Territory of the Dead (Book 2): Phase Two: Evaluate

by Rose Wynters

  “Don't worry about me,” I replied in a whisper, caught up in the tenderness of the moment. “Just be careful in there.”

  He nodded in agreement. “When we get back to Kellan's home, I want us to have a talk. There's something I want to ask you.”

  My heart raced in excitement. I was giddy, but at the same time I felt a sense of trepidation. I was sure I knew what the question was, but could I agree to it? Relationships took on a whole new meaning when you had to live with the person, regardless of whether or not you were together.

  I could feel Kellan's eyes boring into us. I looked away from Jayden, risking a quick peek at the man watching us so intently. His expression was unreadable, his face set as if it were made from stone. I wondered what was going on in his mind.

  With a sigh, I stepped back from Jayden. He dropped his hand back down to his side as I gave him a gentle smile. “Be careful in there.”

  “You, too.” I watched him as he walked away. Despite the danger, I couldn't help but admire the view. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans that fit his body well. Jayden looked just as good going as he did coming.

  He rejoined Kellan, who gave me one last look before walking up the concrete slope to the back door. James cleared his throat. “Do you want to wait in the Suburban or outside?”

  I thought about the distance between the vehicle and the door. “I'll just wait inside, for now.” I climbed in the passenger seat, relieved that Kellan had cracked the windows.

  James nodded, waiting until I was in before moving to stand with his back against the brick wall of the store. His country-club attire was gone, replaced with a camouflage outfit that looked completely out of place on him. I wondered where he had found it at.

  Kellan had a small tool set in his hand as he quickly got to work on the back door. Surprisingly, it was still locked. It didn't take him long to pop it open, though. They moved in quickly, without a backward glance.

  The next five minutes passed by slowly as we waited for them. It was surreal, living in a world where a simple trip into a grocery store could kill you. I tried to picture Kellan ever doing anything as mundane as shopping, but I couldn't do it.

  Kellan leisurely walked back out, his expression set in its usual mask. Jayden followed him, stopping to press his back flat against the metal door to hold it open. I opened the door of the Suburban to get out, rubbing my sweaty palms against my jeans.

  “Did you find any zombies?” My voice sounded nervous as Kellan walked over to me. His eyes scanned the area around us, never missing anything.

  “Yes, but it's clear now. I want you to collect as many canned goods as you can. Use the boxes in the back of the store to pack them up. They will be easier to carry out and load.” His eyes briefly met mine before moving on. “Wait until I get back before coming outside. Let the men take them out for you while you stand guard. If you see zombies, tell them to wait. We can always load them up when I get back.”

  For an moment, I felt like I should take offense at his outdated attitude. After all, women were able to do everything that a man could, but I couldn't muster up enough of a protest. The simple truth was I appreciated his protection. Kellan made me feel safe. Although I hadn't known him for long, I'd seen enough to know that nothing ever took him by surprise. Ever. You couldn't go wrong with a man like that at your back... Or with his advice.

  I nodded, agreeing with his words. “How long will you be gone?”

  He checked the pistol in his hand before holding it out with a grave expression on his face. “An hour, at the most. I want you to take this, Tabitha. Take it and use it, if needed.”

  I started to protest, but he cut me off, his tone annoyed as he continued, “Don't be stupid. The rules of this world have changed, and you damn well know it. If you'd like to keep living in it, take the gun and be prepared to use it. Otherwise, you're nothing more than bait, just waiting for the right zombie to come along and kill you.”

  I glared up at him, yanking it from his hand. “Screw you, Kellan,” I spat out, angered enough to forget how intimidating he really was. “And keep your rude names to yourself.”

  He chuckled, shaking his head as he looked away. It relaxed his face, his features startlingly attractive in the early morning sun. Kellan was extremely tall and extremely built, with flashing blue eyes and chiseled features. In another time and place, I would have crushed hard on him.

  “You're awfully prudish and uptight for an eighteen-year-old,” he finally replied, looking back at me. “One day, some man is going to really enjoy thawing that icy attitude of yours.”

  I stood there, gaping as he turned to walk away. He stopped and looked back at me, his lips quirking when he added, “Try not to get yourself killed while I'm gone... Or anyone else.”

  Completely shocked, I watched him sprint to the front of the building. Once he turned the corner, I finally looked back at Jayden and James. Both men watched me. James appeared bored, but Jayden looked worried. I sighed, gripping the pistol in my hand. I would have to hold it. I didn't have anywhere else to put it.

  I walked briskly to the door, swallowing back my fear at the darkened interior of the storage room. The rest of the store wouldn't be so bad, not with the glass doors and windows in the front. It would still be dark, though, far darker than I would have liked.

  James jerked his head at the door. “Let's get in there and get busy. I don't want Kellan coming up with any excuses to avoid stopping at the gun store. At this rate, it's probably already been cleaned out, but I still want to stop.”

