“Shit,” mumbled Bryce as another zombie approached him from the side. He then leaned forward so that I was flat on his back and rushed toward the zombie, head-butting him. The zombie flew backwards and landed on the ground, growling.
“Damn, you have a hard head,” I said.
“Yeah, but that wasn’t good,” said Bryce, clutching his forehead.
“You okay?” I asked with concern.
“Just some minor head trauma, but I’ll get over it,” he replied between clenched teeth.
I glanced around the pool at the others. Carly was trying to help Belinda by showing her how to hammer a stiletto into a zombie’s eye. Belinda appeared totally fascinated and quickly took the other one off to go after a tall, skinny male zombie trying to crawl toward her. I turned and groaned, Nora was about to be outnumbered by zombies.
“Watch out, Nora!” I screamed, lurching forward with Bryce. Unfortunately, I didn’t account for his weight and we both tumbled to the ground.
“Dammit,” said Bryce.
“Sorry,” I said, trying to see Nora, who now had one female zombie by the hair and was ramming her face into the side of the pool. I watched in horror as another rushed up behind her and grabbed her by the arm. Luckily, she was able to yank it free, and she ended up elbowing him in the face before he could bite her. When he fell down, she swung the female toward him until they were both sprawled out on the floor. She then jumped into the air, crushing both of their skulls with her steel-toed boots. Blood and brain matter painted the side of the pool and I sighed in relief. It was horribly disgusting, but effective.
“Yeah!” she shouted as another female zombie stumbled toward her. “That’s right, bitch – I’ve got skills! You want me to share ‘em with you?!”
“Nice,” I laughed and shook my head. Nora was the only one truly enjoying herself.
“I like that crazy bimbo,” chuckled Marcus.
Oh no he didn’t…
I smiled in anticipation.
Nora’s head whipped around and it felt like all of the noise was sucked from the room. Was it my imagination, or did the remaining zombies pause as well?
“Bimbo!?” growled Nora, who suddenly sounded like a demon from hell.
Marcus shrugged. “What? What’s the problem?”
I believe that his location near the shallow end of the pool was his ultimate demise. Before anyone could comprehend what was actually happening, Nora took a running leap toward Marcus, using fallen zombies as steps to launch herself on top of him. From that point on, he was as good as dead.
“Help!” choked Marcus as she pummeled the side of his face with both fists. He lay there helpless, and the only reason I believe he couldn’t properly defend himself was the beating he took earlier from Paige and Bryce.
Tony stood up and hollered, “What the hell is the matter with you, Marcus!?”
Donnie started toward Nora with his gun raised, but before he could fire it off, there were shouts and gunfire coming from everywhere else.
“Get down!” someone yelled.
Billie?
Bryce pushed me against the side of the pool, covering my body with his as we listened to the war being fought all around us. Only when the room became silent, did he release me so we could find out what was going on.
“Oh, thank God,” said Carly before I had a chance to see what she was talking about.
Tony, Donnie, and about seven or eight goons lay on the ground, their lifeless eyes reflecting the shock they’d felt before taking their last breath. The zombies in the pool had also been riddled with bullets and were no longer a threat. The remaining prisoners had taken off somewhere, while Belinda, Nora, Carly, Bryce, and myself were the only ones left standing.
“Took you long enough,” yelled Nora as she wiped her bloodied hands on her jeans.
I watched in awe as Billie jogged toward us from where he’d been hiding behind a large sculptured torso of a Greek god.
“Do you ever stop complaining?” he asked as she lifted herself off of Marcus’s still form.
“Nora,” smiled Paige, jogging in from the hallway. “Awesome job on that creep!”
Nora snorted. “He’s lucky one of the bullets hit his head or I would have kept going.”
“I can’t believe it!” I laughed, pulling Bryce toward them. I’d never been so happy to see anyone, except for Bryce, of course, in my life.
But in the next moment, I was proven wrong.
“Cassie!”
