by Brown, TW
As darkness came and it became harder to see, Kevin decided that he had no choice. As it was, he could barely feel his hands. He unrolled his sleeping bag out behind the counter. It was unlikely that any zombie would find the broken section on the lower half of the entry door where he’d broken in. He should be safe for the night behind the counter.
***
Kevin awoke aware of a glow showing through his sleeping bag. It had to be morning. That meant another day of sifting through the prescriptions. Kevin was certain that he would be able to finish today. Just as he went to unzip his sleeping bag and get that first blast of cold in the face, he heard something crackle and pop. It sounded like…
“Get out here and enjoy the fire, Kevin,” a female voice said.
Kevin poked his head out to see Willa Nelson sitting cross-legged on the floor at the back of the aisle he’d been searching. She had a long sword on her lap and it showed the stains of recent use.
“You had a couple outside your window when I showed up,” Willa said, noticing how he was eyeing her weapon. “I put them down and made sure no more were coming before I ducked inside.”
“How’d you find me?”
“You parked your snowmobile in a big park and then two of you walked through town. Not a lot of people out these days”
“Oh.” Kevin mentally slapped himself for being so careless.
“Seem to recall you having another with you when we first met.”
“He had an accident.”
“Got himself bit, huh?” Willa asked. “You do know it ain’t a definite just because somebody gets bitten.”
“Yeah, found that out the hard way,” Kevin said as he pulled himself out of the sleeping bag. Even with the fire it was painfully cold. “A friend of mine got bitten and we left him for dead. I was supposed to put him down but couldn’t do it. He showed up a few weeks later.”
“Guess he was lucky you had a good heart.” Kevin thought that she really meant it was good that he was a coward.
“So would you mind telling me what the heck you are doing here?” Kevin asked.
“I got to thinking about your mission. I realized that if you were out in this stuff risking your life for some little girl, then the least I could do was to help.”
“So you came here all on your own in hopes that you would find me…”
“You weren’t that hard to find,” Willa said with a laugh in her voice that made Kevin feel stupid. “Not a lot of people out on snowmobiles. Even less of them are headed into Newark. You were easy to find. Don’t make such a fuss.”
Kevin was really starting to feel stupid now. Of course he was easy to find. Zombies didn’t leave tracks as much as they left trails, and a snowmobile had a very obvious signature. That was something he would need to remember when he returned home. The scavenger runs would need to be done with more caution. Any band of raiders would have no trouble locating them.
“Well I best be getting back to my search,” Kevin said as he stood up. The sight of something dark in the snow caught his attention, and he turned to look out the front of the store. At least a dozen zombies were lying dead in the snow. He turned back to Willa with a questioning look.
“Told ya I had to take a few down,” was all she said as she shrugged and got up as well. “So what are you looking for exactly?”
“Clozapine.” Kevin was already flipping through the bottles and bags where he’d left off yesterday.
“And what is that for again exactly?”
“Schizophrenia.”
“Isn’t that like split personalities or something?”
“Not exactly. It is more of a delusional problem.”
“And you think there is a pill for that?” Willa scoffed. “If there is, maybe we shoulda given it to all the politicians back before this crap happened. Know a few men who coulda used it, too.”
“Yes,” Kevin tried to guard his tone, “well be that as it may, I need to find this and try to be on the road as soon as I can. My people will be worried.”
“Don’t see how they could’ve let you go out into this crap in the first place…sick kid or no. And with just one person as back up? Not a group I think I’d be too concerned about hurting anybody’s feelings.”
“They didn’t want me to go,” Kevin said as he tossed another bag of anti-depressants aside. He was reaching for the next bottle when he froze. Looking down, Kevin quickly spotted the crumpled white bag. He scooped it up and stuffed it in his pack. “I even had a bit of an argument with one…”
“A woman?” Willa asked, leaning over Kevin’s shoulder with a smile on her face and eyebrows waggling like Groucho Marx.
