Authors: Armand Rosamilia
"I feel like we're being watched," Doug said. He spun around.
Jeff laughed as he pulled weapons from his saddlebag. "There's a zombie a block away. They're still everywhere. Of course we're being watched. Which is why we need to go inside and rest."
Doug was still looking around when Jeff suddenly grabbed Lilly's ass and grinned. "We might let him keep first watch outside so I can give you a spin and try out the merchandise before I buy it."
Lilly pushed away, repulsed.
Jeff took two strides and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her face closer to his. "Fight it all you want, bitch. I'm going to enjoy it whether it's nice and easy or hurting you. I'd much rather hurt you. Rip you open and fuck your bleeding corpse if I have to."
"Let her go," Doug said quietly.
"Fuck off," Jeff said, still looking into Lilly's eyes.
She was mad because she knew she was showing fear, but she knew he would kill her in a heartbeat. She closed her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears.
"I like it when they cry," Jeff said.
"Let her go," Doug repeated louder. "Last chance."
"Or what?" Jeff asked.
Lilly opened her eyes to see the two men nose to nose, chests puffed out. Both held pistols in one hand and a knife in the other.
"Do you want to find out?" Doug spun the knife in his hand. "Do you think you're better with a knife than I am? I've been a prepper for years, dude. I've lived in the cold woods of Upstate New York while you were sucking dicks in a cozy prison, pretending you were watching them."
"I'll cut you up just for that, motherfucker," Jeff said.
"You both need to stop," Lilly said. If they came to blows and killed one another, she'd be alone. She feared being alone more than anything, she realized. She needed one of them to survive. At this point, it didn’t matter which one, either. They were both shit. Doug had given her away without a thought after acting like he'd rescued her. And he thought she owed him for it, but did she?
Jeff was going to rape and abuse her until she was broken and then leave her on the side of the road for the zombies. She knew it.
Either man was going to hurt her but it was better than having to fend for herself.
Both men were still jawing back and forth.
"Stop this right now," Lilly said. She pushed her way between the two men. "You need each other to find this woman, right? She's probably watching this stupid macho bullshit. She probably got away. While you're pissing on each other, she's running."
Doug started to laugh and put his pistol in his side holster. "The gal is right. We're on the same team." He took a couple of steps back and looked around at the closing zombies. "While we're wasting time, the zombies are closing in on us. We'll be ripped apart for nothing, while Darlene gets away. She's more important than settling some stupid grudge you and I have."
Lilly noticed, as Doug spoke, he was still holding the knife and trying to act casual, but he was ready to spring.
Jeff laughed but it had no humor behind it. Lilly could see the fear in his eyes before he replaced it with a seething anger. He was scared of Doug but even he wasn't stupid enough to attack him in a fair fight. "Let's get inside, like I've been saying all along."
"After you," Doug said.
Jeff shook his head and swept the air with his hand. "Please, after you. Age before beauty."
Lilly shook her head when she heard a car engine in the distance. She turned and saw the mob heading toward them. "Guys, we got company."
"Fuck," Jeff said. "Inside, like I keep saying."
* * * * *
Lincoln was pissed. Their camp had been violated, and several of their women and children scared. And it wasn't the zombies this time.
He glanced at Dana, the woman he'd taken as his lover the last few months, but now wanted her to be gone. She was too vocal and turning everyone against him.
When he'd returned from chasing the van with the other men she'd ridiculed him in front of the camp. "I told you to leave men here to protect the helpless. You could've left me a weapon to defend us, but you are too macho for it, right? Too headstrong and manly. What if a woman had killed what you could not?"
"Shut yer trap," Lincoln had said, fuming. All eyes were upon him. "We'll deal with this later. For now we need to go find these people and kill them."
Dana stepped forward with a lopsided grin. "I'm coming with you. Some of the other women are, too."
"It's too dangerous."
Dana threw up her hands and looked around the group. "It seems to me it's more dangerous sitting here. I'd rather be with you, fighting and earning my keep, than cooking and sewing like a bitch."
Lincoln's right-hand man, Heath, subtly nodded to him. They'd talked about how annoying and vocal Dana was getting. Maybe this would be a good thing…
Now, the entire camp marched down Route 1, despite repeated warnings the old and children should stay behind. If this went bad it would be on Lincoln.
Every death would be on his hands, and he didn't like it. This was a suicide mission.
Zombies stumbled at the large group, forcing them to fight their way to the diner, where all the action seemed to be centered.
Chapter Thirty One
Bri aimed the pistol at the zombie but couldn't pull the trigger. Since coming upon him, he'd made no move to attack or defend. He'd simply stared at her with watery gray eyes as he sat against a tree.
When he was alive, he'd been handsome. About her age.
But now he was dead
, Bri reminded herself. "Don't move."
"I won't," he said quietly. He closed his eyes and turned his head. "Please do it in one shot. I can still feel pain, although it is a strange sensation."
"Just shut up so I can kill you," Bri said.
He put up his hands but didn't look at her. "I'll be quiet."
"But you're still fucking talking."
The zombie laughed.
"Now what's so funny?"
He looked back at Bri and smiled. "The way you said
fucking talking
. Really tough but really funny, too."
"It wasn't meant to be funny," Bri said. She knew she should stop talking to him and pull the trigger and be done with it. She had to find Darlene and Russ and get out of here. She knew something bad was going to happen if she didn't find the baby, too.
