She moved to the cupboards and checked them, finding a few suitcases missing along with most of her mom’s clothes. “It looks like she made it back here and packed her stuff.”
“That’s good news, surely?” Lisa replied. I mean, she was still alive then, wasn’t she?”
Cat nodded as a flare of hope kindled in her breast. “Yes. Something must have prevented her from coming home before, and she only arrived after I left.”
“Problem is…where is she now?” Nadia asked while rifling through a stack of old magazines on the nightstand.
“I don’t know. She could be anywhere out there.” Cat shivered as old memories resurfaced, each fighting for dominance until she relived the first days of the outbreak again. The fear, the uncertainty, the horror of it all. “If she’s still alive, that is.”
“Don’t think like that,” Lisa said, placing a warm hand on Cat’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’s fine, wherever she is.”
“Yeah, we’ll find her,” Nadia added.
“Thanks, guys,” Cat said, forcing her fears aside for the moment and adopting a false sense of bravado. “You’re right. We’ll find her.”
“That’s the spirit,” Lisa said, chucking Cat on the arm.
“So…are we staying here for the night or moving on?” Nadia asked.
“I’d like to stay,” Cat said before hurrying to add, “Just for one night, if you don’t mind. I’d like to say my goodbyes.”
“Of course,” Lisa said. “Why don’t we give you a minute while we pull in the car and secure the gate?”
“That would be great, Lisa,” Cat replied with a grateful smile. “Oh, and about Chris? I’d like to bury him.”
Nadia nodded. “All right. I’ll look for shovels and a sheet. Lisa, you get the truck inside and the gate locked.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Lisa said as she followed Nadia outside, leaving Cat alone in her mom’s room.
Cat’s shoulders slumped as her confidence leached away in the sudden silence. The room was dark and oppressive, not at all the way it used to be, and she had the sudden urge to run away.
“I’ll come back later and sort through all this stuff,” Cat muttered to herself as she made her way out of the room and to the kitchen. Thirst drove her as she opened the cupboards looking for bottled water or juice. Basically, anything to drink.
She scored when she discovered a six-pack of boxed kiddies juices and pierced one with its little straw before sucking it dry. With a grimace of distaste, she threw the mummified sandwich into the rubbish bin. The bin reeked of decay too, so she put it outside in the courtyard. Her eyes fell on her mom’s old herb garden, and she paused for a brief second to admire the flowering patch of purple lavender with its delicate scent.
With a sigh of regret, she ducked back into the gloomy kitchen, locking the door behind her and checking that the windows and curtains were closed. Better to lie low and be safe.
So far, she’d avoided the fridge. The smelly things rarely contained anything usable and were better left alone in most cases. Now, however, as she looked for her mom’s old stash of candles, her eyes fell on a small square of paper stuck to the door with a magnet.
Nadia walked closer, her stomach lurching when she recognized her mother’s neat handwriting. With shaking fingers, Cat pulled the magnet off and read the note, one hand fumbling for a chair when her knees buckled.
That was how Lisa and Nadia found her minutes later, slumped over in the chair and clutching the sliver of paper between quivering palms.
“Are you okay?” Lisa asked, rushing over.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Cat replied, though tears streamed down her cheeks unheeded.
“What’s that?” Nadia asked, pointing at the note.
Cat raised her face toward them and smiled. “I know where she is. My mother.”
“You do?” Lisa asked.
Cat nodded, repeating it once more as if to convince herself of the truth of the statement. “My mom’s alive, and I know where she is.”
Lisa laughed aloud. “Then why are you crying, silly?”
“I don’t know,” Cat admitted with a giggle. “Tears of joy? This whole time…I thought she was dead.”
“Come here you!” Nadia cried, yanking Cat out of the chair.
With shrieks of joy, the three embraced, celebrating the small victory that had presented itself. Because that’s what you did now. You took what you could, when you could, for tomorrow might be a whole different story.
