The loud banging on the front door made them jump.
Megan moved back, a startled gasp escaping her lips as she eyed the steel door. Teddy whirled, recoiling as his eyes bulged out in fear.
Again, a heavy pounding shook the doorframe. There were two loud knocks. Megan cocked her head, puzzled. The knocks were concise, measured. It didn’t sound like something one of the infected would do.
Her heart leapt. George had found them! She crossed the floor toward the door, ready to fling it open and jump into his arms.
“Please! Let me in!”
Megan’s feet stopped before her body did. She swayed and then took a step back as she felt a creeping dread.
She glanced over at Teddy and could tell by the look on his face that he was feeling the same thing. His lips moved as he uttered a single word that confirmed her worst nightmare.
“Cindy?”
He spoke the name with both fear and reverence. Megan didn’t nod in response, as if by doing so she would provide the last component to whatever dark spell was being cast on them. When the door vibrated again with the sound of desperate knocking, they both jumped a second time.
“Megan? Is that you in there? They’re coming for me! Please! They’re not far behind. I DON’T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS! Please … I’m sorry for everything I did to you. You have to believe me! Please, God!”
Megan shrank back as she listened to Cindy’s tear-choked scream. The banging grew louder and echoed through the office. Megan put her hands over her ears and then dropped them. Ignoring the pleas wouldn’t make them go away.
That was when they heard the moans. It was also when Cindy threw her body against the door and howled with fright.
“What’s going on?” Jason said from behind them.
“Get back upstairs, now!”
The twelve year old stepped backwards, almost stumbling with shock at the anger in Megan’s voice. Her blue eyes glowed with rage.
“Get up there and stay put, do you understand me? Do NOT come back down here again!”
Jason nodded and practically flew up the steps.
Megan turned back to the door, the brief interaction with Jason helping to jar her out of the near-catatonia-inducing fear taking hold of her. Cindy was still banging on the door, and Megan walked toward it with Teddy behind her.
“What’re you going to do?”
Megan cursed under her breath and leaned against the wall, her eyes level with the door. She watched it vibrate from Cindy’s efforts. She could hear the ghouls getting closer.
“Megan, please! I am soooooo sorry! I don’t want to die.”
There was a sudden pause, and the banging on the door stopped. Megan lifted her head up off the wall, wondering if Cindy had decided to run. The howls and catcalls were getting louder, closer.
“They’re almost here! You have to let me in, NOW!”
Megan looked at Teddy and saw the pain in his eyes. Never had she heard such terror in someone’s voice, and the look on the boy’s face made it clear that he was scared for Cindy, no matter what kind of person she was. Besides, if Cindy really wanted in, she could simply smash one of the picture windows and climb inside.
Megan swallowed hard as she reached for the doorknob. She gave one last look at Teddy, who hesitated for a moment and then nodded, giving his reticent blessing.
She twisted the knob and flipped the deadbolt. The door crashed in on her, knocking her backwards as Cindy flew inside. Megan landed on the ground with a loud oomph! Surprised and stunned, she felt a pain in her back, but was already trying to get to her feet.
When she looked up, Megan realized what a horrible mistake she had made.
Cindy was an open wound. Glass fragments had pierced the entire left side of her face from scalp to jaw. There were other cuts and gashes on the exposed part of her neck, the red crust of dried blood mixing with the dark ink of her tattoos to create an eerie display of swirling demonic images. The white tank top she wore was in tatters, and the black bra underneath was in barely better shape. It looked as if the punker had been dragged face first across fifty yards of uneven pavement. Her grin showed several cracked and shattered teeth.
Cindy slammed the door shut, muffling the raucous noises outside. She turned to look at Teddy and then shifted her gaze to Megan. Her smile widened.
“Thought you could keep me outside, didn’t you?”
Megan slid backwards on the thinly carpeted floor as she shook her head in denial. Cindy followed one step at a time. She turned her back on Teddy. It was clear that Megan had her undivided attention.
