Dying Days 7

by Armand Rosamilia

  “This will give you hair on your nuts. Trust me,” Terry said and pointed at a tall, skinny brunette standing near the table. “Ask Heather.”

  “I have hairy nuts. Is that what you want to hear, Terry?”

  Everyone laughed.

  “We start out with a stack of cash. This is for fun, like I said; although, it sometimes gets into high-stakes games where other stuff is added to the pot,” Terry said.

  Mitch sighed. He wasn’t feeling this.

  Terry must’ve seen the look on Mitch’s face and took it for something else. “Don’t worry. We’re not a bunch of lunatics with death wishes. No one gets to cut off an ear. No one gets to go home with anyone against their will or any weird shit. I’m talking you do my shift on your day off or you bake me a fucking tray of brownies kinda thing.”

  “I get it. Just not feeling this tonight,” Mitch said. “I think I need to take a rain-check and see you tomorrow. I have to go check into the hotel.”

  Terry smiled. “Ask for The Tosha Suite. It’s on the top floor and has a nice view of the beach and ocean.”

  “What?”

  “I lasted one night with her when I got here,” Terry said. He looked at the others, who were starting to take their seats. “Who holds the record for Tosha?”

  “Maxine does,” someone said.

  Mitch looked at the woman, who was a very pretty bottled blonde, with an hourglass figure, wearing wire-framed glasses and a big smile.

  “I lasted twelve days with that hot redhead,” Maxine said. “Before I met her I wasn’t even into chicks.” She slapped the ass of the petite brunette standing next to her. “Now it’s all I think about.”

  “Let’s play some cards,” Terry said. He pulled out a chair for Mitch. “Sit next to me so we can cheat.”

  There were six people at the table with three more tables set up nearby.

  Mitch wasn’t a huge fan of playing cards but he knew it was something to pass the time. He’d played poker for many hours during downtime in Kuwait. Read a lot of books he normally wouldn’t read.

  Maxine and her girlfriend Jessica were at the table, along with a big Asian guy with a long gray goatee they called Whopper. An older man with crazy hair, slicked back but pointing up in various places, was called Marty McFly. Mitch doubted that was his real name and had no idea what the connection to the movie Back To The Future was. Mitch decided to ask during a lull in the conversation.

  Whopper laughed.

  “They said I looked like Doc from the movie. I don’t see it, but… whatever. No one could remember what his name was but everyone remembers Marty, so it stuck. I just think my hair looks fucking cool,” Marty said.

  Whopper stroked his goatee. “Not as cool as this shit.”

  “I guess I shouldn’t do the typical small-talk and ask how you all met,” Mitch said.

  Terry laughed. “See, there was this zombie apocalypse…”

  “We’re together for other reasons,” Marty said and Mitch noticed everyone gave him a sideways glance before going back to playing.

  After a few hands, in which Mitch broke even with the stack of money that had no real value anymore, he decided he needed to get some sleep. He had to get to the wall early if he wanted a good spot and he was still trying to wrap his mind around Tosha and what had transpired.

  “I’ll see everyone tomorrow,” Mitch said and stood.

  “We’ll be taking a break tomorrow night. You’re more than welcome to come and play again. Just let us know,” Terry said.

  Mitch shook hands with everyone and walked down the ramp with a smile on his face. They were a nice group of people and he could see himself settling in a couple of nights a week with Terry and his friends. It wouldn’t be so bad to be sociable and have others he could count on, have fun with and finally relax again.

  The Promised Land was the safe haven he’d been looking for. He was glad he’d spotted Tosha when her group had walked through the mall parking lot.

  Tosha.

  Mitch went to A1A and looked to his right, where Tosha lived. It was a few blocks away. The street was filled with people, all having a good time.

  To the left was the hotel, where a room awaited. A room where so many other men cast aside by Tosha had stayed. The Tosha Suite. The staff would smirk once he’d gone to the room. Just another guy tossed away by the redhead.

