Forbidden Feast

by Joelle Sterling

  Charlotte returned Jane to Eden’s arms. “We’re eating outside in the picnic area. Why don’t you and your husband and your adorable baby join us when you get your food.”

  “Oh, Jane’s not my— Uh, sure, we’ll join you,” Eden said, catching herself from admitting she wasn’t Jane’s mother. Divulging that information could lead to all sorts of trouble. She wanted to warn Charlotte, Chuck, and the kindly sandwich maker about the biters. But how could she do that without sounding completely insane? Eden gnawed at her bottom lip, trying to figure out a way to bring up the subject.

  “What’ll it be, lil’ lady?” Leroy asked when Eden emerged from the aisle pushing the small cart that was exploding with baby supplies.

  She gazed at the menu. “I’ll try the ham and Swiss cheese on potato bread.”

  “Good choice,” Leroy said. “Lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, and avocado?”

  “Umm . . .”

  “Oh, live dangerously,” Leroy encouraged with a twinkle in his eyes. “The extras come with the price of the sandwich.”

  “Okay, pile it all on,” Eden said with a smile. Leroy was putting her at ease and it felt good to relax for a bit.

  Letting his guard down somewhat and seeming to enjoy the charming atmosphere of Leroy’s Place, Gabe smiled, too. “I’ll have the peanut butter and jelly with sliced bananas on regular, white bread.”

  Leroy entertained them with jokes as he prepared their sandwiches. Gabe laughed heartily and Eden was warmed by the sound of his laughter. They both needed this brief encounter with normal folks.

  “Want me to wrap these . . . to go? Or are you grabbing a table outside?” Leroy asked.

  “We’re eating outside,” Eden said. Gabe gave her a quizzical look. “I told Charlotte we’d join her and Chuck,” she explained.

  Gabe shrugged but Eden could see a fleeting glimpse of annoyance in his eyes. He wanted to hit the road and put a lot more distance between them and the biters, but she wanted to enjoy a few more moments of the little paradise they’d stumbled upon. Furthermore, she wanted to warn Charlotte and Chuck about the rampant, biting disease that had taken over Willow Hills. Caution them to steer clear of the area. They could pass the information on to Leroy, and he could spread the word to all his customers.

  Eden left the shopping cart parked close to the counter. “I have to pick up a few more items after we eat,” she explained to Leroy.

  Leroy nodded. “Take your time and enjoy the sandwiches.”

  Eden carried Jane, and Gabe carried the tray with their sandwiches and soft drinks to the picnic area. Out of Leroy’s earshot, Gabe whispered harshly, “We don’t have time for a double date with those two phonies.”

  “Charlotte seems very nice.”

  “Chuck is arrogant, and I don’t like him,” Gabe grumbled.

  “Well, I figured we’d use the opportunity to tell them what’s going on.”

  “They’re gonna think we’re crazy.”

  “Probably, but I’ll feel better knowing that we warned them.”

  Gabe and Eden sat across from the stylish couple, and Charlotte smiled in delight. Chuck, on the other hand, gave a little groan and scowled down at his watch.

  Eden placed the baby across her lap and picked up her sandwich. “Mmm. Delicious,” she murmured after she bit into it.

  “I told you . . . Leroy’s sandwiches are to die for,” Charlotte said.

  Accepting that they had nothing in common, Gabe and Chuck chewed their food and ignored each other.

  “How old is the baby?” Charlotte wanted to know.

  “A few months. Uh, she’s actually not ours. We’re babysitting Jane.”

  “What a relief,” Charlotte blurted. “You two seem far too young for the responsibility of taking care of child. Now Chuck and I . . . we’re financially secure, but we’re putting off parenting until . . .” She glanced at Chuck. “What exactly are we waiting for, sweetheart?”

  “We’re waiting until we’re ready to devote all of our free time to changing diapers and singing lullabies.” Chuck wiped his hands with a napkin, gave a tight smile, and stood. “Nice meeting you two,” he said to Eden and Gabe. “Let’s go, Charlotte. I have to see a client in an hour; we’d better get moving if we plan on beating traffic.”

  A quick look of yearning swept over Charlotte’s face. “Can I hold the baby one more time?”