Chapter 2 - Lisa
After spending the night at Cat’s old home, Lisa was more than ready to move on. She got up extra early to prepare for the next leg of their journey, one she hoped would end in success, not tears. Cat had been through so much already, that another disappointment might be more than she could take.
She’s strong, though, and she’s got us to help her through it, Lisa consoled herself.
She loaded the truck before walking toward the gate to check the street. A lone figure shuffled around at the far end, and Lisa squinted at it before lifting the binoculars around her neck to have a closer look.
The figure came into sharp focus. A woman with stringy brown hair, her face as shriveled as a prune, still wearing her gardening clothes and purple gumboots. Not far from her on the lawn lay a corpse, as old and dried as a mummy after all this time. Lisa panned out, running her gaze along the length of the street. She needn’t have bothered. A single abandoned car stood in the middle of the road, the driver’s door open, and a skinny feral cat ran along the roof of a house, hunting pigeons.
“Nothing to worry about,” Lisa concluded.
She returned to the house, pausing along the way to pluck a single flowering rose from the overgrown garden. It was the last of the season, its leaves already wilting around the edges, but its ivory color still looked beautiful to her eyes.
Lisa stopped next to Chris’ grave, a bare mound of raw dirt in the early morning light. They’d buried him the previous day, and even though she hadn’t known him, she lay the flower down on the spot as a sign of respect.
“I’m sorry about what happened to you, and I’m sorry Cat had to kill you. You should know she didn’t mean to, but…” Lisa paused when she realized how silly she sounded. “Anyway, I hope you rest in peace. Amen.”
Feeling a bit stupid but also a bit lighter, she prepared to leave. Something strange caught her eye, however, and she froze to the spot.
A boot print.
Lisa swallowed a gasp before leaning down to examine the print. Still fresh, it stood out with sharp clarity on the strewn earth. It had been made after they’d buried Chris, and it did not belong to either her or the other two girls. It was far too big for that.
“This can mean only one thing. Someone else was here. Infected?” she wondered. Yet, how could that be? The gates were locked all night, and she’d personally cleared the yard and garage when they arrived. “Maybe I missed one?”
Lisa jumped to her feet and whirled in every direction, expecting the lurching figure of a zombie to appear at any moment. She pulled out her primary weapon, a razor-sharp machete strapped to her upper right thigh.
With her weapon at the ready, she walked around the house on silent feet, placing each foot with care. The grass was knee-high, and the tops swayed as she passed through. Her skin crawled as she looked around, wondering what the overgrown bushes might hide.
It was considerations like these as well as the evolution of the zombies that had prompted the recent changes in their dress code and weaponry.
Her jeans were of the stretch kind and the material flexible, making it easier to move. Her canvas jacket and gloves provided protection from bites, the collar zipped to chin and her knee-high boots prevented crawlers from taking a bite from her legs.
With the zombies becoming hardier, she’d found the machete to be the most efficient weapon for her. With it, she could deliver sweeping cuts to the neck, decapitating the infected or even hamstringing it in a pinch. A long slim
knife perfect for stabbing through the eyeball or beneath the chin provided a backup, while a 9mm pistol served as the last resort.
She was well-prepared for any undead she might find, as was Nadia and Cat who dressed similarly, also favoring the knee-high boot, jeans, and thick jacket approach.
As for their weapons, Nadia carried a heavy hammer these days, preferring to bash in the skulls of any infected she came across. A multitude of hidden knives and a pistol rounded off her personal selection.
Cat on the other hand, had become quite efficient at stick-fighting. She could deliver cracking blows at high speed, breaking a zombie’s neck in a flash or crippling it. The hidden sword was a bonus, perfect for stabbing in narrow confines. With a knife and an AK-47 as secondary weapons, she packed quite a punch.
It helped that they kept up with their training as well, sparring on a daily basis along with exercising to stay fit. Nadia had taught the rest of them how to pick a lock and hot-wire a car, while all three of them knew the basics of mechanics and how to get a car going again if need be. The easiest way was to visit a dealership, pick a vehicle, and install a new battery off the shelf.
