Haven rose to her feet and pulled on her boots, grabbed the shotgun, then walked silently to the door, careful not to awaken the others.
Faith slept on the mattress in the corner of the room, but Brett was outside keeping watch. He sat quietly on a tree stump facing the forest, his back to the lake.
He turned at the sound of her footsteps. “Good morning, sunshine.”
“Hey, bro. Anything?” She stood beside him, her expression serious as she looked out into the dense woods.
“Nothing. I thought I heard something... a gunshot... early this morning, but it was so far away, I couldn’t tell.”
Haven’s brows furrowed, and she exhaled, her breath visible in the cold air. “Hmmm. Best to be wary. I’m going to take Colin through the neighborhood today, see if we can find anything useful to help us get through the next few months.”
Brett nodded. “Be careful out there. I know you two are a good team, but...” His voice trailed off. “You take a lot of unnecessary risks sometimes, and… I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Smiling, she answered, “Don’t worry. Colin’s got my back. We’ll be back in a jiffy. In the meantime, you guys could gather up some firewood, and we’ll have a fire tonight. A small one, just something to warm us up before we go to bed.”
“Last night was cold, huh?” he asked.
She pursed her lips. “It sure was. Hence the need for warmer clothes, better blankets.”
Brett stared at her. “Haven, I know you aren’t ready to leave yet since Grandma’s death and the possibility that Houston may show up, but maybe it’s time to hunt for a new place to hide out.”
She gestured to the fresh snow, but didn’t meet his gaze. “This stuff will melt pretty fast. It doesn’t snow in these parts often. Besides, I like it out here. It’s calm, peaceful, untouched. We have all the resources we could ever want in terms of water and food. Plus, we haven’t seen one zombie come up to the house since we’ve been here, and it’s been weeks. I think we should stay.” She ran her hand along the shotgun.
“True, but it could snow again. I’d rather not chance it. Who knows, we could even find a house with a fireplace. How awesome would that be? Gah, Haven, I’m tired of being cold.” As if to further illustrate his point, he pulled his jacket closer together and shivered.
The door creaked open causing both siblings to jump. Colin in his kilted glory stretched and yawned at the entrance. He shut the door and walked over to them. “Well, this is lovely,” he said sarcastically and grimaced at the white-covered beach.
“What, don’t tell me a strapping Scotsman like yourself is afraid of a little snow?” Haven teased playfully.
“This is nothing compared to what we get in Scotland,” Colin replied, leaning towards her. “The difference is I normally have pants. And whatever goes underneath those.”
Brett gawked at him. “You’re not wearing underwear? Are you nuts?”
Haven grinned broadly and wagged her finger at him. “Oooh, nice play on words there, Brett. Wouldn’t you agree, Colin?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Wow, the stereotypes are sometimes so right on the money.”
Colin ignored them and walked to the makeshift clothesline he had set up a week before. He dusted off something on the line before yanking the object away.
Haven didn’t even need to look up at him as she checked her gun. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say those were your underwear.”
Colin threw them to the ground and cursed under his breath. “Bloody frozen.”
Brett patted him on the back before heading back to the house. “I’d say borrow a pair of mine, but I’ve only got one, and I’m sorry, but I’m holding on to them. Maybe you can ask one of the girls.”
Haven zipped her leather jacket and smirked at her partner. Colin looked like he had a thousand different comebacks to throw his way, but was biting his tongue. “Saddle up, cowboy. We’re going for a drive.”
Colin winked at her. Again, he couldn’t resist. “Nothing I like better than a good ride.”
***
The Jeep zoomed through the trees, crossing over the many miles that covered the distance between the lake house and the neighborhood. Brett had suggested they take Colin’s motorized boat, but Haven felt that hauling the supplies from house to house then finally to the boat was too dangerous. They would be burdened down with the hefty winter gear and less able to defend themselves should the need arise. The Jeep offered protection and speed, and as they didn’t know what was waiting for them on the other side, they needed all the help they could get.
