DEAD Series [Books 1-12]

by Brown, TW

  With a single shot from his crossbow, Kevin put an end to Willa. He untied the rope that had been used to hoist and suspend her and eased the body to the ground. It took him a few minutes, but eventually he discovered a small bump with what had to be a needle mark in the center.

  “I’ll bet the major was pissed when you didn’t show any sign of infection from being bitten,” Kevin said with a sad laugh.

  He wished he had the time to take care of her body with a bit more respect, but time was something he didn’t have to spare at the moment. He folded her arms across her chest and shut her eyes. That would have to do.

  Jogging up the entry road that led to the where the country club building used to stand, Kevin began to notice a few single stragglers milling about. He hadn’t recalled seeing any zombies enter the opening, so that meant that either the wall had been breached…or, and this was a bit more chilling, Major Beers had a few zombies in her arsenal and had chosen to leave them behind for some reason.

  He oriented on the general direction of the storage shed that had housed Shari and Valarie. He just hoped that they were still there. As he approached a small ridge, expecting to see the shed not too far away once he reached the top, he heard a peculiar thumping sound. They’re alive! he thought as he bounded through the snow.

  When he finally crested that hill, he skidded to a halt. A dozen or so zombies had the shed surrounded and they were banging on the sides. He counted his bolts: seven. That would not be enough by half. He really only had one option.

  Moving as close as he deemed necessary, Kevin cupped his hands to his mouth. “Shari!” he called.

  There was a moment where it felt as if the world had come to a halt. That span of three or four heartbeats where he waited and watched every set of undead eyes turn his direction seemed like forever.

  “Kevin?” a voice called back.

  Several of the zombies that had started to turn his way and come after the newest stimulus seemed to pause, almost as if they had a moment of uncertainty. Then, a few actually continued their turn and headed his way, while the rest returned to their pounding.

  “I am going to get you out of there, but I need you to do me a favor.”

  “Name it! Just hurry and get us out of here.”

  “I need you two to bang on the walls and try to keep the zombies’ attention.”

  There was a pause, and Kevin hoped that he wasn’t going to have to explain this as more of the zombies had abandoned the shed for this new thing that kept getting their attention. Then he heard it, a loud clang of what sounded like something metal being used to beat on the interior of the shed.

  Sure enough, the zombies where now all kinds of confused. Or at least that is how they appeared as they would turn one way and then the other. A few continued toward him, and for Kevin, that was perfect.

  It took him almost no time to drop the zombies that had chosen to pursue the visible prey. He retrieved each bolt and then circled the shed to find where the zombies were thinnest. One side only had a pair. He moved in slow and took them both down. Systematically, he worked his way around the shed and only twice had to actually stop to deal with a zombie that had been brought by the noise.

  Finally he was able to rush to the door of the shed. He pulled the hammer from his belt that he’d scavenged from the icky-baby house. It took a bit more than he had expected, but eventually he managed to bust off one of the door handles that the chain had been run through to keep Shari and Valarie locked inside.

  He barely had the door open when two figures from the darkness rushed out and tackled him to the ground. Kevin looked up to see Valarie’s ear-to-ear grin just before she planted a wet kiss on his mouth. Shari seemed content to simply bury her head in his chest and squeeze him until he had to physically pry her off.

  He climbed to his feet and helped both of them up. That was when the newest problem arose. Both girl’s had been stripped of their shoes and socks.

  “We are going to have to run through quite a bit of snow,” Kevin said. “Your feet are going to hurt, but we will get you shoes as soon as possible.”

  “What about this?” Shari held up her left hand which also caused Valarie’s right hand to join it in the air.

  “Cuffs are not that complicated,” Kevin said. Although something in his gut told him that this might be worse than the lack of shoes. “As soon as we get across the street to those houses, I will find something and get those off of you.”

  The girls had already begun the dance from one foot to the other. Standing around and talking any longer was a waste of time.

  The trio took off across the snowy ground. Kevin glanced back more than once to make sure they were still behind him because it was so quiet. To both girls’ credit, they were plowing ahead. Even Valarie was unusually silent.

  As they reached the entry gate, Kevin skidded to a halt. Coming from all directions were singles and small clusters of the undead. They had finally arrived in response to the dinner bell that had been sounded by Major Beers and her people pulling out.

  As he scanned the area for the best possible route, he heard a cry from behind him. He turned just as Shari and Valarie tumbled to the ground in a heap. There was a moment where he searched frantically for the hidden zombie that would emerge from the tangle, but to his relief, no such thing occurred.

  He reached down to help pull them to their feet. Shari yelped and collapsed, once again pulling Valarie down as well.

  “My leg,” Shari hissed through clenched teeth.

  Kevin looked around to see how much time they had before the leading edge of the zombie wave would hit. He still had a few minutes. Pulling up her pant leg, he couldn’t help but wince at what he saw. A few inches below the knee, the leg was bent at an angle that it should most definitely not.

  “That bad?” Shari managed through the tears that welled up in her eyes.

  “Nothing we can’t handle,” Kevin insisted.

  He looked around at everything for a second and then directed Valarie to move just a bit so he could scoop the former pop star up in his arms.

