“Thanks,” I replied, walking toward the bar.
Rob grabbed a shot glass and filled it with something brown. “Here, drink this. It will warm you up.”
I picked up the shot glass. “What is it?”
“Rum.”
I’d never had rum.
I took a sip and shuddered. “Oh, my God…”
Rob chuckled. “Just drink it quickly. You’ll be glad you did.”
I took a deep breath and then slammed the shot. As the liquid entered my stomach, I began to feel warm and fuzzy all over. I smiled. “Oh, that’s nice.”
“So, what are you doing out here?” asked Mac, who was playing solitaire at the end of the bar. “This time of the morning with all the dead walking around.”
Feeling unnaturally chatty, I began to talk, telling them my story, all the way from when I’d been kidnapped by Austin to how I’d escaped the pickup. Fifteen minutes later, they all stared at me like I was crazy.
“I think you gave her too much rum,” chuckled Mac, rubbing his chin.
“No, it really happened,” I said, staring at the bottle of rum. “Seriously, it did. Hey, um, how about one more shot, I’m getting cold again.”
“How about - no,” he replied with a smile. “Why don’t you change your clothes now that Lisa found a uniform for you? After you’re finished, I have a few questions for you.”
I nodded. “Okay. I have some questions for you guys, too.”
“I’m sure you do,” he replied, grinning.
Lisa handed me a flashlight and the clothes before I went into the ladies room. When I stepped inside, I set the flashlight on the counter and then changed into the uniform, which consisted of a black pair of cotton shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt with the restaurant’s logo on it. I removed my boots, wrung out my socks, which were soaked, and slipped them back on. After that, I washed my face and then stepped out of the bathroom carrying the empty gun.
“You hungry?” asked Carolyn as I walked back over to the bar.
“Uh, yeah,” I replied, staring at a fresh bag of sour cream and onion potato chips on the counter. “Very.”
She handed me the bag. “Try to save us some.”
I put my gun down on the counter and tore open the bag. “Oh, definitely. I will. Thanks.”
“So, you really think that some demon has your sister and they’re holding up inside of the mall?” asked Mac, his expression unreadable.
I shrugged. “I really don’t know. I mean, demons… right? Sounds too crazy to be real.”
“So did zombies at one time,” mumbled Daniel.
“Yeah, right? Well, I’m hoping that they’re heading back to Atlanta or my grandparents’ house,” I replied and then stuffed two chips into my mouth. I groaned. “God, these are good. Thank you.”
“No problem,” said Carolyn. “So, tell me - do you plan on just walking right up to the mall, past the hordes of zombies, and into the front door?”
“Well, that’s why I wanted to stop in here. See if you guys have anything I can use as a weapon? I could also use some bullets,” I replied, nodding toward the gun.
“I’m sorry,” said Rob. “I can’t afford to give up any of our ammunition.”
Mac stood up and stretched his arms in the air. “Especially for a suicide mission like that. Do you have any idea of how many zombies are wandering around this area?”
“Yeah, but I really have no choice. I have to see if my sister and the other girls are in the mall, being held against their will. In fact,” I stood up, “I’d better not waste any more time. Thanks for your help and the uniform.”
“Seriously, you’re really going there alone? By yourself?” said Daniel. “Are you nuts?”
“Probably, but it’s helped me survive up to this point.”
“Girl,” said Mac. “You go out there and try to get past those things, you’re never gonna see your sister again.”
“I’ve been through worse, believe me,” I said.
They all looked at each other and I wondered if they still didn’t quite believe my story. “Um, do you have a machete or a butcher knife somewhere in the kitchen?”
“Nope, no machete. You can probably use one of Daniel’s Tomahawk axes,” said Rob.
Daniel’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
Rob leaned forward. “You have two, and obviously Cassie needs some kind of weapon. I’m not letting her go empty-handed. I’d never forgive myself.”
“Not if you just talk her out of going out there. It’s suicide. You said so yourself,” he said.
“Exactly,” said Lisa. “You shouldn’t go over there, honey. You’ll never make it to the front door.”
“Well, it’s a chance I’m willing to take,” I replied evenly. “Besides, my friends should be arriving shortly.” I turned back to Daniel. “Please, can I use the ax?”
He stood up, walked around the bar, and kneeled down. A few seconds later, he stood back up holding a black ax with a shiny stainless steel head. “Here, this is the smaller one of the two.”
“Thanks,” I said, examining both sides of the blade on the head. This could do a lot of damage. “So, um, you guys are just going to hang out here?”
“Yep. Until the government steps in and gets rid of the rest of the zombies,” said Rob. “We’ve got a grocery store up the street, a cellar full of beer, and a drug store across the street. Haven’t had many looters around here, now with the influx of zombies, so we’ve been lucky.”
“Don’t hold your breath for the government to step in,” I said. “I’ve been to the C.D.C. and back, and haven’t seen any military forces taking down zombies.”
“Well, I’m sure they’ve got their hands full,” said Rob. “Until then, we’ve decided to stick together and hang out here. You’re welcome to join us.”
I smiled. “Well, thanks but after I find my sister and friends, we’re heading back to Atlanta.”
