Nadia didn’t reply. Her right hand edged closer to the gun on her hip, and she itched pull it out and blow the stranger’s head off, until the cocking of a gun froze her limbs in place.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a second voice said right by her ear. “Lift those hands, miss. Nice and easy.”
The hair on the back of Nadia’s neck prickled at the nearness of danger, the tiny hairs standing erect like those of a cat. A frisson of terror ran down her spine, and she obeyed with slow reluctance, raising her hands to shoulder height.
A third figure materialized behind Lisa, boxing them in with smooth efficiency, and she swore beneath her breath. They were trapped. She exchanged frightened looks with Cat and Lisa as a single thought united them: What now?
Chapter 2 - Lisa
The man holding Cat hostage surveyed the three girls with shrewd eyes until his gaze came to rest upon Lisa’s. She studied him with care, trying to define his personality. His dark hair was cut short and graying at the temples while his face was cleanly shaven. Tanned skin spoke of time spent outdoors, and laughter lines cut into the corners of his eyes.
At any other time, Lisa would’ve thought him harmless, the decent sort. Likely a family man who worked hard and loved nature. Now, she wasn’t so sure. “What do you want with us?”
He looked at her for a few seconds before replying. “That depends entirely on you three. Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
Lisa hesitated. Did she risk telling him the truth and getting them all killed, or did she lie and tell him they were part of a group who’d come looking if they went missing?
He seemed to read her mind for his hand tightened on the handle of the knife pressed to Cat’s throat. “Think carefully, Miss. Your level of honesty will determine what happens next.”
Her eyes flitted from him to the two other men holding them. They were young, maybe early to mid-twenties and looked…normal, for lack of a better word. As normal as the apocalypse allows one to be. A bit scruffy, a bit worn, but normal. They look like us. People facing the daily grind of life in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.
Deciding to trust her gut, Lisa said, “We’re nobody. Just three girls trying to survive in all of this.” Lisa risked a small wave around her. “We’re not part of a group, and we don’t mean you any harm. All we need is supplies, and we’ll be on our way.”
The man eyed her for what felt like an eternity before he suddenly let go of Cat, removing his knife from her throat. “All right. I’ll take you at your word…for now. We only saw the one car pull into town, and that was yours.”
Cat whirled around and threw her erstwhile attacker a nasty glare while massaging the cut in her skin. He noticed the trickle of blood and winced. “Ah, damn. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just…one can’t be too careful these days.”
“It hurts,” she huffed but relented after a moment. “But it’s fine, just be careful. That’s a knife, not a toy.”
The man’s eyebrows shot up, and he let loose a dry laugh. “Well. That’s the first time I’ve ever been preached to about weapon safety by a girl.”
“We can handle ourselves, girls or not,” Lisa said, reaching out to draw Cat to her side. “Now, please. Tell your friends to back off.”
As she spoke, she eyed the red-faced Nadia with trepidation. The girl looked like she was about to explode and do something stupid. She’s running on a short fuse lately. I’d better keep an eye on her.
The man nodded. “You heard the lady. Give them some space.”
“Yes, boss,” they chorused, each moving to the side before lowering their weapons. They did not entirely lower their guard, however, and remained alert. This was something Lisa could respect.
Nadia shot them all an angry glare, clearly not ready to let it go just yet. To forestall her protestations, Lisa stepped forward and raised her voice. “This is Cat and Nadia. I’m Lisa.”
“Kevin,” the leader said, “and that’s Mannie and Steward.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lisa said, shaking Kevin’s hand. His grip was firm, his muscles rangy and compact.
Mannie and Steward each mumbled a greeting, nodding at the girls in turn. Now that they weren’t threatening them, they looked shy to her eyes. There was no time to ponder, though. While Cat responded in kind to the boys with a low greeting, Nadia stared at them from narrowed eyes, her hands curled into fists. Lisa heaved an inward sigh. She’s gonna be trouble.
Cat noticed it too, for she shot Lisa a warning look before sidling over to Nadia. Under the pretense of looking for comfort, she gripped Nadia’s right hand and clung to her side as if for support.
