Her finger pointed past the crossing to a small shopping center with an open parking lot, and Vera craned her neck to see. “What is it? What do you see?”
“There’s a whole bunch of zombies trying to get inside the shop,” Clara replied. “That means people, right?”
Vera nodded. “That’s right. Well spotted, Clara.”
Clara beamed at the praise and lifted her chin. Her excitement was palpable, and she jumped up and down in her seat. “Do you think there’s a lot of them? Have they been in there for long? How will we get them out?”
“Whoa, there. Hold your horses. Remember the last time we tried to help somebody?” Vera said.
Clara’s face fell, and she slumped in her seat. “I remember.”
Vera hated to spoil the moment for Clara. She was still so young and innocent. To her, everybody was a good guy, but that was far from the truth. The last time they tried to rescue a small group of people, it almost got them killed.
It turned out they didn’t need saving and were only too happy to rob a pair of naive children of everything they owned. It was only Vera’s quick thinking that saved the day. She’d produced her gun with lightning speed and aimed it at the leader’s head. With a manner as cool as ice, she’d threatened to blow his head off unless he let them go. Unwilling to call her bluff, he’d let them leave. It’d had been a bitter lesson, though. One she wouldn’t soon forget.
“It doesn’t mean we won’t try to help, Clara, but we must be careful. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“Okay,” Clara said, her smile now firmly fixed in place once more.
Vera eyed her with an ache in her heart. She’s so lonely. She needs other people, a family, friends, but will she get it?
After navigating through the crossing, Vera drove past the shopping center slowly. A few cars were still in their spots, some with their doors open. Abandoned trolleys littered the ground with forgotten purchases strewn about.
There were no infected wandering about like they usually did because they were all jammed up against the glass doors, moaning and banging their fists without cease. She wondered who might be inside, and how many, but most of all she wondered what to do. Would it be a mistake to help? Or was there someone genuinely in need?
A quick glance at Clara’s hopeful face only worsened her indecision, and her stomach churned as nervous tension set in. She was responsible for both their lives, and one mistake was all it took.
Vera sighed when she realized she had no option. Not really. She had to try, even if it cost her everything. To do otherwise went against the grain, against every belief she had about life and justice.
“Here goes,” she muttered, drawing to a stop before opening the door. “Wait here, Clara. Don’t move a muscle.”
Clara nodded, her ruddy skin now the color of milky coffee.
Vera jumped out with her hand resting on the gun in her belt and did a quick circuit to make sure the immediate area was clear. When satisfied, she turned toward the clamoring throng of zombies and screamed at the top of her voice. “Hey, you rotters! Over here!”
It took a few tries before they noticed her, several seconds during which she screamed her throat raw and jumped up and down like a mad woman. At last, their heads turned toward her. As one, their teeth bared, and they sprinted across the empty parking lot. Some fast, others slow.
With her heart in her throat, Vera watched them come until she couldn’t wait any longer. Clara panicked when she saw how close the zombies were and added her voice to the din in a shrill note of hysteria. “Get in! Please, get in!”
Vera wasted no more time and jumped inside the truck just as the first runners reached the vehicle, their bodies crashing into the side. Clara screeched as the truck rocked on its wheels, and for a second, Vera feared she’d made the biggest mistake of her life.
Jostled back and forth, she jammed the gears into first and planted her foot on the gas. With a roar, the truck lurched forward, bowling over a man who went flying across the bonnet with a loud crunch of broken bones. At last, they were off, followed by a steady stream of infected people.
Once they’d gained a little distance, Vera let go of the breath she’d been holding and eased into a slow but steady pace. A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed her that the zombies were following at various distances as fast as their diseased bodies allowed. “Thank God, that worked.”
Clara stared at her as if she’d grown a second head. “They almost got you.”
“Not really, sweetie. I was safe.”
“They did, they almost had you, and…” Clara said, her face contorted with anger and fright. “Don’t ever do that again. I almost lost you.” Fat teardrops brimmed on her lids before pouring down her cheeks, and her little shoulders shook.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Clara. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. Please, calm down,” Vera said as she wrapped one arm around the shivering child while keeping the truck on the road with the other. “I’m all right, see? I’m still here, and I’ll never leave you.”
Clara sniffed, her voice muffled and her face pressed against Vera’s jacket. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Chapter 3
After leading the zombies from the supermarket on a merry chase throughout half the town, Vera doubled back. She was careful not to have an entourage this time, which meant she had to use all the ingenuity she possessed. It was worth the time and effort, though, when she pulled up to the front of the store and faced an empty parking lot.
She studied the low squat building sprawled across the square in a half rectangle. The front doors were still closed, and nothing moved on the inside or out. Either those within were staying put, or they were dead. I hope it’s not the latter.
“Clara, stay here,” Vera said, coming to a swift decision. “I’m going in.”
“I want to go with you.”
“No way, Clara. We don’t know what’s in there. It could be dangerous.”
Clara’s face fell, but she sat back in her chair without further argument. Vera opened the door and slipped out, her feet hitting the tar with a determined step. Though not thrilled about going into an unknown situation, it had to be done.
