“Me too,” smirked Bryce.
“Good,” said Kristie. “Now, let’s see if we can turn our luck around and find everyone before it gets dark.”
“We have about two hours,” said Tiny.
She rubbed the sweat from her forehead. “Well then in two hours I want a drink in one hand, a smoke in the other, and everyone who’s missing, accounted for.”
“Right, I think that’s asking for nothing short than a miracle,” said Paige.
“Don’t discount anything,” said Kristie. “You ever hear about the power of attraction? Positive energy attracts positive things?”
“I’ve heard of it,” said Paige. “Sounds like a crock of crap to me.”
“Well, I don’t know… they say it really works,” said Kristie.
Paige snorted. “Well, if it really works, why didn’t ‘they’ practice it a little better before all of these zombies made an appearance?”
“Maybe nobody was practicing anything positive when the zombie virus spread,” said Tiny softly. “In fact, maybe everything that’s happened is the cause of something much more intense than just a bad batch of flu vaccine.”
“What are you trying to say? That this zombie apocalypse happened because of negative energy?” scoffed Paige.
Billie sighed. “I see where you’re going – the world had already started going to pot before any of this, and maybe this is some kind of retribution we brought upon ourselves?”
“Maybe,” replied Tiny.
“Well then who’s punishing us?” asked Paige. “Aliens?”
“You ever heard of ‘The End of Days’?” asked Billie.
Kristie sighed. “Yes, of course. But come on, zombies aren’t a sign of the end of the world. I highly doubt they were mentioned in the Bible.”
“What are you people talking about?” asked Paige. “Zombies, the Bible, the end of the world?”
“Nothing,” said Kristie. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Just like I saw this special about it on the history channel – we will be struck by deadly plagues,” said Billie, his tone grave, “and famines and earthquakes. The sky will turn dark and oceans will turn to blood. And finally, the Antichrist will emerge to fight the final battle between good and evil.”
“That Antichrist?!” cried Paige, her voice shrill. “You mean, like Satan?”
“Paige,” said Kristie. “Just settle down. It’s not the end of the world, and nobody knows for sure that Satan is even real.”
“Well, if he is, right now would be the perfect time for him to show up,” said Billie.
“Oh, my God,” moaned Paige. “The deadly plagues could be the flu that infected everyone, the famine could be happening now because fresh food is so scarce. And what about the tremors we felt earlier – what in the hell was that about?”
“Just chill out, you guys,” said Kristie. “You’re all making mountains out of molehills.”
“And… the skies are definitely gray,” said Paige, staring up into the clouds.
“It’s summer in Minnesota,” said Kristie. “Now, everyone, stop it! Unless the sky starts raining down scorpions, locusts, or frogs, I don’t want to hear any more crap about the end of the world!”
Just then, a loud clap of thunder made them all jump and they watched in silence as the rain began to pour.
4
Cassie
“Wow,” said Nora, staring around in amazement.
The nuns had taken us to their church, an old cathedral on the other side of town. Candles lit the interior, and through the dim light, we were met with dozens of fearful but curious eyes.
“Lord above,” said Henry, staring at the group of children who watched us warily. There had to be fifty of them, ranging from three to slightly younger than myself. “Where did all of these children come from?”
“Most of them are from the orphanage,” said Sister Francine, the red-haired nun. “We brought them over as soon as we saw the signs. I knew they needed our protection through these difficult times.”
The hair stood up on the back of my neck as her face took on a serene, almost angelic look. All three nuns believed without a doubt that the zombies were a significant part of the ‘End of Days.’ I, myself, didn’t know what to think. It was certainly the end of something. Civilization as we’d known it.
“You really think that the world is coming to an end?” asked Nora, in disbelief. “God’s wrath?”
Sister Francine nodded slowly. “Know this – in the last days, perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Does that not sound familiar?”
“Timothy,” said Henry. “Paul’s letter to Timothy. I know that verse well.”
A chill went down my spine. I cleared my throat. “So, this is it? You really think this is the end for all of us?”
Sister Francine smiled and shook her head. “No, not the end, but a new beginning.”
The door to the church swung open and two nuns rushed inside, looking upset.
“Two men are here,” said one of the nuns. “Big men. They are demanding we let them in.”
“Do they have guns?” asked Henry.
“I don’t know,” said the other nun, who appeared to be close to my age.
“Are there any zombies outside of the gate?” asked Nora.
“No,” said the young nun. “Not yet, anyway.”
“I’ll go check this out,” said Henry, raising his gun. “Let them know we’re armed. You have to be careful of who you can trust, you know.”
“Regardless, we will not turn anyone away,” said Sister Francine.
Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Are you willing to risk the lives of these innocent little children, Sister? There are some nasty characters running around. We’ve lost quite a few of our friends from murderers and vagabonds roaming outside of these gates.”
“God has protected us this far,” she said, smiling. “I have faith that he will keep us safe.”
“Well, I stopped relying on faith the moment my parents were killed,” I said, feeling my eyes mist up. “They were good people, too. They didn’t deserve to die.”
