Zombie Playlist: A Rock Zombie Romance

by Kirsty Dallas

  “Well, we will soon find out one way or another.”

  “Do you know he’s not even a real doctor?”

  My question was directed at Terrence who in turn looked at Dr. Dick with surprise.

  “I have a degree in science and biology –“

  “You’re not a fucking doctor!” I screamed.

  His nostrils flared, and his face reddened as he reached out a hand and placed it over the lever. There was no hesitation as he slammed the handle down, and the lock on the door between our cells clicked with an ominous echo. Launching myself across the cage, I slammed my body against the door, using my weight to stop it from opening. A manic giggle spilled from my lips when I realized I could possibly prevent Olivia from coming in by simply holding the door shut. Her attention was drawn to the people outside the bars anyway which made me a little dizzy with relief.

  “Move back, we’re too close,” Dr. Dick ordered and Evelyn and Terrence obediently moved further back into the shadows, the video camera pointed our way, it’s glowing red light mocking me. The further away they got, the less interested Olivia was in them, eventually her attention returned to me.

  “Shit,” I spat out when she realized how close I was to her side of the cage.

  Crazy with Red Rage, the young girl ran and slammed her small body against the door which nudged open slightly before I knocked it right back shut again. My shoulder was pressed hard against the steel and Olivia took full advantage, her hands grabbing at my flesh. Her touch freaked me the fuck out, and I ducked down to my hunches and slid onto my ass, holding my booted feet against the bars to keep us separated. Her clumsy hands fumbled with my boots, and I lifted one leg and thumped it down on one of her hands. That seemed to incense her rage as she screamed and tried again and again to reach through and tear at the skin of my legs. Loud explosions echoed off the stone walls, shouting and voices filtered through my mind, but I ignored it all as Olivia began to throw her body nonstop against the cage door. Each time her body connected with the bars, the door popped open just a little, and I slammed it closed again. My muscles were screaming at me for reprieve, my heart was going so fast I thought it might burst from my chest, and tears obstructed my view of the animal trying to get at me. With one almighty roar, Olivia ran hard and hit the door with all her zombie strength. It made me slide back across the stone floor, leaving the door gaping open.

  “Fuck!” I screamed, jumping to my feet just as Olivia ran into my cage.

  Sinking my knees into a crouched position, I prepared to fight for my life when another loud bang ripped through my ears. Olivia stopped her fast approach, her body thrown backwards as her head exploded into pieces. My ears were ringing, the noise around me muffled as I struggled to find enough air to fill my lungs. I was going to hyperventilate, the black dots dancing in my vision assured me I was close to passing out. It would leave me vulnerable, I couldn’t pass out. Suddenly a familiar form was standing before me, big, warm, calloused hands gripping my cheeks and pulling my gaze to his.

  Without saying a word, his sharp eyes ordered me to breathe, and with a loud inhale, I did just that. Then I was enveloped in his body, pulled to his chest as my arms scrambled to surround him. Lawson walked me to Noah and knelt down, wrapping us both in his protective arms. Eventually my senses returned and the adrenaline dump left me feeling numb. Pulling me to my feet, Lawson took my hand in his while I kept my other arm wrapped around a trembling Noah, and we left the cage.

  Dr. Dick was lying on the floor, a red bloom from his chest bled into his stupid white lab coat. Evelyn and Terrence were huddled in the corner. Evelyn hiccupping with sobs. Dennis stood before them, his gun aimed in their direction. Two more men were in the wine cellar, both of them armed and watching us with a mixture of horror and guilt. We ignored them all as we made our way up the stairs and through the complex. Once in our room, I discarded the ridiculous dress and pulled familiar denim shorts on with a t-shirt. Noah too stripped out of her dress, but asked Lawson to fold it away into her backpack. While I continued to hold Noah, Lawson methodically packed our gear, retrieved our weapons, and we followed Dennis to the garage. He’d saved our asses all because he overheard a conversation between the other guards. They’d been talking about the prisoners in the wine cellar. Without a second thought he came to our rescue, and continued to help us pack the car. It was an old model Toyota Corolla, silver, though the paint had long since started to fade. The interior smelled like wet dog, but getting in that car was the best feeling in the universe. We were bugging the hell out of this nightmare, pronto. Even though Dennis assured us he was taking over and things would be different, we weren’t going to stay another second longer.

