“Oh, please,” she huffed. “I’m just as good a fighter as any of you.”
“As good as any of them maybe. Especially lover boy.” Logan said. “Not me, though.”
She opened her mouth to utter a denial then subsided. “Yeah, okay. Maybe not you.”
“I’m sure he just wants to protect you, Nadia,” Logan added. “We all do.”
“I know, but holding me back is not the way to do it. It’s my life and my decision how I get to live it.”
Logan nodded. “I know that. You’re too stubborn to keep locked up in a gilded cage. It seems Caleb hasn’t realized what a firecracker he’s dealing with.”
“Well, he’s going to find out now,” she said, leaning back in her chair with a satisfied smile.
Logan twisted the key in the ignition, and the Land Rover shook to life with a satisfying roar. He patted the steering wheel. “Still going strong, my beauty.”
“You know it’s weird talking to a car,” Nadia said with a smirk.
Logan threw her a look of horror. “Did you just call her a car? Get out, you heathen. Out!”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry. Did you know it’s weird talking to your truck like she’s a person?”
Logan stroked the dashboard with tender care. “She is a person to me, and you’d better hope she doesn’t dump our asses somewhere out of spite.”
“Holding thumbs,” Nadia said as they pulled out of the gates, waving to Peter and Thembiso who had opened for them.
Lisa and Donya were outside, preparing for a moat patrol, so they opened the second set of gates and dragged aside the barrier. Logan didn’t envy them one bit. He’d much rather be out there, in the fresh air, wild and free.
So did Nadia. She was a lot like him in that aspect, which was why he allowed her to go with him on raids. Even though it was dangerous. Even though she might get eaten. And even though her arm still wasn’t fully recovered. Wrapping her in cotton wool like Caleb was trying to do, wasn’t the answer.
“So, where are we going today?” she asked with a bright smile once they hit the tarred road.
“I thought I’d strike out further today. Check out some unexplored places.”
“Like?” she asked.
“Bloemhof.”
“Huh. Never heard of it.”
“Exactly. I’m hoping nobody else has either.”
“Good thinking.” She was silent for a bit. “Did you know, I used to stay not that far from here?”
“Really?” He was genuinely surprised. She’d never said anything about the subject until now.
“Yup. A few years ago, we lived in Kroonstad, about an hour’s drive away. My stepfather dragged us there for another one of his dead-end jobs. That’s when my little brother drowned. It’s funny. We’d never had a house with a pool before, and the…”
“I’m sorry, Nadia.” Though he knew about Bobby, the raw pain in Nadia’s voice cut him to the quick.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t all bad. I met my best friend there too. She’s probably gone now, but I’ll always remember Cat. She helped me through some tough times.”
“Sounds like a good friend.”
“Yeah, she was.” Nadia face lightened as she talked about Catherine and the adventures they’d shared, and he let her babble on while he drove. Anything to take her mind off Bobby.
The conditions grew steadily worse as they went further and further from town, hitting the smaller back roads that wound through the countryside. Years of neglect that dated back to before the apocalypse now became evident, and potholes the size of trenches cut across the road.
Recent rains had made it worse, and in places, it was impossible to stick to the tar, necessitating a detour onto the grass instead. The Landie, tough though she was, shook and groaned across these nightmarish stretches of land.
Nadia had long since stopped talking, reduced to gritting her teeth and hanging on for dear life instead. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“No, I don’t, but we’ve come too far to turn back now,” Logan said through gritted teeth.
“Which is fair,” Nadia conceded.
They continued on in tense silence until the tiny town of Bloemhof loomed in the distance. Nadia let loose a low whistle. “Thank, God, we made it.”
“Don’t be too hasty. We still have to get back, too,” Logan said.
“Don’t remind me,” she said with a huff as they entered the main road running through the center of town.
Logan ignored her and focused on navigating through the equally bad streets of the town though it was mercifully clear of vehicles and debris. However it went down, the apocalypse took this town by surprise and no looting or car crashes were evident.
