Nick nodded as rain dripped from his chin. “Okay, everyone. Let’s all remember to stay calm. Let’s get outta here as quickly and efficiently as we can.”
Moans sliced through the storm, and when I glanced up, I gasped. A large group of zombies stood in the pouring rain, staring down at us. Instinctively, I reached for my gun, but Nick grabbed my arm.
“No!” he said. “You’ll only attract more.”
Lucas glanced up at the horde above us. “We can take them out, especially if the klutzes topple down into this hole one at a time. Easy pickin’s.”
“The car could sink deeper,” Kate said, droplets running down her face. “This road isn’t stable.”
“We don’t know how many of them are up there either,” Val chimed in. “If we start shooting, we might run out of ammo before we can get them all, and they’ll completely surround us. We’re sitting ducks down here.”
I could hear the haunting popping sounds as metal screeched and concrete and rocks shifted. A cold shudder shot down my spine. I understood Kate’s point. If we fought them and shuffled around too much, the ground could give way beneath us, and we could sink even deeper. If we shot at them, though, it might summon more, and we could be completely surrounded by dozens of undead freaks within seconds; they’d come faster than we could take them out with our guns.
When the first zombie stumbled into the chasm, Nick was on it in seconds, bashing its head in with a chunk of concrete. When another one fell in, Val beat Nick to the punch and crunched its skull before it even knew what hit it.
Suddenly, the SUV groaned, and the ground below us started to shift.
I carefully walked through the slush of water, dirt, and debris and climbed on the metal meshing, then shot Nick a glance. “We gotta shoot ‘em...fast, then climb out of here and shoot some more. It’s our only option.”
“If we’re fast enough, maybe we can get away before more come,” Kate said.
Huge chunks of wet clay and sand suddenly fell on me. I wiped my eyes and spat out the pebbles and dirt. I could hear the dirt slowly caving in. I climbed up the metal meshing and fired at the first rotten zombie I saw looking down at me. Gunfire rang out as the others followed my lead. I climbed up the slippery metal, careful not to lose my footing, as I didn’t want to fall and knock the others down. When I got to the top, I climbed out. The sinkhole had left a huge crater in the middle of the street, but even worse than that, dozens of zombies came at me. I had to hold them off long enough for the others to hurry out.
The rain continued coming down in sheets. When lightning illuminated the sky, every freak’s gory details came into perfect view. I kept squeezing the trigger. When my gun clicked empty, I reloaded while Nick and Lucas fired away.
A beeping sound caught my attention, and I looked up to see a pickup coming straight toward us. The truck screeched to a stop and an older woman peered out the driver’s window. “Hop in!” she screamed. “Hurry!”
We didn’t hesitate to take her up on the offer for a ride. I bolted into the truck bed, hopping over the tailgate like a track star, and then I helped the others in. Zombies moaned and started to walk toward the truck, but the tires spun and sprayed them with a thick layer of mud as the vehicle sped off down the road. I gasped, but I felt relieved. About time somebody helped us out, I thought. We’ve been helping other people ever since the helicopter crash.
“How’s your shoulder?” I asked Nick when I noticed the bone protruding a bit; his shoulder was visibly deformed and out of place. I could tell he was miserable and in excruciating pain, even if he wouldn’t admit it, because he grimaced every time we went over a bump.
“I’m fine,” he breathed out.
“You don’t look fine,” Kate chimed in.
“You know how much I hate being fussed over.”
“Let me pop it back into place,” Val said.
“When we stop,” he said. “Truth is, my arm’s a little numb, and the pain is pretty...” he said, then trailed off, refusing to admit any weakness.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you all patched up,” Val said.
“We lost the SUV,” Kate said. “It’s at least an hour back.”
“Longer on foot,” Lucas said.
I blinked the rain out of my eyes as the truck flew down the dark, deserted street. No one said another word as we glided around the corner and down a long street, then stopped.
Kate opened the tailgate, and we all hopped out.
