The vehicle was a parting gift from the fine people of Fairport, a thank-you for all of our help. They wanted us to get to the island safely, so they offered a fully armored Knight XV SUV, a six-seater. It would allow us to cross practically any terrain. It was a powerful vehicle with a 6.8-liter, V10 engine, night vision cameras, and bulletproof armor. They also gave us a brand new RV. There was nothing really fancy about that, but it would provide us with a safe place to sleep while we were on the road, and we wouldn’t have to risk looking for shelter in zombie-infested towns or buildings. If we suspected trouble in the night, we could always drive off in our pajamas.
When Claire came out with Sparkles, Nick’s jaw dropped. “Tell me you’re not bringing that yapping ankle-biter,” he said.
“Of course I am! I can’t leave Sparkles here. She’s gotten me through some tough times, like when I thought Jackie died.”
“Val will take good care of her,” he insisted.
“I know, but I can’t bring myself to leave her. We can put her in the RV. You won’t even know she’s there.”
She shot Nick a pouty lip, and he couldn’t possibly say no. Sparkles wagged her tail as I patted her on the head. I was glad the dog would join us on our journey, because I’d kind of gotten attached to her, and so had everyone else.
Val refused to come with us, so tearful farewells were in order. Saying goodbye to my sister was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. “Till next time,” I said, hugging her, and I prayed to God there would be one, because I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing her again.
She hugged me back tightly, as if she didn’t want to let me go. “You know it.”
I wanted to say something more, something clever and poetic, but I was too numb. My heart was aching, and my eyes welled with tears that I struggled to hide. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t avoid the pain of goodbye. I was forced to face the drastic changes that lay ahead, forced to realize that Val had chosen Fairport over us so she could move on with her life. She wanted stability, and we couldn’t promise that to her—at least not yet. We didn’t know if she’d be allowed on the island. We didn’t even know if our loved ones there were still alive or if any of us would be welcome there. What if they’re all dead? I wondered. What if we get there and discover we’re back to square one? If we stayed in Fairport, we would be safe and surrounded by people who loved and cared for us, but we couldn’t go on without knowing if our parents were alive. We had to know.
“Please come with us,” I pleaded one last time.
“I can’t go back there,” she whispered. “Please understand.”
“You parents...our parents are there, waiting.”
“So is a syringe with my name on it.”
“You took the cure.”
“I’m afraid it won’t be enough for them. I can never forget how they almost took my life. And because of them, I lost Kyle, Sammy, and Jenny. They think I’m dead. I know you said we can find them, but they could be anywhere by now. I highly doubt they stayed there. My guess is that Kyle took off to Cleveland to look for the relatives he told me about.” She took a deep breath, then let it out. “Hey, I’ll be here. If things go sour, you can always come back. We’ll leave a light on for ya,” she said with a halfhearted smile.
“Okay.”
“Tell Mom and Dad how much I love them.”
I swallowed hard. “I will.”
Nick suddenly walked over and handed her an envelope.
She looked at him quizzically, then opened it and pulled out a note and a key. “What’s this?”
He smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
And that was our final farewell. I climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV, and Jackie and Asia sat in the back. Nick wasn’t happy to have to go in the RV, but we drew straws, and that was where he ended up. Claire got to drive the RV for the first shift, but she was fine with that. Lucas, meanwhile, was our driver.
We pulled out and took the lead. Leaving Val behind felt just as awful as it had felt to leave without Claire before. She might have stayed behind, too, but she loved Nick, and her emotions got in the way of her dream of a stable life.
“We’re finally going home,” Lucas said. “Can’t wait to see Mike, Ted, and Jackson.”
“They’re gonna flip,” I said.
“Won’t it be great to tell them everything we’ve been through?”
“They’re not going to believe us.”
He looked at me and smirked. “I’m not sure I’d even believe us.”
Jackie and Asia chuckled.
