“I’m coming, Mom.” It wasn’t far. Only three blocks. “Might as well be thirty.”
She held the hockey stick across her body, and her eyes roved, searching for danger. Her nerves were stretched to breaking point, like a rubber band about to snap.
Houses streamed past in a blur, single items flashing to the forefront. A pink bicycle with streamers flowing from the handle, a dog barking at the fence, a newspaper sticking out of a post box.
It’s like nothing’s happened. Her mind traveled to Nadia, and she wondered if her friend was okay, if what was happening here had spread over there too. I’ll phone her as soon as I find Mom.
This thought was shattered when the roar of a car reached Cat’s ears, followed by a stunning blow to her arm. For a second, her body felt weightless, cushioned by air before she slammed into the road. The sky flashed past in a haze of blue as she rolled across the tar, coming to a stop against the sidewalk.
Cat moaned, and pain radiated up her arm and through her shoulder. “What the hell?”
A tremendous crash cut through the fog in her brain. She shot upright, jumped to her feet and cast around for her hockey stick. It lay about a meter away. She hobbled over and winced as various aches and pains made themselves known. Once armed, she looked around for the source of the noise.
It was a car. The same one that hit her. It had swerved off the road and crashed into a lamppost. Steam rose from the bonnet, and the windshield had smashed on impact. Inside the ruined wreck, she spotted hands slamming on the back window and heard faint cries.
“Oh, damn,” Cat said and ran to the car as fast as she was able. “I’m coming.”
When she reached the spot, she slowed and peered inside the car. In the driver seat, a figure lay slumped over the steering wheel, long black hair trailing over its face. From the backseat, two frightened faces stared at her. Kids. Just kids.
Cat fumbled with the handle and opened the back door. “Are you guys okay?” Owlish eyes blinked at her. A boy and a girl. “Are you hurt?”
The girl, about seven or eight by Cat’s estimation, shook her head and pointed to the woman slumped over the wheel. “Mommy’s hurt. She’s sick.”
“Oh, man.” Cat looked at the woman, noting the blood trickling from her forehead. “Look, let’s get you guys out of the car, then I’ll help your mommy. Deal?”
“Okay,” the little girl replied.
Cat reached in to help the little boy out of the car first. He shrank back, pulling away from her with a frightened cry. I need to get them out of here. We’re sitting ducks.
Straightening up, she looked around. The street was empty. For now.
Inside the car, the woman stirred, a low moan escaping her lips. Cat ducked her head back into the car and looked at her. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
No answer except another groan.
Cat reached in and shook her shoulder. “Ma’am?”
The hair on the back of her neck rose. Something was wrong. There was something about the woman’s moans that sounded familiar. Horribly so. She looked at the little girl and fought to stay calm. “You said your mommy was sick?”
The girl nodded. “Real sick.”
Oh, no.
“What’s your name?” she asked, plastering on a fake smile as she snatched her hand back from the woman’s shoulder.
“Theresa,” was the solemn reply.
“Hi, Theresa. I’m Cat. Is this your little brother?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his name?”
“Juan.”
“Juan?” Cat kneeled next to the open door. “That’s a nice name. A strong name. Are you strong?”
He seemed to consider her question then nodded.
“I’m sure you are. You look like a courageous boy. Can you show me how brave you are?”
Juan frowned. “How?”
“By getting out of the car with your sister. I know it feels safer inside, but it’s not.”
“Why?”
“The car could blow up, silly,” Theresa said.
“Like in the movies?” Juan asked, staring at his sister.
“Yup. That’s why we need to get out,” she added.
His brow furrowed as he thought this over. After a nudge from his sister, he finally decided to move and climbed out of the car. Silently, Cat cheered at this small victory but time was running out. The woman stirred, and her head lifted off the steering wheel.
“Come on,” she encouraged.