She checked the knife on her hip. It was secure in its sheath as was the screwdriver hidden beneath her jacket. Next, she pulled her gun from its holster and checked the load. It was full. With both hands holding the weapon in front of her, she shot Clara a quick glance over her shoulder.
For a moment, they stared at each other in silence, a million unsaid things passing between them. “Lock the door behind me, but if I come running, be ready to open.”
Clara nodded, her face solemn. “Go.”
“I’ll be back soon, sweetie.”
“I know. You promised, remember?”
“I remember.”
Vera turned around and sucked in a deep breath. Out of all the things she’d faced over the past two weeks, this surely wasn’t the worst or even the scariest, but she’d learned the hard way not to take anything for granted.
After a brief pause, she broke into a run, her feet pounding the concrete in a rhythmic beat. She crossed the short distance in a flash and paused again to study the surrounding area. It was clear for the moment. No zombies. She knew they’d be back, however. They always were.
A thick silence fell as her footsteps faded away to nothing. The atmosphere was grim, made worse by a bank of clouds rolling in from the East. The billowing mass blocked the sun, and a sudden chill filled the air.
Vera shivered as she shuffled closer to the front doors and windows of the shop. The glass was grimy, smeared by countless undead hands into a mess of dried blood and dirt. Trolleys and baskets littered the ground both inside and out. A plastic bag stirred in the rising wind, and a waft of sour milk rose from a trampled carton.
She squinted into the gloomy interior, but it was hard to see anything through the filth. Her hand reached out for the handles, and the rattle of chains confirmed
her fears. It was locked.
Vera looked around to make certain she was alone and shook the doors again, louder this time. “Hello?”
She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the glass. A ghostly figure appeared from the gloom, and she smothered a shriek as she jumped backward. Her foot became entangled in a basket, and she almost fell, tripping over the stupid thing.
With her heart banging in her chest, Vera regained her balance and kicked away the offending basket. She watched as a young girl approached the glass from within with stilted movements, her face a blank canvas.
At first, Vera thought the girl was infected and waited for her to attack the barrier between them. She didn’t move, though, and stared at Vera with haunted eyes rimmed in red. Sandy hair fell to her shoulders in a tangled mess and her clothes were stiff with dried blood.
Swallowing, Vera stepped closer. “Hello?”
The girl remained silent.
“Hello? Are you okay? I’m here to help.”
The girl didn’t even blink.
“I won’t hurt you.”
Nothing.
What the hell? Is she sick? Crazed, maybe? Vera glanced at the truck where an anxious Clara sat waiting. Maybe I should just go.
Her stomach rolled when she noticed the first figures of infected in the distance. They’d come back as she’d known they would. The damned things were tireless. Relentless. I have to go, but the girl...I can’t just leave her. She’ll die if I do.
“Miss, don’t be scared. Please.” A few moments passed, and she tried again. “Miss, I’d really like to assist you, but I can’t do anything if you don’t let me.”
The girl raised a hand and mouthed the words. “Help me.”
A tiny burst of hope filled Vera, and she looked over the girl’s shoulder into the shop. “Yes, I’m here to help you. Are there any more of you?”
A negative shake of the head.
“Can you get out? It’s locked.”
Fear filled the girl’s face. “It’s not safe.”
Vera lifted the gun. “I can protect you, and I’ve got a car, but you have to come out. Now.”
The girl shook her head again, and Vera sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, but if you won’t come out, I’ll have to leave you. Your choice.”
To show she meant it, Vera backed away a few steps. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then the girl nodded and produced a key from her pocket. With slow motions, she unlocked and unwound the chains around the handles. Lethargy marked her every move, and Vera wondered what was wrong with her. Is she ill? Traumatized?
Vera eyed the approaching crowd of infected and shifted from one foot to the other. They were getting much too close for comfort. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, the nearness of danger sending her senses into overdrive.
“Hurry! You have to hurry, please,” she begged. The girl opened the doors at last, and Vera beckoned to her. “Come on. Follow me.”
When the girl simply blinked, Vera took a chance and reached for her hand. The girl flinched at her touch but remained motionless otherwise. With gentle fingers, Vera gripped her wrist and pulled. “It’s not far. You can do it. I’m here for you.”
With shuffling steps, the girl followed Vera to the truck and climbed into the back with much coaxing. She immediately curled up into a fetal position while Vera slammed the door shut and slid in behind the wheel.
None too soon either. As Vera steered the car out of the lot, the first infected reached it and flooded inside with a chorus of groans. She bypassed the crowd and got onto the main road. While keeping an eye on the way ahead, she asked, “What’s your name?”
No answer.
Vera flashed Clara, who’d thus far sat as quietly as a mouse, a pleading look. Clara twisted around in her seat. “Hello. My name’s Clara. This is Vera, my friend. Who are you?”
“L…Laura.”
“That’s a nice name.”
“Thank you.”
The girl’s voice sounded hoarse, and Vera passed Clara a bottled water. “Here.”
