by Garth Ono
"Help!" Shea cried when a zombie got behind her and wrapped her up in his arms.
Kate turned, grabbed the hair on the back of the rotter's head to yank it back, and then brought her machete down with a savage, decapitating strike. Then she surged past Shea to stop the others attacking. The blonde turned and charged the other way. They ended up taking each other's place in the formation.
They crippled more than they killed outright.
"Halt!" Simon commanded behind them. "Or I'll kill her."
Everyone froze and turned back toward the log. Simon stood there with a pistol to Haley's head, one arm around her neck. Haley looked more embarrassed than anything.
"Drop your weapons and lift your hands."
Kate sighed dejectedly, and then dropped her machete. Victoria and Shea dropped theirs, too. Zombies seized their arms. The one on Kate's right pulled her pistol out of the holster.
Kate glanced at the pistol in his hand, then at Haley. Their eyes met. Haley gave her the slightest of nods. Almost before it registered, her sister dropped her weight and went straight to the ground. Simon looked down at her, pulling the trigger. He missed by several inches, but everyone's attention was pulled to them.
Kate snatched the pistol out of the zombie's hand even as she twisted free of her captors. She took aim and pulled the trigger, striking Simon in the middle of his forehead. His head snapped back, and then he slowly crumbled to the ground.
And it was pure chaos again.
Kate slowly turned around, shooting all of the zombies around her in the head. That knocked them back a few steps, giving her room to pick up the machete and then lay into them.
She wasn't sure how long it took, but eventually the four zombie slayers were the only ones standing. Kate looked around at all of the carnage, while huffing and puffing, bent over with hands on knees. The others looked just as tired and breathless.
"I count twenty," Victoria finally said. "How much is the bounty?"
"One thousand dollars American," Haley said. "Not bad for a morning's work."
"Awesome," Shea said.
"I know, right?" Victoria replied. "That's like $200 each."
Kate looked at Haley. Her sister grinned with a shrug. "She's got mean math skills."
"No problem. I’ll give her $200 for her share," Kate said.
"What does that mean?" Victoria asked when everyone laughed. Then she pointed, "Where's Simon?"
That sobered them up. The spot where he fell had a puddle of blood soaking into the dirt, but no body. There was no way he could survive that shot in the head.
"Oh shit," Shea said. "I forgot. He was a minion, so when he died…"
"He became a vampire," Kate finished. "Well that's just lovely."
Chapter 18
Sheriff Jedediah Coleman rolled to a stop and parked in front of the Frasier Mansion, and right behind Mayor Gilbert's car. He gave the Victorian mansion a wary look, wondering who else could be inside. The next set of elections for local offices was two years away.
Arthur Frasier called him over the previous night, but an emergency call came in right after. There was a five car pileup on the highway, with multiple serious injuries and one fatality. He wasn't finished with that and the resultant paperwork until after 2 AM.
Old Man Frasier was a nice, generous man, but when he wanted something he wanted it now. Jed was worried he would incur the millionaire's wrath. One didn't cross Arthur and expect to survive unscathed. And one of the reasons Jed had been the local sheriff for so long was Arthur's unwavering political support.
"Better get this over with," he said under his breath.
Just out of habit, the sheriff walked around the front of the mayor's white Lexus. He placed his hand on the hood. Cold. She hadn't driven that in hours. He looked sharply at the house. Did she spend the night there? Was Nicole Gilbert sleeping with Arthur Frasier?
"I don't want to know," he muttered. "None of my business."
He shook his head woefully. If word spread that she spent the night, even if nothing happened, that could be the end of her political career. Jed would have to distance himself to keep from being dragged down with her. It would be tough for their party in the next election.
"I can't believe I'm worrying about elections two years away when I have zombies running amok," he muttered. Jed walked up the sidewalk, looking left and right. Every time he thought of zombies he felt exposed and vulnerable, worried they were sneaking up on him. He didn't like being afraid. It was unnatural. "I need to give Katie a call after this meeting and make sure she's still hunting the vamp, and not partying with those strippers."
