Z-Risen (Book 2): Outcasts

by Long, Timothy W.

  “Then let’s mutually agree that you need to get back under these covers.”

  Anna knelt next to me and put one of her hands on my cheek. She ran it over my head and scruffy beard, then she leaned over and planted a quick peck on my chest.

  “I don’t want to get too close to you. Do you understand that?”

  “Why not?”

  She looked away for a moment. Her eyes tightened and her lips parted. She sucked in a breath.

  “Because it’s dangerous. It sucks out there, Creed. I’ve seen what happens to loved ones. Seen it firsthand. Seen them dragged into a pile of dead and devoured and not been able to do a fucking thing about it.” She trailed off.

  “So you’re going to live the rest of your life in a bubble? Fuck it, Anna. We might both buy it today. Enjoy life while you can.”

  “It’s not that easy. I had a family. Kids. I saw them die. Devoured. And there was nothing I could do. They died screaming. Do you know what that does to a person? It breaks them, Creed. It kills them.”

  I swung my legs over the side of the couch and took her in a gentle embrace. She held me for all of fifteen seconds, then stood and went into the kitchen. Her eyes were tight and they didn’t meet mine.

  ###

  07:30 hours approximate

  Location: Not-sure-where, CA - Undead Central

  Anna had gone through the apartment earlier and dug out some clothing. She left me with some fresh boxers that were a little too small but still welcome. She’d found some white socks and even a few T-shirts. Those were also too small, but I slid a shirt over my chest and stretched it out.

  I was dressed and testing my swollen ankle when Sails came back. She had a ball of something in one hand.

  “Give me your foot,” she said and pulled a footstool next to the couch.

  She poked and prodded at my swollen ankle.

  “Ow,” I said, even though it didn’t hurt that much. I was so used to hobbling around and ignoring the pain that this was nothing.

  “Not good. I’m going to wrap it. I found a bottle of ibuprofen. That should help with the pain and swelling a little bit.”

  “Didn’t know you were a nurse.”

  “I’m not, so pray I don’t have to dig a bullet out of you.”

  “You can dig a bullet out of me anytime.” I grinned.

  “Were you dropped on your head at some point?”

  “Probably.”

  She wrapped the bandage around my foot and leg until she had my ankle secured.

  “Put your leg up for a while. I’ll bring you some food.”

  “That’s real domestic of you, Anna,” I said.

  “Be nice or I’ll add rat poison,” she said and headed back to the kitchen.

  ###

  07:55 hours approximate

  Location: Not-sure-where CA, Undead Central

  Our breakfast could have been worse. We ate protein bars and washed them back with some silver packs of juice. I bit the corner of the first one and drained it in one go. Despite claiming to be some kind of fruit juice, it tasted like sugar-water, and that was just fine by me. The second one went down just as smooth. This shit would be perfect with some vodka.

  “I don’t suppose you found any booze in this place?”

  “Some cooking sherry.”

  “Some cooking what?”

  “It’s some kind of sweet wine.”

  I made a face.

  There was a canister of smoke-flavored almonds. They were stale but I ate them by the handful. Fruit wraps were next, then we moved on to a couple of cans of peaches.

  We’d been passing the food back and forth with a little “try this.” “This one is good.” I think it was because we didn’t really have anything to talk about. I tried to ask Anna about her life before the event, but she just brushed off my questions or changed the subject.

  “It’s going to be a long walk back,” I said.

  “I don’t think it’s going to be too bad,” Anna said.

  “Because you have me to keep you company?”

  “Because I found something very useful in a closet.”

  “If it’s some kind of funky jetpack, I’m all ears.”

  “Come with me,” she said.

  “Yes ma’am!” I saluted.

  We didn’t head to the bed. Instead, she stopped in front of a doorway and pointed.

  “The rocket pack is in here?”

  She opened the door. My mouth fell open and my lips curled into a grin.

  “Perfect, right?”

  “Anna, I could kiss you,” I said.

