My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road (17 page)

Malcolm wasn’t the tallest man in the room, but I didn’t put it past him to be the dangerous one. He had jet-black hair, combed back, and he wore a dark button-up shirt with bootleg jeans. He had a long scar on his face, starting at his temple and crossing over his left eyelid, down his cheek. Part of it was scabby. Someone must have recently scratched him up—pretty badly.

Kaylynn and Jewel struggled against the hands that were holding them. Most of the men were wearing military fatigues. Others had a variety that didn’t match, pulled from department store racks in a hurry. From what I could tell, they hadn’t done anything to the girls.

The scent of cheap hotel shampoo masked the rotting smell of the Vector laying behind the counter as Malcolm neared us. Cody was eyeing him carefully.

“We don’t want any trouble,” Cody said.

“No one really likes to cause trouble.” Malcolm shifted by the front desk. “No one likes to have their home invaded, or their welcome mat put out of her misery.” He nodded at the men behind us. “We’re making scrambled eggs this morning. You hungry?”

Malcolm’s goons took our weapons and made us sit in the breakfast area. Cody resisted at first, but he succumbed quickly when they flashed their weapons at us. With my Berettas taken and Cody’s bow and knives confiscated, we were defenseless. They searched my pack, and I was amazed that they didn’t find the .500 inside. We had an element of surprise if we needed it.

I checked our surroundings. Three exits. Eight men. Jewel’s face was a portrait of anxiety, and Kaylynn had the same gist in her eyes. Malcolm’s men planted them in the chairs across from us. Chloe growled at every stranger who was trying to grab her collar. Then my stomach grumbled. Getting nervous can make me hungry—and scrambled eggs didn’t sound so bad.

This wasn’t the time to think about food.

Malcolm made sure we were in our seats before he sat down himself. “Four kids, alive in a world like this. A downright miracle! We’ve seen platoons wiped out in a matter of minutes, entire military reserves cleaned to the bone in less than that. You kids don’t realize how lucky you are.” He leaned slowly towards Cody. “I take it you’re in charge of this little group?”

Cody scoffed. “Cut the shit. What’re you going to do to us?”

“Jumping right into it, huh?” Malcolm laughed. “Alright. We’ll go there.” He pressed his crossed arms on the table. “I’ve been told of your distraction at my airport. Survivors on the south side of town think they own this city, but they don’t dare come here. Do you know why?” We shook our heads. “What better security can a man ask for than a few flesh-eating ghouls?”

Cody glanced at the front desk. “You put it there?”

“Not just there,” Malcolm answered. “You’ll find ghouls all over this side of town. I set them up to keep people away, and someone’s got to feed them.” His men laughed. “I can’t let you tell the South Side what I have in store for them.” Malcolm glanced at the girls. “Or you.”

I couldn’t stop shaking. This was bad. If Malcolm had so much as touched my sister, I didn’t know what I’d do. But whatever I did, it wouldn’t end well. We had to do something, but there was no way we could fight these guys off. Talking our way out was even less of an option. I had to think. We needed a strategy, something off the beaten path that none of them would expect.

Kaylynn and I shared a glance. Her determined eyes told me exactly what I was thinking. Her infection was our ticket out of here, but was she going to unleash the monster, right in front of these guys, and Cody? It was a huge risk, but we didn’t have another choice.

Malcolm stood from his chair and ambled behind me. His hand grazed my shoulder as he passed. “I bet you’re wondering about this scratch on my face?” He touched the scar on his cheek, reenacting how he had received it. “I used to drive freight, and I’d normally stop here. When the pandemic got out of hand, I led people to the roof. Ilima worked the receptionist desk—I had a kind of crush on her.” He stared at his men. Their faces paled. “To make a long story short, she wanted to leave. I tried to stop her. You all thought I got scratched by one of them, didn’tcha?”

I didn’t care, and I never asked for a monologue.

“Did you lock out all those people on the roof?” Cody asked.

Malcolm smirked as he made his way behind Cody. He was about to answer when Cody threw his chair back and balled his hand into a fist. The men sprang into action, yet Malcolm waved them off. Any chance of a peaceful negotiation was thrown out the window.

