Zombie Games (Uncut) Boxed Set

by Kristen Middleton

  It was kind of like being at a strange zoo. The zombies were either wandering aimlessly or attacking each other with a vengeance. It was gruesome for anyone who’d never witnessed it before. Unfortunately, I was getting used to all the gore.

  “Yeah, but don’t forget the part where the dinosaurs broke loose and were feeding on the humans,” said Billie.

  “I don’t rightly recall that part. Fact is, I was with Veronica Baker and we were at the drive-in theater. She was stacked, by golly,” he chuckled. “Of course I do remember touching those huge...”

  “There!” I yelled, pointing. “That’s the warehouse where my father’s supposed to be waiting.”

  We drove into the parking lot and around to the side of the building. As we pulled up to one of the garage doors, it opened up from the inside and my dad stepped out. I hurried out of the truck and he gave me a big bear hug.

  “Oh, thank God you’re okay!” he said, holding me tightly.

  Hot tears burned my cheeks and I could tell he was crying, too. When he finally let me go, he wiped his face, which had aged even more since the last time I’d seen him.

  “You okay, dad?” I asked.

  “I’m a lot better now that I have you back.”

  “Come on, I have some people you need to meet,” I said.

  I brought him over and introduced him to my new friends and he shook each of their hands.

  “Thank you so much for keeping my daughter safe,” he said, in a husky voice.

  “Keep her safe? We should be thanking her,” replied Billie, putting his arm around me. “This girl probably saved our lives ten-fold.”

  “Cassie!” cried Paige, running toward me. “Thank God you’re okay. We were so worried about you!”

  As she hugged me, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bryce coming toward us, with Eva not too far behind. He wore a sky blue nylon shirt that emphasized both his muscles as well as his deep, penetrating eyes. His faded blue jeans hung low on his waist, and as always, flattered his cute butt. The one Eva probably had her mitts on.

  “Hi,” I said tightly.

  He gave me a long, searching look. “So, you’re really okay?”

  It hurt to look at him; he seemed so close but yet so far away. I longed to be back in his arms with his lips on mine. But instead, we both just stared at each other, like two uncomfortable strangers. When his blue eyes left mine, I could suddenly breathe again.

  “Hi, I’m Bryce,” he said, introducing himself to everyone.

  “Look at you and your cute little dimples,” teased Shane. I couldn’t help but smile as both he and Dale began fawning all over him.

  When introductions were out of the way, I glanced at Eva, who had a swollen black eye.

  I cringed. “Oh, wow! What happened to your eye?”

  Before she could answer, Paige cut in, smiling sheepishly. “Oh, my bad! We were getting attacked by some zombies and I mistook her for one; it was pretty dark. I keep telling her how sorry I am, but she just doesn’t believe it was an accident.”

  Eva scowled at Paige.

  I hid my smile; I didn’t believe it, either.

  “Well, we have to be going soon,” said Henry, pulling out a cigar. “My grandson will be expecting me.”

  “We’d better leave, too,” replied my dad. “First, we need to find someplace safe to get gas.”

  “Problem solved,” said Henry as he lit his stogie. “There’s a gas station up the road, and that’s where we’re heading. Just follow us.”

  “Henry, you’re not going to smoke that thing in the SUV, are you?” asked Billie.

  Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Why? These cigars are Cuban. You should try one, might make a man out of you.”

  “Henry, that’s not fair,” I scoffed. “Billie’s already proven he’s a better man than most out there.”

  Billie smiled and kissed my cheek. “I could say the same about you, G.I. Jane.”

  I giggled and punched him playfully in the stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bryce raise his eyebrows.

  “Relax, Wild, you know I was just giving him a hard time. Just like I said before, it’s my way,” replied Henry through a cloud of smoke.

  Eva stepped closer and smiled at me. “Cassie, I’m so glad you’re safe. I heard what happened about Austin. I’m sorry it didn’t work out between you.”

  I gritted my teeth. “There was nothing between us. I told you that, before.”