  Then I did, and she didn’t punch me.

  I unhooked the first bike from a hanger and brought it into the hallway. It was an expensive looking bicycle with sculpted lines and fancy brakes and gears changers. The second bike was smaller. It was white and had pink stripes along the body.

  “You’ll look so cute on that thing,” I deadpanned.

  “I happen to like pink.”

  I blinked.

  Then I spotted something else on the shelf and took it down.

  “That’ll work,” Anna said.

  ###

  08:15 hours approximate

  Location: Not-sure-where, CA - Undead Central

  We sat side by side on the couch, weapons laid out before us. Joel had taught me enough about caring for my guns so that I didn’t feel like an idiot. Anna stripped hers like a pro and used a cloth to wipe down the components.

  The half-empty bottle of synthetic motor oil I’d turned up in the closet would have to do. We scrubbed down all surfaces. I worked a couple of layers of lubrication into every sliding part, and then reassembled. The Mossberg also got a layer of oil. I used an old metal skewer I’d found in the kitchen to lightly scrape away any carbon buildup.

  “How do you like the shotgun?”

  “We were made for each other,” I said.

  “It suits you.”

  “How so?”

  “Because you like to bash stuff. How many heads has that wrench crushed?”

  “I lost count on the third day. By then it didn’t seem to matter any more,” I replied.

  “Do you ever think about the people on the other end? The ones we end up putting down?”

  “Not anymore. To me, they aren’t people anymore. They’re a threat and they need to be dealt with. If they have any humanity left, I haven’t seen it.”

  Anna reassembled her M&P R8 and reloaded while we chatted.

  “So if one of them got me, you’d handle it, right?”

  I frowned.

  “You’re really fucking morbid.”

  “It’s a valid question,” she said. “I’d do the same for you. Unless you want to live out there like one of those things.”

  “Maybe I’ll get lucky and turn into a shuffler. Then I can still chase you around.”

  “You think you’re chasing me?”

  “I’d say I caught you,” I grinned.

  Anna rolled her eyes and snapped the revolver’s cylinder shut.

  “Just remember. If I turn, I want it done quick.”

  “Yeah. Sure, Anna,” I said.

  We scrounged up a couple of backpacks and stuffed them with food, anything that was dry or light. I added a couple of cans of fruit for Christy and almost regretted my choice, since my backpack weighed about twenty pounds. It might not seem like a lot, but after a few miles on a twisted ankle, I’d be hurting.

  We slid the dresser away from the front door but a noise stopped us on the spot. I slipped to the door and listened but didn’t hear another peep. I peered through the fish-hole and saw only an overcast day. I moved around, trying to see what else was out there, but nothing appeared in my line of sight. I turned, looked at Anna, and shrugged.

  I put my finger to my lips and she moved her head in understanding. We waited a minute and then a minute more. I didn’t hear any other noises, so I nodded at her.

  Anna un-holstered her pistol and aimed it at the door. I lowered my wrench an
d slowly turned the lock. The door slid open a crack.

  I expected to see a Z or two on the landing, maybe a shuffler creeping around – in which case, I was going to put him down before he had a chance to get a fucking attitude. I had it mapped out in my head. He turns, gets that gleam in his eye, and then BAM! My wrench takes him to the ground and leaves a pile of goo.

  Instead, we were greeted by the dog from the day before, the mutt that had been teasing the Z’s, leading them off by barking and then dashing away when the foul creatures got close. She whined and shifted from foot to foot.

  “Well goddamn,” Anna said before I could.

  I set the wrench against the wall and lowered my hand. The dog leaned forward, sniffed, and then her tail thumped against the floor.

  “Okay, get in here,” I said and motioned.

  The dog looked like it was mostly Labrador Retriever, but definitely had something else mixed in. She was a yellowish-tan with white around her eyes and nose, a good looking dog, but far too skinny. I understood that. Hard enough for humans to be out scavenging for food. I didn’t want to think about what she’d been eating to survive.

