well done, Deputy Dog."
He stopped, looked around at the other seven dead zombies, "Yeah, right."
And that's when Sheriff Coleman and a State Trooper pulled up.
"Do you guys mind walking around the house to ensure there aren't any more?" Kate asked. "I just need a second to catch my breath."
The Trooper volunteered. Sheriff Coleman looked her, and then his deputy over. Then he looked around at all of the corpses.
"I count eight," the sheriff said. "Well done, you two. How many did you kill, Kate?"
She hesitated. By the deputy killing one, her bounty dropped from $400 to $350. Still, not bad for a night's work. She'd had weeks where she didn't earn that much.
"She killed them all," Deputy Doge said. "I got here just as she beheaded the last one."
Sheriff Coleman gave him a sharp look, paused to light a cigarette, and then glanced at the zombie the deputy actually killed. He was off away from the others, and the deputy had been over there when the sheriff pulled up. He didn't look convinced.
"So, can I get paid tonight?" Kate asked.
"No. Bring the heads in tomorrow," Sheriff Coleman said.
"I can't take those heads home. Mr. Rose will kick me out of my apartment."
"He won't know."
Kate looked at the two deputies, and then at the State Trooper knocking on the Gilbert's door. They might've been watching from a window, too. "People talk. He'll find out."
Sheriff Coleman scowled at her, then sighed. "Okay, bag them and I'll take them. Come in tomorrow morning and I'll pay you the bounties."
"I'll need a receipt or voucher."
Hysterical crying came from the house. The State Trooper was speaking to Mayor Gilbert. It occurred to Kate that she called her to do a job. That meant the Gilberts owed Got Zombies? a service call fee.
"What are the chances she'll pay my fee?" Kate asked.
Sheriff Coleman chuckled. "Send her a bill, but show you aren't charging full price. I know Nicole well. She'll challenge the fee since you had help, but will pay a reduced fee just because she thinks you gave her a discount."
"Good idea," she said. "If you ever want to go into business…"
As the sheriff left to speak with Mayor Gilbert, she studied the dark forest surrounding the Gilbert place. There could be a vampire out there. He would not be happy about them killing all of his undead minions. And if true, then Kate and Deputy Doge just wiped out almost half of his known horde.
"Very impressive, Kate," Randy said, suddenly looming over her.
"Thank you," she said, catching his eyes for a second. Then she rose up on her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Thank you for everything."
Chapter 6
Mongrel glared at the police cars with their red, white, and blue flashing lights. He never liked cops. Now he had an even better reason to avoid them. Cops and minions didn't mix well. But he had a bigger problem.
Kate Brokenshire.
She looked incredible in the flashing light. Earlier, he'd watched in amazement as she took out the zombies Alex gave him for the raid. The huge minion knew Kate was a zombie slayer, and even earned a living at it, but that was the first time he'd seen her in action.
Part of him knew he should've jumped into the fight. Seeing him might've surprised her, maybe even causing her to drop her guard long enough for a zombie to take her out. Alex would've been pleased if she'd been captured alive so the vamp could claim another minion. Yet, he didn't do it. And he didn't know why.
"Sentiment?"
Just over a month back, before he left on his ill-fated Glory Road run with the club, Kate had gone down to Memphis to visit Haley. She and Haley kind of looked alike, in a sisterly way, and he'd always had a thing for Haley. On her last night in Memphis,
he saw a spark of interest in Kate's eyes.
He sighed, "What a night."
Visions of Kate drunk and dancing filled his thoughts. The seduction went better than anticipated, probably because she wanted him as much as he wanted her. And they were both roaring drunk. But Mongrel never had any doubt he'd nail her fine ass. Hell, he'd fucked Haley many times. Those two were like peas in a pod. What surprised him was Kate being a virgin.
Kate was his first and only virgin.
Thinking about that hot, sultry night in Memphis stirred almost forgotten feelings. And stirred other things down below, too. Mongrel wanted her so badly, but he belonged to Alex now. A vampire's minion wasn't allowed to indulge in his own pleasures. And if he captured her for Alex, it would be the vamp's bed Kate warmed.
