Molly: Immersion (Zombie Instinct Book 2)

by J. B. Havens

  “You okay, kid?” Molly asked, looking over at him with her freaky eyes. He turned his face away so he didn’t have to see them.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugged, not wanting to talk.

  “Look, I know I freak you out, I get that. I really do. Hell, I scare myself most of the time too. I was thinking, if this place is okay and if you want to, you and your sister could stay here.”

  “I guess that’s up to that Betty lady and us, you don’t have a say in what happens to us.”

  Molly sighed, rubbing her temples as if she had a headache. “You’re right, kid. It is up to you. You and I both know that it’s probably not the best idea for us to stick together. I’m dangerous and you two should get as far away from me as possible.” Not waiting for him to respond, she left the room. Shutting the door behind her in such a way that he knew she really just wanted to slam it.

  Once again, he was alone with his sister. He was all that stood between her and this waking nightmare they lived in now. He wasn’t going to let his mom down, he would keep Dalia safe, no matter what.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Night finally fell and Kelle staggered out of the building. She was still too weak to endure even the smallest amount of sunlight. Her back and stomach had healed, but the healing process had exhausted her both physically and mentally.

  “Fucking Molly. I can’t wait until I get my hands on her! She’s going to beg me to kill her before I’m through.” Her mind had lost its small grip on reality. All essence of her humanity was gone, swallowed by the virus and pain.

  She walked south, muttering to herself as she travelled. Her hair was snarled all around her face, caked in blood and dirt. She smelled as bad as the rotting corpses that followed her. She didn’t have the mental strength to order them much, they followed her more from instinct than anything. She killed and fed on every animal she came across, it didn’t matter what it was. The cheerful jingle from the collar in her hand broke the silence of the evening. The bone shaped tag read ‘Leroy’. He’d been someone’s pet, and half-starved as he was, easy to catch.

  “I’ve had enough of these animals and pets. The damn hair gets in the way. I need to really feed.” She didn’t know why she bothered talking, there was no one here to talk to anymore. Erik was dead. She wanted to weep and scream at the sky at the thought. She’d felt his death, the shock of pain and sudden emptiness left in its wake. As soon as she was finished with Molly, she was going to feast on that boy, then turn his little brat sister.

  She walked for maybe an hour when she caught the scent. Her stomach twisted in agonizing hunger and her instincts kicked in. There were people near. Real, live, living and breathing human flesh. She salivated at the thought, anticipating the hot blood running down her throat and the warm, delicious meat.

  She hadn’t been paying more than passing attention to her surroundings. She was walking through fields near the highway, the blacktop jammed with cars pointing in different directions. Four RVs formed a square shape, with a small camp in the middle. They’d used tarps to make small canopies, providing some shade for the group. Folding tables and chairs made a dining area near two grills. Battery powered lanterns were set on the tables, casting a blueish circle of light.

  They looked as if they’d been there a while. Lines sagged with the weight of laundry hung between two of the RVs and each vehicle had an armed guard on the roof. They had a clear line of sight in almost every direction, except into the field where Kelle and her followers were. There was a fence separating the cornfield from the road; they probably had something strung on the fence to make noise.

  The people were grouped together outside, finishing up dinner by the sound of it. She could hear their conversation clearly.

  “Jessie, hand me the plate of corn, will ya?” By the tone, it sounded like the speaker was old as dirt. Her luck she’d found a group of retirees who simply had their RVing retirement vacation stopped by the inconvenience of the apocalypse.

  “Sure thing, Gus.”

  “Now, Gus, you know too much will flare up your stomach,” a woman joined in the banter. “If you’re going to eat that, then I’m bunking in with Jessie.”

  Not willing to sit and listen to the oldies version of a soap opera, Kelle stood and calmly walked toward their camp, careful to keep her hands up. She hoped that they’d see her bloody clothes and small stature and not notice her grey pallor and red eyes. She was careful to look meekly at the ground.

