Two men charged out of the trees on horseback, rifles raised.
It was like the scene out of a movie. The men were tall and well-muscled, both of them with dark wavy hair. They wielded their rifles like Wild West gun slingers, firing with deadly precision at the three remaining zombies that rushed Cassie. They aimed at the heads of the infected and were damn good shots.
In less than thirty seconds, they were all dead.
Every. Single. One.
These guys weren’t gun slingers. Cassie had it all wrong. They were ninjas. Ninjas with guns.
“Cassie?” One of the horse riders dismounted and hurried toward her. He grabbed her by the elbows, looking her up and down. “Cassie, is that you? Are you okay?”
Cassie’s brain worked in overtime. She knew the guy in front of her. She recognized the handsome angle of his jaw and his dark, serious eyes. He looked like Leo Cecchino, though he was different from when she’d last seen him.
Dark stubble covered the bottom half of his face. There was a hardness to him she didn’t recognize. It didn’t coincide with the love-sick teenage boy she remembered.
“Jock Face?” She used her old nickname as she squinted at him, trying to cess out if he was a hallucination.
Sometimes, people hallucinated when they were stressed. She’d read about it in her biology class. She was definitely stressed. Like, super stressed. She’d almost died. That definitely qualified as stress. She could be the official poster girl for stress.
“Squirt.” Leo seized her in a bear hug. “Thank God you’re okay.”
It was Leo. Leo Cecchino. She wasn’t hallucinating.
This was disturbing only because Leo had always been radically hot. What made it even worse was the fact that he was nice. Cassie had never even dreamed of being looked at by a guy as hot as Leo, let alone rescued by him like a damsel in distress.
“Jock Face?” She said the name again, just to be sure. She always got tongue tied around Leo, even when she’d been fourteen and he’d been head over heels for Jennifer. The only way she could talk to him was to be a smart ass, hence her adolescent nickname for him.
“It’s me, Squirt. I mean, Cassie.” He released her. Resting both hands on her shoulders, he looked in her eyes. She was so tall that he didn’t even have to bend down or crane his neck. “I almost didn’t recognize you. Are you okay?”
She struggled to come up with a proper response. All that came out was, “I killed a zombie with the rebar.”
“I saw. Nice move. Jennifer will be impressed.”
“Jennifer?” Cassie blinked, looking around expectantly. “She’s here? She’s okay?”
“She’s back at our family cabin.” The second man dismounted, slinging his rifle over one shoulder. “She’s safe.”
Cassie did a double take. “Dal?” She should have guessed. Leo and Dal were practically blood bothers. Dal had even moved in with the Cecchino family his freshmen year.
“She sent us to find you,” Leo said. “She’s been worried sick about you. She was on her way to pick you up when the invasion happened.”
Cassie’s heart lifted with the knowledge that Jennifer was alive. Alive, and safe.
“You guys have the best timing.” Stephenson poked his head out of the open driver’s side window. “Thank God. I almost had to drive a car.” He flushed as soon as the words were out of his mouth, realizing how idiotic he sounded.
“Don’t mind him,” Cassie said. “He’s scared out of his mind.” That wasn’t fair. “Actally, we’re all scared.”
“Yeah.” Amanda picked herself up from the ground. She had dirt on her face and all over her clothes. Dirt, and blood. “Yep, scared. Really scared. That’s me. I love guys with guns.”
“I think I love guys with guns, too,” Stephenson said a bit breathlessly.
Everyone looked at him. Stephenson flushed and tucked himself back into the car. He busied himself shutting off the engine.
Cassie attempted to take control of the situation. There was too much babbling going on. They all looked like idiots.
“Jennifer sent you to get me?” she asked.
“Yeah. Dal and I are going to take you back to the cabin where we’re staying.” Leo’s dark eyes flicked to Stephenson and Amanda. “You guys are welcome to come. It’s safe. The Russians won’t find us there. We have food and weapons.”
