She looked up at me. “How do you know?”
“Because a little voice inside of me said that if I hugged you, we’d both feel better. I don’t know about you, but I certainly feel much better now. In fact, I’m beginning to think that hug was actually from your mom.”
She tilted her head, thinking about this and then her face brightened. “You’re right. And that hug that I gave you was from your mom!”
“That’s right. Oh, wait,” I said, putting my arm around her and pulling her close. “I feel like giving you another hug. It must be your mom again.”
She closed her eyes. “I miss you, mom,” she whispered.
I smoothed her hair down and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure that she misses you, too.”
“Is that cute little girl yours?”
I stiffened.
Dwayne.
I ignored him and released Kallie. “Why don’t you go and look for Nora? I think she’s handing out water.”
Kallie stood up and eyed Dwayne warily. “Okay.”
“You look a little young to be a mother,” he said as she scampered away.
“That’s because I am too young to be a mother,” I answered coolly.
His eyes swept over my body and I wished I had more clothes covering me. Because of the heat, my usual attire was a tank top and jean shorts. “What are you, twenty?”
“Eighteen,” I said, raising my chin.
He smiled wickedly. “You’re still legal.”
“I’m legal but it doesn’t make me available,” I said, trying not to flinch as the pig’s eyes traveled over my body a second time.
“She’s also engaged,” said Nora, who appeared beside me. “To a martial artist who could take you out with the tip of his finger if he really wanted to.”
He looked amused more than anything. “A real tough guy, huh?”
I nodded. “Yes, but I don’t need anyone’s protection. I can take care of myself.”
He put his foot on the bench and leaned against his knee. “I suppose you can, if you’ve survived this long. Truth is, I’m not a threat, so you can both just relax.”
“Everyone’s a threat,” said Nora.
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
“Because we’ve both had our share of trouble in the last few weeks and they also tried giving us the same line of bullshit,” said Nora.
His eyes narrowed. “Oh, is that right?”
“Yep,” she smiled coldly. “Neither of us are naïve, defenseless, or stupid. So you can save yourself a lot of embarrassment and pain by taking what you need for food, and be on your way.”
Dwayne reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. “I think you have me all wrong.”
“Maybe, but I don’t really give a shit one way or the other. You’ve obviously been in prison and that tat near your eye, which you’re proudly displaying, speaks volumes. So, if you think you’re going to pull any wool over our eyes, you’re wasting your time.”
“I got that tattoo when I defended myself in prison.”
“It’s one thing to defend yourself; it’s another thing to go bragging about killing someone using a tattoo, Dwayne,” I said. “By the way, smoking isn’t permitted in the courtyard.”
He stared at me for a few seconds and then put the cigarette pack back into his pocket. “Can’t believe I’m letting a couple of little girls like you bust my balls,” he sighed.
“We haven’t even started,” muttered Nora as he turned and walked away.
“He gives me the creeps,” I said.
She nodded. “Me, too. He’s obviously dangerous. I just hope those tards leave soon, so we can get the heck out of here and back to Minnesota. I feel like we’re wasting too much time here.”
“I know,” I said. Besides wanting to find my grandparents, my heart ached for Bryce along with the others. I just wanted to finish this mission and get back to the hotel. “But Henry is afraid those two men are a major threat to the nuns. We can’t leave until they’re gone.”
“Well, they’d better be gone by tomorrow or I’m going to run their asses out of here myself,” said Nora, her jaw set. “And I’m serious, Wild.”
I wasn’t sure how she’d do it, but there was no doubt in my mind that she would. “I understand.”
That night we slept on the floor of the church with the children, taking shifts to watch over everyone. Since both men had been in prison, we didn’t trust any of the kids alone with the strangers. Henry volunteered for the first shift, me for the second, and Nora for the final. When it was my turn, I wrapped a blanket around myself and hunkered down on a pew with the gun hidden underneath.
“Keep your eyes on those two,” whispered Henry as we stared at the two sleeping men. “I trust them about as much as your lead foot.”
I smiled and shook my head.
He smiled back and then his face became serious again. “Don’t let them get you alone, Wild. I know you’re good with those karate moves and everything, but those two are giants compared to you. It wouldn’t be too hard for them to pin you down and hurt you.”
I pushed the horrifying image away. “I’ll be fine.”
His lips thinned. “I’m serious. You didn’t see the way that dark-haired fella’s been eyeballing you. For all we know he could have went to prison for rape.”
My stomach clenched. I hadn’t even thought of that. “Well, one of them tries raping me, he won’t live long enough to unzip his fly.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure he won’t. Just remember, though, keep your guard up.”
“I hear you.”
Henry walked to the back of the church, lay down on a pew with the pillow one of the nuns had given him, and within seconds was snoring so loud, I could hear him from where I was sitting.
Sighing, I stood up and stretched my legs, then walked over to where everyone was sleeping to check on things. It was early into the next morning and the children, all fifty-eight, appeared asleep. Two of the other nuns were also snuggling with some of the smaller kids as they slept.