  I ignored his grumbling. Jayden grabbed my hand, pulling me in behind him. It was hot within the store, the air thick and unpleasant with the smell of rotting food. I pulled my shirt over my nose, trying to block out the stench.

  “God,” James gasped out behind us, his voice strangled. “It smells like shit in here.”

  Jayden stopped, grabbing some boxes. I did too, not wanting to return by myself to get them. We walked through the swinging doors that separated the back from the main store. Although still dark, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

  The store had already been ransacked, judging by the condition of the shelves. Some of them were completely empty, with cans knocked down on the floor. There was still a lot left, though. Between the smell and the threat of zombies, nobody would have hung around for long.

  It was reassuring, though. It meant that others were still alive, or at least had been. We just needed to find them.

  A dead zombie was on the floor. Jayden stepped around him, moving further up the aisle before putting the boxes on the floor. “Let's start here, Tabitha. When these boxes are full, James and I can take them out. I'll grab more on the way back in.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. The sooner we got started, the sooner we could leave.

  James gagged behind us. “I can't take this,” he growled out, his voice hoarse. “I'm getting out of here. You two box up the food. I'm going over to the gun shop.”

  “You can't,” I gasped out, dropping the boxes on the floor to spin around and stare at him in disbelief. “It's too dangerous.”

  “Young lady, I'm a full grown man. I'll do exactly what I want, when I want, and don't you forget it. Tell that upstart Kellan I'll be back soon. Better yet, tell him to come pick me up when he gets back.”

  My mind raced as my hand slid into the side pocket of my jeans. I don't know why I decided to send it with James, but maybe it had a better chance of being found at the gun store. Pulling out a folded piece of paper, I held it out to him. “Can you please take this and leave it there on the counter?”

  He looked at me belligerently, his eyebrows raised in indignation. James was angry at me, the zombies, and even the world. He made no move to take it. “What is it?”

  I moved closer to him. “It's a letter. I planned on leaving it here, just in case there were anymore survivors, but I think it would be easier to find at the gun shop. Please,” I pleaded, giving my hand a little shake. “What do you think our lives are
going to be like a year from now, if we can't find anyone else alive?”

  My words seemed to animate him. He took it from me with a grunt before sticking it in his own pocket. It was a risk, trusting him with it, but I didn't have any choice. We all stared at each other for a long moment, the bleakness of our lives sitting uneasily in our minds.

  It was an uncomfortable moment. James turned to look at the dead body of the zombie, his pale face tinged with green. And with that, he quickly walked out, retching with every step he took..

  Jayden glared at his back. “What a jackass,” he said, bending over as he packed the cans into the box. His pistol was stuck in the waistband of his pants, leaving his hands free. “James is going to get himself killed. He's too arrogant, and he doesn't think things through. I almost hope he doesn't find any guns. The thought of someone like him having an arsenal is just scary.”

  I squatted down as I placed the pistol on the floor beside me. Grabbing a box, I followed Jayden's lead. “I don't think Kellan is going to be very pleased when he gets back and finds him gone. Something tells me he's the type of guy that isn't happy when things don't go as planned.”

  Jayden grabbed another box. I admired his muscular frame as he reached for a can that had rolled away from the others. Jayden was at that point in life where he had transitioned from a young adult into a fully grown male. With his long, dark hair and defined features, he wore it well.

  “I'll say one thing for Kellan,” Jayden said, pulling me from my thoughts. “He's not the type to risk it all for one foolish person's actions. It's more likely James will be left behind, and maybe he should be. It's time he learned the world doesn't revolve around him. The ass kissers he knew in the past are probably zombies now. People aren't going to jump, just because he snaps his fingers.”

  A bloodcurdling scream tore through the silence, a living sound in an otherwise dead town. I dropped the can I was holding, grabbing the pistol without even realizing it. Jumping to my feet, I turned to the swinging metal doors, dread coiling inside my body.

  “What the hell?” Jayden asked, moving down the aisle. I followed him, my heart in my throat. I was surprised to realize the shallow pants of air were coming from me. The stress of living like this, never knowing what tragedy was heading your way, was hard on the body.

  We moved to the back door silently. “I'm sure that was James,” Jayden said, his voice low enough that I barely heard it. “Dammit, I'm going to have to check it out.”

  “Don't go, Jayden,” I told him, suddenly fearful he wouldn't return alive. I heard the plea in my tone. I knew I sounded weak and helpless, but the fear wasn't for me. I was afraid he'd die, his life ended for a selfish man that had walked away from us without a second glance.

  We peered out the back door, but I couldn't see anything. The streets were deserted, the town quiet. It was a sad remnant of a once lively area. There was nothing but death now.

  “I want you to stay here, Tabitha,” Jayden said grimly, stepping out onto the sidewalk. “I'll be back as soon as I can.”

  There was no changing his mind, and I didn't bother trying again. “Be safe,” I whispered. “Don't be a hero.”

  With a small smile, he was gone. At the edge of the building he stopped, looking in both directions. It must have been clear. Holding his pistol to his chest, he took off at a run as he disappeared from sight.

