He moaned and growled, but the paintballs seemed to have no effect on him.
Honey kept shooting and shooting. He had to be out. Where was the judge? Wasn’t she going to call him out?
Where was her team? No one was covering for her. Honey turned tail and ran wildly through the bushes, stumbling and tripping. She could hear the uneven breathing of the monster and the crashing of his footsteps over the dried twigs and leaves.
Pow. Pow. Pow. Honey felt the stings stab her back.
Somewhere in the distance a foghorn sounded. Did that mean the game was over? But if so, why was this rogue zombie still following her, moaning and growling like in the horrible movies Max loved to watch?
She turned and made her last stand. The zombie kept advancing on her, so she shot as fast as she could, hoping her compressed air tank had enough charge.
Pop. Pop. Pop. She plastered the advancing zombie. His facial bandages were soaked with red paint and his goggles were splattered with so much paint, she doubted he could see. His T-shirt was soaked with paint, but he kept advancing.
“Didn’t you hear the foghorn?” Honey yelled. “Game’s over. We have to go back for the roll count.”
The zombie flung down his gun and charged her.
She emptied her magazine, but it didn’t slow him one bit.
She raised the gun to use it like a club, but he deflected it, twisted it from her hands, and tackled her. She screamed, kicking and punching, as he picked her up and hefted her over his broad shoulders.
Instead of going back to the farmhouse, he trampled down toward the riverbank, not missing a step despite Honey’s screams and struggles to get free.
“Let me go, you fucking piece of zombie turd.” Honey’s voice was raw and every muscle in her body was tense and sore. Her heart felt like exploding, and her life flashed in front of her eyes.
The zombie hadn’t spoken, but she knew he wasn’t Max or any of his friends. None of them would scare her so seriously that she almost peed her pants.
But the zombie also hadn’t hurt her, nor had he touched her inappropriately. Well, unless she didn’t count winding rope around her wrists and trussing her up like a sacrificial lamb.
Every single horror movie Max took her to flashed before her eyes. What if this was a cult and she was the blood sacrifice?
Witchcraft had to be involved. Hadn’t she read that it was running rampant in the small towns? Hidden covens of witches and warlocks, engaged in secret rituals, again needing a blood sacrifice.
“I’m not a virgin,” she sputtered. “I’d be no use to your cult. Whatever it is. I’m a mother of two children.”
Oops. She’d just alerted the cult of two more victims.
The zombie made no reply. Because of the bandages hiding his face, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He tied her ankles and dragged her to a stake in the ground, then wrapped rope around her waist.
Tears streaked from Honey’s eyes and she rocked back and forth, trying to make it difficult for him to tie her up. This was her last stand. He was going to burn her at the stake. She’d never see Mattie and Sara again. They’d grow up without a mother and only have a workaholic father.
She’d never see her sisters and mother again.
And she’d never get a chance to see why Max was being so attentive to her this weekend.
Or tell him she still loved him, despite everything.
“My husband’s looking for me right now,” she told the zombie. “You’re not going to get away with this. The entire town of Sapphire Falls is going to find me. I don’t know who you are or why you’re doing this to me, but you’re going to regret it. I have many friends here and a family. I’m a Wolff. Does that mean anything to you?”
“You don’t really believe that,” the zombie finally broke his silence. His voice was hollow, almost like Darth Vader’s. “Your husband’s too busy to care for you. He’s probably texting his boss right now or working on his laptop. No one else in Sapphire Falls cares about you. You’re just an oddity. A city slicker who won’t eat sugar. You don’t have any friends here and you’re not really a Wolff, Honey Myers.”
He dragged out the last syllable of her last name.
“Who are you?” A plume of anger erupted in Honey’s gut. “Who the fuck are you, and why are you messing with my life?”
“You messed it up already when you divorced Max. You never gave him a chance to make up to you. You punished him for your own insecurities. And now you think everyone here cares about you? You’re nothing but a gold digger, an attention hog, and a soul sucking alien.”