She smiled sadly. “God has a plan for everyone, child. It’s hard to understand, but you must accept it and know that all will be revealed someday. It is his will.”
“Yes,” said Sister Theresa. “Each of us will be called to Heaven when it’s our time. Some of us much earlier than others.”
Henry’s lips curled under as he removed the safety on his gun. He turned toward the door and started walking. “That may be so,” he muttered. “But I tell you what – today is certainly not going to be my time, Sister.”
“Wait, Henry,” I said, hurrying to catch up to him. “I’ll come with you.”
“You just stay back and help protect everyone else, Wild,” said Henry. “I can handle this.”
“I really think I should back you up.”
He stopped and turned to me. “Listen, if something happens to me, they’re going to need you. Now, keep your gun close and don’t let anyone in unless I give you the okay.”
“Fine,” I huffed. “But if you’re not back in thirty seconds, I’m coming out there.”
He shook his head. “Jesus Christ, quit being so goddamn stubborn, girl. You’ve done your share, now let the rest of us take our turns.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Henry, you’re in a church.”
He looked up and nodded. “Well, the ‘Big Guy’ is going to have a chance to rip me a new one when I stand before him, which will probably be sometime soon, Wild. But for now, do what I say and you might save me from having to do a few more Hail Marys before we leave this place.”
I nodded reluctantly, and then watched him walk out the door.
“Hey,” said Nora, walking over to me. “If I w
ere you, I’d forget what that stubborn old man said and go watch him. You know his vision is going and his reaction time sucks. I’ll stay back here and keep an eye on things.”
“That’s what I was kind of thinking,” I said. Plus, my stomach was in knots, the feeling of dread overwhelming.
I removed my gun from the holster and raced outside where Henry stood, talking to a couple of men through the thick metal gate. The tension in the air was heavy as I stopped beside him.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, sweetheart,” smiled a greasy-looking guy with long, dark hair, powerful-looking arms, and a teardrop tattoo under his left eye. “Haven’t seen a real living woman in days.”
“She’s a young girl, not a woman,” said Henry, spitting out a wad of chew. “Mind me, Wild, and go back into the church.”
“No,” said the other fellow, who was shorter, with red hair and an easy smile. “I think we should ask her the same thing we asked you, see if she agrees.”
“No need to ask her,” said Henry. “She doesn’t make the decisions.”
“Why is she packing then?” asked the dark-haired guy. “A girl who can’t make decisions shouldn’t be carrying a gun. What’s the logic in that?”
“What’s your question?” I asked. I loved Henry but I was eighteen now and didn’t need anyone making decisions for me. Heck, not even Bryce for that matter.
Henry shot me a look of anger and I knew the words in his head were going to get him plenty of “Hail Marys.”
“We need food and shelter,” said the red-haired guy. “Haven’t eaten in days and our truck is out of gas. We saw this church and figured anyone here would do right by us.”
“Do you have any weapons?” I asked.
Red nodded down toward the bat he was holding. “Got me a bat, don’t need anything more.”
“What about your friend?” asked Henry.
The dark-haired guy reached behind his back and pulled out a revolver.
“Whoa, put that on the ground, nice and easy,” warned Henry, raising his gun. “We don’t want any trouble.”
“Nor do we,” he answered, removing the bullets. “Look, I’ll let you keep this for me until we leave.”
“Let them in,” said Sister Francine, stepping around me. “The Lord wouldn’t want us turning anyone away.”
“Thank you, Sister,” said the dark-haired man. “Much obliged.”
Henry’s lips curled under. “Fine, then. Toss your gun to the ground and kick it under the gate. No funny business.”
“You all are a little paranoid,” he said, kicking his gun toward Henry. “But I guess I can appreciate that. The world is upside down right now and trust needs to be earned. Don’t worry, though. You have nothing to fear from us.” Then he glanced at me and I shivered. Although he was smiling, it didn’t quite reach his cold, dark eyes.
“You can probably keep your bat,” said Henry, stepping away from the gate. “Case any zombies make it into the church grounds.”
Sister Francine pulled out a set of keys and slid one of them into the gate. “Haven’t had any zombies make it through, Henry. God’s made sure of that.”
“So has that heavy-duty steel lock,” pointed Henry.
“It certainly helps,” she said, with a small smile.
Henry grabbed my arm and pulled me aside as the nun opened the gate. “Listen,” he whispered, staring warily at the men. “You and Nora keep a good distance from those two.”
“Yeah, sure.”
He raised his finger. “I mean it. See those tattoos under their eyes?”
I nodded.
“You get those teardrops in prison – when you’ve killed someone.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Oh, crap.”
“Oh crap is right. You stay close to Nora and the children. I’ll keep my eyes on these two. As you can see, they both have trouble written all over their faces.”
“Okay.”
“What’s your name, Sister?” asked the red-haired guy, as they stepped through the gate.
She smiled. “I’m Sister Francine. What are your names?”