Jed couldn't help himself. He didn't like the fact Kate called in help from outside. The people of Tennyson took care of their problems themselves. It didn't help knowing they were biker chicks and ex-strippers turned head hunters in the Zombie Lands. They were just a little older than his daughter, yet all tattooed up and tough, and…wild. So wild and wanton. Those girls were nothing but trouble, and he'd warned Kate's parents about letting her hang out with her half-sister down in Memphis.
Movement above drew his eyes up. Felicity, Mayor Gilbert's youngest, was standing in the window. Her long blonde hair was tousled, and she was topless. Maybe completely nude. His breath caught and the sheriff averted his eyes. What was going on inside there? The Frasier family was one and all good church-going Christians. There's never been even a hint of misconduct or scandal.
"The whole world is going crazy," he said. "We have zombies and vampires stalking the night, with killer strippers running amok and armed to the teeth, and now this. Maybe it's time for me to retire and move to Florida."
His boots were loud as he crossed the deep porch. He rang the doorbell, removed his Sheriff's Department baseball cap, and waited patiently. Within seconds he heard footsteps. Definitely a woman in high heels. Definitely not Mrs. Frasier. He looked through a side window. A shapely, long-haired woman came around the corner. She had a sassy strut, but it took him a moment to realize it was Nicole Gilbert. The mayor was distorted by the heavy glass.
"Good morning, Jed," Nicole greeted him cheerfully. "You're late. Arthur called you over last night."
She was wearing the same clothes as the previous day: beige silk tank, slightly darker pencil skirt, and matching shoes. The sports coat she usually wore was missing, but otherwise she wasn't dressed like he'd expect an adulterous woman would dress.
"Five car fatal crash," he said. Jed didn't feel he needed to answer to her. Besides, he had to explain it all to Arthur and didn't want to repeat himself. "Have you been here all night?"
Heavy footsteps upstairs filled the house for a second. Nicole's flinch was barely noticeable.
"Yes. Why?"
She stepped back and waved him inside. More activity, but downstairs and out of sight. How many were there? He remembered Felicity was upstairs naked. The mayor was a beautiful woman, and had been there all night. For the briefest second he worried they were having an orgy or something.
"No reason," he said. "Is Arthur available right now? I really need to get back to work with a vamp in the area and all."
"I understand," she said. "Don't worry, Jed. This won't take long at all. Promise."
Nicole headed deeper into the vast home. Her heels clattered loudly on the perfectly polished hardwoods. Very distracting, as was her swinging rump. He followed, with his boots almost drowning her footsteps out. All that noise from walking was the reason he insisted on living in a brick home with a concrete slab foundation.
His weight made the floor creak. Jed never liked being inside the Frasier Mansion. Arthur usually met him over at the diner. Bad news was usually delivered in his home, so Jed braced himself.
Nicole led Jed into what the Frasiers called their parlor. It was a small, intimate room and quite comfortable. She stopped behind a chair and patted it.
"Sit here, please," she said. "I'll go get our host."
Even as the mayor's heels faded, Jed heard another pair
of stilettos in the floor above him. That would be the room he spotted Felicity. He was able to follow her footsteps to the grand stairs, then down them, and finally she approached the parlor. His jaw dropped when she walked past him. The beautiful twenty year old had dressed in full Goth girl garb. Her makeup was pale, and her eyes painted black. Her lips were a glossy dark, dark red. And then Mercy entered, similarly dressed and made up.
Jed didn't know what to say. They smirked at him, clearly enjoying the effect they were having on him.
"This is getting too strange for my tastes," he said as he stood up. "Tell Arthur I'll meet with him later."
Jed turned to find two men in the doorway, with the mayor behind them. It took him a moment to realize the men were Alexander Cray and his minion, Mongrel. Felicity pulled his pistol out of the holster a half-second before he reached for it. Then zombies came pouring in around the two men.
"Son of a bitch!" Sheriff Coleman bellowed, trying to fight off the horde.