  Chuck groaned and rolled his eyes.

  “Sure.” Eden lifted Jane from her lap and Charlotte hurried to the other side of the wooden table.

  As Charlotte rocked Jane and made cooing sounds, a dark-colored Prius sped down the road with its tires squealing.

  “Here comes the supper crowd. We have to go, Charlotte,” Chuck said firmly.

  The Prius peeled through the parking lot, but instead of stopping to park, it careened out of control, zigzagging across the lawn, and finally slamming into the sycamore tree.

  Charlotte let out a shocked cry. Jane wailed and squirmed at the sound of the collision. Eden took Jane from Charlotte’s arms, and comforted her.

  Charlotte shot a frantic look at Chuck. “Call the paramedics!”

  Looking aggravated by the inconvenience of having to help out, Chuck sighed and then grudgingly pulled out his cell.

  Leroy ran out of the store. “What the . . . ?” Wide-eyed, he stared at the crashed Prius. The windshield had a circular crack, the driver’s side door was caved in, and the front end of the car was jammed into the trunk of the tree. Leroy began frantically waving to Chuck and Gabe. “Help me over here, fellas!”

  “Get away from the car,” Gabe yelled as he cautiously approached.

  “Are you nuts? Someone may be injured.” Leroy peered through the window. “There’s a man inside; he has a gash in his head. There’s a lot of blood; that fella’s banged up real good.” Leroy anxiously tugged on the door handle. Unable to get it open, he scurried around to the passenger’s side.

  Gabe lunged for Leroy, practically tackling him away from the car. “I’m serious; you can’t open that door. The person inside could be infected.”

  Charlotte scowled at Eden, her eyes stretched wide and questioning. “Infected? What’s your boyfriend talking about?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends.”

  “Whatever! What kind of infection is he talking about?”

  “A virus or something. It started in Willow Hills. Some people think there’s a rabies outbreak, but whatever it is, it makes people act violent . . . and they bite.”

  “They bite!” Charlotte repeated with a look of disbelief.

  Eden nodded grimly.

  Leroy tore himself from Gabe’s grasp. “Get your hands off of me; there’s an injured man in that car and you’re acting like a lunatic.” Leroy jiggled the door handle, but it was locked. Appealing to Chuck, he called out, “Hey, buddy, the guy in the car is bleeding badly; we’ve got to get him out of there. Will you give me a hand?”

  Chuck sighed and frowned as he paced toward the wreck. “I have to meet a client soon, and I can’t show up with blood stains on my clothes.” He paused and regarded the wreckage. “Look, I called an ambulance, and I think we should let the professionals handle this.”

  “What’s wrong, afraid to get a little blood on your prissy white shirt?” Leroy scoffed. “This is a matter of life and death and I’ll be dang if I’m gonna stand by and watch a man bleed out!” No longer wearing his friendly, sandwich-maker smile, Leroy muttered profanities as he stormed to the garage behind the picnic area.

  Gabe peered through the car window. The man’s mouth and eyes were wide open in death. When Leroy came running out of the garage with a crowbar in hand, Gabe held out a hand in warning. “Don’t open that door. The man is already dead and he’s probably infected,” Gabe shouted, but Leroy pushed past him. Giving up on convincing Leroy that the driver of the car could be dangerous, Gabe made long strides toward the picnic area. “Let’s go, Eden. I told you no one would listen. Let’s go; we’re outta her
e.”

  Eden turned in the direction of the Explorer and then whirled around. “Wait! The diapers and formula are inside, in the shopping cart.”

  “I’ll get ’em. Take the baby and wait for me in the truck.” Gabe raced past the collision. Leroy seemed to be a good person, and he couldn’t help feeling pity as he witnessed the man panting and working up a sweat as he struggled to pry open the car door.

  Inside the store, Gabe went behind the counter and found piles of shopping bags. He unloaded the items from the cart and packed them inside the bags. Estimating the total for their meal and the baby products, he tossed three twenties on the counter. Outside, he rushed past Leroy, shouting, “The money’s on the counter.”

  Leroy grunted in disgust and continued trying to jimmy open the door.