The elderly driver, dressed in a yellow raincoat, asked, “Are you guys okay?” Her black bangs were sticking out under her hood, and she had dark eyes and a friendly smile. I guessed her to be about sixty years old.
“My brother dislocated his shoulder,” Val said.
“We’d better get him inside then,” she replied.
Nick grimaced in pain. “No. Thank you for the ride, but we’ll be on our way.”
The woman stepped closer. “On your way? It’s nighttime, for goodness sake. Have you even eaten? Come inside and warm up by the fire, and I’ll make you a bite. You can stay the night and rest, and we’ll get that shoulder fixed up for you. You can leave at first light.”
“We wouldn’t want to put you out,” Kate said.
“Nonsense.”
“I just want to get back,” I said. “I don’t like being in zombie territory.”
“Heh. Zombie territory is everywhere,” the old woman said, obviously clueless about our city and its strange barrier.
Lucas shot me a look that told me to shut up, and I recalled that Max had warned us not to tell too many people about our safe haven, so I decided not to mention it.
“I have very good eyes,” Val said. “Even in the dark, I can see anything or anyone who tries to sneak up on us.”
“It’s pouring rain out there, and I can’t let you young’n’s leave with a clear conscience. You won’t be safe out there, good eyes or not. It’s only for one night, and I’ve got plenty of room. I gotta admit that I’ve got an ulterior motive though.”
“What’s that?” Kate asked suspiciously.
“Well, my boys are away, and I need some firewood chopped.”
“Well, since Nick, here’s, gone and gotten his shoulder all banged up, I could easily do that for you in the morning,” Lucas offered, “right before we leave.”
Val nudged me. “What do you think? Nick needs his shoulder snapped back into place, and we’re all cold and hungry. We could stay here and get a good night’s sleep. And she’s right. It’d be pretty dangerous and miserable to trek through the rain in the dark.”
“I’m Rita,” the lady in the yellow slicker said, introducing herself.
I reached out my hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
She looked at me and smiled. “You have the bluest eyes, sonny. I could eat you right up.”
I laughed and even blushed a little, then nodded at Val. “I say we stay, but we need to leave the second the sun comes up.”
“Absolutely.”
We all talked it over and voted. Nick and Kate still wanted to leave, but they were outnumbered; Lucas thought it’d be much safer to leave in the daylight, even if we did have Val’s eyes, and Val was so hungry and tired that staying seemed like a good idea to her too.
“We’ll stay,” Val finally said.
Rain dripped off Rita’s raincoat. “Okay then. Follow me.”
We followed the woman up a concrete sidewalk to a huge building, a bed-and-breakfast. The windows were boarded up, and the lady had created a nice hideout for herself. As long as a herd didn’t show up, she and her family would likely be okay.
We walked inside a huge entryway. Above us, the chandelier shook a bit as rain and fierce wind beat against the roof. Lighting flashed through the huge, rectangular window, creating odd shadows on the wall through the lacy curtains.
Rita offered us blankets and towels, and I was so thankful to be out of the cold rain. I wiped my face off, then wrapped up in a blanket as our kind hostess ushered us i
nto the living room, to a roaring fire.
“C’mere, Nick,” Val said. “Now, I’m gonna have to pull your arm away from the socket till the ball is beyond the edge of the socket cup. I’ll pull while your arm is in a proper position, slowly and steadily. Jerking will only cause the muscles to contract and could break a bone, and that’s the last thing we need right now. Just be patient and grit your teeth, and the ball will pop right back into the socket.”
“Just do it,” Lucas said. “He’s a big boy. He can take it.”
Val pulled Nick’s shirt down off his shoulder and examined the swelling and his bruised skin. “Wow. You nailed it pretty good. There’s no easy way to do this, and I gotta warn you that it might hurt a little.”
His lips pressed into grim lines. “I can handle it.”
She blinked. “Okay. Get ready.”
Nick took a deep breath and tried to be brave, but he yelled as she popped his shoulder back into place. He began panting as the pain nearly overwhelmed him, and his eyes began to water, though he never would have admitted that he was actually crying.
