Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1)

by Walker, L. Dee

  “Well it’s true!”

  “God, if this is the end o’ the world, please strike me dead with a lightnin’ bolt.”

  “Amber!” Trina rushed over and hugged her and the others followed.

  She sat up, pushing them off her in disgust. “In what world makes you think I want you hugging all over me!” She turned, glaring at Mark. “It was your idea to take the fucking boat! You almost killed us!”

  Trish blinked with her mouth agape and glared at her. “Oh my God, Amber he brought you back from the dead. You were fucking dead!”

  Trina looked at Mark, nodding. “You were great! You saved us. Thank you so much.”

  He looked at Trina. “Thanks.”

  “You’re a hero.”

  “Not a hero, but I do what I can. I couldn’t let you all drown.”

  “So now we owe you our lives. Who do ya want first?” Alex asked.

  He smiled. “For now I’ll pass, but maybe later.”

  Wiggling her brows, Heather winked. “I’ll bite the bullet and take ya first.”

  He shook his head. “Stop claimin’ my damn sperm.”

  “Jesus, where did you learn how to steer that damn thing? You went right into that rock! I think you were trying to kill us,” Amber yelled.

  He turned to her and her accusation. “If ya didn’t have your fat ass bouncin’ all over the raft, my steerin’ would’ve worked, but no. You had to bounce.”

  “My ass isn’t fat, thank you very much!”

  He stood, running a hand through his hair. “God, what a day it’s been.” He turned, looking around. He needed to figure out where they were. Boulder sized rocks littered the river and the steep embankment led up to a guardrail and it was obvious there was a road behind that. Groaning, he stood and walked towards the grass, pulling himself up the hill, quicker than his muscles would’ve liked.

  Trina watched him, curiously. “What are you doing?”

  “We aren’t gonna get what we need on these rocks.”

  Amber scrambled out of the water. “Do you even know where we’re going? What if we find more of those people who want to kill us?”

  “After being with you for a short time, I doubt that’s somethin’ new.”

  “Oh ha-ha. Seriously.”

  “Look, you can follow or stay here. I’ve proven I won’t let anythin’ happen to you, but I’m not gonna hold your fuckin’ hand either.”

  “I’m not asking you to!”

  He turned, continuing up the path to the guardrail. Once at the top of the hill, he looked around. There was a gas station across the road, surrounded by woods all around. There were signs in the window that bragged about how they were the cheapest cigarette place around. There were a few dead bodies in the parking lot and cars abandoned at the pumps. He winced. “Oh hell no. We came this far?”

  “What’s wrong?” Alex asked as she made it up the hill and stood beside him. “I don’t see anyone.”

  “Good thing,” Trish said, looking in each direction.

  “There might not be anyone around, but we’re far from where I wanna be,” he sighed. “Well, while we’re here…”

  “Of all the people to get stuck with,” Amber groaned, following closely behind him.

  “Trust me. I feel your pain.” Stepping over the guardrail, he quickly ran across the street to the store. He didn’t stop until he was at the door. Being the first one in, he checked the store, only seeing a few dead people scattered within, before holding the door open for the others. Once they were inside, he locked it, before turning and moving through the store. Stopping at the beer cooler, he reached in and grabbed one, draining it quickly. When he finished, he held it to his forehead.

  Watching him, Amber shook her head in disgust. “Drinking beer now? I don’t think that’s going to help us one bit.”

  “After the day I’ve had, I deserve it.”

  “As long as you’re not planning on getting drunk.”

  “I’m not getting’ drunk with one fuckin’ beer. God, get off my back already.”

  Heather rolled her eyes, grabbing a soda, drinking, as she grabbed more snacks. “Amber, give the man a break! If he wants a fucking beer let him have it.”

  He went behind the counter and found a backpack. Dumping out the contents, he filled it with cartons of cigarettes and snack food. He chose certain ones; Slim Jims, sucker candy, candy bars, as well as small bags of chips. He tossed in a few cookie packages, cheese, and crackers. It wasn’t the most nutritious meal he could find, but it was close enough.

