Val: Prequel to The Zombie Chronicles

by Peebles, Chrissy

  “You’ll make it,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “You can’t die here, Rob. I won’t let you.”

  “It’s kinda funny if you think about it. It’s like…well, maybe I’m supposed to end up here after all. You rescued me once, but fate brought me back. We can’t escape fate.”

  “That’s bull, Rob—just what people say when they’re ready to give up. Now you stop talking like that and—”

  He touched my face. “Don’t think it was for nothing, Val, ‘cause it wasn’t. If you and Sammy hadn’t rescued me, I wouldn’t have brought this military team. Ultimately, that’s what saved those people’s lives. And you got Mindy outta here too. I’ll be forever grateful for that.”

  “Don’t thank me, Rob. You’re the hero.”

  “Val,” he said in a whisper, “Marvin is…my brother has ordered your execution, you and Sammy. You have to…”

  My jaw dropped as his eyes blinked shut. “What? Rob, what are you talking about?”

  Chapter 20

  When Rob’s eyes finally fluttered open again, he continued, “Just pretend like everything is okay, normal. Go with the Tom, but then you and Sammy have to get away from them. Run, Val, out the back way, through the woods. Never stop running…and never look back.”

  “I don’t run away from my problems.”

  “You’ve got to this time. There are too many people for you to fight. Mindy will get the people to safety, and my brother won’t hurt them. He blames you for my death, and it’s your blood he wants, not theirs. He’ll just dump them off somewhere when they come to.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, dumbfounded.

  He fought for another breath. “Just promise me you’ll run.”

  “I will, Rob. We’ll leave town as fast as our feet can carry us.”

  His breathing labored. “And?”

  A tear dripped down my face. “And I’ll never look back.” I kissed his forehead. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m not. I died saving lives.”

  Marvin finally came in, his lips pursed in a grim line. “Get to the bus. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Hurry, okay?”

  “Like I said, I’m right behind you.”

  I leaned down to touch Rob’s face as Marvin lifted him up. “I’ll see you back at the store.”

  “Okay.”

  Tom and Jack, motioned me to follow.

  When I left the room, Sammy hugged me. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “Let’s go,” Tom snapped.

  As we were led down the corridor, I harbored the unsettling knowledge that we were about to be ambushed by Marvin’s militia. He was like a serpent waiting to strike, but I would fight back with everything I had. I didn’t even have time to warn Sammy, so when we turned the corner and I attacked, she screamed, wondering why I was turning on the men were supposed to be helping us. Keeping my legs shoulder width apart, I twisted for maximum power and grabbed Tom’s hand, jerking him toward me. I used my free arm to drive my elbow directly into his jaw. I shook the gun loose from his hand and elbowed his jaw again, and he fell to the tile floor, as unconscious as the people on the bus.

  Jack tried to get his weapon up to fire at me, but I lunged, striking the back of his hand, right above the wrist, with as much force as I could muster. He dropped the gun, and I kicked it away.

  Sammy grabbed it and pointed it at the man, still looking at me in confusion. “Val, what’s going on?” she said.

  “You broke my wrist,” Jack whined. “I shoulda killed you the second Marvin told me to, the second we left the room.”

  “Never hesitate,” I said. “It might just be the difference between life and death.”

  “You crazy wench!” he shouted.

  “Now, now,” I said, “that’s no way to talk to somebody who just supplied you with a bus full of weapons. You need to learn some manners,” I said, and with that, I delivered a swift, forceful strike with my fist, right to the side of his jaw, sending him crumbling to the floor.

  “Val, uh…I think you got some ‘splainin to do here!” Sammy said, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Marvin told them to shoot us. He’s not thinking straight, and thinks it’s our fault Rob got stabbed by that nurse. Rob overheard and told me.”

  She gasped.

  “I wondered why he didn’t throw Rob over his shoulder and leave. He just hovered over him like he zoned out from all those pills. Nothing he was doing was making sense. And now we’re on his hit list.”

