Dying Days 4

by Armand Rosamilia

  John made sure the downstairs was clear of zombies before shuffling both Murph and Darlene off into separate areas of the house, where they could do their business in peace. Darlene had to find a corner to brace against or she'd never get up. She was so uncomfortable and uneasy with each passing moment, and she was always hungry. Things needed to change.

  By the time she lumbered back to the stairs, Murph was also ready. John helped them both back up, where Tosha was busy preparing a cold meal of carrots, chick peas and applesauce. They each had bottled water, which was the best part to Darlene right now.

  "You seem to have a game plan for us," John said.

  Tosha nodded. "We really have three options at this point. We find a way to get mobile, we stay here and eventually die, or we start walking down A1A and die sooner than later. I figured out a way to get a van started and load it back up with food and supplies, but we're going to run out of gas soon. I parked it up the road in case anyone was following me, and to draw off zombies."

  "Where are we headed?" Murph asked.

  "We have two options," Tosha said. She tipped the applesauce jar into her mouth and swallowed it, grimacing as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I always hated applesauce. My sister loved it." She looked around as if startled or looking for someone suddenly.

  John tapped the side of his can of carrots. "You were telling us our two options."

  "Shit. Sorry." Tosha put down the applesauce and reached for her bottled water. "We can either head south down A1A and see where that douche bag Doug ended up, or we can head west and inland."

  "That's it?" Darlene asked. "Those are our only choices?"

  Tosha narrowed her eyes. "We could also sail away on your fucking yacht, or maybe use you as an inner tube and float away."

  Darlene clenched her fist. "Or maybe I just punch you in the fucking mouth and not worry where you end up, you skank bitch."

  John stood up and got between the two women. "Everyone relax."

  Tosha took a sip of water before looking at Darlene. "You're lucky I don't beat up on fat chicks."

  "You're lucky I won't touch women infested with so many diseases," Darlene shot back. "But when I have this baby I'll be more than ready to kick your ass. And you'll still be a walking V.D. nightmare."

  "If we head south, Doug is going to make our lives a living hell. Even if it means we steer clear of a safe haven. It's the chance we have to take. I know going north isn't an option. Have you been to St. Augustine again?" John asked Tosha.

  "No, and I don't want to go back. After the last time, even if it is intact, it's probably a mess and not easily defended with the remaining survivors. I think we need to head west until we hit another clear area or the Gulf Coast." Tosha began collecting the empty cans and bottles in the room and putting them back in the garbage bag.

  Darlene was reluctant to agree, even though what the bitch said made sense. While Darlene would love to confront Doug and put a bullet in his fucking face, she knew she wasn't physically capable right now. Hell, she nearly pissed herself.

  "What do you think?" John asked her.

  "It seems like the best plan," Darlene admitted. "Maybe we could turn north at some point, too. I think I'm over Florida."

  "Where are you from?" Tosha asked.

  "Maine," Darlene said.

  "Panhandle of Florida for us," John said and laughed. "This isn't too far from home for us."

  "Pennsylvania for me. I don’t want to go back, though. Nothing there but a dead sister and a lot of bad memories, and most of them came before this shit happened. No thanks. It doesn't matter where we go just as long as I can stay alive," Tosha said. "Let's get out of this shit-hole and go for a ride."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jeff was pissed. Beyond pissed, actually. He marched right into the Ocean Center and got halfway across the dark floor, his motorcycle boots like gunshots as he stomped, before slowing down. What the fuck are you doing? You're about to walk right into the hornet's nest, but this hornet is going to kill you 99 different ways, he thought.

  He heard The Lich Lord laughing softly in the darkness.

  "Um, your highness, uh, lord… I need to speak with you at once," Jeff said.

  "Proceed… with caution."

  "He escaped," Jeff said. "And he took the two girls."

  "Why are you still walking? I didn’t ask you to approach. Sit down on the floor," The Lich Lord said. "And be quiet until I tell you to talk. Calm down, too. You are huffing and if you have a heart attack I'm going to enjoy draining your blood. Understood?"