  “Oh, I only assumed since you left together…” she said, her eyes wide with innocence.

  My face turned red. “I was kidnapped! I certainly didn’t leave with him on my own free will.”

  My father raised his rifle. “Okay, girls… we don’t have time for this. Zombies coming in fast!”

  I limped toward the Denali where Bobbie, Sara, and Megan were peeking through the window.

  “Cassie!” everyone screamed when I slid into the back.

  “Hi, everyone. Boy is it good to see you guys,” I said.

  Goldie barked and jumped on my lap, licking my face frantically.

  “Thanks for the kisses, girl!” I laughed. She was so excited, I was afraid she was going to pee on me.

  “I think she missed you, too,” said Sara.

  “Cassie!” hollered Bobby, jumping up and down in the front seat. “Yay… it’s Cassie!”

  “Cassie,” smiled Megan. “See my new bear?”

  She held out a brown fuzzy bear wearing a karate outfit.

  I gave the bear a small hug and handed it back to her. “That is so cute,” I said

  “She named her Cassie,” said Sara.

  “You did?” My eyes welled up with tears.

  “Megan wanted to be near you, and fortunately, we found her that karate bear.”

  “That’s so sweet,” I said.

  “What’s wrong with your ankle?” asked Sara.

  “I twisted it. It’s getting a little better, though.”

  Sara touched my shoulder and smiled. “Well, we’re all glad that you’re back safely.”

  “Okay, let’s go, kids,” said my dad as he jumped into the truck. “We’re following Billie so we can fill up, then we’ll be on our way to Atlanta.”

  I looked out the window to see Bryce getting into the conversion van. His face looked angry and I could tell by Eva’s pout, that it probably had something to do with her.

  “Hi!” I yelled toward Kristie as she waved to me from the passenger’s seat.

  We tore out of the building just as the zombies were beginning to cluster around the parking lot. I watched in amazement as some of the zombies’ noses began to sniff the air, as if trying to catch our scent.

  “Okay, that’s really creepy,” I said, rolling up my window. “Now they are hunting us with their noses? How do they even smell us through their own stench?”

  “It’s okay,” whispered Sara into Megan’s ear. The child’s face was buried deep into her mom’s shirt and she was whimpering like a little puppy.

  “Poor kid,” I said as I reached out and rubbed her back. “Don’t worry, Megan. We’ll keep you safe. They can’t get inside the SUV.”

  Bobby, on the other hand, was adjusting a lot better than Megan. I watched in amazement as he pointed out zombies and begged my dad to “Get those suckers.”

  “Nice, dad,” I said, shaking my head.

  “What?” he asked innocently. “It’s our game we made up. The uglier the zombie, the more points we get. Bobby here is my partner, he points out the worst ones and we run ‘em down. Isn’t that right, buddy?”

  “Yes. Extra points for the ones who try and attack us first!” hollered Bobby with a huge smile. “This game is my favorite!”

  I shook my head incredulously and then relaxed in my seat. My dad always had this ability to make me feel safe, no matter what the circumstances. He was now having the same effect on Bobby, who really needed a father figure around; especially if big brother Bryce was giving Eva all his attention.

  23

  We
followed Billie until we reached the service station where he was supposed to meet up with Tiny. It was located near a short stretch of farmland, where there wasn’t much more of anything else. Thankfully, there didn’t appear to be any zombies, either.

  The guys got out with their weapons and quickly cased the area for walking dead, but found nothing. Not even Tiny, Henry’s grandson.

  “I’m going to see if I can get through to your mom,” said my dad, pulling out his cell phone. “She hasn’t contacted me in a while, and I’m starting to get very worried.”

  “I’ll fill up the tank,” said Sara.

  “Wait, I gotta try and locate that generator inside. Tiny’s got one for the fuel pumps,” said Henry.

  “I’ll come with you,” said Sara.

  “No, I’ll do it,” said Billie.

  “When is Tiny supposed to be here?” I asked.

