Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  She flashbacked to the day the world had ended for her and everyone she had ever loved. Those hellish demons forever imprinted in her mind. The agonizing pain of knowing she could have saved Mama if she had done something. Instead, she had merely stared spellbound by its evil, just like she was this very instant.

  Ella tried to turn around and run. Her feet refused to move. The disgusting thing banged its head against the fence in what looked like a feeble attempt to free its ankle from a small hole in the bottom of the fence. How long had it been trapped there—bashing in its own head, trying to get its ankle unstuck? From the looks of the ankle, raw to the bone, it could have been there since the beginning of the Super Summer flu.

  The creature abruptly stopped its erratic head-banging and stiffened. It lifted its mangy head to the sky, snorting the air. Its entire body spasmed-out. Its mangy head twisted around 180-degrees without moving its torso, twisting eerily around until Ella saw its grotesque face snorting at the air. Its reddish-greenish flesh was disintegrating, revealing a hollowed space where the nose would have been. Then, it saw her. Their eyes locked. Eyes black as death flashed and swirled. Its body quaked, rippling the entire section of redwood fence. After God knows how long, a plank in the fencing snapped out of its perfect placement—just enough.

  Justin . . .

  Ella opened her mouth to scream. Nothing came out. She wanted to run, but she couldn’t feel her feet. The demon groaned with un-godly rapture. Her knees buckled. The hairs on her arms stood straight up, electrified. It lunged at her. It must have forgotten it had only turned its head, not its body. It snapped back to the fence like a rotten rubber band. Then it crumpled to the ground. No longer bound to the fence, it didn’t bother to stand. Its fleshless, bony fingers dug into the moist ground, inching its way to her with black-blank eyes—longing to devour her bite by bite.

  Ella swayed about and shut her eyes, squeezing them tightly. It clawed at her feet. She felt herself falling to the ground—she heard the dried autumn leaves crunching under her body—she smelled its stench of death. Then, it was tugging at her shoulders. It tossed her around on the cold, damp, winter ground. A series of swishing and swooshing sounds followed. And then . . . then she felt something hot and wet and slimy.

  Please let this be over . . .

  Justin knelt beside Ella, tears blurring his vision. Zombie guts splattered Ella’s lifeless body. He lovingly carried her frail pixie-like body inside the house and then laid her on the living room’s couch. He sat on the floor next to her, his eyes glazing over. Why did I leave her alone? But, he had wanted to make super sure the house had been safe. If a horde had been inside, he really didn’t think he could save both of them. So, he sat there grieving. Waiting for Ella to turn. And, when she did turn—did he have the courage to de-activate her?

  Justin sat on the hardwood floor next to Ella and lost track of time. How long does it take? Finally, her body stirred. She mumbled and twisted about on the couch. Without warning, her body sprang up. Gurgling groans gushed from her mouth. Puke spurted from her lips. His heart frosted-over. Icicles pierced his soul.

  “Don’t ever leave me alone like that again,” she spluttered.

  “Huh?” Justin shrieked. “Ella, you’re okay?”

  “Ugh, do I look okay? I got zombie-goo all over me. That smell is absolutely disgusting.” She gagged and puked again on the side of the couch.

  “I mean, you’re not a zombie?”

  “Maybe just a little.” She snarled, raising a claw-like hand.

  “Ella, that’s so not funny.”

  “That’ll teach you not to leave your girl alone in this zombie-infested world!” She was definitely pissed.

  “Okay, I get it. Uh, you need to shower, like now,” he said, pinching his nose closed. “And, I need to get rid of the Z that almost nailed you. If Paxton sees it—it’ll give away our hiding place.”

  “Why here? Scarlett told us to go to Reno.” Ella said, wiping off zombie guts with her shirt.

  “I’ll explain later,” he said in a nasal tone, still pinching his nose. He led her to the bathroom. “There’s water in the hot water tank, so you can take a quick shower. But it’s gonna be hecka cold,” he warned.

  “Anything to get rid of this zombie-goo!”

  “Okay, I’ll leave you to your business. We’ll talk later,” Justin said, handing her a fluffy, green bath towel from the linen closet.

