“Austin, put me down,” I said, my tongue thick.
He ignored me and picked up his pace.
“Please!” I begged again.
When he continued to ignore me, I began beating his back with my fists, only angering him in the process. He swore and then dug his fingers into my thigh, squeezing the tender flesh until I began to scream in agony.
“Stop screaming, or so help me, I will kill you,” he growled.
I’ve been trained in martial arts to protect myself, to never give up. But right now, I wasn’t thinking clearly. My head was on fire, my ankle hurt, and at any moment, I was ready throw up. My choices were limited as far as I was concerned. As I weighed my options, he stopped abruptly and reached into his pockets for something.
“Put her down!” barked Bryce.
Austin began to chuckle and turned around to face him. “Just retrieving what’s mine,” he said.
“She’s not yours. Now, put her down before I put you down.”
I hadn’t even noticed Austin’s gun until I heard it click. “Better idea, toss me your gun, before you’re the reason she dies.”
Bryce hesitated and then tossed his rifle.
“Good,” said Austin, as he placed me on ground. He then moved behind me and pointed his gun toward my temple. “Now, this is how it’s going to be: you leave and I allow both of you live. Or you continue to interfere, and I’ll make sure you both spend eternity together.”
Bryce’s face was pinched tightly. “Jesus, leave her alone, she’s just a kid.”
Austin chuckled and began fondling my chest. “Doesn’t feel like a child.”
I stiffened at his touch and tried not to scream out in terror.
“I thought you cared about her?” yelled Bryce, taking a step forward. “You’re taking her from her family, setting off explosions; putting her life in danger. That’s not the actions of someone who cares!”
A low growling noise in the cornstalks somewhere behind Bryce surprised us all. I watched in horror as a zombie staggered through the corn and tried grabbing him with its gnarled dead fingers. Bryce quickly outmaneuvered the zombie and began kicking him in the face.
“Move!” snarled Austin, shoving me with the gun.
Realizing that I may never see Bryce or my family again if I left with Austin, I found the courage I needed to fight back. I surprised him by twisting my body around and quickly hitting the inside of his wrist with everything I had, knocking the gun from his hands.
“Crazy bitch!” he yelled, scrambling to pick it up.
I turned to run just as Bryce flew past me and kicked Austin in the chest, knocking him backwards. He lost the gun again, but instead of being angry, he howled with laughter and clapped his hands.
“Glad this is amusing for you,” said Bryce.
“Oh, it’s hilarious,” he said, standing up. “I can tell how much you love this shit. Being a hero.”
“You’re psychotic,” I snapped.
He turned to me with a sad smile and said, “Being in love will do that.”
I shook my head. He certainly didn’t know what love was.
“It’s over,” said Bryce, picking up the gun. “Just leave her alone. Don’t give me a reason to kill you, because believe it or not, I really don’t want to.”
Austin shook his head and took a step toward me. “Sorry, I can’t do that. She’s mine. You sure in the hell don’t deserve her.”
“Please, Austin!” I cried, trying to back away. “Stop doing this!”
“Back off, dude,” said Bryce, pushing me safely behind him. “Come on, last chance before I really hurt you.”
“Fuck you,” snarled Austin as he leaped toward Bryce, his hands raised up to grab his throat.
Bryce kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking him to the ground again. He sighed and looked at me. “Let’s just go, okay? He’s not going to last very much longer anyway, look at him.”
In my terrified state, I hadn’t noticed how really ill Austin appeared. His gaunt face was so gray; he looked deader than some of the zombies I’d faced. The mottled patches on his face, which had been faint before, were much more pronounced and his eyes were bloodshot. “Oh, God,” I said, covering my mouth in horror. “You were bitten?”
Austin smiled humorlessly. “No, the little zombie girl scratched me, remember? I haven’t been bitten. But whatever she did, sure fucked me up good.”