  Well,” said Henry, looking toward the empty freeway. “I’m sure he’ll be coming around soon. I’ll just find a way into the station, get that generator working for you guys, and then hold up here until he gets here.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Billie, “I’ll stay with you until he arrives. It’s too dangerous to be on your own, even here.”

  Just then Kristie and the girls got out of the van and hurried over. “Thank God you’re safe,” she said, giving me a hug. “I was so worried about you.”

  “I’m fine; just a little sprained ankle.”

  “What happened to Austin? Did you kill the bastard?”

  “Mom!” yelled Kylie. “You know killing people is a mortal sin?”

  Henry moved closer to Kylie and he smiled. “The Bible never mentioned anything about zombies, though,” he said, pulling out his can of chew. “But we know we have to kill those things, before they kill us.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but they’re already dead.”

  “Smart little fox you have there, Miss,” said Henry, staring intently at Kristie. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced… I’m Henry.”

  Kristie shook his hand. “I’m Kristie and these are my two daughters, Paige and Kylie.”

  “Well, the apples don’t fall far from the tree, by golly. They take after their mama, real beauties.”

  “Oh, thank you, Henry,” beamed Kristie, patting him on the shoulder.

  Henry dropped his can of chew and Kristie reached down to retrieve it for him. I watched in horror as he glanced down her shirt and then it hit me. He’d dropped it on purpose!

  “Here you go, Henry,” she said, handing it back to him.

  Henry licked his lips. “Tell me, Kristie… do you like horses?”

  “Um, Henry,” I said, interrupting him. I knew where this was going. “Is there a bathroom around here?”

  He turned to me. “Well, should be one around the side. It’s probably locked, though.”

  “I’ll come with you and open it,” said Bryce, who I didn’t know was standing right behind me.

  “No, I can do it myself,” I replied, turning around to face him.

  “Your ankle is swollen and you can barely walk. In fact,” he said, putting down his rifle, “you could probably use a lift.”

  Suddenly, I was being lifted into the air and he was carrying me around to the side of the building.

  “Bryce, put me down!” I hollered.

  “Chill out, Wild,” he said. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “I don’t need your help.”

  He put me down and scowled. “Thank you? Isn’t that what you’re always hollering about? I guess you’re not very good at it, either.”

  I glared at him. “How about, ‘thanks, but no thanks’.”

  He shook his head. “What’s wrong with you? It didn’t work out with your little boyfriend and now you’re mad at the world?”

  My jaw dropped. “My boyfriend?! What in the hell are you talking about?”

  His face darkened. “Austin? The one you left with!”

  “I didn’t leave with him, he kidnapped me! God, what is wrong with everyone?”

  “Eva said she watched you leave with him, very willingly. And what about the note you left?”

  “What note?” I asked incredulously.

  “The one we found on the counter, back at your house. In the note you claimed that I was interfering with your relationship with Austin. That you two wanted to be together, and you’d be traveling to Atlanta together to meet up with your mother.”

  “Are you out of your freakin’ mind?” I hollered. “I never left any note! Fine, where is it? I want to see exactly what it is that I supposedly wrote!”

  The blood drained from his face. “Eva threw it away.”

  “Listen,” I shouted, jabbing my finger at his chest. “I didn’t write any damn note and there was nothing going on between me and Austin! Ever!”

  “Is everything all right?” asked Billie, coming around the corner with his chest puffed out.

  I was so angry I wanted to kill something. Instead, I unclenched my shaking fists and took a deep breath. “Everything is fine, thank you, Billie.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Really? It didn’t sound fine a minute ago.”

  I lifted my chin in the air and limped away from both of them, still seething with anger. It was quiet when I rounded the building and all eyes were watching me warily.

  “Aren’t we done filling up yet?” I barked.

  “Almost,” said Kristie, watching me curiously. “Do you need to talk?”

  “No, maybe later,” I muttered. “Thanks.”

  “You and Eva are switching vehicles,” said Paige. “We have so much to catch up on.”

  Eva glared at Paige but didn’t say anything, which was a good thing because I would have punched her in the other eye if she would have opened up her yap.

