As they turned to leave, there was a chorus of snarls and groans moving towards them from down the hallway.
“What the hell,” whispered Kristie. “How did they make it into the house? I thought all the doors were locked?”
Two zombies shuffled to the doorway as they sniffed at the air.
“Hhhhhaaaa…..” gurgled one of the zombies, its foul lips turned up in pleasure at it found the source of the smell.
“Did that thing just say something?” said Paige, grabbing a metal lamp from the nightstand. She removed the shade and held it in front of her. “Because I could have sworn it just said ‘ha’!”
“I don’t know. Dammit, where in the hell are those men? Tiny!!!”
“Hhhaa….” rasped one of the zombies, a bald guy about her age with a goatee and black plates in his ears.
“Ha yourself!” Paige growled at the zombie as it stumbled into the bedroom and reached for her. She raised the end of the lamp and slammed it down onto the zombie’s skull, but it only stunned him for a few seconds.
“Hhhaa…”
“Oh for the love of God,” mumbled Paige.
“Hhhaa”.
This time she rammed it into the zombie’s left eye and grimaced as it fell backwards with the lamp still imbedded.
“Paige!” screamed Kristie, holding up her lighter in defense as a second zombie moved towards it, staring in awe.
“Seriously, mom?”
The flame went out and Kristie flicked it again. “I’ll bet this sucker used to smoke in his previous life,” she said with a smirk. “Look at his face. Now he’s having flashbacks, aren’t you boy?”
“Enough, he’s not a dog, mom.”
The zombie, who was a tall older guy with a pocketed face and oozing sores, growled and reached for Kristie as she waved the lighter in front of his face a few more times. Unfortunately, he stumbled over the box of greeting-cards they’d left on the carpet and fell forward, knocking both of them to the ground.
“Mom!” screamed Paige as Kristie pushed the zombie’s chomping teeth away from her face.
“Oh man,” shuddered Kristie, “you could really use a Tic-tac.”
Just then, Tiny charged into the room, picked up the zombie and slammed the creature over his knee. The sound of bones cracking made them all wince.
“Oh my God,” said Kristie, as she stood up on shaky knees, her voice quivering. “I thought I was a gonner. Five more seconds in that guys arms and he would have put a whole new meaning to ‘sucking face’.”
Tiny slammed his heel into the back of the zombie’s head, sending what was left of his brains across the shag carpet. “Sorry babe,” he said, wiping his boot. “There were more of them downstairs. They kept us pretty busy.”
“Hello!” hollered Paige. “Can someone help me with this thing?”
A third zombie had slipped inside of the bedroom and had her trapped in a corner.
“Hold on,” said Tiny, grabbing the comforter from the bed. He threw it over the zombie’s head, wrapped him inside, then picked him up and walked out of the bedroom.
“What are you going to do with him?” asked Kristie, following close behind.
“Babe, can you find something to kill it with,” he said, as the zombie struggled to get out of the comforter. “I think I may have twisted my ankle a little when I killed that last one.”
Kristie reached inside one of the drawers and pulled out a large rolling pin.
Paige burst out laughing.
“No, that will work,” said Tiny, setting the struggling zombie onto the floor.
“Don’t underestimate your mother,” said Kristie, handing the rolling pin to Tiny. “I’ve got me some mad skills when it comes to killing zombies.”
“Amen sister,” said Tiny as he raised the rolling pin and smashed it down onto the zombie’s skull.
“Everyone okay up here?” asked Bryce, holding a long metal crowbar covered in blood.
“We’re fine,” said Kristie, “What about you? You don’t look so good.”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I’m fine. Damn zombies broke the glass patio door downstairs. Caught us all by surprise.
“Where’s Billie?” asked Paige.
“Right here,” he replied, stepping into the kitchen.
“Did you guys block that patio door?” asked Kristie.
“Yeah, we moved the computer armoire in front of the entrance,” said Billie. ‘Sucker weighs a ton.”
“Well, I found what we needed,” said Kristie, holding up the envelope. “We should get moving.”
“I’m going to leave a note,” said Bryce as he started searching through drawers. “In case one of them shows up here, so they know where we’re heading.”
“Well, just tell them to stay put if they make it here,” said Kristie. “We’ll come back this way after checking Cassie’s grandparent’s and then my house.”
Bryce nodded and began writing on a notepad when the loud banging began.
“Great, what’s going on now?” asked Paige.
Billie walked over to the window and looked outside. “Shit.”
“What?” asked Kristie, joining him at the window. “Oh…”
Dozens of zombie surrounded the house, slapping at the wood and glass with their hands.
“They’re going to eventually break through those windows,” said Tiny, looking over Kristie’s head. “We’d better get out before that happens.”
The sound of shattering glass from somewhere down below confirmed their fears.