  “No!” she screamed.

  “What? What’s wrong?” He scrambled back to the bathroom, almost tripping over his own feet.

  “Don’t leave me!” Ella started to cry.

  “Uh, okay, sure.” He realized how frightening this whole thing had been for her. “Let me know when you’re ready for me to come in. We can, uh, talk.”

  Justin waited anxiously.

  “Okay, you can come in. H-holy c-crap, it’s f-f-friggin’ cold.” Her words came out in shivering gasps.

  Justin sat on the closed lid of the toilet while she took a shower. He felt sort of awkward, yet at the same time, he felt super special, like they were a normal married couple.

  Justin rambled on about his plan. If they tried to get to Reno or Vacaville, they’d probably run into Paxton and Nate. It was safer to hang there for a few days or heck, a few weeks, thinking Paxton and Nate would eventually give up.

  The faucet handle squeaked off. Justin watched as the green towel draped over the seashell shower curtain slowly disappeared to the other side. Suddenly, all he could think about was the girl he loved was just on the other side of the flimsy, plastic, shower curtain. And she was naked except for the towel. Down boy, he scolded his lower body. For the first time, his body seemed to have urges he couldn’t control.

  He’d never been into girls, and his father had always been concerned he might be gay. Justin had never really cared one way or the other until he had met Ella. He certainly couldn’t come on to Ella in the shower. Not after what she had just been through. Ella swept the shower curtain aside and stood there wrapped in the fluffy, green towel, water dripping from her hair. He was mesmerized.

  “Seriously? We’re going to live on the roof? It sounds so cuh-ray-zee, but kinda cool.” She stepped out of the shower.

  Ella fiddled with the shower curtain. Transfixed, he watched each water droplet dribble down the nape of her neck to her shoulder and then down her shoulder, melting into the towel. He so wished he could be one of those water droplets.

  She finished fiddling with the shower curtain and turned around. “Justin, like what’s wrong with you?” she said, completely oblivious to the effect she had on him. “Duh, I need clothes,” she moaned, staring at him like he was a total idiot.

  “Ye-ah, I’m on it.” He dashed out, glad for an excuse.

  He ransacked the master bedroom’s walk-in closet and found a set of flannel pajamas. These ugly, striped, flannel pajamas should get rid of my crazy thoughts and desires.

  “Don’t say I never gave you anything,” he joked, tossing her the ugly pajamas.

  “Really?” Ella wrinkled her nose. “I have to live on the roof and wear these stupid pajamas?”

  “Be back ASAP. I need to get rid of the de-activated zombie.” He handed her a stack of plastic shopping bags from the kitchen cupboard. “Can you load the bags with all the food you can find? And don’t forget blankets. We’ll need lots of blankets and pillows,” he said as he ran out the back door.

  24

  The whirring of an approaching engine caused Scarlett’s heart to pound even harder. She knew it was Paxton. Somehow, she knew Paxton wouldn’t stop searching until he had found her, which was the reason she had decided against driving to Vacaville in search of Dean and Luther. Heading westbound on I-80 would be idiotic. It’s probably what Paxton’s expecting, she thought. All the while she prayed Justin and Ella were on their way to Reno, but if they hadn’t found a vehicle, there was a good chance they were stuck in Sacramento just as she was.

  Exiting the mall’s front entrance was
definitely out of the question. She spied several small packs merging into a mega-horde. It had to be Paxton at the front entrance, making all that racket. He’s trying to trap me. Very clever. The freeway entrance was right there; she could see it. And so could Paxton. She couldn’t risk it. Instead, she drove to the back of the mall at a very slow speed, wary of any stragglers ready to ambush her.

  She vaguely remembered a back exit. She had gone shopping there last Christmas with Maggie, and they had been detoured to a back exit due to an accident blocking one of the main exits. She found the exit and turned in the opposite direction of the blue truck spinning donuts in the intersection.

  Scarlett drove around from subdivision to subdivision until finding a house with an open garage to hide the car. She parked inside and sat in the car, waiting to see if anything nonliving or living had followed her. She was ready to go blasting out of the garage if she had been followed.