“Who are you? Troy Caine? Did Max set this up? Did he ask you to kidnap me so he could play the hero?” Now he’d really gotten her goat. “Because this is exactly the kind of stupid thing he’d do. Scare me half to death and waltz in to save the day.”
“There you go again, blaming Max for all your troubles. You don’t deserve him.” The zombie stood and backed away from her. “You’re a spoiled brat. You’re pissed at Max because he works too hard and you have to take care of the kids all by yourself. You know how many wives of servicemen have to do everything themselves? And with a fraction of the money Max provides you. All so you can sit there and write your stupid billionaire books—none of which you’ve actually finished.”
“Who are you? How do you know so much about me? Are you one of Max’s brothers?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am.” The zombie let out a sinister laugh that didn’t sound at all human. “I know you so well. You’re terrified of the dark. You’re scared of things that go bump in the night, and you’re scared of vampires, werewolves, and the zombie apocalypse. You secretly love to be tied up, and you truly believe hot, hunky billionaires go around falling in love with ordinary women when they can have perfect tens in their bed every night.”
“I believe in love.” Honey wasn’t sure why she was arguing with this monster. It sounded like Max had dumped all his relationship woes on this guy. It had to be Troy, or one of his brothers. Who else would Max have spilled to?
“Yeah, we’ll see if your Max really loves you or not.” The zombie turned and walked away.
“He does. But he does,” Honey cried as the chill of the dusk descended on her, and the rustling of the wind in the bushes prickled every nerve in her skin.
In the distance, she heard a wolf howl along with sounds of ghouls and rustling animals. Something hooted close by, and the flurry of muted wings swooped overhead.
Who was that zombie and why had he left her here? He obviously wasn’t real, because he hadn’t taken a bite, but now that the sun was gone, it was time for other creatures to roam the darkness.
“Oh, Max. I’m so sorry,” she spoke to herself, preferring the sound of her own voice over the spooky sounds filling the air. Maybe if she kept speaking, her guardian angel or some other good spirit would put wings of protection over her. “I was always too quick to blame you for anything that I was dissatisfied with. If my life isn’t perfect, it’s not your fault. After Mattie was born, I felt isolated and lonely. I probably had post-partum depression and I didn’t reach out to get help. All I did was withdraw into a shell and push everyone away. I don’t have many real friends, and my sister’s too busy to listen to me bitch and moan. That’s why I turned to writing. I created my own world of friends and loved ones. People who’d always be there for each other. People who were loyal and loving. Men who took responsibility and women who were strong, able to stand on their own feet, independent and capable. All the things I’m not.”
A rustle of wings fluttered close to her and soft footsteps approached.
Chapter Eleven
Max stumbled around the field and stared at the trees, snapping his head one way and then the other. In the distance, he heard the screams and pops of the paintball warriors. Even though he was a Zombie and one of the hunted, he’d actually ran toward the women when they filed out of the corral, trying to find Honey.
Unfortunately, she looked exact
ly the same as the other women, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, elbow and knee pads, and a helmet and face shield. The only person he recognized was Phoebe with her flash of bright red hair, and she definitely was aggressively on the hunt, chasing a zombie toward the barn.
Knowing Honey, she would be hiding in the tunnels or behind the hay bales instead of hunting zombies like she was supposed to. Well, he’d see about that!
He let off a few shots, checking that his gun worked, and stumbled around the forest, stalking his prey. She was probably cowering behind a bush, waiting to ambush him, or even worse, she might have gone back into the farmhouse or decided to watch from the judge’s platform.
At one time or another, he thought he saw a flash of yellow and he shot at it, but no one shot back at him. Besides, even if he found Honey, he wouldn’t shoot her. She bruised easily, and he was more interested in getting her naked tonight, than winning the paintball game.
The foghorn sounded, signaling that the game was over. Already? It felt like they’d only started.
Running back to the starting point, he ripped off his mask and flapped his paint soaked T-shirt. The guys around him grumbled about how unfair it was that the women, or the slayers, had tracked them down so easily while pummeling them with paint.
