Breytenbach turned back to the room. “Now, we need to plan this out properly. Who, what, where, and when.”
“I want to go, Captain,” Nadia said, her face as white as snow but determined.
He eyed her and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Nadia. Not this time. As it is, you should be in the hospital now on a drip, not sitting here. You’re too weak to withstand the journey.”
“But, I have to be there,” Nadia protested.
“Listen to Christo,” Julianne said. “You’ll see your friends soon enough, dear, but not if you die on the way there because you’re too stubborn to admit you’re sick.”
Nadia’s face fell. “Fine, but I made it all the way here, most of it on foot with a stab wound in my gut. I’m not weak.”
“And never have I seen such courage, dear,” Julianne said. “None of us have.”
“We’ll keep you in the loop, Nadia,” Breytenbach said. “I promise. Now let Julianne take you back before Jonathan kills us for undoing all his good work.”
Julianne wheeled Nadia away, and Breytenbach turned back to the gathering. “Right. Where do we start?”
“My team and I can go in the Ravager vehicles with Neil and Anthony. We’ll keep them in check and get inside. Once in, we’ll secure the gate and let the rest of you in. From there, we can take the wall before moving deeper into the community. I’ll get Neil to draw us a map and Nadia can give it a once-over to make sure he’s not screwing us,” Ronnie said, nodding toward Kirstin, Mike, and Lenka, who formed part of the original team, as well as Josh and Jed who were new additions.
Breytenbach nodded. “We’ll need at least four vehicles, fully-equipped, and thirty more people to pull this off.”
“I’ll put out a call for volunteers,” Ada said. “You’ll have your thirty.”
“I’ll arrange the vehicles and supplies. Leave that to me,” Thys said.
“I’ll go in with Ronnie and his team,” Max said.
Kirstin frowned. “I don’t need a babysitter, husband.”
“No, but I do.”
“I’ll go with you too,” Martin said. “Max is lost without me.”
Ronnie shrugged. “Welcome to the team. When do we leave?”
“We dare not wait too long. Be ready to leave tomorrow at dawn,” Breytenbach said. “You’ll need to scout the place first, and that will take time.”
“You’re staying?” Ronnie asked.
Breytenbach nodded. “You know the deal. Doctor’s orders or my ticker might finally pack up and kill me.”
“Nah,” Ronnie said. “Julianne would get you first.”
Breytenbach shuddered. “No need to get nasty. You’ll give me nightmares,” Breytenbach said with a shudder. “Right. Does everyone know what to do?”
Nods followed.
“Then get to it. Time’s a wasting!”
Chapter 20 - Lisa
Lisa shifted from one foot to the other, unable to stand still. She fingered the blade on the small hatchet she carried in her right hand for the hundredth time. Her thumb slipped and the keen blade sliced through the skin like a hot knife through butter. She hissed and put the injured digit in her mouth, suckling on her own blood.
She looked around the tiny room she stood in, nothing more than wooden walls, thatch roof, and packed earth; the entrance behind her was barred, and the door in front of her led to two things: death or freedom. Today, she’d find out which.
This was what all her preparations over the past years had led to. This one moment in time when she would fight not only for her right to live, but also somebody she loved. All her training, all the suffering, all the hours spent honing her skills until she was a killing machine. It all led to this.
The crowd roared, and she knew the moment had come. The door opened, and she stepped into the ring, the hatchet ready to use on anything that moved. When she spotted her opponent, though, or rather, opponents, her heart sank. Zombies.
Rabid moans reached her ears, growing higher in pitch when the owners spotted her fresh, juicy flesh in the Ring with them. Lisa whirled, and everywhere she looked, there were more undead. Tons of them. The arena teemed with undead life. How many are there? Twenty? Thirty? This is insane!
It was at that moment, Lisa realized Jay had played her false. He’d never meant for her to survive. She was supposed to die, and no doubt, Trevor would follow shortly after her. She glanced up at the seat where he sat and caught a quick glimpse of his gloating smile. Liar!