I sadly waved at Val as we pulled out of the parking lot. We drove to the outskirts of town, ready to get on the freeway. Nobody said much at first; we were all still dumbstruck, and it didn’t feel right to leave without my sister.
“She’ll be just fine,” Lucas said, finally cutting through the tension. “She’s safe, and to be honest, I wouldn’t wanna go back if I was her. I’ll never forget that look in her eyes when she knew they were going to euthanize her like a sick dog. She was horrified, but she accepted it bravely, because she didn’t want to become a zombie. I’ve never met anyone so strong. She kept telling that teenager to keep fighting, to live, giving hope when she didn’t have any herself. It was a real tear-jerker, man. I’d never seen anyone ready to go to their death so bravely.”
I swallowed hard. “Speaking of death, my parents are gonna kill Nick and me for not bringing her back with us.”
“No, they’ll understand. They want her to be happy. They’ll be bummed at first, but they’ll be fine with it once they know she’s safe.”
“Slow down. Looks like the RV blew a tire,” Jackie said, pointing at Claire, who was pulling over.
Lucas stopped the SUV across from the post office. “Crap. We can’t be having problems this early.”
“It’s good we caught it before we got into Zombie Land,” I said.
He parked the truck and looked at me. “What kind of junkyard campers did they try to pawn off on us anyway?”
“It’s just a flat tire,” Jackie said. “We’ll be back on the road in no time.”
I nodded and reached for my rifle. “Definitely. Let’s secure the perimeter while Nick gets everything squared away.”
I opened the door and hopped out. I scanned our surroundings and thought it looked clear. The street was empty and deserted. My boots clicked as I walked down the street to the RV behind us.
“All right, everyone,” Lucas said. “Get your guns. We’re all on guard duty while this tire gets fixed.”
Nick ran a hand through his hair. “Can you believe our luck?”
“Yeah, man. Maybe fate doesn’t want us to leave,” Lucas joked with a chuckle.
My brother grabbed the tire iron and walked over to the tire. “I don’t care what fate has in mind. I’m going home, and nothin’s gonna stop me.”
“Need help?” I asked.
“Nah. Just play lookout. I don’t need some dead-head sinking its teeth into the back of my neck.”
“Sure thing.”
We all spread out to make sure our vehicles were covered. Suddenly, a large team of armed men came pouring out from four different directions and quickly surrounded us, training their weapons on us.
“Oh no,” I said with a gasp as a familiar one walked out of the crowd.
“Who is it?” Claire asked, squinting.
“King of the kooks,” I said, as Kirk approached.
He glared at me, and we were so outnumbered.
“Hello, Dean,” he said.
My breath hitched in my throat.
Chapter 32
“Drop your guns!” he shouted.
Our group rushed them, but Nick was instantly hit on the head with the butt of the gun, and I earned a breathtaking punch in the gut. Claire was knocked down, and Kate had her legs knocked out from under her. I wasn’t sure what they did to Lucas, but he was reeling too. In no time at all, we were entirely overpowered. I was surprised they didn’
t just shoot us, because I was sure they wanted our vehicles and supplies. We were sorely outnumbered, and there was no way we could take out that many.
Kirk looked at a few of his men. “Frisk all of them for weapons!”
I wanted to fight back, but with so many guns drawn on us, I thought that wasn’t such a good idea. If the bullets started flying, one of us could get killed.
“Bring Dean, Jackie, and Asia here,” he said, “and that one too.” He pointed at Lucas. “Now!”
A guy grabbed me and forced me to walk over to Kirk. They dragged Lucas over, too, and Kirk sucker-punched him, knocking him down for the count. The thugs held guns to Jackie and Asia.
Kirk took a few steps toward me. He looked so hurt and heartbroken that I had betrayed him and left Oxford.
“You almost got away with it,” he said.
“Kirk...”
Before I could say another word, he hugged me tightly.