He looked at the house. It was a mistake targeting them. Their home was too well locked up at night. Maybe a daylight attack would succeed, but that was up to the drac to decide. Mongrel obeyed his master. Alex wanted the woman, Nicole Gilbert. The minion didn't know why, and it wasn't important. Obedience was everything. His only purpose was to obey and get Alex anything he wanted.
That's not going to happen tonight, he thought.
Kate captured his attention again when she kissed the cop, and then started bagging the heads of the dead zombies. The deputy watched her with desire-filled eyes, before he started filling out some paperwork. After she bagged the heads, Kate put them in the sheriff's trunk. The deputy she kissed handed her a receipt or something. She left.
Mongrel's eyes narrowed as he glared at the deputy. Hate burned deep for that man. Then the sheriff joined the deputy. He hadn't realized Sheriff Coleman was such a big man. A worthy opponent. Maybe Alex would let him take the sheriff out with his bare hands.
First, though, he wanted to strangle the life out of that damned deputy.
Turning away, the ex-biker moved through the night forest with ease. He'd grown up in wooded country, very similar to the land around Tennyson. In many ways he felt more at home in the woods, whether day or night, than in the city.
It didn't take long for Mongrel to reach the old sawmill. Alex was waiting impatiently. He didn't look pleased to see Mongrel return empty-handed.
"Where is Nicole Gilbert?" Alex asked. He looked past his minion, and the emptiness that followed him. "Where are my zombies?"
Mongrel sighed. "Gone. The Gilbert house was locked up like a fucking castle. We couldn't break through in time," Mongrel said.
"In time?"
"She called the police and a zombie slayer," he said. "Kate Brokenshire showed up and slaughtered the rotters. I've never seen anything like it. Honestly, I thought we had her so many times." He looked around uncomfortably, and then shrugged. "Kate's far better than I ever gave her credit for."
~ ** ~ ** ~
Alex Cray scowled Mongrel. He wondered if Kate Brokenshire was the woman that his sentries chased off earlier that day. She fought off his zombies far too easily to just be a curious teenager. Also, the intruder had been especially well-armed. And now Mongrel had reported Kate took out seven members of his horde.
"You say you know her?"
"Yes, sir," the ex-biker said.
"How well?"
"Not that well, but we did have a one-night stand about a month back," he said. "She's the sister of a good friend."
"She's a slayer?"
"Yes. Kate is the main zombie slayer in the county," Mongrel said.
"Interesting," he said. Alex began pacing, considering his options. He had big plans for Tennyson, but the police and that slayer were going to be a problem. "I still need Mayor Gilbert and her whole family, but we'll have to deal with the police and the zombie slayer, too."
Mongrel sucked in a breath, but made no objections. Alex studied him a long moment. The big man was his primary source of nourishment, but one minion wasn't enough to provide him with the blood he needed to survive. He was hoping Mayor Gilbert and her family would be kneeling before him by that time, his blood cow minions, so he could feed on them and start a blood herd, minions who sole purpose was feeding his hunger.
"I want you to take a dozen zombies, and wait in ambush for Mayor Gilbert to open up her house for the day," Alex said. "Grab her as she's heading out to work in the morning. Try to not kill too many of them."
"Yes, sir."
"Kneel, minion," Alex commanded.
Mongrel dropped to his knees without hesitation. Alex paced around him, his boots loud on the unfinished floor. His minion was emotionless as he waited. The drac wondered what went through his mind during these moments. Did minions care?
Grabbing the hair on top of Mongrel's head, he jerked it to the side to expose his neck. His heightened senses could almost smell the blood gushing through Mongrel's arteries and veins. Alex's mouth watered. His hunger grew, becoming too much to bear.
"Bring me prisoners to feed on, Mongrel," he whispered. Lowering his face to the ex-biker's neck. "Give me a blood herd, and I might let you keep that Kate girl as a plaything."
The vampire's fangs slowly penetrated the minion's throat. Hot blood spurted into his mouth, making him feel almost alive.
"Ooooh," Mongrel said softly. "Kate. I'd like that."
Once his appetite was sated, Alex pulled away. Mongrel had to apply pressure to his bleeding neck until the bleeding stopped. The vampire felt invigorated.
