Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde (18 page)

It's not a half bad idea, I thought.
Rich areas would
have loads of supplies and weapons.
Who knows?
Maybe we can even
clean up and take turns sleeping.

“Do you think you can remember how to get there?” I asked as
Benji's eyes went wide with excitement.

“Sure I can,” he said. “This is gonna be awesome!”

Benji could barely contain himself the rest of the way. We
made good time passing through Gaviota and Isla Vista without incident and saw
only a few stalled and empty cars. In Buellton I was tempted to stop for gas
but saw zombies milling about in the weeds near the side of the road and knew
it was too risky. Benji saw them too but he didn't say anything. We were both
beyond exhausted.

They look just like migrant workers from the fields
,
I thought.
Only I know no one works the land anymore.
For a minute it
made me think of how good things used to be. We never really appreciated it
until it was all gone. We were always looking for something better, the new thing
to get into. Now I'd give anything to just have things go back to the way they
used to be—even for one day!

The canyons winding down to Santa Barbara were idyllic and
empty. We pulled into town and Benji guided me off the freeway and up a hill to
an area with a cliff that overlooked the ocean. We made a couple of loops
through the abandoned area looking for the entrance to the neighborhood where
Benji's idol lived. It was like the world had never ended. We were just two
exhausted kids looking for a rock star's mansion so we could get an autograph.
Eventually, we found the gates that led to his small plot of heaven.

“This is it,” Benji said confidently.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“No doubt about it,” he replied.

The electricity was out on the call box. We had to leave the
Escalade behind and go on foot, climbing over the fence. It made me uneasy to
be on foot out in the open. You never knew when you were going to be cornered
by a small horde of flesh eaters.

A lot of these homes are only used in the summer,
I
told myself.
Rich people buy them for the real estate investment and then
they sit here unused all year long. What a waste.

Benji led us down a curving side street to a house with a
large metal gate with the Ever Rest band logo on the front. This was Jackson's
mansion. No mistaking it. I laced my fingers together and helped Benji over the
wall by letting him step into my hands and boosting him up and over. Slinging
my katana on my back, I scaled the bricks on the side of the gate and swung
myself up. The front door was locked and I sure didn't feel like trying to bash
it in. We walked around the side and into the backyard. There was an infinity
pool that appeared to run off into the ocean. Benji sat down on some of the
patio furniture and began taking his shoes off. He had blisters covering both
sides of his feet, but nothing too serious.

“You wanna check the house before we relax?”

“I'm really tired,” Benji said. “I think the Red Bull is
wearing off.”

“That and the adrenaline,” I said.

“I just want to dip my feet in the pool.” Benji sounded
defeated. “Catch my breath for a second.”

“That sounds like a great plan,” I said, yanking off my
boots and peeling off my socks. I rolled up my jeans until they were well past
my knees, then waded onto the top step of the pool. The temperature was already
rising outside and the cool of the water felt decadent against my feet and
calves. Benji hurriedly rolled up his pants and joined me, letting out a
satisfied sigh as his feet went under.

“That's amazing,” he said, breathing out the words like a
long, relaxed sigh.

“Yeah,” I said, staring across at the ocean. “And the view
doesn't hurt either.”

“Can you imagine living like this?”

“Lifestyles of the rich and famous,” I chirped in my best
British accent trying to sound like Robin Leach.

“I'm not saying he didn't earn it,” Benji added quickly,
wanting to preserve the image he had of his favorite musician. “It's just epic.
I wonder how many famous people he's had in this pool.”

Benji's words trailed off. We sat in silence for a long
time, splashing water with our feet, thinking about the perfect life that
Jackson Everrest had once lived and knowing in our hearts that this was only a
tiny part of it.

“It's getting hot,” I said, standing up again. Benji didn't
budge. He stared defiantly at me as if to say he had no intention of leaving. I
unbuckled my belt and took my pants off. I folded them in a ball and set them
off on the grass, along with my sword and my shirt. Without further warning I
jumped into the pool in just my boxers, making a loud splash. At first there
was the shock of being fully submerged in cool water, but it quickly changed to
bliss.