  She climbed over the fence and waited for them to notice her. She’d anticipated a shout of alarm from one of the guards up top, but a quick glance revealed empty chairs. Now everyone was down eating together. Idiots.

  They were too busy arguing, none of them looking out at their perimeter. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby, or in this case, a meal from an old person.

  She took two cautious steps forward, careful to stay on the edge of the light.

  “Gus!” the woman shouted. Kelle could see them clearly now. Two men and two women were at the tables, but Kelle was sure there would be more in the RVs. Driving around in those behemoths was a family affair, not many single people took to the road that way.

  Jumping up with a speed she didn’t think would be possible in someone with one foot in the grave, Kelle waited patiently. “Why, Louise, it’s just a girl.”

  With her eyes still on her shoes she spoke as meekly as possible. “Please, I’m all alone. Won’t you help me?” She could practically feel the proverbial heartstrings in her hands that she was tugging on.

  “Come into the light,” the one she thought was Jessie ordered her. He was suspicious, and rightfully so. He’d be the first to die. Her heart was racing in her chest, she didn’t even realize it could do that anymore. Her body knew she was close to her choice meal, after so long, she was desperate to feed. But a mistake now, while she was weakened, would be her death. She had too many things to do yet before she died.

  Making sure her hair covered as much of her face as possible, she walked forward into the camp. Jessie was the furthest away, Gus and Louise were sitting at the table closest to where she stood. She could feel the small group of zombies out in the field, they also knew a meal was at hand. With the little mental strength she had, she ordered them to stay put. She needed to get closer to Gus first, then they could join in.

  “Come here, girl.” His voice was gruff, all business. Glancing up at him again, she saw a weathered face, lined with age and too much sun. White hair and matching beard completed the look. In his hands was a rifle, he wasn’t pointing it at her, but he could at any second.

  “My parents were killed.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. “I’m so scared all the time. I just don’t want to be alone anymore. Those things are everywhere.” She slowly advanced as she spoke, until she was right in front of the small card table that her target stood beside. There was a plate on the surface with two ears of corn waiting to be eaten.

  “That’s close enough, young lady.” He brought the barrel up slightly. His gut must have told him that something was wrong, but the image of the harmless young girl didn’t match what he felt.

  “Gus, now that’s enough. Can’t you see she’s just a frightened little girl?” Louise rose and marched over to her. She put an arm around her shoulder, showing her support. “Put down that damn gun, she’s not going to hurt anyone.”

  “Sorry, miss. You can’t trust anyone nowadays is all. This rifle is all that’s kept us from being robbed a couple times now. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Of course.” Kelle smiled, letting the evil inside her to the surface. Without giving Gus a chance, she shoved Louise to the side roughly and with a burst of speed was on him. She hit him in the chest with her entire body, tackling him to the pavement. The rifle fell to the ground, useless. The zombies in the field ran in, screams rent the air as they attacked.

  Kelle, sat on his chest and bit deeply into his neck, moaning at the taste of the blood on her tongue. Ripping away a chunk of
his throat, she swallowed greedily. Looking down at him, he was still alive, his eyes blinking up at her in shock. “You should have trusted your gut there, pal. But I’m ever so glad you didn’t. I’m a hungry girl and you’re just what the doctor ordered.” Giggling with happiness and excitement, she fed. Gus didn’t resist, his heart gave out before too long. The shock of it did the poor old fool in. A little girl coming out of the dark, leading a small army of undead was enough to give anyone a heart attack.

  A few shots split the night as the zombies gained entry to the RVs, but soon they were replaced by the high pitched, terror and agony filled screams of those inside. The surprise of the attack was too much for the group to defend against.

  They fed all night and hid inside the RVs during the day. When the moon rose again, they finished off the remains of their meal. “Um, I love leftovers,” Kelle murmured, kicking aside the bones which was all that remained of the group.

