Arms and legs windmilled past while blood splashed onto the windscreen. The air inside the cab thickened with excitement and the smell of rot. Donya gagged while Dee poked fun at her.
Once they’d gained some distance, Lisa looked at Michael. “Thank you. I know what killing Hiran means to you, but you can always go back. If our people die, there’s no going back.”
“I know.” He sighed and looked away. “I’m only doing this for Mpho.”
“Whatever your reasons, I’m glad you’re here,” Lisa said, turning her attention their destination. The road wound in a big loop before circling around, and her fears of the zombies bypassing them grew with every kilometer.
Finally, the rest stop loomed ahead, and all remnants of doubt vanished as they were faced with the terrifying truth. The dead had cut in front of them and were swarming the convoy.
Even at that distance, the screams and gunshots from the convoy could be heard inside the truck. Lisa scanned the area as she closed in, relieved to find that so far only a small group of infected that had outstripped the rest. More were coming, though.
She grabbed the radio. “Captain, it’s just a small contingent of the undead. The rest must still be on their way.”
“Roger that. Stick close to me. We’ll punch a hole through them and take out as many as we can.”
“Gotcha, Captain,” Lisa replied, not being one for radio etiquette.
Lisa slowed until the other vehicle drew level with her. Together they gunned it, heading straight for the beleaguered convoy and the thickest knot of zombies. She glanced over her shoulders at the rest. “Ready for this?”
“Ready!”
As the first infected crunched under the wheels, Lisa sent up a brief prayer. “Please, let us be in time. Please.”
The truck plowed through the first bodies without slowing, sheer force driving it forward, but as the crowd thickened, its speed stalled. Gritting on her teeth, Lisa swerved, taking the vehicle to safer waters. Once she’d gained some momentum again, she swung back into the thick of it, taking down countless undead.
Using this maneuver, she thinned the horde, biting on her lip until she tasted blood as they bounced over the numerous corpses. The others in the cab with her remained silent but for muttered curses, their postures proclaiming them ready for battle.
Once the worst of the zombies were incapacitated, Michael looked at her. “Time to fight, Lisa.”
Incredibly, he was smiling, and she nodded. “All right. Ready guys?”
“Ready!” they yelled.
“Protect the convoy!” she cried as she screeched to a halt not far from the school bus and its precious cargo. The children.
She opened her door and jumped out, followed by Donya, Liesel, Dee, and Aiden. Michael was lost within seconds as he roared a battle cry and jumped into the midst of a crowd of undead.
For a moment, she considered following him, but the man had a death wish. That much was clear. Going after him was a hopeless cause. He has to find his own way now. Even if it is to his end.
“Stick with me,” she yelled, though she needn’t have bothered. Each of her charges had their own plans in mind.
Liesel climbed onto the roof of the truck where she wielded her rifle with deadly accuracy, her training with Kirstin now coming to the fore with terrific effect.
Aiden and Dee formed a whirling nucleus of death, felling one zombie after the other. Their movements were practiced, and she left them to it, turning to Donya instead.
Together, they fought against the press of rotting bodies that threatened to overwhelm them. A grasping hand got hold of her arm, but fell away as Breytenbach and Kirstin joined them.
“Over there,” he cried, pointing to where Max and Julianne fought against overwhelming odds.
Together, the four of them pressed forward until they reached the struggling duo. With a glad cry, Julianne welcomed them. “Thank God, you’re here.”
Breytenbach felled a zombie that clutched at her sleeve with one thrust of his knife before answering. “I’m never leaving your side again, love. That’s a promise.”
Kirstin said nothing to Max, but simply joined his side and fought as if a demon possessed her. Next to her, Max stood tall, his strength amplified by her presence. They were as one.
Lisa wished briefly she had such a connection to someone, to anyone, but dismissed it in the next breath. Not for me. I am stronger alone.
She focused on her breathing until calm flowed through her veins, and honed in on her targets one after the other. Sweat flowed down her sides and coated her skin as she fought, but she never stopped. Never slowed even as exhaustion set into her quivering muscles.