  “Well, in that case, maybe we oughtta find another way out. I’m sure the rest of his troops will be in here in no time, and they’ve got enough weapons out there to take out an army.”

  As we hurried down the corridor, disturbing thoughts consumed me. I felt horrible that Rob had been stabbed. It tore at me, and it was a struggle to stay sane, to go on without completely losing it. We were on foot again, with no supplies and no vehicle, just the two of us. The thought was troubling, and I was tired of starting over at square one, always taking two steps back for every step forward.

  We found another exit, but the door was locked. I shot at it with my gun, but it was stubborn and didn’t open; my gun wasn’t half as powerful as the machine gun Marvin had used to blow open the side door.

  “Well? Any brilliant ideas?” Sammy asked.

  “We’ll find a way.”

  When I saw a figure in the distance, I aimed my gun at it, presuming it was a zombie. Only when the woman turned around to face us did I realize she was still human.

  “Help me,” she said. “They captured me!”

  I would have believed her if she hadn’t been wearing a perfectly applied layer of lipstick. “Hmm. Amazing that you can still use a lip-liner while you’re comatose,” I said. I put the gun to her head, and she gasped in terror.

  “Don’t shoot,” she said.

  “I’ll consider that…if you get us out of here,” I said sternly.

  “All right. There’s an exit at the south end.”

  “I’ve always believed showing is more educational than telling. Take us there…now. Also, I hope you’re as quick with the lock combination as you are with a lie.”

  “No!”

  I cocked my gun. “It really was more of an order than a question,” I said.

  She rolled her perfectly smoky eyes at me like a disrespectful teenager.

  My temper exploded, and I knocked her out with my fist.

  “What the heck?” Sammy said. “She was our only hope of getting out of here. Are you crazy?”

  “I didn’t like her attitude.”

  “You don’t like my attitude, but you don’t go around cold-cocking me.”

  “Wait! Please don’t kill her!” a man pleaded, running toward us.

  I trained my gun on him, but then I recognized him as Sal, the man who’d kicked us out of his town before.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “I didn’t let you stay in town because I knew what they’d do to you. That’s why Mike and I took you to the next town, away from this place.”

  He checked the woman’s pulse and lifted her up.

  “Well, a lotta good that did,” I said. “We stopped for Sammy to get a drink, and the next thing we knew, we were being chased down. We fell through the roof, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital, er…meat market or whatever this place is.”

  “You were just trying to help us?” Sammy said.

  He shifted his stance. “I didn’t wanna see two beautiful women caught up in all this. At first I was going to hand you over.”

  “That’s why you wanted to arrest us?” I asked. “For not having gun permits?”

  “Yes. But when I saw Brian wanted to let you go, I jumped on board with the plan.”

  “You referred us to someone?” Sammy said. “Was he legit? Safe?”

  “He would’ve truly helped you for an honest day’s work.”

  �
�The people in that town traded us for weapons, ten of them, I think,” I said.

  “Yeah, I heard they just started making trades, bartering with equipment and supplies for people.”

  “That’s sick,” I said.

  He sighed. “I know. I wish I would’ve known sooner. I had no idea they’d been dealing with people in that city. I’m sorry. I shoulda taken you two towns over.”

  “Can you get us out of here?” I asked.

  He shifted the girl dangling in his arms.

  “She’ll be okay,” I said. “She’s just out cold. And I do apologize for attacking her.”

  “It’s okay. I get it. She’s the enemy. We all are. I’m not a good person at all. If I can help you get away, then maybe I’ll be able to sleep tonight knowing I did something to help somebody.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Just follow me,” he said, then quickly led us to an exit door and opened it. “Good luck,” he said. “I’ll lead them off your trail.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  * * *

  Sammy and I raced outside and into the woods. We weaved through the twisting vines and trees, happy to have at least somewhat of a head start if Marvin or the sick, cannibalistic freaks came after us.

  “Wow,” Sammy said. “It sure is easy to misjudge people. I thought that guy was a jerk, a real creep, but he was really just trying to save our lives.”