  “I suggest you girls get somethin’ to eat an’ drink an’ now. I’m not sure how long it’s gonna take us to get where we need to go. We’re gonna have to make these rations last.” He grabbed a few bags of hard candy, cramming it into the top.

  Amber watched him, curiously. “You’re grabbing candy?”

  He grabbed the plastic bags, putting one inside the other. Rushing over to the drinks, he filled them with bottles of water. “Yes. It’ll help when eatin’ an’ drinkin’ aren’t possible so we don’t get thirsty. In ancient times, they’d take a smooth pebble an’ suck on it for long journeys.”

  “Well that’s thirty seconds of my life I won’t get back.”

  “Maybe you should stop talkin’. If ya wanna a special kind o’ soda, get it now. If ya make your plastic bag heavy enough, it should be sturdy enough to carry.”

  “I’m not carrying anything heavy.”

  “Then fuckin’ starve. Look, you might be used to someone takin’ care o’ your ass, but that’s not gonna happen now. Ya need to pull your own weight an’ if ‘at means carryin’ your own diet soda, then you’ll do it or go without.”

  “Fine!” Amber grabbed a bag and a few diets of her choosing. “Happy now?”

  Once they were finished, each of them stood at the door with an oversized stuff plastic bag in hand. Mark had tied a few, filled with all the water he could find, to the backpack, so they had plenty of drinking water. They all stood behind him at the door, but he wasn’t exiting the store.

  “So, where are we going?” Trish asked, looking out the window.

  “Nowhere. Not until those people leave,” he told them, bending down, motioning for them to do the same.

  Running towards the store was a woman. Long blonde hair disheveled, bright blue eyes wide with fright, dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a floral shirt, both covered in blood. The rather large gash in her cheek dripped down her shirt, and the deep gash in the top of her thigh added to her already bloody appearance.

  Her mournful screams for someone please help went unanswered as she ran. A man was chasing her. She was losing a lot of blood, evident by the trail following her. She limped, before falling to the ground, tripping over her own feet. Struggling to stand proved to be too much, as she tripped when her feet slipped out from under her. Smacking into the concrete once more, she crawled around on the ground like a toddler, quickly moving to the closest vehicle for safety. Her bare knees took the full blunt. Adding to her anguish with cuts, scrapes, causing her to scream out in pain.

  The man who followed behind her, half-ran, half-walked towards her. He was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. His beard was stained with red. He had a crazed, serial-killer expression in his eyes, as he tried to get her.

  Ducking down behind Mark, Heather watched the scene through the door. “Where did they come from?”

  He shrugged. “Got me. I wasn’t in charge of watchin’ out for ‘em.”

  Amber looked out, shaking her head. “I don’t see this ending well for the screamer.”

  “It never does,” Heather told her. “It makes you wonder why the bitch isn’t running. She’s just crawling around, screaming her head off. Like that’s going to chase him away.”

  “Shh! I mean if you girls want him to know we’re here, I’ll open the door an’ you can go an’ ask ‘im,” he said, hushing them.

  “Just saying...”

  Inquisitively, Trina looked at him. “Aren’t you g
onna help her?”

  He watched the couple. “I want to, but I can’t. Look at ‘er. She’s got a bad cut on ‘er leg an’ on ‘er face. She’d slow us down. Besides, we’re gonna use ‘er death to get away.”

  Surprised, Alex turned to him. “What?”

  “What do you mean; we’re going to use her death?” Trina asked.

  He nodded. “Well, the way I see it, she’s gonna die anyway. Instead, while he’s doin’ whatever he’s gonna do with ‘er, we’re gonna sneak out. I figure the trees might be the safest place. If we cut through the woods, it’s definitely gonna be the shortest distance.”

  “That sounds heartless.”

  Alex shrugged. “Sounds like a plan, I guess.”

  “When I head out, you follow behind me single file an’ don’t look back. Run as if your lives depend on it, because it does an’ for God’s sake, don’t make any noise!”