Clara offered the water to Laura who snatched it from her hand and gulped it down in one swig. Halfway through, she coughed and sputtered, her face turning blue.
“Easy does it,” Vera said. “A little at a time.”
After Laura had drunk her fill, Vera questioned her. Who was she? How long had she been trapped inside the shopping center? Has she been alone all this time? What happened to her?
When it became clear Laura wasn’t going to answer, Vera decided to let it go and focused on getting out of town instead. Whoever the girl was, she’d been through hell and back. The evidence of that lay in her haunted eyes and the rank smell that emanated from her body.
After a few minutes, Clara turned to Vera. “She’s sleeping.”
“Poor thing. She’s been through a lot it seems.”
Clara nodded. “What now?”
Vera sighed. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I don’t know, baby girl. I guess we find somewhere safe to hole up for a few days.”
“Like a house?”
“Yes, we can’t all three sleep in the truck. Plus, I think she needs a little time to come right again.”
“Will she?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. I don’t know.”
Chapter 4
On the outskirts of town, Vera stopped by a small garage to refill the empty jerry cans in the back. They still had plenty of fuel, but the place was deserted which meant it was too good to pass up.
With Laura and Clara safely tucked away, she got the empty cans and checked the pumps. To her relief, the power was still on. How long that would last, she didn’t know, and what they would do then, she didn’t know either.
Her shoulders slumped when she considered all the difficulties the future held. No water, no power, no food, no hospitals or doctors. What were they going to do? How would they survive? Especially now that she had Laura to look after as well. The girl clearly wasn’t right in the head, and Vera doubted she could count on her for help. We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.
The pumps hummed as she filled the cans one by one. Once she’d loaded them into the back, she filled the tank as well. Then she eyed the shop that abutted the garage office. It was tiny but might have a few useful things in it.
She rapped on the window. “Clara, just sit tight. I’ll be right back, okay?”
When Clara nodded, she jogged to the shop window and peered inside. Like the rest of the place, it looked deserted, and she decided to take a chance. “Here goes.”
She pushed open the door, wincing when a bell dinged above her head. A few nerve-wracking moments later, it was obvious nobody was home, though. Neither dead nor alive.
She grabbed a basket and loaded up with anything that looked good, even adding a few magazines and an activity book complete with crayons for Clara. Plasters, batteries, matches, and a few energy drinks rounded out her selection.
At the exit, she checked the coast was clear before jogging back to the truck. Clara’s smiling face greeted her in the window, though Laura was nowhere to be seen. Probably still asleep.
Feeling relaxed and happy with her new treasures, Vera rounded the corner of the truck only to come to an abrupt halt. The basket clattered to the ground. A little boy stood next to her door. An infected boy. So small he barely reached her waist.
The boy hissed and threw himself at her with teeth bared. Time slowed to a crawl as she fumbled for her gun, even though she knew she’d never make it. Vera screamed and raised her hands to ward of his attack.
Suddenly Laura’s door swung open, hitting the boy a terrific blow. He flew sideways and rolled on the asphalt in a tangle of limbs. A blur of sandy hair and pale skin launched itself from the truck.
With her mouth agape, Vera watched with fascinated horror as Laura grabbed the boy by a handful of his hair. With a cry of rage, the girl smashed his head into the tar. Over and over until his skull popped like an overripe melon.
/> With a grunt of satisfaction, Laura wiped her bloody hands on his shirt before straightening up. She looked at Vera with vacant eyes and shrugged. “He’s dead now. You’re safe.”
With that brief statement, she climbed back into the truck and closed her door, acting as if nothing had happened.
Vera blinked, her mind struggling to catch up. Her gaze fixed on the little boy’s crumpled body, his limbs as slender as a doll’s. Frozen in place, she couldn’t move until Clara appeared in the window and beckoned to her. “Get in!”
With trembling hands, Vera gathered up her fallen supplies and loaded it into the back before getting in the front herself. Clara threw herself on her with a garbled apology. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see him. He was so small. If I’d know he was there, I’d have warned you.”
Vera hugged the hysterical child to her chest, smoothing one hand over her hair. “Don’t worry, sweetie. It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Really it’s not.”
All the while, she stared into the rearview mirror, meeting Laura’s empty gaze with her own. A shudder of unease worked down her spine. While grateful to Laura, she couldn’t help but be shocked at the girl’s naked display of violence. What else is she capable of?
She blew out a breath and managed a shaky smile. “Thanks. You saved my life.”
“No biggie,” Laura said with a breezy smile that disturbed Vera to the core. “Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’m looking for a safe place to stay for a while.”
“I know of a place.”
“You do?” Vera asked.
Laura nodded. “Yeah. Let me show you.”
“Okay.”
Vera helped Clara back into her seat and buckled up before starting the truck. Following Laura’s directions, she left town and drove along the coastal road for several kilometers.
After her brief nap and savage encounter with the infected boy, Laura appeared quite animated. She chattered with Clara the entire way, telling her all about the monkeys and local wildlife. “We visit here every single year. My mom loves this area.”
Death's Children (Book 7): Vera's Vow Page 2