Survival Instinct: A Zombie Novel Paperback

by Kristal Stittle

  “Very nice,” Danny applauded her. “Where did you find that?”

  “Over there.” Alice pointed to one corner of the workshop.

  Danny decided not to bother scolding her for touching things she was told not to. “I have something for you.”

  “What?” Alice got very excited.

  “I know they’re not Barbie, but I found these.” Danny took out the horses and handed them to her.

  Alice took them with greedy eyes. “Thank you, Danny.”

  She then hurried off to play with them near Shoes, the light around her neck bouncing widely and throwing crazy shadows up and down the walls. Shoes seemed to have taken up residence on a bucket seat and was sound asleep. He even snored, somewhat.

  Without any of the flashlights near him, Danny could hardly see a thing in the workshop. He did, however, notice there was a tiny amount of light coming through some windows near the ceiling. They were very high up though, and very small, and so covered in grime and dirt that you couldn’t see out of them.

  Suddenly, there was more light from over where Alec was. Danny looked over and saw that Alec had found a large, battery-powered something. Danny didn’t even know what the device was, but part of it was a decent-sized light, which Alec had turned on. Alec then began heading over to Alice so Danny went the same way.

  “Alice, turn off your flashlight to save the batteries,” Alec told her. “This light should be good enough for now.”

  Alice picked up the light from around her neck and pressed the big button on the back of it. Her light clicked out.

  “How do you feel about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?” Alec asked the little girl.

  “Yum!” Alice replied. Then she saw the Nutella on his lap. “Nutella!” she squealed.

  “I take it you like this stuff?” Alec held it up.

  Alice nodded several times.

  “All right, we’ll have Nutella sandwiches then.” Alec put the bag of bread down on a workbench next to him. “Everyone will have to make their own though. I don’t have anything to spread it with, so we’ll have to use our hands.”

  Danny was about to ask him about the combat knife he knew he had, but then remembered when he had seen it. Alec had used it to kill the guy that had been trapped under the garage door and it was probably still covered in infected blood.

  Alice didn’t seem to mind the finger idea. In fact, she didn’t even bother with sandwiches. She peeled the crust off the bread and then mushed up the remainder into a ball. She then dipped the bread ball into the chocolate paste and shoved the whole thing into her mouth, chewing in great big, smacking bites. Shoes had woken up from the smell of food, and Alec handed the dog Alice’s crusts. He ate them without getting up.

  Danny stuck with the peanut butter and jelly. Mostly the jelly. Although it was sticky and kind of gross to touch, he found he could kind of pour it onto his bread with only a bit of prodding. Partway through the meal, Danny remembered the milk and went to get it. He gave a carton to each of them.

  “No chocolate milk?” Alice frowned.

  “I didn’t see any,” Danny shrugged a shoulder. “Besides, don’t you think you have enough chocolate right now?”

  Alice giggled. “You can never have enough chocolate!”

  They continued to eat, talking about what their favourite candies were. Alice loved anything chocolate. Danny had more of a preference for Nerds, the hard, tiny, sugar candies that came in boxes. Alec seemed to like sour stuff like Sour Keys and Cherry Blasters.

  * * *

  When the meal was over, Alice curled up on the end of the long van seat next to Danny’s bag. She was asleep in an instant. Danny sat down in one of the captain’s chairs. He wished the van had been an older model, the kind with a second, short bench seat for the middle. If it had been, then Alice could’ve slept on the short one, while he stretched out on the long one.

  Danny slept in fits. He couldn’t remember having any dreams, but he woke up a lot. Often he found himself clutching for a blanket he didn’t have. It wasn’t cold; the mechanic’s shop had managed to hold in quite a bit of heat throughout the day. It was just strange not to have a blanket. Or a pillow for that matter. Or Mr. Ears. Danny had never admitted that he loved having Mr. Ears with him while he slept. He knew it was a baby thing, but he couldn't help it. He just felt comforted, safe even, having the stuffed elephant nearby.