“If you must know…yes.”
Willa clapped her hands. “I knew you had a little something going on. Didn’t seem natural for one like you to not have himself a woman. Bet you had to fight ‘em off with sticks back in the day.”
Kevin snorted. “Hardly.”
“A big, strong, handsome…smart boy like you?” Willa tossed a prescription bottle at Kevin. “That what you lookin’ for?”
Kevin saw the name printed on the label. He wondered if “Elaina Deals” had gone down thinking that the zombies were part of her delusions. That gave him a shiver. It had never really been a part of the zombie movies he’d seen. He guessed that sick people didn’t make for very exciting stuff when it came to horror movies. If you asked him…that crap was scary all by itself. He was suddenly grateful for his mind and its cohesiveness.
“This is it!” Kevin exclaimed.
“Then you were looking in the wrong place,” Willa said, motioning him over to her. In her aisle were a series of four locked drawers. She’d already popped the lock on two.
“You gotta be kidding,” Kevin breathed.
“First one was all pain stuff. This one has a bunch—”
Kevin scooted by her and looked in the drawer at the contents. He spotted three bottles of clozapine amidst the other drugs he had no idea as to their uses. “Too bad Google is down. I bet there is some stuff here worth taking.”
“Yeah,” Willa said with a distant tone in her voice. “You better get what you came for…we got company.”
Kevin looked over his shoulder to see what had her attention. He felt his heart rate double and his mouth go instantly dry. There were dozens…maybe hundreds just wandering down the street.
“Crap.” Kevin felt his entire body deflate. The snowmobile may as well be a million miles away. Walking all the way back through this would be a death sentence. Not to mention the fact that he would be alone. He was basically a dead man.
“Problems?” Willa was already grabbing her pack and slinging it over her shoulders.
“My snowmobile,” Kevin said. He scooped a bunch of the pain medication into his bag. No telling when that might come in handy. He figured he had about a few hundred grand worth of prescriptions in his bag now based on what people used to pay for that stuff. “I got no way home.”
“Are you really that stupid?” Willa had her hands on her hips. Kevin looked at Willa and was suddenly struck by how much she looked like Kandyse McClure, the girl who played Anastasia “Dee” Dualla from Battlestar Galactica. She had very pretty eyes. He shook his head when she snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“I’m sorry,” Kevin said, shaking his head.
“I said…I didn’t come all this way just to make a fire, sit beside you while you slept, and then leave you to these things.” Willa stomped out the flames and poured some water from her canteen on the embers. “I have a Snow Cat outside behind this place.”
“Are you serious?” Kevin’s face lit up.
“It even has a heater.” Willa gave him a wink as she headed for the door.
There has been a request on occasion that I provide a list of characters so that some of my readers can be reminded as to who some of these people in the DEAD series are (through the first three books…no spoilers!), and why they matter. So, here it is…a cast of characters; or as I have
titled it:
Who in the Hell are all these people!?!
Steve’s Group:
Steve Hobart: A thirty-something single man from Seattle who rescues a young Hispanic girl and a teenager as he flees the city.
Dr. Francis Zahn: A military doctor sent with Steve and his group just prior to her outpost being overrun.
Melissa Blake (Hobart): Found during Steve’s evacuation of a doomed FEMA center in a near catatonic state, she is now pregnant with Steve’s child.
Jon Saunders: A Marine sergeant who discovers and joins Steve’s group at a State Forest campground in northeastern Oregon.
Sunshine: A former nature commune member
Thalia: Five-year-old Hispanic girl who is rescued after watching her mother being eaten alive.
Emily Smith: Ten-year-old daughter of the late Randall Smith; the civilian overseeing the “Serenity Base” military outpost; sent with Steve’s group during evacuation.
Ian Lotherman: Former Idaho State Prison inmate doing life for murder. Joined Steve’s band in Eastern Oregon.
Jake Beebe: Soldier traveling with Jon Saunders, and a “good old Southern Boy”.
