Val: Prequel to The Zombie Chronicles

by Peebles, Chrissy

  “Yeah, I guess that’s why the Mongolians loved them so much, but those weapons are hard to come by. Unfortunately, Genghis Khan never opened an eBay account. But you can find a bat, pipe, or crowbar just about anywhere.”

  “What do you think is the worst weapon?” he asked.

  I chuckled. “Golf clubs, frying pans, and tennis rackets.”

  “I don’t know about that. I know you said you are a bit, uh…culinarily handicapped, but I’m pretty sure you could get the job done on a zombie with a cast-iron skillet.”

  “Yeah, but they’re heavy and take a lot of work to swing around,” I said.

  “Not as heavy as the sledgehammer. I think a chainsaw is one of the worst. They’re loud, heavy, need fuel, and easily clog with zombie guts. Plus, the blood splatter is unbelievable. That makes them great for the movies but not so great in real life.”

  “Right. Who wants zombie blood splashed all over their face? Definitely not a good weapon of choice for zombie combat,” I said.

  “Totally glamorized by Hollywood.”

  “Definitely. I also think the hammer is a poor choice. It puts you well within biting distance. One of my friends was bitten like that.”

  “Unless you’re talking about a war hammer, like Thor carries.”

  “True. Those are perfect for skull-crushing.”

  As we continued evaluating all the arsenal at our disposal, zombie moans pierced the air. Gazing through my scope, I spotted two corpses shambling toward us from the west.

  “Looks like we got two rotters on the prowl,” Kyle said, not sounding too concerned.

  “What else is new?”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s the story of my life.”

  “I don’t want to shoot them,” I said. “There’s no need to draw unwanted attention. There are only two. We should be able to take them down more…manually.”

  Kyle jumped down and rushed inside, then came back out with an axe and a bat. “Blunt versus blade. Which does the lady prefer?”

  “I’ll take the bat,” I said. “It might be messy, but it requires no sharpening or maintenance.”

  “Then I’ll take the axe. It’s perfect for silent kills.”

  Our aggressors moved toward us. One looked as if someone had lit its face on fire, and the other reminded me of a mummified pharaoh I’d once seen in an Egyptian exhibit at a museum.

  “You want Freddy Krueger or King Tut?” I asked, peering at the undead monsters.

  “I’ll send the mummy back to the afterlife,” he said.

  I nodded. “Okay then. I’ll be Freddy’s final nightmare and send him back to Hell, where he belongs.”

  I walked toward the hungry, brain-munching zombie with short, spiky hair and a charred face. I heard gurgling and noticed that it was coming from the things exposed vocal cords. It looked at me with pure evil in its dead eyes. I gripped my zombie-crusher tightly. Cranking my arm back, I swung the bat with everything I had, landing a death blow that sent it reeling to the ground. I let out the long breath I was holding. When I turned, Kyle’s ravenous, undead monster was sprawled across the grass in a puddle of black blood, oozing out of its neck where its head had been removed. My shoulders shrugged in relief; working together, we had eliminated the threat in no time flat.

  “Well? Which is better? Blunt or blade?” he asked.

  “I think we’ve gotta call it a tie this round.”

  He grinned, and I smiled back at him.

  The rest of the night went smoothly, without a hitch. When my shift was over, I crawled into the bed and fell asleep just a wee bit faster than it had taken us to subdue the deadly duo.

  * * *

  Morning came, and we got on the road fairly quickly. Kyle had kept Sammy company during her turn on guard duty, so I knew he had to be tired. I let him sleep while I drove. While the girls played checkers behind me, I blasted music from one of Kyle’s CDs.

  When I saw the city limits sign for Sandusky, I hollered in delight, “We’re here!”

  Sammy peeked her head in. “Yay! Now, we just need to find a boat.”

  “I’m sure there are plenty of abandoned ones,” I said. “I’ll just head to that dock over there.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

  When I saw a docking area with plenty of boats in the slips, I pulled in. We only had to find a seaworthy vessel with plenty of gas and a working motor.