“Suit yourself,” he replied. “But don’t say I didn’t offer.”
“I’d never say that.” I walked toward the doorway. “Well, here goes nothing.”
“Sun up yet?” asked Carolyn as I peeked outside.
“Nope,” I said. “Strange, huh?”
“Very,” she said. “It’s almost eight in the morning.” She laughed nervously. “God, with the zombies, the crazy weather, and now this unexplained darkness, you’d think the world was coming to an end or something.”
Before I could give her a witty answer, the ground began to vibrate.
13
Bryce and Company
They drove in silence on the ride to the mall. The roads were dark and lifeless, which made everything seem that much more ominous.
When they reached the exit leading toward Bloomington, Henry cleared his throat. “What time is it?”
“Almost six,” said Bryce, glancing at the dashboard.
“In the morning?” he asked, surprised.
“Yep,” replied Bryce.
Henry stared into the darkness. “Well, where’s the damn sun? Has the planet stop spinning now, or what?”
“If that happened, I’m sure we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said Bryce. “We’d probably be dead.”
Henry frowned. “Well, how do you explain the darkness? The sun should be well up by now.”
“Maybe the Earth has just slowed down?” volunteered Paige.
“Maybe,” said Bryce. “But I don’t think it would be that dramatic. Not in one day.”
“Okay then, perhaps, Billie was right,” said Paige. “And it’s really the End of Days.”
Bryce groaned. “I’m going with - the clock is messed up, or worst case scenario - the Earth actually has slowed down.”
“What do you think, Justice?” asked Paige, turning to him.
He smiled grimly. “Believe me, you don’t want to know what I think.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Okay, now you have to spill it. What do you really think?”
Justice stared out
side. “I know this sounds crazy, but when Travis had control of my mind….”
“Oh, come on now,” scoffed Henry. “That feller couldn’t have really had control of your mind. You were probably hit in the head and just not in your right mind.”
“I thought you believed him before,” said Paige.
“I did, I do… oh, it’s just so hard,” said Henry. “I’m struggling with it I guess.”
“Henry,” said Justice. “Seriously, I wish that would have been the case, but I haven’t been injured. Not physically, anyway. As far as Travis goes, well, we definitely had some kind of psychic connection, and I hate to say this, because you’ll really think I’m nuts… hell I feel like I’m going nuts, but Travis knew about the darkness. He also knew about the hole…”
“What hole?” asked Paige
He shrugged. “I really don’t know exactly. He was obsessed with it, though. Just like he was obsessed with finding ‘The Chosen One.’”
“Adria,” said Kristie.
“Yup,” said Justice.
“I still think Travis has taken over Billie’s mind,” stated Paige.
Nora, who’d fallen asleep next to Kristie in the third row, opened one eye. “Seriously, you’re still on that trip?”
“Hey, even Cassie believed it,” protested Paige.
“Back to this hole,” said Bryce. “What kind of a hole do you think it is? Maybe a well or something?”
Justice scratched the back of his shoulder. “I have a feeling it’s something much bigger than a well. Something massive.”
“In the ground?” asked Paige.
“Where else would it be?” asked Nora.
“I don’t know… maybe he was waiting for some kind of portal,” she replied.
“Okay, this conversation is getting crazier by the minute,” muttered Bryce. “I’m sorry I asked about the hole.”
Tiny, who’d fallen asleep next to Bryce, had also woken up. He cleared his throat. “What was that about a hole?”
“Believe me,” muttered Bryce. “You’re better off not knowing.”
“We were talking about portals,” said Paige.
“Yeah, Paige thinks that Travis was waiting for some portal to open up,” said Kristie, chuckling.
“Hmm…” replied Tiny, looking thoughtful. “Well… hmm...”
“Exactly,” said Nora.
“Actually,” said Justice. “I think Paige might be right.”
Paige smiled. “Thank you.”
“Come on now, you honestly think Travis was waiting for some kind of portal to open up?” asked Bryce as he turned off of the highway.
“Well, I think that in his mind, he believed that there could be a portal,” replied Justice. “Not saying that there actually is a portal, but it’s what he believed.”
“Well, if there’s a damn portal,” said Henry, as they approached the mall, “I hope we can send some of these walking dead through it. So we can all have our lives back.” His eyes widened as the mall came into view. “Well, would you look at that - they’ve turned the lights back on at the mall.”
“See, something is definitely going on,” said Paige.
“Hey, that might mean there are some other survivors inside,” said Tiny. “That’s good news.”
“Travis had some followers,” said Justice. “If they’re inside, it’s definitely not good news.”
“Wow,” said Kristie, staring at all of the zombies surrounding the mall. “Bryce, I think you’d better find a different entrance. There must hundreds of zombies around here. Oh, God, there’s more heading this way from up the street.”
Paige turned to stare at the zombies heading in their direction. “This is crazy. Why are they coming together like this?”
“Maybe the lights are attracting them,” said Bryce.
“Bryce, head into the parking ramp,” said Tiny, pointing. “We’ll find a way in on one of the levels.”
