by Ted Hill
“Hello, Barbara. It’s about time you showed up.”
“I’ve been locked away in a tower,” Barbie said. “I thought you would have been kind enough to come to my rescue.”
“I did.” Catherine walked over and hugged Hunter. “I sent him to do it.”
Hunter returned Catherine’s hug. She looked up at him. “You got your sight back.”
Scout slapped his forehead. “I knew there was something different about you.”
Hunter smirked at him. “You have no idea.”
Thirty-Five
Jimmy
Jimmy pushed back his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. It felt fantastic to be alive and digging. The shovel was huge in Billy’s hands, but that only took some adjustment and a bit of settling down to business. Jimmy hadn’t been tall when he first started farming so many years ago. He didn’t know where he stood as far as being alive again because he still needed Catherine to explain everything. For all he knew, he could drop dead any moment and float away. What happened to Billy? His spirit or soul or whatever had gone somewhere.
Jimmy was close to completing his task. He wasn’t about to let anyone other than Mark see what Billy had done to his housemate. He had left the bedroom shaken earlier when he went to see why Mark had been so upset. If Jimmy had a baseball bat, he would have bashed his own head in just to keep out the image of Preston torn asunder in his bed.
Jimmy’s stomach heaved again. Luckily he skipped breakfast. He probably wouldn’t eat for days, but from his earlier viewing of the fields, not eating might be his only choice.
He pondered the situation, glad to think about something else—something he understood. Farming had come naturally in his first life. It only took a cursory view of the devastation for Jimmy to know that nothing had survived the cloud of bugs that descended on the fields. They even tore through the greenhouse, where the more delicate vegetables and winter crops grew. So in the middle of August, what could they do that would provide food for the upcoming winter? Jimmy would have to check Chef Brittany’s canned stores, kept in a separate building on Main Street, and hope they’d had a good growing season. They would supplement their diets with protein if there were any livestock left. Jimmy would have to investigate more about the sheep, goats and cattle. Their main source of protein had always been chickens and hogs, but those were gone thanks to the hellhounds.
They needed to repair the greenhouse. Expanding it was something they should have done already—nothing like being forced into action. If Samuel had the seeds, then winter wheat and barley needed planting now.
Jimmy brushed his arm across his face and left a trail of sweat and grime. He wiped it off with the front of his shirt. He removed the hat he found in Billy’s house and scratched his head. He fought a fleeting memory about the plague. Feeling stupid, he smiled because Billy was probably around ten years old. Jimmy had plenty of time before he needed to start worrying about the plague again.
He regarded the red Nebraska Cornhusker hat with a black and bold N. Jimmy liked it. Until he had a cap on his head, he never felt fully dressed. He rounded the bill, trying to suit his preference. Good enough. Pulling the hat back on, he tossed the shovel out of the grave. If he had a nickel for every grave he’d dug in his various lifetimes, he’d have a lot of useless nickels because there was nowhere to spend them.
Jimmy climbed out and walked toward the house. The morning sunshine warmed his skin until he stepped into the cool shade of the front porch. He waited a moment, trying to gear himself up for what lay ahead. The longer he waited, the worse Preston’s remains were likely to get. The sight and smell was bad enough already. Jimmy tied one of Billy’s clean shirts around his head, covering his nose and mouth. Luckily a plastic shower curtain still hung in the bathroom where water no longer ran. Jimmy ripped it down and trudged toward Preston’s waiting corpse.
He took several deep breaths then pushed his way inside the dim room, heading straight to the window. He threw it wide open. At the side of Preston’s bed, Jimmy laid out the shower curtain on the floor. Being careful not to look at the remains, he unhooked the corners of the fitted sheet then pulled everything over the side onto the shower curtain. The body hit the floor with an ugly flop. Jimmy wrapped Preston up, tied the loose ends, and dragged the package, slowing only on the drop from the porch. Then he moved quickly out into the sunshine again. He slid Preston next to the open grave and dropped to his knees, rolling the corpse with some respect and dignity until it fell into its final resting spot.
