Looking around, Tyler repositioned his gun. “Any orders, boss?”
“If someone gets close to you open fire.” She leaped into the crowd, swinging one of the blades and it severed a man’s head. It bounced off into the crowd.
That was the start of the fight like the flag at the racetrack. The head flying in the air was enough to get the group of people fired up, and they went in for the attack. Rob took out his rifle, which had no ammo using it like a bat. Turning, he knocked many in the head that got too close, sending them flying to the ground. When they were just about finished with this fight, one of the crazed women jumped on Dani, knocking her to the ground. She struggled under the woman who tried every way to get close enough to bite.
Finally, Dani allowed her to bite her arm. “Have a taste, ya stupid bitch.”
Rob watched the woman stagger away, howling, and bleeding from her mouth, eyes, and nose. “What the fuck?”
She stood, lifted her blade, and sliced through the howling woman, kicking the head away. “That happens when we get bit.”
The others fleeing were gunned down with a shot to the head. When they were finished, Rob stood and walked over to Dani sniffing the air around her. Smiling, Dani sniffed back.
Leaning, Liam pointed to them, whispering to Tyler. “I feel like I’m at a dog park.”
Tyler laughed. “It looks that way too.”
“If they start smelling each other’s ass, I’m going to lose it.”
“They smell cotton candy.”
“Well, that would make an interesting topic at a party. What’s that sweet smell? Oh, that’s me. Would you like a taste?”
“I wish I smelled cotton candy instead of this shit.”
“I know that’s right.”
Curiously, Rob watched her. “Are you the one who smells like cotton candy?”
Shaking her head, she smiled. “No, you are. Actually, we both smell like cotton candy to each other.”
“Okay. I’ll bite, why?”
“We’re attracted to each other.”
“Are you coming on to me?”
She smirked. “It’s a long story, which I can get into once we get back to our camp. You can get somethin’ to eat, a shower, maybe a good night’s sleep.” She turned to her team. “Everyone clean up. Take back anything of use an’ leave the rest. Keep your eyes peeled because it’s dark an’ you know what that means; watch each other’s backs.” She turned back to Rob with her hand extended. “I’m Dani.”
Reaching forward, he shook her hand. “I’m Rob. Nice to meet you. So does anyone know what’s going on around here?”
“I do. However, it’s not safe here an’ I have to get my squad back. If you want answers, come with us to camp. Grab whatever gear ya have or wanna take with you.”
“Why would I go anywhere with you just because you smell like cotton candy? For all I know that could be a trick to get me back to your lab.”
“It’s not a lab. It’s a camp not too far from here, an’ I have the information ya need. Ya wanna know more about what happened then you’ll come with us. It’s not prison. You can always leave when ya want.”
He rubbed his belly. “I am kind of hungry. Finding food out here isn’t the easiest thing to do.”
“We have food an’ a lot of other things.”
“Alright, I’ll come back then. I could definitely use a shower and some grub.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
It didn’t take long to get back to Walmart. He looked around curiously, as he got out of the jeep. “Wow, this place doesn’t even look like a Walmart, more like a warehouse mixed with an armory.” Walking over to one of the shelves, he lightly ran his finger over the weapon. “You guys got the hookup that’s for damn sure. The rest of us are out there scrambling to find food, weapons, and shelter. You’ve got it in here all in one nice, neat shop.”
“Yeah, well it didn’t come easily. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it though. Let’s get upstairs so you can meet the others.”
Looking around, he noticed the bus and blinked. “Whoa, interesting parking job there!”
Chuckling, she made her way up the stairs to the roof. “Yeah, I’m sure you’ll hear about that too. How long ago were you bitten?”
“About two weeks, give or take a few days. One day just kinda flows into the next. I’m starving. I haven’t eaten anything substantial in days.”
“Well, let’s get ya somethin’ to eat.”
He looked around at the amount of people in the store off doing their own things. Pointing, he looked back at her. “So, how many people are here?”
“Oh, I’d have to check the ledger, but I’d say we’re about fifty strong.”