  With the trunk filled with food, water, and two jerry cans of gas, Lawson gave Dennis an appreciative nod. Still feeling a whole lot rattled, I wrapped my arms around Dennis and held him tight before climbing into the passenger seat. Then we left Silverleaf. The twisting road that had delivered us to this very pretty shit stain of a place, was now dust in the rearview mirror. Winding down the window, I stuck my hand out, feeling the warm wind on my skin. That feeling was freedom. As we past two women standing by a garden out front of the property, I flipped them off, smiling when their mouths dropped open in shock.

  “Fuck you very much, Silverleaf insane asylum,” I murmured. Energy coursed through my veins filled with beautiful, sweet life. I was alive, we were alive, the reality causing me to laugh hysterically. Leaning out my window, I sat up on my knees, arms spread wide to absorb the warm sun on my face. “FUCK YOU VERY MUCH SILVERLEAF.”

  As we hit the asphalt, I dropped back into my seat, still smiling. Lawson was grinning too and chancing a quick look at Noah, I found her head tipped back and laughter spilling from her lips. There wasn’t a single reprimand for my cursing.

  “Pass me Maybelle, Boo.”

  My guitar was carefully lifted over the seats, and I sat her in my lap. Strumming a melody which really wasn’t anything in particular, my fingers soon led me into Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. I sang loudly, with Noah joining in on the chorus, and Lawson tapping his thumb to the beat on the steering wheel. Life had never tasted as good as it did in this moment.

  Track Twenty-Two: Lily Allen, Fuck You

  CHAPTER 22

  “Nope, nu-huh. No way, no how.”

  Standing with my arms crossed, my feet firmly planted shoulder width apart, and a stubborn set to my jaw, I stared Lawson right in the eye, daring him to mess with me right now. The persistent bastard stared right back, and he had the scowl down pat. I thought Noah’s glare was good, Lawson had perfected it and then some. But I was not moving on this. The dark mass sitting in the distance just off the road, nothing but a wavy blob on the horizon, was in actual fact an RV. Noah sat on the hood of the car, the binoculars to her eyes watching the object of my fear while I battled with Lawson on how we should deal with it. My plan was solid…don’t deal with it. In fact, I voted that we avoid the whole thing and go wide around it. The landscape wasn’t exactly ideal for taking a two-wheel drive Corolla off-roading, but the alternative was possibly confronting people, and my experience with post-zombie people sucked balls. It had only been a day since we’d left Silverleaf, and I wasn’t ready for another confrontation just yet.

  Finally, Lawson tore his gaze away and looked back down the road toward the RV. With a gesture, he asked Noah for the binoculars, and took another look. It was nearing midday, and the sun was blasting us from the sky above. The air-conditioning in the vehicle didn’t work, but with the windows down, the air blowing through the interior was bearable. Right now, it was downright disgusting, along with my mood. Lawson spun around and blindly handed Noah back the binoculars, then stepped around me and reached into the car. When he pulled out his rifle, I began to panic.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to be strong and keep the worry out of my tone.

  Checking his ammunition, he then grabbed his water bottle and slung the
weapon over his shoulder.

  “Lawson, we’ve been through too much shit, we are avoiding this…” I waved my arm around in the direction of our latest problem, “whatever this is. It might be a trap. In fact, the odds are fucking against us, I haven’t had the best of luck with people lately, hell, ever.”

  He tapped Noah on the shoulder and handed her the water bottle. I was grateful for his consideration, but way too pissed off with him to say so. He began to write in the dust on the hood of the car.

  “Stop ignoring me you dick.” My snappy attitude finally garnered his attention.

  Thumping the hood and pointing to whatever he had just written, I reluctantly looked down and read.

  Wait here, I’ll be back.

  “Hell no, we go around and be safe.”

  He shook his head.

  “Don’t shake your head at me soldier,” I growled, and he smiled. Fucking smiled! It broke me, we couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t lose him. Deciding to try another tactic, I took a deep breath and searched for calm. “Please Lawson, don’t do this. We need you.” Taking a step into his body, I reached up and placed a hand over his chest. It was all hardness and warmth. I was trying to be seductive and sexy, and tempting enough for him to change his mind, but the truth was, I was also being honest.