The ruse worked, distracting Nadia long enough for Kevin to gather his boys to his side. “Right, well. You’re welcome to take what you want and be on your way, but the missus will kill me if I don’t invite you to supper. She hasn’t seen other people in months and is dying for some decent company.”
“Supper?” Lisa said, perplexed. “I don’t know. How many of you are there?”
“Not a lot. A few more faces, that’s all. Nothing to be scared of,” Kevin replied, keeping his answer vague. Though he seemed ready to believe her claim of being alone and harmless, he still wasn’t taking any chances himself.
“Can we come armed?” Lisa asked.
“Sure. It’s the zombie apocalypse. No sense in wandering about unarmed.”
“All right. I’ll talk it over with the girls. Where and when?”
“Six at the local Hotel up the street. You’re welcome to stay the night if you want. There’s plenty of spare rooms, and we’ve got hot water.”
Cat gasped aloud at that information. “Hot water?”
“Yup. Soap and shampoo too. Bath oil, fluffy towels, nightgowns, slippers… The hotel is pretty well stocked.”
“Oh, my God. You’re killing me,” Cat said, her eyes wide.
Even Nadia looked less hostile at the prospect of a hot bath, and Lisa had to admit it sounded heavenly. One hour, that’s all I need. One hour to soak in a tub filled with lavender oil, and I can die happy.
Kevin’s eyes twinkled as he suppressed a grin at their reactions. “Women. One can always count on the promise of a hot bath to lure them in.”
Lisa snorted. “You’re not far off.”
Kevin stuck out his hand again. “If you decide not to come then good health and good fortune to you and your friends. If you do visit, I’ll see you at the dinner table.”
“Sounds good,” Lisa agreed, shaking his hand once more.
In silence, she watched as the trio left the building, the two boys trooping behind Kevin and offering small waves on their way out. Once they were gone, she locked the door behind them just in case and returned to the spot where Nadia and Cat waited.
“What the hell was that?” Nadia said the moment she saw Lisa. “We’re going to supper with a bunch of strange men?”
“Whoa, there, tiger. I didn’t say we were going. I said we’d think about it,” Lisa said, raising her hands.
Nadia shook her head. “This is crazy! I say we go over there and kill them all.”
“What? You can’t be serious,” Lisa said, rocking back on her heels.
“You heard me. They are bad people. Look what they did to Cat. To us!” A hank of hair flopped over Nadia’s face, and she brushed it away with a flick of her wrist.
“He didn’t mean to hurt me, Nadia. It’s just a scratch,” Cat protested. “They were being careful. Can you blame them for that?”
“Being careful? They could have killed us all!” Nadia said, pacing up and down with furious rhythm. “Who knows what they have planned for us?”
Lisa watched her with a feeling of helplessness. On the one hand, her gut instinct told her she could trust Kevin, but on the other hand, Nadia had a point too. “So what do you propose?”
“Besides murdering possibly innocent people, Nadia,” Cat interjected. “Maybe they are the bad guys, maybe not. Either way, we don’t
know how many there are, and waltzing in there with guns blazing is not an option.”
Nadia stopped pacing and ran a hand through her hair. “You’re right, I guess. I’m being foolish.”
Lisa raised a hand toward Nadia. “Look. Why don’t we go there tonight and check them out? You heard him. We can take our guns with us.”
“Now who’s being stupid? We don’t know who they are, or if they can be trusted,” Nadia said while resuming her frustrated walk.
“We’ll be careful. They won’t take us by surprise again,” Cat said, adding her voice to Lisa’s. “Please, Nadia. If something looks off, we’ll bail.”
“We can check the place out beforehand, lay out an escape route, anything you want,” Lisa said, allowing a pleading note to enter her voice.
“And if it’s a trap?” Nadia asked.
“Then we fight our way out,” Cat said.
“Or we kill them all,” Lisa added, more for Nadia’s benefit than out of real conviction. She was confident it wouldn’t come to that.