I looked up toward the second floor of the atrium and completely lost it. My father and mother were waving to me, both wielding smiles, along with their couple AK-47 rifles.
“We’ll be right there, honey!” cried my mother, who threw me an air kiss.
“Mom and dad!” I choked, not quite believing it was them. I tried to brush the tears of joy from my cheeks, but I was still handcuffed to Bryce. He must have known I was overwhelmed with emotions because he squeezed my fingers.
“You guys okay?” asked Billie, coming toward us.
“We are now. Thanks to you,” I said.
“Thank Paige and Nora,” said Billie. “They got the ball rolling.”
“I will definitely do that after someone removes these handcuffs,” I said.
Bryce grunted. “Leaving me so soon? I thought you liked being this close to me.”
I chuckled. “Not so much in this position, Bryce. You’re kind of a maniac, storming around with me on your back, it’s kind of painful. Plus, I can smell your hair from here; kind of a ‘zombie with a touch of fresh decay’ scent.”
Paige, who’d managed to locate the keys for our handcuffs, sighed. “God, I was terrified when I found out you were caught,” she said, unlocking the cuffs. “I heard you asking to use the bathroom earlier and I really thought it was all over.”
“Oh ye of little faith,” I said with a smile. “I survived getting bitten by Eva, and if I could do that…”
She snorted. “Fighting ten zombies and a group of drug dealers was nothing. I got it.”
“Cassie!” cried my mother, rushing toward me, my dad in tow. She threw her arms around me and I closed my eyes, relieved that I’d been given back both of my parents. “I thought I’d lost you,” she murmured, holding me so tight, I could barely breathe. It was the best feeling in the world.
“Not me,” choked my dad, wrapping his arms around both of us. After a few seconds, he let out a long, shaky breath and released us. “She’s the ‘Wild One’, remember? In fact, both my daughters are tough as nails. Chips off the old block, just like their old man.”
My mom smiled down at me. “Well, Cassie, I guess I should be happy that your old man talked me into letting you learn how to fire a gun and take karate lessons.”
“You’re damn right,” he replied. “It’s probably the reason she survived without me.”
“Yeah, well, it definitely came in handy,” I said.
“I’m happy she did, too,” replied Bryce. “Or I’d have never met her.”
My dad’s eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second before he finally broke down and smiled. “I have to admit that I’m very proud of you, too, Bryce. You’re a good kid and helped save my daughter numerous times. What I’m trying to say, is that you… have my permission to date her, when the world is safe again to do that.”
Bryce bit back a smile and nodded. “Well, thank you very much, sir.”
I cleared my throat “So, how’s Allie?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer. “Is she… okay?”
My mom nodded and squeezed my hand. “She’s doing very well. She’s just worried about you.”
My eyes refilled with tears. “Thank God! I’ve been so worried about her. I wasn’t sure if she’d made it or not. I kept praying…”
“Your sister has been worried about you, too,” said my mom. “She’s going to be so happy to see you.”
“Kris,” called out Carly, who was helping Belinda out of the pool. “Can you believe it? Your family’s safe.”
Mom w
alked over to Carly and threw her arms around her. “So are you. I can’t tell you how worried I was when you disappeared.”
“They took me by surprise,” she answered. “I’ve been here for a couple of days, and the funny thing is, that when I met Cassie, I had no idea she was your daughter.”
“This is truly a miracle,” said my mother.
My dad picked up his rifle. “Well, I think we’d better get the hell out of here. Kristie needs to know that Paige is safe.”
“Yeah. By the way, how in the world did you find us?” I asked.
He sighed. “We’ve been scouring the city day and night for you and Paige. It was by chance that I noticed her running away from the hotel earlier. Good thing we were armed or I don’t if things would have turned out in our favor.”
“Yeah,” said Billie. “I’m a horrible shot, so if it wasn’t for your parents, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“That’s an understatement,” snickered Nora, who’d been busy picking guns off the dead criminals. “You couldn’t even commit suicide without missing.”