“Weren’t going to let me in, huh? You were going to let those rotten mother fuckers eat me, right?” Cindy paused for a second, feet stationary as she licked her lips, hands sliding down her maimed midriff in an almost sensuous manner. Her eyes rolled back in her head as the psychotic witch arched her back and moaned. “The idea of getting eaten alive does sound … tantalizing. I’ll give you that.” Suddenly, her eyes snapped back onto Megan. “But I think I’ll enjoy watching you die even more.”
The predator moved forward again. Megan whimpered and turned over, bringing her knees up underneath her. The sudden sharp pain of Cindy’s fingers grabbing her by the hair elicited a piercing scream from the petite woman. Megan scrambled to get to her feet as Cindy gave a ruthless tug upward. Megan could feel her tormented scalp relinquishing chunks of hair.
“Get off of her, you fucking bitch!”
Suddenly, Megan was back on the ground. Cindy gave her a brutal push as she turned to face Teddy, who was charging at her. The boy had stood in stunned silence as Cindy barreled inside and turned on Megan, but when she grabbed his friend, something inside him snapped. He flew with a blinding rage at the woman he had despised from the instant they met. Turning to face him, she gave the teenager a lascivious grin.
As Teddy dashed toward Cindy, he didn’t notice the long shard of glass she pulled out of her jeans pocket. When he crashed into her and they slammed to the ground, he barely felt the makeshift blade slide deep into his abdomen. His fingers were already around her throat as she squeezed the glass tighter, letting it cut into her palm and fingers. Teddy’s eyes widened as she watched him from below. Cindy pushed her hand down in a sudden violent thrust and watched the surprise register on the boy’s face. She kept pushing until the glass shattered, leaving a bloody pile of shards in her hand.
Megan, still on the ground, only heard the two bodies slam into the carpet. She rolled over, hoping Teddy had managed to subdue the madwoman.
When she heard him scream, Megan went cold. Cindy was underneath the boy, her legs wrapped around him as he struggled to break free of her tight clench. Her mouth was next to his ear, and she was whispering something into it. Teddy’s struggles were already beginning to weaken.
The screams faded as Megan scrambled to her feet and rushed over to the two intertwined figures. Cindy wiped the blood from her saturated hands, smearing it on the back of Teddy’s shirt.
“NO!” Megan shouted as she knelt over them and grabbed for Teddy. She desperately tried to pry the boy free, but Cindy had her legs wrapped too tightly around him.
Cindy slid her head away from Teddy’s ear and glanced up at Megan. As she did, the teenager’s head slumped to the floor. The psychopath smiled.
“Damn! That was good!”
Megan kept shaking her head in disbelief, but stopped fighting the crimson-drenched woman for possession of Teddy. She stumbled backwards, stunned. Another scream surged past her lips at the sound of several fists banging on the door. Unlike Cindy’s measured knocks, there was nothing precise about them.
“Ah, my friends have arrived.”
Megan continued to backpedal as Cindy pushed the limp teenager’s body away. Gasping, Megan knew immediately that Teddy was dead. Blood was pooling around him from a ragged slice that went from his belly button down to near his groin.
Whipping her hand back and forth several times to clear it of excess blood and the tiny slive
rs of glass, Cindy ignored the hammering sounds as the door behind her vibrated in its frame. Instead, she set her sights on Megan.
Cindy broke into a diabolical grin and uttered one chilling syllable: “Next.”
Shaking off her stupor, Megan turned and ran for the stairs. Cindy caught up with her just as she reached the railing and drove the small woman forward. Megan tripped, and her chest slammed into the steps. A painful grunt escaped her throat, but she avoided smashing her head as the wind was knocked out of her.
“Now, now, Megan. You don’t want to miss all the fun, do you?”
Cindy snagged the collar of Megan’s shirt and dragged her back into the room. Desperately grasping at anything that might slow their progress, Megan snagged the edge of the partition wall in the reception area and held on for dear life. Cindy ground the heel of her black sneaker into Megan’s hand until she cried out in pain and let go.
Cindy flipped her over, and Megan could see a serene smile plastered to the demonic visage peering down at her.
“Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you, Cindy? Why do you hate me so much?”
The words came out around hiccups and moans of pain. It hurt when Megan breathed.
Cindy shook her head, disappointed. “Shame on you, Megan. You just don’t get it, do you?”
She moved her left leg up and brought her foot down on Megan’s chest. Megan screamed in agony and wrapped her hands around the shoe driving into her injured ribcage, but couldn’t move it. Cindy leaned down until her face was close enough for Megan to smell her sour breath.
“I hate everyone! Haven’t you figured that out yet? I even hate Michael!” Cindy sneered. “Even so, I couldn’t have you trying to take him away from me. No, no, NO! No bony bitch is going to touch my man!”
Cindy pushed down harder on Megan’s chest. The pain was incredible, and she was finding it hard to suck any air into her lungs. Stars flashed in front of her eyes, and she let her hands flop to her sides.
Megan felt the pressure lessen on her chest, but then Cindy was on top of her, the vile woman’s crotch a few scant inches from her face. Attempting to move her arms, Megan realized she was immobilized. The young woman’s muscular legs were clamped tightly around her. Cindy bent over and studied her prisoner’s face. Megan closed her eyes.
“Aw, you don’t want to see it coming, do you? That’s fine. I was planning on plucking your eyes out anyway. That might be fun. I figure maybe I can set you loose outside with my friends and watch you run around bouncing off of them, trying to get away. That might be fun.”
“You sick bitch,” Megan hissed. “I never wanted your piece of shit boyfriend. Are you really that stupid?” She tried to spit on Cindy, but it missed, and drool dribbled down her chin as she gave her torturer a defiant look.
She could hear the sounds intensifying outside, though the door continued to hold up to the pummeling it was taking. Megan desperately hoped Cindy would grow angry enough to kill her quickly, so she wouldn’t have to face what was on the other side of the door.
Instead, Cindy gently wiped the spittle from her victim’s face. Her eyes brightened. “I knew you would come around, Megan. Given time, I knew you would put up some kind of a fight.”
There was a loud crash behind them, and Cindy swiveled her neck to look at the door. She looked back down at Megan. “Not much time left. I guess I’ll only get to do you. My friends will have to take care of the others.”
Megan squirmed beneath Cindy’s weight. She had hoped the malevolent bitch hadn’t realized anyone else was with her and Teddy, but it had been a long shot. Panicking, she found the strength to push Cindy up and slide backwards underneath her at the same time, twisting her way out of the other woman’s grasp and scrambling to her feet.
Cindy whipped around and tackled her, driving her back to the ground. Megan scratched at her attacker’s face, driving her nails into the open wounds already there. She raked them downward, pulling off gobs of skin. Cindy roared in pain and punched Megan, sending her head rocking into the carpet.
Megan, stunned, barely heard Cindy speaking. It sounded as if she were talking underwater.
“That’s the spirit!” Cindy leaned over and licked the bruise she had left on Megan’s face as she dripped blood on her. Megan could only groan in pain, her head floating. Cindy plopped on top of her again, this time farther down her chest, making sure she wouldn’t be thrown off her victim again.
Cindy glanced at the front door. It was buckling. She shrugged.
“Oh well. I guess it’s time to get down to business.” She winked at Megan. “Sorry there won’t be any more foreplay.”
Cindy wrapped her hands around Megan’s throat and squeezed.
Though Megan was still stunned from the punch, she sensed pressure around her neck and uncomfortable weight on her chest. She raised her arms to swipe feebly at Cindy, and her eyes fluttered open. Panic set in as she registered the look of ecstasy on the face of the woman straddling her, and she thrust her hips in an effort to buck Cindy off.
“Good. Mmm, yeah, that’s good. Fight it. That’s the way I like it!”
Megan’s face was stricken with revulsion as she realized Cindy was getting off on strangling her. Hands constricted her windpipe, yet weren’t crushing it. Cindy was too interested in savoring every terror-filled moment as she thrust her pelvis against her captive’s chest and moaned with pleasure. Megan wanted to scream, but didn’t have the breath to do so.
