DEAD Series [Books 1-12]

by Brown, TW

  “I’ve tried to pull it out,” Matt said. “But it just hurts so bad…I always end up chickening out.”

  “Well, we can’t just hang out here with our thumbs up our—”

  “Kevin?” Heather hissed.

  Aleah leaned over and whispered something in the younger girl’s ear. She nodded, but even in the minimal light of the night sky, Kevin could tell she was scowling at him.

  “Matt,” Heather took the man’s hand in hers, “we want to take you with us, but we need your help with something.” Kevin watched Aleah shift to the other side of the downed man, moving behind his back.

  “What can I do?” Matt only sounded a little better having put away most of the bottle of water.

  “Start by forgiving me.”

  “What?”

  He never saw Aleah grab the piece of metal, never had the chance to react as Heather grabbed his legs firmly with both hands. Aleah yanked and Matt screamed, then lost consciousness. If the wound smelled bad before, it positively reeked now. Heather was already slipping out of her backpack. She produced a bottle and twisted off the top.

  “You just gonna stand there?” The girl glared up at Kevin. “Cut his pants away.”

  As he knelt, the low moan of a nearby zombie sounded. “How is this helping?” Kevin asked as he sliced all the way down the pants leg from thigh to cuff.

  “We can carry him back,” Heather said as she poured a bottle of isopropyl alcohol over the wound. Matt moaned, but didn’t regain consciousness.

  “And how do you propose we do that and fight off the zombies that will be here any moment wanting to eat our faces off?” Kevin retorted, getting back up but not putting the knife away.

  “We can’t just leave him here to die,” Heather insisted.

  “Give me your pack.” Aleah nudged him.

  “Then what?”

  “That guy can’t weigh more than your pack.”

  “But carrying a person is much different than carrying a backpack.”

  “Argue later!” Heather stood, drawing a machete from its leather sheath. “We got company.”

  Kevin turned in the direction Heather had pointed. Sure enough, a handful of undead were shuffling down the street towards them. In the dark it was impossible to get exact numbers.

  Wading into the group, Kevin dropped the first one, yanked the blade free and caught the next one with a backhanded swing. A pair of hands clutched an ankle, causing him to totter a bit. Looking down, he saw only the top of a pig-tailed head and drove the blade down into it. A few moments later, the street was strewn with corpses.

  Kevin hurried over to where Heather had stood guard over Matt’s prone, still-unconscious body. He opened his mouth to say something when he noticed a flicker on the girl’s cheek. Heather was crying? With a sigh, he shrugged off his pack and knelt over the stranger. He patted the man’s face with his gloved hand a few times.

  “Hey,” Kevin pulled out a half-empty bottle of water and poured some on the guy’s face, then slapped him again a little harder. Finally, the man moaned.

  “You two start walking.” Kevin looked up at the anxious faces staring down at him. “I’ll catch up. Besides, I’m giving ya twenty minutes with my pack before you set it down the first time; I give you two hours before the complaining starts.”

  “Somebody is a little full of themselves,” Aleah huffed. She grabbed the bottom of the frame and Heather the top. The two hoisted it and started walking. Kevin didn’t try to hide the smile when he heard the muffled grunts when they first hefted the full weight of his pack.

  He waited till they’d gotten what he hoped was out of ear shot, then looked down at Matt. “I’m gonna help you up onto my back. You need to hold on. You slow me down by slipping, and I will drop you into the first bunch of those things I see.”

  Turning his back, Kevin helped pull the man’s arms over his shoulders. When he tried to wrap the legs around his waist, the man cried out. To his credit, he did it through clenched teeth, but it was obvious that his legs were useless when it came to holding any weight or keeping him secure.

  “How the heck are we gonna make this work?” Kevin growled, ignoring the grunt of pain. Matt struggled to keep quiet when he was allowed to fall unceremoniously to the ground.

  “Ever play ‘chicken fight’ down at the lake or at a pool?” Matt managed.

  “I can’t say I even know what you are talking about.”