The room quickly filled with the undead. Their stench was overwhelming and made him nauseous. He continued to fight for his life. The zombies swarmed him. He held his own until one wrapped his arms around Jed's knees, and then he was easily bowled over.
The sheriff was forced to his knees, seven zombies struggling to hold him in place. He finally stopped struggling to look around. The vamp wasn't standing in the door anymore, though the big minion was still there. Nicole stepped up, dropped to her knees, and took his face in both hands. And kissed him.
"Welcome to the family, Jed," she said sultrily.
"What the hell does that mean?" he demanded. "Have you lost your…" He understood. "You're Cray's minion!"
"Bingo. You win," Alexander said from behind him. "Or is it, you lose?"
Jed gasped when a set of fangs penetrated his neck. Hot and cold washed through his body. He mind felt like it was wrapped in wet cotton for the longest time. Everything became fuzzy, confusing, and then suddenly snapped into focus.
He had a purpose. Obey.
"Sheriff Jedediah Coleman, you are mine," Alex said triumphantly. "You may address me as…master."
"Yes, master," Jed said. "I am yours."
Chapter 19
Kate stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her body. She'd let her guests shower first, so it was a quick, cold shower for her. Not quick enough, because the water was very cold, but she felt nasty after that last battle with zombies.
Her wet hair was piled atop her head. She washed it in the kitchen sink while Victoria was showering. Shea was still blowing out her long blonde locks at the bathroom vanity. There was only one hair dryer in the place, and Victoria had first go at it. Kate would have to wait for Shea, and then Haley to finish. By that time her hair would be dry.
She found Haley and Victoria dressed and eating at the table. Between the three of them they'd scarfed down the rest of her frozen waffles. Someone had fried some bacon and scrambled all of her eggs while she was in the shower, too.
"Did you leave anything for me?"
She checked her phone for messages. The sheriff hadn't responded, but she did get a response from the County Coroner's office confirming they retrieved twenty bodies from the logging site.
"There's some eggs in the pan," Haley said. She lifted up a slice of bacon. "And one slice left." Then she bit off half, and offered Victoria the other. The redhead ate it with a wicked little tinkle in her Kelly green eyes. "Oops. Make that no bacon left."
"Sheriff Coleman is right," Kate said. "You're the evil sister, aren't you?"
"Guilty."
She took the time to text Sheriff Coleman again, We have to talk. ASAP
Kate quickly pulled on some jeans and a red Coca-Cola t-shirt. She let her hair down to air dry. It would dry perfectly straight, but that was fine since she was just going to braid it. The windows were open, so there was a nice breeze passing through the apartment. It was still too early for the AC.
"Has Mr. Rose come home yet?"
"No. You worry too much," Haley said. "There's no way he can know you have twenty severed heads in your truck. Besides, I don't know why you're renting when your parents' house is sitting empty across town."
"It's complicated," she said. The family renting the house just hadn't moved in, and there was a chance they might not move to Tennyson when all was said and done. "Speaking of…"
Kate sent her mother a text, asking how she was doing. How was the weather? The usual. It was to ease her parent's minds that she was still alive and kicking, and no zombie had eaten her yet.
Her mother responded immediately with, Splendid. Can't talk now. Call us this evening.
Perfect.
"You should sleep with Walter," Victoria said. "That would solve all of your worries."
"I don't know a Walter," Kate replied. "Who is it?"
"Walter Rose. Your landlord," Haley said. "I thought you knew everyone in this town?"
"No. What?" Kate said, looking back and forth between them. "Eww. Shut up. Don't even mention that again."
They laughed. Shea shouted from the bathroom. "If you bang him, he'll let you get away with anything."
Kate threw her hands up. She did not understand how anyone could think like that. He was old enough to be her grandfather. In fact, he was older than her one living grandfather. Besides, people in that small town would figure it out real fast, and then they'd slut shame her. He'd be a rock star for banging an eighteen year old, while she'd be labeled a slut.