“I’m sorry,” Val said. “But that was the only way.”
“I-I’m okay,” he said, gasping deeply. “Thanks, sis.”
“Here! He can use this splint,” Rita said, running over and handing it to Val.
“Thanks.” Val reached for it and adjusted the straps until it fit perfectly.
“We have a box of medical supplies in one of the rooms. Raided the hospital and took all we could get, just in case. I don’t like takin’ things without payin’ for ‘em, but it’s kind of the way of the world these days.”
“Good call,” Kate said.
“I’m so sorry I don’t have any ice for his shoulder,” Rita said.
“It’s okay,” I said. “It’s kind of hard to find ice in a zombie apocalypse.”
“Nick, do you wanna lie down on the sofa?” Kate asked.
“I would like to get some sleep,” he answered. “We need to leave first thing in the morning.”
Val looked at Rita. “Do you have a place for him to sleep?”
“Not yet. The boy’s gotta eat if he’s gonna get his strength back and recover,” Rita answered.
“I’m not hungry,” he said.
“I’m not either,” I parroted, as my stomach felt queasy as well.
The woman looked away, and tears welled up in her eyes. “I never get guests. I bought this hotel to entertain, and now I never get to do that. I just...well, what has the world come to when an old lady can’t make a nice meal for somebody and show them to one of my fancy rooms?”
Rita had been so kind to us, and I felt very sorry for her. “On second thought,” I said, rubbing my aching stomach, “I’d love to.”
“Yes,” Lucas chimed in. “I’d love to have dinner with the proprietor of such a fine establishment.”
“Great!” Rita said.
“I’m not trying to be rude,” Nick interjected, “but I really don’t have much of an appetite. I just wanna lie down.”
Rita handed him a brown mug full of water and two little white pills. “If you don’t want to eat, at least take these Tylenol and have some water.”
“Thanks, ma’am. My shoulder’s really killing me.”
“Well, darlin’, you’ve clearly been through a lot. You get a good night’s rest, and you’ll be good as new tomorrow,” she said.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Nick said. “I’ll help Lucas with your firewood in the morning.”
“You’ll do no such thing with that bum shoulder of yours!” Val screeched. “We’ll take care of that. You need to rest that shoulder.”
Nick laughed. “You’re right. I guess that’s what we have Lucas and Dean for, huh? All the hard work.”
“Hey, girls can swing an axe too,” Val said, winking at Kate.
Nick laughed again, then winced.
“I think chopping wood is more than a fair trade for a meal and shelter for the night,” Lucas said.
Rita smiled. “I’m just thankful to have company. I’ve never been more lonely. With my boys gone, having y’all here is nice.”
“We’re sure glad we ran into you,” Lucas said.
As our hospitable house-mom was grinning, I was startled by a bang coming from upstairs, and I looked at Rita. “Are you sure it’s just us here?”
“Oh, that’s just Harvey.”
“Harvey?” I asked, fearing that she might have a pet zombie or something. The way of the world had my paranoia constantly on edge, and I was sure no one could be as nice as Rita without having a few quirks.
“My cat. Nothing to worry about. He just hates being all cooped up, but if I let him out, I’m afraid he’ll become a zombie treat.”
“Definitely,” I said.
Rita looked at the girls. “Would you ladies mind giving me a hand with supper?”
“Sure,” Val said. “I’m way better at popping shoulders into place than cooking though.”
Rita smiled. “Honey, if you can open a can, you’ll be a gourmet chef in my kitchen.”
We all chuckled.
The girls went into the kitchen to help with dinner, and Nick took a seat on the loveseat by the fire, while Lucas and I sat on the leather couch.
“It’s homey here,” Lucas said.
I kicked my feet up on the matching ottoman. “Yeah, way more homey than gangs, turf wars, and zombie hordes.”
Nick looked at me. “I know you don’t like getting in the middle of Z and Max.”