  “Stay right here at my side, Valarie,” he instructed. They resumed their trek, eventually reaching the first houses.

  Kevin passed several before turning up the driveway of one that had an open garage door that revealed a big open space. Once inside, he set Shari down on a sturdy looking tool bench that was mounted to the wall and then shut the rollup door.

  “I am going inside for a few minutes. I will be back, but you two just stay quiet. Hopefully none of them saw us duck in here.”

  Kevin headed into the house that he already knew from previous excursions to be empty. He bounded up the stairs and went for the closets. It took him a few minutes, but eventually he found several pairs of socks, and some shoes that looked like they might fit, and a couple of coats. He’d even found a pair of boots that were closer to his size. He just hoped that he had time to change into them.

  As he reached the landing, he got his answer. The dull slap of a dead hand on the front door sounded louder than any shotgun blast in his ears. It was quickly joined by others.

  As he returned to the garage, he found Shari holding Valarie and stroking her hair. “Shh, everything will be okay,” she kept repeating.

  Kevin had seen some shadows at a few of the windows. Everything was definitely not going to be okay. He tossed the shoes and socks to the pair. “Get this stuff on, we can’t stay here for long.”

  He turned back inside and headed to the bathroom. It took longer than he would have liked—several more sets of hands were now banging of various parts of the house—but he eventually found a bobby pin. Rushing back, he was relieved to see that Valarie had her shoes on. Shari, however, did not.

  “We don’t have time to screw around,” Kevin snapped as he strode across the garage.

  “I can’t do it, Kevin,” Shari said in a barely audible whisper.

  “Fine, then I will.” He bent to grab the socks, but her hand stopped him. />
  “I can’t walk.”

  “Then I will carry you,” he insisted.

  “You can’t,” Shari said with a shake of her head.

  “I carried Matt, and you don’t weigh anything close to what he does.”

  “You did it on solid ground. Out there it is all snow and ice. And if you fall and get hurt…” Her voice trailed off at the end as she glanced down at her injured leg. “Valarie is going to need you.”

  “And your sister is going to need you,” Kevin argued.

  “She will be okay,” Shari waved a hand. “She has all of you…most importantly, as long as she is with you she has a chance to survive.”

  “We have to at least try!”

  “You almost fell twice just getting me here,” Shari pointed out. “And those things are gathering outside. That means a fight just to have a shot at escaping.”

  “But you have to at least try.”

  “I did…and I can’t.”

  “I refuse—”

  “We don’t have time for this,” Shari snapped, cutting Kevin off. “You need to grab Valarie and run…now!”

  Kevin glanced at Valarie. She was watching the entire exchange with a blank expression on her face.

  “What do you think?” Kevin asked, not knowing what to expect.

  “Shari promised to keep the bad ghosts away,” Valarie said with a smile. “She said that if she stays here, she can keep them all trapped in this house forever.”

  Kevin shot a look Shari’s way. She gave the briefest of smiles. “Go, Kevin. And take Valarie away from here.”

  Kevin sighed. In just the past minute the banging had increased. The garage door was starting to rattle in its frame. It wouldn’t last much longer. Almost on cue, the sound of breaking glass could be heard from somewhere within the house. Taking a deep breath, he went to work on the handcuff around Valarie’s wrist. With a few deft moves, there was an audible click. Valarie was free.

  “I just need one thing,” Shari grabbed Kevin’s arm. “Don’t let me be eaten by those things. I don’t want to die that way.”

  “Valarie, go wait in the kitchen,” Kevin said, his eyes never leaving Shari’s.

  The girl took two steps, but then turned back and grabbed Shari in a hug. The two whispered something in each other’s ears, and then Valarie left the garage.

  “Try to make it not hurt so much,” Shari said as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “I…I…” Kevin had no words.

  “I’m scared,” Shari managed as Kevin moved behind her and brought one arm around her neck.

  “Me too,” Kevin whispered back.

  It took less than twenty seconds for Shari to lose consciousness. Kevin imagined that he could have been quicker if he’d ever actually practiced using a “sleeper” hold. Shari slumped into his arms and began to slide off the workbench. He laid her on the floor and then drew his crossbow. The bolt punched through the forehead and Shari’s body spasmed twice and was still.

  The idea of retrieving that bolt never crossed his mind as he exited the garage. He took Valarie by the hand and went to the back door. He saw a few shapes milling about, but this was definitely going to be the easiest way back to his friends.

  “Come on,” Kevin managed around the lump in his throat. Together, they slipped out the door, across the yard, and over the fence.

  17

  Vignettes XXX

  Aaheru entered the dining room and scanned the faces of all those who sat awaiting his arrival. With the exception of that pair of women he had just left in his stateroom and the one man placed on guard at his door, all of his people were assembled. He’d demanded that the ship be stopped and that even the men caring for the engines be present.