  With a finger under my chin, he lifted my gaze, and I tried to look brave and angry, but he saw through it. He saw my fear. Gently, he reached for the binoculars that Noah still clutched and pressed them to my chest, mouthing the words, watch me. My head was beginning to shake, but my protest was cut off when he kissed my lips, quick and hard. Turning, he marched off in the direction of the mobile home.

  “You kissed Lawson,” Noah sang from her position on the hood.

  “Did not,” I whispered, my head a little foggy from the completely innocent and virtuous kiss. Never could I recall being affected so much by something so little. “He kissed me.”

  Reaching for my weapon that sat on the front dash, I climbed up beside Noah, holding the gun in one hand, the binoculars in the other. If Lawson got into trouble, I’d be too far away to help but holding the weapon made me feel useful in some weird kind of way. He needed someone to have his back. All I could do was watch. Looking through the binoculars, I accepted the false sense of calm that came with him feeling so close. But the further away he got, the more nervous I became.

  “Will Lawson be okay?” Noah asked.

  “Sure he will, Boo. He’s completely badass, right?”

  “He’s pretty awesome,” she confessed. “I don’t want him to leave.”

  “He’s not going anywhere. I’d kick his ass if he did.”

  She snorted and I glanced her way, tapping the helmet she was wearing, the clasp around her jaw hanging loose.

  “You’re pretty awesome too, you know that?”

  Noah smiled, and lifted her head to better see me through her glasses. “Yep, I’m pretty alright.”

  Wrapping an arm around her neck, I pulled her in for a hug, then returned to watching Lawson who pulled further and further away from us. I had no idea what I would do if he got into trouble. Abandoning him just wasn’t an option, but putting Noah in danger wasn’t an option either. We should have just gone around the stupid, damn thing.

  ***

  Noah retreated to the shade of the back seat while I waited by the side of the road, pacing, watching, pacing, watching. Not having a watch meant I’d lost all concept of time, but I assumed Lawson had been gone for nearing an hour now. Seeing his distorted figure wave with the heat of the asphalt gradually get closer and closer gave me a ridiculous sense of relief. For a man I barely knew, he was becoming something far too important, far too quickly.

  Knowing he was safe and in one piece gave me enough space in my mind to get angry. Walking into the unknown like he had was reckless. I wasn’t able to have his back, and he wasn’t made of freaking steel. And he’d just left us on the side of the road, he didn’t even look back, not once. Kicking a rock, it skidded across the dirt and hit the tire rim on the car. Noah’s head popped up, and her brow furrowed. Then Lawson was here, his boots crunching on the ground. Turning, I stormed right up to him, drew my fist back, and let it fly. Being the awesome soldier he was, he ducked out of the way and wrapped a hand around my fist to stop me from trying to hit him again.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I screamed, letting my anger out. “That was fucking stupid, anything could have happened to you, and we wouldn’t have known. I couldn’t race in there to save your ass because it would have put Noah in danger. I like you a lot, soldier, but I won’t sacrifice her for you.”

  Lawson ducked his head and caught my eyes which much to my abject horror, were tearing up. With one tug, he pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I fought it for all but five seconds, then succumbed to the comfort he was offering me. My hammering heart pressed against his solid chest, and I drew in a deep lungful of air, breathing in his scent, a combination of sweat and man. Maneuvering me to the car without taking his arms from around me, Lawson reached out one hand for a moment or two, then resumed hugging me. Piece by piece, I resurrected the walls that kept me a functional human being, and I reluctantly stepped away. Tapping on the bonnet of the car, Lawson pulled my gaze to another message he’d written in the dust.

  I’m sorry I scared you.

  He hadn’t scared me, he’d pissed me off. Hadn’t he? I didn’t scare easily, but this world was fucked up, and zombies weren’t exactly my favorite thing. Was I angry? A little. Was I scared? A lot.

  “Forget it,” I mumbled, wiping away any lingering tears that might have sat on my lashes. “What happened, what’s up there?”

  Glancing to my side, I watched Noah scramble out of the car, and she launched herself at Lawson who only just caught her in time, his body swaying from the impact. Just like he had with me, he held her tight and patted her back. He was so genuine with the way he cared for her it began to make my stupid eyes leak again. Reaching for the back of Noah’s shirt, I pulled her away. She shooed me with one hand, but allowed Lawson to pull out his notebook and scribble something down.