“I can't believe you did that!” Benji stood up and was
yelling at me. My impromptu cannonball had sprayed him good. He had water dripping
from his hair and all down his shirt.

“You’re free to get me back,” I said. “Unless you’re too
chicken?”

Benji peeled off his clothes down to his boxers as fast as
he could then jumped in, narrowly missing me with his feet. We got into a loud,
splashing contest for about five minutes that ended with us both laughing
hysterically. It was great having him around. In a lot of ways he had become
like my kid brother.

“Truce,” I said.

“No way,” Benji replied with another hand splash aimed at my
face. “I win!”

“Okay,” I said. “Don't be a spaz. You win.”

The chlorine was burning my eyes. I closed and wiped them,
trying to restore my vision.

“Xander?” Benji's voice sounded strange but I couldn't see
him. That last shower of water had gotten me good.

“Hold on a minute, Benji,” I said. “I think I got something
in my eyes.”

I swam under the surface of the pool and opened my eyes. I
loved the way it felt to be fully submerged in the water—like I was
floating. When I came up, I saw Benji standing in the shallow end with his hair
dripping water all over himself and his hands thrust high in the air. Just past
him on the patio was a very familiar looking teenage girl pointing a shotgun
straight at him.

“Who are you people and what do you want,” she said, turning
from Benji to me. I held my hands up and smiled. I couldn't help it. The girl
threatening to kill us with the shotgun if we didn't give an answer that she
liked was none other than Felicity Jane.

“What are you smiling about?” She fumed, turning on me.

“Nothing,” I said. “I just wasn't expecting . . .” my words
trailed off.

“What?” She said fiercely, fear in her voice. “A girl with a
shotgun?”

“A celebrity,” I said. “I mean a reality television star.
Guess we're all on our own version of reality TV now.”

“If you're trying to convince me not to shoot you,” she
said, cocking her head to the side, “you are doing a really bad job.”

“I'm Xander,” I said. “And this is Benji.”

“Are you stalking me? Is that why you’re here?”

“A little full of yourself,” I scoffed, “aren't you? We
didn't even know you'd be here so how could we be stalking you?”

“Then why are you here?” She waved the gun around, aiming
first at me and then at Benji.

“Could you put that thing down?” I was starting to get
ticked off. “Please, before you hurt someone.”

“Not until you explain what you're doing here,” she ordered.

“Okay,” I said. “No need to go psycho on us.”

“Start talking,” she threatened, turning the gun fully at
me.

“We're heading south to Hueneme,” I told her. “Our place got
over run by a zombie horde. We've had a really crazy couple of days on the
road. We just need a place to relax and recharge.”

“So why did you come here?”

“Benji is a big fan of Ever Rest,” I explained. “He
remembered the location from a magazine article he read. We thought this area
would be less populated, meaning fewer zombies to fight off. Most of these rich
people don't even live in these mansions full time anyway.”

“We never thought anyone would actually still be here,”
Benji added. Felicity lowered the shotgun at last. A puzzled look came over her
face.

“Hueneme?” She scratched her head. “I don't get it.”

“His brother is a big shot in the armed forces,” Benji said.
“He's stationed there.”

“We had some trouble coming down,” I said. “We're exhausted.
If we could just sleep for a while, maybe rummage for some supplies, we'll be
on our way.”

She stared at us for a minute, thinking.

“We'll have to ask Jax, but I’m pretty sure he won't mind,”
she said. “He has more than enough rooms, even for uninvited guests.” She
practically hissed the last part of the sentence.

“Jackson is here?” Benji's mouth hung open in surprise.

“Yeah,” Felicity said, “but he’s sick. I wouldn't get your
hopes up that he'll perform a personal concert for you.” Sarcasm dripped from
every word as she spoke.

At least she's not pointing a shotgun at us anymore
,
I thought.

“You said he’s sick. Be honest. Is he infected?” I asked.
She turned her full rage on me.