  Jeff was smart enough to nod. He knew every conversation he had with the boss he needed to relax and watch what he said, because one stupid word wrong and he was a dead man.

  "Who left?"

  "Azrael."

  The Lich Lord laughed. "As I knew he would. But I thought he'd go it alone. Even he can surprise me at times."

  "He took two of the girls, uh, women," Jeff said.

  "Your first and second pick for your future bride?"

  Jeff looked away, even though he couldn't actually see The Lich Lord. "Yes."

  "He doesn't like you very much. I'd be quite upset if I was you, but it is actually a good thing long-term."

  "Why?"

  "It gives you an even bigger reason to chase after him. It stokes the fire and anger you had for Azrael to begin with. As an added bonus, once you return from killing him, taking back both women and allowing me to bend my own rules and mate with both, bringing me the head of Darlene and the evil child, you'll be the boss inside and outside the compound. Everybody wins."

  Jeff liked the sound of all that. He smiled. "I'll get a team together and we'll leave immediately."

  "No, you won't."

  "Huh?"

  "Give them a head start. Let them actually find Darlene and her brat. They're on foot, and they'll be found easily enough with your thugs on motorcycles. Give them at least a day to get away. You can easily trail them."

  Jeff didn't like this but wasn't going to argue. "Then when should I leave?"

  "Soon enough. Come back tonight and I'll have a better grasp on where they are headed. You'll have the advantage of me getting a general direction. In the meantime, you might get lucky and they'll walk down A1A and right into the compound. But I doubt it. I see this as an epic chase, and not everyone will be returning in one piece."

  "I don’t like the sound of any of this. I just want to go after this traitor and kill the chick while I'm at it. Oh, and bring you back the baby. I'm not a very patient man. I need some action," Jeff said.

  "Trust me. There will be more action than you can stand. In the meantime, find someone who is capable enough to take over the garden duties. A woman this time. Someone you don't have any sexual interest in," The Lich Lord said. "It was my mistake for thinking Azrael would be anything more than a temporary leader among the living. I won't make the mistake again."

  "I can lead them," Jeff said, offended the boss hadn't mentioned him. These idiots would do as he said, and Jeff would have a more aggressive approach to the growth of the compound, as well as being well-stocked for prisoners and slave labor, something Russ balked at. This was a new age. Slavery was illegal in the old world.

  "You? I haven't seen you do anything to show me you are capable. Perhaps finding the woman and her child will be the first part of your proving to me you deserve to take over. I have my own agenda and don't need to oversee the day to day operation of you inferiors. Show me you are worthy."

  Jeff smiled. "I will."

  "Now get out."

  Jeff rose and walked back outside. The sky was overcast and it looked like rain at some point this morning. Great. He hated riding in the rain.

  "Sir? What's going on?" a woman asked Jeff as he went back onto Main Street, heading to the garden.

  "What do you mean?" Jeff asked. He didn’t know the woman's name but she was one of the original ones caged in the Ocean Center. Jeff had been the one to kidnap her from a group of
survivors in New Smyrna, in fact. She was in her late fifties and must've been something half a life ago, but now she was sloppy and her hair was turned to gray.

  "At least twenty people have packed up and are at the gate waiting to leave," she said.

  "Then they can leave."

  "There's no one in charge to let them go."

  Jeff nodded. Another reason to slice Azrael's throat. As if he needed another one. "What's your name?"

  "Veronica. Friends call me Vee."

  "You know how to grow shit in a garden?"

  "Yes. I had a small one back home in Georgia. Why?"

  Jeff smiled. "I need your help. I'm promoting you, Vee. You get the responsibility of taking over the garden and staff, as well as getting the entire upper floor of Dirty Harry's."

  "Why?"