A dreadful cry drew her attention to Donya, and before her horrified eyes, the girl went down in a tangle of limbs. Lisa sprang forward, hacking at the arms and legs and biting heads that tore into the girl.
Useless.
They had her, and her agonized screams proclaimed her end even as a mercy bullet from Liesel prevented further suffering. Breathing hard, Lisa whirled in a circle, finding herself in a quiet spot a short distance from the others.
She was in time to see Michael and Logan break for the Landie. She had the opportunity to witness them lure the press of zombies flowing toward the convoy in a different direction. Then she lost them. Michael. Are you finally getting your wish?
“Over here,” someone screamed, and she turned toward the bus where the fighting was still thick and hard.
Taking a deep breath, she gripped her knife and hurled herself forward, determined to kill every last zombie she could get her hands on. “I’m coming.”
Chapter 21 - Nadia
Nadia leaned against the bus, staring into the distance. They’d arrived at the rest stop a few minutes ago, and she welcomed the chance to escape the confines of a metal tube filled with screaming kids. Most of the small children stayed on the bus, kept there by Michelle and Nombali for fear they’d run amok, but the rest were allowed off for a little while.
She was joined minutes later by Caleb, and she waited in tense silence for the recriminations to begin. Instead, he sighed and said, “I’m sorry for trying to keep you from doing anything. It wasn’t right of me, and I won’t do it again.”
She turned to face him. “Are you sure? No more wrapping me in cotton wool? Treating me like a porcelain doll?”
He shook his head. “Nope, no more. I learned my lesson.”
“Yeah?” she pressed. “How so?”
“Well, these last few days spent not talking to you have been the worst of my life. I’d rather have you with me, zombies or not, vaccine or not, than spend another minute without you.”
Nadia blinked as unexpected tears filled her eyes. “You mean that?”
“I do. Now can I give you a hug, please? I’m dying over here.”
“Of course,” she whispered, allowing him to pull her into his arms. It was a wonderful feeling, one of safety, comfort, and love. “I wish it could always be like this.”
“It can,” he said, pressing his lips to her forehead.
They stood like that for a while until Nadia noticed a figure flitting past the corner of her eye. She caught a brief glimpse of a hoodie with a number on it and gasped, shooting upright. “There he goes. The guy with the hoodie. It’s the same one, I’m sure of it.”
“Hoodie?” Caleb asked. “What guy?”
“The one who started the fire. The chicken killer.”
“You saw him?”
“I did. The night of the fire, but I couldn’t remember who it was. I couldn’t place the hoodie even though I knew…and now…” Nadia’s eyes widened.
“What?” Caleb asked, doing his best to follow her rapid train of thought.
“Now I remember! It was Lonny. I saw him wearing it at dinner that night.”
Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “You’re sure of that?”
“Huh huh, except…”
“Yeah?”
“He borrowed it to Ruby. She wore
it when she went to bed. I saw him hand it to her when she got cold,” Nadia said.
“And you’re a hundred percent certain?”
“Of course! I can’t believe I’m only remembering it now!”
“This is a big deal, Nadia. If Ruby started the fire…”
“What’s she up to now?” Nadia finished his sentence.
Without waiting for an answer, Nadia sprinted in the direction she’d seen Ruby go. She rounded the corner of the bus and skidded to a halt. Ruby was on her knees next to one of the tires with a knife in her hands. With a swift stab, the girl cut into the rubber, letting all the air out.
“No, what are you doing?” Nadia cried.
Ruby jumped to her feet and faced Nadia with bared teeth. When Caleb joined Nadia, she hissed at both of them, waving the knife. “Don’t come any closer.”
“Why, Ruby?” Nadia asked. “Why slash the tires?”
“It’s better that way. Better to be dead. We should all be dead. All of us,” Ruby cried.
“You want us all to die?” Nadia asked, aghast.