Then her eyes met Cat’s, and in a flash, both knew what the other was thinking. Immediately, Lisa felt calm. The crowd faded into the background, and her focus sharpened, honing in on her targets. Her feet shifted until she had her balance. She nodded at Cat, a final salute, and gripped her hatchet before launching herself straight at the nearest undead. With fluid ease, she hacked into its brain before moving on to the next.
Her movements became a blur as she allowed her training to take over augmented by pure instinct. The ax rose and fell, hacking through skull and bone, pulverizing knees and elbows, breaking spines, and splitting open stomach’s that spilled ropy intestines to trip up their owners.
One by one, the undead fell. The crowd, roaring loudly at first, gradually fell silent as awe took hold. The only sounds to be heard were Lisa’s harsh breaths and the zombie’s moans as they fell. Her body grew tired, exhaustion set in, but not once did Lisa allow herself to falter. She was a warrior, and today, she would show the world what the human spirit was made of.
When the last zombie collapsed, a thick silence settled over the Ring. Lisa stopped, her lungs heaving for oxygen, her clothes coated in clotted black blood, and her ponytail drenched in sweat.
She turned to face Jay and raised her ax in the air in an act of triumph. Around her lay a circle of death, a harvest of corpses which she offered to him like a conquering goddess of death. “Did I pass your test? Did I earn my pardon and that of my friend, Trevor’s?”
Jay stared at her with barely concealed rage, his eyes glittering like a snake’s before he rose and said, “No, you did not.”
The crowd rippled with unease.
“That was just the beginning.” He turned toward his guards. “Release more undead. Now. Keep releasing them until they tear the flesh from her bones and she drowns in her own blood. I want to see her suffer.”
Shocked whispers rose among the Ravagers. Their leader was breaking the law. The woman had won her freedom, fair and square. Jay ignored them, staring at Lisa with venomous hatred before commanding the hesitant guards once more. “I said to release more zombies!”
“No!“ Before Jay could speak again, Cat rose to her feet next to him, looking like an avenging warrior Queen in her elaborate outfit. “You will not do it for it’s against your laws, is it not, husband-to-be?”
Jay turned to her, astonished. His mouth opened and closed in shock. “You dare to defy me?”
“I do.” Cat smiled at him. “In fact, I challenge you to the leadership. You are not worthy of the position. I am, and so I challenge you for the right to rule.”
Jay burst out laughing. “You can’t be serious?”
“I am perfectly serious, my love,” Cat replied, her voice thick with sarcasm. “Or are you afraid I’ll beat you? Me, a mere woman.”
“Me, afraid of you?” Jay laughed again before jumping down the dais to the Ring. His feet landed in the dust, and he grabbed a spear from the nearest guard before facing Cat once more. “I accept your challenge. I’ll even make it easier for you by facing you both at the same time. We’ll make it a dual duel. What say you?”
Cat glared at him before jumping down herself to land in an elegant crouch. “Gladly, scumbag.”
Jay laughed, whirling the spear like a dervish while baring his teeth in a predator’s wicked grin. The hunter and the hunted.
Lisa circled around Jay until she was standing next to her friend. She fished out a knife from a sheath attached to her leg and handed it to her. “I hope you know what you�
�re doing, Xena, warrior princess.”
“Not at all, Lisa. I’m winging it.”
Lisa blew out a long breath. “So be it. Challenge accepted.”
Chapter 21 - Cat
Cat and Lisa circled around their opponent, Jay, with wary caution. They both knew they were in for the fight of their lives. The Ring appeared too small to hold him, his muscles bulging with each step he took and his size no detraction to his speed. Not only was he strong, but fast too. It was likely he would cut them both down within seconds, their lives a mere flash in the pan that was the universe.
Yet, Cat knew it was always meant to come to this. The day before when she watched that poor girl die for no reason other than to sate a madman’s lust for blood, she realized one thing. Jay had to die, and she had to do it or die trying herself. There was no other way. I’m sorry, Mother. I almost sold my soul to the devil. Now I have to redeem myself, no matter what the cost.
“Does he have any weaknesses?” Lisa asked.