  "Because I need good help, and you seem like you have your shit together. Azrael has gone away on a sudden mission and we need someone to take over on a temporary basis, but there's a great chance it will be a full-time position. Interested?"

  Vee smiled. "Of course."

  Jeff patted her lightly on the shoulder. "Then your first order of business will be to find someone you trust to help you out and be your second in command. You'll still report back to me on any decision, so I can take it to The Lich Lord. Understand?"

  Vee nodded. "Isn't it, uh… scary being so close to him?"

  "At first," Jeff admitted. "But you get used to him. He's not so bad. Not like the rest out there, just trying to kill everyone. He has a plan."

  "I just hope his plan doesn't include fattening us up with veggies and then eating us," Vee said.

  Jeff laughed. He was starting to like her. In a sister or mom kind of way, though. She'd be the perfect fit to take over, especially since Russ wasn't coming back except in a body bag. "Maybe. But, in the meantime, we eat and enjoy the relative safety."

  "I'll go find a second and report back to you," Vee said.

  Jeff held up a finger. "Actually, there is something more pressing for you to do. I need you to go and let those people out, but make sure they aren't carrying anything other than what they came in with. Understand? Take Bryan with you. And a couple of other men you can find. They're allowed to leave but they aren't stripping us of what we need to live."

  "You got it," Vee said.

  Jeff watched her run off excitedly. He really hoped she was a good choice for the responsibility he'd just handed her. As much as he hated Russ and hated to admit it, the man knew his shit. And kept everything in order, without needing a secondary person.

  Now I need to find something to kill a few hours, Jeff thought. He might need to find a loose woman to play with.

  Jeff saw the newcomer making a casual beeline to him from the crowded street.

  "I'm Doug. I'm the one who knows where the preggo chick was hiding out. When do we leave?"

  Jeff shook his head. "Not until tomorrow. I'll let you know."

  Doug smiled. "Not a problem. Looking forward to contributing around these parts. I'm also looking for women's private parts to contribute something to, as well. Got any leads?"

  Jeff smiled. He was going to like this guy, too.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "I need to rest," Taylor said quietly as the three stumbled down the sidewalk. "My feet hurt and I haven't even woken up yet."

  Russ stopped and sighed. "We need to keep going. Once we find a place to hide, we'll do it. But it is too damn dangerous right now. We're lucky we managed to get this far in the dark. Especially with so many zombies in the area."

  "I still don't understand why you woke us up," Taylor said.

  Russ sighed. "Trust me. If I'd left you back there… bad things would've happened to you."

  "We need to do less talking and more walking," Bri said. "Unless you want to argue this stupid point and attract unwanted attention."

  "What's up your ass? I just want to know what we're doing," Taylor said.

  "Trying not to die." Bri walked off at a quick pace.

  Russ smiled. The girl was tough, even with everything she'd been through. And he knew she shared the hatred toward Jeff that he did. She had needed no coaxing a few hours ago when he'd woken her and told her it was time to leave. She simply pulled her bug-out bag and slipped her shoes on.

  Taylor needed to be forced to go, even with her friend Bri explaining how Jeff was going to take her for a wife and abuse her if she didn't leave. Bri also explained Darlene was one of the good people, someone who'd helped her to survive.

  Russ also thought Bri felt guilty for abandoning the stilt houses and being so gullible when Jeff appeared. For all they knew, Darlene and whoever was with her thought Bri was long dead.

  "Jeff isn't so bad," Taylor said. "He's been very nice to me. He even found these boots in my size and gave them to me instead of putting them into the community pot for anyone to grab."

  Russ shook his head. "The man is more dangerous than The Lich Lord. He's going to destroy you if you let him."

  "Then I won't let him," Taylor said and smiled, which unnerved Russ. The young girl had no idea what she was dealing with. He hoped it wasn't a bad move to bring her along. He just wanted to save her from Jeff.