“How could you feed humans to the dead?”

Malcolm’s cool, sick smile never left his face.

Cody bared his teeth. “Ass-backwards douche!”

“They asked me to lock the door. They didn’t want to come down.” Seeing the men with their weapons raised, Malcolm had a reason for acting so cool. “If you want to hit me, do it. It’ll make you feel real good—so good you won’t mind if I feed your friends to my pets.”

Malcolm slid his hand behind his back.

“We won’t tell anyone,” Cody said. “Let us go. We’ll drive away. You’ll never see us again.”

“Sorry, son. Afraid I just can’t do that.” Malcolm said. “Let me shock some sense into you . . .”

Zap!

Cody cried out as he fell backwards. His body convulsed on the table. Kaylynn and Jewel backed away, screaming as Cody fell unconscious. Malcolm stepped away, holding a taser in his hand. His men held the rest of us down firmly. “Teenagers always think they have the advantage over their elders.” He strolled to Cody and slapped him in the face. Malcolm was the type of guy who liked to kick someone when they’re down.

Seeing Cody so helpless made me furious.

“Leave Cody alone!” Jewel cried.

Malcolm turned to the girls. His face leveled with my sister’s before he gestured at me. “Is this the brother you were telling me about?” he asked. Jewel looked down, nodding. He took her hand, asked the men for my Beretta, and placed it in her palm. “I’m about to do much worse to your brother and friend,” he said. “I might change my mind if you blast Cody’s brains out.”

Malcolm’s men could barely keep me still.

The gun shook in Jewel’s hand. “I can’t.”

“We all do things we don’t want, missy.”

He gestured at the men who were holding me.

I froze when my other Beretta touched my ear.

Malcolm laughed. “Time for scrambled eggs!”

I threw up a little in my mouth. Was he talking about brains? Did these guys eat people’s brains? This took the whole
brain on drugs
slogan to another level.

“Make your choice, girl. We ain’t got all morning.”

Now that I knew what these creeps were capable of, any second would be our last. Cody was out. We were outnumbered. Without looking at me, Jewel walked to Cody. His mouth was open. She raised the gun to his head, holding her breath and glancing at me.

They were going to kill us. She had no choice.

“Hurry it up,” Malcolm said. “Time’s a-tick’en!”

“Don’t do this,” Kaylynn said. “Let us go, or else!”

Malcolm looked straight at her. “Or else what?”

Kaylynn’s jaw clenched and Chloe barked, making Jewel jump back. I’d completely forgotten about the retriever. One of the men had her by the collar. Jewel lowered the gun, unable to take the shot. I knew what would happen next. Just as I thought, Malcolm frowned and told his men to shoot me instead. Jewel bawled and Kaylynn cried out as the hammer cocked in my ear.

Kaylynn’s eyes met mine one last time—just as they turned red. A loud
crack
sounded next to my ear instead of a
bang
. It was the sound of bone breaking.

The man behind me screamed and dropped my Beretta. He quickly backed off, cradling his twisted, broken arm. I was confused and scared. I’d heard of spontaneous combustion, but not limbs that snap on their own. When the others let go of me, their bodies sailed across the room and crashed into the juice machine. The two holding Kaylynn back had a hard time doing so. She was growling like a Vector. When one of them came close enough, she bit into his arm. I was never so happy to see those red eyes of hers, but then I saw blood dribbling down her chin. I wondered, and worried, if she’d changed into a Vector for good.

“The hell?” Malcolm reached for his gun. He aimed at Kaylynn, her mouth locked onto one of his minions.

Bang!

Malcolm’s gun flew from his hand. The smoking barrel of my .45 in Jewel’s hand caught my eye. A spaghetti western stunt like that was just the distraction Kaylynn needed. Throwing her arms back, she sent both men crashing into the receptionist desk.

The last man standing let go of Chloe so he could reach for his gun, but I sprang into action and pushed him away. The back of his head cracked against a wall, and then he collapsed to the floor. The others turned and ran away, leaving Malcolm alone with us. This was our chance, but Cody was still out, and he had the keys.