Nadia stared at the two of them for a minute before she sighed and said, “Fine. I’ll go along with this…charade for now, but if anything happens, I’m blaming you two.”
Lisa laughed. “Noted. I hereby grant you full ‘I told you so’ rights.”
Cat sniffed her armpit and wrinkled her nose. “Besides, I could really use a bath.”
Nadia rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I suppose we all do.”
Lisa nodded. “So it’s a deal?”
“Deal,” Nadia and Cat answered in unison.
Lisa allowed herself a satisfied smile. Despite Nadia’s misgivings, she looked forward to a proper meal around a real table with company other than her own and the girl’s. Anything to break the tedium of the past few days. Here’s hoping.
Chapter 3 - Cat
Cat sat on the edge of a step, watching while Nadia finished her ablutions. Despite Kevin’s offer of a wash, the girls hadn’t thought to rely on it, for who knew what the night might bring?
Instead, they’d used bottled water and towels from the shop to scrub their bodies and hair before dressing in the new clothes they’d scavenged. Cat plucked at her new camo vest and light canvas jacket. It felt good to be clean again with her dark hair free of oil and her nails clear of grime. Still, a bath would be nice.
“What are you smiling at?” Nadia asked as she shimmied into a pair of skintight jeans.
“Nothing,” Cat answered.
“Don’t tell me you’re actually looking forward to dinner with that bunch of strangers.” Nadia threw Cat a pointed look before slipping on her long-sleeved shirt and buckling on her leather boots.
“I’m not!” Cat protested.
“Yeah, right. I still think it’s a bad idea.”
Cat sighed. “What’s with all the anger, Nadia?”
“Anger?”
“Yes. You’re not yourself lately. That infected woman you ran over earlier, Kevin…” Cat waved a hand at Nadia. “This whole thing you’ve got going on.”
“Thing?” Nadia straightened up, her cheeks flushed with bright red blood. “There’s no thing, Cat.”
“So you keep saying.”
“That infected woman was a zombie. Same as all the others we’ve killed. What makes her so special? They kill us, Cat. They kill and eat us.”
“I know, but this is different. It’s not like you.”
“Not like me?” Nadia glared at Cat. “You know what? Maybe you’re right. Maybe I have changed.”
“Nadia…”
“Maybe watching zombies eat my best friend and seeing someone I thought I knew stab my boyfriend changed me, but it also taught me something. Zombies are the enemy, and humans aren’t to be trusted. Ever!” Nadia turned her back on Cat, slipping on her jacket with jerky movements.
Cat sucked in a breath, the sting of her friend’s words as sharp as glass inside her breast. “Nobody? Nobody at all?”
Nadia froze, standing stock still for a moment before her shoulders slumped. She turned around, her blue eyes fixing on Cat’s, and her face softening. “I didn’t mean it like that. Of course, I trust you. Lisa too.”
“Do you? Because if that’s true, then I’m asking you to believe in us tonight. To know that we have your back, no matter what,” Cat said.
“It’s not that simple,” Nadia said. “What if it’s a trap?
“We’ll take every precaution.”
Nadia walked over and sat down next to Cat on the step, folding her arms around her legs. “And what if it’s not a trap? What if they’re really nice people?”
Cat frowned. “Huh?”
“I mean…I don’t think I’m ready.”
“Ready for what?” Cat asked, trying to get a bead on Nadia’s expression.
“I don’t know. Do you remember when Bobby died? How I couldn’t face people? It feels the same now. The very idea of small talk makes me want to puke.” Nadia’s face twisted as she mimed choking to death.
Cat sat upright as understanding dawned. “Okay, now I get it. You’re scared you’ll freak out or something.”
“Yeah, and if these are good people…”
“You’ll have made an ass out of yourself,” Lisa finished from the doorway.
Nadia shrugged. “Precisely.”
Lisa leaned against the wall. “I tell you what. If these people really are legit, you have our permission to act as strangely as you want. Hell, glare at everyone and pick at your teeth with your knife if it makes you feel better.”
“What?” Nadia asked, staring up at Lisa with a perplexed look. “You’re joking, right?”