“Yes. We must join them. They’re the future.”
“Are you crazy?” Caleb said.
“No, just realistic. There’s no place for us anymore. Life is all about suffering. We shouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”
“You’re nuts!” Nadia cried, taking a step forward.
“You’ll see,” the girl replied with a grin. “They’re coming to kill us all. They’re already here.”
As if to prove her words correct, alarmed voices called out, and one word stood out above all the rest. “Zombies!”
Nadia looked at Caleb. “Zoms? Here?”
When she looked back, Ruby was gone.
“Where’d she go?” Caleb asked.
“We need to find her before she hurts anyone else.”
As one, they darted around the bus but froze when they saw the large group of undead headed their way. Nadia pulled out her t-bar’s, arming herself in a flash. “That’s why she cut the tire. So we can’t escape.”
The next moment, Logan ran up to them. “Get on the bus. We’re leaving now.”
“We can’t,” Nadia replied. “Ruby slashed the tire.”
He pulled up short. “She did what?”
Nadia nodded. “She’s lost it. I think she’s the one that started the fire and killed the chickens.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, now what about the tire?” Nadia asked.
“Shit, I’ll have to change it. We can’t fit all the kids in elsewhere. Besides, there’s no time.” He waved at the open door of the bus. “Keep the dead out while I change the tire.”
He turned away and shouted for Martin, Josh, and Jed, explaining the situation in brief terms. “Organize a defense. Set up a perimeter. Keep those things away from us while I get the bus going again.”
“All right,” Martin nodded. “Take Jed with you to watch your back and help. Above all else, hurry the fuck up.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Logan replied before sprinting in the opposite direction.
Nadia exchanged a frightened look with Caleb. “Well, you heard him. Keep them out of the bus.”
Caleb nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Let’s do this.”
Martin ran about, ordering the defense while adults and teens alike readied themselves for a fight. Nikki and Danielle joined them, followed by Liz and Elise. Nombali and Michelle were on the bus with the kids while Julianne stood a short distance away with Max.
Then there was no more time for looking because the lot flooded with a tide of rotting bodies. A wave of stink washed over Nadia’s nostrils as the first infected sprang at her.
She stabbed it in the eye and kicked it away before uppercutting the next, impaling it on her t-bar. Caleb whirled and thrust next to her, while Liz delivered cool shots with her gun.
A hand clawed at her jacket, and she dropped to her haunches before leaping upright and sinking her blade into its brittle temple. Bodies fell around her, some still alive, and she paused to kick away a crawler intent on taking a chunk out of her leg.
Everywhere there was fighting, the air filled with a cacophony of groans, moans, cries, and screeches. Bullets whined by, and people hacked at necks and skulls. Black blood spattered their clothes, rotting flesh smeared against their skin, and the smell…it was like a living breathing entity intent on disabling them as it triggered their gag reflex.
The crush of infected increased until she was backed up against the bus, hacking and stabbing. A scream drew her attention, and she saw Nikki go down underneath a press of bodies. Blood misted the air as the zombies tore into the girl, and Nadia renewed her killing efforts. They could not be allowed on the bus. The children needed her.
She swung, and punched, and kicked until her limbs felt like lead. Just when she thought all was lost, lights flashed ahead and two trucks came roaring up. Relief flooded through her veins when she recognized the vehicles. “Breytenbach!”
The trucks rammed into the infected, slamming them into the tar and crushing limbs, torsos, and heads. The crowd thinned as some of the infected went after the new moving targets, much to their detriment.
Nadia grinned as she gained a little breathing space and glanced at Caleb. “Still okay?”
He smiled back at her and nodded. “Still ok―”
Suddenly his eyes widened, and blood spilled from his lips. Nadia stared in horror as Ruby detached herself from his side like a parasite, her knife stained crimson.
Caleb collapsed, and Ruby darted for the door of the bus, but Nadia was there before her, hauling her back onto her ass by her hoodie. The girl fell hard, and the air left her lungs in a woosh. She landed by the feet of an infected and screamed when it reached for her with grinning teeth.