He spotted a few bodies, but they’d been dragged aside and stacked in alleyways and secluded corners. There was little rubbish either, and no broken storefronts or windows.
“Where are the zoms?” Nadia asked. “I don’t see any. Live ones anyway.”
“I think there must be survivors here,” Logan answered.
“Yeah, it’s way too clean. Somebody’s been looking after this place,” she said. “Look, even the corpses are laid out and covered in newspaper.”
“No point in looking for supplies, I suppose,” Logan said. “This place will be wiped clean.”
“Guess not. Want to go back?”
“Let’s have a look around first. We might strike it lucky,” he replied
“Okay.”
Logan canvassed the small town, looking for something they might have missed. It appeared not. The place was quiet, orderly, and empty. No zombies wandered about, any corpses were stashed out of sight, and the atmosphere was one of neglect rather than destruction.
In a way, he even found it rather pretty. Nature had regained a foothold here, framing the houses with greenery. Grass pushed through the gaps in the concrete, ivy climbed up walls, and moss carpeted the sidewalks.
“I kind of like it here,” Nadia said.
“Me too. It’s peaceful.”
She pointed at a faded board by the side of the road. “There’s a river and a bridge over there.”
“Want to take a look?” Logan asked. “We might as well linger a bit seeing as we came all this way for nothing.”
“Sure,” she replied. “Let’s take a break for a change.”
Logan pointed the Landie’s nose toward the bridge, and they crossed over. The river flowed by underneath, high on the banks, full and strong. He was grateful that the bridge appeared intact with no visible signs of wear besides the potholes. It would be a sad day once all the bridges caved in. Neither he, nor anyone he knew, had the knowledge to repair them, and travel would be hard without them.
“Soon enough, we’ll all go back to the old days,” he mused out loud. “No bridges, no skyscrapers, no ships, no television or satellites…”
“No phones or hospitals,” Nadia added. “Do you really think so? I mean, humans built all this before, can’t we again?”
“That depends. We didn’t have zombies before,” Logan replied. “Plus, when we lost ninety percent of the population, we also lost ninety percent of our knowledge.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s kind of sad.”
“Is it?” he asked. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?” Nadia asked. “I’d kill for a hamburger and milkshake, a good movie, a few new tunes, being able to kiss a boy without killing him.”
“When I think back, I remember people stuck in traffic, working in tiny cubicles, paying debt and taxes, battling poverty, corruption, and pollution,” Logan said. “I also remember species dying out and stumbling across the poached carcasses of rhinos in the reserves I worked at. I remember plastic choked rivers and burning tires. Unrest. War.”
“Yeah, okay. I get it.” Nadia looked out the window for a while. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I don’t want to be, not like this, anyway, but there it is.”
“Do you think―”
Nadia looked at the spot Logan pointed and saw a parked car with several figures milling around it. “Zoms!”
“That means there are people in the vehicle,” Logan said.
“Let’s go,” Nadia said with an eager smile. “There’s not too many of them.”
“All right, but be careful.”
“Of course,” Nadia replied, pulling two long thin metal spikes from her belt. Each had a t-bar wrapped in leather at the end for a handle. They were custom made for her, complete with sheaths, and she was lethal with them in her hands.
Logan stopped a short distance away from the stranded car and honked. Several diseased faces turned their way, and milky eyes searched for their location. The crowd peeled away from their intended victims and shuffled toward them, cheered by this new bounty of meat.
“Ready?” Logan asked.
“You know me,” she replied.
Logan exited the Landie and raised his rifle to his shoulder. His aim was ruthless at such a short distance, and each shot felled a zombie. One, two, three, four. Then they were too close, and he ripped a machete from its sheath at his side.
He lost himself in the rhythm of chopping, cutting, and slicing, closely followed by the stabbing whirlwind that was Nadia. The rasping groans of the undead surrounded them, and he pressed his back to hers.