  Either way he went it was a walk of shame. He could go beg her to reconsider, knowing she’d already made up her mind and finished with Mitch. For all he knew, she had someone else moved in, or she’d forgotten his name. She was a survivor and she wouldn’t think twice about him again.

  Mitch did the long walk to the hotel with his head down.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Terry watched Mitch walk down the ramp and nodded for someone from another poker table to make sure he’d left.

  When they were sure he was gone, everyone stopped playing cards and pulled the chairs in a circle with four people standing guard at the corners, watching the street and the sky for anyone listening.

  Terry normally didn’t like to do this business out in the open but they needed to make it seem like this was nothing more than a few workers blowing off some steam and having a good time. Which is what it normally was each time they got together to play cards.

  “What did everyone think?” Terry asked.

  “I didn’t talk too much to him. He’s like a big macho dude reduced to a pussy thanks to Tosha,” Maxine said. “It’s really a shame.”

  “We need to recruit him. I think the way he handled himself when I had that big dude try to kick his ass was impressive. From what I can tell, he knows his way around weapons, too. Military guy. I think we’d be foolish not to get him to join us, especially since Tosha has already given up on her boy toy,” Terry said.

  “Too dangerous,” Marty said. “He just got here. Let him see what’s going on first. Talk to Mitch and see what he thinks about being ruled by a zombie before you assume. Remember what happened last time?”

  Terry would never forget. His own wife had tried to stop them, threatening to go to The Lich Lord and let him know about their plan to take out the zombie and regain control of The Promised Land. Her argument had been simple: they’d all be dead if it wasn’t for The Lich Lord. If it wasn’t for the fear from the outside, a zombie wouldn’t rule over them.

  He’d personally made sure she’d never tell anyone what their plans were. Sometimes, when he walked the wall to the north, he’d stand over where her body had been buried in the concrete.

  “We need to eliminate the zombie without anyone knowing about it. He’s rarely seen, anyway. He stands on top of the roof or sits in his chair over the walkway on the bridge. We can easily find someone who closely resembles The Lich Lord if we look harder. It isn’t like he’s a fucking skeleton or The Crypt Keeper. He looks like anyone else except the eyes, which we can work with. We’ve had this discussion a hundred times but we haven’t done shit about it yet,” Terry said.

  “Some of us are scared. Fuck, Terry, most of us are shitting our pants at the thought of The Lich Lord finding out what we’re thinking about,” Whopper said. “There’s no way to get inside The Ocean Center without him noticing. In case you forgot, he’s like a vampire now. Only comes out at night. Has all kinds of fucked up weird powers. Can read your mind.” Whopper stood and threw his hands out. “I changed my mind. I don’t want any part of this.”

  Terry smiled. “Don’t freak out on me now, buddy. We’ve come this far. We have a plan in place. You just don’t see it. Please trust me. All we’re missing is a guy who can shoot a rifle from a distance and keep The Lich Lord distracted or shoot him in the head like a normal zombie and kill it.”

  “He’s a vampire,” Whopper screamed.

  Everyone stopped, frozen in place, looking around, and waiting for The Lich Lord to materialize and destroy them.

  Terry knew Whopper was becoming another loose cannon. Someone who might open his mouth and get them all ki
lled. He needed to defuse this before it spread like a cancer throughout their ranks.

  “You’re losing your shit, Whopper, and we can’t have it. I understand your concern. I really do. Everyone here knows the risk we’re taking, but it’s for the survival of the human race. This isn’t some inconsequential thing. This isn’t worrying about how to pay an electric bill. What you’re having for lunch. Getting to work on time. What movie does little Johnny want to see this weekend or if your wife will open her damn legs on a Sunday night.” Terry grabbed Whopper by his huge shoulders and shook the man like he was half his size. “This is the biggest thing to happen since this shit went down. Don’t you get it? We’ll be heroes to everyone. To the world. We’ll take down the biggest and baddest zombie and start to go back to the way it was. When we could decide our own fate.”

