Dying Days 7

by Armand Rosamilia

  It was a chance she had to take.

  Even though these zombies were killing machines, they might still have some humanity left in there somewhere, some muscle memory that would lead them to do something human.

  Darlene got the jump on the zombie, who obviously hadn’t expected her to suddenly go on the offensive. She felt the sting of the blade cutting into her side as she aimed and pulled the trigger, blowing a hole in the head of the zombie and stopping it.

  She didn’t actually feel the pain in her thigh other than the pressure of it. Looking down she saw the blade of the other zombie was imbedded in her leg and he was moving his arm back and forth to saw her leg off.

  Darlene put the Desert Eagle to the zombie’s head and pulled the trigger but she was empty.

  She focused on the eyes of the zombie, squeezing her fists and imagining his eyes popping.

  They did, gore running down its face, but it wouldn’t stop trying to chop off her leg and she couldn’t pull away, the blade caught on her bone.

  “Fuck this,” Darlene said and bent down, jamming her thumbs into the zombie’s eye sockets and creating fire in its skull.

  The head popped from the pressure, flames shooting into the air.

  Darlene broke the arm of the zombie since it was now just hanging onto her in the air, and pulled the blade from her leg.

  She needed to either heal or finish the battle and hope she wasn’t hurt more than she already was.

  The Lich Lord had disposed of two zombies, both bodies on fire on the ground.

  Only two remained, as well as an army of them silently watching the fight.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  April rolled over in bed, half asleep, and saw the glimmer of the shotgun in the moonlight.

  “Holy shit,” she choked out and reached for a weapon, anything, on her nightstand.

  “Relax. It’s Tosha.”

  “What the fuck are you doing in my room? How did you get in? What do you want?” April asked, sitting up in bed and pulling her covers around her. She felt violated and naked even though she had a t-shirt on. “Answer me.”

  “I have to ask you a serious question,” Tosha said. “I want you to think about the question before you answer. You get one shot at this.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” April’s eyes adjusted to the darkness. Tosha was alone, sitting in the chair in the corner near the door.

  “Whose side are you on?” Tosha asked.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Tosha moved the shotgun back and forth in her hands. “I told you to think about the question.”

  April took a deep breath. She was now wide awake but still no closer to understanding what this middle of the night visit was really about. Had she done something wrong? Said the wrong thing? Had Bernie set her up for something? This didn’t make any sense.

  “I’m on your side,” April finally said, hoping it was the right answer.

  Tosha didn’t say anything and April wasn’t going to make any sudden moves and get shot.

  After what seemed like an hour but might’ve only been a few minutes, Tosha stood and put the shotgun over her shoulder. “Get dressed. We have to go pull Bernie out of bed. We have a problem.”

  “What’s going on? Is my family safe?” April asked.

  “I’m not really sure. There’s a group in The Promised Land who’re going to try to assassinate The Lich Lord. Have you heard about it?” Tosha asked.

  April shook her head but realized they were still in a dark room. “No. That’s awful. He’s protecting us from the other zombies.”

  “Exactly,” Tosha said and flipped the light switch. “Hurry up and get dressed. Gather every weapon you have, too. We might need some firepower.”

  “Should I wake my family?” April asked. Her sister lived right next door and her parents a few houses down the block. She didn’t want to worry about them.

  “Can they shoot?” Tosha asked.

  “We’ve survived this long. They can hold their own,” April said.

  “Even your sister? Most .22’s are bigger than her.”

  “You’d be surprised how tough Carlie really is. People dismiss her because of her petite size but she packs a punch,” April said.

  “Fine. We’ll wake them but let them know not to leave their homes. Don’t let anyone in unless it’s you or me. We might need to go on a hunt later and I want to know I have backup,” Tosha said.

  “Why isn’t The Lich Lord aware of what’s going on?”

  Tosha shook his head. “He’s dealing with another, even bigger, issue right now.”

  “Bigger than an assassination plot? Holy shit,” April said.

  “I’ll fill you in on the way. I need for you to hurry up and get dressed. As sexy as you look in just a shirt, pants and shoes would be a better outfit,” Tosha said.

  “I’ll be right out.”

  Tosha smiled. “I guess I’ve stared at your ass long enough. Meet me in the street and bring every weapon you have.”

  * * * * *

  It took a few more minutes than she was sure Tosha wanted to waste, but she’d gotten her family awake and explained the situation to them.

  “I’m going with you,” her father had said and grabbed the rifle near the front door.

  “Mister Hand, I thank you for your interest, but right now I need the least amount of people on the street as possible. If the shit hits the fan, I need to know where my allies are and that they’re safe,” Tosha said.

  “But my daughter…”

  “Will be safe. I promise. I have an idea or two about who might be doing this. I’m going to talk to them but April will only be my cover. Nothing else. I can’t have a family of gun-toting killers shooting behind me if it comes to that. Better to have the one sniper,” Tosha said.

  “I’m not much of a sniper,” April admitted. This was sounding worse and worse. Her hands were shaking and she pushed down thoughts of being shot.

  Tosha smiled. “You can shoot a gun. That’s all I need right now. If there’s a gunfight, my hope is that I get to kill everyone in the way. Got it? You’re just there for backup.”