Kaylynn turned to me. “Help me, Jay!”

I grabbed Cody’s ankles and we carried him to the lobby. There was no time to get all our things. Malcolm wasn’t following us. He ran off instead, but who was to say he wasn’t coming back with reinforcements?

Only an idiot would wait to find out.

We were almost at the Explorer when I realized Jewel wasn’t with us. She was at the entrance with Chloe, my .45 in her hand. I fished for the keys in Cody’s pocket, used the remote to unlock the doors, and helped Cody into the backseat. If Kaylynn drove us out of there, we’d be fine, except she was Vector-like.

When her anger subsided, I didn’t know if she would be normal again or if she would fall asleep. If push came to shove, I’d have to drive us out of there.

“Come on, Jewel!” I cried.

She and Chloe jumped in. To my surprise, Kaylynn yanked the front door open, grabbed my arm and practically threw me into the driver’s seat. “You know how to drive, don’t you?”

I shook my head.

Growling, she shoved me to the passenger seat. She climbed in and took the keys. Her blue eyes had come back. “All I have is a learner’s permit. Buckle up!”

Kaylynn spurred the engine to life and pulled the car in reverse. The bumper nudged the side of a Toyota before she geared the car into drive and sped out of the parking lot. We hung a left and ran over a few Vectors as we sped down the street. Kaylynn had sweat on her forehead, and her eyes were droopy. She had control of the wheel, but I wasn’t sure if she could sustain it.

“How come you didn’t pass out?” I asked.

“No idea,” she said. “I’m getting used to it.”

She hadn’t wiped the blood off her face yet. Combined with her pale, clammy skin, she could easily be mistaken for a Vector at first sight. I had to close my eyes for a second. “That guy who was going to shoot me . . .” I had to ask. “How did you break his arm?”

Kaylynn kept her eyes on the road. Her lips moved, as if searching for the right thing to say. We reached another intersection. “Should I make a right or go left?”

“Definitely not right,” I said.

The airport was in that direction.

We turned left again, passed a Motel 6, and continued east. An onramp was just ahead for a southbound interstate. So long as we created distance between Malcolm and us, I didn’t mind jumping onto a major highway for a while—just until we had a chance to recalibrate our plan. I turned to check the backseat.

Jewel still had my .45. Her cheeks were wet. I wasn’t sure how to help her. Chloe perked up before she wedged her nose under Jewel’s arm. “You must hate me,” she said. “They . . . they were going to—”

“It’s okay, Jewel. You’re okay,” I said. “You’ll never have to do that again. I promise.”

Jewel wiped her eyes and frowned. “I better not.”

I reached out to her. “Give me the gun.” As we entered the onramp, Jewel returned my .45. I checked the magazine. Empty. “I thought we loaded these?”

“They took everything,” Jewel said. “The ammo, the guns. It’s all gone.”

Crapshoot. Without weapons or Kaylynn’s bat, we were history. I turned around, trying to think up a plan when a crash startled me. Two cars and a pickup were pushed away by the same black semi from the Holiday Inn parking lot. Its massive headlights shined in my side view mirror before it was blown off by a bullet. Kaylynn swerved, careful not to clip the car in front of us. The semi climbed over it, crushing it like a monster truck.

“It’s him!” Jewel looked out the back window.

When I told her to get down, she went to the floor. Good thing she had. One stray bullet through the backseat and she’d be a goner. Unless we found a way to lose Malcolm, he’d crush us into oblivion. This was it. Time to think fast. What could I possibly throw at the truck to make Malcolm leave us alone? I wasn’t about to waste our food and water. My ideas ran dry.

“Watch out!” Kaylynn screamed.

Our bumper made friends with a Vector, sprawled on top of our hood. A tangled mess of hair shrouded her face as she clawed at the windshield, oblivious of the high-speed car that had plowed into her. She blocked Kaylynn’s view, forcing us to clip a jeep and a minivan as the semi rammed into us from behind.

The Vector fell when the truck hit us again. As more Vectors appeared, I knew we couldn’t keep this up—and then a light bulb lit up in my head. I reached for the dial on the ceiling and opened the sunroof.