“Other than his pride? None that I know of,” Cat replied.
“Damn. How are we going to do this?”
“One chunk at a time,” Cat replied before sprinting toward Jay with a cry of rage.
Lisa stared after her in horror. Cat was literally throwing herself into the arms of death, or so it seemed. Jay waited for her with calm ease, ready to spit her on his spear like a hog. Yet, at the last possible moment, Cat launched her feet from underneath her, sliding past the point of his weapon before lashing out with her boot.
The heel caught him on the side of the knee with an audible crunch, and Jay bellowed in pain as his leg bent sideways at an agonizing angle. Cat rolled over and regained her feet just in time to avoid his spear plunging into her back.
Jay turned to face her, his right leg sporting a slight limp. Her action was not enough to cripple him, but it was enough to slow him down. “You’ll pay for that.”
Cat grinned. “Petra taught me well.”
He lashed out with sudden speed, and the tip caught her across the stomach, drawing blood. She screamed, and he sneered at her before attacking again, his every move designed to cut the life from her. “Not so cocky now, are we?”
Cat bobbed and weaved with frantic desperation, barely avoiding each sweeping blow, while Lisa searched for an opening. The man was a blur. A killing machine. He left no openings, no weaknesses to exploit.
He launched himself forward so quickly, Cat was unable to duck. His shoulder slammed into her sternum, and her breath left her lungs in an audible whoosh. Her feet tripped over an undead corpse, their bodies still littering the ring, and she went down hard, landing on the ground with a grunt.
Jay saw his opportunity, but instead of stabbing her, he tossed aside his spear and straddled her. His hands closed over her throat, and he squeezed. “I want to watch you die, traitorous bitch. I want to see the life leave your eyes. I gave you everything, and you threw it back in my face.”
Cat clawed at his face and hands, but she couldn’t budge him. “You gave me nothing but horror,” she managed to croak before he closed off her windpipe, his fingers tightening their hold with brutal force.
His move left him exposed to Lisa, and she launched herself forward with quiet determination. She jumped into the air and onto his back where she clung like a monkey, her hatchet held across his throat in a bid to choke him. He roared and tried to shake her off, but she clung with fierce determination, her legs wrapped around his middle.
His hold on Cat loosened, and she saw an opportunity. Burying her hand in the stomach of the zombie corpse she’d fallen over, she clutched a handful of entrails and shoved it into Jay’s gaping maw. He gagged, the stench overwhelming as pieces of gore dripped down his front and smeared his face. The threat of infection loomed large, and he threw himself off Cat and heaved into the sand with Lisa still clinging to him.
He shoved handfuls of sand into his mouth in a bid to scrub away the infection, his fear of turning into a zombie temporarily robbing him of his senses. Lisa looked at Cat and cried. “Do it. Now!”
Cat gripped her knife and threw herself at Jay. She stabbed him in the back, once, twice, three times. Lisa moved aside but still held on, even when his skull split her lip as he struggled.
Cat plunged the knife in a fourth time, sinking it to the hilt. She screamed out her rage and defiance as his blood coated her hands and face in a slick of crimson fluid. He reared back, and his elbow caught her in the face, but she never stopped stabbing until, at last, the Beast lay silent on the sand, his blood draining into the hungry earth that had already seen so much death that day.
Cat gasped for air, her quivering legs barely supporting her as she climbed to her feet to stand next to her friend. Together, they had defeated the Beast himself, and she roared out her triumph with her bloody hands held up in the air. She grinned at Lisa through a mask of blood, and her friend smiled back, triumphant.
The crowd remained silent, ominously so, and gradually, Cat became aware of other figures surrounding the Crucible. They were armed, their guns pointing at the Ravagers in the stands who sat as still as death.
She lowered her hands and looked at Lisa. “Who are they? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Lisa replied, her expression turning from joy to fear.
A single figure detached itself from the rest and walked toward them. It was a man, and they watched with wary caution as he entered the Ring and crossed the arena, nimbly dodging corpses. Cat’s mouth fell open, and Lisa gasped when they recognized him.
“Max? Is that you?” Cat asked.