When I saw you tumble into that pit of zombies, my heart about exploded,” he said. “I couldn’t lose another son. Do you have any idea what you put me through? It was heart wrenching to know that you were being torn apart and there was nothing I could do about it.” His voice wavered as his eyes welled up with tears. “I gave you up for dead, son.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I said.
“We were about to leave Blood Fest when we suddenly heard gunshots. I thought maybe some survivors were helping you, but I didn’t see anyone.”
“I let off some shots to kill a few zombies.”
I gasped as I was suddenly staring down the barrel of a pistol. He went from hugging me to threatening me, all in less than a minute. Talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
“Tell me, boy. Where did you get a gun?”
I didn’t answer and Kirk pointed his gun at Jackie. “I’ll just shoot your little girlfriend in the leg!”
“No! I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Kirk smiled. “That’s my boy.”
“Jim planned everything. There were backpacks waiting for us.”
“He had outside help?”
“He had too.”
“I knew the gunshots somehow came from you.”
I nodded. “So? What are you gonna do now? Charge me with disturbing the peace and throw me back in that jail of yours?”
His gaze narrowed. “No, I’ve got bigger and better plans for you.”
Ned shoved me. “We found the manhole!”
“You braved the zombies to find it?”
“How do you think we knew how to find you when you surfaced? I grew up here. There were only three places you could’ve come up. We staked them all out.”
I decided to try to play another hand with Kirk, just to see if he’d buy it. “What’d you expect me to do? We fell into a pit of zombies. When we rolled off the stage, Jim led me underneath. I was just looking for safety, and I didn’t wanna get my face ripped off. I was running from the zombies, not you. I didn’t have any idea what Jim was planning, but I had to follow him.”
“Why didn’t you explain that to me at the manhole?” he retorted.
“Because you shot Jim, and I thought I was next!”
“Jim was on my hit list. You, on the other hand, were like a son to me. I wanted to talk to you, to hear your side of the story, but you ran.”
“Wouldn’t you, if bullets were flying your way?”
“I get it. I suppose I could’ve handled it differently.”
“Then you fired into that cooking store.”
“I was angry at you for running.”
“I feared for my life.”
“Must you always cast blame, Dean? Truly, it’s rather pathetic. You blamed Tony and Jackie for your first escape, and now you’re blaming Jim for this one. I love you like a son. I can’t believe you tried to betray me...twice.”
“You forced me to fight to the death. What kind of father does that?”
“I knew you could beat him. Jim was bigger, older, but you’re a better fighter than he ever was. I had to put you on the Blood Fest roster after you attempted to escape. I can’t afford to appear soft, to show favoritism. I matched you with someone I knew you could defeat while still giving them a good show.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, “but how did you find us here?”
“I’ve got a friend in your fine city of Fairport, believe it or not. That little birdie likes to sing, and that one particular canary told me you were hightailing it out of town today. We heard you’d take this route to leave. It was easy enough to shoot out one of your tires.”
“Just let us go our way,” Nick said, wiping his bloody lip. “You don’t have any more business with us.”
“You’re wrong about that,” Kirk said. “Dean and I had a binding contract when he gave me his word, and I’m here to take him back home, to the community where he belongs. You can have Tony though,” he said. He smiled. “Or Lucas, if you prefer.”
“You know that too?” I asked, shocked.
“I know everything, my boy,” Kirk said, smirking. He then turned his attention back to Nick. “You can have Asia and Jackie. I just want Dean.”
“You touch my brother, and I’ll blow your twisted head off! He is going home, to his real home, with his real family!”
“You’re in no position to make demands,” Kirk calmly said, “and I wouldn’t advise making threats either.”
When Nick rolled his eyes, Kirk punched him in the gut. Nick moaned and doubled over in pain.
“Nick!” Claire yelled, running over.
Kirk looked at me harshly. “Don’t think I won’t kill them all. It’s best to come with me peacefully.”
Ned grabbed his arm. “If you let them go, they’ll just keep coming back to try and break Dean out.”