  They were moving slowly on side streets and still far away from where he thought Darlene could be. This was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, because, by now, they'd have moved on or been killed. But he needed to try to find and warn her before Jeff found her. Even now Russ was sure he'd figured out they were gone and when the distant sounds of motorcycle engines came he wasn't going to be surprised. He just hoped they could hide from them.

  Bri stopped at an intersection ahead. When she turned back, she put a finger to her lips and shook her head.

  Russ crept up to her and followed her eyes.

  Six zombies were sitting on the porch of a house, casually passing around severed limbs and eating bites from them like they were turkey legs.

  Russ pointed to a yard going east and they made their way as quickly but as quietly as they could, Taylor right behind. When they got around the house, they turned back north but stayed on the broken sidewalk, watching where they stepped. One rock kicked or glass underfoot, in the stillness, would give them away.

  Russ held his breath until he was sure they were far enough away. "We need to find a way to find Darlene," he said quietly. "And a ride."

  Taylor put her head down as she walked. "I'm tired. Can't we rest? I didn't get enough sleep, and all this walking is killing me."

  "How old are you?" Russ asked.

  "Eighteen."

  "How old?"

  Taylor smiled. "Maybe sixteen. Who cares anymore? I'm old enough. And tired enough to want a nap."

  Bri was their advance scout and Russ smiled because he had no idea how it had happened. He realized he needed to stop thinking like this was the old world, and start to accept these two girls had become women by default. Age was no longer an issue, only survival.

  They walked another three blocks before Bri found a spot, behind a fence on the side of a dilapidated home, to rest. Russ liked how she'd made the call herself.

  "What's the plan?" Bri asked once they'd each found a suitable spot, making sure they could watch all around them.

  Russ pointed at Bri. "You tell me. You're the one who seems to be taking charge." He frowned when he noticed Taylor was already snoring softly on the ground.

  "I just don’t want to go back or get caught and forced to go back," Bri said. "And it isn't because of the zombie. It's because of that asshole Jeff."

  Russ was about to correct her on her language but thought it would be stupid. They were well past it now. "It is weird how the worst thing out here is still the living. Even after everything we've been through. You’d think people would lighten up and work together. But most of them would rather fight and take what the other person has, like nothing has changed."

  "This is God getting back at us for being so horrible. Like The Lich Lord said. We're the bad people
. We'll never get to heaven. Eventually we'll all die and become zombies," Taylor said.

  "I don't believe it for a second," Russ said, but he definitely had his doubts. None of this made any sense. When he'd first met Darlene he was so enthralled with the practical applications of what made the zombie tick. Their healing process, and if it could be duplicated in a human. In theory, you could turn it all around and use it for good. They were also immune to disease as well, right? Russ thought he could use this knowledge to cure diseases.

  Now he was just trying to survive. He was sure his lab at the high school was long gone, but it might be a long-term destination to get back to. He still had his research. Maybe he'd have time to pick up where he had left off and find more clues to what happened.

  "I think we'll never know what's going on. We just need to survive. I'd like to die of old age, if it's alright with you," Bri said defiantly.

  Russ smiled. "That would be the best game plan I've heard all day. Hell, all month."

  Something banged in the house they were leaning against and everyone stiffened. Russ pulled out his pistol and slowly lifted into a standing position using the sharpened spear he'd been carrying. At least all three were heavily armed, since Russ had made sure he took his secret cache of weapons when he left.

  He could definitely hear someone walking around inside.

  "Is the front door open?" he whispered to Bri. He couldn't remember.

  She shrugged.

  "Alright, here's what were going to do. We're going to sneak through this yard and go to the next street."

  "I want to go home," Taylor said.

  Russ ignored her. What did the girl consider home right now? Wherever she'd come from, or Main Street? It didn't matter, because neither was in reach or realistic.

  The three skirted around the house, careful where they were stepping. With the grass so overgrown, it was hard to see what debris was lying in wait for a bad footstep.

  Across the backyard was a wooden fence, most of the slats rotting and several gaps they could easily slip through without much sound.