  Wiping her hands on her shirt, they came away still wet. Glancing down at herself, she noticed her clothing was ruined. Full of holes and soaked in blood, she stripped it off. Now nude, she walked to the makeshift clothesline and found a dress. It was a sunny yellow with little black flowers all over it. “So cute!” Pulling it over her head, she didn’t bother with shoes or anything else. It was warmer now and the grass felt good under her bare toes. She liked the way the wind ruffled the skirt up around her legs as she walked.

  Energy filled her body, her muscles strong once again. She stretched her hands above her head, reaching for the sky. Leaning her head back, she stared at the moon and stars, not a single cloud to mar the perfect view. There were no light from malls, cities, or factories to pollute the pristine evening. The Milky Way stretched across the sky, glorious in its natural perfection.

  “Just like me!” Laughing, she skipped down the road, leaving the bones of her victims to bleach white in the sun.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I stood on the front porch of the farmhouse, keeping to the shadows and out of the early morning sun. I knew that I should be sleeping, but I couldn’t stay in that room with the kids. I scared them by just being there, not that I could blame them. I’d had just about enough deep thoughts for a while, I just wanted to stand there, not thinking and doing jack squat.

  But sadly, my brain didn’t know when to shut the hell up. I thumped my forehead against the post I stood beside. The sunrise had given way to the pure yellow light of early morning. Reflexively, I glanced at my wrist where my watch used to sit. The expensive smart watch had been broken long since. There was no point in keeping track of time, anyway.

  “That isn’t going to do you any good, you know.” Betty came to stand beside me. Keeping to the shadows as well, sunglasses perched on her nose.

  “I know. But like most people, I don’t automatically believe something is a bad idea, just have to see it for myself.” I turned my face back to the yard and fields beyond. The fields of corn glowing gold as the sun bathed it in its warmth.

  “Do you know what you’re going to do yet?”

  “About what? The kids? Myself? Kelle? I have no fucking idea,” I laughed. “All I do know is that they are not safe with me and I have to get as far from Kelle as possible. It’s a big country, I should be able to lose her.”

  Nodding, Betty waited, somehow knowing what I was going to ask. “I want the kids to stay here. You know it’s safer for them. They need a bed to sleep in every night, full bellies, and the stability of a home. I can’t give them that.” I’d only known them a few days and already I felt like they were my responsibility.

  “I don’t have a problem with the kids staying. Like I said, children are our future. They must be protected.”

  Not our future, I wanted to say. She and I, and people like us didn’t have anything other than a long life of blood and death stretching out endlessly in front of us. We were unnatural, walking abominations on the land. Like a character in my favorite TV show used to say, “What’s dead should stay dead.”

  “Thank you,” I said simply, trying to keep the turn of my thoughts to myself. I didn’t want to ruin the chance the kids had here by calling their host an abomination.

  “What about you?” Betty asked, nudging me into making a decision.

  “West, I think. I need a bike or motorcycle, something small and easy to maneuver. I’m pretty much sick to death of walking.” The sun was high enough now that it was irritating my eyes and I turned around to go back inside.

  “You’re not evil, Molly.” Betty’s words stopped me, my palm on the doorknob.

  “What makes you think I’m not?” I asked, remembering the feeling of letting go, giving into the zombie within me and feasting on human flesh. I recalled how much I’d liked it, how good it had felt to stop fighting my nature and just be the killer my body and broken soul wanted me to be.

  “Because, if you were, you would have attacked and eaten those children by now. I felt how hungry you were when you arrived, yet there wasn’t a scratch on them. Evil may live within you, just as it does me, but you choose to be better.” Taking off her sunglasses, she held them out to me. “There’s an old bicycle in the barn. The tires are a little worn, but I’m sure you’ll manage. I’ll pack you a repair kit and some jerky, and you can be on your way at nightfall.”

  I took her sunglasses and her praise equally. Shielding my eyes with one and my soul with the other.