  His eyes sought one person in particular. When he spotted Ahi, he was momentarily baffled. He had given the man free reign to assign everybody on board with another to prevent anybody from being alone. He thought that Ahi would take that situation and use it to his advantage. While he had not officially made all of his selections as to which of the women would be among his wives, he had felt a bit magnanimous in allowing his trusted advisor with whomever he chose. Ahmes was the only woman off limits and he would have no problem allowing Ahi his first choice. Besides, if she was ever summoned by her pharaoh, then both she and Ahi would certainly see that as an honor. Yet, Ahi had a young man beside him. In fact, it was that one boy who had been banished after being bitten but returned days later without having changed. Perhaps they would talk later and he would clarify the liberties that he had implied to the man.

  “My people,” Aaheru strode to the center of the open dining area and spoke in what he considered his most authoritative voice. “By now, some of you have heard that we have a saboteur in our midst. Somebody in this room tried to disable our engines. That attempt failed as you can clearly see.”

  Aaheru watched a few faces in particular. Naturally he had suspicions, and would like to deal with this situation before they reached the islands that dotted the waters of Greece. There were a few that he actually had in mind and had pointed them out to the men that he had tasked with steering the ship.

  “Since this coward has not stepped forward, I have decided that nobody shall be allowed outside of their quarters until we reach our destination. Anybody found out by themselves will be tossed over the side. There is to be no exception.”

  Once more he looked around the room. Still nothing, but like Markata, eventually this subversive would make their presence known. When that happened, he would perhaps demonstrate with his bare hands why it was he that the gods had chosen to lead Egypt to her new age.

  “You may all return to your rooms now, except for you, Ahi, I need a moment.”

  The room emptied as everyone did as they were told. Once the room had cleared, Aaheru took a seat and motioned for Ahi and his companion to join him.

  “Perhaps you did not realize your position and the opportunity that I afforded you,” Aaheru said with a wolfish smile.

  “My apologies, my Pharaoh,” Ahi said. He immediately went on guard. There was something in the large man’s eyes that he did not like.

  “No, my friend, perhaps it is I who should apologize for not making myself clear. When I gave you the task of pairing everybody up, I simply anticipated that you would select one of the women.”

  “I did not wish to make such an assumption, my Pharaoh. I was not aware that you had selected all of your brides.” Ahi tried to sound casual, but he felt some of those old fears starting to emerge.

  “Well feel free to remedy the situation in the next few hours, and as a consolation, perhaps this strong young man might be given the other half of the pairing that you will break.”

  Aaheru glanced at the young man and began to realize that something about this person seemed to bother him. He tried to place it. Ahi saw the peculiar look cross Aaheru’s face and spoke out.

  “My Pharaoh, this is Nabeh. He is the young man that was bitten but did not fall ill. He fought his way back to us and was granted your permission to remain.”

  The connection dawned on Aaheru and he clapped them both on the shoulders. “This is even better. Perhaps you will be able to pass on to your offspring this trait that you possess. That will make us even stronger as Egypt begins to rise from the ashes of the old world to claim this new one.”

  With that, the man turned and left the room. After a brief discussion of what they needed to do once they reached land, Ahi and Nabeh settled on a pair of women. Knowing that Aaheru would likely check up on “how things went” the next day, he instructed Nabeh to bed the woman that night. After all, they had already been together, and would be again as soon as the ship reached land.

  Ahi followed his own advice and fulfilled his manly obligation to the woman he’d selected. Of course he also introduced her to the Western Civilization’s position known as “doggy style.” Through it all, he was able to imagine Nabeh. It was probably just his imagination combined with his borderline revulsion
of sexual intercourse with a woman, but Ahi was feeling just a bit ill.

  ***

  Juan steered the small boat into the cove that Frank had pointed out. They had travelled up the river and gotten way too close to the actual city for Juan’s liking. What he hated even more was being out in the middle of the river. Anybody and everybody for miles around would be able to see them. That would be even more of a problem on the return trip, but one thing at a time.

  “So what makes you think this Donna girl would be here?” Juan asked as they aimed the boat for the shore and killed the motor. It wasn’t like they had been silent up to this point, but he figured that it couldn’t hurt.

  “Her house is up that hill.” Frank pointed to a rather steep slope that was thick with all sorts of brush and growth that could easily conceal zombies.

  “Of course,” Juan grumbled. “But this seems kind of far from where I first ran into you guys.”

  “Yeah, but if she is having dreams about her brother, this is the most likely place I can think of to look for her.”

  Juan did not like this at all. He saw absolutely no good coming from this little trip. It reminded him of that war movie, Saving Private Ryan. Last son or not, it made no sense to send a bunch of people after one guy. So you lose eight or ten and get back one? And it was that Matt Damon guy. How fair was it for Vin Diesel to get killed and for that little panty waste to make it to the end?

  The boat ran aground and Juan jumped out. Frank was still sitting and had a look on his face that made Juan pause.

  “What?” he finally asked when the youngster remained quiet for several seconds.

  “Sorta funny how all of this shakes out,” Frank said in a soft voice just above a whisper.

  “Like what?” Juan didn’t have time for a trip down Memory Lane. He would try to find this girl, and if he didn’t, he was going back home. Mackenzie needed him right now and he needed to be there.

  “I had this huge crush on Donna, but she didn’t know that I even existed.”