“Wow, has Nora always been this witty?” asked Billie, crossing his arms across his chest.
“No, you just have that effect on me,” she replied.
I was starting to think the effect he had on her was something entirely else, from the way she was looking at him. He didn’t seem to have a clue, either.
Men.
I walked over and gave Billie a quick hug. “That’s okay, Billie,” I said. “We all appreciate your help.”
“Thank you,” he said, giving Nora a sideways glance. “I haven’t felt appreciated at all, since you disappeared.”
“Oh, stop being such a whiner,” said Nora.
He glared at her.
She glared back. “Fine, you’ve done a great job, okay? Feel better?”
“Gee, thanks Nora,” he replied.
Nora rolled her eyes.
“Everyone ready to roll?” interrupted my dad.
“We have to get a friend of mine, Luke,” said Bryce. “He’s up in the penthouse.”
Belinda, who’d been in a silent kind of daze the entire time, cleared her throat. “Well, um, he is my nephew and should probably stay with me,” she said. “In fact, you all are welcome here. This hotel is pretty secure and the generator’s still working.”
“You know,” answered my dad. “This place would be an ideal zombie fallout shelter. It has to be better than the warehouse we’ve been staying in.”
I nodded. “It’s pretty nice. Or at least it will be once we get the dead bodies out of here.”
We all looked down at the bodies and grimaced.
My dad sighed. “Let’s let Dr. Schultzenheimer and the others know we’ve secured this place. He can probably move his lab over here, too. It’ll be much safer for everyone, especially the children.”
“My God!” gasped Bryce with a stricken look on his face. “Bobby! How could I have forgotten? Is he okay?”
My dad nodded and smiled. “He’s doing fine. Misses you, but we’ve been keeping him entertained.”
Bryce looked mortified. “I just can’t believe… how could I forget about that little guy? He’s everything to me.”
I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “It’s okay.”
“Man, I feel like such a jerk. I still can’t believe I’d forgotten about my own little brother.” He scowled. “I had some kind of injury and things are just coming back to me. Slowly, too slowly apparently.”
“You’re alive, and that’s what counts,” said my dad. “We’ll take you with us so you can be reunited. I’ve even taken him under my wing. He’s a very special kid.”
“He really is,” agreed Bryce. “Thanks for looking out for him.”
Seeing that Bryce was still torn up about Bobby, my mom walked over to him and gave him a hug. “You know, Bobby is going to be so excited to see you. Don’t be so hard on yourself. He’s taking all of this very well.”
“I guess it’s kind of a blessing that he has Down’s,” said Bryce. “Most young kids would have lost it, or completely shut down.”
“Rest assured that Bobby is probably taking this whole thing better than most of us,” answered my mother. “He’s always smiling.”
“Good,” said Bryce. “I can’t wait to see him.”
“Let’s get back to the warehouse and talk to the others. Belinda, isn’t it?” asked my dad, turning to her.
She nodded. “Yes. Just call me Bel.”
“Okay, Bel. Why don’t you take Carly, go back up to the penthouse, and lock yourselves up there until we get back. Billie and Nora can stay put in the lobby and keep any unwanted dead from finding a way in. Then when we get back, we’ll get rid of the filth in the atrium.”
Belinda smiled and grabbed Carly’s hand. “Let’s go, Carly. I think both of us could use a drink.”
“Save one for me,” smiled my dad. “It’s been a long week.”
“Ready, Wild?” asked Bryce, grabbing my hand.
I nodded and then glanced back at my parents, who were also holding hands and looking rather pleased. She whispered something to him and he laughed heartily, then he reached over and kissed her on the lips. The look on her face was of pure happiness and it made me smile. Now that I’d fallen madly for Bryce, I had a new appreciation for my parents’ relationship.
“I can’t wait to see Bobby,” said Bryce.
“I can’t wait to see Allie,” I answered as we walked out of the atrium. “I feel like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve last seen her.”