“If you’re tired,” said Dwayne, who was sitting against one of the walls, watching me intently, “I can keep an eye on the kids for you.”
“No thanks,” I said.
His eyes narrowed. “You’re just a young girl yourself. You shouldn’t have this kind of responsibility.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Well,” he said, standing up. “I’ve got to go and relieve myself. I’ll be back soon.”
I nodded and watched him as he walked toward the exit. “Hey, there’s a bathroom in the church.”
“I’ll go outside. I need a smoke anyway.”
I watched as he stepped outside of the sanctuary, feeling uneasy. I didn’t particularly like him wandering around where I couldn’t see him.
“Cassie?”
I turned and found Kallie standing next to me, rubbing her eyes.
“Hi, honey. What do you need?”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Oh, well, okay,” I said. I stood up and walked over to Nora, shaking her gently.
“My turn already?” she mumbled.
“No, I just have to take one of the kids to the bathroom. Can you keep an eye on the others while I do that?”
She said up and yawned. “Sure.”
“Thanks.”
Nora’s eyes narrowed as she looked around. “Where’s Dweeb?”
“Dwayne? He stepped outside for a smoke.”
She sighed. “Great. Well, hurry back. Looks like I still have a couple of hours to sleep until it’s my turn.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry.”
“Hey, little girl needs to pee, she needs to pee,” she said, smiling at Kallie.
“We’ll be right back.”
I grabbed a flashlight and took Kallie’s hand in mine. We walked out of the sanctuary into the hallway leading to the bathrooms.
“Do you need any help?” I asked as we stopped outside of the small bat
hroom.
“No, but it’s too dark to see anything,” she said.
I handed her the flashlight, grateful that there were a couple of lit candles in the hallway so I wouldn’t have to wait in complete darkness. “I’ll wait out here.”
“Okay.”
She closed the door and I leaned against the opposite wall with my arms crossed, my mind wandering back to Bryce once again. I smiled as I imagined him tucking Bobby into bed, maybe reading him a story. Then I felt guilty for leaving my little sister the way that I did and sighed. She was definitely going to freak out on me when I made it back to Atlanta.
A loud crash from one of the rooms down the hallway made me jump. It sounded like glass shattering.
Crap.
Swallowing back a wave of fear, I tightened the grip on my gun and began walking down the long, cool hallway, which seemed more ominous with every step.
“Hello?” I called, raising the gun in front of me.
Nobody answered and I had to force myself to keep moving.
Maybe it was a cat?
I’d seen a couple of them prowling around the hallways earlier.
“Here, kitty!” I whispered loudly.
The sound of books or something heavy being dropped onto a hardwood floor stopped me cold.
“Sister Theresa?”
Silence.
With my heart hammering in my chest, I willed myself forward until I stood outside the room where I thought I’d heard the noise. It was dark, but from the shadows in the room, it appeared to be an office.
“Hello?” I whispered, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness.
I heard the creak from the bathroom door opening back up and turned to see Kallie stepping back out into the hallway. “Cassie?” she called.
“I’m down here,” I said, lowering the gun.
She aimed her flashlight at me and then let out a shrill scream.
Before I could turn around to see what had frightened her, someone grabbed me around the waist and clamped a hand tightly over my mouth.
7
Bryce
The rain and hail pelted the SUV loudly as they drove to the other side of town, trying to locate Cassie’s grandparents’ home.
“Turn right at the next street,” ordered Kristie, staring at the roadmap. “We should be passing a lake soon, and then they’re only a few blocks from there.”
“I can barely see the streets,” said Tiny, turning up the windshield wipers. He leaned forward and squinted. “It’s pretty bad and I don’t want to hit any more zombies in this thing. Maybe we should pull over until the rain dies down?”
“Nah, we’re almost there,” said Kristie, biting the side of her nail. “So just keep driving.”
“At least the rain is normal,” said Paige, staring out the window. “Nothing to indicate that it’s the ‘End of the World.’ Thanks, by the way, Tiny.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Scaring the heck out of everyone by talking about the ‘End of the World.’ I’m not ready for that. I mean, seriously, I haven’t made it to college yet, partied until I’ve puked my guts out, or even made it past third base with a guy. I’m only eighteen and have too much living to do before actually dying.”
“Seriously,” said Bryce. “That’s your ‘Bucket List’?”
Paige raised her eyebrows. “What’s a Bucket List?”
“The list of things you want to accomplish before you kick the bucket and die,” he said.
“Obviously you’ve already marked at least one of those off of yours, Romeo,” smirked Paige. “But maybe I’d like to sleep next to a toilet one night, making promises I won’t keep or… reject scary, drunk-assed men who hit on me at a bar. Hell, even to feel the euphoria of getting a single line on a pregnancy strip before I find the real Mr. Right. There are just too many things I want to do in life before I die.”
Kristie closed her eyes and rubbed the area between her eyebrows. “Thank you, Lord, for making my children so dramatic, cynical, and stubborn. If mom was here, I’m sure she’d say ‘paybacks are a bitch, Kristie’.”