“The one and only,” he said, flashing ivory teeth at them.
Lisa chuckled. “I can’t believe it.”
He stopped before them, eyeing their blood-soaked faces with a raised eyebrow. He looked around him, first at Jay, then at the dead zombies. “Your handiwork?”
Cat shrugged. “I did him. The rest is Lisa.”
He shook his head with a stern expression. “I leave you girls alone for a second, and this is what you do.”
“Sorry,” Cat said. “I really didn’t want to marry him. He was a shitty fiance.”
“And a simple no couldn’t suffice?” Max tut-tutted. “Who’s going to clean up this mess? Certainly not me, and to think I came here to rescue you lot. What a waste of time.”
“Better luck next time,” Lisa said, dropping her hatchet into the dust.
Max looked them up and down. “All jokes aside, it looks like we got here just in time to prevent a wholesale massacre. You two really need a bath. Oh, and Cat? Groovy getup.”
She scowled at him as they picked their way across the field. “It wasn’t my choice.”
“No, really. It looks good on you, especially with the blood spray. Very intimidating,” Max teased.
“Do you want me to add some more to it?” she growled.
He held up his hands in mock terror. “God, no. I like my face, thank you, and so does Kirstin. Which reminds me, there’s a lot of folks anxious to meet you, including a certain young lady back home.”
“Young lady?” Cat asked, perplexed.
“Nadia, of course.”
Cat stopped dead in her tracks, and she grabbed his arm. “Wait. Did you say Nadia?”
He nodded. “I did. She was in bad shape, but she made it home in time to warn us about Jay and the Ravagers. Why do you think we’re here? Sightseeing?”
Cat shook her head. “I can’t believe it. She actually made it. I thought she was dead. Jay killed her. He bragged about it to me.”
“I assure you, she’s alive and kicking. As mean as ever too,” Max said.
Elation filled Cat, and she reached over to take Lisa hand. “Hear that? The Zomketeers are still intact.”
Lisa grinned. “Seems like we have a lot of catching up to do.”
Max frowned. “Zomketeers? Who came up with that stupid idea?”
“Oh, it was all Nadia,” Cat said with a straight face. “We tried to stop her, but
she insisted we needed a proper name. Isn’t that right, Lisa?”
Lisa nodded, her expression bland. “Yup. All her idea. Too bad it’s over now.”
“Guess I’ll have to ask my mom to throw a retirement party for the Zomketeers,” Max said.
“Oh, Nadia will love that. She was really into the whole thing,” Cat said. “It was like her baby, you know?”
“Whatever,” Max said with a dubious frown. “Parties aside, we’ve got a lot to do before nightfall. Coming?”
“Always,” Cat said.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Lisa added.
Epilogue - Nadia
Nadia drifted in and out of sleep, helped along by the miracle drugs Jonathan kept pumping into her veins. Three days had passed since Max, and the rest departed for Queenstown, and the stress was interfering with her healing abilities, so the good Doctor decided to dope her.
The only time she wasn’t on a high, was in the morning during visiting hours. Then she was treated to a succession of well-wishers, old friends, acquaintances, and even people she’d never seen before in her life. It was exhausting, even though she knew they meant well. Eventually, Julianne put a stop to it, and Nadia was allowed to pick her visitors.
It was a huge surprise when Kevin and his family stopped by, the first people she, Lisa, and Cat had sent to St. Francis. A not altogether pleasant visit, but a necessary one for her to move on from something that had been bothering her all along.
Kevin came in alone at first, greeted her, and said, “Steward told me what really happened to Manny. About the games you kids played with the zombies and how it backfired.”
Nadia stared at him, ice running through her veins. “I…I’m sorry, Kevin. I never meant for it to happen.”
He looked at her for a long moment and nodded. “It’s all right. I forgive you. What you did was dumb, but you certainly didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt, nor did you have to force Manny and Steward to play along. They did so of their own accord.”
“Thank you,” Nadia whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. “You have no idea how much I’ve needed to hear that.”
Dangerous Nights (Book 3): Edge of Night Page 11