“Your dad’s right. It has been a long couple of weeks,” he said.
Bryce had just pulled me toward the lobby of the hotel when the ding of the elevator surprised us all. I turned around and watched as one of the elevator doors opened up, and as if in slow motion, Rico stepped out and began firing at everyone. Bryce quickly pulled me through the revolving doors, but not before the sound of my parents’ cries were forever etched in my memory.
Two weeks later….
32
Everyone was moved from the warehouse to the hotel, and soon after, we held a special ceremony for my parents, as well as for Carly, who’d also been killed by the gunfire, to honor their memories. I was there, but can honestly say I don’t remember much. The pain in my heart had been so overwhelming, that all I could do was clench my fists and keep from screaming at the top of my lungs. I’d felt like someone had played a cruel joke by bringing us together, just so that I could watch my parents die.
After the service was over, I’d stayed in bed for two days until Bryce found me sulking under my covers and dragged me out of it.
“You have to keep going,” he said. “There are still people who love you and need you. Don’t do this.”
“Two of those people died,” I mumbled into my pillow.
“But the rest of us are still here,” he said.
So was the pain, and it was burning a hole in my heart.
“At least get up for your sister,” he pleaded. “She really needs you.”
My sister.
She was what finally gave me the willpower to get out of bed. Plus, I was tired of the terrifying nightmares, which were relentless and full of nothing but death and misery. I was tormented by them within minutes of closing my eyes, whether it was day or night, it didn’t matter.
After I finally left the solitude of my bed, I went the other extreme and tried to avoid sleep by drinking energy drinks and staying busy by helping to organize the new shelter, scouting for zombies, or giving blood samples to Dr. Schultzenheimer for his research.
As expected, my sister hadn’t taken their deaths well, either. She’d cried nonstop for two days, and then when she couldn’t produce any more tears, she just quit making any kind of noise. She just sat in her room all day, staring out the window. It was hard getting her to eat or even shower. To me, she seemed like a shell of her old self. I couldn’t really blame her. Hell, I was barely hanging on myself.
“Y
ou have to do something,” pleaded Kylie after trying to talk Allie into getting out of her room. “It’s been two weeks. She doesn’t even respond to Goldie anymore.”
I guess when Allie and Goldie had first met, she’d fallen in love with the bundle of energy, and they’d been like two peas in a pod, totally inseparable. Now the poor dog was confused because my sister wouldn’t play with her anymore. Goldie returned to my bed every night but I could tell that she was also affected by the somberness in the air.
I stared at her. “Like what? I don’t know how to get through to her. She’s devastated, and frankly, I understand it. She just needs more time.”
“It’s much worse than that, and you’re her sister. She needs you.”
“She needs more than me.”
Kristie, who was stacking supplies in the hotel’s pantry, must have heard our conversation because she had to put in her two cents. “No,” she said, squeezing my shoulder. “You both need each other. Now, more than anything.”
The truth of the matter was that I was overwhelmed with guilt. My parents had come to my rescue and had lost their lives because of it. Whenever I looked at Allie, I felt like I’d betrayed the both of us. I should have done something more to help them. I’d let my guard down, and now the two people who brought me into this world were gone forever. And even worse, today was my eighteenth birthday. The pain of them not sharing it with me was just another reminder of what I’d lost.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, walking away.
Later that afternoon, Bryce came to the hotel suite that Allie and I were sharing. She was sleeping in her bedroom and I was feeling sorry for myself, thinking about the year before and how special it had been. My parents had thrown a big party for my birthday and all of my relatives and friends had been there. It now felt like a dream.
“You too busy to talk again?” asked Bryce as he kneeled down to pet Goldie.
I’d been doing my best to avoid him the last couple of weeks but was secretly pleased with his persistence to be near me.
I stared at the twin dragons on his forearms, remembering the first time we’d met. Everything was so innocent then, and it felt like eons ago. “I guess not.”
Zombie Games (Uncut) Boxed Set Page 43