  “Yeah. I guess he didn’t figure we’d be used as currency. But he’s still a jerk if you ask me. He’s been leading people into their hands. We’re just lucky he had a spark of compassion that particular day.”

  Sammy shuddered. “I can’t bear to think of him dragging us off to the meat farm.”

  “He didn’t have the heart,” I said. “But what about the others that didn’t fare so well? My heart goes out to them.”

  As we walked briskly, all kinds of thoughts spun through my head. I assumed I’d never know what happened to Rob, and that saddened me. I hoped they’d get him the proper medical treatment, so he would survive. I hadn’t known Mindy all that long, and she’d ticked me off at the museum by arguing with me, but I still wished I could have told her goodbye. Now, it was just me and Sammy again. I stopped and looked at Sammy when another thought struck me.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Kyle! We should go get him and Jenny.”

  She raised a brow. “They’re probably gone already.”

  “I’m sure they’re not. She needed some time to rest and recover.”

  “Does Marvin know anything about him? I don’t really feel like being ambushed again tonight.”

  “He didn’t know. They didn’t want to pick him up, so they didn’t even listen when I tried to tell them where he’s staying.”

  “Are you sure Rob didn’t tell them? He was with us when we dropped Kyle and Jenny off.”

  “Nope. Marvin couldn’t have cared less about Kyle.”

  “Well, Kyle’s cool and all, but what would be the point in going there? It seems kinda risky to me.”

  “They’re going to Ohio, too. It’d be safer to travel together, and Kyle has loads of food, guns, and supplies. Not only that, but he also has the keys to an EarthRoamer.”

  “What the heck is that?”

  “Only the coolest technology on the planet. It’s a sporty, compact RV on a four-by-four truck. It’s meant for rough terrain, so we’ll be able to travel over any kind of debris. I swear, the thing could mow through the Amazon jungle without breaking a sweat, and that’s exactly what we need. I don’t know about you, but my feet can’t handle walking all the way to Ohio. Besides, he owes me a bowl of Chicken and Stars.”

  “Huh?”

  I laughed, recalling our discussion about the luxury of hot soup. “Nothing.”

  “Well, you’re so good at hotwiring. We should be able to find a car in no time.”

  “Maybe, but gas seems to be a problem.”

  “Stop it, Val.”

  “What?”

  “This isn’t about that at all. At least be honest with me. You’ve got the hots for Kyle.”

  “Kyle? What? No way!”

  “I saw the way you looked at him.”

  “I don’t do romance, Sammy,” I said. “Besides, even if I did, there are more pressing things to deal with right now.”

  “You just don’t want to give anyone a chance.”

  “A chance? I’m trying to give us all a chance—to freaking life. How am I supposed to worry about love and romance when I have to think about taking down zombies every minute of the day? The world we live in is about survival now. All things considered, Cupid’s arrows don’t really mean a thing next to a zombie bite.”

  She looked down at her clothes. “Yeah, you’re right. Fashion is pretty much out the door, so we wouldn’t have anything to wear on a date anyway.”

  All of the sudden, a figure jumped out of the bushes and hit me right on the head. Pain exploded, and multicolored, psychedelic amoebas danced in my vision as a thick blindfold was placed over my eyes. Somebody duct-taped my mouth, and another tied my ankles, legs, and wrists with rope. I grew dizzy as I was hoisted over strong shoulders in a fireman’s carry, completely at a loss as to what had happened.

  Chapter 21

  Everything was a blur, and I was thrown onto the floor of a vehicle. I was sure we’d been captured by the cannibals. Great. Any minute, they’ll pump me full of drugs, and I’ll end up served on a plate, over some lettuce and rice. The thought was sickening. I thrashed around in my bindings, but it was useless. Whoever had tied me up must have been a Boy Scout at one time or another, because they knew what they were doing with knots.

  Tires screeched, and the vehicle took off down the street. I had sworn to protect Sammy, that I’d keep her safe, and I had failed her. Dying in the hands of those monsters would be far worse a fate than losing a battle with the undead.