“Just like old times, hey?” he said with a laugh.
“I never forgot,” she replied.
A loud yell signaled the arrival of two more people, and together they fought the infected, dropping one after the other until none remained. When the last zombie fell silent, Logan straightened up and sucked in a deep breath. Nadia flashed him a grin, and they turned as one to face the newcomers.
Logan eyed the two before him, surprised to find they were teens, or at most, young adults. A boy and a girl. “Who are you?”
They exchanged a look before the girl stepped forward and stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Dee. This is Aiden. Thanks for helping us out. We really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Logan replied, shaking her slender hand before moving on to the boy who was a little older. “I’m Logan, and this is Nadia.”
“Are you okay?” Nadia asked. “Do you need anything?”
Dee hesitated, exchanging another significant look with her companion. While he looked like the clean-cut type, she reminded him a lot of Nadia with her piercings and edgy style. Another firecracker.
Logan sensed their uncertainty and said, “Look, we’re not robbers or murderers. If you want help, just ask. We’ll do our best.”
“Actually,” Aiden said, stepping forward, “we do need your assistance.”
“How so?”
“Well, we could use a lift.”
“No, problem,” Logan said. “Get in the Landie.”
“Thanks, let me get our stuff,” Aiden replied.
Nadia and Dee squeezed into the front, while Logan opened the back for Aiden. He watched with a perplexed frown as the boy fetched a car battery from the boot of their broken down vehicle. It was big, the kind used for buses and so on. He said nothing, though, and let the boy climb in.
The trip passed in an uncomfortable silence. The only words uttered were those by Dee when she gave directions. It was always tough meeting new people, he reflected, and the zombie apocalypse hadn’t changed that one bit.
When they reached the turnoff, he decided to break the stalemate. “So, are there many of you?”
Dee shifted in her seat. “You could say that.”
“Have you been here all this time?”
“Yup.”
“I guess the river’s a good location for survival. Water, fish, and it’s a natural barrier too.”
“I suppose.”
“Not very talkative, are you?” he said.
She cast him a sidelong glance. “Would you be spilling your guts to strangers in my position, Mister Nosy?”
Nadia snorted. “I like her.”
Logan laughed. “Yeah, me too. She’s gutsy.”
Dee sighed. “I’m still here, you know.”
“We know, and we’ve arrived,” Logan said, pointing at the gate ahead.
“Well, see ya, and thanks for the ride,” Dee said as she climbed out of the truck.
“Okay. Guess we’re not invited to lunch,” Logan joked to Nadia as Dee slammed the door shut in their faces.
“Guess not,” Nadia agreed.
Logan watched as Dee and Aiden maneuvered the big battery between them and wondered what it was for. A bobbing head appeared beyond the gate, and it swung open, revealing a girl of about eighteen or so with dark hair and pale skin.
Suddenly, Nadia let loose a shrill scream that nearly burst his eardrums and jumped out of the Landie. He watched with surprise as she charged the new girl, waving both her arms like a madwoman. Both Dee and Aiden stood frozen, mouths hanging open in shock.
“What the hell?” Logan muttered as he jumped out, ready for anything.
“Cat,” Nadia cried, throwing her arms around the girl’s shoulders. “Is it really you?”
The girl, or Cat as he guessed her to be, returned Nadia’s glad cries and hug with her own. “Nadia, I can’t believe it’s you. It’s been so long.”
Logan rocked back on his heels, his grip on his rifle loosening. “Well, I’ll be damned. Miracles do exist.”
Once Cat and Nadia stopped screeching like banshees, Dee hustled them all inside, including the Land Rover, and closed the gates. She shot Logan a look. “Guess you’re meeting the folks, after all.”
“Seems like it,” he replied with a shrug.
She led the way toward an old farmhouse situated on the banks of a river, and he paused to take in the scenery. To one side stood an old school bus, its beige paint job old and rusted.