Bryce grabbed both guns and motioned for me to leave, but before I could do anything, I heard Austin growl angrily and charge at Bryce, this time with a hunting knife raised high in the air.
I screamed just as Bryce’s rifle went off, and I watched as Austin was riddled with bullets. When it was all over, he lay motionless on the ground.
Bryce dropped his gun and took me in his arms while I sobbed.
“It’s okay, Wild. Shh…”
Although Austin was a certifiable lunatic and had kidnapped me more than once, my emotions were more than a little complicated. I definitely felt anger, there was no doubt about that, but an even bigger part of me pitied him, especially knowing that he’d been attacked by a zombie. That had been the beginning of the end for him.
“Shit,” said Bryce, shoving me behind him, “more zombies coming.”
I backed away as two zombies moved through the stalks toward us. Just as he raised his gun to take them out, something grabbed my leg and I lost my balance. I stumbled to the ground and screamed in shock as Austin leaped on top of me, growling. From his cold, lifeless stare, I knew he was gone forever. Austin was now, officially, one of the undead.
“Bryce!” I hollered, trying to push Austin away, but he was much too powerful. He clutched me like I was his prize and he wasn’t about to let go.
Then Bryce was there, tearing me away. He shoved me behind him and then did a roundhouse kick, sending Austin flying.
“Bryce?” gasped Eva, appearing through the cornstalks right behind Austin. Her gaze drifted to Austin, who jumped up and tackled her to the ground. They began to wrestle and she screamed in horror when she saw that he was now a zombie.
Bryce, now armed with the gun, rushed over and shot Austin in the head. I cringed as his blood splattered all over Eva’s face and neck.
“Oh, God!” sobbed Eva, spitting out blood. “His blood got into my mouth!”
“Shit, zombie blood. Keep spitting it out!” demanded Bryce.
As usual, Eva whined and Bryce coddled her. I shook my head and started back toward the smoke, but not before I took one last look at Austin. I began to shake, thinking about his demise. He’d turned into a zombie with just a small cut. What did that mean for my little sister?
25
Eva, although still as pale as a ghost, had calmed down by the time we’d gotten her back to the gas station, which was now burning to the ground in a cloud of black smoke. The station, as well as Tiny’s Harley, had been destroyed in the fire. Luckily, everyone else had gotten their trucks away from the flames before being engulfed as well.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, staring at the tall flames still burning.
“Thank God!” hollered my dad, rushing toward me. He held me to him. “What happened to you?”
I swallowed. “Austin.”
“That crazy bastard,” barked my dad, looking at my head. It had stopped bleeding, but hurt like crazy. “Are you okay?”
I lied. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Billie walked over from his SUV. “Bryce told me. It was Austin, huh? I’ll bet that’s his truck parked down the road, too.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s the same lunatic who’s been terrorizing us,” he said. “His red pickup truck’s parked up the road. Your dad and I’ve been frantically searching for you and we stumbled upon it near this little farm.”
“So it was Austin following us all along,” I said. “Well, he won’t be bothering anyone anymore. He turned into a zombie and Bryce shot him.”
“So he’s dead?”
asked my dad.
I nodded. “Twice over.”
“Good. He even started the gas station on fire as a distraction, I guess to get to you,” said my dad.
“Well, he found me.”
Paige and Kylie came over holding Goldie. “She’s been looking for you,” said Paige. She placed her on the ground and Goldie charged me, smothering my face with puppy kisses.
“So, I wonder what’s going to happen to Tiny and Henry?” asked Billie.
Paige snorted. “Are you kidding me? My mom has already invited them to ride with us. She can’t keep her eyes of Tiny’s bulging biceps.”
“That’s okay,” said my dad. “We have the room, and I owe Henry for helping Cassie out. Besides, Tiny would be a formidable partner against the zombies.”
“Yeah but you can’t just wrestle them to the ground,” said Paige. “It takes more than muscles and a Zeus persona.”