  Kyle woke up and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” I said.

  “Hey.”

  “Can you believe we actually made it? My heart’s pounding a million miles a minute. We’re so close to meeting my family.”

  He grinned. “I’m so excited for you.”

  “I’m actually pretty nervous about it.”

  “What’s there to be nervous about? They’re gonna love you.”

  “Let’s go find a boat, shall we?”

  “I want a yacht,” Sammy squealed.

  “Try to think simple,” I said.

  “So…something between a kayak and a Carnival cruise ship?” she joked.

  I laughed. “Yeah, something like that.”

  Kyle held Jenny’s hand as they skipped to the beach. I couldn’t help but smile; he was such a good father to her, and the two of them adored each other. Jenny giggled with joy, utterly oblivious to the dangers surrounding her. Her long, curly hair blew in the wind. Even if she was a bit timid, she was the cutest little girl I’d ever met, and I was glad she was feeling better. She had her energy back, and her youthful laughter was contagious.

  Sammy smiled at me, her own excitement bubbling over. “We’re almost there.”

  I squeezed her hand and grinned. “I know.”

  We looked at all the boats and finally found one that seemed perfect for our little commute. It really was a beautiful little vessel, with bright white and blue paint, with its name, Lucky Lady, painted on the side in fancy script.

  Kyle glanced at Sammy and Jenny. “Looks perfect, huh?”

  “Sure sounds good to me,” Sammy said.

  “Stay here while we make sure the boat is clear.”

  “I don’t see anything,” Jenny said.

  “Never assume, honey. Anyone could be hiding down below.”

  “He’s right,” I said. “We’ll go check it out.”

  “All right,” Sammy said. “We’ll just wait over here.”

  As they walked off, Kyle looked at me and smiled. “I know you’re excited to meet them. Your smile says it all, makes your whole face light up.”

  “Really? I think I’m more nervous than excited. My stomach’s full of butterflies.”

  “Well, we’ve made it this far,” he said. “We got here, didn’t we? Safe and sound.”

  “Through zombies, gangs, and cannibals.”

  He smiled and nodded.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” I said.

  His green eyes glittered in the sun. “And without you and Sammy, we wouldn’t be here,” he asked. “What would we have done without you?”

  “Well, I guess you would have been grilled, stuffed, or sautéed,” I joked.

  He shuddered. “That’s awful. I still can’t get over it. I think when we get to the island, we should have a toast, even if it’s with water and Kool-Aid packets.”

  “I’d love that.”

  With my gun drawn, I walked up the dock and stepped onto the boat. It swayed gently in the waves as I walked around, checking every nook and cranny. When Kyle opened the cabin door, I kept my gun trained on the entrance just in case anything came out.

  “It’s clear,” Kyle said. “I deem this boat zombie free.”

  My shoulders shrugged in relief, and I stuffed my Glock into the holster around my waist. “Let’s check to make sure it runs.”

  He walked over to the captain’s chair and turned the key that was, surprisingly, still stuck in the ignition.

  The engine roared, and I clapped in victory.

&n
bsp; Kyle’s father had owned a boat when he was young, so he knew quite a bit about them. He ran a few other checks and determined, “I guess this really is a Lucky Lady,” he said. “Everything seems to be working.”

  Smiling at just how lucky we were, I stepped off the boat and onto the dock.

  “Clear?” Sammy asked.

  “Crystal,” I said.

  She laughed.

  “C’mon,” I waved, motioning them over.

  They jogged over and stepped aboard the craft.

  I grinned from ear to ear. I didn’t see any zombies anywhere, and we were on our way to meet my family. I couldn’t wait to see their faces. I hoped Kyle would stay and that we could all be happy on the island. Maybe there is still such a thing as happily-ever-after after all, I thought, gazing out at the lake.

  “Look! I found a tape recorder, and there’s a tropical music cassette in it,” Sammy said.

  “What’s a cassette?” Jenny asked.

  Kyle just laughed and patted her on the head. “Way before your time, honey.”