They had just left a thick cluster of trees when Haven pulled to a stop. An old bridge loomed ahead. Many years ago, it had provided a passageway over the Jessup River.
She stared at it doubtfully. Splintered red wood bleached from the sun’s rays covered the narrow bridge. Icy water churned below it.
“I forgot this was even here. I haven’t been through this part of the forest since I was a kid.” She grabbed the huge survivor knife and holster from the back seat, fastened it to her thigh, and opened the door.
“Where are you going?” Colin asked, immediately grabbing his sword to join her.
Haven shrugged. “I want to check it out. It’s pretty dark in there. I’d like to know what we’re up against before we drive through. This bridge,” she explained, “hasn’t been used in years. If the boards have rotted through, we could fall straight down to the water, which would be awful considering the Jeep is our best form of transportation.” She managed a serious face and quipped, “And I’m guessing you’d rather not go for a swim without your trousers.”
Colin leaned against the hood of the Jeep and chuckled at her jibe. “You think you’re clever, don’t you?” He peered at the opening of the bridge. “So where does this thing take us? Do we have to cross it, or could we just keep driving along the river until we find another way?”
“No, this is the only viable option. If we keep following the river, eventually we’ll get to the outskirts of the town, and I’d really prefer not to find out what’s waiting for us there. This bridge will lead us to a little road that will dump us in front of the neighborhood.” She started walking to the bridge. “Trust me. I used to play out here with Brett and Faith in the summertime.”
“Trust the girl who finds sick pleasure making fun of my lack of underwear. Right.” Colin nodded, looked around them one last time and followed her to the wooden crossing.
Haven paused when she reached it. It was dark and silent inside. Something glinted in the sun and caught her eye. A white Crown Victoria was parked haphazardly on the other side of the bridge, its front doors ajar. Haven instinctively ran her hand along her right thigh where the knife sat securely in its holster. She thumbed the little snap over the handle.
“No gun?” Colin queried, moving to her side.
She shook her head. “Too much noise. We get in, we get out. You see that car over there?” She pointed across the deep river.
“Yeah, just did. What are you thinking?”
“Two things. If the bridge is too frail to allow the Jeep to safely cross, which it most likely is, we use your fabulous hot-wiring skills to take that Crown Vic into Clear Lake. We’ll pick up the Jeep on the way back.” She vigorously rubbed her hands together and blew on them. She hated wearing gloves in spite of the cold because she didn’t feel like she had as good of a grip on her weapon. “The second thing I’m wondering is where its former occupants are... Most people don’t just leave their car unattended with the doors open like that.”
Colin agreed with her. “I can’t see anything in there. Too damn dark.”
Haven walked back to the Jeep and rummaged around in the back seat. When she produced a flashlight, she thumbed the button to turn it on. Frowning when nothing happened, she tapped it firmly against the palm of her hand.
“Batteries are dead. We can try to find some while we’re out. In the meantime, I guess we’ll have to make do without it.”
/> “Great,” Colin replied sarcastically. “I love adventures like this with you.”
She smiled and pulled the knife from the sheath strapped to her leg.
The tunneled bridge was icy and damp as they entered it. While it wasn’t an enormous bridge by any stretch of the imagination, it was long enough that Haven couldn’t clearly see what lay in front of them. She strained to hear something, anything, but the fast-moving water gurgling below them as it splashed against the rocks prevented her from doing so.
“Let me go first,” Colin offered, edging in front of her.
“No. You’re too noisy. And you’re about as graceful as an elephant. If the boards are rotted, you’re going straight down,” she said as she moved to the front again.
“What? That’s ridiculous,” Colin muttered, rolling his eyes as she passed.
Haven leaned against the wooden wall of the structure, her hands brushing along it as she gingerly put one foot in front of the other, testing the boards to see if they were stable. She could see beams of light shooting up from the bottom of the bridge, as she suspected, signifying that time had indeed taken its toll on the rotting wood.