“Dave?” called Kristie as she stepped toward us. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Henry and Tiny to ride with us. When we get into town we should be able to find them a new vehicle.”
“I don’t mind at all,” he replied.
Kristie shook her head and laughed. “That old man is one horny old goat. He keeps dropping things on the ground and asking me to pick them up.”
“That’s creepy, mom,” said Kylie.
“Yeah, I know. But I don’t want to offend him or his grandson.”
“Why don’t you ask Tiny to pick the stuff up instead?” I said.
She smiled wryly and nodded. “Yeah, then I can watch him bend over.”
“Gross, mom,” said Paige, shaking her head in disgust. “And very immature.”
“I’ll show you immature,” she answered, then grabbed her lighter out of her pocket just as Tiny walked over with Henry. She pretended to light her cigarette but then “accidently” dropped the lighter.
My dad shook his head and mumbled something about “women” and being crazy; then he walked away.
“You know, I think I’ve hurt my back. Ouch!” she said, pretending to wince. “Say, Tiny? Can you pick that up for me?”
Just as Tiny was about to pick it up, Henry beat him to it. We all grimaced to see his old man crack smiling at us. “Here you go, sweet thing,” he said, holding up the lighter. “If you’d like me to light your fire, all you had to do was ask.”
“Grandpa,” groaned Tiny, shaking his head.
“What?” he asked with an evil grin. “I even have a wick she can use.”
“Let’s get rolling!” called my dad from his SUV.
“So, you riding with us?” asked Paige as the others started getting into their vehicles.
I shook my head. “No, it’s too crowded now with Tiny and Henry,” I said. “I’ll just ride with my dad and Sara again.”
Shane and Dale walked over to me and each gave me a hug.
“Remember, you’re always going to be one of my B-F-Fs.” choked Shane, wiping his tears. “Look at me, I’m getting all emotional.”
I smiled. “I love you, too, Shane.”
He squeezed my arm one more time and then walked to their SUV.
“Thanks for being such a great shot,” said Dale. “You saved my life quite a few times. I’ll never forget you, Wild.”
“I won’t forget you, either. Take care of these guys for me.”
He saluted me and then jogged over to join Shane in the SUV.
“Well,” said Billie with a sad smile. “I guess this is it for us. I’m sure going to miss you, G.I. Jane.”
I gave him a hug. “I am going to miss you, too. Now, remember, if things go bad in Florida,” I said, “come to Atlanta. Safety is in numbers.”
He nodded and then looked over at Bryce, who was storming toward us with a scowl. “Looks like you have your hands full with that one.”
I shrugged. “There’s nothing between us,” I said, “anymore.”
Billie grinned. “Well, you’d better tell him. From where I’m standing, that boy is hot for you.”
I snorted. “Right.”
“Don’t think so? Let’s test this out,” he replied. “Just go with it.” Then he took me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine.
“Is he looking?” whispered Billie, against my mouth.
“Oh, yeah.”
Billie let me go and stared into my eyes. “If there’s one thing I do know about love, it’s that it’s worth fighting for. Don’t let anything stand in your way, including yourself.”
I nodded and smiled.
Bryce’s face was scarlet by the time he reached us.
“So long, Wild,” said Billie as he started backing away from me. “I’ll remember you in my dreams.”
He was such a ham.
I laughed as he jumped into his SUV and started it up. Apparently, he was driving alone this time, following Shane and Dale.
“Wow, looks like you’re leaving broken hearts all over the country, Wild,” said Bryce.
I scowled at him while Shane pulled up next to us. “Whatever. Billie is gay,” I told Bryce. “He was just messing around.”
Shane, who had his window open, laughed. “That boy is not gay.”
I raised my eyebrows “What?”
Dale, who was in the passenger seat, filing his nails, snorted. “Girl, he’s as gay as Tiny and Henry.”
“Pity, too, he’s gorgeous,” said Shane.
And with that they took off hooting with laughter at my stunned expression.