“Wow! Did everyone just automatically come to Walmart for supplies or something? That would’ve been a smart idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I wish it was ‘at easy. Every day we go out an’ find more. We’re lookin’ for any an’ all survivors we can find in the area. There was only a handful here from the start,” she pointed to the bus. “They came with the ride.”
“That’s impressive, and you all live here? Is there enough food for everyone?”
She opened the roof door and stepped through, holding it open for him. “Yep, we do the lunch meat, hotdogs, not to mention the food in boxes, bags, an’ cans so we’re good for a little while. You’d be amazed how much food a Walmart warehouse stores. We ration out our food. Everyone’s fed enough to survive, but it’s on a schedule. We have a few generators we run when we have to, mainly to charge the power tools.”
“What about those who try to steal from you?”
“There aren’t any who try to steal from us. Oh, don’t get me wrong, they did try… once.”
Looking around the roof, he stopped dead in his tracks. “Wow! You guys really do have the hookup here!”
“We do what we have to so we can survive.”
“Yeah, I’d say so.”
It didn’t take long for word to spread about the newcomer and people walked over to make their introductions. “Hey everyone, this is Rob. Nell, if ya could get the man a plate of your finest food. He hasn’t eaten in a few days.”
Nell nodded. “Oh you poor dear. I’ll set you right up.” She rushed off to the dining area to make him a plate and get him a drink.
Dani looked around at the growing crowd. Everyone came to investigate, except the squad who was keeping watch; they didn’t leave their post. “The rest of you make him feel welcome. Introduce yourselves one at a time an’ give ‘im an idea of who you are.” She reached into the backpack, handing him the leader’s folder. “When they’re finished tellin’ ya ‘bout what happened to bring ‘em here, check out what’s in ‘at folder. It’ll answer all your questions. When you’ve finished, just put it back in the backpack, please, an’ if ya have any questions, I’ll answer ‘em.” Turning, she looked at Tyler. “I’m goin’ down to make sure the bus is ready.”
He nodded. “Okay, just holler if you need any help.”
“You know it!” Opening the roof door, she headed back down to the store.
Nell brought over his plate of food. “Here you go darling. Sit down and eat this and let me tell you what happened to me.” She pulled up a chair, sitting beside him. “My name is Nell and I came in on that bus smashed into the side of the store. We called it the ride from hell.”
Taking the plate of food, Rob snorted. “You mean that wonderful parking job?”
“Yeah, that mess of a ride was a horror from the start. I swore I was never gonna ride on another bus again.”
Jessi laughed. “That little girl wouldn’t stop singing that same stupid song… over and over.”
“Yep, that’s how it started. Lord help me, I wanted to get that kid drunk so she’d go to sleep.”
“That was the whole bus, Nell.”
Nell, Alexander, Jessi, and Tyler all joined in and told him about how the bus came to be a permanent fixture in the store. Each one took the time telli
ng him their story. After they were finished, he got to know the rest of them.
“So what’s your story?” Nell asked as she watched him.
Twenty-Four
“God please, stop the pounding in my head. I promise I’ll never drink again!” Rob exclaimed. He curled up in a fetal position, hiding under the covers. The sun bled through the window, dancing light across his bed as if playing hide and seek. “When you party like a rock star, you have to deal with the platinum hangover. I know.”
Groaning, he sat up looking at the ceiling. “I know I promised you that before. Ya know, the part about never drinking again if you just give me fast relief, but you have to deliver fast relief for that contract to be binding. Quick relief is the sealant in that promise.” Tapping his heart twice, he kissed two fingers, saluting the ceiling.
Robert Poole, Rob was the man most women talked about as being worth keeping. A good man was hard to find, but he had all the right ingredients. He was good looking, quick-witted, dominating in a good way, and a hard worker. Not to mention his mother taught him how to be a real gentleman. Recently, he reached the golden age of thirty and was ready to settle down.