“That’s only because Z’s crazy, completely irrational. He enjoys torturing people. It’s some kind of sick, twisted fantasy for him. You should have seen his face when he had me hanging upside down over those snapping zombie heads. He looked like a freaking kid on Christmas. How can those people follow a sadistic leader like that?”
“That’s just it,” Lucas said. “He is their leader, and from what you told me, he takes pretty good care of his own. I bet most of those people don’t even realize what a lunatic he really is.”
“I don’t think they do,” I said, “but they worship the ground he walks on, and they’re willing to die for him.”
“We’ve gotta back Max up,” Nick said, “and I’m more than willing to fight. I personally wanna take this Z down for what he did to you and Claire, not to mention all the other men, making them fight like some kind of gladiators, just for his own sick entertainment. It reminds me of Kingsville. He’s even more of a freak than the zombies, and I’m gonna rip his heart out, if he even has one.”
Lucas’s face reddened as anger consumed him. “You’re right, man. This war with Z is personal now, since he’s messed with Dean and Claire more than once and is threatening every man, woman, and child in that city. It’s time to make him pay.”
We talked for a few minutes before Nick yawned. “I’m so tired.”
Rita had enough rooms for each of us to have a room. She led Nick to his, then showed each of us to ours. Mine was a bit too country and flowery and girly for my taste, but the king-sized bed that I’d have all to myself was soft and warm, so it was like luxury accommodations for me. The boarded-up window reminded me of when we’d stayed in that nursing home, but I couldn’t blame Rita. We weren’t in Fairport, and she had to fend off intruders. While zombies really had no way to reach the third floor, thugs, drifters, and robbers could, and they’d do whatever it took to loot for supplies, even breaking into an old woman’s inn.
I thanked Rita and headed downstairs to the grand dining room. As my hand slid down the banister, I noticed some streaks of dried blood. I jerked my hand away and raised an eyebrow. “What happened?” I asked Rita.
“I cut myself earlier. I’m useless here without my sons. That’s exactly why I need help with the firewood. I want nothing to do with that heavy, old axe.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll chop you lots of wood.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
“No, Rita, we should be thanking you,” I said when I
walked into the dining room and laid eyes on the feast she’d prepared. I’d never seen anything so elegant, a huge table covered with fine linen and china and even floating candles. The chandelier was twice as big as the one in the entryway.
“This is so beautiful,” Val said, smiling.
Rita smiled. “I don’t eat in here very much, so I’m so thankful for the company. I hope you don’t think it’s too over the top.”
“Absolutely not,” Kate said. “It’s gorgeous.”
“We can’t thank you enough,” Lucas said, reaching for a silver serving spoon to scoop out some corn on his fancy plate.
We enjoyed canned meat, corn, and instant mashed potatoes, and there was V8 to drink. The mashed potatoes were flaky and not very good, and the meat was super salty, but I knew she’d done her best. Since I was already feeling nauseated, I stealthily nibbled only a few bites of the meat and sneaked the remaining scraps under the table into a large linen tablecloth. Then I smiled and told her how delicious everything was.
As she nibbled on her own food, clearly not liking it very much herself, she told us about all the parties she used to throw in that very room.
“I bet they were fantastic,” Kate said.
“So you stayed here when the zombie virus broke out?” Lucas asked. He blinked and kept his eyes shut for a moment, then snapped out of it.
I laughed. “Looks like somebody needs a nap. You shoulda gone to bed with Nick.”
“Now look, Dean. My brother and I are friends, but even in these desperate times, I’m not gonna lower myself to going to bed with—”
“Lucas!” Val squealed before he spit out another of his crude jokes. “You know what Dean meant.”
He laughed. “Right. But there’s no way I’d go to bed before supper. Have you ever known moi to be a party pooper?”
Rita chuckled at their banter. “Well, back to your question. When the zombie thing first happened, the police tried to evacuate me, but I refused to leave. This is my home, so we stayed and fought.”
“Have you ever encountered a herd?” Val asked.
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