  The man grabbed the woman, pulling her into his chest, burying his face in her neck. The woman let out a blood-curdling, mournful sound as he bit her. The arterial spray hit him in the face, causing him to open his mouth. She stopped struggling as he held her close, eating her. It almost look like some weird sexual act the way he appeared to hump into her as he ate her.

  When the attack began, Mark opened the door and led the way out. They quietly snuck around in single file formation. When he was around the side of the building, where they were no longer visible to the man, he turned, motioning for the girls to run around the dumpster, around the fence, up to the back property, to the wooded area. He helped them up the hill, rushing towards the heart of the woods.

  Trish looked around. “Where are we going now?”

  “The same place. This is just another way to get there,” he told them.

  “Okay, but can we please slow down.”

  Alex looked around, rushing to keep up with his pace. “Where is that?”

  He shrugged. “Through the woods.”

  “How far do we have to walk through the woods?”

  “It’s a lot further than where we were, so keep walkin’.”

  Amber followed closely behind him. “What happens if we see more people, or those creatures?”

  He shrugged. “I pick up a big stick an’ kill their ass.”

  “What do we do?”

  “What you do best. Get up a tree.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re just full of ideas.”

  “You’d probably get more walkin’ done if ya didn’t talk as much.”

  “No need to be rude.”

  The girls didn’t say anything and walked in silence. Before long, they heard something running through the woods in their direction. Everyone stopped and looked around. There was a distinct horrific smell getting closer as the sound charged at them. It sounded like a stampede.

  Sixteen

  Mark stopped, looking around on the ground and picked up the biggest stick he could find. It would make a great piece of wood for the fire, but not so much for a weapon.

  Amber sniggered. “I didn’t think you meant it literally. Do you think a big stick’s going to do something?”

  “It’s better than standin’ here empty handed.”

  Trish looked around terrified. “What the hell is that?”

  Trina’s eyes shot around, searching for the source. “What should we do?”

  “Get up the trees,” he told them, pointing to the closest one.

  “What a trip this is,” Amber said, running to the tree. “I’m spending more time up the trees than anywhere else.”

  “Yeah. Who knew we’d spend more time in the trees than on the ground,” Heather said sarcastically, pulling herself up to safety.

  “While camping, no less,” Trish agreed.

  “Maybe you’d rather stay on the ground an’ fight an’ I’ll worry about protectin’ my own ass.” It was obvious he was annoyed with them. “Get up the fuckin’ tree!”

  Amber settled on the limb. “Oh no. You’re doing a great job.”

  The stampede broke through the clearing staring at Mark.

  Shocked, Trish looked down. “What the hell is that?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m glad we’re up here,” Heather said, fearfully.

  Mark stood in the open. He held the stick in his hand and looked as ridiculous as he felt. “Oh shit. Heroism is for the fuckin’ birds!”

  What looked like a hairless bear stood tall. It looked like the raccoon only a lot bigger. Pus-filled sores oozed from his hide. It roared at him, showing off sharp fangs while tapping the ground with claw-like talons.

  “I think it’s a bear,” Trina exclaimed.

  “That’s a bear?” Amber asked, shocked.

  Alex pulled her feet up high on the limb. “Are they usually that big?”

  Heather hugged her tree, groaning. “What the fuck happened to it?”

  Cringing, Mark shook his head. “Keep talkin’. After he kills me, he’ll climb the fuckin’ tree an’ get you. Why couldn’t I have been an ass an’ left you?”

  Amber smirked. “You claiming you aren’t an ass is funny.”

  “Watch out!” Alex yelled as the bear danced back and forth. “It’s winding up or something.”

  “Bears do know how to climb trees, don’t they?”

  “Again, you girls did claim you’re college girls right?” He asked surprised, not taking his eyes off the bear, while trying to do his best to keep its attention on him. “It’s a bear. Of course it knows how to climb.”

  “You’re our hero. You can do it,” Trina said, trying to encourage him.