  Running to the parking lot, Gabe noticed Chuck guiding Charlotte toward the Mercedes. Smart move. If a biter had managed to sink its teeth into the unfortunate driver, as Gabe suspected, then Leroy was going to find himself in a world of trouble.

  CHAPTER 3

  Traveling slowly but erratically, another car—a Buick— inched toward Leroy’s Place. The driver’s door was partially open as the vehicle crawled along. The car came to a stop in the middle of the road. The door opened wider and a woman’s tanned legs came into view. Then, the rest of her body spilled out, revealing a pink dress that was stained with blood. Groaning miserably, she slid to the ground.

  Briefly immobilized by the dreadful sight of the injured woman, Leroy suspended his efforts in trying to help the man in the Prius. Holding the crowbar limply at his side, he gaped in disbelief. “What in God’s name is going on?” Leroy wondered aloud. Gathering his wits, he dropped the crowbar and raced to the road to assist the second bloodied victim.

  Behind the wheel of the Mercedes, Chuck tore out of the lot and whizzed past the incapacitated woman without giving her a second glance.

  Gabe cruised up to the Buick, stuck his head out the window and yelled at Leroy, “Don’t go near her, man. I’m serious. Get inside your store and lock the door!”

  “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with; these people have a deadly disease,” Eden added frantically.

  Refusing to heed the warnings, Leroy bent over the second victim, grimacing as he examined her injuries. “How did she get these deep gouges all over her body? How the heck could something like this happen?”

  “Leroy, you have to listen to us. That woman is infected and it’s only a matter of time before she turns,” Eden said urgently.

  “I’m not listening to that crap you’re saying. You two are bonkers.” Leroy waved a dismissive hand. “What’s taking that ambulance so long? This woman is going to bleed to death if she doesn’t get help. Looks like she’s been mauled within an inch of her life.” He pulled off his apron and hurriedly wrapped it around the oozing wound on the woman’s shoulder. “Give me a hand over here,” Leroy yelled at Gabe. “How can you sit there and watch this poor lady suffer?”

  “There’s nothing you can do for her. Your best bet is to lock yourself inside your store before these folks start turning.”

  “Turning into what? Have you been smoking dope?” Leroy scoffed.

  Suddenly there was the unmistakable sound of a car crash, and Leroy jumped to his feet. Rubbing his head in befuddlement, he stared southward and exclaimed, “God, Almighty! A truck just plowed into the Mercedes—down by the BP station.”

  Chill bumps rose on Eden’s arms and her heart beat wildly. She shot a terrified look at Gabe. “We have to take a different route to the highway,” Gabe said, shifting gears and then backing up a little. “Hopefully, we’ll find another filling station on the way.”

  Eden clutched his arm. “Wait, Gabe. Shouldn’t we try to help Charlotte and Chuck? We can’t let the biters get them. And Leroy—we can’t leave him defenseless, either.”

  Shielding his eyes from the sun, Gabe gazed in the direction that the Mercedes had driven and then glanced at Leroy. “It’s probably too late for Charlotte and Chuck. And Leroy’s too stubborn to listen. I can’t make him believe us. What do you want me to do—force him to come with us at gunpoint?”

  Eden looked out her window. The woman on the ground was lying still now, and Leroy was losing it, hysterically yelling for help as he ripped off his shirt, using it along with his apron to try and staunch the bleeding.

  “Oh, no!” Gabe blurted and Eden jerked around, following Gabe’s line of vision. Limping and barefoot, her pencil skirt torn, Charlotte sobbed loudly as she hobbled forward. Her topknot had come undone and her hair was tangled around her shoulders.

  “They got Chuck,” Charlotte wailed. “A bunch of crazy people got him.” She pointed behind her. “They were like wild animals . . . ripping, tearing, and biting Chuck!”

  “What are you talking about?” Abandoning the woman on the ground, Leroy rushed to Charlotte. “What crazy people?”

  “They’re down by the gas station. And they’re all nuts; you can’t reason with them. A truck crashed into us, and our airbags exploded. A small crowd of people gathered around the car and started pulling Chuck out. I thought they were trying to help us . . . until I noticed how roughly they were tugging on Chuck. And then they started growling, clawing, and biting him. They were actually biting him!” Charlotte repeated, her voice escalating to a shriek.