  “I like the way it is now. We have food and homes and can sit around and play cards,” Whopper said. “I don’t want to ruin it.”

  Terry wanted to slap the big man but knew it wouldn’t look good in front of the group. A good leader led by example. He could strike fear into all of them right now with a show of force but long-term it would have a negative effect.

  “What happens when we keep growing and can’t sustain the food? If you haven’t noticed, we’re eating more hamburgers and bacon than we have cows and pigs. The Lich Lord is only going to bring in new livestock to keep us feeling like we need him. The truth is we don’t. We’re survivors, in case you forgot. We alone have made it to a place we can thrive… but not with a monster as our ruler,” Terry said.

  Whopper shook his head. “I’ve only seen him a couple of times since I got here. Except for the initial interview, he’s never even looked at me. He seems to be doing the right thing by keeping us alive.”

  “So he can make us fat. Soften us up. We’re fucking Hansel and Gretel to his witch. I’m not getting into the boiling water,” Terry said, smiling inside he’d come up with the analogy on the spot. He was nearly positive he’d used it right, too. “I say we strike now before he gets wind of our plans and kills all of us. And he will. Make no mistake. Whether or not you want to admit it, Whopper, you’re in deep with us. Even if you walk away tonight he’ll eventually know you were part of this group. How long you think you’ll last?”

  “Especially if we back out now. We have too many things already in motion,” Maxine said and winked at Terry when he caught her eye.

  As far as Terry knew, they had nothing in motion except forming this group and talking about ways to get rid of The Lich Lord. He hoped she was just trying to be a good soldier and fake Whopper into thinking they were further along than they already were.

  “What’s already in motion?” Whopper asked Maxine.

  Terry held his breath. This might unravel.

  “I have an inside person. He works inside The Ocean Center. He’s on our side. Has the master key to everything, too. I was going to bring it up tonight but you started crying like a big pussy,” Maxine said.

  “Is that true?” Terry asked.

  “You think I’d make shit up?” Maxine asked.

  I would lie to shut Whopper up, Terry thought. “This is great news. Let’s all sit down and figure out how best to use this new information.”

  The group sat back down and pulled their chairs together. Terry held out the chair next to him for Whopper, who gave a faint smile and sat down.

  “I have the perfect plan to get in and finish the job without anyone being the wiser. First, we need to find out who else has access and who else stays in the building during the day and at night,” Terry said.

  “The Lich Lord doesn’t sleep. He just wanders around during the daytime, inside The Ocean Center, doing shit,” Marty said. “Remember that chick Taylor? The one who helps the old people? She used to stay there. Said it was creepy the way The Lich Lord never closed his eyes and was up all night.”

  Terry sighed and leaned forward, into the group, all eyes on him. “He leaves nearly every night to wander the area and find shit. The perfect time for us to get inside and find a place to hide. Then, when he returns, we attack. It’s really simple.”

  “It sounds too simple,” Whopper said.

  “Trust me. This is going to work,” Terry said, and knew Whopper needed to be eliminated as soon and as quietly as possible.

  Chapter Eighteen

  April got onto the bus just before first light, still half asleep. She’d been woken by Bernie and told to grab her gear and get moving. The girls had gotten to the south bridge and onto the bus. Tosha and a driver had been laughing about something.

  “Hey,” April managed.

  “Did you get any coffee?” Tosha asked.

  “No. I barely got dressed,” April said.

  Tosha grinned. “Too bad you took your time. I’m going to guess you don’t wear anything under those tight jeans.”

  April felt her face heating up. The woman was relentless.

  “I’m just playing with you,” Tosha said and handed April a thermos. “Hot coffee.”

  April gladly took a sip and began to wake up.

  “I do have room at the inn if you ever decide to change your mind, though,” Tosha said and grinned but she was looking at Bernie as she said it.

  “What did you do?” Bernie asked.

  Tosha threw her head back and laughed overly dramatically. She slapped the seat. April could tell she was excited.