  Several times, Danny woke up, opened his eyes, and looked around the shop. Alice would still be fast asleep on the bench seat, one of the horses clutched in her hand, and Alec’s coat draped over her. Shoes would be snoring away in another captain’s seat. Danny had yet to see Alec asleep. He knew the former military man was tired, but he wasn’t sleeping. The first few times, he was looking over the second car’s engine. Probably determining if it would run or not. The next few times, he was sitting in another captain’s chair looking over his wheelchair. He seemed to be making minor repairs to it. His chair had gone through a lot.

  Danny eventually woke up and couldn’t seem to fall back to sleep. He got up and walked over to Alec, who had stopped working on his chair and was cleaning his gun. Danny sat on the floor next to him.

  “I told you I would teach you how to do this, right?” Alec whispered.

  Danny nodded.

  “All right, get out your own pistol then, and I’ll teach you.”

  The next several minutes, Alec showed him the proper way to take apart and clean a pistol. Once that was done, he showed him how to put it all back together.

  “Why aren’t you sleeping?” Danny finally asked in a low voice so as not to wake Alice.

  “I can’t,” Alec answered.

  “You look exhausted,” Danny pointed out.

  “I know, I am,” Alec nodded, “but I can’t sleep knowing that you kids would be defenceless.”

  Danny frowned, “I can keep watch for awhile.”

  “You need the sleep more than I do,” Alec told him, shaking his head. “Besides, it’s my body that’s tired, and I’ve been letting it rest. It’ll be fine.”

  Danny wasn’t going to argue with him.

  “You should try sleeping again,” Alec said after a moment. “You’ll need the rest for tomorrow.”

  Danny nodded.

  Before he could get up to go back to his seat, there was a rattling as the metal door was shaken. Alec and Danny went stock-still, eyeing the door from across the room. The door was shaken a second time, more forcefully. The chain rattled loudly against the door and frame.

  “What’s the password?” Alice called out from where she was lying.

  Danny’s head snapped around to look at her. She looked wide awake as she stared at the door. Alec never took his eyes off it.

  There was silence then from the other side. The silence lasted for what seemed like forever, but was probably only several seconds.

  “Is the password password?” a voice with an accent asked from the outside.

  “No,” Alice giggled. “Try again.”

  “Uhh, how about please let me in?” the voice asked again.

  “Nope, that’s not it either,” Alice replied, giggling more.

  “Stay here,” Alec told Danny.

  He shifted himself from the captain’s chair into his wheelchair and made his way toward the door.

  “Is it open sesame?” the voice guessed again.

  “Nope,” Alice kept up the rapport.

  “Who are you?” Alec asked through the door as he got close.

  “My name is LeBlanc,” the voice told him. “Myself and two others stopped here for some gas, and I saw a bit of light through the windows. I thought I’d come check it out.”

  “What do you want?” Alec asked next.

  “A safe place to crash for the night would be nice,” LeBlanc suggested.

  “Has anyone in your party been bitten?” It sounded like Alec might be considering it.

  “No, none of us are infected as far as we know. You?”

  “No. No i
nfection so far.”

  “Then can we come in?”

  “Give me a minute.” Alec wheeled back over to Danny. “What do you think kid? Do you think we can trust them?”

  Danny looked from Alec to the door. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I don’t see why not if they’re not infected like they say they aren’t.”

  Alec nodded and went back over to the door. “All right, but you eat your own supplies.”

  “Not a problem,” LeBlanc agreed. “Let me just go grab the others. They waited by the car.”

  “He didn’t say the password,” Alice frowned as Alec began unwrapping the chain.

  “Shoes, come here, boy,” Alec patted his leg.

  The dog had been woken up by the rattling, like the others. He flopped off his chair and made his way over to Alec.

  “Sniff here, boy.” Alec opened the door and got the dog to stand just outside of it. He didn’t react in any way. LeBlanc passed the basic sniff test. No scent he left behind set off any alarms.