The boards creaked and groaned under their weight. Haven glanced behind her to make sure that Colin stayed near the walls where the boards were bound to be much stronger. She didn’t want to risk either of them falling into the river, as neither had brought a change of clothes expecting that this would be a quick supply run into the neighborhood.
A shadow near the other side of the bridge suddenly made her stop in her tracks. She touched Colin’s arm signaling for him to halt, as well.
What little light was visible illuminated several mounds a few yards away. At first, Haven thought it was a dead deer. When the mounds moved, she knew that she was wrong.
Zombies.
There was no way around them. The only path to the neighborhood aside from crossing the lake was through the bridge.
“We have to kill them,” she whispered. “I’d rather do it now than have to deal with them later.”
“Haven, no. There are too many,” he hissed, clutching her hand to hold her back.
She was determined and shook her hand free. “It’ll be fine. Come on,” she insisted.
Before he could protest further, she had left his side and began to stealthily make her way towards them. Colin watched her disappear into the darkness, then sighed and pulled out his sword.
The gut-wrenching slurping and chewing became more audible with every step.
Stepping as carefully on the boards as possible, Haven was almost to the group of ghouls when a loud crack behind her made her whirl around.
Colin winced in pain as his boot crashed through a rotted board. He clutched the wall, splinters embedding into his fingers as he struggled to pull his foot out. The wood swallowed his calf, the rough edges tearing at the exposed skin on his leg. Blood trickled down his sock and boot.
Immediately, the zombies collectively rose to their feet, moaning to one another that a live feast was nearby.
Haven gritted her teeth and moved to the closest one. Staying near the wall, she struck out with her boot causing the foul creature to trip in front of her. Without flinching, she sank the hefty blade of the knife into the back of its skull, grunting as she drove the tip in further until it touched wood. She pressed her foot against its head so she that could wrench the blade free.
When she heard the shuffle of steps behind her, she turned around and forcefully shoved the knife into the throat of another approaching zombie. Its haunting moans were instantly silenced as it collapsed to the floor. Haven shoved its head onto the ground, using her weight to keep its body pinned down, and held it there firmly as she zealously sawed through the neck and spine. It struggled against her, grasping feebly at her jacket until the spinal cord was completely severed.
Haven rose to her feet, wiping grime on her jeans as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, scanning for impending danger. She could hear Colin’s grunts and curses as he fought against the zombies nearest him and started to head in his direction when a shifting of light near her feet caught her attention.
A half-eaten zombie consisting of only a torso, arms, and head slithered to her. Pieces of what Haven assumed were once its legs lay in the heap where the undead had been feasting before she and Colin had crashed the party. It pulled itself towards her, its festering skin tearing off as it moved along the broken boards. Eyes narrowed and predatory, it hissed at her hungrily. Haven lifted her foot and kicked it solidly in the face sending its pathetic form backwards.
She stood over it, feeling its hands feebly grasp at her boots.
With a small smile, she raised her foot into the air and slammed it down on the zombie’s head. She did this repeatedly until nothing but mashed pulp, shattered bone, and greasy hair remained.
Thinking that Colin was behind her, she was shocked to hear another unmistakable sound of wood splitting.
She looked over just in time to see him disappear.
“Colin!” she screamed, running back into the shadows of the bridge. Haven could make out his hands as he tried to hoist himself back up.
“Colin, I’m coming!”
When she saw two dark shadows bending down to the hole where his hands sought purchase, she felt a wave of panic wash over her.
Haven kept to the left side of the bridge, confident that it would hold her even as she pounded across the fragile boards. She would be no use to Colin if she fell through, too.
She reached the first of the undead just as it turned to grab at her. Dodging its ravaged, bloodstained hands, she sank the knife into its head, yanking it out so aggressively that a chunk of the skull broke off and plopped down the hole past Colin.
“Haven, a little help would be great, sweetheart!” he called out to her, tension rising in his voice.