He wasted no time burying the body. Refilled in three minutes, Jimmy smoothed the mound with the back of the shovel, giving it a couple pats to seal it down for eternity.
That’s when he heard the heavy breathing behind him. He turned and found the youngest Brittany panting like a thirsty dog. The lines in her face made her look sleepy; her dull gray eyes stared at the mound of dirt. She held her fingers splayed out at her sides.
“Brittany? Are you all right?”
Her eyes snapped up and she hissed through her teeth. Jimmy instinctively held the shovel between them for protection. This was not the sweet little hostess he remembered from the last time he was alive.
“Did you find the sweets?”
The tall, dark-haired kid from the night before rounded the corner of the house, followed by the other three Brittanys. All the Brittanys behaved like the youngest, with the panting, fingers splayed and the same dull gray eyes. Their unnatural manner was equaled by the boy leading them around Independents.
“What did you do to them?” Jimmy asked, even while he considered running for his life. “Who are you?”
The tall boy chewed on a fingernail then spat the fresh clipping to the ground. He licked the front edge of his pointy teeth. “I am Famine and I hunger. As for your friends, they are now my servants, as was the one you now possess.”
“You mean, Billy?”
The kid shrugged. “That was his name, wasn’t it? I knew him from before.” He spread his arms wide to indicate himself. “So now I have a question for you. How were you able to come back from the dead? I thought Plague killed you. He told me so.”
The youngest Brittany sniffed at the edge of the grave like she was locating a bone in the backyard. With the other Brittanys watching, Jimmy dropped the shovel blade in front of her.
“Move away. Now.”
She hissed, but crawled back on all fours just the same. She stopped at the tall kid’s side. He patted her head.
“Doesn’t seem right you coming back from the dead and poor Billy out a body. Although after all he witnessed succumbing to the demon’s possession, I’m sure he wouldn’t be the same. Some people don’t stomach what I do very well. Oh, excuse me. What we do.” Famine patted Brittany’s head again.
“You’re the one responsible for what happened to Preston,” Jimmy said.
Famine grinned like he was burning with pride. “I don’t know Preston. I can only imagine the horrors he faced if he knew Billy. Demon possession is such a wonderful transformation, just like my enchantments. Take my new pets, for example. They hunger but have yet to dine on human flesh. They recognize the smell of an easy catch. That’s what brought us to the foot of your new grave. I think they would love to satisfy their hunger on something other than spoiled meat. Something fresh would be a proper first meal.”
Like they knew their turn had arrived, the girls snarled at Jimmy. He held the shovel, but it was one little boy against four stark raving mad Brittanys and Famine—who was the craziest of them all.
“Did Chase send you here?”
“Chase? No, Chase is like me. He’s a general.”
“What are you fighting for?”
“For the world, my tiny morsel. We’re fighting for the whole wide world.”
Jimmy didn’t like the idea, but he had no choice. He was going to have to hit the first Brittany to rush him and the rest of them too, but he had little hope of escaping alive. The youngest Brittany broke first, succumbing to w
hatever desire drove her forward. Jimmy swung the shovel, connecting the backside with her shoulder. The impact shivered up his arms, forcing him to hang on. Chef Brittany charged, leaping over the stunned, smaller Brittany. Jimmy jabbed the shovel in the air and she peeled off as the last two Brittany’s followed right behind her. He knocked one off course, but the next oldest came in clean and tackled him off his feet. The landing jarred his body. His air whooshed out and he gripped Brittany’s head as she snapped and growled at him. Jimmy pulled his feet in and kicked up with all his might. Brittany flew off and landed in the soft turned dirt of the grave.
Jimmy rolled to his feet and ran. Main Street was a good four blocks away, with the pursuing Brittanys panting behind him. He sprinted onto the street, leaping across potholes as they came. One Brittany stretched out to grab him just as a pothole arrived. Jimmy cleared the obstacle, but the Brittany stepped right in and tumbled over the broken pavement.
Jimmy’s new body was faster than he thought, but he was running for his life. Feet slapped concrete as another Brittany caught up and he cut to the right. Chef Brittany sped past and Jimmy crossed back to the left, sending her into a conflicting spiral. Her feet tangled and she hit the ground face first with a solid smack.