  I glanced both ways to make sure there were no Z’s on the landing, then I closed the door with a soft click.

  Anna dropped to her knees and gave the dog a rough scratch around the ears.

  “You smell,” she said.

  “Lets get her some food.”

  “Then what? Leave her here?” Anna rubbed the dog’s neck.

  The dog’s tongue lolled out.

  I took her to the kitchen and dug around in the pantry. No dog food. Since we weren’t able to carry all the heavy stuff, I made her a meal of baked beans and beets. The pup went at it while keeping her eyes on us. I found another bowl and filled it with water.

  “What else are we going to do?”

  “We can’t leave her here. We’ll have to let her go before we move out.”

  “Okay, but what is she going to do?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Dog stuff, I guess,” she said.

  “We could leave more food out and leave the door open. She’d be good for a day or two. Maybe she can sleep on the couch,” I said and patted her side. “I bet you’ve always wanted to sleep on a comfy couch.”

  “You two make a cute couple,” Anna said.

  “I thought you and I made a cute couple,” I said, expecting her to flip me the bird.

  Anna looked away in discomfort but I caught a glimpse of color on her cheeks. I did the smart thing and shut the fuck up.

  ###

  08:45 hours approximate

  Location: Not-sure-where, CA - Undead Central

  We pushed the bikes out of the apartment and onto the landing. I’d dumped out a few more cans of food into bowls and left them for the dog, but she’d eaten her fill and now seemed more interested in following us.

  “Stick around here and don’t let any stupid boy dogs get up in your business,” I said in a baby voice while she licked my face.

  “Up in your business?” Anna stared at me.

  “Yeah, unless she’s looking for some action. I mean…I guess it is the end of the world,” I said and shifted attention back to the dog. “Just make sure he wears protection.”

  “Are you preparing a speech for your future kids?”

  “Kids? I’m not really the dad type.”

  We moved to the stairs. I hoisted the bike up to my shoulder while Anna followed. She stopped at the top of the steps and covered me while I went down. The dog stuck with Anna.

  “She’ll probably stay after we start peddling,” Anna said.

  “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

  “I hate to say it, but we may need to do something about her. Can’t have her barking when we’re near a bunch of Z’s.”

  “Whoa,” I said. “What do you mean ‘do something’?”

  “It’s for the best.”

  “It is not for the best. That dog’s a rock star. You might as well put a bullet in my skull.”

  “Like I haven’t thought of that a few times.”

  “Pardon?” I asked.

  “Just…when we met, you were kind of a dick. All puffed up because of the kid.”

  “That kid was my friend.”

  Anna parked her bike and lowered the kickstand, then came to me. I half expected her to start a fight.

  “Jackson. I’m sorry, okay?” She reached up to touch my cheek.

  I stared back at her, wondering what she was about to do. She surprised me.

  Anna got on her tiptoes, put her hand around my neck, and pulled me into a kiss.

  “Uh.”

  “Don’t be such a dork after last night. I was upset when I met you. I didn’t like what happened to the kid, but it was the right thing to do. He was one of them. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is now. I don’t want a dog barking at the wrong moment and getting us killed.”

  “Don’t use the dog as a fucking bargaining chip.”

  “I’m not,” she said. “And you know it.”

  Christ, she was right. But right or wrong, I wasn’t going to kill a dog that just needed some attention. Man’s best friend and all.

  “Let’s see what happens. Maybe she’s not a spaz.”

  “A spaz? Who says that?”

  I shrugged.

  “No barking,” I told the dog.

  She wagged her tail and sniffed the air.

  Anna and I hopped on the bikes and started our trek back.

  ###

  09:00 hours approximate

  Location: Not-sure-where, CA - Undead Central

  The dog followed us as we made it up the overpass and past the SUV we’d hidden under the day before. There was no sign of McQuinn and his crew, but we kept a cautious eye out.