The moment the kids were out, Cat slammed the door shut. Seconds later, the woman threw herself against the glass with a screech. Blood from the cut on her forehead streamed across her face and lent her a grisly visage. Theresa screamed. She grabbed her brother and pulled him back.
“Mommy!” she screamed, turning to Cat. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s sick, sweetie. It makes her angry,” Cat replied, backing away from the car. She cast a quick glance up and down the street. Her blood froze when she spotted several figures moving towards them, some faster than others. “We have to go. Now.”
“No,” Juan cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I won’t leave Mommy.”
“You have to. She’s sick, and she’ll hurt you if she can. We have to leave,” Cat pleaded.
Theresa stared at her, and uncertainty warred across her face.
The infected were getting closer. More emerged from houses and side streets. Where are they all coming from? The crash. They must have heard the accident.
A grinding noise drew Cat’s attention to the car. She was horrified to see that the woman had now moved her efforts to the shattered windshield and was attempting to crawl through. Her arms thrust through the gap, the glass cutting into her flesh and peeled back the skin. Move! We need to move!
“Please, sweetie. We have to run. Trust me.” She threw a wild look over her shoulders. “These people are all sick, just like your mom. If they catch us, they’ll kill us. Your brother too. You can’t let that happen to him. You’re his big sis, aren’t you?”
Theresa looked at Juan then at her mother who was crawling through the windscreen. She grabbed her brother’s hand and looked at Cat, lifting her chin. “We’re ready.”
“Thank, God,” Cat gasped. She snatched Juan up into her arms and cried, “Follow me!”
She ran down the street and took a sharp left turn. The road twisted and turned. Ignoring the little boy’s protests, Cat followed a route she knew well, ducking behind a long row of Christmas roses in full bloom. Theresa kept up, sticking to her side. After another quick turn and a dash across an open field, she glanced over her shoulder. Nothing. The infected had fallen behind, unable to follow their complicated flight, but they were not safe yet.
“Just a little further,” Cat said when she noticed Theresa lagging. “Come on. We can rest soon, I promise.”
Juan’s little face was red as he bawled in her arms. Cat’s heart clenched in sympathy for him, but she didn’t slow until she spotted the abandoned old house she was looking for. “In here.”
She helped the two over the fence before leading the way through the front door. The wood was warped, the hinges nearly rusted through. Cat shoved it shut with a grunt, wincing at the grating sound it made.
It was deserted, the only occupants being the rats and spiders that called it their home. The air smelled of mildew and rot, but to Cat, it meant a welcome reprieve from the horrors outside.
“We can rest here. Come on.” She led the way to the dining room, the best spot in the dilapidated building and sat the kids down in the corner. Shrugging her backpack off, she handed each a bottle of juice and a packet of biscuits. “Poor things. You must be hungry.”
Neither bothered to answer, tearing into the food like rabid wolves. It gave Cat a chance to evaluate her situation, and with searching fingers, she cataloged her injuries.
Peeling back her jacket and shirt, she studied the spot she’d been hit by the car, presumably the side mirror. Her shoulder and
upper arm hurt like hell, the flesh turning a lovely shade of royal purple, but it seemed fine otherwise. Her ankle throbbed but wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. The rest of her was whole. Achy and tender, covered in bruises, but intact.
With a sigh of relief, Cat slumped against the wall. The adrenaline rush from earlier had faded, leaving her drained. She rummaged through her bag for something to eat and came up with a piece of cheese wrapped in clingfilm. The children had devoured their biscuits. She pulled out a packet of cocktail sausages and handed them out, keeping two for herself.
After they’d drunk and eaten their fill, Cat leaned back, closing her eyes. Despair settled over her shoulders like a blanket, its leaden weight a heavy burden. What now? I’ve got two kids to look after, and I still have to find Mom.
“Cat.” The soft voice of Theresa interrupted her thoughts. “Thank you for saving us from…the car.”
The little girl’s voice hitched, and Cat surmised she was thinking about their mother. She looked at the two, huddled together on the floor, and her heart beat in sympathy. “Do you know where your daddy is?”