  “Play it, Sammy,” I said. “Let’s see if the batteries work.”

  Sammy blasted the festive music, and I couldn’t help but sway my hips to the rhythm as the breeze blew through my hair. She shot me a smile, and I grinned back.

  “Ready to cast off?” I shouted.

  “Am I ever!”

  “Great.”

  “I’m gonna go look around downstairs,” she said.

  “I already checked it,” I said. “No zombies.”

  “That’s always a plus.”

  I laughed.

  I reached for the rifle and peered out the scope, checking the dock and the shoreline. I felt my Glock snug against my waist. Everything looked clear, with nothing in sight. I slung my rifle over my shoulder, then walked to the edge of the boat and leaned over to untie the dock lines. For the first time in seemingly forever, I felt happy. I’d seen Sammy safely to the island. I would meet and live with the family who’d been longing to reconnect with me, especially my mother, whose letters and phone calls had been so emotional and heartfelt. I couldn’t wait to see her face.

  I unfastened the stern line and the bow line without a hitch. When I tried to untie the line in the middle, pain exploded in my arm, and something splashed in the water below me. The corpse had no skin or hair on its face, and it looked like it had been burned alive in some horrific fire. My stomach churned at the gut-wrenching stench. With my other hand, I whipped out my Glock. I looked death in the eyes and fired straight into its peeling forehead. Its jagged, black teeth let go of my skin, and it sank into the water.

  Blood began to trickle from the wound. I stared at the clear impression of teeth marks in my skin; the thing had left a five-inch, moon-shaped injury on my arm, streaked with purple. As I gazed at it, it didn’t seem real or possible. For a while, I was frozen, as if someone had just cast a spell on me. I knew the bite was 100 percent fatal. Whether I liked it or not, I was the newest member of the flesh-eating zombie clan.

  Chapter 31

  “Val!” Kyle shouted, running over, his eyes frantic.

  I looked at him, completely dumbfounded and in shock. “It…bit me,” I said, trembling as the awful words tumbled out of my mouth, as if I was speaking my own death sentence.

  He looked in the water and began shooting at the dead, floating creature I’d already put out of its misery. When he finally settled down and put his gun way, he looked at me for a moment, then stared down at the elliptical, circular injury. He tried to stifle a deep gasp when he realized how serious the situation really was. He knew far too well what fate had doomed me to.

  I closed my eyes for a minute, hoping it was all a nightmare I’d soon wake up from, but when I opened my eyes, the pain and horrendous wound were still there.

  Kyle ripped a piece of cloth from his t-shirt and wrapped it around my wound, then tied it tightly, in a futile attempt to keep the poison from rushing through me.

  I looked at him as tears welled up in my eyes. “You should learn something from this, hard as it is.”

  “What, Val?”

  “From now on, live each day as if it is your last.”

  My mind raced a million miles a minute. I had never wanted to fight so badly, but I knew that this time, no amount of fighting could save my life. The clock was already ticking, and my life was nearing its end with every heartbeat, every passing second. As I thought about it, I felt the blood drain from my face.

  I tried to be brave and accept my fate, but the stubborn survivor in me didn’t want to believe it. For a moment, time seemed to come to a sudden halt. I thought about leaving Sammy behind. What will she do without me? The thought of her crying over my grave sent shivers down my spine. I felt nauseated and sad, a deep, melancholy chill consuming my once-brave spirit. I had no future now, and nothing but doom lay ahead. I’ll never grow old, I thought. I’ll never get married, never have a child. I’ll never get to meet my biological mother, father, grandmother, or brothers, Nick and Dean.

  “No way!” Jenny said. “Was it a zombie?”

  A disabling fear crippled me, and I couldn’t answer. I stuttered, and finally the words came out. “Yes. They can’t swim, but I didn’t expect one to be floating in the water like that.”

  “Gosh. I’m so sorry, Val.”

  Shivers rippled through my body, and I trembled.

  “You look so pale,” Jenny said.

  “Try not to worry,” I said.

  “You got bit!” Jenny burst out in a loud sob. “Oh, Val! Are you going to die?”