  Woman and grandson. Husband in bedroom, not good. Let’s go.

  “Let’s go where?”

  Lawson pointed toward the RV.

  “You said the husband is not good. What does that mean?”

  If he was a zombie, we weren’t stopping. Lawson again pointed in the direction of the vehicle, then mimicked firing a gun.

  “You’re going to shoot him?”

  Shaking his head he pointed back toward the RV, while I tried to make sense of his miming.

  “Did someone already shoot him?” Noah asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  At that Lawson nodded.

  “And he’s still in the bedroom?” I wondered out loud.

  Another nod.

  “Gross,” I confessed. That would be messy, and smelly. “How old is the kid?”

  Lawson held up nine fingers.

  Shit, just a boy. It seemed these people needed our help. No matter how much I wanted to drive and just keep on going until we hit Elmendorf, I couldn’t lower myself to the same cruelty and selfishness we’d been exposed to on our trip.

  “So, we drive up, get the body out, make sure they’ve got some gas and supplies…then we get going again?”

  “We should take them with us,” Noah was quick to suggest.

  “No.” It was an automatic and visceral response. More people to care for? To feed? To keep safe? I couldn’t do it. Just caring about these two was enough to shred my sanity.

  Noah didn’t argue, and Lawson didn’t disagree…nor did he agree. Piling back into the car, we moved slowly toward the RV.

  Track Twenty-Three: Simple Plan, Welcome To My Life

  CHAPTER 23

  Raleigh was not what I expected. When Lawson told me it was a woman and her grandson, my mind immediately leapt to a frail old lady who looked curiou
sly like Granny from the Tweety Bird cartoon. Raleigh was not frail. She was a solid built woman somewhere in her early sixties. Her mousy brown hair only showed a few stray greys and was pulled back into a messy pony tail. Her face was that of a tired woman living a hard life. Dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a faded checker shirt, she sat in one of those retro style aluminum and vinyl outdoor chairs. A rifle rested in her lap. Her gaze was a little distant, but shooting your husband would do that to you. The aftermath was in the bedroom, behind a closed door. We’d managed to get Noah to the far side of RV with Felix, a nine-year-old carrot top with an extra-large sprinkling of freckles. He wasn’t talking much, but apparently he’d lost his mother in the initial Red Rage outbreak, and now he’d just lost his grandfather. That kind of shit left its mark. After Raleigh realized her husband, Alan, was sick, she locked him in the bedroom and just kept driving. When she heard the first growl from behind that door, she pulled over and stood Felix out on the side of the road while she took care of things. Raleigh and Felix were both owed a little check-out time.

  The desert was silent. The highway empty but for us. Formidable silence turned me into a twitchy mess but the minute I started humming to fill the void, Lawson shot me a sharp look that quieted me. I guess it wasn’t exactly the right time to bang out a tune. Pulling my scarf up over my nose, I stepped into the RV and fought my gag reflex. Alan had been lying in the bedroom for a few days now, the smell was out of this world. Lawson clearly indicated I needed to breathe through my mouth, but I was more worried about getting death particles in there then I was of breathing in the unbearable stench.

  Taking a minute to just stand and not throw up, I looked around. I’d been in RVs before. All kinds of RVs, but in the last couple of years they’d been all five-star beauties, blinged out with every single thing a person could need, plus a whole stack of things you’d never need. Being on the road was a rite of passage for any aspiring muso. This space was much like the buses and RVs of our early career, at least half the size, but surprisingly roomy. Definitely spacious enough for a small family. My gaze was drawn to the bedroom at the far end. Making my way to Lawson, he stepped aside as I entered. He’d done his best to cover up the mess, the body was now wrapped in a blanket, the ruined sheets pulled off the bed and tossed to one side. There was still blood sprayed up the wall, and a large stain on the carpet. A tug on my braid brought my attention back to Lawson. He pointed to me, then to Alan’s feet. With a reluctant nod, I moved to the narrow end of the bundle. It was awkward working around the bed and tight space, but we would have to manage. We couldn’t exactly leave the dead body here. Lawson climbed over the bed, got his hands under the shoulders of the dead weight, and lifted. At the same time I picked up the feet.