Theresa nodded while Juan started crying again and buried his face in his sister’s shoulder. “Daddy tried to hurt us. Mommy stopped him, but he bit her. She pushed him inside the house, and we drove away.”
“I’m sorry,” Cat replied, at a loss for words. For once, she was glad she didn’t have a dad. Her deadbeat of a father had abandoned them years ago when she was four, leaving her mother to raise her alone. It had been tough, but they’d made it. It had always been the two of them. I have to find Mom!
The impulse to run out of the house in search of her mother, the one person in the world who’d always been there for her, tore through Cat. At the same time, she couldn’t abandon her new charges.
The two opposites warred within her until she had to stifle a sob, She bit down on her lip to keep from screaming in frustration. I don’t know what to do!
Her head dropped into her hands, fingers clenching at the roots of her hair until her head ached. A soft touch on her shoulder startled her, and she looked up into Theresa’s eyes.
“Are you okay?” Theresa asked. “Did you lose your mommy and daddy too?”
“You’re worried about me?” Theresa nodded, and Cat was amazed that such a small child could carry so much love inside her. “I’m sorry. I’m the grown-up here. I should be looking after you, not the other way around.”
Cat opened her arms, and after a second’s hesitation, Theresa crawled onto her lap. Juan followed, and Cat held them close, comforting them as they grieved. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay. I won’t leave you. I promise.”
As she uttered the words, Cat knew they were the truth.
This is what mom would have wanted me to do.
Cat’s Eye - Chapter 3
Cat peered through the leaves on the bush that provided her with sanctuary and stared at the road ahead. Night had fallen, the heat of the sun giving way to a stiff, chilly breeze. It was the kind of wind that promised rain, a promise reinforced by the thick clouds that covered the face of the moon.
She stifled a curse and searched the area around the minibus for movement. Her eyes were stretched open to allow the smallest grain of light to penetrate.
Pitch black. That’s what this was. She was living the movie she’d watched with such ghoulish delight during a sleepover with Nadia. Like the movie, her town was a strange, hostile planet where no sun shone, and monsters lurked in the dark. Unlike the film, there was no hunky convict with strapping muscles and inhuman reflexes to save her ass. I’m on my own.
Her injured shoulder throbbed in time to the beat of her heart. She flexed her cramped fingers around the hockey stick and rose into a low crouch, preparing to launch herself into the open. Please, please, please let there be keys in the bus.
Earlier in the day, Cat had realized that the route to survival lay in getting out of town and away from the infected. It was only logical. After resting for an hour, they’d set out once more, heading for the edge of town.
That proved to be a mistake. Not only were the streets crawling with zombies, but Juan was a severe liability. He tired fast, his short legs unable to keep up the pace. Too big to carry and too small to understand, he descended into a tearful state, whimpering and crying non-stop.
The stress caused another asthma attack, and three blocks into the journey, Cat called a halt. A big Jacaranda tree provided the answer, and she boosted the kids up into its branches, leaving the backpack with its precious cargo of food with them. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Where are you going?” Theresa asked, her eyes wide. “Don’t leave us.”
“I won’t, I promise.” Cat squeezed the little girl’s hand. “I’m just going to look for a car, okay? So we can get somewhere safe.”
“Okay,” Theresa replied, putting a brave face on it though her lips trembled with fright.
“Be as quiet as a mouse. No crying,” Cat told Juan. “You have to be a brave boy now until I get back.”
Juan nodded, sucking on his fist and huddling closer to his sister. With a sigh of relief, Cat set out to look for something they could use to get to safety. She didn’t care what it was as long as it got them out of town.
She found nothing but disappointment on her quest. Many of the cars she came across had crashed or still contained occupants, infected who couldn’t open doors or undo their seatbelts. Others had no keys. For a time, she felt like giving up, but she wasn’t a quitter and thought back to what her mother always said when things got tough.