“I’ll work for room and board,” Stephenson said. “I can cook. I always help my dad in the kitchen. Just don’t ask me to fight. I don’t fight.”
“I’m smart,” Amanda said. “I scored a 1560 on my SATs. I can pull my weight.”
Leo gave them both a kind smile. “Everyone pulls their weight. Don’t worry, my grandmother will find a way for everyone to pitch in.” He glanced around. “Is there anyone else here? Amanda, where are your parents?”
The silence following this question was humongous. Leo’s mouth tightened. Cassie could still hear Mrs. Nielson battering away at the bedroom door inside.
“I’m sorry,” Leo said. “Do you have any bikes? We don’t have enough horses for three people. The car will draw too much attention.”
“Yeah, we have a few bikes in the shed,” Amanda said. “I’ll grab them if someone with a gun comes with me.”
“I’ll go.” Dal stepped forward, rifle resting easily in his hands. “Come on.” He and Amanda disappeared around the side of the house.
Cassie did her best not to stare at Leo. This turned out to be an impossible feat. First of all, he was the most gorgeous guy on the planet. Second of all, he was staring at her.
“Are you and my sister back together?” she blurted, mostly because she was nervous.
A dent appeared between his eyebrows. She immediately regretted the question.
“No,” he said simply.
She resolved not to talk until she turned twenty-eight. A decade of silence might be good for her. It worked well for monks.
She flicked her eyes over the forest that surrounded the Nielson house. It was late in the day. They had, at most, two hours before dark. Would they make it back to her sister before nightfall? The idea of being outside in the dark made her skin crawl.
Leo was still looking at her. Like, really looking at her. His eyes traveled up and down her body in a slow blink.
“You—got tall,” he said.
She flinched. He would have noticed that. She’d grown a full eight inches since her sophomore year. It was her mom’s fault. She’d given her the tall genes.
She tried to come up with a witty comeback and completely failed. It was like her mouth was stuffed full of cotton balls. She needed her chessboard.
Amanda and Dal returned with a pair of mountain bikes.
“We could only find two,” Amanda said. “My mom’s bike has a flat tire.”
Cassie knew Stephenson wasn’t a fan of bikes. He wasn’t a big fan of anything that required him to use his muscles.
“Amanda and I can take the bikes,” she offered.
Leo frowned and shook his head. “Cassie, you need to ride with me. Your sister will kill me if I bring you back with a scratch on you.”
“Too late.” Cassie could hardly believe she was arguing; the safest place to be was most definitely on a horse with Leo.
Even so, she held out her arm to display a long gash on her forearm. She had no idea where it had come from. Somewhere between opening the back door to let zombies inside and dropping down off the porch downspout, she’d cut herself on something.
“That didn’t happen on my watch,” Leo said. “Make sure you tell Jennifer that. Come on, you’re riding with me.”
Before she could say anything else, he grabbed her around the waist and boosted her onto the back of his horse. As he mounted the horse in front of her, she tried not to notice how solid and muscular he was. Or the fact that even the back of his head was gorgeous. How was that even possible?
The fact that she was eye level with the back of his head brought two things to mind:
a)
It was a dismal reminder of the fact that she was freakishly tall. Her mom always claimed it was the reason she’d never had a boyfriend. No one wanted a girlfriend he had to look up at. Not that Leo had to look up at her.
b) If Jennifer was riding behind Leo, her cheek would nestle perfectly in the curve between his shoulder blades.
She’d hate her sister if she didn’t love her so much.
“Hold onto me,” Leo said.
Cassie only hesitated a second before wrapping her arms around his waist. It seemed inappropriate to be wedged up against his back, but she sure as hell didn’t want to fall.
Leo led the way down the hard-packed dirt road that sloped away from the Nielson house. It was pitted and worn with water channels and erosion.
Stephenson and Amanda pedaled behind them, swerving to avoid the worst of the pot holes. Dal brought up the rear.