  “Please be careful,” April’s mom said. She looked like she was going to cry.

  April nodded, fighting back the tears, and turned away.

  Tosha was walking down the road, motioning for April to follow.

  When they got to the end of the street, Tosha stopped.

  “Listen… this is going to be a real shitty night. I’m not going to lie to you. I need you to stay focused. We’re going to my place first. I’ve been thinking as we’ve been moving and maybe whoever is behind this will try to also take me out. It’s the smart play. I’m The Lich Lord’s right-hand man. Woman. Whatever. That’s the move I would make at the same time I’m setting the trap for The Lich Lord,” Tosha said.

  “I thought he was invincible.”

  “I’m not sure. He probably isn’t sure. I don’t want to find out. I’d rather we maintain status quo and live a long and boring life,” Tosha said. “As we get to my block, I want you to fall back. Keep out of sight but keep me in sight. I will give the signal if I want you to shoot.”

  “Who am I shooting?”

  “Whoever I’m with from this point on. I’ll bend down to tie my shoes and you take the shot. Got it?” Tosha asked.

  “Why fall back now?”

  “My gut tells me someone is waiting for me. I came right to you from my meeting with The Lich Lord and Darlene. If I’d gone home, I would’ve been ambushed. I needed someone I could trust,” Tosha said.

  “What about Bernie?”

  “I’m knocking on her door now,” Tosha said and walked up to a dark house. “I need her to go and get our allies together. Like I said, this is going to be a long night. We’ll need everyone we can trust ready to move.”

  “Where would we go?”

  “You ask way too many questions,” Tosha said.

  “I’m nervous. I joke or talk too much when I ge
t this way. Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. You have every reason to be nervous. I’m about to shit my pants having to go into my house and worry about getting shot,” Tosha said.

  Three knocks on the door brought Bernie, rifle in hand, peeking out the window.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Someone is going to attempt to kill The Lich Lord. You know the people we’ve talked about we can trust? I need them woken and ready to go. If they don’t get a signal by daybreak, have everyone meet on Main Street. We’ll sort it out then,” Tosha said.

  “Where are you going?” Bernie asked.

  “I’m going to see who’s lurking around my house. I’ve survived long enough to know when something is wrong and where. My sister used to show me but now I can do it on my own,” Tosha said. She smiled. “I know you think I’m nuts but I’m right.”

  “I hope you’re wrong and no one is waiting. You are right about being nuts, though,” Bernie said. “Good luck.”

  April followed Tosha down the street.

  “My house is the one with the shutters. Set up here. It should be close enough to keep an eye out,” Tosha said and pointed at the side of the nearest house.

  “Nice place. If the wall wasn’t behind you, it would have a great view of the beach,” April said, trying to make small talk so she could calm her nerves.

  “I climb up on the roof to work on my tan. After this is all done you can come over and join me,” Tosha said.

  April smiled. “Sure. That would be fun.”

  “Of course, we sunbathe nude at my place.”

  April laughed.

  “Be right back. Remember, if I come out alone, we’re good. If I come out with someone and immediately go down to tie my shoe, I need you to shoot them in the head,” Tosha said.

  “What if there is more than one of them?”

  “Then shoot all of them in the head.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” April said.

  Tosha ran across the street to the front door and paused before inserting the key and swinging the door open.

  April held her breath.

  Tosha walked inside and closed the door behind her.

  What if she doesn’t come out? How long should I wait? Why didn’t I ask more questions? April leaned against the wall, trying to get into a good position to shoot if she had to. She wondered how many people were in these houses right now. How many were in the house she was leaning against. How far the gunshot would carry if she had to pull the trigger.

  A minute later Tosha walked out of her house but she wasn’t alone.

  A man was with her. Tosha didn’t look in the direction of April, walking south with the man in tow. More importantly, she didn’t bend down to tie her shoes.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Getting into The Ocean Center was easier than they’d thought it would be. Maxine had knocked on a side door, closest to the parking garage, and, when it opened, a young man was standing in the way.

  “Are you Greg?” Maxine asked.

  “No… uh, I’m Richie. There’s no Greg here.”

  Maxine smiled and leaned on the wall. “Too bad. I was just paid fifty bucks to give Greg a blowjob for his birthday from his buddies. They swore he worked inside this building.” She licked her lips. “What a shame. You’re cute, too. Oh well.” She turned to walk away.

  “Wait… did you say Greg?”

  Maxine smiled and turned. “I did. You’re Greg, right?”

  “Yeah. I’m not allowed to let anyone inside. I’m one of the few entrusted with watching the building at night when The Lich Lord is away. I could get in big trouble for even opening this door,” Richie-Greg said.

  “Then why’d you open it?”

  “I thought it might be one of my buddies with some weed or beers.”

  Maxine sighed. “It’s going to be hard to suck your dick if you can’t come out and I can’t come in.”

  He looked back before stepping outside. He pulled a key from his pocket and shut the door, locking it. “We can go to the parking garage. No one hangs out in the stairwell. At least I don’t think so.”