“We’re strong, Catherine. You and I. It doesn’t matter what life throws at us. We’ll always fight, and we’ll always have each other even when we aren’t together. Remember that.”
That had been four hours ago. Her mother’s words echoed through her mind and kept her going. The sun had set, night had fallen, and her fear had increased with each step she took. But she persevered until finally, she’d stumbled across her current target: A minibus taxi that had been abandoned in the middle of the street with the doors still open.
Cat sucked on her inhaler to ease the tightness in her chest before tucking it away and gripping the flashlight. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, and its silver rays cast an eerie glow. “Step one.”
She sprinted out from behind the bush and crossed the open space with terrific speed. Slamming into the open driver’s door, she peered inside the interior. It was clean. No blood. A flash of metal confirmed that the keys were in the ignition. “Oh, thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Step two.” Cat ran around to the passenger door and slammed it shut after a cursory examination revealed nothing sinister inside.
Step three,” she muttered, rushing to the sliding door that led to the back seats. Her heart hammered as she shone the light inside, its yellow glow feeble compared to the horror of the night and all it hid within. An abandoned handbag, strewn papers, and an empty cool drink can was all she saw. For a moment, Cat felt almost dizzy with relief.
She slid the door shut and turned. Her torchlight fell on a dark face, the mouth contorted in a snarl. Hands gripped her shoulders and pulled. Teeth snapped at the air in front of her naked skin.
Too shocked to cry out, Cat reacted on instinct. Her head dropped, and she kicked against the side of the minibus, launching herself forward. Her skull connected with the zombie’s chin. Dull pain exploded through her head, and the flashlight clattered to the ground.
The grasping hands fell away from her shoulders, and she was free. The infected stumbled back a step. Blood poured from its mouth, the tip of its tongue lying on the ground. The stump wriggled back and forth like a loathsome worm.
Cat swung the hockey stick. It whistled through the air and connected with the zombie’s jaw. The bone broke with a loud crack, and the force sent the infected hurtling to the ground. Not pausing, Cat scooped up the flashlight before running to the driver’s side and jumping into the seat.
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Her fingers gripped the keys, and she stepped on the clutch. The engine chugged sluggishly then caught, the needle on the petrol gauge shooting to three-quarters full. “Yes!”
She slammed the bus into gear and lurched forward, thanking the heavens that her mom had taught her to drive during the previous school holidays. The zombie was left behind, swaying in the rear-view mirror.
Cat raced towards the tree where she’d left the children, ignoring the figures that flashed past in her lights. Her eyes spotted the gnarled branches and purple flowers of the old Jacaranda. Despite the horrors of the day, she smiled. Casting a look around, she saw two infected approaching from the corner. Too close.
She sped up and roared towards them before turning at the last moment. The side of the minibus slammed into them and knocked the zombies to the ground with the sound of crackling bones as their limbs shattered.
Honking the horn, Cat came to a stop beneath the tree. She jumped out and left the engine running. “Theresa, Juan! Time to go!”
Two faces peered down at her from the branches. With a whoop of joy, Cat reached up to help them down. “Come on. Hurry up.”
She hustled them into the passenger side and closed the door before getting back in. “Buckle up, kids. We’re leaving town.”
With a roar of the engine, Cat pulled away and headed for the nearest exit from town using the back roads she’d explored as a child on her bike. With all three of them safely tucked inside a metal box on wheels, she relaxed and eased back in her seat. The outside flashed past in bits and pieces, like old skin being shed.
As Cat left her hometown behind, a sense of sorrow seeped in to replace the elation of earlier. She’d escaped the deathtrap her home had become and even saved two innocent children, but it had come at a cost.
I’m sorry, Mom.
I love you.
Cat’s Eye - Chapter 4
The night deepened around them with the absence of street lights and swallowed them whole. Tall grass lined the road, obscuring the countryside. It was broken only by the silhouettes of trees reaching to the moon with leafy fingers.
Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set Page 93