“No he isn't,” she practically screamed. “He's just sick.
Okay?”

“Okay,” I said, holding my hands up for fear she might shoot
me. “Chill out. We're your guests. Be cool.”

“Then act like guests instead of intruders,” she said. “You
can start by getting dressed.”

“Um,” I said, looking a little lost.

“What is it now?”

“We didn't really bring towels to this pool party,” I said.

“You were just planning on drying out in the sun?”

“Actually, we were so happy to see a clean pool we didn't
really think much at all,” Benji said, jumping in and saving me. Instantly
Felicity softened. Benji has that affect on people. Yet again, I was really
glad he was with me.

“I’ll get you some,” she offered. But then she turned and
glared at me like I was an enemy. “Wait here.”

She walked back into the mansion leaving us alone.

“Dude,” Benji said. “I can't believe it's actually
her
!”

“I know,” I confided. “I can't believe how mean she is in
real life. This was not what I was expecting at all.”

“What is it with you two?”

“What do you mean?”

“It's like on one level you're both fighting and saying rude
things to each other,” Benji began, “and then on another level something else
is going on.”

“I don't know what the hell you're talking about,” I said.
“I think the sleep deprivation is getting to you. Quiet, here she comes.”

Felicity came back with large, ultra fluffy towels that
smelled like roses. It was like we had died and gone to heaven. Benji and I
quickly toweled off and redressed, ditching our boxers and going commando while
they dried out in the sun. When we were back in our jeans, Felicity led us into
the house. There was a large kitchen with huge windows that looked out onto the
ocean and pool. To the side of that was a huge living room with several big
flat screen television sets and a couple of super comfy looking couches. There
were pictures of lightning striking the ocean hanging all over the walls. They
looked like the ones people used to sell prints of at the mall, only fancier
because they were real. In the middle of the room were several guitars and an
amp, right next to a video game console.

“Follow me,” Felicity said, leading us down a long hallway
deeper into the house. Platinum albums with sales numbers in glass cases lined
the walls, along with pictures of Jackson with famous people like former
President Bill Clinton and Bono. We passed a couple of guest rooms with the
doors barely cracked. There was also a small, normal looking office and a
studio space.

“That's his private studio but believe it or not, he usually
writes in the living room.”

Felicity Jane is playing tour guide for us as she takes
us to meet Jackson Everrest
, I mused.
Maybe we died back in New Lompoc.
It would make more sense. I'm sitting in the truck with a bullet from Tank's
gun in my head bleeding to death right now while ravenous zombies tear me apart
and Benji screams bloody murder. There is no way I am actually here!

“How many people are staying with you?” Benji asked,
snapping me out of my twisted fantasy.

“It's just Jax and me right now,” Felicity said.

“Are you dating?” Benji looked up at her innocently and she
smiled. I was glad he asked. I was just as curious about that as he was, but
after the way she took everything I said wrong I didn't plan on asking her
myself.

“No,” she laughed. “Jax is a close friend, like a brother.”

“Does he know he's in the friend zone?” I asked, trying to
be funny. I regretted saying it even before she turned her head and gave me an
evil glare—a glare that felt like she had physically punched me in the
guts.

“Jax can date anyone he wants,” she said. “Our relationship
is special because we've never tried to be anything more than friends. Just
because I’m an emancipated minor doesn't change the fact that I am sixteen and
he is twenty-four. Why am I explaining all this to you?”

She threw her hands up in disgust.

“I don't owe you anything,” she said.

“I'm sorry,” I confessed. “I didn't mean anything by it. I
am really tired and I was just trying to be funny. I'm an idiot. Please forgive
me.”

She fought back tears. I had hit a real nerve but I couldn't
see why. I really needed to learn to keep my trap shut. Felicity Jane was one
of the few celebrities I'd had a crush on and now that I was finally meeting
her in person, I couldn't seem to stop putting my foot in my mouth.

“I didn't mean to snap at you,” she said. “I shouldn't take
my stress out on you. You gotta understand that you are the first living people
I've talked to other than Jackson since Z-Day happened.”