“Hmm. You have a point,” Kirk said, peering at me. “Perhaps a suitable punishment for you, son, is to see all your friends and brother die. We’ll start with our prized fighter.” He shot Lucas a look.
Lucas glared right back at him. “You’ve got no business holding people prisoner in Crazy Town,” he spat.
Kirk’s attention turned back to me. “We need you, Dean.”
“Why?” Nick asked sarcastically. “Aren’t there more unsuspecting people you could kidnap? Maybe you could raid an orphanage, get ‘em when they’re little and raise up a whole army of gladiators.”
Kirk looked at a tall, burly guy. “Shut that one up.”
“Gladly.” And with that, the guy rammed his fist into Nick’s stomach, causing him to double over in pain once again.
I met Kirk’s gaze. “Just let them all go,” I begged. “And I’ll gladly return home to Oxford with you.”
“No,” Claire said, voice trembling. “You can’t go back with him.”
I turned to face her. “I’m so sorry, but I have to leave with Kirk. Oxford is my home. And those people are like family to me.”
I’d say anything to get Kirk and his men to leave and not harm my loved ones. If I had to go, then so be it. At least I’d know that Nick and the others were safe.
“I’m glad you’re coming home, Dean. But we have to kill off these people so they never return and come looking for you ever again.”
“No!” I shouted.
“If you really want to show me your loyalty, then please do the honors.”
My heart thundered. “I can’t! I won’t.”
“Yes, you will!”
My jaw dropped when he handed me a gun. I instantly knew one thing. I might not be a psychology major like Kirk claimed to be, but I knew him for his famous ‘tests’. I’d bet anything it wasn’t loaded. He wanted to see if I’d shoot him or turn on his men. He knew I wouldn’t kill my brother and girlfriend. Why else would he give me a gun? Another thought occurred to me. He had tried to bait me with that line about, ‘please do the honors’. He was trying to bait me into shooting him. Because he wanted to see if I was loyal.
“Shoot him!” Nick yelled.
Yeah, if I w
ould’ve tried that, we’d all be dead. The gun would have no bullets and I would’ve failed Kirk’s test miserably. He would’ve found me unworthy, then shot all of us dead on the spot.
I lowered the gun. “I can’t kill the only person that’s ever cared about me.”
“Don’t let him brainwash you!” Kate said.
I slowly handed Kirk back the gun. “I just want you to take me back to Oxford and make me the champion you promised I could be.”
Kirk seemed to completely fall for it and shot me a huge smile. “Nothing would make me prouder, son.”
I passed his stupid test with flying colors. Now that he trusted me, I could beg him to let the others go.
“I believe you,” he said. “But you still have to pay for your sins.”
“You know I’m loyal to you until the very end. I’ll give you everything I have, but you’ve got to let my friends and my brother go.”
“Blood Fest paid for your first failed escape, and now you need something to pay for your betrayal to me when you left with Jim.”
“Take me back and make me pay. Whip me! Starve me! Beat me! Throw me in jail and let me rot. I’ll take whatever you throw at me, but please let the others go.”
His gaze narrowed. “The matter has been settled then.”
“Then we have a deal?” I asked.
“You have to learn that I call all the shots, not you.”
“Please, Kirk, I’m begging you.”
Ignoring me, Kirk peered at his men. “Lucas dies first. I don’t like people who lie and betray me. Then kill Jackie and Asia next. I hate escaped convicts. Then off the brother. Then the redhead. Then the dog.” He pointed to the window of the RV. “That little yappy. And save the blonde. She’s coming with us.”
“No!” I shouted in an outrage.
Two men dragged Lucas over to him, brainwashed souls who would be loyal to the madman till the end. It was all too reminiscent of Z, and I just wanted the man dead.
Kirk put the gun to his temple. “Any last words, Tony?”
Lucas just shot him the coldest look I’d ever seen.
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