Cassie glanced back a few times to check on Amanda, wondering how she was holding up with all that had just happened. It wasn’t every day you lost both parents. Her friend was bent over the handle bars of the bike, mouth set in a determined line as she pedaled.
“What are we going to do if we run into any infected?” Cassie asked, looking around nervously at all the trees. She was convinced there were more of them out there.
“Just hang onto me,” Leo replied. “If we see any nezhit, I’ll shoot them.”
It was the best plan Cassie had heard all day.
7
Mutant
Leo was distracted. He kept trying to reconcile the young woman riding behind him with the scruffy kid he remembered. He almost didn’t recognize Cassie at first. She’d been a skinny little rug rat with frizzy hair back when he’d been with Jennifer.
It had been over two-and-a-half years since he’d last seen Cassie. It was like she’d stepped into Superman’s phone booth. Except she hadn’t turned into a brawny hero with a cape. She’d turned into a tall, curvy young woman. It was impossible not to notice how pretty she was.
He felt like an idiot for having ever ever called her Squirt. He tried very hard not to pay attention to the feel of her breasts against his back. She was Jennifer’s little sister, for crying out loud. His ex-girlfriend’s little sister. Whom he had come here to rescue. He shouldn’t be paying attention to anything beyond keeping her alive.
“White pawn to g3,” Cassie whispered. “Black pawn to e6. White knight to c3. Black bishop to c5.”
“What are you doing?” Leo asked.
“Playing chess.”
He was confused. “What do you mean, playing chess? Like, in your head?”
“Yeah. White knight to f3. Black pawn to d6.”
“You’re playing chess in your head? Right now?”
“Yes. Believe me when I say it’s better than the alternative. White pawn to d4. Black bishop to b6.”
Leo could only assume she meant she was scared. He could understand that. Playing chess must calm her down.
But how did she do it in her head? He used to plan football plays, but always with a pencil and paper. Otherwise, it was too much to track.
He’d forgotten she’d been on the chess team. She must be pretty damn good if she could play a game against herself in her head. Pretty damn smart, too.
They reached the edge of the Nielson property. After that, the road flattened into graded gravel that snaked through the tree. It was perhaps another mile before they’d reach open road. Leo was ready to be out of these big trees, especially with evening coming on.
Behind him, he felt Cassie constantly swiveling her head as she scanned their surroundings. All the while, she kept up the whispering dialogue of the chess game.
“White bishop to to g5. Checkmate. Damn.”
“Who won?” Leo asked.
“White. But it should have been black. White led with some classic bad moves. I’m just too scared to play a decent game right now.”
Hearing her admit her fear made his insides clench. “I promised Jennifer that I’d get you home safely,” he said, hoping to comfort her. “I plan to do that. We—”
A long, low growl cut him off. He went on alert, cursing himself for getting distracted with Cassie. He couldn’t keep her safe if he allowed himself to get distracted.
Get your head in the game, asshole, he told himself.
Leo gripped the horse with his legs and raised his rifle. Dal pulled up beside him, rifle calmly raised to his shoulder. Stephenson and Amanda rolled to a stop behind them, whispering to one another in frantic fear.
“Quiet,” Leo hissed to them.
The growl sounded again. Leo zeroed in on the direction. It was coming from a small cottage off to their right, a green house with a red roof tucked back in the trees. It would have looked downright adorable if not for the three bodies facedown in the dirt.
Crouched over the three bodies was a zombie. Oddly, he was alone, not in a pack. His eyes were all red, even the irises.
Leo had never seen one with all-red irises before. And that wasn’t the only thing different. This nezhit was deformed. His left deltoid muscle was swollen and bulging, causing it to walk at an odd angle. His shirt had torn, revealing infected black veins beneath the skin.
No, that wasn’t entirely accurate. The zombie wasn’t walking at an odd angle. It was running—straight for them. An inhuman howl broke from his throat as he charged down the hard-packed dirt driveway.
Rifles cracked as Leo and Dal simultaneously fired. They both aimed for the head. After their mission to Rossi, they’d learned the fastest way to drop infected was with head shots. Regular shots would do it, too; it just took a lot more bullets that way.