“Wow,” I said. “I guess he never really said one way or the other, I just assumed.”
“You do that a lot, Wild. Assume.”
I glared at him. “Look who’s talking! You assumed there was something going on with me and Austin.”
He put his hands on his waist and scowled. “I saw the note. Whether it was real or not, how was I supposed to know?”
“Kids, I’m not sure what’s going on here,” said my dad, pulling up in his SUV. “But we have to go. Bryce, why aren’t you driving the other vehicle?”
“Tiny has taken over. I wasn’t about to argue with ‘the Tank.’ Can I hitch a ride with you guys?”
“What about Eva? Isn’t she going to have a fit?” I muttered, getting into the third row of the SUV. Sara and Megan were napping in front of me, and Bobby was riding shotgun again, sipping on grape soda and scoping out zombies to run down.
Bryce got in on the other side and looked at me. “What does she have to do with anything?” he whispered.
Before I could respond, my dad spoke up. “Good thing we’re leaving now, look at what’s heading our way.”
Dozens of the undead were breaking through the cornstalks, making their way toward us.
“The scent of blood must have driven them here,” said Bryce.
I touched my head again and winced at the pain.
“Are you okay?” asked Bryce.
“I’ve been better,” I replied.
“We’ll get you something for the pain at the next stop.”
I didn’t say anything. I just closed my eyes and fell asleep.
26
“How is she?”
My mom turned to me and smiled. “She’s doing very well.”
“Thank God,” I said.
She pointed to Allie. “Come closer, so she knows you’re here.”
I walked slowly toward them but noticed that something was very wrong. “What’s going on?” I asked in horror.
My sister was lying in a pink coffin. She opened her eyes and sat up. “Don’t be scared. I’ve been waiting for you, Cassie.”
“Give your sister a hug,” urged my mother, pushing me toward her.
My heart was pounding in my chest, but I wrapped my arms around the sister I loved so dearly, and held her close.
“It’s good,” whispered my sister. Her breath was cold on my cheek.
“What’s good?” I whispered back.
“Blood. So good.”
A chill ran up my spine. I tried to step away from her,
but her grip was like steel.
“Please let me go,” I moaned.
She pushed me away and began to cry. “You don’t love me.”
“I… of course I love you, Allie.”
She covered her hands over her face and sobbed. “We’re sisters. We’re supposed to share everything,” she choked.
“I would give you anything, Allie. I love you so much,” I answered, touching her blond hair.
She removed her hands from her pale, tear-stained face and gave me a chilling smile. “Don’t worry, it’s good,” she said, pulling me into her coffin. “Our blood is good.”
Nodding, I said, “Okay, Allie,”
I lay down and we wrapped our arms around each other. “Now, we’ll be together forever,” she whispered.
***
I opened my eyes and shivered; my dreams were getting so creepy, I preferred being awake and tired.
“How long of a drive is it to Atlanta?” I asked Bryce, who was staring out the window.
He sat up straighter. “Over four hours.” “You feel any better?”
“A little. How long have I been asleep?”
“Less than an hour,” he replied.
“What in the hell?” barked my dad from the front.
Before I could ask what was wrong, he slammed on the brakes and got out of the SUV. Bryce and I quickly followed suit.
Tiny had gotten out of the van and was shaking his head as he walked toward us.
“Why’d you stop?” asked my dad.
“It’s that girl, Eva,” he said. “She started ranting and raving about wanting to see Bryce. She’s driving us all nuts.”
We all turned to Bryce, who looked dumbfounded. “Hey, don’t look at me. I’m just as surprised as you are.”
“Can you go calm down your girlfriend?” asked Tiny. “Paige is threatening to hit her with the bat, and I don’t really blame her, man.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” muttered Bryce as he stormed over to the van.
“Do you have room for the little banshee?” asked Tiny.
I chuckled. I already liked Tiny; he was a great judge of character.
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