"You are all sick birds."
Her phone rang. Screen showed unknown caller.
"Hello? Got Zombies! Kate Brokenshire speaking," she said. "How may I help you?"
"Kate, this is Mildred Franklin. I just passed the Hawkins' house and saw what I think is a zombie pounding on their door," she said. "They are on vacation down in Alabama, so there's no one to answer. You take care of things like that, right?"
Figures. More often than not her calls were from people calling about a zombie they spotted while driving. Since the rotter wasn't at their house, they weren't going to pay the service call fee. But $50 was money in the bank.
"Yes, ma'am. I check it out," Kate replied. "Thank you for calling."
"More zombies?" Victoria asked. "How many?"
"Just one," she said. "I'll take care of it. You guys hang out here."
"We still get a cut," Shea shouted.
Haley and Victoria nodded. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Everyone wanted a piece of the action.
"Fine. I'll swing by the sheriff's office, too. If he's there I can turn in the heads for the bounties."
"I'll go with you," Haley said.
Neither Victoria nor Shea volunteered to go. That was fine by Kate. Then she noticed they were fully made up. And both were wearing their stiletto-heeled thigh boots again.
"Leave Mr. Rose alone," Kate said. "It's all fun and games for you, but I'm the one who has to live with the mess you make."
"Oh, hush," Victoria said, grinning. "We're not going to do anything bad. We're good girls with bad reputations, that's all."
Kate grabbed her purse and headed for the door. There was no arguing with them. She considered where she could move when he tossed her out on the street. Her parents' house wasn't available, since they rented it out whenever they went to England. Even so, they wouldn't give her a discount so she couldn't afford the rent.
The Cartwright's had a carriage house apartment, but it was kind of leaning to one side. It was cheaper at only $300 a month, utilities included. And there were a few older two-bedroom houses for rent, but they weren't in very good condition either. The space above the Downtown Diner was available, but wasn't really an apartment.
"You worry too much," Haley said.
"You say that too much," she replied.
Kate quickly backed out of the garage, and headed for the Hawkins' house. They lived in a three street subdivision just out of town and off the Old Mill Road. Most of Kate's jobs were called on or around Old Mill Road.
Zombies took the path of least resistance, and that road went straight to the Mississippi River.
They passed through downtown. The sheriff's office looked locked up, lights out. No cars parked in front. Not good. Mr. Rose would surely be home by the time she returned.
As they passed out of downtown Tennyson, Kate noticed a sheriff's squad car parked in front of the Frasier Mansion. Mayor Gilbert's Lexus was parked there too. They were probably discussing the zombie problem. If Old Man Frasier got involved, then the sheriff would really be riding her ass to kill the vamp.
"Be alert," Kate said. "It's right up ahead on the right."
She slowed down. There were some undeveloped woods between the subdivision and town. Most of the underbrush was cleared out to reduce the fire hazard, so they should be able to see if any zombies were wandering through.
The Hawkins' house was on the middle street, corner lot. Kate spotted the rotter right away. He'd worked his way down to the end of the street. In another few minutes he'd be in the woods headed for town. She pulled over and parked.
"Let's arm up, sister mine."
"There's another across the street."
Kate paused. That wasn't good. The whole subdivision could be swarming with them. Her first thought was they were more of Alex's horde. Both of the zombies headed for them, eyes filled with rage.
"Be careful. Mongrel might be with them," Kate said.
That scared her more than a dozen zombies. Not just because he was big and fierce and would put up a helluva fight. He was a little more than a friend. If she could kill Alex Cray, he would revert back to himself. She was still willing to help Mongrel escape back across to the Zombie Lands to avoid prosecution, since he was being forced to help Alexander against his will. She just had to avoid killing him before that.
"I'll get the one across the street if you take the other," she said.
Kate and Haley didn't bother with firearms. Each took her machete and advanced upon the zombie of choice.
"Come to mummy, zombie boy," Kate taunted. "Mummy wants a new pair of shoes."