The second zombie was practically sprawled out on the floor, trying to shove one of Colin’s straining fingers into its mouth. He let go of the wood with his other hand and punched the creature solidly in the side of the face before his fingers slipped dangerously to the edge. He gasped and threw his other hand on the board.
Haven kicked the zombie in the stomach, her foot disappearing into the butter-like, decaying skin of the ghoul’s protruding belly. She felt jagged, broken ribs scrape across her boot as the foul-smelling contents spilled out. She straddled the zombie as it struggled to get to its feet, tripping unceremoniously over its innards. With both hands on the hilt of the knife, she screamed and plunged the blade into the pus-filled eye of her flesh-eating enemy. She gritted her teeth as she churned the blade around in the socket, destroying the brain.
Releasing the blade, she ran back to Colin and fell to her knees as she neared the gaping hole. Haven clutched his hands with her own and braced her feet. He was easily twice her size, and she heartily struggled to pull him up through the opening.
Colin looked below him as chunks of wood vanished into the frothing white current of the Jessup River.
“I don’t really feel like going for a swim in that today,” he quipped as he slowly pulled himself over the hole, one hand firmly grasping Haven’s.
With one final pull, Haven yanked him towards her. Losing her footing, she tumbled backwards, taking Colin with her.
He collapsed on top of her, both of them panting heavily. When he realized what a compromising position they were in, his body stiffened. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest, the warmth of her skin radiating through her sweater, everything that made her soft and feminine pressed against his own hard body. He looked down at Haven, lifting up on one arm so that he didn’t crush her with his weight, but he made no effort to get off of her. In spite of his nearly lethal encounter with the zombies, he felt overwhelmed with desire.
If she had been able to see more clearly in the darkness, she would have noticed the intense look on his face. She would have felt the quickening of his heartbeat, the hastening of his breath.
Colin was about to
move a strand of hair away from her forehead when she suddenly edged out from under him.
“How are we ever going to get anything done if you’re always trying to goof off at every opportunity?” she jested, frowning when she realized how awkward her voice sounded.
Colin rose to his feet, straightening his kilt before reaching down to pick up his sword. He cleared his throat, but couldn’t hide the frustration in his voice. He unsuccessfully attempted to sound nonchalant. “Guess we won’t be taking the Jeep across, huh?”
Now that their path was unobstructed by zombies, Haven walked to the Crown Victoria. Blood had been splattered on the windshield, doors, and seats. The rotting remains of a partially devoured corpse lay across the driver’s side, feet dangling in the dirt below. One hand clutched a cell phone. Haven cringed when she noticed the youthful features of what remained of the body, the mouth contorted in what appeared to be a frozen scream. Whomever she was had been no older than sixteen when she’d perished. Haven half expected her to reanimate as she passed by, but for whatever reason, the cadaver remained motionless.
Very gently, Colin lifted the girl away from the car and placed her in the grass by the side of the dirt road. He stared at her for a moment, sadness crossing his features. Then he walked back to the car, rummaged about the glove compartment for a few seconds until he found some napkins, and wiped the blood off the front seat. Once it was cleaner, he sat down and began to hot-wire the car.
While she waited for him, Haven went back to the Jeep and returned with the shotgun and tire iron. Colin had already gotten the car started and waited for her.
“You’re my idol right now,” she complimented him. “I really want to learn how to do that.”
Colin patted the dashboard. “It’s easy. I’ll teach you.” He pointed to the plastic cover on the steering column. “Once you get this off, generally with a screwdriver or brute force if you have to, you’ll see some bundles of electrical wires.” He held them out for her to observe. “One set is for things like your lights, your cruise control… stuff like that. Another works for your wipers. You get the idea. And this one here is for the battery, ignition, and starter. See how they’re all different colors? You definitely want to make sure you know which ones are which, and it depends on the car, but usually the owner’s manual is in the glove box—”
The Good, the Dead, and the Lawless: The Undoing Page 28