She had to wonder how long they could keep doing that, though. How long the fuel would last before going bad, as well. At some point, they’d be forced to consider other means of transport. Hopefully, we’ll be settled in a community by then. St. Francis, most likely.
Her search had now taken her around the entire house, and she yet to see anything either living or dead. Lisa paused next to Chris’ grave once more, and she stared at the boot track, noting the pattern of the sole. She wanted to commit it to memory in case they came across it again.
A sudden stiff breeze swirled around her collar, and the fine hairs on the nape of her neck stood erect. The sensation of being watched swept through her, and she clutched the machete tighter in her hand.
With her heart in her throat, Lisa hurried into the house where a bleary-eyed Nadia sipped the last of her coffee while a cheerful looking Cat chewed on a breakfast biscuit. “We’ve got a problem, guys.”
Cat looked up. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone was in the yard last night.”
Nadia choked on her coffee. “What did you say?”
“Or this morning, perhaps. There’s a fresh boot print on Chris’ grave,” Lisa explained.
“Zombie, maybe?” Cat asked, her happy smile falling away.
“Can’t be. The gates were locked, and we checked the yard for infected. Besides, I looked again after spotting the track. It was clear yesterday, and it still is today.”
“So, not zombie,” Nadia mused, a frown marring her smooth forehead. “That means a living person or persons which is bad news for us.”
“Tell me about it,” Lisa agreed. “A zombie we can cope with, but a stranger lurking around and not showing himself? That can’t be good.”
“Nope,” Nadia said with a vehement shake of her head.
Cat swallowed audibly, brushing a few stray crumbs from her shirt. “What do we do now?”
“I don’t know,” Lisa admitted. “Get out of here, I guess?”
Nadia nodded. “Good idea. Before whoever it is returns with friends.”
Cat jumped off her chair and grabbed her backpack and walking stick. “Let’s get going then. The sooner, the better. I do not fancy running into another Jay or Lena.”
“Amen to that,” Nadia said. “I’ve had enough of the Black Widow thing to last me a lifetime too. If I kiss another man, it’d better be because I’ve been cured and we’re madly in love.”
They loaded up the last of their things while Lisa kept watch, her senses on high alert. She gave their supplies a quick once-over, satisfied that they had enough to keep going for the time being. Two jerry cans of fuel, a crate of bottled water, a few boxes of long-lasting food, a fully stocked medicine kit, batteries, candles, toiletries, clothes, and extra blankets.
She opened the gate and slid behind the wheel. “Ready, guys?”
“Ready,” Cat and Nadia echoed.
They drove away from Cat’s childhood home, past the zombie lady still dressed in her purple gumboots, and headed toward their next destination: The civic center and local library.
“That’s where your mom went next?” Lisa asked.
“According to her note, yes,” Cat replied. “The town set up a safe zone during the outbreak. I only hope she’s still there or left another clue if they’ve moved on.”
“Holding thumbs for that,” Lisa agreed, leaving the house and their mystery stalker behind in their rearview mirror.
Chapter 3 - Nadia
Nadia stared out of the window as they drove, her mind stretching back over the years to the period she used to live in this sleepy little town. It was a long time ago, a lifetime really, but now it felt like it was only yesterday.
When they’d first moved here, she hadn’t been thrilled. They rarely stayed in one place for long, drifting around the country with no fixed abode. She hated her alcoholic mother, loathed her abusive stepfather, and didn’t want to start at a new school all over again.
Then there was Bobby. Her little brother deserved better. He needed stability, love, acceptance, and a sense of permanence, none of which he got with their parents.
She tried her best to fill the void left by their mother, taking Bobby under her wing and nurturing him like he was her own. She loved him more than life itself and would’ve done anything for him.
For a time, things had improved. Her stepfather got a job, her mother eased up on the drugs, if not the booze, Nadia met Cat who was destined to become her best friend, and even Bobby was enjoying his new school.