Jimmy pushed his legs faster when he saw the buildings of Main Street two blocks away. No one else appeared to be around, and he hesitated to call for help for the possibility of getting more kids killed. Knowing his luck, one of the younger kids would answer the call and then he’d be responsible.
He heard a growl and another Brittany took a shortcut through a yard that Jimmy should have thought of himself, except for the chain-link fence that would have slowed him down. Brittany hurdled over the fence like an Olympian. She lowered her shoulder and drove into him. Scraping across the gravel, Jimmy screamed in pain, but fought his crazed attacker from chewing him to bits. He pawed at her with his hands and one strayed too close to her mouth. She bit down hard and tried to rip a chunk of his hand away. Jimmy bucked like a bronco but she held on with her mouth. He drove a thumb into her eye and her jaw loosened enough to pull his hand free. He kicked, clawed and squirmed until he broke loose, but before he could run again she grabbed his ankle and hauled him back.
Despite their various injuries, two more Brittanys hobbled towards them. Famine hadn’t appeared, but he would be along to supervise the kill soon enough. Jimmy struggled to kick free.
“Brittany, please! It’s me, Jimmy! Lord, help me!”
Brittany stopped for a moment and tilted her head. Her eyes focused and the grayness cleared. “Jimmy? You’re not Jimmy. Jimmy’s dead.”
“You’re right. I’m Billy. You know me, right?”
She shook her head as if a fog threatened to cover the situation with layers of doubt. “Yeah, I know you. Why does my head hurt?”
“That doesn’t matter. We have to get away.”
“Get away from what?”
Jimmy knelt down and turned her head. “The other Brittanys.”
Brittany scrambled to her feet. Jimmy tugged her along by the hand. The other Brittanys stumbled after them, and Jimmy was happy that the hits with the shovel and potholes had slowed them down. They rounded the corner to Main Street and ran to a Winnebago. Jimmy barely gave it a look before he dragged Brittany past. He ran toward a small crowd gathered in the middle of the street.
His heart thumped as his little brother’s eyes turned on him and went wide.
“Jimmy?” Hunter said.
“Jimmy?” Scout repeated.
Catherine refocused everyone on the immediate problem. “What’s wrong?”
“No time,” Jimmy said. “The other Brittanys… something’s wrong… right behind us.”
A horrible scream came from the Winnebago. The Brittanys tore open the side door and rushed inside. The RV rocked like a party had started, and not the good kind.
Hunter swept past Jimmy, heading for the trouble. Jimmy handed Brittany over to Catherine and followed his brother.
Thirty-Six
Hunter
Hunter wanted to believe his brother lived, but that wasn’t possible. What was possible? A Winnebago full of scared kids under attack by a trio of raving Brittanys turned into cannibals. That’s hard enough to swallow without adding his brother’s return from the dead. What’s more, how did he know Jimmy was alive inside Billy?
Hunter heard the screams and the unexpected defiance. The Brittanys had bit off more than they could chew. Four kids had Chef Brittany pressed into the front windshield; her wild eyes stared at Hunter like he was there to save her. He skidded to a stop. Billy, or rather Jimmy, bumped into him from behind. Hunter looked down at his brother and smiled.
“This isn’t the time, Hunter,” Billy said, or Jimmy—whoever.
“You don’t realize the craziness I went through yesterday. And now this morning’s starting out the same way.”
“Try being dead for five months, then we can talk about your crazy day.”
Scout ran up with Dylan, followed by Catherine and Barbie. Nobody looked ready to go inside the RV. Given enough time, they wouldn’t have to worry about it because the Cozad kids were doing pretty well on their own.
“So what’s the story?” Hunter asked.
Jimmy pointed to the window where Chef Brittany was squished above the dash. “The guy from last night who calls himself Famine showed up again with the Brittanys this time. He’s hypnotized them or something.”
“Barbie and I went through this in Cozad. It sounds like they’re possessed.”
“Billy—I mean—I was possessed. I don’t think this is the same thing.”