  The vehicle stopped, and my stomach dropped when I heard the doors swing open. When footsteps approached, I held my breath. Strong arms lifted me out and set me down on a hard surface. My legs were wobbly, but one of the men steadied me and untied my ankles. The person behind me kept pushing and shoving, forcing me to go faster than my hesitant feet wanted to carry me.

  A door creaked opened, and I was led down the corridor. My boots echoed with every footstep. I could hear others, and I wondered if they had separated me from Sammy, because I didn’t hear her voice in the mix. Finally, when I heard her muffled cries for help through a gag, I knew she was with me. I wondered where our captors were taking us. Are we back at the lab?

  Zombies moaned, and my heart pounded. Gunshots rang out. Wherever we were, it wasn’t safe and had clearly been compromised. Why are we here? I wondered.

  More moans from the infected made me shudder, but four more shots pierced the air.

  Fingers began to loosen my bindings, and I was ready to fight like nobody’s business. My fists clenched as I mentally prepared to knock somebody into next week. It would be my only chance, and I had to make it count.

  Somebody shoved me forward, and I fell to my knees. I pulled off my blindfold just in time to see Sammy landing next to me. Glancing around, I saw that we were surrounded by Marvin’s men. We were in some sort of jail cell, and the air was thick with dust. Spider webs billowed in the draft coming from the window above us.

  “Sammy,” I said, “are you okay?”

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Consider this payback,” a deep voice said.

  I immediately recognized the voice as Marvin’s, and I stared up at him, long and hard, in complete shock. “What’s going on? Why have you brought us here?” I demanded, gripping the cold metal bars. “We were a team!”

  “A team? Heh. You let my brother get stabbed.”

  “That wasn’t my fault!” I yelled. “Your brother was my friend, and I cared about him. We rescued him, and because we did, he was able to rescue Mindy, and you guys got your beloved weapons.”

  “Wh
en are you going to let us out?” Sammy asked.

  He felt around his pockets. “Well, it seems I don’t have the key, so I suppose you’ll be here a while.”

  I froze, shocked. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t bluffing.

  “What do you mean?” Sammy asked.

  “I found this jail cell on my supply run. The door was open, and the place was crawling with zombies. I figured it’d be the perfect place to put someone if they pissed me off. You fit the bill, so get used to your accommodations.”

  One of the men stumbled when his foot fell through a hole in the floor. “The floor’s rotting out.”

  Marvin flashed his light down at the crumbling hole. “Step around it. We won’t be here long.”

  “Listen,” I said, practically begging, “at least let Sammy go. She’s just a teenager. You can leave me here to rot, but don’t take this out on her.”

  “No can do. This is a package deal.”

  “You’re one twisted individual, Marvin. Do you know that? You’re nothing at all like your brother!” I said. “How can you kill a teenager?”

  “I kill every single day—people, zombies, whatever. Maybe I’m jaded, but it’s all part of life now. We have to kill to survive. I’m not killing right now though. I’m simply leaving you here. If fate kills you before I have my revenge tomorrow, so be it. All in all, I think I’m a lot like my little brother, an all-around good guy.”

  “A good guy, huh?” I asked, seething. “What did you do with the people we rescued?”

  “Well, if you must know, some were my friends, and I was very overjoyed to see them. I was so happy that I let them leave with my truck. That was my good deed for the century.”

  “Please don’t leave us here!” Sammy said.

  He shot us an evil smirk. “Do you know what the hallmark of horror is?”

  “What?” Sammy asked.

  “Simple. It’s fear. I want you to experience the greatest fear you’ve ever felt. You will die tomorrow, but before that, you’ll experience true terror. You’ll spend your last night on Earth knowing that you’ll breathe your last breath at dawn and there’s nothing you can do about it. I can’t think of anything more frightening than that. I’ll even be kind enough to leave a flashlight on this counter so you can see. I’ll go ahead and turn it on now, since it’ll be dark soon. Wouldn’t want you to miss the live-action horror movie that this place will become while you await your fate.”