  “Instead of a piggy back, how about you let me sit on your shoulders?”

  Kevin mulled it over then finally agreed. It took a few attempts, but by using the truck to steady himself, he was finally able to stand. There was one very big drawback: the man’s suppurating leg wound ended up right beside Kevin’s face. He gagged initially, but once he started moving, he was too focused on balance and keeping his eyes peeled for any nearby zombies to be sick.

  The walk was blessedly uneventful for the next several hours. As for the two girls and his prediction on their ability to carry his pack, he was partially correct. About an hour in, just after they’d stopped so that Aleah could take out a lone straggler, she traded out her pack for Kevin’s. Then, she and Heather teamed up to carry the lighter pack between them.

  Most of the night, they moved down the center of the road that ran along the base of a wooded hill. They only stopped when Kevin couldn’t physically go on any further. It would start to feel like Napalm was being injected into his spinal column. His legs would begin to tremble. Usually, it was right around the time Matt announced that he needed to be sat down.

  The first couple of times, Kevin was grateful for the coincidence. The third time, he realized Matt could obviously tell that he couldn’t go much longer. And, instead of having Kevin admit it, he was making up excuses so Kevin didn’t have to.

  As the sun rose, they turned up the road that led to the farmhouse. Passing the empty and abandoned truck inspired Kevin to pick up the pace. He’d never been an athlete, and he never needed to draw a second wind for anything beyond a marathon session of World of Warcraft with Mike, Cary, and Darrin. He ignored the pain building in his lower back and the cramps trying to form in his quads as he spied the black silhouette of the farmhouse separating itself from the other shadows.

  They reached the stairs and Heather darted inside as Aleah helped him lower Matt to the porch. The seizing up of Kevin’s legs happened almost instantly. He could actually feel a golf ball-sized knot bulging up in his left thigh.

  “You’re an animal,” Matt groaned and Aleah helped him sit up against the wall beside the open front door.

  “He’s my animal,” Aleah purred as she moved over and helped Kevin to lay flat. She began massaging his upper thighs, kneading them with balled fists.

  ***

  Kevin stood in the basin, drying off from a much needed shower. Stepping out of the curtained enclosure, he grabbed the clean clothing that Aleah held out for him.

  “Any word?” Kevin asked as his head popped through the neck hole of the black tee shirt.

  “Heather says he won’t lose the leg…” There was something left unsaid.

  “But?”

  “He might be septic, and there’s no guarantee that the poison in his system hasn’t caused enough damage to shut them down.”

  “When will we know?” Kevin sat down, slipping on clean socks and his boots.

  “Every time he wakes back up.”

  “Is Heather still up there with him?”

  “Other than coming down to get some water, she hasn’t left his side.”

  “And what about Erin?”

  “Peter thinks we have two weeks at best.”

  Kevin stood and accepted his various sheathes and the bandoleer of shotgun shells from Aleah. “We need to get ourselves to the golf course soon.

  “And what are you gonna do?” Aleah asked as she handed over the pump-action shotgun. “You gonna carry Matt and Erin both?”

  “We might need to use the truck.”

  “I thought you were
worried about attracting attention.”

  “We ditch it a few miles short and hoof it the rest of the way.”

  “What about the roads?”

  “I’ve been pouring over the Google maps,” Kevin explained. “We can stay on back roads. They give us the best chance. And since we know where the military blockades were, we have an even bigger advantage.”

  “And when do you suggest we attempt this?”

  “As soon as Peter says we can load Matt into the back of the truck and get moving,” Kevin replied as he dumped out the wash basin and leaned it against the wall.

  “So that means we probably have a day or two before we roll out of here?”

  “Probably,” Kevin said with a shrug. He stopped, turning to face Aleah. “Is there something on your mind? Something you want to do? Or do you have some sort of plan?”

  “Actually,” Aleah said coyly, “I’d kinda like to spend a little time with you.”

  “Doing what?” Kevin asked.

  Aleah stared at him, searching his face for any sign that he was pulling her leg. She looked deep into his eyes and discovered that he truly lacked the knowledge of when a woman was flirting with him.