Nadia did nothing to stop it. Instead, she watched as it tore chunks of meat from Ruby’s face until the girl resembled ground meat. More infected joined in on the feast, fighting each other for a spot, and Ruby was dragged to the side by the squirming mass.
More infected replaced them, and Nadia was forced to fight over Caleb’s body, valiantly trying to keep the zombies away from both him and the children on the bus.
She was soon joined by others. Lisa, Ronnie, and Kirstin. The dead fell like wheat, and she took a moment to drop to her knees beside Caleb, cradling his head. “Caleb. Caleb, are you okay? Answer me!”
He stared at her with blank eyes, and she choked back a sob as the truth sank in. He was dead.
“No,” Nadia screamed, jumping to her feet. She acted out her rage, stabbing until she could hardly move her arms.
Still, the dead kept coming.
Another cry sounded as Abe disappeared beneath the onslaught, and for a moment, she thought Max was a goner as well when he fell backward. But in a flash, Martin was there, dragging his body onto the bus with Julianne’s help.
“There’s too many of them,” Martin cried. “We can’t get the wheel changed. We have to abandon the bus.”
“We can’t! We’ll never get the kids transferred safely. We’ll lose them,” Julianne answered, and Nadia realized they were both right.
Suddenly, a cry went up as Logan darted past the bus followed by Michael. They dodged the zombies until they reached Logan’s Land Rover. Logan jumped behind the wheel while Nadia watched in growing disbelief. “What’s he doing?”
Michael climbed onto the roof but dangled his body tantalizingly close to the undead as they reached for him. He shouted until all those nearby turned his way, abandoning the rest for what seemed like easy prey.
Logan started the Landie and drove slowly, drawing the undead away from the convoy with Michael’s help. It didn’t work for all of the zombies, and those closest to Nadia and the others still kept coming. It did help to stem the tide streaming down the street, though, as the wave turned on the two men instead.
For a time, Nadia and the rest were hard pressed to clear the lot, but in the end, they managed. Me
anwhile, Josh and Jed finished changing the wheel and darted out with glad cries. “Go, go, go!”
Everyone made for their vehicles, and within seconds, the convoy was moving. Nadia refused to leave Caleb, though, keeping hold of his body until Cat and Liz wrestled her inside the bus.
She screamed as they pulled away, slamming her hands against the glass. “No, no, no! Caleb!”
Cat gripped her shoulders. “Nadia, he’s gone.”
“No,” Nadia moaned, though she knew it was the truth, had looked into his staring eyes herself.
But worse was yet to come. As they drove through the lot, her eyes fell on a body lying on the tarmac. It wore a familiar neon pink shirt. Donya.
She gasped and pressed her hands to her lips. “Did you see that? Donya’s dead?”
Cat nodded and pulled Nadia close. “I’m sorry. I saw her fall, but I couldn’t reach her in time.”
Nadia shook her head in denial. “We’ve lost so many. Caleb, Donya, and Abe. All because of Ruby. Why didn’t I remember that stupid shirt earlier? I should’ve known!”
Cat stared at her in confusion. “What shirt? Ruby?”
Nadia ignored her questions and whirled back to the window, searching for signs of Logan. “Where is he? Where’s Logan?”
“Over there,” Cat said, pointing out the white Landie that pushed through the throng of undead with Michael still clinging to the roof.
Nadia sighed with relief. At least, he was still okay. But her joy quickly changed to horror when his Land Rover swerved to the side and smashed into a lamp post with a loud crash. “No! No, not him. Not Logan too!”
As she pressed her body against the glass, Nadia wished with all her might that Logan would escape. She willed his Landie to move, to reverse away from the pole and drive to safety. It never did, and Nadia slumped to her knees as a big black hole of nothingness swallowed her up.
Chapter 22 - Logan
Dangerous Days: Boxed Set (A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Thriller Books 1-4) Page 81