Teresa Thayer: Sixteen-year-old girl who joins Steve early and becomes one of the outspoken group leaders. She is pregnant with Jamie Blossington’s baby.
Jesus Sanchez: Soldier traveling with Jon Saunders. Can be a bit hot-headed at times.
DeAngelo Cribbs: Former standout pro football player. Married to Melinda. Staying with Steve’s group until the weather changes, then intends to head to Texas in search of family.
Billy Haynes: Seventeen-year-old boy joined Steve’s group during evacuation of the fallen FEMA center in Portland. Lifelong friend of Jamie Blossington.
Fiona O’ Hara: Lead a small group out of Central Washington and merged with Steve’s group.
Brad Peters: A former attorney who ran marathons as a hobby.
Jamie Blossington: Seventeen-year-old high school boy. Helps Steve’s group escape fallen FEMA center. Romantically involved with Teresa Thayer and childhood friend of Billy Haynes.
Melinda Cribbs: Wife of DeAngelo Cribbs. Gunshot victim of Jason Johnson, the racist and murderer who also killed members of Steve’s group.
Buster: A Border Collie puppy that follows Thalia around.
Key Players in Vignettes:
Juan Hoya: Career criminal trying to turn his life around just prior to the zombie apocalypse. Met Mackenzie Sims and her mother Margaret while scouting Sauvie Island.
Mackenzie Sims: Twenty-three-year-old college agriculture major. Juan’s girlfriend, and former fiancé of Keith Thomas.
Joseph “JoJo” Jones: Part of Thad Bushnell’s group from San Diego, and career petty criminal.
Keith Thomas: Part of Thad Bushnell’s group from San Diego, and career petty criminal with an anger problem.
Thad Bushnell: Petty criminal from San Diego; college educated but with a penchant for “recreational” drug use.
Chad Meyers: Did prison time as a sex offender; father of Ronni Robbins. Trying to find a safe place to care for his daughter.
Ronni Robbins: Chad’s fourteen-year-old daughter. Even after seeing her mother attacked by child-zombies, she still has trouble understanding the situation. Feels her father abandoned her as a child (while he was in prison).
Scott Colson: Known by local police as a brawler, one of the first to join Chad’s group as they left Modesto for Yosemite Village.
Brett McVey: Childhood friend of Chad.
A Bunch of Geeks:
Kevin Dreon: Lifetime fan of all things zombie. Has had a plan in place since grade school. Very book smart, but lacking in social skills and very unsure around women.
Aleah Brock: Tough but beautiful, she prizes intellect over athleticism. She is very fond of Kevin.
Heather Godwin: Sixteen-year-old girl rescued from the basement of a Heath, Ohio high school. Immune to the bite. She used to have a crush on Kevin but is now a good friend.
Shari Bergman: Pop music idol. Accustomed to pampering and paparazzi. She and her sister, Erin, were rescued from “The Basket” by Dr. Peter King.
Dr. Peter King: Third year med student who escaped Cleveland, Ohio and was subsequently captured by the men from “The Basket”. He claimed Shari while at The Basket to save her from further abuse, then rescued Shari and her sister.
Erin Bergman: Fourteen-year-old sister to pop star, Shari. Was tabloid fodder just prior to the outbreak for being pregnant with Shari’s manager’s baby.
Matt Rhodes: Nineteen-year-old found by Kevin, Heather, and Aleah during a supply search. Matt was near death from a terrific leg wound when discovered. He and Heather are becoming romantically involved.
Autumn Angel Bergman: Infant girl born to Erin Bergman.
Siege & Survival
(Book Five of the DEAD Series)
Written by: TW Brown
Cover Art and Design by Shawn Conn
To all the NaNoWriMos
A moment with the author…
I sometimes wonder if anybody really reads these. I mean, they have nothing to do with the actual story. This is just me taking a few moments and “talking” to you…the reader. Still, how else would we get to know each other?