  She’d had a talk with Heather that day they’d first held up in the RV while Kevin slept in the driver’s seat. Imagine her surprise when she’d discovered that the younger girl had all but thrown herself at Kevin…to no avail. And worse, he’d been clueless. Now, here she was, flirting in what she figured to be a blatantly obvious manor. Yet, he was missing it.

  “I thought we could take a little walk. Not too far away, just far enough away so we could be alone.” She took Kevin’s hands in hers.

  “You mean…” Kevin’s voice trailed off. Aleah was smiling and nodding. Did she mean what he thought she meant? he wondered. His mind backtracked to that night in the RV.

  “Take the wildest thing you’re thinking, now add in a few things you couldn’t possibly imagine,” Aleah reached up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. “Then throw in at least two things you’re certain could never happen…and you’ve almost got the picture.”

  ***

  Heather stared out the window. Matt’s steady breathing in the bed beside her was the best she could hope for at the moment. She watched as Kevin and Aleah came walking back across the field hand-in-hand. They’d been gone since well before lunch and it had caused no end of bitching and moaning from Peter, Shari, and Erin.

  “Going off like that and not telling anybody where they’ll be,” Peter had grumbled over his lunch of Spam and canned peas, “that’s just irresponsible.”

  “Yeah?” Heather said as she put her own meal on a tray to bring upstairs where she was sitting vigil beside Matt. “Well, after what we just went through, what he did carrying Matt all the way here, he deserves a little downtime.”

  “That’s not the point,” Peter argued. “Going off alone is not a wise decision these days.”

  “I think he’s aware of the dangers.”

  “I’m not saying he isn’t.” Peter continued to grow more exasperated. “We are a group…a team. Everybody relies on each other. We’ve been talking about the need to increase our numbers. Risking their lives so they can have a little privacy—” He made a big show of putting the word “privacy” in air-quotes and ended up knocking over his bottle of water. “Damn!” he cursed, wiping at his pants.

  “Look,” Heather tossed him a rag, “I know that it is a little risky. But I know exactly where they are, and they’ll be fine. She’s just taking him to this spot in the woods that she used as her campsite. They’ll be back before nightfall.”

  And here they are, Heather thought. Kevin had a cat-that-ate-the-canary look on his face that she could see even from this far away. She was sincerely happy for him. He deserved a little happiness for a change. A noise from beside her pulled her attention back into the room.

  “Where am I?”

  “It’s me, Matt,” she placed a hand on his cheek. “It’s Heather. We found you and brought you back with us.”

  “That man who carried me…is he here?”

  “Kevin? He’s around.” She helped ease his head up so he could take a drink of water.

  “And the girl who pulled the piece of metal from my leg?”

  “Yep, she’s around, too.”

  “And you?” His eyes struggled to focus on her face. He squinted to help against the barrage of sunlight pouring through the window. “You wouldn’t let them leave me.”

  “I-I-I…” Heather fumbled.

  “I owe the three of you my life; more than I’ll ever be able to repay,” Matt said through the growing tightness in his throat. Tears spilled down both cheeks.

  Heather held his hand as the young man struggled to regain his composure. What is it about guys and crying? she thought. It was as if they felt like they’d committed some huge sin if they showed any real sort of emotion. After a few minutes, she handed Matt a towel for his face and helped him to sit up.

  “I’m gonna go get Peter.”

  “Peter?”

  “Our doctor.”

  “You guys have a doctor?” Matt asked incredulously.

  “Yeah,” Heather replied, “he’s why you’re still alive. He said you had an infection that was poisoning you. Fortunately, when we found you, we were coming back from getting a bunch of medical stuff. He’s been pumping you full of antibiotics.”

  “But,” Matt sounded concerned, “I’m allergic to penicillin.”

  “Yeah,” Heather nodded, “we weren’t sure. He gave you amoxa…” She made a face, then waved her hand dismissively. “He gave you some other stuff.”

  “Wow!”