  “I got rid of his ass. That’s what I did,” Tosha said. “He’d rather be out with his buddies than at home with me.”

  “What buddies? Did he know people here already?” Bernie asked.

  “Nope. He got invited to play cards with Terry and those losers. He decided it was more important than me,” Tosha said.

  Bernie turned to April and shook her head. “She does this shit all the time. I’m sure she has no idea how many guys she’s messed around with and kicked to the curb since she got to The Promised Land.”

  “Fourteen,” Tosha said. “But not all of them had anything to do with sex.”

  “How many did?” April asked.

  Tosha grinned. “Thirteen.”

  “You telling me you didn’t sleep with all of them?” Bernie asked.

  Tosha laughed. “I guess it was all fourteen.”

  “Where are we headed?” the driver, a huge man they called Whopper, asked. April didn’t know if they rotated the drivers or if Tosha got to pick who worked with her. She figured Tosha didn’t care who was driving as long as they got there in one piece.

  “Keep straight. We’re headed to the mall. You can take us ladies out shopping. Sound like fun? Maybe, if you’re nice, we’ll get you a smoothie in the food court,” Tosha said.

  Whopper grinned. “I miss the mall Chinese food.”

  “Gross. I always got sick. I did like the pizza in the mall, though,” Tosha said.

  “My parents had their store in a mall in Jacksonville. They had a decent food court but I always brought lunch from home,” April said, trying to stay in the conversation. Tosha was intimidating, especially when she stared at people. April wondered if she’d always been this sure of herself or if she’d gotten this way thanks to circumstances.

  April decided not to ask.

  “Make a right. This is the mall. We want to go down to the left and go in through there,” Tosha said. “There’s stuff on the roof and I’m sure when we do a sweep of this side of the mall we’ll find a bunch of bug out bags.”

  Tosha turned to the driver as the three women got off the bus. “Park at the end of the lot and watch for anything. I’ll call you on the radio when we’re ready to get this shit on the bus. Can you handle it, big guy?”

  Whopper nodded his head and closed the bus doors as soon as Tosha stepped off.

  “Hard to find good help these days, especially when you’ve broken a dozen promises to give out blowjobs, like they were free or something,” Tosha said. “I need to find a chick driver for tomorrow.”

  “I can drive a bus,” Apr
il said.

  Tosha walked past April and into the ruined doors of the mall.

  “You’re trying too hard,” Bernie said with a smile. She turned on her flashlight and waited for April to do the same before going inside.

  Tosha already had a lead, her light beam sweeping back and forth.

  “There’s nothing left,” April said.

  The anchor department store was gutted. It was just a giant empty space with no clothing racks or product. Even the floor had been pulled up in spots, the tiles on the ceiling missing. Half of the air conditioning vents were also missing.

  “Did we do this?” April asked.

  “Beats me. I got here late to the party, same as you. You can ask Tosha but she probably won’t answer you. She either doesn’t remember or she just doesn’t give a fuck at this point,” Bernie said.

  “When did you get to The Promised Land?” April asked.

  Bernie sighed and shined her beam right into April’s face. “How about we save the chit-chat for later? You can buy me a beer and I’ll give you my entire history. Sound good?”

  “Uh… yeah. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Be quiet and move your ass before Tosha finds all the cool shit and doesn’t share,” Bernie said.

  Tosha went into the back room with the others following, weapons drawn and stopping every few feet to hear if anyone was moving around as well. All was quiet.

  The ladder to the roof from this space was easy to locate and Tosha went up. “Stay down and I’ll throw shit down to you, Bernie. Let April run it to the main room so we can keep it all together.”

  Within a few minutes, they had everything from the roof inside the building and Tosha made sure she locked the roof hatch.

  “Where to?” Bernie asked.

  “Back into the mall. We’ll start on one side and hit every space,” Tosha said.

  “Hey, uh, Tosha… we got a situation out here,” Whopper said over the radio.

  It had been silent a second ago and when the radio crackled all three women jumped.