"It was. I'm Hayden. At least, I used to be. That was the name my parents gave me. I'm sure I did horrific things to them before they died. Or maybe they're also zombies and looking for me. We could be like a big zombie family again, like a bad Young Adult book."
"You really do need to stop talking."
"I can't help it," Hayden said. "Even when I had a heartbeat I couldn't shut up. I have ADHD. I guess I still do. I'd be talking whether you were about to kill me or not."
"I figured the thirst for human blood would curb all other things," Bri said, an edge to her voice. She wanted to kill him…
"I don't have it anymore. I'm sure I did, judging by the clothes I woke up in, though. Covered in blood and guts and who knows what else. I know I've killed," he said.
"You're not making this any harder on me to kill you, especially when you're admitting to all the people you've killed," Bri said.
"Fair enough." Hayden slowly stood and put his hands in the air. "I definitely deserve to die again. I can't deny it. At least I'll be killed by a pretty girl."
Bri blushed and looked away. Realizing her mistake, she turned back, expecting Hayden to try to wrestle the gun from her. Instead, he was still standing with his hands up and staring at her.
Hayden
. She'd thought of him as Hayden and not a zombie. "This is going very wrong."
"You need to shoot me or let me put my arms down. It's getting uncomfortable," Hayden said. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. Can I tell you something?"
"Yes," Bri said. She liked the way he was looking at her, even with his gray eyes. There was no anger in Hayden. He wasn't a mindless killer. He was just a young man who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and been bitten.
"Before all of this happened, I was a very shy kid. I've never even talked to a girl, let alone kissed one. But I want to talk to you, even if for a few minutes before you kill me. Is that weird?"
"You haven't kissed me."
"Huh?"
"You said
let alone kissed one
, but you haven't kissed me," Bri said. She could feel her face getting hot again. "The way you say it would make people think we kissed after you talked to me."
"I suppose," Hayden said. He slowly put his arms down. "You're not going to shoot me, are you?"
"I'm still thinking about it."
"You're here for the Zombie Killer, aren't you?"
"Who?"
Hayden stopped smiling. "She's having her baby, I think."
"Where is Darlene?" Bri asked. "And how do you know? Why did you call her Zombie Killer?"
"She is the Zombie Killer. We all can sense her."
"Not the baby?"
Hayden shook his head. "The baby is one of us. We don't care about it anymore than I care about another zombie. She is the one drawing every zombie to her."
"The baby will never be safe," Bri said quietly.
"Not as long as it is with her," Hayden said. "Unfortunately, it won't live long enough, because there are so many zombies that know where she is right now."
"Can you take me to her?"
"Yes. She isn't far. Are you still planning on shooting me?"
"No."
"Then stop pointing the gun at me, please and thank you."
"Lead me to her," Bri said and quickly chased after Hayden when he took off through the woods. They only ran for a hundred feet when she saw the back of a strip mall, or what was left of it.
Hayden went to the side of the building and put up his hand. "She's across the street, in the diner, but those three bikers are going to go inside once they stop fighting, I think."
"Then we need to move now, before it's too late." Bri angled away toward the gas station on the right of the diner and away from the bikers. She knew exactly who they were, and why they were here. She needed to do something before they did.
"Wait," Hayden whispered as he ran next to her. "What is the plan?"
"You cover me and act like you're tough," Bri said.
Before he could ask another question and slow her down, Bri got to the other side of the road and circled the diner, expecting Jeff and Doug to come walking up. But she could hear them still arguing as she walked through the damaged doorway and right into the main room of the diner, taking in everyone: Darlene on the floor, blood covering towels, John on one knee, and Tosha holding a baby.
"Bri?" Darlene smiled faintly.
"What happened to you?" John asked and began to rise.
Bri aimed the gun at John's legs. "Don't get up or I will sit you the fuck down."
"Bri?" Darlene asked again with fear in her voice. She sat up on her elbows.
"Hand over the baby, Red." Bri had her second gun out now and aimed it at the woman holding the baby. "This is for everyone's good. Trust me."
"What are you talking about? We're about to get attacked. Bri, there are some bad men outside." John put up his hands. "They want to hurt us. We need to escape."
"I just want the baby so I can keep it safe," Bri said. "One of the men outside kidnapped me months ago. But you never came looking for me. You went on with your shitty lives and forgot all about me."
"That's not true," Darlene said.
"I'm going to ask you one more time for the baby."
"No," John said and went to stand.
Bri shot him in the upper thigh and turned both guns on the redhead. "Give the baby to my boyfriend."
"Holy shit, he's a zombie," Darlene said. "He'll eat my baby."
"No, I won't." Hayden stepped forward and took the baby from Tosha. "I'll care for him like he was my little brother."
"He is now." Bri waited until Hayden had walked out of the room before smiling. "I could kill you but I won't. I don't need to. Jeff and Doug are here to clean up this fucking mess."
"Bri, please…" Darlene rolled over and put her hands on the wound on John's leg. "You can help us."
"I did. I saved your baby, because every zombie in the world wants to eat the Zombie Killer."
"They want to eat my baby," Darlene said.
"You're wrong. He'll be safe with us." Bri pointed the gun at the redhead when she looked like she was going to do something stupid. "Good luck."