“It is when I could be helping you.”
He wiped his knife on the zombie’s shirt and then pointed towards Paige and Nora. “They need protection too, Wild. Nora’s hand is messed up and Paige, well…”
Paige’s, head whipped around. “Excuse me? Paige is what?”
He smirked. “Not exactly trained in self-defense.”
She raised her bat. “You want to put those words to the test, karate man?”
Bryce laughed. “No. Anyway, Wild, you know what I mean.”
Before I could answer, another small group of zombies headed towards us, growling like a pack of dogs.
“Stay inside,” ordered Bryce. He slammed the door to the SUV and began moving towards the new zombies.
“Do you ever get tired of him bossing you around?” asked Nora.
I watched Bryce as he kicked and sliced the zombies effortlessly, admiring the way his muscles flexed and glistened in the rain. Even with lack of food and nutrition, he was still pretty ripped and made my insides tingle. “Sometimes, but,” I smirked, “tell you the truth; I can’t say that I don’t mind watching him fight either.”
“Amen, girl,” said Kristie, reaching back to high-five me. “They do put on a good show. The only thing missing is popcorn.”
Nora rolled her eyes as I slapped Kristie’s hand.
“He’d better watch out for that one,” said Paige, pointing to another zombie that was growling and rushing towards Bryce.
“He’ll be fine,” said Kristie.
I watched as Bryce leaped into the air and kicked the zombie in the chin, sending it skidding across the wet cement. Relentless, it got back up and tried attacking again. Before I could even blink, Bryce threw a knife, hitting the zombie in his left eye. It fell backwards and this time stayed motionless.
Bryce turned around and our eyes met.
Smiling, I blew him a kiss and he wiggled his eyebrow before rushing after another zombie.
Nora grunted. “Wow, such a romantic group we have here.”
Nobody said anything. I certainly didn’t, because I knew that deep inside, she was still hurting and pining for Billie.
When the guys were finished killing the last of the zombies, Bryce jogged over, opened my door, and leaned inside.
“What are you doing?” I asked, staring into his eyes.
“I need some luck,” he said, tilting his head. He slid his hand behind my neck and I smiled as his lips pressed against mine.
I opened my mouth to his, wishing we were alone, that things were different. Then, just as quickly as it began, he pulled away, ending it
“Don’t worry, we’ll finish this later,” he whispered, his breath warm on my face.
I sighed. “I hope sooner than later.”
He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Me too.”
“You’d better get out there before they leave without you,” said Paige.
He nodded. “I know. Look, if something happens out here, or if those guys do show up, lay on the horn.”
“Okay,” I said.
“And worst case scenario, if we get separated, go to the MOA and wait for us in the parking lot by the main entrance. Between Macy’s and Bloomingdales.”
“If we get separated?” I asked.
He smirked. “Like that’s going to happen
He kissed me quickly again and then slammed the door.
I watched as he joined the other two and felt a sudden pang of dread in the pit of my stomach as the rain began to pour harder.
***
Bryce followed Tiny and Justice into the cop station. Fortunately, they lobby was clear when they entered, but the familiar rank of the undead was everywhere.
“We’ve got zombies somewhere,” whispered Tiny. “Let’s check out the back rooms. Try and find where they keep the weapons.”
“Never thought I’d enter one of these places voluntarily,” said Justice in a low voice.
“I hear you, brother,” replied Tiny.
Justice stepped over a couple of gutted rats and grimaced. “Nasty.”
Bryce snorted. “You’ve been surrounded by zombies and a few dead rats bother you?”
“Well, we used to have an infestation at my cousin’s shop. Rat shit everywhere, it was disgusting. Still hate the little bastards, dead or alive.”
“Good thing they don’t come back as zombies,” said Bryce. “You’d never sleep again.”
“No shit,” he replied.
Bryce swatted at a large spider web. He hated spiders, even more than rodents. “So, what freaks you out, Tiny?”
“A plus on a pregnancy test,” he replied, as they walked through a door marked “Employees Only”.
Justice and Bryce laughed.
“Either of you ever have any trouble with the law?”
“DUI once,” said Tiny. “After my bachelor party.”
Justice’s eyes widened. “You drove after your bachelor party?”
“I know- stupid. My bride-to-be threw a fit that night and I obviously wasn’t in the right state of mine. I drove over to her place to calm her down and was nabbed.”
“That’s a bummer,” said Justice.
“Tell me about it,” he replied. “To make things worse, I caught her cheating on me with another wrestler a couple months after we were hitched.”
“Did you kick his ass?” asked Justice.
“I wanted to at the time, believe me. He certainly got his in the end though.”
“How so?” asked Bryce.
Tiny smiled grimly. “Well, he knocked her up right after our divorce and they ended up getting married. She ended up cheating on him, too, after the baby was born. They split and he’s had to pay child support for the last ten years. Or was paying.”
“Wow, you lucked out. At least you caught her before you had a kid together,” said Justice.
“Exactly.”
“Shit,” said Bryce, walking into a room that was clearly the station’s weapons area. “Looks like someone already beat us here.”