  “Excellent choice,” Maxine said and led him over to the garage, where he quickly slipped off his jeans and underwear. Maxine kicked his clothes off to the side and went down on him.

  Richie-Greg never opened his eyes or he would’ve seen a smirking Marty stealing his keys, tossing them to Mitch, who ran and unlocked the door before giving them back to Marty, who put them back in the jean pocket.

  Marty stood off to the side of the stairwell and coughed loudly.

  “Holy shit. Someone is here,” Richie-Greg said and scrambled to get his pants.

  Maxine acted scared. “I hope it isn’t my husband.”

  “Fuck. Fuck. Shit.” Richie-Greg ran out of the stairwell.

  “He seemed nice. Did you at least let him finish?” Marty asked.

  “Go to Hell. The shit I do for you motherfuckers,” Maxine said. “Now we chill and wait for Mitch to do his thing. And hope the next time the door opens it’s Mitch covered in zombie blood and carrying The Lich Lord’s ruined head.”

  * * * * *

  Mitch had slipped into The Ocean Center as soon as he got the key, unlocked the door and handed it back. He’d never been inside but it was an amphitheatre of sorts. He saw some fading posters on the walls. Concerts and pro wrestling events had been held here. Cheerleading competitions. Nearby high schools had held their graduation ceremonies here, too.

  It was simple to find the main arena area, as all inner doors seemed to open into it.

  The room inside was a decent size. Mitch imagined a stage setup on the far side and rows of chairs for the crowds and the bleachers on either side pulled out.

  He had a flashlight, his rifle and a backpack filled with extra ammo, knives and nothing else. He knew if he failed he wouldn’t need to worry about anything else. If he was successful and killed The Lich Lord, he’d have all the time in the world to worry about food and supplies.

  Mitch climbed up onto the top of the bleachers, stuffing his backpack behind it so it didn’t fall to the ground. He couldn’t sit up here but he wasn’t sure exactly how to position himself.

  He’d been in precarious positions like this before in Kuwait and Afghanistan. While he’d never technically been a sniper, he’d been their backup and often did the same work they did: sit in a spot for a few hours and watch the streets and buildings for the enemy.

  Was The Lich Lord the enemy? Mitch didn’t know. He didn’t want to dwell on it, either. He had been given a mission and he needed to accept and complete it without question. This is what he was put on this planet for.

  Mitch decided to turn off his mind so no stray thoughts escaped. He would lose himself in random trivial thoughts and, with any luck, The Lich Lord wouldn’t notice Mitch until it was too late.

  He slid down a few feet into the bleachers, back pressed against the wall and his feet finding a perch for support, and was able to stick the rifle between a gap in the bleachers. Mitch made sure he still had full range to move the weapon without it scraping on the bleachers and making any noise.

  Mitch was satisfied he was in position.

  He was cocked and loaded and ready to go.

  Chapter Thirty

  Darlene was exhausted, which she knew was in her mind. Her body couldn’t physically tire. Yet… her wounds were throbbing and where the zombie had cut her wasn’t closing. Not healing.

  She ripped off the sword-arm of the nearest downed zombie and stabbed it in the head for good measure.

  There were only two left and they were slowly circling.

  “How do you want to do this?” The Lich Lord asked. He’d been sliced just as badly as Darlene but was still up and ready to go.

  “One at a time,” Darlene said and shifted her body, exposing her left side but attacking at the same time The Lich Lord was. She went low and he went high at one of the zombies.

  The Lich Lord was blocked f
rom a killing blow with a burst of energy, but it was distracting enough Darlene was able to get inside the zombie’s swinging blade-arms and grip onto its body.

  Darlene had grabbed the zombie’s crotch and realized with horror it was either a woman or had no male parts. Either way, just touching it was disgusting.

  She focused all of the heat energy she could muster into her hand and felt her fingers tingle.

  A blade tore into her exposed side but she couldn’t break the contact.

  The Lich Lord had taken a step back and, at first, Darlene thought he was escaping or leaving her for dead, but he had turned to fend off the other zombie, who was greedily attacking her side with his blade.

  When she was sure the energy was built up enough, she released it, her fingers fading as the burst exploded from her hand and into the zombie, who stopped moving and looked confused.

  The explosion was so sudden and so powerful it threw Darlene across the parking lot, where she hit with such force she felt her back break and both arms crack in several places.

  She felt no pain but needed to get up and rejoin the fight.

  “Nice going,” The Lich Lord said.

  She turned to see him, twenty feet back and off to her right, also on the ground. He slowly got to one knee and she could see his body was ripped apart but he was already healing in places.

  Darlene did the same, beginning to feel her broken bones mend and her wounds close.

  All except for the ones she’d received from the zombie blades.

  “Where is the last one?” Darlene asked, looking around as she got to her feet.

  The Lich Lord laughed. “You smoked both of them, Zombie Killer. You nearly fried us, too. I’d be careful when you’re using so much raw power next time.”

  There was nothing left of the two zombies.

  Darlene turned to the horde, expecting to see movement, but they were still in uniform rows and staring straight ahead.

  She bent down and picked up the zombie blade she’d taken. She needed to figure out exactly what it was and why her wounds didn’t heal.