  I ran back in the building, moving as quickly as I could to the front. It was the direction Jayden had went. With any luck, I'd be able to see more from there.

  The front of the store looked terrible. Bodies littered the ground, in various states of decay. Displays were knocked over, covered in blood and body parts. I was afraid to look closely at the faces that were still identifiable, fearing I'd see someone I knew.

  I stopped at the register where I'd worked that last fateful night, quickly leaning over to see if my purse was still there. It was gone. I couldn't understand why anyone would have wanted it. It wasn't as if there had been anything valuable in it. Even if there had been, what good would it have done them now?

  The cell phone service worked intermittently, and that was why I checked. My cell phone had been in my purse, but it was long gone now. Exhaling loudly, I moved to the shattered glass at the front of the store.

  While the back was quiet, the front parking lot was a whole different story. Zombies were everywhere, stopping and peering into abandoned cars that had been left with their doors wide open. I eased to the wall, huddling in the corner as I watched them.

  The zombies were tame, which meant they hadn't gotten Jayden. I shuddered in disgust, horror, and fear at the sheer quantity littering the parking lot. They had an awareness in their eyes, a knowledge of what they were doing. These weren't mindless bodies. Somehow, someway, they were able to think. I had no doubt they were conscious of what was around them.

  A zombie walked in front of me, on the other side of the glass. He startled me enough to nearly scream. I slapped a hand over my mouth, praying he wouldn't turn his head and see me.

  The automatic glass doors were shattered. I slid down the wall slowly, until my butt hovered over the floor with my pistol in my hand. There was nothing to keep him out. If he came in I'd have to shoot, signing my own death sentence in the process. I knew the commotion would alert every zombie in the area, and the pistol only held so many rounds.

  The next few minutes were horrible. He shuffled by the doors, moving down the sidewalk as I gripped the pistol with my trembling hands. When he made it to the edge of the building, I released the breath I'd been holding. He was gone, without a backward glance.

  Praying that Jayden, Kellan, or even James would return, I glanced to the back of the store as I stood back up. It was empty, the only living person being me. For a moment, I imagined being the only person alive, period. It was a horrible feeling, made worse by the knowledge that it wasn't a farfetched scenario.

  Thankfully, none of the other zombies were close. In the end, I'd completely missed Jayden's departure. All I could hope was that he'd made it. The gun shop wasn't too far from the grocery store, but it might as well have been a hundred miles. Anymore, just walking outside of the door was enough to get you killed.

  The crunch of broken glass, from the area around the wall, was all the warning I got. Jim, my old boss, stepped around the corner, his face and body bloated. His flesh had a greenish cast to it, at least in the areas still remaining. Zombies had fed on him and fed well.

  As hateful as he'd been in the time I worked here, I hated to see him in this condition. Nobody deserved it, not even him. I wondered how long he had survived after I escaped that night. Probably not long, based off of how rotted he looked.

  His red eyes zoned in on me, filled with hunger and blood thirst. I reacted without thinking, lifting the pistol and squeezing the trigger. That quickly it was over. Jim's head exploded like a busted pumpkin, sending brain matter and flesh in every direction.

  Chapter 3

  My hands started to shake so badly I nearly dropped the gun in reaction. Everything slowed down, moving in slow motion. Jim's body fell to the ground with a loud thump. My heartbeat sounded loud to my ringing ears as I spun around to look at the parking lot. My pistol didn't have a silencer on it. Kellan probably thought I'd never use it, anyhow.

  The zombies were already moving in the direction of the store, their faces animated. Their dead minds realized a sound like that could only symbolize life, and that was all the encouragement they needed. I raced to the back of the store, with no plan in mind.

  Shoving the swinging doors wide open, I ran through the store room and to the back door. I had left it opened when Jayden left, forgetting to close it in my haste to see him leave. I was lucky a zombie hadn't stumbled in already.

  Running out on the concrete, I quickly surveyed my options. Three zombies were already working their way up the hill. It wouldn't take the others long to join them. Although it was big, I doubted the Suburban would hold up under a multitude of h
ungry zombies. I'd already seen how strong they were. Death hadn't weakened them, if anything, it had only made them stronger.

  At that moment, I wished I were anywhere but where I was. I was scared, more so than I'd ever been in my life, and the fear paralyzed me. As I watched the zombies coming closer, something within me snapped. I wasn't ready to die, not by a long shot. The girl I had been fled, never to return. In her place stood a survivor, one who found her strength in her desire to live. I might not survive beyond the next five minutes, but I wouldn't go down without a fight.

  I ran back to the door, grabbing the metal rod from the crevice next to the door frame. I had never understood why it was there, but it was mine now. With the pistol in one hand and the rod in the other, I ran across the grass as I headed in the opposite direction from the store.

  Across the street was a two-story office building. It had once been used as an insurance office, but that was years ago. They had relocated their business, leaving the building empty. If I could get inside, the odds of finding a zombie within it was practically nil.