  ****

  The sun was just beginning to set when I woke. I’d managed to curl up on the floor in a closet and shut down for a bit. It wasn’t sleep in the same sense as humans slept, I think it must be closer to hibernation. My body went quiet and silent, my thoughts shut off, and everything went dark. There were no dreams, no warm cocoon feeling of being wrapped up and comfortable. It reminded me of when I’d been put under anesthesia, you went to ‘sleep’ and then what felt like seconds later you woke up. The time between almost didn’t exist. It was also when I was the most vulnerable.

  I stretched and marveled at the healing my body did while I was out. My shoulder was tight and sore yesterday, today it was as if nothing had happened. If Kelle healed at the same rate, she should be back to normal by now. Well, if normal for her was being a psychotic murderess intent on my imminent destruction.

  Following the sound of voices to the kitchen, I found Tristen and Dalia helping prepare dinner over two camp stoves. They looked happy, like normal kids just enjoying the novelty of cooking without electricity. Betty was supervising them, telling them what to add and how much. Dalia wore a black apron with red ruffles along the bottom, her clean hair swept up into a high ponytail, cheeks glowing with life.

  Looking up, Betty caught my eye. Giving the kids a few more instructions, they were making chicken soup by the sound of it, she took off her apron and after tying it behind Tristen, she came to me. Following her into the living room, I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

  “I went ahead and told the kids they were going to stay here. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Of course.” Looking over her shoulder toward the warm kitchen, I couldn’t help but ask her, “Why aren’t they afraid of you?”

  “I can’t answer that. I really don’t know. Maybe I remind them of their grandmother? They told me what you did, how you fought off Kelle and that horde of zombies. They saw your abilities. Perhaps that’s why?”

  Not wanting to continue this line of conversation even though I’d started it, I changed the subject. “You said something about a bike?”

  Not fooled by my abruptness in the least, she shrugged and led me out into the barn. Resting along the wall was a basic ten-speed bike. Rust covered most of the frame, but a few places still showed the original blue paint. The tires had air but little remaining tread, the seat had a crack and the stuffing was showing. Despite all that, it looked great overall. There was a place for a water bottle and a small rack on the back fender where I could secure a bag.

  “This was my daughter’s bike. She rode it all over the place,” Betty
said, pushing it toward me. I noticed that the chain was well-oiled and turned easily. I didn’t ask where her daughter was and why she no longer needed the bike. Her tone was answer enough. She must have several children, because she’d mentioned another daughter that had almost killed her.

  Leaning against the wall in the corner was a baseball bat, dusty and long forgotten. Ignoring the bike for the moment, I reached out and grasped the wooden handle, brushing a few cobwebs as I did so. It fit my palm and felt like an old friend. My other bat that had protected me through the first days of the infection probably still lay in that damn grocery store. “Mind if I take this as well?” I held it up, showing her the grimy wood.

  She shrugged. “Sure, I’d forgotten it was even there. I doubt anyone will miss it,” she replied, holding a hand out for the weapon so I could take the bike from her.

  “Here’s hoping I can remember how to ride. It’s been a while.” Gripping the handlebars, I swung one leg over and settled onto the seat. Wiggling my butt around trying to get comfortable, I reminded myself that I was unlikely to die in an accident. Though I’d be sure not to ride with my eyes closed, arms spread wide, headfirst into a logging truck, like I’d seen in a not-so famous movie once. Settling my feet on the pedals, I pushed forward and down with my toes and off I went. I wobbled back and forth a little, trying to remember the fine art of not over-steering. After doing a few circles in the driveway, I felt comfortable enough.

  At least I don’t have to worry much about oncoming traffic.

  I turned and went back to the barn where Betty stood, arms crossed and watching. “It’ll do.”

  “Come back to the house. I have a tool kit, tire pump, and a pack all ready for you. You should tell the kids goodbye.”

  “I’ll need a map as well, if you have one.” I didn’t think the kids were going to mind seeing me go. One less monster in their face, terrifying them every day.