Catherine threw her arm around Jimmy’s shoulders. “You’re right. It’s not the same. Possession takes more effort and there are minor demons involved. The Brittanys are under an enchantment. Leave everything to me and Barbie. As long as they haven’t eaten, we should be able to free them all.”
“Eaten?” Scout asked. “Eaten what?”
Barbie shook her head. “It’s better not to think about it. Just don’t get near their mouths and you’ll be okay.”
A loud crash drew their attention and all eyes watched a Brittany fly through a side window. She hit the ground hard, gulping for air like a perch out of the pond. No one should have to work that hard to eat.
“Scout, go hold Brittany down so Catherine can straighten her out,” Hunter said. “The rest of you follow me. I’ll help Chef Brittany out of the windshield before they kill her. Billy, you and Dylan get the other Brittany out of the back. Hopefully she’s still in one piece.” Hunter thought about calling him Jimmy again but decided against it. Maybe his brother wasn’t ready to announce his arrival to the whole town, and maybe everyone else wasn’t ready to accept it.
“Is it safe for us to go in there?” Dylan asked.
“I’ll tell the Cozad kids that you guys are okay. They might listen to me.”
“You sure have grown up a lot,” Jimmy said.
Hunter smiled at his brother, happy to have him back in whatever form. “I wish I could say the same.”
Hunter threw the door open and was met by a Brittany jumping out for her life. Two of the Cozad kids held her by the hair while a third was busy throwing kidney punches. The crazed cannibal look had been replaced by fear. Hunter grabbed Brittany’s outstretched hands and yanked her to safety. She popped loose and clawed at him before he tossed her to the ground. Jimmy and Dylan took over, while Barbie crackled electricity from her fingertips.
“Okay, everyone!” Hunter shouted in the doorway. Those closest backed away like he was about to sprout wings and kick ass. “If you’re not holding the girl against the windshield, I need you to exit the RV. It’s safe. We have all the cannibals accounted for. When everyone is off, except for those of you holding the last one, Catherine or Barbie will come in and fix her, unless you need me to take over and hold her now.”
“We have her,” Henry said. He was busy pressing Chef Brittany’s face into the defrost vent. �
��She picked the wrong day to mess with us.”
“Just don’t hurt her too much,” Hunter said. “She’s a friend and we can probably still save her.”
Wesley smiled from his position at Brittany’s feet. “She’s all right. We’re just keeping her warm for you.” Carissa and Sophie shoved the middle of Brittany into the window.
Hunter stepped out of the way and the kids evacuated the bus. Many of them sneered at the Brittanys receiving treatments on the ground. Those girls would be serving them food after all of this was over, but those awkward circumstances could be worked out later.
“How are we doing with these two?” Hunter asked.
“I’m all finished,” Catherine said, brushing her hands together.
“Me too,” Barbie said. “It’s a lot easier when they’ve just been turned.”
“Let’s take care of the one that’s left then we’ll go hunt down Tommy the Perv.”
“You mean the guy from Denver?” Jimmy asked.
Hunter frowned. Of course Jimmy would remember that guy. He heard the story of how Tommy had groped Ginger at the diner. She had been so upset, and it pissed Jimmy off because he didn’t get a chance to pound on the dude. Hunter understood, but Jimmy wasn’t exactly all grown up in an eighteen year old body anymore, and Tommy had undergone one seriously extreme makeover.
“Let’s finish up here and then we’ll deal with Tommy,” Hunter said, but Jimmy didn’t look like he wanted to wait. “You hear me, right, Billy?”
Jimmy looked up at his brother, anger brimming in his eyes. “Yeah, I hear you, but I want a piece.”
Hunter nodded. “Which one of you wants to fix the last one?”
“You better let me,” Catherine said. “Barbara looks tired.”
Tired or not, Barbie shot Catherine a nasty look. “It’s Barbie, and I can do what needs to be done. Maybe it’s time for you to have your morning nap.”
Catherine placed her hands on her hips. “Barbie, huh. I have a whole collection of Barbies at home. All of them are prettier than you, even the one missing her head.”