  A glance at the dashboard clock told her an hour had passed. Time to check out the street. She forced herself out of the car and then crept to the edge of the open garage door. To her relief, both ends of the street were empty, free of creepers and Paxton. The only sound, the only movement, came from the wind as it whipped at the scattered debris.

  Scarlett needed to come up with a plan. What would Paxton do? He’d try to track her down, and if he couldn’t find her, he’d try to detain her. Trap her. Well, that’s a given, he’s doing a good job of that right now.

  Think, Scarlett. Think! So, what are my advantages? Number one, Paxton didn’t know where she was—exactly. Number two, he didn’t know she had a car, and number three, she was pretty sure he had no idea she was used to surviving on her own. He probably thinks I’ll just hide in a house. Not going to happen. No, she had to go to some off-the-wall place, a place he’d never think of. A place she hadn’t even thought of yet. That’s it.

  Scarlett decided to wait until dark before driving to the outskirts of the city. She only knew one way out of Sacramento without going by way of a highway. It would take a while to get to the country road she was thinking of. But she could do it. She had to. Scarlett pictured her plan mentally, carefully planning every detail as if envisioning it would help manifest it.

  It would be dark soon. She should search the house for food and other useful items, although she dreaded it. She had been relying on Justin’s help on her scavenging hunts. Gathering her courage, she searched the garage for anything useful but was ready to make a mad dash out of there if need be.

  Scarlett added a tire iron to her arsenal. It was lighter than the crowbar. Still, she’d much rather find a bat. She found an empty, wooden lug box and put it in the back of the Subaru and then filled it with items from the garage: black electrical tape, a camping stove, a container of propane, a handful of wrenches and screwdrivers, a hammer, and a box of nails.

  She couldn’t delay it any longer. Her hunger pangs refused to be ignored. Scarlett took a deep breath. With the tire iron in one hand and one hand on the garage doorknob, she tried the handle. It was unlocked. And she timidly yet boldly stepped inside.

  “Anyone here?” she called out, hoping to draw out any creepers lurking inside while she was still close enough to the car for a fast getaway. Why didn’t I sign up for the Zombie Defense Class Justin had been begging to teach me? He had taught her a few of his Fab-Five zombie moves, but she had always meant to spend more time with him.

  By the time she reached the hallway, it was evident the house had already been looted. Empty food containers, dirty dishes, dirty clothes, and a pair of sleeping bags were scattered about. Someone had been camping-out there recently from what she could tell.

  “Hello,” she yelled, ready to run back to the car. Complete silence. She quickly closed each bedroom and bathroom door, hoping to trap any creepers. “Phew,” she let out a sigh of relief. The house appeared creeper-free. She searched the cupboards for food. And was pleasantly surprised to find an open box of soda crackers and a nearly empty jar of peanut butter. That was it for food.

  Next, she decided to brave one of the bedrooms for warmer clothes and a blanket. It would be cold tonight, and who knew when she’d find a warm place to hide. Scarlett opened a bedroom door and yelled, “Hello?” No sounds, no creepers. She grabbed everything she could and loaded the backseat with blankets, pillows, and clothing.

  The sun was descending too quickly for her nerves. The wind picked up. She sat in the front seat of the car and dreaded the darkness taking over the night. Meanwhile, she studied the street from her narrow vantage point and scarfed on stale crackers dipped in peanut butter.

  “Hmm—” Scarlett jumped out of the car and searched through the lug box for the roll of electrical tape. Most likely, Paxton would be looking for her tonight. The taillights would give her away. She quickly taped-over the lights on the back and sides of the car, leaving only the lights in the front uncovered, which she could use as needed.

  It was time. Struggling to find an inner calmness, she started the engine. And wondered how far she’d get on a half-tank of gasoline. She rubbed the dashboard as if it were a magic genie. Just get me out of Sacramento . . .