  Danny walked over and sat next to Alice. He gripped his pistol a little tighter than necessary, but kept his finger away from the trigger. He didn’t want to fire off a nervous shot.

  Alec waited by the door for the newcomers. When the first one walked in, Alec held out his hand. “I’m McGregor.”

  “LeBlanc.” The man shook his hand. There was something familiar about his clothes. “This is Bishop and-”

  “Mathias!” Danny leaped off the seat, all fear forgotten, pistol falling to the floor. His big brother had just walked through the door.

  Danny ran to his brother, who in turn, quickly stepped out from behind the others. He ran smack into him, wrapping his arms tightly around his ribs. Mathias let out a grunt.

  “Easy, Danny.” Mathias wrapped his arms around him, a large smile on his face and in his voice. “You’re going to break a rib.”

  Danny thought he must be asleep. He must have actually fallen asleep and was now dreaming. He expected to wake up at any moment. He didn’t want to wake up.

  “Okay, okay.” Mathias started to pry him off. They were weak attempts as he obviously didn’t want to let him go, but knew he had to. “I missed you too, buddy, but we can’t keep standing here. We’re in the way of the door.”

  Danny released his brother and looked at him. It wasn’t a dream. His brother had really found him. He couldn’t stop smiling as they headed deeper into the shop.

  “So this is the baby Cole, eh?” The man named LeBlanc walked over. “You know, we’ve been looking for you.”

  Danny looked at LeBlanc and quickly studied him. He had never met him. He had never met, nor was even told about, anyone who worked at Keystone, but now that he focused, he recognized the clothing and gear as being from there.

  He looked at the woman next, Bishop. She clearly didn’t come with them from Keystone.

  Alice took his hand then, having gotten up.

  “Oh, Mathias, this is Alice,” Danny introduced her. “Alice, this is my big brother, Mathias.”

  “Hello,” Alice waved.

  “So you’re the one with the tough-to-crack password.” LeBlanc leaned down. “Mind sharing it with me for next time?”

  “Purple monkey dishwasher,” Alice half smiled, but was being shy.

  “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” LeBlanc exaggerated, smacking his forehead with one hand. This caused Alice to smile.

  “Thanks for letting us in,” Bishop told Alec.

  “Well, it turned out to be the best idea I’ve had all day.” Once the door was chained again, Alec led them over to where he had the larger light set up.

  Shoes wove around between everyone’s legs, interested in the newcomers.

  “Actually, I think the best idea you had was breaking into my place.” Bishop pulled out a stool from under a workbench and sat down with a relaxed sigh.

  “That was your place?” Alec raised an eyebrow at her. “Quite the arsenal you have there.”

  “Thank you,” she smiled. “Taking the map though, was smart. We figured we’d run into you eventually if we followed the route. Didn’t expect to find you here, though.”

  “Our ride became unsafe,” Alec told them.

  “You should see the death trap we’re driving in,” Bishop sighed and glared at Mathias.

  “Hey, that was probably more uncomfortable for me than it was for you,” Mathias put up his hands defensively. “If you’re going to blame anyone, blame LeBlanc.”

  Danny couldn’t stop looking at his brother. He kept expecting him to disappear or change into a stranger. Or spontaneously combust for that matter.

  “Daniel, stop staring, it’s creeping me out.” Mathias turned to him, smiling. Although engaged in conversation with the others, he kept looking over at Danny as well. He was probably having the same thoughts of dreaming that his younger brother had. “Seriously, it’s weird. Oh, and here.”

  Mathias reached into a pocket and took out a beat-up, stuffed elephant. It was Mr. Ears.

  “I guess you were in a rush.” Mathias handed it over.

  Danny didn’t know what to say. He accepted the stuffed animal. He was no longer a fourteen-year-old kid trying to be an adult; he was a fourteen-year-old kid who remembered what it was like to be six. He brought the stuffed animal up to his cheek, where it used to sit while he slept when he was little. It smelled the same. This wasn’t a dream.

  “Hey mutt, I don’t have anything.” Shoes was sniffing intently at LeBlanc’s boots. “And I don’t think I stepped in anything either.”