Cindy watched with a morbid fascination as her victim’s eyes bugged out and her struggles became weaker. The sadistic woman was so wrapped up in her task that the noises at the door faded into dull background noise as the satisfaction from causing Megan pain crashed into her like waves of ecstasy.
That was also why she didn’t hear the footsteps coming up behind her.
Lydia grabbed Cindy by the hair and yanked her head back with her left hand. In her right was the straight razor she’d used to shave Jeff that morning. With ruthless efficiency, she cut Cindy’s throat from earlobe to earlobe.
Cindy felt the sharp cut of the blade and a quick, bright pain. After the cutting ceased, there was only a cold numbness as her vision faded. Blood poured down her shirt, mixing with the gore already covering her. Splatters and ropes of it splashed Megan’s face as the hands around her neck loosened. She felt Cindy’s body being yanked to the side as she coughed and sucked in large gulps of air.
“Are you all right? MEGAN! Can you speak?” Lydia knelt and looked into Megan’s eyes. Megan nodded, finding it hard to form words, though she was able to breathe again. The razor was gone, but blood remained on the older woman’s hands, evidence of what she had done.
“We have to go! That door isn’t going to hold much longer.”
Megan sat up with Lydia’s assistance and gawked at Cindy. Lydia had tossed her aside like a rag doll. Her lifeblood was still pouring out onto the floor beneath her open neck. She looked away, revulsion and fear clouding her thoughts. She saw Jason kneeling next to Teddy. He was weeping as he touched the boy’s face.
“We have to go,” Lydia repeated for the benefit of both of them. She yanked on Megan’s arm, helping her to stand. “We can still get out the back door if we hurry. I didn’t hear anything back there as we came down the steps.”
Megan glanced down and saw the straight razor Lydia had dropped to the floor. She reached to pick it up. Ignoring the blood on the blade as she folded it, she tried to hand it back to Lydia. The older woman shook her head.
“I don’t want it anymore.”
Megan pushed it toward her savior and looked her in the eyes as she whispered, “We need everything we can get.”
Lydia paused for a moment and then nodded. With a shaking hand, she swiped the blade back and buried it in one of her pants pockets.
Megan grabbed Lydia’s arm as she tried to turn away, tried to hide the shame and anger on her face.
“Thank you.”
A weak smile passed over Lydia’
s lips. She nodded once again and broke free of Megan’s grasp, moving to the back of the building.
“I’ll get the children. Get Jason.”
The words came out as a croak, and Megan understood. Lydia was crying at what she had been forced to do. Megan couldn’t cry, not for a life as worthless as Cindy’s. Not for that animal.
She moved over to Jason. Behind her, she heard the doorframe make a sharp snapping noise. A crack had spread through the drywall surrounding the metal frame, though the steel door was still holding against the pounding.
A sound of shattering glass came from the conference room. The monsters outside had figured out an easier way in.
“Come on, Jason, we have to get out of here.” Megan found herself able to put a bit of volume behind the words. Her throat felt raw, but her voice was returning despite the soreness. She reached for Jason, and he shrugged her away.
“I don’t want to go. Just leave me here.” He rocked back and forth over Teddy’s body.
Megan leaned over the twelve year old and grabbed his good arm, pulling him around to face her.
“Jason, listen to me.” Her heart raced as she heard the table inside the conference room tip over. The infected were inside the building. “We’re leaving now, you and me both. I know Teddy’s dead, and I don’t know what’s happened to George or Jeff, but I do know this much: we’re still alive, and I damn well plan on keeping it that way.” She gripped his arm tighter, her blue eyes flaring up as she let the anger take hold. “I won’t let you make their sacrifices meaningless, just because you want to give up after all this time. Now get off your ass and move!”
Megan practically yanked him off the ground as she heard a wet slap on the hollow wooden door behind the loveseat. Jason heard it as well and watched as the door splintered. His resistance melted as the reality of what would happen if he stayed came crashing down on him.
The Dark Trilogy Page 43