He sat with his long legs resting over the side, feet firmly on the floor, running a hand through his short, brown hair. Standing, he stepped into his slippers while grabbing his robe as he walked to the bathroom. His feet shuffled across the floor, sounding like an old man more than a young man in his prime.
Lifting the toilet seat to relieve a screaming bladder, he glanced in the mirror at his bloodshot eyes. The dark circles and slight bags showed his failure to get a good night’s sleep. Tilting his head to the side, blue eyes stared at the reddish-brown hickey, smirking as he touched it.
“Damn vampire got me again.” Scratching his goatee, he chuckled. Reaching a hand into the shower, he turned on the hot water, instantly fogging the mirror. Stripping, he stepped through the curtain.
Afterwards, he showed off his handsome physique by dressing down: jeans and a T-shirt. He didn’t feel as bad as he did earlier and was ready for the rest of his weekend.
Once downstairs, he fixed a pot of coffee to fill his thermos. He noticed none of his roommates made it home the night before. This didn’t bother him. They rarely were home. Reaching up, he opened the cabinet, pulling down a big bottle of pills. This was his supply. Suffering from a work related accident years ago kept him in pain often. Not to mention the thrill they gave him. Popping a handful, chugging it down with his coffee, he was ready to face the world.
Grabbing his keys off the key ring, he paused. His roommates’ keys were still hanging on the hook. He looked around curiously. They never went anywhere without them. He stood for a moment, thinking. Shrugging, he turned and opened the door, stepping out into the warm sun. Finally, the sun was out, drying the wet ground. It rained for a week straight, so the sun was a good thing. He breathed in, smiling. It was a good change and put him in a great mood, though the air smelled musty at best.
Pulling on his shades and baseball cap, he walked out to his car. Taking out his cell phone, he noticed a text from his girl. As trashed as he was the night before - seeing his car in one piece was a good sign.
Not feeling good might have to postpone our big plans. Love you.
He walked down the driveway, figuring he would go over and help nurse her back to health. Hitting the reply was enough for him to discover there wasn’t any cell service. Groaning, he walked around the car, trying to find enough bars to shoot out this text, but got nothing; not even a speck of a bar. Angrily, he tossed it in the open window.
“You fucking expensive piece of shit. Smart phone my ass!”
He pulled up on the handle, opening his door, sitting in the seat. Leaning forward, he started the car while adjusting his rearview mirror. He sat staring. Scratching his head, he slowly opened his door again, stepping out, looking confused. Taking off his shades, he stared at the sight before him.
“What in the…?”
As far as the eye could see, dead people littered the street, sidewalk, and his whole neighborhood. Chopped up, chewed on, and some tremendously destroyed. Walking to the end of his driveway, carefully stepping over bodies, he looked up the road. The scene was the same no matter which direction he looked. Tears welled in his eyes before the smell hit, reeling him backwards. Tripping over people, he landed on the dead body of his roommate. His hand slid into his internal organs in the hole in his gut. Gagging, he wiped his hand off on the grass, while scrambling backwards and on his feet before racing to his car.
Flinging open the door, he jumped in. Slamming it hard behind him, he quickly locked it. Throwing the car in reverse, he backed over the people. His roommate’s dead stare caught him through the side-view mirror just a second before he ran over his head, squashing it like a melon under the tire. He drove a mile up the street, turning into a driveway. This was the prettiest neighborhood in the city. They all were proud of their flowerbeds and artfully trimmed bushes.
However, it looked the same as his neighborhood now, littered with dead. Closing his eyes, he prayed silently to God. Reaching behind his seat, he grabbed the tire iron. Jumping out, he raced to the front door. His heart pounded in his chest as he gripped the door handle to find it locked. That was a good sign!
Thankfully, his girl told him the family secret. The key to the house is under the planter. Turning, he went for the big marble planter on the porch. Lifting it, he pulled the key out from underneath and went back to open the door. Pushing open the door, he looked around in shock. That was not a good sign.