All of the gun safes were open and cleared out.
Tiny inspected the rest of the room. “Dammit, what a waste of time.” He sighed and scratched his head. “Well, deep down I kind of had a feeling we weren’t going to find much. Had to at least try though.”
“Hey,” said Justice, holding up a blue shirt wrapped in plastic. “You could probably use one of these.”
Bryce grabbed the shirt, ripped it out of the package, and put it on. “It’s a little big,” he said, buttoning it. “But it will work.”
“It’s better than taunting the zombies with your man meat,” said Tiny.
Bryce shook his head and smiled. “That’s sick.”
“Hell, I’m not talking about your Johnson,” snorted Tiny. “But think about it, we’re not the highest carnivores on the food chain anymore. Man meat is in high demand, so don’t advertise what’s on the menu, unless of course, it’s your wedding night.”
Bryce grinned.
“Speaking of,” said Justice as two zombies lumbered into the room, both foaming at the mouth.
“Don’t waste bullets,” reminded Tiny, advancing on the first zombie.
Justice grabbed a nightstick that had been abandoned and went after the second one. With a swift hard jab, he shoved it into the zombie’s decayed skull and then kicked its corpse to the ground.
“Good job,” said Tiny, retrieving his knife from the other zombie’s brain.
A horn began to blare from outside of the building.
“Shit,” snapped Bryce.
The three men flew out of the room and towards the exit.
Chapter Eight
Allie and Kylie
The girls rode in the back of a black limousine with the priest and Billie, who stared at them with a tense look on his face. It was still dark outside and the rain was coming down in sheets.
“Have either of you ever been in a limo before?” asked the priest, clasping his hands onto his lap. Where Billie looked ready to
jump out of the limo, Father Brambati appeared relaxed.
Still frightened and confused at what was happening, both girls said nothing, only shook their heads.
He smiled warmly. “Well, who would have thought that your first ride would be during such dark times? Maybe this is a sign of much better things to come.”
“Oh, mark my words, times will be better,” said Billie.
“Why?” asked Kylie, staring at him.
“They have to get better,” replied Billie, who was holding some kind of stress ball in his hand, squeezing and unsqueezing it. “Don’t you think?”
“Every time I think they’re going to get better,” muttered Allie, “worse things happen. Like getting kidnapped.”
“Come now,” said Billie, tapping his foot now. “I told you that you’d be reunited with your sister very soon.”
I’ll believe it when I see it, she thought. Right now she still didn’t trust anything he was dishing out. Plus, he looked like he was ready to freak out any minute, especially when he looked at Adria.
“How’s she doing?” asked Father Brambati, nodding towards the baby.
Kylie, who was holding her, stared down into her face. “She’s sleeping.”
“She certainly needed that bottle,” he replied. “You’ll have to thank Jenny when we get to the mall.”
Jenny was up in the front with the limo driver, a burly guy who was bald and had plates in his ears and tattoos around his neck.
“So, you’re really a priest?” asked Allie.
Father Brambati smiled again. “Yes.”
“Where are you from?”
“Israel. Well, I’ve lived there for the last fifteen years. I’m originally from California.”
Kylie’s eyes widened. “Israel? But you’re a priest. I thought most of the people there were either Jewish or Islamic.”
He nodded. “Yes, but there are also those who are practicing Christians as well.”
“Where you in Israel when the zombies first showed up?” asked Allie.
He nodded and began coughing. “Sorry,” he said, pulling out a tissue. “Yes, I was in Israel when the epidemic struck. Fortunately, I was able to fly back over to the United States with a couple members of my church right before they shut down the airports.”
“Was it as bad there as it was here?” asked Kylie.
“I left before it became too bad, but yes, the zombies have infested every country in the world. There is no escaping them.”
Allie studied the priest intently, wondering why he had decided to come back to the U.S. “Why did you come back here? For family?”
Father Brambati glanced at Billie and smiled. “You could say that.”
“Are you okay, Billie?” asked Kylie.
Billie, who was obviously agitated, forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
“Would you like some water?” asked Father Brambati, now looking concerned. He leaned forward and grabbed a bottle out of the small refrigerator. “It might help.”
“We just need to get to the damn mall,” he said, eyeing Adria.
“You don’t look so good,” said Allie, noticing that he was now as white as a ghost and beginning to sweat.
“Here,” said Father Brambati, handing him a box of tissues. “You’re sweating.”
Billie blotted his forehead. “What’s taking them so damn long to get us there?”
“We should be there soon,” said the priest, glancing out the window. “I suppose with the rain, it’s making it harder to see.”
Billie turned around and knocked on the window separating them from the driver.
The window opened. “Yes?” asked the driver.
“Step on it,” ordered Billie. “Nobody’s going to give you a ticket.”
“It’s not easy maneuvering this thing with the rain. The abandoned cars and zombies aren’t making it much easier either,” replied the man, looking at him through the rear-view mirror.
Billie scowled. “I don’t want to hear the excuses. Just get us there as fast as possible.”