"After you deliver the Gilberts, then you'll take my horde into town and kill the sheriff and his deputies," Alex said. "The town needs to understand I will not tolerate defiance."
Chapter 7
Kate headed over to the Sheriff's Office at 8 AM sharp. She wanted to get her money, deposit it in the bank, and buy some groceries before her sister and friends showed up. And no one was there. Deciding Sheriff Coleman must have gone out on a call, she headed over to the diner to wait. There was a table with a straight line view of the sheriff's front door.
Her friend Morgan was waiting on the town's house painter and his assistant. Most of the diner's dozen tables were occupied. Kate sat by the front window and waited.
"Good morning. I'm Morgan and I'll be your waitress," her friend said. They grinned at each other. "What can I get you, O woman who abandoned me to wait on all of these people by myself?"
"Good morning, Morgan," she said, jumping up to hug her. "I think you've had too much coffee this morning."
Sitting back down, she crossed her legs and glanced down the street to the sheriff's office. Lights still out, so she picked up the menu.
"No such thing as too much coffee."
Morgan was a natural blonde, and naturally obnoxiously perky. Coffee made it worse. She got super hyper on coffee if she drank more than two cups.
Kate pretended to peruse the menu. "Mmm, chamomile tea, please, and do you have anything healthy to eat? Anything at all?"
"We have coffee and greasy crap."
"Sounds lovely. Breakfast sandwich and orange juice," Kate said. "Let's just pretend I patted your bum to keep up appearances."
"Ah, but sexual harassment's my favorite part of the job," she said with a wink. "How's business treating you?"
"Good this week. Last week, and the one before that, not so much," she said. "But I have some good prospects for the rest of the week. Speaking of, has Daphne spoken to you about Saturday night?"
"Yes! She called me last night. I'm all in for a night at Wild Willie's," Morgan said. "This girl was born to dance."
Tennyson only had one dance club, if you didn't count Crazy Girls Bar just outside of town. Kate set the plan in motion the previous night while speaking with Daphne on the phone. They'd all been working too hard and long, so needed a night of dancing and flirting with boys.
Morgan was called away by another table. Kate noticed the sheriff's office was lit up. Someone was finally there. Her skin tingled at the prospect of collecting all that money. Business was finally starting to pick up again. It came in spurts. But there was no hurry. The bank didn't open for another hour, so Kate f
elt a little pressed for time. Knowing Haley, she and her girls were already on the road up from Memphis. It wouldn't take long before they arrived.
"Maybe I should grocery shop, and then worry about depositing the money later," she muttered.
The afternoon would be occupied with scouting out the drac's hidey hole and making plans. Haley and her friends might be party girls on steroids, but they were fast and efficient kickass zombie slayers, too. Things would happen fast after they arrived.
The diner was too busy for Morgan to chat, so Kate did more research on vampires and the abandoned sawmill while she waited for her food. She noticed Mayor Gilbert drive by and wondered if she should go over to city hall and personally deliver the bill for the previous night's call. Then breakfast arrived.
By the time Kate left the diner, it was a quarter to nine. Deputy Rumpstead entered the diner and she surrendered her table to him.
"Is Sheriff Coleman in?" she asked.
"Sure is," Deputy Rumpstead said. He was a big man of fifty, and a veteran cop. Unfortunately, he'd let himself go to seed, with a gut bigger than the sheriff's. "Nice work last night, Kate."
"Thanks, but I had a little help from my friends in uniform," she said.
Stepping out of the diner, Kate paused and looked around. There was an odd tension in the air. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Frowning, she headed over to get paid. Kate was about halfway to the sheriff's office when she spotted the rotter.
The zombie went into the sheriff's office, followed by three more.
"Zombies!" she screamed, racing for the back of her truck.
People began running into the closest door and locking themselves inside. People living in and near the Zombie Lands learned to react quickly, or suffered the consequences. Deputy Rumpstead was outside, pistol in hand, by the time Kate armed up.
"They're going into the sheriff's office. At least four rotters," she called. "Hurry!"
Gunfire erupted inside the office. Kate and the deputy took off running toward the sounds of battle. Five more came around the corner and confronted them.