  “Yeah, you lucked out in a bunch of ways.” She stopped at the door and tuned in to the sounds of arguing coming from out on the back porch.

  “—foolish and inconsiderate,” Peter fumed.

  “Look,” Kevin’s voice sounded strangely calm, “I get it. We shoulda told ya or whatever, but I didn’t.”

  “We didn’t,” Aleah piped up.

  “Right…we…” Kevin’s voice had a bit of a dreamy quality to it. “Our bad, Peter.”

  The screen door opened and Aleah stepped into the kitchen; Kevin right on her heels. Aleah spied Heather who had made her way downstairs and winked.

  “Matt’s awake!” Heather blurted.

  “What?” Peter’s voice came from outside. A second later he was barging past Kevin and Aleah. “How long ago? Why didn’t you come get me?”

  “Sheesh!” Heather held her hands out as if to ward the man off. “He just woke up. That’s why I’m down here now.”

  Peter darted past and up the stairs, leaving the trio alone in the kitchen. Kevin drifted over to the stack of canned food and pulled out peaches which he held up for Aleah to see. She nodded and he grabbed the can opener.

  “What’s with Peter?” Aleah whispered.

  “He’s been grouchy all day.” Heather shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. “So dish up, girl. Did you two have fuu-u-un?” Aleah cast a quick glance Kevin’s way and a smile tugged at her lips. “Oh wow.”

  “What?” The older girl’s head snapped back to Heather.

  “You are so into him.” She shot a look past Aleah and watched Kevin go about opening the can of peaches. He was whistling! She’d never heard him whistle. She returned her attentions to the elder female with a single raised eyebrow. “So, when are you gonna dish?”

  “Later. So what gives with the good doctor?”

  “He’s been edgy all day. He was pissed before he found out you guys were gone,” Heather explained.

  “Problems with the Pop-Tart?” Aleah snorted.

  “Who knows?” Heather shrugged. “I haven’t seen or heard a peep from either of them since…” She thought it over. It’d been a couple of days since they’d gotten back and in all the fuss over Matt, she just now realized she hadn’t seen them since then. “Umm…have you seen them since we got back?”

  “Well…” Ale
ah gave it serious thought. Her gaze met Heather’s and could see the same idea flitting in those hazel eyes. Heather shifted her look towards the front of the house and Aleah nodded.

  “Back in a minute, hon.” Aleah kissed Kevin on the cheek and followed Heather out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

  They paused at the top, able to hear Peter talking in low tones to Matt. On tiptoe, they crept past the room and down the hall. The door to the bedroom shared by Peter and Shari was shut; so was Erin’s.

  Heather drew her knife and Aleah followed suit. The pair stood for a moment. Neither of them seemed anxious to actually enter either of the rooms. Finally, Aleah motioned to Erin’s door. They moved up to either side and Heather wrapped her hand around the knob. She mouthed one…two…three! The door swung open and they both stepped in with weapons raised.

  Empty.

  The pair went in and nosed around. Dirty clothes littered the floor. The bed was a mess, but otherwise, nothing. They made eye contact and exited, setting up to do the same thing at the other door.

  Same thing, Heather mouthed.

  They repeated the ritual and threw open the door. Two heads popped up from the king-sized bed.

  “Knock much?” Shari snapped.

  ***

  “…other than feeling like a sick kitten could kick my ass, I’m feeling better,” Matt said as he watched the doctor pull back the bandage.

  “Smell that?” Peter said, glancing up at the young man.

  “Smell what?”

  “Exactly!” Peter laughed. “When you arrived, you positively reeked from the infection. I think we’re on the mend, Mister…?”

  “Matt Rhodes. Just plain Matt is fine, Doc.”

  “Well, Just-Plain-Matt, pleased to meet you as it were. My name is Peter King.” As he introduced himself, he unwrapped a new bandage and taped it over the raw wound after slathering on a thick coating of anti-bacterial ointment. “And now I am going to ask you to try and climb out of that bed very slowly. I want you to get up on your good leg and gently try to shift some weight onto the bad one.”