“Yes sir,” he replied.
Billie turned back around and loosened the collar of the white dress shirt he wore under his black suit coat.
“Are you going to be okay?” asked the priest.
“I will as soon as I get out of this tuna can,” he grumbled.
“Have you ever gotten carsick before?” asked Allie.
His eyes shifted back to Adria. “No, but something tells me it’s not the car making me ill.” He turned and rolled down the window next to his seat. Some of the rain made it into the car, but Billie ignored it. “Just need some fresh air…”
Allie and Kylie looked at each other and then to the baby, who was still sleeping contently.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the mall and the driver pulled into the parking lot, where another couple waited.
Billie got out first. “Bring them to the hole,” he ordered the strangers.
“What hole?” gasped Kylie.
Billie didn’t answer. He walked into the mall, muttering under his breath.
“Don’t worry,” said Father Brambati, smiling reassuringly. “From what I hear, your families will be arriving soon and you can all be reunited. For now, let’s go visit that amusement park you kids seem to enjoy. The one at the center of the mall.”
“It’s closed,” mumbled Allie. “I doubt there’s anything enjoyable about that place anymore.”
“It depends on who you ask,” replied the priest with a glint in his eye.
Chapter Nine
Cassie
The guys had entered the police station apparently without any difficulty. In fact, they walked right into the back door, which made me wonder if we were just wasting our time.
“I wonder if they’ll find any guns or ammunition,” said Paige, staring into the darkness. We’d switched places with Kristie and now both of us were sitting in the front and she was in the very back, smoking a cigarette and blowing out the smoke through the broken window.
“If there are any survivors left in the city, then surely they’d be confiscating guns from the police departments,” I said, putting my head back on the driver’s seat.
She stared at her toes, which were on the dashboard and sighed. “My nail polish looks horrible. Does anyone have any polish?”
I tilted my head. “Seriously?”
“What, worried that Justice will think your chipped piggy toe is ugly?” taunted Nora.
Paige turned around and frowned. “No, I don’t care what Justice thinks. I’m just… bored.”
Kristie put her cigarette out. “Most guys don’t look at anything below your chest anyway, Paige. Ask Henry.”
I glanced over at Henry. He was still snoring softly.
Paige’s face was red. “Oh my God. Would you guys just stop already. I don’t care what Justice thinks.”
Her mother smirked. “Right.”
Paige glanced at me and lowered her voice. “Do you think he’s been looking at my chest?”
I burst out laughing.
“He’d better not be,” said Kristie, moving behind us. “Or I’ll slap him silly.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “God, mom… I can pretty much guarantee that he’s not checking me out. He probably sees me as a younger sister or… something.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, twirling a piece of hair around my finger. “I saw him checking you out earlier today.”
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
I’d actually seen him staring at her a few times, but with everything going on, I’d forgotten to mention it. “Oh yeah. I think he likes you.”
She blushed. “Shut up!”
“Yeah, shut up,” said Kristie. “The last thing I need is to worry about Paige and Justice.”
“God, I’m eighteen years old,” said Paige. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
Kristie leaned over our shoulders. “Sorry, but I’m a mother and the worry doesn’t stop when your kids reach eigh
teen.”
“I think we have a lot more things to worry about then Justice, you guys,” said Nora from the back.
I looked out the front window, but didn’t see anything. Not even a zombie.
“Behind us,” said Nora.
“Oh shit,” muttered Kristie.
I turned around and was surprised to see a policeman, walking towards us, his gun raised.
“This is good,” said Paige. “Right?”
“You’d think,” I whispered.
The cop, a tall, thin man with a dark moustache, stopped behind us, on the other side of the fence. He had on a blue uniform and a hat. “What are you people doing out here?” he hollered in the rain.
“Looking for help!” yelled Kristie.
He looked around the block and then turned back to us. “You all here alone?”
“No!” said Kristie. “We have some friends who are in the station, looking for help. Can you help us?”
Before he could answer, a pair of headlights turned the corner behind him.
“Oh, shit,” muttered Nora.
It was the truck that had been following us!
It stopped several feet from the cop and our SUV, lighting up both of us with its high-beams.
Scowling, the cop turned towards the truck and motioned for the driver to turn off the headlights. Instead, whoever was inside, revved up the engine, and ignored his request.
Kristie frowned. “What in the hell?”
The police officer raised his hands in the air again, waving at the truck, but the driver continued to ignore him, clearly annoying the cop.
“Dammit,” muttered the cop. “This is ridiculous.”
Paige turned to me. “Uh, maybe you should honk the-”
Before she could finish, the driver of the white truck punched the gas. Its tires squealed as it launched towards the cop and our SUV while we all watched in stunned horror.
“No!” screamed Kristie as the truck slammed into the man, pinning him to the fence, right behind our SUV. The force of the impact made the SUV lurch away from the fence.
Henry’s eyes flew open. “What happened?!”
“Help me,” choked the cop, whose lower body was now crushed and bleeding.
Zombie Games Book Five (End Zone) Page 6