He remembered how her mother put those pictures on the wall. They were spaced so lovingly apart from each other, in time-consuming symmetrical order. There wasn’t any order now, just thrown on the floor: destroyed. Splinters of wood held the evidence of the full realm of destruction. Pieces on the ground of fine china used to be the expensive collectibles that used to sit on the shelves, depicting another time, place, or memory of a special event.
Slowly, he closed the door behind him. Gripping tire iron in his hand, he bolted up the stairs. The glass crunched, which caused an echo to fill the eerie silence. Taking the stairs two at a time, he felt something slimy as he gripped the bannister. Once at the top, he noticed the red stain. Glancing down the rail, it was blood.
Turning quickly, he looked in the direction of the room where he spent many hours, nights, and days. An electric shock went up and down his spine when he spied the bloody handprint on the door. Sighing, he groaned and sprinted the distance. His hand shook as he gripped the knob, pushing it open.
Gasping, tears welled in his eyes, spilling over to trickle down his cheeks as convulsions gripped him and he leaned over throwing up. When he finished, he wiped his mouth and leaned back, bracing himself in the door as he swayed.
He cried softly. “No baby.”
The woman in the bed was dead and had been for many hours. Blood splatter smeared down the walls, dripping from the ceiling. Her organs, ripped out of a hole in the middle of her, strung around the room.
Dropping the tire iron while staggering to the bed, he sobbed uncontrollably. “Oh baby, what happened?” He dropped down on his knees, grabbing her hand, holding it to his face. “No, no, no, no, no… please baby, don’t leave me.” After a few moments, he reached up, lightly caressing her face.
Suddenly, and without warning, something pulled him off his feet. Reaching his hands back, he tried hanging on to stop his hair from being pulled out. He struggled, kicking, and grabbing anything within his grasp. He felt the discarded tire iron roll under his body. Grabbing it, he slammed it into whatever had him. He felt a sharp, stinging sensation in his neck followed by the gentle oozing of blood as he continuously hit whatever it was. It released him. Turning, he looked behind him, staggering to his feet. Looking into the eyes of his girlfriend’s mother, he didn’t even recognize her anymore.
There was this crazed look in her eyes. She looked insane covered in blood. She lunged at him again. Ro
lling away, he jumped up, holding the iron above his head and hit her. He hit her repeatedly until there was nothing left but a skull and bloody pulp.
He stood over her dead body. “I really hated your fucking tuna casserole.” Once more, he dropped the tire iron, bringing his hand up to his neck. He felt the flow of blood, oozing from a chunk of missing flesh where she bit him. “Bitch!” Kicking her face, he staggered back. Pulling his hand away, he looked at the mix of blood and pus.
He sighed, falling to the floor, dizzy from loss of blood and crawled over to the bed. Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out a ring box. “I just want you to know, the short time we were together made up for a lifetime of being without you. You brought joy to my life and I will never forget you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over losing you.” Opening the box, held within deep plush blue bedding revealed an engagement ring with a healthy diamond in the middle, surrounded by tiny pink ones. Taking her hand, he slipped the ring on her finger. “I will always love you.” He lay beside her and waited to die.
Nell winced, shaking her head. “Damn baby. I’m sorry to hear that.”
He nodded. “Thanks. We just found out she was pregnant and was getting married.”
“Oh my word! Are you okay?”
“Each day gets a little easier.”
“That’s true. The only thing we can do now is continue to live.”
Tyler nodded. “And kick the shit out of those things.”
After story time Rob ran to catch up to Dani who was in the garage working under the hood of one of the buses. “Are you a mechanic too?”
Grinning, she pulled her head out from under the raised hood. “Yeah, I tinker under the hood a bit. Before all this shit happened, I worked at Grease Monkeys for a livin’.”
“Oh that’s such a turn on.”
“Why are men so turned on by a woman fixin’ an engine?” She wiped the grease off on the rag in her pocket, pulling the hood closed.
“I dunno, maybe it’s because so many of us can’t?”
“Men can’t ask for directions, but ya don’t get turned on when we do.”
Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) Page 23