So, if you have been staying with me through this series, you have started to notice a few shifts. For one, zombies are less frequent. Sure, they are still around waiting to take a chomp out of the unwary individual, but as the first winter sinks in teeth of a different sort, people are realizing that there are some drawbacks with getting far from the cities. Supplies are a real problem. One of the things I set out to do with the DEAD series is give some realism to a horrific fantasy realm.
I hope that you enjoy this newest book in the series. This is the fifth book in the series, but it is also the second book in this three-book arc. So yes, there will be a lot of unresolved issues. As I did in Fortunes & Failures (the third book of the series and the end of the first arc in the story), I will wrap up a lot of things in the next book. This is the set up…again, I refer to the original Star Wars trilogy. I was one of the kids who stood in line on a rainy day, May 21, 1980 for the premiere at the Westgate Theater (which was demolished years ago…sigh). I remember the ending well. I had to wait three years and one week for closure. So, while this is certainly no Star Wars, I understand that many of you are heavily invested in the characters and want answers. No worries. The next book will be out on May 30, 2013.
Thanks to all of you who keep coming back. And if any of you have something you would like to see in the next set of Special Editions where I compile Steve’s story, The Geeks, and Vignettes into their own book and pump in around 15,000 words based on your requests, feel free to send me an email.
I love some of the stuff that sticks in your minds. I would venture to say that many of you know this world better than I do now. My biggest surprise in the first books had to be all the people who asked for Garrett’s back story. I thought you would all be happy to see him gone and just want to move on. That was the most requested thing to show up in my box, second was what happened to the Geeks in Pittsburgh. I can’t wait to see some of you fixate on this go round.
Many if you have been so kind in your emails. And some of you have become friends over the past couple of years. I would be lying if I said that I did not want to ‘hit the big time’ whatever that means. But I hope I never lose contact with you. So maybe that is why I write these introductions. Perhaps we have not spoken in a while.
I want to get to my ‘thank you’ portion, but first I want to say that if you did enjoy this book, tell a friend. I have some great memories of reading The Stand with my best buddy back in junior high. We had some great conversations that summer—we even cast the movie (can you believe we had John Ritter as Stu Redman?). In fact, as many of you know, that is the book that inspired me more than any other. And if you are one of those types who write reviews, you can bet I read each and every one. Good or bad. I try to comment on many of them
to at least thank you for taking the time.
And now the thanks…I don’t mean to slight anybody, and those of you who have been with me through thick and thin know exactly how I feel. I owe a thanks to Malina Roos and Susan Burdorf for their amazing help and outstanding proofreading. But this book is all about my daughter Ronni. This book is set to release on December 15, 2012. That is her 18th birthday. I want to thank her for being my daughter.
They say it’s your birthday…
TW Brown
November 2012
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Geek & Guest
Chapter 2 – Vignettes XXV
Chapter 3 – Hunker Down
Chapter 4 – Geek Insurgent
Chapter 5 – Vignettes XXVI
Chapter 6 – Staring Into the Void
Chapter 7 – Geek Attack
Chapter 8 – Vignettes XXVII
Chapter 9 – Surviving Ain’t Living
Chapter 10 – Geek Reunion
Chapter 11 – Vignettes XXVIII
Chapter 12 – Emily
Chapter 13 – Geeksicles
Chapter 14 – Vignettes XXIX
Chapter 15 – Tough Choices
Chapter 16 – Geek on the Run…Again
Chapter 17 – Vignettes XXX
Chapter 18 – A Trip to the Woods
1
Geek and a Guest
Kevin leaned out the door as the Snow Cat rumbled to a halt. The dazzling brightness reflecting off the snow hurt his eyes. Every time he closed them, he saw spots. Still, he didn’t need perfect vision to see that there was big trouble up ahead.
“I guess the ride is over, Kevin,” Willa said as she shut down the motor. “Grab your bags, looks like we’re hoofing it from here.”