  “His name is Shoes,” Alice told him. “I think he likes you.”

  “Good for him. Shoo Shoes.” LeBlanc tried to wave the dog away.

  “So you’re the one who’s been taking care of my brother?” Mathias turned to Alec. “I’m sorry but I didn’t catch your name.”

  “McGregor. Alec McGregor.” Alec held out his hand.

  “I owe you the biggest one.” Mathias shook it.

  “Careful, I’ll probably hold you to that,” Alec grinned.

  Danny suddenly felt very tired. Everything that happened today suddenly came crashing back down upon him and he felt exhausted. His head drifted forward.

  “Hey buddy, looks like you need some sleep,” Mathias noticed.

  “I had just convinced him to try sleeping again when you guys showed up,” Alec told him.

  “Why don’t you sleep, Danny?” Mathias told him. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

  Mathias led him over to the bench seat that Alice had vacated. Danny lay down on it.

  “You promise?” Danny asked his brother.

  “I promise. We won’t be separated again. We’ll get through this together.” Mathias placed his hand on Danny’s head.

  Danny nodded and curled up, burying his face into Mr. Ears’ soft belly. He fell into a deep and dreamless sleep before Mathias could take his hand away.

  33:

  The Russian

  Misha was exhausted. He was so tired he felt sick. There were three things he desperately wanted right then, but he didn’t have any of them. The first was that he wanted a drink. He was so thirsty. The second thing he wanted was food. He hadn’t eaten since the old lady’s house, and that, he had thrown up. He should have grabbed something from Rifle’s house, but he hadn’t been thinking. The third thing he desperately wanted was sleep, preferably wrapped in a warm, fluffy blanket. His exhaustion made him cold, and the cold made him sleepy. It was a vicious cycle.

  Every muscle in his body was screaming. He had gotten the motorbike out of the city by taking dirt roads through the woods that really weren’t anything more than a pair of ruts. Two cars couldn’t pass each other if they met going in opposite directions. He had no idea where he was at the moment; he just tried to head north-west. Thankfully, the bike had a built-in compass between the handlebars to help with that. It was the bike’s only redeeming quality. The thing shook and shimmied all the time, especially on the dirt. The vibrations were ra
ttling Misha’s bones and brains. The steering wasn’t the best either, and sometimes Misha found himself using whatever strength he could muster to make certain turns. He couldn’t even feel his feet anymore.

  In the sidecar next to him, Rifle didn’t look too happy either. The dog constantly had his ears flat, and every time they came to a smooth straightaway, which wasn’t often, he tried to shift around in the little sidecar.

  When darkness first descended, Misha had nearly panicked. It got dark really quickly in the woods, and he didn’t know where the switch for the headlight was. He eventually found it, but not before a few narrow misses with the edge of the road. Also, when it first got dark, a lot of bugs suddenly appeared. Misha was probably moving just fast enough that they couldn’t land on him and bite him, but a lot ended up spattering on his chest and face. He was grateful that they disappeared as it got later.

  The restored bike was also fairly loud. That bothered Misha a lot. If the crazies were drawn to sound, he was a giant beacon. He hoped he had gotten far enough away from the general populace not to have to worry about that. He deliberately avoided all the routes that everybody else had chosen.

  Well, not quite everybody.

  As Misha rounded the next corner, his single headlight shone across the back of another vehicle. It was off the rutted path and smashed up against a tree. Misha stopped the bike. He couldn’t afford to pass by without checking out the vehicle. He had come across another before hitting the deep woods. Everything of value to Misha had been stripped from it. The gas was still in it though, and he had found a hose to siphon it into his own tank. Misha turned off the engine, but left the headlight on. The sudden lack of engine noise left a deafening silence in its wake.

  The moment Misha moved his bare feet off the footrests, was the moment he felt them again. A small cry of pain escaped his lips. He had learned quickly while riding to stay in first gear, because shifting was murder. It was slower, but it was painless.