“So that’s what the battery is for,” he remarked to Aiden who’d manhandled the thing onto a waiting trolley.
“Yup. We need to get it going as soon as possible,” Aiden replied.
“Why?” Logan asked, but received no answer as another boy, this one both younger and slimmer jogged over.
“You got it?” the boy asked.
“Yes, we got it.”
“Bout time. You and Dee were gone forever.”
Aiden shot him a sour look. “Back off, Jonathan. We nearly got swarmed on the way back when that stupid car died and wouldn’t start again.”
Jonathan shrugged. “I told you she didn’t have much left in her. It’s why we need the bus. We’re going nowhere without her.”
“Well, she’d better be more reliable than the sedan,” Aiden grumbled.
“She will be,” Jonathan replied with airy confidence.
Logan found the whole exchange quite amusing as he followed them to the house where he was greeted by a cold-eyed woman called Liz.
“I hear you saved Dee and Aiden’s asses? My thanks,” she said, sticking out a hand.
“Saved is a strong word,” Dee mumbled. “I’d say more like assisted.”
Logan snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“You must forgive, Dee. She can be a bit abrasive at times,” Liz said. “Would you like to stay for lunch?”
“Sure, we can stay a while.”
Liz led them to a table on the porch where they sat while the food was served. Cat and Nadia were like conjoined twins, talking non-stop about a bunch of unnecessary crap, in his opinion. Meantime, he was introduced to a growing number of kids and teens until his head was swimming.
“Are you all related?” he asked before taking a big bite of the fresh fish on his plate. It’d been a long time since he had fish, something they must be used to while living on a river.
“God, no, not all. Most of us have our stories and came from our own places of origin,” Liz replied. “Kids, why don’t you tell him a little bit? Just enough so he gets the idea.”
A girl with golden skin and dark eyes went first. He guessed her to b
e of Italian heritage but wasn’t sure. “I’m Vera, an orphan before all this, and was at ballet practice with Clara here when it all happened. We escaped and met up with Liz and Aiden on the road. They were on their way here thanks to Dee.”
“How so?”
“This used to be my parent’s place. After Aiden and I got separated, I came here,” Dee answered.
“Meanwhile, I met with Danielle, Liz’s daughter, and Nikki. They took me home after I got infected and nursed me back to health. Once I recovered, I came here following Dee. They chose to join me,” Aiden said.
“You were infected?” Logan asked. “Like, by a zombie?”
“Yes.”
Nadia gasped. “Have you…you know, kissed anyone or something?”
Aiden looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Why would you want to know that?”
Dee likewise perked up. “Yeah, why?”
“Because I got infected too, only I didn’t turn,” Nadia replied.
“Like me,” Aiden said.
“Yes, but when I kissed my boyfriend, he…he turned and killed everyone in our camp.”
“What?” Aiden cried. “That’s terrible.”
Nadia nodded. “I can’t get close to anyone now. I’m a carrier according to Dr. Lange.”
Aiden and Dee exchanged loaded glances. “Well, we’ve kissed, and nothing has happened.”
It was Nadia’s turn to look shocked. “I wonder why.”
“Yes, that’s quite the mystery,” Liz said. “Who’s Dr. Lange?”
“He’s a scientist back home working on a vaccine,” Logan replied.
“Well, I’ll be. What’s your camp like?” Liz asked, leaning forward.
“It’s big, and we do okay,” Logan answered.
“Do you have space for more people?” she asked.
“Why? Do you need a refuge?” Logan countered.
Liz sighed and leaned back in her seat. “We do. This place is being overrun on a daily basis, and we can’t keep up. We were planning on leaving soon.”
“The bus?”
“Yes, it’s already packed and loaded. All we needed was a new battery.”
“I see,” Logan said, scraping his plate clean. “You can come with us as long as you pull your weight. No freeloaders.”
Dangerous Days: Boxed Set (A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Thriller Books 1-4) Page 73