“Not at all. We’ll tell them you’ve had a rough time with the zombies, and that you’re not right in the head anymore.”
“Right in the head? Are you calling me crazy?” Nadia said, jerking upright.
“Exactly,” Lisa replied with a smug smile.
Cat chuckled. “She’s right, you know? That way, they won’t care how you act. They’ll be expecting it.”
“Come on, it’ll be funny. You might even scare the bejeezus out of the younger ones,” Lisa said.
Nadia gaped at them both before jumping to her feet. “No way in hell am I acting like the town stooge for your entertainment.”
“Spoilsport,” Lisa replied, before jerking a thumb at the exit. “You two ready to go? It’s getting late.”
“Did you see anything out there?” Cat asked.
“Nope. No sign of Kevin or his people. The hotel’s windows and doors are boarded up, and the back alleys leading up to it are blocked. The only way in is the front entrance. No sign of infected either.”
“That sounds comforting,” Nadia said as she slipped a pair of knives into her boots before strapping a set of 9mm pistols to her upper thighs. Another knife found its way up her sleeve, and a revolver rested beneath her armpit in a shoulder holster, hidden by her jacket. Her t-bars lounged on her hips in makeshift sheaths. Extra ammo filled her pockets, and her customary cross hung from her neck.
Cat whistled. “Going to war, are we?”
“You never know,” Nadia answered with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“It’ll be all right, I promise,” Cat said, laying a hand on Nadia’s shoulder. “We’ve scouted the area, and we’ve got two cars prepped and supplied on two different routes in case we need to run for it.”
“I know.”
“Besides,” Cat said, slapping the stock of the shotgun slung across her chest. “I’ve got this baby for some serious firepower.”
Lisa clapped her hands. “Come on, you sexy ladies. Let’s get a move on.”
Cat snorted. “Sexy? Not with my fat ass. I mean, look at Nadia. Where does all the food go? Straight through her?”
Lisa laughed. “I hear you. What I wouldn’t give for such a metabolism.”
Nadia waved a hand. “Hello! I’m standing right here. Besides, at least neither of you sport a zebra hairdo.”
“I told you to let me cut off t
he black ends,” Cat said as they walked toward the exit.
“No way. I tried that before, with Logan,” Nadia said. “When I went all normal and stuff, and the boy cut does not work for me. It’ll just have to grow out on its own.”
“Why’d you stop coloring it?” Cat asked. “I thought you liked the black hair?”
“I do, but it’s getting harder and harder to find unexpired stock. So, natural blonde it is,” Nadia replied with a glum look.
“Cheer up. At least, you’re not grey,” Lisa said.
“Not yet,” Nadia said. “Give it a few more years with you two as friends.”
“Tired of being a zomketeer already?” Lisa asked with a smirk.
“I am not a zomketeer,” Nadia replied. “It’s a stupid word.”
Cat shook her head, listening while the two bickered. When they reached the exit, she placed her hand on the doorknob. “Ready for this, girls?”
“No, but let’s get it over with,” Nadia said.
“I’m always ready,” Lisa said with a broad grin.
“Focus, ladies,” Cat cried, raising her voice until the other two grew quiet. “This is dangerous business.”
They nodded, their faces growing somber.
“After all, we zomketeers have a reputation to uphold,” Cat added with a chuckle before ducking outside. Lisa followed with an answering laugh.
“Hey! I am so getting both of you back for that,” Nadia cried, closing the door behind her and giving chase.
They only ran a few paces though, before reality set in, and they slowed. Cat’s smile slipped away as she faced the hotel up the street, the tallest building in the tiny town. God, I hope Nadia’s wrong, and we’re not walking straight into a trap, but there’s only one way to find out.
“Right. Here goes.” Straightening her shoulders, Cat took the lead, her right hand clutching the stock of her shotgun. “Let’s do this, girls.”
Chapter 4 - Nadia
The gravel crunched beneath Nadia’s boots as she walked, each step in sync with Cat’s and Lisa’s. The sound echoed through the air, the only noise to be heard for a block all around.
Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set Page 120