He, like most of his comrades, hadn’t gotten off a shot. For one thing, he didn’t want to hurt any of the ladies, and he had a feeling the other men felt the same way. Shooting their honeys wasn’t going to get them any midnight nookie.
Across the field, a cheer rang out from the women’s team as the judge declared the Slayers as the winners. The ladies high-fived and threw their rifles onto a pile of hay. One by one, they removed their masks and goggles and danced around in a group hug.
Max kept an eye out for Honey, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight. Had she sat the game out and gone back to the car?
“Hey, where’s Honey?” He ran toward the ladies. “Has anyone seen my wife?”
“I was last with her,” Phoebe, the town busybody, said. “She headed for the riverbank.”
“But, I saw you all by yourself,” Max said. “She couldn’t have disappeared.”
“You mean she didn’t find you?” the woman who’d built the course asked. “We all got our men good and soaked.”
“She didn’t get one of the trackers,” Phoebe said, showing Max an app on her phone that showed a cluster of dots. “That’s all of you losers standing around the beer keg.”
“Is there a dot for Honey?” Max looked over her shoulder.
“Doesn’t look like it,” the woman who built the course said. “She missed putting the app on her phone. Does she carry her phone with her?”
“She leaves it in her purse, and I bet her purse is in the car.” He called her phone, but got no answer.
“I’m sure she’ll find her way back,” one of the women said. “It’s not too hard to follow the river and orient yourself. The river runs east to west, so to get back to town, just go south.”
This didn’t look good at all. Honey wasn’t a country girl and she could easily be disoriented out in the woods. Max breathed hard. His heart clenched as if squeezed by a giant fist.
“Honey doesn’t know the lay of the land,” he said. “It’s getting dark. We need to send out a search party.”
“What’s going on?” Tucker grabbed the woman who built the course and kissed her, smearing paint all over her lips and face. “Did you forget to give someone your cheating app?”
“My wife is lost out there.” Max pointed toward the darkening woods.
“Crap.” Tucker slapped his forehead, leaving a red palm print. “It’s getting dark, and a band of rogue vampires are heading to the river to feed.”
“It’s not just vampires,” another man said. “But real zombies got out of their containment zone in the dirt bike arena. They could be anywhere by now.”
“This isn’t a game!” Max turned away from the guffawing crowd. “Honey is missing and I’m going to find her.”
“I’ll go with you,” Phoebe said.
“So will I.”
“Me too.”
“Wait, I have flashlights in my truck,” Tucker said. “I’ll go get them.”
Max grabbed a flashlight and ran toward the bushes where Phoebe had last seen Honey. The search party spread out and were joined by Tucker’s three dogs, but only Max knew how scared Honey was of monsters and creatures from beyond the crypt.
As he trampled through the field, another uneasy thought hit him. What if there was a real criminal in the midst? As idyllic as the town of Sapphire Falls was, they had opened up their festival to outsiders and advertised it on the internet, thanks to Hailey Bennett and her business development ideas.
This brought in outside tourist money, but it could also bring danger. And right now, Honey was in grave danger—he could feel it in his bones.
* * *
Honey’s ears prickled at the approaching footsteps. Maybe if she stayed quiet, the creature would go away.
“Don’t be afraid.” A woman carrying a lantern approached. She wore a long red flowing skirt and a denim jacket over a purple peasant blouse. Multitudes of shiny bracelets jangled from her wrists, and a sparkling crystal was hung around her neck. “My name’s Liz.”
“I’m Honey Myers, er, Honey Wolff.”
Liz narrowed her dark brown eyes. “Okay, Honey Myers or Wolff, how’d you get out here and who tied you up?”
“One of the zombies from the paintball game.” Honey shuddered at the memory of the horror. “He chased me through the woods, tied me up and left. We should call the police. He could be dangerous.”