“I’m Travis,” said Red. “And that’s Dwayne. Thank you for opening up your home to us, Sister Francine. Looks like someone is looking out for us, answered our prayers.”
“Their prayers? Pfft…rubbish,” whispered Henry as we followed them into the church. “Don’t like their slippery, smooth words.”
“I guess we’re not leaving yet,” I whispered back. “Not while they’re here.”
He scratched his whiskers. “Got that right, kid. In fact, something tells me the nuns were right about God having a plan,” he said. “And I believe that we may have just found out where he wants us right now.”
5
Allie and Kylie
“Kylie,” said Allie, shaking her. “Wake up.”
“What?” she asked, sitting up in the truck. Her eyes widened as she stared outside. “Oh, my God, Lincoln Park?”
Allie nodded. “Yeah, the guys left to go search for food inside of the zoo. We’re supposed to wait in the truck.”
“But, there’s must be a ton of zombies swarming around this area,” she said, looking out the window toward the zoo’s entrance. “Why would they risk it?”
“Maybe not,” said Allie. “There aren’t that many cars in the parking lot. Obviously, many people were too sick to visit the zoo before they changed.”
“Zombies, right there. See, I told you,” whispered Kylie, pointing toward the edge of the parking lot.
“Well, they’ve been hovering over there for the past few minutes and, Kylie, they can’t hear you,” said Allie. “You don’t have to whisper.”
“Still, they give me the creeps. What if they notice us?”
“Just get ready to roll up the window if they start moving any closer.”
It was hot, too hot to be sitting in a vehicle without air-conditioning, let alone with the windows rolled up. Because they were trying to save gasoline, Justice had forbidden them from using the air-conditioner. “The guys should be back here soon, anyway. They’ve already been gone for thirty minutes or so.”
“I wonder if any of the animals survived?”
Allie’s eyes softened. “If they did, they’re probably dying of hunger. Those poor creatures.”
Kylie stared at her in horror. “Oh, God, what if the zombies got to them?”
“Then they’re probably either dead or zombies themselves.”
Kylie bit her lower lip and looked back toward the entrance. “If they are zombies, let’s hope they can’t get out of their enclosures.”
Allie stared down at her nails, which were bitten all the way down to the skin. “Because they’re behind cages and glass walls, I’m sure the zombies never even got close to the animals.”
At least, she hoped.
***
“Jackpot,” smiled Luke.
They were in the zoo’s cafeteria, which, although smelled almost as bad as the animal cages, still had a large supply of snacks and bottled drinks.
“I can’t believe nobody has raided this place yet,” said Justice, looking around apprehensively. There was a lot of food and some of it was in large plastic containers, as if it may have been recently packed for travel. He clutched his gun tighter.
Luke ripped open a bag of miniature chocolate chip cookies and groaned in pleasure after stuffing a handful into his mouth. “Oh, man, you’ve got to –”
The sound of gunfire caused both of them to hit the ground.
“Where’d that come from?” whispered Luke.
In a crouched position, Justice moved toward the entrance, which led to a giant atrium. “Outside somewhere, not exactly sure how close. We’d better get the hell out of here.”
“But we can’t leave all this food behind,” he said, standing up and stuffing bags of Cheetos and popcorn down his shirt. “Who knows when we’ll get this lucky again.”
“I’d rather be hungry than dead,” said Justice, looking nervousl
y out into the atrium, expecting someone to come crashing into the building with guns raised.
“These days, you’ll be both,” said Luke, moving next to him holding three packages of brownies.
More gunfire from outside of the building startled them once again, and Justice swore under his breath.
“We have to get to the girls,” said Luke.
“Yeah, I know. Follow me and stay close.”
They crept outside of the building and bolted toward the next building over for cover, as more gunfire exploded somewhere close by. Seconds later, they both heard a loud, deep roar.
“Whoa, did you hear that?” asked Luke.
He nodded.
A lion or tiger.
Sadly, most of the animals they’d come across had either died of neglect or zombie attacks. Obviously, a large cat that was still alive after three or four weeks could only mean that it was loose and catching its own food, or someone else was feeding it.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Justice, wiping sweat from his forehead as he tried not gag. The stench from the rotting dead animals was enough to make him forget about any hunger pangs.
Nodding, Luke wrinkled his nose. “Seriously, I didn’t think anything could smell this bad. Not even the zombies.”
Surprisingly, there hadn’t been many zombies at the zoo, and the few they’d encountered, Justice had swiftly taken out with the machete.
“Whoa,” said Luke, a few seconds later as they rounded the cat area.
“That’s messed up,” said Justice, looking down into the lion’s enclosure where several motionless zombies lay. It appeared that more than twenty undead had somehow thrown themselves into the lion’s den to feed, but instead, had met their own demise.
“Why doesn’t the lion finish off the bodies?” he asked, watching as a large male paced back and forth down below. “He must be starving.”
Justice shrugged. “He must sense they’re no longer warm, living creatures. Obviously he still killed them because he’s a predator.”
“I kind of feel bad for him,” said Luke. “He’s stuck down there, all alone.”
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