Paige leaned forward and patted her on the shoulder. “Hey, you set the standards. I’m just trying to say that I want to enjoy at least the same things in life that you have before I leave this place.”
“Okay, fine, I plead the fifth,” said Kristie, with a humorless smile. “But seriously, honey, you should strive for better. You know, learn by your parents’ mistakes.”
“Yeah, but I’ll bet you had a lot of fun making those mistakes,” interrupted Tiny.
Kristie’s jaw dropped and she punched his shoulder. “You are not helping. I’m supposed to be setting examples.”
“Mom, it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m an adult now and can make my own decisions – zombie apocalypse or not.”
“Well,” said Billie. “You’ve certainly earned your right after everything we’ve been through. Hell, we all have.”
“You got that right, brother,” said Tiny.
They drove for a while in silence, listening to the echoing thumps from the hail mixed with occasional cracks of thunder. When they reached the lake on the map, Tiny swore and slammed on the brakes.
“What?” gasped Kristie, gripping the dashboard.
Tiny pointed ahead toward the beach. “Tell me I’m wrong, but doesn’t the water look pink?”
“Pink? No, that’s ridiculous,” said Kristie, trying to see through the wipers and drizzling rain.
Tiny put his foot on the gas and drove into the parking lot leading to Willow Lake’s Public Beach. He then drove over the grass to the edge of the sandy beach.
“Well, yeah, it does look like an odd color,” said Billie.
Tiny grabbed an empty glass from the cup-holder and opened the door. “I’m going to check it out,” he said, jumping out into the rain. “Hold tight.”
“Is this really necessary?” asked Kristie.
“I’ll be back,” he said, slamming the door. He then sprinted through the sand to the end of the beach and filled the glass with lake water. When he returned to the SUV, they all stared in horror at the contents of it.
“It is pink,” said Paige in a strangled tone. “What does it mean?”
Tiny wiped the rain from his forehead. “I don’t know.”
“Relax, you guys. It could be a number of things,” said Bryce. “Bacteria growing in the water, too much iron, dead fish, or even zombie contamination. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Paige shook her head. “No, first the ground shaking because of an earthquake, now the water turning red! That’s too much of a coincidence. This is it, we’re all screwed.”
“It’s pink, not red, Paige,” said Kristie.
“Your mother and Bryce are probably right,” said Billie. “Let’s keep trying to track the others and then we’ll worry about pink water and quakes.”
“Exactly,” said Kristie.
“Okay,” said Tiny, restarting the engine. “I know one thing for certain; we need to start searching the homes around here for bottled water. If the water is contaminated, we don’t want to get near it.”
“Whoa, check that out,” said Kristie, pointing ahead.
Two rain-drenched zombies staggered toward the lake and everyone watched in fascination as they entered it.
“Weird,” said Paige.
“Check it out, it’s going to be over their heads soon,” smirked Bryce, as the zombies stepped deeper. “Wonder if they’ll float or sink?”
“Oh, my God!” gasped Kristie. “What in the hell are those idiots doing?”
Paige chuckled. “Fishing? Maybe they’ve figured out another way to eat.”
“Maybe they’re drawn to the water because of something else,” murmured Billie.
“What do you mean?” asked Kristie, turning to look back at him. “I thought zombies were drawn to living flesh. You know, brains and all that.”
“And blood,” he said, smiling humorlessly. “Obviously, they’re drawn to b
lood.”
Kristie’s face turned white.
8
Allie and Kylie
They drove through two hours of hard and steady rain in silence until they passed a sign welcoming them to Rockford, Illinois.
“Just in time. We need gas,” said Justice, breaking the somber mood in the truck.
“And I have to go to the bathroom,” sighed Allie, who sat in the middle.
“Me, too,” said Kylie, staring out the passenger window.
“It’s going to be dark soon,” said Justice. “Let’s see if we can find a full parking lot and a toilet.”
“And no zombies,” said Allie.
“Big city like this is gonna have plenty of those,” said Justice. “This is won’t be easy.”
“So, um, how much longer until we get to Minnesota?” asked Allie, biting the side of her nail.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, we’re still quite a few hours away. Maybe six or seven?”
“I hope my sister is okay,” said Allie.
“You know, she is going to kill you when she sees you,” said Kylie.
“I’m the one who should be mad,” she answered, her jaw set. “She left without even telling me, and now that our parents are gone, we need to stick together.”
“Did you lose them to the zombies?” asked Justice.
“No. A really bad man killed them. Shot them when they were trying to save my sister.”
“There are a lot of dangerous characters out there,” said Justice. “Look at what happened to Luke.”
“You know… it’s all my fault,” said Allie, her eyes misting up. “I shouldn’t have asked him to come with us. Now he’s dead and it’s my fault.”
“Obviously it was his choice to tag along,” said Justice. “And don’t go blaming yourself for the acts of a psychopath. The guy was obviously messed up.”
“I still feel horrible,” said Allie. “And what am I going to tell Bryce when he finds out? They were so close.”
“Forget about Bryce, Belinda is going to be the one who will be really upset. That’s her nephew.”
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