  The rumble of an engine broke the tension in the air and we all looked up to see the Harley coming at us in the distance.

  “Well, there he is,” smiled Henry.

  As the driver drew closer, I recognized the famous wrestler right away; closely cropped hair, thick neck, and biceps the size of grapefruits.

  “Would you look at that tall drink of water,” breathed Kristie, licking her lips. “And am I parched. What I wouldn’t do for a sip right now…”

  Tiny waved to Henry as he passed, then parked next to the front entrance of the station. When he stood up and removed his sunglasses, I thought Dale and Shane were going to faint. He not only had wrestler arms, he had a movie star smile.

  “Henry,” said Shane, fanning himself, “so, um that’s Tiny?”

  I smiled. “Obviously you’re not a wrestling fan.”

  “Oh, I like to wrestle,” he replied, his eyes appraising the tall stranger. “Unfortunately, not the kind ‘The Rock’ over there prefers.”

  “He’s not ‘The Rock’,” barked Henry as he shuffled toward his grandson. “That there’s the one and only ‘Tiny The Tank.’”

  “Bullshit,” whispered Dale with a wicked grin. “Aint nothing tiny about that guy, I guarantee it.”

  Tiny walked over to his grandfather and all but picked him up off the ground as he hugged him.

  “Am I glad to see you, Tiny. I was getting a little worried, I have to say,” said Henry as Tiny put him back down.

  In a voice that rivaled Mike Tyson’s, Tiny laughed and said, “Are you kidding me? All I have to do is look at a zombie and they curl up into a ball, screaming for their mommies.”

  It took every part of my being not to burst out laughing when I saw all of the crestfallen faces. Apparently, Henry and I were the only ones aware that Tiny had a lisp and that his voice was as high as Megan’s, thus the wrestler’s original nickname .

  Kristie, who’d also been surprised but undeterred, sashayed up to him and stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Tiny, I’m Kristie.”

  He gave her an appraising glance then took her hand in his. “Very nice to meet you as well, pretty lady. Tell me, do you like horses?”

 
***

  After filling all of the vehicles with gas, it was time to get going, but I still hadn’t used the bathroom. Instead of announcing it this time and encouraging the kind of company I wasn’t prepared to deal with right now, I quietly slipped away. It really wasn’t difficult, however, since everyone was fawning over Tiny, the “Celebrity.”

  The bathroom wasn’t locked, which seemed a little odd to me. I took out a mini flashlight from my pants, my newest necessity in an electricity-free world, and then kicked the door open, prepared for trouble. Fortunately, it was empty.

  I locked the door from the inside and did my business, thankful for some private time all to myself. As I washed my hands, I thought about the strange argument with Bryce. The whole story with the note was still pissing me off, especially since I knew someone had to have forged it. It was either Eva or Austin, obviously. Either way, I was bound and determined to find out the truth.

  A loud crash interrupted my thoughts. I limped over to open the door to see what was happening outside when an explosion rocked the entire station. I screamed and fell to the ground, smacking my head on the concrete.

  “Where’s Cassie?” I heard my dad’s muffled shouts from somewhere outside.

  My mind was in a fog and I felt something warm and slippery dripping from the top of my head, down the side of my face. I touched it and stared in confusion at the warm blood. When it dawned on me that it was mine, I began to panic.

  Got to get out of here, I thought.

  I raised myself up to leave, trying to move quickly, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate with my muddled thoughts. Then, miraculously the door was kicked open and somebody grabbed me. They picked me up, tossed me over their shoulder, and I closed my eyes in relief as I passed out.

  24

  I was weak and my head was throbbing. All I wanted to do was continue sleeping, but someone was mumbling, and it wasn’t me.

  “Mine,” the raspy voice repeated near my ear, over and over.

  “Wha?” I murmured, trying to open my heavy eyelids.

  Someone was carrying me over their shoulder through tall rows of cornfields, away from the sound of the explosions. As I looked down, I recognized the clothing and a sickening wave of terror welled up in my stomach. Austin!