  “Yeah, Sir Mark to the fuckin’ rescue. I don’t feel like a hero, more like a snack.”

  The bear ran at him and then stopped directly in front of him, standing on hind legs. It towered over him at over seven feet. Slamming the stick into the bear’s side as hard as he could, it did nothing but break in half. The bear looked at him and dropped down to four legs. Growling, he showed his fangs.

  Wincing, Trina screamed. “Watch out!”

  “Oh shit,” he groaned. “This is gonna hurt like hell.”

  All it took was one swipe. The bear knocked him off his feet, slamming him against a tree. When it charged him, Mark grabbed it by the side of his neck. It was all he could do to stop it from biting him. It didn’t matter. The bear used its claws. Mark screamed out in pain as he felt every claw dig into his back, which made the bear toss him away.

  Amber watched the battle. “This is better than Animal Planet. Shit. Too bad we don’t have popcorn. I’m betting on the bear.”

  Turning back, it pounced on top of him. There was a long line of drool dripping from the bear’s mouth. It threatened to drip on Mark. The bear reared up to pounce again. When it did, Mark rolled out from beneath it. He grabbed a bigger stick. When it came for him, he tossed the stick and sidestepped the bear. As the bear ran past, he leaped onto the back of it.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Heather asked, shocked.

  “Now’s not the time to go for a ride,” Trish said, with furrowed brows.

  Amber smirked. “Oh. I think he’s a dead man now.”

  The bear roared, struggling to knock him off. It tried dancing, stomping, and rearing its head back and forth. Mark held on like a champion bull rider. Reaching his arms around the bear’s neck, being careful of its mouth, he used every ounce of strength he had left and twisted. The snap sounded like dry limbs being stepped on. The bear dropped to the ground, tossing Mark once more into the tree.

  He bounced off the tree, landing on the ground. He was bleeding from his arm. Sitting up, he leaned against the trunk of the tree, trying to catch his breath. “Yeah, fuckin’ heroism’s for the birds!” He growled.

  Trina was the first to climb down and ran over to check on him. “Oh my God, are you okay? You killed it! I told you that you could!”

  He winced. “Go me.”

  “Ooh, that doesn’t look good. Let me see it.”

  “Just leave it the fuck alone.”

/>   “Shut the fuck up and raise your shirt.”

  “What the hell are you gonna do?”

  “I’m a nurse’s aide so I’m trained to know how to deal with shit like this.”

  Pouting, he lifted his shirt. “Oh, well now that ya put it like ‘at.”

  “Men.” She looked at the area and blinked in shock.

  “So, how bad does it look?”

  “Um, it’s okay.”

  “Well don’t sugarcoat it doc, what’s up?”

  Arching her brow, she nodded, looking it over. “Well, it’s already infected. I could try to put stitches in it, but it’s already leaking pus like a bitch. It’s not really bleeding anymore.”

  “So then it’s not a problem?”

  “No, actually it is a problem.”

  He turned away from her, retching and puking on the side of the tree. When he finished, he rolled back over, holding his stomach. “I swear I’ve been run over by an eighteen wheeler.”

  She cringed, trying not to look at the puke as she reached in her pocket. Pulling out a bottle, she handed him two pills. “Here, take these it will help with the pain.”

  He looked at them. “What the hell are they?”

  “It’s Percocet, perhaps you’ve heard of them? When you start feeling pain let me know and I’ll give you two more.”

  “I don’t wanna take your pain pills. Ya might need ‘em.”

  “I have a hundred twenty of them.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  “See, I guess heroism does have its rewards.”

  He smiled, swallowing both pills. “Thanks. Now help me up so we can get movin’. The smell o’ that thin’ is really gross.”

  “So do we still think the woods are the best way to travel?” Amber asked, sarcastically.

  “Well, it’s a lot shorter to cut through the woods, but no I think we should go by water since the animals don’t like it. Plus I can get this thing cleaned out.” He stood, groaning in pain. “That of course means we need to go back the way we came.”