  I bit my lip hard not knowing how to answer that question.

  Kyle put an arm around her, and his own tears began to flow. Clearly, he was in shock and disbelief; he didn’t want to lose me, and he was suffering a pain that could shatter the strongest of hearts.

  “All we’re ever promised is the here and now, the present moment,” I said. “Yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery.”

  Kyle looked at Jenny. “Val and I need some alone time, honey. Can you turn off the music?”

  She sniffled. “Yeah.”

  “Stay on the boat while we talk on the dock, okay?”

  She wiped her eyes and nodded, then walked off, hanging her head and sniffling.

  I stared at the oozing bite on my arm. We both knew it was a death sentence for me. I couldn’t even begin to describe the stormy turmoil brewing inside of me.

  “We need to get that cleaned up,” Kyle said, as if trying to ignore the fact that my fate was sealed; he couldn’t bear to speak the unspeakable.

  “Kyle,” I said, “what’s the point? You know what this means.”

  “I do,” he said, his voice wavering.

  “I’m a dead woman.”

  “No!” he shouted. “I won’t let you die, Val. I won’t lose you too.”

  “There’s nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it,” I said, my voice no more than a whisper. “It’s my destiny, my fate, and now the outcome is set in stone. The countdown to my last breath begins now…” I sighed.

  His eyes welled up with tears again. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

  I touched his cheek, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to fall from my face. “It’s not your fault.”

  “It shoulda been me. I should have been untying the boat, not you.”

  “We were so close to a happy ending,” I said, “but this isn’t a fairytale. This is real life, and we both know I only have a few days, maybe a week.”

  He cupped my cheek and slowly kissed my lips. He couldn’t look at me without seeing death. A tear slipped down my face, and he gently wiped it with his thumb. He sucked in a trembling breath and let it out slowly.

  “When I die, you have to end me,” I said.

  “No,” he said, voice trembling.

  “Kyle, you have to. Make sure I don’t come back as one of those things, but don’t let Sammy or Jenny see. Promise me that.”

  More tears fell from his gorgeous eyes as
he contemplated the weight of what I was asking him to do. His mouth opened, but no words came out, so he just hugged me.

  I buried my head in his shoulder. “Promise me, Kyle.”

  “I-I promise,” he reluctantly said.

  “Thank you.”

  “Your friendship means everything to me,” he said. “I wouldn’t be standing here without you, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today. You’ve changed me, Val. You’ve made me a better man, a better father.”

  “That’s so sweet.”

  “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I care about you deeply.”

  “And I care about you. If you wanna bail, I understand. I have a long, dark road to walk.”

  “Never. I won’t leave you. I’ll be by your side every step of the way. You didn’t desert me or Jenny in our darkest hour, and I won’t abandon you now.”

  “You’ll be with me when I take my final breath?”

  Tears brimmed in his eyes. “Yes.”

  “And then you know what you have to do?” It was the most horrible favor I ever had to ask anyone for.

  His lips trembled. “Y-yes.”

  “I don’t wanna be a zombie, Kyle,” I said.

  He hugged me tightly and wept. “I know. I’ll make sure.”

  No more words were necessary. We just held each other for a couple minutes, and in that embrace, I realized I needed him just as much as he needed me.

  “Not a day will pass without you in my thoughts,” he said.

  “Kyle…” I said.

  “Yes?”

  “Listen, I need to ask you for another favor, a huge one.”

  “Anything.”

  I felt my chest tighten as I asked, “Will you take care of Sammy?”

  He looked away as a tear slid down his face. “Of course.”

  “Promise?” I asked.

  “Yes, Val.”

  “I have to know she’ll be in good hands.”

  “She’s just a teenager. I wouldn’t just throw her out on her own. She’s a real nice girl, a friend.”

  “She’s also one heck of a fighter, but as tough as she is, she’s gonna need you and Jenny to get through this.”

  He nodded, his lips trembling.

  I kissed him and tasted both of our salty tears. “I just wish we had more time.”