Until that one fateful day…
Nadia returned home from school as usual, finding the front door unlocked. This was normal. Her mother was careless. Alarm bells went off in her head when she spotted her mom passed out on the couch, a needle sticking out of her arm.
Bobby was nowhere to be found, a fact that sent Nadia into a frenzy. When she noticed that the patio door stood wide open, her heart dropped into her shoes. It was not supposed to be open for it led to the swimming pool. Though he loved the water, Bobby couldn’t swim. Not yet.
Nadia ran outside to the water’s edge and saw him immediately, floating face down in the water. She plunged into the pool, grabbed one of his limbs and dragged him out. She never forgot the touch of his skin. Like ice.
With a scream of denial, Nadia rolled him onto his back and pummeled his chest. She administered CPR, ignoring the way his empty eyes gazed at the sky, but after twenty minutes, she was forced to admit the truth. Bobby was gone.
With a cry of rage, Nadia jumped to her feet and marched to where her mother lay passed out on their couch, her expression as blank as a goldfish’s. Unable to contain her anger, Nadia slapped her on the cheek. Once, twice, three times. “You stupid woman. Why? Why did you open the door? Why didn’t you watch him like you were supposed to? Why?”
It’d been a futile question then, and it still was today. Why…why did anything bad happen in this world?
A single tear trickled down Nadia’s cheek. That day still stood out as the worst in her life, worse even than the time Logan and Caleb died, worse than the night she infected Brandon and he killed their entire group. Worse than the apocalypse itself. “I’m sorry I didn’t save you, Bobby. I’m sorry.”
Her fingers traced over the scars hidden beneath the sleeves. After Bobby’s death, the cutting began. Each slice with the razor eased her pain and guilt, lightened her burden. It was her way of punishing herself, that and the pills.
After the funeral, Nadia’s doctor prescribed anti-depressants and sleeping tablets to help her cope. Instead, they dragged her further into the abyss, becoming a crutch she couldn’t let go of.
It was Cat who helped her over the worst of it. Cat who nursed Nadia back to a semblance of her old self. Cat who became the best friend anyone could ever ask for. An angel in disguise.
Nadia stare
d at her friend’s visage, marveling that such a kind person existed in the universe. Now, here they were, back together in their old town and looking for Cat’s mom. Life takes the weirdest turns.
Cat turned to look at Nadia and smiled. “Brings back memories, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Nadia agreed.
“What memories?” Lisa asked.
“Oh, you don’t know?” Cat asked before slapping her forehead. “Of course you don’t. We never told you.”
“Told me what?” Lisa asked with a perplexed frown.
“This is where Nadia and I first met. Right after she moved here with her family. We became best buds and kept in contact even after she moved away,” Cat explained.
“How did you meet up again later?” Lisa asked. “I’m getting really confused here.”
“I moved to Upington and stayed there until the zompocalypse. My group was killed off, and I roamed around alone until Logan found me on his tour of the country,” Nadia replied.
Lisa snorted. “Nice way to put it. He went bonkers and ran off looking for salvation of some sort.”
“Do you blame him? He loved Morgan,” Nadia said.
Lisa’s face dropped. “He did. We all did. She saved my life, you know?”
Nadia shook her head. “I didn’t know that.”
“I’ll tell you the story sometime, but finish yours first,” Lisa said.
“In the meantime, I ended up in a river house in a town not far from here, and that’s where I settled until Logan found us,” Cat continued. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw Nadia with him. Anyway, he took my friends and me back to camp with them, and the rest is history.”
“Wow, what a weird way for things to work out,” Lisa said.
“Tell me about it,” Nadia agreed before settling back in her seat.
The scenery flashed past in a blur of greens tinged with brown where autumn’s touch had settled. Cat’s voice faded into the background as she read the directions to the civic center, and Nadia felt her eyelids begin to droop.
Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set Page 132
