“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 the 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 get-a-way,” 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 towards 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.”
Chapter Fourteen
Allie and Kylie
After Father Brambati left to go watch for Cassie, the vibration under their feet increased.
Billie grinned. “Excellent. It’s getting bigger.” 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 da
rk 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 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 towards 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?”
He smirked. “Something like that.”
“Is Father Brambati from your world, too?” asked Kylie
“No, he’s a mortal,” said Billie. “But he’s helping us.”
“And who exactly is us?” asked Allie.
Before he could answer, there was a loud rumble from somewhere down below.
“Crap, what is that?” squeaked Kylie.
“Get back,” said Allie, pulling Kylie and Adria with her. “It’s getting bigger.”
“Only about another hundred feet,” said Billie. “We’ll be fine.”
The earth around the hole began to crumble and fall and they all moved quickly out of the way. When it stopped growing and the earth settled, an eerie silence surrounded the group. Even Adria was exceptionally quiet.
“Oh God, what’s going to happen next?” whispered Kylie, after a few seconds.
“I don’t know but I’m scared,” replied Allie under her breath.
“Me too.”
“Don’t be frightened,” said Billie, walking back towards the hole. He looked down and grinned. “Well what do you know?”
Jenny and the couple hurried back to the pit. The other woman leaned down and her eyes widened. “What are all of those moving lights?”
“They look like eyes,” said the man
Billie smiled. “That’s because they are, John.”
All three of them gasped and backed away from the pit.
“Don’t be afraid,” said Billie. “They’re not coming for you.”
“Let’s go,” whispered Kylie, turning to leave as a large shadow flew out of the pit.
“Oh my God,” gasped Allie, staring in horror at the giant bat-like creature. It soared to the other side of the park and then turned to head back towards them. “What is that?”
“Come on!” cried Kylie, frightened as another creature launched out of the hole.
“Marvelous!” yelled Billie, his eyes gleaming a yellowish-red color. “It has begun. We need to ready the child!”
Panicked, Kylie held Adria against her chest and began to run. She zigzagged around a couple of zombies and turned down the nearest corridor with Allie following suit. Before they could make it to the end of the hallway, however, one of the bat-like creatures flew by making an unearthly ear-piercing screeching sound. It circled back around and then headed back toward them.
“Ohmygod!” screamed Kylie, staring at the creature’s blood-red eyes and razor-sharp teeth. She ducked as the flying monster swooped down, barely missing her.
“This way!” cried Allie, running past her towards a large jewelry store.
Frightened, Kylie followed her inside. Trying to avoid all of the broken glass, they rushed to the very back and hid behind an empty glass jewelry case that was still intact.
“Is it gone?” whispered Kylie after both of them caught their breath.
Allie got on her knees and then peered over the edge of the glass case. “Uh… I don’t see anything.” She shuddered. “What was that thing?”
“I have no idea.” Kylie put her cheek against Adria’s, who looked like she was ready to cry. “Don’t cry, honey. Please don’t cry. I’ve got you and we won’t let them hurt you.”
Adria’s lip trembled but she didn’t cry.
“You’re such a good baby,” whispered Kylie, kissing her forehead. She turned to Allie. “I swear, any other baby would have been crying the entire time. Adria is definitely special.”
“That why we’ve got to get her out of this mall. And us.”
She scraped her lower lip with her teeth. “Yeah, I know.”
“That hole,” whispered Allie. “It’s scaring the crap out of me.”
“Me too. Aliens or not, it’s evil. I can feel it. Even the air around it seems so… cold and creepy.”
She shivered. “You felt that too? I don’t think anything has scared me as much as that thing up until now. Even the zombies…”
“I think it’s either aliens or….”
“Something from Hell,” finished Allie, peering over the top of the jewelry case again.
She nodded. “Yeah. I really didn’t want to say that, but yeah.”
“We need to find a weapon or something,” whispered Allie, watching as three zombies staggered towards the jewelry shop, as if they sensed they were there.
“Yeah, I know. Diamonds are sharp, right?” she answered, smiling grimly. “Cause I don’t see much of anything else.”
Allie held her breath as the zombies began moving through the store. Fortunately, they weren’t able to get very far with all of the glass cases and eventually wandered off.
“This thing with the zombies is weird,” said Kylie. “Why are they not attacking us? I just don’t get it.”
“Me neither,” said Allie, sitting back down. “But I’m not going to trust that it will stay that way.”
“Exactly.”
Allie smiled down at Adria. “Is she really okay? I mean, I just can’t believe the way she’s handling everything.”
“I know. We need to find her another diaper soon, though.”
“She’s wet?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” she said, peeking over the glass counter once again. “I guess we’d better do something about that then. This is a huge place, they must have diapers somewhere.”
“Even cloth ones,” said Kylie. “Is it safe to leave?”
There were still several zombies moving around in the corridor, but thankfully, no Billie or any of his cohorts. “I hate to say it but we’re never going to get out of this dang mall unless we use another exit,” she replied. “You know he’ll be watching for us at all of the main ones.”
“I’m sure you’re right; what should we do?”
She thought about it. “I know- we need to find out where the loading docks are and see if we can get out that way. Hopefully we’ll find some diapers along the way.”
“Good thinking,” replied Kylie. “Do you know where they are?”
“I think so.”
She picked up Adria. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Hold up. Let’s wait until some of these zombies turn the corner, then we’ll hit it.”
“Okay.”
Allie turned back towards the corridor. “So, what do you think is going on with Billie?”
Kylie shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s crazy. He referred to himself as Travis earlier. What do you think?”
Allie hesitated. “Well, I thought maybe he was an alien but the mo
re I think about it, I’m starting to believe that Travis took possession of his body somehow. I mean, we pretty much know that he was some kind of demon, right?”
“I think so.”
“That could be why the zombies are leaving us alone, because Travis is still controlling them.”
“That’s scary.”
“Everything is scary. Especially that hole. I think those bats were from Hell and,” she swallowed hard. “that something much worse is going to be coming out of it next.”
“Like Lucifer?”
“Exactly.”
“Let’s hope not.”
Terrified of this possibility, they waited on pins and needles for a break in the zombies. Finally, Allie touched Kylie’s arm. “Come on, I don’t see any right now.”
Kylie stood up with Adria and the girls crept towards the exit. Before they could take a step out of the store, however, Billie appeared from around the corner, blocking their way. “Ladies,” he said, grinning smugly. “Did you find anything you like?”
Knowing that it was now or never, Allie shoved Billie with everything she had. “Run Kylie!” she screamed. “Save Adria!”
Terrified, Kylie ran.
Billie grabbed Allie’s arm. “That wasn’t very smart.”
Remembering what Cassie had taught her, she poked him hard in the eyes with her other hand and then kicked him in the shin as hard as she could.
He hollered in rage and released her.
Allie took off running.
Chapter Fifteen
Cassie
After the ground stopped trembling, I stepped out of the restaurant, gripping the Tomahawk ax firmly in my right hand.
“What the hell am I thinking?” I said under my breath, staring at the hundreds of zombies crowding all around the MOA. “They were right. This has got to be a suicide mission beyond all other suicide missions.”
But you have to try and save the girls, countered a little voice in the back of my head. Have faith. You made it this far.
Taking a deep breath, I put one foot in front of the other and began walking. There was no time for second thoughts or reasoning. Sure, it was me against a couple hundred of them, but something told me that time was running out and if I didn’t go for it, my life would quickly follow suit.
Zombie Games Book Five (End Zone) Page 9