Two bullets hit the head of the infected at the same time. The monster swayed on his feet, appearing stunned. Leo held his breath. Red eyes blinked at them. Leo kept his rifle rock-steady, ready to fire again.
The nezhit swayed, then dropped. Its hand twitched once before going still.
Cassie’s grip around him was so tight it was hard to breathe. She was muttering softly to herself, her warm breath against the back of his neck. Her words pricked his attention.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“Sorry,” she replied, falling silent. “Just talking to myself.”
“No, what did you say?” She hadn’t been playing a chess game.
“Red irises,” Cassie said. “Muscle deformation. My theory is that he’s a different type of zombie. This may or may not be a new problem.”
“Damn.” Dal’s mouth compressed into a tight line. “We really don’t need another problem.”
Leo, too, felt the truth in Cassie’s observation. It made him itch to get back to Pole Mountain.
“Um, Leo?” Cassie said.
“Yeah?”
“Those bodies in front of the house … are those also zombies?”
Sick dread yanked at him. Leo heeled the horse. The animal plodded up the driveway.
Leo couldn’t take his eyes off the mutated zombie. The black veins spidering across his face were a complex web. His body had only partially mutated, like he’d been on the way to turning into a zombified Incredible Hulk. There was something really, really wrong with him.
The horse passed the deformed zombie and came to stop in front of the other three bodies. They were indeed zombies. The black veins on their arms, necks, and faces made them unmistakeable.
“I never thought I’d be relieved to see regular zombies,” Cassie said. “I mean, less than thirty minutes ago, a regular zombie was the worst thing I’d ever seen.”
Leo slid off the horse and booted the bodies to make sure they were really dead.
They were. None of them so much as twitched or growled when he kicked them.
The others drew up beside them. “What killed them?” Amanda asked. “I don’t see any wounds.”
“Neither do I.” Leo’s face was tense when he looked up. “They look like they just … died.”
“Poison?” Stephenson suggested. “Maybe someone left out a bowl of raw meat
laced with poison.”
“Lena said the infected were supposed to start dying off in seven to ten days,” Dal said. “Maybe that’s what happened here. Maybe these three and the deformed one were a pack before the first three died.”
“But it’s only been three-and-a-half days since the invasion,” Cassie said. “The math isn’t right. And it doesn’t explain that one.” She jerked a thumb at the mutant zombie.
“Isolated anomaly?” Stephenson’s voice was squeaky. “It happens. Like albinos. Did you know one percent of the population are carriers for albino gene?”
No one dignified this with a response.
“There are no answers here,” Leo said. “We need to go. It’s getting late.”
He returned to the horse and heeled the animal down the driveway. The stocky mare hadn’t even reached the road before he felt Cassie’s whispers against the back of his neck. Her voice was inaudible, but he guessed she was moving chess pieces around in her head again. It made him all the more anxious to get her back to the safety of the cabin, where she would feel safe.
8
Resistance
Cassie heard her sister before she saw her.
“Cassie!” Jennifer’s shout cut through the darkness of the Cecchino property. “Cassie!” She burst through the undergrowth in a shower of leaves. Even in the dark, her head of curly hair and petite figure were unmistakeable.
“Jen!” Cassie dropped awkwardly from the horse. She tripped on a root before breaking into a run.
Cassie’s cheeks were wet with tears by the time she reached her big sister. She grabbed Jennifer in a tight hug. Jennifer returned the embrace, crying into Cassie’s shoulder. Cassie stood a full head taller than her.
Even in the middle of the full-scale Russian invasion with zombies, Jennifer managed to look amazing. Her hair was perfect. Her clothes showed off her flawless figure.
Cassie heard their mother’s voice playing in her head. Boys aren’t into the tomboy look, Cassie. You really should try to fix your hair, sweetie. Grow it out a little more. Maybe wear a little makeup.
Zommunist Invasion Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 29