The woman set the lantern down and worked to untie Honey. “I’m sure he’s one of our vampires getting a little too excited.”
Did she say “our vampire?” What was going on? Honey felt like she’d landed in the Twilight Zone. “He wasn’t a vampire. He was a zombie. He had bloody bandages covering his face, and he walked with a lurch.”
“Did he take a bite?” The woman’s blood-red lips twisted as if she thought the entire situation amusing.
“No, he didn’t! He lectured me on my relationship with my husband, actually ex-husband,” Honey admitted. There was something strange about the beautiful creature in front of her which compelled Honey to spill her guts and tell the truth.
“Let me get this straight.” Liz sat on her haunches after untying all the knots holding Honey to the stake. “He’s a relationship counselor?”
“I think he’s one of my husband, actually ex-husband’s friends. He knows too much about our issues.”
“I see, and you came on this vacation with your ex-husband, why?”
“For the kids to enjoy a Sapphire Falls Halloween,” Honey went to her prepared answer.
“Solely for the kids?” The other woman’s eyebrows arched. She really did look like a gypsy with her dark brown hair, big, beautiful eyes and the magical aura floating over her. Maybe she could also read minds.
“That’s what I told myself, but I’m so lonely without him—not that he was ever around except to sleep. But the thought of four days with him without work was tempting.”
“Then what’s keeping you apart?” Liz pressed her fingers over Honey’s forehead. “Pride? Bitterness?”
“His lies. He’s told everyone in town we’re still married.” Tension melted from Honey as Liz rubbed the area over her eyebrows. “Are you a mind reader?”
“I do many things,” Liz laughed. “You don’t want to know, but I can tell your fortune.”
“You can?” Honey relaxed under her massage and when she stared into the other woman’s eyes, she felt an incredible peace. Fear and uncertainty were banished, and she felt empowered. Independent, able to rise above her problems.
“Sure. I’ll give you a free reading, if you and your not so ex-husband should stop by my wagon before you leave Sapphire Falls and tell me how it all worked out.”
“Okay.” Whatever the gypsy was doing to her m
ind, Honey felt great. “Maybe we’ll never leave.”
“Maybe you won’t.” Liz’s white teeth gleamed as her lips spread into a slow grin.
Was it Honey’s imagination, or were her canines especially long?
And sharp!
Liz moved her magical fingers to Honey’s neck and tilted her head to one side. “Once you’ve been bitten, you’ll never go back.”
The strange woman’s fangs appeared to lengthen, but it could be a trick of the shadows and light. Honey found herself fascinated when she should be afraid. Her hair should be standing on end. She should be cowering and fighting, or at least screaming her head off. She’d seen the movie and gotten the T-shirt.
But this was Sapphire Falls. A safe haven of fun and festivities. Liz and the zombie were Hailey’s reenactors, brought here to liven up the scares and thrills.
A beautiful female vampire would be the last one to bite her. This was Sapphire Falls, not San Francisco!
Woof. Woof. Woof.
The trampling of a dozen feet and arcs of light broke the vampire’s spell, if it were a spell.
Honey’s attention snapped to the approaching horde.
“Honey, Honey, is that you?” Max’s voice called, loud and worried.
“I knew they’d come for you,” Liz said. Her teeth were definitely human, and any fangs Honey had imagined had been just that—her overly active imagination.
“Thanks for keeping me company and untying me.” She gave Liz a tight hug. “I’ll see you around town.”
The next few moments were a blur as lights flashed in her face and Max’s strong hands picked her up from the ground. Questions flew at her, and a thermos of pumpkin spiced chai was pressed into her hands and against her lips.
Dogs jumped for attention, and everyone spoke at the same time as Honey tried to tell how a zombie had chased and tied her up. Liz, meanwhile, had disappeared, and no one seemed to believe her about being tied to a stake. Had she imagined all of it?
Meanwhile, the cacophony of voices hurt her ears.
“Were you hurt?”
“Do we need to call the police?”
Sapphire Falls: Going Haywire (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 7