  25

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuccck—” Paxton ranted, racing balls-out to the nearest Interstate 80 on-ramp. He and Nate had spent the last month barricading the highway entrances and exits in the area, blocking the roads with vehicles except for the exit by the mall, the point-of-entry they always used. If a barricade had been tampered with (which would be easy enough to do with a group of people), it would alert him of survivors on the move. He planned to recruit more men. And, of course, more women to add to his harem. A work in progress.

  After checking the barricades, he was positive Scarlett, Ella, and Justin hadn’t left Sacramento. It would require a vehicle, and the odds of them finding a working vehicle were slim at most. “Damn you, Nate!” Nate must have scared the shit out of Scarlett and Ella with his crazy-ass cage talk. He thought the whole cage thing was downright sick and only used it to placate Nate. Nate had so much fun with the cage they had found back in Stockton with that do-anything-to-save-her-ass office girl from the police station. It was all the twisted tweaker raved about.

  Paxton hadn’t expected Scarlett’s group to escape, never in a million-fucking years. They didn’t have the balls to do what it took to survive in this man-eat-man world. “Ha, the jokes on them.” They had underestimated his persistence. “When I find them, I’m gonna make them pay bigtime.” Paxton snickered. It was a thought he enjoyed—making them pay.

  After not finding any traces of the escapees, Paxton analyzed the map again. There’s no f’n way they’ll get beyond this point. He drew a larger circle around the previous circle he had marked. They had to be somewhere within the circled perimeters he marked on the map.

  Time to get jiggy with it. He headed to Bell Avenue first, and then he’d hit Howe, Arden, Fulton, El Camino, and Marconi. After that, he’d hit the smaller residential intersections according to the map. He spun about each intersection pulling 360s, revving the engine and banging the horn until he attracted enough Zs to form a horde. He knew from experience he’d have them trapped once the intersections swarmed with Zs. They’ll be begging me to take them back. And he would—for a price. His grin grew wider.

  He waited patiently for nightfall. Time was on his side. There was no way in hell they’d travel at night. Nobody was that stupid or brave, especially that scared-of-her-own-shadow Ella chick. Hell, she’d probably shit if she saw zombie shit. There was absolutely no way they’d get out of this town without reckoning with him or the zombies. He would make damn sure of it!

  It was an hour after dark. The gas tank needled hovered over empty. He’d better get some sleep and rest up for tomorrow. Scarlett’s group was probably hiding out for the night, ready to make a run for it at first light. And he’d be there waiting for them.

  The taste of his cruel smile wetted his appetite. Think I’ll take the truck with the cage at dawn’s light. The devi
lish idea taunted him. “I just might have to teach them a lesson.” His balls got hot and sweaty thinking about it. Maybe Nate wasn’t so crazy after all. And if he was really smooth, he might even convince Justin to be his new wingman—if he threatened to harm his precious Ella.

  26

  It had taken Scarlett most of the night to find the country road on the eastern side of town that had finally taken her out of Sacramento. It had been a spine-chilling drive, detouring around the huge hordes ruling the roads. Paxton’s crazy antics had alerted every flipping creeper in the city, and on top of it, the Subaru’s dim parking lights attracted the creepers like moths to a flame. She had avoided hitting as many as possible but couldn’t help splattering several with the front bumper, leaving a gory trail of smashed creepers in her wake. It was a trail Paxton could follow.

  Scarlett spent the next few hours in the eerie darkness with only the hum of the engine keeping her awake. She must have nodded off for a brief second. The car swerved, jolting her back. Attempting to shake-off her exhaustion, she rolled down the window. The brisk air forced her into alert mode. Still, she needed to pull over soon.

  She drove down the dark, deserted, country road. In order to throw Paxton off her trail, she alternated turning right and then left at every four-way intersection she came to, as long as it wasn’t a dirt road. Sure, she’d be lost. Lost enough that Paxton couldn’t find her.

  The lonely roads intensified her despair and had her questioning each of her decisions. Had she made a deadly decision demanding Justin and Ella to escape without her? She realized how ludicrous it was. How would they survive? And then there was the gunshot. Its finality rattled through her brain. Someone had been shot, probably killed. Murdered. And it had been her fault. Despite the guilt, she hoped it had been Nate. Nate was evil by pure choice, unlike a creeper.