  Leroy cast a scathing look at Gabe and Eden. “All hell is breaking out, and you two are sitting nice and cozy inside your truck and doing nothing to help.”

  “There’s nothing we can do. That woman you’re trying to help was attacked by the same things that attacked Charlotte and Chuck. You’d be wise to keep your distance from her. They change after they’ve been bitten.”

  “Change into what?” Leroy asked, his face twisted in disgust.

  “Into biters,” Eden murmured, rocking Jane in her arms. “The infection started in Willow Hills, and we thought it was safe to stop here, but obviously we were wrong.”

  Gabe nodded. “Those biters are multiplying faster than we anticipated. We’re trying to get to New York . . .” He paused for a beat. “If you want to live, you two should get out of town, also.”

  Charlotte grimaced at the lady lying on the ground. “Did those wild savages get a hold of her, too?”

  Leroy shrugged, and then scratched his head as he gazed over at the car that had slammed into the tree. “I don’t know if that man is dead or alive. What’s taking the ambulance so doggone long?” He patted his pocket. “Let me borrow your phone; I left mine in the store,” he said to Charlotte.

  “It’s in my handbag—in the car,” she said forlornly.

  “We don’t have phones either,” Gabe said. “Lost ours back in Willow Hills while escaping those creatures. You don’t get it, do you? The ambulance isn’t coming. The EMT workers are either overburdened or they’ve been bitten themselves. Once those things start biting people, it doesn’t take long before the infection spreads. From what we’ve observed, the span between the time they get bitten and the moment they change into a flesh-eater is getting shorter and shorter.” Gabe gave a long sigh. “It sounds cold, but we’d all be safer if I put a bullet through her head.”

  Leroy shot Gabe a murderous look. “That woman can’t hurt anybody; she’s dead.”

  “But the dead don’t stay dead anymore,” Gabe said in a tight, strained voice. “Look, we’re headed to New York; you two can stick around here if you want to, or you can come with us. If you have a vehicle in that garage, Leroy, you need to get in it and start heading north.”

  Mouth turned down, Leroy shook his head. “No thanks. If people are going crazy, I need to stay right here to guard my property from looters and such.”

  “Suit yourself,” Gabe said. “What about you, Charlotte?”

  Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t want to go to New York; my family is here in Georgia. Can you folks give me a ride home? I’ll pay you for your trouble.” Remembering that she didn’t have her handbag, she looked down
at her empty hands and her face crumpled. “My wallet is in my bag. I don’t have any money on me, but I can pay you as soon as we get to my house. Please. It’s only twenty miles from here.”

  From the passenger’s seat, Eden gave Charlotte a sympathetic look. “I’m real sorry, Charlotte. We can’t take you home, and it’s not about money. This town and all the surrounding areas are probably crawling with biters, and once we get on the highway, we can’t risk making any detours.”

  In a fatherly gesture, Leroy patted Charlotte on the back. “Don’t worry, little lady. My truck is in the garage, and I’ll make sure you get home safely.”

  “Thanks,” Charlotte said, her eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t know what I’m gonna tell Chuck’s mama? Oh, God, I can still hear his horrible cries. He was yelling and screaming in anguish and there was nothing I could do. I would have helped him if I could, but I barely escaped with my own life. How am I going to tell his mama that a bunch of crazy people mauled him and ate him alive? How can I tell her something as insane as that?”

  “I don’t know,” Leroy whispered hoarsely.

  “Leroy, if you’re not coming with us, you and Charlotte need to lock yourselves inside the store. It’s very likely that the biters are gonna be heading this way, and if you insist on staying, you need to get busy and start boarding up your windows.”

  Leroy gave Gabe a curious look. “If what you’re saying is true . . . if dead people are kicking up a ruckus for miles around, then why isn’t the government doing something about it? Where’s the National Guard?”

  “It’s happening so fast; I don’t think anyone outside this area knows what’s going on. All I know is what I’ve seen with my own eyes. Eden and I both have witnessed how violent and hungry folks become once they’ve been bitten.” He glanced at Charlotte, who was murmuring and wringing her hands in distress. “Now, she knows, too. You heard what she said happened to Chuck.”