  The weather was turning and it looked like it might become a sunny day after all. The morning air still had a chill, but there was a mugginess lurking under the light breeze that hit me. If it weren’t for the zombie fucking apocalypse, you might think that me and Anna Sails were just a couple of lovers out for a morning ride. I wondered what it would be like to have a normal life with a girl like her. Would we bike to coffee shops? Go on picnics? Go for long drives? Hang out and watch bad movies on the SyFy channel?

  I knew one thing for goddamn sure. Our nights wouldn’t get boring.

  The dog kept to our side and sniffed the air as we headed for the other side of the freeway. A pile of bodies blocked our way at one point, so we moved to the shoulder and tried not to look. The dog whimpered as we moved past it but then dashed ahead a few meters.

  We made it to the highway and stuck near the shoulder, veering off the road when we had too. It would have been easy to weave between cars, but I was concerned that we’d end up getting snagged by a Z that was hanging out in one of the vehicles. One minute we’re cruising, the next a hand is in our spokes and one of us is flying. We got up to a decent speed and the miles flew by, but then we happened upon a huge wreck.

  The dog dashed ahead and then stopped and looked back at us. Her hair rose on her neck and she snarled but kept still. We stopped beside her, but she just stared.

  The pair of Z’s slid around the side of a blue Monte Carlo and stumbled toward us. The dog backed up and didn’t make a sound except for a low, rumbling growl.

  Anna and I jumped off the bikes and went to work.

  I took the bigger one out with the wrench. It was a beauty of a shot, too. I stepped aside just as the slow creeper came at me. He wasn’t long dead and still had a lot of kick in his lurch.

  I hit him in the head and he fell away. He didn’t even have a surprised look on his face – he just looked…blank. He managed to land on one knee and get a hand down. I stepped behind him and brought the wrench down with a loud crack.

  Anna pulled her knife. She thrust, arm extended, to take the other Z right in the throat. She moved in, knocked his hand to the side, and ripped the knife to the away, taking most of his throat with it. The Z dropped but k
ept twitching.

  The dog still stayed behind us and growled.

  “It’s cool, dog. We got ‘em. Thanks for the assist,” I said.

  The dog showed her teeth.

  From now on I’m paying attention to the mutt.

  The second wave clambered out of a bus and made for us. They snarled, white eyes locked on our flesh. There were only two at first, but then the rest of the bus unloaded.

  “Let’s go, Anna,” I said.

  We rolled our bikes around the wrecks, hopped on, and made a beeline for the rendezvous point. The dog moved alongside us but glanced over her shoulder a few times. Once she let out a low growl. I followed her gaze and saw a Z following us in the distance.

  “Dog’s a keeper,” Anna said.

  We rode a few feet apart.

  “She needs a name,” I said.

  “How about Frosty?”

  “What the hell kind of name is that?” I asked.

  “She didn’t even blink. Just stopped, stared, and growled. She’s cool under pressure.”

  I grinned at Anna. “That’s a damn good name.”

  ###

  09:30 hours approximate

  Location: Near Clairemont, CA - Undead Central

  We hit traffic fifteen minutes later.

  The pack of Z’s was the biggest I’d seen in a long time. They moved in our direction, but we saw them long before they saw us, so we ducked off the road and dashed to the thin tree line. The growth here was sparse and we didn’t really stand a chance of hiding if they took a real interest in us, but I’d found that even partial coverage was better than nothing. It could help to confuse them, with their milky white eyes and lack of ability to smell us.

  Frosty stuck to our side and sat on her haunches while the parade of the damned marched by.

  The Z’s were a mix of old and young, men and women. They moved at a slow pace. Thankfully, I didn’t see any fucking shufflers. At least fifty of the dead meandered past our location. Their destination, if Z’s could have a destination, seemed to wait in the same direction as ours. One thing was for sure – we’d have to deal with them on our way to LA unless we found another way, and I didn’t know shit about this area. Without Google maps or even a GPS, we were just hoping to stay near the highway and to make it to the big city and whatever salvation it represented.