“Let’s move,” said Bryce, picking up the crowbar.
“Don’t forget your bat this time,” said Kristie, handing it to Paige. “It should be your new best friend.”
She nodded. “Especially since my old best friend abandoned me.”
Kristie sighed. “She didn’t abandon you, honey. I’m sure she just wanted to keep you safe.”
“Still,” said Paige as they stepped back out to the garage. “She took Nora, why not me?”
“No,” said Billie. “Nora took Cassie. It was her idea in the first place. She’s looking for her father.”
“I don’t care whose idea it was,” said Bryce as he opened the door to the Expedition. “They’re both getting their asses chewed out when I find them.”
“All of them are getting their asses chewed, starting with Luke,” said Kristie, getting into the back of the vehicle. “Taking those girls across country when neither of them can drive, let alone shoot a damn gun.”
“Mom, Kylie and Allie are definitely not victims. If anyone, you should feel bad for Luke. He’s already learned his lesson stuck in a vehicle with those two, believe me.”
Kristie smiled. “Yeah, when those two start talking, it can certainly make your head spin.”
“Especially about boys,” said Paige. “Both of them are so boy-crazy, it’s ridiculous.”
Kristie’s face darkened. “Don’t remind me Paige. I don’t need anything else added on to my current list of worries- two girls alone with a fifteen year old boy, hormones running wild.”
Bryce put the key into the ignition as Billie and Tiny lifted the garage door.
“Get in!” shouted Paige as a group of zombies moved towards the men.
Billie raised his gun and began shooting while Tiny used his crowbar to defend himself.
“What the hell is that?” shouted Kristie, holding on to the dashboard as the truck began to shake.
“I…I don’t know,” said Bryce, staring down at the dashboard.
“Earthquake!” yelled Billie, jumping inside. “Pull out of the garage, so we don’t get trapped inside of here.”
Paige’s face turned white. “I didn’t know Minnesota had earthquakes!”
Tiny jumped into the front seat next to Bryce. “Back out now, brother, quickly!”
Bryce threw it in reverse and the tires rolled over two zombies who’d lost their footing.
Paige threw her arms around her mother as the tremors grew more
intense. “Oh my God, are we going to die?”
“Honey, calm down. I won’t let anything happen to you,” she answered, closing her eyes.
Seconds later, the vibrations stopped.
“Well, that was odd,” said Billie, staring out the window. Besides the zombies gathering around their vehicle, everything seemed so normal. As if the quake had never happened. “First zombies and now tremors in Minnesota?” he frowned. “These are some crazy days.”
“Very,” said Kristie, releasing Paige. “Hasn’t been any of those in this state since the seventies.”
“Is it going to happen again?” asked Paige, staring out the window at the clouds that were headed their way.
“I don’t know,” sighed Kristie. “Let’s just pray that Kylie and everyone else, is safe.”
“Dammit,” said Bryce, rubbing a hand over his face. “This is getting more dangerous by the minute. What in the hell was she thinking of when she left Atlanta? When I get my hands on her…”
“Chill out, Bryce,” said Paige. “It wasn’t just Cassie who left and besides, she was only trying to save the rest of her family. Don’t try telling us that you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”
His face darkened. “I wouldn’t have taken off in the middle of the night and I certainly would have planned it out a lot better.”
“You’re the reason she took off in the middle of the night,” said Paige. “She knew you’d try and stop her.”
His eyes widened. “Oh, now it’s my fault?”
“Well, you’re kind of bossy,” she said.
“Obviously she needs guidance,” said Bryce. “And the fact that she took off like that just proves it.”
“Listen,” interrupted Kristie. “Pointing fingers isn’t going to solve anything. We’ve all done some crazy shit in the last few weeks and it was done out of desperation and the will to survive. Now, we have to work together and find these kids before they end up dead or, God forbid, undead. So quit with the dramatics and let’s get rolling before you find out how frightening a woman out of cigarettes and on the verge of menopause can get. You all feelin’ me?”
“Yes, mother, I feel you,” said Paige.
“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 that’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, 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?” asked Paige. “That this zombie apocalypse happened because of negative energy?”
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.”
“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 one, 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.
“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 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 gray 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 anymore 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.
Chapter Four
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 me. “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.”
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, 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, 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 that we let them in.”
“Do they have guns?” asked Henry.
“I don’t know,” said the other nun, who appeared to be 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, my eyes growing misty. “They were good people, too. They didn’t deserve to die. Neither did most of the people we’ve lost.”
She turned to me and 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 towards 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, quite 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 sometime soon, Wild. But for now, do what I say and you might save me from having to do a few more Hail Mary’s.”
I nodded, reluctantly, and then watched him walk out the door.
“Hey,” said Nora, walking over to me. “If I were 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.”
Zombie Games (Book 4): Road Kill Page 3