“Yeah, but what about the zombies near the entrance to the ramp?” said Kristie.
“They’ll move or we’ll just have to move them,” replied Tiny.
Noticing that there was a clearing now by the ramp, Bryce tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Okay, hold on, guys.”
Tiny braced his hand against the dashboard as Bryce turned the corner and headed for the ramp entrance. Before he made it, however, two zombies staggered into the path, getting in the way of the SUV.
Swearing, he slammed on the brakes, barely missing the creatures.
“Thanks,” said Paige, smiling up at Justice, who’d reached out his arm to shield her from smacking her face onto the seat in front.
He smiled back.
“Come on,” growled Bryce, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel as the zombies remained impassive.
Henry grunted. “Oh hell, haven’t you learned by now? They aint gonna move out of your path when you need them to, so run their asses over and let’s get to where we need to be.”
“That one’s too big,” replied Bryce, pointing to the tall lumbering zombie, staring off into space. “It would be like hitting a deer and we don’t want to take any chances.”
Henry scowled. “We’re in a Yukon. You might get some guts on the grill, but the rain will wash it off.”
“Hey, it’s not raining anymore,” said Kristie.
“Here comes more. Shit,” said Tiny, as three more zombies wandered into their path.
“Is it me, or have you guys noticed that they don’t seem to be paying us much attention?” said Kristie.
“They’re not as agitated as they were before, either,” said Tiny. “Hey, get ready. I think once those two walk by, you’ll have a clear path.”
“Jesus, you’d think we were at the fair or something,” complained Henry. “Just put the pedal to the metal and let’s go find them girls.”
Bryce stomped his foot on the gas, clearing the entrance before anyone else had a chance to get in the way. As they drove up the first level, he asked, “Where should we park?”
“Close to the exit so we can make a quick getaway,” said Kristie.
Bryce parked and they all grabbed their weapons.
“Listen,” said Tiny. “We need to stick together but obviously, that’s not always plausible. If we get separated, we’ll meet back here. I’ll leave the doors open.”
“And Paige, you need to stick with me,” said Kristie. “If something does happen, I need to know you’ll be right behind me if we have to take off.”
“Of course,” she said.
“Gramps, you going to be able to handle the walk?” asked Tiny. “With your back?”
“Got no choice,” said Henry. “You need my help and wisdom in there, if things go bad.”
“I don’t want you to be miserable,” replied Tiny. “We can do this alone.”
Henry scowled. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just get moving before the zombies hear us talking and start heading up the parking ramp.”
“Okay,” said Tiny. “I’m just concerned about you.”
“I appreciate that, but we have three little girls to rescue, and if they are inside, you’re going to need my shooting skills.”
“Agreed,” replied Tiny.
They got out of the SUV and began walking toward the stairwell. Before they reached the doorway, the cement under their feet began to vibrate.
“What is this, now, some kind of earthquake?” asked Kristie.
“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like one,” said Tiny, looking at the ground. “This is weird.”
“It’s the hole,” said Justice, his face turning pale.
They all stared at him in shock.
“How do you know?” asked Kristie.
“I don’t know. I just do,” he replied. “We’ve got to find those girls. Quickly.”
14
Allie and Kylie
After Father Brambati left to go watch for Cassie, the vibration under their feet increased.
Billie grinned. “Excellent. It’s getting bigge
r.” He raised his fist in front of his face and clenched it. “Yes… the time grows near!”
“Time for what?” asked Kylie.
He lowered his hand. “For victory.”
Allie’s eyebrows shot up. “Victory? Against the zombies?”
“Against fate.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” asked Allie. “I don’t get it.”
He shrugged. “Obviously not. Which is probably for the best.”
The girls looked at each other, both confused.
“Don’t think too hard about it,” he said with a mocking grin. “You might hurt something.”
Allie frowned. “Ha… ha... Seriously, though, what exactly is that hole for?”
He bent down and stared into the dark pit with a gleam in his eyes. “It’s a gateway to another world.”
Kylie’s eyes grew large. “What? Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
“Like, as in another planet?” asked Allie, thinking that it made sense. Who knows, they may have even been responsible for the zombies, she thought. The whole ‘End of Days’, prophecy, had seemed pretty out there.
He tilted his head back and forth. “Eh… more like another dimension.”
“Whoa,” whispered Allie, turning toward the hole. She wondered if there really were aliens living in that other dimension, and if they were friend or foe. “That’s so freaky.”
“How do you know all of this?” asked Kylie, eyeing him suspiciously. From his irrational actions the past twenty-four hours, she didn’t trust anything he had to say.
“Because it’s where I came from.”
“No way! What’s it like?” asked Allie, now more intrigued than scared.
“It’s a place for those who have been condemned to eternal darkness.”
Allie and Kylie’s eyes met again. If he’d been condemned, then Billie must have done something to really anger whoever put him there.
“Kind of like how General Zod was encased in the Phantom Zone on Superman?” asked Kylie.
“Oh yeah… and Father Brambati did call you ‘General’,” stated Allie. She looked at him curiously. “So, um… were you banished from some planet several thousand light years away and now your friends are joining you?”
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